Whoever Is Worthy to Bear the Cross Shall Possess the Power to Bring All People Back to God: 6th Sunday after Pentecost- Proper 11, Year C
Readings for the Day:
Sermon:
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In the movie Thor, loosely based on the Norse mythological character, the title character Thor starts off as a brash heir to the throne of Asgard. Unfortunately for Thor, he goes a little too far and breaks Asgard's treaty with the Frost Giants by attacking them. Thor's foolishness and arrogance have created a rift between himself and his father Odin. This rift is made real when Odin punishes Thor by stripping him of his powers, exiling him to earth, and placing an enchantment on Thor's hammer so that only one worthy can lift it once again.
Thor learns humility from his time on Earth, and that is what brings him back to be in relationship with his father. Thor can no longer rely on his own strength, but requires the help of his friends, old and new. It is only when Thor shows compassion for his friends and is willing to sacrifice his life for them, that his relationship with his father is restored and he is once again worthy to weld the hammer.
Sin can be a divisive act spiritually with the Divine. It creates a barrier between ourselves and God. It is a division not unlike what Thor experiences with his father through his own failure to listen.
That's what we see in our Old Testament readings this morning: Separation. In Amos, Israel's failure to listen to God has become so much that the Lord says "I will never again pass them by." In Psalm 52, we hear what will happen to the evil tyrant who does not "take God for a refuge." In these readings we hear of separation, division that results from sin and the despair and destruction that follow both. Like for Thor with Odin, our sin leaves us powerless in the face of danger.
If the story ended there, we would have all the reason to have sorrow and fear in this world. But the Old Testament is only one half of the story of Salvation History. The Old Testament tells us of the begins, where our sin has cut us off from the Lord, but not of God's work to bring us back to relationship with Him.
In Colossians we are told that though we "were once estranged and hostile in mind", Christ Jesus has reconciled us to Him through His death. Even though we created the divisions and barriers with God through our own sins, God chose to not let that be the end of our story. God chose to come down in the form of Jesus Christ and do the work to break our barriers and end our estrangement so that we could once again take refuge in Him. Jesus chose to reforge our path to Him so that we may once again "take God for a refuge."
If we look at the beginning, our story may seem hopeless. We find ourselves separated from God by our own words and deeds. We ourselves have created a barrier between ourselves and God.
But God has come in to save us and redeem us. Through Jesus, our barriers are removed and our refuge can once again be found with God. Through Jesus, we are once again made worthy.
Thank goodness for our Lord Jesus Christ. Without His grace, we would never make it on our own. Without His grace, we would still be lost without the presence of God in our lives. Because we can't do it alone, Jesus has done the work for us to bring us back to be in relationship with God. Through Christ Jesus' work, we are once again made whole.
We no longer have to live in the despair of separation from God. Jesus Christ has removed that barrier for us once and for all. Now all we have to do is step across that bridge He has made for us, and for that, we can truly say, 'Thanks be to God!'