Year A Proper 25 2017 Loving With All We've Got

Year A Proper 25, 29 October, 2017

St. James the Less Episcopal, Ashland, VA

“Loving With All We’ve Got”

Collect: Almighty and everlasting God, increase in us the gifts of faith, hope, and charity; and, that we may obtain what you promise, make us love what you command; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Matthew 22:34-46
When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, and one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” He said to him, “’You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”
Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them this question: “What do you think of the Messiah? Whose son is he?” They said to him, “The son of David.” He said to them, “How is it then that David by the Spirit calls him Lord, saying,

‘The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at my right hand,
until I put your enemies under your feet”’?

If David thus calls him Lord, how can he be his son?” No one was able to give him an answer, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions.

How do we live a good life? What makes it good? Whose voice do we listen to when we seek answers to those questions?

Our answers to those questions will determine so much of our happiness over the years. I have heard all kinds of slogans, or mantras, whatever you want to call them:

• “He who dies with the most toys wins.”
• “Do unto others before they do unto you.”
• “Get busy living, or get busy dying.”
• “God is not done with me yet.”
• “Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but how many moments take our breath away.”

All these are ways to look at the world, and our place in it. Some healthy, some not. But they all help us determine the small choices, that add up to our days, that make our years, that are our lives. We choose. We choose some things. We turn down others. And today I want us to look at what it is we say yes to, and because of our greater Yes-es, we have to have some Nos in response.

In movies when the characters want to know something about somebody, you often see them digging through the trash. And that is a way to learn some things about somebody. It gives a picture of some things we do, but more it is what we let go of, but it does not paint a picture of what we embrace.

Philosophy professor and theologian Dallas Willard in his masterpiece, The Divine Conspiracy, said that one of the things that defines us as humans is our ability to treasure things. We give import and meaning to some things more than others. We cherish, and we relish what we cherish. We have keepsakes and mementos. There are some things that neither hell nor high water could take from you. So, unlike our movie detectives, look at someone’s trash and I might see their actions, but show me your treasures and I will get a glimpse into your soul.

Someone saw me unpacking a box the other day in my office. And they said something about me still moving in. I am 90% settled, because I have spent more time getting to know you all rather than arranging my stuff that adorns my office. But there are treasures of mine there. Things I hold dear. And as the cliche goes, one person’s trash is another person’s treasure. What I cherish are the tangible reminders of beautiful days and moments, those times that took my breath away. And I will always hold them dear.

Treasures give a glimpse into who we are, but our treasures are not, nor should they be, who we are. Prolific Christian author Henri Nouwen shares 3 Lies of Identity:
1. I am what I have
2. I am what I do
3. I am what other people say or think of me

None of these things are who we really are. With that caveat, let’s look at what Jesus said in today’s Gospel.

As we look at our treasures, and we see glimpses into our identities in them, I come back to the original questions. How do we live a good life? What makes it good? Whose voice do we listen to when we seek answers to those questions? The lawyer asking Jesus the greatest commandment was repeating a long rabbinical tradition of ranking God’s rules. Of the 613 in the Torah, the Five Books of Moses, which was the top? And Jesus, like others before him, cites two, linking these two commandments together. “Love God with all you’ve got, and your neighbor like yourself.” The first comes from the great liturgical call of the Shema our Jewish brothers and sisters recite (Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One… Deuteronomy 6:4-5) and from the call to love our neighbors as much as ourselves (Leviticus 19: 17-18).

These summaries are tied because how can we love the unseen God if we cannot love our “seen” brothers and sisters? And also, how can we love others if we cannot love ourselves?

Starting today, I listed a number of phrases that could be seen as philosophical, but I think the commandments Jesus list here could fall into the same arena. Jesus’ answer is a touchstone on how to live that good life. Love God, others, and self. If that is the case, what does it look like to live a life when we love God with all we’ve got, and our neighbors and ourselves equally?

I would say you might get a good idea from glancing at a few things. These are everyday items, and you may not see them as spiritual or religious, but if I see your relationship with these things, I can get a glimpse into what and who you love.

The first thing I would ask you to delve into is your Calendar. And this is the only place where we are all equal. We are each given the same number of hours in the same name of days. What we do with them is where the proof is in the pudding. What are the blocks that you make sure you put into every day? What are the tidbits that fill in the cracks?

