The Candle of Joy - 3rd Sunday of Advent

Advent 3 -DEC 17, 2023

Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11, Psalm 126, 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24, John 1:6-8,19-28

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

 

Opening Prayer: Today we lit the rose colored candle for Joy

Dear God, In the height of our Advent walk, grant us the courage to experience joy.

Joy in the face of apathy, Joy in the face of sorrow, Joy in the face of uncertainty. Amen.

 

Read pg 44 – Preparing the Way: Christian Practices for Advent…

For some folks…this time of joyful expectation during Advent, and in this holiday season, all this talk about joy can feel a bit too much…it can be hard to muster up any reasons to be joyful when one is missing loved ones who have died, or when one is experiencing other sorrows, or other overwhelming concerns that weigh heavily on their hearts and minds. We look all around us, there are so many places where war and conflict and violence are squashing any hopes of joy in the lives of God’s beloved children.

Yet today, we are invited to consider how it is…that joy can be present…even in the midst of such sorrows.

We are invited to consider that there is another story to be told and heard than what the world appears to tell us and teach us...

A different story, a hope-filled story, that comforts us in knowing that death, and sorrow and suffering do not have the last word. We hear that good news story during holy week and Easter in the story of Jesus’ death and resurrection….and we hear that good news story in the words of scriptures during Advent, as we wait with joyful expectation for the coming of Christ again…

On this 3rd Sunday of Advent, we pause to be reminded that it is precisely into unsettling, uncertain times such as these…that Jesus, the hope, the peace, the joy, and the love and light of the world has already come…and will come again…and again..and again..into our lives…kindling a flicker of joy in our hearts…when we most need it…and open our hearts to receive it…

Yes…this world we live in is full of difficult and hard days…yet…in the good news story of God’s love come down to dwell among us, in the infant child whose birth we celebrate on Christmas Day, we can find hope, peace, joy and the love and light of God…in Jesus, who John the Baptist is pointing us to in today’s gospel…reminding us, once again this Advent, that we are never alone…that God is with us…Emmanuel... God is always with us…

That is what can fill our hearts with joy today…that good news that God is with us…Emmanuel... God is always with us…

In our 1st Thessalonians reading today, Paul reminds us to cultivate this good news in our daily lives…no matter the circumstances. He tells us to Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you...

So…today…as we worship together on this 3rd Sunday of Advent…we pause to rejoice, to pray for one another, without ceasing, and to give thanks in all circumstances, and for this good news of God’s love, revealed to us in the scriptures, and in the lives of all who have gone on before us, and those who walk this Advent Journey with us once again this year..

God is with us… Emmanuel…God is always with us…

 

I invite you in the next few moments…to think about those you know who may be struggling this holiday season…lift them up in the silence of your heart in prayer…and take a moment in this time of quiet…to give thanks for the people in your life…who have brought so much joy to your heart…

 

Closing Prayer/HYMN 56: December 17

2        O come, thou Wisdom from on high, who orderest all things mightily;

          to us the path of knowledge show, and teach us in her ways to go.

            Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel, shall come to thee, O Israel

**Image - Inspirivity/Jennifer Wagner

2nd Sunday of Advent - The Candle of Peace

2 Advent/December 10, 2023

Sermon by Chip Camden

Readings: Isaiah 40:1-11; Psalm 85; 2 Peter 3:8-15a; Mark 1:1-8

Today is the second Sunday of Advent, on which we light the second candle of Advent: the candle of peace.  This candle is purple, like the first and fourth candles of the Advent wreath. In Christian symbolism, the color purple represents penance.  When we think of penance, we picture being tough on ourselves: fasting and praying, taking a hard look at our shortcomings, confessing them and vowing to do better.  I doubt that any of these things come to mind when we think of the word "peace".  The closest similarity between peace and penance seems to be in their spelling: peace is penance without the two n's.  Let’s see if we can take the two n’s out of penance and arrive at peace.

Penance and repentance are related terms.  Penance refers to the actions we take in response to repentance.  Repentance means feeling sorry for what we have done, or what we have left undone.  The Greek word for repentance found everywhere in the New Testament is μετανοια metanoia -- meta means "after" or "beyond" and noia means thought, so metanoia means "think again" or "think differently".  It implies a recognition that we have made a poor choice, and that we ought to change course.

