Do the Good that is Yours to Do

Rev. Debbie Cato
Isaiah 58:9b – 12 and Luke 3:7-16
Fairfield Community Church
December 15, 2024

Listening God. We know that you are constantly speaking to us. So, in this moment, we are quieting the noise in our heads.  We are closing our eyes.  We are leaning in.  We are listening.  We are doing the good that is ours to do.  Speak to us as only you can.  With hope in our hearts, we listen.  Amen.[1]

 

 

Do the Good that is Yours to Do

 

 

This Advent season, we are looking at “Words for the Beginning.”  We have said that endings always come before beginnings. Endings are always followed by beginnings.  God is working on new beginnings before we even experience the endings.  So, what words do we need to hear as we move into a new beginning?

 

The first Sunday of Advent, we talked about how precious each and every one of us are to God.  He created each of us in His image and calls us His beloved.  Through the prophet Isaiah, God told the Israelites, “I have called you by name.  You are mine.  You are precious in my sight, and honored, and I love you.”  You are a blessing. 

 

Last week, we focused on community and how we are not meant to go alone.  God did not intend for us to navigate life by ourselves. We need one another. We need community. 

 

Today, our theme is “doing the good that is yours to do.”  Doing the good that yours to do.  None of us can heal all the world’s problems on our own.  No one person can meet all the needs in the world.  But each one of us can do some-thing that matters; something that makes a difference.  God created every human with something to offer – regardless of our stage of life.  We are each called to do the good that is ours to do.  What is yours?                                                                             

 Our passage in Isaiah says, “If you remove the yoke from among you, the pointing of the finger, the speaking of evil, if you offer your food to the hungry and satisfy the needs of the afflicted, then your light shall rise in the darkness. If you do these things – if you remove a burden you have placed on someone, if you stop pointing your finger in anger or disdain, if you stop slandering others, if you offer food to the poor or help to those in need, then you shall be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to live in.”

 

Each one of you; each one of us, can do all these things.  They don’t require special skills; they don’t require wealth; they don’t require good health; they don’t require youth.  Each one of these things is within our abilities to do the good that is ours to do.

 

Through Isaiah, God said that if you do these things, then you shall be called a repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to live in. So, what is the biblical meaning of breach?  In Hebrew, “brech” means a tear, a break, a disruption, a strife.  A breach is anything that comes in the way of healthy relationships; loving relationships, Christ-like relationships.  We are told we must repair relationships.  And we are all equipped to do just that.  It’s hard.  It’s not fun. But to God it is essential for any new beginning.

Besides relational, there are also spiritual breaches.  A spiritual breachis any kind of sin that controls or rules over us.  When sin controls us, it is an indication that our spirit has been breached; it’s broken.  We can repair those spiritual breaches.  God gives us the gift of redemption, which is both repentance and turning from that sin. 

 

Redemption is a complete 360° transformation. When we have ongoing sin in our life, it causes a spiritual breach, and it affects our whole life. We are unable to live into the fullness God intends for us.  It impacts other people because it impacts our relationships.  

Repairing these breaches – both in our own spiritual life and in our

relationships with others, is essential for God’s creation.  It is essential for any new beginning.  The good news is, as those saved by the blood of Jesus — we are equipped to be restorers and unifiers.

 

The main message of Isaiah 58 is that there are occasions when we, the people of God, need to carry out an audit of what is really going on in our inner world and therefore, our relationship with God. God, through the prophet Isaiah, challenges the Israelites to do just that – to determine what is real and what is fake in their faith.

 

The Rev. Canon Jan Naylor Cope, preacher at the National Cathedral said this: “If you pressed me for four words that describe what it means to be part of the Jesus movement, four words that describe what it means to build the Kingdom of God, four words that exemplify the Christian life, it would be: repairers of the breach. This is what Isaiah makes clear as he speaks to the people of Israel who have just returned from exile. If you desire to know what God wants from you, then quit your bickering, your finger pointing, your slandering of others, and offer your food to the hungry, satisfy the needs of the afflicted – work to repair that which is broken in your own lives and in the lives of those around you. I believe this is our calling, she says.”[2]  To be repairers of the breach.

 

The book of Isaiah is one of the most important Old Testament books in the Christian tradition. Isaiah is quoted or alluded to in the New Testament more than any other book in Hebrew Scriptures, except the Psalms. Today’s passage clearly states that our actions, and our inactions, have consequences.

 

We all can stop our bickering, putting an end to our finger pointing, and our slandering and gossiping of others.  “We can all offer food to the hungry and satisfy the needs of the suffering.  We can – and must work to repair that which is broken in your own lives and in the lives of those around you.”[3]  Things that are broken in community.

