St. Matthew's Sermon feed

Closing Doors and Carrying Crosses

Rob Merola — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 04:00:00 GMT

Closing Doors and Carrying Crosses

Lessons Appointed for Use on Proper 19, Year B, BCP

Psalm 19 or Psalm 116:1-8

Proverbs 1:20-33 or Isaiah 50:4-9a

James 3:1-12

Mark 8:27-38

The Rev. Rob Merola

Men at forty
Learn to close softly
The doors to rooms they will not be
Coming back to.

So begins a poem by Donald Justice, entitled appropriately enough, Men at Forty. This morning, I want to suggest the metaphor of "closing doors" might carry much the same meaning as "taking up our cross." Both speak of endings. And in so far that, however gently we do it, we are still the ones who shut the door even as we are the one who must take up our cross, these endings are our choice.

What doors might a 40 year old man choose to shut? Since that was a long time ago for me, so how about if we think about what doors a 50 year old man might choose to shut instead?

Well, after years of lovingly looking after his baby daughter, he might decide it's time to let old patterns of behavior go, patterns that might have worked very well earlier in his daughter's life but which are not so helpful as she becomes an adult.

Last week our younger daughter called us from college. "Dad," she said, "Everyone's going home this weekend. There's nothing to do up here and I don't want to be alone. Can I come home too?"

We talked a bit, and decided that coming home might not be the best thing. But I still had this strong urge to do what I could to "rescue" her, to make her problem of being homesick my problem and therefore solve it for her. So we told her we'd come visit her that Saturday.

Well, we got there at about 10:15. The first thing Mary informed us was the one of the clubs she joined, EarthKeepers, had a turtle hike at 10:30 that morning. So off she went.

She got back some time after noon, and we did go have lunch and buy some art supplies. But then there was another campus event that afternoon, and in the evening Star Trek was showing. We thought she was going to see it Friday night, but she had found other stuff to do and was too busy to see it then. And this is the weekend there was--nothing to do, right?!

It made me realize in a very poignant way that my baby is indeed becoming an adult, and she doesn't need me to rescue her. She can take care of herself and actually does a good job of it. She is more capable than I often give her credit for.

In my darker moments, she is more capable than I want her to be. There are few things in life that give me more joy than when I can "fix" her problems for her. But what brings her joy, of course, as well as confidence and self esteem and hope for the future, is when she learns to fix her problems herself.

So there is this door to a room, a well loved room in which I have enjoyed every moment, but the time has come for me to close that door, ever so softly, ever so gently, knowing that this is a room to which I will not be returning if I am to allow my daughter to grow up.

I think that when Jesus asks us to take up our cross, He is calling us to make a similar sort of choice. A person who went to the cross knew that they were going to die. Their life was going to end, and they would not be coming back. The road that led them to the cross would never be traveled again.

Of course, it is the nature of life that rooms and roads close to us. To choose to go one way is to choose NOT to go a hundred other ways. And as life goes on and is shaped by those decisions, certain choices will no longer be open to us. It may not be possible, for instance, for a man to gain the whole world and save his soul. To choose the one is to rule out the other, for each heads in a very different direction and the distance between the two only grows farther and farther apart.

That means we need to choose wisely. And that is why we who are Christians follow Jesus. We look to the example of His life, the wisdom of His teachings, and the power of His Holy Spirit, to help us choose well. As those who are willing to shut the door on such things as hatefulness, small-heartedness, selfishness, greed, anger, and so on, there are rooms to which we will not be returning. There are roads we will no longer choose to walk.

That is what it means to take up our cross, deny our self, and follow Jesus.

Last Updated on 9/15/2009 8:52:18 PM

What God Wants

Rob Merola — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 04:00:00 GMT

What God Wants

Lessons Appointed for Use on Proper 17, Year B, BCP

Psalm 45:1-2, 7-10 or Psalm 15:

Song of Solomon 2:8-13 or Deuteronomy 4:1-2, 6-9

James 1:17-27

Mark 7:1-8,14-15,21-23

The Rev. Rob Merola

In today's Gospel reading, we meet some good religious people who were confident they were doing what God wanted them to do. They were washing their hands.

Jesus, however, confronts them on this, saying they are not doing what God wants them to do at all.

That may seem a bit strange to us, because we understand the value of washing our hands. It's an essential practice in terms of good personal hygiene and the prevention of disease.

But for the people of Jesus' day, this was not primarily a matter of promoting good health. For them, it was a religious matter. It was part of something called the "Purity Laws" or "Holiness Code". It defined what it meant for them to be clean before God.

Jesus has two problems with this. First, he indicates there is something more important to God than the external state of our body. And that, of course, is the state of our heart. What is going on in here (our hearts) is far more important to God than what is going on out here (with our bodies).

And that brings us to the second problem Jesus had with this practice. As good and wise as the practice of hand washing is-and I believe the reason it made it into the holiness codes was because of God's concern for the health of his people-it was being used in a way that ran counter to what matters most to God. It was being used as a way to look down on people, to see them as wicked, to see them as undeserving of God's love and therefore undeserving of their love as well.

Jesus point in all of this is one we've heard before; that more important than any human code or tradition or law or cherished belief is that we love God with all our heart, mind and soul, and that we love our neighbor as our self.

That seems pretty straight forward, doesn't it? That's what we want, isn't it-to love God and each other?

But here's the thing. I doubt that we who are good religious people today are really any better or any different than the good religious people of Jesus' day. I've got to believe that what they also really wanted in their heart of hearts was also to love God and their neighbor-to use their precious personal energy to do what really matters, the right thing, the thing God really wants so they could stand clean before him.

So here's the question: How did they confuse human tradition for God's desire? I think it is pretty easy, actually.

Tradition, for instance, brings certainty. If God's command is simply to wash my hands, I know when I've done that. I can rest easy.

But if the command is to love one another, it's a lot harder to know exactly what that looks like. And if we're not always sure what that looks like, it's hard to be sure we've really done it. Uncertainty and guilt easily slip in. Because we don't really know if we've genuinely done the loving thing, we can feel like we are failures at being good Christians, good spouses, good parents, good friends,

What, for instance, does it mean to love as a parent? What does it really mean to love a child? What does that require of us? Sometimes, maybe most the time even, the answer is clear. But other times it's not.

Should we, for instance, be less involved or more involved with our child?

