Sermon: “A Middle Way”
The Right Reverend Charles G. vonRosenberg
Third Bishop of East Tennessee

[This sermon by Bishop vonRosenberg was delivered using the following notes.]

The Bible readings this morning offer distinct messages - and the meaning of each one can seem to dispute the others. While perhaps not contradicting each other entirely, each certainly has a different point of view.

The First Reading, from Deuteronomy, is part of a longer passage, in which the giving of the law is described. It is important to realize that this was the second time that Moses received the law from God Almighty. And, the first occasion was not a great day for the people of God … for they had made a golden calf to worship while they waited for Moses to come down from his mountaintop experience with God. In his anger, Moses reacted by breaking the first tablets of law received from God. Not a great day, indeed!

Thus, it is not surprising that today's reading emphasizes not only the law itself - having received it a second time - but also the importance of passing along the message to children and to inheritors of the faith. Also, we find in this reading something of a threat - that is, follow the commandments and be blessed, or disobey the commandments and be cursed.

In the reading from Romans, St. Paul puts a different perspective squarely before us. He writes, "Apart from law, the righteousness of God has been disclosed, and is attested by the law and the prophets, the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe"(3:21-22a). In light of the reading from Deuteronomy, these words from St. Paul really do seem to present a problem for us, by means of offering a very different perspective.

However, St. Paul is on familiar ground, at least for himself. Remember that he had been a Pharisee - a strictly legalistic expert. And the awareness of God's saving power in Christ came to St. Paul outside his legalistic experience and training. That is, he was thrown to the ground with a blinding vision of the Christ … and his world was transformed.

Part of St. Paul's new world view, following his conversion experience, was that all people stand in need of the saving action of Christ. As he puts it in today's reading, "There is no distinction, since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; they are now justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus"(22b-24).

Therefore, following God's law with precision is not enough to earn salvation, according to St. Paul. We all sin, and so it takes the action of Jesus Christ to save us. Or, as St. Paul puts it, "For we hold that a person is justified by faith apart from works prescribed by the law"(3:28).

Therefore, our First Reading today emphasizes God's law and the importance of following that law and of teaching the law to those who come after us. However, the Second Reading indicates clearly that following the law is not sufficient for salvation. That comes only through the saving action of God in Jesus Christ…Indeed, the plot thickens - the plot, that is, of understanding a consistent message from the Bible today.

Perhaps it should not surprise us that the Gospel reading proceeds in still a different direction. In St. Matthew's Gospel, Jesus has gone up on a mountaintop, to teach the people, in a section know as "The Sermon on the Mount." Now, those people would probably remember that it had been a mountaintop where Moses had received the law from God - both times. In the course of several chapters, then, St. Matthew reports a variety of teachings from our Lord - the Beattitudes, the Lord's Prayer, and various reflections on teachings about the law.

Today's Gospel, in particular, suggests that following God's law involves intention as well as action. Jesus says, "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven"(7:21). Thus, following God's law does involve intention as well as action … God's will as well as God's direction … God's means as well as God's ends.

Therefore, the call of Jesus to be wise appropriately follows. Build your house on secure rock, and the floods will not sweep it away, he says. The law is good - in itself and of itself. However, as St. Paul knew, that law is not sufficient for salvation. Therefore, follow the law, Jesus says, realizing that there is a spirit to the law, as well as the letter of the law. In the spirit of the law, we have a glimpse of God's grace … and of the faith which saves us.

So, does all this theological talk have anything to do with life today? Is there any modern relevance to these contrasting biblical perspectives? Actually, I think the points of view conveyed by the readings this morning are quite relevant to life in today's church and today's world.

In most denominations today - and certainly within the Episcopal Church - we can easily find the differences we have identified this morning. There certainly are legalists, who appeal to the law and the rules by which we have lived for generations. In today's world, this group often claims "the orthodox", or traditional, perspective.

On the other hand, there also are others whose faith and practice find meaning outside the boundaries of the traditional law. Some revelations from today's world become authoritative for them. This group sometimes is called "the revisionists."

As in our Gospel reading, though, I believe that Jesus would call us to a different way. That is, the traditional law does provide a source of authority for us. We need to respect and appreciate that authority. However, a clear message for us in this season of Pentecost is that God the Holy Spirit is at work in the world today - and that Spirit moves where it wills … sometimes outside traditional boundaries. Thus, the revisionists have a message of truth for us as well. Somehow or other, we are called to hold in tension the truth of the orthodox and the truth of the revisionist in today's world. The biblical message for us today, therefore, is that God's truth is comprehensive - "both-and" - rather than exclusive - "either-or."

In summary, one meaning of our readings this morning is that Jesus respects both the truth of the law and the reality of grace. Our Lord calls us to follow him in that way, which is both challenging and, ultimately, fulfilling as well. Amen.

Copyright © 2005 The Episcopal Diocese of East Tennessee