Great is Your Faith

Great is Your Faith

A Sermon by The Rev. Dr. John A. Dalles

Sunday, August 16, 2020

Psalm 67; Matthew 15:21-28

 

I have seen the photo.  You may have seen it too.  Taken by W. Eugene Smith.  For his "Pittsburgh Project”, in the 1950’s.  It is a photo of a street sign, and a woody hillside, and a vintage Studebaker.  The street sign says Dream Street.  A street right here in Pittsburgh.  Smith, a professional photographer, was in Pittsburgh on assignment.  He took memorable photos of our city, 60 plus years ago.  In glorious black and white.  They live in memory.  They record the Pittsburgh that was.

I wonder what you would photograph today, if you were given an assignment to photograph Pittsburgh, to communicate what our city is, to the outside world?  Would it be famous landmarks?  Would it be ordinary people?  Would it be the way we live now, socially distanced.  Wearing masks?  Would it be the rivers; the hills?  The hospitals; the homes, the churches? Would it be the stadiums and theaters?  Would it be the Parkway and Route 28?  Would it be Amberson Avenue and Westminster Place?  Would it be Dream Street?

How do dreams match reality?  The woman who came to Jesus was a dreamer.   (Who had a very practical purpose). She dreamed of better things for her daughter.  She made the effort in spite of the fact that she was, according to many, unworthy of his attention.]

 

Christ himself takes us to the tottering edge of insult in his response.  Comparing a person to a dog.  Dog lovers would be fine with that.  We like it that over time we even start looking like our dogs.  But it wasn’t so in the time of Jesus.  Dogs were there, part of the landscape.  But other than those that worked, such as sheep dogs, they were mostly underappreciated. To compare a person to a dog; it would not sit well with you or with me.  It would perhaps put us off.  

That didn’t happen.  The woman’s dream was so vivid, so real, so necessary, that she responded respectfully and also humorously. Humble as they are, does do get some of the crumbs from the master’s table.  All she wants, all that will fulfilled her fondest wishes, all that would put her on Dream Street, are those few crumbs.  If you were a person of Jesus’ time and place, and someone was referred to as a Canaanite woman what were the emphasis would be a Canaanite woman or Canaanite woman? In either case, in Jesus time and place, both Canaanites, and a woman, we’re descriptive words that would have diminished who the person was. They would have a raced the realness of her. Her true humanity.

Now I know someone can say “well that just tells us where she was from and what gender she was.”  Yes, it does tell us that. Then again it tells us something else. Something that we should pay attention to whenever we are interacting with others.  In Jesus day, if you said “Canaanite woman” to fellow Jews, they would’ve thought of the most famous Canaanite woman: Delilah, who brought Sampson to such a sad end.  And you would have had within that, one word: Judgment. Judgment would’ve been negative.  Therefore, automatically, the person would have been unworthy of consideration. So, just by saying Canaanite woman, it’s a phrase that diminishes.  Moreover, we remember that the status of women in Jesus day was low.  Even if a few women managed to overcome that reality, it was still the reality. So, there she was; someone who is automatically classified as an outsider.

I wonder what the equivalent of that moment then, would be today? In other words, who might be an outsider, a person that others might refer to as unworthy?  A dog, even.  It sounds shocking doesn’t it?  But all too often, people are categorized in a way that dehumanizes them. It takes away their individuality. Their personhood. It is a practice that erases them. That puts them in a second-class situation.  Can we agree that we don’t want to do that? That we are at the point in our lives where we are beyond that.  Where our goal, is to see each person, really see them. To see them as having been created by God. As a child of God. As loved by God.  And therefore, worthy of our attention. And our respect. And being treated with dignity. And with fairness.

