Sermon for the 14^th Sunday after Trinity

for Anglican Church of Our Saviour, Santa Barbara, CA

by the Rev’d Dr. Daniel J. McGrath

September 13, 2009

“In the Name + of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. As the season of Trinitytide stretches on through the Summer months and into early fall, the Church seeks to reassure us through the Eucharistic lectionary. She reassures us that we have a place within God’s plan for the salvation of souls and that we may continue to grow in grace as his new creatures. Whenever a man is on a long journey, and has not heard any word in quite some time from headquarters, he will be relieved to hear any bit of direction even though it might be merely a reminder of some former news. Likewise we turn week by week back to the directions that have been given us, and reconfigure our course through life based on what we know from Scripture. I would like to focus my comments on today’s Epistle, for that is where one may find the glue that can hold some of the various thoughts from the other readings together. In the Epistle for today, St. Paul juxtaposes the “works of the flesh” against the “fruit of the Spirit”. Anyone who enjoys a meaningful bit of contrast will appreciate the lesson that he presents here. To begin with, the “Spirit” here referred to is the Holy Spirit of God, the third Person of the Holy Trinity. The “flesh” referred to here is not our physical bodies necessarily, but (as the 39 Articles of Religion would say) the infection of nature known as the wisdom, the sensuality, the affection, or the desire of the flesh, insofar as it is not subject to the law of God. This infection of nature is something that unfortunately remains, even within those who have been born again of the Spirit of God. We continue to struggle throughout this life with the tension between the two. St. Paul contrasts the “works” of the flesh (adultery, witchcraft, etc…) that are not subject to God’s law, with the “fruit” of the Holy Spirit brought forth in the life of a regenerate person (love, joy, peace, longsuffering, etc…). Now “works” here might cause you to think of specific actions, indeed St. Paul lists certain actions such as adultery. I would like to invite you to think of a “work” in terms of the whole apparatus, not just the act itself, but the whole work from the thought to the deed and all of the ensuing problems that arise, as well as how they are dealt with – the “machinations of the flesh” is what I might say. Indeed, a complete work of the flesh is a consuming, tiring, disabling work, from start to finish. Although the works of the flesh appear to begin quite innocently and are most inviting, at length they lead a person deeper and deeper into trouble and finally end in bitter desolation and even death. Just ask any disgraced politician who has betrayed his wife of many years and carried on an affair with another woman. It likely began quite easily and freely. As the affair progressed however, it began to consume more and more of the time and effort of the man, both to please his lover and to conceal his relationship from others. Perhaps other works of the flesh piled on along the way: adultery progressed to lies and even theft. In the insanity of the moment, the man exchanged everything he has gained in life and expended it wantonly and foolishly. Inevitably the affair is brought to light, and a career is ruined, a family destroyed, and a man is dangled in front of the national media, pilloried and mocked by his adversaries, forsaken by his friends and allies. All for what?! What I have just described for you is the “works” (and they are work) of the flesh. The fruit of the Spirit also describes a work, but it is ultimately not your work or my work. At first they appear to be quite difficult and laborious, but as we progress we learn what our Lord means when he says, “Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Although we cooperate with the Holy Spirit in the sanctification of our souls and bodies, and in the bringing forth of the fruits of the Spirit, they remain very much his fruits and the work is very much his work. Consider your life (the whole of your life from start to finish) as though it were a Garden. This is more than appropriate, since early Christians lived in an agrarian society and this context informs the language of the New Testament. The Garden has a Gardener, who is the Holy Spirit. Throughout your lifetime, the Gardener tills the soil, plants seeds, removes pests, prunes the plants, and patiently brings forth fruit to perfection. The Garden by itself can no more bring forth fruit, than it can cause the sun to shine, or the rain to fall, or the Gardener to plant seeds. Likewise, you and I cannot plan and work our way into heaven. This may be confusing and disorienting to us, for we are accustomed to going about our work each day, planning, organizing and executing it. What point can there possibly be in entering the Kingdom of God, if we can’t lay claim to its rewards for our own glorification and merits? We might as well ask what is the point of a beautiful rose garden or orchard of trees? It exists for the glorification and edification of the One who made it, who redeemed it when it went astray, and today is active in perfecting it. Without the context of a relationship to God, we don’t really have an existence, as St. Augustine exclaims in his prayer, “Thou hast made us for thyself, and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in thee.” 20^th century Anglican mystic Evelyn Underhill writes, ‘We mostly spend our lives conjugating three verbs: to Want, to Have, and to Do…forgetting that none of these verbs have any ultimate significance, except so far as they are transcended by and included in, the fundamental verb, to Be: and that Being, not wanting, having and doing, is the essence of a spiritual life.’ Although we like to think that we are in charge of everything, of course we have no being apart from our Creator. The beautiful garden brings glory to God and enjoyment to all, simply by being what the Gardener has shaped it to be. Likewise a life that is being sanctified by the Spirit of God brings forth fruit to the glory of God and the enjoyment of all: “against such, there is no law.” Be what God is shaping you to be by his Holy Spirit; remain steadfast, and keep growing in grace. In our Collect for today we ask God to grant us the increase of Faith, Hope and Charity. Each of these 3 theological virtues come only from God, and only God can increase them in us. When we find that we are lacking in Faith, Hope or Charity (as we so often are) the only remedy is to ask God for more. He will not disappoint us. What else can we learn today from our Scripture lessons? We live to offer sacrifices of thanksgiving to God. Reading the Gospel lesson for today, we are rightly very impressed by The Samaritan, for his response to our Lord is the very essence of the Christian life. Upon being cleansed from his leprosy, he returns to give loud and enthusiastic thanks to Jesus. I would remind us today that the central act of worship in the Christian faith is Eucharist: our weekly offering of praise and thanksgiving to God. This is the great opportunity that we have here in the Lord’s House this afternoon, on the Lord’s Day: upon being reminded of our purpose, and refreshed with a new infusion of purpose and of divine strength from above, we enter that fellowship of saints, angels and archangels to proclaim our undying thanks and praise to our Maker, Redeemer and Sanctifier, the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost. Amen.”