Sermon for All Saints Sunday, Nov. 4, 2012, Emmanuel, Mercer Island

This is All Saints Sunday,

            and one of those four special times during the Church Year

                                    especially appropriate for baptisms.

And we have two today! – a brother and sister, Matthew and Ava Wiliamson.

We, as members of God’s family, will welcome these two children

            and pledge ourselves to support them in their new life in Christ.

And we will also remember the fact that each of us are also

                        baptized into Christ.

As the Apostle Paul states so clearly in his letters,

            this means that now our lives are not our own to claim for ourselves;

we live no longer for ourselves but for Christ who lives within us.

Now here is where reality sets in.

If we look at the way we live,

            most of the time it IS very much for ourselves and our own self interest.

And then there are the Saints, those whose lives really did show

            that they no longer lived for themselves, but for Christ.

In today’s pop culture we might tend to think about saints

            as religious superheroes.

Certainly in what we know about saints,

            they seem larger than life,

            able to do incredible good deeds, proclaim the gospel eloquently,                                                 endure suffering, persist in faithfulness through great difficulties.

And they have done this in the face of what the rest of the world

                                                might think as foolishness and a waist of effort.

That is what that first lesson describes,

the reading from the Wisdom of Solomon in the Apocrypha:

The souls of the righteous are in the hand of God,…

In the eyes of the foolish they seemed to have died,

and their departure was thought to be a disaster,

and their going from us to be their destruction; but they are at peace.

For though in the sight of others they were punished,

their hope is full of immortality.…

They were tried and refined like gold,

and the effect of their lives on all around them is described like

            “sparks running through dry stubble.”

What an image! 

The Saints have been like sparks here and there

            setting the whole world ablaze with the testimony of their lives.

Yet any saint who has earned that title would tell you

            that this has not been the result of any superhero special talent.

For what does the text say?

         The souls of the righteous are in the hand of God,…

         Those who trust in him will understand truth,

            and the faithful will abide with him in love,

            because grace and mercy are upon his holy ones,

            and he watches over his elect.

Grace and mercy – it is God’s providence, care and attentiveness

            that are the source of the glory of the saints.

They are in God’s hands,

            and in their trust in God, they will understand truth, understand reality,

                        they are at one with the mind of God.

Again I say, it is all God’s work.

            They have been made a new creation.

The saints, like St. Paul, would be the first to say,

May I never boast of anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.                                                                                                                                     Galatians 6:14

Or these words from Philippians 3:7-9  

Yet whatever gains I had, [Paul declared]

these I have come to regard as loss because of Christ.

More than that, I regard everything as loss

because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.

For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things,

and I regard them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ

and be found in him,

not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law,

but one that comes through the faith of Christ.

The saints are those just like you and me, with one distinction:

            they were open and malleable for God’s grace and mercy

                        to make them into a new creation.

So what’s our excuse?

Maybe we can get some good news from the gospel reading for today,

            a rather strange reading to have for All Saints, one might think,

the raising of Lazarus.

Is this all about a hope in a personal resurrection to assure our own immortality?

No, not really.

There is something else going on in this story.

Jesus had been away, across the Jordan, out of the country,

            when Lazarus got sick, and Martha and Mary had sent word to him.

But he delayed in returning until Lazarus was already dead for four days.

Martha and Mary both stated that if Jesus had only been there in time,

            their brother would not have died.

They believed that Jesus could heal, but they couldn’t see beyond that.

They did not understand why he would delay nor what was possible,

            for they were lost in their grief.

The Greek in this passage reveals more about what Jesus was feeling

            than our English translations do.

Jesus was greatly disturbed, yes, disturbed,

            not with his own grief about the death of his friend,

- of course not, because he had a plan and knew what he was doing in delaying -

Jesus was greatly disturbed at how limited they were in their thinking,

            Martha and Mary, and those with them,

            and about how much grief they were suffering as a result.

The Greek indicates he was both angry with the situation

            and in tears himself in compassion for them in their grief.

The great indictment to this lack of faith and closed perception

            is revealed in his words to Martha

                        when she expressed reluctance to open the tomb.

"Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?"

"Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?"

So notice this: the only one having faith in this situation was Lazarus,

            and he was dead.

It was, of course, the word spoken by Jesus,

            who is described in the Gospel of John as the Word of God

                        who was in the beginning with God and who was God,

                        the Word through whom all things came into being,

                        who became incarnate among us,

this Word of God, Jesus, standing there who said, “Lazarus, come out!”

            that gave new life to a four day old corpse.

Imagine how much easier is it

            for God to work with those

                        who are merely spiritually dead or asleep or half conscious!

Wake up!  Let God work with you!  Cooperate with grace!

The world needs us.  That ought to be obvious.

So much potential for sainthood is sitting here.

