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St. Charles Episcopal Church - Saint Charles, IL

The Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost - Proper 21 RCL Year A

Sunday, September 25, 2011                                                                                                                                                                          

Exodus 17:1-7 – Psalm 78:1-4, 12-16 – Philippians 2:1-13 – Matthew 21: 23-32

Rev. William R. Nesbit, Jr.

In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, Amen.

[“Mercifully grant unto us such a measure of thy grace, that we, running to obtain thy promises, may be made partakers of thy heavenly treasure”] “Grant us the fullness of your grace, that we, running to obtain your promises, may become partakers of your heavenly treasure!”

I think most of us have a pretty good idea of what God’s grace looks like, or at least we would know it when it hit us in the face. I also think that we have a pretty good idea of what it means to be partakers of God’s heavenly kingdom. These are the things that we ask for in our collect this morning. In return we promise to do our part, to run after God’s promises. Run after God’s promises. That, I am afraid, is different kettle of fish.

What do God’s promises look like in our lives, and what might it look like to run after then? If you were to do a search in your Bible you would find a series of verses in the Book of Zechariah that would give you a pretty good overview of God’s promises, at least God’s promises as Jesus would have understood them.

[Zechariah 8:11-13] “... Now I will not deal with the remnant of this people as in the former days, says the Lordof hosts. For there shall be a sowing of peace; the vine shall yield its fruit, the ground shall give its produce, and the skies shall give their dew; and I will cause the remnant of this people to possess all these things. Just as you have been a cursing among the nations, O house of Judah and house of Israel, so I will save you and you shall be a blessing. Do not be afraid, but let your hands be strong.”

To paraphrase these verses, God’s promises are that God will save us, and that we will be a blessing. What would it look like to run into that reality? To know that we will be saved, and to know that we will be a blessing. What clues are we offered in our scriptures this morning?

Today, when we hear the parable in Matthew of the two sons we might first think of it as a moralistic parable about the importance of obedience, and so may end up in our self application either berating ourselves for not doing what we should, or commending ourselves for doing what we should, when we didn’t really want to (And then patting ourselves on the back, for good measure, because our ancestors aren’t Pharisees). But there is another way to look at this parable -- the simple one of taking it as an opportunity for our own self-reflection, and looking at how we keep our word, and choosing which word we decide to keep. I don’t know if you’ve noticed recently, but nowadays it seems like we can rely on people's promises less and less. How often have you heard, or even said, “I’ll call you back.” “The check is in the mail.” “ We’ll get together soon.” “Don’t worry about it.” “I’ll take care of it,” when it wasn’t the whole truth. And look how very grateful we have become for people who simply follow up and actually get things done, whether they promise to or not. The world we live in is becoming a hostile place. Even more so if even we don’t make the effort.

Today it is vital that we remember that this really has to be about me and about you; are we running for God’s promises. Are we being the blessing to the world that God intends for us to be? Jesus is clear. We can’t depend on the labels we give ourselves: It isn’t who we are that matters. Being baptized doesn’t matter if it doesn’t make a change in our lives. The example Jesus gives us isn't grandiose, but it hits like a hammer. In what situations do you make promises -- or say things that sound like promises -- and not follow through? Maybe never? But if you are really honest with yourself you will remember that there have been times when you said you would do something, when you really didn’t have the time -- and the time never became available. Or you forget. Or it was easier to get that person off the phone by saying, “yes,” when the real answer was “I don’t want to” or, simply, “no.” Or, maybe, it was just that you didn’t want to hurt someone’s feelings -- so you told them whatever it was that you thought they wanted to hear. “That’s beautiful.” “We’ll get to it tomorrow.” “I’ll be home by ten.” It may seem to be a little thing, but it isn’t. If the community of the baptized is going to live into the promises of God, and be the blessing to the world that God intends, it must start small, to grow big. It must do even the little things right. Metaphorically, we cannot walk to the promises of God, we must run. And we must do it together. Part of today’s reading from Paul’s Letter to the Philippians asks us to “look not to your own interest, but to the interests of others.” In this way Paul reiterates the power and importance of community to the growing church.

In the Gospel this morning, Jesus is telling us, warning us, of the dangers of becoming a blessing to ourselves alone and missing our mission to be a blessing to the world. The bottom line, in Jesus’ explanation to the chief priests and elders -- and probably to anyone else who will listen -- is that we can no longer make excuses because of birth or background; Saying we are Christian is no longer enough, we must be Christian. We must be the blessing to the world that God has called us to be. We have the freedom to recognize what John proclaimed: that there are rules to follow in delight since they reflect a life lived with God.

When we are baptized into the body of Christ we are changed. We are no longer the same, and we are no longer alone. The good news is that we are no longer subject to who we were before, or where we came from. The bad news is that we can no longer use who we were before, or where we came from before as an excuse. One of the things that often confuses us as Christians is whether what we believe is more important than what we do, or whether what we do is more important than what we believe. Today we are reminded that the two are inseparable. What we believe changes who we are; and what we do changes what we believe. When we are true to our faith, we follow Jesus. In turning to follow, we turn away from our former transgressions and gain a new perspective, as well as a new heart and a new spirit. This is the new reality that Paul is sharing with his beloved church at Philippi. It is the same reality he shares with us across these hundreds of years.“Therefore, my beloved,... work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, enabling you both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” In his description of how Jesus lived his life, he lifts up for us the way we should live our lives. In that way of living, he also lays out the gifts of grace we can expect to both receive and share.

An awesome thought that; God, the creator of the universe at work in our own lives, that our simple lives may reveal the kingdom of heaven to the world. Fear and trembling indeed! Amen.