Sermon - Be Prepared (14C)

TENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST, YEAR C (Proper 14)  August 11, 2019

Luke 12:32-40, Genesis 15:1-6, Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16

Be Prepared

From the time I was in junior high school, I knew exactly what I wanted to do. My aunt was a medical technologist, and from the first time she took me to visit her hospital lab in Dallas, I set my eye on the prize. It informed the classes that I took in high school and the colleges I applied to. The degree work was rigorous. Four years of class work in three years – no elective or soft classes. A 12-month course of study at a med tech school. At the end of it all, I landed the job of my dreams.

I had it all planned out – two years as a tech, licensing as a specialist, onward and upward to a supervisory position. Piece of cake. Until it wasn’t. When I was offered that supervisor’s job at a new hospital in Florida, I hit a brick wall. There were many tears and headaches that almost crippled me. I had exactly the life I imagined so why couldn’t I stop crying?

The day I had to give my answer, my pastor dropped by and took me to the cafeteria for frozen yogurt. I poured out my heart. I was confused that I hadn’t found happiness in fulfilling my plan. In the end he asked the important question, “What if God has something else in mind? What if that was the plan all along?” So, I said no to the new job and waited to figure out what would come next.

These last few weeks we have been in the 11^th and 12^th chapters of Luke’s gospel, and we have heard from Jesus the keys to discipleship. Today, Jesus teaches us a lesson in personal and communal treasure: to keep our stuff and our plans from owning us, we have to always be ready to change direction. Jesus says this way … be ready, be alert, pay attention – wait for the Lord. In two words, be prepared.

In the Genesis lesson, God makes a promise to Abram that he will be the father to many generations, and while Abram believes, the journey was not without its detours. But God did not go back on the promises. In fact, God’s trustworthiness lives on in us. God’s covenant with Abram is still in force today.[i] Jesus tells us the same thing. Yes, it’s easy for us to map out what we think will be the perfect life. Sometimes it works out, sometimes it doesn’t. But even when we are not able to see God’s promises before us, God is faithful and asks the same of us.

In short, it’s all about faith. The epistle lesson reminds us that Abraham and Sarah set out with little more than a promise to into a great unknown. They did all of that because they had faith in the promise of God. What is faith? The Hebrews passage opens up with this: “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” But I love a quote from Oswald Chambers even more: “Faith is the deliberate confidence in the character of God whose ways you may not understand at the time.”

The unifying message is this: living faithfully means learning to think and act in a whole new way. Which sounds really good until you are confronted with an unknown future. My future in medical technology was detoured after  a six years back and forth with God (and others) over seminary. I remember the feeling as I watched my college roommate and her fiancé drive away with the U-Haul truck and my Clemson season football tickets… O Lord, what have I done? In the end, the answer was, “You paid your way through school with a very marketable skill.”

A few years later, I made a trip to Camp Daniel Boone to visit our churrch’s Boy Scout troop at summer camp. I arrived midafternoon with three ice-cold watermelons and a very sharp knife, expecting to find them swimming in the ice-cold NC lake. But I couldn’t find them anywhere. Someone sent me to look for them at the archery pit. But no boys there either. With no other options, I headed to their campsite to see if they had left me a note.

As I hiked up the road, I saw in a distance our boys, and as I got closer, I could see them sitting in a half circle around a huge rock firepit, each boy reading the 12 scout laws from the handbook, and talking about how they had not lived up to them so far that week… a scout is trustworthy, kind, courteous… I thought, “wow, it’s already been a very long week.”

When their very easy-going scout masters finally lost their cool, these guys learned an important lesson. Memorizing the rules of scouting is very different than living them day in and day out. It took going back to the book to refocus their week. And I remember the senior patrol leader saying, “We’re here to learn. Maybe having three really bad days will remind us of why we’re in scouting and how good it can be. We can do this. We can… and we will. Now let’s go eat lunch.”

Moments of clarity like that often strike when we least expect them. In this passage, Jesus is once again instructing us to pay attention to what’s going on around us. He says it this way: Be alert for the master who might come in the night. Take charge of your life and your living, rather than letting life take hold of you. Live simply. Help others. Know what is important to you, and keep that always at the front of your mind and in sync with how you live your life.

People have often asked what gave me the courage to take that step of faith toward something so different than my original dream. In the end, I just had to go. It was the only way to find peace. Do I wish I had figured it out sooner? In the beginning – yes, but today, no – because those steps of faith led me here… to this husband, this life, this ministry, this moment, this word.

