Stand Firm...

 

SERMON

November 26, 2023 - Matthew 25:31-46

My very favorite thought in all of Scripture is found in today’s passage from Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians. “…so that with the eyes of your heart enlightened you may know what is the hope to which he has called you.” (Eph: 1:18)

This one quite brief but exquisitely poetic phrase contains all the thoughts that I have been pondering in my mind over the past several months. Rather jarring thoughts that have emerged as I along with many, many others seek ways in which the church can adapt and become increasingly relevant in the complex global context in which we live.

In doing this work of discernment I have turned not only to the wisdom of scripture, but also to the compelling voices of several current day theologians who have brought to the forefront the urgent need for the church to do the work of flinging open its doors and emerging into solid partnership with a world greatly disturbed but also a world seeking peace.

So…let’s have a look at what has been said by so many about the mission of God’s beloved people, and importantly, what these various thoughts mean for the people of St. Simon’s on the Sound today.

Paul was in prison in Rome around AD 62 when he wrote to the Ephesians and in prayer to them, he began with this exquisite phrase “…so that with the eyes of your heart enlightened.”  

This past summer in Baltimore Dr. Kwok Pui Lan, Dean's Professor of Systematic Theology and Special Advisor to the Dean for Strategic Changes at Candler School of Theology passionately preached, “AWAKE.”

In Ephesians Paul continued saying, “that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you.”

In the early 1940’s just before his death in Flossenberg concentration camp Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote in his unfinished book, Ethics, “[The moral life is] an ongoing process of discernment that listens for and responds to the reality of Christ in the world.”

In Baltimore Dr. Kwok preached. “ARISE, ACT.”

In a speech given at the Nelson Mandela Freedom Rally in London's Hyde Park, July 17, 1988, the late Archbishop Desmond Tutu cried out to the thousands who had gathered to hear him speak, “Go forth to make the world a better place for you can make a difference. The task is daunting – of course, but it is a necessary struggle.” 

“Awake, Arise, Act…” 

“…so that with the eyes of your heart enlightened you may know what is the hope to which he has called you.”

And then, “Go forth to make the world a better place.” 

Paul’s letter to the Ephesians was written to the Christian community in Ephesus, a major city on the Aegean coast of Asia Minor, around 62 CE. The letter describes the church as a new community in which Jews and Gentiles equally share in God’s blessings. In it Paul speaks of God’s intent, through the death of his Son, Jesus Christ, to bring about the salvation of all humankind. He writes that in recognizing Christ as Lord and the example of a new way of being, the church becomes a spirit-filled community that brings the power and the presence of God to the world. The church becomes the body of Christ and works toward the reestablishment of God’s sovereignty over creation. All are reconciled to God – ALL.

“I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” (Eph 4:1-4)

“Finally, be strong in the Lord…put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” (Eph 6:10-11)

Throughout Ephesians Paul is underscoring again and again the importance of awaking to and acting upon God’s call, the calling to which I, you, we have been called; for enduring with love and patience the hardships encountered in going forth in unity as we participate in the creation of a better world.       

Dr. Kwok Pui Lan’s exhortation to Awake, Arise, and Act that rang through the convention center at the It’s All About Love conference in Baltimore last summer and Archbishop’s Tutu’s passionate directive to “Go forth…” broadcast to thousands of South Africans suffering under the weight of apartheid both speak to the imperative of initiating long overdue acts of reconciliation. Reconciliation between the Episcopal church, God’s beloved community, and the many peoples that continue to carry the burden of racism, discrimination, injustice, and the agony of poverty. People who continue to be counted as “less than”, not fully human, unworthy.

Reconciliation that supports equality and justice for all. Reconciliation that brings about a community united by God’s love for all his beloved children.

These stunningly powerful statements demand that as the Episcopal branch of the Jesus Movement we Awake, Arise, Act, Go Forth and make Jesus and his saving grace known throughout the world community. That we partner with God’s world to share the love of Jesus.

This work is not easy, but it is imperative if the Good News of Jesus Christ is once again to become the central guidepost of our lives.

Next week we begin the sacred time of Advent. A time of expectant waiting and preparation for the celebration of the Nativity of Christ at Christmas.

We hear in our scripture readings the phrase “A voice of one calling: ‘In the wilderness prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain. And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all people will see it together. For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” (Isa 40:1-5)

This past week we celebrated Thanksgiving Day. In various ways we spent time giving thanks for all that we have. Giving thanks for God’s gifts of abundance, for all that he has given us. Now it is time to plan for our St. Simon’s Advent journey. A journey of reflection and listening. Listening for the voice calling in the wilderness and reflecting on what we hear and how we will respond. How we must prepare for our Lord as he arrives once again this Christmas eve. Arrives to be with us as we journey into the challenges of 2024. 

And, without doubt, there are many challenges that we will face.  The world is increasingly besieged by war, violence, poverty, and the tragedy of climate change. Our nation increasingly struggles under the burden of angry and divisive political arguments as we approach the presidential election of 2024. 

Closer to home, here at St. Simon’s we are engaged in difficult conversations about how best to ensure a safe home for our beloved congregation. Conversations that lead to difficult decisions. Decisions that must acted upon however painful if we are to grow, to have a future in which we face the challenge of partnering with the world to share the love of Jesus in our community and beyond.

During our Advent journey will we strive to awake to God’s call for God’s beloved community. Will we arise from a position of comfortable old ways to face the challenge of going “beyond.” Beyond comfort to the challenge of new and perhaps previously unimagined ways. Will we act by going forth to make a difference knowing that Christ is with us always as we make way for his voice in the wilderness of our troubled world.

In his book The Cost of Discipleship, Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote, “The first step, which follows the call, cuts the disciple off from his previous existence. The call to follow at once produces a new situation. To stay in the old situation makes discipleship impossible.” (p. 62-63)

Paul concludes his Letter to the Ephesians as he writes, “Stand firm…and fasten the belt of truth around your waist and put on the breastplate of righteousness. As shoes for your feet put on whatever will make you ready to proclaim the gospel of peace…take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. (Eph 10:13-17) 

Awake, Arise, Act. Put on the whole armor of God and shoes for your feet that will make you ready to proclaim the gospel of peace…the word of God.

