Being a Missional Church

Sermon

Proper 9

St. Simon's on the Sound

Luke 10:1-11; 16-20

BEING A CHURCH SHAPED BY JESUS AND HIS MISSION

In just a few short weeks I will once again be back teaching at the diocesan school. The upcoming year will be the third and final year for eight postulants who are seeking ordination as priests and deacons in our diocese.

As many of you know, this past school year I taught these same students Clinical Pastoral Education, better known as CPE. The point of CPE is to learn the skill of pastoral care and to develop a better understanding of yourself and how you relate to people. These goals are accomplished through conducting interviews with patients or care seekers, and through presenting verbatims – word for word reports – of these encounters to one's fellow students and instructor.

CPE is often regarded as a terrifying experience. A big leap into the unknown world of emotional suffering and pain, and the continual public examination of one's self through the in-depth critiquing of the verbatims.

I am happy to report that the students all survived. In fact, they did a great job. I am very proud of them.

This coming school year I will be teaching a course called Contextual Formation.

You may ask, and rightfully so, what in the world is that?

Well, essentially it is a project-oriented class designed to help students learn the leadership skills necessary to take their church "out of the box" and into the world as it exists today.

Each student will be assigned a field placement at a church other than their own. It will be up to the student to enter into a relationship with the rector and the congregation; to explore and define the culture of that particular congregation and surrounding community; to identify and lead a group in the development of a missional project that is based in the context of our baptismal theology and in the context of the church and its community's culture; and, finally by the end of the school year to transition the leadership of the project to someone in the congregation.

Contextual Formation – creating a missional project for the church within the context of our baptismal theology and within the culture of the church's reality.

If it sounds like a lot – it is. But I must tell you the students are excited, as am I.  We have agreed to see ourselves as a collaborative "think tank." We will meet monthly and together explore progress, successes, failures, and opportunities for growth and improvement in our goal of moving the assigned churches "out of the box" and into the world.

Bottom line, this will be a project driven by the Holy Spirit, with both the instructor and the students working to equip various churches for their calling to "make disciples of all nations…teaching them to obey everything that I [Jesus] have commanded you." (Matt 28:19-20, 11-12)

Contextual Formation is an incredibly important project. It is a project designed to place a spotlight on the calling of the church to be a truly missional movement. It is a project designed to give life to the fact that Scripture is the Spirit-given authority to form us for missional living – Scripture is the authority that God's Spirit gives to the Word – the authority that sends us into the world not as individual missioners, but as God's missional church.

It is a project designed to remind us that as a church we are sent by Jesus into the world "to make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you." (Matt 28:18)

In his book Canoeing the Mountains Tod Bolsinger writes, "The culture is changing, the world is changing rapidly, and churches are facing change on an unprecedented scale…But the church is also at an exciting crossroads. We are entering a new day, new terrain and a new adventure. We are not alone. The Spirit of God goes before us. The mission of Christ will not fail."

Our work as a church committed to carrying the good news of Christ to all nations has become very challenging. Perhaps challenging isn't even a strong enough word. Maybe it would be more descriptive to say that we are engaged in an uphill battle. An uphill battle to preserve the church – the vehicle that proclaims through scripture, sacrament and love God's Word. A vehicle through which the gospel of Christ becomes a reality in man's life.

Last week we learned that Jesus had set his face to Jerusalem. Surrounded by his Disciples and a crowd of people who had declared that they wanted to follow him on his journey to the cross he launched a fast-paced campaign to bring the gospel to as many people as possible in what he understood to be his short time in this world. "He appointed seventy others and sent them on ahead of himself in pairs to every town and place where he himself intended to go."

Establishing what ultimately was to become the mission of the church – the evangelization of the gospel - Jesus sent out not just the 12 who had been commissioned as Disciples, but a multitude of his followers – 70 in all. And, interestingly, Jesus sent them out in advance. He commissioned them as leaders in what we now call, many thanks to our beloved Presiding Bishop Michael Curry, the Jesus Movement.

Jesus sent his followers out ahead of him to proclaim the good news – to evangelize. To prepare people for his arrival in their lives.

The sending of the seventy is scriptural witness to the reality that as a gathered church we are formed to carry out God's mission in the world. We are called to evangelize – to spread the good news. In this brief section that describes Jesus' sending his followers as laborers into the harvest we experience with total clarity the actual authority of God's Spirit as it demands our missional obedience. Just as God sent Jesus into the world, so Jesus sends us into the world. With all authority we are a people sent by God…sent into the world.

Old Testament scholar Christopher Wright reminds us that the sending of the church as the apostle to the world goes to God's very purposes. He says, "It is not so much that God has a mission for his church in the world, but that God has a church for his mission in the world."

God has a church for his mission in the world.

Alan Hirsch in his book The Forgotten Ways writes, "Missional church is a community of God's people that defines itself and organizes its life around…its true and authentic organizing principle – mission. When the church is in mission, it is the true church."

