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Jesus said, "Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. Whoever welcomes a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet's reward; and whoever welcomes a righteous person in the name of a righteous person will receive the reward of the righteous; and whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple– truly I tell you, none of these will lose their reward. (Matthew 10:40-42)"

When I read these words of Jesus this week, the first thing that popped into my mind was the familiar signs used for decades by the Episcopal Church.  The signs are intended to convey the impression that a newcomer to a congregation of the Episcopal Church will experience a warm welcome when they join us for worship.

Some have recently suggested that this approach is flawed.  First, it is a very passive approach.  Maybe the signs should say “The Episcopal Church INVITES You!” and then we reinforce that by actually extending a personal invitation to worship with us or join us for study, prayer, fellowship, or service.  Second, it may be false advertising.  Strangers in our midst may come and go without experiencing an honest to goodness welcome.  Someone may speak to them but there may not be an invitation to stay for fellowship nor any introductions.  Third, those signs are often out of the way, hard to read, a little bit rusty, and, possibly, that’s the way we like them.

As we travel this summer, or anytime for that matter, I wonder if we can learn from the places we visit what it feels like to be truly welcomed.  What expressions of hospitality represent a “cup of cold water” to us?  Where do we feel truly included and valued by those to whom we are strangers?  Can we learn anything from those experiences that will help us be a more inviting and welcoming congregation?

I recommend that you try this experiment whenever you are a stranger and sojourner and I invite you to share your experience and your suggestions with us upon your return.  It could result in an epiphany!

In the meantime, when you see someone you don’t recognize before, during, or after a worship service at your church,  consider it God’s prompting for you to greet them, invite them to stay for fellowship, pour them a cup of cold water (or coffee, or lemonade), and introduce them to some of your friends.  If you want to be really welcoming, perhaps you might invite them to join you for Sunday brunch or tell them about the small group you belong to and ask them to attend with you.  That would be the beginning of a real welcome!

"I have not come to bring peace, but a sword."  The Prince of Peace, Jesus, said that, according to St.  Matthew.  As if that weren't enough, he went on to say, "For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and one's foes will be members of one's own household."  What kind of family values are these?

Maybe the next two sentences provide the explanation: "Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever does not take up the cross and follow me is not worthy of me.  Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it."  Living in a relationship with Jesus, being his follower, continuing his message and his work, is not going to be easy.  It will cause people to reject you and then you'll have to make some difficult, perhaps painful, choices.

I once knew a woman named Julie.  Julie was born in China and reared in a very strict Chinese family.  When she became an adult, Julie heard the Gospel and the call to be a disciple of Jesus Christ.  Her family was not pleased.  In fact, they told her that she could no longer be a member of the family if she remained a Christian.  Julie faced a very painful choice.  Not to be a member of a family would make her a nobody.  She would have no place to live, no name, and no respect.  It would be as if she were dead – like losing her life.

Julie left her family and left China.  She lost that life.  She came to the United States where she found a family among fellow Christians.  She found life.

For Julie, the words of Jesus made perfect sense.  Few of us will ever have to pay such a price, but nevertheless we should pay attention to the disclaimer Jesus put right there on the package for all to read:  "Beware!  Following Jesus can be hazardous!"

Then what's the payoff?  Why would anybody risk everything to follow Jesus?  What's in it for me?  Jesus called it "eternal life," "the kingdom of God," "the kingdom of heaven," "abundant life."  I sometimes call it "life beyond ego."

The ego derives identity, worth, meaning, and power from surroundings.  Family, social ties, possessions, ideologies, approval, and many other outward reinforcements give life to the ego.  But the ego is not the true person.  Take away those ego-inflating things and the ego panics.

The true human being finds identity, worth, meaning, and power in relationship to God.  That "life beyond ego" in turn informs and assigns meaning to everything else.  It is as if we begin to look at creation through the eyes of the Creator and discover a new realm of wonder, love, and praise.  It is a realm of life that is not dependent upon approval of family, social status, political influence, the number of possessions, or anything other than God.

Our God-given identity, declared in Baptism, is the one thing that nobody can ever take away from us.  But we are passive recipients of that identity, aren't we?  We are told that Baptism is a gift, not earned or deserved.  The inestimable price of that identity has been paid by Jesus Christ.

Yet, it is one thing to know that and another thing to live like we actually believe it.  That's where Jesus' disclaimer comes in.  The world around us, filled with ego-inflating values and things, won't understand and may withdraw its approval if we act like we believe true life, abundant life, eternal life, is not dependent upon it.  "Those who find their life (ego) will lose it, and those who lose their life (ego) for my sake will find it (eternal life)."

Remember the rich man who came to Jesus asking what he had to do to inherit eternal life?  Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said, you lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then, come, follow me. (Mk. 10:21-22)"

The man was shocked when he heard what Jesus said.  He went away grieving because, the text says, "he had many possessions."

But, even though Jesus' words grieved the rich man, the text also says that Jesus said what he did out of love.   He loved him enough to tell him the truth!  He told him that while he was rich in the world's terms and in terms of the ego, he lacked treasure in heaven.  The way to get his ego out of the way of eternal life was to be liberated from those things that inflated his ego.  The man was not truly free.  He was possessed by his possessions.  Jesus wanted to liberate him for a life that is not limited by possessions.

So, out of love for us, Jesus tells us the truth.  He warns us that following him and living the life he promises will cost us in terms of whatever gives our ego its sense of identity and security.  I wonder what would happen if a dozen or so of us actually lived like we believe him.  Let's throw caution to the wind and find out!

This morning in his sermon, Fr. David Dearman referred to Randy Pausch's last lecture in which he imparts wisdom as he faces pancreatic cancer.  I highly recommend that you view it at Randy Pausch's Last Lecture .

Ron+

e-piphanies on the Anniversary of The Great Storm of 1900

We are here at the Seawall on Galveston Island on September 8, 2007, the 107th anniversary of the Great Storm of 1900, which devastated this island and killed over 6,000 of its inhabitants. Today, 107 years later, that storm remains the worst natural disaster in American history. There were epiphanies in the storm for the people of Galveston. In the aftermath of the storm, they discovered blessings they might never have recognized.

Engineers designed this Seawall, which rises 17 feet above the beach below, to protect the island from other storms by breaking the force of a tidal surge. It is an amazing example of pioneering engineering and construction. The level of the island was raised six feet in some places. People not only wanted the island to be habitable again, but they also wanted it to be beautiful, so they planted oleanders and other flowering plants. A new form of city government was developed to facilitate the rebuilding of the city. That form of government not only served this city well for over 50 years, it was copied by more than 300 other cities across the country. And the people! The people of Galveston discovered spiritual resources that made it possible to overcome differences, transcend barriers of race and class.

In the midst of devastation, God gave the people of Galveston the intellectual, physical, economic, and spiritual resources to rebuild their island home and their lives. That’s the way it works. If we look into the difficult times with eyes of faith, we discover God’s hand at work, helping, healing, and providing for us all we need to move forward into the future. “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.” (Jeremiah 29:11)