Together let us prepare for Advent. Let us seek scripture and other writings that assist in [knowing] what is the hope to which he has called [us].”

 

 

 

Rise Up Ye Saints of God

 

 

SERMON

October 08, 2023

Matthew 21:33-46 

Wow! That’s all I have to say after reviewing today’s readings. We begin with Moses proclaiming God’s Ten Commandments to the Israelites who are wandering in the desert in search of the promised land. The commandments represent the initiation of a unique relationship between God with his chosen people. Nahum Sarna in his wonderful book, Exploring Exodus: The Origins of Biblical Israel, writes “[The Ten Commandments] forge a special relationship between God and Israel. This relationship is sealed by a covenant, which establishes Israel as God’s ‘treasured possession,’ a ‘kingdom of priests, and a holy nation.”’

Sarna closes this portion of his exegesis saying, “The narrative tells us that Moses transmitted to the people God’s vision for their future destiny, and that ‘All the people answered as one, saying, ‘All the Lord has spoken we will do!’ God’s election of Israel as his chosen people is matched by a corresponding response and commitment on the part of the people. The mood has been set for the solemn, formal enactment of a covenant between God and Israel. A covenant that will seal for all time this reciprocal relationship.” (p. 130-131)

From there we move on to Paul’s advice to the Philippians as he urges them to maintain a steady path in their right relationship with Jesus Christ. He points out, not for the first time, that in order to maintain this right relationship it is mandatory to cease boasting of worldly achievements in order to gain salvation through their relationship with Christ. Rather, in humility they must fully engage in their covenant with God to be a holy people. A people set apart by God for him and his purposes.

Paul spells out the difficulties that he has suffered in his journey to adhere to this covenant. He writes “For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him…forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus.”

Toss out the rubbish in your life, the worldly stuff. Strain forward to meet the divine and the prize of the heavenly call of God given to us through the incarnation of his Son, Jesus Christ. 

And finally, in our Gospel reading from Matthew, Jesus tells his disciples “…I tell you; the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that produces the fruits of the kingdom. The one who falls on this stone will be broken into pieces; and it will crush anyone on whom it falls.”

Jesus is placing a big exclamation mark on the Father’s commandments issued to us way back in the desert when Moses descended from Mount Sinai. Stay in the path outlined in the covenant that establishes you as a holy people. Straying from this covenant will lead you into the weeds. Will lead you far astray from my Father’s heavenly kingdom.

God lays it all out for us, right from the very beginning he sets the score straight with the ten commandments: I am God, your God…you shall have no other Gods but me…and I am a most jealous God, punishing those for any sins their parents pass on to them…But I am also an unswervingly loyal God to the thousands who love me and keep my commandments. If you want to be on my team, you must be loyal, and I must be your only God.

Centuries later Paul urged the Philippians to steer clear of being influenced by those who publicly do anything to keep up their appearance of loving God. Paul reiterates that real believers are those who quietly seek to be in relationship with Christ. Those who work tirelessly at Christ’s ministry. Christ’s ministry of love, compassion, and healing. Christ’s ministry of loving “The least of these.” Paul urges the Philippians to embrace true righteousness. Righteousness that comes from trusting Christ and being in continual relationship with Christ. Righteousness comes from keeping God’s covenant with us.

And then we have Jesus in the Jerusalem temple teaching the crowd that gathers around him, eager to hear what he has to say. Speaking in the midst of his followers, Jesus shares the parable of the two sons and the vineyard owner. Through this parable Jesus makes clear that those who do what the father says, no matter who they are, will go immediately to God’s kingdom. But those who fail to heed the father’s commandments will fall away from God’s covenant with his people and become lost in their search for membership in God’s eternal kingdom.

Amidst all of these critically important words from scripture, Dr. Kwok Pui-Lan’s exhortation that I spoke of last week rings loud and clear. “Awake, Arise, Act. It is time to make Jesus Christ known again. 

No matter what page we turn to in our bibles, the message is always the same. The same now as it was in the time of the Exodus which took place about 1310 BC, or in the time of Jesus around 30 CE, or of Paul around 60 CE. That message is that God has chosen us to be in right relationship with us and it is up to us whether or not we chose to be in right relationship with him.

It is our choice, and that choice carries with it many responsibilities. Responsibilities which many of us throughout our community, and throughout the world have lost sight of. We are chosen to be a holy people. And being chosen as a holy people means being fully devoted to and invested in God's kingdom.  

We are called to be a holy people. A people called to be fully devoted to and invested in God’s covenant with us. 

Of course, this devotion and investment looks different for different communities, in many different periods of time, and in many different places. But no matter time or place it remains the basis of our covenant with God and our life as Christ’s disciples.

In all cases it means that we must continually discern what the Spirit is saying to us. Where the Spirit is leading us. 

Now more than ever we at St. Simon’s must awake, arise, and act to the call of the Holy Spirit, to the covenant that we have with God and the relationship that we have with Christ.

What is the Spirit saying to us St. Simonites? Where is the Spirit leading us? How must we strain forward to what lies ahead? What rubbish must we toss aside in order to hear our call from God as we strive to live a life as true followers of Christ Jesus? As our participants in God’s covenant with us? 

With the words of Dr. Kwok in our minds and hearts, how do we press on, how do we ensure that the voice of the Holy Spirit is speaking loudly to all of us sitting here today and to others who are not here today? How do we make St. Simon’s shine like a star and move into the night to light all who are seeking, all who are lost so that they too many become members of God’s astounding covenant and Jesus Christ’s offer of eternal salvation? 

Rise up ye saints of God! Have done with lesser things, give heart and soul and mind and strength to serve the Kings of Kings.

Rise up ye saints of God! His kingdom tarries long: Lord bring the day of truth and love and end the night of wrong.

Lift high the cross of Christ! Tread where his feet have trod: and quickened by the Spirit’s power, rise us, ye saints of God!

