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Sermon July 30, 2023
The Rev. Rebecca S. Myers, MSW
The Church of the Nativity and St. Stephen’s
Ninth Sunday after Pentecost, Year A, Track 1, Proper 12
http://www.lectionarypage.net/YearA_RCL/Pentecost/AProp12_RCL.html
Audio: /documents/Eucharist__July_30__2023
Video: https://youtu.be/6RpQ6wb-RXQ
For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39
At home, I am surrounded by photos of people who have died. Some hang on the walls of my bedroom. Some are on shelves in my kitchen and others are on shelves in my bedroom. Some are formal photos, while others are things printed out on paper or from funeral bulletins. Some are photos taken long ago when the person was much younger, while others show the people towards the end of their lives.
Some are single portraits. Some are larger groups. There is the amazing 1928 photo of my great aunt’s wedding with a large wedding party, including my grandparents who met at that wedding and married two years later.
My son’s wedding photo from 2002 also includes a large group of people who have now died.
All of the photos are of people who loved me. All of them are people I loved. Every time I look at them, I feel a tinge of sadness that they are no longer here and also feel deeply the love they had for me and how they shaped my life.
The reading from Romans today is one of my favorites. It is suggested as a reading for burials in our Book of Common Prayer and it is definitely one of my favorites for that service.
Because I truly believe that NOTHING can separate us from the love of God.
A Medieval hymn that is hymn 577 in our hymnal has the refrain:
God is love, and where true love is God himself is there
God is there in the people who love us. It matters not whether they are still alive, because their love continues to live in us…continues to soothe us…continues to comfort us…continues to bring us joy…continues to teach us about the love of God.
We benefit from a legacy of love given from people who loved us. Think about the love that built this church, for instance. The people who met and prayed here and who cared about each other here. The love that permeates the very walls and air in this space.
We are just the next group of people to permeate this place with love.
We pass our love down through the generations. We create a legacy of love that lives in those who follow…that soothes them…that comforts them…that brings them joy…that teaches them about the love of God.
We may try to separate ourselves from the love of God in Christ Jesus, but it’s pretty hard to do, because it’s always there!
Vestry is reading the book After: A Doctor Explores What Near-Death Experiences Reveal about Life and Beyond by Dr. Bruce Greyson. I just finished reading Chapter 13 for the August 8 Vestry meeting. It is titled Heaven or Hell? Dr. Greyson tells us of research about the experiences people have when they’ve died, but then come back to life. He makes the point that words usually cannot adequately describe what people experience.
Many, but not all, have very positive experiences. They describe it as being in heaven, often, but not always. Some that have more difficult or negative experiences describe it as hell, but often these experiences finally turn positive in the end. Some don’t really describe a place, but just a deep feeling.
One woman said of her experience, “There was a feeling of love and bliss that extended on to infinity. From this place everything was possible because only love, joy, peace and creative potential were real.” (p. 148)
Love and the peace of God are what is real. We are never separated from it, although at times we may not feel it as deeply. The love of God is always there. The people who have loved us help us to see that amazing love.
One of my favorite hymns that I hope will definitely be sung at my funeral is A Mighty Fortress Is Our God written by Martin Luther. After affirming our need for Jesus Christ to be with us in this world and the ability of Jesus with just one word to crush the devils that threaten to undo us, the last verse goes:
That word above all earthly powers,
No thanks to them, abideth;
The Spirit and the gifts are ours
Through him who with us sideth:
Let goods and kindred go,
This mortal life also;
The body they may kill:
God’s truth abideth still,
His kingdom is for ever.
Nothing can separate us from the love of God through Jesus Christ our Lord!
Amen
