Chronicles II 36:14-23 | Psalm 122:1-9 | Ephesians 2:4-10 | John 6:4-15

Good morning everyone. I am Roger Bower, the newest member of the staff here at St. Margaret's. I come to you from Albany, New York. Where it was 15 degrees last night. Here in California, I had my windows open and I was happy. It is a joy to be with you and serve this community. St. Margaret's is a wonder-filled, unique congregation. It is an honor and privilege for my wife Barbara and our two children, Kathryn and Christopher to minister with you. As we gather together we realize that we are so grateful for the hospitality and the welcome you have provided for us. We thought the transition from New York to California was going to be difficult, but it has been smooth and wonderful. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your hospitality.

I have to tell you, though, there have been a few challenges. Our moving van driver said to me, "Son, I am glad you are not teaching my son rocket science. You guys came from a three bedroom house with a basement which was full to a three bedroom house in California that has no basement. And you wonder why you can't park your cars in the garage? You were not too hip on math were you?" I said, "No." He said, "You need to get rid of some of the stuff you just are not going to need here in California." So Barbara and I began looking through our closets to decide on some things that we are not going to need. I brought a few of the items we are thinking we won't need. The first thing is a chasuble, what a priest wears. This one was made out of a comforter. Honest, I wore this one day when it was 35 degrees inside my church. Hopefully I will not need this here.

Second thing is a cope. Back in the old days, priests really wore these. This is from New Zealand. 100 percent wool and weighs about 45 pounds. I wore this at funerals outside. In New York if you die in the winter you don't get buried until spring. You are put somewhere until we can bury you when the ground thaws. That is another thing I won't need.

Last thing we thought we would not need is a snow shovel. Maybe we could now call it a "sand board" here in California. So I do not think we will need this. Over the next few weeks there may be some yard sale signs up in front of the Bower house.

For those who do not know the story, Fr. Robert and I met in November at a conference in Texas. One of those grace moments. God shows up and says, "I am going to put you two together." Fr. Robert and I sat with each other at a workshop and he started to tell me what a great community St. Margaret's was. I had never heard of St. Margaret's or this part of the country. I never thought about coming here. It was so electrifying. In about two minutes I said, "I would like to join you guys." He said, "Great, come on." We began talking some more. Again it was one of those grace filled moments. I have been pretty excited and I thought Fr. Robert was too. I thought he was pretty cool about me being here. Well, where is Fr. Robert this weekend? He is not even here and it is my first time preaching. I think I am having an inferiority complex.

Our meeting truly was a grace moment. If you look at the Lenten scriptures that we shared this morning, and the music that John played (including the wonderful hymn, "Amazing Grace.") We realize that the theme for our service today is grace.

When we think about "grace", many of us think about the prayers said before meals. Some might think of the banker who is going to give us "grace" for the loan we have. The bible is real simple. The bible tells us in the letter to Paul in Ephesians, "By grace we have been saved." God's free gift of salvation is what grace is.

What does that mean for us in real life? When I thought about grace, I started to work up something I could remember in my own head. Some of that high theology stuff is too much for me. This is what I came up with. It is not Longfellow but it is close. This is the good news about God's grace: it tells me that there is no rut in my life so deep that I can't leave it, there is no dream so lost in my life that I can't retrieve it. There is no pain so difficult that I can't endure it. There is no sin in my life so deep and so bad that God can't cure it. That is great little poem. I will be patenting that one. So what does that all mean?

Let's take the first one. There is no rut so deep that I can't leave it. When I moved to New York from Texas, I had to learn to drive in the snow. One of the first things they tell you up north is follow the ruts in the road in front of you. When it is snowing, keep in the tracks. Most of the times it will work. Sometimes, it creates a problem. Number one, if you are just following tracks and the person in front of you is lost where are you going to end up? Second problem is that sooner or later in a snowstorm, that track is going to stop. Every so often, it is important to blaze your own course and make your own tracks. God's grace allows us the opportunity to blaze our own trail and create a new life and new way of doing things. Churches are filled with people who have ruts in their life. Doing the same old thing. They come to the priest and ask, "How do I get out of doing the same old, same old?" God's grace empowers us. Philippians says, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." I can blaze my own trail. Through grace there is no rut so deep that I can't leave it.

The second piece of good news about God's grace is there is no dream so lost that I can't retrieve it. You see that in the scriptures today. The first reading was from the second book of Chronicles, in the Old Testament. Basically, it is a story about the people of Israel. In this passage we are hearing a reminder that the people of Israel at times were unfaithful and became lost and were sent out into exile. They had people coming in every other year invading their country, battling them, and throwing their leaders out to various places. Sent into exile. Imagine if that happened to you. There were prophets that came up, dreamers. Jeremiah, Isaiah, Nehemiah. These are the prophets that said, "Never give up, we can return and rebuild."

