11/25/2012 ~ Twenty-Sixth and Last Sunday after Pentecost ~ Thirty-fourth and Last Sunday in Ordinary Time and Known in Some Traditions as The Reign of Christ (Proper 29) ~ 2 Samuel 23:1-7; Psalm 132:1-12, (13-18); Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14; Psalm 93; Revelation 1:4b-8; John 18:33-37 ~ The Sunday After the Thanksgiving Holiday.
The Prime Mover
(When we read the Psalm we read it as an Antiphonal reading. As such, some words were slightly altered. These are the words of the first two verses of Psalm 93 as they are found in the Inclusive Language Version:) “Yahweh reigns, robed in splendor; / You are robed, Yahweh, girded with strength. / Yahweh has established the world; / it stands firm; / it shall never be moved; / Indeed, Your seat, / Your reign is established from of old, / from ages past; / from everlasting to everlasting / from eternity You exist.” — Psalm 93:1-2.
Suppose all the sales in all the stores on Black Friday went off on schedule and no one showed up? As you know, the day after Thanksgiving is commonly known as Black Friday. And as has been widely reported, shoppers crowd into stores as the doors open.
Bonnie and I have spent the last two Thanksgivings in the Saranac Lake area with my brother’s family. If you think Norwich is small, Saranac Lake is even smaller. There are no malls, Target stores or Walmarts.
Last year there was a “Black Friday” sale item I wanted at Radio Shack. As it happens and despite its diminutive size, Saranac Lake has a Radio Shack. The advertisement said the doors opened at 5:30 a.m.
Thinking we were a little late and the store would be sold out of the item, Bonnie and I got out of the house at about 5:15 and, as fast as we could, drove five miles to downtown Saranac Lake, making it just before the that 5:30 deadline.
Were there big crowds? No. There were two people in line. After all, it is Saranac Lake— small, small town America.
This year my brother wanted something at Radio Shack. So, given that we knew we did not have to be there exactly when the store opened. We got there at about 6:05, a half hour, a little more, after the opening time. We were the first customers. They had seen no one before us.
We asked the manager if he expected to see any crowd. “Yep,” he said. “When people get finished with the big stores down Plattsburgh way. We usually see a surge about, oh, 11:00 a.m. or so.”
Rumor to the contrary, year after year, the day which, on average, has the highest gross sales is not Black Friday but one of the days between the 16th and the 22nd of December, one of those seven days. Further, in more northern climates if it snows— not a heavy snow, just enough to remind people of the season, perhaps a little like last night— if it snows sometime in that stretch that will be the day with the highest sales.
Now, I’m not saying people shouldn’t shop. On a very practical level, I get it. Shopping at this time of year— and let’s call it what it is— Christmas shopping— all this Christmas shopping is an economic engine our economy would have a hard time replacing.
On the other hand, I do have an interesting fantasy about the link between Christmas and shopping. I have often wondered what would happen if the Pope— and with the centralized power of the Papacy the Pope is the only one who could do this— I have often wondered what would happen if the Pope unilaterally declared the Feast of the Incarnation, Christmas, was henceforth changed to May the 25th?
My guess is, after the initial shock, we would continue to be subsumed by a purchasing frenzy between the fourth Thursday in November and the last week in December. We would dub it a mid-winter holiday or some other name.
But why change the date? Most scholars agree, Jesus was not born in the winter but born in the Springtime. Scholars also agree there is no record that the Early Church celebrated a birth feast. It was not celebrated until the 4th Century. The implication is that, for the early church, the center of their faith lay not in the Incarnation, but elsewhere.
But as to this placement of this feast, we do know ancient Rome had a winter solstice celebration, celebrating the return of the sun. On the Roman calendar the solstice was December the 25th. It’s likely Christians adopted and adapted this date to celebrate the birth of the Messiah, as we claim Jesus to be the Messiah and the light of God born into our lives. (Slight pause.)
And these are the words of the first two verses of Psalm 93: “Yahweh reigns, robed in splendor; / You are robed, Yahweh, girded with strength. / Yahweh has established the world; / it stands firm; / it shall never be moved; / Indeed, Your seat, / Your reign is established from of old, / from ages past; / from everlasting to everlasting / from eternity You exist.” (Slight pause.)
As was mentioned at the start of the service next week, with the First Sunday in Advent, we shall begin the new church year. But what is this season of Advent about? How does it relate to Christmas?
Why do we celebrate it as the beginning of the year? How does this connect with the Messiah and why do we go on shopping sprees around this time? (Slight pause.)
The four Gospels are Mark, Matthew, Luke and John. You probably noticed I did not recite them in the same order you find in the New Testament. I recited them in the order they were composed.
Among the Synoptic Gospels, Mark was written for a Jewish community, probably no earlier than the year 70 of the Common Era, at least 35 years after the resurrection. Matthew was written in Roman Syria for a Jewish/Christian community probably around 85 or 90 and Luke, probably a little later, written for a Greek community.
Notice, these are all written to different communities, different audiences, at different times. They are all really very different. There are birth narratives in two of them: Matthew and Luke. There are significant differences in these birth narratives. In Luke Mary and Joseph are pictured as being poor. In Matthew, they seem to have had some means.
There is no star over the stable in Luke. The star is in Matthew. The stable is in Luke. There are no angelic announcements to shepherds in Matthew. But there are magi.
I can go on and on about the differences and how inappropriate it is that we merge the two stories. It is one of many proofs of how Biblically illiterate our society is. [1] (Slight pause.)
And then there is John. I often say there is a Christmas story— not a nativity story but a Christmas story— a Christmas story in the First Chapter of the Gospel according to the school of John. It reads this way (quote:) “In the beginning was the Word; the Word was with God, in the presence of God and the Word was God.” [2] (Slight pause.)
You see, the Christmas story is not about a birth of a child. Let me say that again: the Christmas story is not about a birth of a child. The Christmas story is about the in-breaking of God into our world.
And that brings us back to the Psalm and what the Season of Advent is about. The Season of Advent, you see, is also about the in-breaking of God into the world. It takes us down the road to that real Christmas story— the presence of God.
The Season of Advent is about the one God appointed the Messiah who recalls, refreshes and renews the ancient covenant which Yahweh, God, made with all people. This is the all forgiving God, a God of all mercy and all goodness, God whom we can more fully know— more fully know— in Christ, in Jesus.