Over parenting is not about loving our kids. It's about devoting our most precious personal resource, our energy, to our own needs, our issues, our own agenda. It's about us, not them.

And under parenting is not about our kids. It's about devoting our most precious personal resource, our energy, to our own needs, our issues, our own agenda. It's about us, not them. But how do we know the difference? How do we strike the balance?

If it's a simple rule, "always talk to your kid" or "always give them space", well, we know if we are or are not doing that. But if sometimes it's one and sometimes the other and sometime maybe even a mixture of both, how do we know what to do?

And the simple truth is, sometimes we don't. And because we don't, even the best parents among us will have occasions and opportunities to feel like failures. We'll be plagued by guilt and doubt.

But maybe.just maybe, that is a good thing. Maybe that's what really keeps us involved. It's not a matter of doing some simple behavior or practice or principle and then, having discharged our duty, being done with parenting or loving our child. Parenting requires attention and focus and carefully thinking and deep prayer and continual learning. It requires us to pay attention.

I think maybe knowing what we should do-love our kids-without quite knowing how to do that, without quite being able to reduce it to a simple, easy formula-may actually keep us doing what we should do. That may actually be what it means to love them in an imperfect world that does not grant us surety about much of anything.

Maybe it's the same thing with God. Maybe Christianity was never meant to be diluted down to three easy steps or a seven point plan or the clear perspective of a traditionalist or a revisionist. Maybe sometimes, at least, it is really hard to know exactly what God wants, and maybe that is exactly the point.

Maybe that ambiguity, that lack of clarity, is meant to keep us deeply involved with our Lord, ever seeking him, ever pursuing his will, ever devoted to discerning-and doing!-- his ways. Maybe it's meant to keep us from becoming self righteous and smug because we feel like we've got this Christian thing down pat. Maybe it's meant to keep us from ever feeling like we've arrived, and so to keep us learning, growing, and seeking God.

Perhaps one more reason people prefer human tradition to God's law is, quite frankly, tradition is easier. Washing our hands is pretty easy. I can do that.

But loving my neighbor as myself. not so much. Especially because so many peopleare not so lovable when it comes right down to it.

There are people who are beautiful, funny, outgoing, charismatic. It's easy to be around them, to befriend them, to care about them. It's easy to invest ourselves in them, because we get a lot of return on that investment. They make us feel good.

But there are so many other people, people all around us, who are not particularly attractive, seem sadly lacking in a sense of humor, are shy and inwardly focused, or are prickly or angry or ungrateful. Often, the reality is there doesn't seem to be any good reason to make the effort to love them. We smile at them and they don't smile back. We try and talk to them and we get the feeling they'd really rather be somewhere else. We do something nice, and there is no indication that they even notice let alone are particularly grateful.

There are also lots and lots of people, people all around us, who struggle with mental illness in one form or another. Take depression, for instance-a very, very common struggle for so many. Depression makes it hard for a person to reach out to others. In fact, they tend to push others away. Not able to find joy themselves, they "bring us down" too, functioning socially a lot like a wet blanket. If one were to have a relationship with them, it would take a lot of work-work that would most often go unappreciated or even rejected.

And, of course, there are whole groups of people who, because they are different than us, are difficult to love. Maybe it's literally a matter of not being able to understand them-their language, culture, or religion. Though we wouldn't consciously admit it, maybe unconsciously we know they are beneath us in status and to be seen with them would embarrass us. Maybe they aren't in our income class and because they lack the privileges we do they simply can't do all the things we'd like to do; they hold us back.

Maybe it's a political or theological difference. Maybe they are too liberal or too conservative. The ongoing church splits show the inability of people on both sides to love those who are different than themselves.

Whatever the case may be, the world is filled with people who, for one reason or another, are not easy to love. They are present in our workplaces, schools, and neighborhoods. They are present in our church and in our family.

A simple tradition-like going to church for an hour on Sunday, well, that's easy. I can do that. But to love someone who is unlovable.maybe not.

So the big question is, "What would Jesus say to us?" Would he say to us, just like he said to good religious people in the past, "These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me"? That we also "abandon the commandment of God and hold to human tradition"?

Or, asked more practically, will notice those around us who go unnoticed? Will we befriend those who are lonely? We will love those are not easy to love? Will we take the time and make the effort, even if it means getting nothing out of it?

Nothing, that is, but the knowledge that we have done the right thing, what God wants of us, and stand clean before him.

Amen.

Last Updated on 8/30/2009 9:56:20 PM

Holy Communion

Rob Merola — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 04:00:00 GMT

Holy Communion

Lessons Appointed for Use on Proper 16, Year B, BCP

Psalm 84 or Psalm 34:15-22

1 Kings 8:(1, 6, 10-11) 22-30, 41-43
or Joshua 24:1-2a,14-18

Ephesians 6:10-20

John 6:56-69

The Rev. Anne MacNabb

Martin Luther King, Jr begins his autobiography by saying.."Of course I was religious. I grew up in the church. My father is a preacher, my grandfather was a preacher, my great-grandfather was a preacher, my only brother is a preacher, my daddy's brother is a preacher. So I didn't have much choice."[1]

Many of us can identify with Dr. King's sentiment. A lot of us were raised in the church - not necessarily the Episcopal church, but in some denomination. For a lot of us, being people of faith is just who we are and we've always been. Most of us didn't have one of those Ah-ha moments when all of the sudden our life is changed by some experience of God and thus we are converted. For a lot of us, we were raised with faith - we've always known God in our lives we've always been church going people . At some point a lot of us starting asking questions, like Why does God do things like that? Where is God? But the bottom line is being Christian is a part of who we are much like being left handed or right handed. When things get tough in life we have learned to rely on God, because that's what we've always done. When we read something in the Bible that we don't necessarily like or doesn't feel good to us we just say well, we might not understand it, but that's just the way God is.

Today's gospel reading is one of those readings. It is a graphic depiction of Jesus' Eucharistic teachings. "whoever eats me will live because of me." That's difficult to hear and even more difficult to digest. Even the disciples didn't like it. We are told that "Because of this many of his disciples turned back and no longer went about with him." Let's take a moment and note that John says those who left were disciples - not just people showed up for an afternoon of teaching. they were people who had faith and were followers, but when they heard this cannibalism talk, they rejected Jesus and his teaching. Then Jesus turns to the 12 and asks if any of them want to leave with the others. They respond as if they'd been following Jesus their whole lives and their faith in Him had become a part of who they are and they say "Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and know that you are the Holy One of God."

