Sermon for the Seventh Sunday after Pentecost, 11 July 2021

  

 

“On Becoming a Prophet”

 

Amos 7:7-15

Psalm 85:8-13

Ephesians 1:3-14

St. Mark 6:14-29

 

INI

 

It is good that we are welcoming ourselves back into our places of worship, our sacred places, our connection with not only God, but neighbors as well. I do hope, however, that over the last weeks, months – over a year really, that we have discovered the sacredness that lives within us and that is present in our homes and families as well – for God has certainly been there with us. That is an important realization for us to retain, for it is in that arena – homes, neighborhood, and community that we are sent as apostles and announcers of God news – news that God is still present in our society, and what that awareness might mean for us as church and followers of Jesus. The readings for this morning will contribute a great deal to us if we choose to both follow and proclaim Jesus. The words of the prophets are needed in our society.

 

Amos – the reluctant prophet

There is a pattern in the call of prophets that moves them to move away from the task to which God calls them. Like Jeremiah, many of them thought themselves too young, too inexperienced, not give the gift of necessary words. This they explain at the beginning of their call, or like Jonah, they simply run away from it. Amos, however, waits until after he has accomplished his task, in which he tells the story of the plumb line and truing to God’s will. Having made his announcement, he is urged by both king and priest to simply go away, for his words were too hard for the people of Israel. It is at this point that Amos says something that is really quite startling.

 

I am no prophet, nor a prophet’s son; but I am a herdsman, and a dresser of sycamore trees, and the Lord took me from following the flock, and the Lord said to me, “God, prophesy to my people Israel.”

 

In his denial, are hidden symbols of his call by God, and his devotion to God. He is a herdsman – the shepherd who tends the flock, and here God has given him a different flock, the Israel north of Judah – the land that God still desires, and the people that God yet yearns for. Amos also describes himself as a “dresser of sycamore trees,” and that too is symbol often used in the scriptures for the judgment and training of the people of God. Pruned and trimmed, the vine is prepared to produce good fruit. Thus, in his denial, Amos hints at what God has called him to do.

 

I’m going to call us, in a few minutes, to be a prophetic church with a difficult message. However, before we go there let’s begin by understanding and realizing our reticence to be those kind of people – prophetic people. Hidden and dwelling in our probable protest of what we really are: mothers, businesspeople, teachers, retired people, administrators, are the clues as to how we might be servants of both God and neighbor (read: community). Let us understand that we can mother like God, conduct the business for the welfare of the community like God, teach like God, rest like God, administer creation like God. We may dismiss the call, but in our dismissal, we acknowledge our gifts.

 

John, the outspoken prophet

It is odd that Mark, known for his brevity, takes the amount of time that he does to interrupt Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem to tell the story of John and his contretemps with Herod, the tetrarch. We already know John’s brusque nature. “You brood a vipers,” he screams at the Scribes and the Pharisees. John’s announcement is a call for repentance and a return to God – a need to be washed clean. These words, however, are not the words that get him into trouble. If anything, his preaching attracts the crowds, and gains the attention of religious and secular leaders. What does get him into trouble is his condemnation of a corrupt and morally lax ruler. Like Amos, he is called to denounce what he sees as a bad example for the people of Israel.

 

Such kinds of words have their consequences, and that may be the reason that we, often as a church, shy away from such condemnations. They are dangerous, provocative, and uncomfortable, and yet we are called to be truth-tellers. Walter Brueggemann, Old Testament scholar and professor at Columbia University has something to say about that in his book, Reality, Grief, Hope: Three Urgent Prophetic Tasks. He draws this conclusion from his study of the prophets, their message and their unrelenting task, and then assigns it to us as well. He writes:

 

“The prophetic tasks of the church are to tell the truth in a society that lives in illusion, grieve in a society that practices denial, and express hope in a society that lives in despair.”

