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Homily – I Kings 18.20-39, P4, YC, June 2, 2013

05 Wednesday Jun 2013

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Having gotten through Pentecost and Trinity Sunday, we now enter the season the church calls “ordinary time.”  But there is nothing ordinary about the lessons we get during this time.  This Sunday’s Old Testament lesson is a classic example.  King Ahab is one of the worst kings the Israelites have had.  He encourages worship of Baal, the god who is supposed to bring water to fertilize the soil, in addition to the God of Israel.  But there has been a three-year drought in the land, and Elijah is going to use this opportunity to prove the Israelites wrong about Baal.  So he challenges the prophets of Baal to a duel.  Whoever can get their god to rain fire upon the bull sacrifice will be the true God.  So the Baal prophets spend all day praying to Baal, dancing around the altar, going to extremes such as cutting themselves to get Baal to perform.  The whole time Elijah mocks them.  Then Elijah dramatically gets his sacrifice ready, and even has the Israelites pour water all over the wood, just to prove how awesome Yahweh is when Yahweh rains a fire down that consumes the whole thing.  One could argue that Elijah is being a bit rude, if not pompous, in this story.  But what Elijah is actually revealing is an intense, deep trust in God – a trust that is so profound that he is willing to make bold statements without hesitation about God in front of everyone.

One of the things Elijah accuses the people of is limping along with two different opinions – not entirely sure that God will care for them, so investing devotion to Baal just in case.  Too often we are like the Israelites.  We too can be found only sort of trusting God, and putting our trust in other things – just in case.  We lack Elijah’s boldness because we are just not as sure as he is.  I have seen that lack of total trust just in these last several months.  Since I came here about a year and a half ago, we have been working hard, making lots of changes.  But I see the hard work is taking a toll.  We are getting tired and I am not sure we are convinced all our work will pay off.  And so we are beginning to hold back.  I noticed the reaction first in myself.  The questions started bubbling up:  Can we make this work?  Will we have the money?  Will we have the energy?  Do we have the same chutzpah that Elijah has?  I have noticed us starting to eye one another, as we peer over what feels like a cliff.  There is this sort of stand-off:  If you jump, I’ll jump.  We are like the Israelites.  Elijah says to them, “How long will you go limping with two different opinions?  If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him.”  The text says that the Israelites do not answer him a word.

In contrast to all of this is Elijah.  He has a brazen trust in God.  He is so bold that he mocks others; he has water poured on the wood, not just once, but three times; only then does he call down the fire from God.  Even after three years of draught, Elijah does not doubt that God will give a sign to the people – he trusts that God does not abandon God’s people.

In the midst of our silent stand-off, I see a glimpse of Elijah in all of us too.  Just watching us at the Parade last week gave me hope.  Over twenty of us gathered to walk – even those of us who have told me that they do not feel comfortable with evangelism at all.  And when we gathered, I watched us talking to friends and strangers, having meaningful conversations, handing out our business cards, smiling, and waving.  These are actions that show a bold trust in God.  Our invitation is to hold on to that trust, to stop limping along with two opinions, and to just jump off that cliff with each other.  I am willing to make that jump, and I know that God will enable us to jump together.  And when we do, we will say those same words that the Israelites proclaim when they witness God’s power:  The LORD indeed is God; the LORD indeed is God.  Amen.

Homily – Luke 1.39-57, Romans 12.9-16b, Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, May 30, 2013

05 Wednesday Jun 2013

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Today we celebrate the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary.  This is the story where Mary goes to visit her cousin Elizabeth, who is pregnant with John the Baptist.  I have always loved this story in Scripture.  There is something so intimate, sacred, and profound about this moment.  In the womb, babies are declaring the messiahship of Jesus; Elizabeth utters words that will be recited over and over again in the “Hail Mary”; Mary sings a song that will be sung in thousands of ways by thousands of churches over thousands of years.  But all of this happens in the most unlikely place – between two women, who we know had little power; by one woman who is pregnant and unwed; and by another who is too old to be having children.  In these unlikely characters, who have little to no power in their world, something revolutionary is taking place – something society would deem only worthy of kings and the powerful.

