Sunday, 14 February 2008
2 Lent, Year A
St Philip’s Church (Gorton Abbey Hey Team)
Genesis 12: 1- 4
Psalm 121
John 3: 1-17
The last morning I was here we had the story of Jesus on the mountain with both Moses and Elijah. A voice came from the clouds saying, “This is my Beloved with whom I am well pleased” – It’s the voice of God referring to Jesus.
I asked you to use your imagination to think: What IF you thought that the voice of God was talking to each one of us? Could you believe that God would say to you, “YOU are MY Beloved with YOU I am well pleased!”??
I have faith that is exactly what we are supposed to believe!
We are to believe and know that we are loved by God just as Jesus was loved.
Our story this morning makes that point again.
We’ve got this man called Nicodemus. He’s a Pharisee, a leader of the Jewish people – in this case more like a scholar / theologian than a minister.
Nicodemus and Jesus go into quite a bit of religious discussion. It’s not really a straightforward conversation. Nicodemus is clearly not getting what Jesus has to say about being re-born, and the being born of the Spirit, and the differences between earthly and heavenly life. Jesus tries several ways to get his point across.
Until finally we have the verse that so many of us know.
It’s a verse that captures the essence of Christian belief, doesn’t it? I think it was the very first Bible verse I learnt by heart and still is one of the few I can recite.
What I want to focus on are the first six words: “For God so loved the world.” In my mind, these sound familiar to “You are my beloved”. Do you hear it?
They’re both talking about God loving: God loving the world, God loving Jesus, God loving US as we’re apart of the world.
So, have you been able to imagine that you are God’s beloved?
Maybe … Maybe not ….
If it’s a little difficult, maybe it’s easier to understand that God loved the world. Then we can think about the whole world, everything in the world, and ourselves as part of that. And God in that way loves us.
Whether we can imagine that we are God’s beloved or God loved the world, as Christians, we are supposed to love God and love our neighbors, right? We know these two commandments well – we say them almost every week at the start of the service. The problem is how to show it – it’s simple to say but not easy to do.
A fortnight ago I talked about some of the things the Church has suggested we “take on” for Lent in terms of being generous (or loving) to our neighbors. They were very concrete practical things to do.
Today, with Jesus telling us God loves the whole world, I want to stretch our ways of being generous beyond how we act toward our neighbors to being generous with our thoughts – our views about other people … neighbors or strangers.
Today, as well as Lent being a time to take something “on” instead of giving something up, I want to remind us that Lent is a time to look at ourselves and what we do. It’s a time to take stock of and reflect on how we act: Like this …
It’s very easy for us to put people into categories isn’t it? I know it happens to me everyday as I am out shopping, am on the bus, or walking in town. I look around and think about the people around me: the way they look, are dressed or how they talk. We might each have ways of sorting people : it may be the color of their skin, it might be if they look like they have money or don’t; if there are too many clothes or too few; what you overhear them say to a child or what you don’t hear them say.
You know what I’m talking about … I make judgments; usually not so nice judgments – we all do. It is so easy. And it wouldn’t be a problem if I was only thinking GOOD things but most of the time VERY quickly, I make up my mind as to who’s in and who’s out – basically who’s “good” and who’s “bad”.
For me, Lent is the chance to remember hearing Jesus say, “God so loved the world”. When I listen to those six words, THEN I’ve got to reassess the comparisons I’m making. I have to examine how I’m separating other people from myself.
I’ve got to realize that God loves the people I’M judging just as much as me.
Here’s a small example : I was talking with a friend about her children playing outside on her street. As we talked, she called the children of a family living at the end of the street, “a bit rough”. Now that was a judgment. Granted she doesn’t want any harm to come to her children and I don’t know details of the situation, BUT there’s every possibility that she only made that statement by looking at them, isn’t there?
At the time, I didn’t say anything. I didn’t say, “do you know the family?” or “what exactly have they done?” Or what about, “they’re God’s children too, aren’t they?”
No! I just “hmmm’ed” along with her. How quickly I forgot that God so loved THEM in the world too! Not just me. I went right along with her separating us – the “good” people -- from them - the “rough” people.
I am NOT talking about not being safe or acting street wise, nor allowing law breakers or criminals. I AM talking about the broad judgments and opinions we so easily and quickly hold. Because I know it happens to us all the time.
Lent gives us the chance to take a look at how we act. Just take a minute, can you think of a similar situation in the past week where you made judgments or separated people into “us and them”??
What’s really amazing is that God still loves us even when we are judging.
The deep question for me this Lent is : Can I be as generous to others (for example, my neighbors) as God is to me? As you can see, there are times when I really struggle to answer “yes.”
At the same time, I’m positive we can make a start at loving God and our neighbors IF we believe that God loves us – the world - first. For me, that’s what makes it possible to give up what I might easily do in order to be who I want to be.
SO, this week I guess I’m saying Lent is about BOTH taking on AND giving up. It’s about continuing to take on the generosity, while giving up the judging of others. And being able to do both because God so loves the world that I am apart of and I am God’s beloved. I hope this next week you can do the same. Amen.
To help, I’ve got a little slip of paper with a reminder to “take on” and “give up” because we ARE God’s beloved and God so loved the world which I’ll give to you later.
Amen.
HERE"S MY HANDOUT TO HELP REMEMBER ...
YOU are God’s beloved …
Take on gratitude Give up complaining
Take on optimism Give up pessimism
Take on kindly thoughts Give up harsh judgment
Take on trust in God Give up worry
Take on hopefulness Give up discouragement
Take on forgiveness Give up bitterness
Take on love Give up hatred
Take on positivism Give up negativity
Take on understanding Give up anger
Take on maturity Give up pettiness
Take on compassion Give up jealousy
Take on complimenting Give up gossiping
Take on appreciation Give up gloom
Take on patience Give up giving up
~ for God SO loved the World
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Sunday, February 03, 2008
February 3, 2008 - Pt 1 with Feb 14 08
Here in England they have the show "Deal or No Deal" but it is VERY different from how it is played at home - read on to find out. I've found that lots of people DO watch TV (or telly as they say) here and when I asked if they watched this - most of them raised their hands. I like taking the common things like TV and making them theological, or at least finding the theological in them when it's not there explicitly.
Sunday, 3 February 2008 Last before Lent, Year A
Matthew 17 : 1-9
Do any of you watch the television program called “Deal or No Deal”?
The idea is deceptively simple, isn’t it? One player of the day has a box with an amount of money in it. The other players also each have a box – all ranging from 1 P to 250,000 pounds. The player then has to choose which of the others’ boxes will have the lower amounts and hope that hers has more. But, “the Banker” is making offers as the game goes on to “buy” the one box from her. So, the skill of the game is in the level of risk (or gambling), the based on confidence in the chance amount of cash in the box the player is willing to take.
I have to admit, since I’ve been here, this program has captured my attention. On many weekday afternoons (at 4 pm) you can find me watching it and I’ve tried to analyze why it’s got me hooked. Now we have a show by the same name in America, but they play it differently. The difference is in the other box holders – here they’re other players, real people who will eventually be in the hot seat; at home they’re a bunch of beautiful women models displaying the boxes. This is a huge difference because I’m told that all the people on the game here – all the box holders – actually live together during each week until they’re called into the hot seat themselves. They’re strangers who get to know one another and want each other to WIN!!
It’s NOT about competing against each other. They’re ALL supporting one another. They’re only against the banker. They want each person in the hot seat to win because they know that at some time THEY will have a chance there themselves.
I LOVE that.
It’s so different from all the other games where there are winners and losers because of judges like the dancing or singing shows. And it’s not about someone’s knowledge like a quiz game. These players always want the person who’s playing to make the most money in their box. They offer each other advice about taking the risks and say supportive things especially about making the deals. And that’s because they’ve come to know one another.
I think the people supporting each other – their generosity -- is why I watch : because it’s so different from most of real life.
How many people do you have in your average week telling you positive things, or supporting you for the things you do? Maybe your family and friends, but very rarely do strangers want you to win, do they?
All very good – but why am I talking about this game? Well, we’re approaching Ash Wednesday and it’s time to be thinking about Lent. During Lent, we have the opportunity to take a look at ourselves and our lives – we have the chance to make some changes.
You all know some people who give up things for Lent. The point of giving up is to live our lives in a different way for a short time.
AND, there’s another way to “do” Lent. It’s basically the opposite way. Instead of giving something up; you take something on. To my mind, this is just as difficult and can be just as good for us in terms of making changes. Adding to our lives can also be good for the people and the world around us.
I’m definitely not alone in this idea. This is the second year that the Church of England has taken to publishing a little booklet called “Love Life, Live Lent” which is full of things “to do” during Lent. The things are very simple and easy to do:
Ask someone about their day
Leave a thank you note for the postie
Give up your place to someone in the queue
Light a candle and pray for someone – well, we do that, don’t we?
Buy a low energy light bulb
Have a conversation with someone from another generation
Say hello to a police officer
Think about how you can take time for quiet and silence
You get it. The idea is that by making a variety of small actions, lots of little additions to our lives during Lent, we can make a huge difference to the places we live.
For me the theme of most of these is about generosity. Like in Deal or No Deal – now you don’t have to watch the show, just act generous way toward each other that they do.
For me, this year Lent will be about taking on things instead of giving them up. Being generous has become very important. I’m not sure exactly why, but there’s a way in which today’s gospel partly answers that.
In last week’s story of the miracle at the wedding at Cana, we heard about the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. This story of Jesus changing into blazing white like the sun takes place in the middle of his time in Galilee meeting people, healing them, and preaching about the way life can be better in his everlasting kingdom where life is upside-down from the way it appears.
Remember, as Jesus is there on the mountain with both Moses and Elijah, a voice comes from the clouds saying, “this is my Beloved with whom I am well pleased” – It’s the voice of God - of course referring to Jesus. Well, it takes your imagination to take this in, and now I want you to use your imagination even more. What IF; what if we believed that voice of God was talking to each one of us?
Could you believe that God would say to you, “YOU are MY Beloved with YOU I am well pleased!”?? I have faith that we ARE to believe that! We are to know we are loved by God just as Jesus was loved, just as the people of God have been loved even since the time of Adam and Eve.
And IF we believe that – then one of the most important things that Jesus says makes sense. We know that Jesus said, FIRST love the Lord your God, and then love your neighbors as yourself. It seems that our lives as Christians is then about figuring how to do that. We are able to even make a start is because we know that we are loved by God first. When we can imagine that we are God’s beloved then we can begin to love our neighbors.
THEN the generosity starts to flow. WHEN we believe we are God’s beloved, then we can act like the folks on “Deal or No Deal”. Will you join me this Lent in being generous as well?
Can you take time each week to do a few things that might change the world? And maybe watching the telly is one way to get started! Amen.
Sunday, 3 February 2008 Last before Lent, Year A
Matthew 17 : 1-9
Do any of you watch the television program called “Deal or No Deal”?
The idea is deceptively simple, isn’t it? One player of the day has a box with an amount of money in it. The other players also each have a box – all ranging from 1 P to 250,000 pounds. The player then has to choose which of the others’ boxes will have the lower amounts and hope that hers has more. But, “the Banker” is making offers as the game goes on to “buy” the one box from her. So, the skill of the game is in the level of risk (or gambling), the based on confidence in the chance amount of cash in the box the player is willing to take.
I have to admit, since I’ve been here, this program has captured my attention. On many weekday afternoons (at 4 pm) you can find me watching it and I’ve tried to analyze why it’s got me hooked. Now we have a show by the same name in America, but they play it differently. The difference is in the other box holders – here they’re other players, real people who will eventually be in the hot seat; at home they’re a bunch of beautiful women models displaying the boxes. This is a huge difference because I’m told that all the people on the game here – all the box holders – actually live together during each week until they’re called into the hot seat themselves. They’re strangers who get to know one another and want each other to WIN!!
