Sunday, October 24, 2010

Let It Rain

Audio podcast of sermon

On this day, I scrapped my sermon based upon Joel 2: 23-32 at the last minute and preached a somewhat awkward sermon from an outline because I kept hearing an little voice say, “if they can’t see God’s faithfulness in their own lives, then they won’t be able to see or connect to it in people from such a different context and time.”

Hearing that enough made me realize that the act of integrity was to go way out of my comfort zone and produce the following outline that can be found in it’s entirety in the audio file. The audio file is from the first time I preached it. Personally, I was so far out of my comfort zone that I felt like it was horrid. But people from both services said it was precisely what they needed to hear. So, I trust that God used the words well even if I felt like I stammered.

Also, folks didn’t share as openly in the first service about God’s faithfulness but they were more interactive in the second service. Nevertheless, I could see the wheels turning inside people. Many people were crying tears of remembrance, joy, and longing as they remembered God’s presence in their lives.

Sermon Outline
What does God’s faithfulness look like?
• The history, context, broader understanding of the book of Joel
Characteristics of God’s faithfulness
• Covenant, promise (there’s a whole history of God making good on covenant/promises)
• Presence (in good times and especially in tragedy)
• Nurture (gifts, healing, comfort)
• Love
• Guidance
• Justice
• Relationship
Invite people to share their experiences of God’s faithfulness




text of original sermon 101024 - Ordinary 30C – Let It Rain

Good morning. As always, it’s a delight to share with you in this time of worship and today is no exception. Today is UN Sunday. It is a day to recognize Presbyterian involvement in the UN’s global advocacy and work for justice, helping the poor, and making peace a reality.

The two scripture texts this morning have something in common… they both tell us of God’s grace and faithfulness that is bigger than our ability to comprehend or understand. When we look at the text from Joel specifically, it would be easy to break out into a chorus of “Great is thy Faithfulness.” We are hearing about how God is with them. But it’s not naive praises of an ideal life that God has in store for them. No, this is the praise of a people who found honor for and relationship with God in the midst of famine. They found their deepest connection with God during the times of unknown, strife, and challenge.

See, when we read the lectionary text from Joel, we’re taking a sneak peek at the uplifting part. We’ve bypassed a famine and the loss of their livelihood and hope. Truly, it’s hard to understand Joel unless you read the whole book. But it’s a short one so let me summarize.

This is still in the period of exile for the Jewish people that we discussed the other week and you may recall how I said that being in exile was a fragile state. The passage we studied that week reminded them that their welfare was wrapped up in the welfare of others. Well, this text is picking up on what happens when disaster strikes.

Joel is writing in response to drought and famine that have left people starving. Even their seed for a new harvest has been destroyed and locusts have decimated the land. In a time when life was so fragile, this famine could not have been more painful. It must have been wretched to watch the people they loved die because of the earth shriveling up.

But at this dark time is when Joel calls the people of God to be most faithful. Joel knows that for most people, nothing motivates and focuses us on what we need to fix or change so much as pain and discomfort do. Joel points out that part of why they are experiencing the bleak, joyless life is because they had stopped caring about God and doing what is important to live righteously. Through God, Joel calls them to repent and live faithful lives even in the midst of all this heartache because he is sure that God’s faithfulness will see them through.

This is where our passage picks up. Joel is delighted that the early rain has come. He writes:
O children of Zion, be glad and rejoice in the LORD your God; for he has given the early rain for your vindication, he has poured down for you abundant rain, the early and the later rain, as before. The threshing floors shall be full of grain, the vats shall overflow with wine and oil. I will repay you for the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter, my great army, which I sent against you. You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, and praise the name of the LORD your God, who has dealt wondrously with you. And my people shall never again be put to shame. You shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I, the LORD, am your God and there is no other. And my people shall never again be put to shame.
To people who had lost their children to starvation and their hope had been eaten away like the locusts ate their land, this must have been sweet music to their ears.

