"Provoking Love" (25th Sunday after Pentecost - Year B) | November 15th, 2015

Hebrews 10:11-25

     And every priest stands day after day at his service, offering again and again the same sacrifices that can never take away sins. But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, ‘he sat down at the right hand of God’, and since then has been waiting ‘until his enemies would be made a footstool for his feet.’ For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are sanctified. And the Holy Spirit also testifies to us, for after saying, 
    ‘This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord:
    I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds’, 
    he also adds,
    ‘I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.’ 
    Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin.
    Therefore, my friends, since we have confidence to enter the sanctuary by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain (that is, through his flesh), and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us approach with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who has promised is faithful. And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

    You likely entered this building from one of two entrances (unless you’re the choir who has their own super special secret entrance).  You likely either entered from one of these two doors next to the sanctuary, or you entered from the main rear entrance by the offices.  If the latter was your preferred method of entrance, then you might notice that there is quite some mess outside.

 You probably noticed a massive amount of wooden planks, some roofing materials covered in a large tarp to protect it from the wet weather we’ve been having, and a ladder.  If you are unawares, we are working on repairing our roof above our kitchen and bathrooms.  You see, that’s a flat roof and down south we typically don’t think twice about having a flat roof; it’s no big deal when you only get maybe an inch or two of snow a year.  However, up here in the wild and barren northern tundra, a flat roof is a bad idea because the ice and snow build up and cause nasty leaks.  Therefore, we’re working on repairing that roof so that it has a slight incline to it to help the snow and ice not build up on it.

    Now, we had hoped this work would have been done this past week but mother nature had other plans.  Because of the rain we had, the work has been postponed to begin tomorrow when, hopefully, the weather will be more cooperative.  Until then, we will have quite a mess lying outside our main entrance.

    Many of you likely got an email a few days ago with the subject saying “Pardon Our Mess.”  In this email, we apologize for the mess and let you all know that the work will hopefully get done this week.  The subtitle to this email went something like this:  “We are all works in progress!”

    We are all works in progress, aren't we?  Sometimes we like to think that the work has come and gone, that the repairs have been done and the job completed but the truth is that the work is never really done; we are all works in progress!

    One did not need to look far in the week’s news to be reminded of this fact.  The terrorist attacks on Friday in Paris were all too familiar for those of us living in the United States of America and in many other places in the world.  In fact, although the attacks in Paris were horrible and should certainly be grieved, we must be careful not to do so to the extent that we forget that atrocities of this nature do happen and are happening in many other parts of the world including, but certainly not limited to, Lebanon, Kenya, Syria, Iraq, and many others.

    What happened in Paris speaks to the fact that we have much work to do in this world.  Anyone who questions the relevancy of the Church needs only glance at our scriptures to notice that we worship a savior who preached peace in the face of political and social violence.  The Church definitely has a place in this conversation.  The question is, are we speaking up?  We are all works in progress, aren’t we?

    Another reason that I bring up this reality of our mess while renovating is that it is Celebration Sunday, when we celebrate the fruition of God’s blessings in our lives with the conclusion of our Stewardship “season.”  Now, I bring up this motif of our lives being works in progress because we should all be careful not to celebrate this Sunday as the ending of something but, rather, the beginning of something else.  

    Since I know that Stewardship season is our favorite time of year, I know people will agree with me when I say that absolutely no one present feels relieved that stewardship season is over!  All joking aside, I, myself, and more than a little guilty of treating this Sunday with a bit of relief.

 After all, much hard work goes into each stewardship season.  In fact, I would like to take a moment to publicly thank the hard workers of the stewardship committee who have worked tirelessly the past few months to lead us all into a more generous culture of stewardship.  I would also like to mention that 4 of the 5 members of the Stewardship Committee also serve as the Budget & Finance Committee!  So when you see Clarissa Tybaert, Laura Nelsen, Heather Reylek, Chris Lewis, and Karen Tudor, give them a big thank you for the work they’ve done and the work they’re calling us to do by the discernment of the Holy Spirit!

    But the work they have done in no way signifies that the work is “done.”  If anything, this Sunday calls us to remember that the work is not finished; in fact, the work has just begun!  The gifts that we celebrate this day, the gifts that come only from God’s steadfast blessings in our lives, are given to equip us to do the ministry that God calls us to do.

    Today’s passage in the book of Hebrews tells us just that.  Today’s epistle lectionary passage essentially tells us two things:  who it is that we serve and how it is that we serve.

    To answer the first question (of who it is we serve), Hebrews uses the analogy of Christ as the great High Priest who supersedes all other regular priests.  You see, back then, a priest served as an intermediary between God and the people, kind of like how Moses traveled up and down the mountain between the Israelites and God.  The Temple was divided into two main areas, the larger area where the common people sat and then what was called the “Holy of Holies,” which is where the ark of the covenant was kept and sacrifices were made.  A curtain separated the people from the Holy of Holies and only the priest could enter this special section in order to make daily sacrifices on behalf of the people to appease God.  

