Sermon for Oct 30 - Disrupting our lives with HOPE

21 Pentecost/Year C

Alternative lectionary: BE Campaign: Intersection of Religion & Politics – week 5 October 30, 2022

Isaiah 65:17-25; Psalm 126; Ephesians 2:13-22; Matthew 5:43-48

Today is the last Sunday of a 5-week series of alternative readings that we’ve been using as part of a national movement called the BE Campaign… It has been based on the teaching of the prophet Micah, who, in a time not unlike our own in 700 BCE, asked the question: “What does the Lord require of us, but to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God?” For the month of October, we joined other Churches nationwide, in using this alternative lectionary to help us pause, focus, and reflect more intentionally on what it means to BE Just, to BE Kind, to BE Humble, in a time of so much division, uncertainty and anxiety in our world…

Last Sunday…we took a look at what it means to BE just, to BE kind, to BE humble, in the context of what it means to LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR…

All of them… The ones who don’t look like you, think like you, love like you, speak like you, pray like you, vote like you…the ones you agree with and the ones you don’t agree with...the ones you call friends, and the ones you call enemies…

We acknowledged that it’s surely a challenge to love some of our neighbors...to go beyond just understanding that we are called to love our neighbors to actually striving to take the next step forward to follow Jesus, to Love our neighbors, in a way of love that is built upon a foundation of justice, kindness and humbleness, a way of love that can transform the lives of every one of us…

The final theme for this sermon series is called The Intersection of Religion and Politics…and what comes to mind for me this week is the word “Disrupt”…

And I think of Jesus as being the greatest disrupter of all time…standing firmly in the intersection of all our conflicting ideas and thoughts and sorrows and hopes…always trying to help us see that there is another way to live with one another in this world beyond the hatred and fear of one another, beyond our misunderstandings of one another, beyond what floods our news feeds and mailings in this season of our mid-term elections. I think of Jesus as the great disrupter of helplessness, anger, grief, sorrow…a great disrupter of squashing our doubts that anything could ever change…that there will always be divisions, that there will always be neighbors we don’t like and don’t understand, that we will always live in a divided world that is always about us vs them.

Jesus stands firmly, compassionately and patiently among us very time we find ourselves at the crossroads and intersections of what we know and perceive now, and what we can only hope is possible… He stands among us to disrupt our old thoughts, our old ways, to encourage us to step out in faith and take the road that Jesus is showing us, to believe and dare to invite HOPE to disrupt our daily lives…showing us that indeed, a new way of life is possible, when we strive to walk in a way of love with God and one another…towards a new future and a new creation for all of God’s people…

IN today’s gospel reading, Jesus seeks to disrupt an old way of thinking:

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven….

So that all of us, with Jesus as the cornerstone, as the foundation of what it means to BE just,  to BE Kind, to BE humble, can strive to walk in a way of love that contains the HOPE of all that disrupts what divides us and separates us from God and one another, the HOPE that transforms the lives of every one of us, and the HOPE that can inspire in us and equip us to work alongside of each other to build one new, common humanity, so that we will no longer be strangers and alien, and enemies to one another, but will all be members of the household of God…of a diverse, loving, family of God….

So, as we come to the end of this month and sermon series, I would like to commend a new spiritual practice for you to use in the month of November that will not only be a help to us now when we would rather be grumbling about the political climate…but it will help us get in the habit of disrupting our daily grumblings and doubts with Gratitude…It’s a 30 day United Thank Offering Gratitude Challenge with daily reflections and opportunities to disrupt our old patterns of thinking, to make way for the new…for all the new ways we will be called to a time of spiritual renewal and growth as the Body of Christ here at St Peter’s and in the wider community, in the days and months ahead…

To help us turn now with our hearts and minds towards this one day at a time challenge…let me close with this short children’s story by Cynthia Rylant (and illustrations by Nikki McClure) – All in a Day….

A day is a perfect piece of time to live a life, to plant a seed, to watch the sun go by.

A day starts early, work to do, beneath a brand-new sky.

A day bring hope and kindness, too…a day is all its own.

You can make a wish, and start again, you can find your way back home.

Every bird and every tree and every living thing loves the promise in a day, loves what it can bring.

There is faith in morning time, there is belief at noon. Evening will come whispering and shine a bright round moon.

A day can change just everything, given half a chance.

Rain could show up at your door and teach you how to dance.

The past is sailing off to sea, the future’s fast asleep.

A day is all you have to be, it’s all you get to keep.

Underneath that great big sky the earth is all a-spin.

