Proper 19B, September 14, 2003

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Sermon preached by Father Armand John Kreft

Associate Rector for Family Ministry

Church of St Paul in the Desert, Palm Springs, California

Proper 19B, September 14, 2003

Often times in the office someone will call out Nathan's name and really mean to call me. Other times they call me when they really want to speak with Nathan. It is not that unusual to confuse people by name. My mother used to confuse my brother and me. Most of us have been in a position where we want to introduce someone to another person and we draw a blank. A little embarrassing, but not unusual. But what about when we are speaking about someone who is not present. How do we tell another person about someone else. A name just doesn't suffice in describing someone.

"Who do people say I am?" Here we see a side of Jesus that we can readily identify with. Jesus wants to know what people are saying about him. What's the gossip going around? All of us like to hear what other people say about us...especially if it's good. That's human nature.

"But who do you say that I am?" Here it's more important. Jesus is asking one of his dearest friends. Someone with whom he has shared his life's work, his ministry. Someone to whom he is revealing all the intimate knowledge that we hold. Jesus wants to know if he has shared enough so that people will recognize the good news.

In this, the great Confession of St. Peter, Jesus is identified as the Christ, the Anointed One, the Son of God, the Messiah. Jesus is identified, and claimed by his followers. You see, Christ, Messiah, Anointed One, all these are titles, not a name. A title defines someone...Bishop, rector, doctor, lawyer, mechanics, friend, companion. Titles help us identify what that person means to us.

And Christ means God's Anointed One. Specially chosen. The Jewish idea of a Messiah was far different from what Jesus represented. The people of Judea were expecting a conqueror, a warrior that would throw off the yoke of oppression by the Romans and would make them, the Judeans, a world power. The Jews had been conquered many times and had been dispersed throughout the world. They wanted and desired a leader that would bring them together as one and make them so strong that they would never again be dispossessed. They believed that this is what the first covenant meant.

So when Jesus of Nazareth gathered around him tax collectors, prostitutes, fishermen, common folk, and preached the love of enemies and the forgiveness of past wrongs...well you can imagine that all the hopes and dreams of conquering the world go up in smoke.

And yet, by identifying Jesus as the true messiah, the true conqueror, we, the followers, indeed do conquer because we are committed to throw off the yoke of past wrongs, to look for compassion rather than resentment, to look ahead rather than behind. To face the rising of the sun rather than the setting. To look with hope to the east.

Jesus went on to say how he must suffer and be rejected. Peter brashly tries to take Jesus to task. But Jesus knows that all of us must suffer and be rejected in some way or another and tells Peter to go away. That if Peter isn't willing to walk the same walk as Jesus, then Peter is not seeking God but is more concerned with what others say. Actually, Jesus calls Peter "Satan", which is a curse...we don't use it much anymore. But it was a hurtful accusation. The opposite identification of that of Peter's.

When we receive a gift from a friend or companion, we get excited and we tell our other friends "look at this gift I received. Isn't it wonderful." Yet we shy away from speaking of the gifts we receive from God or how our lives have changed because we got involved in a church community. Episcopalians don't have much of an opportunity to tell others who Jesus is in their lives. We shy away from such untoward things. And yet Mary sings "Tell out my soul" when she speaks of God's action in her life. Peter exclaims, "You are the son of the living God." Doubting Thomas looks at the Savior and says, "my Lord and my God."

"What a friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear." How often in a given situation do we pray to God to help us through it, or give us guidance or, in fact, even perform some miracle. And when the crisis has past, do we tell others about the divine intervention or do we take credit of perseverance, courage and endurance? Do we even stop to thank God for the help so freely given? Our faith is based on miraculous, life changing experiences of the divine and we don't know how to tell another person. We are so worried about what others would think of us that we are paralyzed lest they view us as superstitious nut cases. What would people think of us if we ran, like Mary Magdalene and shouted to them, "I've seen the Lord!"? Not only are we called to see things that others don't, hear things that others don't, we are also called to recognize the actions of Jesus in our relationships, our daily interactions with all we encounter, and our way of living. We are called to lead a new life not just revamp the old one. "I was lost and now I'm found, I was blind and now I see."

