3 Pentecost Proper 8 Yr C June 30 2019

Audio  3 Pentecost Proper 8 Yr C June 30 2019

1 Kings 19:15-16,19-21, Psalm 16, Galatians 5:1,13-25, Luke 9:51-62

May the words of my mouth, and the meditations of our hearts, be acceptable in your sight, O Lord our strength and our redeemer.

Over and over I have preached about God’s amazing and abundant love. Over and over I have preached that God’s grace washes over us. Over and over I have said that there is nothing that we can do that would put us outside of God’s love. All that is true. And that reality of God’s love calls us to follow Jesus. So what we have in our gospel from Luke today is how we respond to God’s love, and God’s grace. Jesus says, “follow me.”

But first…. But first I have to make sure we have all our ducks in a row, but first I need to have $10,000 in my bank account, or $20,000 or $30,000. But first I need to get my degree. But first I need to get a good job, buy a house. But first I need to get my kids through college. But first I have to take care of my own before I can take care of anyone else. But first I have to make sure my house is clean, my laundry done. But first I’ve got to write this sermon. Postponing priorities. Deferring important decisions. Delaying connection and joy and happiness. And, all of a sudden, you are of a certain age when you realize how much you’ve missed over the years.

But first could be the title of the gospel from Luke we hear today. I will follow you Lord, but first I have to bury my father. But first I need to say goodbye. The hard news in Luke’s gospel today is that this is all important stuff, and yet Jesus says with some urgency, “follow me.” You see, Jesus has set his face toward Jerusalem, the place of pilgrimage, the place Jesus will die. Right here Jesus says, “follow me.” There are no more excuses, there are no more reasons why not. Just, “follow me.”

This journey we are on with Jesus isn’t easy, or orderly, or even fair. It’s hard. Follow me, that’s it, that’s all she wrote. And the journey for Jesus has consistently put him in conflict with people who make the laws, people who set the rules. Jesus heals people on the days he is not supposed to heal, Jesus eats with people he is not supposed to eat with, Jesus teaches things like, love your neighbor and your enemy, forgive yourself and everyone around you. Jesus includes people in this new way that have never been included before, sinners, women, children. You, and me.

So here we are today. It’s go time. There’s no looking back, there’s no dawdling, there’s no maybe laters. Just, “follow me.” There’s no more getting ready, there’s no just one more thing, just “follow me.”

How do we answer this call? How do we respond to this amazing and abundant love with, “ok, I’m coming.” There’s so much heartache, so much that seems wrong today. Where do we even begin?

We begin with no more “but firsts.” We begin with “I’m coming.” We begin with the little things that sometimes seem so big. We begin with loving our neighbor. Our neighbor who doesn’t look like us, think like us, love like us, speak like us, pray like us, vote like us. Little things, that are a huge witness to God’s love, and God’s dream for our world. You do these little things in big ways. You just finished two weeks at the GIFTS shelter, cooking, and being there for men who need your witness in their lives, and maybe even as importantly, for you to see their witness in your life. You do these little things in big ways. You give your time, and your money to ECHO. You participated in the CROP walk, raising over $53,000.00 with over $13,000.00 staying right here in Janesville for ECHO. You deliver meals, you care for one another.

I believe following Jesus is about making sure that all of God’s creation are treated with dignity and respect, which just happens to be one of the promises we make in our baptismal covenant. Heavy on my heart in these days is the situation at our southern border. I know that we may have differing understandings about how our country got to this place, and yet, my heart breaks because we are here.

Listen to this, said by one of our own Episcopal bishops. “Two basic factors are exacerbating each other. The first is that the system was designed to catch and detain illegal migrants, not legal asylum seekers; adult men, not families and children. The second is that there have been thousands more people presenting themselves for asylum, and the sheer numbers are overwhelming the capacity of the system. Unaccompanied children who arrive at the border are refugees, and they deserve immediate care as refugees.[1]

What does following Jesus, who was a child refugee himself, look like for us in this case? How do we apply loving our neighbor, in this case? You all know as well as I, that the gospel calls us to welcome all. Verse 46, just before where we began reading today says, An argument arose among them as to which one of them was the greatest. But Jesus, aware of their inner thoughts, took a little child and put it by his side, and said to them, “Whoever welcomes this child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me; for the least among all of you is the greatest.”

