What Have You Seen? - Matthew 11 - Advent 3A

What Have You Seen?

Tony E Dillon Hansen

Reflection based upon Matthew 11:2-11, Isaiah 35:1-10, James 5:7-10

Opening prayer

Happy third Sunday of Advent! We light the pink candle, and like John in our lesson, we have questions: why and what for?

When I lost my job, I found myself in serious distress and blaming, and the person that got it the worst was my own and boy did I. For in these moments, when things have been rattled, when our world has been upended and rugs taken out from underneath us, we question everything, what we did, could do. We question our foundations, our connections and our faith.  

As I have said before, I will always be my worst critic, and when I fail, that critic is standing there saying “I told you so” and pointing an unforgiving finger, regardless of how unhelpful or belittling that action is. Regardless of whether it was justified or there was anything we could do different, we have to wrestle with the harsh change. 

That isn’t to say we can’t be hard on ourselves, but it is time for us to refocus and reinvent ourselves, (no matter how much we want to wrestle with God about what has happened.) Our future may look bleak, but in those moments, we ought and should ask ourselves what have we seen. 

I say these bits, not to gain sympathy, but because I think John, in today’s lesson, must be feeling something like that. 

John, who has been preaching from the wilderness, is now stuck in an awful prison.  John is suffering in prison because Herod doesn’t like what John has said. (Hopefully, our politicians don’t try to throw people into jail simply for speaking minds -or truth to power.)

It becomes natural for us, in moments like these, to question, “did I do or say the right things?” In fact, John raises serious doubts and is questioning Jesus. Ever done that?

Whether it is a need for confirmation or wondering how we got where we are, Jesus provides an answer through Isaiah. (Specifically to the disciples of John,) Jesus answers by praising the work of John, and calls upon John to witness again the power of Messiah through the beatitudes.

Still, John is questioning and Jesus answers as he does, with another question. “What have you seen?” What did you witness?

That is a great question! What did you witness and did you see and feel in your hearts?

That is the question that rises to the top in these moments because we question our faith and wonder if God is there for us. We question all that has transpired and whether it was real and whether we had our hearts in the right place. We have doubts.

From this lowly place, we can pick up the words of Isaiah to “be strong, do not fear!” God has been there, is there, and God will be there for us in the future.  If you look back on past trials, you will find that God has been there, and in this moment, this time, God is here - You are not alone!

Isaiah implores us to “strengthen weak hands and …feeble knees” despite how broken I feel today. The prophet tells us God will open our eyes and ears to witness with our full senses to find the joy of God is right there waiting. 

Beloved, that is what we need and that is what God provides for us. Whether in those lowly moments or just the moments of of our daily living, we can find God is there the whole time showing up in ways we didn’t think possible. 

Thus, we have a safe place, a safe way to go find ourselves and find our place in the realm of God. We have a safe place to bring our doubts and questions because God is big enough to hear them all, and God hears them all.

Yet the answer to our questions of whether we did what we were supposed or whether we said the correct things, the question remains for you and for me, “What did you see? What did you witness?”

So Beloved, take your doubts and questions with you and then find God there. Receive the holy spirit to relieve you and calm you today! Be full of love and grace of God!

“Be patient therefore beloved…Strengthen your hearts…”. God is near and ready to lift us from our depths and to help us see again and witness again the grace and love that has been pour out for us and be healed with God’s forgiveness. 

That Beloved is, 

Thanks Be to God

Lessons and Carols - Year A (Matthew)

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24 Dec 2022 | 5:30 PM | Christmas Eve “Lessons and Carols”

Opening Prayer 

Our Father, who art in Heaven, Hallowed be thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread And forgive us our debts As we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory Forever and ever. Amen.

Assurance 

Lighting the Christ candle.

Hymn 132 (NCH) / 270 (Celebration): Joy to the World.

First Lesson: Creation - Genesis 1:1-5 

In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, ² the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters. ³ Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. ⁴ And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. ⁵ God called the light Day, and the darkness God called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.

Hymn 116 (NCH): O Come O Come Emmanuel (2 verses). 

