Where am I going?

For whatever reason, Sam has been singing the opening lines from Paint Your Wagon a lot lately, and it’s gotten stuck in my head. “Where am I going, I don’t know.  When will I get there, I ain’t certain, all I know is I am on my way.”  Do you ever feel like that?  Not sure where you are going or how you are going to get there?  Or even what to do once you do get there?

Sam and I had the pleasure of spending the past week down in Galveston with 20 other retired clergy couples.  There were also 7 members of the Church Pension Fund who led us through a series of talks, exercises and discussions designed to help us look at our life and our goals for living out our retirement and Christian vocation as couples.  The Credo conference that I attended in September did very similar things, but was focused only on clergy.  But this conference acknowledged that spouses are an important part of our life, planning and future.  

So in essence, this conference helped us address that burning question in Sam’s mind, “Where are we going...”. I think the disciples, after the death of Jesus had some of these same burning questions.  Where am I going?  What do I do next?  How do I get to my next assignment?  If you remember last week, after baptizing the Ethiopian eunuch, Philip was whisked away by the Holy Spirit and set down in Azotus.  But mostly the apostles had to walk where ever they went.  

In today’s lesson from the Acts of the Apostles, our focus is on Peter who is preaching to the household and friends of Cornelius, a Roman Centurion.  Peter is breaking a lot of rules just being in Cornelius’ home and preaching to these Gentiles.  Because the leaders considered this new sect to still be a part of the Jewish religion, they insisted that only Jews were acceptable in their movement.  They wanted to limit who could be included in God’s salvation.  But God had other ideas and He was beginning to spread his net over all people, not just Jews.  

So even though these are not circumcised believers, as Peter preached, the Holy Spirit fell on them all and they began to speak in tongues and extol God.  This is one of those examples where the disciples/apostles had to make an about-face and hurry to catch up with what God was doing in this place.  They not only had to accept the gentiles, but they realized that they also had to baptize them. 

When Peter got back to Jerusalem, he had to defend his decision before the counsel.  He had done at least four things that were wrong.  He stayed with Gentiles in their house.  He ate their food.  He preached to them.  And He had them baptized.  The church was not happy with Peter.

But Peter, even though he had broken the rules, knew that he had done what God wanted him to do.  And that was more important that any rule that had been imposed.  God’s will, not mine, be done.  So, what does that mean for us today?  It means when God leads the way into something new, whether we like it or not, whether we agree or not, we at least need to pay attention.  

The Gospel lesson tells us that we are to abide in God’s love – to obey the commandment is to love one another as God has loved us.  It also tells us that we are no longer servants, but friends.  That means something special - it has deepened the relationship between us and God – we are no longer slaves, but now are friends because the master has made known to us what he is doing in the world.  God is always navigating new pathways into our broken and torn world, and we sometimes have to run to keep up with what he is doing and the way he is reaching out to all people.  

His desire is that all should be saved.  In Chapter 2 of Acts, Peter preaches his first sermon and says, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”  Not if they are good enough.  ..  Not if they believe exactly like us...  Not if they are without sin...  But if they call on the name of Jesus, then they shall be saved.  

Our two lessons from John both speak of love and abiding in the grace of the Lord. Jesus also says, “You did not choose me, but I chose you.”  To many of us, in our humanity, question whether we are good enough to be chosen, but the truth is that we are all created in the image of God and he has chosen every single one of us.  All we have to do is answer his call to love, both God and one another.

And if we love him and choose to follow him, then we need to be prepared to go to uncomfortable places and live into the kind of love that he has for all creation.  When I started the journey with God, I told him, “If you open the door, I will step through it.”  That’s the way I’ve lived for the past 18 years.  Walking through open doors and trying not to look back when a door closes.  Following where God leads and very grateful that this last door he opened was right here at my home.

