{"id":539684,"date":"2020-08-23T09:56:00","date_gmt":"2020-08-23T13:56:00","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2026-07-15T11:14:03","modified_gmt":"2026-07-15T15:14:03","slug":"totality-pentecost-12-a-august-23-2020","status":"publish","type":"sermon","link":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/sermons\/totality-pentecost-12-a-august-23-2020\/","title":{"rendered":"Totality, Proper 16 (A) &#8211; 2020"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/episcopalchurch.org\/lectionary\/pentecost-proper-16a\">[RCL]: Exodus 1:8-2:10; Psalm 124; Romans 12:1-8; Matthew 16:13-20<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-green-color has-alpha-channel-opacity has-green-background-color has-background is-style-wide\"\/>\n\n\n\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" frameborder=\"0\" height=\"200\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https:\/\/playlist.megaphone.fm\/?e=DFMS8703396093&#038;light=true\" width=\"100%\"><\/iframe>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-green-color has-alpha-channel-opacity has-green-background-color has-background is-style-wide\"\/>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.episcopalchurch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Proper-16A-2020-1024x536.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-189685\" style=\"width:666px;height:undefinedpx\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Fun fact: before there was coronavirus, the last time \u201ccorona\u201d was in the news was during the solar eclipse of 2017. Back then, it didn\u2019t refer to a virus, but to the dazzling light of the sun\u2019s plasma or \u201catmosphere\u201d that is usually invisible to us, but which we can see during a solar eclipse. It is that type of \u201ccorona\u201d that we\u2019ll be talking about today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For a moment back in 2017 \u2013 in a year that seems like it was decades ago \u2013 the world stopped and people stepped outside to observe the strange phenomenon happening in the sky.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">These days, we plan for months and perhaps years to observe solar eclipses, but obviously, the first recorded solar eclipses were quite a shock to humanity. As with other celestial phenomena, humans had no way of completely observing or explaining what was happening in the sky, so they came up with their own theories: one was that a dragon was eating the sun. In response, people would sacrifice animals, sometimes even humans, to try to get the dragon to leave them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Those sacrifices \u201cworked\u201d every time. The sun always returned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Greek historian Herodotus tells us about when the path of totality crossed a battlefield as the Medes and the Lydians fought a long-standing war. When the sky became dark, the soldiers immediately stopped fighting, and their leaders took the eclipse as a sign that they should agree to a truce. It\u2019s called the Eclipse of Thales, named after the philosopher who is said to have predicted it ahead of time. That battle, eclipse, and truce occurred on May 28, 585 BC.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Eclipses are much less of a mystery to us now. We now know that there is no dragon in the sky. We know that we do not need to sacrifice anyone or anything to convince the sun to come back. We can predict the exact dates and times of every eclipse, so it\u2019s much less of a shock; they no longer change the course of history in quite the same way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, a total solar eclipse is still a big deal, and science has made it possible for more people to witness one. The next one, in case you\u2019re wondering, is predicted for April 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In 2017, people streamed in from all over the country to get into the \u201cpath of totality,\u201d where the moon completely obscures the sun, the birds stop chirping, the land goes dark, and all you can see of the sun is the corona \u2014 the shimmer around the sun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">People of all faiths and none describe it as a deep spiritual experience, and on August 21, 2017, the whole country stopped bickering about everything for just a few minutes to witness the cosmos putting on a show. And then, just like that, life restarted again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In our Gospel reading today, Jesus has come a little way since having healed the Canaanite woman\u2019s daughter in last week\u2019s reading. Between that passage and this one, he\u2019s fed four thousand men plus women and children and had plenty of leftovers, and right after that, he\u2019s bickered with the Pharisees and other religious authorities about showing them a sign that he\u2019s really sent from God. Of course, he had just given them a sign \u2014 he\u2019d just fed a huge crowd of people out of nothing. No sense of irony, those Pharisees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Then, after that, even his disciples don\u2019t seem to understand who he is or what his mission is. It\u2019s one of those times when Jesus must\u2019ve felt like nobody understood him or his mission, despite him constantly talking about it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Finally, Jesus directly asks his disciples, \u201cWho do people out there say that I am?\u201d Perhaps he starts with the crowds rather than the disciples because he knows it\u2019ll be easier for them to talk about other people\u2019s feelings and assumptions, rather than their own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The reply comes, \u201cWell, some say John the Baptist\u201d \u2014 which could be a case of mistaken identity on behalf of the crowds, or it could be a case of \u201che\u2019s back from the dead,\u201d depending on whether they\u2019d heard the news that John had been killed. But then there are also other, definitely \u201cthey think you\u2019re back from the dead\u201d cases. One response to Jesus\u2019 question about who the crowds say he is comes in: \u201cSome say Elijah, others say Jeremiah or one of the prophets.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Then Jesus asks his disciples pointedly about their own views of him: \u201cWho do you say that I am?\u201d A disciple who, up to that point, has been called Simon steps up and delivers: \u201cYou\u2019re the Messiah, the Son of the living God.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And just like that, something extraordinary has happened and something hidden has been revealed. They finally said it out loud.