Sermon for 16 Pentecost

Sermon for 16 Pentecost, Proper 18-A

September 4, 2005

St. Luke’s Church, Jamestown, NY

Cathy Basile

We are not alone. That is the good news. God has made an awesome promise in verse 20 of today’s Gospel, “For when two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.” Jesus’ presence provides all the strength we need for a fruitful journey in this world. We find comfort and a sense of serenity from the knowledge that God is with and among us. We need air to breathe, food to eat and water to drink in order to physically sustain our existence. All these things are necessary for life. Nevertheless, Jesus has conveyed to us very explicitly that in order to save our life we need a relationship with God.

The Gospel today speaks to my heart about the importance of establishing a relationship with God in communion with others. The early Christian church was not a building structure with all kinds of religious ornaments. It was simply and often the local group of believers. This is the very core reason for the existence of a church. A church is not just buildings, altars, books crosses, holy oil or water. These religious elements are but symbols of something much deeper and more important to us.

A church is a “community of people “who devote themselves to be the working hands of God in this world. I am so grateful and blessed to be a servant of two wonderful parishes. I do not take this blessing for granted; I thank God every day for it. We are God’s family gathering at least once a week to praise and honor not only with prayers and songs but also by doing the work that He wants us to do as faithful disciples. This is what the church is all about.

Yes, you can worship God on a beach or a mountaintop all by yourself and you can go into the world and try to save it on your own. But, you may find this lonely, unrewarding and impossible to feel a sense of accomplishment. There is strength in numbers and when we move in force, things can happen rather quickly and more efficiently. The unique thing about worshipping as a community is that we feel the presence of God to be more evident and clearer to us. In fact today’s Gospel guarantees that when more than two of us gather, Jesus is also with us.

Look around you at all the symbolism. From the design of the building to the beautiful stain glass windows. Indeed this magnificent building was made for the communal celebration of the spirit of Christ and for the gathering of His people to engage in meaningful relationships. The love manifested in this gathering is the substance that nourishes and sustains this church or more correctly this “community of believers “. Look at each other, the friendship, the bonding and the love we share for one another is precisely what makes us God’s people and what allows us to discern His presence in and among us.

We are bonded by love to serve the Lord and to serve each other- this is what the church is all about. The hymns, the prayers, the readings from the sacred “Word” give us an ambience of the sacred, but what sustains our spirit is the love and the relationships we have for and with one another other. You may even get an image of God from a word said from the pulpit now and again, but to feel His presence you must have love in your heart, not just for God for yourself and for your neighbor. You can choose to stay home or find a place by yourself to read the appointed readings and prayers. You can even sing alone if you want to. The critical difference is that when you come to church, you are doing all these things in the company of other believers. We evoke God’s presence as a community.

It is such a powerful presence of the divine that I believe it is impossible to recreate it on my own. I find sanctuary for my troubles in this community and I thank you all so much for it. I hope that you also find the peace of mind that is always present in this gathering. In today’s gospel, I believe Matthew alludes to this power. The power that comes from people that gather together to receive and feel the spirit of Jesus, with this worship and fellowship. From a young age, I was always aware of God’s presence, usually in nature. But, I did what most children did, I only called on God in times of trouble. When I got into trouble, I prayed real hard to get out of that trouble. My relationship with God was defined by the words, “I need you, help me right now……please. I turned to God only in times of tribulations and pain. It seemed to me that I engaged God in my life as the last resort for the resolution of my problems. It was a very selfish and self-centered relationship. Nevertheless, it was a relationship. My relationship with God has matured significantly in recent years. Well, I like to think that it has. I still call for Him when my life is turbulent and dark, but today I also offer my resources to God’s work in this world and I like to think that I also contribute in a positive way to the relationship I have with Jesus.

Today I realize that the most rewarding relationship with Jesus is not solely based on my need for his presence, but also based on my capacity to bring the light of Christ into the world. I am not as self centered or selfish as I once was. I try to think of others in distress and try my best to alleviate the pain and suffering that afflicts their lives. I try to always be in search of developing relationships with the world that engender the essence of the Christian faith. I try to promote the love of Jesus in all of my activities and bring the word of the lord to as many people as I can. And hopefully, when I leave this sanctuary, I can and do take Christ with me.

