11th Sunday after the Epiphany (August 9, Deacon Hopkins)

We continue in our focus on Paul’s letter to the Romans today. The letter continues to challenge us with topics that were specific to Paul’s historical time as well as with topics that are current to our day. In my weeks, I have drawn passages that have touched on sin, slavery, predestination, evangelism, and more. (I am not complaining, the other preachers have also had difficult topics. It is good for all of us, both in the pews and in the pulpit, to engage these complex issues.) The positive from this summer series is that throughout this entire letter to the Romans, Paul speaks of God’s eternal love for all through the gift of his son, Jesus Christ. Many of the topics throughout the letter keep recuring. Paul’s points circle; we hear them several times. Paul contrasts the Law with Faith in Christ. He makes the conclusion that everything in the Law had been leading to Christ who is the goal of the Law. While before following the Law was the way to relationship with God, now it is through faith and belief in Jesus. For Moses “the word” was the Law, for Paul “the word” is Jesus.

Today’s lectionary text is in the middle of Paul’s theological struggle with the fate of his own people, the Israelites. Two weeks ago, the appointed text ended with Paul on a spiritual high using beautiful poetry to make his point that nothing can separate us from the love of God. Then in last week’s passage Father Zack began with Paul saying, “I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish” because his own people had not understood and accepted that Jesus is the Messiah.

And now we come to Paul’s arguments to lead his people to faith in Jesus. He uses words from the holy scripture of the Israelites, what we know as the Old Testament, to try to show his people that Jesus has always been with us. Throughout today’s passage he quotes and reforms these verses to change the subject to Christ.

I will not go through them all, but he uses parts of Deuteronomy, Leviticus, Joel and Isaiah to make his point.  These scriptures were well-known to his intended audience and in my mind, Paul showed his intellectual strength and some cunning, to quote and edit them to convince the Jews.. 

If you will, please take your service leaflet and look at the Epistle.

Here are the verses from Deuteronomy that Paul references (Chapter 30:11-14).

“For this commandment which I command you this day is not too hard for you, neither is it far off. It is not in heaven that you should say, ‘Who will go up for us, that we may hear it and do it?’ Neither is it beyond the sea, that you should say, ‘Who will go over the sea for us and bring it to us that we may hear it and do it.’ But, the word is very near you, it is in your mouth and in your heart, so that you can do it.” 

See the similar words in verses 5-8?

Do you see what Paul has done to make the subject Christ? “That is the word of faith that we proclaim.” 

He was and is powerful in his argument; he knew his audience well and understood what they would be able to connect with and see his point.

Here is one more, and I promise, the last for today. If you wish you can look up the others to compare.

This is from Isaiah, chapter 52, verse 7.

“How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good tidings … who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, ‘Your God reigns.’”

It is easy to find these words in today’s passage.

The good news is the truth of the gospel. This is about God and what God has done and his relationship to us, all people. We do not and cannot make our salvation happen. Everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. It is God’s work, not ours.

Even St. Paul knew this. He knew he could not argue others into belief. Though he could bring theological points to bear on others making the decision to believe. After all, it took a very dramatic intervention by God for him to come to belief. His words are to lead them to see the possibility of what he knows as truth. It is God’s work in which he participates.

What then is our work?  

Paul asks several rhetorical questions near the end of this passage that make clear what the answer to that is.

“But how are they to call on one in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in one of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone to proclaim him? And how are they to proclaim him unless they are sent? 

Our work is to do that proclaiming. We are to plant the seeds that God will bring to fruition. Remember I said that I had drawn the topic of evangelism. Well, this is it. Paul makes it clear that it is our responsibility to do this proclaiming. The word evangelism can bring all sorts of negative pictures. Which is a shame. In the broadest sense evangelism is the work of those who are messengers of good news. 

How might we, as Episcopalians, do this? Most of us are a bit reserved, me included.

I am sure we have ideas of how we do not want to do this proclaiming. I don’t see us being that man in a suit and tie who talks outside the Urbana Farmer’s Market each Saturday morning proclaiming the need to repent. I don’t see us as a group going to Chicago and standing across from the Art Institute singing of God’s love. I don’t see us going door to door to pass out scripture passages. While I do not fault those who do these things, I admit I do not readily engage with them. I do realize that their actions are their way of living out what Paul has said here. It is their way of bringing God’s message to others. For that I respect them. 

I know many people who were born in other countries as their parents were missionaries, who brought the gospel to those who had not heard it. In my time here, Emmanuel has sponsored several missionaries who followed Paul’s call to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ to people far away.  For that I respect them. These people had a special call to spread the news of the love of God to all in a particular way. 

While these may not be your and my call, we still are asked to proclaim our faith in God and belief in Jesus Christ to those who may or may not have heard it. Note that we are not called to save the world; God has already done that, through Jesus Christ. We are to live our belief that this is true. Paul asks us to live an authentic life, a life based on our faith.

I ask you to consider, how might we do that? 

For some it might be easier to proclaim by demonstration rather than by words. For example, living as Christ teaches us, showing kindness and love to others. Giving a smile to those in need of that recognition or saying thank you for services rendered, or by helping those in need. These and more are ways to live an authentic life matching our actions to our beliefs.

Using our words, it may mean speaking simply at first. For example, when someone asks us on Monday, how was your weekend? Rather than telling of a party or a movie or a good meal we had, we can say, “I went to church on Sunday and took my children. I was refreshed by the worship there.” 

Perhaps next time the person will ask you to describe what happened at church and you can go a little further. Maybe you might even get to the point of inviting them to come and see what it is like here.

We are called to proclaim our faith but each of us is called in a unique way. For some it is standing outside the red doors at the back in vestments carrying a cross or torches. For some it is posting on Instagram a picture of something in the church that is meaningful to you. For some it is taking someone new to coffee and talking about your faith and how you came to believe as you do. For others it is to have a theological discussion, listening to others’ ideas and speaking of your own. For those whose personality is perhaps more shy, there are still ways to proclaim our faith. It might start with wearing a faith-based t-shirt or piece of jewelry to indicate your willingness to listen to others. Conversations that follow this would offer the opportunity to explain where you find your comfort and hope when faced with difficulties. For those who are more outspoken, bringing up the topic can be easier, though not always. If you pray about this, you will be given some ideas that would work for you.

Evangelism is a process, I think and while it might be uncomfortable at first, God appreciates our individual gifts and will use us as best fits. The call is to proclaim the truth we believe. We must not ignore that. 

Someone in our lives was that person to bring us the truth of the gospel. They may have done it by demonstrating love for us or singing us simple hymns while rocking us to sleep. They may have done that by taking us to church or told us stories about Jesus. They may have done that by being there for us in a crisis. They may have done this by talking with us about death and life and the gift of Jesus Christ. It is ours now to pass on what was done for us. We must be the someone to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ’s overcoming death and offering eternal life. It is truth that is too important not to share. When we ask God how to do this; we will be shown occasions and the means to do so.

 “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news.” It is time for us to use our feet to be the ones to proclaim the faith we profess.