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CHILDREN'S EDUCATION |
SERMONS The
Tenth Sunday after Pentecost By David Christian One of the things that I enjoy most about summer vacation is that it gives me a chance to read. Or better, perhaps, it gives me an excuse to read. Not to read important or weighty things. But to read fun things-like mysteries. A friend and I have carried on an argument over the years about reading mysteries. He always starts by reading the last chapter. He likes to know how everything is going to come together at the end. Then he can go back to the beginning and watch as the story unfolds. I don't like to know how everything is going to come out. I would rather look for the clues along the way. I would rather try to figure out the riddle as I read. But even though I don't want to know exactly how the book will end, I do start every mystery I read with one assumption. I assume that things will come together. I assume that, no matter how confusing things are in chapter seven, by the last chapter it will all make sense. And I enjoy waiting and watching to see how that will happen. There are many people, perhaps most of us, who would give any amount of money if they could read the last chapter of their lives. They yearn to know how things will end for them. They yearn for the assurance that it will all come together somehow. They yearn for the assurance that there is some basic sense-some order-to what happens in their lives. But they fear that there is none. If a book doesn't come together at the end, it is a disappointment. It is a waste of time and of a few dollars. I might feel a little irritated, but it wouldn't be a big thing. But if life ultimately does not come together, that is a lot more serious. It means that all of our striving is in vain. It means that all of our work is futile. It means that our lives really are nothing but "sound and fury," ultimately, "signifying nothing." Such despair is prevalent in the world today. It lies at the heart of the rampant materialism and greed of our society. It lies at the heart of the small price that is placed on human life. And certainly if we look at the world we can find cause for despair. The ongoing tragedy in the Sudan. The age-old struggle and animosity in Northern Ireland and in the Middle East. The seemingly insurmountable problems in our cities. And not only around the globe but in our personal lives as well: Difficulties in relationships with children or spouses or parents. Problems with drugs or with alcohol. Worries about work and money. Chronic illness. Cancer. Have you noticed how long our prayer list is getting? It is easy to feel hopeless. It is easy to despair. But it is not Christian. In today's gospel Jesus tells his followers, "Do not be afraid, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom." Through Christ we are given the last chapter. In him we are given the assurance that no matter how confusing things look right now, there is a purpose to life. There is a guiding force. There is an ultimate end. It is important to emphasize that we are not talking about some way of escaping the unpleasantries of life. We are not talking about some way of bypassing pain or suffering or death. We are not talking about being able to skip the part about the cross. Jesus never promised that. In fact, Jesus warned those who would follow him that we must be willing to take up the cross. We must be willing to accept the pain and suffering that life brings. It is unavoidable. But what Jesus does promise is that pain and suffering and the cross are not the final word. Jesus promises that hopelessness and despair and the grave will not ultimately conquer. Jesus promises that death will be followed by new life. That is what we gather week after week to remember. In the Eucharist we recall Christ's death. But in the Eucharist we also celebrate Christ's victory over death. And in the bread and wine-Christ's very Body and Blood-we are fed with the food of the kingdom of God. We are given the nourishment that we need to face the problems of the world. We are given the strength that we need to face those problems, not with fear, but with hope. For the same Jesus who died on the cross, is alive and at work in the world today. And in him we have the assurance that nothing can separate us from the love of God; and that, in the words of Julian of Norwich, ultimately, "All will be well. And all will be well. And all manner of things shall be well." David Christian The
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