Advent 2

Advent 2-B

December 4, 2011

The Rev. Marguerite Alley

John the Baptizer is one of my favorite characters in the Bible, but not for the reasons you might think. If we were looking for the perfect person to announce the coming of the Messiah, John would not be the one we would choose. If we were looking for a prophet to tell us where we were going wrong, John the Baptist would not be the model by which we would measure ourselves. If we were looking for someone from the religious establishment to help us understand the role of and the need for a Messiah, we would not ask John the Baptist. In short, JB would not be the kind of person we would want to have a conversation with, a meal with, or even be in the same room with!

First, he lived outside civilization. He lived alone in the desert. I am reasonably certain that he was hygienically challenged. I doubt any of us would want to sit near him. He separated himself from “socially acceptable” people in more than geographic ways as well. He wore nothing but a camel skin tunic. His hair was probably wild and matted. I would guess that on a diet of bugs and wild honey that his breath was disgusting and his teeth were rotting.

Second, he taught outside the religious establishment. He was not a trained rabbi, therefore he had no “right” to interpret scripture. He had no standing or office in the temple. He did not sit as a pupil at the feet of any of the great rabbis. His understanding of Jesus and Jesus’ pending role in the religious establishment of the day, came to him in a “non-traditional” way: directly from God.

And finally, John the Baptist had very poor social skills. He didn’t seem to be able to withstand the exchange of pleasantries. He would not last ten seconds at coffee hour in the Episcopal Church. If you asked him how he was, he would probably say that he was miserable, sick with worry and sin…and then go on to describe in detail how you were too. He didn’t pick up on social cues very well either. When folks suggested that his message might be somewhat subversive, he went right on preaching it. When he had the opportunity to re-cant he didn’t. Eventually, he lost his right to speak out at all when his head ended up as the first act in the royal evening’s entertainment.

So, if we were to look for someone to “follow”, someone to teach us, someone to be our spokes person…it would likely not be John the Baptist. He was creepy. He had no credibility. He told anyone who would listen that this person was going to build a new world. That’s just silly. We don’t need a new world. We just need one that works the way we think it ought to. He preached this “new world” idea to the religious establishment and I doubt they appreciated his comments. The establishment was all wrapped up in ceremony, rules and doctrine. The light was all but extinguished under the guise of “the law”. So God decided to step outside the temple and into the wilderness. Remember now that in Genesis, the wilderness is a good place. It is the garden where all good things grow! The light, out in the wilderness can grow and be tended by this wild man……this cast off from polite society. Dressed in animal skins with matted hair and bad breath, John tells us with such urgency and passion that someone is coming; someone so different from what we expect; someone so radical and challenging, that the announcement COULD NOT be made within the religious establishment of the day! John also told us that we cannot sit back and just wait for this amazing person to arrive. He said we have to work, to prepare, to make a pathway for him.

A gospel always starts off with a “message” of some sort. God always chooses someone special to deliver the message…whether it is a flaming angel appearing out of nowhere, a burning bush, or a wild man in the desert. God doesn’t usually choose someone “socially acceptable” as his delivery man. In this case, having chosen one totally removed from the “church” and from polite society as the messenger, only the ones who were willing to go “outside the lines” so to speak could even hear his message.

I imagine that we all know that this wilderness is both literal and metaphorical. There is a lot of empty desert space in that part of the world. One would not have to travel very far to find themselves in the wilderness. Today though, it might be more of a challenge if you are trying to think of it literally. Figuratively though, it is easy to imagine what our wilderness might be. Perhaps being more open minded, or community minded, or globally aware. Perhaps our wilderness might be heading off to college or to a new job or into a new relationship. It could be allowing ourselves to experience new things, to get to know someone better, to do something that makes us a little bit uncomfortable or to start up a conversation with a stranger. For each of us, the fear that the wilderness stirs up in us may come in different forms. We can also probably find a hundred reasons not to go there. We are quite comfy right here. We worked hard to get here. We deserve this. Why should we look for God anywhere else than right here in our favorite little church? I can’t imagine unless it is that voice from the wilderness that calls us. The one we can’t really hear over the din and clatter of our daily lives. It is that voice in the wilderness that holds the light for us and calls us from the darkness into the light. It is John the Baptist who reminds us that God uses the most unlikely people to deliver the most important messages and that we may have step outside the doors of our comfort zone to hear it. It is that crazy man in the wilderness who reminds us that we have work to do to prepare our hearts and our lives for the coming of the Messiah.

An Advent Meditation

A Meditation on Advent

In this season of expectation
We prepare to welcome Christ Jesus, Messiah
Into the bustle of our lives
and the hard to find moments of solitude
We prepare to welcome Christ Jesus, Messiah
Into our homes and situations
along with friends and families
We prepare to welcome Christ Jesus, Messiah
Into our hearts, and those often hidden parts of our lives
We prepare to welcome Christ Jesus, Messiah
For beneath the surface of your story
is an inescapable fact
You entered this world
as vulnerable as any one of us
in order to nail that vulnerability to the cross.
Our fears, our insecurities and our sins
all that can separate us from God
exchanged by your Grace for Love.
We cannot comprehend the reasoning
only marvel that Salvation comes to us
through a baby born in a stable,
and reaches out to a world in need.

