Did you know that I have actually eaten breakfast in hell?
It was almost twenty years ago. I was in Israel, in Jerusalem.
I got up early each morning and went for a run all the way around the walls of the old city. One day I bought a sesame bagel on my way back to the hotel and I ran down into this valley where there was a beautiful green park.
I ran down into the garden, sat down on a bench, and ate my breakfast.
Across from the bench was a plaque that explained that the valley was called Gehenna. It said that ancient Israel in one of their fits of falling into paganism had sacrificed their children in that valley and burned them as a burnt offering. Later on in the time of Jesus it had become the town dump, filled with smoking and burning garbage.
Jesus never used the word “hell”, he used the name of the valley just south of town, the Greek version of that name is Gehenna, a valley of shame filled with burning garbage.
So I ate breakfast in Hell, in Gehenna. What is now a beautiful garden.
C.S. Lewis had his own interesting version of hell. Of course, being British, hell has to do with table manners.
In his version heaven and hell look much alike.
In both the people are seated at table before a sumptuous meal.
Smoked pork, beef brisket, chicken quarters, baked beans, amazing coleslaw, Ed’s sauce, desserts piled high, blue grass playing.
The one strange thing is that no one has arms. They all have giant forks for arms, and no elbows to bend.
The difference between the two places is that in hell, everyone desperately tries to feed themselves but they can’t because their arms don’t bend and they can’t reach their own mouth. All they do is make a horrible hungry mess, throwing and spilling food everywhere.
The only difference is that in heaven people don’t try to feed themselves, they rather reach across the table and feed each other with great dignity, respect and humor.
Heaven and hell, the difference is in table manners, or perhaps it would be even better to say manners period. The manners of grace.
When do we cross over between Gehenna and a green valley, between bad manners and good manners? It is not a long distance to cross, but it is also so far.
Jesus simply says whatever causes us to lose that essential connection with God that connection that keeps us at the table of grace, whatever it is, it is better to do without, it damages our soul, it turns a garden into a shameful garbage heap, it ruins the most delightful banquet, we forget our manners and we forget so much more.
We make our own hells, we get lost in our own prisons and we lose the key.
The Gospel lesson warns us that we don’t want to live like that. We don’t want to sink to that level of thrashing about, of destroying everything around us, turning the banquet of life to a frenzied mess.
The Gospel, the good news is that Jesus has descended into all our hells and pulled us out, rescuing the prisoners, setting the captives free, setting us free to live differently, not like slaves, but as children of God, not with fear and resentment but with dignity, respect, humor and thankfulness. Things don’t look any different, what has changed is what we do at the table of our lives. We are now free to feed others, free to be fed by others. Free to share, free to give and receive.
The distance between the two places in not very far, but it is really a vast distance, a distance that God has crossed, a distance, a lostness that God has taken into himself and transformed it into life. The person of Christ is God crossing over and transforming our lostness into the manners of grace at the table of the great thanksgiving.
We are all messengers of this transforming power that has entered into our world.
Our lives proclaim this hope, a contagious hope. And Grace Church is a vessel of this hope, a chalice of this life that is being poured out for the world, a world in great need.
Christian Stewardship is about making sure that our lives and our parish are well prepared and unhindered in getting the message out, a message that really is good news, a message that is all about giving thanks.
Grace Church has been a great bringer of good news to peoples lives, to the people of Anderson. The greatest gift Grace Church has given to Anderson is the people of the parish. You have been and will continue to be salt and leaven and life to this community. And I am proud be your priest and fellow servant of the Gospel. You have given so much and you have so much more to give, always with a thankful hearts, always with great style, always with a whole bunch of fun.
Celebrate being a part of this parish and give thanks, always give God thanks for getting to be part of this crazy family.
I do need to talk about pledging and stewardship and budgets. They are very important. We all know when we are having company over it is important to be prepared, especially for unexpected guests. That’s what we are doing right now, getting ready for company.
The big thing that we are pushing for this year is a new part time staff position to coordinate our children and youth ministries. We really need some one to give that part of our life together a great deal of time and attention, in order for this parish to continue to go forward unhindered in being servants of the Gospel.
The budget is really a statement of mission, it says where our priorities are and where we want to go. We have a proposed budget for next year, it says what we want to do and be, what we are reaching for and dreaming of becoming.
The hard work comes next month when we have to make the stewardship campaign and the proposed budget agree with other, balance out. Usually that means trimming out a whole bunch. Wouldn’t it be nice if this year we had to fill it out more rather than trim down, wouldn’t it be nice if we had to admit that our dreams were too small and we have to dream even bigger?
We have a proposed budget for 2007 an almost 10% increase over this year.
We could all increase our giving by 10% or more. Who knows?
Last year I stood up here and told the parish that Susan and I were pledging $400 a month. This year we are upping our pledge by another $100, a 25% increase, up to $500 a month. We are doing it for several reasons. Because we really want this new staff position to happen. Because we love this parish. Because we thank God that I get to be here with you.
Wouldn’t it be great to have to dream even bigger?
A great hope has entered our world. We carry this hope in us. We are the messengers.
It turns Gehenna, a polluted valley of shame, into a garden. A place of death has been transformed into a place a beauty.
The table has been set, let the Great Thanksgiving begin, and while we’re at it please pass that bottle of Ed’s sauce.