The woman with the dream is bold. She had plenty of chutzpah. She isn’t just courageous. There is an energy and an eagerness because along with it. I admire. I suspect that you admire her too. She’s really a force to be reckoned with. And she does it with an air of good humor.  The woman with the dream is wise. She has her eye on the objective. Which is receiving the healing that she knows that Jesus can give. If he so chooses.  So, the fact that Canaanites were not held in good regard, didn’t get in her way. She knew that. But: Any personal feelings that she might’ve felt, in the way of frustration, or anger, or disappointment, she put to one side. And having put them to one side, she moves forward in a way that led to a happy conclusion of her story.

That may not be a perfect model of how to get things done, but it isn’t a bad one.  The proof is in the results. Her daughter is healed. The dream becomes reality.  So, there’s several miracles that are going on. One of them is the healing of the daughter. But the other is the effectiveness of the mother. We will be wise to note this is an opening up of the reach of righteousness where Jesus is concerned. Yes, he came to care for the lost sheep of Israel. But his care extends further. And further and further as we continue into the role of Christians down through history and up until today.

It is fair to say that although there’s been setbacks, they have been bad situations, and there have been frustrations along the way, on the whole effect of true Christians upon the world has been beneficial.  Healing of individuals and society, have resulted. Dreams have become reality.  In this event – between the lord and the woman with a dream, we have a ‘signal’ of the unfolding, unheard-of grace of God.  Where there is neither Jew nor Gentiles. Where boundaries slip away. Where dreams are fulfilled.

How do dreams match reality?  

Here in Pittsburgh, Dream Street exists only on paper, today. 

You could go looking for it.  You might even get to the place where it was located.  The place is all gone to seed and covered with weeds.  Nobody lives on dream Street anymore.  Maybe that’s a shame. Because people still have dreams.  Their dreams seem, to them, impossible. Unless with wisdom and some good humor, they place them in Jesus’ hands.

I hope that this week, wherever you find yourself, you will find yourself helping others fulfill their dreams.  That you will see that that’s a part of your calling. You might even ask someone, “What is it that you really dream for, long for?” Rather than assume that you know. Ask them. And then listen. After they have told you their dreams, ask another question: How can I help you get to Dream Street?  Amen.

This is an original sermon by The Rev. D. John A. Dalles, Interim Senior Minister and Head of Staff of Shadyside Presbyterian Church, Pittsburgh, PA .  It was delivered on the date indicated in the text. You are encouraged to read it and reflect upon it.  Please keep in mind that the sermon is Copyright © 2020 John A. Dalles.  Permission from the author is required to reproduce it in any fashion.

In Our Heart, On Our Lips

IN OUR HEART. ON OUR LIPS

A sermon by The Rev. Dr. John A. Dalles

Sunday, August 9, 2020

Shadyside Presbyterian Church

Psalm 85:8-13; Romans 10:5-15

 

There is something about the Grant Building downtown that I like.  Maybe I should say that among the things having to do with the Grant Building, there is one that I particularly like.  You probably know what it is.  From the time it was built, it was designed to send out a message.  Buildings can communicate messages.  They can say they are grand or humble, they have a political or theological message, they send out the vibes to come on in or to stay away.  All of this, and more, if the architects are skilled at their profession. But the Grant Building sends out a specific message in Morse code. You know what it says: P – T- T- S- B- U R G- H. Every night since March 1929, a bright, red beacon has flashed on the Pittsburgh skyline. The beacon sits atop the historic Grant Building and, in international Morse code, spells the city's name. Whenever you can see the light from its beacon, you know where you are. 

I have been thinking about The Grant Building lately.  Because it sends out a message that others can see and do something about if they so choose. In that way, it is kind of like the witness of a Christian, who sends out the message of Jesus Christ.  Whose life spells out the grace of Jesus Christ.

Throughout his letter to the Christians in Rome, Paul makes it clear that the law of the old testament is so demanding and so impossible to fulfill that it is bad news. Thereafter, he tells them the good news.  In Christ, God has made salvation available to all.

In Christ, god has looked at every person and has said: rejoice.  The blessings of freedom from sin are yours.  Rejoice, the finality of death is gone.  Realize, you can dare approach God with trust.  You can receive grace and goodness that you do not have to earn. It has happened to Paul.  It has happened to the people who first heard the message.  It has happened down through the ages. And guess what? You can have it, too. “The word is near you, on your lips and in your heart.”

