Advent I- Oblations

"I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that has been given you in Christ Jesus, for in every way you have been enriched in him, in speech and knowledge of every kind-- just as the testimony of Christ has been strengthened among you-- so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ. He will also strengthen you to the end, so that you may be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful; by him you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord."

My task for Nov 30th is three-fold (not in any particular order): to not suck, to teach about oblations, and honor that it is Advent I. We begin, in that ongoing cycle of approach, retreat, and renew to grapple with the profound mystery that Christ is, was, and will be again. Advent itself means Adventus which means the coming. As Christians we look back to that time that proceeded Christ's birth... the time of our spiritual ancestors awaiting God to be made manifest... and find ourselves, even the faithful who hold tight to Christ's being-ness, in similar straits with those wandering israelites who, even after gaining the promiseland, seem to understand completely that gaining the land was not enough. Even with the covenant fulfilled, even with Christ's entry, ministry, death, and resurrection, the world seems particularly off. Certainly, even the most pious defender of God's activity in the world, has to wonder at times, what God is doing for evil still exists and the meek certainly have not inherited the earth. Advent throws us right back into the pot. It seems to profess our lineage as God's people... God's people it seems must wait.

Why oblations? Well the pragmatic in our common ministry at Good Shepherd also acknowledges the needs of the everyday. It may be Advent but we certainly have not stopped being at least a part of the world. We happen to be in the middle of our stewardship drive. The following Sunday we collect pledge cards and offer them on the altar. If we are to wait, we hope to enjoin our congregation to afford the clergy and staff of Good Shepherd to be able to do it in our current positions! We may be called to wait but God has not yet guaranteed that in a year of financial insecurity that our waiting will take place here. At staff yesterday the following was uttered to help focus the task on Advent I. It was mentioned that this sermon is to help prepare people to act in faith... an oblation is the offering of our life (and the things that make up our life) as a gift from God... We, the people, offer every Sunday the fruits of our labor, the bread and wine and money, so that they may be transformed. Each week they approach the altar, given to the priest, and by God's grace they are transformed into the body and blood of Christ. The good news is that the action does not stop there. Christ acts, through the sacrament, through failable priests (starting with Peter and the lot) to transform our offerings, into himself and then trusting again, He gives himself to the whole body of the church. Our offerings become Him... He enters into us and we are transformed into Him (I'm riffing on rite one- And here we offer and present unto thee, O Lord, our selves, our souls and bodies, to be a reasonable, holy, and living sacrifice unto thee; humbly beseeching thee that we, and all others who shall be partakers of this Holy Communion, may worthily receive the most precious Body and Blood of thy Son Jesus Christ, be filled with thy grace and heavenly benediction, and made one body with him, that he may dwell in us and we in him. ) And what becomes apparent more clearly to me is that all things move through the altar during Holy Eucharist... it becomes akin to the wind moving on the waters of creation, a point where the infinite gathers the mundane. There in Holy Eucharist the bread, wine, and financial gifts are offered up unto God and while we don't (thankfully) make Sacrament out of the money, it is offered to His service. The bread and wine, somehow in whatever way it does becomes God incarnate, moves from the altar and then feeds the people... uniting us with him... God from God, Light from Light.

We tend to minimize the money part don't we. It is lifted up and then leaves the sanctuary to be counted, deposited, and put to work. We don't really think of its mission do we. As heirs to a culture that thinks it uncouth to talk about income and money (even though it seems to drive us and our conversations in this difficult time... ie the number one issue, our economy, up to and through the election) We prefer to speak about it as gifts... treasure... than say money... yet it too moves through the altar. It too is acknowledged and offered up to God... just as the bread and wine is and (we often gloss over it) we are. Yet it too has a mission. It too has a role to play. It too has a purpose, which we pray, will go to the mission of the church. And it does doesn't it. Through it ... the people... without minimizing your evident and neccessary ministry... help some of us... the staff and clergy of the church... to do needed ministry this church feels called to. The money that will leave the altar... much like the bread, wine, and you all... will allow some of us from the body, to in the middle of the day to visit the sick. Some of it will allow some of us from the body the luxury to write sermons. Some of it will keep the lights on so that we may gather for prayer, bible study, fellowship. Some of it will go to electricty which will power computers and telephones which will be used week to week to encourage , collaborate, and comfort... comfort parishioners and strangers alike with words of hope. Some of it will go directly to feed the hungry. Some of it will go to support our fellow brothers and sisters travel either as youths or adults to be transformed in the world by serving Christ.

I heard it said ... and I liked it even though I struggled with the ramifications of the statement... that Grace is free but that the Gospel cost money. First we are to be intirely thankful that God accepts me, even when I am farthest from him, based on nothing that I could possibly offer him. It means that God reaches out to us as Paul writes, (I think this is true) before we even know we are in need of God. And Gods love for us is at the center of the good news... the gospel... that God loves us so much that he sent his Son for us. So God acts with Grace toward us... and it is free. The Gospel costs though. If we have received this love, we are called to love as God loves us... and to love as God loves us is to love sacrificially... it costs to love like this... it costs to reach out to those who may never find or wish to find what we have found in Christ. It costs to understand that though things might be tough that we are not without means. For most of us in this room there is money in the bank, food on pantry shelves, gas in the tank, grass on yard, electricity on at home, and a roof hanging over our heads. We have been given so much and I say that not to make us feel guilty but as a reminder that to he or she whom has been given much... much will be demanded. It costs. We shed a portion of what we have, acknowledging that God has shared with us more than we could possibly deserve, and trusting that God will continue to sustain us.

Next time- Oblations boil down to trust- God acts first giving himself to us (coming to church receiving- true wholeness will be denied until we begin to move from receptivity to sharing)