The Rev. Josh Shipman
Pentecost 24, Year B, 2015
Mark 12:38-44
Many years ago,
I used to spend my summers
with my Aunt Debbie—
when she lived in the state capital,
Jackson, Mississippi.
You will probably get
to meet Aunt Debbie in December,
so if you are looking for talking points,
keep listening to this sermon.
These were some of
the best summers of my life.
Aunt Debbie
took my sister and me
to all of the museums
in the city.
My favorite was the agriculture museum
where they had a replica of a really old town.
Unfortunately, they also had
a terrifying swinging bridge
which Aunt Debbie liked to
make swing and scare me.
Bad, Aunt Debbie!
Other highlights of the trip
were visits to the old and new capital buildings,
the natural science museum,
the art museum which had a really cool
children’s section,
and best of all—
to the planetarium,
where we could enjoy stunning panoramic films
about various ways the universe and our planet
could meet with an untimely destruction.
But there was another side to the trips, too.
1
Aunt Debbie made us do things
like wash our hands before eating,
and eat our vegetables.
She and I once had a battle of wills,
where she told me that I had to sit
at the table until I ate my broccoli.
I told her to bring me my pillow,
because I would rather spend the night
at the table.
She brought me my pillow.
I persevered.
She gave in.
She put the broccoli in the fridge,
and said I would have to eat it
when I got hungry.
I never did.
But I became a militant vegan,
so I guess I, now, have to concede defeat.
There was one other unsavory
part of these visits.
Aunt Debbie was a huge fan
of soap operas.
These television programs
are still baffling to me:
Here is a hospital scene.
Now someone is in a garden,
talking to a forbidden lover.
And then, we cut to a cocktail
party at someone’s house
and someone with a name like Cindy,
2
Shows up from beyond the grave.
Maybe one day,
when I am feeling nostalgic,
I’ll turn over to the Soap channel
and watch one for old time’s sake.
But not, today.
(pause)
There is one name of a soap
that Aunt Debbie watched every day,
that stuck with me, though:
“The Bold and the Beautiful”
How could anyone not love—
the alliteration?
the tantalizing promises?
(pause)
In 1833, at Oxford University
there began a movement
that would sweep across the Church of England
and the Episcopal Church in the United States.
Because of its place of origin
it was called the “Oxford Movement.”
Because these people really loved
to hand out religious tracts
of their views, though,
they were also known as “Tractarians.”
If you’ve ever heard the term
“Anglo-Catholic,”
you are hearing about people
who were part of,
and continue to be inspired by
this religious movement
in England.
3
What this movement established
was that Anglicans—
that’s the umbrella term that
the Episcopal Church is part of—
Anglicans were a fourth branch
of the larger Christian Church.
That is, there are:
Catholics, Various Orthodox Churches,
Anglicans, and then, Protestants.
Another drive of this movement
was the restoration
of some Catholic practices
that had been lost in the Reformation.
If you attend an Episcopal Church
that has candles on the Altar,
that rings bells at certain parts
of the service,
that has colored hangings
on the Altar and pulpit,
that has Gothic elements
as part of its building,
that has a priest who wears
alb (a white robe)
a colored stole,
and a chasuble—
Then, you,
my friends
have been influenced
by the Anglo-Catholic movement.
This movement was deeply divisive,
and deeply controversial back in the day.
That gives me hope that our current controversies
in the Church, will one day be forgotten.
People who were part of this
Oxford Movement,
sought to restore beauty
as one of the pathways to the Divine.
4
Often these clergy
who emphasized ritual elements of worship
were deprived of salaries by their Bishops.
They began working in the slums
of various cities,
and became keenly aware of social issues.
It was largely Anglo-Catholics
who argued for living wages,
reforms of property renting,
and reforms of industry regulations.
If you entered their neo-Gothic churches
covered by the soot of industry,
you would encounter great beauty,
and ritual that was almost more Catholic
than the Catholic Mass!1
These were the bold and the beautiful.
(pause)
So, it was not without some consternation,
that I read today’s Gospel lesson.
Well, Jesus, I kind of like my robe,
whom I’ve nicknamed Lucille—
she was a gift from a friend.
And, Jesus, I don’t necessarily
seek a good seat at the theater
or at banquets,
but I’d be hard pressed to turn it down
if it’s offered to me!
