September 1, 2002 - Fifteenth Sunday After Pentecost

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September 1, 2002 - Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost - Father Armand Kreft

THE FIRST READING: Exodus 3: 1-15

Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian; he led his flock beyond the wilderness, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of a bush; he looked, and the bush was blazing, yet it was not consumed. Then Moses said, "I must turn aside and look at this great site, and see why the bush is not burned up." When the Lord saw that he had turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, "Moses, Moses!" And he said, "Here I am." Then he said, "Come no closer! Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground." He said further, "I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God. Then the Lord said, "I have observed the misery of my people who are in Egypt; I have heard their cry on account of their taskmasters. Indeed, I know their sufferings, and I have come down to deliver them from the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to the country of the Canaanites, the Hittites, and Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. The cry of the Israelites has now come to me; I have also seen how the Egyptians oppress them. So come, I will send you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt." But Moses said to God, "Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?" He said, "I will be with you; and this shall be the sign for you that it is I who sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God on this mountain." But Moses said to God, "If I come to the Israelites and say to them, 'The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,' and they ask me, 'What is his name?', what shall I say to them?" God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM." He said further, "Thus you shall say to the Israelites, 'The Lord, the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you'; This is my name forever, and this my title for all generations."

PSALM 105: 1-3, 23-26

1 Give thanks to the Lord and call upon his Name; make known his deeds among the peoples.

2 Sing to him; sing praises to him, and speak of all his marvelous works.

3 Glory in his Name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.

23 Israel came into Egypt, and Jacob became a sojourner in the land of Ham.

24 The Lord made his people exceedingly fruitful; he made them stronger than their enemies.

25 Whose heart he turned, so that they hated his people, and dealt unjustly with his servants.

26 He sent Moses his servant, and Aaron whom he had chosen.

THE SECOND READING: ROMANS 12: 9-21

Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor. Do not lag in zeal; be ardent in spirit; serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope; be patient in suffering; persevere in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are. Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God; for it is written, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord." No, if your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink; for by doing this you will heap burning coals on their heads. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

THE HOLY GOSPEL OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST ACCORDING TO MATTHEW (16: 21-28)

From that time on, Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and undergo great suffering at the hands of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, "God forbid it, Lord! This must never happen to you." But he turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; for you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things." Then Jesus told his disciples, "If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit them if they gain the whole world but forfeit their life? Or what will they give in return for their life? For the Son of Man is to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay everyone for what has been done. Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom."

I am very grateful that Andrew asked me to preach. All this past week, ever since he gave me the assignment, I have been sort of tweaking him with subjects that I might preach about today; so he is getting a little bit nervous, and I think I will just put him at ease now and get on with this.

"Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me. For you have set your mind not on divine things but on human things."

Poor Peter! In just a short time, one week in our lectionary cycle, he went from receiving a divine revelation of God's project of human liberation and being identified by our Lord as the Rock, the foundation stone upon which the Church would be built, to becoming a stumbling block to Jesus. Poor Peter. Jesus had to explain how His own life was going to take a radical change, and that He must undergo some great trials and sufferings, and then be executed; yet, overcoming death by rising again. Like so many of us, Peter tries to be strong and come to the rescue of his friend, "God forbid it! This must never happen to You." And then Jesus utters one of the most quoted lines in the New Testament, "Get behind me, Satan!" From a foundation stone of the Church, to being compared to Satan - a hindrance, a nuisance, an enemy of God.

How could this have happened to Peter? To me, it seems that Peter has let his mind be occupied with the wrong things for the times - the human things - and so it became an impediment to the teaching of the Savior. Peter has done the typical thing that we like to do - to deny that his friend must suffer or endure anything unpleasant - to say, "I won't let this happen to you." Peter tried to be super-human, and, yet, any one of us who has lost a partner, a lover, or a spouse knows that we cannot be super-human. And Jesus tells Peter, just like He tells us, "You have it all wrong. You are getting in the way of God's agenda." Because the participants in His agenda are going out on a limb for God. They will suffer because of it. They might even have to die for it. They, not the big guys, not the strong ones, will ultimately be the ones to whom God will give glory. "Get out of My way! And that goes for all who try to follow Me. They have to be ready to take the risks and suffer, if need be."

