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We hope you enjoy this archive of sermons preached at Christ Church in Needham, Massachusetts.

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Sunday, January 25, 2009

Epiphany III - Myra Anderson

Take my lips and speak through them. Take our minds and think with them. Take our hearts and set them on fire. Amen.

Have you noticed that everyone is in the wilderness these days? That seems to be the big Metaphor of the day. It’s applied to just about every situation we can’t seem to control or fix. Whether it’s the economy, the Anglican Communion, the Massachusetts republican party – it’s all in the wilderness right now. It implies we’re lost, or searching aimlessly, or without hope.

In other words, the wilderness is not a good place to be.

Christ Church is of course not immune to all of this fear and anxiety. We’re feeling the economic downturn. We worry about the deep divisions that threaten our Communion. We worry about declining attendance in our church and many others. In another hour, the Vestry will present you with a budget for the next year. Our income is down, our fixed expenses are up. We’ve had to slash funding to some time-honored programs and outreach efforts to make it all balance.

You’ll also see that no one -- in a church of over 300 active members and families – no one has stepped forward to take two critical leadership positions: Warden and Parish Clerk. For deeply personal reasons – and I am grateful to all of you for respecting my need to keep them personal – I can’t seek another term as your senior warden.

The good news is you have Julia, and a full vestry slate with highly qualified people. Please keep them in your prayers, and give them the extra support they will need.

But it’s all pretty sobering, and has led me in recent weeks to wonder, Are we – Christ Church, our congregation – are we in the wilderness? And how do we get out?

Our Gospel reading helps us, but you have to dig a little deeper. You have to read the part they left out. That’s always my husband John’s favorite part of the Psalm – the verses they leave out. He says that’s where all the gore and wrath happens.

In this morning’s reading, we join Jesus on the road after John’s been arrested. Jesus has just arrived in Galilee. What we left out is where he had been just before that. Two weeks ago, you’ll recall, we read about his baptism by John, and how God was pleased. We skipped the part in between: right after God says, “Well Done, Son”, the Holy Spirit drives Jesus into the wilderness for 40 days to hang out with wild beasts, be tempted by Satan and waited on by angels.

Reflecting on my original question, are we in the wilderness, it occurs to me that for God, the wilderness is not such a scary place. It’s not where you find yourself because you screwed up or because everything is going horribly wrong. The wilderness is always part of the biblical journey, so it’s part of our journey, though maybe we don’t choose to go there. I believe we often find ourselves there, it’s not a one-time thing. And like Jesus, we are led there by the Holy Spirit. We can’t stay there forever – you can’t survive that long – but the story of Jesus’ time in the wilderness is enlightening as to how that time is spent, and where it gets us.

Matthew’s Gospel gives us a lot more detail about Jesus’ time in the wilderness than Mark does. Matthew tells us that Jesus fasted for 40 days and 40 nights (as usual – that’s what gives it that biblical flair) and that he was famished. In other words, he did without the food and water necessary for survival. He might be desperate, subject to : TEMPTATION. Enter Satan.

Yet each time Jesus is faced with temptation, an easy way out, what does he do? he quotes the scriptures. He quotes scripture.

When the Devil taunts Jesus to turn stones into bread, Jesus answers with a quote from scripture: “one does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”

When the Devil asks Jesus to test the loyalty of the angels by throwing himself off of a cliff, he responds with another quote: “Do not put the Lord your God to the Test.”

And finally when the Devil shows Jesus what riches he can have if he turns from God and worships Satan, Jesus casts him out with a final quote: “Worship the Lord your God and serve only him.”

In other words, Jesus keeps going back to the Rule Book. It’s like following the Scout Manual. He stays true to God, and faces temptation head-on. He doesn’t have to invent something on his own, come up with some clever new path. it’s all right there, in the manual. Despite outward appearances, he’s not alone. The angels show up, tend to his needs. And what does he do next? He comes out, and saves the world.

Temptations – those little compromises to our faith that represent the easy way out -- are inevitable. Not only in our own lives but in our lives as a congregation as well. But God has already given us everything we need to face the temptations, everything we need to survive the lean times in the wilderness: We have the love of God; we have the Light of Christ; we have the guidance of the scriptures; we have the fire of the Holy Spirit; and we have the support of one another.

Now I don’t pretend to know if this is the wilderness, where we are now. Some days it feels that way. In the end, it doesn’t matter what we call it. We do and we will face many challenges to our congregation. Label them what you will.

As a congregation, we may be tempted in the weeks, months, even years ahead, to withdraw into ourselves as our funds decline or our membership stagnates. We may be tempted to stop serving those outside our community who so desperately need us, to stop sharing what we do have.

