17 Pentecost/Year A/Sept 27, 2020
September is National Recovery Month
2020 Theme: Join the Voices for Recovery: Celebrating Connections
Psalm 25:1-8; Philippians 2:1-13; Matthew 21:23-32
**Just a little context for my sermon this morning before I begin…
September is National Recovery month…a month set aside to highlight the needs, and the support available for those experiencing mental health and substance use disorders….The numbers of persons, being affected by mental health issues, such as anxiety and depression, is rising during this current global pandemic…and is affecting people of all walks of life…I want you to know that there is help and support available…and that no-one need go through any of the struggles alone…please let me know, if you or anyone you know is in need of support, and I will provide some resources to you.**
As always, it is the highlight of my week, to be able to pause and gather in community with all of you for our Sunday service…I look forward to this weekly time together, because it always serves as a reminder to me, that it is our relationship with God, and our relationships with one another, that helps us experience the fullness of God’s love… and the implications of this love, in our own lives, and in the lives of all who walk this earthly life with us.
When we gather together, to worship together, to celebrate this time together… we pray together and for the encouragement of one another; we confess our sins and our brokenness together, with the hope of being forgiven, and to find ways to be reconciled to one another; we sing and make music together, to share joy with one another; we give thanks to God, for the gift of another day, for the blessing of being united to one another, in this time of fellowship; we listen to the Word of God together, to help us see one another, and love one another, as God sees us and loves us.
It is in this time of intentional gathering in community, that we are strengthened, and encouraged, to go out into our daily lives…and share the gifts given, the lessons learned, which teach us about the importance of relationships and community connections… which encourages us to celebrate our connections to one another, and to honor and celebrate the diverse and complex needs of the human family, that are present in our communities, and in the wider world.
We experience the love of God, most fully, when we celebrate our connections to one another….
When… “we look not to (y)our own interests, but to the interests of others.” …As we heard in Paul’s letter to the Philippians today (Philippians 2:1-13)
Somewhere along the way…it seems that many people have stopped and neglected to being concerned about the interests of others… We’ve been in the midst of a global pandemic for many months now; and racial violence, and political divisions, economic hardships for many families and businesses, have added more fear and uncertainties, to an already, unstable scenario for people of all walks of life, but especially for those, who were already on the margins, those who already felt alone, voiceless, and forgotten…
People are understandably tired, hurting, angry, and grieving…but taking it out on each other, is widening the gaps and the divisions among the human family, which have always been present….
What if we could simply agree to begin again, on this new day, and turn to each other, instead of away from each other, and consider the well-being, and the interests of the other…what if we could simply turn to each other, to listen for the ways we can support and encourage each other in this time of great need…for everyone…
What if we could simply agree to begin again, on this new day, and turn to each other, look and listen for new ways to grow and build relationships with one another… and celebrate our connections to one another, by humbling ourselves, and respecting the dignity of every human being…
One day at a time….
One day at a time…
Well-known words for anyone engaged in the work of recovery….
Helpful words, for any of us…we are all on a journey of recovery in some ways…
And one of the most important lessons we learn in the work of recovery, is it is never meant to be a solo journey. The work of recovery is a community journey, which calls us to work together, and to celebrate the importance of our community connections in helping us to never give up hope, in believing that recovery is possible…to never give up hope that forgiveness is possible…to never give up hope that healing is possible… to never give up hope…for the day when all God’s people will experience the love and joy of God’s love, most fully…in the ways we can all come together to the table, to celebrate our wonderful and diverse gifts given, to be shared for the common good of all people….
We experience the love of God, most fully, when we celebrate our connections to one another….
In the coming weeks, I invite you to take a moment, every day…to celebrate this good news – that God not only walks with us now, one day at a time…but also shows us how to experience the fullness of God’s love and joy, when we turn to one another, celebrate our community connections with one another, rejoice and sing with one another, and learn to dance with one another!
Hymn/piano after sermon: The Hymnal 1982 - #554
’Tis the gift to be simple, ’tis the gift to be free
Words: Shaker song, 18th cent.
Music: Simple Gifts, Joseph Brackett (1797-1822); acc. Margaret W. Mealy (b. 1922)
’Tis the gift to be simple, ’tis the gift to be free,
’tis the gift to come down where we ought to be,
and when we find ourselves in the place just right,
’twill be in the valley of love and delight.
When true simplicity is gained
to bow and to bend we shan’t be ashamed,
to turn, turn, will be our delight
till by turning, turning we come round right.
Rev. Julie Platson
St Peter’s by the Sea Episcopal Church
Sitka, Alaska