November 11, 2007 Sermon
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U2 Eucharist
November 11, 2007
Susanna Brosseau
Neither marrying nor being given in marriage. My husband and I have had this discussion before: "You didn't tell your ex-girlfriend that you'd see her in Heaven, did you? Because we're MARRIED! You have to stick with me now!" We have been known to, um, discuss this, at length. For a lot of new Christians and for more experienced ones as well, the topic of Heaven is an absorbing and confusing one. What's it like? Who do we see? What about people that we don't like? Do we just start liking them once we’re all there?
Today's Gospel reading addresses some of the frustrations and questions that we have about Heaven, but it gives us a few answers too. These Sadducees are presenting Christ with a challenge--they say there is no resurrection, and by golly, they're going to prove it! They say, let's stump this upstart who claims to be the Son of God! Here are all these husbands, and just one woman. Honestly, if I'd been the seventh husband, I'd have tried to back out politely. "You know, you've had it rough lately, what with all six of my brothers dying and all. I think you should just be single for a while." But no, he has to marry her too, and boom! Sure enough, the Black Widow strikes again. So the Sadducees want to know--if they can all be resurrected, what happens then? Whose wife is she? It's better than Jerry Springer!
Jesus' reply basically says "People in the here and now on Earth get married. But after the Resurrection, it's not like that. Things...Are...Different." And the two verses after his explanation, which we don't hear in the Gospel reading, say "Some teachers of the law responded 'Well said, teacher!' And no one dared ask him any more questions." The Sadducees had been set back on their heels by Jesus' inarguable proclamation--THINGS ARE DIFFERENT. HEAVEN is different.
The book of Isaiah says "'My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways', declares the Lord..." It says, "...you will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap (!) their hands." In the Book of Revelation it says, "I saw a new heaven and a new earth...now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain...the old order of things has passed away. Behold! I make all things new!" These verses are as close to a description of Heaven as we are going to get. These verses describe a world where there is NO hunger, NO fear, NO injustice, NO war, a world of plenty and of joy, and it sounds like a world that we must wait for and like a world that we must die for, but it. Is. Not.
It is not. It is true that only God can conquer death. But we can work NOW to bring a kind of new heaven to our earth. We can reach out our hands as the hands of Christ, and we can make sure that they are full hands.
In developing countries worldwide, there are those who must survive, and who must keep their families alive, on one dollar a day. One dollar. That's two sodas to you. Three-quarters of a Sunday paper. An item from a 99-cent menu, if you can scrounge up enough change for the tax. How much do you survive on every day? How many dollars are spent in your daily survival?
If you look in your service bulletins, you'll see the name "Five Talents International" in a couple of places. Five Talents International was started to give the impoverished in developing countries not only the means to survive, but to flourish and to contribute to the well-being of everyone in their society. Joy, a single mother of six in Uganda, Africa, borrowed only a hundred and fifty dollars from Five Talents' loan program to expand her brick-making business. Now she's supporting herself, educating her children AND paying wages to thirteen employees so they can care for their own families. Mary, a widow in the Philippines, was a successful seamstress with her own business until it was destroyed by a fire. Using a couple of small loans from Five Talents, she redesigned and reopened her business as a general store, attended the Five Talents training seminar, and has now sent her two sons to college AND serves as a mentor to other local entrepreneurs. Note that the Five Talents organization gives loans, not donations. Through the education that's provided and the obligation to pay these loans back, the recipients maintain their dignity and have the satisfaction of fulfilling and exceeding the expectations that have been set for them. And so far, the payback rate has been high--more than 80%.
In Uganda, Indonesia, India, the Philippines, Peru--developing countries all over the world--the Five Talents organization provides loans, education, and business support to people who may seem at first to be the most unlikely of entrepreneurs. If you go to the Five Talents website, you'll read some of these people's stories, you’ll celebrate their motivation and their joy in being self-sufficient, and you'll be humbled by their faith.
"This is all very interesting," you may say--or not--"but what does this have to do with today's Gospel?" Well, I suppose it depends on what your definition of Heaven on Earth might be. Think about what Heaven on Earth might be for YOU. What is your Heaven?
Now consider the fact that maybe for one person, Heaven is paying a good doctor to save the life of his child. Heaven is knowing that there'll be food tomorrow or the day after that. Heaven for this woman is walking on HER land, helping HER product get made and get sold so she can help to sustain herself, her community, and the people in it.
Jesus tells us that Heaven is different. He tells us that the way things are there are NOT the way things are here. He tells us that in Heaven, we will be like the angels and that we will be God's children. Let's not wait for Heaven to act like it. Let's start now, here, tonight, because...we...can.
In a few minutes, our offertory plates will be passed around. Everything in them tonight goes to Five Talents International. Be the hands of Christ tonight. Be Heaven on Earth for somebody tonight.
Let us pray:
Look with pity, O heavenly Father, upon the people in this world who live with injustice, terror, disease, and death as their constant companions. Have mercy upon us. Help us to eliminate our cruelty to these our neighbors. Strengthen those who spend their lives establishing equal protection of the law and equal opportunities for all. And grant that every one of us may enjoy a fair portion of the riches of the land; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
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Revised: 11/12/07