We may be tempted to hold onto traditions that have lost their relevance, or to latch onto meaningless trends. We may be tempted to seek growth in numbers, but neglect to grow in spirit. We may be tempted to seek new sources of revenue that threaten our integrity or our mission. We may be tempted to defer maintenance of our building, squandering this important asset and gathering space. We may get lost in the divisive struggles of our national church or even our own home-grown squabbles.

We may be tempted, in the face of increased demands for our time and talent, to say no to a request for help. We may be tempted to stop listening to each other altogether, or worse, to stop listening to God.

“Follow me,” Jesus says in today’s gospel.

This is not the time to withdraw inward, nor is it the time to give up. If we do that, we’ll surely never get out. And we must get out. We cannot survive otherwise. This is the time to keep walking -- to keep Following the light -- to keep living out our faith as Jesus commanded us: Loving God, loving our neighbor. Together, in community.

Worshiping together, caring for our resources and one another together, Feeding the hungry together, sheltering the homeless together, clothing the poor together, healing the sick together, saving our environment together and fighting injustice together.

In the end, maybe we’re in the wilderness most of the time. We don’t have all the answers, and it’s never easy. Maybe we’re always wandering in and out. What’s most important is not where we are, but where we’re going.

That’s why today’s actual gospel reading, not my expanded reading, is especially relevant. Even when we’re feeling hungry, tired, lost, or busy, busy, busy -- we must always keep our mind open to God’s call. After all, if we are in the wilderness, especially if we’re lost, that’s the only way out.

We never know when Jesus is going to tap us on the shoulder, wake us from our slumber or jar us out of our routine, and say, “Follow me.”

“Follow me.”

It has been my experience here at Christ Church that God is always working through us, calling us to serve His kingdom of justice and peace. Now I recognize that as individuals God can call us any time, anywhere – not just in church – and that call can take us down paths. But where is he calling us as a community of faith, together? Are we listening and will we be ready?

That tap on the shoulder may well come from one of your fellow parishioners or one of your parish leaders -- a call to service, to leadership, to fellowship, to worship. I hope in the days ahead we will all open our hearts and minds to the very real possibility that that call is Jesus -- leading us out of our wilderness, and into the light.

Amen.

Sunday, January 11, 2009

Epiphany I - Skip Windsor

Acts 19: 1-7; Mark 1:4-11

Let us pray:Sustain us, O God, with Your most gracious will and give us the Spirit of Christ. Amen.

“I baptize you in the name of the Father, and the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”

These are the familiar words spoken at baptism. And as they are recited water is poured on the head of the candidate signifying the cleansing power of the Holy Spirit. It marks him or her, as “Christ’s own forever.” These words are not a magical incantation nor some spell of protection, but signify a deeper, surer truth: That the person baptized has become one with God, been embraced with bonds of affection, and welcomed into the household of faith we call the Christian Church.

The invocation of the Trinity – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – is by design because it reveals something about the nature and mystery between God and the Church. I am reminded of the story of the young mother who once asked a prominent theologian: “My pastor baptized my baby in the name of the Creator, Redeemer, and Sanctifier. Will my baby go to hell?” “No,” replied the theologian, “but the pastor will.”

Today on this First Sunday after the Epiphany, we celebrate the Baptism of our Lord. As most of you know, Epiphany is the season when Jesus’ glory is manifested, revealed and made known to all the peoples of the earth. Jesus’ baptism marks the beginning of his public ministry. His journey will lead from the River Jordan to Jerusalem; and along the way, as Jesus teaches in Galilee, heals in Bethsaida, and is revealed as the Messiah at Caesarea Philippi, his light will shine forth to people hidden in the shadows who were forced there because of fear, oppression and disease.

In our Gospel lesson for today, Jesus is baptized by John signaling the end of the baptizer’s ministry and the completion of the old age of the prophets of Israel. John announces this new age by saying, “One more powerful than I is coming after me… He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” The descent of the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove recalls the covenant God made with Noah after the Flood and foreshadows that the Spirit will come again with “Tongues of fire” to rest on the shoulders of the disciples at Pentecost. By descending in the form of a dove, it is God’s visible assurance of His abiding and empowering love through Jesus Christ.

The sign of the dove, or any of our religious symbols, including the cross, are an outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace. And the sacrament of baptism is the initiation rite into the Church that adheres us in faith to Christ. Implicit in baptism is the reality that we become heirs of God’s Kingdom renouncing our allegiance to the Principalities and Powers of this world; and it is in this tension of living out our baptismal vows in the world where the moral struggles and battles take place everyday.

