A Spiritual Re-formation
Sermon
Sermons On The Second Readings
Series II, Cycle A
Object:
Elizabeth Strout's novel, Abide with Me, is set in a small town in Maine in the 1950s, where the Reverend Tyler Caskey is on top of the world. He feels overwhelmed by the love of God, his socialite wife, Lauren, and two young daughters. Tyler appears oblivious to Lauren's unhappiness over his low salary, the absence of like-minded friends, and their dilapidated parsonage situated out in the middle of nowhere.1
As is typical of the 1950s, the church serves as a significant gathering place in the life of this community, providing residents with one of the few opportunities to get out of the house and socialize. Against a backdrop of bomb shelters and nuclear apprehension, the church provides a place of sanctuary and security in an era wrought with unrest.
Life in New England is a struggle, where harsh winters and brief summers are constants, and feelings of isolation penetrate the population. The church provides a refuge for the weary and a place for sharing joy among God's people. Church youth groups provide a safe environment for teens to meet and socialize with others like themselves.
The community at first is enthralled with their new young pastor, who is enthusiastic and energized for ministry among them. Tyler soon finds that his flock is struggling spiritually with issues of euthanasia, malicious gossip, church conflict, abortion, homosexuality, domestic violence, grief, theft, and infidelity. Tyler soon discovers that he is ministering to a community of decent but flawed individuals who gossip incessantly and judge maliciously.
His vivacious young wife, Lauren, dies of cancer, leaving Tyler struggling to cope with her death and the raising of their daughters. Where he once felt blessed and surrounded by God's love, he now feels alone and isolated. Overwhelmed by his own grief, he finds his flock's problems trivial. His daughter, Katherine, suffers also, acting out at home, at church, and in school. The congregation turns on Tyler, gossiping about Katherine and speculating that he is having an affair with his housekeeper.
The powerful, almost mystical feeling for God that Tyler has cherished is gone now, as he falters in his faith and staggers under a burden of doubt and debt. Previously, he had always found strength and solace in reflecting on the life and teachings of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a German pastor and Nazi resister. Tyler has found that the cost of discipleship is indeed high, as he yearns to recapture his spiritual certainty in a confused world.
Tyler and his congregation eventually do find their way back to God and to each other in their life together, discovering that faith entails much more than a feeling. Through reconciliation, they experience a deeper, more mature faith, enjoying life together in a new and gracious way.
We twenty-first-century Christians don't like to think or talk about sin in our own lives, but sin has gotten in and it won't go away. The apostle Paul reminds the Romans and us that "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). When we deny sin, we also deny the grace of God that overcomes sin.
Anger is a sin that permeated the Reverend Tyler Caskey's church and community. It was not the blazing, obvious kind, but the brooding, simmering variety. Two different words in the Hebrew Bible are used for anger. One of the words means to have "pregnant nostrils." When we are angry, our nostrils enlarge. I am reminded of waving a red flag before a snorting, raging bull.
That same Hebrew word is used for both nose and anger. In Exodus, God is described as being "slow to anger" (Romans 34:6), which literally means to be "long of nose." The other word means "to burn or to grow hot."2 We often think of anger in degrees of heat or in the shades of red used by cartoonists to illustrate anger.
Anger in and of itself is a human emotion that can motivate us to make changes for the better. Jesus became so angry with moneychangers that he threw them out of the temple. Jesus cursed a fig tree, causing it to wither. It's the way in which we sometimes channel our anger that gets us into trouble.
The parson in The Canterbury Tales appropriately describes anger as the "Devil's Furnace." In vengeful anger, we put ourselves into God's place, becoming the judge instead of leaving that to God. Paul reminds us that "... it is written, 'Vengeance is mine, I will repay,' says the Lord" (Romans 12:19).
God has given us an indescribable gift in our salvation. Through God's grace, our scarlet sins are washed white as snow. We Americans are very skeptical about the idea of receiving something for nothing. There have been many hoaxes in recent years, and the internet makes defrauding easier than ever.
We are too familiar with slogans such as "There's no such thing as a free lunch," or "If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is." Even when a friend gives us a gift, we feel the need to reciprocate in kind. If John remembers your birthday, then of course, you will remember his.
Justification is a free gift, a gift that we receive through faith. The words justify and justification come from the court of law. Imagine a court in which a prisoner stands before the judge for sentencing. The prisoner is guilty, and everyone knows it, including the judge. The moment comes for the punishment to be announced. But instead of condemning the prisoner to death or prison, the judge declares the guilty prisoner innocent and sets him or her free. The judge takes away the guilt. The prisoner is "justified" or "made right" by the judge.
Forgiveness, by its very nature, is a gift. In order to need forgiveness we must have done something wrong. We must have incurred a debt and earned a punishment. Forgiveness breaks in as a free and undeserved surprise. Our sentence has been commuted.
