"To God Be the Glory," the senior sermon of Gary Cox, Class of 2006 from the Diocese of Chicago, given in Christ Chapel on Shrove Tuesday, February 28, 2006

Seminary is a good place for students to have their assumptions challenged. When I arrived here as a student in August 2003, one of the assumptions I had was that seminary was a place where we would be exposed to a range of different views. I thought we would be able to learn about multiple perspectives on theology, Scripture, church history, and mission. I soon had these assumptions challenged, however. I quickly learned that certain views were not acceptable -- they were unwelcome.

After overhearing a conversation in the library among some of my classmates that described certain views in vitriolic terms and expressed a wish that God would wipe "those people" -- those who thought that way -- off the face of the earth, destroying them with fire and brimstone, I was so disturbed that I didn't know how to respond. So I went to the seminary chaplain, described the event, and expressed my feelings of extreme discomfort and alienation. "My advice to you," the chaplain said, "is to keep silent."

Then, as the weeks went on, I was bothered by the language that some of my classmates used to describe those of us who had views that they labeled as conservative or evangelical. These epithets were painful, excluding, and disturbing. Such terms included "fundamentalist," "gay-hater," "Nazi." And that was just the first semester.

Well, some more positive efforts have occurred since then. We've heard a lot about inclusion and embracing difference during this past month and at many other times here at LSPS and ETSS. Many challenges and dilemmas arise on the road to tolerance and diversity, and we've all made errors on the way. As my classmates and I were told at the Mexican-American Cultural Center in San Antonio during our junior year, "we have all been oppressors, and we have all been oppressed by others" at some point. We must not forget this. After all, the Israelites who were slaves in Egypt became the destroyers of peoples in Canaan, and those Europeans who came to North America fleeing religious or political persecution, became those who committed genocide of native Americans, enslaved African Americans, and invaded the Spanish-speaking lands in the Americas.

All these issues apply to theological and denominational minorities in our seminaries and churches, in addition to those not in the dominant group with regard to other dimensions of human difference. Certainly, there are no quick fixes, and we must continue to face the difficult issues. Sometimes, however, I wonder if we don't miss the forest for the trees. Perhaps one thing that we should do is to focus less on ourselves and our efforts, however well intentioned, and to focus more on praising and glorifying God together.

Now this may seem counterintuitive for some people. After all, emphasizing the majesty and glory of God has recently been associated with triumphalism -- a theological emphasis on the victory of the Christian faith and life. Likewise, Biblical texts like those we heard today are understood by some to represent a theology of glory of the worst kind, in opposition to the theology of the Cross that Martin Luther had. You know the problems in these readings: first we heard of God showing off His power by causing Mt. Sinai to smoke and shake; then we heard Paul stating that the veil that Moses put on to shield God's glory still hardens and blinds the minds of Jews; then Jesus says that his Father has handed everything over to him as the only mediator. For many people, these texts are problematic indeed.

There are good reasons to have such misgivings. People who considered themselves Christians have committed some pretty horrible, unjust crimes over the centuries-conquests, massacres, war, slavery, racism, mass rapes, genocide, and countless other horrible sins that often masqueraded as the Christianization of inferior peoples. They -- or we -- have associated God's or Christ's glory with "God's or Christ's people," then have often identified God's victorious, glorified people with one's own country, race, gender, or religion.

However, such criticism often throws the baby out with the bathwater. The problem is not the texts themselves but how they have been used; the problem is not glory and triumphalism, but rather WHO receives the glory and to WHOM the triumph belongs. Let's take another look.

Ex 19
In our first reading from Exodus 19, Israel has arrived at Sinai; God, speaking to Moses, has called Israel to be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation, set apart from other peoples, in a distinctive covenant with God. God then tells Moses to consecrate the people, in order to be prepared and qualified to be in the presence of the holy God. God liberated Israel from their oppression in Egypt not so they could do whatever they wanted for their own glory, but to serve and worship God. ("Let my people go," God had told Pharoah through Moses, "that they may worship me.") The theophany on Sinai just before the giving of the Ten Commandments was a dangerous, frightening occurrence marked by thunder, lightning, a thick cloud, trumpet blasts, smoke, and violent shaking so powerful that even the mountain almost couldn't withstand it. The most holy God was disruptively crossing the border between heaven and earth, and neither Israel nor the earth would remain the same. Our faith communities, we who worship the holy and living God, often fail to acknowledge our call to sanctity, to be a people set apart-a kingdom of priests and a holy nation-in order to mediate the presence of the most holy God to the world. Would we qualify to come close to the mountain for such a radical theophany today?

2 Cor. 3:12-4:2
In the reading from 2 Corinthians, Paul actually refers to a later moment in the book of Exodus, chapter 34, one of Moses' repeat trips up the mountain. In any event, Paul himself is a Jew who certainly doesn't despise the Sinai theophanies nor the Law that was given there. He actually affirms, rather than denies, the glory of the first covenant with Moses and Israel. But he proclaims the greater glory of the covenant without the veil, the glory of God's only begotten Son, Jesus Christ.
God's glory is not something to be taken lightly. Just as Israel dared not look directly at God, we can't look directly at God, but we can see God's glory in the mirror of Christ. We in turn should reflect that brightness of Christ to others.

