VIDEO OF FULL SERVICE: https://vimeo.com/showcase/7960701/video/873372792

10/08/2023 ~ Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost ~ Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time ~ Proper 22 ~ Exodus 20:1-4, 7-9, 12-20; Psalm 19; Isaiah 5:1-7; Psalm 80:7-15; Philippians 3:4b-14; Matthew 21:33-46 ~ Columbus Day Also Known as Indigenous Peoples’ Day, a Holiday Weekend on the Secular Calendar ~ VIDEO OF FULL SERVICE: https://vimeo.com/showcase/7960701/video/873372792

I Did Everything Right

“I was above reproach when it came to justice based on the Law— blameless.” — Philippians 3:6b.

Who here remembers or has looked at YOUTUBE to catch the early television series known as The Honeymooners? Most of us, right? O.K., we know The Honeymooners. I happen to know the specific New York City neighborhood in which that series was set is the Bushwick section of Brooklyn.

Why do I know that? Jackie Gleason, the star of the show, grew up in that neighborhood and used it as the setting for the show. It was also the neighborhood of my youth until the ripe old age of twelve.

When I was twelve my family moved from that house in the Bushwick section of Brooklyn to a house in Woodhaven, Queens, New York. It was in 1961. My grandparents then my parents had lived in that Bushwick house from September 1929 to January 1961— two generations of us.

Shortly after that move I was home alone in this new house. My mother had gone to a doctor appointment. I don’t know where my brother and sister were. I presume at school. Was I was sick? I don’t know. Sick or not, the point is I was home— alone.

That this was a new house is also a pertinent fact. Mom had to travel 50 minutes by Subway to the old neighborhood for that doctor appointment.

But it’s unlikely I was sick. Why? I decided I would be productive, help my mother, surprise her by cleaning the bathroom, stem to stern— floors, tub, toilet.

And so, I got to work. When the floors, tub and sink were done, I turned my attention to the toilet. For reasons beyond me now, I took the cover off the top of the tank and washed it in the tub.

Once I was satisfied that the cover was clean, I lifted it out of the tub and carried it back toward the toilet. Of course, I was carrying a wet, slippery, heavy piece of porcelain with wet, slippery hands.

My twelve year old brain did not quite grasp that. As I got near the toilet having not quite made it, the rectangular chunk of ceramic slipped from my grasp and as it hit the floor shattered into hundreds of pieces.

When I felt the thing begin to slip I gave up trying to hold on and let go. Therefore, both my hands were now stretched out parallel to the floor, palms facing down to the floor.

There was one oddity about how that tank top shattered. As I said, my palms faced downward. And so a single, large shard of porcelain— it looked like a dagger, about three inches long— bounced up and logged itself dead center in the palm of my left hand.

I distinctly remember looking at it, amazed as it was hanging there, sticking down from my palm, not falling out, just dangling. I did what any self confident twelve year old would do. I pulled the shard out. The wound, of course, began to bleed.

I ran to a closet, got a cloth and pressed it very hard against my palm. Much to my surprise, the bleeding quickly stopped. I think the piece of porcelain really was like a dagger. Had it been jagged, pulling it out would have done more damage. But it was thin, narrow, smooth. So when I extracted it, no additional damage was done.

I knew my mother was at the doctor’s office, so I called her there. Once I got her on the line and explained what had happened. She handed the phone over to Doctor Gabriel Kirshenbaum— the family doctor for two generations.

With a soothing, deep, resonant bass voice, the doctor calmly walked me through what had happened, what I had done in response, then assured me I would be fine. He did promise my mother would be home soon. In fact, he gave her money for a cab so she would not have to take the Subway. (Slight pause.)

It was not until she walked through the door that my emotions exploded. I ran to her. I hugged her. She hugged me. And I cried and I cried and I cried.

“Why,” I asked, “why did this happen? I was trying to be helpful. I trying to do the right thing. I was trying to do everything right.” (Slight pause.)

We hear these words in the Letter commonly called Philippians: “I was above reproach when it came to justice based on the Law— blameless.” (Slight pause.)

