Jennifer D. Smith
Sermon for the Fifth Sunday after Pentecost, Year B-6/27/2021
2 Samuel 1:1, 17 -27
Psalm 130
2 Corinthians 8:7 -15
Mark 5: 21 – 43
2 Corinthians 8:7-15
Good morning, St. Thomas the Apostle! Thank you, Fr. Christopher, for allowing me to worship and preach at St. Thomas’ today. I am so excited to be here with you. It has been fun getting to know Fr. Christopher. I’ve been following St. Thomas’ activities and hearing about some of the ways you’ve served our Dallas neighbors over the years. Not only loving and worshiping God but also loving your neighbor as yourself. And I am heartened to see St. Thomas dedicating time to fighting racism. Because I only recently realized racism still impacts life in the US.
I spent junior and senior high school growing up in small town in East Texas called Crockett in the 80s. You remember that decade—big hair and big stars like Madonna. The effects of racism were plain as day in my town, and while I certainly had a low level awareness of it, I never really considered what I saw and experienced was proof of persistent racism. For example, there were 2 swimming pools. My parents were told that we should join the private pool when we moved there. We were to avoid the public pool at all costs, because it wasn’t “clean.” It was filled with grease from the hair of the Black children in the town. It’s ironic that my sisters and I suffered terribly from multiple ear infections during the years we spent at the “clean” private pool. When I was old enough to have a job I got my lifeguard certification and decided I’d work at the public pool. Troy, my first real boyfriend, worked there, so of course I had to work there with him. And you know what? I never suffered from ear infections during the years I worked there. The pool was super clean—even before I arrived on staff. And the people of color in the town were a lot of fun. Plain as day. Racism in the late 80s.
And then, a little over a year ago, I watched in disbelief as George Floyd was murdered. I started to really listen to the voices of people of color, not only our Black sisters and brothers, but our Latinx and indigenous and Asian siblings. I knew Black and brown people were enslaved for centuries in our country, but I guess I figured after Civil Rights in the 60s that things were better and that racism was mostly a thing of the past. Even the 80s were a long time ago…. I was wrong.
I started to hear many recent stories of people I know and care about. I’m a physician and part of a group of radiologists that cover hospitals all over the metroplex, although I only work at one of them. One of my Black physician co-workers, a first generation Nigerian man, endured a white physician tell him he wasn’t qualified to take care of his patients. The white physician stopped short of using the n word, but only just. My Black physician friend is one of the most talented people in our group. He’s also warm and caring and kind and handsome and a joy to work with. After that encounter though, my friend told the group he wouldn’t ever come back to my hospital. And he hasn’t been back.
One of my white church friends is married to a very dark Caribbean Black man. After George Floyd, she started posting stories from her own life spent married to a Black man for 25 years. Stories she didn’t typically share but realized we all needed to hear them. For example, they live in a nice middle class neighborhood. He’s been mistaken for the gardener many times while working in their flower bed. Her stories get way worse than that, and sadly she still continues to add to them. She was the first person to tell me about the “talk” Black families have with their teenagers who have reached driving age. The same age as my own teen. We’ve never thought our son has anything to fear from the police.
I started looking for movies and documentaries about this subject. I watched Just Mercy, a story about a Black lawyer named Bryan Stevenson and his early career advocating for prisoners on death row who had not received adequate legal support. Then I saw the documentary 13th—have you seen it? 13th, as in the 13th Amendment and its effects on mass incarceration. It’s a documentary by Ava DuVernay on Netflix, but you can watch it for free on YouTube. It’s eye opening. There are countless movies and books and podcasts and stories out there about the continued perils of being a Black or brown person in America. Then I heard one of the most heartbreaking things from a Black Christian and historian named Jemar Tisby. That the Church, that group of people who believe in loving God and loving our neighbor as ourselves, was complicit.
As I continued to listen to other voices, I knew Jemar wasn’t the only one who felt that the Church had not cared for the least of these. Sadly, he is right. The Church is silent. But, not all churches are silent.
And I’m so thankful for communities like St. Thomas the Apostle. Because you, my friends, have not been silent.
Let’s look at our second reading today, because it has an important word for us. Please pull out your Bible or phone app and go to Paul’s Second Letter to the Corinthians, Chapter 8, beginning at verse 7. That’s Second Corinthians, Chapter 8, verse 7. Paul is asking the Gentile Christians in Corinth to help the Jewish Christians in Jerusalem. The Christians in Corinth had begun to collect offerings for their siblings in Jerusalem. In fact, many of the churches established by Paul and Timothy and Luke and Titus had been gathering financial resources for the Church in Jerusalem. The Jewish Christians in Jerusalem were suffering greatly during the mid to late first century. They were experiencing a famine with food shortages and punitive taxes by the Romans. Many of them didn’t have enough to eat. Also, Jerusalem was a central place for scattered Jews to return once they became older. There were many retirees and widows who’d relocated to Jerusalem. As a result, the area was overpopulated, further stressing the limited amount of food available.
