Loading...Sermon June 12, 2016
The Rev. Rebecca S. Myers, LSW
The Church of the Nativity and St. Stephen, Newport, PA
Fourth Sunday after Pentecost Track 2 Proper 6
Jesus said, “Therefore, I tell you, her sins, which were many, have been forgiven; hence she has shown great love. But the one to whom little is forgiven, loves little." Luke 7:47
Please be seated.
Note: Prayers were asked for people who died and had been wounded during the terrorist and hate attack in Orlando, Florida.
Back in the early 60’s in Harrisburg, the local radio station broadcast a church service each Sunday. My father, who was Lutheran, heard this preacher, Ray Evelan, on the radio one Sunday and was drawn to attend his church, Messiah Lutheran Church. The Church was farther away than the one he was already attending, but something about the 35-year old preacher drew him in.
At the time Messiah was declining. The neighborhoods around the church were disappearing as state government and office buildings came along, all part of an urban redevelopment plan. Soon after my father started attending the church, he and Pastor Evelan became good friends, best friends in fact, in a friendship that lasted nearly 50 years.
By 1965, Pastor Evelan was Uncle Ray to me – not my blood uncle, but nearly so. Looking back and hearing stories from my parents, I know Uncle Ray saved my life in so many ways. My mother had bi-polar disorder, a chronic mental illness, and she suffered with it before there was lithium and the many medications available today. So many times, Uncle Ray provided support and comfort to both of my parents. He encouraged my parents to seek help at a premier hospital in Philadelphia where my mother was able to be one of the first to receive new treatments, which were amazing.
Uncle Ray shaped my faith and my understanding of what it means to be a Christian. He was an advocate for justice of every kind, including racial justice. When I was 14, he preached a series of sermons on speaking truth to power. I still read those sermons about the importance to work for God’s justice here on earth, no matter the cost. I still hear and see him preaching in his black robe with white cassock, pulling up the sleeves and leaning over the pulpit.
Pentecost is the anniversary of my confirmation and Uncle Ray was one of the people who taught confirmation classes. At the time, the baptism liturgy was changing and Uncle Ray explained how important it was that the service was done within the congregation. I can’t remember all he said in that class, but it was powerful. Until that time, our youth group would always sit up in the balcony, half paying attention. But on the next Sunday after Uncle Ray spoke to us, we came down and sat right up front, close to the pulpit and baptismal font and we never went back to the balcony.
Uncle Ray loved God. Uncle Ray loved Jesus. Uncle Ray had the Holy Spirit in him, working through him, and guiding him. The Holy Spirit guided him to speak prophetically about what was required for God’s justice to reign on earth. The Holy Spirit filled him with courage and a passion to stand for truth and to take action for truth.
However, many Christians then and even many now, would condemn Uncle Ray. Because, you see, Uncle Ray was a gay man, who had to conceal that fact for most of his life. The condemnation, and I would say misunderstanding, of the Christian Church would have denied his deep love of God and of Jesus. They would have denied his gift of prophecy…would have denied his Holy Spirit filled courage…his passion for truth and justice and would not have heeded him, nor allowed him to do God’s work if he were openly true to himself.
Desmond Tutu says the most evil thing you can do is make a person think they are not a child of God. Forcing people who are LGBT to hide tells them there is something wrong with the way they were created. What has been done to people who identify as LGBT, especially through religion is a great sin. How people who identify as LGBT have been treated and in some cases still are treated, denies God’s creation.
Luckily, we believe in and serve a God who forgives… a God who says that we are forgiven, thus releasing us to shower the world with love. Yes, the church is forgiven by God for the ways we’ve injured people who identify as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender. We’re forgiven AND called to make sure our church no longer sins in this way. One way we are responding to being forgiven is to have this service today.
Jesus says because we are forgiven, we show great love. The unnamed woman in our Gospel reading today, responds to Jesus lavishly. After a long day’s walk, she lovingly cares for his feet. Even his host for the dinner did not provide a basic thing like water for Jesus to wipe his feet, much less oil to soothe them after a long day.
Now today we also have a wonderful servant in our midst, who knows she’s forgiven and as a result responds with great love… Sue Beamer. Today we’re honoring her ministry with us as our organist. When I asked Sue how long she’d been the organist, she wasn’t sure, because she’s ministered to us in this way on and off for so many years. Sue’s like that. When there’s a need, if she can do it, she’s right there.
Sue does so many things in the church that we all don’t know about. She’s happy to do them and happy that no one knows she does them. She gets little gifts and cards for people when there’s a celebration and when times are tough. You see, Sue knows she’s forgiven and she responds lavishly and gives freely to God as a result.
We rejoice today because our sins of the ways we as the church have treated people who identify as LGBT are forgiven. We rejoice today because we can show great love to those the church has harmed. We rejoice today for the example of Sue Beamer, who knows she’s forgiven and showers us with great love.
Amen
