Loading...Sermon July 23, 2017
The Rev. Rebecca S. Myers, LSW
The Church of the Nativity and St. Stephen, Newport, PA
Seventh Sunday After Pentecost, Track 1 Year A, Proper 11
//lectionarypage.net/YearA_RCL/Pentecost/AProp11_RCL.html
For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. Romans 8:14
I love liturgy. I guess you figured that out; otherwise, why would I be an Episcopal priest, right? As you know, I attended General Theological Seminary, which is known for its rigor regarding liturgical training.
I do things “by the book”…the Book of Common Prayer. It’s not only because of my training, but also because I value the collective community of The Episcopal Church. Yes, the current Book of Common Prayer is now nearly 40 years old and I do agree some updating is necessary. That’s why I like to use the Enriching Our Worship materials occasionally.
What is important to me overall, however, is that a group of people gathered as The Episcopal Church agreed to what is in the 1979 Book of Common Prayer. They also agreed to allow the use of the Enriching Our Worship materials. You see, it’s not The Book of Rebecca Myers or even The Book of The Church of the Nativity and St. Stephen. It is The Book of Common Prayer of The Episcopal Church, in the many places where The Episcopal Church is located. It is how we pray together…that is a foundation of our denomination. So, yes, I go by the book, until the book is changed.
While I do appreciate the non-gender specific language for God, because if we are all formed in God’s image, then how can God be male or female, for instance? I also appreciate naming God as parent. Naming God as Father or Mother shows a connected and intimate relationship with God. For some cultures, this close family connection to God was amazing and unusual. In some cultures God or the gods were experienced as not connected or even oblivious to human beings.
I think that is why I love our liturgy when, prior to The Lord’s Prayer I say, “Ánd now, as our Savior Christ has taught us, we are bold to say” (p. 355, Book of Common Prayer) and we all begin the Lord’s Prayer with “Our Father.” You see, it is bold to call God as a parent…as God who is intimately involved with us…as God who cares for us as God’s children.
Our Epistle this week continues with Paul’s Letter to the Romans. Paul has talked a lot about living by the flesh as opposed to living by the Spirit. Often we think Paul is bifurcating us into flesh or our physical bodies and Spirit or soul being. This misinterpretation has led to some who think our physical bodies are bad and we must ignore our physical needs.
Yet, Paul isn’t splitting us like that. Paul is saying we have a choice of living as the world asks or expects us to live – the flesh – or living into a new reality in Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit. This choice of how we live is always before us and Paul keeps encouraging us to choose life in Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit. He says such a choice will not be easy and such a choice brings generous and abundant life.
In our reading today, Paul also says that when we choose to live by the Spirit, we then are in an intimate relationship with God. We are children of God, who is our perfect parent. It also follows that when we gather together in our church community with God as our parent/Father/Mother, then we are all brothers and sisters.
First of all, we are brothers and sisters to Jesus Christ! Now, that’s amazing, isn’t it? How close of a relationship we are with Jesus? Every time we gather, our brother, Jesus is present with us. And every time we share the Eucharist, we are enjoying a meal with our brother, Jesus.
In essence, Paul reminds us that when we live by the Spirit…when we choose to live by the Spirit, we create a special family connection with everyone else who has chosen to live in Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit.
Paul Achtemeier in his commentary on the book of Romans (Interpretation:A Bible Commentary for Preaching and Teaching) says:
“To compare the Christian community to a family means one must bring the same expectations, love, and patience to fellow Christians in the church that one should also bring to members of one’s own family.” (p. 140)
Expectations, love and patience…. And I have learned that from the church over my lifetime. It’s something I truly value about the church community. We don’t all see the world in the same way, right? Yet, we find ways to discuss our differences and still remain connected. We find ways to be different and live differently and yet gather together on a Sunday morning and pray together and sing together and share the meal of the Eucharist …AND coffee hour!
We reach out to each other when life is challenging. We celebrate with each other. We work together to support our community and make it a good place…a loving place…a caring place.
We are family, led by the Spirit of God.
Amen
