The link to the Bishops' pastoral letter
http://jerusalem-crossing.com/2014/12/15/547/
And my remarks following the reading of the letter:
There are a number of remarkable things about this letter.
First, in anyone’s memory this is the only time the RC and Episcopal Bishop have written a joint encyclical, a joint pastoral letter.
Secondly,
The RC Bishop signed a letter that included the following statements:
Gone are the days when we ignore leadership and authority in the voices of women
And
we ask you to be pioneers again in supporting the efforts….of all women and all men.
Did you hear that? Not some women and some men. Not simply men and women who follow the exact teaching of the Vatican, but All Men and All women.
This letter is also remarkable because of it’s prophetic tone. Both Bishops are calling us out of our pews, out of these doors and into the streets. Both Bishops are saying that as the least of us go, so goes the whole of us. That as long as one person is hungry, one is naked, one is in prison, one is left out and pushed down, we all are.
This letter is a call to action, crying out to all of us who call Jesus our savior and redeemer, to stand up for those who cannot stand, to speak for those without voice, to love those who feel unlovable and to not rest until every single human being is respected and treated justly. Every single one.
Yes, this letter is remarkable…but you know what will be more remarkable?
If each and every one of us takes this letter as our clarion call and that, from this day forward we will follow the lead of Bishop Malone and Bishop Franklin, boldly living our lives in the way Jesus has instructed us too. Loving our neighbors. Always and with no exception.
I have never been so proud to be an Episcopalian, and I have never been so proud of our Bishop. Join me in making him as proud of us as we are of he. Amen.
Monday, December 15, 2014
Sunday, December 7, 2014
Advent 2 December 7, 2014
+I am a person of privilege. Most of us sitting here today are people of privilege. We may not have a lot of money, we may not live in the fanciest neighborhoods, we may even experience our own share of prejudice against us because of our socioeconomic status, our family background, our political position, our sexual orientation….. but all but a very few of us---and I mean a VERY FEW----can and do walk down the street, walk into a store, drive through a wealthy community without note.
We aren’t followed.
We aren’t targeted.
We aren’t assumed to be dangerous.
We aren’t profiled.
Our lives matter.
We can breathe.
Not because of who we are.
Not because of what we do.
Not because of what we don’t do.
But because of how we look.
Because of the color of our skin.
My friends, we are in the midst of one of the most shameful periods in our national history. At this very moment, in this very city, in this very state, in this very country, young black men walk out the door every day with their mothers and fathers, grandmothers and grandfathers, wives, girlfriends and boyfriends TERRIFIED that they will never walk back through.
Comfort O comfort my people.
Jesus cannot breathe.
Tarika Wilson
Aiyana Jones
Miriam Carey
Shereese Francis
These are the names of unarmed black women killed by police.
Most killed in front of their children.
Most called “collateral damage”...that is the police were looking for their husband or boyfriend and decided to force their way into the home.
With flash bangs and gunfire.
In front of children
Unarmed women, in their homes, caring for their children. Collateral Damage. As my grandmother used to say, “For Shame!”
From 2006-2012 a white police officer killed a black person at least twice a week in this country.
Comfort O Comfort My People
Jesus cannot breathe.
It’s too easy to blame the police and wash our hands of this issue. Racism isn’t a police problem, it isn’t an inner city problem, it isn’t a suburban problem, it isn’t a rural problem. It’s a problem. Period.
And it is one that each and every person here today has a moral obligation to fix.
Jesus has an opinion on this issue. Can you hear him?
“Black lives matter.
Life matters
Respecting the dignity of every human being matters.
It's necessary
It's vital
It’s your Christian duty, it’s why I came to live with you. And it is why I died.”
From the prophet Isaiah:
A voice cries out:
"In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD,
make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
Every valley shall be lifted up,
and every mountain and hill be made low;
the uneven ground shall become level,
and the rough places a plain.
Then the glory of the LORD shall be revealed,
and all people shall see it together,
for the mouth of the LORD has spoken."
Then the glory will be revealed. Only then.
So what does it mean to make straight the highway? To lift every valley and make the mountains low? What does it mean to make the uneven ground level and the rough places plain?
Well I may not know all the ways this is supposed to come to pass, but one thing is pretty clear: racism keeps the mountains high and the valleys low. It keeps the ground uneven. Racism separates us, racism rips us apart. Racism keeps us uncomfortable, uneven and crooked.
Racism has no place in a Christian heart.
And yet, racism lurks. In all of us.
Most of us don't intend to be racist....but each and every time we take our privilege for granted, we are contributing to the racism of this country. Each and every time we FORGET that black people , especially young black men, take their life in their hands each and every time they go out in public, we are contributing to the problem of racism in this country.
You see, racism isn’t simply about burning crosses on someone’s lawn, it's about saying things like: “well if they’d just pull themselves up by their boot straps and get a job….” Instead of working to change the entrenched systems of poverty in this country, we’re being racist.
Every time we let the Buffalo School Board put personalities above principals while children are promoted from grade to grade without being able to read, we’re being racist.
Every time we fail to be ashamed and outraged when we witness the blatant mistreatment of other human beings simply because of the color of their skin, we’re being racist.
As our bishop said in his statement about racism, Buffalo is the fifth most segregated city in the country. In the nation. FIFTH.
Here’s the thing--segregation breeds racism because segregation breeds fear. You see, when we’re separated we don't get to know each other and when we don't know our neighbor, when we don’t understand our neighbor, it's a whole lot easier to not care for our neighbor
Combating racism in our hearts and in our lives, in our society and in our world takes courage. Remember, courage isn’t a lack of fear, it's being afraid but doing it anyway.
Our faith requires courage.
Mary and Joseph were afraid when the angel Gabriel changed their life forever, yet they forged ahead, in faith and with courage.
Jesus was afraid as he climbed that hill at Calvary yet he did it with faith and courage.
We have mountains to lay low, we have valleys to fill. It's scary work, but it’s necessary work. And it’s our work. Right here and right now.
Right here and right now, Jesus can't breathe.
Right here and right now, this nation's inherent racism has our Lord in a chokehold.
Right here and right now Jesus can't walk down the street without being followed and accused.
Right here and right now Jesus is being racially profiled, he's being treated as less than, he is being hated.
And he cannot breathe.
May God help Him. And may God help us. Amen.
We aren’t followed.
We aren’t targeted.
We aren’t assumed to be dangerous.
We aren’t profiled.
Our lives matter.
We can breathe.
Not because of who we are.
Not because of what we do.
Not because of what we don’t do.
But because of how we look.
Because of the color of our skin.