But there are 2 things we need to recognize about what’s going on here. First of all, this is part of an interactive encounter with God. Throughout this book, not just this passage, Joel and God are speaking in an exchange. God invites the repentance of the Israelites and promises salvation. I point this out because when disasters happen in our own lives, our fears and feelings of unworthiness often go to the place of asking “Why did God do this to me?” or “What have I done to deserve this?” Likewise, when something good happens, we can quickly slide into the thinking that we earned God’s favor by being better than or good enough. So when we read a passage like this, it’s not a farfetched connection to say, “well, they earned the rain so if I do enough good things, God will help me get a better job.” But friends, that kind of thinking really isn’t how God interacts with us nor is it what’s going on here.

This really is a direct dialog where God has something bigger going on. The reasons for sending rain are not in exchange for salvation but something else. This brings me to the second thing I want to point out about this passage. It talks of the rains being given as vindication and so that they will never be put to shame. This dialog is not about them being good enough to deserve rain. God has been with them and faithful throughout. The rain and healing of shame is about proving to non-believers the power of God and a healing salve to their faithfulness for enduring persecution.

Remember, they are living in exile amongst people of many different beliefs. What was most striking about the Jewish people is that they were the only monotheistic religion at that time. They had the one God, not many gods. They worshiped a God of covenant, love, and ever presence while others worshiped fickle gods demanding obedience in exchange for their favor. So, the idea of a one all-powerful God was very odd during that time and so the Jewish people were mocked and treated badly. But God sends these rains as a balm for their spirits, to not only restore the land but to vindicate them in the eyes of others.

Now, we’ve walked down this road of looking at the background story for some very important reasons. We need to know the bigger story to get what was going on here. And more importantly, we need to know what’s not going on here. There is no bargaining for favor with God and the people did not earn God’s rewards. God was with them and would continue to do so. God had promised them restoration and God was delivering. So, ultimately we go through the background story to help us make sense of what it means here and now.

See, even though we’re not really going into the whole text of God’s spirit coming down upon them and an apocalyptic day of the Lord (I’ll save those for another day), there is still a lot here for us. I think our take aways from this passage are 1) God is faithful 2) God’s restoration meets our whole needs, and 3) our involvement matters to God.

Okay, God is faithful. What does that mean? Well, it means that God always makes good on God’s promises. If there is one thing that is clear from studying this book (hold up the bible), it is that God holds fast to what covenant relationship means. Presence, nurture, love, guidance… all these things are part of how God reveals and abundant faithfulness. So, when we have turned our backs on God, God is still knocking at our doors nudging and calling us back. When we feel in the darkness of sorrow, God is still there with support along the way and a light to guide us toward healing. When we are in the good times, God is still there nurturing a bigger love in us by opening our eyes to the ones that aren’t so privileged. God is faithful to creation by never leaving us and never letting us be. Faithful relationship always calls us to more.

Next, God’s restoration meets our whole needs. What does that mean? In this passage God’s rains restore their physical world full crops and plenty of harvest but it also restores their spirits. You see, God’s restoration does not just seek to put a quick fix on it or offer a hand out to make it better for the moment. God’s healing in creation is for our whole selves. So when we are suffering, God is working to heal all the parts of us. We can experience both a relief in our emotions and a healing of our spirit. We can find healing for both our bodies and our minds. No part of us is too damaged or unworthy of God’s healing and restoration.

Finally, our involvement matters to God. Just like God went to the people in this passage calling them back to faith, God calls us back every time we turn away. This is kind of part of God’s faithfulness but the part we often need to hear the most. God has not made a creation to tend to like a garden and control what is in it and prune it to look a particular way. God set in motion a world of relationships and calls us to relationship with God. Whether it’s because God delights in our relationship as a creator or the way we live out being God’s hands and feet in the world, God is always calling us to interact. Whether we’re being healed or doing the healing, God is reaching to and through us. God acts for the betterment of us. God acts to make creations whole. God acts to get us to interact. Calling us, holding us, reaching for us, teaching us, healing us… God’s actions are extended in hopes of our response.

So, here we find ourselves at the center of a relationship where God’s faithfulness is bigger than our ability to earn favor. It’s full of love and hope for us. How will we respond? How will we interact with God? In the places where we’ve gone astray will we turn and face God? When disasters in life strike, will we receive the hand of God as it’s extended to us? When we see others who suffer, will we be God’s hand extended in the world?

