Sunday Worship, 12 September 2010

I loved worship at St. John's the Divine in Southwest Harbor, Maine on Sunday, 12 September 2010. The Rev. Dr. Cynthia Bourgeault was the Celebrant, and her sermon was amazing. The scriptures from which she spoke were Jeremiah 4:11-12, 22-28; Psalm 14, 1 Timothy 1:12-17, and Luke 15:1-10. She also included the parable of the prodigal son, which follows the parable of the lost sheep and the lost coin in Luke.

She reminded us that being lost is not the end of the world, for we will be found by God. She talked about the great celebrations in the parables over finding that which was lost, and recalled to us how we, too, after finding something for which we have been searching tend to feel joyous and share our news with someone who is near, how our relationship with that we have found seems more intense than our relationship with all the things for which we have not been searching. She shared that she believes that this joy is what is reflected in Luke 15:7 - that there is more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over 99 righteous persons who have no need to repent. She said this was not so much permission to run amuck and repent as an expression of the special joy we have when something lost is found. She talked of the older son in the parable of the prodigal son and the unfairness he found in the joy of his father with the return of his youngest son. She said when we start to think in terms of fairness, we need to stop: we need to consider why we are feeling that way. She cautioned that hardness of heart is a fatal condition. Jesus is not a teacher of morality but a transformer of consciousness. Jesus wants us to stop and see the world he sees. If we can see it, we can live in this world without distorting it. Jesus is the fulfillment of Ezekiel 36:26: (New International Version (©1984)) "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh." She called Christ the Spiritual Cardiologist - an image I love!! With a heart of flesh, we can authentically connect to the world, and to each other. Love is whole, love is seamless and yields joy and fullness. And love is a choice. Exchange of mercy makes manifest the mercy of God.

I so love the idea of Jesus as a Spiritual Cardiologist. To help us forgive ourselves, to help us love ourselves, so that we can live with others. Simply amazing.

The words about this lesson are my interpretation of what was said. The actual words said and ideas presented belong to Rev. Bourgealt and were delivered in a manner that was more interesting and likely clearer than what I have shared here.