A Sanctified Life

 

Rev. Debbie Cato
Hebrews 10:11-25
Fairfield Community Church
November 14, 2021

Open us, Holy One, to your Word and your Way. Clear our minds of daily distractions. Fill our hearts with the humility we need to hear and receive the message you intend for us today. Amen.

 

A Sanctified Life

 

 

Hebrews can best be understood as an anonymous sermon written to encourage an early Christian community to continue to be faithful and hopeful in the face of hardship.  It’s unique among New Testament books, because the sermon develops the image of Christ as the great high priest who fulfills and completes the Jewish system of sacrifice. 

 

Thomas Long, professor of preaching at Candler School of Theology says that the preacher is addressing a very common and familiar pastoral problem: congregational decline.  His congregation is basically tired and discouraged – tired of trying to live the Christian life in a culture that offers no support for it and discouraged about the way evil still seems to persist in the world.  As a result, the congregation has begun to question the value of being followers of Christ.  Attendance at worship has begun to falter, zeal for mission has waned, and the kind of congregational life that is rich with love and compassion has begun to dissipate.[1]

 

The preacher hopes to revive his congregation’s spirits. What they need, he believes, is a clearer Christology or an understanding of Christ. He’s convinced the only way to overcome their despair is to know more firmly and to believe more deeply the work and meaning of Jesus Christ.  This passage is the climax of a long and dramatic section of Hebrews in which

Jesus is presented as the great high priest.[2]

 

The preacher wants his congregation to know for absolute certainty that what Christ has done in his death on the cross is a “once and for all” sacrifice that frees people, not only from their debts of sin, but also from the ritual sacrifices that once surrounded them.  This freedom from ritual sacrifices offers an invitation for a community to be organized in a “new and living” way, rather than be mired in the rehearsal of an ‘evil conscience.’[3]

 

You see, Christ’s sacrifice actually created a void and a shift in the identity of the people.  If they are no longer required to order their lives around sacrifices and offerings, what shall they do? How shall they live in light of this new reality?  Why should they even gather? To gain a sense of the impact of this new reality, imagine the humble farmer prior to the advent of electricity or the steam engine.  Time and energy that used to be spent behind the plow working by hand and lamplight is freed up, thanks to new sources of power.  Far larger fields can be developed, as the day offers more possibilities than ever before.  The same is true with the inbreaking of Christ into human history.  Old patterns of living are broken and fresh possibilities to observe the invitation of the living God summon the faithful to an altered identity in the use of their time.  What is their reason for gathering if it is not to offer sacrifices and offerings?

 

Scholars believe this sermon was preached between 60 – 100 C.E.  That was quite a few years ago.  But many of the themes sound familiar.  Churches everywhere are facing membership decline – even before Covid.  Furthermore, Christians are tired of trying to live a Christian life in a

 

culture that offers no support for it and discouraged about the way evil still seems to persist in the word.  And frankly, many young adults are turned off by a church that doesn’t act like the church. 

 

The preacher reminds us that Jesus, the great high priest, accomplished a permanent pardon for sin.  He also answers the question, why does it matter?  What does this sanctified life – this process of being made holy and set apart for a purpose, mean and how shall we live?  And – as part of his urging to holy living, and Christian hope, what is the function of the church and why is it important?  Why does the Church matter, anyway.

 

In the middle of the passage that I read today, verses 15-18, we learn that Jesus’ saving work is the fulfillment of Jeremiah’s prophecy of a “new covenant” in which the law is written on the hearts and minds of believers.  In other words, Jesus’ single sacrifice has transformed or sanctified believers into people who are able to do God’s will as reflected in the law.  Holiness is not a matter of living under the compliance with the external commands of the law.  It is rather, a Spirit-given ability to live as people of the new covenant.[4]

 

What does a sanctified life look like?  Is there a role for the church in our sanctified life?

 

Living a sanctified life is living a life postured with confidence before God.[5]  Before Jesus, the people continually offered sacrifices and offerings because nothing could take away their sins.  Their guilt and shame never

went away.  So they offered the same sacrifices and the same offerings over 

and over again.  But when Jesus offered himself “through his flesh” as the final, perfect sacrifice, he cleansed believers forever “from an evil conscience.”  As baptized and forgiven people, believers do not need to be crippled by guilt or fear.  For God said, “ I will remember their sins no more.”  We can enter into and experience God’s presence fully, honestly, and authentically – knowing we are wholly clean and pure and accepted and even desired.  We can luxuriate in God’s loving accepting presence, soaking it all up.  We can be confident in God’s presence.

