Grayer Hair

Proper 19B

Mark 8:27-38

St. Matthias

September 16, 2019

           I realized this week that it was 3 years ago this Sunday that I first walked through the doors of St. Matthias.  Richard LeComte was Senior Warden at the time and was looking for a supply priest and somehow got my name and I remember thinking that I had never been St. Matthias so this was a good opportunity to visit someplace new.  I fully expected to spend 2 or 3 Sundays with you at the most.  But on the way back home to Birmingham after that Sunday, I remember calling Phyllis and telling her that there was really something special about St. Matthias and she should come with me next week.  She did and agreed with me.  So, now – 3 years – later – we are still here and this week I took a minute to think about how things have changed.  We’ve got some new folks.  The rotten wood, bad drainage, and mold are gone.  We have gardens and a fountain.  We feed more people with beans and rice and food boxes than any other parish in the Diocese.  John is now a Deacon and Matthew is in his 2^nd year of grad school.    We have 2 dishwashers in our new kitchen. 

           In the Gospel of Mark, the disciples are about halfway through the 3 years they would spend following Jesus.  Water has already been turned into wine. 5,000 have been fed with 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish from a boy’s lunch.  Jesus has walked on the water.  The disciples have heard and seen a lot.  And now Jesus turns to these disciples and asks, “Who do people say that I am?”  Now the thing we have to remember is that most people had heard about Jesus but didn’t quite know what to think about him.  Word traveled fast but that was the only communication most people had.  There were no newspapers – certainly no TV or internet with CNN, Fox News, or the BBC.  Most people who had heard about Jesus from friends and neighbors had actually never seen Him.  But people don’t change that much over time.  When we don’t know for sure – we tend to put together the pieces of the truth we do know and then fill in the holes with our best guess.  Some people thought that Jesus and John the Baptist were the same person.  They didn’t know that Herod had murdered John at this point in the Gospel story.  Others thought he was Elijah who had returned to save God’s people and still others didn’t know for sure who Jesus was but thought he likely was a prophet – think of the prophets as the superheroes of the day.  And this kind of thinking wouldn’t have been that unusual.  Most of the people who followed Jesus were poor, working class people.  They didn’t have advanced degrees. They probably didn’t know how to read.  They had heard the stories told by their parents and grandparents about Moses, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and King David.  They also believed that one day the Messiah would come and change their world.  The people who followed Jesus didn’t know exactly what that meant - but they did know that when the Messiah came – it would be because Almighty God had sent Him and it would be a really big deal.  Just like a Baby BORN in a manger in Bethlehem. Like an empty tomb on an Easter Sunday morning.  So, when Peter answers that Jesus is THAT Messiah – I’ll bet everyone turned and looked.  I imagine they wondered – Who is this JESUS?

           Now I can tell you that I have changed over the past 3 years.  The other day, Phyllis was looking at a picture of me with our granddaughter, Lydia, and said, “Look how much darker your hair was back then!”  I think it may have been the light.  I read my sermon from 3 years ago.  This one isn’t as long.  I think I think about God differently now.  Actually, I know I do.  I definitely know more about the Books of Romans and Hebrews.  I’ve changed jobs, turned 60 and discovered that I can Tweet.  I really like Twitter and on Friday RevDaniel, a priest in Toronto, Canada Tweeted – Too many of us worship a god whose name is “I Was” or “I Will Be” instead of the God whose name is “I Am”.  This got me to thinking – How has my understanding of God changed over the past 3 years? 

           Today I know that when we gather as St. Matthias – God is here.  If we are passing out Beans and Rice – God is here.  When the choir sings, when we talk about God in Sunday School, when we pass the Peace – I know with all certainty that God lives in us and St. Matthias.  I also know that there are people out there looking for this eternal life that we have found.  I believe now after 3 years – that God can do all things through us if we will have the faith to believe that God will do it when we believe.  I believe that prayer works because I’ve seen it do so over 3 years in the life of our parish.  I believe that God is always so much bigger than we can ever imagine.  And to quote Bishop Sloan – I believe that God loves us more than our Mamas.

           The Bible tells us that Christ is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow and that WE are to grow in love and service to our Lord.  If our faith, our belief, our understanding of God is the same as it was 3 years ago, then we need to start growing.  Every day we should ask ourselves – Who do I say today that Jesus is – in my life?  Then go out and share that Love.  We don’t need to wait for 3 more years to begin.  Growing in the Kingdom of God starts again every single day.  I wonder what we will be like in 3 more years.  I don’t think my hair can get any grayer.  Maybe we will need 3 dishwashers and I will bet we can feed more people spiritually and with Beans and Rice.  Christ will be the same Savior and we can ask each day, Who do I say my Lord is?  AMEN.