The Episcopal Church of the Incarnation
The Seventh Sunday after Pentecost [Proper 8](A)
Genesis 22.1-14 Psalm 13 Romans 6.12-23 Matthew
10.40-42
May the Lord be in my mind, on my lips, and in my heart, that
I may rightly and truly proclaim His holy Word. Amen.
Outline of a
Sermon Delivered Extemporaneously
1) I wish to explore three
words with you today. Two are from
a) There’s no Greek word this
week, but you get an African “two-fer” and a Hebrew bonus!
b) The first word is Zulu: indaba.
i) Indaba means “business,” as in
“That’s not my indaba,” but it is used to refer to a business
discussion.
(1) A meeting of minds to
discuss issues.
(a) This is the theme and
technique adopted by the Archbishop of Canterbury for the Lambeth Conference,
which will begin on 16 July and last for three weeks.
(i) The bishops at Lambeth are
to meet in small discussion groups, to explore where there is a “meeting of the
minds”.
c) The second word is
Bantu: ubuntu.
i) Ubuntu means “communication in
fellowship,” connoting learning from each other.
ii) This is the theme and
technique adopted by the Presiding Bishop for the 2009 General Convention of
The Episcopal Church.
2) I’m a little troubled that
we have to adopt code words. Even though
there is nothing wrong with the ideas behind indaba and ubuntu,
the adoption of code words implies that there is some “inner circle” of
knowledge within the Church.
a) As stated by our Lord in
last week’s Gospel lesson, “...nothing is covered up that will not be
uncovered, and nothing secret that will not become known” (Matt. 10.26).
i) There is no hidden
“knowledge”. The Gospel is transparent.
3) But let’s pass over the
possible use of code words and accept indaba and ubuntu as simple
statements of themes and techniques.
a) There is much to recommend
the idea of bishops meeting to determine a “meeting of the minds”.
b) There is much that can be
learned in fellowship, particularly from those who are in fellowship with us
and who yet disagree with us.
4) I suggest to you, however,
that the Church will not be guided by the collective wisdom of her members.
a) Our minds meeting, our sharing experience in
community, will not reveal God’s will.
b) Rather, the Church will be
guided by that same Holy Spirit which vivifies her and makes her holy.
i) Which brings us to our bonus
Hebrew word: hineni (hi nay nee).
5) Hineni is what is said by Abraham
when the Lord calls to him. He says it three times in our lesson today
from Genesis.
a) This word is also the reply
given to the Lord by Jacob, when
He reveals to Jacob that He is his Lord.
b) This word is the reply given
by Moses, when
the Lord calls to him out of the
burning bush; it is the reply given by Samuel when he is called in the shrine
at Shiloh, and by Isaiah when he is called in the
c) It is the reply given by
Ananias in the 9th chapter of Acts, when he is called to pray over
and baptize the blinded Saul.
d) The word combines a
demonstrative particle with, in this case, a personal pronoun.
i) It points to someone, with
that someone himself being the answer to a call.
(1) OK, enough suspense: The word is rendered in English as “Here I
am!” (or “Behold!
It is I.”)
6) Hineni indicates readiness,
alertness, attentiveness, receptivity, and responsiveness to instructions. It indicates complete availability to
God.
a) In order to be able to say
and mean, “Here I am,” we have to listen, which means we have to stop
speaking of our own business, stop advancing our own agenda, and stop seeking
wisdom within and amongst ourselves.
b) God Himself uses the word to
show us how His purpose and wisdom are far beyond our own.
i) In the 38th
chapter of Job, after Job and his friends have sought to defend Job’s
righteousness, the Lord asks,
“Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?” (Job 38.2).
(1) Comparing His almighty
transcendence to man’s finite knowledge, the Lord
asks, “Can you send forth lightnings, that they may go and say to you hinenu
[hi nay noo] (‘Here we are’)?” (Job 38.35).
c) Saying “Here I am,” and
meaning it, means that we are not seeking wisdom and guidance; we are open to
it. We are open to God’s will.
i) Just as Jesus said “Let him
who has ears, hear” (Matthew 13.9), so also did He say, “Why does this
generation seek a sign? Truly, I say to
you, no sign shall be given to this generation” (Mark 8.13).
(1) When we seek wisdom amongst
ourselves we seek a sign, a sign of God’s will.
(2) But when we stop talking and
listen; when we meditate on God’s Holy Word and let this Word speak to us, it
is then that we may hear, we may in fact hear the guidance of the Spirit, and
not only hear it but do it.
7) And so in this time of
consultation and conundrum, of much noise and less light, let’s all ........ get quiet.
a) Let’s get quiet and
listen. Let’s pray to God in our hearts
and open our hearts to receive His guidance.
i) In our silence let’s hear
and live God’s Holy Word.
ii) Let’s seek to put ourselves
in God’s presence by getting all of our thoughts, agendas, disputes, issues,
and fears out of the way.
(1) So that we can focus on
Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, as the center of our lives.
(2) So that we can focus on the
guiding voice of the Spirit, who speaks in the quiet of our hearts.
(a) Hearts that are still, only
saying to God, “Hear I am”.
In
the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.