Year B All Saints (Observed) 2024 In All Of Life

 Year B All Saints’ Day, 3 November 2024

St. James the Less Episcopal, Ashland, VA

“In All of Life”

Collect Almighty God, you have knit together your elect in one communion and fellowship in the mystical body of your Son Christ our Lord: Give us grace so to follow your blessed saints in all virtuous and godly living, that we may come to those ineffable joys that you have prepared for those who truly love you; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.

Revelation 21:1-6a

I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying,

"See, the home of God is among mortals.

He will dwell with them as their God;

they will be his peoples,

and God himself will be with them;

he will wipe every tear from their eyes.

Death will be no more;

mourning and crying and pain will be no more,

for the first things have passed away."

And the one who was seated on the throne said, "See, I am making all things new." Also he said, "Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true." Then he said to me, "It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end."

John 11:32-44

When Mary came where Jesus was and saw him, she knelt at his feet and said to him, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died." When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, he was greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved. He said, "Where have you laid him?" They said to him, "Lord, come and see." Jesus began to weep. So the Jews said, "See how he loved him!" But some of them said, "Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?"

Then Jesus, again greatly disturbed, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone was lying against it. Jesus said, "Take away the stone." Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, "Lord, already there is a stench because he has been dead four days." Jesus said to her, "Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?" So they took away the stone. And Jesus looked upward and said, "Father, I thank you for having heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I have said this for the sake of the crowd standing here, so that they may believe that you sent me." When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!" The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth, and his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, "Unbind him, and let him go."

Good morning, saints and sinners. And welcome. No matter how you see yourself, you are welcome here. And today we recognize All Saints’ Day, when we hold close those Holy Ones who preceded us.

Last weekend I got to meet a new friend who used to work in the Chaplain’s Office at the University of Richmond, my and my wife’s alma mater. She worked there many years after us, but we knew many similar people. It was fun to reminisce. 

I told her the story about the gift I had in knowing the Catholic campus minister at UR. Wendy Wood was a wonderful saint of god with a kind heart and a wonderful sense of humor.

My sophomore year, my roommate was Catholic and he invited me to come to the Ash Wednesday service. I did, and I remember when Wendy saw me she made me feel so welcome. She knew I was faithful, but not Catholic. I went in and talked to her about it later. This Baptist boy caught a glimpse of something I had never felt in church before. 

When I had the ashes imposed I had a sense of people around the world gathering that very day to worship God and have ashes imposed reminding us of our mortality and need of Christ. But that idea of a church universal was what struck me so deeply. That is what the word catholic means anyway, universal. It was a new part of my faith which I have never since let go of.

It was part of the long and slippery slope that expanded my view of God, the Church, and how to follow Christ. Thanks be to God! I am so thankful that God led me and my family into the Episcopal Church, and we have been repeatedly blessed in the years we have been a part. It was why it was so important for me to see the installation of our new Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe yesterday, and see friends from our the country whom I have met over the years. It was like a virtual family reunion. And we have some furthering of the Episcopal family even more today. Directly following this sermon we will celebrate a baptism, and nothing makes me happier than welcoming someone into the family of God.

And later we will celebrate the other great sacrament of the Church, Eucharist. We received both of these from Jesus himself, and that is why we see them as the two key sacraments. Both are also tied to things we all must do.

Birth and eating, two simple things we all do, be born, and eat to live. But if you look at the other sacramental acts that we have as a church, they are mostly recognizing and solemnifying other life moments.

Confirmation is when we recognize that teens (for those who are getting confirmed as teens) are of an age of accountability and they are responsible for the person they are and will be. At infant baptism the parents and godparents speak for them, and this is when the adults becoming speak for themselves.

Reconciliation of a Penitent is what is normally called confession, and yes, we do that. Unlike our Catholic sisters and brothers, our approach is different. An old phrase sums up our position, “All May, Some Should, None Must.” But in life all of us make mistakes and miss the mark of who we should be. We recognize that inevitability and give a pathway home.