God is a sending God. Just as He sent Jesus, so Jesus sends us.

I wonder if the students at the Diocesan School for Ministry think of themselves as missional. As they prepare to embark on this groundbreaking class called Contextual Formation, do they think of themselves as the modern-day equivalent of the seventy? Because in a sense they are.

Essentially, the students are being told that the harvest is plenty, but the laborers few. They are being sent to forge a new way for us. They are being sent with the warning that they may possibly find themselves among wolves – nonbelievers. They are being sent with no real tools other that prayerful support. They are being sent with the directive to not to be distracted and to stick it out once they have settled on a project – no matter how challenging.

They are being sent with the hope that they will transform and energize a community of people to embrace God's mission for the church in the face of a changing world. They are being sent with the directive to identify the mission that God has for the church in this complex and tumultuous world.

Above all, they are being sent to spread the gospel with the understanding that whoever listens to them will be listening to Christ. They will be creating a church shaped by Jesus and his mission.

I wonder how the seventy felt as they listened to Jesus' commandment to go ahead of him. As they heard his warning that they would be as lambs among wolves. Would they, like the diocesan students initially react rather violently saying, "Hey, wait a minute. We are not ready for this. You are the teacher – the leader – you go first, and we will follow."

Well that's not what Jesus, or the diocesan school leadership, had in mind. Jesus knew that he was in the world for only a short time. More importantly, he understood that as the Son sent from God it was his mission not only to teach and to heal, but also to send forth his disciples, his followers to be God's church in the world.

Fast forward to today – that means us. As followers of Jesus, as the Jesus Movement, we are being sent forth as an agent of God's mission to the world – to evangelize the gospel.

Tod Bollinger is just one of many who has written and/or preached about the fact that "The culture is changing, the world is changing rapidly, and churches are facing change on an unprecedented scale…But the church is also at an exciting crossroads. We are entering a new day, new terrain and a new adventure. We are not alone. The Spirit of God goes before us. The mission of Christ will not fail."

The mission of God will not fail – six very important words. Six very important words that can only become a reality if we, like the seventy, heed Jesus' command to go ahead of him, spreading the good news, preparing the way for him to enter people's lives – their souls.

However difficult, we must accept the reality of the crossroad that faces the church. If we are to meet the uphill challenge of finding new ways to carry out our mission we must reorient ourselves. We must let go of the old, learning and leading as we go forward. We must have the courage to enter unchartered territory. We must not give up; we must keep going – no matter what.

It is we who are sent into the world as the rightful and faithful continuation of Jesus' own sending by God. It is we who are sent as witnesses to our own community. It is we who must realize that when our church is in mission, it is the true church. We must enter unchartered territory with a mission worthy of our utmost dedication.

We must be a church shaped by Jesus and his mission.

 Sermon

Proper 9

St. Simon's on the Sound

Luke 10:1-11; 16-20

BEING A CHURCH SHAPED BY JESUS AND HIS MISSION

In just a few short weeks I will once again be back teaching at the diocesan school. The upcoming year will be the third and final year for eight postulants who are seeking ordination as priests and deacons in our diocese.

As many of you know, this past school year I taught these same students Clinical Pastoral Education, better known as CPE. The point of CPE is to learn the skill of pastoral care and to develop a better understanding of yourself and how you relate to people. These goals are accomplished through conducting interviews with patients or care seekers, and through presenting verbatims – word for word reports – of these encounters to one's fellow students and instructor.

CPE is often regarded as a terrifying experience. A big leap into the unknown world of emotional suffering and pain, and the continual public examination of one's self through the in-depth critiquing of the verbatims.

I am happy to report that the students all survived. In fact, they did a great job. I am very proud of them.

This coming school year I will be teaching a course called Contextual Formation.

You may ask, and rightfully so, what in the world is that?

Well, essentially it is a project-oriented class designed to help students learn the leadership skills necessary to take their church "out of the box" and into the world as it exists today.

Each student will be assigned a field placement at a church other than their own. It will be up to the student to enter into a relationship with the rector and the congregation; to explore and define the culture of that particular congregation and surrounding community; to identify and lead a group in the development of a missional project that is based in the context of our baptismal theology and in the context of the church and its community's culture; and, finally by the end of the school year to transition the leadership of the project to someone in the congregation.

Contextual Formation – creating a missional project for the church within the context of our baptismal theology and within the culture of the church's reality.

If it sounds like a lot – it is. But I must tell you the students are excited, as am I.  We have agreed to see ourselves as a collaborative "think tank." We will meet monthly and together explore progress, successes, failures, and opportunities for growth and improvement in our goal of moving the assigned churches "out of the box" and into the world.

