Month: September 2014

A Sermon for the 16^th Sunday after Pentecost

Proper 21 – Year A – 28 September 2014

John Edward Miller, Rector

If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy, make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others. Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus,  who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness.  And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death–even death on a cross.

Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

 Therefore, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed me, not only in my presence, but much more now in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, enabling you both to will and to work for his good pleasure.     – Philippians 2:1-13

 The Collect

 O God, you declare your almighty power chiefly in showing mercy and pity: Grant us the fullness of your grace, that we, running to obtain your promises, may become partakers of your heavenly treasure; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Try, if you will, to imagine the apostle Paul sitting in a prison cell near the end of his life. The consensus of biblical scholarship places his whereabouts in Rome; the date is about the year 62. He is jailed because of his controversial views and subversive priorities. In the Roman Empire there was no “god” but Caesar, and Paul would not bow to such a lord. Moreover, he taught others to confess Jesus as Lord, and those who did were being organized into outposts of a revolutionary organization called the ecclesia – the church. The emergence of this early church was a thorn in the Caesar’s side, and Rome was reacting with oppression and destructive force.

Nevertheless, Paul persisted in his missionary work. His trust in the grace of God – a gift that had saved the wretch that he was – inspired his ministry to the Gentiles, even to his last days in Roman custody. Today’s text is an excerpt from a letter Paul composed in captivity. It is addressed to the young church at Philippi, in the region of Macedonia. Paul was fond of the Philippian congregation because it was his first church “plant” on European soil. He was also grateful to the church because they had sent him a gift by way of a friend. So his occasion for writing was to express his thanks for their loyalty to him and to their Lord. But Paul also wrote to encourage the new converts to stay on the beam with respect to his teachings about the gospel of grace. His deep desire was for them to remain focused on the purpose of the church and its ministries,

Paul knew that the Philippians’ neighbors regarded them as a colony of aliens, and would like nothing better than to re-absorb them or eliminate them from the midst. In this atmosphere the new followers of Jesus needed bolstering, and this letter contains one of Paul’s most memorable summaries of the Christian faith. Preparing the people for that creed-like nugget, Paul reminded them of the importance of persevering as a unified body. He said, “Only live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that, whether I come and see you or am absent and hear about you, I will know that you are standing firm in one spirit, striving side by side with one mind for the faith of the gospel, and are in no way intimidated by your opponents.”

Paul pulled no punches; he came out and said it. He warned the Philippians that they would have to stand their ground against aggression, and strive side by side to stay together.  Their opponents, he said, would try to intimidate them into submission. In other words, what Paul promised those new Christians was that life for them would be difficult. There would be no guarantee of happiness or satisfaction. Accepting Jesus Christ as the Lord of life leads to a cross rather than to bliss. Christians, said Paul, differ from the world at large because their standard of excellence does not look like success; it looks like total failure. Paul used a shocking image to define that standard. In the second chapter of his letter, he offered the Philippians preposterous notion – that of the godly Messiah pouring himself out, humbling himself, and taking the form of a slave.

To Gentiles and everyone else, slaves were the lowest of the low. They had no social standing, no rights, no power, and no prospects for improvement. And yet that is precisely the form that Christ Jesus chose to take. He came among us not as a person of prestige and greatness, but as one who serves. That is the mind of Christ; that was his approach to all people. And that is the one mind that Paul commends to his fellow Christians at Philippi, as well as to us today. It is the tie that binds us together as the church, and it is our identifying mark [the sign of the cross on our forehead] as a people who are “Christ’s own forever.”[1]

“He emptied himself, taking the form of a slave.” For Paul this is not only a description of who we are, but also what we are to do. Pouring oneself out for Christ’s sake is the basic paradigm of ministry. It is selfless, humble, service to God and one’s neighbors. It is about giving rather than keeping; it is about running on empty rather than filling up.

But, if service is the basic model – the “one mind” unifying the church in belief and action, why does it often appear that it has been discarded, passed over, or forgotten? It is clear that something has happened, and that there has been a cultural shift. The model (the Christian ethos) has changed dramatically – one might even say that it is diametrically opposite of the frame of mind Paul commends. When did the paradigm of the church shift from serving to being served? What did the mission of the church become consumer oriented? Why are people “shopping” for churches, asking “what’s in it for me?”