In this season of anticipation
We prepare to welcome Christ Jesus, Messiah

Happy New Year--Advent 1

The Rev. John A. Baldwin
November 27, 2011
ADVENT 1 Year B

This morning, the first Sunday of Advent, marks the beginning of the Christian year. Our New Year begins not with toasts of champagne, watching a huge ball descend in Times Square, or the singing of Auld Lang Syne, but with Advent wreaths and purple hangings; scripture readings with themes of longing, anticipation and expectation; and above all, a mounting excitement as we move forward toward the celebration of the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Advent may not have the glitter and pizzazz of New Year's Eve, but it lasts for four weeks, not just a single night. It moves us spiritually deep down inside, rather than the surface fluff we experience on December 31st. Unlike the media's penchant for getting nostalgic and looking back over the significant events of the past year on January 1st, Advent is forward-looking - not simply to the event coming up in four week's time, Christmas Day, but far beyond that to the fulfillment of human history, the Second Coming of Christ, the reign of the Kingdom of God.

It may have startled you a bit this morning, if you were listening closely to the scripture readings, to hear such vivid and powerful images of chaos and turmoil. Isaiah implores God to tear open the heavens and come down, so that the mountains might quake and the nations tremble at his presence. In our Gospel reading from Mark 13, Jesus seems uncharacteristically dark, somber, even scary in his portrayal of the coming of the Son of Man. “in those days, after that suffering, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.”

Both Isaiah and Jesus are pointing towards the birth of something new. For Isaiah, God's intervention in history; for Jesus the coming of the reign of God.

Birth events are filled chaos and turmoil. Far out in the cosmos, the birth of stars in whirling storms of particles is beyond our capacity to fathom. The birth of an island in the eruption of a volcano scatters everything in its path. Closer to home, despite the very best medical practices we are capable of, there is always an element of uncertainty and breath-holding as a child comes into the world. So too, the passing of a human soul from this world into the next is filled with uncertainty and turmoil. Things that are new bring uncertainty to the human heart, which is perhaps why so often there is such great push-back and resistance to new ideas, and threats to the status quo.

It is appropriate, I believe, as we move into a new Christian year, and begin again the journey of faith that will lead us to the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ, and beyond it to his life and ministry, culminating in his passion, death and resurrection, that the year begins with a warning: “Keep awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or at dawn, or else he may find you asleep when he comes suddenly. And what I say to you I say to all: Keep awake.” Listen up folks...pay attention, things are about to happen.

Although the Christian faith asserts that the Creator of the universe is filled with love, forgiveness and grace, God is also awesome, powerful beyond our wildest imagination, and beyond our capacity to fully comprehend. While there is reassurance aplenty in the teachings and message of Jesus, there is also an element of uncertainty. “But about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Beware, keep alert; for you do not know when the time will come.”

This heads-up and warning by Jesus has led through the centuries to myriads of religious leaders, mostly on the fringes of mainstream Christianity, to issue imminent predictions of his Second Coming. These go way back in time, but are also very much with us even today. We experienced this ourselves, for example, earlier in the year, when American Christian radio host Harold Camping stated "beyond the shadow of a doubt" that the Rapture and Judgment Day would take place on May 21, 2011, and that the end of the world would take place five months later on October 21, 2011. Camping, then president of the Family Radio Christian network, claimed the Bible as his source and said the Rapture would occur at 6 pm. local time on May 21st, with the rapture sweeping the globe time zone by time zone, while some of his supporters claimed that around 200 million people (approximately 3% of the world's population) would be 'raptured', that is taken up into the air to be with Jesus (while the other 97% would remain behind to suffer the agonies coming at the end of the world).

Kooky though this all seemed, some people at least breathed a sigh of relief when the day came and passed without incident. Following the failure of his prediction, media attention shifted to Camping's response. On May 23, he stated that May 21 had been a "spiritual" day of judgment, and that the physical Rapture would occur now on Oct. 21, 2011, simultaneously with the destruction of the universe by God. However, Oct. 21 also passed without Camping's predicted apocalypse. Whew....thank goodness for that!

I wish that someone in the media had gone up to Camping on May 22^nd or Oct. 22^nd and congratulated him, “You were absolutely right. The Rapture did occur on May 21^st and the redeemed were saved. But wait a minute. How very curious. You are still here!”

Most of those proclaiming the imminent second coming of Christ, are acting under the assumption they are one of the redeemed. “I will be saved, but you poor wretches will be lost.” How arrogant and judgmental, is that!

