Feast of All Saints

Sunday after All Saints, Year A (RCL) 2008
Revelation 7: 9 – 17; Psalm 34: 1 – 10, 22; 1 John 3: 1 – 3; Matthew: 5: 1 – 12
St. Stephen’s Episcopal Parish, Portland OR
Sunday November 2, 2008

SAINTS AND/OR SINNERS

Let us pray: Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let light perpetual shine upon them. May they rest in peace. May their souls and the souls of all the departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

The Feast of All Saints is a time, which the Church designates as particularly appropriate for Baptism (The 1979 Book of Common Prayer lists it as one of four such days) – on this day when we recognize the “communion of saints” we also recognize the newest of the saints to enter that communion. John Chrysostom was the first to note a day of recognition for all of the martyrs and holy ones who had gone onto their reward. As the church calendar became more and more developed with specific martyrs being remembered on the calendar dates of their martyrdoms – it seemed appropriate to designate one date in the calendar for that recognition to be celebrated in the churches. In 904 the Parthenon (previously a pagan temple) was dedicated and the Pope had a chapel built which was dedicated to “all of the Saints”, and that dedication was held on November 1. Consequently, the feast to celebrate “all saints” (or “all hallows”) was moved to that date and has been observed by the Orthodox, Roman and Anglican branches (as well as several of the ‘protestant’) of the church since then. The eve of that feast day (celebrated on October 31) was “hallow- eene’ which was hopefully bountifully celebrated by our young people and ‘young at heart’ people on Friday evening.

(SUNG) THIS LITTLE LIGHT OF MINE – I’M GONNA LET IT SHINE
THIS LITTLE LIGHT OF MINE – I’M GONNA LET IT SHINE
THIS LITTLE LIGHT OF MINE – I’M GONNA LET IT SHINE
LET IT SHINE, LET IT SHINE – LET IT SHINE.

The Sacrament of Holy Baptism is infused with much symbolism and ceremony in our Christian tradition. One of the symbols, which we use, is the baptismal candle – which receives its light from the paschal candle – to symbolize the passing of the light of Christ onto the newly baptized. This Paschal candle was lit from the “new fire” created at the Easter Vigil – another of the four specific times that the church designates as particularly appropriate for the celebration of Baptism. As you can probably see, we are following a pattern here from the Church’s recognition of the death and resurrection of the Christ, to Her recognition of all the saints to the incorporation of the newest members of the Church in the Sacrament of Holy Baptism. It is, in fact, only a development of the Church in the middle Ages – which designated the “saints” as an entity different from the body of Christ, the Church in its present time. The early Christian communities addressed each other as “the saints” – note several of Paul’s letters to the early communities in which he calls for “the building up of the saints.” So, those whom we as the church welcome into the body of Christ this morning – or whenever we celebrate this most joyous sacrament, are the newest “saints” of the Body of Christ, the Church!

Now I can just hear the buzzing inside some of your brains. “Wait a minute, I’m no saint – I don’t what he’s talking about!” I assure you that is just the buzzing that was going on in my head when I began to prepare my remarks for this morning – because, trust me – I am no saint! However, that is in fact what Paul calls us who claim to follow Jesus the Christ – Christ’s Body, the Church are in fact part of the “communion of Saints” who we profess our belief in every Sunday when we pray the ancient words of the Nicene Creed. So those of us who are truly uncomfortable with designating ourselves as saints – oh, well! Paul tells us in the letter written to the Hebrews: “With this great cloud of witnesses around us, therefore, we too must throw off every encumbrance and the sin that all too readily restricts us, and run with resolution the race which lies ahead of us.”

(SUNG) THIS LITTLE LIGHT OF MINE – I’M GONNA LET IT SHINE
THIS LITTLE LIGHT OF MINE – I’M GONNA LET IT SHINE
THIS LITTLE LIGHT OF MINE – I’M GONNA LET IT SHINE
LET IT SHINE, LET IT SHINE – LET IT SHINE.

