Center – The Rev. Zachary S. Sasser
As many of you
know, my family has recently engaged in that great American tradition known as
the family road trip. While it is a very different experience today than it was
when I was a child, it still has its moments of trial and bonding. I will admit
that we enjoy the modern convenience of movies in the car. In fact, for our
family, a key component of a road trip is watching the movie, Rise of the
Guardians. 1
For those who
are unfamiliar, this is the story of all the childhood holiday heroes (Santa,
the Easter Bunny, Sandman, and the Tooth Fairy) joining forces against the
Boogey Man. Along the way they come to find that Jack Frost has also been
selected as a Guardian, and North (Santa) tries to help him find his true
center. There’s a great scene where he’s opening Russian Matryoshka Dolls, and
at the very center is a wide-eyed child representing North’s sense of wonder
and joy.
I tell you all
of this because I believe that at the center of our readings today, God is
asking us the same question. Through these readings, God is asking each of us
to be willing to open up and look inside to see what motivates us from deep
within.
And at the
same time, God is inviting us to move beyond our motivations – which are
limited by our thoughts and feelings – to recognize that we are a part of
something so much larger.
In Paul's
letter to Roman Christians, he used the word “sanctification” to describe all
of this. The goal of peeling away the layers of desire and personal
gratification is to become open to what God has done – to give ourselves over
to forgiveness and grace such that it becomes our way of doing and being. To be
sanctified – as we are through God’s action in holy communion –is to be set
apart, as for a special purpose.
And we can’t
do that if we are focused on ourselves. We can’t get to the center of who God
created us to be if we are still putting on layers; or if we are motivated by
our cars or homes or even our children. How about that?
It’s easy to
think about getting rid of bad habits (although not so easy to do it). But what
about the call to sacrifice something you hold dear? Now, don’t get me wrong,
the point here is not to sacrifice things to earn God’s favor – and children
are particularly off limits.
I think that
is why God’s call to Abraham to sacrifice Isaac is so disturbing. What kind of
God would do that? Of course, that is precisely the point – God is not like
other Gods. In that day and age, it was a common belief that sacrificing a
first born was a good thing to do. So, this story is one that was told to make
it clear that the God of Abraham was not like other Gods.
Still, the
text says that God wanted to test Abraham. That’s a strange thing, for God to
test. It’s hard for me to think of God as a “pass/fail” kind of God. I don’t
have a way to reconcile that kind of God with the God of grace and mercy who
tells me to forgive someone 70x7 times for the same offense.
It turns out
that the word translated as “test” really means something more like “determine
the contents of”. So, God was not so much giving Abraham a chance to fail as
God providing a situation that would allow Abraham to demonstrate who was at
the center. And while Abraham demonstrated obedience, God also demonstrated
compassion and providence. This story proves what Abraham is made of and of
what God is made of, but I don’t think I’m alone in throwing up a caution flag
here. First off, I believe that God tests us all the time, but it’s not as
drastic as this.
God tests us
when we see trash on the ground and decide whether or not to leave it there.
God tests us through the opportunities of email and social media. God tests us
in every relationship and every chance encounter, because every interaction is
an opportunity for us to be prophets, to demonstrate righteousness, and to show
hospitality.
What else is
forgiveness for, if not to live a life that responds to God’s grace and mercy?
What is a knowledge of God good for if we are not living like people who are
aware of what God is doing in the world? And what is God doing, anyway?
Well, God is
remaining present and active just as God always has. It is up to us to see God’s
activity in someone else and welcome them. It is up to us to listen for the
truth tellers in the midst of all the opinions and assumptions we hear. It is
up to us to look for those who are demonstrating righteousness by offering the
same grace and mercy that we have received.
And, there is
something more. There is yet a calling to sacrifice – not in order to get grace
and mercy, but because we have already received it. Because we have been
sanctified through our faith in Christ we are also called to shift our
priorities over and over again so that we can see beyond ourselves. That may
cause us to shift some priorities around, or make some difficult choices that
will affect the lives of those close to us.
The good news
is that we know that we will not always get it right, but we also know that we
always have a table to return to. The good news is that no matter if we even
give up on God, God will not give up on us! And while we are called and set
apart to offer grace and mercy in abundance, even the smallest cup of water
offered to someone in need can be a great and wonderful thing!
So, let us be
persistent in prayer. Let us continue to shed layers of privilege and power and
greed and status, until we find our true center in the One who loves us beyond
compare.
For the God of
Abraham is not like the thousands of other Gods that compete for our attention.
Truly there is only one God, even though we may act like there are so many
other things that are worthy of our devotion. And although we can talk about
the sacrifices that others make, this is the God who provided the ram in the
thicket and who sent Jesus to show us the way to live and love.
So maybe more
than anyone else, we should think of ourselves less like Abraham and more like
Isaac. As Paul said to the Romans, “present yourselves to God as those who have
been brought from death to life, and present your members to God as instruments
of righteousness.”
Have you ever
thought of yourself that way, as an instrument of righteousness? Maybe you
have. Maybe you haven’t. What matters here is that God does. God thinks of you
as someone who, as imperfect as you are, can point out or demonstrate or even
write righteousness into action.
Of course, not
everyone will like that. And there will be times when you will get confused
between what you think is righteous and what God does. Which is why we are
reminded to be guided by the teachings of Jesus. And Jesus reminds us that the
most basic form of righteousness is found in the simplest form of hospitality
to “these little ones” – even the least, the ones that can’t care for
themselves, the ones that the world thinks is least important.
Start with
that. Start with compassion towards someone else, and let that be what takes
over your urges and desires. Let go of your hunger for things and you will find
that you become hungrier for this bread and this cup – for in this place we are
reminded of our true center, we are sanctified by God’s grace, and we are
poured out like cold water for the thirsty.
To be sanctified
means to be set apart for a holy purpose, and that’s what we’re in for today.
Sure, it means that we have something to look forward to after this life. But
it also means we have something great to look forward to in this life. Let us
embrace this gift today, knowing that grace and mercy are not a way to justify
what we have been but a calling for how we will be – on this day and all that
follow. Amen.
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