And, Jesus, I don’t know if this is wrong,
but I sometimes like being recognized as a priest,
1
Wikipedia contributors, "Oxford Movement," Wikipedia, The Free
Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Oxford_Movement&oldid=688357341 (accessed
November 6, 2015).
5
because I’m often invited into people’s lives
in new and different ways
than when I was a lay person.
And on some days, I need the affirmation.
And, Jesus,
I don’t know how it happened,
but I’ve got more liturgical garments
in my closet than the Pope!
What must I do,
to be saved?
(pause)
It is pretty clear,
in Mark’s Gospel that there
is great antagonism between Jesus
and the “Scribes.”
The Greek word, translated Scribe,
is grammateus which comes from grapho
“To write.”
They were teachers,
often teachers of the Law—
that is various Old Testament precepts.
and they were always:
arguing with Jesus,
arguing with his disciples,
complaining about Jesus and his disciple’s practices,
and let’s not forget, plotting to kill Jesus.
Only one Scribe ever gets a compliment from Jesus.
Here, the Scribes are being compared
to a woman who is both a widow and a beggar,
often this was the case in Jesus’ time—
there were no protections for widows,
and often-times money was embezzled from them
during estate settlement meetings.
The Scribes buy into the “honor based”
6
model of society—
in Jesus’ day the common thought was
that to receive honor and material blessings
was to be receiving God’s blessing,
while the reversal of fortunes some people faced,
was seen to be a curse from God.
Not only did the Scribes
walk around in their fancy robes,
sit at the best tables
at a banquet,
and, say long, involved prayers,
to get attention—
they also devoured widow’s houses.
Experts aren’t 100% certain
what this means,
but one guess is that they pressured poor people,
like this widow, who by law were not required to give to the Temple,
into giving even more than they could possibly handle.
Another guess is that these Scribes,
acting as attorneys settling estates,
would snatch away every last dime
from unsuspecting, vulnerable people.
This widow,
this beggar,
was giving the money she needed to survive,
to perpetuate the very system
that brought disgrace and poverty to her.
My friends,
this is not a simple
stewardship tale about a sweet little widow,
and her sacrificial giving.
This is a condemnation
of systemic sin and everything
that is wrong with the world.
This is a story of grave disorder
and brokenness.
My prayer is that even on my worst,
7
most self-absorbed day,
that God sends me a gentle reminder
that this ritual, this priesthood business
isn’t about me,
it is about the poor, the destitute,
the broken, the wounded people
of this city,
and the world.
And I have some beautiful and challenging news,
for all of you, my faithful congregation,
the same is true for you too!
Passion for God.
Compassion for People.
This is our common vision.
(pause)
I shared something
on St. Luke’s Facebook page the other day,
that was especially meaningful to me—
a priest in Oxford, Mississippi
at the Catholic Church was responding
to arguments that the traditional Latin Mass
shifted the focus to ritual and worship
instead of to acts of charity and compassion.
(Just so you know,
I am not advocating for a return
to Latin liturgy! That isn’t the point!)
But here is what he said:
"It is wrong to think that our Church
cannot be beautiful and merciful.
Ugliness is not a mark of charity.
The beauty of the Mass
and the concern for the Eucharist
is congruent with seeing
the loveliness of every soul
and caring for their good."
8
(pause)
The sin of the scribes
wasn’t their robes or even
that they had a good seat at the Table.
Their sin was that they forgot.
They forgot why they were there,
what they were supposed to be doing.
May we never forget that beauty,
even a beautiful building,
is not an end in itself.
Let us see our work
in terms of soap opera editing.
Here is a sample collage:
Saint Luke’s, a place where kids
come off the street and are embraced
by love and welcome.
Saint Luke’s a place where seniors
come to have a warm meal, once a month,
and engage in an hour of socializing.
Saint Luke’s partnering
with downtown associations
to make this city a better
and more beautiful place.
Saint Luke’s, in the future,
partnering with our neighborhood schools
and other organizations
to grow food that will nourish bodies in need.
Saint Luke’s…
you fill in the blank
with your dreams of the future.
(pause)
9
Beloved Saint Luke’s
encompassing
The Bold
And the Beautiful.
Works Consulted:
http://cep.calvinseminary.edu/sermon-starters/proper-27b/?type=the_lectionary_gospel
http://www.crossmarks.com/brian/mark12x38.htm
http://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentary_id=2662
http://words.dancingwiththeword.com/2015/11/seeing-widow.html
http://beambiblebounty.blogspot.com/2015/11/on-being-all-in.html
10