To Believe is to Care. . . To Care is to Do

Psalm 146
Praise the Lord!  
Praise the Lord, O my soul! 
I will praise the Lord as long as I live; 
I will sing praises to my God all my life long. 
Do not put your trust in princes, in mortals, in whom there is no help. 
When their breath departs, they return to the earth; on that very day their plans perish. 
Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord their God, 
who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them; who keeps faith forever; 
who executes justice for the oppressed; who gives food to the hungry. 
 
The Lord sets the prisoners free; 
the Lord opens the eyes of the blind. 
The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down; 
the Lord loves the righteous. 
The Lord watches over the strangers; 
he upholds the orphan and the widow, 
but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin. 
The Lord will reign forever, your God, O Zion, for all generations. 
Praise the Lord!
 
Today’s psalm reminds me to keep my focus on what really matters in all this.  And knowing what really matters has opened up possibilities for doing what really matters in ways that work today.
 
For instance, in some parts of the US, church leaders are resisting the tactic of suspending in-person worship.  I read about some who say, “God will protect me!” and try to say that we who use hand sanitizer, who wash our hands, who are not getting together in person, that we are questioning God.  Those folks have priorities that are out of whack with reality. They don’t understand that God works through intermediaries – like physicians, health care people, grocery clerks and whoever invented sanitizer.  God even works through our Governors.  But it’s rude of us to tell God that the only way we will accept God’s presence in our lives is if it happens in direct action.  So, give thanks for all the help God is offering us, no matter how it shows up.
 
Well, enough of that for today, and on to more practical matters:
 

• Our beloved church is continuing to function, and that means the bills are still coming in.  All of us who are being paid, are being paid.  We’re using utilities and so on.  Money is going out — but without weekly offerings, not so much is coming in.  Nancy MacNeill and I ask you to mail your offerings in to the church, to help keep us going.  So, mail your offerings in to the church at 5 Gibbs Avenue, Wareham.  Help Nancy sleep well at night!
• Prayers:  I’m going to start adding prayer requests to these daily emails.  If you have a concern to raise, or someone to name in prayer, email me at pastorchild02914@gmail.com and I will add their name.  

 
Today’s Prayer List:

• Families who are home with kids, while working remotely, that they might have patience and love and joy along with the frustrations.
• People who are working in grocery stores, trying to keep the TP stocked, and get in more yeast and beans and other good stuff – and who want to stay safe even though they are out there in public.
• All who are working so hard to get us safe, keep us safe, make our world safe again.
• Donald Hall – ill at Tobey Hospital.  

 
 
Blessings and love to all of you, 
Pastor Virginia

John 9:1-2   As [Jesus] walked along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”

Did you listen to Old South’s service this morning?  Nancy Taylor, talking about blindness, pointed out that part of what’s been happening to her is that she can no longer “see” tomorrow.  I’d not thought of it that way, but she’s right, and right for each of us.

We all knew what we were going to be doing.  Whether it was working at the Thrift Shop or putting on the Wednesday breakfast, meeting our friends for coffee, or packing up in Florida to come home.  We had dates on our calendars, plans for visits, appointments for haircuts or even to get the dog grooms.

And now we don’t know what tomorrow will bring.  As Nancy said, what’s now happening is destroying the illusion that we know and can control tomorrow.  That’s tough.

But, you know there’s something good in there, too.  Because the feeling that we had the future under control always was an illusion, and sometimes we got upset when things didn’t go the way we thought they would.  Today, we’ve been snapped back to experiencing that whatever happens, we can deal with it.  That’s a different kind of seeing, and better for us in the long run.

It’s better for us because it focuses us on what we really can see, can control.  We can see how to live, we can control how we do things, how we treat one another.  And if our doctor’s appointment is cancelled, which we couldn’t have anticipated, we are still able to be good, kind, generous, welcoming ambassadors of the Christian way.  That’s what’s really important.

Let’s keep our eyes on what really matters.  Stay inside, wash your hands often, don’t squirrel away toilet paper (smile), show love to your neighbors.

