FAITH SEEN AND UNSEEN

August 7, 2022
9^th Sunday after Pentecost
Isa.1:1, 10-20; Heb. 11:1-3, 8-16; Lk. 12:32-48
Rev. Denise Clark-Jones

Here we are in the dog days of summer and our readings from the Old Testament are repeated from the beginning of Lent. Who wants to hear about confession and sin in the season of vacations? Just when we are patting ourselves on the back for showing up at worship on Sunday, when so many others in our congregations take the summer off, we hear the words of Isaiah, echoed by the psalmist, that we haven’t been keeping up with the work of our faith.

According to the lectionary, our assigned readings are counted after the season of Pentecost until the start of a new liturgical cycle on the first Sunday of Advent. After following the life of Jesus through the Resurrection and Ascension, we go back to earlier readings from Luke’s gospel. Now we are offered gospel readings from the perspective of having celebrated the Resurrection and the power of the Holy Spirit given to us. Think of it as, we have seen what God has done, now what can we do with what God has given us?

In our Old Testament readings from the prophets of Israel, we have been shown the consequences of turning away from God to pursue worldly wealth, power and privilege. A nation of a few haves and a majority of have-nots is not only unjust, it also becomes unstable and vulnerable. With the same historical background in the Hebrew scriptures Jesus knew, we are faced with seeing how our society has fallen into the same self-serving disobedience. The lectionary doesn’t let us pick and choose our favorite passages from the bible and it won’t let us off the hook, even for summer vacation. Brace yourselves, we will be hearing from the ancient prophets from now until Advent.

In the past month, we have heard from the prophets Amos and Hosea speaking to the people of the Northern kingdom. Now we hear from another 8^th century BCE prophet, Isaiah, who is speaking to the southern kingdom, Judah, decades later. There was about a hundred years between the fall of Israel to the Assyrians and the fall of Judah to Babylon. Judah had the benefit of observing Israel’s mistakes. Yet, maintaining the status quo for the elite, and their trust in going their own way rather than God’s way, led them to replicate Israel’s sins. The book of Isaiah spans hundreds of years. The original scrolls were three separate scrolls, presumably by three different authors. Our reading today is from what is known as the first book of Isaiah.

Isaiah begins with harsh criticism of worship rituals that are devoid of honest confession, repentance and the pursuit of justice. It is not the worship itself that is the problem, it is the lack of integrity of their worship. Isaiah used some pretty harsh words – like “abomination” – a word used to totally vilify another’s actions, to describe the temple sacrifices and rituals. You can see why some preachers are reluctant to preach these harsh accusations from the prophets in the lazy, hazy days of summertime. Who wants to hear, when we feel so “faithful” because we are coming to church on a beautiful Sunday morning, that our worship might be an “abomination?”

To put these words in perspective, there was a justice issue involved in Isaiah’s criticism of worship at the time. The cultic practice of animal sacrifice had become a burden to the poor and another privilege for the rich — similar to the pre-Reformation Roman Catholic practice of buying “indulgences” to keep themselves, or deceased relatives of dubious character, out of purgatory. Or today, it might be the “prosperity gospel” evangelists who prey on poor peoples’ hope for a better life. Living in grand mansions, driving a fleet of luxury cars and traveling in their private jets, they use the bible to encourage donations to their “ministry,” which supports their own extravagant wealth. Or it could be the Christian nationalist preachers, and politicians who go along for the ride, who use the name of Christianity to promote authoritarian government, bigotry, and even the threat of violence, to gain political power.

Isaiah wasn’t telling Israel not to worship or even not to worship in their traditional ways. The Jewish religious rituals were foundational to the faith. Jesus devoutly adhered to the essential tenets of Judaism and participated in daily acts of worship, weekly Sabbath worship, seasonal festivals and pilgrimages to the temple in Jerusalem. What Isaiah was telling them was that sacrifices that were not really sacrifices condemned them as hypocrites and unbelievers. Isaiah claimed these sacrifices, as well as participation in religious rituals, which were unaccompanied by confession, repentance and obedience, revealed their lack of allegiance to God and commitment to the covenant.

