Tag Archives: Year A

Give Me Jesus (Sermon) May 25, 2014

Posted on by

Sermon – May 25, 2014
The Rev. Rebecca S. Myers, CSW
St. John’s Episcopal Church, Corbin, KY
Sixth Sunday of Easter

Always be ready to make your defense to anyone who demands from you an accounting for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and reverence. I Peter 3:15-16

Please be seated.

In the morning when I rise
In the morning when I rise
In the morning when I rise
Give me Jesus

Give me Jesus
Give me Jesus
You can have all this world
Give me Jesus

I was reminded of this Spiritual, found in LEVAS II, hymn 91 in the past couple of weeks,  No one’s sure who wrote it or when, but it came from the tragedy and toil of people who were brutalized by being enslaved.  They found hope, despite this brutality, in Jesus.

I have been around people in tough circumstances and heard them cling to Jesus.  Just over two weeks ago, I was at the University of Kentucky with Ann and Travis.  They were anxiously awaiting the birth of Bella.  They had to go all the way to Lexington, because doctors had seen something that led them to believe Bella might need some surgery on her head soon after her birth.  I was there when doctors came in to talk to Ann and Travis.  The doctors couldn’t say how serious the problem was.  I heard the doctor say there was a chance little Bella would not live.

Yet Ann and Travis were realistic and positive.  I’m sure they were a little nervous, but they had discussed things.  They had made plans.  They had prayed and they knew a whole community was praying for them and for Bella.

And there was such joy in the room, too, because just the night before, Travis had been baptized.  He was so happy!  Travis truly embodied what we heard in I Peter, chapter 3, verses 21 and 22 this morning:

And baptism…now saves you– not as a removal of dirt from the body, but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers made subject to him.

Travis’ baptism was an accounting for the hope that was in him.

On Wednesday, I went to the viewing for Dalton Christopher Brewer, also known as Buddy.  His death at the age of 31 was so tragic for his family.  The past seven years had been difficult for Buddy, after his beating and subsequent traumatic brain injury.  Family and friends were devastated to learn of his death.  At the viewing, I heard time and time again from family member after family member, through tears and cries of woe, “I don’t know how I’ll make it.  The only way is that we have Jesus.”  Someone said, “I don’t know how people make it through something like this without Jesus.”  In the midst of terrific grief, there was hope of making it through.

We are Jesus people.  We are people of hope.  And we must always be ready to give an accounting of this hope.  The hope shines through.

I met a mother earlier this week, whose 27-year-old daughter has a rare disease that only about 150 people have.  This young woman has been in and out of the hospital since she was two years old.  Yet, she has graduated from college.  She got married.  People say she is always smiling and how can she be so happy, given what she deals with physically every day.  She says, “I have faith. That’s what gets me through.”

The hope shines through and when people ask her for an accounting, she is ready and able to tell them about the hope within her.

Now Episcopalians are not known for our public evangelism.  We tend to be quiet about our faith and our religious beliefs.  In fact, many people are quiet about their faith.  Religious beliefs are considered private, individual choices by many.  Yet as a friend once said, if your faith has given you hope…has given you life, why wouldn’t you share that with someone?  If your faith and this community of St. John’s have given you hope…have provided a way of life for you, find a way to share that with others.  Find a way to give an accounting that is gentle and reverent.

You see, when we are baptized, we are saved.  When we are baptized, we are called to do God’s work.  A friend posted this anonymous quote on Facebook earlier this week:   Carry the water of your baptism with you through the vast desert of this world and dispense it liberally to every traveler you meet. 

We have this gift of Jesus.  We have this gift of love.  We have this gift of hope.  It begins with our baptism…with God claiming us for God’s own.  We water the world.  We water souls.  We do this as individuals and as the community of St. John’s.

St. Teresa of Avila, who lived in the 16th century, wrote this prayer:

Christ has no body but yours,

No hands, no feet on earth but yours,
Yours are the eyes with which he looks
Compassion on this world,
Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good,
Yours are the hands, with which he blesses all the world.
Yours are the hands, yours are the feet,
Yours are the eyes, you are his body.
Christ has no body now but yours,
No hands, no feet on earth but yours,
Yours are the eyes with which he looks
compassion on this world.
Christ has no body now on earth but yours.