“If you want to change the world, start off by making your bed.”

—Admiral William H. McRaven

We have to start somewhere, and our bedclothes are an intentional and deliberate beginning. It is literal and metaphorical. We all have to start where we are, and we all sleep. Does making our bed make us better Christians? Not necessarily, but as we look at how we live our lives, Loving God, others and self, our intentions and our actions do come into play.
"The hard must become habit. The habit must become easy. The easy must become beautiful.”

—Doug Henning

It really is like that. What do you make sure makes it into your days? What do you give to God DAILY? There is physical muscle memory, where once we learn to ride a bike we can always ride a bike. And I believe there is spiritual muscle memory, once we start including God on everything it becomes a habit, one we won’t want to break. The daily devotionals in the Book of Common Prayer is a great place to start. If you can make more time, the Daily Offices are transformative. As we look at our the Stewardship of our lives, our calendars are the best place to start your investigation.

Next, show me your Checkbook (or credit card statements these days), and look to where your money goes. Do you make enough to cover your bills? Do you fritter away nickels and dimes and over the decades miss out on where you could have been? As you look at your resources, where on the checklist is your giving to furthering God’s Kingdom? My wife and I give to this parish, and to Shrine Mont, and to other ministries that are important to us. What you give does not need only be to this church. But we are asking for you to thoughtfully, joyfully, and prayerfully give to St. James the Less, and if possible, we are asking you to increase your pledge this year as you are able. As you steward your checkbook, and intentionally review your patterns of saving and spending and giving, think of what you hope to accomplish and work systematically to get there. It is all tied together.

Lastly, I want you to look in the Mirror. There is nothing that can hide when you look yourself in the eye. And as you look yourself in the eye, ask “Who do I see? Am I on the path to be who God is calling me to be?” When you look yourself in the eye, are you critical? Or do you see yourself as God’s beloved? Brené  Brown says, “Talk to yourself like you would to someone you love.” It may be corrective, but it should always be loving. How on earth can we love God or others, if we do not see ourselves as lovable or capable of loving? In the 70s we heard repeatedly, God don’t make no junk! It is still true.

Today, was my “Stewardship Sermon,” how we manage and account for our lives as part of our Stewardship of this parish for the coming year. We ask of you to consider your Time, that looking at your Calendar and your plans for the coming year. We ask you to consider your Talent, that thing that you are uniquely qualified to further God’s work in this world. And we ask you to consider your Treasure, those resources you have and how you might use them to fulfill your needs, hopes, and desires for the coming year.

How do you show what you treasure when someone looks at your calendar, your checkbook, or watching you look in the mirror? All three speak volumes. What do yours say? Next week we will gather in the Pledges, and for those we have received already and those that will come in, we will have a time of blessing on them. Just like we do with the elements and the offering every week. We pray for God’s blessing on them. And this week, I pray for God’s blessings on your calendar, your checkbook, and your self reflection. Amen.

Year A Proper 22 Wed Judge Yourself

Year A Proper 22 Wed Eucharist, 11 October 2017

St. James the Less Episcopal, Ashland, Virginia

“Judge Yourself”

2 Kings 22:14-23:3

I Corinthians 11:23-34

Matthew 9:9-17

Today’s readings are all over the map. I could go in 100 different directions, but in 5 minutes in the early morning I will not make you suffer through that. I won’t make me suffer through that.

The other day, my daughter asked me a silly question. She did it for her punchline, but I did not know that at the time. She asked me, “If all the laws were taken away, what would you do differently?” I stopped and actually thought about it. I filled time with some hmmms and “Good question.” Then I said, “Probably nothing. It is not laws that make me try to be good. I try to be good, and pretty much everything works out.” Finally I just added, “What would you do differently?” She responded, “I would go up to Kroger and take a bag of candy.” I was surprised, and also delighted that that was all she would do. TBTG! “Just one bag?” “A GROCERY BAG, Dad!” Still, even with a whole grocery bag, I was surprised and pleased that all she lusts after now is candy.

We all, though, should be doing regular self-examination of where we are in our spiritual lives. All the readings today look at that. Do we even know what we are doing?

