One

Charlotte Collins Reed

Christ Church Episcopal

August 27, 2017

16 Proper A

          After much anticipation and weeks of waiting for the eclipse last Monday, I have to say that I found the experience rather anticlimactic here in Northeast Ohio.  Several members of the staff and I gathered on the porch of Beebe House off and on over the course of the early afternoon, sharing the one pair of eclipse glasses that Lucy Kistler had brought.  We took turns watching as the sun was slowly blotted out by the moon, which was interesting, but not dramatic as the sky never darkened beyond what seemed like a normal cloudy afternoon.  At one brief point, there seemed to be a slightly eerie light outside, but that was pretty much the extent of the effect of the eclipse on Aurora Street.  However, I did watch the eclipse online from places where the sky went completely dark in the middle of the afternoon and the emerging sun had a brilliant glow.  I can see how people centuries ago might have thought the world was coming to an end. 

          In my humble opinion, one of the very best things about the eclipse is that for most of one day, the whole country seemed to focus on something beyond ourselves and our disagreements.  We were captivated by the sun and the moon.  I would even go so far as to say that for a brief time, we were united in the wonder of creation.  The other side effect of the eclipse is the realization of how very, very small we are in the context of the whole of that creation. 

          I don’t know about you, but I can easily feel small these days.  Whether in the face of an eclipse, divisive politics, a massive, devastating hurricane, or the raging humanitarian crises in Yemen and other parts of the world, I wonder what one person can possibly do to make a difference in the face of challenges of such magnitude.  That feeling of smallness can lead to paralysis, and the temptation is to retreat and sit on the couch watching endless hours of Netflix. 

Fortunately, Shiphrah and Puah do not feel small in the face of a great challenge this morning.  The situation of the Hebrew people has changed dramatically since we last checked in on them last week.  Last week, Joseph, the son of Jacob, grandson of Isaac, and great grandson of Abraham, was the ruler of Egypt.  Now Joseph's people are held in oppressive and brutal slavery in that very same land.  The King of Egypt is afraid that the Hebrew people will multiply, and in the event of war, join Egypt's enemies, and escape from Egypt.  But the more brutal the Egyptians made the lives of the Hebrews, the faster the Hebrews multiplied. So the King orders that all Hebrew baby boys are to be killed.  This morning, the Hebrew midwives, Shiphrah and Puah, refuse to obey the King’s command.   These two women were hardly likely candidates to stand up to power.  They were not politicians, royalty, or military leaders.  The two midwives are two ordinary women going about the work they have been called to do, delivering babies.  In the course of that very normal work, they are given the opportunity to make a difference, and they do.

Jesus asks the disciples this morning “Who do you say that I am?”  My guess is that a very long silence followed that question.  The disciples stared at their feet, examined their fingernails, and got very interested in something on the ground, hoping that someone else would speak up.  But finally, Simon looks Jesus in the eye and says "You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God!"  Bingo!  The prize for having answered the question correctly is nothing other than a new name, the keys to the kingdom of heaven, and the assurance that the gates of Hades will not prevail. 

I wonder if Simon, now Peter, and the other disciples understood that by recognizing that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God, they were also claiming something about themselves as followers of Jesus.  As followers of Jesus, they would be transformed, as Peter’s new name signifies.  They would hold the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven, making them responsible for making the Kingdom of Heaven a more present reality on earth.  And they would be responsible for making sure that the gates of hell would not prevail against that effort.  In short, as followers of Jesus, they would be expected to answer the question “Who do you say that I am” not only with their lips, but with their lives.

The apostle Paul calls us this morning to be transformed by the renewing of our minds, but that does not mean that our faith is a purely mental exercise.  Paul tells us to be transformed by the renewing of our minds so that we can discern the will of God- that which is good and acceptable and perfect, and to present our bodies as a living sacrifice.  How are we called, individually and as a church, to use our lives to make the Kingdom of God a more present reality on earth, and a place were the gates of hell do not prevail?  Shiphrah and Puah did this as midwives, saving the Hebrew babies.  We are engineers, teachers, business people, medical professionals, moms, dads, students, or countless other vocations.  In the face of natural disaster, humanitarian crises, and deep injustice, Jesus calls each of us, as Jesus called Peter and the disciples, to use our lives to answer the question “Who do you say that I am?”

                                                                   Amen.