A Covenant of Abundance: Jubilee Sunday July 29, 2012

Do you know that you’re like Elisha?
Do you know that you’re like Paul?
Do you know that you’re like Jesus?
You are. Each and every one of you…of us.
Each of the aforementioned prophets and teachers of our faith allowed themselves to be taken to places they never would have imagined on their own. They allowed themselves to do things they never would have done on their own. These men, just like all of us here today, were instruments…instruments of God’s unceasing Love for us, of God’s quiet constant reaching out to us.
  Did anyone of us, 18 months ago, imagine that today we’d be celebrating our third Jubilee Sunday; two parishes linked through one covenant agreement, joined in an earnest desire to be the body of Christ in this world?
Our covenant agreement is more than just a clergy-sharing proposition; it connects two parishes with rich and storied histories-- coming together to try something altogether new. And as we all know, as we’ve all felt, and as we’ll will feel again and again and again new isn’t always easy, and new can be scary.
What we proposed to do a little over a year ago, and what we’ve been doing since Pentecost Sunday 2011 is new, is different, is hugely successful and, by the way, is FAR from finished.
Since June of 2011 our two parishes, through our independent and joint ministries have: given away over 1,000 lbs. of pet food through the pet food pantry, provided School 54 with well over 500 brand new books, provided a couple of free community lunches and passed out lots of bottled water. We’ve doubled the hours the people food pantry is open, we’ve hosted countless people through tour groups, school programs, prison ministries, and  the Mayor’s gun buy back initiative. We’ve opened our doors to various and sundry arts organizations, community groups, the AIDS alliance and all sorts and conditions of animals…from a neighbor’s dog recently diagnosed with a terminal illness to foster dogs looking for a new home.  We’ve hosted concerts, plays, recitals and lectures. We continue to offer vocational opportunities to children with disabilities. We’ve become more environmentally responsible by rejecting Styrofoam and embracing real coffee cups, we’ve re-bulbed all of Good Shepherd’s lighting and planted a rain garden.
 We’re in the process of rebuilding the Ascension organ and just the other day several of us moved close to 500 organ pipes to save thousands of dollars in labor costs! We’ve planted a sycamore tree in honor of first responders and blessed the sheriff department’s mounted division.
We’ve expanded our footprint within both of our distinct neighborhoods—so that people who would never set foot in a church for a service, end up worshipping in their own way when they ask—and invited in to—look around and take in our breathtaking worship spaces.
In other words, we’ve done a lot. We’ve done a whole lot. And we’ve done it through hard work, perseverance and commitment.
 And faith. You see faith, when we really let it take hold, faith when we trust that it will take us exactly where we need to be, does, as we heard in Ephesians this afternoon, infinitely more than we can ever ask or imagine!
When we entered into this covenant agreement, Ascension was looking for more than a way to survive; we were looking for a way to thrive. And Good Shepherd? Good Shepherd could have just said, “no thank you…we’ve just come through he most trying time in our 125 year history and we’d rather not ROCK THE BOAT. But instead, Good Shepherd said, “sure, let’s see how this covenant relationship will work.” We as a community faith in Parkside, and as a community faith in Allentown said, Absolutely, let’s take a ride through these uncharted waters, let’s try something altogether new.
And today, a mere 13 months from our first Sunday in covenant we are still be in uncharted waters but, thanks be to God, our boat is sea worthy and our resolve is strong.
How in the world did we do it? How in the world are we doing it? The same way Elisha did it in our reading from Kings, the same way Jesus did it in our reading from John and the same way Paul describes in Ephesians: through faith, trust and a willingness to try something new, to try something unfamiliar, to try something that just may, at first glance, seem improbable and maybe even impossible.
We’ve done it by feeling afraid and stepping out in faith. We’ve done it by believing that if we don’t try, we’ll die and if we don’t risk, we’ll stagnate. We’ve done it by welcoming the challenge and accepting the risk. We’ve done it because above all else no matter what our disagreements or challenges may be, we love one another and we love our churches and we want others to know this Love to feel this Love and then to share this Love.
In other words we’ve done it by and through a whole lot of faith in a God who has plans for us too big to imagine, too great to consider and too awesome to deny.
We’ve done it-- you’ve done it-- because, just like Elisha, just like Paul and just like Jesus you’ve let your faith guide you.
You’ve taken 5 loaves and a few fish and fed the multitudes—not because you’re magicians but because you’re Christians.
You’ve taken the barley of the first harvest and fed hundreds. Not because you’re lucky, but because you’re people of faith.
You’ve stopped worrying about what was and opened yourselves up to what is---you’ve focused on what the world needs from us now…and then you’ve done it. Not because you are magicians, or lucky, or even stubborn but because you’re faithful servants of the One who can do—who does--infinitely more than we can ever ask or imagine.
And as one of your clergy, as one of your leaders, as one of these individual and joint flocks, I am proud, I am humbled and I am eager to see what’s next.
Amen, Amen, Amen!