And so, Jesus, who is the Christ, is the gift of God to all humanity. Hence, from the perspective of faith, giving gifts at this time of year is meant not as a shopping spree. It is meant to recall the greatest gift God gives us: Jesus, who is the Christ, the Messiah. (Slight pause.)
As I suggested earlier, I am not against shopping at Christmas. I understand the needs of the economy. But I do wonder if it might be productive to think about why any gift is given.
If a gift is given to impress someone, please do go buy something lavish. It might work and it will help the economy. But there might be other ways to impress. Perhaps one way is to set aside a portion of what you have budgeted to do something like this: make a donation in someone’s honor to a church or a charity.
Or, on Christmas Day, visit a fire station or the emergency room at the hospital, someplace where people need to work on that day for the protection of everyone. Drop off some cookies and say “thank you” to those staffing that facility.
In short, we need to remember what Advent and Christmas are really about. They are really about the coming of the Messiah, the presence of Christ.
So, shopping may be exciting or depressing, depending on your viewpoint. Either way, it is temporal. What we really need to be addressing with the seasons of Advent and Christmas is the eternal not the temporal.
You see, God who is (quote): “from everlasting to everlasting...” transcends our limited view, our temporal view. And God, because of the Christ, invites us to participate in the Dominion of God. God, through Christ, invites us to participate in eternal life. Amen.
11/25/2012
United Church of Christ, First Congregational, Norwich, New York.
ENDPIECE: It is the practice of the Pastor to speak after the Closing Hymn, but before the Congregational Response and Benediction. This is an précis of what was said: “Miroslav Volf is a Professor of Theology at Yale Divinity School. He has said this about giving thanks: I am (quote:) ‘Grateful— not first of all for all the good things, not even for life itself, but for the Giver of all gifts.” I want to suggest that Thanksgiving, Advent and Christmas are about this: giving thanks for the Giver of all gifts.”
BENEDICTION: Let us receive the gifts of God’s grace and peace. Let us rejoice in the freedom to love as Jesus loved. Let the spirit of God speak through us today. Go forth and reach out to everyone you meet in the name of Christ. And may the face of God shine upon us; may the peace of Christ rule among us; may the fire of the Spirit burn within us this day and forevermore. Amen.
[1] When the reading from Revelation was heard, the following was a part of the introduction offered by the Liturgist: “Biblical prophecy has little to do with a foretelling of the future, but has to do with speaking the truth of the Word of God. It should, however, be noted that in our society many take this work to be prophetic in the non-Biblical sense, meaning they take it to be a foretelling of the future. Perhaps all this suggests is that we have a very Biblically illiterate society and society, generally, claims otherwise.”
[2] John 1:1 [ILV]
Sunday, November 25, 2012
Sunday, November 18, 2012
SERMON ~ 11/18/2012 ~ Covenant Wholeness
11/18/2012 ~ Twenty-Fifth Sunday after Pentecost ~ Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time (Proper 28) ~ 1 Samuel 1:4-20; (Instead of the Psalm) 1 Samuel 2:1-10; Daniel 12:1-3; Psalm 16; Hebrews 10:11-14, (15-18), 19-25; Mark 13:1-8 ~ The Sunday Before Thanksgiving.
Covenant Wholeness
“This is the covenant I will make with them / in those days, says our God: / I will put my laws in their hearts, / and I write them on their minds,” / then adds, / “I will never again remember their deeds of destruction or their offenses.” — Hebrews 10:16-17.
A friend has this sign hanging in her office: “We were all put on God’s good earth to accomplish a finite amount of work.” (Slight pause.) “I am so far behind I may never die.”
Sometimes I see the truth of that aphorism about two or three times a week. Indeed, I occasionally say I live my life based on triage.
The word triage first injected itself into our language during World War I. It was a process used in battlefield hospitals for sorting injured people into groups based on a need for and likely benefit from immediate treatment when available medical resources had to be rationed. In short: triage meant those who made these choices about medical care were playing God. Whose life would you try to save?
Triage has now come to be used in a less intimidating way. It’s not so much about playing God as it is about simply making choices. Thereby, the word asks a straightforward question: what is it which absolutely, positively has to get done next?
Whatever that is, whatever choice you make, drop everything else. Do that one thing. Get it done. Step two: once again ask what absolutely, positively has to get done next. Repeat the process. (Slight pause.)
The problem with that procedure is it’s actually unsustainable. It’s unsustainable not because the procedure fails to be successful. It is quite successful. Important things get done. The process is unsustainable because, eventually, its only by-product is guilt.
You see, when you’re always asking what absolutely, positively has to get done next, a realization slowly builds. It’s the realization that you fully well know what is not getting done. That’s because you fully well know what you’re laying aside.
That’s when you realize two other things: first, you are probably trying to do way too much. Second: because you believe you can do that much— don’t kid yourself, you can’t do anywhere near that much— because you are trying to do that much what you really are trying to play God.
So, what happens next? Guilt sets in. And maybe, just maybe, the biggest problem with guilt is it can immobilize.
An article in the New York Times this week said Hurricane Sandy made plain dividing lines in New York. It is a city long fractured by class, race, ethnicity, geography and culture.
Folks who live in upscale neighborhoods and who may not have thought much about the brick public housing complexes scattered around the boroughs, suddenly found themselves inside those buildings trying to help. They found themselves trudging up unlit stairwells, inquiring about the well-being of mostly impoverished residents.
The truth is some who live in trendy housing are more familiar with poverty from their travels to the so called “third world” than from any explorations within their own hometown. Hence, deep pangs of guilt have been discovered among piles of donated clothing as these folks come face to face with some of the misery that existed close to home even before the storm.[1]
Should they let that guilt immobilize them? Or should they start to tackle a problem which has been sitting in front of them all this time. (Slight pause.)
And these words are from the work known as Hebrews: “This is the covenant I will make with them / in those days, says our God: / I will put my laws in their hearts, / and I write them on their minds,” / then adds, / “I will never again remember their deeds of destruction or their offenses.” (Slight pause.)
The issue of guilt came up in our Bible Study on Wednesday night. After all, if God will never again (quote): “...remember their deeds of destruction or their offenses” why worry? Do whatever you want; it won’t matter.
And also, isn’t it true that people can be shamed into action? So isn’t guilt productive? Therefore, why would God not remember? (Slight pause.)
Is God not into guilt? After all, those television preachers say God is into guilt. (Slight pause.)
