Click on the link to read each
sermon.
September 28: Who do we think we are?
October 5: What do
we think we are doing?
October 12:
Why are we doing what we are doing?
October 19: How are we doing what we are doing?
October 26: When are we doing what we are doing?
November 9: Bishop Michael Curry
November 16: The Rev. Charles Hawes
November 23: Katerina Whitley
September 28, 2008 Proper 21-A 2008
Today I would like to begin a series of sermons focusing on who we are and what we are doing. Let me tell you how this plan came about. Several weeks ago I stepped back for a moment and looked at the calendar. It was already too full, and school had not even started. I attended a meeting to hear ideas about our fall stewardship campaign, a meeting with the site development committee that is working with our architects, a meeting with our staff, a meeting to discuss worship plans for the remainder of the year, a couple to talk about their wedding, a meeting with another couple to talk about baptism.
Meanwhile, parish life keeps rolling: people have babies, people die, people get sick, have surgery, have a crisis of one sort or another; and the next thing you know it’s Sunday morning again.
As usually happens when we take a few minutes to be still and step back from what we are doing, I thought about all this in a different way. We have a lot going on, most of it quite important. In the next couple of months the stewardship commission and vestry ask the congregation to support a budget in the range of $300,000 for next year, and many of you are giving lots of time to extend the ministries of this parish.
I found myself asking are we clear about why we are doing all this? Are we clear about our purpose? About our motivation? About our goals? About why we are willing to spend this kind of time, energy, and money year in and year out?
So, along came the idea of a sermon series that might help us focus on these important issues as we look at the coming year and the years ahead. I am not naïve about the limited value of preaching, especially my own preaching. Very little can be accomplished in 16 minutes; however, I do hope this series of sermons will help us think together about who we are, what we are doing, and why we are doing it. It seemed like a good idea at the time. I guess we will find out.
Preaching always involves an occupational hazard. If you haven’t figure it out already, I will share it with you. Preachers always preach about the things they need to hear, the things they need to understand and put to work in their lives. So, any sermon you hear is directed to us all, those who are seated and those who are standing during the sermon.
The place to begin this reflection process together is to ask the question who do we think we are. At first I thought about asking who in the world do we think we are, but that sounded a bit too brash. So, here is what I came up with.
Who do we think we are? My first thought is: we don’t. At least not very often. We are busy doing lots of important things. But we don’t spend a lot of time reflecting on our identity and our purpose in doing these things. I grew up in a wonderful Baptist church where there was lots of talk about once saved always saved. Then I joined the Episcopal Church where the unspoken motto is once comfortable always comfortable.
Comfortable isn’t bad. In fact, it is an act of faith. Our faith should contribute to our comfort and well-being. We believe in God who is loving and trustworthy, whose love is not based on our getting things right. Whose love is a gift extended to all, regardless of the circumstances of our lives.
However, in our comfortable faith we would do well to ask ourselves about this faith adds to our lives. What allows us to be at peace and not fretful about our spiritual life?
The scripture lesson we heard today from Paul’s letter to the Philippians gives us some clues about our identity. We are a people who belong to God. A people for whom a relationship with God is a central part of our identity. We have trouble finding words to describe this relationship; it seems odd at times to make such a grand claim, but it is central to our lives.
People of faith have a sense of connection with the divine mystery. People of faith believe they matter to this divine mystery. As the late John Claypool used to say, what happens to us makes a difference to God.
People of faith are called to live consciously, to pay attention to what we are doing. Although being comfortable in our faith is a good thing, we must remember that there is no automatic pilot in the spiritual life. There is no cruise control. We are to pay attention to what we are doing and why.
People of faith are called to journey. The life of faith is not static. The life of faith, as Paul understood it, is an ongoing process, a process of spiritual formation that lasts one’s entire life and continues beyond death. It is a journey that requires our attention and energy. It is not a journey that deserves more than our left-over time and energy.
People of faith are called to make this journey a priority. Faith always makes us uneasy because it calls for transformation; faith makes us uneasy because it calls us to go to new places, new places within ourselves, new places in our relationships with others, and new places in the world around us.
