Proper 15 C Am I Any Further On?
Proper 15 C Am I Any Further On?August 15, 2010By Rev. Ernest F. Campbell
Experience tells us that if you want to get something accomplished…. then set a goal. Make a list of what will be required, and then begin. My wife Margaret is a much better goal-setter than I am. I tend to be more random, which (I have learned) is not the way to a list-maker’s heart. If you really want something to happen, set a goal, make a plan, and begin.
What would we say is our goal as Christians? In today’s reading the author of Hebrews believes that our goal is to be moving our lives towards the likeness of Christ. He says: “Let us lay aside every weight and sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfector of our faith.” From the Message: Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in. Study how he did it.
So, no matter what other goals we may have set for our lives, our goal as Christians is to let Christ’s love show through our lives. Let us, by the way we live our lives, be the physical and emotional evidence that love is for real. Our goal is to be an extension of the incarnation. How else will our friends and neighbors ever know that forgiveness and reconciliation is a possibility: UNLESS we work at getting along with one another, UNLESS we work to make sure that no one gets left out of God’s generosity. UNLESS we keep a sharp eye to deal with the weeds of bitter discontent, UNLESS we guard against trading away God’s gift of eternal life in order to satisfy some short-term appetite. Let’s not kid ourselves, love is a four-letter word…. Spelled W.O.R.K.
At one point in my life, I was interested in receiving counseling with the help of a Jungian therapist. I had to ask two questions: How much will it cost, and how long will it take. The therapist answer was: Everything you’ve got, and for as long as you live. Not a bad answer for any who would enter the race – the race that is set before us. Living in Christ will take everything we’ve got for as long as we live. To which the great clouds of witnesses will shout, “True! Living into the likeness of Christ is the hardest work you will ever love!”
But why does this mission of love, justice, and understanding provoke division and controversy? Families turned against one another…why? Because the Christian message stirs up conflicting approaches to living life: To defend the poor -- provokes the anger of the rich; to defend the outcast -- enrages the in-group; to support a fair wage -- irritates the one who profits more with cheap labor; to practice peace -- incites others to war.
In my experience many would prefer that the church keep silent on these controversial issues. We say, let’s keep God’s love neutral and safe. But from what we know about Our Lord’s compassion for justice, the only safe place for His followers is in the center of the storm, in the midst of the battle, because that is precisely where we will find Jesus.
At bed-time, one Christian pilgrim used to take off his shoes and say, “Shoes, where have you been today? What opportunities to be ‘good news’ did you pass. Where did you stop where it would have been better to keep moving?” If our goal is to move towards the likeness of Christ, are we any further on at the end of the day? Let’s face it, we live in a world of innumerable distractions. We check our list of goals when we wake up, and the avalanche of loose-ends hits! It’s easy to set goals, but hard to achieve them.
Example) Did you know that only two percent of all Boy Scouts become Eagle Scouts? Why? It takes a lot of dedication, discipline, and inspiration to stay focused. I was a boy schout. I loved the Scouting program. I learned a lot, but I am not an Eagle Scout.
Example) To reach your destination in a canoe, every stroke the stern-man takes is a correction stroke. Force factors like wind, current, erratic wave-power will take you off course. When I taught canoeing, I would say, “Pick a point on the far shore, and keep the bow aimed at that point.”
To keep moving toward our goal of being ambassadors for Christ, the author of Hebrews wants us to know that we have an army of good and Godly people cheering us on. The way he puts it, “We are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses!”
What are athletes thinking about as they approach the starting line? What did it take to get to this point…. Ready to run their race? Parents, friends, coaches, sponsors…they are all there….and all believe that I can do it. Just a glance at the other athletes in their top-form tells you that this is going to be a race…it will require the best you have got, and maybe something that you didn’t know you had. You are surrounded by support. Their expression and cheers are telling you to…. go for it! We are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses!
What is it that inspires us to do our very best? As a priest I can tell you one of these times is when you are invited to preach in front of your colleges at a clergy conference. They all know the drill. They are listening! The bishop is listening! Just thinking about it gets my heart pumping. But the truth that really inspires you, is knowing that they all love you, and that they are all hungry to hear the good news of God’s love. Do you know what preachers look for when they preach? Faces that look interested. People that are listening. Eighty percent of a good sermon comes from the congregation. As any preacher, the expectant expressions on their faces tells you to…go for it! We are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses!
The author of Hebrews also knows that if our goal is to become faithful and effective ambassadors for Christ it is imperative to rid ourselves of the impeding detractions in our lives. Just as athletes peel off their warm up clothes before the race, so we must be ready to peel off our sticky sins. One psychiatrist claimed that 25% of our nation’s work force is distracted by guilt.
No one is free from temptation. What may tempt one person, will bore or disgust another. The problem is that temptations are “tailor made” for each of us. The devil is a master at the old game of, “Made You Look.” We all fall into different life-styles that prevent us from being all that we can be. There was once a group of young Christians talking to an older priest. One remarked that after so many years of following Christ the temptation to sin must surely be diminished? The old priest responded by saying, “That would be nice, but in my experience the temptations are still there. The one hopeful thing that I can tell you is that the sword to fight off temptation… fits better in my hand.
Let me give you a simple memory crutch to help you remember the kind of love Christ was talking about. Christlike love is:
Forgiving love (there can be no relationship without forgiveness)
Understanding love (no finger pointing)
Selfless love (let others look good)
Sacrificial love (doing something that you would rather not do)
Forgiving, Understanding, Selfless, Sacrificial – F. U. S. S. spells fuss. Christlike love is what the “fuss” of Christianity is all about. Again, our goal is to be genuine extensions of the incarnation. Those who have seen and tasted the results of that mission all say, go for it! It works, it’s worth it, it brings joy to the world!
Prayer of St. Francis:
Lord, make us instruments of your peace. Where there is hatred, let us sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is discord, union; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy.
Grant that we may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen
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