Sermon (St. Philip’s –
Thursday after Ash
Wednesday
Holy Eucharist, Rite
II
Deuteronomy 30:15-20 If you walk in God’s ways.
Psalm 1 God watches over the way of the righteous.
Luke 9:18-25 Who do you say that I am?
Sermon
For
minds to think, and hearts to love, and hands to serve, we thank you, God. Amen.
It’s hard to believe that
Lent is already upon us. It seems just
yesterday we celebrated Christmas and Epiphany.
Yet, today we find ourselves facing the other end of our Christian story
of faith, here at the beginning of Lent, the compelling season that calls us to
reflect on the deepest spiritual truths.
As a community of
Christians that gathers here at St. Philip’s to discern where God is present in
our lives, we also discover the surprising turns our lives together take,
shaping us and our faith along the way.
And now, together, we
begin the season of Lent. Yesterday, we
received ashes as a sign of penitence, a prayer for healing and renewal during
this sacred season. Today we begin the
“everydayness” of our Lenten journey. We
study, we pray, and we gather for the Eucharist, as we begin to discern how God
is speaking to us and what God is calling us to do as a community.
Have you decided how you
will make your own spiritual journey through Lent? Will you join a prayer or study group? Will you make special efforts to dedicate
yourself in service and care for people in need? Will you meditate on scripture with
intention?
Meditating on scripture
is the perfect discipline to support our journey through Lent. Today’s gospel text could actually serve us
well as our own ready-made Lenten devotional guide, for this remarkable Lucan
passage encompasses the fullness of our Christian journey in a few short
phrases.
What if we were to use
this passage as a Lenten devotion, choosing to journey phrase by phrase, and
week by week through Lent?
1.
Consider
the first phrase for your first week of reflection - “Who do the crowds say
that I am?” Some say John the Baptist,
Elijah or one of the ancient prophets.
In a few words, the richness and history of our tradition of faith is
brought to life. We recall those prophetic
figures who called the people back to God through the centuries. We remember and we are moved. We might also realize that we are called to a
prophetic stance in our own lives.
2.
During
the second week, we could consider the next phrase - “But who do you say that I
am?” Now this is getting personal! Instead of some vague and hypothetical query,
the question is aimed directly at Peter… and to us! We must come to terms with who we will say
that Jesus is for us. This should fill a
week of reflection! Peter sets the bar
high…
3.
As
we continue, we hear Peter’s answer, which might fuel our reflection for a
third week, that Jesus is “The Messiah of God.”
He leaves no doubt about the depth of his faith. There is no ambiguity in his
proclamation. Jesus is the Christ, the
Messiah of God. Peter’s confession
serves as the prototype for all Christian confessions to follow. In just four words, Peter expresses the
unique and life changing reality of God that we witness in Christ.
4.
Through
the fourth phrase we hear - “The Son of Man must undergo great suffering.” This is a foreshadowing of the events that
will unfold all too soon. This is the
first passion prediction in the Gospel of Luke, and it is the part of the story
we find most difficult to hear. Yet we
must listen. Four weeks from now, we
will begin to turn our gaze toward Holy Week, and call to mind the events that remind
us of the Passion of Christ.
5.
By
Week 5, the message of the gospel text will become abundantly clear to us in
our meditation - “If you want to become my followers, follow me.” This is not an academic exercise. Our encounter with Christ will be life
changing. This means each of us! The path for us as Christians is one of
following Christ, including the demand that we take up that cross daily.
6.
In
the sixth week, our reflections turn to the sixth phrase. And we will realize the gravity of our
journey, “Those who lose their life for my sake, will save it.” This is not some vague, spiritual call, but
rather a call that transforms our daily life, patterning our lives after the
self-offering life of Christ. I cannot
imagine a better reflection to carry us through Holy Week.
Before we know it, we
will have charted a course through Lent, through our extended prayer and
meditation. We remember…
We began with a journey
of reflection on the rich history of our faith, those prophetic voices that
call us to God. We are moved to confess
our faith. We journey further and witness
the Passion of Christ. Inevitably, we
realize that our confession demands that we follow Christ. Finally, we offer ourselves to Christ and in
following, find life.
Whether you choose to
reflect on this remarkable passage for only this day, or for the entire season
of Lent, may this Lenten season bring you time for discerning how God is
present in your life. May your season of
reflection also make room for new discoveries about how you will live your life
of faith in the world. Amen.
Deuteronomy 30:15-20
15See, I have set before
you today life and prosperity, death and adversity. 16If you obey the
commandments of the Lord your God that I am commanding you today, by loving the
Lord your God, walking in his ways, and observing his commandments, decrees,
and ordinances, then you shall live and become numerous, and the Lord your God
will bless you in the land that you are entering to possess. 17But if your heart
turns away and you do not hear, but are led astray to bow down to other gods
and serve them, 18I declare to you today that you shall perish; you shall not
live long in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess.
19I call heaven and earth to witness against you today that I have set before
you life and death, blessings and curses. Choose life so that you and your
descendants may live, 20loving the Lord your God, obeying him, and holding fast
to him; for that means life to you and length of days, so that you may live in
the land that the Lord swore to give to your ancestors, to Abraham, to Isaac,
and to Jacob.
Psalm 1
1Happy are those who do
not follow the advice of the wicked, or take the path that sinners tread, or
sit in the seat of scoffers;
2but their delight is in
the law of the Lord, and on his law they meditate day and night.
3They are like trees
planted by streams of water, which yield their fruit in its season, and their
leaves do not wither. In all that they do, they prosper.
4The wicked are not so,
but are like chaff that the wind drives away.
5Therefore the wicked will
not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;
6for the Lord watches over
the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.
Luke 9:18-25
18Once when Jesus was
praying alone, with only the disciples near him, he asked them, “Who do the
crowds say that I am?” 19They answered,
“John the Baptist; but others, Elijah; and still others, that one of the ancient
prophets has arisen.”
20He said to them, “But
who do you say that I am?” Peter answered, “The Messiah of God.” 21He sternly ordered and commanded them not to
tell anyone, 22saying, “The Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be
rejected by the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and on the
third day be raised.”
23Then he said to them
all, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up
their cross daily and follow me. 24For those who want to save their life will
lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will save it. 25What does it profit them if they gain the
whole world, but lose or forfeit themselves.”