WEBVTT 00:00:00.160 --> 00:00:07.280 Blessed be God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and blessed be God's family now and forever. 00:00:07.599 --> 00:00:08.240 Amen. 00:00:08.880 --> 00:00:10.320 Let's pray together. 00:00:10.640 --> 00:00:16.960 Almighty God, to you all hearts are open, all desires known, and from you no secrets are hid. 00:00:17.199 --> 00:00:28.000 Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love you and worthily magnify your holy name through Christ our Lord. 00:00:28.320 --> 00:00:28.960 Amen. 00:00:29.600 --> 00:00:34.320 The Lord be with you, and also with you, let us pray. 00:00:35.119 --> 00:00:41.200 O God, the protector of all who trust in you, without whom nothing is strong, nothing is holy. 00:00:41.600 --> 00:00:51.439 Increase and multiply upon us your mercy, that with you as our ruler and guide we may so pass through things temporal that we lose not the things eternal. 00:00:51.679 --> 00:00:58.320 Through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you in the Holy Spirit, one God for ever and ever. 00:00:58.719 --> 00:00:59.359 Amen. 00:01:01.039 --> 00:01:03.600 A reading from Genesis. 00:01:04.319 --> 00:01:11.920 Laban said to Jacob, Because you are my kinsman, should you therefore serve me for nothing? 00:01:12.239 --> 00:01:15.120 Tell me, what shall your wages be? 00:01:15.920 --> 00:01:18.000 Now Laban had two daughters. 00:01:18.400 --> 00:01:23.439 The name of the elder was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. 00:01:24.159 --> 00:01:29.599 Leah's eyes were lovely, and Rachel was graceful and beautiful. 00:01:30.239 --> 00:01:38.319 Jacob loved Rachel, so he said, I will serve you seven years for your younger daughter, Rachel. 00:01:38.879 --> 00:01:46.719 Laban said, It is better that I give her to you than that I should give her to any other man stay with me. 00:01:47.519 --> 00:01:56.239 So Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed to him but a few days because of the love he had for her. 00:01:57.200 --> 00:02:04.480 Then Jacob said to Laban, Give me my wife that I may go into her, for my time is completed. 00:02:05.920 --> 00:02:10.879 So Laban gathered together all the people of the place and made a feast. 00:02:11.520 --> 00:02:16.159 But in the evening he took his daughter Leah and brought her to Jacob. 00:02:16.960 --> 00:02:18.960 And he went in to her. 00:02:19.759 --> 00:02:24.800 Laban gave his maid Zilpa to his daughter Leah to be her maid. 00:02:25.680 --> 00:02:28.000 When morning came, it was Leah. 00:02:28.639 --> 00:02:32.319 And Jacob said to Laban, What is this you have done to me? 00:02:32.800 --> 00:02:35.759 Did I not serve with you for Rachel? 00:02:36.400 --> 00:02:38.560 Why then have you deceived me? 00:02:39.280 --> 00:02:45.280 Laban said, This is not done in our country, giving the younger before the firstborn. 00:02:45.840 --> 00:02:54.319 Complete the week of this one, and we will give you the other also in return for serving me another seven years. 00:02:54.879 --> 00:02:58.000 Jacob did so and completed her week. 00:02:58.560 --> 00:03:02.479 Then Laban gave him his daughter Rachel as a wife. 00:03:03.280 --> 00:03:07.360 The word of the Lord thanks be to God. 00:03:08.400 --> 00:03:10.080 Thanks to the Lord and call it God. 00:06:30.959 --> 00:06:32.800 In Christ Jesus our Lord. 00:09:04.399 --> 00:09:07.279 Another parable Jesus put before the crowds. 00:09:07.759 --> 00:09:12.559 The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in their field. 00:09:12.799 --> 00:09:22.559 It is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown, it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches. 00:09:23.039 --> 00:09:24.799 He told them another parable. 00:09:33.039 --> 00:09:42.480 The kingdom of heaven is like treasure, hidden in a field which someone found and hid, and then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. 00:09:42.799 --> 00:09:46.480 Again the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls. 00:09:46.720 --> 00:09:52.399 On finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it. 00:09:52.720 --> 00:09:58.159 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and caught fish of every kind. 00:09:58.320 --> 00:10:04.080 When it was full, they drew it ashore, sat down, and put the good into baskets, but threw out the bad. 00:10:04.399 --> 00:10:06.399 So it will be at the end of the age. 00:10:06.559 --> 00:10:14.480 The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous and throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 00:10:14.799 --> 00:10:16.240 Have you understood all this? 00:10:16.399 --> 00:10:17.519 They answered, Yes. 00:10:17.679 --> 00:10:28.399 And he said to them, Therefore, every scribe who's been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like the master of a household who brings out of their treasure what is new and what is old. 00:10:29.279 --> 00:10:31.120 The Gospel of the Lord. 00:10:31.519 --> 00:10:33.759 Praise to you, Lord Christ. 