This day will soon be over and it won’t come back again.

So, live it well, make it count, fill it up with you.

The day’s all yours, it’s waiting now…

See what you can do.

You’ve been given the gift of a new day.

I hope this day, and every day, and when you find yourselves at the crossroads and intersections of life, that you will welcome Jesus to disrupt your old thinking, and to inspire you to approach your day with a heart full of gratitude, and with a vision of hope, love, joy, and the peace of God, made known to us in Jesus, and by the power of the Holy Spirit.

The Lord has done great things for us, and we are glad indeed.

(psalm 126: 4)

Closing prayer/hymn: Give thanks with a Grateful Heart (Renew # 266)

GIVE THANKS HYMN

Give thanks with a grateful heart, give thanks to the Holy One, give thanks because he’s given us Jesus Christ, his Son.

And now, let the weak say I am strong, let the poor say I am rich, because of what the Lord has done for us…

Give thanks with a grateful heart, give thanks to the Holy One, give thanks because he’s given us Jesus Christ, his Son.

Rev Julie Platson, St Peter’s by the Sea Episcopal Church, Sitka, AK

LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR - Oct 23

20 Pentecost/Year C

Alternative lectionary: BE Campaign: LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR – week 4

October 23, 2022

Ruth 1:1-8; Psalm 133; 1 Corinthians 13:1-8a; Luke 10:25-37

(As a reminder): For the month of October, we are joining other Episcopal and Methodist Churches nationwide, in using an alternative lectionary as part of the BE Campaign…TO BE JUST, TO BE KIND, and TO BE HUMBLE…It’s based on the teaching of the prophet Micah, who, in a time not unlike our own in 700 BCE, asked the question: “What does the Lord require of us, but to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God?”

As we gather today on this fourth (out of five) week series, we are exploring how all of this comes together this week with what it might mean and look like to Love Your Neighbor …in a time of so much division, uncertainty and anxiety in our world…

I wonder if you noticed anything new about what it means to “LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR” in listening to today’s reading from Luke and reflecting back on the sermon themes from the past few weeks: To Be JUST, to BE KIND, to BE HUMBLE…

It is such a familiar parable… I think most of us believe we understand this story pretty well…and can see ourselves identifying with the different persons in the stories at different times in our lives…

The Episcopal Church teaches that we believe the scriptures are the living Word of God…so if we approach the reading and hearing of scriptures with open eyes, ears, hearts and minds, the spirit is always nudging us and asking us to consider what New Good news is being offered to us in the hearing of the scriptures today – in this time, and place in our lives…

What jumped out at you today in hearing this familiar parable of the Good Samaritan?

Something in pretty much every sentence jumped out at me today...but if I had to just offer up a few words…I would mention…love, God, heart, soul, strength, mind, neighbor, moved with pity, cared for, showed mercy…go and do likewise…

Let me read this scripture passage again from Archbishop Desmond Tutu’s Children of God storybook bible…This chapter of Luke is entitled The Good Neighbor:

Jesus said, “All you need to remember is to love God and your neighbor as much as you love yourself.”

But who is my neighbor? a teacher asked.

Jesus told a story to explain.

“One day, a Jewish man was robbed and wounded and left lying in the road. A little while later, a priest walked by, but pretended he didn’t see the injured man. Soon, another man came by. He worked at the temple, but he didn’t stop either. At last, a Samaritan came down the road. His people were enemies of the Jews. But the Samaritan stopped! He got off his donkey and walked beside him to the nearest inn. He put him to bed and took care of him.

Now, asked Jesus, “which of these people was a good neighbor?”

“The Samaritan,” replied the teacher.

“That’s right,” said Jesus. “You are all part of the same family – God’s family. God wants you to be like him, loving and kind to everyone – even your enemies.”

What questions are coming up this time for you after hearing it a second time? What do you think Jesus (the Gospel) is saying to you and asking you to consider?

What does it mean to Love God and your neighbor as much as you love yourself? Are you wondering, who is my neighbor? Are you wondering why someone who rob and wound a Jewish man, and leave him lying on the side of the road for dead? Are you wondering why the priest and other temple leader didn’t stop to help?  Are you wondering – how it is – that a Samaritan, whose people were known as enemies of the Jews, was the one who stopped to help and offer care for the injured man…are you wondering how you could be a good neighbor…especially to those who aren’t on your friends’ list, or in your usual circle of care and concern?