Matrimony is Christian marriage, where we stand before God and our friends and families and make promises of union with another person. This life-long commitment is the desire we have when we gather. That is our prayer when we celebrate the union on those days. But coming together in loving, committed relationships is another part of life.

Orders is the ordination to the diaconate, priesthood, or episcopacy. While this is important to those ordained and those closest to them, it is also necessary in the life of the Church to be able to keep and maintain the sacraments we are talking about. We include Holy Orders so that the others can keep being sanctified as well.

And lastly, there is Unction, the anointing of those who are sick or dying with holy oil, oil which has been blessed by the bishop for these most holy times. Birth, all the stages of development and life, and even death, the sacraments celebrate life, and as we sang, 

for the saints of God are just folk like me,

and I mean to be one too.

I bring all this up on All Saints’ because if we are in Christ we are the Saints of God. As St. Paul wrote the Church in Corinth (I Corinthians 1:1-3):

Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and our brother Sosthenes, To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, together with all those who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

We are called to live in Christ, we are called to be born and born again in Christ, and when the time comes, we are called to transition from this life to the next in Christ. 

The Life of the Church is based on our lives, each and every one of us. We recognize all aspects, the Good, the Bad, the Heartwarming, and the Heartbreaking. Everything belongs [thanks, Richard Rohr].

In our Revelation reading this morning, which is one of the most popular choices at funeral services, speaks to the Final Culmination, and the John of Patmos said he heard these words in his vision:

"See, the home of God is among mortals.

He will dwell with them as their God;

they will be his peoples,

and God himself will be with them

And that is what we are going for in our sacraments, placing God central in these life moments, reminding us that God is in the ordinary and that all of life can be blessed. When Jesus wept at Lazarus’ death, it was said, “See how he loved him.” And as you probably have heard me say, the miracle of the incarnation is that Jesus points us to the real nature of God.

That is why we can celebrate the saints who have gone before because we worship the God of the Living, not the dead. That is why we can hold up all the seasons and stages of life and how the Church celebrates them and makes them holy. God wants to be in all our life, and in our death. God wants to be with you, always. 

I want to be a saint in God, but not because of what I do, but because of whose I am, and who that allows me to be. Blessings this All Saints’ Day! Amen

 

Year B Proper 25 WEDNESDAY 2024 Spirit Not Letter

Year B Proper 25, Wednesday October 30,  2024

St. James the Less Episcopal, Ashland, VA

“Spirit Not Letter”

Collect: Almighty and everlasting God, increase in us the gifts of faith, hope, and charity; and, that we may obtain what you promise, make us love what you command; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Luke 11:37-52

While he was speaking, a Pharisee invited him to dine with him; so he went in and took his place at the table. The Pharisee was amazed to see that he did not first wash before dinner. Then the Lord said to him, ‘Now you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. You fools! Did not the one who made the outside make the inside also? So give for alms those things that are within; and see, everything will be clean for you.

‘But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and herbs of all kinds, and neglect justice and the love of God; it is these you ought to have practiced, without neglecting the others. Woe to you Pharisees! For you love to have the seat of honor in the synagogues and to be greeted with respect in the market-places. Woe to you! For you are like unmarked graves, and people walk over them without realizing it.’

One of the lawyers answered him, ‘Teacher, when you say these things, you insult us too.’ And he said, ‘Woe also to you lawyers! For you load people with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not lift a finger to ease them. Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets whom your ancestors killed. So you are witnesses and approve of the deeds of your ancestors; for they killed them, and you build their tombs. Therefore also the Wisdom of God said, “I will send them prophets and apostles, some of whom they will kill and persecute”, so that this generation may be charged with the blood of all the prophets shed since the foundation of the world, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who perished between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, it will be charged against this generation. Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge; you did not enter yourselves, and you hindered those who were entering.’

