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St. Charles Episcopal Church - Saint Charles, IL
The Fourth Sunday after Epiphany - Epiphany 4 RCL - Year A
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Micah 6:1-8 ; Psalm 15 ; 1 Corinthians 1:18-31 ; Matthew 5:1-12
Rev. William R. Nesbit, Jr.
In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, Amen.
I walked around the grounds of the abbey staring down at the earth, examining all the rocks I could find. They were all smooth and black.
I was looking for a rough stone. I walked around a white statue of St. Patrick, across some thousand year old flag stone pavements and up to a small gate in the wall. Looking over the wall and into the adjoining field I see a few sheep enjoying the green grass. Behind them on the horizon the sharp crown of the reek rises into the blue haze. Crough Patrick. The Holy Mountain of Ireland.
It's about ten years ago and I am on the pilgrimage trip with the High School youth group. We have just heard the folk tale told to pilgrims, that one who is climbing the reek is to pick up a rough stone at the bottom of the mountain and exchange it with a smooth stone at the top of the mountain. The rough stone is to represent your sinful soul, the smooth one your forgiven soul. The longer it took for me to find a really good rough stone, the more I thought what a foolish little story it was. Still, I kept looking.
On the wall next to the gate was a small plaque. It read: "Going on pilgrimage without change of heart brings no reward from God. For it is by practicing virtue and not mere motion of the feet that we will be brought to heaven." As I looked down at the base of the wall, just below the plaque, I saw a small stone. It appeared to be limestone and it was riddled with pock marks. In short, it was rough, very rough.
*
In our reading from Micah this morning, the prophet is taking the people of God to task. It would appear that they have been whining about their situation. This is the section of Micah that was written in the period before the exile to Babylon. Micah is gently reminding them, as gently as a prophet can, that God is God and they are not. The leaders have been crying out for God to pull their fat out of the fire (again). God, as occasionally happens, has had enough. He calls the court of all creation in to session, the honorable judge mountains, presiding.
*
It started off quite well. The path to the summit, the pilgrims way, starts off from the parking lot, running past a little stand that rents walking sticks for a couple of punts. Because I thought it would look good, I bought one. As the path continues, it winds its way artfully along beside a very quaint babbling brook. It is fairly rocky and begins to get steeper and steeper until it's going up at about thirty degrees.
Soon I'm puffing. The brook has been replaced by a steep drop off to a wide valley. Over the pounding of my heart in my ears I can hear the pastoral bleating of sheep. Looking around I discover that they are above me. Way above me. I remind myself that I have nothing to prove. This is supposed to be a prayerful ascent. That may be, but dog gone it, at least I'm going to beat the sheep. I grit my teeth and climb on. All thought of the rough stone in my pocket has been lost.
*
"O my people, what have I done to you? In what have I wearied you? Answer me!" I have a feeling that when the kingdom of earth is overthrown by the kingdom of heaven the first people up against the wall will be insurance people. And all for one tiny phrase. Actually, I suppose it's not all their fault, I mean it's really the rest of us who use the phrase.
The phrase is "Act of God." This is the phrase that we now use to lump together catastrophic occurrences of random chance, things like earthquakes, tornadoes, and floods. I don't take issue with the reality that God works in our world, it's just that more often than not it's the negative things that God seems to get credit for. A gorgeous sunset on a beach, or the green shimmering of the aurora borealis on a winter night are no less acts of God, but they are seldom if ever described that way. When someone dies suddenly we wonder why God took them, but when babies is born we don't wonder why God gave them.
It must get under God's skin at times. We complain about God all the time and so rarely hold up our end of the bargain. I do not wonder that God loves us, we are after all God's creation. I am however constantly amazed that God keeps loving us in sprite of our behavior.
*
At last I am looking down at sheep. I am standing on the saddle, a short level space about half way up to the top of Crough Patrick. Ten minutes ago I never thought I would make it this far. I was no more than five or ten minutes into the climb when I came to the realization that I really might not make it to the top. But now that I am looking down at the sheep, it dawns on me that I am going to make it. The mountain isn't going to beat me. The sheep aren't going to beat me. I know I'll make it...eventually. Still, it might take a while.
Suddenly I wonder if the sheep, or even the mountain are aware that they were trying to beat me? As this somewhat strange thought enters my head I suddenly remember my stone.
*
Throughout the Bible there are many compilations of what God demands of us. In the Old Testament alone there are hundreds of separate commandments. Over and over these commandments get shortened and summarized. Even way back when we humans were looking for the short answer, the rule of thumb. In our readings this Sunday we get two of the more popular guides for living; Micahs summary of the law, and Jesus' Beatitudes. Since we get to hear the Beatitudes a couple of times this year, I thought we might spend a little time with Micah this week.
For Micah the only appropriate response to all that God has done for us is boiled down to three simple acts: Do justice, Love kindness, Walk humbly with God. So easy to say and so difficult to live.
*
Reaching into my pocket I pull out my stone looking at all the little holes and imperfections. Looking up from where I stand I can see the top half of the mountain. The trail rises toward the summit at an amazing forty-five degrees and is made up principally of scree, a collection of loose rocks of sizes varying from a couple of inches to a couple of feet. It is a daunting sight. All those rocks between me and my goal. I wonder if as a professional courtesy the mountain rocks will make way for a rock bearer.
I take my first step and the rocks shift, threatening to twist my ankle. No luck, I guess. I am thankful for the stick I bought down below; a mere decoration on the lower mountain, it now becomes a oft needed third leg. I move on into the realm of clouds.
*
"With what shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before God on high?" "He has told you, O mortal what is good." The three responses that Micah gives all have application in the different areas of our lives.
Do justice to those with whom you work and live. Micah reminds us that justice must be at the center of all our interactions with those around us. Justice is the bedrock of healthy relationships.
Show love and kindness to those less fortunate than yourself. Kindness is the glue that holds relationships together. It must be nurtured and supported wherever it is found.
Walk with God in humbleness. Never lose your place in your relationship with God. Do not presume to lead God. Likewise do not fall behind. Walk with God, beside God, humbly listening. You know what they say, there is nothing like a long walk to get to know someone better. Do it often.
*
At last I am wandering around the summit staring down at the ground examining all the rocks I can find. They are all rough. I'm looking for a smooth one to take down the mountain. I'm not having any luck. The damp air is cold and the wind is picking up. The euphoria of making the top is fading in the chill. The clouds are thickening. The rest of the group is off horsing around over near the other side. They're throwing rocks off the edge and hitting them with their walking sticks. I hope none of them are smooth.
Returning to the task at hand, my eye catches something white. It is a small seashell and it is very smooth. As I pick it up a hundred questions fly through my mind. Sitting down on a rock outcropping I reach in my pocket and pull out my rough stone. Finding a small flat place on the outcrop I set down my rough stone and place the shell on top of it.
Gazing at these two very different pieces of God's creation, in my mind, I ask God if this is enough. For just a moment a shaft of light pierces the clouds, illuminating our group on the summit and giving them a hint of warmth. In that small rough stone I catch a startlingly clear glimpse of my sin, of all the mistakes I had made, the assumptions, the arrogance. All of it.
It would have been a terrifying sight were it not for the smooth white shell that lay over it. In the ever widening spiral of the shell I see clearly the ever widening spiral of God's love and mercy. If that tiny shell can find it's way to the top of a mountain, there is no rock in the world outside of its reach.
It is amazing the wisdom that God has to share with us if we will only ask. And wait humbly for an answer. Do yourself a favor. Ask. Humbly ask God to go on a walk with you today. And then listen. Listen with all your heart.