I’m not sure where I will go from here.  I have several short term plans for next month and Sam and I want to do some traveling.   Our collect says, “You have prepared for those who love you such good things as surpass our understanding...”  We plan to continuing to follow the Lord, because he has already led us into more wonderful places and relationships than we could have imagined.  I plan to continue preaching the love of God to those who will listen and to seek his will for our lives.  I also plan to continue singing a new song to the Lord whenever and wherever I can. I know that God is going to be here with you after we leave and that he will make a way for us to return someday.  

I believe that God has great plans for Grace Church, but you need to be willing to step into whatever role God has for you in follow him.  What is your plan for following the Lord?  What doors are you willing to step through for the Lord?

Stewards in the Vineyard

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The sign outside says that this sermon is about the “workers in the patch.”  I would encourage those of you who have not yet signed up for the Pumpkin Patch to check the sheet in the Narthex.  We can all be considered workers in the Patch, stewards of the vineyard, and citizens of the kingdom.  But I want to go back and start with our first lesson.

Exodus 20 – the Ten Commandments is somewhat familiar.  The Ten Commandments were the first laws – handed down from God on the Holy Mountain.  They are really about how to maintain a relationship - both with God and with people.  They can be divided into 2 groups - relationship with God and relationship with others.  

The first group (commandments 1 – 4) has to do with our relationship with God.  This covenant tells us our responsibility to God; we are to love God only; we are not to entertain other gods; we are not to idolize anything other than God; we are not to use his name improperly and we are to spend time with him every week.  

This laws about Sabbath and parents are actually a bridge between the laws describing our relationship with God and our relationship with others.  It’s the beginning of how we are to live our lives here on earth.  We take time to rest – to re-create – to commune (or communicate) with God so that we can begin the new week with renewed vim, vigor and direction.

The second bridge law is about relationship with your parents.  You are to honor your mother and father – they were co-creators with God in bringing you to life.  Without them, you would not exist — you would not be you.

The rest of the laws have to do with our relationship with each other here on earth.  You shall not murder, nor commit adultery, nor steal, nor bear false witness, nor covet your neighbor’s possessions or their spouse.  

And it says the people witnessed the lightning and thunder and trumpet and smoke and they were afraid.  Well, here on the Texas Gulf Coast we know firsthand about the forces of nature that are very scary and the effect they can have on our lives.  No wonder the people told Moses – you speak to us – but don’t let God come anywhere near us.  And Moses told them, “Do not be afraid.”  

And then in our second lesson we see Paul talking about being a born and bred, card carrying, law abiding Jew, righteous under the law – and he goes on to say that he doesn’t want the kind of righteousness that comes from the law – but only that which comes from faith in Christ.

Those ten are only the beginning fo the laws that Jews had to follow.  Now, I admit that I have made fun of those 6 hundred 15 laws that a righteous Jew was supposed to follow.  When you think about it, a lot of those laws dealt with the same kinds of things that today’s laws deal with.  Would anyone here like to give a guess about how many laws there are in America today?  There are whole libraries dedicated to stating and explaining the laws that have been passed by the national and state legislatures.  The reason we have to have laws is because there are always people who are going to do things that end up hurting others – and without laws there would be chaos and anarchy.  

In a perfect world everyone would be kind and courteous to everyone else and we would need no laws.  Problem is we don’t live in a perfect world.  When I taught school, we usually ended up the year with many more rules than we started with – because each time a student would do something (that we had not anticipated) that injured someone or caused some kind of trouble or disruption, a new rule would have to be made.

So could you imagine living without laws?  Even traffic laws – something as simple as coming to a full stop and treating a non-operating traffic signal as if it were a stop sign – can be important if there is a power outage.    

And then we come to one of those gospel stories – it is a parable and it is an allegory.  There are many different layers and we are going to look at several.

 This is a story about stewardship.  This is a story about faithfulness.  This is a story about relationship.

A landowner planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a wine press in it, and built a watchtower. Then he leased it to tenants and went to another country.  

This allegory is telling the story of what is happening.  The landowner, of course, represents God, the vineyard is the kingdom of God and the tenants are the religious leaders of Israel.  The slaves are the prophets and the son is Jesus.  Jesus is telling the story of what has happened in the history of Israel and projecting it into the future concerning his own fate.  