We are called to be Christ’s body to the world.  In doing so…in clinging to Jesus, we are joyful in the midst of hard times.  We can get through our rough times.  We bring joy and abundant life to the world.

Always be ready to make your defense to anyone who demands from you an accounting for the hope that is in you and until the day you die, know the gift of Jesus.

Amen

 

 

The guardian of your soul (Sermon) Sunday, May 11, 2014

Posted on by

Sermon – May 11, 2014
The Rev. Rebecca S. Myers, CSW
St. John’s Episcopal Church, Corbin, KY
Fourth Sunday of Easter

For you were going astray like sheep, but now you have returned to the shepherd and guardian of your souls.  1 Peter 2:25

Please be seated.

I’ve been thinking about my friend, Elaine, a lot recently.  I’m not sure if it’s because it’s Mother’s Day and she was like a mother to me or whether it’s because her birthday was the end of May.  Elaine died nearly six years ago.  She was 80 years of age.

I met Elaine during a time when my life was in considerable change.  My children had both graduated from high school, so I was experiencing empty nest syndrome.  My husband at the time, Fred, was also going through a major career change.

Fred had found a job with the Nature Conservancy in Topeka, Kansas and we made plans to move 1100 miles away from our family to a place neither of us had ever lived.  My son, Scot, still wasn’t sure what he wanted to do with his life and he decided to move to New Jersey, get a job, and live with some friends.  My daughter, Carrie, graduated from high school, and started her first year of college at Queens University in Charlotte, North Carolina.  We were certainly scattered.

Before arriving in Topeka, I had discovered the church I would attend.  It must have been the first or second Sunday I was there that Elaine introduced herself to me.  She made it a point to greet all newcomers.  She was my guide to the church and also to Topeka.

Elaine always went to lunch after church, and eventually I started going too.  I learned that Elaine had four grown children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.  Her husband had recently died and she was in the process of selling her home and moving to a smaller place.  She was trying to get used to being a widow.  The fellowship and activities at church were important to her.

Elaine was the best volunteer.  She was on a number of boards of organizations serving people who were homeless or living in poverty.  Eventually, she helped one of the organizations open a thrift shop, not only as a service to people needing help, but also to raise a little cash for the organization.  She scheduled the volunteers and scheduled the pick-ups of donations.  She worked at the store and counted the money, most of it in change and small bills.

In some respects, the move wasn’t so helpful for Fred and my marriage.  While we both worked hard to make it work, we came to a point where we needed to separate.  I was in the middle of obtaining my Master’s degree in Social Work and needed to finish, but I felt that staying in our house would be too hard for me emotionally.

Elaine had become like family to me and I told her that my husband and I were experiencing difficulties.  One day I called Elaine on the phone and said I might need a place to stay for a little while.  Without hesitation, she said, “You can come over now.”  Elaine gave me a furnished bedroom in her home.  She never asked for rent or any kind of payment.  She opened her doors wide and gave me shelter.

With all of the changes in the previous 1 ½ years, I was like a sheep without a shepherd…lost…ready to go astray.  I truly needed some care and love and guidance.  I needed someone to care for me.  I don’t know how I would have finished my degree, nor emerged from this difficult time in a healthy way without her support, generosity of spirit and Christian faith.  To me, Elaine was the embodiment of much of what Christ taught about loving your neighbor and Paul’s understanding of the church as the body of Christ.

Sheep have been domesticated for nearly 10,000 years.  Their defense mechanisms are few and they must rely upon the shepherd to keep them safe.  Sheep have very good eyesight and they also learn to know the voice of the shepherd.  Sheep are put in a sheepfold, which is a fence or wall enclosure providing protection.  There is a door or gate where the sheep go in and out of the enclosure.  It is a good way for the shepherd to keep the sheep safe.

Have you ever been in a place in your life where you really couldn’t take good care of yourself?  A place where you needed to rely pretty heavily upon others?  Then you know what it’s like to be a sheep who cannot fend for itself.  It’s scary.  You lose sight of the shepherd.  You don’t go in the sheepfold gate.  You become lost.  You go astray.  You can get separated from the community.  You can be in great danger, or be easily led into danger.