And, speaking of neighbors, I spoke with Donald Hall this morning.  He’s still at Tobey, and still seriously ill, but well enough to say that the food isn’t all that great.  Please continue to keep him in your prayers.

Today’s song is by Alison Kraus and the Cox family:  “I Know Who Holds Tomorrow”.  Listen to it here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4GKNbmYOAow

Until tomorrow, blessings

Pastor Virginia

It’s Saturday.  If things were normal, I’d be slaving away on tomorrow’s sermon, trying to remember why I chose that title, and wondering if you all would really like that hymn (some will, some won’t, that’s life).

But things aren’t normal.  There’s a run on yeast at the grocery store, and the woman behind me in line is wearing fetching purple plastic gloves and a matching mask.  And there will be no public worship tomorrow.

Yet, we know that worshipping together honors God and is good for us.  We need that time together.  The reading from Ephesians for tomorrow says “Be careful then how you live, not as unwise people but as wise, making the most of the time, because the days are evil.”  Isn’t that true?  And then the author goes on:  “.  . . be filled with the Spirit, as you sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, singing and making melody to the Lord in your hearts, giving thanks to God the Father at all times and for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (from Ephesians 5:8-14)

But we can’t gather at our church, we say.  Here’s the thing:  while we can’t go to our church, we can go to church.  We can go on-line, watching the pastors at the Old South Church in Boston, attending their worship service, maybe seeing Katherine Schofield, as if we are all on a field trip to our Boston home.  And afterwards, we have the satisfaction of having gone as a group, even though we are separated by circumstance.  You can close your eyes and see Hazel Taber sitting up there on the right… and isn’t that Margaret Wood over nearer the wall?  Afterwards, send an email to someone to talk about the music or the sermon, to reinforce that sense that we really were all there.

Last week, after Old South’s service was over, I decided to explore different services, and ended up attending about five of them – all on-line, each different.  I’m not suggesting you do that, though it was fun to hear all the different music.  But you might take advantage of the numbers of churches which are doing this, and see what appeals to you.  If you’re interested, but want some suggestions, let me know and I’ll pass along some web addresses.

In the meantime, at 9:55 tomorrow – just a little early to hear the prelude, I’ll be in front of my computer, tuned to www.oldsouth.org, ready to worship God, with you all as my companions.  Hope to see you there!

Blessings, Pastor Virginia

On October 2, 1918, my great-aunt, Lidie Kelly married Thomas Montague.  They each went to their own homes after the wedding instead of heading off on a honeymoon.  You see, Thomas was Irish Catholic, Lidie was Irish Protestant, and they weren’t ready to admit to family that they were married.

Then, on October 14, Thomas died from the Spanish Flu. They never even got to announce their marriage.

They lived in Philadelphia, just blocks from Broad Street, where there was a big Liberty Bond parade on the Saturday before their wedding, on September 28.  By October 1, there were 635 new cases of the flu.  In six weeks, 12,000 people died in Philadelphia.  One of them was my great-uncle Thomas.  

St. Louis cancelled their Liberty Bond parade, and there only 700 people died.

I hear from our Florida members that there people are struggling to understand what staying home can mean.  The beach is great, the sun is wonderful, it’s spring break everywhere.  People want to go out to eat.  Back here on the Southcoast, we’re getting a little stir crazy.  We want to see one another! Now!!!

It’s hard, but it’s the right thing to do.  Go home.  Stay home.  If/when you go shopping, stay away from others.  This is our sacrifice, our duty.  Christ tells us not to turn away from the hard stuff, even if the hard stuff is something as unexciting as staying home, staying away.

Yesterday, I asked if you wanted daily meditations to continue or if you’d rather go to twice a week.  Every response I got was for daily – so long as it wasn’t a burden on me.  And it isn’t. 

I also asked about interest in a weekly on-line meeting, a kind of conference call with video, to allow us to meet together. I’ve only had one person respond to that offer.  If I get a few more responses (email to pastorchild02914@gmail.com) I’ll put something together.  In the meantime, don’t hesitate to be in touch.

Rich Cotton tells me that Tobey says that Donald Hall is improving; let’s continue those prayers for healing.  