It’s NOT about competing against each other. They’re ALL supporting one another. They’re only against the banker. They want each person in the hot seat to win because they know that at some time THEY will have a chance there themselves.
I LOVE that.
It’s so different from all the other games where there are winners and losers because of judges like the dancing or singing shows. And it’s not about someone’s knowledge like a quiz game. These players always want the person who’s playing to make the most money in their box. They offer each other advice about taking the risks and say supportive things especially about making the deals. And that’s because they’ve come to know one another.
I think the people supporting each other – their generosity -- is why I watch : because it’s so different from most of real life.
How many people do you have in your average week telling you positive things, or supporting you for the things you do? Maybe your family and friends, but very rarely do strangers want you to win, do they?
All very good – but why am I talking about this game? Well, we’re approaching Ash Wednesday and it’s time to be thinking about Lent. During Lent, we have the opportunity to take a look at ourselves and our lives – we have the chance to make some changes.
You all know some people who give up things for Lent. The point of giving up is to live our lives in a different way for a short time.
AND, there’s another way to “do” Lent. It’s basically the opposite way. Instead of giving something up; you take something on. To my mind, this is just as difficult and can be just as good for us in terms of making changes. Adding to our lives can also be good for the people and the world around us.
I’m definitely not alone in this idea. This is the second year that the Church of England has taken to publishing a little booklet called “Love Life, Live Lent” which is full of things “to do” during Lent. The things are very simple and easy to do:
Ask someone about their day
Leave a thank you note for the postie
Give up your place to someone in the queue
Light a candle and pray for someone – well, we do that, don’t we?
Buy a low energy light bulb
Have a conversation with someone from another generation
Say hello to a police officer
Think about how you can take time for quiet and silence
You get it. The idea is that by making a variety of small actions, lots of little additions to our lives during Lent, we can make a huge difference to the places we live.
For me the theme of most of these is about generosity. Like in Deal or No Deal – now you don’t have to watch the show, just act generous way toward each other that they do.
For me, this year Lent will be about taking on things instead of giving them up. Being generous has become very important. I’m not sure exactly why, but there’s a way in which today’s gospel partly answers that.
In last week’s story of the miracle at the wedding at Cana, we heard about the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. This story of Jesus changing into blazing white like the sun takes place in the middle of his time in Galilee meeting people, healing them, and preaching about the way life can be better in his everlasting kingdom where life is upside-down from the way it appears.
Remember, as Jesus is there on the mountain with both Moses and Elijah, a voice comes from the clouds saying, “this is my Beloved with whom I am well pleased” – It’s the voice of God - of course referring to Jesus. Well, it takes your imagination to take this in, and now I want you to use your imagination even more. What IF; what if we believed that voice of God was talking to each one of us?
Could you believe that God would say to you, “YOU are MY Beloved with YOU I am well pleased!”?? I have faith that we ARE to believe that! We are to know we are loved by God just as Jesus was loved, just as the people of God have been loved even since the time of Adam and Eve.
And IF we believe that – then one of the most important things that Jesus says makes sense. We know that Jesus said, FIRST love the Lord your God, and then love your neighbors as yourself. It seems that our lives as Christians is then about figuring how to do that. We are able to even make a start is because we know that we are loved by God first. When we can imagine that we are God’s beloved then we can begin to love our neighbors.
THEN the generosity starts to flow. WHEN we believe we are God’s beloved, then we can act like the folks on “Deal or No Deal”. Will you join me this Lent in being generous as well?
Can you take time each week to do a few things that might change the world? And maybe watching the telly is one way to get started! Amen.
Sunday, October 14, 2007
October 14, 2007
SUNDAY 14 October 2007
St Cross, Clayton
19 after Trinity Year C
TEC – Ruth 1:1-19A
COE – Jeremiah 29: 1,4-7
Luke 17:11- 19 – Jesus heals ten lepers, one says thanks
I offer these words in the name of one Triune God. Amen.
I am very happy to be here and to have been invited by Matt my dean and colleague who has really helped both my partner Joe and I. I have known some of you already as it was about one year ago, that I was a part of St George’s as it was closing. I will also say that Joe and I were here for a wonderful sermon by Jacob that stayed with us for weeks. I can tell you which it was later, but I feel it set a very high standard for me this morning.
In our gospel story we hear about ten people whom Jesus heals. We also are told that only ONE of them praises God and thanks Jesus for his healing. Jesus acknowledges this man. But to the other Nine Jesus seems to be a bit upset. Jesus appears to say that they were un-grateful; that they didn’t need to thank him but the least they could have done was to give praise to God.
We all know it doesn’t go down well when you don’t say thanks to someone who has helped you, does it? Since moving here to the North, I’ve learnt that getting off the bus should include: cheers, thank you, Ta, or some combination of the three. Growing up, my mum taught me the same thing back home.
Whether we’re in England or America, we can hear a tone in Jesus’ voice that sounds a bit critical. Maybe you can see Jesus wagging his finger as well. With that in mind, it would be very easy for us to see this gospel as a lesson in being polite in either British or American society. But it’s not quite that. We could see these words of Jesus as a reminder on how to act when someone give us something. But they’re not exactly that either.
During the time Jesus lived there WERE ways that people were expected to act toward one another. But they were different from ours. One thing that they could exchange with one another wasn’t money – it was how they ACTED. And if you were poor and couldn’t afford to repay you also gave praise and said thanks to the person who took care of you because you had nothing else to give.
So who is this man who comes back to Jesus? We’re told he’s a Samaritan – a foreigner – someone from an area that good Jewish people avoided and someone who the non-Jewish people avoided as well. Basically, he is an outsider. He is just like the woman whom Jesus talked to at the well when no one else would. And he has nothing to give back to Jesus –– so all he can do is give praise to God and say thanks to Jesus. He has no other way to “repay” Jesus’ kindness.
I often try to put Jesus’ stories in our current world and think who around us today would play the different parts. Who do YOU think could be the person feeling least able to give anything back? Who is the person we might find just like this Samaritan man?
Now I might surprise you with my suggestions – because perhaps you, like me, often think of yourself as the One who gives thanks and praise – we’re here in church after all. But what IF the One --
Is a young “hoodie” lad – no longer a child not quite an adult?
Or maybe a Polish immigrant, without economic well-being in his home and a stranger here?
Perhaps he would be a foreign refugee – definitely someone without a country?
Then what about the other 9? In Jesus’ day these folk must have felt able somehow to give back or repay Jesus because they didn’t give their thanks and praise. In some way, they felt themselves more on par with Jesus and less in his debt – even though being healed.
Although you may disagree with me, I believe most of us in church today are a lot more like the Nine than we are the one. Not that we’re ungrateful or not-thankful but because we probably DO feel we have some way to give back to Jesus or repay God.
Understood this way, Jesus is not wagging his finger at the Nine or at us regular church-goers. We’re not meant to feel criticized or bad or guilty for not coming back to say thanks.
However, I do believe Jesus IS asking WHERE are we?
Where are we?? We are here. We live in the city and the prophet Jeremiah is talking to us. He knows us because he lives in the city as well. About 2,000 600 years ago Jeremiah lived in Jerusalem and felt called by God to stay in his city at a time when the people around him needed hope.
Jeremiah says to us: “Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf for in its welfare you will find your welfare.” If we are like the Nine, then perhaps our way to give praise and thanks is to seek the welfare of the city and pray to God. Maybe this is how we can show our gratitude to God.
Where I lived in California was quite different from Manchester. I did not grow up in a proper city. Honestly, I have never lived with a bus stop outside my door nor bars on my windows. I had no experience with living in a district like Gorton. Obviously I’ve come to experience the deprivations of the inner city quickly.
Most of you know better than I how challenging the city can be – the difficulties of daily life, the frustrations when people live close together, health and safety are always “issues” and the consequences of deprivation can even lead to depression. Sometimes even changes for the good can feel less than positive.
However, since moving here, I’ve clearly come to recognize the resources I have to give back to God. My way to say thanks and give praise to Jesus is to join Jeremiah in giving hope and to follow Jeremiah in to seeking the welfare of the city and to pray on its behalf.
To love and care for the city will take more than my prayers; it might take each one of the Nine of us – especially if we’re to reach out to that one who is outside – the refugee, the immigrant, the hoodie. In this light, I don’t believe Jesus is criticizing us, not calling us ungrateful. We’re necessary. AND we must go on to find our OWN way to show our thanks to Jesus and give praise to God.
The question is - Do you also see yourself as someone with enough gratitude to give back to God? Can you show your appreciation by how you act?
IF so! Because then that all of us like the Nine can not only pray but also work toward the welfare of our city.
Amen.
St Cross, Clayton
19 after Trinity Year C
TEC – Ruth 1:1-19A
COE – Jeremiah 29: 1,4-7
Luke 17:11- 19 – Jesus heals ten lepers, one says thanks
I offer these words in the name of one Triune God. Amen.
I am very happy to be here and to have been invited by Matt my dean and colleague who has really helped both my partner Joe and I. I have known some of you already as it was about one year ago, that I was a part of St George’s as it was closing. I will also say that Joe and I were here for a wonderful sermon by Jacob that stayed with us for weeks. I can tell you which it was later, but I feel it set a very high standard for me this morning.
In our gospel story we hear about ten people whom Jesus heals. We also are told that only ONE of them praises God and thanks Jesus for his healing. Jesus acknowledges this man. But to the other Nine Jesus seems to be a bit upset. Jesus appears to say that they were un-grateful; that they didn’t need to thank him but the least they could have done was to give praise to God.
We all know it doesn’t go down well when you don’t say thanks to someone who has helped you, does it? Since moving here to the North, I’ve learnt that getting off the bus should include: cheers, thank you, Ta, or some combination of the three. Growing up, my mum taught me the same thing back home.
Whether we’re in England or America, we can hear a tone in Jesus’ voice that sounds a bit critical. Maybe you can see Jesus wagging his finger as well. With that in mind, it would be very easy for us to see this gospel as a lesson in being polite in either British or American society. But it’s not quite that. We could see these words of Jesus as a reminder on how to act when someone give us something. But they’re not exactly that either.
During the time Jesus lived there WERE ways that people were expected to act toward one another. But they were different from ours. One thing that they could exchange with one another wasn’t money – it was how they ACTED. And if you were poor and couldn’t afford to repay you also gave praise and said thanks to the person who took care of you because you had nothing else to give.
So who is this man who comes back to Jesus? We’re told he’s a Samaritan – a foreigner – someone from an area that good Jewish people avoided and someone who the non-Jewish people avoided as well. Basically, he is an outsider. He is just like the woman whom Jesus talked to at the well when no one else would. And he has nothing to give back to Jesus –– so all he can do is give praise to God and say thanks to Jesus. He has no other way to “repay” Jesus’ kindness.
I often try to put Jesus’ stories in our current world and think who around us today would play the different parts. Who do YOU think could be the person feeling least able to give anything back? Who is the person we might find just like this Samaritan man?
Now I might surprise you with my suggestions – because perhaps you, like me, often think of yourself as the One who gives thanks and praise – we’re here in church after all. But what IF the One --
Is a young “hoodie” lad – no longer a child not quite an adult?
Or maybe a Polish immigrant, without economic well-being in his home and a stranger here?
Perhaps he would be a foreign refugee – definitely someone without a country?