The thing I find interesting as we examine this parable is the patience of God.  He sends his slaves to collect the portion of the harvest that belongs to him - their rent, so to speak.  When the tenants beat one, stone one and kill one, the landowner doesn’t immediately rush in and punish the them.  He sends more slaves to collect the tithe owed to him, and the tenants treat them the same as they had the first.  

So the landowner finally sends his son, the heir to the property.  And the tenants seem to think they can kill him and then the property will be theirs.  We see the patience on the part of the landowner, for he is willing to give the tenants a chance to do the right thing – not just one chance, but multiple chances.  Notice that Jesus leaves the parable there – he does not complete it.  He poses the question, allowing the religious leaders to draw their own conclusions.  They know -  

So if we are the new tenants of the vineyard that means we are the ones responsible for producing new fruit and presenting it to God.  How are we going to respond as the new tenant of the vineyard?   How are we going to be different from the original tenants?  It is now our turn to give back to God from what he has given to us.  

This says so much more about the way we are to live our lives and conduct our affairs. How do we tend our vineyard?  God created this wonderful place for us to live and he filled it with all good things – all the things that combined with the knowledge and wisdom and willingness (or ability) to work – can be used to provide us with a really good life.  Are we careful with the things that God has given us?  Do we tend this vineyard and take care of those things which God has provided for us?  Do we give credit to God for those things which make our life worth living?  Do we have an attitude of gratitude for the things that God has placed in our lives?  That attitude of gratitude can be developed - each day, remember to name one thing for which you are grateful.  Today, I am grateful for the music that Paul provides for us.

So, if God give this earth for our use, what kinds of stewards are we of it and all those things that God has provided?  Do we give back to him from the first fruits of our bounty?  Do we honor that which God has given us?  Those are questions that each of us have to answer for ourselves.  

Just to recap - the law that Moses brought down from the mountain helped to define who the Israelites were – and Paul tells us that we can’t earn salvation simply by obeying the law – and Jesus tells us that we need to be good stewards regardless of the law…  So we follow the laws because we understand that 1) they teach us about relationship [with God and with others] - and 2) they bring order to our life and are for our good and our protection.    We also give God praise and thanksgiving for caring about us and giving us good things in this life, and we need to remember to give back to him from what he gives to us.  

Please pray with me:  Oh Lord God, we praise you for your love, for your gifts, and for your generosity.  Open our eyes to recognize these gifts on a daily basis.  Keep us mindful that it is you who have created this vineyard - this world - in which we live.  Help us to remain faithful stewards in all that we do and to give thanks for all that we have.  In the name of your Son, Jesus Christ.  Amen.  

Sharing the load with Jesus

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A fifth grade Sunday School teacher was teaching on this Gospel text and asked her class if they knew what a “yoke” was.  Most of the class agreed that it was the yellow part in the center of an egg, but one child had a different idea.  He said, “It’s a collar you put around a horse.”  The teacher wanting to go deeper asked him, “Then what would be the yoke of Christ?”  He thought a minute and answered, “I suppose that’s when God’s got you by the throat.” 

I wonder – as a whole – how well we understand this scripture…”Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”  

Like our young boy said, it’s a kind of collar – and more often than not it is used on oxen.  Normally two oxen are “yoked together”  - and therefore called a “yoke of oxen.”  But the point is that they are paired – they share the load, whether it is pulling a wagon or plowing a field.  So, when Jesus says, “take my yoke and learn from me…”  he’s telling us to partner with him in whatever the job is that we have to do.  He is going to help us shoulder the load, whatever it is that is weighing us down in the life.

Several years ago, there was a popular bumper sticker that said, “God is my co-pilot”.  Soon after that a new one came out that said, “If God’s your co-pilot, more over.  The wrong person’s driving.”  One that said, “God is my navigator” might be more accurate.  So yoking ourself to God is allowing him to help shoulder whatever your burden is and helping you to navigate rough waters.