The Spirit of the Law or the Letter of the Law. When people are more concerned with keeping the appearance of religion than the point of religion it becomes another prison with which we are bound.

In our book club on Tuesday mornings we are looking at James Martin’s Becoming Who You Are. In this week’s chapter we looked at freedoms and unfreedoms. Unfreedoms are those things that keep us from loving others and being who we are born to be. A lot of these are masks, when we pose to be something we are not. The Pharisees were doing just that.

They got on Jesus for not ritually washing his hands when he was invited to the religious leader’s house. And when asked about it, Jesus uses it as a teachable moment. The Pharisees and other religious leaders were more concerned with the outward appearance of the cup, instead of making sure the inside of the cup was clean and ready for use. They were focusing on the wrong thing.

It is easy to do. Sometimes we get so focused on being “right” that we miss the whole point of the exercise.

But it is not just the Pharisees that Jesus gets on, the lawyers took umbrage at his castigation.

One of the lawyers answered him, ‘Teacher, when you say these things, you insult us too.’ And he said, ‘Woe also to you lawyers! For you load people with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not lift a finger to ease them. Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets whom your ancestors killed. So you are witnesses and approve of the deeds of your ancestors; for they killed them, and you build their tombs.

This is a great level of hypocrisy, too. Esteeming a prophet after they are gone when they would have derided them in their own day. A political philosopher said, “Conservatism is the worship of dead revolutions.” And it seems apt.

Jesus came to turn things over, whether the tables in the Temple, or the hardened hearts of the religious elite. They know prophets are good and godly, but stop when it comes to listening fully and doing what they say. They wash the outside of the cup when the inside grows mold.

Human nature has not come that far in 2,000 years. Alas.

And what was even more harmful? Jesus saves the worst for last:

Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge; you did not enter yourselves, and you hindered those who were entering.

It was bad enough that they stayed out, but they kept those with open eyes and open hearts from entering as well.

Friends, we are in a time when we are arguing and struggling on where to go and whom to

follow. Both sides are slapping the adjective evil and worse names on each other. I look for

light, not heat; I look for love, not hate. 

If I am going to follow anyone I will follow Jesus. He may not wash his hands when dictated

to by rule keepers, but he finds us and loves us and invites us home wherever we are. 

Maybe we need more of that, and trust that God is not done with us yet. I have to believe

that. I have to cling to that hope, especially in days like this. Amen

Year B Proper 24 2024 A New Way of Leading

 Year B Proper 24, 20 October 2024

St. James the Less Episcopal, Ashland, VA

“A New Way of Leading”

Collect:

Almighty and everlasting God, in Christ you have revealed your glory among the nations: Preserve the works of your mercy, that your Church throughout the world may persevere with steadfast faith in the confession of your Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Hebrews 5:1-10

Every high priest chosen from among mortals is put in charge of things pertaining to God on their behalf, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. He is able to deal gently with the ignorant and wayward, since he himself is subject to weakness; and because of this he must offer sacrifice for his own sins as well as for those of the people. And one does not presume to take this honor, but takes it only when called by God, just as Aaron was.

So also Christ did not glorify himself in becoming a high priest, but was appointed by the one who said to him,

“You are my Son,

today I have begotten you”;

as he says also in another place,

“You are a priest forever,

according to the order of Melchizedek.”

In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to the one who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. Although he was a Son, he learned obedience through what he suffered; and having been made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him, having been designated by God a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek.

Mark 10:35-45

James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came forward to Jesus and said to him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.” And he said to them, “What is it you want me to do for you?” And they said to him, “Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.” But Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?” They replied, “We are able.” Then Jesus said to them, “The cup that I drink you will drink; and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized; but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.”

When the ten heard this, they began to be angry with James and John. So Jesus called them and said to them, “You know that among the Gentiles those whom they recognize as their rulers lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. But it is not so among you; but whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all. For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.”