 

I suspect that there may be someone who wonders about that.  Does God mean me?  I’m not what I would call an exemplary person.  I have made more mistakes than I care to admit.  For God to love and care for me would take a big stretch because there are times I find it hard to love and care for myself. Plus, down through my life there are so many places where someone has told me I just don’t make the grade.  For one reason or another.  I am too much this or not enough that; whatever the this or that might be. Such comments stick with a person.  They box a person in.  they have the weight of discouragement.  They are heartbreaking.

I have looked in the Gospels and I have not yet found a place where Jesus deals with anyone that way.  Oh, there are a few places where, when he speaks truth, it must have hurt.  Like when he rightly identified people as hypocrites or whitewashed tombs.  But as we see Jesus going about his daily rounds and sharing his welcoming message we see and hear someone whose approach is to build up those who are cast down, bring to the center those who have been marginalized, sooth those who are hurting, and give new purpose to the ones who had given up. So, if you have given up, if you are hurting, if you feel cast down, keep in mind that Jesus came for you.  Not just for people like you.  Jesus came for you.  And he came to love you.  And to claim you as his own. You are the person Jesus calls to rejoice.

 

That would be enough, but there is more to our scripture passage.

 

Jesus Christ is the word in whom all are called to rejoice, Jew and Gentiles. There is no distinction.  It probably pained Paul that he had to name them Jew and Gentile.  Paul himself was a Jew whose calling was to the gentles.  He stood in both worlds, and so was a pioneer in the truth he proclaimed. For, having become part of the family of God, these old divisions had come down.  The old chasms had been bridged.  People discovered that they were brothers and sisters in the faith.  What was once their defining reality was simply background.  Interesting as the variety and beauty of creation, but not something that would classify, or separate, or categorize.

We tend not to use “Jew” and “Gentle” as terms that separate.  Happily, we have moved beyond that.  Perhaps it is because we have paid closer attention to Paul in our day?  It is hard to say.  We cannot transport ourselves back to Roman times and see what kind of an effect…his letter had.  And there are many places in history where people who claimed Christ as their lord missed this point entirely.  Sometimes with horrendous results. Please, don’t let these kinds of barriers be part of your belief.  Please hear the truth that Jesus is the Word in whom all are to rejoice.  Honor all people for who they could be, in Jesus Christ.  Jesus is Lord and Savior, in whom all are called to rejoice,

When we hold this shared truth in our hearts, and as we speak this one truth upon our many lips, we are in harmony one with the other.  Our hearts beat in tempo.  Our words blend as one.  As the beloved hymn says: “All Christly souls are one in him, throughout the whole wide earth.” And so, all ae one in Christ.  

The call to discipleship is a call to welcome.  To invite.  To share.  How do you make people welcome?  Do you give them your full attention?  Do you let them know that you see them, and like what you see?  Do you set them at ease, as much as possible?  Do you provide a place for them, in your heart and in your life?  And how do you invite them to be part of the great company of believers?  Do you say, “Here is what Jesus has done for me; and he can do it for you too.  I know he will.” Do you say, “Here is someone who knows everything about you, and loves you more than you can guess.”  The call to Christian living is a call to draw people closer to God.  And the only way to do that is to draw people closer to you.

 

So, what does it mean to have the word of God written on our heart? You and I both know there are words and thoughts that you know by heart.  You may have taken great pains, to memorize them.  Back when our parents and grandparents were in school there was a lot more s tock set on memorization than there is now.  If someone were to have memorized, say, Portia’s speech from The Merchant of Venice, then ever thereafter they would know by heart that the quality of mercy is not strained, and therefore, would have a window into the landscape of mercy.

So it is, with all great messages that we take pains to memorize. To know them by heart means they are part and parcel of us.  It is hard to know where the message begins and where we end. When we have God’s word written on our hearts. Then we know without a doubt, the central verities that are unshakable even when all of life is going awry.