If God were to get his hooks into you,

you too might run like sparks through the stubble.

Sermon for Oct. 7, Feast of St. Francis, Emmanuel Episcopal Church

Once again we are celebrating the Feast of St. Francis,

            and as a member of the Third Order, Society of  St. Francis,

I and my 3,000 other sisters and brothers in this worldwide Anglican order

            take joy in the flutter of attention given throughout the Church

                                    to St. Francis around this date.

And I am delighted that this congregation

            remembers and takes part in this commemoration.

It is, of course, as you know,

            much more than simply having an annual blessing of animals.

This has become so popular in so many places,

            and, indeed, it is a good way to remind us of our interconnection

                        with the whole of creation,

something St. Francis understood on a very profound level,

            way beyond what we will be doing this afternoon out on the lawn.

I have told you about Francis in previous year’s sermons,

            some things about him that are important to know,

            some of the key aspects of his life that have had such an impact on the world,

about his renunciation of money and ownership of property

            in his radical embrace of “Gospel Poverty,”

                        that is, poverty as exemplified by Jesus himself,

                        and what he was talking about in today’s Gospel.

His whole life style and that of his many, many followers

            made a huge statement about the economic values

                                                                        of his culture and period of history.

I have told you about the Stigmata,

            the wounds of Christ on the cross that St. Francis also bore.

Francis was on a meditation retreat on Mount La Verna,

            during the month of September in the year 1224

            at the time of the Feast of the Holy Cross,

and he received within his own body

            the same wounds as our Lord endured at the crucifixion.

This was more than Francis identifying with our Lord Jesus

            and therefore wishing to imitate him to the ultimate degree,

                        although that certainly was expressed in all the literature                                     about this remarkable event.

This was more about Francis’ personal realization of oneness with Christ,

            of being in Christ, as the Apostle Paul wrote about,

            of baptismal identity in the Eternal Word of God.

And in that Francis’ own body then manifested this blood baptism

            as a sign and witness of this union, this unity of being,

                        a sign to his generation and for all generations to come.

The Canticle we read in place of the Psalm for today, the Praises of God,

was composed by Francis on Mount La Verna in that September 800 years ago,                when he received the stigmata.

The prayer was written on a parchment

            which also contains the blessing that Francis gave to brother Leo.

This parchment is conserved as a relic in the Basilica of St. Francis in Assisi.


What I have said so far describes important aspects of St. Francis

            that are as relevant for us today

            as they were 800 years ago in Italy and Europe.

But today I want to focus on another aspect of this complex and deep saint of God,

            his profound commitment to peace and reconciliation.

Francis lived during the time of the Crusades.

You all know something about the Crusades, I hope.

The Christians of Europe had taken on a just and righteous cause,

            to liberate the Holy Land from the infidels, the Muslims.

And we know something of the disastrous outcome,

            the horrendous bloodshed that was anything but holy.

It was a time of using religious warfare as a means to justify

            genocide, economic profiteering, and political power seeking.

What was done with the idea of seeking the glory of God

            was hellishly violent, dark and destructive of our humanity.

Francis of Assisi knew that he had to place himself fully in the midst of all that.

Now what I am telling you next is true.

Francis with a few of his brothers went to enter the Fifth Crusade,

            not with the idea of fighting,

            but to minister to the injured and the dying,

            and not for just the Christians.

It was Francis’ desire to go to the Sultan,

                        the leader of the infidel forces of the Muslims,

            and both to convert him and to bring about peace and reconciliation.

Everyone thought this was simply a way to go get martyred.

The year was 1219.  The main focus of fighting at this time was in Egypt,

            in the stronghold Damietta in the eastern part of the broad Nile delta.

The Sultan al-Kamil was a brilliant military leader,

            and the Christian Crusaders were very hard put.

After a disastrous rout that Francis had foreseen,

            he took one brother, Illuminato, with him

            and crossed over into enemy territory.

Ordinarily it would have been certain death

                        once they encountered the Sultan’s troops,

            but after initial suspicion and some rough treatment

                        their captors were bemused by the simple, gentle and very dirty friars

                        and they thought them mad.

Nevertheless Francis was brought before al-Kamil

            and they had an extended visit.

But not without testing.

Some of those in the Sultan’s entourage devised a trap.

They covered the floor with a carpet with crosses woven throughout.

If the friars would step on the crosses, they would be dishonoring Christ.

If they did not step on the carpet,

            they would be refusing the audience with the Sultan,

                        which would be an insult.

As Francis and Illuminato were ushered into the tent,

            Francis without hesitation strode forward.

When it was pointed out that he had trodden on crosses,

            Francis quickly replied,

“Oh, you see, we carry the cross of Christ in our hearts.

These crosses are the ones belonging to the thieves crucified with him.”

