Pentecost 3
By the Reverend Martha Frances
Year A, Pentecost 3, Proper 4
1 June 2008
Texts: Matthew 7:21-29; Genesis 6: 9-22; 7: 24; 8: 14-19
Other Readings: Romans 1: 16-17, 3: 22b-28 (29-31); Psalm 46
When I saw the movie Evan Almighty some months ago, I gained a whole new appreciation for the Noah story with which we've all been familiar from our childhood. Here's a sincere but naïve broadcast journalist who gets himself elected to Congress & goes to Washington to represent his constituents fairly. Not only does he immediately get beset with pressures from old-timers & lobbyists, but he is also visited by God in the form of Morgan Freeman—I love that part—whose insistence on the building of the ark presents Evan with the same sort of dilemma we would face were we to be taking daily orders as seemingly-outrageous as Evan, & indeed Noah, receives from God. Wonder how most of us would respond were God as persistent with us as Evan experienced? And I don't want to spoil the ending for those who would still like to see the movie, but it's somehow satisfying to see those who have engaged in long-term corruption see the fruits of their ill-gotten gains "all washed up," so to speak.
Such movies updated to our modern times can help us reconsider how Biblical stories may speak to us today & how God might be encouraging us to move outside the usual norms of society to live as if we really believe that the Reign of God might just be inbreaking into our world. It's a pretty good bet that God isn't asking us to do anything as spectacular as the assignment Evan received, but there are certainly holy acts which we might be about which could make the early 21st Century world a healthier, holier place to live. In the reading from Genesis today, God's actions instruct us in our responsibility to care for the earth.
Although God almost totally destroys the corrupted earth, God provides for a remnant—through the obedience of Noah—maintaining hope for humankind even when humans have disappointed God. Not only does God provide a new beginning, a new creation, but God offers a covenant with all people not ever again to return the world to primeval chaos. What a hopeful God!
God's covenants with humans are repetitive Biblical themes, & the 2 parts of the Bible are often called the Old & New Covenants, recognizing the ongoing commitment to relationship God has made with humankind throughout history. Regardless of the numerous ways in which even God's chosen people have reneged on their parts of various covenants, God continues to take the initiative, reaching out to offer fresh opportunities for us to respond faithfully. Priests & congregations covenant to do ministry together—a holy endeavor—& our diocese encourages regular mutual ministry reviews so that we can refine our work with one another to fulfill ministry & mission in the larger community, & Reb Scarborough will be working with the congregation to begin that review which we will continue when I return from sabbatical in late September. Covenants are holy commitments, & God's faithfulness encourages us to be vigilant in finding ways to fulfill our parts just as God does.
Early on in Matthew's rendition of the New Covenant which Jesus life, death, & resurrection initiates with humankind, many of Jesus' teachings are gathered in the Sermon on the Mount. Today's gospel includes the closing verses of that sermon. In Jesus' teaching about what life is like in God's Kingdom, or God's Reign, we're offered the "Blesseds" which we call the Beatitudes, & Jesus also describes what is necessary for us to grow in discipleship, a life-long pursuit.
Jesus' parable about the house being built on a rock foundation has always made sense to me! Even though Palestinian farmers were obliged to build their houses during the dry season, their foundations had to be firm enough to withstand the torrential rainy season. Matthew ends his rendition of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount with these rather strange warnings and the house-on-a-rock-foundation parable. As Jesus delivers this first great teaching, 2 audiences are presumed. First, the inner circle of his disciples is present, presumably learning what way of life Jesus expects of them if they are to take up discipleship with this young rabbi & spread the Good News of the Gospel abroad. In addition, a larger group of followers seem ever-present, especially in these early days of Jesus' ministry. Both groups are challenged to be doers of the Word & not hearers only.
Jesus is not overly-impressed when either group addresses him as "Lord, Lord," a title of respect for a person of high standing. Jesus assures his listeners that it's not which rabbi has taught them but whether they incorporate his teachings into the way they live their lives which makes the difference. I have to snicker a little when I think of Jesus saying to us, "It's not WWJD—What Would Jesus Do? It's what will Jose & Marie & Mary Jo & William do? How will my teachings change the way you live your lives?"