Scholars agree the work known as Hebrews is not written by Paul but by a disciple of Paul. But they also agree it is written to an audience of Jewish people. Hence, its most important project is to unpack the Law and the Prophets.
So, the writer of the Epistle uses one of the most important passages in Jeremiah, the one about writing the covenant on the hearts of the people. Besides restating the covenant, that passage insists deeds of destruction, offenses— what we commonly call sin— will not be remembered. And this is a part of the covenant.
The point made is two-fold: first, this recalls the deepest meaning of the covenant: that God stands with us always, no matter what our circumstances. Second, this covenant is renewed and revealed fully in Christ, Jesus. (Slight pause.)
God stands with us always. So, does that mean ‘why worry?’ Does that mean ‘do whatever you want; it won’t matter?’
And what about shame? People can be shamed into doing things. So, isn’t guilt productive? (Slight pause.)
We are human. I doubt guilt will ever be a commodity we can banish. And, given my Irish Catholic background, I am fairly confident in making that statement. Irish Catholics know a lot about guilt.
But a deeper question, aside from the reality of guilt, is this: from a psychological perspective, is guilt healthy? Is guilt not just another way of saying we can eventually do everything perfect. We can eventually do everything right?
Is guilt not just another way saying we should be in control. Is guilt not just another way saying we can be— can be... God? (Slight pause.)
Then, of course, there is the theological claim about Christ made by Hebrews. The covenant, expressed in and with fulness by the Christ, claims we are not perfect. The covenant says we are not God. And the covenant says the reality of God, the reality of the covenant, the reality of Christ, makes us whole. (Slight pause.)
In several minutes we will dedicate the Operation Christmas Child boxes. Are we doing that, are we making contributions, giving presents out of our own guilt, guilt that there are children in far off places who daily live in poverty?
Does our guilt about that say this is something we should do? Or should this dedication be a symbol that we stand in solidarity with these children? (Slight pause.)
I think the problem among many with guilt is not just that it is an psychologically unhealthy response. The problem with guilt is, eventually, it demands not action but inaction.
You see, guilt actually makes the claim that we are God, that we can be perfect, that we can do everything and that we know all the right answers. This— this— is a debilitating claim, if there ever was one. If we recognize the demands made by a guilt which lays claim on what we are not doing, at some point the demands made by that kind of guilt must, by definition, overwhelm us.
This love God, love neighbor I constantly talk about, realizes we are not perfect, we can’t do everything and we don’t know all the right answers. In short, loving God and loving neighbors demands that we trust God and trust our neighbors. It demands we rely on God and rely on neighbors.
Will trusting God and trusting our neighbors banish guilt? Take it from this old Irish Catholic: no. But loving God and loving neighbor will feed us far more than guilt ever will, because we will come to realize God stands in solidarity with us. Therefore, we eventually realize we need to stand in solidarity with our neighbors.
And who are our neighbors? Perhaps the question needs to be posed this way: if God asked us to name our neighbors, what would we say? Who would we name? Amen.
United Church of Christ, First Congregational, Norwich, New York
ENDPIECE: It is the practice of the Pastor to speak after the Closing Hymn, but before the Congregational Response and Benediction. This is an précis of what was said: “When I was in seminary often acted as a substitute preacher for pastors who were taking a Sunday off. Sometimes I was required to come up with a sermon title weeks in advance. I still do that. I think I do it because the title gives me a focus. The title this week, is Covenant Wholeness. And that’s what the covenant is about: that we are made whole by God. And there needs to be no guilt in being made whole by God.”
BENEDICTION: Go forth in faith. Go forth trusting that God will provide. God forth and reach out to everyone you meet in the name of Christ. And may the face of God shine upon us; may the peace of Christ rule among us; may the fire of the Spirit burn within us this day and forevermore. Amen.
[1] NY Times — http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/17/nyregion/after-hurricane-sandy-helping-hands-also-expose-a-new-york-divide.html?emc=tnt&tntemail0=y
Covenant Wholeness
“This is the covenant I will make with them / in those days, says our God: / I will put my laws in their hearts, / and I write them on their minds,” / then adds, / “I will never again remember their deeds of destruction or their offenses.” — Hebrews 10:16-17.
A friend has this sign hanging in her office: “We were all put on God’s good earth to accomplish a finite amount of work.” (Slight pause.) “I am so far behind I may never die.”
Sometimes I see the truth of that aphorism about two or three times a week. Indeed, I occasionally say I live my life based on triage.
The word triage first injected itself into our language during World War I. It was a process used in battlefield hospitals for sorting injured people into groups based on a need for and likely benefit from immediate treatment when available medical resources had to be rationed. In short: triage meant those who made these choices about medical care were playing God. Whose life would you try to save?
Triage has now come to be used in a less intimidating way. It’s not so much about playing God as it is about simply making choices. Thereby, the word asks a straightforward question: what is it which absolutely, positively has to get done next?
Whatever that is, whatever choice you make, drop everything else. Do that one thing. Get it done. Step two: once again ask what absolutely, positively has to get done next. Repeat the process. (Slight pause.)
The problem with that procedure is it’s actually unsustainable. It’s unsustainable not because the procedure fails to be successful. It is quite successful. Important things get done. The process is unsustainable because, eventually, its only by-product is guilt.
You see, when you’re always asking what absolutely, positively has to get done next, a realization slowly builds. It’s the realization that you fully well know what is not getting done. That’s because you fully well know what you’re laying aside.
That’s when you realize two other things: first, you are probably trying to do way too much. Second: because you believe you can do that much— don’t kid yourself, you can’t do anywhere near that much— because you are trying to do that much what you really are trying to play God.
So, what happens next? Guilt sets in. And maybe, just maybe, the biggest problem with guilt is it can immobilize.
An article in the New York Times this week said Hurricane Sandy made plain dividing lines in New York. It is a city long fractured by class, race, ethnicity, geography and culture.
Folks who live in upscale neighborhoods and who may not have thought much about the brick public housing complexes scattered around the boroughs, suddenly found themselves inside those buildings trying to help. They found themselves trudging up unlit stairwells, inquiring about the well-being of mostly impoverished residents.
The truth is some who live in trendy housing are more familiar with poverty from their travels to the so called “third world” than from any explorations within their own hometown. Hence, deep pangs of guilt have been discovered among piles of donated clothing as these folks come face to face with some of the misery that existed close to home even before the storm.[1]
Should they let that guilt immobilize them? Or should they start to tackle a problem which has been sitting in front of them all this time. (Slight pause.)
