“Every day is a great day now”
Every day is a great day now.
Those might be the words of Simon’s mother-in-law
after Jesus heals her.
In our modern day world of medicine
we usually don’t take a fever all that seriously.
But this was not the case in the first century.
People could die from a fever.
We hear the story as part of Mark’s gospel
because it is another example of a healing miracle performed by Jesus.
No less amazing than causing demons to come out of amn.
Simon’s mother-in-law is healed.
Every day is a great day now.
Actually those are not the words of Simon’s mother-in-law.
Those are the words of Gerry McNamara, a friend of a friend of my brother.
This friend, an attorney like my brother, was on the US Airways flight
that crashed into the Hudson River.
You likely know that everyone—all 155 passengers and crew—
survived that crash.
Gerry McNamara shared his experience with the members of his firm
And some friends
And my brother emailed me a copy
of what Gerry wrote about that experience.
His email was titled: Every day is a great day now.
I share this story with you
Because I believe it directly relates to our gospel reading today.
And I will get to that.
But first, listen to this story.
Listen to it with parallel ears—
Hear the story of Gerry McNamara’s experience.
Hear the story of Simon’s mother=in=law.
Hear, perhaps, your own story of a time
when you have received a second chance.
Here is the story:
Thursday was a difficult day for all of us at the firm
and I left the Park Avenue office in the early afternoon
to catch a cab bound for LaGuardia Airport.
I was scheduled for a 5 pm departure,
but able to secure a seat on the earlier flight
scheduled to leave at 3 PM.
As many of us who fly frequently often do,
I recall wondering if I’d just placed myself
on a flight I shouldn’t be on!
I remember walking on the plane and seeing
a fellow with grey hair in the cockpit
and thinking,
“That’s a good thing—I like to see grey hair in the cockpit!”
I was seated in 8F,
on the starboard side window and next to a young business man.
The New York to Charlotte flight
is one I’ve taken what seems like hundreds of times over the years.
We take off north over the Bronx and as we climb,
turn west over the Hudson River to New Jersey and tack south.
I love to fly, always have,
and this flight plan gives a great view of several NY landmarks
including Yankee Stadium and the George Washington Bridge.
I had started to point out items of interest to the gentleman next to me
when we heard a terrible crash---
a sound no one ever wants to hear while flying—
and then the engines wound down to a screeching halt.
10 seconds later, there was a strong smell of jet fuel.
I knew we would be landing
And thought the pilot would take us down no doubt to Newark Airport.
As we began to turn south I noticed the pilot lining up on the river—
still—I thought—en route for Newark.
Next thing we heard was “Brace for impact!”—
a phase I had heard many years before an active duty Marine officer
but never before on a commercial air flight.
Everyone looked at each other in shock.
It all happened so fast we were astonished!
We began to descend rapidly and it started to sink in.
This is the last flight. I’m going to die today.
This is it.
I recited my favorite Bible verse, prayed the Lord’s Prayer,
and asked God to take care of my wife, children, family and friends.
When I raised my head I noticed people texting their friends and family—
getting off a last message.
My Blackberry was turned off and in my trouser pocket…
no time to get at it.
Our descent continued and I prayed for courage to control my fear
and help if able.
I quickly realized that one of two things was going to happen,
neither of them good.
We could hit by the nose, flip and break up, leaving few if any survivors,
bodies, cold water, fuel.
Or we could hit one of the wings and roll and flip with the same result.
I tightened my seat belt as tight as I could possibly get it
so I would remain intact.
As we came in for the landing,
I looked out the windows
and remember seeing the buildings of New Jersey,
the cliffs of Weehawken, and then the piers.
The water was dark green and sure to be freezing cold.
The flight attendants were yelling in unison, “Brace! Brace! Brace!”
It was a violent hit—the water flew up over my window—
but we bobbed up and were all amazed we remained intact.
There was some panic—people jumping over seats
and running towards the doors,
But we soon got everyone straightened out and calmed down.
There were a lot of people that took leadership roles in little ways.
Those sitting at the doors over the wing did a fantastic job…
they were opened in a New York second!
Everyone worked together—
teamed up and in groups to figure out how to help each other.
I exited on the starboard side of the plane,
3 or 4 rows behind my seat
through a door over the wing
and was, I believe the 10th or 12 person out.