Lk 10:21-24
In the Gospel reading, the seventy disciples have returned from their mission to cure the sick and announce the Kingdom of God, reporting that even the demons submit to them. Jesus has given them authority over evil and Satan and tells them to rejoice that their names are written in heaven. Jesus now declares that he alone reveals the Father, who has given all things to Jesus. Jesus has set apart and blessed those whom he has called as his witnesses, and has equipped them for the mission he has given them. Just as with God's calling of Israel, Jesus called his witnesses neither to proclaim themselves nor to lord authority over others, but rather to proclaim him as Lord of all. Just as the people of Israel were set apart and commanded to acknowledge the boundary between sacred and profane, we of the new covenant are set apart to be witnesses of the sacred glory of Christ.

This theology of glory, though, is not one in opposition to the theology of the cross, but one fully complementary to it. Seeing God's glory and our own unworthiness by contrast, propels us to the Vía Crucis. Acknowledging God's glory and majesty is not a distraction; it is fully compatible with embracing difference, social justice, and service to others.

For example, it was when Moses saw the glory of God in the burning bush that he received his mission to liberate his people from oppression. The Law that Moses received after God's glorious and frightening presence on the holy mountain included both aspects, too. It mandated proper worship of Yahweh, with minute details of the worship space and liturgical calendar, AND it mandated leaving food for the hungry, hospitality to the foreigner, and protection for the widow and orphan. Later, the prophets condemned negligence in worship, idolatry, polytheism, and turning to other religions, AND they condemned social injustice. Jesus proclaimed himself to be the Way, the Truth, and the Life without whom no one would come to the Father, AND he proclaimed liberation for the poor, blind, and vulnerable. He warned of judgment for those who rejected his authority AND he warned of judgment for those who would not see him in the hungry, the naked, and the sick. Immediately after the text from Luke that we heard today, which some regard as triumphalist or exclusive, is the parable of the Good Samaritan. As a post-communion prayer in the Lutheran Book of Worship says, Jesus was both a sacrifice for sin AND a model of the godly life.

In the midst of the many processes that led to the canon of Scripture, can we again entertain the notion that the Holy Spirit through the Church united these texts and themes that today are too often seen as polar opposites? If the Holy Spirit has done so, should we separate what God has joined together?
By artificially polarizing and segregating various aspects of the Gospel, we paint an incomplete picture of it at best, or distort and mock it at worst. We have all contributed to this problem, whether by using binary, polarizing language as I felt some of my classmates did during my first semester, or in my case, by keeping silent. We would do well to be humble enough to acknowledge that only God in His glory has all the answers. After all, we can't always be right! On the other hand, we can't always be left, either!

Let's all humble ourselves before God, aware that the most significant division is not one between human differences, but rather the one between heaven and earth-a border that has already been crossed by Jesus Christ. By acknowledging that we all are equally in need of God's grace, that all of us are equally unworthy before the glorious God, we should be humble, and such humility can counteract the condescension that we sometimes exhibit towards each other. After all, it's pretty hard to look down on someone else when you're on your knees.

Instead of keeping silent out of fear of others' views as I did, preventing dialogue, "let all mortal flesh keep silence, and with fear and trembling" behold the Triune God: the Creator who descended to Moses at Sinai, Christ who immigrated to earth via the Virgin Mary's womb, and the Spirit who descended on Pentecost in wind and fire, giving birth to her Church. Instead of calling each other names, let's all call on THE Name of Jesus which is the only one given to us for health and salvation. During the coming Lenten season and throughout our lives, let us draw closer to Jesus Christ who is both the crucified Suffering Servant, in solidarity with suffering humanity, AND the Transfigured Christ whose glory was revealed on the mountain. By drawing closer to Christ as our center, we cannot help but draw closer to one another.

So, on this first Mardi Gras since Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans exactly six months ago, let us recommit ourselves to the One whose glory is in both the storm and the still, small voice. Rather than reveling in what some call the "good" life carousing of tonight, let us instead revel in the One who offers eternal life. Whether we prefer pancakes or jambalaya (I confess to being an incorrigible flapjack fan myself!), on this Shrove Tuesday, let's prepare for a Lent in which we seek God's glory.

Whether or not we use up all of the shortening in our kitchens, let us go back to the Scriptures that we've heard today. Let's allow our souls to taste what is spicier than Louisiana jambalaya and sweeter than maple syrup. Let's hear in Scripture what is even smoother than the jazz of New Orleáns. On this eve of the great ninety days of our liturgical year, let us savor this last look at Moses' and Jesus' shining faces. Then let it carry us down the mountain, onto the road to Jerusalem, to walk the Way of the Cross with Christ that we may rise with him. Let us then again be led by the Holy Spirit to be his witnesses to the ends of the earth, manifesting Christ's glory to every race, language, people, and nation, so that all the peoples may praise him.

In the midst of our differences, then, let us recommit to glorifying God as the main purpose of our lives. Let our words and actions be a constant testimony to our God who is worthy of all praise, honor, and worship.

Praise BE to God! Praise to our Creator, the great I AM, the God of the thunder, smoke, and shaking of Sinai. Praise to the Son, King Jesus, the Christ who reveals the Father, by whose blood we have a new covenant offered to all nations. Praise to the Spirit, the Ruach, She who has spoken through the prophets and the Church. To the Holy Trinity, one God, be all blessing, praise, and honor; all greatness, victory, and dominion; all worship, majesty, and glory, for ever and ever!