Lent 3 2022

 

March 20: The Third Sunday in Lent

Prince of Egypt opening

At my church in Honolulu I had access to screens that I could project images and even videos on as a part of my sermon. I often took advantage of that ability. It was as if I had a toolkit to draw from as I was preaching.

Sometimes that worked to my advantage and sometimes it didn't. I wish I had that option today. You see we have a lesson as a part of our scripture readings that becomes more vivid and I think communicates more fully through a video. a cartoon actually.

Some of you may have seen the Disney movie back in the '90's the Prince of Egypt. It was produced with traditional animation techniques. It was old school animation for an old story.

The scene in the movie where Moses encounters the burning bush, and meets God. It is a scene that I have viewed many, many times, and every time I find it powerful.

The reason I find the scene particularly striking is that I can't imagine a more effective visual representation of Moses in the cave. The Charlton Heston version of the scene is altogether too literal to be effective.

I ask you, if you were to meet God at the corner out here at Windsor and Church St., how would you talk about it? How would you tell someone about that experience? Would you trust yourself to even know what happened? What words would you use? Would anyone believe you?

Iconic passage as first reading

This scene from chapter 3 of the book of Exodus is an iconic passage. In its way it is a foundational passage for the entire Old Testament. The first five books of the Old Testament are known as the Torah, or "pentateuch" -- 5 books. The 5 books of Moses.

We might say that the five books of Moses are fundamentally about the relationship between Moses and God. In the same way some have said that the entire Bible is an account of the relationship between God and God's people.

One of the defining elements of the relationship between God and God's people is the covenant that God fashions to bind together the partnership. The book of Exodus is about first the people of Israel leaving slavery in Egypt and then secondly the forging of a covenant between the people and God.

God reveals to Moses the actual name of God. It is made up of four consonants, YHWH. We actually encounter that name in the second chapter of Genesis even though Moses doesn't appear until the book of Exodus. You can recognize this in your Bibles because each time the name of God is used in the text, the English is the word Lord spelled in all caps -- LORD.

I have experienced something of the effect of the use of names over the years when people ask me how they should address me. Some people call me Father Dale. Some call me Father Hathaway. When people ask me, I generally tell them that my friends call me Dale.

In the Old Testament God's friends call God YHWH -- the scholarly view is that it probably sounded something like "Yahweh". A case could be made that in the New Testament, the new Covenant, one addresses God with the word Abba. In either case the operative word is friendship with God. One who is in covenant with God is in an intimate relationship -- first name basis.

Moses has entered in this scene a sacred space. One could make a case that it is one of the most sacred spaces in the entire Bible. For that reason he is instructed to remove his sandals. Because of this scene I have often thought that we ought to remove our shoes when we enter the sanctuary of the church. I had a priest friend in Honolulu who did just that whenever he celebrated the Eucharist. But then in Hawaii it's much more common, even commonplace, to remove ones shoes when entering a living space. A sacred space.

Larger context of Exodus 3

This passage is important to us today for two elements. Moses is called to his life's work in this scene. And the stage is set for the establishment of a covenant between God and God's people. Call. Covenant.

Call

My friend Peter Judge recently published an article summarizing the elements of call or vocation in the Bible.

He identifies several themes that are common to the call of major figures in the Bible, prophets and others, including Jesus.

• a divine confrontation (bush not consumed)
• an identifying word (It is YHWH)
• a commission -- the assignment of a task (Go to Pharaoh)
• an objection (not me)
• God's reassurance that he will be there through it all (The name is "I am")
• a sign that it is truly God at work

We can see each of these characteristics at work in today's passage from Exodus 3.

Covenant

We began today's liturgy by hearing the Ten Commandments. If you go into a synagogue you will likely see a symbolic representation of those two tablets on which were written the 10 words as they are called in the text. They are not the sum total of the commandments of the covenant but rather a kind of heading, a kind of symbolic representation.

The commandments of the covenant might include many many more than 10. Or we might summarize them with Jesus's Great Commandment to love the Lord God and to love one's neighbor.

