Sermon

St. Philip's Episcopal Church, Durham, NC

09/03/06 - Proper 17 (Year B)

The Rev. Harriette H. Sturges

“Lord, who may dwell in your tabernacle?
Who may abide on your holy hill?”

Our psalm today begins with a question. The rest of the psalm gives the answer.  “Whoever leads a blameless life and does what is right and who speaks the truth.”

The lesson from Deuteronomy exhorts that we may neither add anything or take anything away from the statutes and ordinances of God… but keep the commandments and observe them diligently. 

Ephesians tells us to be strong in the Lord and stand against the wiles of the devil because we struggle against the spiritual forces of evil.

And Jesus tells us that all these evil things are within us and defile us.

 “Lord, who may dwell in your tabernacle and abide on your holy hill?”

Take care and watch yourselves closely.  This is too much.  I’ll never make it to the holy hill.  Besides, the armor of God sounds too heavy, too military.  It reminds of Saul trying to make David put on his heavy armor to go out and fight Goliath. The scripture says that David tried in vain to walk.

In light of these scriptures our opening hymn should have been, “Come, labor on.” Labor Day weekend is supposed to be a day of rest, a holiday to acknowledge those who labor.  The day isn’t to increase the burden.

When I encounter scriptures such as these I often get discouraged at the first reading.  I am tempted to dismiss them as perhaps historical but irrelevant and jump over to the rejoice passages.  Why bother with the law if we have grace?  Surely Jesus is trying to lighten our load by taking away not only our sin but the necessity of advanced and complicated rituals. Why then this long list of evil intentions that echo the Ten Commandments but also says you shall not only do these things, you shall not even intend them.

Indeed the overall theme with its warnings about idolatry, defilement, the struggle against the wiles of the devil, the cosmic powers, the flaming arrows, the temptation to substitute ritual for reconciliation and transformation makes the life of the disciple seem onerous and difficult

How can we make them relevant to our sophisticated, scientific, technological, modern, global society?  Can they inspire us still?

Be strong has a contemporary ring to it.  Lance Armstrong popularized this with yellow bracelets and his heroic stand against cancer and determination to win. 

I can see a Hip Hop reading of Ephesians going something like this:

Unfasten your belt and let your pants sag to your knees.
Put on the tank top of righteousness.  As shoes for your feet,
put on crocs or Nikes. Let tattoos be your shield and your
helmet a baseball cap put on backwards that you never take
off.

Another strategy I use is to isolate the verses I like.  As Coordinator of Children’s Ministries, I could just focus on “…and make them known to your children and your children’s children.” This could be my admonition to parents and the village it takes to raise a child.  As a politician I might like: “Surely this great nation is a wise and discerning people;” implying, of course, that this great nation elected me. As a teenager, I would relish the struggle against the ruler and authorities and the disciples’ rebellion against the traditions of the elders. Each religious group could point to another one and claim that the other group, the other church has abandoned the commandment of God and is holding to human tradition.

There is a something for everyone and a possible loophole to avoid the good news for all of us.

Having a rule of life and being a disciple of Jesus is challenging but doesn’t bring death to the joy of living.  Instead, it leads us into life.

Benedict of Nursia of the 6^th century formed a community of disciples who became known as the Benedictine Order.  Benedict’s reflection on Psalm 15 requests that we like the prophet ask, “Who will dwell in your tent, O God, who will find rest upon your holy mountain.”  Then we listen to the answer.  This listening, this obedience to listening and the willingness to listen for the voice of God in life is a basic teaching of Benedict.

Joan Chittister explains and I quote, “Justice, honesty, and compassion are the marks of those who dwell with God in life….Then we are reminded that we are not able to achieve God’s grace without God’s help.”

We are not a power unto ourselves.  Our power doesn’t come from asceticism and deprivation.  It doesn’t come from ritual or tradition. It comes from God.  Be strong, yes but with the understanding that you are strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power.  The Pharisees and scribes have forgotten the reason behind the rituals.  Jesus commands us to listen.  Benedict repeats this command as the foundation of his rule of life. Listen!  We have asked the question.  Listen not to the “experts” first.  Listen to God first. Listen for God and obey.  Your rituals are to remind you of this not become a trap for you, a substitute for the Living God, a way of excluding others, of demeaning others.  Listen and you will be strong in the Lord and not need to water down the teaching.  Listen and use the strength of God’s power.  Benedict’s rule is based on the obligation to human community and dependence on God.

This approach helps me see and hear these scriptures this morning in a new way.  Not as onerous and difficult and joyless, but as life-giving and life-sharing. The Lord is indeed the author and giver of all good things and can bring forth in us the fruit of good works.

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