Oct 20, 2024 |
Letting baggage go
| The Rev. Dr. Herschel Wade
Letting baggage go
Not long ago, in a spiritual direction session,
My companion and I spoke about the relinquishing of baggage.
Letting baggage go to give space to my future self.
Placing that baggage at the feet of Jesus.
Placing that baggage on the altar as a sacrifice of a part of myself to God.
Like a good and proper Gestalt pupil,
I spoke to the future, my future self.
It is a self that is not completely known.
It is a self, fraught with uncertainty.
But it is a self, pregnant with possibilities.
Great possibilities, Holy possibilities, Spirit-infused possibilities.
I don’t remember exactly what I said to my future self.
I do remember speaking about my fear of the unknown.
A fear so great. I was dragging my feet.
Sometimes I wanted to pick up my baggage and return to the place that I knew well.
Oct 17, 2024 |
Impossible
| The Rev. Philip DeVaul
Impossible
Your salvation is not about you. It is about God.
Now maybe you're not wealthy. Maybe money is not the issue for you. I invite you to close your eyes for a second and think. Like think about what are the things that you lean on to make sure you know that you're okay.
What are they?
Probably is money for a lot of us. You can open your eyes when you want. I grew up, um, I didn't grow up very much. I grew up short. Um, I was, I was, I was always the shortest kid in my class, um, I was never very athletic, I was never like, like one of the cool kids in that way, right? But I could talk myself into and out of anything.
And I find myself even now trying to talk myself into and out of my own salvation. That's the way that I, that's the way that I know that I'm okay. So when I actually practice silent prayer, and I learn to shut up. God shows up and reminds me, I'm not talking my way into heaven. Heaven is showing up in my heart and in my life, if only I have eyes to see it and am willing to acknowledge my need for God.
Now maybe you're not wealthy. Maybe money is not the issue for you. I invite you to close your eyes for a second and think. Like think about what are the things that you lean on to make sure you know that you're okay.
What are they?
Probably is money for a lot of us. You can open your eyes when you want. I grew up, um, I didn't grow up very much. I grew up short. Um, I was, I was, I was always the shortest kid in my class, um, I was never very athletic, I was never like, like one of the cool kids in that way, right? But I could talk myself into and out of anything.
And I find myself even now trying to talk myself into and out of my own salvation. That's the way that I, that's the way that I know that I'm okay. So when I actually practice silent prayer, and I learn to shut up. God shows up and reminds me, I'm not talking my way into heaven. Heaven is showing up in my heart and in my life, if only I have eyes to see it and am willing to acknowledge my need for God.
Oct 06, 2024 |
All Things Ungodly and Other Reconcilable Differences
| The Rev. Melanie W. J. Slane
All Things Ungodly and Other Reconcilable Differences
We all know that divorce happens. It happens to married
people. It happens to siblings. It happens to friends, and neighbors, and
communities. It even happens to countries.
Divorce, or the act of separating ourselves from one another, is the result of human error in understanding God’s intentions for humanity.
Divorce is a common response to our amnesia (or defiance) of the reality that human beings were made for relationship and that we actually need one another. We always have.
You know who knows this?
Children.
Divorce, or the act of separating ourselves from one another, is the result of human error in understanding God’s intentions for humanity.
Divorce is a common response to our amnesia (or defiance) of the reality that human beings were made for relationship and that we actually need one another. We always have.
You know who knows this?
Children.
Sep 29, 2024 |
The Path is made by Walking
| The Rev. Joyce Keeshin
The Path is made by Walking
In the business world I lived in, When someone said the left hand doesn't know
what the right hand is doing, that was not a good thing. That was talking about things falling apart
pretty quickly. But here I believe Jesus
is speaking with hyperbole, delivering a powerful message for us. To give our attention to whatever we are
doing.
What our hands are doing. Where our feet are carrying us. What our eyes are focused on. To be awake within ourselves and in our interactions with others. To not fall into or be in default ways of being that set up stumbling blocks for others, and that do not follow Jesus path of love. The path is made by walking.
Walking makes the path. Sometimes it's clear when we're starting a new path. Choosing a new school, a new work position, retirement, sabbatical, being in a committed relationship, suffering, suffering a, a deep loss. New experiences with some direction to them. Sometimes they are anticipated, they are thought through over time, and sometimes they happen spontaneously.
What our hands are doing. Where our feet are carrying us. What our eyes are focused on. To be awake within ourselves and in our interactions with others. To not fall into or be in default ways of being that set up stumbling blocks for others, and that do not follow Jesus path of love. The path is made by walking.
