"Many Members, One Body"

Lectionary Readings for Epiphany 3

Audio Version of Sermon - Click Here

“Just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ.”

            Our lesson from Corinthians written by St. Paul was center of my formation as a young Christian.  I could count on it being referred to or read at pretty much any youth gathering.  In so many ways, these words from Paul became the foundation of how I viewed not only the Church but also how God was alive in the world through the body of Christ. 

            I still remember where I was standing when this harmonious vision of the Church as the body of Christ on earth shattered in just a few words.  I was on summer staff at Camp McDowell and we were cleaning up Epps Dining Hall following one of the camp sessions. 

It was a particularly lively clean-up day.  We were listening to the Spin Doctor’s Two Princes as we danced across the floor with our mops and brooms when someone on staff informed us that the General Convention of the Episcopal Church approved the election of Bishop Gene Robinson in New Hampshire. 

As you know, Bishop Robinson is noted for being the first openly gay and partnered person to be consecrated bishop in the Episcopal Church.  I hadn’t really thought about the implications of what this might do to the Church.  But my eyes were opened after a few comments from some of the other summer staffers.

One person on staff celebrated this news while another lamented.  A heated conversation began and it is a conversation that is alive and well today.  A conversation about the inclusion of LBGTI persons in the life of the Church has threatened and in some cases broken our bonds of affection not just within the Episcopal Church but also within the worldwide Anglican Communion.

As someone who considers himself as a moderate, this conversation has been deeply painful for me and in some cases has left me isolated from some of my best friends on both sides of the issue.  This conversation has led to ill-will between family members and church members.  This conversation has led to the development of the Anglican Church in North America. 

Law suits have been filled.  Churches have split in the ugliest of ways.  People have reduced the other to an adjective—conservative, liberal, moderate, heretic, homophobe, and the list goes on.  After all this, how can one still believe that the Church and her many members somehow make up the one body of Christ?

As you may know, the Primates of the Anglican Church gathered last week in Canterbury to discuss how The Episcopal Church’s unilateral decision about the theology of marriage as it pertains to same-sex couples has affected our relationship with other churches in the Anglican Communion. 

The Anglican Communion is comprised of roughly 40 Primates that represent the different Provinces of the worldwide Anglican Communion that consists of over 80 million people making it the 3^rd largest Christian body in the world behind the Roman Catholics and the Orthodox Church.  The Episcopal Church is one of those 40 Provinces and our Primate is Presiding Bishop Michael Curry.

There was a lot of speculation that this meeting would cause a split in the Anglican Communion.  Predictions were made that Primates would storm out in anger.  Other people said that the Episcopal Church would be kicked out of the communion in order to preserve the rest of the body.  But neither happened.  A middle-way was discerned.  The Anglican Way was discovered at least for now.

This Anglican Way is rooted in common prayer and as Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby commented, the week together was rooted in common prayer.  Bishop Welby commented saying that it was a truly Spirit-led week where bishop’s listened to each other in a way that honors our baptismal covenant to respect the dignity of every human being. 

While the Episcopal Church was effectively suspended from making decisions on the church’s councils for the next three years, a unanimous decision to walk together was made by the Primates—a decision that was not foreseen in the weeks leading up to the meeting.    

The Primates concluded their time together with a Eucharist that included the washing of feet when they remembered Jesus’ new commandment—to love as I have loved you.  So as Jesus loved his disciples by washing their feet, the bishop’s gathered to wash each other’s feet in witness to the immeasurable love of Christ.

(Click here to read the entire statement made by Bishop Welby on the Primates' Meeting)

            If one were to make a top 5 list of the most unsightly body parts, then I am sure that feet would make the list every time.  So if we conclude that feet are considered one of the inferior parts of the body and if we take St. Paul’s words seriously, then we also must take seriously that feet are given the greater honor in the body of Christ.

            I know this sounds strange to elevate feet in the body of Christ.  Feet are generally dirty, generally ugly—only a select few make it as foot models.  Most everyone has a bone in their foot that no one else seems to have.  Some people have toe-nail issues and fungus issues.  Feet get sore.  Feet get smelly.  But we need our feet to walk and to run.  We need our feet to dance and to kick.   

            We can’t hide our feet.  We can’t pretend our feet don’t exist.  We need our feet warts and all.  It seems that St. Paul is telling us that we can’t afford to hide our imperfections.  We can’t hide our brokenness.  We need to bring our brokenness to light.  We need to let Jesus look at our imperfections in love in the same way Jesus looked at the feet of the disciples in love.

