Be Attitudes

Homily by The Rev. Marcia McRae

St. Francis Episcopal Church, Goldsboro, NC; 4^th Sunday after Epiphany, 29 Jan. 2017

RCL Year A: Micah 6:1-8; Psalm 15; 1 Corinthians 1:18-31; Matthew 5:1-12

Where do you see Jesus' focus in today's Gospel?

On behavior or on belief?¹

Notice how behavior & belief intersect throughout our scriptures [including our Psalm], challenging human perspective, human wisdom in 3 distinct settings:

• Jesus takes the disciples away from the crowd for mountain-top teaching early in their ministry together, building on God's perspective we hear in Micah.
• Micah gives us a picture of a courtroom where God challenges us to “listen up”², as one preacher says of today's reading. The 3 simple statements in Micah specify behaviors elaborated in 613 precepts given earlier in Hebrew scripture, as one rabbi notes.³
• Like Micah, Paul discusses in his letter to the church in Corinth the differences between our perspectives & God's.

At issue among humans throughout the ages are our inconsistent stick-to-it-ness & less-than-clear perspectives.

Notice: Jesus says “Blessed are the people who are X, Y, Z” as he enumerates positive gifts they receive.

Another way to say “Blessed are” is “Happy are” [as I read at sermons4kids, & then researched where the Bible uses “happy”. Among these “happy” scriptures are Proverbs 16:20 & many Psalms: 1:1, 2:12, 32:1-2; 34:8; 40:4; 41:1-2; 84: 4-5, 12; & 89:15].

Happiness may seem illusive, especially when we seek it. We are like a puppy seeking happiness by chasing its tail,⁴ as I read at sermons4kids, which tells about a particular puppy:

The puppy wags its tail when it's happy & thinks the secret to happiness is in chasing his tail, thinking that surely when he catches it, he will have happiness! He shares his discovery with an older dog, & the experienced dog agrees happiness is wonderful & it's in his tail. He says:

“I notice when I chase it, my tail keeps running away

from me.

When I go about my business, it follows me wherever I go."

Happiness, the blessedness Jesus tells us about today, can be part of us. It comes from our attitude.

In school what was your attitude toward grades? Would you rather earn Cs & Ds or Bs & As? [At both worship services the congregation agreed they prefer/preferred Bs & As.]

Jesus teaches us the value of Bs & As: Our Be Attitudes. Be Attitudes challenge us to Be disciples with Attitudes reflecting God's Love & our trust in God's Love, which we know through Jesus' dying for us & rising again.

Through the power & guidance of the Holy Spirit we can reflect God's Love in our actions & attitudes.

How well do we know the Beatitudes? WITHOUT looking at the scriptures on our bulletin inserts, please match up the phrase you hold with its correct other phrase. [We have 16 pieces of paper to match the 1^st 8 Beatitudes.]

Parishioners met this challenge working
together with joy & perseverance.

Yes, I have to have a written reference to be sure since I don't know them by heart! I plan to memorize them this week!

Readers: I invite you to match the phrases!

1. Blessed are the poor in spirit,___
2. Blessed are those who mourn,__
3. Blessed are the meek, ________
4. Blessed are those who hunger & thirst for righteousness,______
5. Blessed are the merciful, _____
6. Blessed are the pure in heart, __
7. Blessed are the peacemakers, __
8. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, ______

1. for they will receive mercy.

2. for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

3. for they will be called children of God.

4. for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

5. for they will see God.

6. for they will be filled.

7. for they will inherit the earth.

8. for they will be comforted.

Jesus concludes the Beatitudes saying:

“Blessed are you when people revile you & persecute you & utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice & be glad, for your reward is great in heaven..."

Our embodying the Beatitudes makes a positive impact on this side of life.

Notice what sounds contrary to rational thinking: “Blessed are the poor in spirit...” As Susan Buttterworth says in her sermon on today's Gospel:⁵

“Wouldn’t it be better to be rich in spirit?

