The Diocese of East Tennessee
Sermons

March 26, 2000
Lent III
Delivered at St. Luke's, Cleveland

Sermon: The Power of Sin
The Right Reverend Charles G. vonRosenberg
Third Bishop of East Tennessee

Thanks once again to the people of St. Luke's for your kind welcome of Annie and me. We have visited here on other occasions and have always enjoyed ourselves and appreciated your hospitality. Thanks also to your two fine priests for the good jobs they do here in Cleveland and as priests in the Diocese of East Tennessee as well.

One of my favorite professors at seminary was the one who taught homiletics … or, preaching. Whether or not I learned anything from him is another subject, but I did indeed enjoy his class. And I remember one story he loved to tell in particular.

It seems that a young man whose family rarely attended church got up one Sunday morning and went on his own. At the mid-day meal, his mother could hardly wait to discover her son's reactions to attending church by himself. Now, we need to add that this young man was not very talkative - which is not all that unusual for young men, I've discovered. The mother, on the other hand, was a persistent sort. She asked, "What did the preacher talk about today?" And the son responded, "Sin." The fact that he said no more did not deter his mother. She asked, "Well, what did he say about sin?" And the boy replied, "Don't."

In some cases, that may be the extent of the church's message about the subject - "Don't sin." The boundaries of the major sins - the really big ones - are the Ten commandments. And the church has often held up those commandments, pointed to them, and said, in effect, "Don't do these things, and make sure you do these other things." And then we repeat the message over and over again.

However, from our observations and our experiences, we know that saying "Don't do that" sometimes is a very inadequate response to temptation. It is a necessary first response, but it may not be enough. Another seminary professor tried to indicate to us the power of sin. He said, "Don't think of a big hippopotamus … a hippopotamus with his mouth wide open, standing on the edge of a river … don't think about that!" And, of course, you know what we all were thinking. That's the power of sin.

St. Paul himself wrote, "I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate … I can will what is right, but I cannot do it" (Rom 7:15, 18). Therefore, St. Paul - who usually is so definite and straightforward about things - even he complicates things for us at this point. "I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate."

How about Jesus? Is he really so direct and definite as we sometimes like to think and as some folks would tell us? Do you remember what he says about the commandments? "I have come not to abolish the law and the prophets, but to fulfill them" (Matt 5:17).

Then Jesus goes on, "You have heard that it was said to the men of old, 'You shall not kill; and whoever kills shall be liable to judgment.' But I say to you that every one who is angry with his brother shall be liable to judgment" (Matt 5:21). Now if that is what Jesus means about fulfilling the law about murder, then we are all in trouble. He says that it is not just a matter of "Thou shalt not kill." Jesus says that being angry and insulting people break the commandment too.

At this particular moment in history, there is a considerable moral dilemma for us living in the state of Tennessee. Does one killing on the part of an individual justify another killing on the part of the government? Even being faced with that dilemma indicates the sinfulness that infects our lives. And I submit to you that our prayers are much needed at this time - for our state, for ourselves, for prisoners, for victims and their families, and for our collective confusion about justice and mercy.

The circumstance in which we live is the state of sin. More true than the fact that we live in the state of Tennessee is that we live in the state of sin … the situation of sin … the environment of sin. The pervasiveness of this environment is all-inclusive. The world and all the people of the world are in this situation, this state of sin.

The doctrine of original sin addresses this matter, as does the story of the Fall in the Garden of Eden. The state of sin is a circumstance into which we are born. There is no immunity, and there is no escape.

A very unpopular image for original sin is a little baby. I always make enemies by suggesting this image … but it is such a good one. As long as that little baby is dry, well-fed, entertained, and kept free from illness, the child is happy. However, let one of those ideal conditions be removed, and the parents, the brothers and sisters, and the neighbors all know about it.

You see, in that baby's perception, the rest of the world exists to satisfy his or her needs. And, that's what original sin is - a self-centered view of the world. And, if we are honest, we recognize that we never really outgrow that. We only become more sophisticated in our demands and more devious in our expressions of them. But, somewhere in our own minds and in our actions, the world still exists to satisfy our needs.

Therefore, this is the situation in which we find ourselves … the circumstance in which we live - the state of sin. As our collect for today puts it: "We have no power in ourselves to help ourselves." If sin is the circumstance in which we live, then we ourselves cannot get out of that, by ourselves. And that is very important to admit - whether we are young or old, confirmation candidate or ordained person. We cannot get out of the state of sin. "We have no power in ourselves to help ourselves."

In response, though, we need to make two observations. First, we are still responsible for our actions. And secondly, there is hope.

Even though our situation can be identified as the state of sin following the Fall, still free will is operative. We do have choices, which we can make. We can choose a better way. We are able to repent and to change direction in life. This does not remove us from the state of sin. That circumstance still infects all the world, and it still defines the human condition. But, within that condition, we are responsible for our actions and for our lives.

Secondly, there is hope. St. Paul puts it well: "Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!" (Rom 7: 24-25).

Jesus Christ is our hope … our only hope. You see, death is the last word for the human condition. The state of sin, in which we live, culminates in the final, terrible expression of self-centeredness, death. The person for whom all the world existed in life to satisfy needs finally and ironically must die alone. We all must do so. And death is the final word for the human condition … the state of sin.

But death is not the final word for Jesus Christ! In the resurrection, Jesus achieves victory over death. Thus, now the final word of the human condition is not the last word for Christ and from Christ. And therefore, only in Christ can we be saved from the state of sin. We cannot deliver ourselves from this circumstance - but Jesus Christ can! Union with him in baptism, in confirmation, in life, and in death makes possible union with him in eternal life.

So, "wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!" Thanks be to God indeed! Amen.

Copyright © 2000 The Episcopal Diocese of East Tennessee