I recall hearing about a POW who in the long days of unspeakable confinement drew upon what he had memorized as a child, in the Sunday school class, at his church.  What he knew by heart got him through the very worst of times.  Memory work we sometimes call it.  So, let’s also say that memory work...works. And there is more.

"What does it mean to have the law of God on our lips?"  Can we say that when what is in our heart spills out in speech or in song, that suddenly others hear it.  Before that, when it was in our heart, it was a tremendous resource for each of our lives.  But when the word of god is on our lips – ah! – then it becomes an even more precious resource for all of our lives.  To whom do we send out the message? To anyone, anywhere. That is why Shadyside Presbyterian Church makes a commitment to get the word out.  And so it is with every Christian.  Your voice matters.  Your witness counts.  What you say changes hearts and lives for the better.  

         It was not so long ago that someone here in Pittsburgh figured out something that others had missed.  In 2009, while waiting to see the annual Fourth of July fireworks with friends, graduate student Tom Stepleton noticed something strange about the beacon on the Grant Building.  Specifically, he saw it spell out: the letter "k." Stepleton, who was then studying at Carnegie Mellon's Robotics Institute, told NPR's Robert Siegel that his Morse code may have been rusty, but he had no trouble recognizing the errant "k" because his sister's name begins with the letter. But the "k" wasn't the only problem in the message. There were MORE errors. Instead of "Pittsburgh," the beacon spelled: "P-I-T-E-T-S-B-K-R-R-H” (As reported on NPR, 2009)

The message of the Grant Building had gotten jumbled.  It didn’t spell out Pittsburgh any more. The building hadn’t moved. It was in the same spot it was since the roaring twenties. But the message was wrong.

Maybe that is a message for us.  Also.  Could it be that we have to do a spiritual spell check, to double check what we are sending out into the world?  Is it possible that we have garbled the message?  So that it is hard to recognize? It is possible.  After all, we are not spelling out Pittsburgh. We are spelling out Jesus Christ.  Amen.

This is an original sermon by The Rev. D. John A. Dalles, Interim Senior Minister and Head of Staff of Shadyside Presbyterian Church, Pittsburgh, PA .  It was delivered on the date indicated in the text. You are encouraged to read it and reflect upon it.  Please keep in mind that the sermon is Copyright © 2020 John A. Dalles.  Permission from the author is required to reproduce it in any fashion.

God's Open Hand

GOD’S OPEN HAND

Sermon By The Rev. Dr. John A. Dalles

Sunday, August 2, 2020

Shadyside Presbyterian Church, Pittsburgh, PA

Psalm 145:8-9; Matthew 14:13-21

 

Lately I have been thinking about a little store that isn’t there anymore.  It’s alongside one of the belt roads here around Pittsburgh. In a little town, like almost every other little town that you go through when you are driving on one of those belt routes. I won’t tell you whether is the Blue Belt or the Yellow Belt, or the Green Belt, or the Orange Belt, or the Red Belt. And I’m sure I’ve left some belt out.

At any rate, it was a one-room store, in a ramshackle house; yet it was the place where children wanted to go after school if they had a few pennies to spend on candy. A place where parents took their small children for ice cream out of one of those chest freezers.

At some point in the last 25 years, I’m not exactly sure when, this store ceased to be. Oh, the ramshackle building is still there. But how unfortunate you would be if you were to show up at that rickety old screen door, hungry.  Because no matter how much you know, how much you pleaded, how much you cried, you would find that the door is locked.  There is no one at home. You would go away as hungry as when you arrived. Probably more so. Since you expended all of the energy, and for nothing.

There are a lot of places like that in life. Places where you might’ve once found what you needed. But either they aren’t there anymore. Or they can’t provide what you are after.  In contrast to that, we have this event in the life of Jesus. In His  ministry of caring. In which the central act tells us that Jesus has more to give, than people might expect to receive.  Think of those people who were with him.  They expected to hear words of truth from him. And I’m glad they did. Because if it you’re going to find truth anywhere, you’re going to find it in Christ.

