Greetings from St. Mark’s on the Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost, a Sunday which dawned with frost on the windows and 30s on the thermometer.
We were gathered with a reminder that God’s grace precedes and follows us, even if we don’t recognize it, and that God’s grace empowers us for good works. Our first lesson from Exodus recounts Aaron’s casting of the golden calf for the people to worship towards at a festival. The Psalmist sings a song of praise to God and the recounting of God’s blessing, even in our sin and separation from God’s ever-present grace. The reading from the letter to the Philippians offers Paul’s encouragement and method of living and building a community which stands the test of time. Matthew’s gospel offers the parable of the King’s wedding banquet for his son and how those who were invited didn’t attend, and one who responded but didn’t accept the grace offered him by the king.
We continue to live in a world where it seems like there’s a lot out there trying to defeat us, whether it is our secular world or the trajectory of our sacred world. Paul tells the people in the Church in Philippi that they will survive if they stand for something of meaning, of something which transcends the passage of time. He offers an outline that can help them see their continuing success: to stand firm, to work with others with a common of sharing the good news found in Christ, to share burdens with others, and to rejoice in the Lord always. We can do this if we pray without ceasing, not a method but a relational practice reconnecting us to God. We are also encouraged to focus on God’s gifts and the successes we experience, regardless of whether we feel they are inconsequential or not. We succeed by being faithful and encouraging, so others can see our source of encouragement.
To whom is God directing you to share the hope of goodness in a society bereft of goodness and hope? I invite your comments,
Les+
Lessons: Exodus 32:1-14; Psalm 106:1-6, 19-23; Philippians 4:1-9; Matthew 22:1-14
Sermon link: https://audiomack.com/fatherles-2/song/pentecost-20-sermon-2