Lest we simply dismiss these folks as “Kooks”, let me point out that they at least have taken seriously an important part of Jesus' message that we all to often forget or take lightly, “keep awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come”.

What if we all kept awake, and lived as if today was indeed the last day of our life, no matter whether that be due to the Second Coming, or more likely our own physical death. How might your life and mine be very different if we lived as if today is our last day on Earth? We might choose to live in dread, fear and anxiety. But if we are people of faith, believing in life beyond life in the glory of God, might we not treat others around us with tenderness and compassion, savoring our moments with our loved ones, close friends, children and grandchildren? Might we not notice and drink in the beauty of the world around us that we so often rush past? Might we not remember with thankfulness all that we have been blessed with?

I suspect that if we lived as if today is our last day on Earth, we would find to our utter surprise that we are, in fact, actually living as if it is the first day of our life....our senses heightened and acute, our capacity for love and compassion immeasurably increased, our appreciation of every moment richly treasured.

The season of Advent calls us into a new beginning. It looks forward one to the celebratation of God entering into humanity in the Incarnation, the birth of Jesus Christ. It also points ahead to the future for which "all creation is groaning” filled with justice, peace and mercy, in which we fully love the Lord our God with all our heart, and our neighbors as ourselves.

_______________________

First Sunday of Advent
Year B RCL

Isaiah 64:1-9, Psalm 80:1-7, 16-18, 1 Corinthians 1:3-9, Mark 13:24-37

GOD, PRAYER, and our BLOG: Thou shalt know him

Thou shalt know him

Thou shalt know him

When he comes,

Not by any din of drums

Nor the vantage of his airs

Nor by any thing he wears

Neither by his crown

Nor his gown

For his presence known shall be

By the holy harmony

That his coming makes in me

Source: Unknown (15^th Century)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was later put to music. You can find video’s on youtube that have some wonderful choirs performing this piece. Here is a children’s choir singing “Thou shalt know him when he comes.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDvsyI6CmGE&feature=related

GOD, PRAYER, and our BLOG: Prayer by Carol Ann Duffy

Prayer

Some days, although we cannot pray, a prayer
utters itself. So, a woman will lift
her head from the sieve of her hands and stare
at the minims sung by a tree, a sudden gift.

Some nights, although we are faithless, the truth
enters our hearts, that small familiar pain;
then a man will stand stock-still, hearing his youth
in the distant Latin chanting of a train.

Pray for us now. 2 Grade I piano scales
console the lodger looking out across
a Midlands town. Then dusk, and someone calls
a child's name as though they named their loss.

Darkness outside. Inside, the radio's prayer -
Rockall. Malin. Dogger. Finisterre.

Carol Ann Duffy (1955-)

The last line of this poem might be confusing "Rockall. Malin. etc" Here is what a good commentary writes (which can be found at http://www.squidoo.com/carolannduffy )
The final couplet is our epigram - the shipping forecast. The Shipping Forecast is seen by some as comforting and a daily ritual that happens every night before bed time, just like a prayer. It is also a navigation aid for the traveler - a traveler on the ocean, which conjures up images of solitude and vastness rather like human existence in the universe.

GOD, PRAYER, and our BLOG: CS Lewis on Evening Prayer

The Apologist’s Evening Prayer

C.S. Lewis, Poems (1964).

From all my lame defeats and oh! much more
From all the victories that I seemed to score;
From cleverness shot forth on They behalf
At which, while angels weep, the audience laugh;
From all my proofs of They divinity,
Thou, who wouldst give no sign, deliver me.

Thoughts are but coins. Let me not trust, instead
of Thee, their thin-worn image of They head.
From all my thoughts,
even from my thoughts of Thee,
O thou fair Silence, fall, and set me free.
Lord of the narrow gate and the needle’s eye,
Take from me all my trumpery lest I die.

      

Footnote to All Prayers
C.S.Lewis (1898-1963)

He whom I bow to only knows to whom I bow
When I attempt the ineffable Name, murmuring Thou,
And dream of Pheidian fancies and embrace in heart
Symbols (I know) which cannot be the thing Thou art.
Thus always, taken at their word, all prayers blaspheme
Worshipping with frail images a folk-lore dream,
And all men in their praying, self-deceived, address
The coinage of their own unquiet thoughts, unless
Thou in magnetic mercy to Thyself divert
Our arrows, aimed unskilfully, beyond desert;
And all men are idolators, crying unheard
To a deaf idol, if Thou take them at their word.

Take not, O Lord, our literal sense.  Lord, in thy great
Unbroken speech our limping metaphor translate.

