The
Worlds Where God's People Dwell
Homily
by The Rev. Marcia McRae
St. John’s
Episcopal Church, Bainbridge, GA; 1st
Sunday after Christmas, 29 Dec. 2013
Year
A RCL: Isaiah 61:10-62:3; Psalm 147; Galatians 3:23-25;4:4-7; John
1:1-18
My
husband & I had a world of unexpected experiences last week in
Washington, DC, where we flew Christmas morning to visit our son.
As we walk through the
airport to baggage claim, a woman up ahead suddenly sneezes without
time to cover her face. It happens so fast, we cannot avoid entering
the World of Germs she has created. I hold my breath & hope not
to get sick.
I
think:
This is the world we live in:
the world of the human
condition,
the world of sickness & vulnerability,
the world Jesus
enters to heal us.
Our first night there, we
enjoy the hotel's hospitality beside the water feature teeming with
colorful fish that soothe us and delight the 7 children from 2
families, who are traveling together.
These 2 families radiate
love & unity. These families are of 2 different cultures: 2 races
of people who – not so long ago – hated & conquered each
other, imprisoned & killed each other. Yet the several
generations of these 2 families radiate deep, mutual respect, love &
great joy.
We see them united:
children, parents, grandparents, maybe great-grandparents. They laugh
& play & take plenty of photos. Even the youngest skillfully
operate a phone camera to record their love.
These
families dwell in a
World of Love.
Their
love surrounds us.
You can almost feel it in the air.
It's like that
airport sneeze you can't
escape.
My
heart feels light & saturated with
their contagious love &
joy.
I
will carry this love always.
These families witness
the truth: We dwell in the World of Love – God's love. These
families show forth light – the Light of Christ – the light Jesus
brings into the world. This love lightens the darkness, and as our
Gospel says:
the darkness cannot overcome it.
I wonder when I will have
an opportunity to share this love. I don't have to wonder long. The
next morning we stand on a street corner waiting for the traffic
light to change as we walk to go see our son. I have just realized
that I have forgotten to bring any cash on the trip. I don't usually
carry cash, but I do like to when we travel to DC so that I have
something for the homeless beggars we encounter.
Feeling sad that I
forgot, I notice something move in the breeze. At the base of a tree
near me are two $1-bills. I pick them up & remember I have just
told you: God blesses us in unexpected ways.
Good, now I have
something to give a homeless person. As we walk a few blocks, I
wrestle over the gift: Do I give both dollars to the first person? Do
I give one & save the other for the next person?
Suddenly
we encounter the 1st
beggar. I stop & look him in the eye & tell him I don't
usually carry cash. “God has blessed us this day,” I say, holding
out the 2 bills & explaining how I have them. “You have a
choice,” I say. “You can keep both bills as a blessing or you can
keep one & leave the other to bless another person who needs it.
What do you want to do?”
He returns my gaze. His
eyes tear up. He smiles & says: “I'll take this one. Please
bless another person with the other one.”
I
put my hand on his shoulder & assure him I will & that I will
tell the other person that he
has shared God's blessing. Then I ask God to bless him. He grasps my
hand & holds it, looks me in the eye & asks God to bless me.
We shed tears.
Together
we have entered the
World of Blessing.
Together
we experience unmerited
grace & the truth of God's blessing:
Love
that surpasses all
understanding.
God's
love is for each human being.
Suddenly
I realize Jesus never just drops a coin or a healing into someone's
outstretched hand without looking at them1.
Jesus always interacts with those seeking help, always engages hose
seeking his blessing – even the woman who tries to sneak up behind
him just to touch the hem of his coat.
God's
love lights the world & breaks
through our darkness to bless us.
Darkness cannot overcome the
Light of God's blessing.
A few blocks on sits a
toothless, lame man, extending the cup he holds to receive cash. I
stop, look him in the eye & repeat my story, adding the detail of
the blessing from the other man. With my hand on his shoulder I tell
him the generous man down the street is sharing God's blessing. As I
give him the dollar, I ask God to bless him.
This man tears up, clasps
my hand &
then reaches up to touch my head in a blessing.
In
this moment, we dwell in the
World of Blessing, the
World of
Unmerited Grace.
This
is the world God creates
in the beginning.
We corrupt this world,
sneezing out
the germs of our self-focus
that can spread & sicken
others.
On the Cross, Jesus
restores the
world.
Jesus relies on us to continue his
work, shining God's Light
in the darkness.
Jesus relies on us to work
with God
in the on-going work of
transforming the world.
If
two simple pieces of paper money
can unintentionally bless strangers,
what can our intentional evangelism do?2
Bibliography
Merriam-Webster.
Smartphone Dictionary app.
Merriam-Webster Inc.
2012. Accessed: 27 Dec. 2013.
Voyle, Robert J. “An
introduction to Appreciative Inquiry”. 2013 Clergy Leadership
Institute. Presented at Diocese of Georgia Fall Clergy Conference.
www.cleergyleadershio.com.
robvoyle@volye.com.
1
Note: Influenced by presentation of Robert J. Voyle, “An
introduction to Appreciative Inquiry”. 2013 Clergy Leadership
Institute. Presented at Diocese of Georgia Fall Clergy Conference.
www.cleergyleadershio.com.
robvoyle@volye.com.
2
Question my husband asks.
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