Sermon Archive
Sermon for the 15th Sunday after Trinity, 2021
Trinity XV
Dcn Bill Johnston
“But seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and His righteousness.” Today’s Gospel - Matthew chapter 6, verses 24 - 34 – has a simple outline - one thing to avoid, and two things to seek. We will start with the one thing to avoid.
You can note or mark the word “anxious” in verses 25, 27, 28, 31, and 34. Jesus says, “Do not be anxious” five times in just 10 verses. Do not be anxious over food or clothing. Do not be anxious for your life. Do not be anxious about tomorrow. Intellectually, we know our heavenly Father is sovereign, loving, and will provide for our needs. But Jesus doesn’t tell us to avoid lacking trust in God’s providence; He tells us to avoid being anxious over these things in the first place.
According to the American Psychiatric Association, Anxiety Disorders are common. Nearly 30% of all adults at some point in their lives will experience strong and persistent feelings of unease, fear, or worry.[1] Anxiety often coexists with depression. Anxiety and depression can result from underlying medical problems, early childhood experiences, medication side effects, genetics, and the complex interaction of biological and sociological factors. “Spiritualizing” anxiety and depression can result in false guilt. “If I trusted God more or if I was a better Christian, I wouldn’t feel this way.” God’s Word offers comfort for us this morning. The word we translate here as “anxious” (merimnao) means “to be preoccupied with,” or “to be absorbed by.”[2] Preoccupation is an action of the will. When Jesus says “Be not anxious” He is not talking about our feelings, but our wills. Do not be preoccupied with or absorbed by the things that the Gentiles seek. We do need to allow, however, that anxious feelings may indicate a problem with the will – signaling an unhealthy preoccupation with material or temporal things. And if that is the case, then repentance is needed. But let us not confuse that with mere feelings of anxiety or depression that require not repentance, but understanding, support, and perhaps treatment. So if our wills are not be to be preoccupied with the cares of this life, where are we to direct them?
This question is answered in verse 33: “But seek ye first his kingdom, and [secondly] his righteousness.” Note or mark that the verse begins with the word “but.” This signals a contrast. The Gentiles are “anxious” – that is, preoccupied with and absorbed by – material and temporal concerns. But we are to seek two things first: God’s Kingdom and His righteousness. Briefly, God’s righteousness means our right standing before God – made possible only by His Grace - and second, acting rightly towards others according to God’s standards. We are also to seek God’s Kingdom. God’s Kingdom is marked by His presence, His power, and His rule. Oswald Chambers in My Utmost for His Highest calls “Seek ye first the Kingdom of God” the “…most revolutionary statement human ears ever listened to.”[3] God’s Kingdom is one of the most important themes in the teaching of Jesus. Saint Matthew alone refers to the Kingdom 27 times.[4] An entire chapter - chapter 13 – is called “The Parables of the Kingdom.” God’s Kingdom is both present and future. This is sometime referred to as an “already, but not yet” aspect of our salvation. Let’s look at the future aspect of the Kingdom first.
“Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign for ever and ever."[5] The future Kingdom will happen when all earthly kingdoms have been supplanted by the one heavenly Kingdom. The Book of Revelation gives us the completion and finality of God’s Kingdom. Our last enemy, death, is finally destroyed. The entire created order is renewed. The Lamb and His Bride, the Church, redeemed out of all nations and tongues, dwell together forever in ceaseless praise to God. Seeking first this future Kingdom is an antidote to becoming preoccupied with the things of this world. On the Fourth Sunday in Trinity, we ask for God’s mercy, “…That, [as] our ruler and guide, we may so pass through things temporal, that we finally lose not the things eternal.”[6] Because of this future aspect of the Kingdom, Jesus could say, “My kingdom is not of this world.”[7]
But in Luke 17:21, Jesus also said, “The kingdom of God is in the midst of you."[8] Notice He used the present tense. This brings us to the present aspect of God’s Kingdom. We are to seek this, too. This “already here” aspect of the Kingdom is more difficult for most of us to understand than the future, or heavenly Kingdom. So let’s look at three passages that emphasize the present aspect of God’s Kingdom. In Romans chapter 14, the Apostle Paul admonished the church not to argue over the observances of Jewish dietary laws. Christians may reach different conclusions about “clean” versus “unclean” foods. When they do, Christians are not permitted to judge another’s decision. His concluding argument was based on God’s present Kingdom. “For the kingdom of God is not food and drink but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”[9] Do you want to live more in God’s Kingdom? Right now? Then stop judging others; instead, live in righteousness and joy and peace in the Holy Spirit. Second, seeking God’s Kingdom first also means repentance. For this, we turn to Saint Mark’s first recorded sermon by Jesus. Here’s the opening: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.”[10] The Kingdom of God is at hand. And the very next word? Repent. Living in God’s Kingdom now means a life of ongoing repentance. When we realize this, it leads to a third characteristic of the Kingdom: humility. “And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.”[11] Humility - the humility to accept that we are sinners in need of grace - is required in order to one day inherit the future Kingdom, and to live in His Kingdom now.
