Those who have ears to hear - a poem

For years I have been listening 
for this call in the vernal dusk. Like the sudden whiff 
of a luring scent, my ears perceived, my heart raced.
What did I hear? Chirp and warble and whirling dash; 
faint, smothered by the whine of speeding cars. 
Yet piercing and true I heard it sure. 
Discipline and desire prepared me for this moment, 
this frenzied tiptoe across the road at the brink of night. 
My eyes were dark; my mind perceived with insight. Yes! 
There it was. Gentle yet aptly strong, illumining 
the dark, the woodcock shared his song of praise. 
I like to think that God joined me then in smiling.

The Myth of Separate-ness - A sermon for April 28, 2013

A Sermon for April 28, 2013 (Pascha 5, RCL C)

Offered by Nathan Ferrell for The Church of Saint Mary

Texts:             Acts 11:1-18; Psalm 148; John 13:31-35

Primary Message:  there are no good people, and no bad people

Call to Action:          see yourself as a member of one humanity

Title:               The Myth of Separate-ness

O God, grant us continual grace to hear and receive your word, and to respond faithfully. We ask in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

My dear friends: this morning, I want us to consider together this morning something that I will call “the myth of separate-ness”.

You know this myth. It’s talked about commonly, and it’s been in the news quite a bit lately.

This myth of separate-ness was common in the days of those first apostles of Christ. After all, it was central to their very identity as a nation.

Now the process of unraveling that myth begins with this story about Peter’s visit with Cornelius, the Roman centurion. What did we hear there?

When Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers criticized him, saying, “Why did you go to uncircumcised men and eat with them?”

In the world occupied by Jesus and his disciples, humanity was divided into two parts: us and them. Or to be a bit more clear, the men of the world were divided into two categories: us the circumcised, and them the uncircumcised.

I must say, to be frank, this mark of separateness is rather peculiar. I mean, how did the people in Jerusalem know that Peter ate with uncircumcised men?

Did Peter – or anyone else, for that matter – conduct an inspection?

You know what I mean, though I doubt that we need to speak any more about that!

As we know, it is one of the most normal, most natural things that we can do to separate the world, to divide humanity, into us and them. Right?

What about deciding who are true Mainers, and who are the ones from away?

Oh, I‘ve heard about that one plenty of times already.

It is said that the older of the two Boston bombers, Tamerlan, had protested against the idea that Muslims might celebrate the American holiday of Thanksgiving. He said that this belonged to the kafir, to the non-believer, and that it had no place in the lives of Muslims. 

The myth of separate-ness. Us and them. Here we see the same pattern repeated again. The world is full of such examples, and we must ask the question of ourselves as well. We are not let of the hook so easily.  

Who among us is NOT tempted to replicate this pattern? To define the “us” and the “them”?

I will give you the benefit of the doubt and thank God that you do not make such distinctions on the basis of skin color and any other such ridiculous matter.

I believe that WE are tempted  to divide people in a different way.

Who among us does not – perhaps even unconsciously – make a mental distinction between us “the good people” and them “the bad people”?

I heard an interview this week with a recovering survivor from the bombings in Boston. As this young woman lay there in the hospital bed, she said, “I don’t understand how anyone could do such a thing.”  

And I thought to myself, “Really? I understand it with no problem at all.”

Bear with me now. This may not be the most pleasant line of thinking, but I believe that it is vital for us to grasp this point.

Do you see how easily that young woman made the distinction between us and them? Between the good people like her, of course, and the bad people who do such horrid things in the world?

My friends, let’s be very clear about this. That distinction is a lie.   

I understand how angry young men like the Tsarnaev brothers, like Adam Lanza, like James Holmes, like Timothy McVeigh, and like so many thousands of others could do such horrible acts of violence, because I was an angry young man once who did a number of stupid and foolish things.

And who knows what could have happened to me if  - during those years when I felt lost and yet wanting to do something important with my life – if I was influenced by the wrong people, or brainwashed by some crazy ideology, or if I had some chemical imbalance in my brain!

There but for the grace of God go I.

I understand it with no trouble at all, but I confess that on this score, I am willing to give all of you women a pass!

99% of all horrible actions like this are done by men – by angry young men.

Women seem to be immune to that dangerous blend of anger and adrenaline and misanthropy and testosterone through which young men must swim.

But the overall point remains the same, regardless of your gender!

There is no class of good people on one side, and a class of bad people on the other.

What there is, is one humanity. Human beings in a variety of shapes and forms and colors, with varying abilities. All made in the image of God. All fallen and broken by sin. All in need of healing. All in various stages of recovery.

Thomas Merton famously discovered this spiritual reality while standing at the busy corner of Fourth and Walnut streets in downtown Louisville, Kentucky in March of 1958, in the middle of a regular business day in the shopping district.

