Online Sermons
Proper 21-A: September 28, The Rev. Dr. Bill Pugliese
As is obvious from even a cursory reading the Gospels, Jesus loved to answer a question with a question or even a parable. Many a time the answer to the question he was being asked was obvious, like the question, “Who is my neighbor?” The person asking the question knew the answer. He was a man steeped in the Law, but he asked it any way, perhaps to try to catch Jesus in some kind of trap. Foolish man.
As we recall, Jesus did not answer that question directly. He answered it by telling the Parable of the Good Samaritan. What that did, of course, was leave the questioner shaking his head and asking himself why he asked the question in the first place. He really already knew the answer – as did the chief priests and the elders of the people in today’s lesson.
What Jesus was saying to these men was that doing what is good and what is right needs no explanation. One does not have to ask a higher authority for permission. The permission comes intrinsically, comes from the very goodness of the act itself. We do not have to have permission to love another person, even love our enemies, to be a Good Samaritan. We do not have to have permission to say a kind word or even to do a good deed on the Sabbath.
Those who would demand that permission be asked and then be granted are the ones who need to ask a question of themselves. And that question is very simple: “Why?” Or to elaborate further: why in the world did these priests and elders, to be specific, need to know who gave Jesus permission to do good. Obviously they had not. But why did they think they had the right and the responsibility? Who did they think they were: God’s spokesmen? Well, of course they did, even if they would deny such a claim.
In reality, Jesus was being very, very kind to them. He let them off the hook and almost put the burden back his shoulders. He could have put them in their places by asking them who gave them permission to grant permission to do a godly deed. They would have no answer for that, of course, and would have come off looking like fools. I suspect they did anyway.
Questioning another’s motives is always a risky business. Before we question another as to why he is doing what he is doing, why she is saying what she is saying, perhaps we should first ask ourselves why we are asking why in the first place. The answer will tell us more about ourselves than perhaps we might want to know. Perhaps, in fact, we should take time to reflect on why we do what we do or do not do rather than worry about why others act they way they do.
If you are like me, sometimes it takes a lot to get something, some truth, into this thick head of mine. Sometimes I even have to make a fool of myself like the chief priests and elders in today’s Gospel before I get the message. Why we do not always get the message the first time we hear it is a good question to ask because the truth is that we often do not and ften end up making fools of ourselves in the process – as did these men.
There are many reasons for this, of course. Sometimes the message is a little too deep, too profound, and we simply do not understand what it being said. We have to hear it again, and perhaps again and again, and then we begin to catch what is being conveyed. The messenger may even have to change the wording, make the meaning a little clearer, for us to understand. Unless and until that happens, we may never hear what was said.
Sometimes, too, we miss the message because we simply are not paying close enough attention. Our mind is elsewhere. Our heart is in another place. Oh, we know someone is trying to get something across to us, but we are not there even if we are standing right next to that person. We are off somewhere else, our head in the clouds somewhere. Unless and until we come back down to earth that message will remain somewhere out there and we will never hear it.
And sometimes we do hear what is being said. We understand the message very, very clearly. There is no doubt about its meaning. Like the first son in the parable, for whatever reason, we simply and willfully refuse to respond the way we should. But after the full impact of what we have done finally sets in, we realize our mistake and respond accordingly. We are a little late, to be sure, but we did get it.
On the other hand, there are times when we are like that second son who also understood what was being asked of him. Like his brother, he, too, did not want to do what his father asked. He also had no intention of ever doing it. But in order to make a good impression with his father, he simply lied. When we do that, like this brother, we make the whole situation worse. We compound our sin.
We do not always like to hear what is being said. We do not always like to do what is being asked of us. But that is life and that is the life of faith. We grow in an understanding of what our faith is all about, grow daily. That is good. But that does not mean we will always like what is being demanded of us. It does mean God will give us whatever grace and strength we need to do it.
This morning we are going to welcome Laird Browning Hanna into our Christian family. We will make promises and commitments for him that we trust he will some day confirm for himself as did eight of our young people last Sunday when they were confirmed by Bishop Scarfe. We promise that we will teach him by word and example what it means to be a Christian as we did those young people fifteen, sixteen years ago. We hope he will get the message just as they did.
We know, of course, that there will be times when he will be just like us. He will ask questions for which he already knows the answer, if only to try us. He will promise to do things he has no intention of doing and he will refuse to do what he knows he should only to come to his senses and do what is right. In other words, he will be fully human, thanks be to God. And we will be there to support him, to encourage him, to forgive him, and to help him pick up the pieces of the messes he has made, just as we did for those young people and just as others did for us.
Today we not only celebrate Laird’s entry into our family of faith, today we also are reminded of one of our obligations as Christians, an obligation we will teach Laird. Today we begin our annual Every Member Canvas. It is the day when I stand here and remind you and me of our Christian obligation to give of our time and talent and treasure to do God’s work, to fulfill our ministry, here in this life, in this world.
You’ve heard the message over and over again through the years. You know we are being asked to give a proportional share of our financial resources to the work of the church. Our goal is to give 5% of those monies for the work and ministry of Christ Church and the other 5% for whatever deeds of love and compassion you so choose.
Sometime this week you will receive a letter in the mail from Cheryl Valenta and Gary Streit, our Every Member Canvas Chairs, about this year’s canvas, along with a pledge card. Please take time to prayerfully reflect on what financial commit you, with God’s grace and support, are willing to make. During the interim time between when I retire and your next Rector is called your support of your time and talent and treasure is needed even more. I know you know that and I know you will do your part.
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