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In this day and age how uncomfortable does the word, obedience,
make you? Using the word Persuasion
makes it a lot more palatable to us doesn’t it?
Taking that even further, what is our manner of life to be in the eyes
of God? Jesus Says in Today’s Gospel: “11For all who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those
who humble themselves will be exalted.” The Greek in this week’s texts,
particularly in the letter of Hebrews, opens up to a lot of insight on how “we”
perceive things. It also illumines how
things actually are when you become aware and live into the Light of God’s
GRACE shared freely and openly in “brotherly love” to everyone.
The very first Word beginning this week’s snippet from
Hebrews uses the word Philadelphia which means brotherly love. In taking in the
author of Hebrews message… My mind flashed 20 years back to the ironic, and
touching film Tom Hanks starred in of the same name. As with everything in our lives, there are a
million directions we can go in interpreting responding to God. And also, how we fail in responding to God in
loving our neighbor; which in the purest sense of irony in the film,
Philadelphia, Tom Hanks character wasn’t loved much at all… Hospitality is a virtue of living out your
personal relationship with God horizontally.
When we expand our world beyond ourselves is when we can grow to
encompass others with our shared gifts, our love and concern.
I’m sure however, we’d more or less like to live into
that comfort zone of having our own “personal Jesus.” That’s funny there too, ‘80’s music always
makes me feel old but a part of today’s message reminded me of the 1989 Depeche
Mode hit: “Personal Jesus.” Think about
these lines, is this how we keep Jesus to ourselves? “Reach out and touch faith
–(I’m) Your own Personal Jesus, (I’m) Someone to hear your prayers, (I’m) Someone
who cares (and I’m) Someone who's there. Lift up the receiver—I'll make you believer. Put me to the test. You need to confess, I
will deliver—You know I'm a forgiver…” In contrast, here’s a stanza from Bruce
Springsteen’s movie soundtrack song, ‘Streets of Philadelphia,’ written for the
Tom Hanks’ film, ‘Philadelphia:’ “So receive me brother with your faithless
kiss...Or will we leave each other alone like this On the Streets of
Philadelphia.” Beyond the sad story to
the movie, Philadelphia, do we receive each other through our faith? Do we really walk the talk of
discipleship? Or are we more or less
indifferent and faithless beyond, outside of ourselves?
In today’s Gospel Jesus once again has to challenge the
Pharisees’ self-righteous legalism to expose their pride and indignation
against neighbor. “3And Jesus asked
the lawyers and Pharisees, “Is it lawful to cure people on the Sabbath, or
not?” 4But they were silent. So Jesus took him and healed him,
and sent him away. 5Then he said to them, “If one of you has a child or an ox
that has fallen into a well, will you not immediately pull it out on a Sabbath
day?” 6And they could not reply to this.” Even after Jesus
continues in his parable to instruct them about sharing outwardly in faith,
love and compassion, we don’t hear or even see them be moved to change.
Being moved to change, is
both a part of our personal relationship with God as well as what drives us to
obedience, loving neighbor beyond ourselves. “8b… for it is well for
the heart to be strengthened by grace.” Living in the Light of God’s GRACE is
discipline as we are disciples and we engage in discipleship! Intentionality comes through ‘heart’ awareness. Those things we truly do for one another from
a place of sharing, from genuine faith builds the heart, and grows the New
Nature. Are we Gracious (give Grace to
others), are we grateful (share thanksgiving to God)? We all fall short of the glory of God, it’s
human nature. Not knowing graciousness, or
not knowing how to be grateful to anything beyond ourselves is what the this
world feeds us.
The irony in both the movie
and song to ‘Philadelphia’ is the thought of walking down any street and being
moved, motivated by faith and GRACE to share the Love of God truly, truthfully
without judgment upon your neighbor. However, that was the furthest thing from
the truth in the story of the film…
Lawyers are purveyors of the law, seekers of order and justice or more
or less secular righteousness. The
religious counterpart to them were the Pharisees in some sense, for that scale
of judgment was firmly balanced and weighed to their perceptions of
righteousness, not God’s! In both the
film and in today’s Gospel, neither the law firm or the Pharisees were willing
to support, show compassion or understanding beyond their judgmentalism to
their neighbor. The last verses Jesus
leaves them with is the true scale: “13But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the
crippled, the lame, and the blind. 14And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you,
for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”
Resurrection itself, is the
cornerstone of our Faith built around Christ as its center. Resurrection on a spiritual level in the
process of our spiritual formation as obedient disciples of Christ is rising to
the call of righteousness by living GRACE through the New Nature. It is to put it simply, “walking the talk.” Instead of what will Jesus be doing for me,
we need to be reaching out and saying: In the name of Jesus, what can I do for
you? How can I share the love of God
burning in my heart with you?
I’d like to leave you with a
story about a friend who had an interesting stay with her cousin. It was the summer of 2006 that Carol’s
business went under and she lost her apartment.
At the time, she had been spending a lot of time hanging out with her
extended family—second cousins etc. So
in hoping to save some money to be able to move back into New York, she stayed
with her cousin Celia. Celia was an
intensely pious Roman Catholic who unbeknownst to her cousin Carol, couldn’t
stand Protestants. It would be this
pivotal issue that would eventually drive a wedge between Carol and Celia to
where Celia wound up asking her to leave because “your Protestant hair ruined my
shower drain trap…” Celia asked her to
leave before Carol was able to even get enough money to be able to afford to
leave on her own. Carol wound up
spending what little she had to travel down a ways to stay with her parents
till she then would have enough money to move back into New York.
About a year or so later,
Carol extended an invitation to Celia and her husband to come to her wedding.
There was no response. Every year to
this date, Carol sent cards, words of welcome and extended sisterly love to
Celia… There has yet to be an response from her. That’s very easy to do. Celia kept her faith to herself but her
judgment she shared freely to the detriment of family, love of neighbor and
ultimately against God. What a small
prison cell that must be? If she has
never let Christ set her heart free to share her faith indiscriminately with
others? Carol has a good sense of humor though, and has for the most part taken
Celia in strides. “She still my cousin, how can I not love her?”
Be persuaded! For you shall be humbled when walking down
the lonely streets of the city… “14For here we have no lasting city, but we are looking for
the city that is to come. 15Through Him, then, let us continually offer a sacrifice
of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that confess his name.”
“8Jesus Christ is
the same yesterday and today and forever.”
AMEN
Lectionary 22;
September 1st, 2013; 15th Sunday After Pentecost; Year C;
Proper 17 SOLA Lectionary
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