Walk Before Me
A Homily For the Fifth Sunday After Trintytide
Gen. 17:1-8; 1 Pt. 3:8-17; Luke 5:1-11.
I truly enjoy those "man on the street" segments that I come across. You know, the ones where a reporter is out in public, stopping random people to ask them questions or gather their opinions. Questions like, "Who was the fifth president of the United States?" or "Is Jesus God or just a wise teacher?" I love that sort of thing. If I were to do a “man in the street” in Rockwall and ask a typical Christian living in Rockwall, "How does your faith affect your feelings?" they would likely respond without hesitation. They might say something like, "It calms my fears," or "I feel the presence of the Holy Spirit, especially during praise and worship songs." Others might express, "I feel secure knowing I have Jesus in my heart," or "I'm not afraid because I know I'm going to heaven."
If I then asked, "What do you believe about your Christianity?" they might respond with statements such as, "That Jesus is my personal Lord and Savior," "Jesus loves me and died for my sins," or "It's a personal relationship, not a religion." That seems fair enough. Now, as a Christian, if I were to ask, "What do you do?"—not "What do you feel or think?"—but rather "What do you do as a Christian?" I wonder what kind of answers I would get.
The intellectual and the affective (feeling) aspects of Christianity are both important because we must know God with our minds and love Him with our hearts. But what are we to do? There is an active practice of Christianity, similar to the responsibilities of being employed, married, a student, a musician, or a citizen. As people, we may identify with one or more of these roles depending on our circumstances and the season of our lives. However, for the baptized, we are all Christians.
This is our primary identity and reality; we are daughters and sons of God, saved and being transformed into "little Christs." We are called Christians because, through the faith we profess in baptism, we are no longer our own; we are followers of the Lord Jesus Christ, who is our Lord and Master. Under His banner, we strive to live faithfully according to His commands. We remain committed to the covenant He established, the New Covenant made possible by His sacrifice, which compels us to believe through grace. But what are we supposed to do?
"When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram." It's been thirteen years since Abram heard from the Lord. Thirteen years since God came to Abram in a vision and made a covenant with him, saying, "Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them." Then he said to him, "So shall your offspring be." And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness" (Gen 15:6-7).
God took the initiative in this relationship. He brought Abram into a covenant with Himself, blessing him and promising to produce abundant fruit from his life. Now, thirteen years later, God appears to Abram once more to reaffirm the promise of greatly multiplying his descendants. Abram is in a personal relationship with God; he has been saved and has received God's promise. So, what comes next? Is there something that Abram is expected to do in this covenant relationship with God? Let's look at the text:
"And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect. And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly" (Gen 17:1).
God commanded Abram to walk before Him and to be perfect. The covenant required Abram to make an effort, take action, and perform the works necessary for his relationship with the Lord. Notice that God's promise to renew his covenant promise of abundant blessing is in direct response to Abram's conduct, actions, and deeds; how the man chooses each day to "walk" out his life (the thoughts of his heart expressed through his actions) in the sight of Almighty God. Abram's gratitude towards the Lord and even his love for Him were not enough. It wasn't sufficient for him to simply think correctly about or possess knowledge of YHWH.
Instead, both the mind and heart had to be expressed outwardly through his actions and choices—what he did or did not do, what he said or did not say, and what he chose to serve or defend. It goes beyond merely loving God and others; it involves how one demonstrates that love. In essence, God requires acts of righteousness, faithfulness, and commitment. St. Paul refers to this godly way of living as good works.
"For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them" (Ephesians 2:10). The works the apostle refers to are first inspired by divine grace, as God desires to make Himself known to all of creation. He becomes present and manifest through the lives of His people. Consider Abram, whom the Lord approached and transformed. God changed not only his life but also his name, thereby signifying a new relational intimacy.
This personal relationship established with Abram was meant to bless the world and reveal the God of blessing. What Abraham felt, believed, and did—and how he walked—mattered significantly. God wishes to be glorified through His people, which is why your good works, the good works of this church, and all good works have been prepared in advance by God.
To illustrate, think of it this way: the Lord knows that the lawn needs mowing; He has bought the mower and filled it with gas. He is aware of the wages He will pay upon completion. The job posting is up. All that remains is to find laborers and put them to work. In a similar vein, we have been found by God, born again and remade by His hands, so we can fulfill the good works He has prepared for us to walk in, glorifying Him and magnifying His name to the world. The practice of Christianity is not passive; it is active. Furthermore, it is never ventured into alone but compelled by Christ.
Consider the story of Peter from today's Gospel as an illustration of the Christian life. Jesus stands on the shore, while Peter is off in the distance. At one time, we were also alienated from God. Jesus moves first, entering the boat. He approaches Peter because love compelled Christ to come for us in our sins and trespasses; He loved us before we ever loved Him.
Jesus speaks first, commanding Peter to take action, just as the Word of God first came to us when we heard the Gospel. Perhaps, like Peter, we have doubted, asking, "Master, we've been fishing all night. Why should we do as you say and cast our nets?" Even now, how often do we lack faith in God's commandments? Yet, Peter, with just a slight nudge of grace, obeyed and did what Jesus asked of him. That one small, somewhat doubtful act of obedience led to an abundance of blessings beyond his wildest dreams—his nets broke from the catch! Peter heard the Lord and did the work asked of him, resulting in great blessings.
The grace of Christ working through Peter's obedience produced an abundant blessing for him and magnified the glory of Jesus Christ to everyone on the shores of that lake. And that's because our Lord desires to make himself known to every man, woman, and child. He desires for all men to be saved, meaning people from every tongue, tribe, and nation (Jew and Gentile), which is why he called Abram out of Chaldean paganism and why he called you out of darkness and into his glorious light: so that you might make him known through the good works he prepared for you to walk in.
The greatest work is love—sacrificial love that is incarnated, active, and engaged. This Christ-like love is the essence of what St. Paul elaborates on in today's epistle. According to the apostle, the "good work" of love compels us to look beyond ourselves, urging us to lift our eyes to see everyone and everything around us. We are reminded that we are individuals in communion with others, whom we are to love just as Christ loved us and gave Himself for us. This love is expressed through our daily interactions within the parish, our homes, and throughout our lives.
St. Paul teaches that the good works of love should be compassionate, not indifferent. We are called to love our fellow parishioners as family—brothers and sisters—rather than simply acquaintances. To be "pitiful" means to comfort and assist those in need. Being courteous involves having an awareness of others and responding appropriately. Love negates evil; it does not return evil when it is received, nor reciprocate insults or harsh words. Additionally, the good work of love controls the tongue, preventing it from speaking evil or acting against love. Love does not lie, manipulate, obfuscate, or deceive.
There is a tension in following each of these commands—a struggle between our fleshly nature and the Spirit's will to do what is right, to pursue holiness and virtue, and to "walk before the Lord." The spiritual life is lived amidst this tug-of-war between the Spirit and the flesh, between hearing God and obeying His commandments. The victory in doing God's good works is achieved only through the enabling Holy Spirit, with love compelled by grace, as we willingly perform the good works for which we have been saved.
If we carry out our tasks following God's way and for His glory, we will not only inherit a blessing (as St. Peter promises today) but also become a blessing to those God has entrusted to us. My brothers and sisters, the Lord God called you to be a blessing just as Abraham was. Therefore, go, serve the Lord with the works of your hands. "Walk before Him and be thou perfect." Amen+