In our Gospel lesson, Jesus reminds us, and our focus this Sunday is reminding us, that Jesus is our shepherd.  We are like those defenseless sheep.  We need guidance.  We need direction.  We need someone to care for us.  Jesus says He is the shepherd.  He will provide those things for us.  We have His words and the teachings of the apostles passed down to us.  We have the teachings of those who have lived the faith before us and those living the faith now.  We have Christ’s presence each week with us in this service and in our communion and holy meal.

I don’t know about you, but I’m tempted to rebel against this.  I want to be self sufficient.  I want to make it on my own.  I must continually remember that I am a sheep.  To be alone is to go astray.  To be alone is to be in danger.  To lose sight of the shepherd is to be in danger.  I need Christ the shepherd and I need to be part of the shepherd’s flock.

So, return to the shepherd if you have gone astray.  Stay close to the shepherd so you will know the way.  For He is the guardian of the most precious you.  He is the guardian of your soul.

Amen

 

 

Come as you are. (Sermon) April 27, 2014

Posted on by

Sermon – April 27, 2014
The Rev. Rebecca S. Myers, CSW
St. John’s Episcopal Church, Corbin, KY
Second Sunday of Easter

Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.”  John 20:27

Please be seated.

I love country music.  The twangier, the better.  I really need to go to Nashville.  One of the things I love about country music are the puns or the play on words.  They make me laugh.  They are so clever.  For instance, have you heard the Billy Currington song, like my dog?  The refrain goes:

Want you to love me like my dog does, baby.
When I come home, want you to just go crazy
He never looks at me like he might hate me
I want you to love me like my dog. 

Who comes up with this…so funny and yet so true.

Well, this past week, thanks to Linda and Paula, who frequently give me CDs to listen to while I’m driving, I’ve been listening to a Randy Travis CD of Gospel Tunes.  Some are familiar hymns like Blessed Assurance and Love Lifted Me.  Some I’d never heard before.  I’ll sing for awhile or listen for awhile and then my mind drifts.  So somehow I’d missed one of the songs .  It’s called, Pray for the Fish.  I became curious about it and decided to really listen.  And I was surprised and delighted to hear:

Everybody gathered where the river runs wider

At the edge of town
To see that Eddie Lee Vaughn baptism
Was really gonna go down
Folks bet their hard earned money
That water wouldn’t change a thing
They set the odds at a hundred to one
His soul wouldn’t never come clean
Then the preacher said
People take a moment or two
There’s something we need to do

Pray for the fish
They won’t know what’s coming
When the sin starts rolling off the likes of him
Lord be with ‘em, they ain’t done nothin’
Please won’t you leave them just a little bit ‘a room to swim
Pray for the fish

Well the preacher ducked him under
That cool clear water
Then he did it again
Eddie came up yelling
Lord in Heaven Hallalujah!
I’m a brand new man
Well the water got to bubbling
Sky got to rumbling
And the thunder backed up the choir
The fish started jumpin’
It was like they was swimmin’
In a lake of fire
Then Eddie’s momma stepped out of the crowd
And started yelling out loud

Pray for the fish
They won’t know what’s coming
When the sin starts rolling off the likes of him
Lord be with ‘em, they ain’t done nothin’
Please won’t you leave them just a little bit ‘a room to swim
Pray for the fish

He said everybody cross your fingers
Fold your hands
Pray for Ole Eddie
But before we say amen

Pray for the fish
Lord be with em, they ain’t done nothin’
Please won’t you leave them just a little bit ‘a room to swim
Pray for the fish
Lord pray for the fish

Well that Eddie Lee Vaughn was quite a person, wasn’t he, to get the waters roiling and on fire because of the sin rolling off him at his baptism? 

Now how in the world, does this relate to our Gospel today?  To our most familiar story of “Doubting Thomas?”  Even today you’ll hear someone say that another is a “Doubting Thomas.”  Well, Mr. Eddie Lee Vaughn of our humorous song states an obvious truth about how Jesus cares for us as shown in this Gospel:  Jesus comes to us exactly as we are. 

Yes…. Jesus doesn’t say, You MUST have faith before I’ll come to you.  Jesus doesn’t say, you MUST be perfect before I’ll come to you.  Jesus doesn’t say you MUST have no doubts before I’ll come to you.  Look at this story.

