Sermon for the Sixth Sunday after Pentecost

Preached at Canadochly Lutheran Church on June 26, 2016

Scripture texts: Psalm 16, Galatians 5:1, 13-25

I had this all wrapped up. Had my sermon ready to go on Friday morning. Knew what I was going to preach, a nice and somewhat bold sermon about the differences between the kingdom of God and the kingdom of this world. But then I spent all the rest of Friday and all day Saturday watching the news out of my home state. Massive flooding. Unprecedented destruction. Twenty-three persons dead. State of emergency declared for 44 of West Virginia’s 55 counties.

From USA Today.

There’s a sick familiarity to how I feel. I last felt it when I was only 12 years old when the infamous 1985 floods hit WV. Nearly wiped whole towns off the map and left a scar in the minds of nearly every West Virginian who lived through them. Thirty eight died in those floods and the current ones are likely to be far worse.

Everyone in WV remembers the cow picture.

It is said that we preachers do our best when we preach the sermons we ourselves need to hear the most. So what am I going to say about this?

I’m tired. I’m tired of bad news. I’m still sick to death about Orlando with all those people murdered. I’m disgusted with the news from across the sea, with people choosing the path of fear and xenophobia over community and progress. A path our own nation is dangerously close to wandering down as well. I’m so fed up with setbacks in my life. Kind of hard to be a video gamer when your gaming computer is little more than a over-large paper weight. Add to that the financial troubles we all struggle with and a sick Emily and you get a picture of my past week. As your pastor, I’m tired of burying what feels like a whole generation of this congregation: Don and Fred, Millie and now Jim, along with others taken too soon by disease like Suzie and Freddie.

And now, my home state, even parts of my home city, my people are drowning under torrents of rain the likes of which some say that part of the world has not seen in 1,000 years.

It’s easy to give in to despair in the midst of such things.

There is a quote from Fred Rogers, the famous Mr. Rogers of PBS children’s TV. He said “My mother would say to me, 'Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.' To this day, especially in times of disaster, I remember my mother's words, and I am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers — so many caring people in this world.”

From AZQuotes

It’s a great quote, one the late Mr. Rogers repeated time and again during his life and still lives on now 13 years after his passing. I hear its echo in our Scripture readings today. I hear it in the words of the Psalmist “All my delight is in the godly that are in the land, upon those who are noble among the people.”

And what is it that the godly do? What is it that makes them noble and honorable? When bad things happen, they stand up and they start doing good. They start helping.

My friend Matt, who I’ve known since kindergarten, shared a story on Facebook about how he gave a discount coupon for propane to a family in need. Our bishop and his assistants sent out an email across the synod asking for aid. Our national and state governments is rallying their resources. I saw a video of an Army helicopter dropping water and food down to people trapped by floodwaters. In ways great and small, the helpers have shown up, each revealing in their own way the world as it should be.
I mean that’s what we’re about, isn’t it? We are Christians, we are disciples of Jesus. Isn’t that what Paul is writing about? The Christian life is one dedicated to those simple but profound words “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

In a thousand different ways, I’m seeing that happen in my home state. Neighbors loving neighbors, helping, supporting, feeding, healing, rescuing, rebuilding. And not just there. I saw a news report yesterday about the London Gay Pride parade. Those same British folks that I’m so frustrated with over the Brexit vote are out there waving banners saying “We stand with Orlando.” And people here, in this congregation, gathering school supplies for needy kids in our area, making food for a grieving family.

All over the place there are people showing the fruits of the Spirit, whether they know they’re being guided by such or not: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness.

THAT gives me hope. THAT reminds me that all is not lost. (Cue the late Mark Heard and his song that has inspired me so often in times like these.)

Lyrics here

Because no matter what happens, I can see that God is still on the throne. There is still good in this world. There is still good in people. The Spirit of God is still on the move in his people. Helping and healing in the midst of disaster, holding fast in the midst of chaos, and showing all (even me) what the kingdom of heaven looks like. A place where tears are dried, the hungry are fed, and love truly does conquer all. A world where pain is healed and there is nothing to fear.

We pray every Sunday in those words that Jesus gave us so long ago for God’s kingdom to come. Indeed. But the Bishop of Rome reminded us recently, “You pray for the hungry. Then you feed them. That’s how prayer works.” How true. So we pray for the coming of the kingdom and then we go and show people what it look like. We go and we help wherever we’re needed. That’s what Christians do. That’s what good people do. They bring hope. Amen.