Pentecost XXII

By The Rev. Martha Frances+
Year C, Twenty-Second Sunday after Pentecost; Proper 25
28 October 2007 

Text: Luke 18: 9-14; Other Readings: Joel 2: 23-32; 2 Timothy 4: 6-8, 16-18; Psalm 65 

      At clergy conference the first of October, I heard about a young deacon just out of seminary sent to a rural parish in our diocese.  The first Sunday, the parishioners eagerly awaited sermon time, & from the Monday morning quarterbacking in coffee hour afterwards, folks considered him a very good preacher.  The next Sunday they returned in anticipation of his preaching.  To their surprise, he preached the same sermon that Sunday.  Though slightly disconcerted, they were willing to cut him a little slack; after all, he had moved into his house that week & the baby had been sick.  Sunday #3 came along, & they heard the same sermon once again.  Next morning, the senior warden & a couple of vestry members paid a visit to the new pastor.  They queried, "Son, weren't you taught in seminary that Episcopalians expect to hear a different sermon each week based on that week's gospel?"  "Oh, yes," he answered, "each week I've prepared a new sermon, but I thought I should repeat the first one until it had done some good."

      Today, I face the daunting task of preaching from the Gospel while inspiring the congregation to give joyfully & generously to balance Hope's budget for 2007, consider faithfully your pledge for 2008, & take to heart our part in meeting the Millennium Development Goals!  And people claim priests only work one day a week! 

      After all, I should be able to accomplish each objective in one sermon; I'm the professional religious person!  The Pharisee in today's Gospel was also the professional, & he certainly knew how to pray, didn't he?  He was actually just the type person we're looking for in our focus on growing the parish: not only did he fast twice a week (rather than the once required by the Jewish law), but he also tithed a tenth of all his income—a biblical tithe!  No doubt he headed the stewardship campaign at his synagogue.  Every church would be thrilled to have such an outstanding parishioner as he.  In fact, how many of you squirm a bit as do I at familiarity with this Pharisee?

      The Pharisee's prayer starts out ok; we're always supposed to be thankful in all things, & we live our best quality of life with an attitude of gratitude.  But what is the Pharisee grateful for:  he separates himself from others—those we recognize as the sinners of their society—& holds himself superior to them.  The usual prayer position in those days was standing & lifting one's hands & eyes to heaven.  Because our Prayers of the People come from the Jewish tradition, we also stand when we pray them, but we stand together as community, not each by oneself apart from all the others.

      There's not a thing wrong with WHAT the Pharisee does to make him feels superior:  fasting & tithing—basic  responsibilities of a good Jew, & the Pharisee goes beyond what is expected of him. The problem with the Pharisee's prayer is he doesn't really need God, doesn't even ask God for anything, does he?  The Pharisee is self-sufficient & can do everything for himself.  His prayer is really just glorifying or exalting himself.

      What about the tax collector?  Is he the hero?  Well, it depends.  We don't really know much about him from his prayer, but we know that he considers himself unworthy since he stands a long way off, won't look up to heaven, & beats his breast when he prays.  He certainly knows he needs God's mercy, doesn't he?  He identifies himself as a sinner & asks God to treat him with mercy.  Jesus says that someone who is humble like this tax collector will be exalted.  Jesus is clear, though, that there's not anything either man can do to earn the grace which God so generously offers.  It's just that the Pharisee is so full of himself that he has no room to even ask for the fullness of God's grace.

      I've often wondered whether the tax collector left the temple ready to live his life differently, to let God's mercy & love toward him pour out upon those whom he met.  When God exalted the tax collector, & when God strengthens us for service, what difference does that make in our lives?

      We're each called to live our lives so that we can say, with the writer of the 2^nd letter to Timothy, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith."  Paul recognizes that he has done nothing on his own.  He continues, "But the Lord stood by me & gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed & all the Gentiles might hear it."  As Christians, we're called to pray not only for knowledge of God's will for us but also for the power to carry that will out.

      So we turn to the other emphases today assured that we're not about the business of earning our way into heaven.  Jesus already did that for us on the cross.  We're at the task of fulfilling the ministry of the laity put forth in the Catechism (BCP 855) to "carry on Christ's work of reconciliation in the world; and to take [our] place in the life, worship, and governance of the Church."  In fulfilling our commitment for 2007—& perhaps filling in the gap for others because we are brothers & sisters in Christ standing with each other in community—we are strengthening Hope's ability to continue Christ's work of reconciliation in our corner of the world. 

      As far as preparing to make a pledge toward Hope's budget for 2008, we aid the finance committee & the vestry in responsible stewardship of our resources.  I heard again this week the old saw, "Oh, I tithe, but I don't pledge."  I've never quite understood the logic of this practice.  How can we be fully part of a community while withholding the information that family needs to plan adequately for future expenses?  Not only does the church family need to know our intentions; not only do we need to trust the community enough to supply necessary information; but we need to make that commitment to ourselves to be accountable for our financial obligation to the whole community. 

      In preparing for the Halloween Carnival yesterday, I first purchased the cape I wore.  Then, I asked several Hope parishioners who I should be.  One responded, "If it's the witch or Dracula type---we could have you go as a Vampire or someone on the stewardship committee."  Now let's be honest: how many of us sometimes feel that way about the stewardship campaign?  I dare you to volunteer for the stewardship committee next year!  Our committee has done an outstanding job this year.  Let's thank them for a usually-thankless task well done.  My friends, making a pledge is as much for our own spiritual growth as it is for the community.

      Further, in the next 2 weeks, we'll be celebrating the sacrament of baptism.  In fact, we have a rare opportunity to experience a multi-generational Sunday School class on baptism at 9:00 a.m. on the 11^th, so PLEASE plan to come & bring your children!  We believe that God's gift of baptism is complete & doesn't need to be repeated, but we all need to repeat our baptismal vows often in order to remind ourselves of our commitments as Christians.  Next Sunday & the next when we say that, with God's help, we will seek & serve Christ in all persons, loving our neighbor as ourselves & we will strive for justice & peace among all people, respecting the dignity of every human being, what do we mean? 

      Today's emphasis on the 8 Millennium Development Goals & 8 ways we can live into them is a key to how we truly care for the world, seeing others as Christs & respecting their dignity.  The Rev. Mark Hanson, Presiding Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, says, "Our baptism calls us, Scripture compels us, & the world demands that we be a public church—a church that is deeply affected by the pain of others in our interconnected world.  When addressing issues of global concern as a public church we must listen intently to our international partners & commit ourselves to accompaniment—not to lead or follow, but to walk with—on a journey of reconciliation & hope, centered on God's mission of restoring community." 

      Despite our own financial woes at Hope at present, in comparison to much of the rest of the world, we are all wealthy.  We are privileged, & as such, we have the responsibility as average citizens & ordinary Christians to participate in overcoming the great scandal of global poverty.  What can I do, each of us may ask.  In fact, as Christians, we must ask these questions.  Please take this green sheet home & place it in the place where you say your daily prayers.  If you don't have a prayer place, the MDG sheet can be the first sacred object you place in a spot in your home which can become your prayer space.  This booklet prepared jointly by the Episcopal & Lutheran churches—God's Mission in the World—purposes a 6 week study in which we ponder ways we can participate in eradicating extreme poverty by 2015.  Who in our parish has a passion for such fulfillment?  Who will facilitate a group exploring our response?  It's part of our baptismal covenant, folks.  Did you notice the Living Green supplement in Thursday's Chronicle?  We have before us myriad opportunities to be stewards of "this fragile planet, our island home" that are doable, even by you & me.  What is God asking of each of us?  Of us as a parish community?