Bottom line, this will be a project driven by the Holy Spirit, with both the instructor and the students working to equip various churches for their calling to "make disciples of all nations…teaching them to obey everything that I [Jesus] have commanded you." (Matt 28:19-20, 11-12)

Contextual Formation is an incredibly important project. It is a project designed to place a spotlight on the calling of the church to be a truly missional movement. It is a project designed to give life to the fact that Scripture is the Spirit-given authority to form us for missional living – Scripture is the authority that God's Spirit gives to the Word – the authority that sends us into the world not as individual missioners, but as God's missional church.

It is a project designed to remind us that as a church we are sent by Jesus into the world "to make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you." (Matt 28:18)

In his book Canoeing the Mountains Tod Bolsinger writes, "The culture is changing, the world is changing rapidly, and churches are facing change on an unprecedented scale…But the church is also at an exciting crossroads. We are entering a new day, new terrain and a new adventure. We are not alone. The Spirit of God goes before us. The mission of Christ will not fail."

Our work as a church committed to carrying the good news of Christ to all nations has become very challenging. Perhaps challenging isn't even a strong enough word. Maybe it would be more descriptive to say that we are engaged in an uphill battle. An uphill battle to preserve the church – the vehicle that proclaims through scripture, sacrament and love God's Word. A vehicle through which the gospel of Christ becomes a reality in man's life.

Last week we learned that Jesus had set his face to Jerusalem. Surrounded by his Disciples and a crowd of people who had declared that they wanted to follow him on his journey to the cross he launched a fast-paced campaign to bring the gospel to as many people as possible in what he understood to be his short time in this world. "He appointed seventy others and sent them on ahead of himself in pairs to every town and place where he himself intended to go."

Establishing what ultimately was to become the mission of the church – the evangelization of the gospel - Jesus sent out not just the 12 who had been commissioned as Disciples, but a multitude of his followers – 70 in all. And, interestingly, Jesus sent them out in advance. He commissioned them as leaders in what we now call, many thanks to our beloved Presiding Bishop Michael Curry, the Jesus Movement.

Jesus sent his followers out ahead of him to proclaim the good news – to evangelize. To prepare people for his arrival in their lives.

The sending of the seventy is scriptural witness to the reality that as a gathered church we are formed to carry out God's mission in the world. We are called to evangelize – to spread the good news. In this brief section that describes Jesus' sending his followers as laborers into the harvest we experience with total clarity the actual authority of God's Spirit as it demands our missional obedience. Just as God sent Jesus into the world, so Jesus sends us into the world. With all authority we are a people sent by God…sent into the world.

Old Testament scholar Christopher Wright reminds us that the sending of the church as the apostle to the world goes to God's very purposes. He says, "It is not so much that God has a mission for his church in the world, but that God has a church for his mission in the world."

God has a church for his mission in the world.

Alan Hirsch in his book The Forgotten Ways writes, "Missional church is a community of God's people that defines itself and organizes its life around…its true and authentic organizing principle – mission. When the church is in mission, it is the true church."

God is a sending God. Just as He sent Jesus, so Jesus sends us.

I wonder if the students at the Diocesan School for Ministry think of themselves as missional. As they prepare to embark on this groundbreaking class called Contextual Formation, do they think of themselves as the modern-day equivalent of the seventy? Because in a sense they are.

Essentially, the students are being told that the harvest is plenty, but the laborers few. They are being sent to forge a new way for us. They are being sent with the warning that they may possibly find themselves among wolves – nonbelievers. They are being sent with no real tools other that prayerful support. They are being sent with the directive to not to be distracted and to stick it out once they have settled on a project – no matter how challenging.

They are being sent with the hope that they will transform and energize a community of people to embrace God's mission for the church in the face of a changing world. They are being sent with the directive to identify the mission that God has for the church in this complex and tumultuous world.

Above all, they are being sent to spread the gospel with the understanding that whoever listens to them will be listening to Christ. They will be creating a church shaped by Jesus and his mission.

I wonder how the seventy felt as they listened to Jesus' commandment to go ahead of him. As they heard his warning that they would be as lambs among wolves. Would they, like the diocesan students initially react rather violently saying, "Hey, wait a minute. We are not ready for this. You are the teacher – the leader – you go first, and we will follow."

Well that's not what Jesus, or the diocesan school leadership, had in mind. Jesus knew that he was in the world for only a short time. More importantly, he understood that as the Son sent from God it was his mission not only to teach and to heal, but also to send forth his disciples, his followers to be God's church in the world.

Fast forward to today – that means us. As followers of Jesus, as the Jesus Movement, we are being sent forth as an agent of God's mission to the world – to evangelize the gospel.

Tod Bollinger is just one of many who has written and/or preached about the fact that "The culture is changing, the world is changing rapidly, and churches are facing change on an unprecedented scale…But the church is also at an exciting crossroads. We are entering a new day, new terrain and a new adventure. We are not alone. The Spirit of God goes before us. The mission of Christ will not fail."

The mission of God will not fail – six very important words. Six very important words that can only become a reality if we, like the seventy, heed Jesus' command to go ahead of him, spreading the good news, preparing the way for him to enter people's lives – their souls.