We’ve heard this parable of the “Good” Samaritan: the Good Neighbor, the Just Neighbor, the Kind Neighbor, the Humble Neighbor, numerous times over the years…and even those without any particular church affiliation, or in other faith traditions – are pretty familiar with this teaching story, too…

I think we understand what is written in the “law”… “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.”

I think we know who our neighbor is…there’s plenty of posters out there on facebook that remind us of that:

 And as Presiding Bishop Michael Curry has often included in his messages to the whole church:

I think we know and understand all of this…

That’s why we are here….to love God, and our neighbors...all of them…

Yet our challenge is always to figure out how to move beyond just knowing all the right words, saying all the right words, and claiming to understand the meaning of all Jesus’ parables and teachings…because as Paul reminds us in today’s reading from 1st Corinthians … If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give away all my possessions, and if I hand over my body so that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

LOVE, God’s love, made known to us in the life and teachings of Jesus…can make all the difference in the world…for us and our neighbors…

This way of love asks us to take the next step out in faith, with God and with one another, to Love our Neighbors, as Jesus has loved us and taught us, to Love our Neighbors, with our hearts and our hands and our feet…not by just sitting comfortably with all the right words and understanding of what the teachings are all about, and with those we already call friends - but to reach out with a loving heart and a helping hand across the divide, to invite others to help you and join you in reaching out and caring for others in your midst…and to cease with the judgment of who is worthy or not to be loved and cared for and treated with respect and dignity…

This is no easy task…to love our neighbors as Jesus has shown us…to love our neighbors, as we love ourselves…but when we strive to follow Jesus in this way of love…our acts of love built upon a foundation of justice, kindness and humbleness, can transform the lives of every one of us…

Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things…Love never ends…

God’s love never ends …for us and for all our neighbors…

When you go home today…find another translation of today’s familiar gospel reading about the Good Samaritan……read it for the 3rd time, sit with it, pray with it…and ask yourself this question, to help you discern what’s next for you…

What is Jesus, (the Gospel) calling you to do in this time and in this place, as you are being sent out into the world to LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR?

 Rev Julie Platson, St Peter’s by the Sea Episcopal Church, Sitka, AK

Closing prayer/hymn: The Gift of Love (RENEW #155)

Words by Hal Hopso

"The Gift of Love" Recording by Saint Peter's Episcopal Church, Essex Fells, NJ

Though I may speak with bravest fire,

And have the gift to all inspire,

And have not love; my words are vain,

As sounding brass, and hopeless gain.

Though I may give all I possess,

And striving so my love profess,

But not be given by love within,

The profit soon turns strangely thin.

Come, Spirit come, our hearts control.

Our spirits long to be made whole.

Let inward love guide every deed.

By this we worship, and are freed.

BE HUMBLE....

19 Pentecost/Year C/October 16, 2022

Alternative lectionary: BE Campaign: BE HUMBLE – week 3

Genesis 33:1-12; Psalm 131 (GNT); Romans 12:3, 9-18; John 13: 3-17

(As a reminder): For the month of October, we are joining other Episcopal and Methodist Churches nationwide in using an alternative lectionary as part of the BE Campaign…To BE JUST, TO BE KIND, and TO BE HUMBLE…It’s based on the teaching of the prophet Micah, who, in a time not unlike our own in 700 BCE, asked the question: “What does the Lord require of us, but to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God?”

Bishop Mark invited us to participate in this offering as a way to help us take a closer look at some scriptures that illuminate what it means to do justice, love kindness and walk humbly with God; and to open our eyes and ears and hearts and minds to more fully understand how these scriptures can shape, transform, and inspire our communities to look a bit more like the Kingdom of God…in a time of so much division, uncertainty and anxiety in our world…

This week’s focus calls upon us to BE HUMBLE…to walk humbly with God…

And just as the last couple of week’s themes, to BE JUST, to BE KIND were BIG and BROAD terms to define and act upon as followers of Jesus in a time of so much division, uncertainty and anxiety in our world...this week’s theme also invites us to discern what it means, as a follower of Jesus, to BE HUMBLE, in a time such as this…

And when I use that phrase…in a time such as this…I’m especially calling to mind at the moment…this month of October, and these final weeks leading up to the mid-term elections in our nation…

I’m wondering, what it means to be humble, in an election season…

I’m really wondering aloud, what it could look like, to be humble, as the one offering themselves up as a candidate for election, or to be humble, as one of the campaign team members, or to be humble, as ones who will be engaged in conversations about our views and hopes for our favorite candidate to be elected in November…