My friends, we are in the midst of one of the most shameful periods in our national history. At this very moment, in this very city, in this very state, in this very country, young black men walk out the door every day with their mothers and fathers, grandmothers and grandfathers, wives, girlfriends and boyfriends TERRIFIED that they will never walk back through.
Comfort O comfort my people.
Jesus cannot breathe.
Tarika Wilson
Aiyana Jones
Miriam Carey
Shereese Francis
These are the names of unarmed black women killed by police.
Most killed in front of their children.
Most called “collateral damage”...that is the police were looking for their husband or boyfriend and decided to force their way into the home.
With flash bangs and gunfire.
In front of children
Unarmed women, in their homes, caring for their children. Collateral Damage. As my grandmother used to say, “For Shame!”
From 2006-2012 a white police officer killed a black person at least twice a week in this country.
Comfort O Comfort My People
Jesus cannot breathe.
It’s too easy to blame the police and wash our hands of this issue. Racism isn’t a police problem, it isn’t an inner city problem, it isn’t a suburban problem, it isn’t a rural problem. It’s a problem. Period.
And it is one that each and every person here today has a moral obligation to fix.
Jesus has an opinion on this issue. Can you hear him?
“Black lives matter.
Life matters
Respecting the dignity of every human being matters.
It's necessary
It's vital
It’s your Christian duty, it’s why I came to live with you. And it is why I died.”
From the prophet Isaiah:
A voice cries out:
"In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD,
make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
Every valley shall be lifted up,
and every mountain and hill be made low;
the uneven ground shall become level,
and the rough places a plain.
Then the glory of the LORD shall be revealed,
and all people shall see it together,
for the mouth of the LORD has spoken."
Then the glory will be revealed. Only then.
So what does it mean to make straight the highway? To lift every valley and make the mountains low? What does it mean to make the uneven ground level and the rough places plain?
Well I may not know all the ways this is supposed to come to pass, but one thing is pretty clear: racism keeps the mountains high and the valleys low. It keeps the ground uneven. Racism separates us, racism rips us apart. Racism keeps us uncomfortable, uneven and crooked.
Racism has no place in a Christian heart.
And yet, racism lurks. In all of us.
Most of us don't intend to be racist....but each and every time we take our privilege for granted, we are contributing to the racism of this country. Each and every time we FORGET that black people , especially young black men, take their life in their hands each and every time they go out in public, we are contributing to the problem of racism in this country.
You see, racism isn’t simply about burning crosses on someone’s lawn, it's about saying things like: “well if they’d just pull themselves up by their boot straps and get a job….” Instead of working to change the entrenched systems of poverty in this country, we’re being racist.
Every time we let the Buffalo School Board put personalities above principals while children are promoted from grade to grade without being able to read, we’re being racist.
Every time we fail to be ashamed and outraged when we witness the blatant mistreatment of other human beings simply because of the color of their skin, we’re being racist.
As our bishop said in his statement about racism, Buffalo is the fifth most segregated city in the country. In the nation. FIFTH.
Here’s the thing--segregation breeds racism because segregation breeds fear. You see, when we’re separated we don't get to know each other and when we don't know our neighbor, when we don’t understand our neighbor, it's a whole lot easier to not care for our neighbor
Combating racism in our hearts and in our lives, in our society and in our world takes courage. Remember, courage isn’t a lack of fear, it's being afraid but doing it anyway.
Our faith requires courage.
Mary and Joseph were afraid when the angel Gabriel changed their life forever, yet they forged ahead, in faith and with courage.
Jesus was afraid as he climbed that hill at Calvary yet he did it with faith and courage.
We have mountains to lay low, we have valleys to fill. It's scary work, but it’s necessary work. And it’s our work. Right here and right now.
Right here and right now, Jesus can't breathe.
Right here and right now, this nation's inherent racism has our Lord in a chokehold.
Right here and right now Jesus can't walk down the street without being followed and accused.
Right here and right now Jesus is being racially profiled, he's being treated as less than, he is being hated.
And he cannot breathe.
May God help Him. And may God help us. Amen.
Monday, December 1, 2014
Deacon Pete's sermon for 1st Advent 30 November 2014
Ready, Set……Wait. That’s what Advent is in three simple words. Those of us who grew up in liturgical churches have some familiarity with Advent. It’s the season of the church year that starts after Thanksgiving and runs until Christmas. When I was young, the color for vestments and liturgical accessories was purple, like Lent. We were taught that it was a season of repentance, a time of making ourselves worthy of having God to be born among us. It was a moderately dreary time, the apocalyptic readings, the reminders that we were base, selfish creatures who cared more about decorations, parties and gifts than about cleaning ourselves up for Jesus. Years have gone by and we are still hearing about the Apocalypse on Sundays and we are still torn between the business and commercialization of Christmas and taking time to honor and experience a sacred and holy waiting period.
Some things have changed. Many churches, like ours, use blue for the liturgical color of Advent. Blue, not purple, blue ,like the color most often associated with Mary. Blue, to show us that Advent is not Lent, and it is not Lent light. We focus not on repentance, but on expecting, waiting, hoping and praying.
I feel as though I know something new and powerful about waiting, a way of waiting that is different for me than in the past. These past 2 weeks and 2 days of walking through serious illness with Cathy and her mom, Elaine have opened my mind and heart to how serious, how powerful, how holy waiting can be. There has been a lot of waiting: waiting to see if Cathy would arrive in Chicago in time to see her mom alive, waiting to get x-ray results, waiting for biopsies and scans, waiting for surgery to be scheduled, waiting for surgery to actually begin, waiting for reports from the operating room, waiting for surgery to be over, waiting for Elaine to move from recovery to ICU, waiting for her to move from ICU to a step down room, waiting for her difficult recovery to progress to the point where she could be discharged and now, waiting for her to be strong enough for Cathy to come home. That feels like a lot of waiting, and waiting is not my strong suit.
I’ve learned some things about Advent from all this waiting. Advent is clearly a “now” and a “not yet time”. And our readings reflect this curious phenomenon. Mark’s gospel should really come with a big sign saying “Hang on, don’t panic”. We don’t read the beginning of this chapter that starts with the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem then proceeds to images of war, earthquake, famine, and family betrayal. Jesus was spot on in saying “this generation will not pass away until all of these things have taken place”. Mark is writing to people who have already seen faith community in horrible straits. After all, Jesus went around with the sorts of people that were best ignored, the poor, the sick, the imprisoned, the unclean, the lost and the lonely. And now his followers are trying to do the same. They refer to Jesus as Lord, not something easily accepted by the local authorities, and something often unacceptable to their own families. Mark writes this chapter to acknowledge the pain, grief and great difficulties that they are going through. But, he states, The Son of Man is coming”, no one knows the day or the hour, we are to “keep alert”, “keep awake”. Mark is reminding his listeners and us that the kingdom of God is not delayed or cancelled. It isn’t quite “don’t worry, be happy”, but the Gospel clearly tells us that waiting is expected, necessary and part of our call as followers of Jesus. Waiting is holy.
