Two summers ago, when we were on the Island of Iona, I remember going in to worship in that ancient abbey. It definitely felt like a thin place. It was originally built somewhere around the year 1200 I could feel within the walls a thousand years of prayers. I thought about the monks, Vikings, and pilgrims who had walked that sacred ground. 

There was one particular Saturday morning when we went in to worship, the wind was howling and rain was just coming down in sheets. Lighting was cracking. We came in out of the wet cold and sat down. In the moment of silence before worship, you could hear the wind and rain lashing the building outside. And Robbie leaned over and said, if feels like we are quite literally taking sanctuary here.

Psalm 100 is an invitation to find sanctuary: 

Make a joyful noise to the Lord all the earth… Come into God’s presence with singing. Enter God’s courts with praise…

Many scholars believe this psalm was sung as part of a processional leading into the temple in Jerusalem. You can almost sense the underlying joy and exuberance. Of course in those days, people would often travel far to get to the temple. And if you were fortunate enough to be able to make that journey, and enter this holy space, I imagine this song would resonate.

I think about the people of Israel. In those days they were largely an agricultural people and so their lives were at the mercy of the elements…So often they faced famine and drought. And just by means of where they are geographically, they were often at war.

I think about them then in their act of worship. Here was a community banding together to share their common need and to try to deal with what they could not control or even imagine; banding together to stare death and suffering in the eyes – and yet to claim that this suffering does not get to have the last word.

Come into God’s presence with singing…

May you and I continue to find sanctuary as we offer our entire being in worship to the living God. Whether that is in person or across technology, may we come to see it as the gift that it is. And, in our offering, may God’s healing grace wash over us anew. 

Let us pray: We praise you for the gift of life and love, O God. We turn our hearts now to take sanctuary in you. Take our hearts… take our guilt, our shame, our worries, our anxiety, our joy, our praise, our lives… And fill us with healing, meaning, hope… with mana, with the Bread of Life; through Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Several months ago, our church celebrated our Scottish roots with a ceremony called “Kirking of the Tartans.” We were reminded that when Scotland lost its freedom to England in the 1700s, they experienced great loss – even a sense of oppression. They were forbidden to speak Gallic, or to play the pipes or even to wear the colors that symbolized their family heritage. For the people of that nation, this was a dark and difficult time.

At the same time, amazing things happened in Scotland during this historic period. In his book, How the Scots Invented the Modern World, Arthur Herman makes the case that in part, because the Scots no longer had to worry about defending their borders, they were able to put more time and resources into developing their education – especially the University system. Out of these schools came the men and women who were most influential in developing many of our modern inventions, and in the Enlightenment. Many of these men and women went on to influence – directly or indirectly – the birth of our democratic nation.

All of this just reminds me that even in the darkest moments of life, God is present. And though it is often impossible to see it in the moment, there is potential for great good and beauty and truth to emerge.  

Let us pray: When darkness and uncertainty surround us, it is tempting to give up, to grow bitter or cynical. Give us eyes to see beyond the darkness. Give us faith to trust that you are at work and that your love will ultimately prevail. Grant us courage and strength to look for the good and to move forward in faith. We ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Today, I am deeply grateful for those of you who have supported the Dial Hope Foundation with a financial donation. So many people benefit from your giving!

Many years ago, I heard a part of Billy Graham’s 1998 TED talk. TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, and Design, and it refers to conferences that host inspiring speakers in these fields from all over the world. In any case, Billy Graham spoke about questions he often received from University students – questions about life and death and morality and faith. He related that one student asked him, “What has been your biggest surprise in life?” He answered, “My biggest surprise in life: is its brevity.”

It is true that when we’re young we seem immortal and invincible. It feels as though life will continue on indefinitely. But as we mature and age, we quickly realize how fleeting it is. The Psalmist reminds us that our days are like a breath (Psalm 39 and 144).

When we remember that we are here for only a short time, it raises both the questions of eternity and of what we are leaving behind. Have we made contributions toward making this world a better place? Will the people around us know our love for them? Have we accepted God’s grace and love for us? And is that making a difference in how we live?

Psalm 90 prays: Teach us to count our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.

My friend Roger Kunkel used to say, “Today is an unrepeatable miracle.” There will never be another one like it! “Let’s make it a masterpiece.”

Let us pray: Loving and Gracious God, we thank you for the gift of life and for your unconditional love for us. Help us to accept both gifts and then live in light of both. Amen.

Many years ago now, there was an article front page of the Florida Times Union, about a woman Barbara Gilbert. At that time she was a single mom, a part-time college student, and a waitress. She was working two part-time jobs just to pay rent. 

Somehow, Barbara came to hear about folks in Jamaica who have almost nothing, people who were living in shacks. She also learned that for about $2,000 you could build a pretty decent 12’ by 12’ home down there. And for another $500, you could furnish it. So she decided she was going to do it. Her kids, of course, thought their mom was crazy. They told her, “You’re poor yourself.” But she did it. She saved $200 a month until she had the money. She then gave somebody else, somebody she had never even met, the gift of a home. 

Her story is inspiring! 

So often I get caught up in my own problems and issues that I can’t even begin to think about others who have so much less. I so often forget that in moving beyond myself, and in reaching out to help others, there is great joy, healing, and redemption. I believe that’s what Jesus meant when he said, “Those who want to find their lives must lose them.”

Let us pray: God of mercy, we don’t have to look far to see a tremendous need in the world around us. And, we don’t have to look far to see how much we have to give. You have blessed us richly. We thank you for Barbara and others who inspire us by their actions. May their deep joy in giving bring you glory and praise. And may their examples stir our souls and move us to serve. Amen.

“God so loved the world that he gave…” begins the most familiar statement in Scripture. Giving is how love expresses itself. Giving is to love what eating is to hunger. The test of love is that it gives even when there is no expectation of a return. Ann Lamott wrote of an eight-year-old boy who had a younger sister dying of leukemia. He was told that without a blood transfusion she would die. His parents asked if they could test his blood to see if it was compatible with his sister. He said sure. They tested, and it was a match. 

Then they asked if he would give his sister a pint of his own blood, that it could be her only chance of living. He said he would have to think about it overnight. The next day he told his parents he was willing to donate the blood. They took him to the hospital; he was put on a gurney beside his six-year-old sister. Both were hooked up to IVs. A nurse took a pint of blood from the boy, which was given to his sister. The boy lay in silence as the blood that would save his sister dripped from the IV until the doctor came over to see how he was doing. Then the boy opened his eyes and asked, “How soon until I start to die?” Love is never so fully love as when it gives — even when there is no expectation of a return. 

Let us pray: Loving How Great Thou Art! Your love to us in Jesus Christ is beyond our wildest imagination. Thank you for the rainbow covenant of your unconditional love and for walking with us each step of life’s way. Now hear our myopia, our hesitation, our pride that we may learn to love with no expectation of return… like the little boy who thought he was going to die when he gave a pint of blood to his sister. May the gentle breath of your spirit renew every part of our being that we may become more like Jesus, in whose spirit we pray. Amen.