Sermon for the 4th of August - Tenth Sunday of Trinity

Curious about what is being offered on the stage this season, not going so often anymore (for reasons which will become clear in a moment), I saw a play by a contemporary playwright last week. It had a complicated plot, touched on the worthy themes of climate change and the instability of human relationships, but in the end I found myself thinking, okay, so what was that all about? What was the message here? And all I could come up with was the declaration that our bodies are our homes. I certainly may have missed the point the playwright intended, as plays are often open-ended, to allow for further thoughts. But I went home a little baffled.

And I remembered why I mostly go to hear music, of an evening---for me, a sure thing if I want a few hours of pleasurable entertainment. We all go to different places for different reasons: to the grocery store for what we need to eat, to the doctor's office for a remedy for physical pain, to a theatre for entertainment and, perhaps, a bit of enlightenment about the human condition.

Why do we come here, to St. George's? I think it is out of more than just habit..... It might be interesting to think for a minute about how we would answer this question. Why do we come here? And what difference does it make? What is it that is so special about Christian faith that if we shine it forth it will change the way the world works---it will make the world better, not only for us but for everyone? Sometimes I think about these questions. Because they get to the heart of the matter.

Because I think we are here not as a social club, or even a society of people formed to do good deeds. We come here to worship together, which is a very particular thing that persons of faith do. This is the time, this is the place, for worship of the God who made Himself known in the figure of his son Jesus the Christ.

Last Sunday--I think that many of you were also here then---last Sunday James in his sermon talked about how we might think about Jesus's miracles. How we might receive them. That they weren't magic tricks, but invitations to look more deeply at the figure of Jesus himself, and what he was offering to us, in his very person. Well, this sermon is a kind of Part Two for that sermon of last week. The Gospel reading, in fact, continues where last week's reading left off. The characters in last week's sermon were the crowds who followed Jesus eagerly because they wanted a sign--- give us a sign! that he was everything that they were hoping for. But because they were clearly missing the deeper meaning of everything that happened that day, and before, and after, Jesus had to say it again.

I am the Bread of Life. I am the Bread of Life. But they must have been thinking, okay, so what? So what, for me? I think that Jesus knew what they were thinking, in response, so he went on to say:

This is the work of God: have faith in him whom he sent. The sign the crowd wanted to see, proving that Jesus was who they wanted him to be, was that he would make manna come down from heaven once again, as in the old Exodus days. It is very human to want a physical sign, a sign that can be seen and touched and that can even physically feed us to satisfy our hunger. But Jesus refused to give them this sign. He tried to tell them that he was the sign. He was the real bread, the sustaining bread, the bread that would give them life beyond life, life everlasting, as the phrase is.

But that was too hard for them to grasp, and they couldn't understand. They probably left, feeling baffled.

So the play ended badly, in a physical sense, for Jesus. Because the crowds just as eagerly followed him to his execution. And even then, they didn't get the meaning of the sign he offered them there.

But I'd like to reflect a little on the other reading we are given today, from Ephesians. Because I think it sheds a great deal of light on the meaning of the sign of the cross, the one sign that Christians have to account for to others, if they want to try to communicate to others the nature of this faith that binds us together, that explains why we are here.

Let me read some of those lines again:

I therefore beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all.

Each of us was given grace according to the measure of Christ’s gift. The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ.

Speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and knitted together by every ligament with which it is equipped, as each part is working properly, promotes the body’s growth in building itself up in love.

This passage from Ephesians is so beautiful and so complete, I think, that I don't have to say much more. God has given us a sign of grace, a sign pointing beyond itself to a way of life that enables us to understand why we come here. If we live out our lives in love for others, we have gotten the meaning. We come here to encourage and strengthen one another. We come here to be fed, symbolically, sacramentally, with the offering of Jesus Himself who sustains us to the end.

Lest you think I am a complete Puritan in the area of evenings of entertainment, I have to tell you about a happy discovery. There are days when I am so tired I want to sit in my reading chair and watch a good detective that ties up all the loose ends and sees justice done in exactly one hour. I had asked my goddaughter what she, a very serious journalist in the U. S., watches, for relaxation. And, among other programmes, she named a good detective series on T. V. that had aired on PBS, the Public Broadcasting System, that I thought, okay, would be a trusted source. The title of it is Astrid. It is a French/Belgian production, in French, with subtitles, of course, that is also shown here on Channel 4. The reason why I like it is that the heroine, Astrid, is a very interesting character. She is autistic. She has been ridiculed and bullied by her classmates as a little girl. At last, at age 30, working in the criminal records bureau, she comes into her own as she helps to solve unsolvable mysteries of crime. And her growing friendship with the police commander, Raphaëlle, is deeply moving. The messy, impulsive, always-late Raphaëlle comes to know Astrid and appreciate her rare gifts. She also helps Astrid navigate the difficult waters of social interactions. The loving and supportive relationship that grows between them is beautifully depicted. Highly recommended, this show!

Human beings need many things, to flourish. We need food, clothing and shelter; also, satisfying social interactions with those around us. And entertainment when we need an evening 'off.'

We also need something more. We might call this a sense of meaning and purpose in life. God has provided a way to this. It is a great gift. It is the sign of the cross, the outpouring of great love.

As we meet, again and again, in this place, for this purpose, to celebrate the goodness of God in the giving of the gift of his Son, we ponder the words of Scripture, we pray and give praise and partake of the sacrament of his own body, given for us.

So what difference does it make? The love we go out to show the world transforms it. This transforming love has a particular source, found here, in this celebration of worship---of eucharist.

We need nothing more!