We Shall Be Distinct

A Sermon for 18 Pentecost (RCL A) 10-16-2011

Offered by Nathan Ferrell for Trinity Episcopal Shared Ministry

Texts:              Exodus 33:12-23; Psalm 99; Matthew 22:15-22
Themes:         the people of God, the glory and holiness of God, the impartiality of God
Title:               We Shall Be Distinct

My dear brothers and sisters, I have a question for us to consider together this morning:

What does it mean to be holy?

Holy and holiness are words which we use quite often here in the church, but they are not very popular in our culture today. That much is obvious, I am sure.

Not many among us would like to be described as holy by our friends or neighbors; more often than not, this word carries a heavy negative connotation.

But let me ask again: what exactly does it mean to be holy? It is not an easy word to define.

Perhaps it might be easier to define if we can explain the opposite of holy.

Is sinful the opposite of holy? This is most likely what you are accustomed to hearing: a holy God versus sinful humanity. Holy and pious actions as opposed to immoral and depraved ones.  

However, let me suggest to you that I believe the more correct opposite of holy is in fact the word ordinary. Ordinary, commonplace, quotidian.   

When Moses spoke with the LORD on Mount Sinai, he pleaded that God’s presence might stay with the Israelites: “If your presence will not go, do not carry us up from here. For how shall it be known that I have found favor in your sight, I and your people, unless you go with us? In this way, we shall be distinct, I and your people, from every people on the face of the earth” (Exodus 33:15-16).

Here we are given an excellent and clear description of what it means to be holy: to be distinct, to be different, to be separate. It is a comparison term; holy is always used to compare two things.

A holy God versus ordinary gods. The Holy Spirit versus commonplace spirits. Holy Scriptures versus regular scriptures. The holy church versus ordinary churches.  

The church is holy in the same way that the Rotary Club is not – no offense intended at all to any Rotarians out there!

God is holy in the same way that our politicians are not – that much is obvious to everyone, I am certain!

To be holy is to be different than the ordinary, separated and set apart for a special purpose.

And that is not always a comfortable thing for us to experience.

You have heard me speak about the neighbor on my block in Moorestown who hates me and my family. Everyone calls him Uncle David. And he is still this ongoing, inexplicable enigma to us – why he behaves toward us as he does. So one day recently, my wife Erin was walking by his house and David was on his front porch putting up Halloween decorations. While passing, Erin made a neighborly comment: “Oh David, I like your decorations.” You know, she was trying to be kind and neighborly.

No response at all from him, not even a glance in her direction! So, being the stubborn, hot-headed Irish girl that she is, she stops and asks him, “David, is there someone that I’ve done to offend you?”

(Well, that was the big mistake, if you ask me! I mean, do you really want to know what he is thinking? I’m not so sure.) But then David turns and says to her, “Your husband is rude (now I told you about the time when I ignored his dog whistle call to me, didn’t I? OK, well he said)…your husband is rude and your family is too flamboyant. I’m a quiet guy. You are too flamboyant and I don’t want anything to do with you.” And he turned away and that was that.

Now, I’ve been called a lot of things in my life. I object to being called rude, as I am the one shocked at how rude he is! And I do not consider myself to be rude in the least. But, flamboyant?! Wow, I actually think that is a compliment!

Of course, this caused Erin and me to have a long talk about standing out and being different in our neighborhood. What exactly do our neighbors think about us? Besides, Uncle David, who is just plain bizarre in my opinion, what do the others think? Do many of our neighbors think that we’re flamboyant? Does this have anything to do with our faith in Christ? Or is it just our family personality?

How do we stand out in our neighborhood? Or are we ordinary and indistinguishable from everyone else?

Ask yourself that question: does my life – does the lifestyle of my household – indicate in any way that I am – or that we are – followers of Jesus Christ?

There was a time in our nation, in our culture, when pursuing a faithful Christian life was normative and not any means at all of distinguishing oneself. But that has changed drastically, and particularly so for younger people.

