Christ Episcopal Church, Needham, Massachusetts The Rev. Nancy E. Gossling
Come Holy Spirit and kindle in us the fire of your love. Amen.
Perhaps I was comforted by the fact that the primary
detective in these murder mysteries was a decent and good man. He actually felt
called to this particular vocation and, unlike some of his colleagues, he was
someone who could see the possibilities in other people. He was willing to take
a risk by adding people to his team who had been short-changed, wounded, or
ignored by their families and/or co-workers. Conversely, he wasn’t afraid to
uncover immoral, powerful people in his own organization. This detective was a
boss who gave people a great deal of trust; and these people often responded to
him with deep loyalty.
My enjoyment of these
murder mystery series began to spill over into real life events. I started
listening to the details of horrific crimes, ones I used to avoid like the
plague. Most recently I was horrified by the murders of four university
students in Idaho over 3 years ago. The trial finally came to a conclusion last
month after a plea deal was agreed upon. The murderer would avoid the death
penalty but he would serve 4 consecutive life sentences in prison with
presumably no chance of parole.
There was a great deal
of back and forth about the plea deal. A family member of one of the deceased
students claimed she had already forgiven him, while another family member
described him as “pure evil” and hoped he would burn in hell. Some people felt
this murderer deserved the death penalty and nothing less. Others were
concerned that after many years of “good service” in prison, he might
eventually be released; and yet he would be tormented by fellow inmates
beginning on day one. So what was justice in this set of circumstances? And
what about the issue of judgment by us? Or by God? I wondered.
Justice and judgment are
often conjoined. The definition of justice in its broadest sense is the idea
that individuals should be treated fairly, and assumes that the administration
of the law will maintain justice. Similarly, the definition of judgment means
the ability to make considered decisions, come to sensible conclusions, and may
involve the decision of the court or a judge. (Wikipedia)
Now according to Bible
Hub, “Judgment, in the biblical context, refers to the divine evaluation and
decision-making process concerning human actions, thoughts, and intentions. It
encompasses both temporal judgments, which occur within history, and eschatological
judgments, which pertain to the end times, reflecting God's holiness, justice,
and sovereignty.” Today’s New Testament passage from Hebrews refers to God as
the judge of all.
At a very young age most
of us learn that there are consequences for our words and actions. Now God’s
judgment includes both justice and mercy; and it seems to me that if you don’t
believe in the justice and judgment of God, then why not “eat, drink, and be
merry?” Why not do whatever we want regardless of the effects on other human
beings? And yet, in reality, we all fall short; we all sin; we all plead for
mercy before the judgment seat of God.
While you
may not identify yourself with a murderer, there are different kinds of sin.
“Racism or any other kind of “ism”, greed, false teaching, misuse of wealth,
and degrading words to a fellow human being—are these things that damn people
to hell? According to Scripture, and the authors of the book Erasing Hell, the
answer is yes.” (Erasing Hell, Francis Chan and Preston Sprinkle)
Scriptural literalists will point to passages
that claim “unless you believe this” or “unless you do that” you will not be
saved. It’s known as the “turn or burn” theology. Unfortunately, scripture
passages vary widely; one section will claim that everyone will be saved by
God’s grace and mercy, while other passages say that God’s consuming fire will
be the final judgment for our lack of faith and our deplorable actions.
What are we to do, you might wonder? A Sunday School
teacher was questioning her class of 1st graders about salvation and began by
saying, “If I give up all my money, give everything I have to the church, and
to the poor and needy of the world, will I get into heaven?” “NO,” says the
class. “How about if I teach Sunday school; serve on the vestry; visit nursing
homes and hospitals; and feed the hungry with good food, will I get into heaven
then?” “NO,” says the class. “OK, how about if I go to seminary, and become the
rector of Christ Episcopal Church in Needham, surely then I will get into
heaven?” For the third time, the class of 1st graders yell, “NO!
“All right,” the teacher says, thinking that these
kids are smarter than she realized, “Then how do I get into heaven?” she asked.
And the little girl in the back of the room yells, “YOU GOTTA BE DEAD!”
By now you may be
wondering why I’ve taken you down this difficult journey of reflection about
sin and death, about judgment and justice, but I tend to be an “end-game”,
mission-focused kind of person. Indeed, “Christians should think seriously about salvation, judgment and life after
death,” argued Paul Dafyydd Jones in A Hopeful Universalism. “While we mustn’t
ever lose sight of God’s grace, we are obliged also to acknowledge the gravity
of sin. We cannot suppose that God overlooks or condones our myriad failings.
Just as sin matters in human life, sin matters to God. It is the very reason
that God’s saving grace passes through the horror of Calvary,” he continued. ( A Hopeful
Universalism, Paul Dayffd Jones, Xian Century, June 27, 2012)
The author of the letter to the Hebrews refers to God
as a consuming fire. Unlike
the devastating fires that are repeatedly reported in our news, or the blazing
fires of hell, I like to think of God’s fire as an eternal flame like the one
that appeared in the burning bush, a fire that did not consume Moses or indeed
even the bush. It is a fire that kills sins but not the sinners. It is a fire
that mercifully burns off the dross of our sins, revealing the pure gold of our
creation. It is a fire that reveals the passionate love of God that seeks to
restore a kingdom that can never be shaken; indeed that can never be burned to
the ground.
Jesus’
fiery messages throughout the gospels were not just about destruction and
division, as we heard last week. No, God’s fire is also a purifying flame,
naturally cleaning up our messes, warming our souls, shedding light in times of
darkness, empowering us for loving action, delighting us with joyful campfires,
and bringing new life into the world. Indeed, the final judgment of the cross
revealed resurrection life in a blaze of divine glory on Easter morning!
William
H. Willimon entitled his book “Who Will Be Saved?”
Indeed, who will be
saved? By whom? How? When and Why? While these questions remain far above my
pay grade, I offer them to you this morning, not with clear answers, but with
an invitation for your further reflection, questions, and conversation.
However,
I do believe that God’s judgment of humanity was revealed in the life, death,
and resurrection of Jesus and that justice was served by the mercy of God. In
effect, Jesus made a plea deal with God on our behalf in which we did not
receive a death sentence but rather a commuted life sentence in God’s eternal
home.
Perhaps I was comforted by the fact that in Luke’s
gospel the primary detective was a decent and good man named Jesus. Like Louise
Penny’s detective, He felt called to this particular vocation and was faithful
to that mission to the very end. Unlike some of his colleagues, He healed and
set people free, offering mercy and second chances to his followers; and these
people often responded with deep loyalty.
Therefore, as the author of Hebrews once wrote, “since
we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us give thanks, by which
we offer to God an acceptable worship with reverence and awe.” (Hebrews 12:29)
Amen.