 

Living a sanctified life is a living a life filled with hope.[6]  We can believe and exercise our faith boldly, following the example of Christ, who will be faithful to his promises.  At our baptism we (or those responsible for us) depending on when we were baptized, made a confession of faith, and the preacher of Hebrews encourages us to hold on to that.  That confession – which we will affirm after the sermon, should always be our life target.  We may not always hit it – doubts and circumstances may hinder us at times – but keeping it in our sights gives us hope and purpose and energizes our ongoing search for authentic faith.

 

Our Christian hope does not come from within us.  It is practiced against our outward circumstances, the difficulties, the hard times, the tragedies we experience.  That is why our hope cannot be rooted in human effort, but solely in the faithfulness of God.  We are able to “hold fast” because the one “who has promised is faithful.” God’s promises never fail. Our hope is in God’s faithfulness.

  

Our sanctified life is lived in community.[7]  The preacher of Hebrews actually chides his congregation for neglecting to meet together regularly

for worship and fellowship.  The purpose of gathering together in

community is to “provoke one another” or encourage or stimulate one another to live the Christian life.  We are to stir up each other into fulfilling our baptismal promise.  I heard somewhere that this Christian life is not for wimps!  We need one another. 

 

The preacher suggests that the church is not a place where everyone “plays

nice and necessarily gets along all the time, but a place where our duties to each other include contentious wrestling, with love and good deeds to provoke one another to Christian living.[8]  We need to be creative in encouraging and pushing and pulling everyone in our family of faith to love and do good deeds.  This is all about participating in the body of Christ, working with and for and through others in the church.  This speaks more directly to the gospel of Christ as our model and mentor.  We are not mere spectators of God’s work or simple recipients of God’s grace; we are active participants in the saving work of God in the world, as we follow Christ’s ultimate example of sacrificial giving, serving, and loving until the very end.[9] 

 

Christians are called to live in solidarity with others.  Holy living involves maturing in acts of love and Christlike service to all people.  The preacher of Hebrews is concerned that his congregation are still infants in the faith and warns them against complacency and allowing the gospel of reconciliation to become a matter of cheap grace.  Sanctification is a calling as well as a gift.  It's true God’s grace is free but believers must respond to

 

God’s gift by engaging in practices that form them into mature disciples ready for solid food.  These practices are best cultivated within the life

of the believing community as it comes together to worship, enjoy fellowship, and provoke one another to acts of Christlike service.    

 

As we begin to live out our life of faith together and figure out what our life as a church is going to look like, may we be reminded to live out even more passionately the grace we have been shown in Christ.  May we ponder new ways to encourage one another and receive permission to provoke one another to good deeds and stimulate one another to live a Christian life.  May we inspire one another to find new, creative ways to be the Church and serve our community, to invite past members to join us on Sundays, and to live with the confidence and hope that Jesus gave us all through His once and for all sacrifice on the cross.  May we be a church that provokes one another to be continually transformed as we live this sanctified life granted us through the free gift of grace through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.  Amen.

---

[1] Feasting on the Word, Year B, Volume 4.  Proper 28.  Page 303.  Exegetical Perspective.  Thomas G. Long.

[2] Ibid.

[3] Feasting on the Word, Year B, Volume 4.  Proper 28.  Page 302.  Pastoral Perspective.  Elizabeth B. Forney.

[4] Feasting on the Word, Year B, Volume 4.  Proper 28.  Page 302+304.  Theological Perspective.  Jane E. Fahey

[5] Ibid. Page 304

[6] Feasting on the Word, Year B, Volume 4.  Proper 28.  Page 304.  Theological Perspective.  Jane E. Fahey

[7] Feasting on the Word, Year B, Volume 4.  Proper 28.  304.  Theological Perspective.  Jane E. Fahey

[8] Feasting on the Word, Year B, Volume 4.  Proper 28.  Page 304+306.  Theological Perspective.  Jane E. Fahey

[9] Ibid.  Page. 307.  Homiletical Perspective.  Peter M. Wallace.