What are we waiting for? We are waiting for nothing less than God to enter our world, we are waiting for God to break into our lives, we are waiting for God to join us in all moments, all places, all times, past, present and future. We are waiting for God with us, Emmanuel.
One of the things I learned about waiting these past few days is that holy waiting is not passive. Holy waiting is accompanied by preparation. For me that meant trying to take care of some things here in Buffalo that needed doing-bulletins, sermons, taking care of our homes and our critters, checking airline flights and making hotel reservations. Most importantly it meant praying fiercely that all would be well, whatever that “well” might mean.
Imagine how joyous, sacred and powerful Christmas will be when we get in touch with Holy Waiting. Imagine how fresh and new the incarnation, God taking on human flesh, will be if we spend these next four weeks doing our part to form and reconcile God’s realm here on earth, if we get in touch with our need for a Savior and acknowledge that we are called to work as the hands and feet of God here on earth.
Let us remember not to be content with the way things are. Let us be inspired by a curiosity about what is possible. What dreams of community and spiritual growth can we dream? While we wait and prepare for the birth of Christ, can we also wait and prepare for Jesus coming again? Most of us wait in a modicum of safety and comfort. We have the time and the means to hope for the day God’s peace and justice will rule the earth. Can we use this hope to fuel our willingness to actively participate in creating the kingdom of God? Will we use this time of waiting and hope to reach out and share life with those who are most in need God’s loving touch? Will we use this time to acknowledge and care for people in need- for the hungry, the homeless, for victims of violence and injustice, for those who are sick and sad? While we wait for Jesus to be born and for Jesus to come again will we do the preparation necessary to make our here and now world look more like the kingdom of heaven?
When we are able to do this, to wait and to do the work of preparing for Jesus to come at Christmas and at a time no one knows, when we are willing to live in the now and the not yet, we will experience a holy Advent. And when our Advent is holy, how much more meaningful, joyous, and sacred will our Christmas be? Amen.
Some things have changed. Many churches, like ours, use blue for the liturgical color of Advent. Blue, not purple, blue ,like the color most often associated with Mary. Blue, to show us that Advent is not Lent, and it is not Lent light. We focus not on repentance, but on expecting, waiting, hoping and praying.
I feel as though I know something new and powerful about waiting, a way of waiting that is different for me than in the past. These past 2 weeks and 2 days of walking through serious illness with Cathy and her mom, Elaine have opened my mind and heart to how serious, how powerful, how holy waiting can be. There has been a lot of waiting: waiting to see if Cathy would arrive in Chicago in time to see her mom alive, waiting to get x-ray results, waiting for biopsies and scans, waiting for surgery to be scheduled, waiting for surgery to actually begin, waiting for reports from the operating room, waiting for surgery to be over, waiting for Elaine to move from recovery to ICU, waiting for her to move from ICU to a step down room, waiting for her difficult recovery to progress to the point where she could be discharged and now, waiting for her to be strong enough for Cathy to come home. That feels like a lot of waiting, and waiting is not my strong suit.
I’ve learned some things about Advent from all this waiting. Advent is clearly a “now” and a “not yet time”. And our readings reflect this curious phenomenon. Mark’s gospel should really come with a big sign saying “Hang on, don’t panic”. We don’t read the beginning of this chapter that starts with the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem then proceeds to images of war, earthquake, famine, and family betrayal. Jesus was spot on in saying “this generation will not pass away until all of these things have taken place”. Mark is writing to people who have already seen faith community in horrible straits. After all, Jesus went around with the sorts of people that were best ignored, the poor, the sick, the imprisoned, the unclean, the lost and the lonely. And now his followers are trying to do the same. They refer to Jesus as Lord, not something easily accepted by the local authorities, and something often unacceptable to their own families. Mark writes this chapter to acknowledge the pain, grief and great difficulties that they are going through. But, he states, The Son of Man is coming”, no one knows the day or the hour, we are to “keep alert”, “keep awake”. Mark is reminding his listeners and us that the kingdom of God is not delayed or cancelled. It isn’t quite “don’t worry, be happy”, but the Gospel clearly tells us that waiting is expected, necessary and part of our call as followers of Jesus. Waiting is holy.
What are we waiting for? We are waiting for nothing less than God to enter our world, we are waiting for God to break into our lives, we are waiting for God to join us in all moments, all places, all times, past, present and future. We are waiting for God with us, Emmanuel.
One of the things I learned about waiting these past few days is that holy waiting is not passive. Holy waiting is accompanied by preparation. For me that meant trying to take care of some things here in Buffalo that needed doing-bulletins, sermons, taking care of our homes and our critters, checking airline flights and making hotel reservations. Most importantly it meant praying fiercely that all would be well, whatever that “well” might mean.
Imagine how joyous, sacred and powerful Christmas will be when we get in touch with Holy Waiting. Imagine how fresh and new the incarnation, God taking on human flesh, will be if we spend these next four weeks doing our part to form and reconcile God’s realm here on earth, if we get in touch with our need for a Savior and acknowledge that we are called to work as the hands and feet of God here on earth.
Let us remember not to be content with the way things are. Let us be inspired by a curiosity about what is possible. What dreams of community and spiritual growth can we dream? While we wait and prepare for the birth of Christ, can we also wait and prepare for Jesus coming again? Most of us wait in a modicum of safety and comfort. We have the time and the means to hope for the day God’s peace and justice will rule the earth. Can we use this hope to fuel our willingness to actively participate in creating the kingdom of God? Will we use this time of waiting and hope to reach out and share life with those who are most in need God’s loving touch? Will we use this time to acknowledge and care for people in need- for the hungry, the homeless, for victims of violence and injustice, for those who are sick and sad? While we wait for Jesus to be born and for Jesus to come again will we do the preparation necessary to make our here and now world look more like the kingdom of heaven?
When we are able to do this, to wait and to do the work of preparing for Jesus to come at Christmas and at a time no one knows, when we are willing to live in the now and the not yet, we will experience a holy Advent. And when our Advent is holy, how much more meaningful, joyous, and sacred will our Christmas be? Amen.
