Sermon for the Feast of Pentecost 2014

Sermon for the Feast of Pentecost
June 8, 2014

Are you okay?

Earlier this week I had lunch downtown with a new friend.

After lunch we said goodbye to one another and she headed one direction

down the sidewalk 

and I headed the other.

Now I was in a hurry.

I had a meeting back at the church

and as I walked I was searching through my purse,

looking for my phone to check my messages.

I was definitely not paying attention.

Then the toe of my shoe hit the edge of uneven pavement on the sidewalk

and I went flying.

Flying!

I knew sooner or later gravity would have its way with me

and down I would go.

Indeed,

down I went,

as if I was sliding into home plate in the eleventh inning--

only home plate was the rather unforgiving cement of the sidewalk.

As I went down,

I heard the booming voice of a man, sitting at the bar

that has the window that opens right onto the street,

and he’s shouting,

WHOA!!!! ARE YOU OKAY?!!!!

as I went flying by!

As I crashed into the sidewalk,

I could only imagine the headline

in the Burlington Free Press:

New Cathedral Dean seen facedown on sidewalk outside of bar.

Or perhaps

Dean filled with new wine.

Just as the apostles were accused when the Holy Spirit filled them

that day of Pentecost.

For me, it was neither alcohol 

nor the Holy Spirit that took me down,

but that fall this past week

certainly helped me empathize with those disciples

who were accused of something that never happened.

Accused because people did not understand

what WAS happening.

They weren’t drunk.

It was 9 o’clock in the morning

as Peter reminds everyone.

Yet something mysterious happened.

The disciples seem to have new abilities--

they are speaking in every language known to man.

The Word is being spread to everyone’s ears.

Everyone’s!

There was that rush of wind,

those dancing flames of fire.

What on earth just happened?

Remember Easter?

Remember 40 days after Easter,

scripture tells us that Jesus ascended.

He went UP.

Up to heaven.

And now, Pentecost--

50 days after Easter--

the Greek word pentecoste--

simply translates as the word “fiftieth”.

Fifty days after Easter, on Pentecost ,

the Holy Spirit descends.

Scripture tells us the Spirit comes DOWN 

from heaven.

Jesus goes UP.

The spirit comes DOWN.

Just as Jesus promised.

Jesus promised his disciples--and us--

that he would always be present with us.

Jesus promised his disciples--and us--

that he would send an advocate to be with us.

That advocate has arrived.

The Holy Spirit blows in to set our hearts on fire

with the love of God.

To remind us that we are loved beyond reason or measure.

To let us know that no matter what happens,

we are not alone.

Today we will baptize Julien

and the Spirit --often symbolized as a descneding dove--

will come down and kiss this baby.

You may not see it

but Julien will be 

embraced as Christ’s own forever today.

...in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Forever.

Even experiences we may not be able to rationally understand

transform us.

Before that rushing wind and those flames of fire

and the speaking in tongues happened,

the apostles were much like any other group of semi-organized followers.

From what we know,

they had been together less than three years.

They hung out with Jesus, they did what he told them

(most of the time) 

and they helped when people came to Jesus

for healing and blessing.  

When crowds gathered to hear Jesus speak,

the disciples helped out,

they passed around baskets of fish and loaves of bread

But now they are without Jesus.

There is no physical presence to give them direction or confidence.

The left-behind apostles are scared, confused and rather aimless.

What now? must have been the question that rested on their hearts.

The day of Pentecost changes this.

It is the beginning of their formation--and ours--

into the body of Christ.

The questions that rest on their hearts are replaced by flames of fire.

St. Ignatius always said to those leaving to go out as missioners,

Go, and set the world on fire!

The disciples are now ready to do just that.

And they know they can.

Because they know that Jesus kept his promise.

They are not alone.

We are never abandoned by God.

This does not mean we will never suffer or doubt.

What it does mean 

is that we are never outside the realm of God’s love.

No one is.

No one.

I have thought often about that flying fall I took earlier this week.

We tend to turn moments like that over and over in our minds.