Then what about the other 9? In Jesus’ day these folk must have felt able somehow to give back or repay Jesus because they didn’t give their thanks and praise. In some way, they felt themselves more on par with Jesus and less in his debt – even though being healed.
Although you may disagree with me, I believe most of us in church today are a lot more like the Nine than we are the one. Not that we’re ungrateful or not-thankful but because we probably DO feel we have some way to give back to Jesus or repay God.
Understood this way, Jesus is not wagging his finger at the Nine or at us regular church-goers. We’re not meant to feel criticized or bad or guilty for not coming back to say thanks.
However, I do believe Jesus IS asking WHERE are we?
Where are we?? We are here. We live in the city and the prophet Jeremiah is talking to us. He knows us because he lives in the city as well. About 2,000 600 years ago Jeremiah lived in Jerusalem and felt called by God to stay in his city at a time when the people around him needed hope.
Jeremiah says to us: “Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf for in its welfare you will find your welfare.” If we are like the Nine, then perhaps our way to give praise and thanks is to seek the welfare of the city and pray to God. Maybe this is how we can show our gratitude to God.
Where I lived in California was quite different from Manchester. I did not grow up in a proper city. Honestly, I have never lived with a bus stop outside my door nor bars on my windows. I had no experience with living in a district like Gorton. Obviously I’ve come to experience the deprivations of the inner city quickly.
Most of you know better than I how challenging the city can be – the difficulties of daily life, the frustrations when people live close together, health and safety are always “issues” and the consequences of deprivation can even lead to depression. Sometimes even changes for the good can feel less than positive.
However, since moving here, I’ve clearly come to recognize the resources I have to give back to God. My way to say thanks and give praise to Jesus is to join Jeremiah in giving hope and to follow Jeremiah in to seeking the welfare of the city and to pray on its behalf.
To love and care for the city will take more than my prayers; it might take each one of the Nine of us – especially if we’re to reach out to that one who is outside – the refugee, the immigrant, the hoodie. In this light, I don’t believe Jesus is criticizing us, not calling us ungrateful. We’re necessary. AND we must go on to find our OWN way to show our thanks to Jesus and give praise to God.
The question is - Do you also see yourself as someone with enough gratitude to give back to God? Can you show your appreciation by how you act?
IF so! Because then that all of us like the Nine can not only pray but also work toward the welfare of our city.
Amen.
Friday, June 08, 2007
June 8, 2007
An invitation from one of my deanery colleagues to preach mid-week at a "Festival" we don't celebrate in my Team. Corpus Christi would possibly be celebrated in TEC, but is more popular with the Anglo-Catholics. Here, the Anglo-Catholics are often the churches more open to women than the Evangelicals - so I have a natural affinity with them. This was an excellent chance to get to talk about a favorite saint of mine : Julian. It was also the chance to talk/write about an experience I've wanted to share since I've been ordained and sharing the bread - looking at people's hands. (the stories they could tell!) After the service, the rector told me he'd never seen the congregation be asked to move or "participate" during a sermon but you wouldn't have known it at the time - they all talked with the person sitting next to them. And because, as usual, there were so few people in these large church buildings ... they really HAD to move.
PS - you can see a truly wonderful parish website for this church St Agnes, Longsight I think it's a gorgeous building, and the people are rector are absolutely lovely!
Corpus Christi aka “Thanksgiving for Holy Communion”
(Season of Pentecost - Thursday after Trinity Sunday) Year C
8 June 2007 – Festival, HC, Procession & Adoration
St Agnes Church, Longsight – Stephen Edwards, Rector
Genesis 14:18-20
Psalm 116:10-17
1 Cor 11:23-26
John 6: 51-58
I offer these words in the name of our one triune God – the supreme goodness of all manner of things and the endless fulfilling of all true desires. Amen.
It’s a real joy to be here this evening. Since the first day I met your rector Stephen he’s been telling me what fun you all have in church, especially when there’s a celebration. And together with my partner Joe, let me say we’re delighted to be part of yours tonight.
I did not grow up in the Anglican Church. I “found” it when I was in my mid-twenties and immediately fell in love with the consistent regularity of a community gathering together to share this very special meal of bread and wine made Holy. However, I admit that regularity can become a negative. Sometimes we can get quite routine in our tradition. It can become common and ordinary to walk forward week after week, put out our hands, and partake of Jesus. I know that on some Sundays, I completely take for granted the Mystery of it all.
So, this yearly celebration is wonderful because gives us a chance to look again at the Eucharist and to maybe encounter the Mystery again. Tonight, I hope that with what we hear and say; with our movement and in silence, and with what is prepared at the altar and what has been prepared in your kitchens we’ll each come to experience something – anything – about Holy Communion in a new way.
One of the things I’ve come to love about living in Manchester – which I’m sure you can relate to – is the many things on offer each evening. Manchester is full of events from sports to culture and leisure for everyone. This evening there is a concert at Bridgewater Hall featuring the music of the English Christian Mystic called Julian (1342-1417). You might know her as the saint who lived in the late 1300’s with her cat, anchored onto the cathedral in Norwich from which she gave spiritual direction to those who came to visit her. She also wrote of her vivid visions or dreams about God and realistic conversations with Jesus.
Mystics are those strange people among us who can feel and experience God most closely. And they often write to describe that to us. What I love about the mystics is that what they say can move us to a new insight, they might play with what we take for granted or challenge what we believe.
Julian is like that. Julian wrote – all those ages ago – in a very unusual way about Holy Communion. I said mystics challenged us, and Julian does. She writes about Jesus as our Mother. Although not disputing that Jesus is a male, Christ is our Mother because by taking our human nature, with Jesus’ passion, death and resurrection he sustains our growing into God. That’s certainly different. You need to know that to hear how beautifully she talks of Holy Communion …
“The mother can give her child from her milk, but our precious Mother Jesus can feed us with Himself; and He does it most graciously and most tenderly with the Blessed Sacrament which is the Precious Food of true life … with which he supports us most mercifully and graciously.”
That may not make sense to your head, but what about touching your heart? I feel she expresses the sustenance I get from the Eucharist; she captures the wholesome sense of nurture and love that’s present.
There’s another mystic – this time from Germany – I like. His name is Meister Eckhart (1260-1328) – in the early 1300’s He writes …
“I could not bear to touch God with my own hand
when he came within my reach,
but He wanted me to hold Him.”
And we do hold God with our very hands when we take the host - the bread. There’s nothing between our skin and the touch of God at that point, is there?
We know that the priest’s hands are essential in the sacraments – baptizing, elevating gifts, anointing the sick, and blessing. This mystic Eckhart makes us think of it the other way when receiving communion. At that moment, WE hold God, we hold Jesus; not the priest.
But the priest does have the privilege to pass out this very special bread. As a new priest, one of the first things I noticed at the altar rail was people’s hands as they prepared to accept the wafer or bread.
Every pair of hands is different – some young and small, some wrinkled with the signs of age or cupped by the ravages of arthritis, sometimes only one hand;
hands thick and hairy, some with the well-earned dirt of hard work or beautifully manicured at the beauty salon; dry and cracked or smooth and soft;
the hands that have been opened to me come in a whole range of colors
and there might be a bandage, cut or bruise presented to me …
And there are stories behind each set of hands … some stories I would know about through my role as pastor and counselor, some stories I could only guess at, some stories that I might hear about later over tea or never ever learn.
These hands – presented to receive - have become a mystical experience for me – but it’s a Holy moment that only I get to have. Now -- if you’ll humor the American visitor amongst you – I’d like you to invite you to share in this with me. We’ll have a little bit of interaction; but don’t worry there’s nothing too touchy-feely.
First, I want you to put your hands together as YOU do to receive communion. Look at them – take a moment to Trust and Feel that God wants you to hold God there – you might want to imagine the wafer in your palms.
Now take your right hand and open it - present it to the person sitting on your right – but bring your gaze to the right hand of your neighbor that’s now in front of you … look at it: What do you see? you might know the story that goes with it, you might not; something might surprise you in what you see
Now, do the Reverse, Share your left hand to the left and focus on a different hand in front of you: Remember that this hand will reach out for and touch the presence of Jesus just as yours does in a few minutes.
Thanks
My final thought is that our hands – mine, yours, the person next to you – our hands should be more than receiving. The simple act of opening our hands to receive the bread and wine should do more than just change OUR own lives.
From recent times, French mystic Pierre Teilhard de Chardin (1881-1955) writes “in our hands, the hands of all of us, the world and life – our world, our life – are placed like a host, ready to be changed with divine influence.”
As Teilhard reminds us we’ve must never forget that the Precious Food of our Mother Jesus and the ability to hold God in our own hands are meant to be both receiving AND giving. Once consumed, the bread and wine transformed into the body and blood must then help to transform the world. A final mystic Teresa of Avila (1515-1582) says, “Christ has no body now but yours, no hands, no feet on earth but yours.”
So when you come forward to receive bread and wine tonight, as we walk the procession, spend time in adoration as well as in fellowship
remember that only through the actions of our hands to forgive, nurture, sustain, to offer tenderness and work for justice can our regular practice of celebrating Eucharist together continue the healing, saving and blessing work of Christ all around us.
Amen.
PS - you can see a truly wonderful parish website for this church St Agnes, Longsight I think it's a gorgeous building, and the people are rector are absolutely lovely!
Corpus Christi aka “Thanksgiving for Holy Communion”
(Season of Pentecost - Thursday after Trinity Sunday) Year C
8 June 2007 – Festival, HC, Procession & Adoration
St Agnes Church, Longsight – Stephen Edwards, Rector
Genesis 14:18-20
Psalm 116:10-17
1 Cor 11:23-26
John 6: 51-58
I offer these words in the name of our one triune God – the supreme goodness of all manner of things and the endless fulfilling of all true desires. Amen.
It’s a real joy to be here this evening. Since the first day I met your rector Stephen he’s been telling me what fun you all have in church, especially when there’s a celebration. And together with my partner Joe, let me say we’re delighted to be part of yours tonight.
I did not grow up in the Anglican Church. I “found” it when I was in my mid-twenties and immediately fell in love with the consistent regularity of a community gathering together to share this very special meal of bread and wine made Holy. However, I admit that regularity can become a negative. Sometimes we can get quite routine in our tradition. It can become common and ordinary to walk forward week after week, put out our hands, and partake of Jesus. I know that on some Sundays, I completely take for granted the Mystery of it all.
So, this yearly celebration is wonderful because gives us a chance to look again at the Eucharist and to maybe encounter the Mystery again. Tonight, I hope that with what we hear and say; with our movement and in silence, and with what is prepared at the altar and what has been prepared in your kitchens we’ll each come to experience something – anything – about Holy Communion in a new way.
One of the things I’ve come to love about living in Manchester – which I’m sure you can relate to – is the many things on offer each evening. Manchester is full of events from sports to culture and leisure for everyone. This evening there is a concert at Bridgewater Hall featuring the music of the English Christian Mystic called Julian (1342-1417). You might know her as the saint who lived in the late 1300’s with her cat, anchored onto the cathedral in Norwich from which she gave spiritual direction to those who came to visit her. She also wrote of her vivid visions or dreams about God and realistic conversations with Jesus.
Mystics are those strange people among us who can feel and experience God most closely. And they often write to describe that to us. What I love about the mystics is that what they say can move us to a new insight, they might play with what we take for granted or challenge what we believe.
Julian is like that. Julian wrote – all those ages ago – in a very unusual way about Holy Communion. I said mystics challenged us, and Julian does. She writes about Jesus as our Mother. Although not disputing that Jesus is a male, Christ is our Mother because by taking our human nature, with Jesus’ passion, death and resurrection he sustains our growing into God. That’s certainly different. You need to know that to hear how beautifully she talks of Holy Communion …
“The mother can give her child from her milk, but our precious Mother Jesus can feed us with Himself; and He does it most graciously and most tenderly with the Blessed Sacrament which is the Precious Food of true life … with which he supports us most mercifully and graciously.”
