Proper 4 – A

                                                                                                                                                                        Matt 7:21-29

                                                                                                                                                                        June 1, 2008

                                                                                                                                                                        St. Columba’s

           In the Name of God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  Amen

Intro

           Well, it’s the GREEN SEASON – and it’s going to be a LONG Green Season.

           In the first half of the Church Year, we walk with the Gospels from Jesus’ Birth to his Death and Resurrection and to his parting gift of the Holy Spirit,

                      - now in this second half of the year it’s time to listen to what Jesus taught.

           And so, appropriately enough, our Gospel today comes from the end of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount.

           In these nine verses, Jesus sums up his teaching and leaves his audience with a warning – they must LISTEN and then DO.

I. Jesus is the Rock

           A. Jesus wraps up his teaching with an absolutely STUNNING comment to the crowd.

                    1. After he teaches them all these things he says – but not all of you will get in.

                      2. He goes on to say that even people who prophesy and heal and do deeds of power in his name will totally be DISOWNED.

                      3. It’s enough to make you say, “What’s going on here?”

                                 - In fact, that’s exactly what the Bible Study Group DID say.

                      4. Here are all these people doing great and wonderful stuff in Jesus’ name and they can’t get into the Kingdom of Heaven – what chance do I have?

                      5. But here’s the kicker – those who prophesy, cast out demons, perform miracles, and thus APPEAR to be committed followers of Jesus – really aren’t;

                                 - they are far more concerned with pursuing their OWN glory than in living in faithful obedience to God.

                      6. In other words, they are more focused on calling attention to themselves and use the name of Jesus as a means to an end,

                                 - and use God’s gifts for their own personal self-aggrandizement.

                      7. These are the people who will be left out in the cold.

           B. But the true followers of Jesus are those who hear Jesus’ words and put them to work in their lives.

                      1. Jesus says, “Everyone who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock”.

                      2. He then goes on to tell a story about two house builders – one who built on Rock and one who built on Sand – and what happens to those houses when the storms come.

                      3. The wise man stands for those who pay attention to Jesus’ teachings and put them into practice in their lives.

                      4. And the foolish man is the one who listens to Jesus’ teachings and claim them for their own, but fail to put them into practice.

           C. So, where do we build the house of our lives?

                      1. How often do we take the short cut and build on the sand where things go up rapidly and the building process moves along swiftly and without a care – until the storms of life hit us and everything collapses around our heads.

                      2. Or do we build the house of our lives on the rock of Jesus’ words – which takes much longer to build and is much more labor intensive – but when the storms come we are able to hold on to that strong foundation and survive?

                      3. And to build the house of our lives on the rock of Jesus’ words requires us to do just what he said at the beginning – to LISTEN to his words and then DO them.

                      4. We are called to LIVE OUT OUR FAITH IN OUR ACTIONS;

                                 - and unfortunately, we often do just that.

                      5. So often we CONFESS God with our lips and DENY him with our lives.

                      6. It’s easy to say the Creed – but it is much harder to live it daily in our lives.

                      7. And when we do – what is the message we bring to the world?

II. “Un-Christian

           A. I’ve just started reading a book I heard about the other day, called “Un-Christian”

                      1. The Author’s premise is that people who are un-churched do not see Christianity in a very favorable light.

                           2. In fact, his research shows that Christians are best known for what they are AGAINST.

                      3. They are perceived as being judgmental, anti-homosexual, and too political.

                      4. Many un-churched people – and especially young people – are quick to point out that they believe that Christianity is no longer as Jesus intended it.

                                 - It is unchristian – thus the title of the book.

           B. The author then goes on to describe SIX THEMES where this is played out – and then has six chapters that propose ways of addressing these perceptions.

             - And I’ll warn you now – some of these are hard to hear – but it’s what’s out there

                      1. The first perception is that Christians are HYPOCRITCAL

                                 - they say one thing but LIVE something entirely different.

                      2. Second is that Christians are too focused on GETTING CONVERTS

                                 - they are insincere and are only concerned with converting people, and chocking up another score on their tote board.

                      3. Third is that Christians are ANTI-HOMOSEXUAL

                                 - they are bigoted and only show contempt for gays and lesbians

                                 - and they are fixated on “curing” them and leveraging political solutions against them.