Let’s summarize where we’ve come. In the opening verses, Jesus tells us not to be anxious - that is, our wills should not be preoccupied with - earthly or temporary concerns. In contrast to that, we are to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. We seek a Kingdom that is both “yet to come” and “in our midst.” We long for the “not yet” of Heaven. But we live in the “already here” of His Kingdom if we live in righteousness, joy, and peace in the Holy Spirit, and when our lives are characterized by ongoing repentance and humility.
While there are two aspects of God’s Kingdom - a future one and a present one - there is still only one Kingdom. Where is that Kingdom? Wherever His presence, power, and rule are found. When we pray, “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven” we are praying that more of God’s presence, power, and rule, which now exist fully and perfectly in heaven, would operate that way on earth. God answers that prayer - “Thy Kingdom come” - whenever righteousness, peace, humility, and love happen during our personal trials and in our troubled world. We often miss this. But He already told us we would. "The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed.”[12]
Thomas J. Neal is a seminary professor in New Orleans. As he was standing in line to board a plane, he noticed a couple with their young son. The boy was about 12 years old, and appeared to have autism. Dr. Neal later found out the boy’s name was Patrick. Now Patrick was terrified to get on that plane. He was rocking back and forth, twisting to get away, and crying. When they boarded, Dr. Neal discovered his seat was directly in front of this family. Patrick remained terrified throughout the flight, and everyone in the back of that plane knew it. He often had his head buried in his father’s chest. Here’s what Dr. Neil heard: “It’s okay, son. We’re right here. No, don’t look out the window – look at me. It’s going to be fine. We love you.” What Dr. Neal found remarkable is that no passengers showed any discomfort or irritation. In fact, several people nearby tried to lend a hand and support the parents. When the plane landed two hours later, people clapped for Patrick because he “did it.” As the plane came to a stop, the flight attendant came on the intercom and said, “We’d like Patrick to join us on every flight.”[13] This didn’t happen in a church, or even through a church program. But something of Heaven broke through, or better, was allowed in, that day, anyway. Seeking the Kingdom of God first means seeking it continually, everywhere, and among everyone.
[1] American Psychiatric Association. https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/anxiety-disorders/what-are-anxiety-disorders. Accessed 8/16/21.
[2] The New Jerome Bible Commentary (1990), pg. 646.
[3] Oswald Chamber, My Utmost for His Highest (1963), May 21.
[4] Darrell Bock, Jesus According to Scripture (2002), p. 565.
[5] Rev. 11:15, RSV.
[6] The Book of Common Prayer (1928), pg. 194.
[7] Jn. 18:36a.
[8] Lk. 17:21b, RSV.
[9] Rom 14:17, RSV.
[10] Mk. 1:15b.
[11] Matt. 18:2, 3.
[12] Matt. 3:31a, RSV.
[13] Patrick J. Neal, Humber yet Great Builders, Aug. 11, 2021. https://nealobstat.wordpress.com. Accessed August 18, 2021.
Sermon for the 14th Sunday after Trinity, 2021
Homily for the 14th Sunday after Trinity, 2021
Fr. Tony Melton
And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed.” +++
I began last week’s homily at the marriage altar, showing the simple and direct connection between beholding, loving, and serving. This cascade of grace-infused action is at the beginning of every Christian marriage. There are at least two other key moments in the life of a marriage. The first happens when you realize that the person you thought you married is not exactly the person you actually married. They leave their stinky socks on the floor, or they’re emotional, or needy, or absent. For many, this is the beginning of the end. But for most Christian couples, it is a significant step in the Way of Love. We love the other for who they are, not for who we think they ought to be.
But then there is another step, probably more significant than the other. It is when we recognize that we are the difficult ones. I am the problem. And we see ourselves as we really are, not as who we like to think we are. This is still the Way of Love, but like two highways merging into one, it is also the Way of Penitence. When a marriage is traveling on both of these roads, its destination is greater and greater Joy.
