"Murder in the Cathedral"

G.K. Chesterton (author of Man Who Knew Too Much and the Father Brown mysteries) has written:

Though giant rains put out the sun,
Here stand I for a sign.
Though earth be filled with waters dark,
My cup is filled with wine.
Tell to the trembling priests that here
Under the deluge rod,
One nameless, tattered, broken man
Stood up, and drank to God.
            - The Deluge

Today, there aren’t many standing up and drinking to God. Last June – the Pew Poll reported that we’re a people who affirm God – but a sizeable number of us aren’t convinced that God exists. That’s sort of surprising and rather ridiculous when you think about it. We believe in God but aren’t convinced God exists? Strange.

Well, there’s a lot of frivolity around these days that indicates that a lot of people aren’t really very into theology. And a lot of very sophisticated souls seem to believe that God doesn’t appear to know that God is unnecessary these days. As a matter of fact, in spite of our flowery affirmations about believing in God – a great many people seem to feel that while God may not be dead or dying of old age – God may be living in a nursing home catering primarily to those with Alzheimer’s disease.

My point today is that one way or another – God may have been murdered – and the murder may have taken place in the cathedral... any cathedral – or all of them together ... even this cathedral.

According to the Arizona Republic, this is the Sunday we’re to tell you how to vote. So listen up.

Columnist Ed Montini today, summarizes the issue.

It’s not necessarily the atheistic forces of the world that’ve killed God – it may be the religious forces of the church that have done it. That’s an awful accusation, but it can reveal to us that atheism does exist within the church – and perhaps provoke us to an examination of our faith in God.

I guess what I’m suggesting is that God may well be dead for those who assume that they know God too easily – and a too–easy faith can be a fairly flimsy faith. In the church, we have avoided doubt – for we’ve been taught that to doubt is a sin. But until you know what it is to doubt – you can never really know what it is to Believe.

Faith is only possible in a world where doubt is a real option.

Do we assume too easily our faith in God? Do we take it like a pill to become immune to doubt? It seems to me that until we know what it is to doubt – until we know what the absence of God is – we can never really know the meaning of faith – the affirmation of God’s presence. How would I know the power of God’s presence in my life if I’d not absented myself from God for a time?

If we knew our Bible better we would probably not be so shocked by this idea. The Bible is full of warnings addressed to those who assume too easily that they know all about God. In its early pages, we find the warning: you shall not take the name of the Lord you God in vain. This really has nothing to do with cursing – as we have commonly thought of it. Its addressed to the pious who always talk about God, but who mean nothing by it... sort of like the first son in Jesus’ parable.

We take the name of God in vain when we call on God’s name in prayer but don’t expect anything to happen. Jesus warns us, Not everyone who says to me “Lord, Lord shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but they who do the will of my Father. When God ceases to touch lives in meaningful ways – then God is dead for us. Through our lack of awareness, sensitivity, and recognition – we may have murdered God.

Faith in God simply can’t be taken for granted. To know God is not just to have information about God, but to enter into a relationship with God.

A second way in which murder is committed in the cathedral is to relegate God to the edges of life – or to think that we can. There is a real sense in which we need to let God be God. And if we don’t – then God is not God.

Life flies apart for us when our lives lack the controlling force of God at the center. To love God with all our heart, mind, soul and strength is the first Commandment, as Jesus put it. To love God in this way is to know God at the very center of our existence.

This is to affirm that God is God.

In so many ways we politely stand up and salute God – and give God a passing gesture of reverence – but often we don’t enter into dialogue with God to affirm that in God we live and move and have our being.

If I sing or pray in the sanctuary, about loving neighbors... then go out and treat you or some other person(in the parking lot or grocery store) as less than a brother or sister – then God for me is dead. I’m an atheist. My desires and prejudices take precedence over the will of God whose name is love. This is the murder of God – for me, God is no longer God. I’m more important. How often do you think this happens in the cathedral?

Human nature has a tendency to want a dead God, or a God we can manipulate. We want to use God, rather than to be used BY God. That’s one reason the church often ignores its prophets – like John the Baptist – they remind us that God asks for service not sacrifice. God doesn’t want some religious act nearly as much as to have us live according to God’s way... which we see in Jesus.

We worship a dead God if we do the right things for the wrong reasons. For instance – we can worship, which is something we should do – but we may not do it to glorify and honor God – but rather to soothe our conscience or to ask God to notice us.

We can pray – which is wonderful – if done in the name of Jesus. This is not some magical formula that we merely mouth – we are to pray in the Spirit of his life and ministry – his giving and his resurrection.

To do something for the wrong reason is to live as tho God were dead. Since Jesus came we know that love is the great reality. Christians are to live in the spirit of that love.

When we gather on Sunday mornings – we’re intended to celebrate the living presence of our Lord – we’re not here to cater to our fancies or to confirm our prejudices. No. We’re gathered in God’s name. Unless there is this dimension to our worship, murder has been done – and is being committed, in the cathedral. A congregation either celebrates the livingness of God or else we hold God’s funeral.

In this passage of Matthew today – Jesus’ authority and his ministry are being challenged. In so many words he’s being asked: “Who do you think you are?”

“You’re asking a lot of us – You’re proposing a whole different interpretation of the Law and the Prophets than we’ve been taught.”

Then Jesus asks them about how they perceive John the Baptist’s role on God’s behalf. In so many words Jesus is asking, “Can’t you see the need for the renewal of God’s people as well as the need for your personal renewal??”

And you know how that develops.

Jesus then tells a parable that is only noted here in Matthew. The whole issue is: Jesus is asking people to see how God was working in John’s ministry. We can’t become blind to what God is doing in the world – using all sorts of people to accomplish God’s purposes. The religious people missed the point but the harlots and tax collectors got it.

We say we’ll work in the world (the Vineyard God asks us to serve in) but instead we often end up repainting the doors of the church. Doing God’s work can’t degenerate into just maintaining the church. We are asked to go out into the world and share what we know of what God has in mind. God asks for deeds not words.

Please remember that God did not die when this story of countless generations of people’s relationship became bound in a book. God is alive today writing new chapters and verses through our lives and in the lives of those around us.

Our faith in God can’t be an of course value in life – seeking to use God instead of being used by God... or holding God’s funeral instead of proclaiming God’s aliveness. Otherwise, we may be guilty of murder in the cathedral... the most subtle form of atheism there is.

Some folks may think we humans really are capable of ignoring or killing God – but God never seems to stay dead. The world may try to crucify God on the cross of our apathy, or arrogance or selfishness – but you’ve noticed that God won’t stay dead.

The Resurrection affirms that only God has the last word. The vitality and the validity of the Christian faith is that God refuses to be slain by anyone’s atheism – even murder in the cathedral.

Figured out who I’m going to tell you to vote for? Good show. Amen.