July 20, 2003

Sixth Sunday of Pentecost

Ephesians 2:1-10

“But I Didn’t Get You a Gift!”

     My mother used to say that when relatives come to visit they are like fish - after three days they start to stink!  Maybe that’s why my parents never stay longer than two days when they visit us.

     Well, Kay and I have some old friends visiting this weekend and since they aren’t related to us, they can stay for as long as they like.  We haven’t seen Randy, Diane, Miriam or Nathaniel Marburger for several years, so it’s nice to catch up.  They live in the faraway land of Pennsylvania.  We met the Marburgers in Gettysburg where Randy and I attended seminary together (he‘s now the pastor of something called a Lutheran church, whatever that is).  Randy’s an old dairy farmer and I’m an old fruit farmer, so we hit it off right away.

     Our ministries took us to different parts of the state and then the Hammett’s moved to New England, so we didn’t see a lot of the Marburgers over the years.  Even so, Christmas after Christmas, even though they hadn’t heard beans from us all year - they’d still send us a gift.  UPS would drop off the box and we’d rip it open and gobble down the goodies inside.  And then, with cheese and crackers still on our breath, Kay and I would look at each other and exclaim, “But we didn‘t get them a gift!”  But it didn’t seem to matter to them -  a gift box would arrive again the next Christmas.

     Lesser friends probably would have dumped us long ago, but the Marburgers are special people - friendship for them is unconditional.  Kay and I have often been blessed by their graciousness, so we’re delighted they are staying with us this weekend.  It’s nice that some of that graciousness can now go full-circle.

     Have you ever received an undeserved, unexpected gift, finding yourself exclaiming, “But I didn’t get her a gift!”?  If so, you know what I mean.  Doesn’t it feel good to be able to return someone’s kindness? 

     I think that’s basically what our Ephesians passage is about today.  It’s all about an incredible, undeserved, unconditional gift and our response to it.  The Apostle Paul begins by laying out the facts - we’re as good as dead when left to our own devices, absorbed as we can be with the sinful stuff of being human, the stuff that in the end doesn’t amount to much.  But then there is this gift, this amazing gift, God’s gift of the Savior - forgiveness, salvation, eternal peace, hope, healing, strength for the journey, the guidance of the Holy Spirit to show us the way of meaningful living and real joy.  And it‘s all a gift.

 (Eph. 2:4-8)

But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us even when we were we dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ  (by grace you have been saved) and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.  For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your doing; it is the gift of God.

     I love that last line: “…this is not your doing; it is the gift of God.“   We don’t earn God’s love - it’s a given, it’s a gift.

     Which begs the question - have you opened it yet?  I don’t mean just a peek under the lid of the box, I mean, have you ripped it wide open, hauled it out for all to see and played and played and played for all it’s worth?  A lot of people hide God’s gift, you know - keep it to themselves maybe not believing it is true or maybe unable to imagine anything so good can be true, especially about them.  Perhaps you are one of these folks.  Perhaps life has dealt you such a raw deal that it’s hard to imagine anything as free and good as God’s compassion for you, hard to imagine, considering the mess the world is in, that anything like this is possible. 

     But you know, as bad as things can sometimes get, still somehow, love finds opportunity.  I’ve seen it in the most unlikely places - in extreme poverty, in family turmoil, in the face of death.  I’m willing to bet you’ve seen it in places like this, too.  Now what’s our explanation for this, for love that does not end, for hope that slips into desperate situations, for peace that’s possible in the middle of a storm, for the Son of God going to the cross and then stepping out of the tomb on Easter Day victorious?  We know we don‘t always deserve it and sometimes it’s hard to imagine it’s possible, but God’s gift just keeps on coming.  God‘s gift assures us that in the end salvation overcomes all things, in the end, hope wins the day, in the end, life succeeds and death fails, in the end - joy.

     There is nothing we can do to undo God’s love for us.  We are precious in his sight.  He thinks we’re worth dying for.  And like I said to the children last Sunday, if God had a wallet, our pictures would all be in it.  This is a given.  This is the most important thing to be said about any one of us…so don’t let anyone tell you different!

     Oh, they’ll try, of course.  They’ll say things about you that are unkind or maybe even downright mean.  You’ll be questioned because of your social position or your race or your country of origin or whatever.  You’ll be told you aren’t pretty enough or skinny enough or that you don’t have the right car or house or clothes.  We’re all hit by a barrage of negativity day in and day out.  But don’t you believe it - for you are precious in God’s sight.  You are the intended recipient of God’s unconditional gift of saving, sustaining, eternal love.  Look for it, expect it, certainly unwrap it, get it out in the sunlight, enjoy it for all it’s worth, and share it. 

     That’s what I saw happening here yesterday.  I know the flea market is a lot of work, that it takes days to set up and hours to pull off and that our crew is nursing sore feet today, but I also know this - in spite of all the work and trouble it took, love happened.  I saw it here yesterday - the gift of God unwrapped, enjoyed and shared.  I saw a faithful crew of old friends, people who love each other and love the church.  They were enjoying each other, laughing, sharing concerns, swapping stories.  And I’d be willing to bet some of our customers coming through the door saw this, too.  Perhaps they felt the love that shows up here even at a flea market between the piles of attic leftovers.  Perhaps they’ll want to return for more - not used books, old toasters or tie racks, but fellowship, friendship, to be part of a special group of people who have this gift and who love to open it, enjoy it and pass it around.