People of faith are called outside their own self-interests to pay attention to the needs of others. Paul encourages the Philippians to be mindful of the needs of others, to be mindful of the needs of strangers and the needs of neighbors.
People of faith are called to an ethic that is different from the ethics of the larger world. We are called to look out for each other. Members of the early church pooled their belongings and shared them with those in need.
During my years as a marriage and family therapist, I worked with lots of people in conflict. Those people fell into two groups: some were interested in solving the problems they faced; others were more interested in feeling like a winner who was right than they were in solving their problems.
As you can imagine, those who were interested in solving their problems were willing to take a look at themselves. They were willing to understand the other person’s point of view; in fact, they wanted to understand the other person’s point of view because they cared about each other. The success rate of these people was exceptionally high.
In contrast, the success rate of those who wanted to win, who were unwilling to look at their part in a problem, was exceptionally low. Courage and self-examination are essential to a life of growth.
Paul says that people of faith are a community in the process of transformation. This process of transformation involves learning to trust God, to trust other people, and to trust ourselves.
The process of transformation makes us a people of humility. Someone asked St. Augustine about the most important thing in the life of faith. His reply, “humility.” He expounded on the importance of humility, and then the person asked him about the second and third most important things in the life of faith. Without hesitation, Augustine replied, “humility and humility.”
Fifteen hundred years later Soren Kierkegaard made a similar observation. He wrote that people of faith must always remember how little we know, must always remember how important it is to continue our spiritual journey with open minds and open hears.
Kierkegaard is
right. St. Augustine is right. St. Paul is right; we are
people who have received a profound gift. We are people who
know we are God’s children. That’s where our journey begins.
That is where our anchor holds: we know we are God’s children.
And knowing that makes everything else different.
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The sermon this morning is the second in a series of sermons that invite us to look at who we are, what we are doing, why and how we are doing the things that matter to us. Last week we looked at the question of “who do we think we are?” Today we will look at what we think we are doing.
In the Late 16th century, Anglican theologian Richard Hooker wrote about spiritual authority and wisdom available to people of faith. According to Hooker, Christians find authority for their lives in three places: scripture, tradition, and reason. He said these three sources are like the legs of a stool: they must be in balance for the stool to work properly. Scripture, the developed traditions of the church, and our individual ability to reason: our ability to understand and interpret scripture, traditions, and the conditions around us.
I would like to borrow Hooker’s imagery and tweak it a bit this morning as we look at the question of what we as a church think we are doing, or what should an effective church be doing. In this image, the stool has 4 legs instead of 3. As in Hooker’s metaphor, all 4 legs must be in balance for the stool to work properly.
The church at its best is deliberately balanced in 4 areas: worship, fellowship, community, spiritual formation, and service to others.
Since we are Anglicans, I will begin with worship. Worship is vital to the life of every faith community. The landscape is filled with church buildings: some of them elaborate and expensive: others plain and modest. Worship is so important in the life of religious communities that we have special space set aside for the sole purpose of worshiping God. We have special clothes, special dishes, special customs – all because this time and this place is special; all designed to help us worship God.
In the 19th century, Soren Kierkegaard wrote that Christians are compelled to worship because we have experienced the goodness of God. Seeing something of this goodness in our lives, in nature, and in the lives of other people, worship and praise are the only proper responses.
At its best, worship is not an activity for spectators. Kierkegaard felt the people in Denmark in the early 1800’s were trying to worship backward. He saw the worshiping community sitting like an audience at the theater, watching the ministers and choir perform, with the minister looking to God as the prompter in the wings offstage.
According to Kierkegaard, the church had it backward. Worship is directed to God because worship is our response to the goodness of God; God is the audience, not the people. The performers at worship are not the ministers and choir, but the people. In worship, the people perform; the people express their gratitude and praise to God. The ministers and choir are in the role of prompter; it is our job to facilitate worship, to provide tools and resources. It is our role to be servants and helpers in worship, not to present a performance.
