It's Time

 Advent 1 2025             It’s Time         The Rev. Nancy E. Gossling

Almighty God, give us grace to cast away the works of darkness, and put on the armor of light, now in the time of this mortal life in which your Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge both the living and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through him who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Aside from the growing darkness outside our windows at this time of year, there has been plenty of growing darkness around our world, in our country, and even within our own souls. What’s a person to do during this season of Advent, when we’re encouraged by the prophet Isaiah to “put on the armor of light”? And when our collect for the day begins with these words, “Almighty God, give us grace to cast away the works of darkness, and put on the armor of light.”

Our darkness, accentuated by Daylight Savings Time, has arrived. This is also the time, the beginning of a new liturgical year, which we call the season of Advent. And “you know what time it is,” St. Paul told the Romans in his letter. “It is now the moment for you to wake from sleep.”  Today, we are invited to get out of bed earlier, to assume postures of readiness, alert to something greater that is about to happen, beyond our horizon and even beyond all our human understanding. It’s time to wake up, people!

        I guess our first order of business then is to do some casting out of that darkness. Throw some light into the room and onto our problems. Imagine throwing that darkness into an ocean like a deep-sea fisherman, who is hoping for a catch in the early morning light. Or as if we are floating in a lifeboat in the middle of a storm, and we begin to jettison unnecessary things for our survival. St. Paul names some of them in his letter to the Romans: drunkenness, debauchery, licentiousness, quarreling, and jealousy. Perhaps facing our own death, indeed anything that drags us down into the deep, we decide to cast it all away!

Death threats seem to be common occurrences these days when people don’t like what we’ve said or done, as most politicians, public servants, and public figures can attest. A Manhattan-based psychotherapist claims he has received dozens of hate messages, including death threats, since speaking publicly about seeing patients he describes as experiencing "Trump Derangement Syndrome." Apparently 75% of his clients come to him seeking help for their depression but within 5 minutes of conversation, he said that these clients quickly shifted to confessing their hatred for Donald Trump.  (Jonathan Alpert, author of the forthcoming book "Therapy Nation”)

        Before you judge me about TDS, hear me out! Such hatred and feelings of powerlessness lead people into very dark places, and so these patients came to him seeking his help. And yet this psychiatrist’s point of view was that any kind of obsession, be it with people, products, or politics, can lead us into very dark places. When we become so hyper-focused on certain people and things beyond our control, like any person who has ever fought the demons of addiction and mental illness, these obsessions can drag us down. Indeed, they can lead to death.

Paul and I recently watched the new movie entitled “Nuremberg” based upon the atrocities of World War 2 and the subsequent Nuremberg trials, when German leaders were sentenced to death for their part in the killing of millions of Jews. It was a hard movie to watch; and yet there were a few poignant takeaways. This is what happens when evil is not confronted. This is what happens when hatred is allowed to grow. This is what happens when people “do nothing” or “say nothing” in the face of evil. And yet no country or human being is devoid of these possibilities, argued the leading psychiatrist in the Nuremberg trials. Remember, when you point your finger at others, three of them are pointed back at you.

        Violence isn’t always over there but also close to home. Too often the news from our cities report gun violence, as they did this past week in Washington, D.C. In an article in the Boston Globe on November 15, a young woman was interviewed from her bed in a rehab facility in Charlestown. She and her boyfriend had been walking on the street in Roxbury when a man opened fire on a restaurant, apparently part of a gang war. A stray bullet caught her in the back and as she lay bleeding on the ground Aleyah Fernandez said, “I was just praying to God, please don’t let me die. Things were just going good for me.” (Truman Dickerson Globe Correspondent, Updated November 13, 2025)

        What was appalling to me, as I read this story, was that she said that the people who were around her just stood in a circle and stared. Recording the scene on their cell phones, they said nothing and did nothing to help. Suddenly and unexpectedly, a stranger jumped in and applied pressure to her wound, an action that she claims saved her life. He told the boyfriend to call 911 and waited until the ambulance arrived. They have no idea who this savior was.

        Today, with her boyfriend still by her side, she says that they both have faith that one day she will walk again. Not filled with bitterness and darkness, she remains grateful for her life, the man who helped her, and the love she shares with her boyfriend. She is grateful for the care that she’s receiving at the rehab facility; and she also remains trusting in the goodness of God. Speaking up as a victim of gang and gun violence, she wants to help change her community for the better by being a witness against the man who was arrested for multiple acts of violence and hate.

        As you may know, I love basketball in general and the Celtics team in particular. Over the years I have begun to recognize elite players on other teams. Notably, Damian Lillard is one of the best players on the Portland Trailblazers team, and when he starts “getting in his bag” and the game looks as if they have won, he will point to his watch. It’s “Dame time!” he claims.

        Advent is the season that reminds us that our game has already been won. It is time to prepare for a future event, that is the birth of Jesus and the beginning of our salvation story. And today' s gospel passage from Matthew reminds us that we “must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.” Indeed, Richard A. Kauffman writes that “we are called to be ready, to be alert. Ready for our own death, to be sure, but also ready and alert to God’s kingdom breaking in anywhere, anytime, even in the here and now.” (Xian Century, November 2025 p29)

        The euphemism for death is often referred to as “the time” when our “number is called.” Now the bench players on the Celtics team have often been called the “stay ready group” so that when their “number is called” they can play well. Staying ready means that every day they’ve “gone to work” preparing themselves to do whatever is needed for the benefit of the team. Sitting on the bench, or playing in the game, we can be ready for Jesus to call our number or God’s presence to break into our world.

