Proper 29 :: Ezekiel 34: 11–16, 20–24; Psalm 100; Ephesians
1: 15–23; 25: 31–46
This is the homily
by Fr. Gene Tucker that was given St.
John’s, Huntingdon, on Sunday, November 26, 2017.
“OUR
DAILY WALK WITH GOD, LIVED IN THE SIGHT OF ETERNITY”
(Homily text: Matthew 25: 31–46)
We
wrap up the current Church Year this Sunday, ending the year (as we always do)
with the theme of “Christ the King”. Our old Church Year ends where the new one
will begin in the season of Advent, with our eyes firmly fixed on the
here-and-the-now, but also on the “great, big picture” of God’s eternal
purposes.
Today’s
Gospel focuses in on the here-and-the-now, as Jesus tells us about some very
concrete, everyday steps that Jesus’ followers are to follow as they live out
their calling as disciples of Jesus.
Before
we look in depth at Jesus’ teaching, let’s remind ourselves of the outlook of
God’s people in Jesus’ day. To do so, we will begin with a Hebrew lesson.
The
Hebrew word in mind here is halacha.
The word comes from the Hebrew verb “to walk”, which is halach.
To
the ancient Jews, their relationship with God involved a daily walk, a halacha.
The
word itself indicates a methodical, everyday way of living. It isn’t a sprint,
nor is it a race which focuses only on the finish line. It is way of completing
the course of life which values and infuses every step along the way with
importance and care.
That
seems to be Jesus’ focus, as well.
The
specific actions Jesus outlines each involve helping someone who is in some
sort of distress: Someone in prison,
someone who lacks proper clothing, someone who is hungry, someone who is sick.
Especially in the society in which Jesus moved and worked, these things were
(unfortunately) fairly commonplace predicaments that people found themselves
in.
Now,
as we reflect on the broad sweep of Christian history, it becomes apparent that
Christians have had a difficult time keeping the everyday, commonplace ways of living
out the Christian life in balance with the “great, big and final picture” of
God’s purposes for the world and for those who live in the world.
At
times in Christian history, the focus of Jesus’ followers has been squarely on
God’s “great, big plan”. Surely, that was the case in the Thessalonian church,
where Paul has to warn its members against sitting around, looking up into the
heavens, waiting for the trumpet call which would announce Jesus’ return to
sound. Paul specifically warns these early Christians not to be sitting around,
doing nothing, waiting for the end to come.
But,
the reverse is true, also. At times in Christian history, Jesus’ disciples have
gotten caught up in “doing good things”, seemingly with the goal of making the
Church into some sort of a social service agency.
Today’s
Gospel text calls us to keep both aspects of God’s plan in view: We are to be
about doing concrete, observable actions that give witness to the faith that is
living within. St. James will pick up on Jesus’ theme in his letter, “What good
is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone says they have faith, but does not
have works? Can that faith save them? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed
and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace, be warmed
and filled,’ without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is
that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.” (James 2:
14 – 17)
Jesus’
teaching reminds us that the everyday, often inconsequential things we do in
Christ’s name are being done in God’s view and with God’s knowledge. (It is
worth saying, at this point, that in Matthew’s Gospel account, God’s final
judgment is never far from view….it permeates Matthew’s entire account.)
Knowing
that the little things we do are important to God, and are done in God’s sight
and with God’s noticing casts an entirely different light on our everyday
lives. Suddenly, everything takes on a different scale of value, suddenly
nothing is unimportant or of little value.
Christians
are called to live lives that have one foot squarely planted in the
here-and-the-now, and with the other foot securely planted in the kingdom of
heaven which is to come.
May
we be counted worthy to bear Christ’s name to the world around us, knowing that
everything we do – whether of great or of little importance – is precious in
God’s sight.
AMEN.