God of compassion,
be close to those who are ill, afraid or in isolation.
In their loneliness, be their consolation;
in their anxiety, be their hope;
in their darkness, be their light;
through him who suffered alone on the cross,
but reigns with you in glory,
Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

I hesitate to say things are settling into a new normal, but in some ways that’s what’s happening.  What seemed unthinkable two weeks ago – no church services!! – now seems almost reasonable.  I sit in my house and think about where to go for groceries where I will see the fewest people… just not even on my radar last week.  

Nancy MacNeill and I met yesterday and agreed that we’re now understanding that worship is suspended “for the time being”.  We no longer expect to meet together for Palm Sunday or Easter and it looks to me as though it might well be May before we begin to see us back together.   Our Thrift Shop is closed, the Wednesday Breakfasts have stopped and even Laughing Yoga is taking time off.  The office is still open on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday with Ann Marie Luciano there to answer questions.

My grandnieces are having school at home at “Casa Child School” because their parents don’t think the girls will be back in school this spring.  They’re lucky – their mom is a college professor and so she knows what she’s doing (and both parents are working from home).  But not everyone is so fortunate.  As we contemplate the difficulties of our own lives right now, let’s not forget those for whom this is nothing more or less than a total unmitigated disaster – no job, no money, no food. nothing.

Nancy and I talked about the frequency of these emails, and now I want to ask you – we’re proposing one of two alternatives:  do you want to continue receiving a daily email, some devotional, some with news like this one;  or would you rather receive an email twice a week, including news.   The daily email will continue through next Monday; any changes will start then.

In addition, would you like to try out a weekly Zoom meeting where we could talk with one another?  Let me know by email to <pastorchild02914@gmail> or text/phone to 774-218-0738.

Finally, Rich Cotton has asked me to tell you all that Donald Hall is at Tobey Hospital in critical condition after a heart attack and with problems with his kidneys.  Rich is asking for our prayers for Donald:  

“Loving God, protect our brother Donald.  Surround him with your love.  Bring him your healing power and peace.  Support those who care for him in this very challenging time.  We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ.  Amen.”

May God bless us in the living of these days.

Pastor Virginia

John 4:5-42

¹⁹ The woman said to him, “Sir, I see that you are a prophet. ²⁰ Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you say that the place where people must worship is in Jerusalem.”

I don’t know what you did on Sunday morning, but I “attended” the Old South Church’s livestream broadcast.  I chose it because it’s right up in Boston, and I knew I’d hear a word for our situation.  In the midst of a lovely service, I heard the Rev. Nancy Taylor say, “who would have thought that this morning’s lesson would be about where it was possible to worship?”   She reminded us that worship can take place wherever we are. 

Nancy Taylor also reminded me that in the midst of life that is often marked by strain and stress, we can always give thanks for God’s unconditional love.  So, take that thought with you today – you are loved.  You are loved in the quiet of home.  You are loved in the stress of difficult situations.  You are loved even if you have a cough and a fever.  You are loved, today, tomorrow, and forever.

Here’s a prayer for today, from the Church of England:

Keep us, good Lord, 
under the shadow of your mercy 
in this time of uncertainty and distress.
Sustain and support the anxious and fearful,
and lift up all who are brought low;
that we may rejoice in your comfort
knowing that nothing can separate us from your love 
in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Amen.

Blessings, Pastor Virginia

3/16/20

Psalm 1  

Happy are those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or take the path that sinners treat or sit in the seat of scoffers; but their delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law they meditate day and night.

What is this “law of the Lord” that we are supposed to think about all the time?  Is it a law like a traffic law that we must obey?  Is it a rule, with $250 tickets if we miss a day?  Do we go to God’s jail, automatically, if we skip out entirely?  

The fact of the matter is that God’s “law” isn’t the usual kind of law, clear, with set out penalties.  Think of God’s law more as if it were (as it is) the wisdom which shows us how to form our lives as fulfilling, community-building, rewarding, useful, filled with love.  