First of all, where was Thomas when Jesus came the first time?  Why had he left the group?  They had huddled together in fear after the trauma of Jesus’ death.  Even though they’d heard the reports of his resurrection, they were still afraid.  But where had Thomas gone?  Had he abandoned the community?  Had he left the group?  Did he get angry because of some decision they’d made and decided to leave?

We don’t know where he was…just that he wasn’t there.    He obviously returns to the community, but does not believe what he’s heard.  He has doubts about what his friends saw.  He won’t believe it until he sees it.  Isn’t that like so many of us?  Good friends come to us and tell us their experience or their story, but we are skeptical.  We might not say that directly to them, but sometimes we put them on the “witness stand” so to speak, questioning every part of their story.  Sometimes we trust science, even though scientists will tell you they don’t understand everything.  Most of the time, we want to see it for ourselves.  We are so like Thomas.

And Jesus could have refused to come back again.  Jesus could have said, “Well, that’s just like Thomas, and I won’t have anything to do with him.  He needs to get right and believe in me.  He needs to have faith in what his friends are telling him.”  Jesus could have refused to come in the way that Thomas needed him to come.

Instead, Jesus returns when Thomas is there.  Jesus consents to Thomas’ demand,  “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.” (John 20:25).  Jesus allows Thomas to put his finger in the holes where the nails were.  Jesus allows Thomas to put his hand in the side that was pierced.  Jesus accepts Thomas.  Jesus loves Thomas.

This doubter, Thomas, believes.  Jesus comes to him as he is and in a way that strengthens Thomas’ faith.  What did Thomas do?  Remember on Jesus’ first visit to the Disciples, Jesus said,

“Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” (John 20:21-23)

Jesus came to the disciples to commission them for their life’s work…for the work they must do now that he is no longer with them in human form.  Tradition has it that Thomas traveled to many places, including India.  He brought the Gospel and faith to India.  He is still quite revered there. 

Come as you are.  Come with your doubts and your skepticism.  Come with your questions.  Jesus accepts you.  Jesus loves you.  And Jesus will strengthen your faith, so you, like Thomas, can say, My Lord and my God! (John 20:28).  Jesus will send you out into the world to do the work only you can do.

Amen

 

 

Happiness (Sermon) Easter April 20, 2014

Posted on by

Sermon – April 20, 2014
The Rev. Rebecca S. Myers, CSW
St. John’s Episcopal Church, Corbin, KY
Easter Day

 Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni!” (which means Teacher). Jesus said to her, “Do not hold on to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father.   John 20:16-17

One of my great joys in becoming a grandmother is the ability to travel with my grandchildren.  When my grandson Logan was 18 months old, I brought him to my home in Maryland for one night.  This required great preparation, because his mother was not sure this was such a great idea.  I promised that if he had any trouble being away from home, I would get in my car at any time of the night and drive the 100 miles to bring him home.  We had so much fun, going to the National Zoo.  He was never homesick. 

When Logan was 4, I decided to take him on a 3-day trip to Syracuse, New York, about 300 miles away.  My mother was from that area and I have fond memories of going to visit my grandparents and my mother’s extended family every summer.  While I knew my grandson would not have the same experience as me, I wanted to show him around…see these things through new eyes.  And my good, longtime friend of over 30 years lives there and I wanted her to meet Logan.  My granddaughter was just a little too young to go, I reasoned, and I also wasn’t sure I could travel with both of them, so the plan was to take Logan. 

He was so excited.  He had a new outfit for our trip.  In addition to his suitcase, he had a backpack filled with his precious toy cars, some books and a stuffed animal or two.  I told him I was going to take him to a big lake, where you couldn’t even see to the other shore and he said, “Grandma, I’m just little.  Can’t you take me to a little lake?”  I could tell this grandson of mine loved a new adventure.  Yet, he was well aware that his mother would miss him tremendously.  She had told him she’d do the “happy dance” when he returned home.  A couple of times before we left, he made sure to assure her.  He would be talking excitedly about what we planned to do.  Then he’d stop and say, “Mommy, I know you’ll miss me.  And when I come home, you’ll do the happy dance.”

My grandson was never homesick on our trip.  He loved every minute of it.  At one point he even said he didn’t want to go home!  But when we drove up to his house, he was so excited and he and his mother did a wonderful happy dance together.

