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Walter Hobgood
Sermons for 2010
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Proper 18 – Year C
September 5, 2010
In
the name of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, Amen.
Have you ever considered how often you have made choices during your
life and how those decisions have impacted your life? And the life of
others?
This past week¸ I had an occasion to consider these questions and to
ponder the answers.
What prompted this were two things:
-
The first was the experience of two of my
employees that participated in a program called “Choices”, and
-
The second was today’s scripture lessons which I
will touch on a bit later.
For
those of you that are not familiar with the “Choices” program, let me
tell you a bit about it. Several years ago¸ a teacher in the city
school system came to the Chamber of Commerce with an idea and a passion
to help students that were making bad choices in their lives. These
students have the ability to learn, but for reasons known only to them,
they were not progressing academically and their behavior was preventing
others from learning. From this idea came a program sponsored by the
Chamber of Commerce and manned by volunteer employees of businesses and
organizations in the community. These volunteers go into the local
schools to speak to students about the choices they make as students and
the consequences of their choices. Many of the volunteers share their
personal stories, of choices they made, good and bad and the
consequences of both. Most importantly they stress that the choices
students make today will impact their future and the future of their
family and friends for the next 10 or 20 years or even a lifetime. The
two employees that volunteered were amazed by the lack of awareness the
students have regarding the consequences of their decisions and actions,
the lack of caring and in some cases the lack of hope. Both employees
came back somewhat discouraged and frustrated, but also realized that if
all they did was touch one child, if they made a difference in the life
of one person, their effort was worthwhile.
Now, if they were discouraged and frustrated with this situation, I can
only imagine how discouraged and frustrated Jeremiah, from our first
scripture reading must have been as a prophet. Jeremiah was
commissioned by God to prophesy to the people of Jerusalem and Judah.
He warned them to turn from greed and idolatry and back to God and
he told them what would happen if they didn’t. He also told them that
if they changed their ways and turned back to God they would be forgiven
by God. He essentially said to them, “God has given you a Choice”.
Jeremiah, who served as a prophet longer than any other prophet in
recorded history, lived long enough to see that the people of Jerusalem
did not make the right choices. Their actions and behavior eventually
lead to the defeat of Jerusalem, the destruction of the Temple and their
being taken into captivity where they remained for generations.
In
Paul’s Letter to Philemon we see yet another example of God’s people
being given a choice. Paul asks and encourages Philemon to forgive
Onesimus, whom we are lead to believe is a runaway slave that was
converted to Christianity by Paul while Paul was in prison. He calls on
Philemon to treat Onesimus as a “brother in Christ”¸to extend God’s
Grace and Love to Onesimus, just as God extended Grace and Love through
Jesus’ ministry to all that will believe in him.
Philemon, under Roman law, was entitled to punish Onesimus, including a
penalty of death. In the Greco/Roman culture of the day¸ Paul ¸because
of his standing in the Church community and because he had brought
Philemon to Christ, had the authority to order Philemon not to punish
Onesimus. But Paul chose to persuade and encourage Philemon to make the
right choice.
Not
only was Paul teaching Philemon, but because the letter was also
addressed to the church that met in Philemon’s home, he was teaching the
entire congregation to extend Grace and Love to their fellow Christians,
rather than simply following what tradition and culture had taught them
to do.
In
this scripture lesson, Paul, has chosen to trust God. By taking in
Onesimus¸ he also violated the law by harboring a slave. Yet, Paul
chose to act, not in accordance to the law, but in accordance to what
God would have him do for a fellow Christian. In effect he was modeling
the behavior he was asking Philemon and the church to follow.
Now you know, and I know, that doing things that are different
from local “tradition” and different from “unwritten rules” can be
dangerous at worst and uncomfortable at best.
A new priest that wants to make changes in the way “things are
done” can risk his or her job at worst or alienate part of his
congregation at best.
Someone who voices a different opinion may be excluded from a
group or ridiculed in public.
Someone that is confronted by a stranger in church may feel
ill at ease and try to avoid any contact or conversation
A student who tries to do the right thing could be seriously
harmed if they don’t follow the rules of a local gang or fails to follow
the orders of the gang leader.
In other words, we and others are confronted by difficult
situations each day of our lives. These situations demand that we make a
choice. And our choices influence our lives and the lives of others for
years to come.
The first two scripture lessons clearly establish the benefits
of making the right decisions; the benefits of putting aside our desire
for material possessions and power; and, ignoring our modern day culture
which tends to glamorize the lives of the powerful, the rich and the
famous.