I don’t know about those of you who are “native” Oregonians - but this time of the year is very difficult for me. I am not happy about the dying of the light! As the afternoons get shorter and shorter, so does my spirit sink lower and lower. Michael said to me the other evening “only two more months until the days start to get longer – and I wanted to slug him! I am a creature of the light – I need the light to feed my spirit and I too easily forget that the source of light is available to me whenever I need it most – too feed my slumping spirit and guide my faltering steps. What a better way to celebrate this festival in the midst of the encroaching darkness by hauling out our finest linens and vestments of pure white. This Sacrament of new birth which we renew this morning reminds us in its symbolism that WE carry the light into our darkened world and offer the hope of the communion of saints, the surety of the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting. We reclaim that this morning on this feast of All Saints. This is what the writer of the first letter of John is speaking of in the section which we heard this morning; “beloved we are God’s children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is this: when he is revealed, we will be like him” This is what we have become a part of the ones gone before us, the newest ones that the church incorporates into the Body today and the ones who will come after we pass into that great cloud of witnesses.

I read a guest editorial from the New York Times yesterday and the writer, Thomas Lynch who is a funeral director and author of a book entitled Booking Passage titled his ruminations “A Day with the Departed”. In the Article, Lynch notes that All Saints day and All Souls Day are important times set aside in our culture to broker a sense of connection between the living and the dead and says: “Whether you are pagan or religious, Celt or Christian, New Age believer or doubter-at-large, these are the days when you traditionally acknowledge that the gone are not forgotten. Within this context Mr. Lynch decries a society, especially the one here in our United States, “where we whistle past our graveyards and keep our dead at a greater distance consigned to oblivions we seldom visit, estranged and denatured, tidy and Disney-fied memorial parks with names like those of golf courses or mega churches…The dead get buried, but we seldom see a grave. Or they are burned, but few folks ever see the fire. Photographs of coffins returned from wars are forbidden, and news coverage of soldier’s burials is discouraged...the dead have something to teach us still. A visit to your local cemetery here in the month of all saints and souls, is a course in humanity. There are inklings to answers among the stones.”[1]

The church universal or ‘catholic’ will baptize hundreds of the newest saints today on this feast of All Saints. We, the members of the Body, the Church the communion of saints will make our promises to support and guide them as they become bearers of the Light – they will fill our hearts with hope as they reflect the light of the God who is love among us. We will share with them as we renew our own baptismal promises in the foundational statements of our decision to follow this one whom we call the Christ and offer in that name our understanding of God’s action in our lives to become the saints at work in the world today.

The writer of Matthew’s account of the “Good News” takes us this morning to the “Sermon on the Mount” – one of the most beautiful and poetic renderings of the promises of the reign of God. Jesus, in this teaching reveals what is expected of those who will be rewarded in the coming reign. From their earthly condition will come their heavenly reward. The “poor in spirit” will find heaven; those who mourn will find comfort. Those who hunger and thirst for justice will be filled. Those who are merciful will receive mercy. Those who are pure in heart will see God. Those who are peacemakers will be called children of God – and those who are persecuted for righteousness sake will have the kindom of heaven. Jesus then tells the followers that the struggle will be great and that they will have to suffer for the sake of the Good News – just as those in the communion of saints before them were persecuted. This is us folks, whom Jesus is talking about - and Jesus promises that our reward will be great in heaven. John of Patmos who is regarded as the writer of the apocalyptic Book of Revelation describes this reward in the reading that we heard this morning in these promising words of comfort: “...and the one who is seated on the throne will shelter them. They will hunger no more, and thirst no more, the sun will not strike them, nor any scorching heat; for the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd, and will guide them to springs of the water of life, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

(SUNG) THIS LITTLE LIGHT OF MINE – I’M GONNA LET IT SHINE
THIS LITTLE LIGHT OF MINE – I’M GONNA LET IT SHINE
THIS LITTLE LIGHT OF MINE – I’M GONNA LET IT SHINE
LET IT SHINE, LET IT SHINE – LET IT SHINE.

