Sermon by The Very Rev Chris Yaw, 9/15/2024
Centering Prayer
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, may your will be done, through me.
If you are what you eat, then what you should be looking at this morning in this pulpit is a big blue-and-yellow box of Kraft Macaroni and Cheese.
Had I been a savvy investor at age 6 - I would have bought stock in this company - and today assumed my role as parish billionaire philanthropist - and hired out the preacher - someone much more talented than the incumbent...
Alas - at age 6 - I wasn't thinking about acquiring stock - just acquiring more mac and cheese. Had to be Kraft - had to be the blue and yellow box - wouldn't eat any other kind.
But as I grew older - my eyes were opened to a wider variety of mac and cheese - and that big, casserole-size version - that's made with Velveeta cheese - then baked in the oven with bread crumbs on top - can you conjure up an image of that rich, crackly top - and the aroma that fills the house when you bake it?
Years later, I would discover an even richer version - made with gourmet cheeses - hand-grated, mixed, and matched, with freshly made pasta - and perhaps infused with lobster, truffle oil, or another exotic delicacy.
All of these versions had been around since my youth - I didn't invent them - but I did discover them - as my relationship with mac and cheese evolved.
My dear friends - now that I have your mouths watering and perhaps your curiosities piqued - as you may be thinking - "What on earth does this have to do with Jesus?" - I would like to make the connection with the ways our taste evolves - and the ways our relationship with Jesus evolves.
No doubt most of us are familiar with today's Gospel lesson - and the story of St. Peter being the first of the disciples to correctly identify who Jesus was, "You are the Messiah!" he says - only to - just a few moments later - show that Peter has yet to fully understand who or what a 'Messiah' actually is - for we're all familiar with what happens next - when Peter tries to actually correct Jesus - only to have Jesus call him 'Satan' - and we thought the Tigers were the only ones who could go from 'First to Worst' so quickly...
But the point is that your first encounter with Jesus is probably much different than your latest encounter with Jesus - that your discovery of The Christ didn't happen all of a sudden - but not only has it evolved - but it continues to evolve and grow just as other important relationships, such as marriage, parenting, or those with our best friends.
And I would like to say two things about this:
First, if you have had fits and starts in your relationship with Jesus - of following then not following - of faithfulness and unfaithfulness - of taking things slowly because you are just figuring things out - that's OK - that's what Peter and all the disciples did as well! They did not get it all at once - it took them years. So cut yourself some slack. Be kind to yourself. You are on the journey! You are where you're supposed to be!
And here's my second point - as Peter drew closer to Jesus - as he kept at it - he got more and more committed - he made more and more sacrifices - he touched more and more lives - and he showed you and me how to do it.
Peter and the disciples show us that the important work of being a disciple is to continue to follow Jesus - continue to grow closer to Christ - and pursue our relationship with Him as our top priority - even though - like Peter - it is bound to be increasingly uncomfortable, inconvenient, dangerous, and unpopular - which are often indicators that we are doing it right.
We all heard the difficult words in today's Gospel about denying ourselves etc. - and we know this is what we're called to do more and more of each day - it's part of our growth and maturity! It's part of being civilized! Putting aside selfish and destructive instincts and replacing them with life-giving habits and virtues!
They're the difficult things that you know so well:
Holding your tongue when you've been insulted, cheated, or disrespected.
Volunteering to drive someone home when it's out of your way.
Making the effort to learn more about the poor, neglected, and vulnerable when it's easier to page through a catalog.
Pitching in to help your neighborhood association, local election efforts, or other community-building efforts - when it's so much easier to stay home by yourself and watch Netflix.
Each one of us - like Peter - are called to pursue our relationship with Christ - not just through prayer but through action - what's that look like to you this morning?
What does maturity and growth in your spiritual life, in word and action, look like?
Have you gone beyond Kraft dinners - which, to stretch the metaphor, are quick, convenient, and cheap - to more mature places that are less convenient, more costly, but ultimately more rewarding?
