| To contact us: Calvary Episcopal Church 667 Mount Road Aston, PA 19014 610-459-2013 OFFICE mail@calvaryepiscopalrockdale.org |
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| SERMON 20 Pentecost - Proper 21 September 28, 2008 The Rev. Kristine Hill |
| 667 Mount Road, Aston, PA 19014 610-459-2013 |
| Small Parish - Big Heart The little church you've been looking for! All are welcome! |
| Our Mission: To worship the Lord To serve the community To grow the church |
| Ezekiel 18:1-4, 25-32 Philippians 2:1-13 Matthew 21:23-32 |
| The Rev. Kristine Hill, Interim Rector |
We preachers have always been warned not to tell stories about our own families
when preaching, or at least, not often. The reason is so that your family will
continue to like you, instead of being perturbed with you for telling on them --
talking publicly about private moments, embarrassing incidents, or situations where
“significant learning” took place – usually someone else’s significant learning, like
when ‘this child’ got into trouble and learned, or the spouse had a right to be
angry yet saw things in a different light and forgave. No one wants to hear about
her own life week after week from the pulpit, especially not if her life is being
used as “an example” for others. A preacher who tells too many stories about his
own family might become ‘persona non grata’ -- rather unwelcome -- in his own
house. It may be a good thing Jesus didn’t have a wife and children because
when he preached he used family examples an awful lot to illustrate our
relationship to each other and to God.
Let’s imagine, for a moment, that Jesus came to our area to teach, and began
talking about someone we knew -- say the owner of a local hardware store - and
everyone knew him, if not personally, then by reputation. Jesus said, “tell me
what you think. The owner of the hardware store had two sons. He said to the
elder son, “go work for me at the store today,” but the son said “no, I don’t
want to.” Later on, however, he changed his mind, went to the store and worked.
The hardware-store-owner went to his second son and said “go work for me at
the store today,” and his second son said, “yes sir, I will.” But he did not go
and work. What do you think of those two kids? Which one did what his father
wanted him to do?
It’s not really a hard question; obviously the first son did what the father asked.
Even so, something about the first son doesn’t quite sit well with us. He did what
his father wanted but he was pretty unpleasant about it. Then there’s the second
son. He answered his father politely, using “sir” and sounding so respectful, but
that doesn’t add up to much if the father cannot count on him to do what he
says he will do. The second son sounded good, but he let his father down. That’
s the thing about this story, even though the answer is clear: the first son did
what his father asked, you never feel quite good giving that response.
If we think back to our catechism classes, our confirmation, we might remember
something in the 10 commandments about “Honor your Father and Mother.” That
might be what is bothersome about this story. Neither son showed his father the
proper respect. The one was disrespectful in his speech, the other in his actions.
Both sons have room to grow; both need to change Each was partially right - the
first son, in actually going to the store and working, and the second son in how
he addressed his father; and each of them was partially wrong - son number one
in answering his father poorly, son number two in being unreliable. There is,
finally, one more thing for us to recognize in this story before we move on -- at
the end of the day, both of them remained sons. Neither was perfect; each son
needed to change, but there is no question that each was still a son of the
father.
Congregations are much the same way. They operate a lot like families. People in
a congregation gravitate toward their natural role in relation to others; we fall into
a pattern of how we interact with each other. You may have noticed that if
“Maybelle” gets anxious, “Charlie” will run to the Wardens and complain about
something: the children are too loud, or a word was mis-spelled in the bulletin, or
the Rector doesn’t face the correct way when she says the Collect. That’s just
how Charlie responds to Maybelle’s anxiety. And if a certain kind of project
needs to be undertaken, everyone assumes “Marshall” will do it because Marshall
has always done that sort of thing. Maybe no one thinks to ask Marshall, but we
all known it will get done… and most likely by Marshall. If a conflict arises
among us and “Donnie” is on one side of the issue, “Tina” will be on the other;
we know that because they never see eye-to-eye on anything. We’re like family;
there is a pattern to how we interact with one another. We do things by habit,
without conscious thought.
