A friend of mine is watching his wife die.

She’s in her 50’s, spouse, mother, highly respected, beloved and in the last stages of cancer. While raised in religious homes neither of them have the gift of faith, both are going through this time, to use their words, ‘without God.’  This is to say, they find no comfort in the idea of God nor inclination to investigate it.  So they have given little thought to the presence of the divine or any possible way in which ‘God’ might help.

Maybe you know people like this.

I know many. And that’s why it’s really important to understand faith as a gift. Scripture alludes to this (Eph. 2:8) and Christians are at their best when we understand that the gift we have – of the knowledge of God’s presence and action in the world – is given to us not to flaunt or boast about, but to use to better our lives and those around us.

Christians have a long and scary history of judging those who do not have this gift – as if to say, ‘I inherited my uncle’s estate and you didn’t – na, na, na, na, na!’ After all, that’s what we did. We didn’t earn this warmth in our hearts, peace in our souls, or understanding of a framework of love upon which to build our lives. This was all gift, gift, gift.

So when we encounter those who tell us they are ‘without God’ our first response must be to cast all judgment aside – after all, ‘without God’ is where we are too, save the gift we’ve been given. Our best response is to come alongside those who are hurting, remembering that this is why God gave us the gift in the first place.

All Saints’ Sunday asks us to remember this gift and the many ways it has been made manifest in those who have gone before us. It is to praise God for God’s generosity. However, it is also for the grace God has in dealing with those who have not received this gift – those whom God created and loves but who might call themselves ‘far from God.’  As we know, judgment is not in our job description, compassion, grace, and love are. So in this holy season, who around us could use love, compassion, and a helping hand through adversity and trial? How do we use God’s gift to us of sainthood for the well-being of others? How do we act like a saint and love others as Christ has loved us?

----------------------

‘I am not a Bible person!’ exclaimed the elegant and sophisticated woman sitting across the table from me during Coffee Hour, ‘I am an Episcopalian.’

Those around her laughed, not because of her accuracy, but her intention.

After all, the moniker ‘Bible person’ conjures up images of ill-educated, over-bearing and angry street preachers looking to harass and condemn. We think just because the ‘Bible person’ is louder – and can quote chapter and verse – they know the Bible better than the rest of us. That’s rarely the case. After all, whenever someone says, ‘The Bible says…’ they’re really saying, ‘My reading of the Bible says…’

The truth is if you’re an Episcopalian you are a Bible person.  First, it was from this tradition that the Bible was translated and promoted in English in the first place – including the invention of chapter and verse. Second, it was this tradition that published the most popular and influential version of the Bible in the world - the King James Version. And third, every Sunday morning, the average Episcopalian hears more of the Bible, and from more varied places in the Bible, than a very large number of the ‘bible’ churches out there.

Go ahead and keep your image of ‘Bible person’ – but please, please don’t shortchange what that means. At the heart of the Anglican/Episcopal tradition is a soul that yearns to have God’s words define us – to be inside us, on our hearts and in our minds – so that we might become more fully who we are and who we’re meant to be. You may not know chapter and verse, but you know more of the Bible than you think.

------------------

Reading

Fail – J.R. Briggs

Exploring Our Hebraic Heritage – Marvin Wilson

The Bible

Ever been caught in one of these traps?

A loveless marriage?

A body that just won't cooperate?

A dead-end job?

A dysfunctional family?

An addictive behavior?

An undesirable economic situation?

An unhealthy habit?

A boring and dreary life?

Sometimes that trap is so strong it’s all we can see. The walls close in. We feel bound, limited, constrained and depressed.

Jesus knows all about traps. He spent much of his earthly life avoiding them. And even when he was caught, it was only for 3 days. I suspect Jesus was unable to be trapped because 1) he knew that any earthly trap was temporary, 2) he was content with what he had, and 3) he looked to God at all times.

What is the trap you’re in?

Can we begin to understand that it’s only temporary, that we can find some sort of peace in it, and can we look to God to bring us through it? Every trap offers the opportunity to be transformed. God doesn’t set traps, but God uses them to transform us more fully into the image and likeness of Jesus.

My friend called the other day all freaked out and said,‘I found pot in my teenager’s bedroom! What do I do? When I confronted him he said everyone’s doing it!’

And this 16-year-old has a good point. Marijuana use is rampant in schools, prisons, parties, and clubs. It is so prevalent that it’s being legalized all over the place. Kids will always be trying it (that’s what kids do). And adults will have one less hurdle in the way if they choose to make pot smoking a bigger part of their lives.

I probably won’t.

Like you, I understand the brevity of life. I understand the complexity of life. I understand the increasingly fast pace of life. And I understand how vitally important it is to go through life aware - as aware as I can be, and as alert and present as possible.

This means understanding, the best I can, who I am and my current place in the world. It means knowing my history and pondering my future. Knowing who we are, how we got here and having some idea of where we’re going is really important if we desire to live lives of purposeful dedication to Christ.

This doesn't mean we can never party, but it does remind us that there are some really serious matters around us that need tending to. 

Ebola needs a cure. ISIS needs to be stopped. Congress needs a clue.

Closer to home, there’s someone who needs a hug right now. They would really like it if we called them, texted them, or emailed them. There are things we should be saying to them, ‘I love you,’ ‘Can I help you with that?’ ‘How can I make your burden lighter?’

Sunday’s gospel hints at this and challenges you and me to do the difficult work of awareness - cherishing every opportunity, every moment, every interaction, every person who comes across our path.

So how are we doing with this? To whom do we need to reach out? What fog do we need to forge through? How can we push through the resistance to do this sometimes awkward work of awareness?

 -----------------

Reading

Exploring Our Hebraic Heritage – Marvin Wilson

Being Christian – Rowan Williams
Your Living Compass – Scott Stoner