 

We are familiar, I’m afraid of the three sins, if you will, or our time: living in illusion, practicing denial, and finally, what Jesus preaches against, despairing. Like Candide, we prefer to think that we live in the best of all possible world, when the reality is pressing in on us that this is not quite true. Dr. Brueggemann is impressing upon us the difficult task that our time is asking of the church, of we who are regathering in this place, of you as you live your life. Three gifts are required: truth, acceptance, and hope.

 

Jesus, the prophet of the kingdom

In the Gospel of Luke, the remaining disciples of John are sent to Jesus to ask him a question. “Are you the One who was to come, or shall we look for another?” Jesus’ answer to them is straight out of the prophets, and this is the other side of the prophetic message. It is not all doom and gloom. Jesus tells the disciples of John to tell him what they have seen and heard – and this is straight out of Isaiah: 

 

“The blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have good news proclaimed to them.”

 

If we are to be prophets, then we need to know the good news intended not only for ourselves, but the words that need to be given to others. In the second reading, St. Paul says this to the Ephesians:

 

 “In Christ we have also obtained an inheritance, having been destined according to the purpose of him who accomplishes all things according to his counsel and will, so that we, who were the first to set our hope on Christ, might live for the praise of his glory.”

 

This inheritance belongs to all people – it is God’s gift to every woman and man of whatever color, disposition, or persuasion. That is the good news. And the elements of our society who wish to restrict that grace, or to reserve it for only a few, or only of their kind must be reminded of the plumb line which tells the truth. It however starts with us. Let us recant our illusions, denials, and our despair, and let us live truth and hope.

 

 

 

SDG 

Sermon for the Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany, 7 February 2021

Preaching at Saint Mark's Church, Berkeley

The Fifth Sunday after Epiphany, 7 February 2021

“Called to…”

 

Isaiah 40:21-31

Psalm 147:1-12, 21c

I Corinthians 9:16-23

St. Mark 1:29-39

 

INI

 

Over the last few Sundays, we have been reviewing Jesus’ call to the disciples, both men and women who left everything and followed him. It is a remarkable thought to hear and invitation and to totally change one’s life and to follow someone that you know little about. If there is anything that this period in the Church’s Year is about it is Jesus’ teaching and Jesus’ call to us. In the middle of the year, in June, I will celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of my ordination, and I have noticed how, on FaceBook, my classmates are all remembering and pondering on their careers, their ministry, and their decisions to pursue such a call. It is, I think, a time for us as a people to think about how we have been called, and to what. For we are all in ministry, and in a priestly service of prayer and servanthood to both God and neighbor. Today’s readings offer some thoughts on what we might be called to be in our journey with one another and with Christ.

 

We are called to address the weak and faint-hearted.

 

We are living in a time when the circumstances that surround us have awakened old fears and perceptions that have shaken our view of life. People are wondering why this all is happening to them, and where God is in the midst of the crises of our time. Second Isaiah addresses the Israel that has been in exile, that has been taken from the land of its mothers and fathers. He addresses their fear and sadness. In the first reading he repeats the complaint that they have over against their God: “Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel, ‘My way is hidden from the Lord, and my right is disregarded by my God’”? This Isaiah then goes on to seek and out and point out the evidence of God’s presence, and to rejoice in the salvation that God continues to offer.

 

He begins his evidence with his own question, “Have you not known, have you not heard?” Then he looks to our very surroundings themselves. He looks to the foundations of the earth, its peoples, the heavens, and death itself. Isaiah wants us to realize the power and might of God even in the midst of trouble and sorrow. How can we be God’s agents in the midst of these times?

 

Here is the clue: “(God) gives power to the faint and strengthens the powerless.” Here is the geography of our ministry – to those who are faint of heart, who feel no power or suasion in their lives. Do you know any such individuals? Do you pray for them or do you feed them with either faith or food? I am thinking of the lonely in lockdown, those who feel they’ve been forgotten by national leaders, those who are ill, or those who stand by while loved one’s die. These are the faint-hearted and powerless. And it is in our power to give them strength and courage by our witness of faith and presence.