How often has the Church and we, ourselves, individually, chosen not to take up the Cross to follow Jesus? How often have we become like Peter, stumbling stones, rather than foundation stones? Rather than denying ourselves, we in the Church, too often, want to do as Peter did and say, "God forbid we should have to do that"; or, more likely, for us Episcopalians, "We have never done it that way before." Too often, we become like the elders, the chief priests and scribes, who tried to throttle the mission of Jesus and even had Him killed; for they were not willing to give up one precious little bit of their interpretation of the Torah or of their familiar liturgical practices.

How many of you read the story in yesterday's Desert Sun about that priest and congregation in Rosemont, Pennsylvania? They refuse to follow the Episcopal Church's liturgies and doctrines, and they hold onto the pre-1979 ways of doing things and viewing the world, denying the God-given rights of women, gays and lesbians, and minorities. Many of us are willing to give up and sacrifice a bit during Lent, but we are really delighted when the Easter Vigil rolls around; and we can get back to business as usual in our lives. For we love the "Alleluias", but we balk at the "Lord have mercy's". (Although I have a secret to say. I have a friend, who, along with me, secretly likes Lent a lot; but we're Scandinavian, so that comes natural to us!).

For those of us who were raised in the 50's and 60's, we have seen enormous changes in the contemporary Church. It was a difficult and arduous and hurtful time for many. Some still hold onto that hurt, such as that Church in Rosemont, or the Forward in Faith group. Our minds have been set on the mechanics of things more often than on the message of Salvation and Redemption through Jesus Christ. We try to save the Church, as we knew it, rather than lose it for Jesus' sake, and we hear those words of Jesus so often: "For those who want to save their life will lose it; and those who lose their life for My sake will find it."

So, how can we, both as the Church at large, and as persons of faith in this Parish, set out minds on divine things? The Coachella Valley is no different than the rest of the world - it's a mess - gangs are running around, kidnappings, random shootings; drugs are in abundance, and these are hard economic times. How can we set our minds on divine things when most of us just try to get through another day? How do we rediscover the message and mission of Jesus? How do we lose our lives as a Church in order to be found by God again, and, thereby, help others in their quest to find Jesus?

Let's look at the readings today. Moses was called to come forth by God to enter into dialogue with Him. God told him His Name. God asked for a renewed commitment, a new covenant. When Moses went back to the people and told them everything that he had seen and heard, they said, "That which the Lord has spoken, we will do" - a renewed commitment to serve God.

When was the last time that you felt called by God to read the Bible? I mean, I freely admit I can't recite all the commandments in order. So, I think that the first step that can help turn our minds and hearts to the message of Jesus is to have an intimate relationship with Scripture. So, step one - let's start by having an affair with the Bible, a long-term relationship. And yet, the Bible, like any lover, is complicated and sometimes contradictory and frustrating. The psalmist says, "Ask God to prove me and try me, test my heart and mind." Whenever we encounter rough spots in Scripture, and there will be some, remember that in order to grow in a relationship, one will be tested and sometimes, as in today's Gospel, one will literally be called to suffer.

So, the second step is to expect rough patches in the Christian life, and, when they come up, to keep God's steadfast love before our eyes.

The third step is also found in the psalms: "Oh Lord, I love the house in which You dwell and the place where Your Glory abides." So step three is pretty basic - worship God with others, even in times of trial, and, especially in times of life's transitions, keep coming to Church. Staying away is tantamount to letting another one of those Satans get the better of you. Persevere in seeking out holy places around you, and, when the going gets tough - when we wonder what is going on, when we get tired of the challenges of life - seek out holy spaces more and more and worship with others.

