Rector's Sermon - Sunday, September 1, 2002

First Reading	Psalm	Epistle	Gospel
Exodus 3:1-15	105:1-6, 23-26, 45c	Romans 12:1-8	Matthew 16:21-27

    I have always liked the particular passage that was read for the Gospel today because it is a good antidote for a portrait of Jesus as soft, soupy, never getting angry and always having a weak, indulgent smile on his face. Jesus has been putting the disciples through some intense teaching, yet Peter, and presumably all the other disciples, as well, still don't get it. Jesus gets really frustrated. "Auug! Peter, what is the matter with you? Can't you comprehend the new reality I am offering the world? Can't you free yourself from old, tired, tragic and cruel ways? I have just given you an example of being a keeper of keys so that you will not think of yourself as a jailer, but as one who unlocks God's grand vision of a universal commonwealth. You are given keys to free humanity, not hold humanity in. You are called to bound the powers and degrading influence of selfishness and let loose the victims, those who have been imprisoned and exploited by their cultural institutions and conventional assumptions."

    Jesus quickly gets hold of his anger and patiently begins to reiterate his teaching at a very basic level. Part of our problem in understanding it, is in the translating. The expression "self-denial" might be better translated as self-control. If one's vision never grows beyond the selfish satisfaction of one's immediate needs, the grace that God gives humanity will never be perceived.

    Nor does Jesus have any use for the practice of spiritual anorexia, for that is just a subtle form of turning more and more inward. God wants to feed us, not starve us. That is why church breakfasts and suppers are such important symbols of the church's life. The Gospel affirms that we are children of a generous God, not merely subordinates to the stingy limitations and restrictions of the world.

    Jesus is saying, "If you want to be with me, you are going to have to put one foot in front of the other and walk. You cannot stand in place. You will indeed travel through some scary places, and you will indeed get hurt, for the world may not accept or reward your larger visions or travels. The immediate orientation of the world does not necessarily tend to reward those who wrestle with the larger, long term visions of integrity and yearnings of a wider justice."

    There is an old saying that courage is fear that has said its prayers. I am not sure that prayer necessarily lessens the sense of fear, but when prayer is four parts listening to one part talking, perhaps in the process, courage becomes a consequence of unlocking the narrow and confining prison of self.

    This summer I visited Letchworth State Park, some thirty miles south of Rochester. The Genessee river cuts through a gorge some twenty miles long with cliffs up to 600 feet high. I know why some, if offered the choice, would rather spend a day at the Carousel Mall or Darien Lake or see "Lord of the Rings" fourteen times. A canyon seems boring, for it doesn't move, and there are no flashing lights, loud music or fast action. Yet the walls of the canyon will last far longer and beyond anything we build. They confront one with a reality we can't manipulate. They force one to look beyond, above or below where one could ever travel and give us a sense of our place in the world. There are no buttons to push, just silence interrupted by echoes of the wind as it bounces between the walls. With little advance notice, the forests and farmlands on either side abruptly stop and the canyon with the river below is just there and has been so for thousands of years. Those who regularly visit malls and outlet centers, amusements parks, or even attend the State Fair for a full week, but never spend a day at a place like Letchworth State Park are truly missing a lot.

    I wonder if in some way that is what Jesus is saying about God. The Good News may not seem to offer as many flashing lights or things to brag about as the world's amusement parks and malls, yet God's reality is present and enduring. It will not be subordinated, intimidated, or manipulated by the development schemes or advertising campaigns of the world, but it helps us find our place. The world may try to hide routes to God's approach, or ridicule their existence, but the world will not be able to close them down or erase them. Jesus tells us, as he told the disciples, "God is present, behind the cross, on the mountain, in the valleys, and on all the journeys in between."

    And I offer this to you in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, Amen.