The Sacred Yes 11-25-12 Rev. Donna Twardowski

First Reading: Psalm 46:4-10 There’s a river whose streams gladden the city of God, the holy dwelling of the Most High. God is in its midst, it will never fall—God will help it at daybreak. Though nations are in turmoil and empires crumble, God’s voice resounds and it melts the earth. Come, see what the Creator has done—God makes the earth bounteous! God has put an end to war, from one end of the earth to the other, breaking bows, splintering spears, and setting chariots on fire. “Be Still, and know that I am God!” I will be exalted among the nations; I will be exalted upon the earth.” Contemporary Reading: from LETTERS FROM THE INFINITE as revealed to Rev. Deborah L. Johnson “When you say Yes, my children say Yes to me, say Yes to us, say Yes to our Oneness. If only you would start from this point. When you say Yes there does not have to be a particular something that you are agreeing with. The agreement when you say Yes is to our Oneness….your understanding that, in the acknowledgment and acceptance of that Oneness, all plans come together for your Good. Yes is your understanding that despite all appearances, despite all the facts and seeming circumstances, I am alive and well and working in all of them AND have a way of transforming all of them into something that is for the benefit of all. The Yes is the starting point. The Yes is the underlying basis through which all facts are interpreted.” Gospel: Matthew 5:14-16 Jesus said, “You are the light of the world. You don’t build a city on a hill, then try to hide it do you? You don’t light a lamp, then put it under a bushel basket, do you? No, you set it on a stand where it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, your light must shine before others so that they may see your good acts and give praise to your Abba God in heaven.” ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ While I have been here preaching before, this time I get to see you during the week after the sermon, to hopefully hear how you may have reflected on the words which you heard. I am optimistic that will be a positive event!  I am blessed to be speaking to you today, the first of many occasions as we share our future together. Will you pray with me…Holy God, it is through You all things are possible, all things unfold in the midst of time, and all things are in the fulfillment of your plan for us. During unforeseen times, let us remember You are the creator of the plan and as we live into this plan, may Your will be done. So, may the words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, God, for you are our Rock, our Redeemer and our Resource, Amen. While the title of this sermon is “the sacred yes,” I’d like to begin by telling you a story of the life of someone who followed a path that was the alternative to the sacred yes. As an adult, she went to Bible study because in the religious tradition in which she grew up, the Bible was not taught. It was a book that was read from on Sunday mornings, and only the priest was allowed to touch the “Holy Pages.” The attraction and the desire to know more about these writings that influenced the actions of so many people in the world, across so many centuries, came from her deep desire and calling. That began one day in her young life, at 8 years old, while sitting in the church pew. She observed the “special relationship” the altar servers and priest seemed to have with God. She was never told she too, could have that same relationship. In fact, in that time and place she was told just the opposite; and it must have been true since she was humiliated every Sunday as she had to wear a hat and at times the silly doily on her head when she entered the church! (Thank you St. Paul) She could serve God as a nun. It appeared God and the priests had an intensely close relationship. If there was a place to be close to God, that is where she wanted to be. And while many a year had passed, and her relationship with God had taken many shapes and directions, the unwavering element was her faith in the God who created her being. The God who created the entire physical world, and who kept her gratefully moving forward. Trying to fulfill what she thought was a call and being told she was unworthy to answer it, life pushed her in all different directions and occupations. First a Master’s Degree in Education, since being a teacher seemed to be an acceptable job for a woman at the time. Then return to school to a career as an Occupational Therapist, certainly one could fulfill God’s calling by taking care of those who are hurting and suffering through rehabilitation. Then a college professor, teaching hundreds of students how to care for those in need. Surely God, this will satisfy your call. Back to the Bible Study, while having a phone conversation with a person in that Bible study group, I recall saying, “I just want to know what God wants me to do. What is my life’s purpose?” My friend Bob replied, (though he does not remember this) “the answer is really in John 6:29.” Which reads, ‘This is the work of God: to believe in the one whom God has sent.’ (Inclusive Bible, 2007) Well, I wasn’t prepared for such a direct answer! (I was used to hemming and hawing, processing and philosophizing as lesbians and academics do so well.) I remember sitting in my office at Ithaca College contemplating this Scripture over and over and trying to put it into context for my life. Then it came to me, well, duh, Donna it means just say YES to the call. But still I took no action on it until Marilyn figuratively “kicked me in the butt”, when she asked, “Are you going to do something about this or just keep talking about it?” I finally said YES and acted on it, and began the journey through seminary and into the life as clergy. YES is the answer to the call, the answer to the small voice which was relentless, which I tried to ignore, a call to which I felt I was not worthy.