All of us baptized in the name of the triune God celebrate on this feast of all saints. For some of us raised in the traditions of the Church, which set the saints high above us, as a model to be emulated and revered but rarely experienced this call to sainthood can be daunting. How do we achieve this super-human saintly status? I read with delight an apocryphal “story” that was forwarded to me in an email this week. The story tells of a young boy named Jason who after the baptism of his baby brother purportedly sobbed all the way home in the back seat of the car. His father asked him three different times what was wrong. Finally, Jason replied, “that preacher said he wanted us brought up in a Christian home, and I want to stay with you guys.”! Out of the mouths of babes, drop some of our greatest pearls of wisdom. My friend Brian tells a story about a young girl in his Sunday school class. The teacher had asked the students if anyone could tell them what a saint was. The hand shot up from the back of the classroom with the eagerness that can only be appreciated by those who know how desperately we want to impress the teacher with the fact that we know the answer to the question. Recognized by the teacher, the young girl stood to give her answer. “A saint is that thing in the church that the light shines through.” Of course in her excitement, the young girl had described the stained glass windows of the saints that she had seen in the chancel – but how far off was she? “A saint is that thing in the church that the light shines through.” That is what I want to be; that is what I think we are all called to be “that thing in the church that the light shines through”, saints of our God! Can the Church, the people of God; the Body of Christ, the communion of saints give me an “Amen”?


[1] Lynch, Thomas Op Ed Contributor, “A Date with the Departed”; The New York Times, Saturday, November 01, 2008 p. A23

Posting two today, and I will try and be "current" from here on out! Next Sunday, as a favor to me Dale Carr+ will be preaching at the services where I will be presiding. Blessings to each and every one of you and keep us in your prayers as we journey down to our Diocesan Convention on Thursday through Saturday.

Twenty Fourth Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 25) Year A (RCL) 2008
Deuteronomy 34: 1 – 12; Psalm 90: 1 – 6; 1 Thessalonians 2: 1 – 8; Matthew 22: 34 – 46
St. Stephens Episcopal Parish, Portland, OR
Sunday, October 26, 2008

“LOVE ME – LOVE THEM”

Let us pray: God of love, you come among us as the Word made flesh and in that presence teach us the ways of love. In your manifestation of the Christ your commandment is that we love you with all our heart, and mind and soul; and that we love our neighbor as ourselves. Help us to be true to those commandments; teach us who is our neighbor and how we are to love ourselves and you with all our mind and heart and soul. Fill us this and every day with your Holy and life giving Spirit that we might reflect your love for all that you have created. All this we pray in the name of the Christ who is our teacher and our God. Amen.

(SUNG) A NEW COMMANDMENT I GIVE TO YOU,
THAT YOU LOVE ONE ANOTHER, AS I HAVE LOVED YOU.

Let’s look at the context of the 21st and 22nd chapters from the author of Matthew’s account of the Good News of God in Christ. In the readings which we have been sharing for the past month or so, we have heard Jesus confronted by the Chief Priests and elders of the people – whom the author then describes as the Pharisees. They confront Jesus on several occasions, first asking by whose authority Jesus acts to destroy the money lenders tables in the Temple. Jesus responds to this grilling by sharing three parables about the judgment which will be forthcoming to those whose only concern is the letter of the law, rather than the spirit of the law, and exposes the current leadership’s failure to live out the vision of God’s Kindom among them. The Pharisees then try to entrap Jesus by asking if it is lawful to pay taxes to the Emperor Caesar. The Sadducees then try to entrap Jesus with a trick question about the resurrection from the dead. Then the Pharisees, having heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, try once again to have one more go at this troublesome radical. They want to see if they can discredit Jesus’ reputation with the crowds or perhaps if they can force a confrontation between Jesus and the Romans; either way they would like to silence this teacher who is definitely not one of them and threatens the power and status which they hold in the social and religious community of their time.

In that context, the Pharisees have one of their own, whom the author of Matthew’s Gospel describes as a lawyer (I’m going to resist the temptation to insert a lawyer joke here) ask a question of Jesus. Interestingly the author here uses the Greek word peirazon which is translated as “test” in the NRSV. That word was also used earlier in this Gospel when we find Jesus in the desert confronted by the spirit of evil, and there the word is translated as tempt. This same story which we heard read this morning is also found in the Gospel accounts from the authors of Mark and Luke/Acts. In the author of Mark’s retelling of this incident, the individual confronting Jesus with this question is described as a “scribe” who actually has a favorable opinion of Jesus, and to whom Jesus responds in kind, telling the disciples that this person is not far from the Kindom of heaven. Matthew’s author, however, has a different focus for this story. The author of Matthew’s gospel is writing after the fall of Jerusalem which had basically wiped out the influence of the Sadducees and Zealots and left the religious and social leadership firmly in the hands of the Pharisees. Those same Pharisees are actively persecuting the community of Christian believers; and Matthew’s author will have little to say about them which is good. So in place of the friendly scribe from the author of Mark’s account of this encounter, we find the unfriendly lawyer tempting Jesus with a question which it is hoped will lead to the embarrassment and ridicule of the Holy One of God. Note the difference in our own understanding between “tempting” and “testing”. When one test’s someone else it is usually with the intention of seeing the person tested succeed. On the other hand, when one tempts another, it is generally done with the intention of seeing that tempted individual fail. The one being tested or tempted here, does not suffer fools lightly.