This view of repentance is considerably less terrifying than the oft-caricatured altar call under the threat of God's wrath -- a repentance born of the fear of hellfire.  Not that that's completely wrong, but sometimes that hellfire can be found in our own life here and now.  The consequences of a few bad decisions that we never rectified can combine to form a conflagration that consumes our spirit in this life.  We can become so entangled in those consequences that we see no way out.  We need God's help to turn things around.  We often need God's help even to see that we need God's help.

Fortunately for us, God always wants to help us to grow beyond our shortcomings, as good parents do for their children.  I think this is the way in which Jesus teaches that God is our Father.  Unfortunately for that metaphor, human parents are not always so perfect.  Too many of us have experienced the wrath of a parent that was not motivated by love but rather by fear of the loss of status or power.  God, being infinitely powerful, has nothing to fear. 

What is called God's wrath in the Bible is therefore not God lashing out in anger, but rather the necessary consequence of our poor decisions that God is always ready to work with us to heal.  That is how the Psalmist can say to God "heal me, for I have sinned against you" (Psalm 41:4).  As our epistle reading from 2 Peter says, God "is patient..., not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance."  Repentance -- realizing and acknowledging our shortcomings -- is the first step to healing.  Then we must recognize our inability to fix things on our own, and ask God for help.  That is true humility.  Next, we must follow the way out that God provides to make things right.  That is true penance.

In our gospel lesson (in all four of the gospels, for that matter), John the Baptist's ministry is connected explicitly to our first lesson from Isaiah: "the voice of one crying in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the Lord.'"  In John's case, this preparation seems to be composed almost entirely of "baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins."  A perusal of the reading from Isaiah that you have in your bulletin will not discover the word "repentance" anywhere.  The author does not explicitly state how God's path in the wilderness is to be prepared.  There is mention of forgiveness, but this is framed as satisfaction with the penalty that has already been exacted: "Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that she has served her term, that her penalty is paid, that she has received from the Lord's hand double for all her sins."  Where does John get the need for repentance?

We should remember that John and his earliest interpreters had more of a Semitic vocabulary than a Greek one.  Aramaic, which is closely related to Hebrew, was probably their first language.  In these languages there are at least two words that mean "repent."  The first is the Hebrew שוב shubh (תוב thubh in Aramaic), which means "to turn back" -- thus taking a more active stance on repentance than the Greek metanoia does.  The other word is נחם nacham.  This word is often found in passages where God is said to have "repented" of an intended action, but it is also used of humans in the same way.  It is related to the word for "to rest" and thus carries the meaning of "to desist" or "to be sorry for."  It can also mean "to console" or "to comfort"  -- and it is apparently used that way in the first two words of our reading from Isaiah:  "nachamu nachamu ami" ("comfort, comfort my people").  Perhaps this word for "comfort" could be translated better here as “calm down” and includes the cessation of doing what is harmful -- in other words, repentance.  Put all your rash actions to rest, and rest in God.  I think this is why John sees repentance as the first step in fulfilling Isaiah's prophecy.  It's about surrendering to God's lovingkindness.

If we could learn to lay aside all of our selfish and hurtful goals and rest in God, then peace would be ours — peace within, peace with each other, and peace for the world. 

So we finally draw a connection between penance and peace.  I don't know what the two n's represent, though -- if I were clever I would think of two words that start with 'n' that mean "striving" and "pride" -- because those are two things that will surely take the peace out of penance.  An online thesaurus suggests "nisus" and "narcissism" -- but I'm starting to think that’s stretching it too far.  In fact, it makes me guilty of both.  I should do penance.  Amen.

*image: Inspirivity facebook page

1st Sunday of Advent - The Candle of Hope

1 Advent/Year B

Pledge In-Gathering Sunday

Dec 3, 2023

Isaiah 64:1-9; Psalm 80:1-7, 16-18; 1 Corinthians 1:3-9; Mark 13:24-37

 

Opening Prayer: (Church of Scotland)

O Advent God, come to us we pray.

Enter our hearts this day, as we worship, bring our prayers and our praise to You.

As we light the candle of hope in our hearts, may we hold the small flickering flame throughout this week.

May the flame of Jesus Christ's love stay within us, and be close by us. Amen.

