Homily
by The Rev. Marcia McRae
St.
John’s Episcopal Church, Bainbridge, GA, 28 Sept. 2014, Proper 21
Year A RCL: Exodus 17:1-7; Psalm 78:1-4, 12-16; Philippians 2:1-13; Matthew 21:23-32
Who
gives Jesus the authority to do what he does? How do
you get water from a rock? How can you answer a question with a
question? Please
be seated.
Our
scriptures are
full of questions. So I
have 2 riddles1
about things you have seen. What holds water even though it is full
of holes?
[Sponge.]
What gets wet when it is drying? [Towel.]
Before
we explore how
to get water from a rock, tell me: What difference do
you notice between the 2 samples of wrapping paper you have just
received from our young acolytes? [Color,
feel, etc.]
What
is
used to make paper? [Wood.]
Can
you make paper from a rock? YES! The brown paper is recycled paper.
The white paper is made from stone. We use God's natural gifts to
make paper.
How
does Moses get water from a rock? God uses nature to give water from
the rock in the Wilderness of Sin (pronounced
SEEN2),
which is the Egyptian word for the fortress, the stronghold, that was
there &
is mentioned in ancient Egyptian texts.”3
Its limestone rocks drip water. Hitting its soft surface exposes the
porous inside that holds water.4
It is easier to get water from a rock than to get people to stay
faithful to & trusting in God.
This is hard in that
Wilderness of Sin
& it's
hard the wilderness of sin that isn't a place but a way we live. We
know this wilderness of sin is a stronghold that separates us from
God & each other. In that stronghold we are likely to complain &
forget the unmerited grace God continually offers us.
We
sing of that grace in our Psalm, which says: I will open my mouth in
a parable – a riddle; I will declare the mysteries/the riddles5,
–
of ancient times. Our Psalm declares God is faithful despite our sin.
God's love overcomes our rebelliousness.
God constantly reaches
out to bring us into right relationship with God & into unity
with each other. God's love that reaches out to all people confuses
the leaders in Jesus' day. Here's what Jesus has been doing that
upsets the leaders:
- He enters Jerusalem on a donkey on Palm Sunday & people joyfully greet him
- He forces money changers out of the temple
- He heals the blind & the lame in the temple.
So the leaders question
his authority. They ask Jesus a question. Jesus answers with a
question. What kind of an answer is that? It's the kind of answer
that shows us when someone throws you a ball, you don't have to catch
it.
Then
Jesus tells a parable. A parable is like a riddle: it's designed to
make us think & see things in a new way – especially to see the
mystery of God's love in a new way.6
Jesus tells the parable
to the leaders, who say they love God. I wonder if Jesus would tell
the parable differently here7
since we don't have a lot of vineyards to work in. We
do have lots of leaves that the wind blows around our yards. Maybe
Jesus would talk about 2 brothers enjoying their electronic devices
at home. Bubba plays a game on his i-pad & wants to finish it. Bo
is watching football. Their dad asks Bubba if he'll go rake the
leaves & put them in trash bags. He says no, he wants to finish
on his I-pad. Dad goes to Bo & asks him. Bo says “Sure”. Dad
goes to town to buy groceries.
While
Dad's gone, Bubba thinks about what he was asked to do: "I can
rake leaves & still have time to finish my game." So he
pauses it & goes outside to work. Dad returns, sees Bubba raking
& asks "Where's Bo?" "I don't know,” Bubba says.
“I saw him watching TV."
Dad
goes inside & guess what he sees? Bo's still sitting there
watching another football game!
I
wonder what their dad thinks about each of his sons. The 2 brothers
show us who really does what the father asks. How we respond – what
we do – is
what counts.
So,
if someone asks you by whose authority Jesus does what he does, what
do you say? DO you know who gives Jesus authority to change our lives
for the better? I think you do.
You
& I are blessed: We DO know that God gives Jesus the authority.
We say this each time we say the Nicene or the Apostles Creed. We can
thank God for sending us Jesus to do what he does to make life whole
& beautiful & to help us live in holy unity as God wants us
to live.
Our life in holy
community reflects the unity of God the Holy Trinity. Our unity is
important for us as Christians, who claim to love Jesus, who
willingly dies for us on the cross. It is important for those whose
lives we touch. In his letter to the Philippians, Paul reminds us our
unity is important.
We strengthen our unity
here. At
this holy table,
we gain strength to serve Jesus where we are. At this table we gain
confidence that, when we need it, God’s grace will even come
unexpectedly like water from a rock.
God fills us with grace
at this holy table. God nourishes us with Jesus' Body & Blood
that come from natural substances of bread & wine. God gives us
these gifts to help us be
strong like a rock & open to God.
Our scriptures tell us
God wants us
to be faithful in our relationship with God.8
Our Psalm tells us of the history of God’s redemption of us...
9
It
assures us God has acted in the past, we can trust God in the
present, & we can trust God with the future.10
This
is
Good News that we have to share! God died for the love of us. So how
do you respond to God's love? How do you – how do we – respond in
situations like Moses & Jesus face when people challenge them?
What will help you remember to trust God? How can you remember to ask
God for help?
Let
us pray. Holy
God, help us to build our relationship with you & each other.
When we face challenges that seem impossible, help us to remember
that we serve you – the Creator who makes water come from a rock.
We ask this in the name of Jesus, our strong rock. Amen.+
Bibliography
Book
of Common Prayer.
New York: The Church Hymnal Corp., and The Seabury Press. 1979.
Broadt,
Lawrence. Reading
the Old Testament: An Introduction.
New York: Paulist Press. 1984.
Ellingsen, Mark. Proper 21 | OT 26 | Pentecost 16, Cycle A. http://www.lectionaryscripturenotes.com Accessed: Sept. 26, 2014.
Harper’s
Bible Commentary.
General Ed.: James. L. Mays. San Francisco: Harper & Row
Publishers, 1988.
Harper’s
Bible Dictionary.
General Ed.: Paul J. Achtemeier. San Francisco: Harper & Row
Publishers, 1971S.
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.
"Lectionary
Scripture Notes: background briefs on Lectionary texts." Lima:
CSS
Publishing Company.
http://www.lectionaryscripturenotes.com/newsletter650.html
Accessed: Sept. 26, 2014.
Levenson,
Jon D. Sinai
& Zion: An Entry into the Jewish Bible.
Minneapolis: Winston Press. 1985.
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.
Scott-Craig,
T.S.K. A
Guide to Pronouncing Biblical Names.
Harrisburg: Morehouse Publishing. 1982.
5
Concept of riddles from Ellingsen,
Mark. http://www.lectionaryscripturenotes.com
Accessed: Sept. 26, 2014.
