5 th Sunday after the Epiphany 2/8/2014 Isaiah 58: 1-12) Ps 112 1Corinthians 2: 1-16) Matthew 5:13-20

Transcription

1 5 th Sunday after the Epiphany 2/8/2014 Isaiah 58: 1-12) Ps 112 1Corinthians 2: 1-16) Matthew 5:13-20 Have you noticed that we have been talking for weeks about either Baptism or what characterizes our lives as Baptized persons? And Here we are again. In a nutshell What we are called to do as Christians makes no sense to the wise of the world. We are not to stand with those who can do us favors. We are not to be those whom Isaiah talks about: those who worship in order that God will owe them something. Those who say: "Why should we fast if the Lord never notices? Why should we go without food if he pays no attention?" We are to stand with and for the needy: that is the depressed, the alcoholic, the criminal, the vulnerable, the long term unemployed, the homeless. Those who can do nothing for us except: give us the honor of sharing their lives and to make us humble and in touch with the presence of God. 5th Sunday after Epiphany 2/9/2014 Page 1

2 Isaiah has God saying: 6 "The kind of fasting I want is this: Remove the chains of oppression and the yoke of injustice, and let the oppressed go free. 7 Share your food with the hungry and open your homes to the homeless poor. Give clothes to those who have nothing to wear, and do not refuse to help your own relatives. I would change that quote to: The kind of living I want is this: When I first read those words I thought well this is exactly what this community here does. Share your food with the hungry check open your homes to the homeless poor not exactly but pretty close so check Give clothes to those who have nothing to wear, Check and do not refuse to help your own relatives well that may be a little harder. 5th Sunday after Epiphany 2/9/2014 Page 2

3 We, and by we I mean Honesdale, not just Grace Church. Our effort to open our building to the homeless on these freezing nights is led by Fr Ed and Sue Erb and is supported by many volunteers who are not members here: people who stay at night with our guests, people who flood us with food offerings, clothing and pillows, those who launder the bedding. So when I first read Isaiah I thought we do pretty well here. But the readings get more detailed and we have to be led deeper. Are we consistent about our treatment of our brothers and sisters? Do we bring clothing for the homeless but vote against raising the minimum wage? What does remove the chains of oppression and the yoke of injustice mean to each of us? And do not go into the easy response: Oh that one is too big I can not do anything at that level. Isaiah goes on to say "If you put an end to oppression, to every gesture of contempt, and to every evil word; 10 if you give food to the hungry and satisfy 5th Sunday after Epiphany 2/9/2014 Page 3

4 those who are in need, then the darkness around you will turn to the brightness of noon.god is with you. I ll translate this part of the reading too. If we put an end to every gesture of contempt: that is to every thought that we are better than the person next to us. That we are more pleasing to God. That we are smarter, more organized, more self sufficient. That we have pulled ourselves up by our bootstraps so why do they not. Verse 9: If we put an end to every evil word: Church communities tend to be hot beds of gossip. They are not doing enough. Why did they not show up for this activity? I was talking to my dermatologist about our feeding the children of Haiti. He said that Doctors from the medical practice volunteer in Haiti. He also said that feeding the children of St Sacrement will not change the dire conditions in Haiti. He is right but evil exists at many levels and we are changing the lives of those 146 children at St Sacrement and I would imagine their parent s lives also as the 5th Sunday after Epiphany 2/9/2014 Page 4

5 burden of hungry children is lifted from their shoulders. We are implementing God s love for that community of Fonds Parisienne. Our generosity can not be limited to feeding those children. Our generosity must stretch to our way of living. DO not the choices we make and the times we speak out against prejudicial attitudes effect our families, our communities, our world? TO get back to baptism. Baptism does not make us into the image of God. According to Genesis 1:26 Then God said, "And now we will make human beings, they will be like us and resemble us. SO everyone is made in the image of God. Baptism commits us to living as Christ lived. Our gospel reading told us We are the salt of the earth We are the light of the world 16 In the same way your light must shine before people, so that they will see the good things you do and praise your Father in heaven. Note that: praise not us but our Father in heaven. We are to be the presence of Christ in our world: in our thoughts, our words and our works. We are to reflect the love that we have received from God to everyone whose lives we touch. 5th Sunday after Epiphany 2/9/2014 Page 5

6 Salt no longer means to us what it meant to the peoples of the ancient world. My mother always used to say taste your food before you salt it. To us it adds or heightens taste. In the ancient world it preserved life. We are called to preserve the light and loves of God in this world. A spiritual director I had many years ago has just died. But I link what he inscribed for me once as a Christmas present: to this call we all have though our Baptism. Although he wrote it to me, it applies to all of us thru our Baptism. The inscription read: You are a teacher of God so get your ass in gear! 5th Sunday after Epiphany 2/9/2014 Page 6