14 Pentecost/Year C/Sept 11, 2022
Collect of the Day:
O God, because without you we are not able to please you, mercifully grant that your Holy Spirit may in all things direct and rule our hearts; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
13 Pentecost/Year C
September 4, 2022
Deuteronomy 30:15-20
Psalm 1
Philemon 1-21
Luke 14:25-33
Opening prayer: Loving God, as we come before you this morning, give us open hearts and open hands. Make us eager to hear your voice and seek your guidance. Open our minds to your ever-present spirit that is always moving within and around us. Open our spirits to your nudging and open our lives to your love. Amen
~ posted on The Minor Keys. theminorkeys.blogspot.ca
Sometimes Jesus’ words come off sounding quite beautiful and lovely…nudging us gently to follow him….Other times…not so gentle and beautiful sounding…But, straightforward, and with a sense of urgency…that calls us to a moment of decision, Are you ready to go “all in” as a follower and disciple of Christ?
In today’s gospel reading…Jesus is not nudging anyone gently to consider following him… His words today, go straight to the heart…and leave no room really…to negotiate what it means to become a follower and disciple of Christ… the moment is now, Jesus seems to be saying…will you follow me or not?
Jesus gives us some difficult words to wrestle with when making that decision to become followers and disciples of Christ: "Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. …none of you can become my disciple if you do not give up all your possessions."
These words are difficult to hear, hard to make sense of, for sure…they sound divisive, they seem to go against the teachings and commandments to love one another….But, perhaps what he’s really trying to get across to his listeners…is that following him…requires an “all in” decision, it takes an ongoing commitment to following him in the way of love that he has taught us, it involves some sacrifices, for the well-being of others, it requires us to focus FIRST on following him…wherever he is leading us and calling us to go…
And one of those places we are called to go, as a follower of Christ…is to follow him all the way to the cross…and stay there with him for a time, face the hard stuff, give up some of the stuff that gets in the way of our relationship with God, and one another, confess our sins, acknowledge his death, acknowledge the death and losses in our own lives, be there in the quiet and unknowing of what’s next…yet, trusting and believing, that we are never alone…and we are never without hope, in what is yet to come…
We can trust in the good news that is embedded in the midst of Jesus’ difficult words and teachings today…because as we have the benefit of knowing now…death does not have the final say…because we believe that Jesus did rise to life again on the third day, after his death on the cross…so that all of us…could also be transformed into new life with him…So, that all of us, with Jesus, can be filled with hope; And with the dawn of a new day, every day, we can choose life…for ourselves, for our neighbors, and for all who will live on in this world, after us…
Following Jesus is hard...it’s a difficult decision to go “all in”…but, in considering the cost and the value of all of God’s beloved children, striving to love one another as Christ has loved us and taught us, every step with Jesus, and with our siblings all over the world, is so worth it…
I’m going to conclude my sermon time this morning, with Bishop Mark’s reflection that was posted in this Friday’s Diocesan E-news …and it’s a call to a moment of decision for all of us…
A "Call" For Discipleship – Bishop Mark Lattime – Sept 2, 2022
A nationwide poll commissioned by the Episcopal Church in 2021-22 revealed that 84% of all Americans (religious and non-religious combined) believe Jesus to be an important spiritual figure. In other words, most Americans see something positive and important in Jesus. Even more interesting, 50% of non-religious respondents identified Jesus as an important spiritual figure. In other words, there are a significant number of people who are non-religious and, therefore, not part of our churches, who are interested in or think positively about Jesus as a spiritual figure.
Jesus didn’t need survey data to know it, but this data shows that the harvest is plentiful.
The same survey revealed that Christians overwhelmingly described themselves as being: Giving (57%); Compassionate (56%); Loving (55%); and Respectful (50%). However, Non-Religious and Other Religious respondents described Christians as: Hypocritical (55%); Judgmental (54%); and Self-righteous (50%). One might interpret this data to imply that Christians, or their reputation, might be a barrier to people growing in relationship with Jesus. People are positive about Jesus, but not so positive about Christians.
So, while the harvest is plentiful, it might be that the “laborers”, are not only few, but need to change the way they work.
How we labor—how we live the faith we proclaim, is all about discipleship.