While the first two lessons establish why our decisions are
important, the Gospel lesson from Luke, instructs us on how to consider
the choices we have to make. Jesus tells us how to become a follower or
disciple of Christ. Now some of the verses in the Gospel can be
confusing and are sometimes taken out of context. In the Greco/Roman
world of the day it was customary to overstate things in order to make a
point. Keeping this in mind, Jesus is not saying that you must
literally hate your parents in order to follow Christ. Rather if we
look at the same verse in Matthew we find that it means you should love
Jesus more than you love your parents, your brothers and sisters,
friends and life itself. When Jesus says you must take up your cross he
is saying you must understand and live with the consequences of your
choices and actions. When he says you cannot become one of his
disciples without giving up all your possessions, he is saying that you
should prioritize what is important and use your possessions and gifts
to serve God. When we have choices to make we should make sure God is
part of the solution and not just part of the solution but he most
important part of the solution.
Today’s lessons left me with a number of questions in need of
answers. I don’t presume to think that my answers will be the same as
your answers, but I will share them with you for your consideration.
-
My first question
is: Who are today’s prophets and disciples? I don’t see them in our
secular world or on the internet or on TV. It seems to me that just
as God called Jeremiah, and Jesus called Paul, you and I, are called
by God to be disciples within our church; to our community; and to
our nation and our world. Just as Jesus reached out in Grace and
Love to those that were less fortunate and different, so we are
called to reach out to those in our community that are less
fortunate; we are called to welcome the stranger next to us in the
pew on Sunday; and we are called to minister to those beyond the
four walls of our church. So my answer is we are the modern day
disciples.
-
My second question
is: How do we become modern day disciples? For me, Paul’s ministry
is a great ministry to learn from. Not only does he give us
direction in his Letters to the early church leaders on what and how
to go about being a disciple, but he shows us through his actions.
He showed how Jesus extended love, and forgiveness and grace to all
that would turn to God. He reached out to the poor and less
fortunate. He reached out to slaves and slave owners. Paul put God
and the teachings of Jesus Christ, first in his life. By doing this
he was empowered to an extraordinary ministry. The choices he made
influenced his life, which influenced the lives of those he
ministered to, and influenced the early church leaders and continues
to influence our lives today. We have been called to do the same
thing.
We live in a secular world, where information is available
around the clock and in real time. We have our Blackberries, I-Phones,
I-Pad, and personal computers that keep us in constant contact with what
is going on at all times. It is an era where it is easy for the needs
of individuals to go unseen and unnoticed and uncared for. Yet we are
often confronted by the needs of these individuals that are less
fortunate and different. We are not always at ease in their presence
and find it hard to approach them. When this happens, we have a choice
to make. We can ignore them and their needs; Or, by putting Jesus first
and ahead of our personal needs, fears and desires¸ we too will be lead
to right decisions and will be empowered to minister to those in our
church and beyond. We will be granted the wisdom and courage to do
God’s will. We, like Paul, are called to put our trust in God!
When I read the first verse of today’s Psalm I was comforted
and reassured. It goes like this: “Lord¸ you have searched me out and
known me; you know my sitting down and my rising up; you discern my
thoughts from afar”.
Remember as you make your choices in life – God¸ Father, Son
and Holy Spirit are with you now and always. Amen.
August 8, 2010,
Proper 14, Year C
In the name of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, Amen.
Does your mind ever wander? You know, you might be thinking about one
thing and all of a sudden you realize your mind has wandered off on
another, totally unrelated subject. Maybe it’s my age or my inability
to multitask as efficiently as others, but I seem to experience this far
to often. Some may call this daydreaming.
Perhaps some of you know scientifically why this happens. For me it seem
to happen when someone interrupts a conversation or thought process with
something that is totally unrelated and then hours, maybe even days,
later it pops back up and interrupting whatever I am thinking about.
I have an example from Thursday morning of this past week. I was at
work, trying to get a few things done, before we made a quick trip to
see a client. It had already been a very busy morning and we were
running a bit late for our appointment. Just before my associate and I
left, I checked my e-mail to see if there was anything I could take care
of by phone as we drove. And there was an e-mail from Molly, letting me
know that there would be a baptism at the 9:30 service this morning.
As I was driving; we discussed a wide range of topics including what we
wanted to accomplish during our appointment. But somewhere along the
way, my mind started to wander. Was Molly trying to tell me to preach
about baptism on Sunday? Or was she trying to tell me to make my sermon
shorter than usual because we have a baptism?
While I was pondering these questions (which I have yet to answer) my
mind started to wander again with memories of baptisms that I have
experienced over a life time.
Now baptisms in the Episcopal Church are all very similar. Most
Episcopal churches have a baptismal font similar to ours, some larger
and some smaller. Whether you are in Australia or Singapore or Missouri
or Louisiana or Georgia, Anglican and Episcopal churches experience
baptisms in a very similar manner with similar traditions and similar
liturgies. Earlier in the week, one of my employees (who is not an
Episcopalian) shared with me pictures of her children being baptized via
full emersion in a small pool located inside of their church. While, I
am aware of some Episcopal Churches that practice full emersion, this is
clearly the exception rather than the rule. While these images were
racing through my head, I recalled the first time I saw a baptism that
involved full emersion.