        So, Advent is that time when we can point to our watches and say it’s “Jesus time.” It’s time to wake up from our spiritual funk and to shake off the covers of darkness that threaten our well-being. It’s time to cast off those things that drag us down. Advent reminds us to prepare and get ready for the birth of our savior, who is the elite player on our team named Jesus, and the author of our salvation story.

        “Although it’s become a cliche, there is truth in the saying: The darkest night is right before dawn. Christian hope is not naive. It is quite aware of the darkness around us. It doesn’t flinch from or try to escape the darkness - it is not wishful thinking or mere optimism. Nor is Christian hope passive. On the contrary, Christian hope is positive. Christian hope is active. Christian hope is also patient and closely linked to peace.”  (Xian Century, November 2025, Richard Kauffman, p28)

        So let us “put on the armor of light; let us live honorably as in the day,” wrote St. Paul. That armor of light is like our inflatable life jacket, readily available to us either in the air, on land, or at sea, enabling us to live honorably. “Put on the whole armour of God,” wrote St. Paul. “Stand with truth, righteousness, and the gospel of peace. Above all, take the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” (Ephesians 6: 10-17) 

        Like good “fisher of men” we can cast out our prayers, far and wide, praying for our world, our country, our companions, and even for ourselves. So put away your hate speech. Let go of whatever obsessions cause you to take your “eye off the ball.” Prepare each day as if it is your “game day.” Then “beat your swords into ploughshares, and your spears into pruning-hooks” and take on the mantle of peace and love.

        This Advent let us walk in the light of the Lord! Let us be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour. And we can be prepared, ready for Christmas joy to dispel our darkness. It’s time.

        Isaiah 2:1-5    Romans 13:11-14   Matthew 24:36-44

Ruth Cheney Wyman RIP

 

Ruth Cheney Wyman, RIP
August 9, 1925 - June 22, 2025
A Celebration of Life
Bigelow Chapel, Mt. Auburn Cemetery, October 24, 2025
The Rev. Nancy E. Gossling

            You may or may not know that Ruth is the name of one of the books in the Bible, specifically found in the Old Testament, and otherwise known as the Hebrew scriptures. Unlike your Ruth’s long history of life, 99 years young, the Ruth in the Bible is a short story. So, knowing that Ruth Cheney Wyman loved both history and telling stories, here are two stories for you this morning: a synopsis of the Biblical Ruth and the salvation story of Jesus, the Christ.

          First of all, Biblical Ruth was a widow and her story is considered “one of the most beautiful pieces of literature in the Bible. In contrast to most other Biblical narratives, the concern of the author seems to be with a private family rather than national or international affairs. The plot revolves around family relationships and the role each member plays in filling the needs of the other members and hence the family as a whole. In particular Biblical Ruth has been interpreted as deriving from the word meaning ‘Friend or Companion.’” (Harper Collins Study Bible, p408)

               Because of today’s celebration of her life, I can thank Ruth Cheney Wyman not only for encouraging me to open my Bible but also to find one of the books in my library by Joan Chittister entitled “The Gift of Years, Growing Older Gracefully.” I also began reading an old magazine from seminary entitled “The Test of Time: The Art of Aging.” Now before you begin to count the gray hairs on my head or the wrinkles on my face, I hasten to inform you that this kind of art and graceful growing older is intended for all ages. Aging is a neverending lifelong process!

          At each age and stage of our lives we can grow. And like any good gardener will tell you (and that’s not me) this graceful growth involves many important things. To name a few, there is the need for good soil, sun and water, occasional pruning, and protection from any kind of destruction. For the plants, flowers, and trees not only to survive but also to flourish we need to be intentional in our care. And as we move through this life, much like the seasons of New England, we are invited to shed some things and take on others. We have choices about how we live: physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.

As it is written in the book of Ecclesiastes, another book in the Old Testament, there is a time for everything under the sun. “A time to weep, and a time to laugh. A time to love and a time to hate. A time for war and a time for peace. A time to be born and a time to die.” Similarly, the famous monk named St. Francis of Assisi, known for his love of creation, offered a riff on this scripture passage in a prayer attributed to him. He claims that it is not only time to practice these virtues but also to be instruments of these values as well.

His prayer invites us to grow gracefully no matter our age. “Where there is hatred, let us sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is discord, union; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; and where there is sadness, joy.” A celebration of life should always include joy! And so we remember Ruth Cheney Wyman joyfully today!

Today’s prelude music entitled “Ode to Joy” has become a “timeless symbol of human unity, freedom, and hope. This poem celebrates universal brotherhood, human solidarity, and the joy inherent in life and nature.” (Wikipedia) Unlike the word ‘happy’, joy reflects a deeper emotion. And what is success in life? Ralph Waldo Emerson claimed that it is to live a life filled with joy, love, and positive impact on others. This kind of living was part of Ruthie’s legacy.

According to rabbinic tradition, the main theme of the Biblical book of Ruth is chesed which is the Hebrew word for loyalty or faithfulness arising from commitment. Commitment means that we will make choices about how we express our loyalty and our faithfulness to God and to others. Ruth was a person of commitment and good choices.

Now as Christians, we believe that Jesus incarnated, that is to say, became human, to reveal the love of God, the chesed of God for us. Jesus made a commitment to remain faithful and loyal to God despite the betrayals and violence he endured. And it was his gift of 33 years that has withstood the test of time. We are inheritors of his sacrificial love for us and the legacy of his faithfulness to God.

The grace of God means that we receive the unmerited and undeserved love of God unconditionally. And Jesus revealed to us the Way of Love in divine and human form, and the grace of God in all its fullness. He showed us that our salvation story begins with the creation of life and continues through pain and suffering even through death. His story becomes our story of God’s neverending and eternal love for all people, all creation, and all creatures great and small. This salvation story offers us both joy and hope.

