This week's sermon

 

Advent 1, 2023

        Though Advent is a time of deep darkness, Jesus tells us to stay awake and ‘watch’ for the man returning from his journey.

        And in this dark time, the Collect tells us to “cast away the works of darkness and put on the armor of light.”

        Waiting is hard for most of us.

        Waiting rooms are nightmares.

        We don’t want to wait—we want to move on.

        But Advent is a month of ‘waiting’ for the Christ-child to come, for Christmas to occur.

        So today we begin to wait and watch.

        It will not be easy.

        We need to rely on each other to wait and watch with us.

        The lesson from Isaiah is truly frightening. God has apparently forsaken his people because of their wrong doing.

        Listen: “But you were angry, and we sinned:

        Because you hid yourself, we transgressed.

        We have become like one who is unclean,

        And all our righteous deeds are like a filthy cloth.

        We all fade like a leaf,

        And our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.”

        Pretty bleak, isn’t it.

        But as the collect tells us: ‘now in the time of this mortal life in which your Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility.”

        To be born in a strange town, in a stable and to be laid in a manger—doesn’t get much more ‘humble’ than that.

        So, we wait and we watch.

        We must stay awake and be aware.

        We are waiting and watching for Jesus.

        I don’t know about you, but I see the works of Jesus all around me.

        That stuff in the back of the church—the food and clothing—that is the work of Jesus.

        People being kind and loving and generous is the work of Jesus.

        Looking out for our neighbors and for strangers is the work of Jesus.

        Loving others is the work of Jesus.

        So we shall be aware and awake and watching—but we will also do the work of Jesus.

        We shall. We shall. We shall. Amen and Amen.

 

I hate the cold

This morning I went out and started the car 15 minutes before heading up to Trinity, Milton.

I wanted to be able to be warm for my 33 mile trip.

The front and back windows were covered with ice.

I washed it off the front with the wipers and put on the back heater to melt that away.

I hate when it's cold.

I know it's only beginning.

Oh, I know that!

But my hatred will grow hotter as the weather grows colder.

I promise you that!

 

A great time

 They didn't stay long--Mimi and Josh and their families came on Wednesday afternoon. Josh, Cathy, Emma, Chris and Tegan left Thursday in the early evening. Mimi, Tim and Eleanor left around 11 this morning. Their cats, Francis, came with them.

We were worried about Brigit might think of Francis. But they formed a friendship. We've had several cats--four at one time for a few years. So it was nice to have a cat in the house.

Everyone had a great time and we shared a wonderful Thanksgiving feast with them and our old friend, John. We've known John since college--that makes him an OLD FRIEND, indeed!

Brigit loved having the house full of people and cat--more  people meant more bites of turkey!

Truly, 'a great time'.

And they didn't over-stay their welcome....

 

This week's sermon

 

Christ the King 2023

This is the last Sunday of Pentecost, also known as the Feast of Christ the King.

It gets darker earlier every day for the next month and dawn comes later. We spend Advent in deepening darkness waiting for the Light of Christmas. Advent is a time of waiting…

And just before the waiting begins we celebrate the Feast of Christ the King.

 

For those who have lived their whole life in the United States, the idea of a King is hard to put our heads around.

Didn’t we fight a war over 240 years ago to rid ourselves of kings and queens?

Don’t we take pride in being a democracy instead of a monarchy?

So, how do we find ourselves bowing down to a King?

 

But Christ was not an earthly king—he is the King of Heaven, the King of the times to come.

In the first century A.D., Kings were the norm for rulers. So that image made perfect since to the earliest Christians as for the Jews before them.

 

All the readings today speak of royalty.

 

Reading from Ezekiel.

Reading from Psalms.

Reading from Ephesians.

 

And then there is the wondrous reading from Matthew, when the King of Heaven comes to separate the sheep from the goats just as God separated the lean sheep from the fat sheep.

Once the sheep are on the King’s right hand and the goats are on his left, he judges them.

Remember the words he tells the sheep before welcoming them to Paradise.

 

 

But they objected. When, Lord, did we do this?

And he tells them that when they ‘did it unto one of the least of these’ they did it unto him.

 

Things don’t go as well for those on his left hand—he sends them into eternal punishment.

 

In a wondrous book called The Sirens of Titan, Kurt Vonnegut tells the story of Salo, a robot sent throughout the universe to find What IS The Meaning Of Life.

Salo finally encounters Beatrice Rummford who has been marooned on Titan, one of moons of Jupiter.

Salo asks her, “what is the meaning of life?”

Beatrice replies, “the meaning of life is to love whoever is around to be loved”.

 

That’s what Matthew is telling us—to love whoever is around to be loved.

To think of others rather than ourselves.

To pray God to remember you.

To be still—find time to be still—and in that you will know God.