Sisters and brothers, we are a beautiful, loving, and creative people who are also broken and fragile. But we are not alone. We are the children of God made for relationship with both God and each other. God’s faithfulness precedes and will extend long after us. The rain that we need to heal the brokenness is in God. The rain that we need to cultivate the love is in God. God wants to drench us in love and relationship. So today I ask you, what rain does God want to pour out on you?

Amen

Sunday, October 17, 2010

For Faith's Sake

For Faith's Sake <-- Audio File - Sermon based upon Luke 18:1-8

Good morning. If you haven’t noticed, today is Children’s Sabbath. Children’s Sabbaths is celebrated throughout the world and throughout many faith traditions, not just Christianity. It is a special day to pause and appreciate the amazing gift of children… the ones in our midst and afar. It is also a time to bring awareness to the plight of children because they are among the most vulnerable in our world. Vulnerable to abuse and neglect. Vulnerable to the effects of poverty and marginalization. And vulnerable to be forgotten and ignored in public policy and politics. Finally, Children’s Sabbath is a day to call us to advocacy. And what that advocacy might look like, we’ll talk about later.

So, for now let’s dig into this Gospel text which is a true gem for such a day as this. You see, this parable is a bit interesting because first of all Jesus shares with us it’s intended meaning. Right out of the starting gate he says this passage is about the need to pray always and not to lose heart. What’s also interesting is that we hear from the bad guy’s inner voice. The unjust judge says of himself in this passage that “I have no fear of God and no respect for anyone.” And yet, in the end, he does what is right and just for the widow. And then Jesus ends the whole thing by turning it around on us to find out if we will persist by asking, “when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”

You see I think this passage has a lot to offer us and I could probably preach a different sermon from this text for weeks and weeks to come but we have to limit the scope through the question, “What is it that God wants us to hear today?” I think the message to us today is that for our faith’s sake, God calls us to persist in seeking justice. Let me say it again. For our faith’s sake, God calls us to persist in seeking justice.

Now you may ask how I got that seemingly simple statement from a parable about untiring prayer. Well, let’s dig into what the bible has to say to us. The first hurdle we need to make is to understand that prayer is far more than quiet meditation or private time with God. Deuteronomy, Matthew, Luke and many other scripture texts tells us are called to be a living prayer and 1 Thessalonians and Ephesians tell us to do so without ceasing. Mother Teresa said, “Prayer in action is love, love in action is service.” Dean Inge said, “Action is the normal completion of the act of will which begins as prayer.” From outside our tradition, Mahatma Gandhi said, “Prayer is not an old woman's idle amusement. Properly understood and applied, it is the most potent instrument of action.” You see, prayer and action always go hand in hand. Our actions are prayers. So a parable about faithful prayer is also about faithful action in the Christian life.

For our faith’s sake, God calls us to persist in seeking justice. Well, we’re definitely called to living prayers of action but what’s this thing of justice? The message of God’s justice is woven throughout the bible and maybe most famously stated in Micah 6:8 which reads, “what does the LORD require of you But to do justice, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God?” So this passage stands as one among many rather than a rare mention of justice. And just like we hear the inner thoughts of the unjust judge, we also hear Jesus’ clear reference to God and justice in this passage. So, our calling to work in justice is clear and clearly linked to our faith. But what does it look like?

This is where I think the passage has a lot to say to us on Children’s Sabbath. When considering the plight of children in poverty and suffering from the effects of poverty, the statistics are staggering. In looking at the global numbers we see:
  • There are 2.2 billion children in the world and 1 billion of them live in poverty.
  • 10.6 million children die each year before they reached the age of 5
  • Over 11 million children die each year from preventable causes like malaria, diarrhea and pneumonia.
  • 121 million children are not in any sort of formal education whereby they may better their condition. They are only living lives of survival.

And let’s look closer to home. In the United States:
  • Every 18 minutes a baby dies before his or her first birthday.
  • Every 45 minutes a child or teen dies from an accident.
  • Every 5 hours a child or teen commits suicide.
  • Every 6 hours a child is killed by abuse or neglect.
And if we look at those same numbers and only consider children living in poverty and marginalization, the numbers skyrocket. They were already overwhelming enough and poverty makes them worse.