…To be poor in spirit is to be open & empty before God...

with...hands, hearts & minds open, free of clutter,...anxieties,

...receptive, available for God to do a new thing.⁶

Blessed are those who mourn & the meek, who experience letting control be in God's hands. Emptying opens our lives...to grow in grace as God's servants,⁷ ...as peacemakers...”⁸ We must be single-minded.⁹

We must put our money where our mouth is & work for reconciliation & building life in community.

Building life in community differs from building St. Francis into a mega church. Simple actions build life in community.

Think of E.C's preparing coffee each Sunday morning before worship; our bakers' preparing bread for Holy Eucharist; Flower Guild beautifying the sanctuary; our Hospitality Teams' offering tasty treats to share as we fellowship after worship.

Great love & happiness follow simple actions.

We see this in the life of St. Francis.

Whatever Jesus calls us to do, he calls us to do with great love.

Beloved Brothers & Sisters, Jesus doesn't call us to chase our tails.

Jesus calls us to follow him.

Happiness will follow us.

Bibliography

Bible Gateway. https://www.biblegateway.com/ Accessed: 25 Jan. 2017.

Butterworth, Susan. “Becoming Peacemakers, Epiphany 4(A) – January 29, 2017”. Accessed: 24 Jan. 2017. http://episcopaldigitalnetwork.com/stw/2017/01/03/becoming-peacemakers-epiphany-4a-january-29-2017/

The Catholic Answer Bible. Fireside Catholic Publishing. Wichita: DeVore and Sons, Inc. 2002.

deClaissé-Walford, Nancy. “Commentary on Psalm 15”. Accessed: 25 Jan. 2017. https://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentary_id=3131

“The Happy Puppy”. http://www.sermons4kids.com/happy-puppy.html. Accessed: 25 Jan. 2017.

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.

Jewish Study Bible: Jewish Publication Society TANAKH Translation. New York: Oxford University Press. 2004.

Jewish Virtual Library. A Project of AICE [The American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise]. http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/book-of-micah#6 Accessed: 25 Jan. 2017.

Lewis, Karoline. “Commentary on Matthew 5:1-12. Accessed: 25 Jan. 2017. https://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentary_id=3155

Mayfield, Tyler. “Commentary on Micah 6:1-8”. Accessed: 24 Jan. 2017. https://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentary_id=3152

The New American Bible for Catholics. South Bend: Greenlawn Press. 1986.

New Oxford Annotated Bible with the Apocrypha. Herbert G. May, Bruce M. Metzger, eds. New York: Oxford University Press, Incorporated, 1977.

The Path: A Journey through the Bible. Ed: Melody Wilson Shobe. Cincinnati: Forward Movement. 2016.

Shore, Mary Hinkle. “Commentary on 1 Corinthians 1:18-31”. Accessed: 25 Jan. 2017. https://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentary_id=3140.

1 The Path: A Journey through the Bible. Ed: Melody Wilson Shobe. P. 230.

2 Mayfield, Tyler. https://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentary_id=3152 Accessed: 24 Jan. 2017.

3 Jewish Study Bib le. P. 1215.

4 “The Happy Puppy”. http://www.sermons4kids.com/happy-puppy.html. Accessed: 25 Jan. 2017.

5 Butterworth, Susan. “Becoming Peacemakers, Epiphany 4(A) – January 29, 2017”. Accessed: 24 Jan. 2017. http://episcopaldigitalnetwork.com/stw/2017/01/03/becoming-peacemakers-epiphany-4a-january-29-2017/

6 Ibid.

7 Ibid.

8 Ibid.

9 Ibid.

Jesus Calls Us to Transforming Work

Homily by The Rev. Marcia McRae

St. Francis Episcopal Church, Goldsboro, NC; 3^rd Sunday after Epiphany, 22 Jan. 2017

Year A RCL: Isaiah 9:1-4; Psalm 27:1, 5-13; 1 Corinthians 1:10-18; Matthew 4:12-23

Who is it Jesus recruits to work with him? Professional marketers?

