Trinity Church in the City of Boston
Year A Proper 7

June 25, 2023

 

Genesis 21:8-21
Psalm 86:1-10
 Matthew 10:24-39

 

Remember The Holy In Between Space of God’s Love

 

O Lord, make us have perpetual love and reverence for your holy Name, for you never fail to help and govern those whom you have set upon the sure foundation of your loving-kindness; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

 

God of the Whisper and the yell, of peace and of fury,

Guard us this day and this night as we seek clarity within chaos.

May we embrace contradiction as a signal that what is in front of us, really matters-

And so leads to deeper commitment to understand the other,

To desire to push through paradox

Until we land gently on truth-

Truths that are bundled up in the tiniest of moments

And the smallest of sparks

Which we sing from the “tip” of our lungs in Jesus, name.

Amen.[i]

 

Forget about it…

You have heard the phrase before (and pardon my horrible attempt at impersonating a New Yorker)

It’s a phase meaning, “no worries”, it’s water under the bridge,

it wasn’t a bother

And perhaps deeper still…. If deeply meant, it means

“I have let go of any pain it might have incurred, let’s move on together.”

 

Forget about it.

Sometimes “Forgetting” is easier said that done.

AND YET

Sometimes forgetting is the worse thing to do.

 

Forgetting is too short.

Forgetting something is too quick, the situation swept under the carpet can mean unresolved misunderstanding, pain and festering. Moving forward too quickly can just be  cheap grace.

Forgeting about “it” can be avoidance rather than digging deep and working to moving forward together.

 

There are so many things we just want to forget about it.

The spilled cup of coffee, the unintentional insult, the unintentional faux pas.

There are bigger things that we wish we could rewind time and Start fresh.

 

 

AS we begin the summer here in Boston, those involved in school are quite ready to forget about deadlines, homework, and school buses for the summer. We press pause on the daily to do list and requirements demanded of us. We can “forget about it” for a while, live into summer, into a different schedule, the weather is warmer and those blue skies are more prevalent that the gray skies.

 

And yet we are still in community.

We still function in our families, we still have expectations for the days and moving forward. Our desire to be loved and belong still exists even as our schedule changes.

 

We find ourselves in the midst.

We can press pause on things of the academic year,

we can take vacation and yet we are still in the midst of community

where ever we might be.

 

And there in that midst we, too, will still need forgiveness, forgetfulness, and a whole lot of love to continue to grow closer to God.

 

Our readings today remind us to forget everything BUT the love of God.

Really, truly.

 

In our Old Testament readings, we hear of Hagar, Sarah, and Abraham. A story of a mother who followed her community’s demands, has a beautiful son, and yet is cast out of her community.

Sarah in jealousy and competition refuses to keep Hagar in the household.

Abraham, listening to his wife crazed with jealousy, sends Hagar out.

Hagar is found today alone with her son, with nothing.

No community, no food, nowhere to lay her head.

Abandoned by all…. Forced to forget her family, the promises that were made and yet, God is there with her in wilderness when everyone else has forgotten about her.

 

There, God says, “I have not forgotten you nor your child.”

God provides where humanity has failed.

While Hagar’s life is not comfortable, her call is still present and God provides what is necessary for moving forward. God always chooses to love wherever our brokenness casts us.

 

In our Gospel lesson today, Jesus is encouraging his disciples. He is rallying them to know that being a disciple will not always be easy nor comfortable.

“Forget about comfort,” he says.

Remember though, remember the core value that unites a community is love and the knowledge of God.

 

If small birds are important to God as a part of creation, how much more are we beloved to God despite our brokenness?

If we focus on God’s call, we will find the common ground together.

 

Think for a moment in the gospels, how Jesus meets each and every person where they are. God’s love encounters the poor, the lame, the pharisee, the tax collector, the men, the women, the children, the tall, the short- all.

The Descriptions we label each other with- forget about them- the only label we need is “beloved child of God.”

 

When we focus on identities other than “child of God” and prioritize them over our God given identity, we polarize and fraction. We become competitive rather than collaborative and we forget whose we ultimately are.

 

The world wants us to be distracted. The world wants us to compete, to argue, to lose track of each other and put ourself first.
To seek power rather than be powerful together.

 

Jesus speaks to his disciples and reminds them.
You are beloved, you are loved, God is there with you.

Be in community but do not let individuals distract you from God’s call and love.

If this means you will be in conflict, so be it.

If this means you will disagree with your family, so be it.

 

God is there beside you in the disagreement and, even in the direst situations of wilderness, God provides the water and shade to carry on.

 

Jesus, himself, had sharp words not only to those who needed redirection (from Pharisees to Pilate), he also had those sharp words to the disciples when they, too, fell under the spell of who will be seated on the right hand and receive all the glory.

 

And in the midst of those contrasts, he lands gently on truth-

Truths that are bundled up in the tiniest of moments

And the smallest of sparks

That we see the beloved child of God in the midst of the hailstorm of division and controversy.

 

The truth of the matter is that I am not well unless you are well too. As a community, we can’t forget the call of love that God has in our lives in the smallest and grandest of ways.

 

We should forget about the things that distract us from God, the shininess of consumerism and allure of accumulating power for power’s sake.

 

We should never forget the love that God has for each of us, the steadfastness that God is present with us even when it is uncomfortable, unexpected and painful.

 

We are entering into summer and we have just experienced the longest day of the year with more sunlight for us in the northern hemisphere than any other day of the year. A reset as we now turn towards the second half of our year.

 

How will you spend your summer forgetting about the things that need to be let go of- the distractions and false guidances and remember the words of encouragement and nourishment from God and others? Words that remind you that you are indeed a child of God, right here, right now.

 

In a world of contrasts and competition, how will you proclaim the different, sacred, and common ground that requires deep love for one another?

 

May the work of our lives

Be a way to share

In your perfect Love For Your World

May our rest

Be a way to discover and remember

Your perfect Love for us,

Your Beloved.

Amen. [ii]