Reverend Ref +

PENTECOST 22 - PROPER 26 - YEAR C

A friend in seminary said, "Rambling is good for the soul." So with that in mind, this sermon entails a little bit of rambling. I hope you can follow it.

One of the things I miss most about seminary is sitting around with a bunch of my colleagues and breaking down a biblical text. I suppose it could be classified as "bible study," but it's more than that. To hear what other people see and understand about a text, and to hear what they are planning to preach on is a valuable tool that I miss.

We had a deanery meeting this past week and the bishop led us through the gospel text for today. It was great to hear what everyone pulled from this lesson. There is alot of stuff in this text, and it hits on so many different areas that it's hard to know where to begin. First, we have Zacchaeus, a tax collector. He's also a chief tax collector. And he's rich. So there are three reasons right off the bat to hate this guy. The text implies that he is also short, so he probably suffers from a Napolean complex as well. The bishop pointed out though, that you could read this as saying that Jesus was short. Anyway, it's pretty clear that Zacchaeus rubbed everybody the wrong way.

And then Zacchaeus climbs a tree. When was the last time you climbed a tree? This line tells us that Zacchaeus got a different view, a different perspective of things. He saw things in a new way. But it was also risky business. He was probably dressed like I am, in a robe. But he probably didn't have this on (pulling up my robe) underneath. So he was also exposed; he was vulnerable. See, this is why I love doing this stuff.

Anyway, it's clear that he annoys those around him. Who's like that in your life? A liberal candidate for president? A conservative candidate for president? ANYONE who runs for political office? The person in the pew next to you? Zacchaeus is that guy.

I could go on through the whole text, but I want to focus on the bit about everyone in the crowd grumbling that Jesus was going to stay at Zacchaeus' house. This has been an interesting week for me personally. Last Saturday, my alma mater played another seminary, Nashotah House, in their annual football game. For a bunch of people attending seminary, I gotta tell you that this thing gets nasty. And this year appeared to be one of the worst.

I'm on the internet often, and one of the Nashotah players wrote about it. He talked about the "priestess" who officiated at a "black mass" before the game; and when the thurible broke at the field took it as a proof that God would not accept "their strange fire." Debate is one thing, but derogatory remarks about those with other views is something else. The Pharisee and the tax collector.

Last week Jesus told the parable about the Pharisee and the tax collector praying in the temple. The Pharisee did all the right things, but he used that to exalt himself in his own prayers. He used his actions to justify himself as being righeous before God. Today, Jesus invites himself into the sinner's house, much to the disappointment of the surrounding self-righteous crowd. "And all who saw it began to grumble." Not the Pharisees. Not the Saduccees. Everyone. A literal interpretation could also imply that even the disciples grumbled.

Why? The crowd and the Pharisee have developed their own set of tightly defined holiness codes that they require everyone to live within. The only problem with that is that when you create a box of holiness codes defined by you that require "true" worshippers to live within, you also force God to live within those same set of rules that you have created.

These two lessons strike me as especially important today. There is a struggle between conservatives and liberals within our church today. Conservatives are extremely upset about the decision to ordain Gene Robinson to the episcopate. A splinter group has been created to create a "safe place" for conservatives. And they are trying to get themselves established as the "true" Anglican church in the U.S.

All of this because they have decided that the actions of ECUSA are heretical and not within the bounds of traditional Christianity as they define it. In short, they have created their own set of holiness codes that "true believers" must ascribe to in order to be saved. And, apparently, the people who argue in favor of women's ordination and for the full inclusion of homosexuals are not allowed into this box.

And before you think that I'm being one-sided, the liberals have caused their fair share of grief also. Contrary to canon law and the Prayer Book, individual parishes are allowing unbaptized persons to receive communion. Some dioceses are allowing the blessing of same-sex unions, going against the will of the vast majority in the Anglican communion. And then there's Bishop Robinson.

The liberals have stated their case for full inclusion. The conservatives don't agree with it and are threatening to walk out of the church. The liberals, I think, are about ready to say, "Fine. Take your self-righteous attitude and leave." And that is just as problematic as forcing people into a tiny little box. Because, like Paul said, we are a body; we need each other, whether you agree with the other side or not.

You don't have to agree with me. You don't have to agree with the person sitting behing you. But you do have to understand that we are all in this together. We should be able to say, "I don't agree with you, but in the name of Jesus Christ I will not persecute you. I will attempt to understand you. And I will be willing to share a meal with you." Anything less and we have become the Pharisee in the temple putting down those not like us. Anything less, and we become the ones who grumble at Jesus for visiting with a sinner.

We are all sinners. We are all tax collectors. We should be spending our time rejoicing that other tax collectors have been saved along with us, rather than trying to define who can and who can't join the club.