Walking makes the path. Sometimes it's clear when we're starting a new path. Choosing a new school, a new work position, retirement, sabbatical, being in a committed relationship, suffering, suffering a, a deep loss. New experiences with some direction to them. Sometimes they are anticipated, they are thought through over time, and sometimes they happen spontaneously.
Sep 22, 2024 |
Row Row Row Your Boat
| The Rev. Melanie W. J. Slane
Row Row Row Your Boat
In his arms, he holds an infant, and he says, “Be like
this.”
Innocent, and dependent upon one another, unstained by the world; and open to being formed.
Be like this.
Curious seekers with BIG emotions.
Be creative and adaptable; imitating me. Someone you can trust.
Welcome the vulnerable into your midst, and be like them.
For the leader among you is like the one who serves.
There is a reason why, in the Gospels, Jesus implores his believers, his followers to be like little children.
Born anew to a living hope.
Innocent, and dependent upon one another, unstained by the world; and open to being formed.
Be like this.
Curious seekers with BIG emotions.
Be creative and adaptable; imitating me. Someone you can trust.
Welcome the vulnerable into your midst, and be like them.
For the leader among you is like the one who serves.
There is a reason why, in the Gospels, Jesus implores his believers, his followers to be like little children.
Born anew to a living hope.
Sep 15, 2024 |
Following Jesus on My Terms
| The Rev. Philip DeVaul
Following Jesus on My Terms
Jesus says, follow me, but be prepared to be transformed.
Talk about me, but if you're going to open your mouth and talk about exclusion,
if you're going to cancel people, if you're going to kick them out of your
life, out of this place, if you're going to deny your responsibility for the
people around you, don't speak in Jesus name.
If you're going to work in this world, To create a space that's good for you at the expense of others don't speak in Jesus name If you are going to stand up in this world and do work that is about your betterment and the betterment of a few other people around you that look sound and seem like you, please for the love of God don't speak in Jesus name.
But when you get up in this world and you work for justice and peace in a way that humanizes and acknowledges the beauty of every single person. Whether you say the name of Jesus or not, you are speaking with the authority of the God who made you. When you dedicate your life to the care and concern of others and make sacrificial love your story, whether you say it's in Jesus name or not, it is Jesus who speaks within you.
If you're going to work in this world, To create a space that's good for you at the expense of others don't speak in Jesus name If you are going to stand up in this world and do work that is about your betterment and the betterment of a few other people around you that look sound and seem like you, please for the love of God don't speak in Jesus name.
But when you get up in this world and you work for justice and peace in a way that humanizes and acknowledges the beauty of every single person. Whether you say the name of Jesus or not, you are speaking with the authority of the God who made you. When you dedicate your life to the care and concern of others and make sacrificial love your story, whether you say it's in Jesus name or not, it is Jesus who speaks within you.
Sep 14, 2024 |
Backtalk
| The Rev. Dr. Herschel Wade
Backtalk
Are you beset with gloom?
Gloomy because someone like me refuses to accept your dehumanizing
dream, crushing his nose for an answer?
Oh well, still I rise. Maya audacious,
defiant backtalk is a sassy refusal to accept the life restricting consequences
of the denials, discrimination, and oppression by a dominant center and
patriarchal system.
Today we hear of a similar sassy refusal to accept a denial of life in our Gospel reading. Here too, we hear backtalk to someone in a position of power, supernatural power, that is, whose denial of life and wholeness is also one of discrimination and exclusivity. The episode is tense, upsetting and complicated.
I cannot speak for you, but such is certainly true for myself and in fact, the same appears to be true for the author of the Gospel of Mark who locates a tired and possibly quite aggravated Jesus in the region of Thyre, a Gentile dominated territory. It is hard to imagine Jesus being at ease. He is alone, attempting to go unnoticed in a house in a region in which there is some history of animosity between the Jews and the Gentiles.
Today we hear of a similar sassy refusal to accept a denial of life in our Gospel reading. Here too, we hear backtalk to someone in a position of power, supernatural power, that is, whose denial of life and wholeness is also one of discrimination and exclusivity. The episode is tense, upsetting and complicated.
I cannot speak for you, but such is certainly true for myself and in fact, the same appears to be true for the author of the Gospel of Mark who locates a tired and possibly quite aggravated Jesus in the region of Thyre, a Gentile dominated territory. It is hard to imagine Jesus being at ease. He is alone, attempting to go unnoticed in a house in a region in which there is some history of animosity between the Jews and the Gentiles.
