These tough words from Jesus come as part of the Sermon on the Mount. Just before these words today, Jesus has told the crowd that he has come not to abolish the law, but to fulfill it. Now this does not mean that he is replacing or belittling or watering down the law. Instead Jesus is embodying the law, putting flesh on the law, and digging underneath the law in order to find God's deeper values and vision which the law points to.

And then Jesus takes this abstract idea and makes it concrete, giving six examples of how the word becomes flesh in the realities of our everyday lives. And as usual Jesus is neither polite nor politic. He takes on murder, adultery, divorce, lust, legal game playing, and political revenge. And he tells us that if we cannot embody love and reconciliation in our personal lives well, then, reconciliation in the world is doomed.

Today's particular words focus on anger and they are addressed to the bickering, resentful, bitter parts inside us, as well as inside those early crowds. As a good Jew, Jesus starts with the Ten Commandments - Thou shalt not kill - but then he digs even deeper. He suggests that each one of us is a murderer. Each one of us is a killer of life and love when we harbor anger and contempt toward anyone. And he makes it clear that the hard part of reconciliation must start with us - with our decision to be reconciled to God and to neighbor. And we are to do this no matter who is at fault.

No matter who is at fault. Jesus doesn't ask for much, does he?

The type of anger that Jesus uses when he talks of reconciling with a friend, means a particular kind of anger. He is not talking about short bursts of annoyance or frustration. Rather he is talking about the brooding, pervasive kind of animosity that can eat away at us - a kind of leprosy of the soul. This anger destroys relationships and leads to malicious gossip and to the destruction of lives and reputations. Now just in case we are tempted to excuse ourselves from such ugly behavior, I'd like to take a moment for us to reflect on our own lives. Who was the last person you gossiped about or maligned? How frequently do we label or stereotype others who may disagree with us? How willing are we to savor animosity and bitterness toward a friend or family member in order to hold onto our own hurts?

How do we, as people of God, manage to do harm to one another? I once tried to trace the origin of a few unkind remarks that jumped out of my mouth before I thought. Where did they come from? When I sat down to think about it, I was forced to realize they were hatched in a secret place where I harbored unvoiced anger about the person to whom they were spoken. If only I had worked it out with that person before then, perhaps I could have spared our friendship and the need for an apology. That day I was motivated by that resentment to do harm to her. I know that I am not alone in this. The way of righteousness described in this week's gospel points to matters of the heart. Jesus knew that most of his audience would agree that murder and adultery were harmful, but what about angry thoughts against another person, or lustful thoughts?

There is a story abut two farmers in Canada. One day the dog of one farmer got loose and mauled to death the two-year-old child of his neighbor. The devastated father cut off all relationship with his neighbor, and the two men lived in cold, defiant enmity for years. Then one day a fire devastated the property of the dog-owning farmer, destroying his barn and all his equipment. He was unable to plow and plant, and so his future appeared doomed. Except that the next morning he woke up and found all his fields plowed and ready for seed. Upon investigation, he discovered that his grieving neighbor had done this good deed. Humbly the rescued farmer approached his neighbor and asked him if he had plowed his fields - and, if so, why. The answer was clear: "Aye," the former enemy said. "I plowed your fields so that God can live." Hard-core Christian love is not about affection and friendship. It is about forgiveness and reconciliation. It is about a law deeper than litigation. It is about the law of grace and the power of resurrection.

Our Old Testament passage for this morning spells it out quite clearly. “I have set before you life and death. Blessings and Curses.” These words seem simplistic in many ways. Follow God: Be blessed. Follow other gods: Be cursed. Prosperity is linked with faithfulness, while the failure to thrive is a clear sign that one has strayed from the right path.

Now that theological promise may ring hollow to those who have witnessed or experienced suffering firsthand, and let’s be honest. Who hasn’t had suffering in their own lives? Indeed the book of Job is a challenge to this simplistic take on achievement. Do we throw out the perspective of Deuteronomy then? I think not. Rather, it is important to understand this text in particular as establishing a basis for living the "good life" but not answering, or even attempting to answer, all the questions that arise over the course of our lives.

That is, this speaks to how we should live, how we should approach the world, not how we should expect the world to treat us.

In the first place, Deuteronomy upholds the value of human life, in particular, the value of success and flourishing community. These joys of human life are honored as gifts from God and to be treasured as such. Prosperity can be a good thing, a sign of hard work and divine blessing. Faithful stewardship of God's gifts can reap remarkable rewards that should be celebrated, and yet Deuteronomy provides a much-needed perspective on what it truly means to live the "good life."