(SUNG) A NEW COMMANDMENT I GIVE TO YOU,
THAT YOU LOVE ONE ANOTHER, AS I HAVE LOVED YOU.

So this pharisaic lawyer poses the tempting or testing question to Jesus, “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” Jesus, no slouch in scriptural interpretation, answers with the shemah that great statement of faith and belief of the Hebrew people. “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind.” This, Jesus says is the greatest and first commandment. This is the command given to the chosen people in the Book of Deuteronomy the 6th Chapter in the 4th Verse. In Jesus’ response, this statement becomes a lynchpin on which would hang all of the rest of the Judaic law. Then Jesus includes a piece offered from the Levitical code and tags it onto the shemah, “and a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” The wise and learned scholars who put together the Revised Common Lectionary from which our scriptural lessons of both the Hebrew and Christian testaments are taken did a wonderful job in this 25th proper of setting up Jesus’ response in the Author of Matthew’s Gospel. Those scholars included an optional reading from the Book of Leviticus (yes, I admit it does have some valuable things to say). In that text which we did not read as this morning’s Hebrew scripture option a clear description, was given to the people of Israel about how they were to treat their neighbors. “You shall not render an unjust judgment…with justice you shall judge your neighbor. You shall not go around as a slanderer among your people, and you shall not profit by the blood of your neighbor…you shall not bear a grudge against any of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.”

Jesus was more than familiar with what had been written in the Levitical code, and so was the lawyer. Can you not just vision what the author of Matthew’s Gospel records next? “Now while the Pharisees were gathered together…” I can just see them huddled in the room, whispering to each other and trying to figure out how they might be able to trap this upstart who has never even studied with a rabbi, how could Jesus possibly know more about the torah than they do? Well, I guess they don’t have the advantage of having heard the story about Jesus in the temple at the ripe old age of twelve, expounding on the scriptures and amazing those who were listening. So, Jesus decides to ask them a question. Having been tested or tempted, and passing the test or avoiding the temptation, Jesus poses a question about the Messiah – the chosen or “anointed one” whom everyone knew was to come of the house of David. Jesus then proceeds to turn the tables and put the question game to an end. Jesus has come to fulfill the role of “son of David” however more importantly Jesus fulfills the destiny of “son of God.” It is in that capacity that the machinations and legalisms of the Pharisees will fall far short of having any impact on Jesus, the disciples or those who will come to form Christian community after the culmination of Jesus’ earthly ministry. God is doing a new thing with the ministry of the Christ, God’s anointed one and that Christ will pave the way for the two greatest commandments to be lived out in accordance with God’s will.

(SUNG) A NEW COMMANDMENT I GIVE TO YOU,
THAT YOU LOVE ONE ANOTHER, AS I HAVE LOVED YOU.

That is where the message of the author of Matthew’s Gospel can be applied to us, and how we might be expected to live out the two greatest commandments, which Jesus highlighted over two thousand years ago. “Love the Lord you’re God with all your mind and with all your heart and with all your soul, and the second is like it, love your neighbor as yourself.” Notice please that the second commandment does not read love the world as yourself; rather love your neighbor as yourself. That would be the neighbor who mows their lawn or runs their washing machine at 8:00 on a Saturday morning, the neighbor who looks different than me – or thinks different than me. How much easier it is for us to drop a dollar in a basket to help feed the hungry on the other side of the world, and to walk past the hungry person sitting on the doorstep of this church almost every day. I see it morning after morning as folks scurry their way past those who are hungry and hurting. Jesus asks much of us who follow the way of the great teacher descended from the house of David. To those whom much is given, much is expected. The message is challenging and demanding yet full of grace and blessing to those who answer the call to follow the Messiah, the Holy One of God who challenges us to live the Kindom of God among us. The two greatest commandments which Jesus says support all of the rest of the law and the prophets can be made even simpler for us who carry so much on our minds and in our hearts in the “information age”. Jesus, the Son of God, the Word made flesh who dwells among us teaches that the two greatest commandments can be reduced to this: “Love me…Love them”! Amen.