And these words are from the work known as Hebrews: “This is the covenant I will make with them / in those days, says our God: / I will put my laws in their hearts, / and I write them on their minds,” / then adds, / “I will never again remember their deeds of destruction or their offenses.” (Slight pause.)
The issue of guilt came up in our Bible Study on Wednesday night. After all, if God will never again (quote): “...remember their deeds of destruction or their offenses” why worry? Do whatever you want; it won’t matter.
And also, isn’t it true that people can be shamed into action? So isn’t guilt productive? Therefore, why would God not remember? (Slight pause.)
Is God not into guilt? After all, those television preachers say God is into guilt. (Slight pause.)
Scholars agree the work known as Hebrews is not written by Paul but by a disciple of Paul. But they also agree it is written to an audience of Jewish people. Hence, its most important project is to unpack the Law and the Prophets.
So, the writer of the Epistle uses one of the most important passages in Jeremiah, the one about writing the covenant on the hearts of the people. Besides restating the covenant, that passage insists deeds of destruction, offenses— what we commonly call sin— will not be remembered. And this is a part of the covenant.
The point made is two-fold: first, this recalls the deepest meaning of the covenant: that God stands with us always, no matter what our circumstances. Second, this covenant is renewed and revealed fully in Christ, Jesus. (Slight pause.)
God stands with us always. So, does that mean ‘why worry?’ Does that mean ‘do whatever you want; it won’t matter?’
And what about shame? People can be shamed into doing things. So, isn’t guilt productive? (Slight pause.)
We are human. I doubt guilt will ever be a commodity we can banish. And, given my Irish Catholic background, I am fairly confident in making that statement. Irish Catholics know a lot about guilt.
But a deeper question, aside from the reality of guilt, is this: from a psychological perspective, is guilt healthy? Is guilt not just another way of saying we can eventually do everything perfect. We can eventually do everything right?
Is guilt not just another way saying we should be in control. Is guilt not just another way saying we can be— can be... God? (Slight pause.)
Then, of course, there is the theological claim about Christ made by Hebrews. The covenant, expressed in and with fulness by the Christ, claims we are not perfect. The covenant says we are not God. And the covenant says the reality of God, the reality of the covenant, the reality of Christ, makes us whole. (Slight pause.)
In several minutes we will dedicate the Operation Christmas Child boxes. Are we doing that, are we making contributions, giving presents out of our own guilt, guilt that there are children in far off places who daily live in poverty?
Does our guilt about that say this is something we should do? Or should this dedication be a symbol that we stand in solidarity with these children? (Slight pause.)
I think the problem among many with guilt is not just that it is an psychologically unhealthy response. The problem with guilt is, eventually, it demands not action but inaction.
You see, guilt actually makes the claim that we are God, that we can be perfect, that we can do everything and that we know all the right answers. This— this— is a debilitating claim, if there ever was one. If we recognize the demands made by a guilt which lays claim on what we are not doing, at some point the demands made by that kind of guilt must, by definition, overwhelm us.
This love God, love neighbor I constantly talk about, realizes we are not perfect, we can’t do everything and we don’t know all the right answers. In short, loving God and loving neighbors demands that we trust God and trust our neighbors. It demands we rely on God and rely on neighbors.
Will trusting God and trusting our neighbors banish guilt? Take it from this old Irish Catholic: no. But loving God and loving neighbor will feed us far more than guilt ever will, because we will come to realize God stands in solidarity with us. Therefore, we eventually realize we need to stand in solidarity with our neighbors.
And who are our neighbors? Perhaps the question needs to be posed this way: if God asked us to name our neighbors, what would we say? Who would we name? Amen.
United Church of Christ, First Congregational, Norwich, New York
ENDPIECE: It is the practice of the Pastor to speak after the Closing Hymn, but before the Congregational Response and Benediction. This is an précis of what was said: “When I was in seminary often acted as a substitute preacher for pastors who were taking a Sunday off. Sometimes I was required to come up with a sermon title weeks in advance. I still do that. I think I do it because the title gives me a focus. The title this week, is Covenant Wholeness. And that’s what the covenant is about: that we are made whole by God. And there needs to be no guilt in being made whole by God.”
BENEDICTION: Go forth in faith. Go forth trusting that God will provide. God forth and reach out to everyone you meet in the name of Christ. And may the face of God shine upon us; may the peace of Christ rule among us; may the fire of the Spirit burn within us this day and forevermore. Amen.
[1] NY Times — http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/17/nyregion/after-hurricane-sandy-helping-hands-also-expose-a-new-york-divide.html?emc=tnt&tntemail0=y
Monday, November 12, 2012
SERMON ~ 11/11/2012 ~ It's Not About Money
11/11/2012 ~ Twenty-Fourth Sunday after Pentecost ~ Thirty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time (Proper 27) ~ Ruth 3:1-5; 4:13-17; Psalm 127; 1 Kings 17:8-16; Psalm 146; Hebrews 9:24-28; Mark 12:38-44 ~ Stewardship Sunday ~ Veterans Day.
It’s Not About Money
“...Jesus sat down opposite the collection box at the Temple, and watched people putting money into it. Many rich people put in large sums. But a poor widow came and put in two small coins, worth a very small amount.’” — Mark 12:41-42.
A couple of Presidential election cycles back, 1992 to be precise— and I find this hard to believe but if you count this year as one Presidential election cycle and then count back, 1992 is six Presidential election cycles in the past— six! Where did time go when I wasn’t looking? So, six Presidential election cycles back, this slogan was made famous: “It’s the economy, stupid.”
Of course, those were not the actual words the campaign used. Those were simply the words which became famous. The words actually used by the campaign were slightly different.
The words on the sign in the Clinton campaign headquarters in Little Rock, Arkansas— Bill Clinton’s first campaign being the one I’m referencing here— the words were a tad more simple, perhaps even more direct: “The economy, stupid.” Notice, it’s not “It’s the...” but just “The economy, stupid.” And, taken a different way, sometimes it feels like the economy is stupid, doesn’t it. Or, at least it does not make any sense to most of us at all, ever. Perhaps the economy makes no sense because for us the economy seems stupid. You see, the economy is, by far, too complex for most of us to understand. And maybe that’s the real problem.