Despite all the worries and losses that we have experienced over the pandemic, now is not the time for us--for Christians, to focus on all that has been lost or changed in our congregations. Nor is it time, given our exhaustion, to fret about how we are going to restore our churches to the good old days. Instead, now is the time to focus on discipleship, trusting that the Holy Spirit’s power will renew the church. Now is the time for each of us, the whole church, to recommit to the purpose of living a “Jesus-shaped life;” to making disciples who live the faith and hope of Jesus in such a way that they become an invitation to a life that is consistent with His way of love. Though it is easy to get stuck wondering how we are going to get more people in our pews or how we are going to save our church from dying, we would be better off asking: How can we become better disciples? How can we better do the things Jesus tells us to do? How can we better tell and share our love and hope in Jesus?”
These are questions that call us to discipleship and to mission—God’s Mission.
I call the Diocese of Alaska to be renewed in your work of discipleship. Turn your fears, worries, and exhaustion over to Jesus. Pray that the Holy Spirit will renew our communities. Let each of us, instead, focus on discipleship: being strengthened in our faith by the one who calls us by name, offers us refreshment and renewal, healing and hope, and shows us how to walk the way of love in this world, the one in whom all hope found, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Rev Julie Platson
St Peter’s by the Sea Episcopal Church, Sitka, AK
Hymn at the conclusion of sermon: (LEVS) 144 Where He Leads Me
1 I can hear my Savior calling,
"Take thy cross and follow, follow me."
Refrain Where He leads me I will follow,(x3)
I'll go with Him, with Him all the way.
2 I'll go with Him through the garden, (x3)
I'll go with Him, with Him all the way. Refrain
3 I'll go with Him through the judgement, (x3)
I'll go with Him, with Him all the way. Refrain
4 He will give me grace and glory, (x3)
And go with me, with me all the way. Refrain
12 Pentecost/Year C
August 28, 2022
Proverbs 25:6-7; Psalm 112; Luke 14:1, 7-14
I think most of you know that I’ve had a very busy summer travel season, and I will have some other travels coming up every month through November…It feels like I’ve done more travel in these few summer months than I’ve done in the past 7 1/2 years I’ve lived in Sitka.…Apparently Alaska Airlines thinks I have too… because I got the Alaska Airlines notification yesterday that I finally reached the MVP status for the number of air miles flown… I’ve been traveling for family funerals and weddings, and travel for diocesan church-related meetings…
A few things came to mind, when reflecting on this week’s gospel reading, during my last set of travels – for my son’s wedding last week in Michigan…and my church meeting in Fairbanks…
In today’s gospel reading, Jesus tells another parable…this time the setting is at a wedding banquet…Just before he tells this parable, he is answering a question, AGAIN, about whether its lawful to heal someone on the sabbath…
Jesus had observed the guests trying to get to the best seats, the places of honor at the wedding banquet…but Jesus, being Jesus, liked to challenge people to re-think what they were doing…were they really loving God and their neighbor, and following the commandments or were they just trying to earn some special favor with God, and with those who were present, by associating themselves with those who might be able to return a special favor to them? Or perhaps they were hoping if they were in the place of honor, they would feel important and worthy in God’s eyes…and others’ eyes? Maybe God would see them in all the imperfections, yet still love them…Jesus reminds them, that in God’s kingdom, at God’s banquet…all are invited, and all are welcome…there’s no need to fight and scramble for the best seat …Because at God’ banquet…the tables are turned upside down…the seating arrangement is all changed up…to make room for everyone…there’s plenty to share with everyone…so it’s best, he tells them… to go and sit at the lower place, when they are invited to the wedding banquet…so that when the host comes…they may be invited to move up…and be honored in the presence of ALL who sit at the table together…Jesus passes on a few more words of wisdom to help them understand this…“For all who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted.”
