For now, we see only a reflection, as in a mirror, but then we will see face to face. Now I know only in part; then I will know fully, even as I have been fully known. 13And now faith, hope, and love remain, these three, and the greatest of these is love. from I Cor. 13 NRSV

The former presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church, Michael Curry used to say, “If it’s not about love, then it’s not about God.” Along that same line, here at St. Luke’s our shorthand phrase for the mission of the church is: “It Really Is All About Love!” Both of these phrases might sound like modern day and progressive catchphrases, but that’s why the word “Really’ has been added, instead of simply saying “It’s All About Love” which can be automatically agreed with, or easily minimized as trite, the word “really” is saying, “no – think again – this is not just some watered down cliché’ to make us feel good.”

In Matthew’s gospel today Jesus had just finished a round of arguments with the Sadducees. Following on their heels Jesus was put on the spot by the rival religious party of the Sadducees, the Pharisees – who asked him what was the greatest commandment, basically what do you think is the most important thing from God’s perspective? The religion of the day had come up with over 600 different commandments that one was supposed to be following in order to be pleasing to God – Jesus cuts through the fog for them and for us.
The very first word out of his mouth was – Love:
“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind… And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”

What do you know, “It Really is All About Love!”

This kind of sacrificial Love, as Jesus would demonstrate all throughout his life, was not mere sentiment but a lifestyle that affected every area and called for our full commitment. This kind of love is not an emotion, it’s an alignment of resources and when we surrender to this kind of love, it affects what we do with the time, talent, and treasure that we have been entrusted with.
It is not coincidental that this gospel reading lands right in the middle of our fall Stewardship Campaign.

Our stewardship, that is how we invest and spend our time, talent and treasure is an outward and invisible sign of the active love for God within our hearts, minds, souls, and lives. It is the answer to the question “What does love look like on the ground?”

Filling out a pledge card is so much more than paying dues in a religious club. It is putting our money where our mouth is: I really do believe in God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit and I’m committed to seeing that the Way, the Truth, and the Life is manifested and passed on in the world.

Jesus makes it crystal clear that our love of God is inseparable from our love of neighbor as we love ourselves.

When we support the ministries of St. Luke’s, we are giving that love real substance in flesh and blood, in words and deeds.

Right outside our doors sits a small kiosk: Annie Lea’s Little Free Pantry. To a casual passerby, it’s just a wooden box filled with non-perishables. But in the economy of the Kingdom of God, that little pantry is a monument to the Great Commandment. Every time someone anonymously leaves a can of soup, and every time a hungry neighbor quietly takes what they need, the love of God is made tangible. There is Plenty Good Room for the physically and spiritually hungry.

Our love for God is manifested by looking and caring for our Children and Youth ministries. When we fund these programs, and give of our time and talent, we aren’t just babysitting; we are actively teaching the next generation that their minds, hearts, and souls matter to God. We are passing the torch of the Jesus Movement to young hands.
Our love shows up by opening up the doors to our Clothes Closet each week, ensuring that clothing and dignity aren’t luxuries, but a basic human right provided freely to anyone who walks in off the street. There is plenty Good room for those in need of clothing!

Our love travels down the road to St. Francis House, where your stewardship allows us to minister directly to homeless veterans—men and women who sacrificed so much, being reminded through our care that they are seen, honored, and deeply loved by God. That indeed there is plenty good room for them in God’s kingdom!
Every dollar pledged, every hour volunteered, and every gift shared is a brick in the house that love is building. Our stewardship is simply the mechanism by which we take the love we celebrate at this altar and transform it into a force that changes the world.
Jesus came not as a political figure seeking the love of power but as a servant demonstrating the power of love.

My friends, human institutions ask for your money to survive. But the Church of Jesus Christ asks for your stewardship so that we can help the world thrive. We are not just trying to keep the lights on; we are keeping the light of Christ burning brightly through the pantry, the clothes closet, the youth known as “Luke’s Group,” in the sounds of handbells, and in the voices of the choir and out into the community.

When the pledges are gathered, when the budget is balanced, and when we look back on this season, let it not be said that we merely met a financial goal. Let it be said that we looked at our lives, looked at our community, and decided to give generously, boldly, and joyfully—because we finally realized that there is Plenty Good Room for everyone, that “It Really is All About Love!” Amen.

Loving God, in a hostile and divided world, your Son is The Way: Enable us so to follow in His steps, that your light may brightly shine through us to welcome, heal and restore all who are weary, and come within our influence and witness, through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Think about the best Christian you know or have known in your life? What stands out to you about them? What were some of their qualities that affected you the most? If we were to compare our stories about all of these people, I’ll bet we would come up with some similar profiles. What they stood or stand for that’s to say what they believed, surely found expression in the way they lived. Their orthodoxy (right beliefs) found their way into orthopraxy (right practices). In other words, I’ll bet they all had a tendency to practice what they preached. Every aspect of their life was affected and directed by the transforming Spirit of God – they were the Real Deal!

This morning our reading from St. Paul’s letter to the church in Philippi is a powerful invitation into a whole new way of living, that stood out from the pagan world. To follow the Way of Christ means that it really is all about love! One of the first points he makes is there is unresolved conflict between two faithful women of the church that had been helpful to Paul in shared ministry. Listen to the way The Message translation puts it:
My dear, dear friends! I love you so much. I do want the very best for you.
You make me feel such joy, fill me with such pride. Don’t waver. Stay on track, steady in God.

I urge Euodia and Syntyche to iron out their differences and make up. God doesn’t want his children holding grudges. And oh, yes, Syzygus, since you’re right there to help them work things out, do your best with them. These women worked for the gospel hand in hand with Clement and me, and with the other veterans – worked as hard as any of us. Remember, their names are also in the Book of Life.

[I’ll break in here for a moment to reflect on how much everyone valued each other, Paul was brokenhearted to hear that two dear women that he had worked side by side with were at odds and causing trouble for other parishioners. Reconciliation is what the Way of Christ called for. Now back to the Message:]

Don’t fret or worry, instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.

Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious – the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies. [Philippians 4.1-9 The Message translation]

That’s why it’s no accident that the first piece of furniture we encounter upon entering the church is the baptismal font, a place where we admit our need of a savior, and where we turn from a life of self-centeredness to a life of self-sacrifice and service.

