A Sermon for Jan. 13, 2013: With the Holy Spirit and Fire

A Sermon for January 13, 2013 (Epiphany 1, RCL C)

Offered by Nathan Ferrell for The Church of Saint Mary

Texts:             Isaiah 43:1-7; Psalm 29; Luke 3:15-17,21-22

Primary Message:  Christ drives out our fear and fills us with courage
Call to Action:          trust in Christ and live boldly
Title:               With the Holy Spirit and Fire

My dear sisters and brothers: when we are overwhelmed by the grace of God, our fear is driven away; then courage and boldness carry us forward in hope.

Let me ask you a question. And yes, this is a true question to which I want you to answer – vocally, out loud, for all to hear.

What single message, what single idea, do you think is the most commonly repeated, the most often delivered one throughout all of the Bible? What is the single most common communication from God to human beings in the Scriptures?

(Answers from the congregation…)  

All good thoughts, worthy attempts. But the answer is found in these four words:

DO NOT BE AFRAID.

 

That’s it! And that message is found in today’s passage from Isaiah as well – twice in fact! “Do not fear, for I am with you” (Isaiah 43:5).  

And although the exact words are not spoken, this theme punctuates every single sentence of this passage:

“When you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.”

The idea of walking through fire is an ancient way of testing one’s faith.

Have you ever heard of or seen Indian gurus walking over burning hot coals?

Well, let me tell you a very old story about walking through fire and the courage of faith.  

In the year 1219, St. Francis of Assisi traveled to the city of Damietta in the north of Egypt. He went there with one simple and primary purpose: to do what Jesus and the apostles did - to preach the good news to those who have not heard it.

In this situation, however, there was one major difference in circumstance. Damietta was a city under siege. It was the height of the Fifth Crusade. The combined European forces had just suffered a painful defeat in their attempt to capture the city, and now they regrouped while maintaining a siege out in the desert surrounding Damietta.

Within the city, leading the Islamic defenses was the famous Sultan of Egypt, Malek Al-Kamil. With stunning bravery, St. Francis and one of his little brothers, a Friar Minor, approached the enemy lines with a request to speak with the Sultan.

Now, picture this in your mind! Can you imagine what those heavily-armed, battle-scarred Muslim soldiers thought when they considered this short, poor little man with the funny haircut who carried nothing with him, but who asked with such boldness and audacity for a direct audience with the Sultan?!  

We have no idea as to why exactly, but his request was granted. You must understand that Francis was perfectly ready and spiritually prepared for martyrdom. He knew perfectly well that he was risking his life by such a venture, and he was ready to lose his life in this way for the sake of the Gospel.

This meeting between Francis and the Sultan in the year 1219 is an historical fact. But the reports of what actually occurred in this meeting are a bit less certain.

It is said that a very civil and respectful dialogue ensued between Francis and his brother Friar, and the Sultan, along with the imams in his court. Both sides tried in vain to convert the other. Finally, it is reported that Francis offered to undergo a trial by fire to prove the validity of the Gospel.

Francis offered to walk through fire in order to prove that God was with him, as long as the Sultan’s imams were willing to do the same.

Now, that sounds crazy, right? But there was a method to his madness.  

Back in the days of Muhammad, when he was beginning to gather a group of followers around him in the first decades of the 7^th century, it is said that he challenged a group of Christians to a similar trial. Leaders of both groups would walk through fire; the ones who came out unscathed were the ones who had God on their side, the ones who spoke the truth about God.

If you know anything about Muhammad, then you will know that this is clearly a challenge that he would relish. But those Arabian Christians declined, saying that they did not wish to put Christ to the test in this way. And so Muhammad left feeling justified, that his message was inspired and the faith of the Christians was not REAL faith, since they were too afraid to face the test of fire.    

600 years later in Egypt, I think that St. Francis was intending to make up for the supposed failure of those timid Christians in their meeting with Muhammad.