Sunday, November 23, 2014
sermon written by Cathy, preached by Pete, Christ the King Sunday 2014 "Christ as King Requires the Unleashing of Grace"
Being seen---really seen—is powerful. This past week I was really struck by how seen I felt while staying with my mom in the hospital. The Critical Care Unit was FULL, yet anytime a nurse came into mom’s room it was as if she was the MOST important person in the world and that her case was the most important case. The staff did a great job of seeing my mom, and my sister and me. They never seemed rushed, distracted or bothered. It was incredibly comforting.
Being seen, really seen, is powerful.
They asked: “Lord, when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?
When was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food or thirsty and gave you something to drink? “
Jesus responds, “Truly I tell you just as you did it to one of the least of these, who are members of my family, you did it to me.”
Each time you saw them, you saw me.
Each time you noticed them, you noticed me.
Each time you helped them, you loved me.
Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison and did not take care of you?
Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.
Hey, I’m right here? Don’t you see me? Don’t you care?
What we do unto others, we do unto God.
In our Baptismal Covenant we promise to seek and serve Christ in all whom we encounter. Seeking and serving Christ requires looking, seeing and noticing.
Do you notice Jesus? He’s right there….right in front of us….He’s the mentally ill man who talks to himself….
He’s the very unpleasant woman on the other end of the customer service phone……
He’s the child you’ve raised who’s turned her back on you.
He’s the spouse who’s left you.
He’s the unreasonable boss, the angry, spiteful neighbor….
He’s the hungry, the naked the lonely and the rejected….
He’s in all of them, He’s in everyone, everywhere, always.
How we treat others is how we treat God.
These past few weeks we’ve heard readings about judgment at the end of time. Today we hear about sheep and goats, about righteous and unrighteous….these readings of harsh judgment seem so incongruous to the teachings of Jesus, and I think it’s easy to brush them off as “not the Jesus we know and love.”
But, on this last Sunday of our church year, on this Christ the King Sunday, we reflect on the life of Jesus on earth, we remember his death and resurrection as we await his coming again---we’re reminded that what we do on this earth does matter, that our job is to do the things that will bring the Kingdom of Heaven to reign here on earth. It’s the number one job we, as beloved children of God, have here an earth.
You see, each and every time we notice another person--really notice them… really look in their eyes, really listen to what they have to say…every time we do THAT we make more room for God, through Christ, in this world.
And each and every time we fail to see Christ in the other, we BLOCK God’s ongoing effort to break through and into our every thing.
The Apocalypse—the end of time---is when the barriers between this world and the next fall, when this world and the next unite through the only King that matters: Jesus Christ. And, each time we notice God in another, each time we really see Jesus, seeking and serving him in all whom we encounter, we bring that time ever closer. You see, this end of time thing, this “coming of the day of the Lord,” this apocalypse,
doesn’t happen in one fell swoop; it happens over time, with each and everyone of us doing our part.
We must make room for The Christ to dwell. We must break away from all that ensnares us. We must free ourselves from all that frightens us, we must loosen the grip of doubt while reaching out and up ready to receive our King, our Lord, our Beloved God.
As priest and author Barbara Brown Taylor puts it: “We are called to look at each other and see Christ. It’s as simple, and as hard, as that.”
This is not easy work, but it’s vital. To do this, to turn our lives over to care of God and to turn our focus onto the community of the world in which we live, requires grace.
The God-given ability to see beyond ourselves, to see beyond our own wants, needs and fears and look at the bigger picture—that ability is a gift from God, it is a gift of God…it is grace. And when we accept that grace and act through that grace, it spreads. From me to you and from you to another and on and on and on.
It’s that chain reaction of grace, that domino effect of noticing God in each other, of seeking and serving Christ in all whom we encounter, that makes room for God in this world.
It’s that chain reaction of grace, fueled by our noticing, really seeing Christ in everyone we encounter, that will bring the kingdom of heaven to reign here on earth. It’s that chain reaction of love for all, no exceptions, that unites the ideal of heaven with the reality of earth.
It’s that chain reaction of grace that brings about the fulfillment of all that Jesus came to accomplish.
It’s the chain reaction of grace which brings us a peace that surpasses all understanding.
By seeing each other as God through Christ sees us, by really seeing each other, we unleash that chain of grace and that, my friends is the whole point.
Jesus Christ as our King may seem like an a odd title for this itinerant preacher who spoke of the sanctity of the poor, the sick, the outcast and the rejected…..But Christ as the King of a world where the Divine is noticed in all, where the Holy is respected by all and where the Love of God is the rule and not the exception—that is a world where Christ, as King, makes sense.
Being seen, really seen, is powerful.
They asked: “Lord, when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?
When was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food or thirsty and gave you something to drink? “
Jesus responds, “Truly I tell you just as you did it to one of the least of these, who are members of my family, you did it to me.”
Each time you saw them, you saw me.
Each time you noticed them, you noticed me.
Each time you helped them, you loved me.
Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison and did not take care of you?
Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.
Hey, I’m right here? Don’t you see me? Don’t you care?
What we do unto others, we do unto God.
In our Baptismal Covenant we promise to seek and serve Christ in all whom we encounter. Seeking and serving Christ requires looking, seeing and noticing.
Do you notice Jesus? He’s right there….right in front of us….He’s the mentally ill man who talks to himself….
He’s the very unpleasant woman on the other end of the customer service phone……
He’s the child you’ve raised who’s turned her back on you.
He’s the spouse who’s left you.
He’s the unreasonable boss, the angry, spiteful neighbor….
He’s the hungry, the naked the lonely and the rejected….
He’s in all of them, He’s in everyone, everywhere, always.
How we treat others is how we treat God.
These past few weeks we’ve heard readings about judgment at the end of time. Today we hear about sheep and goats, about righteous and unrighteous….these readings of harsh judgment seem so incongruous to the teachings of Jesus, and I think it’s easy to brush them off as “not the Jesus we know and love.”
But, on this last Sunday of our church year, on this Christ the King Sunday, we reflect on the life of Jesus on earth, we remember his death and resurrection as we await his coming again---we’re reminded that what we do on this earth does matter, that our job is to do the things that will bring the Kingdom of Heaven to reign here on earth. It’s the number one job we, as beloved children of God, have here an earth.
You see, each and every time we notice another person--really notice them… really look in their eyes, really listen to what they have to say…every time we do THAT we make more room for God, through Christ, in this world.
And each and every time we fail to see Christ in the other, we BLOCK God’s ongoing effort to break through and into our every thing.