I like what I heard from the paster of another church in our city who tells all who come, “You can visit as long as you would like. You aren’t required to be anything, or do anything, and giving money is not required. But if you want to join as a new member then there are expectations. The expectations center around your way of living patterned on the life of Jesus Christ. The love of Christ, and the love of neighbor as we love yourselves becomes the yardstick by which our lives and conduct are measured by.
We are called to live together as a community, and guard the unity, and offer a safe place where grudges are released, estrangement turns toward reconciliation, gossip and slander ceases and affirmation and gentle good will becomes the norm in our dealings with each other. Both the physically and spiritually hungry are welcomed that they may find the food they need, the wounded so they can find healing; and where the poor in spirit can find living waters for their parched souls.
As we have been welcomed by grace, so we keep extending that same welcome. We are transformed to where our entire lives become a welcoming invitation to the world. As we as individual members of the body of Christ and of St. Luke’s combine our time, financial resources, and diverse talents we are able to create and sustain a thriving, beautiful community where others can encounter the love of Jesus. God is building a beautiful community out of the members of St. Luke’s. To illustrate this shift from being an admirer of Jesus to follower I’d like to tell the story of Bobby.

Bobby bought a historic, but severely run down 100-year-old home. It had beautiful bones, but it was falling apart. Because he couldn’t afford a full renovation all at once, he decided to hire a master carpenter to fix up just one room—the front parlor.

Bobby thought, “I’ll give this carpenter access to the parlor. He can fix the drywall, paint it, and make it look beautiful so that when guests come over, they are impressed.”
The carpenter came in, and he did an incredible job. The room was breathtaking. But a week later, Bobby noticed the carpenter wasn’t in the parlor anymore. He heard hammering coming from the kitchen. Bobby walked in and saw the carpenter tearing up the rotted floorboards.
Bobby said, “Whoa, hold on! We didn’t agree to this. The kitchen isn’t part of the deal. I only paid you for the parlor.”

The master carpenter stopped, looked at Bobby, and said gently, ” I am a restorer of entire homes, not just individual rooms. If I leave this rotted wood in the kitchen, the structural damage will eventually compromise the beautiful parlor we just built. I don’t want to stop with the parlor; I intend to restore the whole house.!”

When we are welcomed into the Christian community, Jesus doesn’t just want the “parlor” of our Sunday mornings. He looks at our lives and says, “I want the kitchen, too. I want the office. I want the wallet. I want your calendar. I want your unique skills.”

This morning, as we’ve looked at Philippians 4, St. Paul is giving us the blueprint for what happens when we stop treating faith like a Sunday obligation and start treating it as a comprehensive way of living. It is a lifestyle that we are called to, where we radically welcome others, just as we were welcomed, and where we with open hearts, and open red doors, surrender our time, our money, and our talents back to the Master Craftsman who is rebuilding our lives from the foundation up, and from the inside out! Amen!

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly;” in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. – John 10.10 NRSV

Well, I did it again, I double booked myself to be in two places at once this morning – at the Inquirer’s class and at the stewardship cottage meeting! Thank you, Shawn Collins for covering my Inquirer’s class so that I can/could be at the cottage meeting!

It often seems like there just isn’t enough time, enough money, enough love and attention to go around – that is the resounding refrain that surrounds us. With the economic downturn we are experiencing we can find glaring examples of scarcity with prices across the board are continuing to go up while incomes stay the same.

Making matters worse is that much of what we say is being captured by our smartphones, tablets, and other smart devices in our homes. This information is then analyzed and connected to a specific algorithm to bring up ads on all of our devices so we can quickly find and purchase the solution to whatever we think is missing in our lives. The world is being driven by an algorithm of greed and we dear ones, are its targets. By constantly reminding us of what we are missing we become trapped in a cycle of scarcity.

So, what does the church try to do about any of it? Well one thing is to introduce an ‘algorithm of grace’ that seeks to draw us toward abundance, where we experience an overflow of what we need to live abundantly.

The way the church does this every fall strangely is to ask for your money, as well as your time and talents. We refer to it as a Stewardship Campaign and we are invited to give for the spread of the kingdom of God through St. Luke’s. Rather than hoarding our resources we are invited to share them generously!

The reason we can boldly ask is that the economy of the Kingdom of heaven never experiences a downturn, the Creator is not bankrupt! God stands ready to show the divine generosity to us so that we can share in turn with our community of faith that gives us all so much. To pledge a portion of our income to the ministry of the Church requires an act of faith, one where we are challenged to remember that everything we have, belongs to God already.

But the incessant algorithm of greed won’t be going away, and will be there to shout “there’s not enough, you can’t afford it, you’ll lose what you have”, it tells us that we “are on our own, that everything depends on us, and that God won’t or can’t help us.”

True abundance begins when a person stops hoarding out of fear and starts giving out of love, cheerfully, trusting that God’s supply is abundantly inexhaustible.

“Plenty Good Room” is the motto of this year’s stewardship campaign and it is based on the spiritual that we have heard the choir sing. The refrain reminds us that there is:

Plenty good room, plenty good room,
plenty good room in my Father’s kingdom,
Plenty good room, plenty good room,
just choose your seat and sit down.

There is plenty of room in God’s kingdom, a place for all of us no matter, our doubts, fears, and short comings – we each have a seat at the table.

I’d like to lead us in a visual object lesson to demonstrate the difference in scarcity and abundance.
• Make a fist and tightly clench it for 10 seconds, “Notice what happens when your hand is tightly balled into a fist. Two things are true: First, you are working incredibly hard just to hold onto what little you have. Your muscles ache. Second, a clenched fist is entirely incapable of receiving anything new. If God wanted to drop a blessing into your hand right now, it would bounce right off your knuckles. When fear makes us squeeze our resources, our time, and our hearts, we lock ourselves in a prison of scarcity. Now, open your hands and feel the release of the tension. You see, an open hand is the only one that can both receive and give God’s overflow of abundant grace.

This week, every time you are tempted to calculate your life based on what is missing, remember the divine math of God: little is much when God is in it. Break the loop. Trust in God’s Promise. Walk out of here today knowing that the economy might be down, and the prices may be up, but our God’s kingdom is open wide, fully stocked, and running on an infinite supply of grace. May this season of stewardship emphasis help us to leave behind the survival panic of the marketplace, to let go of the lie that there isn’t enough, that we aren’t enough, and move more and more toward abundance and a faith-based peace.

What fears are you being led to let go of so that your hand can open and receive God’s blessings? What resources are you being called to share and bless others with?

Plenty good room, plenty good room, for everyone!
Just choose your seat and sit down. Amen.