Lately I have been thinking about that little store,  that isn’t there anymore.  Where I cannot get my hunger filled.  And about Jesus, where I can.  I’ve been thinking about how Jesus enacts God's will; so that hungry people be fed. Jesus anticipates the abundant blessing of goodness.  Jesus works toward that day when God's kingdom is established in full.  In Christ, we see that God cares deeply and passionately for those who are most vulnerable: the poor, the forgotten, the hungry.  And just as Jesus put those disciples to work, God continues to use us to care for them.

Which prompts the question: Which is actually the greater miracle?  For Jesus to transform those few loaves into an abundance of blessings?  Or for Jesus to transform the hearts of the people, in order to show them how to trust and to share?  Jesus gives it all away. With no strings attached.  I like how Alan Brehm says it:

"When we give compassion freely, it ripples out far beyond our ability to explain or even imagine. Those streams of kindness and mercy that flow through us have an effect that only God knows."  (Alan Brehm, The Waking Dreamer, 2014).

What have you received from God’s open hand? It is a fair question.  What if you were to begin listing the things that God has given you would you start with life itself. Would you talk about early blessings that came your way, would you add things that make you distinctly you? Your personality. Your character. Your likes. And your dislikes. Your ability to learn. Your ability to share what you’ve learned. If these things did not come from God where did they come from?

And what about the Christian’s greatest gift? That is, freedom from the grip of sin, and consequently, death. Jesus gave you these things. No wonder you center your life on his life. No wonder you have modeled your actions after Christ. This gift that you have received from God’s open hand, is yours to enjoy. And if you will, yours to share.

What part of all of that do you think it’s a miracle? A little?  A lot? Some?  All?  How might you look at it, anew, in light of what Jesus did there on the seashore?

Every morsel of food fed every person present. As it was passed and shared. As it was received and eaten. Every bit of it was a gift from God’s open hand. Those people on the seashore were extremely hungry. The disciples knew it.  And the disciples wanted to provide for them.  But they weren’t sure how. 

The situation was such that logic said they should look elsewhere to satisfy their hunger. As people often do look elsewhere to satisfy that hunger. But look again at our scripture lesson. There they are, in the presence of Jesus. With all that he has to offer. All that we can receive from God. Why would anyone look anywhere else? Jesus makes it clear, the place they need to look is to him.  To his open hand.  What an encouragement this is!

The disciples were anxious and troubled about this matter. Perhaps the crowd was, too? Although that’s an open question. What we see happening here is the emergence of trust. The openness it comes of want and need. Not one of us would have faulted Jesus if he had said to the disciples yes that’s a good idea send them to a place where they can buy food and nourish themselves. Logic and practicality aren’t the whole answer. Are they?

This miracle invites us to remember our own wildernesses, where abundance can happen.  To remember our own places of chaos, where calm can prevail.  Our own insufficiencies, where Christ can be all in all. 

Do you believe? Do you believe that God can work in ways that move beyond logic and practicality? Do you believe? Do you believe that God has something to give in a way that we weren’t expecting? Do you believe?  Do you believe that God has an answer to your problem that you might not have thought of yet? Do you believe?  Do you believe that God has a way to satisfy your hunger? Do you believe?  This feeding of the 5000 men plus the women and children who were there – is an encouragement for you to believe these things.

I wish I could tell you exactly what God is going to say to you. And show you exactly what God is going to give to you. But I can’t do that. God is the only one who can. I am able to say trust God. Expect from God. Know that God is at work for good in your life.

Did you notice, that Jesus went to a deserted place?  Which tells us that there was no “there” there. Until Jesus got there. And then, it was deserted no longer. t was filled with love and grace, hope and healing, newness and nourishment.  Filled with everything else that the people needed.