I don’t think it would take much effort for any of us to imagine what an election season could look like…if the guiding principles were to be humble, to be just, to be kind…and what it could like, if one made it a daily practice to strive to not think of oneself more highly than one ought to think, to let love be genuine, to bless those who persecute you, to rejoice with those who rejoice, to weep with those who weep, to hold fast to what is good, to outdo one another in showing honor, to not claim to be wiser than you are, to not repay anyone evil for evil, but to take thought for what is noble in the sight of all…

Yet, the challenge for us, is to not only imagine and believe that something different is possible, but to have the courage and the resilience to practice making small, simple intentions and changes in our daily lives that can move us from rationalizing and categorizing everything in our minds, to living out a way of love, that is centered around our humble trust in God…that is centered around the love of Jesus that inspires in us…a new way forward in this life…that calls us to walk humbly with God, and each other…every day…

A new life going forward, …that calls us to not only imagine a new way of life together that is not marked with daily acts of violence, hatred, and division, in our words and actions among God’s diverse family…but to do the very thing as Jesus has taught us and shown us in today’s gospel reading that can lead to deep healing and reconciliation between all God’s people...when we humble ourselves before God and one another…and as we seek and strive to love and serve one another…and respect the dignity of every human being…

In our gospel reading today, we listened to the familiar foot-washing story we hear every year during holy week…that captures the essence of what Jesus is teaching his disciples who say they want to follow him…to BE HUMBLE…

After Jesus had washed their feet, had put on his robe, and had returned to the table, he said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord—and you are right, for that is what I am. So, if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you.  (John 13:12-15 NRSV)

Jesus said, I speak from my heart…The one who serves is not greater than the one who is served. A message bearer is not greater than the one who sent him. If you walk in this way of blessing, you will do well, and it will return to you - full circle. (John 13:16-18 First Nations Version)

(Micah 6:8) What does the Lord require of us, in this election season, and every season of our lives together - but to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God?”

Let us pray this morning, for the healing river of the Spirit to move among us and guide us as we seek a new way forward together in this election season, in this season of our church life and community life, to walk humbly with God and one another…so that we can not only imagine and believe in a world without division, hatred and violence…but that each one of us, may be empowered by the love and power of God: The Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer, to go out into the world to make it so…

 Rev Julie Platson, St Peter’s by the Sea Episcopal Church, Sitka, AK

Closing prayer/hymn: Healing river of the Spirit

1        Healing river of the Spirit, bathe the wounds that living brings.

          Plunge our pain, our sin, our sadness deep beneath your sacred springs.

          Weary from the restless searching that has lured us from your side,

          we discover in your presence peace that world cannot provide.

2        Wellspring of the healing Spirit, stream that flows to bring release,

          as we gain our selves, our senses, may our lives reflect your peace.

          Grateful for the flood that heals us, may your church enact your grace.

          As we meet both friend and stranger, may we see our Savior’s face.

3        Living stream that heals the nations, make us channels of your pow’r.

          All the world is torn by conflict; wars are raging at this hour.

          Saving Spirit, move among us; guide our winding human course,

          till we find our way together,flowing homeward to our source.

Small opportunities to BE KIND to one another…surround us every day...

18 Pentecost/Year C - October 9, 2022

Alternative lectionary: BE Campaign: BE KIND – week 2

1 Kings 17:8-16; Psalm 103:1-13; Colossians 3:12-17; Matthew 20:29-34

(As a reminder): For the month of October, we are following an alternative lectionary, a special series of readings that was put together, by clergy and lay leaders in the Episcopal Church and Methodist Church, as part of a national movement called the BE Campaign…It’s based on the profound teaching of the prophet Micah, who, in a time not unlike our own in 700 BCE, asked the question: “What does the Lord require of us, but to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God?”

Our diocesan Bishop, Mark Lattime, invited us to participate in this offering…as a way to help make our communities a bit more like the Kingdom of God…in a time of so much division, uncertainty and anxiety in our world…

This week’s focus is on KINDNESS…to LOVE KINDNESS…to BE KIND…

And just as last week’s theme, to BE JUST, was a BIG and BROAD term to define and act upon, leaving room for a thousand different ways, small and large, to go about being JUST in our broken and anxious world...this week’s theme to BE KIND, also invites us to discern what it means, as a follower of Jesus, to BE KIND, in a time such as this…

To BE KIND…sounds so easy…we talk to our children about it often…be kind to your friends, to your classmates; be kind to animals…We hear reminders all the time to be kind to one another, be kind to the waiter or waitress who is taking your order, be kind to your co-workers, be kind to your caregivers, be kind to the road construction crew, be kind to the airline staff…

This list could go on and on because there are so many small opportunities all around us, every day, to BE KIND to one another…

Yet, as simple as those two words sound:

When we are weary, worried, fearful, anxious and feeling overwhelmed by all the changes and unknowns in our own lives, in our communities, and around the world…to BE Kind, or merciful to ourselves or those around us…is not always our default reaction to something we did not expect or plan for…

So, what can we do? Is there any hope for KINDNESS to be the first thing that comes to mind when faced with difficult circumstances?

