Are there times when you have seen rage and anger, often disguised as a form of zeal, used for evil? Conversely, have there been times when you have experienced or witnessed zeal, or righteous anger, serving a sacred purpose?
Occasionally, when walking across a university campus, I have seen an evangelist “preaching” in the open air in a way that I considered offensive and harmful. The sermons have been comprised of rhetorical flourishes condemning the crowd to the fires of hell, calling the hearers offensive names, and obsessing about sexual sins. While the motives and strategies of the speakers are worth considering, I also am curious about my responses to these events. In every case, I have chosen to remain silent. I have not interrupted. Like most there, I viewed these folks as carnival barkers, and have left without saying a word. Where was my zeal? Were the evangelists simply more zealous than I?
In the story in the second chapter of John’s Gospel, we read that Jesus found people selling animals in the temple court to those hoping to make sacrifices. Jesus became incensed at the injustice and irreverence of the spectacle. He drove the animals out and overturned the tables of the money-changers. When he did so, the disciples, trying to make sense of his passion, remembered the scriptural sentence, "Zeal for your house has consumed me." Jesus, often appropriately understood as gentle and kind, also had another gear, and that gear became engaged in this story. That begs the question, “What are sacred ways our zeal, even our anger, may guide us in the life of faith?”
We’ll explore that in the worship service on Sunday, as the sermon is titled, “The Proper Use of Zeal.” The sermon flows from John 2: 13-22, which will be read by Malcolm Webb. The Chancel Choir, under the direction of Gerry Sousa and accompanied by Ilze Akerbergs, will lead us musically. We’ll have a time for children, pray for each other, and celebrate Holy Communion.
If you are new to St. Mark’s, or have a long connection with us, we look forward to worshiping together on Sunday. To join online, visit www.smumc.church at 10:30 and click on the Live Stream banner.