Do you feel as if you are in some deserted place just now? Trust me.  Jesus got there ahead of you. To make that desert blossom. To provide all  you need, right there, where no one might have expected it. Unless, they knew how much Jesus cares for them

Lately I have been thinking about a little store that isn’t there anymore. How much stock have you been placing in some little store that isn’t there anymore? In some solution to your problem that is less than divinely given?  In some half way measure?  In some ramshackle setting.  Along some forgotten byway.  A belt route that takes you meandering far afield from the way of Jesus Christ?

Alyce McKenzie, says:  

"...over and over again in life, we stand in the shoes of the disciples in this passage: surrounded by human need, faced with a challenge, knowing we do not have the resources, in our own wisdom, wealth, and strength, to meet the need, to stand up to the challenge." (Alyce McKenzie, Edgy Exegesis, Pathos, 2011.)

Over and over again, we find ourselves in Jesus’ presence, and then we are surrounded by grace, give n what we need most, finding we have resources from him that we did not know existed.  His wisdom, His wealth, His strength will meet the need.  And it will stand up to the challenge.  Amen. 

This is an original sermon by The Rev. D. John A. Dalles, Interim Senior Minister and Head of Staff of Shadyside Presbyterian Church, Pittsburgh, PA .  It was delivered on the date indicated in the text. You are encouraged to read it and reflect upon it.  Please keep in mind that the sermon is Copyright © 2020 John A. Dalles.  Permission from the author is required to reproduce it in any fashion.

Unfolding Words

UNFOLDING WORDS

A Sermon by The Rev. Dr. John A. Dalles

Sunday, July 26, 2020

Psalm 119:129-136; Romans 8:26-39

 

If you want to get at the core of the Gospel, and the heart of the Christian message, there is no better place in scripture than our NT lesson from Romans, today.  In it are timeless words of hope and assurance, to which we turn in ordinary and unusual circumstances.  Indeed, many Christians count one or more verses in this passage as their favorite in all of scripture.  And when we think about them, it is no wonder.  For, in this passage we have a great assurance of help when we are weak and feel unable to do or even say what we long to.  And in this passage, we have a promise that no matter what is happening, the goal and the outcome are good. along with that promise is the look behind the scenes, to realize that God has a grand plan, has prepared it ahead of time, and has your best interest in mind through it all.

Moreover, in this passage, we have an assurance of God’s love being the abiding reality of our lives. No matter what.  Throughout the entire passage, we think on these things in the light of who Christ is and what Christ has accomplished on our behalf.  How blessed we are that Paul wrote these things – inspired as he was by the Holy Spirit.  How blessed we are that we have them today – and not only have them, but live our lives according to these unfolding words.

 

The Spirit helps us in our weakness.  Very few of us like to look at our weaknesses.  We would prefer to emphasize our strengths.  “Here and here are our gifts and abilities”, we might say.  “Here are the things we have accomplished.  Here are the things we are good at.” Where we have skills others do not have.  Where we have abilities others cannot claim.  These things, we are glad to emphasize.  Like listing the accomplishments of our high school years in the senior class portion of the yearbook.  But please do not shine a spotlight on our weaknesses!

Yet, if we watch Jesus, we find him going for people’s weaknesses every time.  It is as if he knows that those weak places are where they can be reached the best.  So, JESUS goes to where people are hurting, or sick; where they have become lost or confused. In such places, Jesus meets and transforms people. Have you given your weaknesses to the Lord?  Or have you hidden them from him?  It is impossible to hide anything from Christ.  When we give him our weakness, whole-heartedly and unreservedly, Christ can make something wonderful happenen.

The most renowned doctor cannot cure your illness. unless you present it to that good physician. The wisest professor in the world cannot teach you what you need to learn, unless you show up, with your open mind. The kindest person in the world cannot show you how to be compassionate, until you put yourself into their hands, and let love lead the way.