At my son’s wedding this past week, being the mother of the groom, Loyd and I had some “special” assigned seats…near the bride and the groom…What was really wonderful, though, that we noticed in the seating arrangements that night…was that at every table…there were two seats that were not assigned to anyone…I didn’t have a chance to ask…but I thought maybe it left open the option for the bride and groom, to come sit down and visit with others throughout the night...or maybe it was just an invitation for anyone to go sit down at another table to visit with others they knew or didn’t know yet…
I wonder what it would be like…to set aside two spaces at our own tables: a place for God and a place for our neighbor…Would it help us to be more mindful of God’s presence? Would it remind us of our call to invite and welcome others to join us at the table? To be mindful of other’s needs in our community – those who are often overlooked? Would we be reminded, that we are always worthy in God’s eyes, and that we don’t have to do anything more to earn our place at the table…other than to come, just as we are…knowing that we are welcome and loved, and then go out and invite our neighbors to join us…get to know them, let them see that they too, that they are worthy and loved by God, too…instead of us scrambling to see who can be first, or can sit in the best spot…there’s more than enough to go around, in the family of God…there’s plenty to share with each other…
In God’s kingdom…at the banquet table…when all are invited, and come to the banquet, and are seen as beloved in God’s eyes, and in the eyes of all of us, who gather together at the table…that’s where healing happens…that’s where the transformation of lives happens…that’s where we all come to know in our hearts and in our lives…that we belong to God, and each other…that we all have a home with God and one another...and where we know that the feast at the wedding banquet is set for all of us…to enjoy life in the light of God’s glorious splendor and abundance for us, and for all of creation…
Rev Julie Platson
St Peter’s by the Sea Episcopal Church
Sitka, AK
Hymn after sermon: (VF 93) - God, creator, souce of healing
God, creator, source of healing
here we pray for wholeness and health.
Guide our work, our thoughts, and feeling,
guide the sharing of our wealth.
Give discernment in our decisions
give compassion in our care;
reconcile our strife and divisions
as we search for means to share.
Jesus, known to friend and seeker
exercising healer’s art,
may the strong support the weaker
showing love with head and heart;
give fresh energy and purpose
when unreasoning blocks your grace,
spare us harm, in danger alert us,
show the radiance of your face.
Holy Spirit, bring us wholeness,
come with your transforming love;
give us freedom, hope and boldness,
raise our eyes to see from above;
shape our systems, institutions,
clarify our blinded sight,
as we seek God-given solutions,
help us greet the just and right.
Trinity of awe and wonder
yours the glory, yours the praise.
Strike our binding chains asunder,
liberate our cramping ways.
May our lives reflect your splendour,
in abundance Lord we ask.
God, our guide and our befriender,
give new meaning to our task.
10 Pentecost/Year C – August 14, 2022
Jeremiah 23:23-29; Psalm 82; Luke 12:49-56
Let us pray: (L) 115– Spirit of the Living God – Sequence hymn
Spirit of the Living God, fall fresh on me,
Spirit of the Living God, fall fresh on me.
Melt me, mold me, fill me, use me.
Spirit of the Living God, fall fresh on me. Amen.
Spirit of the living God, fall fresh on me…
Oh, how we need to hear the words over and over again…especially on days like today, when we’ve just listened to some difficult texts...and are left scratching our heads with this image of Jesus, that some might interpret as him unleashing his frustration and anger towards those he was gathered with at the time…He had been speaking to his disciples….yet Peter asked an important question in Luke 12:41…in a follow up verse from last week’s teaching... Peter said, “Lord, are you telling this parable for us or for everyone?”