Second Lesson: Covenant - Genesis 9:12-16

¹² God said, “This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: ¹³ I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. ¹⁴ When I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow is seen in the clouds, ¹⁵ I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. ¹⁶ When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.”

Reflection for Genesis 1,9 – Creation and Covenant

Hymn: O Come O Come Emmanuel (refrain). 

Third Lesson: Compassionate and Forgiving God – Psalm 103: 1-8

Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name. ² Bless the Lord, O my soul, and do not forget all awesome benefits— ³ who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, ⁴ who redeems your life from the Pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, ⁵ who satisfies you with good as long as you live so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. ⁶ The Lord works vindication and justice for all who are oppressed. ⁷ The Lord made known divine ways to Moses, and gracious acts to the people of Israel.⁸ The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.

Hymn 133 (NCH)/250 (Celebration): O Little Town of Bethlehem. 

Fourth Lesson: God of Peace and Justice – Micah 5:2-5; 6:6,8

But you, O Bethlehem of Ephrathah,   who are one of the little clans of Judah,
from you shall come forth for me  one who is to rule in Israel,
whose origin is from of old,    from ancient days. ³ Therefore he shall give them up until the time  when she who is in labor has brought forth; then the rest of his kindred shall return   to the people of Israel. ⁴ And he shall stand and feed his flock in the strength of the Lord,   in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they shall live secure, for now he shall be great  to the ends of the earth; ⁵ and he shall be the one of peace. 

⁶ With what shall I come before the Lord and bow myself before God on high? ⁸ Listen here mortal: God has told you what is good, And what YHWH requires of you; to do justice, and to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God; Then your name will achieve wisdom.”

Reflection for Micah and Psalm 103 - God of Peace and Justice.

Hymn 131 (NCH) / 251 (Celebration): It Came upon the Midnight Clear.

Fifth Lesson: Birth – Matthew 1: 18-25 

Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be pregnant from the Holy Spirit. ¹⁹ Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to divorce her quietly. ²⁰ But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. ²¹ She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” ²² All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet: ²³ “Look, the virgin shall become pregnant and give birth to a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel,” which means, “God is with us.” ²⁴ When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife ²⁵ but had no marital relations with her until she had given birth to a son, and he named him Jesus.

Reflection for Matthew 1: 18-25 - Birth

Hymn 148 (NCH) /281 (Celebration): What Child Is This. 

Sixth Lesson: Shepherds Visit – Luke 2:8-16 

⁸ In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. ⁹ Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. ¹⁰ But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: ¹¹ to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. ¹² This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.” ¹³ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying,

¹⁴ “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!”

¹⁵ When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.” ¹⁶ So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger.

Offertory:

Hymn 125 (NCH) / 278 (Celebration): Angels We Have Heard on High.

Seventh Lesson: Foreigners Visit – Matthew 2:1-11 

In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise ones from the East came to Jerusalem, ² asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.” ³ When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; ⁴ and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. ⁵ They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet:

⁶ ‘And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler who is to shepherd my people Israel.’”

⁷ Then Herod secretly called for the wise ones  and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. ⁸ Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.” ⁹ When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. ¹⁰ When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. ¹¹ On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

Reflection for Luke 2:8-16 and Matthew 2:1-11 - Shepherds and Foreigners.

Hymn 139 (NCH) / 265 (Celebration): The First Noel.

Eighth Lesson: God’s Promise Through Jesus - Hebrews 1:1-4 

Long ago God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways by the prophets, ² but in these last days he has spoken to us by the Promised One, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom he also created the worlds. ³ He is the reflection of God’s glory and the exact imprint of God’s very being, and he sustains all things by his powerful word. When he had made purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, ⁴ having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.

Hymn 132 (NCH) / 249 (Celebration): O Come All Ye Faithful. 

Ninth Lesson: Word Made Flesh - John 1: 1-5 (Inclusive version)

In the beginning, there was the Word, and the Word was in God’s presence, and the Word was God. ² The Word was present to God from the beginning. ³ Through the Word, all things came into being, and apart from the Word, nothing came into being that has come into being. ⁴ In the Word was life, and the life was our light-- ⁵ Light that shines in the darkness, Light that the darkness did not overcome.