“Judge not, lest you be judged;” In the Name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. – from Matthew 7.1 King James Version

I found a joke on the internet that seemed to fit with today’s sermon:
It’s about what happened when a German Shepherd, a Doberman, and a cat die and go to heaven.
Upon entering heaven, they face God, who wants to know what each of them believes in.
• The German Shepherd said: “I believe in discipline, training, and loyalty to my master.” God says: “Good! Sit at my right side.”
• The Doberman replied: “I believe in the love, care, and protection of my master.”
God says: “Aha! You may sit to my left.”
• The Cat: God looks at the cat and asks, “And what do you believe in?”
The cat replies: “I believe you’re sitting in my seat.” ¹

In St. Paul’s letter to the Romans, it appears we are all more like the cat when it comes to judging others. “Why do you pass judgment on your brother or sister?” St. Paul asks.

I’ve been great at it! Why I used to be an expert marriage counselor, until I got married! I was an expert parent, for the life of me, I wondered why parents couldn’t get their acts together and get their kids to church on time, then I became a parent. When I was an Associate Rector, I was an expert on what the Rector should, ought, and needed to be doing, until I became a rector.

Like a person said once, “Man, people are so judgmental these days, Why I can tell just by looking at them!”
Why are we as humans so prone to judging others in spite of Jesus’ ad monition not to? I think both theologians and psychologists would agree, it makes us feel good! It can bolster our low self-esteem and a flagging ego, temporarily at least. Through projection we are able to pin undesirable behaviors that we dislike within ourselves onto other persons. When another person is late, we judge them as being “irresponsible,” when we are late it was due to “bad traffic.” The other person has a character problem, whereas we merely made a mistake. All of this is designed to help us cope with our own deficiencies by make us look better and to make us feel better about ourselves.

More times than we would like to admit religious groups can be good hiding places for those living double lives. I seem to recall the pharisees were masters at pointing out Jesus’ faults and rule breaking.

Psychologist, Mike Robbins notes, “that we are most bothered by the qualities in others that we refuse to accept or face within ourselves.” For instance, a person who deeply fears being perceived as incompetent will be hyper-critical and judgmental of anyone else’s mistakes.² The seven deadly sins can be triggers for our judgment: pride, envy, greed, wrath lust, gluttony, and sloth, can blind us to our own struggles with the very same issues. Judging others diverts attention away from ourselves and helps us to avoid looking at the wounds that are always underneath our harsh judgments. To acknowledge that we and our neighbors are all broken is a good first step in moving away from judgment.

One of my dear priest friends and mentors Lowell Grisham has wrestled just as all the rest of us have with being judgmental. The following come from his counsels:
“{For the most part} each and every one of us did the best we could, with the insight, resources, and emotional nourishment available to us. If we had more conscious awareness of what makes us tick, more information and alternatives available to us, different life experiences with more love, support, and encouragement, we could have done better. And we would have.”

“Every single human being, at every moment of the past – when the entire situation is taken into account – has done the very best he or she could do, and so deserves neither blame nor shame from anyone – including from the self. This in particular is true of you” (repeat).³

Let yourself off the hook – let them off the hook.

Some of you aware that I am currently working on a book of poetry. One of the poems seemed fitting for today’s sermon, it’s called “TO THE JUDGE.”

First, you are wrong,
although you think you’re not – you are!
You only see from the outside,
but for you that seems enough
for an accurate assessment.

After all, if you were in their position
you would never do what they did
or say what they did, common sense tells you that.

However, and believe me there’s a ‘How’ and ‘ever’,
you never pause to look at what’s backstage,
behind the scenes of their lives.

For if ever you did you would surely know just
how wrong you’ve gotten things.
You ask “How” ‘how could they possibly think that
that is how to go about things?
How did they ever get that job in the first place?!
But you are certain of yourself (or maybe you’re not)
that your thoughts, deeds and self are far better than theirs.
How-Ever, once you peer behind the tragedies and comedies
of their lives, you discover something truly dreadful –
you find out that “they’ are really YOU.

I’d like to close with a short exercise for the practice of non-judgment. Take a moment in silence, sit comfortably and close your eyes if you like.

Now think for a moment of someone you’ve become aware of that you have judged. How would you describe that person? Now ask God to give you a sense of the divine perspective on this same person, and how Jesus is seeking to show them love, and how it is that God may be wanting to show love to them through your presence with them. Take a moment to thank God for anything that’s been revealed and follow any direction that comes. } silence {

Thank you, God, for your patience with us, may we now extend our patience toward those whom we have judged. Amen.

1 https://www.google.com/search?q=joke+about+a+doberman+a+german+shepherd+and+a+cat
2 https://www.google.com/search?q=what+do+theologians+and+psychologists+
3 Sidney & Suzanne Simon, Forgiveness: How to Make Peace with Your Past and Get on With Your Life, p.171

“I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go into the house of the Lord.” Amen. -Psalm 122.1

When we think about the practice of medicine we can think in terms of four basic types: 1) Preventative medicine where medications and other interventions attempt to prevent disease. 2) Curative medicine where medications and treatments are prescribed to cure disease. 3) Maintenance medicine where a disease isn’t prevented or cured but is for the purpose of managing a disease and 4) Palliative medicine where the goal is not to prevent, cure or manage a disease but to provide comfort as a person is actively dying.

Today in our medicine chest of gospel remedies we are offered a powerful preventative medicine for preventing disease in the body of Christ, the church.

St. Paul use of the body as a metaphor for the church is effective. Like the human body, each part is important. Some of you remember the story of me breaking my little toe while on my honeymoon. I had no idea of its importance for maintaining balance until it was broken. Believe me, my whole body ended up hurting and be affected by that one little bone!

In the body of Christ, especially on the local level of a parish, each member is important and affects the rest of the body for good or ill. When good things are happening with one member we can rejoice! Like when Blanton Matthews was recently nominated for an Emmy award – go Blanton we are rooting for you. When a member is hurting due to a major disease like cancer or a long recovery after a surgical procedure we hurt with them. There are also times where members can become infected with diseases of the soul like greed, envy, slander, gossip, and unforgiveness and these can act like a virus that attacks the body and attempts to spread and go viral.

Like the gossip girls on the hit variety show from the 1970s “Hee Haw” used to sing:
Now, we’re not ones to go ’round spreadin’ rumors,
Why, really we’re just not the gossipy kind,
No, you’ll never hear one of us repeating gossip,
So you’d better be sure and listen close the first time!