Last week, I caught a few minutes of a conversation on the WHYY radio show “Fresh Air” between Terri Gross and Jeffrey Eugenides, an award-winning author of fiction. In this interview, Eugenides spoke of his own experience in college at Brown University and how he received the inspiration to leave college for a bit and to volunteer in Mother Theresa’s home for the dying in Calcutta, India.

This is what he said about the inspiration behind his decision:

EUGENIDES: “Well, I do remember thinking that the most radical thing I could do in my college among my friends was to become devout. You know, I mean, that was better than being a punk rocker and having a Mohawk, [it] was actually to say the Rosary in your room. So it had that appeal to me, as though I was really thinking independently and wasn't going along [with everyone else]. … I wanted to make a radical decision.”

Do you see? Being truly different and being radical today for young people has nothing to do with getting tattoos or lots of various piercings or strange hair colors. Everyone does that now, right?!

That’s nothing different; that’s simply following the crowd, being a sheep blindly following the flock.

But try to actually live your life as part of the covenant community, under the instruction and teaching of our Lord and Master, Jesus of Nazareth. Now that is radical, and that is different!

But we need to be careful. It has long been a temptation for the people of God to consider their peculiarity, their holiness as a measure of worth or value greater than other people. But it is not that.  

Even though their intentions were malicious, the Pharisees and the Herodians spoke words of deep truth when they addressed the Lord in our reading today:

“Teacher, we know that you are sincere, and teach the way of God in accordance with truth, and show deference to no one; for you do not regard people with partiality.”

Jesus shows us the true nature of God, and in this Incarnate One we see that God loves all people, regardless of the particularities of their lives.

So how can it be that the covenant people of God are called and set apart to be distinct, peculiar, unique among all of the peoples of the earth, while at the same time we know that God regards no one with partiality but loves all people of the earth with equal compassion?

Here, my friends, we come upon one of the beautiful and paradoxical mysteries of our life in Christ.

We are indeed called to be different than others, to be set apart as God’s holy people. But the reason for this distinction, this separateness is that in this way we might serve as the channel through which God’s equal love for all humanity might become manifest!   

This is the sacred task that is set before us now in these days of challenge.

How do we stand out in our neighborhood? Or are we ordinary and indistinguishable from everyone else around us?

Does our lifestyle indicate that we are followers of Jesus Christ, part of God’s covenant community?

 And what is more, how do we ensure that this holiness never becomes a license for perceived privilege, but rather a continual call to serve those who are in fact outside of our community?

God has called us together to be in the world, but not of the world, and yet always for the world. 

May we be given the grace and the strength to live out this calling with courage and boldness. Amen.

The Defining Mark

A Sermon for the 17^th Sunday after the Pentecost (RCL A) 10-09-2011

Offered by Nathan Ferrell for Trinity Episcopal Shared Ministry

Texts:              Exodus 32:1-14; Psalm 106:1-6,19-23; Matthew 22:1-14

Title:               The Defining Mark               

Have any of you here ever heard people criticize churches or church-going folks as hypocrites?

If so, raise your hand. I certainly have. Many times.

In some ways, that old complaint is unfair, since all of us are only human afterall. And, more often than not, to be frank, a person makes that protest as a defensive gesture, as a way of protecting themselves from the hard task of reflecting upon, and taking stock of, their own life.

But in another sense, that criticism of churches as hypocrites is entirely fair and justified. 

The good news, however, is that in this regard, we are in good company!

Just look at our story today from the Exodus journey of the Israelites. Here they are, gathered at the foot of Mount Sinai. Moses had just communicated to them the 10 Commandments and the instructions for building the tabernacle, and all of the other instructions that would shape them to be the special covenant people of God.

And what do they do? They immediately go and defy the very first principles of this covenant with God by worshipping idols and setting up false gods in place of the LORD.

“They forgot God their Savior” (Psalm 106:21). But how could they forget so quickly?

The people there at Sinai were, like all of us far too often, hypocrites.

And, of course, all of these parables in Matthew that we have been reading through over the last few weeks – these very dark and violent and bloody parables – all of these reflect a sharp criticism of the people of God as failing to produce the fruits of the Kingdom, as ignoring God’s invitation to the true banquet in the kingdom of God, and instead as settling for lesser feasts, lesser banquets, lesser gods who cannot satisfy their needs.