The first account of the 10 commandments is found later in the book of Exodus. The second account is found in the book of Deuteronomy. The point is to get us to focus on the covenant, to focus on the nature of God's promises to us and our responsibility and obligations as a result of those promises.

Transition to community

At the beginning of Lent we were called to the keeping of a Holy Lent, a sacred time. We weren't instructed to take our shoes off but we might keep that in mind just in case we encounter the living God.

This holy time is a kind of preparation for the fullness of a celebration of God's ultimate covenant with us in the resurrection, to be observed at Easter.

Self-examination was a part of that invitation. Prayer. Last week Fr. Graham wonderfully taught us about the fertile ground that is essential for our keeping our side of the covenant.

This week I would have us focus on our own call, our own "theophany" or appearance of God. And if we are called by the living God, how are we doing on our part of the covenant?

I have long believed that God's call is extended not just to individuals but to communities. This is born out in the Bible itself in which there is clearly a call to the people of Israel. Later the people of the emerging Jesus Movement would be identified as the "New Israel."

The promise and the commandments are directed not just at individuals but also at communities. the invitation to a holy land is directed not just at individuals but perhaps even more so at communities.

How has St. Paul's encountered the living God? For some, but not all, it has been through music. Other parts of this community have encountered a "burning bush" through service and devotion to the least among us.

If the greatest have felt inadequate to the call -- as Moses did, as Jeremiah did, as Isaiah did -- should we be at all surprised if this community responds with questions. We are too small to do such things. We don't have enough money to do such things.

If the greatest have felt encouraged by God's assurance that God will provide, should this community do any less?

What are the ways that you have seen a bush that burned but was not consumed? I have heard some of your stories. They have to do with facing life and death. They encompass little things that are barely noticed. In every way they were about God surprising you and grabbing your attention.

God calls in order to facilitate a mission, a task. God calls us in order to commission us to go in mission.

What is God calling this community to? What is this community's mission?

What is this community's understanding of God's teaching? What does this community need to do to be at the business to which God has called you?

In this outpost of the Jesus movement, how will you keep covenant?

Over the last couple of years the National Church has developed a cycle of 7 actions that we associate with the covenant life of the Jesus Movement.

THE WAY OF LOVE

TURN:

Pause, listen and choose to follow Jesus

LEARN:

Reflect on Scripture each day, especially on Jesus’ life and teachings.

PRAY:

Dwell intentionally with God daily

WORSHIP:

Gather in community weekly to thank, praise, and dwell with God

BLESS:

Share faith and unselfishly give and serve

GO:

Cross boundaries, listen deeply and live like Jesus

REST:

Receive the gift of God’s grace, peace, and restoration

We might think of these as the commandments of the New Covenant. These are not burdensome responsibilities. They are the characteristics of a faith-filled Christian life.

They are a model for crafting a Holy Lent.

Turn, Learn, Bless, Pray, Worship, Go, Rest.

index

Notes

Lectionary

Lent 1 2022

 

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title: Lent 1 Homily 

author: 'St. Paul''s Monroe'

date: 'March 6, 2022'

Opening

Yesterday was an extraordinary time. It was my first visit to Winston-Salem. It was my first time gathering in person with the whole diocese of North Carolina. When I returned to my hotel room on Friday night the neighbor in the room next to me ask me how long I had been a man of the cloth. I had to do a quick think and I realized it's almost 40 years that I have been ordained.

The program on Friday was a conversation with two remarkable sisters. They are members of St Michael and all angels in Charlotte. And they talked about how in the last 10 years or so their Christian faith has taking a new and deeper turn in their lives. They are examples of ordinary Christians who by taking their faith seriously make an extraordinary impact on the world around them.

I made connections with people in the diocese and it felt natural and empowering. In the months and years ahead I hope you will be able to take advantage of the rich heritage you have here in the Diocese of North Carolina.

If there was one thing I took away from my trip to Winston-Salem it was the importance for each of us to find ways to build up one another in the faith.

