September 27, 2015 – The 18th
Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 21B
© 2015 Evan D. Garner
Audio of this sermon can be heard here.
I’m not sure you’ve
noticed, but a guy named Francis has been in the news lately for having made
his first-ever trip to the United States. Thousands and thousands of people
have flocked to see him—even if only to get a glimpse of his Fiat motorcade as
it buzzed down the highway. And those of us who haven’t left our homes to try
to get a peek at the Bishop of Rome have seen video clips of him laughing with
the President and addressing Congress and the United Nations and stopping his
car to bless a disable child on the side of the road. All of us seem to love him.
It doesn’t even matter whether you’re Catholic or even Christian. Our whole
nation has caught Francis Fever.
Perhaps that’s because, in
a refreshing sort of way, Francis seems to transcend the politics that usually
dominate our media coverage. And he does so by making everyone happy and
everyone angry all at the same time, ensuring that no one is able to claim him
as their own. To the delight of liberals and the fury of conservatives, he
regularly calls for an end to human-caused climate change, for a solution to
the refugee crisis, for the redistribution of wealth to benefit the poor, and
for the abolition of the death penalty. And, to the delight of conservatives
and the fury of liberals, he refuses to legitimize same-sex relationships, to
revisit the role of women in the church, to accept the remarriage of divorced
persons, and to loosen the church’s position on abortion or birth control. In
short, he’s managed to infuriate both Rush Limbaugh and Gene Robinson, and
that’s saying something. And, given that he’s the successor of St. Peter, the
rock on which our Lord built his church, maybe it shouldn’t surprise us that
Francis sounds as hard to pin down as Jesus himself.
If ever there was a
gospel lesson that portrays a Jesus who is kind, gentle, and accepting and, at
the same time, stern, harsh, and condemning, it’s this one. It starts with
John—yes, John, our patron saint—who gets all upset that someone else is using
Jesus’ name to cast out demons. Perhaps those of us who call St. John’s our
church home can identify with our namesake, who wasn’t about to let an outsider
get away with using his master’s reputation for his own exorcizing purposes. “Teacher,
we tried to stop him,” John explains, “but he just wouldn’t listen.” But
instead of intervening as John had hoped, Jesus looks at John and said, “Why
does that make you so upset? No one who does a deed of power in my name will be
able soon afterward to speak evil of me. If he’s not against us, he’s for us.”
What a remarkable and
unexpected philosophy for a religious movement: whoever is not against us is
for us! John, on the other hand, embodies our instincts, which are exactly the
opposite. Those of us who have walked with Jesus as his disciples expect others
to do the same. If you want to call yourself a Christian, you’d better be a
follower of Jesus—like us. Who do you think you are using the name of Jesus,
which is to say our brand, to suit yourself? Stop wearing that cross necklace
just because everyone else is. If you want access to Jesus, get in line with
the rest of us. People like us know what it really means to be a Christian. You
can’t just do whatever you want; you’ve got to do it our way.
But Jesus says no. His
movement isn’t exclusive. You don’t have to do it his way. He refuses to stop
anyone who’s having success. He refuses to turn anyone away. He isn’t worried
that someone will misrepresent who he is and what he stands for. He trusts that
anyone and everyone who encounters the power that he represents will be
transformed by that power. It’s as if Jesus is saying, “Sure, try it your way.
If it works, great. If not, try something else.” It’s that kind of openness and
accepting spirit that makes the Jesus movement distinct.
But don’t confuse “if it
works, great” for “anything goes” because, when it comes to following Jesus,
those aren’t the same thing. Jesus might not mind it if you find him by your
own path, but, once you’ve found him, he has pretty high expectations for what
your life should look like. “If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off…If
your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off…If your eye causes you to stumble,
tear it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God [maimed or lame
or blind] than to be thrown into hell.” Those aren’t the words of a gentle
teacher who lets his pupils get away with whatever they want. They’re the words
of a prophet who means business.
Jesus might welcome
anyone into his company, but that doesn’t mean that his company is for
everyone. Anyone is welcome, but that doesn’t mean that anything goes. Jesus
has such a high understanding of God’s kingdom that, instead of letting us
adapt it to fit our lives, he forces us to shape our lives completely according
to the principles that the kingdom represents—principles like sacrifice and
humility and holiness. On these he is uncompromising. The bar for admission is
as low as the ground itself, but the standard for participation is through the
roof. Many are called, but few are chosen. Everyone is invited, but only a
handful belongs. I remember Jesus saying something about it being easier to
squeeze a camel through the eye of a needle, but maybe he was just joking.
But with Jesus, it’s
always good news. The good news is that God welcomes everyone into his kingdom.
God loves everyone—the whole world—unconditionally. No matter who you are or
what you believe or what you’ve done, God loves you perfectly and completely.
But the rest of the good news is that God isn’t going to leave you where he
found you. Jesus said, “No one who does a deed of power in my name will be able
soon afterward to speak evil of me.” Jesus knew that there is irresistible power
in his name. Anyone who comes into contact with that power must be transformed
by it. The same power that grabs us wherever we are transforms us into full
citizens of God’s kingdom. The same power that rescues us from our life’s dead
end recasts that life into one befitting God’s kingdom.
The good news is for
everyone. If you’ve never heard that God loves you no matter what, let that
unconditional love fill you from top to bottom. And, if you’re familiar with
that good news but recognize that it still needs to reshape you into the
disciple Jesus is calling you to be, then submit again to the power of Jesus’ name.
Call upon him and be transformed. Give yourself again to Jesus and let him
shape you into a child ready for the kingdom. No matter where you are, God is
calling you. And, no matter where you are, God isn’t going to leave you there.
God has bigger plans for all of us.
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