Are We Prepared?

Sermon

St. Paul’s Church

Sunday, December 22

Matthew 1:18-25

Well, it’s almost here - Christmas Eve. The night that we, once again, await with eager anticipation. The night on which the baby Jesus, our Lord and Savior will, once again, find his way into that stable manger in Bethlehem - a newborn baby encircled by Heaven’s angels, local peasants, and barnyard animals. The night on which we, once again, have the opportunity to hear or to tell the story of perhaps the greatest miracle ever. And, yes the night on which we, once again, share in the delight of opening all those mysterious packages piled under the Christmas tree.

Advent, the season of expectant waiting and joyful anticipation, is almost over. The glorious day of our Lord’s birth will be here in just a few days. In just a brief 48 hours we will gather round the family creche and gaze fondly at the baby Jesus, the precious figurine that we have just placed ever so gently among all the other creche figurines. Mary, Joseph, shepherds, animals and whoever else we have stuffed into that little barnyard scene are all waiting, waiting with baited breath for the much anticipated arrival of the baby - the baby whom Joseph will name Jesus.

The next day, on Christmas morning, we will gather as a family at church and sing traditional hymns of wonder and praise at the birth of “the Little Lord Jesus.”

Hymns such as Hark! The Herald Angels Sing, O Come All Ye Faithful, What Child is This?, O Come, O Come, Emmanuel, Away in a Manger, and perhaps one of the most famous... Joy to The World.

Joy to the World, the Lord is Come!

Let earth receive her King...

Joy to the World, the Savior reigns

Let us our songs employ...

No more let sins and sorrows grow,

no thorns infest the ground...

He rules the world with truth and grace;

And makes the nations prove

The glories of His righteousness

And wonders of his love.

Later, after the festivities of church, once again gathered around our beautiful Christmas tree, we open presents, greet family and friends, and feast on a big turkey or roast beef dinner followed by afternoon walks, family football, and other guilt driven exercises to “work off” that last piece of pie topped with whipped cream. At the end of the day we will be exhausted. In exhaustion we will “plop” down in our favorite chair or on our favorite couch and, as the Christmas tree lights glow brightly in the dimmed living room, chances are we will marvel, once again, at the mystery and glory of Christ’s birth - His coming into the world; God made man, to be with us - among us. God incarnate - our Holy gift from God the Father. A promise of righteousness among all nations.

Stretched out in relaxation, we may remember the final words of another blessed hymn, Silent Night...”Silent night, Holy night. Son of God, love’s pure light. Radiant beams from thy holy face, with the dawn of redeeming grace, Jesus, Lord at thy birth. Jesus, Lord at thy birth.”

Pure light, radiant beams, redeeming grace....words that bring expectations of joy, happiness, peace, redeeming grace, righteousness - justice for all. In this Christmas moment we are focused on God’s gifts to us - His gifts of creation, righteousness, reconciliation, and salvation. 

Yes indeed, Christmas eve and Christmas day overflow with the joy of welcoming, yet once again, the Christ-child into our lives, and it is filled with the hope that his coming will assure our salvation, justice throughout the world, and the peace that passes all understanding.

As we sit in our living rooms, bleary-eyed with fatigue and over-flowing with the bounty that God has bestowed upon us we are pleased with life and optimistic about our future - a future filled with hope and joy.

But wait - is that all that rests in the creche and under the Christmas tree? Our Christmas gifts - boxes big and small tied up in colorful ribbon, and the figurines in the Creche - figurines that exemplify the miracle of God incarnate; God made man in this baby Jesus? Is that it? The receiving and enjoyment of gifts and a bounteous lifestyle? Or, is there more? Is there something else tucked away in that creche and under the tree that we have overlooked - overlooked, at least for the moment?

I believe that there is a great deal more under the tree and in the creche - a great deal more that cannot be seen, cannot be described, cannot be known before it occurs. I believe that under the tree and lying in the creche is the presence of God that shines out and into in each and every one of our lives. A presence that cries out to us, like a voice crying out in the wilderness. A voice that cannot be heard. A voice that is silent, but that we hear so very clearly when it calls out to us. 

Contemporary Christian writer, Frederick Buechner writes,

“Listen to your life. Listen to what happens to you, because it is through what happens to you that God speaks. It's in language that's not always easy to decipher, but it's there, powerfully, memorably, unforgettably.”

(Excerpt from Listening to Your Life : Daily Meditations with Frederick Buechner by Frederick Buechner)

In our Gospel reading today we have just experienced a perfect example of what happens when this silent voice unexpectedly calls out to us - the story of Joseph’s encounter with God through an angel that appears to him in a dream. Remember - God’s call comes to Joseph in his dream, and when Joseph wakes up he speaks not one word either of question or objection. He simply acts directly and immediately in obedient response to God’s instructions - instructions that send him in the exact opposite direction of where he had intended to go with his life. Joseph’s response is an example of the power of God’s call when it comes to us - if, we allow ourselves to hear it. God’s call can transform our decisions and our lives in a flash - if we are listening; if we have faith. 