 

 

Awake, Arise, Act

 

SERMON

October 01, 2023

Matthew 21:23-32 

The Episcopal Church continues to decline in membership. A press release issued by the Episcopal News Service two weeks ago indicated that “The Episcopal Church’s 2022 annual parochial reports…continue to show a church experiencing gradual long-term membership decline...The Church’s tally of baptized members dropped just below 1.6 million in 2022, down 21% from 2013….” And “The church recorded an even sharper drop in average Sunday attendance in the past decade, down 43% to 373,000 in 2022.”

Perhaps most graphically the data indicated a drop from 33,000 marriages performed in 1980 to 5500 in 1922; with numbers much the same for baptisms. It is a small wonder why we do not have more youth in our congregations.

That same week Stewardship Reality, a New York City based organization our diocese has contracted to perform an assessment of St. Simon’s community demographics and potential ways in which to sustain our parish in the long run, also reported some alarming data. Within our immediate community over 60 percent of the population falls in the category “nones”, meaning no religious affiliation; and over 50% of the population falls well beneath the U.S. poverty guidelines and struggles to pay either rent or mortgage burdens.

At Elliott Point School 97% of all children qualify for the school lunch program, and currently the Okaloosa County School district has identified approximately 465 elementary and secondary school children who live without a permanent roof over their head.

Sharing and Caring, our local food pantry, sees over 25 families each day. Families who struggle to feed their children and themselves.

What is the message in the midst of these grimmest of realities?

I believe that Dr. Kwok Pui-Lan a scholar and theologian who is also a life-long Episcopalian responded both accurately and powerfully when she spoke at a conference in Baltimore last summer.

In an incredibly passionate voice Dr. Kwok implored us to Awake, Arise, and Act. She said, “It is time to Awake, to Arise, and to Act. It is time to make Jesus known, once again, in our communities and in the world.” It is time to leave behind the comforts of home and to venture into a community that is in desperate need of love, compassion, hope, and peace. The hope and peace that only faith in our Lord Jesus Christ can bring. Love and peace that offers reconciliation, forgiveness, and healing among all in our community. All in the world.

Dr. Kwok does not believe in the “nones.” Bravo Dr. Kwok.

I also refuse to believe that the “nones” are lost to the love that God has for all his beloved children. Rather, I choose to believe that the “nones” are seekers. Seekers whom we have failed to help “see” how stories like the Good Samaritan, the Woman at the Well, and the Prodigal Son apply to them, just as they apply to us. 

I refuse to believe that the “nones” are not seeking God. And more importantly that God is not seeking them. I refuse to believe that just because people are not sitting in church pews they are not seekers – seekers of God’s love.

I refuse to believe that God’s love is only for those who attend church. God’s love is for all. We are all made in the image of God. We are all God’s beloved children.

Awake, Arise, Act. We are all Jesus’ disciples whom he loved and whom he sent into the world as healers for those who suffer. We have been sent into the world to love as Christ loved us. To love those who have failed to understand that they, just like we, are beloved children of God. 

Of course, Paul did not believe in the “nones” either. In his evangelism journeys he traveled over 10,000 miles on foot, donkey, and boat to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ, the Gospel, to the “nones” of his day, the Gentiles. He suffered numerous encounters with hardship – stoning, jailing, and more – all in the name proclaiming the love of God, and the love and salvation brought to us through the incarnation of his Son, Jesus Christ. And, he met with tremendous success. He alone is responsible for the initial spread of Christianity throughout the Roman Empire, and its future as a world religion. 

Paul’s Epistle to the Philippians, written while he was in jail in Ephesus, is a letter filled with joy and praise for a group of people in Philippi who held fast to his teachings. Gentiles who were now Christians and who refused to bend to the pressures of the Roman Empire and their imposed worship of many Gods. In his letter he wrote,

“Therefore, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed me, not only in my presence, but much more now in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who is at work in you, enabling you both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” (Philippians 2:12-13) 

He went on to say, 

“Do all things without murmuring and arguing, so that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, in which you shine like stars in the world” (Philippians 2:14-15)

In The Message, Eugene Peterson translates these verses into language more accessible to us in today’s post-modern world. Peterson writes:

“Be energetic in your life of salvation…that energy is God’s energy; an energy deep within you…Do everything readily and cheerfully – no bickering, no second guessing allowed! Go out into the world uncorrupted, a breath of fresh air in this squalid and polluted society. Provide people with a glimpse of the living God. Carry the light-giving Message into the night…” (The Message, Philippians 2:12-16)

Awake, Arise, Act.  Shine like stars in the night. Carry the light-giving Message into the night. What joyous and exciting directives to those of us who know that as beloved children of God we are filled with sufficient energy and enough love to light the entire world. To demonstrate a way of being, a way of life that provides the guidepost and the path to reconciliation and peace.

We at St. Simon’s face tremendous challenges as we head into 2024. How will our Stewardship Campaign fare? What decisions must be made to ensure a solid and vibrant future for St. Simon’s in the Ft. Walton Beach community? How do we bring God to the “nones?” What is the Spirit Saying to St. Simon’s Church?

I end with Thomas Merton’s Prayer from his book, Thoughts in Solitude:

My Lord God,
I have no idea where I am going.
I do not see the road ahead of me.
I cannot know for certain where it will end.
nor do I really know myself,
and the fact that I think I am following your will
does not mean that I am actually doing so.
But I believe that the desire to please you
does in fact please you.
And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing.
I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire.

And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road,

though I may know nothing about it.
Therefore will I trust you always though
I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death.

I will not fear, for you are ever with me,
and you will never leave me to face my perils alone.

 

 

 

Lift High the Cross

 

SERMON  -  September 03, 2023

Matthew 16:21-28

Anyone who has visited my office at St. Simon’s can easily see my love of books. I have books in and on any free shelf and table space available. Without doubt I am one of Amazon’s best customers. However, no matter how many books I acquire there is always another that I have learned about and that will soon be squeezed into some tiny space amongst all the other resources that have proved so valuable in helping me to understand what it means to take up my cross and follow Jesus.

As you can well imagine each book has a slightly different way of answering the same question: How do we keep the Word of Christ as the standard, our standard, as we encounter an ever-increasing globalized, multi-cultural society in which scripture as the essential guidepost of life is infrequently understood, or even sought? How do we proclaim the overarching importance of scripture in a way that is relevant to the culture which we seek to welcome and to serve? 

As I consider today’s Gospel reading in which Jesus tells his disciples, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who have lost their life for my sake will find it,” two of my many books come instantly to the forefront of my mind. The first is one that I am currently deep into; Anthropological Reflections on Missiological Issues, by Paul G. Hiebert and the other is The Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a classic that I continue to read time after time in order to grasp its complex theology.

Hiebert’s book, which is utterly fascinating, makes many excellent points about the challenges of taking up the cross and following Jesus; of bringing the standard of scripture into the lives of those whose way of being has drifted from a focus on God to a way of being that focuses on one’s self. 

Hiebert writes, “The church must also challenge the values of our day: the obsession with the self, with the present, with health, success, and personal fulfillment. It must guard against popular and pragmatic methods that provide immediate solutions but, in the end, subvert the gospel. Satan did not challenge God’s goal for humans. He simply offered them an instant, easy means to get there.” (p. 253) 

Hiebert’s views are essential as we seek to reinforce the presence of the Episcopal Church in our community and in the world. A straightforward reminder of our call to lift high the cross of Christ as we go forth into this troubled world with its many challenges and complex ways of being, all outgrowths of confusion, suffering, anger, anxiety, and fear. 

However, to successfully realize our call as Christ’s disciples both in our community and in the world it is essential to understand and respect the complex and so frequently unfamiliar ways of being of those whom we strive to incorporate within our fold. It is crucial to learn and speak a language that touches the hearts of those to whom we seek to bring the standard of the gospel, without allowing it to compromise our message or the way in which we live our lives. We are called to live lives that without the slightest doubt convey the message of Scripture as the ultimate guidepost to a Christian life. 

Put quite simply, we must strive to understand the cultures and ways of being of those whom we encounter while at the same time and without ceasing remain firmly grounded in Scripture as manifested in our words and behavior.

Hiebert characterizes this as an ongoing response that sees the gospel outside culture. We respect the culture of others through engagement, presence, and sensitivity to language and ways of being, but never at the expense of Scripture which remains the standard by which we are all called to live our lives. 

Bonhoeffer used different concepts and language in his writings that address our call to take up our cross and follow Christ, but his overall message is much the same. You might call it the front end of what Hiebert has to offer. Bonhoeffer believed that “When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.” And that, “The cross is laid on every Christian. The first Christ-suffering which every man must experience is the call to abandon the attachments of this world.”

Bonhoeffer did not offer these observations without including a firm directive on what a decision to take up the cross entails. He indicated that “…the act of discipleship comes only after a process of discernment that listens for and responds to the reality of Christ in the world.” And that “The first step, which follows the call, cuts the disciple off from his previous existence. The call to follow at once produces a new situation. To stay in the old situation makes discipleship impossible.” (p. 62)

Jesus said, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.”

Bonhoeffer wrote, “When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.” 

Hiebert lectures, “We are called to live lives that are firmly grounded in scripture as manifested in our words and behavior.” 

Bonhoeffer and Hiebert each in their own way agree that the life of the church must be linked to the life of the people. That people of all cultures must hear, see, and believe in the gospel because it is communicated in ways that they understand and value.

The theologies offered by Bonhoeffer and Hiebert must be carefully considered as we at St. Simon’s face the, at times, daunting challenge of reaching beyond our four walls to a community and a world that has changed and continues to change in so many ways.

Communities that have never seen the light and love of Christ, never understood that they are beloved children of God, forgiven, saved, members of the Communion of Saints. Communities that speak different languages and have skins of different colors. Communities that reflect the face of a globalized, multi-cultural world.

To meet this challenge our community, the community of St. Simon’s on the Sound, must as Bonhoeffer instructed us, enter into “…a process of discernment that listens for and responds to the reality of Christ in the world.” And, importantly, we must be ready to take the first step, which follows our discerned call. We must be prepared to free ourselves of the confines of these sacred four walls. We must discern a commitment to abandon these walls and enter into new relationships. Relationships without walls. Relationships that engage, listen to, and love new communities.

Christ speaks to us quite clearly today as he commands, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who have lost their life for my sake will find it,”

I have decided to follow Jesus;
No turning back, no turning back. 

Tho' none go with me, I still will follow,
No turning back, no turning back. 

The world behind me, the cross before me,
No turning back, no turning back 

https://www.facebook.com/watch/live/?ref=watch_permalink&v=842127887202877 – Sermon is at 23:24

 

The Power of Community Love

 

SERMON

July 30, 2023

Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52 

It took me a long time to grasp the meaning of community and the power of love that God’s community holds as it moves in the world. 

As a young child I was a loner. I deemed it safer to keep myself separate from the confusion of my family’s comings and goings. But, during my adolescence as I struggled to be included in my peer group’s activities I began to understand the social consequences of years of keeping myself apart from others. It was a hard lesson to learn; one which continues to impact my current life.

When I was 14, I hesitantly joined my church youth group. Going to church was a new thing for my family. I am quite sure that my mother decided upon our church adventure for social reasons, not for a longing to be with God. But in any case, it was a great and necessary move for me. It brought me into weekly contact with the church’s Sunday afternoon youth group. The group was filled with wonderful people my own age, and our leader was an absolutely marvelous and energetic young man who delighted us with a wide variety of interesting speakers, who shared stories of what they did in the world.

One year we decided to put on a play to raise funds for the church. We selected The Heiress by Ruth and Augustus Goetz. The play centers around Catherine a young woman who stands to inherit her father's large fortune. Catherine falls in love when she meets Morris who gives her the love and affection her father doesn't. Catherine's father, believing Morris is only interested in money, tells Catherine she will be disinherited if she marries him. Morris' true intentions are put to the test when he finds out about the amended will.