            The Primates let Jesus look at the imperfections of the Anglican Communion in love.  And because they allowed Jesus to look at them in love something miraculous happened, hope for future healing happened.

            The Church as the body of Christ is not held together because of parliamentary procedure.  The Church as the body of Christ is not held together because of consensus on doctrinal issues.  The Church as the body of Christ is not held together because her leaders are perfect. 

            The Church as the body of Christ is held together because Jesus looks at his Church in love.  Jesus looks at our brokenness with love.  Ultimately, Jesus is broken because of our brokenness.  But the good news says that Jesus makes us whole even in our brokenness.    

            This is the story that we get to live by, a story of healing, a story of death and resurrection.  As Christians who are a part of the Anglican witness to the gospel, we find ourselves more deeply involved in this story when we commit ourselves in prayer with our brothers and sisters who might not think like us and that includes our brothers and sisters across the globe, our brothers and sisters who are worshiping down the street, and our brothers and sisters who you find yourselves sitting next to today.           

Through our prayers we are made keenly aware of our shared brokenness.  We are made aware that we are all sinners in need of redemption.  Even more, we are made aware that we are many members of the same body. 

We remember that we are held together through the great love of our Savior Jesus Christ who died for us all and who rose again to show us a new way to live together in love and peace. When we pray, we join together and call on the one who is making all things new. 

            In the end, I am glad that my harmonious understanding of the Church as the body of Christ on earth was broken.  If it weren’t, then I would be living in a constant state of anxiety and frustration.  I might still be looking for the Church to get her act together and live in perfect harmony.  I would probably have left the Church by now.  I may have even given up my faith in God. 

            But it is not up to the Church to make the body of Christ one.  Only God can do that.  It is not up to the Church to be perfect.  Only God in Christ can make us perfect.  It is not up to the Church to fix a broken body.  Only God can do that.  And God has done all this through Jesus Christ our Lord.  

            But there is something we can do.  We can show God our feet.  We can let God touch our brokenness and imperfections with his love.  We can admit that we are far from perfect.  We can admit that our Church and her people on earth are far from perfect.  We can trust that only God’s love will transform us into a people who walk in love as Christ loves us.  Amen.

            

A Square Peg into a Round Hole

        "A Square Peg into a Round Hole"

Lectionary Readings for Epiphany 2, Year C

(Visual Gospel Reading)

Audio Version of Sermon

        I have been a part of enough weddings to know that preparing for the big event is not too unlike preparing for a rocket launch to outer space.  But if you think 21^st century wedding celebrations require tedious amounts of preparation, read a little about the wedding traditions in 1^st century Palestine. 

            All you fathers of daughters better be thankful you were born in the 20^th century.  If you were a father in Jesus’ day, you would have to prepare for a seven day party!  Imagine trying to make sure you had enough wine to keep the party going for seven days. 

            More to the point, the number seven in our Judeo-Christian heritage is very important. The number seven is representative of the fullness of creation, the number is representative of the how God set the world in order.  And a wedding, particularly in the Jewish tradition, is symbolic of the coming of God’s new world order, the coming of the messianic era.

(The Jones' window given in honor of Mary Indiana Seawell Jones located in Parker Hall depicts Jesus' first miracle at a wedding in Cana of Galilee)

So if we look at this lesson through this lens it should come as no surprise that Jesus’ first of seven signs in the Gospel according to John takes place at a wedding in Cana of Galilee.  It shouldn’t be that surprising that Jesus, the one who is the new creation, makes his divine presence known first at a wedding.  Ultimately, this miracle is a sign that God’s new world order is initiated through Jesus. 

But what I find very surprising about this lesson is the conversation that Jesus has with his mother.  Jesus’ mother notices that the wine is about to give out which would set off a master alarm if we are still comparing a wedding party to a rocket launch.  The wine giving out would essentially abort the mission.  This would not only cause social embarrassment but also implicitly send the guests home.

Jesus’ mother decides to take action.  She knows just the person who can save this family from social humiliation.  I imagine that she looks to her son and with the stare of a mother’s eye says to Jesus, “They have no wine.”  Jesus has seen this look before and understands this seemingly passive statement from his mother as a direct order.  