GOD, PRAYER, and our BLOG: Answered Prayer

 Answered Prayer

In the dark

I stubbed my toe on an interruption

stumbled almost tumbled in the awkward three step trundle

to recover balance 

cursed the moment as impediment

mumbled harm to whoever left the trip hazard in my path

and stood

suddenly in light

confronted by harm

had I continued as before

Humbled  

I gave thanks for the blessing

disguised as interloper 

and for someone’s answered prayer

offered for my wellbeing

           

                        R. Martin Basden, 10/19/11

GOD, PRAYER, and our BLOG: Kneeling

Kneeling
By R.S. Thomas (1913-2000)

Moments of great calm,

Kneeling before an altar

Of wood in a stone church

In summer, waiting for the God   

To speak; the air a staircase   

For silence; the sun’s light   

Ringing me, as though I acted   

A great rôle. And the audiences   

Still; all that close throng

Of spirits waiting, as I,

For the message.

                         Prompt me, God;

But not yet. When I speak,   

Though it be you who speak   

Through me, something is lost.   

The meaning is in the waiting.

________________

To learn more about this poem and author checkout: http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/178866

Growing Together IN COMMITMENT Faithfully

The Rev. John A. Baldwin
October 30, 2011

Year A Proper 26 RCL

Growing Together In Commitment Faithfully

A chicken and a pig decided to go out to breakfast one morning at Joe's Diner. After looking over the menu, the chicken said to the pig, "Look they're offering a special on bacon and eggs for breakfast. How does that sound to you?" The pig replied, "No thanks. For you eggs are a contribution. For me, bacon is a total commitment".

Our theme for this morning, as we come to the culmination of our 4 week Every Member Commitment campaign, is this: Growing together in commitment faithfully". This morning I'm going to address the topic of commitment, which has both healthy, life-giving & vital aspects, as well as unhealthy, depleting & even, at times, addictive aspects.

We have only to look at our Epistle this morning from Paul's First Letter to the Thessalonians to glimpse the kind of commitment Paul had in preaching the Good news of the Gospel.....namely that Jesus has been raised to life, and the world has changed dramatically as a result. Paul writes, "We worked night and day....while we preached to you the gospel of God. We exhorted each one of you & encouraged you & charged you to lead a life worthy of God." Paul is an example of commitment at its best: internal, focused, clear, energetic & purpose-driven. He is committed to encouraging others to lead a life worthy of God.

Jesus, in this morning's Gospel, gives us an example of commitment that is not so healthy, in his depiction of the Pharisees. The Pharisees were very committed in their interpretation of the Law, and in demanding its observance. They were righteously indignant at anyone, such as Jesus, who violated the Law of Moses (as they interpreted it), even if by so doing love & mercy were effected....such as healing on the Sabbath. The problem, as Jesus shrewdly observes, however, is this: "The Pharisees preach, but do not practice. They bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men's shoulders. They do all their deeds to be seen by men." Their commitment doesn't come from the heart, but from externals. Obedience is far more important than compassion.

Every one of us has commitments, some very clear, and others quite subtle. Here are a few of them - commitments to family members (our parents, spouse, or children); to serving our country in the military; to earning a living; to being people of integrity, faithful to our values and beliefs; to using our leisure time for enjoyment and refreshment; to keeping informed and in touch with others; to improving ourselves through study and action. Many of these commitments are healthy & bring meaning and purpose to our lives. Other commitments are less healthy, such as commitment to substances which are detrimental to our well-being; commitment to political & societal viewpoints that demean others; commitment to cherished beliefs which fly in the face of common sense and the changing world around us; commitment to old wounds, slights & bitterness we won't let go of; commitment to fear or disengagement from the suffering of others.

Some or our commitments we take very seriously. Others we take lightly, or don't think about much at all. Some of us are under-committed, skating along on the surface of life without making much of an impact on anyone or anything. Others of us are over-committed and perhaps experiencing stress & anxiety because of it.

If we have the courage to look closely at where our greatest commitments in life lie, a good place to look is at our credit card statement or check book entries. There will be reflected the commitment we have made to a bank when we purchased a car or house; the commitment we have made to the well-being of our family in our utility, clothing, food, education & insurance bills; as well as the commitments we make to our own fun and enjoyment. Sometimes what's very telling, is in looking carefully at what may be missing. Is giving beyond ourselves reflected in our check book entries?: to our faith community; to those in need or suffering; to advocacy groups who are addressing our concerns and values; to our youth and the future of our world?

As a faith community, it is vitally important that we examine our commitments and ask ourselves the question: Are we more like the chicken or the pig? Do we make contributions like the chicken which don't demand a whole lot of us? or are we perhaps called like the pig, when we give of ourselves, to make a total commitment?

Jesus lays out some very challenging calls to action from his disciples that involve far more than occasional contributions. In fact, his whole Sermon on the Mount is a call to total commitment: to God; to mercy, justice and peace; to forgiveness and truthfulness; to integrity and faithfulness. Anyone who believes you can live an authentic Christian life by half-measures simply doesn't get it. It takes commitment.

No where, I believe, is it clearer as to what is required in the way of Christian commitment in order to be a loyal and devoted follower of Jesus Christ than in those 5 questions asked in our Baptismal Covenant: Will you continue in the apostles' teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in the prayers? Will you persevere in resisting evil, and whenever you fall into sin, repent and return to the Lord? Will you proclaim by word and example the Good News of God in Christ? Will you seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving your neighbor as yourself? Will you strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being?