That may not make sense to your head, but what about touching your heart? I feel she expresses the sustenance I get from the Eucharist; she captures the wholesome sense of nurture and love that’s present.
There’s another mystic – this time from Germany – I like. His name is Meister Eckhart (1260-1328) – in the early 1300’s He writes …
“I could not bear to touch God with my own hand
when he came within my reach,
but He wanted me to hold Him.”
And we do hold God with our very hands when we take the host - the bread. There’s nothing between our skin and the touch of God at that point, is there?
We know that the priest’s hands are essential in the sacraments – baptizing, elevating gifts, anointing the sick, and blessing. This mystic Eckhart makes us think of it the other way when receiving communion. At that moment, WE hold God, we hold Jesus; not the priest.
But the priest does have the privilege to pass out this very special bread. As a new priest, one of the first things I noticed at the altar rail was people’s hands as they prepared to accept the wafer or bread.
Every pair of hands is different – some young and small, some wrinkled with the signs of age or cupped by the ravages of arthritis, sometimes only one hand;
hands thick and hairy, some with the well-earned dirt of hard work or beautifully manicured at the beauty salon; dry and cracked or smooth and soft;
the hands that have been opened to me come in a whole range of colors
and there might be a bandage, cut or bruise presented to me …
And there are stories behind each set of hands … some stories I would know about through my role as pastor and counselor, some stories I could only guess at, some stories that I might hear about later over tea or never ever learn.
These hands – presented to receive - have become a mystical experience for me – but it’s a Holy moment that only I get to have. Now -- if you’ll humor the American visitor amongst you – I’d like you to invite you to share in this with me. We’ll have a little bit of interaction; but don’t worry there’s nothing too touchy-feely.
First, I want you to put your hands together as YOU do to receive communion. Look at them – take a moment to Trust and Feel that God wants you to hold God there – you might want to imagine the wafer in your palms.
Now take your right hand and open it - present it to the person sitting on your right – but bring your gaze to the right hand of your neighbor that’s now in front of you … look at it: What do you see? you might know the story that goes with it, you might not; something might surprise you in what you see
Now, do the Reverse, Share your left hand to the left and focus on a different hand in front of you: Remember that this hand will reach out for and touch the presence of Jesus just as yours does in a few minutes.
Thanks
My final thought is that our hands – mine, yours, the person next to you – our hands should be more than receiving. The simple act of opening our hands to receive the bread and wine should do more than just change OUR own lives.
From recent times, French mystic Pierre Teilhard de Chardin (1881-1955) writes “in our hands, the hands of all of us, the world and life – our world, our life – are placed like a host, ready to be changed with divine influence.”
As Teilhard reminds us we’ve must never forget that the Precious Food of our Mother Jesus and the ability to hold God in our own hands are meant to be both receiving AND giving. Once consumed, the bread and wine transformed into the body and blood must then help to transform the world. A final mystic Teresa of Avila (1515-1582) says, “Christ has no body now but yours, no hands, no feet on earth but yours.”
So when you come forward to receive bread and wine tonight, as we walk the procession, spend time in adoration as well as in fellowship
remember that only through the actions of our hands to forgive, nurture, sustain, to offer tenderness and work for justice can our regular practice of celebrating Eucharist together continue the healing, saving and blessing work of Christ all around us.
Amen.
Sunday, April 08, 2007
April 8 2007 Easter
This is my the second of my "major feasts" with the Team -- it was my first Easter Sunday but I'd already had one Christmas. I learned after the day that what's very interesting here in my "patch" (neighborhood) is that there ISN"T any extra "bump" in attendance for these holidays! Maybe one or two extra at Christmas Eve (which they celebrate more than Christmas Day), but rarely any extras for Easter. That's SO different from TEC, isn't it? It is an odd feeling actually, not to have a "crowd", not to be worried about extra welcoming and an evangelistic, accessible, open sermon. I wrote as if there might be new, extra people - but I also wrote based on my experience, after 7 months of what it felt like to live here. JD thinks this is one of my "very best" sermons.
Easter Sunday 8 April 2007
Sunday of the Resurrection – Year C
Emmanuel Church (Gorton Abbey Hey Team)
Acts 10 : 34 - 43
Psalm 118 : 14-24 – this is the day the Lord has made
Luke 24 : 1- 12 – The resurrection of Jesus, women at the tomb
Alleluia Christ is Risen!
Let me teach you something from the American Episcopal Church. We say the bit “Alleluia Christ is Risen” and “He is Risen indeed” quite a lot on Easter Sunday, and you’ve got to say it loudly and with conviction. So let’s try it again …
Great !!
Some of you were here last Sunday for a Sunday with Palms and the Passion Story; and some of us within the team ministry have gathered during this Holy Week.
We were here at Emmanuel on Thursday to remember Jesus’ commandments at the last supper of his life: a commandment to love one another and to remember him. For the disciples that night to show the love he had for them, he washed their feet (like the lowliest person. We continue to show our love for Jesus in the service of Holy Communion that we share in remembrance of him.
Then on Good Friday at St James’ and St Philip’s we remembered in quiet, with prayer and meditative communion the agony, loneliness, the despair and great loss that were those last hours and finally the death of our Lord. For me, it’s not easy to attend Good Friday services – they can feel so dark and sometimes our lives have enough darkness. But whether we attend services or think about our own lives, we have to recognize these days in Holy Week in order to truly appreciate Easter Sunday and fully celebrate the empty tomb today.
So now we’re here… We’re here with each other and with the wonderful story of the women finding the angels in the empty tomb and asking what had been done to Jesus. We’re here with each other and with Peter and those absolutely amazed by what has happened.
On Christmas, my word for the day was Love. I like a simple thing to think about on these big days. Today, my word is Hope. If you remember nothing from today’s service but the word Hope then I’ll be glad. The Resurrection is about Hope! It’s not just about Hope – the Resurrection IS Hope. And as Christians we have a job to do that is about Hope as well. As Christians, we ARE Hope.
First I want to say that as I was writing this sermon I felt myself being very forceful about what I was saying … I felt myself really wanting YOU to understand how I feel, about how important this Hope is, and I’m going to be forceful in what I say, which -- as you can ask Joe – is not usually how I am.
SO, Hope! Let me tell you about the Hope I’m talking about. It’s not just our own hope of eternal life with Jesus that the Resurrection promises, and which our baptism connects us with. I mean hope in the lives we live – here in the day to day of Gorton.
Some people – scholars – argue about whether Jesus actually came back from the dead. They ask, How is that possible? What did the women really see in the tomb? Maybe it was just a desire to want to see Jesus alive?
I say, I may not be sure how it happened either – But, because of the Hope that the Resurrection itself brings into the world, I believe it DID happen.
Here’s what this Hope means for me. It is generosity. It is optimistic. Hope is caring and loving.
This hope is not simple or selfish – hope doesn’t say now that I’ve got what I need or want in the world, then the rest can get by on their own.
Sometimes a word like this can seem to be invisible – but Hope is not. Hope CAN be seen. Hope can be seen anytime one or two people decide to raise a child or people choose to love others’ children. In our children we have the hope of a continuation of ourselves and what we believe and teach them.
Hope can be also seen around us – it’s no wonder that Easter is celebrated in Springtime when we have all the signs of Hope around us. As I was writing this yesterday, there was the glorious sun, there were birds chirping and a squirrel in my back garden with all the beautiful green grass and little bright buds on the trees. After the long winter of short cold days, Spring reminds us of Hope.
But Hope is more than these beautiful things like babies and spring flowers. Hope is serious hard work. That’s right!
This Easter celebration is not just about Jesus’ resurrection – it’s OUR resurrection as well because of our baptism into Jesus.
Do you believe that?
Do you believe that you’re born into Jesus? And if that’s true, then this is YOUR resurrection as well!
Then it’s our job to do what Jesus did. Jesus was – Jesus is hope IN the world.
When Jesus was born, it was God’s action to put Jesus into the world – God didn’t just think “it might be a nice idea to have hope.” No! God made Hope happen with Jesus’ life and resurrection.
And whilst Jesus was on earth, Jesus didn’t just say to himself, “it might be a nice idea to have hope.” No! Jesus made Hope happen with his ministry amongst the people.
So you and I can’t just say, “oh, what a nice thing Jesus did with hope.” No! We have to DO hope ourselves.
This means our job as followers of Jesus, it’s our responsibility – it’s our Christian DUTY … yes I said our duty – to bring hope into the world.
We can bring hope into our families, bring hope to our friends and neighbors as well as to strangers and citizens; We must bring hope into the world.
We can do it with caring, loving and praying for other people.
I know many of you do it already by showing it – working for the good of this church in many different ways, for the good of the community by participating in it – and respecting all people around you, and for the good of the world with recycling and reducing energy demands as well as donating time or money to charities.
Here’s where I’m going to get forceful :
What will be different about YOU as someone WITH the Resurrection Hope of Jesus within you? What will your Resurrection Hope be this coming week? Where will you bring Hope?
How will you show Hope? Will it be in your home : whether you’re old or young you can be Hopeful. Will it be in church? Will it be in your school or neighborhood?
You can be in very desperate circumstances and still have hope. This Resurrection Hope doesn’t mean doing or getting more – it means BEING more.
It’s now time to think: Right now, sitting here today.
Do you have hope or do you need hope?
Listen for the answer to come to you from your heart.
Now, look around you. The person sitting next to you has just answered that for herself or himself. You don’t have to share your answer, but you need to know and trust this – that IF you don’t have hope right now … there IS someone here who does! And that person, listening to my challenge to them today will have hope enough for both of you.
And if there were not a single one of you sitting here today who felt you had Resurrection hope …
well, I’m telling you, I have enough hope for you all and I will love you and pray for you until you DO have hope.
This isn’t because I’m better than you, and it’s not because I’m clergy and hope is my job.
I have this hope because I believe it’s a gift that God has given me (for now) to share.
Whether you’re like me with lots of hope – spare enough to give – or not, please join me in truly believing that today Resurrection IS Hope. And that Hope IS and will be lived out in our world.
Alleluia, the Lord has Risen! The Lord is Risen Indeed!
Easter Sunday 8 April 2007
Sunday of the Resurrection – Year C
Emmanuel Church (Gorton Abbey Hey Team)
Acts 10 : 34 - 43
Psalm 118 : 14-24 – this is the day the Lord has made
Luke 24 : 1- 12 – The resurrection of Jesus, women at the tomb
Alleluia Christ is Risen!
Let me teach you something from the American Episcopal Church. We say the bit “Alleluia Christ is Risen” and “He is Risen indeed” quite a lot on Easter Sunday, and you’ve got to say it loudly and with conviction. So let’s try it again …
Great !!
Some of you were here last Sunday for a Sunday with Palms and the Passion Story; and some of us within the team ministry have gathered during this Holy Week.
We were here at Emmanuel on Thursday to remember Jesus’ commandments at the last supper of his life: a commandment to love one another and to remember him. For the disciples that night to show the love he had for them, he washed their feet (like the lowliest person. We continue to show our love for Jesus in the service of Holy Communion that we share in remembrance of him.
Then on Good Friday at St James’ and St Philip’s we remembered in quiet, with prayer and meditative communion the agony, loneliness, the despair and great loss that were those last hours and finally the death of our Lord. For me, it’s not easy to attend Good Friday services – they can feel so dark and sometimes our lives have enough darkness. But whether we attend services or think about our own lives, we have to recognize these days in Holy Week in order to truly appreciate Easter Sunday and fully celebrate the empty tomb today.