In the collect last Sunday we prayed, “Grant us, Lord, not to be anxious about earthly things, but to love things heavenly; and even now, while we are placed among things that are passing away, to hold fast to those that shall endure; . . . .[2] Another word of wisdom tells us, sic transit gloria mundi, “thus passes the world’s glory.” It means that we are living among things and people that are passing away. All humans know this, and the religious responses to that fact have been varied. One faith teaches that we can rise above and detach from the world, while another counsels us to seek salvation from it by hoping for eternal refuge and peace. Still another religious quest attempts to stave off forces threatening one’s future by placating the divine power(s) through prayer and sacrifice. There are other religious impulses that support us as we attempt to improve conditions on earth by enlightened thinking and social reform. The variety of religious experience is wide; however the common thread uniting the disparate religious motives is the drive for security, solace, and support, a drive that is fueled by the need for control over life’s limits with one belief system or another.

Faiths may share similar values, such as: compassion, just treatment of fellow humans, the importance of showing respect and kindness, and the realization of the need for mercy. This makes dialogue and common causes possible, but it does not make all faiths the same. Christianity still stands apart from the spectrum of religions. It is not about satisfying the individual’s needs and desires; it is about giving up those things for the sake of others. That is not a popular impulse. Acknowledging this Paul writes, “but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles.”[3] Jews regard the idea of God’s messiah having no power to defend himself as scandalous; Gentiles regard a religion that promotes the good of others by serving them rather than ourself – whether that takes the form of Christ’s self-sacrifice or ours, as complete nonsense. What kind of religion has a God that shows strength in weakness? What sort of faith believes in a Son of God that came to serve rather than to be served?

If we read Paul, or follow the pattern of Christ’s action in the gospels, the answer is plain: the Christian faith does.

However, that is not how we are conducting ourselves now; that is not the current mind of Christian people. We encounter this change in perspective all the time: people are searching for meaning; people long for spiritual enrichment; people want the church to be convenient, fun, and relaxing; people want the church to provide them with a service that will help them get through the week. They are looking for something to strengthen them and make life worth living.

That reminds me of a story told by a New England minister in a sermon on the priesthood of believers, one of Martin Luther’s major themes. He said that a pastor was greeting members after church. A parishioner approached him to shake hands, but also to comment on that morning’s service. He said, “You know, Pastor, I didn’t get much out of worship this morning.” Without hesitation, the pastor replied, “That’s okay. We weren’t worshipping you.”[4]

I’m grateful for that vignette; it about sums up the cultural challenge that Christ’s church faces today – especially in the western world. The mind of our current culture is consumerist. It is me-centered, and its desire is to be served, and served well. In that culture the church now competes with other organizations for customers. Its product is aimed to please. If it doesn’t, the consumer will move on to another vendor for something new and exciting that entertains and satisfies our appetite. The problem is that the church is neither Disney, nor Amazon.com. It doesn’t promise a magic kingdom or the world of material goods at the touch of a screen.

I recall an economics teacher stating quite casually that we humans are creatures of unlimited needs and desires.  A free economy acknowledges and draws upon our insatiable nature. A function of marketing in that economy is to locate the areas of greatest longing and to provoke dissatisfaction with the status quo, and making us long for a new and better product or service. It works all the time: Apple says that its iPhone 6 Plus is “bigger than bigger,” and millions of units were sold in its first week of existence. That same dynamic affects us in the church. “Same old, same old” doesn’t stimulate the imagination nowadays, even though the sameness we offer is the “same mind” commended by the apostle Paul – the one that proclaims humble service. That is, and always will be, the purpose of the church. Ministry means, “service,” and liturgy is literally “the people’s work.” There is nothing in either of these essential Christian words that depends on “the state of the art,” on anything “trending,” or on the “new and improved” in the world of technology, user-friendly spirituality, or audiovisual delivery systems. The church’s motto was once, semper idem, which means “always the same,” and which refers to the unity of its mission and ministry. Today, however, it is too risky to proclaim such a thing. We find ourselves scrambling to apologize for being “boring” and out of date, and embracing the latest thing to attract people and keep them satisfied.

The 1^st century church and the Protestant Reformation of the 16^th century were counter-cultural movements. Both pushed back against the prevailing cultural standards of their respective eras. Paul was largely responsible for the development of the early church, and Luther’s rediscovery and appreciation of Paul’s letters was the driving force of the Reformation. I think it’s high time for the church go back to the well and take Paul seriously again. He was the first interpreter of the gospel message. He summed it up in decisive and instructive letters to the church. Today’s text was originally addressed to Macedonian Christians at Philippi, but it remains fresh and clear. Paul, my friends, is speaking directly to me and to you, to all of us gathered here at St. Mary’s Church. Taking the form of a slave is about giving instead of getting, losing instead of keeping. It proclaims that self-emptying is the way to fullness of life.