I was no more than 12 or 13 years old and it must have been on a
Saturday (I wasn’t in church and it was a weekend, so it had to be a
Saturday). A good friend and I were riding our horses on the top of the
levee along the Mississippi river. As we were riding we saw the entire
congregation of an African American church standing waste deep in the
river. As we watched they baptized several children and adults in the
river, just as Jesus was baptized in the River Jordan. They were
singing songs of praise and shouting prayers. As we watched, we were
somewhat mesmerized as neither of us had seen or experienced a baptism
outside of a church, much less one involving full emersion. What I can
tell you, looking back on the event, is that this was a holy moment, not
only for those that were being baptized, but for those participating
with and supporting the newly baptized, and, yes, for the two us that
were observing.
Little did I know that years later I would be reading about debates
within the Church, that have continued for a couple of thousand years
for and against full emersion, for and against various liturgies, for
and against infant baptism, for and against levels of instruction before
baptism, and the list could go on.
Well, I soon snapped back to the moment just in time to see a farm truck
pulling out in front of me as I was rounding a curve. I didn’t think
about Molly’s note again until I was preparing for this sermon.
As we read the OT lesson from Isaiah today, it seems that God is saying
to the people of Jerusalem, that he no longer wants to see and hear the
sacrifices and rituals dutifully carried out in the temples. God is so
angry that He refuses to hear the prayers of the people. Can we
interpret this as an argument against rituals, sacraments, liturgies and
traditions practiced in synagogues and churches? Then and now?
If we stop reading the scripture lesson at this point, it would be easy
to come to the conclusion that God is opposed to all rituals and
liturgies of any sort.
However, God goes on to say: “Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean;
remove the evil of your doings from before my eyes; cease to do evil,
learn to do good; seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan,
plead for the widow.”
To put this into the context of the times: God’s people were dutifully
practicing the rituals and sacrifices and praying as prescribed, but
they were not doing the other things that God said they should do. They
were not on the side of the oppressed; they were not defending the
orphan and pleading for the widow. They were filled with greed. They
were entering the temple and praying to God, because it was what was
expected of them as part of their social and secular lives, not because
God was truly at the center of their live -- and God knew it. And then,
God goes on to say: “if you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the
good of the land.”
While much of the OT is filled with stories of a vengeful and wrathful
God, I am always comforted that most of the stories tend to close with
God telling us how to avoid death and destruction. Listen to God’s
words: “If you are willing and obedient”; “if you cease to do evil”; “if
you learn to do good”; “if you rescue the oppressed”; “if you defend the
orphan”; and “if you plead for the widow”.
From this perspective it does not appear that God is saying not to have
traditions and liturgies. After all, this is one of the ways we come
before God, to worship and praise God, to give thanks to God and to ask
for God’s forgiveness for our sins. Rather, God is asking us to lead a
life of service to others in addition to our traditions and liturgies.
Doing God’s will involves shifting our focus from ourselves to others:
sharing our time, talents and resources (all of which are provide by
God) with those that are less fortunate -- in our families, in our
churches, in our communities and in our world.
Doing this day in and day out is not easy or simple. We are all tempted
by greed and sin in some way each day of our lives. But the good news
for us is that God demonstrated unconditional Divine Love for all of us
by sending Jesus Christ to die for our sins and through his life and
ministry provided us with an example of the type of life he wants us to
live.
God also gave us the freedom to choose which path we will follow.
Choosing to honor God and follow a life in Christ, is not easy, and
requires Faith. And as we hear in the both the Epistle and the Gospel
readings today, Faith is rewarded in a heavenly home. Faith is needed
to resist temptation and to serve others. Faith is needed to have the
courage and wisdom that only God can provide for us to resist the
temptations of our secular, contemporary world where power and wealth
are valued above all else.
It is less important what our liturgy and traditions look like, and more
important that we, in Faith and in the presence of God, lead our lives
according to God’s will and continue to worship with our liturgies and
traditions.
In most Christian churches, our lives in Christ begin with the sacrament
of Baptism.
In the Episcopal Church, we are accepted into the body of Christ, the
church, when we are baptized. For some, we commit for the first time to
live their lives in accordance to God’s will – to allow God into our
lives and in so doing commit to resist temptation and to love and serve
others.
But we do much more than this in our liturgy.
We, individually and collectively, declare our support for those being
baptized and, at the same time, we renew our baptismal vows; we renew
our commitment to live our lives in Christ; we renew our commitments to
extend our love to our neighbor and to share our talents, time and
resources to serve all those in need.
It is our way of standing in the waters of the river Jordan, together,
as a family in Christ, supporting the newly baptized and renewing our
own baptismal vows. It is a holy moment that we experience
together.
“Let your loving-kindness, O LORD, be upon us,* as we have put our trust
in you.” Amen. --- Psalm 33:22
5th Sunday of Easter
Year C
May 2, 2010
In
the name of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, Amen.