Finding God in the Quiet

***Note: this sermon was more experiential than most, making the translation to just words, difficult.

We live in such a loud world. To “unplug” ourselves takes a lot of work---turning off the ringers of our phones, disabling our email, texts and tweets. Shutting off the tv and the radio, the iPod and the ear buds. It is becoming more and more rare to sit in silence.
 But silence, resting in the quiet murmur of creation, is so important.
For it is in this rest, in this quiet, in this silence that we can connect with the Holy, with the Divine.
Jesus knew this:
“The apostles gathered around Jesus and told him all they had done and taught. He said to them, “come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest awhile.”
Jesus was teaching the apostles “self-care.” He knew that they wouldn’t be any good to anyone if they didn’t take care of themselves, if they didn’t spend time alone, in the solitude of quiet. Because, as Jesus knew from his own study of scripture and as countless mystics and teachers have discovered since the time of Jesus: we meet God in the silence.
Consider your daily life, how much silence to you have? How can, how do we meet God if we have so darn much background noise?
In that spirit, I invite you to spend a few minutes with me, exploring quiet and engaging silence:
I will ring this singing bowl, wait a few seconds, read some sacred text, wait about a minute in silence while the words settle into our ears, and our hearts and minds settle into a space of quiet.
I’ll then repeat this process several more times. Sit back and receive whatever the quiet of these next few minutes brings you:

RING BOWL

“For You alone my soul waits in silence; my hope is from the Beloved…
In Silence rests my freedom and my guidance;
for You are the Heart of my heart,
You speak to me in the silence. ” (Psalm 62 paraphrase, Nan Merrill)

[45 seconds]

RING BOWL

11 The Lord said, “Go out and stand at the mountain before the Lord. The Lord is passing by.” A very strong wind tore through the mountains and broke apart the stones before the Lord. But the Lord wasn’t in the wind. After the wind, there was an earthquake. But the Lord wasn’t in the earthquake. 12 After the earthquake, there was a fire. But the Lord wasn’t in the fire. After the fire, there was a sound. Thin. Quiet. (1 Kings 19:11-12 CEB)

[45 seconds]

RING BOWL

22 Right then, Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go ahead to the other side of the lake while he dismissed the crowds. 23 When he sent them away, he went up onto a mountain by himself to pray. Evening came and he was alone. (Mark 14:22-23, CEB)

[45 seconds]

RING BOWL

Let God do God’s work within you. Say a loud no to This World and a quiet Yes to God.  (The Message paraphrase of James 4:8]

[45 seconds]

RING BOWL

O God of peace, who hast taught us that in returning and rest we shall be saved, in quietness and in confidence shall be our strength: By the might of thy Spirit lift us, we pray thee, to thy presence, where we may be still and know that thou art God; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (BCP Prayer 59)
RING BELL

Silence can be frightening, for in silence the truth cries out. But it is only in silence, it is only in quiet, it is only in rest that we can hear the still small voice of the  abundant Love we know as God.
May you find a place for quiet this coming week. And may God find you there, waiting.


Amen.