Sep 04, 2024 |
The Hate We Carry
| The Rev. Philip DeVaul
The Hate We Carry
I need to say this, by the way, in this conversation, if
I don't say this, I will be very remiss.
Anger and hatred are not the same thing.
And many of you were raised, especially women, were raised to believe
that anger was bad and you should not have it or keep it to yourself. We were taught that you
shouldn't be angry about anything.
And you might be worried that what I'm saying right now is that you should never be angry because that's bad friends. Anger is not inherently bad. In fact, anger is a very natural part of our lives. Anger is a base emotion that we all must have sometimes. In fact , there is a problem if you see injustice, hatred, violence, murder, oppression, cruelty, and hatred, and anger does not arise in you.
We're supposed to feel angry in the face of that which is deeply wrong. I'm not saying don't be angry, but as the epistle writer James says, your anger is not the thing that makes God righteous. We do not want to allow our anger to become self-righteous.
And you might be worried that what I'm saying right now is that you should never be angry because that's bad friends. Anger is not inherently bad. In fact, anger is a very natural part of our lives. Anger is a base emotion that we all must have sometimes. In fact , there is a problem if you see injustice, hatred, violence, murder, oppression, cruelty, and hatred, and anger does not arise in you.
We're supposed to feel angry in the face of that which is deeply wrong. I'm not saying don't be angry, but as the epistle writer James says, your anger is not the thing that makes God righteous. We do not want to allow our anger to become self-righteous.
Aug 26, 2024 |
Living Transformed
| Guest Speaker
Living Transformed
We pray that God will take ordinary things. Things like bread and wine and water and oil and use those ordinary elements to convey God's extraordinary grace and love. It matters. It matters that we recognize these gifts from God and it matters too that we acknowledge the reality of evil. I don't envision a return to three years preparation for baptism, or it's once a year occasion, or even necessarily that whole facing west and facing east business that our forebears practiced. But I do give thanks for the fact that we hold those ancient promises That we reaffirm those renunciations and those affirmations every time we renew the promises of our baptism
The Apostle Paul probably wrote the letter to the church at Ephesus, which has been the focus of your preaching series over these last weeks, while he was in prison in Rome after his third missionary journey. Paul would have visited that region three times over the course of his ministry. First, just for a few months to establish the church, establishing also leaders in that place who would continue the ministry that he had begun. And later in his second voyage, for three years, he stayed with the Ephesians. And finally, he went back as part of his last journey to Jerusalem. Over that time, Paul saw the church grow into a body of multiple cultures.
In his letter, Paul teaches that through Christ all creation has been reconciled to God. In doing that, God has reconciled all of us to each other, and so because we are reconciled to God, because we're reconciled to one another, God calls us to live differently.
To live as a people who have been transformed.
The Apostle Paul probably wrote the letter to the church at Ephesus, which has been the focus of your preaching series over these last weeks, while he was in prison in Rome after his third missionary journey. Paul would have visited that region three times over the course of his ministry. First, just for a few months to establish the church, establishing also leaders in that place who would continue the ministry that he had begun. And later in his second voyage, for three years, he stayed with the Ephesians. And finally, he went back as part of his last journey to Jerusalem. Over that time, Paul saw the church grow into a body of multiple cultures.
In his letter, Paul teaches that through Christ all creation has been reconciled to God. In doing that, God has reconciled all of us to each other, and so because we are reconciled to God, because we're reconciled to one another, God calls us to live differently.
To live as a people who have been transformed.
Aug 19, 2024 |
Be Careful
| The Rev. Melanie W. J. Slane
Be Careful
For me, the third grade was probably one of the best times of my life. I could pick out my own Umbro shorts, scrunchie my own ponytail, And ride my bike freely around the neighborhood from sun up to dinner time, getting into some good and maybe not-so-good trouble with the other kids who lived nearby.
I learned to cook, spent unnumbered hours creating trampoline routines, and made prank phone calls to my friends from school. Is your refrigerator running? Better go and catch it.
I vividly remember a Saturday morning in July of 1994, climbing the gutter at the elementary school down the street and slipping in through an unlocked window, and scaling down the bleachers into the gymnasium. So that we could swing on the big rope in the open gym. Being eight was great. Life was good, not a care in the world.
