Sunday Parish Edition - A Dead Spot? – Not Enough Bandwidth? - Constant Contact! (Note to a reader of this sermon, read over Luke 18:9-14 and Matthew 13:54 – 58 first. Then remember that this sermon is written to be heard at worship among others, not read in private, so read it aloud and ‘listen’.) Thanks and Blessings, Rev. Wm. Exner+

Yesterday, Saturday October 23rd was the Church’s day to commemorate the Apostle James in the faith year. And the funny thing about the gospel reading for St. James Day is that it makes no mention of St. James. James was not an ‘in the spot light’ follower of Jesus. He was just the guy who was always around- quiet, consistent, always around. So instead of a reading about St. James on St. James Day the people of the church are asked to read the gospel account of the time when Jesus finally came home – returned to his own home town, to his own family and neighbors and familiar surroundings to encourage them to renew their relationship with God – to awaken inside to faith and joy and service- to live the Good News.

BUT when you hear or read or inwardly digest those four verses from the 13th chapter of St. Matthew’s gospel, the short story of Jesus’ visit to the place he had been raised, WELL, you just can’t help but come away saying to yourself, “So much for the hometown hero.” Christianity does DO the hometown hero thing.

+ The last words of the reading report, ‘And He did not do many deeds of power there.” What happened there? Well what is happening all across the nation + globe lately? Apparently every local and national election is NOT about how we can elevate the human condition as a people and nation BUT IS INSTEAD about lowering taxes and withdrawing health care and equal rights for gay people, and cutting out the minimum wage (not the living wage mind you, the minimum wage) for workers, and promoting nuclear options, and so called “clean coal” and reducing essential human services - Did I mention assuring LOW TAXES FOR THE WEALTHIEST 1% who now pay the lowest rate since 1958 and still complain they do not have enough?… Oh but I rant….

+So I might as well rant a little more… What’s happening here when now, JUST LIKE IN JESUS’ DAY, God is advocating for social justice directly to each of us all the time and yet ideas to continue the war spending at $2.8 billion dollars a week ( I presided at a painful town wide service of our first local New Hampshire boy killed in Afghanistan last month-what a price.) and the strong pushes for increasing the use of the Death Penalty in our state (which hasn’t executed anyone since 1939 –We’re conservative in the best sense of the term and we don’t have the stomach for executions ) at $30 million per capital murder case or 100 years worth of maximum security prison – SUCH EXPEDITURES seem to be no major problem for the education slashing, labor mashing, civility smashing, progressive bashing VOICES ( McConnells, Palens and Boehners, Ayotte, to name a few) who would just love to have us all drinking from their tea cups? Somebody said recently, isn’t it wild how so many ascribe to the unshakeable and equal worth every almighty dollar so much more than the equal value of all God’s children? I’ll drink from the cup of the compassionate Christ thank you. That other stuff is not my cup of tea.

So… what happened on Jesus’ trip home? Was it like my cell phone just north of here in Dunbarton New Hampshire –which I refer to as the cone of silence- where if I’m calling home late for dinner again I’m in trouble because reception simply does not seem to happen? Or did Jesus just not have the bandwidth, the pull – the influence in his home town that he had in so many other places- in every other place- including over the powers of death and hell itself? (Do you know the Austin Lounge Lizards song entitled, “That God forsaken Hell hole I call home… where all my friends are buried there and some of them are dead.” ? I mean are the places close to us – our hometowns, our families, a portion of our hearts , our communities, our nation not hearing the astounding teaching that peacemaking and compassion and active faithful nonviolent advocacy for the marginalized and the voiceless and the weak are blessed ways of living life? That such forms of witness reflect the very the spirit of Christ and constitute the beloved community on earth as it is in Heaven?