00:10:34.080 --> 00:10:39.840 So this week we get to continue to look at some of the parables of Jesus, and many of them are agricultural. 00:10:39.919 --> 00:10:53.840 And I have to tell you, I'm a little bit bothered that we get so many of them all together, because honestly, we could spend a lot of time on each one of these, but hopefully we'll get a common narrative as we go through here together. 00:10:53.919 --> 00:11:06.159 And I have to tell you, Paul's words in Romans this week are some of the most comforting and some of the most challenging for me in the entire book and also in the entire New Testament. 00:11:06.799 --> 00:11:10.960 So first, it's worth I think looking at these parables. 00:11:11.039 --> 00:11:15.120 And the mustard seed is one many of us probably learned as children. 00:11:15.200 --> 00:11:22.559 And the common takeaway from the story is faith starts really small and it grows really big. 00:11:22.720 --> 00:11:25.039 So it's a descriptive story. 00:11:25.360 --> 00:11:40.320 And while I think that probably is true, that our faith and our habits and our piety start small and hopefully grow over time, I want to suggest to you that there's more going on that initially meets the eye. 00:11:40.639 --> 00:11:44.240 One of the things is that mustard is not a tree, it's a bush. 00:11:44.480 --> 00:11:55.679 And it turns out at the time of Jesus there was some rabbinic teaching that forbade sowing mustard seed into your garden plot. 00:11:55.840 --> 00:12:00.159 Rather, mustard was something that was planted around the fringes of gardens. 00:12:00.399 --> 00:12:06.399 The reason for this is that mustard is invasionary, just like mint is. 00:12:06.559 --> 00:12:15.120 And I don't know if you've ever planted mint near strawberries, but having them proximal, strawberries actually start to taste like mint. 00:12:15.200 --> 00:12:16.879 And this is the same with mustard. 00:12:16.960 --> 00:12:28.159 So not only is there a threat from putting mustard in your garden, that its roots will expand out, will invade, and eventually take over the plants you were hoping to cultivate. 00:12:28.480 --> 00:12:35.519 But even while that's happening, the flavor of the mustard can be carried over into the other plants. 00:12:35.679 --> 00:12:45.200 So you may happen to really enjoy mustard, and that might be really good, some mustard-flavored wheat, but I don't think mustard-flavored fruit would be really great. 00:12:45.600 --> 00:12:52.240 So there's this interesting bit, and maybe Jesus is saying, hey, the kingdom of God is like an invasionary weed. 00:12:52.559 --> 00:13:09.759 Once you plant it, the goal is to uproot all of the things that you would like to sow until your whole life is cultivated in God's imagination, until everything else we produce tastes like God's family and God's imagination. 00:13:10.080 --> 00:13:15.120 I mean, I think that's a lovely, lovely takeaway, but wait, there's more. 00:13:16.480 --> 00:13:23.279 Sowing a bush in the middle of a garden plot has a couple of problems with it. 00:13:23.679 --> 00:13:28.799 One is that bushes produce shade that can really affect the growth of the other plants. 00:13:29.039 --> 00:13:35.360 Even more significant, I put to you, is that the last thing you want in your garden are birds. 00:13:35.600 --> 00:13:45.200 And Jesus is very clear that God's family, the kingdom of God, is like a big bush that supports the birds of the air. 00:13:45.360 --> 00:13:47.759 Of course, we all know what the birds of the air are going to do. 00:13:47.840 --> 00:13:49.440 They're going to eat your produce. 00:13:49.679 --> 00:13:53.840 And uh this I think is really, really interesting to think through. 00:13:54.080 --> 00:14:12.240 Um that perhaps the point of the gardens of our work and our piety is not that we just have nutrition and nourishment that we put in a storehouse, but it is, in fact, to nourish people that we might consider to be our natural enemies. 00:14:12.320 --> 00:14:23.600 And that in so doing, the birds of the air will take the seeds of our piety and our justice and our worship and ultimately help distribute them throughout the world. 00:14:23.679 --> 00:14:29.840 It's a really different way to think about who gets what and what the point of our faith is. 00:14:30.080 --> 00:14:38.639 This I think is a real strong challenge to prosperity gospel theology that says the better person you are, the more God will reward you. 00:14:38.879 --> 00:14:53.360 I think this is suggesting the more we engage in God's imagination, the more we're able to spread exactly the type of nutrition and agriculture that God has in mind, the more we're able to re-develop the world. 