Worship serves several purposes. The first purpose is indeed to praise God, to come together and remember the one to whom we all belong, the one who has created all that is: the one who is redeeming and sustaining us all the days of our lives. Worship provides a center, a focus; worship connects us with our spiritual roots. Worship offers both comfort and challenge.
In addition, worship shapes our lives. Our liturgies have developed over thousands of years in the Christian community and among our Jewish ancestors. The liturgy shapes and informs our lives. Parts of our worship change from season to season for a reason: We sing Alleluia at Easter and not at Lent for a reason. Advent, All Saints’ Day, baptismal Sundays, and Maundy Thursday guide our worship, direct our thinking, and bring valuable resources to our life together.
The second leg of the stool, the second resource we hope to find in the church is fellowship and community. In its best expression, the church is an extended family: an extended family that celebrates the good times with us and helps us make it through the hard times. An extended family that matters to us, and to whom we matter. A nurturing community where we learn to work together, where we each have a part. An extended family where we each find ways to help enhance our life together. An extended family where we practice what it means to love our neighbor as ourselves. An extended family where our needs matter to each other. An extended family where look out for each other as much as we look out for ourselves.
The third leg of the stool, the third resource we hope to find in the church is a range of opportunities for spiritual formation and Christian Education. The church works hand in hand with our family at home to provide resources and opportunities for our children, our youth, and adults of all ages. The church is place of life-long learning. A place where old ideas are deepened and transformed, and new ideas are welcome. A place where we are gradually transformed by the good news we find in worship, study, and life among our friends. A place where we learn from scripture, from the traditions of the church, from the liturgy, and from one another.
And finally, the church in its best expression is active in outreach to others. Different churches approach the idea of outreach in different ways. For some, outreach focuses primarily on sharing the good news of God’s love as a verbal witness: telling others about the way faith in God has changed our lives -- and inviting them to join us in the faith journey. For others, the evangelism or outreach is expressed in other ways, with or without a verbal statement: food, clothing, shelter, and environmental efforts.
However we approach the matter of outreach, it is central to our religious life. We are called to pass on to others some part of our own religious experience. In most churches 20% of the people do 80% of the work; and 20% of the people provide 80% of the financial support that makes ministry possible. It is amazing to think how much could happen if others would get more involved.
I think Kierkegaard was right, we as people of faith respond not only to a calling, but we respond out of gratitude for the spiritual resources that have awakened us. Just as we worship in gratitude to God, we serve others in gratitude as well.
What do we think we are doing? We strive to deepen our faith, to extend the reach of God’s good news and love for all. We strive to learn, to grow, to serve, and to worship the God who is the source of all that is. We strive to be a community that loves one another, serves one another, and reaches out to people beyond our walls.
I believe that is what it means to be church. I
believe that is what we are called to do; that is what we are
striving to do. Next week we will look at the important
question of why. At “why in the world are we doing what we
think we are doing.”
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I would like to share an interesting story from a book written by Kevin Cashmar. The book is entitled Leadership from the Inside Out; and the story is about a Russian priest in the days prior to the revolution. As the priest walks down the street he hears someone say, “Halt.” When he looks up he is staring down the barrel of a rifle, and behind the rifle is a soldier in uniform. The soldier demands to know, “Who are you? Where are you going? Why are you going there?”
The priest paused a moment, and calmly replied, “How much do they pay you to serve in the army?” The puzzled soldier paused and replied, “25 kopecks a month.” The priest continued, “Let’s make a deal. I will pay you 50 kopecks a month if you will stop me here every day and challenge me to answer those same 3 questions.”
That’s what we are doing this fall at Grace Church. We are asking ourselves, “Who are we? Where are we going? Why are we going there?” Our church is a busy place: people are in and out of the building all week long. You are doing many important things to help the community. We are looking at ways to make our buildings work better for ourselves and for the community we serve. In a few weeks we will kick off our fall pledge campaign to help us develop a budget for next year. We are trying to do all these things at a time when people are worried about the economy and their own finances.
With all these things going on it is especially important to ask ourselves these questions about who we are, where we are going, and why we are going there.
In preparing this sermon my mind kept going back to the times I have attended a meeting of the Rotary, the Lions’ Club, or Kiwanis. These service organizations have a great deal in common with the church. Here is what I have noticed at these meetings. The people arrive on time. They seem pleased to be there. They greet one another warmly. They show a special interest to anyone who is new. They wear nametags. They pay dues. They contribute above and beyond the customary dues. Everyone serves on a committee – at times, a desirable committee of one’s choice; at other times, taking on thankless jobs that have to be done, fun or not. If they miss a meeting, they make up their absence by attending a meeting somewhere else.
The organizations are heavily involved in service projects to help others; they are eager to recruit and welcome new members. From time to time I get a call from someone inviting me to a meeting. Can you imagine that? And at the meetings they pray and often sing a hymn. Sounds a lot like church to me. I have often wondered what would happen to church if we met on Thursdays at noon and served lunch.
Needless to say, service organizations and the church do have a lot in common. Both provide opportunities for service and fellowship. Both are driven by the desire to help others. This desire to help is driven by gratitude for the blessings and opportunities that are ours. And, you have probably noticed that many people in the service clubs are also active members of one of the churches in town. The same gratitude and generosity that brings people to church also motivates them to join groups that help other people, especially those in greatest need.
Despite all the church and service clubs have in common, I do believe there is a difference. Although both organizations provide opportunities for fellowship and service to others, there is a difference. Although both organizations are driven by gratitude and generosity, there is a difference.
At the church, our first order of business is God. Certainly God is at work anywhere goodness is found, whether the language and activity are religious are not. At church, however, our primary focus is our connection with God. The focus of the church is first and foremost about God and our relationship with God.
Paul Tillich said it well when he wrote that people of faith are people who have been grasped or grabbed by the power of being. As people of faith, we have been grasped, grabbed, or at least touched in some way by the power of being, by the grace of God. We participate in church or religious life out of gratitude for the grace of God. We participate in church or religious life to learn more of what this connection means, and to deliberately open ourselves to the mystery of God among those who have a similar awareness.
Recognizing that God’s grace has touched our lives does several things for us, all of them profoundly religious. Church is not the only place we find God’s grace active in our lives, but church is the place we gather to open ourselves more and more to God’s grace. To renew and bask in our connection with the one who created all that is, the one who is larger than life, the one who loves us more than we can imagine.
Ideally in worship we come to open ourselves, and to give ourselves over to the God who is more grand and generous than all our images can describe. To take a few minutes to let God be God, to let down our guard, to quit standing watch, and to experience what the book of Hebrews calls the rest of God.
If we are willing to let go of the steering wheel for a few moments and enjoy this divine rest, we discover several things:
Experiencing and remembering the grace of God awakens us -- Buddha: spiritual person is one who is awake, one who is paying attention.
Experiencing and remembering the grace of God centers us -- It helps us keep our priorities straight, helps us with the clutter, the anxiety, the fears that beset us.
Experiencing and remembering the grace of God energizes us – touches us in ways that call for a response. That is why our liturgy is filled with conversation – with verbal responses in gratitude for what is happening to us when we worship God.
Experiencing and remembering the grace of God compels us – not just to engage in conversation during the liturgy, but to engage in ministry beyond the service of worship. Ministry in a variety of ways, some of it through the church, and some of it in other places.
Experiencing and remembering the grace of God calls us to come back again and again, to reconnect, to renew, to remember, to lie down in green pastures by still water, to have our souls restored.
SO, If someone stops us on the way and asks who are you, where are you going, and why are you going there -- can say we are people who belong to God, people whose lives happen in relationship to the God of all. We are on our way to church, to worship, to praise God; we are on our way to meet God who is already there waiting for us to arrive.
Why are we going to church? We are going to be with people we love. We are going to hear and see and touch and taste and feel the presence of God that undergirds our lives. We are going to give ourselves over to the one who made us. We are going to remember and receive love beyond our wildest dreams.
Each Wednesday we gather in the chapel for the Public Service of Healing and for Holy Communion. Toward the end of the service we offer a prayer in unison – a prayer that helps us focus on the goodness of God, and on our purpose in gathering for worship.
