Each by Name: Good shepherd Sunday

Sermon for 4 Pascha C RCL 4/25/2010, Offered by Nathan Ferrell for Trinity Episcopal Shared Ministry

What is the power of a person’s name? Today is what we call Good Shepherd Sunday, and on this day we remember and celebrate the reality that our Risen Lord Jesus Christ is in fact the Good Shepherd who calls us each by name.

The promise of the Lord is clear and direct: “My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life and they will never perish” (John 10:26).

Today, we bring another child into the flock of the Lord. Today, Evangeline Franecki begins her journey into eternal life under the watchful care of Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd.

Today, as the One present here in this assembly, the Lord calls her by her true name, as a beloved child of God.

In the Biblical worldview, there is tremendous power in a person’s name. The ancient Hebrews refused to speak the name of God that was revealed to Moses, using pseudonyms instead out of regard for the sacred power of that name. Remember also how God changed the name of Abram to Abraham as a mark of his covenant with the Lord. Remember how Jesus changed the name of Simon to Peter, the name of Levi to Matthew, the name of Saul to Paul. Do you remember how, just a few weeks back on Resurrection Sunday, when Mary came to the empty tomb in grief, she was not able to recognize Jesus as alive and risen until her called her by name?

In our first reading today, the scripture is clear in displaying how Peter called Tabitha by name when he healed her and brought her back to life. And when we hold all of this together as a general theme, there can be no mistake that we are meant to understand how the name of a person holds power and meaning.

Since the earliest decades in the Church, there has been the tradition of taking the name of a Saint at the time of baptism. As far as we can tell, this practice began with a prince named Fulvian in the first century.

According to tradition, it was a princely ruler in Ethiopia, named Fulvian, who killed the apostle Matthew. Later, Fulvian repented of this evil deed and he asked to be baptized. And just before Fulvian was baptized by the bishop, a voice from the heavens called out, “Do not call him Fulvian, but call him Matthew.” Call him Matthew, in remembrance of that holy man for whose death the prince was responsible. From that day forward, he was to bear the name of this apostle as a continual reminder that now he shares the same grace, the same baptism, the same Lord, the same family as that holy apostle.

This tradition has fallen out of use somewhat in recent times, but it is a good reminder of the power and meaning that lies behind our names.

The Good Shepherd is the one who calls us each by name. One of the distinctive elements of our catholic tradition is that the general focus of the liturgy is never upon the individual, but rather upon the entire people of God.

Some of you have grown up in Methodist churches, or have spent time in Baptist congregations or in other Protestant churches. If so, I am sure you have noticed that the hymns we sing are typically different than theirs. Not all of them, of course, but a majority are different. Do you know why? Most popular Protestant hymns are all in the first person singular. “And he walks with me, and he talks with me.” Or, “O, how I love Jesus, because He first loved me.” Remember: I spent a few years as a Baptist, so I know these hymns! But the hymns that are most appropriate when we gather for the Eucharist are collective ones. We worship, we sing. The Lord redeems us.

Another distinctive element of our catholic tradition is how, when we do use the name of an individual, then we only use their Christian name, the name given at baptism. Because in this house, at this table, this is the only name that matters. Family names mean nothing within the body of Christ. They signify only our particular family tribe or national identity. But in the Church, we come together as one new flock united under the one Good Shepherd who calls us each by the name that he knows.

Now, we’ve talked about the name by which the Lord calls each one of us, but what about this title by which we call Christ on this Sunday: the title of the Good Shepherd.

What does it mean for us to call him our Good Shepherd? You know the primary inspiration in that most famous of Psalms: The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not be in want.

But what does it mean for us to call him Good? Is this the same as nice, or polite, or friendly? Like when we say, “Oh, he’s a good boy.” Or, “Now, you be good!” What exactly does the Church mean when we call him the Good Shepherd?

In The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, the second (but most famous) book of the Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis, there is a classic scene in which the 4 children learn about Aslan for the first time. Mr. and Mrs. Beaver are explaining to them all about the evil witch and about Aslan, when the children suddenly realize that Aslan is not a man at all, but rather a lion! “Is he safe?” Susan asks Mr. Beaver. “Safe?” replies Mr. Beaver. “Who said anything about Aslan being safe! ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you!” And later on Mr. Beaver says, “He’s wild, you know. Not like a tame lion.”

