May 31, 2020 Pentecost Matthew 7:13-28

The events of the last couple days have caused me to set aside the sermon I created and write something different. By events I wish I was talking about the Spacex rocket launch yesterday carrying astronauts to the International Space Station. I’m excited that our nation again has the domestic capacity to launch humans into space. No, of course I’m talking about the death of George Floyd and all the protests, riots, looting, and else that has been going on.

Racial relationships are tense and they are complex. I find it an interesting coincidence that we are at the day of Pentecost. We Christians use this old Jewish holiday to celebrate the birth of the Church. The Holy Spirit dramatically came to the disciples gathered in Jerusalem on that day.

We are told there were devout Jews from every nation living in Jerusalem at that time. Yet each one heard the followers of Christ speaking in his or her own language. While they were all devout Jews, they are of different nations and races. While Judaism originated as blood related tribes, it had become a diverse religion.

There is a whole list of nations listed there. Some of those nationalities got along with each other. Some did not. Usually when there are racial disagreements the situation is complex. There is probably plenty of guilt to go around, and who knows where it actually started. There are also stereotypes. And with all stereotypes there are some that may be more accurate than others. As I consider the acquaintances, friends, colleagues, and people I know from different races I find that some do indeed fit negative racial stereotypes. Many do not. And in all cases, it is complex. Sometimes there are overt racial actions done by one side against subtle things done by the other side.

There have been riots, looting and violence these last days in many cities, Rochester included. While these things are senseless, especially in one’s own neighborhood and against local businesses, there is something to be noted about a suppressed rage that develops. It blows up into irrational action. The surface action is wrong, but you’ll never solve it until you look at what is underneath.

Maris Harvey Taylor was a member of the Pennsylvania State Senate from 1941 to 1964. He became an influential political boss and effectively bullied his way around in many things. The geographic area he represented included Harrisburg and surrounding Dauphin County. If you know the geography of the Harrisburg metropolitan area you know it is split by mile-wide Susquehanna River. With mountains also looming everywhere transportation and development in and around Harrisburg is complex.

I haven’t studied it too carefully, but during Taylor’s time in office there were plans to build a new bridge across the river and improve roads in and around the capitol complex. I understand the simplest and lowest cost option would have been to tear down the houses of a number of affluent white citizens and realign streets there. Taylor however, pressured for a more complicated and expensive option that ran things through predominantly black neighborhoods, effectively destroying those communities. Taylor’s push worked. The few white-owned houses were saved. Streets of black neighborhoods were destroyed.

To add insult to injury the massive 4200 ft. long bridge that was built taking a new road into the destroyed neighborhoods was named the M. Harvey Taylor Bridge. I don’t know about you, but if I lived in one of the destroyed neighborhoods, I don’t know if I’d ever be able to cross the bridge named for the guy who destroyed my neighborhood. Even seeing it would be a constant subtle cause of tension and anger.

How would it feel if your street were to be renamed, Osama Bin Laden Street? …not to draw a parallel between Taylor and terrorist leaders, but you get the point. Tensions build and build. Then they explode in irrational violence.

For the most part we have the luxury of watching riots and acts of violence on our TV’s or computer screens. As far as I know, the only people connected to our congregation who have experienced anything close to him is Mark and Cindy Friga in Rochester. For the rest of us, it is distant; something of conversation. We do not have to deal with the mess. We can afford to ignore subtle policies that make life difficult or impossible for others.

But should we then? Of course not!

In our gospel we read the conclusion of the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus has wrapped up this sermon with a series of teachings about being a committed disciple. He starts off saying the road is narrow and hard that leads to life. However the road to destruction is wide and easy.

Is not being in a position to ignore racial injustice an easy, wide road?

This is companion synod Sunday, and we are connected with the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Zimbabwe. A few weeks ago I had a conversation with one of their pastors – Pastor Mdube. (I won’t pronounce his first name. It’s too complicated.) The Lutheran church in Zimbabwe is growing and vivacious. People travel for miles to attend weekly worship which lasts for hours. Pastor Mdube preaches in four or five languages in order to cover all the languages of those who gather every week. We American Christians have a lot to learn about faith from them. Our faith is so easy. Theirs is challenging. They are also struggling with coronavirus outbreaks and they don’t begin to have the hospital capacities we do.

But the thing is, I can afford to ignore them. As an American pastor I can afford to know one language and preach from the comfort of my living room for several minutes in a week during these times.

I think it is subtle, but the road is easy that leads to destruction.

Jesus also preached that not everyone who says, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven.

As the conference dean I work with the Greater Rochester Community of Churches a bit, although I’m not the official Lutheran representative. Despite Rochester Christians being predominantly African American in heritage there is only one such person on the board. A criticism myself and others have made is that the Greater Rochester Community of Churches is largely driven by suburban white people who like to go in and offer a helping hand to the poor black folks.

But is that really helping? Is that not toxic charity? Is that not saying that you are doing things in Jesus name, but not really. The GRCC needs a leadership overhaul. I doubt it will happen but there are some who are working for it, and I hope they succeed.

Jesus concludes the Sermon on the Mount with the image of the wise and foolish builder. The wise builder builds on rock. The foolish builder builds on sand. When the rains come the house on rock stands. The house on sand collapses.

Those who build their faith on the easy path, taking easy roads of service to feel good about themselves, while ignoring (or overlooking) the more difficult paths that lead to real help, are building their faith houses on sand.

We are strong, creative, and capable people. The problems in our nation are numerous. Racial injustices and inequality are some of the biggest problems. We cannot improve things from safe comfortable distances. Reading a news report, sending a few dollars to help an aid organization, doing a token service project to help the needy, and that sort of thing just doesn’t cut it.

That does not mean you need to feel guilty, or to beat yourself up, or any such thing. What is does mean is to look at where life has given you an easy road. Do you even recognize the road is as easy as it is. Do not be quick to judge those whose roads are harder. Instead, pay attention to them. Invest in them. Don’t be afraid of the harder roads. There are plenty of them, but the harder roads are the roads that actually lead somewhere worthwhile. The easy roads go nowhere.