With courage and boldness, he offered to walk through fire with his counterparts, but this time the imams refused. They did not wish to put allah to the test in this way.

With his courage, Francis won the respect of the Sultan. He and his friars were treated as honored guests, and they were given free passage to travel throughout the Sultan’s lands - including the Holy Land! – in peace.

“When you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the Lord your God…Do not be afraid, for I am with you.”

My friends: something happens deep within the heart of a person who is overwhelmed by the grace of God. When all of your defenses are broken down, all of your pride washed away, when all of your strength is gone and you realize that there is nothing solid or dependable or trustworthy in this life except for the grace and love of God, then you can live without fear.

“Perfect love drives out fear.” So we are told in the first letter of John, and this is what I think it means when John the Baptizer preaches to the people about the coming Messiah:  “He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”

The Messiah immerses us in a life of trust and confidence, courage and boldness, because it is a life of intimacy with God who is pure goodness and mercy.

Now, let’s be clear: I am not suggesting in any sense at all that we actually attempt walking through fire. There are still lots of people who do this!

There was an event in San Jose, California this past July hosted by the famous motivational speaker Tony Robbins. It was a four day conference called “Unleash The Power Within”, and as part of this conference the attendees were invited to – yes, you probably guessed it by now - walk through fire! Actually, it was a 10 foot swath of burning coals around 1500 degrees Fahrenheit.

Supposedly, he has offered this type of activity for many years, but THIS time at least 21 people were taken to the hospital with severe burns! Bystanders spoke of hearing people screaming as if they were being tortured! (http://www.mercurynews.com/crime-courts/ci_21125630/san-jose-21-people-treated-burns-after-firewalk)

OK, this is NOT what I would suggest! It is NOT courageous to put yourself in dangerous situations. That’s just plain stupid.

The boldness and courage which the Holy Spirit and the fire of Jesus bring into our lives is much more basic, and simple, than this.  

It is the courage to speak the truth, even when it might hurt your own position or threaten your own position.

It is the courage, sometimes, just to get out of bed in the morning, to not give up, to keep on going. The will and courage to persevere.

It is the courage to turn the other cheek, to choose to love your enemies and never to seek revenge.

It is the courage to not care about your prestige, to not be attached to your possessions, to not be anxious about your income or your assets.

Above all, it is the courage to love, the courage to care, to pour yourself out for those who need you.

Will you allow yourself to be touched, and overwhelmed, by the Holy Spirit and the fire of Christ, so that your fear is driven away, so that you can walk forward into the unknown with courage and boldness? Let it be so. Amen.

 

 

 

Riot Police! The Good Side of American Individualism

The Benefits of American Individualism

Over the last few decades, there have been a growing number of voices decrying the rampant individualism of American society. And for good cause, in my opinion. I admit that I have often been found in that camp, because there are a number of obvious drawbacks for our society due to this over-emphasis upon the individual. The breakdown of family structures, apathy toward the common good and our democracy, suburban sprawl and consumerism, loneliness and a growing feeling of isolation among younger people. All of these factors contribute toward a lower quality of human life and toward the degradation of the environment. This is what happens when people lose a sense of communal identity and group-consciousness and become individual actors in the drama of their solitary lives. This is the glass-half-empty side of American individualism.

But today I confess that I am overcome with a sense of gratitude for this wonderful gift of American individualism! There is a glass-half-full side to this reality! I have been observing the reports of riots and mob violence in Afghanistan and across the Islamic world, and I have been wondering: why are riots like this so rare in the USA?

Who in this picture is using their brain?

The conclusion: American individualism! For better of for worse, we Americans are not nearly as prone to a mob mentality as people in other parts of the world. We are much more inclined to think for ourselves and not to allow some bully to control us with emotional manipulation.

