The Image We Bear

Twenty-first Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 24A)

Matthew 22.15-22

St. Gregory’s, Long Beach

 

There is a mistaken notion that the Church is not allowed to get political in its message. Perhaps partially due to a misunderstanding of the First Amendment of our Constitution and of two specific clauses contained therein: the Establishment Clause and the Free Exercise Clause. The Establishment Clause prohibits the government from establishing a state-sponsored religion. And the Free Exercise Clause protects the citizens' right to practice their religion as they wish, providing the practice does not run afoul of “public morals” or a "compelling" governmental interest.[i] Other restrictions are actually policies of the Internal Revenue Service, which have largely been eliminated under the current administration. While neither the Establishment Clause nor the Free Exercise Clause are biblical, today’s Gospel reading is about the closest scriptural support you will find for these principles. Demonstrating in no uncertain terms that Jesus was decidedly political. And in so doing, providing justification for how we as followers of Christ and how the Church as the Body of Christ, are called to be political.

 

I know there are some that start to get nervous, even anxious, when such topics come up in a sermon. Equating politics with partisanship, which is where things generally go in our national political discourse. But I merely preach what scripture gives us. And today, Jesus gives us, “Give . . . to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” Establishing clear distinctions regarding our relationship to both church and state. I submit there is nothing to get nervous about in following that injunction. While it is most certainly a political statement on Jesus’ part, it is certainly not partisan. In fact, Jesus deliberately crafts this statement to be non-partisan, as we shall see. So, let’s all take a deep breath and take a look at what Jesus is really getting at in today’s Gospel.

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Invitation

Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 23A)

Matthew 22.1-14

St. Gregory’s, Long Beach

 

So . . . let me get this straight. A king hosts a wedding banquet for his son. The invitations went out months ago. Presumably those invited had RSVPed. And given the fact that it was likely the most extravagant event of the year, there were few, if any, regrets sent. And now that it’s time for the big event, nobody shows up? That’s pretty rude. No, not rude. Impossible! After all, who would not want to go to a banquet hosted by the king? It’s not every day you get to do that. And to add to the lunacy, when the king is told that no one is bothering to come, he goes ballistic and sends his army—an ARMY—to kill the ungrateful invitees and burn their city down. Now that’s a little over the top, to say the least. So, then, still wanting to have a party, the king has his servants go out into the streets and bring in anyone and everyone who passes by—both good and bad. After all, you can’t let all that food and booze go to waste.

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Transformed

Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 21A)

Matthew 21.23-32

St. Gregory’s, Long Beach

 

At first glance, there seems to be a disconnect between the two distinct portions of today’s Gospel reading. We start off with the temple leaders questioning Jesus’ actions: “By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?” After a little back and forth which ultimately puts the temple leaders in a no-win situation—as only he can do—Jesus then tells a parable about two contrarian sons. One who refuses to do what his father asks but ends up doing it anyway, and one who agrees to what his father asks but then fails to follow through.

 

What does this parable about two contrarian sons have to do with questions about Jesus’ authority? Are we missing something? Are the questions of authority and Jesus telling a parable even connected. After all, sometimes, the writers of the Gospel—or rather, the redactors, the editors—do occasionally make abrupt shifts with no transition, no explanation. Well, that is not the case here. The parable is indeed part of the broader conversation about Jesus’ authority. Is part of a broader, albeit implied, conversation about living as God would have us do.

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You Have Made Them Equal to Us

Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 20A)

Matthew 20.1-16

St. Gregory’s, Long Beach

 

Lately, I have been thinking about the subject of “original sin,” as one does in one’s free time. In Christian theology, original sin is the condition of human sinfulness and guilt that we all inherit from the first humans, Adam and Eve, due to their disobedience in the Garden of Eden. That disobedience being their going against the single command God gave them that they are not to eat of the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden—the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Which, as we know from Genesis Chapter 3, Adam and Eve were tempted by the serpent, who told them that if they did eat of the fruit, “your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God” (Gen 3.5). And we all know what happened. They ate the forbidden fruit. And things just went downhill from there.

