SunJan182009
Personal Witness – Martin Luther King Jr Sunday – January 18, 2009
A theme that struck a chord for me to describe my faith experience here at Federated Church was suggested by remarks made by Todd Smith last Sunday at our Open & Affirming meeting. We were looking for a concept or theme that united us as a faith community. There is of course the NT metaphor of the Apostle Paul – “the body of Christ” – but Todd’s remark spoke to me as a theme that touches my life deeply and as one that has a universal quality. He said that the one thing we share in common as members of the Federated Church is that in one way or another, everyone has found a “home” A home. That’s a powerful and meaningful metaphor for all of us, I would imagine. Home – a place to belong.
Home – a place where you are loved and accepted for who you are. Home – a place where you can be who you are and participate in shaping the quality of your life together by exercising your gifts, expressing your beliefs and ideas, and living out your values in everyday life. Home – it’s is a powerful metaphor of Jesus too… we just celebrated his birth – the birth of Immanuel- the birth of God with us – the birth of the God who came to make his “ home” with us – and didn’t Jesus promise that the final destination of our life would also be a “home” – a place with many rooms and a room that he would prepare for us there…
In the spiritual sense to be at home is to be in the community of faith and love where everyone belongs. This theme of “home” is personal for me. I came from a broken home as a child, losing my mother as a young boy and going through a sense of displacement when my father remarried. And it was a recognition of God’s love and God’s invitation calling me into his family that changed my life. Coming to know that I was a child of God transformed my life from an experience of rejection to acceptance; from abandonment to being embraced, from feeling worthless to being filled with purpose; from being lost to being found. And this theme of “home “ has been real for me at Federated. I find here a place where I am accepted and welcomed. I find here a place where my gifts are honored and appreciated. I find here a place where I can share my faith and be lifted up by the faith of others. I find here a place where I can laugh and cry and sing and be silly – where I can hurt and where I can be happy knowing that all the time I am supported by a loving community. “Home” is a good word for how I would describe my experience of faith here at Federated.
And on this Sunday in which we recognize the gift and gifts of one of God’s special servants and prophets to our nation, the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. – the metaphor of home stands out to me as something that calls me to live for justice and peace in our world, Wasn’t Dr. King’s Dream about a time when black children and white children would be walking hand in hand, working beside one another in common dignity and purpose…. Wasn’t his dream about all peoples recognizing the image of God in each other and regarding all people as inherently gifted and valued in the human family. Wasn’t his dream of a “home” where all belonged – where all shared common benefits and common responsibilities for making our nation – our home- one of liberty and justice for all? This theme of a common dwelling place of universal acceptance and love is what draws me to call Federated Church “home”. It is what led me to serve on Central Council and the Social Justice Committee. This concept of “Home” where we all belong is what led me to participate on the Open & Affirming Task Force, where our vision is to give witness to God’s embrace of all people and especially to those who have been rejected not only by society but even by communities who claim to be part of Gods’ family. You see, the foundation of this idea of “home” that we experience by faith is based on the grace we call amazing. We all are invited into this fellowship of grace – not because of any particular qualities we possess, but because there is a God who seeks and searches to call us home, who seeks and searches to embrace us in love, who seeks and searches to make us one family. And when we understand in the depths of our hearts the love that accepts us even as we are, we are found. We are home. And if we understand that grace – we understand that our call is to create a home where others can experience this grace also.
My prayer is that we continue to be a community of grace that becomes home to all who seek to belong to God’s family.
Prayer for Worship – MLK Sunday 2009
God of compassion, who came to make your home with us, open us anew this day to the wonder of your grace. Fill us with the love and joy of what it means to belong to you. Create within us and among us a sense of community in which your grace is alive and active in our lives – bringing hope and healing to one another – lifting up those who are discouraged; comforting those who are in pain; bringing companionship to those who are lonely; providing support to those who struggle and a offering a warm welcome to those who are seeking to find their way. We thank you for the grace that embraces us, the compassion that heals us, the love that restores us and the presence that guides us.
On this Sunday when we are reminded of the need to bring justice and healing to the nation in which we live, lead us to be a people of compassion reaching out to those whose lives are diminished by injustice, damaged by prejudice, and hurt by rejection. Give us vision to see others through the eyes of Christ and give us courage to live with compassion toward those who struggle to find their place in the world. We pray for our nation as it seeks to find its way amidst the conflicting interests of its citizens and the nations of the world. On this eve of an historic presidential inauguration, inspire our nation’s leaders with your vision of a world where justice rolls down like waters, where swords are beaten into ploughshares and where righteousness springs up like a fountain of living water. Endow them with the wisdom to lead us in the paths of peace and to seek a way of politics that honors all peoples and negotiates conflicts with a sense of fairness and mutual respect. Help us as your children to learn to be good citizens of our nation and good stewards of your world by our commitment to the values which honor and sustain the life you give us. Help us to fulfill our nation’s goal of “liberty and justice for all” by living as a people armed with your compassion and empowered by your love. So lead us as your people to live in such a way that your will be done, your world be restored and your kingdom come. Amen