18 Pentecost/Year B
Sept 26, 2021
James 5:13-20; Psalm 19:7-14; Mark 9:38-50
Let me begin this morning by asking you to do a quick check-in with yourself about your own well-being…How are you doing this morning? Feeling well-rested or feeling tired? Feeling assured that all will be well or feeling worried and anxious? Feeling hopeful or feeling discouraged? Feeling grateful or feeling a bit disgruntled? Feeling joyful or feeling a little sorrowful?
I wonder if you are like me, at times…when I don’t always have one clear answer to those “either/or” questions… Sometimes, a mix of those feelings can come up in the span of minutes and by the hour…They can change quite often throughout the day, depending on what kind of conversation I’m engaged in, or what I’m reading online in the daily news, or who I’m talking with…or what I’m observing or listening to, in the variety of settings I find myself in…and most especially, I know that the fluctuation of my feelings, is influenced by how faithful I’ve been to setting aside time for prayer, throughout the day…
It can feel pretty unsettling, at times…to live in such a time as this…The toll of this lengthy time of the covid-19 pandemic is having an impact on all of our lives…it’s affecting our spiritual lives, our physical health, and our mental health…all of us…no-one is being spared from the ripple effects of this pandemic…
We can see evident signs of the toll it is taking, in the ways we are interacting with each other in the public square, in the ways we are reacting to what’s going on in our own lives in regards to what is within our control, or the realization of what has never really been within our control…On some days, time seems to be dragging on…on other days, we wake up, and wonder…how could another week have gone by…how can it be that another month has already gone by…Has it really been over 18 months, since the pandemic hit close to home here in Sitka? When, we often lament, will this time of the pandemic and all the suffering associated with it, ever come to an end?
So many questions, at times, with so few answers, it seems, at times… …and the disorientation that we sometimes feel with not always having clear yes or no answers, or being able to make a clear choice between this or that or “either/or”…leaves us wondering…what can we even do?
Well, last week, I shared that there is always one thing we can do…
And that 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 Holy Spirit is always ready to comfort.
Prayer, whether it’s in silence, reading the scriptures, listen to music, or taking a walk outside, is always something we can “do”. Time spent in prayer is always time well-spent. It helps us to grow in our understanding of God’s ways, and in our relationship with God; it helps us to better align our desires and longings with God’s vision of what is possible; and it helps us to discern what other things we can “do” to love and support one another…in becoming the beloved community that God created us to be.
It’s a simple beginning…something we can always do…but it’s often the one area of our lives that we easily push aside, and try to cut corners, and just jump on to “do the next thing”.
In our reading from James today, we see that the decision on whether to take the time to pray, or to jump straight to the action is not an either/or decision we are called to make each day…It’s always a balance of both…Taking time for prayer equips us, encourages us, and can lead us to faithfully respond in our actions: to reach out to one another with love, to pray for one another, to confess our sins to one another and forgive one another, so that all of us, the people of God of all ages, races, cultures, and walks of life, working together and walking together, will discover that it is the love of God, and our love for one another, that will bring healing and hope and joy into all our lives, once again, and it will be this love, that we can trust, will carry us safely through to the end of these pandemic times…
Listen again to what we just heard in our reading from James this morning…
Are any among you suffering? They should pray. Are any cheerful? They should sing songs of praise. Are any among you sick? They should call for the elders of the church and have them pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord.
The prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise them up; and anyone who has committed sins will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective.
Now, more than ever, we need the collective prayers of our faith to help guide us and lead us all to engage in some very simple, life-affirming actions, to encourage one another and support one another, and re-ignite hope and joy for one another, and in our shared lives in this community…and beyond…
I commend to you, once again, a list of 20 simple actions to choose from that came out of our 2020 diocesan convention last year…
20 ways to be United in Christ, in the interest of others
1. make a phone call to someone
2. contribute to local food banks
3. pray for one another
4. Take a walk with a friend
5. write a prayer note to a church or fellow church member
6. March for equality
7. Vote!
8. Drop off a meal for a friend
9. connect with church members
10. Visit outside with an elder
11. Wear a mask
12. wash your hands
13. Write a thank you note to the medical community
14. sharing our harvest
15. Be patient and kind with one another
16. Sing with a friend (from a distance)
17. clean up trash
18. invite a friend to church
19.Reject cruelty and divisiveness
20. Embrace empathy and diversity
And there’s one more to add to the list this year…that wasn’t an option for us last October… yet, it’s probably one of the most important actions today that will help us all move out of these pandemic times…and will help us lessen the suffering and burden on those who become ill with the covid-19 virus, and will help us lessen the suffering and burden on those on the front lines of our health care systems who are working tirelessly to care for the sick and dying…
21. Get Vaccinated. And encourage others to do the same.
Let us pray: Hear our prayer, O Lord, hear our prayer, O Lord;
Incline thine ear to us, and grant us thy peace. Amen.
Rev Julie Platson, St Peter’s by the Sea Episcopal Church, Sitka, AK
Hymn after the sermon: Hear Our Prayer, O Lord (LEVS II) 249