When Paul refers to "the law," he usually means the laws of Moses. In his former life as a Pharisee, Paul had been utterly devoted to keeping the law. As a Christian, he still wants to uphold the law, but he no longer regards it as definitive for knowing what God requires. Instead, Paul contrasts the righteousness that is given through faith in Jesus Christ with what the law provides.
Paul lays out the human predicament quite clearly: We all have fallen short of the glory of God. No matter how well we abide by the rules, we miss the fullness of life if we do not accept God's gracious unconditional love. The letter of the law is tempered by grace. There are even times when grace is best served by breaking the rules.
Cathy came home late to dinner one evening, and her dad wanted to know why she was late. Cathy explained that her best friend, Anna, had dropped her china doll on the sidewalk and the doll had broken into several pieces. "Oh," said her dad. "Did you stop to help her pick up the pieces?" "No," explained Cathy. "I stopped to help her cry." The rule about being home for dinner at six had been broken, but due to prevailing circumstances, Cathy's offense was forgiven.
Martin Luther read the book of Romans with an open mind and heart, acting upon what he believed, and in the process, changing world history. John Wesley read Luther's comments about the book of Romans and changed the way Protestants spread the gospel message in the Western Hemisphere. Our world is changing so rapidly that we could generate a reformation in every generation.
In recent years, there has been a new wave of spiritual formation in the church with revival of long-forgotten spiritual practices. For many of us, these small-group experiences may well be a spiritual transformation and a "re-formation." As we mature in our faith, we discover more and more of God's wisdom. Each of life's circumstances opens new doors to understanding God's work in our world.
Paul reminds us and the Romans not to be "conformed to this world, but to be transformed by the renewing of your minds" (Romans 12:2). Through spiritual reformation, we are transformed to the image of Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Christianity's most basic faith practices are relevant to every person and every era. Marjorie Thompson reminds us that "Prayer, scriptural mediation, self-examination, and hospitality never go out of style."3 These practices serve to move us from guilt, shame, and anger toward forgiveness and reconciliation.
There is a movement underway to revive, understand, experience, and embody the great practices of our faith. Our lives can be strengthened and reshaped, reformed and transformed by God's new revelation in our lives. By opening ourselves to God's revelation to us in a new way, we can celebrate our own reformation in Christ. Amen.
____________
1. Elizabeth Strout, Abide with Me (New York: Random House, 2006).
2. H. Stephen Shoemaker, The Jekyll and Hyde Syndrome: A New Encounter with the Seven Deadly Sins and Seven Lively Virtues (Nashville: Broadman Press, 1987), p. 60.
3. Marjorie J. Thompson, Soul Feast: An Invitation to the Christian Spiritual Life (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2005), p. ix.
As is typical of the 1950s, the church serves as a significant gathering place in the life of this community, providing residents with one of the few opportunities to get out of the house and socialize. Against a backdrop of bomb shelters and nuclear apprehension, the church provides a place of sanctuary and security in an era wrought with unrest.
Life in New England is a struggle, where harsh winters and brief summers are constants, and feelings of isolation penetrate the population. The church provides a refuge for the weary and a place for sharing joy among God's people. Church youth groups provide a safe environment for teens to meet and socialize with others like themselves.
The community at first is enthralled with their new young pastor, who is enthusiastic and energized for ministry among them. Tyler soon finds that his flock is struggling spiritually with issues of euthanasia, malicious gossip, church conflict, abortion, homosexuality, domestic violence, grief, theft, and infidelity. Tyler soon discovers that he is ministering to a community of decent but flawed individuals who gossip incessantly and judge maliciously.
His vivacious young wife, Lauren, dies of cancer, leaving Tyler struggling to cope with her death and the raising of their daughters. Where he once felt blessed and surrounded by God's love, he now feels alone and isolated. Overwhelmed by his own grief, he finds his flock's problems trivial. His daughter, Katherine, suffers also, acting out at home, at church, and in school. The congregation turns on Tyler, gossiping about Katherine and speculating that he is having an affair with his housekeeper.
The powerful, almost mystical feeling for God that Tyler has cherished is gone now, as he falters in his faith and staggers under a burden of doubt and debt. Previously, he had always found strength and solace in reflecting on the life and teachings of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a German pastor and Nazi resister. Tyler has found that the cost of discipleship is indeed high, as he yearns to recapture his spiritual certainty in a confused world.
Tyler and his congregation eventually do find their way back to God and to each other in their life together, discovering that faith entails much more than a feeling. Through reconciliation, they experience a deeper, more mature faith, enjoying life together in a new and gracious way.
We twenty-first-century Christians don't like to think or talk about sin in our own lives, but sin has gotten in and it won't go away. The apostle Paul reminds the Romans and us that "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). When we deny sin, we also deny the grace of God that overcomes sin.
