Sermon delivered the fifth Sunday in Lent, March 21, 2010 at St. Andrew’s Anglican Church, Lewis Center, OH. If you would like to listen to the audio version of this sermon, usually somewhat different from the text below, click here.
Lectionary texts: Isaiah 43:16-21; Psalm 126; Philippians 3:4b-14; John 12:1-8.
In the name of God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.
What is the Human Condition?
Good morning, St. Andrew’s! This morning is the fifth Sunday in Lent and we are nearing the end of the Lenten season. Back on Ash Wednesday Fr. Ron called us to observe a holy Lent by self-examination, repentance, prayer, fasting, self-denial, and reading and meditating on God’s holy Word. So how are you doing with that? How many of you are taking seriously the call to observe a holy Lent? How many of you are worn out in trying to observe a holy Lent? If you are like me, when we get to this point in our Lenten journey we can find ourselves worn out and frustrated because putting to death our sinful nature is really hard work. Today I want us to take a time out, so to speak, and remind ourselves why we should want to observe a holy Lent in the first place. I want us to keep our eyes on the prize so that we might catch our second wind as we head toward Holy Week and the culmination of the Lenten season.
There are lots of reasons why I think we get worn out during Lent. First, it is a season when we focus on our dark side and remember our mortality, the wages of our sin. These things are never pleasant for us to think about are they?
Second, we typically do not like to deny ourselves, even when doing so might be good for us, because we tend to want to make life all about us. This typically has to do with our fallen nature and of course Lent is a time where we especially focus on waging war against that fallen nature so that in the process we can become more like Christ. As a result, we get worn out in our efforts because this is where the rubber hits the road.
Third, I sometimes wonder if we really know why we are trying to deny ourselves other than because some priest told us to do so or it is something we always have done during Lent. For example, during this Lenten season I have seen many on Facebook grumbling about their fasts and it is hard for me to see why they have chosen that particular fast in the first place. This is not to criticize folks but rather to remind us that if we are unable to connect the dots, so to speak, in our Lenten disciplines of fasting and self-denial, i.e., if there is not some self-evident reason or purpose for our Lenten disciplines, it will naturally be more difficult for us to maintain them, especially if we are hard pressed to explain how they are helping us grow in our relationship with Christ. So, for example, if we have a hot temper, a fast from our anger might be a more appropriate Lenten fast than a fast from sweets (unless we get really mad when we don’t get our sugar fix and consequently have an opportunity to work on our anger via our sweets fast).
Last, and most importantly, I think we get worn out in trying to maintain our Lenten disciplines because we are trying to do so by ourselves and this almost inevitably sets us up for defeat, precisely because we are fallen creatures. One of my favorite Anglican heroes, Fr. John Wesley, illustrates this perfectly. Shortly after his Aldersgate experience on May 24, 1738, in which his heart was “strangely warmed” and which eventually changed him from being a legalistic bean-counter into a grace-filled saint, Wesley wrote in his journal about how prior to Aldersgate he was, “sometimes, if not often, conquered” when he tried to overcome personal temptations by himself. After Aldersgate, however, he learned to ask God through the Holy Spirit to help him fight his temptations and Wesley then wrote that he was, “always [the] conqueror.”
We read this and wish that we too could become like Wesley. But then we read Wesley’s journal a mere 5 months later and see him lamenting that he was not a Christian nor had he ever been! Clearly he hadn’t learned to draw entirely on the Spirit’s Power to help him in his struggles. And that is precisely the point. Trying to put to death our sinful nature with the help of the Holy Spirit is difficult work. Trying to put to death our sinful nature on our own is virtually impossible and can lead us to despair. And in those dark moments, we are tempted to ask ourselves, “How can God possibly love a loser like me?”
In today’s Epistle lesson, the apostle Paul would surely have understood our difficulties in observing a holy Lent because he writes about his days before his encounter with the Risen Lord (Acts 9) and his struggles to grow in his relationship with Christ. At the end of the passage, Paul tells us that he “strains forward” and “presses on toward the goal,” language that evokes an image of a distance runner struggling to not only endure the race but to win it. It is the language of hard work, courage, and perseverance.
Where is God’s Grace?
