Sermon by the Rev. B. Hartsough October 11, 2020 Proper 23
Exodus 32:1-14, Matthew 22: 1-4
Last week, in my sermon I talked about God as the owner of all that we have. God created us, gave us life, and has gifted us with the earth. We are stewards of God’s creation. Our life reflects this as we worship God. In the gospel reading today, we have a wedding feast. People were invited, RSVPed, and then did not show up. As in the previous parables of the tenants, Jesus is still talking to the temple authorities. Jesus is reiterating that he, the son of God has been sent to the Jews-God’s covenantal chosen people. They have accepted God’s invitation, now they need to show up. They need to put on the wedding robe. The wedding robe of turning their life around and acting in accordance with God’s will. If they do not show up with the right attitude, then the invitation will be expanded to include others.
We are all invited. We either accept or decline the invitation. As Jesus has said in other parables, God wants us to accept the invitation and live a transformed life centered on God. God takes all who show up. Then it is up to us to clothe ourselves with a lifestyle that reflects God. The Exodus reading shows us just how easy it is to turn away from a God centered life.
The Israelites were people of God. Sometimes their lives reflected God and sometimes they turned from God. The Israelites were humans that needed reassurance. They wanted to see their god. To feel their god. To be in the presence of their god. They worshiped God but they also worshipped Moses and material things. In Exodus we hear how Moses is gone up the mountain -out of sight and out of the mind of the people. So, the people freely gave their gold to Aaron to make a god that they could see and touch and feel. A god that would go before them. The “golden calf” also represented a God that the people could make. They trusted in themselves. They did not want to wait for Moses. They did not want to wait for God’s directives. The golden calf gave them a sense of reassurance and control.
Possessions and money can give us a false sense of security-a false sense of control. Our lives can change in a moment. We can lose our jobs. We can lose our savings. We can lose our homes. We can lose our health and loved ones. Nothing on this earth is permanent. There is birth. There is joy. There is suffering. There is death.
Putting on God means that we live in a world where God is steadfast. We have our priorities straight. We have possessions but they do not control us. We can do without and be okay. At the beginning of this pandemic, I was amazed at how much toilet paper, paper towels, and canned food that people bought. Members of my family bought cases of Chunky soup in case of a food shortage. I said really? Chunky soup?
We all have our things that we like. A good cup of tea or coffee. A favorite food. A comfortable house and car. A retirement investment. This is ok. God wants us to enjoy and live. Being healthy means we take time to rest and enjoy.
Possessions become a problem when they separate us from God. When they separate us from living in unity with others and when we strive for money and power at the expense others. When they become our god.
Our God transcends our possessions and our human life. Our God is steadfast. Our God is permanent. As we think about possessions, investments, and money, God is the best investment that we can make. It is an eternal investment. And the church is a part of that investment. -St. Thomas/Santo Tomás.- The church is where we are continually, eternally fed by word and sacrament. It is where we learn to live in unity with others. It is where we learn humility. It is where we learn that things are not our gods. We cannot make our own gods. We are not the center of the universe.
Through the giving of our time and talents and through the retelling of the story of God through the life of Jesus, we continue to invest in God. Every time we celebrate communion, we are reminded that our identity does not come from possessions or gods that we create. Our identity comes from God the Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer. Our God who continually invests in us through an open invitation to share in the banquet. To come and be fed. We accept the invitation and we trust and invest in God.