Nostalgia set in earlier this summer when I realized with sentimental longing and wistful affection that the mothering of my own eight-year-old children has been marred by the same two words that begin our reading from Ephesians today; be careful.
Aug 12, 2024 |
Nothing to Prove
| The Rev. Philip DeVaul
Nothing to Prove
And then what happened is as many of you know, I had a sort
of a conversion experience when I was 20 and I realized, oh gosh,
dang, I do believe in God. This is real that I believe in God. And in fact, I
think I'm Christian. I do believe in Jesus. And from the moment that that
happened, I felt this sort of need to prove some things.
From the moment that I was called back into my faith, I felt the need to prove myself. In my case, I didn't feel the need to prove to other Christians that I was Christian. In my case, I needed, I felt the need to prove to my friends and those who knew me for the last few years that just because I was Christian didn't mean I was all of a sudden going to become a jerk. It was really important to me.
I wanted people to know that even though I believed in this Jesus guy and I was in on this, I was very concerned and wanted to prove to my friends that this wouldn't change the way that I loved them and hopefully it wouldn't change the way that they loved me.
From the moment that I was called back into my faith, I felt the need to prove myself. In my case, I didn't feel the need to prove to other Christians that I was Christian. In my case, I needed, I felt the need to prove to my friends and those who knew me for the last few years that just because I was Christian didn't mean I was all of a sudden going to become a jerk. It was really important to me.
I wanted people to know that even though I believed in this Jesus guy and I was in on this, I was very concerned and wanted to prove to my friends that this wouldn't change the way that I loved them and hopefully it wouldn't change the way that they loved me.
Aug 06, 2024 |
Unity
| The Rev. Dr. Herschel Wade
Unity
This certainly is not unity. Is unity a difficult ask for today? Today America has become more divided than ever. For many, unity is viewed as a threat to peace. to one's personhood or individual identity altogether. Unity requires someone must win and someone must lose. Unity means a loss of freedom.
Unity means a loss of merit or a loss of dignity. Unity also means a loss of stability, a loss of security, and a loss of safety. Today, to some, unity is indeed frightening. Unity And yes, unity is indeed frightening because unity requires vulnerability. Unity often takes its victims to unchartered and unknown territories.
Unity might lead to becoming friends or falling in love with someone you never dreamed possible. Unity might lead to agreeing with or even having compassion for another person that they have been conditioned to hate. Unity might lead to someone challenging their own worldviews, then to confusion, and then maybe some resolve.
I've never heard or read anywhere that unity is easy.
Unity means a loss of merit or a loss of dignity. Unity also means a loss of stability, a loss of security, and a loss of safety. Today, to some, unity is indeed frightening. Unity And yes, unity is indeed frightening because unity requires vulnerability. Unity often takes its victims to unchartered and unknown territories.
Unity might lead to becoming friends or falling in love with someone you never dreamed possible. Unity might lead to agreeing with or even having compassion for another person that they have been conditioned to hate. Unity might lead to someone challenging their own worldviews, then to confusion, and then maybe some resolve.
I've never heard or read anywhere that unity is easy.
Jul 29, 2024 |
End of August
| The Rev. Joanna Leiserson
End of August
Now that this is my last Sunday with you, it’s time for me to tell you my real name, because in so many ways, our name defines us, roots us in this world, gives us our identity. My real name isn’t the name that my parents put on my birth certificate and that I was called at my baptism. It’s the name my grandmother gave me when I was born. My father’s mother, Ah Yun, was the name-giver for the Chin family.
An ancient Chinese saying goes, “The family is essential under Heaven.” The family is the foundation, the center of Chinese culture, with the male child responsible for continuing the family lineage and, importantly, passing on the family name. So girls are traditionally not valued.
But the birth of the first child, male or female, is always an occasion for celebration and joy. So when my parents’ first child was born, a girl, Ah Yun named her Mei Li, meaning “Beautiful Daughter.” Girls are often named lovely names like that—Coral Flower, Beautiful Girl, Lustrous Pearl, and so on. I think it makes the girl more appealing when the time for marriage comes along.
Jul 24, 2024 |
Carriers of Love
| The Rev. Joyce Keeshin
Carriers of Love
We live in a time when the proclaiming of Christ's word may
sometimes be used to divide us, not unite us.
To judge us, separate us from one another. The distortion of Christ's message of love
may be used to sound exclusive instead of the inclusive example Jesus actually
taught and lived. Sometimes it feels
heartbreaking that truth and faith and love can become so distorted and
weaponized for very human agendas.