Some of a different theological tradition might have me pondering

where I went wrong to have Satan make me fall.

Someone without any faith tradition might question me

and ask,

“Well, if God is so great,

why didn’t the Holy Spirit jump in and stop you from falling?”

But I think the Holy Spirit was right there with me.

The Spirit was there in the voice of the man 

who shouted out from the bar,

WHOA! ARE YOU OKAY?

Sometimes we are intensely aware of God’s presence in silence.

But the Holy Spirit can also blow in like a rushing wind,

or light up a room with a blaze,

or be heard in the shout of a man sitting on a bar stool.

We are never outside the realm of God’s love and care.

God is always concerned about us.

Always wanting us to check in.

Are you okay?

Really. Are you okay?

Sermon for Year A Epiphany 1

Matthew 3: 13-17
Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him. John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented. And when Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.

Travel Lightly

You know how it is.
You are packed and ready to go.
You hurry to the airport.
Wind your way through the security maze.
Find your way to your gate.
And then...
you wait.
You wait.
No plane.
No plane.
No plane.

The gate sits empty.
Delays are posted.
Then re=posted.
It seems the plane coming to Charlotte can’t leave Iowa
because of the weather there.

And then finally they bring out the teeny tiniest plane
you have ever seen and you board and take off
and breathe a deep sigh
that you got a seat.
And off you go.
You’re on your way!
Mid-way in the flight,
you see the flight attendant.
There is only one.
Did I mention how small this plane is?
She pulls out her little beverage cart and loads it up
and starts down the aisle.
You are in Seat 5C--very near the front of the plane--
 so you know you will soon be served.
You are so thirsty.

She serves one person in the first row
and then the phone rings
and the flight attendant returns to answer the phone.
It has to be the captain in the cockpit calling, right?
She listens.
She doesn’t say a word but slams down the phone receiver.
She goes to the beverage cart and jerks it back into the galley kitchen.
She unloads all that she had just loaded
and she sits down in her chair
(which--did I mention how small this plane is--
is right in the center so you can see ever twitch of her face).

She picks up the phone,
presses a button,
and broadcasts,
“You will NOT be getting any beverage service.”


Now I am braced for the announcement that will come--
it is no doubt going to be about the severe turbulence
we are going to experience---
but that is NOT what is revealed.

What she says is this,
“ You are not getting any beverages
and that is the best news you are going to hear tonight.”
Pause.
“Because we are returning to the airport
where we just left.
We can’t land.
There is a problem.”

(What she said next, cannot be repeated in church!!)

And back we go.
Once more to begin again.
The next day.

Journeys do not always turn out as we expect.
The magi did not find a royal king in Jerusalem.
They had to travel on to Bethlehem
and there they found find a baby-- in a manger.

John the Baptizer did not expect to baptize Jesus.
He thought his journey was to be baptized BY Jesus.
Not what John expected.

God is full of surprises.
Some we like; some, not so much.

When Jesus comes up out of the water
after his baptism,
the heavens light up
and he is revealed as God’s beloved son.
I imagine that John and perhaps even Jesus,
thought this revelation was such good news--
we would agree.
But they may have also thought that this meant
that Jesus' life was going to be smooth sailing.
Not true.

The season of Epiphany is about journeys and things being revealed.
Often unexpected revelations.
Surprises.
Shocks!

We are very good at packing a suitcase full of our expectations.
We lug that suitcase around with us everywhere we go.
It is filled to the brim, to the bulging zipper
with our expectations, our worries, our plans,
our burdens.

But what God often does is pick that suitcase up
and toss that suitcase far, far away from us.
What God does
is surprise us and tell us we have packed all wrong for the journey.

What God tells us really
is that we didn’t need to pack a single thing.
God calls us to leave our expectations behind
and just be present.
Be present to the moment that is before us.
Trust in God.
Trust in God's goodness.

Tom and I took what we thought would be just a short little 3 day trip
but it turned in to 5.
At first we couldn’t get there and then we wondered if we would get home.