Playing "catch up". Had some challenges signing in to this blog spot so here I am and I'll post my sermon from Sunday, October 19th first:

GIVE BACK TO GOD WHAT IS GOD’S


Let us pray: God of all glory you have blessed us with all that we need – and yet we want always, more. Help us to know that in your constant care for all of your creation what we have is enough, and that what we are is enough. In the ministry of your Holy One, Jesus the Christ, you show us the way to your Kindom among us; yet we try to complicate and confound your simple message of love and care for those among us who poor and rich, old and young, sinner and saint. Be with us, O God of grace as we strive to understand the good news and share it in your holy name. Amen.

(SUNG) TAKE MY HANDS I GIVE THEM TO YOU LORD
AND USE THEM FOR YOUR KINDOM HERE ON EARTH.
CONSECRATE THEM TO YOUR CARE,
ANOINT THEM FOR YOUR SERVICE WHERE,
YOU MAY NEED YOUR GOSPEL TO BE SOWN.

The author of Matthew’s gospel narrative, which we hear this morning, begins with “The Pharisees went and plotted to entrap Jesus in what he said.” They have been plotting against the Christ for some time (since back in Chapter 12) and have tried twice (once in Chapter 16 and again in Chapter 19) to trip Jesus up and failed, now they are at it again. Only this time they don’t send out the Varsity team – but rather the JV’s. Its not that they think Jesus will be an easy mark – quite the contrary, they have had their experiences and been burned badly – and they don’t want to risk the ridicule of their people again. They are looking for a way to cut Jesus down to size, and they have no intention of risking their own reputations again. So the Pharisees turn to their disciples. They turn to the students with no reputations to risk, and with very little to loose. They design their trap question and train these young disciples to use it against Jesus. First, however, they train the young students to set Jesus up; before they spring the trap question they butter up the teacher from Nazareth with praise. “Teacher”, they say, “we know that your are sincere, and teach the way of God in accordance with truth.” They do not believe this, and are merely using it as a tactic to push Jesus off guard so that they can spring the carefully crafted question that they believe will trap this radical rabbi once and for all. Then they ask the question, which had been, so well rehearsed with their teachers; “tell us then what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor (the Greek translates Caesar) or not?” I’ve seen the following several times, and it seems particularly appropriate in light of today’s gospel story, “if someone asks you a question, and you don’t want to answer, simply smile and say why do want to know?” The beauty of the question which the Pharisee’s disciples asked was that it offered Jesus only two options – yes or no. If Jesus said yes, it would offend those who hated Caesar’s tax. If Jesus said no, the Roman soldiers would arrest him for sedition. Either way, Jesus would loose and the Pharisees would win.

Jesus, however, didn’t say yes and didn’t say no. Jesus said, “you hypocrites, why are you putting me to the test?” That brought everything out into the open, didn’t it? Jesus knew exactly what they were trying to do, and made sure that everyone else knew it too, “why are you putting me to the test, you hypocrites?” That wasn’t enough to save Jesus, if Jesus said nothing more, it would look as if he were just evading the question. So Jesus said, “show me the coin used to pay the tax,” and they brought out a denarius.

A denarius was a significant coin -- wages for a day -- worth perhaps a hundred dollars in today's money. But it was significant in other ways too. The denarius bore Caesar's image, and was inscribed, "Tiberius Caesar, August son of the divine Augustus, high priest." The Hebrew people found both the image of Caesar and the inscription offensive. For one thing, the Ten Commandments forbid graven images, so they hated the image of Caesar on the coin. For another thing, they didn't believe that Caesar was divine. They didn't accept Caesar as God.
BUT -- and this is significant -- the disciples of the super-religious Pharisees brought Jesus a denarius. Where did they get a denarius? One of them must have had one in their pocket. Where were they? They were in the temple. Why did they bring a graven image into the temple? They brought it into the temple because they were so used to carrying these coins in their pockets that they had given it no thought. Jesus had called them hypocrites, and the fact that they could produce one of these offensive coins proved Jesus' point -- proved that they cared more about money than about God.