The final step in rediscovering the message and mission of Jesus is found in Paul's letter to the Church in Rome: "Do not be haughty; but associate with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are." Nothing can damage a relationship more than competition. If a partner or spouse is constantly putting one another down and engaging in one-upping all the time, the relationship turns very sour, indeed. And here is where the Church is so often letting hordes of Satans get the better of us. Denominationalism; factions within a denomination, such as the Parish in Rosemont; rifts within Parishes over the mechanics of how we worship; and what we sing and how we govern our corporate lives have literally caused the suffering and even death to which Jesus referred to in today's Gospel. And, sadly, such competitiveness resulting in these divisions has not been for Jesus' sake or for the sake of His message of liberation or His mission of justice. They have taken place merely over what Matthew refers to as "human things". Paul cautions the Romans that the Christian life is not so much about getting it right or being right, as it is about such things as mutual affection, patience in suffering, and rejoicing in hope.

So to recap the four key ways in which we can reclaim the mission and message of Jesus - to move from the mechanic's mindset to a love affair with Jesus:

1) To begin a torrid love affair with the Scriptures; to open the Bible and read.

2) Expect rough patches, and, when they come along, remember that Jesus loves you deeply.

3) When things seem to be challenging you too much, persevere in public worship; go to a weekday Eucharist, such as our Wednesday evening service, or pray the daily office with others in a holy place.

4) Avoid competition and practice humility; realizing that wisdom is a widely-shared gift and that each of us has been given some, but not all, of God's wisdom.

So, I ask you, as individuals, and as a congregation, to go on mission. I challenge you to commit yourselves, here and now, to go to that place in your heart where Jesus resides and where He waits for you with open arms to welcome you back; and, once again, proclaim your baptismal vows to take up your cross, and, whatever that might be, to follow Jesus. And I challenge you again to call out: "All that the Lord has spoken, we will do"; to say, "Get behind me, Satan", when we find ourselves wanting to return to comfort, rather than risk the unknown. We can chose to remain stumbling stones to one another and to those whom we say we want to welcome, or we can let the fresh wind of the Spirit continue to blow through this place, refreshing, renewing, revitalizing, re-creating, and bringing new life to these walls.

I pray that we can begin to be intimate with the Scriptures, to expect rough patches ahead, to preserve in our worship, and to rid ourselves of haughtiness and competition. By doing so, we will be brought into God's glorious realm of justice, freedom, and love, and I hope you will join me in this prayer.

AMEN
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November 17, 2002 - The 26th Sunday After Pentecost

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November 17, 2002 - The 26th Sunday After Pentecost - Father Armand Kreft

THE FIRST READING: JUDGES 4: 1-7

The Israelites again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, after Ehud died. So the Lord sold them in to the hand of King Jabin of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor; the commander of his army was Sisera, who lived in Harosheth-ha-goiim. Then the Israelites cried out to the Lord for help, for he had nine hundred chariots of iron, and had oppressed the Israelites cruelly twenty years. At that time Deborah, a prophetess, wife of Lappidoth, was judging Israel. She used to sit under the palm of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim; and the Israelites came up to her for judgment. She sent and summoned Barak son of Abinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali, and said to him, "The Lord, the God of Israel, commands you, 'Go, take position at Mount Tabor, bringing ten thousand from the tribe of Naphtali and the tribe of Zebulun. I will draw out Sisera, the general of Jabin's army, to meet you by the Wadi Kishon with his chariots and his troops; and I will give him into your hand.'"

PSALM 123

1 To you I lift up my eyes, to you enthroned in the heavens.

2 As the eyes of servants look to the hand of their masters, and the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress,

3 So our eyes look to the Lord our God, until he show us his mercy.

4 Have mercy upon us, O Lord have mercy, for we have had more than enough of contempt.

5 Too much of the scorn of the indolent rich, and of the derision of the proud.

THE SECOND READING: 1 THESSALONIANS 5: 1-11

Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers and sisters, you do not need to have anything written to you. For you yourselves know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. When they say, "There is peace and security," then sudden destruction will come upon them, as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and there will be no escape! But you, beloved, are not in darkness, for that day to surprise you like a thief; for you are all children of light and children of the day; we are not of the night or of darkness. So then let us not fall asleep as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober; for those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who are drunk, get drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, and put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet, the hope of salvation. For God has destined us not for wrath but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we may live with him. Therefore encourage one another and build up each other, as indeed you are doing.

