What does it mean to "be holy"?

Have you ever been to a holy place?   

Trinity Episcopal Cathedral church cemetery

I have been to many holy places, but the one that popped in my mind when I was writing this sermon was when I was in Columbia, South Carolina a few years ago, and I was walking through the historic downtown.  There was a big Episcopal Cathedral there, very old with Gothic architecture and big pointy windows.   

Part of the church grounds included a church cemetery.  I walked through it.   Many of the graves were very, very old, some older than the civil war.  Many of the gravestones were worn down from the elements over the years, and many were tilted this way and that.    In one section a giant tree’s roots were pushing up the ground and the graves around it.  I looked up at the giant tree, perhaps a magnolia tree… it canopied the area …Yes this was a holy place….hallowed ground.

How do we know holiness?   A certain sense or feeling.  A special presence, a sense of peacefulness, a certain energy …something indescribable…that makes the place feel holy.

Our Old Testament reading for today was from the book of Leviticus.    What do you know about Leviticus? 

Now, Leviticus very rarely comes up in the Lectionary, so this is Sunday’s reading is a rarity!  Usually by this time of year we are well into Lent, but this year Epiphany runs long.

Leviticus is the 3^rd book in the Hebrew Bible.  Traditional view says it was written by Moses.  Bible scholars believe it was complied between 500 to 200 BC.  Leviticus rests in a very important belief that the world was created “very good”. This comes from the creation story in Genesis, where God created light…and the heavens and the earth, & saw it was very good.

So God is speaking to Moses and says, “Speak to all the congregation and say to them: ‘You shall be holy, for I the Lord God am holy’ “.     

God is calling us to be holy!

But how many of us think of ourselves as holy?   We tend to think of God, angels and the saints as “holy”.  No Mother Theresas, Popes or Dalia Lamas here, ay? 

In fact, the whole subject of holiness can make many of us uncomfortable! But we have a pretty good sense that we are not holy, or holy enough.  In fact, thinking oneself as holy seems arrogant, and anyone who does is “holier than thou”.

Holy people live far removed from us and do things in their lives we cannot do with ours.  As appropriately honest as this may be, it also is a way of letting ourselves off the holiness hook! 

But God says to us, ‘You shall be holy “.  Everyone!  All of us, the whole congregation.  All of us are called to be holy.  Not just ‘those’ holy people with halos over there!   We are all called to holiness!

So, just what does it mean to be holy?   Just what is holiness?

And so I went over to my computer and Googled, ”what does it mean to be holy?” and all kinds of web site popped up, mostly various ministry sites offering their take on what it is to be holy.  Many, like the book of Leviticus cited things to do, things not to do, the commandments, good behaviors, give to the poor, be honest, and lists of rules and laws and ethical guidelines.

But being holy is more than ethics, or following a bunch of rules.    It goes much deeper.   Ethics, rules and laws are good in one sense, but in another sense have their limitations.  They are external controls.

In college I studied to be a teacher.  I was sent to observe various classes as part of my training, before I did my final semester of student teaching.  One semester, I was sent to observe junior high classes.  Whew!   Any junior high teachers here?  Then you know what I mean!   This is a special calling!  You have to have the patience of a saint!

I noticed one classroom had a bazillion rules posted on the wall.  And naturally this was the wildest class of the school!  In the other classes I observed, they maybe had three rules posted.   And for the most part, the kids in these classes were fairly well behaved!  

These classes were like a micro microcosm of society!    The more rules, the more wild the class!  The more rules and laws in a society...

And so, what does it mean to be holy?

Holiness implies being “set apart” or separate from the ordinary.  Certain places, things, objects, & actions are holy by their association with God. 

Places where God appears or is worshiped are holy.  At the burning bush, God instructed Moses to take off his sandals for he was on ‘holy ground’. 

Certain ritual actions bring us closer to God.  In Isaiah’s vision of God’s heavenly court, the angels sing “holy, holy, holy”.  And this is why we say or sing the Sanctus (which means holy) at every worship service!

But at its essence, holiness is based in love.  

 It is no coincidence that Jesus quotes Leviticus, “you shall love your neighbor as yourself”.

Indeed, how we love God and our neighbor is evident in every action we take!  Whenever we open our mouth, extend our hand in gestures of kindness or rudeness, what kind of emails we forward, and what you post on Facebook, etc.

Holiness is not about making grand sacrifices to God or praying long pious prayers. 

We are holy when we treat people fairly, kindly & honestly.   We are holy when we live & act in love, not fear & hate. 

I think too, that holiness is very much how we view, or think about things.    We may think of things holy as “far away” and over there, but holiness is as close as we think it is!   If we think of something as holy or sacred, it is!   Everything is alive and vibrating with the energy of divinity!   God’s presence is in most everything.  But do we take the time to feel it?  Hear it?  See it?  And be amazed?

Yesterday a group of us visited the Biosphere2 down near Oracle.  And it was an amazing place.  Each section has a different ecosystem; one a rainforest, with jungle plants and high humidity. In each section, you could feel & smell the presence of the plants.  

How many of you think plants are sacred or holy?   We could not live without them! 