I think it is safe to say, that the parable Jesus just shared with them in last week’s gospel, and any teaching of Jesus’ we bear witness to…is not only for his disciples that were there at the time…but indeed, for everyone…and most especially for all of us here today in the year 2022…who are constantly striving to make sense of this world we live in…and who long to understand through the teachings of Jesus…just what God is desiring for his people now…and how can it be – that God is alive and in the world right now…seeking to transform our world from the nightmare it appears to be at times, into God’s dream for his people and all of creation…(as Presiding Bishop Michael Curry often reminds us…)
In today’s gospel reading…I hear in Jesus’ voice…frustration and anger…but I mostly hear passion, heartache and compassion for those around him...who continue to fail to see the urgency of the mission that is right in front of them…to Love Him …Listen to Him…Seek a relationship with Him…Trust Him and Follow Him…
Follow Him and Serve Him in the way of love, by loving and serving Him through the loving relationships we seek to build with others we share this earthy home with…Strive to follow Him in a way of life that proclaims to others, through our words and actions, the saving power of God’s love to heal and transform our world today… from the nightmare it appears to be at times, into God’s dream for his people and all of creation…
Jesus often reminds us… that joining him in the movement, in the way of love he is advocating for, is almost always going to ruffle some feathers, is often going to cause some division among those who don’t want to change anything, to give up what they have, what they already know…It’s often difficult for some folks to trust in a new discovery or a new way forward just yet…so that’s the beauty of remembering that we don’t need to do any of this alone…that’s what community centered around the love of God made known to us in Jesus can be for…as messy and chaotic at times it may be…it is our only hope…to embark on this journey together, listening to one another, helping each other and encouraging each other along the way…to see the vision of God’s dream coming to fruition day by day…
We are not quite post-pandemic yet…although some may say we are…but we are on our way…this is one area of our life together, in the present time...that has been causing some deep division…that has caused a lot of despair, as we have lost many people we have loved, we have had to give up some of our old ways of doing church together, school, work, entertainment together…many of our “usual ways” of doing things have been turned upside down…everything seems to have been in a mode of constant change…But, as we reflect back, and look to the present time right now… we can see where God has surely been a living presence in this place…helping us to find new ways to love one another, care for one another, do church, school, work and other things together in ways we had never imagined…
That’s the urgency of the message that Jesus seeks to impart in our lives every day… Jesus is very much alive today…if only we can open our minds and hearts and be present to what the Spirit is revealing to us today…in worship, in prayer, in our music, in silence, in our relationships with one another, outside walking among creation…and then go…go out and live our lives as witness to this good news…Jesus is passionate about wanting us to see that God has not abandoned us…that God is showing up in all the places we thought were dead and without a chance for newness of life…
Through our belief in Jesus’ resurrection from the dead, we believe that our hope is in following Jesus, in this way of love… in a way of life that proclaims to others, through our words and actions, the saving power of God’s love to heal and transform our world today… from the nightmare it appears to be at times, into God’s dream for his people and all of creation…
I would like to close this morning, with some words offered by the Presiding Bishop Michael Curry back in 2013…about God’s dream…
(God has a dream. God has a dream, a vision, plan, a sublime divine purpose for this world. God has a dream for his creation, a dream for every man, woman, and child whoever walked upon the face of the earth, and God will not rest until our nightmare is ended and God's dream is realized. That's what Jesus is all about. That's what he came to show us. He came to show us the way to live God's dream instead of our nightmare. He came to show us the way to be truly and authentically and genuinely human as God intended and created us. He came to show us how to become more than simply an individual collection of self-interests. He came to show us how to become the human family of God.
And when the world is lived like that, when our lives are lived like that, then children don't go to bed hungry. When the world is lived more in accord with God's dream, God's vision for life, then we will find ways to lay down our swords and shields down by the riverside to study war no more.
Oh, God has a dream. And God will not rest until God's dream is accomplished, and miraculously God will not do it without us.
I believe it was St. Augustine of Hippo--but I've heard Desmond Tutu say it--that with respect to God's work:
By himself, God won't.
By ourselves, we can't.
But together with God, we can.
We can.
God has a dream! And he has called us to help him realize that dream for every man, woman, and child who walks upon the face of the earth.)
Let us pray:
In this present time…May our hope and our prayers be rooted in the vision and Dream of God…Let us pray for the spirit of the Living God to fall fresh upon us, to revive us, and remind us that we serve a Risen Savior, who’s in the world today…
He lives, He lives, Christ Jesus lives today!
He walks with me and talks with me along life’s narrow way.
He lives, He lives, salvation to impart!
You ask me how I know He lives?
He lives within my heart.
Re Julie Platson
St Peter’s by the Sea Episcopal Church
Sitka, AK
Hymn after sermon: (L) 42 – He Lives!
I serve a risen Savior, He’s in the world today;
I know that He is living, whatever others say;
I see His hand of mercy, I hear His voice of cheer,
And just the time I need Him He’s always near.
He lives, He lives, Christ Jesus lives today!
He walks with me and talks with me
along life’s narrow way.
He lives, He lives, salvation to impart!
You ask me how I know He lives?
He lives within my heart.
In all the world around me I see His loving care,
And though my heart grows weary I never will despair;
I know that He is leading through all the stormy blast,
The day of His appearing will come at last.
Refrain
Rejoice, rejoice. O Christian, lift up your voice and sing.
