<html><body>Apparently the sermon fell into Propertalk's black hole, where it usually sits for ever! I've split it.<div><br></div><div>Part 1</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(32, 32, 32);">THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH OF ST. ALBAN, ALBANY THE FIFTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(32, 32, 32);">JEREMIAH 2:4-13 PROPER 17 c<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(32, 32, 32);">HEBREWS 13:1-8, 15-16 28<sup>th</sup> AUGUST, 2016<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(32, 32, 32);">LUKE 14:1, 7-14 PSALM 81:1, 10-16<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><b><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(32, 32, 32);"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> One hopes that one matures with the passing of time – or at least learns a few manners.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> All I had to do was to hear the opening of the Gospel episode this morning and I was transported back to University, my first year, on a Sunday morning, sitting in the choir gallery at the back of the University Chapel, from where I had a view of almost the entire congregation below.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> As I said, I hope that one matures. And maybe confession is good for the soul.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> Before your mind goes racing away, no, I didn’t throw or drop anything. No one was harmed that Sunday – physically anyway.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> Like most University Chapels, St. Salvator’s Chapel’s front section of pews, the ones closest to the Communion Table, the pulpit and the officiant’s prayer desk, the front pews were reserved for University faculty and visiting dignitaries, and sometimes there were a few extra dignitaries who needed places just outside that area.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> On that fateful Sunday, one of the students, one with whom I and a couple of close friends were acquainted, walked down the length of the aisle and seated himself at the front end of the second section of pews. Technically, it could have been acceptable for him to sit there on any given Sunday. But not that day.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> I can’t remember who the preacher was – we had a distinguished guest preacher just about every week, and that attracted interest beyond the University. It’s funny that I can’t remember that, but I can remember this. The person in charge of the orderly proceedings of Sunday worship led a guest down the aisle, stood in front of our acquaintance, and told him he had to leave. The guest had more standing that he. By this time, of course, the “good” seats were all full, and so the displaced student had to find some obscure corner. I’m sure the aisle seemed twice as long going towards the back of the Chapel than it did going in, especially with every eye upon his face, which was rapidly matching the colour of the scarlet undergraduate gown which is worn on all formal occasions.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> Snots that we were, my friends and I could hardly contain ourselves to see that unfortunate fellow <b><u>SO </u></b>embarrassed.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> But it didn’t stop there. Oh no! We couldn’t leave well enough alone. A couple of days later, in the personals column of the University newspaper, there was a cryptic note: “The name of the student, Luke 14:9.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> Now I understand what Jesus was saying. He was body-slamming all those who were riding on the backs of the vast majority of the population, making sure that everyone saw how great they were, how they deserved every courtesy, their names in the programmes and other publications of the day. These were they who felt that they deserved the best seats at the dinner table. No doubt, they elbowed their way past everyone else to make sure that they got to the Altar rail before anyone else. The problem was, they thought that no one could possibly come before them in renown, that everyone in town would be honored to have them at their dinner party, and that the whole gathering would be hanging on their every word, waiting for yet another bon mot.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> Maybe they <b><u>WERE</u></b> highly intelligent. Maybe they <b><u>DID</u></b> hold high office in town. Maybe everybody knew who they were and that they’d just endowed the new library, and were thinking about getting their name on a few more buildings around town.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> But back to St. Andrews and to me and my friends. That student <b><u>MAY</u></b> have been more than a bit crass in anticipating getting a seat so far up front. But what do you feel about the three of us for smirking, for being so delighted at the embarrassment of another? And, more to the point, what about that ridiculously childish act of posting one of the verses from this morning’s Gospel, one that talked about misplaced feelings of superiority? Didn’t we equal, if not surpass, that student in our behaviour? Weren’t we smug little twits? After all, the three of us knew where to go in the Bible to find a delicious proof-text to show the acquaintance in a poor light. Not only was he embarrassed in the sight of the other worshippers, we were grinding him into the dirt when he may well have been crying out for comfort, for compassion, for healing, at the very least, for some sort of help to see how his priorities should be ordered.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> So was Jesus doing the same thing? He saw folk at that banquet, elbowing their way in, trying to get noticed, hoping to garner all sorts of compliments for their sartorial elegance and their silver-tongued repartee.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> What Jesus focused on, though, was what He seemed to work His way around to so many times. He was talking about ensuring that everyone will be able to experience the joy of God.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> So often, those who cannot afford the price of a ticket to the banquet, or clothes that don’t look a bit distressed, or many other little things; so often, there were, and there are, so many who are talked down to, or are ignored, or are made to feel so unwelcome that they give up.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> I’m not saying that it’s entirely the fault of those who make assumptions about their high social standing. I’m not saying that it’s entirely because some people have a misplaced feeling of inferiority either. Somehow, there has to be a balance, a determination on the part of everyone to make sure that the spark of God’s image isn’t extinguished because of the attitudes and behaviour of others. What enraged Jesus was the way that some elbowed others aside. They may have done it deliberately, or they may have become so accustomed to acting that way that they no longer recognised what they were doing to others. It may simply have been absent from their manner of thinking to turn to another and to ensure that that person was not left out, not left behind, especially in what can be the mad rush of self-aggrandisement.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><br></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><br></span></p></div></body></html>