Guess who played Catherine? Me. It was a fabulous adventure and everyone in the youth group had some sort of part or job. We rehearsed for weeks. We sold tickets. We designed sets and costumes. We put ads in the local newspaper. Most importantly we had fun, so much fun.

Two nights before our first scheduled performance my father died. Of course, I now was unable to participate in opening night, or any of the following performances. I called our leader and told him to please go ahead without me. He replied, “The group has told me they would not go forward without you. We will postpone the event until you can be with us. We are waiting for you, and we are praying for you.”

There are no words to express what the love and support of our youth group meant to me. It was at that moment in time that I understood the power of God’s love when it is expressed through many voices speaking as a community.

That was the beginning of my understanding of the power of community. The power of community as expressed in the theology of Ubuntu.

Ubuntu is an African philosophy that recognizes the humanity of a person is established only through a person’s relationship with other persons.  

Archbishop Desmond Tutu explained, “One of the sayings in our country is Ubuntu — the essence of being human. Ubuntu speaks particularly about the fact that you can’t exist as a human being in isolation. It speaks about our interconnectedness … We think of ourselves far too frequently as just individuals, separated from one another, whereas how you are connected and what you do affects the whole world. When you do well, it spreads out; it is for the whole of humanity.”

My youth group story and Desmond Tutu’s quote ring in my head when I consider today’s gospel passage from Matthew. “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in the field; it is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.”

“The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened.”

“The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls; on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.”

The kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and caught fish of every kind and when it was full, they drew it ashore.”

And “Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like the master of a household who brings out of his treasure what is old and what is new.”

In all of these metaphors Jesus is telling us that the kingdom of heaven becomes a reality only when we cease to think of ourselves as just individuals, separated from one another. The kingdom of heaven becomes a reality only when we are connected with each other and in that connection create a community in which God is fully present.

Regularly I hear stories of how hearts have been moved, how loneliness has been lifted, how suffering has been alleviated, how the kingdom of heaven has flourished through the love and caring of the people of St. Simon’s and their long history of mission, God’s mission, in Okaloosa County, and in some instances beyond. These stories must continue to abound, be heard, and be considered for what they truly are. These are stories that are the fruit of God’s mission in the world.

Several months ago, Bishop Russell visited with the vestry to discuss issues relating to ensuring St. Simon’s continued presence in the community. He said, and I gently paraphrase, “There is a need for St. Simon’s presence in this community. We must always remember how important we are to the flourishing of God’s community, both among ourselves and throughout Okaloosa County.”

It should come as no surprise to anyone here when I say that these are challenging times for St. Simon’s. We struggle with maintaining a building that needs costly repairs. We, like almost all other churches, are still regaining our footing as we recover from the Covid pandemic. We have journeyed with many invaluable friends who have died. We must face the growing reality of a world in which increasing numbers of people fall away from regular, if any, church attendance.

We are struggling. But as we struggle God expects us to seek his kingdom of heaven and like the tiniest of seeds, the mustard seed, God expects us to ensure that our soil is deep and deeply cared for. A rich soil that ensures  a renewed and flourished tree to emerge. A tree that brings the kingdom of heaven to our community and beyond.

Importantly, our soil can only be rich and deep, rich and deep enough for the growth of a flourishing tree, without first working together, in love and in community to tend the soil and feed the growing bush.

Archbishop Tutu was so correct when he said “We think of ourselves far too frequently as just individuals, separated from one another, whereas how you are connected and what you do affects the whole world. When you do well, it spreads out; it is for the whole of humanity.”

The memory of the simple act of my youth group community saying that they would wait for me as I struggled with my grief will never leave my mind. Together, as a community, they waited for me out of compassion and love. Words cannot express the impact of their gesture on that deeply grieving teenager. Certainly, it allowed me to experience the kingdom of heaven.

In Romans 5 Paul writes “Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.”

Yes, we here at St. Simon’s are currently struggling. However, if we do not engage in that struggle in love and in community there can be no victory, only defeat. I do not believe defeat is an option God even considers. 

O God, the protector of all who trust in you, without whom nothing is strong, nothing is holy: Increase and multiply upon us your mercy; that with you as our ruler and guide, we may so pass through things temporal, that we lose not the things eternal…

 

 

 

 

 

Fidelity - No Easy Task

 

SERMON

July 2, 2003

Matthew 10:40-42

When I was 16 God came into my life. I was sitting in my boarding school chapel on one of the hard wooden pews. I was the only person there and it was so very quiet. As I remember it, I was feeling quite lonely and lost. And then, God was there. It was an absolutely stunning moment. There are no words to describe it. It just happened. All of a sudden, I experienced God within my very being and peace filled my soul.

Despite this absolutely mystical experience and the peace that it brought me the journey from my adolescence through the many years and stages of my life has not been smooth sailing. It has been bumpy. Quite bumpy. With both glorious and exciting highs and lows that quite frequently have filled me with despair and left me wondering “How will I go forward. I am quite lost and very scared.”

Yet, somehow, be the moment, high or low, since that afternoon in the chapel, many years ago, I have always sensed God with me. I have always believed that if I just kept going the next steps would come; the way would be made clear. I would go forward, and all would be well.

Now, as I look back, I realize that in essence I was continually saying, sometimes consciously, sometimes unconsciously, “Yes” to God and “No” to, at times, some quite self-destructive, temptations. And it is only recently as a result of my many spiritual experiences and studies that I have gained a deeper understanding of how important God has been in my life. How blessed I have been to have him present within me all this time. And now, as I write this sermon, I wonder did God put me in that chapel pew all those years ago intentionally?

These long-ago memories came to mind as I read today’s passage that tells the story of the binding of Isaac. As I studied several commentaries on the meaning of why God would test Abraham by asking him to sacrifice his only son Isaac, I became intrigued by the concept of fidelity to God. What does fidelity to God entail? What does the concept of fidelity to God mean for us in today’s chaotic world? How can we know if we are being faithful to God?

“God tested Abraham, He said to him, Abraham!” And he said “Here I am.” He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains that I shall show you. So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac; he cut wood out for the burnt offering, and set out and went to the place in the distance that God had shown him.”