We have choices as to how we live the one, beautiful and precious life that has been given to us. As St. Francis once prayed, ‘Grant that we may not seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.’

          Growing Old Gracefully is the Gift of Years that is ours to receive no matter our age. It is a Test of Time that involves the Art of Aging. And Ruth Cheney Wyman has given us those legacies as we celebrate her life today. True to her form, my thoughts are with her this hour; and I hope that she is listening! Amen.

 Readings:

“To the Consolations of Philosophy” W.S.Merwin
          Anne Elizabeth Wyman (granddaughter)
“What is Success?” Ralph Waldo Emerson
          Marlowe May Coleman (great granddaughter)
 
Recollections:
          Robert Brooke Coleman (grandson)
          Janet Wyman Coleman (daughter)
 
Hymns and Music: Flutist Tim Macri
          Ode to Joy
 J.S. Bach from ‘Largo’
J.S. Bach  from Partita #3 BWV 1006
 
Morning Has Broken
Simple Gifts
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

         

 

Where is Our Hope?

 

October 5, 2025               Proper 22, Year C            The Rev. Nancy E. Gossling

 For me, there have been far too many deaths in this past month, people I have known and loved. Additionally, there have been far too many violent deaths, as you may well know if you’re plugged into the news. Of note was the assassination of Charlie Kirk in Utah. A single bullet took his life on a college campus. Reactions ranged from silence to outrage. His words resonated with some people and were abhorred by others. There was talk of a spiritual revival and moral revulsion. Who was this guy, and what did he actually say?

          As usual, throughout our country and around the world, there continued to be attacks on churches, synagogues, and mosques. While the pure definition of religion varies, the Latin translation means holding things together, or uniting groups of people with common understandings. It seems to me, however, that the wheels of religion are falling off the vehicle; the limbs of Christ’s body are being amputated, and the core of our religious body has become flabby at best.

          In our common lectionary for this Sunday, October 5, 2025, the Old Testament readings from Hebrew scripture, are filled with lamentations, tears, and grief. “How lonely sits the city that once was full of people! How like a widow she has become! She weeps bitterly in the night, with tears on her cheeks; among all her lovers she has no one to comfort her; all her friends have dealt treacherously with her, they have become her enemies.” (Lamentations 1:1-4) Where is the hope?

          Paul and I experienced two very different kinds of hope these past two weeks. The first was in Rome, at St. Peter’s Square, when Pope Leo celebrated Holy Eucharist in front of thousands of people. The crowd was composed of people from all nations, ages, and faiths. When it came time for distributing communion to the masses, thousands of Roman Catholic priests, dressed in green chasubles filed down into the crowds. Then, after the service, Pope Leo drove around the square kissing babies and blessing the people. There was a palpable sense of faith, hope, and love in the crowds. Being there was the highlight of our trip.

          The day after we returned home, we flew to Washington D.C. to attend the memorial service of Paul’s cousin, Colonel Edward Haines Gossling III who had been an army airforce pilot and was being interred in Arlington National Cemetery.The casket was carried on a caisson, pulled by officers on horseback, and followed by a marching band. The chaplain spoke about Ed’s goodness, character, and willingness to serve his country. And he also challenged those of us who were present to continue his example. Surrounded by 400,000 grave markers, he reminded us of our own mortality as well as the opportunity to perhaps live in new or different ways. Ed’s work was done; ours could just begin. Without hesitation, the chaplain spoke faithfully about Jesus. This powerful memorial service, from beginning to end, offered hope. It was another highlight or our trip.

          The second reading of Lamentations also provides some hope. “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. ‘The Lord is my portion,’ says my soul,’therefore I will hope in him.’ The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul that seeks him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.” (Lamentations 3:19-26)

          The war between Israel and Hamas has continued despite the on-going efforts of world leaders at establishing a lasting peace. The date two years ago of October 7 remains heavy for the people of Israel. In scripture they remember their history, and the invasion of their country by Iraq (Babylon) centuries ago. Taken into exile in Babylon, not unlike the Ukrainians who have been relocated to Russia, the tears of their people remain fresh. “By the waters of Babylon we sat down and wept, when we remembered you, O Zion. As for our harps, we hung them up on the trees in the midst of that land. For those who led us away captive asked us for a song and our oppressors called for mirth: Sing us one of the songs of Zion. How shall we sing the Lord's song upon an alien soil.” (Psalm 137)

 It is tempting to feel outrage and resentment; to seek revenge and the destruction of those who have harmed us or those we love. “O Daughter of Babylon, doomed to destruction, happy the one who pays you back for what you have done to us! Happy shall he be who takes your little ones, and dashes them against the rock!” Such violent language is also part of our common discourse today. It is a natural human reaction.

          And so we keep wondering. Where is our hope? When will this violence end? Like the prophet Habakkuk, we question God. “O Lord, how long shall I cry for help, and you will not listen? Or cry to you "Violence!"and you will not save? Why do you make me see wrong-doing and look at trouble? Destruction and violence are before me; strife and contention arise. So the law becomes slack and justice never prevails. The wicked surround the righteous--therefore judgment comes forth perverted.” (Habakkuk 1:1-4, 2:1-4)

          Once again the psalmist gives an answer. “Do not fret yourself because of evildoers; do not be jealous of those who do wrong. For they shall soon wither like the grass, and like the green grass fade away. Put your trust in the Lord and do good. Take delight in the Lord, and he shall give you your heart's desire. Commit your way to the Lord and put your trust in him, and he will bring it to pass. He will make your righteousness as clear as the light and your just dealing as the noonday. Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him. Do not fret yourself over the one who prospers, the one who succeeds in evil schemes. Refrain from anger, leave rage alone; do not fret yourself; it leads only to evil. For evildoers shall be cut off, but those who wait upon the Lord shall possess the land. (Psalm 37:1-10)

