The 7th Sunday after Pentecost

Pentecost 5, Proper 9B
2 Corinthians 12:2-10
July 8, 2018
St. Matthias

One of my favorite 4^th of July’s was the year Phyllis and I visited Philadelphia.  We did all the typical tourist things.  We saw fireworks, the Liberty Bell, Constitution Hall, and Benjamin Franklin’s grave in the cemetery of Christ Church in Philadelphia.  That Sunday we went to Christ Church in New Brunswick, New Jersey where a friend of ours was the Rector.  Christians have been worshipping in this parish since before there was an Episcopal Church or even a United States of America.  Christ Church, New Brunswick was built in 1742.  The third public reading of the Declaration of Independence took place at the foot of the church tower which is still there.  The first meeting to organize the Episcopal Church in the new United States was held at Christ Church. Samuel Seabury was the Rector before he was ordained the first American Bishop in the Episcopal Church.  This parish is truly historic.  All around the churchyard are the headstones of graves dating back to the Revolutionary War.  Inside are many of the original furnishings.  You can’t help but feel both patriotic and spiritual in this church.  Looking around, it was easy to imagine Anglicans in the 1700’s kneeling for prayer, singing, and celebrating the Holy Eucharist.  I would imagine there were many times when the people of that parish church gathered to pray during the Revolutionary War.  Don’t you know that they wondered if they could win the war for independence against the mighty British empire?  I am sure their prayers were quite often for strength and guidance and protection.

This morning’s lesson from Paul’s 2^nd letter to the Corinthians is about the Church praying as well.  Yet this time the situation was different.  The Christians in Corinth were feeling too confident.  There was a good deal of boasting going on.  Boasting about who was the most religious, who prayed the most, who knew the most about scripture, who was the most spiritual.  It was a classic battle between some of the Corinthians over who was the HOLIEST.  And Paul had written to say – STOP IT!  What on earth would they have to boast about?  Paul tells the Corinthians that it is not about strength, but about weakness.  It is in our weakness that God truly works, “My Grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.”

Now it is tempting for me to think that if that is true then I ought to be perfect.  My faith certainly feels pretty weak.  So why doesn’t God give me more?  The Christian life can be SO frustrating at times.  I pray and study scripture and pray some more and feel like my prayers are going no higher than the ceiling.  It seems like we try hard enough.  So, when do we get some of THIS spiritual power?  When does God start working?

And Paul tells the Christians in Corinth - we ARE supposed to pray - we NEED to study scripture.  But that is NOT the most important part.  We also need to quit trying to live the Christian life by our own rules.  Certainly, I have never heard anyone here boasting about HOW holy they are OR HOW much they pray.  But our problem is often STILL ONE that hinders the work of God.  Remember that religious phrase from some years ago, “Let go and let God.”  Too often we don’t want to let go.  We want things to change so long as we don’t have to change.  We stubbornly hold on to ideas and opinions refusing to change because everyone else should be the ones who change – NOT us.  But, that is exactly what we need to do.  It is in our weakness that Grace begins to work in us.

And the thing is - God works!    Think of it like a tree in the wind.  A couple of weeks ago one of those really big afternoon thunderstorms came through Birmingham.  James Spann told us the winds were blowing over 70 miles an hour.  When it was all done, I drove down to The Abbey for a meeting.  There were big trees and big limbs everywhere.  I had to take an alternate route because a very large tree was blocking the road.  And then it hit me, only great big trees fall - and IT IS because they do not bend – they don’t change – they aren’t flexible.  Smaller trees and limbs move and flow with the wind – they change with the weather and when its calm they stand straight.  They grow stronger and I will bet - last longer.

The same is true for us as Christians.  God leads, and we move in the direction of the Holy Spirit.  Change happens naturally because we hear the voice of the Savior in our hearts and we give way to the Love of God.  We share that love with people everywhere and often times in ways that can surprise us.  We grow stronger in the Christian life and in our faith.  Our weakness is all about strength – God’s strength – God’s power - and allowing the Holy Spirit to work within us.  This moves us into new ministry where we share and spread the love of God we have found here at St. Matthias.  Stand up stubbornly straight - fighting the change - and you just end up weak and worn out.  Have faith in the strength of God and change our world.  And we will see heavenly fireworks here at St. Matthias like never before.  AMEN.