April 14, 2019 Deuteronomy 30:11-20, Romans 10: 5-13; Luke 16: 19-31

As preached by Sister Cecelia
Holy Wisdom Church



Glory be to Jesus Christ!

This morning St. Paul told his hearers that it was no longer true that the only way to God was by keeping the law. Paul told them that the way to God was to believe that Jesus rose from the dead and was alive even now. The people would find this way to God shatteringly and incredibly new. For both Jew and Gentile, believing in Jesus with their hearts and giving witness to this belief by their actions was now the criterion for the way to God.

We don’t need to go up to heaven or the abyss of hell, for God is here. And God has set before us life and prosperity, death and adversity. If we obey God’s commandments by loving the lord God with our whole mind, heart, and soul, by walking in God’s ways and observing the commandments, we shall live.

One commandment is necessary: believing in Jesus and His teachings.

One of the many meanings of the gospel parable of the shepherd looking for the lost sheep is that the shepherd is a symbol of Jesus seeking us. If we are walking in God’s way, we too will seek out those who are lost. How do we best do that? What kind of witness can we give of our belief in Jesus? True conversion must begin with ourselves. Jesus said to those accusing the woman caught in adultery that they must face their own wrongdoings before throwing the first stone. We cannot take on the evils of the world until we confront what is in our own hearts. We cannot change what is beyond us until we repair what is broken within us. We cannot lift up the fallen until we realize that we are stumbling.

When we do this, we will be people of compassion. We will not be blinded by the disappointments and hurts that might cause us to reject others. We will be able to open our hearts to recognize and welcome the good everyone possesses.

We will have the courage to reach out to those who fall along the road we travel, so that we may transform what is evil into the grace to seek forgiveness, that the experienced hurt will be replaced with healing and reconciliation.

Like the grain of wheat that falls into the ground and dies, but then produces much fruit, we allow ourselves to change, to be re-created in the image of God. Like the sap from the maple trees that is gathered as a clear liquid, boiled down until the water evaporates, and becomes maple syrup, we can transform our lives by letting our self-centeredness be boiled away. In moving beyond anger and disappointments, beyond our fears and skepticism, we can make this a season of hope and healing for ourselves and those we love.

When we find the treasure we once had, as the woman did who found her lost coin, we rejoice and give thanks to our God. We wonder if the beggar Lazarus is at our door. Are the struggles of others largely unnoticed by us? So many are suffering from crippling poverty or hopeless illness. So many are hungry for respect and acceptance of their abilities to be used for the common good. So many are victims of bigotry and bullying. They are distrusted and avoided because they are the “wrong” social class, the “wrong” religion, the “wrong” skin color.

Everything in life has something to teach us, if we only allow ourselves to look at it enough. May our lives be transformed into Paschal joy as we take up our own crosses in the same spirit as Christ’s own selflessness and compassion.

Christ is in our midst!