God’s “law”, God’s guidance, says to us, choose that which is best for your church, even when it’s difficult for you.  It helps us choose what is best for our community, even when it means we don’t meet for a while, to keep our world safer than it would be otherwise.

In our separation, let us none the less be happy, because – even though we are missing being in worship or coming to Wednesday breakfast or staying home to be safe – we are doing what is needful in this stressful time.

Here’s a link to beautiful piece of music, played by Yo Yo Ma, the celebrated cellist.  Take a moment to end this meditation by listening to it – and keep it on hand when life feels stress-filled in the days to come, so you can listen to the peace over and over.

With deepest blessings, 

Pastor Virginia

First Congregational Church UCC, Wareham MA, June 16, 2019

Proverbs 8:1-11 Does not wisdom call, and does not understanding raise her voice? On the heights, beside the way, at the crossroads she takes her stand; beside the gates in front of the town, at the entrance of the portals she cries out: “To you, O people, I call, and my cry is to all that live. O simple ones, learn prudence; acquire intelligence, you who lack it. Hear, for I will speak noble things, and from my lips will come what is right; for my mouth will utter truth; wickedness is an abomination to my lips. All the words of my mouth are righteous; there is nothing twisted or crooked in them. They are all straight to one who understands and right to those who find knowledge. Take my instruction instead of silver, and knowledge rather than choice gold; for wisdom is better than jewels, and all that you may desire cannot compare with her. 

Mark 4:1-9 Again [Jesus] began to teach beside the sea. Such a very large crowd gathered around him that he got into a boat on the sea and sat there, while the whole crowd was beside the sea on the land. ² He began to teach them many things in parables, and in his teaching he said to them: ³ “Listen! A sower went out to sow. ⁴ And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path, and the birds came and ate it up. ⁵ Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and it sprang up quickly, since it had no depth of soil. ⁶ And when the sun rose, it was scorched; and since it had no root, it withered away. ⁷ Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain. ⁸ Other seed fell into good soil and brought forth grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirty and sixty and a hundredfold.” ⁹ And he said, “Let anyone with ears to hear listen!”

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable in your sight, O God our Rock and our Redeemer.  Amen.

First, another story, from the Rev. Craig Barnes, President of the Princeton Theological Seminary

Perhaps my greatest joy as a seminary president is placing diplomas into the hands of our graduates at commencement. They’ve worked hard for their degrees, and they have so much promise that it annually renews my faith in the future of the church. But occasionally a student slips through who makes me wonder.

Some years ago, a student was told by the registrar that he couldn’t graduate because he hadn’t completed his course re­quirements. 

He complained that no one had told him he was behind in credits. She explained that at the beginning of the semester she had emailed all students who were expecting to graduate, telling them to check the website that depicts their progress through their degree program. 

But he was not about to take responsibility for his mistake, and so he appealed to the dean, who upheld the registrar’s decision. Then the student came to see me for his final appeal.

 “My parents have already bought their plane tickets to come to commencement,” he tried. “They’re going to be so embarrassed if I can’t graduate with my friends.” I responded, “That has to be rough,” and then I mentioned his responsibility to ensure he had completed all of the courses necessary to graduate. 

The student next tried to blame the website for being confusing. I pointed out that all of the other students seemed to navigate it well. 

After that he took a stab at the administration for not being very responsive to his problem. I indicated that I was at least the third administrator who had seen him in two days. Finally, he slumped his shoulders and said, “This really hurts my feelings.” Christian Century, “Everyone In Ministry Gets Their Feelings Hurt”, June 14, 2019

What do you think?  Should the student get a diploma, be graduated without completing the course? Should the school at least let him march in the ceremony?

Princeton let him march, but made him come back in the fall to complete the program before they would sign off on his completion of the degree program…and all the time they marveled at the story of a student who could not learn. He couldn’t learn, not because he was cognitively limited, but because he refused to open his ears, refused to take responsibility for his part of the process.

But that’s not the point of this story for me… what struck me when I read it was how hard the student worked to avoid learning anything about how the world worked.  Right up to the end, he steadfastly refused to acknowledge that his choices had consequences.  