Why Do You Give?

In late 2001 – about this time of year, actually - I accepted a position as the director of a housing agency in Tacoma that worked with families and children experiencing homelessness. We had an emergency shelter and apartments where families could live, receive services, and get back on their feet. This was a few years before I felt called to seminary.

After being at my job only a few weeks, a woman walked into the shelter one day and asked to see the director.  She was interested in knowing more about us and asked if I would show her around our facility.  We were in an old Catholic school that had been closed for years.  We had lots of space, but the building was run down and looked pretty drab and gray.  One of the classrooms had been turned into a family room for our shelter families but it was dreary.  The furniture was torn and broken-down, the walls were an old 50’s classroom color, sorely in need of fresh paint.  There were very few toys for the children.  It didn’t look very welcoming.  But when I looked, I saw what it could look like and as I showed Jane around (that was actually her name!), that’s what I described.  Fresh paint, soothing colors, new furniture, lots of toys and books…..  As we walked around the shelter I told her about our programs, the families that called this home and how and why families become homeless. After the tour, we went into my office where we talked a little longer.  We spent over an hour together.  When Jane was ready to leave, she pulled out her checkbook and said that she wanted to make a donation.  I could see the compassion in her eyes as she told me how disturbed she had been to recently read in the newspaper that so many children were homeless for the holidays, and she wanted to make sure that these families were taken care of.  

 

When you work for a non-profit you are always thrilled when someone wants to make a donation, but I was speechless when Jane handed me a check for $5,000.  $5,000!  Jane’s gift would make a huge difference in our ability to help families.  Her gift was completely unexpected and as a staff, we celebrated the blessing of this large gift.  We were ecstatic.  $5,000 was a significant boost to our budget. With her gift, we could pay December rent for nearly 100 homeless families.   Jane saw a need, had the financial means, and made a financial gift that made a difference in the lives of a lot of families that Christmas.  I could see the joy on Jane’s face when she handed me that check.  She had compassion for children in need and she was able to do something about it.  What a blessing!

 

Two weeks later – almost to the day – a client came in and asked to see me.  Maria was a single mom with 3 young children.  She had been in the shelter for almost four months. We had just moved Maria and her children into an apartment at the beginning of the month – just a few weeks after I started my job and I had only met her once before. Marie had become homeless because she lost everything when she fled a dangerous, violent relationship. Marie was excited to have an apartment for her children.  She was working at McDonalds and taking classes at a community college while juggling the care of her children.  She was working really hard to get back on her feet. 

 

Maria seemed incredibly excited to see me and some of the staff followed her into my office – we could all tell that something was up!  Maria handed me an envelope and said, “Merry Christmas!” and she stood there and just

grinned.

 

 

I opened the envelope and found a Christmas card that she and her children had signed.  But I also found something I didn’t expect.  Maria had put $10 in the card.  When I looked up, Maria’s eyes were sparkling.  She was so excited.  She said, “I thought about what I could do to let you guys know how thankful I am for the ways you are helping my family.  I couldn’t figure out what to do.  Then when I got my paycheck, I realized that I could make a donation so that you can keep helping families.”  Maria was absolutely beaming.  The joy she had in making this gift was evident all over her face.

 

Now Maria’s $10 donation wasn’t going to do much to help our budget.  But I broke into tears and embraced Maria.  When I looked up, the whole staff was crying.  Maria’s gift meant more to us than I can explain. Every staff member understood the enormity of her gift.  Maria’s $10 gift spoke volumes. Her $10 gift was HUGE.  It was one of those times when you know that God has done something amazing. 

 

Maria knew what it was to be in great need.  She knew what it was like to struggle, to not know how she was going to feed her children or wonder where they would sleep. Her job at McDonald’s didn’t pay much – yet Maria gave from her heart.  Maria was giving out of a heartfelt gratitude because of what she had been through and the help she had received.  When I talk about this – I can still feel all the original emotions even though it’s been 20 years.

 

Who do you relate to?  Perhaps you are like Jane, and you have been

fortunate and can give large financial gifts.  Perhaps you are like

Maria who struggles every day to get by and you can’t give much of a 

financial gift – at least not a gift that you think will make a difference.   

