Creation 3 C

Walk Lightly upon Me!

INTRODUCTION

There are these ancient words of wisdom, rumour has it that it comes from the Natives who were here long before us and who understood their connection to the world at a lot deeper level than we do… they said that we are not living on the land, we are borrowing it from our grandchildren.

I’ve always felt that that was an incredibly wise way to look at it… of course, that is not the way most of us do. If I was to discover oil in my backyard I would probably sell it and move to Beverly Hills… My land would make me rich.

Well, maybe I am a better person than that, but you see what I mean, we have, throughout history, mostly used the land for our own benefit, often ignoring the damage we are doing because of it.

Now we are talking about shale gas extraction without having any real idea what that will do to the water, the soil, anything…

I think that all of this comes from some very old beliefs. It comes from what we think our relationship to the land is, and what we think God wants of us.

Remember, if you look at the King James Bible Genesis as God telling Adam and Eve to go out and subdue the land, to take it over, to bend it to their will… and that is pretty much what we have gone for…

But are we forgetting about another way of seeing things… what if it was less about ownership, and more about that old concept of “stewardship”

ABRAHAM

Our friend Abraham has always been known as the most faithful of all the Biblical heroes… you might remember he is the one that always believed God’s promises, that always did what God asked him…

The idea was that Abraham and Sarah wanted children… and as they got older and older they saw their dreams dying…

But if you remember, God told them not to worry, that they would be taken care of, that their descendants would be as numerous as the stars in heaven…

So, trusting, or perhaps even just hoping, they set out to follow God. And eventually, God led them to the land of Canaan… a land that later would be called the land of milk and honey… and told Abraham, that all of this was his… all of this would be for him, for his children, for his children’s children.

And he prospered. He became rich and powerful and fathered millions, maybe trillions. But here is the thing. Abraham knew that he had started with nothing, he knew that what he had was a gift… and he saw it that way. He saw it as something that God had given to him; and so, I imagine he approached things quite differently.

What would you do with the day if you got up and thought it was a gift? What would you do with the garden in your back yard if you truly believed that God had blessed you with fertile land? How would you look at the trees out the window if you thought God had painted them just for you?

WALK LIGHTLY ON THE EARTH

Have you ever been to a park or campground that had a sign that said “Take nothing but pictures… Leave nothing but footprints.”

I think that is the same sort of attitude I am talking about… I am talking about how as stewards, as caretakers, we are meant to walk lightly on the earth… another good native saying. It is not “ours” but we are a part of it, and as such we are supposed to love it, take care of it, enjoy it, use it, preserve it, and see it as a gift.

Here is another image for you to think of… when Moses went up the mountain and turned aside to see the burning bush, he heard a voice in his head that said, “take off your shoes, for this is holy ground.”

In that moment was the recognition that there was some sacred connection, something holy about the actual dirt beneath his feet, and he needed to be connected, to honour it, to embrace it…

I have always found our Matthew reading today to be one of the most powerful readings in the bible. I know not everyone sees it as the cornerstone of their living and faith… but for me, it is the best advice Jesus ever gave….

I am always worrying, and I am rarely trusting that things will work out right. I try to plan, I try to manipulate, I try to ensure that things work out… And in the midst of that, I am certainly not seeing life, or the world around me as a gift…

But what if I relaxed? What if I asked myself, what is it like to be a flower, what is it like to just trust that the world will have sunshine and rain, good times and bad?

The thing about the rest of creation, from the mosquito to the Blue Whale, is that they pretty much just live… they don’t try to manipulate the world around them, they do not use more than they need, they do not worry… they trust… and what they find is that they have enough.

Here is another interesting thing about the Abraham story… when the burden on the land became too much… he just said to Lot, take what you want, you choose first, I’ll be ok. That attitude was certainly part of what led to him having everything he needed…

POSSIBILITIES

David Suzuki had this program in the spring. He suggested that Canadians really need to get back to nature, and so we should try, no matter how difficult, to spend half an hour outside every day for ten weeks.

I don’t know if any of you did this, but it was quite amazing how it made me feel. I love being outside anyway, but there are certainly days when I do not take the time to enjoy it… by saying I “had” to be outside, I looked around more, I took more walks, I sat on my deck and enjoyed the breeze….