These diseases of the soul prove to be quite costly to a congregation far beyond what they could ever imagine, it costs: the loss of members, the loss of money for the operation of the congregation, and loss of good reputations.
Whenever you have two or more human beings in a relationship you also have not only the potential for conflict but the inevitability of conflict. Jesus understood this would be the case in the church, and the also understood that “an ounce of prevention was worth more than a pound of cure.”

In today’s gospel Jesus starts by saying:
“If another member of the church sins against you, go and point out the fault when the two of you are alone.”

My dear friends, this is the first word in preventing the spread of the diseases of the soul within a congregation. But the thought of going to someone directly can feel uncomfortable and can produce anxiety, and we fear what the individual might say to us or how they might retaliate. So, we take what we believe to be an easier road by bringing a third person into the offense. In social science it’s called a Triangle. We all know how this goes, Sally has a problem with Kevin, so Sally doesn’t go to Kevin with her offense, she goes to her fellow parishioner Terry: “Hey Terry you won’t believe what Kevin said to me the other day, I couldn’t believe it they were so cruel, heartless, mean, uncaring (fill in the blank_______).” Then Terry expresses shock, dismay, or outrage, one person’s offense now becomes two persons offense. Terry now knows something that is concerning and it might be too juicy not to tell someone else. This is where the information gets shared with others often in the form of a “prayer request”: “Now don’t tell anyone else but please pray for Kevin he has really done Sally wrong and Sally is hurting.” Now it really spreads, and as stories are told and retold some of the facts get changed or left out and it becomes a much bigger problem with alliances being formed and an “us vs. them” dynamic setting in.

Jesus says
“If another member of the church sins against you, go and point out the fault when the two of you are alone. If the member listens to you, you have regained that one.”

Jesus also understands that sometimes people follow his advice and they do the right thing but it doesn’t work, the person after being confronted doesn’t stop the offending behavior or try to make things right. Jesus then offers this counsel:
“But if you are not listened to, take one or two others along with you, so that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses.”

This gives the offender another chance to understand what it is they have said or done and have an opportunity to make things right.
But if the person refuses Jesus advises the following:
“If the member refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church;” this would be calling on a representative of the church, the clergy, and if the issue is with a clergy, then the Sr. Warden could be consulted and vestry if need be. If it needs to go beyond vestry, the wardens would reach out to the bishop or his or her designee, and they would be the mediator and final arbitrator.
If all of this fails Jesus said,
“If the offender refuses to listen even to the church, let such a one be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.”

If things have to go to this level, then the local congregation has often lost their good reputation and the word on the street becomes,
“Oh, that church, you don’t want to go there, do you know what all has gone on there!”
This will result in the loss of more members, loss of more money to operate, and will prevent new members from wanting to join.
Some of us in the room at one time or another has lived through this, if not then consider yourself blessed.

So, what can we do as individuals to prevent this end result from happening?

1. If you are the offended person practice the Matthew 18 rule given by Jesus and go directly to the individual you have the issue with. Do all that you can to explain how their behavior has impacted you. By doing this you can restore fellowship with that person and prevent unhealthy conflict from spreading.
2. If you are the offender/accused and are approached by the offended party, listen, hear them out, do all within your power to make things right with them. If you were wrong, apologize.
3. If you are a bystander and are approached by the offended person. When the offended seeks to draw you in by telling you of the other persons offense the first question needs to be, “Have you told the person who offended you?” Encourage them to follow a direct approach. Tell them to give it another try with them, and remind them that if it doesn’t work at that level that they will need to take one or two others with them. Refuse to tell anyone else about the offense not even through a prayer request.
4. If you are the offended and have followed direct communication. Take another mature and safe member of the congregation with you to address conflict. If the person doesn’t respond then it’s time to bring in the Sr. Warden and vestry.

Jesus leaves us with his promise that he will be with us in this process:
19Truly I tell you, if two of you agree on earth about anything you ask, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. 20For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.”

O God of unconditional love, you enabled your apostles to found communities of sacrificial love everywhere they went: Grant us grace, that we too may be enabled to form a community of Love, built upon the foundation of your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. – Collect for Proper 17A, The Rev. Carey Stone

From the royal halls of Buckingham palace to the top of the Empire State Building, tributes have gone out to mark the passing of Dolly Parton. Simply the mention of her name brings a smile and an image of that classic blonde wig and her rhinestone outfits! Both the royal guard and the Empire State tribute featured the theme from the movie “9 to 5.”

She was born and raised in Locust Ridge, Tenn. and was the 4th of 12 children. Started from those humble beginnings learning to sing in church and self-taught guitar player by age 10, and first appeared on the Grand Ole’ Opry at the ripe old age of 13. She would make 44 top 10 country albums, and holds the record for the most no.1 hits (by a female artist) on Billboard’s Country Charts with 26 No.1 hits. Dolly won 11 Grammys and was inducted into both the Country and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. She starred as a Hollywood actor, and founded Dollywood theme park. Dolly was a major donor giving away large sums of money for the poor and needy and started a literacy program called The Imagination Library that has given away over 300 million books to children across the world. Although she was never ‘in your face’ about being a Christian, she would not hesitate to give the credit for her accomplishment to God and her faith. She managed to be herself all throughout her life and I’d like to share some of her ‘Dollyisms’ – words of wisdom she has spoken throughout the years:
“I always count my blessings more than I count my money. I don’t work for money, never did.”

“Find out who you are and do it on purpose.”

“You’ll never do a whole lot unless you’re brave enough to try.”

“If you see someone without a smile, give ‘em yours.”

“Don’t get so busy making a living that you forget to make a life.”

“I’m not offended by dumb blonde jokes because I know I’m not dumb, I also know I’m not a blonde.”

“We cannot direct the wind, but we can adjust the sails.” And finally…

“If your actions create a legacy that inspires others to dream more, learn more, do more, and become more, then you are an excellent leader.”

She lived with a cool head, led with a warm heart, and sang with the voice of an angel.

She stayed true to herself and her values and no amount of money or fame ever changed her. She reminds us that because we are a child of God child we already are somebody and we have a chance to do as much good as we can with what we have been given. Her spirit, her values, and her actions all lined up and people took notice.