    However, in the book of Hebrews, the author establishes Christ as the true and great High Priest who now serves as the intermediary between God and God’s people.  Hebrews establishes some very important differences between Jesus as the Great High Priest and other human priests: 

First of all, unlike human priests, Jesus Christ is both fully human and fully God.
 
Secondly, the sacrifice that Jesus makes is done once and for all.  Unlike the normal priests, who have to make sacrifices day after day after day for the people, the sacrifice that Jesus makes is done once and it is good enough for everyone in all times past, present, and future.  

Thirdly, and perhaps most importantly, the sacrifice that Jesus made is not some animal but rather himself.

    Today’s passage from Hebrews reminds us that these gifts we dedicate today are not given to serve us, or to serve Shelter Island Presbyterian Church, or to serve simply to satisfy “the bottom line,” but that these gifts are given to serve Jesus Christ because Jesus Christ serves as the ultimate priest for us.  

We serve Jesus Christ because it is him, not us, who invites people to this table.
We serve Jesus Christ because it is him, not us, in whose name we are baptized.
We serve Jesus Christ because it is him, not us, in whose name we pray.
We serve Jesus Christ because it is him, not us, that offered a single sacrifice for all sins.

    Because Jesus Christ serves as our High Priest, because he made a single sacrifice for all sins, we have confidence to approach God not as pitiful creatures but as empowered disciples seeking to be commissioned to serve God’s purpose in the world.  To use the words of today’s passage, “let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who has promised is faithful.”

    The second part of the question (that is, how it is that we serve) is this:  we are called to serve by provoking one another to acts of love.  In Engaging the Text last week, we spoke about how this verbiage can seem rather weird.  The verb “provoking” can have some negative connotations.  If I “provoke” someone, it typically would be understood that I am doing so out of spite or maliciousness.  However, in the context of today’s passage, when we provoke one another in acts of love and good deeds, it is kind of like we are poking one another, challenging one another to hold ourselves accountable to go above and beyond to do these acts of love and good deeds and not just talk about them.  

    Here’s a rhetorical question for us to ponder:  what if, prior to every decision we make as the people who are Shelter Island Presbyterian Church, we paused to ask ourselves how this decision is or is not provoking acts of love and good deeds?  Would that change any of our actions?  Food for thought as we go about our week.

    Sisters and Brothers in Christ, we are all works in progress.  I hereby would like to withdraw an apology that was made on this church’s behalf:  we do not apologize for our mess!  We will not apologize for being a work in progress.  Rather, we embrace it and are thankful for it.  We are thankful that we are always reformed and being reformed.  We are thankful for the gifts dedicated today that allow us to be a work in progress and to make progress in growing together as disciples of the Risen Christ.  I am thankful and I hope you are as well!  Let us respond with thanksgiving and get to work provoking one another to do good deeds and acts of love.  So be it!

    In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen!

"For All the Saints" (All Saints Day - Year B)

Preached at Shelter Island Presbyterian Church on Sunday, November 1st, 2015.

Revelation 21:1-6a

Then I 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, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying,

     ‘See, the home of God is among mortals. He will dwell with them;
     they will be his peoples,
     and God himself will be with them;
     he will wipe every tear from their eyes.
     Death will be no more;
     mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the 9irst things have passed away.’

And the one who was seated on the throne said, ‘See, I am making all things new.’ Also he said, ‘Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true.’ Then he said to me, ‘It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give water as a gift from the spring of the water of life.

There’s a video that has been making the rounds on the internet nowadays about a pastor getting creative about the way he describes what he does. The video clip goes something like this:

People often say to me, “what do you do?” and it’s always very difficult to know what to say because if I say to you that I’m a reverend, which I am, that conjures up certain images in people’s minds as to what I might be. So I like to be a little bit creative in telling people what I do.

I sat next to this lady on an airplane and I said, “hello.” She said, “well, hello!” I asked her what she did and she told me and then she asked me what I did and I said “Well.....

“I work for a global enterprise.” She said, “Do you!?” and I said, “Yes, I do. We’ve got outlets in nearly every country in the world.”

She said, “Have you?!” and I said, “Yes, we do! We’ve got hospitals, and hospices, and homeless shelters, we do marriage work, we’ve got orphanages, we’ve got feeding programs, we’ve got educational programs, we do all kinds of justice and reconciliation work, basically we look after people from birth to death, and we deal in the area of behavioral alteration.”

She went, “WOW!!!!! What’s it called?”

I said, “it’s called the Church. Have you not heard of it!?”

He then goes on to say that if we are a follower of Jesus, then we are members of a truly global enterprise. And what’s more, he goes on to say that it’s really more than a global enterprise but truly an intergalactic enterprise because it involves everyone that’s gone before us!

