Sermon for Thursday, March 25, 2010

Feast of the Annunciation

Luke 1:26-38 

Story of wedding, sitting behind two old ladies, one leaned over and whispered to the other,  “They have absolutely no idea what they’re getting into.” 

Mary at Annunciation:  “She had absolutely no idea what she was getting into.”  Indeed, Gabriel’s words could be construed as deceptive – Jesus would be “great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever.” ?? 

Mary had absolutely no idea what she was getting into, but she soon would:  recall words of Simeon to Mary at the Presentation – greeting the holy family in the temple, Simeon foretold that Jesus would be “a sign that will be opposed (and a sword will pierce your own soul, too.)” 

So many of us, when we are baptized – especially if we were baptized as an infant –  had absolutely no idea what we’d gotten into.  (Even if we were confirmed as teenagers, if you were like me, you had no idea what you were getting into.) 

Most years, the Feast of the Annunciation falls deep into the season of Lent.  Holy Week is just ahead of us; and Holy Week reminds us of what we Christians are getting into:  We follow a Lord who knows that, if there is to be life, he must first die.  Jesus expects his followers to do the same.  Throughout the gospels, he tells his followers what they must do, if they would be his disciples:

• Take up our cross and follow him
• Not try to save our lives – for those who save their life will lose it – but lose our life for his sake, and for the sake of the gospel
  

 

Jesus is quite clear what we are getting into, if we would be his disciples.  There is ample reward, to be sure:  “There is no one who has left house or brothers and sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time… and in the age to come eternal life.”  But our Christian journey will not be an easy one, a sword will pierce our own soul, too. 

Every day presents opportunities for us to follow Christ more closely – or, to use Annunciation imagery, every day, an angel appears to us and asks us to take Christ into our lives more fully.  One the one hand, we have absolutely no idea what we’re getting into (How could we?!), and we dutifully, and on good days perhaps even joyfully, say, “Yes.”  On the other hand, we have seen the sweep of the scriptures and of the church year, we know that Simeon awaits in the temple to speak to us not only words of congratulations but also of foreboding:  “A sword shall pierce your own soul, too.”   

Words from a sermon of Gregory of Nazianzus (329-389)  foreshadow Holy Week and tell us what we are getting into: 

We are soon going to share in the Passover, and… it is for us to learn what drinking this wine is… 

So let us take our part in the Passover…  We are not required to sacrifice young bulls or rams… we must sacrifice ourselves to God, each day and in everything we do, accepting all that happens to us for the sake of the Word, imitating his passion by our sufferings, and honoring his blood by shedding our own.  We must be ready to be crucified… 

If you are a Simon of Cyrene, take up your cross and follow Christ.  If you are one of the thieves crucified beside him, now, like the good thief, acknowledge your God. If you are a Joseph of Arimathea, go to the one who ordered his crucifixion, and ask for Christ’s body; make your own the expiation for the sins of the whole world.  If you are a Nicodemus, like the one who worshipped God by night, bring spices and prepare Christ’s body for burial.  If you are one of the Mary’s, or Salome, Of Joanna, weep in the early morning.  Then, you will be the first to see the stone rolled back, and even the angels, and perhaps Jesus himself. 

Sermon for Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Oscar Romero 

Last week, spoke of how many churches, including the Episcopal Church, can produce Christians that are “incompetent and harmless,” (as in the wine article so many wineries produce “incompetent and harmless” wines).  Today, we celebrate the feast day of a Christian who was highly competent and not at all harmless. 

Oscar Romero was not competent because he was a bishop and studied at the Gregorian Institute in Rome – he was a competent Christian because he proclaimed the Gospel in his life and by his actions.  And he was far from harmless because, whenever one lives the gospel in his or her life, it puts him at odds with the powers of this world. 

There is an evangelical aphorism that speaks to Christians living lives that are “not-harmless:” 

      If Christianity were outlawed, would there be enough evidence to convict you? 