However difficult, we must accept the reality of the crossroad that faces the church. If we are to meet the uphill challenge of finding new ways to carry out our mission we must reorient ourselves. We must let go of the old, learning and leading as we go forward. We must have the courage to enter unchartered territory. We must not give up; we must keep going – no matter what.

It is we who are sent into the world as the rightful and faithful continuation of Jesus' own sending by God. It is we who are sent as witnesses to our own community. It is we who must realize that when our church is in mission, it is the true church. We must enter unchartered territory with a mission worthy of our utmost dedication.

We must be a church shaped by Jesus and his mission

Why do we "go forth?"

SERMON

Sixth Sunday after Easter

St. Simon's on the Sound Episcopal Church

John 5:1-9

"During the night Paul had a vision"… It sounds like the beginning of a good mystery novel doesn't it? One of those books you might pack in your tote bag and read on a lazy weekend afternoon, tucked under your beach umbrella, sipping on something cool and taking an occasional dip in the waves to refresh your sun-drenched body.

"During the night Paul had a vision."

Of course, this intriguing statement is in no way connected to a modern-day mystery novel. But it is connected to what I believe to be one of the most incredible mystery stories of all time. The mystery of how the Spirit led Paul, and so many others, as they spread the good news of Christ throughout the Roman Empire. The mystery of the Spirit.

Paul suffered every hardship imaginable as he traveled a total of no less than 10,000 miles in four separate missionary journeys that extended from Jerusalem all the way to the powerful city of Rome – the seat of the Roman emperor. Determined to convert everyone on his path to a way of life founded in Jesus Christ, Paul left behind a trail of astounded and passionate disciples who formed small churches and established the very beginnings of Christianity.

And, it all began when Paul had a vision.

In today's reading from Acts Paul's vision comes in the dark of night. He sees and hears a man from Macedonia standing at the foot of his bed pleading with him to "Come over to Macedonia and help us."

Paul reacted to this vision immediately; he literally jumped into a boat and set sail. He was convinced that God had called him to proclaim the good news to the people from Macedonia. To heal in mind, body and spirit the people of Macedonia.

Ultimately, Paul landed in Philippi, the leading city in Macedonia, where he would remain for some time. It is in Philippi that Paul met Lydia a woman known as the dealer of purple cloth. Lydia opened her heart to Paul's teachings, and came to believe deeply in God. She and all her household were baptized in the Krenides River, a place where they met regularly to pray. After her baptism Lydia welcomed Paul into her household and offered him protection and hospitality during his time in Asia Minor.

There is certainly a great deal more to the story of Paul's adventures, and misadventures, in Philippi but I am going to lay them aside for a moment to tell you of some other mysteries.

In 2013 I was lucky enough to travel along with 24 others on a pilgrimage that followed Paul's footsteps through Greece and Turkey. We started in Athens and worked our way up through Greece. At the end of the first week we found ourselves in Philippi. We spent time among the ruins of the ancient marketplace where Paul preached. We peered into the cell where he was imprisoned until the earthquake destroyed the jail. This was, you may remember, the site where Paul converted his jailer who then convinced the Roman authorities to free Paul and his companions. We stood on the preaching block in the ruins of the temple where Paul had preached the Good News to crowds of Macedonians. And then, we departed for the place where Lydia lived.

Just outside of Philippi in a quiet glen cooled by long grass and ancient trees that offer deep shade stands a small church in honor of Lydia. Just a few feet from the church is the peaceful but rushing Krenides River. The river where Paul baptized Lydia. It was in that spot – the spot where Lydia was baptized - that we sat quietly and read the Acts passage about Lydia. It was at that spot that we held our noonday Eucharist.

This day stands out so clearly in my memory. As we sat in the cool glen and reflected on all that we had seen and learned, Paul and Lydia were there with us. It became so clear that Paul and Lydia were real – that the Spirit that dwelled within them and led them was real – that the Spirit – our gift from God, our advocate, our guide in life is real. Real, very powerful and very much there with us.

I, at least, and I think most of the others were overwhelmed with the tactile and emotional feel of Paul and Lydia's presence. The boldness and the strength of their faith. Their gift of that faith to so many others.

That day the Spirit descended on me in a way that I had never before experienced, and I knew in the deepest region of my heart the power of Paul's vision. The power of the Spirit to call us as disciples of Christ – messengers from God – to be among those brought to us by the Spirit. To heal them in mind, body and spirit.

I had a vision of how God, through the power of the Spirit, calls us to heal.

In today's gospel Jesus saw a man who claimed to have been ill for 38 years. He was lying in one of the porticos by the Sheep Gate near the northern wall of the Jerusalem Temple. Inside the gates was a pool that was believed to be a place of healing. The pool's water frequently bubbled up, and the bubbling waters appeared to sparkle. People believed that when this bubbling up happened an angel of the Lord had come to stir the waters, making the pool a place of healing. They believed that whoever entered the pool after the waters were stirred would be healed of his or her malady.

