Sacrificial Lambs

Lectionary reflections for the Second Sunday after Epiphany (A)

By Robert W. Cromey

Readings for Epiphany 2, Year A, Jan. 16, 2005

Isaiah 49:1-7

1 Corinthians 1:1-9

John 1:29-42

John baptizes Jesus and twice says, “Behold the Lamb of God.” How often at Eucharist I have said or sung, “Oh Lamb of God, that takest away the sins of the world, have mercy upon us,” and finally, “Grant us thy peace.” As I read over the passage, I realized I had never given much thought to Jesus as the Lamb of God.

Behold the Lamb, Jesus is the lamb, we are the lambs.

The ancients killed lambs and other animals as sacrifices to offer and appease God and Gods. The church sees Jesus as a sacrificial lamb to take away the sins of the world. . . To take our baptismal vows seriously we are to follow Jesus as sacrificial lambs. We Christians must make all kinds of sacrifices.

The ancients killed lambs and other animals as sacrifices to offer and appease God and Gods. The church sees Jesus as a sacrificial lamb to take away the sins of the world. Rather than discussing the doctrines of the atonement, I want to reflect on what it means to be a lamb.

To take our baptismal vows seriously we are to follow Jesus as sacrificial lambs. We Christians must make all kinds of sacrifices.

We sacrifice an easy logical and scientific view of the world and life. We cannot prove our faith; we make a leap of faith. It is based on reason but logic cannot take us there. Belief in God and Jesus means we sacrifice the popular and all too easy way of simple logic. Many call us fools. We are fools for Christ's sake.

We sacrifice conventional wisdom and believe that power comes from weakness. We Christians are called to be advocates for the poor and homeless in a society that cherishes lavish lunches and luxurious living. We support legislation that brings food to the hungry and changes the system so that no one goes hungry.

We sacrifice the good will of our friends and family when we support the notion that only the federal government can manage a healthcare system that provides adequate medical care for all people. We are called socialists and communists for espousing such radical notions.

We sacrifice our patriotism to the criticism of those who say we are aiding and abetting the enemy when we call for American soldiers be brought back from killing Iraqis and the people of Afghanistan.

We are sacrificial lambs on the altars of the righteous when we demand our homosexual bothers and sisters the right to marry, raise children and have full freedom and rights in church and state.

One of my Jewish friends ended his long relationship with me when I wrote a letter to the editor of the San Francisco Chronicle in which I declared, “I am a Palestinian.” I choose to take sides in this ongoing controversy, just as I took sides when in the 60s I sided with African Americans in their appeal for full justice in our society.

Christian lambs are called to do some other painful and difficult things. We are to love our enemies. We need to get our political leaders to sit down and talk with so-called terrorists.

But Christian lambs are called to do some other painful and difficult things. We are to love our enemies. We need to get our political leaders to sit down and talk with so-called terrorists. There are as many different kinds of terrorists as there are American citizens. They are not all extremists. They differ widely about proper tactics and means to carry out their agendas. Our government apparently treats all so-called terrorists as if they are all the same.

A favorite enemy of us liberal Christians is Jerry Falwell. He is the lionesque Baptist pastor in Lynchburg, Va., who vigorously opposes abortion. Yet he raises money from his conservative parishioners to develop “Save a Baby Homes.” In these homes, mothers with difficult pregnancies can find comfort and support to avoid abortion, keep their babies and find ways to adopt or keep their babies. Falwell believes that the church should make pronouncements on social issues like abortion but must also back those positions with its own resources to help people affected by those pronouncements.

We liberals are all to prone to make pronouncements about issues but fail to back up these pronouncements with sacrificial giving of our money to truly help the poor homeless and medically bereft.

Suggesting we learn something from Jerry is like asking the lambs lie down with the lions. This is another way of saying we are to love our enemies.

The good news of the gospel is that we are all made in same image of lambs, lions and God. Our baptism calls us to sacrifice and to love and care for all in our all to human family.

The Rev. Robert Warren Cromey is a retired Episcopal priest living in San Francisco, Calif. He writes regularly on issues of domestic and international peace and justice. Robert may be reached by email at twocromeys@earthlink.net .