As you can well imagine there are many, many interpretations attached to this rather shocking story. But in the end, there is a consensus that the goal is to demonstrate God’s testing of Abraham’s faith. Walter Brueggemann calls the story one of anguished faith. And a story which provides an account of the tangible movement in the relationship between God and Abraham.

Brueggemann explains that in verse 1 we hear God’s testing of Abraham’s faith.  “God tested Abraham, He said “Take your son, your only son Isaac whom you love and go to the land of Moriah and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains that I shall show you.” Brueggemann goes on to point out that by Verse 12 we learn that God now knows the depth of Abraham’s faith. God says “…for now I know that you fear God since you have not withheld your son.”

And how did God get from “not knowing” to “knowing?” The answer is found in verse 8 when Abraham says, “God himself will provide the lamb for a burnt offering, my son. So, the two of them walked on together.” Abraham trusts that God will provide. He does not know the outcome of this incredible challenge, but his trust in God is unreserved and he is willing to commit his way to God’s command.

Brueggemann concludes this particular exegesis by saying, “God is God. He insists on being trusted, totally. God commands us, ‘You shall have no other Gods before me.’ God insists upon fidelity.” 

For Brueggemann fidelity and infidelity are the two fundamental categories of faith. In a separate commentary he writes, “If we are going to live inside the narrative of the Bible, rather than some other narrative, that seems to be what we are either blessed with or stuck with.”

In our chaotic and confusing world, a world which is increasingly politized and dangerously polarized the concepts of fidelity or infidelity to God as understood in the Christian faith through scripture, tradition, and reason must be the essential norms by which we measure our way. The binding of Isaac presents a narrative for life that is consistent with all our lives throughout the ages. As heirs of Abraham, we are all tested by times when it is quite tempting to find an easier, less demanding response to God’s way. These are the times that force us to determine whether or not we mean what we say about our faith being grounded solely in the gospel. 

Do we live within the narrative of scripture? Or do we live within some other narrative?

In Genesis God tested Abraham by asking him to sacrifice his only son. The son he loved. In the Gospel according to Mark Jesus says to his followers, “For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it.”  And a bit later in his gospel Mark tells us “Peter began to say to him, 'Look, we have left everything and followed you.”

“We have left everything and followed you.” Radical obedience to God’s commands.

I do not believe that I am unique in my boarding school experience of sensing God within me and God with me. I imagine that it is an experience that we all have had, and probably more that once. The critical question is do we acknowledge that presence. Do we listen to that elusive but distinct voice that always, always points us in the direction of fidelity? Or do we shy away from what is being whispered in our ear and take the easier and perhaps more tempting road that leads to infidelity?

Fidelity to God is no easy task. It is a task that requires a lot of effort, and it is a task that cannot – cannot - be done in isolation.  Desmond Tutu wrote “Christian spirituality articulates our image of God as diverse persons in a unified nature. Christian spirituality immediately becomes problematic when it is conceived out of community because community is the very image of God. Salvation comes in the turning toward God in community.”

“Salvation comes in the turning toward God in community.” 

How does the story of Abraham impact us today? What is it relevance for the people of St. Simon’s? Why do we even bother with such a grim story told thousands upon thousands of years ago?

We bother with it because it is a story that presents in bold relief the critical issue of fidelity vs. infidelity to God. 

The binding of Isaac is a story of fidelity in which Abraham says “Here I am” to God in the direst of all circumstances, the sacrifice of his only and beloved son Isaac. A story which points to the depth of Abraham’s faith when he says to his terrified son, “God will provide”. A story through which we understand the challenges that God quite frequently places before us. Challenges that strain the bounds of our faith; that force us to chose between fidelity or infidelity – God’s bottom line.

We at St. Simon’s currently face a big challenge as together we comprehensively explore the multiple issues that must be addressed in order to ensure our way forward and the integrity of our presence in Ft. Walton Beach and beyond. Hard decisions must and will be made and implemented. Love must fill our hearts and our minds as with integrity, courage, and patience we make the changes necessary to the well-being of our life together. Fidelity to God’s call must at all times be uppermost in our minds.

As Archbishop Tutu correctly pointed out “Christian spirituality immediately becomes problematic when it is conceived out of community because community is the very image of God. Salvation comes in the turning toward God in community.”

Fidelity to God’s call for St. Simon’s can only be attained in community. In the diversity of our community, we will experience God among us, and we will be better able to hear his voice as it calls to us, “People of St. Simon’s.” We will be better prepared to respond, “Here I am. “Here we are.”

However, if we are to accomplish this challenging goal we must work together as a beloved community. A community of faith that follows Tutu’s ubuntu theology and the more recent advice that Martin Luther Kings, Jr gave to his congregation in one of his final sermons, “Faith is taking the first step even when you can’t see the whole staircase.”

 

 

 

The Mystery of the Trinity

 

SERMON

June 5, 2023

Matthew 28:16-20 

Well, here I am preaching on the one day that all clergy make every effort to shy away from, Trinity Sunday. The day when we celebrate one God in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And, the day on which we attempt to explain the unexplainable – the Holy Trinity.

As most of you know, the Trinity is proclaimed through the statement of our faith: the Nicene Creed. The creed was first formulated at the Ecumenical Council of Nicaea in the year 325 and was later amplified, adopted, and authorized as the true expression of the Faith at the Council of Chalcedon in 451. In its final form the creed established the church as one: holy, catholic, and apostolic. It is the same creed that we proclaim each Sunday between the sermon and the Prayers of the People, just prior to the Eucharist.

The creed professes our faith. A faith based on our belief that God is three persons in one: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Three separate persons, God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. Three separate persons who are all one, their glory equal and their majesty co-eternal. As most theologians and scholars wisely say, “It is a mystery.” Indeed, it is a mystery. It is a mystery through which we live our daily lives. A mystery that affirms that when Jesus was with us, he was one with us, fully human, and that when he ascended, he returned to God but continued to be with us as our advocate, the Holy Spirit.                 