The Dance Card of the Holy and Undivided Trinity July 8, 2012

As you know, I’m a big fan of Jesus, the man, fully human.. Of course I love his divinity too, but what really gets me excited---day in and day out---is Jesus’ humanity. The fact that Jesus experienced all aspects of the human condition----joy despair, laughter and anger, love and loss, success and failure makes our human condition understandable to our loving Creator God. There’s nothing NOTHING we feel, experience, fret about or rave about that Jesus doesn’t understand. He gets what it’s like to be human because Jesus was fully and completely human. He isn’t just Lord, Jesus is also one of us. It is astounding, overwhelming and, frankly, pretty cool. I love the humanity of God in the flesh: Jesus Christ.
Somehow Jesus being fully human makes his divinity less intimidating to me. It makes his divinity more accessible to me. Jesus is like the perfect conduit…..humanity gets a glimpse of divinity thorough Jesus the Man and the Divine gets a glimpse of the Human through Jesus the Christ. Jesus as human and divine gives a substance to the dance between God and God’s creation which was set in motion at the beginning of time.
No where is this humanity more present than in today’s Gospel when Jesus goes home. We all know that it can be really difficult to go home again. Whenever I return to Chicago the priest at the church I grew up in, the church where my mother and one of my sisters still worship---invites me to celebrate or preach.  It is very gracious of her but whenever I do it, invariably one of the older members of the parish will come up to me afterwards and remark,  “Well I just can’t get over you standing up there like a priest, I mean it was just yesterday that you were in my Sunday school class, that you and your sisters were sitting so wetly in the front pew ….. I just couldn’t believe it was really you up there…after all, I think of you as just a kid.” Try preaching to a congregation full of people who will always see you as George and Elaine’s youngest, Anne, Elizabeth and Sue’s baby sister. Trust me, it isn’t easy! But it’s ok, because I will never be the rector of that church, I’ll never be those people’s priest. For I know that to them, I will always be a Dempesy girl first and foremost.
Jesus, in today’s Gospel, is flying pretty high. It’s early in his ministry and he has started to create quite the stir. People are talking about him, following him----just last week we heard about the woman so desperate to be healed that she clamored to touch the hem of Jesus robe, hoping to get some of his healing mojo to work on her. Yes, as Jesus winds his way up through the Galilee hill country to his childhood home of Nazareth he is flying high, wildly successful after just a few short months of public ministry.
Now maybe we aren’t supposed to think of Jesus in this way, but I have to believe he was looking forward to his return home…to see old friends and family, to eat some home cooking, to relax in the comfort of all the old familiar things…and since he’s been so successful there’s that old “hometown boy makes it big” thing to look forward too. Deep within Jesus’ humanity I have to think there was a part of him really looking forward to his mother, his aunts’ his brothers’ and his sisters’ approval---and maybe even their envy. We may never know what exactly he was expecting, but clearly that’s not what he got. For as soon as he arrived, Jesus realized that his  healing powers—his inspirational and life changing preaching….impressed no one in Nanzareth. As one commentator puts it: Up until now, Jesus' version of “Brother Love's Traveling Salvation Show and Tent Revival” had been a roaring success. But once he arrives home, nothing worked right!
First, as soon as Jesus arrives we read that they "took offense at him." Can’t you just hear them…”what’s up with Jesus…a few months down in the big city on his own and he gets all caught up in this preaching and teaching thing…a little too big for his britches, don’t you think?”
Then, we learn ”he could do no deed of power there.” That somehow their resentment toward him, their reluctance to accept that he may, just possibly, be something special resulted in his inability to be the Jesus he was elsewhere in Judea.
Which leads to one of the most human portraits of Jesus in the gospels when Mark writes that Jesus "was amazed at their unbelief." He just couldn't believe that their lack of belief was a) so strong and b) so detrimental to what he saw as his job, his calling, his ministry. He was stunned, left with his mouth hanging open. Jesus learned a hard lesson; that there was a limit to his power; it was limited by the people's willingness to receive it.
 What Jesus, the Divine learned when he went home again was that the power of his divinity was wholly dependent on the willingness of his human family and friends to accept it.
No matter what incredible gifts Jesus possessed they were rendered useless in the absence of that acceptance.
Jesus had so much he wanted to show his family and friends, so much that he had learned, so much that he had accomplished. But they weren’t interested in who he had become, for they were stuck in who he had been. And until the folks back home were ready to receive him as the Christ, he would remain, Mary and Joseph’s kind of odd eldest child.
You see, Divinity isn’t meaningful if it isn’t experienced. And it can’t be experienced if it isn’t noticed.
It’s the quintessential lesson our faith: we are partners with God, we are companions of Jesus, we are the instruments of the Holy Spirit.
We are in this together.
As I have mentioned before, the Holy and Undivided Trinity is often depicted as a swirling dance of the three in one, one in three. But, if we really take the incarnation of God in the person of Jesus Christ seriously, if we completely accept that Jesus was fully human as well as fully divine then that dance of three needs a fourth.
Us.
The work of God, the ministry of Jesus Christ, the grace of the Holy Spirit is dependent upon our willingness to receive it, our ability to accept it and our longing for it.
The dance card of our Creating, Redeeming and Sustaining God is waiting to be filled, by you and by me.
Amen.