"Be A Blessing" sermon

“And You Will Be A Blessing”
Alison Longstaff, February 17th, 2008
St. James Evangelical Lutheran Church
New Dundee, Ontario
Genesis 12: 1-4; John 3:1-17


“And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great; And so you shall be a blessing;”

Of all the promises made in the Bible, this one is, perhaps, one of the most overlooked. And yet this promise of God to Abram—this promise of God to each of us from the very beginnings of our spiritual journey—is that Abram will be a blessing. That we will be a blessing. God promises to make Abram’s name great, and to make him a great nation, and to bless him—which is the part of the promise we tend to notice—fame and power and success. But perhaps the most important part of the promise is that God will make Abram a blessing.

You see, the Bible isn’t just a history book, it is God speaking to all people of all time reminding us that life is a journey. This book of our lives reminds us that God desires to give us every good thing, and that most of all, He wishes to transform our lives so that we may be a blessing.

If we look at the final book in the Bible, the Book of Revelation, it begins and ends with grace. It begins with “Grace be unto you and peace” and ends with “the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all, Amen.” Grace. God’s goodness. God’s loving-kindness. God’s blessing. The grace by which we are all blessed and transformed, and the only means by which we can be a blessing to others. It is the crowning jewel of our journey home. It is the real promised land. To be a blessing is the promise, and blessing and grace are at the finish line.

So here we are at the beginning with Abram in our story. He is seventy five years old. If it was you or I, I imagine at seventy five we are not so much in the mood for catastrophic change and upheaval. I’m forty six and would really rather not ever move house again, let alone move internationally. But as Abram was to live to one-hundred and seventy five, I guess this was more like his mid-life crisis. He was a mere sprightly seventy five!

In Swedenborgian theology, “Haran,” and “living in Haran,” is talking about early or primitive spirituality. It is the place we all start, the place we are born into but not meant to stay in. It is a relatively primitive and surface spirituality. It is not very developed yet. We are in Haran when we go to church because our parents make us, or because it is a habit, or because we want to see our friends, or because we like to be seen going to church. We live in Haran when we do not yet have a personal sense of connection with God or any real feeling of a need for God. It is our ancestral home and we are comfortable there. We all stay there until it is time to leave. We all stay there until God senses we are ready to move on and gives us a call and a promise.

In Swedenborgian theology, “seventy-five” means “not very holy.” Seven times ten means VERY holy, and five means, “not there yet.” We are not super-spiritual people when God first starts moving across the surface of our consciousness. But at some point in each of our lives, God starts to call us to do our spiritual work. For some of us, a mere whisper is all that is needed, for others a megaphone and some dynamite, but eventually, we are all called by God to do our spiritual work. Abram’s call to his journey is a reminder that God calls each of us to our spiritual journey.

God called Abram—notice that he is still called Abram here, not Abraham—the “H” sound is added to his and Sarai’s names only after they have gotten some of their spiritual journeying done, to show a mark of new holiness and a deeper level spirituality in their lives. “H” or the breath of God has entered their quality of being and so is reflected in their names. In any case, God called Abram to leave his family and his home and everything that was familiar in order to achieve the promised blessings, in order to become AbraHam. Even so with us, our spiritual journeying frequently involves stepping out of our comfort zones in order to become the blessing God would have us be.

This is where I bring in the detail that next Sunday is “bring a friend Sunday.” Raised in a tradition where the mind-set was, “we are the one true right religion and everybody should become one of us,” I remember carrying a somewhat acquisitive energy on “bring-a-friend" Sundays. There were good and innocent things about that, and some icky things about that too. The good and innocent things were, that it is natural and normal to want to share the things we love with others, and to want them to love them too. It is natural and normal to desire to have the people we love belong where we belong, so that we can enjoy more activities together. The icky thing about my energy at that time was that it was driven by a deep insecurity. I desired more and more people to join my church, because it would prove that my church was indeed the right and best church. I liked feeling more secure in my rightness, and I would feel more secure, the more members the church acquired.