The King in II Kings, King Josiah, had read God’s book of law and was condemned and in a solemn assembly confronted the people with how they had strayed.

In the Gospel reading from Matthew 9, the same. People were judging Jesus and his disciples for whom he chose to be with. They were so busy measuring the splinters in others’ eyes they missed their own logs.

Lastly, in First Corinthians, he speaks eloquently about the Eucharist, Communion, and how we do this to remember Christ. There were some, however, who were using this for a Fast Food joint and not a holy time. And tucked away in that passage is where I am focusing today.

Last night I saw this in action. I was at a meeting at the Seminary and was leaving just as a reception was starting. A student walked by, and the person I was with knew him. The student had a paper plate mounded over with food. “No time for parties, I have work to do. In the early church in Corinth, that is exactly what was happening. People showing up, with no time for their Brothers and Sisters in Christ, and leaving after that got all they could. No reflection. No self examen. The words Paul uses are these: I Cor 11:31 “But if we judged ourselves, we would not be judged.”

In II Kings, the king’s contrition brings the people back from the brink. In Matthew, Jesus admonishes the judge-y church-y people with this, “Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have come to call not the righteous but sinners.”

So often, still we miss the boat. We look at the outward appearances, but God looks on our hearts. So often we play the little kids’ “NOT FAIR” card thinking that is spiritual maturity. A comedian put it this way, “The only time you should look in someone else’s bowl is to make sure they have enough.” Very true.

A practical take-away, if you do not have a regular and consistent time for self-examination, try this before you go to bed. 1) Where did I see God today? 2) When did I feel apart from God today? If you want to get serious, write it down and look back every week or month. You might learn a thing or two. Amen.

Year A Trinity Sunday, 11 June 2017 Community and Communion

Year A Trinity Sunday, 11 June 2017

“Community and Communion”

St. Paul’s Episcopal, Richmond, VA

Almighty and everlasting God, you have given to us your servants grace, by the confession of a true faith, to acknowledge the glory of the eternal Trinity, and in the power of your divine Majesty to worship the Unity: Keep us steadfast in this faith and worship, and bring us at last to see you in your one and eternal glory, O Father; who with the Son and the Holy Spirit live and reign, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
From Genesis 1:1-2:4a

Then God said, “Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the wild animals of the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.”

So God created humankind in his image,

in the image of God he created them;

male and female he created them.

2 Corinthians 13:11-13
Finally, brothers and sisters, farewell. Put things in order, listen to my appeal, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you. Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the saints greet you. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with all of you.
Matthew 28:16-20
The eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Trinity Sunday is always a daunting preaching task. It is the only Sunday of the Church Year dedicated to a doctrine. Some run to the challenge, and some shrink away. For some, it is an awe-inspiring Mystery, and for others it is one of the critical stumbling blocks of the faith.

The Creed of Athanasius (on pages 864-865 in the Book of Common Prayer) has MANY paragraphs on the “proper” understanding of the Trinity, and says this:

And in this Trinity none is afore, or after other; none is greater, or less than another;
But the whole three Persons are co-eternal together and co-equal.
So that in all things, as is aforesaid, the Unity in Trinity and the Trinity in Unity is to be worshipped.
He therefore that will be saved is must think thus of the Trinity.

When he wrote that around the end of the Fifth or the beginning of the Sixth Century, it was the first known declaration that all three members of the Trinity are equal. People argued over this long before Athanasius, and his attempt here to fight Arianism. (Arianism being the belief, that Jesus the Son was not co-equal nor of the same substance with the Father and thus less than or subservient to the God the Father.) And people have been arguing of the nature of this ever since.

I have always been drawn to the beauty of the idea of the Trinity, a beautiful dance of Creator, Redeemer, Sustainer. For others, not so much. And before we get bogged down in who is which, and which is what, and what is when, I want to skip right through that and get to what the Trinity means to me. The Godhead: Father, Son and Holy Spirit, is for me a way to view the way things are supposed to be, a beloved community of living and moving and having our being, and a model for what we bring to a hurting and needy world.