The church’s ministry of service is based on Jesus Christ. That should go without saying, but if we do not say it, it will be lost in the shuffle of a competitive culture.  Christian ministry is what we are called to practice. But to do so, we need re-immersion in the story of Jesus, and the witness of those like Paul who extended his gospel to the nations. The saints need equipping; the body of Christ needs feeding and care and loving nurture to do its work. That’s where this mission outpost comes in: we are committed to provide what this community of believers requires to be servants. We who are called to be priests to one another, and to serve a world dying to be loved, must have a steady diet of education in Scripture and Christian thought, guidance in ethics and moral decision-making, support in the form of prayer and pastoral care, and inspiration to look at life with the eyes of a servant. In short, if Jesus is love incarnate, then the church is love equipped, organized, and sent out into the world.[5]

We are a community of faith that worships and learns together, welcomes all people, and serves the needs of others in gratefulness for God’s love and grace revealed in Jesus Christ our Lord. That is who we are, and that is our mission. Let us strive side by side to become the people we are called to be, having the mind that was in Christ inform our ministry to one another, and the world. In the name of God, who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, let it be so.  Amen.

[1] This reference is to the Holy Spirit’s sealing of the newly baptized with the sacramental water, marking them as Christ’s own forever. See page 308 in The Book of Common Prayer, 1979.

[2] This is an excerpt from the collect for Proper 20, The Book of Common Prayer, 1979.

[3]1 Corinthians 1:23.

[4] The Reverend Michael Hintze, “The Priesthood of all Believers,” a sermon delivered at Our Savior Lutheran Church, Westminster, Massachusetts, August 20, 1995.

[5] This is an adaptation of William Sloan Coffin’s definition of the church.

A Sermon for the 15^th Sunday after Pentecost– September 21, 2014

David H. Knight, Priest Associate

 With gratitude and humble trust we bring our best to thee
to serve thy cause and share thy love with all humanity.
O thou who gavest us thyself in Jesus Christ thy Son,
help us to give ourselves each day until life’s work is done.
 

My text this morning is from Mathew’s Gospel, that familiar passage in which Jesus says, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:21)

Some years ago about this time of year, a young man was beginning his first semester in graduate school. He was excited about pursuing his studies yet on this particular day, he was, perhaps, even more excited about what had happened a few months earlier.  In July, he had met the love of his life.  Now this was a young man who did not make hasty decisions. The couple had had their first date on a Sunday night in mid July after having been working together for several weeks in a summer job.  That night he knew that there was a question he would have to ask her, yet he did not want to come across as being too forward so he asked her if she would like to go out again the following Friday night for dinner.  She agreed.  Not being one to rush into things, he waited. He waited—Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, all day Friday, taking all the time necessary before asking her that question.  Friday night came.  At dinner in a nice restaurant in Philadelphia, after all those days of preparation, it was now time for the important question.  And so he asked her, “Will you marry me?”  She said yes.  They became quietly engaged that night, later announcing their engagement. Two years later they would be married. Being in love, this young man would do anything to bring her joy. Somewhere, he had learned that she loved English tea biscuits. He didn’t even know what an English tea biscuit was, but he knew he had to find them to send to her at college here in Virginia.  And so on this day he went in search for English tea biscuits.  He set out on his search.  He went to store after store.  Nobody seemed to have them. Finally, he came to a gourmet shop that had them.  They came presented in a beautiful tin canister and that canister was expensive.  No matter.  Delighted with his find, he bought the English tea biscuits and left the store elated. These were for the love of his life and nothing would stop him from giving them to her.  46 years later, I still remember the joy of finding those English tea biscuits for Jeannie.  Where my heart was, there my treasure followed. Each of you, I’m sure, could share a similar story from your experience.

It is true that where our heart is, there our treasure will follow, yet Jesus put an interesting twist on this notion. He said that where our treasure is, there our heart will be also.    It works both ways.  We put our efforts and our money where our heart is, yet we also find that our heart follows where we put our money.

Some time ago, our own Charlie Bryan, who has had a lot of experience with fund raising for charitable organizations, wrote a column in the Richmond Times Dispatch in which he cited four reasons why Americans give of their money.

He talks first about forced giving in which donors are pressured by others into making gifts rather than by initiation those gifts themselves. Guilt can be used as a tactic.  For example, “If you don’t give, the organization will not survive. He cites that forced giving may work in the short run but it is best to avoid this tactic.  Think about it for a moment; do you and I find much joy in giving to a deficit budget?

Then there is vanity giving.  That’s when you and I give in hopes of achieving recognition.  It can be a real motivator.

Then there is duty-bound, or obligatory giving. The donor feels a responsibility to give to something that has had a positive influence upon one’s life or has helped relieve suffering, either one’s own, or that of others.  This kind of giving is often associated with a donor’s support of an alma mater or one’s church.  It can be a positive and worthwhile motivator.

