August 8, 2004 - Tenth Sunday After Pentecost - Father Barry Woods

FIRST READING: Isaiah 1:1, 10-20
PSALM: 50: 1-8, 23-24
SECOND READING: Hebrews 11: 1-3, 8-16
GOSPEL: Luke 12: 32-40

I do so much enjoy our Rector's sermons. He always has something important to say. I never go away feeling that listening to him was a waste of time. (That is true for all of the staff here, but we are talking about the Rector this morning). I do so much enjoy his sermons. It is one of the reasons why my wife and I made our home here, rather than somewhere else in the valley. But, the one thing about his sermons that has always struck me is that he is always able to say something important, but he is always able to make jokes and tell treatsy-funny little stories; and everybody goes away feeling better and uplifted. It always seems to be that way. On the mornings he preaches, he always seems to draw a Gospel lesson that allows him to be light-hearted and funny and entertaining, and you all go away feeling wonderful about him.

And then, he goes away, and what lessons do we get? Last week, Fred and Armand had to preach about money and death. This morning, I draw a Gospel that talks about money, and the Second Coming, and the last judgment. Now, is that fair? For a while, before I knew him well, I thought that perhaps he planned all of this ? that he went ahead, looked at all the lessons, and decided when who was going to preach. As I got to know him better, I realized that that is not true ? not because he is that good, but because he is not that well organized!!!

"You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour".

Most biblical scholars that I trust agree that the disciples and maybe even Jesus, Himself, thought that the Kingdom of God was coming right away, in a matter of days, or months, at the most. The disciples and Jesus lived in a time that they believed was on the very edge between heaven and hell, and that very, very soon, the decisions would be made by God as to who was going to heaven and who was going to hell. It was going to be decided very, very soon ? days, or months, at the most. And so, in this Gospel lesson, when Jesus says to His disciples, "You must be ready", it had a sense of reality and urgency because of their belief that the readiness had to be right now ? because the Kingdom was coming very soon.

Today, we have been through a couple of millennia of delay in the Kingdom. We have gotten used to the fact that the Kingdom is not coming right away. We have lost our sense of urgency. We have lost our sense that something decisive must be done, because the hour is unexpected. We have lost all of that sense that this Gospel passage conveyed to the disciples. You and I don't share it. The delay has left us apathetic about the coming of the Kingdom. It has become very unfashionable, particularly in the Episcopal Church, for a preacher to preach about the Second Coming, and the Kingdom, and being ready.

But, let me tell you what I believe. I believe that you and I live on the edge between heaven and hell, just the way the disciples did ? maybe even more so ? and I believe that, even though there has been all of these centuries of delay in the coming of the Kingdom, you and I live in a decisive time. I am not predicting anything within the next weeks or months. I am not playing that game. I am just saying that the decisiveness that faced the disciples is no different than the decisiveness which faces you and me this morning.

The Son of Man is coming again at an hour we do not expect, and you and I ignore that fact at great peril. And so, this morning, at the risk of being unpopular, unfashionable, and totally un-cool, I want to share with you three things that stand out in this Gospel this morning ? three reminders for you and for me.

The first reminder is: We must be ready. And that is a very simple idea. Don't let anyone ever make it too complicated for you about what getting ready means. If you are already ready, that is fine, but, if you are not ready, then we need to get ready; and to get ready is very simple. If we are doing something we ought not to be doing, then we had better stop; and, if we are not doing something that we ought to be doing, then we had better start. And we better remind ourselves every day that all of the physical possessions and all of the things that we lavish our attention and our love on ? all of those things, houses, and bank accounts, and stock market accounts, and all the rest of it, all of it that gets so much of our attention ? will mean, on that day, absolutely nothing. And we need to remind ourselves of that, and above all and in all and through all, you and I need, every day, to re-touch ourselves ? to put ourselves in touch again, every day, with our faith in Jesus Christ and our trust and dependence on His love and forgiveness. And that is the way we get ready.

The second reminder from this Gospel lesson is in the opening words from Jesus, "Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the Kingdom". You and I get ready for that decisive day, not out of fear, but out of love and gratitude. I have no inside information as to who is going to inherit the Kingdom and who isn't, and I don't want to listen to anybody who says they do have the answer to that question. I don't have it, and I don't know or trust anyone who does. But I do know this. I know that the very minute your deepest heart asks the question, "Am I going to inherit the Kingdom or not?" . . . . the minute that question comes from deep down inside of you ? not an intellectual cocktail party conversation item ? but when that question comes from as far down inside of you as you are able to reach, and you ask yourself, "Am I going to inherit the Kingdom or not?" ? the minute that happens, then, I tell you, most assuredly, the answer comes: "Do not be afraid, for your Father is going to give you the Kingdom".

And the last thing that the Gospel reminds us of is that we need to make purses for ourselves ? purses that do not wear out, where no thief comes near, and no moth destroys. If it is true that our faith in Jesus Christ is the main thing that will decide how we face Jesus when He comes at that unexpected hour ? if that faith is all that matters at that time, then that faith is our only true treasure. It is the only treasure we have that really matters ? our faith in Jesus Christ ? and that treasure needs to be protected. It needs to be protected against the moths and the thieves. That faith, that treasure, needs a purse ? a purse that won't wear out. And there are many purses available for Christians and many ways to make sure that our treasure, our faith, is protected.

But, let me tell you what I think about one place ? one place that is a purse for you and for me and for the treasure of our faith. That place is located at 125 W. El Alameda in Palm Springs, California. Through the worship and the Sacraments and the Creeds and the teaching and the preaching and the fellowship of this place, you and I can bring the treasure of our faith and find a place where there is a purse that will not wear out. It will protect us from the moths and the thieves that try to nibble away at our faith or steal it from us. And having brought the treasure of our faith here, and having had it placed in the purse that will not wear out, having had it strengthened and protected by this place, you and I can then go out into that world out there and share that treasure, and share that faith, and ask people to come here and see what goes on here. And, by doing that, you and I will have done what we have been called to do. We will have done what we can do to make sure that, on that day, in that unexpected hour, when the Son of Man comes again, no one ? no one ? will be left out, and every one will hear Him say, "Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the Kingdom".

AMEN