How complex is the economy? It is so complex, the Nobel Prize Committee... hold it! How complex is the economy? (The pastor gestures at the congregation inviting a response and the congregation does respond with “How complex is the economy?” but you cannot really hear that on the audio of this sermon.) O.K. Thank you! It is so complex, the Nobel Prize Committee gives out awards to academics who can actually explain something, anything about the economy. (Slight pause.)
I think one of the big mistakes made when people refer to the passage from Mark about the widow and the contribution to the treasury of the Temple is we start with the presumption that it is, in one sense, about the economy. Or at least we make a presumption that it is about our economy, the economic means and methods of the individual.
In short, we make the mistake that this passage is about money. Indeed, there is a second mistake people make when addressing this passage. Some insist it’s about giving money to the church.
The fact that money is mentioned is probably why the Revised Common Lectionary Committee— yes, the assigned lections are drawn up by a committee— that money is mentioned is probably why the Revised Common Lectionary Committee assigns readings which mention money at this juncture in the year. They are very aware most churches are engaged in the budget making process right now.
So, in a real sense, they— the committee— make a similar mistake. Since churches are looking at financial issues, they put in a reading which, on the surface, appears to be about money.
After all, these readings which mention money must be about money, right? No. Not right. And therefore, what is really happening is the lectionary committee is leaving it up to the local pastor to make a connection between money and the reading since the churches probably needs to be talking about money right now. Well, me, the local pastor, I am not going to tell you this is about money. This passage is not about money. Case closed. (Slight pause.)
And these words in that Gospel we know as Mark: “...Jesus sat down opposite the collection box at the Temple, and watched people putting money into it. Many rich people put in large sums. But a poor widow came and put in two small coins, worth a very small amount.’” (Slight pause.)
As I just said, this story is not about money. Rather, it recalls the idea that if we do anything that place apart from our relationship with God we are on dangerous ground. Indeed, anything we do which takes place apart from a relationship with one another is dangerous ground.
The fact that our culture seems to take this story as being about money makes a claim that our culture, we, actually believe money is about relationship. Money is not about relationship. On the other hand, how often have you heard someone say, ‘Hey! Put your money where your mouth is’?
What should seem obvious, just based on that old saying, is our culture uses money in place of relationship, as a measure of relationship and even to replace what true relationship might be, what true relationship might mean. Please do not misunderstand me. I would never say money is unimportant. I am saying money is misused. (Slight pause.) Relationship, relationship, relationship— that’s the important part. (Slight pause.)
Now, when I said earlier that (quote:) ‘It’s the economy stupid’ was not really the sign in the Clinton election office, similarly, there is something often quoted that our culture thinks Scripture says. But it cannot be found in Scripture. Here’s what our culture thinks Scripture says: ‘Money is the root of all evil.’ Go ahead, find that somewhere in the Bible. If you find it, that’s a really bad translation.
What you will really find is this (quote): “Love of money is the root of all evil.” See the difference? Not money— love of money.
And, yes, when we love money we have transformed it from merely being a tool into a weapon of destruction. When we love money we use it not as the tool for the good it can do but as a cudgel, a club for inflicting our will on others.
Therefore and to reiterate: this passage is not about money and equally is not about harming people. This passage is about helping people. It is about helping people toward a full relationship with God and each other. (Slight pause.)
In a couple moments you will be invited to make a pledge to the church. Making a pledge, especially in this church, is not about money.
Money is simply a tool. Some of us have that tool. Some of us do not. In the case of this church, we use that tool— money— whatever money we get— to help people however and whenever we can. We recognize it as a tool. We make every effort to not use it as a weapon, as a cudgel. (Slight pause.)
In any case, perhaps the real message to take away from this reading is, you— each of you is more important than money, way more important. You, each of you alone and all of us together, make this a church. And we are a church.
We are not a historical preservation society. We are a community of faith. And as a community of faith, we strive to do what we are called by God to do. WE strive to help people. And, yes, we are a church who has been know to use the tool called money in ways which we, at least, hope are positive.
All of which is to say, when we do have this ceremony later, please keep this in mind: pledge what you can. But love God and love neighbor. That is a pledge we can all make and, given the grace God offers, that is a pledge we can all keep. Amen.
11/11/2012
United Church of Christ, First Congregational, Norwich, NY
ENDPIECE: It is the practice of the Pastor to speak after the Closing Hymn, but before the Congregational Response and Benediction. This is an précis of what was said: “I saw this aphorism on Facebook yesterday (quote): ‘You can make a wish or you could make it happen.’ Wishing makes nothing happen. Together, in relationship with one another, we can make all kinds of things happen. And maybe, just maybe, with some of what we do give to the church in that tool called money next year we can make some wishes come true by helping people. What is the short version of this sentiment? We’re all in this together. Hold hands. Move forward. Don’t look back.”
BENEDICTION: Let us lay aside anxious toil. Let us give our lives over to the One who grants life. Let us be open to the possibility that the whole of our being should rest in the will and wisdom of God and that the whole of our being should rest in the ways of love taught by God. In short, let us trust God. And may the face of God shine upon us; may the peace of Christ be among us; may the fire of the Spirit burn within us this day and forevermore. Amen.
It’s Not About Money
“...Jesus sat down opposite the collection box at the Temple, and watched people putting money into it. Many rich people put in large sums. But a poor widow came and put in two small coins, worth a very small amount.’” — Mark 12:41-42.
A couple of Presidential election cycles back, 1992 to be precise— and I find this hard to believe but if you count this year as one Presidential election cycle and then count back, 1992 is six Presidential election cycles in the past— six! Where did time go when I wasn’t looking? So, six Presidential election cycles back, this slogan was made famous: “It’s the economy, stupid.”
Of course, those were not the actual words the campaign used. Those were simply the words which became famous. The words actually used by the campaign were slightly different.
The words on the sign in the Clinton campaign headquarters in Little Rock, Arkansas— Bill Clinton’s first campaign being the one I’m referencing here— the words were a tad more simple, perhaps even more direct: “The economy, stupid.” Notice, it’s not “It’s the...” but just “The economy, stupid.” And, taken a different way, sometimes it feels like the economy is stupid, doesn’t it. Or, at least it does not make any sense to most of us at all, ever. Perhaps the economy makes no sense because for us the economy seems stupid. You see, the economy is, by far, too complex for most of us to understand. And maybe that’s the real problem.
How complex is the economy? It is so complex, the Nobel Prize Committee... hold it! How complex is the economy? (The pastor gestures at the congregation inviting a response and the congregation does respond with “How complex is the economy?” but you cannot really hear that on the audio of this sermon.) O.K. Thank you! It is so complex, the Nobel Prize Committee gives out awards to academics who can actually explain something, anything about the economy. (Slight pause.)
