Sermon April 19, 2009
“Is Faith A Sphinx’ Riddle?” 
Acts 4: 32-35and 1 John 1:1—2:2  

Let us pray.

 The splendor and joy of Easter are past and we now risk settling back into our normal Sunday worship routine. One major fear of preachers is that worship on such Sundays is thought of as being a little like going to the doctor’s office for a vaccination shot.  Those of us in the pulpit sometimes spend too many minutes telling those sitting in front of us “what to do” and “not to do”  in order to live a “Godly, righteous and sober life” to use the words of the old Sunday prayer. So it is not surprising that many often come to associate worship and Sunday sermons with inoculation – and we all know how much we hate needles. Truth is the tendency to think like this on the part of ministers reflects bad theology -- for ours is a liberating, redemptive faith not a repressive one.

            In Greek mythology the Sphinx -- that strange lion figure with a human head -- sat outside the gates of the Greek city Thebes. To all travelers seeking to pass by -- the Sphinx posed this riddle:

What has four legs in the morning,
two legs at noon and
three legs in the evening?

If the traveler failed to solve this riddle, then the Sphinx killed him or her. If the traveler answered the riddle, then the Sphinx would destroy itself and the traveler went on. Legend has it the Oedipus solved the riddle and the Sphinx there upon destroyed herself. (Now, I am sure many of you know the answer; it is human beings – for they crawl on all fours when little, walk on two legs in midlife and use a walking stick or cane in life’s later years.)

The pertinence of this myth for today’s sermon is not the answer but that the traveler -- got only one perilous shot at the answer.  I think that same “up or out” concern contributes to the harsh tones of judgmental religion -- that is the religion reflected in sermons with titles like “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” or “the Case of Satan’s Fiery Darts”. The assumption is -- we better get inoculated now for if we screw up it is at our ultimate peril in the hands of an angry and judgmental God. There are churches even today that see dire, even fatal, consequences for sinning. Think no further than those who saw Hurricane Katrina as a divine judgment on a licentious nation or those who picket the return of those soldiers who have fallen in the battle -- seeing their death as payment for this nation’s sins – often the sins of inclusiveness of and generosity towards those who are different.  Now thankfully these are not our views. But at times we risk seeing faith as a list of “dos and don’ts” that we fail to follow at our peril.  But as our scripture text from John’s first letter highlights -- ours is not a repressive faith but a continually redemptive one.

I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin.

But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with

the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and he is the atoning

sacrifice for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the

sins of the whole world. 

The good news in this post Easter world is that unlike the Sphinx’s riddle we get more than one chance. Divine forgiveness is not a onetime gift with an expiration date.

            Much of the thoughts and words of the brightest religious folks over the millennia have focused on understanding how Christ’s death on the Cross serves to forgive our sins. The word for this process is atonement – which means -- as the word itself suggests -- being at one with God. Sin whatever its causes can be understood as a separation from God. When we sin we act in ways that are antithetical to being connected to God. There is no single explanation for how Jesus brings atonement. Some see the process as one of substitution – that is that Christ died on the cross to balance out in God’s eyes our sin. Others see atonement as flowing from Jesus serving as a moral influence on us through his teachings, practices and sacrificial death.

  Today I want to focus not on the nuances of that process but on the meaning of it. For the moment I would like us to accept – as I suspect we do – that through Christ we are given a new start -- that our sins are forgiven – however we explain the process. Despite all that we do that is hateful, self-centered and sinful, God through the love and sacrifice of Christ continually cleanses our sins away. That is -- the critical good news Christ leaves in the aftermath of Easter.

All that is required from us to receive that divine forgiveness   is to seek to live a faithful life. Our faith asks us not for perfection but for perseverance. While it may be a stretch I think God’s forgiveness is a little like the shuttle that runs constantly between Times’ Square and Grand Central. It’s available virtually any time. It’s not like the 3:40 Amtrak to Boston which you either catch or it’s gone. Forgiveness is God’s continuing gift to us.

