“Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29)
The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world… The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, have mercy on us. The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, grant us peace. These words from our Gospel reading are written into our Book of Common Prayer. And, whether we know it or not, this public declaration of the Lamb’s presence as the One who saves the world from evil and bold and humble petition for mercy and peace in our world permanently inhabit our lips and our hearts. And yet, what are we really asking with these words? For what do we ask mercy and what even is peace? And doesn’t it seem a little ridiculous to declare that a Lamb will conquer anything, let alone the entirety of the world’s evil? Suddenly, these words become rather weighty with emotional investment and confusion, don’t they? Have mercy and grant peace. Have mercy. Grant peace. An acknowledgement of what is and an expression of what could be. If we think about it – and feel about it – asking for mercy is an extremely vulnerable request. We can’t sincerely and genuinely ask for mercy without deciding that something occurred in our lives or in our world for which we need mercy…otherwise, it is just an empty plea. I don’t know about you all, but I can think of plenty of things for which I individually need mercy…for which I need compassion and forgiveness. In particular, I need God’s mercy for those instances in which instead of “making God’s kingdom come” here on earth, I participated in furthering the rift between humanity and God. Actions that cause this rift, those are sin. I don’t think I’m alone in needing to ask for God’s mercy for my sin. [PAUSE] Have mercy. Grant peace. An acknowledgement of what is and an expression of what could be. Zooming out from the micro to the macro, we can see more reasons for which we need mercy. We’re not three weeks into 2020 and the world is both literally and figuratively burning. Injustice is alive and well…and every day we allow injustice to thrive, we push God’s kingdom come on earth a little | further | away. As the prophet Isaiah reminds us, God gave us mouths sharp as swords and polished us like arrows (49:2). This was done to enable us to shine as lights to the nations and spread God’s salvation to the ends of the earth (Isaiah 49:6). And yet, we use our sword-like mouths to forge deep wounds in the earth and arrow-like personalities to pierce the hearts of humanity. Have mercy. Grant peace. An acknowledgement of what is and an expression of what could be. So, by praying for mercy, we recognize that we need compassion or forgiveness for something in our lives or in our world. Yet, what does that really look like? Well, mercy can come in myriad ways. Mercy can be as overt as a kind stranger offering us a compassionate smile after we receive difficult news, the person in front of us in line paying for our coffee, the homeless and women’s shelters in Raleigh who help the downtrodden, the endless outreach and service ministries that take place here at St. Michael’s – these are all signs of compassion and forgiveness…and, though there is much for which we need mercy, I think Jesus would smile at the mercy being shown here in Raleigh. Have mercy. Grant peace. An acknowledgement of what is and an expression of what could be. Or, mercy can be as sneaky as receiving hard news now that – maybe months, maybe years – from now actually turns out to be the greatest blessing in disguise. Perhaps, we can even see mercy in the relationships we build. A brief story on this – few weeks ago, I was traveling back from Vietnam after taking a family vacation. I arrived at the airport nearly 2.5 hours before my flight – which is a good 1.5 hours before I normally arrive… So I thought I’d have plenty of time. Much to my surprise, I was met with endless lines which seemed to move slower than traffic on Glenwood after an accident – and we all know how long that takes. Nearly 1.5 hours later, I’m finally in line…for security. My flight boards in 45 minutes…plenty of time. Well, 45 minutes quickly goes by and I’ve moved maybe 10 feet. I’m starting to panic. Lord, have mercy. Grant peace. Have mercy. Grant peace. My panic must have been palpable because, just as I was losing hope, the two women in front of me turned around to ask me when my flight left. I told them my situation and immediately the three of us began scheming how to get me through the security line. They helped me look for security guards – couldn’t find any. They helped me talk with people around me – no help. Finally, they gave me the motivation I needed and told me to push my way through line. They wished me luck and there I went barreling through people, ducking under dividers…all the while carrying their encouragement with me. I eventually made it to my flight just in the nick of time and firmly believe I wouldn’t have had it not been for these two women. The coolest part of this story? The two young women who showed me compassion were two Muslim women from Malaysia. They, donned in headscarves, and I, hair exposed and wearing workout gear…it looked like we shouldn’t be talking. Yet, a bond existed between us. Regardless of appearance, these young women saw another young woman traveling and offered to help when no one else would. Mercy showed up in this relationship. This interaction of women of different ethnicities helping one another reminds me of the mission of Martin Luther King Junior – a mission we commemorate this weekend and a legacy we daily strive to live. A mission centered on building relationships across differences to allow for all of creation to flourish. I’m reminded of the photo of – and relationship between – King and Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, standing side by side in peaceful protest. Two people who, on the surface, seem like they never should have met. One a black Baptist minister from Georgia and the other a Jewish Rabbi from Poland…and yet, they stood together in solidarity. They showed each other compassion. They peacefully protested the evils of this world. They demonstrated mercy. King’s was a mission centered on building relationships across differences to allow for all of creation to flourish. And that’s what mercy is…Mercy looks like coming together in a spirit of forgiveness and compassion to repair the broken cracks in God’s vision for creation. Have mercy. Grant peace. An acknowledgement of what is and an expression of what could be. The incredible thing about mercy is that though it is enough in and of itself, it doesn’t stop with compassion and forgiveness. …Mercy begets peace. A peace which looks like the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world who is our proof and our model for what the world could be – an image of peace coming from abounding mercy, all steeped in deep love for the other. This love for other is what allows Christ to shine bright through us – to be the lights given to the nations to bring God’s salvation, mercy, and peace to the ends of the earth (Isaiah 49:6). When we participate in this vision, we see an inversion of power and privilege. Loving in such a way that transcends arbitrary differences, structures and institutions, borders, and any other human-constructed division is the way of Christ. This love requires hard work, risk, investment, and maybe even discomfort. Yet, this is the model we have when we receive the “Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” Have mercy. Grant peace. An acknowledgement of what is and an expression of what could be. This brings us back to one of our opening questions – isn’t it a bit ridiculous to declare that a Lamb will conquer anything, let alone the entirety of the world’s evil? Well, it is ridiculous. Yet, the entire Gospel is scandalous – a God who loves us so much, that God inhabited earth to be with us, came as a baby born to teenage parents making a long journey to document their citizenship, lived among humanity in all our brokenness and yet…never lost hope in humanity’s potential to be reconciled to God – to be cocreators with God in building a world in which all of humanity and all of creation could flourish. This is scandalous. This is the peace emblematic of what the world could be in Christ. Mercy begets this peace, and neither would be possible without love…and Christ is proof that love always wins. It is this commitment to love that is so radical. This commitment to love that we are called to live out. Every time we’re pronouncing the Lamb of God, we are pronouncing love among us. Every time we’re asking for mercy, we are asking for love to guide us. Every time we’re asking for peace, we are asking for love to prevail. Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on us. We are ready for peace. Amen. |