Abound in Love

The first Sunday in Advent is the beginning of a new year in the Christian calendar.  It is a time of hope and anticipation, a time for reflection about the Advent themes of darkness and light.  It is a time of judgment, hope, and love.  In Paul’s Letter to the Thessalonians we heard, “May the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, just as we abound in love for you. And may he so strengthen your hearts in holiness that you may be blameless before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.”

The dark days of the coming winter season are all around us.  So is the darkness of violence and fear that is gripping the lives of so many people around the world.  Advent, regardless of our worldly conditions at any given time presents us with the knowledge of God that arises from the dark night of the soul and the anguish of real events.  It is an anguish brought about by disasters and terrible suffering. 

Advent is more than our preparation for the Christmas holiday season; it is more than making our lists of things to do and shopping for presents.  It is a reminder that God is the God of history, and the events that happen internationally, nationally, and politically concern God as much or more than what goes on in your life or mine.  Advent announces that God is coming with power that can shake the foundations of the earth.  It is a power of judgment just as much as it is a power of hope for peace, justice and new life.

Think for a moment about our national fear of Syrian refugees.  A large majority of our states have said they would not support refugees from Syria.  What is the response of the Christian Churches? 

The National Council of Churches issued a statement:  "From the very beginning, the Church has identified itself with refugees. Our ancestors in faith were themselves refugees when they fled the chariots of Pharaoh after escaping from slavery. Jesus himself was a refugee when his family fled to Egypt to escape the sword of Herod.  Whenever early Christians were persecuted, they were made refugees.  Since the first century, when people have fled violence and other calamities, and sought refuge in other places, often the welcome they received in these foreign societies was symbolized, and indeed motivated, by the open embrace of churches providing sanctuary and material assistance.”

Bishop Knisely, in a statement about the Episcopal Church said, “The Episcopal Church has been resettling refugees for over 75 years and we will be active in welcoming Syrian refugees to America.  It is wrong to discriminate against those fleeing violence, oppression or certain death merely because of where they come from or because of their religion.  In the Book of Leviticus, God says to the people of Israel, ‘the foreigner who resides with you shall be to you as the citizen among you; you shall love the foreigner as yourself, for you were foreigners in the land of Egypt.’  We are, therefore, called to welcome the stranger and aid our brothers and sisters in their time of need.”

An emphasis during Advent is to tear down the walls we have erected that divide us.  This includes the walls that separate what is sacred from what is secular.  The challenge that Advent presents to Christians is to make sacred what we have labeled secular.  Our places of employment, our institutions of education and government, our social communities, our neighborhoods are all perceived as secular environments.  Advent says that these are all part of God's creation and we should treat them as sacred relationships.  The work and ministry of compassion and justice is universal and is to be spread everywhere.  The purpose of sacred spaces is to renew our spirits and give us strength to go out and repair all of creation to the glory of God.  We are to pray with open eyes so we might see the complexities and injustices of institutions, societies and the world, and then pray and work for justice and peace.

An example of praying and working for justice is told by the late Jesuit Priest, Walter Burghardt.   He wrote about a story that happened in New York on the day following Thanksgiving:  "The cab driver… was in his 30s and had shoulder-length hair tied in a ponytail.  He had 'prayed to God for guidance on how to help the forgotten people of the streets who exist in life's shadows.'  He recalled that God replied, "Make eight pounds of spaghetti, throw it in a pot, give it out on 103^rd Street and Broadway with no conditions, and people will come.'  He did, they came, and now he goes from door to door giving people food to eat.  The cab driver prayed to God who was there; he listened; he gave the simple gift God asked of him; he gave "with no conditions"; and people responded.  Here is our Advent:  Make the Christ who has come a reality, a living light in your life and in some other life.  Give of yourself…to one dark soul…with no conditions."  ("Sir, We Would Like to See Jesus," in An Advent Sourcebook, ed., Thomas J. O'Gorman, p.9)

In the midst of all the hunger, destruction and death that occurs daily throughout the world, Advent is a wake-up call to hope.  I repeat what Paul states so well in his letter to the Thessalonians: "May the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, just as we abound in love for you.  And may he so strengthen your hearts in holiness that you may be blameless before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus will all his saints."  What more could one ask for?  It is hope arising from the depths of human suffering that leads the way to God and gives energy, patience, persistence, and courage for living through whatever happens.

