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.
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
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.
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
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.
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.
Sunday, April 21, 2013
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 23rd 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.
“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.
Sunday, February 10, 2013
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.
Sunday, January 20, 2013
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.
Saturday, January 12, 2013
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 courageCall 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 7th 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. Sunday, January 6, 2013
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 4th 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.
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