My meditation this morning was on this verse.  It said, “Whatever burden you have to carry, God will shoulder the better part of it.  God will take the greater portion of your struggle on himself.  He will bear the extra weight and move with you to resolution.”  - - -  Now, I can pick up this bottle of water, and it’s not very heavy.  But if I hold it out there long enough, it will become heavier and heavier until it’s too much to hold any longer.  

We all have things that are burdens to us – they might be emotional, they might be personal, they might be physical, they might be business related – but whatever they are, they can eventually weigh us down.  These are the burdens that Jesus is willing to help us carry.

This is an invitation to rest in the Lord, trusting him to be sufficient for our needs.  I think we sometimes have a hard time living into that trust.  All those self-help books tell us is that we need to be sufficient for our own needs.  So some people have trouble believing in God’s ability (or willingness) to help us.  

Jesus starts out this passage - to what will I compare this generation?   I think every generation has said that about the next generation.  

My mother couldn’t stand the “rock and roll” music that we listened to and loved.  Her parents didn’t like the jitterbug she liked.  Then when my kids were growing up, hard rock was all the rage, and I guaranty I didn’t like that.  I’m not too fond of rap music either, but an early fore-runner was the opening number from “The Music Man” and I liked that. 

In the days of Abraham, marriages were arranged.  Today’s first lesson is about procuring a wife for Isaac.  Abraham didn’t want Isaac marrying any of the local Canaanite women, so he sent his servant back to his home land to find a wife from among his kin folk.  Some of you may remember “Fiddler on the Roof.”  In this movie, the daughter of Tevye informed her father that she wanted to marry for love. Even in those days, marriages were arranged, but times were changing, and Tevye had to learn to change with them.

Society today is strange.  Everyone you meet is different from everyone else.  There are so many different types of people  -  some are proud and vain, some are timid and shy, some inflated with their own self-worth and others are trying to prove their self-worth.  Some people don’t need or want help from anyone.  Some are so needy that they can’t (or won’t) do anything for themselves.

As a people, we often stray away from our relationship with God.  I moved away from God during my late teens and early twenties.  It’s wasn’t really a conscious decision, but I just had other things to do with my time.  And once you’ve strayed away, it’s hard to get back.  Some people get embarrassed; others feel undeserving, some make excuses, but in any case they often find it hard to return to God. They may fear that reconciliation is beyond them, that they are not worthy, that they can’t live up to a commitment with God.  

But our God is like the father in the parable of the Prodigal Son.  The father did not pursue the younger son, he let him go.  But he did leave the gate of home unlocked in case he returned.  And that’s what God does with us, He always leaves the gate open, so that when we make the first step to come back, we will find the path unobstructed.  And although reconciliation with God is unearned, it is nonetheless predicated on our desire for a restored relationship.  We have to know when we need help and be willing to accept it, but we must always remember that this is God’s free gift, and not our right.  

Part of this problem may have to do with our underlying need for self-esteem – our need to understand our value as a human being.  Some people feel like they have to prove their worth, and I realize now that was me some years back.  In some ways, I kept apologizing for my existence and trying to prove that I had a right to exist.  Other people are over-inflated – and it’s not hard to get to that point either.  Both views are off-balance.  We need God’s love to help us realize that we are created in His image and simply being born into this world means that God wants us to be and that he takes delight in our existence.  

Life is something of a balancing act - living into God’s standards or falling to the ways of the world.  Paul talks about that in today’s lesson. He states, “I can will what is right, but I cannot do it.  For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do.”  It wasn’t easy for Paul, so why should we think it will be any easier for us?   

The grace of God is later revealed when Paul tells us, “God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do; sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh…”  Jesus in the likeness of mankind redeemed us for all time.

Jesus starts out telling us, “For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, `He has a demon'; the Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, `Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!'”  Sometimes you just can’t win in this world of ours.  I think this was Jesus’ way of saying that regardless of what we do, there are always going to be people who are going to oppose us and complain about us.  And that may be part of the burden that he wants to help us carry.