Eternal hallelujahs to Jesus Christ, the King!
The hope of all who seek Him, the help of all who find,
None other is so loving, so good and kind.
Refrain
9 Pentecost/Year C
August 7, 2022
Genesis 15:1-6; Psalm 33:12-22; Luke 12:32-40
Do not be afraid…our old testament reading and our gospel reading began with those words today…
But they weren’t just stand alone words…they were followed up with words of hope and assurance…of a God who wants only the best for his people, a God who invites them and us…to look all around us…to see that indeed, right there in the midst of our worries, our fears, our uncertainties, God has always been here…God is here now…and God will be with us all in the long journey ahead….
Those of you who have been worshipping with us over zoom, and here in the church since the COVID pandemic began a couple of years ago…might recognize those words or the similar words that I began using right at the start of the pandemic…and continue to use…as a daily mantra…and touchstone…to remind me and us from time to time, to “keep the faith”….to not be afraid….because even as the world around us is constantly changing, and we are faced with new worries and concerns every day, and when we feel like we’ve lost our way at times…and don’t know where the road ahead will lead us…God is with us...we can put all of our trust and belief in that good news…all of our Hope in the One who journeys with us, leading us on the roads of life where faith is found…
In our Genesis reading today…Abram was lamenting that he continued to be childless, and that he has been given no offspring of his own, …Then the word of the Lord came to him …and He brought him outside and said, "Look toward heaven and count the stars, if you are able to count them." Then he said to him, "So shall your descendants be." And he believed the Lord…
In our gospel reading today…Jesus seeks to comfort the disciples and re-direct the disciple’s attention and focus from the things of this world that trouble them, to focus their hearts and minds on believing that God has their back…that God can be trusted with all their concerns, their worries…because all God ever wants is to show them and us, just how loved we are…just how meaningful and purposeful our lives together can be… when we seek first the kingdom of heaven, the unfailing treasures of heaven, where nothing can destroy the love that binds us together and unites us as the family of God…no worries, no fears, not even death, nothing can separate us from the love of God made known to us in Jesus…
And today’s words of wisdom from Jesus are words of encouragement and guidance about being attentive…paying attention…being ready…for God to show up again and again, in the most unexpected times and places…especially in those times when we are faced with daily changes, when we are faced with worries and concerns, and when we feel like we’ve lost our way at times…and don’t know where the road ahead will lead us…
Look to the heavens, and count the stars…see that God is here…look to your loved ones who have gone on before us…remember their stories…their legacies of their faith journeys that remind us and help us to “keep the faith”… see that God is here…look to your neighbor, those you know well, and those you have a hard time understanding… see that God is here…. listen to the joy and the hope proclaimed in the music we hear, in the scriptures we read, in the prayers we lift up, in all the laughter and the stories of the everyday lives of people all around us… see that God is here…
Do not be afraid…
God has always been here…God is here now…and God will be with us all in the long journey ahead….
We can put all of our trust and belief in that good news…all of our Hope in the One who journeys with us, leading us on the roads of life where faith is found…
Let us pray now, in the words from a hymn entitled “bless now”, written by Sylvia Dunstan…a prayer inviting God to bless now our faith journeys…
Hymn after sermon: Bless now (142 Voices found)
Sylvia G. Dunstan (1955-1993)
Bless now, O God, the journey that all your people make,
the path through noise and silence, the way of give and take.
The trail is found in desert and winds the mountain round,
then leads beside still waters, the road where faith is found.
Bless sojourners and pilgrims who share this winding way,
whose hope burns through the terrors, whose love sustains the day.
We yearn for holy freedom while often we are bound.
Together we are seeking the road where faith is found.
Divine Eternal Lover, You meet us on the road.
We wait for land of promise where milk and honey flow.
But waiting not for places, You meet us all around.