Advent is about love and the glory of God's goodness.  Jesus said, "There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on the earth distress among nations confused by the roaring of the sea and the waves.  People will faint from fear and foreboding of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.  Then they will see 'the Son of Man coming in a cloud' with power and great glory…. When you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near."

Let us watch, wait and work with anticipation and great hope for justice and peace, and for the coming day of the Lord.  Amen.

Don’t Be Led Astray

In the Gospel of Mark we are told that Jesus came out of the temple.  He had been in the temple teaching and as we heard last week he told the story about a poor widow who gave everything she had to the temple treasury.

In our reading today as Jesus emerged from the temple one of his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher, what large stones and what large buildings!”  The temple was very large and most impressive.  As Katherine Grieb, professor of biblical interpretation and New Testament at Virginia Theological Seminary tells us, “The Jerusalem temple newly reconstructed by Herod the Great at great expense, was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.  The project began about 20 years before the birth of Jesus, and the inner sanctuary was completed quickly,” although completion of the entire temple required many years. “The huge retaining walls that supported the temple were composed of great white stones as long as 40 feet, some of which still stand as part of the Western Wall.” 

The disciple must have been amazed when Jesus then asked him, "Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left here upon another; all will be thrown down."  What did Jesus mean by this?  Was he predicting the destruction of the temple as it happened many years later in 70 AD? 

Mark then tells us that Jesus moved across the way from the temple and was sitting on the Mount of Olives when the first four disciples he had called, “Peter, James, John and Andrew asked him privately, ‘Tell us, when will this be, and what will be the sign that all these things are about to be accomplished?’"

In replying to their question Jesus said they were to “beware that no one leads you astray.”  They could expect false prophets, hear about political conflicts, “wars and rumors of wars,” and natural disasters, earthquakes and famines.  Then he added, “This is the beginning of the birth pangs."  Or as another translation states, it is the beginning of their sorrows

Jesus, in effect, told his disciples and he is telling us that God does not abide in buildings.  Temples, churches and mosques are important and matter to us as holy places, but what is really significant is that God is alive within the human community. 

God also opposes the forces of exploitation and injustice.  Earthquakes and famine happen but what results afterwards is hope for our human future, the realization of the kingdom of God and the new life that evolves.

Think about this for a moment.  We all know about disasters, storms, hurricanes, earthquakes, fires, violent attacks, wars and other forms of devastation.  Following a tragedy there is grief and the slow and difficult process of cleaning the rubble and healing.  How true this is when we see what happened in Paris on Friday.  Finally, over time there is a new day when all things are made whole and new once more.

Mark’s continues his account beyond our reading today with words of warning.  Jesus referred to the coming crisis as a “desolating sacrilege.”  The temple was under the control of the Jewish authorities and it was being used for political purposes.  Jesus’ concern was the impending end of the political world that had been organized around the temple.

Jesus then said, “Woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing infants.  Pray that it may not be in winter [because] there will be suffering such as there has never been.”  He was speaking to those who were oppressed and persecuted.  The implied judgment was about liberation, relief from oppression, and the importance of human dignity.

What all this means for you and me today is that, when we are feeling anxious, stressed out, or living in a state of fear, we must be wary of those who claim they can rescue us from our distress.  They just might be the “false messiahs and false prophets who appear and produce signs and omens to lead us astray.”  Jesus warned his disciples, and he warns us, that we should not be fooled by false prophets and promises.  Instead, we should spread the good news of his love and the inclusion of all people in God’s heavenly kingdom.  May God’s kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven.  Amen.