And we have people (several, I’m sure) who, more-or-less, fit the roles of the two
sons - every congregation does. There’s “Jenny” who gets involved with so many
things. She’s cheerful and has a ‘go-getter’ type of personality. Jenny loves the
church and has a wonderful, positive spirit. Last spring she said she would
gather three bids from roofing companies so the congregation could begin the
task of fixing its old, old roof. Jenny can do this sort of thing; she’s worked with
contractors before. Summer came and she didn’t have the bids yet. The Vestry
asked her to have them by July so a vote could be taken in August and work
could begin promptly. But no bids came in July; the leaks got worse and by
August there was only one written bid and Jenny’s promise that she would have
the other two in a matter of days. Now it’s nearly October and a roofing company
has yet to be chosen.
Then there’s ol’ “Stan” who grumbles and complains about everything, opposes
any new plan that comes up saying ‘it won’t work’ or ‘we’ve tried that before’,
talks about how the parish is going downhill, thinks it won’t be too long before
we’ll just have to shut the doors… and yet, he’s the first one here every time
people gather to clean and fix up the Rectory. When that new program the Vestry
agreed on is finally kicked off, Stan’s in the kitchen making coffee, greeting
guests with a smile and a kind word, being as helpful as he can be. Any time a
financial need arises and the parish has to raise funds, Stan gives as readily and
generously as anyone, and he does so without uttering a critical word. Whadda
ya know? We’re just like the sons in that story; we have known, and have
been, those two young men all our lives.
The point of Jesus’ story about the two sons is that both sons need to change.
Neither is completely wrong, but both need to do some changing. Easy for
Jesus to say, but who is going to tell the-people-in-our-congregation-who-are-like-
those-sons – “hey, you really have to change?” -- and tell them in a way they can
hear and be blessed, instead of simply being offended? As a community, there
are times when we have to address such issues together, or trust our leaders to
address them -- not go and tell someone he or she has to change, but work to
re-shape how we interact with each other, make significant adjustments in how we
respond to one another, so that we work with each other better and, as a
church, we function better. That task falls to us as members of a congregation,
and to the leaders in their positions of trust and guidance. Today, however,
we will listen to Jesus and Paul, the Apostle, for instruction on how all of us can
seek “change” so that we can more fully embody God’s will in our lives.
What the gospel text is seeking from us, what Jesus is urging upon all who hear
him, is that we be opened up so God’s will may become our preference, our
desire, in daily life. The reading from Matthew ends with Jesus scolding the
religious leaders, because John the Baptist came in righteousness and they
rejected him. Even after prostitutes and tax collectors listened to John and
believed him, the religious leaders still did not change their minds and believe
him. But the translation “change your minds” is not quite accurate. The Greek
word expresses something more like changing what is first in your heart. What
was not changed and needed changing, was what the religious people truly cared
about most. Was it their standing in the community? Was it having authority so
that people looked up to them, admired and maybe feared them? Was it keeping
their understanding of God safe so they didn’t have to consider God in ways that
might be upsetting, that might challenge their picture of who God is? What does
come first with us? What do we hold most closely in our hearts? That is where
God wants to be – right in the center of our hearts, so that loving and trusting
God first will be our natural response. This, of course, is not something we can
do for ourselves; but we can pray that God will renew our hearts so that we
love God and God’s purposes first and best. Then we wait in confidence for God
to give us what we need.
Paul is thinking along the same line in his letter to the Philippians when he
encourages Christian communities to have “the same love for one another, the
same turn of mind, and a common care for unity. Do nothing from selfish
ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. Do
not look to your own interests but to those of others. Let the same mind be in
you that was in Christ Jesus” who, though he was God’s son, did not cling to
this prerogative but emptied himself taking the form of a slave… Paul’s concern
is to show us how to embody Jesus, how to live together well, how to get along
in a Christ-like way so that our manner of living, our well-worn patterns and
habits of interacting with each other – as well as our words and our planned
programs – will witness to the one who loves us.
The old hardware store owner had two sons, and neither of them was perfect,
but both of them were pretty good. Regardless of how they worked on any given
day -- sometimes well, sometimes not as well -- they were his sons. We are God’
s sons and daughters. Living together, worshipping together, engaging in ministry
together over the years, we become like family. Sometimes we work together well,
sometimes not as well. Individually there are things each of us does effectively
for the parish and other things perhaps don’t get accomplished quite as
efficiently, but throughout, we remain sons and daughters – of God and of this
congregation.
Our model is Jesus, who has done all things well. Our inspiration is Jesus, whose
love surrounds us, lifts us up, encourages us, corrects us when we need
correction, but never stops being love -- deep and genuine. Our hope is in
Jesus, who gives us mercy and, we pray, makes us merciful. Our guide is Jesus,
who although he was God, put aside his divinity and became a lowly servant, who
was born a human being, who humbled himself and became obedient to death, to
the awful death of crucifixion -- all of it for our sake and the sake of all people.