 

I’ve always wished that I could sit down and write out a big check for a cause I believe in or to someone who really needs some help.  But I’ve never been able to.  I am a single mom, and it seems we always struggled to get by.  Maybe that’s why Maria’s gift meant so much to me. 

 

The difference between $5,000 and $10 is pretty big.  But I have to tell you that we thought that both Jane’s and Maria’s gifts were significant.  Both gifts made a HUGE difference in our work that December.  We were equally joyous over both.

 

But the world – our western culture would say differently, I think.  I think the world might not agree that both these gifts were significant.  Our culture tells us that success is measured by money and power.  We look at the big houses, the “important jobs”, the fancy cars and we think they measure success.  Too often, we determine personal worth by who we are and what we have.  Or… by what we aren’t and what we don’t have.

 

Well folks, this is nothing new.  It’s been the same way throughout history. In fact, even in Jesus’ time, importance – worth – value - was determined by who had the power and who had the money.  Maybe that’s why so many of Jesus’ teachings involve power and money. 

 

Jesus is at odds with the religious leaders throughout his ministry.  But it isn’t their positions that offend him or even their wealth.  Being wealthy –

having money is not the issue for Jesus. Jesus never criticizes people solely because they are wealthy.  Jesus criticizes attitudes; he criticizes hearts.  He thinks the religious leaders and rich are ostentatious and arrogant. 

 

They have positions of power and privilege, and they flaunt it.  They are

wealthy, prestigious men who exploit the poor and powerless.  They use their position in ways that demean and harm others.  All in the name of religion.

 

Even the way they dress distinguishes them from the regular folks.  They wear flowing robes - actual full-length prayer shawls with tassels at the four corners. When the scribes and the teachers and the religious leaders walk down the street, everyone is expected to rise out of respect.  When’s the last time you stood at attention when a clergy walked by?!

 

They sit in the most distinguished seats of the synagogue – either up front facing the congregation or on benches along the side while the congregation sits on the floor in the middle of the synagogue.  Jesus doubted that the scribes and other religious leaders were at the temple to worship God.  He thought that they came to the temple to flaunt their positions.  Their attitudes of superiority and arrogance did not endear them to Jesus!  In fact, Jesus’ juxtaposes the scribes, the religious leaders and the rich with the poverty and the insignificance of a widow and her gift.  In today’s Scripture, Jesus turns the economy upside down.

 

Jesus is sitting “opposite the place where the offerings were put, and he watches the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury.”  Jesus is sitting in the outer temple – the place where the Jewish women and children are allowed to worship, the second-class citizens.  They aren’t

allowed in the synagogue itself.  The religious leaders and Jewish men pass through this outer court on their way to the inner sanctuary. 

 

 

And it is in this outer court area where the temple treasury is found.  There

were usually 13 – yes thirteen trumpet-like receptacles placed in the temple court!  The temple treasury was the place where dues, taxes, donations of valuable items, and financial gifts were placed.  As people come into the temple to worship, they have plenty of collection boxes to put their temple donations into.  Often the officers in charge of the treasury would “examine” the offerings before they went into the receptacles to verify that the people were giving enough. 

 

The public location of the collection boxes led to pride and greed. Some folks put money in for the wrong reason.  They would give a lot so others would “see” their generosity.  They gave a lot to make an impression on others.  And the poor – well, they were often exploited and humiliated because their gifts were “small”.  

 

But this widow comes to the temple to worship God, and she puts “two very small copper coins, worth only a fraction of a penny”  into one of the collection receptacles.  Think how intimidated this poor widow must have felt going into the temple.  She must have felt like she didn’t belong – a widow had absolutely no social standing.  Her standing in life, her clothes…everything about her must have screamed poverty.  She risked ridicule and humiliation because of the two meager leptas she put into the receptacles – the smallest coins in circulation.  The coins would have clattered against the sides of the collection receptacle. Drop coins.  The sound of the coins she gave would have given away the size of her gift.  Her offering is less than a penny.  Let’s face it - The widow’s offering is

insignificant.   (PAUSE)  Or is it? 

 Now, I need to stop a moment and tell you what this sermon is not about. 