I took my seat cushion as a flotation device
and once outside saw I was the only one who did…
none of us remembered to take the yellow inflatable life vests
from under the seat.
We were standing in 6-8 inches of water and it was freezing.
There were two women on the wing,
one of whom slipped off into the water.
Another passenger and I pulled her back on
and had her kneel down to keep from falling off again.
By that point we were totally soaked
and absolutely frozen from the icy wind.
The ferries were the first to arrive,
And although they’re not made for rescue, they did an incredible job.
The first ferry boat pulled its bow up to the tip of the wing,
and the first mate lowered the Jacobs ladder down to us.
We got a couple of people up the ladder to safety,
but the current was strong,
pushing the stern of the boat into the inflatable slide
and we were afraid it would puncture it..
There must have been 25 passengers in it by now.
Only two or three were able to board the first ferry before it moved away.
Another ferry came up,
and were able to get the woman that had fallen into the water
on the ladder,
but she just couldn’t move her legs and fell off.
Back onto the ladder she went;
however, the ferry had to back away because of the swift current.
A helicopter arrived (nearly blowing us all off the wing)
and followed the ferry with the woman on the ladder.
We lost view of the situation
but I believe the helicopter lowered its basket to rescue her.
As more ferries arrive,
we were able to get people up on the boats a few at a time.
The fellow in front of me feel off the ladder and into the water.
When we got him back on the ladder
he could not move his legs to climb.
I couldn’t’ help him from my position
so I climbed up the ladder to the ferry deck
where the first mate and I hoisted the Jacob’s ladder with him on it..
When he got close enough we grabbed his trouser belt
and hauled him on deck.
We were all safely off the wing.
We could not stop shaking.
Uncontrollable shaking.
The only thing I had with me was my Blackberry,
Which had gotten wet and wasn’t working.
(It started working again a few hours later)
The ferry took us to the Weehawken Terminal in NJ
where I borrowed a phone
and called my wife to let her know I was okay.
At the terminal, first responders assessed everyone’s condition
And sent people to the hospital as needed.
I stayed with my sister on Long Island that evening,
then flew home the next day.
I am struck by what was truly a miracle.
Had this happened a few hours later,
it would have been pitch dark
and much harder to land.
Ferries would no longer have been running after rush hour
and it would not have been the same uplifting story.
Surely there would have been fatalities, hypothermia, an absolute disaster!
I witnessed the best of humanity that day.
I and everyone on that plane survived
And have been given a second change.
I wanted to share this story—the story of a miracle.
I am thankful to be here to tell the tale.
There is a great deal to be learned including:
Why has this happened to me?
Why have I survived
and what am I supposed to do with this gift?
For me, the answers to these questions and more will come over time,
but already I find myself being more patient and forgiving,
less critical and judgmental.
For now I have 4 lessons I would like to share:
1. Cherish your families as never before
and go to great lengths to keep your promises.
2. Be thankful and grateful for everything you have
and don’t’ worry about the things you don’t have.
3. Keep in shape. You never know when you’ll be called upon
to save your own life,
or help someone else save theirs.
4. When you fly, wear practical clothing.
You never who when you’ll end up in an emergency
or on an icy wing in flip flops and pajamas or high heels
and of absolutely no use to yourself or anyone else.
Thanks to all you have reached out…I look forward to seeing you soon!
That is one person’s story of a day that he thought would be his last day.
He was give a second chance.
And now every day is a great day.
Simon’s mother-in-law was given a second chance.
She was saved from a fever, an illness, that could have ended her life.
In Jesus, we see the very best in humanity.
Someone who takes time to help someone who needs help.
The best of humanity reaches out and touches and heals.
We all know that not everyone gets a second chance,
Not everyone is saved from disaster.
That is the part we do not understand.
That is where our ways are not God’s ways,
God’s mind is not our mind.
But often we say that miracles like those in the Bible
don’t happen any more.
Perhaps we only need to open our eyes.
Miracles do happen.
A plane lands in the Hudson River and everyone—EVERY ONE---survives.
God works through Jesus.
God works through a pilot on a USAirways flight.
But not just through the pilot—
through everyone—the flight attendants, the passengers,
the ferry boat crews, first responders, every one.
God works through you and through me.
In ways we cannot ask or imagine.
When we see life—daily, ordinary life—as the miracle it truly is,
We begin to understand why Simon’s mother-in-law,
When healed,
got up and immediately began to serve.