THE HOLY GOSPEL OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST ACCORDING TO MATTHEW (25: 14-30)

Jesus said, "The kingdom of heaven will be as when a man, going on a journey, summoned his slaves and entrusted his property to them; to one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. The one who had received the five talents went off at once and traded with them, and made five more talents. In the same way, the one who had the two talents made two more talents. But the one who had received the one talent went off and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master's money. After a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them. Then the one who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five more talents, saying, 'Master, you handed over to me five talents; see, I have made five more talents.' His master said to him, 'Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things; I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.' And the one with the two talents also came forward, saying, 'Master, you handed over to me two talents; see, I have made two more talents.' His master said to him, 'Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things; I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.' Then the one who had received the one talent also came forward, saying, 'Master, I knew that you were a harsh man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter seed; so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.' But his master replied, 'You wicked and lazy slave! You knew, did you, that I reap where I did not sow, and gather where I did not scatter? Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have received what was my own with interest. So take the talent from him, and give it to the one with the ten talents. For to all those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away. As for this worthless slave, thrown him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'"

Well, nothing like starting out the day with some evangelical zeal! One of my favorite hymns!

A talent - a talent - is a very large sum of money, especially in Jesus' time. It was approximately 15 years' salary, so think of what you made when you were working, and multiply that by 15 years. So this parable is about major financial activity. And, thank God the stock market went up, so I can tell you about risking money! It would be a mistake - it would be a mistake on your part to just read the surface of this parable and confuse the master in this parable with God. Please remember that Jesus always identified with the lowest of society - those who had nothing - not with those who were giving the orders. However, the parable does refer to the extravagance of God in the gifts that He bestows upon us. This parable is about what we do with those gifts. Three servants, each with a different approach to life - for, you see, how we deal with what is most important to us is a reflection on how we deal with life as a whole.

The first two servants took a mighty risk with the gifts they were given. The talent was then, to them, an enormous amount of money. Both of them at least doubled the amount of money entrusted to them - hardly a possibility without running the risk of losing the original investment. Now, those of us who do have money in the stock market know that we can lose our original investment. However, we cannot - we cannot lose the original investment that God made in us at our creation. His love will never be taken from us. We cannot lose it. So, we have a choice to live extravagantly, but not recklessly, with these gifts that God gave us, or to live in fear of losing what we have, and, thereby, not sharing or cooperating with others living an emotionally, poverty-stricken life of solitude.

God has given us gifts, and, along with those gifts, come responsibility. He has commanded us - He has commanded us to witness to our faith. From the prayer book of New Zealand: "You must be prepared to be what you proclaim. Serve Christ simply and willingly; let your joy in Christ overcome all discouragement; have no fear; be humble and full of hope."

Be prepared to be what you proclaim. As an aside, speaking of being prepared, did you know that, every year, a quarter of a million Christians are martyred for their faith because they live in hostile lands? Be prepared to be what you proclaim.

God has given us the gifts, the talents, to work for the Kingdom in a very critical way. No one else is able to do our job the way we can. Each one of us has a unique opportunity, as well as the ability, to do the job easily, sustainably, with joy and satisfaction. To avoid the call and waste the gift - even to do something else that may seem important or necessary at the time - is to cheat God and the community of an important part of our life together.

On Wednesday evenings, at the Eucharist, the Rector usually chooses some obscure, or not so obscure, saint or religious figure to honor. The discussion then centers around the bravery and the courage of this person in witnessing for their faith. Most have faced obstacles and hurdles that we will never have to deal with. Around the table, the admiration of these people is unanimous, and, usually, the discussion ends with, "Where are people like these now?" My answer is that we are sitting around the table on Wednesday night, or sitting here, or in every other church, world-wide. Yet, too many of us live in fear or embarrassment about our faith in Jesus Christ, and we sit, at the worst, paralyzed, or, at the very least, apathetic about our faith. Our faith in Jesus Christ, for us to care, to give, to witness, to trust, to hope, and, most of all, to love, cannot be understood or lived without knowing the risks involved.