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You know those moments when you know something is true, but then when you hear yourself say it, it becomes real for you? This was probably like that for Peter. All of a sudden, things shift dramatically, and you can see things in a way you never have before, all because someone said what he already knew out loud. Peter finds himself in a kind of path of totality, where everything stops for a moment, and where all the disciples look up and see the same thing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In a few minutes, everything will be back to normal and Jesus will quickly tell them not to tell anyone that he\u2019s the Messiah. But for a few shining moments, everything shifts, and Simon even gets a new name: \u201cBlessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! \u2026I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock, I will build my church, and all of hell won\u2019t be able to touch it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We are the heirs of Peter and all those who built the church. The church\u2019s history is not a clean one \u2014 the church has done plenty of evil in Christ\u2019s name to all kinds of people. But every now and then, we find ourselves in a kind of path of totality. Every now and then, everything stops, and we see clearly not only who God is \u2014 a self-giving God of love, patience, and welcome \u2014 but who we are and who we are meant to be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We have come from God and we are going to God, and right now, God says: \u201cWho do you say that I am?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Consider that question for yourself, because it will shape who you \u2013 and we \u2013 will be. Sometime today, put yourself in the path of totality. For just a moment, say it out loud: Who is Jesus to you? Who is Jesus to our church?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Solar eclipses shake up a lot within us: they make us see how very tiny we are amid a huge solar system and universe. Eclipses help us to understand something about ourselves. They provide those rare moments of clarity when we can see things that we usually can\u2019t \u2014 both literally and metaphorically. They stop everything \u2014 all the bickering, even all the suffering, just for a few moments. They help us all to look up and see the same thing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When we worship together, sing together, take the Eucharist together, we are in a kind of path of totality. Everything can stop for just a few minutes as we all gather around Christ. Christ may be the only thing we have in common, but luckily, Christ is the only thing that matters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Let us put ourselves in the path of totality. Let us say who we think Jesus is and who we think we are in Christ \u2013 out loud. For once, let us look to Christ, and in so doing, may we look up and see the same thing: love, grace, and the path of totality \u2014 total, complete, and all-encompassing grace. Amen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>This sermon was written by <strong>the Rev. Anna Tew.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-file\"><a id=\"wp-block-file--media-092f6e45-49b9-4c25-8138-af4bea127d5b\" href=\"https:\/\/www.episcopalchurch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Sermon-English-Proper-16A-2020.docx\"><strong>Sermon-English-Proper-16A-2020<\/strong><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.episcopalchurch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Sermon-English-Proper-16A-2020.docx\" class=\"wp-block-file__button wp-element-button\" download aria-describedby=\"wp-block-file--media-092f6e45-49b9-4c25-8138-af4bea127d5b\">Download<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-file\"><a id=\"wp-block-file--media-fbe7d72a-0c76-405b-bc8b-d78aad39c8a4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.episcopalchurch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Sermon-English-Proper-16A-2020.pdf\"><strong>Sermon-English-Proper-16A-2020<\/strong><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.episcopalchurch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Sermon-English-Proper-16A-2020.pdf\" class=\"wp-block-file__button wp-element-button\" download aria-describedby=\"wp-block-file--media-fbe7d72a-0c76-405b-bc8b-d78aad39c8a4\">Download<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[RCL]: Exodus 1:8-2:10; Psalm 124; Romans 12:1-8; Matthew 16:13-20 Fun fact: before there was coronavirus, the last time \u201ccorona\u201d was in the news was during the solar eclipse of 2017. Back then, it didn\u2019t refer to a virus, but to the dazzling light of the sun\u2019s plasma or \u201catmosphere\u201d that is usually invisible to us,&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":201212,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_tec_requires_first_save":true,"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_EventAllDay":false,"_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":false,"_EventShowMapLink":false,"_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":[],"_EventVenueID":[],"_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":false,"_VenueShowMapLink":false,"_tribe_blocks_recurrence_rules":"","_tribe_blocks_recurrence_description":"","_tribe_blocks_recurrence_exclusions":"","_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","ep_exclude_from_search":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[43,52,33,1953],"tags":[102],"class_list":["post-539684","sermon","type-sermon","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sermons","category-sermons-that-work","category-the-season-after-pentecost","category-worship-and-prayer-menu","tag-proper-16a"],"acf":[],"taxonomy_info":{"category":[{"value":43,"label":"Sermons"},{"value":52,"label":"Sermons That Work"},{"value":33,"label":"The Season After Pentecost"},{"value":1953,"label":"worship_and_prayer_menu"}],"post_tag":[{"value":102,"label":"Proper 16A"}]},"featured_image_src_large":false,"author_info":[],"comment_info":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/sermon\/539684","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/sermon"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/sermon"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/sermon\/539684\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3473369,"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/sermon\/539684\/revisions\/3473369"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=539684"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=539684"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=539684"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}