Episodes
Sunday Apr 24, 2016
Not All Who Wander are Lost
Sunday Apr 24, 2016
Sunday Apr 24, 2016
A homily preached by Rev. Ginger E. Gaines-Cirelli at Foundry UMC, April 24, 2016, the fifth Sunday of Easter and Confirmation Sunday.
Text: Deuteronomy 26:1-11
Today we have heard some very old, very important words from a very old, very important book of the Bible. For our younger folks, it may seem weird to talk about “very old” things being “very important.” What do those old words have to do with me? How can they possibly be important for our lives? Well, let me begin by inviting all of us to think about our families (whatever shape that takes for you)—think about the people who are important to you, who love you, who help you learn and grow, who push you to be the very best you can be, who have been with you through tough times, who have given you what you need to live. The people in my family (both biological and “found”) and the experiences we share give me a sense of identity and belonging. When we get together, we remember important and funny moments we have shared. We eat our favorite foods—Nana’s roast and gooseberry pie for dessert. I expect your families are the same when you get together (though your family might prefer huckleberry or blueberry pie). When we get together as families, we tell the stories that are “our” stories—the stories that bind us together as a family.
The words we heard today from Deuteronomy capture the heart of a story—not just any story, but “our” story as the family of God. Tradition says these words are Moses speaking to the people of God as they enter the Promised Land. Moses begins the family story with a reference to “Father Abraham”: “A wandering Aramean was my ancestor.” He goes on to tell how the people had been nomads with no land of their own, had settled as immigrants in Egypt and there had become slaves. They fled Egypt and became refugees, again wandering in the wilderness. And who was with them through it all? Who lead them out of slavery and oppression? YHWH. Throughout the story, the people receive the hospitality of God: God liberates, shelters, feeds, protects, and guides the people into the promise.
This may still feel like someone else’s story. But today, as we baptize, confirm, and receive persons into this congregation, we once again tell the “old story” of God’s love and grace. In our prayer over the water we hear: “When you saw your people as slaves in Egypt, you led them to freedom through the sea. Their children you brought through the Jordan to the land which you promised.” When we are baptized, confirmed, and received through reaffirmation, we claim our place in the story of God’s people, our place in God’s family. [The service says that through baptism we are “incorporated into God’s mighty acts of salvation”—that means we participate in God’s life, receive and share God’s hospitality, and offer love and mercy to others, just as we have received God’s love and mercy.]
I love the fact that the story begins with that “wandering Aramean.” Here at Foundry we proudly welcome everyone, wherever we are on our spiritual journey. In this, we acknowledge that we come from a people who wander, who are always on a journey. And, as J.R.R. Tolkien wrote in The Lord of the Rings, “Not all who wander are lost.” God’s people “wandered” in the wilderness because they sought the land God promised; they wandered on purpose. Our journeys are about seeking God’s promises for our own lives—we “wander on purpose,” seeking integration and wholeness, peace and purpose, love and acceptance, wisdom, justice, and joy. This is a lifelong journey. We are always seeking. This is part of what it means to be people of faith. To “have faith” doesn’t mean that we will always feel settled or sure. My very first semester in college in Dr. John Score’s Philosophy of Religion class I read this: “Show me someone who’s not confused and I’ll show you someone who’s not been thinking.”[i] If we’re really thinking and if we really care, we will have questions and doubts. Our faith gives us permission to be honest about that stuff, to be curious, to wonder about God’s sense of humor (have you seen the platypus?!), to wrestle with things in the Bible or in the church and even to get mad at God (Lord knows the people shared a few choice words when they were in that wilderness!).
Today as we tell our story again through the Baptismal covenant service, we are assured of God’s love and mercy for us—no matter what. And we are given grace to take our place and play our own part in the ongoing adventure. All along our journeys—in suffering and wilderness, as in promise and joy—God is with us. That is our story and today we have a chance to say we’re sticking to it. Thanks be to God.
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