 

It may not seem like much.  But if each one of us does the good that is ours to do – think of the difference it would make.  Think of all the lives we would collectively touch.  All the healing we would facilitate.

 

John the Baptist calls these actions “fruits worthy of repentance.” Fruits worthy of repentance.  Things that are a result of the forgiveness we receive through Christ.  In this season of expectant hope, we must remember that the good we do has ripple effects beyond what we can see.  We are not the world’s savior, but we move toward the One who not only invites us into the work, but who works right beside us and through us.  

 

Kate Bowler, a Duke professor and author wrote this blessing for what is ours to be done: 

 

Blessed are we with eyes wide open to see reality.

 

The sickness and loneliness, the injustice of racial oppression.

The unimpeded greed and misuse of power.

The violence of intimidation.

The mockery of truth and disdain for weakness, and worse,

The seeming powerlessness of anyone trying to stop it.

 

Blessed are we who are worn out from cynicism
that we feel we’ve earned.

 

God, when we’re tempted to throw up our hands and surrender,
anchor us in hope.

Remind us of what is ours to be done.

Those small, faithful acts that add up
to something bigger than ourselves.

Something that looks a lot like a realized hope.[4]  Amen.

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[1] Sanctifiedart.com.  Advent Series 2024.  Third Sunday of Advent.  Prayer by Rev. Sara Speed.
[2] https://cathedral.org/meditations/called-to-be-repairers-of-the-breach/  National Cathedral.  The Rev. Canon Jan Naylor Cope. 2/17/2024.
[3] https://cathedral.org/meditations/called-to-be-repairers-of-the-breach/  National Cathedral.  The Rev. Canon Jan Naylor Cope. 2/17/2024.
[4] https://katebowler.com/blessings/a-blessing-for-what-is-ours-to-be-done/For Advent 3.

We Can't Go Alone

Rev. Debbie Cato
Ruth 1 and Ecclesiastes 4:9-12
Fairfield Community Church
December 8, 2024

Holy God, the words of this world whip around us like a mighty wind.  We are caught up in news reports, in text messages, in emails and notifications.  We are drowning in updates from the media, caught off guard by the constant hum of it all.  But here on this bright morning we remember:  you too are speaking.  Still the voices around us.  calm our minds and center our hearts so that we can hear your words above the wind. We are leaning closer.  We are at the edge of our chairs.  We are beginning again.  Speak to us, as only you can.  Amen.[1]

 

 

We Can’t Go Alone

 

 

Last week we talked about how precious you are to God.  You are a blessing.  We read about God speaking to the prophet Isaiah saying, “I have called you by name.  You are mine.  You are precious in my sight, and honored, and I love you.”  We talked about how endings are always before new beginnings and how God has a new beginning planned before the ending happens.

 

Today we are going to talk about how we need one another.  How much we need community.  We can’t go alone. 

 

Recent studies show that 1 in 2 Americans struggles with social disconnection – or loneliness.  One in two. In 2023, Dr. Vivek Murthy, the Surgeon General of the United States, declared loneliness an “epidemic” because it is so prevalent.  Loneliness doesn’t just hurt the individuals who feel isolated and alone, but it negatively impacts society as a whole.  The feelings of isolation impact both our mental and physical health.  Research has shown that loneliness can take the same toll on our bodies as smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day![2]  Think about that.  Loneliness can take the same toll on our bodies as smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day.  That’s incredible.

 

Today, loneliness is particularly prevalent in teenagers and young people.  Social media has changed their social lives.  They (or adults too) might have hundreds and hundreds of FaceBook friends yet without “real” friends and they are lonely.  There’s a barrier protecting us when we are on FaceBook.  Our vulnerabilities don’t show themselves.  We don’t post about our hardships.  We forget that others have problems too. We are all on FaceBook pretending that life is grand.   Our teenagers and young people are at the most risk.  Depression and suicides are at a high.

 

Just think, one in two Americans are lonely.  Look around.  If we mimic the U.S. as a whole, then half of you sitting here in this sanctuary are lonely. At a minimum, we could assume that every single one of us is impacted by loneliness in some way or other. It’s not only people that are alone who feel lonely.  You can be surrounded by people and still feel lonely; isolated. 

 

When my husband left, I felt all alone; isolated.  Surprisingly, not because he had left.  Not because I was physically alone.  My 2-year-old and newborn were always with me.  They always needed me.  They were dependent on me. But, I felt alone and isolated because I felt the weight of responsibility to protect and take care of my girls all on my own.  It was all my responsibility.  I was blessed.  I had a whole church that wrapped themselves around us and loved and supported us.  Yet, even though I had help, and many people befriended us, it felt very lonely and isolating.  It was like a big weight in my gut.  I will never forget how that felt. 