So now we’re here… We’re here with each other and with the wonderful story of the women finding the angels in the empty tomb and asking what had been done to Jesus. We’re here with each other and with Peter and those absolutely amazed by what has happened.
On Christmas, my word for the day was Love. I like a simple thing to think about on these big days. Today, my word is Hope. If you remember nothing from today’s service but the word Hope then I’ll be glad. The Resurrection is about Hope! It’s not just about Hope – the Resurrection IS Hope. And as Christians we have a job to do that is about Hope as well. As Christians, we ARE Hope.
First I want to say that as I was writing this sermon I felt myself being very forceful about what I was saying … I felt myself really wanting YOU to understand how I feel, about how important this Hope is, and I’m going to be forceful in what I say, which -- as you can ask Joe – is not usually how I am.
SO, Hope! Let me tell you about the Hope I’m talking about. It’s not just our own hope of eternal life with Jesus that the Resurrection promises, and which our baptism connects us with. I mean hope in the lives we live – here in the day to day of Gorton.
Some people – scholars – argue about whether Jesus actually came back from the dead. They ask, How is that possible? What did the women really see in the tomb? Maybe it was just a desire to want to see Jesus alive?
I say, I may not be sure how it happened either – But, because of the Hope that the Resurrection itself brings into the world, I believe it DID happen.
Here’s what this Hope means for me. It is generosity. It is optimistic. Hope is caring and loving.
This hope is not simple or selfish – hope doesn’t say now that I’ve got what I need or want in the world, then the rest can get by on their own.
Sometimes a word like this can seem to be invisible – but Hope is not. Hope CAN be seen. Hope can be seen anytime one or two people decide to raise a child or people choose to love others’ children. In our children we have the hope of a continuation of ourselves and what we believe and teach them.
Hope can be also seen around us – it’s no wonder that Easter is celebrated in Springtime when we have all the signs of Hope around us. As I was writing this yesterday, there was the glorious sun, there were birds chirping and a squirrel in my back garden with all the beautiful green grass and little bright buds on the trees. After the long winter of short cold days, Spring reminds us of Hope.
But Hope is more than these beautiful things like babies and spring flowers. Hope is serious hard work. That’s right!
This Easter celebration is not just about Jesus’ resurrection – it’s OUR resurrection as well because of our baptism into Jesus.
Do you believe that?
Do you believe that you’re born into Jesus? And if that’s true, then this is YOUR resurrection as well!
Then it’s our job to do what Jesus did. Jesus was – Jesus is hope IN the world.
When Jesus was born, it was God’s action to put Jesus into the world – God didn’t just think “it might be a nice idea to have hope.” No! God made Hope happen with Jesus’ life and resurrection.
And whilst Jesus was on earth, Jesus didn’t just say to himself, “it might be a nice idea to have hope.” No! Jesus made Hope happen with his ministry amongst the people.
So you and I can’t just say, “oh, what a nice thing Jesus did with hope.” No! We have to DO hope ourselves.
This means our job as followers of Jesus, it’s our responsibility – it’s our Christian DUTY … yes I said our duty – to bring hope into the world.
We can bring hope into our families, bring hope to our friends and neighbors as well as to strangers and citizens; We must bring hope into the world.
We can do it with caring, loving and praying for other people.
I know many of you do it already by showing it – working for the good of this church in many different ways, for the good of the community by participating in it – and respecting all people around you, and for the good of the world with recycling and reducing energy demands as well as donating time or money to charities.
Here’s where I’m going to get forceful :
What will be different about YOU as someone WITH the Resurrection Hope of Jesus within you? What will your Resurrection Hope be this coming week? Where will you bring Hope?
How will you show Hope? Will it be in your home : whether you’re old or young you can be Hopeful. Will it be in church? Will it be in your school or neighborhood?
You can be in very desperate circumstances and still have hope. This Resurrection Hope doesn’t mean doing or getting more – it means BEING more.
It’s now time to think: Right now, sitting here today.
Do you have hope or do you need hope?
Listen for the answer to come to you from your heart.
Now, look around you. The person sitting next to you has just answered that for herself or himself. You don’t have to share your answer, but you need to know and trust this – that IF you don’t have hope right now … there IS someone here who does! And that person, listening to my challenge to them today will have hope enough for both of you.
And if there were not a single one of you sitting here today who felt you had Resurrection hope …
well, I’m telling you, I have enough hope for you all and I will love you and pray for you until you DO have hope.
This isn’t because I’m better than you, and it’s not because I’m clergy and hope is my job.
I have this hope because I believe it’s a gift that God has given me (for now) to share.
Whether you’re like me with lots of hope – spare enough to give – or not, please join me in truly believing that today Resurrection IS Hope. And that Hope IS and will be lived out in our world.
Alleluia, the Lord has Risen! The Lord is Risen Indeed!
Sunday, November 19, 2006
November 19, 2006
Sunday, 19 November 2006
Second Sunday before Advent
Emmanuel Church -- Gorton Abbey Hey Team
Daniel 12: 1 – 3 ; Psalm 16
Mark 13: 1-8 “eschatological discourse introduction”
Next week – Christ the King gospel = John
2 weeks – Advent 1 gospel = Luke 21:25 – 36
I hope I’ll have a thought or two that will connect with you today.
It’s pretty clear we’re on the way toward Christmas, isn’t it? You can see and hear it in the shops, the adverts on the TV, and in the beautiful lights all around us. It seems that from everywhere we’re being told to “get ready” and “book now” for Christmas.
And it’s not on the high street, it’s right here around us -- just yesterday, I took my mum to three church Christmas Fairs: at St James, in Abbey Hey, and at the Fairfield Moravian Settlement.
Sundays in Church are getting ready for Christmas too. In our tradition, we’re in the Season called the “Weeks Before Advent”. It’s our own time for getting ready for Christmas during Sunday worship. One of those ways we do that is by looking to the stories in the Bible that talk about the end of time – as in the gospel we just read.
It’s kind of odd isn’t it, that as we know that the baby Jesus is coming – sort of a wonderful beginning to the world -- that we’re talking about the end of things. Let’s look closer at what we have.
In our story, Jesus is talking with his disciples about the end of the political and religious ways of Israel. They were all at the Jewish Temple – a HUGE structure – like their church, their city hall, and their market all built together in one large area. The foundations were built with stones as big as 30 feet long, and deep, and piled high.
Someone remarks how big they are and Jesus quickly says that nothing will be left, that all the stones will be pulled down and the place destroyed. What he is saying is as if all the concentrated power of the city centre would be leveled; not just unused factories or old tenements for regeneration, but the most important council buildings, shops, and churches cleared out.
Now Jesus has already told them that he will be come into power after the old religion and politics are gone.
Of course, then a few of the disciples ask Jesus when this will happen and what signs there will be when all this is going to take place.
Jesus tells them what to expect.
What he talks about is not a nice picture. There will be deception, and wars (nation fighting against nation), horrible weather (earthquakes and famines), beatings and challenges by the authorities. And probably the worst thing he says is that people will betray their own family members and children turn against their parents. People who are followers of Jesus will basically have a very difficult time – they will be hated.
And this is supposed to get us ready for Christmas? I’m honestly not quite how these stories fit when we want to hear about the birth of a beautiful, sweet baby.
But what makes me even more confused is that the things Jesus describes as being signs of the end seem to be what going on all around us right now.
I definitely do not mean to say that we ARE in the end times.
I just mean that we’re acting out like what Jesus describes. There is plenty of deception in our governments and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. There is global warming around us and famine in Africa. We see people behaving badly in our neighborhoods – not just against strangers but indeed in their own families.
Maybe WE are having troubles in our own families.
This gospel immediately reminded me of a story that my husband told me for when he was a teenager. Apparently he didn’t speak to his father - in their own house - for six months. For six months they went through their daily lives, were around the house, had meals together and yet would not talk to one another. They were each too stubborn to give in and apologize.
Eventually his mother asked Joe to take the first step – and he did. One of them had to make a change and it was Joe, even though he didn’t feel like it at the time because he believed he was correct, he did apologize … and he and his father started speaking again.
Joe’s childhood story is not an example of the end of the world as we know it.
But it may remind us of our own situations.
You or I may have conflicts in our own families; maybe there are people at work or in the neighborhood that you don’t get along with.
Perhaps there are good reasons: especially if someone has wronged you.
Whether it is because of our personal situations or from the news of the world around us, we may feel like this is the end of time.
And while I can’t say precisely that it’s not the end because we’ll never know,
I CAN say we do not need to act these ways. We need to act differently.
What we should take from today’s gospel and other Bible stories like this is not fear of the world around us.
What we should take today is that while the birth of Jesus is just weeks away,
it’s a reminder that we need to act the way that Jesus the adult taught us – to love and forgive.
We need to take care of our planet.
We need to be part of our governments and make our communities better.
We need to be loving toward our families, friends, and co-workers even IF we have been wronged and are not at fault.
Love the world around us and forgive one another.
This time of year, when it’s time to prepare for Christmas, we do need to prepare - but it’s more than buying presents, decorating our homes, and preparing meals. We need to prepare for Christmas by acting in ways that make things better for the world, in our homes, neighborhoods, schools, and workplace.
Jesus’ words about what awful things that can happen should not make us afraid. These words can remind us to take a moment from all of our busy-ness.
We can ask ourselves how we are helping to work toward the good of the world; we can ask if we’re doing the right thing to the people who are close to us.
These are the kind of preparations we should be making at this time. So look around in these next few weeks as the lights get brighter and the Christmas music gets louder … let those things remind you that the birth of Jesus is coming and that that birth means we NEED always to look at the way we are living.
Second Sunday before Advent
Emmanuel Church -- Gorton Abbey Hey Team
Daniel 12: 1 – 3 ; Psalm 16
Mark 13: 1-8 “eschatological discourse introduction”
Next week – Christ the King gospel = John
2 weeks – Advent 1 gospel = Luke 21:25 – 36
I hope I’ll have a thought or two that will connect with you today.
It’s pretty clear we’re on the way toward Christmas, isn’t it? You can see and hear it in the shops, the adverts on the TV, and in the beautiful lights all around us. It seems that from everywhere we’re being told to “get ready” and “book now” for Christmas.
And it’s not on the high street, it’s right here around us -- just yesterday, I took my mum to three church Christmas Fairs: at St James, in Abbey Hey, and at the Fairfield Moravian Settlement.
Sundays in Church are getting ready for Christmas too. In our tradition, we’re in the Season called the “Weeks Before Advent”. It’s our own time for getting ready for Christmas during Sunday worship. One of those ways we do that is by looking to the stories in the Bible that talk about the end of time – as in the gospel we just read.
It’s kind of odd isn’t it, that as we know that the baby Jesus is coming – sort of a wonderful beginning to the world -- that we’re talking about the end of things. Let’s look closer at what we have.
In our story, Jesus is talking with his disciples about the end of the political and religious ways of Israel. They were all at the Jewish Temple – a HUGE structure – like their church, their city hall, and their market all built together in one large area. The foundations were built with stones as big as 30 feet long, and deep, and piled high.
Someone remarks how big they are and Jesus quickly says that nothing will be left, that all the stones will be pulled down and the place destroyed. What he is saying is as if all the concentrated power of the city centre would be leveled; not just unused factories or old tenements for regeneration, but the most important council buildings, shops, and churches cleared out.
Now Jesus has already told them that he will be come into power after the old religion and politics are gone.
Of course, then a few of the disciples ask Jesus when this will happen and what signs there will be when all this is going to take place.