On New Year's Day,
the day when many of us make our yearly resolutions--
(My favorite resolution was made by our 3 year old granddaughter Penelope--
"I am going to eat more cake in 2014!")--
but for my intention for 2014
I typed into the NOTES app on my iPhone--
GOD IS HERE.
That is my intention, my resolution for this year--
to make myself more mindful
that God is here
no matter what the situation or circumstance.

Because I know I need to be reminded of that constantly.
God is here.

One of the reasons I love baptisms is because it is so obvious
that God is here.
God is here in the water
and in the words
and in the oil that marks the cross on our forehead.
You are marked as Christ’s own forever.

I sat in the airport waiting 
and looked around and thought,
Really? God is here?!!??
Yes, God is here.
God is here in all these weary travelers.
God is here in that baby who has obviously just learned to walk
and is having the time of her life toddling about this crowded terminal.
God is here in the couple just back from a blissful cruise in the Bahamas--
only to discover they can't fly in to snowy Boston.
They have been trying to get home for two days!
But they are still smiling and laughing.
God is here in the waiting.
God is here telling me I need to travel more lightly,
hold everything more lightly,
more gently, more kindly.


There is that wonderful baptism scene in the film
O BROTHER WHERE ART THOU
where the three escaped convicts hear singing
and watch as people dressed all in white move through the woods,
down to the river
to be baptized.

The convicts follow
and then two of them rush into the water.
When one of them emerges he loudly exclaims
that he has been washed of all his sins.
“Even when I stole that pig” he shouts!

“Hey! You said you were innocent of that!” says his friend.
“I lied!” he says.”But that’s been washed away too!!”

When we let go of our lies and our sins
and our expectations and our plans,
we are free.
We are free to see clearly
how much God loves us.
Each one of us.
No exceptions.

Baptism helps us remember who we are.
Who we really are.
Without our false selves, our pretenses,
our past history, our future plans.
Just simply who we really are.
How wonderful we really are in God’s eyes.

Just as at his baptism,
Jesus was marked as God’s beloved forever.

Baptism reveals us, too, as God’s beloved children.
We are marked as Christ’s own FOREVER.

It is no accident that our baptismal font
is placed just inside the doors into the church.
The font is the very first thing you see
when you enter the church.

There it is.
The font is there at the entrance
 to say WELCOME, children of God.
The font is there to say REMEMBER your baptism.
The font is there to say
dip your fingers into my holy water
and trace the sign of the cross
that was marked on your forehead
on the day of your baptism.
The font is there to say,
What? You haven't been baptized?
Oh it is never too later.
Come on in. The water is great!

The font is there to also say LISTEN.
Listen and you too will hear
You are my beloved
with whom I am well pleased.

That’s right.
You.
And me.
All of us.
Every single one of us.

We are God's beloved
with whom God is well pleased.

Sermon for Year C Epiphany 1

Washing up for God

I was a teenager

and I was riding with my mother from Raleigh

where we lived

down to Wendell to see my grandparents.

As we drove along old Hwy 64

my mother pointed to a river that ran near the highway.

“Right over there--right at that spot in the river--

that’s where I was baptized.”

She had never pointed that out before 

and she never pointed it out again.

I was too young or too into my own adolescence

to be all that interested that day

or to ask any questions.

I regret that now.

Because I can’t remember the place on the river,

the place where my mother was baptized

and I wish I could.

But what really matters 

is that my mother remembered the place.

She knew the where of her baptism

because it mattered to her.

The place of Jesus’ baptism

obviously was important to the writers of the four gospels.

Matthew, Mark and Luke

all explicitly describe Jesus’ baptism in the Jordan River.

The gospel of John doesn’t describe the baptism 

but refers to it implicitly.

Today we celebrate the Baptism of Christ.

Christ’s baptism in the Jordan River.

Remember, we are in the season of Epiphany

and Epiphany is chock full of events

that shine light upon Jesus’ divinity.

This is no ordinary fellow the scripture keeps telling us.

No ordinary fellow.

So why then did Jesus need to be baptized?

