Until The Words Stick
The Next Generation Needs To Hear About God’s Grace And Hope
by Eric Elkin
“This is so that the next generation
and children not yet born will know these things,
and so they can rise up and tell their children
to put their hope in God.”
Deacon Mark Burton addresses a wary congregation in one of the final scenes of the HBO series, Mare of Easttown. The gathering is uncomfortable because they are trying to cope with the murder of a teenage mother. The deacon was one of the last persons to be with her. While he was proven innocent, the police investigation revealed a previous allegation of inappropriate behavior with a teenage girl.
All the characters from the series are sitting in the church pews as the deacon speaks. The camera pans their faces, and we can tell they are listening intently to his words. We, the audience, have journeyed through all the fractured elements of these character’s lives. Each person has hurt and been hurt by a neighbor. They are all wounded.
Deacon Burton speaks to them of hope. The town, he feels, is emerging out of a tunnel of despair. He tells the town’s people they are not to judge who should or should not be included. Their only job is to love. He closes by inviting each person to seek reconciliation with their neighbor.
The scene is the event every pastor dreams of experiencing. I have that dream all the time. I am speaking to a large crowd, the people are listening, and my words transform lives. It is a made-for-television moment. The truth lingers in the filming of Mare of Easttown. The church where this scene is filmed is a Lutheran church in Philadelphia that closed its doors long ago. Why? People stopped coming to listen.
“Ultimately, grace can never be earned. Like all gifts it can only be received, requiring that I simply open my hands and trust.”
The final episode of Mare of Easttown is titled “Sacrament.” Sacrament is the church word we use to describe the sacred elements of the faith. These holy things are visual signs of God’s grace - the undeserved and unearned love of God.
While grace might be the heart of faith, it is rarely the subject of news stories. Too often, the only faith stories the public hears are about exclusion, judgment, and condemnation. All the things Deacon Burton said were not our job. We are to love, forgive, be gracious, merciful, and abounding in steadfast love. I wish I could learn to speak these words so that people would hear and believe them.
The next generation is not coming to church. Yet, they are the ones whose lives are held captive by anxiety, insecurity, and depression. I thought about this reading about Simon Biles. Even the greatest of all time needs to hear and experience grace and hope. So I guess I will keep speaking until the words stick in my own heart as well as yours.
Click to read Psalm 78: 1-8
Reflection Questions:
When have the words of a sermon stuck with you?
What about the message do you remember?
How often do you hear about grace? And, where do the words come from?
What does grace mean to you? And, how can it help give you hope?
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