I think one of the big mistakes made when people refer to the passage from Mark about the widow and the contribution to the treasury of the Temple is we start with the presumption that it is, in one sense, about the economy. Or at least we make a presumption that it is about our economy, the economic means and methods of the individual.
In short, we make the mistake that this passage is about money. Indeed, there is a second mistake people make when addressing this passage. Some insist it’s about giving money to the church.
The fact that money is mentioned is probably why the Revised Common Lectionary Committee— yes, the assigned lections are drawn up by a committee— that money is mentioned is probably why the Revised Common Lectionary Committee assigns readings which mention money at this juncture in the year. They are very aware most churches are engaged in the budget making process right now.
So, in a real sense, they— the committee— make a similar mistake. Since churches are looking at financial issues, they put in a reading which, on the surface, appears to be about money.
After all, these readings which mention money must be about money, right? No. Not right. And therefore, what is really happening is the lectionary committee is leaving it up to the local pastor to make a connection between money and the reading since the churches probably needs to be talking about money right now. Well, me, the local pastor, I am not going to tell you this is about money. This passage is not about money. Case closed. (Slight pause.)
And these words in that Gospel we know as Mark: “...Jesus sat down opposite the collection box at the Temple, and watched people putting money into it. Many rich people put in large sums. But a poor widow came and put in two small coins, worth a very small amount.’” (Slight pause.)
As I just said, this story is not about money. Rather, it recalls the idea that if we do anything that place apart from our relationship with God we are on dangerous ground. Indeed, anything we do which takes place apart from a relationship with one another is dangerous ground.
The fact that our culture seems to take this story as being about money makes a claim that our culture, we, actually believe money is about relationship. Money is not about relationship. On the other hand, how often have you heard someone say, ‘Hey! Put your money where your mouth is’?
What should seem obvious, just based on that old saying, is our culture uses money in place of relationship, as a measure of relationship and even to replace what true relationship might be, what true relationship might mean. Please do not misunderstand me. I would never say money is unimportant. I am saying money is misused. (Slight pause.) Relationship, relationship, relationship— that’s the important part. (Slight pause.)
Now, when I said earlier that (quote:) ‘It’s the economy stupid’ was not really the sign in the Clinton election office, similarly, there is something often quoted that our culture thinks Scripture says. But it cannot be found in Scripture. Here’s what our culture thinks Scripture says: ‘Money is the root of all evil.’ Go ahead, find that somewhere in the Bible. If you find it, that’s a really bad translation.
What you will really find is this (quote): “Love of money is the root of all evil.” See the difference? Not money— love of money.
And, yes, when we love money we have transformed it from merely being a tool into a weapon of destruction. When we love money we use it not as the tool for the good it can do but as a cudgel, a club for inflicting our will on others.
Therefore and to reiterate: this passage is not about money and equally is not about harming people. This passage is about helping people. It is about helping people toward a full relationship with God and each other. (Slight pause.)
In a couple moments you will be invited to make a pledge to the church. Making a pledge, especially in this church, is not about money.
Money is simply a tool. Some of us have that tool. Some of us do not. In the case of this church, we use that tool— money— whatever money we get— to help people however and whenever we can. We recognize it as a tool. We make every effort to not use it as a weapon, as a cudgel. (Slight pause.)
In any case, perhaps the real message to take away from this reading is, you— each of you is more important than money, way more important. You, each of you alone and all of us together, make this a church. And we are a church.
We are not a historical preservation society. We are a community of faith. And as a community of faith, we strive to do what we are called by God to do. WE strive to help people. And, yes, we are a church who has been know to use the tool called money in ways which we, at least, hope are positive.
All of which is to say, when we do have this ceremony later, please keep this in mind: pledge what you can. But love God and love neighbor. That is a pledge we can all make and, given the grace God offers, that is a pledge we can all keep. Amen.
11/11/2012
United Church of Christ, First Congregational, Norwich, NY
ENDPIECE: It is the practice of the Pastor to speak after the Closing Hymn, but before the Congregational Response and Benediction. This is an précis of what was said: “I saw this aphorism on Facebook yesterday (quote): ‘You can make a wish or you could make it happen.’ Wishing makes nothing happen. Together, in relationship with one another, we can make all kinds of things happen. And maybe, just maybe, with some of what we do give to the church in that tool called money next year we can make some wishes come true by helping people. What is the short version of this sentiment? We’re all in this together. Hold hands. Move forward. Don’t look back.”
BENEDICTION: Let us lay aside anxious toil. Let us give our lives over to the One who grants life. Let us be open to the possibility that the whole of our being should rest in the will and wisdom of God and that the whole of our being should rest in the ways of love taught by God. In short, let us trust God. And may the face of God shine upon us; may the peace of Christ be among us; may the fire of the Spirit burn within us this day and forevermore. Amen.
Sunday, November 4, 2012
SERMON ~ 11/04/2012 ~ The Shema and the Reality of God
11/04/2012 ~ (If All Saints not observed on this day) Twenty-Third Sunday after Pentecost ~ Thirty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time (Proper 26) ~ Ruth 1:1-18; Psalm 146; Deuteronomy 6:1-9; Psalm 119:1-8; Hebrews 9:11-14; Mark 12:28-34 ~ Communion Sunday ~ 11/01/2012 ~ All Saints Day ~ (Sometimes observed on first Sunday in November) ~ Wisdom of Solomon 3:1-9 or Isaiah 25:6-9; Psalm 24; Revelation 21:1-6a; John 11:32-44.
“Hear, O Israel: / Yahweh, our God, Yahweh alone, is one. / You are to love Yahweh, your God / with all your heart, / and with all your soul, / and with all your strength.” — Deuteronomy 6:4-5.
What is chaos? What does it look like? What does it feel like? (Slight pause.)
My late uncle, after being drafted, became something of a beach bum, someone who chases the sun whenever he can. In part that was because he spent his entire time in the Army during World War II at Hickham Field in Hawaii, a place which may have the most beautiful beaches in the world.
I was not yet a teen when my family moved to the Woodhaven section of Queens in New York City. So, my uncle would, in the summer, drive his two nephews and his nice— myself, my brother and my sister— down to Rockaway Beach just eight miles south of where we lived, down Woodhaven Boulevard. It was his way of being good to us.
