Journey's Weekly Homilies

Homily by Jackie Bohrer
July 28th, 2002 - 17th Sunday Ordinary Time
1 kings, Romans 8:26-34, Matt 13: 44-52


All things work together for those who love God and are called according to God’s purpose.  In childhood, I was taught that it was important to pray and open my heart to God’s presence.  As I grew up and moved through high school, I kept asking God, “ What do you want of me ?- How can I share my faith and my passion in this world ? “ I chose youth ministry and teaching and eventually came to Oregon many years ago to be with teenagers in the classroom.  I was rather idealistic about the work and learned early that I needed a creative faith community to support my desire to stake my life on buying the field of the Gospel.  There was too much at stake not to be supported and understood by a singing, preaching, fearless, all are welcome group of people. 

For the past 12 years, this place, your faces, and our ritual together has given me continued belief that working for justice and peace, forgiving and being grateful are the only pearls worth buying with my time and my soul Whether is a pearl or a field, it demands our giving away everything that distracts or hinders us in order to have it. 

It means trusting God’s ways above our own when things are not clear.  It has meant being challenged to grow toward greater and greater tolerance when I was too tired to care.  The songs we have sung and the prayers we have prayed have changed me.  Your presence here has restored my hope hundreds of times that life is good and God is abundantly present. 

There are people we are called to love, places we are called to live in, work that God inspired us to be about.  God’s purpose is for us to be loved and to find a way for us to be our best selves, our biggest and brightest selves in the world.  In this way we can bring about Gods reign on earth.

For weeks we have been hearing Jesus tell the disciples and the crowds what the reign of God is like using parables and simple stories to illustrate God’s desire to the world.  Next week Jesus shows them what it looks like by feeding a multitude.  Abundance.  Carol talked about it 2 weeks ago.  If God is for us who can be against ?  We will have more that we need and in fact even more beyond our imagination. 

Today 2 different people sell all that they have to buy one thing- a field and a pearl.  The two in these stories were single hearted.  TO WILL ONE THING TO HAVE ONE PURPOSE.  This is simple to say but very challenging to live out.  It takes an immense amount of effort.  I have worshipped with you over 500 times and prayed thousands of prayers that have encouraged me to look closely and see the treasure of God’s life in me and in others.  Then to buy the field and stay focused on what is most important.  Remembering that the only thing that matters is that I love as Jesus did and stand for the Gospel of absolute unconditional compassion.  You have helped me to stay focused on buying the field.  IT IS NOT A ONE TIME DEAL- IT IS A COMMITTING THAT HAPPENS OVER AND OVER EACH DAY OF OUR LIVES.  

Jesus sent out his disciples 2 by 2 because he knew that we can’t be people of love by ourselves.  We need one another, we must depend on community to support and fertilize our lives.  When I walked through those doors 12 years ago, I was struck by the passion of this community and the creative use of music.  I slowly learned the music, sang it often during the week and then was amazed at how it sank deep into my bones.  It is the frame I carry most from being with you.  Now I am being called to return to Minnesota and serve in ministry in new and unknown ways.  I have  been permanently formed by Journey, the table equality, the music, the painful struggles of leadership and decision making, the gift of growth over time:  Hannah from a toddler to a teenager, Jessica from a 6 year old to a young woman who lectors with conviction; I have been formed by the dozens of opportunities to dance with Don’s passion on the piano and all the hearty singing with Bob’s mighty trumpet blast leading the way.  There have been hundreds of ways you have
supported my vision and encouraged me to commit to the field of the Gospel. I have come to know my name and rise up singing.  So as I leave, I take with me the following creed of faith and prayer of hope:

My parents taught me the ancient stories, filled me with a longing for a land where justice reigns- so I desired to create with you ritual where love is found in water, wine and wheat; a banquet hall on holy ground where peace and justice meet.  I learned that it is built of tears and cries and laughter, prayers of faith and songs of grace.  Here as one we claim the faith of Jesus, I was welcomed in this place. 

We believe that in the midst of song and story no life stands alone.  And wherever people are fed, God is our bread and our breathing.  For God alone has named us, has counted our tears- He has regarded our tears, she who is goodness and grace.  Each day we are called to lift up our eyes to God’s name to the one who knows us well.... And if our voice were broken still the stones themselves would cry, for our lives cannot be silent, nor the earth remained unmoved.

We pray that God will give our stumbling direction, give our visions wider view, and for those of us who stand we shall run and not grow weary- because we shall see that day when God’s justice and power will break the chains that bind us- And even in exile, we sang of your name- out of our longing and deep in our pain- far from our homeland your promise remained- Alleluia.... for freedom is coming and healing is near. 

Our world has been saying no one hears the singing, people have been saying, all our hope is gone.... SO we ask “ Lord to whom shall we go? “ You who knows what goes on in people. 

Here in this world dying and living, we are each other’s bread and wine.  For God is hidden in pain, risen in love, God’s live is planted deep within ours.  Still today, there is a hope unborn God is bearing.  So together we pray, may God be our peace, become our place and in time show the world her face-Break every chain, make our life your own- speak every name, become our song. Songs have gathered us together and the stories make us one... we are sign and wonder, sower and seed and each of us is called to buy the gospel field.

May our journey continue to name us as a people here in this place and out in the world who stand for nothing less than the field of justice, mercy and peace. 

And the people say..... AMEN