Even though he was a monk who lived an isolated life of silence and prayer, he realized right there that there is only one humanity. As he wrote in his journal:

“I was suddenly overwhelmed with the realization that I loved all these people, that they were mine and I theirs, that we could not be alien to one another even though we were total strangers. It was like waking from a dream of separate-ness… [As monks], we belong to God. Yet so does everybody else belong to God…This sense of liberation…was such a relief and a joy to me that I almost laughed out loud. And I suppose my happiness could have taken form in these words: ‘Thank God, thank God that I AM like other men, that I am only a man among others.’” (Conjectures of a Guilty Bystander, p. 153-154).

Like waking from a dream of separate-ness.

The first step in truly loving others as Christ commanded is to refuse to deal in illusions and falsehoods, and to recognize our common reality.

In each one of us, no matter what skincolor or gender or age or intelligence, no matter what abilities or mental competency, no matter what markings we do or do not have on our bodies – inside each one of us, there is tremendous potential – for good and for evil – potential to build and to destroy.

Do you know this truth about yourself? Do you know this truth about others?

Peter and those first disciples were being taught this lesson by the Holy Spirit, and the Spirit is still teaching us this lesson today.

“And they praised God, saying, ‘Then God has given even to the Gentiles the repentance that leads to life’” (Acts 11:18).

Let us give our thanks and praise that God has given even to me, even to you, that repentance that leads to life. Amen.

Children’s Message

Good morning!

Let me ask you a question: who is invited to live in God’s house forever?

Am I invited? Are you invited? How do we know? Because God said we were invited!

This morning, we heard a strange story read from the Bible about a giant sheet and lots of different animals.

Did you hear it?

Saint Peter was praying and he saw a vision. Do you know what this is?

A vision is seeing something real but which is not actually there.

Peter saw a vision of a large sheet floating down out of the sky, and in that sheet were all kinds of animals. Wild animals, reptiles, birds.

And maybe it looked a little bit like this! (Acolytes unfurl sheet).

When Peter saw this, a voice told him, “Get up, Peter! Kill and eat.”

He said, No way! I’ve never eaten any food that wasn’t special, wasn’t holy.

But the voice of God told him that it was ok to eat anything.   

Now, guess what? Let me tell you a secret. This story is NOT about food at all, and it is not even about animals!

Do any of you know what it IS about?

It’s about PEOPLE! All those different kinds of animals represent different kinds of people. And all different kinds of people are invited to live in God’s house.

If they want to, they can live with God now and forever. Even you and me are invited. Everyone, no matter what they look like or what kind of abilities they have or don’t have – God has spoken, and God has invited us all to live with God forever. Now that’s good news, isn’t it? Let’s pray.  

A poem: The Desert Box

A reflection upon the Desert Box, a story told in Godly Play

The desert wind blows through the winter.
East and West, behind and before, refuge awaits.
But why walk past the life hidden there?
Even in alien red desert it is found.
Ancient soakings whisper truth like Abraham,
like soil.
Laugh if you will; the wind will not cease.
Movement and energy multiply the seed.

We Are Vulnerable

A Sermon for April 21, 2013 (4 Pascha, RCL C)

Offered by Nathan Ferrell for The Church of Saint Mary

Texts:             Acts 9:36-43; Psalm 23; John 10:22-30         

Primary Message:  vulnerability is a means of grace in our lives 

Call to Action:          trust God and do not build walls to protect yourself

Title:               We Are Vulnerable

My dear friends: what a tough week! It’s been yet another difficult week for our nation.

Innocent people enjoying one of the great traditions of New England – the Boson Marathon – attacked. Some killed, many maimed and injured. An entire city in lock down while a massive manhunt ensued.

And yet here we are gathered together this morning to celebrate.

In the Church, we call this “Good Shepherd Sunday”, the day each year when we pray the 23^rd Psalm and we celebrate with joy that Christ is our Good Shepherd.

How do we put these two very divergent realities together?

What does the shepherding of Christ have to do with senseless terrorism in the real world?

The day after the Boston bombings, LZ Granderson wrote an editorial at CNN.com expressing well the change reality of our nation.

LZ Granderson - It Can Happen Anywhere

“If September 11, 2001, was the day everything changed, then April 15, 2013, serves as another reminder of that change, of our frailties and of a new reality in which "it can't happen here" has been replaced by "it can happen anywhere."”

I feel this new reality and I know that many of you do as well.

We are vulnerable. And we will always be vulnerable.

Nowhere are we sealed off and isolated from the anger and hatred and violence which infects humanity.

So what do we do with this gnawing sense of vulnerability?

Last week, while driving in New Jersey, I saw a bumper sticker which read as follows: “To-Do List: Pray, Vote, Buy More Ammo.”

May I humbly suggest to you that this is not the way to go! It may perhaps be the most common response when people feel vulnerable or out of control, but it’s clearly misguided.

