Journeying Toward Embracing Our Holiness in Christ

1 Peter 1: 1-12

There was a story recently in the Christian Century about two monks who lived and worked together in a monastery. The monks made a meager income by creating and selling baskets. One monk, on his deathbed, made a confession to his fellow monk saying, “I have to confess that over the years I have stolen some of your designs as well as some of your baskets and passed them off as my own.” The other monk who sat by his friend’s side replied with compassion, “I know. But because of you, over the years I was able to become more holy.”
Imagine overhearing a conversation where the subject of the matter is you. The two parties who are discussing, from the next room, your life and the way you live it mention the word “holy.” You don’t quite catch how the word is used, but you distinctly hear that word, “holy.” Unfortunately, you don’t know these two people very well so you aren’t sure which way to take it- are they saying that you think you are so holy- as in “So and so is holier than thou!” Or do they genuinely think that you live your life in a holy way. What is your gut level response right now as you imagine eavesdropping on a dialogue that is about you and your perceived holiness?

As we begin our Lenten journey and embark on the disciplines of Lent such as prayer, worship, study, and sacrifice, let us consider what it really means to be holy. You might not introduce yourself to a stranger saying, “Hello, I’m Tom (or Julie or Frank) and I am a holy person.” That would be rather awkward; in fact that would probably never enter your mind to say such a thing and especially as we hear the gospel lesson for today that reminds us not to be hypocrites, not to make a spectacle of ourselves as we fast or pray or give. As Lutherans we have totally internalized this message from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. We would rather be tarred and feathered than for anyone to know about our spiritual disciplines—because that would be like bragging, wouldn’t it? And bragging for Lutherans is just downright a sin!
But tonight friends, on this night when we come here and are reminded of our mortality, of the briefness and frailty of human life, on this night when we confess our sins in a way that we only do once a year, a night where the faint of heart just stay home. . . I would like you to consider that what you are is holy! You are Holy. Sacred. Set apart for the work of God. Loved by Christ. Made right with God by virtue of being claimed by Jesus the Lord. Holy.
Now I’m not saying that you are perfect. None of us are perfect and we never will be this side of heaven. Some of us are prone to being perfectionistic- but that is much different than being perfect! Our human reality is that sin still exists and seeks to control our lives. We strive to be good, we strive to be perfect even, but that more often than not gets in the way of a true relationship with God—and it causes others in our lives to suffer because they know- that we are not perfect!
But that brokenness is only part of the story. The other part of the story, the good news of all of this is that you are holy. Not because you were able to do something, like forgive a thief who stole your ideas and artwork; not because you were tolerant of someone who was always causing you heartache; not because you gave selflessly all your life to those in need. But because of Christ--- because of Christ you are holy. As St. Peter writes to the churches in Pontus, Galatia, Cappodocia, Asia and Bithynia, “You are chosen!” “You are destined!” “You are sanctified!” (A fancy word for being made holy!) You may not feel holy, but you are holy! Through Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior, through faith in him, we are made holy. That’s all there is to it! It’s not something that we can do for ourselves, but it is Christ who lives in us that makes us this way. We have no bragging rights in this matter; without Christ we would not even be having this conversation! But because of Christ who loves us, who claims us in the waters of baptism, and who grants us a new birth, as Peter says, into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead—we are changed forever. That change that transforms us sends us out into the world as holy representatives of Christ. We don’t simply go in the name of Christ--- we go with Christ! Christ’s holiness is our holiness--- despite our frailties and failings—despite the old Adam and old Eve that live within us--- we are holy people in the world because of Jesus Christ!
So you see, this holiness has nothing to do with us and everything to do with God. We can’t even choose to be holy, because left to our devices we would surely choose otherwise. In our broken humanity we are simply unable to “fear, love, and trust God above all things.” It is by our faith in Christ that we are holy but that faith is pure gift of the Holy Spirit, so we can’t even brag about having faith! Martin Luther reminds us that we are called to embrace this holiness. . . saying, “Hence you must believe and confess that you are holy, but by this blood and not by reason of your own piety.” The result of this holiness is not a halo above our heads tipping off our neighbors and friends that there is something special about us. The result is a deeper life in Christ, living in obedience to his will rather than our own will. The result is our being subject to what Christ has in mind for our lives: that we serve others in love and peace; that we put other’s needs before our own; that we step out in faith and risk something that we may not be all that confident about at first- but we do it because we hear God’s call on our lives.
Our holiness is a journey; the journey begins with a recognition that we are indeed holy people. In Christ’s loving embrace, we can embrace our holiness for the sake of one another and the world. Amen.