Sermon
for June 25, 2023
Rev.
Larry Lindstrom
Most
of us know the movie, Mary Poppins. Some of us had the chance to see it when it
first appeared in theaters. And even if you’re too young to remember that, you have
probably still seen the movie on TV. Either way, it is a foundational piece of
childhood for many of us.
And
if you remember that movie, you’ll recall that Mary Poppins offered all kinds of
witty and wise sayings. She had plenty of good advice for the children, Jane
and Michael. In fact, you might recall one scene where the kids were trying to
convince her to give them some special privilege. And they promised that if she
could come through for them, they would be little angels for the rest of the
day. In response, Mary smiled and said, “That’s a pie crust promise: easily
made and easily broken.”
And
she was right, of course. The children spoke without really thinking things
through. Could they promise to be little angels for even a few minutes? Did they
really take into account all the obstacles that might get in their way, like
maybe getting distracted by seeing some new bright and shiny thing? Or maybe
getting on each other’s nerves, as kids often do. So when Mary told them that they
had made a pie crust promise, she was really inviting them to think a little
deeper and to be honest and realistic about themselves and the world around
them.
I
think of that scene when we hear the words of the first reading for today
(Exodus 19:2-8). We find the people of Israel, under the leadership of Moses,
reaching the mountain where God is going to reveal the words that they are to
live by. But first God gives to Moses a general statement, an overview of the
relationship that God wants with the people. The focus is on the mighty acts
that God has performed for them: rescuing them from slavery, carrying them
through the wilderness, providing for them at every turn. And then comes a word
of challenge: God says, in effect, I expect you to be just as committed to this
relationship as I am. Give your heart to me, and you will experience a life of
blessings and joy.
And
how do the people respond when Moses shares those words with them? They make an
amazing statement: we will do everything the Lord has said. Now in fairness, you
can see how they might be inspired to say such a thing. It was undoubtedly
exciting to be there at the mountainside. Just to get there, they had to make
their way through all sorts of dangerous and terrifying challenges. And they
had already experienced God’s protection and power firsthand. God had literally
watched over them every hour of every day. There was a pillar of cloud that had
guided them, protecting them from the enemies all around them. And that pillar
became something like a ring of fire at night, surrounding the Israelite camp
and keeping them safe and secure. They knew that God was able to do amazing
things, because they had witnessed them. So it might seem like the most natural
thing for them to say, “We will do everything the Lord has said.” In other
words, we are with you all the way, God.
On
the other hand, we might look at those words and say, Really? Everything the
Lord has said? Are you sure you understand what you’re committing to? For that
matter, do you remember the other side of the story up to that point? Yes, the
people had been blessed by God in countless ways. But they had not always
responded with gratitude. In fact, just a day or so after leaving Egypt, they
began complaining that they wanted more food to eat. God provided them with
manna, bread from heaven. But after a while, they started complaining about
that. It’s boring, they said. They even started complaining about Moses. We
don’t like some of the things you’re telling us, Moses. Maybe we should have an
election and choose a leader that we really like. The fact is, the track record
of the people was not all that great. So I have to wonder if God might have
said to them, you’re making a pie crust promise: easily made and easily broken.
And in fact, it was. Just a few days after this moment of celebration, while
the people were still in that mountainside camp, they set up a golden calf and
danced around it and ignored the presence and power of God.
But
the story isn’t all negative. Even though the people spoke without really
thinking and even though they let their enthusiasm get the best of them, God
did not give up on them. Even though there were times when we might have
expected that, God reached out to the people again and again. God forgave them
for their failings, and God renewed that call to have them live as God’s people
in the world.
Which
brings us to where we are today. Thanks to the leadership here at St. Andrew,
you and I have this chance to look back and to celebrate. We were partners in
ministry here for more than 30 years. I shared all of that journey with many of
you, while for some the time we had together was much shorter. And I see that a
few of you were not here at all during my time in Farmersville, so we have only
heard about each other. To you, I may be little more than the last name on that
quilt, which is now a little over 30 years old. Way back there, many of the
church members put together that quilt to help tell the story of St. Andrew’s
ministry.
As
I think of all the memories of this place and the people who were part of this
congregation and community, I think in particular about one comment that was a
real blessing to me. I was visiting with one of our elderly saints, who was
living at that time in a care center. She and I were talking about some of the
memories of what her life had been like. It was a good day, and she was feeling
especially good. I got out the Communion set and was preparing the elements to
share with her, when out of the blue she said to me, “I have to tell you, when
you’re around, I just feel closer to God.” It was a short statement, but a
powerful one. I treasured those words, and in fact I still remember them after
all these years. And today I would turn those words around and offer them to
you. During the 31 years that we spent together, I can say that being with you,
I felt closer to God. I came to appreciate the blessings that God has showered
upon the people of this place and upon the work that you do in God’s name. Now
it wasn’t all fun and games; no, we had some lowlights as well as some highlights.
But one of the blessings of having some time to look back on is that those
difficult times tend to fade in the memory, and the joyous times tend to bubble
up to the forefront. There were the weddings, and the baptisms, and the confirmations,
and even the funerals, where we invoked the presence of God in the key moments
of our life together. There were also the carry-in dinners, and the youth
trips, and the church picnics. So many reasons for joy and thankfulness.
Now
today we look, not only backward, but also forward. The reason for our being
with you today is that Elaine and I will be leaving Ohio later this year. We will
seek to serve God in another place. And you will continue to serve God here in
this place. And today all of us can benefit from hearing these words that God
shared with the people back on the mountain so long ago: obey me and keep my
covenant, and you will be for me a holy nation. And what do we say in response
to those words? Like those people long ago, we too have experienced God’s power
and presence in our lives. We have felt God’s touch in times of joy and in
times of struggle. We have shared God’s love with one another. We have been
blessed, and God has used us to be a blessing for others. So we might want to say,
as the people of Israel did, We will do everything the Lord has said. I might
want to assure you that we will continue to be faithful servants among God’s
people in Wisconsin. And you might want to assure me that you will continue to
carry the light of God’s truth and grace here in this part of the world.
But
worship has a way of calling us to take a more serious look at ourselves. Here
we get past the momentary enthusiasm that we might feel as we look back and
enjoy some nostalgia. Here we see another connection we have to the people of
Israel. Like them, we sometimes put off our commitment to God. We say, as they
did later on that mountain, Tomorrow will be a day for serving God. Today we’ll
do our thing. And then later becomes later and still later. We put things off.
And then, before we know it, we begin to wonder if living the life of faith is
really so important at all.
So
we need a wake-up call like this story of Moses and the Israelites at the
mountain. It serves, not only as a window into the past, but also as a mirror
for the present. We can see ourselves in that scene of people making a bold
promise, without really thinking it through. And I hope we can also see our
need to be humble today, to remind ourselves of how much we need the mercy of
God, and to offer thanks for the generous grace that continues to surround us, grace
that never gives up on us, grace that works to make us new people.
“We
will do everything the Lord has said.” Those words were spoken by people who
had experienced God’s goodness and wanted to respond. You and I have also
received God’s blessing and care over the years. I’m thankful that we had so much
time to experience that together. And I pray that each of us will continue to
strive for that great goal of responding to God with our whole life, wherever
we are and whatever we do.
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