Who Are You?

A sermon for Shrove Tuesday/Mardi Gras to celebrate retiring the church debt
March 4, 2025, at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, Hot Springs, Arkansas

Readings: John 1:19-28

Who are you? This is the question for John the Baptist today. Who are you? You’re preaching some crazy stuff. Who are you? You’re agitating the comfortable and comforting the agitated. Who are you? John is clear about who he is and about who he is not. He is not the Messiah. He is not the Savior. He is not God in the flesh. But he is the one who has been sent to proclaim his coming, to get the road readied, to command our attention. 

Who are you? Who are we at St. Luke’s? Like John the Baptist, let’s be clear. We aren’t the Messiah. We aren’t sent to save the world. We don’t have all the answers. But we are called to participate in what God is doing among us. We are called to be heralds of the good news. We are called to represent Christ and the Kingdom of God–the Kingdom of peace, of goodness, of grace, of forgiveness, of faith and hope and love. 

Who are we? For the past two decades, we’ve told a story. Or perhaps we’ve been tempted by a story, like Adam and Eve at the foot of that tree. We’ve been tempted to define ourselves by debt and the shame that comes along with that. But I gotta tell you: I don’t think that’s a good story. I think it’s time to retire that story along with the debt. 

I think our true story is in two parts. Part I: God is faithful. God has brought us through fire and flood, debt and tornado. God brings us through when we don’t know what we’re going to do. God makes a way out of no way. We may not be the richest, or the smartest, or the flashiest, or the biggest. God’s faithful anyway. God is faithful to us because God cannot help but be faithful to us. It’s just who God is; God never leaves or forsakes. Thank heaven. 

Part II: You are faithful. Through fire and flood, debt and tornado, you have been faithful. Some ran in fear, but you have been faithful. Faithful to God, faithful to one another, faithful to the faith we have inherited, faithful to the gift of this place, faithful in giving over and over again, faithful in service. You are faithful. Not only did you work to pay off the debt, but you expanded ministries to those with no helper. You are faithful. Not only did you work to pay off the debt, but you took care of one another. You are faithful. Not only did you work to pay off the debt, but you kept on praying and singing and believing the gospel. You are faithful. 

Who are we? God is faithful; you are faithful. Let that be our story, our yay and amen. And let’s keep journeying inward, outward, and together, running the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith.