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Sermons & Writings |
Loree Penner
Saint James, Monkton
July 16, 2006
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"Preach the gospel at all times. If necessary, use words." So said St. Francis. And so St. Francis lived, preaching the gospel through his action, taking this very scripture from the gospel of Mark as his call to Poverty: take nothing for your journey except a staff; no bread, no bag, no money in your belt…and go. And St. Francis and his followers went forth in poverty preaching the gospel, yes with words, but mostly with deeds, with lifestyle choices, with action. I want to tell you the way the gospel has been preached here this week. Most of the time, this preaching of the gospel has not required words. The gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ, was preached to 41 children who came to a camp here last week. The camp was sponsored by Paul’s place. The gospel was preached to the children by the attention and love they received from the volunteers, both youth and adults. They were fed nutritious lunches daily – something they probably do not get on a regular basis. They were shown the beauty of God’s creation which was just as foreign to them as good food. They were loved, they were cared for. They were shepherded. The gospel was preached by those who organized the camp, bringing youth in to work as counselors. These adults showed by their commitment to charity and good works the love of Christ, and how to go about sharing it with others. They are raising up youth to follow in their own footsteps, showing them what it means to be a Christian by their example. The gospel was preached when a group of women who had a desire to give of their time and ability came together to create hand-knit shawls for those who need to be wrapped in warmth and prayer. The gospel was preached a week ago at Johns Hopkins Hospital when a group of young people surrounded Andrew Curley’s bed, and prayed over him with Father Joe from Loyola. It was preached two days before when several of us came together and anointed Andrew with oil. The gospel was preached by a group of youth and adults that traveled to Honduras, there to show Christ’s love to a band of orphan boys, and to labor to help the building of new facilities. The gospel was preached in two Compline services this week – through the prayers and participation of over 60 people. It was preached in the healing service on Wednesday morning. It was preached again when our Pastoral Care committee and many others took food to the Curley’s house, and took the sacrament to those unable to come to church. That gospel is the same word that has been preached since the beginning of time. It is the good news that God desires relationship with his people, and asks from them two things: love God with all one’s heart, mind and strength, and love one’s neighbor. God had been trying to get that message across to the people of Israel for a long time. In the Old Testament passage today, we catch up with Amos, a farmer-turned prophet who, like many prophets, was given a message that didn’t go down well. God told Israel through Amos that he was setting a plumb line in the midst of Israel, and it was time they measured up. It was a no-nonsense, quit-messing-around message. God was fed up, and it was time for some Tough Love. I learned about plumb lines when I decided to wallpaper my entire house, many years ago. It didn’t take long to discover what happened if you tried to hang paper without a plumbline, particularly if the paper had a stripe in it. If you started from the corner and just kept on going, you would discover that the walls and ceiling weren’t square after all, and by the end of the wall, the stripes were slightly diagonal instead of vertical. But if you began in the middle of the wall, marking the wall first with a plumbline, the wallpaper would hang straight. Straighten up! Repent! Get your life in order! Said God to Israel. Because the days are coming when you will wish you had. Amos paid the price for his words – his message wasn’t popular. He had nothing cheerful to say to Israel, who had begun to put material possessions and other gods in front of their one True God. Amos angered those that wielded power, And they quickly banished the Prophet from the kingdom. Jesus’ words to his disciples echo this truth that the message isn’t always welcome. Jesus told his disciples to go, preach repentance, heal the sick, cast out demons. Show the world that God has come in the flesh, in the person of Jesus Christ, and desires to dwell with humanity. Jesus knew it wouldn’t always be a welcome message. And so the disciples went. And continued to go, and after Jesus’ death and resurrection, they went all the more, and many died preaching the good news of Christ. And we continue today – through our many activities, our Bible studies, our Social ministries, and all the other opportunities at St. James. We’ve accomplished good work. And now I say, don’t stop. Don’t Stop. It’s time to up the ante. Don’t stop preaching the gospel. We’ve done well with action. But if necessary, use words. Preach the gospel wherever and whenever you can. Preach it at work. sharing the love of Christ with those you come in contact with. Preach the gospel at home. Tell your kids what it means to be a Christian. If you’re not sure you know, then come and talk to us, and we’ll help you. If you’re sure you know, then teach someone else. Preach the gospel in your actions. Take your kids to church. Don’t let the great post-confirmation exodus happen in your family. Preach to your parents, to your neighbors, to your workers. For that is what we are called to do. All of us. At all times. Our actions are watched closely by those who know us. Make those actions count. Your words may not be welcome. Perhaps even your loving actions will not be accepted. That’s the tough part of love. Do it anyway. For each time you do something in the name of Christ, a seed of the kingdom is planted. You may not see it grow, but I assure you, God will continue the work you began. And your love for Christ will bear fruit. |
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