Then there is inspirational giving which, Charlie says, is usually the most generous and exciting form of giving.  Inspirational giving is often in response to new initiatives or to a sense that what they are giving to is something that is not just surviving but is thriving and making a difference in people’s lives, open to innovation and new ideas while preserving tradition.  Inspirational giving, we would hope is a motivator for each of us to give to our church, for as we read in Paul’s second letter to the Church gathered in Corinth, “Each of you must give as you have made up your mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” (2 Corinthians 9:7)

Some years ago, I attended a week at the College of Preachers at the National Cathedral led by Bishop Bill Stough who was then Stewardship Officer for the Episcopal Church. The course dealt with the subject of preaching stewardship from the pulpit.  He told us that Episcopalians are some of the most generous givers on the planet when it comes to schools, foundations, hospitals, and many charities, but that Episcopalians are among the least generous givers when it comes to giving to their church.  Why?  Because, he said, conversations about money are often avoided in many Episcopal churches.  Talking about money becomes the elephant in the middle of the room.  Often clergy think that if we talk about money from the pulpit, people will be offended and we will become the proverbial skunk at a lawn party. But it doesn’t have to be that way, he said. We spent the week looking at ways to talk about money as part of our responsibility as preachers and as pastors.  Then there was Bishop Alexander Stewart of Western Massachusetts, who knew human anatomy well, who once remarked in his own crispy manner of speaking that the most sensitive nerve in the human body is the nerve that connects the heart to the pocket book.  A couple of years ago, Clif Christopher, author of the book, Not your Parents’ Offering Plate, a book which we have studied here at St. Mary’s, spoke at our Diocesan Council. He said that clergy need to know who the givers are.  Any other way, he said, is foolish. Preaching involves dealing with how we use our money as a spiritual matter. Jesus himself knew that well.  In the gospels alone, he talks about money more than about any other subject—more than 36 times.

“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

I simply want to share with you about what our pledge means to Jeannie and to me as only one example. You will have your own story to tell. This is what seems to work for us:  We have always tried to make a pledge that is a meaningful proportion of our income. In making our pledge to the church, not only is that pledge where our heart is but we also find that in turn, our heart follows where our money goes. Our current pledge is about 11% of my cash salary not counting benefits. It is a joy for us to make a pledge to St. Mary’s. It comes out of our gratitude for what the church has always meant to Jeannie and to me, in good times and in difficult times.  And then recently, we have had an interesting experience that gives us some further insight into what Jesus has said.  We have made a pledge to the campaign at Virginia Seminary to build the new Chapel for the Ages to replace the seminary chapel destroyed by fire in October of 2010.  Our pledge is to be paid over five years.  Every month we feel it when the long arm of the seminary reaches automatically into our bank account.  I can tell you that every time now we are in the northern Virginia area, we stop by VTS to see the progress of that new chapel. There’s also a videocam on the VTS website where you can check progress 24-7 on our computer.  Do I check it daily? You bet!  We have discovered once again that Jesus was on to something when he said that where our treasure is going, so goes our hearts as well!  It’s a joy to see that new chapel rise from the ashes.  It is a joy to be part of that and we sure want to see where our money is going! The evidence is conclusive that God wants you and me to experience joy in our giving.

And so, some questions for you and me to ponder as we think about returning thanks to God through our pledge for this coming year to the mission and ministry of St. Mary’s Church:

Have you and I thought—seriously thought—about why we give, and why we make our gift in the form of a pledge to St. Mary’s Church?

What does St. Mary’s mean to you and to me? How, for example, has St. Mary’s improved the quality of your life, the quality of my life?  Has St. Mary’s been there for you and for me at a time in our lives that made a difference, either during a celebration or during a tough time or crisis?  Has St. Mary’s been there for us in ways in which other places where we put our money may not have been there for us simply because the church provides things we cannot receive elsewhere?  Then follows the question, “How can I do my part with my generous gift to empower St. Mary’s not just to survive but to thrive and move forward?”

Do you and I find joy in making my gift to St. Mary’s? When you and I give out of an abundance of gratitude, it will feel right and good. When you and I give cheerfully and until it feels good, there is joy to be had. I think you and I know the difference.

There’s something else. When our giving is a generous and joyful act we also find that we become more engaged in the life and ministry of the parish. That engagement of each of us in turn brings increased vitality to our common life for when the church is doing what Christ is calling us to do, we will not have money issues because you and I will give generously.  If we love the Lord and if we believe that our lives are changed for the better here at St. Mary’s the money we give and our engagement in the life of the parish will serve to strengthen our common life as we strive to be about Christ’s mission in this part of his vineyard.  And the good news, folks, is that there is plenty of money out in these here woods.  It’s all in our wallets, yours and mine, waiting to be offered joyfully in support of the mission and ministry of St. Mary’s Church.

