Sermon Transcript: January 29, 2012 - The Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany - The Rev. R. Allan McCaslin
Readings: Deuteronomy 18:15-20; Psalm 111; I Corinthians 8:1-13; Mark 1:21-28
From Mark’s gospel, “… a man with an unclean spirit … cried out, ‘What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us?” I speak to you in the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Several years ago, I was invited to a rather posh dinner party in an exclusive Bostonneighborhood. But, for all the lavish surroundings and the alluring smells of what appeared to be top of the line hors d’oeuvres, something didn’t taste quite right. In fact, it was downright awful! I found myself wondering, “Where did this come from?” Of course, being polite, I said nothing to our host and then tried to eat around what was on my plate. Has this ever happened to you?
Such was the situation that St. Paul addresses in today’s reading from I Corinthians. Several church members feared that they might be eating meat that was already offered to idols. It was typical for pagan temples to sell off any leftover sacrificed meats after worship services. So, when you went to market, you had no idea if the meat on sale had actually been offered to a pagan god. Paul reminds the Church that we know and serve the only one, true God who, Paul says, is greater than any other god or lord in the heavens or on the earth. Therefore, Paul says (and I paraphrase here), “Who cares if some yahoo pagan priest waved a potroast over a pagan altar? Their god means nothing to us. Whether we choose to eat or not to eat has no impact on our spiritual life: these meats are harmless. So, go for it and enjoy yourself.” But, then, Paul adds a word of caution. And these cautious words have divided the Church for centuries. Paul says, “But take care that this liberty of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak.” Paul explains that if any of our actions, anything we do or say, will encourage someone else to commit what they believe is a sin, then don’t do it. The hard part for us is that in this day, living in a multi-cultural society with different standards of conduct, especially among the myriad rules and regulations of Christian denominations right here in our own city that tell us you can’t do this or that, what we choose to eat and drink or choose to do or live is often interpreted as being unchristian. Case in point: Some churches insist that Christians don’t drink or smoke; nor do they gamble, play cards, go to movies, or dance. Some say that real Christian women never wear slacks and Christian men do not have long hair, and the list goes on. Sadly, this suggests that Christians should be outright divorced from our culture rather than engage it, never have any fun, nor enjoy the arts, or just relax with a cold beer on a hot summer day.
Paul would say these rules are poppycock! And yet, he reminds us that any excess can be unhealthy for God’s people. And if what you are doing will cause someone else to stumble, then, think twice before you do it because we might harm someone else in addition to harming our own selves. Then, Paul goes a little further. This is what irritates me about Paul and what I like about him: he pushes the envelope just a little more; he ruffles our comfort zone. Paul says that if we do something that we know for ourselves is a sin, remember this: you never sin in private. Oh, we might think that how we live outside these walls is our own business and has no effect on the Church. But Paul says that even things done in secret damage the body of Christ. “Private sins” often influence how we look at an issue and can cause us to unduly and unfairly influence church mission. For example, if in our hearts we harbor racism, then we might work against issues of racial equality and try to deter the Church from taking a stand in the community. If, in our hearts, we really think the poor deserve their misfortune, we might work against offering them food or clothing, or ignore the beggar on the street and in so doing, ignore the Christ.
Readings: Deuteronomy 18:15-20; Psalm 111; I Corinthians 8:1-13; Mark 1:21-28
From Mark’s gospel, “… a man with an unclean spirit … cried out, ‘What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us?” I speak to you in the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Several years ago, I was invited to a rather posh dinner party in an exclusive Bostonneighborhood. But, for all the lavish surroundings and the alluring smells of what appeared to be top of the line hors d’oeuvres, something didn’t taste quite right. In fact, it was downright awful! I found myself wondering, “Where did this come from?” Of course, being polite, I said nothing to our host and then tried to eat around what was on my plate. Has this ever happened to you?
Such was the situation that St. Paul addresses in today’s reading from I Corinthians. Several church members feared that they might be eating meat that was already offered to idols. It was typical for pagan temples to sell off any leftover sacrificed meats after worship services. So, when you went to market, you had no idea if the meat on sale had actually been offered to a pagan god. Paul reminds the Church that we know and serve the only one, true God who, Paul says, is greater than any other god or lord in the heavens or on the earth. Therefore, Paul says (and I paraphrase here), “Who cares if some yahoo pagan priest waved a potroast over a pagan altar? Their god means nothing to us. Whether we choose to eat or not to eat has no impact on our spiritual life: these meats are harmless. So, go for it and enjoy yourself.” But, then, Paul adds a word of caution. And these cautious words have divided the Church for centuries. Paul says, “But take care that this liberty of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak.” Paul explains that if any of our actions, anything we do or say, will encourage someone else to commit what they believe is a sin, then don’t do it. The hard part for us is that in this day, living in a multi-cultural society with different standards of conduct, especially among the myriad rules and regulations of Christian denominations right here in our own city that tell us you can’t do this or that, what we choose to eat and drink or choose to do or live is often interpreted as being unchristian. Case in point: Some churches insist that Christians don’t drink or smoke; nor do they gamble, play cards, go to movies, or dance. Some say that real Christian women never wear slacks and Christian men do not have long hair, and the list goes on. Sadly, this suggests that Christians should be outright divorced from our culture rather than engage it, never have any fun, nor enjoy the arts, or just relax with a cold beer on a hot summer day.
Paul would say these rules are poppycock! And yet, he reminds us that any excess can be unhealthy for God’s people. And if what you are doing will cause someone else to stumble, then, think twice before you do it because we might harm someone else in addition to harming our own selves. Then, Paul goes a little further. This is what irritates me about Paul and what I like about him: he pushes the envelope just a little more; he ruffles our comfort zone. Paul says that if we do something that we know for ourselves is a sin, remember this: you never sin in private. Oh, we might think that how we live outside these walls is our own business and has no effect on the Church. But Paul says that even things done in secret damage the body of Christ. “Private sins” often influence how we look at an issue and can cause us to unduly and unfairly influence church mission. For example, if in our hearts we harbor racism, then we might work against issues of racial equality and try to deter the Church from taking a stand in the community. If, in our hearts, we really think the poor deserve their misfortune, we might work against offering them food or clothing, or ignore the beggar on the street and in so doing, ignore the Christ.
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