Black Lives Matter.
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer

NC Council of Churches

Strength in Unity, Peace through Justice

  • Voices
  • About
    • Overview
    • Staff
    • Members
    • Covenant Partners
    • Issue Statements
    • Governing Board
  • Programs
    • Ecumenical Immigration Alliance
      • Ideas for Action
      • Sign Our Statement
      • The NC Sanctuary Coalition
      • Immigration Bible Study
      • Contact
    • NC Interfaith Power & Light
      • NCIPL Overview
      • Faith in Action NCIPL
      • NCIPL Articles
      • NCIPL Resources
      • Upcoming Events for NCIPL
      • Contact NCIPL
    • Partners in Health & Wholeness
      • PHW Staff
      • Mini-Grants
      • PHW Collaborative Pledge
      • The Overdose Crisis: The Faith Community Responds
      • PHW Articles
      • FAQs
  • Priorities
    • Racial Justice
    • The Overdose Crisis: The Faith Community Responds
    • Gun Violence Prevention
    • Public Education
    • NC Sanctuary Coalition
    • Farmworkers
    • Legislative Advocacy
    • Christian Unity
    • Peace
    • NC No Torture
  • COVID-19 Resources
  • Events
  • Resources
    • Publications & Reports
    • Raleigh Report
    • Lectionary
    • Sermons
  • Donate
  • Council Store
  • Show Search

Search NC Council of Churches

Hide Search

A Perfect Storm

Chris Liu-Beers, Former Program Associate · June 1, 2008 · Leave a Comment

Back to Sermon Library: Index by Scripture | Browse by Topic | More sermons on this topic

The Rev. M. Jonah Kendall, St. Philip’s Episcopal Church
Durham, North Carolina
June 01, 2008
Available online at:
http://www.stphilipsdurham.org/sermons/2008-06-01-MJK.htm
Texts: Matthew 7:21-27

I want to come straight at you today.  I want to be clear, and I want to be concise.  I’m not going to open with an illustration but rather get straight to the point.  And this is because our lesson from Genesis, with Noah’s ark – along with Jesus’ words in Matthew’s gospel about the house that could withstand the wind and rain – we are confronted with what I’d call the perfect storm.  By this I mean that these two lessons come together to make one clear point.

And here is what each says: living in preparation for things to come informs the way we live here and now.  Let me say that again.  Living in preparation for things to come informs the way we live here and now.  Anticipating the great flood, Noah is enabled to build an ark for his family and the creatures of the earth.  The wise man in Matthew’s gospel builds a house strong enough to withstand the storm he knows will eventually come.  Living in preparation for things to come informs the way we live here and now.

I think this is what Jesus was offering us through his vision of the Kingdom of God.  Christ outlined this place for us, not only so that we might gain a sense of peace from the promise of this thing to come – when the poor will be blessed, the sorrowful comforted, and the peacemakers called children of God.  But also to provide us with an ethic, something to guide the way we live here and now.  Christ doesn’t just say, “Love God and your neighbor as yourself.”  No, he gives us parables of the Kingdom in order to help us understand what that means, what God’s love looks like and what we are capable of.

Take the parable of the Prodigal Son.  Jesus offers us this to help us understand the love of God.  The Kingdom of God is marked by great forgiveness, where we will be welcomed home by God as the prodigal was by his father.  So too, are we, if we want to live abundantly with God – therefore, called to forgive here and now.

Another parable is the Good Samaritan.  This parable about a Samaritan helping a Jew on the side of the road (Jews and Samaritans shared nothing in common) tells us that God’s love is characterized by radical hospitality.  Therefore, we the people of the Kingdom are called to a radical love and hospitality as well.

Let me give you a contemporary example of this Kingdom ethic.  At this past year’s convention, Bishop Trevor, the Bishop of Botswana, was with us.  In his address he spoke about the tensions in the Anglican Communion by saying that if only Bishop Akinola of Nigeria would remember that he will be sharing a table with Gene Robinson at the eternal banquet in the Kingdom, things might be very different here and now.

He said it well, didn’t he?  Well, he is a bishop after all.  But that’s it.  That’s what I want to lift up today.  That’s what I think Christ was offering us in this tremendous vision he gave us called the Kingdom of God.  You see, it’s not just a promise for the hereafter, but a reality born into this world when in faith we open ourselves to it – a reality born in and through us.

And so the question is where you can apply the ethic of the Kingdom in your life?  Where is it that you need to open yourself to God’s vision of things?  I mean the time is always ripe, what with war, poverty, division; even more now with the environment, consumerism and growing individualism, the time is always ripe for the Kingdom.

In Christ’s name, Amen.


This sermon is part of a new series compiled by the NC Council of Churches in conjunction with our lectionary-based worship resource Acts of Faith.  We believe that issues of peace and justice can be expressed in the worship life of congregations, and we remain committed to providing accessible and relevant resources to make this a reality.  This sermon was used with the permission of the author, and the views expressed in it are solely the author’s. Please contact us if you are interested in submitting one of your sermons for consideration.

Click here to view our complete library of sermons.