You and I have been given a gift. As recipients of this gift of St. Mary’s to us, what is our grateful response then to be? May your giving and my giving come forth, not reluctantly or under compulsion, but with gratitude in our hearts, for God loves a cheerful giver. And now,

A world in need now summons us to labor, love and give;
to make our life an offering to God that all may live;
the church of Christ is calling us to make the dream come true;
a world redeemed by Christ-like love; all life in Christ made new.

As we profess our faith in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, and giver of life, let us stand and say together the words of the Nicene Creed…

A Sermon for the 14^th Sunday after Pentecost

Proper 18 – Year A – 14 September 2014

John Edward Miller, Rector

Peter came and said to Jesus, “Lord, if another member of the church sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?” Jesus said to him, “Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times.

“For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves. When he began the reckoning, one who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him; and, as he could not pay, his lord ordered him to be sold, together with his wife and children and all his possessions, and payment to be made. So the slave fell on his knees before him, saying, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ And out of pity for him, the lord of that slave released him and forgave him the debt. But that same slave, as he went out, came upon one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii; and seizing him by the throat, he said, ‘Pay what you owe.’ Then his fellow slave fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’ But he refused; then he went and threw him into prison until he would pay the debt. When his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their lord all that had taken place. Then his lord summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked slave! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. Should you not have had mercy on your fellow slave, as I had mercy on you?’ And in anger his lord handed him over to be tortured until he would pay his entire debt. So my heavenly Father will also do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”    – Matthew 18:21-35

The Collect

O God, because without you we are not able to please you, mercifully grant that your Holy Spirit may in all things direct and rule our hearts; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

All of the texts assigned for this Sunday are about forgiveness. In the reading from Genesis we observe Joseph forgiving his treacherous brothers even though they had wished him dead. He showed them mercy because he was mindful of the future. Joseph forgave them so that Israel could not only survive, but grow, and become what God intended his people to be. The Psalm today is a thanksgiving for the healing power of God’s mercy; the psalmist sees the LORD’s loving-kindness as the foundation for a healthy life. In Romans Paul urges members of the church to stop judging one another because all stand before the judgment seat of God, and are finally accountable to God alone. And according to Matthew, Jesus answers Peter’s question about the limits of forgiveness by saying that when it comes to showing mercy, there is no limit; it is always called for.

Strangely enough, though, Jesus then tells the disciples a parable that seems to contradict the principle he has just taught – the one about unlimited forgiveness. His story features a slave who is deeply in debt to his master.  As he is about to be thrown into debtors’ prison, the slave pleads for mercy, and that is exactly what he got. Then, after breathing a sigh of relief, the newly released debtor spies a fellow slave who owes him some money. You’d think that he’d pay it forward and let the poor guy off the hook, reflecting his sense of gratitude. But that is hardly the case; the ungrateful slave shows no mercy, and accosts the man in debt to him. When the master got wind of this ugly behavior, he became livid, and had that first slave arrested. This time, he chastises and condemns him, and had him thrown into the slammer until his debt was paid. The newer translations interpret that to mean he would be tortured, as if the loss of his freedom in jail were not harsh enough punishment.

So, it looks as though Jesus has attached a condition to receiving forgiveness: if the forgiven one doesn’t extend the same favor to others, the mercy once received is revoked. That’s what it sounds like when Jesus concludes the parable with this pronouncement: “So my heavenly Father will also do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother or sister from your heart.” It’s one strike and you’re out. I’d call that a stern warning.

C. S. Lewis thought so too. In an address on forgiveness, he commented that there is a good reason why the Creed has us state, and restate, “I believe in the forgiveness of sins.” It does not go without saying that that a Christian always puts that belief into action. Lewis said, “the people who compiled the Creed apparently thought that this was a part of our belief which we needed to be reminded of every time we went to church. . . . To believe in the forgiveness of sins is not nearly so easy as I thought. Real belief in it is the sort of thing that very easily slips away if we don’t keep on polishing it up.”[1] Beyond repetition in liturgy, a part of the polishing process that Lewis commended is a cold-sober view of the consequences for failing to forgive. He explained:

We believe that God forgives our sins; but also that He will not do so unless we forgive other people their sins against us. There is no doubt about the second part of this statement. It is in the Lord’s Prayer; it was emphatically stated by our Lord. If you don’t forgive you will not be forgiven. No part of His teaching is clearer, and there are no exceptions to it. . . . We are to forgive them all, however spiteful, however mean, however often they are repeated. If we don’t, we shall be forgiven none of our own.[2]

