August 29, 2004; The Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost Readings: Ecclesiasticus 10:7-18; Hebrews 13:1-8; Luke 14:1, 7-14; Psalm 112.   The Rev. Dr. Hilary B. Smith Yesterday, Today, and Forever "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." With those words, the letter to the Hebrews reminds us of an important truth. Jesus is the same. He is always there for us. He always loves us. He brings us together. He strengthens us with is body and his blood. We cannot be separated from him because he as made us his own and called us his friends. Yesterday, today, and forever, Jesus Christ is our salvation, our hope, and our joy. Jesus is the same. Everything else changes, everything. Our world changes—war comes, peace comes, new nations are formed. We change—physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Our families change—people are born, people die, some move away, others come near. Our church changes—clergy come and go, people leave, new folks come. Everything changes. In the midst of change, Jesus stands with us providing the anchor for our lives. In the same reading from Hebrews, we hear: "Let mutual love continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it." Let mutual love continue. As things change, let the love continue. One way our love is known is through hospitality. To welcome others is a great gift to them and to the community as a whole. We welcome the growth and include everyone, knowing that we entertaining angels. This is holy work—welcoming people. It is holy in the sense of being set apart from the ordinary. The words from scripture emphasize the extraordinary nature of being people filled with love for others. It is hard work. If we were going to stay the same, we could do things exactly as we have done them in the past. The same people could do the same things and life would seem tranquil. Great. Ahhhhh. Imagine how easy that would be. There is a problem, however, and it is called the great commission. God calls us to share the Good News that we know through Christ, as experienced through our life together and in other aspects of our lives. When you share a word of grace, people will come. They sense something of God and they stay to be part of what is extraordinary. You don’t need to stand out on the street corner to share the Good News. Although, I’m personally become more and more inclined to go around these neighborhoods and at least say hi to the new folks moving in. You don’t have to learn a lot of theology to share the grace of God. Simply by welcoming people into our church, into your life, and being open to a true relationship, which involves being real, and vulnerable, and available. God will work through our genuineness in ways that we cannot even imagine. Youth ministry is one such place where this sort of grace filled relationship happens. We are developing an exciting youth ministry here at St. Paul’s. The young people help to keep us adults present to the moment and honest. You simply cannot do youth ministry without being present and honest—that is why it always happens there. By bring real and open to the moment, the youth and the adults minister to each other. Youth ministry can in fact be a model for all that we do together. You can really learn a lot about organizations from their slogans. You can at the least learn what message they think is most important—what they are trying to get across. The phrase that we are using on our newspaper ad, for example, is "Come Celebrate with Us." That tells people that we are a community devoted to praising God and we delight in bring new people into that way of life through our church. It also acknowledges that we are all celebrants, lay and clergy, at the Eucharistic Feast. When I was in Richmond on vacation, I noticed a church’s ad in the newspaper. It really got my attention. Their phrase was, "Unchanged and unchanging." Now I know that important and closely held theological beliefs are behind that phrase, but I could not help but think, "Wow, bet they are a fun group." They are not about fun, of course, but rather getting it right. Yet their claim can easily be proven false. From the moment people began to make rules and rituals to preserve what they knew of Jesus, things started to change and have continued to change throughout the history of the church. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Everything else changes. What are we to do when things are changing? In our church, we know that we are in a transition, so that should help. Still, many of us get nervous when change comes. Anxiety comes with change—even when things are going well, as they are here. Changes in the church can cause some tension, but that is nothing compared to changes in our lives—in the sense of losing a loved one, losing a job, moving, getting married, having a child. When changes come, difficult or joyful, we experience stress. Everything changes. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. The Jesuits speak of looking long at Jesus as he is in the Gospels and in our lives. As we come to know Jesus, we come to know his peace and care for us. In the sixteenth-century, St. Francis de Sales wrote of the anxiety and uncertainty that life can bring. He compared it to bees that are blown about by the wind. In order to steady themselves in a storm, they cling to small rocks. Jesus is our rock. We cling to him, and, what is more, he clings to us—yesterday and today and forever. Amen.