In our very human lives, we may witness many divisions from politics to economics, to ecology, to healthcare, to diet, to education, to government, to justice. The list could go on and on. We see these divisions in headlines, in conflicts involving power, violence, manipulation, and distortion. We see these in our communities, in country, and around the world.
And we often experience divisions in close relationships, within families, friendships, with colleagues, neighbors, others in our communities. We can be very clear about our experiences, our judgments, to respond to others. And we respond to others with judgment, accordingly, without effort, to find a place of listening, of reconciliation, of unity.
In our very human lives, we may witness many divisions from politics to economics, to ecology, to healthcare, to diet, to education, to government, to justice. The list could go on and on. We see these divisions in headlines, in conflicts involving power, violence, manipulation, and distortion. We see these in our communities, in country, and around the world.
And we often experience divisions in close relationships, within families, friendships, with colleagues, neighbors, others in our communities. We can be very clear about our experiences, our judgments, to respond to others. And we respond to others with judgment, accordingly, without effort, to find a place of listening, of reconciliation, of unity.
Jul 16, 2024 |
Superlatives
| The Rev. Melanie W. J. Slane
Superlatives
When I was graduating high school, our yearbook staff held an election for hope in the form of our senior superlatives. You all may remember these from that time in your life. Each day at the lunch period, for a week, students could go to the special table in the lunchroom and cast their vote for their peers, that they felt were well deserving of a title that would mark the reality of the present, but also to help propel that person forward into the world with a community affirmed identity.
There was most likely to succeed. Life of the party, most kind, class clown, best smile, and most likely to run for president.
We waited with anticipation for the votes to be counted, the answers would be printed in our senior yearbook, enshrined for all to see, a symbol of our hope for what was to come. I remember huddling in the hallway with my friends as I ran my finger down the list, reading at a rapid pace. There was my name, Melanie Jonakopoulos: biggest tree hugger.
Jul 08, 2024 |
In Weakness, God is There
| Tym House
In Weakness, God is There
I do believe Paul's point is easily made at the end of our
reading. And that is that God's power is
made stronger in our human weakness.
Therefore, boasting and weakness allows for Christ's power and grace to be made more evident. Or, in our English translation of this, it's perfected. But why? Why is the divine's power perfected in weakness? Maybe because when human weakness is exposed, we get to see our gracious and compassionate God do things our humanity cannot do well on its own.
Maybe because in weakness, one must rely on something else beyond themselves to overcome. Maybe because in weakness, God likes to use those spaces to do things that exceed our expectations. Or maybe because in our boasting about our strength, we lose sight for our need of God and we think we can do things on our own.
Therefore, boasting and weakness allows for Christ's power and grace to be made more evident. Or, in our English translation of this, it's perfected. But why? Why is the divine's power perfected in weakness? Maybe because when human weakness is exposed, we get to see our gracious and compassionate God do things our humanity cannot do well on its own.
Maybe because in weakness, one must rely on something else beyond themselves to overcome. Maybe because in weakness, God likes to use those spaces to do things that exceed our expectations. Or maybe because in our boasting about our strength, we lose sight for our need of God and we think we can do things on our own.
Jun 10, 2024 |
Are We There Yet?
| The Rev. Joanna Leiserson
Are We There Yet?
I think we are all familiar with “Are we there yet?” In fact, I can’t help thinking that the question, so familiar to family travelers, is an inborn genetic trait that is triggered one hour after the car leaves the driveway. Sometimes children even make a repetitive chant out of it, thus increasing its output a hundredfold before the parents put a stop to the noise. When I was young, my mom and dad piled me and my brother and sister into the car, and we headed out on our first trip to Disneyland in Anaheim, 400 miles from home, or eighty hundred miles if you’re a kid.
After about 20 minutes traveling and every five minutes thereafter, we children asked the question that seems to be imbedded in all children’s DNA, to be turned on when they go on trips: Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Finally, my father said, “When you see Sleeping Beauty Castle, you’ll know.” Finally, it happened. An eternal seven hours later, Sleeping Beauty Castle loomed up next to the freeway, and we knew. There was the Magic Kingdom. The final destination on our journey isn’t the Magic Kingdom; it’s the heavenly Kingdom of God. And our landing spot isn’t Sleeping Beauty Castle. Instead, our new home will be what Paul calls “God’s building” and what Jesus calls “my Father’s house” with many rooms, where Jesus promised there is a place prepared for each of us.