Our covenant is written on roads, as faith is found. (Amen)
Rev Julie Platson
St Peter’s by the Sea Episcopal Church
Sitka, Alaska
8 Pentecost/Year C
July 31, 2022
Ecclesiastes 1:2, 12-14; 2:18-23; Psalm 49:1-11; Luke 12:13-21
It’s been a whirlwind few weeks/months here at St Peter’s and in Sitka…The frenzy of the world coming alive here in Sitka began in the spring season, as it usually does… but this year…it’s been even more evident…after a quieter couple of years because of the COVID pandemic…
This year’s spring has paved a way for an extremely busy summer season here in Sitka, and everywhere…visitors are arriving by the thousands; summer camps, music festivals, and other programs are up and running and welcoming full audiences…People are out on the water, and out on the trails…taking advantage of all the gifts the summer season has to offer us…
And this summer, not only for us here at St Peter’s, families and friends are coming together again to celebrate the lives of their loved ones who have died in the past couple of years, but were unable to hold services near the time of their transition from this world to the next…
We’ve had several services here since May…and as you may have heard me mention before…I love getting together to celebrate the lives of those we have loved and lost…
A few of the reasons: For one…it reminds us to stop, and be present to the people around us…another reason…we learn so many valuable lessons about love, life and work; and what’s most important to remember about this precious life we are given…through the wonderful stories shared about their loved ones at the services…
Their stories often remind us, that all the toil and work under the sun, and the storing up of treasures for themselves and in this world…is not what has made their lives meaningful and purposeful…It’s not about building bigger barns to store up all their worldly goods…
Their stories often remind us that it was their time with God in the quiet moments of stillness and prayer, their faith and hope centered on the One, we know as Jesus, who guided them throughout their lives, in a way of love that helped them to see that it was their faith and trust in a loving God, and the relationships they built and treasured with family and friends and those in their communities…is what mattered most of all…
Their lives have been a witness to us, to enjoy and treasure the gift of Sabbath time…to regularly set aside time in silence with God… to help us connect and focus on what matters most in this precious life we are given…loving God, and one another…
I invite you now to pause with me for a few moments of quiet reflection as I share a story with you…about silence…
Read: Silence, by Jerome W Berryman, illustrated by Lois Kilberg
Rev Julie Platson
St Peter’s by the Sea Episcopal Church, Sitka, AK
Hymn after the story: Still, still with thee - Harriet Beecher Stowe (1812-1896)
Still, still with thee, when purple morning breaketh,
when the bird waketh, and the shadows flee;
fairer than morning, lovelier than the daylight,
dawns the sweet consciousness, I am with thee.
Alone with thee, amid the mystic shadows,
the solemn hush of nature newly born;
alone with thee in breathless adoration,
in the calm dew and freshness of the morn.
When sinks the soul, subdued by toil, to slumber,
its closing eye looks up to thee in prayer;
sweet the repose beneath thy wings over shading,
but sweeter still to wake and find thee there.
So shall it be at last, in that bright morning,
when the soul waketh, and life’s shadows flee;
O in that hour, fairer than daylight dawning,
shall rise the glorious thought, I am with thee.
6 Pentecost/Year C
July 17, 2022
Genesis 18:1-10a; Psalm 15; Luke 10:38-42
Opening prayer: (Hymn 508 – vs 1)
Breathe on me, Breath of God,
fill me with life anew,
that I may love what thou dost love,
and do what thou wouldst do. Amen
Our gospel reading for today is another familiar one to most of us…the summer lectionary seems to fit right in with the other familiar highlights of the summer season…vacations, summer camps, a time to slow down a bit, change gears and travel…especially travel….and for Sitka…a season for welcoming lots of visitors and guests…who have often travelled long distances to come and see and learn about our way of life here…
So, even though, some are enjoying a little bit more quiet, relaxation, and change of pace for the summer…there are many who are busy behind the scenes...making sure everything is ready to welcome the visitors into our midst…here in the church, in our homes, or in our community…and there are many who are busy welcoming our visitors, right on the scene…and pulling out all the stops to be sure the visitors and guests are treated with the upmost hospitality and welcome…
We all know how stressful preparing for visitors and guests can be…
We know, like Martha in the gospel reading today…that it’s not too difficult to become worried and distracted by many things…especially these days….
I thought a lot about this on my recent trip to Baltimore, for the 80th General Convention of the Episcopal Church…
I thought about all those who are steeped in the business of hospitality and welcoming others…
I thought about all the work that went into planning and changing and re-vising the plans for all to gather safely in Baltimore for the general convention….I thought about all the Episcopal Church staff and volunteers; and the convention center staff, who welcomed us…over a thousand of us, with open arms, and patience, every day we gathered together to discuss and discern and take care of the business of the church that needed to be completed in those four days….