Don’t take this the wrong way. I’m not speaking of second amendment rights and the freedom of law-abiding citizens.

What concerns me, and what I know with certainty concerns God, is the state of our hearts.

If your sense of vulnerability leads you to buy weapons and to install security systems and to regard strangers with suspicion, then you have missed the boat!

I know that it’s not easy. Truly, we are vulnerable on so many different levels in life, in so many ways. I know that twisting feeling – I get it right here, just under my sternum – when I feel particularly vulnerable and defenseless and insecure.

It is not a good feeling.

It is not easy, but I know that we can live in our vulnerability without fear.

No, even more than that. We can embrace it, and see in our own weakness the birthplace of new life.

Just over 2 years ago, a TED Talk by Dr. Brene’ Brown was posted online and it quickly went viral – it became popular. ((TED Talk by Dr. Brene' Brown)

For those of you who do not know, TED Talks are brief talks given by remarkable people about their passion, their research, their experience.

These videos are available for free on the internet, and many of them offer amazing insights.

Well, this talk by Brene’ Brown was titled, “The Power of Vulnerability”.

Her research found that embracing our vulnerability is essential to a fully and healthy life. This is what she said:

“Vulnerability is our most accurate measurement of courage. Vulnerability is the birthplace of innovation, creativity and change.”

What about you? Do you want to push away anything that makes you feel unsafe, to guard and protect yourself from all danger? Or are you able to embrace the vulnerability of your life and to live with courage?

This is why faith matters. This is how trust in God makes a real difference in life.

It allows us to face an uncertain, unpredictable future with courage, with positive confidence that God is doing something, and will do something good, no matter how bleak or troubled things may look from our perspective.

After all, we are The Church of Saint Mary the Virgin.

Do you remember how vulnerable Mary was when the angel Gabriel spoke to her?

Of course, he had to re-assure her and say, “Do not be afraid”, because the message he brought to her was truly terrifying!

Do you remember how vulnerable a young woman is in that patriarchal culture when she is accused of adultery? And with no reasonable means of defense, she was completely and utterly vulnerable.

And yet, we see her as one full of grace – that is what is says right there in the stained glass, “Ave Maria, Gratia Plena = Greetings Mary, full of grace”.

That grace allowed her to embrace her vulnerability with hope and courage. And in that openness of heart, of spirit, she conceived the One we look to in love as the Messiah, the One we follow as our Teacher.

She is our template of how an ordinary human being can reject that spirit of fear which causes us to withdraw, to hide, to shield ourselves from the dangers of life.

She is our model of how we can embrace our native vulnerability, and in so doing, conceive of something beautiful and good and life-giving.

Jesus said, “My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand.”

There is no protection from the basic reality of life on earth: we are vulnerable. Life is full of dangers. Life here is fragile.

Of course, our communities need to take common sense measures to provide security, to protect the innocent among us. But we must NEVER let that feeling of insecurity to creep into our hearts.

Instead, let us embrace the truth of our vulnerability and, by faith, know it to be true: nothing, and no one, can ever destroy that eternal life which Christ shares now with us.

And in that knowledge, let us live with openness and courage.

Let us conclude with a prayer offered this week by our Presiding Bishop, Katharine Jefferts Schori, in response to the attacks in Boston. Let us pray.

Gracious God, you walk with us through the valley of the shadow of death.  We pray that the suffering and terrorized be surrounded by the incarnate presence of the crucified and risen one.  May every human being be reminded of the precious gift of life you entered to share with us.  May our hearts be pierced with compassion for those who suffer, and for those who have inflicted this violence, for your love is the only healing balm we know. May the dead be received into your enfolding arms, and may your friends show the grieving [that] they are not alone as they walk this vale of tears.  All this we pray in the name of the one who walked the road to Calvary, [our Lord Jesus Christ]. Amen.

Listening is the fruit of love

A Sermon for February 10, 2013 (Last Epiphany, RCL C)

Offered by Nathan Ferrell for The Church of Saint Mary

Texts:             2 Corinthians 3:12-4:2; Psalm 99; Luke 9:28-36

Primary Message:              listen to Jesus, the smartest person who ever lived

Call to Action:          take up spiritual disciples, learn to love and listen

Title:               Listening is the Fruit of Love

“Then from the cloud came a voice that said, ‘This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!’” (Luke 9:35).

My dear friends: Who has your attention? To whose voice are you listening?

Have you noticed precisely what it is that the voice of God said at this crucial moment for Jesus and the disciples? At this moment when the full beauty and majesty of the Messiah, the Incarnate One, is on display for his friends to see, as a preparation for the very difficult days just ahead of them, what is it that the divine voice said?

Did God say, This is my Son, my Chosen; worship him? Or follow him? Or keep the commandments? Or be a good person? Or do your duty?

No. That voice emanating out of the cloud was precise and specific: listen to him.