But in today’s Epistle lesson, we also find two keys to help us in our Lenten disciplines and in our faith journey overall. First, Paul kept his eyes on the prize and second, Paul realized that he did not have the power on his own to win the prize. The prize, of course, was having an intimate relationship with the Lord Jesus, which in turn would allow Paul to claim the additional prize of eternal life, life forever with the Living God starting here and now.
In this passage, Paul reminds us why he doesn’t believe in self-help when it comes to winning the prize of eternal life. Before he met Christ, Paul tells us he was a man’s man, a Pharisee’s Pharisee. He was a meticulous bean counter under the Law and blameless. He minded every jot and tittle. Furthermore, he had a Jewish heritage to back up his rigorous lifestyle. And he surely had a sinful pride that reminded him of how wonderful he was at keeping the Mosaic Law. It is implicit in the way he describes himself here.
But then Paul met Christ and he saw what a farce his former lifestyle had been. Make no mistake. Paul was not rejecting his Jewish identity or heritage. To the contrary, as he writes in Galatians 3:6-9, Paul saw his relationship with Christ as empowering him to be a completed Jew and true child of Abraham. Instead, as he wrote in Romans 3, Paul simply realized that no one can be saved by trying to observe the Law. He realized that instead of bringing life the way Christ can, the Law can only make us realize our sinful nature and bring about death. In other words, Paul realized that left to his own devices, even a super Pharisee like himself was toast—literally.
Yet after his conversion, Paul never gives any indication that he fell into despair over his faith journey despite living a strenuous life and suffering many hardships and persecutions (but cf. 2 Corinthians 1:8-11). Why is that? Because Paul knew the secret of avoiding despair about his sinful nature and about the human condition in general. He had an intimate relationship with Christ. Paul had the humility to realize that he could do nothing to save himself. Through his relationship with Christ he came to understand and appropriate God’s eternal plan of salvation for his broken and rebellious people through Jesus Christ. He knew that Jesus was God Incarnate. He believed that God loves his people so much that he took on our flesh and willingly bore the just punishment for our sins by suffering and dying on a cross for us so that God’s Holy Wrath could be satisfied and that our relationship with God could once again be restored, a relationship that our sin had destroyed. Paul believed that in Christ we have our one and only chance to live with God, now and forever, and he believed that because he knew Jesus.
And let us be precise about this. Paul did not know about Jesus. Paul knew Jesus because Jesus had claimed him on the road to Damascus and Paul spent the rest of his life cultivating his life-giving and life-saving relationship with Christ. That is why Paul is so adamant in today’s lesson about wanting to gain Christ, about wanting to know Jesus in an experiential sense so that he could claim Jesus’ life-saving righteousness and have a chance to live with him forever.
And because Paul knew Jesus intimately and had Christ’s Spirit living in him, Paul also knew that even when he stumbled in his faith journey (and he surely did because none of us are without sin), Christ would pick him up and forgive him. For you see, Paul realized that there was nothing he could do to earn his salvation, that his salvation was the result of God’s great love for him, and a gracious gift to him through his relationship with Jesus. To be sure, Paul tried to live a holy life, but not because he thought it would save him. No, Paul tried to live a holy life because he knew this is what Jesus wanted him to do. And because Paul knew and loved Jesus so well, it pleased Paul to try to do what his Lord desired. Isn’t this just like our relationships with those whom we love and who love us? Don’t we desire to please our beloved because we love them?
And because Paul knew that he had forgiveness and life through the blood of Christ, he never fell into despair when he stumbled in his faith journey because he knew that ultimately his salvation was not about him, but rather about God’s great love for him. In other words, Paul let God love him through his relationship with Christ. This freed Paul to obey the One who loved him and gave himself for him instead of worrying about legalistic bean-counting. And we, like Paul, can have the same kind of relationship with Jesus because Christ loves us just as much as he does Paul.
Paul was also strengthened in his faith journey because he kept his eye on the other prize—living forever with God in his New Creation. Likewise we should remind ourselves constantly of our hope and glory because it can strengthen and encourage us in our Lenten weariness. This is sometimes hard for us to do because we live in an age of instant gratification. We are not unlike teenagers who ignore the long-term harmful effects of smoking because they just can’t see it. After all, how many teenagers do we see suffering from lung cancer, heart disease, or emphysema? But tell a teenage boy that smoking will make his teeth yellow and his breath smell bad so that girls will not find him attractive, and you might just be able to get his attention! And so we must resist our need for instant gratification and pay attention to the wonderful promises that await those of us who put our whole hope and trust in Christ.