In saying this, C. S. Lewis was true to the literal sense of Jesus’ parable. However, there is more than one way to understand its meaning. Parables are stories told to illustrate truths, and there is roominess in the way those truths are expressed. The details of story are often shaped to provide emphasis; literal correspondence between the “facts” contained therein and reality is not thought to be important. The message conveyed is the crucial point. So if the parable is taken literally, then the king (who corresponds to God) is remarkably ungracious. And that is clearly contrary to the God we worship as the Lord “whose property it is always to have mercy.”[3]

Let’s just say that mercy is a core value of our tradition, and forgiving is crucially important to our wellbeing. Scripture and its interpreters are unanimous about that. God is gracious; he reveals his giving nature in a multitude of ways, from the inherent goodness of the creation to the assurance that he will finally judge us with love, rather than retribution. For us this is best made known in the life and teachings of Jesus, whose dying words from the cross were, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” That last prayer of his for mercy on those who betrayed him, denied him, and put him to death was extraordinary. Jesus’ will to forgive was powered by the love of God, which goes beyond any standard of fairness or just deserts that we can construct. “To err is human; to forgive, divine,” said Alexander Pope, and he was right: forgiveness of that sort is of God. Yet by the grace of God, that is the high bar that Jesus set for us. We may all fall short of that mark, but we are expected to try.

The Jesus taught his disciples to pray, “Our Father, . . . forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.” In prayer we are to ask for mercy, because we all need to be forgiven. And we are also taught to be mindful of the need to offer the grace of forgiveness to our fellow, fallible, creatures as well. The question is whether God’s forgiveness is conditional – that it depends on our matching God’s forgiveness.

C. S. Lewis was certain that it is. God’s mercy toward us hinges on the word, “if.” If we forgive, then we are forgiven; if we don’t, then we suffer the loss of God’s grace. That kind of formula has its precedents. Deuteronomic law works that way as well. But there is good news for all of us who stand before the judgment seat of God. The gospel is that we are forgiven despite our failures of nerve, our cherished resentments, our petty peeves, and our deep-seated desire for vengeance. Grace surpasses law; it exceeds our limits; it completes us and fills in our flaws.

It is true that Matthew’s Jesus sounds legalistic, but that shouldn’t surprise us. That was Matthew’s basic way of looking at things. He views Jesus as if he were the new Moses, the new lawgiver. Nevertheless, his Jesus doesn’t just deliver; he fulfills the law, driving past the letter of the law to its very spirit. Grace takes all of us to a level that we could not attain on our merit alone. Matthew knew that well. After all, he was a forgiven sinner, a man called from the ranks of despised tax collectors who ripped off their fellow countrymen to be Jesus’ disciple. So, if we’re tempted to frame Matthew simplistically, branding him a rigid legalist, we must resist and look for another way of interpreting his stories about Jesus.

As a monk Curtis Almquist has helped many of us grapple with tough questions of faith. Brother Curtis regards mercy as the heart of the gospel message. In Jesus we see that being merciful is how God deals with our imperfection. It is also what Jesus challenges us to extend to others – not only because it is meet and right so to do, but also because it is for our common good. In a sermon on the importance of mercy Brother Curtis said:

Forgiving is in your best interest. To not forgive someone is to incarcerate them in your memory: your offender being the prisoner; you being the prison guard. The tragedy is that both of you are in the prison. Forgiving is setting someone free for your sake. By forgiving someone, you unbind yourself from the residual power this person – from whom you have experienced an injury, offense, or disappointment – continues to have on you. To not forgive will leave your wound vulnerable to infection, which eventually can metastasize into resentment. Nelson Mandela, on being freed from twenty-six years of imprisonment in South Africa, felt bitter toward his captors; however he was determined to claim his inner freedom, to forgive and not to resent. “Resentment,” he said, “is like drinking poison and waiting for it to kill your enemy.”[4]

Twenty years ago St. Mary’s sent a mission team to the Diocese of Christ the King in South Africa. Led by the Reverend Brian McGurk, who was then our Assistant Rector, the team consisted of 8 adults and 16 high school youth. Entering the townships to work with lower school children hampered by extreme poverty, providing education to prevent the spread of AIDS among students of their age, and living among Afrikaner families to share their experience, our mission group prayed, and studied Scripture, and devoted themselves to being ambassadors of compassion to fellow South African Anglicans.

In the process of carrying out their work, our team members learned that the mission was as much for them as it was to their new friends. Everyone who went on that journey was changed by the grace of God. A key transforming moment came when Brian realized that the fabled Truth and Reconciliation Commission was meeting near their quarters in Johannesburg. He called for a change in plan, and led the team to the hearings. When they arrived, our missioners were surprised to see Archbishop Desmond Tutu serving that day as the commission chair. Later they would meet the Archbishop, who welcomed the delegation from Virginia. But for several hours our fellow members of St. Mary’s listened to tales of great sadness and saw grief sweep through the meeting hall. But they also witnessed the power of forgiveness, inspired by belief in the God of grace; begin to heal the wounds of inflicted upon, and endured by, the people of South Africa.