When my children were young, they would often come to me and say something like, “Dad, will you make me a promise?” or “Dad, can you keep a secret?”

They were sincere, they truly wanted me to do something, but it was obvious something big, at least to them, because they would ask for commitment on my end before they would disclose what it is they were asking for.

Now, I am no fool, and I could see through their ruse, or their sincere desire, and I would say that I could not promise before I knew what it was they were asking for.

Sometimes it was something as simple as ice cream before dinner, and then I would have to say no. Sometimes it was something bigger, and the answer was still, probably, no.

But it is not limited to children. When I have someone come into my office in a pastoral session, and ask, “Father Rock, can I share a confidence with you?” And with another adult I will have to say, “You have my confidence, but if it is something about causing harm to self or others, future or past tense, I will have to share that for your or their safety.” But I will also assure them that no matter what it is, we can walk through it together.

There is nothing new about this approach, asking for a commitment before disclosing all the facts. We even have laws about things like this, realtors or used car salesmen. If they know something, especially something bad they have to disclose it.

James and John come asking him to agree to do them an honor/favor, and Jesus being wise does not commit until he knows what they are asking of him. And when they do mention what they want, he tells them openly that they do not know what they are asking of him. They may want the honor, but they are absolutely clueless about the price that their request demands.

Like with my kids, sometimes what they are asking about was more than they could handle.

Corrie Ten Boom was a child of a family who helped hide Jews during the persecution of the Nazis in the Netherlands. Her famous book, The Hiding Place, was a deeply moving account of how her family put love first and the price they paid for love. If you have never read it I highly encourage it, and if you ever find yourself in Haarlem, the Netherlands, you should visit the museum they made of her family home.

In her book, though, she shares an account of her early childhood, when she and her father were taking a train trip. She was very young, and while she was standing on the platform, asks her dad, “What is sex?” She had probably heard the word from adults talking. The dad was smart, though. And said, “You would like to know that, eh? Well then, pick up my suitcase and we can go over there to the bench and talk about it.”

“But Father,” she said, “it is too heavy for me! I cannot pick it up!”

“Then trust me, dear one, what you are asking of me is too much for you to carry, for now anyway. One day you can, and I will talk with you about it, but for now, do not worry about it and let it go. It is too much for you to carry.”

Jesus knew that what was being asked of him was too much for James and John to carry, and it is not even Jesus’ call. One day we may see who were the greatest in the Kingdom of God, but I think if we ever do, I doubt we will have known their names here on Earth. They were such servants that they were lost in obscurity, but not with God.

The other apostles were obviously a little flummoxed by the hubris of James and John to even ask this. They were blatantly seeing themselves over and above the rest of the apostles. But Jesus uses this as a teachable moment, and an opportunity to recast their understanding of how things in his kingdom will be.

Like all the ways Jesus turns things on its head, his way of leading is the same. He flips the tables in the Temple. The Last shall be First, and the First shall be Last. Over and over and over again, he does the thing least expected. There will be the Great Reversal. What he says to his apostles is no different…

“You know that among the Gentiles those whom they recognize as their rulers lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. But it is not so among you; but whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all. For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.”

That was Jesus. The Servant Leader. The Suffering Servant. The Wounded Healer. The Christ. Jesus brought in a new model, leadership based on service and lifting up the lowly, and from that a community of those called out of the normal way of doing things. The word we use for Church, ekklesia, means “the called out ones.” We have been called out of the world’s way of leading and being a community, and to follow Christ’s example of humbling ourselves and serving one another.

On the night before he died, he took off his robe, wrapped a towel around himself and washed his disciples’ feet. He had one last chance to make his message sink in a dramatic and unforgettable way. He sat at the head of the table as their master and teacher, and before he did that, he knelt at their feet and served them all. And think on this, he was such a loving example of service he washed Judas Iscariot’s feet, too. The one bound to betray him, he served him, too.