Jesus, through his words and deeds came and showed us the way to live. Everywhere the first apostles went they established churches filled with people who embodied the life of Christ. St. Paul, one who’s life had literally been turned upside down by his encounter with Christ on the Damascus Road wrote a powerful letter to the church at Rome and the truths he shared are just a relevant today as they were in the first century. Our reading today lists many words and phrases designed to lodge in our hearts and spur us on to serve the world in Christ’s name.
He knew that is really was all about love and he started out by saying: “Let love be genuine” now the Greek word that is used here for “love” is Agape’ and means the sacrificial and unconditional kind of love. “Genuine” means to be unhypocritical,
“Hate what is evil – hold fast to what is good”
“Love one another with mutual affection.” The Greek for love combines words meaning sibling brotherly love philia and Sturge meaning parental type love – so in short, the love found in church is to be like that of a family.
“Outdo one another in showing honor.” This would be the opposite of put-downs and slander.
“Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord.” It’s helpful to read this phrase in the MSG Bible: “Don’t burn out; keep yourselves fueled and aflame!”
“Rejoice in hope – be patient in suffering – persevere in prayer.” Keep hope alive – be resilient in tough times – keep praying like everything depended on it!
“Contribute to the needs of the saints.” We are community, we are family, each of us are in need of something all the time. We are blessed to have ministries that offer prayer, support, counseling, hot soup, transportation, and much more!
“Extend hospitality to strangers.” Providing radical welcome to all, during worship, during coffee hour, through ministries like the food pantry and clothes closet, and other assistance as needed.
All of the above may be the easy part for these next admonitions are much harder:
“Bless those that persecute you, bless and do not curse them.” Sometimes we do our best, and try hard only to be shot down or picked on by someone who is unhappy. Keep on blessing. This, dear ones is countercultural.
“Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.” This is another area where the church can really shine – by caring for each other as we celebrate the victories and milestones, and we walk with each other through sadness and pain of illness, loss, or grief.
“Live in harmony with one another.” We try to remember that everyone we come in contact with, and especially in the church are people who are fighting battles we may know nothing about – have compassion for them as we would hope they will have compassion for us.
“Do not be haughty but associate with the lowly.” The church is not to be a showcase for rich and saintly but a refuge for the needy and a hospital for sinners. Humility is a key fruit of the Spirit.
“Do not claim to be wiser than you are.” Whenever we can admit that we may not to know what to do, to be at a loss for words, ideas, or plans, to not understand all mysteries. The ego will eventually fail us all.
“Do not repay evil for evil. Take thought in what is noble in the sight of all.” This one is about as opposite to the world as it gets. We must remember that an “eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth are Old Testament concepts and all it accomplishes is making us blind and toothless. Take the high road by not stooping to their level.
“If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.”
Grudges drive wedges between us; the things we can’t let go of expand and entangle others. Our job as individuals is not to be drawn into the subterfuge stirred up by a person sowing discord.
“Don’t avenge yourselves – vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” “Vendetta’ is a word from the Latin meaning vengeance, that comes from a little country called Sicily and the as the Sicilian proverb goes – “Let they who go to seek revenge first dig two graves.”
Now for some of the hardest advice to follow:
“If your enemies are hungry, feed them, if they are thirsty, give them something to drink.” Then a mysterious promise is made: “For by doing this, you will heap burning coals on their heads.” I was reading a commentary by someone who saw this as a mysterious and opaque phrase, I had to chuckle for the explanation seemed simple to me – ‘it burns them up.’ The world doesn’t know what to do with this kind of counterintuitive and compassionate response, it gets under their skin and into their hearts.
On this Rally Day it is a good day to ponder our ministry and service to God to, each other, and the strangers and visitors that come our way.
I close with a fitting prayer by John Wesley and it was his “rule of life”:
Do all the good you can, by all the means you can,
In all the ways you can, in all the places you can,
At all the times you can, to all the people you can,
As long as ever you can. Amen.

“I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.” – Romans 12.1

The all-American game of baseball has given us many things, not the least of which are figures of speech that we hear and use practically on a daily basis. When talking about achieving a milestone or accomplishment we say, “They hit it out of the park.” When actively showing our support for someone it is said that we “went to bat for them.” Others include, “Three strikes and you’re out, we need to cover our bases, they’re really out in left field, that one threw me a curveball, and when someone asks us to give them a “ballpark figure.” One final one, “It’s time to step up to the plate.” This one is useful during significant times of stress, challenge, whenever we are being called to ‘reup’ our commitment to an important task, or cause.

I guess I’m calling today’s sermon a “Pre-Rally Day Sermon,” because Rally Day will be held next Sunday and is the annual kick-off of the church year after summer vacation season is over. We regroup and “touch base” at the church and we’re reminded once again of all the places of service that are available here at St. Luke’s. A clarion call for volunteers will be sounded, and we’ll all be invited to “step up to the plate” to find our places of service for Christ through St. Luke’s.

In St. Paul’s letter to the Romans was calling all followers of Christ to ‘step up to the plate:’
“I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.”

As followers of Christ, we are called to put at God’s disposal our bodies, our hands, feet, all our senses, our whole selves and to become a living sacrifice. Once again, we turn to the world of baseball for a clue to the meaning of sacrifice. Whenever a baseball player intentionally sacrifices their own advance by either bunting or hitting a fly ball, so that a teammate who’s already on base can advance. This offering ourselves to God will change our way of living. St. Paul adds:
“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God – what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

What is it to be conformed to the world?

As I pondered this question it made me think of the blessing we have used for the past several weeks now:
“Go forth into the world in peace, be of good courage, hold fast to that which is good, etc.”

To be conformed to the ways of the world we do just the opposite:

Go forth into the world with malice, and cowardice; hold fast to what gets you ahead, when someone does you evil, do it back to them, abandon the fainthearted; mock and make fun of the weak; kick the afflicted while they are down, dishonor and criticize those who are different from you; ignore and pay lip service to the Lord; and then fully expecting to still be blessed by God.

In short to be conformed to the world is to seek our own will.

But we who follow Jesus seek not to be conformed but to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. The renewing of our minds happens as we practice our faith in community with other believers. As we meditate on holy scripture, as we worship through music and liturgy, giving of our time, talents, and treasure, and as we pray for God’s will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. Through transformation the priority is not so much about getting to heaven after we die but getting heaven into us in the here and now.

One way of bringing about God’s will and our own transformation will is by each of us to using the gifts God has given us for ministry.
What gifts we may ask? St. Paul lists several not an exhaustive list but they give us some ideas: Prophecy, Special Ministries, Teaching, Exhortation (which means providing encouragement), Giving with great generosity, Leadership both lay and clergy, and the gift of Cheerful Compassion! None of us have all the gifts, so it really does take all of us to help the church function and to carry out all of our ministries.

