Our Way of Life - Sermon for 4 Lent

A Sermon for the 4^th Sunday in Lent (RCL B) 3-18-2012

Offered by Nathan Ferrell for Trinity Episcopal Shared Ministry

Texts:              Numbers 21:4-9; Psalm 107:1-3,17-22; Ephesians 2:1-10; John 3:14-21

Themes:         complaining, nostalgia, sin, gifts of grace
Title:               Our Way of Life

“You were dead through the trespasses and sins in which you once lived, following the course of this world” (Ephesians 2:1).

This, as the great apostle Paul and all of the Bible tells us, is the story of all of us – all human beings.

Dead. Lost. All of us are like the people of Israel in this very old – and very strange! – story from the Book of Numbers.

We like to complaint, don’t we? Here the people complained against God and against Moses because they missed the food of Egypt. They missed their old life in Egypt! Do you believe that?

Well, that’s how nostalgia works, don’t you know. Our minds only remember certain details from the past and it can become quite easy to gloss over some other inconvenient ones. Such as the dreadful labor demands under which the people suffered. But, hey, at least they had food back in Egypt!

This pattern has been going on for as long as human beings have been around.

Raise your hand if you have ever heard someone older than you talk about how much better things used to be back in the good old days!

Oh yes, this is quite normal. We like to complain, don’t we?

But St. Paul declares that this normal state of life is more than just business as usual.

Just as the complaining people were dying from the bites of the poisonous serpents, so this path of ingratitude and negative complaining which is normal in this world leads us to a state of spiritual death. 

In contrast to that state of spiritual lifelessness, consider the alternative: a new life that is saved by grace.

A life filled with the knowledge that God loves us and saves us from our own blindness and selfishness and foolishness.

This is what we heard read in our midst just a few minutes ago:

“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God – not the result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are what God has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.” (Ephesians 2:9-10). 

Loved and redeemed and saved so that we might live a life of good works, a life of service to others.

I can talk about my son, Angus, this morning, because he is not here! Angus is a 16 year old young man who is obsessed with the size of his muscles. He is convinced that he must work out in the gym every single day in order to get as big as possible. It’s a competition, you know. He has to keep up with all of his friends, and his wrestling team-mates. 

Of course, I know that this is a form of obsessive-compulsive disorder. But I believe that it will fade in time. And there certainly are worse things about which one can become obsessed, right?!

The one thing that I am trying to continually explain to him, as a way to re-focus his priorities somewhat, is that his strength is a gift of grace, and that with such a gift comes responsibility.

How is it that he was not born with a physical defect or with a disability that would not allow him to exercise like he can now?

Why was he not born into a community like Afghanistan embroiled in war and violence so that he could not work out like he does, but would rather just focus on survival?

The fact of the matter is that he has been given a gift. Every gift that we receive also requires our best efforts. We work cooperatively with God’s grace in order to reach our potential.

But these gifts are always given for one primary purpose: “to do good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.”

The gift of strength is given in order to serve and protect others, not for the sake of vanity and pride.

We’ve already established the fact that we all generally love to complain. But the truth of the matter is that every one of us here this morning has been given gift upon gift upon gift – all by the grace of God. We have been blessed beyond measure.

If you doubt this, let’s consider together for a minute simply the material facts of our lives as Americans. You probably heard the Occupy movements over the last 6 months speak out about the growing contrast between the wealthy 1% and the 99% of the rest of us who are being left behind as they continue to amass more and more of our nation’s wealth in their own hands.

Well, guess what. On a global level, on the only level of comparison which actually matters – which includes all humanity – when considered on that level, every one of us here is part of the wealthy 1%.

If you live in a household with an annual income of at least $47,500, or at least $913 a week, then you, my friends, are part of the very elite of humanity. The upper echelon of wealth and privilege. The wealthiest 1% of humanity! (BTW, you can look this up for yourself at www.globalrichlist.com ).

Congratulations! That is what you are. That is the truth.

Now, I can complain about my lot in life with the best of you. It comes quite naturally, you know.

But, by the grace of God, when I am able to step back from my own selfishness and foolishness and then look at my place in humanity, then I remember and I know that I am truly blessed.

“For we are what God has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.”

You and I, my friends, are wealthy and blessed. Materially blessed indeed.

And even more, if we have come to the Lord Jesus with trust and confidence in his saving love, then we have come into the light, and we have come into a beautiful new life together with Christ – a life which overflows with gratitude for the gifts of God and which puts those gifts to use in the service of others.

 And in case you did not know it, that is the very core of the life story of St. Patrick.

(You didn’t think I could let this weekend pass by without mentioning St. Patrick, did you?)

He was captured by Irish raiders and enslaved by them far from his home. But he trusted in Christ and he prayed and by the grace of God he was delivered from his slavery and allowed to go home.

And how then did St. Patrick use this gift? What did he do with this gift of freedom?

He did not use it for his own selfish ends, but he chose to make himself a servant to the very people who had enslaved him!

Patrick went back to Ireland as a free man, but as one compelled by the love of God to serve the people of Ireland, to bring to them the same freedom and joy and hope which he knew and felt in Jesus Christ.

St. Patrick recognized the gifts that God had given him, and this inspired him to share those gifts with those who needed them the most.

What about you, my friends?

Can you see and recognize and acknowledge how many gifts the Lord has given you?

Does your heart then overflow with praise to God?

Are you then committed to a life of good works, a life of service to others out of gratitude for all that you have received?

May it be so among all of us who have received the gift of eternal life through trust in the Son of God. Amen.

The blessing of St. Patrick’s day upon you!

Beannachta na Faile Padraig oraibh!
(Ban-ock-tee’ na fay’-lah paw’-rig ur’-iv!)