 

Those things are what Advent is about:

Love those around you.

Pray God to look with compassion on all God’s children.

Wait and wait and wait some more, calming ourselves in spite of all the hub-bub around us, until we can be still and know God.

Not bad advice. Not at all.

Amen.

I didn't get the memo

 I put our garbage and recycling out today as always.

I'm usually the first on our block to do so.

But I went to shut and lock the front door just now and noticed, though it's dark, that nobody else has.

Maybe it has to do with Thanksgiving.

But I didn't get the memo changing pick up day.

But then, I seldom know what's going on!

Thanksgiving is coming...

Both our children and their families are coming for Thanksgiving!

That's 4 adults and 4 children.

Where will we put them all?

I'd be glad to sleep on the floor to give then all beds!

Going to be quite a day!

And I am so thankful for Josh, Cathy, Emma, Chris, Tegan, Mimi, Tim and Eleanor....And Bern of course.

Hope your Thanksgiving is as good as ours....

 

Best music vidio I've ever seen

 It's by R.E.M., a group I know nothing about.

The song is "Losing my Religion".

Look it up on YouTube or whatever you use.

And be prepared to be shocked, suprised and fulfilled.

I've watched it five times and get something new every time.

Try it out.

A long time off

I won't serve this Sunday.

And next Wednesday, which is the day before Thanksgiving, there will be no Bible study.

Which means I'm off for the next 11 days.

What will I do with no sermon to write and no Bible Study to prepare for?

"Nothing". That's what.

And I'm good at doing 'nothing'.

Believe me, I am.

Doing Nothing is one of my biggest strengths....

 

looking for possibility

I must admit I've done the EST training.

The one thing I took from that (well, maybe not the only thing) is to always be looking for possibility. 

Things are 'possible' and must be explored.

My time at Trinity, Milton is a part of that.

It's a tiny church but does a lot for the community.

People bring food and clothes every week.

And next Sunday is 'sock Sunday' to collect socks for the homeless.

They'll probably get 6 hundred pairs.

A very generous group and parish.

I love them and their 'possibility'.

 

This week's sermon

 

BE PREPARED

       Today’s Gospel reminded me of the Boy Scout moto: “Be Prepared.”

       Ten bridesmaids set out with their oil lamps to meet the bridegroom and lead him to the banquet-hall.

       “Five of them were foolish,” Jesus tells his audience, “and five were wise.”

       The ‘wise’ ones brought extra oil for their lamps with them and the ‘foolish’ ones didn’t.

       So, half of them came ‘prepared’ for a long wait and half of them didn’t.

       Jewish weddings didn’t have a definite ‘start time’ in Jesus’ day. The wedding began when the bride and groom arrived. So, the bridesmaids had no idea how long they would have to wait. They had to ‘be prepared’ to wait as long as necessary.

       Reading this Gospel lesson reminded me of a hymn from my childhood.

       It went like this: “Give me oil in my lamp, keep me burning./ Give me oil in my lamp,  I pray./ Give me oil in my lamp, keep me burning, burning, burning,/ burning till the break of day./ Sing hosannah, Sing hosannah, sing hosannah to the King of Kings!”

       Jesus’ story reflects what we must do as we wait for him to come again.

       We have to stay awake and be prepared for you “know neither the day nor the hour.”

       What does it mean for us today to ‘stay awake’ and ‘be prepared?’

       We must ‘stay awake’ so we notice what is going on in the world around us.

       And we must ‘be prepared’ to take the actions God wants us to take.

       You members of this little church are certainly awake to the poverty and hunger around you. The food and clothing at the back of the church are evidence that you are prepared to take the actions to correct some of those needs.

       You also do ‘work’ in the community to help those in need.

       God appreciates all that you do.

       And there are other things we are called to stand against. One is hatred and prejudice.

       Anti-Semitism and Anti-Muslim hatred has gone up several hundred percent since the war between Israel and Hamas began. It has reached college campuses. I heard three students from well known universities on TV a few days ago. One Musli woman and a Jewish man and woman all related incidents on their campuses that made them feel unsafe and worried them.

       American Jews and American Palestinians aren’t at war and they cannot be allowed to feel fearful in their own country.

       We must speak out against all racism—against Native Americans and African Americans and LGBTQ folks too! Nearly 150 years after the Civil War African Americans are still discriminated against. And Lord knows the land and resources of Native Americans are still in harm’s way.

       Speak up. Speak out. Donate to causes to restore equality for all people.

       One last thing—the use of guns in mass murders. Support causes and politicians who seek to limit the use of guns in our country. European nations and Canada do much better that we do when it comes to guns.

       So, stay awake, my brothers and sisters and be prepared to do whatever you can to right wrongs.

       That’s what Jesus asks us to do.

       So, DO IT!!!   Shalom and Amen.