Where is our hope? In us. Do not fret. Do not be jealous. Refrain from anger; leave rage alone. In God. Trust in the Lord and do good. Take delight in the Lord. Commit your way; be still; and wait patiently for God to arrive. “For there is still a vision for the appointed time; it speaks of the end, and does not lie. If it seems to tarry, wait for it; it will surely come, it will not delay. (Habakkuk 2:1-4)

St. Paul advises Timothy not to be ashamed but to guard the good treasure of the gospel good news, that is “our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.” We receive freedom from our fear when we have faith, even the size of a mustard seed. We have freedom from despair when we have hope in the goodness, justice, and mercy of God. God is faithful, even when we are not; and so we put our trust in God, whose mercies never end. Therein lies our hope.

Lamentations 1:1-6    Lamentations 3:19-26    Psalm 137    Habakkuk 1:1-4, 2:1-4    Psalm 37:1-10

2 Timothy 1:1-14    Luke 17:5-10

 

 

Choose Love

 

St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, Cambridge, MA

The Rev. Nancy E. Gossling

“Hate can be a deeply stimulating emotion. The world becomes much easier to understand and much less terrifying if you divide everything and everyone into friends and enemies, we and they, good and evil. The easiest way to unite a group isn’t through love, because love is hard. It makes demands. Hate is simple.” Beartown by Frederik Backman

After reading today’s lesson from Deuteronomy, I can’t help but think about the current situation in Israel. Moses has led his followers out of slavery in Egypt, wandering through the wilderness for 40 years, and is now on the cusp of entering into the land that they believe God had promised to them. This land is a place for them to worship their God without fear, free from the shackles of oppression and hard labor. This gift from God was not without expectations for their behavior however. Indeed, God told Moses that, because of his own behavior, he would die before he could enter the promised land.

Moses told his followers that they had a choice. They can choose life by “loving the Lord your God, walking in his ways, and observing his commandments, decrees, and ordinances, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to possess.” If you don't, that is “if your heart turns away, but are led astray to bow down to other gods and serve them, I declare to you today that you shall perish; you shall not live long in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess.” There is a cost for choosing to remain faithful to God who promised us this land, Moses told his people.

Now, last week I mentioned the five core values that have been identified in the recent visioning process in our diocese. They are Welcome, Courage, Justice, Joy, and Love; and while last week I talked about welcome, this week, I am focusing on courage and love.

Recently, in Minneapolis, we heard of the horrific crime of a young person who killed 2 innocent children and injured 18 others as they prayed in a Roman Catholic Church before their school year began. Based upon reports of his written materials, this shooter’s core value was hate, having no love for anyone or anything, including himself. On one gun he had written, “Where is your God?”

The responses of politicians and religious leaders were immediate. Initially, the mayor of Minneapolis dismissed the call for people to offer their “thoughts and prayers” arguing that it was a time to take action. The Bishop of Minneapolis, Bishop Barron, insisted that it was an especially appropriate time for prayers. Indeed, courage is fear that has said their prayers. And, I would argue that praying is actually one form of taking action.

Violence and hate crimes take many forms. This bishop said, “"In the past seven years in our country, there has been a 700% increase in violent acts against Christians and Christian churches. Worldwide, Christianity is by far the most persecuted religion. That people are even wondering whether the tragedy in Minneapolis is an instance of anti-Catholic violence is puzzling to me," he said.

"If someone attacked a synagogue while congregants were praying, would anyone doubt that it was an antisemitic act?” he continued. “If someone shot up a mosque while the devout were praying, would anyone doubt that it was an anti-Islamic attack? So, why would we even hesitate to say that a maniac shooting into a Catholic Church while children are at prayer was committing an anti-Catholic act?" he concluded.  In some ways, I think that it takes “courage” to identify yourself as a person of any faith tradition these days.

Most religious traditions claim that their number one core value is love. God promised the land to the Hebrew people as a gift of love. In the gospel stories, the first two commandments are all about love: Love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself. And Jesus was known for incarnating the Way of Love. Love others as I have loved you, He said to his disciples. 

As reports continue about this tragedy in Minneapolis, it has become clear that the shooter was filled with hate. He hated all sorts of people, faiths, and groups and the only love this person professed to have was for people who killed children. When love despairs it becomes hate; and this hate-filled loathing is not only for other people but also for one’s self. It is an emotion that chooses death over life, curses over blessings. It is a passion that consumes life rather than creates it.

Conversely, his victims were filled with love. They loved God, those in their church, their teachers and priests, their friends and their families. Young and old alike, protecting others during the shooting, they revealed sacrificial love at their own expense. Prayers for the 12 year-old who remains in critical condition have been offered around the world. I think courage is a matter of the heart; it takes courage to love God, neighbor, and self in today’s world. 

Now I often argue that the opposite of love is not hate but rather indifference. Indifference is a mere shrug of the shoulders. Indifference doesn’t care that innocent and vulnerable children were killed. Indifference doesn’t care when people are injured in wars and when cities, homes, and buildings are destroyed. Indifference doesn't care. It is cold blooded; it is a lack of compassion for human life and creation. Indifference doesn’t even have the energy for hate. 

