Today’s collect particularly invokes the Holy Spirit: “Almighty God, you sent your Holy Spirit to be the light of your Church. Open our hearts to the riches of your grace, that we may bring forth the fruit of the Spirit in love, joy and peace…”
Aside from the Lord’s Prayer, I can hardly think of a more basic prayer to help us grow in Christian life, both as a parish and individually: the recognition of the gift of God’s Holy Spirit, openness to God’s grace in all its fullness, and that our lives, both as a community and individually, will grow in all the fruits of the Spirit, especially love, joy and peace.
Yet, sadly, both historically and in our contemporary life, the matter has not been that easy. The Holy Spirit has been invoked in persecution, racism, sexism, colonialism, crusades, violence, homophobia, exclusion and numerous other oppressions. South of the border, some Christians, invoking the Holy Spirit, support political candidates and movements that express anything but “love, joy and peace”. But we have got it wrong sometimes too. Canadian Christians who cooperated with the Canadian government in the establishment and maintenance of the Indian Residential Schools thought they were doing the work of the Holy Spirit: but history has shown otherwise in tales of violence, abuse and cultural suppression.
So how do we get it right? How can we be sure that our lives and ministries are rooted in God’s Holy Spirit and not just in egoism or a flawed spirituality or uncritical reflection and action? What do today’s lessons have to tell us?
In our Old Testament reading, the prophet Isaiah condemns the corrupt political and religious regime of Uzziah and other kings of Judah. Isaiah denounces their complicated ritual practices of sacrifices, feasts, fasts and offerings as polluted by their corruption. Rather, he declares, “cease to do evil, learn to do good: seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan, plead for the widow”.
Each of us will live Isaiah’s injunction in different ways. I believe we are all engaged in professional, volunteer and/or personal ministries along these lines. Because I am still half living in the Solomons where there is much open injustice, corruption and many orphans and widows without social or financial support, I respond personally to that situation. We, each of us, day-by-day, I am sure, try to “cease to do evil and learn to do good”.
It is important in the “learn to do good” enterprise also to be mindful of root causes of evil and oppression and try to address them and not always just the symptoms, whether it be political corruption that produces poverty and unemployment, or an unjust economic order that produces homelessness and hunger, or violent political regimes that produce refugees. Often these issues are all mixed up and the best we can do is try thoughtfully and prayerfully to understand both the root causes so that we can contribute to changing them, but also provide immediate relief to those caught in the middle: the poor, the homeless, the unemployed, the hungry, the refugee, the seafarer, “the oppressed, the orphan, the widow”. It is not either-or but both. That is why it is important for good Christians to go into politics, to bring genuine Christian life into the political sphere.
Our Friday “Breaking Bread with Newcomer Neighbours”, cooking with refugee families recently arrived in Canada, has been growing well with good parish participation. Volunteers are still invited from the parish.
This week we had news from the Refugee Coordinator of Christ Church, Flamborough, with whom we have been cooperating along with Our Saviour, the Redeemer, Stoney Creek, that a Syrian refugee couple, Muayad and Reem, are expected within three months. They are now in Turkey, awaiting exit papers. So far, as a parish, we have raised $1,400 towards the sponsorship and I hope we can contribute more. Our Saviour, the Redeemer, has raised $2,000 but the bulk of the cost is being met by Christ Church, Flamborough. But more importantly, I hope we can now form a refugee sponsorship support group to mobilize what we as a parish with all our gifts and resources, both human and material, can do to help this couple settle in Canada.
Today’s psalm reminds is that God really is interested in all this. Our God is not some detached First Mover who is not interested in the divine creation, the Deist watchmaker who started it all up and walked away from it. I was ordained a priest in the cathedral in Fredericton and above the central arch is painted a passage from the book of Revelation, “Behold, I come quickly”. I have always been inspired by that invocation of God’s quick action, real and potential, among us.
The Epistle from Hebrews speaks of faith, “the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen”: that, in effect, our commitment to “cease to do evil, learn to do good” requires a depth of faith to come to fruition, especially in adversity or strange circumstances. Faith leads to new ministries, new places and new insights. “We walk by faith” is a good motto for a parish. This faith is not so much in particular creeds and beliefs as a basic trust that God is there and loves us, despite confusion, absence, loneliness, disappointment, sin and other difficulties: that ultimately we are moving towards our heavenly homeland, not more territory or possessions on earth.
The Gospel today is a continuation of that Sister Margaret preached on last week, the futility of grounding our lives on a multitude of possessions and “stuff” and a willingness to give it all up. “Do not be afraid, little flock, it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions, and give alms. Make purses for yourself that do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes in and no moth destroys.” The gate of heaven has no alarm system that has to be disabled before we enter. The linking of this teaching with the parable of the servants awaiting their master’s return from the wedding banquet seems to suggest that preparedness for the coming of the Son of Man (or we might read, our deaths) is generosity and the very life that Isaiah advocates: “seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan, plead for the widow”, that is, “cease to do evil, learn to do good”.
All that makes some sense if we have wealth that we can give away. But what if we struggle with poverty, unemployment, a low fixed income or debt (or all of these). We may not experience this as “the kingdom” but rather oppression and God’s lack of care for us. Or what if we give away so much we do not have enough for ourselves? Even St. Francis had a support network he could call on.
Perhaps it is good to remind ourselves that “cease to do evil, learn to do good” also applies to how we treat ourselves. We are called not just to love God and our neighbour but also ourselves. “Love your neighbour as yourself.” This question is, I think in the end to be trusted to the Holy Spirit; each of us is different and there is potential for self-delusion on all sides. If we have a family who are dependent on us we must do what we can for them. If we are single and wealthy, it is a different story. If we are single and poor, it is a different story. But whatever our situation, we come back to “seek ye first the kingdom of God” and a call to love one another, including sharing and doing good to those in the community who have particular needs; rugged individualism and blaming the poor for their poverty is not the Christian way. Sharing and mutual support is.
Still it is important that the “love yourself” argument does not lead to greed and selfishness and that we do have the faith to give, even if we are poor or have already given. There is always someone in greater need than ourselves, no matter how poor we are. We have many safety nets in Canada that we often take for granted. In many places in the world the safety nets of extended family and subsistence living have broken down and people have nothing. Abject poverty – and I doubt if there is anyone here this morning in true abject poverty -- is the knowledge that there will be never any hope of wealth or prosperity or peace or justice. As Christians we have a responsibility to respond to such situations, both to the root causes and the actual human suffering.
Doing good, a God who cares and acts, deep faith and a willingness to be generous are all part of the life of the Holy Spirit that leads to love, joy and peace. Despite the complexities, ambiguities, failures and disappointments of our situations, let us continue on that path and grow in it. I would encourage you to use this collect in your prayers this week. Let us finish by saying it together again now:
Almighty God, you sent your Holy Spirit to be the life and light of your Church. Open our hearts to the riches of your grace, that we may bring forth the fruit of the Spirit in love, joy, and peace, through Jesus Christ our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
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