I caught a glimpse of the Wizard of Oz a few weeks ago, and I realized that when the four main characters introduce themselves, it’s always with the caveat “if only…” If I only had a brain. If I only had a heart. If I only had courage. If I only could find my way home.

Jesus came to us to take the “if only” phrase out of our speech. He did that by reminding of us of these things. First, “Don’t be afraid.” To live in the Kingdom of God is to live in a realm without fear. Jesus said here we are not to fear because it is God’s pleasure to give us the kingdom. But the absence of fear is achieved only when we are filled with love. Being filled with love for God is the door we open to enter the Kingdom of God. This is good news. But it is also scary. Perhaps that’s what so many life-changing angel encounters start with the phrase, “Fear not.” That doesn’t mean not being vigilant. Instead, it means being open to the unexpected, for it may be exactly the right thing at exactly the right time.

Today’s second promise is that we will always have enough – enough to live and enough to give. I like to think of it as our eternal purse. There is a parallel text in Matthew that says we are to “lay up treasure in heaven.” Now the treasure of heaven, the stuff of an eternal purse, is not money, but is rooted in relationship. It’s the love of neighbors and enemies. It’s the gospel – the good news of Jesus Christ shared with the world – abundant and eternal life. Through our sharing and our giving, God’s work is done in the world.

How can we be ready for the Lord’s return? Some interpret “being ready” in terms of morality, asking “are we good people who do good things?” But in reality, none of us, no matter how good we are, is ready for the Lord’s return just because we are good. Readiness for Jesus’ return is grounded in the quality of relationship that we have with Him and with his world.  When someone you love walks in the door after an absence, your response is immediate happiness – think coming home from deployment or summer camp.  Our readiness to receive Jesus is a consequence of love which we have for God. And that love must be reflected in the way we live.

Scott Harrison was a nightclub promoter and professional partier. His wealth and popularity grew by leaps and bounds, but after his 28^th birthday, a health crisis revealed something much deeper… existential and spiritual emptiness. Was this all there was to life? He looked for answers in service, and spent almost two years on a hospital ship off the coast of Liberia in Africa as a volunteer photo journalist, documenting life-changing surgical stories and learning how the lack of clean drinking water is a major factor in the health crises of the world. Over 600 million people live without access to clean water. Women and children spend the majority of their days seeking water. Maybe he could do something to change that. He returned to NYC and with the help of 10 friends, started charity:water. 

In the last 13 years, charity:water has dug wells, piped water, and developed sand-filtered systems for collecting rainwater in over 38,000 projects. 9.8 million people in 27 countries now have access to clean water, freeing up women to work, and children to go to school. All because a man who thought he had everything realized he had nothing if he wasn’t doing something to connect to people in need.[ii] And in turn, reconnected with God.

Life in Christ is about growing into the promises he makes. As we grow in love, we grow less and less afraid. As we grow in love, we discover ourselves focused more and more on eternal relationships, and less and less on what surrounds us. As we grow in love, we await Jesus’ coming not with dread, but with joy.  Jesus said, “Do not be afraid, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” But remember this: You never know when and where Jesus might call. So be prepared.

A Franciscan Benediction

May God bless you with discomfort

At easy answers, half-truths and superficial relationships

So that you may live deep within your heart.

May God bless you with anger

At injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people,

So that you may work for justice, freedom and peace.

May God bless you with tears

To shed for those who suffer pain, rejection, hunger, and war,

So that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and

To turn their pain into joy.

And may God bless us with just enough foolishness

To believe that we can make a difference in the world,

So that we can do what others claim cannot be done:

To bring justice and kindness to all our children and all our neighbors who are poor. Amen.

Amen.[iii]

Deb Luther Teagan © 2019 Panzer Liturgical Service, USAG Stuttgart

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[i] Sara Koenig, The Working Preacher, http://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentary_id=1730

[ii] https://my.charitywater.org/

[iii] https://brianmclaren.net/a-franciscan-benediction/

Also see Bruce Epperly, The Adventurous Lectionary for August 11: The Gift of an Uneasy Conscience, https://www.patheos.com/blogs/livingaholyadventure/2013/08/the-adventurous-lectionary-the-gift-of-an-uneasy-conscience-august-11-2013/

Sermon: Lord, Teach Us...Proper 12 (C)

Proper 12 – Year C                                                                          July 28, 2019

Luke 11:1-13                                                 Panzer Liturgical Service, Stuttgart

I knew I was a clergy person when I stood in a circle at my first church with youth and adults who had gathered to welcome me.  As the time came to close, every eye turned to me. “Anybody want to close us with a prayer?” I asked. The silence was deafening. After a few seconds, which felt like an eternity, someone replied, “We’ll leave that up to you, Rev Deb – you’re a professional pray-er.” Let me just tell you this: praying well in public could be a considered a spiritual gift, but you certainly don’t have to be seminary trained to be good at it.

