Reading
for Epiphany 3A:
Mt. 4:12-23
January 23, 2005
The Rev. Karen Siegfriedt
St. Jude the Apostle Episcopal Church, Cupertino,
CA
"The people who have sat in darkness have seen a great light, and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death, light has dawned." [Mt. 4. Is. 9]
During the season of Epiphany, themes and symbols of light are presented in the Biblical readings, such as: a star shining over the place where Jesus was born in Bethlehem; the Light of Christ; stories of enlightenment; and Isaiah's prophecy that the light will come to those who struggle in darkness. The religious journey is a movement from a place of darkness to a place of light; from a place of fear to a place of love. Jesus came to show us the way out of this darkness and into the light. That is why he is referred to as "the light of the world." Today, I would like to continue the seasonal theme that was introduced two weeks ago, "Behold, I am making all things new." [Rev. 21] This is a powerful promise of hope to humankind! How can the act of discipleship (i.e. being a student and follower of Jesus) lead us out of the darkness and into a new world order? This is the topic of my sermon and I will use the gospel story as my text.
All of us have spent some time (if not a lot of time) walking in the darkness, groping around in search of ourselves, happiness, meaning, and peace. There is a nagging sense within each one of us, that things could be different, better, if we just knew the right formula. Throughout the centuries, there have been many formulas, philosophies, and theories that have been tried out in order to make this world a better place. Making our world a better place in which to live, for all people, points to the theological category of salvation. Salvation means to heal, to make better, to make whole.
There are those who believe that if we just have the right economic policies, then the world will be saved. Communism and capitalism are just two of many economic philosophies. Communism is a system in which goods and property are owned communally rather than privately and are available as needed to each one in a unified group. This economic system closes the gap between the rich and the poor. Capitalism is a different economic system characterized by private ownership of property and goods. The distribution, price, and production of these goods are determined by free market enterprise. This allows for more freedom and individual initiative.
There are those who believe that if we just adopt the right political policies, then the world will be saved. A benign dictatorship and democracy are just two of many political philosophies. With a benign dictatorship, absolute power is in the hands of one or a few people, who have good intentions, but who rule over the people in the way they see fit. This prevents ignorant and self-serving people from determining national policy. Democracy is a form of government where officials, who will represent the people, are freely elected by the people. In this system of government, the majority rules; this may or may not provide liberty for all people.
There are those who believe that if we just adopt the right military policies, then the world will be saved. World Wars and unilateral strikes are just two of many military philosophies. During a World War, multiple nations join together with resources to fight against an encroaching enemy. The forming of alliances provides more power and strength to win the battles. A unilateral, pre-emptive strike is a military method of aggression in which one nation tries to impose its will against another nation. Some people believe that this is the only way to rid the world of tyranny and evildoers.
Now, all of these secular philosophies that deal with trying to make this world a better place in which to live, have their pros and cons. None of these philosophies produce perfect results although all of them are just temporary solutions. Like most of us, the people of 1st century Palestine, were holding onto the hope of establishing a new world order. They were waiting for a messiah, a king, who could lead the nation of Israel to fight against the oppressive occupation of Rome. To this end, they were hoping for a "war to end all wars." This war would guarantee them freedom from terrorism, oppression, and economic hardships. It was into this context that Jesus began his ministry of preaching the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom of God is simply a "churchy term" which means a new world order based on the principles of peace, justice, mercy, compassion, inclusivity, and righteousness.
Today's reading from the gospel of Matthew describes the beginning of Jesus' public ministry. It becomes clear, early on, that Jesus is not going to address violence by fighting against violence. In fact, he quickly leaves town when John the Baptist is arrested and imprisoned. Jesus eventually becomes a grave disappointment to those who were looking for a political or military solution to make the world a better place.
Jesus indicates that God's new world order will be established primarily through preaching, healing, acts of compassion, and personal transformation, not through a "war that ends all wars." Instead of focusing on solutions to political, economic, or military problems, he goes straight to the root of the problem. And what is the root of the problem of most of the suffering in the world? The root of the problem is the sinful human condition; a human condition kept in bondage by self-centeredness, woundedness, and distorted thinking. Until the root of the problem is addressed, this world will never be saved and we will continue to grope around in the darkness, searching for our true selves, happiness, meaning, and peace, relying on imperfect formulas.
"Repent, the kingdom of heaven has come near." [Mt. 4] While the kingdom of heaven has come near, it has not been fully realized. It requires repentance, discipleship, and evangelism in order to be fully actualized. Repentance means a change of mind, a turning away from the darkness toward the light. Discipleship means to learn, to become a student, to understand God's will for humanity by following Christ. Evangelism means to spread the message of love, peace, compassion, inclusivity, grace, justice, and mercy, to a new generation of people. Repentance, discipleship, evangelism: this is the formula that leads to a permanent new world order.
If repentance, discipleship, evangelism is the path to a permanent new world order, then why do we resist embracing this path? Perhaps some of you do not feel a need to be saved. If this is the case and you really feel that your personal life is in good order, then open the door and look out at the suffering world. Our world needs to be saved! What can you do, within your reach, to relieve a bit of the pain and suffering of those outside your immediate circle? When you decide to respond, you are spreading the good news of compassion, peace, inclusivity, grace, justice, and mercy. This is evangelism.
Do you ever wonder why Peter, Andrew, James, and John, were willing to leave behind their old lives and change their priorities from fishing for fish to fishing for people? They were willing to follow Jesus because they were so compelled by his message of love, acts of healing, and his promise of transformation of the human condition. It is this message of love, healing, and transformation that we are invited to embrace and to spread.
The future of the Christian faith, the hope of a new world order, is going to depend on the willingness of a new generation of Christians to be prepared to express to others this message. This does not mean that they will be preaching sermons to large audiences. It does not mean that they will leave their jobs to go off to a foreign city or country. But it will mean that they will take the time to reach out, through one-to-one encounters, to speak of a vision of a transformed world, and to become agents of healing: healing of ourselves, each other, our society, our institutions, the healing of this world.
"Give us Grace, O Lord, to answer readily the call of our Savior Jesus Christ and proclaim to all people, the Good New of his salvation..." [Collect of the Day, BCP 215]
| Updated 1/29/05 |
|