 

Today, on this 1st Sunday of Advent…we light a candle of Hope on the Advent Wreath…and as we begin the season of Advent, a time of preparation and expectation for the coming celebration of our Lord's nativity, and for the final coming of Christ “in power and glory”, I can’t think of a better way to begin this new season and new church year than with this prayer I just opened with…a prayer asking God to enter our hearts, anew this day, lighting a candle of hope in our hearts, and praying for the love of Jesus Christ to abide in our hearts…

I wonder how our hearts and minds and daily lives would be transformed, if we set aside a few moments in the morning, every day, to pray this simple prayer…before we even got out of bed…before we turned on the daily news…before we jumped right in to the work of the day…before our own thoughts of worry and fear about all that is going wrong in the world had a chance to grab hold of our hearts for the day…

Imagine...one simple prayer intention …to begin our day…that lights a way for hope and love to grab hold of our hearts….to grab hold our lives…to grab hold of our minds…to grab hold of all that we say and do…

Imagine…one simple prayer intention…at the noon of the day, at the eve of the day, at the end of our day… that lights a way for hope and love to grab hold of our hearts….to grab hold our lives…to grab hold of our minds…to grab hold of all that we say and do…

I wonder if a prayer practice such as this...would help us “keep awake” in this season of Advent…as we wait and watch with an expectant hope for the coming celebration of our Lord's nativity, and for the final coming of Christ “in power and glory.”

Those words, “keep awake” in today’s gospel jumped out at me…Jesus didn’t just say it once, but a few times, in today’s parable about the landowner going away on a journey and commanding the doorkeeper to keep watch, to keep awake…

At the conclusion of the parable, Jesus instructs the disciples, “Therefore, keep awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or at dawn, or else he may find you asleep when he comes suddenly. And what I say to you I say to all: Keep awake.”

Michael Toy, a Ph.D. candidate in Religious Studies at a University in New Zealand…says “this is an impossible task. One cannot keep constant vigilance without fatigue. And yet, three times in this passage, Jesus instructs his disciples: Keep watch.

He goes on to shed more insight and context to this parable in the words of New Testament Scholar Leroy Huizenga:

Leroy points out that this injunction in Mark 13 to keep watch is literarily connected to the events that unfold in the Garden of Gethsemane one chapter later.

The temporal pattern of the owner’s return is not of a twenty-four-hour system but of evening, midnight, cockcrow, or dawn. This four-part division of time mirrors the events of Jesus’ final night: the last supper in the evening, the arrest in the night, denial by Peter at cockcrow, and delivery to Pilate in the morning. Furthermore, in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus (three times) tells his close disciples to keep watch with him. And (three times) they fail. They fail to stay awake with him in his final hours.

Keeping watch does not mean paying attention so one can be “in the know” about what is happening or what will happen next. The call to be watchful, alert, and aware is an invitation into the unfolding divine mystery. This mystery is somehow personal yet universal, offering glimpses of a boundless God amongst a groaning creation.

So, as we embark on the journey through the season of Advent…the call to be watchful, alert and aware is an invitation into the unfolding divine mystery…

We are invited to wait and watch with an expectant hope for the coming celebration of our Lord's nativity, and for the final coming of Christ “in power and glory.”

We are encouraged to take on a new or renewed spiritual practice by rooting our lives in prayer, at the break of the day, at the noon of the day, at the eve of the day, at the end of the day…

Prayer asking God to enter our hearts anew, to light a candle of hope in our hearts, and to pray for the love of Jesus Christ to abide in our hearts…Prayer that lights a way for hope and love to grab hold of our hearts….to grab hold our lives…to grab hold of our minds…to grab hold of all that we say and do…

Prayer that will renew and strengthen our call as the church to be an “Outpost of Hope” in our communities…

 

Closing Prayer/Hymn: (H) 482

1        Lord of all hopefulness, Lord of all joy,

          whose trust, ever child-like, no cares could destroy,

          be there at our waking, and give us, we pray,

          your bliss in our hearts, Lord, at the break of the day.

 

2        Lord of all eagerness, Lord of all faith,

          whose strong hands were skilled at the plane and the lathe,

          be there at our labors, and give us, we pray,

          your strength in our hearts, Lord, at the noon of the day.

