"Blessed and Blessing"

A sermon by the Rev. Dr. Hilary J. Barrett

Preached at Pleasantville UCC for Consecration Sunday on November 20, 2011

Luke 6:27-38
“Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap; for the measure you give will be the measure you get back.”
(Luke 6:37-38)

            Kathryn Courtney Wunsche was supposed to be baptized today.  Shirley Munsell made Kathryn a baptismal banner, cutting the letters of her name and the date of her baptism out of felt so she and her parents would have something to help them remember and celebrate this day.  The sermon title even relates to Kathryn’s baptism. Truth is: we kind of built this service around her.  The only thing is, poor little Kathryn has an ear infection.  So she and her Mom and Dad can’t come to worship today – it happens.

            If she were here though, I would teach her about baptism.  If she were here, I would tell her that to be baptized means that she is blessed by God. I would teach her that, being baptized means that she is marked with the sign of God’s love; claimed for all eternity by the One who comes to save us.  But since little Kathryn is home with her mom and dad, I guess I’m going to have to go ahead and tell you all.  Because we can never hear enough how loved we are by God.

            Our final stained glass window is under construction at a small studio in Germantown.  I hear they are making good progress on it.  I wish it were here today because that final window is all about baptism. On one side of our sanctuary we will see the image of Jesus blessing the children.  On the other side we’ll see the image of Jesus, himself, being blessed in baptism.  On one side Jesus is blessed; on the other side he is blessing.  It’s a good reminder of what it means to be a Christian: we are blessed and we are called to bless others.  We are blessed by God and we are called to be a blessing in the world.

            Blessed and blessing is a perspective we learn as a result of our faith. There are some folk who have experienced the deepest kinds of suffering in their lives and yet, were you to ask how things are with them they would say, “Blessed.”  To be “blessed” is a measure of gratitude.  It is a kind of knowledge that has nothing to do with the daily ups and downs of life.  Rather, it is based upon close-living with God.

            Blessed and blessing is a perspective of faith that can take years of training to really integrate.  It is not often learned in the secular culture in which we live; a culture where the watch words are more like – entitled and privileged.  To know that you are blessed – beloved and cherished by God – means that nothing can separate you from the love of God; it means that you never stop being grateful for what God has done for you.  To know that you are called to be a blessing means – that you understand that this relationship with God comes with a responsibility -- to share the love of Christ with everyone you meet.  That is a spiritual discipline which requires maturity and generosity of heart; it requires us to practice behaviors and attitudes that are “counter intuitive;” attitudes that force us to do exactly the opposite of what our selfish primal brains want us to do. If you don’t believe me, listen to this:

"To you who are ready for the truth, I say this: Love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the energies of prayer for that person. If someone slaps you in the face, stand there and take it. If someone grabs your shirt, giftwrap your best coat and make a present of it. If someone takes unfair advantage of you, use the occasion to practice the servant life. No more tit-for-tat stuff. Live generously.

"Here is a simple rule of thumb for behavior: Ask yourself what you want people to do for you; then grab the initiative and do it for them! If you only love the lovable, do you expect a pat on the back? Run-of-the-mill sinners do that. If you only help those who help you, do you expect a medal? Garden-variety sinners do that. If you only give for what you hope to get out of it, do you think that's charity? The stingiest of pawnbrokers does that.

"I tell you, love your enemies. Help and give without expecting a return. You'll never—I promise—regret it. Live out this God-created identity the way our Father lives toward us, generously and graciously, even when we're at our worst. Our Father is kind; you be kind.

"Don't pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults— unless, of course, you want the same treatment. Don't condemn those who are down; that hardness can boomerang. Be easy on people; you'll find life a lot easier. Give away your life; you'll find life given back, but not merely given back—given back with bonus and blessing. Giving, not getting, is the way. Generosity begets generosity."[1]

            There’s an old Quaker saying that goes:  “Let your life speak.”  It’s kind of what David Lightkep said so eloquently two weeks ago when he reminded us that, oftentimes, our actions speak much louder than our words.

            Let your life speak.  Let it speak to the world of what it means to embrace your baptism. Let is speak of what it means to know that you are blessed.  Let your life speak of your love for your neighbor and your enemy.  Let your life speak so loud that others want to know more about you and where you get the power to do such good works. 

            Let your life speak!  And when it speaks, let that word be a word that blesses and encourages and lifts up and helps to spread the good news.  Because you never know how your still-speaking life may change the world.

            As people of faith, we are called to live different kinds of lives.  We are called to live lives speak out loud of the knowledge that we are blessed and we are called to bless others.

            On this Consecration Sunday, we bring our promises of financial support and our willingness to allow God’s power and grace to shape and change us.  We do all this so that, together, we can support our mutual ministry at Pleasantville and beyond.

            What we do here and what we teach here is that gratitude is essential for a healthy soul. To be a Christian; to be a person of faith; is to practice a way of living in relationship to God that organized around gratitude.  Blessed and blessing.  It’s who we are; it’s who we are called to be. 

            Were Kathryn Wunsch here this morning, I would tell her all these things. I hope I wouldn’t scare her away. Being a Christian is demanding – there’s no doubt about it.  This ain’t no country club.  This is the Church of Jesus Christ – called together in order to be sent out. It’s a call that begins in the waters of baptism, and it’s a call that speaks with authority in our lives right on up to the day when we are called home to be with God.

            When you all gather for worship next week, 19 of us won’t be here.  That’s because we’ll be in Biloxi, Mississippi, beginning a week of service at Back Bay Mission.  Back Bay Mission is a Community Ministry of the United Church of Christ serving the Mississippi Gulf Coast and the wider church community for almost 90 years.  Their mission statement says that their work is to engage “in faithful witness for social justice and compassionate service to the poor and marginalized.”  Back Bay Mission seeks to live out the prophetic mandate of Micah: "to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God."

            It’s hard to think of missing worship here with you all next week.  But we will be with you in Spirit.  In fact, you will be with us as we are sent out from this place to be as much a blessing as God is able to draw forth from us. 

            There’s one thing that we’ll need though: your prayers. We’ll need your blessings as we go out to do what most of us have never done before.  We’re going to a place none of us have ever been before.  We are being called to a discipline we’ve never practiced before. And we will need all of your prayers.

            Not everyone from the Adult Mission Trip are here this morning – some are traveling to visit friends and family in anticipation of a Thanksgiving holiday that will have new meaning for us as we prepare to travel to a region in our nation with one of the highest poverty rates.

            But those who are here this morning need a blessing – from all of you.  Blessed and blessing.  It’s a call that lasts your whole life long. 

            Thanks be to God!  Amen.