And that’s what we see Mary doing in the garden.  Can’t you just imagine her happy run to embrace Jesus?  And what did she look like as she ran to tell the others she had seen Jesus?  After witnessing Jesus’ terrible death and then arriving at the tomb to find his body gone.  She was distressed and scared.  Then to see him risen!  She rushes to him.  

More recently, Pharrell Williams has caught the world’s attention with his song “Happy.”  Originally the closing song of last summer’s animated film, Despicable Me II, with the funny and loveable minions, the video came out in November.

Clap along if you feel like happiness is the truth

It’s a catchy tune.  The original video has 191 million views.  And people around the world have created their own videos.  From Hong Kong to Algeria to soldiers in Afghanistan, school children and people of all ages.  All dancing and saying, “happiness is the truth.”  It has become a kind of protest song for freedom, even.  People in Ukraine made a video as part of their protest and overthrow of the corrupt government there.  We in this country can relate to that since one of our founding documents, The Declaration of Independence, talks about the inalienable rights of “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” 

And today is the happiest of days in our Christian faith.  Jesus rose from the dead.  No power on earth could keep him in the tomb.  He rose and is with us always.

Yet, our Christian happiness is different from those fleeting moments when we feel excited or in a good mood.  That’s the beauty of this day and of our Christianity.  Happiness is deeper.  The happiness we have is with us always.  It is the knowing deep inside that Christ is risen…that Christ is with us…that nothing can keep us down. 

Yes, we have our trials.  We have our days when we’re not feeling so strong emotionally or physically.  Some of us are often depressed.  We may not look happy on the outside.  That’s not what it’s about.  Our happiness comes from the knowledge and faith that we have a lifeline of hope – the sure and certain knowledge that God raised Jesus…death was destroyed.  There is always resurrection.  There is always new life and new birth. 

And on those days when that happiness is hard for us to embody…when it’s buried somewhere deep inside and we just can’t tap into it…we have each other… the whole Christian community.  Every minute of the day someone is praying for us.  We have this community of St. John’s Episcopal Church right here and right now.  Don’t you often find yourself thinking of your brothers and sisters from church during the week?  Or at least over a couple of weeks?  Those little prayers…that’s the lifeline of hope…that’s the link to deep happiness. 

So, “it might seem crazy…

Mary runs to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord,” she announces.  Her weeping turns into happiness.  Christ is risen!

He is risen indeed!

Amen

 

 

 

 

 

The violence in us (sermon) Good Friday April 18, 2014

Posted on by

Sermon – April 18, 2014
The Rev. Rebecca S. Myers, CSW
St. John’s Episcopal Church, Corbin, KY
Good Friday

Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged. And the soldiers wove a crown of thorns and put it on his head, and they dressed him in a purple robe. …. So they took Jesus; and carrying the cross by himself, he went out to what is called The Place of the Skull, which in Hebrew is called Golgotha. There they crucified him….  John 19:1-2, 16-18

I’ll never forget the day and you probably won’t either.  I had a terrible feeling as I left my apartment that day on my way to work.  I worked nearby and had an upcoming board meeting.  It was the first board meeting with the new board members.  It was a 2-day meeting with orientation, dinner, and business.  And it was my 4th year of organizing this meeting, so I was an “old pro,” as the saying goes.  Yet, I felt so uneasy.

I was absorbed in my work, when a staff member came to tell me a plane had flown into the World Trade Center.  We went to the board room and turned on the TV, only to see smoke pouring from a building in Washington DC.  We were 3 hours from New York City and 2 hours from DC.  I had visited both cities many times.  My brother lived in New York and you could see the Towers from his apartment building.  My daughter was living on Long Island.  My children and I had visited those Towers many times over the years.  It was one of our favorite destinations in New York.  And that tragedy of that day midst a beautiful, sunny September continued to unfold.  Such terrifying violence that dramatically changed our lives. 

The days and weeks ahead were filled not only with grief and fear and responding to disaster, but also with how we would respond.  Personally, I thought about violence in the world and ways in which I had participated in violence against other people.  That’s what Good Friday asks of us…to look deep within our hearts and see where we have inflicted violence on others.  Where have I inflicted harm?  Where have I been forcibly vehement?