As
some of you know, I grew up on a farm. So when I finished graduate
school with a degree in Agricultural Economics and accepted a job as a
sales representative for the Ag Division of Monsanto, I was prepared and
knew what to expect. As my career progressed, one promotion after
another, it was relatively easy for me to understand technology and to
apply my knowledge of farming and of farmers to my job. I was a leader
among my peer group and an up and coming manager in a large corporation.
Along the way I think I mentioned I would love to have an overseas
assignment. In fact I mentioned it often. In my mind this meant an
assignment in Europe. And then I was thrown a curve ball and along came
Singapore. I rushed home to tell Gail. We had to take out a map to
find out where it was. We had no idea that it was 90 miles from the
equator at the tip of Malaysia.
A
few months later, Gail and I left the U.S. together with a 4 year old
daughter and 3 month old son on what we thought would be a two year
adventure. We were excited about the prospect of living abroad while
somewhat apprehensive of the unknown as it related to living conditions,
schools, churches and doctors.
As
I met my peers I found that they were accomplished managers from a wide
variety of countries, many spoke several languages, and all were experts
in their own rights. I gradually realized that there was a lot I did
not know. This was yet another curve ball that I did not see coming.
Assumptions about products, customers, markets, competitors, and people
in general that I could make in the U.S. simply did not apply to any of
the countries that we were doing business in. There were times when I
was at a complete loss.
After the first year, I got to the point that I felt I could say: “I
know what I know” – which wasn’t much and the more I learned the more I
knew I didn’t know.
Then another reality set in: I realized that there was something else
out there and this is called – “I don’t know what I don’t know”. Even
today, a bit older and wiser, I realize that “what I don’t know that I
don’t know” is really big and getting bigger.
As
I think about today’s reading from Acts, I can imagine how Peter felt
when he was told by God to go to the home of a Gentile who was
uncircumcised and “an unclean person” – and to kill and eat “unclean
food”.
For hundreds of years, Jews did not associate with gentiles. Gentiles
were the lowest of the low – the outcasts of Jewish society – some would
have said they were the outcasts of humanity. Clearly this was an issue
for Peter and an even bigger issue for the believers in Jerusalem.
They could not understand why Peter would go to met with uncircumcised
men and eat with them. Many felt that in order to become a believer and
follow Christ one must first become a Jew.
Had Peter and the believers in Jerusalem just been thrown a curve ball
by God? Their assumptions of what is right and wrong and what is clean
and unclean were thrown into question. What they had been taught as
good and faithful Jews was no longer true.
Fortunately for us, Peter knew that he could trust God and that God
would not lead him astray.
God said to Peter: “What God has made clean, you must not call
profane”. In saying this, God eliminated all of the Jewish customs and
rules having to do with food and what can be eaten. He also made clear
that Peter should not distinguish between gentiles and Jews, between
those that are circumcised and those that are not. Said differently,
God is saying to Peter – and to us – that all of humanity – rich and
poor; male and female; black, white, yellow and red; European, Asian,
African; and those who speak different languages and have different
cultures and customs – are all God’s creation and are not to be
distinguished.
As
Peter explains his actions to those that questioned him – they are
silenced when they learn the Holy Spirit came upon the gentiles, just as
it came upon them as they accepted Christ into their lives.
As
we go from Acts to Revelation we build on our knowledge of what it means
to accept Christ into our lives. We hear John in Revelations saying “I
saw a new heaven and new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth
had passed away and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, the
New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride
adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne:
See, the home of God is among mortals, He will dwell with them as their
God; they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them.”
One thing that distinguishes Christianity from other religions is our
belief in an ever present living God. Our God is not just a God that is
written about in the Scriptures, but a God that came among humans and
lived and died as a human and still exists among us as the Holy Spirit.
Now in the time of the early church this was a novel concept. It was
not expected based on history and what people knew. It was yet another
curve ball thrown by God. It stretched the boundaries of how we relate
to and understand God in our lives.
In
this Revelation to John, God does not say to John that the home of God
is solely among Jews, rather he said the home of God is among mortals –
among all of humanity. Once again, God is implying that we should not
distinguish among mortals, those that are different from you and me.
In
the Gospel reading today Jesus throws the disciples another curve ball
by saying: “Little children, I am with you only a little longer. You
will look for me; and as I said to the Jews so now I say to you, ‘Where
I am going, you cannot come.’ I give you a new commandment, that you
love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one
another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you
have love for one another.” Now if you will remember at the time of
Christ, most Jews were expecting the Messiah to come, but not from the
poor side of town and surely he would not be the son of a poor
carpenter. And why would he leave us in the prime of life? Right up to
the last, his disciples did not fully understand what Jesus was saying
to them.
While I use to think of my life’s journey as my life in Christ, I have
come to think of it as my life’s journey with a Living, Loving God – a
God that I get a glimpse of through the life and ministry of Jesus
Christ and have access to through the Holy Spirit. God has been with me
on my journey and loved me every step along the way.