Let’s talk about listening to Jesus. First we’ll talk about the “why”, and then we’ll move on to the “how”.

A book was published a few years ago which chronicled some of the most poignant stories of everyday, ordinary American citizens collected by the StoryCorps project (see www.storycorps.org).  

This project is still on-going, and the book is titled “Listening is an Act of Love.”

Did you hear that? Listening is an Act of Love!

Think about people in your life with whom you just enjoyed sitting and listening to them tell their stories, even if you had heard the same ones time and time again.

Listening is an act of love. From the cloud came a voice that said, “This is my Son, the Chosen; listen to him.”

On Thursday, the Falmouth Ecumenical Clergy group met for our monthly breakfast meeting. I am still new to this group, but it seems mostly to be a social affair. A chance to talk together, to catch up with one another. As the newbie, however, I am eager to talk about new ministry ideas that we might do together. On Thursday, I asked them to consider joining me in supporting the creation of a new Young Life group here at the Falmouth High School.

For those of you who do not know, Young Life is a non-denominational, international outreach ministry to youth. It is highly effective, very specific in its goal, and it relies upon broad, ecumenical support in the community.

I am quite excited about the potential for Young Life here in Falmouth, but a few of the other clergy were not. They shared their frustration about simply trying to get teenagers to show up for confirmation meetings, or to be involved in the church, or to attend Sunday worship. Now, someone asked, are you suggesting that we try to get them out TWICE a week? Once for our own youth group, and then another time for Young Life club!

I understand the frustration, but this, my friends, is flawed thinking. This is getting the cart before the horse.

Let’s step back and reconsider: what is God’s dream for our lives? That we might love God with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength, and love all people as ourselves.  Right?

If you truly love someone, is it a struggle finding the desire to spend time with that person? When teenagers falls in love, do they or do they not want to spend all of their time together? Do I, as a parent, need to tell my son, “You know, you really should go out tonight and spend some time with your girlfriend. It’s the right thing to do.”

Is that how it works? Of course not! We all know better.

The task for us church leaders, whether we are dealing with youth or children or adults, is not to find creative ways of convincing people to attend all of our wonderful programs and small groups and worship services. It is not to cajole or manipulate or guilt people into showing up.

Our task is to help people fall in love with Jesus.

If listening is an act of love, then we might also say that listening is the fruit of love.

Who here today listens to musicians and speakers and radio stations which you enjoy? Of course you do! You love this style of music, this band, this radio host, this station – whatever it is – you love it, and so you listen.

St. Paul speaks of that fact that we, with unveiled faces, see the glory of the Lord and this leads to our transformation into that very same image.

Think about beholding. We commonly say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. To behold signifies deliberate intention, purposeful choosing, a maintained and delighted gaze.

For who, I ask you, chooses to gaze upon and to behold things which they find distasteful? Who? Do we not – all of us – choose to spend our days looking at things that we love to look at?

As far as it is within our control, do we not focus our eyes upon those things which we find delightful? And do we not focus our ears, our oral attention, upon those voices which we find delightful?

So consider this, my friends: who, I ask you, will choose to gaze upon the Lord Jesus Christ, to behold him, to contemplate him regularly in the depths of the heart, if they do not love him? Who will choose to listen to him, to chew upon him words, to savor them and digest them, if they do not love him?

“This is my Son, the Chosen; listen to him.” To listen is the fruit of love.

But we need also to talk briefly about the “how” of listening to Jesus. We are not in the same position as Peter and James and John. We do not have the living and breathing Messiah right in front of us, but we can listen to him.

Now in fact is an especially proper time to discuss this. In 3 days, on Ash Wednesday, we begin our journey known as Lent. And Lent is a time of focused spiritual practice in order to prepare ourselves as a community for the great celebrations of Holy Week and our Paschal Feast.  

Over the last two millennia, a wide range of tried-and-true spiritual practices have developed within the Church which provide each one of us with clear and simple ways to listen to Jesus.

These disciplines include daily Bible reading, meditation, various forms and times of prayer, practicing silence, speaking with a spiritual guide, self-evaluations, taking retreats, fasting, regular giving to those in need, meeting weekly with a small group for support and accountability.

These and all spiritual disciplines are means by which regular Christ-followers have been able to listen to Jesus and to apply his words to their lives.

There is no great mystery here; these are well-worn paths toward spiritual growth, and the wise ones in every generation have walked upon them.

As you know, it is common for folks to think of Lent as a time to “give something up”, to abstain from something as a small act of sacrifice.

May I suggest that - this year - all of us instead consider taking up something new, trying out a spiritual discipline which will enable us to listen deeply and intently to the words of Christ.

After all, these practices are the primary ways in which we behold him, gaze upon him, and so learn to love him.  And this is the goal: in all things, to love God with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength.