Reflection for John 1:1-5 – God’s Promise Made Flesh.

**Lighting the Candles 

Hymn 134 (NCH) / 253 (Celebration): Silent Night.

Benediction:

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* Please rise as you are able spirit and body. 

** Please make you way to perimeter of the Church for lighting the candles, sharing the light of Christ, and singing of Silent Night.

New Revised Standard Version Bible, ©1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Priests for Equality. 2007. The Inclusive Bible: The First Egalitarian Translation. Sheed & Ward: Lantham, MD.

Wren, B. 2008. Advent Christmas and Epiphany, Liturgies and Prayers for Public Worship. Westminster John Knox Press: Louisville. Reproduced with permission.

An Unexpected Hour - Matthew 24 - Advent 1A

An Unexpected Hour

Tony E Dillon Hansen

Reflection based upon Isaiah 2: 1-5, Psalm 122, Romans 13:11-14, Matthew 24:36-44, 

Happy new church year and happy Advent!  May your journey through these next few weeks be inspiring and uplifting as we prepare for the celebration of birth.

Advent typically follows some theme for each other weeks as we light candles around the wreath. Today’s candle theme is meant to be “hope”

Today’s lesson however feels a little more ominous than hopeful. Yet if we look deeper there is hope captured in these texts. What does Jesus mean by “you must be ready … for… an unexpected hour."

Maybe the word, for today, is not ominous but readiness - in other words preparation and watchfulness. Why do we prepare ? Who needs to be prepared and what does that give us?

It should come as no surprise to any of us that some day, we will just stop breathing and meet our maker. For all of us are mortal and all of us who are born into this life, will, one day, leave this life. The question then is for us, how do we prepare for what is inevitable?

When we say before worship, “let us prepare our hearts and mind”, there is a reason for this.  We are not just saying rhetorical phrases just to hear them from our mouths, but preparing our hearts and minds to hear and witness the Word made flesh. We prepare to transcend with that Word and spirit in our hearts. We prepare our hearts and minds and our bodies to call upon the spirit and to receive the spirit. 

When we do this, we can witness that Spirit and the Word become what we need to hear and feel in our bodies. When we offer food or clothes to the needy, are we preparing our gift for ourselves or for them and God.

That is preparation that is different than planning to make a cake or dinner for Thanksgiving because it is preparing ourselves to be open to the potential because yes as Jesus says, the unexpected hour is always near.  

So readiness is not just out of fear, but preparing to receive something - something so spectacular and amazing, you will be moved, minds will change as the spirit pours out upon you.

Isn’t that something that feels like hope?  Readiness for surprises is to be prepared for the day when things are going south. Readiness is for us to be prepared for the day after another shooting at a queer club or a Walmart or a mall, or when one country provokes war and violence like how Russia illegally invades Ukraine. Preparing is not making sure we are packing when we go out, but that our hearts and minds are ready for the coming of our Lord.

As well, this preparation is not just for us to anticipate all the materials, wrapping paper and pretty bows we see on Christmas, for we have plenty of reminders of the consumerism in our culture regardless of inflation before, during and well after the season.  

The season of Advent is for us to prepare our hearts and minds to receive the spirit in our celebrations so when that unexpected hour arrives, we won’t have to wonder if we did enough to be good with God.

The answers to our broken world ways are not more government or more toys around the tree, or more guns in pockets, but the answer for us can be found in the promise that God has given to us, the rainbow as a reminder of that promise and Word of the Lord that teaches and gives life - the Word made flesh in Jesus.

So let us discern the spirit among us this Advent, and let us find what we really need and want. Find healing, home and grace in the message given to us through the Gospel of Matthew, and let Jesus show you a way beyond our world’s divisions. 

So beloved, for Advent, let us walk in the light of the Lord and prepare our hearts with the hope of God’s promise and peace guiding us. 

Beloved, “Peace be within you.”

Thanks Be to God.

Worthy of Repentance - Matthew 3 - Advent 2A

Worthy of Repentance 

Tony E Dillon Hansen

Sermon based upon Matthew 3:1-12, Psalm 72, Romans 15:4-13, Isaiah 11:1-10

Opening prayer

Happy second Sunday of Advent.