So again I ask, what does justice look like? I mean, Repeatedly it has been shown that effects of poverty and inadequate healthcare hit children the hardest and have the longest legacy. So, what is justice? Well ultimate justice is a world where all those statistics are gone and all that’s left is the joy of looking into the eyes of children, all children, and seeing pure hope. A world where no child goes to bed hungry. A world where no child is bullied or teased for any reason. A world where how much money a family has does not limit the opportunities of a child. A world where children laugh and play without fear of returning to an abusive home. A world where the weeping for the joy of children is louder than the weeping of grieving mothers and families. A world where we’ve participated in making all that happen.

Now I don’t know about you but that vision brings tears to my eyes. And I’d like to tell you such a world will happen in our lifetime but it probably will not. The reality is that children are thousands of times better off than they were 100 years ago because of the advancement of medicine. And better off than they were a few hundred years ago because they are no longer view as property but rather as people under the law. So we’ve made significant progress in protecting children and we’ll continue that… because that is what we are called to. This scripture passage calls us, just like the persistent widow, to persist in prayer and justice work regardless of how just or unjust the system is because it is our faith filled response to God. It is the right thing to do. The widow persisted and justice was restored. But even if the wrongs being inflicted on her had continued, she would have persisted because it was the right thing to do.

Now this is a good time to address one of the toughest parts of this parable. Verses 7 and 8 read, “And will not God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long in helping them? I tell you, he will quickly grant justice to them.” Now, to a child being picked on or suffering from a preventable disease, this verse must make them say, “When? I’m suffering now and where’s the justice?” When we look at the reality around us these verses make us pause and question if Jesus is really telling us the truth.

First of all, let’s be clear, all injustice is an abomination to God because it seeks to break down God’s good creation. But how is God restoring justice? What we need to recognize in this passage is something that is lost in translation from the original Greek text, the difference between chronos and kairos, calendar time and God’s time.

You know that old saying there’s our time and there’s God’s time? Well there really is. See, chronos which is calendar time or clock time is about how long it took for me to get from the start of this sermon to the end of it or my speed from here to the coffee. Kairos is about the “rightness” of the moment. It’s about being in a moment where there’s no doubt or hesitation or unwillingness. And it’s also God’s relationship to us in our moments. God is the “rightness” in the moment.

You see when we look at this parable, we are told that God will “quickly” grant justice. The word we translate as quickly and the words around it are not talking about speed or chronos. The words used are talking about assuredness and lack of hesitation or kairos. God will quickly grant justice because God has not hesitated in proclaiming injustice. God will quickly grant justice because we don’t need to wonder if God wants us to advocate for the poor and oppressed because God has already on their side and has been sitting at the side of the poor and suffering as a comforter for a long time. I don’t know what date and time is when we’ll live in a world without suffering children but I can assure you that we don’t have to convince God that there’s injustice or beg of God to hear because God is already her in the midst of it! God is on the side of the oppressed and suffering EVERY TIME.

God has been working through the parents, advocates, and all those who heed the call of love throughout all time and all creation. God has been comforting the afflicted through the work of our hands, the compassion in our eyes, and love and passion in our voices for a long time. We ask “How long O Lord how long will the children suffer?” and God has answered until the work is done. We ask “How long O Lord how long will the children suffer?” and again God answers until the work is done. But rest assured those who are suffering always have an advocate and a comforter in God. The question to us, is how hard will we work to make sure those suffering experience that advocacy and comfort?

So, what advocacy can we do to make a difference? Advocacy can take on lots of different forms. Whether it’s being the regular neighborhood front porch where all kids know they can come to talk or donating money to an after school program, it’s still saying that children matter. We can be involved in letter writing campaigns or public advocacy about policies that support children. That work is much like the widow and the unjust judge. If we persist, sometimes even unjust politicians relent and do the right thing even for the wrong reasons. There are all kinds of programs to be involved in and all kinds of relationships we have with children in which we can be their comforter and their advocate.