Then Jesus asked, ‘whose head is this, and whose title?’ they answered Caesar’s” Then Jesus says, “give therefore the things to Caesar that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” The Greek word, which Jesus is quoted as using, is “apodote” which is best translated as “give back.” So better translated, Jesus says, “give back to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s.” Then Jesus says, “Give back to God the things that are God’s.” What is it that belongs to God? Well, a better question might be what doesn’t. If God creates all things then all things belong to God. Perhaps, more importantly, WE belong to God. Just as the coin bears Caesar’s image, we bear God’s image. We’re told that, at the very beginning of our scriptures…, “So God created humans in God’s image, in the image of God created them.”

(SUNG) TAKE MY HANDS, THEY SPEAK NOW FOR MY HEART,
AND BY THEIR ACTIONS THEY WILL SHOW THEIR LOVE.
GUIDE THEM ON THEIR DAILY COURSE, BE THEIR STRENGTH
AND GUIDING COURSE, TO EVER SERVE THE TRINITY ABOVE.

We are created in God’s image, and so therefore it is appropriate to give ourselves, all that we are and all that we have back to God. We are part of God’s realm and God’s Kindom, and God lays claim to all that we received in God’s grace. What does that mean, too give back to God the things that are God’s? In a few short weeks, we will begin to examine our own stewardship within the context of our lives as followers of the Christ. The Stewardship team is busy at work putting together the materials and engaging in training for our “Celebration Sunday” when we will be asked to determine for ourselves what belongs to God from all that we have been given. We have all watched with anxiety and concern the wild and rollercoaster ride that our financial markets and the markets of many European and Asian nations have taken; up by nine hundred plus points one day, and then down by 700 plus points the next. The current financial climate and forecast in our nation and in our world looks precarious at best and downright disastrous at worst. What we will give and what we will need may have some adjustments in that context, yet still Jesus tells us to give to God what is God’s. Still we are told in the context of the Christian message that what we will need, we will be given; and that what we have been given we need to share with others who are in greater need. In light of those questions; what belongs to Caesar and what belongs to God and what is ours to keep and what is ours to give, perhaps it would be helpful to define our answers in terms of what it would not mean. Wilbur Rees wrote a tongue-in-cheek prayer for half hearted followers of the Christ, followers who are willing to give back to God only a little bit of their lives. Rees writes:

"I would like to buy $3 worth of God, please,
not enough to explode my soul or disturb my sleep
but just enough to equal a cup of warm milk
or a snooze in the sunshine.
I don't want enough of God to make me love a black man
or to pick beets with a migrant.
I want ecstasy, not transformation.
I want the warmth of the womb, not a new birth.
I want a pound of the Eternal in a paper sack.
I would like to buy $3 worth of God, please."

(SUNG) TAKE MY HANDS; TAKE MY HANDS – O LORD.

The message, which Jesus delivers in the author of Matthew’s gospel, which we shared this morning, was not a complicated one – in fact it is the essence of simplicity. Give back to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and give back to God the things that are God’s. When we present the offering of our lives and labors at God’s holy table later in our worship, it has often been the custom of the Church to pray, “All things come of you, O God, and of your own we have given you.” That prayer taken from the Hebrew text of the Twenty ninth Chapter of the first book of Chronicles was part of David’s farewell statement with the assembled leaders of Israel in a final act of worship before his death. That prayer has become our Christian Church’s corporate statement of stewardship, offered to the God who has given us every blessing and grace, which fills our lives. Let us with joy filled and grateful hearts hear what Jesus asks and respond from the depth of our gratitude to offer back to God the things that are God’s.

Amen.