So how do we reconcile a teaching like this. one that really is offensive and alludes to cannibalism? How is it that we understand the Eucharist and reconcile Jesus' teachings about it - even ones like this? Well Christians throughout the centuries have dealt with it in different ways. I thought what we'd do this morning in light of this Gospel reading is to talk about our theology of Communion and what we in the Episcopal church believe about it - while many of us grew up with faith and there are many more who have come to faith recently, we may not really know what the church teaches about this.

First, we must begin by saying that this text is foundational for the Roman Catholic church. What they believe about communion is that when the priest blesses the bread and wine the Holy Spirit comes on that bread and once it is consumed it becomes the actual flesh and actual blood of Jesus. This is a process they call "Transubstantiation." There are stories in Catholic folklore of people putting the wafers from church in their pockets and taking them home and that wafer changing into a bloody, fleshy piece of meat - it no longer being just a wafer. That is why in the catholic church, only catholics can take communion - they are the only ones who believe this so they don't want the sacrament to be tainted by others partaking without proper understanding.

The other end of the spectrum is where most protestant denominations are - Methodists, Baptists, Presbyterians. they believe that Holy Communion is simply a memorial of what Jesus has done for us - nothing more. They focus on the Last Supper stories in the gospels and the "Do this for the remembrance of me" statements Jesus made. They see it more as Jesus finding a way to be remembered for his saving acts not that Communion has any saving properties in and of itself.

So, what does the Episcopal church believe? You might have heard the joke why did the Episcopal chicken cross the road? He didn't, he only went to the middle. And that's where we are on a lot of issues that divide Roman Catholicism from Protestantism - right in the middle. What we say about Holy Communion is that only a priest can bless the bread and wine and what we do during that prayer is to ask God to send His Holy Spirit upon the bread and wine and change it so it would be for us like the body and blood of Jesus. But the reason we do this is in Remembrance that Christ died for us and saved us. When we ask the Holy Spirit to come upon the gifts we believe that He changes the essence of the bread and wine but they do remain bread and wine. Much like when one puts a horseshoe into the fire until it turns bright read - only then can the blacksmith fit the horseshoe on the horse. It's still a horseshoe, but the properties of it have changes so it is much more pliable and can be worked with. When the Holy spirit changes the bread and wine, we don't say we understand how that happens or even exactly what happens, we only know that it does.

So, when we distribute the bread and wine we always say "The body of Christ, the bread of heaven" We cover both the Roman Catholic view of Communion being the actual body while at the same time saying the bread of heaven - it is a remembering that we are participating in.

One of the reasons I am an Episcopalian is I believe that God created us all with discerning minds and hearts. He wants us to think for ourselves and ask questions - even the tough questions. Our church doesn't dictate to us what we must believe. The same is true for communion - we have this spectrum - from Memorial to Transubstantiation and everywhere in between. You decide for yourself where you are on this continuum. The only requirement is that you believe and you come in faith.

[1] Martin Luther King, Jr. The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr. (New York: Warner Books, 1998), 3.

Last Updated on 8/30/2009 9:55:49 PM

The Power of Touch

Rob Merola — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 04:00:00 GMT

The Power of Touch

Lessons Appointed for Use on Proper 8, Year B, BCP

The Rev. Anne MacNabb

(Play YouTube video of President Obama shaking hands with a crowd at a campaign rally November 3 in Manassas VA.)[1]

Scenes like this one are not unfamiliar. There are people, and some of us may be among them, who seek out the touch of those who are famous, politicians, Rock stars and even the Pope. I find it interesting to watch the very famous make public appearances. Throngs of people gather to catch a glimpse. they press in on each other, arms outstretched just to touch the one they've come to see. One of Bobby Kennedy's aids has said that after public appearances and moving through crowds shaking hands, Bobby would often have to throw away his shirt because the sleeves of the shirt were absolutely shredded and his arms bloodied by having so many people grab at him.

Personally, I can't even imagine this. But it seems that people really are looking for something - some hope, some comfort, something they don't have that they are willing to crawl over others, wait up all night, reach out and grab who they think the source of their hope is just to touch, if only for a split second. And what is gained? Some sense of hope restored or renewed? They offer support and encouragement to these persons while at the same time they are looking for some sort of personal acknowledgement, and handshake, a touch of some kind. Writing a letter or an email would never do. There is something in that power of touch.

The Scientific community has proven that touch does indeed have physical effects. Studies have shown that touch "lowers stress levels, and it can boost the immune system and halt or slow the progress of disease. Touch lowers heart rate and blood pressure. At DePauw University in Indiana, Dr Matthew Hertenstein has discovered that touch communicates emotions. When people were touched by a stranger they could not see, who had been instructed to try to communicate a particular emotion, they were able to tell the emotional state of the other person with great accuracy."[2]

The Touch Research Institute at the University of Miami School of Medicine says it has carried out more than 100 studies into touch and found evidence of significant effects, including faster growth in premature babies, reduced pain, decreased autoimmune disease symptoms, lowered glucose levels in children with diabetes, and improved immune systems in people with cancer.[3]

While positive touch has powerful healing effects, the opposite also seems true. Those who participated in studies and had arguments with loved ones or who were involved in stressful relationships found themselves healing from wounds 60% slower than those whose relationships were in good standing.[4]

In today's gospel lesson, we hear of a woman who has been hemorrhaging for 12 years. She too joins the throngs of people who are following Jesus around. Because of her condition, she has been ostracized from her community and not allowed to be around anyone. Her life is essentially over. So she braves the crowds and moves through them unnoticed. Then she reaches out her arm and can only grab the hem of Jesus' robe. and she's healed - completely restored! Not only does her bleeding stop, but she would be restored to her family and her community - she would once again be able to be apart of society and live!

At the same time the woman's hemorrhaging began, there was another girl born - Jairus' daughter. Jairus' daughter is very ill and he goes out of desperation to Jesus and while Jesus continues to move around, Jairus' must have been panicking over the state of his child. Jesus finally goes with Jairus after it is believed that his daughter had died. But, the fates of these two Israelite women would come together on the same day. The woman healed of her bleeding, and Jairus' daughter raised from the dead and restored to life, through the touch of Jesus on the same day.