And we have all felt the holy “presence” of certain people.   Certain people just have it!   Other people, not so much!  What is that special ‘thing’ certain people have?   It is the energy they radiate, how we feel around them, a sort of sense of peace.  A sense of calm.

Think about this…What kind of spiritual energy do you radiate? 

Still, the directive to “be holy”  for many of us seems like an impossible goal.   ‘I am no saint!  I don’t pray in a monastery all day!  I am not an extraordinary person of spiritual purity and virtue!’

Well, being holy may include these things, but it is not limited to them. 

In all actuality, to be holy, is to be in close personal relationship with God,   and to live and walk in love.

Let us all think and pray on these things… 

“Lord, help us to be your holy people!”

Amen.  

Why do we humans have religion?

Symbol of the serpent on a pole, Mt. Nebo

Remember in the '90s, the big buzzword was "paradigm shift"?  And then toward the later '90s and early 2000's, the buzzword was "empowerment".  And now, it is "resiliency"!

Think of your toughest times in life.  I know, perhaps not a pleasant thought.   What  helped you through those trying times in life?    What helped give you strength to get through it?  What helped you live life?    I would be willing to bet it was more than just 'thinking positive'!

There are many quizzes on the Internet to "test" yourself and see how resilient you are.  However, the real test I would say is life itself!  

However, there are certain attributes that resilient people exhibit.  

What personality traits do you think resilient people exhibit?

Resilient people exhibit mental capacity to be flexible and adapt.  Like bamboo, they bend, but rarely break.  

What else?  Other traits include being a life long learner, having a network of social & emotional support,  doing the things they love, and having a good sense of humor.  The list goes on.

When I was a second lieutenant, way way back when, I remember responding the absurdity of the military with a humorous quip.  The crusty old sergeant who was with me said, "You know lieutenant, you are going to survive.  You have a sense of humor!"    

And he was right.  Humor has always helped me through difficult times, and the 23 -24 years of the military!     It doesn't mean I don't have my battle scars though!

Now as you probably have heard, many people in the military and veterans struggle emotionally and have difficulty in life due to the stressors of military life, deployments, combat and so forth.  In fact, suicide rates in the military are higher than they have ever been.

And sadly, this statistic is true also for civilians.  

As you know, I have taught Religious Studies classes part time at Mesa Community College for many years.  Over the years there,  I have been astounded by just how many students confess to having no religion at all, and or not being brought up with any religion or faith tradition whatsoever. 

This goes for people in the military too.   In all my units of assignment over the years I have served with, the largest religious group in every Wing (unit) is having no religion at all, “No Religious Preference”.  

In our society, religion is a “choice”, and yes choice is a good thing!  However the trend is religion is being embraced by relatively fewer & fewer persons. 

Well, I may be a bit biased here, but is it any wonder why so many people are having trouble with life and resiliency these days?     

They are missing one, and I would say, THE MAIN component of life that gives us strength, courage and hope!

In the college classes I teach, I like to begin the semester with questions to get the students curious, thinking & discussing.   

I preface one question with “Did you know there has not been one culture or society in the history of the world, the history of humanity that does not have some form of religion or spiritual practices & beliefs?”  It’s true!  Archeological digs have found traces and evidence of religious artifacts over 30,000 years old!  So religion has always been around, in one form or another!"    

And then I ask them, “But why do you suppose?  Why do we humans have religion?”   

Our scripture reading today in Deuteronomy points to the answer.  After wandering in the desert for "forty years", they arrive on Mt. Nebo.   

Moses is standing before his people on Mt. Nebo, speaking to his people before they head into the promised land. 

Mt. Nebo, by the way is located just east of the Jordan river, in modern day Jordan, and looks over toward the west into what is modern day Israel.  It is very beautiful.   Moses knew he was not going with them, by then he was very old.  Legend says he died and is buried there somewhere on Mt. Nebo.

And so Moses was giving his final sermon to his people, “Listen to what I have said today. I have laid it out for you, life and death, good and evil.  Keep the commandments so that you will truly live…” 

He is telling the people why God has taught them all God has taught them. It is so they can live!   Not just exist but truly live!

Most of our daily decisions and choices do not seem to be very important, or about life and death, but life and death really is before us everyday! 

To truly be alive and live is a choice!  As we know, not everyone who is alive is really living.  Some just exist.  Death is a slow process of giving ourselves to what does not matter.  So easy to lose our souls…  Perhaps you have been there...

Why do we have religion?    It is not just to follow laws and commandments just because they are there in the Bible.   

We have religion, faith, to help give us strength.  Life is hard! 

Healing serpent on a pole, Mt. Nebo

 

Religion and spirituality help us be strong & healthy in body, mind and spirit!  So we can live life joyfully, authentically and passionately!  

Quit doing what is not worth your time!   Laugh often.  Do what you love.   Love God with all your heart, soul and mind.  Play with children.  Open your heart to the Spirit.  Surround yourself with what you love, family, friends, pets, music, nature.   Feel that all life is Holy!  The list goes on...

Keep the fire stoked!

 

As Moses said, “I have set before you today, life and death, blessings and curses...  choose life!”

Amen.  

[Sermon given at St. Peter's Episcopal Church, Casa Grande, AZ on Sunday FEB 16th, 2014]