I have often wondered how much we miss about God because we look in the wrong places.  When we are seeking truth and intimacy with God, we are more likely to consult scholars or religious leaders.  We are so accustomed to experiencing God in particular ways and places that we can miss God speaking to us, or the Holy Spirit circling around us.  We are quick to label a kicking child in the womb as just a kicking child – not the Spirit speaking truth.

To encourage us to live in ways that access God in unexpected ways, we get Paul’s words to the Romans: outdo one another in showing honor, serve the Lord, contribute to the needs of the saints, extend hospitality to strangers, bless those who persecute you, associate with the lowly.  Paul knows that we experience God most in encounters with others, especially those not valued by society or even us.

Knowing what we know about how God works – revealing truth in unexpected ways and through unexpected persons – our invitation today is to be a people actively seeking God in those places.  We will have to risk scary encounters, we will have to step out of comfort zones, and we will have to always be attentive.  Because when we do, the promise of God’s revelation is an awesome ride.  Amen.

Homily – Genesis 1.14-19, Nicolaus Copernicus and Johannes Kepler, May 23, 2013

29 Wednesday May 2013

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Today we celebrate Nicolaus Copernicus and Johannes Kepler.  Both lived in the 1500s, although they were born about a century apart.  If you remember, Copernicus was the first to put out the theory that the sun, rather than the earth, was the center of the universe, around which the planets rotated.  Kepler helped solidify this theory.  Both men saw no conflict between their theory and their faith.  Copernicus dedicated his work to the Pope, and Kepler saw in the relationship between the sun and the rotating planets the image of God.  But as you may also remember, religious thought was uncomfortable with this idea.  A great debate ensued, as though science and religion could not operate together.

Truthfully, I am not sure we have ever recovered from this debate.  There are still Christians who believe faith and science are not compatible.  Many centuries after Copernicus and Kepler, we are still pushing scientific minds away from the church.  I think part of the challenge is that our favorite stories from Scripture, especially like the part of the creation story we heard today, do not always make logical sense.  As we become older, we fear that if we start questioning those stories, our whole faith might unravel.

But the saints of God have been telling us differently for centuries, if we are willing to hear.  Copernicus saw no conflict between his theory and the authority of Scripture.  Kepler was able see the image of God in his work.  “Both men, through their life’s work, testified to the extraordinary presence of God in creation and maintained, in the face of both religious and scientific controversy, that science can lead us more deeply into an understanding of the workings of the Creator.”

Just over our vacation, we had coffee with an old friend.  She had been struggling with her faith because she saw so many discrepancies between what she knew as a scientist and teacher and as a woman of faith.  In our conversation, I was reminded of a campaign the Episcopal Church ran many years ago.  It said, “Jesus died to take away your sins, not your mind.”  Like the beauty and wonder of this place we live in that God created, God also created us in God’s image.  God invites us every day to live fully into the gifts, talents, and mind that God has given us.  Amen.

 

Homily – Psalm 71.1-8, Bishop Athanasius, May 2, 2013

10 Friday May 2013

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Today we honor Athanasius, Bishop of Alexandria.  Athanasius is a major figure in Church history and in the theological world.  Rarely in the history of the Church has the course of its development been more significantly determined by one person than by Athanasius in the forth century.  Called “the pillar of the Church” and “the God-given physician of her wounds,” Athanasius was a key voice at the Council of Nicea in 325 as they debated the divinity of Christ.  Athanasius was the one who crafted the words from our Nicene Creed, “of one Being with the Father.”  When he became bishop in 328, he fearlessly defended Nicene Christology – five times he was exiled for his efforts.  We are indebted to Athanasius for his theological work – some of the most accessible I have read – and yet all of that work came at great personal cost.

I wonder if Athanasius ever prayed the Psalm we prayed today, “in you, O LORD, have I taken refuge; let me never be ashamed.  In your righteousness, deliver me and set me free; incline your ear to me and save me.  Be my strong rock, a castle to keep me safe…”  Surely once or twice in exile Athanasius cried out those words to God.

Of course, few of us know the desperation of being exiled from our country for defending a theological truth.  But we do know what it feels like to call out to God – to call out to God when we know we are doing the right thing, but we are paying for it.  When friends cut us off or family members shut us out, we too may have asked God to incline God’s ear to us.  We know what it feels like to only feel assurance through the God that is our strong rock.