Well, God finally got out the dynamite to move me from that attitude. I certainly needed to move from a shallow spirituality: “it is about being right” into a more mature one: “it is about God’s love.” God called me out of a personal “Haran.” Since moving on from that denomination, and since deciding that God is truly big enough to care for and save people in all traditions, I’ve really had to re-examine the purpose of “bring-a-friend” Sunday, no matter which church I am in. If it isn’t about being the best and the rightest denomination and recruiting people in, if it isn’t even necessarily about Christianity being the best and the rightest, what is the point of inviting people to church at all?

You may laugh, but this is a serious question for anyone newly journeying from Haran. Abram may have thought his call was so that he could be the biggest and the best, “And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great;” . . . but God had another idea in mind the whole time: “And so you shall be a blessing.” Maybe our call to open our doors and hearts to new friends and strangers is the same, not to grow big and strong and show how great we are, but because we love to love other people—because God calls us to be a blessing.

It’s funny how long it took my brain to wrap around that one. “I’m to welcome people to church, because I, and my church, am/is to be a blessing?” It isn’t to get more people to join? It isn’t so people can see we are the best and want to become part of our congregation?

The truth is, if we are a blessing to those who come, if we extend genuine Christian hospitality, if we welcome and include and nourish and affirm and give respect to the stranger, we WILL draw new people in. It will be a natural side-effect. If this congregation grows in its desire to be a blessing, it will grow in numbers and become known as a pretty great little group. But the point is not to set out to be big or great, the point is to LOVE our neighbours, to be a blessing to each other within the congregation, and to the neighbours and strangers we encounter coming in the door. And the point is to love other congregations as our neighbours, not compete with them. Our job is simply to love God above all and to love our neighbours the way we want to be loved. It is the message again and again in God’s word. If we do these things, all the rest is added. All the rest—growing membership and prosperity may indeed be added, though it won’t matter, it will just be wonderful gravy on the lovely roast or yummy icing on the already delicious cake.

Now, I have a story to tell you. I was a stranger here not so long ago. My first Sunday here I wandered in and didn’t know a soul. I had told Bonnie I would be coming, but I don’t recall if we had even ever laid eyes on each other yet. Bonnie was lovely and welcoming, as was Jerry, but both of them were busy and I was pretty much on my own. I’ll never forget one lady who introduced herself, and spent some time talking to me. It was such a kindness! Such a relief! I was surrounded by strangers and I’d managed to find the coffee, and was fumbling along trying to talk to people, when this friendly woman reached out to me and spent some time with me. She was a blessing.

Her name and face will always be the first one in the congregation I remember because she saw me and welcomed me and made me feel more at home. I thought, “now there’s a friendly lady who knows how to reach out to strangers!” What’s interesting is, later I made a point of thanking this lady for reaching out to me, and she admitted that she considers herself shy and tongue-tied and no good at small talk! Well, she has a lot in common with Moses then, because regardless of how she views herself, God used her to reach out and welcome a stranger. I affirmed her doubly for her courage. It must have taken a lot to step out of her comfort zone to welcome a stranger. And it certainly meant a lot to me.

The truth is, scarcely a one of us really feels comfortable in a crowd making small-talk. And we tend to compare our insides to others’ outsides. Others look comfortable and at home and relaxed, while I feel neurotic and insecure, so they must be comfortable and happy and I’m the only one who wants to run home and hide. Meanwhile someone else is looking at me thinking I’m the comfortable and relaxed one.... So next Sunday, or even this one, there’s no excuse deciding you’re just shy and no good at small-talk. God may just be calling you to remember a stranger and extend a hand of welcome and inclusion. God may be calling you to be a blessing. Isn’t it what you would want if you were the stranger? So go up and say, “Hello”!

I remember going to my mother when I was a teenager, terrified of going to another painful highschool social event. I was agonizingly shy, and I hated standing in the crowds wondering what on earth to say to people. I never could think of anything smart or funny, and I suffered.

My mother said, “Look for someone who looks lonelier than you feel, and ask them questions about themselves.” It was some of the best advice I’ve ever gotten. I was to look for the stranger; I was to reach out to someone else, not to entertain and dazzle them, but to welcome and include them. I was to draw the other person out of themselves and hear about them, not show them how interesting I was. And the thing was, this advice did not just become a shallow formula for surviving awkward social events, it actually helped me meet some wonderful individuals and make some lasting friends. It has become a tool that has stood me in good stead for years and has helped me become really good at forgetting how shy I really am. It has helped me love other people. I have discovered that I genuinely enjoy hearing other people’s stories, and I have discovered that seeing the other as a blessing, tends to make me feel richly blessed too. Most people today are quite surprised to find out I am innately shy.

