RCL YEAR C, LENT THREE, March 11^th, 2007

Isaiah 55: 1-9; Psalm 63:1-8; 1 Corinthians 10:1-13; St. Luke 13:1-9

St. Edmund’s Episcopal Church

The Reverend George F. Woodward III

A clergyman was retiring after 25 years in his parish, and the local congressman, a member of the congregation, was to lead the festivities. He was late, so the cleric decided to say a few words of reminiscence while waiting.

“I remember my arrival in this wonderful parish. I thought initially I’d been assigned to a terrible place. The first person in the confessional told me he’d stolen money from his parents, embezzled his employer, had an affair with his boss’s wife, and regularly lied on his tax returns. Fortunately I soon learned that the entire parish was not like this.”

Just then the congressman arrived full of apologies and took the podium. “I’ll never forget the day our parish priest arrived,” he began. “In fact, I had the honor of being the first person to go to him for confession.”

And now you know why we are not permitted to mention anything that transpires in Lenten confessions!

Recently in San Bernardino, the city award for heroism was presented to a couple who had witnessed a gang shooting and reported the event. “We aren’t heroes,” the couple said in an interview. “We don’t understand all this talk of heroism.”

This past week, a general testifying before a House Committee investigating the shoddy treatment provided to veterans of the Iraq War at Walter Reed Medical Center ended his summary by saying, unsatisfactorily, that “mistakes had been made.” A better response was given by Major General George W. Weightman, fired as the commander of the hospital complex. “I failed,” he said. “I would like to apologize.”

I pay increasing attention to the words people use when speaking about their own actions. “Mistakes were made,” seems a mantra of which our political establishment has become especially fond. Such words are an avoidance of personal responsibility, and such avoidance is a common feature of contemporary culture. Religious institutions are not exempt, highlighted perhaps by the less than transparent way the Roman Catholic Church has dealt with the revelations of endemic abuse, or by the strange case of Ted Haggard, former head of the National Association of Evangelicals.

The couple in San Bernardino laudably understood that they were not, in the truest sense of the word, heroes. They were just people who accepted the moral responsibility required of those who have witnessed criminal conduct. They placed themselves in harm’s way to testify against criminals, but this was not heroism so much as it was a fulfillment of duty. Duty, responsibility’s cousin, is also less well understood than one might wish.

When Robert Mueller, head of the CIA, accepted responsibility for the misuse of the Patriot Act, we are heartened. When actor Lane Garrison pleaded guilty this week for vehicular homicide, we believe he did the right thing.

The account of Jesus’ speech offered by Luke the Gospeller seems initially peculiar. Jesus addresses two events about which everyone seemed to be in the know. In the first instance, the government murdered innocent Galileans engaging in worship, and in the second instance a tower had fallen and crushed eighteen in Siloam. Questions are in the air, as seems always to follow such tragedies. When the Twin Towers came down in New York City in 2001, some opined that American conduct abroad had provoked the attack, and others that it was God’s judgment on a corrupt society. It seems human nature to want neat explanations, and in Jesus’ day suffering was often attributed to God…a punishment for some misconduct.

Jesus responds to His own rhetorical questions first by disabusing his hearers of the notion that suffering comes about as an act of God, but then underscoring the moral responsibility residing with each individual. He wants to turn our attention from that which distracts us, and back to that which lies within our control. Rather than speculating too much on the origin of suffering, we should be attentive to our responsibilities and our duties to God.

Christ’s call is a general call, and it presupposes that every hearer needs to make a change. “All have fallen short,” wrote St. Paul. Repentance is really just a fancy word for accepting personal responsibility, and, in consequence, changing the way we live.

We fall short of our moral responsibilities to ourselves, one another, our Faith, our nation, and our God. We must repent, or disaster lies ahead. On a small and personal level, failure to accept personal responsibility for the amount of food or drink we consume has health consequences. Failure to nurture a healthy politics will lead to undesirable national consequences. The fig tree is spared another year. There remains a chance that the fig tree will yet bear fruit. We still have time, but judgment will not forever tarry. “Seek the LORD while He may be found, and call upon Him while He is near; let the wicked forsake their way, and the unrighteous their thoughts; let them return to the LORD, that He may have mercy on them, and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the LORD.”

The acceptance of responsibility begins most often with a spiritual and moral reorientation; with a recommitment to that which is most true.

That is why, this Lent, we are to summon each other to accountability.

Our parish isn’t unique in trying to find ways to make ourselves attractive to distracted and occupied folk who may not be particularly attentive to the spiritual life. The Vestry talks a good deal about what we can do to meet needs, support children and families and singles and the aging; about how we can help people form social networks and connections. We aim to please here at St. Edmund’s.

Yet, this deep Lent, we are reminded that this is in many ways quite beside the point. Ministering in Christ’s Name, one of our obligations is to call people, sometimes unpleasantly, to accountability. We believe God who has revealed Himself in the person and ministry of Jesus Christ, and that we have a moral responsibility, a duty, to love and serve that God, to orient our lives in accordance with His precepts, to do justice and to love mercy. Nothing less will do. No distraction is sufficient to excuse the neglect of these Christian obligations. It will not be enough to say that mistakes were made. We must repent of lesser lives, and lift our hearts and minds and ways to a greater good.

