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.