Aslan, of course, is meant as an icon of Jesus, the Messiah, the true Shepherd who lays down his own life to protect his beloved flock, to redeem his fractured creation.

And so, of course, Mr. Beaver is right on target. This Shepherd of ours is good, but he isn’t safe. There’s nothing tame about this Shepherd. In fact, he’s a bit wild! A bit reckless, a bit unpredictable. Do you remember the parable about the lost sheep? When the Shepherd decides to leave the 99 sheep in the field and to go after the one sheep that became lost.

You know, that’s not a very smart plan! That is definitely not the way they are taught at the shepherd’s training school! If one gets lost, you have to cut your loses, and guard even more carefully the remaining flock. But you don’t ever leave them alone out in the wilderness, and go chasing after the one who wandered off!

No, this Shepherd is not really safe, but he’s good. He’s the king, I tell you!

More than anything else, my sisters and brothers, I hope and pray that you will understand this simple truth: the Good Shepherd continues to search for you, to look for you, to long for you. It’s this compelling desire of God, this passionate love of God, which causes this Shepherd to be reckless in pursuing us.

And he continues to pursue us even when we are in his flock! Can you believe it? I know that I struggle to understand it, but I know in my heart that it’s true: God cannot get enough of us! Always, Christ wants to be with us more!

He knows our name. He calls out to us. Listen for his voice, my friends, and follow where he leads. You will never find a better option. For this Good Shepherd gives us life which is real, and deep and unending. Thanks be to God. Amen.

Long live the weeds and the wilderness yet!

The Reverend Gerard Manley Hopkins, SJ (1844-1889)

What would the world be, once bereft
Of wet and of wilderness? Let them be left,
O let them be left, wildness and wet;
Long live the weeds and the wilderness yet.
(From Hopkins poem, Inversnaid)

Praise be to God for the insightful awareness of Gerard Manley Hopkins, incredible poet. I love the wilderness and the wet, as he penned it. No, that does not suffice. More than that; I need them. If I am separated from wildness for too long, my soul aches. Man-made devices and schemes leave me numb, stale and deviod of enthusiasm. It is the wilderness of creation that brings me in touch with the wildness of God. As the great Rich Mullins said, "God is a wild man." Look past the anthropomorphism. Hopefully, you can perceive the point, for it is deep and true.

National Episcopal Preaching Conference

The 1st Annual National Episcopal Preaching Conference !

I just returned from this conference held at the Kanuga center in the mountains of North Carolina. What a fantastic program, with some world-famous teachers and speakers present. Below is the Rev. Dr. Bill Brosend from Sewanee in a plenary presentation. Unfortunately, I had to leave before Dr. Will Willimon gave his presentation. God willing, I will return again next year to continue my growth in this central task of the gospel ministry.

Below is my preaching small group. We each preached one sermon to the group and received constructive feedback from one another about style, presentation and structure.

Below is the Chapel of the Transfiguration at Kanuga. We met for the Daily Office and Holy Eucharist led with excellence by the former Presiding Bishop, Frank Griswold.

Below is the Kanuga dining hall at breakfast tim, with flags representing all of the 44 provinces of the Anglican Communion.

Peter Felt Hurt

Sermon for 3 Pascha C RCL 4/18/2010, Offered by Nathan Ferrell for Trinity Episcopal Shared Ministry

Texts: Acts 9:1-20; Psalm 30; Revelation 5:11-14; John 21:1-19

My dear friends in Christ: each one of us is here today for a reason. God is working out a purpose in our lives that is not typically easy to see and identify.

As members of the body of Christ, each one of us is on a journey of growth and progression, moving step by step into greater glory, into closer union with God, into deeper holiness of life. Through the sacrament of baptism, Mia Rose Smith begins that journey today with intention and purpose. Unfortunately, most people in the world around us undertake this journey of life by accident. They do not have a goal for their life; they do not have a path to walk along. If they learn something or grow as a person along the way, then more often than not it is not by intention, but simply by accident.