In his obedient and unquestioning response to God, Joseph is a model of faithful discipleship. 

Joseph had made the decision to break off his betrothal to Mary after he learned that she was with child. Matthew tells us that Joseph made this decision because he was a “righteous” man. Joseph’s decision was based on teachings of Jewish Law. He was doing what was expected of any good and faithful Jew. 

Then unexpectedly - the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and commanded him to do the exact opposite saying - “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.” What Joseph initially had understood as the righteous thing to do was challenged directly by the call of God. God instructed Joseph to act in direct disobedience to what he understood to be the demand of the law.

What to do? The law says one thing - God says another... This is the faith in action part of the story.

Joseph’s faith prevailed. Joseph was willing to risk becoming disobedient in the eyes of the world and the law. Joseph was willing to become an outcast to family and community. As God had commanded, he would marry Mary, and name his son, Jesus.

What would you have done? Not an easy question to answer, is it?

What happens to us when plans based on our concepts of righteousness and justice come up against messages that God sends us about His creative mercy? What happens to us when God’s silent voice intrudes on our comfortable Christmas evening afterglow and challenges our notion of law and righteousness or justice? What happens when God’s voice disrupts our carefully laid plans and decisions? What happens when God’s dream for us is in direct opposition to the dream that we have for ourselves? 

How do we know when God is speaking to us, and when the voice we hear is just the voice of our own ego needs? How deep is our Christmas Day faith? How far will our vows of discipleship lead us?

These are difficult questions - very difficult for any and all of us. But, I believe that these very difficult questions cannot be evaded. They are there - right there -in our lovingly arranged creche and in the beautiful gifts of abundance beneath the Christmas tree. Right there, in front of our eyes, Jesus; Immanuel; “God With Us.”

In his Augsburg Commentary Robert Smith writes, “This Jesus is a pure gift, holy surprise, a fresh act of God, a new genesis, a new creation. And it all comes about from the Holy Spirit. We live with an awareness that God’s power is among us and ready to lead us in ways that we can only imagine. Is that good news, or is the prospect a bit frightening? If we do not anticipate the Christmas event both with hope and with just a bit of anxious fear, then we are not sufficiently tuned to the implications of God’s presence among us.”

Are we prepared for the gift that shines out from under the Christmas Tree?  Are we prepared for Christ’s arrival in our lives? Are we prepared to respond to a call from God when it comes - even if that call mandates a major change in our lives? 

Are we prepared to receive the gift of God and to be a disciple of Christ? 

Are we prepared to allow Christ to rule our lives with truth and grace? Are we prepared to receive our King? Is our heart prepared to make room for him? 

Are we prepared prove the glories of his righteousness and the wonders of his love?

Are we prepared to be a Joseph?

An Advent Message For Deacons

Sermon

Chapel of St. Andrew

Deacon’s Retreat – Dec. 14, 2013 

Matthew 24:36-44

I am certain that we can all remember how as children we would continually wonder what we would be when we grew up…and, I am certain that we all had parents who shared their hopes and dreams of what kind of life might in store for us. I can remember thinking that being a nurse would be the most wonderful thing in the world. My mother, never shy about voicing her thoughts, firmly believed that I should be a movie star. My father assured both of us that, in the true Italian tradition, I would be a good wife and mother – end of story. No career for a daughter of his.

Surely you all have similar memories. We all wanted to “be” something – whether a housewife, a nurse, a movie star, or something else. In our determined little minds, we all had “when we grow up” plans for ourselves - big plans.

We were waiting…waiting to grow up; and, we were dreaming…dreaming of becoming somebody who personified the characteristics of people, or a person, that we admired. Once we grew up, we knew, we were certain…it would all fall into place.

And then of course, as always happens at one point or another, life intervened. In my case, my father died when I was 15. My mother, completely overwhelmed by grief, sent me away to boarding school. Our family income dropped significantly. The sure and secure world that I once knew no longer existed. I was no longer certain of anything. I forgot about nurses and movie stars and housewives. I was not happy and hopeful. I was scared and angry.

And then, something odd happened as I was sitting in chapel at boarding school one Sunday afternoon; something that transformed my life forever. The chapel was a beautiful old stone building.  Stained glass windows were everywhere. The late afternoon sunlight would stream into the nave in ultra soft hues of blue, red, and orange – divine light. The calming effect of this beautiful light, the solid presence of stone and wood surrounding me, and the hushed silence of over a hundred girls who had become my new family was something that I had come to cherish.

On this particular day during a long moment of silent prayer a sense of complete peace fell over me. Somewhere in my deepest being I knew that God was with me - was in me. I knew that I was no longer alone. I knew that I was loved and that I could move forward through my difficult times with assurance and courage.