We would spend the day soaking up the sun and swimming. Later, still in our teens, my brother and I would, occasionally, ride our bikes the three plus miles South on Woodhaven Boulevard, through the community known as Howard Beach.
On the South side of Howard Beach we would visit a vast marshy area, what is now called Jamaica Bay Reserve. Then and now, it offered and offers a prime habitat for migratory birds and other wildlife.
Back then there was an ongoing fight about ownership of this natural wonder. Now it is part of the Gateway National Recreation Area. The majority of it is owned by the Federal Government and the City of New York.
This was the area, the place, at which and in which my Brother, Jim, first became interested in the environment. He now has a Master’s Degree in Environmental Science and works for the Adirondack Park Agency.
So, that community— Howard Beach— is one we visited and went through it all the time. A pastor friend of mine in New York City posted pictures on Facebook taken this week in Howard Beach. They were pictures of boats, large boats, sitting in people’s front yards and pictures of boats having breached the walls of houses— a stunning sight. [1] (Slight pause.)
What is chaos? What does it look like? What does it feel like? (Slight pause.)
The Upper West Side in New York City is and has been a haven of struggling artists. I counted myself among those in my early twenties. The Upper West Side is where I hung out.
Another picture I saw this week was of the West 86th Street Subway Station where I would get the Number One train, having left the apartment of David Schaefer, with whom I wrote a couple of hundred songs back then. In the picture water fills the Subway tracks to a level just below the platform— at best a frightening sight. (Slight pause.)
What is chaos? What does it look like? What does it feel like? (Slight pause.)
When I worked on Wall Street, I worked in the World Trade Center. Each year 9/11 is hard for me. Now, not only have I seen those buildings collapse. I have seen pictures of water from New York Harbor pouring into the construction site, into a part of the pit where those buildings stood. These images give me yet a heavier heart. (Slight pause.)
What is chaos? What does it look like? What does it feel like? (Slight pause.)
Halloween was celebrated this week. I’ve got nothing against Halloween. It’s fun. But it is made up. It means nothing. So it is well to remember nothing, in particular, is being celebrated other than eating too much candy and dressing up in things people would not otherwise wear, things which are sometimes even embarrassing.
You see, when Halloween rolls around each year I can’t help but think of this: my late mother was born in 1924, the daughter of a single mother. She grew up in poverty in Brooklyn, raised in the teeth of the Great Depression.
The children in her neighborhood went house to house to house for “Trick or Treat” not on Halloween but on Thanksgiving Day. At each door they would say “Trick or Treat— do you have anything for the ragamuffins?” Do you have anything for the ragamuffins? It might help to feed our family. (Slight pause.)
What is chaos? What does it look like? What does it feel like? (Slight pause.)
And these words are from the Tanakh in the section known as the Torah in the work we call Deuteronomy: “Hear, O Israel: / Yahweh, our God, Yahweh alone, is one. / You are to love Yahweh, your God / with all your heart, / and with all your soul, / and with all your strength.” (Slight pause.)
Most scholars agree: these words, known in Hebrew as the Shema or the great commandment, are the most important in all Scripture, the central point made in all Scripture, the place from which everything else flows. Why? These words are a concise explanation of who God is.
Indeed, these words are not just a proclamation but an explanation of God. God is the One to be loved with heart, mind and soul. And these words are not just a proclamation and an explanation, these words are actually in the form of an oath, an oath which attests to the reality of God.
The Hebrew Scriptures constantly attest to who God is, to what God does, to the reality of God. The second verse in Genesis says this about God creating the universe (quote): “...when the earth was unformed and void, wild and waste, filled with chaos and emptiness— chaos and emptiness— as night reigned over the surface of the deep, a wind from God, the rushing Spirit of God swept over the face of the waters.” (Slight pause.)
God, you see, is the One who brings order to chaos— order to chaos. But why— why with an oath— attest to this God who brings order to chaos? (Slight pause.)
I have some news for you. I believe God exists. I cannot prove God exists. Nor can anyone else prove God exists.
No prophet, priest, prelate, politician, pastor, primate, presbyter— none of them can prove God exists. Only one thing can insist God exists: faith. And for you— each of you— it is not my faith which can insist God exists. It is only your faith which can insist God exists.
Now, clearly some people will not be and are not comfortable with a fath that insists God exists. As for me, however, despite all the reality with which chaos presents itself, in the end I refuse to allow chaos to triumph.
Why? I believe in freedom. I believe in peace. I believe in joy. I believe in love. I believe in hope. I can see none of these. But they are real. And I believe each of these— freedom, peace, joy, love, hope— triumphs over chaos. (Slight pause.)
And oh, yes. I believe in God. I believe in God who insists on the reality of love, freedom, peace, joy, hope.
And I believe in God who loves me. (Here the pastor points in the direction of different people in the congregation.) I believe in God who loves you and you and you and you and you. And I believe in God who triumphs over chaos.
And I believe, therefore, in God who is on the side of the helpless and the outcast. I believe in God who abhors racism, homophobia, economic oppression. I believe in God who stands in solidarity with all. Amen.
11/04/2012
United Church of Christ, First Congregational, Norwich, New York
ENDPIECE: It is the practice of the Pastor to speak after the Closing Hymn, but before the Congregational Response and Benediction. This is an précis of what was said: “Earlier I said scholars agree the Shema, the great commandment is the place from which everything else flows. That includes the reality of the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus, the Christ. Indeed, the story of Jesus, who is the Christ, is the ultimate statement about the reality of God made in Scripture. If you do not trust the reality of God, there is no reason to consider Jesus.”
BLESSING: Go now, go in safety, for you cannot go where God is not. Go in love, for love alone endures. Go with purpose and God will honor your dedication. And go in peace for it is a gift of God and the Spirit of God to those whose hearts and minds are in Christ, Jesus. Amen.
[1] It should be noted that Hurricane Sandy hit New York City this week but it should also be noted that among many U.C.C. churches which suffered damage in the storm, the church in Rockaway Beach suffered significant damage.
The Shema and the Reality of God
“Hear, O Israel: / Yahweh, our God, Yahweh alone, is one. / You are to love Yahweh, your God / with all your heart, / and with all your soul, / and with all your strength.” — Deuteronomy 6:4-5.
What is chaos? What does it look like? What does it feel like? (Slight pause.)