In his article, ‘Jesus Makes it Hard to be a Christian’ Gary Percesepe wrote, “There’s a difference between volunteerism and true discipleship, making it essential for one to count the cost. Jesus makes plain that he has set his face toward Jerusalem, where violence, betrayal, and death await. He warns all hasty volunteers that it is not a festive parade they are joining.” (end quote) (Xian Century, Sept 2025)

Here in this country, we are free to worship God and share God’s love with others. We are free to believe in one God, many gods, or no god. Sadly we are free to choose life and death; we are free to offer curses and blessings. We are free to hate or love anyone and anything. And yet, as Frederik Backman wrote in his novel Beartown, “Love is hard. It makes demands. Hate is simple.” 

It takes courage to love.

There is a cost to choosing to follow me, Jesus told his followers. "Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciple,” He said. 

Now Barbara Brown Taylor in her sermon entitled ‘High Priced Discipleship’ asks, “Why does Jesus say all these disturbing things about hating their parents, their children, and their lives? One possibility is that he was using a figure of speech we do not use anymore. In his day, the way you stated a preference for something was by pairing two things and saying you loved one thing and hated the other,” she wrote.

She continued, “It did not have anything to do with emotions. It was a matter of priorities, so if I said, ‘I love the mountains and hate the beach’, it would not actually mean I felt hostile toward the ocean, but simply means that the mountains were my first choice.” (Bread of Angels, pp48) To love God, ourselves and our neighbors, or to love as Jesus loves us, is to say that is my first choice. It is to say that I choose life over death, love over hate, blessings over curses, peace over war. 

I find it funny that Barbara Brown Taylor claims that Jesus would not have made a good parish minister. Why? Because she says that “so much of the job depends upon making it easy for people to come to church and rewarding for them to stay. A good parish minister will work hard to make sure that worship is satisfying, that Christian education is appealing, and that plenty of opportunities for fellowship and service exist.” (pp46) (End quote)

And yet, Jesus wasn’t the local rabbi in his hometown synagogue. Rather he was an itinerant preacher and teacher, kind of like me as a supply priest, who can say certain things, and then move on, leaving the fall-out to be handled by your rector when he returns next week! According to our gospel stories, the people in the hometown synagogue of Jesus wanted to throw him off a cliff!

So the bottom line for me? We have choices as to how we live our lives. And I would argue that while the cost of discipleship may be high, the cost of courage and love are even higher. And yet the rewards are both priceless and eternal. Today, listen to Moses; listen to Jesus, and follow them to the Promised Land. Be of good courage and choose love.

Deuteronomy 30:15-20 Luke 14:25-33

All Are Welcome?

 

St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, Cambridge, MA            The Rev. Nancy E. Gossling 

Just this month, our Bishop shared with members of the Diocese of Massachusetts the work that we have been doing over this past year regarding our new core values, mission statement, and the strategic priorities for the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts. According to the Bishop, our hope is that these values and priorities will guide us in our life together for the next several years to come. Today I want to focus on our five core values. They are: Welcome, Courage, Justice, Joy, and Love; and I’d like to focus most specifically on the core value of Welcome.

Many years ago, one of the hot topics in our church was encouraging the practice of radical hospitality. In his sermon last week, the Rev. Dan Bell mentioned that he had recently learned a new word called “Sonder.” It is defined as realizing that every other individual has a life as full and real as one’s own. It can also be described as the realization that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own.” (John Koenig, Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows.)

Put another way, according to St. Benedict’s Way of Love, radical hospitality “means you’re open to the gift of discovering what any person has to offer no matter who they are.” (Radical Hospitality, Benedict’s Way of Love.) Or as Brother David, one of the monks affiliated with the Society of St. John the Evangelist, has said, we can only know another individual as the tip of an iceberg. So much of our lives and stories, our thoughts and experiences, lie beneath the surface, unknown to others, perhaps even to ourselves!

 Why would our church place such importance on radical hospitality? Why would our diocese recently name welcome as one of our core values? Well, because Jesus did!

In Luke’s gospel today, Jesus specifically talks about what it means to be a guest in someone’s house. And here we are today, gathered in God’s house which we call St. Peter’s, and at today’s Eucharistic feast, we are all invited to be Christ’s guests at His Table. Everyone is invited. Indeed on your website you say to expect A Radical Welcome at St. Peter’s!

What do we mean by “a radical welcome?” Your website claims that Saint Peter’s “welcomes the voices, presence, and power of all people, including those who have been defined as The Other, pushed to the margins, or silenced.” You say that “We will welcome you if you are ready to walk the path of Christ in fellowship with others; if you are struggling to find your way forward; or if you need a quiet place in which to pray. At Saint Peter’s, there is room for everyone at God’s table.” Everyone?

Remember that oft repeated marketing line that hangs from church banners or appears on our church websites? “All are Welcome!” we proudly proclaim. Now I have a friend who lives in Minnesota and often makes fun of that claim. He says, “Do you really think churches would welcome a violent and criminal predator to join them without practicing safe church guidelines? Do you really think that anyone would welcome a stranger at their church door who is masked and holding a gun in their hands? Would you welcome a young man carrying three guns who appears at your church ready to kill the children who are praying inside during mass?”

 Because of its dwindling numbers of parishioners and its desire to address a social need within their community, a church in Somerville decided last year to convert its church into a homeless shelter. Partnering with the Somerville Homeless Coalition, they created everything needed for a shelter for the homeless people in their neighborhood, with a sign that said, “All Are Welcome Here.”

Unfortunately or fortunately, depending upon your perspective, the neighbors have taken them to court, arguing that it is against the law to create this shelter in their neighborhood. Pointing to NIMBY, “Not in My Back Yard”, the church members are pushing forward to open this shelter. Why would you complain about certain problems if you’re not willing to find and create solutions for them, they argue? Pointing to increased drug use, petty and violent crimes, and more litter on their streets, opponents offer their own rebuttals.