[Congregation answers.]

In our Gospel Jesus calls regular people to join in his work. The Jesus Movement relies on regular people. Peter & Andrew, James & John are regular people, who catch fish to make a living. As far as we know, these fishermen are not even tournament winners.

A fly fisherman friend says his experience in a fishing competition was a lot of fun without his winning anything. He says:

You don't have to be famous or win competitions to enjoy fishing. You don't even have to catch anything to enjoy a special relationship with God's creation. He says:

Catching fish is not a given.

If it were, we'd call fishermen “catchermen.”

Working to accomplish God's purpose, Jesus calls us as part of his fishing crew. Our call is to work with Jesus as best we can & trust the results to God. We are a 21^st century part of the process God set in motion & declared accomplished.

Notice the Good News we hear in Isaiah: 

 The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light.
The Jewish Study Bible says Isaiah writes of a future hope & uses the past tense because [these events] “are as good as done.” ¹

We read in Genesis: “in the beginning, God said...& it was so.” The perfection God calls into being in the beginning is being accomplished.

As people of faith, guided by the Holy Spirit, we can accept God's promises & not wring our hands in fear about the size of our catch.

Not wringing our hands gives us strength to hold the flashlight, the torch, the floodlight

to shine the Light of God's Love into darkness.

Notice: Our scriptures today emphasize light overcoming darkness. Jesus' death & resurrection make it possible for people in darkness to see great light. Jesus says in his dying breath: “It is accomplished.”

As God's adopted children, you & I use our gifts & abilities in our lives, our work, our interactions. We do this individually & in our worship, study groups, social events, & business meetings [such as our Vestry Retreat just completed yesterday], using our gift of love to see & love Jesus in each other.

Notice: the Corinthians Paul writes to have quit seeing & loving Jesus in each other, basing quarrels & claims of self-importance on relationships to So-&-So.

Feeling proud Paul baptized you? How do you feel to hear him say:

I thank God I didn't baptize any of you except So-&-So & So-&-So.

Oh, I did baptize So-&-So's household;

other than that, I don't know if I baptized anyone else.

So much for your feeling great about being baptized by the famous apostle Paul. Puffed up one minute because you know he baptized you & deflated the next by Paul himself!

Paul knows priding ourselves on status causes divisions. It keeps us from seeing & loving Jesus in each other. Paul knows a lot about divisions: Corinth has lots of divisions, as author Luke Timothy Johnson says in The Writings of the New Testament.

Multi-cultural Corinth has a variety of people, including some with Jewish backgrounds, some pagans. People focus on differences instead of their common life ² & unity in Jesus.

Our unity in Jesus defines us.

Paul says: “I appeal to you, brothers & sisters, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ...be united...”

Our unity in Jesus compels us to share the Good News, to shine the Light for people in darkness.

Our unity in Jesus relies on our diversity.

Our diverse gifts make us a whole & fully functional Body. Consider our gifts in light of what author Anthony Shadid says of the specialness of creative arts in his book  House of Stone: A Memoir of Home, Family, and a Lost Middle East. He says, creative arts produce beautiful & functional items – items he describes as

“the products of peaceful hearts,

hands long practiced & trained.” ³

He says:

“I believe . . . the craftsman, the artist, the cook, . . . are peacemakers. They instill grace; they lull the world to calm.”⁴

. . . the craftsman, the artist, the cook, . . .
are peacemakers.

They instill grace; they lull the world to calm.”

I see craftsmen, artists & cooks differently now. I see them as peacemakers.

We are a body strong in peacemakers, in individuals with grace to lull the world to calm. I see this Body of Christ has unity to do the work God gives us: to share the Good News of Jesus & draw others into this “net”, this fellowship in this Body, others who may be different & have new gifts God wants us to have here.