Last Wednesday I met with the young adult residents in the apartment complex of Hillsides “Youth Moving On” Program to talk about life and faith and their struggles. These young men and women have either emancipated or reached the age of eighteen, and so have to transition out of Hillsides Home for Children or some similar program serving abused and abandoned children.

Statistics for this demographic are not encouraging; most have come from unstable, violent and predatory backgrounds and are ill-equipped to make the transition to independent living. Most end up homeless on the streets and unemployed. Many take refuge in substance abuse. Hillsides recognized that support had to be offered to help such young people become constructive citizens after bad beginnings, and started a residential program with on-site counselors, college and career guidance, and life-skills training. There are enforced expectations in that program. The young adults can’t stay out all night and they can’t have overnight guests. They can’t use drugs or abuse alcohol. They must pay rent on time, participate in scheduled events, and follow the rules. They learn to be accountable. Some are eliminated from the program. Others internalize these disciplines and become responsible citizens.

During the course of our conversation it was heartening to hear so many of them say, one way or another, that they were learning how to take responsibility for their own choices, and that they looked to God for help in that process.

We are already responsible citizens, you and me, or so we think. We may feel too responsible at times, with so many obligations and duties to juggle! Yet Christ calls us also to repent. He may know that, despite the privilege of our lives, the success of our upbringing, we aren’t so different than those young people at Youth Moving On. He calls us to look at our fundamental relationship with God and make new and better decisions.

At Youth Moving On, the young folk need to know both God’s profound and unconditional love, and God’s complete and entire expectation. The same is true for us. Knowledge of one is out of balance without knowledge of the other, and both are needed for the living of faithful lives.

In our mission statement here at St. Edmund’s we say that we strive to receive and share God’s accepting Grace, challenging Wisdom, and transforming Love. We often emphasize in this parish, God’s accepting Grace. In today’s peculiar Gospel, Christ emphasizes the Love that transforms and changes human beings. He summons us to accountability, and therein this Lent, lays God’s challenging Wisdom. We are to accept responsibility for our choices, seek the Lord while He may be found, and choose well how we will live. Amen. GFW+

Accepting Personal Responsibility: A Christian Duty

Accepting personal responsibility includes:

· Acknowledging that life is an unearned gift from God, with ensuing obligations and responsibilities to God and others.

· Acknowledging that you are solely responsible for the choices in your life.

· Letting go of blame and anger toward those in your past who did the best they could, given the limitations of their knowledge, background, and awareness.

· Committing to Christian practice, prayer and worship.

· Determining to forgive those who have wronged you or who have been malicious.

· Understanding that you are responsible for your thoughts and for many of your emotions.

· Accepting that you cannot blame others for the choices you have made.

· Refusing self-pity for negative events, and embracing reason and reflection to manage your life course.

· Taking proactive steps in time management, stress management, physical exercise and spiritual disciplines.

· Confess sin, accept God’s forgiveness, correct mistakes and errors, and amend your life. Avail yourself of the counsel of the clergy and the comfort of the Church.

When you have not accepted personal responsibility, you can run the risk of becoming:

· Disingenuous with God, yourself, and others.

· Overly dependent on others for recognition, approval, affirmation, and acceptance.

· Hostile, angry, or depressed over how “unfairly” you have been or are being treated.

· Fearful about taking a risk or making a decision.

· Addicted to the abuse of alcohol, drugs, food, or unhealthy behavior such as excessive gambling, shopping, sex, smoking, work, etc.

· Unable to develop trust or to feel secure with others.

· Undisciplined and vagrant in thought and emotion.

What people believe who have not accepted personal responsibility

· It's not my fault. I never asked to be born.

· Life is unfair and unjust. There is no sense in trying to take control of my life.

· I'm useless and a failure.

· I want you to fix me.

· If only I had better luck and had been born to a healthier family, or attended a better school, or gotten a better job, etc.

· No matter how hard I work, I will never get ahead.

· God has asked too much of me this time.

· The problems in my family have influenced who I am and what I will be; there is nothing I can do to change that.

· Racism, bigotry, prejudice, sexism, ageism, and closed mindedness all stand in the way of my becoming what I want to be.

Reflection: To decide if you are having problems accepting personal responsibility, answer the following questions:

· How frequently do you claim that others have determined what you are today?

· How easy is it to accept that you are responsible for your choices?

· How easy it is to believe that you determine the direction your life takes?

· How easy is it to blame others for where you are today?

· What do you do to avoid accepting personal responsibility?

· How easy is it for you to accept blame or admit mistakes?

· How easy is it to accept that you determine your feelings when negative events occur?

· How frequently do you feel sorry for yourself?

· Do you control weight and over-eating?

· Do you have problems with smoking, excessive drinking or drug abuse, excessive gambling, shopping or inappropriate sexual behavior?

· Do you have close personal relationships, and do you work to maintain healthy relationships?

· Do you take the necessary steps to maintain a balanced financial budget?

· Do you manage work, stress, and time?

· Do you attend Church regularly, pray, and maintain spiritual disciplines?

Adapted from James Messina Ph.D.: indicators