Seriously, folks. I know this isn't politically correct, but how idiotic do you have to be to go kill some innocent person just because a "big man" with a loudspeaker is yelling at you and encouraging you to do so? Really?! Let's be honest: I have to wonder if people like this even have a brain, or a heart, or a SOUL, to begin with! Are they even alive and awake? How can you allow yourself to be manipulated so easily by someone with malicious intent? 
Are you even able to think for yourself? Oh, and while we're at it, let's go cut the nose and ears off of a teenage girl who disobeyed her father. Or stone to death a young girl with Down's Syndrome because she maybe was doing something that the Imam says is immoral. Yeah, that sounds like a great plan, people. Very well thought out, too.  

By contrast, these kinds of things happen rarely in America because of our rampant individualism. We are a bit more skeptical of those who yell into bullhorns. Or, at the very least, we are harder to gather together into mobs because we are all at home watching television. (Can the distraction of mass media actually produce a good moral outcome?)

There are riots here on occasion, of course. But nearly all of these in our time are induced by alcohol and they occur after sporting events. That does not excuse the actions of the idiot rioters, but it does make them a bit more understandable. Those mobs throughout the Islamic world cannot use alcohol as an excuse! They are rioting and burning things and killing people, and they are entirely sober! (At least, they claim to be.)

I wish that we had a greater sense of communal cohesion in our society. A greater consciousness of working together for the common good, and for a better world to leave to our grandchildren. Unfortunately, we do not have this in America today. We think much more, it seems, about how to maximize the HD content on our televisions. But I'll still take  American individualism over the potential for a mob mentality. Groups of men like that (and it is always men) exhibit the very darkest side of human nature. God forbid that we ever see mobs like that within this beautiful land. 

But the Word of God is not chained!

Sermon for Proper 23 C RCL 3/21/2010, offered by Nathan Ferrell for Trinity Episcopal Shared Ministry

Texts: Jeremiah 29:1,4-7; Psalm 66:1-12; 2 Timothy 2:8-15; Luke 17:11-19

Help us, O Lord, to become masters of ourselves so that we might become the servants of others. Take our minds and think throw them. Take our lips and speak through them. Take our hearts and set them on fire. Amen.

In our Gospel reading today, the Lord heals ten lepers who beg for his help. Only one returns, the one who is the foreigner. The Samaritan. You and I, who are Gentiles in the flesh – we, of course, represent the Samaritans in this gospel story. And this week, as I read this story, I wondered about how often we take for granted the amazing healing grace which we have received from the Lord. Do we even recognize it and acknowledge it? Or do we continue to go on our way, never ceasing to give our thanks and praise?

Today’s reading from the letter to Timothy speaks of St. Paul being chained in prison for the sake of the Gospel. Then he adds a remarkable little sentence after this. “But the Word of God is not chained.”

But the Word of God is not chained! Of course, the writer of this is not speaking of the Bible as we know it, but rather of “the message”, the euangelion, the proclamation of Jesus as the Master of all. The Greek quite literally says that the logos of God is not bound, restrained or hindered. Jesus is the logos, but he speaks to us today primarily through the words of scripture.

But how often do we stop and recognize this?
Do we Samaritans stop to give thanks to God for this amazing gift of the Bible? To recognize and give thanks for the healing and transforming effects of these sacred texts?

I think that we take them for granted. Oh, yeah, it’s the Bible. We are supposed to read it.

Do we remember and recognize know how many millions of people in the world are craving and praying for the privilege to read the Bible in their own language, in a way that they can understand, and yet they are not able?

The old proverb is that “familiarity breeds contempt” and in this case I believe it is true. We here in the Church – we have heard the Bible so much, and talked about it so much, that it has become almost boring. Most of us can hear it now with such nonchalance that we barely even listen any more.

But the Word of God is not chained. And this message of the Gospel has amazing power to touch people and change them forever.

Let me share with you and amazing story of the effect that the word of God can have on people. Mosab Hassan Yousef is a young man living right now in exile. The reason for this is complicated. You see, he grew up in Ramallah, in Palestine. His father is Sheik Hassan Yousef. This man is the imam, the one spiritual leader behind the founding of Hamas, the Islamic Palestinian terrorist group committed to the destruction of Israel. Mosab grew up then as a prince among his people, the first-born son of a very important and very influential (and dangerous) person.