This morning, we’ll be talking about the Way of Penitence. Far from being a dower topic, it is one of the greatest keys to experiencing great joy in the Christian life. Yet, this highway is often missed by the Faithful because we tend to see penitence as occasional, simplistic in its aims, and we are not practiced in any process or method. Yet, we can learn about all of these questions in our Propers for this morning.
So, first we will learn about when we ought to be penitent, then for what we ought to be penitent, and then how we ought to be penitent.
We’ll begin in the Epistle, Galatians 5:16. Here St. Paul teaches an essential principle for walking in the Way of Penitence, that our souls are mixed. Two contradictory powers work upon the soul, someone like the demon on the left shoulder and an angel on the right, except that these principles do reside on our shoulders, appealing to our mind, but reside deep within our heart fighting for what we love. The power that leads us away from righteousness, St. Paul calls the “flesh”. The power the leads us toward righteousness, St. Paul calls the “Spirit”.
Two important principles emerge from our Epistle that are important for understanding the Way of Penitence. First, because we possess the Spirit of the Living Christ, we can have victory over the Flesh. St. Paul says, “Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.” But we also learn that this victory is not entire or perfect in this life. “For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other; so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.” This means that in this life, we are never entirely free from the desire to do evil. In fact, our deeds, even our good deeds, are mixed, just like our hearts. Why is this important in learning about the Way of Penitence? It means that penitence is not something we do from time to time. It is a perpetual reality for God’s people. Penitence is a Way of Being. We can always repent.
I cannot overstate how transformative this idea can be for you. Most conflict in our lives comes is sustained by the false assumption, held by both parties, that I am completely in the right and he is completely in the wrong. Everyone take their finger and put it one inch from your eye. Can you see your fingerprints? Now pull your finger away from your face. Can you see it now? We can see imperfections a lot easier when the imperfection is outside of us, meaning in someone else, but we are notoriously bad at noticing our own imperfections. Our eyes often miss our own sins, so that our sins look like specks, and theirs look like logs. But just watch how acknowledging your own faults first can unlock repentance and peace in the peace around you. Because we are mixed in our hearts between flesh and spirit, we are to be in a continual state of penitence.
Our Gospel reading is the story of the Ten Lepers. Their crying out to Jesus surprised me in reading the passage this week. "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” Have mercy? We give help to those whose situation is not of their own doing. We give mercy to those whose situation is of their own doing. I think it would have made more sense for them to yell, “Jesus, help us!” “Jesus, we didn’t do anything to deserve this misery! Make us whole!” But they yelled, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.”
This reminds me of the same surprise that I had recently when visiting one of the sick in our mission and giving an anointing. I’m sure you’re familiar with the passage from James 5, “ Is any sick among you? let him call for the priests of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.” There is a liturgy in the Book of Common Prayer, and I was preparing by reading it out the 1662 BCP. I was struck by just how penitential is the liturgy for the Visitation of the Sick! There are multiple exhortations toward holiness and confession of sin, self-examination, sorrow for sin. In a word: penitence. So I’m getting ready to visit this person whose gone through the ringer the last two weeks thinking, “Yeesh! I’m getting tired from reading these exhortations right now. How could anyone who is sick handle this!?” But perhaps that is because we are in a time where penitence seems such an odd thing, an occasional thing, and not the perpetual thing that it ought to be. We think of penitence for when we’ve done something really rotten, not for when we get the flu, or throw out our back, or get leprosy… But we forget the connection made in the Prayer Book, and in the Scriptures. For the very next verse in James 5 says, “And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed.”
What is this getting at? Both our Epistle and our Gospel are showing us that to walk in the Spirit is to walk in the Way of Penitence. To acknowledge that we are mixed beings with divided hearts, that all our deeds are mixed, and that in every moment, in every sickness, in every conflict, we can pray the words of Psalm 139, “Try me, O God, and seek the ground of my heart : prove me and examine my thoughts. Look well if there be any way of wickedness in me : and lead me in the way everlasting.”
So, we’ve covered when we are to be penitent. Always. But, St. Paul makes clear in the Epistle what we are to be penitent of and for. What are the aims of penitence?
To answer that question, we have the Works of the Flesh and the Fruits of the Spirit. These lists are very helpful in our ability to self-examination, which we’ve discussed this last month in cell groups. By learning the words well, we can participate with God in seeking the ground of our own heart, and examining our own hearts, and therefore walk more and more in the Spirit and not in the Flesh! So, we’ll walk through the lists briefly, given that many of these words are confusing to us.
