Reader’s Version of Sermon with Study Guide
Grace Lutheran Church, Lakeland, Fl
Date—August 20, 2017
Scripture—Isaiah 56:1, 6-8; Genesis 45:1-15 (semicontinuous); Psalm 67; Psalm 133 (semicontinuous); Romans 11:1-2a, 29-32; Matthew 15:[10-20] 21-28 (Green)
[1]Lectionary/Liturgical Calendar— Lectionary 20 / Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost
Theme: What does it mean to keep your mind on things divine? The mother of an ill daughter would not be distracted no matter what was happening around her. She had faith Jesus would heal her daughter, and he did.
Here is a story about how keeping our eyes open, our hearts centered in love always prove God’s love in Jesus Christ, and heals broken hearts.
Thebrand-newpastorand his wife, newly assigned to their first ministry, to a church in suburban Brooklyn, arrived in early October excited about their opportunities. When they saw the church, it was very run down and needed much work. They set a goal to have everything done in time to. have their first service on Christmas Eve.Eve.
They worked hard, repairing pews. plastering walls, painting, etc. And on Dec 18 they were ahead of schedule and just about finished. On Dec 19 a terrible tempest, a driving rainstorm hit the area and lasted for two days.
On the 21st the pastor went over to the church. His heart sank when he saw that the roof had leaked causing a large area of plaster about 20 feet by 8 feet to fall off the front wall of the sanctuary,just behind the pulpit, beginning about head high. Thepastor cleaned up the mess on the floor, and not knowing, what, else to do but to postpone the Christmas Eve service, headed home.
On the way, he noticed that a local flea market type sale for charity so he stopped
One of the items was a beautiful, handmade, ivory, colored, crocheted tablecloth with exquisite work It had a cross embroidered right in the center It was just the right size to cover up the hole in the front wall.
He bought it and headed back to the church by this time it had started to snow. An older we running from the opposite direction trying to catch the bus, she missed it. The pastor invited her to wait in the warm church for the next bus 45 minutes later.
She sat in a pew and paid no attention to the pastor while he got a ladder, hangers, etc., to put up the tablecloth as a wall tapestry. The pastor could hardly believe how beautiful it looked and it covered up the entire problem area.
Then he noticed the woman walking down the center aisle. Her face was white as a sheet. “Pastor,” she asked, "where did you get that tablecloth?" The pastor explained. The woman asked him to cheek the lower right comer to see if the initials, EBG were crocheted into it there. They were.
These were the initials of the woman, and she had made this tablecloth 35 years before, in Austria. Thu woman could hardly believe it as the pastor told how he had just gotten the Tablecloth.
The woman explained that before the war she and her husband were well-to-do people in Austria. When the Nazis came, she was forced to leave. Her husband was going to follow her the next week. She was captured, sent to prison, and never saw her husband or her home again.
The pastor wanted to give her the tablecloth.; but she made the pastor keep it for the church. The pastor insisted on driving her home, that was the least he could do. She lived on Staten Island and was only in Brooklyn for the day for a housecleaning job.
What a wonderful service they had on Christmas Eve. The church was almost full. The music and the spirit were great. At the end of the service, the pastor and his wife greeted everyone at the door and many said that they would return.
One older man, whom the pastor recognized from the neighborhood, continued to sit in the pew and stare, and the pastor wondered why he wasn't leaving.
The man asked him where he got the tablecloth on the frontwall because it was identical to one that his wife had made years ago when they lived in Austria before the war and how could there be two tablecloths so much alike?
He told the pastor how the Nazis came, how he forced his wife to leave for her safety, and he was supposed to follow her buthe was arrested and put in prison. He never saw his wife or his home again. That had been all the 35 years ago.
The pastor asked him if he would allow him to take him for a little ride. They drove to Staten Island and to the same house where the pastor had taken the women three days earlier.He helped the man climb the three flights of stairs to the woman's apartment, knocked on the door and he saw the greatest Christmas reunion he could ever imagine.
True story by Pastor Rob Reid
Seeing things of the kingdom requires new eyes.
■Eyes that see the unexpected.We may have all things settled and on track, then the Holy Spirit comes and moves all the chess pieces.
God does work in ways that are unexpected. When we have eyes and ears in the kingdom of Godwe are ready to receive God’s grace and help in all circumstances.
The kingdom is quiet and unexpected.
In the midst of our hustle and bustle days, in the midst of problems and anger God is there, heling and leading us. God doesn’t condemn, but tries to show us a better way.
When we are quite like in our meditation time in worship, we calm ourselves and allow God’s healing grace to enter our hearts and minds and give us the ideas we need for making our lives better. We need to take that time to be with God and let God direct us.
We may not love the crosses in our lives, but that is where Jesus is, on the Cross. We may not love death, but that is where Jesus is, in death. We may not think to look in the graveyard for the God who is alive, but that is where he is.
When we accept ourselves, sin and all, and let Jesus into our hearts, Jesus will lead and guide us where we need to go and help us do what we have to do.
In our text today we have examples of how real life tries to distract us and how faith and love keep us centered. But the mother would not be distracted. She was brave to engage in conversation with a rabbi. Women simply did not do that sort of thing in that day and age. She used persistence and logic. She use humbleness and perseverance. She would not be distracted. She knew in her heart of hearts that Jesus could and would heal her daughter.
In our story of the tablecloth we have an example of how God’s love works in miraculous ways over time over extreme hate. The couple’s love and keeping their eyes of faith on the memories of the past re-united them. The Pastor was an instrument of God’s healing love. And, that loved also changed him as well. Hate will not separate us for the love of God, nor war, nor years, nor anything in this world.
Nothing can stop the kingdom, not distracted disciples, or being the wrong gender, or whatever else the world throws at us.
God is stronger. The kingdom always comes through with healing and peace.
Let us listen with kingdom ears.
Let us see with kingdom eyes.
Amen
Questions for Further Study:
- When have you experienced God coming into difficult circumstances of your life?
- How does prayer help you get through the tough times?
- How does thanksgiving to God manifest itself in your life?
- Read this full chapter and put it context of all of Matthew.
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[1]The lectionary is a pre-selected collection of scriptural readings from the Bible that can be used for worship, study or other theological uses. The ELCA uses the Revised Common Lectionary which follows the liturgical year in a 3-year cycle and provides scriptural recommendations that compliment the current season of the liturgical year. (Disciples of Christ web site used for some of this discription) Liturgical Calendar is a year based on the life of Jesus starting with his birth. Related colors of the season are reflected in the church decoration/paraments.