00:14:53.519 --> 00:15:00.240 And this also suggests to us, I think, that we have to uproot some of the things that are very comfortable for us. 00:15:00.399 --> 00:15:05.600 So, reminder, the last two weeks I've used my dad's definition that a weed is any plant you don't want. 00:15:05.759 --> 00:15:16.080 And it's very, very likely that people would call mustard a weed because it's invasionary and it can uproot your roses and it can affect the flavor of your strawberries. 00:15:16.159 --> 00:15:27.919 Um, but this I think is suggesting that God would have us deconstruct some of the produce and practices we're doing to make room for God to do some new construction. 00:15:28.320 --> 00:15:37.440 And I will tell you, if you travel down the interstate, you are more likely to see plants you identify as weeds than you are as beautiful ones. 00:15:37.519 --> 00:15:44.720 And so there is actually this opportunity to enjoy more of God's presence, frankly, if we could see it in the weeds. 00:15:44.879 --> 00:15:51.200 And instead of saying, oh man, I am so tired of those weeds, somebody needs to fix that. 00:15:51.519 --> 00:16:00.000 I think there's this really great analogy of saying, God is in weedy people and God is in weedy processes. 00:16:00.159 --> 00:16:13.759 And if we could open our imagination to God's presence in that way, we would be closer to participating in God's imagination and kingdom now and not just have to wait until after we die. 00:16:14.480 --> 00:16:31.200 So, number one, I think we're we're offered by this parable of the mustard to look for God in the weeds, to uproot some of the structures that are holding back God's growth, and so that we can be flavored in such a way that we nourish the world with God's imagination. 00:16:31.679 --> 00:16:42.879 Second story is about yeast, and I want to be clear that there's nothing wrong with yeast, but it is really helpful to hear that at the time of Jesus there were no yeast packets, there was no fleischmanns. 00:16:43.039 --> 00:16:49.200 Um, the way bread was leavened was either through like a sourdough starter or through the air. 00:16:49.279 --> 00:16:54.000 And as opposed to rapid rise yeast, that just took time, uh, took more time. 00:16:54.159 --> 00:17:01.759 So at the Passover, it's not that the bread didn't have any yeast in it, it's that there wasn't enough time for the yeast to really rise the loaf. 00:17:01.840 --> 00:17:05.920 They had to prematurely bake the dough before it could rise. 00:17:06.000 --> 00:17:12.720 And so the invitation of the Passover is do you wait for the bread to rise or do you choose to rise up? 00:17:12.960 --> 00:17:23.759 So flatbread is a reminder that um matza is a reminder every Passover that God's inviting us to rise instead of just waiting for our bread to rise. 00:17:23.839 --> 00:17:38.559 Um so there is an association that yeast is ordinary stuff, um, but there's also this reminder that happens every Passover that sometimes uh we just can't wait. 00:17:38.720 --> 00:17:42.559 Sometimes we need to get up and go when God says, let's go. 00:17:42.720 --> 00:17:48.079 And uh it is true that uh baking bread tended to be women's work. 00:17:48.160 --> 00:17:50.720 Uh, you can read this in a book, Rediscovering Eve. 00:17:50.880 --> 00:17:52.880 It's it's uh really fascinating. 00:17:52.960 --> 00:18:04.480 It took, on average, about five and a half hours of work by women every day to make 90% of every human being's diet, which is a two-pound loaf that included the daily grind. 00:18:04.640 --> 00:18:12.720 And sure enough, uh, women need the bread, and that's what brings the yeast in from the air and from the sourdough, so the bread can rise. 00:18:12.799 --> 00:18:21.200 Um, this is an interesting story because the woman in the parable is um she's needing an outrageous quantity of flour. 00:18:21.359 --> 00:18:27.359 I mean, uh, this is at least a bushel of flour, possibly three bushels, depending on which scholar you read. 00:18:27.519 --> 00:18:30.160 I mean, it's at least 60 pounds of flour. 00:18:30.319 --> 00:18:42.640 Um, so it's honestly kind of unreasonable to need a 60-pound batch of dough, uh, you would have to be incredibly strong. 00:18:42.720 --> 00:18:48.000 And of course, um, there's this image of grandiosity and extravagance here. 00:18:48.160 --> 00:18:58.559 There's a good reminder, too, though, that women, under the way that the law played out, were considered unclean for at least one week out of every four. 00:18:58.640 --> 00:19:02.000 Uh, they were considered ritually unclean because of their period. 