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One of
my favorite “battle” scenes in the Lord of the Rings’ ‘The Return of the King’
film is when Éowyn removes her battle mask after Merry had just stabbed the Witch-king
of Angmar in the back & declares to him: “I am no man!” all the while plunging
her sword into his dark chasm of a face in order to save her uncle Théoden, the
King of Rohan. Little did she know it was too late for her uncle to survive,
but she moved forward fully motivated in commitment to a greater cause.
Before
this battle scene, she was hiding herself amongst the soldiers in the battle
lines since she was commanded to stay back and care for the wounded because
that is what the women were expected to do.
Running on a shaken bravery and a cause she could not turn away from;
She and Merry, a small Hobbit, moved into battle. Éowyn was driven to help fight
for the pursuit of freedom and the death of evil rising in the world she loved.
One could say that she was truly compelled to serve. Somewhere the line was
drawn but she had to cross it for a greater good.
The
Christian journey is similar in that we are always engaged in a “battle” of
some kind or another. This battle
however is always a foundational issue in that first church of the believer—the
heart. The Heart or the soul, we must
always know is the seat of the Holy Spirit—the place where God works to
transform us through our prayerful introspection to be and become the
disciples, children of Grace that His Gospel imperative challenges us to be.
She was
just a “middle earth” human working against the cultural boundaries not too
unlike the Prophet Amos preaching an unpopular revelation that the King of
Judah will die by the sword and not too unlike John the Baptist—who’s voice of
conscience speaking out against Herod’s pride and lustful intentions could not
rest… As we would come to find out, Éowyn wouldn’t get her desires ever truly
answered as well as we know Amos was banished from Judah and John the Baptist
was beheaded by Herod.
The
most cruel and humiliating way to die is in the form of beheading. We know from many different news reports how
ISIS uses beheading to both torment and make their message of hate and
dominance quite real. Apparently the line still hasn’t been breached enough to
motivate our society to take action and truly bring an end to the grave evil
already stirred forth! One could almost negatively harbor fear that the voice
of the Christian is being systemically silenced whilst those in authority overt
their eyes to their own agenda’s imperatives.
One of the creedal affirmations we share on occasion
in worship is a statement penned by a now martyred Zimbabwe Pastor. His prayer
begins: “I'm a part of
the fellowship of the unashamed. The die has been cast. I have stepped over the
line. The decision has been made. I'm a disciple of His and I won't look back,
let up, slow down, back away, or be still. My past is redeemed. My present
makes sense. My future is secure. I'm done and finished with low living, sight
walking, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tamed visions, mundane
talking, cheap living, and dwarfed goals. I live by faith, lean on His
presence, walk by patience, lift by prayer, and labor by Holy Spirit power. My
face is set. My gait is fast. My goal is heaven. My road may be narrow, my way
rough, my companions few, but my guide is reliable and my mission is clear. I
will not be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, turned back, deluded or
delayed. I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice or hesitate in the presence
of the adversary. I will not negotiate at the table of the enemy. I won't give up,
shut up, or let up until I have stayed up, stored up, prayed up, paid up, and
preached up for the cause of Christ. I am a disciple of Jesus. I must give
until I drop, preach until all know, and work until He comes. And when He does
come for His own, He'll have no problems recognizing me. My colors will be
clear!”
Here is a beautiful personal statement of faith,
commitment and not backing down on the journey we all must walk as disciples of
Jesus. This man dared to cross those
boundaries or challenges presented before him to do the right thing but he kept
to that internal plumb line that the Lord places upon each of our hearts to be
shaped and guided by the Law of Love and Grace in order to truly and truthfully
LIVE into the Gospel with full accountability and intentions to transform,
renew!
This statement of faith is so profound, I
think in many ways it should be used during the process of one’s ordination.
Though on many a Sunday evening it has been greatly received at the Gathering
North. One could read this in some form or fashion either during worship or as
a devotional to encourage and enlighten others to the power that faith can
yield! They are more than bold words
coming from a devoted, now martyred South African pastor. St. Paul calls out to
the Ephesians in this week’s text to faithfully hear: “11-12 It’s in
Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for. Long before we
first heard of Christ and got our hopes up, He had His eye on us, had designs
on us for glorious living, part of the overall purpose He is working out in
everything and everyone.”
What is particularly profound about ‘The
Message’s’ take on verses 11 and 12 is that it affirms how God’s Grace has
designs for our lives and that our purpose is founded in struggling to realize
the glory of God being a life lived fully and completely in GRACE. The gift of salvation from the cross of
Christ set us free from sin, death and the devil—the reality of GRACE in order
that the New Nature sewn by Christ deep into our hearts is reaped by and
through our transformational process from an Old Natured creature to a New
Creation in Christ and for Christ—out of love for Him and neighbor.
Just this past week I was involved in a
wonderful debate with a dear Eastern Orthodox friend of mine: what is the
profound, central truth and law underneath all of scripture? He essentially
wanted to do verbal battle about the Church Fathers and denominational
theological stances, etc. The Truth to be
told, however, is something that ALL Christians take heed to: the timeless,
eternal foundation behind all of scripture being the “Golden Rule.” The Golden Rule is to Love God and Neighbor
through an incorporated and transformed life, shaped by and for Grace. As my
mentoring pastor should have had patented this statement: “it is living into a constant
process of reflection, confession, repentance and renewal…” in order to
spiritually grow as a devoted disciple of Jesus.
That drawn line God challenges us to hold “true”
to is living by faith as a freely responsible servant accountable in love,
care, voice and action for God and for neighbor. We’ve all been at some point
or another on our journey’s response to a loving and gracious God, made to feel
weak by the valleys and challenges that come across our path. People can go out
of their way to make you feel inadequate and insecure in whatever you have
chosen to do as your ministry in the world.
You can take this criticism in to further as one friend put it—“needle away
at your heart like a woodpecker,” or look towards the Gospel—trust in the Lord
and look above and beyond what was said for a greater goal, imperative—purpose.
In nearly those same Words from the Prophet
Amos: I am no prophet, or a prophet’s daughter but I am a former artist
breaking away from the Chrysalis formed around me to LIVE for a greater
purpose! The drawn line created by God is what I choose to be bound to… The one
drawn by humans in order to exclude, control and eliminate I give no credence
to, period. Maybe that’s a recipe for
persecution but then I have to ask: Where are you on this same path, point of
the journey? We can’t turn a blind eye
like Herod for worldly, empty things…
This is just what the Evil One wants for us to cave into. We have to
face each and every day as a blessing and a challenge. The only curse we
experience is truthfully caused by our own failings.
We must spiritually grow to be and become a
blessing to others even when it seems that our journey is riddled with “curses.”
Turning a curse into a cause is painful, transformational work but this is
living by the Law of Christ for the Gospel of hope and glory unending… The
Kingdom of God and all its righteousness. When all arms are finally laid down,
when our hearts are truly opened and changed we will know deeply the power and
victory of Grace as New Natured prophets preaching, teaching and living the
Golden Rule.
AMEN
July 12th, 2015; 7th Sunday after
Pentecost; Proper 10; Year B; SOLA Lectionary
Sermon By: Reverend Nicole A.M.
Collins
Psalm 85:1-13; Amos 7:7-15;
Ephesians 1:3-14; Mark 6:14-29
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