It is not surprising that the writer of
Psalm 31 pleaded with God “Do not ever let me be put to shame.” It is
humiliating, shameful and painfully degrading to be shamed. God of Love doesn't
treat us like that. Bullies often do, or at least try, to shame others! There
are many victims of bullies in our families, communities, schools and
workplaces who would plead for God to deliver and speedily rescue them and keep
them safe from such treatment.
Much of our Christian culture is based on
guilt rather than shame and much of the Church’s culture is based on relieving
guilt. But shame plays a much greater part in our societies than we may
acknowledge.
Guilt says, “I recognise I have done
something wrong, something bad.” Feelings of guilt are relieved by forgiveness,
atonement and penance; God’s forgiveness and that of others and our-self. Shame
says, “There is something fundamentally wrong with me. The concept of original
sin links into shame.
The gospel reading is frequently used at
funerals to comfort the bereaved beginning as it does with Jesus saying, “Do
not let your hearts be troubled”. This could be another place in our Scripture
where the message has been distorted by the insertion of chapters and verses.
They place artificial divisions in the story.
The last verse in chapter 13, and so in the verse immediately before our
Gospel reading today Jesus said to Peter, “Very truly I tell you, before the
cock crows, you will have denied me three times.”
Peter had been proud to think that he was
willing to lay down his life for Jesus. His response to the sound of the cock
crowing was probably shame. He would have felt that he had let himself and
Jesus down. Jesus’ remark, “Do not let
your hearts be troubled. Believe in God and believe also in me,” were possibly
directed at comforting and reassuring Peter.
The writer of the epistle was reassuring
all who had known the shame of rejection. He was encouraging and inviting them
to find out for themselves that God is good and welcoming, that they were
precious in God’s sight. Perhaps we could change from assuring people that
their sins are forgiven and encourage people to know that they are made in the
image of God, that God does not shame us.
Don’t let your hearts be troubled and don’t
let them be afraid. God has plenty of room for us all!
Rev Julianne Parker
see sermon section for full sermon
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