When you get home, you may want to read this prayer again. You will find it on page 832 in the Book of Common Prayer. Almighty and eternal God, so draw our hearts to you, so guide our minds, so fill our imaginations, so control our wills, that we may be wholly yours, utterly dedicated to you; and then use us, we pray, as you will, and always to your glory and the welfare of your people; through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
October 19, 2006: The 23rd Sunday after Pentecost
The sermon today is the 4th sermon in a series focusing on our identity and purpose as a community of faith.
This is the season when we begin looking toward the coming year, looking ahead at finances and programming. Raising questions about our priorities for the coming year. Asking ourselves how much and what kind of ministries can we afford to provide. We are not a large church and our funds are limited, so we must be careful about the what, why, and how of our life together.
Three weeks ago we looked at who we think we are: We are children of God, but more than that >> we are people who KNOW we belong to God. Knowing we are children of God affects how we see ourselves, how we see other people, and how we view our place in the world.
Two weeks ago we looked at what we think we are doing. An ideal church is consistently involved in worship that shapes our faith and our identity. Involved in education and spiritual formation that help us understand the journey that we take together and individually. Involved in fellowship and community to nurture, enrich, and strengthen us. AND, a healthy church takes seriously our call to help others -- to help others get a glimpse of the goodness of God that we have come to know.
Last week we looked at why are we doing the things we are doing. We gather, worship, study, play, and serve because we are compelled to do so. Not out of guilt and obligation, but out of gratitude and joy for the blessings that are ours. Our connection with God and with one another centers and grounds us in ways nothing else can do. Our connection with God energizes us and connects us with that which is bigger than our individual lives. This connection with something bigger invites us to include others in our journey – family, friends, and strangers alike.
Today I would like to look at HOW we strive to do the things we consider important. The Sunday lunch for people those in need is important. The Grace Girls program is vital. Outreach through community programs and our diocese is crucial. Our worship, educational programs, fellowship, and outreach ministries are all important, and they deserve our support.
But this morning, I would like to look behind those particular ministries and talk about our discernment process rather than focus on the actual ministries themselves. I would like to look at how we go about things rather than look at the particular ministries. To look more at how we function and less at what we do. Our ministries don’t just spring up like weeds; they are the result of a process. That process is at the center of HOW a healthy church conducts its life together.
An effective and healthy church must keep its calling in focus. In the epistle reading for today we hear the apostle Paul’s remarks to the church in Thessalonica. Paul begins his letter by commending the congregation for several things: they have turned from idols to serve the true and living God. They have turned from things that don’t matter to things that do. Their priorities and values have changed because of their faith. They have demonstrated great love and respect for each other and for strangers. Paul encourages them to always keep their calling and their purpose in mind.
An effective and healthy church lives consciously and pays attention to what it is doing. Every organization should take time once in a while to remember why it exists, to look at what it’s doing, and evaluate how well it is working toward its goals. Of all organizations, the church especially needs to take a look at itself in this way. Because what we do is meaningful to us, because it is so filled with important memories, it is easy for the church to get in a rut. To exist just for the sake of existing.
An effective and healthy church evaluates itself from time to time to be sure it is on track.
Later in Paul’s letter to this new church he advises them about dealing with problems they face. Some of these problems came from outside the congregation. Some of the problems they were creating for themselves. Paul helps them be more intentional about their ministry; he helps them become more focused and more clear about their calling; he helps them consider more effective ways to engage in spiritual growth and ministry to others.
An effective and healthy church is not afraid of change. At times, the old way is absolutely the best way. The old way has developed over years for good reasons, and it continues to be the best way. At other times, the old way died a long time ago, but no one noticed. We keep acting like it is still alive and vibrant, long after its usefulness has expired. Tradition is valuable only as long as it energizes us and enriches our lives, as long as it has life and energy to contribute. At the same time, change just for the sake of change is usually wasted energy.
An effective and healthy church leads an intentionally balanced life. If all we do is worship God, we come up short. If all we do is gather for a good time, we come up short. If all we do is feed the hungry and care for the poor, we come up short. If all we do is sit in class and discuss books, we come up short. BUT, if we worship, study, play, and serve together, we are well on our way. Our lives will be enriched, and we will contribute to the lives of others as well.
