Preparing For Our Homecoming
Sermon
Sermons On The First Readings
Series I, Cycle B
The idea of going home is experienced by various people in different ways, depending on circumstances, time, past history, and many other important factors. When we are young, the experience of returning home is generally very pleasant, not troublesome, and most often an opportunity which we all welcome. If we were away from our home visiting grandparents or a friend, or even the day-to-day return home from school, it was nice to know that we had returned. Home was a place of safety; it was the location of all our possessions. We were glad to return home and re-enter our zone of comfortableness. Even when we got a little older, the idea of coming home was for most of us a pleasant experience. The first time we went back to our high school after graduation, especially our first homecoming football game and dance, was a great event. We had the opportunity to share with all of our friends our recent experiences and exploits and to hear what was going on with them. In a similar way we may have had great joy in returning to a former place of employment, seeing all of our former associates, and sharing with them what has happened since the time we departed. In all these cases the need for preparation was minimal and the intensity of emotions was subdued. While some consternation might be present out of fear that we might encounter a person from the past with whom we had trouble, generally our fears were few. We went home with joy; our homecoming was an event of great delight.
When we become older, homecomings become more complicated. If we are returning home to the place of our birth or the setting in which we were raised, there is much preparation that is necessary. First, we have to find the time to leave our present routine in order to travel and physically go to another location. There is a need to calculate the cost of this event, not only monetarily, but more importantly emotionally. If it has been a long time since we have returned home, there may be some wounds, hurts, misunderstandings, and general pain from the past that must be negotiated in order to make the trip. Some people might be able simply to pick up the phone and say, "I am coming for a visit," and the rest of their preparation simply falls into place, but most people, I believe, must make rather extensive preparations for a return home, whether that is to our family, past work colleagues, the homecoming event at high school or college alma maters, or the revisiting of a past situation that must be resolved. In the latter cases, there is much that must be done, for time, distance, environment, and extenuating circumstances generally complicate our plans. We are uncertain what we will find and how people will react to us. These concerns raise fears and often keep us from actually following through with our plans. There is an absolute need for most people to plan their homecomings in life properly.
The Hebrew people were very familiar with homecomings; they experienced significant ones over the course of their history. The first major homecoming was led by the great deliverer Moses who brought the Hebrews back to their original "promised" land after 430 years in Egypt. While Moses had petitioned Pharaoh on numerous occasions to let the Hebrew people go, he had always been frustrated in his efforts. Thus, after the last plague and the death of all the firstborn in Egypt, Moses was not ready for the journey back to Israel. The Israelite community was forced to leave Egypt immediately with even the bread they brought not having sufficient time to rise. Lack of preparation and disfavor with God led the people to wander in the desert for forty years on their return home. Even when they arrived they had to fight for every inch of ground that would be their home.
Many centuries later the Hebrews again were in a situation of a homecoming. Transgressions of the covenant led God to exile the people to Babylon. There for fifty years the people had the opportunity to plan their return home. Prophets such as Isaiah, Ezekiel, and Baruch proclaimed God's message to the people, telling them that they had not been abandoned and that one day they would be led home. When that special day arrived, the people were better prepared than their ancestors and were able to reestablish their community, rebuild the Temple, and regain some of their status among the peoples of the Near East.
The Hebrew people also experienced many minor homecomings that came from the challenges presented by the prophets sent to them by God. The Hebrew Scriptures are filled with episodes of how God's people rejected the Law and the covenant with disastrous consequences for the people. The punishment for these failures may have been defeat in battle by a rival army, such as the Philistines, or the sending of some natural disaster, such as a plague or drought. In each case, the prophet invited the people to return home to God, to accept the Lord's commandments and love. The invitation was to renew the people's relationship with God, both individually and communally.
