[Propertalk] Fwd: [propertalk.topic] Sermon for Lent 2A

[Joe Parrish]

Forwarded: 



-----Original Message-----
From: Judy <judy_boli at ecunet.org>
To: Propertalk <propertalk.topic at ecunet.org>
Sent: Fri, Mar 10, 2017 4:37 pm
Subject: [propertalk.topic] Sermon for Lent 2A



Dear Friends,
This Sunday’s sermon is entitled “We’ve Come this Farby Faith” and deals with all the lessons. Here it is: 
            Today we heard about two people,Abraham and Nicodemus, and their journey in faith.  Looking at their journeys can illuminate andinform our own life journey.  When wefirst encounter Abraham, he is comfortably wealthy and living in the land of Ur, when God asks him to trust him.  Did you hear the story of the hiker namedJohn?  In the story, God asked him totrust also.  John was walking along,looking at the stars instead of where he was going, and fell off a cliff.  Luckily on his way down to certain death, hemanaged to grab on to a tree branch.  Sothere he was, dangling from his tree, shouting at the top of his lungs to seeif anyone was around to help, and wondering how long he could hold on.  Suddenly he heard a voice calling his name:“John, John.”  “Who are you,” asked John,“and how do you know my name?”  “I amGOD,” responded the voice, “so obviously I know your name.”  “Well,” said John, “since you’re God, I’mpraying to you now.  Would you pleasehelp me out of this mess?”  “Of course,”responded God, “do you trust me enough to do what I say?”  “Anything,” said John, just help me.”  “Well,” said God, “let go.”  There was a long silence, then John shouted,“Anybody else up there?”  Abraham musthave felt like John, because God asked him to leave his home and travel to anunknown land, which God promised would be his and his descendants.  On top of that, God promised him descendantsas numerous as the stars in heaven.  Theproblem was, Abraham was about 75 years old when God called him, and he didn’thave any children yet.  His wife Sarahwas no child bride- she was about 75 years old also.  That’s a lot of traveling if you’re in yourseventies, and a lot of trusting for a baby at 75!  Amazingly, Abraham and Sarah obeyed- lefthome and traveled, claiming the Promised Land for his descendants- which areindeed as numerous as the stars in the heavens. How many Jews and Arabs are there on this planet now?  Through all of this, what changed most inthis story?  It’s not a what, it’s a who-Abraham.  The faith required in thejourney changed Abraham from a person of doubt to a person of courage.
            Then there was Nicodemus, a memberof the Jewish council, a learned teacher- who came to Jesus by night, probablybecause he was either afraid or embarrassed to be seen in Jesus’ company.  It was in this exchange of ideas that we hearJesus’ teaching about being born again to enter the Kingdom of God.  As an aside- there’s much confusion about thephrase “born again.”  The Greek word usedin this instance for “born” means “begotten”- the job of the father in thestart of a child.  When Jesus says “ofwater,” he is referring to the waters of baptism. When he says “the HolySpirit” he is referring to allowing God to “beget us,” recreate us in hisimage.  For someone who was born into aChristian family and can’t remember a time when he or she wasn’t a Christian,this “born again process” can happen slowly and gradually over a lifetime. Thebest example would be when a sculptor sands the imperfections off a precious workof art he or she is creating.  On theother hand, for someone who has lived much of his or her life far from God-misusing substances, sex, and other people, the “born again process” might bemore like a hammer and chisel breaking off huge imperfections and blemishes sothe artist can get to the gorgeous core and then refine it.  When Nicodemus asked for more specifics abouthow all of this happens, Jesus compared the work of God’s Spirit to the wind-you don’t know where it comes from, you don’t know where it’s going, but yousurely can see its results.  Most of ushave been privileged to watch God change lives- sometimes slowly and gradually,sometimes dramatically fast.  We oftencan’t understand when all this really started or how God will use this particularbeloved person, but we most certainly can see the result of God’s work.  Jesus’ example really applies here.  You know when the wind’s been active, and youknow when God’s Spirit has been active! Do you remember how Nicodemus ends up in Scripture?  He went from being afraid of even being seenwith Jesus to boldly claiming his body from Pilate after the crucifixion.  Through all of this, what changed most inthis story?  Once again, it’s not a what,it’s a who- this time Nicodemus.  Thefaith required in the journey changed Nicodemus from a person of fear to aperson of conviction.
            Now, what about you?  Where are you in this life journey ofyours?  Are you, like Abraham and Sarahat the beginning of their journey, laughing at God?  You know you love Jesus, but are you quietlytelling yourself that living like he said just isn’t practical in 2017?  What do you do when the going getstough?  The Psalm can help us here.  Look at the first two verses of Psalm 121.(“I look to the hills.  Where will I findhelp?  It will come from the Lord whocreated the heavens and the earth.”)  Formany years, I thought that meant- look up to the hills (like look up to theheavens) for help.  That’s not what itmeans at all.  Do you know what were atthe top of those hills in the Promised Land? Idols- that’s what.  We hear thepsalmist reject leaning on idols, and instead- he chooses to lean on the Lordthrough the difficult times in his life. When the going gets tough, do you do like John (the man in the story atthe beginning of the sermon) and look around for an easier way to get throughit- alcohol, nicotine, shoplifting, sex that you know is unacceptable to God,TV, shopping, eating, sleeping, etc.? Are you like Nicodemus at the beginning of his journey- basicallytwo-faced, not standing up for what you believe?  Is God your first love or only a convenience-Someone to help you when you fall off one of life’s cliffs?  We’re off to a great start this Lent.  Give all your life to God.  Let go of the branch.  Speak up. Say no to harmful and self-centered ways.  Say yes to God and love.
            In closing, I’m going to leave youwith an image for the rest of your Lent, and maybe if this story touches you asit did me- the rest of your life.  Theprophet Malachi (3:3) describes God as a silversmith.  (“The LORD will purify the descendants ofLevi, as though they were gold or silver.” Strange words to describe God, until one of my internet friends asked asilversmith how her work paralleled God’s work in redemption.  “That’s easy,” answered the artist.  “When I refine metal, I must hold the silverin the middle of the fire where the flames are hottest so all the impuritiescan be burned away.  The heat getsintense; sweat pours off my face; my hand and arm frequently suffer burns.  What’s worse, when the area around the firegets unbearably hot, I must stay.  Ican’t leave the silver in the fire untended one single second, or it may bedestroyed.  No matter how uncomfortable Iget, I must keep my eyes, my focus, on the silver the entire time so I removeit at exactly the right moment.”  “Andhow do you know when that moment is?” asked my friend.  “Simply by watching,” answered thesilversmith.  “I know the silver isrefined when I can see my own face in it.” There it is- God- the silversmith- with us through the fire, through theheat, through the pain and joy of the journey. Why?  So GOD, the creator of theentire universe, can see his face in us. Stick with it.  Blessed Lent!  Blessed journey!
 
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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