There are many today who believe that God is dead and that religion is for the weak-willed and simple minded. I believe it was Ted Turner who said that Christianity is for losers. Measured against the world’s yardsticks he is probably right. Christian phrases like: “Turn the other cheek; love your neighbor as yourself; if a person asks for your cloak, give it to her; sell what you have and follow me,” are not words upon which to build a fast-track career. As a matter of fact, using today’s yardsticks of success, Jesus would be considered a failure.

You and I have the advantage of seeing Jesus from this side of the Resurrection; yet, we forget and sometimes miss the anguish and pain He experienced in his life. By the world’s standards, Jesus wasn’t successful. He did not change the hearts of everyone he met.

He failed to liberate his people from Roman rule. He failed to rally the Jews to a new understanding of God. He failed to gain the steadfast loyalty of his disciples before his crucifixion. And so alone, except for his mother, Mary, and a few others, Jesus died a lonely and humiliating death. Yet, it is through this man that we see something about the nature of God. Some people might say that Christianity seems like a sucker’s bet. Cynics might say Christianity is a faith of losers because it is founded upon a loser.

But, Christianity isn’t founded on chance, luck, or a bad roll of the dice. Rather, looking back, we see that something happened, so unexpected, so astonishing, that it galvanized the disciples into a purposeful and intentional resolve to become a cadre for Christ. Guided by the Holy Spirit, they became fearless, brave, and self-sacrificing men and women; and their world was claimed forever in the name of Jesus Christ. Our baptism recalls for us not only the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry but is also a vivid reminder of our call to ministry and mission, too. In our prayer book’s Baptismal Covenant, we are asked to seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving our neighbor as ourselves. And what is our reply? “I will with God’s help.”

Thomas Merton tells the story of a 4th century desert mother who said,

“There is labor and great struggle for the impious who are converted to God, but after that comes the inexpressible joy. A man who wants to light a fire first is plagued by smoke, and then the smoke drives him to tears, yet finally he gets the fire he wants. So it is also written: Our God is a consuming fire. Hence we ought to light the divine fire in ourselves with labor and with tears.”

Merton calls those baptized and touched by the Holy Spirit, “The Burned Ones.” The Holy Spirit touches these baptized and throughout their lives they continue to find Christ in the midst of the challenges and tensions of life. Over and over again, God winnows the baptized with the Holy Spirit calling them to be whole and holy people. We know there are many who come into the world with nothing, leave the world with nothing, and yet they touch everyone who ever met them. Their sanctity evokes in us a sense of respect, admiration and love. These “Burned Ones” illuminate the dark places of the world.

One of the first children I ever baptized was a “Burned One” named Larry Boston. I met little Larry at Boston City Hospital in the children’s ICU. He was a 1 year old and was the source of much affection by the doctors, nurses, and staff on the ward. Because of his illness, and in spite of it, Larry formed a tiny community around him. I was asked by one of the staff members to baptize Larry because he was going to die soon.

The day I met Larry he was like any other baby playing with his toys. And except for his persistent cough and the IV tubes in his arms, he was like any other child; but he wasn’t. Larry was living with AIDS. The virus had been transmitted to him at birth by his IV drug addicted parents who later abandoned him. Like the staff, Larry touched me – burned me – the day I baptized him. He invoked in me a mixture of sorrow, anger, love and fatherly compassion. For many, many people, a baby with AIDS is the end of the world.

In Ted Turner’s world or in Bernie Madoff’s world there is not much room for the Larry Boston’s of the world. When Larry was baptized he was no longer a loser. He became a member of the community of faith, a child of the kingdom, who was forever linked to each of us and everyone of us who whisper, cried, or sung the name of Jesus. With the words, “Larry, I baptize you in the name of the Father, and the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” he was marked as Christ’s own forever.

When Larry died a few month later many grieved at his passing – not as an innocent victim of a dreaded disease – but as an example of how to live: inspiring others into communities of love and being agents of change to find ways to contain the AIDS/HIV virus so that other children can grow into adulthood and live holy and healthy lives. The divine fire touched Larry and his flame touched all of us who knew him. He inspired many of us at that time to minister to others living with AIDS and to encourage others to fight in the battle with us.

Your baptisms, my baptism, Larry’s baptism assures us of infinite worth and unconditional love in God through Jesus Christ. Our baptism is the promise of our resurrection in Christ to a new life in Him. Being baptized with the Holy Spirit burns away old habits, stiff routines, persistent prejudices and petty angers. No longer are we held ransom to the changes and chances of life but live in the knowledge we rest in God’s eternal changelessness.

In that sure knowledge, we can claim through our baptisms the high calling given to us in Jesus Christ to go forth with confidence striving for justice and peace and respecting the dignity of every human being.

Amen.