Scholars and ordinary folks have wrestled and theorized

about this question

for centuries.

First a little background information:

The word baptism comes from the Greek word 

which means “washing.”

That’s right--”washing.”

Washing rituals were important.

Not only to the ancient Hebrews

but to many other ancient religions.

The washing of vessels used for food,

the washing of hands before eating,

the ritual washing by women at the end of their monthly cycle.

We read about these washing rituals in scripture

as well as other historical writings.

These washings were not for the purpose of getting physically clean--

they were for the purpose of getting spiritually clean--

preparing body, mind, spirit and all things surrounding

to receive God’s presence, to welcome God’s action.

One of these ritual washings

was used for someone who wanted to convert to Judaism.

At the time when Jesus lived,

there were several different sectarian Jewish communities.

The Pharisees and the Sadduces were essentially city dwellers.

They followed the tradition which said

 if your mother is Jewish, you are Jewish. 

Thus, no ritual washing, no baptism,

was needed for your conversion.

But another one of these groups was the Essenes.

They lived in the desert.

We best know the Essenes as those who authored and saved

what we call the “Dead Sea scrolls”

Some Essenes believed that everyone

needed a ritual washing,

even those who were, by tradition, already Jews.

They felt that the washing, the baptism,

was symbolic of their conversion and purification.

Archaelogical digs at the Essene community near the Dead Sea

have found large pool-shaped depressions

where these ritual baths, these baptisms,

probably occurred.

So you see, 

not everyone was baptized in a river.

Some believe that John the Baptist 

was a member of the Essene community.

Scripture and other writings do not confirm this

nor do they deny this. 

But certainly John lived an ascetic lifestyle like the Essenes

and he lived in the desert.

It is very possible that John was a member 

of this early Christian community 

which called for the baptism of all converts,

for everyone, even those who were born in Judaism.

And this leads us back to the question:

Why did Jesus need baptizing at all?

After all,

his mother was Jewish.

He was not an Essene--

he grew up in Nazareth in Galilee,

not in the Dead Sea area.

Plus if Jesus was the Son of God,

if Jesus was completely without sin

which is what we hear repeatedly throughout the New Testament writing,

why did Jesus need to be baptized?

There are a lot of theories from a diverse variety of scholars--

here are just a few:

THEORY # 1: 

Jesus and John plotted together to do this 

to get attention

for Jesus’ ministry.

Hmmmm...I don’t think I am going to buy this theory.

It sounds a little too much like a 21st century PR campaign

and it just doesn’t ring true to me.

THEORY # 2:

Jesus got baptized to please his mother.

This was suggested in an ancient text 

(the non-canonical Gospel of the Hebrews)

but it wasn’t even accepted by the early church

and isn’t likely to hold water (no pun intended)

even today.

THEORY # 3:

Jesus submitted to baptism 

as a foreshadowing of his death and resurrection---

Now this theory makes more theological sense--

in baptism,

you go under the water (death), 

and you are raised back up again (resurrection). 

This is some of the theology behind full immersion baptism--

but we have no proof that Jesus’ baptism was full immersion.

We believe that was the early tradition

but already by the 3rd century baptism was primarily by pouring

or even just sprinkling with water 

as part of the washing ritual.

The oldest icons of this baptism event 

show Jesus standing in the Jordan River, 

the water barely up to his mid-calf 

and John is pouring water over his head. 

He is not being “dunked.”

THEORY # 4:

Jesus came to represent all of sinful humanity

and his baptism represented the washing away of all sins.

Again, there is theological soundness to this theory,

but the problem with this theory is

John was not primarily baptizing for repentance,

the TURNING AWAY from sin--

yes, that was part of it,

BUT John’s was much more a TURNING TOWARD--

turning toward the coming kingdom of God.

John the Baptizer’s mission was to prepare the way 

for the Messiah to come,

not to just cleanse humanity 

but to get them ready to receive.

So why did Jesus go to be baptized?

Perhaps for much of the same reason

we bring a baby to be baptized 

or we go to be baptized ourselves.

