Sermon

Now that I have been in Grahamstown for a little less than I week it feels like a good time to share...a sermon! I promise I will sketch out some of my initial thoughts and feelings about my arrival and what I have seen thus far later this week but until then enjoy this little bit of preaching I did today.

(And yes, you read that correctly, I preached on my first Sunday here. It was not entirely my idea.) The lectionary can be found here:

http://www.lectionarypage.net/YearB_RCL/Pentecost/BProp21_RCL.html

There is a lot to work with in today’s gospel passage--a non-disciple casting out demons in Jesus’ name, the immortal words “whoever is not against us with for us”, and the perplexing closing lines about salt. Whole books could be, and I’m sure have been, written about these densely packed phrases. And I am certainly tempted to latch onto one of those lines or throw myself into a discussion of today’s readings in James or Esther. But I see that as the easy way out and, with perhaps a touch of hubris, I choose the challenge.

If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off. And if your foot causes you to stumble, cut if off. And if your eye causes you to stumble, tear it out.

My first reaction when presented with such gruesome imagery is astonishment quickly followed by incredulity--Jesus must not have meant that. And certainly this has to be acknowledged as a case of gross exaggeration or all good Christians would be very easily identifiable. But simply because Jesus is descending into hyperbole does not mean that the passage should be dismissed entirely. Is this really any different form his exhortation in Matthew5--be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly father is perfect. Today’s reading in Mark sets before us the same high standard but with the additional warning of what will befall us should we fail. Hell. Full stop.

It is a pretty bleak picture--either we achieve the impossible or we spend eternity in “un-quenchable fire”. Perfection or damnation, nothing in between.

But if we return to the text for a moment, is that actually what Jesus is saying? Three times Christ states “it is better” when comparing disfigurement to a life in hell. OK, it is better but it’s unachievable--and here I mean perfection, not self-mutilation--does that mean we should give up, accept hellfire as our fate and live the rest of our days as we see fit?
I see a similar comparison when faced with the woes of humankind. It would be better if there were an end to violence, poverty, disease, inequity, prejudice and the seemingly limitless ways in which our lives on earth can seem doomed to misery. Should we give up? Perfection seems so very far away.

Obviously the answer must be no, but does that make our task any easier, knowing that we must strive for the impossible, resolute in our pursuit of an ideal. In the end, it comes down to trust--or put another way, faith.

I trust that God will forgive my failings, recognizing my basic intentions as good. I trust that my small acts of kindness are part of a greater body of love. I trust that one day, likely not in my lifetime, nor even the next hundred lifetimes, there will be something approximating the kingdom of God on earth.

In a roundabout way I think that is Jesus’ message here--try your hardest knowing that you will fall; that the world will hurt you; that you will hurt yourself. That each stumble can feel like an eye has been plucked out or a hand lopped off. Yet do not be paralyzed by the threat of punishment nor agonize over the limits of your actions; we must simply do what we can and have faith that God will cover the rest.