“From the cloud came a voice that said, ‘This is my Son, the Chosen; listen to him.’”  May we be counted among those who love and who listen. Amen.

So Shall God Rejoice Over You

A Sermon for January 20, 2013 (Epiphany 2, RCL C)

Offered by Nathan Ferrell for The Church of Saint Mary

Texts:             Isaiah 62:1-5; Psalm 36:5-10; John 2:1-11

Primary Message:  God’s will is for loyalty, fidelity, holy love in every relationship

Call to Action:          Practice holy, Christ-like love in all relationships

Title:               So Shall God Rejoice Over You

“For as a young man marries a young woman, so shall your builder marry you;

and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall God rejoice over you” (Isaiah 62:5).

My dear friends in Christ: each one of us is called to live faithfully as God’s covenant people.

The season of Epiphany has traditionally centered upon three stories in which the glory of our Lord Jesus was manifested in tangible ways:

-at his baptism in the river Jordan, at the transfiguration on Mount Tabor, and here, at a wedding reception in the small village of Cana.

Marriage is important in the Bible, as a way of ordering relationships and also as a metaphor for the relationship between God and the people of God.

And, as we all know, marriage is an important topic today within our society and within the church.

  

Let’s talk about marriage this morning, and let’s begin with a little research.

For most of you, I’ll bet that it’s been a number of years since you’ve been at an Episcopal wedding. So please pick up a Prayer Book. Share with your neighbor, if needed. Turn to Page 423 where we will find the liturgy called The Celebration and Blessing of a Marriage.

This liturgy begins with the traditional greeting which goes as follows:

Dearly beloved: We have come together in the presence of God to witness and bless the joining together of this man and this woman in Holy Matrimony.  The bond and covenant of marriage was established by God in creation, and our Lord Jesus Christ adorned this manner of life by his presence and first miracle at a wedding in Cana of Galilee.  It signifies to us the mystery of the union between Christ and his Church, and Holy Scripture commends it to be honored among all people.

Did you catch that part in the middle about the wedding at Cana? “Our Lord Jesus Christ adorned this manner of life by his presence and first miracle at a wedding.”

At a wedding, we gather together to witness and to bless a new covenant made in love.

But what does it mean to bless such a relationship? In fact, what is it that we do when we bless anything? What does that actually mean?

My soon-to-be brother priest, Kevin Kinsey, who serves the parishes in Aroostook County, told me just the other day that St. Luke’s parish in Caribou is getting a much-needed new furnace. And so the parish is planning to gather soon in order to bless that new furnace.

Well, what does that actually mean? I’ve heard of the blessing of firetrucks and motorcycles and boats. I myself have been asked to bless horses and dogs and rosaries and Bibles and houses. And, you may remember, that there are many times when we are called on, in fact, to bless God, especially in the Psalms. “Bless the Lord, O my soul” (Psalm 104:1)

What does it mean for us to bless something, or someone, or even God? What is this act of blessing?

The Church recently published a new theological resource which seeks to answer questions such as this, and to provide some framework in which to understand the blessing of a committed relationship. (I Will Bless You and You Will Be a Blessing: Liturgical Resources 1) 

This book explains the Church’s act of blessing as a threefold-action in which we join in God’s work of blessing the world.

First, we acknowledge and give thanks for the grace of God which is already present.  You and I, the Church as a whole – we can never create God’s grace. We do not manufacture grace: we notice it, we acknowledge it, we recognize it, and we give thanks for it. The act of blessing never creates something which is not already there. 

A number of the early church fathers suggested that when Christ turned the water into wine, what he did was to recognize the grace already present in that gift of water, and to release it to attain its full potential!

So it is with us at all times. The grace of God always precedes anything that we do. The first aspect of blessing, then, is always thanksgiving and praise that God has been at work in this place, in these people, before we ever arrived.

The second movement of blessing is to ask. Jesus taught us very clearly that asking is at the core of a healthy heart and life. “Ask and it will be given to you” (Matthew 7:7). When we bless someone or something, we ask that this object or these persons might continue on as bearers and channels of God’s grace.

What do people ask for when they bless a new furnace? That the darn thing keeps on working, doing what it is supposed to do! What do we ask for when we bless the Lord? That God will continue to be God: pouring out goodness upon the world graciously and generously.

What do we ask for when we bless a couple uniting themselves to each other with vows of life-long faithfulness? That, through the agency of the other, each one might be enabled to attain their full potential, to be fully and completely who God has created them to be!  That together they may be more Christ-like than they ever could be alone.

The third aspect of blessing is the empowerment of the Holy Spirit to bear witness to Christ in the world. “Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him” (John 2:11). There is always an outward dimension to blessing. We receive a blessing ONLY in order that we might give a blessing to others. As disciples, we are called to bear the fruit of the Spirit. But fruit is created  to be eaten! It must be eaten in order to pass on the seed. This is how fruit is meant to work.

