Loss

This week a very good friend's mother, Susan, passed away and another friend, Angela, is in her final hours of this life. I was not particularly close to either of these women, but I am very much grieving the end of their time on earth for their family members whom I am close with. Susan has two grown children and an infant grandchild. Angela has a 6 year old daughter and 4 year old son. The thought of these children, whether young or old, continuing life without their mother's is truly heartbreaking. I wish there were more that I could do for my friends, but there isn't. What I can do is pray.

The prayer that has been in my heart and mind for these families is Psalm 139 (BCP version):

LORD, you have searched me out and known me; you know my sitting down and my rising up; you discern my thoughts from afar.  

You trace my journeys and my resting-places and are acquainted with all my ways.     

Indeed, there is not a word on my lips, but you, O LORD, know it altogether.     

You press upon me behind and before and lay your hand upon me.    

Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is so high that I cannot attain to it.    

Where can I go then from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?     

If I climb up to heaven, you are there;  if I make the grave my bed, you are there also.     

If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,     

Even there your hand will lead me and your right hand hold me fast.     

If I say, "Surely the darkness will cover me, and the light around me turn to night,"    

Darkness is not dark to you; the night is as bright as the day; darkness and light to you are both alike.   For you yourself created my inmost parts; you knit me together in my mother's womb.

I will thank you because I am marvelously made; your works are wonderful, and I know it well.     

My body was not hidden from you, while I was being made in secret and woven in the depths of the earth.     

Your eyes beheld my limbs, yet unfinished in the womb; all of them were written in your book; they were fashioned day by day, when as yet there was none of them.     

How deep I find your thoughts, O God! How great is the sum of them!     

If I were to count them, they would be more in number than the sand; to count them all, my life span would need to be like yours.        

Oh, that you would slay the wicked, O God! You that thirst for blood, depart from me.     

They speak despitefully against you; your enemies take your Name in vain.     

Do I not hate those, O LORD, who hate you? and do I not loathe those who rise up against you?     

I hate them with a perfect hatred; they have become my own enemies.     

Search me out, O God, and know my heart; try me and know my restless thoughts.     

Look well whether there be any wickedness in me and lead me in the way that is everlasting.

 

Waiting for Tatum...

Right now I am in the hospital with my Big, Crystal, as she waits for her second child to arrive. Everything about the hospital room is about efficiency and comfort. Her room has a couch and a recliner for guests, a bathroom which includes a shower, the nurse will bring her as many pillows and blankets that she would like, and the temperature of the room is controlled on the tv. The room also includes a large supply closet with everything that the doctors and nurses might need during labor and delivery, and many monitors that keep us updated on exactly how baby and mom are doing. Even with all of these comforts Crystal is uncomfortable at times, as childbirth is very taxing on the body.

All of this makes me think of how things must have been for Mary when she had Jesus. Nothing about where she gave birth was comfortable or efficient. I suppose that laying I hay was better than nothing, but I wouldn't go so far to say that it was comfortable. And with no way to monitor Mary or her baby, Joseph must have been a nervous wreck. I imagine that they didn't even stop until Mary was practically delivering since there wasn't really a way to assess whether or not she was close. How painful and terrifying it must have been... Wow.

Basically all of this is to say how thankful I am for advances in science that have made childbearing easier and safer. And I'm so thankful for the ordeal that Mary and Joseph went through to safely bring my savior into the world.

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Proper 13 Year B

2 Samuel 11:26-12:13a, Psalm 51:1-13, Ephesians 4:1-16, John 6:24-35

There are many great topics that we could discuss from today’s readings, but for today let us discuss the second reading which is from Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. To remind you, Paul is writing to urge the people to live out their calling from God no matter what that calling is because they are the Body of Christ in the world.

Paul’s message from today’s epistle is as true for us as it was for the Ephesians. We are each called to do something with our lives for we are the Body of Christ in the world. We are sometimes called to things we do not understand or feel uncomfortable with.  

When I started college I felt like I was being called to be a teacher. With this in mind I began to pursue a teaching degree and helped at church as a Sunday School teacher. During my sophomore year I started to feel like my call was changing from the education of children to the education of all in the church, but I was not sure if it was something I could really do. Over the next three years I tried to take more of a leadership role in the church to see if I did have the gifts from God that help one to be a priest. 

The more I became involved the more I and others began to see these gifts in me. Upon graduating with my bachelors’ degree I could have been starting my career as an educator but instead I am chose to follow my true calling and continue my education by going to seminary. 

We are called not to be successful, but simply to be faithful. 

Being faithful means following what God pulls you towards.  For me this meant attending more school while my peers and fellow graduates began new careers. For some in this congregation this may be within their professional field. For example, a teacher helping as a Sunday School teacher or an accountant helping with the financial workings of the church. For others it may be something outside their realm of comfort such as working with the youth group when they do not have any children of their own, or leading a group that they have previously just been a member of. 

When we follow what God calls us to, that is when we can make the most difference.

This reminds me of a story that is very close to my heart. 

One day, a man was walking along the shore; he looked down the beach and saw a human figure moving like a dancer. As he got closer, he noticed that the figure was a little girl, and that she was not dancing but was reaching down, picking up small objects, and throwing them into the ocean. As he came closer he called out "Good morning young lady! May I ask what you’re doing?" The little girl paused, looked up, and replied "I’m throwing these starfish into the ocean." "Why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?" asked the man. The little girl replied, "The sun is up and the tide is going out. If I don't throw them in, they'll die."

The man thought about the girl’s foolish sense of optimism and said, "Young lady, there are miles and miles of beach and there are starfish covering every mile. You can't possibly make a difference!" Just then, the little girl looked at the man, bent down, picked up another starfish, and threw it into the ocean. As it hit the water, she looked at him in the eyes and said, "I made a difference for that one."

In this story the little girl sees a need in the world and recognizes in herself how to fill that need. 

Even though she will not be able to throw all of the starfish back into the ocean she is determined to try help as many as she can. Today’s reading challenges us to see the gifts we have that can build up the body of Christ and help as many as we can.  Just like the little girl trying to save the starfish helps the greatness of the ocean, so to do our individual gifts help the body of Christ.

Building up the body of Christ does not mean you have to do or be something extraordinary. 

Simple acts like taking a cup of soup to someone who needs it, making a phone call, picking up trash around the church grounds, or listening to the needs of a friend all help the body of Christ to grow and work properly.

Our small individual acts come together with the acts of other Christians to build up the body of Christ. Just as God is active in every nook and cranny of creation so to does God use people to make sure people are fed, clothed, comforted, educated, protected, etc. God’s call to each and every one of us should not be pared down to a job or occupation because this would mean wide stretches of our human experience would be outside of God's providence.  Instead we can and should look at God’s call for us not only as a call to work but also to friendship, family life, and citizenship.

Today’s reading points out that we all have different gifts that help “to equip the saints for their work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ.”  For many of us, our gift may be to live a compassionate and generous life.  One of the simplest things God asks us to do is to go out into the world and extend God’s love to those around us.  We can influence those around us and often do this without knowing the extent of our influence.  There is a saying that is attributes to Saint Francis of Assisi, “You may be the only Gospel your neighbor will ever read.” In high school a friend chose to invite me to church, and because of his willingness to share God’s love, I am here today. 

So what does all of this mean for you and for All Saints’? It means that you can build up the body of Christ by being involved and by being a friend. By using your gifts to help with a group or by figuring out what your gifts might be by trying something new. All of our programs start back up in September and I encourage you to take advantage of these opportunities to extend your relationships and discover or build up the gifts God has blessed you with.