Sixth Sunday of Easter: Rogation Sunday

Unedited Transcript Follows:

Rogation Sunday, you know, this Thursday?

I met with the members of, uh, mountains of the Council, Mountain Springs Community Church. We signed papers in Saint John's, became the owner of a church. So, yeah. Yeah, so. Yep, praise God. Yeah, praise be to God, and uh, yeah, we. We own a church now, so since my family moved to Utah nearly seven years ago.

We've walked through some some journeying together, I don't know. I didn't bump a tambourine. I don't think. The tambourines moving itself, yeah? Uh, but since we moved to Utah nearly seven years ago, we've walked through a lot of Journeys together shortly after moving it. It didn't feel shortly then, but now looking back, it does, but the world shut down because of covid-19.

In five different places in those seven years. We, we worshiped in a chapel at the hospital. We spent a couple weeks in the field outside of K2, the church, because no one was letting us inside. We were celebrating Eucharist services at Fitz Park. That's where Israel was baptized. After that, we worshiped for nine months in the Hyatt House.

Out in the conference center at the Hyatt House over there by the Delta Center, which was the Vivint Arena at that time and then, and and the whole time we were setting up live streams, right? Uh, because people were not sure that they wanted to gather and we were playing televangelist?

This Chapel for almost four years now. Can you believe that time does fly man, uh? But, and the whole time God has been faithful, and now God has seen fit to give us permanent space, and he's doing it at a pretty cool time. Like, where? You guys might be feeling like, man, we're outgrowing this place, and uh, and we are and.

He's seen fit to give us this permanent worship space and, and I've been saying all like as time has gone on. People's been wondering about hey, what? What about a church for us? That's permanent, and I remember talking to several of you and saying, hey, we! A miracle. That's what we need, that's what.

That's what real estate has done and start. Like, pray for a miracle to happen. Like, sure, we'll look at opportunities that come, but be praying for a miracle because I think that's what's gonna have to happen. And we got a miracle guys. I mean, like they handed us a church.

And during the transition. While this was going on the daily office, lectionary in God's Providence has had us in Deuteronomy. Guys, that's really cool that we've been in Deuteronomy. Uh. Deuteronomy is like a is a preaching of the law of God, so it's the law of God given to us again.

But as a sermon this time, so it's Moses preaching the law of God, but he's preaching it to the people of God, right on the edge of the land that they are going to dwell in permanently. So right, as the people of God are standing at the edge of the land that they're going to dwell in permanently.

The law taking place. They'd been traveling and setting up tents for 40 years. They were worshiping in the Tabernacle, which was meant to be mobile so that they could tear it down and set it up again, right? And just before they go into the land, Moses is giving this retelling of the law as a sermon.

God's inviting them. To consider the lessons that they should have been learning while they were wandering in the wilderness right before they go in the land. And as we enter into a new phase as a church. God has invited us to consider these words as we read the daily office readings.

I was focusing really closely on the words that God chose to say to his people before they settled. That remind the people that this has nothing to do with their Merit. He he it has to do with his merciful hand, he said. It wasn't because of their strength. In 7-7 when he said it was not because you were more in number than any of the other people that the Lord said his love on you and chose you for you were the fewest of all the people, right?

He said it wasn't because of their righteousness and Deuteronomy 9 when he said, do not say in your heart after the Lord, your God has thrust them out before you, the peoples that are there. It is because of my righteousness that the Lord has brought me in to possess this land, whereas it is because of the wickedness.

Nations that the Lord is driving them out before you, he really said. Like, don't say it's because we were righteous that we were given this land. It's actually because they were just wicked, you know they? It wasn't your righteousness. It was their wickedness like they needed to be out of the land.

And then I'm bringing you in. And God's timing was beautiful on this. As we walk through the daily office, here's another plug read the daily office. It's awesome, you get to go through the whole scriptures every year and pray the scriptures every year. But God's timing was beautiful because, as he gave us this permanent worship space, and this huge plot of land to cultivate.

He reminded us that, just as it has always been for his people, his provision and blessing isn't a response. To what we deserve. But it's a gift. So, he reminded us. And he's also reminded us through these readings that we're reading in Deuteronomy. That where a people continually reliant on him for our very survival?

He gives that gem that Jesus quotes in his Temptation with Satan. But from Deuteronomy 8, 3, he humbled you and allowed you to hunger so that you may learn that man does not live by bread alone. Right? And now, three days after signing paperwork. That made this church, our church.

He's given us rogation Sunday. Rogation comes from the Latin word for asking. Right? So, it's a it's a noun so, like, like? The asking of a question, right? Uh, so, not, uh, like, like we, we would call it like a gerund so, uh, yeah, for, for nerds, but we're, so we're using it as a noun, right?