When reading our texts, a few things came to mind. Particularly, I am drawn to Matthew where John tells us to be “Bear fruit worthy of repentance.” What does it mean to be “worthy of repentance?”

When walking the trail with Reno in early autumn, it was a great day - some leaves on the side, leaves in the tree still and Reno checking all the wonderful smells along the trail until..

Something moved in the grass ahead of us.  The dog and I were startled. We came upon a snake slithering away from us towards the creek. I didn’t want to go any further, but Reno was curious and wanted to check it out.  

I have always been uncomfortable around snakes.

I know they have purpose, but I am like Indiana Jones when it comes to snakes. (And why do websites have clickbait featuring these in my news feed?)

I think however that part of Isaiah’s message to us is precisely a vision of peace that endures and surpasses natural fears of things like this.. where wolf is living with lamb, cow with a bear or a person sitting next to a snake without fright.

How is this vision possible (a vision of a “zoo,” as one commentator called it, where no cage is needed and no one gets hurt or scared) and how do we get to that state of things?

That is an interesting analogy because a zoo has many animals in artificial settings divided away from each other under captivity that causes anxiety in the animals. Eventually, the captivity changes the animals and numbs their wild senses. 

Doesn’t that sound a bit like our world? Hmm our world - a zoo! 

Our worldly “zoo”: where we divide ourselves between have and have-not, borders between cultures and unequal judgments that bread hostility. We are captive to fear and fear-mongering leaders. We are in our own artificial designs with artificial flavorings and virtual escapes that placate and divide us even more. We have created a wilderness of this artificial way so that we become numb to reality and truths around us. People become hostile to the truth and to each other.

We read, in Matthew, John the Baptist delivering this sermon to people from the wilderness.  

There is something about wildernesses that force us to recognize truths, and John delivers truths that need to be heard (even if those who hear it don’t want to.) Know anyone that has refused to hear or acknowledge truths - “Oh, I don’t need to hear that?” 

Funny how each of us can envision someone - that is not us…

Matthew is particular in describing John’s diet and clothing, but what is Matthew doing here ?  

Matthew is setting the stage for the message by distinguishing those in power from those on the fringe: Those in the comforts of life and status versus those without.  

Think about who were “all” people going to - Not  to those in comfort but to the person in the wilderness that looks like this. They go because he speaks the truth, and does not pull punches - does not sugarcoat truth with ignorance, tradition, or “plausible deniability.” 

John quotes from Isaiah 40 to remind people from where they and their community have come. He reminds people of their rich history: reminding that they have come from a wilderness in captivity as well. John reminds us that judgment is best left to God like the Psalmist writes because God’s judgement is with justice, deliverance and wonderfulness in all things, instead of the divisive “zoo” with creepy snakes we live.

John calls the leaders, those, who are to help people follow this God, "brood of vipers” because they have gained at the expense of others. John isn’t here to make friends but to bring the truth, and the truth is his message. 

They respond to John’s challenge with their claim, “we have Abraham…” Yet, what does it mean for them and for us here today? What does it mean for you and I who claim our heritage? Where is my good practice that acknowledges that heritage - You and I, who live in relative comfort? We and our leaders who claim lineages of great nations, what are we doing to keep and perhaps earn that privilege? What are we doing to make our nation, our world, (our zoo) be welcoming and a place that transcends differences, divisions and borders?

Heritage is mere rhetoric if we, who today are gifted from the efforts and grace of that lineage, do not recognize that all people are children of Abraham, of God.

This, Beloved, is the start of being worthy of repentance in our world that is our zoo because in the difference in God’s truth/realm, there are people of differences and heritages where fear does not need to rule and people have no need to be scared of one another. 

Being worthy of repentance is thus a call to confession for people of power and for us, individually. This is a challenge with what we do with our time and our responsibility. It is a challenge for us to be the forgiveness as much as to be forgiven.

Do we just go each day: put on our nice clothes, in our comfortable homes, and mouth the prayers we have been given?  For what purpose do we have these, if forget those around us? For what purpose do we live, if not for our Creator? 