Remember: Jesus calls regular people to join in his work of transforming the world. Our unity in Jesus defines us & strengthens us. God calls us to be a fully functioning Body of Christ, using our diverse gifts which make us whole.

The Holy Eucharist we share is a gift that unites us as one Body.

As we share this holy meal today, may we give God thanks for our diversity & our unity to guide us in our life together so that our love may overflow more & more with knowledge & full insight to help us determine what is best.⁵

What is God calling you to do so

that our love may overflow more & more with knowledge & full insight to help us determine what is best?

Bibliography

Brown, Raymond E. An Introduction to the New Testament. New York: Doubleday. 1997.

Brueggemann, Walter. The Prophetic Imagination. 2^nd Edition. Minneapolis: Fortress Press. 2001.

Holy Bible with the Apocrypha. New Revised Standard Version. New York: Oxford University Press, 1989.

Jewish Study Bible: Jewish Publication Society TANAKH Translation. New York: Oxford University Press. 2004.

Johnson, Luke Timothy. The Writings of the New Testament: An Interpretation. Revised Ed. Minneapolis: Fortress Press. 1999.

New Oxford Annotated Bible with the Apocrypha. Herbert G. May, Bruce M. Metzger, eds. New York: Oxford University Press, Incorporated, 1977.

Shadid, Anthony. House of Stone: A Memoir of Home, Family, and a Lost Middle East. New York: Mariner Books Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

1 Jewish Study Bible: Jewish Publication Society TANAKH Translation. P. 801.

2 Johnson. Luke Timothy. The Writings of the New Testament:An Interpretation. P. 296, 297.

3 Shadid, Anthony. House of Stone: A Memoir of Home, Family, and a Lost Middle East. P. 118.

4 Ibid.

5 Paraphrase of Philippians 1:9-10.

What Do You Hold in Your Hand?

Homily by The Rev. Marcia McRae

St. Francis Episcopal Church, Goldsboro, NC; 2^nd Sunday after Epiphany, 15 Jan. 2017

Year A RCL: Isaiah 49:1-7; Psalm 40:1-12; 1 Corinthians 1:1-9; John 1:29-42

What does this Christmas ornament of Santa & the Easter Bunny have to do with our Gospel today?

My husband saw this ornament years ago & had to buy it. It reminds us of my mother [who could communicate well in several languages] telling us:

“Santa isn't coming this year.”

Startled by this puzzling statement, we ask why. She says:

“The Easter Bunny broke his leg.”

Our confusion deepens. We ask more questions.

She says Santa will be at the mall for children but not arriving as usual parachuting from a helicopter because in the spring the Easter Bunny broke his leg parachuting in for his visit.

Ah. This mystery's darkness lightens.

Week by week we face mystery:

in bread & wine,

in Jesus' incarnation,

in Jesus' dying for us, rising again

& our receiving the Holy Spirit.

We face mystery in our scriptures today.

Why does John say of Jesus – his cousin – “I did not know him”?

Why do John’s disciples answer Jesus’ question with a question?

Why do we have 2 places in the Gospel pointing out translated words?

Reading “Scriptures is an act of coming face-to-face with the mystery of God,”¹ Episcopal priest Urban T. Holmes III says in his book Spirituality for Ministry.

“Scriptures are the memory of the church;” their power rises from what happens inside us to “draw us deeper into the process of discerning God’s vision for us.”²

Part of God's vision for us are the unique gifts you have to share! Your unique gifts are gifts only you can share, gifts God created in you, the puzzle pieces God placed in your small hands at your creation.

I recall comedian & actor George Gobel saying at a conference in Atlanta: babies are born with their hands balled into fists because they hold what God put there & has given only that person. God gives each of us pieces of the puzzle to complete the world.

We may imagine baby Jesus clutches a cross & nails in one tiny hand & in the other a healing touch or perhaps the gift of the Holy Spirit, as today's Gospel may suggest.

What did God put into your small hands?

