Sermons from St. Martin-in-the-Fields:
Jun 26, 2022 |
Moving Forward
| Anne Alexis Harra
Moving Forward
Listen in to the sermon from Ms. Anne Alexis Harra for The Third Sunday after Pentecost, June 26, 2022.
Support the worship and ministry of St. Martin’s by giving online: stmartinec.org/give
Today's readings are:
Readings may be found on LectionaryPage.net: https://lectionarypage.net/
Sermon text:
It is a remarkable honor to meditate on the Words of Life with you this morning, which admittedly feels rather heavy. I originally was on the schedule to preach next week – on Wednesday afternoon, Pastor Jim asked if I might switch to this week. Little did I know. Shaping these words to you, my Beloved St. Martin’s, a community in transition and one that is feeling a tremendous weight, is an outstanding gift. I am honored.
A great injustice was done on Friday, the exact type against which Paul warns in the passage from Galatians. The freedoms of powerful people were used as an opportunity for self-indulgence, to abuse the name of religious freedom and to strip away the dignity and bodily autonomy of women.
After the news broke on Friday I found myself in the midst of a crisis of faith. Finding the words to say to myself, let alone to a congregation already shouldering so much, was almost impossible. Around 7:30 last night with tears in my eyes I angrily said to my far-too-patient partner, “I have no words. This pain is too much. I don’t know where God is, and I don’t know what the future will bring.” My sweet Cole said to me, “Preach what’s on your heart. You’ll find the words.”
I feel like I resonate most with the words of the Psalmist this morning, who opened the psalm with a plea to God for protection during turbulence in Israel. The Psalmist reiterates that it is God who is her only good; with God’s presence near her, she will not fall. Let us take those words with us this week to hopefully lighten our burdens.
I fear we are staring down a long road of anguish and factionizing. St. Paul had this same concern for the Church in Galatia, a portion of whose Letter we read this morning. Despite having brought the Good News of God in Christ to Galatia, Paul was concerned about its factionizing. The Galatians were factionizing and dividing amongst themselves over the interpretation of the law. The Judaic faction of Galatia was adamant that Christian converts should practice Mosaic law, even going so far as to demand that these converts receive circumcision. Paul does not mince words when he warns the Galatians not to trade one form of subjugation for another. Subjugation of any body based on former law infringes on everybody’s freedom. It drives us apart, and it pulls us away from God.
This passage from Galatians today reminds us that our freedom does not come from us, but from the Love of God in Christ, the same Christ who willingly set out on a journey from Galilee to Jerusalem to meet his fate on the cross. True religious freedom comes from Christ and begets the Fruits of the Spirit: joy, patience, gentleness, faithfulness. It does not harm another for righteousness’ sake. Instead, we are coming face to face with profoundly gross misinterpretations of religious freedom, the kind which keep us stuck in the past and unable to move forward in our journey towards the Dominion of God.
In the gospel, Luke illustrates a strange encounter with Jesus, but highlights a harsh truth: The freedom that comes from following Christ involves sacrificing what we once thought was best. At the end of the gospel, we hear a peculiar dialogue between Jesus and one potential follower. The man wants to follow Jesus but asks to offer his family farewell, first. Jesus does not hold back: “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the Kingdom of God.” These words would have been bizarre to anyone in ancient times because the “plowing norm” involved the person operating the plow looking backwards routinely to ensure that the rows were straight. In his response to the man, Jesus lets us know that constantly looking backwards is not the way to live into the Dominion of God. The old ways must make way for the new.
I stand before you this morning as a young woman, a hopeful future priest, and a child of God who has grave concerns that a few people with an excess of power are distorting the Scriptures, are appropriating Christian images for political gain, and are taking us backwards – away from the Dominion of God. The Dominion of God is one filled with dignity, mercy, justice, compassion, and its goodness knows no bounds. We can achieve this state, but we must look forward in order to do so. We are called to protect the vulnerable. We are called to life in the Spirit. We are called to freedom in Christ. We are called to fulfill the New Commandment: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
Moving into the coming days and weeks, I pray that we journey forward with the same bravery and conviction for justice that our Savior demonstrated for us. Despite the agony in my heart, I have hope in the ancient words of the Psalmist: “I have set God always before me; because God is at my right hand I shall not fall. My heart, therefore, is glad, and my spirit rejoices; my body also shall rest in hope. For God will not abandon me to the grave, nor let God’s holy ones see the Pit.”
Friends, God will not let God’s holy ones see the Pit. God dwells among us. God is sustaining us right now and beckoning us forward. In this time of profound pain and confusion, we have an opportunity to set God before us, and heed Christ’s call to move forward into freedom. For freedom in Christ has – and will continue to – set us free. We will stand firm. And we will not again submit to a yoke of slavery. Amen.
Permission to podcast/stream music in this service obtained from One License with license #A-701187 and CCLI with license #21234241 and #21234234. All rights reserved.