Filed Under: Sermons Tagged With: Equality & Reconciliation

Chris Liu-Beers, Former Program Associate

About Chris Liu-Beers, Former Program Associate

Chris worked on immigrant rights, farmworker justice, sustainability, worship resources, and the Council's website. He left the Council in 2014 to run Tomatillo Design, a company that builds affordable websites for nonprofits.

Reader Interactions

More Like This

Reaffirmation of Support for the LGBTQ+ Community
Critical Issues Seminar: The Wisdom of Women
Critical Issues Seminar: Wisdom of Women

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Anonymous comments or comments that target individuals will not be posted (please include your first and last name). All comments must be on topic and respectful. Comments will not be posted until they have been reviewed by a moderator. Comments do not reflect the positions of the NC Council of Churches.

Footer

Contact

NC Council of Churches
27 Horne St.
Raleigh, NC 27607
(919) 828-6501
info@ncchurches.org

Facebook

Partners in Health and Wholeness

Featured

A Perfect Storm

Latest Tweets

ICYMI: Check out our spotlight piece on Olive Branch Ministry, Hickory, to learn more about their faith-based harm reduction work serving the foothills and piedmont of North Carolina. ncchurches.org/2021/…

About 2 days ago

This Earth Month, we're calling on our network to advocate with compassion for a just & sustainable future. To support you in this hard & holy work, @NCIPL complied a toolkit with policy positions, calls to action, & how we engage in faith-based advocacy. ncchurches.org/advoc…

About 2 days ago

Make sure to register for our upcoming Legislative Seminar. Our opening worship service and award ceremony will honor Michael S. Regan, Administrator of the US Environmental Protection Agency, with the Faith Active in Public Life award. ncchurches.ourpowerb… pic.twitter.com/rG7U…

About 3 days ago

Faith Climate Action Week is coming up! This year's theme is Sacred Ground: Cultivating Connections Between our Faith, our Food, and the Climate. Follow the link to find events >> faithclimateactionwe…

About 5 days ago

2021 is the year for drawing districts in each state after the completion of the US Census. Check out the @LWV's blog on encouraging people to speak up about the drawing of fair maps. Read now >> lwv.org/blog/redistr… pic.twitter.com/4KMR…

Last week

Follow @ncchurches

Latest Tweets

Now that all North Carolinians age 16+ are eligible to receive a #COVID19 vaccine, use the @ncdhhs resource hub to find a local provider near you to get your shot! #MySpotMyShotNC #NC covid19.ncdhhs.gov/v… #MindfulTogether

About 2 days ago

Join us next Thurs., April 22 for our Sacred Conversations event on caring for creation. We'll be discussing environmental caretaking, collective action, and our Sustainability Pledge. Register online at ncchurches.ourpowerb… @NCIPL #MindfulTogether #EarthDay pic.twitter.com/GTpI…

About 3 days ago

Read our spotlight piece on Olive Branch Ministry to learn more about their faith-based harm reduction work serving the foothills and piedmont of North Carolina. ncchurches.org/2021/… @olivebranchgals #MindfulTogether pic.twitter.com/xj2U…

About 4 days ago

Our work has led us to recognize the impact our environment has on our health and ability to flourish. Click below to read more about our commitment to being stewards of God’s good Creation through our Sustainability Pledge. ncchurches.org/phw-s… @NCIPL #MindfulTogether

About 5 days ago

Awesome opportunity from our partners at @emergingissues! #MindfulTogether twitter.com/emerging…

About 6 days ago

Follow @healthandfaith

Latest Tweets

RT @faithinplace Next week is #FaithClimateActionWeek! Join @interfaithpower on April 21 @ 1pm CT for “Sacred Ground: A Message of Hope”—a conversation with @kissthegroundoc filmmaker @JoshTickell & Statewide Outreach Dir. Veronica Kyle on @faithinplace amazing CSAs! bit.ly/Sacred-Ground… pic.twitter.com/xxX7…

About 3 hours ago

RT @ecoAmerica Register for the American Climate Leadership Summit today for the opportunity to join 1000+ climate leaders including Nana Firman, Senior Ambassador of @greenfaithworld to help move America along the solutions path faster! Sign up here: acls2021.org #ACLS2021 pic.twitter.com/Rdxc…

About 3 hours ago

RT @ClimateReality It’s time to follow the money and fight for justice. grist.org/race/how-w…

About 3 hours ago

RT @middlechurch “Where one lives should not determine how long one lives, the quality of the air you breathe or the water you drink.” - @AyannaPressley #RevLove21

About 3 hours ago

Watch livestream @PullenChurch 11am EST pullen.org/livestrea… to hear our Director preach on #climatefairshare & “Manna In The Wilderness” usfairshare.org @uscan @interfaithpower @ELCA @ncchurches @Gina_McCarthy @JoeBiden @JohnKerry @mtmalcom @billmckibben #ActOnClimate pic.twitter.com/3bkX…

About 5 hours ago

Follow @ncipl

Latest Tweets

Copyright © 2021 NC Council of Churches · All Rights Reserved · Website by Tomatillo Design · Hosted by WP Engine