In response to this rather pessimistic vision of God’s people as constantly failing to get the point throughout history, even down to our own present day, it seems right to ask the obvious question: how, then, can we recognize when God’s people get it right? What are the defining marks of the true people of God – of those who are not hypocrites, of those who get it, and who bear the fruits of the Kingdom? 

Of this we can be sure: the defining marks of those who love and follow the Lord their God in faithfulness are not anything that can be seen on the outside, but rather are the marks of love on the human heart which reveal themselves in our actions.

This past Monday, October 3, was the 5 year anniversary of the massacre at the West Nickel Mines School in Lancaster County, where a gunman (a non-Amish man) entered into an Amish school and opened fire on the schoolgirls, shooting 10 of them before taking his own life.

Some of you may have noticed the many articles which were written for last Sunday’s newspapers in recognition of this anniversary. It was a day of horror for that peaceful Amish community, and there still is no discernable cause for why Charles Roberts IV acted in this way.

But what is most remarkable of all is how the Amish families most directly impacted by this detestable action were quick to offer forgiveness to the murderer (to Charles Roberts) and to his family. Please understand: this forgiveness was instant and spontaneous. There was no meeting where everyone decided to practice forgiveness. It came forth as a natural fruit, a normal outgrowth of the culture of their community.

These Amish parents went straight to Roberts’ wife and children to offer their condolences. Besides his immediate family, all of the people at Roberts’ funeral were Amish. Simply because he was a human being loved by God who now was dead. Donations poured in to this Nickel Mines community from around the world, and the Amish took a large portion of these funds to create a school scholarship fund for Roberts’ children.

And so I ask again: what are the defining marks of a faithful Christian community? There are no outward signs or marks that we must wear in order to signify ourselves as members of the new covenant community.

In this regard, I disagree completely with the Amish, in their insistence upon clothing and tools and styles from the 18^th century Germany as the only means by which Christians might distinguish themselves from the world around them.

But where they are entirely correct is the importance of the goal: we ARE intended to be different, to be a distinct community in the world, shaped by our covenant relationship with God.

And the defining marks of this community are these: compassion and forgiveness.

There is a brief story from the time of St. Francis which highlights this defining characteristic of Christ-following people.

There was a young man who was deeply touched by the witness of Brother Simon, one of St. Francis’ early companions there in 13^th century Italy.

This young man heard about a certain criminal who was captured and condemned to lose both of his eyes as punishment for his crimes. So, this young man rushed to the town council and, moved with courage and compassion, he pleaded for mercy. With tears in his eyes, and with heart-felt prayers which were clearly sincere, the young man asked that HE be given the grace that one of his own eyes might be extracted so that the criminal should not be deprived of both of his eyes. In this way, each would lose only one eye, and both may still have the gift of sight. But the council was greatly moved by the young man’s fervor and generosity and compassion. And so they decided instead to grant the criminal a complete pardon and release.

Now, that is foolish jurisprudence and terrible governance by the town council. I’ll grant you that.

But the point here is the amazing compassion displayed by this young man walking in the shadow of St. Francis.

What do we see when we find someone who has been touched on a deep level by the amazing love which God has poured out upon us in Christ, by the forgiveness and mercy displayed on the cross?

What have people always seen in such people?

Compassion and mercy and forgiveness.

In our parable from Matthew, after all of the random replacement guests had been herded into the wedding hall, the king himself came to inspect those guests, and he found one who was not wearing the customary wedding robe.

What is the wedding robe which that unfortunate guest at the wedding banquet was lacking?

What is the new clothing required of the guests at the wedding banquet of the Lamb of God?

So spoke St. Augustine in his preaching on this parable: “This is the wedding garment: ‘The goal of this command is charity which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.’ …The wedding garment is charity such as this: ‘Though I speak with the tongues of mortals and angels and have not charity, I have become like a sounding brass and a tinkling cymbal.’”

Many are invited to the banquet of God, many may even draw near to God through faith, but what is the defining mark by which we know those who have been touched and transformed by the grace of Christ?