The prophet Joel, read in today's lesson, proclaimed God's message to the Hebrews in Judah in the fourth century B.C.E., after the infamous Babylonian exile. He describes a terrible plague of locusts that has come to Israel in punishment for their transgressions. The plague is an eschatological sign that the people need to return to God; it is a heaven-sent warning that God is displeased with the people. Yahweh wishes the Hebrews to hold a holy fear of his power and presence in the world. Thus, the prophet in today's reading is pleading that the people must return to God; they must begin the process of homecoming anew. First, the prophet calls the people to repentance (vv. 12-14) and then speaks of the need for lamentation (vv. 15-19). Joel calls the people to more than a cultic or external return; the cosmetic approach will not be sufficient. The prophet expects the people to change their personal conduct. Joel is confident that God will hear the prayer of the people because God is "slow to anger," "rich in kindness," and "relenting in punishment," but the people must pray. They cannot expect God to act on their behalf without some outward sign that they are changed. In other words, the prophet is suggesting that the people must prepare themselves spiritually for their homecoming with God.
The season of Lent is a special period of the liturgical year when the Christian people have the opportunity to prepare themselves for a special homecoming, their return to a closer relationship with the Lord. The traditional forty days of Lent prepare us for the most important events in the history of Christendom, the paschal mystery -- the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus. It is a time to be reconciled with ourselves, others, and God.
Like all homecomings, the great events of Holy Week necessitate preparation on our part. The Church has traditionally focused on three special actions -- fasting, prayer, and almsgiving. We can prepare ourselves for the renewal of our relationship with God by making the conscious decision to eat less and to avoid certain things that we might especially like. One might also consider abstaining from some habitual pleasure that is harmful to us, such as drinking or smoking, during this holy season of homecoming preparation. We can also prepare by greater devotion to prayer. This may manifest itself through a daily reading and reflection upon the scriptures, periodic visits to our local parish church, gathering with family and friends and sharing prayer, or an extension or new innovation in our daily personal prayer. Lent is also a time when our thoughts may turn to those less privileged than ourselves. The season provides the opportunity to move beyond what we normally do and reach out in a special way to those who may need us. This can manifest itself in visits to those who are sick, at home, in hospitals, or in nursing homes, volunteering time at a soup kitchen or other social service agency that provides direct service to the poor, or donating our time and/or expertise to assist an individual or a group. We should make every effort to share not simply from our excess, but rather from our own needs. In this way, we are truly in solidarity with those whom we wish to assist. Our sacrifice makes our preparation more meaningful, personal, and challenging.
In our society, people are constantly in a state of preparation. In our youth we prepare through education to enter the adult life and the working community. As adults we are constantly preparing, whether it is for a change of jobs, geographic location, or state in life. Many of the places we wish to go, especially the many homecomings of our life, necessitate that we make the time to prepare adequately. If we enter upon some endeavor or project without the proper preparation, the results will not be what we expect. We may not fail completely, but we will be dissatisfied with ourselves and our efforts. Thus, we must do what is necessary to assure that we are prepared so that the results we seek will be a reality.
Lent asks a lot of the Christian people, but if we seek to follow in the footsteps of the crucified we cannot expect our burden to be any lighter than that which Christ carried. We cannot arrive at the Resurrection, the great celebration of Jesus' triumph over the grave, without first passing through the Good Friday experience. The message of the prophets in the Hebrew Scriptures, the need to get straight with God and return to the Lord, was not an easy one for the people to digest. The challenges of God are often not easy. We must, however, see the great merit in seeking the road less traveled, the path that Jesus walked and in the process brought the possibility of eternal life to all who believe. The famous British essayist and novelist, Gilbert Keith (G.K.) Chesterton, expressed the Christian challenge so aptly: "The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting. It has been found difficult, and left untried." The cross was an instrument of torture and pain, but it was the vehicle by which salvation came to the world. Thus, the Christian people must not run or hide from the cross, but rather it must, in a paradoxical way, be embraced. We remember Jesus' challenge in the Gospels, "If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it" (Matthew 16:24-25). Jesus did not walk to Calvary in handcuffs and leg irons; he went voluntarily. If we are to follow him, then we must be willing participants in his life, passion, and death.
