A sermon preached August 21, 2011 Proper 16 A

by the Rev. Frances A. Hills, Rector

This reflection on the scriptures followed a presentation and slide show by Susan Frantz on her mission trip earlier this summer to the Mampong Babies’ Home in Ghana.

“Who do you say that I am?” It’s Jesus’ question for all generations. When I was in seminary, however, we learned this Gospel a little differently: Jesus asks, “Who do you say that I am”, and Simon Peter answers, “You are the Messianic Parousia, the Pre-existent Logos, the Eschatological Anticipation of the Cosmos.” And Jesus says, “Say what?”

Joking aside, who we say Jesus is is all-important to our spiritual lives and to the spread of the Gospel. Notice what impressed Jesus in Peter’s answer was probably first, that he answered at all. None of the others said a word! Jesus was also impressed with the freshness and spiritual correctness of Peter’s words: “You are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God”. No one had ever called anyone that before. It came from Peter’s heart and from his experience with Jesus. They were Peter’s own words…not from text books, seminary classes, theological studies, or what he thought he was supposed to say. Jesus praises Peter for his answer. In fact he blesses him for it, because Jesus knew Peter’s answer was the right answer, and that it had come from God. It was divinely inspired!

So it’s really important when people ask us about our faith (first) that we say something! And it’s important to have a heart-felt, personally experienced response. We don’t have to worry so much about its theological sophistication or about what might be expected. What’s important is that we let God inspire us, not only in our answers, but in our daily lives. So that the Jesus we describe is the Jesus we really know. So that we can pass it on to those who are curious and hungry for truth and hope.

 Now in this story, Jesus claims it is God who tells Peter who Jesus really is; but then notice it’s Jesus who tells Peter who he really is. He’s the rock on which Jesus will put together his church. The Message Bible expands this with, “A church so expansive with energy that not even the gates of hell will be able to keep it out…You will have complete and free access to God’s kingdom, keys to open any and every door: no more barriers between heaven and earth, earth and heaven.” That’s who Jesus tells Peter he really is! And I believe Jesus tells each one of us who we really are: Each one a beloved child of God. Each one unique!

In the Romans passage this is expanded by Paul, who says, “For as in one body we have many members, and not all the members have the same function, so we, who are many are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another. We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us.”

Certainly Susan’s mission trip to Ghana, Jake’s teaching mission in Honduras, and what happens in Gideon’s Garden put real flesh on the truth of this: We are all parts of one body with different gifts. The Message notes: “Each part gets its meaning from the body as a whole, not the other way around.” And so we can each consider the abilities we have as gifts, things God has given us and done for us. They are not things we manufacture for ourselves.

Paul encourages us just to do what we’re gifted to do. The Message says it this way, “If you preach, just preach God’s Message, nothing else. If you help, just help, don’t take over. If you teach, stick to your teaching. If you give encouraging guidance, be careful that you don’t get bossy. If you’re put in charge, don’t manipulate. If you’re called to give aid to people in distress, keep your eyes open and be quick to respond. If you work with the disadvantaged, don’t let yourself get irritated with them or depressed by them. Keep a smile on your face.”

These descriptions from Scripture help us know who we are, so that we can better tell others who Jesus is…In our own words, from our own experience. Amen.  

A sermon preached August 14, 2011 (Proper 15A)

By the Rev. Frances A. Hills, Rector

Before this sermon was preached, Ms. Kelsey Wright, a 17-year-old leader in Gideon’s Garden (St. James’ youth-led community garden at Taft Farms), told the congregation about what her experiences working in the garden and with the younger children mean to her. 

Thank you Kelsey for helping make Gideon’s Garden a place of Grace and Love where all can enter with dignity.

Today’s readings have to do with people being “inside” and “outside”. Think of how Joseph was so “inside” with his dad and so “outside” with his brothers. Then outside as a slave and inside as a trusted leader. Then outside in a jail because someone inside lied. Then inside again because of his gifts and wisdom…Joseph basically becomes the Prime Minister of Egypt.

Years later his starving brothers, the ones who had cast him out, come to Egypt looking for relief from the famine. It never occurred to them that Joseph was still alive…Much less the Prime Minister of Egypt and the very person they have to ask for help! They don’t recognize him, but he recognizes them and doesn’t say so immediately. Can you imagine that moment when he finally tells them who he is! The inside ones are now outside, hungry, begging for mercy from Joseph. Fortunately, in the years since seeing his brothers, Joseph has matured. He’s been on the outside and suffered much, felt resentments. He’s been on the inside and known power and prestige. In all this, he’s become very wise. He is aware of how God has loved him. So Joseph is filled with compassion for his hungry brothers. He tells them not to be afraid. This act of forgiveness and mercy is almost too much for the brothers to take in, but they finally see it is Joseph, their brother, and he has forgiven them. And they see that Joseph, the Prime Minister of Egypt, is willing to help them through the famine, instead of killing them (which he might have easily done).