Now I need to be careful when I rant. Not careful as in “better not step on anyone’s toes or ruffle feathers”, because no matter what you say about anything it will not please all; But care - full in the sense that I’m also aware of the Biblical teachings for this Sunday morning, TODAY, the day after St. James Day, wherein there was a certain Pharisee standing rather self righteously up front where he would be seen and he was praying

Aloud, “Oh Dear God thank you for not making me like so and so and so and so… IN this case like those low life thieves, adulterers, rogues and that tax collector over there cowering in the shadows. . YES, LORD THANK YOU FOR MAKING ME RIGHT AND RIGHTEOUS.” I need to be careful when I rant in God’s name. In fact no matter what your stance or position on issues of your time you need to be careful. Because hey, I’m as complicit in this fearful, selfish culture of conflict + finger pointing as anyone else. And I am as in need of God’s help to create in me a cleaner heart with the strength + COURAGE to help turn things around in our time AS EVERYBODY ELSE IS – AS YOU ARE. So we all do well to take a humble stance, especially when gathered before God’s table – remembering the tax collector (who in the 1st century had to work for the occupying Roman army –St. Matthew was one before he connected with God and turned things around) WE NEED TO REMEMBER THAT TAX COLLECTOR in the temple shadows quietly begging God’s patience and help – recalling also St. Paul’s assertion that if God can work wonders even in him, the last guy on earth worthy of transformation, there’s plenty of hope for us all.

But again, what HAPPENED THAT DAY WHEN EVEN THE WRITER OF MATTHEW REPORTS that Jesus was not able to break through the ‘CONE OF SILENCE’?

Well I tell you something. The feast of St. James did indeed happen this weekend. And though the Christian scriptures are fuzzy as my cell phone signal just 8 miles north of here when speaking about James as apostle, or as Jesus’ brother or cousin, as a son of Thunder, as the Just, or the Lesser – what IS clear about the New Testament James is that he was always around when Jesus was offering fresh teachings and reaching out with acts of compassion and witnessing as active, faithful holy SACRIFICIAL LOVE in the flesh.

And though no one walked across the neighborhood swimming pool the day of Jesus’ homecoming, so that apparently no one, not even the chronicler, took note of the real Presence of God in their midst – something did happen. God happens even when we are too blind or preoccupied to notice. Somebody new began to get it – somebody there was moved inwardly – like you were once – WHERE WAS IT? WHO MOVED YOU? /FUELED THE GOSPEL IN YOU? /WHAT SPARKED THE ORIGINAL BLESSING WITHIN YOU AND INSPIRED YOU ONCE AND WILL AGAIN? The day Jesus showed no supernatural signs (and why in the world do we even need them?) things were stirring anyway – stirring God’s way. In fact one legend says James eventually powered up in his own right even after seeing the low and slow days among his own. Even after the crucifixion of his Lord.

And we’re told he was ahead of his time, he was a vegetarian. And we’re told James prayed real hard for his people out of love and concern instead of judging them out of self righteousness. One great ancient source says, ‘His knees were calloused as the camels knees’ he prayed so hard and long for his people every day. James first prayed about it and then he acted on his prayer.

Yes though progress seemed slow and grace stalled, the reconciling grace of God in Christ moved on and continues to do so. TS Elliot was right I think when he described hell as the place where nothing connects.

I say that we, like James, like the humble and penitent man in the shadows, like our Savior, are precisely in that place where everything gets a chance to connect – we are where the lines are open when we show up where Christ is and stand humbly with a stance of faith.

This is what life with God is all about. And we are the most fortunate people on earth for the role we can play, in the name and example of Jesus Christ, the prophet who was not without honor except in his own hometown.

+For even when you or those around do not see God happening, it’s on (as the airline commercial says) – oh yes it is on. And somebody out there is catching on because you, like your Lord, like James, like Dorothy Day, like RPM Bowden, like Emmitt Jarrett – like whoever has touched you with love and compassion and fortitude gave it shot- gives it a go place to place and day by day in their time. So what’s happening these days? Everything, everything – We’re connected to grace …Not because our new fangled phones have 3 or 4 G’s … but because the One Big G, God is in constant contact –now and always in ways seen and unseen. dav Amen.