As Jesus passed by the man who lay on the ground clutching his mat, he sensed that he had been there a long time. He stopped and asked him, "Do you want to be made well?" The man answered, "Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; and while I am making my way, someone else steps down ahead of me." In other words, the man was too weak -or, at least believed that he was too weak - to make his way through the throngs who pushed and shoved to get into the pool when the pool began to fill with bubbles.

Jesus responded to the man's complaints with three imperatives" rise, take up your bed, walk. The man did exactly what Jesus commanded him. He got up, took up his mat and walked to the pool.

Let me take a moment to point out what you may be thinking. The man did not ask Jesus for help. When asked if he wanted to be cured, he just complained about his situation. Jesus did not speak of faith to the man. He merely commanded him to get up and walk. Jesus did not use the bubbling waters for healing, merely his voice.

Why did Jesus pick this man out of all the others who were struggling to be healed?

It seems apparent that in his own way Jesus had a vision. Somehow, he knew that this man needed to be healed. And, with his words he healed him.

All this brings me to the importance of our ability to recognize the Spirit when it appears in our lives. To respond to the vision in the night, the "tap on the shoulder," our call from the Spirit. To have the courage to respond, to engage, as did Paul and Lydia and so many others, as bearers of the Good News, as healers in this world of chaos. A world continually torn from peace and well-being through terrorism, political strife, and divisiveness on every level.

Just prior to his crucifixion Jesus commanded his disciples to follow in his footsteps, to live a God-centered life.  A life centered in being open to the power of the Spirit as it inspires us and guides us through visions – visions of all sorts – visions that urge us to go forth as healers of a broken world.

Jesus said to his disciples, "Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works that these, because I am going to the Father." (John 14:12)

As disciples of Christ we are called to be healers of mind, body and spirit. We are called to be healers that operate within the frame of reference of a healer in Jesus' time. Not curers of modern-day diseases, but healers of illnesses or states of being that lead to loss of meaning of life. Illnesses or states of being that remove us from God's community. Illnesses or states of being that isolate us from God.

Our role as healers is the "why" of who we are as Episcopalians. Why do we "Go in Peace to Love and Serve the Lord?" Why do we "Go Forth in the Name of Christ?" Why do we "Go Forth Rejoicing in the Power of the Spirit?"

We "go forth" inspired and guided by the Spirit to heal – to reconcile all things to God – to bring life, love and liberty to those who live in darkness; to those who live in isolation from God's beloved community.

A Light to All Nations

Holy Week Homily

04/16/2019

"Consider your own call, brothers and sisters…" (I Cor 1:26), so writes Paul in his first letter to the Corinthians. Paul in this passage is urging his followers in Corinth, most of who were poor and from various cultures, to consider the social and ethical implications of their new lifestyle as followers of Christ. A lifestyle that must immediately abandon former ways of being, however traditional and familiar, and acknowledge the way of Christ as the only way.

Paul urges this hodge podge of Corinthian citizens to abandon, immediately, any and all established social norms not congruent with a way of life that proclaims God in Christ Jesus. Jesus who became for them - for us – a light that guides us into a way of being that demonstrates the wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption from God as the source of their lives.

"Consider your own call, brothers and sisters…" is a directive that can also be applied to today's reading from Isaiah and our gospel reading from John.

The prophet Isaiah cries out, "Listen to me, O coastlands, pay attention you people from far away." (Isa 49:1). He is appealing to those who have experienced the loneliness and hardships of exile, urging them to recognize that their suffering has not been in vain. Indeed, God is, and has always been, with them. God has chosen them to, "…raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the survivors of Israel." God has chosen them to be a, "…light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth." (Isa 49:6)

"Consider your own call, brothers and sisters…" "I have chosen you to be a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth."

Finally, in John, Jesus says to those who question his authority as Son of Man, "The light is with you for a little longer. Walk while you have the light, so that the darkness may not overtake you. If you walk in darkness, you do not know where you are going. While you have the light, believe in the light, so that you may become children of the light." (John 20:35-36)

"Consider your own call, brothers and sisters…" "I have chosen you to be a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth." "The light is with you for a little longer. Walk while you have the light, so that the darkness may not overtake you. If you walk in darkness, you do not know where you are going. While you have the light, believe in the light, so that you may become children of the light.”

The light that Jesus sheds is not a flashlight type of light – it a light that illuminates a way of being. A way of being that is a response to the love of God for man. A way of being that could possibly be transformative for mankind – could potentially bring about world peace.

The light to the nations that God has dreamed that we his servants will shine, is also not a flashlight type of light. It is a light that illuminates a way of being… the way of love, salvation, and redemption that is possible if we follow Jesus. If we claim Jesus as the way, the truth and the life.