Our task as a faith community is to grow day by day, week by week, year by year in commitment to God as expressed in our Baptismal Covenant - worshiping faithfully; resisting evil in its many disguises; proclaiming the good news of God's love & grace; seeing Jesus Christ in every person we meet; and striving with our hearts, souls and minds that justice & peace may flourish in our lives & in our community.

May God grant us the strength to commit ourselves to the growth of God's Kingdom in ourselves, our family, our church, our community, and our world. Amen.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Joshua 3:7-17 -

Micah 3:5-12 -

Psalm 107:1-7, 33-37

Psalm 43

1 Thessalonians 2: 9-13 - we worked night and day....while we preached to you the gospel of God. We exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you to lead a life worthy of God.

Matthew 23: 1-12 - The Pharisees preach, but do not practice. They bind heavy burdens and lay them on men's shoulders. They do all their deeds to be seen by men. He who is greatest among you shall be your servant; whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

_________

Lectionary:  1 Thessalonians 2:9-13   Matthew 23:1-12

Formation Sunday Sermon

Proper 25-A

October 23, 2011

Formation Sunday

The Rev. Marguerite Alley

In the Episcopal Church every Sunday we participate in a liturgy designed to demonstrate for us the two most important concepts of our faith:  Word and Sacrament. Each Sunday we gather to hear, to interpret and to meditate upon the history of our faith and the teachings of our “great high priest”, Jesus. In the sacrament of bread and wine we are reminded of God’s unconditional love for us. In the word and the interpretation of the word we are called to a closer relationship and deeper understanding of our connection with God.

Today in the Gospel lesson we are commanded to love the Lord our God with all our heart and with all our soul and with all our mind. This is our primary purpose in life: To know God in our heart by prayer; in our souls through our deeds and in our minds through learning. In our Formation activities we teach that our purpose is to learn the mind of Christ, to offer the prayer of Christ, and to do the work of Christ. In this way, we love the Lord with our whole being. When we do this, we discover that love is verb. It requires action. To love is to leave ourselves open to doing the work of Christ in the world.

Being an active part of a community whose total purpose and focus is to do the work of Christ in the world, is what belonging to this church is about. I can’t say that for all churches. For some, going to church is about personal salvation. For others, it is about hearing a personal interpretation of scripture and being told how to behave and act as a result. But in this church, our primary goal and purpose for existence is to do the work of Christ in the world; to be the hands and feet of the Lord for those who are in need. Now you might think that if you are out there in the trenches day in and day out, fighting for the rights of the disenfranchised, or working for equality in the work place or teaching or whatever it is that you do, that you are exempt from being here on Sunday morning…or Thursday night or whenever. You might think that because you have no disposable income or because you are a single parent struggling to make it from month to month or because your family is pulled in 8 different directions at any one time or because you are retired and living on a fixed income that you are released from an obligation to participate either personally or financially. Maybe you are right. Or maybe you are thinking that we don’t need whatever it is you have that you CAN give. So I will just ask you one question. Do you love the Lord your God with ALL your heart, all your soul and all your mind?

Love has nothing to do with demands. Love is free. It cannot be bought; it cannot be sold. It can only be given. It does not expect anything in return. There are no strings attached. That's how God loves us and that how we are instructed to love.  We are also told to love our neighbor. But in order to do this, we must know and understand how Christ loves us. Having a personal relationship with Jesus is how we know that we are loved.  Now I know you have all heard that statement……. “have a personal relationship with Jesus”…..and we probably all have different responses. I am going to share my own with you, but you must keep it a secret. Please. No really. You can’t tell anyone I said this. I don’t really get what having a “personal relationship with Jesus” means. In any relationship that is healthy, we should find two things….we should find comfort and we should find challenge. We are offered strength and refuge when we need it, and we are pushed to be better when we need that as well. That is, I think, the mark of a good relationship. So how can you have a personal relationship with someone you have never met; someone with whom you can only have a one sided conversation? How do you get to know someone with whom you cannot communicate? Well, the only way that I have been able to figure out is to read and learn about Jesus’ teachings, to understand about the audience he was speaking to, know a little bit about the Mediterranean culture of the time and go from there to trying to translate that into my current life in this culture and time. And miraculously, by doing that, I do feel as though I have come to know Jesus in a deeper and more meaningful way. I may not personally describe it as a “personal relationship” with him, but I can easily say that I find comfort and challenge in his words and actions. So I could more comfortably say that I have a “healthy relationship with Jesus”.