A Christian must be living proof that God is alive, not by how much we accomplish, but by how much God accomplishes in us. For we are found by the Savior, led by the Shepherd, taught by the Master and Saved by the Redeemer.

The world can so dull our senses that we no longer seek or see God anywhere. We are afraid that if our senses begin to see and hear God, we will have to give up the multitude of trinkets we have amassed for ourselves. Like children, we cling to the toys that glitter and amuse us, and never grow up to see the invisible reality behind all real things. "For whoever will lose their life for my sake will find it."

When we limit our identification of Jesus to the passing things of this world, Jesus soon passes with them. For the limitless One cannot be limited, the Infinite One cannot be finite, the spiritual cannot be mundane, the omnipotent cannot be powerless, and love cannot be constrained.

To be a follower of Christ we must be prepared to walk in Christ's footsteps. As Paul writes in Ephesians, "you must be quit now of the old self whose way of life you remember and you must be clothed in the new self, which is created in God's image, justified and sanctified through the truth."

Believers, followers of Jesus Christ were changed from holding back, hiding behind a set of rules and codes of conduct, and liberated to their fullness in God. True believers speak of the wonders that happen in their lives as they choose to follow the Christ. Mary Magdalene ran with joy and shouted "I have seen the Lord!". Peter exclaimed, "You are the Christ, the Anointed One, the Son of God."

Are you proud to say that you are a follower of Jesus Christ? Or is your faith just a whisper in the deep void of creation? Do you claim to be redeemed and loved by the one you follow. Do you walk in the footsteps of God? The way is simple, Jesus laid it out for us. Simple yet filled with suffering and laden with the weight of the cross. And because of that, if we are to live any kind of Christian life, we must be aware and present to each other, for when the sense of presence is gone, one of us is very lonely. And that is what Jesus is saying, that if we gain every thing, we forfeit life. When friends become unaware of each other, they become strangers. And so it is when we do not identify who Jesus is to us. Jesus stands at the door of our heart and seeks entrance, for Jesus desires to abide there. He wishes to possess us, though he is never possessive. He desires our heart, but only to fill it with compassion, so that we in turn, show more compassion to others. Jesus desires our thoughts in order to raise them to the heights of his love. Jesus wants our whole being so we may be raised to his nature...the Christ, the Anointed One.

Who do you say I am? Just a moment, let me think. I believe I knew at one time.
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October 12, 2003 Proper 23B

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Sermon preached by Father Armand John Kreft

Associate Rector for Family Ministy

Church of St Paul in the Desert, Palm Springs, California

October 12, 2003 Proper 23B

"Teacher, all these I have observed from my youth." And Jesus looking upon him loved him, and said to him, "You lack one thing; go, sell what you have, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me." Our translation doesn't say you have to give everything to poor, but it does command us to charity and give to those less fortunate than ourselves. In other words, our charitable gifts and pledges need not cause us a financial burden, but they should be generous enough to make a difference in our lives. Like most people I have a mortgage. I also have bills and I pledge to the church. I usually pay these at the first of the month. I'm fortunate to have enough money to cover it. Usually I would pay the mortgage, my bills and write my pledge check. But you know, I got my priorities wrong. It's just a little thing, but I had to look at what I thought was most important in my life in the order I paid my obligations. Now the first check I write is my pledge check, then my mortgage and bills. It is a ritual of reprioritizing my life.

But that's not really the concern of the seeker in the story. He wants eternal life, the assurance not just the promise. He wants to know if he's going to get it. This person hoped that following the rules was enough. Well, it's easy to follow rules. It's pretty black and white. You do know if you're right or wrong. And more often than not, if you know you're right, then you can make others wrong. In this country, if you break the rules, the laws, and you get caught, you pay the consequences...sometimes that means jail, or a fine or probation.

It's good to follow some rules...safety rules while driving a car especially now that the season has started, rules of civility to one another. Yes, it's good to follow some rules for the greater good of the community.

But blindly following the rules means you don't take responsibility for yourself. After all, you were only following what you were told to do so you can abrogate yourself of any blame. So if it doesn't work out we can just say "it's not my fault." The old passing the buck syndrome that began with Adam when he said, "She made me eat the apple" and Eve said, "the serpent made me eat the apple." And the serpent said, "it wasn't my fault, I was just hanging around." No one wanted to take responsibility for their actions. Yet, they were told the rules...don't eat of the tree in the middle of the garden. But they did eat from it and then wouldn't take the responsibility and accountability for it and we know the consequences.