I believe so…and I believe there is One we can turn to, again and again, to show us the way…

I believe that Jesus, is that One, who can help us strive to be merciful, to BE Kind to one another…

I believe that a regular practice of setting aside time to get to know who Jesus is, through the reading of scriptures and in our times of prayer, can help us as we strive to BE KIND to one another…in a world that often feels unkind, and in a world, that sometimes defaults to being concerned more about one’s own needs, instead of the needs and concerns in the lives of people all around us…

In today’s gospel, we get a glimpse of what KINDNESS looks like through the teaching of Jesus, and through the lens of God’s love and mercy for all people…

As Jesus and his disciples were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed him. There were two blind men sitting by the roadside. When they heard that Jesus was passing by, they shouted, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!” The crowd sternly ordered them to be quiet, but they shouted even more loudly, “Have mercy on us, Lord, Son of David!” Jesus stood still and called them, saying, “What do you want me to do for you?” They said to him, “Lord, let our eyes be opened.”

Moved with compassion, Jesus touched their eyes. Immediately they regained their sight and followed him.

I wonder where you see signs of kindness in this story today.

I see signs of kindness in the way Jesus noticed the two blind men, acknowledged them, asked them what they needed from him, listened to them, and Jesus responded with compassion that healed them in a such a way…that moved them to want to follow Jesus.

I imagine people passed by the two blind men every day…turned the other way…ignored them, tried to silence them, didn’t want to listen to them, perhaps made all kinds of assumptions about them…about their worthiness…Yet…they were the ones who sensed and knew that Jesus was near them…and they called out to him for help…knowing by experience, that many of the others had passed them by, all the time…never stopping to consider what they needed.

It seemed as though something as simple, as being mindful that these two blind men, were children of God… they had lives marked by sorrows, worries, and hopes and dreams just like everyone else who passed them by.

I wonder how this understanding of what kindness looks like might help us next time we are in a situation that asks us to respond with compassion and kindness?

In those times – when the waiter or waitress comes back to the table with the wrong order… When our co-worker seems to be distracted and not doing their share of work…When the caregiver keeps getting frustrated when the care receiver doesn’t want to cooperate…When you think the road construction crew is making you wait too long to get to where you are supposed to be going…

When your flight is cancelled…and the airline staff can’t accommodate the changes you want…And in this time of the election season – when you and your neighbor seem to disagree on everything…

Could we take a moment to pause and take a deep breath, before responding in our time of frustration…to acknowledge that each one of these people are most likely experiencing the same sorrows, worries, weariness, hopes and dreams that impact all of our lives…

Can we, as a community of God’s people who gather here in the church, and as God’s people out in our communities, strive to BE Kind as Jesus has taught us…by noticing others, acknowledging others, asking others what they need, take the time to listen to each other, respond with compassion, desire healing for all God’s people…

To BE KIND – in some circumstances can feel like a big ask, a big deal, not something we think we are capable of…

But, I think the pearl of the week, highlighted in your bulletin today, helps us to frame it in such a way that we can say “Yes” to BE KIND…more often than we think we can…

Great opportunities to help others seldom come, but small ones surround us every day.  Sally Koch, CSJ

Small opportunities to BE KIND to one another…surround us every day…We can begin anew every day…right where we are…

So then, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.  Be tolerant with one another and forgive one another whenever any of you has a complaint against someone else. Forgive one another just as the Lord has forgiven you.  And to all these qualities add love, which binds all things together in perfect unity.  The peace that Jesus gives is to guide you in the decisions you make; for it is to this peace that God has called you together in the one body. And be thankful. Colossians 3:12-15 (GNT)

Closing prayer/hymn: Thank you, Lord

(Voices Found Hymnal: 160)

RECORDING OF  Thank You Lord. By Diane Andrews

1        Thank you, Lord, for this fine day,

          thank you, Lord, for this fine day,

          thank you, Lord, for this fine day,

          right where we are.

                   Alleluia, praise the Lord!

