Lots of joy this morning with Ryan and Amber Zernzach and 5 week old Autumn. As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. In the words of a great song, this day, like every day, is a time to run and a time to walk. A time to get, a time to give. A time to remember, a time to forgive. A time to hug, a time to kiss. It’s about the quality of our relationships. Who I am depends completely on who I am with, and why. Who I am is not something I can say. It is something I see in the eyes of the person who loves me. My theory is, you have already made a choice. You want your life to mean more than it would if you kept to yourself. You are ready to throw your hat into the ring. Hopefully you have already thrown your hat into the ring. Now it’s time to start dancing. And you have to serve somebody. It may be the devil; it may be yourself; it may be the Lord. These are the options. More on the alternatives in a moment. Everyone, once they understand the alternatives, will want to say, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” First you have to conclude that you find yourself in the wrong story, and leave it. Then you have to choose to inhabit a different story, and put time and effort into that story. You make a choice, and you grow into it. The way to understand is by doing, not by thinking. This morning a family is joining this community. By baptizing their beautiful daughter and joining this church, they are not thinking. They are doing. “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” The promise Ryan and Amber will make in a moment goes like this: “Will you nurture Autumn in Christ’s holy church, that by your teaching and example she may be guided to accept God’s grace for herself, profess her faith openly, and lead a Christian life?” If so, say, “I will!” That sounds easy. Maybe I should rephrase that. Do you promise to get her out of bed, dressed and here every Sunday morning for the next 18 years, even when you’ve had a long week or you’d rather sleep in or there’s a soccer match or when this darling infant of yours has grown into a teenager who thinks church is ‘dumb’? Maybe I should rephrase it again. Do you promise, when she is 28 or 48 years old, after she has tried a lot of things and still doesn’t know what to do with herself, to invite her again to live a better story, to inhabit a narrative which spans the ages, the one that says, ‘I know that my Redeemer lives’?” “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” Let’s look at the choices again. You have to serve somebody. It may be the devil; it may be yourself; it may be the Lord. What does it mean to serve the devil? That’s where you look for instant gratification. I saw somewhere that “the devil wears Prada.” That sounds about right. The devil is about looking good on the outside without changing anything on the inside. The devil wears a lot of things. But he is an empty suit. Or the other way around. She is an empty dress. Option Number Two. It’s true that you can look after number one in life, and see where that takes you. That is a recipe for loneliness. You may have less trouble paying your bills, but you are going to watch a lot of TV all alone. The other alternative is to serve the Lord. “Lord” is the name we give to the one in whom we live and breathe and have our being. “Lord” is the one, says Psalm 146, who keeps faith forever, the Rock of Ages, the one who secures justice for those who find no justice, who feeds the hungry. Our Lord God, says Psalm 146, is the one who protects the resident alien in the land, gives support to the fatherless and the widow, and brings the way of the wicked to ruin. My experience is this: there is nothing more beautiful and full of truth and goodness, than to serve this Lord. Actions speak louder than words. You say you believe in community? Prove it, not by saying, “I wish there was more community,” but by living in community. In a moment I will commend Autumn to you with the following words: “Members of the household of God, I commend Autumn Noel and Amber and Ryan to your love and care. Do all in your power to increase their faith, confirm their hope, and perfect them in love.” The best way I know how to do that is to participate in worship with them and invite them to give and receive in this community. The best way I know how to do that is to laugh with them and to cry with them as we reach out to those in need by serving a meal to the down and out or building a home for the homeless. Just a few days ago we had an election day. I voted and I trust you did, too. But let’s be honest. It’s going to be up to us, not our politicians, to get things back on the right track. It’s going to take courage and sacrifice. Veterans Day is only a few days away. The day means a lot to me, since my ancestors and my friends have fought in every major war from the Revolutionary War to the current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Yes indeed. It’s going to take courage and sacrifice. Choose this day whom you will serve. As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.
Posted on: Sun, 09 Nov 2014 22:35:10 +0000
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