This week I watched Hamilton with my eldest. We had never seen it before and knew nothing about it other than it was created by the person who did the music for Moana, and Twice loved it. Be warned, this sermon comes with spoilers. The show starts by introducing Alexander Hamilton, a poor, scrappy, precocious, talented, ambitious young literal orphaned bastard, seeking to make a name for himself in a world that disdained him. Once we’ve met the protagonist, Lin-Manuel Miranda sets the recurring musical theme with the lyric: “I’m not throwing away my shot”. It’s deeply appropriate given that, despite Hamilton being instrumental in the Revolutionary War as George Washington's Secretary, despite him writing 2/3 of the Federalist Papers, and despite him being the first Secretary of the Treasury, about all anyone knew about Hamilton before this musical was that he died after losing a duel to his best friend, Aaron Burr.
The idea that we have a single shot at life resonated because Hamilton died by a gun that has only a single shot. It raises the question: what will we do with our lives? How will it have meaning, purpose, and be measured? How can those who lack status in our world- the bastard, the orphan, the poor, the oppressed, the immigrant- seek to give meaning to their lives and not throw away their one shot at living? Hamilton loses his duel because he pointed his gun towards the sky, refusing to fire upon his friend and securing his place as the hero of the story. The world of Hamilton and of the Founding Fathers created the idea of America, the idea of a world of second chances, a world that believes in do-overs. It is the dream of a new world, free from stigma, with limitless potential, where old things can be refreshed and changed. That American dream drew millions to our shores and still attracts them. Yes, we live in a land of do-overs and Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Even so, there is a reality that all our choices have consequences we cannot escape, only regret.
That brings us nicely to the Gospel. Last week we heard the passage before this one, in which Peter‘s confession that Jesus is the Messiah- that Jesus has a shot at the big time, has the opportunity to be the ruler of the world. Jesus lets Peter know that those who are his followers are empowered by their relationship with him. Jesus tells Peter, you are a rock; what you bind on earth and what you lose on earth will have eternal consequences. Peter, Peter, don’t throw away the one shot at saving the world you have.
And this week the disciples start to learn what kind of name Jesus plans to make for himself. So, what kind of messiah is Jesus? What kind of king? What kind of General or President? And is this the kind of leader you are looking for, Peter? You see, Peter and the other disciples have been fantasizing. It looks like they hitched their wagon to a rising star; how far can they go hanging on to Jesus' coat tails? How much power could they accrue? How wealthy could they become? How successful their lives will be when Jesus is King. And, most important, how much vengeance could they have on all those who have oppressed them? Jesus starts to talk about what his political campaign will look like, what his kingship and Messiahship will be. He will go on preaching, as he has always done, and go to Jerusalem. Where the leaders and the authorities of this world will persecute him and put him to death. Because they cannot stand even the idea of God’s justice, which reveals them as corrupt hypocrites.
Peter is horrified. He thought that they had got a savior of their nation who would sweep the medturns, end all the foreign wars, bring down inflation, and get gas down to $2 a gallon. He did not expect a king to suffer or die! Peter thought he was gaining lordship in this world, not being called into self-giving service. Jesus, who had highly praised Peter for recognizing him as the Messiah, is equally dramatic now: “Get behind me, Satan!” You have your mind fixed on this world, not upon the things of heaven. Peter failed to understand the nature of Jesus' kingship. If you think your one shot at life is about success in this world, you are going to lose Jesus. If you want power over others for power's sake, or so you can abuse rather than love, God will abandon you.
The rich and the powerful man who is not happy in his wealth until he learns to let it go has become a trope in Hallmark movies; my favorite example is The Family Man starring Nicholas Cage. As our current crop of billionaires makes very clear, money can’t make you happy, although poverty sure can make you sad. In tough-love with Peter, Jesus is teaching us to reshape and refocus our perspective in this world. From one that shoots for wealth, power, and fame, to one that aims for virtue and true relationship. To seek reputation, not in this world, which can easily be forgotten and requires a Broadway musical to be revived. But rather to seek reputation in heaven, where the goodness that we have done in the world is bound eternally, and the failures that we confess weekly are forgiven and forgotten for all eternity.
Jesus makes clear, though, that such work comes with costs; those of us who wish to enter onto the way of righteousness must take up our cross to follow Christ. We must be prepared to sacrifice and to lose things that are of importance, that really matter to us. At the end of Hamilton, Lin-Manuel Miranda's interpretation is that Burr took his shot and killed because he did not wish to see his daughter orphaned. Hamilton refuses to inflict suffering by firing at Burr, choosing instead to show his virtue by firing into the air. For Hamilton, this was possible because his son had already died in a duel, and he would not wish that loss on anyone. From the place of loss comes a possibility for empathy, and from that empathy comes action with integrity, which we call virtue. It's the difference that makes Hamilton a hero and Burr the villain.
Our eternal reputation in heaven is built and based on God’s willingness to take their one shot, willingness to risk it all to seek and save the lost, to love us in our sin and our failure. To choose mercy not judgement, virtue not fear, love not hate. The model Jesus presents is not a life of seeking power for power's sake, but rather self-governance rooted in mercy and empathy with those who have lost. And God did so before we had even lost, knowing what we are, knowing what we humans can do, knowing how brutal a world we have made for each other; God is still willing to step in and join us. No matter what. So how will we use our one shot? When we think of lordship in this life, do we think of our opponents, those we disagree with, and how we would destroy them, or do we want to win them over, to save them with love? What would it cost us if we sought mercy for sinners, as Jesus would have mercy, and how terrible will it become for all in our time if we fail? Amen.