Be the forgiveness that God wants you to be and witness how God’s zoo doesn’t need cages or borders but gives opportunities to have wolf lay with lamb because judgement belongs to God, not us.

Acknowledge that and be with all people in the community - help those who need food to eat, who need clothes on their backs or who need a place to live - lest you are a viper.

If you are a viper, know that I walk with the strength and courage that God gives to go beyond fear. Let God remind you, be with you, teach you and help you be who you ought to be.  If I am one, may God’s justice reveal to me, to us. May God transform me and heal as needed. May you forgive me for my ignorance.

Beloved, we live in a broken world and we have to face the wildernesses, the tests, of our lives to find the truths -to recognize where we have been, what we have done and what we ought to be doing.  

That is truly an “agile retrospective” to recognize our mistakes and where we can improve. that is the start of redemption. Dont let it end there. In that recognition, we can see the possible of and be the peace of Christ - in God’s realm where child can play (or this child can walk) near the snake and not be afraid because God has blessed us and continues to bless us. 

Be worthy of repentance and live in that peace.

That Beloved is …

Thanks Be to God

What is Salvation - Luke 23

What is Salvation

Tony E Dillon Hansen

Reflection based upon Luke 23:33-43, Psalm 46, Jeremiah 23:1-6

Opening prayer

Its Pie Sunday and I hope you get to enjoy a favorite slice (maybe al little taste of heaven) today! 

It is also Christ the King (or Reign of Christ) Sunday so Happy Reign of Christ Sunday!

What does that mean? What does the reign of Christ look like and why do we say that?

Why is it so remarkable and touching that Jesus, who is hanging on a cross - bleeding, beaten and brutalized, says to a fellow also hanging on a cross that “you will be with me in paradise”?  

How is that reign, that power so transcending that a church rises to meet this and nations have knelt before Christ?

How quickly we, in our broken society and world, forget this powered turn instead to violence.

Salvation is what we come to church to find, but what is salvation anyway and why do we seek it? 

What in our lives is so deprived that we find something from some teachings, some person, some good spirit, passed down to us from so long ago?

This isnt some aloof concept that one cannot measure, because it is something that we know and feel our hearts and in our souls.  

This isn’t a cup of grace will keep the doctor away, but it is a measure of what we can do today (and everyday) to make this world be the place that we want it to be - not just for myself but those around me, even for those I don’t necessarily agree. 

This is grace that spills over dams and breaks locks to bring life to people who desperately need a way beyond the violence and hate the consumes our world. 

This, Beloved, is the love and grace that is freely given yet is for us to demonstrate that and to be that in our world.  When we do this, this, that is lacking in our world, will suddenly have fulfillment because that is the power and the reign of Christ.

Why because the power of Christ, the realm, isn’t adorned by fanciful robes and ornate crowns or the pageantry that we see in places like the UK. As beautiful as those ceremonies are, the kind of righteous power that Christ is one that saves individually and collectively.  This power touches our souls and lifts our hearts to be more than just the solitary person inside.

Thus, the reign is here to save - to bring salvation. Salvation is deliverance and redemption - the redemption that started Luke’s Gospel. That is deliverance from all that binds us to sin. That is something you and I desperately needs and something we don’t get on our own. That is why we come to God and Jesus, our shepherd, who teaches how to get there.

Yet salvation is a practice at the same time because we know we fail and we fail more often than we would like to admit. Yet each time we recognize that is a chance a possibility to turn back, to repent and feel the forgiveness and redemption lead us and be us into exuberance.  

That is almost as exuberant as watching Ukraine liberating Kherson, but it is more. It is life itself and breaking the chains of sin, worry and brokenness. This is the excitement that finds possibility even in the midst of worst calamity. This is the door opening to sober vision and living. This is a door - the gate that is Jesus - open for you this day, this hour and every hour.

This Beloved, is the practice of you and me being in the community and sharing that vision and those possibilities because God’s work is not just for us but all God’s children.  So share the sandwich, the burrito, and the smile. Give clothes, tools to work and learn, and toys for the kids because all children need to be able to imagine the possibilities that are around us.

