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Proverbs 31:10-31, James 3:13—4:3, 7-8, Mark 9:30-37
St. Stephen's Episcopal Church, West Valley City, UT
The Rev'd W. Lee Shaw
There is a common misconception among many people that going to church means getting all “religious” or “spiritual” and thinking about things like theology, holy mysteries, and odd words like transubstantiation, expiation, oblation, benediction, and other such tongue twisters. And yes, those words and their meanings have a part in our tradition, but that is not what it means to go to church.
We have a couple of fine examples today of what we learn when we go to church: how to lead a good life. Proverbs gives us the virtues of “a capable wife.” This is not a submissive wife, this is a woman with goals, drive, a keen sense of business, strength and resolve. She is no shrinking violet to her husband or anyone else. She is a businesswoman, wife and mother. Here we hear what a faithful woman can do and be.
Likewise in the Epistle of James we have a continuation of his advice on how to live a good life with one’s friends and neighbors and avoid the pitfalls of the world’s temptations. Common sense in scripture. James is heavy on common sense much of the time.
Much of what he hear in church has to do with how we lead our lives outside of church not how we behave in church. It is not about being pious or holy, sanctimonious or precious. It is about how we live in the world, to be in the world but not of the world.
The business of going to church is not to make you holy. You are already holy through God’s creation of you. God has called you good in creation. You are made in the divine image. You have divine approval of your creation: holy gifts for a holy people. I see the role of church as transformative. How do you live out your life in the real world as a holy people of God?
Jesus gets very personal with his disciples about their desire to be “#1.” They argued about who was going to be first in the kingdom of God. Jesus shows them another way as he embraced a child and told them that to welcome one as these is to welcome him and the One who sent him. For me that means, how do we welcome people, how do we relate to people – regardless of status or standing – and how do we serve others in his name.
Going to church is not about how to become pious and holy. Going to church is about transformation. Our liturgy, our worship – the work of the people – is not so much about expressing our faith as being transformed by our faith. I am one who believes that as we worship, as we gather for prayer and the breaking of the bread, that we are being marinated in the liturgy. The words, the symbols, the power of the liturgy become integrated into who we are and how we live.
Even as we may be marinated in the liturgy, we are called on to act it out in daily life. In the confession of sin, do you hear your responsibility to look at your life as we confess things “done and left undone?” In the Creed do you really hear “for our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate?” For “our” sake. Do you hear you and your life in the words of our liturgy?
In the Eucharistic prayer we are currently using do you hear: ”Deliver us from the presumption of coming to this Table for solace only, and not for strength; for pardon only, and not for renewal. Let the grace of this Holy Communion make us one body, one spirit in Christ, that we may worthily serve the world in his name.” We are praying for strength and renewal as we make our Communion and not to presume that all that matters is God comforting us and forgiving us. Those sentences are why I love Eucharistic Prayer C.
Our worship is about transformation. It is about a change of heart and direction. It is about metanoia. Our liturgy is designed to yes uplift and help us focus, but it is also designed to change us, mold us, transform us so that words become part of our life expression. With the end result that we are able to serve the world in his name, renewed and strengthened for the journey ahead.