My late uncle, after being drafted, became something of a beach bum, someone who chases the sun whenever he can. In part that was because he spent his entire time in the Army during World War II at Hickham Field in Hawaii, a place which may have the most beautiful beaches in the world.
I was not yet a teen when my family moved to the Woodhaven section of Queens in New York City. So, my uncle would, in the summer, drive his two nephews and his nice— myself, my brother and my sister— down to Rockaway Beach just eight miles south of where we lived, down Woodhaven Boulevard. It was his way of being good to us.
We would spend the day soaking up the sun and swimming. Later, still in our teens, my brother and I would, occasionally, ride our bikes the three plus miles South on Woodhaven Boulevard, through the community known as Howard Beach.
On the South side of Howard Beach we would visit a vast marshy area, what is now called Jamaica Bay Reserve. Then and now, it offered and offers a prime habitat for migratory birds and other wildlife.
Back then there was an ongoing fight about ownership of this natural wonder. Now it is part of the Gateway National Recreation Area. The majority of it is owned by the Federal Government and the City of New York.
This was the area, the place, at which and in which my Brother, Jim, first became interested in the environment. He now has a Master’s Degree in Environmental Science and works for the Adirondack Park Agency.
So, that community— Howard Beach— is one we visited and went through it all the time. A pastor friend of mine in New York City posted pictures on Facebook taken this week in Howard Beach. They were pictures of boats, large boats, sitting in people’s front yards and pictures of boats having breached the walls of houses— a stunning sight. [1] (Slight pause.)
What is chaos? What does it look like? What does it feel like? (Slight pause.)
The Upper West Side in New York City is and has been a haven of struggling artists. I counted myself among those in my early twenties. The Upper West Side is where I hung out.
Another picture I saw this week was of the West 86th Street Subway Station where I would get the Number One train, having left the apartment of David Schaefer, with whom I wrote a couple of hundred songs back then. In the picture water fills the Subway tracks to a level just below the platform— at best a frightening sight. (Slight pause.)
What is chaos? What does it look like? What does it feel like? (Slight pause.)
When I worked on Wall Street, I worked in the World Trade Center. Each year 9/11 is hard for me. Now, not only have I seen those buildings collapse. I have seen pictures of water from New York Harbor pouring into the construction site, into a part of the pit where those buildings stood. These images give me yet a heavier heart. (Slight pause.)
What is chaos? What does it look like? What does it feel like? (Slight pause.)
Halloween was celebrated this week. I’ve got nothing against Halloween. It’s fun. But it is made up. It means nothing. So it is well to remember nothing, in particular, is being celebrated other than eating too much candy and dressing up in things people would not otherwise wear, things which are sometimes even embarrassing.
You see, when Halloween rolls around each year I can’t help but think of this: my late mother was born in 1924, the daughter of a single mother. She grew up in poverty in Brooklyn, raised in the teeth of the Great Depression.
The children in her neighborhood went house to house to house for “Trick or Treat” not on Halloween but on Thanksgiving Day. At each door they would say “Trick or Treat— do you have anything for the ragamuffins?” Do you have anything for the ragamuffins? It might help to feed our family. (Slight pause.)
What is chaos? What does it look like? What does it feel like? (Slight pause.)
And these words are from the Tanakh in the section known as the Torah in the work we call Deuteronomy: “Hear, O Israel: / Yahweh, our God, Yahweh alone, is one. / You are to love Yahweh, your God / with all your heart, / and with all your soul, / and with all your strength.” (Slight pause.)
Most scholars agree: these words, known in Hebrew as the Shema or the great commandment, are the most important in all Scripture, the central point made in all Scripture, the place from which everything else flows. Why? These words are a concise explanation of who God is.
Indeed, these words are not just a proclamation but an explanation of God. God is the One to be loved with heart, mind and soul. And these words are not just a proclamation and an explanation, these words are actually in the form of an oath, an oath which attests to the reality of God.
The Hebrew Scriptures constantly attest to who God is, to what God does, to the reality of God. The second verse in Genesis says this about God creating the universe (quote): “...when the earth was unformed and void, wild and waste, filled with chaos and emptiness— chaos and emptiness— as night reigned over the surface of the deep, a wind from God, the rushing Spirit of God swept over the face of the waters.” (Slight pause.)
God, you see, is the One who brings order to chaos— order to chaos. But why— why with an oath— attest to this God who brings order to chaos? (Slight pause.)
I have some news for you. I believe God exists. I cannot prove God exists. Nor can anyone else prove God exists.
No prophet, priest, prelate, politician, pastor, primate, presbyter— none of them can prove God exists. Only one thing can insist God exists: faith. And for you— each of you— it is not my faith which can insist God exists. It is only your faith which can insist God exists.
Now, clearly some people will not be and are not comfortable with a fath that insists God exists. As for me, however, despite all the reality with which chaos presents itself, in the end I refuse to allow chaos to triumph.
Why? I believe in freedom. I believe in peace. I believe in joy. I believe in love. I believe in hope. I can see none of these. But they are real. And I believe each of these— freedom, peace, joy, love, hope— triumphs over chaos. (Slight pause.)
And oh, yes. I believe in God. I believe in God who insists on the reality of love, freedom, peace, joy, hope.
And I believe in God who loves me. (Here the pastor points in the direction of different people in the congregation.) I believe in God who loves you and you and you and you and you. And I believe in God who triumphs over chaos.
And I believe, therefore, in God who is on the side of the helpless and the outcast. I believe in God who abhors racism, homophobia, economic oppression. I believe in God who stands in solidarity with all. Amen.
11/04/2012
United Church of Christ, First Congregational, Norwich, New York
ENDPIECE: It is the practice of the Pastor to speak after the Closing Hymn, but before the Congregational Response and Benediction. This is an précis of what was said: “Earlier I said scholars agree the Shema, the great commandment is the place from which everything else flows. That includes the reality of the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus, the Christ. Indeed, the story of Jesus, who is the Christ, is the ultimate statement about the reality of God made in Scripture. If you do not trust the reality of God, there is no reason to consider Jesus.”
BLESSING: Go now, go in safety, for you cannot go where God is not. Go in love, for love alone endures. Go with purpose and God will honor your dedication. And go in peace for it is a gift of God and the Spirit of God to those whose hearts and minds are in Christ, Jesus. Amen.
[1] It should be noted that Hurricane Sandy hit New York City this week but it should also be noted that among many U.C.C. churches which suffered damage in the storm, the church in Rockaway Beach suffered significant damage.
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