We don’t do this because it is cute or just because Tony said so.  We do it because we know what it is like to be without or to witness the world of struggle in front of us.  We recognize that our struggle is not just our own, but a collective struggle.  Thus, we offer of ourselves, our tithes, and our material - to give others and our community - our church, a chance to find salvation, deliverance and redemption as well.

Then Beloved, our world will truly be the vision and reign of Christ because we do the work and we lift people. We lift hearts and feel our own hearts lifted - we feel the gifts of Christ. Through Christ, we are more than our sin and we are more than burdens. We walk with the blessings , the forgiveness of hearts, and the love poured out to all of us.

That, Beloved, is..

Thanks be to God.

When Calamity Strikes - Luke 21

When Calamity Strikes

Tony E Dillon Hansen

Reflection based upon Luke 21: 5-19, Isaiah 65:17-25

Opening Prayer

When I read this lesson, for some reason it invokes memories of scenes from Ghostbusters (1980s version) when the guys are trying to make the case to the mayor about what was unleashed onto New York by predicting end of times biblical disaster. All we need is Bill Murray to chime in with “Cats and dogs living together! Mass hysteria!”

Still the question is, What happens when…?  Why are we waiting for catastrophes and disasters to break loose on Earth?  What are you waiting for?

This isn’t just a warning but a reminder to be ready.  

This lesson is difficult to hear or read because it reminds us that calamity is mere moments away. 

Question for us should not be ”what happens when” but instead “what are we doing to prepare for that day, that hour, that minute when our breath is no more?” 

My dad in his last days would raise the question of whether he did all he could - to be in the good graces of God, family and friends.

Why would we wait until our last hours before doing the good work, the preparations, the loving, the welcoming?  It seems to me those last hours are kind of too late, and at that point, we are asking the wrong questions.

So yes this reads like an ominous warning, but if we wait to know the signs or what to the hour of our death, then we have wasted so much time that could be used for the good stuff that God calls us to do.  

Then, Jesus lays out the life of love and religious discipline is not an easy path, but instead one that invites challenges, arguments, and even betrayal. Something that Jesus would was all too familiar with. Is Jesus speaking about himself or telling us the wisdom of fickle people, destructive  politicians, and hypocritical religious leaders (the truth of our broken world.) 

It is true that people tend to think about themselves selfishly - that is when are left to our own devices and desires. When people vote in elections, they see taxes as a personal cost rather than a way to collectively pay for roads, schools or help the poor.

Not that paying taxes is fun and nor do I want to pay more than my fair share. Same thing with giving to the church.  It is not a cost but a way that we collectively care for people in the community, how we collectively teach and grow with the community as church. 

Yet, if we only think about ourselves, if we only hold our personal interests as important, then we miss so much that God wants for us - that for us to be the church - to do church. 

God wants us to be in community - teaching and growing with people.  There, we will witness the good dimensions of people, in the lives that are born with us and our hearts, and the life inside us gifted by God.

That life, that love of Christ, that peace does divide communities because there are people that want to take advantage of others and want to hoard money and property. They operate on the idea of scarcity - there isn’t enough to go around, so I have to get as much as I can and then I will be in a better position to dictate terms. How Christian is that?

That isn’t want God wants for us.  Yes God wants us to be successful and to prosper, but God does not want us to ignore those around us - those we agree and those we disagree.  Why? Because we are all God’s children at heart. 

That, beloved, is how we prepare ourselves for the end times.  We prepare by living these times , today, this hour, this breath - with God’s people here on Earth. We bring that welcome, that love, that faith, that hope and peace. 

That is why I could answer my dad and say yes that he had done enough because he served in the community and brought life to people - even to those in prison. 

When we do that, we don’t have to worry about having done enough or saying the right things.  When we do that today and every day of our lives, we give from ourselves back to the realm that God has given to us. We give back because we get so much - because we have been given so much - and yes there is enough of God’s love to go around. There is enough peace, hope, faith, and love to fuel us and everyone we meet.  

That, beloved, is…

Thanks Be to God.