Jesus does what any son might do in a social setting when his mother asks him to do something.  In a “leave me alone mom” kind of way Jesus says, “Woman, what concern is this to you and me?  My hour has not yet come.”  There are several troubling things here.  One is more easily resolved than the other. 

Through a 21^st century lens it would appear that Jesus is being rude when he quips, “woman.”  However, biblical scholars, including women biblical scholars, assure us that Jesus is not being rude but simply distancing himself from the familial relationship with his mother and setting up the truth that he belongs to the entire human family.

The second issue is not so easily resolved.  Jesus seems indifferent to help this family.  He does not perceive that this is an issue that he needs to attend to.  Plus, he tells his mother that his hour has not yet come.  The latter part of this statement seems to suggest that Jesus does not take orders from the human will but instead from the will of his Father in heaven.   

Jesus’ mother, perceiving the direction of this conversation, looks to the servants and says, “Do whatever he tells you.”  Again, she makes what seems like a passive statement but ultimately Jesus is called into action.  Jesus tells the servants to fill the stone water jars used for rites of purification with water.  And they fill them to the brim.

The pressing theological question here wonders, “Did Jesus act based on the will of his human mother?  Or did Jesus receive divine instruction to fill the jugs with water?”  More generally, “Does God act because we tell God to act?”  Or does God act because God sees that it is the appropriate time to act?” 

These might seem like questions that only seminary students and professors should really care about.  But these questions are crucial in understanding what kind of relationship God is calling the human family to be a part of. 

The answer to these questions might lie in the substance of the miracle itself.  And please note that I am going to start way out in left field and try to bring it in.  So hang in there.

  Let’s look at the miracle itself.  Jesus points to the six large stone jars used for Jewish rites of purification.  And then he tells the servants to fill the jars with water.  Finally, Jesus tells the servant to draw some out and take it to the chief steward.

Notice what Jesus does here.  He uses what is already at the party to set the stage for the miracle.  He uses human and earthly objects to perform his miracle.  Even more, he uses people other than himself in the servants and the wine steward to pour and draw out the water that has become wine. 

And notice what is not used.  There are no magic wands, no clouds of smoke, no fireworks, no applause.  And he doesn’t run to the supermarket to pick another case of wine up.  Simply put, Jesus uses what is already at the party and speaks his word with authority. 

The way in which this miracle is performed is another clue that our God isn’t simply a cosmic being who set the world in motion.  Our God is a God who is determined to be intimately involved, to use his creation, the creation he called “very good” to work out the plan of salvation. 

Our God is determined to use the flesh of humanity to reveal his glory in the world.  God makes us actors in the great story of salvation, and Jesus is the star performer who makes everybody else look good.

I know what you might be thinking.  Jack just went off one on of his tangents and forgot to answer his own question!  Don’t worry I didn’t forget the question, but I am not sure you are going to like the answer. 

I believe the intentions behind God’s actions are found in the mystery of the relationship between the divine life of God and the life of his creation he calls “very good.”  And the mystery of this life between heaven and earth very rarely leaves us with answers that are black and white or yes and no. 

The answer is sought in the deepening of the relationship with the One who holds all truth, with the One who ordered creation into being and gave everything a purpose.  The answer lies in the One who has already written, directed, and completed the story salvation.  And the story is perfected through Jesus Christ our Lord.

So what does all this mean?  It means that the question isn’t so much about the battle between God’s will and our will.  It means that our relationship with God isn’t a negotiation to be settled.  It isn’t a riddle to be solved. 

Instead, it is more about how God is syncing the human will with the divine will. This first sign gives us a taste of what it means for God’s will to be worked out through human flesh.  This first sign tells us that this tuning of human will to divine will is a process, it takes human participation. 

The discovery of our salvation isn’t simply a moment in time.  Remember that Jesus has six more signs to perform and that doesn’t include his resurrection. 

Going back to the rocket ship metaphor.  In order for the Apollo 13 astronauts to survive the master alarm that threatened to destroy the ship, scientists had to figure out a way to fit a square peg into a round hole using only what the astronauts had on the ship. 

(Movie Clip from Apollo 13: Square Peg into Round Hole)

In order to rescue humanity from sin and death, God had to figure out how to fit the perfect story of salvation into the imperfections and limits of human will.  And God did figure out a way through the Word made flesh, Jesus Christ our Savior. 

