Readings
for Proper 8C: Gal. 5:1,13-25
June 27, 2004
The Rev. Karen Siegfriedt
St. Jude the Apostle Episcopal Church, Cupertino,
CA
Last week on "60 Minutes," former president Bill Clinton, promoted his new book, My Life. He was interviewed by Dan Rather. And while they spoke at length about some of the important accomplishments Clinton achieved during his time in the White House, he was eventually asked: "Why did you have an affair with Monica Lewinsky?" Clinton replied: "Because I could!" This kind of answer brings to light the misuse of power, uncontrolled sexual urges, self-centeredness, immaturity, and immediate gratification. They are all signs that a person has made a decision from a selfish and distorted ego. Paul calls this distorted ego, the flesh. The flesh is not limited to sexual misconduct (i.e. sins below the belt.) The flesh is a larger force that keeps residence in human existence. This force tempts us to make bad decisions even when we have been taught otherwise. A majority of people in the world make decisions from this unconscious place of the flesh. As a result they are no longer free to choose the good but rather they choose what satisfies their ego at that particular moment in time. Degradation is the result.
There are no political, economic, or social policies that can permanently change the human condition if they are constructed from this place that St. Paul calls "the flesh." Maybe that is why much of our world is in shambles. As long as nations continue to make decisions from a base of operation where the hostile power of the flesh resides, there will never be peace in the Middle East. This is an insight that is absent from our foreign policy. That is why it is imperative for us to spread the gospel.
There is another force that is resident in human existence. St. Paul calls this force, the spirit. This force is the power of God that can fully operate in our decision-making process if we live a life of faith. Faith is a commitment and an orientation of the heart, mind, body, and soul towards God in Christ. When our choices are oriented in God's will, then healing, wholeness, and harmony are made possible to greater humanity. How do we know when this spirit of God is at the center of our decision making process? We know that the Spirit is at the center of our decision making process by its fruit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control. In my sermon today, I will speak about the freedom that comes about when we make a decision to walk in this world through the power of the Spirit rather than through the power of the flesh. I will use Paul's letter to the Galatians as my text.
About 50 years after the birth of Christ, St. Paul founded a Christian congregation in Galatia, which is now in the vicinity of modern Turkey. His converts (which were mostly non-Jewish) made a commitment to dedicate their lives to God in Christ. They were told by Paul that they no longer had to follow the Jewish Law in order to be a righteous people. They were told that an authentic relationship with God was not based on following a bunch of rules but rather was based on a loving attitude of the heart. However, since the Galatians were new to the Christian life, they were influenced by other missionaries. These other missionaries believed that it was only by following the Law that order and moral security could be guaranteed. So the question that Paul had to answer in his letter to the Galatians was this: "How can a community of faith receive moral guidance in the absence of the Law?
At first glance, it seems reasonable that we need to have rules and laws in order to keep order and morality in check. Can you imagine our society without any rules, regulations, or laws? It could be absolute chaos. Look what happen to the various countries that had been part of the Soviet Union once the heavy handed fist of communist laws had been removed! Look at the violence and chaos that can happen when a government has been overthrown. How can people live "rightly" without laws?
This is a good question but we must remember that Paul's epistle is not addressed to a secular-based community. Paul is speaking to a religious community, who has voluntarily dedicated its life to Christ in baptism. This community is grounded in faith, one which trusts in the power of God to transform the human heart. Paul tells these newly-baptized people that if they are led by the spirit then they will naturally become loving human being, and thus are not subject to the Jewish Law. Paul goes on to tell them that the Law is actually ineffectual against the force of the flesh. How does he know that? He knows that through his own personal failure to be a loving human being in spite of following the Law.
Since this sermon began with Bill Clinton, let's take him as an example of how ineffective the law was in controlling his actions. Clinton was bound by many laws (which he agreed to) though the various oaths he had taken. As a baptized protestant-Christian, he vowed to follow the 10 Commandments, including the one about adultery. As a married man, he vowed to be faithful to his wife. Being a government employee, he was required under the Employment Protection laws not to have sex with those who worked under him. As president of the United States, he took an oath to protect our country which includes the rule about not misusing the Office of the President. In our American society, we have rules about older men not taking advantage of younger women. You see, all the rules, regulations, and laws on the books, did little to prevent him from "the force of the flesh."
So what is the good new? There comes a time in some people's lives when the light clicks on and the conscience is shaken. These people are either inspired or they have become tired of making bad decisions that hurt themselves and others. At a very deep level, they have a desire to be free.
If you find yourself craving for this kind of freedom, then here is the good news: You do not have to be enslaved by a bunch of laws. You simply have to live a life of faith. How does one live a life of faith?
But in order to remain faithful to our baptismal covenant, we need to be nourished by the riches of God's grace in Christian community. We can't do it on our own. This is where the parish church comes in. Worship is the place where we learn how to remove ourselves from the center of attention and simply glorify God. Here we learn a different story, a love story, where all creation is respected and given dignity. We learn how to pray and to listen to that still, small voice that heals and makes us whole. In community, we are nurtured by other pilgrims on the path, and given opportunities to learn more about the faith and service to others. In community, we learn how to become an "alleluia" from head to toe.
A life of faith is a life lived in the Spirit. Its fruit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control. The fruit of the spirit is not something that we achieve by working hard or following the law. The fruit of the Spirit is the natural consequence of living a life grounded in the Spirit of Christ. This is true freedom. What more could any of us want out of life?
| Updated 6/28/04 |
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