 

We are called to see those who await God’s favor.

 

The psalm for today picks up on this same theme and promise, “The Lord lifts up the lowly.” I’m wondering how many people in this last year have learned how to pray again? I’m wondering how many have lifted up the lives of family, friends, and neighbors, and have asked God to aid and comfort them? I’m wondering how many have rediscovered the psalms, or meditation, or who have hungered for the Eucharist? If there is anything that I have learned to do in this time it is to wait. The psalmist blesses us: “But the Lord has pleasure in those who fear (God), in those who await (God’s) gracious favor.

 

Again, we might have a role, not only four ourselves but also for those who rely on us, or who look to us for strength, advice, or aid. The psalm has several verbs that might inspire us in our deeds: rebuilds, gathers, heals, binds up, lifts up, provides, has pleasure. All of those actions can be of aid to those who await God’s favor and can be of aid to ourselves as we wait on God. I am reminded of Göthe’s observation, “Zeit ist Gnade.” “Time is grace.” Waiting on God and waiting on others in need is not a punishment or a trial. It is an opportunity to honor God and serve our neighbor. Jesus redeems us for this.

 

We are called to make our lives a gateway for those who seek God.

 

The other day Arthur, my husband, made an aside to a relative, “You have the patience of Job!” “What’s Job?” was the reply. We need to realize that the Story with which we have been brought to faith is not known by many anymore. The characters and events of the Bible have little meaning or reference for man people today. Perhaps we can take some advice from Paul in the second lesson for today, “An obligation is laid on me, and woe to me if I do not proclaim the gospel!” Recognizing his commission from God, Paul then goes on to assess his own life and manner of living in the light of that obligation. 

 

We are in the midst of an argument about eating meat offered to idols – it was a big controversy in the Church at Corinth. Meat from temple sacrifices was offered at local markets for a low price. The conundrum was, if I as an economical consumer bought such low-priced meat and then prepared a meal using it, would all who ate of that meal participated in idol worship. Paul’s answer is interesting. He espouses the freedom we have in Christ (so it might be possible to eat such a meal and not participate) but understands the difficulty for someone new to the faith (so he would avoid such a meal). Paul sums it up with “I have become all things to all people, that I might by all means save some.”

 

The individualism and permissiveness of our culture finds this a difficult take on the situation. What Paul wants us to realize that we have to think through our freedoms always with those who are seeking God in our mind. What examples do we give? What model of life and living do we show? As we approach Lent, this might be a point of reflection for us. How does my life display the Good News of Jesus Christ? 

 

We are called not to fear the demons.

 

What are the demons in your life – the viewpoints and understandings that make life difficult for you? In ancient times demons were both good (for the Greeks) and bad (for the Mesopotamians). In our time, demons have a decidedly negative aspect, and we assign to them difficult our troubling aspects of life. Unlike the Mesopotamians, these demons do not come from outside us, but rather a resident within us – our own self-understanding and recrimination. 

 

Jesus, in the Gospel, confronts these troubles and dismisses them. Often in the Gospels, when we hear of being saved, it is healing that is really being talked about. The demons of life can be healed – this is the message that Jesus gives. That Jesus, who is deeply involved with human life (the incarnation, you see) sees the need to address both physical and spiritual health should be our concern as well. We are aware of the physical aspect of that demand in these days, but perhaps the spiritual part has evaded us. How many of our own personal demons could be exorcised by prayer, or conversation with a spiritual advisor? Our times seem to be calling us to despair, but our faith is calling us to not fear our demons. Christ saves us, heals us, so that we might be a similar agent to others.

 

Finally, the fact that you are hearing this in your homes, or reading it from a link, means that we do not need, for the time being, to be present in a holy place. We are in a holy place – the holy place of our lives – the lives given to us by God. The obligation to share the Good News can be met in our lives, in our work, in our life amidst others. May God grant us the power and the strength.

 

SDG