ALL SAINTS SUNDAY Life on the Porch

Transcription

1 ALL SAINTS SUNDAY Life on the Porch The scripture reading this morning is part of a story unique to the gospel of John. While sisters Mary and Martha also appear in Luke s gospel, Luke mentions Lazarus in a completely unrelated story. Only John brings these three people together in this passionate account of raising Lazarus from the dead. Rather than placing the spotlight on the death of Lazarus this morning, we are going to focus our attention on the friendship these people have for one another, especially the friendship between Jesus and Mary. You may remember the gospel of Luke s story of Mary and Martha welcoming Jesus into their home. Martha spent all her time cooking and cleaning for Jesus, while Mary sat with him and shared deep spiritual conversation. THAT day, when Jesus visited with the two sisters, he probably wasn t sitting with Mary on a porch, seated in a rocking chair, but in my contemporary imagination, that s where he is. I suspect it s more likely they were sitting outside the house, maybe under a tree, and Martha was cooking over an open fire. Jesus and Mary shared some deep conversations and were more than just acquaintances; they are PORCH FRIENDS. And when Lazarus was on the verge of death, Mary knew she needed to call Jesus to be with her. There are three verses that capture the essence of the message God has placed within my heart to share with you today. Vs 32: Mary fell at his feet and said, Lord, if you had been here, my brother wouldn t have died. Vs 35: Jesus began to cry. Vs 41-42: thank you, Father, for hearing me. 42 I know you always hear me. These verses describe Life on the Porch. Porch Friends are those we can lament with, pour out our hearts to. 1

2 They cry together as they share each other s pain. And they thank God for being with them and hearing their deepest, heartfelt concerns for one another. Life on the porch is all about Jesus' two Great Commandments: Love God and Love one another. Life on the Porch is about special relationships, deep friendships that are born out of shared experiences and the highest form of love, agape love. Sometimes certain family members fill this role, but often our PORCH consists of people come into our lives and make a lasting impression that goes even deeper than family. This is not a new concept. Long before Jesus walked this earth, the ancient Greek poet and playwright Euripides shared this quote.. One loyal friend is worth ten thousand relatives. Some of us may relate to another quote that speaks to a similar idea: God gave us friends to make up for the relatives. Mary and Jesus had this special kind of relationship. And today, on All Saints Day, we are celebrating our special Porch Friends and what I call Life on the Porch. In August, several women from Medford UMC joined thousands of other women for the Women of Faith Farewell tour. The Conference was all about LOVE, love of God and love for one another. The Conference had a lineup of amazing speakers, ranging from moms, to performers, to teachers, and to old friends from the tour. When these ladies weren t speaking they gathered on what they called the porch. This was an area off the stage but still visible. (We have a picture of the Women of Faith on the Porch. ) 2

3 Sometimes, in between speakers, these women would tell stories from years ago with Women of Faith. It was a great time of reflection, laughter, and storytelling. The concept of the porch was more than just a set design it had such deeper meaning. What does all of humanity crave more than anything else? What comes to mind for me is community, connection, belonging, and the feeling of being loved. This porch of women was full of love, connection, history, and shared experiences. There is nothing new about this idea. Each generation and context has some form of it: men used to gather on a porch whittling; they may connect with each other on river banks or in fishing boats; on the golf course or in sports arenas. In the villages I saw in Africa, women gather at the river to do the laundry, and spend all day in a communal kitchen preparing the evening meal. In American society, as people withdrew into private homes, the porch became the place for these communal gatherings. At the end of the day, especially in the days before air conditioning, people gathered in the cool of the evening on their porches and shared their lives, their joys, their concerns. When we visited Charleston South Carolina this summer we learned that the front porches were traditionally built facing the southeast to capture the breeze off the water. And the entrance to these porches from the street frequently looked like a traditional front door, so you felt like you were entering a person s home. Today, porches have been replaced by backyard fire pits, tiki bars and deck chairs, but the concept is the same. 3

4 Younger generations may have virtual porches to make their connections, but we all need a PORCH.. a place to hang out with special friends who love you, no matter what. A word of caution to those of us who think our circle of friends is found in cyberspace, and I know I often find myself slipping here: Don t sacrifice real life influence for online presence. Never exchange your face-to-face friendships for social networking. Life on the Porch moves more slowly than we like in the 21 st century. Building a PORCH requires an investment of time and love. It s been said, Friends in your life are like pillars on your porch. Sometimes they hold you up and sometimes they lean on you. Sometimes it s just enough to know they re standing by. Several people have commented in the months since the Women of Faith conference that we need a PORCH here at Medford UMC. Some of you may already feel that you have a PORCH here. Those of you who are newer arrivals are hungry for making these connections. A Faith Community is probably the best place for these special relationships to form, because we acknowledge that God is part of our connection with one another. Have no fear, building Expansion Team, I m not talking about redesigning the building plans for the FLC and adding an actual, physical PORCH. But I AM talking about the creating lots of places and opportunities for relationships to develop as people meet together in a variety of settings. 4

5 I m making a shameless plug here for the blessings and gifts that often come from being part of a small group. It doesn t happen every time, but when it does, it s a beautiful thing. That s what those Women of Faith are they are a small group of women who raised their children together, went through life threatening illnesses together, compassionately gave themselves to one another, while creating a unique ministry that serves others. It s been said that, Friendship isn t about who you ve known the longest. It s about who came stayed by your side, and never left you when you needed someone the most. A Porch Friend is always there. He or She offers a shoulder to lean on, an ear to listen; a person to cry with, to laugh with. C. S. Lewis reminds us that, Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another, WHAT! You too? I thought I was the only one. The PORCH is your sanctuary, it s where you go, who you seek out, when you re home alone and there s an emergency. The best kind of friend is the one you could sit on the porch with, and never say a word, and walk away feeling that was the best conversation you ve had. When Mary's brother was dying, she called out for her best friend, knelt at his feet and poured out her heart to him. Jesus was so moved by her hurt that it caused him to cry along with her. Those words uttered by Jesus, "thank you for having heard me" could have just as easily be said by Mary as by Jesus. Our Porch Friends always hear us, always create time to listen to us, and time to cry with us. That's why everyone needs a PORCH. 5

6 These saints walk through life with us, and when Porch Friends transition into life eternal, we are left with wonderful memories and life lessons that forever alter how we look at the world. Things like, live one day at a time; rejoice in the Lord always; don t give up; keep the faith; and don t forget to laugh! Above all, the PORCH offers us GRACE. There are saints who have left a lasting mark on us; they were created by God to live among us for whatever length of time their lives touch ours. They encourage us to breathe the words, If I could sit across the porch from God, I d thank God for lending me YOU. Today we celebrate some of the saints who have gone on before us to live eternally with God, and we honor their memory and their place within our lives and within the world. 6