Sometimes this passage is used to criticize the rich and make them feel guilty for all that they have.  Sometimes this passage is used to make people feel guilty that they aren’t giving enough money to the church.  Sometimes this passage is used to manipulate people to give more than they can afford.  “Look at how much the widow gave – everything she had.  If you trust God, you will give “everything you have” to the church.”  Never mind that your children are hungry, your rent is due…. Give what you have to the church and trust God.

 

But I don’t think this is an accurate interpretation of this passage.  Scripture doesn’t manipulate.  So, what is Jesus trying to teach us?

 

Jesus is not critical of the religious leaders and the rich because they have a lot of money.  He isn’t critical because they give large gifts to the temple.  Jesus is critical because the rich are giving out of greed.  The rich compete with one another – who will give the bigger gift?  They show off – wanting everyone to see the stack of bills they put in the collection box. Jesus is critical because the rich in this passage are giving for the wrong reason.  The synagogue – the House of God, this holy place of worship - has become a place of status, of greed, of privilege, of discrimination and ridicule.

 

And…. This is important - Jesus is NOT praising the widow for giving the last of her money.  You see, this passage isn’t really about money.  The Greek text says that “she has put in her whole life.”  She put in her whole

life.  Do you see the difference?  It isn’t that she gives ALL her money or the LAST of her money.  She gives her whole life.  All that she is, she lays

before God.

 

Jesus is not concerned about money for the sake of money.  He isn’t concerned about the amount the widow gives (or the rich for that matter!)  Jesus sees the value of the widow’s gift not as sentimental or a statement against those who can give larger gifts, but the value is in how much of herself she gives.  She has nothing left except to trust in God. And she chooses to trust. The widow is not bitter or angry about her life circumstances – her grief, her poverty.  But instead, she acts – she takes responsibility for her life.  She brings all that she is to worship the God she loves. Her giving was an act of pure worship – she had no other motive.  This woman understands who provides for her needs and she feels gratitude in the midst of tremendous hardship. And as a result, she receives a blessing that no one can take away from her. This poor widow who is humble and generous teaches us about the heart of giving. 

 

How do you think the widow felt when she gave those 2 coins to the temple offering? (PAUSE)  I think she felt joy.   (Pause)  When I think about this story, I think about Jane who had wealth and when she heard there were homeless children and families at Christmas, she made a $5,000 gift.  She didn’t give for recognition or prestige.  She gave from her heart.  I remember the joy in her eyes and the smile on her face.

 

I think about Maria and the way her eyes sparkled when she gave her $10 gift to help other homeless families.  I imagine the widow gave her last penny to God out of gratitude just like Maria gave $10 of her McDonald’s

paycheck to the shelter out of gratitude.  I imagine the widow had a sparkle in her eye, a little skip in her step – a flutter in her heart – a deep felt joy. 

 

This widow impresses Jesus enough that he points her out. Not because of 

the coins she put into the collection receptacle but because He sees her joy in giving.  He sees her trust. This is what Jesus rejoices over.  This poor widow, with no significant financial gift to offer has the right heart.  She gives for the right reason.

 

Jesus’ is touched by her faithfulness.  He is impressed with her heart – not her financial giving.  God’s economy is different than the world’s economy.  God doesn’t care about the amount.  God cares about what’s going on in the inside.  Even those of us who think we have nothing to give –  do.  Our giving – whatever the size is valued by God if it’s given with the right heart, the right intention.  Jesus’ interest is in our motivation for giving – or not giving. 

 

No gift – whether time, talent, or money is too insignificant to give if it is given to God.  And what is truly given to God, regardless of how small or insignificant, is transformed into a pearl of great worth.

 

Jesus asks each of us to give all that we are to God.  This poor widow – this woman without status, without prestige, without wealth is THE model of discipleship.  By giving “all she had” – by giving “her whole life” this insignificant widow perfectly fulfills Jesus’ call to discipleship.  She lays down her whole life for God. 

 

So, what about us – what about you and me?  How much of ourselves are we willing to lay down for God?  Whether it’s our money, our time, our

talent, our plans, or our hearts, do you feel the true joy of giving – just like the widow….and just like Jane and Maria?  What does discipleship look like for you?   Jesus lays down his life for us…..and he invites us to do the

same for him. Amen.

I'm Back!

Greetings!

