Telling The Truth: a sermon for a season of activism

Beloveds, it is good to be here. Will you pray with me?

Covenant-making God, we give thanks for this time together, for the gift of holy words, and holy truth. Make this preaching moment a sacred time, infusing it with your Spirit, that through your Word, we might remember the way you would have us go, and follow. May the words of my mouth, and the meditations of all our hearts be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer. Amen. 

Several years ago, I was on sabbatical with my daughter, and we spent a few weeks exploring the sights of London together. One of the great joys of that time was the freedom to explore, to find our own way. Unlike many of the museums here in the United States, the great museums of that city were free; we could visit over and over again, without price. By virtue of proximity, we were able to stop into our favorites for an hour or two in the course of a day’s activity, without worrying about how much the visit would cost.

We got to know each other’s ways quite well. Our tastes in art do not generally coordinate. I could wander stained glass galleries for days. I enjoy old illuminated manuscripts, and textiles. It was mostly the Victoria and Albert Museum that had my heart. My daughter – nearly sixteen at the time – had a thing for the Tate Modern. It’s hard to miss: this art gallery on the south bank of the river Thames, by Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, across the Millennium Bridge from St. Paul’s, a bustling location packed with people, day or evening. Housed in a redesigned power station, with an observation deck and a soaring tower, it’s been called an industrial cathedral. On top of the building, there’s a lighted sign that announces in capital letters: ART CHANGES WE CHANGE.

Confession (Anastasia)

God, there are times we act
As if we belong only to ourselves,
Forgetting who we are, and whose we are.

Forgive us for the times
We have used others for our own ends,
Directing them toward our preferred path,
Rather than seeking to discern with them
Which path will lead them towards you.

Forgive us for the times
We have come to believe
That there is no hope.

Help us find the melody of holiness
That will make our souls dance again;
The notes which will remind us of
what we almost lost.

Keep us grounded in your heart.
Call us back to one another.
Call us back to you.

Amen.

Prayer of Confession,
God on Broadway Series:
Anastasia

Confession (Dear Evan Hansen)

Loving God,
You who see us more clearly
Than we ever see you,

We confess the stories we make up
to pad the empty places of our lives,
the false images we create in word and picture

To buffer our true selves
from our neighbors, from pain,
and sometimes even from you.

These lies are
no more comfortable
than the truth.

They hurt, too, God.

Forgive the avalanche of words and actions
that serve no good purpose at all.
Forgive all the ways in which we fall down;
And knit our broken pieces back together. Amen.

Prayer of Confession,
God on Broadway Series: 
Dear Evan Hansen