ELEVENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST – 12 AUGUST 2007

ST PAUL LUTHERAN CHURCH, ABQ NM – The Rev. P. L. Holman

Genesis 15:1-6; Psalm 33:12-22; Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16; Luke 12:32-40

“It’s about time!”

You remember those familiar verses from Ecclesiastes, the ones about time: a time to rend and a time to sew, a time to laugh and a time to weep, a time for war and a time for peace. I think today as we bless students and teachers preparing for another year of school we could add another verse: there’s a time for summer vacation, and a time to return to school!

As people of the clock and calendar we know something about time. Often we claim we don’t have enough of it. We spend it, use it, waste it, or try to save it. Yet that isn’t quite true. All that we have is God’s alone, even time. We don’t have it. We live in it as fish in water – it surrounds and envelops us with what we need for life. Time is a given, a gift from God. And we are called to be faithful stewards of the time God gives us.

Jesus addresses the faithful use of time in the conversation we overhear this morning. He talks about time in terms of waiting. “Be dressed for action and have your lamps lit like those who are waiting for their master to return….”  That’s a very proactive and hopeful sort of waiting, for the servants know the master WILL return, and when he does – ah, the promise! – he will wait on them. As we overhear these words from the first century of the Christian faith we remember that their waiting had a wholly different meaning than ours today. The earliest disciples knew Christ would come again – they had his own words on it, and they believed that coming to be immanent, a matter of days. When time passed and the waiting continued, the shape of the community changed. Most likely Luke’s hearers were wealthier and more established than that first band of followers; wealth and the faithful use of it was a persistent concern of the gospel writer’s. Remaining attentive was also a real problem, for the fulfillment of God’s promise, God’s reign on earth, now seemed not days or weeks away, but decades or more. And WE have a problem paying attention for a few minutes….  Wait eagerly for the sure return, Jesus reminds us, and the time when God’s reign will be complete.

The other image of waiting Jesus offers this morning is that of vigilance: keep watch as for a thief, for a surprise visitor, the timing of whose arrival is beyond our control. Be alert.

Time belongs to God, not to us. We are given the gift and called to use it faithfully in accordance with God’s purposes. We are given life to live in this time with joyful vitality and careful vigilance. When it comes to education that approach to using God’s time means providing for our children out of a sense of justice, and preparing for their learning with a sense of joy.

The ELCA in churchwide assembly this past week approved a Social Statement on Education. The Bible is the norm and guide for faith in daily living. Social statements are guides for the Church’s faithful decision-making. They are prepared by looking at the biblical basis for addressing the topic they cover then reflecting on related concerns and needs in light of the scriptural directives and the church’s resources. This social statement addresses matters of children’s faith formation, the quality of US public schools, and support for Lutheran schools and campus ministries. The co-chair of the task force that worked on the document summed it up this way: “Lutherans are called to provide excellent education in the faith, in the home, and in the family…[We] are called to support Lutheran schools, public schools, Lutheran universities, and public universities, as major avenues of opportunities for young people and as major forums in which we can serve and achieve the common good.”

The Social Statement on Education commits the church to advocate for equitable access to excellent education for all young people, and to sustain and strengthen all education venues, from early childhood centers like Calico Butterfly Preschool through graduate schools and seminaries. Language throughout the statement calls the church to pay specific attention to the needs of American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian communities as well as students with disabilities. This statement gives us a guide for faithful decision-making from the global level right into our own homes, in matters facing the political bodies as well as matters within our own congregation. It can help keep us vigilant and centered on what is faithful as we address funding, policy and facility use concerns. It affirms the role of the family as well as the faith community in supporting education as a matter of faithful stewardship of God’s gifts. It reminds us of the call to be vigilant about our children’s education and the resources provided for it, as well as the education of our neighbor’s children and of those far less fortunate than us all. Like those fish in the water, by the grace of God we are all in this ministry of education together.

Like the call to remain vigilant, the other dimension of time Jesus addresses – that joyful anticipation piece – is equally important. I remember vividly the first day of kindergarten for each of my daughters…. and their high school graduations, and their college commencements. Each of these was an important celebration of their achievements and also an eager time of looking forward to the next learning adventure. But preparing in joy is not limited to these occasional events. It is also a daily responsibility, a matter of faithful stewardship on a daily basis. When it comes to faith, one thing we know: faith is NOT taught, it is CAUGHT. Faith can’t be learned by taking a prescribed set of classes or by using the right Cliff’s Notes. Faith is caught – others learn from our example. So while prayers for students are important, we have opportunity to help shape their learning by being personally involved with them. Each of us has a gift of time to share as leaders of Worship Adventures or team teachers in Sunday school. We teach by example when we invite a youth to join us as a greeter or usher on Sunday morning, or on a “Friends Feeding Friends” meal team providing food the first Thursday of the month at Project Share. Get the idea? Add to the list. When it comes to using God’s time well, whether we’re the parents or faith partners on the journey, our actions matter to those who are watching us.

The writer of Hebrews reminds us this morning that “faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Faith is the water that buoys us all and supports our living. It is not OUR faith in Jesus that saves us. Rather, it is the faith OF Jesus who first died for us, which embraces the living of all our days and leads us from life to Life. In the hymn we are about to sing we will use new words set to a familiar old tune. These words, like the experiences of lived faith itself, offer us insights into the God who brought us here, and the One who will lead us home. We sing of faith born of God, lived out by fathers and mothers, by sisters and brothers in Christ we’ve seen and heard about who’ve gone before us. It is this same faith from ages past that shapes how we use God’s time now for the sake of all who are watching us.

Be vigilant. Be joyful. It’s about time! Let’s sing.