Jesus tells them what to expect.
What he talks about is not a nice picture. There will be deception, and wars (nation fighting against nation), horrible weather (earthquakes and famines), beatings and challenges by the authorities. And probably the worst thing he says is that people will betray their own family members and children turn against their parents. People who are followers of Jesus will basically have a very difficult time – they will be hated.
And this is supposed to get us ready for Christmas? I’m honestly not quite how these stories fit when we want to hear about the birth of a beautiful, sweet baby.
But what makes me even more confused is that the things Jesus describes as being signs of the end seem to be what going on all around us right now.
I definitely do not mean to say that we ARE in the end times.
I just mean that we’re acting out like what Jesus describes. There is plenty of deception in our governments and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. There is global warming around us and famine in Africa. We see people behaving badly in our neighborhoods – not just against strangers but indeed in their own families.
Maybe WE are having troubles in our own families.
This gospel immediately reminded me of a story that my husband told me for when he was a teenager. Apparently he didn’t speak to his father - in their own house - for six months. For six months they went through their daily lives, were around the house, had meals together and yet would not talk to one another. They were each too stubborn to give in and apologize.
Eventually his mother asked Joe to take the first step – and he did. One of them had to make a change and it was Joe, even though he didn’t feel like it at the time because he believed he was correct, he did apologize … and he and his father started speaking again.
Joe’s childhood story is not an example of the end of the world as we know it.
But it may remind us of our own situations.
You or I may have conflicts in our own families; maybe there are people at work or in the neighborhood that you don’t get along with.
Perhaps there are good reasons: especially if someone has wronged you.
Whether it is because of our personal situations or from the news of the world around us, we may feel like this is the end of time.
And while I can’t say precisely that it’s not the end because we’ll never know,
I CAN say we do not need to act these ways. We need to act differently.
What we should take from today’s gospel and other Bible stories like this is not fear of the world around us.
What we should take today is that while the birth of Jesus is just weeks away,
it’s a reminder that we need to act the way that Jesus the adult taught us – to love and forgive.
We need to take care of our planet.
We need to be part of our governments and make our communities better.
We need to be loving toward our families, friends, and co-workers even IF we have been wronged and are not at fault.
Love the world around us and forgive one another.
This time of year, when it’s time to prepare for Christmas, we do need to prepare - but it’s more than buying presents, decorating our homes, and preparing meals. We need to prepare for Christmas by acting in ways that make things better for the world, in our homes, neighborhoods, schools, and workplace.
Jesus’ words about what awful things that can happen should not make us afraid. These words can remind us to take a moment from all of our busy-ness.
We can ask ourselves how we are helping to work toward the good of the world; we can ask if we’re doing the right thing to the people who are close to us.
These are the kind of preparations we should be making at this time. So look around in these next few weeks as the lights get brighter and the Christmas music gets louder … let those things remind you that the birth of Jesus is coming and that that birth means we NEED always to look at the way we are living.
Sunday, October 29, 2006
October 29, 2006
This was the last sermon ever preached in this church ... wow! I was still new to the Team, but they asked me to preach because I had less "history" with the closing of the church than the others. The church "needed" to close because there weren't enough people to serve on its volunteer Parish Church Council (like vestry) to literally keep the doors open - which is sad. There are just so few people going to church here in Manchester - especially the working class in inner city areas - that churches just can't continue to be open. The building will continue to sit there for who knows how long.
Sunday 29 October 2006 Last Sunday after Trinity (Proper 25)
Mark 10: 46 – end : Blind Bartimaeus
On Thursday night many of us were here for the “Celebration of St. George’s” as we gathered to remember the life and acknowledge the closing of this sacred place. That night it was fitting that we were focused ONLY on St George’s and this particular building, people, and ministry within here – and appropriate at that time that many of us were sad and mourning what feels like the loss of “church”. I understand sense of loss - because in my short time here, the faithful people of St George’s have been very kind to me and my partner.
However, with the church full of people who wanted to say thanks and farewell to the parish life HERE, we were not saying goodbye to church – and difficult as it was, we were only saying goodbye to this specific place.
Today, we’ve come together as a team in liturgy with a baptism to focus on the wider church – the whole of Christianity – a church greater than St. George’s or the Team, indeed greater than the denominations of which we are all a part. Not dismissing any sorrow, I’d like to suggest that perhaps today we re-frame and readjust our focus.
We’re here as followers of Jesus Christ. And even with our many various practices and differences, that I believe is the common life we share. Our prayer book, Common Worship, tells us that baptism is a joyful moment when WE rejoice in what God has done for us in Christ. We are connected to God and one another by making promises and declaring our faith in Jesus Christ.
Like Sarah [team vicar], I have spent time in Africa. I spent a summer Tanzania in 2000, living with very poor subsistence farmers without running water or consistent electricity in their homes. It is a hugely difficult life they live.
And when I was called to preach, I wondered what I could say to them; I wondered where I could find a similarity between us.
It’s been somewhat the same coming here to Abbey Hey & Gorton. Our lives in England and America are indeed different ... It does feel like, as someone told me, “we’re two countries divided by a common language.” And I’m definitely a newcomer here to some of the ways of the English Anglican church even though I’m an American Anglican.
Again, what can I say? where are our similarities?
Well – thanks to God, I’m able to connect with you the same as I did with the people of Tanzania :: Through our most basic connection -- as Christians – as people of Christ! And, it’s the experience of baptism that all of us from our incredibly different places share.
Most of us haven’t met baby Abigail or her family before today. Yet, after this morning, we’ll be connected to her as sisters and brothers in Christ. I find that each baptism of a child deeply moves me because it is such a sign of new life (which I guess is fitting for one of the last services here at St George’s.)
With Abigail today we are all called to new relationship with God, one another, and our own church lives.
Being here today gives each one of us a new beginning and celebrating her baptism reminds us of our roots.
It’s fitting to think of roots. On Thursday, the Gospel and Sarah’s sermon were about vineyards. As she spoke I was caught up by the image of how the vines are trained to be connected to one another. In my mind I could see the vines stretching out toward one another, intertwined and linked, twisting over and around one another for strength and stability.
It’s the same for us today. We are connected, intertwined and linked through baptism. The life of St George’s will not be lost – the memories and stories will be carried in our hearts and minds; the things of St George’s will not be discarded – they’ll remain in faithful use. Most importantly the people of St George’s will not be forgotten – you’ll be joining in churches of the Team and Deanery … grafting on with other vines producing again.
I see us stretching out to one another, constantly connected and part of the Body of Christ as we continue to share our lives and communion.
It’s the water of baptism that makes it happen. In a few minutes, Sarah will pray and bless the water that is “to sustain, refresh, and cleanse all life.” This holy water sustains us. We know that water that can rejuvenate us after work and refresh us after rest. The water of baptism is what gives the energy we need for strength and growth. This is not just for the people moving out of St George’s – today’s baptism is a time for each one of us to look again at our commitments.
Through our baptism we’re part of two things at once - the big picture: Christ and the world, and the local: our own relationship with Jesus.
It’s that relationship with Jesus that we have in our Gospel story. The blind man Bartimaeus is sitting by the road. He could have been very sad, definitely feeling lost and alone for in these times people like the blind were just “put” near the outskirts of towns along the road to beg. Along comes Jesus, but WHO tries to stop Bartimaeus from calling for Jesus? It was the people in the crowd who scolded him and told him to keep quiet. But Jesus heard him. And, as Bartimaeus wanted, Jesus heals him. Then Bartimaeus doesn’t go back into the city or along with the crowd. Rather he follows Jesus along the road.
I think we are often part of the crowd. In our own churches we sometimes miss the fact that we want to be with Jesus and that he is journey that we follow. Being in our own little groups, we can forget his larger message of love, healing and transformation.
Baptism gives us the chance to renew our connection with our bigger story. Just as traveling and visiting other places, meeting new people opens our eyes to a broader view of the world than our own neighborhood.
Abigail is a lucky baby! After today she is part of the worldwide Body of Christ – joining millions of Christians, some of whom happen to be Anglicans and Methodists. She’s also part of her local neighborhood church and the (new) Gorton-Abbey Hey team where all of us now know her name. She’s got a lot of people praying for her – promising to support her … not only her parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents, but generations of Christians before her – generations twisted, connected, and supporting one another just like vines in the vineyard of God.
And I’d say we’re all lucky too! We’re part of that vineyard too – connected to one another no matter in which specific place we worship. But that doesn’t mean these next few weeks, months will be easy for the people who have named St George as their home. I call on all of us – in the name of our connection through Christ – to remember them and pray for them just as we’ll pray for Abigail and all people of faith on this day and the days to come.
Amen.
Sunday 29 October 2006 Last Sunday after Trinity (Proper 25)
Mark 10: 46 – end : Blind Bartimaeus
On Thursday night many of us were here for the “Celebration of St. George’s” as we gathered to remember the life and acknowledge the closing of this sacred place. That night it was fitting that we were focused ONLY on St George’s and this particular building, people, and ministry within here – and appropriate at that time that many of us were sad and mourning what feels like the loss of “church”. I understand sense of loss - because in my short time here, the faithful people of St George’s have been very kind to me and my partner.
However, with the church full of people who wanted to say thanks and farewell to the parish life HERE, we were not saying goodbye to church – and difficult as it was, we were only saying goodbye to this specific place.
Today, we’ve come together as a team in liturgy with a baptism to focus on the wider church – the whole of Christianity – a church greater than St. George’s or the Team, indeed greater than the denominations of which we are all a part. Not dismissing any sorrow, I’d like to suggest that perhaps today we re-frame and readjust our focus.
We’re here as followers of Jesus Christ. And even with our many various practices and differences, that I believe is the common life we share. Our prayer book, Common Worship, tells us that baptism is a joyful moment when WE rejoice in what God has done for us in Christ. We are connected to God and one another by making promises and declaring our faith in Jesus Christ.
Like Sarah [team vicar], I have spent time in Africa. I spent a summer Tanzania in 2000, living with very poor subsistence farmers without running water or consistent electricity in their homes. It is a hugely difficult life they live.
And when I was called to preach, I wondered what I could say to them; I wondered where I could find a similarity between us.
It’s been somewhat the same coming here to Abbey Hey & Gorton. Our lives in England and America are indeed different ... It does feel like, as someone told me, “we’re two countries divided by a common language.” And I’m definitely a newcomer here to some of the ways of the English Anglican church even though I’m an American Anglican.
Again, what can I say? where are our similarities?
Well – thanks to God, I’m able to connect with you the same as I did with the people of Tanzania :: Through our most basic connection -- as Christians – as people of Christ! And, it’s the experience of baptism that all of us from our incredibly different places share.
Most of us haven’t met baby Abigail or her family before today. Yet, after this morning, we’ll be connected to her as sisters and brothers in Christ. I find that each baptism of a child deeply moves me because it is such a sign of new life (which I guess is fitting for one of the last services here at St George’s.)
With Abigail today we are all called to new relationship with God, one another, and our own church lives.
Being here today gives each one of us a new beginning and celebrating her baptism reminds us of our roots.
It’s fitting to think of roots. On Thursday, the Gospel and Sarah’s sermon were about vineyards. As she spoke I was caught up by the image of how the vines are trained to be connected to one another. In my mind I could see the vines stretching out toward one another, intertwined and linked, twisting over and around one another for strength and stability.
It’s the same for us today. We are connected, intertwined and linked through baptism. The life of St George’s will not be lost – the memories and stories will be carried in our hearts and minds; the things of St George’s will not be discarded – they’ll remain in faithful use. Most importantly the people of St George’s will not be forgotten – you’ll be joining in churches of the Team and Deanery … grafting on with other vines producing again.
