Father Gary’s Sermon

Inspired from Luke 4:21-31

Proclaimed on February 1, 2004

When the Cold War was still hot and communism still had a grip on Eastern Europe, Queen Elizabeth of Belgium made a state visit to Warsaw. Assigned to her was a Polish protocol officer to accompany her to a Roman Catholic Mass. As they were traveling to the church, the Queen asked him, “Are you a Catholic?” To which he replied, “Believing, but not practicing.” “I see, she said, “then you must be a Communist.” He answered, “Practicing, your majesty, but not believing.”

What an honest response. Indeed, it was a very practical response for one wishing to save his life. Perhaps Jesus could have learned from this man when he was preaching in his hometown shortly after his baptism. Jesus had just read the Scriptures, words that referred to the coming Jubilee of Yahweh, when it was promised that captives would be set free, the blind would be made to see, and all would become as it was intended to be. Then he had the audacity to say that these words had become reality in him—that local son of a simple carpenter. At first the people were in awe of his words for he spoke with such authority and word of his recent exploits or miracles had preceded him. Now these Nazarenes wanted him to do what he had not done among them before—they awaited a great miracle! They dared him to practice what he preached! Instead of taking up their dare, Jesus gave them a lesson about the Jubilee. He referred to some stories of two famous prophets who once ministered in this area. Elijah and Elisha in their day had been surrounded by Israelites with disease and affliction, yet it was only lowly gentiles who had been healed, not the Israelites. In essence, Jesus was saying that God’s healing was purposeful, not for show. Because the Israelites could not control God’s prophets, their own people often despised these prophets. Should the ministry of Jesus be any different? Why should they expect to control Jesus, if they could not control the former prophets? Was it because he grew up among them?

With these words the Nazarenes became enraged and turned against Jesus. So they rose up as a mob, leading him out of the city and to a nearby cliff where they were going to throw him over, where they were going to kill him, where they were going to show him who was boss. It was only then that the believing Jesus became the practicing Jesus and the great miracle was performed. But this was not the miracle the Nazarenes had sought. Through some sort of Divine intervention, Jesus simply passed through them to freedom.

What we believe is truly important, for it eventually determines how we will act. The truth is, Jesus did not need the advise of the Polish protocol officer who thought that he was saving his own life by practicing what he did not believe and believing what he did not practice. Indeed, unlike Jesus this officer missed the miracle. No, the lesson of Jesus is the lesson of a missionary named Dr. Hendrik Kramer. His story, like that of the Polish protocol officer, also happened some fifty-five years ago, when he returned to his home country after serving in Indonesia for 23 years. When he returned home he discovered that the Nazis had overrun his country, arresting Jews who lived there, as well as Christians who had resisted Hitler. Late one night, several friends slipped into his home and asked him, “Tell us what to do, Herr Doctor. Our Jewish neighbors are being dragged out of their homes and off to gas chambers. And many of our own are hearing the knock of the Gestapo on their door at night. Tell us, Herr Doctor, tell us what to do.” Kramer sat silently for a very long time. Then clearing his throat, he spoke with the transparent honesty and conviction that had characterized his whole life. “I cannot tell you what to do, he said to them, “but I can tell you who you are!” And with that he simply reached over and picked up his Bible and began reading it.

In essence, like Jesus, he was saying, “What you believe about yourself will determine what you practice.” Jesus believed himself to be the Messiah, and his practice of such followed, bringing about the Kingdom of God. The Nazarenes, on the other hand, did not believe. They instead challenged Jesus’ belief—a challenge that ultimately revealed their futility.

What does any of this have to say to us, however? Perhaps it has to do with our expectations, confirmed by these safety tips that were printed in a church newsletter. They read as follows: 1) Don’t travel in cars. They cause 20% of fatal accidents. 2) Don’t travel by air, rail, or water; 16% of accidents are results of one of these modes of transportation. 3) Don’t stay home, either; 17% of accidents occur there. 4) Don’t walk on streets; 14% of accidents happen to pedestrians. 5) Only .001% of all fatal accidents, that is 1 out of every 100,000, occur in churches. The conclusion reached was obvious: come to church for it is the safest place to be.

Is this true, however, when people who believe themselves to be Christian are asked to practice this belief? What if there arises, such as in the Episcopal Church, an intense debate about what practices and beliefs a good Christian should have? The truth is, this is when Church might seem to be unsafe. This is when danger might have to be faced. When Jesus stood among the Nazarenes in his local parish and proclaimed himself to be the Son of God, they tried to kill him. What do you suppose the Nazis would have done to those whom Dr. Kramer spoke if they would have practiced Christianity? You might say, “Oh, Father Gary, none of that could happen here!” Really. You should have been at the Annual Diocesan Convention of the Diocese of Tennessee this past week. It proved to be for some not such a safe place to be a believing or practicing Christian. Some were standing up and proclaiming, “We have to practice what we believe in regards to the inclusiveness of the Gospel.” Others were saying, “Then if we believe we are Christians should we not pattern our practices after those of Jesus? While the love of God is indeed inclusive of all, can real love for another justify any behavior?”

During that same convention a candidate for the Standing Committee was asked if he were a member of the American Anglican Counsel, a conservative, orthodox organization. He responded that he was not a member, but that he had attended their meetings and agreed with their theology. His questioner than inquired, “How can you represent many in the Church by holding to views which are so intolerant?” His answer was quick and to the point: “My views are none other than those of the Christ written in the Scriptures and which the Church has tried to practice for almost 2000 years! They are only intolerant of those things that kill us! I must admit, however, that the manner in which you have asked me this question sounds like ‘are you or have you ever been a communist?!” With that his inquisitor sat down and later at the convention he was elected by an overwhelming margin.

This is how one man recently dealt with both his beliefs and practices that seem unpopular in our culture. Like Jesus he was consistent in both. And also like Jesus, it was risky. Neither this man nor Jesus were like the Polish protocol officer escorting the queen who on the surface may have seemed more practical in terms of how he dealt with Communism. But if you will remember, it was a lowly Catholic priest in Poland, who chose to practice what he believed, and who almost single-handedly removed Communism from Poland and Eastern Europe when through his practice he became a bishop, and who is now Pope John Paul II!

Today, we the people of St. Stephen’s are holding a church-wide meeting. During this meeting we will be discussing resolutions that will be considered at our Diocesan Convention this coming week. How safe will it be there for us? Probably not very safe if we are truly struggling with our beliefs and how they should be practiced. But this much is clear in our Gospel today: if God is our Father, and Jesus is our Savior, than we are the Children of God. If our practice lines up with what we believe, than the world around us will experience the coming Jubilee of Yahweh, where it is promised that captives will be set free, that the blind will be made to see, and all will be as it is intended to be. But it will come with a risk—for if Jesus was taken to the edge of a cliff to be thrown off for what he believed and practiced, will it be less so for us?! But without the risk it can be no better than what it was for the Polish Protocol Officer—we will miss the miracle!