Filling the Hollows of Our Lives - Audio

Father Snort

The Rev. Brad Sullivan Emmanuel Episcopal Church July 11, 2021 Proper 10, B Mark 6:14-29 Filling the Hollows of Our Lives Paul wrote in Ephesians that we have an inheritance in Christ as God’s children, God’s beloved people. That inheritance is living God’s kingdom of love, united to God and to one another in this life and in the life to come. Paul went on to write, that we could squander our inheritance, removing ourselves as God’s children. “Entirely out of place”, Paul wrote, “is obscene, silly, and vulgar talk; but instead, let there be thanksgiving. Be sure of this, that no fornicator or impure person, or one who is greedy (that is, an idolater), has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.” (Ephesians 5:4-5) That’s what we saw with Herod when he had John the Baptist killed. Herod was king of Israel, a puppet king propped up by Rome, but still king of Israel. He had power and authority to build up the kingdom of God within Israel. He could have led the people to live in love, to care for one another, to “put away…all bitterness and wrath…slander and malice, and be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another…” (Ephesians 4:31-32) That would have been living the inheritance of the kingdom of God. Instead of living the kingdom of God and guiding the people of Israel into the same, however, Herod used his power and authority, to enrich and glorify himself. He had John imprisoned for speaking the truth to him about his actions, and at the same time, he was drawn to John. He was drawn to the kingdom of God which John preached and taught people to live, but he would’t then follow John and live the kingdom of God himself. For him, with much potentially to lose, the sacrifice was too great. If he didn’t continue to enrich himself, would those with wealth look at him as less powerful, less important than they? If he chose to do the right thing, at John’s urging, would he look weak in the eyes of his courtiers and officers? If he broke his oath after his silly and vulgar talk to his step-daughter, would he appear foolish and lose some of his credibility? Money, power, influence: these were all Herod’s to lose, and wanting to keep those things, he executed an innocent man, a man whom he admired, a man who was leading him to the Kingdom of God. Herod had the Kingdom of God, the Kingdom of Love, right there to be received and to be grown and spread to others, leading others to the same Kingdom of Love, and instead, he squandered God’s kingdom, squandered his inheritance in money, power, and influence. Squandering his inheritance, Herod reminds me of a man in a parable Jesus taught, the parable of the prodigal son. In the parable, a son demands his inheritance from his father, receives his inheritance, and then squanders it all in raucous and extravagant living. Once the money is all gone, he finds himself starving and alone, feeding pigs on someone else’s land, wishing he could eat even the slop he is feeding the pigs. Herod is like that prodigal son, having received his inheritance and then squandering it completely. Herod had wealth, power, and influence, but the Kingdom of God was nowhere to be seen in his life. As far as joining with God in a life of love, grace, and mercy, using what he had to bring about justice and peace among the people, Herod was as poor and alone as the prodigal son, starving and penniless, wishing he could eat even the pig slop. Of course, the story of the prodigal son does not end there. The son eventually wakes up, realizing he is starving and miserable, and he returns to his father ready to work as a hired servant, knowing that at least he will have food and shelter. Then, while he is still a ways off, his father sees him coming home and he runs out to greet him, restoring his as his beloved son, overjoyed that he is back, alive and well. That’s God’s way. When we squander our inheritance and live selfish lives, unconcerned with others, leaving hurt and harm in our wake, we may eventually realize that we are starving for a life of love, grace, and mercy. When we realize that we are starving, and we begin to return to God’s kingdom of love, God runs out to us with open arms, strengthening us and guiding us back into our inheritance, living the Kingdom of love. The challenge for Herod was he never realized he was starving. He had his wealth, his power, his influence. He had his courtiers and officials all suckling up to him, and so he was able to remain blind to the damage left in his wake. He thought he had arrived, thought he had it all, but he was hollow on the inside, a puppet, not just of Rome, but also a puppet to all of his cravings, led by his desires for money, power, and influence. As a puppet mastered by his cravings, Herod lived outside of the Kingdom of God, squandering his inheritance. Of course, living the Kingdom of God is rarely as simple as you either are or you aren’t. Most of us are living our inheritance in God’s kingdom of love except when we’re not. So, my question today is, what is keeping us from living more fully into God’s kingdom of love? What fills the hollows of our lives, controlling us as puppets? For some, like Herod, it may be money, power, and influence that we are afraid to risk losing. I don’t mean to imply that any of us have people beheaded over it, but for some, money, power, and influence may master us, keeping us from decisions, actions, or beliefs which would risk our money, power, and influence for the sake of others’ well being. For some of us, our past hurts may be mastering us, keeping us from living more fully into God’s kingdom of love. All of us are hurting in some way and we end up building walls and defenses just trying to be ok. Sometimes those very defenses end up taking over, harming us and others, and we miss out on God’s kingdom of love. There are many things which can end up mastering us, taking over the hollows of our lives and controlling us as puppets. God’s response is to help wake us up to realize the ways we are being mastered, like Herod. God’s response is to help us become aware of the ways we are starving, squandering our inheritance like the prodigal son. God’s response is then to guide us back to our inheritance, to let go our fears, and to let God guide us into his Kingdom of love. God’s way is to offer to fill the hollows of our lives so that we are not puppets led by our fears and desires, but are instead walking together with God and one another. That is life in God’s kingdom, as Paul writes to, “put away…all bitterness and wrath…slander and malice, and be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven [us].” Even when we squander our inheritance through fear and desire leaving ourselves hollow and hungry, in God’s kingdom, there is inheritance still waiting for us when we wake up and return and strive again to live in the way of love.