The Apocalypse—the end of time---is when the barriers between this world and the next fall, when this world and the next unite through the only King that matters: Jesus Christ. And, each time we notice God in another, each time we really see Jesus, seeking and serving him in all whom we encounter, we bring that time ever closer. You see, this end of time thing, this “coming of the day of the Lord,” this apocalypse,
doesn’t happen in one fell swoop; it happens over time, with each and everyone of us doing our part.
We must make room for The Christ to dwell. We must break away from all that ensnares us. We must free ourselves from all that frightens us, we must loosen the grip of doubt while reaching out and up ready to receive our King, our Lord, our Beloved God.
As priest and author Barbara Brown Taylor puts it: “We are called to look at each other and see Christ. It’s as simple, and as hard, as that.”
This is not easy work, but it’s vital. To do this, to turn our lives over to care of God and to turn our focus onto the community of the world in which we live, requires grace.
The God-given ability to see beyond ourselves, to see beyond our own wants, needs and fears and look at the bigger picture—that ability is a gift from God, it is a gift of God…it is grace. And when we accept that grace and act through that grace, it spreads. From me to you and from you to another and on and on and on.
It’s that chain reaction of grace, that domino effect of noticing God in each other, of seeking and serving Christ in all whom we encounter, that makes room for God in this world.
It’s that chain reaction of grace, fueled by our noticing, really seeing Christ in everyone we encounter, that will bring the kingdom of heaven to reign here on earth. It’s that chain reaction of love for all, no exceptions, that unites the ideal of heaven with the reality of earth.
It’s that chain reaction of grace that brings about the fulfillment of all that Jesus came to accomplish.
It’s the chain reaction of grace which brings us a peace that surpasses all understanding.
By seeing each other as God through Christ sees us, by really seeing each other, we unleash that chain of grace and that, my friends is the whole point.
Jesus Christ as our King may seem like an a odd title for this itinerant preacher who spoke of the sanctity of the poor, the sick, the outcast and the rejected…..But Christ as the King of a world where the Divine is noticed in all, where the Holy is respected by all and where the Love of God is the rule and not the exception—that is a world where Christ, as King, makes sense.
Tuesday, November 18, 2014
16 November 2014 Yr A--Deacon Pete
One night last week I put a dirty dish in the sink, meaning to put it in the dishwasher in a few minutes. I got distracted by the dryer buzzer or the dogs barking or a text message coming through on my phone, who knows? Anyway, I forgot to put the dish in the dishwasher and I ended up in my recliner in the family room. A few minutes later there was a sound of something falling in the kitchen and Scout was nowhere to be seen. I thought she was probably angry about something and, as is her wont when she is displeased, tipped over the trash can. As I entered the kitchen I could see that the trash can was upright, but the blue dish was cracked in half on the floor. Scout had grabbed it out of the sink and then dropped it on the floor. I muttered something I wouldn’t say in front of my mother, picked up the pieces and threw them away.
“People have said that this part of the modern culture is the reason for everything from our divorce rate to our piles of trash. When something breaks, we throw it away.
In ancient Japan, when a ceramic bowl broke, they fixed it. Legend has it that a Japanese shogun was unimpressed with the repair done on a Chinese bowl he had sent to be fixed, so he hired some Japanese craftsmen to find a more beautiful method of mending ceramics. They developed a technique called kintsugi, in which the broken pottery is literally mended with gold dust. Rather than trying to hide the flaws in the broken ceramics, they would highlight them in gold, baring the cracks and scars and adopting them as a part of the ceramic.
The technique became so popular that people may have even begun intentionally smashing bowls and plates in order to have them repaired. The ceramics mended with kintsugi actually became more valuable than they had been before they were broken. It was considered more beautiful because it was broken.”
“Sometimes there’s pain and suffering and brokenness before we get to joy. And sometimes everything has to fall apart to open up space for the new.
Chaos often precedes order. Things tend to get really messy before the new is established. While most of the time incremental change works best, other times bringing about change requires something sweeping, more all-encompassing . And such dramatic change can feel frightening and uncomfortable, it can seem thoughtless and jarring.
Jesus came to heal, and in order to do that he also came to break apart, to break into pieces the thoughts, attitudes and behaviors that were keeping people from reaching back to God, from developing a relationship with God that was whole and holy. But, no surprise here, the disciples don’t get it. Jesus is using these many weeks worth of parables that we have been reading to help us break apart and reform. He knows that is the only way that we will ever be able to take our part in creating heaven on earth.
Today’s Gospel, the Parable of the Talents, gives us a strategy for moving from the “I don’t get it” crowd into the “I got it” crowd. The story tells us a lot about money, how each slave manages his masters’ fortune. But, of course, the meaning of the parable has nothing to do with money and everything to do with talents. You see, the bottom line to Jesus’ message is: live life, take what talents you have been given and do good, don’t live in fear of what might happen, don’t live in fear of brokenness, live in hope of what might happen, in hope of being whole and lovely. For, life happens, stuff happens, some good and some bad, some thrilling and some terrifying, but, if we live our life embracing all of our unique, varied and oh so individual “talents”, if we use them to further the march of creation, then we’ll be ready for whatever comes next.
Think about it. Think about how bushes need to be pruned way back sometimes so that new shoots and leaves have room to sprout. How trees, in order to keep growing need to shed their old, tired, broken bark. Think about how the best way to get your hair to grow long and healthy is to trim it regularly.
Jesus came to earth to shake up the old order, to break it open and create something brand new. On the cross Jesus took all of our brokenness and then walked out of the tomb three days later to give us something altogether new. Jesus defeats brokenness, always, forever. The itinerant preacher from Nazareth takes all of our fear of brokenness, all of our doubt, all of our love of order and all of our hatred for uncertainty and breaks us wide open. Making space for something new and beautiful to be created.
Sometimes there is pain, suffering and brokenness before we get to joy and beauty. Sometimes everything has to fall apart before the new can be born. Sometimes you have to break the bowl so that the gold can shine forth. “
1
http://www.incourage.me/2014/03/broken-things.html
2
Heavily adapted from: Sometimes Everything Has to Fall Apart. Nov 13 2011 www.goodshepbuf.blogspot.com
“People have said that this part of the modern culture is the reason for everything from our divorce rate to our piles of trash. When something breaks, we throw it away.
In ancient Japan, when a ceramic bowl broke, they fixed it. Legend has it that a Japanese shogun was unimpressed with the repair done on a Chinese bowl he had sent to be fixed, so he hired some Japanese craftsmen to find a more beautiful method of mending ceramics. They developed a technique called kintsugi, in which the broken pottery is literally mended with gold dust. Rather than trying to hide the flaws in the broken ceramics, they would highlight them in gold, baring the cracks and scars and adopting them as a part of the ceramic.
