Twenty-Second Sunday after Pentecost Proper 24 Year C October 20, 2013 Holly Bauer

I was a little nervous when Chip originally asked me to speak at the 5 oclock service. Im not much for public speaking, but it makes it ten times worse when Im supposed to speak on something so personal as the scripture. But Chip specifically asked me to speak about our mission trip to Costa Rica this past summer, which I will get to at some point during this homily. But I cant just gloss over all of the awesome scripture we were given for this Twenty-Second Sunday after Pentecost. The first reading is the story of how Jacob wrestled with God and acquired his limp. The second reading is a very applicable letter from Paul to Timothy. And finally the Gospel is one of the more confusing parables delivered by Jesus about the unjust judge. Ive been thinking about each of these readings all week and about the direction that God wanted me to go with this talk and I kept coming back to the reading from II Timothy. So that is where we are going to focus this evening. Before we jump into that text, I want to share a little bit of my background. If you dont know already, I come from a very church-oriented family. My mom is a priest at Grace Episcopal Church in Anniston, my grandfather, who is her father, is a retired Episcopal priest and his father was a Methodist minister. Those are just the ordained family I knew growing up, but the lineage goes back several more generations. Now my mom wasnt a priest my whole life. She started the process when we moved to Georgia in 1999 and was ordained when I was in the 8th grade in 2003. But growing up, we went to church every

Sunday, rarely missed Sunday School, went to every EYC function offered, attended every diocesan youth event, served on the provincial level as the High School Representative for the Diocese of Georgia for three years straight, attended the Province IV Youth Event and the National Episcopal Youth Event- you name it, I did it. I was very blessed to have the support of a loving, Christian family and community. My best friends, who are still my best friends to this day, were made at church. So when I hear the beginning of the reading from II Timothy today, I have a visceral reaction as if he is speaking directly to me. Paul writes, But as for you, continue in what you have learned and firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it, and how from childhood you have known the sacred writings that are able to instruct you for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. I can get on board with that easily. These words are directly applicable to me today. I grew up in a faith community who instructed me in the scripture and showed me how servant leadership should be my mantra in life. I feel pretty good about that piece of this scripture. Paul continues in his letter saying, All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work. So now Im still feeling pretty good about this. Paul is telling me that I need to rely heavily on what I was taught as a child to be true and just and that it is very important to continue to study, read and re-read scripture because as our lives change, the scripture can help us stay the course. It can bring us back when we veer off-track. I like all that, but that piece at the end makes me a little uncomfortable. so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work. This is the part where I get a little squeamish and Ill tell you why. I grew up in a family of priests and I do not want to be one!

The word evangelism has a somewhat negative connotation for me. Im the first cradle Episcopalian in my family, and I dont know if this is an Episcopal thing or just a me thing, but when I think of evangelism I think of street preachers. I went to BirminghamSouthern College and when my friends and I would go to Walmart on Lakeshore we would always pass this older man on the side of the road with a large white van adorned with signs about my imminent digression to Hell if I didnt Honk for Jesus. He also carried a megaphone and speaker through which he preached. I would always love to stop at the light and turn down my music to hear him. But his version of evangelism is mild to the street crusaders on Bourbon Street in New Orleans. I was there back in May for my future sister-in-laws Bachelorette weekend and was absolutely stunned to see these angry representations of Christians belittling even other Christians. Sure New Orleans is known for its sinful nature, but Im not too keen on being told Im going to Hell for having a drink with my brothers fianc. They set up a large wooden cross about halfway down Bourbon Street witnessing to those who passed by. But these are just two examples of the image that comes to mind when I think of evangelism. So yeah, Paul, you are making me very uncomfortable with where I think you are about to take it. And here it comes, In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I solemnly urge you: proclaim the message; be persistent whether the time is favorable or unfavorable; convince, rebuke, and encourage, with the utmost patience in teaching. Oh, shoot. Yeah I know he isnt telling me or anyone else they need to go off and get ordained. I think for me that is the scariest part. I am an introvert. I do not like to do what

