Truth Shatters Belief
Sermon By The Rev. Marcia McRae
May 29, 2011, at St. Barnabas’
Episcopal Church, Valdosta,
GA
Easter 6 Year A, RCL: Acts
17:22-31; Psalm 66:7-18; 1 Peter 3:13-22; John 14:15-21
Today’s scriptures challenge us to see with new eyes, to see past what we understand, to
love as Jesus commands, to do God’s work, to proclaim the Good News of Jesus’
death and resurrection. This challenges us to see beyond what we expect. Expectations can interfere with belief.
Expectations can distort reality.
As we drive,
my husband, John, stays alert for LOW gas prices. We are driving along one day and he points
to a sign and says, “Gas $3.60. That’s pretty good!” ....I remember when our
response would have been horror to see gas so high. Experience
changes perspective.
Perspective does
not always fit reality.
My mother’s miniature
silver sombrero is a souvenir she brought from Mexico to remember her wonderful trip.
She cherished that little piece of art, proud to have a genuine Mexican silver item handcrafted
by a Mexican artist. Years later she is polishing it and happens to turn it
over as she rubs away tarnish from the imprint. It says – in ENGLISH: Made in Japan.
In an instant, truth Shatters
Mother’s long-held belief.
The risen Jesus
shatters the long-held belief of Peter’s
faith tradition that the people of Noah’s day – believed to be the most corrupt
ever – were forever imprisoned in death.[1]
The risen Jesus shatters death’s
power. Death cannot separate even the
most corrupt people from Jesus’ proclamation of God’s mercy.[2]
Peter says
the flood water of Noah’s day, through which the ark floats, prefigures the water of Baptism that
saves us. . . .
Water destroys. . . .Water saves.
We know Noah’s story: he obeys God, builds
the ark, loads animals two-by-two, shuts the door, saves humankind. Do we think of the reality Noah and his family
faced? This apron[3]
– modeled by Deacon Karyl – humorously shows us there
are
practical realities as we do God’s
work.
Peter tells
us in today’s Epistle to expect suffering for doing God’s work. Jesus suffers.
His followers will suffer. Jesus commands us to love others. Love is
willing to risk suffering.
Paul understands suffering for doing
God’s work. Paul understands practical
realities of how to approach this work. He meets the people of Athens
where they are. He speaks
to their religious perspective that includes the altar “To an unknown god.”
Remember what
Paul says: “Athenians, I see how extremely religious you are
in every way. For as I went through the city and looked carefully at the
objects of your worship, I found among them an altar with the inscription, ‘To
an unknown god.’ What therefore you worship as unknown, this
I proclaim
to you.”
Like Paul, we must meet people where they are in their lives and speak in ways they can
understand so that God’s Truth shatters false belief. These days
many of us put a lot of trust in technology to keep us safe and free from harm.
Most of us have experienced our technology crashing.
In all the
natural disasters lately our technology failed to keep destruction and death
away. People
call these “acts of God” and think that God has crashed...
I can hear
Paul speaking to people today, like he did to the Athenians: “People of
the 21st century, I can see how extremely technological you are. As I surfed the net, I looked carefully at the
objects of your worship – your Doppler radar, your advanced warning systems, your
droids, twitter, and iphones,– and I found among them a pop-up ad inscribed: ‘Totally integrated Unity! The unknown way
to connect.’
“What you worship as the unknown way to connect, this
I proclaim to you. I proclaim the Ultimate
Way to connect.
“God – NOT things made by humans – is
what I proclaim. God IS
in charge even in disasters, even in death.”
Technology
does not prevent disaster and death in Joplan, in Tuscaloosa,
in Japan, in Valdosta. Technology can
enhance lives and save lives. It cannot breathe
the Holy Spirit into lives.
The
Holy Spirit gives the wisdom to create
life-saving technology. The Holy Spirit gives us the courage to love
as Jesus commands us to love – the courage to risk suffering.
What
makes a difference in disaster and in the face of death is the same as in Paul’s
day and Noah’s: Trust
God. Pray. Prayer never fails.
Your prayers
at the news of disaster and pending storms are the first responders. Prayer helps the practical “boots on the ground”
have courage, strength, and wisdom to do God’s work.
We know God has prepared for us good things
that surpass
our understanding. We know the Holy
Spirit helps us to love as Jesus loves. We know the Holy Spirit helps us see beyond what we expect.
We know the truth of God’s totally integrated Unity: The Triune God we
worship IS the ultimate way to
connect.
This we proclaim!
Bibliography
Book of
Common Prayer. New York:
The Church Hymnal Corp., and The Seabury Press. 1979.
Brioadt,
Lawrence. Reading the Old Testament: An Introduction. New York: Paulist Press. 1984.
Harper’s
Bible Commentary. General Ed.: James. L. Mays. San Francisco: Harper & Row Publishers,
1988.
Holy
Bible with the Apocrypha. New Revised Standard Version. New
York: Oxford
University Press. 1989.
Lectionary
Page. http://www.io.com/~kellywp/.
Accessed April 19, 2011.
New Oxford Annotated Bible
with the Apocrypha. Herbert G. May, Bruce M. Metzger, eds. New York: Oxford University Press, Incorporated, 1977.
...With God’s help we will respect the dignity of every human being.
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...Con el auxilio de Dios, respetaremos la
dignidad de todo ser humano.
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Baptismal Covenant
Book of Common Prayer p. 305
|
Pacto Bautismal
El Libro de Oración Común pj. 225.
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