Let us start at the beginning, for that is where our lectionary readings kicked us off today, Genesis 1. And the beautiful portrait painted is that we, all of us, were created in the “their” image, and if you never noticed that before, the plurality of the statement, “Let us make mankind in our image,” dwell on that a moment. We are designed by a committee, [that would explain a lot wouldn’t it] and while that is usually a negative statement, here it is one of affirmation across the board.

Each and every one of us can be Creative and make things of worth and have the discerning wisdom of the Father. Each of us is capable of redeeming works of grace and a level of sacrificial love that is not of this world like the Son. Each of us is capable of intimate connections of profound understanding and communion like the Spirit. That is the Imago Dei, the very image of God. The Divine “Us” is the mirror we hold up to our best and God-intended selves. All of these are obviously aspirational, but if we get to choose who we should emulate, God would be a good choice.

But for me, the other take-away from that “Us” word is that God is in Community, and that God is in Communion. And if we are emulating anything, then maybe we can and should be, too. God the One in Three and Three in One is a Social Being. God is in Community and in Communion with God Self. And in that image, we are made to be in Community and in Community. We are Social Creatures.

Think of spying a baby in a public space. Often they just stare at random strangers. And they stare and stare and stare, until the get a response. When I was a new father I had to get used to seeing strangers making faces and waving, and then I noticed it was not at me or to me at all. It was to the baby. Babies bring out the Social Being readily and naturally. If you do not think that you were born a Social Creature, just try tickling yourself. It does not work. If God made you, hardwired you to be ticklish, and that can only happen from another, maybe we were made in the image of God, to be in Community. I heard another report on the radio this week saying that scientists have found conclusively that people with the same diseases do better and live longer if they are in a relationship with their spouse. I am glad they have determined the obvious. We are made to be in Community, just like God. But what about Communion?

God is in Communion with Godself, an intimate and loving dynamic relationship.  This whole last year St. Paul’s has been looking at Being Reconciled. Our first Lenten Preacher, Father Michael Renninger, brought up the etymology of the word Reconciliation. I have always been fascinated by etymology, where words come from and where we have taken or lost their original meaning. Reconciliation comes from the Latin, for the words Re- meaning again, Con- meaning with, and Cilia-. I knew cilia from the follicles in my intestine from Saturday morning cartoons’ Schoolhouse Rock. But the word Cilia did not originate in the gut, but on our faces. Cilia- was the Latin word for eyelashes, the follicles on our eyes. So Reconciliation is to Again be Within Eyelash distance of each other. If you are close enough to brush eyelashes, or what we called in my family Butterfly Kisses, then you are pretty close. And that is the level of intimacy God desires with us, to be reconciled with him, a closeness beyond words.

Scripture describes God in many ways, but my favorite image is the repeated trope of a seeking God pursuing relationship. One of these uses is in three connected parables, the Lost Coin, the Lost Sheep, and the Prodigal Son. The Seeker is God, looking, longing, missing, loving. There are no lengths to which God will not go to find us, to save us, and to welcome us home.

Now the Downtown Missioner in me would be remiss to not mention it. If we are attempting to emulate God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, then we have to take seriously this Seeking feeling, especially before it becomes that Sinking feeling that we have missed the boat.

You see, God loves you. Why? Because: “You Matter. You matter to God.”  And so do all God’s Children. In fact our mission could almost be summed up in that. “You Matter. To God. To Us.” Now we find 101 different ways to say it, and to do it. But that is it.

Our worship declares to us and reminds us that importance God placed on being in relationship to us. Our astounding music. The wonderful Emmaus ministry. Laundry Love. Our children's programming. Our youth. Our relationship with the people of the village of Mwitikira, Tanzania. Our block parties. Our trip to Rosebud this summer. Our work with Woodville. Our Lenten Lectures and Lunches. In keeping and maintaining this amazing space declaring the Glory of God. In all we say and do, we declare that all God’s Children matter. And every soul you meet is a beloved child of God.

I know it is the summer and attendance takes a dip, but look around. Do you see an empty space? Pick one. Any one. We have plenty of empty spaces, but pick just one. We are designed to be in Communion, and I know you have some people in your life who need the Community that we have at St. Paul’s. They would be so much better for it. WE would be so much better for it. Heck, you have to work to get here these days. Parking is what it is for the foreseeable future. But you made it! Yeah! This place obviously matters to you. It could matter to someone else that you know. And I believe, through the ministry and music and community of this place, people can also be brought into Communion, not just us, but more importantly, with God.