Life in the church should always be a balance of our own needs and the needs of others. We come here because it meets some of our needs. It certainly should. Otherwise, why bother. We come here to be nurtured spiritually, to connect with people who love us, to reconnect with the guiding principles in our lives. If that doesn’t happen for you here, we are letting you down.
At the same time, we come here to equip ourselves for helping others. We come here to remember the needs of others. We come here to discern our calling and to develop ministries that will help those around us. If that doesn’t happen here, we are letting others down as well as ourselves.
An effective and healthy church is a collaborative endeavor. Each person does two things: he or she accepts some sort of responsibility – takes some sort of job – takes on some small piece of the ministry. AND, each person trusts others to do the same. If we do too little, the church suffers. If we do too much, the church suffers – and so do we! The apostle Paul reminds us that the church is like a body with its many parts, each related --but each with its own task. An eye can’t be a foot, but the eye does need to be a good eye.
As we look to the year ahead, we are blessed to be part of this community of faith. I hope you will join us tonight as we recall in a delightful way the life of our congregation. You will probably see yourself in the DVD. You will see others you know and others you don’t know.
As we look to the year ahead, we must make some choices about where we will go and how we will get there. Like the church at Thessalonica, we need the help of the Holy Spirit in shaping and forming our lives together, now and in the future. We would do well to seek the guidance of God in our discernment for the coming year. For many weeks we have prayed the Prayer of Discernment as we look to the future.
Often, we often think about bricks, mortar, and an elevator when we offer this prayer. This morning, I invite you to enlarge the focus of this prayer to include all that we do together; all that we consider doing together.
Please take your bulletin, and find the prayer of discernment just after the Creed and before the Confession. Please remain seated as we ask God’s guidance for all aspects of our life together.
Let us pray. Loving God, you call us together into community, where we seek your voice in the voice of others. We ask you now to lead us, accompany us, and direct us, as affirm our gifts and look to the future. Grant us perception, faithfulness, and joy that we may hear your still small voice. And then, give us the courage to walk with you along the way. In the name of Christ Jesus who is the shepherd and pastor of our souls. Amen.
Proper 24-A 2008
October 26, 2008: The 24th Sunday after Pentecost
For the past few weeks we have looked at a series of questions about how we understand ourselves as people of faith. And we have looked at what our faith has to do with the way we conduct our lives individually and as a congregation.
Thus far we have looked at who, what, why, and how we live out our faith. In the epistle reading we heard this morning we find some helpful guidance with today’s question: where does faith impact our lives.
First, a little background: As I mentioned last week, this letter of Paul to the church at Thessalonica is the earliest book in all the New Testament material, written 25 or so years after the death of Jesus. In this early portion of the letter Paul is trying to do things: reassure these new Christians by reminding them of how excited they were when they first heard the message of Jesus; and, reassure them that his preaching is motivated by faith alone, not by personal ambition.
Paul, Silas, and Timothy visited Thessalonica on Paul’s first missionary journey. Before they got to Thessalonica they stopped in Philippi where they encountered a host of opposition. They were ridiculed, arrested, beaten, and put in jail. When they were finally released they headed to Thessalonica.
The time in Thessalonica was both good and bad. Good because the people responded to their message, and a new congregation of believers was founded. You can tell from this letter that the congregation was off to a great start, preaching the good news and helping those in need.
In addition to
the good times in Thessalonica, there was also trouble.
Two groups were opposed this missionary effort in their city:
one group raised question about the preachers’ sincerity. They
told the people these preachers are charlatans; they are
traveling teachers who will grab the offering plates and run.
They are looking for an easy way to make a living; don’t trust
them. The other group reminded the people how recently Paul had
been involved in persecuting Christians and authorizing the
execution of many. How can you trust someone who claims to
have changed so much so quickly?
The opposition became so strong that Paul and his companions left Thessalonica and went to Berea where they launched another successful ministry. Things were going great there until the opponents from Thessalonica heard about it and sent a group to Berea to stir up trouble there.