I thought about the airline industry and other modes of transportation that were available to us…I thought about all those who work in the hotels we stayed at…those in the restaurants and coffee shops…those who welcomed us and shared their knowledge with us at the aquariums, the museums, and the other places that have made the city of Baltimore, a home to many…for generations…I thought about those who had family members waiting for them to return home from work…I thought about those who live alone…
And as I thought about these things, and how grateful I am for all of this…I needed to step back a moment…to ask myself – how hospitable and welcoming was I with those who were giving of themselves…so I could be fully welcomed and receive the fruits of their labors, for my comfort and my nourishment and my enjoyment?
Was I distracted by many worries and anxieties…focused on my needs only…trying to hurry things along…so I could get on to the next thing…was I distracted with judgment of how they were doing or not doing their job? Was I getting irritated by things, that were out of my control, or never mine to control in the first place?
Indeed, I was, at times…and I recognize in myself…that it all comes down to trying to short-change my time of sitting at the feet of Jesus, in devotion and prayer…and in a time of “Holy listening”…as Jesus and Mary modeled for us, in today’s gospel reading…An example to us, that reminds us of our need to return to a time of prayer, and quiet with God…often and regularly…to enable us, strengthen us, guide us, and equip us…to love, serve and welcome one another…as Jesus has loved, served and welcomed us…
If we don’t take this time to stop, be still, and pray…we are sometimes acting and reacting to all that happens in our lives…from a place of emptiness, a place with no purpose or direction….a place of no self-care, a place where love of our neighbors, respect for the dignity of every human being, and gratitude for the toil and work and hospitality of our neighbors, near and far…is not rooted in our hearts and our minds by the love of God, made known to us through Jesus, and by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
In today’s gospel reading…some get tripped up with today’s story about Martha and Mary, thinking that it’s about making a choice of right or wrong, or Mary or Martha, and who we should follow…
Maybe Jesus is suggesting, in today’s reading…that it’s really not one or the other…but both… the need to focus on Him, serving and welcoming him, as we sit at his feet, and learn from him…And a need to focus on Him as we serve and welcome others, in the actions and tasks we are called to…
No matter what we do…we can strive to put aside all the distractions and worries and focus on the need of only one thing…to focus first on Jesus…the better part…focus first on Loving Jesus, welcoming Jesus, serving Jesus….Seek and serve Christ in all persons, as one of our baptismal vows calls us to do…
In the people we meet each day… whether in Sitka, Seattle, London, Italy, Baltimore, and in all the places each of us will welcome travelers or travel ourselves in the days ahead…let us strive to be a people whose radical welcome and hospitality towards others, is rooted in the love of God, made known to us through our “Holy listening” time with Jesus, and by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit…
Perhaps, that’s where healing and reconciliation for the entire human family and all of creation can begin…when we make room for “Holy Listening” with God, and one another…
Let us pray/music: (Hymn 508 – vs 1)
St. Andrew's Episcopal Church, Ann Arbor - recording of full hymn
Breathe on me, Breath of God,
fill me with life anew,
that I may love what thou dost love,
and do what thou wouldst do.
Rev Julie Platson
St Peter’s by the Sea Episcopal Church
Sitka, Alaska
5th Sunday after Pentecost/Year C
Deuteronomy 30:9-14; Psalm 25:1-9; Luke 10:25-37
Collect of the Day: O Lord, mercifully receive the prayers of your people who call upon you, and grant that they may know and understand what things they ought to do, and also may have grace and power faithfully to accomplish them; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
4 Pentecost/Year C - 7/3/22
Isaiah 66:10-14; Psalm 66:1-8; Luke 10:1-11, 16-20
I always enjoy exploring the scriptures and reflections by other faith leaders and teachers and lay persons on the upcoming gospels each week…It’s wonderful to see and hear what parts of the stories they highlight and write about…It’s particularly a helpful practice for me each week, especially when the gospel reading is one of the more familiar ones…and I wonder what new revelations will come up this time around…
In the Episcopal tradition, we believe that the scriptures are the living Word of God…which means every time we read them and meditate on them, the Holy Spirit is always at work in us, helping us to discern and understand God’s Word and message for us today…
And the scriptures are most often brought to life and understanding even more, when we meditate and reflect on the scriptures, gathered in community, as we are today, and in conversations with others…
So, sometimes there is just a subtle shift, when the Spirit nudges me gently to go deeper on a particular scripture verse…other times, the Holy Spirit reveals something completely different than I have ever considered before…
This week was one of those times…The Holy Spirit, through the words of another preacher, shed a new, bright and delightful light on a section of today’s gospel reading…more generally, around the word “Peace”…
Preacher girl Kate, as she goes by on her website, is an Episcopal priest and blogger who writes a daily reflection on the upcoming gospels for the week…This past week she wrote one called “Boomerang Peace”….