So here comes “bring a friend Sunday.” With it comes the opportunity to feel really uncomfortable and awkward as well as the opportunity to be a blessing. Like the woman who welcomed me on my first day, you may even accomplish both at the same time—you may feel like you are socially inept even as you are being a welcome presence of comfort and friendship to a lost and lonely soul. The truth is, every time we open ourselves to God’s call to leave our comfort zone for the sake of others, we open the space for the holy spirit to rush in and do its magical work. Every time we leave Haran because God called us, Abram can become AbraHam, a whole new being in God’s plan, touched by the holy spirit, destined to become a great nation, and most importantly, to be a blessing. Or, to be far less grandiose, “If I could do it, you can too. So get off your butts and be friendly.”
Amen.

The sermon from last Sunday

“The Kingdom of Heaven Has Come Near”
Alison Longstaff, January 27th, 2008
St. James Lutheran, New Dundee
Isaiah 9: 1-4; Matthew 4: 12-23



Disclaimer #1 This sermon is not about our struggle. Instead, we will pause to pay attention to what God is already doing and being in our lives.
Disclaimer #2 I frequently use the male pronoun when referring to God. Please do not assume that I am saying that God is male and male only. I am not yet skilled at the linguistic gymnastics required to speak of a very human, loving, and personal God without using a personal pronoun or sounding really stilted and odd. So, if my language offends, please feel free to translate it into whatever language works for you. God made us all in His/Her image. Absolutely no one is left out or “less-than” in God’s kingdom.
Disclaimer #3 The opinions expressed below are not necessarily the opinions of the Lutheran church. Please feel free to consult your local pastor for clarification of any questions that may arise.
Now, to begin.
“The Kingdom of Heaven has come near.”
These were the final words of our Gospel reading today: “The Kingdom of Heaven has come near.” What feelings does that phrase evoke in you? “The Kingdom of Heaven has come near.”
When I first read it, it evoked a sort of shivery awe. It was as if my spirit became quite still, and my eyes and ears opened wide and started looking around. There was a kind of inner excitement and anticipation. “The Kingdom of Heaven has come near? Where!”
But on another day, it might bring up quite another response in me. After all, the full phrase is: “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven has come near.” And on days when I feel like a failure, and when I doubt my ability to be at all worth saving, my response might be rather to pull the blankets up over my head and whimper, “please go away.” I wouldn’t want the Kingdom of Heaven to come near me. I would be too sure that the “Kingdom of Heaven” would simply highlight all my warts and failings in contrast and remind me how unworthy I was. Who would want that?
But I’m speaking primarily to Lutherans, and Lutherans in particular are very good at remembering that God is a God of love and Grace, not judgment. Right?
Well, whatever we feel or believe, I bet we could all agree that God probably doesn’t want us cringing and cowering away from His outreaching love. He does NOT want us to think of Him, and expect a beating. What loving parent would ever want their child to respond to them in that way? No, I think, when God draws near, when the kingdom of heaven draws near, God surrounds us and lifts us up in love.
So, having said this, why would God say, “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven has come near”? The traditional understanding of this is, “get your act together. Comb your hair, clean your room, shine your shoes, because God is coming over today.” And that is a perfectly appropriate and understandable interpretation of it. Another interpretation of it is, “Buddy, you’d better get your act together now, because if you don’t, you’re toast.”
Well, having been raised under the heavy weight of the latter interpretation, with a hefty side serving of “and frankly, you’re the equivalent of a dung-fly, so you may not even be capable of measuring up, but you’d better try,” I’m looking for a more redemptive interpretation. Where is God’s love in such a statement?
What if we turn it on its head? I do know witnesses say that when God draws very near to us, rather than producing shame in us, we will feel an all-encompassing peace and are filled with overwhelming love. Anyone who has felt this great love, this transformative, redemptive, passionate delight, cannot help but be changed. Given one taste of God’s love, and one is forever changed, which is another way of saying one “repents.” So, another way---the grace way---to read today’s text would be, “The Kingdom of Heaven is coming near, and you will be transformed.”
I think that’s a pretty friendly way to read this text. It doesn’t invalidate other readings. It simply speaks to God’s side of the relationship. Being changed by God’s love is just as genuine a repentance as any shame-filled, hand-wringing litany of all the ways we’ve messed up. The “shame-filled, hand-wringing litany of all the ways we’ve messed up” is closer to the idea of repentance I was raised with. Perhaps the clergy assumed we were all arrogant, thick-skinned meat heads, that needed a lot of pounding to tender us up. But some of us start out tender to begin with, and a gentle hand is more than enough to guide us down the path of kindness. In any case my personal theology has concluded that Repentance means “re-thinking.” Repentance means seeing things in a whole new way. Repentance doesn’t have to involve feeling bad and beating ourselves up. It might, but it doesn’t have to.
So, Repentance means seeing things in a whole new way. Why else would Scripture say, “the people who walked in darkness, have seen a great light?” We all start out walking in darkness. This isn’t about some group over there. This is said to all of us. This is a prophecy. “The people who walked in darkness, have seen a great light.” God will enter our lives, and we will eventually all see things in a whole new light. For each of us, each differently, the kingdom of heaven will draw near, and we will be changed. Upon each of us, the light does indeed shine.
Now, let’s take some time to reflect on if and when God may have drawn near in our lives so far. Sometimes an encounter with the divine is quite profound, sometimes so very gentle that it might be described as a whisper into our consciousness, or a “still, small voice.” So let’s stop and reflect: what has happened to you in your lifetime, that you may have felt, or maybe thought you sensed something quite extraordinary move near?
