I
have two trivia questions for you today, and neither of them has to do with the
last sermon I preached. First: What is the legal, corporate name of the
Episcopal Church? The legal, corporate
name of this thing we call the Episcopal Church is the Domestic and Foreign
Missionary Society. This is so because
at the General Convention of 1835, two bishops, Charles McIlvaine of Ohio and
George Doane of New Jersey, argued that TEC should not create a specialized
“missionary arm” of the church, but that every member of the church, by virtue
of their baptism, confirmation and the Great Commission, were, in fact,
missionaries – both domestic and foreign.
To be sent in mission of proclaiming the Kingdom of God, to be a
missionary, is at the very core of Christian identity.
The
second question is this: What is the
duty of all Christians? The duty of all
Christians is to work, pray and give for the spread of the Kingdom of God. We work through the variety of ministries
that take place here, as well as by becoming involved in various activities. Everything we do, from teaching Sunday school
to buying food and preparing and handing out Personal Survival Packs, is
grounded in working for the spread of the Kingdom of God.
We
pray not only through our individual prayers, but we pray through our
liturgy. Our liturgy is prayer in
action. And we pray through thought,
word and deed.
We
also give towards the spreading of God’s kingdom. Our giving includes our pledges as well as
gifts over and above what we have pledged.
And it should be understood that we give to God the first fruits of that
which he has given us.
This
duty of all Christians, as articulated in the Catechism, is coupled with our baptismal
covenant. 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 respect the dignity
of every human being?
In
all these questions we answer, “I will, with God’s help.” We make this answer, hopefully, not because
we are parroting the script as found on page 293 of the Prayer Book, but
because this is what we believe.
Do
you really believe you are called to proclaim the gospel? Do you really believe you are called to seek
and serve Christ in all persons? Do you
really respect the dignity of every human being? Or are there strings attached?
This
covenant was on display during the pre-Boatnick parade staging. Every year we position someone by the back
door to offer coffee and the use of our restrooms. It’s not a huge thing, but it is appreciated
by those getting ready for the parade.
This year Eileen volunteered to be that person, and she told me about
one particular encounter.
The
Boatnick parade, as you probably know, gets all kinds of participants. In the two I’ve seen, I’ve noticed that it
seems to be a platform for almost all of the area churches trying to spread
their particular message. One of the
more conservative congregations got into a discussion with Eileen and, in
short, wanted to know who we allowed to be in the church. She said, “Everyone.”
And
the debate was on. What about Those
People? Yes. What about Them? Yes.
Finally she said, “Look, all means ALL.”
End of discussion.
This
is where we find ourselves today. Will
you proclaim by word and example? Will
you love your neighbor as yourself? Will
you respect the dignity of every human being?
Our readings say, “I will.”
The
first lesson comes from the dedication of Solomon’s temple. During the dedication, Solomon’s public
prayer to God includes this: “When a
foreigner comes and prays toward this house, then hear and do all that the foreigner
calls to you, so that all the people of the earth may know you.” Solomon isn’t praying to conquer the
nations. He’s praying that outsiders
will come to God’s house and be welcomed therein. All means all.
And
in the gospel, the ultimate outsider, a Roman centurion, requests that Jesus
heal his beloved slave. Jesus never meets
him, but is given a good report by Jewish elders. Jesus goes but is stopped short by friends of
the centurion who display the man’s faith in the God of Israel. Jesus welcomes the man and his request, and
the slave is healed. All means all.
So
here we are at our first 9:30 service. The
impetus and hope for a combined service was to build a stronger community at
St. Luke’s. It was, and is, hoped that
this will strengthen our congregation and unify our community. It was, and is, hoped that people become
excited about being here with a fuller building, more robust singing and
generally experiencing all we have to offer.
But it’s not just about us.
Solomon
didn’t pray that his glorious new temple would only appeal to Episcopalians – I
mean, Israelites. He prayed that
foreigners would be drawn in by God and welcomed into that household as full
members. All means all.
Jesus
didn’t turn down a foreigner’s request because he was a foreigner, but used him
as an example to others for what faith looked like. All means all.
Both
of those scenes involved looking and listening to outsiders and
foreigners. Both of those scenes involve
us and God connecting with people who have us surrounded.
As
we move forward with this single service, look for what excites you. Look for reasons to proclaim the gospel, to love
your neighbor and to respect the dignity of every human being. Look for ways to help spread the Kingdom of
God.
When
we start actively looking for these things, then we will begin looking for ways
to speak God’s language to outsiders and foreigners in ways that they
understand. We will begin looking for
ways to connect with our community. We
will begin looking for ways to connect with all those who have us
surrounded. Because in the Kingdom of
God, all means all.
And
when we do that, then we will be active missionaries of this thing we
call the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society.
Amen.
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