Catechumenate

Last Wednesday in my invitation to keeping a Holy Lent I included a description of a process of conversion. A conversion that leads one to seek baptism. There was reference to preparation for baptism and in that preparation there was a prescription to develope self examination, Scripture study, repentance, and generally learning how to be a Christian.

This process was described as culminating in baptism and celebration of the feast of the risen Lord, Easter. The season of Lent from that perspective is a preparation for Easter but especially as the time of initiating new Christians.

Beginning in the mid-20th century there emerged a recovery of an ancient process for forming adults into the Christian faith. When I had my first born baptized I was still very much caught up in an old way of thinking of baptism. Thinking of it is something like a mysterious key to unlock special privileges with God in heaven.

Not long afterwards I moved with my young family to begin seminary. There I learned much about the development of liturgies from the earliest times of the church. I gained an awareness of the richness of the celebration of baptism.

In the years after that I began to learn more and more about this thing called the catechumenate. An organized time of Christian formation and education in preparation for baptism. The catechumenate is a time for training in Christian understandings about God, human relationships, and the meaning of life.

I learned that in the earliest centuries of the church, at a time when most of the population was not Christian, the formation and education of new Christians was taken with the utmost seriousness. More than one person compared the process of becoming a Christian in the earliest centuries to what we expect in the formation of a priest in our time. In some cases there was a three year process, just as there is in seminaries today, three years filled with learning and prayer and experiencing new situations while serving the sick and the outcast. Such a three-year process was in fact what occurred for Christians of all sorts of stripes in the earliest centuries.

All of that began to change after the sixth and seventh centuries most of the population thought of itself as Christian. We have been living in that era ever since.

Community

It has become common place to quote the aphorism that it "takes a village to raise a child." In the earliest years of the church it was very clear to all that it took a community to raise a Christian. With those who had been raised up and formed in the pattern of life and what it meant to be a Christian were ready for baptism it would have typically taken place at Easter. And there was a process of ritual and there were actions that took place during the season of Lent and then with more intensity during the week leading up to Easter.

When the new Christians emerged out of the pool of water that was used for baptism the entire community would have felt like they had been through a process of training and strengthening.

The beginning of a person's ministry can take different forms. I think of Paul on the road Damascus. Knocked from his horse and unable to speak. His conversion experience became a model ever afterward. It left him and injured man, needing to learn what it was going to mean to be a Christian. He had to go through a catechumenate like period of formation.

Jesus gets his ministry started by going into the wilderness. It is a time of fasting and prayer, learning what it means to depend on God alone. The gospel gives us the image of temptation. It's a temptation to turn aside from what one is called to do by God.

So with the first Sunday of Lent we have the theme of an initiation into a ministry. It's ministry that all the baptized are initiated into. It is the responsibility of all the baptized. There is much that remains to be done. The whole rest of the story in fact.

I became convinced along time ago, partly from my own experience, partly from what I have read and heard about from others, that the most important time in the life of a Christian is when they make an adult decision to serve Christ. It's not universally true. But it seems clear to me that it is only when one puts into practice mission to which we've been called -- only then, can we say that we've begun.

Adult conversion / formation

The New Testament is filled with adults who make a dramatic decision to follow Jesus.

My own adult conversion occurred in my 20s, even though I had been a Christian my whole life and active in the church from the time I was a boy. We may not have conversion experience is like Paul but there comes a time when as a mature adult we have to decide.

• Tell the story of the young man losing his fingers at Saint Andrews.
• Story of Dale Guckenberger.
• The story of the young couple wanted to be married someone at my invitation to come and be a part.

In each case there comes a time when the easier path would be to abandon the new life to which we are called. The easier path is the path of least resistance. But the truth path is to become a disciple of Christ and to dedicate our life to that purpose.

If the whole community is experiencing a formation and preparation for ministry then Easter is experienced as a new beginning, a new launch of the ministry to which the community is called.

Lent as a time of preparation for Easter is not about motivating a collection of individuals. It's about invigorating the whole community into its location.