The rationale for this final version of the creed was based on the belief that Jesus was co-eternal with God. That is Jesus and God were always one. In other words, God did not create Jesus as an afterthought. Jesus and God were one at the beginning, throughout time, and are still one in present time. Remember the opening sentences of the Gospel of John, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.” Jesus reminds us of this co-eternal relationship when he proclaims in today’s gospel, “Remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

As I began to write this sermon my mind wandered to the Genesis story of creation that Chi read so beautifully just a moment ago, “In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the earth.” And I thought, if ever there was a mystery this is it. And then I thought, Scripture is filled with mysteries. Mysteries that require exploring if they are going to be relevant to today’s global and chaotic context.

I decided to begin my explorations with the text of the commentator Bill Moyers’ wonderful series “Genesis: A Living Conversation.” In this series Moyers and others explore 10 separate passages from the Book of Genesis. The conversations are brilliant and relevant. We have decided to schedule it as a study group to begin this coming fall.

To begin the first conversation Moyers comments “…we human beings were destined ever after [our creation] to think upon our existence, to imagine and argue about what it means to be made in God’s image.” And in reference to the opening passages of this first book of scripture he then asks, “These words are so familiar to us there are almost a cliché. What do you think they must have sounded like to the first people who heard them”?

I began to wonder, “What do we in the 21^st century make of the scripture stories that we read each Sunday morning. Stories that continually remind us that we are made in God’s image. Stories that give us countless clues meant to guide our lives. Lives blessed as being one of God’s many beloved children. Are these words so familiar to us that they are almost cliché? How do we in today’s world interpret the concept that we are created in God’s image? What does it mean when Jesus proclaims that he will be with us to the end of time. What is the Holy Spirit. Is it real”?

In a circuitous way this brings us back to the Trinity and the mystery of Jesus as both fully human and fully divine. What does this mystery mean for us today? Is it relevant? If so, in what way?

Perhaps this is where we should remember that each and every Sunday, we profess our faith through reciting the Nicene Creed. We profess in faith - Faith is here capitalized, underlined, and bolded – we profess that we believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty; we believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God; and we believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life who proceeds from the Father and the Son.

Have we spoken these words so many times that they have become almost cliché?

I would like to suggest that if we sense that this profession of faith has indeed become cliché to us, we return to exploring Scripture. That we read carefully and repeatedly not only the creation story, but also the prophets, the psalms, and finally the gospels. I encourage all of us, me included, to continually dialogue with Scripture. Why: because it forms the world in which we as Christians live. It is our creed. Our profession of faith.

In faith we believe that we are all created in God’s image. In faith we believe that God has always spoken to us through his Angelic messengers. In faith we believe that Jesus is God incarnate, God made man to be among and us and to show us the Way. In faith we believe that as Jesus was ascending to once again be with the Father he appeared to the disciples, gave them final words of direction, breathed the power of the Holy Spirit upon them, and then just prior to his ascension reminded them once again “And remember, I will be with you always, to the end of time.”

We must not allow scripture to become cliché. Rather we must understand it to be our daily bread, our assurance that we will be forgiven if we forgive, our guard against being led into temptation and thereby our deliverance from evil. We must find ways to make scripture come alive with relevance in our lives and in the lives of others in 2023 and beyond.

One way to do this is to read carefully the writings of those whose lives reflect their knowledge that true faith is not possible without a continual reading of and reflection on God’s Word expressed in so many ways over time through the words and actions of Abrahm, Moses, the Prophets, through the life of Jesus Christ with us, and through the ongoing presence of the Holy Spirit.

Old Testament scholar and theologian Walter Brueggemann argues that “When serious people of good faith disagree, they've got to go back into the narratives and come at it again. One of the problems in the church is that people are not willing to do that. People have arrived at a place where they think they have got the answer.”

Thomas Watson, best known for working as Alexander Graham Bell’s assistant during the development of the telephone, said most beautifully, “Read the Scripture, not only as a history, but as a love-letter sent to you from God.”

Scripture as a love letter to the beloved children of God. A love letter that directs us to a life of eternal peace.

Finally, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the Lutheran pastor and theologian who was executed by the Nazis in Flossenburg concentration camp in 1945, wrote “When we read Scripture, our ultimate goal is not to know more but to be different. [Our]life as a Christian should make non-believers question their disbelief in God.” We lovingly study the Scriptures to know Christ and be conformed into his image.

As Jesus ascends, he uses the phrase “peace be with you” several times. Jesus is giving his disciples reassurance that he will be with them – with us – always. He is offering assurance of a peace derived from the knowledge that we have been created as God’s beloved children. That the Father has given us a savior in the incarnation of his Son, Jesus Christ. And that through the Father and the Son we have been given an advocate, a guide and protector, the Holy Spirit.

 

The Trinity in all its mystery is our assurance that God is with us – always. God’s peace is available to us all if we can resist making Scripture cliché. If we can experience Scripture anew through listening carefully and engaging in challenging conversations, reflections, and prayers and the power of the Holy Trinity in our lives.

 

And now, let us turn to page 358 in your Book of Common Prayer and together proclaim our faith by saying the Nicene Creed.

 

We believe in one God,
    the Father, the Almighty,
    maker of heaven and earth,
    of all that is, seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
    the only Son of God,
    eternally begotten of the Father,
    God from God, Light from Light,
    true God from true God,
    begotten, not made,
    of one Being with the Father.
    Through him all things were made.
    For us and for our salvation
        he came down from heaven:
    by the power of the Holy Spirit
        he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary,
        and was made man.
    For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
        he suffered death and was buried.
        On the third day he rose again
            in accordance with the Scriptures;
        he ascended into heaven
            and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
   He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
        and his kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, 
    who proceeds from the Father and the Son.
    With the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified.
    He has spoken through the Prophets.
    We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
    We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
    We look for the resurrection of the dead,
        and the life of the world to come. Amen.

 

 

Rome Loses...

 

SERMON - April 16, 2023

John 20:1931

Today we hear yet another familiar gospel reading, one sometimes referred to as the Doubting Thomas story. For the purposes of a sermon on what is often identified as “low Sunday,” the Sunday after Easter when the clergy are still in recovery mode, it is an easy way out to concentrate our remarks on Thomas’s doubts. However, in doing so we fail to dig a bit deeper into the multi-layered meaning of this critically important text.

