[Propertalk] Fwd: [propertalk.topic] Sermon for Epiphany 1C

[Joe Parrish]

 Forwarded:

 

 

-----Original Message-----
From: Judy <judy_boli at ecunet.org>
To: Propertalk <propertalk.topic at ecunet.org>
Sent: Fri, Jan 11, 2013 8:52 pm
Subject: [propertalk.topic] Sermon for Epiphany 1C


Dear Friends,

This Sunday’s sermon is entitled “The Ground Is Always Level at the
Foot of the Cross” or “Sic ‘em, Spike!” and deals with the New
Testament lesson (Acts 10: 34-38).  Here it is:

Happy Epiphany!  As you recall, in the first half of the church year
we walk with Jesus through his earthly life.  So far we’ve celebrated
Advent (his time in the womb with Mary and Joseph waiting and
wondering); ChristMass (his birth); and now we start the longer season
of Epiphany, when we think through his mission and ministry, including
what it means to us.  Since today is the first Sunday of this new
season of Epiphany, we hear how Jesus’ mission started with his
baptism by John in the Jordan River.  We also hear God’s voice saying
“You are my own dear son; and I am pleased with you.”  On one other
occasion we heard God speak out loud to Jesus.  Do you remember when
it was?  Sure, at the transfiguration God said, “This is my own dear
Son.”  This time God added, “Listen to him!”  Listening and obeying
are so hard for us.  Did you hear the story of the woman who needed
her washing machine fixed?  She called a repairman and made
arrangements for him to come the next day.  Since she had to go to
work that day, she told him, “I'll leave the key under the mat. Fix
the washing machine, leave the bill on the counter, and I'll mail you
the check.  By the way, don't worry about my Doberman. He won't bother
you. But, whatever you do, do NOT under ANY circumstances talk to my
parrot!”  When the repairman arrived at the lady’s apartment the next
day, he discovered the biggest and meanest looking Doberman he had
ever seen. But just as she had said, the dog just lay there on the
carpet, watching the repairman go about his business. However, the
parrot drove him nuts the whole time with his incessant yelling,
cursing, and name-calling.  Finally the repairman couldn't contain
himself any longer and yelled, “Shut up, you stupid ugly bird!”  To
which the parrot replied, “Sic ‘em, Spike!”

We’re not the only ones who have trouble listening and then obeying.
Peter did too.  In our epistle today, we heard the last part of the
episode when Peter was finally explaining how the ground is always
level at the foot of the cross.  It took him a long time to hear God’s
voice and obey this Gospel imperative.  Remember, Peter was raised as
every little Jewish boy was in those days.  When he said his prayers
at his mother’s knee, he prayed: “Dear God, I thank you that I was not
born a Gentile or a woman.”  As you recall, the early church had a
terrible time accepting Gentiles into their fellowship as equal
members- basically because of this prejudiced attitude, and the two
worst offenders (at least the ones we hear most about in the Bible)
were Peter and the Lord’s brother- James.  The episode starts with
Peter asleep on the roof.  In his dream (or nightmare), he was really
hungry.  Suddenly a large sheet descended from the heavens filled with
all kinds of animals that Jews had been taught were unclean and not
fit to eat.  A voice from heaven ordered, “Arise Peter.  Kill and
eat.”  Peter answered, “Oh no, Lord.  I’ve never eaten anything
unclean in my life.”  Then, as you recall, the sheet went back up to
heaven.  The same sequence occurred two more times, with God and Peter
giving the same statements, except the last time- God responds:
“Peter, never declare anything unclean that I have created clean!”  At
that instant, Peter awoke to the sound of someone at his door.
Gentiles were there asking Peter to accompany them to the house of a
well-known Gentile- a Roman soldier named Cornelius.  Thank God Peter
understood the meaning of the dream, went, spent some time there, and
baptized the Cornelius and his family.  That’s the story.  What’s it
to us?

What it means to us is our values about other people must be very
different from those of our culture.  We, like Peter, have been taught
to label people as “my kind” and “not my kind.”  And just like that
repairman, and just like Peter, we sometimes have trouble listening to
God’s values and following them.  Listen to me Church, if you are
serious, if I am serious, if we are serious about following Jesus, you/
I/we CANNOT participate in judging people by their color or sex or age
or economic status or educational level or job.  Accept people for who
they are.  Dr. King’s birthday is coming up this week.  Remember how
he said he dreamed of the day when his children would not be judged by
the color of their skin, but by the content of their character?  No
matter what kind of pressure we’re under, we must live that dream if
we intend to call ourselves Christians.  This means- speak up when
someone says something racist or sexist or any kind of “ist.”  Don’t
make excuses by saying something like, “They’ll never change anyway,
so why should I put my neck out!”  Remember how Ezekiel reminded us
that if the watchman saw the enemy coming and said nothing, the blood
of those killed in the city he was guarding would be on his head.  If,
however, the watchman saw the enemy coming and warned the city, but no
one listened; their blood would be on their own heads.  Christians,
sound the alarm.  Speak up.  If no one listens, at least you have
spoken up for Gospel values and will not be held accountable for their
sins.  This teaching extends to jokes also.

In the story, the repairman had trouble listening and obeying the
owner of the house.  Sometimes we have the opposite problem- we listen
and obey the wrong voice.  We listen and believe the negative voices
of our culture.  In our deepest selves, we believe that if we are too
fat or too old or too young or too dark or too light or too anything-
you name it- we really aren’t as good as other people.  That kind of
poisonous prejudice spreads like wildfire and destroys anyone who
believes it (or even listens to it seriously).  My friends, beliefs
like this are sins!  God created us in his image!  How dare we give
other people the privilege of negating our worth.  We must love
ourselves AS WE ARE!  If there are character flaws we need to work on-
fine; keep improving and walking even closer to the Lord.  When you
look in the mirror every morning, say “Thank you God for creating me
in your image.”  Then mean it.  You know the old song, “Just as I Am”-
that’s how we are loved, that’s how we are redeemed, that’s how we are
valued.  In closing, let’s sing just the first verse, and let’s give
thanks that God created us as we are in his image.  “Just as I am,
without one plea; but that thy blood was shed for me; and that Thou
bidds’t me- come to Thee; O Lamb of God, I come; I come.”

For anyone who is interested, this sermon and updated African-American
wisdom statements either is or will be posted on our parish web site.
The address is: http://www.stpaulsepisag.com .

Blessed preaching,
Judy Boli
St. Paul's Episcopal Church
Saginaw, Michigan

 
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://stsams.org/pipermail/propertalk_stsams.org/attachments/20130112/ce1ff250/attachment.htm>