A Sermon for the Fourth Sunday after Trinity

TRINITY 4

Text: Romans 8:18-23

Luke 6:36-42

“Do not judge, and you will not be judged.  Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned.  Forgive, and you will be forgiven.  Give, and it will be given to you.  A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap.  For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

I bring you greetings from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who, in His mercy, offers us the gift of eternal life in Him, a gift often rejected and scorned.  Amen

As a former City official I was often called upon to go to public meetings to discuss the City’s position on some item or project and to solicit input from the public.  Waterfront and Jetport issues are never simple and there are often many opposing views regarding the proper path to take and if the City is doing right by its citizens.  What often surprised me however is how personal these meetings often got.  A number of times I have stood at a podium and been called dishonest, a liar, accused of having a hidden agenda and told if that I was any good, I would have a real job.  Politics can be ugly and they become very ugly when people don’t get what they want.  Politics is often about trying to find a middle ground, reaching compromise, seeking a solution that works for everyone.  More often it’s about getting your own way, no matter what the cost is to others.

The church is often viewed as a sanctuary for mankind.  Here we can seek God, find solace, set aside our troubles and commune with our Lord.  Yet here in the house of God we see the political actions Christians often bring into the church in order to gain or demand their point of view.  Where is the Christ of the Gospel when this happens?  I once had lunch with an elected official who inquired about my connection to the church.  He asked me which church I attended and I told him (at that time) St. Paul’s.  He looked surprised and commented that he didn’t think I was that type of person.  That made me a bit curious and I followed up with a simple question, “What type is that?”  “You know, a conservative Christian,” and he quickly changed the subject.

Now I am used to being considered a bit different.  I grew up a protestant in a mostly Roman Catholic community.  My mother being Hispanic and Native American Indian often warned me not to speak of my heritage because she feared that I would be mistreated if other children knew I was a Mexican.  She experienced firsthand the scorn of those who treated her as second class only because like so many others, she had come to this country seeking a better life.  But to be looked upon as different because of being Christian, that really confused me.

When we call ourselves Christian, what exactly do people see in us?  The other day when I was watching the news there was a group of protestors in Massachusetts from a Christian church were holding signs that said “God hates fags!.”  In the last two centuries in this country, men wearing crosses on white robes hung black men, women and children from tree limbs in the name of God.  Hitler killed 6 million people because he proclaimed that God hated Jews.  Muslims kill Christians because God hates Christians. 

Well my brothers and sisters, the God I know doesn’t hate anyone.

But what about us.  Often times we read scripture, and the message is unclear to us.  We ponder at length what Christ, or the writer was trying to say.  But here in today’s Gospel the message is so clear it should hit us square between the eyes.  “Why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye and see not the plank in your own?”

God’s promise to us is one we hold dear to our hearts.  It gives us strength in our life every day.  It lifts us up and gives us hope.  St. Paul in our Epistle speaks of the glory that will be revealed in us.  The hope of what is to come, the liberation from our bondage.  Yet as we glory in what God has given us, we find too often that we are not the examples of what our belief as Christians should reflect.  When so many are judging or showing hate in God’s name, do we in turn show His love for us to all?  Are we not called upon, every Christian, to be examples of His love, His grace, His hope?

A friend once said to me that he didn’t consider himself prejudice because he hated everyone equally. Hate is such a strong word.  It evokes thoughts of fury, revenge, uncontrolled anger.  How many of us are saying to ourselves-“I don’t hate, I don’t act that way, I don’t feel that way.  Those folks are extremists; I am not one of them.”

The interesting thing about hate is that it is often very visible.  We see it in a person’s actions, hear it in what they say, experience it in their emotion.  The subtle type is more dangerous.  The judgments we make about people every day, the feelings we don’t show, the actions that do not glorify God.

To Glorify God.  That should be the foremost thought in every Christians mind, every waking hour, in every action, in every statement.  We glorify Him in the expression of love for one another, in our desire to do His work no matter how difficult the task in His name.  IT’S NOT ABOUT US!  It is about Him.  It’s not about what we want, it’s about what He wants.  It’s not about what makes us feel good, it’s about what is right in His eyes.  We call ourselves Christians and yet we cannot express the love of Christ to others in all that we do.  Not only in everyday life, but right here in God’s church. 

Yes, we know that we fail and that we are sinners.  We know we fall short of righteousness.  But if we truly love Christ, if we truly allow the spirit to shine in us, if we truly want to be shining examples of God’s love, than we need to stop turning from God, we need to hear what he tells us, we need to commit ourselves to one simple task, to GLORIFY GOD.

The pews of Christian churches are emptier every day.  Man has managed in his sin to dismember even this most sacred of institutions here on this earth. So many have left the church and turned from God because what they have seen in the manifestation of God’s love is our example as Christians.  We look at the cross and see the depth of Christ’s love for us, yet cannot in our own lives express that love to others.  If man is turning away from God, if people are leaving His church, if parishes are closing because no one is coming to God’s house anymore, what are we as Christians doing to change that?

St. Paul told the Romans, “the Spirit helps us in our weakness.”   We need be shining example of our faith to all whom we meet. Our love must be abundant, our judgment non-existent, our hands and hearts open to those who do not know Christ or worse, have abandoned Him.

In all that we do, we must put God first.  We must seek to Glorify Him and not ourselves, we must commit ourselves to do his work without conflict, or selfishness or hesitation.  We must be outward examples of God’s love, not man’s hate.  Every day, let us begin with this simple desire- in our thanksgiving for His grace and the gift of eternal life, may all that we do, Glorify God.

Take a moment and pray today: “Heavenly Father, I am one of yours.  May your Holy Spirit shine in me. May I be an example of your love. May I tirelessly work for your church here on earth. May all that I do, may all that I say, may all that I am-Glorify you, in the name of our one true savior, Jesus Christ,” AMEN.

Fr. Jeff Monroe+