So, in preparation for today’s sermon I veered away from Thomas and spent quite a bit of time reflecting on and reading about the theology of Jesus’ crucifixion, resurrection, and subsequent appearance in that Galilean locked room. The room in which the disciples had sequestered themselves for fear of their own lives. The more I studied the more I realized that Thomas and his doubts were only a very small part of the story. A story that affirms in every way the incredibly important message that is centered in the affirmation of Jesus as Lord – Lord over the Roman Empire, its hunger for power and its oppression of the people. And a story about what it means to follow Jesus; to understand fully the meaning of Jesus as “the way.”

Let me start to unravel John’s critically important story with a quote from Richard Horsley’s book, “Jesus and Empire.” “The Roman governors, however, were quick to dispose of leaders and movements that even gave the appearance of a threat to the imperial order…That Jesus was crucified by the Roman governor stands as a vivid symbol of his historical relationship with the Roman imperial order. From the Roman’s point of view, they had decisively humiliated and terrorized his followers and other Galileans and Judeans with this shameful and painful method of execution of a brazen rebel.” (Horsley, p. 130-131)

Horsley goes on to say, “Although the empire had executed Jesus, the empire did not have the last word, by any means, so far as his followers were concerned. This can be seen in several branches of the Jesus Movement.” (132) 

Horsely is but one of many New Testament scholars who are quite clear, Jesus was betrayed and executed by the Romans, not the Jews. The Jews from Galilee and the Jews living in and around Jerusalem were Jesus’ followers. To them Jesus’ teachings proclaiming the Kingdom of God as an alternative way of life, an alternative to the Roman power over and oppression of their lives, the Roman control over their land and their well-being filled them with great hope.

And so, those who had turned all of their hope, their very hearts and souls, to the teachings of their beloved rabbi, were, of course, terrified of what the Romans and the High Priests and the Jewish leaders whom the Romans controlled, would do to them now that Jesus was with them no longer.

“The doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked

 for fear of the leaders.”

Were they being targeted as well? Would someone betray them? Would someone give them up to the Romans? Would they be next in line for crucifixion? Perhaps it would be a good idea to go into hiding.

“The doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked

for fear of the leaders.”

I don’t know about you, but in a similar situation, I would certainly hide behind locked doors. My mouth would be dry. I would feel queasy, anxious, frightened, and quite alone. I would be scared!

Imagine how scared the disciples must have been.

And then, as they tried to remain calm and settle in for the evening, Jesus was suddenly among them. And as they, in absolute wonder, experienced his presence he said to them, “Peace be with you.” Actually, Jesus probably used the Hebrew term Shalom for this greeting.  Shalom translated into English in it broadest sense means peace. However, it can also be interpreted as referring to the well-being, welfare, or safety of an individual or a group of individuals. Jesus appearance and his greeting of shalom calmed the disciples.

Perhaps more importantly Jesus’ appearance was a firm acknowledgment of the triumph of God’s kingdom’s over the Roman Empire. The alternative way proclaimed by Jesus, God’s way of love and justice for the oppressed, had prevailed. Bishop N. T Wright, the brilliant New Testament scholar writes, “The resurrection completes the inauguration of God's kingdom… It is the decisive event demonstrating that God's kingdom really has been launched on earth as it is in heaven…The message of Easter is that God's new world has been unveiled in Jesus Christ and that you're now invited to belong to it.”… Christ's resurrection doesn't mean escaping from the world; it means mission to the world based on Jesus's lordship over the world.” 

The late Marcus Borg, another brilliant New Testament scholar, in his book, “The Last Week”, devotes an entire chapter to the resurrection story. He views it from the point of view of a parable and writes, “Believe whatever you want about whether the stories happened this way – now let’s talk about what they mean…Two themes run through these stories that sum up the central meaning of Easter. The first in a concise phrase is “Jesus lives.” He continues to be experienced after his death, though in a radically new way. The second is “God has vindicated Jesus”. God has said “yes” to Jesus against the powers who killed him…In the words of the earliest and most widespread post-Easter affirmation about Jesus in the New Testament, Jesus is Lord. And if Jesus is Lord, the lords of this world are not.” (Borg, pp. 204-206)

Our proclamation that Jesus, is Lord of lords and King of kings takes on new meaning. It shines a brilliant light on the victory of God’s kingdom over the tyranny of the Roman Empire. God bestowed on Jesus a name above all names.

Therefore, God highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. (Phil. 2:9-11)

Jesus' command that we take up our cross and follow him and our affirmation that Jesus is ‘The Way” takes on a clear and urgent meaning. If Jesus has proclaimed an alternative way, that then must be our way. A way that provides an alternative to injustice, domination, oppression. A peaceful yet courageous way that has every confidence that Jesus is with us as we follow him in faith and diligent intention, as if we were part of the Palm Sunday procession entering Jerusalem, coming face to face with the imperial procession, and knowing that a battle for justice must ensue.

Jesus appeared in the locked room, not once, but twice. These appearances were intended to assure all of his disciples that his presence with them would never cease. It was meant to solidify their faith. 

Perhaps some of us have also experienced an appearance of Jesus in our lives. I know I have. It changed my life. It left me with a commitment to the alternative way that is unbending and enduring. I hope that you have been so blessed. But whether we have experienced Jesus with us, or not, we are blessed because we believe in him.

Jesus’ words to Thomas, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet come to believe” apply to us as well. 

Jesus’ appearance in the locked room affirms the alternative way. The way of peace, compassion, and justice for all. To proclaim Jesus as Lord of lords and King of kings is our way of saying we have the faith and the courage to be in the procession. It affirms our commitment to the alternative way. The way that denies the oppression of empire. 

Almighty and everlasting God, who in the Paschal mystery established the new covenant of reconciliation: Grant that all who have been reborn into the fellowship of Christ's Body may show forth in their lives what they profess by their faith; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.