[Propertalk] Fwd: [propertalk.topic] Sermon for the last Sunday after Epiphany

[Joe Parrish]

Forwarded:



-----Original Message-----
From: Judy <judy_boli at ecunet.org>
To: Propertalk <propertalk.topic at ecunet.org>
Sent: Sat, Feb 6, 2016 4:36 pm
Subject: [propertalk.topic] Sermon for the last Sunday after Epiphany



Dear Friends,
 
This Sunday’s sermon is entitled “Don’t Wait ’TillYou’re Perfect” or “Capture the Glow!” and deals with the gospel (Luke 9: 28-36).  Here it is:  
 
Our gospel today (Luke 9:28-36) tells about the episode wecall the “Transfiguration,”- how Jesus’ glory was revealed to hisdisciples.  This is what happened.  Jesus and his three closest friends (Peter,James, and John) went on the top of a mountain to pray.  The disciples fell asleep, but were jerkedawake when, all of a sudden, Jesus started to glow and his clothing becamedazzling white.  They saw Jesus, withMoses (the great lawgiver) on one side of him and Elijah (the great prophet) onthe other side.  On top of that, thedisciples overheard the three talking about Jesus’ rapidly approaching death inJerusalem andwhat it would mean.  A cloud envelopedthem and the disciples heard God say that this was his beloved Son, so listento him.  After the incident, his friendssaid nothing about it – you can guess why. If you had been there and told people this had happened to you, whatwould they say?  Sure- that you werecrazy!
 
The next three episodesin the life of Jesus and his disciples were extremely telling.  When Jesus, Peter, James, and John came downfrom the mountain, there was a desperate father who had asked the disciples toheal his epileptic son, but they couldn’t do it (Luke 9:37-43a).  Next we hear how Jesus tried to teach hisdisciples about his coming death, but they didn’t get it (Luke 9:43b-45).  Finally the Bible tells how Jesus overheardhis disciples arguing about who among them was the greatest (Luke 9:46-48).  
 
Have you heard thesaying we’ve used many times as our thought for the week?  It goes, “Please be patient.  God isn’t finished with me yet.”  That surely was true of the disciples.  Just in this short section of the Gospel ofLuke, we find them lazy and neglecting their prayers (went to sleep when theyshould have been praying); lacking faith (couldn’t heal the epileptic boy);slow to learn and understand (didn’t understand Jesus’ teaching about his deathand resurrection); and self-centered and greedy (arguing about who was thegreatest).  It wasn’t just the disciples-Paul (one of the greatest missionary bishops the world has ever seen) persecutedand killed Christians before his conversion on the Damascus road.  What’s my point?  It’s not just the disciples whom God wasn’tfinished with- God isn’t finished with you either!  You don’t have to be perfect to serve God;you just have to be available.  I can’ttell you how many times I’ve heard people say things like: 
 
“I’m too great a sinner to come to church or     receive Holy Communion or sing in a choir or work at the altar or     whatever.” or

 
“I’m addicted to alcohol or another drug or     sex or gambling or shoplifting.      I’ll start coming to church (or helping the church with Jesus’     ministry) after I’m in recovery.”

Tell me- if you don’tcome to church and hear the Word and get strengthened by Holy Communion and beencouraged by God’s people, how are you ever going to get the power to be allthat you can be?  The church is not ahotel for saints; it’s a hospital for sinners. Don’t wait to serve God until you’ve overcome; overcome by serving God.
 
In today’s gospel, Jesusglowed like the sun.  The disciples justhad to reflect Jesus’ glory to do his work. The same is true of us.  We aren’tintended to be the sun and produce the glow, the power.  Instead, we are like the moon.  We reflect the glory and power and light ofthe sun- the Son of God, and that’s enough to keep us steadily becoming theperson we truly want to be.  There’s onemore analogy between the moon and us. Even though the moon looks beautiful and evenly shaped when we look atit from a distance, I’m sure you know that the moon really has craters anduneven places in its surface.  Theseimperfections don’t stop the moon from reflecting the brilliance of thesun.  In the same way, our sins,imperfections, and handicapping conditions don’t stop us from reflecting theglory of Christ.  
 
So stop waiting andstart serving.  Does this mean that youshould just continue sinning and not care? No!  But it does mean that youshould come to Jesus now- as the old hymn says “Just as I Am,” and trust him tohelp you fill in those rough spots and encourage you to get and stay motivatedin God’s good time.  Do you consideryourself or someone you love simply impossible? Did you notice the thought for the week? “When God is about to do something great, he starts with adifficulty.  When He is about to dosomething magnificent, he starts with an impossibility” (Armin Gesswein).  Paul reminds us in today’s epistle that wehold this glorious treasure, the presence and power of God, in clay pots.  We human beings may be like clay pots, but-fragile and full of imperfections or not, just like clay pots- we’re veryusable.
 
So (from an anonymoussource), the next time you feel like GOD can't use you, that YOU are theimpossibility, just remember:
 
Noah was a drunk; 
 
Abraham was too old; 
 
Isaac was a daydreamer; 
 
Jacob was a liar;
 
Leah was ugly;
 
Rachel was sneaky; 
 
Joseph was abused; 
 
Moses had a speech problem;
 
Gideon was afraid; 
 
Sampson had long hair and was a womanizer; 
 
Rahab was a prostitute; 
 
Jeremiah and Timothy were too young; 
 
David had an affair and was a murderer; 
 
Elijah was suicidal;
 
Jonah ran from God; 
 
Naomi was a widow;
 
Ruth was a flirt; 
 
Job went bankrupt; 
 
John the Baptist ate bugs; 
 
Peter denied Christ; 
 
The disciples fell asleep while praying; 
 
Martha was a worry-wart; 
 
The Samaritan woman was divorced- more than     once;
 
Zaccheus was too small;
 
Paul didn’t always practice what he preached     and was forgetful;
 
Timothy had an ulcer...AND
 
Lazarus was dead!

No more excuses now.  God can use you to your full potential.  Besides you aren't the message, you are justthe messenger.  Just stay around Jesusand his people so you can capture the glow.
 
For anyone who isinterested, this sermon and updated African-American wisdom statements areposted on our parish’s web site under “Sermons & Stuff”. The address is: http://www.stpaulsepisag.org .
 
Blessed preaching,
Judy Boli
St. Paul's Episcopal Church
Saginaw, Michigan

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