A Simple Love Letter [Proper 10C]

The Rev. Jeremiah Williamson

Colossians 1:1-14

A Simple Love Letter

Today I thought I would be preaching on either the Good Samaritan parable, a classic passage from Luke’s Gospel, or that deliciously provocative passage from the book of Amos.  I did not think I would be talking about the opening of the Paul’s letter to the Church in Colossae.  Because, why would I?  It is an excerpt from an old correspondence.  It has none of the subversive intrigue of Jesus’ story; neither does it have the sassy retort of the Old Testament lesson.  It’s just the beginning of a letter.

And yet as I sat with these lessons, it was Paul’s simple love letter that spoke to the heart of this pastor, at this point in my ministry with you.

Honestly, the first half of this month has been difficult.  Last week, I watched as a 5-month long emotional roller-coaster of a curate search, one that included two cancellations and two site visits that ended in disappointment, fruitlessly crumbled, came to an end.  That was frustrating.  This week was even harder.  Because this week, for the second time in the past few months, I sat with a young widow weeping over the death of her husband and with the little kids who will have to grow up without their father.  I buried a dear long-time member.  I prayed and prayed with and for beloved parishioners who are right now carrying impossible burdens and dealing with devastating news.  And, at the same time, I waited anxiously this week with one of my loved ones hoping that the medical test results would be OK.

And so today, I don’t have much to say, except that sometimes life just feels heavy.  Not always, of course, but sometimes.  And I know that for many of us, I know because you graciously share your lives and your stories with me, right now is one of those times.

And so, of all of the great readings that we heard today, it is was this simple line from Paul’s letter that spoke to me: “In our prayers for you we always thank God…for we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints.”  And I don’t want to explain that, I don’t want to set it in context or exegete it for profundity.  I just want to say it.  To you.  Today.

See, I have been here for three and a half years.  And in that time, we’ve come to know each other pretty well, I think.  We’ve come to trust each other and care for each other, love each other.  And I have been continually blown away by this congregation, by you.  Like Paul, in my prayers for you I always thank God.  For your faithfulness.  And your kindness.  And for the many ways in which you care for me and for each other. 

People often say that ordained ministry is a lonely job – and I know there is research to support that.  And while it can be true, at times, I also know that I am never alone in this work.  Because I have you.  And I know you are praying for me.  I know that you support me and care for me and root for me and worry about me.  I know that you love my family.  And I do not take any of that for granted.

One of the greatest blessings of my ministry, one that I find inspiring, one that I find truly humbling, is watching you love each other.  It often happens pretty quietly, but I find out; I hear things.  The visits, the meals, the conversations, the tears that you shed for each other, the prayers.  It’s love in action and it is exactly what Jesus is talking about in today’s Gospel.  It is not enough to just say it; love is a manifestation of the Christ that is in you.  And I see that.  I see Christ working through you, living through you, loving through you. 

And I hope to be a good student.  Because I know I have a lot of to learn from you.  You are teaching me how to love better.  Because you are really good at it.  And I have both watched that from a distance and I have experienced that first-hand: like when a member of the congregation sat with me in the ER, like when another member watched my children so that I could do an emergency pastoral visit, every time I receive an unexpected note of encouragement, every time you share a kind word with me in the greeting line, every time you lift me in prayer, every time you stand in as my pastor.  I am in awe; your hearts are open so wide.  And so in my prayers for you I always thank God. 

And today I also thank you.  Because while life can be heavy, you make the heavy times lighter.  And that is what community is about.  And this church is community in all of the best ways.  God knows no one of us can do this alone.  And so God has blessed us with each other. 

You are a gift God has given me.  I hope you feel the same.  I love this church.  It is amazing.  And I love that you love each other.   

A community like this, in which the love of Christ is so rich, so apparent, so transformative, is a gift to this world also.  It is special.  And I believe that together, by the power of that love, we can make a real difference in this world.  There are so many lonely people out there, people who feel unloved and unlovable.  The love that I experience here, the love that I witness constantly, is the very thing that so many people in this world, in this city, are desperate to find. 

We can beat back the estrangement of this age.  No one should have to shoulder the burdens of this life alone.  No one.  And so it is my prayer that we continue to be beloved community for each other, to be living icons of Christ’s love for each other.  It is my prayer that the beloved community we experience here, the love we experience here, will spread, beyond our doors, and out into this city, into the lives of our neighbors; love is our most profound witness to the Gospel.  And so for today, this is what I have to offer: a prayer to God, a thank you to God for you – for who you are, for what you do, and for how well you love.