Sometimes Church is About HERE, NOW & US; Sermon on 2 Corinthians 2:5-10

Rev. George Miller
June 14, 2020
2 Corinthians 2:5-10

Friends- there have been a lot of events in our world: George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, the Pulse Anniversary.

Recent lynching in California. Jaywalking youth roughhoused in Oklahoma. Georgia man shot in the back for falling asleep at Wendy’s.

Corona. Recession. Election.

Now the government has taken away health insurance for members of the LGBTQ community.

Am I next? Is Cornelius? Are you?

We can’t even escape the world’s heaviness with today’s scripture-

Paul’s painful letter about dissent and disappointment in the church.

As if the weight of today’s world is not enough, now we have to hear about a person 2,000 years ago who hurt his Christian Sisters and Brothers.

Instead of enabling him or making excuses for him, they held this man accountable. They gave him a justifiable consequence.

Now, Paul writes to say “It is enough. Time to move on; time to forgive.”

But how do we move on and forgive when someone’s actions have already caused great hurt, perhaps even great harm?

How do we forgive if similar actions by the same person or a similar group of people repeat the same behavior again and again and again, such as in places like Tulsa and Atlanta?

It is too much. Too, too much.

Today, I think we need to take a break.

Today, we need to take a brief break because none of this, any of this, is going to be solved overnight, in a week, even in a year.

We know that everyone here is tired.

We know that you are scared.

We know some of you have had it up to here.

Some of you are ready to walk away if we have one more serious discussion.

So today, we are going to talk about church, talk about ministry, talk about CARE.

Yes, sometimes church is about social justice.

Sometimes church is about discord and disagreements.

Sometimes church is about accountability and forgiveness.

But sometimes, church is something else…

Something softer. Something sweeter.

But still as important.

Sometimes church is about being THERE.

Sometimes church is simply about being there-

-there to help someone set up a tv.

-there to point someone in the right medical direction.

-there to send a thinking-of-you card.

Sometimes the church is about-

-knitting blankets for babies

-making masks for someone you’ll never meet in Iowa

-going for a bike ride.

Sometimes church isn’t anything more than having a place to sit beside someone.

A place to hum “Amazing Grace”, or sing “Jesus Loves Me,” or recite the Lord’s Prayer.

Sometimes church is about the preacher taking off the robe, leaving behind the notes, looking you in the eye.

Sometimes, church is

-the calm in the storm

-the sun in the sky

-the song of a bird and

-the smile of friend.

We don’t know what will happen next, nor what tomorrow brings.

But we know that we have NOW.

HERE.

ONE ANOTHER.

We have Jesus.

We have the Holy Spirit.

We have HOPE.

For when we hope, we are hoping with God.

Amen and amen.