It’s much easier to look at a nation or at others to see how they are violent.  It’s much easier to be the victim of violence in some respects.  But to look squarely at ourselves and to see where we have crucified Jesus…where we have been part of the mob or even a mob of one…is much harder.

I catch myself rushing through the grocery store, intent on the things I need…acknowledging no other human being, but being only exasperated when they are in my way.  Truly, most of us want to be seen…to be acknowledged as human beings…and this rushing to accomplish my agenda, whether it’s in the store, or in an email, does not see the other person, which is a violent act. 

I get frustrated with customer service and before I know it, I’m yelling.  I do try to remember the people answering the phones did not create the systems or processes that are causing me trouble.  I work hard to be firm, yet kind.  And sometimes I can no longer do it and I’m saying all sorts of things. 

I once saw a demonstration about the violence of words.  A woman running a workshop I attended picked the biggest, strongest person out of the group.  She had him hold his arms out and tried to push them down.  She could not do it.  Then she spent 5-10 minutes saying terrible things to him…how he was weak and couldn’t do anything.  When he held out his arms again, she easily pushed them down. 

Yet in our inherent self-centeredness, whether as individuals or as a community, we obsess about who has treated us wrong and who has treated us unjustly.  We plot how to get revenge.  Some of this is out of fear that we will be hurt.  In truth, in our fear and self-centeredness, we have shut out the voice of God.

And here comes Jesus on this most violent of days…dying in the most violent of ways and he shows us the power of nonviolence.  He barely speaks during his trial.  He forgives the people who are harming him.  He takes care of his mother.  He hangs in pain on that cross…enduring an agonizing death.  He does not respond with violence.  He does not respond with revenge.  He does not create a feud that will go on forever.  He loves. 

Martin Luther King, Jr. was a strong advocate of nonviolence.  He said many things about it, but here’s one from his book, Stride Toward Freedom,

Violence as a way of achieving racial justice is both impractical and immoral. It is impractical because it is a descending spiral ending in destruction for all. The old law of an eye for an eye leaves everybody blind. It is immoral because it seeks to humiliate the opponent rather than win his understanding; it seeks to annihilate rather than to convert. Violence is immoral because it thrives on hatred rather than love. It destroys community and makes brotherhood impossible. It leaves society in monologue rather than dialogue. Violence ends by defeating itself. It creates bitterness in the survivors and brutality in the destroyers.  Martin Luther King, Jr., Stride Towards Freedom

At the National Prayer Service on September 14, 2001, then Dean, Now Bishop Nathan Baxter said, Let us pray that as we act, we not become the evil we deplore.  Representative Barbara Lee from California heard those words and took her faith seriously.  She stood on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives and was the only member of Congress to vote against going to war as a response to the tragedy.  While others also felt the resolution was flawed, they were too afraid to speak up.  Violent revenge was the only response many of us could see.  While ultimately war might have needed to occur, both Dean Baxter and Representative Lee were telling us to wait.  

In Romans 12:17-21 Paul reminds us of Jesus teaching:  17Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. 18If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.19Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God;* for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’ 20No, ‘if your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink; for by doing this you will heap burning coals on their heads.’ 21Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

 

Today is the day we bend the knee of our heart and examine where we have been violent and where we have participated in violence.  It is the day to recommit ourselves to the love of God through the witness of the nonviolent Jesus Christ, hanging on that cross.  

Amen

 

 

 

 

 

The meal of Love (Sermon) April 17, 2014

Posted on by

Sermon – April 17, 2014
The Rev. Rebecca S. Myers, CSW
St. John’s Episcopal Church, Corbin, KY
Maundy Thursday

I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.  John 13:34-35

My mother’s parents lived 300 miles away from us.  They came to visit us at least once or maybe twice throughout the year.  Once each year, usually in the summer, we’d travel to see them.  Sometimes we took the Greyhound bus, which was a LONG trip.  Other times we drove.  The standard dinner on the night we arrived was spaghetti with meatballs.  The sauce would have cooked all day.  How my grandmother never burnt that sauce, making it on an electric stove, I’ll never know.  I cheat and make it in a crockpot.  The sauce was very simple – tomatoes and tomato paste.  There weren’t a lot of spices, but there was a secret ingredient that was never written down in the recipe and that I learned only when I actually watched my grandmother make the sauce…it was baking soda – just a tiny bit to neutralize the acid in the sauce.

