September 16, 2007; The 16th Sunday after Pentecost Readings: Exodus 32:1,7-14; 1 Timothy 1:12-17; Luke 15:1-10; Psalm 51:1-11.   The Rev. Dr. Hilary B. Smith Connection with God "When the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people gathered around Aaron, and said to him, 'Come, make gods for us, who shall go before us; as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him' (Exodus 32:1)." Here in the story of the golden calf we find one of the most common human frailties-a lack of patience. It all begins with a lack of patience. When the people had waited for a time and did not see Moses return to them, they decided it had been too long. They began to doubt God's promises. They begin to doubt Moses; they decided upon a new plan that did not take into account their faith as it had been taught to them. The people decided to create something that they could see to replace what they could not see. Through this biblical account, we can start to understand one way that sin comes into being-a lack of patience. Once the people are dissatisfied and impatient, they take action that is wrong and hurtful to their relationship with God. All sin is sin against God in addition to those it hurts around us, including ourselves. Being here in the parish hall today makes me think about several matters of the spiritual life: the need for patience, what it is we worship, and what it is we are doing when we come to church. While I am thankful that we have this space in which to meet, I am not happy about being in the parish hall. (Because of a structural problem with our sanctuary we are meeting in the parish hall for our worship services.) I have a connection to the space upstairs that helps me feel peaceful and connected to God. I like to kneel when I pray. If you have been attending our church for a year or more, you know that during Lent we often have communion services down here. I love those services and the experience of worshiping in a different way, for a time. But worshiping here during Lent is a choice we make. We did not choose to come and worship in this space today. We did not choose to be in exile from our beloved sanctuary with the cross above the altar, the stations of the cross on the walls, the ambry with the reserved sacrament, the stain glass windows, the organ, and, yes, the kneelers. Whether the Israelites were in a foreign land in Egypt, where they chose to go but then became enslaved; or 40 years in the desert journeying to the promised land; or forced into exile in Babylon: God's chosen people faced enormous spiritual challenges because they were not in the place they wanted to be. Through it all, God was with the people and brought about their salvation-God brought something new out of difficult situations. Now, of course, the situation of the Israelites was vastly different than what we are experiencing today. But when you think about, similar issues can be identified. How much patience can we muster? We may be back upstairs next week, but we may not be. There is a chance that we could be worshipping in the parish hall for a long time. When things go differently than we expect, can we remain faithful to God and remember the promises of God to us? What can we learn about God and ourselves? Do we come to church to be in a particular building or to worship God? Now again, I am not discounting the very real fact that certain spaces aid our worship in ways that others do not. There is nothing wrong about claiming the fact that we get joy from our church building-it is God's gift to us. The psalms are very clear that the people of God suffered when in exile and wondered how they could worship God in a foreign land. Their anguish was a valid feeling-all feelings are valid; we can't control how we feel-and in fact their feeling showed their love for God and was evidence of the strong relationship they had with God. As with the Israelites, God comes to us in new ways when we find ourselves in exile. While not what we would have chosen, we can learn about God from our experience. Now, my guess is that being in the parish hall rather than the sanctuary is not the greatest spiritual challenge that you have faced in your life. There have probably been times when you found yourself in a "place" that you did not expect. There may have been times, there may be times, or there may a situation now that challenges your ability to connect with God. One's spiritual life can get turned upside down when one goes through a difficult time. And it is not unusual at such a time to feel so confused and alone that we turn to our golden calf for a sense of certainty. An idol is anything that takes the place of God in our lives. Now that golden calf that the Israelites worshiped-that just seems wrong-obviously a bad idea. What were they thinking? Maybe their folly seems abundantly clear to us now because we know the story so well, and the biblical account was written to show just how misguided the people were. Do we recognize our own golden calves at times when we are disappointed, frustrated or scared to be in a "place" not of our choosing? The problem comes when we stop seeking to find God in our exile or our desert experiences and seek a way that seems to provide comfort or certainty in the moment. During those difficult desert times, if God seems far away, rather than turning to a golden calf, seek the things are of God. During a desert time, it can be difficult to experience God who we cannot see. But there are other ways to be supported and feed with manna in the desert. Turn to a person who can help you know how holy you are and how loved you are. That is what the church, and our community, is here to do; God has given us to each other for strength and companionship. I would guess that there have been times when you have been there for someone who felt lost. There can be times when people feel completely lost and far from God. But as with the Israelites in the desert, God was always with them helping them through the difficult time. And if you ever wonder if a person is so lost that there is no going back, remember the words of Jesus found in our gospel reading today: "Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it? When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders and rejoices (Luke 14:4-5)."Jesus will never leave anyone behind. God is the one who is ever patient with us, seeking us, bring us close, and transforming our times of exile into times of joy. Amen.