All of our lectionary readings this morning are concerned with the subject of boundaries.
They involve staking claims for God, and many would no doubt cringe while thinking that those initial claims of
Abram are the cause of the continuing problems in the Middle East today. So are they a good thing or a bad one?
The reality is that boundaries do exist. Sometimes we set them for ourselves for basic self preservation, and sometimes
they are set for us by society in order that we might all get along. The question being raised in our meditation
today is not about the reality of such boundaries, but rather whether it is ever appropriate to question if they
should be expanded or altered as an act of faith?
There was a land, there was a need, there was a belief…and in our scripture lessons at least all were part of the
plan of God. In the psalm we are reminded of the supreme power of God to put all things in place and to continue
to hold all things together. The Old Testament and Epistle lessons give an accounting of the claim of Abram to
a land of promise and the journey he made to accomplish that claim based on faith alone. In all three of these
readings the emphasis is clearly on the will of God over and above the will of humanity.
In the gospel too we find three stories of reclamation; actually three visions of death and resurrection. There
is the end of a career and the beginning of a new life changing endeavor. Then the end of a twelve year health
crisis and the successful though long awaited resolution of it. Finally the story of a child's death which Jesus
refers to as "sleeping" and the coming to wakefulness, or renewal of life. It is easy to miss the point
that in these three stories the concept of purity and acceptance went hand in hand. That was an unquestioned boundary
in biblical times, and maybe for some it still is. Crossing the line between those situations in life that come
most closely to the actual forces of "livelihood," such as female bleeding and conception, death and
dying, coinage representative of the harvest and surplus of the land necessary for continued survival brought with
them contamination. This pollution of soul was not seen as something "dirty" but something terribly powerful
that had the ability to change life as it was presently understood. It was in a real sense coming close to mystery
and risking the loss of assumed control. It was losing one's boundaries.
We continue to be uneasy whenever our spirituality and our earthiness come close. Most people are far more comfortable
talking about every detail of their private sex lives with a trusted friend than they would ever be about sharing
their deepest beliefs about God. We try to keep the boundaries clear between what we see as distinct between our
all too human selves and our Godly calling.
This is "appointment time" for UMC pastors and many will be leaving like Abram for the "unknown
lands" of new congregations. Recently a clergy colleague who is about to go to a brand new and historically
troubled congregation discovered that his unwed teen daughter was pregnant. Awash in emotions, not the least of
which was anxiety about how this would affect his new ministry with the church, he found great comfort in the words
of one dear old lady in his present congregation who took him aside, and recognizing his distress said," You
know, Preacher, you're not the first person this ever happened to. You're not the first preacher this ever happened
to. You're not the first preacher HERE this ever happened to. It'll be all right. You'll all get through it."
His comment upon reflection was "What a great thing the Church is, when it remembers to be the Church!"
It moves us beyond ourselves to a place of greater understanding, even when it exceeds our personal comfort level.
That has always been the challenge of faithfulness and faith, and the proper response has remarkably consistent
qualities throughout the ages.
William Barclay says of Matthew's choice to leave tax collecting for discipleship, that one must focus on what
he gained. He says: "[Matthew] lost a comfortable job, but he found a destiny. He lost a good income, but
he found honor. He lost a comfortable security, but he found an adventure the like of which he had never dreamed.
It may be that if we accept the challenge of Christ, we shall find ourselves poorer in material things. It may
be that the worldly ambitions will have to go. But beyond doubt we will find a peace and a joy and a thrill in
life that we never knew before. In Jesus Christ a [person] finds a wealth beyond anything that he may have to abandon
for the sake of Christ."
Right now, in this congregation people are considering many shifts in the boundaries they had previously come to
set or accept as given. Some are contemplating ministry as a career after years in other lines of service and it's
frightening. Some are facing the recognition that relationships are ending, and an uncertain future is looming
on the horizon. Others are letting go of grown children, or old hates, or secure incomes…and they are trying to
believe it will be "okay."
Reading scripture is a safe practice as long as we remain outside of it. When the call to leave is not to Abram
but to us, it ceases to be a story and becomes a crisis. When the person who struggles with a health crisis in
not on the streets of Israel, but is me, or the family who has just lost their child is my child…then I embrace
the lesson with entirely different emotions.
Today we celebrate the passage of many of the youth and children of this congregation to the next level of their
learning. The United Methodist Book of Worship contains the following blessing for graduates. I have adapted it
to fit the needs of all of us who are engaged in a process of lifelong learning. A process that demands we are
constantly shifting the boundaries of our understanding as we claim the world for God.
God of truth and knowledge, by your wisdom we are taught the way and the truth. Bless us who now finish this portion
of study. We thank you for those who taught and worked beside us, and all who supported us along the way. Walk
with us now as we move forward in life. Take away our anxiety and confusion of purpose. Strengthen our numerous
talents and skills. Instill in us a confidence in the future you plan, where our energies may be gathered up to
make something wonderful of the lives you have entrusted to us, where our energies may be used for the good of
all people, for the sake of Jesus Christ. Amen
May God so bless all who journey forward in their continued search for truth and justice.
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