That is the type of Servant Leader Jesus was, even to one who resented or despised him, he blessed and served. That is a love beyond comprehension. That is a love that can change the world. That is Grace.

And Jesus did not stop serving us when his earthly ministry was over and he ascended. He, according to our Hebrews reading, serves us still. He is a High Priest in the Order of Melchizedek. That’s who we have going to bat for us. 

Jesus is there, sitting at the right hand of God, pleading, interceding, begging, cajoling, sympathizing with us and our honest prayers of need and hope. And he earned that position, even though it was his by rights, through his laying down of his life on our behalf.

He paid the dues that only he could pay, and in that position he argues on our behalf. What a wonderful and beautiful thought. But Hebrews goes on…

“Although he was a Son, he learned obedience through what he suffered; and having been made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him, having been designated by God a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek.”

What of the Order of Melchizedek? Abram, before he was renamed Abraham, met the priestly king of Salem and offered him a tithe of the spoils he had just won in battle and Melchiedek shared bread and wine with him. This is seen as a forerunner of the Eucharist and of Christ. The name Melchizedek means “the King of Righteousness.” And he was a priest of El Elyon, the Most High God. This is Melchiedek, and his priestly order is what Jesus represents: Priest & King. Together: Holy and Regal.

I find it fascinating that the scholars who put together today’s Lectionary reading with our Gospel reading. Here, in the Gospel, Jesus is asked about his role as the Divine Messiah, but James and John did not know what was to happen, the suffering, the death, the resurrection. They wanted the honors without the work, without the sacrifice. They were clueless about all that. But this happens before Jesus’ “time.” He has not yet ascended because he has not yet been lifted up. He is the Priestly King, but a vast majority do not see him that way yet. The Suffering Servant image of the Messiah was not yet comprehended, much less espoused.

Friends, our yearly theme was shared and unpacked at Shrine Mont for those on the retreat. I trust those here saw the new banner in the Narthex.

In a time of division and fear, we need to follow the biblical mandate to “Fear Not!”

In a time when there are arguments over how to go and who we should be, we need to remember Whose we are, and that defines Who we are. We are called to Arise and Shine. We are called to let people see our good works and give glory to God in heaven. We are called to be a city shining on a hill. We are called to be salt to a bland and tasteless existence. 

Fear Not, Arise and Shine. Not to glorify ourselves, but to humbly serve and make a difference where we can. As Mother Teresa said, “Not all of us can do great things, but we can do small things with great love.”

Friends, it is time to Shine. In our small interactions, and the big. And all of our actions, can collectively change this part of our world, which can change the world as a whole. As we take on Jesus’ way of leading and stepping out in faith, remember:

Fear Not! Arise & Shine! Amen

Year B Proper 23 WEDNESDAY 2024 Take Nothing

 Year B Proper 23 WEDNESDAY, 16 October 2024

St. James the Less Episcopal, Ashland, VA

“Take Nothing”

Collect: Lord, we pray that your grace may always precede and follow us, that we may continually be given to good works; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Gospel Luke 9:1-17

Then Jesus* called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal. He said to them, ‘Take nothing for your journey, no staff, nor bag, nor bread, nor money—not even an extra tunic. Whatever house you enter, stay there, and leave from there.Wherever they do not welcome you, as you are leaving that town shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.’ They departed and went through the villages, bringing the good news and curing diseases everywhere. Now Herod the ruler* heard about all that had taken place, and he was perplexed, because it was said by some that John had been raised from the dead, by some that Elijah had appeared, and by others that one of the ancient prophets had arisen. Herod said, ‘John I beheaded; but who is this about whom I hear such things?’ And he tried to see him. On their return the apostles told Jesus* all they had done. He took them with him and withdrew privately to a city called Bethsaida. When the crowds found out about it, they followed him; and he welcomed them, and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who needed to be cured. The day was drawing to a close, and the twelve came to him and said, ‘Send the crowd away, so that they may go into the surrounding villages and countryside, to lodge and get provisions; for we are here in a deserted place.’ But he said to them, ‘You give them something to eat.’ They said, ‘We have no more than five loaves and two fish—unless we are to go and buy food for all these people.’ For there were about five thousand men. And he said to his disciples, ‘Make them sit down in groups of about fifty each.’ They did so and made them all sit down. And taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd. And all ate and were filled. What was left over was gathered up, twelve baskets of broken pieces.