The third servant was paralyzed with the fear of losing what he had been given, so he hid the light of Christ that shines in all of us. He dimmed the glory of God and turned his back out of fear. Now, for us, a talent is not just the big things, like the ability to sing opera, or a perfect knack for cooking or playing the organ magnificently. A talent is anything that we know how to do that someone else needs to know. Those of us of a certain age have the talent for living that the young and the clueless need! (You liked that, Virginia, didn't you?! Yeah!). When I started working here a few weeks ago, I didn't know what the office procedures were. I didn't know what the customary for serving at the liturgics was; and, yet, people have that knowledge, and they shared it with me. Yet people who never have a chance to know what they are capable of doing are a sin against our society. People who know and never get a chance to do what they know how to do, likewise, are a judgment against the culture that stifles them. And again, people who withhold themselves, who do not offer what they know and possess, or are fearful of loving, are sinning. It is like withholding the truth from someone. It is like not using your lungs, which God has given you. When you don't use them, you die. And, when we don't use the gifts God has given us, a big part of us dies. When we withhold the love that God has given us, when we do not invest our talents, when we do not risk to dream, it is like the poet Langston Hughes wrote: "What happens with a dream deferred? Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?" When you hide out of fear; when you do not risk; when you never have a chance to know what you are capable of becoming; you become a sin against society, for you are giving nothing back to that which sustains you. If we fear losing, then we will never gain. If we do not take the risk to care for another, to give to another, to hope in another, and, most of all, to love another, then we will never be open to another's love or God's - for it is with our involvement with one another that we exemplify the Kingdom of God. We are doing our part to usher in that Kingdom now.

In Eugene Peterson's translation of Scripture, called "The Message", Jesus sends out His Disciples to do the work and tells them to take nothing with them; and Jesus said, "Because you are the equipment." All of us are the equipment to make the world work, and, when the talents of ourselves or anyone else's are buried, it is no wonder the world is a mess. Why do we fear to risk? What will we lose? Will we lose our self-respect? Will we lose our money? Will we lose love? Will we experience rejection, guilt, or embarrassment? What is it that you fear to lose?

During the Falkland's war, Margaret Thatcher was asked what would happen if Britain failed in its attempt to reclaim the islands. She responded in her typical fashion, "Failure? The possibility does not exist." I like Margaret Thatcher!

There is also a saying, a popular saying that is going around now, "If you knew you could not fail, what would you dare to dream?" If you knew you could not fail, what would you dare to dream? (Oh, I am pounding on the pulpit! O.K.).

Take a look at your lives and the risks you have taken. Have you moved from where you were raised? Have you entered into relationships that have deepened your love for another person or yourself and thanked God for that opportunity? Have you raised children and respected their lives, even though their lives may be way different from what you had hoped? Have you started a new career at some time that required you to learn something new? All of us have risked. All of us have risked and sometimes been hurt, but, more often than not, we have gained much by the experience. I ask you, therefore, to continue to be bold and continue to risk for Jesus' sake. You will not fail! You cannot fail if you do it through Jesus Christ! Your arms become His as you embrace those around you. Your eyes become His as you look at the injustices and the inequities of our community. Your mouth echoes His words as you speak out against bigotry and prejudice and social and financial disparities, and as you silence those who use degrading names when speaking of people different from themselves. Your legs become His as you continue on your pilgrimage that may, in fact, lead you to Calvary; but you will always wind up in the promised land, and your heart becomes His sacred heart as you offer it in love and to be loved and to ache as our Savior's heart aches for those who are lost and live in fear.

What's important in your life? How does this reflect on your life as a whole? Well, you get to make up your own mind about that. That is the beauty of being an Episcopalian! You have a choice of what is important to you. You have a choice about the hard issues of life - the ethical and moral issues. You have a choice on how you care, give, witness, trust, hope, and, most of all, you have a choice of whom and what you love.