Let’s sit with this a moment.
I had such an experience last week when I attended my first “Code Blue” at the hospital. I stood with another chaplain just outside the room watching the emergency team labour to revive an older gentleman who’s heart had stopped beating. I was surprised to discover that instead of anxiety, I was filled with a sense of overwhelming beauty. The absolute focus and silent respect of the medical team, and the prolonged endurance of their fight to bring this gentleman’s spirit back into his body was so profoundly beautiful. It was as if they were also an honour guard standing in respect, at the passing of a great leader. All the while I had an indescribable sense that the man was somewhere up above, watching the whole show, not the least bit upset, and hand in hand with the wife who had gone before him and had been waiting for him. Call me fanciful. But as I passed through that experience, I shivered and got goose bumps.
It turned out the gentleman did indeed pass on to be with his wife. The medical team ceased their efforts and called the time of death. Then it was time for the pastoral team to move to support of the grieving family.
Celtic spirituality uses the term, “thin places” to describe physical locations where they believe that the veil between the spiritual realm and the physical world are particularly thin. Pilgrims seek these places out in Scotland, Ireland, and England in search of a spiritual encounter, or a new direction, or a new sense of self or mission.
I don’t know if we have to go anywhere to seek out the thinning veil. In my experience, it finds us. Did I sense a thinning of the veil when that man passed through? I don’t know. I do believe the thinning veil happens all the time, though we generally don’t have ears to hear or eyes to see it. Maybe there are places on the earth where it is easier to sense things on the other side. But most people I know have had some experience where they sensed a divine presence, or felt there was something deeper and sacred overlaying a quite ordinary experience, regardless of where they were on the planet. And I believe this sort of experience is indeed heaven drawing near, no less and no more. I also believe that God guides even whether we are open or not open to such encounters, so we are not doing something wrong if we don’t have such experiences often. I don’t think we need to stress about any of it, just simply sit in stillness and awe if it happens to us.
In our culture, we tend to dismiss such happenings. We tend to doubt our own inner experiences, even the most profound. Why is that? Well, one reason might be that such spiritual events, such divine encounters leave no evidence, they leave nothing scientifically measurable as proof of their passing. They leave only a mark on our hearts—not our physical heart muscle, but—on our spiritual heart, on our love. We can’t measure such experiences or record them or photograph them or get a certificate of authenticity for them. So we tend to dismiss them.
But also, when God draws that close, and touches our hearts, it can be so intimate that we may not want to talk about it for quite awhile. We may scarcely dare to acknowledge it to ourselves, let alone anyone else. We know just how ready the world is to mock stories of such experiences, to scourge them and crucify them. So it is understandable that we tend to keep such experiences quietly to ourselves.
With that said, let me reassure you that nobody needs to raise their hands, just answer quietly inside yourself, have you ever sensed the kingdom of heaven drawing near? Perhaps you think you never have, and maybe that is true. If it is, that is nothing to stress about either. We are all made differently, and God designed each one of us, perfectly formed for the task he has in mind for us. Some of us are particularly sensitive to such things, some less so.
I consider myself rather dense to spiritual reality. Of the few experiences I have had, all but one could be written off as a fanciful imagination. God protects even my freedom to believe in them or not. But I do know, that whatever these experiences are—that so many of us have and are afraid even to admit to ourselves—they leave us changed. We’re never quite the same afterwards. And when such an experience passed us by, we may have found ourselves covered in goose bumps, or felt our heart racing, or felt slightly shaky. We may have seen things or heard things a little out of the ordinary. It isn’t always just “a bit of undigested beef.”
And think about it, if God loves us so much that He was willing to die for us, if God says He is always knocking and all we have to do is open our hearts, then maybe, just maybe, the kingdom of heaven is a lot nearer than we ever imagined, and that the little thrill that you felt as you watched the candles being lit, or your baby sleep last night, or the way the light fell across the fields when you drove in here, wasn’t just a nice feeling, but God’s hand, brushing the hair out of your eyes. Maybe, just maybe, God is very close indeed, just waiting for the day we open your eyes and look Him full in the face and smile.
The kingdom of heaven is drawing nearer all the time, and we do not need to be afraid of it. All we need to do is allow it to be so, and trust that God has our future for good in His sights. Repent? Of course we repent! If you are like me, I’m always thinking and rethinking whether I’m good enough or doing the right thing. I can’t help it. God might just wish I worried less about whether I’m good enough, not more. But in any case, I do know this, that just like the light is already growing stronger daily on our good land even though it is only January, and winter still holds us tight in her grip, our spiritual spring is well on its way too, and we can see it in our glimpses of the light of God’s love for us, and the warm feelings that stir whenever He draws near.
As we leave this place of worship today and head out into the ordinary life of another work week and school week, lets see if we can be a little more attentive to the whispers of God’s presence in our lives. Let’s see if we can notice the brush of His robes, the whir of angels wings, and the warmth of his steadying hand in our lives, and be comforted, for the kingdom of heaven is indeed drawing near. This minute, right now, God is near.
Amen.

