November 22, 2015
Isaiah 11:1-3
Matthew 25:34-40
The Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew.
[Glory to you O Lord]
34Then the king will say to
those at his right hand, ‘Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the
kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; 35for I was hungry
and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a
stranger and you welcomed me, 36I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was
sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ 37Then the
righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave
you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? 38And when was it that we
saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? 39And when
was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’ 40And the king will
answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these
who are members of my family, you did it to me.’
The
Gospel of the Lord [Praise to you O Christ].
+ + +
Grace to you and Peace from our Lord and Savior, Jesus
Christ.
“A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch
shall grow out of his roots.”
With these words, Isaiah is prophesying to the broken kingdom
of Israel that is seeking hope. We, following in the footsteps of the sacred
story, continue to be a broken people seeking hope.
Isaiah speaks to a people who have been cut down to a stump –
who’s earthly kingdom that had started so hopefully with David, has been
chopped down at the root. At this point
in the sacred story, David’s people have been spread across the world because
their home is no longer safe for them.
We know their sense of lostness and loneliness and homelessness; the
same as we feel when our sense of safety is suddenly questioned, like those in
France are feeling now.
Having heard the stories, we can remember what it was like to
be homeless, like Abraham and Sarah awaiting the promise, like Jacob seeking
forgiveness from his brother, like Ruth and Naomi seeking shelter, like the
people without homes today, whether they are refugees from Syria or the people
of Cathedral in the Night in Northhampton where the youth and families went to
worship and eat last Sunday evening.
We, as broken people in a broken world, are gifted with the promise
of a branch growing out of the root. We
bear the promise of the king who reigns today, and who is coming in Advent, the
new shoot named Jesus. This new king for
God’s new kingdom. After the kingdoms of
Israel have divided and fallen, we are given a new kingdom of hope. Hope that God’s promises will be fulfilled,
hope that in this kingdom citizens might take each other in, even us, who are
lost, lonely and homeless. HOPE in a
kingdom that is DIFFERENT from the brokenness around us… this is a kingdom of
WHOLENESS! A kingdom where love sits on
the throne.
Today, as we celebrate Christ the King Sunday, we consider
what it means to be a part of God’s kingdom.
Isaiah helps us to remember that God’s design for a kingdom was never
the earthly tyrant on the throne, even though that’s what humans usually
deliver. God’s design is a persistent
hope. A persistent love in the face of
fear. A persistent bravery.
And that gift, the gift of that love-filled, hopeful, brave
kingdom, is for us. We, Bethlehem, who already
live in that gift of hope through the waters of baptism and the sustenance of
the holy meal. Each time we open our empty hands to receive communion, we have
already accepted the invitation to live in God’s kingdom!
And this gift of hope in love is for us and, through us, for
the world. We, citizens of this
kingdom, Bethlehem, exist for the world.
God’s persistent movement to give each and every person hope by showing
them love through the hands and feet of their neighbors.
So, I have asked our leaders to help me talk about this
kingdom we are a part of today. And what the kingdom looks like, specifically
in this place and when we are gathered and sent. The council has been doing some thinking
about this congregation, how and why it is that we gather together, and what is
our value in this place.
We know that we, Bethlehem, have been brought into existence
because God wanted it to be so. We heard
that over and over again in the memories at our 30th anniversary a
couple of weeks ago. We know that it is
only by God’s power that we are here.
So then, Why has God placed us here? What does God have for us to do in this
kingdom of persistent hope? What witness
or ministry does God intend to have happen in this very place?
Why does Bethlehem’s existence…why does Bethlehem’s ministry
matter?
Bethlehem's
ministry matters for one simple reason; to share the word of God's Grace.