The technique became so popular that people may have even begun intentionally smashing bowls and plates in order to have them repaired. The ceramics mended with kintsugi actually became more valuable than they had been before they were broken. It was considered more beautiful because it was broken.”
“Sometimes there’s pain and suffering and brokenness before we get to joy. And sometimes everything has to fall apart to open up space for the new.
Chaos often precedes order. Things tend to get really messy before the new is established. While most of the time incremental change works best, other times bringing about change requires something sweeping, more all-encompassing . And such dramatic change can feel frightening and uncomfortable, it can seem thoughtless and jarring.
Jesus came to heal, and in order to do that he also came to break apart, to break into pieces the thoughts, attitudes and behaviors that were keeping people from reaching back to God, from developing a relationship with God that was whole and holy. But, no surprise here, the disciples don’t get it. Jesus is using these many weeks worth of parables that we have been reading to help us break apart and reform. He knows that is the only way that we will ever be able to take our part in creating heaven on earth.
Today’s Gospel, the Parable of the Talents, gives us a strategy for moving from the “I don’t get it” crowd into the “I got it” crowd. The story tells us a lot about money, how each slave manages his masters’ fortune. But, of course, the meaning of the parable has nothing to do with money and everything to do with talents. You see, the bottom line to Jesus’ message is: live life, take what talents you have been given and do good, don’t live in fear of what might happen, don’t live in fear of brokenness, live in hope of what might happen, in hope of being whole and lovely. For, life happens, stuff happens, some good and some bad, some thrilling and some terrifying, but, if we live our life embracing all of our unique, varied and oh so individual “talents”, if we use them to further the march of creation, then we’ll be ready for whatever comes next.
Think about it. Think about how bushes need to be pruned way back sometimes so that new shoots and leaves have room to sprout. How trees, in order to keep growing need to shed their old, tired, broken bark. Think about how the best way to get your hair to grow long and healthy is to trim it regularly.
Jesus came to earth to shake up the old order, to break it open and create something brand new. On the cross Jesus took all of our brokenness and then walked out of the tomb three days later to give us something altogether new. Jesus defeats brokenness, always, forever. The itinerant preacher from Nazareth takes all of our fear of brokenness, all of our doubt, all of our love of order and all of our hatred for uncertainty and breaks us wide open. Making space for something new and beautiful to be created.
Sometimes there is pain, suffering and brokenness before we get to joy and beauty. Sometimes everything has to fall apart before the new can be born. Sometimes you have to break the bowl so that the gold can shine forth. “
1
http://www.incourage.me/2014/03/broken-things.html
2
Heavily adapted from: Sometimes Everything Has to Fall Apart. Nov 13 2011 www.goodshepbuf.blogspot.com
Monday, November 10, 2014
22 after Pentecost 9 Nov2014
Did you know that in dream interpretation theory we are every single person and thing in our dreams? That by considering how the scene of the dream plays out from the perspective of each person and each object in the dream (from the leading character to the lamp to the end table) we discover more and more about ourselves and the “stuff” we happen to be dealing with at that moment.
If we enter the study of our dreams with an open mind, we can really learn a lot.
It’s hard and fruitful work.
Parables are a lot like dreams—we must crack them open to enter them…and if we’re honest, we can discover bits of ourselves in each and every character…Of course after a couple of months of parables from Matthew’s Gospel I’d understand if you all were just a bit sick and tired of working so darn hard to make heads or tails out of these stories.
The Parable of the Ten Bridesmaids, formally known as the Parable of the Ten Virgins---you can elicit your own social commentary from THAT change----is a pretty harsh bit of prose; the bridesmaids are split into two distinct groups---wise and foolish.
I don’t know about you, but I rotate between wise and foolish hourly!
We are both wise and foolish, we are both sheep and goats, we are both wheat and chaff.
But, and here is the point----God doesn’t decide which group we’re in…
WE DO.
It’s easy to hear these readings in the march toward Advent as angry and violent challenges to our very faith. For generations, preachers have used this reading, and others like it, to scare to beejebbers out of people.
And that’s wrong. These readings aren’t about God rejecting us, these readings are about us, rejecting God.
This reading, and the many others like it we’ll hear for the next few weeks, aren’t telling us that we better straighten up and fly right or else we’ll be tossed out of the kingdom into the outer darkness where there is much wailing and gnashing of teeth.
Instead, these readings give us a glimpse into the heartbreak of Jesus at our inability to live life as true and real and full believers.
You see, Jesus’ time on earth was short and he worked hard to get his message that God loves us all, no exceptions, to fruition. He assumed that we would grab ahold of his message and never let go. That we would work tirelessly to bring God’s kingdom to reign here on earth by loving everyone, no exceptions….by fighting injustice, prejudice and hate…by feeding the hungry, by standing up for the very young, the very old, the very different and the very lost.
This is the work of Christ, work that we are to undertake at all times and in all circumstances…no exceptions.
Jesus the man walked the earth to model this behavior for us.
Jesus had been clear. Or so he thought.
Jesus had been fervent. Or so he thought.
Jesus had been compelling. Or so he thought.
But at this stage of Matthew’s Gospel, as Jesus is facing crucifixion, he’s not at all sure that his message has penetrated.
Has he been heard?
Will his message last?
Can his followers do it?
These questions must have haunted Jesus as he faced the final days of his earthly life.
So he got a little snarky.
Who can blame him?
He was waiting for his followers to step up and step in.
He’s still waiting.
My friends, the kingdom of God here on earth isn’t ushered in by chariots of fire.
It’s ushered in by us—by you and by me.
It’s up to us to claim the message of God given to us through Jesus Christ and make it our own.
God doesn’t force God’s kingdom upon the world. The world—you and me--- create God’s kingdom here on earth.
And the time is now.
This is what all this talk about not “knowing the day nor the hour is all about”---we don’t. We don’t know anything except right now. Tomorrow isn’t guaranteed. This afternoon not’s guaranteed, the next hour’s not guaranteed.
What would our world look like if we lived as if this was it; if we lived in a state of constant alertness—of perpetual open-ness to the Spirit’s movement?
What would our world look like if we turned all that we are and all that we have over to God, praying for God’s guidance every single moment of every single day?
Now hear me out, I’m not saying that we lay back and say, “God will take care of it all,” I mean joining God in creating heaven right here on earth. Creating a world where justice flows like a river and the dignity of every single human being is respected. I mean doing the work Jesus showed us, I mean doing the work Jesus left for us to do. I mean getting busy with THAT work, right now.