Provisions are there. We believe it or we do not. Providence. Jehovah Jireh, the Lord provides.

The call of faith is one of how we see God. Distant, unconcerned, cool toward the Creation, or not. Intimate, devoted, passionate about our well-being. If God is a God of Abundance, we are often called to set out with nothing in our “proverbial” bags.

It is about making our faith real. “Take nothing for your journey, no staff, nor bag, nor bread, nor money—not even an extra tunic.” That is a tall order.

I am afraid to admit I am one of those “just in case” packers. I will pack ________[fill in the blank] “just in case.” So much unnecessary and ultimately unwanted gets stuck in the bag, “just in case.” But that is what Jesus wanted his disciples to learn. God will Provide. Jehovah Jireh, the God who provides.

When I came home I told Sojo if there is one thing I learned from the Camino, only take what you can carry. Not just on the Camino, but as a life lesson.

There are so many things that I have to put down, so many “just in case” things I hold onto when I need to be letting them go and giving them up.

Maybe the same is true for you, too. 

Sunday I spoke about letting go of that thing that keeps you from fully following Christ. The man who came to him in our Mark reading was addicted to his stuff. The possessions that end up possessing us was his issue, and Jesus wanted to instill in his closest 12 that stuff is not what it is about. Take nothing. Nothing at all.

And when they returned they joyously shared their success. 

It is not accidental that the cherry on the Sunday was the Feeding of the 5,000 in Luke. After taking nothing, they were overwhelmed by Abundance. The two go hand in glove. We step out on faith because we trust. We trust that the one who calls us to empty our reserves will be there to fill our cup as needed. Jesus took a meager offering and made of it a Feast. A feast with leftovers.

As we learn to have faith, to step out in faith with empty satchels and no extra tunics, we begin to see that God is with us and will take care of our needs. When we are asked to stay somewhere, we stay there. We do not look for better digs. When we are rejected, we let go of that rejection and move on, shaking the very dust off our soles. That may sound like an act of scorn against those we are leaving, but I think it is more about us moving on. Forgiving and being free to focus entirely on what is to come. We have to let it go.

When I was on the Camino, I let go of so much that I did not need to drag around, metaphorically and literally. Both were true and oh, so needed. It takes faith. When Jesus returns, how will he find us? Stockpiling and preparing for “just in case,” or letting go and letting God be God? When Jesus returns will he find we have faith? We will see. And so will he. Amen

Year B Proper 23 2024 Let Go

 Year B Proper 23, 13 October 2024

St. James the Less Episcopal, Ashland, VA

“Let Go”

Collect: Lord, we pray that your grace may always precede and follow us, that we may continually be given to good works; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Amos 5:6-7,10-15

Seek the Lord and live,
or he will break out against the house of Joseph like fire,
and it will devour Bethel, with no one to quench it.

Ah, you that turn justice to wormwood,
and bring righteousness to the ground!

They hate the one who reproves in the gate,
and they abhor the one who speaks the truth.

Therefore, because you trample on the poor
and take from them levies of grain,

you have built houses of hewn stone,
but you shall not live in them;

you have planted pleasant vineyards,
but you shall not drink their wine.

For I know how many are your transgressions,
and how great are your sins—

you who afflict the righteous, who take a bribe,
and push aside the needy in the gate.

Therefore the prudent will keep silent in such a time;
for it is an evil time.

Seek good and not evil,
that you may live;

and so the Lord, the God of hosts, will be with you,
just as you have said.