The scientific studies showed that if you spent a half an hour outside you would have lower blood pressure, you would have less stress, you would sleep better… it is almost a miracle cure….

But I think there is something deeper going on than just standing outside. If you are intentionally spending that time out of doors, you are starting to get back to the feelings Abraham had, you are getting closer to living the way Jesus was suggesting, you are seeing the world, and consequently, life, as a gift.

And when you do that, when you start to see it as a place of beauty and wonder, as a place that supports not just your, but countless life, when you start to understand that we are part of something bigger, you treat it differently.

In that moment, you start to walk lighter and you start to see why we should be preserving things for our grandchildren.

So what would it take? How can we really get back to feeling like Abraham and trusting God, how can we follow Jesus advice and let go of the worries? How can we be at peace in the world and see it all as a gift from God?

Maybe it begins by just experiencing… by being able to see it a little differently, by being captivated in the beauty, by just enjoying.

CONCLUSION

We know there is wisdom in the world out there, we know that there is beauty. But do we know that there is responsibility? I guess that is where we come down to after four weeks of listening for the voice of creation.

We are responsible to see it as gift, we are responsible to understand the world around us as fragile, we are responsible as stewards to take care of it all for God.

One of the first short stories I read in High School English was Ray Bradbury’s The Sound of Thunder it gave me an appreciation for the power and elegance of not only language, but of science fiction, which tries to warn us of how the world could be…

To over simplify the story, someone goes back in time and steps on a butterfly… when they get back to their time, everything has changed. One small act… one huge result.

Scientists have said pretty much the same thing… that a butterfly flapping their wings in china can change the weather in the Miramichi… we are all connected, we are all in a relationship, creation is one huge web of life where we find ourselves having the power of life and death.

So how are you going to see it?

Easter 6 - C

The Rich Count Too

Introduction

I am not sure if any of you saw the movie Spiderman… the first one, a while ago now… Anyway there is a line in that movie, where Uncle Ben tells the young Peter Parker, who will one day become Spiderman, that “With great power comes great responsibility.”

It is a great line, it is actually a lot older than Spiderman, the French philosopher Voltaire wrote it down centuries before; but I am pretty sure it has been around in some form or another forever… Take care of your younger brother… if you are going to borrow the car you have to drive your sister to soccer. We all learn that as we get more freedom, more power, more life, we also have more responsibility…

Perhaps we do not stop and think about it spiritually all too often. What does it mean that the more power we have, the more responsibility we have? We usually think of it the other way – when we read the Bible we see ourselves as one of the poor, one of the powerless, one of the great majority of people who Jesus was talking to when he said, God will come and make it better.

And the heroes of the Bible… Moses Stutters, David is the youngest and smallest son, Jesus is just some small town carpenters son; and almost every other person we encounter comes from the poorest of the poor, shepherds and fishers…

But what about the other side… what is God saying to the people who have it all? And I don’t necessarily mean money, I mean resources, influence, lifestyle… which, to be fair, most of us have more of than most people in the world… What is God saying to us.

With the Kids – Comfort

Thinking of Comfort

I have often read the John passage at funerals. It is one of my favourites to preach on. I guess probably that is because I hope to be as brave as Jesus when I die. You see, he knew what was happening, he knew this was the end, and his last thoughts were about making it all right for his family and friends.

Don’t worry, he tries to say them. I am always with you, and I will send another to comfort and guide you, you do not have to go through it alone, God will be with you, in one way or another…. It is their future, their pain, their life that concerns him the most as he is losing his.

Imagine what it would feel like to know that someone was there who would teach us how to get through it, who would help us to feel at peace with the world even when tragedies happen… That is what Jesus is offering his followers. He is saying that no matter what comes, there will be someone who is there for you. 

That is a pretty powerful promise.

Lydia

So here is our hero for today, Lydia… as important a person as ever there was for the early church, but another person for whom we only have one brief story; and so I want to tell you that story again, in a more dramatic way… I have to admit that I got a little help from a book called Women of the Bible by Ann Spangler and Jean Syswerda.

The wind rustled the branches overhead until they became a swaying canopy whose shadow danced across the circle of women bowed in prayer. It didn't matter that Philippi had too few Jews to support a synagogue; the river's edge had become their place of worship, a green sanctuary where they gathered each Sabbath to pray.