We can do it.
We really can.
But we need to do it NOW.
I challenge each and everyone of you to commit, right here and right now, to pray, each and every day, for the courage to do God’s will in all that you do and for the Wisdom to know what is God’s will and what, in fact is our will. How you do this is up to you, but what would our little corner of the world look like if, each and every day we began the day by saying: “God, help me to see you in all whom I encounter today, help me to be your instrument in this world.”
You see, bringing the Kingdom of God to fruition on earth isn’t a job for a select few, it’s a job for the select many…it’s a job for the select all…because, the fact of the matter is this:
God doesn’t decide whether we are in or out.
God doesn’t decide if we are wise or foolish.
We do.
Some days we’re foolish, some days we’re wise but every day, every single day of our lives, we are the beloved Children of God, guaranteed a seat at the heavenly banquet. The question isn’t whether we’re in or out, the question is whether we’re willing to stay.
Amen.
If we enter the study of our dreams with an open mind, we can really learn a lot.
It’s hard and fruitful work.
Parables are a lot like dreams—we must crack them open to enter them…and if we’re honest, we can discover bits of ourselves in each and every character…Of course after a couple of months of parables from Matthew’s Gospel I’d understand if you all were just a bit sick and tired of working so darn hard to make heads or tails out of these stories.
The Parable of the Ten Bridesmaids, formally known as the Parable of the Ten Virgins---you can elicit your own social commentary from THAT change----is a pretty harsh bit of prose; the bridesmaids are split into two distinct groups---wise and foolish.
I don’t know about you, but I rotate between wise and foolish hourly!
We are both wise and foolish, we are both sheep and goats, we are both wheat and chaff.
But, and here is the point----God doesn’t decide which group we’re in…
WE DO.
It’s easy to hear these readings in the march toward Advent as angry and violent challenges to our very faith. For generations, preachers have used this reading, and others like it, to scare to beejebbers out of people.
And that’s wrong. These readings aren’t about God rejecting us, these readings are about us, rejecting God.
This reading, and the many others like it we’ll hear for the next few weeks, aren’t telling us that we better straighten up and fly right or else we’ll be tossed out of the kingdom into the outer darkness where there is much wailing and gnashing of teeth.
Instead, these readings give us a glimpse into the heartbreak of Jesus at our inability to live life as true and real and full believers.
You see, Jesus’ time on earth was short and he worked hard to get his message that God loves us all, no exceptions, to fruition. He assumed that we would grab ahold of his message and never let go. That we would work tirelessly to bring God’s kingdom to reign here on earth by loving everyone, no exceptions….by fighting injustice, prejudice and hate…by feeding the hungry, by standing up for the very young, the very old, the very different and the very lost.
This is the work of Christ, work that we are to undertake at all times and in all circumstances…no exceptions.
Jesus the man walked the earth to model this behavior for us.
Jesus had been clear. Or so he thought.
Jesus had been fervent. Or so he thought.
Jesus had been compelling. Or so he thought.
But at this stage of Matthew’s Gospel, as Jesus is facing crucifixion, he’s not at all sure that his message has penetrated.
Has he been heard?
Will his message last?
Can his followers do it?
These questions must have haunted Jesus as he faced the final days of his earthly life.
So he got a little snarky.
Who can blame him?
He was waiting for his followers to step up and step in.
He’s still waiting.
My friends, the kingdom of God here on earth isn’t ushered in by chariots of fire.
It’s ushered in by us—by you and by me.
It’s up to us to claim the message of God given to us through Jesus Christ and make it our own.
God doesn’t force God’s kingdom upon the world. The world—you and me--- create God’s kingdom here on earth.
And the time is now.
This is what all this talk about not “knowing the day nor the hour is all about”---we don’t. We don’t know anything except right now. Tomorrow isn’t guaranteed. This afternoon not’s guaranteed, the next hour’s not guaranteed.
What would our world look like if we lived as if this was it; if we lived in a state of constant alertness—of perpetual open-ness to the Spirit’s movement?
What would our world look like if we turned all that we are and all that we have over to God, praying for God’s guidance every single moment of every single day?
Now hear me out, I’m not saying that we lay back and say, “God will take care of it all,” I mean joining God in creating heaven right here on earth. Creating a world where justice flows like a river and the dignity of every single human being is respected. I mean doing the work Jesus showed us, I mean doing the work Jesus left for us to do. I mean getting busy with THAT work, right now.
We can do it.
We really can.
But we need to do it NOW.
I challenge each and everyone of you to commit, right here and right now, to pray, each and every day, for the courage to do God’s will in all that you do and for the Wisdom to know what is God’s will and what, in fact is our will. How you do this is up to you, but what would our little corner of the world look like if, each and every day we began the day by saying: “God, help me to see you in all whom I encounter today, help me to be your instrument in this world.”
You see, bringing the Kingdom of God to fruition on earth isn’t a job for a select few, it’s a job for the select many…it’s a job for the select all…because, the fact of the matter is this:
God doesn’t decide whether we are in or out.
God doesn’t decide if we are wise or foolish.
We do.
Some days we’re foolish, some days we’re wise but every day, every single day of our lives, we are the beloved Children of God, guaranteed a seat at the heavenly banquet. The question isn’t whether we’re in or out, the question is whether we’re willing to stay.
Amen.
Sunday, November 2, 2014
All Saints' Sunday Nov 2 2014 And they wipe every tear from our eyes
Death is difficult. Having just gone through the sudden loss of one of our dogs I can honestly say that death—even of a pet-- is really difficult.
The slightest, seemingly inconsequential thing suddenly takes on new meaning and the grief and sadness that overcomes us can be very painful.
Sudden deaths are shocking and terribly sad.
And as we weep, God is there to wipe away every tear.
My dad was ravaged by cancer. He was a mere shadow of his former self, the primary lung cancer had metastasized to his brain and his bones. He was wracked with pain and was hallucinating. His death was a relief from all that horror. Yet still, as he took his final breath it was shocking and terribly sad.
And as we wept, God wiped away every tear.
When my young friend Ian fell into a deep darkness that I can’t even comprehend and decided to take his own life, so many of us were shocked and terribly sad.
And as we wept, God wiped away every tear.
When we were in the middle of diocesan convention last week and word came down about the school shooting outside of Seattle, most of us flashed back to all the mass shootings before, none as horrific as Sandy Hook. Our bodies absorbed the shock and we were, once again, terribly sad.
And as we wept, God wiped away every tear.