Jesus' criteria for living into the reign of God: loving God with all our hearts, minds, & souls; & loving our neighbors as ourselves. Jesus tells us that sitting in the congregation & listening to what it takes to enter into God's reign doesn't get us there any more than sitting in the garage makes us into Mercedes Benzes. Building a firm foundation requires us to hear Jesus' words & act on them.
Furthermore, in the rural, tribal culture of Jesus day, presuming that one or two or a few folk would go their own way & be super-religious was simply inconceivable. Their whole lives were communal, & they depended upon each other, teaching their own & each other's children around the village campfires, praying & worshipping & performing works of mercy & surviving with one another, whether a neighbor irritated them this week or not.
Not only as individuals but especially within community, we are called to discern God's will for our part in living within the reign of God. Bishop Wimberly reminded us last Sunday of the wonderful prayer originally composed by Reinhold Niebuhr which I'd like to make plural for us to consider as a community prayer: "God grant us the serenity to accept the things we cannot change, the courage to change the things we can, & the wisdom to know the difference."
How do we grow in discerning God's will in a world that can be as chaotic & confusing as the one Evan found in the movie? Groups such as the Brotherhood of St. Andrew, the Daughters of the King, the Cursillo Movement, & most religious orders suggest that people commit to spiritual growth through a Rule of Life which almost always include prayer—both private & communal, study—of the Bible & other spiritual literature, & specific action or service work which both improves the lives of others & also stretches us to grow beyond ourselves. As I prepare to be away from you for a time, may I encourage you to recommit to such a covenant yourself & within the Hope community. In our journey, we can be assured that we are not alone. The writer Robert Benson reminds us in his 2004 book A Good Life:
"If Christ is in us, & if Christ is present in the others that we meet, acknowledged or not, then there are no moments in which Christ is not present. . . . One does not have to go far to find Jesus. What one has to do is adopt a posture that allows one to see him. My father used to say that when we get to heaven & see Jesus, our 1st thought is not going to be that we have never seen him before. Instead, we will grin & say, 'It's you, it's you. I have seen you everywhere.'"
May we all see Christ everywhere in our journeys the next several months.
Year A, Pentecost 3, Proper 4
1 June 2008
Texts: Matthew 7:21-29; Genesis 6: 9-22; 7: 24; 8: 14-19
Other Readings: Romans 1: 16-17, 3: 22b-28 (29-31); Psalm 46
When I saw the movie Evan Almighty some months ago, I gained a whole new appreciation for the Noah story with which we've all been familiar from our childhood. Here's a sincere but naïve broadcast journalist who gets himself elected to Congress & goes to Washington to represent his constituents fairly. Not only does he immediately get beset with pressures from old-timers & lobbyists, but he is also visited by God in the form of Morgan Freeman—I love that part—whose insistence on the building of the ark presents Evan with the same sort of dilemma we would face were we to be taking daily orders as seemingly-outrageous as Evan, & indeed Noah, receives from God. Wonder how most of us would respond were God as persistent with us as Evan experienced? And I don't want to spoil the ending for those who would still like to see the movie, but it's somehow satisfying to see those who have engaged in long-term corruption see the fruits of their ill-gotten gains "all washed up," so to speak.
Such movies updated to our modern times can help us reconsider how Biblical stories may speak to us today & how God might be encouraging us to move outside the usual norms of society to live as if we really believe that the Reign of God might just be inbreaking into our world. It's a pretty good bet that God isn't asking us to do anything as spectacular as the assignment Evan received, but there are certainly holy acts which we might be about which could make the early 21st Century world a healthier, holier place to live. In the reading from Genesis today, God's actions instruct us in our responsibility to care for the earth.
Although God almost totally destroys the corrupted earth, God provides for a remnant—through the obedience of Noah—maintaining hope for humankind even when humans have disappointed God. Not only does God provide a new beginning, a new creation, but God offers a covenant with all people not ever again to return the world to primeval chaos. What a hopeful God!