If you ask adults about their study choices, many immediately think – prayer. We want to get it right. We want our prayers to be meaningful and eloquent. We want prayer to be a spiritual discipline, and not just something we do when we have a pressing need. From today’s gospel lesson, I think the disciples felt the same way.

This scene takes place immediately after Jesus’ visit with Mary and Martha. If you ever wanted more evidence that Jesus was an introvert, I don’t think you’ll find a better example. The passage starts with this phrase, “He was praying in a certain place…” (v1). Perhaps fatigued by his encounter with sisters who had different ideas about what quality time with Jesus would look like, he needed to recharge his battery. (Other examples, see Jesus sleep in the boat on a stormy sea and praying in the Garden even when he knew the soldiers were on their way). Fortunately for Jesus, the disciples were not quite as persistent as a toddler waiting for mom to finish up in the bathroom. They waited until he was done and then asked him to teach them to pray also.

Why ask at this moment? Was there a serenity about Jesus they wanted for themselves? Maybe they saw prayer as Jesus’ “magic sauce” – at the same time drawing people to him, and also helping him stand up to those who challenged him at every turn.

What about us? Are we looking to be in closer communion with God? Are we interested in techniques? Or are we just trying to figure out why, after all these years, it feels like we’ve made little or no progress when it comes to prayer? Will prayer books and journals give us what we need? You want prayer techniques? I’ve got lots of books for those. But I don’t think that was the disciples’ problem and I don’t think it’s ours either. I fear what we seek is magic prayer, the right words to make God give us the things we are asking for in the ways and time we are asking them. And that’s where our plan to build a better prayer life fails.

Do you notice anything surprising about Jesus’ prayer? First of all, it’s short. But short is good. I mentioned my role as a professional prayer earlier. In spite of the assumption by many that because I’m ordained, it’s my job to be the pray-er, I am just as likely to hear sighs as people settle in for a flowery, theologically dense and, for lack of a better term, long prayer. Of course, you all know that’s not my style.  I am just as likely to hear, “Wow, that was short,” as I am, “wow, that was great.”

Did you notice anything else? How about what Jesus asks for? Jesus’ prayer is not a cosmic wishlist. He doesn’t list a bunch of petitions or requests for miracles. He’s not trying to persuade God of anything. He’s not imposing his will on God. Instead, he teaches us to see and be open to God’s will in everything, today and every day. In teaching us to pray this way, he breaks old stereotypes about why we pray. We don’t pray because we are instructed to, or to change God’s mind. Instead, we pray to know God’s mind and to direct our lives to the intentions that God had for from the very beginning.[i]

Christian theologian, Richard Foster, has spent a life’s work studying prayer. On the Lord’s prayer, he writes, “I determined to learn to pray so that my experience conforms to the words of Jesus rather than try to make his words conform to my impoverished experience.” He goes on to say, “If we long to go where God is going and do what God is doing, we will move into deeper, more authentic worship and living. In prayer, we begin to think God’s thoughts after him: to desire the things he desires, to love the things he loves, to will the things he wills.” [ii]

From the beginning of the prayer, OUR FATHER, we set the tone for our encounter. This is not the relationship of a master to slave but as the best kind of communion between parent and child.

HALLOWED = HOLY = BE YOUR NAME… this is the highest form of praise, but we make this confession not for God’s benefit, but for ours. When Moses experienced the voice from the burning bush, he asked, “Who are you?” God replied, “I AM.” Simple, perfect, and everything we need to spend a lifetime getting acquainted. It’s so easy to place ourselves at the center of the universe. My needs, my wants, my beliefs, my desires… the more self-centered we become, the less we are focusing on God’s needs, wants and desires. This part of the prayer reminds us that this is not the way God intended it to be.

GIVE US OUR DAILY BREAD… In one way, I don’t really know how to pray this part because I’ve never been really hungry. The kind of hungry that goes and scavenges food from a restaurant dumpster after closing… the kind of hungry of giving up food so someone I love can eat… the kind of hungry that gets peanut butter sandwiches instead of a hot meal at school because my mom hasn’t had the money to pay my cafeteria bill since Christmas.