On September 11, 2001 we were collectively kicked in the gut, terrified and shocked as the twin towers fell.
And as we wept, God wiped away every tear.
When each of the 40+ people we will remember during the Eucharist died, those who loved them were shocked and terribly sad.
And each and every time:
God wiped away every tear
This is what makes today so wonderful in my eyes---it’s a day when the veil that separates the here and now with those who were and will be forever, lifts just a bit and we find ourselves in that Thin Place where the wonders of life eternal visit us here in our life temporal, reminding us that we are never ever alone, no matter how deep the grief, no matter how painful the loss, no matter how persistent the sadness we are surrounded by Love.
But All Saints’ Day isn’t just about the death of our loved ones. It’s about comfort in the midst of all loss. Take a good look at our reading from Revelation today and be encouraged by the words:
"These are they who have come out of the great ordeal; …
They will hunger no more, and thirst no more;
the sun will not strike them,
nor any scorching heat;
for the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd,
and he will guide them to springs of the water of life,
and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."
All of us here today have lost things---jobs, relationships, health, hope, faith…and we grieve these losses and it is while in the midst of that grief when we can feel the most alone. Today is the day that we remember we’re never alone .
I’m lucky because I get to come into this sacred space late at night and early in the morning, when the world out there is quiet. As I walk around the nave---this area---I can feel them…all those people who loved this place. All those people who sat in these same pews, people who experienced losses unimaginable---those who lived through the Great Depression; those who lived through the loss of young men listed on our wall of war dead; those who lost their health; their livelihood; their relationships. Those who lost their hope and at times even their faith. Their presence lingers and on this great feast day may we all find comfort and strength in all that they did, all they accomplished, all they endured.
Comfort and strength.
I won’t lie to you. We need all the comfort and strength we can get.
Why?
Because the fact of the matter is this---the message we have for the world, the message so beautifully put in our reading from Matthew this morning is a message that was counter-cultural then and is, sadly, countercultural now.
The different and the outcast, the disabled and the ill, the young and the old, the immigrant and refugee are still reviled.
And our job is to push this world into more inclusion, more tolerance and more love.
That has always been our job and I fear it will continue to be our job for generations to come.
But, and this is where we really need courage and creativity, the way we do this job, the way we spread this message, needs updating. I’m not sure how that will look, but I know it won’t look like this---we owe it to our forebears, we owe it to our children, we owe it to our God to figure out how to be who we are in this 21st century world with limited resources, an aging building and a world that doesn’t want to hear us.
Sounds like a tall order, doesn’t it?
It is.
But, with this immense cloud of witnesses surrounding us we can do this—it will require breaking out of our comfort zone, it will require doing some things---perhaps many things---differently, it will take courage. It will take hope. It will take flexibility. It will take love. It will take All the Saints, wiping our tears and guiding us to wherever it is God calls us to go.
Amen
The slightest, seemingly inconsequential thing suddenly takes on new meaning and the grief and sadness that overcomes us can be very painful.
Sudden deaths are shocking and terribly sad.
And as we weep, God is there to wipe away every tear.
My dad was ravaged by cancer. He was a mere shadow of his former self, the primary lung cancer had metastasized to his brain and his bones. He was wracked with pain and was hallucinating. His death was a relief from all that horror. Yet still, as he took his final breath it was shocking and terribly sad.
And as we wept, God wiped away every tear.
When my young friend Ian fell into a deep darkness that I can’t even comprehend and decided to take his own life, so many of us were shocked and terribly sad.
And as we wept, God wiped away every tear.
When we were in the middle of diocesan convention last week and word came down about the school shooting outside of Seattle, most of us flashed back to all the mass shootings before, none as horrific as Sandy Hook. Our bodies absorbed the shock and we were, once again, terribly sad.
And as we wept, God wiped away every tear.
On September 11, 2001 we were collectively kicked in the gut, terrified and shocked as the twin towers fell.
And as we wept, God wiped away every tear.
When each of the 40+ people we will remember during the Eucharist died, those who loved them were shocked and terribly sad.
And each and every time:
God wiped away every tear
This is what makes today so wonderful in my eyes---it’s a day when the veil that separates the here and now with those who were and will be forever, lifts just a bit and we find ourselves in that Thin Place where the wonders of life eternal visit us here in our life temporal, reminding us that we are never ever alone, no matter how deep the grief, no matter how painful the loss, no matter how persistent the sadness we are surrounded by Love.
But All Saints’ Day isn’t just about the death of our loved ones. It’s about comfort in the midst of all loss. Take a good look at our reading from Revelation today and be encouraged by the words:
"These are they who have come out of the great ordeal; …
They will hunger no more, and thirst no more;
the sun will not strike them,
nor any scorching heat;
for the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd,
and he will guide them to springs of the water of life,
and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."
All of us here today have lost things---jobs, relationships, health, hope, faith…and we grieve these losses and it is while in the midst of that grief when we can feel the most alone. Today is the day that we remember we’re never alone .
I’m lucky because I get to come into this sacred space late at night and early in the morning, when the world out there is quiet. As I walk around the nave---this area---I can feel them…all those people who loved this place. All those people who sat in these same pews, people who experienced losses unimaginable---those who lived through the Great Depression; those who lived through the loss of young men listed on our wall of war dead; those who lost their health; their livelihood; their relationships. Those who lost their hope and at times even their faith. Their presence lingers and on this great feast day may we all find comfort and strength in all that they did, all they accomplished, all they endured.
Comfort and strength.
I won’t lie to you. We need all the comfort and strength we can get.
Why?
Because the fact of the matter is this---the message we have for the world, the message so beautifully put in our reading from Matthew this morning is a message that was counter-cultural then and is, sadly, countercultural now.
The different and the outcast, the disabled and the ill, the young and the old, the immigrant and refugee are still reviled.
And our job is to push this world into more inclusion, more tolerance and more love.
That has always been our job and I fear it will continue to be our job for generations to come.
But, and this is where we really need courage and creativity, the way we do this job, the way we spread this message, needs updating. I’m not sure how that will look, but I know it won’t look like this---we owe it to our forebears, we owe it to our children, we owe it to our God to figure out how to be who we are in this 21st century world with limited resources, an aging building and a world that doesn’t want to hear us.
Sounds like a tall order, doesn’t it?
It is.
But, with this immense cloud of witnesses surrounding us we can do this—it will require breaking out of our comfort zone, it will require doing some things---perhaps many things---differently, it will take courage. It will take hope. It will take flexibility. It will take love. It will take All the Saints, wiping our tears and guiding us to wherever it is God calls us to go.
Amen
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