The message today is really about the power of touch. Jesus' touch. We are all looking for something. We all need something. It is evidenced by the way so many turn out to see famous people and reach out to grab them, that we are willing to put our own need for personal space aside and out of desperation grab onto those who we think will give us hope, happiness, healing and peace. We are all looking to be touched, reassured, given hope.

The message for us is touch is powerful. And a loving touch is healing and restoring. And, since God Himself is LOVE, His touch in our lives is and always will be the most powerful, most restorative, most healing touch we could ever experience. Jairus and the woman who had been hemorrhaging both had a desperate need. They went and found Jesus in the crowds. They must have had to push through to reach him. The woman risked everything just to get near him just to touch him one time hoping and praying that she would be restored. He was her only hope. Jesus was Jairus' only hope. And when they turned to him they found healing.

We must continue to allow ourselves to be touched by God. To seek his will for our lives, to seek his loving touch, and then and only then will our lives be transformed, restored and even resurrected.

[1] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2z3d_0CBYg

[2]%20http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/how-the-power-of-touch-reduces-pain-and-even-fights-disease-419462.html

[3] Ibid.

[4] Ibid.

Last Updated on 6/30/2009 8:29:12 PM

Together Through Life

Rob Merola — Sun, 03 May 2009 04:00:00 GMT

Together Through Life

Lessons Appointed for Use on 4th Sunday of Easter, Year B, BCP

The Rev. Rob Merola

As many of you know, my younger daughter is graduating from high school this year and moving away from home. In thinking about that, I found myself thinking about the essential life lessons she'll need to know before she moves away. What are the things that, if she doesn't get them right, will make her life harder and more difficult? What are the things that, if she does get them right, will give her a greater chance at joy and happiness?

So, in the next few weeks we'll be looking at 7 fundamental life lessons in a sermon series we're calling "Stay Positive." The lessons are all pretty simple. They come right out of Scripture, and for the most part are common knowledge. But as we'll see, knowing and doing these things is very different.

Now the reason why these lessons are so important is because God designed us in such a way that we would do them. They work because these lessons reflect how God made us. When we don't do what God intended, life is harder, more difficult.

I think about a hammer, for instance. Now if I take this hammer and, being the rebellious sort who likes to do things my own way and ends up learning hard lessons as a result, decide that I don't want to use this side of the hammer, what would happen?

A hammer is clearly designed to be used in a certain way. If I say I don't want to use it that way, but this way, somehow it just doesn't work the same, does it? If I stick at it long enough, I might be able to get it to work, but it will take longer, be very frustrating, and I'm most likely going to hurt myself in the process.

But if I just use the hammer the way it was meant to be used, it's amazing how much better it works, and how much simpler that task at hand is.

That's how it is in life. We were designed a certain way. When we do life the way it was intended to be done, somehow it just works better. And so both for my own daughter and for all of us, we're going to look at these seven key lessons for life so that we can indeed stay positive in a negative world.

And so the point of our sermon this morning is very simple. Life is a series of choices. The quality of those choices will determine the quality of our lives. The way we spend every minute, every hour, every day is, of course, how we will end up spending our lives. Accordingly life is not lost by dying; life is lost minute by minute, day by dragging day, in all the thousand little choices we about what is and is not important.

And the most important choice of all is our choice about God. Do we believe in Him? If you're not sure, we're glad you are here. I can't think of a better place to work out what you believe about God.

Even if we do believe in Him, do we believe God is good? Do we trust Him enough to follow where He leads? The decisions we make in answer to these questions will shape our lives more than any other decisions we might make.

Today is called "Good Shepherd" Sunday because our readings depict Jesus as the Good Shepherd. And if we decide that yes, the Lord will be our Shepherd, then these readings promise that our life will just work better. We'll be far more likely to find joy and happiness.

Those who take the Lord as their Shepherd will be so deeply satisfied that "they will not want." Now clearly this means that our wants will be so changed that our greatest desire is to do God's will. I'm not saying that Christianity is a sure ticket to good looks, good health, and material prosperity. But I am saying that as we trust ourselves to the Good Shepherd's care and leading, He is not stingy or miserly in pouring out His goodness upon us.

Look more closely at Psalm 23. The Good Shepherd doesn't just lead His sheep to any old water but to still water. Moving water is dangerous to sheep; if they get caught in the current, their wool will become waterlogged and they'll drown. He leads them to the best water possible.

He doesn't just lead them to pasture, but to lush green pasture. He doesn't just give a crust of old bread to eat, but He prepares a banquet table. He doesn't just give a sip of water to drink, but drink is provided in such abundance it overflows.

That is the true spirit of Christianity. It not meant to hold us back or drag us down or oppress us, but to help us see and celebrate the goodness of life. And it is not meant to be a negative influence, focused on what is wrong with the world or what we cannot do, but to bring us joy to the full. Joy in the Bible is simply the choice to be positive, no matter what our circumstances are, because we believe God is still at work, and with God anything is possible.

Yes, we sometimes must deny ourselves. But what we are really denying is a false self that has been misshaped and deformed by the corruptions and shortcomings of the world around us. We deny this false self so that our best and truest self might shine forth.

Yes, there are things to which we say no, but that is to draw the kind of boundaries that psychologists recognize today as the very foundation of mental health.

And yes, in this world where greed and selfishness have created haves and have-nots, we are often called to make significant and sometimes painful sacrifices for the sake of others. But what we gain in terms of heart and soul in doing so is worth so much more than anything we lose.

I have certainly found that when I have made Jesus my Shepherd-trusted in His goodness deeply enough to listen to His voice and follow His guidance, my life has been all the better for it. Not easier, necessarily, but better.

That's true of my marriage. Frankly, I don't think Linda and I would be married now if it weren't for Jesus. We came to that point at our marriage that so many of you have come to. It's a very predictable stage in a marriage, that most couples experience somewhere around 7 to 10 years of married life. We started to ask questions like, "Are we really in love? Did I make a mistake in marrying this person? Is this person holding me back or dragging me down?" And there was the very real possibility that we might choose to do something different.

But even when we weren't sure of our love for each other, we continued to trust in God's love for us and His goodness us. We knew His design and intention for us, like the design of a hammer, was for us to stay married and committed to each other. So we did.

And now, some 15 years later, am I ever glad we did. Working through the issues before us only made us stronger, and only served to draw us even closer to each other. Now I cannot imagine life without my wife, and frankly would not want to. I am so glad we chose to trust the Lord as our Shepherd and stay married. Though it wasn't easy, our life is so much better for it.

