Sermon for: March 2, 2008_Lent IV_A_RCL Brian McHugh, priest & vicar
[1 Sam 16: 1-13][Ps 23][Eph 5: 8-14 ][John 9: 1-41]

Well, I am going to be a little “dark” this morning.

I think I have always had a love-hate relationship with the Church. But then again, I think I’ve had a kind of love-hate relationship with mostly everything, including myself. I was raised under Scottish Presbyterianism, which had a strong message of striving for perfection. There was little room, at least theoretically, for human weakness or foibles. It rubbed off while I was singing in the choir and trying to ignore the “dour” approach to life I heard from the pulpit. It is my nature to enjoy Life. A religion of strict limitations has never appealed to me – and I have avoided them. But, a certain guilt at not being perfect still lurks. Part of me longs to live the ideals of the Christian Gospel and the Kingdom of God and personal holiness and charity, and wants to help others to too. Alas, I’ve had to accept minimal success, on my part, and from the church at large. Well, that’s a big ongoing topic.

These days I’m particularly disenchanted with religions and religious leaders, who say they want justice and compassion and peace but seem to foment the opposite. I’ve read several eloquent books recently by atheists. They haven’t so much advocated atheism for atheism’s sake, but reject religion’s shocking failures to live up to it’s principles.

Presumably it has always been so. I admire God’s great optimism, and His ability to find our weaknesses charming. God simply seems to understand the human condition, and is eternally, lovingly patient, hoping we will embrace the way of compassion and find peace, and ready to give us all the help we need.

In the reading today from Samuel, God, having given Saul to the people of Israel as their first king, has rejected him. He brusquely tells his prophet Samuel to “get over it” and stop moping. Saul has disappointed God, and not been a faithful, caring shepherd for His people. He sends Samuel to anoint a new king, a good-looking shepherd-boy. David finally fights his way to the throne, but turns out badly, an adulterer and a murderer. But Davis at least repents and, as always, God is forgiving. It’s the same old story: God has high hopes for human beings, but they mostly disappoint him and reject Her ways.

Perhaps most regular folk behave properly. I’d like to think this is true. On the whole, regular religious folk just get on with caring and helping and being decent human beings. The major problem seems to be the leaders who rise to the top by whatever means. Those are the people Jesus confronted regularly in his ministry, for their legalism, their hard-heartedness, their hypocrisy. In today’s reading it is the Pharisees He’s after, those in Judaism thought to be the most religious and pious. He has healed a blind man on what happened to be the Sabbath. Are the Pharisees thrilled and delighted and amazed by what could only be God’s work through this man, or happy for the man healed? No. They are only legalistically concerned that Jesus was doing something forbidden on the Sabbath – though of course this was just an excuse to cover up their fear and anger at Jesus, whom they saw as undermining their authority. Hypocrites and “whited sepulchers” Jesus called them – looking good on the outside and full of rottenness inside. They called the blind man’s whole identity and integrity into question, and his parents were so intimidated that they knew better than to defend their son. The Pharisees were so intent on discrediting Jesus that they simply refused to acknowledge the amazing healing, and focused only on His “rule-breaking”. Sad. But this is very often what having power and needing to preserve it will do. No wonder God wanted a shepherd-king for His people. And Jesus tried with all His might to teach His followers that true greatness comes through servanthood. Few have learned it, in my opinion.

So it has been in the history of the Church throughout the centuries. Popes, archbishops, bishops and clergy committing all kinds of utterly Un-Christlike things. Orthodox patriarchs siding with ethnic cleansers. Bishops hiding pedophiles. Modern dictators claiming God’s protection for their appalling oppression and cruelty. The Vatican suppressing priests who are fighting to liberate the poor. Televangelists and swamis bilking people of vast sums of money to finance their fleet of Rolls-Royces and aircraft. Various Anglican prelates attempting to destroy a Communion in order to confirm their own narrow Biblical and cultural prejudices. On and on it goes. No wonder more and more choose atheism as an expression of horror at the suffering that false religious leaders have caused. Jesus never ceased to confront them in his zeal for God’s Kingdom.

Well, I’ve painted a rather dark but I think fairly accurate picture. But there is Good News. God rejects such leaders, and eventually, by whatever means, they are replaced. In the Church. In the Islamic Umma. In the political world. The major frustration is the time it often takes.

There is a lesson here for us all. Especially those like us who get to choose our leaders. We need to make sure that we “anoint” the right leaders and support them. For our church. For our country. Leaders that are not wolves in sheep’s clothing. We have got to get our priorities straight. For us, the Gospel commands our first allegiance. Would Jesus want us to make sure that we got adequate medical coverage under plans that disadvantage or exclude the poor? Would Jesus want us to be able to drive expensive gas-guzzling cars at the expense of His Creation? Would Jesus want us to spend 1/3rd to ½ of our GDP on Weapons of Mass Destruction? Would Jesus want us to include only conditionally in His church anyone He died in love for?

We are soon to elect new leaders for our country. Will how you vote be determined by God’s hope for servant leaders who will shepherd the flock in the ways of justice, compassion and peace? St. Peter’s/St. Michael’s is about to call new priestly leadership. Will you call someone who will lead and nurture you on the Gospel path of loving service? Will you help and support your Bishop’s Committee not to be just a managerial business board (some of which they must do), but leaders who stay centered in helping St. P/M reach out to each other and to others with God’s amazing, unconditional love?

Today, we “collected” ourselves around a gathering prayer that asked God for the “true bread that gives life to the world”. As we eat the bread and drink the cup today, may we come alive with God’s amazing joy, and become a servant people who bring life to the World.