When the government of South Africa was changed by vote rather than by violence, there was a question that haunted the toppled Afrikaners. What would be their fate at the hands of the majority population that they had enslaved and brutalized for many years? The amazing grace of the new leaders, including Mandela and Tutu, showed the world a different way of responding to injustice than to inflict revenge in return. They offered forgiveness of crimes against the people to all who would come before the commission and confess.

That offer of mercy in return for truth was startling, and perhaps shocking, to some. But for the common good of the new nation, grace was the path they chose. It was a painful encounter with the truth. Our mission members saw the pain that gripped Tutu and the families who listened to accounts of heinous acts, and then forgave the ones who committed them.

I believe that Jesus’ parable about the fate of the unforgiving slave is a warning that Tutu, Mandela, and others heeded. And so should we. However, I don’t think that Jesus was saying that God’s grace is conditional. A gift is a gift, and this gift is eternal. So Jesus must have been warning us about something else. The admonition, “if you do not forgive your brother or sister from your heart,” may simply mean, “don’t miss the opportunity to be merciful; for if you do not forgive, you will suffer unnecessarily.”

In other words, the warning was that failure to forgive is a health hazard. The slave’s torture was real, but it was self-imposed, an unwitting outcome of his own ingratitude. Unwillingness to show mercy mocks the mercy we have been shown. It also makes our heart a jail we’ve created for someone who has hurt us. But keeping the offender there is not good for the heart. To forgive is to unlock the prison door, throw away the key, and walk away. It is not excusing what the person has done. It is to let the hurt go before it does more harm – to us and to those we love.

To forgive is divine. That is God’s nature, and that is our best hope. Grace is God’s gift; all we have it do is claim it. The gift of mercy cannot, and should not, erase our memory of painful wrongs that we have endured. That would make light of sin and gloss over serious wounds. Forgiving, as we are forgiven, is not an anesthetic. But it can disarm the source of pain that that is breaking our heart, and it can send it packing. Forgiveness has a cost – one that God alone can pay. His gift of mercy covers all debts. God’s grace is sufficient for a wholesome life – if we accept it, and share it. Amen.

[1] C. S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory: and Other Addresses (New York: HarperOne, 1980), pp. 177-78.

[2] Idem.

[3] This description of God is from the “prayer of humble access,” Holy Eucharist, Rite I, The Book of Common Prayer, 1979, p. 337.

[4] Brother Curtis Almquist, SSJE, “Reconciliation Presumes Forgiveness,” a sermon delivered at the Society of Saint John the Evangelist monastery, Cambridge, MA, on April 18, 2013.

A Sermon for the 13^th Sunday after Pentecost

Year A – Proper 18 – 07 September 2014

Eleanor Lee Wellford, Associate Rector

Jesus said, “If another member of the church sins against you, go and point out the fault when the two of you are alone. If the member listens to you, you have regained that one. But if you are not listened to, take one or two others along with you, so that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If the member refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if the offender refuses to listen even to the church, let such a one be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Again, truly I tell you, if two of you agree on earth about anything you ask, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.” – Matthew 18:15-20

Have you ever had to confront someone – and has it ever been easy?  I’ve always found it really difficult to do, and will go to great lengths to avoid it, because someone’s feelings usually get hurt and I don’t like that. Years ago, part of my job as a manager was to confront.  There was one person in particular, who was a hard worker, but who had a difficult personality.  I had spent a lot of time trying to help her get along with the rest of our employees, but the stress of our working environment overwhelmed her, and she became more disruptive than helpful.

When it became obvious that she wasn’t going to work out, I met with her and explained as gently as I could that she was being let go.  She became angry and defensive and was obviously hurt – and eventually left my office in tears.  It wasn’t long before she found another job, though – one that suited her personality and was a good use of her talents.  When she called to tell me about it, she also told me that she had finally realized that being let go was one of the best things that could have happened to her.

It was then that I realized that something bigger than either of us was at work in that situation; and whatever that “something” was, it had given me the courage to do what needed to be done for the company’s sake, but more importantly, for her sake.  In Matthew’s gospel this morning, we heard Jesus giving his listeners a lesson on confrontation – specifically confrontation in a church, which is interesting because neither the word nor the concept of “church” was used until after Jesus had died when the apostle Paul was the first to develop communities of churches.