                      4. Fourth – Christians are old-fashioned, boring, and out of touch with reality

                      5. Fifth – Christians are TOO POLITICAL

                                 - they are overly motivated by a political agenda and promote right-wing politics          

                      6. And sixth – Christians are JUDGEMENTAL

                                 - Christians are prideful and quick to find fault with others.

                      7. Those are the areas that the author’s research has found to be what folks who don’t go to church – or may have tried it and left – think about Christians – US – you and me.

           B. And before we puff up OUR feathers and say “At lest our church isn’t like that,” we better take a closer look – lest we become people in glass houses throwing stones.

                      1. What do people see when they look at US from outside?  If they only know about the Episcopal Church from what they here on the news?

                                 - Perhaps, a little history lesson will help.

                      2. In the 1960’s we were all in a dither over Civil Rights;

                                 - not over working to ensure that people’s rights were upheld

                                 - but whether or not that was “the kind of thing” the church should be involved in – “it’s just not something we do”

                      3. In the 70’s it was the same thing all over again only this time it was Viet Nam and the Peace Movement

                      4. Then came the double barreled whammy of the new Prayer Book (which by the way is 30 years old) and the Ordination of Women and the role of Women in the church

                      5. It’s enough to make one long for the IDYLLIC 50’s – when peace and tranquility reigned – and the church was the most segregated in its history:

                                 - only men at the altar – only men could be lay readers – or Ushers – or on the Vestry – and only boys could be acolytes

                                 - Women could be on the altar guild – teach Sunday school – and run the church behind the scenes through a wide variety of GUILDS each with its own role and purpose and don’t you dare touch it or try to change anything.

                      6. And here at the moment when we have the opportunity to be a beacon of hope to those searching for someplace not like everywhere else – what are we doing

                           - Fighting about which of God’s children are less equal than everyone else.

                      7. Maybe they’re right – maybe this isn’t the church that Jesus intended – but it’s all we’ve got.          

III. Our Response

           A. So where’s the good news in all this?

                      1. It goes right back to that ROCK – right back to that firm foundation - that place we’ve built our house on – our lives on.

                      2. It’s all right there – we are called to HEAR Jesus’ teachings and to ACT on them – to live them out.

                      3. We are to be Jesus’ voice of love to this confused and hurting world.

                      4. Simply put, we are to LIVE our faith IN our lives – in our actions.

                                 - As the old saying goes, “Actions speak louder than words.”

                      5. And so our ACTIONS need to speak volumes.

                      6. Our actions need to be LOUDER than the voice of negativism in the culture.

                      7. They need to be greater than the SKEPTICISM with which we are viewed.

                      8. They need to show that we are NOT hypocritical – not judgmental and that we believe God’s love is offered freely to all.

           B. During this Green Season, as we listen to Jesus’ teachings, we must hear them with new and fresh ears – ears itching with anticipation to HEAR what Jesus is saying and then share that Good News in new and exciting ways that people can understand.

                      1. WE need to live lives that are so transparent that the love of God shines through them for all to see.

                      2. And the way we do this is to make a conscious effort to be here – here in this place – gathered in community – that we may hear God’s word and be strengthened by the Eucharist to then go out and live it for the rest of the week.

                      3. And that’s hard – and it takes work – but we can struggle on TOGETHER because we are here to support one another – and Jesus will support us too.

                      4. With our lives firmly founded on the rock that is Jesus – we can go out and put his words into action in our lives.

                      5. As St. Paul said to the Corinthians, “You are our letter, written on your hearts, to be read by all” – and may it be so of all of us.

Closing

           Instead of a prayer, I would like to close today with the words of this hymn:

           How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord,

                      Is laid for your faith in his excellent word!

           What more can he say than to you he hath said,

                      To you that for refuge to Jesus have fled?

           “Fear not, I am with thee: O be not dismayed!

                      For I am they God, and will still give the aid;

           I’ll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand,

                      Upheld by my righteous, omnipotent hand.

           “The soul that to Jesus hath fled for repose

                      I will not, I will not, desert to its foes;

           That soul, though all hell shall endeavor to shake,

                      I’ll never, no never, no never forsake.”