How often have you been excluded from a conversation or a gathering because you seemed to be the wrong age, the wrong skin color, or wearing the wrong clothes? How often have you been avoided just because you’re new and different from the people who know each other already? How often have you felt a cold shoulder rather than a warm welcome because of one thing or another?

Over the years I’ve learned variations of the word “radical.” Unfortunately it is a word that is often misused or misunderstood. Politically, we group people into far right and far left camps and we call them radical. We claim that certain politicians are so radical that they would destroy our country if elected into office. Judging books by their covers we consider certain lifestyle choices as being radical. In fact, blue hair and tattoos belong to the young and old alike. And if human nature isn’t radical enough, how about Mother Nature and the radical changes we see in our climate?

I learned that the root meaning of radical invites us to dig deeper. Indeed radical means just that….to be radical is to go to the root of something or someone. It is a way of going beyond surface manifestations, beyond the tips of our icebergs, and ‘digging’ deep into the core of something or someone. It means practicing “sonder”, which means seeing individuals just as they are, with so much more of their lives and stories hidden beneath the surface.

Jesus was someone who practiced radical hospitality and He practiced it by moving beyond the confines of his own religious upbringing. While the author of Hebrews wrote: "Remember your leaders, and imitate their faith”, last week Jesus called them “hypocrites.” Jesus wasn’t afraid to speak truth to power; and yet Jesus incarnated God’s radical love and encouraged us to love God as God loves each and every one of us. To love others even though it involves risks. How do we do that?

The letter to the Hebrews offers us multiple suggestions. Here are five from today’s lesson:

1.     Let your mutual love continue between you and God and between you and your neighbor. We can love others, and indeed even ourselves, because God loves us first and Jesus showed us the Way. Mutuality implies giving and receiving.

2.     Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers. If you don’t know someone here, introduce yourself. If you see someone alone or struggling, offer a word of kindness, or a look of understanding. Offer to help. Speak up; if you see something, say something.  Being radical means taking risks, and stepping out of our comfort zones for good reasons.

3.     There are many hot topics for debate and discussion these days, like immigration, gun violence and wars, gender identity, and economic challenges. It can be tempting to stay on the surface or remain within our favorite echo-chambers, and therefore avoid those difficult conversations. We often maintain our superficiality and don’t dig deeper with radical courage, engaging others with respectful dialogue, or maybe even challenging our own perspectives.

4.     “Keep your lives free from the love of money.” Soon we’ll find ourselves in the thick of our stewardship season followed by our end of year financial planning. Quickly we may remind ourselves that money isn’t necessarily bad, it’s just the love of it that causes us so much trouble.

5.     And that easily leads me into the 5th example offered in the letter to the Hebrews. “Be content with what you have.”

Today, we can only live one day at a time, trusting that Jesus is “the same, yesterday, today and forever” as the author of Hebrews attests. We are all welcome for a meal in God’s house with Jesus as our gracious and radical host. We are all invited to share places of honor, each and every one of us, at His Table. Praising God, from whom all our blessings flow, we are then empowered to be radical agents of Christ’s love, “doing good, sharing what we have, and confessing His name.” Amen.

Hebrews 13:1-8, 15-16                         Luke 14:1, 7-14

 

 

 

 

A Consuming Fire

 Christ Episcopal Church, Needham, Massachusetts            The Rev. Nancy E. Gossling 

             Come Holy Spirit and kindle in us the fire of your love. Amen.

             Somewhere, I seemed to have taken a turn, and to be honest with you, I’m not sure why. I used to read only books that had happy endings, little violence, and some sort of spiritual message. I think my change in reading habits all began with a colleague’s recommendation for a murder mystery, the latest in a series by Louise Penny. That first book led to another book until all 20 books had been consumed by me in short order. Like potato chips or french fries, I couldn’t stop after consuming only one.

            Perhaps I was comforted by the fact that the primary detective in these murder mysteries was a decent and good man. He actually felt called to this particular vocation and, unlike some of his colleagues, he was someone who could see the possibilities in other people. He was willing to take a risk by adding people to his team who had been short-changed, wounded, or ignored by their families and/or co-workers. Conversely, he wasn’t afraid to uncover immoral, powerful people in his own organization. This detective was a boss who gave people a great deal of trust; and these people often responded to him with deep loyalty.

          My enjoyment of these murder mystery series began to spill over into real life events. I started listening to the details of horrific crimes, ones I used to avoid like the plague. Most recently I was horrified by the murders of four university students in Idaho over 3 years ago. The trial finally came to a conclusion last month after a plea deal was agreed upon. The murderer would avoid the death penalty but he would serve 4 consecutive life sentences in prison with presumably no chance of parole.

          There was a great deal of back and forth about the plea deal. A family member of one of the deceased students claimed she had already forgiven him, while another family member described him as “pure evil” and hoped he would burn in hell. Some people felt this murderer deserved the death penalty and nothing less. Others were concerned that after many years of “good service” in prison, he might eventually be released; and yet he would be tormented by fellow inmates beginning on day one. So what was justice in this set of circumstances? And what about the issue of judgment by us? Or by God? I wondered.

          Justice and judgment are often conjoined. The definition of justice in its broadest sense is the idea that individuals should be treated fairly, and assumes that the administration of the law will maintain justice. Similarly, the definition of judgment means the ability to make considered decisions, come to sensible conclusions, and may involve the decision of the court or a judge. (Wikipedia)

          Now according to Bible Hub, “Judgment, in the biblical context, refers to the divine evaluation and decision-making process concerning human actions, thoughts, and intentions. It encompasses both temporal judgments, which occur within history, and eschatological judgments, which pertain to the end times, reflecting God's holiness, justice, and sovereignty.” Today’s New Testament passage from Hebrews refers to God as the judge of all.