Uh, we're using as a noun, so it sounds like a verb or a participle, but what the asking? So, it's the Latin noun asking, like, the questioning of something? Given this land right on the Sunday that we talk about asking? It's this, it's it's. It's really focused on. The land.

So, as the asking of God to bring fruitfulness to the land to bless the land to bring fruitfulness to our lives to our labor guys. It's so appropriate for where we are in the life of the church. It seems like we almost proof-texted the lectionary text today. Reflect on just a few minutes.

Right, as we recognize that we were given land on what it means to ask God's blessing on land that we are then called to inhabit and cultivate. And we're supposed, and this is not only about land. This is really ultimately about every blessing God gives. So, ultimately, rogation is about recognizing who is The Giver of every gift.

It's about pausing and recognizing who gives every gift that's ever been given? And our colleague today, we, we recognize that God is the one who's prepared good things for us that go beyond our wildest imagination, right? We're praying to the God who gives us all these great gifts. This is who God is.

He has prepared good things for those who love him. All receive eternal life, but for our flourishing in this life today, God is giving his people good gifts. God gives us good gifts. Did you know that the next three days are actually days of fasting? What in Easter? We don't fast in Easter.

I don't. I tell you that right, we don't fast in Easter. Do save your fasting for later if there's ever a season where you can gain a pound or two. It's Easter tide, like, that's the time to do it. So, eat, drink, be married. Jesus won victory over death.

Go go party, right? There's these fast days, right? In the middle three of them, right? The rogation days? Our Temptation is to be more concerned about the gifts God gives us than The Giver of the gifts themselves. Our temptation is to focus in on the gifts God gives us and turn away from The Giver of all good gifts.

So, we prayed in our colic that we might love God in all things, and above all things that we might love the one who is in all things and inhabits all the good gifts and above all things. Sometimes, it's easy. It's easy to see God's hand providing for us, right?

It's easy to see God's hand blessing us. Sometimes, a church calls you up and gives you a church, and then it's easy to be like, okay, that was a gift from God, right? That's easier, right? But sometimes, and probably most of our Lives. This is actually harder for us to see than we realize.

That God is the provisioner of all provider of all things. So, rogation Sunday is about the land, so think about a farmer, a farmer who's tilling the land working hard, dirty, sweaty. Think about it before all the power tools that we have now, like, uh, the the cultivating land, and then they they yield a crop from all this work, and they're eating from the crops.

Sometimes it's harder for them at that moment to recognize. From the Lord. Instead, they might feel like. I worked my tail off and I'm eating some food right, and so it might be harder to recognize. That this is a gift from God's hand. Think about how you you and I might work long hours.

And receive your paycheck at the end of a week or two weeks or a month, or how often you get paid. Maybe those moments. It's harder to recognize, hey, all these things come directly from God. I've worked hard, and I've received a paycheck, right? Think about how maybe some of you are willing to say no to a bunch of meals out and new clothes that other people said yes to, and now you're debt free, and you've built up a net.

You're beginning to build up a neck steak for retirement. It's easy harder at those moments. So say all these things come from God, right? In these moments, it's hard to remember that God is the very one who gave you life, who breathed breath into your lungs while you worked while you toiled, everything you did was a gift from God.

Everything you have is a gift from God. Your very life is a gift from God. The fact that you're alive right now is a gift from God. All of it comes from God. He's The Giver of all gifts. Rogation is about not forgetting. From. Not because you were strong, not because you're Mighty, not because you worked hard at your work all month.

Not because you saved your money and made wise decisions. Is God blessing you, but because he shows Mercy? That's what rogation is about, reminding us. That if we got what we deserved, none of us would like the result. That God shows us Mercy and that every blessing we have comes from God.

That's what rogation is about. So, regation days are fasting days because we, people of God, know that God let our fathers. In our in the faith. Hunger so that they might learn that man does not live by bread alone.

So, we're invited to let ourselves hunger, but this isn't a penitential fast. It's not a penitential season. It's an invitation. To allow ourselves to remember. That we aren't provided for by our own might and our own strength. But by God who provides for us. So our jewel reading? Where we have that great promise.

It's famous that God will restore what the locusts have he in, right? It's said in the context of of a promised return from Exile. You know why? Joel tells us that the people of God were being put into Exile. They were put into Exile. So that the land may enjoy its sabbaths.

That's why they were put into Exile in Joel, right? Now, there's a ton we could unpack there about having a relationship with the Earth that isn't exploiting it. And, and simply just using it up as much as we can. Because it's God's gift. The Earth is God's gift, right?