After taking a hiatus from my blog for several years, I have decided to start posting my sermons again.  Thank you for taking the time to read my sermons.  I pray they are a blessing to you.

Grace and peace,

Pastor Debbie 

Fear & Faith

Debbie Cato

Hebrews 11:1-3; 8-16 and Luke 12:32-40

Fircrest United Methodist Church

August 11, 2019

Fear Vs Faith

 

It seems there is so much to fear these days. Global warming; the harm being done to our environment is frightening.  The increasing numbers of people living in poverty in our country. The number of people; children going hungry; the people experiencing homelessness.  It’s alarming. This over-arching fear of war and the loss of respect among our allies. Immigration; racism; misogynism. I could go on and on.

And the mass killings in this country. Oh my gosh. It’s beyond comprehension how hate has taken over this country.  It surrounds us[1]. It seems we have lost any common decency toward one another.  I’m afraid for us as a society.  I’m afraid for my beautiful, 10-month grand-daughter. 

 

It is into this that Jesus says, “Do not be afraid, little flock.”  Do not be afraid.  I found this phrase calming these past weeks as I heard it repeating in my mind like a song stuck on a phonograph.  Especially this last week.  Do not be afraid.  Do not be afraid, little flock.  I found myself repeating it over and over.  Do not be afraid.  Do not be afraid.

 

If you read all of Luke 12 – and I encourage you to do that this week, you might realize that the first hearers of Luke’s gospel message also had reasons to fear things.  Luke 12 is filled with reminders not to worry or be afraid. 

 

Fear gets in the way of our awareness of God’s way; of how He works in our lives.  We forget what He has done in the past and we don’t believe that God is still working in our lives and in the world today. 

 

Faith is the ability to see with the inner eye, to see what cannot be seen with the natural eye, especially given the harsh realities of the world we live in.  It’s the ability to see God’s faithfulness in all His promises through all the past generations.  We need to be reminded, because we forget.  Don’t we?  Especially when we are in crisis.  Especially when God feels far away.  And I don’t know about you, but I find myself asking God a lot these days, “Where are you God?  I can’t see you at work right now.” 

To show us that faith is possible, the author of Hebrews gives us real life examples of people who believed without ever having proof; believed without seeing.

 

Hebrews 11 is a roll call of the faithful; naming those in every generation – a great cloud of witnesses – who courageously stepped out in faith based on nothing more than God’s promises. The author of Hebrews starts leafing through the Old Testament if you will, stopping here and there to tell the story of faith’s heroes.  Face after face, name after name passes before the reader.  Names we recognize.  These Hall of Famers were righteous; they journeyed obediently in faith.  God tested them and they believed without seeing.  And hear this:  none of them were perfect!  They all messed us!  But God called them to do great things anyway!

 

Looking at Hebrews 11, you’ll see that we skipped some verses.  We skipped the verses about Abel who by faith offered a better offering than Cain.  We skipped the verses that remind us that by faith, Enoch escaped death and was snatched from life, never to be seen again. 

 

We skipped the verses about Noah. We all know the story about Noah and the ark and the animals and the flood.   The author of Hebrews lists Noah as a great witness of faith.  Why?  Noah lived at a time when the earth had become corrupt.  God gave Noah the task of building an ark.  Everyone mocked him, including his own family, but Noah kept building.  Just as God promised, the floods came, and the ark saved Noah and his family & all the animals of the earth.   

 

And then of course, Abraham.  Abraham was just living his life when God came to him and said, “Pack it all up, Abraham.  Leave this home of yours and go to a foreign land; a place you don’t know about and live there.”  And by faith, Abraham packed up his belongings and his family and his herds and took off.  Not because he had planned to move.  Not because he knew where this place was, and he always wanted to go there.  He went because God asked him to go.  Abraham stepped out in faith.  In a big way.

 

If we kept reading the rest of Hebrews 11, we would find Isaac and Jacob and Joseph and Moses and others.  Each of whom did something by faith even when they did not understand and even when they were afraid. 

Faith is a hard thing to explain, isn’t it?  It’s a human response of trust and gratitude that pours out of God’s unconditional love for us.  But it’s built on this foundation of God’s promises and this idea that based on what God has done in the past, God will do again. Faith is often the only way we can cope with the challenges of life.  We have faith that God is in it. Somewhere.  Somehow. How do we know for sure?  We don’t!  Faith is “being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”   Faith is trusting in God just because God is God.  What are some of the promises God has fulfilled in your life that you hang onto in times of crisis?