The text lists many things, but the Works of the Flesh can be divided here under two main headings: sins that come from a desire for pleasure, and sins that come from a desire for power. The Flesh seeks after Pleasure and Power. The list for Pleasure is easier to understand. They are less subtle than the Sins of Power. St. Paul says that the Works of the Flesh are Adultery, Fornication, Uncleanness (meaning all kinds of moral impurities), Lasciviousness (which is an adherence to an openly sinful lifestyle in spite of rebuke or correction—“I have a RIGHT!”). He continues later, Drunkenness, and Revelings, which were lewd parties common in that day.
The Works of the Flesh that come from a Desire for Power are a bit more interesting and nuanced. Idolatry, witchcraft are both ways that pagans seek more control over their lives. But then there is a long list of very similar things.
Hatred, or enmities. This word in the Greek refers to having lots of enemies. Having lots of conflicts now or in the past.
Next, St. Paul lists Variance, which is translated as “strife” in other versions. Those given to Variance love to “vary” with their brethren, meaning they love to be at-odds or in disagreement with others. Contrarians at best; lovers of fights or quarrels at worst.
The next is a confusing word, Emulations. The Greek word here is ζῆλος, from where we get the word “zealous” or zeal, ζῆλος. Zeal can be a good thing. Plato and Aristotle considered it so. But within the power of the Flesh it can stand contrary to holiness. I’ve been listening to the podcast The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill, which documents the ministry of megachurch pastor, Mark Driscoll. This was a man zealous for the Bible and for the city of Seattle and for the mission of Mars Hill Church. But his ζῆλος caused him to steamroll other people, especially his staff, so that he joked once, “There’s a pile of bodies behind the Mars Hill bus and by God’s grace someday it’ll be a mountain. If our passion for something, even something good, leads us to run over our brothers and sisters, then we are walking not in the Spirit, but in the Works of the Flesh.
Next, wrath, which refers to outburst of anger. Next, strife, the Greek here refers to engaging in a party spirit, bolstering our personal identity in an us vs. them mentality. Next, seditions (διχοστασία means to “stand apart”. This is a readiness to join a faction. Next, heresies, the Greek word here is αἵρεσις. αἵρεσις did not originally refer to false doctrinal beliefs. Rather, it referred at this time especially to a personal choice or opinion held with impenetrable vehemence despite correction from a larger body of peers or authority. You can see how this would relate to theological opinions later, but its general meaning is powerful. This is a crucial word for us to understand nowadays, especially as we explore topics such as individual conscience. It is commonplace for each person to hold to individual opinions so tightly with hardly any reference to the Church, or to wiser members within a parish, or one’s pastor, or even one’s spouse. This reflects a spirit of αἵρεσις.
And lastly, envying, also translated “grudges”. This Work of the Flesh holds onto hurts. It is a spirit of bitterness. It robs both parties in a conflict from the opportunity of the joy of repentance and reconciliation.
Had you ever noticed that right before St. Paul lists the fruit of the Spirit, he gives no less than 8 words to describe patterns of conflict, bitterness, and division? We must understand the Fruits of the Spirit in their juxtaposition to the list we just walked through. If we do, then we will hear the Fruits of the Spirit like this…
Instead of Variance, or “being at odds with others”, instead of relying on the adrenaline that comes from the Facebook argument, or the theological distinction, instead of being lovers of quarrels, lovers of debate, let us be lovers of our brothers and sisters in Christ! Love is the first fruit of the Spirit.
Instead of envyings, or bearing of grudges, paying constant attention to the scars and marks of our past fights, let us be marked by Joy!
Instead of hatred, or enmities, seeing our brothers and sisters through the lens of our past conflicts, let us strive for the Fruit of Peace.
Instead of Wrath (thumia), let us be macrothumia (long-tempered, long-suffering).
Instead of Strife, or having a party spirit, quickly dividing yourself from a brother in an us-vs-them way, let us possess the fruit of Gentleness, which in the Greek means “well-fit, like the right tool for a job, able to bend not break, to bring one along not leave them behind.” This is the fruit of Gentleness.
Instead of heresies, or self-assured opinion in both religion or relationships or politics or ethics or philosophy. Let us have the fruit of pistis, faith, faithfulness, trust, allegiance to the Truth. Let us have the humility to gain our answers about the complex issues of life, not from blogger in his basement but from the Church that Jesus assures will never fall to the powers of darkness and who possess the Holy Spirit to lead us into all Truth. Do not hold fast to your own private interpretation of Scripture, but from the Faith handed down once for all to the Saints. Do not trust your own assessment of yourself and your faults and God’s calling on your life, but heed the words of your brothers and sisters in Christ who speak to you God’s Word and God’s Wisdom. This is the fruit of Faith.
