Father Charleston invited me to preach today because he was scheduled to preach and he’s still recuperating from COVID-19. He sends his warmest greetings and he thanks us all for our continued prayers.
Our country is still in shock over what happened in the nation’s capital a week and a half ago. It certainly isn’t what a Christian nation should look like. We’ve been headed down that road as a country for many years. The rhetoric between conservatives and liberals, Democrats and Republicans, traditionalists and progressives, has for many years been increasingly uncharitable, unloving, angry, and even violent.
Many of the issues that divide us are extremely important and must not be trivialized. The fact of the matter is, however, that there are Christians on both sides of whatever issue you’re talking about. And Republicans, as difficult as you find it to believe, there are Democrats who are Christians; and Democrats, as difficult as you find it to believe, there are Republicans who are Christians. Isn’t there a better way to disagree than the ways we have chosen not only as a nation but also many times as individuals? I’m reminded of what G.K. Chesterton said: “The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting. It has been found difficult; and left untried.”
Also as a nation, we’ve been in a season now for nearly a year when many have not been able to worship because of the risk of disease. Redeemer’s doing a wonderful job of keeping people safe who come to worship, but still a majority have felt it prudent to stay out of all public gatherings, for good reason. In this difficult time, everyone has to make a decision for himself or herself, given particular circumstances. For several months, in fact, Linda and I stayed home and simply worshiped by watching Redeemer on the television. It was a poor second choice to worshipping corporately, but it was the best we could do.
When we first got into this, when the government put worship in the church as a nonessential activity, I was horrified. I can understand why all community gatherings needed to be suspended for a while and why some people still cannot risk being in a group, but if we can only be clear about one requirement for Christians, it’s that corporate worship is of the essence of our faith. If you are among our viewing audience watching at home, first of all, we are so grateful that you are, but secondly, please realize that this period of time in which we cannot all be together must be viewed as a temporary solution until we can all gather safely once again. In the meantime, it’s our obligation to do the very best we can at least to be a part of the viewing audience!
If you’re thinking, “That’s all well and good, but what has all of this to do with the Gospel for today?” Well, I’m glad you asked that question. In fact, it was today’s Gospel that led me to these topics. In the Gospel we heard of the calling of two disciples, Philip and Nathaniel. These two as well as the other 10 didn’t just decide one day that they were going to join up and follow Jesus. They were called to be disciples. They had a choice. They could have chosen a safer road for their lives, certainly a more well-known road. But something within them compelled them to follow this man Jesus. They had no idea what they were in for, but I have no doubt that, even though this vocation eventually led them to their martyrdom, in retrospect they knew they had chosen the right road.
Robert Frost vacillated in his life between belief and skepticism. “He tossed the idea of God up and down like a ball,” said critic Alfred Kazin. Even though this poem wasn’t intended to be about Christian experience, it certainly speaks to it.
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
Philip and Nathaniel took the road less traveled by, and that certainly did make all of the difference. Like Philip and Nathaniel, Jesus is calling you to follow him, but the other way isn’t just as fair. He is the way to eternal life. If you have been baptized you are a Christian and by definition, therefore, a follower of Jesus. Since there are 2.2 billion Christians on the planet, it may no longer look like the road less traveled by.
With so many Christians in the world, following Jesus by ordering their lives by their baptismal covenant, one would think that that should be transforming the world. Think about it. 2.2 billion people making their communions every Lord’s day; doing everything possible to resist evil and when we fall, repenting; bringing others to our Lord Jesus by both word and deed; living lives of servant love; and striving for justice and peace, respecting the dignity of all people.
Isn’t it time we try to follow Jesus—in worship, in the way we treat others, in the way we choose to disagree, in the way we speak about those who differ from us, in bringing others to Christ? Every celebration of the Mass is a time to renew our decision to follow Jesus, and I invite us all to make that firm decision this day. Choose once again the road less traveled.
Sermon preached by the Rev. Dr. Fredrick A. Robinson
Church of the Redeemer
Sarasota Florida
II Epiphany
17 January 2021