Sermon Bp. Sam

In his sermon at convention yesterday, Bp. Sam spoke directly about the mission to which we are all called as Christians. He noted how tired we all are from two years of pandemic. February 2020 seems like a lifetime ago. So tired. Askin, "When is it going to be over?" So much has changed. It feels like to trying to survive in the dry flat places.

How to do it?, he asked. One can dream. (Psalm 126). "Restore our fortunes oh Lord."\"

He said of the purpose of the special convention to be to hear about seeds that are planted. Await the harvest. To Partner with God in the mission to which we are called. Remembering always that God does the heavy lifting.

"How will we walk with Jesus?" he said was the first step of every mission. "The way of the cross." And that is what the diocese's 5 mission prioritie are.

It takes all of us working together. I learned about that when my girls were on canoe paddling teams. The group of girls had to work together. The difference between winning and coming in second was how well the girl worked as a team. The coaches urged them to seek Imua. Hawaiian for striving for a goal (together).

How do we become a church that looks like Jesus? We emulate and so doing we will become the beloved community.

We live in a world that is petrified of scarcity. God calls us to joy in abundance. What fills you with new energy? These are the kind of questions he posed us and all of the diocese.

Lessons from Convention

There is Power in numbers. Power in being together.

[Cf convention center shaking]

Bp. Anne: it is fitting that this initiation of mission initiatives/priorities at the time of the beginning of Lent. "We will not put mission on hold."

Way of life is the way of the cross -- is the way of God.

How organize ourselves as messengers -- to network, to coordinate. We build on one another as we go. Each community, each person moves at own pace, local, but part of a whole. We collaborate. We cooperate.

Doesn't have to be fast. But it needs to spirited (spirit-filled). (Psalm 126) Be like those who dream. HEalth and safety of all our residents is the responsibiliy of all of us ... immigrants as gifts not burdens ... (Anne) gets the passion of this. May we see the face of Jesus in every stranger we meet. May each in our own way pick up our cross and walk in the way of the cross in order to build up the beloved community.

(She was the pep of the pep talk)

Closing

Stand with those who are weakest among us. Marginalized. At the heart of becoming beloved community.

Testimonies of what is happening around the diocese. Love in action.

Joy is not the same as happiness.

"Then were we like those who dream" was used as a gathering mantra.

The whole gathering like a pep-talk. Sales meeting. Psalm 126 was a mantra. We could do worse than to make it our own.

Psalm 126

A pilgrimage song.

When the Lord changed Zion's circumstances for the better,\ it was like we had been dreaming.\ 2 Our mouths were suddenly filled with laughter;\ our tongues were filled with joyful shouts.\ It was even said, at that time, among the nations,\ "The Lord has done great things for them!"\ 3 Yes, the Lord has done great things for us,\ and we are overjoyed.

4 Lord, change our circumstances for the better,\ like dry streams in the desert waste!\ 5 Let those who plant with tears\ reap the harvest with joyful shouts.\ 6 Let those who go out,\ crying and carrying their seed,\ come home with joyful shouts,\ carrying bales of grain!

Ash Wednesday 2022

 

Actions as loud as words

We begin a time when what we do is as important as the words we say. When my oldest son was about five he came to the altar rail on an Ash Wednesday with trepidation. When he looked beside him there at the rail and saw his mother's face with ashes on it he reacted with horror. That is just one among many experiences I've had that convinced me that young children are often much more in tune with spiritual realities than we adults. My son knew that something radical and dramatic was happening when those ashes were crossed on the forehead. All too often adults have had to spend so much energy on "grown-up" things that we become overly rational and too intent on controlling the outcome of things.

Later in Lent when we come to holy week each of the liturgies will have actions that often are louder than the words we speak. Waving palm branches. In Honolulu I enjoyed every palm Sunday leading the congregation out on to one of the busiest city streets and singing our way to the nearby McDonald's and back. Maundy Thursday. Every place I have served, even in Hawaii where people takeoff their shoes all the time, washing another's feet is a powerful and intimate gesture. Good Friday. Bowing before a wooden execution device. Holy Saturday lighting a candle that symbolizes the very light of the world.