My friends, as we talk together about the marriage in the days to come, and we discuss the act of blessing people, I pray that we all remember what it means to bless something or someone. It is about recognizing the grace of God, asking for that grace to continue, and going out to bear the fruits of the Spirit.

Notice, please, that there are no pre-requisites to this act of blessing. 

Kevin Kinsey up in Caribou is not going to check on the type of furnace before he blesses it! I don’t only bless certain types of houses, or crosses made only of certain materials. When the priest offers the blessing from the Altar at the end of the Eucharist, it is offered to all: those who received communion, and those who chose not to do so; those who trust in Jesus Christ, and those who are not ready to do so; those with knowledge and understanding of Scripture and the ways of God, and those who are without.

When we bless a couple who are standing before God and the people of God in order to make vows of life-long faithfulness, the gender of those making such vows is irrelevant. First, we acknowledge that God has already given to these people an abundance of grace. The very fact that two people are willing to stand up and publicly make vows of mutual love and care until they are parted by death means that God has already moved in their lives with grace and power!

We recognize that, we acknowledge it as a miracle, and we ask for it to continue. 

In the year 2000, the General Convention of the Episcopal Church (General Convention website), passed a resolution which identified the following characteristics of what the Church has always, and will always, expect of couples in a committed, covenant relationship:

“fidelity, monogamy, mutual affection and respect, careful [and] honest communication, and the holy love that enables those in such relationships to see in each other the image of God” (Liturgical Resources 1: p.24).

A relationship that bears such godly fruit is worthy of our blessing. The challenge today for all of us here at Saint Mary’s, and in the Church as a whole, is not to defend our tradition of marriage, but to live it! To practice it! To make it a reality!

Not all of us are called to live within this kind of covenant. St. Paul famously declared his opinion that the single, celibate life is the best path in which we can serve God (cf. 1 Corinthians 7:32-35). Not all are called to live in a special covenant relationship, but we are all called to live faithfully as God’s covenant people. 

This is what matters: to love God and to love our neighbor, to trust in the free gift of grace through Jesus Christ, and to bear witness to that love in all of our thoughts, words and deeds. 

May it always be so among us here. Amen.

A Sermon for Jan. 13, 2013: With the Holy Spirit and Fire

A Sermon for January 13, 2013 (Epiphany 1, RCL C)

Offered by Nathan Ferrell for The Church of Saint Mary

Texts:             Isaiah 43:1-7; Psalm 29; Luke 3:15-17,21-22

Primary Message:  Christ drives out our fear and fills us with courage
Call to Action:          trust in Christ and live boldly
Title:               With the Holy Spirit and Fire

My dear sisters and brothers: when we are overwhelmed by the grace of God, our fear is driven away; then courage and boldness carry us forward in hope.

Let me ask you a question. And yes, this is a true question to which I want you to answer – vocally, out loud, for all to hear.

What single message, what single idea, do you think is the most commonly repeated, the most often delivered one throughout all of the Bible? What is the single most common communication from God to human beings in the Scriptures?

(Answers from the congregation…)  

All good thoughts, worthy attempts. But the answer is found in these four words:

DO NOT BE AFRAID.

 

That’s it! And that message is found in today’s passage from Isaiah as well – twice in fact! “Do not fear, for I am with you” (Isaiah 43:5).  

And although the exact words are not spoken, this theme punctuates every single sentence of this passage:

“When you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.”

The idea of walking through fire is an ancient way of testing one’s faith.

Have you ever heard of or seen Indian gurus walking over burning hot coals?

Well, let me tell you a very old story about walking through fire and the courage of faith.  

In the year 1219, St. Francis of Assisi traveled to the city of Damietta in the north of Egypt. He went there with one simple and primary purpose: to do what Jesus and the apostles did - to preach the good news to those who have not heard it.

In this situation, however, there was one major difference in circumstance. Damietta was a city under siege. It was the height of the Fifth Crusade. The combined European forces had just suffered a painful defeat in their attempt to capture the city, and now they regrouped while maintaining a siege out in the desert surrounding Damietta.

Within the city, leading the Islamic defenses was the famous Sultan of Egypt, Malek Al-Kamil. With stunning bravery, St. Francis and one of his little brothers, a Friar Minor, approached the enemy lines with a request to speak with the Sultan.

Now, picture this in your mind! Can you imagine what those heavily-armed, battle-scarred Muslim soldiers thought when they considered this short, poor little man with the funny haircut who carried nothing with him, but who asked with such boldness and audacity for a direct audience with the Sultan?!  

We have no idea as to why exactly, but his request was granted. You must understand that Francis was perfectly ready and spiritually prepared for martyrdom. He knew perfectly well that he was risking his life by such a venture, and he was ready to lose his life in this way for the sake of the Gospel.