The meatballs were wonderful with parsley and romano cheese and a little egg in them.  They were individually fried in olive oil and added to the sauce.  The meal included additional freshly grated cheese, as well as a loaf of my grandfather’s homemade Italian bread, baked early in the morning.

The table would be set with a clean, white table cloth – can you imagine kids and spaghetti sauce and a clean white tablecloth?  My grandmother had the whitest whites you can imagine.

Spaghetti and meatballs was the dinner of love…the dinner of welcome.  That’s probably why my favorite thing to do on a Sunday evening when I’m in Lexington is go to Joe Bologna’s and get their “all you can eat” spaghetti.   It’s the closest I’ve found to the taste of my grandmother’s food.  It reminds me of her immense love for her family and her joy in seeing us and welcoming us to her home.  

This evening, we hear about Jesus taking a ritual, annual meal and giving it new meaning.  Jesus takes simple parts of the meal – bread and wine – elements included in the most basic of meals, and infuses new symbolism in them.  These elements represent the ultimate love of God for all people – Jesus’ body and blood…the very essence of life… given to save us…given out of deep love for us.  

Whenever we see these common elements, we are reminded of Jesus’ love for us.  When we gather together in Jesus’ name, bless and make these common elements holy, Jesus is present, binding us together into one.  

A document and teaching of the early church, possibly as early as 150 years after the death of Christ, says this:   As this broken bread was scattered upon the mountains and being gathered together became one, so may Thy Church be gathered together from the ends of the earth into Thy kingdom;(Didache 9.8, http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/text/didache-lightfoot.html)

The meal…this simple meal of bread and wine, has bound us and all those before us, to that first meal in that upper room in Jerusalem.  It binds us in community to each other and to Christ, just as it bound the disciples to Christ.  It reminds us that the everliving Christ is right here in our midst and nothing can separate us from the love of God.  It reminds us to be Christ to the world, to love one another like Christ has loved us, so all will know we are Jesus’ disciples.

Amen

 

“We Have Found the Messiah” (Sermon) January 19, 2014

Posted on by

Sermon – January 19, 2014
The Rev. Rebecca S. Myers, CSW
St. John’s Episcopal Church, Corbin
2nd Sunday after Ephiphany

“We have found the Messiah…” John 1:41

Please be seated

We have found the Messiah…. Can you imagine any person who would compel you to leave everything you know… to abandon your job, your family and all of your worldly goods to walk the land with this person?  But that’s what we hear about in our Gospel reading today (and also next week.)  “We have found the Messiah,” Andrew says, and he and his brother Peter follow.

During those times the Messiah was going to restore Israel and the faith in God.  In many ways, the Messiah was understood as the most righteous and perfect ruler…someone with political, as well as, physical strength.  The land and people would be protected from their many enemies – you see Israel was the land between many great powers to the north, south and east.  And during Jesus’ time, the Roman Empire was oppressing the people.  They wanted relief. 

So here is Jesus and something about him makes John the Baptist, and Andrew and then Peter hope that the new ruler has come.  The perfect King, the powerful political ruler.  That is the only way they understood restoration…that Israel would become powerful as a nation…that no one would be able defeat the nation and in so doing, the people would have a good life and God would be glorified.  People would see the nation of Israel and its power and want to follow and worship its God. 

They wanted saved from the wars by the powerful nations around them by becoming the most powerful themselves.   But God understood the world differently and Jesus came to give us a new way to live and to think about our lives, a new paradigm of the world and of our relationship to God. 

A few years ago after reading the passage in Matthew about Jesus riding into Jerusalem with shouts of Hosanna and palms and cloaks strewn on the path, I wrote the following poem:

After reading Matthew 21:1-11
By Rebecca S. Myers

We are always looking for a
Savior to save us from other people
When what we need
Is a savior
Who saves us from ourselves.

It is so easy to point the finger at things external to us as being “what’s wrong.”  So we work to change our external circumstances.

“Well, Corbin hasn’t worked out so well, maybe I should move,” we say, and off we go.  In 12-step circles, this is called a geographic cure.  We think a new job will make the difference or maybe different friends.  Now, don’t get me wrong, all of these things can be good.  It’s not the actions so much, it’s our interior state in pursuing those changes that is the difference.