I don’t have any answers, but I can no longer say, but first, but first we must have better immigration laws, or we need to enforce our immigration laws better, or, but first we must process them and determine if they really need asylum, but first.

If the good news is for us, sitting here today, it is for all of God’s beloveds. What does following Jesus mean for us today, in this particular situation? As we continue to see pictures of children at our border, as we continue to hear stories of families being separated at our border, I ask you, how do we follow Jesus, what do we do?

So the only answer I have for you today is to follow Jesus, and following Jesus means love fiercely, love completely, love without borders or barriers or limits. The only thing that makes sense in this senselessness is the love that wins. Amen.

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[1] https://www.anglicanjournal.com/rio-grande-bishop-u-s-asylum-crisis-a-moral-issue-and-not-a-complicated-one/?fbclid=IwAR1cLy0PnGzjoHxS0SQfp95hzWnw1DFYCj__Xwufc-NRKr9DcR5fU-3VMUs

The Rt. Rev. Michael Hunn

2 Pentecost Proper 7 Yr C June 23 2019

Audio  2 Pentecost Proper 7 Yr C June 23 2019

Isaiah 65:1-9, Psalm 22:18-27, Galatians 3:23-29, Luke 8:26-39

Luke’s story today is a story about God’s abundant grace and God’s unfailing love that calls us into relationship, and transforms us. This is a story shows us when we encounter Jesus; we will never be the same.

It is story of transformation. It is a story about a person on the margins of his community, abandoned and isolated. This man’s dis-ease makes him an outlier, he is unclean. And he is restored and therefore receives new life. Let’s take a minute to take a closer look at this person who is presented to us in Luke’s gospel today, where he is and why he is important.

First, we learn that this story takes place in Gentile territory, already we are not at “home,” we are in the country of the Gerasenes, opposite Galilee. Another marker that we are not at home, that we are on the margins, is the large herd of swine feeding. According to Jewish dietary regulations, pigs are unclean, so we know we are not in Jewish territory. This person did not live in a house, but in the tombs, which are also unclean, and which also makes him homeless. He had no clothes on, and was possessed by demons. The setting of this story, and the description of the person, alerts us so that we know this is a story that puts Jesus into a non-Jewish setting, it puts Jesus into a place to encounter someone who is just not like the others. This person did not have a chance in Jewish or Greek society. He was tossed out; he may as well have been dead.

We do that to people all the time. There are those who are tossed to the side, tossed out. We might not call them unclean in that technical sort of way, but they are people who do not meet expectations, or who come from other countries, or who think, love, or believe differently.

What we have in front of us is a very clear picture of what the kingdom of God looks like in the life of this one person, and what it looks like in our lives as well. So outside of Jesus’ circle, Jesus restores, Jesus transforms him and brings this person back into the community. Because of his encounter with Jesus, he is clothed, he is back in his right mind, and he can go home. Because of his encounter with Jesus, this person is brought back into the community; is no longer cast off, abandoned, or isolated. Because of this man’s encounter with Jesus, he is made whole, has new life, and is transformed. Jesus really has brought the dead back to life.

This is a story about God’s abundant grace and God’s unfailing love that calls us into relationship, and transforms us. This is a story about when we encounter Jesus; we too will never be the same.

This person didn’t seek Jesus out. Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem when he happened upon him. Jesus truly recognized him, and knew he was not himself; he called himself Legion, possessed by many. Jesus brought him to himself. The truth of God’s love and grace and abundance called the real person forth, the integrated person, the authentic person. And Jesus expelled all that was not real, all that was keeping him a prisoner in his own body.