00:19:02.160 --> 00:19:04.400 So here's something very ordinary. 00:19:04.559 --> 00:19:24.880 The kingdom of God is like invisible stuff that happens in the air, that's very ordinary and not holy like Passover bread, that a lady who could be unclean a quarter of the time needs into a huge amount of dough, and at the end of the day, it causes the whole batch to rise. 00:19:25.119 --> 00:19:33.440 These invisible small moments full of ordinary and uncleanliness that's ordinary as well. 00:19:33.839 --> 00:19:43.279 Again, it's a reminder to us, I think, that God's imagination doesn't just play out in moments we consider holy. 00:19:43.440 --> 00:19:51.759 We all have those thin places and those milestones of faith etched in our memory in which we realize, aha, God was here and I didn't know it. 00:19:51.920 --> 00:20:11.440 I think instead Jesus is saying to us that the doe, the batch, the kingdom of God rises in ordinary and often seemingly insignificant ways, and frankly, through the efforts of uh people who may not be completely holy and sanitary. 00:20:11.599 --> 00:20:23.920 So there's this challenge to see a God's family worked out in people who are somewhat suspicious and circumspect, and that's a real challenge. 00:20:24.240 --> 00:20:37.599 The next time the hairs on your neck stand up, or you start to clutch your purse, or uh you have this thought that makes you uncomfortable being around somebody's presence. 00:20:37.759 --> 00:20:49.200 What if it could be a wake-up moment to say, oh, uh, I wonder what God could be telling me about my preconceived notions about where God is right now? 00:20:49.680 --> 00:20:52.559 I certainly hear the parable speaking that way. 00:20:52.640 --> 00:21:03.359 And the more we could do that in seemingly insignificant moments, the more we could help the kingdom of God rise up instead of just staying flat. 00:21:03.680 --> 00:21:11.599 Um, we get to hear this story about a treasure in a field, and the rules of engagement are worth hearing. 00:21:11.759 --> 00:21:34.960 You know, if you go out, if you're mowing the grass and you find a treasure chest of doubloons, so you bury it and you buy the house, and uh then you have the doubloons, it it turns out that the that the law at the time of Jesus, um, and actually uh depending on who your lawyer is right now, won't support you owning the doubloons because you knew something the property owner didn't have. 00:21:35.119 --> 00:21:38.319 So there's this really interesting thing that happens in the story. 00:21:38.559 --> 00:21:46.799 This person finds this treasure in a field that is so uh mesmerizing and drawing, but that they can't actually use. 00:21:47.119 --> 00:21:53.599 Because the moment they start sharing that wealth, people are going to know uh that it's not rightfully theirs. 00:21:53.920 --> 00:21:55.920 You say, why would anybody do that? 00:21:56.000 --> 00:22:06.240 And I think that's part of the point is that that treasure is not a About personal gain, it's about being overwhelmed by the beauty of something. 00:22:06.319 --> 00:22:08.559 And the pearl merchant, I think, says the same thing. 00:22:08.799 --> 00:22:12.720 The pearl merchant, listen, sells everything he has, everything. 00:22:12.880 --> 00:22:16.720 Like he sells the shirt on his back to buy this pearl. 00:22:16.960 --> 00:22:21.519 And now it's incredibly valuable and wonderful, but what's he gonna do with it? 00:22:21.759 --> 00:22:28.000 He can't eat it, it wouldn't nourish him, it won't give him any shelter, he can't sleep on it. 00:22:28.079 --> 00:22:35.839 And I wonder if the pearl isn't so wonderful to him that he couldn't even bear to sell it. 00:22:36.240 --> 00:22:38.640 On the one hand, it's worth everything. 00:22:38.720 --> 00:22:43.440 It's what he's been looking for his whole life, and on the other hand, it has no value to him. 00:22:43.680 --> 00:22:53.920 And again, I hear this as a huge, a huge challenge to prosperity gospel, that we don't have faith so that God will reward us. 00:22:54.079 --> 00:22:55.839 Faith is not an investment. 00:22:56.799 --> 00:22:59.599 We have faith in God, says C.S. 00:22:59.680 --> 00:23:02.079 Lewis, because it's like that pearl. 00:23:02.240 --> 00:23:07.680 It may not be full of happiness, but it is absolutely the key to joy. 00:23:07.920 --> 00:23:21.440 And in these ways, these parables start to supplant the way I think that we typically approach churches and institution and the structures that we're very comfortable with that call other people weeds and push them out. 00:23:21.599 --> 00:23:28.400 And that's why I wanted to make sure you see this picture behind me that we got from our pilgrimage in Israel in 2017. 