Sermon: Between Two Slices of Bread

Trinity Sunday

June 7, 2009 The Holy Gospel: St. Matthew 28:16-20

Sermon: "Between Two Slices of Bread"

The Right Rev'd Walter A. Gerth, D.D.

In the name of

"Teach them to observe all the commands I gave you." St. Matthew 28:20. Thanks to medical science and other factors, people are living longer and longer. Regrettably, it is not always the case that enlarging the quantity of life results in enhancing the quality of life. A famous author, "Anonymous," has been quoted as saying, "The problem with what we call "life" is that it is daily." And I am here to say that the responsibility we call "life" beckons us to rise above the level of mere existence...at any age. A steel worker, whom we shall call "Joe" and his buddy joined a construction crew building a high-rise office building. On their first day at lunch, they settled down on an iron girder high above the ground and opened their lunch boxes. "I can't believe it" Joe complained, "peanut butter and jelly sandwiches." On the second day, Joe complained, "I hate these peanut butter and jelly sandwiches."

On the third day, Joe did it again! "I've had it with the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches." he screamed. Whereupon, Joe's buddy said, "Look, if you hate peanut butter and jelly sandwiches that much why don't you tell your wife?" To which Joe replied, "Don't bring my wife into this. I make my own sandwiches for lunch."

Absurd as this may sound, it has a definite relevance to our lives. Metaphorically speaking, we all make our own sandwiches. Our own quality of life is determined by the ingredients we choose to put between the two slices of bread that signify the coming and going…the beginning and the end...of our lives.

In all of His preaching, in all of His Teaching, in all of His prayers to His Heavenly Father, Jesus tells us what to put between those two slices of bread. And today's Gospel text is no exception. "...and the eleven disciples set out of Galilee to the mountains where Jesus had arranged to meet them," after His resurrection. When they saw Him they fell down before Him...Jesus came up to them and spoke to them. He said to them, "...Make disciples of all nations...And teach them to observe all the commands I gave you." Mt. 28:16, 17, 19, 20. Moreover, He assured the Disciples that in their life-long efforts to carry out His commands, they would never be alone. "...know that I am with you, yes, to the end of the age."

Imagine, if you will, that "SOMEWHERE OVER THE RAINBOW" there is a beautiful place called the land of "Warm Fuzzies"...the people who live in the land of "Warm Fuzzies" are happy and healthy. Life excites them. They have no drug or alcohol problems. There is no domestic violence. No child abuse. No emotional problems. When one person has a need, the others take care of it. A close observer of the citizens in the land of "Warm Fuzzies" might say that they practice the "Golden Rule Principle" by treating others as they themselves would like to be treated. The observer might even conclude that they are living out Jesus' final instruction to His followers: "Observe all the Commands I gave you." Each person who lives in the land of "Warm Fuzzies" whether adult or child, has a well-worn sack over his shoulder. These sacks, which the people carry with them everywhere, are filled with all kinds of "warm fuzzies"...loving smiles, warm hugs, kind words, helping hands, to name a few, and wherever they go, whomever they meet, they give that person a "warm fuzzie."

On the other side of the mountain from the land of "Warm Fuzzies" lives a wicked old witch. She lives in the land of the "Cold Pricklies." There, people don't get along with one another. People stick out their tongues at each other. They keep their distance from one another. One day, so the story goes, the old witch ventures over the mountain into the land of "Warm Fuzzies." The warmth and love that she sees there enrages her with jealousy, and she comes up with a shameful scheme to change all that. She waits under a tree, and soon a young man comes along with his bag of "Warm Fuzzies" over his shoulder. Just as the young man greets her with a smile and reaches in his bag to get a "warm fuzzy" to give her, she says, "Stop! If you keep giving those "warm fuzzies" away to everyone you meet, soon you are going to run out of them. You had better hold back, and give them only on special occasions."

Deceived by the wicked witch, the young man starts spreading the rumor that if people keep giving their "warm fuzzies" away, they will soon run out. Whereupon, the happy land soon becomes a sad land. The warmth turns to coldness. The love turns to rejection and loneliness. Instead of passing out "warm fuzzies," people now give each other "cold prickles." A "cold prickle" is something like an SOS pad. It gives you a scratchy, cold feeling. A "cold prickle" is a frown, a rejection, an accusation. A "cold prickle" comes out in words such as, "Do it yourself" or "Don't bother me. I have my own troubles," or, "I'm looking out for number one." The Christian experience is built around Faith in God's abiding Presence in His Creation. It is built around accepting the Love of God...in Faith, as a gift. It is built around accepting, in Faith, that we are accepted by God. But, the New Testament makes it clear that this Faith is expressed through obedience to the Rule of God. We show our sincerity, we show the depth and the reality of our Faith through obedience. We can learn great lessons from the Biblical Stories of the men and women of God who were alert and sensitive to the signs of His Presence and followed those signs, obediently. Our problem is that after seeing the signs we hesitate to follow. We give up the journey because it is clear that we are going to have to change, or we are going to have to sacrifice something, or we're going to have to keep handing out those "warm fuzzies."

In all the expectancy of this season, in the lengthening of the days, in the blossoming and the greening, in the vacations to come, in the roaring of the sea-sides and on the still lakes, in the enrichment of old relationships and in the delights of new relationships, we can read signs of God's Presence in one life and in the world in we live...and in the obedience to God's Rule of Life. There are lonely people all around you crying out for a deeper meaning in their lives. And when you respond to them in a new way that is sensitive to their needs. They will be seeing signs of God's Presence in YOU!! You will be the sign of the Blessed Trinity: the gracious Father, in love with His Creation; The obedient Son or Daughter bringing new life into the Father's Creation; the Holy Spirit, the very breath of the Father's Love for His Creation. "Teach them to observe all the Commands I gave you...This is My Commandment; Love one another as I have Loved you" Mt. 28:20; St. John 15:12. That is the life- giving, life-enriching, life-saving ingredient we require for our spiritual nourishment, not just at lunchtime or "any old time," but at all times. The finest testament to a good Christian life is consistency between the words and actions. Therefore, keep this in mind: You are writing a Gospel:

A Chapter each day:

By deeds that YOU do;

By words that YOU say. Others read what YOU write;

Whether faithless or true;

Say! What is the Gospel According to YOU?

And now unto. . . .