Or take my vocation. I'm a priest because this is where Jesus has led me as my Shepherd. I love what I do. Oh, I have bad days and dry seasons like everyone else. But for the most part, I consider it a great privilege to do what I do and can hardly even believe I get paid for it!

Contrast that with people who work only to make money or to buy things or who choose a job only to impress somebody else or make someone else happy. Their works tends to be a source of untold sorrow and misery. Each day is a struggle, endured only to get to the evening. Each week is a battle, endured only to get the weekend. People feel like what they do doesn't matter, and that they are therefore insignificant and unnecessary.

My life is so much better because I've followed Jesus as my Shepherd in choosing my vocation. And that can be just as true of you whether you are an engineer, an artist, a scientist, or working in high technology.

Or finally, in trusting Jesus as my Shepherd and following Him, I am being delivered from my own selfishness. Though I am selfish more often than I care to admit, I hate my selfishness. It is the single thing I like least about me, that I most wish to be free of.

And in following Jesus, I am! From Him I learn how to lay down my life for the sake of others, and there is so much joy and satisfaction in this. It's the exact opposite feeling from when I choose to be selfish.

Take going on a mission trip. On my own, I'd never do that. I'd never take the time, make the sacrifice, invest myself in people I don't know and don't care about. But in following Jesus, I know this is precisely what He calls me to do. And the times I have listened have been some of the very best times of my life, the times I've known I was doing exactly what I was created to do. The trips have not always been easy. They've often taken me way out of my comfort zone. But oh, have they been good!

So yes, our lives are determined by the quality of our decisions. How we choose to spend our moments is how we choose to spend our lives. We lose our life not in dying, but in the decisions we make in the minutes of our lives, decisions about what is or isn't important-decisions about whether or not the Lord will be our Shepherd.

Amen.

Last Updated on 5/5/2009 2:23:17 PM

30 Hour Famine

Rob Merola — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 04:00:00 GMT

30 Hour Famine

Lessons Appointed for Use on 3rd Sunday of Easter, Year B, BCP

The Rev. Anne MacNabb

"Have you noticed that many of the post-Easter stories about the resurrected Jesus are centered on meals? The disciples knew the Lord in the breaking of the bread at Emmaus, as we recall in today's collect; and Jesus comes among the disciples and shows his risen humanity by eating a piece of broiled fish in the gospel reading today.

Meals are a very central part of the ministry of Jesus. Some meals get him into trouble, as when he chooses to eat with "sinners" and those outside the faith. Other meals are acts of abundance, as when Jesus feeds the five thousand by taking what is available and blesses, breaks, and distributes it until and all are fed. His last evening of fellowship with his disciples is focused on a meal, during which he institutes the Lord's Supper.

Eating together is a sign of celebration of relationships being lived out. Most congregations like having meals together because they like being with each other, eating good food. So do families.

There are sacred and holy things that underlie the common meal. We know they are signs of Christ's risen presence among us. Jesus' use of the Passover meal to institute the Lord's Supper ties the ritual meal, a meal recalling God's deliverance, with a new relationship with Christ and one another. It becomes the spiritual meal that brings us all to a common table, in right relationship with God and each other. That is why it has become central to our common life as Christians."[i]

Meals are also a sign of Hospitality. When we welcome people into our homes, we always offer them something to drink and something to eat, a slice of cake, some fruit or maybe some cheese and crackers. Offering food and drink are a sign of caring and welcome and showing that we value another person.

Jesus not only did a lot of his ministry in the context of having meals, he also talked about those who didn't have meals to eat - he charged all of his followers to feed those who didn't have food.

" ³¹"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, ..{He} will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. ³⁵For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, ³⁶I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'

³⁷"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? ³⁸When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? ³⁹When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'

⁴⁰"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'

We are called to feed the hungry. Our community here at St. Matthews really understands this passage - we understand that we are called to give and give we do. Just this Easter we collected and gave over 70 "Easter laundry baskets" full of food that we distributed local people who are in need. We fed people at Thanksgiving, dinner they otherwise wouldn't have had, we collect and give to link - that is what this collection is in front of the altar. We understand that hunger is an issue not only in the world, but right here in our local community. But my guess is, there are some among us who have been hesitant to participate. We know that others will take care of it, will one more contribution really make a difference? Does it really require everyone?

The other thing we need to think about is what and how we teach our children about giving to others - about feeding the hungry. We all want our children to grow up to be productive members of society. We want them to get a great education, we want them to be successful in their careers, to find the right mate, to be happy. We focus a lot in the younger years on education - on which schools they go to, which teachers they get, we help with homework. But what about their spiritual formation? What about their education in the church? How much do we want our children to be people of faith? If we want that for our kids, what do we teach them? Do we put them in Sunday school? Do we include them in youth group? What do we teach them about ethics and morality and God at home? Do we teach them anything or do we think that we don't really know enough so other than maybe a prayer over the food at the dinner table, God really isn't a topic of conversation. Do we take them with us when we are buying food to give to Link and explain to them why we are buying it and for whom? Or do we just pick up an extra bag of rice and call the job done?

This weekend, 12 of our teenagers participated in the 30 hour famine. It is a program by World Vision to not only teach our young people about hunger in the world, but also to raise money to feed the hungry. This weekend our teenagers fasted for 30 hours to learn about hunger. Real hunger. They stopped eating after lunch on Friday and broke their fast at the 5pm service with Holy Communion on Saturday and then really had breakfast together following the service. They learned what real hunger feels like. Even though we've all felt hunger pangs if we are late eating a meal, you body doesn't really go into starvation mode until its been without food for 24 hours. So they had about 6 hours of real hunger. They experienced the fatigue of the lack of calories, feeling cold and not really being able to get warm. Throughout all of this they talked about hunger - about how about 1200 children die every hour from hunger - in the time we have our church service this morning. Americans make up 6% of the World's population but 40% of the World's consumption. [ii]They made sandwiches for Martha's table and took them down and learned about that ministry. They went shopping at a Thrift store for interview clothes to see how much money they would need in order to have the right clothing to get a job and then to figure out how they could afford that and skip a meal or two in order to do so. They learned about being poor. This is a powerful weekend our young people just had and I'm so proud of each one of them for participating.