But I don’t think Jesus is just talking about food here. I think he is talking about asking God for what it takes to be strong enough to do God’s work in the world. Yes, that might be food-related, but it also about seeing our relationship and communication with God to be as necessary to our living as breathing and eating are. This part of the prayer asks God to feed our souls so that we can be prepared to help feed the stomach and souls of the world.

THY WILL BE DONE… What does it mean to give ourselves over to God’s will? As they say, it’s complicated. For one thing, it will look different for everyone and in different times and places. God’s overarching will is always that we live faithfully in him. But the specifics, those are not so easy to see or understand. We think of prayer as our way of talking to God, but even more important is prayer as our listening post. We are not only called to pray confidently that he will give us the grace to become instruments of his will, empowered to proclaim him, and serve him… but that we will also hear how we are called to give of ourselves… to be active extensions of his love, his hands and feet and voice in the world.

FORGIVE US AS WE FORGIVE OTHERS… it’s really the only quid pro quo in the whole prayer. If this, then that… to get mercy, we must give mercy… beyond giving, we must be forgiving… we can’t just say it, we must live it. Even when we don’t want to. Even when anger and striking out are justified. Even when it feels impossible. And while we know that we might not get forgiveness from others for both mistakes and willful sins, God’s forgiveness is available, especially when we are in the mindset to receive it.

Jesus’ lesson on prayer didn’t end with “Amen… let’s eat.” He finished his teaching with examples of what LIVING this prayer is all about it. I’m sure each of you can think of a time when you went out of your way to help someone, or someone did the same for you. Jesus taught that prayer is also about persistence. It’s about repeatedly asking and seeking and receiving because of the deep love of God and love for one another.

In the movie “Shadowlands,” British author C. S. Lewis marries American divorcee Joy Gresham after they discover she's dying from cancer.  When her condition gets a little better, Lewis responds to a friend who says that God may be finally answering Lewis' prayers.  Lewis says, “That's not why I pray, Harry.  I pray because I can’t help myself.  I pray because I'm helpless.  I pray because the need flows out of me all the time, waking and sleeping.  Prayer doesn't change God; it changes ME.”  In his speech to his friend, Lewis reminds us that prayer is not a message scribbled on a note, jammed into a bottle and tossed into the sea in hopes that it will wash up someday on God's shore.  Instead, prayer is communion with God.  We speak to God, but God doesn’t always speak back in words.  God also touches, embraces, shapes and changes us through relationship – with God and with others.  No matter what we pray for, our prayer is answered because in the act of praying we receive the gift we really seek – intimacy with God.

The Lord’s prayer also teaches us “Public Theology.”  It is a prayer taught by the church to people who are seeking to be the church, the body of Christ.  It is not just the prayer of our waking and going to sleep.[iii] For many of us, this is our go-to prayer when we are out of words. But as we pray this prayer in our communion liturgy, let us not think of this as a rote prayer devoid of meaning. This is our centering prayer. Love of God… Love of neighbor… it’s always the main thing.

I read a post on one of my preacher sites the other day in which a minister was bemoaning the fact that her new church called everything “ministry”. She seemed to be concerned that they were doing a lot of outreach in the community without any expectations of reciprocal teaching… no tracts, no sermons, no asking people if they were saved. She wanted to draw a line – Ministry for “Jesusy” things… Good Works for everything else. Needless to say, lots of people have had a different opinion of her situation, and most tried to help her see that her congregation was getting it right. It’s easy to get caught up in the numbers and statistical reports, while the most important thing is so far from those requirements.

And it reminded me of a time when we were in a congregation like that in Oklahoma, who had monthly free community lunches, and drives to make sure that no child in the county went to school without new supplies and a least one special gift under tree at Christmas – for 750 low income children. Wow, it took a long time to get everybody there – lots of prayer and lots of convincing, most led by our youth who wanted to make a difference in the lives of their friends and their families. They dragged us from our safe places into a world we would never forget.

One Thanksgiving at midnight, I was with our crew loading up carts with toys and other gifts, and when the cashier asked who we were buying for, I told her that we were the church heading up the toy drive for DHS. She asked, “Are you from that Methodist church on Main St?” And when I confirmed her suspicion, she smiled big and said, “I’ve heard about ya’ll…. You’re that church that loves people.” My friends, that doesn’t happen because of us – that comes from the power of lived prayer.