          At a very young age most of us learn that there are consequences for our words and actions. Now God’s judgment includes both justice and mercy; and it seems to me that if you don’t believe in the justice and judgment of God, then why not “eat, drink, and be merry?” Why not do whatever we want regardless of the effects on other human beings? And yet, in reality, we all fall short; we all sin; we all plead for mercy before the judgment seat of God.

While you may not identify yourself with a murderer, there are different kinds of sin. “Racism or any other kind of “ism”, greed, false teaching, misuse of wealth, and degrading words to a fellow human being—are these things that damn people to hell? According to Scripture, and the authors of the book Erasing Hell, the answer is yes.” (Erasing Hell, Francis Chan and Preston Sprinkle) 

Scriptural literalists will point to passages that claim “unless you believe this” or “unless you do that” you will not be saved. It’s known as the “turn or burn” theology. Unfortunately, scripture passages vary widely; one section will claim that everyone will be saved by God’s grace and mercy, while other passages say that God’s consuming fire will be the final judgment for our lack of faith and our deplorable actions.

What are we to do, you might wonder? A Sunday School teacher was questioning her class of 1st graders about salvation and began by saying, “If I give up all my money, give everything I have to the church, and to the poor and needy of the world, will I get into heaven?” “NO,” says the class. “How about if I teach Sunday school; serve on the vestry; visit nursing homes and hospitals; and feed the hungry with good food, will I get into heaven then?” “NO,” says the class. “OK, how about if I go to seminary, and become the rector of Christ Episcopal Church in Needham, surely then I will get into heaven?” For the third time, the class of 1st graders yell, “NO!

“All right,” the teacher says, thinking that these kids are smarter than she realized, “Then how do I get into heaven?” she asked. And the little girl in the back of the room yells, “YOU GOTTA BE DEAD!”

By now you may be wondering why I’ve taken you down this difficult journey of reflection about sin and death, about judgment and justice, but I tend to be an “end-game”, mission-focused kind of person. Indeed, “Christians should think seriously about salvation, judgment and life after death,” argued Paul Dafyydd Jones in A Hopeful Universalism. “While we mustn’t ever lose sight of God’s grace, we are obliged also to acknowledge the gravity of sin. We cannot suppose that God overlooks or condones our myriad failings. Just as sin matters in human life, sin matters to God. It is the very reason that God’s saving grace passes through the horror of Calvary,” he continued. ( A Hopeful Universalism, Paul Dayffd Jones, Xian Century, June 27, 2012)

The author of the letter to the Hebrews refers to God as a consuming fire. Unlike the devastating fires that are repeatedly reported in our news, or the blazing fires of hell, I like to think of God’s fire as an eternal flame like the one that appeared in the burning bush, a fire that did not consume Moses or indeed even the bush. It is a fire that kills sins but not the sinners. It is a fire that mercifully burns off the dross of our sins, revealing the pure gold of our creation. It is a fire that reveals the passionate love of God that seeks to restore a kingdom that can never be shaken; indeed that can never be burned to the ground.

Jesus’ fiery messages throughout the gospels were not just about destruction and division, as we heard last week. No, God’s fire is also a purifying flame, naturally cleaning up our messes, warming our souls, shedding light in times of darkness, empowering us for loving action, delighting us with joyful campfires, and bringing new life into the world. Indeed, the final judgment of the cross revealed resurrection life in a blaze of divine glory on Easter morning!

William H. Willimon entitled his book “Who Will Be Saved?”

Indeed, who will be saved? By whom? How? When and Why? While these questions remain far above my pay grade, I offer them to you this morning, not with clear answers, but with an invitation for your further reflection, questions, and conversation.

However, I do believe that God’s judgment of humanity was revealed in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus and that justice was served by the mercy of God. In effect, Jesus made a plea deal with God on our behalf in which we did not receive a death sentence but rather a commuted life sentence in God’s eternal home.

Perhaps I was comforted by the fact that in Luke’s gospel the primary detective was a decent and good man named Jesus. Like Louise Penny’s detective, He felt called to this particular vocation and was faithful to that mission to the very end. Unlike some of his colleagues, He healed and set people free, offering mercy and second chances to his followers; and these people often responded with deep loyalty.

Therefore, as the author of Hebrews once wrote, “since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us give thanks, by which we offer to God an acceptable worship with reverence and awe.” (Hebrews 12:29) Amen.

 Hebrews 12:18-29                     Luke 13:10-17

 

 

 

 

 

 

           

 

Hosea

 Grace Episcopal Church, Newton    The Rev. Nancy E. Gossling    Hosea 1:2-10    Luke 11:1-13

            I must confess to you that I am particularly fond of the prophets. Hosea was one of the minor prophets living in his hometown in the northern kingdom of Israel around 750 BC. At that time, the country was divided into two kingdoms; the northern one was called Israel, and the southern one was called Judah. Both kingdoms were ruled by various kings; and their people often resorted to a culture of violence and social upheaval as they “anxiously searched for kings and allies who would save them from the dangers that threatened their national existence.” (HCSB, 1329-30)

Hosea accused his people of being unfaithful in both their religious and political lives. They did not trust God and began to worship any cultural god that promised them prosperity, good weather, and fertility. (HCSB intro) They forgot about their God who had liberated them from slavery and replaced their God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob with the worship of local deities or their royal rulers.

Living in a country of virtual anarchy, the Israelites saw four of their kings assassinated within 14 years. After a foreign invasion by Assyria (current day Iran), they were ruled by the king in Assyria. Imagine Hosea living in Ukraine today. Imagine Hosea living in Israel or Gaza today. Imagine Hosea living in our own country during the Civil War, or maybe even today. Would Hosea accuse us of being unfaithful in our religious and political lives? Would Hosea accuse us of looking for a cultural god or a human ruler to be our savior?