For us, a resurrection people, this means that as this Lenten period ends and we witness the crucifixion and resurrection of our Lord – as we proclaim loudly and with joy, Alleluia – we also experience a resurrection. We hear our call. We pick up the torch – the light of Christ. We refuse to walk in darkness. We chose to end a life lived in darkness and leave behind old ways of being. We take up the light of Christ. We take the light of Christ beyond the cross and into the world – the world that remains in darkness.

We follow Jesus out of darkness into light. We become a light to all nations.

God makes all the difference...

SERMON

Third Sunday in Lent

St. Simon's on the Sound

Luke 13:1-9

Several weeks ago, I was called to Fort Walton Beach Hospital, where I volunteer as a chaplain, to visit a patient described as "fading quickly." The nurse who contacted me didn't have any details about the patient other than he was requesting someone to pray with and for him.

I found John, not his real name, alone and lying in his hospital bed, hooked up to several IV lines. When I entered, he was gazing into space, not sleeping but also not fully awake.

I approached his bed and introduced myself. He seemed surprised to see me. He said, "Oh, my friends must have called you, they're not here now." I asked if he would like me to stay and visit for a bit. He responded, "There's no hope for me. I have done too many bad things. I don't think God will forgive me and I am scared." And, after a long pause, "Do you think God will forgive me?"

John reached out and grasped my hand. He continued, "Where are you from?" I replied, "I am from St. Simon's on the Sound – you know the big church on 98 just across from Whataburger."

John looked me in the eye and smiled. "I know St. Simon's", he said. "I used to go there for Cold Night – it was very nice."

It was increasingly evident that John was in a great deal of pain and running out of energy. I spoke to him briefly, offering words of comfort regarding God being a loving God, compassionate and forgiving to those who seek forgiveness. A God who is always present – for all of his children – always ready to grace us with his love.

John continued to clutch my hand as we sat in silence for a moment. It was apparent that his pain was worsening. I asked John if he would like to pray. He said, "yes."

As is my custom, in most cases, I asked John to tell me what he would like to pray for. I was stunned when John came forth with an extensive and absolutely beautiful prayer asking God for forgiveness and thanking God for the love that people had shown him over the years.

By now, John was clearly in continual pain. We closed with the 23^rd psalm, which he knew by heart, and my own prayer for him – a prayer that reflected his words – his desires.

As I said, "Good-bye," John reached out and grabbed my hand. He said, "Thank you for coming. It's amazing to know that people really love you."

I did not visit John again; so, I have no idea what happened to him. But he remains in my heart and my prayers each day – I pray that wherever he may be he has come to know God's love and God's forgiveness.

This encounter with John came to mind as I thought about the message in today's gospel from Luke. The passage is divided into two parts. The first part describes two separate events – first, Pilate's mingling the blood of Galileans with their sacrifices – probably a description of the massacre of a group of pilgrims in the Temple. And, the second, the collapse of the tower of Siloam, a tower in the wall around Jerusalem that fell without warning and crushed eighteen Jerusalemites.

These two tragic events point to the fragility and the unpredictability of life. Those who died in these events did nothing wrong. They had not been sentenced to any sort of punishment. They were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.

In this passage, Jesus warns us that serendipitous events such as these should alert us to the sense of urgency that we must have if we are to repent – if we are to save our souls. He says, "…I tell you…unless you repent, you will perish just as they did."

Jesus reminds us that we are all called to repent. He urges us to recognize that the need to repent is a universal condition. We are all guilty of sin – all, guilty of turning away from the Lord; and, we are all called to turn back to see things in a new way – to adopt a different perspective on our lives – a perspective that reflects Jesus' command to love -to be filled with compassion and caring.

For Jesus, repentance refers to establishing an entirely reoriented self. For Jesus, repentance leads to a new consciousness of our relationship with God, and a new way in which we live our lives as a result of that relationship. It refers to the urgent need to re-orient our souls to a way of being that mirrors Jesus' care, compassion and love for all of humanity.

Jesus gives us fair warning. He urges us not to be lulled into the, "Oh, it won't happen to me" way of thinking. Death comes to us all – we do not have the luxury of dictating where or when. If we wish to seize God's graciousness, we must repent now.

This message of urgency is also very present in the second segment of Luke's gospel. Jesus' parable of the fig tree speaks to imminent death – imminent judgment. "Even now the ax is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire." Woe to the tree that does not hurry up and bear fruit – does not hurry up and repent.

This particular tree is lucky. Jesus asks that patience and mercy temporarily keep the tree's fate at bay. Give it another year, he suggests. However, we understand that the tree has, most certainly, not been left to its own devices. The role of the gardener in preventing failure to bloom is crucial. Everything possible is being done to help the tree to bear fruit – to repent.

In the same way, when it comes to repentance, God, the vineyard owner, does not leave His people to their own resources. Through the gift of his Son Jesus, the gardener, God encourages and cultivates their repentance – leads them to a life in which their souls do not perish, but rather are filled with grace.