 

We were not meant to be alone.  God created us to be in community; to be together, to have someone who gets us, who cares about us in our life. To have someone who not only asks how we are doing but means it.  Someone who really wants to know.  Someone to listen.  Even God is lives in community.  Three manifestations of Himself that we call the  Holy Trinity – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. So of course He would also create us – his beloved, his precious ones to also exist in community.  After all, we are created in His image. So, I say to all us independent types, we need one another! We can’t go alone.

 

Covid was a huge isolator.  I think of the residents at PCAL, or any assisted living facility.  They were unable to have any visitors.  They could not even leave their rooms.  They could not eat their meals in the dining room with others.  They were confined to their rooms.  Not for a few days.  Not for a few weeks, but for months and months.   During that time, many residents’ health began to fail; they lost the ability to exercise – just walk down the halls.  Their physical abilities decreased because they couldn’t even walk the halls. They were very lonely.  Truly isolated.  I’ve talked about this with them many times.  It left them grieving for a long time. I think some still are. 

 

We were all isolated during Covid but not all of us were all alone.  Most of us were not as isolated as the residents in assisted living facilities.  I was able to work from home.  I missed the in-person comradery of my peers, even though we had many zoom meetings.  Technically, we could still “see” each other and talk.  But there was a barrier between us.  It was not the same. 

 

I had only moved to Spokane about 6 months before Covid hit.  I was 
diagnosed with breast cancer 3 ½ months after I moved.  I was just

recovering from my treatments when Covid hit.  I had not had a chance to make any friends yet.  I was lonely. 

 

But I was fortunate.  I was living in the mother-in-law apartment attached to Jessica’s house, where I’ll be moving back to this spring.  We were all in the same “bubble” so they could come over to see me and I could go over and have dinner with them.  I could see my daughter and her husband.  I could visit and play with my grandchildren.  We were very fortunate – we had each other.  Yet it was still a very isolating time.  I became even more lonely.  I felt like I was on the outside looking in.  It snowballed into feelings of inadequacy, insecurity, and insignificance.  Perhaps some of you had similar experiences.

 

I think one of the things Covid taught us is how important relationships are.  Real relationships. It taught us how much we need others in our lives.  How much we need human contact.  We need each other’s physical presence in our lives. We can’t go it alone.

 

In this story of Ruth and Naomi, we see Ruth, a Moabite woman, could have returned to her birth family after her husband’s death.  It would have been the expected place for her to go.  Naomi, overcome with loss and steeped in grief, initially pushes Ruth away.  She even renames herself from Naomi to “Mara” which means bitter.  Her new name reflected her belief that her life had been marked by divine disfavor.  But instead of leaving, Ruth chooses a radical commitment to her mother-in-law, saying, “Do not press me to leave you, to turn back from following you.  Where you go, I will go.” [3]

 

Ruth’s choice was not just about devotion to her mother-in-law.  It was the formation of a new family built not on blood but on kinship, on the daring belief that our lives are better intertwined.[4] 

 

In my case, my church family became my family.  There were two older

couples (the age I am now!) who became grandparents to my girls. They took them places including to their homes, giving me much needed breaks.  The girls were well loved by so many people during that time.  They went to museums and plays and did all sorts of things.  I learned that sometimes family is what you make it.  And my church family made it full.

 

This is the second Sunday of Advent.  Everywhere you go you see decorated trees, lights, music.  Yet, the holidays can be a terribly lonely time for people.  Christmas is not all twinkling lights, excitement, parties, and Santa.  The holidays can be a stark reminder that we are alone.  We no longer have a family.  Someone important to us is no longer here.

 

Kayla Craig in her commentary for today’s passage says this: “What would it look like to foster deep connections in this season – not just gathering marked by exchanging pleasantries but by sharing your messy, holy, complicated life?”[5] We need deep connections.  Who could you befriend this season?   Who could you invite into your celebrations? Who could you check in on?  Give the gift of time? 

 

 

We also read from Ecclesiastes this morning.  Ecclesiastes is considered a "wisdom book" because it primarily focuses on exploring the meaning of life, offering reflections on human experience, and providing guidance on how to live wisely and meaningfully, even in the face of life's uncertainties and limitations. It reminds us, “Two are better than one … for if they fall, one will lift up the other.”  Two are better than one.  If one falls, they will lift up the other.  It speaks to the fundamental human need for connection, no matter the relationship or what season of life we’re in.[6]

 

You can’t go alone, nor were you meant to.  Our relationships reflect the One, who in becoming flesh, chose to be with us.  To share our humanity.  To show us that we need each other.