Our encounter with Jesus does the same. Sometimes we seek Jesus out; more often than not our encounters with Jesus are accidental, coincidental, or providential, depending on what you want to call it. Jesus encounters us in all sorts of ways. You’ve told stories about your encounters with Jesus. You recognize Jesus in a person who points you in a different direction. You recognize Jesus in someone who struggles to overcome an addiction. You encounter Jesus in a book, or in the quiet, or in your children. And when you do, you are brought to yourself, you are truly who God created you to be.

Because when we encounter Jesus, we can never be the same. The passage we read from Paul’s letter to the people in Galatia points us to the inclusive reality of God’s kingdom. In God’s kingdom there are no outliers. Paul is not saying that we are all the same; Paul is saying that in God’s kingdom each one of us matters. In God’s kingdom each one of us is at home.

And our home for now, on this side of life, is the community of faith, the gathering of people who love and worship God, the assembly in which we share the reality of Jesus in the bread and the wine. Home is the people who patiently wait for us to realize that we are not alone in our faith journey. Home is where we can be fully alive, where we go to find ourselves, home is where each person is welcomed and honored as God’s creation. Home is where we find ourselves fully alive in Christ. Home is being in relationship with God and with one another.

And the very hard part of encountering Jesus is that we must open our eyes to living the transformed life that Jesus calls us to live. And the very hard part of living this transformed life that Jesus called the man with the demons into, and that Jesus calls every one of us into, is that our culture would have us believe a very different story. Transformation turns us away from being full of ourselves. Rather than looking out for ourselves, we look out for the other, we look out for our neighbor. We are in our right mind when we spend time in prayer, when we listen through prayer and scripture study, and when we listen to others to what God would call us to, to what God would have us do, to whom God would have us be. Rather than convincing others that we are right, that our way is right, we listen to other people’s stories, we encounter Jesus in the story telling, we are filled with the real presence of Christ.

This encounter with Jesus brings us home, when we are transformed we no longer turn away from God, but are bathed in the hospitality that Jesus offers. Home is the fullness of our relationship with God, and with our neighbors. Home is not about acquiring stuff; home is not even the place we live. Home is living fully in the unfailing love of God; home is the abundant life God has for us. Home is being a wonderful and beautiful creature in God’s eye’s, no matter what, each and every one of us, not just some of us.

Like the man in our story today, who by his encounter with Jesus is restored and made whole, who is clothed in a new garment, clothed in Christ, who is right minded, who is brought home, God loves us abundantly and unfailingly so we too are clothed with a new garment, clothed in Christ, made whole, restored to fullness in God’s amazing kingdom. Today, we are invited to live the abundant life that God has for us.

So much of what we see in our culture in these days, people put out on the margins because of who they are, people killed because of who they are, call us to listen to this story with hearts of compassion. These stories show us what life in God's kingdom look like, God’s abundant love and grace, and what new life in Jesus look like. Everyone, everyone, has a place in God's kingdom, because love wins.

Thanks be to God. Amen, Alleluia.

Day of Pentecost Yr C June 9 2019

Audio  Day of Pentecost Yr C June 9 2019

Acts 2:1-21, Romans 8:14-17, John 14:8-17, (25-27), Psalm 104:25-35, 37

Many of you know a few weeks ago I went to my synchronized swimming reunion. We watched the young girls who are synchronized swimmers now, swim their routines. Sitting in those bleachers just watching, I held my breath when they held their breath. Sometimes more than a minute under water, all while swimming tremendously hard. Fast forward quite a few years, and I am doing yoga. What do I learn? I'm stronger when I breathe. I can balance better when I breathe. My muscles stretch more freely when I breathe. An old practice being replaced by a practice that is much better for me at this time in my life.

Breathe in, breathe out. Strength, balance, flexibility. I invite you to close your eyes and breathe with me. Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe in God's joy, God's spirit, God's Word. Breathe out God's joy, God's spirit, God's Word. The Spirit is here, in this room, Ruach, God's breath, soft and sweet, or the rush of a violent wind and flame.