She writes: I tend to think of peace as a static thing; I associate it with stillness, stability, rootedness. The way Jesus describes peace, though, it is dynamic, bouncing from person to person, house to house, community to community. This peace sounds downright restless: “Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this house!’ And if anyone is there who shares in peace, your peace will rest on that person; but if not, it will return to you.”
She goes on to describe this “Peace of God” as being filled with power, purpose and presence…much different than ordinary “human peace”…she describes the peace of God as a pure gift…
She talks about how world-changing the sharing of this greeting, “Peace to this house” could be, if we shared it in every encounter we had with others…and really meant it…
Or how powerful it might be to simply say, “Peace” instead of “hello”…and as we were saying it, to pray for the person to be filled with the same peace of God, that we experience at times…
And here’s where the “boomerang peace” illustration kicks in…
She writes, That’s all we would need to do. If the person had no interest in the peace we have to give, it would bounce back to us. But if we don’t even offer it, someone who really needs God’s peace might miss out
You can ask Loyd to verify this, but I so wanted to buy enough boomerangs this week, to give to every one of you today…I went to store after store after store trying to find some…but no luck…(I did find a couple at one place – but that was all)…
This boomerang peace illustration just brought me so much joy…and a delightful new way to think about how we can all find ways to spread God’ peace, and love and joy with everyone we encounter…and not be dismayed, when someone does not receive it or welcome the offering…
It also prompted me to think more on the unintentional ways, a simple encounter, and exchange of peace with someone could change a life…If any of you have had experience with trying to throw a boomerang…you know that it takes lots of practice and patience….and even after lots of practice…many of us never get the hang of it…We are often with someone else when we are trying it out…maybe someone is just there with us, or teaching us how to do it…we try to throw it out there, in hopes that it circles its way back to us…but often it ends up hitting another innocent bystander who is on the sidelines watching….
Then I thought to myself…Maybe that’s not such a terrible thing, if the peace we are sending out to someone…gets deflected over to someone else…that’s just one more person who has the opportunity to be changed and transformed by the love and peace of God…And then maybe that person tries to throw that boomerang of peace out there and maybe it comes back to them….or maybe it lands in someone else’s hands…
Imagine, what healing and peace would be possible in our world, if we did the same with love, with forgiveness, with gentleness, with kindness, with generosity, with joy…Imagine, if all of these fruits of the Holy Spirit, landed in someone else’s hands…
In today’s gospel reading, I think Jesus is trying to tell us, to just go…go now to put peace into each other’s hearts and hands… begin there…carry no purse, no bag, no sandals, (he doesn’t mention no boomerang); and don’t stop and get distracted on the way…just go to the places and people the Holy Spirit is nudging you to go….filled with the power, purpose, presence of God’s pure gift of peace, to share the good news of God’s love for all those you meet, with a simple greeting of peace… “Peace to this house!”
Rev. Julie Platson, Rector
St Peter’s by the Sea Episcopal Church
Sitka, Alaska
Hymn after sermon: Put peace into each other’s hands (WLP) 790
Put peace into each other’s hands and like a treasure hold it.
Protect it like a candle flame with tenderness enfold it.
Put peace into each other’s hands with living expectation;
be gentle in your words and ways, in touch with God’s creation.
Put peace into each other’s hands, like bread we break for sharing;
look people warmly in the eye; our life is meant for caring.
As at communion, shape your hands into a waiting cradle;
the gift of Christ receive, revere, united round the table.
Put Christ into each other’s hands, he is love’s deepest measure;
in love make peace, give peace a chance and share it like a treasure