Even if you don’t realize it, this congregation is already doing lots of good things for kids. These children and youth would not be participating in the service were it not for your faithful witness. Portions of the offering go into programs that make a difference in children’s lives. And all of us have made a difference in some child’s life whether we’re 9 or 90. We have been, are, and continue to be God’s hands at work in the world.

You know, I entitled this sermon “For Faith’s Sake” on Monday last week but yesterday I was at the association meeting which is the United Church of Christ’s equivalent to Presbytery meeting. While I was there, I found this bumper sticker, “For God’s sake, do something.” I think that would have been a better title for this sermon. For God’s sake, do something. For God’s good creation’s sake, do something.

Our call is to continue the work of advocacy and comforting, faithfully and persistently. Our call is to seek more ways and new creative methods for doing that work. When you leave here what more can you do? What child will be touched by your time, love, resources, and most importantly by our faithfulness?

Amen

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Response to Issue of Youth Involvement in Conferences

The following is my response to an excerpt entitled “Christian Conferences: Necessity or Distraction?” from Becky Garrison’s book entitled “Jesus Died for This?” posted on Youthworker.com.  In it, she tries to pull apart the difficulty of deciding how to invigorate youth’s spiritual growth through conferences, local involvement, etc. Among the issues she raises are the ways in which events speak to only a certain context.  To her, I wrote:

I understand that the issues raised in this piece are complex though I must quickly concede that I am not involved in youth work and do not pastor a congregation. I am a pediatric chaplain. Yet regardless of my role, I think it is a tough balance when looking at programed events. How are they set up? Who will benefit from it? What will be the lasting effect?

Honestly, I think it is very difficult to plan for a group and determine what will positively affect the most number of people. What is one person’s transformative experience is another’s distraction. We each find what we are looking for (even if it is not what we need).

When I think of my own conference experiences as a youth, most were fleeting moments of buzz but the new people I met and my exposure to a broader world of believers made an immeasurable impact upon me. In my adult life, I understand the types of events that will feed me most and choose those. They are usually more communal and intimate gatherings like the Quaker Pastoral Care Conference and the Pediatric Chaplains Network Annual Forum (which my spouse has lovingly dubbed “chaplain camp” because of how fun it is).

As an extravert, I need new people to cultivate new tools. But what do more introspective, introverted people need? I suspect the answer for most youth programs is in offering and providing many different types of encounters so that participants can come to understand the varying ways they connect and therefore develop an ever-evolving spiritual life. But regardless of how one chooses, I truly believe the Holy Spirit always does her work if we show up.

Monday, October 11, 2010

National Coming Out Day

I've never really known what to say about National Coming Out Day. It is brave to come out. It is no less brave to protect people by not coming out. Not all people can come out because they lack the support, emotional energy, and safety. I grieve for them, not judge them. Yet, I celebrate those who can come out and enjoy the integrity that transparency offers. I pray for their safety every day. I've been out over 20 years (I'm only 36). It's been worth it to make smart choices yet seek transparency when it is possible. Thank you to all those who have made it possible to share of myself fully. You are the ones I celebrate most today.

Sunday, October 10, 2010

I, You, and We

I, You, and We <-- audio file of sermon based upon Jeremiah 29:1,4-7

Good morning. Last week we studied a pastoral letter from Paul to Timothy and his church. It was a letter of encouragement and a calling to stay connected with their core gifts and faith. This week we have a letter from Jeremiah which is also a pastoral letter but one that is prophetic. Paul’s letter was telling people how to cultivate faith here and now. Jeremiah’s letter is looking toward the future and setting out the vision of how to still be a thriving people in the future.

Even though we only read a small piece of this letter, it’s part of a larger letter that to the Jewish people while they were in exile. See, to really get the most out of this passage, we need to understand what was going on that Jeremiah was sending this letter. It’s a very painful time for the Jewish people. The Kingdom of Judah fell to the Babylonians and now the Jewish people have literally been deported to live in exile. Their homes have been taken, their religious center in Jerusalem has been destroyed, and everything they ever knew and trusted was turned upside down.

So here they are, living in Babylon amongst people and customs unknown to them but things aren’t safe and secure here either. This was a period of deep unrest throughout the fertile crescent. Empires had and would continue to rise and fall, taking lots of innocent people with them. The Jewish people were probably living amongst lots of people away from their homelands and the Babylonians could fall at any time uprooting them all once again.