One of Jesus’ great commandments to us is to love our neighbors as ourselves. As usual Jesus never told us to do anything that was easy. Being Christ like can be a daunting task but that is what we as Christians are compelled to be. Jesus wants us to be a Caring Community (or a Church). To reach out the arms of sympathy and support to those who are in distress and to forgive those who have transgressed against us or our love ones, to be faithful stewards of His word and sacraments, and to rejoice with those who rejoice and to weep with those who weep. Kahil Gibran once remarked that we can forget those with whom we have laughed , but we can never forget those with whom we have cried. Millions of persons who have been through trying times and have felt the support of one or two other brothers and sisters in Christ will testify to the power of the spirit and its rewards.

I am certain that my sister, Marge remembers well the countless times we spent at the kitchen table of friends crying with them due to illnesses, emotional upheaval and the deaths of our loving parents. Those moments are very painful even as memories. They are engraved in the pit of our hearts forever, not only because of their trying experience, but because the Jesus I have a relationship with was there also, easing the pain and strengthening our resolve to persevere and find hope, love and understanding in each other. Tragedy and sadness often lead to a deeper relationship with God. Those were moments that bonded Marge and me in a very deep and loving relationship. A relationship I am so grateful to the Lord for. The sharing of pain with others deepens our relationship with them. Christ is always with us. It is the depth of my Christian faith that allows me to sense and engage Him fully in the moment.

The whole meaning of Christian faith is contained in the word relationship, as in relationship with God, and relationship with one another. As Frederick Buechner, a Presbyterian minister, has written, “Faith is not so much believing this thing or that about God as it is hearing a voice which says, “Come unto Me.” We hear the voice and then we start to go without really knowing what to believe either about the voice or about ourselves. And yet we go. Faith at this point is standing in the darkness, and a hand is there, and we take it.”

Ask yourself, what is one thing that I could do that would make a difference in my life and in the world? How can I make a difference in making the world a more peaceful and better place to live? Can I pray loud and hard enough to bring peace to this world? I do not think I can change the world globally but I can do a lot at home and in my community that can make my local or immediate world a little better. I can start by relieving my self and others of resentments and grudges by mending broken relationships and strengthening weak ones.

Jesus is the light of the world. We are the keepers of this light. It is the great commission of New Testament to spread the gospel or the light because the gospel is the light. Jesus says in today’s gospel that whenever two or more are gathered in my name, there I am also. Jesus said two or more because you need someone else to give the light of Christ to, just as we in return need it given to us. George Bernard Shaw said, “Life is no brief candle to me. It is a sort of splendid torch which I have got hold of for the moment and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations.”

It is in the context of relationships that we see the light of Christ. Relationships among friends, relationships among lovers, colleagues, and family; The first thing Jesus did in starting his journey, was to develop relationships with 12 total strangers, in various degrees of walks of life. Relationships that were instrumental in the fulfillment of his mission and also in the laying down the foundation of Christianity.

Still, not all relationships are happy. Relationships can cause us anguish, pain, loneliness, apprehension, well, you get the picture. It is not always warm and fuzzy. And I’ll bet there is no one here present today that doesn’t have at least one strained relationship weighing heavy on their heart. And believe me, if you don’t right now, you will soon. It is human nature. That is why Jesus is so important in my life. My love in relationship with him has allowed me to minimize my resentments toward others. I have come to appreciate that my imperfections and failures are as much a blessing from God as my gifts and successes.

A teacher once told each of her students to bring a clear plastic bag and a sack of potatoes to school. For every person they’d refused to forgive in their life’s experience, they chose a potato, wrote the name and date, and put it in the plastic bag. Some of their bags got quite heavy. They were then told to carry this bag with them everywhere for one week, putting it beside their bed at night, on the car seat when driving; next to their desk at work…….. The hassle of lugging this around with them made it clear what a weight they were carrying spiritually, and how they had to pay attention to it all the time to not forget and keep leaving it in embarrassing places. Naturally, the condition of the potatoes deteriorated to a nasty “slime”. This was a great metaphor for the price we pay for keeping our pain and heavy negativity! Too often we think of forgiveness as a gift to the other person, and it clearly is for ourselves!

How many potatoes are you carrying? Don’t let your relationships turn to “slime”. Let the light of Christ bring life back into your darkness.

May your heart, always, be filled with the invincible light of Christ.