This theme of the fragility and unpredictability of life should encourage us to focus our Lenten reflections on questions such as, "Do I form my way of being on rationalizations that allow me to get through the day feeling blessed, safe, and presuming that "it" will never happen to me?" Or, "Do I live each day forming my way of being by seeking the grace of God through repentance and a new way of seeing things, a new way of living my life."

"Am I on a journey that will bear fruit, or will I remain a barren tree? "Will the fruit of my Lenten journey lead me to love those who are burdened under the weight of poverty and devastation of all kinds, or will I remain blind to those who live in darkness?"

And lastly, when we make the turn, when we repent, what does it feel like? What happens to us? If we have begun the journey of seeing life in a new way, of being in the world as followers of Christ, of becoming trees that are not barren but that, indeed, bear fruit, what does that feel like – what does our life become?

Bishop Dan Edwards, retired Bishop of the Diocese of Nevada, and the bishop who ordained me, wrote in a recent blog that addresses the transformation of our souls through repentance, " The end result is that we don’t fly away, at least not just yet. Seeking God leads us back into ourselves, into the nitty gritty life we are already living. And it leads us back to each other for that is where God is best found – in both the beauty and the sorrow of our fellow human beings. But with the faith that God is here with us – Emmanuel, God is with us – we engage our own lives with faith, hope, and love. The presence of God makes all the difference."

This quote, of course, leads me back to John lying, alone and in pain, in his hospital bed. John clutching my hand. John searching for assurance that in these last moments of his life it is not too late to repent. John asking, "Do you think God will forgive me." John worrying that he is not worthy of God's love.

Repentance doesn't bring gold stars, a stairway to heaven, or any other lofty and idealized vision of what God's forgiveness might be all about. No, not at all. Repentance simply brings the God in us into close contact with the God in the "other." Repentance brings us the peace of knowing that we are loved because we love. Not romantic love, but agape love. The highest form of love – the love of God for Man and the love of Man for God.

Repentance begins with encountering and being present with the Johns of this world. It is through these encounters with the poor, the lonely and the outcast that the urgency of repentance speaks to us.

Repentance begins with the deep understanding that we are all Johns – that we are all in the same boat. Repentance begins with understanding that our last moment on this earth will come we know not when. Repentance begins with humility and proceeds to an outpouring of love – agape love.

And, it is through the power of agape love that we are transformed. It is through agape love that the God in us and the God in the "other" meet in a way that the grace of God transforms us both into trees that bear fruit – into true disciples of Christ.

I close with words from our Great Litany:

"That it may please thee to give us a heart to love and fear thee, and diligently live after thy commandments. We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord."

"That it may please thee to give us true repentance; to forgive us all our sins, negligences, and ignorances; and to endue us with the grace of the Holy Spirit to amend our live according to thy holy Word. We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord."

"That it may please thee to strengthen such as do stand; to comfort and help the weak-hearted; to raise up those who fall; and finally, to beat down Satan under our feet. We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord."

"That it may please thee to grant that, in the fellowship of all the saints, we may attain to thy heavenly kingdom. We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord." 

(BCP, 152)

Time in the Desert....

SERMON

St. Simon’s on the Sound

February 17, 2019

Sixth Sunday after Epiphany

"Thus says the Lord: Cursed are those who trust in mere mortals and make mere flesh their strength, whose hearts turn away from the Lord. They shall be like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see when relief comes. They shall live in the parched places of the wilderness, in an uninhabited salt land."

                                                                                                     (Jeremiah 17: 5-7)

“They shall be like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see when relief comes.” These verses from Jeremiah remind me so much of my time in the desert. A time which I believe was vital to my spiritual growth, and a time that I will treasure - always.

If any of you have lived in the desert, you will know that it is a challenging and often a deadly environment. The desert can be completely disorienting in its sameness, and brutal in its climate, with drastic temperature changes between day and night. During the noonday hours one hundred twenty degrees under cloudless blue skies and a broiling, unshaded sun. Thirty degrees and below in the dead of night. The sand acting as a chilled rock. The bone chilling cold unrelenting as it creeps up through one’s feet and seeps into every joint and limb.

The desert is disorienting and full of illusions, too. Despite the fact that one is surrounded by nothing but open space, it is extremely difficult to determine what is in front or behind. The shimmering heat waves, the Joshua trees and other desert shrubs frequently melt into a blur. A Joshua tree or a bush can appear to be a man; and, a man can appear to be a Joshua tree or a bush.

Conversely, the desert is a place of great beauty. Vast open expanses with only the sky and distant snow topped mountains display God’s creation in all its glory.

If one is seeking God, the desert is most definitely the place to be. God is in the very air that one breaths. He is evident in the vibrantly beautiful desert flowers and in the spectacular desert animals - all of them quite dangerous. The vastness of the ages – God's creation - can be seen in the multiple striations of the mountains. Mountains that have been there since the beginning of time, once completely under water and now rising 10,000-12,000 feet above land.