So I had always said that I was not "technically savy" enough to get a "blog" up and running. My Director of Music set this up for me and I will be using this space to post my weekly sermons. If you enjoy that is wonderful, and I would heartily invite you to come and hear one "in person"! Here is the first one:

Twenty Second Sunday after Pentecost Year A Proper 23 – RCL – 2008
Exodus 32: 1 – 14; Psalm 106: 1 – 6, 19 – 23; Philippians 4: 1 – 9; Matthew 22: 1 – 14
St. Stephen’s Episcopal Parish, Portland, OR
Sunday, October 12, 2008

COME TO THE BANQUET


Let us pray: God of bounty and blessing you have invited all of creation to feast at the banquet prepared from the foundations of the world. Help us to humbly accept your invitation and to live out the welcome which you have modeled in your un-rivaled generosity. When the busyness of our lives and our preoccupations with the mundane details keep us from you, gently guide and move our hearts to consider all that you have been and done for us; especially in the ministry and salvation of your Holy One, Jesus the Christ. Amen.

(SUNG) I CANNOT COME. I CANNOT COME TO THE BANQUET,

DON’T TROUBLE ME NOW. I HAVE MARRIED A WIFE,

I HAVE BOUGHT ME A COW. I HAVE FIELDS AND

COMMITMENTS THAT COST A PRETTY SUM,

PRAY HOLD ME EXCUSED, I CANNOT COME.

The parable story which we encounter in the author of Matthew’s Gospel this morning is a continuation of the discourse which Jesus was directing toward the Chief Priests and Elders of the people in vs. 22-23 of the previous chapter; and then later identified in v. 45 as the Pharisees. Jesus directs 3 parables (or 4 if you separate as some scriptural scholars do the parable of the wedding feast from the parable of the wedding garments) directly to the heart of the message which the author of Matthew’s Gospel wishes to convey to the early Christian community struggling and suffering from the devastation of most of what that they had known in their spiritual and religious lives when the occupying Roman forces destroyed the temple at Jerusalem in the year 70 of the Common Era. Matthew’s community was comprised of mostly Jewish members and a growing contingency of gentiles who were learning and beginning to follow the way of the Christ. Jesus in the judgment parables which we have been hearing for the past several weeks is pointing out that the Kindom of God is being expanded to incorporate more than just the people of Israel – and this would not serve to make the leaders and officials of the Jewish social, religious and political system very happy. In fact, we know in hindsight what Jesus’ radical message against the establishment of 1st Century Palestinian life ultimately resulted in.

So, that is the reality of the context in which Jesus begins to address the leaders of that time with a message of God’s intention of a “new thing” which will shape the foundations of cultural and religious life for the disciples and believers who hear the good news and strive to live it out in their age. Now what of us who strive to do the same in our own age? What do these stories and parables have to say to us and the way we are being asked to live out the life which we promised in our baptismal covenant? That’s where the message gets a little more difficult and lot more tricky! The allegorical story of the wedding banquet, those who are invited and do not come; and those subsequently who are gathered in and offered the taste of the Divine covenant which God extends beyond the original covenant made with Abraham and Sarah – is often confusing and difficult for our 21st century ears to hear and comprehend. In this allegorical treatment, most scriptural scholars identify the cast of characters as follows: the “King” is God; the “son” is Jesus; the “invited guests” are the people of Israel; the first “slaves” are the Hebrew prophets; the second and third set of “slaves” are early Christian missionaries; the “burned city” is Jerusalem; the “good and bad” are righteous and unrighteous members of the Church and the “wedding robe” equates to “righteousness”.

(SUNG) I CANNOT COME. I CANNOT COME TO THE BANQUET,

DON’T TROUBLE ME NOW. I HAVE MARRIED A WIFE,

I HAVE BOUGHT ME A COW. I HAVE FIELDS AND
COMMITMENTS THAT COST A PRETTY SUM,
PRAY HOLD ME EXCUSED, I CANNOT COME.

This allegorical parable of the wedding banquet, like the ones which immediately precede it, is directed toward the unbending and “un-seeing” rigidity of the Chief Priests and Pharisees of Jesus’ time. The message speaks still to us today who strive to follow in the way of Jesus, probably somewhere in the middle of the “good and bad” that are invited into the banquet hall and truly wish to join in the feast which God has prepared for those who love and serve God. What do we make of the latter part of this parable; or perhaps the 4th judgment parable of the wedding garment? Some scholars believe that at such a feast which is described in this story, the host of the banquet would have provided for the garments which were to be worn by the invited guests, so all that would have been required was to take it and put it on. For whatever reason, the individual chooses not to avail themselves of the traditional wedding garment – when they are confronted by the Host of the banquet we are told, “he was speechless”. I’ll just bet he was. For us today, it would be helpful to think of this garment of righteousness as the garment which we put on when we are invited into the banquet of the Christ at our baptism. At that time, we (or others in our name) made certain promises as to how we would live our new life in Christ. It is helpful for me, as I review my spiritual health to do so in light of how I am doing with those promises. Will you continue in the Apostles teaching and fellowship, in the Breaking of the Bread and in the Prayers? Will you persevere in resisting evil, and, whenever you fall into sin, repent and return to the Lord? Will you proclaim by word an example the Good News of God in Christ? Will you seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving you neighbor as yourself? Will you strive for Justice and Peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being? So how do you measure up against these promises?