What I like about Athanasius’ story is that during this last exile, the Emperor had to bring him back because the citizens threatened insurrection unless Athanasius was returned.  When Athanasius stood his ground, staked his claim on Truth, God, even in exile, was a castle to keep him safe.  What Athanasius’ experience reminds us of is that even in times that seem hopeless (like a fifth exile), God is with us, keeping us safe and making things better all the while.  Our invitation today is to remember that God is our strong rock and to let our mouths be “full of God’s praise and God’s glory all the day long”…even in exile!  Amen.

Homily – Mark 16.15-20, St. Mark the Evangelist, April 25, 2013

01 Wednesday May 2013

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Today we celebrate St. Mark the Evangelist, author of the Gospel according to Mark.  I have always loved Mark’s gospel.  His writing is so succinct that you have to run to keep up.  He gives very little detail at times, leaving the reader to use their imagination.  Mark feels like the Gospel for the 21st century:  quick snippets that you have to catch before they are gone.

What’s funny about celebrating Mark is that he is the same Mark who bails out on Paul in the book of Acts.  Paul, Barnabus and Mark were to go on a missionary journey, but Mark decided not to go.  Paul was so upset that he refused to travel with Mark on the next trip.  They eventually made up, but Mark is always that guy who turned his back on a missionary journey with Paul and Barnabus.

What I appreciate about this flaw is that Mark gives us all permission to be human, something we do not always give to ourselves.  We are a people who strive to be good Christians, to use the gifts God has given us.  When we fail, we beat ourselves up and wallow in guilt.  We can take more time to forgive ourselves than we take to forgive others.  And we see all our flaws with a magnifying glass – we know our failures better than anyone.

How perfect is it then that we get the gospel lesson for today?  Mark, the guy who bailed on a missionary journey, writes about Jesus’ commission to share the good news.  Mark’s inclusion of this text shows both his humility and his redemption.  If an abandoner of mission can be “Mark the Evangelist” and can write one of the four gospels about Jesus Christ, then there must be plenty of redemption for all of us.

When we were potty-training our daughter, we watched a Sesame Street video about potty training.  One of her favorite parts was a song by Elmo and Grover.  The chorus goes, “Accidents happen and that’s okay.”  Just the other day, I caught my daughter doing something she wasn’t supposed to.  When caught, she looked at me and said, “Accidents happen Mommy, and that’s okay.”  She took a lesson about using the potty and could make it a much larger concept about forgiveness and redemption.  If only we could do the same!  Amen.

Homily – Luke 12.4-12, Bishop Alphege, April 18, 2013

01 Wednesday May 2013

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I have been thinking about the Boston Marathon a lot this week.  The more stories I hear, the worse it gets.  The story of the 8 year old who died has captured my attention the most – mostly because I cannot imagine losing a child, having a daughter lose a limb, and having a seriously injured spouse all at once.  For many of us, the tendency might be to shut down:  if it is not safe for us at even the Boston Marathon, an occasion of great joy and triumph, then maybe it isn’t safe anywhere.  Why risk the danger?  We tend to close ourselves off, moving into protection mode, even if only emotionally – and in so doing, cut off others as well.

Archbishop Alphege, who we celebrate today, could have done the same.  In the late 900s, he was a monk and abbot.  He could have stayed in that life, protected and cut off from others.  That would have been a respectable life.  And later, when he became bishop, he could have hidden from the Scandinavian invaders, hoping to save his own life or the lives of his parishioners and priests.

But instead burrowing into a hole, Alphege went out into the world.  He brought the Norse King to King Aethelred to make peace.  And when he was captured by the Danes in 1011, he refused to allow a ransom to be paid for him, knowing the financial burden it would put on his people.  He was brutally murdered seven months later.

Our gospel lesson today encourages this kind of boldness.  “Do not fear those who kill the body, and after that can do nothing more.”  Jesus knows our tendency to fear the wrong things.  We get so attached to what we know and the life we experience that we can become paralyzed with fear or even fight vigilantly to protect that life.  But Jesus knows there is much more to life than this earthly life.

