Let us pray - May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer. Amen.
As my wife, Melissa, and I were drifting off to sleep recently and talking about this sermon, we were interrupted when my laptop computer cried out “congratulations, you’re a winner”. Alas, the disembodied voice was not from the Oregon Lottery Commission, so you are still going to get a stewardship sermon. But, if we ignore the disturbing thought of some guy hanging out in my computer, in the dark of night, declaring us victors in some unknown competition, the message was actually quite appropriate for today’s scripture readings.
Since late August, The lectionary has been working through the Book of Exodus. We have heard about the birth of Moses, the burning bush, the institution of Passover and the parting of the Red Sea, allowing Israel to escape the bondage of Egypt. Unfortunately, rather than claiming their victory over slavery, the Israelites simply started to complain and misbehave. God responded to their complaints of hunger with manna from heaven, and to their complaints of thirst with water from a rock, and yet, the people would not be satisfied. So, when Moses was on Mount Sinai with God for forty days, the “chosen people” created an idol in the form of a golden calf, and then celebrated their new god by having an orgy.
Moses was angry when he returned. I can imagine what he might have said once he got his hands on Aaron: I leave for a few weeks and you lose your minds? How many commandments did you break? You shall have no other gods before me- check, you shall not make for yourself an idol- check, you shall not commit adultery – check, you shall not covet thy neighbor’s wife - check; that’s four, and I’m just getting started. We have been terrible stewards of God’s faithfulness; do you know how hard I am going to have to work to fix this?
And work hard Moses did. In last week’s reading, he convinced God not to destroy the entire nation of Israel, and in today’s reading he is still debating with God about punishing the rabble by withholding divine presence and assigning an angel to escort the Israelites to the Promised Land instead of God. God ultimately relented and agreed to continue on with Israel. Moses was so moved by God’s kindness that he asked to see God’s full glory, to which God replied “you cannot see my face, for no one shall see me and live.” Instead, the hand of God shielded and protected Moses, allowing him to see only God’s back – it was the most that Moses, or anyone, could have hoped for at time. Moses had won God’s favor and, in spite, of their whining, complaining and misbehavior, the Israelites by extension had won too.
But the world’s greatest victory came in the form of the incarnate Jesus, in whom the face of God was made visible to the whole world. And, through the Holy Spirit, the face of God is with us everywhere today. Look around you right now; the faces you see staring back at you are the face of God. So are the faces on the bus, the faces in the grocery store, the face of the young woman ensnared by human trafficking and the face of the hungry woman on the corner – all reflect the face of God in our midst.
In Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians, he wrote, “you received the word with joy inspired by the Holy Spirit, so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia”. Would Paul write the same thing about us? Are we an example to Montavilla and the other neighborhoods in which we live? We here at Saints Peter and Paul have a tradition of answering God’s call, but are we doing everything that we can to be the face of God in a cold and hard world? Occasionally, we get tired and frustrated, bored and disinterested. In our times of greatest distress and disappointment it becomes hard to remember that we live lives of abundance, it’s hard because in this world where a looming sense of scarcity clouds our perception of God’s true abundance, it can be difficult to see the path forward; a path that should bring us into closer communion with Christ. And so, this stewardship season, let’s make a first pledge that involves no money. Rather, let us pledge to spend more one on one time with God. Find a spiritual discipline that works for you, try the Daily Office, or Forward Day by Day, read the upcoming Sunday’s weekly lectionary, perhaps a short prayer in the shower is more your speed. What we do specifically, is not as important as our willingness to open a dialogue with God through prayer and Bible Study. Now, hold-on before you peg me as some wild-eyed fundamentalist, I have not forgotten that I am an Episcopalian and that we are not exactly known for our Bible literacy or deep spirituality. But if we truly want to embrace and reflect God’s love to the world it will pay to consider what Bishop Michael recently shared with me when I complained about not having adequate time for prayer and Bible study. He wrote that “life does get away from us at times! That is what spiritual discipline is about – bringing us back to what is essential and important instead of what seems pressing.” The Bishop is a wise man. In my experience, when I successfully carve out time for prayer every day, I am much better prepared to deal with the rigors of life. Unfortunately, I know firsthand that such discipline can be allusive, but pledging to do better is a great first step.
Next, we should pledge to follow in the steps of the Thessalonians as we strive to be an example to all believers and to start intentionally spreading God’s love in the world. Again, I know who we are as Episcopalians and I am not talking about taking to the streets with Bibles in hand, but I am reminded of the 1960’s song, “They Will Know We Are Christians by Our Love”. Regardless of what you think of the song, the title sets a high bar for our behavior as Christians. When we see the faces of God in midst, on the bus, at the grocery store, walking the street or sitting on the corner, our job is to be loving and kind; flash the occasional smile to a stranger, say please and thank you to the gas station attendant, make eye contact with the homeless woman and say hello. Without openly evangelizing a single soul, the world will know that we are Christians by our love – it’s cheesy but true.
So far, I have asked us to make two pledges that have not cost you a penny, but now I ask you to give prayerful consideration to our support of this place, to ensure that this source of hope at the corner of 82nd and Pine remains a healthy and vibrant reflection of Christ’s love in the world. Rahab’s Sisters and Brigit’s Table, the dental van and coffee hour do not happen without the contributions of time, talent and treasure from this congregation. For those who feel called, you can help feed the hungry on Saturday morning, support women in crisis on Friday night or help out with the dental van one afternoon a month. Maybe you feel called to serve as an acolyte or a sub-deacon. Each of these things, and many more, are critical pieces of the ministry of this fine parish, everyone’s volunteer contribution is most welcome here. Of course, your treasure is critical as well and I ask you to spend some committed time in prayer as you consider the words of our offertory: all things come of thee, and of thy own have we give thee.
I am asking much of us this fall, to pledge our time to prayer, our love to our neighbors and our time, talent and treasure to Saints Peter and Paul. Moses proved to be a reliable steward of God’s faithfulness and so was rewarded with a glimpse of God’s passing image. We have been similarly rewarded through the incarnation of Christ and we have won the privilege of seeing God’s face everywhere we look. It is our job to build on the rich history and compassion of this parish, so that when God brings home the faithful with a cry from the dark saying congratulations, you are a winner, we will know that we have followed Moses as reliable stewards of God’s faithfulness.
Amen
Preached by Sean Wall, seminarian, Sunday October 16 2001
No comments:
Post a Comment