Was Paul was riddled with guilt over an inability to live as the law demanded? No. When this passage is examined carefully Paul is claiming a Hebrew heritage, defending it, is clearly and deeply involved in it.

Further, Paul is not renouncing doing things right, not renouncing tradition. So, where’s the guilt? It’s not here, at least I don’t see it.

But that does pose the question ‘why is Paul not riddled with guilt?’ (Slight pause.) I think the answer is also obvious.

Paul explains that lack of guilt with testimony. Paul’s testimony, Paul’s claim, is about an old understanding, a traditional understanding, a Hebrew understanding, of the relationship of God with humanity.

And Paul’s testimony, Paul’s claim, is also about a new understanding, new for Paul at least. The Apostle to the Gentiles says this understanding of a new relationship with God is because of the reality of the Christ.

Why is it significant that Paul has both reclaimed an old understanding and now has a new one? I think what makes this significant is, in a real sense, these two understandings are one.

And that understanding is both simple and seems to constantly escape us: God loves humanity. So yes, based on Paul’s testimony we, humanity, need to strive to do things right. However, and I think this is where Paul is coming from, we need to strive to not simply do things right, as in correctly. We need to strive to do things well.

This is what I mean by doing things well: our doing, our action, is not what’s primary. Our success in any endeavor is not primary. It is the love God has for humanity which is primary and that empowers us. Hence, for us, the place where we need to be is to make faithfulness is primary.

That the love of God comes first is a hard idea for many of us to grasp. After all, we like to be and even want to be in control. But we are not.

On the other hand, these words also present us with a paradox. The paradox stems from an insistence that the heritage of the Hebrews is not to be forsaken.

After all, when it comes to justice based on the Law Paul is blameless. The paradox? If God is the prime mover, if God takes the initiative, how are we to move forward? Are we to ignore the Law?

Paul’s answer is found in this passage. It says Paul was blameless when it came to justice. What I think it therefore says is that true justice, God’s justice is not based on the law. Justice, God’s justice, is not based on rules.

And that is a very hard concept for us to grasp. Let me phrase that in to a way it’s more commonly said. Justice is not based on our works. We are not justified by works. And that very basic idea, that justice is not based on our works, should lead to us to ask ‘what is the basis of God’s justice?’ (Slight pause.)

The basis of God’s justice, this relationship with God, based in faith. Further, that God takes the initiative is a primary tenet of the Hebrew Scriptures.

That God takes the initiative is a primary tenet of the reality of the Christ. And that is the new understanding to which Paul has come: the advent of Christ is pivotal. Christ embodies the love God offers. Christ embodies the justice God offers.

Should we have a response? Yes, we should. But any response on our part pales compared to God’s embrace of humanity, the love of God for humanity.

And that brings me back to 1961 when I found a shard of porcelain hanging out of my hand. Should I have not tried to help my mother?

My answer is the same as Paul’s answer. I should have helped my mother. Be blameless. Help as much as you can.

But perhaps this more to the point: in trying to help my mother I was trying to be about relationship. But sometimes the best laid plans of twelve year old boys do go astray. And yes, there are times our work has no impact on justice.

But as Paul insists, what will never go astray is the love God has for humanity. So what we should never forget is God loves us.

And that, my friends, is Paul’s basic testimony. In the reality of the Christ, the love of God is present to us, now and forever. Amen.

10/08/2023
Elijah Kellogg Church, Harpswell, Maine

ENDPIECE: It is the practice of the Pastor to speak after the Closing Hymn, but before the Choral Response and Benediction. This is an précis of what was said: “My late Mother always downplayed Mother’s Day. She said, ‘Don’t try to give me a present and be nice to me one day a year and forget to deal with the other 364 days.’ A point well taken. Relationship is constant. Love is constant. The law called love, in fact, needs to be our guideline, our law.”

BENEDICTION: Let us never fear to seek the truth God reveals. Let us live as a resurrection people. Let us understand every day as a new adventure in faith as the Creator draws us into community. And may we love God so much, that we love nothing else too much. May we be so in awe of God, that we are in awe of no one else and nothing else. Amen.