Today’s sermon spoke to implicit presumptuousness in today’s Gospel (Water to Wine, John 2:1-11) and explicit presumptuousness in recent actions by the Anglican Communion concerning The Episcopal Church; actions that I consider to be shameful. Thank God I am an Episcopal priest able to be an authentic Anglican.
Click below to hear sermon audio.
Sermon Text (not quite what was heard…)
Sermon preached at Trinity Church, Newport; Sunday January 17 2016
The Reverend Alan Neale; “Dysfunctional Presumptuousness”
The flashing red lights stopped the car; it was speeding without a doubt. As the window wound down (!) the police office saw a dazed clergyman. A conversation started about speeding but then the police officer noted a bottle of what looked like an open bottle of red wine. “Excuse me, vicar, is that wine?” Maybe mindful of today’s Gospel, the minister commented, “Well, it was only water when I started!” Such presumptuousness, over such a serious matter, made no impact on the police officer – the minister was booked.
There is something egregious, unattractive, shameful about the constant and blatant practice of presumptuousness; it borders at times on mindless arrogance and unjustified patronage. It may be argued that part of Jesus’ ministry was to breakdown the presumptive claims of the religious sect, the false exclusivity of tradition and prick the bubble of human might.
We see presumption at work in our Gospel for today (John 2, the wedding of Cana of Galilee). I believe we have observed a similar dynamic at work in the recent meeting of primates (how strange and arcane that word must seem to the unchurched world, who knows maybe even to us within these hallowed walls!).
The presumption of relationship. John 2:4 “Is that any of our business, mother”. In terms almost rude, Jesus addresses his mother with uncommon sharpness though, like many a good mother, Mary is not dismayed and prepares the participants to respond as Jesus directs. Jesus here, as elsewhere, is determined to assert that there are no “special relations” within the Kingdom of God. When preference seems to be expected for his mother and siblings, Jesus gently but firmly rebukes as he gestures to the crowd and declaims, “These are my brothers and sisters”. When Peter presumes to chide his Lord, Jesus takes arms against presumptuousness and when it is argued that a special relationship with Jesus will secure for James and John preferential seats in the Kingdom, Jesus rebukes their mother.
It is one thing to act with divine and holy presumption that we know and are known, love and are loved by God but when this presumption leads to exclusivity and vapid, vainglorious vanity… it has become presumptuousness and needs be named and rebuked.
The presumption of tradition. John 2:6-7 “6-7 six stoneware water pots were there, used by the Jews for ritual washings. Each held twenty to thirty gallons. Jesus ordered the servants, “Fill the pots with water.” And they filled them to the brim.” It is no literary accident that John describes the purpose of tradition of these pots. This tradition was not relegated, dismissed, ridiculed by Jesus for He is the one who came, by His own confession, “to fulfill the Law” but in the presence of this gracious, liberating Lord these vessels were to find a new purpose. Commonplace water was to become invigorating new wine. Beware of limiting the scope of God’s work, it is presumptuous.
G.K. Chesterton once poignantly commented, “Our Lord performed the great miracle of turning water into wine, the Church has performed the even greater miracle of turning wine into water”. Consider that for one moment… The short-sighted, power hungry, insecure keepers of laws and all its paraphernalia always will maintain that revelation is complete, grace is qualified, access limited. But in the presence of Jesus all this is inverted, put to rights, expanded for all and for all time.
The presumption of experience. John 2:9-10 “9-10 When the host tasted the water that had become wine (he did not know what had just happened but the servants knew), he called out to the bridegroom, “Everybody I know begins with their finest wines but you’ve saved the best till now!”
That experienced host, that veteran maître d’, that practiced professional could not believe his taste buds. His ignorance was grounded in experience that bought and sold, managed and organized… this was beyond his experience so he could neither explain it nor understand it. But then, what a gem of insight, the humble servants engaged in ministry at the cutting-edge between supply and demand, between provider and consumer… they knew for they were saved from the presumption of experience.
This past week, as you know, many have read the sloppy thoughts of journalists as they have attempted to make simple the arcane casuistry of our Anglican Communion, a relatively relative concoction in no way to be equated to the Anglican Way.
Apparently the Episcopal Church has been punished, chastised. Well, listen to these words of Giles Fraser in the London Guardian, “After years of wrangling and threatened walkouts, the top brass of the Anglican communion, meeting in Canterbury this week, has alighted upon a wobbly agreement to preserve its own fragile unity by punishing its American franchise for the temerity of marrying gay people. For three years the American church will be banned from various doctrinal and ecumenical meetings of the communion. Given that such meetings are about as interesting at watching paint dry, one might conclude that the Americans have been rewarded rather than punished.”
A shameful decision was made led by Primates of the Global South with the silent support of liberal and more gracious Primates who in their hearts know and want better; silent primates engaged in the construction of their own theological guillotines. We have observed a blatant presumption of relationship as authority has been defined as majority and a special relationship is presumed with God.
At this Primatial meeting, there was little talk of the reasons for TEC’s action, no readiness to understand the unique democratic nature of TEC. Tradition was sufficient to warrant “disciplinary action” against TEC; no talk of reason, no talk of Scripture except boldly by our own PB Michael Curry who quoted Scripture yet might as well have spat in the wind. The renowned three-legged stool constitutes Anglicanism far more than a global opportunity for episcopal chit-chat; yet again willfully ignored. Jesus was/is present to invest, imbue, enliven traditions with a radical commitment to Biblical equality that, all too recently, had liberated outcasts defined by color, race, sex, divorce but there was a blatant presumption of tradition. Shame!
May God forgive the presumption of experienced leadership as it feigned words of equality and justice though many of the Primates were returning to countries where gender-based hate crimes and horrible abuse were common and sometimes even articulated by the churches of these “experienced” clergymen (and, yes, they were all men).
Labour MP and former Anglican minister Chris Bryant, who is gay, said that he now has given up on the Anglican Church. He tweeted, “I have finally given up on Anglican church today after its love-empty decision. One day it will seem wrong as supporting slavery.”
A “love-empty decision”. I thank God I am an Episcopal priest, able to be an authentic Anglican. Rejoice with me, the Lord “has kept the best until now” and this best will not be surrendered. THANKS BE TO GOD. AMEN