I am doing right now. I get worn out just having a conversation with someone for too long, so just the thought of proclaiming the message persistently whether the time is favorable or unfavorable really makes me nauseous. Maybe some of you can relate to me on this level, and maybe the extroverts are thinking Im nuts. But that is ok, like Miranda Lambert says, it takes all kinds of kinds. I think my initial reaction, as it usually is for my stubborn-self, is to dig my boots in and like a five-year-old who isnt getting their way simply say, No! Im not gonna do it. I dont care what you say Paul, I am uncomfortable with that and Im not going to do it. But guess what, Im being ridiculous! (as usual). Paul didnt say exactly how I have to proclaim the good news, he just said, do it persistently. Do it even when it seems like the last thing you want to do. He says be uncomfortable! And I have found that God shows up when Im the most uncomfortable. Like right now. And like when we were in Costa Rica. While I would love to speak Spanish, I dont speak Spanish much less sing it. I dont throw my used toilet paper in the trashcan rather than the toilet. I dont usually play four-square in a sanctuary with aggressive teenage Costa Rican boys. Ive never tied rebar and even if I had, I wouldnt have done it the way we did. I dont usually eat burritos for breakfast, or strange spikey fruits from a vendor on the side of the road. I also dont usually get a sunburn so bad that when you touch it your hand print stays visible and white for a solid minute after. There is a list a mile long of what I dont do that I did do in Costa Rica. There were times it was incredibly uncomfortable. But over the course of the week the things that seemed unusual and uncomfortable, became just what we did. And God showed up. And I loved doing most everything other than throwing away used toilet paper that I dont usually do. Because in my discomfort we were at the thin place where we can

see God at work most clearly. So when I get over my initial gut reaction of just no I can hear myself begin to whisper, ok, Ill do if it looks like this. But Paul doesnt end there and give me resolve. He reminds me of the time that is coming, but for us in 2013, has already come. He says, For the time is coming when people will not put up with sound doctrine, but having itching ears, they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own desires, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander away to myths. The truth of this current reality makes me really sad. I wont stay on this topic long because there is good news here, but I cant just gloss over this verse. Back in April my best friend Parker who is the youth minister at St. Lukes in Birmingham and I went to The Princeton Forum on Youth Ministry in Princeton, NJ. She and I split up for most of the short breakout sessions so that we could share notes. We heard more than our brains could contain on all things Youth Ministry. I learned a whole lot, but I left the conference a little discouraged. There were a few things I came back excited about, but for the majority of the conference I felt like we talked exclusively about the demise of the Church, as we know it. There was one speaker in particular, Elizabeth Drescher, who put a lot of perspective on the direction of my generations religious beliefs. It was incredibly fascinating and simultaneously discouraging for the trajectory of the Church that I know and love. She spoke about a group of people whom she calls the nones. That is anyone who when asked what their religious affiliation is on a survey would list none. This person is not an atheist or agnostic necessarily but someone who is opposed to being categorized. Many of the nones when asked what they believe align closely with the religious institutions they seem to adamantly oppose. So these people are not non-

believers, they are just opposed to the label of Christian or Jewish, etc. as it comes with so many nuances, connotations and even expectations. Dr. Drescher showed us statistics that I cant recall at this point, but one did stick out for me. She said that if the nones were a religion, it would be the fastest growing religion to date. That is terrifying to me. But it speaks directly to what Paul is saying in this reading as a whole. People are turning to false truths. They are looking for someone to affirm their beliefs rather than affirming the Truth that already exists through Jesus. They want to be independent without labels, connotations or expectations from others. They want to be unique. And that is all fine and dandy until you hear the Gospel! Im not saying you cant be independent and unique. But when that comes before and in place of the community that Jesus calls us into that is when there is a problem. Paul says the time is coming when people will not put up with sound doctrine, but having itching ears, they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own desires, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander away to myths. That time isnt coming it is now. I dont want to be one of those statistics. I was blessed with this incredible faith community who has given me a solid foundation upon which I can continue to build my faith. And here at the Ascension we have that too. We are calling each other into community just like Christ did. Paul says, As for you, always be sober, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, carry out your ministry fully. Paul, like Jesus, tells us to be uncomfortable, endure the discomfort. Comfortable can often lead to complacency and we are called to be everything but that. So pick your ministry and use your life as ministry. Whether we stand on the street corner- though I dont see that to be very effective, or we travel to Costa Rica, which is affective for some,

or we serve on the Rice and Beans Committee, or support the youth programs, or acolyte, or make meals for TLC or Reality and Truth, or any number of ministries in this parish alone, we are not called to be complacent and comfortable. Paul is telling us to share the Good News through Christ our redeemer! So where are you right now? Are you persistently sharing the Good News? Or are you comfortable? Amen.