             Certainly, as the writer of John’s letter acknowledged the goal of people of faith is not to sin. But ours is a real world faith. The fact is even good people sin. We screw up; we fall short of our best intentions. But we need not wallow in self doubt and self pity. We have an eternal advocate who intercedes for our forgiveness. Now of course forgiveness is not self-actuating, it requires something of us; namely, as the scripture says that we confess our transgressions.  It requires that we swallow our pride and accept our imperfections. Why is God’s forgiveness important? 

            First and foremost it means that we are loved as we are. The prophet Isaiah said it well,

Do not fear, for I have redeemed you, I have called

you by name, you are mine. (43:1-2)

Is there anyone who doubts the importance of being loved? Is there anything in life that we desire more and that allows us to flower more than being loved? To be loved is the affirmation that it is good that we are alive and the acknowledgement that another wants to be with us for eternity. The studies are legion that demonstrate the devastating impact on babies and young children from the absence of love in their earliest months and years. But aren’t we also all familiar with the toll a loveless life takes on adults – robbing them of vitality and often the ability to love another. Is there anything we need more when we are most acutely aware of our shortcomings than God’s forgiving love of us? If God loves us and forgives us who are we not to love and forgive ourselves. Indeed, when we are forgiven, we have freedom – liberated from a guilty conscience – to be at peace inside our own skin.

Moreover, in receiving forgiveness we are freed not simply to be at peace with ourselves but to dare to take risks in life -- to be fully in God’s image. One of the greatest sins is the sin of disengagement -- whether it results from self-doubt or fear of making a mistake. One of John F. Kennedy’s favorite quotes came from Dante’s Inferno in which Dante suggested that the hottest corner of hell is reserved for those who in the time of moral crisis remain neutral. Now, we don’t often encounter moments of moral crisis. But there are moments in our life when we have a choice to get involved or not in important matters. Aren’t there times when one is confronted with choices -- some in our personal lives and some in our work and community lives -- when we can act and risk being wrong or take the safer route of standing and watching. In Christ’s love and forgiveness we are liberated to take risks and by doing so actively to engage in faithful living. We may get things wrong, but our mistakes will be cleansed. Now understand what I am not saying. Forgiveness doesn’t mean that we can ignore the damage done by our transgressions and our mistakes.  No, the consequences of our mistakes must be dealt with. When a spouse is unfaithful, there are consequences that must be dealt with even when there is forgiveness. Trust has to be rebuilt often one day at a time. But forgiveness means that there is still love there and that the sins of the past can be overcome though not expunged.

            I heard a story recently about a lumber company in the North Country. [1] The owner was a grizzled veteran who had run the company for many years. He brought in a young man, fresh out of college to help manage the business. After a year the owner learned that he needed to take a few weeks off for health reasons. He called the young man into his office and said “you are ready to run the business. My only advice is to watch out for Bill.  He is extremely difficult – he belittles the other men unforgivably but he is the best logger in the area. Stay clear of him” Several days after the boss had left the younger man was walking though the mill and saw Bill. He went up to him and said, “I know it’s frustrating for you to work with some of the others but as the best logger I am counting on you to help them. What has happened between you and them in the past is over and done with -- I know I can count on you.” That night when the day was over Bill waited at the gate for the young man and invited him to dinner. As the young man entered   Bill’s house Bill’s wife came over and shook the young man’s hand, exclaiming “that this day was like Christmas.” And Bill chimed in “Why didn’t the boss ever say those things to me before. There were days when I could have killed somebody” Is there any doubt that forgiveness changes lives. 

Through grace and forgiveness bestowed on us in love by Jesus Christ our relationship -- our oneness with God -- is restored. Forgiveness is not, however, a one-time act but rather it is a process. It is offered and extended repeatedly to us by the God through Christ and the Holy Spirit.  We grasp it and stumble and grasp it again.

Jeremiah wrote these words “for I will forgive their iniquity and number their sins no more.” Thankfully it doesn’t say just once! Can there be any doubt that ours is a redemptive and liberating faith. Thanks be to God