|
DO NOT BE WEARY OF DOING WHAT IS RIGHT[1] THE REV. JOHN E. KITAGAWA ____ SUNDAY, 18 NOVEMBER,
2007 PENTECOST XXV AND COVENANT SUNDAY ____ ISAIAH 65: 17-25 THESSALONIANS 3: 6-13 LUKE 21: 5-19
P.O. VOICE: 520-299-6421 FAX: 520-299-0712 E-MAIL: WEB SITE: WWW.STPHILIPSTUCSON.ORG |
Today is
Covenant Sunday. We set this day apart
to celebrate the covenant that binds us to God, and to one another. During the past several weeks, we have
encouraged you to reflect on the meaning of your relationship with God in
Christ Jesus, and to explore new ways to deepen it. We have asked you to reflect in the
significance of Christian community for your personal faith journey, and for
our capacity to do God’s work in the world.
We have asked you to make a financial pledge in support of St. Philip’s
mission and ministry. In a few
minutes, you will be invited to come forward to place your offering, your
pledge form, your blue postcard and/or words written on paper symbolizing
what you have been given by God and/or what you wish to return to God. Today’s Scriptures would not be my first
choices for Covenant Sunday. However,
on closer inspection, they are quite appropriate to the occasion. In today’s portion of Second Thessalonians,
it is difficult to miss Paul pique towards the “idle” of the community. To appreciate Paul’s ire, we must look at
the theological and spiritual context of the community. The Thessalonians
were convinced of the imminent Second Coming of Christ. This led some members to abandon their
work, and to waiting idly for the new life promised by Jesus. Paul saw at least two basic issues. First was the idle Thessalonian’s
expectation that God would be the sole actor in fulfilling visions like the
magnificent one painted in the Isaiah 65 passage. What Paul refers to as idleness, of course,
completely ignores the truth that God chose to give humankind a role in God’s
plan of salvation. Yes, God could
have organized things in a way that would not involve us in any way[2]. But such a God could not bless us with the
gift of freedom. With such a God, we
would be either automatons or slaves.
And, we would not be blessed with the deep and loving relationship we
experience with the God we know. So, Paul’s ire towards the idle
Thessalonians did not emerge from some ancient version of the “Protestant
work ethic.” The seeds of Paul’s concerns are well summarized in these words: The
end (new life) is indeed promised
by God, but no one can predict when it will be. Therefore, Christians are called to be
steadfast and carry out their responsibilities in this world as preparation
for God’s new order. Christian
community requires mutual responsibility for the good of all[3]. Paul’s concern
was that complacency and idleness lead to the atrophying of spiritual powers and
the diminution of the ability to make a difference for good. Paul sees in the world forces of evil that
diminish and destroy the precious gifts of God’s creation. Thus, Paul suggests the Thessalonian
community needs every member to be mutually encouraging, and strengthening
for the proclamation of God’s mercy, love and grace to others. In my mind, Nobel laureate, Elie Wiesel writes powerfully
about and to the kind of idleness Paul addresses. Wiesel is a
Jewish survivor of the Nazi death camps.
He has written novels to chronicle his experiences, to reveal his
struggles with faith, and to tell the story of his people. In The
Town Beyond the Wall[4],
Wiesel condemns both the executioner and the
victim for submitting to evil in their different ways. But,
Wiesel’s harshest judgment is on those he calls spectators. He reserves the greatest moral culpability
for these spectators.
Condemnation of spectators arose from Wiesel’s
personal experience. He remembers the
day his family was rounded up for deportation to a concentration camp. His sister became very thirsty while
waiting. The town butcher stood and
watched, refusing to take the risk of giving the little girl a cup of
water. For Wiesel,
it was bad enough the butcher denied his sister a cup of water. But worse, Wiesel
saw that the butcher was ignorant of the real meaning of the events unfolding
before him. Wiesel
sees that awareness leads to making choices and becoming a participant. Wiesel’s spectator and Paul’s idle disciple are moral and spiritual clones. The idle disciple thinks Christ’s Easter victory means everything will take care of itself. The idle disciple does not appreciate the power of evil, not appreciate the power of evil, and does not heed Baptism’s call to be a force for good. In the |
language of the oracle, Malachi, an idle disciple would
be “one who does not serve [God]” (Malachi 2: 18).