This is our invitation today: a life of boldness.  Such a life will cost us.  But Jesus promises us the Holy Spirit will be with us at the very moment we need the Holy Spirit.  Our rewards for such boldness will be better than we can imagine!  Amen.

Homily – Matthew 10.7-16, George Augustus Selwyn, April 11, 2013

17 Wednesday Apr 2013

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Today we honor George Augustus Selwyn, bishop of New Zealand and of Lichfield, England, in the mid-to-late 1800s.

Bishop Selwyn was best known for his work in New Zealand.  On his voyage there, he mastered the Maori language and was able to preach in it upon his arrival.  During a ten-year war between the English and the Maoris, he was able to minister to both sides with integrity.  His treatment of the Maori people was so tremendous that the Maoris still make pilgrimages to his grave in England today.

Bishop Selwyn seems to have taken our gospel lesson from Matthew to heart.  The sending out of the twelve is full of action.  They are to go and proclaim the Good News.  They are to cure, raise the dead, heal, and cast out demons.  They are to rely on the kindness of strangers – and brush off those who do not show them kindness.  They are to take nothing – no money, clothes, or staff.  Jesus’ instructions are full of work, but they are also stripped of all the creature comforts that might have enabled the disciples to do the work.  Much like Bishop Selwyn jumped on a ship to New Zealand, to a land whose language and culture he did not know, with obstacles like war to navigate, the disciples too are tasked with dropping everything and jumping into the unfamiliar.

Just recently I had a conversation with a local clergy person about a potential mission partnership.  There were many things about the partnership that intrigued me – but there were also many things that made me wonder if this was “the one.”  There were aspects of the mission relationship that made me think that this would not be an “easy relationship.”  In the middle of confessing my concerns to the other priest, I had to stop myself, and said, “You know what – this trip makes me a little uncomfortable – and that’s how I know we’re heading in the right direction.”

What I have learned, Bishop Selwyn knew, and the disciples found, is that doing Jesus’ work is not easy.  Jesus promises that the work will not be easy in the gospel lesson today.  But inherent in Jesus’ instructions are also promises of deep joy.  There will be people who welcome the disciples and they will develop deep, meaningful, profound ministries that they will be equipped to do.  They will be cared for, even when their natural tendency will be to care for themselves.  When we can trust Jesus to do all that he says he will do, then we can have incredible experiences with God’s people.  The adventure awaits!  Amen.

Homily – Philippians 4.4-9, Thomas Ken, March 21, 2013

10 Wednesday Apr 2013

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Thomas Ken was the Bishop of Bath and Wells, and served as a priest and chaplain in the late 1600s.  His ministry was marked by his relationships to royalty.  His challenge was that he had a fierce sense of integrity – one that got him into trouble when he refused to condone poor behavior by royals.  His conscience meant that he had to step down from his see for a time, but he refused to let go of his morals.  Given the trials he faced – losing his jobs and being relocated for his opinions and actions, Ken was still able to hold on to his joy, writing many works and hymns – the most popular being our Doxology, “Praise God from whom all blessings flow.”

There are few of us who manage to maintain such a strong sense of integrity and such joy; we like to make things easier for everyone, avoiding conflict if possible.  And whether we are avoiding conflict or are standing our ground like Ken, we can get down in the dumps about our lot in life; this life God has “blessed” us with can make us feel not blessed at all.  The trials and burdens of life are just that, and we more often feel stooped over with the weight of the world than foot-loose and fancy-free.

But what our lessons and what Thomas Ken encourage us to do today is to hang on to joy.  In fact, our Epistle lesson, our Psalm, and Ken’s doxology point us toward joy through song.  From Philippians we hear, “Rejoice in the LORD always; again I will say, Rejoice.”  If you haven’t heard the gospel group Israel Houghton and New Breed sing this refrain, you don’t know the power of these words to revive a soul.  From Psalms we hear, “Taste and see that the LORD is good.”  I have sung these words from our LEVAS hymnal more times that I can count – but the words always bring a soulful smile to my heart.  And who hasn’t been moved by our doxology?  My family sings this at every Andrews gathering, and just the words bring back joyous memories from my childhood and adulthood.