Open Hearts and Generous Spirits

I usually begin my sermons with a prayer asking God to open our hearts, enlighten our minds, and kindle our spirits.  I believe that if we open our hearts to the reality of our authentic humanity, keep our minds alert to the needs around us, and set our spirits on fire to make a difference by sharing God’s love with others we will be doing the work of the church and the ministry to which we are called.

Today’s gospel story of the poor widow is a case in point.  It is about trusting God to the extent that even a poor widow can contribute out of her poverty.  Her heart was open, her mind alert, and her spirit was generous.

A widow who lived in poverty showed her generosity by putting two small copper coins in the treasury of the synagogue.  The two coins amounted to a penny which represented 1/64 of a day’s wage.  Jesus described it as “everything she had.”  Widows in Jesus’ time did not earn wages.  Widows lived in poverty except for being part of a generous family or receiving compassionate support from the community.  For a poor widow to give anything in support of the temple was a sacrifice of possessions that in all likelihood could not be replaced or earned.  It was one way in which the religious establishment might well be accused of “devouring a widow’s house.”

The contrast between the scribes with their long robes and places of honor and the poor widow could not be greater.  For the scribes religion was a matter of public prestige and all the pageantry that went with it.  They were the revered doctors of the law who wore long robes while parading along the cobble-stoned streets bowing as they received greetings and signs of public respect.  However, their piety of saying long prayers for the sake of appearance was merely “lip service”; their hearts were closed and far away from God.

Jesus in speaking to his disciples about the widow said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury.  For all of them have contributed out of their abundance; but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on."  She had complete trust in God. 

This is a story about taking God seriously even in the midst of poverty.  It is about giving without expecting something in return, serving even when it might lead to hardship.  It is a story reminding us that God is always present in our lives.  God loves and trusts us so we can risk giving ourselves to others in their need.  It is by serving others and giving generously from our abundance that we serve God.

The Rev. Dr. Scott Weimer a Presbyterian minister suggests that the poor widow had a genuine heart, a grateful spirit, and a generous attitude.  She captured Jesus’ attention by giving everything she had.  In other words, she gave from a genuine heart.

As we noted, the religious leaders liked to be seen in their long robes as a badge of their position and authority. Jesus saw through this and how they took advantage of their positions.  They got the best seats in the synagogue and places of honor at banquets.  The religious leaders probably paid no attention to the poor widow, perhaps they didn’t even recognize her.  Jesus noticed her and pointed out that she gave more than all those who were contributing to the treasury.  She had a grateful spirit and contributed all she had.  

The poor widow also had a generous attitude.  Her genuine heart and grateful spirit led to an attitude toward others that was most generous.  By sharing this story Jesus challenged his disciples to have a generous attitude. "All of [the scribes] have contributed out of their abundance; but [the poor widow] out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on."

Next week we shall observe our Commitment Sunday.  We are not asked to contribute everything we have, but we are asked to bring our pledge cards and place them in a basket on the altar.  What we determine we can give in thanksgiving to God for the abundance we receive demonstrates our genuine hearts, our grateful spirits, and our generous attitudes. Together we depend on the generous annual giving of every member in order to achieve our need for $100,000 in the new year.  Our overall budget exceeds $200,000, so what we give is barely half of that and the remainder comes from income from our trust funds and the rent we raise from the City Meal Site and the Hispanic Lutheran congregation.

Annual giving and our stewardship of the environment and other resources are important.  We are the stakeholders of our magnificent and historic church and it is up to us to maintain it and use it for the glory of God and the needs of all the people we serve.  All Saints’ Memorial Church is well worth supporting.  Our programs of regular worship with a wonderful choir, our Sunday school education, parish events, outreach to those in need, and the pastoral care we provide for people who are sick, in assisted living or nursing homes, are constant demands on our resources.  It is important to have a place where people can gather for worship, rest and prayer, fellowship and discussion, to share a meal, and be part of a caring and welcoming community.

Let us pray:  O Lord, you have taught us that you require much from those to whom much is given; grant that we who benefit from a glorious heritage may share abundantly with others what we so richly enjoy, and in serving them may we know the glory of serving you.  Amen.

