eight::twentyeight

(A Sermon for Morning Eucharist)

Are we to be more cut to the heart this morning by Christ clarifying to us how easily we can become hypocrites or by the Apostle's account of faithful Christian ministry? I'm not particularly inclined to articulate which softens me up more, but I must confess that hearing Paul's words concerning his affection for the Thessalonians and the way those feelings were translated into a way of being causes me to pause. Is my affection obvious, or do callused feelings show? And what of all of us? How well does our love for people show? Are we willing to pause?

These are not readings for people who want to go through life inattentive. Nor are they readings for a people wanting to walk around feeling bad for and about themselves. No, this morning we give thanks for hearing the Word of the Lord, for being given a glimpse of what it could look like to walk in the Way of Truth by the Light of Christ. This walk begin with confession and penitence, yes, but it moves along to faith and trusting in God, God who knows us better than we know ourselves and God who wants us to join Him in becoming who we truly are. The God who knows our inmost being wants to cleanse us from the inside out, to make us a people with genuine affection for others, even the whole of the created world.

It is here, in the context of worship and prayer that we begin the walk. We offer bread and wine, the gifts of God, back to God who sanctifies them by the Holy Spirit so that we too may be sanctified, that we too may speak the Gospel and withstand the struggles that accompany that way of life. We were meant to be cut to the heart today. It is good to see ourselves plainly as we are. But we are also meant to be healed, to be set aright, to continue that walk towards who we are to be. Thanks be to God for sharing His very self with us in Jesus Christ by the loving power of the Holy Spirit.

(1 Thessalonians 2:1-8, Psalm 139: 1-6, Matthew 23:23-26)