Conflicts and challenges and trouble are inevitable, especially if we hold on to any sense of integrity.  But today we are invited to hold on to joy anyway.  Whether through the testimony of Ken, the words of Scripture, or the power of song, we are invited into the joy that only comes from God and is the only joy that can overcome adversity.  So come to the table – taste and see that the LORD is good.  Amen.

Homily – John 4.31-38, James Theodore Holly, March 14, 2013

16 Saturday Mar 2013

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James Theodore Holly was born a free African-American in D.C. in 1829.  He became an Episcopal priest in 1856, serving as rector in New Haven.  In 1861, he resigned to take a group of African-Americans to settle in Haiti.  His wife, mother, and two children died the first year.  But Holly stayed on with two small sons, believing God was with him.  In 1874, Holly was consecrated as first bishop of Haiti, and the first black man raised to the office of bishop in the Episcopal Church.  During his tenure as bishop, he doubled the size of the diocese, established medical clinics, and took over the Diocese of the Dominican Republic in 1897.  He died in 1911.

In looking at the dates, Holly went to Haiti at the beginning of the Civil War in the U.S.  What a dramatic move; and then what a dramatic experience in Haiti!  Holly must have heard these words from Jesus in a unique way:  “Do you not say, ‘Four months more, then comes the harvest?’  But I tell you, look around you, and see how the fields are ripe for harvesting.”  Holly could have waited until the war was over; he could have bailed when so many in his family died; but he heard the urgency of Jesus’ call, he heard the demand to act now, no matter what.

I think too often we are afraid, paralyzed by fear or some strange sense that certain things have to be in place before we act (four more months, then we will act).  Just hearing our Lenten speaker from St. John’s talk about their church’s garden confirmed this truth.  Instead of months of planning, gathering data, negotiating opinions, he just jumped.  They fought a lot, people had to chip in to make it work, and they made mistakes.  But they also had a harvest to feed the poor, right here in Huntington.

As individuals, I wonder what work we are hindering because of our fears or concerns about propriety?  As a community, I wonder what work we are hindering because of our fears or concerns about propriety?  Our text and Holly’s witness encourage us to let go of our fears and anxieties and jump into the harvest.  Jesus reminds us that God has already sown the field, and has invited us to jump into the work God is doing.  We are the only ones in our way.  Our invitation is to jump.  Amen.

Homily – Matthew 24.9-14, Perpetua and her Companions, March 7, 2013

14 Thursday Mar 2013

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Today we honor Perpetua and her companions, martyrs at Carthage in 202.  Petpetua was a young widow with a small child and several slaves.  Along with other Christians preparing for baptism, they were arrested when they refused to offer sacrifice to the divinity of the Emperor.  They suffered under miserable conditions in a prison.  But Perpetua had these incredible dreams about heaven that encouraged her in her resolve and her insistence on declaring her Christianity.  She and her companions were put in an arena with a leopard, boar, bear, and savage cow.  Perpetua encouraged them, but eventually all were put to death by a sword.

Our lessons today all warn of a similar fate for us.  Jesus tells his disciples they will be tortured and put to death; hated, betrayed and abused.  We know from people like Perpetua and the disciples that this was the reality for many Christians and for many years.  But today, I think martyrs are always a little hard to relate to.  Who among us in risking our lives by telling someone we are Christian?  Who among us will be tortured for our faith or even for being here in this church today?  The life of a martyr is so foreign that we rarely feel connected.

But I think what Pepetua invites us to do today is to consider the ways that our faith puts us in risky situation:  the racist joke someone makes that we refuse to laugh at because we know all people to be children of God; the gun-control march we walk in because we see the violent ways we have turned on one another and we refuse to allow one more child of God to be killed so that we have the right to accumulate assault weapons.  These may not lead to death or even suffering.  If anything, they may lead to disagreements, exclusion from certain social circles, or embarrassment.

When Perpetua and her companions were being mangled by animals, she stated to her friends, “Stand fast in the faith and love one another.”  In order to truly love one another, we will have to take risks, we will have to face discomfort.  Perpetua died in suffering, but her love of God and love of neighbor never died.  We too can let go of our selves and love God and neighbor, even when it is uncomfortable.  Amen.