However, those of us who are baptized into the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus are walking this path of life with clarity of purpose. The life of a Christian here on earth is a process of struggle and growth, of challenge and learning and expansion.

Our life is rarely easy, but of course God never intended it to be easy! God has called us to life so that we might push and learn and struggle and grow, and so might become more than we ever could be if left to our own devices.

Today in our lessons, we see both Peter and Saul (soon to be re-named as Paul) challenged directly by Jesus so that they might grow and develop, and become more than they were before.

When the disciples had eaten breakfast with the Lord on the shore of the sea, Jesus challenged Peter’s love and devotion by testing him, in order to see if he was ready to serve as a leader in the church.

And so “Peter felt hurt because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” And he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.”

Peter felt hurt.
The first parish where I served while ordained to the sacred order of the priesthood was St. George’s in Fredericksburg, Virginia. This is a grand, old colonial parish in a vibrant small city. I was blessed to have a wise mentor there in the rector who had served there for 30 years. When I came, I told him that I wanted to learn, that I was aware that I needed to grow and to be taught, that he could tell me anything, and that it would not help me at all if he coddled me or sheltered me in any way. And so, after a few months, Father Charles shared with me some of the feedback concerning me that he had received from the parish. He reported that parishioners think that I cannot sing very well at all, and the Altar Guild is offended by my body odor. To sum it up, the report was that I can’t sing and that I stink. Other than that, everyone loved me!

And right there, at that moment, God presented me with a choice: do I cower backwards with a bruised ego, sheltering my pride, allowing a root of bitterness to spring up in my heart? OR do I push forward with courage, to seek after truth alone, and embrace this as an opportunity for growth?

The Holy Spirit showed me that there was truth in these things. I had never before then had much training in music, and I had never claimed to have a good voice. Also, I have never been one who is bothered by body odor. It’s only natural after all. It’s what happens when your body is moving and active and alive, and that’s a good thing. (Besides, I attributed this problem primarily to the stifling heat and humidity of tidewater Virginia!). And so, after this meeting, I asked the music director of the parish to help me with private voice lessons. And of course I increased my deodorant usage! But most importantly of all, I refused to allow any anger or resentment to fester in me. God had used these people to give me a gift – a means to grow and develop and to improve – and for that opportunity I remain thankful.

I have said this before here in this pulpit: I am convinced that one of God’s goals for your life, for my life, (for the life of Mia Rose), is that we all grow and develop into people who are completely and utterly un-offendable.

Because if I know who I am, then I can recognize the truth about myself in whatever anyone else might say to me or about me. And if what they say is clearly false, then I can recognize that they misunderstand, or that they are afraid, or for some unknown reason, they feel the need to protect themselves. But never in any way can the words of another person pose a threat to who you are, if you know the truth about yourself.

You see: to be a Christian means that we are ruthlessly committed to the truth, whatever that might be. We are fearless in pursuing truth, because we are acutely aware of how easy it is for human beings like us to deceive ourselves.

What matters is truth, and nothing else can claim our attention.

If it is true that Jesus of Nazareth was actually – historically – put to death and raised again to life, and if he then empowered those who love and trust him to become the church that we see spread across the globe today, and if he then lives today among his people who trust in him and follow him; if all of this is true, then this is of infinitely more importance than anything else about which we human beings could think or speak. Think about it: who has ever heard of someone dying, being dead for days, and then coming back to life and being fully alive again?

But, on the other hand, if this story be false, if delusional disciples made it up to sooth their troubled minds once they say him put to death, if this resurrection story is false, then this is the greatest hoax ever played on humanity.

But what is not at all possible is for this story, this message, this baptism which we share – for all of this to be just a little bit important, or a nice tradition, or a harmless social activity.

What we are doing here together is of the utmost importance. We are receiving strength to live this challenging life, and to see in it God’s plan and purpose for us. We are learning from the Master how to live a full and complete human life. And by God’s grace, we are growing day-by-day, week-by-week as people who love Jesus more and who share his love with others.
Amen.