Notice Paul tells the Corinthians & us: God’s grace has been given us in Christ Jesus; Jesus’ testimony is strengthened among us so we do not lack any spiritual gift.

Notice Isaiah tells us: God’s Love is so large God shares it beyond the tribes of Jacob. God says: “I will give you as a light to the nations.” God calls each of us to be a unique part of God’s “lighting system” so God’s “salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”

As my friend & fellow priest, The Rev. Steve Evans of Savannah, GA, posted on Facebook the other day, quoting Plato:

“We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when [adults] are afraid of the light.”

Perhaps you know someone afraid of the light, afraid of God's light. Perhaps your gifts will calm this fear.

Know this: you are not alone.

As we seek how to be lights to the world,

we travel together like the Wise Men.

Your epiphany may be slow like their journey. You may have sudden clarity: God nudging you in an interesting dream, a word from a friend, your star word [which we have here for you if you weren't here on Epiphany to receive yours for this year].

I wonder what nudges John in our Gospel to say he does not know his cousin Jesus. I wonder if he means he doesn't know him as God’s son, as the Messiah, until he sees the sign.

Others may know Jesus when they see signs of the Good News as you share your gifts.

I wonder if our Gospel's translating the words “Rabbi”, “Messiah” & “Cephas” puts the message into clearer language for the original hearers.

You may put into clearer language the Good News of God’s Love for someone who needs to hear it in a way they can understand.

I wonder if John’s disciples follow Jesus & answer Jesus' question with a question because they feel drawn deeper into the process of discerning God’s vision for them, to find where their puzzle pieces fit.

You may help draw a person into a deeper relationship with God.

I wonder if they ask "where are you staying?" because they have learned from John there is something deeper to seek.

Visiting a person at home deepens our perspective.

When they accept Jesus’ invitation to "Come & see," the disciples recognize something beyond location. Something about his conduct speaks to their hearts & sends them to bring others into fellowship with Jesus.

You may help a person see Jesus is staying in your life, & this person may have an epiphany about God’s love not from your words but from how you treat this person.

An epiphany can come slowly like the Wise Men’s journey or be a sudden realization through a striking occurrence. It is an ordinary occurrence for stars to shine at night.

The Wise Men saw something striking & followed the star. How many others saw the star & said: “Wow that’s bright! Well, let’s go get supper.”

How many were burdened by life & could not look up?

How many are burdened & cannot look up?

How many are broken, not suffering a broken leg leaping from a helicopter, but broken in spirit?

How many are afraid of the light?

You / we have all we need to share the Good News God gives us to help God's beloved, broken children to look up.

We just have to open our little fists to share our puzzle pieces & make a positive difference in the world for Jesus' sake.

Doing this, you / we help clear away confusion & assure a beloved child of God no helicopter, no broken leg will stop God's love.

Not even death on the cross stops God's Love.

Bibliography

Barclay, William. The Gospel of John. Vol 1. Revised Ed. Philadelphia: The Westminster Press, 1975.

Harper’s Bible Commentary. Gen. Ed: James L. Mays. San Francisco: Harper & Row Publishers. 1988.

Harper’s Bible Dictionary. Gen. Ed: Paul J. Achtemeier. San Francisco: Harper & Row Publishers. 1985. p. 851.

Holmes, Urban T. III. Spirituality for Ministry. Harrisburg: Morehouse Publishing. 2002.

Holy Bible with the Apocrypha. New Revised Standard Version. New York: Oxford University Press, 1989.

Holy Women, Holy Men: Celebrating the Saints. New York: Church Publishing. 2010.

Jewish Study Bible: Jewish Publication Society TANAKH Translation. New York: Oxford University Press. 2004.

New Oxford Annotated Bible with the Apocrypha. Herbert G. May, Bruce M. Metzger, eds. New York: Oxford University Press, Incorporated, 1977.

1 Holmes, Urban T. III. Spirituality for Ministry. P. 123.

2 Ibid.