17 Pentecost/Year B
Sept 19, 2021
James 3:13-4:3, 7-8a; Psalm 54; Mark 9:30-37
Let me begin this morning, by telling you how grateful I am to be spending this time together in worship with all of you…
I look forward to this time together each week, for so many different reasons…but mostly, I look forward to this time together…whether it’s in person in the church building…or on zoom and by telephone…because it’s a time to focus on our relationship with God, and with one another… It gives us an opportunity to re-focus, re-member, and re-center our lives…on what matters most…the Love of God, for the people of God…the beloved children of God, of all ages, races, cultures, and walks of life…and most importantly, in this time together in the church, each week, we are reminded of our call to love one another, as we have been so loved by God…
When we gather each week for church, it is time well-spent, by offering us the physical space and the heart space, to be encouraged and strengthened through the Word of God, through the prayers of the people, and in the breaking of bread together. And, in our time drawing nearer to God and one another, we are reminded of the gifts of God, for the people of God, gifts that are meant to be shared. So, it is with the good news proclaimed in our time together, that we are encouraged and equipped with strength and courage, and sent out into the world at the end our worship time together each week, to be the church, to be disciples of Christ, in following Jesus, in the way of love…to go out into our communities, promoting healing, justice, love and peace…
Our time gathered together in the church each week, is time well-spent. I think most of us, can agree on that.
The biggest challenge comes once we leave the comfort of that space on Sunday morning…to be the church in the world…especially in a time such as this, with the ongoing challenges associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, the numerous sufferings and loss of lives, worldwide, due to this particular virus, the ongoing grief that many are experiencing…not only grief associated with the pandemic, but the other losses due to fires, floods, earthquakes, and violence perpetrated in too many ways to count.
And in the mix of all that, there are those persons already undergoing daily struggles with food insecurity, unemployment, and still others struggling with mental health issues, cancer treatments, and other chronic illnesses, that were part of everyday life, long before the COVID-19 pandemic came along.
We are all tired…and we don’t always treat each other with the love and kindness that we ought to. We don’t always act in ways towards one another, that aligns with being the church in the world. What can we do, when we are all so wearied by all the changes and chances of this life?
One thing we can always do, is to just stop for a moment to pray… take a few deep breaths, any time of day, and often throughout the day and evening, knowing that God is present, Jesus is ready to listen, and the spirit is always ready to comfort. Time spent in prayer is always time well-spent.
Now, let’s take a look at what Jesus has to say about the challenges of being the church in a world when all are wearied and have lost sight of what really matters…and, as a result, get entangled in divisive conflicts and disputes with one another…
When the disciples are not sure what to make of all Jesus’ talk about the Son of Man being betrayed into human hands, being killed, and rising to life three days later, we are told they didn’t understand, and they didn’t ask any questions either. I imagine they were tired, wearied, confused…thinking that following Jesus was going to be an easy path that would lead them to places of honor and prestige and positions of power in Jesus’ circle of friends…and now here is talking to them about their need to give up their quest for greatness in their minds and in the eyes of society, after he overhears them arguing with one another about who is the greatest…Jesus bursts their bubble of self-assurance of their greatness, and tells them that, “Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all.”
What Jesus does and says next…is the key to helping us re-focus, remember, and re-center ourselves around what truly matters…
Jesus’ message becomes clear when he places a child among them…to remind them of what is important…actually, not what…but who…a little child...a beloved child of God…
Jesus took a little child and put him among them; and taking him in his arms, he said to them, “Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me.”
I love that image of Jesus, placing the young child in their midst…one who was typically thought to have no power, worth, or usefulness in society, and perhaps was often brushed aside. Jesus’ message to them/and us…is to stop, stop arguing with one another in your weariness, let go of the earthly anxieties that steal your joy, turn your eyes over here, look at the love of God, found in the face of this child, focus your time and attention on this child, this vulnerable human being…The young children need our love and our time and our compassion…yet they will be the ones who will teach us about the wisdom from above that is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, they will be the ones to remind us of what and who matters in this life…they will be the one to remind us, of our call to love one another…so, spend your time there, focus your love and commitment there, on this beloved child of God…
Time spent welcoming a child into the family of God…is time well-spent…That’s what being the church in the world looks like…it begins with seeing everyone as a beloved child of God…
If you’ve had a chance to read the letter I sent out this weekend, to let you know about the start of our fall pledge campaign, you might recall, that the focus of my letter was on the gift of time… and highlighted the ways you give to the church, by sharing your gift of time, in the various ministries in the church and in the community. In the letter, I shared an excerpt from the Little Prince, in which Saint-Exupéry says of the Prince’s tending of his beloved rose, “It is the time you have spent on your rose, that makes your rose so important.” Our church is that rose, tended gently and blessed abundantly by the effort, love, prayer, and time you give to us.
I also say to you, this morning…that children, are that rose…they help us to re-focus, re-member and re-center our lives around what matters most in this world…. the Love of God, for the people of God…the beloved children of God, of all ages, races, cultures, and walks of life…And the church, the people of God, are called to love them, care for them, nurture them, pray for them, and teach them about the love, and peace, and hope and joy, found in walking the way of love in this world with God, with one another, and with all of creation.
In just a short while, (at the 10am service), we will welcome a baby boy into the household of God. Thanks be to God for this joyous occasion to celebrate the baptism of a young child in our midst today.
Rev Julie Platson, St Peter’s by the Sea Episcopal Church, Sitka, AK
Hymn after the sermon: Lord of all hopefulness (H) 482