Author: Fr. Ron Pogue

Jogging along the sidewalk atop the Galveston Seawall the other day, I noticed that someone had taken chalk and written in large letters,

 

The Race Goes Not Always to The Swift. . .But to Those Who Keep On Running.

 

Encouragement!  Someone put those words there to encourage people who were running the race.  Don’t give up!  Keep on keeping on!  There is value in the running of the race.  There is victory in completing it.

 

When Jesus sent the twelve apostles out on their mission, he let them know that not everyone would welcome them.  “If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet as you leave that house or town. (Matthew 9:14)”

 

Encouragement! Jesus told them that to encourage them to continue in their mission even when they were not welcomed.  A friend of mine once called this “the sacrament of failure.”  Jesus gave his apostles permission to fail and an outward sign that would help them leave that failure behind and continue in their mission.

 

The writer of the Letter to the Hebrews also knew there is value in running the race to its completion.  “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:1-2)”

   

Keep us faithful always to You

Whatever the path we trod

That we might run with patience, Lord,

The race that is set before us.

 

And through it all may we praise Your Name,

For it is only by Your power,

That we can run with patience, Lord,

The race that is set before us.

   

A missionary people need encouragement to persevere in the work of Christ.  He’s in it  with us.  Every age and mission outpost has its challenges.  If we will continue to faithfully put one foot in front of the other, Jesus will provide what is needed to endure and to transcend the challenges.  When we fail trying, he will keep us from settling into that failure and help us move on toward completion.

 

As my wife, Gay, once said, “Life is not about falling down. . .it’s about getting up and trying again.”  Let us encourage one another to continue in the life and work of Christ.

The collects for the first several Sundays after Pentecost emphasize how God provides for us.  For example:

O God, your never‑failing providence sets in order all things both in heaven and earth: Put away from us, we entreat you, all hurtful things, and give us those things which are profitable for us; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

 

And this:

 

O God, from whom all good proceeds: Grant that by your inspiration we may think those things that are right, and by your merciful guiding may do them; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.  Amen.

 

In a world where we are encouraged to believe that what we have comes only through our work, ambition, the political process, the economy, war, or some other human endeavor, it is refreshing to be reminded that God provides!

 

Learn to look through the window of your soul to recognize God’s hand at work.  Awakening to that reality brings about a transformation of consciousness that liberates us from dependence upon material things and deepens our love for our Creator and Provider.

We are at that time of year when people complete their courses of study in schools, colleges, and universities.  Those who have completed their course of studies will take part in an important ritual called “graduation” or “commencement.”  I’ve always found it interesting that our words for that ritual have more to do with the next step than with the series of steps leading up to it.  We “graduate” from our studies into a new set of challenges.  We “commence” that for which we have been preparing.

                       

When Jesus was with the twelve in the Upper Room, he knew it was time for them to “graduate.”  He was preparing to complete his earthly mission and leave them, so he had to tell them things they needed to know in order to “commence” the next era of proclaiming his gospel.  Scholars typically call this section of John’s gospel “the farewell discourse.”  However, when you read it you will clearly see that it is far, far more than a farewell speech – it is a commencement address.

                       

For the followers of Christ, the focus is always on the future!  To those who are about to graduate from the course of study in which you have been involved and who are about to commence the next phase of your life’s journey, we say, “congratulations!”  The future opens before you and it is filled with possibilities and opportunities.  It also holds uncertainties and challenges.  Perhaps it seems frightening or overwhelming to you.

                       

In light of these options, remember the words of the Psalmist (Psalm 139:13-14):

             

For it was you who formed my inward parts;
   you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.

 

Your Creator designed you to face the future with remarkable gifts.  Those uniquely human gifts, employed in partnership with the Creator, equip you to make something from nothing!

             

Long ago, when you were Baptized, God and the Church made a promise to always be there for you.  As you commence your next educational pursuit or your career, remember that.  We have a bookmark that we give to visitors to Trinity Church.  On it, there is an invitation to face the future in confidence.  It says, “Don’t be afraid of the future, God is already there.”  That is a paraphrase of God’s message through the Prophet Jeremiah: “For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope” (Jer. 29:11).

   

God bless you as your journey continues.  Along with God, we promised to continue with you and we will keep that promise.

We think of a mother as one who from before our birth wants and loves her child.  We think of one who provides nurture and affirmation and encouragement.  We think of one who has mercy on her child, even when she knows the worst there is to know.

             

Mother's influence, for good or ill, is always with us. "Mother" is that person who cuddled us, nursed us, and soothed us when we were very small.  She provided the basic security that we all need if we are to learn to trust and hope.  Because it is a relationship that begins in the womb, it is different from the relationship one has with one's father.

             

Mother is also a symbol of the nurture that comes from God.  If "mother" is seen (at least by small children) as Godlike, why can't God be seen as motherlike?  We are aware that many mothers fall short of any Godlike quality, just as many fathers do.  Some of us have to look for ways to forgive our mothers and to believe that they did the best they could with what they had.  Nevertheless, Mother is an indispensable figure in our lives.  This story sums it up:  A woman knocked at a neighbor's door and was surprised when a six year old answered the door.  "Hello Susie.  Are you all alone?"  "Yes.  Mother's in the hospital and me and Daddy, and Bobbie, and Cindy are all alone."

    

Since it is quite likely that we can learn a lot about the motherlike qualities of God from our mothers, it is a good thing to encourage mothers to develop Godlike qualities in their lives.