May 29, 2024 |
The Apostles Love Song
| The Rev. Joanna Leiserson
The Apostles Love Song
I don’t remember when I started seeing the oval decals on cars that say just 26.2, but for a long time, it puzzled me. I assumed it referred to a Bible verse, so I looked up all the “26.2’s” in the Bible to see what message was being proclaimed. There was Exodus: “The length of each curtain shall be 28 cubits, and the width of each curtain 4 cubits; all the curtains shall be of the same size.” 1 Chronicles: “Meshelemiah had sons: Zechariah the firstborn, Jediael the second, Zebadiah the third, Jathniel the fourth…” And then I came to the one I thought was the right one, from Proverbs 26:2: “Like a sparrow in its flitting, like a swallow in its flying, an undeserved curse goes nowhere.” On the back of your car, that’s the message for the guy who swears at you when you cut in front of him in traffic. I finally found out that it’s the number of miles in a marathon and that the sticker is bragging rights you earn when you’ve run a marathon.
But don’t blame me for thinking 26.2 is a Bible verse. I was raised with the number 3:16—John 3:16, that is, which I had to memorize at the church I attended in my youth, along with the books of the Bible and the 23rd Psalm
May 20, 2024 |
On The Fringes
| The Rev. Melanie W. J. Slane
On The Fringes
Are we, perhaps, a little bit afraid of Pentecost? And what the spirit? A couple of weeks ago,
our neighbors invited us to attend worship with them at their church. Word of
deliverance. I'd been there a couple of
times before, but this was my first outing there with my children. The band was poppin, the speakers were
blaring. The choir was on fire. Little
Arlo instinctively covered his ears when entering the space.
It was loud. Seriously, three organs, I'm not sure, could hit this decibel. We swayed our hips and waved our hands in the air, and we sang as the soloist led us in a gospel tune called You Are Worthy. When the preacher got up to preach, he both sang and spoke rhythmically from one to the other, like it was just the most natural thing he had ever done.
I looked over at my boys to gauge their reception of a preaching style quite different from my own. This man was incredibly passionate. And just watching him made me wish I were a bolder preacher. And then, he started speaking in tongues. I looked at my children, wondering how they might react. Now, because of my work in the interfaith community here in Cincinnati, my kids have been to synagogues and mosques and Buddhist temples and Sikh Gurdwaras, but never before have they heard someone speak in tongues.
I bent down to Arlo and whispered, Are you okay? Yeah, he replied nonchalantly. I don't know why, but then I asked, Do you understand what he's saying? Yep! He affirmed with great clarity, not a hint of hesitation in his voice. Something I myself could not understand seemed so natural to this little child.
It was loud. Seriously, three organs, I'm not sure, could hit this decibel. We swayed our hips and waved our hands in the air, and we sang as the soloist led us in a gospel tune called You Are Worthy. When the preacher got up to preach, he both sang and spoke rhythmically from one to the other, like it was just the most natural thing he had ever done.
I looked over at my boys to gauge their reception of a preaching style quite different from my own. This man was incredibly passionate. And just watching him made me wish I were a bolder preacher. And then, he started speaking in tongues. I looked at my children, wondering how they might react. Now, because of my work in the interfaith community here in Cincinnati, my kids have been to synagogues and mosques and Buddhist temples and Sikh Gurdwaras, but never before have they heard someone speak in tongues.
I bent down to Arlo and whispered, Are you okay? Yeah, he replied nonchalantly. I don't know why, but then I asked, Do you understand what he's saying? Yep! He affirmed with great clarity, not a hint of hesitation in his voice. Something I myself could not understand seemed so natural to this little child.
May 13, 2024 |
Sent Unto the World
| The Rev. Dr. Herschel Wade
Sent Unto the World
Think of someone who is suffering from addiction, from depression, from loneliness, self-rejection, rejection by the world. Distress due to finances. Meaningless of life. Think of them as being tossed into the ocean. Do we not hold on to Jesus, believe in our God and Christ so that we can be a lifeboat to others.
By us sitting here, standing here, and being here, a community that believes in the power and love of God and Christ, I believe we're in a position to help others and be helped by others even those struggling in the ocean trying to stay afloat. Because let's face it, there are times when we fall out of the lifeboat and need help getting back in.
Amen? Being a set, being set apart from this world does not mean that we are better than anyone else. But what it means to me is that we have been given a gift to receive and live by and give that gift to someone else in need. So, as Jesus says, as you sent me into the world, so I send them into the world.
