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!