Acts 2:38-39
Mark 10:13-16
Promises,
promises – some promises we can trust; others we are not so sure about. What about
those promises we have heard today?
From our readings:
“God's
promise was made to you and your children, and to all who are far away”
“The Kingdom
of God belongs to such as these”
And from the
baptismal liturgy:
“All this he
did for you, Rachel though you do not know it yet”
The phrases
that stand out for me here are
You and your
children
All who are
far away
And, though
you do not know it yet….
The promises
of God are not tied to knowledge or understanding – they are there anyway
The promises
of God are not reliant on us doing anything, or being anyone – they are for all
the people, all the time.
Making a
family; joining a fellowship; being part of something, belonging… all of these things
are elements of the Christian Church; and reading the stories and memories recorded
in the New Testament writing reminds us of the real meaning of following Jesus,
of being the church – because, in the words of the hymn: the church is not a
building or a steeple, the church is the people!
And ALL the people:
children and adults; teens and the elderly; all are needed, all are welcome,
all are part of what makes the church.
How does
this work today, in the 21st Century, when society is busy; work
happens 7 days a week; sport is considered more important than worshipping God;
and world religions seem to be adopting extreme behaviours? How does all of
that fit together with being church?
How can we
live well; love our families; do the best for them and somehow honour that
sense of otherness? That vague inclination that there must be something else,
there must be more purpose to life that simply live until you die and that’s
the end?
It will not
have escaped your notice that yesterday was Hallowe’en and today is November 1st…
do you also know what this day is called? It is All Saints Day. The tradition
of Hallowe’en is ancient, and is actually not about witches and ghosts and
ghouls, but about preparing for the Holy Day that follows.
All Saints
used to be called All Hallows – All Holy; and Hallowe’en, is Hallowed Eve (like
Christmas Eve?!) Hallowe'en was
traditionally a time when people chased away all the evil spirits so that the
next day - All Saints - dawns bright and clear and hopeful.
It was a
holy day, a day to go to church and remember the saints; November became a month
to remember all those who have gone before: the cloud of witnesses who died in
faith and were gathered into heaven… and there we have it! Heaven!
Historically
the majority of people believed utterly that this life was just one chapter;
that there was more; that we would ultimately be reunited with our loved ones
in heaven. Nowadays, people are not so sure; there are those who believe it absolutely
and those who deny it equally vehemently and then there are all the others who
simply do not know.
Truth is, we
do not much think about death and dying until we have to: We do not think about
what we want, by way of expressing end of life wishes… or what we wish for our
loved ones, or how we want to say goodbye… but, sure as we are born, one day we
will have to address these things
Now – before
you begin to think this joyful occasion has turned into a depressing exercise
in thinking about death and dying let’s go back to those promises…
“God's
promise was made to you and your children, and to all who are far away”
“The Kingdom
of God belongs to such as these”
And from the
baptismal liturgy:
“All this he
did for you, Rachel though you do not know it yet”
What is God’s
promise?
That we will
receive the Holy Spirit in our lives
That God
will prepare a place for those who love him
That God’s
kingdom is for everyone – those close by and those far away.
That gives
me hope!
God’s
kingdom is for everyone
Not some
elitist place for the chosen few, but for everyone.
All God’s
People
Everywhere
If we can
manage to trust this promise, even if we do not have all the answers or
understanding to carry it right through, we can have hope.
You may not
have an active faith; you may only come to church for holidays and special
occasions; you may even have more questions than you dare to ask – but that’s
ok.
That is OK!
One of the
greatest mysteries of faith and life and living is trying to understand God.
To know God.
Jesus told
the people who were trying very hard to be proper and grown up and exclusive,
to stop!
Let the
children come, he said, let the children come.
Receive the
Kingdom of God like a child, or you’ll never get there.
I love that!
Receive the
Kingdom of God like child… it’s not complicated; it’s not a trick; you don’t
have to be clever, or rich, or powerful, or understand it all – you just have
to be like a child
Accepting
Loving
Caring
Innocent
The Kingdom
belongs to such as these: the ones who can enjoy life and live it; the ones who
offer friendship and love, and can equally accept it too.
God wants us
to know God
If you want
to come to church – great!
If you find
God in the countryside, or through caring behaviours – wonderful!
If you haven’t
yet found God, but you are still looking – keep it up!
This is all
God asks of us: to seek, to be kind and compassionate and to listen because God
will be heard and seen and found in the most unlikely places
If we just
allow it to happen….
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| Big Sister |
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