A truly rich and full life is one that is lived in right relationship with God and with others. Walking in God's ways and being obedient to God's will is a solid basis for a life that won't be unmoored by economic downturns.

Choosing life looks a lot like what Jesus mentions. It doesn't mean you will become instantly rich. It doesn't mean that nothing bad will ever happen to you again. What it does mean is that your life will be a better one. By living in right relationship with God and others, you are better for it. But it is your choice. It is always your choice.

The power of choice is one of our greatest gifts. During the American Revolution Tom Paine showed just how powerful this gift is when he said, "We have it within our power to make the world over again." In other words, we have choices that are so consequential that the world in which we live is literally determined by the choices we make. And it is true of free people that we have it within our power to structure the environment, to establish the context or quality or climate in which we live. And indeed when we make those choices, we determine something very important not only for us but for those around us.

I believe this freedom, this integrity, this characteristic of choice is God-endowed, that we have it because God gave it to us. We are unique. We are choice-makers. We have responsibility to make choices. And it's the ability to make a choice that really gives us a sense of being different in the world. It gives us the sense of being meaningful.

But sometimes we get tied up in some pretty small choices - whether we want chocolate or vanilla, or a red one or a blue one. And in spite of the fact that while our lives seem plenty full of these small choices; I believe that we also have major choices that we must make. And those choices really have an impact not only on the way we live, but on the way those live who follow us and live around us. "I call heaven and earth to record this day against you that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing. Therefore choose life that both you and your descendants may live."

What you do matters. How you choose to live has an effect.

Gregory L. Tolle tells a story about someone who chooses life. “Michael was the kind of guy who had such a positive outlook that you either loved him or hated him. When someone would ask him how he was doing, he would reply, "If I were any better, I would be twins!" He was a natural motivator. If a co-worker was having a bad day, Michael would encourage them and help them to see the positive side of the situation.

A friend asked how he could be so positive all the time. After all, it seemed so unnatural compared to the rest of the world. Michael replied, "Each morning I wake up and say to myself, 'You have two choices today. You can choose to be in a good mood or ... you can choose to be in a bad mood.' I choose to be in a good mood. Each time something bad happens, I can choose to be a victim or ... I can choose to learn from it. I choose to learn from it. Every time someone comes to me complaining, I can choose to accept their complaining or ... I can point out the positive side of life. I choose the positive side of life."

The friend protested that even though it sounded great in theory it would be hard to live out.

Michael responded, "Life is all about choices. When you cut away all the junk, every situation is a choice. You choose how you react to situations. You choose how people affect your mood. You choose to be in a good mood or bad mood. The bottom line: It's your choice how you live your life."

Several years later, Michael was involved in a serious accident as he fell sixty feet from a communications tower. As he lay on the ground, the first thing he thought of was the well-being of his soon-to-be-born daughter. Then, he remembered that he had two choices: He could choose to live or ... he could choose to die. He chose to live.

The paramedics arrived and went to work. They kept telling Michael that he was going to be fine. But when they wheeled him into the ER, he saw the expressions on the faces of the doctors and nurses. He began to feel fear overcoming his body because he could read their eyes: "He's a dead man." He knew he needed to take action.

A big burly nurse was shouting questions. She asked Michael if he was allergic to anything. He replied, "Yes." The doctors and nurses stopped working as they waited for Michael to fill in the missing blank of his allergy. He took a deep breath and yelled, "Gravity." Over their laughter, he said, "I am choosing to live. Operate on me with that understanding."

After eighteen hours of surgery and weeks of intensive care, Michael was released from the hospital with rods placed in his back. Michael lived, thanks to the skill of his doctors, and also because of his amazing attitude. When asked about his health, Michael would respond, "If I were any better, I'd be twins. Want to see my scars?"”

What you do matters. How you choose to live has an effect. Michael’s choices and actions affected the people around him. Your choices and actions affect the people around you.

What choices do you make in your life? Do you choose the way of life and relationships? Do you follow the deeper side of of the Law that Jesus teaches? We all have bad days. Days when we don’t want to choose to be nice to people, when we want to hold on to our anger. It is far easier to give in to those inclinations. To nurture our resentments. To lash out at those who hurt us.

But Jesus calls us to choose something better. To choose the way of Forgiveness. The way of Love. Jesus calls us to choose a better way.