The Times of Human Ignorance

A Sermon for the 6^th Sunday of Pascha (RCL A) 5-29-2011

Offered by Nathan Ferrell for Trinity Episcopal Shared Ministry

Texts:              Acts 17:22-31; Psalm 66:8-20; 1 Peter 3:13-22; John 14:15-21

Themes:         sharing the good news, accounting for the hope in us, the Spirit of truth
Title:               The Times of Human Ignorance

My dear friends: you and I are called this morning to consider together right now for a few minutes one of the most uncomfortable duties of the Christian life: the task of evangelism!  

You all know that one of the promises that we make in our baptismal covenant is this: “Will you proclaim by word and example the Good News of God in Christ?” (BCP P. 293). And you all know that we will once again this morning answer this each for ourselves by saying: “I will, with God’s help.”

This is, almost without question, the most unpopular of the five promises made in this covenant.

Who among us likes the idea of putting our daily lives on display as demonstrations of what it means to live in Christ? And what is worse, who among us welcomes the idea of talking with our neighbors and friends and family about Jesus and about what he has done in our lives? 

This Memorial Day weekend is prime time for cookouts and barbecues. We have a number of these that we have been invited to in our neighborhood. But I can guarantee to you that, if I go this weekend to these cookouts and if I launch right in to a conversation about how amazing Jesus is to me, it is very likely that my family will not be invited back again next year!

Isn’t that right? Religion and politics – it’s one of those things that we do not talk about in polite society.  

And yet…and yet, we have made this promise to proclaim the gospel by word and example!

In our reading from the First Letter of St. Peter, we find one of the classic biblical texts which call each Christian person to be ready for the task of evangelism.

“Always be ready to make your defense to anyone who demands from you an accounting for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and reverence” (1 Peter 3:15). 

How do we proclaim the gospel without alienating those around us who do not yet share our love for Christ? How do we defend the reasonableness of our faith in Jesus Christ with gentleness and reverence? How does the example of our lives lived faithfully with Christ impact those around us?

The great St. John Chrysostom, one of the greatest Christian preachers ever, offered this insightful commentary about the witness of Christian people to those around them.

“When we live according to …our faith, those around us may respond in three possible ways. First, they may be so impressed by the example of our goodness, and so envious of the joy which it brings, that they want to join us and become like us. That is the response which we most earnestly desire. Second, they may be indifferent to us, because they are so bound up with their own selfish cares and concerns; although their eyes may perceive our way of life, their hearts are blind, so we are unable to stir them.

Third, they may react against us, feeling threatened by our example and even angry with us; thus they will cling even more firmly to their material possessions and selfish ambitions, and slander us at every opportunity.

Naturally, we dread this third type of reaction, because we want to live in peace with our neighbors, regardless of their personal beliefs and values. But if no one reacts to us in this way, we must wonder whether we are truly fulfilling the commandments of Christ” (On Living Simply, P.12).

Do you notice the assumption that he makes here? He said that those around us “may be so impressed by the example of our goodness, and so envious of the joy which it brings, that they want to join us and become like us.” 

It was his assumption, as it was the assumption of all the apostles and teachers of the early church, that Christians naturally have lives which are filled with goodness and joy. The kind of goodness and joy which are clearly evident to our neighbors, our friends, and our families.   

Of course, Chrysostom, once the Bishop of Constantinople, is speaking here most directly of the witness of our actions, of our lifestyles. And no one should doubt that it is this testimony, the witness of a faithful life, that speaks more loudly than any spoken defense of the faith. 

We have a responsibility to make our faith known to those around us, in our words and in our example. Of course, this is always to be done with “gentleness and reverence”, with respect for the dignity of every person, with sincere concern for the well-being of the other.

But how can we practically do this? Without question, the most effective witness of all is to do as St. John Chrysostom has assumed: to live with true inner goodness and joy, not phony or faked or forced, but by truly embracing the joy of the Lord.

But are there other ways that we can speak perhaps more directly to the importance of our faith?

Perhaps we could do something as simple as having a sticker on our car, a simple cross perhaps or an Episcopal Church flag.

Perhaps, if you are on Facebook, you can friend the Episcopal Church, or join our Shared Ministry group, or friend our Diocese of New Jersey. So when people look up your profile, then they will see that you have an allegiance to the Church. That is a subtle type of witness.

There are, of course, ways to be more direct in accounting for the hope that is in us. You might be very surprised how many people are open to answering questions about their thoughts and opinions.

Last November and December, I organized the “Ask-A-Priest” project for the Woodbury Convocation of our Diocese – which includes all of our churches in Gloucester and Salem counties. You might remember that this consisted of a number of Friday and Saturday nights during the holiday season when an Episcopal priest was present at a table in the Deptford Mall. We were available for anyone to ask us anything that they wanted, anything at all.

We encountered a number of very interesting questions. Of course, most people ignored us, and that’s okay. But those who were interested came over to us and asked us questions, some of which were personal, some about the church and history, some about ethics and decision-making.

a view of the Areopagus today

For me, the point of this project was to follow the example of the apostle Paul in this most famous example of sharing the good news of God in Christ. Today, we heard a bit of the story of Paul’s visit to Athens. Paul went into the marketplaces of Athens. He went and listened and observed, and he also talked and argued with people on the streets of Athens. But he conducted himself always with gentleness and reverence.

Like him, our “Ask-A-Priest” project sought to go into the marketplace of our culture, where people gather to buy goods and to hang out. We sought to bring the good news of God in Christ into this place. We noticed all three types of responses as explained by Chrysostom, though, thankfully, those who were against us most often kept their thoughts to themselves.

All of these ways of giving testimony to the gospel must be employed by us today: in our lifestyles, in subtle signs, and in direct conversations.

Of course, there is an explicit and existential impulse for us to do this: truly we need to gather in new converts, new disciples to the Lord who will join us in our journey with him!

But our true motivation is much deeper than this: it is the plan and the desire of God that people hear and receive the good news through us!

What is it that Paul proclaimed up there on the Areopagus? Until now, “God has overlooked the times of human ignorance, [but] now he commands all people everywhere to repent” (Acts 17:30). 

My brothers and sisters: it is our duty, our commitment to help others to repent and to come to new life in Jesus Christ our Lord. But much more than this: it is our joy to be the midwives of grace in the lives of those around us, helping God to bring new life into places of darkness and death!

May God give us all the privilege ever to be channels of grace in this way. Amen.