…. Fast forward about 15 years… It was about four years ago, as Marilyn and I were setting up and settling in after our move to Florida from central NY, that I went into Rev. Lisa’s office at Trinity and said, “I just graduated from seminary, and I am here to help in whatever way you can use me.” Rev. Lisa is a very demonstrative person and said, “THANK YOU JESUS! You are an answer to prayer!” So this October, when I was visiting friends at the Villages, I called Rev. Carol to see if I could stop by to see the new property and the renovations that were taking place here. Remember, I told you that Open Circle has always been close to my heart, so I kept up with what was happening here. Rev. Carol gave me a tour of the campus and we began talking about all that was going on and how she had spoken to the board about an administrative position. Our conversation continued and I began to see a look in her eye that indicated something clearly was formulating inside her. A while later, she then asked me how soon I could start work. When I got back to her a few days later, she said, not quite as demonstratively as Rev. Lisa, I was an answer to her prayers! I am sensing a theme here….which is incredibly humbling. A theme from using the simple word YES. I gave Rev. Carol a ‘sacred’ yes. There was no other choice. As I, as a person of faith was still, and prayed; and as I was available for a conversation with God, it was incredibly clear this opportunity was presented as a gift to me. YES was the sacred answer. Each of you can invite the sacred yes to be a part of your life as well. I think that requires three ways of being in the world. Be You. Be Still. and Be Available. Be YOU. In our reading for today, Jesus says, “You are the light of the world….let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your God in heaven.” We all have light within us. You have light within you. That light is the essence of God’s image. Your light shines bright all the time, whether you choose to share it or not. Sometimes we go around trying to pick and choose who deserves the sacred brightness of ourselves. How is it that we are the one to determine how the light gets used? In many ways, some of us have not figured out that we have a light or that we DESERVE a light. I am here to tell you, You have the light of God within you, and you need to shine that brightness upon yourself and those you encounter. Learn to be the brilliance that you are. You may need to start to acknowledge a 2 watt night light at first, and as you let that light shine and as it is reflected back to you in thoughts, words or deeds, the brilliance of your life will blind you! No longer will you be trying to figure out whether or not you should share your light. Your light will be unleashed energy that knows no bounds. Be you and Say Yes to this oneness with the light of God and for heaven’s sake, let your light out from under your personal bushel basket! Be still. My favorite Psalm is Psalm 46:10.. Be still and know I am God. It is my refuge when I get nervous, unsettled, or frustrated. “Be Still” as my favorite meditation as part of the Sign Chi Do meditation series which I will be offering in the future. I don’t think it is a coincidence that still is a part of both the reading and meditative experiences. Being still allows us to listen and hear what is next for us to shine our light on and say Yes to. As you are still, you may hear something that nudges or calls to you; it may start as a whisper, as it did for me in a pew 50 years ago. These days finding somewhere quiet and void of noise, cell phones, or drama is difficult. If you find a place to listen, you may hear something calling or beckoning you in the silence. Or, you may choose to ignore the whisper like it will go away; sometimes, instead it appears to get louder. Some people say they cannot hear God’s voice. Perhaps it is because you are unwilling to hear God. Or you think you are unworthy to hear God? What are you afraid of? You are a child of God, created in God’s image. You do not need to protect yourself from this listening for God. To me, the important question is, if you don’t say yes to God’s request, who or what are you saying yes to? For nearly 40 years I was wandering in the wilderness of life, ignoring the voice of God. When I said YES, life unfolded in an amazing plan. When you do say yes, without knowing how, or why, or what the plan is, or whether the plan will unfold, trust that it will. When you say Yes, and acknowledge this Oneness that God is asking to you join, all plans come together to make the yes possible. Certainly that is how it all unfolded for me to standing here today and to be able to say yes to be here at Open Circle. Be You, Be Still and… Be Available. Be Available to say Yes. Christ asks us to be disciples. That means looking forward. When you hold onto things that have happened in the past as many of us do, they take up space, they take up energy and they take up your light. When the same dramas, sagas and situations repeat themselves, you use precious spiritual, emotional and physical energy and space in your life. What is it that really has your attention? My question to you is, are you here to be a disciple or here to be discontent? What is it that you are running toward? OR What are you running away from? What is your intention? Are your intentions outwardly focused to replay past hurts or are you available to yourself to do your own spiritual work…to go into places and spaces where you have been hiding from God? Christ asks, “Are you available to me to do my work in the world?” If you answer YES and you pay attention, it becomes clear how effortlessly and easily everything works out without having to control it all. [Like finding a place to live in the Villages]. When you are available to the Spirit, there is a new vitality in your life; you feel more alive, and with this aliveness comes love. You are in love with life and become more available to God to say YES. Maybe you have heard the voice and didn’t know what to do with it…be you…be still and listen to what you are called to do with your life at home, at work, at church and to what ministry is the voice of God calling you. Maybe it is being a greeter or usher at church. Maybe tending to the campus through the ministry of nurturing God’s plants and property is what is calling to you. God generously provided that space for Open Circle to continue its ministry of justice and truth. Be available to say Yes to the oneness with God and your path will be shown to you. Maybe your YES will allow YOU to be the answer to somebody’s prayers! Most of all, as the Gospel of Matthew tell us, may your Yes mean and be the Yes God wants to hear. May it be so. Amen.