The Fifth Sunday after Trinity
1 July 2018 A.D.
the Rev. Mr. Shannon L. Clark
“But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason for the hope that is in you with meekness and reverence.” I Peter 3:15
This morning, the choir sang the patriotic hymn “My Country Tis of Thee.” The last verse of that hymn is key. It says:
“Our Father’s God, to thee, Author of liberty, To thee we sing; Long may our land be bright with freedom’s holy light; Protect us by thy might, Great God our King.”
All this is right and good. This week the people of our country will celebrate Independence Day. But more importantly, we should notice that we have been placed in this country, at this time, as Christians by the providence of Almighty God. For he “hath made of one blood all the nations of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; That they should seek the Lord.” We are not here by accident but according to the precise plan and foreknowledge of God. He has purpose for us, and it is that purpose that I would like to consider this morning.
In the epistle for this morning, Peter is writing to churches scattered throughout the ancient world. And he gives the church throughout all ages a pattern of teaching, a way of life. This way of life is how all Christians should live, regardless of what type of government they find themselves under. It shows that our duty to God and to our fellow men never changes no matter how “good” or “bad” the external situation is. Let us consider closely what St. Peter has to say through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Please, listen carefully. Listen closely.
St. Peter says: “Finally be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful [have pity on those who are lost, on those who are hurting and do not know it], be courteous: not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing.” Remember the words of Jesus “but I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.” Why ought we to behave this way? St. Peter tells us “knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing.”
Furthermore, St. Peter quotes Psalm 34 as the reason for his admonition to live this way — why we should live this way — for or because “he that will love life and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil and his lips that they speak no guile.” Guile means crafty and deceitful ways of speaking. Christians must be men, women, and children who are frank, upright, and straightforward in their speech. Their “yes” must be “yes” and their “no” must be “no.”
St. Peter continues, “Let (the Christian) eschew (reject, shun) evil and do good; let him seek peace and ensue it. For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.” And then St. Peter asks a question: “And who is he that will harm you, if ye be followers of that which is good?” Who is going to punish you for being compassionate? Who is going to condemn you for being peaceful? Reason should tell us that no one should condemn others for these things, however, we are in a spiritual war and we know that Jesus was the absolute perfection of all these things and that he suffered unjustly to an infinite degree. St. Peter knows this, so he goes on to address it. He says, “But and if he suffer for righteousness’ sake, happy [blessed] are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled.” He echoes, once again, the teaching of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount. Our Lord says, “Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad; for great is your reward in heaven.”
The epistle ends this morning with another command: When this happens, when you are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, “sanctify the Lord God in your hearts.” Hallow — set aside as holy — the Lord God in your heart. Seek his face and follow Him.
This epistle shows us a few things about being good citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven and also how to live as good citizens of the United States of America.
First, the gospel calls us to act like Jesus, to follow in his steps, at all times and in all places. We have received the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Christ, at Holy Baptism. The strengthening gifts were given to us when we owned the Christian faith for ourselves at Confirmation. This precious gift was given to us so that we may speak and show the love of Christ to those who do not know him in a way that is eminently real and genuine. Know this, brothers and sisters, those who do not know Christ do not know what they are doing. They cannot see the consequences of their actions. They cannot see the damage that selfishness can cause. By God’s grace, you and I do. We have known the bitter fruit of our own selfishness and ignorance. And we have found peace with God through his Son. That is why we are led to repentance and confession. This is why we trust Jesus’s words “blessed are those who mourn for they shall be comforted.” In a sense, we are no better than they. We have just come to know it, by God’s unbounded grace.
We come this morning to renew our allegiance to Jesus. To commune with him. To give ourselves to him and receive all of his benefits. Have you ever wondered why the Church is called the Body of Christ and why the bread from heaven that we will receive is also called the Body of Christ? It is so that you and I can receive him, and be indwelt by him. He comes to us in Holy Communion to transform us into the Body of Christ that will go out into the world and show his love to a lost and dying world.
Finally, I would like to ask you to pay close attention to the words of the post-communion hymn (No. 201, in the 1940 Hymnal)*. It is an ancient Eastern hymn that highlights perfectly what I am trying to say. Our Lord gives himself to us so that we may become his hands, his ears, his mouth, his eyes, his feet, his Body to be used by him for the salvation of the world. If we first become good citizens of the kingdom of heaven, then we cannot help but be good citizens of America. Let us just keep first things first. Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you.
“Grant, O Lord, we beseech thee, that the course of this world may be so peaceably ordered by thy governance, that thy Church may joyfully serve thee in all godly quietness; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
the Collect for the Fifth Sunday after Trinity
the Rev. Mr. Shannon L. Clark, deacon in charge
*Hymn 201
Strengthen for service Lord, the hands That holy things have taken; Let ears that now have heard thy songs To clamor never waken. Lord, may the tongues which “Holy” sang, Keep free from all deceiving; The eyes which saw they love be bright they blessed hope perceiving. The feet that tread thy allowed courts From light do thou not banish; The bodies by thy Body fed With thy new life replenish. Amen
from the Syriac liturgy of Malabar