Instead of Zeal, overcome with self-directed passion for our own sedition or sect, let us have the fruit of Meekness, to see our own faults as logs, and the faults of others as specks. To turn our zeal for righteousness upon ourselves first rather than on our brothers and sisters. To know clearly the worst in ourselves and to see the beauty in others and to see both ourselves and others in light of God’s lavish love. This is the Fruit of Meekness.
So we have the when of penitence (always) and the what of penitence, but our Propers also give us a clue as to the how of penitence. For this, we can look at the leper. His penitence happened in four stages. First, he recognized that he had leprosy. Probably easier for him than it is for us! Second, he cried out to Jesus for mercy. Third, he obeyed Jesus and followed the process given for the healing of body and soul. Fourth, he returned to give thanks.
The recognition of our own spiritual leprosy is required for a life of joyful penitence. And, in a week that will be learning about Recollected Prayer, or free prayer from the heart, this is a good opportunity to reemphasize the real value of the Prayer Book as an anchor and balance. If we pray the Morning Prayer every day, just listen to the words that begin our day out of the 1662 Prayer Book. We begin our day, every day, by “acknowledging and bewailing our manifold sins and wickedness.” If we continue to pray like this, we will train our eyes to see clearly our own hearts, and we will recognize, like the leper, that we need mercy.
And then we will cry out for it! We will know our brokenness and we will be beautiful because of it! Everyone baptized into Christ has the Spirit of the Living God within them, but that glory can only show forth when our vessels are cracked and broken by a spirit of penitence.
Look at the process that Jesus gave to the leper. He told him to go show himself to the priests. This meant a few things. First, the how of penitence should likely involve a third party. Just like the priests at the Temple were trained to tell if the leprosy was really gone, priests are trained and gifted in helping the penitent assess whether they are truly repentant. Second, it meant that the leper had to go back into the city. This would have been an entrance back into shame, pain, and the spectacle. Repentance can be hard, especially if it means mending a relationship. Third, notice that the leper was healed as he went to obey the words of Jesus. He did not question the command. He asked for mercy, and with no assurance that mercy had been given, he obeyed.
Finally, he gave thanks. He fell down at the feet of Jesus and thanked him. The process of penitence finds its terminus at the Eucharist, the Great Thanksgiving of God’s people. What a great day it will be when someone who has ought against their brother or sister, or thinks that their brother may have ought against them, leaves the altar, and goes to their brother, and in the side aisle or in the narthex, confesses their leprosy to each another, forgives each other, ensures that peace and charity between them, and then go together to fall down at the feet of Christ by kneeling side-by-side to receive the Eucharist together.
Brothers and sisters, let us walk together in the Way of Penitence, for it will lead us to feet of Jesus. Let us walk in the Spirit, that we may bear the fruits of Joy, Peace, and Love. Amen.
Sermon for the 12th Sunday after Trinity, 2021
Homily for Trinity 12
Fr. Tony H. Melton
August 22, 2021
CHILDREN’S HOMILY
Raise your hand if you like to play with Play-dough. Isn’t it so fun? I like to play with Play-dough, too. When I was your age, I used to make people with Play-dough. Have you ever done that? You have to roll up the legs and arms, and make a ball for the head. Once you have the torso, limbs, and head, you poke holes for the eyes, nose, and ears. Right?
One of my friends and mentors is Fr. Thom Smith. Fr. Thom is an artist, and one of the things he loves to do is make clay figurines. He makes these really silly faces. I once got to see him make one. He made the cheeks and the shape of the head with his thumbs. He used his pinky to make the eye sockets. He used his fingernail to make the lines for the face and lips and eyebrows. Finally, he used a toothpick for the nose, eyes, mouth, and ears. It was almost like a person was coming to live out of the clay.
I’m biased, but I think Fr. Thom is the 2nd greatest figurine maker in the whole world. Do you know who is the 1st greatest? God. When did God make figurines out of clay? [Genesis] That’s right! God make Adam out of the clay, and after making holes for his nostrils, mouth, and ears, He breathed into Adam and made the clay figurine alive!
This is an important idea to have in mind this morning when we hear the Gospel lesson. Jesus is traveling with His disciples near a town and the people in the town brought him a man who could not hear and could not speak. His ears and his tongue didn’t work properly. Jesus took him aside from the crowd of people and stood in front of the man and He took his fingers and pressed them into the man’s ears. Then he spit on his finger and pressed it into the man’s mouth and tongue. And then he breathed out. He looked up to heaven and said, “Ephatha” which means, “Be opened.” And the man could hear and speak!