Friends, what a great reminder on this All Saints Day! What a great reminder that you and I are part of something bigger than us! What a great reminder that you and I journey with sisters and brothers of the faith is all the corners of the world. How important it is that we celebrate that the wind of the Holy Spirit that is in this very room is a power blown for all parts of the world. We are told that they will come to the Table from the east, the west, the north, and the south to partake of the grace of Jesus’ resurrection. May we always remember that we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses!

Now, when the people who are Shelter Island Presbyterian Church say on this All Saints Day that we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, there is a rather tangible particularity to what we are saying. That is, of course, because we are, quite literally, surrounded by the saints at rest in the cemeteries that surround this building.

Now, to be perfectly clear, when we call these deceased friends and loved ones “saints,” we are not calling them “perfect” or “holier-than-thou.” Just as a point of curiosity, please raise your hand if you are either related to or knew someone who is buried outside the walls of this building.
Now, raise your hand if you are aware that that person was not perfect!

We call them “saints” not because they were perfect but because they struggled like us, they lived like us, doing the best they could to live their lives to the fullest, helping others in the ways they knew how, being part of the global enterprise known as the Church whether they were aware of it or not.

We are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses that is cheering us on as we run this race.
A few weeks ago, I had the privilege of attending the home cross-country meet at Goat Hill. I and my furry companion, Elsie, stood along with other family and friends as we cheered on the Shelter Island competitors, as well - I should say - as the opposing team. We had many of our own excel including Lindsey and Emma Gallagher, Caitlin Binder, Lily Garrison, Will Garrison, and Kal Lewis! Additionally, both the Yirst place for the boys and the girls were members of our congregation. So go Presbyterians!

Looking back on that beautiful afternoon cheering on our youth at Goat Hill, it reminds me of what we are celebrating today. Just like the community that gathered to cheer on the youth as they ran their race, on All Saints Sunday we celebrate the great cloud of witnesses that gather to cheer us on as we run this race.

And what is the race that we are running? Well, it may look difference from congregation to congregation but there is one thread that runs true throughout all of us: we are all proposing an alternative narrative of grace.

What I mean by this is best explained by turning to today’s passage from the book of Revelation. Too often, the Book of Revelation is a book that has been misinterpreted so much as to turn it into a source of fear rather than what is should be, which is a source of HOPE. The single most important thing that the book of Revelation preaches is that God will have the Yinal word and that Yinal word will be GOOD!

Revelation 21 proclaims to us that the day is coming when the Yirst heaven and the Yirst earth will pass away and be renewed as the new heaven and the new earth. Revelation 21 promises us that the day is coming when every tear will be wiped away. The day is coming, we are told, when death will be no more, when mourning and crying and pain will be no more. We are told these things because God is making all things new! God, our Alpha and our Omega, our beginning and our ending, will give water to all who are thirsty.

Newness is coming, friends! Newness is coming!

And we are invited to be part of this newness. We are commissioned to proclaim it. We are charged to embody it. And that isn’t always easy. That isn’t always convenient. As we are running this race, it can come to us as a pretty nasty, steep hill that threatens to exhaust us and give us cramps and cause our breathing to be become labored and our mouths to run dry.
But we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, cheering us on, holding us in their prayers and sustaining us with their memories of struggle and hope, of witness and courage.

That’s what All Saints Day is about! Remembering that we are not alone as we proclaim a narrative that is often counter-cultural.

“Newness? We have nothing but the same old, same old,” we are told. “God is making all things new” we say as we run the race.

“Joy? We have nothing to be joyful about. The world has gone to hell in a hand basket,” we are told. “God will wipe the tear from every eye” we say as we run the race.

“Abundance? There’s not enough to go around,” we are told. “God will give water to the thirsty from the spring of the water of life” we say as we run the race.

“Life? The only things guaranteed in life are death and taxes,” we are told. “God is the Alpha and Omega, our beginning and end,” we say as we run the race.

Friends, we are called to preach an alternative narrative. One that ends not in death but in life eternal. One that speaks in abundance and not scarcity. One that ends in joy and not tears. One that ends in nothing and no one but the God who calls us beloved children.

Sisters and Brothers in Christ, we are called to proclaim newness and, when you think about it, newness is the most precious and desired commodity in the world. In a world craving newness, we as the Church, as a global enterprise, can embody newness in particularly tangible and life-giving ways.

“You need newness? It’s on the way. In the meantime, here’s some newness in this warm bowl of soup”

“You need newness? It’s coming, we promise. In the meantime, here’s some newness in this life- saving winter coat.”

“You need newness? It’s been promised! In the meantime, here’s some newness in this compassionate ear.”

“You need newness? It’s right here at the Table. In the meantime, let’s partake of it together.”

Friends, happy All Saints Day! Together, with the saints in every time and place, let us together share newness even as we wait for it. May it be so in our worship. May it be so in our lives.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Alleluia! Amen!