As you know, we are in the midst of our Every Member Commitment Campaign at the moment and I would like to take a moment now to speak about that in connection to the Gospel today. If you don’t find comfort here in this place then we are not doing our jobs as fellow Christians. If you are not finding challenge here then we have missed the mark. But if you do find comfort here then you must also be here to comfort others. If you do find challenge here that calls you to be more Christ-like then you need to be here to share that as well. Nowhere does Jesus say “Come unto me all you are heavy laden and have some extra cash and I will give you rest”.  Our theme in formation this fall has been a short scripture passage from the 12^th chapter of Romans: “Do not be conformed to this world, only be transformed by the renewing of your minds so that the will of God might be discerned”. In our formation activities and in our sermons we have talked about transformation. I hope that that message has been clear. Loving God with all our heart and soul and mind is the goal and the purpose for everything we do when we call ourselves Christians. Learning how to do that is the goal and purpose of our formation program. Doing that to the best of our ability is the goal and purpose of our liturgy…..in Word and Sacrament. All that remains is for us to be the verb…..LOVE.

___________
Lectionary:  1 Thessalonians 2:1-8,  Matthew 22:34-46

GOD, PRAYER, and our BLOG: Prayer

PRAYER

By George Herbert
(1593-1633)

Prayer the Churches banquet, Angels age,
Gods breath in man returning to his birth,
The soul in paraphrase, heart in pilgrimage,
The Christian plummet sounding heav’n and earth;

Engine against the Almighty, sinner’s tower,
Reversed thunder, Christ-side-piercing spear,
The six-days’ world transposing in an hour,
A kind of tune, which all things hear and fear;

Softness, and peace, and joy, and love, and bliss,
Exalted Manna, gladness of the best,
Heaven in ordinary, man well dressed,
The milky way, the bird of Paradise,
Church bells beyond the stars heard, the souls blood,
The land of spices; something understood.

If you want a more indepth look into the author and the poem check out this commentary found at: http://www.faith-theology.com/2010/07/george-herbert-prayer-language-silence.html

GOD, PRAYER, and our BLOG: Disclosure

Disclosure

By Anne Lewin

Prayer is like watching for the
Kingfisher. All you can do is
Be where he is likely to appear, and
Wait.
Often, nothing much happens;
There is space, silence and
Expectancy.
No visible sign, only the
Knowledge that he's been there
And may come again.
Seeing or not seeing cease to matter,
You have been prepared.
But when you've almost stopped
Expecting it, a flash of brightness
Gives encouragement.

Disclosure poem read on Youtube

GOD, PRAYER, and our BLOG

GOD, PRAYER, and our BLOG

In addition to posting our sermons to our blog, I am going to try having a BLOG series.

Once a week until Advent begins (November 27th), I will be posting poems I got from one of my classes at Oxford. The theme of these poems range from poets wrestling with God, to what it means to pray, and everything in between.

I invite you to read the poems and to post your thoughts and comments about them. This series of “GOD, PRAYER, and our BLOG” will be only posted here on our Blog.

In faith and thanks,

                The Rev. Julia W. Messer

Growing Together IN MINISTRY Faithfully

The Rev. Julia W. Messer
18^th Sunday after Pentecost
October 16, 2011

Growing together IN MINISTRY faithfully

"Render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s."(Matt22)

What a great Gospel reading to use for this second Sunday of our Every Member Commitment season! By now you have gotten your pledge packets and probably know this is the second of four Sundays that we will discuss the importance of being faithful stewards of our faith community.

Today’s message is “growing together in ministry, faithfully.” The two important messages to take away from this theme and today’s gospel are about ministry AND finance. 

In regards to ministry-- how often have we found ourselves not fully offering our gifts back up to God? Have you ever found yourself recognizing that you have a talent but are not utilizing it?  Maybe you are a wonderful storybook reader or have an eye for photography. Yet you found yourself pushing aside that talent…almost as if you do not recognize or appreciate that you have been given these gifts from God.  Perhaps these abilities seem to you as if they are “no big deal”; they are “just something you do”. When we push our gifts aside, we are acting as if we are waiting for God to see the situation and then expect Him to sets our hearts on fire.   The question we have to ask ourselves is:  Are we going to keep pushing these gifts aside or are we willing to stretch ourselves and see how our gifts can grow if we give ourselves the chance?

Today our intentional theme is not just about our ministries, or our ministries here at Emmanuel, but it is also about growing together FAITHFULLY.

Ways we show faithful living out/of our ministries is described in 1 Thessalonians when we are called to not only hold ourselves up but also our community in our prayers.  We are to be faithful to God and to our neighbor by our work and labor which SHOWS our faith and love by being imitators of Christ.  This can be shown through three types of ministry.

1.     The first is our ministry of our actions. How do we engage in our community; how do we offer our gifts up to God so that we, as a Christian family, can grow together in our ministries? Do we participate in any of the numerous and varied out-reach or in-reach programs? Are we willing to take a chance and see how our gifts can be used for the greater good? Good examples would be parishioners who are part of the numerous lay ministries that make Sundays run smoothly here at Emmanuel.  That would include the Altar Guild, sound system, choir and musicians, acolytes, lay readers, healing ministry stations, children’s chapel and nursery care workers, and the Flower Guild.  But it also includes other types of ministry of giving of one’s self -- from donating blood to the Red Cross to giving food to feed the homeless, or our Lay Eucharistic Visitors who bring Communion to people who can’t be here on Sunday.

