Matthew 5:1-2;14-16
(Much of today’s sermon outline comes from Pastor Sanetta Ponton, who serves a Covenant Church in New Jersey.)
A few years ago our son was enrolled in a driver’s education course. There was both classroom learning as well as “behind the wheel” practice. As parents we were also part of the process, allowing him to practice driving while we rode in the passenger seat. There are many details and rules to learn, but most of the training could be summarized around the concept of “yielding” – being willing to “give in”, to be courteous and patient, perhaps even when the other driver is not. Don’t use your car as a weapon, don’t get angry, don’t encourage or participate in “road rage.” Take a deep breath, stay calm, practice patience…. In short, be willing to yield the road when necessary….even when you are “in the right”… in order to maintain the highest level of safety. Sounds good, right? But those of us who are experienced drivers know how hard it can be at times.
To yield is partly defined in the following ways: to admit to be true; to concede; to submit and comply with; to give up a demand, right, or claim.
But YIELDING is hard!
- We don’t like to back down…or give up….or give in
- We flash our high beams back at people
- When someone tailgates us….we stubbornly stick to our speed and our lane
- Our politicians don’t like to yield. They can’t even compromise anymore. Never give in!
- In our polarized America…..yielding is not usually the posture that’s most evident
The concept of yielding has also been mis-used. Our Christian faith and scripture have been used to force people to yield against their wills.
- African Americans forced to yield – kept in slavery for centuries
- Native Americans / Indians forced to give up their culture / re-educate their children in boarding schools across North America
- Women forced to stay in abusive marriages
- We could go on and on……
- So we can understand why some people might be a bit reluctant to quickly accept the need for a yielding posture.
However, a posture of yielding shows up in scripture….and is a powerful message in Jesus’ teaching.
Matthew 5:1-2
“Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them…”
In Matthew 4, Jesus has already begun his public preaching on the Kingdom, chosen disciples, begun performing miracles of healing, etc. The crowds are gathering.
But here in chapter 5 Jesus begins to teach his disciples what it looks like to live in the Kingdom of God. How it actually takes place, what it should really look like. How can we become salt, light, different from those around us? How should we interpret the Law? How do we deal with our enemies? How do we practice our spirituality – prayer, alms giving, and fasting? In each case, it appears that humility and a posture of yielding are absolutely fundamental to living in kingdom community!
So while yielding is HARD, and not encouraged by society, and while it HAS in the past been mis-used as coercion and force…… yet, Jesus teaches a yielded posture as absolutely critical to shared life in the Kingdom of God. While our culture may look down on it….Jesus calls those who have had to yield, who have had to accept a life of difficulty and sadness, and tears, and poverty…..as “blessed”!
How do we actually practice a yielded posture in our prayer life?
- Look up to Jesus (Matthew 5:1)
- Jesus positions himself on the mountain so he can see them, and they him
- Keep our eyes on Jesus –Jesus not only teaches humility and yielding…but models a life of yielding to his heavenly father.
- In prayer, we can practice a physical posture of yielding (kneeling, bowing, retreating to our private, quiet place….not praying to be seen by others.)
- Recognize the authority of Jesus Christ and submit to his teachings
- The disciples come to him on the mountain and sit….giving Jesus their attention.
- “Who is this….that even the winds and the waves obey him?” It takes time, but the disciples begin to sense the authority of Jesus in a powerful way. At the end of Matthew, Jesus offers that authority…and his continuing presence…to his disciples… to us!
- Do we come with a posture of yielding and learning? To come to learn implies that there is more for us to gain. What is the new thing that God is trying to teach us….that we might be resisting?
- Is this possibly what’s missing in our society? Is it possible that we are no longer open to learning? “We go, each to our own news silos to hear only the things that confirm what we already believe.” Instead, can we go to God in prayer…go to scripture together…with the real hope that God might teach us something new?
- Recognize that we do not yield alone. We are part of a community of disciples yielding to the Lord and to one another. This builds a community that mirrors the Kingdom of God.
May God continue to shape and lead us as a church….as we learn to yield completely to God….and to each other.
(the above is a summary of the message shared during our worship on June 2, 2024.)
Japanese Congregational Church 