I don’t want to give the impression that the months and years ahead were smooth sailing – or indeed are smooth sailing even now. I don’t know about you, but smooth sailing does not seem to be my norm. In fact, I have come to believe that smooth sailing is not what life is about – not at all. I believe that if we expect smooth sailing, in our anger and frustration over encountering rough seas, we will completely miss the presence of Christ into our lives. We will be so caught up in the present moment of turmoil that we will fail to see a future that will help us define both the character and meaning of our lives. We will be one of the ones that is “taken;” in other words, separated from God.

In Matthew’s gospel reading for the First Sunday in Advent, the disciples are no different that we were during our early years of wondering about the future and questioning the present. Earlier in Matthew 24 they had asked Jesus, “What will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” (24:3) The disciples are anxious to know the “who, what, when and where” of their future. They want assurances. I imagine they wanted to hear about smooth sailing; not rough seas.

Jesus responds, telling them bluntly, “But about that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.”

No assurances here. In fact quite the opposite as Jesus adds, “Keep awake therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming…Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.”

Implicit in this text is not only the uncertainty of when God is coming, but also the certainty that he is coming. The emphasis is on being prepared – prepared for the presence of God in our lives and all that His presence demands of us as stewards of His Creation.

Henry Gustafson says of this gospel reading, “Jesus calls us to take seriously our vow to love God, neighbor, and self. As responsible persons we will be called to account for what we have done – or not done. The meaning of our present acts will be discernible only at the end. The significance of planting seed, enriching the soil, or polluting it, will be known at the harvest. Thus our behavior has consequences, both now but also not yet.”

Our future in God’s Kingdom is now as we “keep awake,” preparing for His presence in our lives; a presence that can be felt at any moment in time.  A presence that promises not smooth sailing, but salvation from the rough seas of life.

I wonder if Stephen was fully “awake” when he was called to feed the hungry Hellenists in Acts 6. We are told by the author of Acts that as Stephen carried out his ministry he was filled with grace and power and that he spoke with wisdom and the Spirit. From this one brief but powerful sentence it would seem apparent that Stephen took seriously God’s presence in his life. Did he know that his “awakeness” would lead to his painful and humiliating death?

Ultimately, we assume that he knew the risks he was taking – after all persecution was all around him. And, we can be assured that he was fully awake when he was summoned to speak with the very angry Freedmen of the synagogue.

Stephen gave a brilliant defense, describing the history of God’s people, God’s intent for his people, and the power and sovereignty of God, and ending with the admonition, “You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears. You are forever opposing the Holy Spirit, just as your ancestors used to do…You are the ones that received the law as ordained by angels, and yet you have not kept it.” (Acts 7:51, 53)

Stephen was most certainly awake as he defended his faith and ministered to the hungry and to the needy. As deacons in formation or deacons ordained in the Episcopal Church, are we awake? Are we prepared to speak with wisdom and the Spirit as we, like Stephen, carry out our special ministry of servanthood, serving all people, particularly the poor, the weak, the sick, and the lonely? Are we, nourished by the Holy Scriptures, prepared to model our life on them? Are we awake to the daily presence of God in our lives – a presence that demands, yes demands, that we make Christ and his redemptive love known, by our word and example, to those among whom we live, and work, and worship? Are we awake to the needs, concerns, and hopes of the world and prepared to alert our Bishop and our Church to these needs, concerns, and hopes?

Are we awake? Are we truly called by God and his Church to the life and work of a deacon? Are we prepared to be a Stephen?

This has been an important day of reflection and prayer during a season of reflection and prayer as we await, yet once again, the birth of the Christ Child – A day of reflection and prayer on our lives as deacons in God’s Church.

I can only speak for myself when I say that to be a deacon is hard work. It is not being a nurse, a movie star, or a housewife. It is not a 9 to 5 job, with weekends off. It is not, in most cases, a job that offers financial compensation. It is not a highly respected job in today’s world – most people, even in the Episcopal Church, do not know what a deacon does; nor do they necessarily care. It is not what I dreamed of doing “when I grow up.”

Those are the things that being a deacon are not. Like the mystics, I believe that what being a deacon is, is ultimately ineffable – there are no words to describe the call of servanthood from God. There are no words to define the diaconal work that needs to be done in this community, in this nation, in this world. So I will allow Thomas Merton to speak for me. Merton sums up the diaconal call quite eloquently:

 “…it is a response to a call from him who has no voice, and yet Who speaks in everything that is, and most of all, speaks in the depths of our being: for we ourselves are words of his…I myself am a word spoken by God,” said Merton.

In another work Merton went on to say, “For each one of us, there is only one thing necessary: to fulfill our own destiny, according to God's will, to be what God wants us to be.”

So my friends, it’s OK to dream about who you might be when you “grow up.” But, please remember while you dream to “Keep awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.”

Keep awake because we do not yet fully understand our own destiny, according to God’s will. 

Keep awake because God has called us to minister to his people in all the world… particularly the poor, the weak, the sick, and the lonely.

Keep awake, we are today’s Stephen – no easy task without hearing God speaking to us within the depth of our being.

