On the Frontier

Fourth Sunday after Epiphany- January 29, 2012

The Rev. Kenneth R. Elkin

When we hear the word “frontier”, what sort of picture pops into our heads?

It may have something to do with a rugged individual carving out a new home in the wilderness,

or it may be a Captain Kirk-type in mortal combat with aliens in a distant corner of the galaxy.

But whatever our pictures of “frontier”, they will likely have several things in common:

(1) that the hero is doing this frontier life with the emphasis on his or her own strength,

(2) that the “frontier” is somewhere else than here in Williamsport.

Both of the assumptions may be wrong!

I've noticed in the paper recently that various Scouts have been completing the requirements for Eagle or other high ranks.

So, let's say that one of them is in a a tragic small plane crash out there in the wilderness on the way to the Philmont Scout Ranch.

Is that Scout all alone?

Not really.

He has with him all of his experiences, all of his training, all that he has learned from his leaders and companions.

His survival will depend on a long line of people, many of whom he does not know or even remember, who have passed on to him what he needs in that critical moment.

Now everyone else is thinking that this is such an unlikely situation.

“It doesn't involve me.

There is no 'frontier' here.”

But if a “frontier” situation is one in which there is both danger and opportunity, and also where we must depend on knowledge and resources beyond ourselves, then there is quite a few frontiers here in front of us right now.

A frontier is a boundary between now and not yet,

--such as finding that first job or the right

job,

--moving from elementary to middle school

--or high school to college

--or employment to retirement

--or the temptations to drugs, alcohol, or illicit sex,

--or the 100 other things that we must decide each day:

--what do we want to do?

--what do we think?

--where will we go?

You and I may not be standing in the woods facing an angry mother bear, but we are in a frontier situation nonetheless...

and we will not make it alone.

What course shall we follow?

There are several options:

(1) We could attempt to chuck it all.

“I can't handle this pressure, all these decisions and opportunities.”

For this person, the frontier is too difficult, it seems to be a steep cliff, and this person falls into mental illness or even suicide.

(2) We could simply plod along, existing, doing as little as possible,

saying in effect that the point of it all is that there is no point.

For this person, the frontier is a marsh extending in all directions.

Lift the foot with great effort,(sucking sound), place it down (squishing sound), repeat, ...repeat.

(3) Or, we could play the hedonist and grab all the gusto we can, as long as we can.

For this person, the frontier is a private playground; no one else matters.

(4) Perhaps we could come up with some other equally depressing assessment.

All of them have in common the idea that it all depends on me,

--what resources I have or don't have,

--what I want,

--what I do or avoid,

--what is important is me.

There is another aspect that needs to be noted here.

We could replay the entire sermon thus far and substitute the term “this congregation” every time an individual person has been indicated.

Yes, a congregation can decide that it cannot handle the pressures and fall into a corporate mental illness,

A congregation can simply plod along doing as little as possible.

A congregation can treat their time together as a private playground with concern for no one but themselves.

So whether we are talking about individuals or the whole body of the church, we are brought up short by the Gospel today.

It comes in the dramatic confrontation of Jesus with the man with the unclean spirit.

“What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth?

Have you come to destroy us?

I know who you are-- the Holy One of God!”

The unclean spirit speaks to frantically because it recognizes Jesus and his power as being utterly opposed to the demon;

the two cannot exist in the same place.

The demon personifies all that is wrong with us,

--our nature of being turned in upon ourselves,

--concerned only about ourselves

--trusting in our own power and abilities,

--glorying in our merit badges,

--or conversely, lamenting the absence of those abilities and merit badges.

The demon has no concern for the person or the community;

it is just me, me, me!

Evil is always lurking very close to us, ready to take over.

The story of Adam and Eve in the garden is a vivid reminder of how sneaky is the lure of putting oneself in the place of God, right in the middle of things.

Again and again we listen to the voice of evil and then say,

“We've got to take care of #1.”

“It's none of your business what I do with my money.”

“I'm doing thing my own way.”

And again, hear those sentences both as applying to individuals and to congregations.

And Jesus says to that unclean spirit, “Begone!”

Then he opens up a new future for the man who had been under the power of the evil spirit.

Jesus gives him a new future, a goal toward which he can now live.

His life now no longer depends on how smart he is, and how fast he is able to get the other guy before the competitor gets him.

Jesus gives him a goal for living, and begins to open the resources he needs to live toward that goal.

As we live each day on the frontier of now and not yet,

are we alert to the dangers of making God in our image,

trusting in ourselves,

turning away from the goal and promise of Christ given to us in Holy Baptism?

We are on the frontier every day.

For some it is a medical frontier, and involving cancer.

What do we do?

--We surround the person with prayer.

--The surgeon does his part.

--The radiologist and other add their skills.

--A cure is sometimes announced,

but even then, one is ever vigilant, alert, taking preventative steps, ready for further action at any time.

The frontier is always there.

That is the way we are called to live, as individuals and as the gathered body of Christ.

Jesus said Begone, Satan at our Baptism, and is ready to repeat his promise as many times as we need to be reminded of it.

We should not be surprised that evil thoughts and actions keep trying to take over our lives.

Martin Luther was very matter of fact about it.

He said:

“If you are experiencing temptation, then you know that you are the one singled out by the devil for attack.

If you were already in the devil's power, there would be no need for him to attack!”

He says in another place:

“Satan can smell Christ on Christians, and it gags him, so that he flees till another time.”

If we feel safe because we are strong, in good health, are smart, work hard, and have tried to keep the ten commandments, watch out! for evil is chasing us hard.

If we know that we are safe because Jesus made a promise to us in Holy Baptism and intends to keep it, then the hard work that we do on the frontiers of our lives is not done to prove something to God, but to praise him.

Life on the frontier is dangerous, but within the promise of God, it is also victorious.

Let us sing the praise of the wondrous mystery and gracious actions of this our God. AMEN.

Please note: The preceding sermon is provided as a resource for the thought, prayer, and meditation of the members and friends of St. Mark's. It is the residue of a verbal event, and thus it does not have academic footnotes and other details that would be expected in a written document. The writer gladly acknowledges the prior thought and work of many Christians before him.