Now, the Rector asked me to speak a bit about the stewardship season (trust me - it's going to be two sentences - just to fulfill my promise!). You know, we have so much here at St. Paul's. Our newsletter is called "The Abundant Life". All of us have extraordinary gifts given by God, so I will ask you to look deep into your lives and see how you can share in the ministry of the Church. Soon, you will be asked to make your pledge to St. Paul's ministry. Dare to risk for us and for God.

Dietrich Bonhoffer was a theologian, who was in a concentration camp, and, while awaiting execution by the Nazi's, he wrote this. It is a quote that I have on my desk, because it is how I lead my life and how I lead my ministry, and I share it with you. Bonhoffer wrote, "To do and dare, not what you would, but what is right, never hesitate over what is within your power, but boldly grasp what lies before you. Not in the flight of fancy, but only in the deed, is there freedom. Away with timidity and reluctance! Out into the story of events, sustained only by the commandments of God and your faith, and freedom will receive your spirit with exaltation."

A talent was a lot of money - 15 years' wages. It was a lifetime, in a sense - a talent, the worth of a life. So, what have you done with your greatest treasure? For, you see, it is how we deal with what is most important to us that is a reflection on how we deal with life as a whole.

In the name of the risen Christ,

AMEN
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December 1, 2002 - First Sunday of Advent

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December 1, 2002 - First Sunday of Advent - Father Armand Kreft

THE FIRST READING: ISAIAH 64: 1-9

O that you would tear open the heavens and come down, so that the mountains would quake at your presence-as the fire kindles brushwood and the fire causes water to boil-to make your name known to your adversaries, so that the nations might tremble at your presence! When you did awesome deeds that we did not expect, you came down, the mountains quaked at your presence. From ages past no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who works for those who wait for him. You meet those who gladly do right, those who remember you in your ways. But you were angry, and we sinned; because you hid yourself we transgressed. We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a filthy cloth. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away. There is no one who calls on your name, or attempts to take hold of you; for you have hidden your face from us, and have delivered us into the hand of our iniquity. Yet, O Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand. Do not be exceedingly angry, O Lord, and do not remember iniquity forever. Now consider, we are all your people.

PSALM 80: 1-7

1 Hear O Shepherd of Israel, leading Joseph like a flock; shine forth, you that are enthroned upon the cherubim.

2 In the presence of Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh, stir up your strength and come to help us.

3 Restore us, O God of hosts; show the light of your countenance, and we shall be saved.

4 O Lord God of hosts, how long will you be angered despite the prayers of your people?

5 You have fed them with the bread of tears; you have given them bowls of tears to drink.

6 You have made us the derision of our neighbors, and our enemies laugh us to scorn.

7 Restore us, O God of hosts; show the light of your countenance, and we shall be saved.

THE SECOND READING: 1 CORINTHIANS 1: 3-9

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that has been given you in Christ Jesus, for in every way you have been enriched in him, in speech and knowledge of every kind just as the testimony of Christ has been strengthened among you-so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ. He will also strengthen you to the end, so that you may be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful; by him you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

THE HOLY GOSPEL OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST ACCORDING TO MARK (13: 24-37)

Jesus said, "In those days, after that suffering, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see 'the Son of Man coming in clouds' with great power and glory. Then he will send out the angels, and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven. From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves, you know the summer is near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates. Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. But about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Beware, keep alert; for you do not know when the time will come. It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his slaves in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to be on the watch. Therefore, keep awake-for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or at dawn, or else he may find you asleep when he comes suddenly. And what I say to you I say to all: Keep awake."

Well, I have been here long enough to take some direction from the Rector. I am going to start my sermon with a song. But, unlike the Rector, I am not going to sing it.

Praise be to God!

One of my favorite non-Episcopal hymns that I go around my house singing starts out with:

This could be the dawning of that grand and glorious day, when the face of Jesus we behold.

The dreams and hopes of all the ages are awaiting his returning, and this could be the dawning of that day.

If you have listened to the lessons for the past several weeks, and now beginning our Advent season, they are calling for the arrival, not of a baby in a manger, but a full, risen, glorious Savior, returning in majesty, known to us as the Second Coming. And we Christians have been awaiting this ever since our Lord told us that this would happen. For us, then, Advent is, indeed, a season of expectations - expectations of ourselves, of others, of the Church, and of the Messiah.