A woman named Lydia was there that day, on the edges, watching it all unfold. Lydia was not Jewish, but she had come to believe in this God they spoke of. She had come to Philippi from Asia Minor and was a prominent businesswoman who sold fine cloth to those who could afford it. The cloth was prized for its purple colour.

Now Lydia listened as a stranger from Tarsus began the morning prayers; "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one, Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength." Such prayers were like a gust of wind, fanning her longing. Though not a Jew, she wanted to know this God powerful enough to part the sea yet tender enough to yearn for the love of his people.

Paul did not stop there, he spoke of a God whose Son, Jesus, had been murdered for love. This Jesus had risen from the grave after suffering the most agonizing death imaginable. He was the Messiah, the merciful and holy One.

The women sat quietly as Paul told the story. Even the branches overhead had stopped their noisy rustling. But in the stillness, Lydia felt a strong wind rushing through her. Tears rolled down her cheeks even though she felt like singing. Afterward, she was baptized in that same river she had come to pray at. In fact, so strong was her faith that her entire household followed her example and were baptized; then Lydia insisted that Paul and Silas and probably Timothy and Luke too accept her hospitality.

Philippi seemed an unlikely place to plant the gospel. It was a prosperous Roman colony located on the main highway linking the eastern provinces to Rome and its citizens included large numbers of retired Roman soldiers. Despite its size, however, Philippi hadn't even enough Jews to provide the requisite quorum of ten reliable men to form a synagogue--and it had always been Paul's habit to preach at the synagogue first. Even so, Philippi did have its group of praying Jewish and Gentile women.

Shortly after Lydia's conversion, Paul and Silas had been thrown in prison for upsetting the Roman authorities. After they were released, Lydia once again extended hospitality and invited them into her home and cared for them. In the short time that they had been away, Lydia had started a house church and the faithful were gathered there. Her home may have become the very center of the church in Phillipi.

I am sure that Lydia did not fully understand the power that she held. Luckily, she took her responsibility to be a good person seriously. This affected all of those around her and her simple actions of commitment, love and hospitality helped to set the church on a certain path.

All You Need Is Love

I guess we all know that John Lennon was right when he wrote, all you need is love… after all, he got that from some good sources, like Jesus, and the Apostles, and… well… God.

But perhaps more to the point, that is what we are talking about once again… whether you are rich or poor, whether you are young or old, all you need is love.

Why is that true?

Well, in this letter, which is thought to be written by the person who wrote the Gospel of John, we have a long passage about love. And essentially it says something we already know, that God is love… but then it goes on to say we should then be acting out of a spirit of love… and the ultimate reason given is that love conquers fear….

So it is more than just loving because you are nice, it is more than just making the other person feel good, it is more than just doing the right thing… it is a concrete way to conquer fear.

This, when you think about it, is a pretty good tool to have; because who of us is not afraid, I mean, really, we are afraid of death, of sickness, of speaking in public, of being alone, of speaking our mind, of being judged, of spiders…. Fear is at the heart of a lot of our decisions… maybe most of our decisions.

And what would it be like if we overcame that fear with love? Could that not be what drew people to the faith, whether they were rich or poor? Could that not be why Lydia is recognized as a Saint, that she did things, like bring in Paul the prisoner, despite her fear… she acted out of love in the face of fear…

Conclusion

So what about that whole “great power leads to great responsibility” thing?

I think that we have to realize that we all have choices to make, that is what Lydia is all about – she had the power and the resources to make a difference and she used them for good. And perhaps if you do find yourself with more than other people, that should be your guiding principle.

Did you know Bill Gates, certainly one of the richest people on the planet, what with basically owning the concept of computers, is also one of the biggest givers to charity in the world, like, giving more than a lot of countries….

God calls us to be responsible, and in that, to live out of a place of love.

Pentecost 16 (A) 2011

Responsibility

Introduction

Anyone remember the song, “He’s got the whole world, in his hands… he’s got the whole wide world, In his hands…”?

Usually we think of that song as referring to God, I don’t know, it was written that way or something; but I want to suggest that it is really about us… we have the whole world in our hands, that is the responsibility we have been given, and more than that, the whole world is holy, it is sacred, and it is a pretty awesome responsibility…

It is also a responsibility we share… WE have the whole world in our hands…. It is not up to me, or you, but us… this is one thing we all have in common, we all need to make the world a place of love and peace and hope… and we all need to work together…

But how? I want to suggest that it is by recognizing our need to cultivate our spiritual side, and then by recognizing that we all have responsibility that has been placed on us by God.