In the New Testament, the book of Revelation reminds us to never give up. Jesus is the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and end. You can make it through any kind of tribulation. Be a dreamer.

The last two weeks Fr. Robert got up here and preached to us and said, "We have a vision here at St. Margaret's, to grow the Christian church in the Coachella Valley." How many of us come here with unrealized dreams and expectations? We hurt because things have not happened the way we want. Lent is a time for us to be strengthened and renewed and say, "I can do anything through God's grace. I can make the dreams happen if we have a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ." That is what grace is about, there is no dream so lost that I can't retrieve it. That is the good news about God's grace.

Third thing about God's grace, is that there is no pain so great that I can't endure it. Many of us come here today with all sorts of pains. Physical pain, emotional pain, spiritual pain. Some of us are looking for God to heal us and to cure us-yet there is no relief in sight. God does want us to be healed. God also wants us to persevere through our trials.

In Paul's letter to the Romans it says that, "Tribulation brings on perseverance, perseverance brings on character, character brings on hope, and that hope will not disappoint us." That is the good news of God. God's hope will not disappoint us.

That is why I think Christianity is so great. Everybody who is a Christian should have a smile on their face twenty-four hours a day, seven days week. Have you seen those Christians who say, "Got to go into Lent, give up chocolate?" Who wants to be around a Christian with that kind of attitude? This is the great news about God's grace. That I can have that sense of hope and that hope will not disappoint me. So, through God's grace, there is no pain so great that I can't endure it.

The fourth piece of good news about God's grace is that there is no sin so great in my life that God can't cure it. Many of us are wracked with so many difficulties in our lives, sins that we carry in our hearts. When was the last time some of us went to confession? Many of us feel embarrassed to go, but God can cure all things.

Lent is a time to renew our lives - say we are sorry to our spouse, children, friends or neighbors. It is a time of grace. Grace helps us to recognize that there is no sin so great that God can't cure it. God can forgive anything in our heart if we just come to him. It is not by our own works. God does not save us because of who we are, God saves us because of who he is. That is the good news.

Those are the four pieces of good news about God's grace. Those things taught me three big lessons. One, I can't save myself. The good news is I don't have to. When I was in the seminary, I thought that everything would be great and all my sins will be washed away and I could be pure and holy and righteous. In seminary I found sins that I did not know existed. I worked with my spiritual director on this set of sins and then all of sudden another set would pop up. Martin Luther was the same sort of guy. Martin Luther was tormented because he could not please God. He did everything and could not get right with God until he read Romans: "By grace alone. By faith alone." Without grace, he became an angry person. That is what happened to me in seminary. Then all of a sudden I looked at the scriptures and said, "I do not have to save myself. I can't. God has already done it."

The second lesson is that I can't save all of you, and don't have to. Recently, I read a book by a man who was in the ministry for many years. He said, "When I first entered the ministry I thought it would be looking down on the river of life and seeing all these people in the mucky river and I would point out why they are in the muck. Thou shalt get out of the river because thou has sinned. About half way through my ministry I decided what I should do is go part way down the bank and give them a hand and pull them out. After many years of reflection I decided my real ministry in life was to jump in the river with everybody and paddle like crazy."

That is what we are called to do. We jump in the river and paddle like crazy while believing the grace of God. We can't save one another but we can pray for one another, minister to one another. We are called to be people who swim the river of life together.

The last lesson I learned is that I can't save God, and I don't have to. Often times, many of us think (especially when we are talking to non-Christians) that we have to defend God. My dad said when I was ordained, "Son, you have enough knowledge to be down right dangerous. Number one, do not mess up somebody's life and number two do not worry about God, He can handle himself." Good advice. I am not supposed to save myself, you, or God. I have to trust in God's grace to do all that.

During this Lenten season we are called to understand that God gives us an opportunity to experience God's grace. Come to the table and be fed. We don't have to understand everything. We are called to be fed by God's grace.

I'll close with a story. When I was a celibate priest, I was in the rectory one day and got a knock at the door. I opened the door, and there was a seven year old girl at my door. "Howdy mister. I am selling tickets." I said, "For what?" She said, "A couples swing dance." I said, "Do you know who I am?" She said, "Yea, you are the Catholic preacher man." I said, "Tell me about the dance, when is it?" She said, "I don't know." "Where is it going to be held?" "I don't know." "How much are the tickets?" "I don't know." I said, "Well you do not know too much." She looked at me and said, "Well listen here mister. My dad is a fireman and he said to sell these tickets. Do you want some?"

That is how I think about God's grace. We come here each Sunday and celebrate Eucharist together at this table. We come here today to celebrate God's grace, to revel in it. We jump into the river together and paddle like crazy. And, if someone that we do not know comes by our river of life we say, "Listen mister, we have the tickets of life. You want some?"

The Rev. Roger Bower