October 23, 2022 – Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 25)

Today, I’m going to start off the sermon with a science lesson. For millennia now, humans have stood at the edge of the water and observed the motion of the waves… I’m sure that – living around Lake Erie – many of you have done this. But what exactly is a wave? It’s not an independent object separate from the water, but it’s something to do with motion. Similarly, sound is nothing more than waves moving (or scientifically propagating) through air – it’s the motion of air particles pushing together and relaxing, just like the waves on the water.

In the 19th century, James Clarke Maxwell proved that light, too, is actually a wave. But the question became what was light a wave of? What was being pushed and relaxed in order to create light waves? It was presumed that there was something called a “luminiferous ether” that existed wherever light could travel, because waves travel through substances. But how could it be discovered, or proven to exist?

Albert Michelson and Edward Morley developed an extremely sensitive contraption, capable of proving the existence of the luminiferous ether. Basically, they hypothesized that since the earth travels around the sun at a very fast speed, a light wave moving in the same direction as the earth should be traveling much more quickly than a light wave traveling in a different direction, and if they could show it to be true, then they could prove the existence of the luminiferous ether.

But the results of their experiment were confusing – no change in speed was detected, regardless of which direction the light waves traveled. Disappointed, Michelson and Morley published their results in a paper. But their presumed failure became one of the most significant accidental discoveries of modern physics: light always moves at a constant speed. This fact revolutionized physics and led to Einstein’s Theory of Special Relativity. Because they were expecting a certain result, Michelson and Morley were so disappointed that they failed to realize the significance of their discovery!

Just as presumption in their experiment hindered Michelson and Morley’s discovery, presumption in our faith lives is of great concern. The Pharisee in today’s Gospel reading from Luke is certain of his own goodness, and even thankful for it:

  • he follows the religious law, unlike the others, and even surpasses expectations;
  • he’s proud of who he is, clearly better than the others;
  • and he’s convinced of his own righteousness.

In contrast, the tax collector has no reason for boasting:

  • he is a sinful man and knows it;
  • he humbly acknowledges his sin to God;
  • and he recognizes his need for God’s mercy.

Sometimes we presume things that allow us to affirm that we are “good enough”: we make it to church, we are kind to others, we are charitable and give to the poor, we are better than a lot of other people so we will make it to heaven. But we are all flawed and need to grow in a multitude of ways. Recognizing that reality and our lack of progress can be disappointing – kind of like Michelson and Morley searching for the ether – but what looks to us like a bad result is often God’s undiscovered mercy and grace.

The good news is that Jesus redeemed us from our sinfulness, revealing God’s mercy and inviting us to grow. There is no spiritual contraption like Michelson and Morley’s  to measure whether we’ve crossed the special threshold of “good enough.” For us, holiness is a lifelong relationship with our living God. And in that relationship we admit our faults and open ourselves to new ways of receiving God’s mercy.

My friends, presuming that we are good enough negatively impacts our encounters – both individually and communally – with God’s mercy. We do not do this alone. We are in the race together, urging one another on through word and example. Just like Michelson and Morley needed the scientific community to open their eyes to their contribution, we too need our community of faith to open our eyes to new possibilities in grace. Because, no matter what our effort, it is always overshadowed and outdone by God’s lavish mercy and love. It is revealed in God’s Spirit, who sets the pace for us to run this holy race and get to the finish line at the end.