 

In the same fashion, Paul says that we don’t know how to pray.  Now, many minsters will tell you that praying is part of the profession.  We work hard to prepare our prayers, keeping in mind who our church members are, and what might be happening in their world, as well as their lives. We try to craft those prayers not only to reach Gods ears, but also the depths of many a heart.  Praying is – part of who we are. And what pastor has not been in a gathering where someone says, “Pastor would you pray?” I like to say those are “Off the Cuff Prayers – because I have them embroidered on the cuff of my shirt!  (No. Not really).

But when Paul says we don’t know how to pray as we ought…, Paul means it for people who pray every day, as well as for those who pray every now and then.

 

If we knew how to pray as Jesus prays, then: lives would be transformed, water would turn to wine, wind and waves would be still, people would rise up and follow, crops would grow, the timid would become courageous, and more. If we knew just how to pray.

The good news is, even if we don’t know how to pray, we can depend on God’s Holy Spirit to give us the right prayer. At the right moment.  The Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words.  There are few more compelling phrases in all of holy writ than these.  The Holy Spirit takes us to the heart of the matter with power, and poetry: with sighs too deep for words.

 

Paul says that in the maze of human life we know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.  The pessimist would say that they do not.  The realist would say that they might, but at what cost.  The optimist would say – of course they do, and perhaps ignore or downplay the tough realities of life.  But the Christian! Ah that is a whole other story

The Christian would say that even though things are good or bad or indifferent, sometimes in rapid-fire succession, even though the most tender joys of life are often tinged with sadness, even though what we worked and planned for might not turn out as we had anticipated, there is nevertheless an over-arching reality.  The reality of God’s goodness and intricate planning on our behalf. 

Paul says, God knew us before we were born.  God predestined us to place our lives in Christ’s. God has a place for us in the household of God.  God has particular things for us to do, and God looks upon us as holy and worthy of eternal life. God could not possibly have a higher positive regard for you than what we see in the life, death, and resurrection of Christ our Lord. 

God knows you are worth it.  I suspect that somewhere along the way you have run across someone who has told you or acted as if you were NOT worth it.  Let me say this clearly to you.  Not only are they as wrong as wrong can be, but also, they are about as far from the love and grace of Jesus Christ as a person can go.  Avoid them if you can. Let them go, as hard as it may be. They are as dangerous as a tiger. And as deadly.

God thinks the world of you. God made you.  God planned for you to have a life worth living.  God knows you can reach people who would otherwise be lost and neglected. God loves you.  Whenever you think of the great sacrifice of the cross, I hope you hear these words:  you are worth it.  You are worth all of it.

 

“In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. ³⁸ For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, ³⁹ nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

         At many a funeral, you will hear the last portion of this passage.  About nothing being able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.  I have read these lines at the majority of memorial services and funerals that I have led.  I hope that this is the message that comes through, beyond the sadness and sorrow, over and above the stark realities of death, as grief seems like a heavy weight, and it is nearly impossible to know how to go on, let alone deal with tomorrow and the next day.

         What then are we to say about these things?  What more is there to be said?  The things one says are always inadequate.  It’s the touch of loving hands, the hopes of beating hearts, the soaring of the spirit, the meeting of minds, it is hearing a still small voice, turning to see a bush that burns without being consumed, inhaling the aroma of crushed grapes and newly baked bread, it is letting the words of the Spirit unfold in you, in prayer, with sighs and groans, expressing what words cannot fully express.

 

What more is there to be said? Only that I hope you don’t wait until you are at a funeral or memorial service to hear these words.  That you will not wait until a day of sorrow, before they find a place in your heart and mind.   I hope that you hear them today, and make them yours, forever.  Nothing will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.  Amen.

This is an original sermon by The Rev. D. John A. Dalles, Interim Senior Minister and Head of Staff of Shadyside Presbyterian Church, Pittsburgh, PA .  It was delivered on the date indicated in the text. You are encouraged to read it and reflect upon it.  Please keep in mind that the sermon is Copyright © 2020 John A. Dalles.  Permission from the author is required to reproduce it in any fashion.