What was Jesus doing? It was like in the Garden when God made Adam out of clay. Jesus was making this man new, and He was starting with the man’s ears and mouth.
This is a picture of the Gospel. God is remaking us. He is making us new. When we are born, we are like Adam and we are like the man who couldn’t hear or speak. Because there is sin in our hearts, our bodies don’t always work right, and even more often our souls don’t work right. Have you ever been really sick? Have you ever been really selfish? Or said things when your are angry that you don’t mean? When God made Adam out of clay and breathed into his nostrils, He didn’t intend for Adam to get sick, or selfish, or wrathful. But, sin brought death and sin. God needs to remake us, starting in our hearts but in the end he will give us new bodies, too. God has done this with you and He continues to do it even when you can’t see it.
When we are born, our hearts cannot hear God’s voice, our tongues cannot sing God’s praise, our eyes cannot see God’s glory. Every one of us was like the man in the story. We had no hope until Jesus came and opened our eyes, and opened our ears, and loosed our tongues. When you are baptized, God’s Spirit begins to remake us. So, God has opened your eyes, ears, and mouth.
Even though you can’t see it, God lives in you and He is remaking your heart and soul even right now. What God is doing in your heart, even right now, is more glorious even than when Moses met with God in the tent and came out with his face shining bright. That is happening in your heart and in your mind. Even if you can’t see it, and even if you can’t feel it. And when sin creeps into your heart, like a dragon in a cave, and your ears don’t hear God’s voice, and your eyes don’t see God’s gift, and our mouth doesn’t sing God’s praise, Jesus comes again and reopens them and breaths new life into you and makes you whole again.
Isn’t that great news? God is doing a work in you. This should fill you with what Paul calls “trust”. He says in the first words of the Epistle this morning, “Such trust have we through Christ to God.” Such trust. Do you trust that will make you holy? Do you trust that God will make you kind? Do you trust that God forgives you for what you’ve done? What about when we don’t act right? What about when we keep doing the same thing over and over? You can still trust God. He isn’t just making us behave better, He is making our hearts new. “Fr. Tony, what if I don’t feel like praying, or singing, or being kind, or being holy?” You can still trust God. Our prayer for the week says that God is always more ready to hear than we are to pray, and gives more than we desire or deserve. You can trust God that He is working in you, remaking you, so that when He is done with you, you will see God in everything. You will hear His voice. You will speak His Truth and His Gospel boldly. Trust God, children, for He is remaking you, even now, into mighty men and women for His kingdom. Amen.
ADULT HOMILY
Adults, we’ll continue briefly on this topic. Another way to say this is that the Gospel is not primarily behavioral. The Gospel is primarily ontological. Ontos is the Greek word for being. The Gospel remakes our very being. God truly is refashioning a new humanity, sacramentally united with His Son, filled with the Holy Spirit, the breath of God. We are the people whom God has breathed upon and said, “Ephatha.”
This is the contrast that St. Paul is making in the Epistle. Who can deny that the Old Covenant was glorious. They couldn’t even look at Moses’ face! Yet, the Old Covenant stopped at the behavioral. It wasn’t ontological. It didn’t remake the soul as a new creation in Christ. This is why Paul calls it the ministry of condemnation. So if that covenant was glorious, how much more that New Covenant that actually fixes our problem!?
Where do we go with such amazing news? Again, we respond with Faith. This is harder than you might expect. This ministration of glory that is in us, do you sense that in your day to day life? Mothers, when you think about the shining of Moses’ face, do you always feel that your experience of the Gospel is more glorious? Those of you who are aging, do you always feel that your body has been made whole ontologically? We must pray for Faith. Jesus in this story wanted to hide what would later be made manifest, but He also made manifest what would be made hidden for a long time after. He was making clear that He does posses the power to heal us entirely, though we cannot see it very often. For the vast majority of Christians, Jesus does not actually spit and touch their tongue, but He does inspire our voices to sing today. He didn’t often stick His fingers in people’s ears, but He does cause us to hear His Word and understand it. He only washed a few disciple’s feet, but He works in you when you get your spouse a glass of water, or encourage a fellow parishioner, or volunteer at the parish. There is a glory that is planted within us, that is germinated by tears of contrition and the light of the Word. Who knows what it will be when are resurrected? Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Our first response to the Good News is Faith.
And the second is to Trust. We must Trust that God is in control. He must take the people of Galilee at their word: “He hath done all thing well.” When we Trust God that He will do what He says He will, that is almost indistinguishable from Faith. But there is another aspect of Trust that we can find in the Epistle today.
