Pentecost 9, 2026
Genesis 29:15-28
Psalm 128
Romans 8:26-39
Matthew 13:31-33,44-52
Final sermon at St. Timothy’s Church, Massillon, OH (where the football comes from)
In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.
As longtime listeners know, the apostle Paul and I do not always see eye to eye. But to be fair, that’s partly because he was working out his theology in public, in real time, through his letters to the churches. And by the time he writes to the church in Rome, he is really hitting his stride. There are absolute gems in the epistle reading we heard today.
The Holy Spirit prays for us in the times when we can’t pray. All things work together for good for those who love God. If God is for us, who can be against us? Who will separate us from the love of Christ? I am convinced that nothing will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Absolute bangers, Paul!
And that last one is key for us all to hold onto in the days ahead. Nothing can separate us from the love of God. Back in 2001, my bandmate and I recorded an album we called “Something.” (Long story how we got the name.) The theme of that album was: Nothing can separate us from the love of God. The chorus of the second song was just that phrase: For I am convinced that there is nothing that can separate us from the love of God. And then between each song we would play the melody from that song on a variety of instruments, to remind the listener of the theme. And then, after the final chorus of the last song, we shifted back into singing the theme chorus one last time: For I am convinced that there is nothing that can separate us from the love of God. And we ended with the final chord played nine times—3 long, 3 short, 3 long.
After a couple days, I said to Michael, “You know, I think that pattern is Morse Code for SOS!” And we got really excited about the theological possibilities of working with that as a plea to God to save us. It was like a perfect serendipitous ending. Salvation is tied to the idea that nothing can separate us from the love of God. And that’s like our SOS, right? After we released the album, I checked to make sure I was right about that pattern. Turns out, in Morse Code, three dashes, three dots, and three dashes do not spell SOS. They spell OSO. Could have been worse?
For I am convinced that there is nothing that can separate us from the love of God. But here’s a list of things that can separate you from the love of God. I’ve heard preachers do this all the time. Smoking. Drinking. Who you love. Who you vote for. How much TV you watch. Everyone’s got their list of things that are a bridge too far. But notice, those things are about you, not me. Nothing can separate us from the love of God, except for some of your personal behaviors.
But Paul goes through the trouble of listing everything he could think of to show that there is nothing that can separate us from the love of God. Hardship, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness(!), peril, sword, death, life, angels, rulers, things present, things to come, powers, height(?), depth(?), anything else in all creation. I think that pretty much covers it! Nothing means no thing. But we all still have those exceptions in our head. Something we’re sure makes someone else—or ourselves—unlovable. Beyond God’s love. Nothing in all creation . . . except for this one particular thing.
And that’s because we confuse God’s love for us with how we treat each other. Those lists of behaviors we don’t like serve to separate us from each other. To sow division. To say, “I’m in and you’re out.” Because things do separate us from one another. Time, distance, politics, anger, points of view, we are separate from one another in many ways. And there are plenty of things that foster that separation. Our news silos, gossip, grudges, football rivalry games. (Go Tigers!) Plenty of separation to go around.
But Paul says, nothing can separate US from the love of God. We are the body of Christ in this world. We are one body, like it or not. Paul doesn’t say nothing can separate you or separate me from God’s love. It’s us. Whether we are together or apart, it’s still us. Whether we agree or disagree, it’s still us.
Yes, things do separate us from each other. Over these ten past years, things I’ve said and done and preached have had that effect. Even when we’re not trying to separate ourselves from one another, it happens. But I’m just some guy. Sure, I’ve been invested with some authority and a pulpit because you chose to entrust me with it. But I’m still just some guy. The 20th guy, in fact. There have been 19 other guys, and there will be plenty more. And one day, God willing, gals as well. But priests are just people, walking alongside you, and hopefully doing our best.
The real ministry in this faith community is carried out by the people, not the priest. And when you read through the history of St. Timothy’s—which I will once again encourage you to do—you’ll see that it’s true. Priests come and go, but the people are where you see God working in this world. St. Timothy’s keeps going because nothing can separate us from the love of God.
And notice the inclusion of the word “love” in Paul’s claim. There are things that do separate us from God. (Mostly of our own doing.) This is why we have weekly corporate confession. In the catechism of our prayer book (page 855) we read that “The mission of the Church is to restore all people to unity with God and each other in Christ." Restoring to unity implies some separation, right? The thing to hold onto here is that though we can separate ourselves from God and one another—sometimes without even trying— we can never separate ourselves from the love of God. Nothing can separate us means No thing. With a capital N. God’s love is relentless. Maybe even annoyingly relentless!
So what about right now? What about today and the scary unknown future? Even though nothing can separate us from the love of God, at the end of this week, you and I will be physically separate from one another. And that’s really hard.
But as I reminded you a few weeks ago, grief is borne of love. If we didn’t love, we wouldn’t care. So it is fitting that we grieve the absence of those we love. And grief is hard.
We don’t know what the future will hold for any of us. There will be hard times ahead, but there will be joy and laughter as well. Some of us will get discouraged, and others will find the courage to step up to help in new ways. St. Timothy’s will look different a year from now, just as it looks different than it did a year ago, or ten years ago, or a hundred years ago, or 190 years ago! And that’s a good thing. Because the church is always changing, always on the move, always looking for a new way to reach people with the unrelenting love of God.
May God make us all just as convinced as my frenemy the apostle Paul, that there is nothing in all creation that can ever separate us from the love of God. Nothing. Not even mistaking OSO for SOS. Because no matter what, God loves, and God saves.
Amen
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