I fear that we sometimes bring our mindset from consumer culture into the church asking what can the church do for me, as opposed to the other way around. I love what one of our visitors turned new member said after their first visit to St. Luke’s, “You know I think this church might benefit from my gifts!” Can we let that settle for just a minute… that is the mindset of someone who is ready to step up to the plate. Those of us who have been here let’s have that same spirit and reup to make St. Luke’s an even better place for people to experience Christian community.

It was such a blessing for me to visit Nancy Langlais who has just recently moved into an assisted living facility in Sherwood. She was so interested in what was happening at St. Luke’s, she said how much she misses us, and getting to be present for worship. She wants to be able to receive Holy Communion by lay eucharistic visitors. You’ll notice those who come up near the end of the service to receive communion kits take part in a brief liturgy, part of which comes from today’s reading from Romans: “We who are many, are one body in Christ…” The message is clear, we can’t make this Christian journey alone, we need each other, and it takes all of us in order to thrive and flourish.

Have you ever stopped to think about the sacraments of the church and how none of us can baptize ourselves, we cannot confirm ourselves, we cannot perform our own wedding or ordination, we can’t have Holy Communion by ourselves – a quorum for Holy Communion is at least two people – that means even priest or bishop cannot have communion with themselves. Sacraments have to be performed for us and this initiates us into a body of believers.

Frances Ridely Havergal lived in the 19th cen. and was the daughter of an Anglican priest, who began memorizing the bible from the age of four, and started writing her own verse by the age of seven. She lived her short life to the honor and glory of God caring for the needy, and writing poetry and hymns, and sharing the good news of salvation with those she came in close contact with. The hymn she is best known for was the one we sang right before the reading of the Gospel, “Take My Life and Let It Be.”
In it she gives us a beautiful picture of how to present ourselves as a living sacrifice:
Take my life and let it be consecrated Lord to thee;
Take my moments and my days let them flow in ceaseless praise
Take my hands and let them move at the impulse of thy love;
Take my heart it is thine own, is shall be thy royal throne.

Take my voice and let me sing always only for my king,
Take my intellect, and use every power as thou shalt choose.
Take my will and make it thine, it shall be no longer mine;
Take myself, and I will be ever only, all for thee.

Amen!

But Joseph said to them, ‘Do not be afraid! Am I [ not ] in the place of God? Even though you intended to do harm to me, God intended it for good, in order to preserve a numerous people, as he is doing today. So have no fear; I myself will provide for you and your little ones.’ In this way he reassured them, speaking kindly to them. Amen. – from Genesis 50.19-21 NRSV

Recap from last week we heard about the 11th of 12 sons who was his father’s favorite who became despised by his older brothers, was thrown into a pit, sold into slavery, falsely accused and thrown into prison, interpreted dreams, was invited to interpret Pharoah’s dreams, which he did and was paroled from prison and given a high position in Pharoah’s court. This week we will pick back up hitting the high spots and finally arriving at the conclusion of Joseph’s journey of faith.

With the interpretation of Pharoah’s dreams pharaoh praises Joseph’s wisdom and places Joseph as his second in command, and tasks him with supervision of the harvesting, storing, and distributing of all the grain during what would be seven years of famine.

The famine spread throughout the whole region of the middle east, to the point that all were coming to Egypt from the surrounding countries in order to buy food. Word comes to Jacob that there is food in Egypt so he sends his older sons to Egypt to buy food, but he kept his youngest son Benjamin at home with him. Upon arrival, they bow down before Joseph whom they didn’t recognize, but he recognized them. He treated them harshly like strangers, accusing them of being spies from a foreign land.

Joseph wanted to see his younger brother Benjamin so he plays games with the older brothers, testing them. He tells them that they are going to have to go and get Benjamin and puts them in prison for three days to think it over. Then Joseph softens slightly and makes them an offer for one of the brothers to stay in prison while the other brothers take grain back home and to return with the youngest brother, Benjamin. He and Joseph were the two sons of Jacob and Rachel.

The older brothers start understanding that Karma is at work, bad karma indeed. Reuben the oldest said ‘I told you we shouldn’t have done any harm to Joseph.’ This broke Joseph’s heart and he went into a side room where he cried.

He came back in to the brothers instructing stewards to fill their bags with grain and to put the money they had paid for the grain with, back in their sacks. On their way back home, they stopped at a roadside inn to rest, feed, and water their camels. One of the brothers opened his bag to get out some grain to feed the animals with and aghast, he found money in his sack and was sick to his stomach. He cried aloud, “What is this that God has done to us?”

They got home and told their father Jacob all that had transpired, and the deal that Joseph had made with them to leave a brother behind, take grain back home, then return with Benjamin. If they complied their brother would be released and all would be well. Jacob was greatly grieved and disappointed with his sons.

As they were nearing the end of the grain they had brought from Egypt, Jacob knew that his sons were going to have to go back. He told his sons to take some fruit and sweet treats and take double the money that was put in your sacks and take Benjamin with you.

They went back to Egypt presented themselves to Joseph. Joseph instructed his staff to prepare a feast and to have the brothers sent to his home – the brothers figured their gooses were cooked for sure. When Joseph arrived, they gave him gifts of fruit and sweet treats and bowed down to him. He asked them if their father was still alive, and they told him that Jacob was still alive.

When Joseph saw his brother Benjamin, he greeted him but quickly as the steward to serve the meal as he excused himself, he was overcome with emotion at seeing his youngest brother. Then they feasted and Joseph saw to it that Benjamin got five times more food that the older brothers. Joseph then orders the stewards secretly to put an abundance of grain, along with their money just like he had done the first time, into their sacks, but this time he added a silver goblet form Joseph’s table.

They left the next morning, not long after they left Joseph dispatched his steward to follow them, and to catch up with them, open their sacks and reveal their ‘thievery.’ They each opened their sacks and when Benjamin opened his there was Joseph’s silver goblet. Joseph chooses Benjamin to be a slave as punishment for the theft. He orders the other brothers to go home to their father. But the brothers explain the family situation and that it would kill their father to not only have lost Joseph but to lose Benjamin. One of the brothers offer to take Benjamin’s place and for Pharoah to send Benjamin home. Now this friends, brings us to today’s passage from Genesis.