And in today’s story, we see how God’s will in Christ is worked out in the awkwardness of a mother and son relationship.  God’s will in Christ is revealed through something as ordinary as water and through diluted religious traditions.  God’s will in Christ is even enacted through unwitting actors who find themselves as vehicles of God’s grace like the wine steward.  God uses what we have and transform what we have into something extraordinary.

And once the seemingly awkward, embarrassing, and ill-timed situation is resolved, the wine steward says, “Everyone serves the good wine first and then the inferior wine once the guests have become drunk.  But you have kept the good wine until now.”

            In every act of God, no matter how despairing the situation may seem, there is an intention to point to something more, to something better; to point the perfect story of salvation, to point to the ultimate hope we have in God’s new creation in Christ. 

            In our world that is broken by sin and death, this divine truth is worked out in the messiness of this mortal life.  And often times that means that God’s eternal truth will take time to be revealed in our own lives. 

            It took God six days to call creation into being before he rested on the seventh day.  It will take Jesus giving seven signs before he can sync the hearts of the disciples to the point where they can believe in resurrection on the eighth day.   

            Because God’s ultimate wedding banquet is being orchestrated through the flesh of human beings it is going to take time for us to get to the point when we can truly celebrate.  The good news is that God gives us moments of hope along the journey.  God gives us a taste of the heavenly banquet in this mortal life.  God gives us these moments to remind us that it is God’s will that will lead us safely home and not the will of humanity.

            The good news is that through Christ God gives us the grace to see that the prophecy given through Isaiah has come true.  The feast of rich food and well-aged wine is now. Jesus is the rich food.  Jesus is the well-aged wine.  And this feast will never end.  Jesus is the food and the wine that will never run out. 

            Jesus is the story that we can sync our lives by.  We can stop trying to create the perfect story, the perfect life, the perfect party and instead live in peace knowing that our lives are intimately and forever linked to the life of God who has already prepared the perfect wedding banquet. 

And it gets better.  It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see this eternal truth of God.  All it takes is the willingness to come back again and again to this table to taste and see how God is drawing you deeper into the mystery of life with the One who holds all truth and who will set you free.  Amen. 

What's In a Name?

First Sunday after the Epiphany - Baptism of Jesus

Audio of Sermon - Click Here 

         You’ve heard it been said before, “What’s in a name?”  Here in the south we take the names seriously especially the names of our ancestors. 

          A good friend of mine and college roommate has the name Mose Wadsworth Stuart, V.  While he doesn’t have any children yet, I am not sure how he can get around naming his first son Mose Wadsworth Stuart, VI.  You are of course familiar with the old names of Selma.  I’ve lost count of the number of Roger ap Catesby or Catesby ap Rogers there are.  

          After we found out Jamie was pregnant with Mary Katherine, we literally had a 9 month “conversation” about what her name would be.  We even signed on to ancestory.com to see if there were any old family names that might work. 

          I discovered a Yeldard Alvey from the 1600s in England and suggested we call her “Mary Yeldard.”  Obviously, that didn’t work out.  We ended up giving her the name that is connected to all four of her great-grandmothers—Mary Katherine Campbell Alvey.  Our daughter is really going to appreciate that when taking standardized tests!

          Names in scripture are also carefully chosen and usually describe a defining attribute of the person.  Moses’ name in Egyptian name literally means to “draw out.”  Moses was of course drawn out of water after his mother sent him down the Nile in hopes he would be rescued because the Pharaoh announced he would kill all new born sons because the Hebrew population was getting too big.

Note: In original sermon, I said Moses' Hebrew name means "to draw out."  Thankfully, a parishioner corrected me saying that his Hebrew name means "to deliver."  His Egyptian name means "to draw out.  This makes perfect sense because Moses was drawn out of the water by the Egyptians and drew them out to their eventual death after the parting of the Red Sea.

          Jacob was given the name Israel after his struggle with an angel of the Lord.  Israel in Hebrew means “one who struggled with God and lived.”  And we know very well the struggle of Israel and their dogged determination to live against all odds. 

          I could of course go on, but I think you get the picture.  Names are important.  They say a lot about who we are.  Names go a long in way in helping us claim our identity. 

          Take it from me there is something demoralizing by being called by the wrong name.  I often get Jack Alvery.  I don’t know why but people just think my last name needs an “r.” 

I also grow tired of having to sound out the “v” in Alvey because it often comes across as a “b” sound.  I’ve grown used to spelling my name A-L-V as in Victor-E-Y. 