Ash Wednesday is the beginning of a special journey that assists us in obtaining a more complete and closer relationship with God; it is the period of preparation for our annual homecoming. Like all homecomings, our journey to Holy Week requires concerted and active preparation; we simply will never arrive at our destination with the proper attitude and vigor if we do little or nothing to prepare ourselves for the great events we anticipate. The prophet Joel proclaimed a clear and challenging message to the Hebrews of their need to get right with God in order to remove the Lord's wrath as manifest through a plague of locusts. We must hear a similar challenge in our need to prepare for the paschal mystery. Let us be inspired by the prophet who alerted the people to their need to prepare and do similarly for the great events of our faith. Along the road we will draw closer to God and be that much better prepared for our ultimate goal and God's great gift to us -- eternal life.
When we become older, homecomings become more complicated. If we are returning home to the place of our birth or the setting in which we were raised, there is much preparation that is necessary. First, we have to find the time to leave our present routine in order to travel and physically go to another location. There is a need to calculate the cost of this event, not only monetarily, but more importantly emotionally. If it has been a long time since we have returned home, there may be some wounds, hurts, misunderstandings, and general pain from the past that must be negotiated in order to make the trip. Some people might be able simply to pick up the phone and say, "I am coming for a visit," and the rest of their preparation simply falls into place, but most people, I believe, must make rather extensive preparations for a return home, whether that is to our family, past work colleagues, the homecoming event at high school or college alma maters, or the revisiting of a past situation that must be resolved. In the latter cases, there is much that must be done, for time, distance, environment, and extenuating circumstances generally complicate our plans. We are uncertain what we will find and how people will react to us. These concerns raise fears and often keep us from actually following through with our plans. There is an absolute need for most people to plan their homecomings in life properly.
The Hebrew people were very familiar with homecomings; they experienced significant ones over the course of their history. The first major homecoming was led by the great deliverer Moses who brought the Hebrews back to their original "promised" land after 430 years in Egypt. While Moses had petitioned Pharaoh on numerous occasions to let the Hebrew people go, he had always been frustrated in his efforts. Thus, after the last plague and the death of all the firstborn in Egypt, Moses was not ready for the journey back to Israel. The Israelite community was forced to leave Egypt immediately with even the bread they brought not having sufficient time to rise. Lack of preparation and disfavor with God led the people to wander in the desert for forty years on their return home. Even when they arrived they had to fight for every inch of ground that would be their home.
Many centuries later the Hebrews again were in a situation of a homecoming. Transgressions of the covenant led God to exile the people to Babylon. There for fifty years the people had the opportunity to plan their return home. Prophets such as Isaiah, Ezekiel, and Baruch proclaimed God's message to the people, telling them that they had not been abandoned and that one day they would be led home. When that special day arrived, the people were better prepared than their ancestors and were able to reestablish their community, rebuild the Temple, and regain some of their status among the peoples of the Near East.
The Hebrew people also experienced many minor homecomings that came from the challenges presented by the prophets sent to them by God. The Hebrew Scriptures are filled with episodes of how God's people rejected the Law and the covenant with disastrous consequences for the people. The punishment for these failures may have been defeat in battle by a rival army, such as the Philistines, or the sending of some natural disaster, such as a plague or drought. In each case, the prophet invited the people to return home to God, to accept the Lord's commandments and love. The invitation was to renew the people's relationship with God, both individually and communally.
The prophet Joel, read in today's lesson, proclaimed God's message to the Hebrews in Judah in the fourth century B.C.E., after the infamous Babylonian exile. He describes a terrible plague of locusts that has come to Israel in punishment for their transgressions. The plague is an eschatological sign that the people need to return to God; it is a heaven-sent warning that God is displeased with the people. Yahweh wishes the Hebrews to hold a holy fear of his power and presence in the world. Thus, the prophet in today's reading is pleading that the people must return to God; they must begin the process of homecoming anew. First, the prophet calls the people to repentance (vv. 12-14) and then speaks of the need for lamentation (vv. 15-19). Joel calls the people to more than a cultic or external return; the cosmetic approach will not be sufficient. The prophet expects the people to change their personal conduct. Joel is confident that God will hear the prayer of the people because God is "slow to anger," "rich in kindness," and "relenting in punishment," but the people must pray. They cannot expect God to act on their behalf without some outward sign that they are changed. In other words, the prophet is suggesting that the people must prepare themselves spiritually for their homecoming with God.