Baptism makes us part of a community--

a community of people who love God

and believe that God loves them.

A community of people 

who commit to trying their hardest 

to love one another, too.

A community of people 

who desires justice and peace 

and respects the dignity 

of every human being.

Through baptism

we are given new birth

by water and the Holy Spirit.

And so was Jesus.

He was given new birth

because his baptism marks the beginning

of his public ministry.

God promised John

the Messiah was coming 

and God gave John some ways to identify Him.

John looked at Jesus

and what he saw was God’s promise fulfilled.

Jesus chose to be baptized

as a confirmation, fulfillment of what God had promised.

Jesus did not go to the Temple to be baptized.

Jesus went to his crazy cousin, this radical preacher John.

Jesus went to the river.

The river Jordan.

The waters of the Jordan River,

just like the waters of the Red Sea in the book of Exodus

represent all that is chaotic, all that can pull us under and drown us.

But chaos does not win.

The Hebrew people make it through the Red Sea

and escape the chaos of oppression.

Joshua leads the Israelites over the Jordan River,

out of the chaos of the wilderness

into the promised land.

Both the names Jesus and Joshua

come from the Hebrew “y’shua”

which means “God saves.”

Jesus’ baptism in the Jordan River 

shows us once more 

that God is with us.

Sometimes the river rages,

threatening to overflow the banks.

Sometimes the river moseys along gently, peacefully.

Just like our lives,

the river is constantly moving, always changing.

But one thing never changes:

The love God has for each one of us.

A love so deep, so immense, so full of light

that it can never be washed away.

Never.

Not ever. 

Sermon for the Feast of the Epiphany

Celebrating Light

It is definitely on my "bucket list"
to celebrate Epiphany in Tarpon Springs, Florida one year.

Tarpon Springs is on the west coast of Florida,

on the Gulf of Mexico.

It is not a big place--less than 25,000 residents.

Tarpon Springs has the highest percentage

of Greek Americans of any other city in the United States.

Ten thousand people will descend upon 

the little town of Tarpon Springs, Florida this weekend.

Tarpon Springs also has a nickname:

Epiphany City.

This is why so many people will be in town this weekend.

They have a tradition--

also celebrated in Greece--

this will be Tarpon Springs' 107th celebration of Epiphany.

Yes, there is a liturgical side--

there will be multiple church services and many prayers, 

But truly, everything that happens this weekend is liturgy

especially to the Greek Orthodox Christians in Tarpon Springs.

But there is a very special event. The dive.

A priest will bless a small handmade white wooden cross

and then toss it into Spring Bayou,

one of the many bayous that connect into the Gulf at Tarpon Springs.

Then young people between the ages of 16 and 18

will dive into the water--

and yes, even water in Florida in January is COLD--

they will dive and try to recover the cross.

The one who finds the cross first

is said to receive a very special blessing from God.

A blessing that lasts their entire life.

Did you miss that part in Matthew’s gospel today

about diving into cold water to retrieve a small wooden cross?

Probably not.

You see, as Episcopalians,

from the Western Christian tradition,

we celebrate the Feast of Epiphany a little differently.

Epiphany is most familiar to us as a celebration of the magi--

“We three kings of Orient are...”

There they are on the banner that Betty Hayes

created for St. John’s...

“bearing gifts we traverse afar...”

But in the Eastern Christian tradition

the Feast of the Epiphany is the celebration of the baptism of Jesus.

Thus, you can see the connection

between diving into the waters in Tarpon Springs

and coming up with a cross.

Regardless of how we celebrate this feast day,

January 6th, the Feast of the Epiphany,

this day signals the official end of the Christmas season.

The 12 days of Christmas are over.

No more partridges in pear trees,

or ladies dancing 

or drummers drumming.

What are we celebrating on this day?

We are celebrating a revelation.

Jesus is revealed to be not just for the Hebrew people--

but for all people.

The Magi were Gentiles, maybe even pagans.

But even they,

even they knew 

that this Jesus was no ordinary baby.

God has come down to live among us in human form.