                   Alleluia, praise the Lord!

                   Alleluia, praise the Lord!

                   Right where we are.

2        Thank you, Lord, for loving us,

          thank you, Lord, for loving us,

          thank you, Lord, for loving us,

          right where we are.

         Refrain

3        Thank you, Lord, for giving us peace,

          thank you, Lord, for giving us peace,

          thank you, Lord, for giving us peace,

          right where we are.

          Refrain

4        Thank you, Lord, for setting us free,

          thank you, Lord, for setting us free,

          thank you, Lord, for setting us free,

          right where we are.

          Refrain

Rev Julie Platson, St Peter’s by the Sea Episcopal Church, Sitka, AK

Do justice, love kindly, walk humbly with God and each other

17 Pentecost/Year C

Alternative lectionary: BE Campaign: Be Just – week 1

October 2, 2022

Micah 6:6-8; Psalm 99:1-5; James 2:14-17; Luke 4:16-21

Hymn after today’s sermon: Today we all are called to Be disciples

Loving Others Now

16 Pentecost/Year C/Sept 25, 2022

Amos 6:1a, 4-7; Psalm 146; Luke 16:19-31

As I sat outside on a bench a couple of weeks ago on the Sea walk, in front of the church, I couldn’t help but be overwhelmed with thoughts of gratitude: I looked all around me at the beauty, thankful for God’s creation, thankful for the home I live in, thankful for all the daily blessings I enjoy, thankful for the work God has given me to do, thankful for my family and church family, thankful for the food that nourishes my body, thankful for the choices that are available to me every day to enrich my life and the lives of others…Thankful for the many ways in which I see signs of God’s love and blessings all around me, every day…

Then my thoughts turned to consider another person in my community, sitting on a bench just a few feet away from me, and I wondered if he was thinking along the same lines as I was, counting his blessings on this glorious sunny day in Sitka… But, this is what I heard him say, instead:  I can’t help but be overwhelmed by all the sorrows and troubles in my life. I look all around me, and I don’t see that beauty you talk about. When I look around me, I see the busy street and sidewalk, with cars and people passing me by. I have no home to be thankful for. I have no money to spend as I please. I have no job, no family to go home to. I don’t have a church family. I often go days without a meal. I haven’t been offered the same choices as you have. Nobody will talk to me…they just turn the other way and pretend they never saw me. It’s hard for me to believe and hope in the God you proclaim gives justice to those who are oppressed, food to those who hunger, sets the prisoners free, opens the eyes of the blind, lifts up those who are bowed down, cares for the stranger and sustains the orphan and widow.

It’s hard for me to see signs of God’s blessings around me. I feel abandoned by God and others.

So here we have two very different views of one’s life from the bench on the Sea walk… sitting just a few feet from one another… yet, at the same time…so distant from one another…

And you know what…There’s nothing uncommon about this scenario…

This is the stark reality of life in our communities: locally, nationwide, and worldwide. There are people among us who believe that they see signs of God’s love and blessings in their lives every day, and there are those who are left wondering and lamenting day after day why God has abandoned them…why God’s people have abandoned them…and left them leaning at the gate by themselves, longing to satisfy their hunger, with mere scraps of attention and love from those who pass them by…

We have people living right next door to each other…just a few feet away it seems, but the “chasm” is great as noted into today’s gospel reading.  And the gap between the rich and the poor, continues to widen…we continue to abandon Lazarus at the gate…instead of reaching out our hand in love to lift him up…

How can this be? Here, now – in the 21st century? We have more than enough riches and resources in this world to share with each other, to ensure that all of God’s children are fed, clothed, sheltered, have access to quality health care and educational opportunities…

We have more than enough Love to go around, God’s Love, to share with one another, so that no-one is ever left behind, and abandoned at the gate…

We have more than enough gifts and talents and love to share as the body of Christ, here in the church, and with all those we meet in our everyday lives…small, little acts of love and kindness that each of us can offer to another person…a simple glance and smile at someone as you pass each other on the street, an invite to someone to come sit on the bench with you on the Sea walk, an invitation extended to someone to come to church with you, to experience the mystery and fullness of God’s love and grace made known to us in the way of love and life that Jesus is calling us to; a phone call or note to an elder, caregiver, parents raising up children in these uncertain times; take some time to learn about ways you can help support folks in our community who are struggling or feeling abandoned and take the first step to reach out a helping hand to them…small acts of love and kindness can make a big difference in helping to bridge the gaps that separate us and divide us into categories of “them and us”…

In God’s kingdom, in the family of God, in the dream of God…there is no them or us…It’s simply “Us”, all of us… all of us together, in all our diversity - loving God, loving our neighbor, caring for one another, encouraging one another, reaching out a hand and lifting up one another to receive the fullness of God’s grace and love…in this life and in the life, yet to come.