 

Now, admittedly, the doctrine of original sin is not without controversy, particularly in many expressions of Protestant Christianity. Without going into all the gory theological details, I think it is fairly safe, at least for our purposes here, to boil the idea of original sin down to its basics and to recognize that humans, by nature, are imperfect creatures and are subject to sin. As defined in the catechism in our own Book of Common Prayer, “Sin is the seeking of our own will instead of the will of God, thus distorting our relationship with God, with other people, and with all creation” (BCP, 848).

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Servants of the Servants of God

Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost

Welcome Home Sunday and Patronal Feast Day

St. Gregory’s, Long Beach

 

Today we are trying something new. At least, new for us. At least, new for us in the time that I have been here as Rector. We are celebrating our Patronal Feast Day—commemorating our patron, St. Gregory the Great. While many, if not most, Episcopal congregations celebrate their patron saint on a Sunday near the feast day for said saint, we have not traditionally done that. Not because we are ashamed of St. Gregory or feel he is not worthy of celebrating. As we shall see, he most certainly is worthy. But rather, our lack of celebration was not so much an oversight as it was an unfortunate circumstance of calendar. The traditional feast day for Gregory the Great is March 12, the anniversary of his death in 604. Which always falls during Lent. And the Book of Common Prayer explicitly states, “The feast of the Dedication of a Church, and the feast of its patron or title, may be observed on, or be transferred to, a Sunday, except in the seasons of Advent, Lent, and Easter” (BCP, 16). Which kind of leaves us out of luck.

 

But! Fortunately for us, Gregory has an alternative feast day. September 3, which is the anniversary of the beginning of his papacy in 590. Established by Pope Paul VI precisely because Gregory’s feast day falls in Lent. While we really should have celebrated last Sunday, we chose to move our celebration to today to avoid the Labor Day weekend.

 

While a parish’s patronal feast day by and large focuses on the life and example of the saint for which the parish is named, I think, to the extent possible, the celebration should also focus on the parish itself. And, as we shall see, this is particularly appropriate for St. Gregory’s—the patron saint and our particular parish.

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Conflict Mediation

Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 18A)

Matthew 15.10-28

St. Gregory’s, Long Beach

 

I’m beginning to think I should just not go on vacation. The last couple of years, it seems like every time I return from time away, be it sabbatical or vacation, I am immediately confronted with having to preach on challenging readings. Or rather, readings that address challenging issues. But I do need an occasional vacation, so maybe I just need to do a better job of scheduling it around the Gospel readings—stick the supply priest with the difficult passages. Although, I suppose Fr. Gary had his share of challenges while I was gone—particularly last week’s conflict between Jesus and Peter, with the famous “Get behind me, Satan!” comment (Mt 16.23), followed by the command that “any [who] want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me” (Mt 16.24).

 

The reality is, the Scriptures should challenge us, precisely because the Scriptures reflect the truth of everyday life. And, I think we would all agree that life can, at times, be challenging. And while some Scripture passages may seem challenging, it is often these very passages that provide us with the guidance we need to navigate the challenges of everyday life—both individually and communally.

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Schooled

Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 15A)

Matthew 15.10-28

St. Gregory’s, Long Beach

 

Schooled. A term that is, at the same time, a blurring of proper English and slang. In proper English usage, schooled means to teach, train, or discipline someone. As a slang term, it takes on a slightly more biting connotation, meaning to defeat, or outsmart someone. Subtle differences, shades of gray, depending on intent. As we look at the Gospels, we see that Jesus is a master at schooling people, particularly his opponents. How many times does he go up against the scribes and the Pharisees, seeking to trap him on some liturgical or theological point, only to have Jesus turn the tables and school them in their own laws; resulting in them walking away, scratching their heads, and muttering, “what just happened?”

