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Proper 17, Year
A Jeremiah
15:15-21 God’s Transforming Mercies
Peter has turned right around and gotten himself into yet another mess. What happened? And how does he get out of this one? I think the answer is simple, and it has everything to do with butterflies. “Why butterflies?” you say. I thought you would never ask. I’ve been thinking a lot about butterflies lately, because I’ve seen so many of them on the flowers around the church. Some are tiny, and I can barely discern the design on their little wings. Some, like the Monarch, are big and I can see exactly what they are. Out on the highway, some get caught by the dynamics of the air flow and slam into my windshield. I feel as if I should dodge them somehow. One day when I was coming back from Honey Creek, a big Monarch butterfly got caught in my windshield wipers. I stopped and freed it for flight.
In today’s Gospel reading, Peter wants to take the easy way out. He collars Jesus and wants Jesus to take the easy way out. He wants Jesus to be savior of the world without going through the agony of the Garden of Gethsemane, Pilate’s judgment hall, or the Cross. Peter wants Jesus to get straight to the resurrection without first going through crucifixion. He wants glory without paying the price. Maybe Peter was afraid that what would happen to Jesus would happen to him. And such fears were fully justified. But his attempt to dissuade Jesus from the cross was a scandal – a stumbling block to Jesus. Jesus would have none of it even from his closest followers. Jesus would not allow himself to be conformed to Peter’s demands. Peter was conformed to the thinking of his time. Peter would need to be transformed. It wouldn’t be easy, but it would be done by the mercies of God. Transformation means we are in step with God whose love never waivers. Conformity to the standards of society around us means we might be out of step with the demands of the Gospel. Conformity to the demands of the Gospel means that we are being transformed into who God wants us to be. If we merely imitate those around us, or go along to get along, we are not being transformed to discern the will of God. St. Paul says, “Do not let yourselves be molded by society around you. Instead, allow yourselves to be transformed by the very power and nature of God.” What transforms us? Nothing less than the Holy Spirit of God. It was the descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost that transformed the disciples into Apostles. It was the Holy Spirit’s coming at Pentecost that transformed the frightened band of Jesus’ followers into the Church – the called out ones. Transformation of character, of our inmost nature, happens by the mercies of God. The divine mercies give us the ability to present ourselves to God. The message of God’s love then takes the scenic route. It starts in our heads – in our minds - and goes from our heads to our hearts. The Gospel transforms our whole person as we offer ourselves to God.
At Sewanee as a seminarian, I kept hearing the word “formation” in reference what was happening to me. The Bishops send Candidates for Holy Orders to seminaries to be “formed” as priests. One day in a small group setting, one of my colleagues remarked, “formation hurts.” It’s never easy to be formed, but by the grace of God we can be transformed. One way to do that is to refuse to be conformed. Conformity to our present external world means that we spend a lot of energy trying to be in step with the latest fads and fashions. This goes both for opinions and for material goods. God, on the other hand, wants us to experience inner transformation. This transformation causes us to cooperate with each other, so that the gifts of each of us are properly used. As baptized, transformed believers in Jesus Christ, we become the Church -- the body of Christ in this world. In this way, we work out in our world what has already happened to us in Christ. Paul says that when you think about it, this is the logical thing to do. It’s the reasonable way to live out the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In this way, we will become more like God, who operates openheartedly and out of compassion. The results are that the prophet will use his or her faith to speak for God. The teacher will prepare and teach by word and example. The leader will lead naturally because she or he cannot help but lead. The compassionate will give with cheerfulness – even with hilarity. When we live this way – when we offer ourselves to God -- we all become who we are created to be. We all wind up using the wonderful gifts given to us by the Holy Spirit at our baptisms. This is what St. Paul would call “walking in newness of life.” In this way, we discern God’s will for us and have the courage and grace to act accordingly. This is how we take up our cross and follow Jesus. This is why Jesus would not let Peter take the easy way out. This is why Jesus would not conform to Peter’s demands. Peter saw only the immediate consequences. Jesus saw the big picture. Jesus knew that if he died he would rise again. He would be transformed from being the teacher of the few to being the savior of the world. Jesus had to lose his old life to be raised to new life. This is why Holy Baptism is an imitation of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. As Christians, we are always changing and growing. We are becoming who we are in Christ. Every time we come to church and receive Holy Communion, we are becoming who we are in Christ. Every time we choose God’s way of love over the ways of the world, we are becoming who we are in Christ. After Pentecost, Peter became the rock – the Prince of the Apostles and leader of the Church. What will we become? What can we become? What would happen if we did not let anything hold us back from serving God, from living in loving relationship with God and with each other every day? What can this church become, if we are willing to be continuously transformed by the living God?
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As we approach the end of summer, here is a
little baseball quiz: What does Peter the Apostle have in common with Babe
Ruth? Answer: Babe Ruth hit a lot of home runs, but he also had a
lot of strike-outs. There were times when he got it just right, and times
when he got it just wrong. There seemed to be no in-between for The Babe.
Peter appears to have had that very same problem. In last week’s Gospel
reading Peter hit a home run in declaring that Jesus is the Son of the
Living God. In this week’s reading Peter appears to have stuck out. 
Be they large or small,
colorful or plain, butterflies have one thing in common. Butterflies
morph. By their very nature they allow themselves to be transformed. They
hang in their chrysalis until the time is just right, and then they burst
forth. They start out with no wings. They wind up as beautiful winged
creatures. They go into a cocoon for formation and the result is
transformation. They lose their old life and find new life. This isn’t
easy, but it’s done by the mercies of God. 
It’s tougher to be a living
sacrifice than a dead one. As a living sacrifice to God we have to
mindfully, intentionally, constantly offer ourselves to God day by day. One
practical way to do that would be to pray the Lord’s Prayer. We can pray
this prayer on behalf of ourselves, and on behalf of others. When we do
this, an amazing thing happens. We find ourselves transformed by the love
of God. We are freed up to use the gifts that God the Holy Spirit gave us
at our baptism. 