In 2nd Corinthians, Paul is having to defend his ministry. There are impressive preachers talking trash about Paul. They say he is weak in speech, harsh in writing, etc. Paul in this epistle is making the point that Christians are free from the need to compare themselves with each other. We can accept the unimpressiveness of ourselves and of others because we know that behind the veil of our fallen humanity, hidden from the world, is a blazing fire of the living God coursing through our veins, pulsing in our minds, refashioning us mightily yet imperceptibly, gloriously yet hidden. To foist ourselves around or to wallow in self-critique is to ignore the reality that actually binds us together. Our communion with God is based on His action toward us. Our communion with each other is based on His action toward us. Our identity is not in where we are in our journey, but in where God is taking us. Our sufficiency is not in what we do, but in how God is making us.
Our sufficiency is of God. These five words are worthy of our contemplation. If this truth were to sink itself so deeply into our souls, what would it purge us of? I bet it would surprise us. Would it change the way we talked with people? Would we be as quick to silliness and coarse joking? Our affirmation is of God. Would it change the way we related to others? You can see in the Epistle that the reason Paul is not threatened by these “super apostles” is because he does not compare himself with others because his sufficiency is in God. It would change the way we wash the dishes! Because any action done or word spoken which does not have its energy and its sufficiency from God is an action done apart from God, which corrupts the soul and makes it pitiful. Living in that sufficiency makes us trusting, humble, peaceful, meek, happy, others-focused, servant-hearted, hopeful, secure.
Paul knew this well. So did the man whose ears were open and tongue loosed. Beloved, let us be a people who hold fast to the hope that God is working in us. And let us be a people who trust in that work for our sufficiency.
Sermon for the 11th Sunday after Trinity, 2021
Homily for Trinity 11, 2021
Fr. Tony Melton
“The Fragrance of Mercy”
The Collect sets the theme for this morning. “O GOD, who declarest thy almighty power chiefly in showing mercy and pity.” Both our Epistle and Gospel give us clear examples of mercy and help us shape our understanding of what mercy is and to whom God give it. In the Gospel, we have the story of the Publican and the Pharisee. God gives mercy to the Publican because he acknowledges his sin before God. He is humble. The Pharisee is pompous. His boasting is cringeworthy. He despises the Publican for his sinful lifestyle that he misses the beauty of his repentance. As the story goes, God shows mercy on the Publican and judges the Pharisee.
But our Epistle gives a different story on mercy. In our Epistle, we have the testimony of St. Paul who evaluates his own inclusion in the list of apostles. He was a Pharisee of Pharisees, we read elsewhere. He had such a high opinion of his own righteousness, and such a low opinion of the Christians around him, that he not only despised them, but imprisoned and even killed them! Paul was the Pharisee in the parable. Yet, on a road to Damascus, God in His mercy broke through the blindness of his heart, and silenced the clamor of his boasting, and called him by name. This was mercy.
So what do we learn about Mercy from our Epistle and Gospel? We learn from the Gospel that God shows mercy on the penitent and obedient sinner. Of this we are reminded every morning in the opening sentences of Morning Prayer. “The sacrifice of God is a broken spirit. A broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.” There is nothing that evokes mercy more than penitence. I used to tell my students and my children, if you really want to lighten a punishment, say you are sorry like you mean it right at the beginning. Our Gospel that God shows mercy on the penitent and obedient sinner. This is a great comfort. We know that we worship a God whose property it is always to have mercy when we come before Him with humility, penitence.
But what is perhaps more comforting is what we learn in the Epistle. The Epistle shows us that God shows mercy on the confused. There is no doubt that Saul of Tarsus was a man zealous for God. He desperately wanted to please God. He devoted his life to learning about God and acting out what his teachers told him about God. I think we can have tremendous sympathy for Saul of Tarsus. God certainly did. He was confused. He thought that God wanted him to imprison and kill Christians. So, God made it clear that He wanted something else. This is mercy. God shows mercy on the confused.
One of the most encouraging things to my heart is the number of conversions happening in the Muslim world through dreams and visions. I highly recommend you look into this phenomenon. God is at work in a mighty way bringing people out of Islam and into His Church directly through visions. One of our dear friends and fellow laborer in Dallas leads a refugee ministry. She testifies that she was converted as a girl when Mary appeared to her. She left her Muslim faith and has now led hundreds to faith in Christ. This is happening a lot.
I don’t claim to know the mind of God in this, but I do see some significant overlaps between St. Paul and the Muslims and former-Muslims we worked with in Dallas. They are a people zealous for God, zealous for prayer, zealous for good works. But they are confused. And I think God sees that zeal, confused as it is, and in His mercy shines light on them and brings them into His Kingdom. Praise God for His beautiful mercy!