00:23:29.359 --> 00:23:35.119 More often than not, people then as now would rather just be look at one another from the shoulders up. 00:23:35.279 --> 00:23:57.440 And here's this reminder that this woman who is untouchable touches Jesus at his lowest point, his feet, and that Jesus is absolutely present in his dirtiest, lowest point, and it heals her and it grows the kingdom of God like leaven does and like mustard does. 00:23:57.519 --> 00:24:18.319 And sometimes we're so fixated on all things bright and beautiful that we forget that God made all things short, shallow, and squat just as well, and that God is in the weeds as much as the roses, well, actually, maybe more, because there are, quantitatively speaking, more weeds than there are roses. 00:24:18.640 --> 00:24:21.680 Then we get to hear this last story about the parable of the net. 00:24:21.920 --> 00:24:32.160 And it's really important to hear Andy Doyle's done a lot of work, our bishop through some of his blog activities to say this isn't like a like a cast and drag net. 00:24:32.480 --> 00:24:33.680 This is a same net. 00:24:33.839 --> 00:24:40.319 Like this is what you do to draw the boots and the tires and the eels and the minnows. 00:24:40.559 --> 00:24:44.880 This is the way that you get everything out of the water and draw it to God. 00:24:45.039 --> 00:24:50.720 Now, traditionally, I think we could hear that look, there's good fish and bad fish, and we throw the bad fish out. 00:24:50.880 --> 00:24:57.599 And sure enough, bad fish are people who go to hell because they don't think the right thoughts or they don't have the right conversion moments. 00:24:57.759 --> 00:25:01.920 But I think to do that is to miss to miss what's going on here. 00:25:02.160 --> 00:25:05.680 We don't decide what gets kept and what gets thrown out. 00:25:06.079 --> 00:25:12.720 God does, and that's done by uh messengers, by angels, by people who represent God. 00:25:12.960 --> 00:25:36.640 And that really the parable is suggesting, I think, not that we make decisions about who's in and who's out, but that we join the work of Christ when we draw everything, even if we think it might be worthless, when we draw everything, even off the bottom, to bring it closer to God, because God would redeem the entire world, all of it. 00:25:36.880 --> 00:25:42.079 And I put to you, we always have this opportunity to decide when we think about judgment. 00:25:42.880 --> 00:25:46.240 Are these whole people or are these the parts of ourselves? 00:25:46.400 --> 00:26:02.079 Would God, uh does God consider certain people to be pollutants, or is God fully aware that there are parts of ourselves that not only pollute our bodies, but pollute the entire environment? 00:26:02.480 --> 00:26:18.400 At the last day, are the messengers of God there to throw people into hell or to throw in things like racism and sexism, heterosexism, prejudice, ageism, ability? 00:26:18.640 --> 00:26:24.240 Is God going to clean those pollutants out for our sake? 00:26:24.480 --> 00:26:28.240 And it makes me think that this parable is not one that we have to wait on. 00:26:28.400 --> 00:26:43.200 This is a parable in which we can, as messengers of God, after all, we are the Church of Jesus Christ, we can start to call those pollutants out, not only of our body, but our society by insisting upon justice. 00:26:43.680 --> 00:26:48.480 Justice as God defines it, which is distributive and restorative. 00:26:49.839 --> 00:27:01.759 This is big-time work, and this is why I think it is great to hear the words of the Apostle Paul speak not only on comfort, but in remind us of why this is holy work that needs to be done. 00:27:02.000 --> 00:27:08.079 So on the one hand, Paul says, and there's three particular ideas I want to bring out of remnants here. 00:27:08.480 --> 00:27:12.400 First, sometimes we don't even know what to do. 00:27:12.640 --> 00:27:15.839 And I will tell you that is systemic, I think, right now. 00:27:16.000 --> 00:27:24.079 Uh, whether we're talking about mass or whether we're talking about uh statues and racism, we are struggling with uh what to do. 00:27:24.240 --> 00:27:35.359 And we get to hear Paul say that the Spirit of God groans for us more deeply than we can ourselves, so that God is praying for us. 00:27:35.680 --> 00:27:39.440 Isn't that amazing to think we often think we have to pray in the right ways? 00:27:39.519 --> 00:27:51.519 And here Paul says, the one praying the right way is God, and God's pushing us to join and pulling this net in and praying that we will breathe that in. 00:27:53.119 --> 00:28:01.519 The second thing we get to hear is in the middle of mistake making, that God is able to work things, all things to the good of those who love God. 00:28:01.599 --> 00:28:03.119 And I think this is really important. 