The Prayer of Sir Francis Drake, 1577

Supposedly offered as Francis Drake set off from Portsmouth in England aboard the Golden Hind in order to raid Spanish outposts along the coast of South America. This prayer has given inspiration to many, and is being used now by our Diocese of New Jersey as we begin the process of electing a new Bishop.  

Disturb us, Lord, when we are too pleased with ourselves,
when our dreams have come true because we dreamed too little,
when we arrived safely because we sailed too close to the shore.
Disturb us, Lord, when with the abundance of things we possess
we have lost our thirst for the water of life;
when having fallen in love with life, we have ceased to dream of eternity;
and in our efforts to build a new earth, we have allowed our vision
of the new Heavens to dim.

Stir us, Lord, to dare more boldly,
to venture on wider seas where storms will show Your mastery;
Where losing sight of land, we shall find the stars.

We ask you to push back the horizons of our hopes,
and to push us into the future in strength, courage, hope, and love.

This we ask in the name of our Captain, who is Jesus Christ our Lord.

 By Francis Drake, an English explorer and licensed marauder for the English monarchy. In his expedition, he ventured at least as far north as the non-Spanish parts of California, claiming it as "New Albion" - New England- and returned to his Queen (the long way - via circumnavigation) with gold and other loot worth over a half million pounds sterling. For this, he received his Knighthood, and he likely composed some lovely song of thanksgiving to God for the prosperity of his journey. Unfortunately, we do not know now what the Spanish composed about Sir Francis Drake, though it was most certainly less ebullient and confident.  

We Are All Students

A Sermon for the 20^th Sunday after Pentecost (RCL A) 10-30-2011

Offered by Nathan Ferrell for Trinity Episcopal Shared Ministry

Texts:              Joshua 3:7-17; Psalm 107:1-7,33-37; Matthew 23:1-12

Themes:         crossing the river, hypocrisy, the unity of the new community
Title:               We Are All Students

Billy Graham tells a story of a time early in his preaching career when he arrived in a small town where he was scheduled to lead a revival meeting as a guest preacher for the local Baptist church. Wanting to drop a letter in the mail, he asked a young boy for directions to the post office. After the boy had pointed him in the right direction, Dr. Graham thanked him and said, “If you’ll come to the Baptist church tonight, you can hear me give directions on how to get to heaven.”

That young boy replied very seriously and said, “I don’t think I’ll come for that. You don’t even know how to get to the post office!”

(From The World’s Greatest Collection of Church Jokes, Barbour Publishing, Inc., 2003)

It’s not always easy to be a leader among God’s people, to be someone who is called to lead the people on their journey into being the kind of community which God desires them to be.

Today, we heard the conclusion of the story of the creation of the nation of Israel, which we began just after the Feast of Trinity Sunday back in June. Abraham’s descendents had been enslaved in the land of Egypt. God brought them out of the land by the hand of Moses, and in the wilderness of Sinai God made a detailed and arrant covenant with them, also through the leadership of Moses.

The promise which the LORD originally made to Abraham many centuries earlier was that his descendents would come back to Canaan and possess the land as a strong and mighty nation.

And so here today, we read the conclusion of this long journey to finally enter into the land of Canaan as the people of the Covenant.

The crossing of the River Jordan by the people of Israel under the leadership of Joshua is the final ritual act that establishes the Israelites as the unique community of God’s faithful people in this land chosen and prepared for them by God, and in which God promises to dwell with them in a unique and distinct way.

This story purports to tell us of events from nearly three thousand years ago, but please remember - their story is also our story.

Have you ever wondered WHY it is that John the Baptist was baptizing in the River Jordan, and that our Lord Jesus Christ was himself baptized in the waters of the Jordan?

It is no accident. Baptism is itself the ritual act by which you and I take our place as members of this unique community, as participants among God’s faithful people.

In and through the waters of Baptism, we are able to cross through the River Jordan along with the Israelites, along with the Ark of the Covenant, and enter the promised land along with our ancestors in the faith, in order to live as God’s covenant people.

The unfortunate reality, however, is that, as the people of God, we often fall short of God’s intentions and hopes and dreams for us.  

Today in Matthew’s Gospel, we hear these harsh words from the mouth of Jesus against the scribes and the Pharisees. They paint a very negative caricature of the leadership of the Pharisees during an abundantly difficult period in the life of the Jewish people. The criticism leveled here is clear: “they do not practice what they teach.” But notice that the words spoken by Jesus are directed to his disciples and the crowds gathered around them. This is a teaching sermon, and Jesus is teaching them – and us! – about the quality of community that God has always intended for the covenant people.