Suppose Christianity were outlawed, and the Inquisitor came to Trinity Parish?  What would he say?  I wonder if he would be a lenient fellow and try to get us off the hook.  I wonder if he would take a look at our building, take a look at our books and say, “No, not to worry.  You don’t look like a church to me – at least, not the kind that troubles us.  Look at this building, look at your budget, how much of it is spent on your building – you’re not Christians really; you’re just here to maintain this structure.  I’m going to put you down as merely curators of an historic, culturally significant building.” 

And then one of us gets indignant and, against better judgment, and before the rest of us can restrain, blurts out “But wait.  We celebrate the Eucharist here every Sunday.”  

Inquisitor:  With a look of “I’m trying to do you a favor – wink, wink.” Lots of people do Eucharist – it doesn’t really mean much to them.  For most people it’s just an ‘agape meal.’  Our government wants to encourage values like tolerance and belonging.  Eucharist for most people means just that.  I wouldn’t worry about it. 

Loose-cannon parishioner.  Again, before she can be restrained But we recite the Creed. 

Inquisitor:  Of course you do.  That’s what all the curators of these old historic buildings do.  We like it; it adds to the historic ambience.  So little teaching is done about the Creed, nobody knows what it means or takes it very seriously.  Don’t worry.  Reciting the Creed won’t get you in trouble.

LCP.  Against the sharp looks of her fellow parishioners We pray!

Inquisitor:  Look, most churches, we’re not worried about.  Most churches are simply places where nice people can go to meet other nice people.  They have potlucks; they do some social work.  They’re harmless.  The only Christians we are troubled by are the ones who take Jesus a little too seriously, the ones who read that Bible passage about taking up their cross and following Jesus, and losing their life for Jesus’ sake and for the sake of the gospel – and who think that Jesus actually meant it!  And the only churches we are troubled by are the ones who have a process for making disciples like that, Christians who are not harmless, Christians who live the gospel in their lives, Christians willing to take up their cross and follow Jesus. You don’t have any Christians like that here, do you?  You don’t have a process like that for making disciples, do you? 

CUT--   

On this feast day of a Christian who lived the gospel, who was not harmless, and on this day of our catechumenal session, I wish to share with you from Cyril of Jerusalem, from 4th century Jerusalem, possibly the most famous catechist of all.  (Whose feast day was last Thursday.)  The following comes from one of his speeches to his catechumens, and speaks to taking up our cross: 

For us, the cross is the crown of victory!  It has brought light to those blinded by ignorance.  It has released those enslaved by sin.  Indeed, it has redeemed the whole of the human race!  Do not, then, be ashamed of the cross of Christ; rather, glory in it.  Although it is a stumbling block to the Jews and folly to the Gentiles, the message of the cross is our salvation.  Of course, it is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.  For it was not a mere human being who died for us, but the Son of God, God incarnate.   

In the Mosaic law a sacrificial lamb banished the destroyer.  But now ‘it is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.’  Will he not free us from our sins even more?  The blood of an animal, a sheep, brought salvation.  Will not the blood of the only-begotten Son bring us greater salvation? 

He was not killed by violence, he was not forced to give up his life.  His was a willing sacrifice.  Listen to his own words:  ‘I have the power to lay down my life and to take it up again.’  Yes, he willingly submitted to his own passion.  He took joy in his achievement; in his crown of victory he was glad and in the salvation of humanity he rejoiced.  He did not blush at the cross for by it he was to save the world.  No, it was not a mere man who suffered, but God incarnate.  He entered the contest for the reward he would win by his patient endurance. 

Certainly in times of tranquility the cross should give you joy.  But maintain the same faith in times of persecution.  Otherwise you run the risk of being a friend of Jesus in times of peace and his enemy during war.  Now you are receiving the forgiveness of your sins and the generous gift of grace from your king.  So when war comes, fight courageously for him. 

Jesus never sinned; yet he was crucified for us.  Will we refuse to be crucified for him, who for our sake was nailed to the cross?  We are not the ones who are bestowing a favor; we have received one first.  For our sake he was crucified on Golgotha.  Now we are to return his favor; we are fulfilling our debt to him.