Today I had the opportunity to preach the sermon during the student Eucharist at Episcopal Divinity School. The idea of preaching to my fellow EDS students and faculty was a little bit daunting, but the Gospel lesson really induced terror! It is from Matthew 5:21-37, which is the central part of Jesus's Sermon on the Mount. The text begins with Jesus admonishing his followers to reconcile with a brother or sister with whom they might have "issues" before coming to the altar. That's easy to understand; OK so far. The next sections, however, are down-right scary. Jesus tells his listeners to tear out their eyes and cut off their hands if those body parts cause them to sin. He proclaims that any divorced woman (and the man who may later marry her) are adulterers. Tough talk and hard to handle, especially for a divorced woman (which I am). And I had to preach about this on Valentine's Day? I think God must have had a good laugh about that!
Beyond the hyberbole, though, Jesus is encouraging his followers (and us) to be people of generosity and love -- and to rid ourselves of temptation. We ask in The Lord's Prayer for God to "deliver us from temptation" or, in the contemporary version, "save us from the time of trial." It's interesting that in the Episcopal Book of Common Prayer, this prayer comes after we have confessed our sins, received assurance of God's forgiveness, and reached out in peace to our sisters and brothers. I'm quite sure that God has saved me from many times of trial -- sometimes before I got into trouble (blissfully unaware of God's intervention) and often after I found myself in a mess! When I've fallen short of my goal to live faithfully as a child of God, including when my hands or eyes have "caused me to sin" and when I realized I had to end an unhealthy marriage, I have been comforted by God's forgiveness and embracing love and by the acceptance and encouragement of a strong faith community. Thankfully, the Episcopal Church does not reject divorced people. By God's grace, I've learned I can pick myself up and move into a new day.
Speaking to the EDS community today reminded me of the power of the Spirit to raise us up for tasks and opportunities when we doubt our own ability or readiness for them. EDS friends and mentors held me in prayer and loved me into confidence. As usual, when I got my "self" out of the way, the Spirit made good stuff happen. Thanks be to God! (And a Valentine hug for my EDS community!)
You did so well this morning and showed clarity and confidence. You wrestled with a difficult text and preached what the Gospel message is all about. I am glad to see you husband there on Valentine's Day when you preached the first time at our chapel. This made the day even sweeter.
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