I
have also come to realize that it is impossible for us to know all there
is to know about God. A large part of who God is falls into the
category of “what we don’t know that we don’t know”.
God, ever present, ever loving, continues to reveal the mysteries of God
and life to us through scripture, through prayer, and through revelation
by the Holy Spirit.
When God throws you or us as a Christian community a curve ball, put
your trust in God the way Peter did. And remember, along the way, to
love others as God has loved you.
In
his Holy Name -- Amen.
3rd
Sunday in Lent
March 7, 2010
In the name of God,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit, Amen.
“The Lord be with You” – 8:00 “And with thy
spirit” -- 9:30/11:30 _”And also with you”
A few years ago, I was asked to provide the
blessing at a breakfast meeting for the Chamber of Commerce. And I
began the blessing with these familiar words: “The Lord Be with You”.
As soon as I said it, I saw these bewildered looks on a large number
people sitting at the front tables and realized then and there that
there may not be a response. Fortunately, there were a number of
Episcopalians and Roman Catholics in the room that shouted out: “And
also with you”
After the meeting one of my very good Roman
Catholic friends came up to me and thanked me for opening the blessing
in this way. And then said,” But you know you can’t do that when you
are in a room full of Baptists.”
As far back as I can remember, I have participated
in church services where we began prayer with this familiar phrase and
response.
Although the words may vary a bit, this phrase, or
something very similar, is used in every Episcopal Church throughout the
U.S. every Sunday. It is also used in every Anglican and Roman Catholic
Church, worldwide.
In our tradition, we are as familiar and as
comfortable greeting each other with these words as we are with simply
saying – Good Morning or How are you today?
These are warm, welcoming, caring words. They are
familiar words. They are part of our liturgical tradition and part of
who we are.
However, this morning I would like for you to think
how the meaning of this phrase changes when we change one simple word.
Let’s change the word “be” to “is”. So instead of saying “The Lord Be
with You” we say “The Lord Is with You”. We
go from a greeting, or a prayer or a request to an assertion or
statement of belief. It becomes a statement that describes God’s
relationship with each of us. It is also one of the themes in all of
the scripture readings today.
In our first reading from Exodus, we heard the
familiar story of Moses and the Burning Bush, where Moses is speaking
with God. And God says, “So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to
bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.” But Moses said to God,
“who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of
Egypt?” And God said, “I will be with you”
In the New Testament readings we have similar
messages, but first each is accompanied by a warning.
In Paul’s letter to the Corinthians, he warns us
of the temptations we face as humans. Corinth, at the time, was a
thriving, city known for its diversity, culture, commerce, paganism,
immorality and great wealth. Paul had founded the church in Corinth and
had been informed of factions in the church, elitism, conflict over
spiritual gifts, sexual immorality, heresy and other unacceptable
behavior. Paul uses OT scripture to make his point. In the scripture, we
hear of dire consequences that were suffered by the Israelites that were
lead out of Egypt for allowing themselves to be tempted by and entering
into a life of idolatry.
Paul goes on to warn the Corinthians about the
dangers of temptation, none of which is new, just the same temptations
that have tempted humankind before and will continue to tempt humankind
well into the future. You see Paul was a pretty smart guy when he
implied there is no such thing as a new act of sin by human kind just
old acts of sin that are constantly repeated by each generation of
humans.
The good news is that Paul goes on to say, “God is
faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But
when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can
stand up under it”. What Paul does not say, but does imply, is that we
have to allow God into our lives in order to recognize God’s helping
hand when and how it is offered. Said
differently, “The Lord Is with You”, but you have to look and listen for
his presence.
In today’s Gospel According the Luke, we hear
Jesus ask, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than
all the other Galileans because they suffered this way?” and “Or those
eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them – do you think
they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem?” In both
cases Jesus responds, “I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too
will all perish.”
Jesus is saying that the people that died were not
being punished by God because they were more guilty than others.
He is saying that all humans are
tempted and all humans do sinful things and we need to turn to God for
everlasting life.
In the parable of the fig tree, Jesus tells us
that God is our judge and those that turn from sin and death to God thru
Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit will be saved.
These scripture readings give us a glimpse of what
God is really like. However, try as we may, we do not know God
entirely. For Christians, the life and ministry of Jesus Christ,
provides us with the best insight into what God is like. And it is
through Jesus’ life, death, resurrection and ministry and the presence
of the Holy Spirit that we developed the Christian view of a living,
triune God. What makes this so powerful for Christians is that God is
not some being that appeared only in ancient times. Rather, God was
with us at creation. And God so loved us that he came to us in the form
of Jesus Christ and lived among us and ministered to us and gave us hope
and promise of everlasting life And God still dwells among us today as
the Holy Spirit.
God, our living, loving, caring, forgiving,
creating, all powerful God has been and always will be with us.
And what a wonderful feeling it is to know that I
can ask for forgiveness, and God will listen. That I can ask for help
and that God will be there to help me.