But the main thing about Sabbath and as it's related to rogation is about a dependence on God's provision. You realize that the people of God lived in agrarian culture. And not only were they asked to take a day off every week. But there's has to take a year off every seven years and not cultivate the land.

Do you realize how insane it would be? In an agrarian culture to say, we're going to take a year off and not cultivate the land and just deal with what it produces on its own. How scary that would be and, and so they never did it right. Like, the people of God, never did that.

They were, like, no, thanks. Nope, we're not gonna take a year off and just live on what the Lord brings out of the Earth spontaneously. Like, not gonna do it, we'll, we'll all starve, which they would have. Except God can rain bread from. And provide for them, right? And so it was always about learning to rely on God's provision.

And wait on the Lord. And they never did that. And so, Joel, when he's saying the land will enjoy it. Sabbaths is going to say. You never relied on the Lord. You never learn the lesson that man doesn't live by bread alone. But on every word that comes out of the mouth of God that I'm trustworthy that I'm the one who gave you the land that I thrust the people out of the land, and not because you were strong and mighty.

But because I had mercy and not because you were righteous, but because they were wicked, and you never learned that it was never about you. It was always about me giving you the land, right? So, we're invited as we're celebrating a miracle from God. And all the Miracles of Our Lives that we forget are Miracles.

The fact that you woke up this morning? Right? We're invited into. A week of remembering our dependence on God. We need God. And ultimately. It's God's presence that sanctifies land. The foundation of all the promises of Joel is given to us at the very end of our reading. In verse 27, I myself will be in the midst of them.

In Jesus Incarnation, we have the Fulfillment of that verse. God is with us. He's in the land with us. But this is ultimately fulfilled in Revelation. When in the reading we read today, it says, behold, The Dwelling place of God is with man. The best things of the? The delicious foods, the fulfilling careers, the beautiful music, the best literature, our even our relationships with our children, family spouses, all of this.

Pales in comparison. To what our actual greatest desires of our hearts are actually turned towards. When we prayed. That we might receive all God's promises, which exceed all that we can desire. There's only one thing we were actually praying for. Union with Jesus. All of our desires, all those things that we turn toward, and we think we want things so badly.

All of it is meant to be fulfilled in Jesus. In our Union with Jesus and being one with Jesus.

The kings of the? Bring their CR their glory into this city, right? That's what's happening in the Revelation reading, and it's truly glorious. The kings of the earth have glory, and they bring their glory into the city. They lay their crowns down at the feet of Jesus, because all of it pales in comparison to what Jesus is, and he's shining so brightly than everything else doesn't even shine anymore, and they are laying their crowns down at his feet.

It's a picture this is really glorious. What we bring really is glorious.

See, we received the foretaste of this at every single Eucharist. But even the Eucharist. That Miracle simply points us toward the full Union we're meant to have with Jesus. It's just pointing. We're not celebrating the Eucharist. In the New Jerusalem guys. Because Jesus is there. We're like, Jesus is there in his fullness, and we are.

We are one with him. He's come down from Heaven. As the bridegroom and his bride has received him, we've we're there, we may, and so we don't celebrate that. We don't celebrate the four taste of that anymore. We're we're! We got the real deal, right? Rogation days are days where we look back at the creation of God, and it's right to look back at the creation that how God made all things and provides for us, but we have it in the middle of Easter tide because we recognize that The God Who creates is also the God who recreates and redeems.

And I think when we look at that, it's important to recognize everything is meaningless, unless Jesus is with us. The most rewarding successes you can find in your career. Will pale in comparison to seeing Jesus. Face to face. The most beautiful and fulfilling marriage. Will pale in light of the marriage supper of the Lamb.

Where we see the ultimate end that are even the best marriage on Earth could only point out. The most wonderful meal you can eat will pale in light of feasting with the Lord. The most beautiful worship and worship space is only at its height. Pointing from a distance at the real thing?

The Heavenly Jerusalem, falling from Heaven and coming to Earth. See ground is made holy because Jesus inhabits it. And that's the only thing that makes it holy. So church were invited into rogation. We're invited into intentional asking or invited to freshly reflect on our utter and complete dependence on God.

We're invited to allow ourselves to hunger so that we might learn that man does not live by bread alone, but by the word that comes from the Lord and ultimately. So, most importantly, like thing. One thing, one? We're invited to seek Jesus. Provided a Sikh Union with Jesus. Ask for more and more of Jesus.

Because we know that it's his presence, and that alone were true. Fulfillment is found. Amen.