In our congregation, we all hear God's word every Sunday and in the
community we help others hear and see the word. We do this by inviting people
into our church family and actively working in the community through different
mission projects, Bethlehem's closet being the best example. – Thad Darger,
President
Bethlehem's existence invites, embraces
and perpetuates the word and love of God through Jesus Christ. We continually
learn and we do our best to carry out his goodwill in our daily lives. – Pete Maertens, Secretary
Referring directly to our gospel for today Matt
Maselli, Property Chairperson said, “We exist to care for the least of us, and need to look
into our hearts to know if we are truly doing what we can.” – Matt Maselli, Property Chairperson
Bethlehem's
existence matters because it is a place that continually teaches me how to live
with compassion. Its presence is a gentle reminder to look beyond myself so
that I do not look beyond my neighbor. When I see someone struggling to open a
door, or a cashier asks if I'd like to donate to a community service
initiative, or it looks like someone could use a kind word or two, it is
Bethlehem at work when I extend my hand or voice. – Johanna Webb,
Vice President
Bethlehem provides a gathering place
where ALL are included. 'Seasoned' citizens share the pews with infants;
teens and toddlers commune together; young families share fellowship with
grandparents. First time visitors are welcomed as though they were
charter members. This inclusiveness, this sense of welcome [and] belonging
is indeed a rare thing. It doesn't happen everywhere; Bethlehem is a
SPECIAL place! – Tom Houston,
Worship Chairperson & Youth Minister
Bethlehem is a place, and a
congregation, unique in some aspects. The community brought together here
shares a spirit and heritage of faith that could not be exactly duplicated
anywhere else as it began not that long ago as a mission church. It is
evidence of God working here to bring together this varied group of Christians,
united in their faith and desire to be "the hands of Christ" in this
community. This country, and the world for that matter, need more, not
fewer, voices of faith speaking loudly about how to live together as children
of God. – Ann Carlson, Stewardship
Chairperson
Bethlehem
matters because God says it matters. Where two or more of you are
gathered... It matters because we are human and broken and we need a community
that celebrates with us, centers us and heals us and grieves with us. It
matters because we have already mattered and those folks we matter to are still
here. And we matter for all those who have yet to know us and how we can shine
God's light in their direction. – Karen Bodamer, Mission Chairperson
I would say [Bethlehem] matters for
the same reason anything matters; because it makes a difference in someone's
life. It is a presence for our members and matters to us. It provides food and
clothing through just a couple of our ministries and that matters to the
community, especially the recipients. It matters because without it there would
be a void in the lives of all these people that it currently serves. – Christine Jensen, Faith Formation Chairperson
There
are places in our world where people are being taught to harm others.
Look at Paris last weekend. God needs our help in this world to teach
love and to pray for our enemies so that they might know God's love. These
so-called enemies do not know our God of love and forgiveness. Bethlehem is a
place to share God's love, His truth, His light so we can go out in the world
and be His Light to all who we meet. In our global world where people do
not know our God, it is our job to share Him.—Melany Gronski, Past President
Why do we exist? We
exist for all these things – summed up in a phrase, God’s kingdom. Beyond our congregation and here for each
other. And notice, I said Congregation. We congregate here because it is in our
gathering that the kingdom exists! It is
in our congregating that each of us participate, we see God’s love working in
our neighbors and we love our neighbors; we see God’s love working to save us
because of what these very people around us are being! Your presence here, your investment of time,
your investment of your whole self, matters – because you are Bethlehem
Lutheran church. You, People of God, are
the church. We are all ministers of
Jesus Christ in this place. Working
together as people of hope.
We will be talking about money at the end of worship today, so
I would be remiss not to make this connection clear. Our money is a significant tool to use for
the kingdom. Money is your “minted
self” – it is your concerns and values – the way you make more of those good
things happen[i]. Just think what God can do with it! So now that you are in God’s kingdom, God has
every intention of using your whole self, including your money to create
persistent hope in the world.
This is our
ministry! As people named House of
Bread, that we might feed, shelter and clothe those in need of hope as our
gospel says today. We show up here, and
in our every day lives to live differently than the world around us. We show up to live not in the American
kingdom or the Western kingdom or even the global kingdom – all these are cut
to the root, despairing and grasping in their fear, grabbing for control,
searching desperately for some measure of comfort.
We
show up to live as brave citizens of God’s kingdom of hope. God’s shoot of hope, growing out of a stump
of despair. Hope because the Word of God
has illumined our way. Hope that sees all
people and perspectives. Hope that
serves our communities with delight and Hope that opens the eyes of faith at
every age. Hope shining through the trees.
Bethlehem,
this is God’s loving, hopeful kingdom. Shine God’s love. Risk for hope. Be brave.
Because you know it and I know it, the only way we live in God’s kingdom
of wholeness is to live knowing/ that on Easter morning… love wins.
Amen.
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