Awesome became a noun

The word awesome first appears in print in 1598 in England. Its meaning originally held a sense of amazement, possibly with fear and trembling.  If we fast forward to the 20th century and scoot across the pond to our fine shores, it came to mean anything praiseworthy.  Perhaps you think of an excellent wave for surfing, or a green light when you need it.  Perhaps a little voice inside your head tacks on the word 'dude.'  For those of you who like your language firm and unchanging I have some hard news.  Awesome is now also a noun. Awesome is an essence of helpfulness, service, and positivity.  Think of the 'kid president' urging us to ‘create something that will make the world more awesome.’ (I know that isn’t using awesome as a noun, but anyways).  In the 21st century you can be full of awesome.

In our parable today we have this awesome Pharisee. We know he is awesome because his sign tells us so. (A volunteer is holding a sign that says 'I am Awesome'.)  Just for a moment let us consider a common misunderstanding.  This Pharisee is not a storm trooper or a dementor.  He is a foil, but he is not a bad guy.  By the standards and letter of the law, he is very very good.  Praiseworthy.  Evoking awe and possibly fear.  Awesome. 

We need to be careful with how we approach this Pharisee.  The inter-family squabble of Gospel times could not predict the genocides that such portrayals might support.  We also must be careful because there is a lot of Pharisee in all of us.  We want to be honest and faithful, and we want to be safe and free from harm.  Are the motivations of a nameless Pharisee that different?  Is there anyway for us to know?  The motivation for safety and surety in this life and the next is very basic, normal and human.  Following the prescribed directives of the leaders we trust is also, a normal way of living.  We, like many of the biblical characters, protagonists and antagonists, we believe, or we want to believe, that if we color inside the lines all will be well.  It is a simple answer that may not be awesome enough (the fear and trembling type of awesome) for a just life. 

Our tax collector only complicates things further.  This a cardboard-cutout-outcast in an imperial uniform.  He could be an awful brutal fellow, or just a man trying to put food on the table.  Regardless, he is by all standards of Temple era Judaism, not awesome. Nothing in the commonly known traits of tax collectors suggests compassion or devotion to the common good.  Yet his character is so thin… that we know nothing about him. Maybe he was an awful man, and maybe at the end of the day he was overwhelmed with guilt.   Or maybe he was the best tax collector ever.  We don’t know.  We only know that he didn't shout about his goodness, he has no conviction of any personal awesomeness.  We only know that in this brief moment, he is full of humility and devotion.  As the amazing author says, what you think about a person may not be how they actually are. 

The Pharisee could be pretty darn awesome.  Except that his loud prayer declaring how awesome he is, sort of lets the air out of that notion.  It has been said that Francis of Assisi is the most admired and least followed saint.  So much so that some of the outrageousness of his ministry might resemble that notion.  (There is a lacking of humility in walking about town in your birthday suit and preaching to the animals). However, this confusion isn't reserved for the highly regarded; the tension between loud and soft, service and proclamation remains with most of us everyday.  We rarely have simple answers to complex questions such as righteousness and awesomeness.  However one of the most well known phrases from the Franciscan tradition may help us out of this awesome mess.  Proclaim the gospel at all times; if necessary, use words. 

The awesome part of awesome is not needing to shout about it. It is being awesome by thankfulness and generosity; compassion and steadfast service.  It is also using both your actions and your words (as needed) as agents of Christ’s love and compassion.  There once was a man who said such awesome things and did such awesome things that people followed him.  Go forth and do likewise. 

Children's Sermon (and then some)

St. Paul's Episcopal Church

Walla Walla, Washington

October 27, 2013