The Ten Commandments (with Kids)

Object: A coloring book

Do you remember when you first started to learn how to color? If you were like most children, you probably coloured all over the page without staying in the lines. I imagine that some of your pictures looked a lot like this one (show picture coloured without staying in the lines). And your choice of colors probably wasn't very good either. You might have coloured the cow purple! I've never seen a purple cow, have you?

As you got older, your pictures probably looked more like this one (show a picture coloured in the lines). You began to stay in the lines and your color choices were much better too. There aren't any purple cows in this picture. This picture is much prettier than the other one, isn't it?

These pictures remind me of the way some people live their lives. God gave us the Ten Commandments to tell us the things that we should and should not do. Some people don't pay any attention to these guidelines that God has drawn for them. They just do whatever they want to do. Often their choices are not very good. They are like the child who doesn't stay inside the lines on the coloring page. They think their life is beautiful, but when God looks at it, He sees that it is just a big mess.

There are other people who read the Bible and follow God's rules. They try to stay within the guidelines that God has set. Oh, they may still get outside the lines at times, but most of the time they make pretty good choices. When God looks at their life, He is pleased.

Do you want your life to be like this one (show the messy picture) or do you want it to look like this one? (Show the pretty picture) Let's pray and ask God to help us.

Dear Lord, help us to remember that you set boundaries for us. Help us to stay within those boundaries so that our lives will be pleasing to you. Amen.

Towards the Goal

What is your spiritual resume? Have you been, to quote a Christmas tradition, Naughty or Nice?

Paul writes that he has every reason to believe that he is better than all the rest in terms of doing what God wants. His resume is filled with sacrifice, and commitment, and passion… he has singlehandedly created the church of which we all, 2,000 years later, are still a part…

But really, it counts for nothing. Really, the question is, what are you going to do next.

Perhaps more to the point, Paul seems to be saying that we should never be content, that we always need to hunger for more, to do more, to be more…

Of course, Paul only makes that point because he knows he does not have to go it alone.

I did a funeral yesterday and one of the son and laws read a gospel passage and commented on it. When I heard what he was going to talk about I had not idea what he would say – for a funeral he chose to tell the story of Jesus going to the well and meeting a Samaritan woman and confronting her about her five husbands and current boyfriend… then he goes on to offer her the living water…

I was totally unsure how he could make this into a funeral reading – but he went on to talk about the amazing love and constant invitation of God. Here was this woman, a Samaritan, and outsider, someone who was either unlucky in love or not easily satisfied… and Jesus was treating her as an equal and offering her God’s presence in her life like he would anyone else…

You see, Paul had a lot to boast about, but he knew that it really meant nothing, that we are all equal in God’s eyes, and that because of that, we all, each and every one of us, have a part to play…

The Vineyard of Violence

This is the third week in a row that the Gospel passage is about a vineyard… perhaps there is something important about this…

Most people agree that the vineyard is a stand in for the place we are asked to be, the work we are asked to do, it might even mean the whole world… and we are told stories about the rightful wages of workers in the vineyard, about God’s intention for the vineyard, and finally about how we can go off track in the vineyard…

You see, sometimes we forget that we are doing all this for the greater good. Sometimes our lives get so focused on our own needs that we would do anything to “get ahead” in the world. Sometimes we forget what our responsibilities are…

We don’t realize it anymore, but Jesus is actually quoting scripture back to the religious leaders… he is weaving together Isaiah five where God plants a vineyard and expects grapes but discovers that they have all gone wild, with Psalm 118 which talks about the people rejecting the stone but God making it the cornerstone.

It is not the pleasantest of passages, but it is a good reminder, a wakeup call to the fact that we all fall short of what is expected of us – and because of that, we might even overlook the most important things in our world.

Conclusion

The table of God is open to everyone. Sure, we are supposed to colour between the lines… but like my youngest daughter, we often get tired of that and just colour any old way we want… But this community, and the unity of God’s people, gives us courage to try again – to try and live with the responsibilities of being the agents of God in the world.

And once more, we are sent out to make a difference…