Consider the dramatic increase in mass shootings in this country, which continue unabated while politicians repeatedly respond only with promises to “pray for the victims.” Not only do these politicians receive large campaign donations from gun activists’ groups, such as the NRA, but they have made it a litmus test of devotion to right-wing, authoritarian politics. To secure their own continued power, they refuse to do anything to restrict the sale of automatic weapons, whose only use is for killing the greatest number of people possible. Thoughts and prayers for the victims of mass killings have become the kind of hollow religious ritual for which God condemned Israel. Miroslav Volf, one of the most highly regarded Protestant theologians of our time noted: “There is something deeply hypocritical about praying for a problem you are unwilling to solve.” As an immigrant from Croatia, Volf knows something about what happens when a nation becomes torn by violence. With Isaiah as God’s mouthpiece, we hear the chilling condemnation: “When you stretch out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not listen; your hands are full of blood.” (v.15)

Even acts of charity are not always as charitable as we might be led to believe. When a company gets to the end of the tax year in December, there is a choice between giving to charity – getting the benefit of good “public relations” – or giving to the Federal government in the form of paying taxes, which should be using the tax dollars equitably for the common good. Unless the elected officials, which decide how taxpayer money is spent, choose instead to support the financial interests of the biggest donors to their re-election campaigns. Even what is deemed “charitable giving” can be used to gain power and privilege. Think of all the children of wealthy parents and grandparents who receive entrance into elite universities after a large donation. Our political, economic and social systems are infused with advantages for the wealthy to increase their wealth and privilege and are riddled with obstacles for the poor to escape poverty.  Isaiah’s rant reveals the empires and societies we create haven’t changed much in 3000 years. Who are the prophets today who are warning us of the consequences of greed, lust for power, and neglect of the vulnerable victims? Are we listening or are we dismissing them as idealists or even, dissidents?

As Isaiah accused Israel of hypocrisy when they participated in the liturgy and rituals of worship but failed to treat others with justice and compassion, we are challenged to look at our own lack of integrity between our worship and our daily lives. Isaiah tells the people what true repentance looks like: ^“do good; seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan, plead for the widow.” (v.17) The psalmist also speaks to the integrity of worship and life outside of the sanctuary: ^“Those who bring thanksgiving as their sacrifice honor me; to those who go the right way I will show the salvation of God.” (Ps.50:23)

Our epistle text from Hebrews speaks to the need for trust in living faithfully in an unfaithful society. Using Abraham, Sarah, and other epic biblical figures as models of faith, the author explains we do not always see the results of our sacrifices of time, talents and resources. The author of Hebrews wrote to encourage persecuted Christians that their commitment to discipleship was not in vain. This unknown author defined true faith as “the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”

Think of all the donors to the WestMark food pantry and the Westminster Infant Care Center who did not live to see the successes we observe today. We do have information on the success of many teenage mothers and their children to rise from their dire circumstances given the support the WICC program gave them, but we have no way of knowing how having to spend less of a subsistence household budget on food has helped the families who have received food from the WestMark food pantry. Those departed church members, who supported these programs through their labors and their monetary support, never knew the far-reaching benefits of their sacrifice, nor will we. Jesus said: “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.” (John 20:29) These kinds of gifts are eternal, giving life beyond our own earthly existence. Westminster has a strong history of faithful members who worked hard and gave generously for Christ’s mission, even when they would not live to see the fruits of their labor and sacrifice; but they did trust God to use their gifts to increase the kingdom of God on earth. This passage from Hebrews asks of us: When our descendants look back to us, will they see us as “resident aliens, to use a phrase coined by theologians Will Willimon and Stanley Hauerwas? Or will they see us as people who spent God’s blessings on transient, self-serving benefits, following the gods of conformity to worldly values?

In our gospel reading from Luke, Jesus relays the importance of preparing for the fulfillment of God’s kingdom on earth now. He speaks to the importance of trust to liberate us from our dependence on wealth and free us for kingdom living. Note that Jesus speaks not of the benefit of generosity to the poor, but the eternal gift for the giver. He reassures his followers that God wants us to live in God’s kingdom. It is God’s nature to want to give us what we most need. It is out of fear and lack of trust in God’s promises that we do not share from our abundance. Jesus also fulfills his prophetic role by warning his audience that there are eternal consequences for our failure to prepare for his return.

Jesus modeled the kingdom of God on earth when he invited his disciples into the upper room. While observing the worship practices of his Jewish faith at Passover he gave them a lesson in worship integrity and their mission on earth. Jesus replicated the heavenly banquet in the eternal kingdom of God with his Last Supper. At Christ’s table, there is a place for all. At the meal he hosted for his disciples, no one took too much, and none left the table hungry. May our participation in this sacrament today be the sign of our trust in the Lord and our commitment to God’s kingdom alone.

Amen. May it be so!

© Rev. Denise Clark-Jones, 2022, All Rights Reserved
Westminster Presbyterian Church | 1420 W. Moss Ave. | Peoria, Illinois 61606
WestminsterPeoria.org  | 309.673.8501

“Throughout the week, there are many worldly things pulling me away from my commitment to God.  I come to church on Sunday at Westminster to reconnect and renew my relationship with Him.  Part of my worship is to ask him for forgiveness for my lack of faithfulness.  I leave, reminded that he loves me, forgives me, and walks beside me every day.  What a profound blessing that is!”