Powerful Words, Powerful Actions
The Rev. Deacon Margaret Jones
January 21, 2007
The Third Sunday after the Epiphany
This sermon is also available in audio
May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, O Lord, my strength and my redeemer. Amen.
A wonderful woman named Lady Bird Yawn, who lived to be 102, told me she said that prayer every morning before she got out of bed. “Words are important, honey,” she told me when she was 98. “They have power.” She was right. Words are important.
You’ve probably heard the saying, Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me. That is not true; words can hurt, deeply. Words are important.
Think of people who said things you still remember. I had an English teacher named Miss McGing who talked about literature like Billy Graham talks about Jesus. When we didn’t pay attention in class, she’d have a fit. “Girls!” she said. “These words are important! Read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them.” Once she got so agitated she threw an eraser at the blackboard. Words were important to her.
When it comes to talking about God, words are more important than ever. What we say about God tells others what kind of God we worship and serve. Who has talked to you about God (not just clergy)? Sunday School teachers? Your parents, or grandparents? My grandmother talked to me about God all the time. “Mimsy,” she’d say, “Mark my words. No matter what happens to you, always remember that God is good.”
As an adult, I’ve heard a lot of people talk about God, but I remember one person in particular: Paul Brown, father of our parishioner Chris Brown, and my teacher at Memphis Theological Seminary. Paul Brown was articulate, passionate, eccentric and impatient. There was nothing phony about him; he was a real, live good-news preacher: “Preach the gospel,” he told us. “Live the gospel. Be the gospel.” And he did that, as best he could, in every aspect of his life.
He didn’t mince words when he was angry. “What’s wrong with those people at Baptist Hospital?” he said, meaning the former Union Avenue hospital. “They say they believe in God, but there’s no 13th floor in that hospital! How can you believe in God and be superstitious? I get mad every time I get on an elevator there.”
Paul Brown died in a car accident last spring; he was driving fast, on his way to Paragould, Arkansas, to preach. His sermon for that day was in the car with him, and here’s part of it: “This is the heart of it, the essence of our Christian faith: Love. Not power or wealth or status. Not institutional success or numbers or world domination. Not laws or politics or forms of religious coercion. Jesus’ commandment is what sets the bar for the Christian life.” Now there are some words to remember!
Paul would have had a field day with today’s gospel: Jesus goes into his hometown synagogue and reads from the prophet Isaiah, “The spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” Then Jesus sits down. “Today,” he says, “this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”
George Yandell (who’s preaching at 11:15), says “we have some good news here, and some bad news.” It certainly is good news for the poor, (notice it is NOT the poor “in spirit” but the poor.) The “Poor” are people without enough money to provide food, shelter, and clothing for their families because they are not being paid a living wage; those people who are left out because they are considered different, or odd; kids who aren’t chosen for teams, who eat lunch alone; people who have no power or influence. The poor are prisoners, and mentally ill or handicapped people, and people who are brokenhearted or paralyzed by fear.
With the words of Isaiah’s prophecy, Jesus sets the stage for his life and ministry. Anointed by God and filled with God’s spirit, he announces that this is what he stands for. These words lay the foundation for his ministry, and he will pay dearly for choosing them. What we heard today is only half the story; things take a shocking turn in next week’s gospel, so be sure to come back!
Words are important, but so are actions. Tomorrow marks 13 years of ordained ministry for me; it has not been dull. At first, I spent most of my time with the outreach ministries. Now I study Scripture with small groups of women and lead retreats. I cannot tell you how much that Bible study means to me; we read and discuss all the Sunday Scriptures; I can’t tell you how much it enriches worship for all of us. I wish, starting now, we had groups like that for all ages!
But you can only talk about Jesus for so long. Pretty soon it’s time to let your feet follow your words, so recently I’ve picked up one of Paul Brown’s MIFA Meals on Wheels routes. And I’ve volunteered to help in the new Hospitality Hub next door, where I hope to talk some good news with the folks who come in. I hope you will join me there.
Back to George’s good news/bad news quandry: If Jesus’ message is good news for the poor, is it bad news for those of us who are not? Well, yes, if we are so comfortable and insulated that we don’t want anything to change or have any contact with people who are hurting.
But let me tell you a story I heard Friday afternoon at the funeral of Sue Adams, mother of our parishioner Johnny Adams. Sue had twelve grandchildren and when it was time for the sermon, three of them talked about her with such emotion and tenderness and humor that it was obvious that Sue-Sue, as they called her, knew each one of those children intimately and loved each one—unconditionally. She loved her entire family that way.
Then a man named Dwight Drinkard, who called Sue his other
mom, told about playing high school football with Johnny and a bunch of their friends. “Sue came to all the games to cheer for us. We were awful; hadn’t won a game all year,” he said.
One of our last games was against Boys’ Town, and we started off pretty well. It looked like we might actually win a game. We felt sort of bad that the other team didn’t have many people cheering for them, since most of the kids didn’t have parents there, but we really wanted to win.
After the half, I noticed that the cheering had picked up for Boys’ Town; they were even playing better. Then I heard a familiar voice, from their side. It was Sue-Sue, who had crossed the field, and was yelling and cheering for Boys’ Town—and getting other people to yell for them, too! I wasn’t too surprised. It was just like her.
Sue Adams must have known God very well: she understood that cheering for the other team didn’t mean she loved her own children any less. Like Paul Brown, she heard the life-changing words of the gospel and acted on them. Now that’s good news if I’ve ever heard it! Amen.
Copyright ©2007 Calvary Episcopal Church
Gospel Reading:
Then Jesus, filled with the power of the Spirit, returned to Galilee, and a report about him spread through all the surrounding country. He began to teach in their synagogues and was praised by everyone. When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written: The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour. And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. Then he began to say to them, "Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing." NRSV (New Revised Standard Version)