So we have two reasons for comfort. God responds to the humble and penitent sinner. But which of you is always humble and penitent? Have you ever gone down the wrong path and couldn’t tell up from down? Our God also seeks out the confused. He shines light into darkness. He is both a King on the throne that grants clemency to the broken hearted, and a shepherd who rescues a lost and confused lamb.
So, our Propers show us a great deal about Mercy. A few words now on what this means for us as a mission, and possibly for you as a member.
We are situated in an area where many are struggling. Regardless of your politics, everyone can agree that a significant portion of the minority population feel undervalued. No one can argue that many who are poor feel helpless. Mercy is seeing a need and responding with help. Furthermore, it is often a response that ignores some reason why help should be withheld. God could have looked on the publican and said, “Yah, but…” He could have looked at Saul and… Mercy sees a need and helps. Mercy sees hopelessness and gives lends a hand. Mercy sees confusion, and shines a gracious light.
We have an incredible opportunity here, CTK! There is nothing more beautiful on the Bride than Mercy. It is a jewel on her neck, and the fragrance of her hair. Mercy is a powerful fragrance to the world and to God. The fragrance of Mercy overpowered the stench of lepers in Israel, Assisi, and Calcutta. Toward God, we show reverence and worship. Toward one another, charity in all things. Toward the World, mercy.
Just this past week, we began forming a team of mission members who will flesh out our approach to Mercy Ministries. I can’t wait. This is a big step for a church plant. Church plants take so much energy to establish, to grow deep roots. In some ways, we are still in that phase. But after the plant grows a bit, there is the joy of the first flower on the stem, or the first fruit from a bud. A mercy ministry is one of the most beautiful fruits of a church plant, and significant step in the life of a mission. If you’d like to be especially involved in this process, please send me an email.
Some practical challenges on the topic of Mercy are in order. First, we learn from the Gospel that mercy doesn’t despise other, but rather shows people that they matter. A good challenge or discipline to try periodically is to build up three people per day. Find ways to say, “You matter. I don’t despise you.” This is a very good discipline right now. We have been trained to think of people as a threat. A medical threat, political threat. A threat to our safety, or a threat to our finances. But people are a gift. Every person that you meet is a unique instance of the image of God!
Second, alms are the historic way of showing mercy. Alms are monies over and above a tithe that are given either to the poor, or to the Church for the deacon to distribute to the poor. Alms were emphasized in a time when there were very few safety nets for the poor or the stranger. Today, the poor have much financial assistance that was not available in the past. But, giving alms is a general category for the giving of resources for the sake of mercy. You may be moved by God to give money to the poor, but there are other ways of showing mercy through alms.
Supporting mothers in crisis pregnancy. Sitting with an elderly person who is lonely. One of the biggest win-wins is to take our children to talk and play checkers with an elderly person. This, too, can be a giving of alms. Coming alongside a family in conflict is a showing of mercy. Things get messy. It is easier to stay away when families are drowning in conflict. But God’s people step into the mess. Befriending someone who is hard to like for the sake of Christ. How many people do you spend time with on a regular basis, by choice, for the sake of showing mercy. [Every Sunday!] One of the most amazing and needful ways that Christians show mercy is through adoption or fostering. If your family has ever considered adoption and fostering, take an initial step and see how your church comes alongside you. A special word to the many homemakers here. The Christian home is to be fragrant with mercy, and you have a key role in making it so. As a people, we should be so creative in finding ways to give and serve that radiate the Truth, Goodness, and Beauty of King Jesus.
In closing, let us be reminded why we are to be a people fragrant with mercy. We are to show mercy because we have been shown Mercy. While we were dead in our trespasses, God showed us mercy by sending His Son. The sending of the Son is Mercy.
Throughout His life, Jesus lifted up those who were downtrodden. He continues to lift us up today. The ministry of the Son is Mercy.
Though we despised Him, Jesus gave his life for us. The death of the Son is Mercy.
And, this morning, we come to Table, invited to dine with God. One of my favorite stories in the Bible is the story of Mephibosheth, the grandson of King Saul. He was a cripple, and a conspirator against David. Yet, David allowed him to sit at his table every evening, and to live in the palace in Jerusalem. I am Mephibosheth. You are Mephiboseth. We are sinners, crippled, conspiring. Yet, God prepares a table for us every week. The meal of the Son is Mercy. What mercy He has shown us! Let us be a people fragrant with God’s mercy. Amen.