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SERMONS Sean Gilbert – 6/12/09 You might recall both Rob and I mentioning Philip Carter’s superb leadership of the Church Council a couple of weeks ago. His theme for our Friday night and Saturday morning retreat was Grace; an obvious yet always surprisingly good direction to take. Toward the end of our event, he led us in an imaginative exercise based in and around the story of Zacchaeus, that despised tax collector who climbs the tree to see Jesus and who is then shocked, not only to be spoken to but then play host to the great man and pledge repayment of any extorted monies. “Salvation has come to this house,” says Jesus, and he genuinely means it. Philip’s focus was for us to similarly and imaginatively stand in the way of passing love or grace. Not to go sheepishly to the road’s edge or to hide behind taller spectators but to be deliberately noticeable there; to cast off the false humilities and insecurities and to stand squarely before the very embodiment of blessing. In terms of today, To show up and be present, boldly presenting ourselves not only to Grace but to the gift of life itself, with all of its complexities and vagaries. I really like this plain and simple emphasis because it goes to the heart, I think, of the ennobling message of the Christian faith. And in many ways, it helps lift us beyond the all too meek and mild images we have of Jesus for one, and the all too careful, if not convoluted life responses we tend to make in his name. Angeles Arrien, author of The Four-Fold Way makes this vital observation: “We often avoid reclaiming personal power by participating in patterns of invisibility. These patterns include hiding or holding back or “riding on the coattails” of powerful people. Low self-esteem and the inability to see oneself correctly is often the root of the pattern of hiding or holding back. Another form of remaining invisible is to influence situations from behind the scenes…underneath all patterns of invisibility is the fear of exposure and accountability. These fears spring from self-worth issues and affect the individual’s ability to fully engage in life.” (Passive aggressive behaviours…) In the fuller version of the Gospel reading this morning, we see or perhaps can imagine a person in the animated form of John the Baptist, unapologetically showing up and being present to his life and call, and exhorting others to do the same. And what fascinates me is that within the forcefulness, even fierceness of his character, exists a profound conviction of “good news.” That being, a grace which calls us away from falsehood, away from hypocrisy (a divided self), away from fear and invisibility, and calls us into a life of purpose and spirit, wherein half truths about ourselves are no longer required. It is a call to authenticity of being, to show up and be present to our life as it really is, with the promise or the assurance that in that sacred place lives a goodness that will not let us go, and we do not need to placate it, double guess it or cajole it; only trust it with all our hearts. It’s my conviction that when we come forward to receive the
sacramental bread and wine, we stand squarely in the middle of an imaginary
road, not allowing Love to pass us by. We show up here
(on a regular basis) and our honest presence is met wholeheartedly
by the mystery that is Christ’s Presence to us; an ennobling
and saving Presence, an affirming and believing Presence, a permission
giving and empowering Presence. And whilst we may be confronted
here with his and our own suffering - crosses and grief’s, bitterness
and betrayals, failures and regrets - it is through the honest facing,
the naming and honoring of such things within our human experience,
that slowly but surely, grace has its healing and life-affirming way. In
the words of one writer, Well, as we known, love always stretches the soul, it never shrinks it. And of course, directly related to this personal facing, is the way we are then able to relate to others. We find ourselves being present to others in ways we never quite imagined, or in the words of Walt Whitman, whereby “We convince by our presence” which has been emotionally, intellectually, spiritually and bodily opened and freed. Freed up for greater understanding, freed for greater empathy and candor, wherein a Yes is a Yes and a No is a No without the need for apology, commentary, self justifications or behavioral gymnastics: You know, “What will they think, what might they do or will they still like me?” All that stuff you might not know too much about anyway. This real Presence of Christ, as it is known in the rarified atmosphere of Theology, calls us to be fully present and real to the world of God’s making, now. For friends, there is no reason to hide anymore but there is every good reason to show up and to be fully present to the one and only wild life we have been graciously given. Let us take a good few moments for our own reflection.
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