If the world feels like it’s a mess, and that our efforts are falling behind our intentions if you’re tired of keeping up a façade of having our personal and collective acts together, know that you are not alone. Trust me, many days my prayer time starts with “Dear God”… includes a word salad of concerns, praises, and questions… and also deep, painful silences… But when the Amen comes, I remember the lesson we learned today. The disciples said, Lord, teach us to pray. And he did. And without requiring them to get it perfect, he said, “now go and live it…”

Peace, Deb

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[i] Sellery, “Teach Us to Pray,” July 28, 2019 https://mailchi.mp/davidsellery/teach-us-to-pray

[ii] https://prayer-coach.com/2011/09/19/prayer-quotes-richard-foster/

[iii] Will Willimon and Stanley Hauerwas, Lord, Teach Us: The Lord's Prayer & the Christian Life, Abingdon Press, 1996

sermon: Proper 8C - The Freedom Paradox

Third Sunday after Pentecost, 8C                                                                           June 30, 2019
Galatians 5:1, 13-25, Luke 9:51-62                                        Panzer Liturgical Service, Stuttgart

The Freedom Paradox

Freedom: the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint.

As we prepare for Independence Day celebrations this week, we often think of the word Freedom, if we think of anything besides hotdogs, watermelon and fireworks. As a preacher, I find it ironic that the Revised Common Lectionary chooses lessons about freedom on the Sunday before this holiday. And mildly annoying… and challenging… especially this year.

Everybody wants freedom. School kids like summer vacation because it’s an escape from mandated bedtimes, homework, and early morning trips to school. Among us there are students preparing to leave for college, looking forward to the freedom of living away from home and setting their own schedules. The adults among us are looking forward to the freedom of vacation, focusing on seeing new things and renewing relationships with family and friends.

We’d love to think that freedom is only about the ability to act without hindrance or restraint. But I don’t think that’s the way that freedom really works. It only takes a few days for even the smallest child to remember that sleep is good. It only takes until the first test, or lab, or writing assignment, to know that college works best when there are schedules and routines. Freedom requires responsibility.

As Americans, we think of freedom as one of our inalienable rights. Our forefathers said these rights were granted to us by our Creator – life, liberty & the pursuit of happiness. It’s so easy to slip into a mistaken belief that it’s my life, my liberty, my happiness that are most important. That is not the kind of freedom that Jesus and Paul are talking about. It’s also not the kind of freedom that the founders had in mind, either, but that’s a conversation for another time.

In his letter, Paul reminds us that freedom is not absence of responsibility. True freedom is about dedicating our lives to the gifts of life which God has placed before us. Freedom through Christ, no matter where it leads us, means choices, more often than not putting others needs before our own. As Americans, freedom means that we are willing to make sacrifices to serve our country and our community. As Christians, it means the same. We must be willing to serve one another in love, and follow Christ wherever that road leads.

So how does this happen? In Christ, we are a new creation. We learn about who we are as we study scripture, experience God in worship, mission, and in our life together. It is those relationships that we understand the kind of freedom Christ promises and Paul teaches. Last week, Chaplain Trotter reminded us that Paul’s ministry as a roaming preacher and teacher, and that he wrote letters to correct communities who hadn’t fully absorbed the essence of living on the “Jesus way.” The Galatians were caught up in the controversy over whether or not converting Gentiles had to become Jews first. In this letter, Paul drives home the final lesson: that their freedom is neither limited or empowered by their motivations. Jesus wants people to follow in love. And everyone is welcome to come.

The same is true today. The Bible has stood the test of time. Whatever questions we have about how can be in the Kingdom are answered right here, not in rules, but as we model the relationships we encounter. So many things divert us from our primary mission – to live and love as Jesus’ witnesses in the world. Like other early Christian communities, we get bogged down in the rules of engagement and forget that it’s the relationship with him and with our fellow travelers that gives our lives meaning.

Fortunately, Paul writes of the freedom that teaches our spirits to live. In Eugene Petersen’s biblical paraphrase, The Message, he translates the fruit of the Spirit into action words, helping us to see how to put each of them into practice.

But what happens when we live God's way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely.  (Galatians 5:22-23)

And how do we do those things, day in and out? Paul names those gifts: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and the hardest – self-control. They don’t all come at once, and they are often hard to hold on to, but this fruit – this gift – of the Spirit gives us the courage and strength to follow where Christ leads, and to answer when he calls. This fruit grounds us, and centers us, and anchors us in the faith to which we have been called.