The challenge that I have and that most humans
have is listening and looking for God’s presence in our world and in our
lives. Putting aside my independent nature and inviting God in to be a
part of my life.
Which brings me back to Paul’s letter to the
Corinthians: “God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond
what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way
out so that you can stand up under it”. I think we can add to this,
that when we have been sinful, God not only provides a way, but, God is
the way
God has revealed himself to us through the
prophets of the Old Testament, through the life and ministry of Jesus
Christ and through the constant presence of the Holy Spirit.
Christians have for centuries attempted to define
who God is. And there are many different views, all based on
scripture. Despite these differences, the work of theologians has given
us insight into God’s loving presence. With each century that passes,
with each generation of Christians, we expand our insight into God. As
we grow in knowledge, so does our view of God. I think I said in a
sermon a few months ago, that we need to remember that God created us.
We did not create God. It is not possible for us to know all there is
about God and how God works in our lives and the world around us
Try as we may, there is no language and no words,
that accurately, precisely and completely describes or defines God. Yet
I believe that God wants us to continue to expand our knowledge,
becoming more aware of all the ways God provides for us.
Each year during Lent we relive and celebrate the
life, death, resurrection and ministry of Jesus Christ. In doing so we
have an opportunity to renew and expand our knowledge and experience of
God in our lives. Not just as individuals on our personal journey, but
as a community of Christians sharing and caring for each other and the
world around us.
If you haven’t already, I encourage you to make an
effort this Lenten Season to get closer to God by incorporating
something new into your daily or weekly routine – perhaps by reading
scripture or daily prayers or doing something for those in need or
simply setting aside some quite time to reflect on God’s presence in
your life and the lives of those around you.
And remember: “The Lord Is With You Now and
Always”
In His Holy Name -- Amen
5th Sunday
after Epiphany
7 February 2010
It was summer of 1964,
one Saturday afternoon. I had spent most of the day riding horses. Not
one but several, starting early in the morning. My job for the summer
was to “green break” about a dozen horses that my father owned. They
ranged in age from 2 to 4 years old. None of them had ever had a saddle
on them. As a 16 year old that had grown up on a farm and riding horses
from an early age, this was fun! But it was Saturday afternoon and I
was looking forward to going to the river to go skiing with my high
school buddies. I knew that they had been at the river most of the day
already, so I was ready to go. I heard the phone ring and my mother
called out to me to say I had a phone call. Much to my surprise, it was
Mr. R.S. Ewing. Mr. R.S. was the only licensed lay reader at St.
Stephen’s Episcopal Church. Mr. R. S. did not sound well. He had the
flu. As he explained to me that afternoon the members of St. Stephens
would be arriving at church the next morning expecting a Morning Prayer
service. Since we did not have a priest at the time, and did not have a
supply priest and there were no other lay readers in the congregation we
need to go to Plan C or D. Little did I know that I was plan C and D.
My first response was silence. Then in a very weak voice I said: “I
can’t conduct Morning Prayer. I’m not a lay reader.” He proceeded to
explain to me that I could (and would). He reminded me that I was the
longest serving acolyte and that I had been training acolytes for
several years; that I had assisted at Morning Prayer and Holy Communion
and knew what to do; that I had done public speaking and this would be
no different. So I finally relented and said, “OK, but I can’t do the
sermon.” He then pointed out to me that I would not have to write the
sermon, he would provide the sermon all I had to do was read it. Now
in the early stages of panic, all I could think was: “Why me Lord?
There must be some kind of mistake.”
Little did I realize
that this was not a call from Mr. R. S. Ewing, our Lay reader, but a
call from God. As it turns out it was the first of many.
What I am sure of, is
that my story is not unique. You see we all have gifts, or talents, or
resources; and, God calls upon each of us to use those talents in
special ways.
All we have to do is
look at today’s reading.
When we take a look at
the first reading from Isaiah, we see Isaiah in the presence of the
Lord, surrounded by Seraphs, trying to understand how he, “a man of
unclean lips¸ that lives among people of unclean lips could be in the
presence of the Lord”. Yet, God cleanses him of his sins and calls him
to do God’s will. When the Lord asked, “Who will I sent?”, Isaiah
responds, “Here am I, send me!”
And then in the Gospel
reading from Luke we hear a familiar story of how Jesus instructs Simon
Peter to put down their nets after not catching any fish, only to fill
their boat with fish. When Peter realizes what is happening he falls
before Jesus saying: “Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!”
Then Jesus says to Peter: “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be
catching people.” When they brought their boats to shore, they left
everything and followed him.
There are a couple of
themes that run through these two readings:
We see God and Jesus
calling people to serve. These are people that felt they were unworthy
to be in the presence of God; they were not expecting to be called and
had to be convince; but that were willing to serve.
Some things don’t change
do they?
It is clear that God
continues to call us, in our time, in our century, in our culture, just
as the prophets and apostles of the Old and New Testaments were called
in their time, in their century and in their culture.