Not clothing, not our words, not the images on our walls or the jewelry around our neck.

There is no external mark by which we can see this.

There is only a heart which is full of the love of God in Christ, a cup running over with compassion and forgiveness for others. There is only a life that has been transformed and is now continually given over to good works, out of gratitude and joy.

May we be counted among their number. Amen.

Forgiveness is a learned skill!

Why is it important to participate in a local church community?

Because we learn the skills of living by watching those around us. And who we are watching makes all the difference in the world!

Here is an excellent article on the irreplaceable value of Christian community in shaping people who learn to forgive others instinctively. We do not need to live in isolation like the Amish, but I am convinced that we need to focus upon creating local parishes where our children (and our adults!) learn how to live in a way different from the society around us. Read the article linked below, then please comment and let me know what you think.

Amish families at an Elizabethtown College conference last month
(Photo by Tom Gralish for the Philadelphia Inquirer)

Philadelphia Inquirer 10-2-2011: POWER OF FORGIVING

Keep Your Promises - A Children's Sermon

A Children’s Sermon for the 16^th Sunday after the Pentecost (RCL A) 10-02-2011

Offered by Nathan Ferrell for Trinity Episcopal Shared Ministry

Texts:              Exodus 20:1-20; Psalm 19; Matthew 21:33-46

Themes:         the 10 commandments, the covenant community
Title:               Keep Your Promises

Good morning, my friends! (blow the referee whistle to get everyone's attention)

Let me ask you a tough question: what happens when we break the law?

Maybe the police come and maybe you have to pay money or else go to jail. Maybe you have to do some community service time.

Well, what happens when we break a promise?

Think about promises that we make with friends. Perhaps a promise not to tell a secret. We also make promises when we play a game. We promise to play the game according to the rules, so that it’s fair for everyone.

But what happens when we break a promise?

People get angry; feelings might get hurt. Friendships might be broken.

So, here’s the tough question: what’s the difference between a law and a promise?

This morning, we listened to a reading of the 10 Commandments. Can you tell me what those commandments are? Can you name one of them? ...

Excellent! Now, some people get confused and they think of the 10 Commandments like a set of laws, but actually the 10 Commandments are much more like a bunch of promises, or like the rules for playing a game.

As God’s people, we make promises together with God. We agree to live a certain way that pleases God, and God agrees to help us with grace and blessings and strength in the Holy Spirit. And, what’s even more, God agrees to adopt us as God’s own children, to pour out amazing love upon us, and to share our lives with us!

This is what we call a covenant, and it’s something to which we all agree as the best way to live our lives. The difference between a law and a promise is that is simple: we don’t get to choose the laws we want to live under. But we do get to choose which promises we will make! And we make those promises because we think that they are a good idea! No one forces you to make a promise. We make a promise because we wan't to do so. We play a soccer game because we want to do so, and when we do so, we have to play it according to the rules of the game.

When you were baptized, your parents and godparents made promises like this for you. We call this the baptismal covenant, and there are 5 specific promises in it which put this covenant in the 10 commandments into our modern language. The baptismal covenant explains the 10 commandments, and  all of the commandments and wisdom for life found in the Bible, in ways that we can easily understand.

Do you know what those 5 promises are in the baptismal covenant?

Celebrant          Will you continue in the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in the prayers?           People   I will, with God’s help.

Celebrant          Will you persevere in resisting evil, and, whenever you fall into sin, repent and return to the Lord?                        People   I will, with God’s help.

Celebrant          Will you proclaim by word and example the Good News of God in Christ?
People   I will, with God’s help.

Celebrant          Will you seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving your neighbor as yourself?
People   I will, with God’s help.

Celebrant          Will you strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being?              People   I will, with God’s help.

So when we don’t follow the commandments – when we steal something, or when we lie, the Holy Spirit speaks through our conscience and tells us that we’re not playing by the rules, we’re not being fair, we’re not keeping our promise! It’s like a referee blowing the whistle in a soccer game or a football game.

I hope that you will remember these 10 commandments and your baptismal covenant, and think about them often, and that you will be able to keep all of the promises that you make to God and to one another.  Amen.