Sermon Preached by the Rev. Sam Frazier, Vicar

Saint Andrew=s Episcopal Church, Haw River, NC

October 18, 2009

Proper 24, Year B
A few Sundays ago, in the 9^th Chapter of Mark our Gospel reading was about the disciples= debate as to which of them was the greatest.  And we have seen how Jesus dealt with their dispute by saying to them that A Whoever would be greatest must be willing to be last of all and servant of all.@ But apparently James and John had not learned the lesson.  So in our Gospel today, they ask for the places of honor at Jesus= right or left hand when he enters into his glory as Messiah.

So the Lord had to present the lesson of humility once more, but in a different way.  The other ten needed the teaching as much as James and John.  They were not seeking to be last of all, and they were not ready to defer to James and John, or to anyone else.  You see, the disciples were thinking of their own futures, their own benefit, their own personal glory.  They had no thought of how that glory was to be attained.  They simply sought privilege and recognition.

You see, these people just did not get it!  The disciples were about as thick headed as you can get.  They all failed to understand what Jesus= true mission was, and they all failed to understand what their role was in the Kingdom of God and as a part of Jesus= ministry.  They all continued to think of Jesus as a political leader who would deliver their land from Roman occupation and establish himself as king.  Once again Jesus tried to set them all straight.  He told them that worldly leaders assume the trappings of power and demand obedience from their subjects.  But not so for the followers of Jesus.  His followers must not imitate this worldly pattern, because those who reflect the values of this world can do nothing to transform it.
The Gospel today has a very clear message for you and for me.  Sometimes we are all so thick headed when it comes to hearing God speak to us and understanding what he wants us to do.  What God wants us to do should be clear as a bell, but unfortunately it is not.  Consciously or unconsciously we put up roadblocks and smoke screens to prevent us from seeing and experiencing the pure reality of God=s overwhelming love.  We need to be constantly working to clear the air, to remove obstacles that stand between us and God.  Sometimes this is easy to do, and sometimes, even most times, it is very hard to do.  You see, most of those obstacles between us and God are so subtle, so devious, so hard to understand and to isolate and to contain.  Like water pouring into a full bucket, it keeps spilling out.  There seems to be no way to contain it.

There is disagreement today in the Episcopal Church and in parts of the worldwide Anglican Communion over the 2003 action of our General Convention to approve the consecration of a gay priest as Bishop of New Hampshire.  Six years later, the disagreements are still sharp and divisive.  Arthur and I were exposed to some of those disagreements when, at the request of our Bishop, we attended the Lambeth Conference last summer in Canterbury, England.  It seems very difficult to find a common ground on which we can all agree.  And these disagreements are also creating obstacles between us and God.  We can all get so thick headed at times!  But our mission is to help remove those obstacles and work to bring unity in the Episcopal Church and in the Anglican Communion.  We here at Saint Andrew=s Church can be a help in this present time.  We demonstrate on a daily basis that our very diverse community of believers can love one another and do the Lord=s work.  It is clear that more and more you and I are being called upon to witness to the wonderful diversity of the Kingdom of God in this very challenging time in the life of the Church.  We have set an example, and we should not hide our light under a bushel.

There is a very relevant account in the 5^th chapter of Acts that bears directly on the divisions in the Episcopal Church today.  It contains some great advice on what we should be doing and how we can live together even when we disagree.  The story goes like this: Peter and many followers of Jesus were preaching in the Temple and the High Priest had them arrested and thrown into jail.  During the night, an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors and let them out.  The next morning they were back at the Temple preaching and healing.  The Temple police arrested them again and brought them before the High Priest and his advisory council.  Peter preached to them and they became furious and wanted all the followers of Jesus killed.

The council was in an uproar, and then a Pharisee on the council named Gamaliel, a respected teacher of the law, stood up and had the followers of Jesus removed from the room so he could talk to the council in private. Gamaliel reminded the council about Theudas and his 400 men who rose up, aspiring to take over the government.  However, he was killed and his movement died with him.  Gamaliel pointed out that the same thing had happened to Judas the Galilean and his followers.

Then Gamaliel made his point: ASo in the present case, I tell you, keep away from these men and let them alone; because if this plan or this undertaking is of human origin, it will fail; but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them - in that case you may even be found fighting against God!@ That was good advice to the High Priest and his council, and that is good advice today for the Episcopal Church and Anglican Communion.
So in the meantime, what should the faithful be doing in the Episcopal Church?  We must abide in Christ and abound in Christ.  We need to live in the true Vine, and we need to abound in good works.  Our mission is outlined in 1 Corinthians 15:58: ATherefore, my beloved, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the work of the Lord, because you know that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.@ Our current mission is simple - be kind - judge less - and love more.

Today=s Gospel message is for you and for me in this present time.  The disciples had trouble understanding Jesus and his ministry.  Sometimes we too have trouble understanding Jesus and his ministry.  Sometimes we too are hard of hearing and do not hear God=s voice.  Sometimes we too are hard of heart and do not feel God=s love.  Sometimes we too have closed our minds and do not understand what our mission and ministry must be.  But in spite of all these obstacles, God will prevail, and he will prevail over the current divisions in the Episcopal Church.  He always does.  He continues to touch our hearts in spite of all we do to push him out of our lives.  My friends, his love always wins.  Thanks be to God!  AMEN.