If we want our kids to grow up to be people of strong faith, if we want them to grow up to be people that give to others, we need to teach them how to do so - and we at St. Matthews want to be a resource for you in doing so. We want to give you all that you need to raise your children to be strong Christian people. And, I really believe that they want this too. When I first graduated from Seminary, I had a youth minister position in a church and my first assignment was to go on a mission trip with the youth. Over dinner one night, I got cornered by a couple of the teenagers. They wanted to know if I was "going to teach them anything." They were really frustrated because they had friends who were Christians at school who were able to talk about God, what they believed and why. They felt like they couldn't participate in conversations because they didn't know as much as their friends. We are committed to making sure that if our kids participate in our programs, they will be able to articulate their faith and not feel inferior to other Christians.

The World is hungry. So many are physically hungry for food, but I believe that the reason Jesus centered so much of his ministry around meals is that we are all hungry for the word of God. We are very good here about responding to needs, we ask for food for the hungry, we get it. Kenny needs people to help at Link, folks sign up. What we need to improve is how we teach our kids about this. We have fabulous programs - a great Sunday School for our kids, and a great youth group that not only has tons of fun together, but also learns about God and serves together in events like the 30 hour famine. If we want our kids to grow to be people who give of themselves and love and serve God, teaching them that has to be a top priority - and we at St. Matthews want to help.

[i] Taken from http://www.episcopalchurch.org/sermons_that_work_106862_ENG_HTM.htm a sermon by The Rev. Ben Helmer.

[ii] Rob Bell's Nooma number 13, Rich.

Last Updated on 4/26/2009 8:13:44 PM

Doubt

Rob Merola — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 04:00:00 GMT

Doubt

The Rev. Rob Merola

We're going to begin this morning by simply doing a little survey. How many of you have ever had doubts about God--whether or not He exists, whether He really cares about us, whether Jesus is really His son? If you've ever had doubts like that, please raise your hands.

Thank you. Now please keep them up a moment longer and just look around the room. Pretty much everyone has their hands up, don't they? That's because to be fallen human beings living in an uncertain world is to have doubts. It is pretty much the nature of the game, friends.

And it's not just doubts about God or our faith. If we are honest, we probably at some level, somewhere along the line, have doubts about a whole lot of things. Many people, for instance, have doubts in the course of their marriage. They wonder whether or not they are really in love, and whether or not they should get married. When they do get married, the wonder whether or not they made a mistake, and then whether or not they should stay married.

When it comes to having kids, most everybody has doubts about whether or not they are ready to be parents. And then we have kids and for once all our doubts are answered--we weren't ready! Seriously, when we do have kids the doubts get even worse. We wonder whether or not we are very good parents, and fear that in some way we are short changing our kids and perhaps even fear that we are doing some developmental damage that will require years of expensive therapy to undo.

Then there is our career. Somewhere along the line most people have doubts about their jobs. Am I doing something that really makes a difference, or am I just an insignificant cog in a machine? Does this job really fit my gifts, talents, and abilities? Should I be doing something else?

Clearly, life as fallen human beings living in an unsure world is marked pretty much through and through by doubts. So when we have doubts about God, that shouldn't surprise us. It's really no different than other areas of our life. There is very little that we know with absolute certainty.

On a scale of zero to one hundred, with zero being no belief at all and one hundred being absolutely positive about something, we may only get to 80 or 90 percent certainty. But that is generally reason enough to step out and take action, because faith makes up that final 5, 10, 20, or whatever percent it may be. It is not a blind leap in the dark, but it is the most reasonable decision and course of action given the evidence at hand.

Now because faith and doubt go hand in hand-if we don't have doubt, we have complete certainty, and we don't need faith-doubt isn't something we need to be ashamed of. The problem is, most folk feel like they are doing something wrong when they doubt. And so we tend to hide our doubts from others.

That's too bad. Generally, in other areas of our life, we can talk about or doubts. In high school, for instance, students often have doubts about their teachers, or if they are learning anything worthwhile. But they can talk about these doubts, and it forms a sort of camaraderie among them.

Or take politics. Often people of one political part have doubts about the leaders and policies of another political party. But they can talk to one another about these doubts, and in this they will form a bond.

Or take the economy, which is hopefully starting to stabilize and move towards a recovery. In the past several months, we've all had doubts about our financial institutions, about our own future, and about the state of our personal wealth. It's caused us a lot of suffering and anxiety. But we've been able to talk about that together, and in many ways this has been a period in our history that has drawn us closer together.

Unfortunately, when we have doubts in our faith, that isn't often the case. One of the most common times that people doubt is in the midst of crisis. It's when someone dies, there is a tragedy, or we get bad news. But because we feel like doubting is a bad thing, we don't feel like we can talk about it.

I want to suggest this morning that this is precisely when we do need to talk to others. As we've said, doubting is not necessarily a bad thing. Notice that when Thomas presents his doubts to Jesus, Jesus doesn't agree or upset. He simply helps Thomas deal with them.

As we've already said, faith and doubt go hand in hand. It's a bond we all share. We need not be ashamed of that. And when we do share our doubts about God, then others can help us through them. When we struggle with or lose our faith, we can stand on the faith of our community. We can let the faith of our brothers and sisters in Christ carry us through.

The second thing I want to say about faith and doubt going hand in hand is that we'll have decide which of the two we are going to concentrate on. Will we act on what we know or let what we don't know hold us back and keep us fearful?

I think this is what Jesus is getting at when he says to Thomas, "Stop doubting and believe." He's telling Thomas to act on what he knows, to go forth and help spread the Gospel. And Thomas does, going to India to preach the Gospel and care for the poor.

We too need to make the decision to act on what we do know rather than letting our doubts hold us back. This may be the day, for instance, where you commit yourself to following Jesus as your Lord and Savior. It's not that you don't have doubts, or that all your questions are answered, but that you choose to believe on the possibility that it is true. And in making that choice, you are opening yourself to the possibility of more fully discovering the truth of who Jesus is and what it means to have a relationship with him.

Or maybe it's giving. Maybe you feel God calling you to be more generous than you are, but you doubt you can really afford it. Maybe today is the day you choose to act on what you do know of God rather than what you don't know. Maybe today is the day you trust God to provide.

Or maybe it is a ministry, or going on a mission trip, or volunteering in some act of service. You have doubts if you have time, if it's really right for you, if you can do it. Maybe today is the day you step out and act on what you do know rather than letting your doubts keep you from acting.

