Y’all………It’s not often that I focus on the Epistle reading appointed for the day, rather than the Gospel reading….nor am I a fan of Paul.  Paul was a pretty decent guy, but folks have taken him WAY out of context and twisted his words and meanings into something that he probably wouldn’t even recognize, but I digress.  ANYWAY,  today is one of those unusual times when I focus on what Paul said, so here we go.  In his first letter to the Church at Corinth, Paul says, “I urge you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree in what you say, and that there be no divisions among you,but that you be united in the same mind and in the same purpose.  For it has been reported to me about you, my brothers and sisters,  by Chloe’s people, that there are rivalries among you.  I mean that each of you is saying, “I belong to Paul,” or “I belong to Apollos,” or “I belong to Cephas,” or “I belong to Christ.”
Is Christ divided?
Was Paul crucified for you?
Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?”  ( Corinthians 1:10-13, 17)

Pretty apt for today’s times, huh?  There are SO many folks who claim to be “Christian”, who can spout scripture on command to justify whatever it is that they’re preaching, and who purposefully twist the words found in the Bible to meet their own unfortunate beliefs.  You know who knows the Bible better than anyone?  Who can use those holy words to back up whatever he is selling?  Da devil.  (But that’s a whole ‘nother sermon, so hold that thought.) 

What Paul is telling us is that we need to focus on Jesus and when HE said.  A couple of weeks ago, I changed my Facebook banner to one that said, “Read the Red Words.”  It sparked some questions and discussions.  Way back in the dark ages, when I was but a wee lad, my parents bought me my first Bible.  It was a “Red Letter Edition.”  For those of you who are not familiar, a Red Letter Edition of the Bible is one where every word Jesus is supposed to have said is in red.  And I think, today more than ever in our lifetimes, today we need to be hyper-focused on The Red Words.  The rest of the words written in the Bible aren’t worth a hill of beans if they are not read, understood, and applied through the lens of what Jesus said.  When Paul wrote about those saying, ““I belong to Paul,” or “I belong to Apollos,” or “I belong to Cephas,” he was, in today’s jargon, saying, “I am a Republican!”  “I belong to the Democrats!”  “I’m conservative!”  “I’m a proud liberal!”  And nowhere, NOWHERE in that is an “I belong to Jesus.”

Now, Jesus knew this was gonna happen and he spoke about causing division, most notably in Luke 12:51-53:  Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division.  From now on there will be five in one family divided against each other, three against two and two against three.  They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.” 

But does it have to be that way?  That would be a big ol’ NOPE.  Not.  Notty not not.  In this, like everything else in this world that we do, say and believe, we have a choice.  We can, like Joshua of the Hebrew Bible said, “Choose this day whom ye will serve.”  Now, this will cause great consternation among the troops, coz it requires all of us to examine what we do, what we believe, and who we are.  If any part of us, if anything in our behavior contradicts the Red Words, we need to make some serious adjustments.  And in a nutshell, what do those Red Words say?  Imma tell ya.  Jesus’s main message centered on the Kingdom of God—God’s rule and reign—calling people to repent and believe the good news of his coming kingdom, emphasizing love for God and neighbor as the guiding principles, and demonstrating this kingdom through healing, compassion, and serving the oppressed. His teachings called for radical love, mercy, and seeking God’s kingdom above all else, both in present life and anticipating what is yet to come.

His greatest commandments were, after all, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.” Matthew 22:37–40   So it bears repeating:  We are to demonstrate healing, compassion, and serving the oppressed. His teachings called for radical love and mercy.  If what you see on the news and what you read in da papers isn’t doing that, then you are witnessing the exact opposite of what Jesus was talking about.  If what you are cheering on whilst watching the news and reading in da papers isn’t doing that, then YOU are doing the exact opposite of what Jesus was talking about.

So, choose this day whom ye will serve.  And if there’s any questions about it, read the Red Words.

Amen.