Up to this point, let’s face it, Joseph has been having some fun by putting his brothers through the emotional wringer, causing them to sweat and regret the evil they had done to him and their family. But he had reached the breaking point he revealed himself to his brothers. Joseph wailed so loudly that the entire palace could hear him. Then he asks them to come up close to him, and what he says to them is the key to the whole story:
Do not be afraid! Am I [ not ] in the place of God? Even though you intended to do harm to me, God intended it for good, in order to preserve a numerous people, as he is doing today. So have no fear; I myself will provide for you and your little ones.’
The family is all reunited including their father Jacob, as the family resettles in the land of Goshen, a province of Egypt.

If you were asked to come up with a success story about a successful person, what might you include? Well, their family would be highly functional, treating each other equally, they would have plenty of money, education, cattle, properties, and political power. That’s the way the world works right? But not so with God and the life of faith. When God is tasked with bringing success to a person for the Glory of God, he often calls of those who come from a dysfunctional family where the father or mother played favorites. There would need to be plenty of sibling rivalry and jealousy. Key ingredients would need to be added, like deception, trickery, crazy dreams, seduction, false accusations and imprisonment, betrayal, seduction, sprinkled with plenty of tears and heartache. It would take all of this plus faith to equal the salvation of an entire region from starvation. One person at the center would make a hero’s journey and save the day for his family and the entire region of the middle east.

Joseph reveals the rewards of the life of faith. Every life has it’s struggles, comedies, and tragedies, and without faith, it becomes just a series of unfortunate events. But when viewed through the lens of faith, we find that the events are connected, nothing is wasted, and a divine purpose is possible. Through the lens of faith our lives have meaning, even the dark times when it seemed that God was asleep at the wheel. The truth has always been that God has a call on our lives. Ephesians 2.8-9 is a very well-known passage: “For by grace are you saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works lest anyone boast.” But seldom do we hear the tenth verse read: “¹⁰For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” God has ordained that our lives are to have meaning and purpose with works of faith for us to do that have been prepared in advance! Spiritual writer Henri Nouwen will get the last word today:

“Ecstatic living, real joy, is precisely connected with
stepping onto unknown ground, trusting that you
are in safe hands.”
• Henri Nouwen, The Only Necessary Thing

Give thanks to the Lord, and call upon his Name; make known his deeds among the people. Amen.
– from Psalm 105

How many here today have ever attended a Vacation Bible School? Something many of us have in common. What was it that fueled those memorable summer experiences besides lots of Kool-Aid, popsicles and dedicated volunteers? Great bible stories from the Old Testament! Featuring Noah and the Flood, The Creation story, Moses and the 10 commandments, Ester’s bravery, and in those heroes and heroines from the New Testament Peter who walked on water, Mary Magdalene and the first witness and evangelist of the resurrection, just name a few. Besides having some cool storylines, and with props like arks, chariots and slingshots these stories tell us the deeper truths about ourselves as human beings and the fuller divinity of God.

In today’s reading from the Old Testament, we meet another biblical character from the Hall of Faith, Joseph. His story makes us listeners feel a little bit better about ourselves because he and his family definitely put the “fun” in dys”fun”ctional. He’s the next to last of 12 brothers, so not quite the baby of the family but almost – there were ten older brothers. As we would say “he was spoiled rotten” by his dad who played favorites with Joseph definitely being his favorite. The first prop in the story that’s introduced is a handmade 17th birthday present, a coat made of varied and brightly colored cloth. Dyes for dyeing cloth was very expensive – so this gift was an extravagant over display of his dad Jacob’s favoritism. As in all families that set Joseph up for some delicious mischief, and bragging but also a heap of hate from his brothers, and ensuing sibling rivalry. Besides gifting the coat, Jacob also used his son Joseph as his eyes and ears; to spy on his brothers to make sure they were doing good and honest work out in the fields as shepherds. On several occasions he tattled on his brothers and got them in trouble with their dad. This 17-year-old spoiled brat who wasn’t doing the hard work they were, had the audacity to tell Jacob that they weren’t really doing the work. He was also gifted with the ability to interpret dreams. He had two dreams that would later prove to be prophetic. The first was of 12 sheaves of wheat – one sheave stood up while the other sheaves bowed down to pay it homage. He told his brothers – their hatred increased. The second was similar the planets, sun, moon, and stars bowed down to him.” He of course couldn’t wait to share these dreams of exaltation to his brothers. Joseph sprinkles some narcissism into the pot and stirs it. In the words of the Rev. Andy Jackson, “I don’t b’lieve I’da told that!”

The brothers were so disgusted that they were ready to kill him; and were about to, but the oldest of Jacob’s sons, Reuben, said that they should not kill their own flesh and blood. He suggested they throw him into a pit, get the coat of many colors, dip it in blood and take it to their father Jacob and tell him that Joseph had been killed by wild animals. Lots of deception and trickery in this family, but God was with Joseph in the pit.
Isn’t it good to know that God is with us when life is the pits? But I digress.

A caravan of slave traders was seen coming in the distance and another of Joseph’s brothers, Judah said, “Hey why don’t we turn a profit and sell Joseph off as a slave. They do, for 20 pieces of silver, and he is taken to Egypt where he is purchased by Potiphar, the high official of the Pharoah. The brothers return home to Jacob bearing the bloody coat, Jacob wails, mourns and tears his clothes as a sign of intense suffering and grief. Jacob, the one who tricked his father into giving him Esau’s blessing, is now tricked in the cruelest way to believe that his pride and joy is dead – what goes around comes around.

But God was with Joseph, how fortunate to be placed in the highest commander just under the Great Pharoah. He intended to do his job, and stay out of trouble but Potiphar’s wife had other plans, who multiple times attempts to seduce him. Finally, one day, in desperation she grabs his cloak and Joseph makes a run for it leaving his cloak in her clutches, giving her material evidence to show her husband, who gets enraged, arrests Joseph and throws him into prison – but God was with Joseph. “Some ruler you are, hunh Joseph? What about your dreams now?” As the taunts of his older brothers filled his mind. But God was with Joseph.

While in prison he is able to put to use his god given gift of dream interpretation. Pharoah had become offended by the c chief cupbearer and the chief baker and he threw them into prison where Joseph was being held. They both had dreams on that first night. The next morning Joseph asks them what’s wrong they tell him about having troubling dreams. Joseph, gives credit to God for the interpretation and asks them to tell him their dreams. The cupbearer dreams that 3 vines spring up, bud, and they turn into clusters of grapes, which cupbearer squeezes their juice into the cup. Joseph interpreted by saying the three vines are three days and after them the Pharoah will lift you up and restore you to your previous position. Both prisoners like the sound of it. So, the baker tells joseph his dream: I had three baskets of baked goods for Pharoah, but the birds were eating them out of the top basket. Joseph said, the three baskets are three days, and after three days the Pharoah will lift you up and lift off your head! His interpretations proved correct. In three days, the cupbearer was restored and the baker met his maker. He had told both of them to remember his good deed when they got back to the palace. At such time the cupbearer promptly forgot about Joseph’s comforting gift and Joseph continued his sentence for another two years – but God was with Joseph.