He may have acquired book knowledge, but he had not opened himself to wisdom.

And wisdom is the subject of the day.

Our lesson from the book of Proverbs sets the scene:  Wisdom is there, right in front of us, waiting for those who know there is always more to learn, waiting for those who have the humility to learn prudence, acquire intelligence, so that they might know and do the right thing.

Words are good to the one who understands; with wisdom, knowledge can turn the world upside down, but it will at the same time, strengthen the foundation of our understanding of good and evil.

Not everyone gets that.  Not everyone wants the responsibility that comes with wisdom.  Jesus makes that plain in his story we heard from the Gospel of Mark.  Some people listen, some don’t.  There’s a direct relationship between listening to God, learning wisdom, and creating a thriving, abundant, community-changing church community.  And there’s a direct relationship between being the stony ground on which the seed falls, and seeing no growth at all.

Last year I planted two high quality rose bushes in my back yard. They came from David Austin, and were nice and healthy when I planted them, in a part of the yard which – it turns out – was overrun with thick, obstructive roots from a nearby tree.  It wasn’t wise, once I saw the root system, to insist on planning the bushes.   But I did. And then I proceeded to neglect the bushes during the driest part of the summer.  I was lazy; I refused to re-read the instructions; I refused to learn. And my bushes died.  the bushes were guaranteed to not die the first year, but you know, I’m too ashamed of my negligence to even think of putting in a claim. But there’s more – this spring, one of the bushes came back!  And today it’s got three lovely rose blossoms on it.  It’s not as strong as it should be, but if I can learn from last year’s mistakes, it’s given me a second chance.  Will I have the wisdom to take care this time?  Ask me again in September!!

It’s never too late to learn wisdom.  We can’t, of course, go back and change our past, but we can allow wisdom to change our future.  

There’s a sheep-farmer in the Lake District of England, who’s been involved for the past few years in changing the way he and his neighbors handle their fields.  The received wisdom is that its best to grow animals in large feedlots, and then to deal with the byproducts as a pollution hazard.  

This guy says, the best way to grow meat animals is in small herds, grazed on grass, where by products become natural fertilizer and actually improve the land.

It’s a hard sell.  People think it’s easier to handle large herds of animals.  They think it’s cheaper, and maybe it is.  And, besides, it’s the way the bigwigs, the scientists, have told them to do things for the last one hundred years.

But they’re wrong.  Growing animals in small herds, on grass, not only produces healthier animals and better meat; it also improves the soil on which the animals graze, and that means – in the long run – better, tastier crops all around.   

With wisdom, he’s changing minds.  It’s never too late to learn wisdom; never too late to change our world.

Wisdom isn’t acquired accidentally.  It’s something we have to work towards.  Learning wisdom can be painful because we have to admit, at least to ourselves, that we don’t know everything.  Sometimes we’ll push back against the call to move ahead.  We may even have to admit we are wrong, that we have not taken the right path.  And that’s hard.  People may be hurt, even us.

Here’s the good news:  

God knows we are not perfect.  

God knows we are learners, people who struggle to understand right and wrong.

God knows that we much prefer to handle things without any fuss ever anywhere.

God understands.  God stands here before us to encourage our first steps, to keep us trying in the face of failure.  God is here to help us learn wisdom, to keep us headed in the right direction.

The offer is in front of us, every day, for that is the wisdom-blessed gift of God.

Amen.

© 2019, Virginia H. Child

First Congregational Church (UCC) Wareham MA, June 9, 2019

Pentecost Sunday

Acts 2: 1-4, 12-13 — When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.

All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” But others sneered and said, “They are filled with new wine.” 

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable in your sight, O God our Rock and our Redeemer. Amen.

It’s time to tell the truth.

It’s time to say, as clearly as possible, that Pentecost turned the world upside down.

It’s time to know that it continues to change things, even unto today.

It’s time to recognize that today is not the same as yesterday.

Back on that first Pentecost feast, everyone thought today would be exactly like yesterday.  They thought their world could never change.  Their lives were filled with despair as they struggled with Roman occupation, with the constant pull of Roman culture on their young people, on those who wanted to “get ahead.”  They never had much, and what they had seemed to be drifting away.

