Propio/Proper 5 A + 6.7.26 + For those who dare/ por los que se atreven + MCL

 

M. Campbell-Langdell

All Santos, Oxnard

(Genesis 12:1-9; Ps/S 33:1-12; Rom. 4:13-25; Mat. 9:9-13, 18-26)

This sermon is for all those who decide to put one foot forward in faith, to take a risk, despite resistance. Those who forge a new path, despite what the haters said, or maybe more so, despite what their inner doubts said.
Este es un sermón para todos los que tomen un paso de fe sin saber adónde llegarán, sin saber el camino y saliendo de su hogar ancestral. La gente como Abram. Es un sermón dedicado a quienes siguen adelante con el llamado de Dios a pesar de la resistencia humana.

Take Abram, later called Abraham. He was seventy-five years old. And he is forming this new relationship with the God of all creation, and he is told that he will be a blessing for all. But to be that, he has to take a big risk. At his advanced age, he is to take a step forward in faith, along with those who accompany him, into a new land.

Abram tiene setenta y cinco años y Dios lo invita a acompañarlo a una nueva tierra. Hay muchos riesgos, como algunos de ustedes saben. Él tiene que dar un paso de fe. Y Dios lo llama.

God is calling him there not just for himself, but for all of us – all the people of faith who will come. And he is brave. Maybe he doesn’t feel it. But he is brave. He moves forward, and a new chapter in human relationships with God is born – the Abrahamic faiths.

Dios no llama a Abram solo por su propio bien ni por el de su familia, sino que él es una bendición para todas las naciones, para toda la gente de fe. Y así se establecen las fes abrahámicas, un nuevo capítulo en las relaciones entre los seres humanos y Dios. ¿Abram hace todo bien?

Does he do everything perfectly? I don’t think so. He pretends his wife is his sister, which gets him into some hairy situations. He has other missteps. He is human, and he learns while doing just as we all do. But he has the vision. And he steps forward in faith.

No hace todo bien, Abraham. Él pretende que su mujer es su hermana, lo cual es muy grosero. Cuando toma decisiones basadas en el miedo de los demás, como nosotros también, falla. Es muy humano. Pero él da un paso de fe.

This takes courage. The courage of a person leaving their country to pursue a better life, not just for themselves, but for others. Similarly, Matthew, a tax collector, leaves what he knows and his financially comfortable, if politically charged, post to follow Jesus. He throws a party and invites some other misfits over. And it is shocking.

Esta fortaleza es semejante a la que mostró Mateo al arriesgar su situación financiera y social para dejar su puesto de cobrador de impuestos y seguir a Jesús. Luego él tiene una fiesta e invita a otros que no siguen las leyes sociales. Y es difícil para la gente entender. Tan difícil como si Jesús regresara e invitara a un agente de ICE a cenar con él. Porque Jesús tomo un riesgo social en cenar con gente que trabajaba solo para el bien de Roma.

As shocking as if Jesus came back and found an ICE officer who got into it for the 50K but now is wondering what she is up to. As shocking as his approaching her and saying, " Get all your ICE buddies together, let’s have a meal. Jesus took a risk in sitting down with the tax collectors and others who his people thought were harmful to society. But he wanted to help change hearts. Were all the tax collectors and other societal pariahs moved by the Spirit? I doubt it. Probably some said, “This is not for me.” But some stayed and caught the fire in their bones, the source of Spirit that said, this, this is a blessing not just for me, but for all.

Supongamos que no todos los que escucharon el mensaje de Jesús en ese grupo se convencieron. Pero algunos sí. Y sintieron el Espíritu.
A veces el Espíritu aparece en lugares inesperados. Entiendo que un grupo entre nosotros inició su alabanza en un bar gay porque no tenía otro lugar para adorar a Dios juntos en Ventura. Y ellos sintieron el Espíritu y formaron una iglesia.

I recently learned that we don’t have all the baptismal records for the small All Saints church that joined us because it began worshiping in a gay bar, Paddy’s, and not all records were maintained. But a group that didn’t have any place else to worship found each other and Jesus together, and a church was formed. They felt the Spirit. They caught the vision not just for themselves, but for all people of faith.

Esto no fue solo para apoyarlos, sino también para animar a toda la gente de fe. Esto lo vemos en la historia de la mujer en el evangelio de hoy, quien se atreve a buscar la sanación aunque está ritualmente impura por su estado de salud. Ella está sanada tanto en cuerpo como en espíritu, y sin duda su regreso a la comunidad animó la fe de los demás.

The woman in today’s gospel also dares to reach out to Jesus for healing, despite being ritually impure. And in being healed, she is restored to community. And no doubt that restoration inspires others going through something similar.

 Esto es realmente importante recordar cuando regresamos a la historia de Abram, porque él está llamado a un país. Pero hay gente allí. Así que él debe ser una bendición no solo para su gente sino para todas las naciones. Esto tiene que ver con la nación de Israel ahora mismo.

This is very important, people of faith. God does not bless Abraham just for himself, nor just for his people group. Also, awkward! God sends Abram to a land that is already occupied. Sound familiar? He is to inhabit this land. But he is called not just to bless it but to bless all people. So we are reminded of several things here. When Jews say they have been given a land, that is actually true at least theologically – the politics is overrun by colonial overlays that make it complicated. However, that claiming of the land, that blessing of the land, and being blessed, was never just for the nation of Israel, but for all nations. This is not just a Christian interpretation; it is from the Hebrew scriptures.

La nación de Israel recibe un don de la tierra, pero también debe ser una bendición no solo para Israel, sino para toda la gente del mundo.
What would things look like if Israel found a way to bless those who were hungry in Gaza, even those who spout hate against Jews?
¿Cómo sería si Israel ayudara a la gente pobre de Gaza, aun si muchos palestinos odian a los israelíes?
This would not be easy. It might be like the US showing compassion to Cuba right now by not actively harming them, even though we have been at political odds over the years.
Hablando de nosotros mismos, esto puede ser como compartir compasión con Cuba en su necesidad, aun a pesar de las diferencias políticas entre Cuba y los EE. UU. Tras los años. O solo dejar de hacer daño.

Pero qué sé yo; yo solo soy una pastora. But what do I know? I am just a pastor.

All of this to say, in the passages for today, we are called to be brave. To be willing to try something different to follow Jesus. Musician Abby Posner talks about how everyone is swimming one way, I am swimming in another direction.” This is what we do as followers of Jesus. We swim against the tide and risk something big for something good.

La cantante Abby Posner habla de cómo nada en otra dirección que la corriente — y así somos nosotros, los cristianos. Nadamos con Jesús, quien va en dirección contraria a la corriente. Arriesgamos algo grande por algo bueno. Una vida mejor. No solo para nosotros, sino para todos.

We risk because we know that when we follow Jesus and let the Spirit guide, the tide will begin to turn. Ever so slowly. For the betterment of all.

So, be like Abram today. Or Matthew, or any other person who has risked it all to follow God’s call. Because it will pay off. Not just for you, but for all. And because when we feel blessed by God, that is when we are compelled to share it. Let us be blessed to be a blessing!

 

Siguen el ejemplo de Abram hoy y de Mateo y de otros compañeros en la fe que han arriesgado todo para seguir a Dios. Porque habrá un resultado magnífico. No solo para ustedes, sino para todos.  Cuando recibimos la bendición de Dios, la debemos compartir. ¡Que seamos una gente que bendiga a los demás!

Amen.