None of it for himself. This is our Lord; this is his love. We seek to embody this
model in our relationships, our congregation, so we can be a proper witness to
our Savior, Jesus Christ sharing his love with the world.
when preaching, or at least, not often. The reason is so that your family will
continue to like you, instead of being perturbed with you for telling on them --
talking publicly about private moments, embarrassing incidents, or situations where
“significant learning” took place – usually someone else’s significant learning, like
when ‘this child’ got into trouble and learned, or the spouse had a right to be
angry yet saw things in a different light and forgave. No one wants to hear about
her own life week after week from the pulpit, especially not if her life is being
used as “an example” for others. A preacher who tells too many stories about his
own family might become ‘persona non grata’ -- rather unwelcome -- in his own
house. It may be a good thing Jesus didn’t have a wife and children because
when he preached he used family examples an awful lot to illustrate our
relationship to each other and to God.
Let’s imagine, for a moment, that Jesus came to our area to teach, and began
talking about someone we knew -- say the owner of a local hardware store - and
everyone knew him, if not personally, then by reputation. Jesus said, “tell me
what you think. The owner of the hardware store had two sons. He said to the
elder son, “go work for me at the store today,” but the son said “no, I don’t
want to.” Later on, however, he changed his mind, went to the store and worked.
The hardware-store-owner went to his second son and said “go work for me at
the store today,” and his second son said, “yes sir, I will.” But he did not go
and work. What do you think of those two kids? Which one did what his father
wanted him to do?
It’s not really a hard question; obviously the first son did what the father asked.
Even so, something about the first son doesn’t quite sit well with us. He did what
his father wanted but he was pretty unpleasant about it. Then there’s the second
son. He answered his father politely, using “sir” and sounding so respectful, but
that doesn’t add up to much if the father cannot count on him to do what he
says he will do. The second son sounded good, but he let his father down. That’
s the thing about this story, even though the answer is clear: the first son did
what his father asked, you never feel quite good giving that response.
If we think back to our catechism classes, our confirmation, we might remember
something in the 10 commandments about “Honor your Father and Mother.” That
might be what is bothersome about this story. Neither son showed his father the
proper respect. The one was disrespectful in his speech, the other in his actions.
Both sons have room to grow; both need to change Each was partially right - the
first son, in actually going to the store and working, and the second son in how
he addressed his father; and each of them was partially wrong - son number one
in answering his father poorly, son number two in being unreliable. There is,
finally, one more thing for us to recognize in this story before we move on -- at
the end of the day, both of them remained sons. Neither was perfect; each son
needed to change, but there is no question that each was still a son of the
father.
Congregations are much the same way. They operate a lot like families. People in
a congregation gravitate toward their natural role in relation to others; we fall into
a pattern of how we interact with each other. You may have noticed that if
“Maybelle” gets anxious, “Charlie” will run to the Wardens and complain about
something: the children are too loud, or a word was mis-spelled in the bulletin, or
the Rector doesn’t face the correct way when she says the Collect. That’s just
how Charlie responds to Maybelle’s anxiety. And if a certain kind of project
needs to be undertaken, everyone assumes “Marshall” will do it because Marshall
has always done that sort of thing. Maybe no one thinks to ask Marshall, but we
all known it will get done… and most likely by Marshall. If a conflict arises
among us and “Donnie” is on one side of the issue, “Tina” will be on the other;
we know that because they never see eye-to-eye on anything. We’re like family;
there is a pattern to how we interact with one another. We do things by habit,
without conscious thought.
And we have people (several, I’m sure) who, more-or-less, fit the roles of the two
sons - every congregation does. There’s “Jenny” who gets involved with so many
things. She’s cheerful and has a ‘go-getter’ type of personality. Jenny loves the
church and has a wonderful, positive spirit. Last spring she said she would
gather three bids from roofing companies so the congregation could begin the
task of fixing its old, old roof. Jenny can do this sort of thing; she’s worked with
contractors before. Summer came and she didn’t have the bids yet. The Vestry
asked her to have them by July so a vote could be taken in August and work
could begin promptly. But no bids came in July; the leaks got worse and by
August there was only one written bid and Jenny’s promise that she would have
the other two in a matter of days. Now it’s nearly October and a roofing company
has yet to be chosen.
