The Word of God is Sharper than a Two-Edged Sword

Transcribed from the sermon preached October 14, 2012 

The Reverend Max Lynn, Pastor

Scripture Readings: Mark 10:17-31, Hebrews 4:12-16

 
" It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”  So who is rich?  A safe guess would be the 1%.  But does that then let the rest of us, the 99% off the hook?  In America, defining rich is a difficult question.  Maybe, if, as many preachers have noted, rather than being rich, the problem is a focus on wealth or material possessions.  Ralph Nader, speaking Thursday night hear at St. John’s said not all the wealthy are narcissistic.  Some of them use their wealth for good.  Indeed Jesus doesn’t order everone to sell all they have.  Maybe Jesus is just warning against those who are preoccupied with material things and who allow their selfish interest to take precedence over the love of God and neighbor?  But who is the most preoccupied with money in our culture?  That is not an easy question either.  
We all know there are multiple classes in our society.  In his satirical book, Class, Paul Fussel divides classes as follows, Top out of sight, Upper, upper middle class, middle class, high proletarian, middle proletarian, low proletarian, destitute, and bottom out of sight.  What divides the classes is not just money, but a whole social hierarchy of norms and rules.  A high proletarian for instance, is a skilled professional laborer who may make much more money than say, a university professor of the upper middle class.  Middle class are the teachers, accountants and middle managers.  They have gone to college but not elite universities.  They, like nobody else, aspire to be upper middle class, so they are extra conscious of signs of wealth and class, and are most likely to be visibly judgmental, envious or arrogant toward those above or below them.  Both the high prole and the middle class will tend to look down on those who have not made it, who have not been able to work their way up.  The characteristic that most sets the middle class apart from upper middle class is their visible desire to be upper middle class.  So they will try to use important difficult words of the business or lifestyle they hope to be associated with.  The upper middle class, doctors, lawyers, professors, recognized artists  and upper management with elite university degrees  show their class by not showing their class.  I noticed this here in Berkeley.  Houses are not showy and glamorous like the wealthy middle and high prole houses.  Homes and décor and clothes are relatively simple, practical, and well made and well used.  The middle class will tend to have new shiny things, while the upper classes will have an old house with hardwood floors and a worn out oriental rug.  They drive Volvos and hybrids while the middle class and high proles will drive Cadillacs, and corvette’s and large SUVs. 
Still upper middle class sets the trend, but the imitation tends to show middle class desperation.  Everyone but the upper classes used to drink instant coffee.  Then aspiring middle class found out that Starbucks and Pete’s were a sign of class and now the whole world can be heard ordering a $4 Venti half caf latte to show we have class. Facebook started among Upper Middle Class Students, now it has busted out to all aspiring ladder climbers, so it is no longer a sign of cool.  The whole organic craze starts with the upper middle class who can afford it, then begins to trickle down as the middle class want to be like them.   Middle class folks brag about 501ks, promotions and grades and degrees and club memberships.  Upper middle class crack jokes and critique art and music using a language and nuance that only they understand.  For vacations High proles are big spenders in Vegas and Miami, the middle class Club Med, the upper classes go sailing or to Prague.  Upper proles and middle classes are the most conservative because it is more important to their self-esteem to believe they have made it on their own and people below them are there because they haven’t worked as hard or are not as righteous.  And since we middle class folks are so conscious of the fact that we are not the upper class, we won’t ever think of ourselves as rich, and so we will take solace in this message from Jesus, that though we are jealous of those above us in class, at least we can get to heaven before a camel goes through the eye of a needle.     