Keep awake, “The meaning of our present acts will be discernible only at the end. The significance of planting seed, enriching the soil, or polluting it, will be known at the harvest. Thus our behavior has consequences, both now but also not yet.”   AMEN

Oppression and Education

I recently returned from Haiti - once again. Without counting on my fingers I would say that this was my 14^th trip to Haiti since the year 2000.

Needless to say, I always arrive home relieved to be an American citizen, and with many new insights into the stress and turmoil of being a resident of Haiti.

Never before, however, have I understood, with the eyes and ears of my heart, the meaning of what living in a world of total and absolute oppression really means to those who must endure the weight of no help and no hope day after day and year after year.

Never before have I understood the absolute and utter impossibility of getting anywhere in such a world of oppression without the grace of God and without a partner in the arduous journey of raising oneself up and out of the dungeon of hopelessness.

Never before have I understood the power of education – all sorts of education - for those who have no education.

It matters little what brought about my epiphany this past week. What matters is that I do something about it – that I bring such an epiphany to others who are called to work with our brothers and sisters in Haiti.

What matters is education for the men, women and children of Haiti. Don’t ever underestimate its power, and your need to partner in providing it.

A Word of God

Sermon

St. Paul’s Episcopal Church

All Saints Sunday 2013 

Ephesians 1:11-23 – Luke 6:20-31

This fall some of us here at St. Paul’s embarked on a journey called, “Mystics.” We wanted to learn more about those who claim to have experience God within themselves – those who have become beacons of faith by shedding the light of Christ and the God within them upon the world.

Our journey started last spring when I asked Chip if he would support my teaching a class on one or two of the more famous mystics. He said, enthusiastically, “Yes. I think that’s a great idea!” In discussing a possible curriculum, we spoke about focusing on Teresa of Avila, or perhaps Julian of Norwich. Nothing too heavy – just a bit of late summer fun. With Chip’s blessing in hand, I moved forward in planning for an early September start date.

Enter my best friend, Amazon.com. A quick search of the mystic’s section brought me to a book entitled “Mystics,” by William Harmless. Brother Harmless is a member of the Society of Jesus and Professor of Theology at Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska.

The overview and reviews of the book intrigued me; and, of course, I ordered it; and, as is usual with Amazon, the book was delivered within a few days.

After eagerly skimming through the Introduction and a couple of chapters, I knew that our Mystics class was going to look a lot different than a bit of late summer fun. It was going to be a good, old-fashioned seminar that introduced us to the scholarly study of mysticism. Harmless’ skillful presentation of his subject matter would take us on a journey through the lives and thoughts of eight path-breaking religious practitioners who claim to have experienced the infinite, word-defying Mystery that is God.

Before going too much further, let’s be clear about what mystics and mysticism are NOT. Simply put, mystics are not otherworldly, dreamy-eyed figures who gaze into crystal balls and hear heavenly voices. No similarity to Barbara Eden in “I Dream of Jeannie.” Not in the least!

Actually, most mystics have been hard-nosed, practical, well-educated and highly respected scholars and theologians. People like Thomas Merton, Hildegard of Bingen, Bernard of Clairvaux, and Saint Bonaventure, who is ranked, along with Thomas Aquinas, as the greatest of the Doctors of the church and one of the greatest philosophers of the Middle Ages.

Historically speaking, mysticism is a direct and ineffable experience of God – an experience that occurs within the depths of our soul and for which there are no words; and, a mystic is a person who has had such a direct experience. A mystic is one whose religion and life are centered, not merely on accepted belief or practice, but on that which he, or she, regards as first-hand personal knowledge of God.

Mysticism is no isolated vision, no furtive glimpse of reality, but a complete system of life. To use Evagrius Ponticus’ words, mysticism is “the ascent of the mind to God.” And, a mystical text is a religious text that describes a profound contemplative and experiential knowledge of God.

Thomas Merton writes of mysticism as “a response to a call from him who has no voice, and yet Who speaks in everything that is, and most of all, speaks in the depths of our being: for we ourselves are words of his…I myself am a word spoken by God,” said Merton.

Bernard of Clairvaux believed that the, “The long winding road back to God is about recovering our ‘likeness’ to God.” This “likeness” is, according to Bernard what “marries the soul to the Word… and shows that our soul wants to be like him by loving as it is loved.”

Meister Eckhart believed that God is constantly spilling over into us. We are recipients of a continual out-flow of God’s love that dwells within in us. Eckhart believed that we are all the same and that our sameness comes from God’s sameness in us. What mattered to Eckhart was that we live our lives out of that union with God, because the way we live our lives points everyone and everything back to the source [God] from which it poured forth.

Paul in his Letter to the Ephesians addresses the turmoil that invades the community of Ephesus. Paul warned the community of a demonic turmoil that invades our thoughts and intrudes into our way of being; a demonic turmoil that diverts our love from those around us to ourselves; a demonic turmoil that comes between us and our sacred “oneness” with God.