Let me close with this short story attributed to Mother Teresa who is well known for teaching us about reaching out to care for the most vulnerable among us with small acts of love…

*(Book: In the Heart of the World: Thoughts, Stories, Prayers - Mother Teresa)

One day I visited a house where our sisters shelter the aged. This is one of the nicest houses in England, filled with beautiful and precious things, yet there was not a smile on the faces of these people. All of them were looking toward the door.

I asked the sister in charge, “Why are they like that? Why can’t you see a smile on their faces? (I am accustomed to seeing smiles on people’s faces. I think a smile generates a smile, just as love generates love.)

The sister answered, “The same thing happens every day. They are always waiting for someone to come and visit them. Loneliness eats them up, and day after day they do not stop looking. Nobody comes.”

Abandonment is an awful poverty. There are poor people everywhere, but the deepest poverty is not being loved. The poor we seek may live near us or far away. They can be materially or spiritually poor. They may be hungry for bread or hungry for friendship.

They may need clothing, or they may need the sense of wealth that God’s love for them represents. They may need the shelter of a house made of bricks and cement or the shelter of having a place in our hearts.

In God’s kingdom, in the family of God, in the dream of God…there is no them or us…It’s simply “Us”, all of us… all of us together, in all our diversity - loving God, loving our neighbor, caring for one another, encouraging one another, reaching out a hand and lifting up one another to receive the fullness of God’s grace and love…in this life and in the life, yet to come.

Let us pray:

HYMN at the conclusion of the Sermon:   MHSO #105 - We are all children of the Lord

We are all children of the Lord, young and old, big and little.

We are all children of the Lord, let us live in harmony!

Many names, many faces, many lands, many places,

but through time and through spaces, we are one humanity.

We are all children of the Lord, one by one, all together.

We are all children of the Lord, just like one big family.

Natalie Sleeth (1930-1992), adapt. from the anthem "Children of the Lord"

Sermon: Rev Julie PLatson

St Peter’s by the Sea Episcopal Church

Sitka, AK

A Love and Assurance found in the presence of communal prayer...

15 Pentecost/Year C/ September 18, 2022

Amos 8:4-7; Psalm 113; 1 Timothy 2:1-7; Gospel: Luke 16: 1-13

Today’s collect is a favorite of mine…I realize you have probably heard me say that many times before…so maybe I should edit my words a bit…and say… that today’s collect is one of many favorites of mine!

Let’s listen to today’s collect again:

Grant us, Lord, not to be anxious about earthly things, but to love things heavenly; and even now, while we are placed among things that are passing away, to hold fast to those that shall endure; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

I find great comfort in this prayer....because it seems to be an honest confession of our struggle between earthly things and heavenly things….it seems to name our anxiety and fears about the many changes that are happening in our lives, moment by moment…and day by day….and it gives me hope….that there is a love that endures forever, for every one of us…a love and assurance found in the presence of prayer, with each other, and in our faith and trust in the Holy One who hears our prayers, always…and helps us to live as a people of hope…

I don’t know about you, but over the years, and now, my prayers have become much more “real” and honest….and have taken on a whole different meaning…as I continue to face the changes and challenges that come with not only living through these pandemic times, but by being a living, and breathing human being…and as I continue to observe the changes and challenges that many of God’s beloved people are facing every day…families are being separated from each other, in so many different ways; people are struggling daily to make ends meet, and find affordable housing and childcare; children are growing up in an unsteady and confusing world; some of our elders are feeling alone and afraid as their increasing years bring them weakness, distress, or isolation; there are siblings among us who are struggling with addiction and mental health disorders, there are people out of work, there are people and countries at war with one another…there are neighbors who are poor, oppressed, silenced, living in homes marked by daily violence…all around us, we see changes unfolding in our creation that are a concern for all life on this earth… the list of changes and challenges is endless…

Yes…the changes and challenges can feel overwhelming at times…and seem endless and even hopeless…

Yet, in the midst of this anxiety and uncertainty…there is help…there is hope…there is a hope that we can cling to… A hope and a vision to hold fast to, a life worth living for…as we turn our hearts and minds back to God, whose love made known to us, through His Son Jesus Christ, and through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, has the power to transform us by this Love and unite us all as a people who can trust and believe in this vision and assurance of hope… in this life, and in the life yet to come…