 

3        Lord of all kindliness, Lord of all grace,

          your hands swift to welcome, your arms to embrace,

          be there at our homing, and give us, we pray,

          your love in our hearts, Lord, at the eve of the day.

 

4        Lord of all gentleness, Lord of all calm,

          whose voice is contentment, whose presence is balm,

          be there at our sleeping, and give us, we pray,

          your peace in our hearts, Lord, at the end of the day.

Rev Julie Platson

St Peter’s by the Sea Episcopal Church

Sitka, Alaska

Christ the King Sunday Sermon - called to love and serve

Last Sunday after Pentecost/Christ the King/Year A

Fall stewardship time: Called to be an “Outpost of Hope”

November 26, 2023

Ephesians 1:15-23; Psalm 95:1-7a; Matthew 25:31-46

 

Opening Prayer:

O God, our Heavenly Creator, give us a vision of our world as Your love would make it: a world where the weak are protected and none go hungry or poor; a world where the benefits of civilized life are shared, and everyone can enjoy them; a world where different races, nations and cultures live in tolerance and mutual respect, a world where peace is built with justice, and justice is guided by love; and give us the inspiration and courage to build it, through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen. Geoffrey Brown & John Pridmore, St Martin-in-the-Fields’ Prayer for the World.

It is good to be with all of you today. I look forward to this time together every week, when we can come together to be inspired by the Word of God, through scriptures, prayer, music, breaking bread with one another, and enjoying fellowship time with each other after the services. I look forward to this time every week, to gather in community, to re-envision what our neighborhoods and our world-wide community could look like, when we take seriously our call to love and serve one another, as Jesus has taught us, and shown us.

And, in particular, during this month of November, I’ve been inspired by the heartfelt “Outpost of Hope” reflections that were shared these past few weeks by Chip, Ruth Ann, and Elisabeth and Harry…all stories that captured the essence and purpose of the church’s call to be an Outpost of Hope in our communities. We’ve also been sharing other reflections in our Tuesday emails this month, that reflect how our church finances are being used to build up communities, Where Hope Can Be Found.

We’ve come to the end of our liturgical year today, the last Sunday after Pentecost, or as it is also known, named, and celebrated, as Christ the King Sunday.

This last Sunday in the current liturgical year, wasn’t always called Christ the King Sunday. According to a description on churchyear.net, it was 1st given this name in 1925 at a time in the world where God seemed to be losing ground, the devastating First World War had been fought, and the powers of nationalism and secularism were rising. Pope Pius XI instituted the Feast of Christ the King to lend courage to Christians whose faith and hopes might be flagging…

Fast forward to the year 2023…recalling this day as Christ the King Sunday, is still as relevant now, as it was in 1925 for very similar reasons….there are devastating wars being fought in many places, the powers of nationalism and secularism are rising, and many people…not just Christians, are struggling with finding reasons to hope, in a world that is plagued with so much suffering, division, and loneliness.

So, here’s the thing…the name, Christ the King Sunday…may leave some people scratching their heads now in 2023…or thinking, perhaps…that the church, the religious institutions, are aligning themselves with worldly power, whose communities, whose kingdoms, are marked with powerful rulers and rules set up to control others, and to separate people from one another…

But that’s not the type of Kingdom we as the church are seeking to model. We are striving to follow Jesus, a humble king, a compassionate king, a forgiving and merciful king, a loving king, who aligned himself with those who have been tossed aside and separated from society, those deemed unworthy, those left hungering and thirsting for Hope.

From the very beginning, Jesus has been clear about his role as king…and it has nothing to do with power and control over anyone. It has nothing to do with aligning ourselves with the status quo. It has nothing to do with us judging who is worthy and who is not.

It has always been about love…loving God, and loving our neighbor, with all of our heart, soul, strength and mind.

It has always been about re-envisioning what our neighborhoods and our world-wide community could look like, when we take seriously our call to love and serve one another, as Jesus has taught us, and shown us…

This week’s gospel reading, just one of many important teachings of Jesus, can help us align our vision with Jesus’ vision by focusing on whom our primary concerns should be…as we strive to build up communities of hope where-ever we are…

Jesus said, ‘Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’

Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’ And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.’

