Monday, October 7, 2019

October 6, 2019 "Great Things, Great Purpose" - El Monte Community Presbyterian Church

Lamentations 3.19-26; 2 Timothy 1.1-14 


“The Culture of Remembrance,” he said … 

The Director of the Dietrich Bonhoeffer House in Berlin, Germany … “the Culture of Remembrance.”

I was there recently, and Jane Holslag, one of our missionaries, joined me for the tour … Jane had lived at Monte Vista Grove Homes for about year, and then some months ago, returned to Germany.

When I learned that I would be visiting Berlin, I contacted Jane, and she was kind enough to be a tour guide for a few days, and one of the things we did was to visit the Bonhoeffer House.

“The Culture of Remembrance,” said the director.

Germany has worked hard to remember in the last 25 years… though at first, after the war, no one wanted to remember anything, but just to get on with life. 
Everyone wanted a culture of forgetfulness.

But who can forget the horrors of World War 2, the death of 6 million Jews, and millions of others throughout Europe and around the world.

In recent years, Germany has worked very hard to remember, and not to forget … Germans have built memorials and museums … 

To remember what happened, and to remember why … why a madman like Hitler should be able to come to power, and in a few short years, drag the nation and the whole world into war.

Some things deserve to be remembered …

The culture of remembrance …

 To be sure that history doesn’t repeat itself … that hatred and bigotry will never again win the day, that Anti-Semitism will be identified and condemned quickly and thoroughly, and all forms of hatred and discrimination, that especially the churches will remain vigilant, and speak out against the false gods of nationalism, militarism, and racial supremacy.

“The Culture of Remembrance” …

And that’s why we gather here for worship, Sunday after Sunday … we gather to remember … 

To remember why we’re here this morning … and who we are, and what needs to be done … we remember the words of Christ, the stories of creation, the politics of the prophets, the courage of the early church … we remember great things, and God’s great purpose.

First off, we’re here to say Thank You … the way of gratitude is the heart and soul of the Christian Life … it all begins and it all ends with these simple but profound words: Thank you!

Thank you to God for the gift of life, the mercies of Christ, the joys of creation, friends, and family … to give thanks to God Almighty that we belong to God … this is our first task when we gather together.

When we thank God, we have a chance to remember:

God’s promises … there is nothing than can separate us from the love of God … nothing in life, and nothing in death … nothing anywhere, or anyhow, that can break the bond of God’s covenant love for us, sealed upon our life by the waters of baptism, and confirmed for us in the bread and drink of the Lord’s Table …

“You belong to me,” says God.

You belong to me, and I will see you through all of life’s tumult and sorrow … I will be with you in the best of it, and in the worst of it …

I am with you always … I am the Alpha and the Omega … the beginning and end … I am your first breath, I’m your last breath … in time and eternity, in the frailty of the flesh and in the hope of the Spirit, I am there, says God, with you, for you and by you.

The culture of remembrance - that we not forget all the LORD’s blessings … but that we remember such things, so that we might live well before the world … and honor Christ with as much of life as we can.

And, then, a little bit more …

We’re here to welcome one another … to pay attention to each other … to listen to one another, to listen with care, to look upon one another with kindness and mercy …

We’re here to remember how to treat one another … to love one another as Christ loves us …

To remember, not just words and ideas, but to remember what Jesus did: how he put off his robes, and put on a simple towel around his waist, to wash the disciples’ feet …

In that moment, no longer the teacher, but a servant … no longer words of instruction, but deeds of kindness and humility … 

When Jesus washed their feet, it was the sign of welcome:

To welcome the disciples into the household of God … weary travelers they were, all of them, feet covered in dust and grime … the journey of faith is long and hard … and in such a kindly moment, the Son of God is the one who washes their feet.

And sets an example for us … 

It can be something as simple as eye contact and the nod of our head - “I see you, I acknowledge your presence, I will not pass you by, but I will give you my eyes, and I acknowledge your life.”

It can be a handshake, an arm around a shoulder, and even a hug.

It can be all kinds of simple things … to treat one another with dignity and respect … to do unto others as we would hope others would do unto us … and always, like Christ, to be the servant of the household of God.

Jesus washes their feet … and later, hosts the Table … 

It’s Jesus who blesses and breaks the bread, who pours out the cup … and serves the household of God … here’s some bread, and here’s some drink … eat to your hearts content, and drink deeply of the mercies of God.

All along the way, and throughout the three years of his ministry with the disciples, and his ministry to the world, Jesus shows us all how to treat one another … 

How to be the household of God … where all are welcomed, and none are turned away … because we are all one in Christ, in whom there is no longer the great cultural divides of race and religion, economic status, and gender distinctions … Paul the Apostle says it well:
There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.

The household of God … 

Where there are no boundaries, no walls to be built, or ditches to be dug, no families to be separated, and no fuss and fuming about who’s in and who’s out …

 In the church, we build bridges, and open doors, with words of welcome … fresh water to wash dirty feet, and good bread and drink to refresh hungry bodies and weary souls.

With our love, we bear witness to the world, we challenge our politicians to rise above party interests to care for the nation and all its people … and we challenge our politicians to care for the nation in such a way that every nation benefits, not just the United States, but the whole wide world.

And day-by-day, we strive to grow in the grace of Christ, even as Christ comes to us in a thousand different ways … to help us grow up into the things of God, to even do some great things now and then, with great purpose, all for the love of God.

Such is what it means to remember the goodness of God.

To be, for the sake of Christ, a culture of remembrance.

To God be the glory. Hallelujah and Amen!



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