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There are three kinds of people in prison - writes Anthony DeMello –
There are the conformists, the reformers, and the revolutionaries.
Most inmates are conformists - they check in, learn the system, bide their time, and go along to get along.
A few inmates are reformers - they're the ones who put up a protest - for better food, more free time, they will speak up and speak out - and they'll make good progress!
Then there are the rare inmates who are revolutionaries.
They're the ones who start the riots and rip down the walls - protesting the very pillars of a failed prison system, and they won't be happy until the building is razed and something better takes its place.
Inside of each of us - are all three - the conformist, the reformer, and the revolutionary.
We see them in Jesus - who conformed to the existing commands and traditions of Judaism, as he famously said, "I did not come to destroy the law but to fulfill it!"
He was the reformer - the one who called people back to obedience, to heed the words of the prophetism and to reclaim the call of God to care for widows and orphans and immigrants.
And he was also the revolutionary - who turned over tables in the Temple, predicted its destruction, and who gave his life to overthrow the old, corrupt system and usher in a new one!
The Conformist, Reformer, and Revolutionary.
Here at St. David's we see all three:
We are conformers! We go to church, say our prayers, look to follow the example and live into the mold of Jesus - trying hard to conform to his image, likeness, and behavior in word and deed.
We are reformers - who seek to correct and repair that which has broken! We are a people of Tradition - who carry on the living faith of the dead - not Traditionalists who blindly nurture the dead faith of the living! We reformers make a difference! We actively feed people, clothe people, visiting the vulnerable, and spend hours and hours hand-making mats for the homeless!
And we are revolutionaries! We actively protest against a system that allows too many guns to float around our nation - we have 5% of the world's population and 42% of its guns - and we are not going to sit around and watch those guns wreak untold terror and tragedy in our society! That system needs to change.
And I wonder how you - in your life - are conforming, reforming, and carrying the flag of revolution?
As you conform - are you conforming to the right things? Is it to Jesus and his example? We are what we surround ourselves with - the people, podcasts, books, movies, and culture we choose to let in.
As you reform - are you reforming the right things? What are the broken things you're fixing - and are they making the mark you want to make?
As you fight for revolution - are you overthrowing that which needs to go? Are you fully aware of the upside-down nature of the world that needs to be turned right side up? What does that look like for you?
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Did you know that bananas are radioactive?
Ya - not much - but enough so that there's actually a measurement that's been devised called a 'Banana Equivalent Dose' - the B-E-D - and yes, it is very small, certainly too small to do you any harm.
Nonetheless, the radioactivity of bananas will cause some people not to eat them.
And it's not just bananas - take cars...
Even though it is much more likely you will suffer harm when in a car than an airplane - there are countless people who refuse to fly - and choose to drive, instead.
And what about moose?
Even though your chances of being injured by a deer or a moose, usually while driving, are far greater than being killed by a shark, countless people stay out of the water to avoid the minuscule risk.
What we're talking about is fear - big and small - but it's the fear that keeps us from conforming, reforming, and being the revolutionaries we are called to be. Fear of not being accepted by the 'cool kids' - keeps us from conforming to that nerdy, Christian ideal of honesty, integrity, peacemaking, and even kindness.
Fear of not having enough - keeps us from reforming, of giving of our time and money to fight hunger, homelessness, and fixing the broken things around us.
Fear of persecution - or worse - keeps us from joining the revolution that can be as rewarding as it is costly.
And when we live in fear - we build our own prisons and serve as our own jailkeepers.
Friends - today's Gospel reminds us that our relationship with Jesus is evolving! Every day we come to new levels, new plateaus of knowing Him and serving Him - and today we are challenged to grab hold of Jesus' hand anew, and to say 'Please, take my fears!'
'Help me through the obstacles!'
'Help me up to the next level of knowing you!'
'Help me conform, reform, and lead the revolution you've started!'
We've got the talent!
We've got the track record!
Together - let's go do it!
Amen