The Sultan warmed immediately to Francis,

            and the two engaged in deep conversation for many days.

When they parted, Francis was taking back to the Crusader forces

            a wise offer of compromise that would greatly mitigate the conflict.

And the Sultan’s final words were these:

“Francis, you must know that I cannot convert to your faith,

            or my soldiers would slay me, and I am accountable to all my people.

But you remember to pray for me when I am on my deathbed.”

I wish I could say that the Sultan’s offer was accepted by the Crusaders,

            but that was not the case,

and much suffering and bloodshed yet followed.

But still that exchange between Francis and al-Kamil was not forgotten.

The conversations with the Sultan were not just one way.

Francis was also listening to al-Kamil

            and receiving what he had to say about his Islamic faith.

And this is reflected in that Canticle of the Praises of God

                                                                                                that we read together earlier.

There is a parallel in Islam with the praises of the 99 names of God.

It not only praises God in general,

            but also seeks to praise Him specifically

                        for those attributes of God's names in Islam,

            beyond those which God necessarily had as omnipotent

                        (such as all-seeing, all-hearing),

            but rather what God chose to have out of His mercy

                        and showering Grace upon His servants.

Some of the 99 Names of God in Islam, referred to by this idea are:

            the Loving, the Beneficent, the Merciful, the Generous, the Forgiving,

                        and the Peace.

Do you see the connection?

I tell this story about Francis and the holy wars and his interfaith dialog,

            because there is an obvious and relevant application for the present day.

Wars fought in the name of religion will go on forever,

            unless and until we go to meet the enemy

                        and talk and listen to one another, and receive as well as give.

Francis exhibited not only incredible courage,

            but more importantly he was so spiritually grounded in Jesus,

                        that he had no need to defend the belief system, the theology,

                        and was therefore much more effective in being heard,

            for his words had integrity and authenticity, matching his actions.

Today we have a baptism – Matthew Grumley –

and always on such an occasion,

            as well as being a joyful time of welcoming a new Christian

                        and celebrating with his family,

we also renew our own status as baptized followers of Jesus.

So I would remind you about what our baptism means,

            not the whole scope and depth of the meaning of baptism,

                        there is too much to plunge into,

            but this point of meaning: that in baptism there is a new creation,

                        as it says in today’s epistle reading.

Through baptism the Resurrection Spirit of Jesus creates in us a new creation.

If we were to stop resisting this new creation the Holy Spirit wants to work in us,

            then there might be a whole lot more little St. Francis-es running around.

There might be a whole lot less anxiety about providing for our life support,                   for instance, and a whole lot more selling our possessions and giving alms.

Then we would know what the real treasure is

            and where our treasure is, there our heart will be also.

Sermon for 13 Pentecost 8/26/2012 Emmanuel, Mercer Island

(From the Epistle…)

Pray also for me, so that when I speak,

a message may be given to me

to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel. Amen.

The world is a mess.                                    Well, let’s be more specific.

The human community is a mess.

            Environmental scientists might tell us

                        that if humans were to disappear from the planet

                        the earth would get along just fine without us

                        and in many ways improve and heal itself.

So what is the problem?

It’s the way we humans live with each other.

            We don’t do that at all well.

We have invented governments and laws

            to regulate and safeguard ourselves from each other.

But millennia of history indicates

            that those who are the strongest, who have the most power,

                        the most wealth and the most weapons and resources,

            are those who make the rules.

Despite lofty and well meaning ideals

                        about inalienable rights and well being for all,

            the prime motivating factor for how we do things is self-interest.

This self-interest, propelled by fear and belief in scarcity, drives greed.

Put 7 billion people together on one island planet

            and we see conflict, war and violence

            fueled by fractionalization along

                                    ethnic, religious, ideological, political and economic lines.

Fear becomes palpable all around us.

Who know where violence will erupt –

            in a coffee shop, a school campus, a movie theater or on a city street.

And lines are drawn between the entitled and the alien, the stranger,

            the other who is different,

            to whom it is easy to attribute our problems,

            whom we can demonize.

The madness of the culture we live in ! –

We intensify the problems using instantaneous communication technology,

            whether it is a YouTube video of the violent suppression

                        of a demonstration half way around the world,

            or a Facebook or Twitter posting of a volatile political statement here

                        that goes viral,

we are impacted, bombarded by, overwhelmed with

                                    massive numbers of messages

                        that diminish, demean, devalue, squelch and kill life.

The effects of this is seen currently

            in how we are carrying out the election process.

Daily, even hourly, we are barraged with political messages without end.

With a certain amount of creeping cynicism

            I observe the claims of truth,

            claims of truth that conflict with each other,

                        rendering of little value statements of authentic truth

                                    when they do show up.