Then one night the Pharoah has two troubling dreams with some similarities. In the first dream there are seven healthy cows that come up out of the Nile, followed by seven thin and unhealthy cows come up from the Nile and devour the healthy cows. The dream ended. He fell back asleep and the second dream consisted of seven healthy stalks of corn followed by seven blighted stalks of corn spring up and devour the healthy stalks of grain and the dream ended. Here we will put a comma on the story and next week we will learn what happens. Will anyone be able to interpret Pharoah’s dreams? What will happen to Joseph? But before we go what are some of the elements of the story? God’s promise of a bright future for Joseph revealed in his dreams. There are dreams, family dysfunction, parental favoritism, sibling rival, betrayal, hatred, imprisonment, seduction, and somehow, and a teaser for next week – God’s awesome plan to save a man and save two countries from starvation. To be continued next week

Danish philosopher Soren Kirkegaard clearly understood that hindsight is 20/20 when he said,
“Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.”

Taken – Blessed – Broken – Given; O Lord, make us to be your hands and feet in the world to which you have called us. Amen.

• In 1962 an obscure British band had their first demo rejected by Decca Records and they were told that guitar groups were on their way out” -that group were the Beatles.

• In 1954 a young singer was kicked off the Grand Ole Opry and told to stick to his day job driving trucks, the singer’s name – Elvis Presley.

• Back in the 1970s a young woman sang in a group called the “Breakfast Club” and worked in a Dunkin’ Donuts for her day job. In a fit of anger, she squirted a customer in the face with chocolate sauce and was fired and the band folded, but she never gave up, today we know her as “Madonna.”

• In 1967 a young musician was booed off the stage because the crowd wanted to hear the headliners – the Monkees, that young musician – Jimi Hendrix.¹

There was more than met the eye about these musicians who went on to later greatness. Most would have quit and “kept their day jobs.” They didn’t have it all together they weren’t polished, and there were many musicians out there that was better than they were. But they were willing to do what one of my college music professors would have said “share your mediocrity with boldness!” The critics, and the crowds thought all of them were mediocre, and according to some of their biographies they thought they were mediocre. They followed the advice of Winston Churchill who defined success as “Success consists of going form failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm.”

{They kept showing up with the little they had to offer, and it was enough – more than enough!}

Jesus’ disciples often doubted themselves, and if they were honest, probably doubted Jesus just like Thomas, they just didn’t talk about like he did. Jesus helped them to realize that it wasn’t all up to them and their abilities, talents, and meager resources. This was tiring for the human Jesus and he was ready for a break from the healing, the preaching, and teaching. So, he jumped in a boat and rowed to the opposite side of the Sea of Galilee – but the crowd was wise to where he was heading and when he got to the northwest shore there they all were waiting for him. There were many who were sick and Jesus probably ‘tired to the bone’ had compassion on them and healed them. By now it was supper time and they were out in the middle of nowhere – what to do with 10,000 hungry people (I say 10K because the scripture tells us there were 5K men but additionally there were also women and children – so it was really the feeding of the 10,000!)

The disciples were worried to say the least – what to do – what to do? The idea they suggested was to send the crowd to a neighboring town on the map which was Capernaum (about an hour’s walk).

Jesus the Master and Teacher saw this crisis as the perfect teaching moment for his disciples; and calmly says, “They need not go away, you give them something to eat.” What might have been some of the thoughts going through the disciples’ heads: “Ok has Jesus lost it – maybe he did need the vacation rather than staying behind to heal the sick! We only have five loaves and two fish, basically a lunch that might feed two people, not thousands. But Jesus had asked them to feed all the people, and this is all they had. What an embarrassing moment of powerlessness. What will this do to the attendance at church next week? These people will never forget the night they almost died of heatstroke and starvation, following this obscure rabbi.”

{But they kept showing up with the little they had to offer, and it was enough – more than enough!}

Jesus then said, “Bring them to me.” The first disciples were about to witness, and we later day disciples are about to recall, the famous pattern of Jesus summed up in the Eucharist where the elements are taken – blessed – broken – and given.

This becomes the template that foreshadows our salvation, as Jesus offers his body to be blessed, broken, and given for the world. This is the pattern that feeds the souls of the world and it is shape of our discipleship as his followers. We are invited to offer ourselves to God, with all of our brokenness where he then blesses us as God’s beloved, and then sends us out into the world to whom we are given as bearers of his light and messengers of the good news! Invited to as members of the Body of Christ to become the hands and feet, and sometimes even the mouthpiece of God.

But, we, like those first disciples are susceptible to our fears, worries, and insecurities. We tend to minimize our gifts, and talents, and are too humble when it comes to sharing them. The great miracle when we realize it doesn’t all depend on us – we are invited to join with God in the wonderful journey friends and partners in the ongoing work of reconciling love, where estrangement is healed, and friendship with God becomes possible.
When Jesus joined the partnership, they didn’t just have enough, they had more than enough with 12 baskets full of leftovers. Pretty cool – takeout provided by Jesus!

{But they kept showing up with the little they had to offer, and it was enough – more than enough!}

Ok, I started with music and I’ll end with music. In fact, you’ll get a free sample: {Play excerpt from the Andy Griffith Show theme…}

Earle Hagen, a struggling Hollywood musician, got up one morning with a tune in his head. He started whistling the tune, it only took about 10 minutes to write the musical notes down. The little ditty he wrote became the theme for 1960s tv series The Andy Griffith Show. This week, I was standing in the hallway on the 6th floor of Baptist hospital waiting to go in and see Ruby Wortham when I heard someone whistling, I walked around the corner and saw that it was a custodian whistling the theme the Andy Griffith Show as he mopped.

Let us never underestimate all of our small gifts, and abilities when we dare to offer them up to him. When we do, we will experience God’s math of multiplication and there will be enough, more than enough! Amen.

1 https://www.mymusicmasterclass.com/famous-musicians-who-came-back-from-failure-or-adversity/