Some time later Paul is writing to the people in Thessalonica to encourage them and to answer the charges his opponents have levied against him. He reminds his readers how dangerous and costly it was to be with them. He assures them that his motives were sincere or he would not have risked his life to be with them. He reminds them that the only reason for their financial support was to make his travels possible; he was not earning a livelihood from these missionary travels.
Let’s take a brief look at principles found in Paul’s letter to these new Christians that might help us keep our bearings and remember our own calling as missionaries.
Paul remained faithful despite great obstacles. When things became difficult, and they often were, he remained focused on his purpose, on his calling. I’m sure he was ready to abandon this mission from time to time, beaten and wounded -- lying in prison and wondering if he would survive. When things became difficult Paul went back to the beginning: he went back to his purpose. Now why am I doing this? Why is this important? Keeping this focus in mind enabled him to remain faithful in the face of great obstacle and great opposition.
Paul remained persistent despite multiple threats. In Thessalonica he was attacked from all sides. In Philippi he was assaulted and thrown in jail. In Ephesus he was thrown in prison and accused of treason, a capital offense. In addition to these life-threatening situations, he faced much ridicule: He worked hard for no pay and people accused him of greed and self-promotion. He traveled hundreds of miles to spread a message that was changing the lives of people, and he was accused of being lazy and selfish.
Paul was motivated by zeal for his message and by affection for the people he served. He wanted everyone to hear the message of God’s love, but he especially came to love the people with whom he lived and worked. Some of them were delightful. Some of them had quirks. Some of them were even obnoxious. But Paul reached out to all who would listen, and had great room in his heart for the people and their needs.
Paul put the
well-being of others ahead of his own:
ahead of his own ease, his own convenience, and his own safety.
Paul felt that pleasing God was more important than pleasing the
people around him.
Paul knew that doing what is right will always ruffle some
feathers.
Paul’s courage to carry out his work came from his faith in God
and from his gratitude that God had entrusted this work to him.
Those are our clues from St. Paul about where God is at work
among us.
When God is at work among us in Davidson County, we will notice
some the same things Paul noticed in Thessalonica:
We will be persistent and faithful even in the face of
obstacles. We will be faithful and persistent because we know
we are doing something vitally important. We act faithfully
because our message is important, and because we care about
those who need to see and hear the good news.
We will pursue what we believe is right, even if it ruffles some feathers, even if it costs some money, even if it we have to go out of our way.
We will strive to love our neighbor as ourselves, even if it is not convenient or easy.
Soren Kierkegaard was sitting in an outdoor café in Copenhagen one day, smoking a cigar and writing in his journal. He wrote something like this, “The church has become just like the selfish and lazy culture around it; everything is designed to make life easier and more convenient, to require less commitment and less effort. I feel called to remind believers that being a Christian will always make life harder.”
Needless to say, faith in God does make our life easier, better and more secure –not financially or socially, but spiritually and emotionally. A faith relationship with God changes and anchors our lives like nothing else can, and that makes life better.
At the same time, faith in God should always make life harder as well. We can no longer pass people on the street as if they don’t matter. We can no longer ignore the physical and spiritual needs of those around us. We can no longer coast and take it easy when there is so much that needs to be done. We can no longer act as if our own comfort and ease are all that matter.
That’s the message of Paul, of Silas, and of Timothy. God is at work in our hearts, giving us peace and security beyond measure. That’s where God’s work begins: in the hearts and minds of people. But if we cling to that peace and fail to share it with others, that’s where the work of God runs aground. That’s where the work of God stalls out. That’s where the work of God stagnates.
When that happens, those who need us remain lost – they miss out on the goodness God has entrusted to us. And we miss out, as well. We, too, are diminished when we take the goodness of God for granted; we, too, are diminished when we hoard the goodness of God that has taken root in our hearts.
Let me conclude with a prayer attributed to St. Francis of Assisi; a prayer that is printed in the Book of Common Prayer on page 833.
Lord, make us instruments of your peace. Where there is hatred, let us sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is discord,union; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy. Grant that we may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen.
Proper 25-A 2008