00:28:03.279 --> 00:28:07.440 We could hear this verse, in all things God works to the good of those who love God. 00:28:07.519 --> 00:28:16.720 And we could start to say, well, it's a predetermined fatalist universe, so uh God made me an alcoholic, and I can't be blamed for that because that was God's plan. 00:28:16.960 --> 00:28:28.640 I want to suggest to you, to the contrary, that I think what Paul might be suggesting schematically is that every time we make a choice, God is able to redraw all the possibilities for the rest of our life. 00:28:28.720 --> 00:28:35.200 I mean, if you think about it, every time we do anything, God redraws all the possibility before us. 00:28:35.359 --> 00:28:40.880 And what's amazing about God is that God doesn't predetermine which choices we make. 00:28:41.039 --> 00:28:49.839 No, when we make a choice, God is able to say, based on that, um, here's the possibility next. 00:28:49.920 --> 00:28:57.759 And this I think is the power of redemption, that nothing is outside of God's ability to redeem. 00:28:58.400 --> 00:29:11.920 That doesn't take away hurt and loss and damage, but what it does say is that the transformative power of God and resurrection is that there can be new life. 00:29:12.160 --> 00:29:20.079 Again, I think most of us know people who have been diagnosed with terrible illness who have said, I discovered God and the illness. 00:29:20.240 --> 00:29:21.759 By the way, that's not causative. 00:29:21.920 --> 00:29:37.519 It doesn't have to work that way, and God's not engineering it, but nonetheless, I can't tell you how many stories I've heard from parishioners who have said, when I got this diagnosis is when I really started to live instead of starting to die. 00:29:38.000 --> 00:29:41.359 Um again, I'm not going to say that's how it has to work. 00:29:41.519 --> 00:29:50.720 What I want to share anecdotally is that a number of people have said that God is able to work redemptively, even in the middle of terrible news. 00:29:51.359 --> 00:30:14.880 And I think this is a comfort for us as we would join God in looking with renewed interest and imagination into the weeds and looking to pull in the net and looking to do these little acts of yeast that are almost invisible, but that cause things to rise, is that when we mess up, God is able to go somewhere with it. 00:30:15.039 --> 00:30:32.880 And I think finally, uh, this is this amazing, amazing conclusion to chapter 8 in Romans, that neither height nor depth nor powers nor principalities, that's the King James word, principalities, which really means like isms, ages and racism, sexism. 00:30:33.119 --> 00:30:37.599 Nothing can separate us from the love of Christ Jesus. 00:30:37.839 --> 00:30:40.000 Nothing can separate us. 00:30:40.319 --> 00:30:56.240 And I think that reminds us not only that God is in the weeds and God is dragging in the boots and the toilet seats along with the fish, but it reminds us that even at our worst, it's not that God has left us. 00:30:56.400 --> 00:30:59.359 It's that we're not aware of God's presence. 00:31:00.000 --> 00:31:18.880 And this, I think, is a reminder to us of this, of this not only security that we have as children of God and of the amazingness of God's grace, how much greater it is, frankly, than our own, but it gives us an impetus for being for being agents of grace. 00:31:19.119 --> 00:31:29.680 There are people in our parish, and certainly in our community, who live in separation of the love of God that is in Christ Jesus. 00:31:30.400 --> 00:31:40.880 Not because God isn't present in their lives, but because the force of this world, and we say this in the baptismal covenant, um, destroy the dignity of the creatures of God. 00:31:41.440 --> 00:31:54.799 And so part of our job as Christians is to be agents of good news and to say, hey, um, you don't have to live separate from grace. 00:31:54.960 --> 00:32:11.039 And not only will I be an agent of God's grace to you, but I'll um I'll be your advocate so that systems of oppression no longer separate you from the dignity that Christ is already working out in heaven. 00:32:11.200 --> 00:32:23.519 I will join Christ's eternal work here on earth so that you and I can live in God's imagination now and not just later. 00:32:24.319 --> 00:32:38.480 And even when we fail, even when we're tired and when we're exhausted, even when we're intractable, we are fully loved as our birthright of children of God. 00:32:38.559 --> 00:32:59.039 And even those moments of intractability, God is able, if we would just be willing to redeem and offer new life, not just, you see, for the birds, but for the crop, for the harvest that God intends. 