Reading
for Lent 5A:
Romans 6:16-23
March 13, 2005
The Rev. Karen Siegfriedt
St. Jude the Apostle Episcopal Church, Cupertino,
CA
Well here we are, already in the fifth week of Lent. Next Sunday is Palm Sunday, which marks the beginning of Holy Week. Holy Week is that time of year in our liturgical calendar when we especially remember the final days of Jesus' life, his painful death, and his glorious resurrection. Lent is the season when we set aside time to reflect on our relationship with God and work on those obstacles which prevent us from experiencing grace and being grace-filled people. So, how have you faired? Do you feel any closer to God? Is your heart a bit more compassionate to the plight of others? What have you learned and what habits have you changed? Have you been practicing the spiritual disciplines? Have you presented yourself as an instrument to God? Has your faith been strengthened? Has your character been refined? Have you resisted the powers of the world which corrupt and destroy the creatures of God? How are you doing on your baptismal promise "to repent and return to the Lord."?
These questions are posed, not to make anyone feel guilty, but rather to make us aware of the preciousness of time and the need for Christians to be in solidarity with God. "Behold I am making all things new." [Rev. 21] This is God's promise of hope for a new humanity, a new created order. If we are to be faithful, we must willingly and consciously participate in this process of transformation. What I would like to talk about today is the process of sanctification. Sanctification is simply another word for transformation. Specifically, sanctification is the process of becoming whole, holy, authentic, transformed into the likeness of Christ. It has to do with the emergence of a new nucleus of human beings which Paul talks about in his letter to the Church in Rome. Let's take a closer look.
Last Sunday on my way to church, I heard a snippet of the radio show, God Talk, hosted by Bernie Ward. The subject was about whether to allow or forbid the posting of the 10 Commandments in government buildings and public spaces. Bernie Ward was actually quite surprised that there has been so much fuss about this particular issue. He went on to say, that in America, no one really believes in the 10 Commandments. He claims that our economy is not only fueled by sin but is totally dependent on Americans breaking the 10th commandment: "Thou shalt not covet."
Think about it. Most people keep on buying and buying stuff, not because they really need it, but because they covet. Why else would people buy more clothes when they already have a closet full or a new computer when they have no place to put the old ones, or take a three month cruise around the world for the tune of $200,000? People flock to the malls in the same way as medieval pilgrims stopped to pray at wayside shrines. While the rituals between shoppers and religious pilgrims differ, the expenditure of time, energy, and focus are of equal magnitude.
Lewis Lapham, editor of Harper's Magazine, wrote a profound article* on how sin has been fully incorporated into our society. He says: "Sins in all their denominations (venal as well as mortal) sustain the volume in the stock market, employ the otherwise unemployable, excite the fevers of speculation, stimulate the passions for sexual and political novelty." If we get rid of the seven virtues (or at least trim the fat out of them), "nothing bad really happens to the price of real estate or the Dow Jones Industrial Average. However, take away the seven deadly sins, and the country goes promptly broke." Is he accurate or just being cynical? Let's take a closer look at the prevalence of sin in our society and how deeply it fuels our economy.
What would happen to the media and the advertising industry if it were to stop focusing on the depravity of human beings? When I wrote this sermon, the front page of the Mercury News had six lead articles. Two were about lust (one about Michael Jackson and another about a chief executive who had an affair with an employee). One article was about deceit (i.e. an Internet scam). Another was about a $2 million dollar study to try to prevent people from jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge. Finally, there were two articles reporting on the "non-human sphere." One spoke about the behavior of caged sharks in the Monterey aquarium and the other about reducing the diesel-belching tour buses and overload of automobiles at Yosemite National Park. Where are the lead articles extolling the classical virtues of wisdom, courage, temperance, and justice, or the Christian virtues of faith, hope, and charity? Don't virtues sell newspapers?
What would happen to Hollywood, the entertainment business, and prime time TV if lust and anger were suppressed in favor of virtue? The great American television audience would probably rise in open rebellion, the National Football league would depart into bankruptcy, and the cigarette and alcohol industry would have fewer venues in which to ply their trade.
And what about self-love, self-promotion, and the desire to be in powerful positions? Vainglory fuels the economy through wealthy patrons who bestow gifts on libraries, football stadiums, and universities for the simple favor of being publicly recognized. Why else would Ted Turner give $1 billion to the United Nations or Bill Gates set aside a similar amount for the education of students? Leave vanity out of the equation, and who would run the government in high places, become CEO of a large conglomerate, or fight for the chance to be on the show, The Apprentice?
In today's Epistle reading, Paul tells the people in Rome that they need to be in solidarity with God, not with sin. He goes onto explain that there are two paths: one path is the path of sin which leads to death and the other is the path of God which leads to abundant life. Sin (as you remember) is a force or a state of alienation that destroys relationships (with God, with others, with ourselves). Sin is pervasive in all aspects of life. Sin can be an external force which pervades societies, institutions, and nations, or it can be an internal force which causes people to make hurtful choices. People sin, not because they are inherently bad, but because they want something and fear that goodness will not get it for them.
Paul says that for Christians, baptism is not enough. In addition to our initial commitment, we need to consciously and willingly participate in a life in God if we are to be transformed into the likeness of Christ. This is called the process of sanctification. As we continue in this process of sanctification, we begin to notice that our hearts are more open. Instead of being afflicted with self-absorption, we begin to reach out more with compassion to those in need. Instead of being afflicted with anger, we work for justice and peace. Instead of becoming dull and pushed around by unconscious thoughts and desires, we notice that our character becomes refined. In other words, we become a shining light in a world of darkness, reaching out within our sphere, offering acts of kindness to relieve a bit of the suffering in the world. However, if we do not choose the path of God, the process of sanctification is hindered and the default value becomes the path of sin.
Let me give you an analogy. If we want to get to San Francisco from Cupertino, we need to head in a northerly direction. Making a decision to go to San Francisco is not enough. We need to actually get in a vehicle (or walk I suppose) and head north. If we do not take the initiative and make the effort, we will remain stuck in Cupertino. Cupertino becomes the default value. {Note that I am not equating Cupertino with sin but I am saying that we need to actively participate in our salvation if we are to move forward.}
I think that in general, Christians in the United States are good people. I continue to see acts of generosity, kindness, and goodness, as well as grass roots movements striving for peace and the dignity of every human being. However, we have become lukewarm in our faith. We have let down our guard, become lazy, and thus opted for conventional wisdom rather than godly wisdom. We ignore or are ignorant of the powerful forces in our society that erode our character and tempt us to make choices that wreck relationships. And so we end up in the default position- the slippery slope towards self-indulgence and apathy. The Good News is, there is a way out! And that way out is the path of God that was shown to us in Jesus the Christ.
"Almighty God, you alone can bring into order the unruly wills and affections of sinners: Grant your people grace to love what you command and desire what your promise; that, among the swift and varied changes of the world, our hearts may surely there be fixed where true joys are to be found…" [Collect of the Day, BCP 219]
| Updated 3/14/05 |
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