Loading...Sermon December 11, 2016
The Rev. Rebecca S. Myers, LSW
The Church of the Nativity and St. Stephen, Newport, PA
The farmer waits for the precious crop from the earth, being patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains. You also must be patient. James 5:7-8
Please be seated.
“Be patient!” Raise your hand if your parents said that to you as you were growing up. Now raise your hand if you also said that to someone else as an adult!
This time of year is a terrible time to ask people to be patient isn’t it? We’re busy and anxious about the holidays. Yet, Advent is a time of perfecting being patient.
As I was thinking about this during the week, I thought of how my cat is patient, mostly. My cat, Tra-lee was a feral, outdoor cat. The Hollimans 
convinced me to take her in in October of 2015. For about 2 months she hid in my basement – up in the rafters of the ceiling. One evening, she finally trusted me enough to come up out of the basement. I had to be so patient with her those first few months.
I feed Tra-lee twice each day. In the morning, my routine is fairly similar on four days out of the week. I wake up, read the newspaper on my phone, get up and get a shower. Tra-lee usually bounds upstairs when she hears me get up and finds a comfy place on the bed to sleep until she’s sure I’m going downstairs. When I come downstairs, I usually change the cat’s water, giver her fresh food, clean her kitty litter and then give her some treats.
But then there’s the 3 days where I don’t follow that routine. I sleep in or sometimes get up even earlier. Everything can be out of order. I might come downstairs to put a load of laundry in the washer, but then go right back upstairs without doing anything with her food or water.
And then there’s the days I’m totally distracted and while I’m changing her water, emptying it on the flowers outside in the warmer weather, I get sidetracked and almost forget to give her fresh food or her treats.
Yes, the cat will meow occasionally, but mostly she just looks at me, like she’s willing me to remember what to do next. She really has no choice, because she can’t do these things for herself.
Just like we as human beings must rely upon God and can’t change everything all by ourselves. We want there to be justice for all right now, right? I mean the founding documents of our country and the changes that have been made over the years espouse some pretty incredible values – that all are created equal, that all have rights, freedom of speech, religious freedom, to name a few. Yet, the true embodiment of all of those freedoms is not fully realized, even after nearly 225 years of practice. Yes, we do need God’s help and a lot of patience!
When I was exploring the meaning of patience, one characteristic intrigued me. Being patient means holding back one’s anger and being patient also means not taking revenge…not being vengeful. We definitely need God’s help to be in that space. Not lashing out when we’re suffering is very difficult. Holding back our tempers is very difficult.
Now, this doesn’t mean that we acquiesce to suffering, only that we be careful how we respond to suffering.
As I thought more about being patient and waiting upon the Lord, the story of Joseph came to mind. You see, we can find it difficult to be patient, because in the moment of today, we don’t always see the longer view or know how things will turn out.
Remember how Joseph’s brothers were going to kill him, but decided instead to sell him to a passing caravan of Ishmaelites. That was and sounds awful, doesn’t it?
Joseph ends up in Egypt as a slave of Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh. Joseph did well and eventually became the overseer of Potiphar’s house. Joseph was a successful man, the Bible tells us. That sounds pretty good, right?
Then Joseph gets into trouble from a lie by Potiphar’s wife. Potiphar puts Joseph in prison. That sounds awful, doesn’t it? Yet, the jailer treated Joseph fairly well, because “the Lord was with him” and that was evident.
Eventually, Joseph, still in prison, meets Pharaoh’s cupbearer and baker who had gotten into trouble. Joseph interprets dreams that each of them had and Joseph’s interpretation of the dreams comes true. Joseph, still in prison, becomes known as a man able to interpret dreams.
One night Pharaoh has dreams and is troubled by them. Joseph is brought before Pharaoh and interprets the dreams, saying that after seven years of good harvests, famine would come. Joseph suggests a way to store up food during the coming years of plenty so that during the famine, there will be food. As a result of his interpretation and wise plan, Joseph is made to oversee Pharaoh’s house and the process of preparing for the famine. He is a close assistant to Pharaoh.
As a result, Egypt has food during the years of the famine. Joseph’s brothers come from Canaan to Egypt looking for food and eventually Joseph and his brothers and father are reunited, which is a very happy ending, right??
But that’s how the Israelites ended up in Egypt, eventually becoming slaves and leading to the Exodus…..
And the story goes on and on…. A continuing story of God being with us.
We each plant seeds with our works, our love and our care. Most of us know that when we plant things in the ground, we’re never sure if they’ll come up or not. Yes, we can water and mulch and fertilize and mostly we just need to wait patiently. Now lots is happening underground that we don’t see. There is work being done. And hopefully in due time, a crop is harvested.
So, be patient. Do the work to nurture the seeds of hope, love and justice. Don’t let your anger overwhelm you or distract you from doing God’s Will. Be patient and don’t seek revenge. Be patient, because you might not see the harvest, but only the planting and early growth. Keep doing God’s Will. Keep loving God. Keep loving your neighbor as yourself. Keep following Jesus Christ.
Amen
