|
HUMILITY
AND FAITH THE REV. JOHN E. KITAGAWA ____ ____ JEREMIAH 29: 1,4-7 TIMOTHY 2: 8-15 LUKE 17: 11-19
P.O. VOICE: 520-299-6421 FAX: 520-299-0712 E-MAIL: WEB SITE: WWW.STPHILIPSTUCSON.ORG |
Most of you probably know that Mahatma
Gandhi was the most significant leader in In fact, he even considered becoming a
Christian for a while, until he actually visited a church in There is, indeed, a difference between
God’s will and what we practice. In
this case, Gandhi was able to remain focused on and to act on God’s vision
for the world and for God’s people.
While we are appalled at the shabby treatment experienced by Gandhi,
we ought not be too hasty in condemning the usher and his actions. For most of us, upon closer reflection,
will find a glaring gap between what we profess and how we live our
faith. When I was a college student, I read a
great deal about Gandhi and a great deal written by Gandhi. That he was different from most
revolutionaries and most leaders is obvious.
What distinguished him from others and made it possible to
successfully lead the movement for Indian independence? It was not his management skills, the
accumulation of power or wealth, nor command of powerful armies. It was quite simply his humility. Humility may strike you as an odd sermon
theme on the Sunday we kick off our Annual Pledge Campaign. Should I not be talking about money? In fact, my original plan was to announce
the combined pledges of parish leadership in the hopes these very good numbers
would motivate you. Should I not be
trying to impress you with the ways we are becoming more media savvy,
efficient, productive and cost-effective, with improvements in our financial
and asset management? Perhaps. I fully understand the importance of
maintaining this institution, and protecting its assets. Yet, such concerns must be subservient to
God’s call and empowerment for mission in the world. Institutional maintenance only makes sense
in the context of making it possible for parishioners, visitors, and people
in Greater Tucson to encounter and experience the transforming power of
Christ’s redeeming love—whether through worship, outreach ministries,
pastoral care, or formation ministries.
I believe God is much more interested in the ways we are becoming a
more faithful parish, and in the ways we “promote the transformation and
sanctification of human life so that all of us become new creations in
Christ”[2]. I realize humility is a difficult way of
life to commend to people living in 21st Century … the practice of humility opens us to
Christ’s presence; or more specifically it enables us to pay attention to
Christ’s presence and guidance.
Humility orients us more toward the spiritual so that we can live a
life of Spirit. Humility is a way of
life in which we become consumed with seeking God’s direction rather than
living purely according to our instincts, conditioning, and insights. Allow me to break this down into smaller
bites. The practice of humility helps
us to better understand ourselves in relationship to God. Humility helps us to avoid serious
spiritual pitfalls. For example,
listen to some of the rhetoric flying around religious circles these days,
and you will easily see the results of falling into the trap of “overidentifying our thoughts with God’s thoughts”[3].
This
particular spiritual trap is the antithesis of the servant ministry God would
have us exercise. Humankind has always had a strong tendency to put itself at the center of the universe. For centuries, we believed the universe revolved around planet earth. In our culture, more than ever, we are self-focused and self-absorbed, making it difficult to be God focused and God centered. This also makes it difficult to see our abilities and strengths as gifts from God rather than evidence of personal greatness, or tools for personal achievement and success. This world view makes it extremely difficult to act |
in
ways that are other and God focused. It
is a fact of life that some people “would rather have the false clarity and
certainty that being closed to God provides, rather than the ambiguity and
uncertainty that taking new, God-inspired paths can bring”[4]. No doubt, following where the Spirit leads is
frightening and anxiety producing. God
only asks us to do the very best we can, and to remember that God will
accomplish infinitely more than we can by ourselves.
I like to share stories. This is the story of young man learning the
difference between being self-focused and self-absorbed vs. being other and God focused.
The story is about a life-transforming moment for a young volunteer at
an Episcopal Church’s clothing locker.
His motivation was to earn community service credits towards high school
graduation, and to burnish his record for possible admission into the Honor
Society, and hoped for acceptance into college.
He tells the about a cold February day.
…[When]
he arrived for his few hours of duty … the line had already formed. He opened up and let folks in out of the cold
… [He] was getting the desk organized when a older man struggled down the
stairs with an armload of clothes.