This is a time of unrest, fear, and deep concern for their future. And it’s in this moment that Jeremiah writes to them saying,
Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat what they produce. Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease. But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.
You see Jeremiah was telling them to continue to do the everyday things that it not only takes to survive but to thrive. Continue to have children. Continue to cultivate relationships. Multiply.

Now, we need to be clear that this was a very different time and place than where we live now. Relationships were usually not about love. Marriages in that time were more like contract law, trade agreements, and alliance building for the safety of people. Few people in the bible or any ancient texts are said to have married for love or even come to love their spouses because this is a very different time of desperation. But what is clear is that in land full of danger and a time when babies and mothers died 50% of the time, having children was absolutely essential for people to survive so Jeremiah was clear that they needed to increase, not decrease.

Which all this leads us to what I think is the most important verse in the passage where Jeremiah tells them, “seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.” “For in its welfare you will find your welfare”… That must have been pretty hard to hear as a Jew in exile. I imagine it was hard for Jeremiah to say. I mean, here’s this prophet who is usually offering messages of revolution and thundering power who is telling people to pray for and work for the betterment of the community they find themselves in. This must have seemed offensive to people who had been deported and robbed of the homes they once knew. But it is God’s message to them through the prophet Jeremiah nevertheless.

Just like Jeremiah knew their survival was wrapped up in continuing to have children he also knew that their future was now intertwined in the safety of the Babylonians. To work for peace in Babylon was to work for peace in their own homes and vice versa.

Now this is a pretty hefty message in just a few short verses. A good summary of this passage might be, to truly prosper, we need to take care of our own house as well as the house of others by working for peace and safety. But what does this mean to us? In this country, babies and mothers survive nearly all of the time. Instead of dying at a rate of better than 50%, they survive over 99.5% of the time. And we have the privilege of entering into relationships for reasons of love, not just survival. So what does Jeremiah’s message of I take care of my house, you take care of yours, and we take care of each other’s houses mean here and now?

Well, I think it means quite a bit actually. It is true that we are a far more privileged people than what the Jewish exiles were. But we still experience our own sense of exile and if we don’t personally, I guarantee you that others around us do. Look around… there are people out of work and living in economic exile. Sometimes that exile even means moving to a new place that take away all that is familiar just to find work. There are others of us that make moves to accommodate family needs like caring for an aging parent or being near schools that are good for our children. But while these moves are the right thing to do, they uproot us from home and force distance between us and what is familiar. Still others experience emotional and literal exile of being marginalized because of race, class, relationships, age, violent neighborhoods, and so much more. We need only read the headlines of bullying and the sorrow of isolation to know that many are living in exile among us.

This passage offers us a key piece of wisdom in the face of all our life circumstances. Safety and peace are the pathway to the future. Our own homes are at their best when we make a place of peace and safety in which to grow, love, and live. Our neighbor’s homes are at their best when they are safe to be who they were created to be. Our communities are at their best when we know we’ve got each other’s backs.

On this day, it’s Domestic Violence awareness Sunday in the Presbyterian Church and I believe this passage most definitely has a message to us on that subject too. If safety and peace are the pathway to the future, then they are the pathway to the future for us all. It can’t be that only some of us are safe while others are not. That’s the whole thrust of this passage. “For in its welfare you will find your welfare.”

Domestic violence has staggering statistics.
  • A woman is beaten every 15 seconds in this country.
  • Domestic violence occurs at least once in two-thirds of all marriages.
  • 600 people are victims of sexual violence each day in the US. Only 53% are reported to the police. Few are ever prosecuted.
  • 40% of teenage girls age know someone their age who has been hit or beaten by a boyfriend.
  • More than three million children witness acts of domestic violence each year.
It doesn’t take long to become depressed when we take all this in. And statistically we all know people who are abused or are abusers… maybe even ourselves.

The statistics and the reality are so staggering that it’s hard to get our footing and figure out what to do about it. But this passage offers the key… safety and peace. Our own homes should be safe havens. If our homes currently have violence or relationships that aren’t loving and life filled, there is hope in redemptive love. Reach out for help. Reach to your neighbors. There is help and support. We can journey together and find strength as a community we didn’t know was there before.

