MEDITATION: Waiting for acknowledgement, recognition and gratitude to do good is just not godly The Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost: September 21, 2014 By The Reverend Nathanael Saint-Pierre We invite you to worship with us during our 8:30 AM and 10:30 AM Service of Holy Eucharist to hear the full sermon. +++++++ The three readings selected for Proper 20 have a common thread that is important to discover. They are about gratitude, acknowledgement, and the human need for recognition and equitable retribution; but mainly they are about God’s unlimited generosity and ours if we were to follow God’s guidance. In the first reading we discover Israel, the people chosen by God, expressing their lack of gratitude. They turned against Moses, the person who brought them out of slavery in Egypt, criticizing him and defaming his name. They say: If only we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the fleshpots and ate our fill of bread; for YOU have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger. One would believe that freedom was more important than food. But human beings are never pleased with what they have. We want more and we complain every time we don’t have all that we want. Paul, in his letter to the Philippians seems to be dealing with a church in conflict around the theme “Living as flesh versus living in spirit.” The young Church in Philippi appears to face some opponents: people who do not understand the meaning of the message and the vision of the Christian movement. Paul reinforces the church by writing: “Only, live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that, whether I come and see you or am absent and hear about you, I will know that you are standing firm in one spirit, striving side by side with one mind for the faith of the gospel, and are in no way intimidated by your opponents.” It is not new for the church to be drawn into earthly matters while trying to be divine. The Gospel of Matthew, besides repeating the theme of God’s unrestricted forgiveness and love, exposes us also, through the parable of the laborers, to God’s immeasurable generosity. It is not about seniority, nor is it about productivity. Really, numbers do not matter to God and no one should put a measure and limitation on him. In Matthew 19:27, Peter, once again, is the one coming with the “stupid” question: “What’s in it for us who have left everything behind to be among the first to follow you?” Jesus’ answer: there are no stupid questions but: 1.The body I will sacrifice will not be for the first but for all: the mean ones and the good ones, the rich and the poor, the needy and the greedy. No one will be excluded unless if one excludes oneself. 2.The Blood that will be shed will not be for many, nor for some, but for ALL. The nature of God is to be generous, not to be fair. The Nature of God is to be just. It is justice to deliver what is promised. Salvation will not be based on seniority nor wealth; it will be offered to ALL. 3.Since when is it unlawful for God to show love, forgiveness and be restricted by time? If all we seek for is acknowledgement, recognition and gratitude, the readings for the proper today are to teach us that we cannot be loved by all. What we do should be motivated by God and not to please humans. It is wasting time to expect people to be thankful or express gratitude or be somewhat appreciative. They have not been thankful nor expressed gratitude nor been appreciative toward God. They’ve killed Jesus who came to sacrifice himself to save humanity and restore our right to stand before God. They’ve beheaded John the Baptist who was calling them to repent; they’ve criticized both. No matter what we do, we will be criticized by one side or the other. Be godly is to convey light even when we get darkness back; it is to convey love when we get hatred. It is not to seek for personal glorification but to seek God’s acknowledgement, God’s love and forgiveness. It is not to think in terms of retribution nor in terms of getting as much salvation as we invest ourselves in God’s work. We are ALL sinners and God knows it. He loves us ALL anyway. One might be a Christian for 10 years or for 1 day, one might be Muslim or Jew, but the need for the Grace of God is the same for ALL. Let us leave our rigidity of thinking, our need of uniformity and one way and replace it with a higher gift: seeking for our human love to follow the love of God. It will enable us to appreciate those who are different because God is our common ground. First, last, close friends or unknown, we ALL are God’s creatures seeking to become God’s children. Amen. + + + + + + + St Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church 286-290 Henry Street New York NY 10002
Posted on: Fri, 19 Sep 2014 20:07:25 +0000