Gregory of Nyssa, one of the early
theologians of the Church, also speaks to Paul’s point about idle disciples in
a commentary on Holy Baptism. Nyssa
wrote:
God has made us not simply spectators of the
power of God, but also participants in God’s very nature[5].
The struggle between good and evil rages on. We cannot expect the human condition to get
better without our full participation.
We cannot dwell in the illusion that Christ’s cause will progress
without our active participation.
In today’s Gospel Jesus responds to
someone’s comments about the beauty of the
If the temple, the center of the people’s
economic, political, cultural, and religious life, is displaced, what is
left? In what then can we put our trust?[6]
Jesus’
point is simple. God alone is enduring,
always trustworthy, always loving, always forgiving, always redeeming. In other words, if the world is going to hell
in a hand basket around us, God’s record of faithfulness to God’s people is
consistent and trustworthy. We can hold
on to God’s promises because God is faithful.
Under normal circumstances, persecution, arrest and trial would be
occasions for fear and doubt. If we
accept Christianity is a faith born in Christ’s victory over death, we can join
Luke in seeing persecution, arrest and trial as “opportunities to testify”
(Luke
Faith must be formed, nourished, re-formed,
nourished some more and sometimes revived.
That is why I am pleased with the growth and development of our faith
formation ministries for people of all ages, and for the continued depth of our
worship experiences. Here, let me offer
a few thoughts about our covenant with one another. From my perspective, it is difficult to
overemphasize the importance of your participation in this community. Barbara Brown Taylor wrote profound words
about saying the Creed, but this quotation makes the larger point of the
critical importance of everyone’s participation in the community of faith.
When my faith limps, I lean on the faith of the
church, letting “our” faith suffice until “mine” returns. Later, when I am able to say, “We believe…”
with renewed confidence, I know that I am filling in for others who are
indisposed for the time being, as they filled in for me. My decision to say the creed at all is a
decision to trust those who have gone before me, embracing the faith they have
commended to me[7].
Two weeks ago, during an intergenerational
forum, Growing as Disciples in Community, I shared the following story
about the impact we have on one another’s lives. I shared that I noticed that three young
ladies—Jessica, Allie, and Katie—had much shorter hair. What I learned was quite powerful.. They had donated
their cut hair to Locks of Love, which makes wigs for disadvantaged children
who suffer medical hair loss, often due to chemo therapy. I thought this was extremely cool and shared
the story to my colleagues and others.
Sometime later, I met with adult cancer
patient suffering hair loss. One of the
things I heard was an expression of the basic question of “where is God?” After listening a bit, I shared Jessica,
Allie and Katie’s story. I said, “I know
you won’t benefit from the gifts of their hair, but I thought you’d like to
know about what three young ladies have done.”
The response to the story was immediate, “There’s God at work!” and a
great smile.
Is there a direct correlation between the
young ladies’ participation in this community, and their acts of generosity and
compassion? That would probably be too
strong. But it is safe to suggest they
have been influenced by what they learn in youth group, in worship, and by
observing other St. Philippians give of themselves. And, what role has this community played in
the life of the courageous adult, who in a difficult time of life, knows the
need for and seeks the face of our loving God?
If ever you think your participation at St.
Philip’s is too modest to make a difference, if ever you wonder whether your
participation in this community is meaningful, the answer is “Yes, absolutely
to both, and in ways you may never know or appreciate.” Most of the time, we never know how what we
say or do may influence another person in profound or significant ways—how what
we do or say may open avenues never before explore, or make connections never
before made.
AMEN.