The message has always been clear…Jesus’ mission, and ours as followers of Jesus, as the body of Christ, the church…has always been to proclaim and build up the kingdom of God, the family of God, here on earth, as in heaven…a kingdom, a beloved community, where people thrive, here and now, by being nourished by the love of God, as made known to us in the stories of Jesus’ life, death, resurrection, and ascension…a kingdom of heaven, a beloved community, where peoples’ lives are transformed by the love of God, in Christ Jesus, as we listen deeply to each other’s stories, and as we look into the faces of all we meet, seeking and serving Christ in all persons, loving our neighbors as ourselves…

When we strive to live into this mission and ministry of Christ, the mission and ministry of the church: With God and with one another, we can restore Hope in the hearts and lives of all God’s people…

I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him, so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you…(Ephesians 1:15-23)

 

*Prayer/Hymn after sermon: (WLP 779)

The Church of Christ in every age

Beset by change but Spirit led,

Must claim and test its heritage

And keep on rising from the dead.

 

Across the world, across the street,

The victims of injustice cry

For shelter and for bread to eat,

And never live until they die.

 

Then let the servant Church arise,

A caring Church that longs to be

A partner in Christ's sacrifice,

And clothed in Christ's humanity.

 

For he alone, whose blood was shed,

Can cure the fever in our blood,

And teach us how to share our bread

And feed the starving multitude.

 

We have no mission but to serve

In full obedience to our Lord:

To care for all, without reserve,

And to spread his liberating Word.

 

Rev Julie Platson

St Peter’s by the Sea Episcopal Church

Sitka, AK

 

Benediction: Christ the King Sunday

It is not enough to acclaim Jesus Christ as our Lord and King. Our mission in life is to make his kingdom a reality among us and to bring it to those around us by our words and deedsThe way to do this is to live as he lived: for others, in love and service.

May Almighty God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, bless you and be upon you always, as you answer the call to build up communities of hope, through loving God, and loving your neighbor, with all of your heart, soul, strength and mind. Amen.

~ from Liturgies Alive, Models of Celebration.

 

Photo: From the Vanderbilt Divity Library - Reign of Christ Sunday

 

Outpost of Hope

ALL SAINTS’ SUNDAY/ Year A - November 5, 2023

Fall stewardship kick off: Called to be an “Outpost of Hope”

Revelation 7:9-17; Psalm 34:1-10,22; Matthew 5:1-12

 

*Opening Prayer: A Prayer for All Saints/All Souls Day (Order of Saint Helena)

Gracious God, You stand us among the saints so that we can hear the Word of truth and love in a variety of voices, so that we can live with hope and courage as others lift us up and cheer us on.  You surround us with saints so that we can know wisdom and revelation in the sharing of word and experience; so that we can sing in glory and stand in the fullness of the body of Christ.  We’re grateful for those saints who have gone before us and for those living at our sides today.  Raise us up with the faith of the saints, for the glory of your holy name.  Amen.

You’ve heard me say it many times…but I begin this morning by repeating it again… All Saints’ Sunday is my favorite special day on the church calendar. There are so many things to love about this day…

I love that we set aside this day to remember our connection to those who have gone on before us…yet are still so alive in our hearts now and who still move us and inspire us to keep on going…to keep on living…to keep on hoping….to keep on loving and blessing one another…

I love that on All Saints’ Sunday, we can be reminded that we don’t navigate this world alone…because by our baptisms into the household of God, we are always in the company of those famous and every day saints we call family and friends, who have gone on before us…those beloveds who still manage to inspire us, encourage us to keep on going…to keep on living…to keep on hoping….to keep on loving and blessing one another…

And I love that on this All Saints’ Sunday, we get to listen to the gospel reading from Matthew…and imagine ourselves on the mountaintop with the disciples gathering at the feet of Jesus to be encouraged and uplifted by his words of blessing:  “Blessed are you, the poor in spirit, those who mourn, those who are humble, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness…Blessed are you, the merciful, the pure in heart and the peacemakers…for you will be called children of God.”

And I love that on this All Saints’ Sunday, we get to prayerfully consider how this vision of being blessed as Jesus teaches us in this sermon on the mount…is a relevant teaching to us today, just as it was over two thousand years ago.

We are kicking off our fall pledge drive this weekend…and this year’s theme, is based upon Bishop Mark’s invitation to the people of the Episcopal Diocese of Alaska to renew and strengthen our call as the church to be an “Outpost of Hope” in our community.