Video, photographs, and graphics by the Church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields. Episcopal Church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, 8000 St. Martin's Lane, Philadelphia, PA 19118. 215.247.7466. https://www.stmartinec.org
Support the worship and ministry of St. Martin’s by giving online: stmartinec.org/give
Today's readings are:
Readings may be found on LectionaryPage.net: https://lectionarypage.net/
Sermon text:
It is a remarkable honor to meditate on the Words of Life with you this morning, which admittedly feels rather heavy. I originally was on the schedule to preach next week – on Wednesday afternoon, Pastor Jim asked if I might switch to this week. Little did I know. Shaping these words to you, my Beloved St. Martin’s, a community in transition and one that is feeling a tremendous weight, is an outstanding gift. I am honored.
A great injustice was done on Friday, the exact type against which Paul warns in the passage from Galatians. The freedoms of powerful people were used as an opportunity for self-indulgence, to abuse the name of religious freedom and to strip away the dignity and bodily autonomy of women.
After the news broke on Friday I found myself in the midst of a crisis of faith. Finding the words to say to myself, let alone to a congregation already shouldering so much, was almost impossible. Around 7:30 last night with tears in my eyes I angrily said to my far-too-patient partner, “I have no words. This pain is too much. I don’t know where God is, and I don’t know what the future will bring.” My sweet Cole said to me, “Preach what’s on your heart. You’ll find the words.”
I feel like I resonate most with the words of the Psalmist this morning, who opened the psalm with a plea to God for protection during turbulence in Israel. The Psalmist reiterates that it is God who is her only good; with God’s presence near her, she will not fall. Let us take those words with us this week to hopefully lighten our burdens.
I fear we are staring down a long road of anguish and factionizing. St. Paul had this same concern for the Church in Galatia, a portion of whose Letter we read this morning. Despite having brought the Good News of God in Christ to Galatia, Paul was concerned about its factionizing. The Galatians were factionizing and dividing amongst themselves over the interpretation of the law. The Judaic faction of Galatia was adamant that Christian converts should practice Mosaic law, even going so far as to demand that these converts receive circumcision. Paul does not mince words when he warns the Galatians not to trade one form of subjugation for another. Subjugation of any body based on former law infringes on everybody’s freedom. It drives us apart, and it pulls us away from God.
This passage from Galatians today reminds us that our freedom does not come from us, but from the Love of God in Christ, the same Christ who willingly set out on a journey from Galilee to Jerusalem to meet his fate on the cross. True religious freedom comes from Christ and begets the Fruits of the Spirit: joy, patience, gentleness, faithfulness. It does not harm another for righteousness’ sake. Instead, we are coming face to face with profoundly gross misinterpretations of religious freedom, the kind which keep us stuck in the past and unable to move forward in our journey towards the Dominion of God.
In the gospel, Luke illustrates a strange encounter with Jesus, but highlights a harsh truth: The freedom that comes from following Christ involves sacrificing what we once thought was best. At the end of the gospel, we hear a peculiar dialogue between Jesus and one potential follower. The man wants to follow Jesus but asks to offer his family farewell, first. Jesus does not hold back: “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the Kingdom of God.” These words would have been bizarre to anyone in ancient times because the “plowing norm” involved the person operating the plow looking backwards routinely to ensure that the rows were straight. In his response to the man, Jesus lets us know that constantly looking backwards is not the way to live into the Dominion of God. The old ways must make way for the new.
I stand before you this morning as a young woman, a hopeful future priest, and a child of God who has grave concerns that a few people with an excess of power are distorting the Scriptures, are appropriating Christian images for political gain, and are taking us backwards – away from the Dominion of God. The Dominion of God is one filled with dignity, mercy, justice, compassion, and its goodness knows no bounds. We can achieve this state, but we must look forward in order to do so. We are called to protect the vulnerable. We are called to life in the Spirit. We are called to freedom in Christ. We are called to fulfill the New Commandment: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
Moving into the coming days and weeks, I pray that we journey forward with the same bravery and conviction for justice that our Savior demonstrated for us. Despite the agony in my heart, I have hope in the ancient words of the Psalmist: “I have set God always before me; because God is at my right hand I shall not fall. My heart, therefore, is glad, and my spirit rejoices; my body also shall rest in hope. For God will not abandon me to the grave, nor let God’s holy ones see the Pit.”
Friends, God will not let God’s holy ones see the Pit. God dwells among us. God is sustaining us right now and beckoning us forward. In this time of profound pain and confusion, we have an opportunity to set God before us, and heed Christ’s call to move forward into freedom. For freedom in Christ has – and will continue to – set us free. We will stand firm. And we will not again submit to a yoke of slavery. Amen.
Permission to podcast/stream music in this service obtained from One License with license #A-701187 and CCLI with license #21234241 and #21234234. All rights reserved.
Video, photographs, and graphics by the Church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields. Episcopal Church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, 8000 St. Martin's Lane, Philadelphia, PA 19118. 215.247.7466. https://www.stmartinec.org