Anger is a sin that permeated the Reverend Tyler Caskey's church and community. It was not the blazing, obvious kind, but the brooding, simmering variety. Two different words in the Hebrew Bible are used for anger. One of the words means to have "pregnant nostrils." When we are angry, our nostrils enlarge. I am reminded of waving a red flag before a snorting, raging bull.
That same Hebrew word is used for both nose and anger. In Exodus, God is described as being "slow to anger" (Romans 34:6), which literally means to be "long of nose." The other word means "to burn or to grow hot."2 We often think of anger in degrees of heat or in the shades of red used by cartoonists to illustrate anger.
Anger in and of itself is a human emotion that can motivate us to make changes for the better. Jesus became so angry with moneychangers that he threw them out of the temple. Jesus cursed a fig tree, causing it to wither. It's the way in which we sometimes channel our anger that gets us into trouble.
The parson in The Canterbury Tales appropriately describes anger as the "Devil's Furnace." In vengeful anger, we put ourselves into God's place, becoming the judge instead of leaving that to God. Paul reminds us that "... it is written, 'Vengeance is mine, I will repay,' says the Lord" (Romans 12:19).
God has given us an indescribable gift in our salvation. Through God's grace, our scarlet sins are washed white as snow. We Americans are very skeptical about the idea of receiving something for nothing. There have been many hoaxes in recent years, and the internet makes defrauding easier than ever.
We are too familiar with slogans such as "There's no such thing as a free lunch," or "If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is." Even when a friend gives us a gift, we feel the need to reciprocate in kind. If John remembers your birthday, then of course, you will remember his.
Justification is a free gift, a gift that we receive through faith. The words justify and justification come from the court of law. Imagine a court in which a prisoner stands before the judge for sentencing. The prisoner is guilty, and everyone knows it, including the judge. The moment comes for the punishment to be announced. But instead of condemning the prisoner to death or prison, the judge declares the guilty prisoner innocent and sets him or her free. The judge takes away the guilt. The prisoner is "justified" or "made right" by the judge.
Forgiveness, by its very nature, is a gift. In order to need forgiveness we must have done something wrong. We must have incurred a debt and earned a punishment. Forgiveness breaks in as a free and undeserved surprise. Our sentence has been commuted.
When Paul refers to "the law," he usually means the laws of Moses. In his former life as a Pharisee, Paul had been utterly devoted to keeping the law. As a Christian, he still wants to uphold the law, but he no longer regards it as definitive for knowing what God requires. Instead, Paul contrasts the righteousness that is given through faith in Jesus Christ with what the law provides.
Paul lays out the human predicament quite clearly: We all have fallen short of the glory of God. No matter how well we abide by the rules, we miss the fullness of life if we do not accept God's gracious unconditional love. The letter of the law is tempered by grace. There are even times when grace is best served by breaking the rules.
Cathy came home late to dinner one evening, and her dad wanted to know why she was late. Cathy explained that her best friend, Anna, had dropped her china doll on the sidewalk and the doll had broken into several pieces. "Oh," said her dad. "Did you stop to help her pick up the pieces?" "No," explained Cathy. "I stopped to help her cry." The rule about being home for dinner at six had been broken, but due to prevailing circumstances, Cathy's offense was forgiven.
Martin Luther read the book of Romans with an open mind and heart, acting upon what he believed, and in the process, changing world history. John Wesley read Luther's comments about the book of Romans and changed the way Protestants spread the gospel message in the Western Hemisphere. Our world is changing so rapidly that we could generate a reformation in every generation.
In recent years, there has been a new wave of spiritual formation in the church with revival of long-forgotten spiritual practices. For many of us, these small-group experiences may well be a spiritual transformation and a "re-formation." As we mature in our faith, we discover more and more of God's wisdom. Each of life's circumstances opens new doors to understanding God's work in our world.
Paul reminds us and the Romans not to be "conformed to this world, but to be transformed by the renewing of your minds" (Romans 12:2). Through spiritual reformation, we are transformed to the image of Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Christianity's most basic faith practices are relevant to every person and every era. Marjorie Thompson reminds us that "Prayer, scriptural mediation, self-examination, and hospitality never go out of style."3 These practices serve to move us from guilt, shame, and anger toward forgiveness and reconciliation.
There is a movement underway to revive, understand, experience, and embody the great practices of our faith. Our lives can be strengthened and reshaped, reformed and transformed by God's new revelation in our lives. By opening ourselves to God's revelation to us in a new way, we can celebrate our own reformation in Christ. Amen.
____________
1. Elizabeth Strout, Abide with Me (New York: Random House, 2006).
2. H. Stephen Shoemaker, The Jekyll and Hyde Syndrome: A New Encounter with the Seven Deadly Sins and Seven Lively Virtues (Nashville: Broadman Press, 1987), p. 60.
3. Marjorie J. Thompson, Soul Feast: An Invitation to the Christian Spiritual Life (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2005), p. ix.