I think of that time and place on the mountaintop with Jesus, as an example of an “outpost of hope”…a church gathering space…a place where people can gather to be encouraged, be inspired, to be fed by the word of God, and to be renewed and strengthened through the prayers and fellowship with one another, to go out into one’s community to love and bless one another…

I think of Jesus being an “outpost of hope” himself…using his presence and words to encourage and uplift those who perhaps have struggled to see how and where God is present in their lives or blessing them now…I imagine him looking directly at those who are in need of hearing it… “Blessed are YOU!”

And I think of all the saints, past and present, who have been an “outpost of hope” to others…

Can you recall a time when someone has been an “outpost of hope” for you…when you were weary, afraid, overwhelmed by the cares and concerns of the world and its people, when you felt powerless to change any of the difficult circumstances that you find yourselves or your loved ones in, or when you had moments of doubt when your faith and your hopes had been dimmed?

And I wonder…where you see yourself, and St Peter’s church as an “outpost of hope” today…and as we look forward to the new year…

Will you strive to be an outpost of hope to others…by sharing your compassion-filled words and kind actions to help offload that sense of being overwhelmed by the cares and concerns that are weighing heavily on someone’s heart?

Will you strive to be an “outpost of hope” to others… by being present to them and sharing encouraging words to help them see some new possibilities before them when they feel powerless to take just one step forward?

Will you strive to be an “outpost of hope” to others…by sharing words of love and blessing directly with others, “Blessed are you”…words of love and blessing to help rekindle the light of their faith and hopes just in the moment they need to hear them most?

And finally…Will you strive to help the church…the physical spaces that we use to gather people together, and the church as the body of Christ in the world… to serve as an “outpost of hope” to all in our community?

In the renewal of our baptismal covenant in a few minutes, we will be reminded that indeed we can answer with a bold Yes to all of this…Yes…We will, with God’s help…

And yes, we can and we will… because by our baptisms into the household of God, we are always in the company of those famous and every day saints we call family and friends, who have gone on before us,  those beloveds who still manage to inspire us, encourage us to keep on going…to keep on living…to keep on hoping….to keep on loving and blessing one another… those beloved saints of God who have already shown us, how the church can serve as an “outpost of hope” in our communities…

Thanks be to God for those saints who have gone before us and for those living at our sides today…

*Prayer/Hymn after sermon: We sing of the saints  - My Heart Sings Out, #118

          We sing of the saints filled with Spirit and grace,

          blest women and men through all time, from each place.

          God chose them, the holy, the humble the wise

          to spread the Good News of salvation in Christ.

 

         All Saints (November 1)

          There are many saints whom we don’t know by name,

          for God works through people who never find fame;

          but, gathered together, they now sing God’s might,

          with martyrs and prophets, in heavenly light.

 

          All Faithful Departed (November 2)

          We honor the mem’ry of those now at rest,

          who followed the Gospel, whose lives were so blest;

          from fam’lies and friendships, they make heaven seem

          more home-like for us, in our prayers and our dreams.

 

          We, too, have been chosen to follow the way

          of goodness and truth in our study and play,

          we raise up our song, living saints here below,

          with heavenly saints, as our praise ever flows.

 

 

Rev Julie Platson

St Peter’s by the Sea Episcopal Church

Sitka, AK

Saying yes to the invitation : Today's sermon

20 Pentecost Year A

October 15, 2023

Isaiah 25:1-9; Psalm 23, Matthew 22:1-14

Opening Prayer: Holy Spirit of God, shine your light upon this Word and into our hearts that we may be enlightened with fresh understanding. Amen. (from Feasting on the Word: Worship Companion)

 

These gospel readings are not getting any easier the past few weeks. Today’s parable is another difficult one to wrap our minds around.

In today’s gospel reading, Jesus is speaking once again to the priests and Pharisees. This time it’s the parable of the Wedding Banquet. “The kingdom of God may be compared to a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son.” According to the customs of that time, two invitations were expected when banquets were given. The first asked the guests to attend; the second one announced that all was ready. In today’s story, the king invited his guests three times! And as you heard, the king became quite enraged, and things became quite ugly. Failure to turn up at a dinner party that one was invited to was of course extremely bad manners. But outright refusing to attend was even more serious.

