Readings for today (Proper 6A, Track 1)
Have you ever received a gift you weren’t really sure you wanted? A gift from someone you love and respect - and whom you think knows you pretty well - and you wonder how they could have picked this “unusual” thing for you. And, of course, it came without a tag or a gift receipt – so you couldn’t just discreetly return it.
How did you react? Did you fake loving it? Boldly ask what about it made them think of you? Or offer faint thanks while deciding in which closet to store it until the giver comes to visit? And what about the gift that you can’t give away or hide?
Sarah’s response is beautifully authentic: a snickery snort that turns into a full belly laugh. When she was young, she desperately wanted to have children. Judged as worthless as a wife because of her infertility, she gave up that hope long ago. Now that she’s near 90, these three strangers predict that her heart’s deepest desire will come true.
Sarah may have laughed with disbelief initially. We can imagine that her laughter turned to delight as the reality of the gift grew in her. And, with it, joy that her deepest desire might have a holy purpose.
The disciples receive a whole other kind of gift, one equally filled with holy potential for the life of the world. Jesus gives them the gift of authority over unclean spirits, and to cure every disease and every sickness. I wonder if they laughed out loud with Sarah-like disbelief and incredulity that God imagines they can heal people and cast out demons. And which closet do you hide that gift in?
God doesn’t always give us gifts that we want, or even gifts that we think are blessings. And God’s gifts are ones we cannot deny or hide, at least not for very long. My friend Michele describes the persistence of the Holy Spirit, nagging her to accept and use her gifts, as the Holy Spirit throwing bricks at her head. Once we acknowledge our gifts from God, and receive them with open hearts, how can we not use them?
Seeing that the people are ‘harassed and helpless’ (9:36), Jesus calls together his disciples and sends them out to continue the ministry he has begun. Using their words and deeds to tell the world that the kingdom of heaven is nearer than the kingdoms of the despotic rulers of this world. In God’s kingdom, all those people who are outside of society (the dis-eased of mind, body, and spirit) will be restored to wholeness and health, and empowered to full participation in society.
We don’t always know how our gifts will end up impacting the world. Sarah could not anticipate the fullness of God’s purpose, how the 12 sons of her grandson Jacob would become the tribes of Israel. The 12 disciples, heading out in pairs to try healing and exorcisms on their own, could not know the power of hope and love to transform the world for thousands of years.
In faith, Sarah laughs and delights that God could use her, what little she feels she has to offer, to love and nourish God’s people. In faith, the disciples summon their courage and buckle their sandals, receiving Jesus’ commission and dismissal into the world.
Dear ones, blessed and breathed upon by the Holy Spirit at our baptisms, we already have all the gifts we need for the ministry we are called to do. We can stop dodging bricks and dig out the gifts we forgot we stowed away. Jesus calls us to use all of who we are - our fully authentic, incredulous, and imperfect selves - to share the good news with the world. In doing so, we will continue to grow into who God imagines us to be.
The Vestry will tell you that I continue to giggle with incredulity and delight at the gift of working with these amazing leaders: 12 people with so many different gifts and interests and passions, united by their love for Trinity and for God. In May, the Vestry identified Stewardship of our Neighborhood as Trinity’s focus for the next 12 months.
Meeting last Sunday, they talked about their own experiences of neighborliness, and then imagined what Trinity’s neighborly stewardship could look like by next June. This is such an amazing list that I want to share it with you in its entirety. Are you ready?
Meet WHEEL folks to understand their experience and how to supportively interact with them
Narcan is available & we are comfortable using it = destigmatization
Providing regular and publicly available 1st Aid/CPR training
Inviting neighbors in for more fun & food events (BINGO night, Game night)
Increased feeling of safety and security for events
Flags for crosswalks at 8th & Cherry intersection
Increased safety for people walking from Skyline and Parking Garage
Make known that Trinity space can be rented
Walking outreach ministry (teams with wagons of water, hot drinks, sandwiches, socks, etc go out and meet neighbors in need)
Neighbors attend Summer Sunday evening picnics
Trinity t-shirts to wear when we are doing things with neighbors/public
There is not a single idea on the list that is not absolutely possible by next June - and there is a place for everyone to join in. We cannot do it without the gifts, community connections, passions, and financial resources that YOU have to share.
Our first big activity will be participating in National Night Out on Tuesday, August 1. Planning begins this week and we will be asking for people to play many small parts to pull it together.
Trinity, my friends, we are a community of people with holy gifts for sharing the good news of God’s love for all people. Gifts that we can’t give back or deny. Meanwhile, the Holy Spirit relentlessly lobs bricks at us, reminding us about the places where the world is broken and bruised, harassed and helpless. Our neighbors - housed and unhoused, young and old, queer and straight, of all abilities and ethnicities - need the good news that God loves and accepts everyone, that imperfect is beautiful and brave, and that Trinity is a safe and caring community.
What will it take for our laughter of disbelief about the magnitude of gifts we have been given to turn to laughter of delight at the possibilities that await when we live into these gifts?
No comments:
Post a Comment