November 20, 2011
strengthens the weak.
For Bill,Steve, LaTaunya, and Brenda, our Regional Pastors, and for all who serve your church.
in every place.
Lord, have mercy.
For the leaders of the nations and all in authority, and for mercy, justice, and peace.
Lord, have mercy.
For good weather, abundant fruits of the earth, and peaceful times.
Lord, have mercy.
For our city and those who live in it, and especially for those who serve our cities and townships (and of those, especially our own Russ),, and for our families, companions, and all those we love.
Lord, have mercy
For all those in danger and need: the hungry and the thirsty, strangers and the naked, the
sick and those in prison.
Lord, have mercy.
For those who rest in Christ and for all the dead.
Lord, have mercy.
For our deliverance from all affliction, strife, and need.
Lord, have mercy.
God our shepherd, who raised your Son from the dead and made him king of all creation,
hear the prayers we offer this day and enable us to see your glory in the face of the poor;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
Gospel Lesson Matthew 25:31-46
Mt 25:31 ¶ "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory.
32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats,
33 and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left.
34 Then the king will say to those at his right hand, 'Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world;
35 for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me,
36 I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.'
37 Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink?
38 And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing?
39 And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?'
40 And the king will answer them, 'Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.'
41 Then he will say to those at his left hand, 'You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels;
42 for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink,
43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.'
44 Then they also will answer, 'Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?'
45 Then he will answer them, 'Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.'
46 And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."
Hear what the spirit…
Sermon “The King and the Nations”
Do you know “Rent?” It’s one of most successful Broadway musicals in the last 40 years, and it’s actually a reworking of Puccini’s “La Boheme.”
Only instead of
There are some great songs in that show—some that you’ve probably heard like “Seasons of Love.”
But, the song that’s been in my head this week is titled, “What You Own,” which pokes fun at American consumerism:
“You're living in
At the end of the millennium
You're living in
Leave your conscience at the tone
And when you’re living in
At the end of the millennium
You are what you own”
And, because they are dying of AIDS, the song concludes:
we’re dying in
at the end of the millennium
dying in
to come into our own
and when you’re dying in
at the end of the millennium,
you’re not alone.
I get this feeling every year about this time. After the Christmas ads and decorations have been in full swing about a month.
After watching ads for cars in bows which cost more than our first house--and we’re not that old--I get a little queasy. When you’re living in
I get that feeling because we have evolved to the point where we celebrate our Lord’s birth by engaging in the sin of idolatry.
Idolatry is the sin of holding other gods before the God who has created us, redeemed us, and sustains us. Idolatry is a denial of the truth of creation.
Instead of knowing who we are by the God in whose image we are made, we are known by what we own.
Idolatry.
What would you guess is the number one theme in all of scripture? Anybody?
According to Jim Wallis, it is idolatry. And the second most frequently occurring theme is poverty. Could there be a connection?
Of course, there is a connection! The balance between idolatry and poverty is obvious.
The effects of idolatry on the “haves” is that we become more oriented to things that capture our worship and less oriented to God, and certainly less oriented to the poor, leading to an impoverishment of the soul.
And the effect on the poor is that other idolatries--idolatries of survival, power, and violence--move in to fill the void of God. And if you don’t believe this is true, look, not only at
And so, with each passing moment, the haves and have-nots move farther from each other and more dis-oriented toward understanding each other.
Each moment we sink further into idolatry, we are less able to know God and less able to know God in each other.
Less able to know God in the faces of the folks who will get their holiday meal from the Grace Episcopal’s food pantry instead of the grocery store.
Less able to know God in the inmates in all the correctional facilities in in our county.
Less able to know God in the people living and dying with AIDS in and among us.
Less able to know God in the guy at the bottom of the panhandler whom we turn our head to avoid.
Less able to know God in anyone as we sink deeper into our various idolatries.
Last Sunday, one the folks who regularly seeks help here came to me to ask for assistance. I caught this person in a lie last year and I will no longer help her, because I don’t want to support or encourage scammers.
And yet, today’s Gospel compels me to see God in the scammers, too.
It’s a curious thing, this parable of the final judgment. The participants--the nations-- in this drama are equally clueless as to the identity of the king as seen in the hungry, the poor, the naked, the imprisoned, the stranger. Both the goats who ignored those people, and the sheep who cared for them were oblivious to the eternal implications. They both say so. The ones who did connect with their fellow humans are non-plussed about the situation.
“When did we see you, Jesus?”
The goats, the ones who failed to reach out ask the same question, but it has a totally different feel to it.
“Well, Jesus, if we had known it was you, we would have done something.”
The story is told that some years ago, an American soldier on a bus in
The man said, “That's nothing. In
When the man got off the bus at the next stop, the American was told by other passengers that he had been sitting next to King Gustav Adolf VI.
It’s hard to see a king in an ordinary person, but that is the point. And the sheep do it without trying to or even realizing it. We can only expect to encounter God-in-Christ in the faces of ordinary people if we immerse ourselves in the worship of God and God alone. If we take seriously the words in the first creation story--we are made, each of us, in God’s own image.
Even then, it’s hard. It’s hard to see the face of God in the sex offender released into our neighborhood. It’s hard to see the face of God in the guy who scams churches for money. It’s hard to see the face of God in the faces of those living or dying with AIDS--or folks dying with anything.
But, seeing the sacred in all the world is a beautiful thing. Seeing Christ in people with disabilities changes things. Seeing Christ in the hungry changes the reality for both us and them.
Look in the mirror when you get home today. Do you see a sheep or a goat? Perhaps, more importantly, do you see God? That may be the most crucial matter. Because loving one’s neighbor as yourself, involves loving yourself. And loving one’s own self involves acknowledging that you are made in God’s own image--just like everyone else.
Go check the mirror for God. God’s already checking for you, and calling to you from the lives of others. You don’t prepare for this exam--God prepares you. Connecting with the God in ourselves and others is a first step out of idolatry.
Everyone you meet--on the street or in the mirror--is made in God’s image.
What do you think?
Offertory Sentences and Prayer
This Sunday, you are invited not only to make your regular gift in the offering plate, but an estimate of your giving for the coming year. May both be offered in the same spirit: the product of much prayer, thought, and with great joy. Let us present our present and future gifts together.
Great and loving God, we are thankful all you have given us. Help us today to see your world as one of abundance, not scarcity. Help us to give of ourselves in time, talent, and treasure. May these gifts for now and the year to come bring blessings upon your world. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Benediction
Go in peace; love and care for one another in Christ's name,
- and may our Lord and King watch over you,
- may our shepherd and our shield defend you,
- and may our rock and our fortress, our judge and our hope keep you safe and strong within his life-giving word now and forevermore. Amen
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