Bishop Barbie and Evangelism

http://blogs.the-american-interest.com/wrm/2010/04/11/faith-matters-will-barbie-save-the-episcopal-church/

If you have the time to read  a very thought provoking post on the future of the Episcopal Church, click on this link above and read away. While I do not agree with every point (his conclusions are overly simplistic, ignoring other major factors that are changing American society as a whole), his passion and concern are evident, and his general critique of mismanagement is correct. As a priest working "on the inside", I have been amazed at how the Church tolerates incompetence so easily. Our previous generation of leaders has indeed let us down, choosing the path of comfort and ease to our divinely-appointed prophetic vocation. Lord, have mercy.

Tattoos vs. Scars

I have been asked many times whether or not I have a tattoo. I am not opposed to having a tattoo in principle, but the truth is that I would rather have scars.

Tattoos are things that someone buys in order to create a persona, an external image that they want to affect other people in a certain way. Scars are the result of things that one has done (or at least attempted!). I think it is better to do things, to attempt things, to live life to the full, rather than be controlled by social norms to create a false persona on the outside. I think that only seniors ought to get tattoos once they have experienced enough life to deserve one - once they have real scars to make the tattoo worth something beyond an childish attempt to appear tough or cool.

I have plenty of scars, but I do not yet have a tattoo. If I were to get a tattoo, I would get a celtic cross on my shoulder with some gaelic words around it, like:

• glor na gael (the voice of the irish which St. Patrick heard calling to him), or
• Dia mor nan dul (Great God of life - ancient Highland address to God), or
• rath De' ort (grace of God to you)

Tuck's Pilgrimage

"The annual pilgrimage to Tuckerman Ravine is the world's grandest, oldest, biggest celebration of sliding on snow. Nowhere else on earth do people come together so faithfully and in such numbers to revel in the joys of snow.

Tuck's is anathema to many of the values of modern society. It takes hard work to get there, there are no rules, dire consequences can follow from mistakes, and you have nothing to show for your courageous efforts save for a fleeting track in the snow. For this, people return again and again. In Tuck's, you are free" (From Backcountry Skiing Adventures: Classic Ski and Snowboard Tours in Maine and New Hampshire by David Goodman, p.121).

All of our household made the pilgrimage up into Tuckerman's Ravine yesterday (Erin and me, all 3 children and 2 dogs). It was a fantastic day: 72 degrees at the base, sunshine, small crowds. How strange to run into a group from Urban Promise in Camden right in Pinkham Notch and at Hojo's!  It is such hard work to ride this magic snow, but amazingly beautiful!

Praise God for such beauty and such reminders fo the reality of our life-task. Riding in Tuck's is like our journey into holiness in Christ: it takes hard work to get there, on this journey we are free, and at the end we truly have nothing to show for it except for the reality of our own experience. But it is a path of the greatest beauty. Nothing else can compare.

Here are some photos:

Paschal Sermon: Who Ate and Drank With Him

Sermon for Pascha Morning 4/4/2010, Offered by Nathan Ferrell for Trinity Episcopal Shared Ministry

Texts: Acts 10:34-43; Psalm 118:1-2,14-24; 1 Corinthians 15:19-26; John 20:1-18

Title: Who Ate and Drank with Him

My brothers and sisters, it is so good to hear that I want us to say it again: Alleluia! Christ is Risen! The Lord is risen indeed! Alleluia!

This is our feast, this is your feast. All of you are welcome to feast with the Lord today. Whether you have joined in all our services and acts of preparation during Lent and Holy Week, or whether you only enter into this house of prayer on this day and at Christmas, none of that matters today. Whether you have fasted during Lent or have lived life as normal, forget about that today. For this is your feast! Let us all celebrate and rejoice.

For this is the day when the entire creation is made new. When the true Passover lamb, sacrificed on behalf of all humanity, has himself passed over from death into new and everlasting life.

And so we sing, Alleluia!

My dear friends: Jesus is alive! God is at work today in this world, in our lives!

But, however, …it’s not always easy to see this. Often it can be quite difficult to sing Alleluia. I can understand why the cynics doubt the reality of God at work in the world today. There are so many horrible, discouraging, painful things that happen every day.