If it's not right, you'll find that out and learn more about who you are and how God has made you. But if it is right, think of the joy you discover! If you don't do this, you'll miss the opportunity. You'll never know what might have been.

What we've seen this morning, then, is that doubt doesn't mean your faith is defective or that you are spiritually unhealthy or that God doesn't love you or that you are a bad person. It is just a normal part of living in an unsure and uncertain world.

Second, doubt isn't the opposite of faith. Faith and doubt go hand in hand. The opposite and great enemy of faith is not doubt, but apathy. Questions are not out of line or inappropriate. Jesus does not condemn Thomas for his doubts, but uses them as an opportunity to build his faith. If you have questions, no matter what your age, don't be afraid to ask them. And parents, when your kids ask questions, don't make them feel bad for asking them.

And finally, doubt doesn't need to keep us from acting. We can choose to act on the little bit we do know rather than letting our fears or uncertainties hold us back.

In the Episcopal Church, we believe Jesus died to take away our sins, and not our minds. We do not turn a blind eye to our doubts, and we honor the right to ask questions. In so doing, I believe we bear eloquent witness to both the richness and reality of faith. Amen.

Last Updated on 4/21/2009 9:34:26 PM

Easter

Rob Merola — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 04:00:00 GMT

Easter

Lessons Appointed for Use on Easter Sunday, Year B, BCP

Psalm 118:1-2,14-24

Acts 10:34-43 or Isaiah 25:6-9

1 Corinthians 15:1-11 or Acts 10:34-43

John 20:1-18

The Rev. Anne MacNabb

"Woman why are you weeping?" Mary was outside the tomb of Jesus, believing that Jesus' body had been stolen, and this stranger comes up to her and says, why are you weeping? Mary handles this bold question seemingly asked by someone who has no idea what has just happened - where has he been? The whole world is in Jerusalem for the Passover and Jesus, her friend whom she loved had been crucified. Everything was all wrong. None of this was supposed to happen.

Jesus was a great teacher, healer and a prophet from God. Jesus had forgiven her sins and restored her to a society from which she otherwise would have been ostracized. If Jesus had the power to heal, the power to stand up to the religious leaders and most of all the power to raise the dead - why was he dead? How could they have killed him? How did he allow it? This wasn't supposed to happen.

And now, as if having Jesus killed wasn't enough, they've stolen his body. She won't even be allowed to give him a proper burial, his body anointed with spices. Who knows what they've done with him or why. This wasn't supposed to happen.

Mary's feelings must have been utter sadness and confusion. For all she witnessed having followed him for so long, for having so much faith in him. She couldn't possibly have felt anything other than utter sadness and confusion. She must have been overwhelmed. What else could possibly happen?

Then comes the question - woman why are you weeping? I'm surprised she didn't look at this man in utter disbelief and scream - what do you mean? Why are you NOT weeping? Don't you know what's happened? Where have you been? Don't you know that none of this was supposed to happen? He wasn't supposed to die, he was supposed to save all of us from this oppression we've been under. He was to save us, not to leave us!

Haven't we all been there? What else could happen? We almost don't even want to ask the question for fear of the answer. We all experience at some point overwhelming despair. Someone we love is sick. There is a domino effect of bad news that happens and we just can't take one more thing. So many have lost jobs, lost homes, the state of the economy has affected us all. How much can we take? How could we not be overwhelmed by it all? This feeling isn't all the time but just on occasion we could let all the sadness and bad news get to us. And it is perfectly natural to feel the loss and sadness that happens when we or those around us are affected by tragedy. We don't always get the happy ending we're hoping for, that sometimes we are completely devastated and people around us don't really understand.. And they ask. Woman, why are you weeping? It's all we can do from screaming at them and saying - what do you mean? Why are you NOT weeping???

And then it comes. He calls her by name. Mary. And she recognizes him. She once again must have been overwhelmed and confused. Confused by how this could be, but at the same time, her complete despair changed instantly to unspeakable joy. Her instinct was to grab him and hold on to him, but she is stopped short. Then, Mary is made the first missionary by going to tell the disciples that she has seen the Lord.

How overwhelmed she must be He's Alive! All the miracles, all the healings. they all meant something after all! All is not lost! Jesus was not just another prophet who was killed for his message; He is the Son of God! He is Alive! There no longer is any need for sadness! Death no longer had its sting. There was no more loss, no more tears! All the bad news, all the sickness all the hurt in the world is healed. There is now hope where once there was no hope.

We now can have hope that God is God and cannot be killed or silenced. God always has the last word because He is GOD. All the things that happen in this world that cause us to be overwhelmed, can and will be made right in God - one way or another. It may not be in our time, but it will be . because that is the promise of God made in the Resurrection of Christ. We have no need to be overwhelmed because He is alive. Our sadness, our remorse for our sins, and our need for consolation is no more .because he is alive.

He said her name "Mary" and all was made right with the world. She saw him and experienced a joy like she had never before known. When realize the resurrected Christ in our lives and we hear him call us by name - Mary, Jeff, Richard. we too will experience a joy that we have never experienced. We, like Mary will become missionaries to all who have not heard the good news of Jesus Christ and we will not be able to keep the joy contained and we will have to tell all those we meet.

Alleluia! Christ is Risen!

People: The Lord is Risen indeed! Alleluia!

Last Updated on 4/16/2009 9:44:02 PM

Good Friday

Rob Merola — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 04:00:00 GMT

Good Friday

Lessons Appointed for Use on Good Friday, Year B, BCP

Psalm 22

Isaiah 52:13--53:12

Hebrews 10:16-25 or Hebrews 4:14-16,5:7-9

John 18:1-19:1-42

The Rev. Anne MacNabb

I recently read about a priest, in his early 50s who was taking care of his dying mother. He and his siblings were taking turns throughout the month staying with their mom and caring for her every need so she could be at home and the most comfortable during her last time on earth. He told the story of how strange it felt to be staying in the same room that he lived in growing up. All the memories of his life in that home came flooding back - he remembered making chocolate chip cookies after school with his mom, playing in the back yard, his mom reading him bedtime stories. One night as his mother called to him in the middle of the night for him to come and help her, He was in that parental sleep with one ear always open and he immediately heard her cry and went to her bedside to comfort her. As he did this, he suddenly realized that 50 years ago, the relationship must have been reversed - him calling from this same room he was now in and his mom getting up to go and hold and comfort her son. In the midst of this he felt God's presence. He felt touched, loved and comforted by God.