If our homes are safe and loving places, make them available to others. Be the listening ear to our friends. Make it safe for our children to come talk with us as well as our children’s friends. We know that the first outcry for help usually comes to friends or to the parents of friends.

And don’t be afraid to do something. The effect of early and loving intervention in people’s lives cannot fully be accounted for. We are called to be in community… their welfare is ours. It is our job to offer support and be a safe haven. It is also our job to report crimes and seek professional intervention. But we are not called to be the saviors of others. We are not the police and therapist to our loved ones. We are their loved ones. But our community is large enough that we have professional organizations to offer help such as domestic violence shelters. If you are ever unsure of what resources are available, reach out to the police department, a pastor, a therapist, or someone else well connected with resources to help.

Sisters and brothers, Jeremiah tells us to “seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.” In making our own homes and relationships safe places for thriving, we find our own welfare. In reaching out to others to help them have a home of safety, they find their welfare. I, you, we… we’re all wrapped up in this together. Whether it’s the emotional exile of depression or the exile of a violent home, we are in this together.

Seek peace. Be a safe harbor for others. And pray and work for the betterment and peace of the community. It was God’s will for the exiles and it’s still God’s will for our lives today. Amen.

Sunday, October 3, 2010

Remember Who You Are

Remember Who You Are <-- Audio file of sermon based upon 2 Timothy 1:1-14

Good morning. I’m excited to be here for the next 4 weeks with you because what you don’t know is that they are my favorite designated days in the Presbyterian Church. You know we have Advent and Christmas, Lent and Easter. We have many holidays that are deeply meaningful in our faith tradition. But in the Presbyterian Church, there are also designated days of recognition that are not holidays but times of awareness, honor, and remembrance. It happens to be that my favorite 4 happen all in a row beginning today. Today is World Communion Sunday, next week is Domestic Violence Awareness, the 17th is Children’s Sabbath, and the 24th is United Nations Sunday. Somehow you’ll find this themes woven into the worship services.

So, here we are today with a great scripture lesson from 2 Timothy to get us going on World Communion Sunday.

That apostle Paul, he sure had a great formula for writing letters. All his letters and the ones attributed to him by his followers start out with such love, support, and affirmation. Even though this letter foreshadows Paul’s death while imprisoned, he never wavered in wanting the best for those he loved. Paul always believed that God’s vision for them would come into full bloom if they were true to their faith and gifts.

So here we are today. It’s World Communion Sunday of First Presbyterian Church in Crown Point. What does it look like to be true to our faith and gifts? Which is another way of saying: Who are you and who are we?

As we read this letter and the salutation is over, Paul began his letter to Timothy by remembering. He remembered Timothy’s tears. Verse 4 begins, “Recalling your tears, I long to see you…” We don’t know why Timothy had cried in Paul’s presence but whatever it was, it was cause for remembrance. Paul cared about what Timothy felt. To me that says a lot. Many teachers and leaders care about how we perform or what we do but not how we feel. Paul opened up by saying that those things which are most personal and emotional in your life are meaningful to him too.

Paul goes on to remember Timothy’s faith and family in verse 5 which reads, “I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that lived first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, lives in you.” So Paul not only cares about Timothy’s feelings, he cares about his family and where he came from… he is truly connected to Timothy on many levels.

Next Paul tells us that he cares about what Timothy does by turning his own remembrance into a reminder for Timothy. Verse 6 begins “For this reason I remind you to rekindle the gift of God that is within you…”

Now, I find myself wondering why Paul wanted to both remember and remind Timothy what was most fundamental to him… his faith, his roots, and his gifts. I don’t mean why as in what were the circumstances around Timothy at the time. I mean why is it important to remember who we are.

