So I apparently posted this to the wrong blog. Here's the sermon from earlier this month:
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Today marks the one-year
anniversary of my first Sunday at St. John's, of my first experience
of this congregation at worship, and of your first experience of me
as the incoming Rector of this parish. I say it this way
intentionally because the role of rector is position-based, while the
role of priest is relational-based. One year ago I did not arrive as
your new priest, I arrived as your new rector. And I say it that way
because any fool can be a rector, but it takes a special kind of fool
to be a priest.
A rector is defined within
the Constitution and Canons as a person elected to have full
authority and responsibility for the conduct of worship and the
spiritual jurisdiction of the Parish, subject to the Rubrics of the
Book of Common Prayer, the Constitution and Canons of this Church,
and the pastoral direction of the Bishop.
The Rector shall also at
all times be entitled to the use and control of the Church and Parish
buildings, together with all appurtenances (that means, “accessory;”
I had to look it up) and furniture, and have access to all records
and registers maintained by or on behalf of the congregation for the
purposes of all functions and duties pertaining thereto.
In other words, it is a
necessary position in this church so that we can function as a
church. You don't necessarily need ME as much as you
need the position.
A priest, though, and your
priest in particular, is something different. A priest is one who is
called to not only proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ, but is one
who will love and serve the people among whom the priest works,
caring alike for young and old, strong and weak, rich and poor. A
priest is to preach, to declare God's forgiveness to penitent
sinners, to pronounce God's blessing, to share in the celebration of
the Holy Mysteries, and to perform other ministrations entrusted to
him or her.
During the course of 2015
and 2016 the parish and Search Team did their due diligence and
decided that a guy from Oregon should be the 28th Rector
of St. John's Parish. And I'm sure they hoped that I would become
your next priest. Of course, they may not have known there was a
difference; but maybe they did. That search ended with an offered
and accepted call, a cross country move, arriving in the office on
November 1, and our first worship experience together on All Saints'
Sunday.
Over this past year I have
officiated at several funerals, baptized three children, led one
confirmation class, and officiated at one wedding. I have tweaked
the Sunday liturgy and I have added daily Evening Prayer. Which
reminds me, tonight is the annual solemn Evensong service at 5 and
you are all welcome to come back and worship again in that ancient
service. I have made uncounted hospital visits, dropped in at homes
both announced and unannounced, called people on birthdays and
anniversaries, Rambled 13 or 14 times, and generated 52-ish Wednesday
Words. Some of this I got right, some of it I've gotten wrong, but
I've always tried to give it my best shot.
There are other things
that have happened over this past year that we have shared and which
we may or may not remember, but the point to all of this is that
being your priest is much more than being the Rector of St. John's.
As I said, it takes a special kind of fool to be a priest; and
Joelene, Cece, and I were probably more than a little foolish when we
agreed to live on the other side of the country. But it has been
good, there have been no regrets, and I will be happy to continue to
be considered your fool.
I've touched on a few
things about this past year, but it's important for you to know that
the three of us have enjoyed getting to know the area, the people of
this parish, and people in other walks of life. Cece found a job,
has met some people, and made a few friends along the way. Joelene
also found a job and is making friends in and around church. I, as
you know, got hooked up with the local officiating group and have
spent the fall working games with a good bunch of guys. And, most
importantly, I'm getting to know you all better every day.
One way this “getting to
know you” manifests itself is at the Communion rail. I realize
that I can now call most of you by name without seeing your name tag
(that doesn't mean you can stop wearing them). But I'm also learning
more about you in deeper ways. As I move down the rail I know who
has been sick and or hospitalized, who is having family difficulties,
who has been hit with tragedy, who is experiencing good times, who
has just received a blessing, who is happy, and who is sad. I carry
all of these joys, sadnesses, trials, tribulations, celebrations, and
sometimes more, with me every day. And on Sunday morning I see all
of this played out at the Communion rail.
It can be a burden, yes,
but it is also an honor and blessing to be let into your lives in
such a way. This is the role of a priest. If you want a visible
symbol of that role and of the office of priest, look at the stole.
The stole is used to wrap the hands of newlyweds at the marriage
blessing. The stole is used to cover the sins of the penitent. The
stole is worn like a yoke. So when Jesus said, “my yoke is easy
and my burden is light,” the stole is the visible symbol of what he
meant.
But it is not only
personal, family, or spiritual issues that identify you to me; it is
also what you offer to the life of St. John's. When I move down the
Communion rail I also see fellow ministers who feed the hungry, visit
the sick, show hospitality, sing out joyfully, help to maintain this
beautiful house of worship, and so much more. We are, all of us, the
ministers of St. John's Parish and the face of God in this place.
We are all in this
together, you and I. We all stand with, support, and encourage one
another. We are not only the face of God in this place, but we are
also the physical representation of all the saints of the faith, of
those who came before and of those who will come after. As the
Collect says, “We have been knit together in one fellowship in the
mystical body of Christ our Lord.”
And today this brings up a
question: Who are the saints of God? Well, you could look at our
opening hymn – one was a doctor, one was a queen, one was a
soldier, and one was slain by a fierce wild priest. You could also
run down a list of them: Ambrose, Benedict, Cecilia, Francis, Hilda,
Julian, Laurence, Perpetua, Polycarp, Peter, Andrew, James, John, and
more. Great people of the faith who dedicated and sometimes lost
their lives for the sake of Christ.
A friend of mine who is
also a priest and a USAF chaplain had a quote up on his Facebook page
in honor of All Saints' Day. It's a quote by Br. Robert L'Esperance,
SSJE, and it gives one of the best definitions of a saint that I've
seen:
Saints were men and
women who understood the challenges of living the
gospel in the context
of their own places and times. They are remembered
because they lived it
with imagination and devotion. They used what they
had been given to live
their lives into the freedom of the kingdom.
Men and women who
understood the challenges of living the gospel in the context of
their own places and times. I would like to think that is us.
We have particular
challenges facing us today in the living out of the gospel that
weren't there 25, 50, 100, or even 10 years ago. Our challenges
today will not be the challenges of our children. What are some of
those challenges facing us today?
In the midst of the pledge
drive, Fred would want me to mention finances. But that is always
the case. What other challenges do we face?
Some challenges include:
How do we effectively communicate with people who live within our
sphere of influence? Do we know what God wants us to do? How are we
spending our time? Do we have an adequate level of outreach? Do our
neighbors know we are here? Do we offer deep, meaningful worship?
Do we offer worship other than Sunday morning? What is not our
Average Sunday Attendance, but what is our Average Weekly Impact?
These are some of the
challenges facing us today. Are we up to the task? Are we ready to
live as a saint of God in today's world? To co-opt and paraphrase a
lyric from Sir Paul, “I look around me and I hope that it's really
so.”
Over the past year we have
come to know each other a little more deeply. Over the past year I
hope I have come to be seen not just as the 28th Rector of
St. John's Parish but as your priest. Over the past year I have
hoped and prayed that this trend will continue for many more years.
This is a holy and good
place that I'm proud to be a part of. This is a holy and good place
that my family is happy to call home. This is a place that is
learning to live life as a saint of God.
And really, that's what
the celebration of All Saints' is all about: Remembering that we are
surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses and remembering that we have
been knit together in one fellowship in the mystical body of Christ
our Lord.
Today we celebrate All
Saints' Day. We remember those who came before and those who are
among us now. We are all saints of God. Let us face our challenges
together, let us live with imagination and devotion, let us live our
lives into the freedom of the kingdom, and let us never forget that
we all bear the image of Christ on our souls and that we are God's
representatives and messengers here and now.
Amen.
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