 

Friends, we are not meant to be alone – in any aspect of that word.  We need one another.  Your friendships, your acts of reaching out, can have impacts that you can’t imagine.  It can change a life. 

 

We are not meant to go alone on this path of life.  We need one another. 

That is how God created us – to be in community.  To genuinely care about one another.  To help one another.

 

What can you do in this season of waiting for the Christ child that will make a difference in someone’s life who is struggling with loneliness and isolation?  That is the question to ask yourselves in the coming weeks.

 

Hear this blessing:  Beloved, you are not alone on this winding journey.  May the companionship of fellow travelers reflect the love of the One who – in becoming flesh – chose to journey alongside us.  May the quilt of life – all our lives intertwined with one another – warm you from the chill of isolation, and may the Spirit move you to compassion as you cultivate community, even in times of uncertainty.[7]  Amen.

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[1] Sanctifiedart.com.  Advent Series 2024.  Second Sunday of Advent.  Prayer by Rev. Sara Speed.
[2] Sanctifiedart.com.  Advent Series 2024.  Second Sunday of Advent.  Commentary by Kayla Craig.
[3] Sanctifiedart.com.  Advent Series 2024.  Second Sunday of Advent.  Commentary by Kayla Craig.
[4] Ibid
[5] Sanctifiedart.com.  Advent Series 2024.  Second Sunday of Advent.  Commentary by Kayla Craig.
[6] Sanctifiedart.com.  Advent Series 2024.  Second Sunday of Advent.  Commentary by Kayla Craig
[7] Sanctifiedart.com.  Advent Series 2024.  Second Sunday of Advent.  Commentary by Kayla Craig

You Are a Blessing

Rev. Debbie Cato
Isaiah 43:1-7 and Luke 1:26-38
Fairfield Community Church
December 1, 2024 

Affirming God. How often do you speak to us, and how often do we miss it? How often do you whisper blessings over us that we refuse to hear? Open our hearts.  Create space in us to not only hear these words, but to believe the good news tucked between them.  We are hungry for your wisdom, so speak to us now.  With hope and curiosity, we listen.  With hope and curiosity, we dare to begin again. Amen.[1]

 

 

You are a Blessing

 

 

Explaining the Advent theme of “Words for the Beginning.” Rev. Lisle Gwynn Garrity said this: “Advent is a season of endings and beginnings.  As the calendar year comes to a close, a new church year begins.  Christ’s birth ushers us into new ways of living and loving; and yet, the world as we know it spins madly on.  In many ways, pregnant Mary was surrounded by endings – large and small, personal and political.  But Mary proclaimed hope in a God who was and is making all things new.  Christ’s birth offered a beautiful new beginning for shepherds and Magi alike – all the while, King Herod tried to bring Christ’s story to an end.  When we ourselves navigate seasons filled with endings and beginnings, we need reminders.  We need words that can feel like a steady ground, like a path for our feet to find as we step forward into the unknown.”[2]

 

“A season of endings and beginnings.” When I looked at the Advent series that Sanctified Art was doing this year, it resonated with me.  We are not only in the season of Advent – full of endings and beginnings, but we as a church are in a time of transition – full of endings and beginnings.  I was drawn to this phrase “a season of endings and beginnings.”  Notice that endings come first, and then beginnings.  We have all experienced lots of endings.  They are hard, they are scary, they are sad.  When something ends, we often feel panicked because we cannot see a new beginning.  Often, we cannot even grasp that there is a new beginning – and our new beginning will be good.  But endings are always followed with beginnings.

 

When Gabrial tells Mary she will conceive a child by the Holy Spirit and give birth to the Son of God, Mary’s dreams for the future died.  The life Mary had imagined with her fiancé, Joseph, was gone.  Her dreams of a future with her husband and eventually a family were gone.  Instead, she had to explain to Joseph that she was pregnant, and based on cultural norms, she expected he would divorce her.  She knew she would be shamed and ostracized.  She was merely a teenager.  Now she was unmarried and pregnant. And somehow carrying God’s son.

 

As Mary processed this ending, God was already working on a new beginning.  She would be the mother of God!  God would send the same messenger to Joseph and explain the pregnancy.  They would still have their life together.  Yes, it would be different than what she had planned.  Yes, that life with Joseph that Mary envisioned had ended.  But a new life, a new way of being together, a new beginning was being birthed.  The end of Mary ‘s expectation for her life became a new beginning.  She was blessed in ways she never could have imagined. God already knew what their future would be.  A future with hope.