Nevertheless, Matthew tells us that Jesus addressed confrontation, using the concept of a church community as his example.  He explained the process of confrontation with no apparent concern for any of the emotional fallout that usually comes with it.  He said, in a matter of fact way, that if someone sins against you, then you should take that person aside and point out their fault in private.

If that person refuses to listen, then you should confront again and again with more and more people supporting you until you have the community of the whole church behind you.  If he still refuses to listen then Jesus said that you should treat him like you would a Gentile or a tax collector.

In other words, rebuke him.  Well, that sounds harsh, doesn’t it?  What happened to patience and forgiveness and reconciliation – everything Jesus taught by his words and actions?

Something seems to be missing here, and when that happens, it helps to look at what comes before and after the passage in question for clues in helping to understand what’s really going on.  It’s like looking at a series of dots and seeing what picture emerges when they’re all connected.

What comes before this morning’s lesson on confrontation is the parable of the Lost Sheep.  What comes after is the parable of the Unforgiving Debtor.  So, in the first parable, a sheep gets lost and gets found again amid much rejoicing when it is returned to the fold.

The other parable is just the reverse.  A farmer goes astray or gets lost so to speak, when, having just had his own large debts forgiven, he refuses to extend that same forgiveness for the debt of one of his own workers.  When the members of his community hear about what has happened, they become enraged by his lack of mercy and have the farmer tortured.

So, when we do connect the dots, maybe what emerges is a realistic picture of what community life is all about – then and now.  Maybe it shows us that life there is not always easy, and that members come and they go on their own accord or not, depending on what’s best for them and for the health of the group.

In thinking about our own church community, how are we supposed to know what’s best for us?  For example, aren’t communities organic, meaning changes is inevitable?  Yet, isn’t church a place where time-honored traditions are favored over change?   And isn’t church a safe community where the door is always open and where just about any behavior is tolerated and forgiven and where reconciliation is expected?

Well, maybe not, because if that’s the case, why was Jesus giving his listeners a lesson on confrontation, using the church as his primary example?

Maybe church should be a community where all members, whether they are clergy or lay, sheep or shepherds, saints or sinners, are free to be honest with each other and free to confront each other when the health of the community is threatened.  And maybe church is where the hard work of confrontation is the only way that forgiveness and reconciliation are eventually possible because “something” bigger than any of us is working among us and giving us the courage to do what needs to be done.  And just maybe that “something” is the Holy Spirit.

Yet it seems as if the complications of confronting, particularly when they involve hurting someone’s feelings or dealing with difficult personalities or initiating change, keep us stuck in fear, making it easier to do nothing than something.  But Jesus wasn’t concerned with such complications.  He was concerned with the end result which was the health of the church or any community gathered together in his name.

In the language of group process, the health of any community depends on four necessary stages of development: forming (otherwise known as infancy), storming (otherwise known as adolescence), norming and performing (otherwise known as adulthood). And there is no way to skip over that painful step of storming which always involves conflict and confrontation, if there is any hope of reaching the healthy level of performing.  Likewise, there’s no chance of someone successfully becoming an adult without experiencing adolescence.

And there is actually one more level of development in this process and it’s called “transforming”. According to Richard Weber, a contributing author to the Book for Human Relations, “Transforming can take one of two paths: redefinition which is the establishment of a new purpose and/or structure” which leads to continued growth of an organization…”or Disengagement” which leads to loss of momentum and stagnation.

Now, I doubt if Jesus was thinking about these stages of group process when he was giving his lesson on confrontation, but he may have hit on the most difficult part of maintaining healthy community life.   As much as I dreaded letting that employee go so many years ago, I’m convinced that the Holy Spirit was at work, giving me the courage to do what needed to be done.

For those living in Jesus’s day, Jesus, himself was at work, encouraging those gathered around him:  “For where two or three are gathered in my name” he said, “I am there among you” (Matthew 18:20).  What this says to me is that whatever we need to do for the sake of the whole, and no matter how challenging – whether that’s the whole family, the whole church or whatever community we find ourselves, Jesus’s gift of the Holy Spirit is among us, making the best outcome of a difficult situation – or to put it another way, aligning our actions, wayward or otherwise, to God’s will.

Confrontation in the corporate world is thought of as “just business” and we’re warned not to take it too personally.  Jesus’s lesson on confrontation seems to take the personal part out of it, too, perhaps because he knew that’s the part he takes care of when two or three are gathered anywhere in his name.

That’s the part that finds Jesus or the Holy Spirit at work – in unpleasant situations, when our fears threaten to overwhelm us or when our own supplies of courage or patience, forgiveness or reconciliation are depleted.  That’s the part that surpasses all human understanding, and when it’s best just to let go and let God.