What a disgrace this was to the king who had prepared this glorious feast in honor of his son, and for the enjoyment of all who were invited to attend this special celebration.

How many of us here have had a similar experience with planning a wedding, a special occasion, a holiday party or other community event, that left you feeling frustrated by those who didn’t give you the courtesy of a reply or being disappointed by your friends who you really wanted to accept your dinner invitation, but then didn’t show up… 

You planned a glorious party…a joyous occasion, you were holding it for good cause, your daughter, your son, your charity…all good…all for the purpose of coming together to celebrate joy!

You sent out the invitations in plenty of time…you even sent out a “save the date” notice way before the official invitation went out.

You included an RSVP date – which is a way of politely asking the recipients of the invitation to give the hosts the courtesy of a reply so they can plan the celebration accordingly.

But, as many hosts soon find out, some people flat out ignore the request to reply, which leads many hosts and event organizers to now get on the phone to extend the invitation again! A lot of work and a lot of frustration…

So, going back to the parable... you can sense the king’s concern and frustration…He had pulled out all the stops to plan this joyous occasion. He extended the invitation, several times, he wanted others to come, and celebrate with him and all who gathered for the special occasion, and he expected a reply, an affirmative yes to this invitation.

I can sense God’s concern for us, too… An invitation is extended to us, many times, daily, to come to the banquet, to come to this feast, to come to the table, where the life-giving love of God, made known to us in Jesus, will gather us all together, to celebrate with one another, to break bread together, to help us see that God’s people can learn to live together in love and peace, and can strive to live as a people of hope, with hearts full of joy, even in the midst of such unfathomable suffering, heartache, and violence, all around us…

What keeps us from saying yes to entering into this covenant of love with God, one another, and all of creation…why do we keep finding ourselves turning down the invitation, or maybe ignoring it all together?

Are we too busy, too tethered to what we already know, and too comfortable in the way things are…maybe it’s fear, being overwhelmed at how much suffering and violence we are witness to every day, near and far.

Maybe we are just at the point in life, when we are trying to wrap our minds around all of the difficult news, and the unrest and turmoil in the world around us, and that it is just hard, super difficult to imagine that this invitation to this “banquet” set for all of us, could possibly help us see that there is love and joy and peace and hope that is to be found in this life, together, even in the midst of so much turmoil, unrest, sorrow and grief…

We will never know though, until we simple begin (again and again) by saying yes to God’s invitation to come to the banquet of love that has been set before us.

We will never know though, until we say yes to following Jesus in the way of love, that there is another way to be in this life with one another…that doesn’t accept that violence, hatred, and oppression over one another will lead to anything good.

We will never know though, the peace of God that surpasses all understanding, even in the midst of so much turmoil, unrest, sorrow and grief… until we say yes...Yes, Lord…I will follow you and you will follow me, all the days of my life.

 

LEVS 104 - The Lord is my Shepherd

1       The Lord is my Shepherd, no want shall I know;

                   I feed in green pastures, safe-folded I rest;

          He leadeth my soul where the still waters flow,

                   Restores me when wand’ring, redeems when oppressed.

 

2       Through the valley and shadow my death though I stray,

                   Since thou art my guardian, no evil I fear;

          Thy rod shall defend me, thy staff be my stay;

                   No harm can befall, with my comforter near.

 

3       In the midst of affliction my table is spread;

                   With blessings unmeasured my cup runneth o’er;

          With perfume and oil thou anointest my head;

                   O what shall I ask of thy providence more?

 

4       Let goodness and mercy, my bountiful God,

                   Still follow my steps till I meet Thee above;

          I seek by the path which my ancestors trod,

                   Through the land of their sojourn, thy kingdom of love.

 

 

Rev. Julie Platson, Rector

St Peter’s by the Sea Episcopal Church

Sitka, AK

 

 

 

 

 

Oct 8th: Sunday Sermon

Today’s sermon was written/offered by Kit Allgood-Mellema…

19th Sunday after Pentecost/Year A/Proper 22

Psalm 80:7-14; Isaiah 5:1-7; Matthew 21:33-46

I think at any time in the last two thousand years, the possibility of change, so long needed and desired, has seemed to most people to be overwhelmingly impossible to achieve. Our times are no different than times past in that way. And yet, there is hope. There has always been hope.