Hate evil and love good,
and establish justice in the gate;

it may be that the Lord, the God of hosts,
will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.

Hebrews 4:12-16

The word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And before him no creature is hidden, but all are naked and laid bare to the eyes of the one to whom we must render an account.

Since, then, we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Mark 10:17-31

As Jesus was setting out on a journey, a man ran up and knelt before him, and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; You shall not defraud; Honor your father and mother.’” He said to him, “Teacher, I have kept all these since my youth.” Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said, “You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” When he heard this, he was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions.

Then Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!” And the disciples were perplexed at these words. But Jesus said to them again, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” They were greatly astounded and said to one another, “Then who can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said, “For mortals it is impossible, but not for God; for God all things are possible.”

Peter began to say to him, “Look, we have left everything and followed you.” Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields, for my sake and for the sake of the good news, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this age—houses, brothers and sisters, mothers and children, and fields with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.”

From our Amos reading this morning, it closes with these words…

Seek good and not evil,
that you may live;

and so the Lord, the God of hosts, will be with you,
just as you have said.

Hate evil and love good,
and establish justice in the gate;

it may be that the Lord, the God of hosts,
will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.

Last week at Shrine Mont I talked about having the sense to follow God’s best practices for living a decent and good life. We call them commandments, but that can often sound restrictive. Best Practices is our current parlance for doing what we should. The Commands could not be more important for us personally, but Amos is clear that it is not just for us. “Seek good and not evil, that you may live.” But he also adds, “Hate evil and love good, establish justice in the gate.” That is equally important.

Now you have to jump into the culture of Israel to understand what is being said. The gate was where people would gather. If you have ever been in the winding streets of an old Middle Eastern town, you would see why the gate was a good gathering space. It was where people came in and went out. It was where the market would meet for the produce of the field could be set up in a stall. And the elders of the town would gather and disagreements could be settled, and punishments could be doled out for those found guilty.

While personally we are to seek good and not evil, we are also instructed collectively to establish justice in the public arena.

We are to be personally and collectively just.

We cannot just be responsible for ourselves. We are our sister’s and brother’s keeper. It is a reminder we are given from some of the oldest stories that we tell.

A righteous, and particularly self-righteous, individual came to Jesus, thinking he had his act together. He had worked hard his whole life to be “righteous.” He had worked hard to be holier than thou, and thou, and thou, and me-ou. He wanted to make sure though. Had he missed anything? Had he gotten every I dotted and T crossed? Had he minded his Ps and Qs?

So he came to Jesus. He had heard him speak and seen the miracles he had performed so obviously God was with him. So he came to the Teacher and asked to appease his worries, and put his mind at ease.

As Jesus was setting out on a journey, a man ran up and knelt before him, and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. 

Now you may find it shocking what Jesus says here. He just said that no one is good but God. Now Jesus is not saying he is not good. He knows that the man did not see him as anything more than a teacher. Also, I believe, Jesus could see the self-righteousness of the man from his concern over being perfect. Jesus is saying, I think, that this man needs to let go of his obsession with being Good. And not just Good, but Blameless, or even Perfect. He cannot fathom a fault in himself, but is checking with Jesus to be sure. So Jesus goes on… 

You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; You shall not defraud; Honor your father and mother.’” He said to him, “Teacher, I have kept all these since my youth.” Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said, “You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” When he heard this, he was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions.

He had done the big things, those Best Practices from Moses. But he had been so focused on his checklist that he had missed the whole point. He had been so focused on avoiding evil that he never had been good.

His thing, according to Jesus, was his stuff. He was so fixated on his stuff, he could not let it go.

Now it is easy to take this man’s example and say that God wants us poor. But I think that is a simplistic and reductionistic reading. For this man, this was his one thing. And it is easy to understand why. It was taught, and it still is too often here in America, especially, is this: If you are Rich you are Blessed. If you are really Rich, you must be really Blessed and a favorite of God. This is the key principle of Prosperity Theology, upheld and preached too readily in our country. But it goes back to the Pharisees and before them. And this young man had bought it, hook, line, and sinker.