There are three events that Christendom attaches to Epiphany--

The first is what we heard in Matthew’s gospel today--

the wise men follow a star and find a miracle.

A baby. The son of God.

The second event is the baptism of Jesus.

Again, and we Episcopalians will celebrate this event next week,

the divinity of Jesus is revealed to the world--

“This is my son...”

And the third event is the changing of the water into wine

at the wedding in Cana,

again showing us that Jesus is no ordinary fellow.

We are going to visit this event in two weeks.

You see today is the FEAST of the Epiphany

but we are about to enter a SEASON of Epiphany,

a season of revelation,

a season of light breaking through the darkness,

a season of coming up from the deep waters into the light.

Christmas is over. Even for us Episcopalians.

We are going to have to go back out into the world--

some of us already have--

back to work, back to school, back to “real life”--

and for some it feels like

going back into darkness--

deadlines and over-scheduled calendars,

complex family dynamics,

separations and loss.

Epiphany calls us to celebrate light--

not just one feast day of light,

but a season--four solid weeks plus a few days

of Epiphany.

Epiphany says, “Well, yes and no.”

Yes, Christmas is over 

but no, we are not plunged back into darkness.

Epiphany says, “There is more than meets the eye.”

Just look at what is being revealed through this baby, Jesus.

Epiphany says, “Follow me.”

The wise magi listened

and people have continued to listen for over 2000 years.

Epiphany says, “God may call us to journey to new places,

to discover new parts of the world.

new parts of ourselves.”

Epiphany says,” We may go home

But by a different way. 

Sometimes plans need to change.

Epiphany is full of surprises.

Epiphany offers us the opportunity to celebrate light. 

We need that.

We especially need that this year.

Hurricane Sandy. 

Sandy Hook Elementary School.

The illnesses and sorrows and deaths

that many of us have had to deal with in our own lives.

We need a time of year,

a liturgical season,

that reminds us

that the Light of the world is right here.

Right here.

We need Epiphany to remind us

to let our little lights shine.

It’s why we chose the hymn we will sing at communion

throughout the season of Epiphany.

This little light of mine

I’m going to let it shine...

T.S. Eliot describes it in his poem

THE JOURNEY OF THE MAGI

begins that poem with these lines:

A cold coming we had of it,

Just the worse time of the year

For a journey, and such a long journy

The ways deep and the weather sharp...

You see, the magi risked the darkness

because they believed in the light,

the light of a star

led them to the light of the world.

I doubt it was an easy journey

but it was a journey they felt was worth taking.

Their kind and compassionate hearts

led them to choose not to return to Herod--

though there likely would have been great financial rewards,

plus prestige and power.

But these wise ones chose 

to go home by another way.

When T. S. Eliot wrote his poem THE JOURNEY OF THE MAGI

he had just converted to Christianity.

Perhaps the poem reflects his own journey

as he moved more deeply into a relationship with God,

with the God he had long doubted even existed.

Light transforms the darkness.

Light transforms us.

Back to Tarpon Springs, Florida.

About ten years ago, the church there noticed

that the Epiphany dive was becoming more of an athletic event

than an opportunity for young people to reflect spiritually 

on baptism and the cross.

The leaders in the church did not want the dive to be about competition.

So now any young person who wants to dive

attends weekly classes

which include writing about their faith.

Attendance at the classes and at church each week

is mandatory. 

Families and the Church and the community 

care about these young people

These young people are asked to reflect 

on five ways they display their love for God each day.

They are asked to name three talents that God has given them 

and how they are using their gifts to serve--

to serve their family, their church, their community, their neighbors.

Epiphany is a good season for all of us to reflect 

on the ways God has brought light into our lives.

Look around.

Look around this church.

Look at all the light.

Look for the light in your life,

in the world.

Epiphany is a good season to reflect 

on what we are doing each day

to bring light into the lives of others.

God blesses each of us with light--

maybe it is only a little light--

but even a little light

        has the power to transform the darkness.

Epiphany calls us to dive deeply

      into the darkness

      in search of the light,
      the Light of the world.