Sermon preached by the Reverend John E. Kitagawa at the Celebration of the Holy Eucharist on Sunday, 22 March 2009 (Fourth Sunday of Lent), at St. Philip’s In The Hills Parish, Tucson, Arizona

SUFFICIENTLY PREPARED

Numbers 21: 4 -9; Ephesians 2: 1-20; John 3: 14-21

Lent is often referred to as a season of preparation for the Paschal Feast, for Easter. On Ash Wednesday, we are exhorted to engage in spiritual disciplines and behaviors to prepare ourselves to receive the risen Christ with renewed joy, insight, and love. I think you will find the following quotation to be on point.

When God breaks in on a sufficiently prepared people, a new, outgoing, spontaneous, free and joyous [faith] emerges[1].

For whatever reason, I immediately thought of two examples connected with the narrative of Jesus’ birth. Simeon was the man Joseph, Mary and baby Jesus encountered in the Temple (Luke 2: 25). Apparently, Simeon was sufficiently prepared to understand the baby Jesus as God breaking into the world in a new way.

[God's] salvation, which [God] prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to [the] people Israel (Luke 2: 30-32).

Then there was Anna, who “never left the temple, but worshiped there with fasting and prayer night and day” (Luke 2: 37). Anna was sufficiently prepared to respond to baby Jesus. She recognized Jesus for who he was, and immediately began

… to praise God and to speak about the child to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem (Luke 2: 28).

Both of these responses to Jesus were new, outgoing, spontaneous, free, and joyous expressions of faith. They were proclamations that God has and does lighten the darkness of the world.

Remember the first thing first thing out of Simeon’s mouth.

Lord, you now have set your servant free*

to go in peace as you have promised[2].

In other words, because "God is faithful" (I Corinthians 10:13), we are free. What have we done with this freedom? Listen again the familiar words of Eucharistic Prayer C:

From the primal elements you brought forth the human race, and blessed us with memory, reason and skill. You made us the rulers of creation. But we turned against you, and betrayed your trust; and we turned against one another.

Again and again, you called us to return[3].

Despite our lack of faith, despite our inability to keep our part of the covenant, God is persistently and consistently present for and with us. Are we sufficiently prepared to see that God is true to God's promises? Are we sufficiently prepared to invite God to break into our lives, and then to accept the call to deepening conversion and transformation? Are we sufficiently prepared to discern God is already at work in the world around us, and within us as well—working to liberate us to live a new, outgoing, spontaneous, and joyous faith?

I hope I will not cause confusion by mixing metaphors. Years ago, I read the following quotation:

… we are the Easter people who look beyond Calvary to the sunrise of that glorious dawn, when the heavy stone blocking our view of [God’s] power and grace is rolled away[4].

Notice, in this faith statement, the “heavy stone blocking our view of [God’s] power and grace is rolled away” for us. Are you sufficiently prepared to let that happen? Or, are you fearful of what may be exposed when the metaphorical stone is rolled away? Or, do you feel hesitant about, or resistant to the heavy stone being rolled away because you do not feel prepared to deal with where a new, outgoing, spontaneous, free, and joyous faith may lead? Perhaps you are apprehensive about having the heavy stone rolled away because you are vaguely aware of the upheaval such a profound transformation would cause in your life and family’s life

But, what is the alternative? It is to live in darkness. The opening words of our reading from the Epistle to the Ephesians put it pretty plainly, boldly and starkly. “You were dead through the trespasses and sins in which you once live” (Ephesians 2: 1). Spiritual death is to live separated from the fullness of God’s power and grace to renew life. It happens when we deprive ourselves of the full embrace of God’s healing and reconciling love.

And, what about “sin”? As Margaret Guenther entitled a chapter in her book, Just Passing Through: Notes from a Sojourner, “Whatever became of sin?” She writes,

It’s just not good form to talk about sin anymore. Maybe it never was, at least not in polite society. … sin has fallen on hard times[5].

Here is a illustrative story. On Ash Wednesday, I was surprised by four acolytes who said to me, practically in unison, “Boy are we glad we’re Episcopalians!” “Really? What makes you say that?” To make along story short, they attend parochial school, and had just been through a very lengthy service in which the preacher harangued them for being miserable sinners.

Martin Smith, SSJE, has come up with a definition that puts a little different spin on sin.

Sin is what we do to block and frustrate God’s action in our lives. Sin is thwarting and injuring the loving presence of God in our hearts. Sin pokes God in the eye, and kicks [God] in the stomach. We wound God in our hearts and God in our neighbors through our faithless apathy[6].

The idea I am poking God in the eye or kicking God in the stomach motivates me to be more faithful and righteous, but I know that my best efforts will ultimately fall short of the goal. Either cynicism or despair might take over, but for the Good News contained in later verses in Ephesians.

In these verses, we hear a definitive statement of God’s actions to save, to give us new life, to heal and reconcile us through love, mercy and grace.

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God—not the result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are what [God] has made us … (Ephesians 2: 9-10).

In other words, no one deserves to be saved. No one earns it. No one, on their own, is righteous enough to be saved. No one has a special claim on God’s favor.

Grace comes, then, as God’s great “nevertheless”. God in Christ sees us as we are, not as we ought to be; and in this crystal-clear seeing we are loved in spite of[7].

The question is then whether we are sufficiently prepared to receive and accept God’s love without qualification or condition.

Orthodox Christianity has a helpful and relevant concept—synergy—which is the blending of our energies and efforts with the energy and efforts of the Holy Spirit. Implicit is recognition of the leading role of the Holy Spirit in this partnership. In my mind, being sufficiently prepared is to be open and prepared to work synergistically where the Holy Spirit may lead. From this perspective, I commend the following prayer to you—whether you are working devotedly, passionately and in a disciplined way on your spiritual life; or whether you are working at it in a sporadic and haphazard way. In my spiritual journey, this prayer has been a meaningful starting point, touchstone, and mantra.

Be our light in the darkness, O Lord, and in your great mercy defend us from all perils and dangers of this night; for the love of your only Son, Jesus Christ. Amen[8].

Many will recognize this prayer from the Order for Compline, the last prayer service of the day. In my mind, it speaks to my and our deepest human yearnings. It does not matter whether we are rich or poor, powerful or weak, male or female, old or young; or, whether we are from the dominant culture, or from a racial or ethnic minority; able or disabled. We can all join in the same prayer.