I remember one time I used this formula when I called the pro-shop for a tee-time.  When I arrived, the pro couldn’t find an Alvey on the list.  When I asked who had the 10:10 tee-time, he looked down and said, “Al Victory.”  So if I ever decide to get into Hollywood, I have my screen name!

But at least I can laugh about it.  Some aren’t so lucky.  Some don’t even go by a name at all.  Prisoners are given a number across their chest.  There are too many babies that go unborn every day that are never even given a name.  Some go for years or even lifetimes without anyone ever bothering to ask their name. 

Others are reduced to the name of the sin that they are most known for committing.  The drunk.  The adulterer.  The murderer.  The gossip.  The thief.  The jerk.  The idiot.  I know this because I, too, have been on both sides of these dehumanizing ways of looking at people.  Lord, have mercy on us all. 

Others are given more distinguished names.  Kind. Generous.  Intelligent.  Loving.  Some get to be known by the title of an award.  The Nobel Laureate.  The Heisman Trophy winner.  Most Likely to Succeed.  The Best Lawyer. 

And generally speaking people call us by the tasks or job that we are known for doing.  The teacher.  The banker.  The golfer.  The artists.  The comedian.  The judge.  And most of these titles are well deserved. 

But at the end of the day, none of these names, not our given name, not our nickname, not our sin name, not even our distinguished name can adequately describe who we really are. 

Our lesson from Isaiah reminds us of who we really are.  The same God who created us and formed us calls out to us and says, “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.”  YOU ARE MINE. 

Ultimately, this statement from God reminds us of who we are by reminding us to whom we belong.  We belong to God.  Our identity doesn’t come from how the world sees us—for better, for worse—our identity is wholly and completely wrapped up in who God says we are.

As Christians, we find the fullness of our identity in the name given to Jesus Christ in baptism.  After Jesus is baptized the heavens part and a voice from heaven declares, “You are my Son, the beloved, with you I am well pleased.” 

The baptism of Jesus tells us that God was willing to enter into a flesh that is named and defined by sin and death and make us a people who are named and defined by the eternal love and goodness of God.

The baptism of Jesus tells us that God was willing to enter the tragic nature of our world and redeem our world with love incarnate.  And God invites us to learn and claim our new name through a baptism with water and the Holy Spirit. 

Baptism is the Church’s central act in acknowledging the mark and claim that God has made on us all in Christ.  When we are baptized, we are sealed with the Holy Spirit and marked as Christ’s own forever.  Period. 

Nothing can take away the identity we are given by God in Christ.  Nothing.  No amount of sin.  No amount of stumbling.  No amount of suffering.  No amount of name calling. Nothing can take away your identity as God’s beloved.

So the pressing question for us this morning asks, “Can you accept your name in Christ?”  Do you really believe deep in your heart and soul that your name is beloved of God?  Or will you continue to let yourself be defined by the temporary names of this world? 

Will you continue to let the world define you with attributes that you may or may not deserve, with words that may or may not capture who you real are?  Will you continue to let others define you by a name that you can never outrun no matter how hard you try? 

Will you continue to let the world define you by names that can be taken away in a second with one wrong move or one unfortunate event?  Or can you accept that the only name that can truly free you from the names of sin and death is the name “beloved of God”? 

I’ll ask again.  What’s in a name?  A lot.  In fact, your life depends on it.  Beloved, I invite you to take seriously the name you are given through God in Christ.  Believe in your belovedness to the point where you start to believe in the belovedness of the other.  Believe in your new name and watch with joy as God’s beloved Son transforms our broken and sinful world in the name of love.  Amen.       

God Did and Does Speak Outside of Scripture

Epiphany Lessons for Year C

“For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.”

In recognition of the Epiphany star, we will say Prayer C at the Great Thanksgiving.  I’ve heard the grumbles about Prayer C, and I’ve been known to contribute to that grumbling from time to time.  Over the years the prayer has become affectionately known as the Star Wars prayer which isn’t that surprising because Prayer C was first introduced in the 1970s around the same time that George Lucas began the movie franchise that is still alive and well today. 

You might also be interested to learn that Prayer C was written shortly after the first moon landing.  Therefore, it is no wonder that there is talk of interstellar space, galaxies, suns, the planets, and this fragile earth, our island home.  There is something humbling about remembering that we are just a small dot in the vast expanse of interstellar space.