In asking this, I did some remembering of my own. Do you remember the Disney movie the Lion King? It centered around a young lion cub named Simba whose father, the king of the pride lands, was killed. Manipulated by his conniving uncle, Simba believed he himself was responsible and ran away. He grows up away from all he has known and is content but not fulfilled. Soon, Simba encounters a shaman like monkey who knew him as a baby. The monkey takes Simba to a lagoon to show him his father. Simba sees his own reflection in the water dismisses the monkey as a fool. The monkey says “Look Harder, he lives in you.” When Simba looks again he hears the voice of his father saying: “Simba, you have forgotten who you are, you are more than you have become, Remember who you are...”

This of course is the turning point in the movie and I believe the point Paul was trying to make. Paul knew that without staying grounded in our core, we are adrift. Though we may find contentment like Simba, we will be far from fulfilled. And we definitely will not be participating in the blossoming of God’s vision for us.

As we read further, Paul goes onto talk about living in the grace that has been freely given to them and living out the gifts that have been implanted in them. Throughout the rest of this letter that spans well beyond what we read today, it shares much wisdom about the lived faith. But much of it is anchored to making sure that they are well grounded in their faith and the things that are most core to them… their faith, gifts, and experiences.

So taking in all of this, I felt inspired by the Holy Spirit. I wondered what it would look like if Paul wrote a letter to you… to the people of First Presbyterian Church of Crown Point. And I answered. Based upon the style of Paul and the principles he set forth in this second letter to Timothy, I wrote you a letter from Paul in modern language and form. Here it goes.
Thanks be to God. Amen.
Paul, dedicated apostle of Christ, living by God’s grace am writing you, my much beloved friends at First Pres.

I am so grateful and thank God every time I think of you. You are truly such special people. I know it has been difficult for you of late. Many of you worry about finding a new pastor and about how to move forward as a congregation on many issues. Do not be ashamed of your journey. I share in your struggle and want you to know that your concerns are holy and faith filled. But trust in the presence of God and the gifts you share as a body and you will find your way. There is no need for worry, only diligence.

I think back to people I knew in the church many years ago and about baptisms of children that are now adults. I wish I could be there with you. So much has happened. You have remained faithful even in times of not having a sanctuary of your own. You have been present for the needs of the community. You have grown great programs like Soup & Serenity and the food pantry. You have raised up vibrant children and youth who reach out to others through mission trips. And you continue to share in fellowship with family hayrides and coffee time between worship services. I hope you take the time to celebrate who you are together. You deserve joy, the same joy God delights in from creating you.

And to you individually, I know that congregational life is full of great blessings and great struggles. Being called into the body of Christ is a calling of both wonder and work. I hope you are finding meaningful ways of living out your God given talents both inside and outside the church walls. Since last we saw each other, I imagine you have learned even more about all that God has knitted into your frame. I trust that you want to continue to grow and become all that God envisions for you or you wouldn’t be here. Do good things for yourself to nurture your gifts. Reach out to help others to nurture their gifts. And most importantly, be grace filled with yourself and others during times of struggle just as God is grace filled with us. We only know the fullness and wonder of God as much as we are closely working with all the parts of the body of Christ.

Today is World Communion Sunday. If there was ever a day to recognize just how vast God’s fullness reaches, it is today. As you gather around Christ’s table, I hope you will pause to remember all the others around the world who are doing the same thing, other people who are full of questions, worries, and hopes. I hope you will also take a moment to remember all those who came before you and made this table possible. Remember with gratitude and honor all those who taught you what this table means, your family, friends, teachers, pastors. They helped cultivate in you the gift of faith.

And speaking of the gift of faith, as you gather around this table, I also want you to remember those who suffer under circumstances like poverty, violence, and discrimination that stifle and squash faith. Hold them most dearly in your heart. Pray and work for their justice and liberation. It is for them that you dedicate part of today’s offering to the Presbyterian Peacemaking programs. They do not enjoy the liberation of Christ that we experience when we gather around this table and God’s work will not be complete until they can remember who they are too.

Sisters and brothers, I leave you with the same hopes found in your mission statement. At First Presbyterian Church of Crown Point, all are invited to know Christ, To grow in Christ, and to show Christ to the world as we love one another. Go forward from this time, remembering who you are. Go forward from this place knowing that who you are is part of God’s good creation. Go forward from this place sharing boldly the love, faith, and gifts God has freely given to you.

Your most faithful and loving advocate,
Paul