A God Moment

June 27, 2010
2 Kings 2:1-2, 6-14
Galatians 5:1, 13-25
Fifth Sunday After Pentecost
Year C
Last Sermon

The countdown is on 3 days, 17 hours, 7 minutes and 10 seconds until July 1st – and I am free.

While looking for a story to say goodbye to the children in the preschool – I found this one for my sermon.

There’s a big beautiful world out there. It speaks of new experiences and not being afraid.

There's a Big Beautiful World Out There - Nancy Carlson - Viking (Penguin Putman Books for Young Readers), New York 2002

The book was written on september 12, 2001 – the day after the September 11 event – to remind us all that life goes on. Even in the midst of our scariest moments, in the midst of those times when we have no idea of what is next – there is a big beautiful world out there – and that we have to be ready to face it. We have to be ready and prepared for the changes in out life. We have to look forward to the freedom that we have in life to go on.

Paul also reminds us that freedom is Christ means understanding that you are never free of your fellow Christians. Once you are a part of a community of Christians – you are bound to them forever. You never get to walk away. No matter what the relationship – you are still bound to them by love. Through love become slaves to one another. Verse 15 says – if however you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another. Whatever difference we have, we must forgive and understand and think in terms of love.
Freedom means living under the guidance of the holy spirit- it means letting the Spirit control your life and your emotions and giving patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self control to your self and to one another. Paul says that there is no law against such things.
In preparing for this sermon – I found that it was a Spirit moment – that the two scriptures for my last sermon on Elijah and Elisha and the subject of freedom were actually the subject of my first sermon hear. I was hoping that I could make it easy on myself and just preach that sermon again. It was three years ago. It was entitled cracks in the sidewalk – and talked about times of transition and that fact that freedom is not free. Unfortunately it was a fourth of july sermon – and wouldn’t have the same affect today.
But it reminded us that the story of Elijah and Elisha is a story of transition and change. Elijah knows that he is going to die and he has chosen Elisha to take his place. At one time in his life he felt that he was all alone and that all of his hard work would disappear with him when he left. God not only sends him Elisha – Elisha is ready to take on and do twice as much as Elijah. If you read the bible – you will find that Elisha performed exactly twice as many miracles as Elijah did.
The good news is that god never leaves us hanging we always have an heir. – if we are given a job, we are never alone, and our work is not about us – so it doesn’t end with us – it is passed on.
Did you hear in the news of the 66 year old woman who just gave birth to triplets – she got pregnant because her 70 year old husband was concerned that he would not have a heir to pass on his inheritance.
I couldn’t imagine raising triplets at my age – but god’s message to us is that we can dwell on what we don’t have- or we can celebrate what we do. We can live in scarcity and not enough- or we can trust that the spirit is alive and working in our lives. We can dwell on those who are not in out lives, or we can celebrate those who are. Living in the flesh brings anger, strife , jealousy, envy and the list goes on. Living with the spirit brings patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness and the like and Paul says there is no law against such things
Seeds of faith are being planted every day. If we are faithful some of those seeds will never bloom, we will never see results, and yet some will grow, some will bloom. Some will plant even more. Not for our sake but for God’s.
So it looks like I end my journey with you, where I started. In transition, thinking about freedom. I don’t have any profound words of goodbye – because I feel that our relationship, our memories, our times together is said in the relationships that we will carry in our heart, the joys and sorrows that need to be acknowledged, the wounds that need to be healed and the memories that need to be cherished. Our journey together is not over, it is just that we have reached a fork in the road and must move in separate directions. Joined together always by the work Christ has given us to do and the spirit that leads us. Our task remains to love the lord our God with all of our hearts, minds and souls and to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. And to always remember that the rest is up to God – go in peace, Amen.