One of Paul’s jobs was to gather collections from the Gentile Churches in Europe and Asia Minor and take the money back to the Jewish Christians in Jerusalem. Sometimes the Gentile Christians wondered if Paul was fundraising for his own benefit. But Paul persisted anyway even though it made him unpopular sometimes. He wanted to demonstrate the connectedness between the Corinthian Church and the Jerusalem Church. Their interdependence despite physical and cultural differences. This passage is Paul’s exhortation to the Corinthian Churches. Read with me starting at verse 7. “Now as you [the Corinthians] excel in everything [and lead the way]—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in utmost eagerness [and genuine concern], and in your love for us—so we want you to excel also in this generous undertaking [and gracious work].” The Corinthians have gifts from the Holy Spirit that would benefit their Jerusalem brethren. Paul continues in verse 8: “I [Paul], do not say this as a command.” Paul did not see this as an obligation or command for the Corinthians to collect donations for Jerusalem. True charity cannot be commanded. Jesus, the living God, humbled himself and became poor. Jesus gave away his belongings and authority so that we would become rich. What better way for the Corinthians and the other Gentile Christians to display Christian generosity than to support their siblings suffering in Jerusalem.
Jesus Christ became poor so that we could become rich. This is Jesus’ design for us. It is an obedience to the gospel that Jesus patterned. Gifts are not withheld but freely given. Fundraising has both theological and practical implications. From a theological standpoint, the Gentiles share in the spiritual privileges of Jesus. From a practical standpoint, that means the Gentile Christians are to share their material wealth with the Jewish Christians. Ironically, the Jews had excluded the Gentiles for many things. The Jews saw the Gentiles as unclean and uncircumcised and tainted by idolatry. So it is interesting that it is the Gentiles who are now called upon to help the Jews. And it is interesting to also consider that the Jews could then by extension decline any of the gifts from the Gentiles. In verses 10 and 11, Paul tells them to finish the work they began last year, “so that [their] eagerness in desiring it may be equaled by [their] completion of it, according to [their] ability.” Paul reminds the Corinthians that they started raising money a year ago for the Christians suffering in Jerusalem. In verses 13 and 14 Paul says, “It is a question of a fair balance [or equality] between your present abundance and their need, so that their abundance may be for your need.” Or in the Amplified Bible translation, “At this present time your surplus is going to supply their need, so that at some other time their surplus may be given to supply your need, that there may be equality.” Your surplus is going to supply their need.
Paul even roots his discourse in the Old Testament when he quotes from Exodus at the end of this passage. “The one who had much did not have too much, and the one who had little did not have too little.” Paul recalls the time in the desert when God’s distribution of manna provided for their needs, setting the standard of care for Israel and for us.
We could look at this passage through the lens of money and financial support, but I think there’s a lot more than that. Paul is talking about how we Christians give our life to Christ, sharing our gifts with others. Participating in God’s creative work of redemption in the world. Participating in the Holy Spirit’s work in the world. You, my sisters and brothers at St. Thomas, are doing just that. St. Thomas has not been silent. St. Thomas is a witness to the Gospel. You are always the first to give and the first to love. You have always been on the forefront of caring for the least of these. You were the first parish in the diocese to welcome a Black person into your worship community during a time that most in the country really wanted nothing to do with Black and brown people. And obviously St. Thomas has a heart for the LGBTQ community. During the early years of the AIDS epidemic, St. Thomas was on the front lines, caring for and loving those suffering from AIDS by welcoming them into your community when few others wanted to help them. When COVID hit and George Floyd was murdered, you decided it was time to erect a sign clearly stating your hearts. That Black Lives Matter. Despite the clear disapproval and disagreement of others.
Through the leadership of Fr. Christopher and Mtr. Virginia and your Missions and Outreach Committee, you reach out to those living in South Dallas, sharing your present abundance to supply their need. Over Christmas St. Thomas gave a large donation of toys for children in South Dallas, filling the parish hall at St. Matthew’s. Those children had a better, more plentiful Christmas. Especially the children experiencing homelessness. Later in the winter you purchased a stove for Inspired Vision Compassion Center. Did you hear what that stove did once the winter storms hit? Karen and the volunteers at Inspired Vision served thousands of cups of hot cocoa to people who hadn’t had anything warm to eat or drink for days. Now Mtr. Virginia and others in your parish are working hard to figure out how to get more involved and build relationships with ministry partners in South Dallas, like sponsoring a child through Dallas Champions Academy and serving as a mentor for at risk youth. And with Cathedral of Hope and supporting iCare, a feeding program that also serves those experiencing homelessness. These are only a few of the many many ways St. Thomas has lived and continues to live into the call to share her gifts of both time and talent and treasure with those in need. Your surplus supplying their need.
The world tells us it takes money to make money. Jesus tells us it takes poverty to produce abundance. St. Thomas is truly a beacon on the hill, shining her light for all to see. Thank you for being such an amazing witness to the Gospel. I am excited to see how you continue to grow your outreach ministries and form relationships with others serving the least of these. I wonder what excites you about the ministries happening at St. Thomas?
Please pray with me. Almighty God, you built your Church upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets. We your people continue to build upon their groundwork, using the gifts you have already given us remembering that Jesus Christ himself is the chief cornerstone: Grant us so to be joined together in unity of spirit by their teaching, that we may be made a holy temple acceptable to you; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