00:32:59.680 --> 00:33:04.559 Let us renew and reconsider our faith in the words of the Iona Creed. 00:33:04.799 --> 00:33:18.400 We believe that God is present in the darkness before dawn, in the waiting and uncertainty where fear and courage join hands, conflict and caring link arms, and the sun rises over barbed wire. 00:33:18.799 --> 00:33:23.759 We believe in a with us God who sits down in our midst to share our humanity. 00:33:24.000 --> 00:33:32.000 We affirm a faith that takes us beyond a safe place, into action, into vulnerability, and onto the streets. 00:33:32.559 --> 00:33:50.079 We commit ourselves to work for change and put ourselves on the line, to bear responsibility, take risks, live powerfully and face humiliation, to stand with those on the edge, to choose life and be used by the Spirit for God's new community of hope. 00:33:50.559 --> 00:33:51.200 Amen. 00:33:52.319 --> 00:34:20.960 In peace we pray to you, Lord God, for all people in their daily life and work, for our families, friends, and neighbors, and for those who are alone, for this community, the nation, and the world, for all who work for justice, freedom, and peace, for St. 00:34:21.119 --> 00:35:57.199 Thomas of the Apostle School, for those who teach and those who learn, that they may rejoice in the knowledge of your truth, for the just and proper use of your creation, for the victims of hunger, fear, injustice, and oppression, for all who are in danger, or sorrow, or any kind of trouble, for those who minister to the sick, the friendless, and the needy, for the peace and unity of the Church of God, for all who proclaim the gospel, and all who seek the truth, for all bishops, priests, and deacons, for the priests in our community, for Mike, Craig, Bill, and Lillian, for Andy, Hector, Jeff, and Kay, our bishops, and the diocesan cycle of prayer, all Saints Cameron, Christ Church Mahia, and Christchurch Temple, and for Michael, our presiding bishop, for all who serve God in the church, for all who have committed themselves to our prayers, for our families, friends, and neighbors, especially Chris, Larry, Jerry, Sean, Jerome, Susie, Ted, Andrea, Kevin, and Ron. 00:35:57.599 --> 00:36:03.199 And those the congregation wishes to name it this time, silently or aloud. 00:36:07.199 --> 00:36:08.559 Hear us, Lord. 00:36:09.519 --> 00:36:11.519 For your mercy is great. 00:36:12.239 --> 00:36:15.840 We thank you, Lord, for all the blessings of this life. 00:36:16.400 --> 00:36:22.239 We will exalt you, O God, our King, and praise your name forever and ever. 00:36:23.440 --> 00:36:28.880 We pray for all who have died that they may have a place in your eternal kingdom. 00:36:38.320 --> 00:36:40.559 So I wanted to offer uh several updates. 00:36:40.719 --> 00:36:53.199 Most of these you'll see in your e-news, but um for the week, these are the things um uh encouraging you to pay attention to, which is that next Sunday we start a new book study on Sunday morning, um, Bridges Out of Poverty. 00:36:53.360 --> 00:37:08.960 This is a fantastic book that really talks about uh the obstacles, particularly between class, but is certainly relevant uh as we consider things like uh race and gender um moving forward uh socially and and justly. 00:37:09.039 --> 00:37:18.239 Uh so I encourage you to pick up Bridges Out of Poverty and join us on Sunday mornings from 9 to about uh 10.15 uh for the month of August. 00:37:18.719 --> 00:37:25.679 Um next Saturday, that's August the 1st, we're going to be doing our food distribution with Galveston Food Bank here at St. 00:37:25.840 --> 00:37:26.320 Thomas. 00:37:26.480 --> 00:37:37.280 Uh volunteers are encouraged to show up as early as 7.45, and we're usually done serving more than 100 cars by 1015, totally cleaned up and out the door. 00:37:37.440 --> 00:37:43.360 Uh so that is confirmed service rain or shine on uh Saturday, August the 1st. 00:37:43.920 --> 00:37:57.039 Um there's a couple other uh educational opportunities beginning um the third week of August, we're going to offer a curriculum put out by the Diocese of Atlanta called Dismantling Racism. 00:37:57.199 --> 00:38:11.519 Um and this is sort of the foremost uh curriculum that's been put out in the country as a way of um entering into conversations as a parish and uh personal growth and uh obviously service to the community. 00:38:11.679 --> 00:38:14.719 Um there's a workbook associated with it. 00:38:14.800 --> 00:38:20.159 Um so just please let me know through email or a phone call if you're interested in joining us for that. 00:38:20.320 --> 00:38:32.159 But those will be on Wednesday mornings, and I'm more than happy to uh record those if you can't make it on Wednesday morning and put them on our YouTube channel, see that you can enjoy it after hours uh if that if that suits your needs. 