Now in spite of all this being INSIDE, tempted by wealth and power; and being OUTSIDE, where it’s easy to blame and be resentful; in spite of jealousy, revenge, guilt,  oppression and resentment, God has been able to use evil for good… Joseph mercifully left the door open for his brothers so they could walk through with dignity and find Grace and Love. And so the ancestors of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob are indeed in a position once again to be a blessing to all the people of the earth, to let everyone come inside. 

We see this played out again in the Romans passage. Remember in Romans Paul struggles with how most Jews don’t accept Jesus, and he struggles with what is the place of the Jews. (In/Out?) In today’s reading, Paul has come to see the gifts and calling the Jews have received from God are irrevocable. Then Paul reminds the gentile Christians at Rome that before their conversion to Christ, they were on the outs with God. But then when the Jews did not accept Jesus, that opened up the door for the gentile Romans to come inside and believe. So now the Romans are in, and in a sense, the Jews are on the outs. Paul reminds the Romans that because God held the door wide open for them, then it’s still wide open, so the Jews have a way back in. The Message Bible concludes from this section, “God seems to know how to let all of us experience being on the outside, so God can personally open the door and welcome us back in.”

We can walk through the door with dignity and enter a place of Grace and Love! 

THE GOSPEL also works with this theme of who is in and who is out. A Canaanite woman asks Jesus to heal her daughter. Now the Canaanites were anathema to the Jews. They were considered unclean, untouchable, like dogs. So by this definition, the woman is “outside” and Jesus and the disciples are “inside”. Jesus seems to think, or at least he says he thinks, his mission is only for insiders, the Jews. The woman doesn’t seem to care, and she crosses the line that divides inside and out. The woman obviously loves her daughter and fully believes Jesus can heal her. I believe it’s the woman who opens the door this time. She doesn’t care about the differences, the prejudices, the who’s in and who’s out-ness of the situation. And Jesus, full of compassion and respect for the dignity of this woman, finally realizes or admits his mission is wider than just to Israel. Jesus steps through the door and heals the girl.

In all these scriptures today, there’s the theme of needing to be outside sometimes so we will have compassion for others when we’re inside. This takes a lot of spiritual work. We must learn to let go of our prejudices, hurts, and resentments. We must quit blaming others. We must learn to really forgive. When we do that, we can learn to leave a compassionate door open for others, so that they may enter into Grace and Love without fear, and with much dignity.      Amen. 

A Sermon preached August 7, 2011 (Proper 14 A)

by the Rev. Frances A. Hills, Rector

This is a short reflection on Romans 10:5-15, delivered after Jake Pinkston spoke about his two-year teaching mission in Honduras

Paul says to the Romans, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” Jake, your feet are beautiful! Thank you for your word!

In today’s Romans passage, Paul is still struggling with the fact that his own Jewish people have not, by-and-large, been converted by the Good News of Jesus Christ. He poses the possibility, entertains the hope, that perhaps they’ve just not yet been adequately exposed to the Good News: “But how are they to call on one in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in one of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone to proclaim him? And how are they to proclaim him unless they are sent?”

Now in the verses after today’s reading, Paul will let go of this possibility that all the Jews need is to hear the Gospel. He concludes they have heard it, but they’ve rejected it. In our 21 Century world, however, I think this is not the case…There are many out there in our world who have not yet heard and so do not know the Good News of Christ—Crucified and Risen. And our mission, as 21 Century Christians, is to spread that Good News out in our world, in our neighborhoods, where a word of hope and act of love are so desperately needed. We do this in acts of kindness and mercy. We do it when we work for justice. We do it in a million different, loving ways as we “preach the gospel always, and, when necessary, use words”! (Francis of Assisi) This is what Jake did in Honduras, and what Susan did in Ghana. It’s what happens every day in Gideon’s Garden, and if you think about it, it’s what many of us do in our daily lives…Whether we’re aware of it or not.

During August we’re focusing on Mission, so I hope you’ll be here each week to listen to the stories and to become aware of how you are part of God’s great story of redeeming love. We are the ones in our day who have the gift of faith in Jesus.

We must nurture this, train it, so that it is strong and deeply rooted, because we are the ones in our day who can make all the difference to so many others: The people in our world who do not yet know the one to call on; who have not yet believed because they have not yet heard; who have not yet heard, because no one has yet proclaimed. We are the ones to proclaim, because through our baptisms, we are sent by God…“How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”

During August I think we’ll discover we all have beautiful feet. Amen.