Live Nativity

I directed the live nativity in New Dundee this year. We made do with dress-ups and bathrobes and pillow-cases. Many of the actors have winter coats on under their costumes, and you can see Mary's hands fisted against the cold.

There was something quite charming about the rustic setting. We were in a real, modern-day farm shed.

That is actual ice gleaming on the wooden backdrop.

Yes, some of the Wise Men forgot to take off their glasses, and one has black leather gloves on. But the spirit in the room was warm, and many folks loved it just the way it was.

If it was all about perfection, Jesus wouldn't have been born in a stable, would He?

So, enjoy these images, and have a Merry Christmas.

Christmas Letter

Tis the season for our Christmas letter. Here it is, such as it is.

I put it out with great love, and the firm desire that I could sit down and have a long, heart-to-heart chat with you and really catch up.

www.CliffsideChapel.com/Christmas2007.htm

Blessings this Christmas.
Alison

Feeling

Today I am too tired to keep running. There's so much to do before Christmas. But my spirit is begging me to stop and sit for awhile. So I have done this, and I am feeling.

I think that that is a huge part of why I work so hard to fill my life with so much activity---so I won't feel.
When I stopped today, I felt very sad. There have been so many losses, and I don't want to feel them.
We've lost home in the deepest sense of the word.
So if I sit, I start crying. Who wants to do that? No wonder I keep so busy!
But all the psychologists say it is good for me to feel my feelings, so today I am doing that.

Our dear former pastor and his wife are having an exceptionally hard year. They are suffering. There's nothing we can do to help but stand by and love them and pray for them.
Perhaps all the feelings are catching up to them too.