But, at the same time, like small seeds that are springing up out of the dark soil, there are so many signs of this new life and hope even in the midst of this world of suffering.

Just last week, I read about a remarkable little incident that occurred at St. Paul’s Church just up the road a bit in Camden. As heavy snow was falling back on Saturday, February 6th (do you remember all that snow, by the way?!), Father Martin received a phone call from the Vicar of St. Stephen’s Church in Mullica Hill. Her parish was scheduled to come up to St. Paul’s the next day to supply and to serve their weekly Sunday night supper for the homeless and all who wish to attend. But, due to the 28 inches of snow that was falling over the weekend, she was sorry to say that her parish would not be able to assemble for this task. So Father Martin began thinking of a back-up plan. Snow or no snow, the hungry need to be fed! However, in less than a half-hour, before he had even put down his reading and gotten out of his chair, he received another phone call. This one was from the wife of the rector at Holy Trinity Church in Collingswood. It seems that they had a funeral at Holy Trinity Church that same Saturday morning, and since the snow was falling so strongly, very few people had attended. The family of the deceased had pre-ordered a catered meal for about 90 people and now they did not know what to do with all this food! So, on Sunday afternoon, the catered food from Collingswood was brought over and it fed all 96 people who showed that night for St. Paul’s Sunday night supper.

Was this a miracle? Not exactly. It is simply the way that God has always worked, and the way that God continues to work. God is simply full of surprises.

Of course, this entire story of Jesus’ resurrection was a complete surprise! Even those closest to Jesus did not expect it: Mary Magdalene, Peter, the other beloved disciple.

What is it that Peter preaches after the resurrection?

“They put him to death by hanging him on a tree; but God raised him on the third day.”

They meant it for evil; but God was able to bring good out of it. It looked like a horrible tragedy; but God turned it into the most beautiful and glorious good!

This is good news. But here is another surprise. Peter continues his preaching and says: “We are the ones who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.” Think about that statement: after he rose from the dead, we got together and ate dinner and drank some wine together! What?! That doesn’t sound like some kind of ghost, at all, does it? It sounds like a real-live flesh and blood person, a real man.

And now I’ll let you in on a secret: we’re still doing this! Here is the greatest surprise yet: we continue to eat and drink with this very same living Jesus all the time. He is risen, and through the Holy Spirit, he lives in our midst today. In fact, he is the meal himself!

No one in their right mind could have ever predicted this course of history. The Word made flesh broken on the cross, but raised again and given to us so that you and I might be transformed and made new. So that we might live as his body in the world, continuing to go about doing good and healing all who are oppressed by the devil. So that we might continue his ministry in this world. This God is certainly full of surprises!

In your bulletin, it states that in just a few minutes we will say together the Nicene Creed. But that is a mistake. There will be a small change in the program. On this morning, all the entire Church throughout the world celebrates together the precious gift of our baptism into the death and resurrection of Christ. And so together, we too will renew our baptismal vows (and we will bless water for the font as a tangible sign of our baptism.)

When we enter into this house of prayer (St. Luke’s - When we come forward to this Altar), many among us will touch the water and will cross ourselves. Why do we do this? It is simply one way to remind ourselves of our true identity, to remember who we are.

Once, each one of us was baptized with water and chrismated with oil in order to mark us forever as members of Christ. Adopted forever, and unless we choose to walk away, never to be thrown out or rejected. This is the Lord’s doing and it is marvelous in our eyes.

This good news is meant for the entire world, but as Peter says, we are ones chosen by God to be witnesses to the truth. We are ones blessed to eat and drink with Christ now. We are ones who are so privileged to know him, to trust him, to love him, to live in his constant presence.

Praise be to God for the awesome power revealed on this day in the resurrection of Christ. On this day the Lord has acted; let us rejoice and be glad in it. Amen.

Love and Service

A Sermon for  Maundy Thursday, offered by Nathan Ferrell +, for Trinity Episcopal Shared Ministry
Texts: Exodus 12:1-14; Psalm 116; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26; John 13:1-17,31-35

Love and service. Love and service. These are the key notes of this feast, the pathways that lead to new heights, the two sides of the same gospel coin.