We’ve seen this vision before. This egalitarian vision of Jesus is seen quite clearly throughout Matthew’s Gospel.

It is a vision of a community based upon equality, simplicity, humility, and compassion, where the leaders of the community are it’s servants.

This is the kind of covenant community which God originally intended when the people crossed the Jordan into the land of Canaan. And this is the kind of covenant community which God intends for us today.

There is no major surprise here. I believe that there is a deep hunger latent in all human beings for this kind of community which is envisioned by our Lord.

We can see this hunger in the Occupy Wall Street movement that has now spread around the world. Of course, the people in these random encampments have their own personal motivations and favorite causes which vary widely from person to person, and from place to place. But, at its core, and in its original impetus, we know there is the strong desire for humility, equality, and compassion to serve as the guiding values of our society, rather than greed, arrogance and selfishness.

It goes without saying that this is not the case, hence the reason that these protests continue!

Nor is this kind of widespread change in society likely to happen anytime soon.

You can label me a pessimist, but I prefer to think that I’m a realist.

I understand the reality of sin, the reality of self-interest among humankind. And I understand that it takes more than protesting to change the fundamental character of human beings.

It takes the power of a different vision for life, the wisdom of a Master Teacher, and the power of the Holy Spirit.

There is a story from the life of St. Francis which speaks powerfully to this alternative vision for human society. Once when St. Francis was very ill, Brother Leo – one of Francis’ early companions – was taking care of him. And one time, while in the room with Francis, Brother Leo entered into a time of deep prayer in which he had a vision of a large and fast-flowing river.

And as he was watching, Brother Leo saw several of St. Francis’ followers enter the river with heavy loads of their backs. But the powerful current of the river suddenly swept them away and they were lost. Some made it half-way across the river, some nearly all the way across. But – alas – all of these brothers finally fell and were horribly drowned because of the heavy burdens which they were carrying.

Then Brother Leo saw a new group of Franciscans come to cross the river without carrying any loads at all. And these brothers came and crossed over the other side without any difficulty.

After seeing this, Brother Leo awoke from his vision and he found Francis also awake and alert.

And St. Francis explained to Brother Leo the meaning of this vision in this way: “What you saw is true,” St. Francis said, “for the great river is this world.

The friars who were swallowed by the river are those who do not want to follow the teachings of the Gospel and do not keep voluntary poverty.

But those who went across without danger are the friars who, having the spirit of God, neither love nor desire nor possess any carnal or earthly thing in this world, but ‘having food and sufficient clothing’ they are ‘content’, following Christ naked on the cross. And joyfully and willingly they embrace, take up and carry every day the very light and sweet burden of His Cross and the yoke of His very holy obedience.

And consequently, they pass easily and without danger – indeed with joy – from this world to God, who is blessed for ever and ever” (The Little Flowers of Saint Francis, Image Books, 1958: P.124-125).

In the Lord’s sermon in Matthew’s Gospel, we hear these words: “You are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all students.”

Indeed, we are all students, learning together at the feet of the Master how to live this life the way that God desires, for this – we are convinced – is the way of joy and peace and freedom. To embrace the Gospel, to follow Christ naked on the cross in this way, is to embrace simplicity, humility, equality, compassion as the key values of our common life.

We all know that the world needs to change, that human beings need to change, that our society needs leaders who will guide us in the ways of truth and goodness.

Thanks be to God that here in the Body of Christ we have a Teacher, an Instructor, who is shaping us to be God’s faithful people in this world.

Thanks be to God that we can follow Christ in his way of the cross which is none other than the way of life and peace. Amen.

The Laying on of Hands

A Sermon for 19 Pentecost (RCL A) 10-23-2011

Offered by Nathan Ferrell for Trinity Episcopal Shared Ministry

 
Texts:              Deuteronomy 34:1-12; Psalm 90:1-6,13-17; Matthew 22:34-46
Themes:         Moses and Joshua, resurrection, Jesus and the Sadducees        
Title:               The Laying on of Hands       

“Joshua son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, because Moses had laid his hands on him” (Deut. 34: 9).

My brothers and sisters: what does it mean that Moses laid his hands on Joshua?

Let us think together for a few moments about that ancient practice which we call “the laying on of hands.” 