Tattoos vs. Scars

I have been asked many times whether or not I have a tattoo. I am not opposed to having a tattoo in principle, but the truth is that I would rather have scars.

Tattoos are things that someone buys in order to create a persona, an external image that they want to affect other people in a certain way. Scars are the result of things that one has done (or at least attempted!). I think it is better to do things, to attempt things, to live life to the full, rather than be controlled by social norms to create a false persona on the outside. I think that only seniors ought to get tattoos once they have experienced enough life to deserve one - once they have real scars to make the tattoo worth something beyond an childish attempt to appear tough or cool.

I have plenty of scars, but I do not yet have a tattoo. If I were to get a tattoo, I would get a celtic cross on my shoulder with some gaelic words around it, like:

• glor na gael (the voice of the irish which St. Patrick heard calling to him), or
• Dia mor nan dul (Great God of life - ancient Highland address to God), or
• rath De' ort (grace of God to you)

I Am What I Am

Sermon for 5 Epiphany C RCL 2/7/2010, offered by Nathan Ferrell for Trinity Episcopal Shared Ministry

Texts: Isaiah 6:1-13; Psalm 138; 1 Corinthians 15:1-11; Luke 5:1-11

God must have a sense of humor. When we look at how things work in the divine economy, how God chooses to interact with the world, there is a remarkable sense of irony in life. It’s just plain odd how things tend to work out.

Look at St. Paul. He himself states his position most clearly: “I am the least of the apostles, unfit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.”

It’s remarkable that Paul was the one whom God chose to lead the explosive growth of the church among the gentiles. Paul, who was not even one of the twelve; who never met the Lord while he was still on earth; who encouraged the persecution of the disciples and the murder of the first martyr, Stephen; who was so proud of his perfect Jewish heritage.

God sent HIM to bring the good news to the gentiles? It’s quite ironic, but this seems to the way in which God works. In theological terms, we call this the divine economy: God’s ways of keeping and directing the human household.

When I was away last weekend in New Hampshire, I had a wonderful opportunity to read a book. I don’t get to do that normally, but that’s what vacation time is for! I read an excellent biography of St. Patrick and the real story of his life.

When you move beyond all of the legends and myths and tall tales about St. Patrick, you find that there is a very interesting historical figure there. Like St. Paul, Patrick had a dramatic and momentous turning point in his life. And out of this turn of events, he was given a passion for his mission which could not be quenched. God chose Patrick to accomplish a mission which seemed quite beyond his abilities and strength.

Here is Patrick speaking in his Confession, which is his letter to the Bishops in Britain who had accused him of misconduct. He writes to defend the legitimacy of his mission. “So listen to me well, all of you,…: God chose foolish little me from among all of you who seem so wise and so expert in the law and so powerful in your eloquence. He picked ignorant Patrick ahead of all of you – even though I am not worthy – he picked me to go forth with fear and reverence – and without any of you complaining at the time – to serve the Irish faithfully. The love of Christ carried me here to be a help to these people for the rest of my life, if I may be worthy, and to work for them with humility and in sincerity” (St. Patrick of Ireland, Freeman, P. 179).

A little more context is needed also, I think, to better understand the irony here. Patrick was brought up as a wealthy Roman citizen in Britain, but he was kidnapped by the Irish while still a teenager. He was sold into slavery in Ireland and for years he tended sheep for his master. Finally, after 6 long years, God led Patrick to freedom and he returned to his parents and home in Britain. But almost immediately, God spoke to Patrick in two dreams and called him to return to Ireland as a missionary. HIM?! Why would God call him to return to that dreadful place? And to serve those people who had destroyed his childhood; who had taken away his chance to be educated, his birthright to have a good career and a prosperous future among the Roman nobility?

And yet, for reasons beyond our limited human understanding, this is how God works. Our lessons today make it so very clear.

God takes Isaiah, an unclean man, one is painfully aware of his own sinfulness, and God gives him a vision of the Triune God in holiness and sends him out to speak the word of God.

God takes Paul, the least of the apostles, one who never fit the standard mold, and God sends him on a mission which accomplished far more than all of the other apostles combined!

God calls Peter, a sinful man who so often misunderstood the Lord, and God appoints him as a catcher of people, and he becomes the rock, the leader of the apostles upon whom the foundation of the church rests.

God calls Patrick, an uneducated, broken young man who was just so glad to be back home again, and God sends him away from his home, never to return again, to serve the very people who had so badly hurt him.

This is the irony of how God chooses to operate, the Lord’s modus operandi. Martin Luther famously described God’s method in this way: God rides the lame horse and carves the rotten wood.

But the crucial point is this: the lame horse that is chosen is one which WANTS to be ridden by God, which is not content with being lame but rather WANTS to be whole and strong and swift.

The point for us to take away is not that only those who first misunderstood the Lord, or who first spent time deep in notorious sins, are the ones whom God uses to spread the Gospel. That is the wrong conclusion to draw here.

The point, I believe, is that it’s extremely rare for any of God’s servants to ever feel up to the task before them.

This is the divine economy, the way that God chooses to guide and direct our lives, and indeed this entire human experiment.

There is real encouragement here for us.
St. Paul said it so well: By the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me has not been in vain. God has made us who we are, and there are times when God calls us to a specific task and duty. If you do not feel worthy or ready or adequate for this task, then know that you are in good company, in fact the best company of all.

Our job is simply to make sure that the grace of God has not been given to us in vain. Do your best, follow your conscience, ask for help, give your best effort to God, and then allow the Lord Jesus to do with it as he sees fit.

Grace is what we receive; faithfulness is what we offer. And God takes care of the rest. After all, this is God’s work, God’s mission, God’s plan. We are privileged to have some role to play in it. Amen.