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25 January 1998
Epiphany 3C
Allow me to start today with a bit of wisdom whose author is unknown. Nonetheless, the truth of the words resonate deeply within me.
Watch your thoughts; they become words.
Watch your words; they become actions.
Watch your actions; they become habits.
Watch your habits; they become character.
Watch your character; it becomes your destiny. (1)
I believe that when Jesus moved to the front of the synagogue and unrolled the scroll he knew what he was doing. I believe that in all those years of public silence his heart was not quiet. The thoughts of his heart and mind were now ready to find expression in his words. And his words would permit nothing else than action, action that revealed the love of God. He would not waver in these actions, they would be consistent, a habit of loving others. And in that he became known. His nature was to love the lowly, the outcast, the despised, the discarded, and the rich, the powerful, the popular, everyone. His nature was to love everyone, no matter what. And in that his destiny became sealed. And yet his love did not lessen or fail. "While we still were sinners, Christ died for us" (Rom 5:8).
Yes, I believe that Jesus knew what he was doing when he rose at the start of his ministry and read: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me; because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor" (Lk 4.18-19). I believe that Jesus knew what he was doing when next he spoke. For from the moment he sat down and proclaimed that truly these words were fulfilled in him, all hell broke loose, didn't it? And yet he spoke the truth.
Nearly 2000 years later the drama of the moment has the power to capture us. Let it also have the power to transform us. Of course, it is all the more powerful since we know the rest of the story. We know that Jesus practiced what he preached.
Let us join the words of Paul to our reflection about Jesus. If you remember nothing else from these readings this morning, remember that the love Jesus revealed in his words, actions, habits, character, and destiny began with and returned to God. The love revealed by Jesus, the love we are to live in our lives, the love that inspired Paul, is God-powered. Jesus began to read, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me. . ." (Lk 4.18). And Paul wrote: "in the one Spirit we were all baptized. . .God arranged the members in the body. . .you are the Body of Christ" (1 Cor 12.13, 18, 27). God takes the initiative. God invites our participation. God desires to work through us. It is a simple truth. It is a profound challenge.
It is a challenge to think that God could choose to work through someone like us, isn't it? Sure, Jesus can speak and act like that He is God's Son, but me? Based on my own inner dialogue with the Spirit I can hear yours: I am too young for God to work through me. I am too old, too ignorant, too naive, to weak, too much a sinner, too fat, too thin, too lazy, too distracted, and so on. God needs somebody else, not me. And yet the truth proclaimed by Paul is that God needs you and me and everyone else in this room. God desires to work through us—all of us! Believe it. Act like it.
There is an old story about an angel who greeted Jesus on his arrival in heaven after the Ascension. "Lord, who have you left behind to carry on your work?" the angel asked. "A little band of people who love me," answered Jesus. "But Lord, what if they fail when their trials come? Will all you have done be defeated?" "Yes," Jesus replied, "if they fail, all I have done will be defeated." The angel persisted: "Is there nothing more?" No," said Jesus. "What then, Lord?" asked the worried angel. "They will not fail," was Jesus' answer. (2)
God has arranged the members in the Body of Christ, the "little band of people" in this story. It will not fail. It is God powered. Indeed, on the eve of his death Jesus spoke for this little band (that includes us). And he spoke the truth again: "Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father" (Jn 14.12). We will not fail.
Some will teach. Some will feed the hungry. Some will make sure the bills get paid on time. Some will preach. Some will visit and heal the sick. Some will make sure the buildings are clean. Some will sing to the glory of God, some will make sure that instruments are tuned and playable. Some will greet us at the door of worship, some will make sure that we have everything necessary for our worship service. Some will pray quietly in their homes, some will lead us in prayer here. Some will simply smile and be friendly, and some will prepare food for us to share. No one is asked to do everything, everyone is asked to do something by the same Spirit. And by God's grace and power, we succeed.
We gather this weekend in our Annual Meeting. We will celebrate what we have done well in 1997. We will set challenges before us in 1998. We have worked diligently, we will continue to do so. But let us never forget that the love we are to reveal is God powered. What has been accomplished here is through our cooperation with the Grace and Power of God. What will be accomplished here is by our continued cooperation with the Grace and Power of God. It is God's grace that has brought us this far, it is God's grace that will lead us home. The Body we are to build up is the Body of Christ. If we pay attention to this grace, if we allow the Spirit of God to anoint us as Jesus did, we will not fail.
All of this is to say, let us trust God. Let me finish by sharing a prayer I have found helpful—words leading to action, in this case, trust in God. In the midst of the sorrow and the activity since Brad's death, I have come to a newer level of trust in God as I have prayed the Serenity Prayer. As you may know, the theologian Rheinhold Niebuhr is the author of this inspired prayer. In its entirety it is a wonderful way to control the self and allow God to work in and through you. It has been a fundamental resource for me since July. Listen to this marvelous prayer:
God grant me the Serenity to accept the things I cannot change;
Courage to change the things I can;
and the Wisdom to know the difference.
Living one day at a time; accepting hardship as a pathway to peace;
taking, as Jesus did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it:
Trusting that you will make all things right if I surrender to your will;
that I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with you forever in the next. Amen. (3)
Let Jesus point us in the right direction and inspire us in actions and habits and character. Let the Word of God instruct and inspire us; let the Body and Blood of Christ nourish us. Let our God-powered works at St. Margaret's continue to point others to the glory and love of God. Amen.
(1) —Author unknown, quoted in How Could You Do That? by Dr. Laura Schlessinger
(2) Meditation for March 18 in Letting God: Christian Meditations for Recovering Persons edited by A. Philip Parham (New York: HarperCollins, 1987).
(3) Quoted in a meditation for February 13 in Letting God: Christian Meditations for Recovering Persons edited by A. Philip Parham (New York: HarperCollins, 1987).
Scripture quotes: The New Revised Standard Version, (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers) 1989.
The Rev. Daniel Rondeau
drondeau@stmargarets.org
25 January 1998