In the midst of all this, there is a Love that transcends all of our understanding…a love that endures…way longer…than any uncertainties, challenges and sufferings of this earthly place…

A love and assurance found in the presence of prayer, with each other, and in our faith and trust in the Holy One who hears our prayers, always…and helps us to live as a people of hope…

A love and assurance found in the presence of prayer…in communal prayer…all of us…joined together…supporting one another, loving one another…helping one another to navigate this ever-changing…ever-challenging life we journey through together…

My remembrance of prayer in my early days growing up in the Episcopal Church were just prayers I read…I was just caught up in the routine and ritual of the weekly service of prayers…. and didn’t give much deeper thought to them…

But, even so…I never stopped praying. I found comfort in knowing that I was always in the company of so many others, the living and the dead, praying alongside of me. And in those times, when my prayers were feeling empty, or inadequate, knowing that there was someone else praying for me, and with me… gave me comfort and hope…

In the Episcopal Church, we believe that communal prayer (praying together with others) always comes before personal prayer, as the first informs the second. While we maintain the importance of personal prayer, we hold a continuing concern that prayer not become individualistic or privatized. Prayers of intercession are central to our common life and are part of every worship experience, whether it is the Holy Eucharist, Morning Prayer to any other rite in the Book of Common Prayer. (From A People Called Episcopalians)

I think about how a lifetime of communal prayer, has shaped my personal prayers. As I mentioned earlier…my prayers in recent years have taken on a whole different life…real and honest…and no hiding behind anything…they are raw, at times, full of anguish for others, full of hope for others…they are what they are…I no longer search for the perfect words to express my thoughts in prayer…God already knows my thoughts…my disappointments, my worries, my struggles, my concerns, my sins, my hopes and my dreams…

The beauty and power of communal prayer is that we realize our connectedness to one another…we are accountable to one another, we pray alongside each other, for each other, we support one another, we lift one another up into the presence of God’s all-encompassing love, made known to us through Jesus, and by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit; we remind one another, that even while we are placed among things that are passing away, we can hold fast to those things that shall endure…Love…God’s love...for every one of us…endures forever…

The past few weeks, we’ve included some special litany of prayers, and prayer focuses, as part of our prayers of the people time…September is set aside as National Recovery Month and National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. Today, I invite you to be mindful of those who are struggling with substance misuse and mental health disorders… I invite you to think about the ways you might be called on to support anyone who is struggling emotionally and spiritually…Take some time to listen and to learn about their struggles and how you can be a support to them; light a candle as you remember them in your prayers, participate in the community events that help us to be more aware of the needs of those around us, and to be there to stand with them and walk with them…assuring them, they are not alone…be a living, breathing sign of hope for them…be a living, breathing sign of a prayer answered for them…

Every week, we pray for a variety of needs, concerns, hopes and thanksgivings…Not only in the prayers of the people…but throughout our entire worship service…

We offer up our prayer requests, intercessions, thanksgivings, in our music, in our scripture readings, in our times of silence, in our time of confession, in our time of offering, in our time of celebrating the Eucharist, in our time of prayer at the conclusion of our service, and in our dismissal sentence, as we are sent out into the world, having been soaked in communal prayer, to be a living, breathing sign of hope to all those we will meet in our day to day lives…and for all those, we have yet to meet and share the good news of God’s love…

A love that endures forever, for every one of us…a love and assurance found in the presence of prayer, with each other, and in our faith and trust in the Holy One who hears our prayers, always…and helps us to live as a people of hope…

…As a people who are called to love one another, encourage one another and support one another, in whatever ways we can, beginning anew every day with a time of prayer…Prayer, that opens our eyes, ears, hearts and minds to the needs and hopes all around us, and transforms us to be faithful in small ways that lead to great joys… for all of God’s people…and all of creation…

Grant us, Lord, not to be anxious about earthly things, but to love things heavenly; and even now, while we are placed among things that are passing away, to hold fast to those that shall endure; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Hymn after sermon:  Lift Every Voice and Sing II - #249 - Hear Our Prayer, O Lord

Hear our prayer, O Lord, hear our rpayer o Lord; Incline thine ear to us, and granbt us thy peace.

The Rev Julie Platson, Rector

St Peter’s by the Sea Episcopal Church

Sitka, Alaska

2 sermons for September 11, 2022

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.

A moment of decision: Are you ready to go "all in"?

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

A place at the table for everyone

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.