I was humbled last night as I went to get my trash can from the end of the driveway when I was struck by the night sky.  The stars seemed to be brighter than usual and there seemed to be more stars than usual.  It has been observed that on the clearest of nights the human eye can see about 2,000 stars.  While this may seem like a large number, it is believed that there are anywhere from 100 billion to 400 billion stars in the Milky Way Galaxy. 

So even on the clearest of nights, we can only observe a fraction of what is really out there.  Even more, scientists say that there are more galaxies in the universe than there are grains of sand on planet earth.  We are indeed small in the grand scheme of things even smaller than we think or can even imagine.  We are indeed inhabitants on this fragile earth, our island home.  We are small, perhaps, even smaller than the smallest of islands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. 

This is all quite overwhelming if we think about it too long.  To imagine our smallness can burst our little bubbles about how important we think we are and how we think things should be.  To imagine our smallness might call us to remember that there is so much out there that we just don’t know.  Ultimately, our smallness might even call us to search for something more.    

In this evening’s lesson, we learn about wise men who are seeking something more.  These wise men are from the East and have no connection to the Jewish tradition but they come seeking the new born king of the Jews.  Scripture says, they observed his star at is rising and have come to pay him homage. 

The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of Israel spoke to these foreign wise men through a star.  God spoke to the very people who worship false gods and dumb idols.  As a friend said, God spoke to these men from the East using a spiritual language they could understand.  Ultimately, God saw it fit to use outsiders to be main players in God’s story of salvation. 

These wise men, these pagans, these people who are outside of the field of vision of the Hebrew story are a part of God’s salvation story.  Talk about bursting a bubble.  Wasn’t God’s plan for salvation supposed to be told through the people of Israel?  And now God is using pagan worshipers to point to the wonders of God’s love.      

I have to wonder if God wasn’t somehow saying to the Israelites, “I’m not just the God of the 12 tribes of Israel.  I am the God of all creation, the creation that I lovingly made and it is my desire to redeem not only the people of Israel but the entire creation.  And if I see it is necessary, then I will make my desires known through anybody I chose.”  God isn’t quite as domesticated as we like to sometimes believe.

In so many ways, the Feast of the Epiphany burst our little bubbles about who God is and how God works through creation to redeem the world.  Over the last 150 years, a fundamentalist culture has made waves in the story of Christian America.  Among other things, this culture has made scripture the only and final word of God’s revelation.

While I strongly affirm that scripture to be the Word of God and to contain all things necessary to salvation as the prayer book prescribes, I do find much danger to limiting God’s Word to only the literal words of scripture.  This fundamentalist take on scripture implies that God only speaks to those who read the Bible.  This position also implies that God stopped speaking 1900 years ago when John of Patmos wrote the last words of the Book of Revelation.

Ultimately, I, along with a lot of others, believe that this fundamentalist wave of Christianity has severely malnourished Christians in America and crippled our witness to the eternal truth of our living God.  Too many have reduced scripture to a formula on how to live a moral life and how to get into heaven.  Scripture is not simply a guide book but contains the living story of how God is saving all of his people from sin and death.

On this Feast of the Epiphany, I want to remind you that the same God who spoke to the wise men through a star is speaking to those outside of our Christian tradition.  We as Christians do not have a monopoly on God’s Word.  Instead, we are stewards of God’s Word.  And as stewards of God’s Word it is a part of our job to observe and notice how the God we know in scripture is working outside of our small little bubbles.

In a culture that has grown tired of the Christian rhetoric, maybe our number one job shouldn’t always be trying to win people to Christ.  Maybe our number one job today as Christians is to see how the star of Christ is guiding the person who doesn’t go to Church.  Maybe our number one job today as Christians is to notice how those who are outsiders are pointing to the love of God.  Maybe it is our job to tell these people how we see the love of Christ through their lives and thank them.    

I invite you to pray about what you might do if you see God using someone outside the Church’s bubble to point to the good news of Christ as made known through scripture.  How might you approach this person?  What might you discover if you get to know this person and their deepest desires, their deepest fears?  Where might you two go if you go on a journey?  Where might the star of Christ lead you?

I hope and pray that you will discover that you need each other.  I hope and pray you see how God is including the entire human family in the story of salvation.  I hope and pray that you see how the individual stories of our seemingly small and insignificant lives amount to a story that far outshines anything we could even imagine or dream about. 

Above all, I hope and pray that you discover more and more how the eternal truth of God’s love that is manifest in the hearts of all people through Christ can light up even the darkest of nights.  Amen.