Paul assures his Ephesian brothers and sisters that Christ has been given power over these demonic forces, and that, through God’s graces, we are freed from their invading and intruding forces. Paul writes that God has a previously hidden plan for the salvation of humankind – the gift of His Son, Jesus. Paul insists that the Church is called to recognize Christ as its Lord and exemplar, and to embody and act upon its exalted status as a spirit-filled community that brings the power and presence of God to the world. The church has the mandate and the authority to re-establish God’s sovereignty over creation and the perfection of the church as the body of Christ.

Paul writes, “I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of Glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him, so that with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints, and what immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe, according to the working of his great power.”

In light of Paul’s words and the writings of Thomas Merton, Bernard of Clairvaux, Meister Eckhart and so many others, the beatitudes in Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount spring to life in a vibrant and exciting invitation to enter into the love-filled Kingdom of God both in the here and now and forever.

“Blessed are you who are poor for yours is the Kingdom of God; blessed are you who are hungry now, for you will be filled; blessed are you who weep now for you will laugh; blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of the Son of Man. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, for surely your reward is great in heaven…”

God’s Kingdom is our kingdom. Praying without ceasing, the eyes of our hearts will be enlightened; we will experience the outpouring of God’s love. With the hope that springs from His abundant love, we will be overcome with joy and filled with peace; a peace that passes all understanding. Having entered the love-filled Kingdom of God we will no longer be isolated, left out, alone and living in fear and anxiety. We will be among all God’s saints, both living and dead, who dwell in the House of the Lord – God’s Kingdom both here and beyond.

All Saints Day is most certainly a day of sadness and remembrance - A day on which we solemnly honor those brothers and sisters who have departed this life. However, it is also a day on which we can rejoice and leap for joy as we acknowledge and experience the outpouring of God’s grace and love that fills our lives each and every moment of our lives.

We too can be – indeed God intends us to be – among the saints who live and move and have their being as children of God.

Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians is not only a letter assuring this fledgling Christian community about the gifts that God’s love and grace bestow upon us – that would not be like Paul at all - to merely tell us the Good News. Absolutely not – not Paul. Paul moves from reminding us of our blessings to instructing us in the use of these blessings. Characteristic of Paul, he gives us our marching orders when he writes,

“The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, ¹²to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, ¹³until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ. ¹⁴We must no longer be children, tossed to and fro and blown about by every wind of doctrine, by people’s trickery, by their craftiness in deceitful scheming. ¹⁵But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, ¹⁶from whom the whole body, joined and knitted together by every ligament with which it is equipped, as each part is working properly, promotes the body’s growth in building itself up in love.” (Eph 4:11-16)

My friends, we are truly blessed with the continual outpouring of God’s love – we are His saints. And on this day honoring All Saints, let us open the eyes of our hearts, pray without ceasing, and allow our hearts, minds, and our souls to ascend to God. Let us truly experience the love and the peace that passes all understanding. Let us, as all the saints who have gone before us, shine the light of Christ and the eternal love of God to the world around us. Let us be what our Father intended us to be – a Word of God.

 

 

God's Holy Servants

Sermon

Rev. Clelia P. Garrity

St. Paul’s Episcopal Church – October 6, 3013

Luke 17:5-10

In his series of essays “No Man is an Island” Thomas Merton, the Anglo-American Catholic writer and mystic wrote, “For each one of us, there is only one thing necessary: to fulfill our own destiny, according to God's will, to be what God wants us to be.”  

Merton believed without question that God was at the very center of our being. He had experienced that God within us in the flash of a moment while standing on the corner of Fourth and Walnut in Louisville, Kentucky in 1958. In his book, “Conjectures of a Guilty Bystander” he wrote of that experience,

“Yesterday, in Louisville, at the corner of 4th and Walnut, I suddenly realized that I loved all the people and that none of them were, or, could be totally alien to me. It was as if waking from a dream — the dream of separateness, of the “special” vocation to be different. My vocation does not really make me different from the rest of men or put me in a special category, except artificially. I am still a member of the human race — and what more glorious destiny is there for man, since the Word was made flesh and became, too, a member of the Human Race!

Thank God! Thank God! I am only another member of the human race, like all the rest of them. I have the immense joy of being a man!

Then it was as if I suddenly saw the secret beauty of their hearts, the depths of their hearts where neither sin nor desire nor self-knowledge can reach, the core of their reality, the person that each one is in God’s eyes. If only they could all see themselves as they really are. If only we could see each other that way all the time. There would be no more war, no more hatred, no more cruelty, no more greed…I suppose the big problem would be that we would fall down and worship each other. But this cannot be seen, only believed and “understood” by a peculiar gift.”

This moment of awareness, a moment that came out of nowhere and was gone in an instant, transformed Merton from an isolated soul living in a rigid monastic community to a compassionate and passionate advocate of social justice.