I see us stretching out to one another, constantly connected and part of the Body of Christ as we continue to share our lives and communion.
It’s the water of baptism that makes it happen. In a few minutes, Sarah will pray and bless the water that is “to sustain, refresh, and cleanse all life.” This holy water sustains us. We know that water that can rejuvenate us after work and refresh us after rest. The water of baptism is what gives the energy we need for strength and growth. This is not just for the people moving out of St George’s – today’s baptism is a time for each one of us to look again at our commitments.
Through our baptism we’re part of two things at once - the big picture: Christ and the world, and the local: our own relationship with Jesus.
It’s that relationship with Jesus that we have in our Gospel story. The blind man Bartimaeus is sitting by the road. He could have been very sad, definitely feeling lost and alone for in these times people like the blind were just “put” near the outskirts of towns along the road to beg. Along comes Jesus, but WHO tries to stop Bartimaeus from calling for Jesus? It was the people in the crowd who scolded him and told him to keep quiet. But Jesus heard him. And, as Bartimaeus wanted, Jesus heals him. Then Bartimaeus doesn’t go back into the city or along with the crowd. Rather he follows Jesus along the road.
I think we are often part of the crowd. In our own churches we sometimes miss the fact that we want to be with Jesus and that he is journey that we follow. Being in our own little groups, we can forget his larger message of love, healing and transformation.
Baptism gives us the chance to renew our connection with our bigger story. Just as traveling and visiting other places, meeting new people opens our eyes to a broader view of the world than our own neighborhood.
Abigail is a lucky baby! After today she is part of the worldwide Body of Christ – joining millions of Christians, some of whom happen to be Anglicans and Methodists. She’s also part of her local neighborhood church and the (new) Gorton-Abbey Hey team where all of us now know her name. She’s got a lot of people praying for her – promising to support her … not only her parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents, but generations of Christians before her – generations twisted, connected, and supporting one another just like vines in the vineyard of God.
And I’d say we’re all lucky too! We’re part of that vineyard too – connected to one another no matter in which specific place we worship. But that doesn’t mean these next few weeks, months will be easy for the people who have named St George as their home. I call on all of us – in the name of our connection through Christ – to remember them and pray for them just as we’ll pray for Abigail and all people of faith on this day and the days to come.
Amen.
Sunday, September 17, 2006
September 17, 2006
This is the FIRST sermon I preached in England! We arrived on Sunday 10 September and the very next Sunday I was presiding and preaching in Gorton. I knew I had to begin to introduce myself into the community - which was good. I like to connect my or any other person's story to the Gospel is one of my favorite ways of preaching.
The sad thing is that this church was officially closed about six weeks after this service - they had known it was coming, and I knew there were some pastoral issues that I hoped to begin to address a bit here as well.
The world is ALSO a very small place : on this Sunday, one of the parishioners from my church in Brookline MA was visiting Manchester because he grew up here - in fact, he'd been to this church in Gorton on several occasions because he has family in the area - that was amazing ... of all the two or three places in the world, ours connected here.
Sunday 17 September 2006
14th Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 19)
St George’s (Gorton Abbey Hey Team)
Mark 8:27 – end
“Who Do You Say That I Am?”
I find today’s gospel fitting for my first sermon here in Abbey Hey and Gorton because the theme is about getting to know who Jesus is. More appropriately, I suppose it’s really about Jesus knowing who we THINK he is.
But in keeping with my first Sunday here, I want to tell you a little about whom I am, who I think/ believe that Jesus is, and then ask you to consider the question for yourselves.
I’m Stefani Schatz, I’m an Episcopal – Anglican priest and a new member of the Gorton and Abbey Hey Team Ministry. My official title is Associate Minister, I’ll be non-stipendary – and because of that I’ll be ministering part time – sharing my time (after the closing of St George’s) between St Philip’s, St James, and Emmanuel. I’m living in the St James Rectory on Wellington Street with my partner/husband JD who will be also be a priest come this January. JD is the reason we’re here in England, he’s just starting a PhD at the University of Manchester in Theology and we’ll be here for three years during his research.
If you ask me where I’m from (which is what the shop people tend to do when we’re out in the market and city centre) I’ll say California. I was raised in a beautiful city on the ocean called Santa Barbara. Yes, just like you’ve heard or visited : Lots of palm trees and a lovely beach. My parents are divorced, but my mother still lives there; my dad lives in Tennessee (in the South). I have a younger sister who lives with her husband and 2 year old twin boys in New York City.
I probably had pretty much of an ideal childhood for the US. My family certainly wasn’t rich, but we had everything we needed. And I grew up in a Christian-centered home, although I wasn’t Episcopal at the time – we went to church as a family pretty much every week. My father had studied for the ministry himself in a non-denominational church. For him Jesus was the person telling and showing us that we are to help other people who are less fortunate in life. He instilled that in me and I find my deepest belief about who Jesus is, is that he is our example of how to treat other people as we live.
I went through all my education, including college in California. For a time, like many people in the US – I’m not sure about here – I was away from the church. We use the phrase “spiritual but not religious” … During those years of my life, I’d say the spirituality that I developed was one of deep gratefulness to the amazing God of Creation. I learned to be thankful for all that I have because it was given to me, undeserved, from a loving God.
There is a Bible text that goes : “to whom much is given, much is expected”. As I grew into my early adulthood, out of this sense of being grateful, I felt a call from God to “give back”. I entered church life again by coming the Episcopal/Anglican Church and was active in my mid-twenties (including being a church warden) and about five years later began to explore moving into the priesthood.
In the late 1990’s I entered seminary in Boston, Massachusetts. By moving across the US for Master of Divinity program, where I knew absolutely no one, I encountered an experience of Jesus that I describe as his hospitality. Jesus for me is also the person who loves all and every kind of child, woman or man. I know this is not easy, because perhaps like you, I am comfortable and enjoy being with the people I know best – but with Jesus’ openness to people very different from me is how I try to act.
After seminary, I returned to California – this time to the much larger setting of Los Angeles. It was my time of curacy – like Sean’s – at a very large church. With those people, we practiced the kindness of Jesus in the simple acts of loving of one another. In the way that each family shares both the fun and the challenges of living together, I saw everyday examples of a healing touch or word, and experienced the power of crying, laughing and praying together in good times and bad.
Change is a word that I often use to describe my life recently. After Joe and I were married in 2003 in California, we moved to Boston for his own theological studies. I worked at a church there with children and young people. ((In fact, one of parishioners from that church has family here in Manchester and is visiting us today.))
So this is how I find myself with you … trying to answer the question of who do I say that Jesus is. Hopefully you’ve understood that I say Jesus is an inspiring model of how to live our lives – especially in terms of how we treat one another; how we’re to share and care for all God’s people; how we’re to be open to welcome each other even when that’s difficult; and how being together is so important to not only our Christianity but also our basic humanity.
You may not agree with that. You may not say that’s who Jesus is for you. That’s OK. That’s perfectly OK because we don’t have to agree on exactly whom we say Jesus is. We hear in the gospel that there was a range of ideas about how his apostles and disciples understood him.
What IS important is that we each think about this question of who we say Jesus is. We must look at what Jesus is saying to each of us, how his life makes an impact on ours. That’s the personal spiritual “work” that each of us needs to take time for.
I’m known in Boston for giving something practical at the end of a sermon. Here’s this week’s: IF ever throughout the week you take a quiet moment, or in passing you think about me or the past Sunday or St George’s, then ask yourself the question: Who do I say Jesus is? What are a few of the qualities that he represents for you? Is he a friend, an example, a comforter, a challenger, or mighty king?
And we really shouldn’t stop with our own narrow individual views. Out of our own experience we need to share our answers with others. That may be difficult – it’s not exactly what we say in passing instead of “lovely weather isn’t it?”, but maybe as we get to know one another you’ll at least share with me who YOU think Jesus is.
As St George’s enters this time of transition from being one church to being a part of many and you each go on to another congregation, it matters who you say Jesus is! Your response to that question is what makes a different group of Christians stronger. All our understandings of Jesus are made “better” whenever we bring them together – not to make only one answer but to make a fuller answer. And we’re strengthened in our sharing of those answers just as we are when we receive communion together as we’ll do in a few minutes.
Finally, let me say Thank you for listening to me say who I believe Jesus to be. I’m grateful to be among you, and hope for the privilege of learning who you say Jesus is along our way together.
Amen.
Sunday, August 06, 2006
Sat/Sun August 5&6, 2006
This is very nearly my last Sunday in Brookline. Their worship schedule included a Celtic service on Saturdays at 5 pm (which I really enjoyed) as well as two services on Sunday morning. In the sweltering heat of Boston during July and August, I also enjoyed the 8 AM service (even me! not a morning person) because there was the slightest bit of relief from the heat which built up through the day (the Sat 5 PM was actually oppressive sometimes). The building of All Saints always felt open, welcoming and I loved being there even on my own in the early morning (provided the boiler was working in the winter) opening up for the early service.
At All Saints, I developed a bit of a reputation for my "practical" sermons which often included references to the real daily lives of the people. This was different from my colleagues who were more "spiritual" or "social justice-y". As the Director of Religious Ed for Children, Youth, and Families, I felt this was an important part of my job: to be understood by my "constituents".
To see this beautiful church, and active parish go to All Saints, Brookline.
All Saints Parish, Brookline
Saturday / Sunday, August 5/6, 2006
Exodus 34: 29 -35
2 Peter 1 : 13-21
Luke 9:28 – 36 Transfiguration – (would be Pentecost 9B)
Here’s a question for you : Who knows WHY it is Moses and Elijah who are the two talking with Jesus in our Gospel story??
Hmm.. One very helpful hint is to think back to last week’s first lesson: the story from the second book of Kings – the story of Elijah and Elisha. Remember how near the end, Elijah is “ascended into a whirlwind into heaven”? That was the sign that Elisha would be given the double share of his father Elijah’s prophetic spirit.
That’s why Elijah is in our story today : he was whisked up into heaven without really dying.
So what about Moses? I actually thought that Moses had ALSO been taken up into heaven without dying. But to check that out I read through all the books in the Bible that Moses is a part of – Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and finally in Deuteronomy Chapter 34, Moses actually dies. BUT before that, as we’ve heard in today’s lesson, when Moses is up on Mount Sinai, the Lord speaks with him. We’re to understand that Moses has seen God face-to-face.
THAT’s why Moses is in our Gospel story with Jesus, and Peter and John and James.
Both of them have had been pretty close to the God.
And in that closeness we know that Moses had a conversation and we can probably assume Elijah did too.
So that’s my take on the Transfiguration this year – that through conversation that we experience the transforming power of God.
Often interpretations or sermons about Transfiguration are about the brilliant blinding light transforming the state of the Jesus’ body. Or much is made about the way that Peter wants to hold on to the amazing situation by building the three dwellings as if to keep the awesome power of the moment for themselves fixed in that place. When I first started to prepare for today, I wanted us to explore the elements of risk in transfiguration and transformation – looking at some of the ways in which each of us faces the risk of change.
But in the last few days, I read a short piece by a priest named Sam Portaro that talked about the Transfiguration. He suggested the idea of a conversation that must have happened between Jesus and Moses and Elijah. In his writing, he suggests that both of these historic figures – men who’s life’s story Jesus would have known and studied – had a conversation with Jesus about the future of his life. Their conversation would have been inspired directly by God since they’d seen God face-to-face and brought God’s word to Jesus.