Authentic truth – now there’s a tautology that is a commentary on our culture!

We are engulfed in a political process characterized by struggle for power,

for legitimized control,

            fueled by huge amounts of money

            that drown out the voices crying for campaign finance reform.

The values and priorities of this are revealed as

            no compromise, win at all costs,

            take care of self interests first,

            take what power you can,

            exploitation, xenophobia,

            deception,

            especially mastery of lifting words out of context and applying spin,

            greed, and the shiny idol that promises security and happiness - money.

It’s nasty out there right now.                        This culture is a present darkness.

            It’s not that there is a specific enemy to be fought.

Rather it’s more like that famous line from the old Pogo comic strip:

            “We have met the enemy and he is us.”

I don’t know how we are able to walk around upright under the weight of it all.

This is the culture we live in,

            the emotional, mental and spiritual inheritance of our human community

                        that we are raising our children in.

If it sounds like I am speaking on the cosmic level,

            you’re right.  As it says in today’s epistle reading,

“Our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh,

            but against the rulers, against the authorities,

            against the cosmic powers of this present darkness,

            against the spiritual forces of evil in high places.”

It was essentially a very similar cultural climate

that Paul, or the writer of the letter to the Ephesians,

            saw his present culture, the culture the people of Ephesus lived in,

            in the same way –

            a spiritually dangerous environment

            ready to gobble up the fairly new community of faith

            trying to live in this new way of being in Christ

            and finding themselves totally out of step with their culture,

                        their old way of life.

He writes to the Christians in Ephesus:              What is at stake is YOU!

            “Put on the armor of God.”

Putting on the armor is the calling forth of power.

            Strength is needed,            and that strength has to come from God.

But get this:

            The armor of God is not yours, but God’s.            It is a spiritual gifting.

AND you no longer belong to or are in the world.

You now belong to Jesus, and are not slaves of the world culture.

The world is a helpless wreck,

but Paul tells the Ephesians,

            You’ve got it all,

            but you don’t fully realize what you’ve got.

If you are clear in the fullness of the Spirit,

            then you will see the death that this culture,

                                    this way of being a human community is.

“Put on the whole armor of God” is a way of saying

            realize that you have been given the whole armor of God,

            so apply it, make use of it.

“Take up the whole armor of God,

            so that you may be able to withstand on the evil day,

            and having done everything, to stand firm.

Stand therefore,             and fasten the belt of truth around your waist,

            - truth, reality, your core grounding, integration and coherence -

and put on the breastplate of righteousness           

-       the breastplate to protect the heart, the center of being, the seat of motivation and commitment

-       of righteousness, right relationship with God through the Spirit,       

      the source of the strength of God given through the Holy Spirit –

having the feet shod with readiness of the gospel of peace

-       to work in peace, as harmless, non-violent,

-       with freedom from self-hatred and hatred of the other –

-       and that peace, the utterly untroubled fullness of the presence of God where everything is profoundly all right

With all of these, take the shield of faith,

            the faith of Jesus that he has implanted in us,

the shield of faith

with which you will be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one.

-       faith is a reality claim

-       so that there will be strength to face without fear the flaming arrows that are particularly deadly.

The helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

All the pieces of armor are protective in their functions,

            but there is only one weapon:

                        the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,

not our words, but the voice of the Spirit of God

                        that guides and directs us into the way of life.

The advice to the faith community here,

                        the spiritual counsel, the words of hope and words of life,

are “Put on,” clothe yourselves, take upon yourselves

            what has been given you.

You don’t have to make the armor, just pick it up and put it on.

You don’t have to conjure up for yourself

                                    truth, righteousness, peace, faith and salvation.

It is God’s armor, God-generated and God-gifted.

If this doesn’t compute with you about putting on,

            then take the approach from the Gospel lesson.

Jesus said, “Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood

                        abide in me, and I in them.”

Jesus said, “Eat me!”            Take me into yourselves.

            This life is my life, and you have come from me.

Internalize this!

External putting on or internal eating – take your pick.

            Either way, what will connect with you.

The point is here, at the heart of our faith, is what it takes

            to stand in the face of spiritual evil engulfing human culture

            and to quench all the flaming arrows.

Consider this: the armor of God is the same as the Fruit of the Spirit

            listed in Galatians 5.

Notice the parallels.

            The characteristics or the attributes of the Fruit of the Holy Spirit

being cultivated in us are these:

            love, joy, peace, endurance, kindness,

            goodness, faith, non-violence, and self-control.

To live out of this as our reality claim

            is to be counter-cultural in the most profound and life-giving way.

If we live this out with each other            and among our neighbors,

            we will be a bright light

                        burning a hole in the cosmic powers of this present darkness.

The world is a mess.

We are all at stake,

            but we have been given everything needed to stand.

                        Realize it!