 

That’s what’s happening in the first half of today’s Gospel reading. In both the proper English usage and in the slang. Jesus is preaching to a crowd, attempting to explain his understanding of what it means to truly live a faithful, righteous life, in moral terms as opposed to the religious authorities’ focus on dietary laws as a means to ritual purity. “Listen and understand: it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but it is what comes out of the mouth that defiles.” Effectively saying, “it’s not what you eat that makes you pure and righteous, but what you say and do.” Schooling the crowd in the proper English sense of the term, while subtly schooling the scribes and Pharisees in the slang sense of the term. The unwritten subtext being that the religious authorities are focusing on the wrong thing when it comes to righteous and faithful living. They are focusing on the letter of the law instead of the intent. To the point that they are obsessed with what foods are considered clean vs unclean, as opposed to focusing on moral teachings that are the foundation of truly faithful and righteous living according to God’s laws. Or put in more generalized terms, that purity and religious faithfulness are not about the blind worship of tradition—“we’ve always done it that way”—but about seeking to understand more fully God’s purposes and to strive to live accordingly. This is what true faithfulness and righteousness are about.

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Weathering Storms

Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 14A)

Matthew 14.22-33

St. Gregory’s, Long Beach

 

I don’t know about you, but today’s Gospel lesson could be an analogy for my life. Not the entirety of life, but definitely certain moments. Those stormy moments when it feels like progress is inhibited as if by howling winds, when it feels like being battered by angry waves. Those moments when, despite our determination, we find ourselves suddenly swallowed up in the chaos swirling around us. Yet, at the same time, the Gospel also provides a model for how to weather such storms.

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Feeding of the Five Thousand Plus

Tenth Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 13A)

Matthew 14.13-21

St. Gregory’s, Long Beach

 

Hopefully, we all know that the Bible contains four Gospels. Each written by a different author. Each written to a different audience. As a result, while each Gospel contains substantially the same story of the life and ministry, the death and resurrection, of Jesus Christ; while each contains many of the same basic stories about Jesus, each nonetheless contains and focuses on slightly different details. All that said, today’s miracle, commonly referred to as the “Feeding of the Five Thousand,” is the only miracle recorded in all four Gospels. Which says something about the importance of this single miracle.

 

The version we have today is in Matthew’s Gospel. In his Gospel, Matthew is writing primarily to a Jewish audience, essentially making the case that Jesus is the new Moses sent to liberate God’s people. With that as a lens, what does the feeding of the five thousand, as Matthew reports it, have to say to the crowd that was Jesus’ original audience? What does I have to say to the Jewish audience Matthew was writing to—Jews who were recent converts to Christianity or who were considering converting? And what does it have to say to the Church that eventually came into being, both the early Church and the Church we have inherited?

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Hidden Messages

Ninth Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 12A)

Matthew 13.31-33, 44-52

St. Gregory’s, Long Beach

 

Ok, pop quiz . . . what is the kingdom of heaven like? We’ll make it easy. Multiple choice.

 

As we just heard, our Gospel reading for today contains not one, not two, but five parables, all beginning with “the kingdom of heaven is like.” Each time, followed by a short story—sometimes as short one sentence. Stories drawn from the fabric of everyday life. Stories about farmers, homemakers, merchants, fishermen. Stories that the hearers could relate to, because they either lived the life portrayed in the parable, or likely knew someone who did. Each story, taken at face value, seems to be pretty simple. Yet, each story is intended to paint a particular picture, drawing on the individual and communal experiences of the hearers. Pictures that, when looked at long enough, reveal multiple layers, and begin to reveal hidden messages.

 

This is the beauty of parables. At least to the original hearers. Jesus was teaching basic truths about faithful and righteous living—or as in today’s Gospel, about the kingdom of heaven—using images his hearers could relate to. Images that transcended the words spoken. In this way, Jesus’ teachings became more than just words; more than just images from everyday life. They became grounded in their everyday lives and experiences in a way that allowed them to take root, just as the plants in the parables we have heard the last couple of weeks.

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