Growing up in that place, Mosab learned the spiritual practices of Islam. He never missed a time of prayer with his father at the mosque. He loved his father and admired his father’s devotion. But, unfortunately, Mosab also learned there how to hate. And as he grew up, his list of those who were worthy of his hate grew longer and longer. When he was 18, he secretly bought a few guns so that he might attack Israeli settlers and soldiers as part of the first intifada, but he was caught and arrested by the Israelis. While being held in the large prison in the valley of Armageddon for 16 months, he watched with horror as the leaders of Hamas tortured and brutalized one another under suspicion of collaboration with the Israelis.

Mosab’s faith in and commitment to his people began to waver. If they did this to one another in the name of Islam, of what other horrors were they capable? He became confused and began searching for truth. Mosab grew unsure now of who were the bad guys and who were the good guys, who he should hate and who he should trust.

Damascus Gate in Old Jerusalem

Until one day in 1999. By this time, Mosab was free and on this day he was walking with his best friend, Jamal, past the Damascus Gate in Old Jerusalem. A man from the United Kingdom, who spoke Arabic, was there and he invited Mosab to join a group studying the New Testament at the YMCA in West Jerusalem. The invitation came at just the right point in his life, and Mosab accepted. After all, every Muslim considers Jesus to be a great prophet from God, so why not learn about what he actually did and taught?

Mosab was given a New Testament as a gift for him to take home. This was dangerous for Mosab, as conversions are not allowed and any hint of disloyalty to the cause of Hamas could cost him his life. But the giving and receiving of gifts is a vital part of Arab hospitality, and so Mosab accepted this gift and secretly he took it home.

He had no idea of how to read this Arabic New Testament, so he began in the beginning. Mosab read the beginning of the Gospel of Matthew. He found it interesting, but not terribly overwhelming. That is, until he came to the Sermon on the Mount and these specific words, which seemed directly spoken to his heart: “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:43-44).

What? Love your enemies? Pray for those who are attempting to hurt you? Instantly, Mosab felt as if he were struck by lightning! Never before had he heard a message like this. Never before. And yet he knew with an abrupt awareness that defies rational description “that this was the message [he] had been searching for all [his] life” (The Son of Hamas, p. 122).

Since that day, Mosab has become a devoted disciple of this prophet from Nazareth, the one who taught him that there is no enemy out there who we must hate and attack. Jesus taught him that his only true enemy is in fact the hatred and anger and violence that had taken hold of his heart.

But the Word of God is not chained. Just let that gospel message loose into the world and who knows what effect it might have! Let those trapped in cycles of violence hear words of truth and beauty from the Prince of Peace, and who knows how the Spirit might begin to transform them and their communities!

Do you think that you and I here remember and recognize how truly radical and revolutionary this Word of God is? How life-altering is this message of the Gospel? Let’s face it. It is not our primary instinct to love our enemies. It is not a natural reaction to never seek after revenge. It is not normal to reject all anger and hatred, to never allow a root of bitterness to grow up within our hearts.

When Paul was held in prison for the sake of the gospel, he writes letters to his friends. But does not ask for help with organizing a raid party, to organize a prison break? Never does not write to his friends to organize a secret militia to attack the prison. Never does he seek revenge by plotting to assassinate the Roman official who put him there. Never does he do this, because the logos of God has gripped and changed his heart.

This word, this message, this Gospel has power to change people, to change communities, to change the world.

Do we come back to God and give thanks for the healing and grace which we have received through this Word? Or are we like the nine others who take it for granted, and consider this gift of little value?
Let us be the ones who do not take the word of God for granted, but who continually recognize and give thanks for the amazing gift that we have received here in the message of the Gospel. Amen.