We begin the imposition of ashes in just a little bit with an invitation to keeping a Holy Lent. The words are powerful and full of significance.

Holy Lent

Every time I have read the invitation to a holy Lent in the prayer book, I get chills. One of the things I think is that if all of the people here took seriously these words, the world itself would change. Another thing that hits me every time is that in this text of our book of common prayer there is a sentence that has never made grammatical sense to me.

The tools it invites us to use: self examination, repentance, prayer, fasting, and concern for others before concern for self, and reading and meditating on scripture. These are tools that the church has passed down through centuries. They are tools that have been found to form Christians, to fashion them into faithful followers of Christ.

Prayer, Fasting, Almsgiving (From Gospel)

The gospel reading for today is in someways striking and challenging to us as no other passage that we read in the church. I can't think of any other time when the church has read a passage where Jesus speaks and as a congregation we go on to do the exact opposite of what he says.

whenever you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces so as to show others that they are fasting ... when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that your fasting may be seen not by others but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

Jesus says whenever you practice the discipline of Lent, whenever you pray, whenever you fast don't make a big deal out of it. Don't make sure other people know about it. God knows already what you're up to. No worries.

But on Ash Wednesday we do just the opposite of that. We purposely put ashes on our foreheads. I have been impressed over the years at how powerful it is to publicly proclaim our faith by means of those ashes. Clearly, however, Jesus is telling us that our concern ought not to be what others think but rather about our own sincerity before the Father.

Jesus is telling us in today's passage from Matthew's gospel that integrity, compassion, honesty, -- that these are far more important than any specific action we may take.

Prayer

We can be so focused on particular prayers, or a particular way of praying. We can be so devoted to the Book of Common Prayer that we miss the opportunity to have a conversation with God. Prayer is more about listening than about talking. More about open hands than grasping hands.

Matthew’s gospel goes on after today's section to teach his disciples what we call the Lord's prayer. As if one particular association of words was sufficient. What Jesus shows and teaches us is that prayer truly lived fills one's life. It becomes a 24/7 opportunity to live in the presence of the Living God.

Fasting

By tradition we have associated fasting with giving up certain things. In the world we live in most of us don't lack for necessities, but long for things we would like. Pope Francis gave words to the kind of fast that Jesus had in mind.

• Fast from hurting words and say kind words.
• Fast from sadness and be filled with gratitude.
• Fast from anger and be filled with patience.
• Fast from pessimism and be filled with hope.
• Fast from worries and trust in God.
• Fast from complaints and contemplate simplicity.
• Fast from pressures and be prayerful.
• Fast from bitterness and fill your heart with joy.
• Fast from selfishness and be compassionate to others.
• Fast from grudges and be reconciled.
• Fast from words and be silent so you can listen. (2016)

Almsgiving

Giving alms isn't just about putting money in an offering plate. It is that, but it is more. It is about letting go of our controlling concern for ourselves. It is about service for others. It is about experiencing ourselves as connected to a community of persons, each of them beloved by God and reflecting the image of God.

Closing

Someone said about Lent,

Why do Christians need to fast during Lent? Because most of us have just about everything we could ever need. We are fat & happy, and that situation is not good for the human soul. We need to go without for awhile, and tap into the deep well of strength that lives just beneath the surface of our soul.

It seems that we are a people who have far more than we need. What we lack – Shalom, Peace in our hearts, peace that passes understanding, – we can only achieve by letting go of what we grasp and hold onto. What we fear losing. These 40 days are a time to remind ourselves of how much we have clutched on to but must let go of if we are to claim our place at the Passion & Resurrection of the Lord.

I invite you then to the keeping of a holy Lent. By means of prayer, almsgiving, and fasting may you grow more fully into the knowledge of who God made you to be so that as you go forth into the world in the power of the Spirit, the world will see and know the glory of the One you follow as Lord and Savior.

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