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The idea for today's sermon comes from one written by The Rev. Steve Kelsey, a retired Episcopal priest living in Arizona.  You can read his sermon here.

It may come as no surprise to you that lately I've been thinking a lot about going on vacation. After next Sunday, Rindy and I will be traveling, and we're looking forward to getting out of town for a little while. The neat thing about traveling is that it really gives you have a different way of looking at daily life than when you're at home. Things slow down a bit, and we can enjoy ourselves, even if we don't go anyplace too exotic. For example, Rindy and I enjoy visiting Asheville when we are on vacation. We stroll around the town. We go to restaurants and art galleries. We enjoy the scenery. We imagine how nice it would be to live there. But it's different for the people who actually do live there. They have to deal with the all the traffic. They have to go to work and take their kids to and from school. They have to deal with all kinds of day to day problems – fights with their kids or their spouse, bill to pay, plumbing to fix. Asheville looks very different to them that it does to us, because they're there all the time. We are only passing through.

One of the things I love about the Episcopal Church is The Book of Common Prayer. We are people of prayer, and we believe that praying shapes our lives. Sometimes, prayers can surprise us. Take today's opening collect:

O God, the protector of all who trust in you, without whom nothing is strong, nothing is holy: Increase and multiply upon us your mercy; that, with you as our ruler and guide, we may so pass through things temporal, that we lose not the things eternal; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

…with God as our ruler and guide, we may so pass through things temporal, that we lose not the things eternal. In other words, remind us, Lord, that we don't live here...we are only passing through.

The past couple of weeks have been quite a whirlwind for us all. We've been doing a lot of work here at church, trying to get ready for the fall – looking at new Sunday School classes and trying to find teachers, starting a new worship service, finishing up Vacation Bible School and getting ready for Discovery Weekend. And then, in the middle of all this, we lose one of our beloved members. She goes on to the next stage of her life, and we're reminded that all of us are only passing through.

Last Sunday, we talked about the difference between Martha and Mary. When Jesus came to visit, Martha started doing lots of stuff – cooking, cleaning, making herself busy – and she resented Mary for not doing the same. But Jesus invited Martha to take a time out and join her sister; to put down the things that were urgent for something that was eternally important – her relationship with her sister and with God. Jesus reminded Martha that we are only passing through.

There is no question that life is hard. We all have something that weighs us down. Some people are out of work, and they are worried about how they'll keep their family fed, clothed and housed. Some people are fighting terrible illnesses, and they are worried about how their families will get along. Some are about to lose someone they love dearly, some are struggling with debt and foreclosure, some are living with anger or depression. All of these are very real problems that need constant attention. They are problems that can not be solved by simply wishing and hoping they'll go away.

And yet, in today's Gospel, when Jesus is asked by one of his disciples to teach them to pray, he gives them the outline of a prayer that we still say today – The Lord's Prayer. Jesus has seen the pain of the leper and the blind man. He has seen the desperation and poverty of the people in the country side. And yet he gives them a very simple prayer, with none of the flourishes and complexity of many of "professional" prayers. It is a prayer of discipleship. It is a prayer for daily living:

Our Father: To "Abba," "Daddy," the one who loves us unconditionally.

Hallowed be your name: Your name is so holy that simply speaking it out loud is an act of prayer.

Your kingdom come: May the world be conformed to God's vision of the Kingdom. May we embrace God's justice and peace right here, and right now. Give us each day our daily bread: Help us to live simply, O Lord. Provide for us the necessities of life; just what we need to get by. Not all the stuff we think we want. Just what we need, every day.

And forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone indebted to us: We know that we sometimes miss the mark of how you would have us live. We ask you to heal us, O Lord, and restore our relationship with you. And help us restore our relationships with those around us.

And do not bring us to the time of trial: Grant us a peaceful passing through these things that are temporal, so that we lose not those things that are eternal. Help us to know the difference between what is urgent and what is eternally important, O Lord. Remind us that we're only passing through.

What would what life be like if we lived as though we were always on vacation? We'd probably spend more time enjoying our families and our friends. We'd probably spend more time doing the things that give us joy. We'd probably spend more time sharing with other people, and finding that which gives us peace in our lives.

What would life be like if we realized that we're only passing through?

Thanks be to God.

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