Making All Things New

All Saints' Day is a time for us to reflect on the vast number and diversity of God’s people.  This includes all of us, those who have gone before us and those who are now are in the nearer presence of God.  It also includes those with whom we live and worship today, and those who will come after us. 

The people of God spread beyond the boundaries of race, language, religion, and condition; beyond time and space, and across the divide of death.  In every faithful person the Christian proclamation of hope and promise for eternal life comes to fruition.  When we sing praise to the saints and the faithful of every age we praise God who has triumphed through them and whose bountiful grace and mercy abide in their lives.  They are examples of God’s grace.

Our gospel story about the raising of Lazarus covers a wide range of emotion: grief, crying, anger, and mourning.  As we heard, “Jesus, greatly disturbed, came to the tomb.  It was a cave, and a stone was lying against it.  Jesus said, ‘Take away the stone.’… He said to Martha, ‘Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?  So they took away the stone.  And Jesus looked upward and said, ‘Father, I thank you for having heard me.  I knew that you always hear me, but I have said this for the sake of the crowd standing here, so that they may believe that you sent me.’ When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, come out!’ The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth, and his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, ‘Unbind him, and let him go.’" 

This is a wonderful story for All Saints.  The troubling disturbance, reassurance, disbelief, thanksgiving, and release comprise the breadth of human feeling as presented in this story.  The experience of death and resurrection, of making all things new, is the story of all the saints throughout human history.

The word “saint” means “holy.”  In the Bible, saints are God’s holy people.  They are the angels who share God’s divine nature.  In any life story of a saint it is important to remember that saints are also human.  They are not perfect, for perfection belongs to God.  The saints are people who have heard God's call to serve human need, to be good stewards of creation, to live faithful lives as baptized members of God's household, and to celebrate the great "cloud of witnesses" whose lives have contributed so much to our own.

Just as we have release and resurrection from death in the gospel account of the raising of Lazarus, in the Revelation to John we have a vision of the end of time.  John “saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.  And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God,…. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the first things have passed away.’ And the one who was seated on the throne said, ‘See, I am making all things new.’… ‘It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end.’"

John saw the new creation.  The “sea”, a symbol of turbulence, unrest and chaos, is no more.  Sorrow, death and pain, the emotional feelings of the old earth will be wiped away.  God is sovereign over all creation and everything that happens in human history.  God will give the gift of eternal life to all who seek him.

All of us today are bound together in this great community of love and forgiveness.  Saints possess nothing except the love and grace of God.  We celebrate the great women and men of the Bible and those who have lived through the centuries.  They are examples of the grace spoken in Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, -- those who feed the hungry, clothe the naked, build houses for the homeless, free those who are in prison or who are oppressed, bind the broken-hearted, work for justice and peace. The saints around us are people whose lives teach us and challenge us to be merciful, "pure in heart," and loving our neighbor.  We need these saints and we need one another.  We grow together, and together we become the community of the saints of God.  We are earthen vessels, but nevertheless also saints.

One of the great hymns of praise sometimes sung during a service of Morning Prayer, or by our choir on All Saints’ Sunday when we can use the organ in the church, is the Te Deum Laudamus.  It is a song of praise to God and it summarizes the calling of all people and all the saints to everlasting glory:

“Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might, heaven and earth are full of your glory. The glorious fellowship of apostles praise you. The noble fellowship of prophets praise you. The white-robed army of martyrs praise you. Throughout the world the holy Church acclaims you; Father of majesty unbounded, your true and only Son, worthy of all worship, and the Holy Spirit, advocate and guide. You, Christ, are the King of glory, the eternal Son of the Father. When you became man to set us free you did not shun the Virgin’s womb, you overcame the sting of death and opened the kingdom of heaven to all believers. You are seated at God’s right hand in glory.  We believe you will come to be our judge. Come then, Lord, and help your people, bought with the price of your own blood, and bring us with your saints to glory everlasting.”  Amen.