Suddenly, with the power of a mighty wind, change came to them.  Whenever I hear this story, I think of stories my family told of the summer of 1955, when two hurricanes within a week dropped so much rain in the town of Putnam that the Quinebaug River flooded.  That flood destroyed much of the industrial base in Putnam, floated most of the low-income housing down the river, and took down every bridge across the river for more than twenty miles, isolating the town from the rest of Connecticut.

Change came to Putnam overnight.

Most change, even the most monumental change, however, comes so slowly that we don’t easily recognize what’s happening.  Most of the time it’s like those stories of the frog in the pan of water – by the time we realize what’s happening, it’s happened.

And that’s where we are today.

All over the United States, people no longer attend church in the way they did even forty years ago.  

Forty or fifty years ago, the single easiest way to establish yourself was to become active in a local church.  It was how you showed your respectability.  Church was where you met people; church was where you made business contacts, got to be known.

Back in the day, church was where our kids learned how to conduct meetings, where they learned about right and wrong, where they went to parties, met their friends.

Church was where we went for parties, or steak dinners, or plays – because there were no other options.

Today, you make those business contacts on the golf course, or at Rotary.  Today our kids are too busy to go to church – ask any pastor who’s tried to schedule Confirmation!  Even twenty years ago, I could schedule Confirmation classes for the same time as Roman Catholic CCD classes and get pretty good attendance, but these days, the Roman Catholic church has lost so many members that following along with them just doesn’t help. 

Today, we may meet friends out at a restaurant, but hardly anyone thinks of a church supper as a great way to bring friends together.  Someone else is doing that, just as if there’s still a theatre group in town, they’re using the high school facilities, not the stage in our hall.

The truth is, the world has changed, and we’ve not kept up with those changes.  

Sounds discouraging, doesn’t it?

But, you know, I think that behind those discouraging stories, there’s an encouraging opportunity.  You see, being the place to validate your respectability never was as important to the church as we thought it was.  Being the entertainment center for our youth?  Nope, not that either.  And being the place to meet friends – not central.  And so losing most all of that, has opened a new opportunity to us, a new transformation.

When you strip all the other stuff away, what’s left is our true center.  And it’s much easier to see that than it was back in the day.

We are not here to entertain; we are here to honor God with our worship, to equip ourselves to be the transforming agents of our world, to teach and practice a Gospel of love, justice and peace throughout our world.  

At home with our families, at work with our colleagues, out in the community, on the local, state, national or international stage, we are working for God to make this world better.

Yes, the truth is, we’ve lost a lot that was important to us, but we still have what is at the center.  We still have an important message to our world.  

Just as on that first Pentecost, we still preach a gospel that says, “whoever you are, wherever you are on life’s journey, you are welcome here.”  That’s a truth that never changes.  

We still spend our time, our talents, our treasures on fixing what’s broken, feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, comforting the sorrowing, healing the ill, making peace among the warring.  That’s a truth that never changes.

We still comfort and support one another, building community step by step, proclaiming and living – to the best of our ability – what we have learned from Jesus.  And that too is a truth that never changes.

Pentecost reminds us that change happens, worlds turn, and yesterday is gone.  But Pentecost also tells us that our future is yet to be known, and in the words of the great Baptist missionary, Adoniram Judson, “the future is as bright as the new morning sun.”

Over the summer, our search committee is going to be leading us in making plans for our future, as they seek to describe just exactly what we’re seeking in a settled pastor.  We don’t know, today, what that will be.  But our plan is that by the end of the summer, we’ll have made some decisions, come to an understanding of just how the winds of Pentecost have begun to stir a clear vision among us all.

The Holy Spirit leads us forward, out of yesterday, and into tomorrow.  And that is the truth that will never fail.

Amen.

© 2019, Virginia H. Child

First Congregational Church UCC, Wareham MA, June 2, 2019                                                                       

Luke 24:13-35  – When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him; and he vanished from their sight. They said to each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?” 

