MAINTAINING HOLINESS
This morning's lessons present us with a continuation of Saint Paul's letter to the Christians at Rome and our Lord’s instructions to his disciples on the matter of living the Christian life in a community dedicated to serving God. Saint Paul in his letter has spent the first 11 chapters laying out his doctrine of the Christian life and now in the remaining chapters he is giving practical advice on how to live that life. The importance of living the life in community is central to serving God as a people united to him, willing to sacrifice all to acco
mplish his will, trust in his mercy and be obedient to his commandments. Living in community places great demands on the person who would live the Christian life and Paul gives us some rather direct instructions on how to go about it in the Roman letter.
The overall purpose of this really goes back to the days of Israel's wanderings in the wilderness after the Exodus from Egypt. While they were in the wilderness being formed into a community dedicated to the Lord who led them out of bondage, they received many instructions and commandments from the Lord through his servant Moses. It is recorded in the 19th chapter of Leviticus:
"You shall be holy; for I the Lord your God am holy. [Lev. 19:2]
And for the remainder of the chapter the Levitical Holiness Code is laid out for the people of Israel. It is perfect blend of cultic requirements and ethical obligations for the people as Moses set out the covenant relationship they had with Almighty God. To remain in a relationship with God we must be holy just as he is or we cannot be in relationship with him.
A person who is seeking a long-term relationship with God and who desires it above all else must be obedient. In desiring it with all their heart they are not just talking about the organ that pumps the blood around our body. The heart they are referring to is the very essence and being of the person. The heart of the person was the very center or core of their being. That is why it is written in Deuteronomy, chapter 6, and verses 4-5:
"Hear, 0 Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD, and you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might." [Deut. 6: 4-5]
It was required of the Hebrew to love God with all the energy and strength that they possessed. It was the most important law or commandment of them all. By the time you went through all the laws that Moses issued, you could count up 613 of them. But the most important of them all was the "Shema" (Hear, 0 Israel). In the 22nd chapter of Matthew's Gospel, Jesus is confronted by a lawyer who tests him by asking which of the laws is the greatest? Jesus replies with the Shema first and then adds Leviticus 19:18:
"You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
This has come down to us as the Summary of the Law and can be found in our Rite One service as such. The Shema establishes the relationship between the worshippers and the LORD, while the second establishes the relationship between other worshippers in the community. Not only must we love God with all our being but we must also do the same toward our brothers and sisters in the Christian community. For those who would ask in their mind "Just how do we go about doing all this loving?" Paul has laid down some hard and fast guidelines for us in his letter to the Romans. If we lay these out one by one and look at them, we will see some really tough guidelines for living in community. Here are a few of Paul’s guidelines from last week’s reading from Romans.
1. Let love be genuine.
2. Hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good. => Know the difference - Read the Bible.
3. Love one another with brotherly affection.
4. Outdo one another in showing honor.
5. Never flag in zeal, be aglow with the Spirit, serve the Lord.
6. Rejoice in your hope, patient in tribulation, content in prayer.
7. Contribute to the needs of the saints, practice hospitality.
8. Bless those who persecute you, bless and do not curse them. => To bear the name of Christ means to be like him and even during Persecution we follow the example of Our Lord who forgave even his executioners as they were in the process of murdering him. T
9. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.
10. Live in harmony with one another, do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly, never be conceited.
11. Repay no one evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends upon you, live peaceably with all. => Paying back evil for evil only continues the vicious cycle of evil, keep your sights on what is noble and strive above all else to live peaceably.
Ray Stedman writes about hearing of some officers overseas who rented a house for themselves and hired a houseboy to work for them. He was a cheerful, happy soul, and they were young and had a lot of fun playing tricks on him. They would nail his shoes to the floor, and they would put water up over the door so that when he pushed it open the bucket would fall on him. They played all kinds of tricks, but he always took them in such a beautiful, good humor that they finally became ashamed for themselves. They called him in one day and said, "We've been doing all these mean thing to you and you have taken it so beautifully. We just want to apologize to you and tell you that we are never going to do those things again. " He said, "You mean no more nail shoes to floor? " They said, "No more. " He said, "You mean no more water on door? " They said, "No more. " "Okay then, " he said, "no more spit in soup!"
So you see, it is possible to take silent revenge. But the Word of God warns us against doing it. Don't be sneaky and underhanded about your actions, it says, but "be careful to do what is right in the sight of everybody.
12. Never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God. => Leave all payback to the Lord, he knows the right time and method, there is no sense in being eaten up with bitterness and anger. That’s like drinking poison and waiting for the other person to die.
13. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. => Paradoxes of Paradoxes, can you imagine overcoming evil with good? It is better to seek the good of God's kingdom to overcome the evil than to turn and -join with the evil one by becoming evil along with him.
I was reading one day a story about a young man who was in the army. He was a Christian and had formed the habit of praying beside his bed before he went to sleep. He kept up this practice in the army, but he became an object of mockery and ridicule to the entire barracks. One night he knelt to pray after a long, weary march. As he was praying, one of his tormentors took of his muddy boots and threw them at the young man, one at a time, hitting him on each side of his head. The Christian said nothing about it, and just took the boots and put them beside the bed and continued to pray. But the next morning, when the other man woke up, he found his boots sitting beside his bed, all shined and polished. It so broke his heart that he came to that young man and asked him for forgiveness. That led, after a time, to that man becoming a Christian.
In today’s reading Paul continues:
Let us then lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armor of light; let us live honorably as in the day, not in reveling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and licentiousness, not in quarreling and jealousy. Instead, put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.
This is living in a community seeking to be Holy as the Lord is Holy.
Can you imagine what the reading from the gospel would sound like if couched in today’s culture? William Willimon writes it like this:
If we were to take today's gospel reading in Matthew 18 and retell it in a way that reflected the mores and failings of our own time, you can imagine how it might sound.
If your brother sins against you, phone and tell him his fault, making sure the tape recorder is working. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother and also have evidence, should he have second thoughts. But if he does not listen, take one or two lawyers along with you, that every word may be confirmed before you issue the press release. If he refuses to listen to them, threaten to sell the story to the highest bidder, and let him be unto you as a cash cow and ticket to fame. Truly I say to you, whatever you broadcast on earth shall be transmitted through the heavens, and whatever is syndicated on earth will pay residuals forever and ever. Again I say to you, if public opinion polls agree about your brother's sin, ask, and the court will award you a large settlement. For where two or three are gathered in a talk- show audience, there is 15 minutes of fame for the guest and the guest's entourage.
No doubt about it: our way of doing business is radically different from Jesus' teaching in Matthew 18. It doesn't matter if we're talking about relating to people within the church or interacting with those who are outside it. Our culture's values - or lack thereof - make these words of Jesus sound incredible and impractical.
What happens when evil infects the Christian body and a brother or sister offends the community and sins? Our Lord has pointed out:
"Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance. " [Luke 15:7]
For this reason he points out the actions we should take to maintain the Christian body in unity and especially in recalling a brother or sister to holiness.
Restoration, unity and holiness are what God asks of us, but not unity at any price!! What if our personal appeals fail when we face off one on one? Our Lord says take along a couple of brothers or sisters in the community to witness the attempt to reconcile the brother or sister. If that fails then we should bring it before the whole community. And if that doesn't work then he supports removal of the individual who is adamant in their sin. Any Christian who is proud and arrogant in their sin, is not a Christian and needs to be removed from the Body of Christ, lest they infect other parts of the Body. But our Lord says treat them like a Gentile or Tax Collector. Remember how he treated such people, he loved them, but called them to repentance. The Body of Christ must maintain its holiness to represent him in the world. Without that Holiness it will be very hard for those who are in and of the world to tell us from the rest of the world. At the Baptismal service the congregation says to the newly baptized person:
"We receive you into the household of god Confess the faith of Christ crucified, proclaim his resurrection, and share with us in his eternal priesthood "[BCP p.308]
The new Christian is welcomed into the family to share with the rest of the family in the presence of God and in his holiness. The Christian life is a life symbolized by the cross. The vertical beam represents our life and relationship with God the Father. The crossbeam represents our life and relationship with each other in the community. For as our Lord said at the end of the gospel reading this morning;
"For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them. " [Matthew 18:201
This is consistent with the teaching of the rabbis of Jesus day, who taught that when two or more gathered around the Torah, there was the Shekinah glory of God. Jesus is present through the power of the Holy Spirit whenever we gather in his name. So I call you all to a Holy life dedicated to God Almighty, in Jesus Christ Our Lord through the power of the Holy Spirit. We have gathered in his name to confess our faith in him to proclaim his resurrection and share in his eternal priesthood by offering spiritual sacrifices of praise and thanksgiving. As we partake of the Body and Blood of our Lord and Savior let us be ever mindful of our call to be a holy people because the Lord our God is a holy God.
14th Sunday after Pentecost-Year A [6 September 2020]
Proper 18 [St. Augustine’s]
Exodus 12: 1-14
Psalm 149
Romans 13: 8-14
Matthew 18: 15-20
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