God's covenants with humans are repetitive Biblical themes, & the 2 parts of the Bible are often called the Old & New Covenants, recognizing the ongoing commitment to relationship God has made with humankind throughout history. Regardless of the numerous ways in which even God's chosen people have reneged on their parts of various covenants, God continues to take the initiative, reaching out to offer fresh opportunities for us to respond faithfully. Priests & congregations covenant to do ministry together—a holy endeavor—& our diocese encourages regular mutual ministry reviews so that we can refine our work with one another to fulfill ministry & mission in the larger community, & Reb Scarborough will be working with the congregation to begin that review which we will continue when I return from sabbatical in late September. Covenants are holy commitments, & God's faithfulness encourages us to be vigilant in finding ways to fulfill our parts just as God does.
Early on in Matthew's rendition of the New Covenant which Jesus life, death, & resurrection initiates with humankind, many of Jesus' teachings are gathered in the Sermon on the Mount. Today's gospel includes the closing verses of that sermon. In Jesus' teaching about what life is like in God's Kingdom, or God's Reign, we're offered the "Blesseds" which we call the Beatitudes, & Jesus also describes what is necessary for us to grow in discipleship, a life-long pursuit.
Jesus' parable about the house being built on a rock foundation has always made sense to me! Even though Palestinian farmers were obliged to build their houses during the dry season, their foundations had to be firm enough to withstand the torrential rainy season. Matthew ends his rendition of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount with these rather strange warnings and the house-on-a-rock-foundation parable. As Jesus delivers this first great teaching, 2 audiences are presumed. First, the inner circle of his disciples is present, presumably learning what way of life Jesus expects of them if they are to take up discipleship with this young rabbi & spread the Good News of the Gospel abroad. In addition, a larger group of followers seem ever-present, especially in these early days of Jesus' ministry. Both groups are challenged to be doers of the Word & not hearers only.
Jesus is not overly-impressed when either group addresses him as "Lord, Lord," a title of respect for a person of high standing. Jesus assures his listeners that it's not which rabbi has taught them but whether they incorporate his teachings into the way they live their lives which makes the difference. I have to snicker a little when I think of Jesus saying to us, "It's not WWJD—What Would Jesus Do? It's what will Jose & Marie & Mary Jo & William do? How will my teachings change the way you live your lives?"
Jesus' criteria for living into the reign of God: loving God with all our hearts, minds, & souls; & loving our neighbors as ourselves. Jesus tells us that sitting in the congregation & listening to what it takes to enter into God's reign doesn't get us there any more than sitting in the garage makes us into Mercedes Benzes. Building a firm foundation requires us to hear Jesus' words & act on them.
Furthermore, in the rural, tribal culture of Jesus day, presuming that one or two or a few folk would go their own way & be super-religious was simply inconceivable. Their whole lives were communal, & they depended upon each other, teaching their own & each other's children around the village campfires, praying & worshipping & performing works of mercy & surviving with one another, whether a neighbor irritated them this week or not.
Not only as individuals but especially within community, we are called to discern God's will for our part in living within the reign of God. Bishop Wimberly reminded us last Sunday of the wonderful prayer originally composed by Reinhold Niebuhr which I'd like to make plural for us to consider as a community prayer: "God grant us the serenity to accept the things we cannot change, the courage to change the things we can, & the wisdom to know the difference."
How do we grow in discerning God's will in a world that can be as chaotic & confusing as the one Evan found in the movie? Groups such as the Brotherhood of St. Andrew, the Daughters of the King, the Cursillo Movement, & most religious orders suggest that people commit to spiritual growth through a Rule of Life which almost always include prayer—both private & communal, study—of the Bible & other spiritual literature, & specific action or service work which both improves the lives of others & also stretches us to grow beyond ourselves. As I prepare to be away from you for a time, may I encourage you to recommit to such a covenant yourself & within the Hope community. In our journey, we can be assured that we are not alone. The writer Robert Benson reminds us in his 2004 book A Good Life:
"If Christ is in us, & if Christ is present in the others that we meet, acknowledged or not, then there are no moments in which Christ is not present. . . . One does not have to go far to find Jesus. What one has to do is adopt a posture that allows one to see him. My father used to say that when we get to heaven & see Jesus, our 1st thought is not going to be that we have never seen him before. Instead, we will grin & say, 'It's you, it's you. I have seen you everywhere.'"
May we all see Christ everywhere in our journeys the next several months.
posted by
Hope Episcopal Church
at 12:16 PM
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