Are
You Pruned? (2/14/16)
Jacques Joseph Tissot, Temptation in the Desert
Sometimes we oversimplify the Scriptures. Yes, some messages are consistent and simple: God created us in love and God loves us completely. That's pretty simple. But sometimes we need to pull back a bit and examine the context of a story. That's certainly the case with this week's readings from Romans and Luke.
Are You Pruned? (2/14/16)
Sermon
Good morning!
I congratulate all of you for making it out in the cold today. I want to start
by repeating a brief story that I told at the Ash Wednesday service. Wednesday
afternoon, I got a phone call from a gentleman who wished me a happy Lent.
Before I could respond he said, “Wait, is it right for me to wish you a happy
Lent?” I suggested that penitence and introspection are more appropriate states
of mind for Lent. Although God certainly wants us to live into the joy of His
overwhelming love, in this season of Lent, it is our duty to remember all the
ways that we are separated from God, that is, all the ways that we attempt to
separate ourselves from God’s love.
When
I hear this morning’s reading from Paul’s letter to the Romans, I’m reminded of
an experience I had when I was in high school, nearly thirty years ago. At the
time, I was going to an American Baptist church in the South Hills—my mom was a
paid soloist in their choir and she dragged me along to church. After a while I
got to know the kids in the youth group and it became less of a struggle to get
me to church.
At
one point, the pastor felt that the kids in the youth group weren’t getting
enough religion, so he thought it would be a good idea to send the youth group
down South to church camp. Southern Baptist church camp. I can’t speak for any
of the other kids in that youth group, but I’m a Yankee, through and through. I’m
not saying that I have anything against Southerners and I don’t mean to speak
ill of the entire region. I’m just saying that it was quite a bit of culture
shock. And let me tell you, we got a whole lot of religion that week.
As
Yankees, we were also something of a curiosity to all of the Southerners. Very
often, we were asked, “Are you saved? Have you accepted Jesus Christ as your
personal Lord and Savior?” Now I’m perfectly comfortable confessing Christ as
my Lord and Savior. But to this very day, I get a little anxious when I hear
the question, “Are you saved?”
My
problem is not that I have a guilty conscience—though I suspect that any good
Presbyterian feels a little bit of guilt from time to time. No, my problem with
that question is theological. The very question suggests that salvation is a
once-and-for-all kind of thing. The way the question is phrased suggests that
the work of salvation is completed the moment you accept Jesus. That’s it.
Accept Jesus and there’s nothing more you need to do. You’re saved from eternal
damnation. Period.
That’s
too simple of an explanation. I think Paul had something else in mind:
Paul seems to expect
that God’s good news (“the word of faith which we preach”) actually gets inside
of people. It is not simply something to be spoken (although, to be sure, it is also a spoken word), but it is a
power that changes hearts and lives. Recall that in Paul’s day, the heart is
the seat of physical, intellectual and spiritual life, including the will,
emotions, and desires, while the mouth gives expression (or denies) what is in
the heart.[1]
The power of that word changes hearts and lives. We
must be changed and we must live differently after we have been changed. And
again, this is not a once-and-for-all thing. We have to keep changing and
growing in our faith.
It’s
also worth pointing out that Paul is writing to a congregation that is mostly
made up of Gentiles. At this point in time, Christianity is not so much a
separate religion as it is a movement within Judaism. Paul is proclaiming that
God will be faithful to this community; God always keeps his promises.[2]
God’s faith in this community, God’s faithfulness to humanity is what’s most
important.
Of
course, this section of Paul’s letter to the Romans is hardly the only place in
the Bible where we oversimplify the message. I think that there is this vague
notion that we can be the agents of our own salvation, if only we avoid sin and
temptation. We think of the Ten Commandments as sort of a checklist for human
behavior. But it’s not that simple! It’s not about what you or I do on our own.
This morning’s reading from the Gospel of Luke “reminds us that our capacity to
repent and to resist temptation comes from our relationship with God and the
grace of his deliverance rather than from our own strength and initiative.”[3]
And
yes, of course we should obey the Ten Commandments, but it’s not just about
reciting and following the Scriptures. Luke reminds us that the Devil can quote
Scripture, too! Jesus doesn’t overcome temptation because he can pick better
quotes from the Bible:
Jesus responds with
quotations drawn from the Old Testament that show awareness of the true source
of life and identity (he knows that life is more than food), his reliance on
God (the one worthy of true worship and service), and his understanding of
God’s character (not one to be tested). Jesus’ responses are rooted in an
underlying narrative that he is dependent on God rather than self for life,
glory, and identity.[4]
Jesus knows that he belongs to God and depends upon
God. Jesus knows that God will always be faithful, so Jesus responds in faith.
Jesus’
actions flow from his relationship with God and his understanding of his own
dependence upon God. Through this relationship, Jesus resists the temptations
of worldly power and glory. We’re not always so good at resisting temptation.
We get very comfortable in our familiar ways of doing things and our familiar
interpretations of Scripture and we lose sight of our relationship with God and
what it means to remain in a right relationship with God. We mistakenly think
that we can work out our salvation on our own, and besides, all we have to do
is confess that Jesus is Lord and that we believe in Jesus and we’re good to
go. That’s it! We’re done! But we’re not.
The
lesson from the Gospel of John uses a common image in the Bible, the gardener
or the tender of a vineyard. Tending vines and branches is a process, an
ongoing process. You don’t just harvest the grapes once and then forget about
it. Jesus chose this metaphor because it was something that people understood.
Attending to your faith, your character, and your spiritual development is an
ongoing process, just like tending a vineyard. You don’t do this once, you do this
all the time, and you do it together. So instead of asking, “Are you saved?”
I’m going to ask: Have you been pruned? Or are you resisting the pruning hook?
In
this season of reflection and penitence, ask yourself what things are holding
you back and preventing you from growing in faith and acting with justice and
righteousness. Then ask God to strip those things away from you. And if you
feel that you have been pruned, that’s great! Now go help tend someone else’s
vine. And if you think you might be resisting the pruning hook, don’t hesitate
to ask someone else for help. Remember, we are a community of faith; we’re all
in this together and we have come together through our relationships with God
and with one another. Thanks be to God. Amen.
Benediction
Now,
beloved, as you depart from this place, remember that this is the season to
look inward. Reflect on those things that are holding you back, and then work
to prune those vines. Go forth and be instruments of God’s peace and
reconciliation. Do not return evil for evil to any person, but know that we are
all loved by God, and that we are called to reflect that love to everyone we
meet. In the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord, let all God’s children say, Amen!
[1] Audrey
West, “Commentary on Romans 10:8b-13,” retrieved from: http://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentary_id=2774
[2] Audrey
West, “Commentary on Romans 10:8b-13.”
[3] Ruth
Anne Reese, “Commentary on Luke 4:1-13,” retrieved from: http://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentary_id=2769
[4] Ruth
Anne Reese, “Commentary on Luke 4:1-13.”
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