Leaders Toward Hope

A sermon preached on September 27, 2020 outside (socially distanced, wearing a mask) with the people of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Erie, Pennsylvania.

Jesus says to the chief priests and the scribes in this morning’s reading from Matthew, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him; and even after you saw it, you did not change your minds and believe him.”

God does not simply ask that those of us who are acceptable members of society move over to make some room for those supposedly less desirable people among us. Jesus does not say, “oh and of course even you tax collectors and prostitutes are welcome.” Jesus says, “tax collectors and prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you.” 

Prophets and teachers and leaders in God’s mission rarely come in a form we would expect. Indeed, John the Baptist emerges from the wilderness wearing animal skin, eating bugs, and telling people to prepare for the coming of God. Would you believe this man? I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t. I – like the priests of his own day – would likely pay John the Baptist little attention. 

And that would be an enormous loss for me. Because John the Baptist was preaching the hope of God in a time when hope was hard to come by.

And friends, I think most would agree we are living through such a time right now.

But this morning, Jesus is telling us that God is right here, and that the kingdom of Heaven is at hand and that there is no greater hope than this. But, it may be hard to see evidence of that hope if we aren’t paying attention to those who are in a position to lead us there. And those who are in a position to lead us there are those presently cast down by societal norms and expectations. They will not come from the center of power and privilege.

No, the people who will lead us to hope have much less earthly prestige to lose. They will be those who hurt, those who hunger, those who are forced to make tough choices or have had no choices given them at all, those who are in constant danger of violence, those who are persecuted. These are the people who recognized in the wild eyes and no-nonsense preaching of John the Baptist something of God. These are the people who believed him and clung tight to his message of hope. Because these are the people who are not seduced into imagining their safety, their self-worth and their wellbeing rests in the hands of Rome or any other earthly empire. These are the people who know in their bones that all things come of God.

These leaders toward hope are not the people we are called as church simply to serve – to hand out and to hand down to. It’s tempting to think so and we as church can fall into a pattern of patronizing charity with well-meaning motives. But these are actually the people who are meant to lead the way to the kingdom. We are called to listen to and to follow them. Not the other way around. We are called to partner with them in God’s mission. That is our work.

I am a white American woman of privilege and I am a leader within a mainline Christian denomination that I love and that happens to sit toward the center of acceptability in American life. I know that I have to work hard to intentionally seek out those who will lead the way to God’s message of hope, those who will be in the front of the line toward the kingdom of God. I know that I have to push through everything I have been taught about striving for civility, politeness and acceptability over justice, peace and holy action. And I know sometimes I will fail in this effort. 

But, I know ultimately it is possible to live this way. Not just for me, but for all of us. Because today, Jesus is telling us so.

And so, while I have serious doubts that I would believe a present-day John the Baptist on his own, I want to believe his followers would tip me off to the presence of something deeply holy going on in his riverside ministry. I have a feeling his followers in the present day would draw the critique of cable news commentators. I have a feeling his followers would provoke calls from those in positions of power and privilege for civility. I have a feeling they would be accused of causing divisiveness in their cries for justice and safety for all people.

I have been spending these past two and a half months meeting and engaging with members of St. Mark’s and the Cathedral, as well as members of community organizations and residents all around the City of Erie. I have met people who hurt, who hunger, who have been forced to make tough choices and who have had no choices given them at all. I have met people who are in constant danger of violence, and who are persecuted. I have, in other words, met leaders to hope. Their vision and guidance shows us the way. Friends, the hope of God is right here on the ground in Erie. Right alongside the sadness and the injustice and the hurt. The hope of God is right here.

Who do you know in our community who are leaders toward hope? Let me know. Email me, call me, set up a Zoom. I want to hear about it.

 I am so inspired by this community of St. Mark’s along with the Cathedral and your commitment – even during this painful time – through outreach and advocacy, to engage in the work of letting those cast down by societal norms and expectations lead those of us closer to the center of power so that together, we church, may show something of the hope of God in a time when hope is hard to come by.