I wonder if Mary and Jesus had a similar experience at the cross? I wonder if Mary was remembering Jesus as a boy and all she had done to bring him into the world. It is evident that Jesus was certainly remembering Mary - after all, his last act was to make sure she was cared for. He wouldn't be there at her death the way we all expect to be for our parents - his death was imminent. I wonder if Mary had the comfort and love of God in those moments? My hope is that she was able to tune out the crowds shouting and jeering and just focus on her dying boy, and at the same time realize that he was not dying in vain, but bringing eternal life to the whole world.

If any of us have been present at the bedside of someone who was dying, we know that it is a very holy moment. A time when the presence of God is so real, it is literally felt. The celtic tradition calls these types of moments "thin" moments - moments when the spiritual and natural world intersect - a place where it is possible to touch and be touched by God. During these times we experience a deep sense of God's presence in the world.

There are other thin moments in our lives - times when we feel the presence of God. Times when we realize God's presence and we give thanks - thanks for our lives, our family, friends and all those close to us. For each of us they may be different times - maybe at the birth of a child, when we notice spring coming and flowers blooming, when we stand at the seashore and are in awe of God and how tiny we are on this earth, in our prayer times and yes, even at the passing of a loved one.

It must have been that way at the foot of the cross. It must have been the holiest of moments being present when Jesus died - after all God was present, literally. The world must have become still for a moment and God's presence must have been palpable. This thin moment may have been what inspired the centurion at the cross to recognize Jesus as the Son of God.

And yet, for the disciples who ran away and couldn't feel the presence of God it would seem that nothing would ever be the same. The hope and healing that Jesus brought seemed to be over - it seemed to die with him. How would Mary, or the disciples, or anyone who had faith in him go on? What would tomorrow bring? Would there even be a tomorrow?

As we all know when a loved one dies, anything reminding us of ordinary life after that death seems like an insult. This is the end. It is impossible that the sun will rise again. For those who had lived with him, who had heard his words, who had seen his signs, this was the end.

For those of us who know the continuation of the story, the words have a different meaning. Tomorrow light will break forth once again. Yes, but for this hour, we honor the darkness we stand together in this thin moment and we are still in the presence of God at the death of Jesus.

Last Updated on 4/16/2009 9:59:23 PM

Palm Crosses and Palm Pilots

Rob Merola — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 04:00:00 GMT

Palm Crosses and Palm Pilots

Lessons Appointed for Use on Palm Sunday, Year B, BCP

Psalm 31:9-16

Isaiah 50:4-9a

Philippians 2:5-11

Mark 14:1-15:47 or Mark 15:1-39,(40-47)

The Rev. Rob Merola

This being Palm Sunday, I thought we'd start by making Palm Crosses. Here's how:

Begin with a palm frond about 1 inch wide and 13 inches long to make an average size cross
Hold the frond horizontally
Bend the right end straight up from the center to form a right angle
Fold this same top strip, from the center, back and down, up and over again, to form a square at the back. It will still be a right angle at this point.
Bring the left strip forward and fold over the center towards the right. Fold away from you and pull through the square at back all the way.
Bend the top strip forward and put the end through the center square to make beam of desired length
Fold left hand strip backwards and put through the back square. This makes the left crossbar, and should be in proportion to the upright beam.
Fold the right strip back, put through the back square and fasten

In following this pattern, hopefully you've come up with a palm cross that looks something like the one pictured.

The real trick is to allow the cross not only to become a pattern for a palm frond, but also for our lives.

The first step to doing that is to begin to realize the patterns that govern our lives already. All of us have underlying patterns that repeat endlessly in our lives-though few people recognize them.

Michael Ray, a professor emeritus at Stanford University's Graduate School of Business, writes that after having taught thousands of people over the decades, he has found five major life challenges:

finding prosperity
dealing with time demands and stress
developing deeply satisfying, healthy relationships
achieving balance
bringing your creativity into the world

In thinking of the five categories above, can you see at least one that causes issues to recur over and over again? For instance, does there never seem to be enough time to do all that needs to be done so that you are always running here and there, never have enough time to give anything your best, always feel like something or someone isn't getting the attention it deserves, and that stress is therefore constantly being generated-in spades?

That's a pattern.

Or, do you struggle knowing what your own unique offering is, the exclusive and inimitable reason for which you were brought into the world? Do you find yourself feeling frustrated or lacking or not as useful as you'd like to be?

That's a pattern

Or, do you find yourself angry or experiencing conflict in several areas of your life? At home, at work, with friends, at church-if in several areas of your life you find yourself experiencing at least some level of relational difficulty or dissatisfaction.

That's a pattern

Friends, if we took the time to seriously reflect on our lives and recognize the persistently repeating issues that are driving us, we would be far, far ahead of the game. But the next step takes us further still.

The next step is to place our pattern for prosperity, an ideal day, healthy relationships, a well balanced life, or our unique contribution, against God's pattern for these things.

So, for instance, here again is the pattern of the cross. If I hold a dollar bill, a symbol of success and prosperity, up against it, it doesn't match, does it? One stands for living to get, the other stands for living to give. We have to decide which we'll allow to shape our lives. Which one will set the pattern for creating success and prosperity in our lives?

Or take time. I have here a palm pilot as a symbol for modern time management. It's a symbol of our busy lives. But if I hold it up against the cross, it doesn't match does it? Jesus never called people to busy. He called people to do what is right. And doing what is right often involves slowing down enough to hear God's voice and care for the people around us. We'll have to decide whether busy-ness or faithfulness will set the pattern for what we do with our time.

Or take relationships. I have here a bottle of wine. It's a symbol of addiction, and it is shaped very differently than the cross. When people are addicted to something, that thing shapes their life. It sets the pattern for what the will and will not do. The cross, however, tell us that relationships are meant to be with God and people. Love is meant to shape our lives. And we'll have to decide which it will be.

So.to form our life in the pattern of the cross is to follow Jesus in the way of the cross. It's to live a life of service, sacrifice, and love.

It really is that simple.

We do this not because we secretly hate ourselves and think we deserve heartache and suffering, or because we are masochists who secretly love misery. We do it because ultimately, we believe the way of the cross is the way of life. We die to what is worst in us so that the best may live.

Amen.

Last Updated on 4/8/2009 7:13:50 PM