Give and Take

Sunday was our "Hanging of the Greens" service, which is a very joyous service celebrating the season.  The service is a very long service so I was told early in the week to prepare a brief sermon.  As is my norm, I typically don't write/finish my sermon until Friday or Saturday.  We all know the events that took place on Friday morning.  Because of the nature of that horrific day I didn't know how to NOT address the issue in some way from the pulpit.  So here is my sermon from this past Sunday, or at least the general wording.

 

 

If I’m being honest I didn’t feel like writing a sermon this week.

If I’m being honest I don’t feel like preaching today.

But as a person of faith we gather together, to sing and pray and proclaim God’s presence in the world even in the midst of tragedy. 

Friday I turned on the TV only to hear about the events that took place in CT.  As a parent and as a Christian the news was difficult to watch. 

As I watched I was flooded with emotions…sorrow, confusion, anger, hurt, and disgust.

How could anyone do such a thing?

How can there be so much evil in the world?

Where was God?  How could God let something like this happen?

Social media was littered with posts and tweets about gun control, mental health reform and others proclaiming there can be no God because God would not let this happen.

It is in times of tragedy our faith is often shaken. 

The events of Friday beg the age old question…why do bad things happen to good people? 

There is no answer to this question.

I STRUGGLE to think that God was NOT present in the midst of the chaos.  In times of tragedy God IS present, and God weeps for those who are lost.

Last Sunday I said the church should not be in the business of morals.  I stand by that statement even today.

Nobody would ever say what happened Friday were moral.  The church does not need to tell that to anyone.  I’ve heard Christians say that God is not allowed in schools and that is the problem with society today.  I respectfully disagree. 

The problem is not that God is not in schools…the problem is we don’t take God outside of our churches.  We keep God bottled up inside these walls.  Jesus’ was not meant to be held inside.

Our reading today concludes with John the Baptist proclaiming the Good News to the people.

Who were those people you ask?

They were morally corrupt people, people who took advantage of those vulnerable in society.  

This crowd of people to whom John spoke were not Christians, rather people needing to hear of the coming of Christ.

On this day…there are many who need to hear that good news.

If advent is REALY about preparing for the coming of Christ why aren’t we telling people what that means?  Why aren’t we answering our call to be the light of Christ in the midst of darkness every day? 

When are we as a church going to start giving the Good News of Christ rather than taking the bad news of a trouble society?