My friends, this Sunday and this homily bring us to this beautiful, new space, of which I believe we are all most grateful to have, to meet and pray in—one that is easily accessed, keeping in mind all our changing, physical needs. 

   As one who has always loved the liturgy well-done, and the beautiful rituals within our Catholic tradition, and realizing too, that good liturgy can be done in any setting, as we have done for the last 16 years of our existence, at the Lutheran Campus Center, I do personally, still love a space that is intentionally set aside for liturgy.

   Additionally, I am glad too that this space will bring us, “up close and personal” with another faith community and even more so than the relationship we had with the LCC—as our “many roads lead to God “ banner, behind me here affirms, we are always stronger and better when we share with others, and I think we will have many opportunities to do that here at 1^st Congregational church. 

   Some of you may recall a former pastor of this community, commonly known as 1^st Congo, Pastor Rick King, who “walked” his group of fellow Christians toward becoming “an open and affirming” church community over 20 years ago. This community under his leadership became the first such religious group in Winona to publicly do so.  All Are One became the second.  When I was chaplain at Winona Health, I had a short list of 4 places that I could send our LGBTQ+ sisters and brothers to, who were looking for an accepting community.  Of the 4, 1^st Congo was the only one, besides us who “publicly” announced their welcome—the other 3 welcomed, but didn’t publicly say so.  So friends, I would say that in being part of this larger community, we will be among “kindred” spirits. 

   With that introduction, let’s open up our Scriptures to see our path for this week.  An overall theme for this 28^th Sunday in Ordinary Time is the “hard work of love,” and of how our wise and good God will help us, “stay the course” when life grows difficult. 

   Let’s start with the 1^st reading from the Old Testament book of Wisdom.  We believe the words of this reading come from Solomon, David’s son, who served the Israelite people as their king over 900 years before Jesus came into this family line. 

   I found myself smiling when I read Solomon’s pithy comment on acquiring wealth, “all the silver in the world was worth no more than mud.”  Beyond the “earthiness” of his comment, I think looking broadly at his possible meaning, we can see the “wiseness” of it.  Over our lifetimes, we have heard the stories told through many musical pieces, of people striving for over-the-top material wealth, and in the end, realizing that they were happier when they had less. 

   Solomon goes on to say more eloquently that, “the light of day,” [which we all need, doesn’t compare to wisdom].  Through wisdom, Solomon continues, “I received all good things and had wealth beyond counting.”

   We can most probably see what Solomon is speaking of in recalling the Old Testament story where two women, each living in the same house, and each having a baby, one of whom was accidently smothered during the night. The women came before Solomon, each claiming that the live baby was theirs and wanted the king to make the decision of whom should have the baby. In his wisdom, Solomon stated, since we can’t decide, I will cut the baby in two, and you each can have half.  The true mother said, “no, give it to her,” at which time Solomon gave the baby to the mother who showed true love. 

   From this example, we can see the true value when a person acts with wisdom, and ultimately, love.  The psalmist prays to God, “with your love…we will celebrate all our days.” It would seem that the person blessed with “wisdom” is much more able to do the “hard work” that love calls for at times. 

   I believe that most of us are “good-hearted,” and when we see needs in our world, want to respond to those needs in the ways that we can.  Wisdom would teach us to balance, “our need to give” with the possible effect on the person receiving the gift—will this gift enable this person to move to a place where they can then, “help themselves,” or simply fill our need, “to give?”  These are truly, tough questions, and “the hard work of love.” 

   Moving into the 2^nd reading from Hebrews, the writer says, “the Word of God is living and active, … it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”  We have spoken in the past that taking matters “to the heart” is always better than to the mind alone, because the heart is wiser.  I believe that the “heart” of King Solomon could only utter the profound and seemingly harsh words that he did because his heart was guided by Wisdom Sophia, the feminine face of God. God-Sophia was thought of in this way, as feminine in Old Testament times, and is represented also, behind me, in the statue created by our friend, Michael Maher. It was believed by these ancient ones that Sophia, resides in our hearts.   

   Today’s gospel from Mark gives us a “piece of the truth,” concerning acquired riches and wealth in our human journey: Jesus says, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kindom of God!”  Jesus compares it to something the people were very familiar with in their time—“the Needle’s Eye gate,”  and the possibility of a “camel getting through it.” 

   The Needle’s Eye was an extremely small passage for people to get through once the large gate in the wall around the town was closed to protect those inside from invaders. Getting a camel through this small passage could only happen, if at all, by unloading the camel of all baggage it was carrying, plus a “good squeeze.”  Thus, we see Jesus’ warning to the people of losing sight of what is truly important in their lives.

   Back in 2020, a momentous year for many reasons; the onset of COVID, the murder of George Floyd at the hands of the police, and a summer of unrest and the push for justice, finally, finally among our black sisters and brothers, and a civil rights activist, John Lewis, also died.  He knew, probably better than most, what being a Christian was truly all about—“making good trouble.”

   I believe he coined what he was doing as “good trouble” because many of us humans look at others’ “doing good,” as upsetting the “status quo,” thus as “trouble” –as it makes those of us on the sidelines feel guilty, so we are wanting to say, “stop making trouble!” 

   So my friends, perhaps this next week, let’s think of how the world might be different /even better if we could see those sitting on the sidelines, basically just caring for themselves as the “troublemakers,” while those doing the “hard work of love,” balanced by “heart-wisdom” as those who are seeing, rightly, to it, that all can live in basic comfort.  Amen? Amen!