Sermon for the 11th Sunday after Trinity, 2021

Homily for Trinity 11, 2021

Fr. Tony Melton

“The Fragrance of Mercy”

The Collect sets the theme for this morning. “O GOD, who declarest thy almighty power chiefly in showing mercy and pity.” Both our Epistle and Gospel give us clear examples of mercy and help us shape our understanding of what mercy is and to whom God give it. In the Gospel, we have the story of the Publican and the Pharisee. God gives mercy to the Publican because he acknowledges his sin before God. He is humble. The Pharisee is pompous. His boasting is cringeworthy. He despises the Publican for his sinful lifestyle that he misses the beauty of his repentance. As the story goes, God shows mercy on the Publican and judges the Pharisee.

But our Epistle gives a different story on mercy. In our Epistle, we have the testimony of St. Paul who evaluates his own inclusion in the list of apostles. He was a Pharisee of Pharisees, we read elsewhere. He had such a high opinion of his own righteousness, and such a low opinion of the Christians around him, that he not only despised them, but imprisoned and even killed them! Paul was the Pharisee in the parable. Yet, on a road to Damascus, God in His mercy broke through the blindness of his heart, and silenced the clamor of his boasting, and called him by name. This was mercy.

So what do we learn about Mercy from our Epistle and Gospel? We learn from the Gospel that God shows mercy on the penitent and obedient sinner. Of this we are reminded every morning in the opening sentences of Morning Prayer. “The sacrifice of God is a broken spirit. A broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.” There is nothing that evokes mercy more than penitence. I used to tell my students and my children, if you really want to lighten a punishment, say you are sorry like you mean it right at the beginning. Our Gospel that God shows mercy on the penitent and obedient sinner. This is a great comfort. We know that we worship a God whose property it is always to have mercy when we come before Him with humility, penitence.

But what is perhaps more comforting is what we learn in the Epistle. The Epistle shows us that God shows mercy on the confused. There is no doubt that Saul of Tarsus was a man zealous for God. He desperately wanted to please God. He devoted his life to learning about God and acting out what his teachers told him about God. I think we can have tremendous sympathy for Saul of Tarsus. God certainly did. He was confused. He thought that God wanted him to imprison and kill Christians. So, God made it clear that He wanted something else. This is mercy. God shows mercy on the confused.

One of the most encouraging things to my heart is the number of conversions happening in the Muslim world through dreams and visions. I highly recommend you look into this phenomenon. God is at work in a mighty way bringing people out of Islam and into His Church directly through visions. One of our dear friends and fellow laborer in Dallas leads a refugee ministry. She testifies that she was converted as a girl when Mary appeared to her. She left her Muslim faith and has now led hundreds to faith in Christ. This is happening a lot.

I don’t claim to know the mind of God in this, but I do see some significant overlaps between St. Paul and the Muslims and former-Muslims we worked with in Dallas. They are a people zealous for God, zealous for prayer, zealous for good works. But they are confused. And I think God sees that zeal, confused as it is, and in His mercy shines light on them and brings them into His Kingdom. Praise God for His beautiful mercy!

So we have two reasons for comfort. God responds to the humble and penitent sinner. But which of you is always humble and penitent? Have you ever gone down the wrong path and couldn’t tell up from down? Our God also seeks out the confused. He shines light into darkness. He is both a King on the throne that grants clemency to the broken hearted, and a shepherd who rescues a lost and confused lamb.

So, our Propers show us a great deal about Mercy. A few words now on what this means for us as a mission, and possibly for you as a member.

We are situated in an area where many are struggling. Regardless of your politics, everyone can agree that a significant portion of the minority population feel undervalued. No one can argue that many who are poor feel helpless. Mercy is seeing a need and responding with help. Furthermore, it is often a response that ignores some reason why help should be withheld. God could have looked on the publican and said, “Yah, but…” He could have looked at Saul and… Mercy sees a need and helps. Mercy sees hopelessness and gives lends a hand. Mercy sees confusion, and shines a gracious light.

We have an incredible opportunity here, CTK! There is nothing more beautiful on the Bride than Mercy. It is a jewel on her neck, and the fragrance of her hair. Mercy is a powerful fragrance to the world and to God. The fragrance of Mercy overpowered the stench of lepers in Israel, Assisi, and Calcutta. Toward God, we show reverence and worship. Toward one another, charity in all things. Toward the World, mercy.

Just this past week, we began forming a team of mission members who will flesh out our approach to Mercy Ministries. I can’t wait. This is a big step for a church plant. Church plants take so much energy to establish, to grow deep roots. In some ways, we are still in that phase. But after the plant grows a bit, there is the joy of the first flower on the stem, or the first fruit from a bud. A mercy ministry is one of the most beautiful fruits of a church plant, and significant step in the life of a mission. If you’d like to be especially involved in this process, please send me an email.

Some practical challenges on the topic of Mercy are in order. First, we learn from the Gospel that mercy doesn’t despise other, but rather shows people that they matter. A good challenge or discipline to try periodically is to build up three people per day. Find ways to say, “You matter. I don’t despise you.” This is a very good discipline right now. We have been trained to think of people as a threat. A medical threat, political threat. A threat to our safety, or a threat to our finances. But people are a gift. Every person that you meet is a unique instance of the image of God!

Second, alms are the historic way of showing mercy. Alms are monies over and above a tithe that are given either to the poor, or to the Church for the deacon to distribute to the poor. Alms were emphasized in a time when there were very few safety nets for the poor or the stranger. Today, the poor have much financial assistance that was not available in the past. But, giving alms is a general category for the giving of resources for the sake of mercy. You may be moved by God to give money to the poor, but there are other ways of showing mercy through alms.

Supporting mothers in crisis pregnancy. Sitting with an elderly person who is lonely. One of the biggest win-wins is to take our children to talk and play checkers with an elderly person. This, too, can be a giving of alms. Coming alongside a family in conflict is a showing of mercy. Things get messy. It is easier to stay away when families are drowning in conflict. But God’s people step into the mess. Befriending someone who is hard to like for the sake of Christ. How many people do you spend time with on a regular basis, by choice, for the sake of showing mercy. [Every Sunday!] One of the most amazing and needful ways that Christians show mercy is through adoption or fostering. If your family has ever considered adoption and fostering, take an initial step and see how your church comes alongside you. A special word to the many homemakers here. The Christian home is to be fragrant with mercy, and you have a key role in making it so. As a people, we should be so creative in finding ways to give and serve that radiate the Truth, Goodness, and Beauty of King Jesus.

In closing, let us be reminded why we are to be a people fragrant with mercy. We are to show mercy because we have been shown Mercy. While we were dead in our trespasses, God showed us mercy by sending His Son. The sending of the Son is Mercy.

Throughout His life, Jesus lifted up those who were downtrodden. He continues to lift us up today. The ministry of the Son is Mercy.

Though we despised Him, Jesus gave his life for us. The death of the Son is Mercy.

And, this morning, we come to Table, invited to dine with God. One of my favorite stories in the Bible is the story of Mephibosheth, the grandson of King Saul. He was a cripple, and a conspirator against David. Yet, David allowed him to sit at his table every evening, and to live in the palace in Jerusalem. I am Mephibosheth. You are Mephiboseth. We are sinners, crippled, conspiring. Yet, God prepares a table for us every week. The meal of the Son is Mercy. What mercy He has shown us! Let us be a people fragrant with God’s mercy. Amen.