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Sermon April 28, 2019
The Rev. Rebecca S. Myers,
The Church of the Nativity and St. Stephen’s
The Second Sunday of Easter, Year C
http://lectionarypage.net/YearC_RCL/Easter/CEaster2_RCL.html
Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you." John 20:21
This year we’ve been talking about bucket lists. The bucket list was the name of a movie from 2007 where two men with cancer meet, become friends and decide to do everything on their bucket list, which is a list of what you want to do before you “kick the bucket.”
Late last summer, a friend was talking to me about her bucket list. She said that usually her list included things she wanted to do for fun or with her friends, but she was seeing that she needed to expand her list to put things on it that were about what she wanted to do for others or for the world.
Then Bill Rohm decided to do some parlor people sessions on bucket lists. He shared how he had a bucket list, which he divided into three areas: Family, Frivolity, and Friends. Upon re-examining it, he felt he needed to add another area – Faith.
Many of you attended at least one session on this topic. The end result was a parish bucket list – a list of things we would like to do in our lives or together to live out our faith. Then two weeks ago, Vestry looked at the list and discussed it and added a couple of items.
In our Gospel today, Jesus has appeared to the Disciples in the room where they had hidden themselves away after his crucifixion. Thomas had gone out, but the rest had stayed in the room, worried about whether they would be arrested because they were followers of Jesus.
Jesus appears to them, which is comforting. Then the risen Christ continues to teach and guide them. He says they must go out. Jesus says that just as God sent him to the disciples, so they are being sent out into the world. They are the teachers now. They are the embodiment of Jesus’ teaching to love God and love their neighbors as themselves.
And so we too, on this second Sunday in Easter are reminded that we are sent to the world. Every week, we gather here and are sent back into our everyday worlds. Our Eucharistic prayers at the end of communion all talk about going to the world:
“Send us now into the world…” or “send us out to do the work you have given us to do….”
Our dismissals encourage us to go forth or to go to serve.
Hopefully what happens here in our worship and time together strengthens us for our daily living and provides guidance for how best to live what Christ taught us.
I also think our Christian Bucket List guides us in ways to exemplify Christ in the world.
Here are the items currently on our list:
A Christian Bucket List
Deliver meals on wheels
Reach out to people in need
Visit people in prison
Do what I can on a daily basis to improve quality of life
Love our neighbor, aka fellow human
Bring people to church
Take care of all God’s creatures
Volunteer at Hospice
Keep in frequent Contact with family
Practice the simple act of smiling and saying hello
Speak out on faith related items that can be improved locally, in our state, nation, and the world
Visit residents of nursing homes
Assist street people and Vets in need
Restore relationships with others
Many of these require further discussion. What are specific things we can do to “care for all of God’s creatures” for instance? What does it mean to love our neighbor? How do we restore relationships with others?
How do we speak out on faith-related items that can be improved, not only locally, but also in our state, nation or world?
Today we celebrate Earth Day. Over the past few years, we have taken significant steps to care for God’s creation, especially when it comes to our church buildings. Just this week, we’ve taken a further step by replacing the cooling system for the 2nd floor of the Parish House. The new system will be more efficient and provide heating and air conditioning, lowering our dependence on heating oil. We already contract for suppliers to supply us with electricity from sustainable sources like solar and wind.
Do you already do some of these items on the list? Would you be willing to talk about your experience or write something for the newsletter? Would you be willing to lead a discussion at Parlor People?
Are there things on the list you would like to know more about? Please let Bill or Jane Hoover and me know.
What is your faith bucket list? What one thing will you focus on accomplishing in the next month?
As the risen Christ greets the disciples, he says, “Peace be with you.” We are assured that as we work on this bucket list, Christ goes with us.
Amen