The season of Lent is a special period of the liturgical year when the Christian people have the opportunity to prepare themselves for a special homecoming, their return to a closer relationship with the Lord. The traditional forty days of Lent prepare us for the most important events in the history of Christendom, the paschal mystery -- the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus. It is a time to be reconciled with ourselves, others, and God.
Like all homecomings, the great events of Holy Week necessitate preparation on our part. The Church has traditionally focused on three special actions -- fasting, prayer, and almsgiving. We can prepare ourselves for the renewal of our relationship with God by making the conscious decision to eat less and to avoid certain things that we might especially like. One might also consider abstaining from some habitual pleasure that is harmful to us, such as drinking or smoking, during this holy season of homecoming preparation. We can also prepare by greater devotion to prayer. This may manifest itself through a daily reading and reflection upon the scriptures, periodic visits to our local parish church, gathering with family and friends and sharing prayer, or an extension or new innovation in our daily personal prayer. Lent is also a time when our thoughts may turn to those less privileged than ourselves. The season provides the opportunity to move beyond what we normally do and reach out in a special way to those who may need us. This can manifest itself in visits to those who are sick, at home, in hospitals, or in nursing homes, volunteering time at a soup kitchen or other social service agency that provides direct service to the poor, or donating our time and/or expertise to assist an individual or a group. We should make every effort to share not simply from our excess, but rather from our own needs. In this way, we are truly in solidarity with those whom we wish to assist. Our sacrifice makes our preparation more meaningful, personal, and challenging.
In our society, people are constantly in a state of preparation. In our youth we prepare through education to enter the adult life and the working community. As adults we are constantly preparing, whether it is for a change of jobs, geographic location, or state in life. Many of the places we wish to go, especially the many homecomings of our life, necessitate that we make the time to prepare adequately. If we enter upon some endeavor or project without the proper preparation, the results will not be what we expect. We may not fail completely, but we will be dissatisfied with ourselves and our efforts. Thus, we must do what is necessary to assure that we are prepared so that the results we seek will be a reality.
Lent asks a lot of the Christian people, but if we seek to follow in the footsteps of the crucified we cannot expect our burden to be any lighter than that which Christ carried. We cannot arrive at the Resurrection, the great celebration of Jesus' triumph over the grave, without first passing through the Good Friday experience. The message of the prophets in the Hebrew Scriptures, the need to get straight with God and return to the Lord, was not an easy one for the people to digest. The challenges of God are often not easy. We must, however, see the great merit in seeking the road less traveled, the path that Jesus walked and in the process brought the possibility of eternal life to all who believe. The famous British essayist and novelist, Gilbert Keith (G.K.) Chesterton, expressed the Christian challenge so aptly: "The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting. It has been found difficult, and left untried." The cross was an instrument of torture and pain, but it was the vehicle by which salvation came to the world. Thus, the Christian people must not run or hide from the cross, but rather it must, in a paradoxical way, be embraced. We remember Jesus' challenge in the Gospels, "If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it" (Matthew 16:24-25). Jesus did not walk to Calvary in handcuffs and leg irons; he went voluntarily. If we are to follow him, then we must be willing participants in his life, passion, and death.
Ash Wednesday is the beginning of a special journey that assists us in obtaining a more complete and closer relationship with God; it is the period of preparation for our annual homecoming. Like all homecomings, our journey to Holy Week requires concerted and active preparation; we simply will never arrive at our destination with the proper attitude and vigor if we do little or nothing to prepare ourselves for the great events we anticipate. The prophet Joel proclaimed a clear and challenging message to the Hebrews of their need to get right with God in order to remove the Lord's wrath as manifest through a plague of locusts. We must hear a similar challenge in our need to prepare for the paschal mystery. Let us be inspired by the prophet who alerted the people to their need to prepare and do similarly for the great events of our faith. Along the road we will draw closer to God and be that much better prepared for our ultimate goal and God's great gift to us -- eternal life.
