2 Samuel 11:1-15; John 6:1-21
The Reverend Paul DeLain Allick, St. George’s Episcopal Church, July 26, 2009

Today I would like to talk with you about sex and money. This should not be a shocking statement since it seems that this is all the Episcopal Church and the Church in general has been doing for years if not for our whole history.

Last week the Triennial General Convention of the Episcopal Church passed three resolutions which grabbed headlines: we called for theological and liturgical resources for the blessing of same gender relationships, we affirmed the openness of the ordination process for all baptized persons, including Lesbian and Gay persons, and lastly we reduced church-wide spending by office by 23 million dollars.

Never mind that we also took other important steps: we approved full communion with the Moravian Church, committed to continue working at important ecumenical relations with the Presbyterian Church and the United Methodist Church, we started a dialogue with the historic African American Methodist Churches and we called for a major strategic vision for outreach to Latino/Hispanic peoples. These efforts in the mission of the Church, to reconcile all people to unity with God and each other in Christ, do not grab headlines. You see, there is no sex or money involved.

I would suggest that the “sex” debates really have nothing to do with sexuality; it has to do with inclusion; it has to do with how we as the Church deal with a varied humanity. I’ll never forget the story of one of our past bishop’s recommending an honestly gay man as priest to a certain parish. One of the vestry members commented, “I just can’t accept the concept of a gay priest.” The bishop replied, “That’s fine, because this man is not a ‘concept’ he is a human being.”

The Episcopal Church this past week wasn’t doing something new around sexuality. We were simply acknowledging what we have

already been doing for at least twenty years: allowing our clergy to be honest about who they are in their full humanity and identity. What a
concept, huh? Wouldn’t that standard work well for all clergy; wouldn’t that work well for all baptized Christians?

And the money isn’t about money. The shrinkage of money is about a fading sense of commitment and about misplaced priorities. A shortage of money is a blessing for the Church. It makes us decide what our mission is really about. It makes us realize that money does not drive mission: we as disciples drive mission. The Call to mission doesn’t come from our bank account; it comes from the Holy Spirit.

This morning in our collect we prayed that with God as our guide we would so pass through things temporal, that we lose not the things eternal. Sex and money are things temporal; identity, honesty, inclusion and a focus on mission are things eternal.

Our Holy Scriptures are full of stories of humanity trying to figure out the difference between things temporal and things eternal.

King David has an affair with Bathsheba, a married woman, she becomes pregnant. David conspires to get her together with her husband Uriah as soon as possible. David already had many wives. David was selfish; he was focused on things temporal. Uriah is focused on things eternal. He is focused on the good of Israel and devotion to the Lord. He refuses to go home to be in comfort and spend the night with his wife while the rest of the soldiers and the Ark of the Covenant, the presence of God, are living in tents in the field. David orders him to the front lines of battle so that he will die. David is David centered; Uriah is God centered.

In the Gospel story today the disciples and the crowds are temporal focused. The crowds won’t leave Jesus alone because they want him to fix all of their ailments. When Jesus tells Philip to get them some food, Philip focuses on how much money they don’t have. In the midst of all that temporal anxiety, that hunger, sickness, and the perceived

lack of resources, Jesus shows everyone how things eternal work.

Five thousand people are fed from five loaves and two fish with twelve baskets left over. Jesus is showing us that when we think eternally we realize that we already have everything we need.

The crowds don’t get this. They come to force Jesus to become their King. Jesus refuses their temporal response to the eternal life he has just demonstrated for them. He withdraws from them. No matter how exhausted he gets, he doesn’t withdraw from them when they come for healing and teaching about the kingdom. He withdraws from them when they try to give him temporal power.

Later the disciples are on the boat in a strong wind. They see Jesus walking out toward them on top of the water. They are terrified. He says, “It is I; do not be afraid.” In the original Greek it reads, “I am; do not be afraid.” Then Jesus commands creation and the storm ceases. He masters the winds and the waters.

The temporal life is about what we are doing. It seems for humans what we are doing with sexuality and with money are particularly important. The eternal life is about who we are being.

As we find ourselves in the storms of this temporal life we have to watch for Christ. Is he coming toward us in the storm? Are we so focused on what we are doing that we forget who we are?

Jesus gives us a good prayer today. When we find ourselves in the storm, when we are anxious and terrified, irritated or stressed, we can say, “I am; do not be afraid.” In this way we remember that Jesus is and so are we. “WE ARE: Do not be afraid.”