2.      The second is our ministry of others. While we want to be the people offering ministry and help to others, there are numerous times in our lives when we are ministered to. We are called not only to be ministers, but to be open to other’s ministries to us.  As servants of Christ we are called to be servants to each other and we pray that we might have the grace to let others be servants to us too. For example, we love to eat at Emmanuel, and this act which brings people together is a ministry. When the Martha Ministries prepare food and tables for a family who has lost a loved one or for events where the Let’s Eat Guild makes meals for our social events, they are offering a piece of themselves and a space for people to meet. It is in this act that they show how they care for their church family and it is a form of ministry to offer it as well as to participate in it.

3.     And the third is our ministry of presence. In some situations and some times there is nothing we can say or do that can make a difference but by just  being open to Holy Spirit moving and being with a person, a ministry is offered. For example, simply greeting each other at the Peace not only signifies that we offer God’s peace to others, but we are recognizing that those we greet are here and that they are important. Another ministry of presence is hearing about a woman who was in a recovery program, and walked by our bulletin boards during a wedding a while ago.  Because of the information that she read, she realized that she needed to enter into a support group. By having our doors to the church open, a person was able to recognize and take the step to enter into an intentional community that helped her. A building can even be a part of the ministry of presence.

Which leads me to the second part to remember from this theme of “growing together in ministry faithfully” -- and that is finance.  Stewardship month is not only about evaluating your ministry gifts and how you are using them in your community, but also recognizing that this community could not exist or run without your gifts for ministry. Let me rephrase that again:  Your gifts of ministry make the spirit of this parish run, but the parish cannot run on spirit alone.  It needs your gifts for the ministry to operate.  So in other words, being active in ministry and giving financially are two sides of the same coin of rending unto God what is God’s.    By financially supporting Emmanuel, at whatever level, you are saying that you actively participate in the ministry of presence.  It says that you believe in the ministry that is going on here and you want Emmanuel to continue. Emmanuel’s ministries are not just what you see on Sunday mornings, but include countless others, from recovery programs that we house to our outreach programs, from our social activities to our mission trips. But we are limited in that even a church is an organization that does have to rendering unto Caesar what are Caesar’s….or utility costs to the city.