Because as the saying goes, “Wherever you go, there you are.”  In other words, we need to do the interior work on ourselves.  Changing our external conditions without doing the internal work doesn’t really change much in the end. 

What are the things about you that Jesus comes to liberate you from? 

Here are some of mine.  I call them “lies I tell myself:”

I have to do this all by myself.  Yes, being responsible and taking care of myself is important, but I can take self reliance too far.  I can fail to ask for help or suggestions because after all, I am the Executive Director…I am the priest.  My ability to accomplish a lot is why people chose me for this position, isn’t it?  Doesn’t it mean I’m weak or incompetent if I need to ask for help?

What a dangerous trap that is!  Even Jesus had twelve Apostles and many more followers.  We don’t see that he necessarily asked them for help, more often he taught them, but he still had people around him AND he created that community so that when he was no longer with them, they had each other.  We were made for relationship.  We each have different ideas and perspectives.  No one of us has the ONLY line to God.  Reaching out and including others, makes for a better discussion and ultimately a better path. 

I must remind myself I do not have to do this all by myself and then, who can help.  Once I open up, in my experience, God has led me to the people who can help. 

Another one for me, that is part of the previous one, is I can be perfect.  Yes, I need to continue to grow and change, but honestly, there are some things that are never going to happen for me.  For instance, I make snap judgments, and as a board president of mine observed, I don’t suffer fools gladly.  The look I make when I think you’ve said about the most ridiculous thing I’ve heard has been caught on camera, even.

My former husband and I had an outdoor wedding in a field at my parents’ home at the time.  We had jazz music playing and we picked a number that would be the “entrance” number – it was “Night and Day” by Dave Brubeck.  My husband and I were walking down the aisle together.  He panicked, believing we’d missed our cue and started walking in front of me slightly.  I gave him that “look” and said in my sternest voice, “Don’t you walk in front of me!” And the photographer caught that moment!  So, I know that look!  The World According to Rebecca. 

Rather than beating myself up about my judgmentalism, I can accept it is part of my nature.  In my experience, acceptance brings many benefits.  Once I accept myself as I am, then the way to lessen those harmful traits appears.  Knowing I’ve been judgmental in a situation, thinking what another person is doing is foolish, for instance, I can explore that.  I can ask questions about why I’m feeling my way is the only way.  Does that come from fear, for instance? 

Ultimately, I know I need God.  Only God is perfect and I’m not God and never will be.  Only with God’s help can I be the best God needs me to be.  Also, because I accept that I am imperfect, I can also accept other people’s imperfections.  When I can forgive myself for being judgmental in a situation, I can forgive others. 

My way is the only way to do things, gets me into trouble too.  My mother came to help me when my daughter was about a month old.  My son was under 2 years of age, so things were pretty hectic.  One day my mother was washing the dishes.  Now, I’ve never really liked washing dishes, so this was a great gift.  Yet, I remember standing in the kitchen doorway with this little baby in my arms, going nuts inside.  My mother was not washing the dishes correctly.  The water she was using was not hot enough! 

Unfortunately, this is something handed down to me.  One time I was visiting my grandmother.  She had heart trouble and was not supposed to be doing any housework.  I washed her sheets, which she always hung out to dry in good weather.  I hung clothes out to dry.  I knew how to do it.  I was hanging the sheets on the line and she was standing at the back door, telling me what to hang next to each other and how to do it.

Yes, it can be so difficult to let someone else do something for us.  It can be so difficult to accept a way that in the end accomplishes the goal, just not exactly how we would have done it.  When we think our way is the only way, we close ourselves off to the gifts of others.  We don’t allow them to share their gifts with us.  Ultimately, we become tired and overwhelmed trying to do everything.  On top of taking care of two little ones, doing the dishes probably would have done me in.   Doing laundry and hanging those sheets up could have made my grandmother much sicker.

Jesus comes not to save us from some external power.  Jesus comes to save us from ourselves – from our illusions of perfection and total self reliance.  Jesus comes to save us, because in saving us, we are open to God’s dream and vision of our world.  We are willing to accept God’s guidance.  We are willing to do God’s Will.

“We have found the Messiah,” we shout!  Thanks Be To God!

Amen