In his epiphany at Fourth and Walnut, Merton understood, in a flash, that we are all created in the image of God and that,

“At the center of our being is a point of nothingness which is untouched by sin and by illusion, a point of pure truth, a point or spark which belongs entirely to God, which is never at our disposal, from which God disposes of our lives, which is inaccessible to the fantasies of our mind or the brutalities of our own will. This little point of nothingness and of absolute poverty is the pure glory of God in us. It is so to speak His name written in us, as our poverty, as our indigence, as our dependence, as our sonship. It is like a pure diamond, blazing with the invisible light of heaven. It is in everybody, and if we could see it we would see these billion points of light coming together in the face and blaze of a sun that would make all the darkness and cruelty of life vanish completely….I have no program for this seeing. It is only given. But the gate of heaven is everywhere.”

“The pure glory of God in us…like a pure diamond blazing with the invisible light of heaven…the gate of heaven everywhere”

St. Peter quoting Leviticus in The First Letter of Peter describes the same concept of God within us in different, but no less powerful words. “Therefore prepare your minds for action; discipline yourselves; set all your hope on the grace that Jesus Christ will bring you when he is revealed. Like obedient children, do not be conformed to the desires that you formerly had in ignorance. Instead, as he who called you is holy, be holy yourselves in all your conduct; for it is written, “You shall be holy for I am holy.” (1 Peter 1:13-16)

“You shall be holy, for I am holy…”

The pure glory of God in us, in all of us – shining like pure diamonds in all of us – making us holy, all of us, holy.

My friends, I don’t know about you, but, for me, these are powerful words – powerful concepts. Powerful words and powerful concepts that lead to powerful responsibility. We, with the pure glory of God in us, are sacred beings. As sacred beings, we have an obligation to serve each other and all of God’s creation, also sacred, with humility, compassion, patience, courage, endurance and perhaps most of all, with love. We have an obligation to serve God as Christ served us.

In his book “Many Witnesses, One Lord,” theologian William Barclay writes, “The pervading characteristic of the First Letter of Peter is its tremendous sense of the obligation which the work of Christ has laid upon the Christian. Peter hardly ever mentions a gift that the Christian has received without insisting on the responsibility and the obligation which goes with it…It was the conviction of Peter that the Christian by his patience, his suffering and his activity in life should mould society into closer conformity with the will of God.”

In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus himself reminds us that, “whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10: 43-45)

Today’s reading from Luke can be pretty obscure without these background reflections that focus on our role as God’s sacred children here on earth and our servant responsibilities as disciples of Christ in a war torn and fragmented world, that at times, appears to be crumbling before our very eyes.

Jesus’ disciples in today’s Gospel plead, “Increase our faith!” They want to be assured of a place in God’s Kingdom. Jesus chides the disciples pointing out that faith, even the smallest amount of it, can work miracles. The smallest of seeds can perform the mightiest of deeds!!

God isn’t concerned amount the amount of faith that we have – just about whether it is present in us or not – and whether or not we put that faith to work. Jesus advises the disciples - don’t get bogged down worrying about the status of your faith, just put whatever faith you have to work and watch it grow! Trust God – have faith!

Jesus also reminds his disciples that no matter how much, or how hard, they work, no one is special – no one is owed more than the other – no one is exempt from the humble role as God’s servant. No work of faith is greater than any other work of faith. Everyday work that is carried out in faith, through faith, and with faith– no matter how hard or how easy -  is an obligation, a responsibility. We are all accountable for our status as “holy.” Everyone needs to have the same attitude, “We are worthless slaves; we have done only what we ought to have done.”

And, no bargaining please. We need to be content with the reality that our work in faith is never done; it is unceasing. One big work done in faith does not exempt us for the everyday small works done faith. We need to accept the reality that no particular work in faith gains us a special place in God’s eternal kingdom.

Paul hit the nail on the head when he wrote to Timothy saying,

“Do not be ashamed, then, of the testimony about the Lord or of me his prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel, relying on the power of God, who saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works but according to his own purpose and grace….But I am not ashamed, for I know the one in whom I have put my trust, and I am sure he is able to guard until that day what I have entrusted to him…Guard the good treasure entrusted to you, with the Help of the Holy Spirit.” (2 Timothy: 1:6-14)

From Genesis to Merton and beyond we read, and experience, in one way or another, that we are all created in the image of God; that God dwells within us all – at the very center of our beings; that we are all holy, because God, the God within us, is holy; that we are all sacred beings called to servant hood – servant hood to God and to all God’s creation; that our ultimate duty is to do right and trust in God.

In this challenging time of violence, terrorism, political unrest, and economic uncertainly, let us, more fervently and prayerfully than ever, seek the holy within us; put on the armor of God; and go forth in faith in seeking ways to bring God’s creation back into right relationship with him. Remember: even the smallest of seeds can do the mightiest of deeds.

The Bent Woman

Sermon

Sunday, August 25, 2013

St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Delray Beach, FL

Luke 13:10-17 

In the late 1980s I was privileged to work with a group of advocates who had formed an organization called AIDS-Related Community Services. The organization, nicknamed ARCS, was formed in response to a mysterious new disease that had emerged out of nowhere and was of unknown origin. At that point in time this disease had no real name other than Human Immunodeficiency Virus, or (HIV). HIV was virulent and fatal. It was accompanied by painful and disfiguring symptoms. It was prevalent among gay men, the homeless and people addicted to injectable drugs, and it was spreading among those populations like wildfire.

