Sermons

August 29, 2004

Rev. Dr. C. DiNovo

"Step 9 – Made Direct Amends Wherever Possible"

 Let’s start with some stories from the desk of the minister. I’ve noticed something serendipitous that’s happened over the years, a sort of answered prayer that happens at intervals here at Emmanuel Howard Park. It started years back when someone put a check, you know one of those generic bank checks with no id on them, in the collection plate. It was made out to this Church to the sum of 100,000.00 and it was signed St. Paul. Now at the time, like many times, we were concerned about money here and so despite the fact that it was clearly non-negotiable, I got that it was an answered prayer. The answer from God was that we were doing wonderful ministry here and that someone felt that the ministry that happened here was priceless. 100,000 is sort of like that biblical quantity, 70 x7, which basically meant limitless, such a large sum that we find it unimaginable.

A year or two after that a smooth talking well dressed young man came in to the office to speak to Susan and I. He told us that his wallet had been stolen across the street while he was having something to eat . he continued to tell us that he was a producer from Hollywood and that he needed to be back and in production Monday morning, that the embassy didn’t open until then. Frightened to go to a shelter (where he certainly would have had those good shoes stolen) he was wondering if he could stay at the Church. We let him relax in the library for the day but felt for safety’s sake and since we had to set the alarm, it probably wasn’t a good idea overnight. So Gil and I invited him back to our place. Over supper he regaled us with wonderful tales of stars and movies and California and then slept on our couch. The next day we paid for a one way train ticket back to LA. Before he left he told me that being a Christian and believing in tithing and having at least a million in liquid cash in his bank, he would upon his arrival there, send our Church a donation of, yes, 100,000 dollars.

Just this last week, a gentleman came into my office after the evening service and started off by saying, "Listen I’m not crazy like those other people here!" Now you know when someone starts a conversation like that, firstly, that they’re probably mad as a hatter but also that of course they’re crazy because everyone here is crazy! I mean why else would you come to a place on a Sunday morning when you could be sleeping in, to worship this weird illusion called God, to try to build the impossible, a little piece of heaven…you’d have to be crazy! Then he went on to say that despite his life of trauma he had just won Lotto 649 and that because I had listened to him he would like to donate to the Church…yes you guessed it…100,000 dollars. At the time, I felt tears running down my cheeks. It truly was grace. It truly was that here we entertain as it says in that Hebrews passage, angels unaware.

Now things are not always so rosy here. In fact theft occurs constantly. Everything that can be stolen has been stolen from this Church. Even the light fixtures from beside the front doors were removed. Someone actually got a ladder, climbed up, did a fairly professional job of capping off the electrical lines, to take the lights that were worth at most maybe 10.00. I’ve had prescription glasses stolen that nobody could see out of but me, and my wallet stolen, twice. Now the last time this happened was just yesterday. And the sad reality is I knew who did it. Because there were only a few of us in the building at that time and I was out of my office for at most, ten minutes. Now of course it’s a pain to lose money, which I needed, and id, which are a hassle and costly to replace, but the most valuable item in that wallet, something I’d carried for almost 14 years, was simply irreplaceable.

It was a letter written by my daughter when she was around 14. It said more or less, "Before God and these witnesses, I am never getting married and never having children. And if I do, I will take my mother on a trip at my own expense." This was then dutifully witnessed by her brother and myself. Now of course, I carried it for all those years because I figured this was a sure bet. That trip was mine! But also because I really wanted to be able to read it as a toast at her wedding.

It struck me that this is really the difference between God’s justice and human justice. Human justice is really all about revenge and God’s justice is about restoration. Restoring and healing that which has been broken or taken. Calling the police would have given me nothing. It would do me no good to have someone charged or imprisoned. All I really ant is that letter back. And in fact, if I were to receive that letter I would be better off than before, despite the expense and inconvenience, because I would be reminded f that letter in a new and special way and of its importance to me.

There’s no question either why the wallet was stolen it was stolen to pay for drugs, crack most likely in this neighbourhood. That alone reminded me how important addiction as an issue is. It is important in a world addicted to violence, war, oil and money. And it is important to us as individuals, because we are all attempting to fill the space where our souls should be with something else, with sex or substance or money or relationships.

It’s interesting how both the left and right don’t get the spiritual nature of addiction and its spiritual solution. At the table in Jesus’ parable, both wealthy and poor were eating together. The left sees addiction as a societal problem, the poor are addicted because it suits capitalism that they be so, or it’s a direct result of poverty. The rights sees addiction as a moral problem, that people are addicted because they’re weak. But addiction both social and personal is a disease. It’s a spiritual problem.

The poor were not storming the wealthy home and taking it over so that they in their turn could perpetuate the same horrors on them. The wealthy were not turning their backs on the poor. Both were dining together.

Now it’s not enough to tell you stories of theft without also telling you another story. When I was between the ages of 15-17 I was a street kid and made my living by selling drugs. I lied, I cheated and I stole. I was addicted to methadrine in those days, thank God there was no crack back then and I did everything and anything I needed to do to get it. I had all my excuses, my stories, of course. My parents were dead, I had no home etc. But even I knew they were just excuses and stories.

One day I went to Fred Victor mission for lunch. I needed to go there for lunch because I needed my money for other things and that is where I met Rev. Zwiker . He was a gentle man and was interested in me because after all I was so young. Just like we would be if someone came into our evening service, as they occasionally do, who are so young. I was around 15 but I looked like 12. I told him my story hoping to hit him up for some money. That is when he said the most important words anyone could have said. Words that would change my life. He said, "I will pray for you."

Now I thought those words were useless at the time. I thought they plus 50 cents in those days would buy me a cup of coffee. I though people who believed in God were like people who believed in Santa Claus. I was irritated that I left without money so I stole a bible. Now I had no intentions of actually reading that bible. But, lo these many years later, looking back on how my life changed, I’d have to say, that more than anything else, him and others praying for me, changed the course of my life. I’d say in terms of step nine I’ve mad my amends in full to the United Church of Canada over the year. This great system of healing, this twelve steps describes for us anew way of justice and healing, as new as Jesus’ description of that heavenly bridal feast.

May we all heal. We will pray for each other. Amen