In college I worked for the best catering company in San Diego.  It was there that I learned the difference between upper class, upper middle class, and middle class with money.  Or as Chris Rock has said, there is rich and then there is wealthy.  The great basketball player “Shack is rich.  The guy who signs his check is wealthy.”  The symphony, the theater, the museums, universities and politicians each had fund raising parties, and we would do the food.  After a while I noticed that the same 100 people kept showing up at all these events.  They owned the banks in La Jolla, the buildings down town, the newspapers and TV, the Hotels in mission beach and the malls and stadium in Mission valley.  Big Mercedes sedans or the Jaguar were the party cars of choice.  Not many limos.  Generally, you don’t see the upper class, and you don’t know them.  Donald Trump is wealthy, but he is not upper class.  Movie stars, athletes, politicians and artists were decorations rather than big shots, living toys you might call them.  They were on display.  When we did a party at one of these upper class homes, I noticed that you could almost never see it from the street, but the house always had a great view.  Our orders were precise and specific, sometimes by the lady of the house, but usually not given to us by the owner at all, but rather by their activity manager who would say things like, “Mrs Coply wants the first course served at 7:30.  Come in through the right service door walk around the table counter clockwise, serving Mrs. Coply first, then each person to the right of Mrs Coply and exit out the left service door.  Don’t drop the plates, they are the china Napolean gave his first wife.
You see, I can’t help myself, as my name dropping is supposed to impress, but hopelessly distinguishes me as forever middle class. 
Our upper class were not typically disrespectful to us lowly servants, because the social hierarchy was so clearly defined, they had nothing to worry about.  We were much more likely to be treated disrespectfully when a middle class person decided to be a big spender and throw a big party.  At those parties the host or guests, more concerned with distinguishing themselves from the lowly help, were more likely to be mean or disrespectful. 
I give you this review of class in American culture because I think it is especially hard in our time and place to single out one easy group who is analogous to the “rich” Jesus refers to in his day and age.  It is not just the 1% who are greedy, self-centered, or concerned about social standing.
Certainly there is the 1% who have the power to push and pull the rest of us wherever they might want us to go.  And with the kind of power they have, who needs God?  You can bet that the Mission Valley mall parking lot runoff study was not enough on its own to get the politician who is funded by the Mall owner to take action on behalf of the environment.  But who drives the cars and works and shops in the malls? 
In America, everyone the vast majority of us think of ourselves as middle class.  In this bad economy, we may have lost a house, but it was likely a $500,000 house.  Relatively, were we stretching and overextending any less than the really rich with their millions and billions?  Are not the soldiers of our nation invading countries to protect our small business and big houses too?  And to paraphrase South Park, would we not be adding to upper middle class smugness if we use Jesus to criticize the ostentatiousness of materially successful people we already consider below us in class?  We are not so materialistic that we live out in a giant suburban track home, watch a giant screen TV, barbeque steaks all the time, and drive a giant SUV with a ski boat and motor cycles behind it; and then lose it all when the economy goes bust; so we just live in an old dinky three bedroom house that costs twice as much, eat expensive gourmet organic food, and drive the hybrid to the theater or university library.  
So maybe the message for today is to beware of smugness.  Watch out for asking God what we need to do when we think we already know and are already doing it. Jesus knows us better than we know ourselves. 
12Indeed, the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. 13And before him no creature is hidden, but all are naked and laid bare to the eyes of the one to whom we must render an account.
If we are not saved by our privileged smug lifestyle, then who can be saved?  “For mortals it is impossible, but not for God; for God all things are possible.”
It is good and right and Christ-like to actively critique the misuse of power by the wealthy, and to try to create a society where freedom and opportunity are available to all, and the poor and unfortunate are cared for.  It is good to live simply, to use less energy, support sustainable agriculture, education and art, just like it is good to honor our father and mother, not commit adultery, or steal, lie or murder.  Still the Church is to be made up of the humble, those who recognize our need for grace, and the God whose love is not condescending charity but comes to us through a common poor man who welcomes us whoever we are.  So in Christ, by the grace of Christ, there are no distinctions, rich or poor, educated or uneducated, classy or classless, as we humble ourselves before our God,  our soul is united with the Spirit and we are made whole.  There is no longer a need to strive and maintain social acceptance.  We need not distinguish ourselves with class, but rather with love, for we know that love is finally the only thing worth living and dying for.  Deep down we know this, and this is why we come to speak with Jesus, this is why we join the Church, this is why give thanks and praise.  Together by the grace we place Christ above all things, and follow him with our love.