             

The second chapter of St. Peter’s First Epistle is one in which mothers and their children can immerse themselves, especially at times when there is doubt about the presence of mercy and the security of identity.  It is, in a way, a gospel for mothers and their children.

 

Like newborn infants, long for the pure, spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow into salvation— ³if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.

            

4Come to him, a living stone, though rejected by mortals yet chosen and precious in God’s sight, and ⁵like living stones, let yourselves be built^* into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. ⁶For it stands in scripture:

‘See, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious; and whoever believes in him^* will not be put to shame.’ ⁷To you then who believe, he is precious; but for those who do not believe, ‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the very head of the corner’, ⁸and ‘A stone that makes them stumble, and a rock that makes them fall.’ They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do.9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people,^* in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

¹⁰Once you were not a people,
   but now you are God’s people;
once you had not received mercy,
   but now you have received mercy.   – 1 Peter 2:2-10 nrsv

         

Peter begins by likening God's word to a mother's milk.  "Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk so that by it you may grow into salvation."  Then, he goes on to explain how each one of God's children has a place in the house; each one belongs.

      

He declares that we are a family with a divine purpose, something bigger than we are for which to live.  We are a holy nation a royal priesthood, God's own people.

      

Then, he concludes it all by declaring the reversal of the message of the Prophet Hosea. "Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people.  Once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy."

      

This is a great legacy, handed on from generation to generation by our Mother, the Church.  We are nourished by it so that we can grow into salvation and enjoy our rightful place in the household of faith, in this family.  We can become all God wants us to be. 

                            

            Anne Frank wrote in her diary,

            "Every one has inside himself a piece of good news!

            The good news is that you really don't know

                        how great you can be

                        how much you can love

                        what you can accomplish

                        what your potential is.

            How can you top good news like that?"

                      

Mothers, nourish yourselves with this good news!  Then, pass it along to your children so that they, too, will come to this realization.

                      

Church, there are those to whom we must be a Mother, who have not known before how much they are loved and what a wonderful identity they have inherited.

                      

Children, of all ages, whether you got this message of worth and self esteem from your mothers or not, hear and believe it now because it is addressed personally to you:  "Once you were not people, but now you are God's people.  Once you had not received mercy, but now you have."

     On a recent Sunday afternoon, I was out for my daily walk.  That day I was heading for the Seawall, crossing the boulevard at 29^th Street.  The pedestrian “Walk” signal started counting down the seconds available for crossing.  Halfway across the street, I met a woman walking in the other direction.  I wished her, “good afternoon.”  She smiled in response, but then said, “Eighteen seconds?  Where’s the grace?”

     What a great question!  I hadn’t given it much thought and had just taken it for granted that the people who program traffic signals and control traffic around the island must have conducted several studies, hired consultants, and figured out that eighteen seconds was exactly the right amount of time for a pedestrian to occupy the crosswalk on a public roadway.  After all, the roadway is designed for vehicles, right?  Pedestrians are just tolerated.  Cross from one side to the other in eighteen seconds or risk getting run over by a vehicle.

     Now that my consciousness has been raised by another pedestrian, I can’t cross the street without hearing her question, “Where’s the grace?” Maybe I’ll suggest to the City Manager that reprogramming the lights with a longer grace period would be consistent with the City Council’s ongoing mission to make Galveston a more pedestrian-friendly city.

     Meanwhile, back at the Church, it occurs to me that it would be a good discipline for a Christian to ask this question daily about other areas of life.  Where’s the grace?  We could all benefit from a lot more of it.

     Where’s the grace – in my life, in the life of my community of faith, in my family, in my neighborhood, in the political campaign, in the actions of my government, in my workplace, in my classroom, in my relationship with my God?

     Because by our Baptism we are children of God by grace and adoption, we are supposed to know about grace and spread it around. We are offered a healthy diet of grace through the Word of God and the Holy Eucharist.  Those are provisions God has supplied so that we will never be starved for grace.  We receive the means of grace so that we can become a means of grace in the world around us.  When we become conscious of a lack of grace, we have an opportunity to change that situation.  When we experience a moment of grace, we have an opportunity to celebrate it.  Think about it!  This is a world-changing opportunity we have here.

                                                                   The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.

                                                                                                            

Christians often confuse deliberation with mission.  We are not "a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's own people" so we can have meetings or sit around feeling special.  St. Peter says Christians are given this identity "in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light."  We are not supposed to be defined by our meetings but by our message.

For years I have been humbled and disturbed by the following rewrite of the Parable of the Judgment of the Nations.

I was hungry and you formed a humanities club and discussed my hunger, thank you.

I was imprisoned and you crept off quietly to your chapel in the cellar and prayed for my release.

I was naked and in your mind you debated the morality of my appearance.

I was sick and you knelt and thanked God for your health.

I was homeless and you preached to me of a spiritual shelter of the love of God.

I was lonely and you left me alone to pray for me.

You seemed so holy, so close to God, but I am still very hungry and lonely and cold.

What if every congregation of Christians rewrote the parable in terms of meaningful actions they are committed to take in response to each plea.  I suspect it would change the complexion of Christianity.  Every congregation would soon be known on the community grapevine for the unique way they live out the implications of the gospel in response to the needs of their neighbors.  How will you bring God’s redemptive love to the hungry, imprisoned, naked, sick, homeless, and lonely women, men, and children at the doorstep of your church?  How might the Christians with whom you worship become living proof that the good news of Jesus is really good?