Jesus is saying that there's more to finding God than following rules. Jesus is asking this person to make a personal commitment to him, the Son of God. He's asking this man to put everything aside and follow him. Jesus is asking for a personal relationship with us, not just giving us a set of rules, that if you play them right, bang...you get the prize...eternal life. No, Jesus is asking this rich man, and us, to risk everything. Sell what you've got, give some to the poor.

Following the rules means you play it safe and never take any risks. You know, in my early 20s I sold everything and moved to England. In my mid-30s I went back to college, in my late 30s I went to seminary, in my early 40s I was ordained. Now, in my 50s something changed, and I'm a bit more cautious about certain things.

Stop and think of all the risks you've taken in your life. Try to imagine what your life would be like if you never took any of those risks? Changing jobs, entering into a relationship ... all these can be risks. Attending church...yes, this can be a risk, A risk to have your faith tried, challenged, a risk of entering into community of believers, a risk of hearing the Gospel that says it's not enough just to attend, to stand or sit, kneel or whatever. No, if you want to follow Jesus, you must take risks that may make you uncomfortable, that may challenge your way of life and of letting other people into your life.

When I was getting ready to move to the desert I set about selling off some things, china and silver, some art work and antiques. The family things I gave to my nephews, but for the most part I just sold these items to strangers. It was, in fact, very freeing. When I moved to England in the 70s I did the same thing. So I know I can do it, if required of me. Whatever is holding you back from following Jesus Christ is what needs to be "sold", to free yourself to accept Christ as your Savior and Redeemer of the world.

Give to the poor. Well, that's part of my job. I have special charities that I personally support with donations. I give Michael, who stands out by Trader Joe's, some money and clothes. I also give him my time. When I ride by on my bicycle, I stop and talk with him because I believe that Jesus is saying not to just write out a check, but to give of yourself to the poor...to do charitable work, not just give money. To give of yourself, your most precious treasure ... your time. To be honest every time I think I want to go work in a feeding program, I can think of innumerable excuses not to. You can seek areas of interest out for yourself...because we are surrounded by the poor...and not just the hungry and homeless. There are those whose poverty is not so visible...like the nursing homes and assisted living facilities, where people are shut away from society, people who long to have a conversation, a touch, just the presence of someone who cares for them. Our Pastoral Care Team is seeking out people for whom this ministry is needed.

By not taking risks in life means that you seek the spirituality of comfort rather than the virtues of hope and joy. The rich man had everything to make his life comfortable....as long as he followed the rules he could remain comfortable. But to risk it all to follow Jesus, to find a life filled with hope and joy, was too frightening for him. So often we have the opportunity for a fulfilling life, but it would require that we change...change our outlook, stretch our faith, leave our secure and comfortable homes.

"What must I do," he asked Jesus, "for my life to be like yours? What commandments shall I keep?" To read it like that it's as though it was all right to pick and choose which commandments were more important. Perhaps this seeker thought Jesus would wave a magic wand or place his hands on the man's head and the man would have eternal life. Or more likely, the man wanted Jesus to say everything was just fine the way it was.

Interestingly, and rather surprisingly, Jesus ignored the first five commandments, the four about God, and the one about keeping the Sabbath, and went straight into the five social commandments, the ones about community life. Don't kill, don't be unfaithful in your relationships, don't steal, honor your parents and love your neighbor.

And for the first time, the seeker was made to face what his priorities really were. For the first time he realized his wealth and comfort were actually the most important things to him. And he wasn't prepared to face the pain of relinquishing that, the pain of personal growth, even to gain vibrant and exciting and eternal life. So he went away.

Jesus let him go. Jesus made no attempt to persuade him or to force him for a commitment or even engage him in a discussion. For the decision is always ours. The decision will always be a personal one, freely taken and embraced by God.

In our beliefs, the seeker was still granted eternal life, so that's really not the issue. I believe the issue is to hear the Creator of the Universe, the all powerful-all seeing, all loving God say: "Well done, good and faithful servant." And that cannot be said until we have taken the risks.
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