Saturday, October 28, 2017

Year A, Reformation Sunday, Psalm 46, Be Still

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  Amen
We live in tumultuous times.
I can think of no better words than that.
Tumultuous times.
Let’s begin with the weather.
Mother Nature has been, of late, cantankerous, to say the least.
At one point recently hurricanes were lined up one after another headed for the gulf states and the Caribbean.  Satellite images showed not one, or two, but three major hurricanes heading toward our shores.
How much can the human spirit take?
Puerto Rico has been particularly hard hit.  And even with substantial aid from the government it will be years before they recover.
Houston was also hit, with the rainfall alone coming down at such a rate that one might think of the floods at the time of Noah.  Five feet of rain in some places in short order.  That’s a lot of water.
At the same time, out here in the west wild fires have been raging.  And whether it’s the Columbia River Gorge or the Napa Valley, one cannot help but be struck by the ferocity of such forces of nature. 
One almost expects volcanoes to erupt, or tornadoes to strike, or any number of other natural catastrophies.
Some would say that what we are experiencing is the effect of global warming, and that this is going to be the new normal. 
Many of us have been untouched, but for others the effect is felt daily.
My cousin, for example, has lost 1/3 of his farm, a third of his farm, mind you, to the rising water levels in Northeastern South Dakota.  What for generations have been corn fields and pasture is now a lake.  And there is nothing he can do about it.  Except go fishing I suppose.
In the face of such phenomena we hear the Psalmist’s words:
“Be still, then, and know that I am God;
  I will be exalted among the nations; I will be exalted in the earth.”
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth be moved,
  and though the mountains shake in the depths of the sea;
3though its waters rage and foam,
  and though the mountains tremble with its tumult.
God is God, and there is no other.
And God is gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
Be still.
Rest your weary soul.
The God who created you,
                The God who loves you
will not abandon you to the forces of nature.
We live in tumultuous times.
We are a divided people.
“One nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”
Well, maybe not so much.
We are at war with ourselves for the soul of our nation.
Our nation is fractured, not one.
Obama promised to unite us. 
In 2004 at the Democratic National Convention he said:
“Well, I say to them tonight, there is not a liberal America and a conservative America — there is the United States of America.”
During the most recent election, Donald Trump declared:
"I say it is time for us to come together as one united people,"
"For those who have chosen not to support me in the past, of which there were a few people, I'm reaching out to you for your guidance and your help so we can work together and unify our great country,"

Two men from opposite ends of the political spectrum, each promising a unified America.
And yet the truth is far from that, for each of them, have been and continue to be the most polarizing figures in US history.
“One nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”
Liberty and justice for all.
It’s that last phrase that has sparked protests, especially among the black community.
Police officers have repeatedly shot unarmed black men.
That’s a fact, often documented by videos of bystanders.
This, our black brothers and sisters say, is not liberty and justice for all.
Professional football players take a knee, or sit, during the national anthem to protest.
And many respond “How dare you show such disrespect to our flag and our military.”
Just a couple of  days ago the owner of the Texans said “we cannot let the inmates run the prison”.
Not wise words.
A divided nation.  Can’t even watch a football game without seeing it.
And then there is North Korea, and Russia, and the fight against ISIS, just to mention a few.
Our soldiers die in Niger.
Did you even know we had soldiers in Niger?  Or for that matter, where Niger is?
The nations rage, and the kingdoms shake;
And God says:
“Be still, then, and know that I am God;
  I will be exalted among the nations; I will be exalted in the earth.”
We live in tumultuous times.
Yet God is still our God, and there is no other.
And God is gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
Be still.
Rest your weary soul.
The God who created you,
                The God who loves you,
Will not abandon you to the political unrest of today.

J R, in a few moments you will come forward to the font to be baptized.
A little bit of water and the words “I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”. 
In the Gospel of Mark we hear about Jesus baptism.
In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. 11 And a voice came from heaven, "You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased."
You are my Son.
I love you.
And with you I am well pleased.
Just as God spoke these words to Jesus, I hope you hear God speaking these words to you today.
You are a child of God.
God does indeed love you.
And God is proud of you.
Remember these things, JR, throughout your life.
These are tumultuous times.
None of us knows what the future holds for us.
I wish I could tell you that now that you are being baptized life will be good. 
The Cajuns say “Let the good times roll”.
And I wish that I could promise you that from this time forth there will be nothing but good times.
But the truth is far different than that.
There will be good times and challenging times.  There will be times when all is well, and times when you say ‘what the hell’.
The promise that you receive this day is not that you will be spared the challenges of this life.  You will continue to struggle with them just as each of us will continue to struggle with them.
Tumultuous times.
We struggle with the forces of nature.
We live in a divided nation.
We each must deal with our own demons and difficulties.
But in the midst of it there is a promise.
“Be still, then, and know that I am God;
  I will be exalted among the nations; I will be exalted in the earth.”
Be still.  Do not fear. For God is with you.
No matter what happens in this life, God will be by your side.
His love will surround you.
You will sin, and God will forgive.
You will stumble, and God will lift you up.
You may even despair, but God will give you hope.
Be still.
Rest your weary soul.
The God who created you,
                The God who loves you,
                The God who has claimed you this day as his own, will be with you.
No matter what else you do in the years ahead, simply remember this.
That you are loved.
You are loved. 
That, and that alone, will suffice.
Amen


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