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Proper 26 – Year A

Preached on October 30, 2011

At St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Brookline, MA

The Reverend Jeffrey W. Mello

Micah 3:5—12; Thessalonians 2:9—13; Matthew 23: 1—12

Last week at the All Parish Retreat, I spoke about how easy it is for us to talk in general terms about our call to be partners with God in doing God’s work in the world. It is much more of a challenge to talk about how we are actually supposed to be doing that work. We can spend lots of time on the “what” and the “why”. The “how,” though, is much more difficult to nail down.

But as Jesus says in today’s Gospel, it isn’t enough simply to talk about these things, no matter how passionately we might talk. Ultimately, what matters, is that we do something to bring them about. Talking about Peace isn’t enough. Talking about God’s love isn’t enough. Talking about being all of who God made us to be isn’t enough. We must, if we are to see God’s dream for the world come true, we must be a part of making it come true.

I think there are lots of reasons I shy away from the specifics. Partly, it’s because I find there are too many to talk about, and I’m afraid of missing one. I’m afraid that if I list off a list of things that must be done in the world, I’ll miss the one you are called to be doing. So it seems safer to leave it a little vague. Unfortunately, in trying to cover all my bases, I can end up covering very few.

I think a deeper part of my reluctance, though, comes from the fear that I will scare you away. A fear that you will hear all the work that needs to be done in the world and will become so overwhelmed, you might decide it is easier to do nothing. A fear that the last thing you need in your life is another place, another voice telling you what you should be doing; always pointing out that there is more work to be done in the world, and that God is calling you to do it.

And so I don’t. But it doesn’t stop it from being true.

There is a lot of work to be done in the world. And God does need each one of you, each one of us, to do it. Because, frankly, if we don’t, who will?

I don’t know how God might be calling each one of you to bring about God’s dream for the world. I don’t know what injustice in the world speaks most to your heart.

But I do know how we begin to figure that out. And it’s because it starts right here, in this community. Right here at St. Paul’s is where we are given the opportunity to begin to make a difference, to practice being a part bringing about God’s dream for the world.

Right here is where every single one of us has the opportunity to make a difference; to be a part of something amazing; to help bring about a glimpse of what the rest of the world might look like if only… Taking one more step toward bring about God’s dream for the world, the Kingdom of God in the here and now is not out of our reach. It is not beyond our grasp. It is, in fact, right here in front of us.

So why not reach out and grab it?

Recently, I read an article in the Boston Globe about the rising popularity of Halloween. The author of the article reports that this year more people than ever are planning to observe Halloween - 68.6 percent of Americans, compared with 52.5 percent as recently as 2005. That’s a 16% increase in just six years.

Why this sudden rise in popularity?

The author explains, quote “Unlike some other holidays, Halloween doesn’t demand you schlep across the country on the busiest travel day of the year or cook for 25 people, each with his or her own food issues.” She continues, “On Halloween, dysfunctional family members are not your problem. As Kristy Welker, a Target spokeswoman, put it: “It’s a stress-free holiday. … For the most part, Halloween demands little and gives a lot.”[1]End quote.

I find the author’s argument quite convincing. And terribly sad. I am a fan of Halloween. Just walk by my house. But while I am certainly not immune from the challenges that come from the busyness of the holiday season, I’m not sure I want to live a life where little is demanded of me. I’m not sure, whether food allergy or dysfunction, being free from the concern for others is something for which I want to strive. I don’t ever want the opportunity to have 25 people I know and love around a table sharing a meal to be a mere inconvenience. Lots of folks would love to have 25 people to share a meal with. Lots of folks would love to be one of the 25 invited to the table.

It should matter that we are in the world. We should all have places where much is expected from us, so that much can be given. We are all entitled to have communities to whom we are responsible; communities who are responsible for us.

God did not create us to live our lives behind a mask, completely free from any responsibility for one another. God made us to be our authentic selves, so that we might live our lives for something outside of our selves.

And right here is where we get a chance to practice what that looks like.

It would be easier to say that your being here was mere chance. But I don’t think it is. I think that each one of you is here because God called you to be here. Because there was something this particular community has to offer you, and because you have something to offer this community that nobody else can.

It might be easier to think that it doesn’t really matter to the community whether or not you are here. But it does. It matters a great deal. No matter how long you have been coming, or how involved in the life of the community you have become, it matters that you are here. More than you’ll ever know.

It would be easier to say that nothing is expected from you here; that you are free to “stay under the radar”. But it wouldn’t be true. We expect a great deal from you, and yet nothing more than you are able to give.

This morning kicks off our Stewardship Appeal Season. For the next four weeks, we will spend time together thinking about this place to which God has called each one of us, and how we might respond to the abundance of joy we find here.

And we have a real opportunity to do something radical. We have a very real chance to change the paradigm that says that being responsible only for ourselves is enough.

We have a chance to say, “I want it to matter that I am here. I want to be responsible for others, and I want them to be responsible for me. I want a place that misses me when I’m not there. A place that values what I have to offer, no matter what that is. I want a place where I can begin to think about how God is calling me to make change in the world and helps me to begin making it.”

We have big dreams and great hopes for our life together. In order to realize these hopes and dreams we need you to be a part of making them come true. Each of us has found something in this place that brings us joy, or peace, connection and hope; and now we have an opportunity to respond – in gratitude. Whether it’s with a pledge to the budget or a pledge to join a ministry, with a pledge to use a rake when it’s needed; to be a mentor to our youth, or to fold bulletins on a Thursday afternoon. The amazing dreams and hopes we have for St. Paul’s are in our very hands; they are in our grasp.

However you decide to respond to the abundance of joy we are blessed with in this place, whether it be with your time, your talent or your treasure, what matters more than anything else is that you decide to respond. That you decide to do something.

There are millions of things God needs for us to be doing in the world. To begin doing them, we need to start somewhere. Why not start here?

© 2011 The Reverend Jeffrey W. Mello