Sunday, November 22, 2015: "Making a Difference After Paris" Fr. Carey Stone



This sermon has no audio file attached.

 Proper 29B’15 Christ the King

22 November 2015
Rev. 1.4b-8; John 18.33-37
St. Luke’s Episcopal Church
North Little Rock, Arkansas
The Rev. Carey Stone
 
 
God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; 
the Courage to change the things I can; and the  wisdom to know the difference. Amen. – Reinhold Niebuhr 
 
After the week we have had I don’t expect anyone here today envies the job of the preacher. To get up in a pulpit and try to speak a word of life in the midst of death is not an easy task. I’m just like the rest of you. I have watched the news reports of the slaughter in Paris this past week in shock, horror, and disgust. The airwaves and social media are filled with angry and rage filled rants. Country music artist Larry Gatlin has posted a video that’s been viewed by over 9 million people. In it he is clearly angry but mostly scared to death as he refers to the terrorists as (the slang term for illegitimate sons) and that we should go after them and kill them. 
 
 Adding to the fear and confusion are the thousands upon thousands of Syrian refugees that are fleeing their war torn homes and seeking refuge in western countries like ours. Governors in a number of states (including our own) have declared our doors closed to any of the Syrian refugees that may attempt to enter. We need to pray for our elected leaders - they have an extremely difficult job these days.
 
Now, I’m not only a Christian priest but I am an American who has political opinions and I vote. I am interested in who is in office and what policies they promote. I am not naïve about the terroristic evil that is facing our nation both from within and without. I suppose I could use this sermon to rant about my political concerns and pet peeves but as your priest I believe that would be doing you a disservice.  You get plenty of that by turning on your computer or TV.  But with the week we have had I cannot not mention it and it does beg the question “How are we to live as Christians in such a world?”
 
I ran across something this week that helped me to place the focus where it belongs. It is a diagram that you will find in the back of your service leaflet. It comes from Steven Covey’s best seller The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People and you’ll notice there are a couple of circles, one is called the “Circle of Concern” and the other the “Circle of Influence.” Covey points out that in the outer circle there are many things we are concerned and honestly worried about. Things like terrorist groups like ISIS, and  Al Qaeda, world hunger, Syrian refugees, climate change, the economy, and things closer to home like a spouse’s opinions and behaviors, etc.  And although we are very concerned about these things there is very little if anything we can do about them. Our concerns are way out of proportion with what we can actually do to change the outcomes. We end up wasting hours and hours in heated discussions, feeding on CNN or Fox News, and paying a premium with our high blood pressure and in some case ulcers. 
 
Now take a look at the inner circle this is our Circle of Influence and it represents the things that we are concerned about but have significant power to influence and even change. In this circle we can put things like, our attitudes and response to given situations, our ability to influence our spouse, our children and grandchildren, our choices, and our commitments. In this circle we find that there is much we can influence. Whichever circle we choose to focus on gets bigger while the other one continues to shrink. 
 
Today in the Church is the Feast of Christ the King where we celebrate Christ’s ultimate triumph over evil and look to the Great Day when all people from all tribes will stand reconciled around Christ’s throne. As one preacher said once, “Folks I have read the end of The Book and I know who wins!” The last chapter in Revelation reads: “See, I am coming soon; my reward is with me, to repay according to everyone’s work. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”   In a world of relativism - Jesus is The Absolute Truth! It is to this King, the King of kings and Lord of lords that our knees must bow in homage. You may say, “Well Fr. Carey that’s all good and well for the hereafter but what about now. I have to live now in this very broken and imperfect world! And I feel like we can’t sit idly by and watch things go down the tubes.” 
 
In today’s Gospel on a day when Jesus’ Kingdom seemed to be going down the tubes we find Pilate, a Roman Prefect of an empire who’s days were numbered interrogating Jesus and Jesus says something quite startling: “My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here.”  We are citizens of this kingdom, first and foremost. Jesus’ kingdom is topsy-turvy from the kingdoms of this world and he teaches how we are to live in it: The kingdoms of this world tell us to seek revenge by taking ‘an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth’, but Jesus says, “Love your enemies and pray for them.” To those pushing to get to the front of the line Jesus says: “The first shall be last and the last shall be first.” To those focused upon receiving Jesus said, “Where your treasure is there will your heart be also.” The world says the poor need to get a job and to this Jesus says, “As much as you have done it to the least of these you have done it to me.” To the rich Jesus says, “Blessed are the poor for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” The world says, “Do it to others before they can do it to you” but Jesus says, “Do to others what you would have them do to you.” He told stories that made all the wrong people the heroes, women, fishermen, tax collectors, and Samaritans. Jesus’ life and ministry was not about fear but it was and is about love. One of Jesus’ disciples summed it up like this: “There is no fear in love, for perfect love casts out fear.”  
 
He came to bring good news to the poor, release to those who are in prisons of all kinds, healing to those who were physically and spiritually blind, to deliver the oppressed from injustice and to proclaim that all are made in God’s image and that alone made them worthy of dignity.  Jesus did not waste time by focusing the bulk of his energies on his ‘circle of concern’ but on his ‘circle of influence.’ In short, Jesus kept the main thing the main thing, and what an eternal difference he has made! It is the life of Christ that his followers must seek to follow and embody by our words and by our deeds. 
 
St. Paul the early Church’s chief apostle gives this advice to the Christians living in a corrupt empire and it’s just as clear and relevant as the day he spoke it: 
 
 
2Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. 13Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. 15Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. 16Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly;* do not claim to be wiser than you are. 17Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. 18If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. 19Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God;* for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’ 20No, ‘if your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink; for by doing this you will heap burning coals on their heads.’ 21Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.    
Let us pray:
God grant me the serenity 
To accept the things I cannot change; 
Courage to change the things I can; 
And wisdom to know the difference. 
 
Living one day at a time; 
Enjoying one moment at a time; 
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace; 
Taking, as He did, this sinful world 
As it is, not as I would have it; 
Trusting that He will make all things right 
If I surrender to His Will; 
So that I may be reasonably happy in this life 
And supremely happy with Him 
Forever and ever in the next. 
Amen.