That was his one thing. And it shows in what Jesus said after.

Then Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!” And the disciples were perplexed at these words. But Jesus said to them again, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” They were greatly astounded and said to one another, “Then who can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said, “For mortals it is impossible, but not for God; for God all things are possible.”

Peter began to say to him, “Look, we have left everything and followed you.” Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields, for my sake and for the sake of the good news, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this age—houses, brothers and sisters, mothers and children, and fields with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.”

Even his apostles were struggling with what we now call Prosperity Theology, Rich = Blessed. And Jesus knew that it was pervasive. And I can say that it is as well here and now. Too alive and too well.

For some of us, that may be your one thing that you need to let go of. We can be very good and righteous, and still too obsessed with “Keeping up with the Joneses.”  But we are living very different lives. On the trail of the Camino, Jesus got a hold of me, and let me see what my one thing was. I was shocked and dismayed, and not what I expected. I think the man in our Gospel reading came away with those same feelings. 

When we invite Jesus in to be our Lord and Savior, those words have meanings. A Lord can tell us what to do. A Savior who is our Lord does it so that we can be saved from ourselves. I have shared this poem before but it is so apt here. 

Christ, He requires still, wheresoe'er He comes 

To feed or lodge, to have the best of rooms: 

Give Him the choice; grant Him the nobler part 

Of all the house: the best of all's the heart. -Robert Herrick

Friends, if we invite Jesus in, he will rearrange the furniture. If we invite him in he will check out the whole house. He will look in the closets and the attic and the corners of the basement. He will find the cobwebs, and the things we could have thrown out a long time ago, and the skeletons in the closet.

For this man who came to Jesus, the thing he needed cleaning up was his relationship with his stuff. You have your thing. I have mine, as I learned on the Camino. 

Conversion is not an On/Off switch. There are big things, yes, that are clearly right and clearly wrong.  But so much of life is like a sound board, where we invite Jesus in to be our Sound Engineer, and he tinkers with us. Sometimes we need this dial turned down or up, other times that one. The man was doing so many things “right” according to the law, but his heart was wrong. He could not let go of the thing that would make all the difference.

A story is told of a little boy that was given a little too much lack of supervision at a huge family Thanksgiving dinner. Left alone he had gotten his hand stuck in a vase. It was not just any vase, but a priceless vase that was a family heirloom. It derailed the dinner that so many had traveled hours to attend. It derailed the hours of labor to make the event so special. But the adults paid attention to what needed it, the little boy with the hand in the vase.

They tried water. Nope. They tried soap. Nope. Eventually they called for help, and the EMS crew showed up, and they were dumbfounded. The little boy felt worse and worse as so many people were focusing on him. He did not know what to do.

After everyone had tried everything, the boy finally was able to whisper to his mom. “Mom, I have a question.” 

“Yes, hun. What is your question?”

“I was wondering, what if maybe I let go of my ball, you think that would help?”

As the adults all around groaned, after all this, but thankfully the mom just said, “Yes, let go of the ball.” And the vase slipped right off his hand,  and then the mom was able to turn the vase upside down and get the ball out, too.

This is the same as the man who came to Jesus. No one could see it. No one knew what he was clinging to so closely. Jesus could see underneath the outer veneer that looked so polished and slick and acceptable, praiseworthy even. But Jesus saw a little boy clinging to what he treasured so much and that was what was keeping him from being who he was made to be. As our Hebrews reading said of Jesus:

…we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Jesus sees us for who we are, and loves us as we are, and does what needs to be done to get us to who God made us to be. Believe that. Embrace that. Bring Jesus in to do what only he can do. Nothing hidden. Nothing withheld. And we are brought to the place we need to be. We just have to let go of that thing that holds us back. Amen.