In those days, HIV patients were not welcome in doctor’s offices or dentist’s offices. They were not welcome at their place of employment, or in public spaces. In those days HIV patients were viewed as lepers. They quickly became outcasts. It was safest to not even acknowledge the existence of those who had fallen victim to this frightening affliction. They were very sick, they were dying very painfully and very quickly, and they were very alone.

ARCS was engaged in a variety of community activities. There was training of “buddies” to walk with the dying through their last months or weeks. There was community education – an effort to destigmatize HIV. There was fundraising – to support buddies, community education and other projects. And, there was advocacy – an effort to strongly – very strongly - encourage state and national lawmakers to develop legislation that would earmark funds to care for and begin medical research on behalf of this growing population of terribly sick people.

The ARCS advocacy initiative, working in collaboration with the Gay Men’s Health Crisis and Mayor Lindsay’s office, was directly responsible for the development and passage of the Ryan White CARE Act, the largest federally funded program in the United States for people living with HIV/AIDS. The CARE Act was passed in August of 1990. In 1991, the first year of the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program, the Federal budget appropriation was $220.6 million. In FY 2010, it had grown to $2.29 billion. The program is once again up for re-authorization this year.

With all this activity at ARCS, a fairly large staff was in place. But despite the size of the staff, more hands were needed – volunteer hands. One of the volunteer recruitment sites was a halfway house for men and women living with HIV. For the most part the residents in the house were homeless men who had been substance abusers.

And, so it was that Roy came into my life.

Roy was assigned to me when I requested help with stuffing invitations and labeling envelopes for a major fund raising event. He arrived one morning at about 10 o’cloc. He was on crutches. He was disheveled. He seemed confused and frightened. In an anxious voice he confided that if he did not do the volunteer work assigned to him, he would be asked to leave the residence and would, once again, be on the street. He also confided that he did not know what volunteer work was.

Roy was very weak and in the end stages of Kaposi’s Sarcoma. He had gigantic bandaged lesions on his legs. His ankles were terribly swollen, the skin cracked. He stated that his feet hurt badly and he could barely walk. He had lost the sight in one eye and had numerous scars and telltale traces of a life of drug addiction and alcoholism. (Remnants of a life lived on the streets.) It seemed to me, and my fellow staff members, that Roy was about 50 years old.

That first day, I asked Roy to sit with me and to tell me a bit about himself. Roy seemed uncomfortable with that prospect. He stated that he was ashamed of himself, and that he was embarrassed by how he looked and the things he had done in his life that had caused him to become infected with HIV. I encouraged him to tell me more, saying that we welcomed all the residents of the halfway house at ARCS – we wanted them to see us as their family. When I mentioned family, he looked at me in wonder and told me that he had never had a family.

Roy’s thoughts and memories were continually confused perhaps because of the Kaposi’s Sarcoma; perhaps because of the many years of substance abuse. However, the brief history of his life that he gave described a life of loneliness and suffering. A life spent alone and hungry. A life lived on the streets that began at the age of about seven after the violent deaths of both his parents.

That first day, Roy insisted that he was not good enough to do volunteer work. He wanted to return to the halfway house. He said, not so boldly,  

“If they want to kick me out, they can go ahead and do it.” I urged Roy to reconsider overnight. I told him that I hoped to see him in the morning. I emphasized that I really needed his help to get a job done and that I knew he could give me that help. I touched his arm and asked if I could give him a hug.

Roy left. The next morning he returned and we began stuffing envelopes.

Roy was always quite weak. He could not tolerate being in a sitting position for more than two or three hours. However, as the days progressed, a Roy emerged that was both childlike and loving. He had a wonderful sense of humor and a passion for gentleness. As he stuffed, he would watch the comings and goings of staff and volunteers, questioning me about their role at the agency. During his second week with us, he decided take little breaks and walk around, sometimes stopping to help others. He became especially fond of the Xerox machine and loved making copies for everyone in the education department.

During the last day of our project, Roy seemed weaker than usual. His ankles and feet were so swollen that he could not wear his shoes. He was unfocused and slightly disoriented. I asked him what he thought was happening. He said that he guessed he was “getting bad like the others just before they die.” Then, he said, “You know, this is a nice place. I like it here. I feel so good - like it’s my family.” I said, “It is your family Roy.”

The next day Roy was admitted to the hospital where he died several days later. Many of us went to his funeral. We learned that at the time of his death Roy was 27 years old.

After Roy’s funeral, as was our custom after every death, we sat around and reviewed our memories of Roy. We all thanked God for using us as vehicles to reach out and touch Roy – for blessing us with the opportunity to let Roy know that he was loved and valued for who he was - one of God’s children.