It should be fairly easy to see in the desert. Clear air; open spaces; no fog or rain; no real traffic (we lived in a town with only two stoplights, and that was excessive); and, for most of the year daylight hours that go on forever. Yet, it is very easy to get lost, to lose one's way, in the desert - very, very easy. And, once lost it is almost impossible to reorient oneself. It becomes terrifyingly difficult to find a path to safety; or, to recognize help once it arrives.

So it is with us, whether we are in the desert or not. Despite the presence of God with us, in open spaces or in crowded spaces, it is as if we are actually in that Nevada desert - a place where one should be able to see, but where illusions created by mere mortals, the Joshua trees, and the sharp glimmering heat waves of everyday life, blind us in such a manner that our way is lost. We cannot see relief even as it approaches. It is so easy to lose our way – so easy to be distracted by material, political, and personal matters. It is so easy to turn our hearts away from the Lord.

Jesus was a man of the desert. Of course, he understood the perils of the arid and barren land that was his home - the territory in which he delivered his message – the Good News. Certainly, Jesus knew how easy it was to get disoriented, to get lost in the desert, metaphorically as well as actually. Certainly, he also knew that the open spaces, the cloudless skies, and the beauty that can be found in the barrenness of the desert were where he would find his way; where he would stay in touch with God. It was in the stark solitude and vastness of the barren desert that Jesus continually found and communed with God.

No frills, simply the presence of God as Sovereign of His Creation.

In our Jeremiah passage, the Lord continues saying, "Blessed are those who trust in the Lord, whose trust is in the Lord. They shall be like a tree planted by water, sending out is roots by the stream. It shall not fear when heat comes, and its leaves shall stay green…"

This image reminds me of a place in California's Death Valley called Devil's Hole. Devil's Hole is a lush, green oasis in the midst of some of the most dangerous desert in the world. The oasis is home to an extensive underground water system that leads to a cavern over 500 feet deep. Devil's Hole is where a species known as Pupfish can be found. It is estimated that the Pupfish have been residents of Devil's Hole for 10,000-20,000 years. Think of it, 10,000-20,000 years.

Whenever I stood by the water filled cavern watching the playful little Pupfish and then looked outward and upward at nothing but pale-yellow sand and distant 12,000 snow-topped foot mountains, I was overwhelmed by the vastness and the beauty of God's Creation. I experienced God as I never had before. There were no distractions – there was nothing except God as Sovereign; God as Creator. God the Creator who had been present in this very place for over 20,000 years.

That distinct awareness of the sovereignty of God has never left me. I consider with awe my minuscule place in a creation that is so vast and so ancient that it cannot be imagined. I am humbled at the thought that God created me – created all of us – with intention. We each have a role in His Kingdom, that is for certain.

During my time in the desert, my relationship with God was cemented in a new and lasting way.

In today's gospel, Jesus tells the apostles, the disciples, and a great multitude of people – Jews and Gentiles alike - that those who are poor, those who are hungry, those who are sad, and those who have been rejected will one day leap for joy, for their reward will be great in heaven.

Conversely, Jesus teaches that the rich, the satiated, the happy, the well-known will experience great woes.

Obviously, we don't know for certain what Jesus intended in this teaching. But we do know that these words were offered directly after Jesus descended from the mountain after a time of deep prayer, and that they imply that in order to be blessed by God, in order for our reward to be great in heaven, we need not be rich or famous. Rather, we need to have experienced the desert, literal or figurative. It is in the desert, in barrenness, in desolation that we truly experience God the Father, the glory of God's Creation, the sovereignty of God.

Bottom line - we need to find ways that bring us into deep relationship with God, to know that we are God's intended children, and to trust that God is there for us, always and forever.

The desert, whether literal or figurative, is not a bad place to be – at least from time to time. The desert is a place where if we do not lose our way by succumbing to pre-occupations and illusions, we can find God by seeing so clearly the beauty and Sovereignty of his Creation. Literal or figurative, the desert is the best place that I know of to both see God and to be close to God.

As we prepare to walk our Lenten journey, a time for reflection and repentance, I pray that we will set aside our tendency to place our trust in mere mortals, set aside our tendencies to want more – more of anything, or more of everything. I pray that our hearts will be still and that we will imagine ourselves in a desert surrounded by vast and barren land populated only by Joshua trees and bushes and ringed by 12,000-foot snow-capped mountains. I pray that as we journey through the desert of our minds we will arrive at Devil's Hole and with joy and amazement watch the Pupfish play in water that has seeped into their cavern for the past 10,000-20,000 years.

I pray that as we live the experience of our Lenten desert, having nothing but the Sovereignty of God's Creation to distract us, we will draw closer and closer to Jesus as he walks in the Judean Desert on the journey to his Crucifixion and his Resurrection.

I pray that our desert experience will carry us to a new place in our relationship with God. One which is cemented in a level of trust that leaves us like a tree planted by water sending it roots out by the stream.