Pete Nunnally, our Youth Minister, told me a wonderful story this week, and I share it with his permission. He told me of someone grieving coming in off the street and wanting someone to pray with in their sorrow. Pete was the only minister here, and took them into this space to pray and talk. Christopher came in and began practicing the organ, and in that Community of Pete, and this art-filled Sanctuary of Holiness, and Chris’s beautiful music declaring the Glory of God, this young man found a sense of peace with God in his loss. He even took a video and shared it with his friends. He found Communion through Community. We do not know if he will ever see this young man again, but I believe God will. God was seeking him out when he lost his friend. God was seeking him out when he wandered into our doors. But on that day last week, this young man found a Communion. And we enabled that. Think how much bigger a difference you could make in a friend’s life if you could invite them into Community, and in doing so, trust that it will be into Communion with God, God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit. The Three in One, the One in Three. The God in Community, the God of Communion.

The Trinity is a Mystery, but it is a Beautiful Mystery. We are made in its image, and we attempt to emulate that Divine Dance in all we do. As St. Paul, our namesake declared: “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with all of you.” [2 Cor. 13:13] Amen.

When You Stare a Giant in the Eye: a sermon Year A Easter 7 2017

Year A Easter 7, 28 May 2017

St. Paul’s Episcopal, Richmond

“When You Stare A Giant In The Eye”

O God, the King of glory, you have exalted your only Son Jesus Christ with great triumph to your kingdom in heaven: Do not leave us comfortless, but send us your Holy Spirit to strengthen us, and exalt us to that place where our Savior Christ has gone before; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.

One of the great lines from one of my favorite movies, The Usual Suspects, invites us to see things differently. “The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he did not exist.” Going along that same train of thought, “The greatest lie the Devil ever convinced Christ’s Church of is that we do not matter.”

Think about it. We see the numbers declining, and the budgets shrinking. We see things scaling back, and we are fearful. After the tragedies in Manchester this week, I remind you what you have heard again and again, when we live in fear, the terrorists win. If that is true for Western Society, is the Church any different? When we live in fear, the Devil wins. When we see through the eyes of scarcity, how can we bring glory to God?

The Hebrews right on the brink of the Promised Land heard two words, one promising a land flowing with milk and honey, and another word, a fearful word, that there are Giants in the land. They listened to the voice shaking with fear about Giants.

Numbers 14

9 Only, do not rebel against the Lord; and do not fear the people of the land, for they are no more than bread for us; their protection is removed from them, and the Lord is with us; do not fear them.” 10 But the whole congregation threatened to stone them.
Then the glory of the Lord appeared at the tent of meeting to all the Israelites. 11 And the Lord said to Moses, “How long will this people despise me? And how long will they refuse to believe in me, in spite of all the signs that I have done among them?

On this Seventh Sunday of Easter, just four days after we remembered Christ’s Ascension, to what voices will we listen? Ones declaring Milk and Honey, or ones fearful of Giants?

Jesus, when he was at the table with his disciples, what did he see? Did he see a group of 12 rejects who no one would bring together to plan a birthday party? Or did he see a righteous and committed few who were going to set out and change the world preaching a Gospel of Love against the Power of the Roman Empire? Think on that.

From our Gospel today, we clearly hear that Christ believed in his little band:

Jesus said: “Now they know that everything you have given me is from you; for the words that you gave to me I have given to them, and they have received them and know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me. I am asking on their behalf; I am not asking on behalf of the world, but on behalf of those whom you gave me, because they are yours. All mine are yours, and yours are mine; and I have been glorified in them. And now I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one.”

We are in the world, and we are here so that Christ may be glorified in us and through us. Jesus is glorified in us. But if we are shrinking daisies, what are we proclaiming to the world? Are we Christ’s Body in the World, or something else entirely?

I brought my youngest daughter with me to the showing of Traces of the Trade which was shown here a few weeks ago. Driving home from church, my daughter asked an amazingly cognizant question. "Why is St. Paul's where it is?"