The Protestant denomination, the Seventh Day Adventists, was founded because their leader called them to expect the end of the world on a certain date in 1844. And they all gathered, and they waited . . . . . . . and they waited . . . . and they waited.

Well, as far as I know, it just didn't happen!!! In their history books, this is called "The Great Disappointment"; and yet, they regrouped and now look towards the future demise of the world and the Rapture to come, but not with a specific date in mind. And this denomination has gone on to become leaders in health care and social justice; so, even out of their unmet expectations, they were able to get beyond their initial disappointment to regroup and move forward.

So many of us have expectations that we do not share with others, and, when we don't share our expectations, they simply cannot be met. Only we know when we have been disappointed by our unmet expectations. If our expectations are not brought out into the light of day - if they are not spoken - then we set ourselves up for sabotage and disappointment - in the Church, ourselves, others, and with God. Our disappointment usually turns to anger at the object of our expectations, which usually comes as a complete surprise to them! Many of us expect the Church to be a prominent part of our lives.

St. Paul's is a gathering place for a remarkable group of people, all with different lifestyles, different philosophies of life, different gifts, and different expectations. St. Paul's is not a refuge from the world. It is not a retreat. It is an advancement of the world as we Christians view it. St. Paul's is real. These walls represent prayers of generations of people, but we are not the New Jerusalem. We are not even the Promised Land. We cannot take away the hurts and the inequities of the world. We cannot take your personal problems away. We can, however, offer them to God as a body, joined together with the common expectation of the Second Coming of Jesus, and, until then, of His total accepting love for us.

At St. Paul's, we have been given an opportunity where we can disagree with one another. This is one of the great strengths of this Parish and of the Episcopal Church, as a whole. For me, it would be terribly boring if we all sat around with beatific smiles on our faces, agreeing to the difficult issues of life, but the Church will not protect you from the harsh realities of the world or your personal life. It will offer you a place where you can struggle with your life along with others who share a common journey.

To fantasize about winning the lottery, a better life, meeting your one great love, or, for some of us, becoming the first American Archbishop of Canterbury . . . . Well, you know, that is lots of fun, but it may not be rooted in reality! If our fantasies then become our expectations, we will be disappointed. No one and not one thing can fulfill expectations based on fantasy. Rob Voile, who is the interim Dean of the Cathedral in Portland and also the instructor of appreciative inquiry counseling, states: "Your focus becomes your reality." So, whatever we focus our lives upon becomes our reality.

Expectations of the Savior - Jesus is our Savior; Jesus is our Lover; Jesus is not a fantasy. Jesus was real; He is real. And we have been redeemed and saved by His crucifixion and His resurrection. We, too, will be with Him in glory one day when we see Him face-to-face. This is the Christian expectation. Jesus lived in our world. That is an historical fact. Jesus was in the world. Jesus experienced all the daily events of His life that would equal our daily life experiences today. We know that Jesus experienced hunger, loneliness, anxiety, loss, sexuality, and anger - all the human emotions that we experience. He went through them just as we are expected to go through them, as well. Jesus had at His command the entire heavenly hosts to do His bidding. He could have removed Himself from this earthly existence. Instead, He chose to enter into our life, to experience the realities of it, to sanctify our lives, by giving Himself for us through ordinary sustenance. We remember that at every Eucharist, and, yet, we need to remember that at every meal, at every encounter. Jesus makes our lives holy, and, just as Jesus experienced daily life, so, too, are we expected to experience it. If we expect Jesus to provide us with an easy way through this life, we will, in fact, be disappointed. Yes, we can and do expect miracles in our lives. I certainly do. Miracles are real if you open yourselves to them, but miracles do not take away our own divine commission - to make our own way through our own individual lives, within our own unique circumstances. Jesus will be there to guide us, but Jesus will not make up our minds for us. Our expectations of the Messiah must be based on reality, and that is the reality that Jesus can see our lives, and we can see our lives through Jesus' eyes. He allows us to refocus our vision.