"All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability." Jesus is the one who receives the Holy Spirit from God and who pours it out on all those present, empowering them and us to be agents of healing, and forgiveness, and compassion.

The Spirit empowers believers, you and I, and I think one of the things the Spirit empowers us with is speaking God’s language, and hearing God’s word. Speaking God's language, words of grace, healing, and reconciliation, and hearing God’s truth of grace, healing, and reconciliation. What a miracle that would is. I can just imagine filling the room, this air and this space, so that it spills out into the street, and the neighborhood, and the community, with words of God's love, with words of God's grace, with words of God's healing and reconciliation. I can just imagine all of us going out into the world breathing out God's words of love, of grace, of healing and reconciliation. I can just imagine those words falling out into the air, and being breathed in by those who so desperately need to hear God's words of love, of grace, of healing and reconciliation.

It’s hard though, isn’t it? Many people have so little experience receiving words of love, of grace, of healing and reconciliation. People, maybe even us, are suspicious, or frightened. Paranoid, or perplexed. Pentecost, the gift of hearing God's word, Love wins. I choose to live in a world of Spirit, a world in which God's word surrounds us, and is in us, a world in which peace and reconciliation is in the wind and in the breath, and falls on each and every one of us.

And this Spirit transforms us. We are transformed together into a community of love that calls us into relationship, that calls us to live the way of love. You see, this Holy Spirit empowers us so that we may be agents of healing, and forgiveness, and compassion. God interrupts and intervenes in our world, through Jesus, whose Spirit empowers us to partner in changing the narrative. It’s tough out there, it’s tough to keep speaking words of love, of encouragement. It’s tough to keep speaking words that build people up instead of breaking them apart. It’s tough to keep our eyes and our hearts on the truth that each of us is beloved of God. But the Holy Spirit empowers us for this ministry of love. As we walk with Jesus, empowered by the Spirit, in this story of healing and reconciliation, this story of compassion, we leave love in our wake, we deposit words of grace, and our world is changed.

The Spirit transforms us individually as well. The Spirit not only blows into our lives, but seizes us and claims us as children. You are in this family because you have been claimed and named as one of God's beloved, and we cry "Abba! Father! That is your identity. You are God's beloved, you have been filled with Spirit, washed in water, marked with oil, claimed as God's own child, and that changes you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not be afraid.

And the Spirit transforms us, blows in and through us, both in our community of faith and in our individual lives, for the purpose of loving one another. God's mission of healing and reconciliation is to love one another. The Christian life is to show forth God's love in the world, and to love one another.

We Episcopalians are a little timid about telling our stories of God, of our relationship with Jesus, a little shy about talking about the Spirit's work in our lives, a little embarrassed to tell others of our call to ministry by virtue of our baptism. But, this story of God’s love for us is the most important story, and a story we can tell. Your story tells of God's forgiveness, your story tells of the Spirit's movement, your story tells of Jesus' healing.

I’ve heard your stories of transformation. I’ve heard about heartache and healing. I’ve heard about death and resurrection. I’ve heard the Good News that God creates a new heart and a new spirit. I’ve heard that even when we fall so far that there seems to be no more hope, God raises us up, Love wins, forgiveness happens, healing begins. I’ve heard these stories from you. God changes the narratives of our lives and we tell a new story about our identity as God's beloved. Listen for these stories, tell your stories. Tell your story of God's amazing and abundant love in your life. Tell your story of feeling abandoned by God. Tell your story of feeling not good enough and yet being loved completely and absolutely. It is by the Spirit we speak God's language, God's words, God's actions.

As you tell your story, and as you listen for your neighbor's stories, you may hear a call to stand with one another in the work that God calls us to. You may hear a call to love one another. You may hear a call to action in places and with people that make you a bit uncomfortable. Listen, the Spirit is moving in this place.

Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe in God's joy, God's spirit, God's Word. Breathe out God's joy, God's spirit, God's Word. The Spirit is here.