Better late than never! Life has been a bit hectic and crazy lately, but here is the first message delivered at Saint Mary's in Falmouth, Maine.
A Sermon for Proper 27 (RCL B) 11-11-2012
Offered by Nathan Ferrell for The Church of Saint Mary
Texts: Hebrews 9:24-28; Psalm 127; Mark
12:38-44
Primary
message: The local church is the hope of
the world
Call to
action: Commit everything to join
God’s work in the church
Title: Unless the Lord builds the house
My dear brothers
and sisters: God is building something new here in this community known as
Saint Mary’s.
And what a privilege
it is for me and Erin and our children, Angus and Se’ and Fiona, to be part of
the new work that God is doing in this place. It is a great joy and a
privilege!
After all, you
and I have been called to labor together with God to build the house of God,
which is nothing else but the community of those who have found new life in
Christ.
You must
understand this: I am absolutely convinced that the local church is the hope of
the world.
I am convinced
that groups of ordinary, average people just like you and me who gather
together to be filled with the grace of God so that we might pour out that
grace to others – that groups just like this right here are the hope of the
world.
Let’s be clear
about this: politicians can’t save the world. Businesses can’t do it. The
university will not save the world.
All of these
persons and groups have their role to play, but in the final analysis it is
only the church that can transform the world!
It is only the
Body of Christ that can make this world to be what God intended it to be!
How is this
possible? Of course, it is not about us, after all. This is God’s doing; it is
God’s work being done by God’s people with God’s energy.
God works
through the church!
As crazy as it
sounds, my friends, God has no other plan for humanity except for the Church!
And this
Church through whom God works is an assembly of ordinary people like you and me
who open our hearts to the living God and become channels of God’s grace to
others.
I can remember
very clearly the time that I first began to realize this for myself.
I was raised
in a small country parish in the village of Vincentown, New Jersey. This was
Trinity Episcopal Church, and it was founded in the 1800’s as a chapel for
summer visitors escaping the heat of Philadelphia.
We were not
very regular attenders. Our family was mostly of the “Christmas-and-Easter”
variety (do you know any folks like this?). So I remember going to the Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve at this
little parish when I was a senior in High School. By that time, I had become
quite an idealist. I was truly disappointed with the world as it was, and I
wanted to change it. I wanted to see people respect one another, and love one
another. I wanted to experience some real peace in the world.
And at the
passing of the peace there on Christmas Eve, in the candlelight, when all of
these folks who had known me for my entire life were hugging me and hugging
each other, at THAT moment it first began to dawn on me: HERE IT IS!
Here is the
peace and love and joy and hope that I was seeking! Right here, in this
ordinary, simple little country chapel, among these very people gathered
together because of the love of God poured out on the world in Jesus Christ.
Well, what
about us here at Saint Mary’s? How are we going to do this? How will we manifest
this transforming grace of God in the months and years to come?
The details,
of course, remain to be seen.
But I can tell
you this much with certainty.
There are
three things that we are going to do together.
Three paths of
action which will be characteristic hallmarks of this Saint Mary’s community.
We are going
to celebrate God and the
gifts of life.
We are going
to honor one another.
We are going
to serve the needs of the
world.
Got it? Can you
remember these?
(Well, they’re
written down in your bulletin, if you need some help!)
Celebrate. Honor. Serve.
Let’s say them
together. Are you ready? “Celebrate! Honor! Serve!”
Excellent!
Celebrate God
and the goodness of life. Honor one another. Serve the needs of others.
It’s that
simple. I am convinced that this is the kind of community which God is calling
us to be, the kind of house that the Lord wishes building in this place.
A house where God
is celebrated, where all that God has done for us is celebrated.
After all,
this is why we gather together every Sunday – to celebrate our new life in Christ!
We will
celebrate birthdays and anniversaries, promotions and graduations, retirements
and new homes, weddings and baptisms, Earth Days and pet blessings, and even
funerals.
I suspect that
some of you might even get a bit tired of all the celebrating that we are going
to do together! I can imagine someone saying, “Gee, can’t we just get together
for a good complaining session?! to lament and to complain about all of the
problems in the world. I mean, why do we have to celebrate all of the time?”
Nope, sorry! Can’t
do it! After all, God has called us to “rejoice always, pray without ceasing,
and give thanks in all circumstances.” That sounds like a whole lot of
celebration to me!
We will also
be a house in which all people are honored.
We will honor
the gifts of our children and youth. We will honor the faithfulness and wisdom
of our seniors. We will honor those who give and serve in whatever capacity,
big or small. Jesus honored the poor widow who put in only two small coins. But
that was a great sacrifice for her, and Jesus knew this and he honored her. We
will honor those who have gone before us, those who have made this place, and
this parish community, possible. We will honor the strangers in our midst –
guests and visitors and seekers. And we will honor those among us with whom we
disagree, for we are all called to be the family of God together.
And we will be
a house which serves the needs of the world in the power of the Holy Spirit.
I know that
you are already very good at this. We will build on the good outreach work
already in place and reach out more and more to those in need here in our
towns, across the nation, and around the world.
This is the
kind of house that God is building among us.
And again, let
me say it: there is nothing else in the world like the local church!
When working
together as we are called to do, there is no other group or organization
anywhere on earth which has the potential to be and to do so much good!
I am convinced
of this. I will stake my life on this fact. And I invite you to join me in this
journey.
In your
bulletins, I have shared with you a special prayer of dedication. It is called
“My Morning Prayer.”
Take it out
now please. We will pray it together as an act of commitment to this new
journey that we are beginning together.
“God, this is
a new day. I freshly commit myself to the role you have invited me to play, as
you are building your church in this world. I am awestruck again today that you
include me in this grand life-giving, world-transforming endeavor. So today I
joyfully offer you: my love, my heart, my talents, my energy, my creativity, my
faithfulness, my resources, and my gratitude. I commit all of myself to the
role you have assigned me in the building of your church so that it may thrive
in this world. And I will ‘bring it’ today. I will bring my best. You deserve
it. Your church deserves it. It is the hope of the world.”
Sign it and
date it, if you are ready to do so. This is for you to keep, to remember and to
pray again and again.
Just remember,
my friends, how incredible, how awesome this is! We have been invited to labor
with God in the transformation of the world. What a gift! What a privilege!
And what a joy
to be able to labor together with God in this very special and wonderful
community known as Saint Mary’s. Amen.
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