As for me, I’m not perfect – but here’s the good news Christ doesn’t demand perfection, only a genuine attempt at living out the life we have been given in service to God and to our fellow human beings. When I fail, which I often do, I can ask for forgiveness – from God and from my fellows and begin again because of the promise that my sins have been forgiven; that God, in Christ made the ultimate sacrifice so that you and I might have a chance to join in the banquet and make the Kindom a reality in the world around and within us. I invite you to notice that in this passage it doesn’t say that the banquet was cancelled because the invited guests wouldn’t come. No, the wedding and the feast were to go on as scheduled – only the guest list was changed. God doesn’t alter God’s plans because of the indifference of we human beings. The invitation has been extended – it is up to us accept the invitation to joy. The banquet is still there for those who would come – who would accept the invitation. Many times, however, we have other things to think about, there are jobs to be done, aging parents or children to be looked after, mortgages to be paid and the myriad of details, which occupy our busy lives. We become consumed with our consumer culture and the distractions of a world which has little room for talk of feasts and joy. We find so many other things to occupy our time and consume our energy. Our lives become so busy and cluttered it is often difficult or impossible to hear the invitation to joy. Often when we are reminded of the overflowing bounty available in God’s realm of reality we become embarrassed, we tend to dismiss it as something to be thought about after we’ve taken care of the real responsibilities of our lives. Listen to what Paul has to say the community at Philippi about this banquet of Joy, “Rejoice in the Lord always, again I will say, rejoice.” How does this joy manifest itself? In gentleness, in a lack of worrying about anything, in an attitude of prayer and supplication and thanksgiving and petition trusting that God will provide all that we need at the banquet. Paul urges those who have accepted God’s invitation to the banquet to remain there by thinking of whatever is true, honorable, just, pure, pleasing and commendable of things that are worthy of excellence and praise.

How many of us are still hesitating because of the fear that attending the banquet will demand too much of our time, or limit our ambitions in this world or dilute our own ambitions? It should come as no surprise that the one who makes the invitation to the banquet of joy will not accept second place in our affections. It is true that accepting God’s invitation to the banquet will change our sense of what is of importance and value. How saddened and lonely our hearts feel outside of the banquet hall, how much we would miss of the companionship of our Saviour and our friend, Jesus the Christ.

Fear has become the driving force of our political and social environments in the past weeks. When humanity stands at the brink of change – our natural reaction is fear. Fear that we will not have enough and others are looking to take what is rightfully ours. Fear that change will mean taking on roles and responsibilities that we do not want to assume. Fear that our hope is all in vain and that the planet spins wildly in space with no direction or purpose. Christianity, however, in the midst of all of our fear and uncertainty cries out with hope for all whom God has created and holds in care and concern. God will not reach out from the heights of heaven to thwart our fear by settling the conflicts and sorting out the financial messes that we have entwined ourselves in. God will however, fill some of us with the voices that can lift us from the fear and lead us to the solutions around poverty, disease and hope for the hopeless. Anthropologist and humanitarian Margaret Mead, is quoted on the subject – she writes, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed it is the only thing that ever has.” It is our responsibility to listen with the ears of a thoughtful and committed Gospel people – a people who trust in the goodness and righteousness of our God and who understand that we are the hands of that God at work in the world around us. We are the people of God who continue to invite that world to feast at the Holy Table where we are nourished and fed with the strength to proclaim the Kindom present among us and yet to be fully revealed.

Why would we reject such an invitation to this banquet of joy? Let us, rather put on the garment of righteousness and feast at the banquet prepared from the foundation of the world.