Then there’s ol’ “Stan” who grumbles and complains about everything, opposes
any new plan that comes up saying ‘it won’t work’ or ‘we’ve tried that before’,
talks about how the parish is going downhill, thinks it won’t be too long before
we’ll just have to shut the doors… and yet, he’s the first one here every time
people gather to clean and fix up the Rectory. When that new program the Vestry
agreed on is finally kicked off, Stan’s in the kitchen making coffee, greeting
guests with a smile and a kind word, being as helpful as he can be. Any time a
financial need arises and the parish has to raise funds, Stan gives as readily and
generously as anyone, and he does so without uttering a critical word. Whadda
ya know? We’re just like the sons in that story; we have known, and have
been, those two young men all our lives.
The point of Jesus’ story about the two sons is that both sons need to change.
Neither is completely wrong, but both need to do some changing. Easy for
Jesus to say, but who is going to tell the-people-in-our-congregation-who-are-like-
those-sons – “hey, you really have to change?” -- and tell them in a way they can
hear and be blessed, instead of simply being offended? As a community, there
are times when we have to address such issues together, or trust our leaders to
address them -- not go and tell someone he or she has to change, but work to
re-shape how we interact with each other, make significant adjustments in how we
respond to one another, so that we work with each other better and, as a
church, we function better. That task falls to us as members of a congregation,
and to the leaders in their positions of trust and guidance. Today, however,
we will listen to Jesus and Paul, the Apostle, for instruction on how all of us can
seek “change” so that we can more fully embody God’s will in our lives.
What the gospel text is seeking from us, what Jesus is urging upon all who hear
him, is that we be opened up so God’s will may become our preference, our
desire, in daily life. The reading from Matthew ends with Jesus scolding the
religious leaders, because John the Baptist came in righteousness and they
rejected him. Even after prostitutes and tax collectors listened to John and
believed him, the religious leaders still did not change their minds and believe
him. But the translation “change your minds” is not quite accurate. The Greek
word expresses something more like changing what is first in your heart. What
was not changed and needed changing, was what the religious people truly cared
about most. Was it their standing in the community? Was it having authority so
that people looked up to them, admired and maybe feared them? Was it keeping
their understanding of God safe so they didn’t have to consider God in ways that
might be upsetting, that might challenge their picture of who God is? What does
come first with us? What do we hold most closely in our hearts? That is where
God wants to be – right in the center of our hearts, so that loving and trusting
God first will be our natural response. This, of course, is not something we can
do for ourselves; but we can pray that God will renew our hearts so that we
love God and God’s purposes first and best. Then we wait in confidence for God
to give us what we need.
Paul is thinking along the same line in his letter to the Philippians when he
encourages Christian communities to have “the same love for one another, the
same turn of mind, and a common care for unity. Do nothing from selfish
ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. Do
not look to your own interests but to those of others. Let the same mind be in
you that was in Christ Jesus” who, though he was God’s son, did not cling to
this prerogative but emptied himself taking the form of a slave… Paul’s concern
is to show us how to embody Jesus, how to live together well, how to get along
in a Christ-like way so that our manner of living, our well-worn patterns and
habits of interacting with each other – as well as our words and our planned
programs – will witness to the one who loves us.
The old hardware store owner had two sons, and neither of them was perfect,
but both of them were pretty good. Regardless of how they worked on any given
day -- sometimes well, sometimes not as well -- they were his sons. We are God’
s sons and daughters. Living together, worshipping together, engaging in ministry
together over the years, we become like family. Sometimes we work together well,
sometimes not as well. Individually there are things each of us does effectively
for the parish and other things perhaps don’t get accomplished quite as
efficiently, but throughout, we remain sons and daughters – of God and of this
congregation.
Our model is Jesus, who has done all things well. Our inspiration is Jesus, whose
love surrounds us, lifts us up, encourages us, corrects us when we need
correction, but never stops being love -- deep and genuine. Our hope is in
Jesus, who gives us mercy and, we pray, makes us merciful. Our guide is Jesus,
who although he was God, put aside his divinity and became a lowly servant, who
was born a human being, who humbled himself and became obedient to death, to
the awful death of crucifixion -- all of it for our sake and the sake of all people.
None of it for himself. This is our Lord; this is his love. We seek to embody this
model in our relationships, our congregation, so we can be a proper witness to
our Savior, Jesus Christ sharing his love with the world.