In Traces of the Trade, a great documentary on the Slave Trade, she got to thinking. It tells the story from the perspective of a family who owned slave ships, plantations in Cuba, and were ignorant that the family's wealth was so intricately woven with the trade. They were from the North, it was not their sin, or so they thought. My 10-year-old girl sat in silence, soaking it all in, both the movie and the Q&A with the director. I was duly impressed. This was going through her head when she asked about our church and its central location, "Why is St. Paul's where it is?"

Having been a teacher, I knew better than to answer, and told her to answer her own question. She said it was pretty lucky to be where it is, next to the state Capitol building downtown, with the State Supreme Court behind our church, and City Hall a block away. I asked, "What kind of people would start a church 170 years ago in the middle of the city near so many important things?"

She responded, "Important people. And rich. They would have to be rich."

A part of me was beaming with pride, and part of my heart was breaking that this was a conversation we were having to have. "And where would people have gotten their money in Richmond 170 years ago, enough for them to build so beautiful a building in so important a spot?"

"People who got rich from slavery?" She asked it as a question, but she already knew the answer.

I had to say, "Yeah. Either directly or indirectly. Yeah. We have to admit that, and that conversation is one of the reasons we showed that movie tonight."

She nodded, thinking about it some more in silence. After a little while I asked her about how all this made her feel. "Like the adults at the movie, I feel confused." I let her know that that is okay.

That may have been why St. Paul’s was here then. But why is St. Paul’s here now? So many other churches moved away from downtown. So many other people followed the population west. But St. Paul's did not. So that begs the question...

Why is St. Paul's here, today? How might we help make Christ at this place and  at this time known and relevant? How are we to fulfill the call of God for now, proclaiming the Gospel in the heart of our beloved RVA? "For such a time as this," says the Holy Book in Esther. May we live into the call of our time, and grow into the opportunity. How can Christ be glorified in our actions today? How can people see what we do and say to themselves, “They really believe in a Christ sitting at the right hand of God the Father.”?

Here are just some beginning thoughts:

When we stay in the hard conversations so all can be heard and all can be reconciled, Christ is glorified.

When we repent of our sins and the sins that birthed us, Christ is glorified.

When we take up for the least of these, Christ is glorified.

When we forgive instead of responding tit-for-tat, Christ is glorified.

When we get hit and still turn the other cheek, Christ is glorified.

When we build bridges instead of walls, Christ is glorified.

When we give a cup of cold water or a warm meal to one in need, Christ is glorified.

When we gather and live out Jesus’ prayer “that they may be one,” Christ is glorified.

When we choose love over hate, Christ is glorified.

When we stare Giants in the eye and still believe in the one whose name we claim, Christ is glorified.

Never forget the math of faith: Us + God is greater than anything we face. (Us +God > Anything) When we recite the Nicene Creed in a few moments, ponder when you say of Jesus, that “he is seated at the right hand of God the Father.” For if he is, we have already won. We are just mopping up the remnants of God’s enemies. On this Memorial Day weekend it is hard for me not to remember the ultimate price paid by so many for my freedoms. But think about it, when D-Day happened, the Nazis were doomed, but we still had months of battles left, hard battles that would take many lives, but the outcome was predominantly decided. Jesus’ resurrection and ascension declares to us, and hopefully through us and our acts of faith, that when we look with the eyes of faith we can see that the end is in sight.

When I was in Seminary, I remember hearing the story of the English founder of the modern missionary movement. His words have always stuck with me. William Carey: “Expect great things from God; attempt great things for God.” In all our choices, in all our decisions we have to make as a church, I would ask us to consider two questions: “Why does God have us here now?” & “Is Christ being glorified in this?” And if we do so I think we remember that God plus us is bigger than any perceived or imaginary Giants in the Land. When you stare a Giant in the eye, remember God has your back.

I want to close today with the words of  Teresa of Avila (1515–1582). Christ Has No Body

Christ has no body but yours,
No hands, no feet on earth but yours,
Yours are the eyes with which he looks
Compassion on this world,
Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good,
Yours are the hands, with which he blesses all the world.
Yours are the hands, yours are the feet,
Yours are the eyes, you are his body.
Christ has no body now but yours,
No hands, no feet on earth but yours,
Yours are the eyes with which he looks
Compassion on this world.
Christ has no body now on earth but yours.  Amen.