The sermon text is below the sermon audio.
Sermon preached at Zion Episcopal; Washington NC; Sunday December19th 2021
The Reverend Alan Neale; “Kindling”
So this is definitely not the way I intended to share the season of Advent with you, my new family here at Zion; the first three weeks in hospital. I love and cherish Advent with its emphasis upon looking for, expecting the coming of Jesus in many and various ways. I love and cherish Advent for its counter-cultural statement against the busyness and frantic spending prior to Christmas. But instead of some spiritual warrior armed for your battle, I read these words in one of Jim’s “up-dates on Alan” – “Connie and I have an inventory of aids for the physically handicapped, so we think Alan is covered from that standpoint”. Yet another false image bites the dust.
Anyway, today we consider two great women of spirit – Elizabeth and Mary.
In May 24th, 1738 John Wesley wrote in his journal “While Luther was describing the change which God works in the heart through faith in Christ, I felt my heart strangely warmed”. While someone was reading Luther’s commentary on Romans “he felt my heart strangely warmed.” His heart was kindled into flame for the Lord and fire for living; that flame burnt up crippling despair and restored vibrant hope.
In many times, in diverse places, in various situations most, if not each of us, have known what it is to experience the dimming of light, the quenching of fire within us. We yearn, though we know it not, for a kindling of spirit.
It is poignant, for example, when the entire world seems merry and all we feel (if we are honest) is a coldness of heart as past wounds and present harms beset us. Around my waist (one of abdominal dignity) is a belt decrying “Bah Humbug”. It is not the Christian message of Christmas that I resist but rather the demands for enforced jollity, sham wealth and artificial bonhomie; it hurts many a wounded soul.
We yearn, though we know it not, for a kindling of spirit.
Elizabeth (Luke 1) was greeted by her cousin Mary; and as the very words of Marian greeting were uttered and harkened so the child within Elizabeth stirred, quickened and leaped.
Elizabeth, indeed, was “strangely warmed”, her deepest being kindled by just a greeting, but what a greeting it must have been!
Elizabeth doubtless craved such a quickening. Husband Zechariah and she were “old in years”, he had been struck dumb and there was no indication of a name for the child. For five months (Luke 1:24) she stayed in seclusion and then in the sixth month… her cousin arrives with a quickening, kindling, warming greeting. “Thank God!” she murmurs.
Five months in seclusion, more than half of her pregnancy, Elizabeth is alone except for occasional visits by her dumb husband (!), as much as religious duties allowed.
What I want to know is this?… how can the Church, how can we, how can I so greet the world, families, colleagues and friends in such a way as to evoke in them a kindling, a quickening, a warming of spirit? I think that a reading of Luther’s Preface to Romans will not “cut it” today. Pasting the words “Romans 10:9” on the back of a car, as I saw recently, will not “cut it” either.
There must be, there is, another way to kindle the hearts of others and Mary sets the model.
Her song of praise speaks to me of a triple A – Adoration, Assurance and Agony.
Adoration. Luke 1:46 “My soul doth magnify the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour”; as the Message Translation reads “I am bursting with God-news, I am dancing the song of my Saviour God.”
Adoration restores to us, deepens in us the “gift of joy and wonder” in all God’s works. Adoration conquers the cynic, bests the blasé, slays the skeptic within us and kindles in us the spirit that will serve to kindle others. Away with “nattering nabobs of negativism”, welcome pulsating purveyors of positivism. This is one reason why we come to worship; to give ourselves, in community, to adoration and this quicken the spirit.
Assurance. Luke 1:48-49 “for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; the Mighty One has done great things for me, holy is his name.” Message Translation “God took one good look at me, and look what happened— I am the most fortunate woman on earth! What God has done for me will never be forgotten.”
In a Christian landscape overpopulated with aggressive, assertive messages we (Episcopalians?) have been seduced into confusing arrogance with assurance. Friends, this is wrong. Worldly Arrogance focuses on self, Heavenly Assurance focuses in the Lord. Too often the voice from birth onwards (if not pre-natal) subtly or crudely tells us we are of no value, no use, no esteem. What will kindle the hearts of others, what will cause them to be “strangely stirred”, is to hear in word and deed that the One who is Creator of each, is passionately in love with each.
Agony. For the Christian, the sensitive soul there is an agony that is aroused by considering the pain, woe, abuse of others – be it near at hand, or far overseas; be it an individual or a community; be it a nation or a religion. The heart of Mary was firmly focused on Adoration and firmly grounded in Assurance; but that heart was not deaf to cries of woe, blind to sights of atrocity, nor insensitive to intimations of injustice. Mary, bless her, had the gift of Holy Discontent and this will kindle, stir and warm the hearts of others.
Listen to her Holy Discontent Manifesto, “bluffing braggarts scattered; tyrants knocked off high horses, victims pulled out of mud. Starving poor set down to banquets, callous rich exiled to the cold” (Luke 1:51-53). “This should not be so” seemed etched in her heart, expressed in agony, sustained by Adoration and Assurance.
These past few days I have been thinking of a close friend from decades ago. Sean (Irish!), my first sponsor, and an eloquent and powerful witness for AA. Sean would often share this message at meetings and with me in private, “The greatest gift I have received in AA is to have my heart kindled within me.”
Friends, this is the great (maybe the greatest gift) that the Lord grants us even today; it is the most divine of ministries to evoke in others – for hopes to leap, hearts to be warmed and spirits to be kindled.
One of the few practical tasks at which I succeed is the setting, the kindling, the lighting of a fire; it prompted my dear wife to comment often, “Oh, a man and his fire”. It is a special delight to see the fire come to life and warm the house; how muc more to kindle the fire in others and see lives warmed.
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us… in Jesus’ Name. AMEN