Saint You
Pentecost 10, Proper 15
Fr. Tim Nunez
May my spoken word be true to God’s written word and bring us all closer to the living word, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
When we went to Israel a few years ago, I asked our guide if we could go to Jericho. It was not on our itinerary, but I really wanted to go. It is one of the oldest cities in the world. It is the lowest city in the world. And I love the story of Jesus calling Zaccheus out of the sycamore tree.
We visited a store that is adjacent to the archaeological site of the original city. It has an observation deck where you can go up three or four floors and see the site from above. One of the interesting facts is that the walls fell outwards. If an invading army were to storm the walls and break through them, they would have fallen inward.
The first individual listed in our passage from Hebrews this morning is Rahab the prostitute. She helped the spies Joshua sent to scout out the town. Her home was literally built into the wall. Not only did the Israelites spare her and her family, they all survived that collapse.
That’s a little ironic. It should not surprise you to know that prostitution is a no-no under the Law of Moses, specifically Leviticus 19:29 which says, “Do not profane your daughter by making her a prostitute, lest the land fall into prostitution and the land become full of depravity.”
Yet, despite her sinful past and present, Rahab is remembered thousands of years later as a visionary follower of the One true God. (You can read her story in Joshua chapters two and three.)
The Old Testament is full of stories of people, and how they were or were not faithful to God. I don’t mean good people and bad people, although there is some of that. Most often, it’s just people with a mix of faithfulness and unfaithfulness. The stories ring true because they are not idealized, but rather very much real people. We find that these people, many of whom we have come to regard as heroes, had their flaws, bad moments and even terrible decisions.
David, the great King David, who is called “a man after God’s own heart,” has moments of incredible faithfulness and incredible sin. Samson is remembered for the super-human strength God poured into him, but he was also erratic and incredibly foolish at times. We get a summary of the prophets, but sometimes even they struggled to hear and follow God as well.
The point is that the glory and remembrance of those we regard as heroes of the faith came when, despite their personal flaws and failures, God used them to shine his glory into the world through them. They didn’t conquer kingdoms or shut the mouths of lions. They didn’t quench raging fires or put armies to flight or resurrect the dead. God did all these things and more, through them.
Even their extraordinary faithfulness despite torture and imprisonment, death and exile were possible because of the faith and vision God gave them of “something better” – a perfection yet to come in and through Jesus, which is available to all.
Archdeacon John shared a wonderful point with me the other day. When people in the Bible were in these situations, few of them had any idea that we would remember them by name thousands of years later. Nor, as Hebrews says, did they know that they were part of this overwhelming flow of events leading to Jesus and through him ultimately to the Kingdom of God.
This is the hope of our calling. Did you ever have a gnawing feeling in the very pit of your being that you are rather inadequate compared to the heroes of our faith in the Bible, or on our windows, or in our memories, or in the pews around us, maybe even now? Did you ever dismiss these stories as old and not particularly relevant to your life, past or present? Have you ever felt the sting of disappointment when people you esteemed in the faith dove off their pedestals?
Have I got Good News for you!
This is not an accommodation of your sinful ways; your evil thoughts, your pride or anger or sloth or envy or jealousy or your weakness. Jesus is very clear that he has come to force a choice, in or out, yes or no. And when he gets that yes, he will use it every time. He will use us despite our shortcomings, flaws, and mistakes. Often, he will redeem all that and even use those failures as he redeems and uses us. There is nothing that can disqualify us because he is the qualification. It isn’t what we do, it is what he does through even such as us.
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:1-2)
Pray on that and consider how God is calling you. Pray on that as we approach Connection Sunday and where you ought to serve. You are worthy because he loves you. Because he loves you, he died for you. Because he loves you, he invites you into this great adventure and flow of his Kingdom. You are a saint, just like the people who we remember as serving God in the Bible, same as the people in our stained glass. Listen and follow the Lord. Be led by the Holy Spirit, and what he does through you will have eternal importance.
AMEN