00:38:32.239 --> 00:38:38.400 Uh again, just please reach out to me because um you can't turn down order the curriculum yourself. 00:38:38.559 --> 00:38:43.599 Only trained facilitators in the curriculum can get it, and I happen to be one of those. 00:38:44.079 --> 00:38:46.880 Um we've had a request to help Lord of the Streets. 00:38:47.039 --> 00:38:54.639 This is uh a church community that serves uh presently and formerly homeless uh families in downtown Houston. 00:38:54.800 --> 00:39:01.519 Um they offer not only uh services during the week and meals on the weekend, but they offer a spiritual community as well. 00:39:01.679 --> 00:39:08.000 And uh, one of the things they do that is critical is hand out um blessings in a bag, much like we do. 00:39:08.239 --> 00:39:12.719 And um they hand out about 150 of those a day. 00:39:12.880 --> 00:39:17.760 So in order to help um our partner ministry, uh there's uh St. 00:39:17.920 --> 00:39:27.599 Thomas is going to be collecting some goods uh to support Lord of the Street's uh blessing in a bag, and those are gonna be dropped off in the blessing bag right outside the front door. 00:39:27.760 --> 00:39:36.079 Uh there's a full list of those in your e-news, but I just want to encourage you, it's a great way um to serve folks who are in need right now. 00:39:36.320 --> 00:39:38.639 Um, a couple of people have asked me about backpacks. 00:39:38.800 --> 00:39:49.760 Typically, we provide backpacks and school supplies to students at McGorder, and that's just on hold because they um because of the COVID situation, they're um have they've asked us to hold. 00:39:50.000 --> 00:39:53.280 I haven't said no, just not to do anything yet. 00:39:53.599 --> 00:39:57.679 Um of course, many people want to know when are we going to be able to regather for worship? 00:39:57.760 --> 00:40:00.960 And again, that's uh something that's a moving target for us. 00:40:01.039 --> 00:40:04.719 We're uh obviously we want our sanctuary to be a safe place. 00:40:04.800 --> 00:40:09.360 Uh so your vestry works um week to week on conditions. 00:40:09.519 --> 00:40:23.199 Um we have it, as as I've mentioned in the past, a diocese and approved plan, and we have a really good way we think in order to do it, um, but that's also contingent upon uh case count flattening or diminishing. 00:40:23.360 --> 00:40:29.760 So um it's frustrating for all of us not to know, and that's one of the big problems with COVID right now is just not knowing. 00:40:29.840 --> 00:40:40.880 Um but we're doing our best on a week-to-week basis, and uh when we've got a uh a good date, we will we will put it out in the e-news and um and on our Facebook page. 00:40:41.199 --> 00:40:45.679 Um really, really grateful for your uh continued faithfulness to St. 00:40:45.840 --> 00:40:46.400 Thomas. 00:40:46.559 --> 00:41:00.639 Um happy to say that many of you are are being so good about um uh contributing online and and um through the box and through the mail, and so we're we're doing okay in uncertain times. 00:41:00.719 --> 00:41:05.280 And uh just really, really grateful um for your faithfulness to St. 00:41:05.440 --> 00:41:05.840 Thomas. 00:41:06.400 --> 00:41:12.079 Um I am looking forward to physically regathering with you as soon as we can safely. 00:41:12.239 --> 00:41:15.679 Um and uh and I uh pray that that will be soon. 00:41:15.760 --> 00:41:24.159 In the meantime, if I can support your family in any way uh with prayer or otherwise, um please don't hesitate to let me know. 00:41:24.320 --> 00:41:30.719 And uh prayers that um this week is indeed a peaceful and uh constructive week for you. 00:41:31.039 --> 00:41:35.519 And now the peace of the Lord be always with you and also with you. 00:41:35.920 --> 00:41:39.199 As our Savior Christ has taught us, we are bold to pray. 00:41:39.440 --> 00:41:48.559 Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. 00:41:48.880 --> 00:42:04.320 Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not unto temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever and ever. 00:42:04.800 --> 00:42:05.440 Amen. 00:42:05.920 --> 00:42:17.599 May God, who by the Holy Spirit cause those of many languages and worldviews to proclaim Jesus as Lord, strengthen your faith, and send you out to bear witness to God in word and deed. 00:42:17.840 --> 00:42:24.639 And the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit be upon you this day, and remain with you forever. 00:42:24.960 --> 00:42:25.599 Amen. 00:42:26.320 --> 00:42:30.639 Alleluia, Alleluia, go in peace to love and serve the Lord. 00:42:30.880 --> 00:42:34.480 Thanks be to God, Alleluia, Alleluia.