The ministries here at Emmanuel are numerous and many people come into our building pass through our doors or look to Emmanuel for help and to be the safe haven that it is called to be.  Emmanuel has been there for so many people and so many communities for so many years.  Therefore as you pledge your time, gifts, and finances, you are saying you support the ministries here.  You are saying that you are willing to grow in not only your ministries but also the ministries here that help others.  We grow in all together. By pledging you are being faithful to both of these commitments—both sides of the coin. Your gifts are indeed rendered up to God.

~~~

Now, during the PowerPoint presentation I invite you to write down on the flowers you were given one of these three ministries you have experienced here at Emmanuel or out in the world for which you are thankful for.  To recap the three ministries:  the first would be through the ministry of your actions, the second would be the ministry of others helping you, and the third would be the ministry of presence.  Think about how a simple moment was a moment of grace to you. If you do not have a flower or would like another, raise your hand and the ushers will be bringing more around. These flowers and leaves will be placed on a board, be blessed, and our ministries will be laid before the altar for the last Sunday of stewardship. 

In the name of God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

+AMEN+

Lectionary used: Year A, Proper 24, RCL 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10, Matthew 22:15-22

Growing Together IN JOY Faithfully!

October 9 2011

The Rev. John A. Baldwin

"Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say rejoice". (Phil.4:4)

Today is the beginning of our 4 week Every Member Commitment campaign “Growing Together....Faithfully”, in which we are asking everyone who considers Emmanuel to be their spiritual home & parish family to make a commitment (a pledge) to support our mission & ministry in the year ahead (2012). Our theme this morning is “Growing Together in Joy Faithfully”. My sermon focuses, therefore, on that elusive quality of life we all crave, experiencing Joy. At the conclusion of my sermon you will also hear briefly from someone who, I believe, epitomizes joyfulness in his ministry of music.

Our Epistle this morning comes from the 4th chapter of Philippians, the most affectionate letter of all those written by St. Paul. It is addressed to the members of the first congregation he established in Europe, at Philippi in Macedonia. Paul's relations with this church in all the years afterward seem to have been extraordinarily close & happy. Their contributions (which Paul gratefully acknowledges) are among the only ones he accepts. Their generosity stands out conspicuously in this Epistle. It's particularly remarkable, in that the Macedonian converts were, as a whole, very poor. Their poverty and their open-handed support of Paul and his work, moved him deeply.

One of the most remarkable things about this short Epistle is how much "joy" is woven into the very fabric of the letter. Here is a sampling: "I thank my God... always in every prayer of mine for you all, making my prayer with joy." (1:4) "Complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord & of one mind." (2:2) " "You also should be glad & rejoice with me." (2:18) "Receive him in the Lord with all joy." (3:1) "Therefore, my brethren, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown." (4:1)

Paul's joy is deep, absolutely sincere & foundational. It is not a naive, Pollyanna, "Don't worry, be happy" kind of joy, because as Paul asserts in this Epistle, "I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound; in any & all circumstances I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance & want."(4:12) His secret? "I can do all things in him (Jesus Christ) who strengthens me." (4:13)

Paul didn't have an easy life once he met Jesus on the road to Damascus & was converted from zealous persecutor of Christians to bold proclaimer of Jesus' Resurrection. He was beaten, abused, stoned, imprisoned numerous times, and ultimately (according to Christian legend) beheaded in Rome during the reign of Nero. How is it possible to be so grounded in joy, when suffering & hardship were so close at hand? Quite simply, Paul did not equate joy with happiness. It is far deeper, far more steadfast & dependable than happiness, which can flee from moment to moment. They're not the same thing at all.

Happiness is grounded in material things, events & emotions which can evaporate in an instant when setbacks, disappointments & hard knocks interrupt our daily existence, as they inevitably do. Joy, however, is rooted in the divine.... in knowing deep down that no matter what, we are deeply cherished by the God who created us; in believing implicitly, as Paul asserts in Romans 9:39, that "Nothing in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord". Psalm 30 puts it this way, “Sing praises to the Lord...for his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes in the morning.” The pursuit of happiness is limited and bound for disappointment, but the pursuit of joy is eternal.

In an article about "Joy" that profoundly impacted me when I first read it many years ago, Louis Evely wrote this: "The Christian religion is a religion of joy. The Gospel is Good News, and in spite of our occasional melancholy appearance, we are messengers of joy, witnesses of the resurrection. (Yet), strangely enough, we do not cherish the joy of God. We are much more inclined to mourn with Christ (to follow the way of the Cross) than to rejoice with Him (to follow the way of Joy)."

We do a pretty good job of rejoicing on Easter Morning, but as Evely goes on to say, “All too often after Easter, we go on vacation in our religious life. We have worked hard during Lent. We reason: Christ is risen...He is happy....He is safely in heaven. We can do no more for him. Now that his hour of suffering is over, his way and ours can part. We are going to go on with our life and suffering here below. He is in beatitude.”

How crazy is that!! Each and every Sunday is a celebration of the Resurrection. Evely goes on to make some bold assertions that I want you to listen to carefully and ponder. He writes: “We have to make for God the sacrifice of being happy! This will prove the sincerity of our friendship. We have to give God the joy of seeing us happy because of him, to tell him, "You did so much for us, you loved us so much and suffered so much for us, that we now want to give you the reward of seeing us happy. We want to be happy with faith, happy with confidence, happy to be with you."

“Everything which we have closed to happiness, we have closed to God,” Evely asserts. ”We shut God out from all those areas in ourselves where we are resigned not to let joy, hope, confidence, and love enter. Our sadness measures exactly our attachment to ourselves. It denounces our selfishness. The place we give to joy is the place we give to God.”

It means a lot to me to be part of a faith community here at Emmanuel whose mission statement is this: “Sharing the Joy and Power of Life in Christ”. I have experienced Joy here repeatedly, not just on Easter, but sometimes even in the saddest events of life: the joy of recalling at the funeral of Father Bill and other dear members of Emmanuel now departed, how they impacted my life for the better, and how they honored God in their lives; the joy of seeing members cope with severe blows in their lives – chronic illness & life-threatening disease, divorce & broken relationships, loss of jobs, fear about the future for their troubled teenagers, and yet have still remained strong in faith; the joy of seeing infants I've baptized grow into beautiful and handsome young adults; the joy of connecting with the unique gifts and person-hood of so many people; the joy of empowering people for service in the world through the celebration of Holy Eucharist; and the joy of having God affirm for me over and over that in spite my flaws and foibles, I am His beloved child.

Evely concluded his article on Joy by saying, “Our (calling) is this: to have so generous a behavior, a love so alive among us, a heart so filled with joy & faith, that those who meet us can only explain it by admitting in their turn that Christ is risen from the dead. Our greatest mistake is to believe that we always lack only one thing in order to be happy: some money, a promotion, some luck; that this illness be cured or that trial ended. If we think thus, then we will never be happy, for there will always be another illness, another trial, some unexpected catastrophe. It is God we lack, & the unexpected thing about God is that he does not fail us: we fail him. We must learn to be happy immediately....right away - or we will never be happy. For the eternal, like the joy which it engenders, always begins now.” Amen.

Lectionary: October 9, 2011 Year A, Proper 23.Philippians 4:1-9, Matthew 22:1-14