Yet the world that God
calls us to serve is a world that has change and will continue to
change. The world has never been static. Think about it for a moment.
Almost every story in the Bible, Old Testament or New Testament, is a
story about change. After all, God sent Christ, and Christ commissioned
the apostles, not to prevent the world from changing, but to change the
world. He continues to call on all of humanity, not just Christians, to
use our talents to serve the world that was and continues to be created
by God.
Guided by the Holy
Spirit, we recently elected and consecrated Scott Benhase to be the 10th
Bishop of Georgia. Members of our church and the other churches in the
Diocese said they wanted someone that would be a “game changer”; someone
that would lead us into the future; someone that would respect our
traditions, yet challenge us to respond to God’s calls, even when we are
being called to be a catalyst for change. Clearly our new Bishop, like
Isaiah, heard the Lord asking, “Whom shall I send?” and responded “Here
am I Lord, send me!”
Not all of us are called
to be a Bishop, or a priest or a 16 year old substitute lay reader. Yet
we are all called. God calls us in many ways, to do many things
according to our gifts, talents and resources, all of which are provided
by God. Despite our sinfulness, despite our perceived short comings we
are called to serve. Over the years, I have learned that God has never
asked me to do something I could not do, even though I may have thought
I couldn’t. I am reminded of what Paul said in his 1st
Letter to the Corinthians (today’s Epistle reading), “it is not I, by
the grace of God that is with me. I know that God will be with me, that
I am not alone. I have also learned that the calls are rarely what I
expected. Most of my calls have been at the edge of my comfort zone,
which have involved an element of change, such that I am tempted to ask:
“Why me Lord? Are you sure Lord?” And I am learning how to say: “Here
am I Lord, send me!”
In our secular world,
where we are bombarded by news of natural disasters, greed, power, ego,
it is tempting to say – “not my problem” or “I can’t do anything about
that”.
Yet I am encouraged by
the resilience of people in the face of disaster or in the face of
personal hardship and the willing of people of faith to say, “Here am I
Lord, send me!” Of the willingness of people to give of their time and
resources to assist others that are less fortunate.
In closing I would like
to point out the many ministries (or opportunities to serve) in Christ
Church. I was amazed when I saw this brochure that lists all of the
active ministries where people in our church community have said “here
am I Lord, send me”.
There are two ministries
I would like to lift up. First, today is “Undie Sunday”. This is an
outreach program to collect socks and underwear for the children of
woman that are the victims of abuse and are being served by the Haven.
The second is the relief effort underway to support the people of
Haiti. Did you know that Haiti is one of the largest Episcopal
Dioceses? Please consider a donation to the Episcopal Relief and
Development Fund. Inevitably, it is people of faith that lead the
recovery effort in the face of natural disasters and personal suffering
with effective, on the ground aid and assistance. I ask you to consider
these opportunities to serve, along with the many ministries in our
community and say: “Here am I Lord, send me.”
Luke 2:41-52
Jan 3, 2010
2nd Sunday after Christmas
One night
about 15 years ago, when we were living in St. Louis, we received a
phone call from, Greg, the 14 year old middle son of our good friends
from Louisiana. He was alone and scared at the airport in St. Louis but
realized that we also lived nearby. As we were leaving to meet Greg at
the airport we got a call from his parents, in a panic, from a truck
stop in Illinois.
They had
flown to St. Louis, with their three sons, to meet with good friends at
the airport, and then drive to northern Illinois to go skiing. When
they went to pick up their rental car, they thought Greg had gone with
their friends to their car. Their friends, whose car was in the parking
garage, thought Greg had gone with his parents. About three hours
later, they stopped at a truck stop to get gas and use the restroom.
Can you imagine their reaction when they discovered that Greg was not in
either car? Fortunately they had phones and friends that could help.
In our
Gospel reading today we have a similar story, except that instead of 3
hours to find and resolve the issue it took Mary and Joseph 3 days. So
we might ask, “Why did it take so long for Mary and Joseph to realize
Jesus was not with them and then to find him?” Part of the answer is
that the Gospel story today occurred over 2000 years ago, in a different
time and different place and in a different culture. We see Joseph and
Mary travelling with extended family and friends, just as we might do on
a vacation. However, they were travelling on foot and it would have
been normal for a 12 year old to be with his friends and relatives,
somewhere near, but off from the adults, while the adults walked
together. After all, how many 12 year olds, do you know that want to be
seen walking with their parents in public? Can you imagine what
frame of mind you would be in after 3 days of walking and searching for
your missing son?
As a
parent, it is not hard to imagine how Mary and Joseph felt. Their God
given, but human, parental instincts to care for and protect their child
kicked in, just as ours would if we were in a similar position.
Because
of this strong instinct to protect our children, it is natural that we
would be drawn to this part of the story first.
However,
none of us needs a Bible story to illustrate how we might feel if we
find that one of our children is missing. Therefore, it is safe to say
that the author had something else in mind when writing this passage.