But what do they mean? In particular, on this night when we remember Christ’s call to serve one another in the ceremony of washing each other’s feet, what does it mean to serve?

These words – serve, servant, service - they mean many different things in our language today. These are some of the most flexible and widely used words in our vocabulary. For instance, please indluge me for a moment and consider the following:

When we gather together at church, we worship the Lord and together we attend the service. We invite our younger brothers and sisters to participate by serving at the altar. If they misbehave a bit, well, we don’t really mind too much. But things are different at school! Their teachers will make sure that their pupils serve their full detention if necessary to correct poor behavior. Of course, many teachers are now encouraged by the possibilities of Service-Learning as a new educational tool at their disposal. As these young people get older, they might join their school’s tennis team. And if they serve the ball well, then they get to hold service for yet another game. Before we know it, our young people will learn to drive, and if they have a problem with their car, well they can go to a nearby service center, where we hope they will receive some excellent customer service.

While driving around, these young folks very likely could be stopped by those who are called to protect and serve. It’s possible that they might then be forced to provide some hours of community service. But if our young people cross the line yet more severely, they may be forced to serve time behind bars. Back at home, they will be served papers with a schedule for their appointed date with the judge! And for all of us, those scoundrels will serve as a good reminder for the crucial importance of developing self-control. Their names will be recorded in the county court records, which are all computerized now and which can be accessed through the courthouse servers. And we do hope that all those working in the county government will provide effective services to our communities, and if they do not, we will serve notice to those public servants in the next election that they must do better.

Perhaps when our young people leave school, they may perhaps join the service by enlisting in the navy. We will all be proud of them for serving our country, and when they are home on furlough, we will gather the family, spread the table and declare with joy, “Dinner is served.”

OK! Do you see my point? How then are we to understand these busy words? Serve and service?

Our Teacher and Lord, Jesus Christ, came to us as one who serves. But what exactly does that mean? How do we understand this use of the word service?

For starters, we do have the visual description of his example. “So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done for you. Very truly, I tell you, servants are not greater than their master.”

For us, then, to serve means very simply to meet the needs of another. Therefore, Christian service is action, but it is always first preceded by the movement of the heart. We must first make the choice to be conscious of the other’s needs, and then we must have the intention of doing whatever is required to meet that need.

Now, it seems clear to me that, in general, we are not very comfortable with this kind of relationship at all. Most of us are very independent-minded. “I can do for myself, thank you very much. And you take of yourself, and everyone will be happy!” Because to serve implies different levels of class or authority. Someone is standing over another, giving orders.

But we must change our thinking now. Throw out that old concept, because in Christ, to choose to be a servant is a sign of authority and dignity and power. Christ calls each one of us to make this choice, to freely take on the role of the servant with strength and determination.

Every time we are fed at the Altar of the Lord, we give thanks afterward and we say this: “Send us now into the world in peace, and grant us strength and courage to love and serve you…”

To love and serve. This is the reason that he feeds us.

Christ has made you clean. You are clean, my brothers and sisters. But you have been made clean not simply so that you can enjoy your cleanliness, but so that you can be prepared to serve others in the power of God’s love.

In just a minute, I will invite all of you to come forward to have your feet washed. You do not have to do this, of course. It is your choice to make. But whatever your choice, tonight, tomorrow and in the days to come, do not let fear control your decision-making. Make your choice on the basis of strength, courage and love. I pray that the Holy Spirit will empower your hearts to make the choice to become servants with Jesus Christ for the sake of love. Amen.

Red-Shirting of Roman Priests

The long course of inter-actions between the Anglican churches and the Roman Church is a fascinating history to read. Here is a suggestion by a faithful Roman Catholic as a way of addressing the current problem of sexual frustration among Roman priests today:

http://www.southernpoliticalreport.com/storylink_331_1334.aspx

His idea: use The Episcopal Church (and other Anglican churches, by extension) as a testing ground and first stage of growth for those who wish to become priests AND who wish to be married. Once ordained as an Anglican priest AND married, then that priest can be received into the Roman Church as a married man and continue his vocation there. It's an interesting idea, even though it is DOA, of course, among the Roman hierarchy who seem convinced that they have no problems whatsoever.