SERMON FOR PARISH EUCHARIST
ST JOHN AT HAMPSTEAD
28 AUGUST 2016
Trinity 14, Year C
Psalm 81
OT Reading: Ecclesiasticus 10.12-18
NT Reading: Hebrews 13.1-8, 15-16
Gospel : Luke 14.1, 7-14
Text: Let mutual love continue (Hebrews 13.1)
I don’t know how you respond to the liberal helpings of sound moral advice that were dispensed in our readings this morning. I have to say I was put in mind of Polonius’ well-intentioned but tedious lecturing of Laertes, and rather inclined to give it the same polite attention before moving on. So I had to take myself in hand, reminding myself (in the words of Paul’s second letter to Timothy) that ‘all scripture is inspired by God, and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness’. Which I do believe – it’s just that sometimes you have to dig a bit to find the truffles. So, with autumn just around the corner, let’s go truffle-hunting.
Our Old Testament reading identifies pride as the beginning and root of all sin. Putting ourselves at the centre of the picture, trusting our own judgment, we think we know best. Our reading warns us, however, that when we do that, we risk losing sight of God, as individuals or as a nation, with potentially fearful consequences. Jesus’ teaching, as we find it in to-day’s gospel, stands in the same prophetic tradition. If the sin of pride is one side of the coin, the grace of humility is the other. Don’t expect to take the seat of honour at the banquet. Better to err on the side of humility, and be invited to take a higher place than aim too high and be asked to move down. Jesus’ second piece of advice is more arresting. When you give a dinner party, don’t just invite those who will ask you back; be sure to include those who cannot repay your hospitality, and your generosity will be recognised at the resurrection of the righteous, that is to say on the day of judgment. This thought is picked up in the epistle to the Hebrews, where we are enjoined to show hospitality to strangers, with the nice thought that in doing so, some have entertained angels unawares.
The reading from Hebrews is not short on good advice either, but the writer has the huge advantage of being able to situate his advice within the context of all that he has learned about God from Jesus’ life and death, and from the whole body of his teaching, not just the snippets we heard in our Gospel reading. His focus is on Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, to-day and forever, and that is perhaps where we need to look for our truffles.
For sure, the author of the letter to the Hebrews dispenses advice too, about marriage and money, hospitality and generosity, but now it is infused with the spirit and the example of Jesus, beginning with the words: Let mutual love continue. The verses omitted this morning contain some rather abstruse allusions to the Jewish sacrifice of atonement, which doesn’t immediately ring bells with those of us who are not brought up in that tradition, but he uses it to remind us of
the tradition that Jesus was crucified on the refuse heap outside the walls of the city, as a sign of his identification with the poor and the outcasts of society. These were the people to whom he proclaimed the good news of God’s love, right from the start of his mission. These were the people whom Jesus urged his host and the other guests to invite to their table. Entertaining one another is fine, but if that means that we live too much within the charmed circle of people like ourselves, then it’s not so fine. We need to reach out to those who in one way or another may be less fortunate than we are. Just as Jesus identified with such people in his life and in his death, so we are urged to ‘remember those who are in prison, as though you were in prison with them; those who are being tortured as though you yourself were being tortured’.
As individuals and as a church we do support charities which assist many who are in need – in our own neighbourhood and overseas. The recent earthquake in central Italy is clearly a case where for most of us a generous donation is the only feasible response. But beyond our charitable giving, which is good but inevitably at one remove, I think we all have to ask ourselves whether there is anything we can do to alleviate the misery of those in need with whom we do come into contact. Is there someone whom you or I could help more personally? Is there perhaps some sick or lonely person who would welcome your visit, or perhaps someone whose day would be brightened by your telephone call? Who do we pray for, and how often do our prayers lead us to pick up the pen or the phone, taking the risk as we so that we may be drawn into doing something more?
If all that still sounds a bit like Polonius, that’s because we are always at risk of missing the point as soon as we move on from connecting with the springs of our Christian way of life to seeking instances of their practical expression. The truffles lie buried, but to be fair the writer of the book of Hebrews does point us firmly in the right direction.
Let mutual love continue. What motivates us as Christians is not a book full of moral precepts, but our freely given response to the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. That response – he calls it the fruit of the lips that confess the name of Jesus – should find expression in the two ways he identifies. Our first obligation is to continually offer our sacrifice of praise to God. We do that in our worship, but also whenever we pause to praise and thank God for the good fortune that so many of us enjoy, and so easily take for granted. And our second obligation, which flows from a thankful heart, is ‘to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God’.
As we thank God for feeding us with the body and blood of Jesus, ready to be sent out to live and work to His praise and glory, it is by His Spirit dwelling in our hearts that we are inspired and enabled to offer our souls and bodies to be a living sacrifice. Let mutual love continue to flow.