Autopilot Off!

The Holy Gospel According to St. Matthew, the 5th Chapter

“You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘You shall not murder’; and ‘whoever murders shall be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgment; and if you insult a brother or sister, you will be liable to the council; and if you say, ‘You fool,’ you will be liable to the hell of fire. So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift. Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are on the way to court with him, or your accuser may hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison. Truly I tell you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to go into hell. “It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ But I say to you that anyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of unchastity, causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

“Again, you have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but carry out the vows you have made to the Lord.’ But I say to you, Do not swear at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. Let your word be ‘Yes, Yes’ or ‘No, No’; anything more than this comes from the evil one.

I believe that God created you and me not only to RECEIVE life as a gift from God, but also to BRING that life into the world… and that’s not just a “sorta-gettin’-by” kind of life, either!  But an ABUNDANT life!  We are called to be God's ABUNDANT LIFE BRINGERS!  I also believe that sometimes… often for long stretches of time… the choices that move us toward life are clear and consistent, so bringing that life... moving toward, and choosing that life can become automatic, which isn’t a bad thing... as long as the world doesn't dramatically change.  

But life changes, doesn’t it?  And life doesn’t stop to ask whether we think that’s a good idea or not.  So when life DOES change, the former, clear, consistent and automatic moves and choices that led to life before, might not move us toward life anymore.  In those times, we need to take our lives off automatic pilot, sit down, open our eyes and make new, thought out, conscious decisions about what we need to do NOW to choose life, in that NEW place and in that NEW time. 

Moses lived in one of those times.  The people of Israel had been making choices about how to move toward life out in the wilderness for a really long time.  The choices for life they made on the road, out in the wilderness had become second nature… automatic.  But now, the people of Israel had come to the end of the wilderness.  Instead of plowing on into the Promised Land, like nothing would be different, Moses sat the people down and told them, “Over there, life WILL BE DIFFERENT from how it’s been over here.  The choices that will lead to life over there WILL BE DIFFERENT than the choices that led to life in the wilderness.  Take your life OFF automatic pilot.  Open up your eyes!  Remember your CORE… loving God, walking in God’s ways and following God’s rules… now, THINK about what that CORE looks like, and THINK about what it will look like NOW to CHOOSE LIFE… to step toward life in this NEW time and this NEW place.  

Jesus lived in one of those times too.  Loving God and loving neighbor were at the core of the Law, but the focus had drifted from the practice of loving God and neighbor, and folks had become focused on the laws ABOUT loving God and neighbor.  Jesus knew it was time to sit the people down and tell them, “Take your life OFF automatic pilot.  Open up your eyes!  Remember your core… loving God, walking in God’s ways and following God’s rules… now, think about what that CORE looks like in this NEW place and in this NEW time and choose again to take a step in that direction… to choose life!”

We’re living in one of those times too.  The world and the church that lies behind us, is not the same as the world and the church that lies ahead, so here’s a story to help us take our lives off automatic pilot and open our eyes…  I don’t know if you’ve ever ridden the subway in New York, but there’s an automatic pilot way that New Yorkers ride the subway.  Blank stare, ear buds in, don’t look around, don’t make eye contact, no matter what is going on around you, pretend it isn’t really there and don’t get involved.  

That’s the automatic pilot way New Yorkers ride the subway that has led to life for them FOREVER.  But last week something happened, and the people in one New York Subway car were challenged to take their lives off automatic pilot, open their eyes, remember what they valued at their core and make a NEW and different step in that direction.  They were challenged in that moment last week to make a NEW choice for life in a new time.  

This group of New Yorkers piled onto a subway car late in the evening.  As they settled into their seats, they all began to realize that every window, all the glass covering every advertisement, had been marked with swastikas and hateful, anti-semitic messages in black Sharpie.  The train was silent.  Everyone looked around at each other, uncomfortable but unsure what to do.  Living on automatic pilot, riding the subway the usual way… the way they had ALWAYS ridden the subway… the thing to do would be to stare straight ahead and not get involved.  That’s the way they had ALWAYS ridden the subway.  

But then, into the silence… into the way things had always been done… someone said, “Hand sanitizer gets rid of Sharpie.”  Suddenly, in a flurry of activity, everyone on the train was reaching into pockets, purses and bags to find hand sanitizer and tissues.  In less than two minutes all the hateful graffiti was gone.

In that one moment, that person who said, “Hand sanitizer gets rid of Sharpie” did EXACTLY what Moses had done on the edge of the Promised Land… EXACTLY what Jesus had done on the mountain.  He challenged the people around him on that train, to take their lives OFF automatic pilot, open their eyes and REALLY SEE that what was happening around them NOW was NOT the same as it had always been.  He challenged them to remember what they valued… what they REALLY valued at their core, and then offered them a way to purposefully, physically, intentionally, consciously move toward what they valued… He offered them the opportunity to choose life!  

The automatic pilot which has helped us faithfully choose life for our whole lives will no longer fly us effortlessly toward life in this new world in which we live.  We are being called, like the people Moses and Jesus addressed, to STOP and open our eyes!  To remember our CORE, and take a NEW step TOWARD that TIMELESS CORE of loving God and walking in God’s ways… but a NEW step, a DIFFERENT step… a step for this NEW age… a NEW choice again for life!  

The people who reached in their bags for tissues and sanitizer made an amazing step toward life that evening.  But I believe THIS church is called to MORE than simply being like the people who reached in their pockets, purses and bags to find hand sanitizer on that train.  I believe THIS church is called to be the voice in our community that speaks into the changing world around us… that LEADS the way and is the one who speaks into the silence like the one who said, “Hand Sanitizer gets rid of Sharpie” did.  I believe this church will not only choose life, but that together, YOU are the leaders of our community who are not only taking those first, courageous NEW steps toward life, but will continue leading our neighbors as we all take NEW steps toward life.  Amen.