Do you remember, two weeks ago, I was about to preach on financial risk, and the stock market bounded? Well, I am going to preach about rain right now, and, thankfully, it rained this week! Here is an example. If we are driving through the rain, and our vision becomes blurred by the raindrops on the windshield, we turn on the wipers. We do not concentrate on the wipers unless they don't work. We expect the wipers to clear our vision so we can see the road ahead. So, too, is our expectation of the Messiah. Jesus clears away the raindrops so we can see the road ahead. Jesus does not always stop the rain.

So, how can we, like those in 1844, experience our great disappointments and turn our lives around once again to be filled with hope and longing for the future? What happens with our own unmet expectations? We must begin by finally telling the truth to ourselves and to others we may have hurt, knowing that our disappointment stems from our fantasies. Telling the truth is the first step to forgiveness. We need to forgive those who have disappointed us - to realize that we had fantasies rather than realistic expectations, and that, if your expectations had not been spoken, they couldn't possibly have been met. It is unfair to all involved if we hide our expectations. Secondly, we need to forgive ourselves - forgive ourselves for being too timid to voice those expectations, to forgive ourselves for confusing fantasies with reality, and, with that forgiveness will come a larger strength, a firmer base upon which to build true expectations of our Church, our Messiah, of others, and of ourselves.

But simply going through the motions of forgiving or accepting forgiveness will not get us very far. We must squarely face our feelings and tell someone so we are no longer alone with our guilt. Then, if there is a possibility for repair and reconciliation without further hurt, we must make that repair. In this concrete way, we can be genuinely forgiven and fully accept forgiveness, and, when we have had a spiritual experience such as this, we will mature and gain the ability to forgive others.

So far, I have talked only about our expectations. It is not one-sided. Jesus has expectations of us, as does the Church. In our vows at Baptism, we vowed to follow Jesus as Lord and Savior. We vowed to continue in the Apostle's teaching and fellowship, in breaking bread, and in the prayers. We vowed to strive for justice and peace among all people and respect the dignity of every human being. If you were here two weeks ago, you will remember that I quoted from the Prayer Book of New Zealand: "Be prepared to be what you proclaim." Jesus expects us to follow Him through our actions and our hearts. Jesus does not expect us to be perfect, which should come as a relief to most of us! However, He does expect us to make a good try in upholding our Baptismal vows. And these are not hidden expectations; these are spoken expectations. So we get a choice of whether or not we want to meet them.

St. Paul's expects us to be part of community by being involved in the ministries and participating in the life of the Parish. In the past, you have been extremely generous with your participation, your volunteering, and with your money. To call yourself a member of this Parish means that you care about what and how St. Paul's does her ministry. To call yourself a member of this Parish means that you want to have a say, a vote, on how we proceed to usher in the Kingdom of God. Along with these rights, you have a responsibility to ensure that St. Paul's continues in the high quality of ministry for which we are known. The Church of St. Paul then expects that you will contribute your time and your money to allow those whom you have entrusted to serve and lead you in doing the job that is expected of them, as well as to allow us to expand our vision here in Palm Springs, to reach out to those who have yet to hear the Good News of Jesus Christ or to know the embracing arms of the St. Paul's community. And these are not hidden expectations; these are now spoken expectations of you; and, in a few minutes, you will have a chance, a choice, on how you will respond to them.

We believe that God wants and desires the best possible life for us. Our expectations of that life need to be rooted in the promise of Jesus that He will never forsake us, even in our most bitter disappointments. This is the Advent season of our expectations. Along with the expectations come preparations for those expectations to be met. Let us prepare ourselves through forgiveness and acceptance to expect the best for us and from others. We have a chance, again, to look for the coming of the Savior, to re-gather our expectations, to ground them in faith and reality.

Another non-Episcopal hymn that I go around my house singing:

The King is coming! The King is coming!

I can hear the trumpets sound.

And, now, His face I see.

The King is coming! The King is coming!

Praise God He is coming for me.

AMEN
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