Deacon Greg 6-26-22

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Let's Look Back a Few Weeks...
  • Easter has given us new life and a reassurance of the hope that comes with our Lord who lives and reigns forever and ever!
  • From his seat at the right hand of the Father, Jesus promised and has sent us the gifts of the Holy Spirit, so we have what it takes to be his disciples, as we are blessed by the God who loves us, and by the Son who guides us, and by the Spirit who empowers us to do the work and the will of the Lord!
  • In our gathering here at this table, day after day and week after week, we are sustained by the very body and blood of Christ that nourishes us!
  • And finally, with the recent Court decision reversing Roe v. Wade, it is with a humble and most gracious heart, after decades of prayer, that we come to this point in our lives!
Can you see where we’ve come? Can you see how Easter, Pentecost, the Ascension, and the Feasts of the Holy Trinity and Corpus Christi, and the movement of our society back towards respecting the lives of the unborn have prepared us for this moment?

LET FREEDOM RING!

(As Paul said to the Galatians) “Brothers and sisters: For freedom Christ set us free; so stand firm and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery. For you were called for freedom, brothers and sisters. But do not use this freedom as an opportunity for the flesh; rather, serve one another through love.”
  • Christ set us free to be FREE… But how free are we? There has certainly been much debate this week on this principal of freedom, and while opinions are plentiful, today’s Word is challenging us to never again submit to sin, the “yoke of slavery” that St. Paul preached about.
  • But as the adage goes, with great freedom comes great responsibility, so today St. Paul also encourages us bring purpose and intentionality to our freedom. While we want to be able to do what we want, when we want… Our call is to serve, and to freely commit to a life of service to the Lord by serving others.
Are you ready for another round of discipleship? If so, then today’s Gospel Acclamation is our response: Speak, Lord, your servant is listening; you have the words of everlasting life.

THE LORD IS ASKING: FOLLOW ME!

RESPONSE #1… (1 Kings) “Please, let me kiss my father and mother goodbye, and I will follow you.” Elijah answered, “Go back! Have I done anything to you?”
  • The Body of Christ is your family now, and part of that body are those that love us and those who seem to be alienated by us. Dare I say it’s easier to be with and stay with the ones that we love, but the not so subtle call today is to “leave father and mother” and freely seek out opportunities to serve the needy, meeting them where they are first, and loving them!
RESPONSE #2… (Luke) “Lord, let me go first and bury my father.” But he answered him, “Let the dead bury their dead. But you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”
  • Do not dwell on death… Look to life eternal! In meeting those we serve, help them LIVE… Help them LIVE LIFE TO THE FULLEST… HELP THEM KNOW THAT GOD’S LOVE IS FOR THEM AND FOREVER!
RESPONSE # 3… (Luke) “First let me say farewell to my family at home.” To him Jesus said, “No one who sets a hand to the plow and looks to what was left behind is fit for the kingdom of God.”

Don’t look back… Keep looking ahead… Moving forward!
  • Yes, this means to forgive and forget. 
  • Yes, this means to “let go, and let God!” 
  • Yes, this means to trust that God’s plan is the best plan for us! So…
IN GOD THAT WE TRUST!
(Psalm 16) “You [O Lord] will show me the path to life…”
  • Celebrate and let FREEDOM Ring!
  • Answer the CALL!
  • TRUST IN LORD!

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