This is one of the simplest and most universal of symbolic gestures. People in all cultures and in all eras of human history have used this gesture in a symbolic way. Throughout the Bible, the laying on of hands is used as a means of conveying grace and power and blessing. Once a leper knelt before our Lord Jesus asking for healing, and the Lord placed his hand upon his head and said, “Be clean!” (Mark 1:41). When the first seven deacons were elected to serve just after Pentecost, the apostles prayed and laid their hands on them (Acts 6:6). And in the Letter of James, we are taught that the leaders of the church ought to lay their hands on the sick, to anoint them with oil and to pray for their healing (James 5:14).

But why do we speak of laying hands on someone’s head?

We all know that there are certain parts of the human body which generally convey more spiritual energy than other parts. If I stare at Fred’s feet or Carl's shoes (nice shoes, by the way!), it is not quite the same as looking him squarely in the eye. There is far more energy exchanged in that way.

And if I reach out my hand to touch someone as a way of blessing them, there is energy and power given off in that gesture. We all know instinctively how this works. To withhold your touch from another person is to withhold your blessing. Just think of the refusal to shake someone’s hand. We all know what is intended, and what is felt, by that refusal.

There is a sense of sacredness and power in a person’s head and hands which we all feel.   

And what is more, our Lord Jesus Christ teaches us that matter is important, that our bodies are valuable, and that God works through created things.

This is what Christ teaches us. There are other teachers who can offer you a different vision of life, others who teach that it is only the soul that has value, that our salvation is found in our understanding of certain mental concepts and ideas, that earthly things have no significance.

But this is not the wisdom that we receive from Christ. We receive the grace and the forgiveness and the power of Christ through the things of this earth, and we pass them along in the same way.

The laying on of hands, and the more general practice of intentional healing touch, is a vital part of our Christian tradition, and we continue this ancient practice even in the church today.

The laying on of hands occurs when a person is confirmed in the community by the Bishop, and when one is ordained by the Bishop.

But it also takes place at many other times in the church as well. On Sunday mornings, when someone who is not baptized or when children who are not yet ready to receive the Sacrament come to the Altar rail, I lay my hand on the head of each one and give them a blessing.  

Also, some of you (may) have been present for the Ministration at the Time of Death, what the Roman tradition calls Extreme Unction or the Last Rites. At that critical moment, all of those gathered together anoint the dying person with oil and lay their hands on them and pray, in a symbolic gesture of love and compassion and healing and blessing.

This laying on of hands is one of the most primal and basic of symbolic human actions. There is enormous power in the human hand, and when you stretch out your hands in a conscious, intentional way, you have the ability to convey energy and power.

Now, I know without a doubt that what I am about to ask will be uncomfortable for some of you.

We are going to practice together this morning. One way that we think of the liturgy of the gathered faithful is as a kind of practice, a rehearsal of what we know to be true and real. We practice it together, we rehearse it again and again and again, because when we seek to love God and our neighbor out there in the world, it is easy for us to become distracted and confused and to lose sight of the truth as it is in Jesus.

And so we will practice here today. I am asking that each one of you lay your hands on the head of two people: the person on your right and on your left. It doesn’t matter if they are family or friends or complete strangers. They belong to Christ, and you belong to Christ! And so we’re all family in this place!

Lay your hands on each person’s head – one at a time – and give them your blessing. Do it with intention, deliberately, slowly, in an attitude of prayer. Your words can be quite simple – you know the general blessing formulas that we use. “The Lord bless you and keep you.” “May the blessing of God Almighty be with you now and always.” Feel free to tailor and shape these words – or your own words of blessing – as the Spirit leads you, and especially if you know the needs of the person whom you are blessing. 

Now, if this feels strange or uncomfortable for you, then this is even more reason for you to practice! For I am convinced that this simple blessing with the laying on of hands is a basic practice with which all Christian people need to be familiar.  Let’s practice it for a few minutes right now.

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“Joshua son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, because Moses had laid his hands on him” (Deut. 34:9).  When we were baptized into Christ, we each received the gift of the Holy Spirit and were incorporated – in our bodies – into the mystical body of Christ. And that means that each one of us has the power of blessing in our hands, because our baptized bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit.

 Be bold to share that blessing, my friends. Be bold to lay your hands upon the heads of your children and bless them before a test or an interview or an important milestone in their lives. Have the courage to lay your hands upon the head of your spouse or of one of your parents when they are ill.

Whatever the relationship or the situation, do not be shy to share your blessing with those around you. It is right there in the power of your hands, in the depth of your love, and in the confidence of your faith. And the Spirit has given it to you to be shared!     

May it be so. Amen.