They say a picture is worth a thousand words; and so Hosea used the metaphor of whoredom, portraying God as the aggrieved husband of a faithless wife. He believed that God had told him to marry a prostitute named Gomer. “So Hosea, being a faithful man, did as he was told,” wrote Barbara Brown Taylor. “He went down to the local brothel and asked to meet some of the women who worked there.” (Gospel Medicine, pp55-62)

“The madam was glad to oblige him, thinking she was about to get herself a new customer, but when Hosea proposed to Gomer right there in the perfumed parlor and Gomer said yes, the madam threw them both out onto the street. (Back at home with Hosea) Gomer bore three children in short order - two boys and a girl.” (Gospel Medicine)

 It was God who told Hosea to name his children. The oldest boy was called Jezreel, which was the name of the town where God had promised to put an end to Israel. The middle child, who was a girl, was named Not Pitied, because God was saying that God would no longer have pity on them nor forgive them. Finally, the baby boy got the worst name of all: Not My People because God would no longer be their God. (Hosea 1:2-11)

While Gomer spent nights away from her family with multiple partners, Hosea remained at home, faithfully cooking and cleaning, and waiting for his unfaithful wife to come home. “Look, this is who you are,” Hosea told the Israelites. “You are whores and adulterers, infidels who have broken your covenant with God. And God is angry, roaring like a lion, begging for God’s people to come home.” (Hosea 11)

Prophets are known to turn up the heat in the lives of God’s people. They are known for presumably speaking the truth to power, in faithful obedience to God’s call, no matter the cost to their personal lives. A prophet will describe the realities of what he or she sees going on in the people’s lives and encourage people to change their behavior. Like people who stand at various parts of an elephant, prophets will see our world, our problems, and our solutions differently, and yet they still point to the elephant in the room! Unfortunately, the Israelites had repeatedly broken their promises to God, and Hosea, among other major and minor prophets, was now calling them out.

 Infidelity never starts with the physical aspects of love. We stop going to our meetings, our churches, our synagogues, or our mosques. We start listening to the wrong voices and believe in the wrong things. Our spirits start moving away from God, and our God-centered world slowly becomes a self-centered world. Even in theocracies and democracies too much ego means “easing God out" of our lives. We become haters rather than lovers. We think violence is the answer; and we forget that diplomacy involves persistence.

Our minds wander; and we begin to think we’ve made a mistake, or that “they” are a mistake. There must be a better partner, a more powerful king, a wiser president, a more pure and perfect union or nation, who can save us from ourselves and be the answer to all our problems.

“Apparently, Gomer didn’t change her ways after leaving the brothel and marrying Hosea. Time and time again she would leave the house and go to other lovers who would make promises they couldn’t keep. Then knowing the character of her husband, she would return home to him, sorry and promising him that she would never be unfaithful to him again.” (Gospel Medicine)  Like people caught in the grip of an addiction, she couldn’t stay clean for very long before her old behaviors crept back in. It was as if the Israelites had begun going to the local bar looking for spirits rather than staying in their Temple and remaining faithful to the Spirit of God. 

“It had happened over and over again, until Gomer’s heart was running on empty. He had entered into a covenant with her. He had promised himself to her forever and it was a promise he meant to keep. What would it take, to get her attention, to change her ways? Should he shake her until she came to her senses? Should he lock her in her room? Or should he divorce her and send her packing, before she had the chance to shame him again?” asked Barbara Brown Taylor (Gospel Medicine pp 56-7)

Hosea didn’t wallow in the  self-pity of victimhood, however; nor did he succumb to the temptation of domestic violence. Hosea went after Gomer not to stalk her, or kill her, beat her or shame her, but rather Hosea brought her back into his life to forgive her and love her once again. Grace may be free but it’s not cheap.

Hosea claimed that God is different from our political and religious leaders. Indeed, God is different from all of humanity, different from every single one of us; for God is a god of divine compassion, forgiveness, and unrelenting mercy. God will never let us go, despite our infidelity; for our God is eternally faithful to God’s covenant, even to the point of death upon the cross.

At the heart of Hosea’s preaching is a gospel message of redeeming love. No matter what we do or what we have done, God will never forsake us nor abandon us. In the end, God will not only seek us out in all the wrong places but also bring us home and restore us to new life.

Hosea reminded the Israelites of what God had done for them. “I have been the Lord your God ever since the land of Egypt; you know no God but me and besides me there is no savior.” (Hosea 13.4) Fortunately for us God’s love is stubborn, persistent, and faithful, like the friend who bangs on our door in the middle of the night asking for some loaves of bread. Ask, search, knock and God will give us good things, St. Luke had proclaimed.

According to Hosea, God seals the covenant once again when God changes the names of Gomer’s children. Jezreel shall no longer mean the place of destruction. It shall mean ‘God sows.’ Henceforth, Not Pitied shall be known as ‘I will Have Pity’, and Not My People shall become ‘You Are My People, Children of the Living God,’ prophesied Hosea.

Like the Israelites, in times of social, political, and economic instability, we may disavow our trust in the Lord. And yet, Hosea saw beyond the infidelity of the Israelites to the compassion of our God. In the end, he proclaimed that God would restore God’s people through a new covenant.

Centuries after Hosea, God sent God’s people a new prophet, a new priest, and a new king who would govern God’s people and save them; for Jesus stretched out his arms of love on the hard wood of the cross so that everyone might come within the reach of God’s saving embrace. And so today, we pray once again, as Jesus taught us, “Forgive us of our sins, and do not bring us to the time of trial.”