Roy’s Good News – being touched by God - is our Good News. In today’s readings Jeremiah, the Psalmist and Luke all describe God’s hand reaching out and touching us, anointing us; making us his – all of us.

Tertullian in his Treatise, “On the Soul,” says of Jeremiah. “Read the word of God that was spoken to Jeremiah. ‘Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you.’ God not only forms us in the womb; he also breathes on us as he did at the first creation, when ‘the Lord God formed man and breathed into him the breath of life.’ And God declares to Jeremiah, ‘And before you came forth out of the womb, I sanctified you.’” (On the Soul 26)

God is our creator. He breathes the Spirit of life into us - even in the womb. He is with us from the outset. At the first moment of life he anoints us as his own. We are his forever. He loves us always and yearns for our well-being.

The early Christian theologian and church father Origen writes, “We forget that the words ‘Let us make man according to our image and according to our likeness’ apply to each person. When we fail to remember the one who formed a person in the womb, and formed all people’s hearts individually and understands all their works, we do not perceive that God is a helper of those who are lowly and inferior, a protector of the weak, a provider of shelter of those who have been given up in despair and Savior of those who have been given up as hopeless.” (Commentary on the Gospel of John 13.167-68)

God reaches out and touches us all – each and every one of us. His love transcends all human judgment. The scope of his compassion is beyond comprehension.

In Psalm 71 David declares his confidence that he is forever able to turn to the Lord for help. No need to be ashamed of slip ups and failures. God is with us always as a “strong rock, a castle to keep us safe, a crag and a stronghold.” God is our hope and our sustainer always and forever.

David sings out, “I have been sustained by you ever since I was born; from my mother’s womb you have been my strength.” (Psalm 71:1-6)

What an incredibly powerful image – God our creator; knowing, loving and anointing us, giving us strength as we grow in our mother’s womb. We are made in his image. We are his and he is in us. He knew us from the beginning of time, and he is always there for us – always there to wipe away the tears of life - always there for us as a protector; a way to refuge, safety, solace, healing and peace.

In today’s reading from Luke, Jesus enters a synagogue to preach. Tucked away in a corner, isolated and alone, he sees an elderly woman. She is bent over – bent in on herself, a victim of some crippling disease. The old woman has been cast aside by her peers. They believe that she must have done something evil. Her affliction is just punishment for her sinful behavior. She must be shunned, pushed into a corner, in order for others to remain pure.

Jesus, ignoring the crowd who had come to hear him teach, turns away from them and faces her.  He calls out to her, and asks her to come forward. Then, he “laid hands on the crippled woman, immediately she stood up and began praising God.”

Immediately, Jesus’ compassionate actions kindled the light of God that dwelled deep within the old woman -  a light that had not yet gone out, but had indeed become a distinctly fading ember. This elderly woman who for years had been an object of contempt and social rejection – just like Roy – was, with just a few words of compassion from Jesus, freed of her crippling burden. One simple gesture of compassion and the Spirit of her Creator brought light into her life, and infused her with hope, comfort and freedom from years of isolation and suffering.

As we see the scene in our mind’s eye, we imagine the crowd’s reaction as she sings out, “I am God’s child – he is in me and with me – through him I have my being. I am loved. Praise be to God. I am in the Kingdom of God here on earth.

For the bent woman, for Roy and for all of us - today and every day - God is in us and with us. In Him we live and move and have our being. Through him we are healed and we are able to heal. By His grace made manifest in all of humanity innocent souls are protected; bent souls are healed; and lost souls are found. This my friends is indeed Good News. AMEN.

 

Thoughts on Divine Love

Reflection Day 214

Song of Songs 7-8; Psalm 25; I Thessalonians 2

The Song of Songs comes to a resounding finale as the woman seems to send her lover away and call him to her at the same time. In this passage divine love is interpreted as forever in progress with the coming and going of passion and desire.

The psalmist also struggles with the coming and going of divine love pleading for mercy, “…do not let me be put to shame; do not let my enemies exult over me;” asking forgiveness, “…pardon my guilt, for it is great;” and finally awaiting redemption, “O guard my life, and deliver me…Redeem Israel , O God, out of all its troubles.”

Paul’s words to the Thessalonians shine a bright light on divine love and its need for continual care as our perception of it ebbs and flows as we proceed through our life’s journey. His words of encouragement and exhortation to the members of his community in Thessoloniki portray the difficult journey of a disciple in holding onto divine love: “…but though we had already suffered and been shamefully mistreated in Phillipi, as you know we had courage in our God in spite of great opposition.”

Our perception of divine love ebbs and flows. Sometimes, indeed not infrequently, it is impossible to us to see or feel this love – God’s love. Yet, as human beings, our hearts and souls are naturally inclined to love and to be loved – by God and by others. Thomas Merton put it nicely…

“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 that 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.”
― Thomas Merton, Thoughts in Solitude

As the psalmist in Psalm 25 sings out, “To you of Lord, I lift up my soul. O my God, in you I trust.”