“Where do you want them?” “…just
put them over there for now …” …he
started helping the people in line. … he
didn’t notice the older man made trip after trip, retrieving an entire van load
of clothes.
After a few women had been helped with clothes
for their children, a raggedy man … came up to the desk. “I really need a pair of shoes,” he
said. His shoes were falling off his
feet. They were so worn that he was
trying to hold them together with twine.
There was little to keep out the snow and the wet.
The high school attendant went to the box of
shoes. “What size do you wear?” he
asked. “Size 10, but I’ll take
anything.” The only shoes available that
day were women’s shoes. “I’m sorry … if
you stop back tomorrow maybe some shoes will be brought in.” “But it’s supposed to snow today.” “I’m sorry, sir. I can’t give you what I don’t have.”
It was then that the older man with the van
stopped at the desk. “Did you say you
wear a size 10?” “Yes,” the man
said. “Well, I just brought these shoes
in.” He gave the shoes to the man. They were new enough to see the size 10
printed inside the shoe. The shoes were
exchanged and the man in need headed out into the cold … but with warm and dry
feet.
A little later, the older man headed up the
steps. The young volunteer looking to
improve his resume looked up to say good-bye.
It was then that he saw it. The
older man was wearing that old pair of shoes with the twine[5].
From
my perspective, the young man experienced a moment of grace. He experienced the workings of the Holy
Spirit. He experienced the gift of faith
germinating deep within [his] soul[6]. I think it is no exaggeration to say he
experienced salvation.
Over the years, I have discovered that for
many people, salvation is future oriented—something that happens when or if we
lead righteous lives, perhaps a reward for a good life. This theology conjures up images of God
keeping elaborate records on Excel spreadsheets, which are consulted to see
whether or not we have made the grade.
This kind of theology is spiritually destructive because it leaves us to
wonder whether we are saved, or to contemplate what we might do to better our
chances. These are, I think, the
spiritual roots for a faith that is self-absorbed and self-serving. Today’s Gospel makes it clear that we do not
and cannot earn salvation by anything we do.
Merit is not the issue. Salvation
is grace and gift from God, through Jesus Christ. Consider further what Marcus Borg wrote:
In the Bible, salvation is mostly concerned with
something that happens in this life.
Even in the New Testament, the primary meaning of the word “salvation”
is transformation in this life. One can
see this in the roots of the English word salvation, which comes from ‘salve,”
which is a healing ointment. Salvation
is about healing. We all grow up
wounded, and salvation is about the healing of the roots of [our] existence[7].
Some churches thrive with smart marketing
strategies, engaging and entertaining worship services, and educational
programs that attract spiritually hungry people, who will consume any spiritual
food as long as it tastes good[8]. That’s not who we are. I believe we are becoming a covenant
community that “promotes the transformation and sanctification of human life so
that all can become new creations in Christ”?
Salvation is not in the bye and bye, but right here and now.
My friends, you have probably seen a series
of credit card commercials that promotes the use of that card for everything,
but according to the commercial, some things are priceless—like a family
bonding at a baseball game. Well, the
Treasurer, the Finance Committee and the Budget Committee can tell you how much
it costs to heat and cool this place, how much it costs to maintain our
buildings and grounds, how much our various insurances cost us, how much our
programs and ministries cost, and how much the staff that serves you
costs. In business terms, all of these
components leverage countless hours of your volunteer discipleship time and
energy. And, together, we create and
make possible some things that are priceless.
Can you put a price tag on a covenant community which strives to discern
Christ’s presence and guidance, and strives to help you discern Christ’s
presence and guidance in your life? Can
you put a price tag on a covenant community in and through which people
experience powerful moments of grace?
What value do you place on a covenant community in and through which
life-transforming experiences happen? Is
it possible to pay for the healing power of Christ’s love?
After the service, please pick up you pledge
packets in the Perry Garden. As you
consider your pledge, I ask you to be humble.
Open yourselves to the movement and guidance of the Holy Spirit. Think about the reality of costs represented in an expenditure budget,
but remember also the priceless things that are the spiritual fruit of this
covenant community’s shared commitment and hard work to do God’s work in the
world. Together, we can work at closing
the gap between what we profess and how we practice our faith.
AMEN.