Witness to the Gospel

A Sermon by The Ven. Geoffrey Hall - 18 September 2005

But when thou art bidden, go and sit down in the lowest seat, that he may say unto thee, Friend, go up higher ...

Christian living in our modern context is no piece of cake. Living the Christian life requires a significant amount of intentionality, since the forces around us leading our society away from gospel teachings are many and great.

The readings this morning tell something of what the expectations of Christian behaviour might look like. To be "... worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called" as St. Paul puts it in the Epistle. Baptized into the one Body governed and given life by the one Spirit, there are standards and expectations that when lived, bring life to the intentional Christian walk.

Our diocese has maintained for the past several years that our mission as the Church in this part of the world is "The proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ for the making of disciples." What we are about, as Church, is that great commission given by Jesus himself. Proclaiming and making disciples.

There are several sermons there. Rest assured I don't plan to preach them all today. This morning we might just focus on where the lectionary and collect help us to go specifically. As members of the Church we proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ as baptized members of the Body as witnesses to it in our everyday lives, in how we act and how we live. St. Paul states "lowliness and meekness, long-suffering, forbearing one another in love" as hallmark traits of Christian living.

Jesus illustrates two examples of Christian attitude and behaviour: FIRST: Not being so bound by the letter of the Law (as the Pharisees seemed to be) that we miss the spirit of the Law. Leaving another's ox in a pit on a Sunday when ultimately we are called to treat one another in a certain way - first and foremost "forbearing one another in love." SECOND: Taking the lower seat and waiting to be invited higher, puts into action an attitude of humility that always comes before honour. Matthew Henry in his 1721 commentary said: "We see in many cases that one's pride will bring them low ... before honour is humility."

This past week I answered a subpoena to court. I was called to be a witness to the events of a particular situation last January. The questions from the prosecution and defense were specific and tested my memory and my perception of fact and fiction late on the evening of 10 January. As a witness, I could only talk about that which I saw and knew for sure. Many times it was tempting to jump to conclusions, fitting the pieces of a series of events together in such a way that made sense to me. I only saw part the whole picture. I could only witness to what I saw and knew for sure, no more, no less. It was a challenge.

As Christian witnesses, we are called to tell what we have heard, seen, know and believe. We do that best by assuring that the faith that is in us actually makes a difference in how we live. We live our lives, as the thanksgiving after Communion says, "offering ourselves, our souls and bodies, to be a reasonable, holy and living sacrifice." Our life itself become the witness as we are members of Christ's Mystical Body.

We don't take the lower seat and wait to be called higher simply because it looks good. We believe this to be a Christian behaviour because we recognize that its by gift and grace that we get what we receive. We don't gain stature or position because we deserve it. We are not where we are because of our own talent, intelligence or effort. All is a gift. We express our thankfulness - witness to that faith, by not being presumptuous.

We respond to another's need, maybe even when it would seem to be contrary to a specific rule or Law because Jesus said that first and foremost we "love God and love our neighbours as ourselves. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets."

And that is why the Collect today has us pray that God's "grace may always prevent (go before us) and follow us" in front of us and behind us. Its only a life lived depending and relying on the grace of God, the free gift of his help and support, that we can "walk worthy of the vocation wherewith we are called..."

May it be our prayer that we are witnesses to the Gospel we proclaim with our lips and in our lives, and that God's grace" makes us continually to be given to all good works ..." for the sake of the Gospel.