Jesus calls us to come and rest…  Rest is the condition God creates to allow us the opportunity to be still and know our God.  We can’t touch God in the noise and busy-ness of our lives.  We need the stillness and the quiet to hear the voice of God when he calls us.  Jesus establishes this condition of rest for his followers and gives them examples of prayer and quiet time – times of just being with God.  Prayer is allowing Jesus to take from us our burdens and to give us rest in full confidence of God’s love for us.  Prayer is giving rest to the weary, refreshing and renewing their spirit for the journey.  

Let us pray:  Heavenly Father, we come to you, some weary in spirit, some heavy of heart, some wrestling with indecision.  Lord, quiet our minds and fill our hearts that we may be still and know that you are God.  And we pray that you will renew and refresh us, guide and direct us, giving us strength for facing the world and the days ahead of us.  Lord, keep us always in your presence and when we stray, call us back under the shelter of your wings.  We pray this in the name of your son, our Savior, Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Spreading the kingdom

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Well last week was Super Bowl weekend marking the end of football season.  Now at our house we are getting ready for Nascar to start.  Okay, I have a confession to make.  I am not a Nascar fan, but my husband is.  If we are home and Nascar is on, Sam is usually napping in front of the TV.  As near as I can tell, napping is a good thing to do during Nascar.  To me, a standard race is pretty boring.  I mean, what’s so exciting about being able to go fast and turn left?  And they do this for 400 or 500 laps, or miles, (which may be the same thing.)  Boring!!  Sure there’s the occasional wreck, but mostly it’s watching cars go round and round and maybe ever few laps, someone might pass someone else.

Well, one Saturday night as I was working on my sermon, Sam turned on Nascar – I did a mental eyeroll – and he was telling me that this race was different.  Sam very patiently explained that they were doing what was called a “shootout” with a two car draft.  What caught my attention was that they weren’t all running around trying to pass each other.  They were teaming up.  Now I’m aware that they all have team mates, but mostly in the races, it’s each driver for himself.

But that night, the cars paired up – one would drive up behind another – and push him.  Using this technique I'm told the cars could go on the average 20 miles an hour faster…  So now you have all these cars going around this track at about 200 miles per hour – with pairs hooked up bumper to bumper, driving right next to another pair beside them going 200 miles an hour – and maybe another pair trying to come up between them or around the side.

To make a long story short, in the last lap, there were two pairs out in front, way ahead of the others.  As they approached the finish line, the lead “pusher” decided to make a run for it.  He dropped back, passed his teammate that he had been pushing, and tried to win himself.  What happened was that the other pair stayed “hooked up” and they managed to pass both of the two single cars so that the front car of the second pair won the race.

Now, the question is, why have I just spent the first portion of my sermon talking about Nascar?  It’s because that night, I saw teamwork in Nascar designed to accomplish a purpose - to win.  That’s exactly what Paul is talking about in our lesson from 1st Corinthians today.  Three weeks ago, Paul reminded the Corinthians that they were baptized in the name of Christ – not Paul or Apollos or Cephas.  He picks back up on that theme today.

Sometimes division happens in the church because people divide themselves into little groups, make cliques, over some little differences.   That’s what we find in our lesson from First Corinthians.  Here Paul is doing what he so often does.  He is writing to – responding to – a community that he helped start.  He has received word that there is a lot of bickering going on – people arguing over who they belong to – Christ or Paul or Cephas or Apollos…  They have divided into little cliques, each one trying to prove their importance over each other. They bicker.  And he asks, “Whose name were you baptized in?”  His point is that Paul and Cephas and Apollos were all working toward the same end – to spread the word that Jesus Christ is Lord.  None was greater than the other.  (It reminds me somewhat of people bragging, "I'm an Episcopalian," or "I'm Baptist" or "I'm Catholic" or whatever...)

Paul’s job was to plant seeds and he did that.  Apollos came along later and watered those seeds – not unlike what happens in churches today.  Each person stayed to do their job, then turned it over to someone else to continue the work so that they could go on to the next town and spread the word there.