In the
past couple of weeks we celebrated the birth of Jesus and in a few
months we will celebrate his death, resurrection and ascension.
Have you
ever wondered what happened to Jesus from the time he was born until the
time his ministry started at about age 30? It seems that there is this
great void, almost as if he went from a baby to a fully grown, mature
man over night.
There is
very little written in the Bible about this time of his life and we
don’t have anything during our liturgical year to celebrate events in
his life as a child or as a teenager. Today’s Gospel reading from Luke
is the only passage found in any of the Gospel writings that gives us
any insight into Jesus the boy.
Just as
each of us is on a journey through life that is fuller and richer when
we allow God to enter into our lives and be a part of our journey, so we
see Jesus, for the first time on His journey, albeit only one small
snippet of His journey. This passage in Luke represents a transition
from the birth story to Jesus’ full ministry.
It gives
us some insight into the human home, community and culture that he grew
up in and how he was drawn to learn and practice the Jewish faith at a
very early age.
The fact
that Joseph and Mary were on this annual pilgrimage, tells us that Jesus
was brought up in a household that faithfully adhered to Jewish faith,
custom and law. This annual pilgrimage was no small task and required a
significant commitment on the part of faithful Jews. Can you imagine,
walking from Valdosta to Albany, or to Waycross or to Cordele, and then
back home? And then doing it every year? At best you might be able to
walk 15 or 20 miles a day. These annual pilgrimages, 2000 years ago,
were major undertaking and would have had a significant formative impact
on a 12 year old.
Accompanying Mary and Joseph and Jesus on these pilgrimages were their
extended family and a community of other believers. As believers their
lives included a personal relationship with God, a family unit with God
at the head, and a community with God at the head.
Growing
up in a strict Jewish home and participating in their annual pilgrimage,
it is no wonder that Jesus’ was drawn to the Temple, even at a
relatively early age.
Certainly
an important part of this story is that Jesus recognized at age 12 ,
while sitting in the Temple, that he was in the house of His Father.
Keep in mind that he was still considered a child by Jewish law and by
Jewish custom. He was at an age when most Jewish
children probably did not sit in or
were not allowed in the temple
to listen to and question the teachers.
We can
see in this act, Jesus forming a personal relationship with God as he
listened to and learned from the teachers in the Temple. However, his
early formation included much more than this.
Jesus’
formative years and his relationship with God were influenced by the
adults in his life – his parents, his extended family, and his community
in addition to the teachers in the Temple. In those days, the towns
and villages that people lived in were small. The people represented
communities where everyone knew each other and their children. And
while they were not related by blood, they became like family. Each day
he woke up surrounded by a homogenous community committed to their faith
in the God of Israel.
Have you
ever considered that our children experience God and Christ in a similar
way? Each week they have an opportunity to learn from Christian
teachers, to attend church services, to participate in youth groups and
college ministries and, yes, even to make a pilgrimage to one of our
holiest places, Honey Creek. Yet our children do not live in the same
homogenous culture that Jesus lived in. Our children wake up each
morning surrounded by a heterogeneous, secular world that at best allows
freedom of religion. Thus making it more difficult to develop and lead
a life in Christ.
Our lives
with and in Christ are not meant to be just an individual relationship
with God, but a relationship that is shared within family and
community. God, in sending his only Son to live among us and die for
our salvation, provided Jesus with loving parents and a community that
honored and worshiped and allowed God into their lives.
Let me
come back to the theme that we are all on a journey.
Part of
our journey includes childhood and growing up. Adults, whether they are
parents or teachers, are an integral and important part of our journey.
If you are an adult, you probably remember that special Sunday school
teacher, or the lessons you learned from your parents or grandparents,
or the summer you spent at Honey Creek or some other church camp or
retreat. These adults, through their actions, became role models for
each of us. Just as Joseph and Mary did for Jesus as he continued to
grow in wisdom and maturity.
Perhaps
in the secular, heterogeneous world of today it is more important
than ever, that we provide a safe,
nourishing, loving environment for our children in their journey with
Christ. Could we become role models for our children by “loving our
neighbors as our selves”?
As
members of Christ Church, we are on a journey together. You are part of
my journey in Christ, just as I am part of your journey. God gave each
of us different gifts for the purposes of serving and worshiping Him.
As our collective gifts are virtually limitless, so are the
opportunities to serve and be served. Some do this by volunteering to
teach Sunday school or to be an adult youth leader or to sponsor a child
to attend Honey Creek, or to cook meals for youth events, or to work on
a Habitat House, or to knit scarves, or to donate clothes to the needy
or to go on mission trips or just by being present at church on a
regular basis.
We, here at Christ Church, are like Mary and Joseph and their larger
Jewish community when we illustrate through our actions and caring for
one another how to be more God like and Christian and to set an example
for all of God’s children.
In His
Holy Name – Amen.
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