We must always remember that we are Resurrection people and we get a glimpse of God’s New Creation in today’s OT lesson and Psalm. Both lessons refer to a new order of things that God will bring about and which will be almost inconceivable to us. Likewise, in Revelation 20-22 we read about God’s New Creation in Christ after his return. The writer reminds us that there will be a New Heaven and a New Earth. The old order with all its hurts and brokenness and disease and death will disappear forever. God will wipe away our sorrows and tears and we will get to live directly in his Presence forever. It is a glorious vision of hope and wholeness.
Paul adds another piece to this wondrous hope of New Creation when he talks about our resurrection bodies in 1 Corinthians 15 and about the general Resurrection in Thessalonians. We have to be careful about getting too specific in all of this but the point remains the same. In God’s New Creation, we will get new resurrection bodies that will no longer be subject to all the awful kinds of things that can happen to our mortal bodies. Neither will our new resurrection bodies ever be susceptible to death any more. Put together, I cannot think of anything better that can boost our sagging spirits, remind us of God’s great love for us in Christ, and stimulate the hope that is ours than this. If we will keep our Christian hope and God’s promises at the front of our thinking, it will surely prove to be balm for our heart and soul in the midst of our Lenten struggles (and other times).
Where is the Application?
So what should we do with all this? At minimum, two things, I think. First, we should work at developing our relationship with Jesus so that he can work in and through us to sustain and transform us. We do this, in part, by developing our prayer life and becoming more familiar with the biblical narrative. For example, I spoke earlier about what Paul thought and believed. Do you know the specific scriptural passages that are the basis of my statements? If you don’t, start reading Romans, Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Colossians, and Thessalonians. You will find the basis for my content there and more importantly, in the process you will gain a better understanding of how Paul grew in his relationship with Christ.
In a broader sense, begin to read the entire biblical narrative through the lens of reading about God’s rescue operation of fallen humanity. You will come to see how God is faithful and true to his word, despite the fact that his called-out people often didn’t (and don’t) care. Despite the history of human sinfulness and rebellion, you will read in the NT about how God’s eternal plan for our salvation unfolded. If that does not soften your heart and make it glad, I do not know what will.
Second, and taking a cue from this past week’s Lenten study, let God love you. Start by letting God love you through his people. The next time you start to feel worn out or discouraged in your walk with Christ or the Evil One starts whispering in your ear that God cannot love you because you really are too great a sinner, get together with your small group and let them love on you to your heart’s content, remembering all the while Jesus’ promise that where two or three are gathered together in his name, there he will be with them (Matthew 18:20). You can rest assured that he will be with you too, and in the process you can remember that you are not in this great endeavor by yourself. Then you will have the power to tell the Evil One to go back to the place from whence he came.
In fact, start allowing God to love you through his people right now. Come to Christ’s Table and feed on him in your heart by faith with thanksgiving. Notice who is kneeling beside you and give thanks that all of us have the same hope because of Christ’s body and blood on which we are feeding. You will surely be strengthened.
Summary
If you are discouraged in the midst of your Lenten journey, take heart and hope by taking a cue from Paul. Remember that God knows you better than you know yourself. He knows that you cannot do what is necessary to live with him forever and so he has taken on our flesh and suffered the terrible cost to make it possible for you to live with him forever, starting right here and now. Like Paul, understand there is nothing in this life that is more important than in building your relationship with Jesus, and then start behaving in ways that are consistent with that belief. Jesus is with you and will help make you just like him, but don’t expect it to happen overnight.
Then think of the other prize that awaits you. Read the great passages from Isaiah, Revelation, 1 Corinthians, and Thessalonians, among others, that speak about God’s promise of New Creation. Allow yourself to dream about the time when there is no longer any sickness, fear, sorrow, alienation, separation, addiction, or death. Dream of being reunited with your loved ones in a Perfect Creation where you are all living directly in God’s wondrous love and Presence. Remember that it is all made possible because we have a Creator God who loves us passionately and wants us to have a life-giving relationship with him, now and forever. Surely you can find some hope and refreshment in that, folks. Oh yes. That’s also Good News, now and for all eternity.
In the name of God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, Amen.