Grace Changes Everything
A Homily for the 11th Sunday After Trinity
1 Corinthians 15:8-10; Genesis 37; Luke 18:10-14
The Rev. Marq Toombs+, Curate at St Benedict’s Anglican Church
In the epistle reading, St Paul uses a curious phrase to describe himself as one born out of time, or untimely born, or abnormally born – depending on your translation. In Greek, the word is more graphic. It means ‘miscarried’ or ‘aborted’. Literally, “out of a wound,” which is fitting since Paul had persecuted the Church of God violently.
So, compared to the rest of the apostles, Paul is feeling a little self-conscious; he feels out of place, like he was born as an apostle before he had reached full term.
Have you ever felt awkward or out of place, like you don’t belong here? I know I have.
As y’all know, I was made a priest just a few short days ago. After the ordination service, I told some of my family that in some ways I felt like I could relate to St Paul, as a priest abnormally born. I described it as being born breech. I came in backwards and upside down. To which my eldest daughter replied, “No, more like born C-section. They just yanked you out and put you straight to work, while you were still all slimy and gooey!” To which I said, “Yeah, and I’m not even cleaned up and I don’t even have all the right diapers and toys yet!” (By that I mean vestments and such).
Why do we feel awkward and out of place? Because we live in a world that values competence and performance. And sometimes – many times – in the weakness of our flesh, we feel like we don’t measure up to whatever standard is held up before us. As a result, our confidence falters, and we shrink back in fear, and we fade into the background and fail.
But in the power of the Spirit, things are different. We believe and know the truth.
Notice how St Paul reframed his story: not by appealing to his performance or competence, not by his works, but “by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect.” Grace is far more transformative and effectual than we realize.
“Grace makes beauty out of ugly things.” (Bono)
This game of compare and contrast leads to competition. It has been played by all since the dawn of time. We see it in the story of the serpent and the first image-beaters. We see it again in the story of Cain and Abel. We see it in the Old Testament lesson from today: in Joseph and his brothers – and again in the story of Jesus and his Jewish kinsmen.
Joseph gave a bad report about his brothers to his father. Jesus gave good news from his Father to his brothers. (Genesis 37:2; Luke 4:14-21, 42-44)
Joseph’s father loved him and clothed him in the glory of a multi-colored coat. Jesus’ Father loved him and gave him the glorious gift of the Holy Spirit. (Genesis 37:3; Luke 3:21-22)
Joseph’s father sent him into the wilderness on mission to check on the shalom ( Lit. שְׁלֹ֤ום ) of his brothers and flocks. Jesus’ Father sent him into the wilderness on mission to bring shalom to his brothers and flock. (Genesis 37:4; Luke 19:42)
Shalom is wholeness for body and soul, it is peace and prosperity, that comes from God to us.
Joseph’s brother rejected him and his dreams for a better family, and so did Jesus’s kinsmen. They rejected him, his words, and his ministry.
Joseph’s brothers were jealous of him. They worked harder than he did, yet their father loved him more. They labored in the fields, but he “loafed” around the house. So they conspired against him to kill him. Likewise, Jesus’ brothers were envious of him as well. They were more religious than he was, yet crowds flocked to him. So they plotted together in order to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him. (Genesis 37:18; Matthew 26:4)
Joseph’s brothers sold him for silver and stripped away his special tunic. Then they dipped it in goat’s blood to make it look like he was torn by wild beasts. Jesus’ brethren turned on him like wild beasts, sold him for silver, stripped away his seamless tunic, scourged and crucified him, while soldiers gambled for it. (Genesis 37:23, 25, 28; Matthew 26:15; John 19:23)
Joseph’s brothers handed him over to foreigners – descendants of Ishmael – who put a collar on his neck and treated him like a slave (Psa 105). Likewise, Jesus’ brethren handed him over to foreigners, who treated him worse than a slave and put a crown of thorn on his head and cross on his back. (Genesis 37:28, 36; Matthew 27:18)
Joseph suffered many things, and he was delivered over to his brothers, and they cast him in a pit, and delivered him over to the Gentiles to be sold and mocked and imprisoned — but in the end he was raised up.
Likewise, Jesus suffered many things and he was delivered over to the chief priests and scribes, and they condemned him to death and delivered him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified – but he was raised up on the third day.
Okay, so what does all this have to do with us?
We might hear these stories and think to ourselves, “I would never do that! I thank God that I am not like Joseph’s brothers or like the Jews of Jesus’s day. I would never sell out my brother or seek to end his life. I would never ever disregard Jesus’s prayers for me, or throw Jesus down a pit, or dismiss his sacrifice and service, or trade him away for anything in this world, or seek anyone else above him.”
Sound familiar? Never say Never. It’s likely that we have done some or all of those things in our life — perhaps even this morning.
Never do anything feeling confident in your own righteousness. Never try to justify yourself by things you’ve done or left undone. We all fall short of God’s glory in many ways.
Remember: all of life is repentance, and God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.
So humble yourself under God’s mighty hand and interrogate your own heart. Evaluate your own life. See if there is any offensive thing in you that needs to be confessed and cleansed.
While you are doing that hard work, don’t even look up to heaven, but keep your eyes low and beat your breast and pray, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’
The soul that confesses its sins and cries out for mercy is the soul that goes home justified, innocent, forgiven, set free, right with God today. It’s the soul that enjoys shalom with the triune God now and always.
Why? Because all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted. Because Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners like you and me. Because by the grace of God you are becoming the beautiful and wonderful people that God wants you to be. Because of his unfailing love, your soul finds rest in God alone.
Amen+