The cost of discipleship is the central theme of the Gospel text from Luke. Jesus has "set his face towards Jerusalem." From early in his ministry, maybe even from the very beginning, he was journeying there in order to fulfill God's plan for his life, a plan that involved a cross and crucifixion on Calvary.

On the way, Jesus encountered a lot of people. Some of them were insiders… some of them not. To many Jesus’ message sounded pretty good, but also a little odd. T some it was revolutionary, even dangerous. I venture to say, it’s a little of both. In this passage, we see an encounter between Jesus and some people who were testing him out. The first man said, “Lord, I'm ready to follow you wherever you go.” Jesus replied, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man has nowhere to lay his head." Wow! That’s a pretty big commitment to go into a future without a map or timeline in hand.

To another Jesus said, "Follow me," and the man replied, "I'll come along but first I need to take care of some family business. I have to bury my father." To this, Jesus replied, "Let the dead bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim the Kingdom of God." Now, I think it’s safe to say, our first impression is… wow, that’s harsh and hard! What does Jesus expect? Burying one's father, going home to say goodbye to family and friends, these are perfectly normal things to want to do. Yet in his words to his would-be followers, Jesus is making it quite clear that there is a cost to discipleship. Following him means understanding the call to living Jesus’ kind of life… sacrificial and unadorned.

How hard is to follow Jesus in this way? In his book, A Conspiracy of Love, Kurt Struckmeyer writes, “Lots of people believe in Jesus. They just love him to pieces. They worship and adore him. They praise his name. They invite him into their hearts and accept him as their Lord and Savior. But not as many people are willing to follow him.”

As modern-day Jesus people, we understand Jesus’ words, but do we stand under them? Are we just worshipers of Jesus or are we followers? Because if we are followers, there is a cost to that kind of discipleship.  Our journey, this Christian life that we have been called to, parallels the journey of Jesus to Jerusalem.  Jesus is telling us, up front, that our journey with him will not be an easy one.  If we follow in the way of Jesus, we cannot expect to have an easier road to travel than the Master does.  For as the Father has sent Jesus, even so he sends us.  Signing on with Jesus means that everything becomes secondary to serving the Kingdom of God.  Following Jesus will cost us. But it will also make us free.

The balance of all this freedom comes with practice. And eventually it changes the way we live every part of our lives. It is hard? Yes! Does it take practice and accountability? Also, yes! So how can this be done? What Paul is saying is, “I know you can’t do this on your own, so let this fruit be your standard and your guide… let them light your way and the way of others. With this fruit as the foundation of how we think and how we act, there is no limit to what can be done.

I know that some of you come to church looking for a word of encouragement in the midst of difficult challenges. Many of us are smackdab in the middle of caring for our kids and our worrying about our parents and older relatives. Many of you work every day, late into the night, to keep what little peace is balancing in the world. We are left reeling by the news that one of us was in worship last Sunday and tomorrow will be having the first of several surgeries and treatments for what looks like cancer. And at every turn, we wonder how to make good decisions that will keep us and our families safe and secure and if we are even making a difference.

And I’m pretty sure that you come here to get away from the overly-political nature of our society. And here is where I’m going to disappoint you. Because I think these lessons about freedom and responsibility don’t just apply to our own lives and those of our families and friends. Following Jesus means caring for people outside our comfort zones. It means digging deeper into the disturbing news of the day and figuring out what is real and how we are called to respond as people who are called by Jesus to follow.

Here, we are gathered without regard to denomination. But most of us relate to some ecclesial body in the US or Germany that speaks out for and ministers with the least, the last and the lost. I’m giving you a homework assignment this week.

Find your denomination or church’s website, look for the advocacy or relief section, and figure out how you can be a helper. Maybe it’s giving money to support the work being done. Maybe it’s reading and learning as a family with available resources. Maybe it’s writing to or calling your members of Congress to ask for support for legislation that your denomination supports. Maybe it’s doing something that I would never even think of. I believe that God is speaking to each of us to serve in some new way. Listen to the voice. You’d be amazed what you can do from so far away.

It’s so easy to be lured into the belief that we have to work our way into the Kingdom of God. But that’s not the way it works. We are already members of Christ’s body and of his Kingdom. Jesus and Paul both teach us that we need to step up and embrace the paradox of freedom. It is only in the freedom of love and service that we will truly encounter the Christ who lives in our hearts.

Peace, Deb