This meeting between Francis and the Sultan in the year 1219 is an historical fact. But the reports of what actually occurred in this meeting are a bit less certain.

It is said that a very civil and respectful dialogue ensued between Francis and his brother Friar, and the Sultan, along with the imams in his court. Both sides tried in vain to convert the other. Finally, it is reported that Francis offered to undergo a trial by fire to prove the validity of the Gospel.

Francis offered to walk through fire in order to prove that God was with him, as long as the Sultan’s imams were willing to do the same.

Now, that sounds crazy, right? But there was a method to his madness.  

Back in the days of Muhammad, when he was beginning to gather a group of followers around him in the first decades of the 7^th century, it is said that he challenged a group of Christians to a similar trial. Leaders of both groups would walk through fire; the ones who came out unscathed were the ones who had God on their side, the ones who spoke the truth about God.

If you know anything about Muhammad, then you will know that this is clearly a challenge that he would relish. But those Arabian Christians declined, saying that they did not wish to put Christ to the test in this way. And so Muhammad left feeling justified, that his message was inspired and the faith of the Christians was not REAL faith, since they were too afraid to face the test of fire.    

600 years later in Egypt, I think that St. Francis was intending to make up for the supposed failure of those timid Christians in their meeting with Muhammad.

With courage and boldness, he offered to walk through fire with his counterparts, but this time the imams refused. They did not wish to put allah to the test in this way.

With his courage, Francis won the respect of the Sultan. He and his friars were treated as honored guests, and they were given free passage to travel throughout the Sultan’s lands - including the Holy Land! – in peace.

“When you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the Lord your God…Do not be afraid, for I am with you.”

My friends: something happens deep within the heart of a person who is overwhelmed by the grace of God. When all of your defenses are broken down, all of your pride washed away, when all of your strength is gone and you realize that there is nothing solid or dependable or trustworthy in this life except for the grace and love of God, then you can live without fear.

“Perfect love drives out fear.” So we are told in the first letter of John, and this is what I think it means when John the Baptizer preaches to the people about the coming Messiah:  “He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”

The Messiah immerses us in a life of trust and confidence, courage and boldness, because it is a life of intimacy with God who is pure goodness and mercy.

Now, let’s be clear: I am not suggesting in any sense at all that we actually attempt walking through fire. There are still lots of people who do this!

There was an event in San Jose, California this past July hosted by the famous motivational speaker Tony Robbins. It was a four day conference called “Unleash The Power Within”, and as part of this conference the attendees were invited to – yes, you probably guessed it by now - walk through fire! Actually, it was a 10 foot swath of burning coals around 1500 degrees Fahrenheit.

Supposedly, he has offered this type of activity for many years, but THIS time at least 21 people were taken to the hospital with severe burns! Bystanders spoke of hearing people screaming as if they were being tortured! (http://www.mercurynews.com/crime-courts/ci_21125630/san-jose-21-people-treated-burns-after-firewalk)

OK, this is NOT what I would suggest! It is NOT courageous to put yourself in dangerous situations. That’s just plain stupid.

The boldness and courage which the Holy Spirit and the fire of Jesus bring into our lives is much more basic, and simple, than this.  

It is the courage to speak the truth, even when it might hurt your own position or threaten your own position.

It is the courage, sometimes, just to get out of bed in the morning, to not give up, to keep on going. The will and courage to persevere.

It is the courage to turn the other cheek, to choose to love your enemies and never to seek revenge.

It is the courage to not care about your prestige, to not be attached to your possessions, to not be anxious about your income or your assets.

Above all, it is the courage to love, the courage to care, to pour yourself out for those who need you.

Will you allow yourself to be touched, and overwhelmed, by the Holy Spirit and the fire of Christ, so that your fear is driven away, so that you can walk forward into the unknown with courage and boldness? Let it be so. Amen.

 

 

 

An Inquiring and Discerning Heart - a sermon for the Epiphany 2013

A Sermon for January 6, 2013 (The Epiphany)

Offered by Nathan Ferrell for The Church of Saint Mary

Texts:             Ephesians 3:1-12; Psalm 72:1-7,10-14; Matthew 2:1-12

Call to Action:       be ready and open for what God is bringing  

Title:               An Inquiring and Discerning Heart

My dear friends in Christ: what is next in your life?

Today, on this feast of the Epiphany, we remember the epic journey of the magi from the east. They journeyed across the desert, following a star, pursuing a vision, guided by dreams.  

These magi, these wise men, these three kings of orient, they are now a regular and familiar part of our Christmas story. After all, they are some of the brightest stars of our Christmas pageant!

But…but let’s not forget that they remain shrouded in mystery.

In our reading from his letter to the Ephesians, Paul speaks of the mystery of the Messiah which was hidden, but which now has been revealed through the apostles for all of the world to see. This much is true, but there is still plenty of mystery remaining when we consider the works of God.