 

Maybe you are facing an ending.  Maybe your life is suddenly taking a sharp turn; a road you hadn’t planned on traveling.  Maybe you are scared; worried.  But God already has a new beginning planned!  A future with

hope!

 

We are facing an ending too.  An end to our ministry together.  An end to

our relationships.  An end to this chapter of God’s church here in Fairfield.  We know in 5 ½ months we will be saying good-bye.  It will be a time filled with emotions -  denial, anger, bargaining, deep sadness and even, acceptance.  Maybe I should add panic in there too.  Some of you may feel

panicked about the future of this church; scared. Endings are hard. 

 

But God is already working on your new beginning.  God already has a plan!  This is God’s church, and you are God’s beloved people.  He intends for you to be a blessing; for this church to be a blessing.  God knows what you need.  He knows what your new beginning will be.  A future with hope.

 

In her commentary for today’s sermon prep, Kayla Craig says this:  “Mary is described as “blessed among women.”  She is neither wealthy nor powerful, and yet she is chosen to bear God’s child.  Her story begins with blessedness and so does ours.  About 700 years before the birth of Christ, the prophet Isaiah proclaimed that we are claimed by a God who calls our name.  We are a blessing because we belong to God.  When blessedness is our beginning, we begin to see the world – and others – through the eyes of a God who says: “You are precious in my sight.””[3]

 

Think about that.  You are blessed.  YOU are blessed.  You are precious in God’s sight.  YOU are precious in God’s sight.

 

With love like that; with belonging like that; how can beginnings not be covered in God’s love and grace?  How can He not have good plans for the people he loves so much?  People that are precious to him.  How can He not promise you a future with hope?!

 

Advent invites us to reflect on how we, like Mary, are invited into God’s

redemptive narrative – no matter how ordinary or small we might feel – for each one of us has the potential to carry God’s love in a weary world.[4]

 

In the story of Mary and the angel, Gabriel illustrates how God selects someone the world might overlook to be part of something beautiful.  Gabriel’s message, “Greetings, favored one!  The Lord is with you,” isn’t merely a formality but a declaration of Mary’s essential place in God’s divine plan.[5] 

 

Mary’s encounter with Gabriel, a pivotal moment in the Advent story, marks the unveiling of God’s new beginning.  It marks the unveiling of a promise and a prophecy of a miraculous birth that subverted every expectation of what a coming King’s arrival should look like.[6] 

 

Mary had to say good-bye to the life she planned.  Her dreams and ideas for the future ended with Gabriel’s visit.  But the beginning that God planned, was so much greater, so much more significant than anything she could see or imagine. 

 

Right now, you can’t see what the future of this church will look like.  You are still holding on to your dreams and ideas of what we are as a community of followers of Jesus right now.  Letting go is hard – it’s scary.  But God already knows what the future holds for you.  He already has a plan.  He’s not surprised I’m retiring.  This is God’s church and God is and always has been in control.

 

In the days and weeks and months ahead of us, remember what Isaiah said: “I have called you by name.  You are mine.” “You are precious in my

sight, and honored, and I love you.”

 

Rev. Sara Speed, in “Joy and Celebration” wrote,

 

I knew it in my bones,
the way my feet know the way home.
You are a blessing.

 

For our creating God
breathed life into your being.

And there is simply no way that,
along with that life,
some of God’s goodness
didn’t slip right in.

 

Hear this:  YOU are a blessing; YOU – known, chosen, and called for a purpose.  May you boldly live into this truth, recognizing and cherishing your inherent worth so that you may honor God’s image in others.  Trust your beloved-ness as you enter the redemptive work God has invited you into.[7] 

 

Amen.

 

 

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[1] Sanctifiedart.com.  Advent Series 2024.  First Sunday of Advent.  Prayer by Rev. Sara Speed.
[2] Sanctifiedart.com.  Advent Series 2024.  A Sermon Planning Guide.  “About the Theme.”  By Rev. Lisle Gwynn Garrity.
[3] Sanctifiedart.com.  Advent Series 2024.  A Sermon Planning Guide.  The First Sunday of Advent.  Kayla Craig.
[4] Sanctifiedart.com.  Advent Series 2024.  A Sermon Planning Guide.  The First Sunday of Advent.  Kayla Craig.
[5] Ibid.
[6] Ibid.
[7] Sanctifiedart.com.  Advent Series 2024.  A Sermon Planning Guide.  The First Sunday of Advent.  Kayla Craig.