It being the Christmas season simply intensifies the feelings. It is a time of celebration for so many. On the flip side, it is a time of intensified loss for those who are grieving. Working at a hospital as I have been doing this fall has heightened my awareness of all the families who are grieving this Christmas.

And I am grieving today.

I want my life back. I want my home back. I want my pastor back. I want my church back. I want my dreams back. I want my writing back. I want my community back.

Please? It hurts.

Sick and Tired . . . Yay!

I'm not the only one who had a dreadful week. We decided dementors had gotten loose and were on the prowl.... (Harry Potter reference)

I've discovered that "Expecto Patronum!" actually helps a little! (Especially when one "expects" a "Patron" of unfathomable love and power....)

Day One: No longer JUST PICTURES

Here we are, boarding the bus outside Ben Gurion airport. It is late afternoon and the sky
is bright blue. At the front of the bus looking back is Lorne, our Canadian tour director. David Wirt is halfway back, finding a seat. Rev Dr. Timothy Hegedus is closer, chatting with someone, and that's MJ and her camera right next to me. Carl O. is in front of me with the green shirt.

This is a shot that fascinated me. It is taked down and through one of the twisty, outdoor passages that were everywhere in this land. Though this is an outdoor stairway, it is within the Bethlehem Lutheran hostel proper and was along the way from our sleeping quarters to the dining area and main building. This is our first day in the Holy Land. We are on the way to breakfast. From bottom to top we have John K. (amazing photographer), Sebastien, Catharine H., Darranne, and Marge K. See how beautiful the stonework is. It was like this everywhere.

In the afternoon of our first day we visited the "Shepherd's field." We were purportedly standing approximately where the shepherds had been during our lecture. The gentleman lecturing is Faraj-el-lati, and we are on the Palestinian side of the wall. Most of his lecture was about the events occuring today in this area.

The hilltop in the first picture used to be covered in a forest. It was a park area in Palestian territory. It is now solid houses, 60% uninhabited. It is a "settlement" which means the Israeli govenment has annexed it for their own purposes. Conversely, one of the houses in the near distance belongs to the lecturer, and he has been threatened that his house will be bulldozed to the ground because he could "fire on" the Israeli houses. At any time, any of the half-dozen families whose land happens to be on the same hillside could suffer the same fate.

The hills here are very steep and rocky, as you can see, and beside modern buildings and power lines, look much like they would have in the shepherds' day. The next picture sits to the previous picture's left. In it, (besides Bishop Pryse, and Virginia and assorted heads) we can see the road the Israelis constructed as part of their land-annexation project. It has a high, barbed wire that runs along the Palestinian side. Military vehicles drive up and down it regularly. It curves around the valley, and up between the settlement and our lecturer's home. It was arbitrarily drawn, and it cut off one family from their olive orchard. They now have no means to support themselves.

Here is our lecturer and his young daughter. This picture, to the left of the previous one, shows the bend in the military road. It shows the way the hillsides have been terraced for easier pasturing and travel, a practice that goes back to ancient times.

We are looking primarily at Palestinian land here. I believe that is Bethlehem in the distance.
After the lecture, we clambered along the rocky path to Faraj and his family's gracious home, where we enjoyed fruit juice and chocolates.

Again moving to the left, we see the old Palestinian road, which is their only permitted route of travel. Palestinians are not allowed on Israeli roads, which are broad and well-paved and modern. They must take old, broken circuitous routes. What would take an Israeli fifteen minutes to drive could easily take a Palestinian two hours.

This is the Pastor in Ramallah, who helps with the school.

We are in the church attached to the school. In some of the pictures of the school yard (Peace in Palestine? entry) you can see the unusually shaped windows and the church tower. This was a lovely church. This pastor described to us the congregation's struggle to survive, and in what ways they continued their Christian outreach of kindness and support to all the old and feeble of Ramallah, no matter what their religion.

The windows' colours were much brighter than they show here, and such a neat shape. The walls were actually a buttery yellow, almost the colour shown, but brighter.


This was just the morning of the first day. We lunched with another lecturer, and then went to the shepherd's field. Our days were FULL.