Look again at these magi. A group of astrologers – we think – travel west in response to a sign which they discerned among the stars. How many were there? We have no idea. Who were they? What does the title “magi” actually mean? We really don’t know. Why exactly did they come? Why did they wish to pay homage to a new king of the Jews? And what happened to them after they left Bethlehem? They came and gave their gifts and went home. And then what happened? Did this visit have any impact upon their lives? Or was it just a fun trip, like a tourism adventure to visit an exotic land and see new things?

These magi from the east are shrouded in mystery, but their journey itself presents us with a powerful image of our own journey through life.

Traveling across the desert, persevering through the trials and struggles of life, following signs and seeking after light, pursuing hopes and visions, guided by dreams…you and I are travelers in a strange land, looking for Christ, seeking to pay him homage, even when we find him in the wrong place.

At least, my dear sisters and brothers, this is who we are called to be! This is who God wants us to be: travelers on the way, always seeking to learn more, to know more, embracing every new experience in life as a gift of God’s grace.  

I recently read the story of the first kidney transplant operation. It occurred on December 23, 1954 at Brigham Hospital in Boston (now known as Brigham and Women’s). The surgeon was Joseph Murray. He had served during the second World War using new skin grafting procedures on burned soldiers. After the war, his curiosity about what made some tissues compatible between patients urged him forward in his research. In 1954, a young man named Richard Herrick came to him in the final stages of renal failure. The crucial factor in this case was that Richard had an identical twin brother who was willing to donate one of his kidneys to his brother. Dr. Murray was convinced that this would work – that the donated kidney from his brother would not be rejected by Richard’s body. But as soon as he presented his proposal for this ground-breaking procedure, Dr. Murray was pummeled with criticism.

He was accused of a breath of ethics. To subject a healthy person to a dangerous operation such as this – referring to the removal of a healthy kidney from the healthy twin brother – this was considered by many as a breach of the Hippocratic Oath. A number of religious leaders accused Dr. Murray of “playing God”, of trying to determine who lives and who dies. Some in the media accused him of acting like Dr. Frankenstein.

Procedures like this are so routine for us today, but we must try to remember that something like this had never been done before. Dr. Murray was a devout follower of Christ. He had no desire to flout the guidance of respected faith leaders, so he organized a series of conferences with the Archbishop in Boston, and with rabbis and other bishops and pastors. When a consensus began to develop out of these meeting, the surgeries were scheduled and undertaken during the week leading up to Christmas in 1954. It worked, of course, and Joseph Murray rightly was lauded and acclaimed for his ground-breaking work.

In 1990, he received the Nobel Prize in Medicine, and he passed away just before the Thanksgiving that we recently celebrated. He often spoke of the acrimony that confronted him throughout his years of research, coming mostly from fellow Christians who distrusted his work.

“We have to avoid the arrogance,” Dr. Murray once spoke, “of person on either side of the science-religion divide who feel that they have all the answers. One truth is revealed truth; the other is scientific truth. The more we learn about creation – it just adds to the glory of God” (The Boston Globe Magazine, December 16, 2012, p.6).

To be faithful in our relationship with Christ, each of us needs to avoid that arrogance of having everything organized in our minds into neat little boxes, the error of thinking that we understand everything, while we also must maintain our sense of curiosity about the world. Exploring, learning, growing.

And so I ask you again: what is next in your life? What will you discover next on your journey?

After someone is baptized in water and sealed with the oil of chrism, we pray for each of the newly baptized in powerful words carefully chosen. We pray: “Give her an inquiring and discerning heart, the courage to will and to persevere, a spirit to know and to love you, and the gift of joy and wonder in all your works.”

These are keys, signs of a life being faithfully lived: an inquiring and discerning heart, joy and wonder in all the works of God.  

Because all truth is God’s truth, my friends, and it matters not if you find joy and wonder in the intricacies of human biology, or in the fine art of cooking excellent meals, or in the deep understanding of the Bible! What matters is that you pursue truth, and that you never, ever cease in that pursuit.

One of the sage desert monks of the 4^th century, Abba Palladius, spoke these words of wisdom: “The first step away from God is a distaste for learning.”

The first step away from God is a distaste for learning.  

If you ever find yourself at a point when you know no longer seek after Christ in the faces of every person you meet, when you no longer have any interest in exploring the mysteries of life and faith, when you no longer have that hunger to learn and explore the wonders of this creation, then you can be certain that you have taken a step away from God.

Don’t go down that path, my friends! There is a better way to live, and so I ask you once more: what is next in your life? Where is God leading you on your journey of discovery, on your pursuit of truth?   

Wherever the Holy Spirit is leading you, like the mysterious magi from the east, like Dr. Murray, may you always follow God’s leading with an inquiring and discerning heart, and with the gift of joy and wonder in all of God’s works. Amen.