Be Still and Know that I am God

Homily by The Rev. Marcia McRae

St. Francis Episcopal Church, Goldsboro, NC; 15^th Sunday after Pentecost, 28 Aug. 2016

Proper 17 Year C RCL: Jeremiah 2:4-13; Psalm 81:1, 10–16; Hebrews 13:1–8, 15-16; Luke 14:1, 7–14

Our scriptures today have so much busy-ness distracting the people Jeremiah addresses, the disobedient people in our Psalm, the social climbers in our Gospel.

This reminds me of the busy-ness in our lives, in this election year, & as a new school year starts.

The people we hear Jeremiah address are so busy chasing worthless things they become worthless. The people go after things which do not profit.

The Jewish Study Bible says, the people “(follow) what can do no good¹”.

There is a difference between going after something & getting so intrigued that one follows. The result is the same: People abandon or neglect relationship with God & lose what is good & worthy of devotion, what really nourishes us. People lose what is Holy.

In our Psalm, God turns the people over to their stubbornness. This is like a wise parent dealing with a rebellious child who has to learn the hard way not to touch that hot stove.

The social climbers in our Gospel scramble for attention at the banquet in the leader's house. The host expects payback. Jesus says: “Don't scramble for attention. Don't invite people who can pay you back.” Jesus gives us insight into God's perspective.

“...(I)n the kingdom, God is the host...who can repay God?”² 

We cannot repay.

We can share God's generosity with our brothers & sisters in the human family.

God's kingdom welcomes “the fringe people: the poor, maimed, lame, & blind.”³

When we are preoccupied with our busy-ness, we are deaf to the cry for help from today's fringe people, the children of God whom God wants us to welcome. Preoccupied with our busy-ness, we are blind to the needs around us, & it's hard to see opportunities to invite people to this banquet.

Preoccupied with our busy-ness, we cripple our relationship with God & find it easy to give lame excuses for not staying in touch with God, who is in all aspects of our lives.
Even if we are physically present in this Holy Place, our minds can be busy so we fail to recognize our encounter with God.

Our lesson from Hebrews tells us God says: “I will NEVER leave you or forsake you.” God does not leave us. We read in Jeremiah & in our Psalm: we leave God. Yet, Hebrews reminds us “...we can say with confidence, 'The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can anyone do to me?'"

Army Reserve veteran Davon Goodwin of Raeford, NC, knows what someone can do, as the Associated Press article in the Aug. 21^st edition of Goldsboro News-Argus tells us:⁴ He has traumatic brain injury from the bomb that hit his unit in Afghanistan 6 years ago. He says: “...getting blown up was a gift,”⁵ & he explains his self-focus changed to focus on others after his injury.

He applies his love of plants & his University of North Carcolina education in biology & botany in farming, which has a healing, relaxing effect on him, the article notes. The farm he works for strives to make organic products affordable for low-income people who live nearby.

When self-focus leads us away from God, know this: God stands ready to welcome us back, so that we can change our focus. God stands ready to welcome the fringe people we bring here to drink with us from the fountain of living water.

God calls us to come & feast on heavenly food. Let God feed you at this Holy Meal with the holy food & drink of new & unending life in Jesus, this foretaste of the heavenly banquet where we do not have to scramble for attention. At this banquet we share God's love. We can let go of our busy-ness & relax in God's embrace & listen to God.

To hear God, we have to take time to be still in God's presence, like students settling down to class work. We have to make time to be still in God's presence, like students settling down to concentrate on homework, as I remember not so long ago having to do in seminary.
Students have to learn how to do these things. We older students of God's may have to learn how to BE still. Psalm 46 admonishes us: “Be still...& know that I am God!”⁶

One of my seminary professors, the Rev. Martin Smith, quotes this portion of Psalm 46 in his book The Word is Very Near You: A Guide to Praying with Scripture. He says:

“We are conditioned to maintain control,

to take charge of situations, to do the

talking. Prayer means surrender & a

readiness to return to a simpler state of

openness & attentiveness to a God whose

'still, small voice' we tend to drown with our restless noisiness.”⁷ It is hard to let go & let God take charge.

It takes practice, like a golfer improving a swing, a musician enhancing skills, a student studying for better grades.

Surrender to God is hard & can take time.

Give yourself the grace of time with God.

God longs to have quiet time with you.

Bibliography

Book of Common Prayer. New York: The Church Hymnal Corp., and The Seabury Press. 1979.

The Book of Occasional Services 2003. New York: Church Publishing. 2004.

Goldsboro News-Argus. “Wounded veteran now works to feed low-income residents”. 21 Aug. 2016.

Harper’s Bible Commentary. Gen. Ed: James L. Mays. San Francisco: Harper & Row Publishers. 1988.

Holy Bible with the Apocrypha. New Revised Standard Version. New York: Oxford University Press. 1989.

Jewish Study Bible: Jewish Publication Society Tanakh Translation. New York: Oxford University Press. 2004.

New Oxford Annotated Bible with Apocrypha Expanded Edition. New York: Oxford University Press. 1973.

Smith, Martin L. The Word is Very Near You: A Guide to Praying with Scripture. New York: Cowley Publications. 1989.

1 Jewish Study Bible: Jewish Publication Society Tanakh Translation. P. 924.

2 Harper’s Bible Commentary. P. 1033.

3 Ibid.

4 Goldsboro News-Argus. “Wounded veteran now works to feed low-income residents”. P. 12A.

5 Ibid.

6 Book of Common Prayer. P. 650.

7 Smith, Martin L. The Word is Very Near You: A Guide to Praying with Scripture. P.157.