You might remember the story I told in the Outpost this month about the young rabbi.  I like that in several places our prayerbook says, "The people may kneel or stand."  Because your physical posture doesn't really matter.  What matters is the position of your heart, not your body.  

 Yes, even today churches find members bickering with one another over any number of things. People not only bicker over traditions, they also bicker over things – maybe items donated to the church.  Doesn’t Aunt Sophie’s old couch look great in the parlor?  Or Uncle Bill’s old piano (which no longer works) is a great addition to the parish hall.  Don’t move that dying fichus tree because Grandpa Tom gave that to the church.

I love seeing the playground here and seeing it used.  One church I served bickered over having a playground.  One group thought it was important to have a playground for the children to attract younger couples.  The other didn’t want to have a playground because of the liability factor.  They still don’t have a playground and they still have trouble attracting younger families.

Churches bicker over rules, ideals – they bicker over all kinds of things – whether the new rolling cart with the cutting block top is to be used as a cutting board, or as a decorative serving station.  Our bickering comes from a human need to have others conform to our way of thinking.  Jesus calls us to a higher ideal – that of unity – where we can agree on principles without having to conform to minutia.

One of the worse things we can do, the least productive thing is to compare ourselves to one another.  God judges each of us on our own merit, not that of another.  Each of us is uniquely made - by God - and God's purpose for us will be served - one way or another.  Whether we are called to lead or to follow, to serve or be served, or to design or to build, God uses us to complete his purpose, not ours.  Yes, it may not seem fair that there might be different standards for different people, but God has a purpose for us all

Paul tells the Corinthians, “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.  So the one who plants and the one who waters have a common purpose… for we are God’s servants, working together.”  We should be hearing the same message – we are invited to be in communion with one another, working for a common purpose, not doing the exact same thing, but supporting each other along the way.

In our Gospel lesson, Jesus tells us,  “If you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgment, and if you insult a brother or sister, you will be liable to the council. . .  When you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift.”

 The lesson we didn't read this morning from Ecclesiasticus sort of holds the key for us.  It starts out, “If you choose, you can keep the commandments, and to act faithfully is a matter of your own choice.”  We have to remember that we make our own choices, our own decisions about how to act, what to say, whether to respond to others in love or with something less that love.

We have to make the decision of how to respond to those around us – to work with them or against them.  Sometimes there are bumps in the road, and that’s when we leave that gift at the altar and work out our differences.  If we can get past any differences and all work together, then we know that we will be spreading the gospel of Christ – the good news that Christ is alive and well within this church known as Grace.

This month we have a number of things that are going on - the Boy Scout Dinner, the Garage Sale and the Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper.  I hope everyone will be here to support our Scouts who do quite of lot for the church.  But we need hands on deck for the Garage Sale and for the Pancake Supper.  Please sign up to help with one or the other.

Now to take this idea even further, During his sermon at the opening Eucharist on Thursday, Bishop Doyle (operating out of the Parable of the Good Samaritan) told us that we are to look for Jesus in that person who has been beaten and left on the side of the road to die.  On Friday in her Plenary address, Francene Young said her church once noticed that Jesus was missing from the crèche after Christmas.  They went out scouring the neighborhood looking for the missing Jesus.  She encouraged us to go out and look for Jesus in the "hood."  All during Diocesan Council, we were told that our mission is to seek out the lost, the broken, all those in need of God's love and care.

We have people at Grace Church who are reaching out in various ways:  We have several who work with Meals on Wheels to take lunches out to those who can't do for themselves.  We also have several who work with The Gathering Place, a ministry to Alzheimer's patients and their caregivers.  We can demonstrate our Christianity by working in one of the these ministries or maybe there is some other way that we can serve.  What other ways that we can be involved (or need to be involved) in reaching out to those in our community who are in need of help?  We are called to seek out those who are not part of us, but who need our help.  Grace Church can be a light to this neighborhood as they see us working together and loving each other and caring for those around us.  Where is Christ calling you to serve?    
 Amen.