That same hour they got up and returned to Jerusalem; and they found the eleven and their companions gathered together. They were saying, “The Lord has risen indeed, and he has appeared to Simon!” Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he had been made known to them in the breaking of the bread.

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable in your sight, O God our Rock and our Redeemer.  Amen.

On Easter Sunday afternoon, two of Jesus’ disciples were headed home.  After all their hopes, all the excitement of Palm Sunday, they’d though the week would be one triumph after another.  And, we know, it wasn’t.  Instead, it was one disaster after another, each one worse, until at the end of the week, their beloved leader, Jesus, was executed.

They were headed for home and safety, headed away from any of the anger in Jerusalem, headed home after hearing the story about the Resurrection from some of the women, who’d gotten the crazy idea that the reason Jesus’ body wasn’t in the tomb was that he had risen from the dead.  Just too hard to believe, and if it’d been real, wouldn’t it have been Peter or James or John who’d have been told?  Not one of the women???

They were walking and as they glumly ambled down the road, each of them looking as though they’d lost their best friend, they were joined by a stranger, someone they didn’t recognize.  The stranger asked them why they were so sad.  In astonishment that anyone wouldn’t have heard what happened, they spilled out the whole story.  They even told how they couldn’t possibly believe the women and their astounding story.

You might well think they were pretty clueless, to not recognize Jesus when he was walking right beside them, but think about it.  Don’t you remember times when you had trouble recognizing someone – maybe they cut their hair so it was now short when it’d been really long, or shaved off a beard, or wore radically different clothing?  Sometimes we might think to ourselves, wow, that looks like Susie…muse be a cousin, when it’s actually Susie.  In this case, since they knew, absolutely, that Jesus was dead, it didn’t matter how much the man looked like him – he couldn’t possibly be him, and so they didn’t recognize him.

They told him their story and he gave it right back to them, re-telling them all Jesus had said – the words spoke to them, they liked what he was saying, enough that they begged him to stay with them in Emmaus and have dinner, but still they didn’t recognize him.

It wasn’t until they shared bread and cup that they began to realize that Jesus was back, was with him. The bread and cup – the scent, the taste, the experience of being together – all combined to bring them back, to have them knowthat Jesus still lived, still was changing the world.

The bread and cup we’ll share this morning are the same meal that the disciples shared with Jesus so long ago.  And the story we shared tells us some important things about the meal.

Because, you know, eating this bread, drinking this cup, is about more than simple eating and drinking. This isn’t snack time in the church. This is an expression of our willingness to follow Christ.  It is the way we tell the world to step away from our hope, our faith, our commitment to love.

For us, Communion is something like an AA meeting, where we can hear and tell life stories, know pain, comfort and be comforted, and, when we eat and drink, say to God and ourselves, yes, still, again, one day, one month at a time, I will follow Jesus.

Our ancestors in faith believed that taking communion faithfully and regularly would absolutely strengthen us in faith – they called it food for the sin-sick soul, medicine for the weary, comfort in suffering.

Communion is a meal which transcends time; when we eat and drink, doing what our ancestors have done, there’s a way in which we are united in this common commitment, so that we are not alone, but joined by all who have gone before us, an unending stream of saints of God – parents, maybe; surely friends and fellow church members who have gone on before us.

And there’s more… because Communion isn’t only about me and my life, but about declaring to our world that there is another way to life.  Communion is an act of defiance – in the face of those who would separate us into “us” and “them”, we eat together as one.  

In the face of those who would say that some people are better, smarter, whiter, more important, we say that every person matters.  Just as we hear, on tv or radio or internet, that it’s ok for people to be homeless, hungry, or dying because they can’t afford a doctor, we eat and drink together to say that God loves everyone, and no one should be without home or food, work or heath.

Here we all are, in this place where we regularly meet God, care about one another, and plot to change our world, and now there is only one more thing to do. . . 

And that is to simply share this feast; it is small but it is mighty.  So when the meal is passed, take your share, and when you eat and drink, know that Jesus sits with you, and trust in the strength it will give you to continue faithful for all your days.

Amen.

© 2019, Virginia H. Child