For Portaro, it is the weight and import of that conversation that leaves Jesus not only changed, and glowing in dazzling white. It gives Jesus a new understanding of what is to come in his ministry and a changed way into which he leads the next short while. Therefore, the Transfiguration is not about the physical or exterior transformation that Jesus makes (although there is manifestation of that change) but the Transfiguration is about what has changed – what has been transformed INSIDE of Jesus.
Pretty cool.
Pretty cool that a conversation could have the power to make someone LOOK physically different on the outside.
Can you imagine that ?
Do you think that could actually happen ?
Well, if you watch any of television’s makeover shows you know that it can happen. Sort of at least! It happens in reverse – that when women (predominantly) -- through clothes, hair and makeup restyling – begin to look better on the outside, they think better of and believe more in themselves on the inside.
The MORE powerful thing about our Gospel is that it’s not anything that is done, but what is said that makes the change to the inner world! And then it’s seen by those in the outer world.
I don’t think that’s quite been created by reality TV yet!!
But, seriously, how can we enter this Biblical text with it’s example of the transformation of conversation?
I honestly think that a direct word from God is exactly what many of us desire in our hearts…
Don’t we yearn to be “told” by God what to do?
To “hear” clearly what choice or choices God would want us to make?
I’m talking about the really deep questions :: It might be about question about love; or in making a choice in career or retirement; about whether or not to make a move; maybe about the best way to approach someone before or after a conflict.
When faced with a difficult situation or decision, I know I’d surely be happy if two women from my past sat down with me and said “Stefani, here is exactly what God wants you to do.”
Ordained people usually speak, from the pulpit, about being “called” to this or to that. That’s pretty much a direct back-and-forth dialogue with God.
Here at All Saints we’re almost professional with our discernment committees for people exploring that call from God.
That’s all fine. I’m talking about something a little different. I’m talking about serious questions but definitely not limited to work “with” God or the church. I mean the more ordinary things that we WOULD talk about with a friend or two.
Could we make those conversations feel like we were talking with people who had seen the face of God?
You know I think we could! I definitely think we can!! Each one of us can …
I know there’s been some discussion around the parish about perhaps setting up short term discernment committees – discernment specifically NOT for ordination purposes. I’ll even single out someone whom I know has some of this ministry both in her heart and with practical ability to say I really hope it comes to fruition soon here!!
So, as my very last practical “advice” at the end of a sermon, here’s what I suggest YOU might want to do:
First, Trust that it could happen
Select people
Think about one or two you believe has a deep spiritual life or moving toward that kind of maturity. Look for someone around you who maybe has had at least a glimpse of God.
Maybe someone who has the LIGHT around them …
This is probably not a priest! Maybe a person who is deeply committed to a run once day because she sees it as her prayer time or a person who has a compassion for others that very few people sees.
In Celtic terms this person or persons would be your Anam Cara or Soul Friend. I want you to take a moment and think about which person could be in a God-conversation with you … In my mind I keep thinking of the books Tuesdays with Morrie or the Five People You’ll Meet in Heaven. VERY ordinary people being able to do this extra-ordinary thing of helping have a conversation with God.
Ask to spend time together and share your question or concern
Remember –God will be present and listen for the Spirit to prompt questions in your hearts rather than words. But do talk – allow the power of the conversation itself be transformative ...
Imagine what could happen
Then, expect to be Transformed! Watch out for your own Transfiguration!!
There may be amazing consequences … and remember, that just like Jesus experienced, even in the deepest and darkest moments, God is there with you.
AMEN
At All Saints, I developed a bit of a reputation for my "practical" sermons which often included references to the real daily lives of the people. This was different from my colleagues who were more "spiritual" or "social justice-y". As the Director of Religious Ed for Children, Youth, and Families, I felt this was an important part of my job: to be understood by my "constituents".
To see this beautiful church, and active parish go to All Saints, Brookline.
All Saints Parish, Brookline
Saturday / Sunday, August 5/6, 2006
Exodus 34: 29 -35
2 Peter 1 : 13-21
Luke 9:28 – 36 Transfiguration – (would be Pentecost 9B)
Here’s a question for you : Who knows WHY it is Moses and Elijah who are the two talking with Jesus in our Gospel story??
Hmm.. One very helpful hint is to think back to last week’s first lesson: the story from the second book of Kings – the story of Elijah and Elisha. Remember how near the end, Elijah is “ascended into a whirlwind into heaven”? That was the sign that Elisha would be given the double share of his father Elijah’s prophetic spirit.
That’s why Elijah is in our story today : he was whisked up into heaven without really dying.
So what about Moses? I actually thought that Moses had ALSO been taken up into heaven without dying. But to check that out I read through all the books in the Bible that Moses is a part of – Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and finally in Deuteronomy Chapter 34, Moses actually dies. BUT before that, as we’ve heard in today’s lesson, when Moses is up on Mount Sinai, the Lord speaks with him. We’re to understand that Moses has seen God face-to-face.
THAT’s why Moses is in our Gospel story with Jesus, and Peter and John and James.
Both of them have had been pretty close to the God.
And in that closeness we know that Moses had a conversation and we can probably assume Elijah did too.
So that’s my take on the Transfiguration this year – that through conversation that we experience the transforming power of God.
Often interpretations or sermons about Transfiguration are about the brilliant blinding light transforming the state of the Jesus’ body. Or much is made about the way that Peter wants to hold on to the amazing situation by building the three dwellings as if to keep the awesome power of the moment for themselves fixed in that place. When I first started to prepare for today, I wanted us to explore the elements of risk in transfiguration and transformation – looking at some of the ways in which each of us faces the risk of change.
But in the last few days, I read a short piece by a priest named Sam Portaro that talked about the Transfiguration. He suggested the idea of a conversation that must have happened between Jesus and Moses and Elijah. In his writing, he suggests that both of these historic figures – men who’s life’s story Jesus would have known and studied – had a conversation with Jesus about the future of his life. Their conversation would have been inspired directly by God since they’d seen God face-to-face and brought God’s word to Jesus.
For Portaro, it is the weight and import of that conversation that leaves Jesus not only changed, and glowing in dazzling white. It gives Jesus a new understanding of what is to come in his ministry and a changed way into which he leads the next short while. Therefore, the Transfiguration is not about the physical or exterior transformation that Jesus makes (although there is manifestation of that change) but the Transfiguration is about what has changed – what has been transformed INSIDE of Jesus.
Pretty cool.
Pretty cool that a conversation could have the power to make someone LOOK physically different on the outside.
Can you imagine that ?
Do you think that could actually happen ?
Well, if you watch any of television’s makeover shows you know that it can happen. Sort of at least! It happens in reverse – that when women (predominantly) -- through clothes, hair and makeup restyling – begin to look better on the outside, they think better of and believe more in themselves on the inside.
The MORE powerful thing about our Gospel is that it’s not anything that is done, but what is said that makes the change to the inner world! And then it’s seen by those in the outer world.
I don’t think that’s quite been created by reality TV yet!!
But, seriously, how can we enter this Biblical text with it’s example of the transformation of conversation?
I honestly think that a direct word from God is exactly what many of us desire in our hearts…
Don’t we yearn to be “told” by God what to do?
To “hear” clearly what choice or choices God would want us to make?
I’m talking about the really deep questions :: It might be about question about love; or in making a choice in career or retirement; about whether or not to make a move; maybe about the best way to approach someone before or after a conflict.
When faced with a difficult situation or decision, I know I’d surely be happy if two women from my past sat down with me and said “Stefani, here is exactly what God wants you to do.”
Ordained people usually speak, from the pulpit, about being “called” to this or to that. That’s pretty much a direct back-and-forth dialogue with God.
Here at All Saints we’re almost professional with our discernment committees for people exploring that call from God.
That’s all fine. I’m talking about something a little different. I’m talking about serious questions but definitely not limited to work “with” God or the church. I mean the more ordinary things that we WOULD talk about with a friend or two.
Could we make those conversations feel like we were talking with people who had seen the face of God?
You know I think we could! I definitely think we can!! Each one of us can …
I know there’s been some discussion around the parish about perhaps setting up short term discernment committees – discernment specifically NOT for ordination purposes. I’ll even single out someone whom I know has some of this ministry both in her heart and with practical ability to say I really hope it comes to fruition soon here!!
So, as my very last practical “advice” at the end of a sermon, here’s what I suggest YOU might want to do:
First, Trust that it could happen
Select people
Think about one or two you believe has a deep spiritual life or moving toward that kind of maturity. Look for someone around you who maybe has had at least a glimpse of God.
Maybe someone who has the LIGHT around them …
This is probably not a priest! Maybe a person who is deeply committed to a run once day because she sees it as her prayer time or a person who has a compassion for others that very few people sees.
In Celtic terms this person or persons would be your Anam Cara or Soul Friend. I want you to take a moment and think about which person could be in a God-conversation with you … In my mind I keep thinking of the books Tuesdays with Morrie or the Five People You’ll Meet in Heaven. VERY ordinary people being able to do this extra-ordinary thing of helping have a conversation with God.
Ask to spend time together and share your question or concern
Remember –God will be present and listen for the Spirit to prompt questions in your hearts rather than words. But do talk – allow the power of the conversation itself be transformative ...
Imagine what could happen
Then, expect to be Transformed! Watch out for your own Transfiguration!!
There may be amazing consequences … and remember, that just like Jesus experienced, even in the deepest and darkest moments, God is there with you.
AMEN
Sunday, August 08, 2004
August 8, 2004
Here's a second online sermon - again at Trinity since they have the best technology and a committed person making this his ministry!
You will need to SCROLL DOWN once you've clicked...
Here's what happens :
When you click below you'll find yourself at Trinity, Santa Barbara's sermon's web page. When you get there, you just need to scroll down from December to August 8, you'll see me (same photo from diaconal ordination) and click to listen.
Don't forget you'll have to scroll down after you CLICK HERE to Sunday August 8.
At the beginning you'll hear the gospel for the day being read and a beautiful bit of the organ at Trinity as well.
Thanks for taking the time.
You will need to SCROLL DOWN once you've clicked...
Here's what happens :
When you click below you'll find yourself at Trinity, Santa Barbara's sermon's web page. When you get there, you just need to scroll down from December to August 8, you'll see me (same photo from diaconal ordination) and click to listen.
Don't forget you'll have to scroll down after you CLICK HERE to Sunday August 8.
At the beginning you'll hear the gospel for the day being read and a beautiful bit of the organ at Trinity as well.
Thanks for taking the time.
Sunday, August 04, 2002
August 4, 2002
For those who are interested in listening to a sermon of mine. This is the best way that my limited technology skills allow this to happen online.
Please remember : You'll need to SCROLL after you click!
Here's what happens -
When you click below you'll find yourself at Trinity, Santa Barbara's sermon's web page.
When you get there, you just need to scroll down from December to August 4, you'll see my smiling face (at diaconal ordination) and click to listen.
Don't forget, you'll have to scroll down after you CLICK HERE to August 4.
Although it may seem a bit "old", this IS one of my favorite sermons and it captures alot of my theology which is still what I believe - especially about God's love. At the beginning you'll hear the gospel for the day being read and a beautiful bit of the organ at Trinity as well.
Thanks for taking the time.
Please remember : You'll need to SCROLL after you click!
Here's what happens -
When you click below you'll find yourself at Trinity, Santa Barbara's sermon's web page.
When you get there, you just need to scroll down from December to August 4, you'll see my smiling face (at diaconal ordination) and click to listen.
Don't forget, you'll have to scroll down after you CLICK HERE to August 4.
Although it may seem a bit "old", this IS one of my favorite sermons and it captures alot of my theology which is still what I believe - especially about God's love. At the beginning you'll hear the gospel for the day being read and a beautiful bit of the organ at Trinity as well.
Thanks for taking the time.
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