 

Having faith is hard. Our human tendency to doubt creeps in.  But also, our faith, our beliefs can provoke hostility and ridicule.  Have you ever faced hostility or ridicule because of your faith?

 

People laughed at Noah building the Ark. Imagine the discussion when Abraham told Sarah they were packing up and moving to a foreign land.  I doubt Sarah was thrilled about that news!  The Israelites were consistently hostile toward Moses as he led them out of Egypt.  Whenever they were unhappy, they turned on Moses. “Take us back to Egypt.  It wasn’t so bad there!” they cried.  And Jesus, well we all know he was mocked and tortured for his faith.

 

Our Christian faith is the perception that the way of Jesus is the way I want to be; the way I was created to be; created in the image of God. Faith is the awareness that the meaning of life goes way beyond the creation of wealth or power or privilege; but rather it is about loving God and loving one another.[2]  Those of us who call ourselves Christians; literally followers of Christ; are called to live like Christ.  Christ was a healer; he ate with sinners and the poor and the outcasts.  Jesus spoke against the wealthy landowners who hoarded their wealth for themselves.  He turned over tables in the synagogue.  He protected women who were about to be stoned.  Jesus did not play it safe. 

 

Jesus does indeed tell us not to be afraid.  But he also compels us to act!  To be ready.  “Do not be afraid, little flock.” Jesus says.  “Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning,” Jesus says. “It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready,” He says.  “You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.”

Jesus is pretty clear!  Noah built.  Abraham went out.  Moses led his people.  Jesus did not stay in a building and wait for people to come to him.  Our faith is meant to be a faith of action.  We are called to do.

Our faith puts us at odds with the dominate culture.  A culture that is telling us that it is O.K. that some people are marginalized and excluded from positions of power and privilege.  That it is O.K. that some people are treated as sub-human.  That it is O.K. that hostility and ridicule and economic discrimination have become legitimized.[3]  That it is O.K. to separate children and parents and put them in cages. That it is O.K. to encourage and spread hate toward people that may look or believe differently than me or you? That it is O.K. that mass shootings have become the norm.  

Do we believe that everyone is made in the image of God or not? Here, faith becomes courage.  And it is to this, that Jesus says, “Do not be afraid, little flock.”

Do we stand up and speak and put our faith; the teachings of the Gospel into action, or do we stay quiet and be safe?  Do we put our faith into action when we vote at the polls or not?  Do we write letters and get involved when we never have in the past or, do we sit back and let things carry on and just offer our prayers?  Prayers require our willingness to be part of the answer to those prayers.

One of my faith heroes is Mother Teresa.  Something she said is this:

I used to pray that God would feed the hungry, or do this or that,
but now I pray that he will guide me to do whatever I’m supposed to do, what I can do. 
I used to pray for answers, but now I’m praying for strength. 

I used to believe that prayer changes things, but now I know that prayer changes us

and we change things.  Mother Teresa

It is for times like this that we need to remember the persons and events from the past who were faithful even when they did not understand; even when they were afraid; even when they were mocked.  Our story is a great story that reaches back farther than Abraham.  Abraham who trusted God and left his home without knowing where he was going.  None of these ancestors fully received the promise that God offered.  They remained strangers and foreigners, sojourners and pilgrims, even in the land of promise.  They died in faith without seeing the promise fulfilled.

God has not stopped calling us.  Maybe we just don’t hear him as well because there is so much noise in our lives.  But if we pay attention to what’s happening in our world; in our communities; you can’t help but see that it is for a time such as this that the people of God must step up and take notice.  We must step out in faith as Abraham did; we must “be dressed and ready for service” and be the hands and feet of Christ; the love and redemption of the Holy Spirit in a hurt and broken world.  Amen.

 

 

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[1] Feasting on the Word.  Year C, Volume 3.  Luke 12:32-40.  Theological Perspective.  Page. 334 & 336.  Audrey West.

[2] Feasting on the Word.  Year C, Volume 3.  Hebrew 11:1-3;8-16.  Theological Perspective.  Page. 330.  John Shellby.

[3][3] Ibid.