The Greek work for “serve” in this passage is diakonia.
The same word that is the root of our word deacon.
She served because she was thankful.
She served as a way of showing her gratitude to God.
She served not because it was her duty or anyone’s expectation.
She served because in Jesus she had seen the best of humanity.
She received a second chance.
She did not care that she understood the miracle of her healing
or how it scientifically happened.
She only cared that she had a new day to offer her gifts,
to God and to the people in her life.
Every day is a great day now.
This is how we are called to live.
This is how we are called to serve.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Sermon for Year B Epiphany 3
Repent, Believe, Follow, Fish
We are in the month of January.
It is a new calendar year.
We all know what that means.
Lots of new year resolutions still fresh on the page.
Pick up any January issue of most magazines and you’ll find things like:
Dr. Oz’s 10 step check list for ultimate wellness.
5 things to do to improve your relationships
4 tips for a more beautiful you
7 Home Improvements even YOUR husband can do!
I pondered what kind of magazine front cover
Jesus and today’s gospel reading
might encourage.
Four ways to share the good news
Repent.
Believe.
Follow.
Fish.
Jesus calls us to repent and to believe in the good news.
Jesus calls us to follow and be transformed into fishers of people.
Repent.
Believe.
Follow.
Fish.
The order of those actions is quite fascinating.
This is not necessarily the order we do things in our lives—
or in our churches.
Our tendency is go immediately to work, to start fishing--
long before we have done the work of repenting.
The word repent—metanoia in Greek—means to turn around.
To change. To go a different way.
When Jesus calls us to repent
he is calling us to be transformed into different people.
to let go of our old selves
and to fully embrace our identity as children of God.
Repent.
Let go so that we might become who we really are created to be.
It may sound frighteningly Baptist—
But we really are all sinners.
Sin means anything that separates us from God.
It can be addiction or self-centeredness or anger or hate or jealousy…
Anything.
I saw a bumperstick this week that said:
Humankind. Try being both.
That might be a good first step towards repenting.
Believe.
Jesus is not calling us into doctrine or even discipline.
Jesus calls us to believe in the good news.
To believe that God is good ALL the time.
I had a professor in seminary who taught pastoral care.
He reminded us all semester long to look for God’s goodness
in every situation—in illness, in despair, even in death.
If we open your eyes we will see that God is always present—
in some small gesture, in some random action,
in a person who appears at just the moment you felt that all was lost.
Believe in the good news.
Repent.
Believe.
Follow.
Why do we come to church?
Much of our modern American world doesn’t, you know.
They sleep in. They go to Starbucks for coffee and the NY Times.
Why are we here?
There is no one answer to that question but perhaps the reason
we are here is
because we heard a voice calling us to follow.
Maybe it was the voice of God or angels or maybe it was the voice
of our mother or a neighbor or a friend.
We come together as a community
because that is one of the main lessons in the Bible.
God never encourages lone rangers.
Even Jesus doesn’t set out to do ministry by himself.
IMMEDIATELY Jesus comes and calls others to join him.
Jesus calls Simon and Andrew, John and James.
And over time he will call others
And somewhere along the way he called you
And he called me.
We come to church to be with our brothers and sisters in Christ.
We come to church to listen for how we might follow,
To pay attention to the words and the music and the prayers
And the beauty of this place
And the beauty in each person.
We follow so that we might make the tracks that others will follow.
We follow so that others might find their way as we find ours.
Repent
Believe.
Follow.
Fish.
I will make you fishers of people.
I know I have shared this phrase before==and no doubt I will share it again--
because it is one of my favorites.
The definition of evangelism
is one beggar telling another beggar where to find bread.
That’s the way theologian DT Niles puts it.
If we are transformed by God’s love for us.
If we have eyes and ears and hearts that are open to the good news
so that we can believe in the goodness and mercy of God.
If we have been courageous enough to let go of all that binds us
And follow Jesus,
Then we become fishers of people—
So that we too might share the good news --
The good news that there is room in God’s boat for everyone.
We too become fishers of people
because we feel called by God to share the good news.
Because we feel blessed by God
So much and so abundantly
That we stop paying attention
to people’s faults and shortcomings—
(And yes, we all have those)
And we begin to focus our hearts on the amazing grace
That blesses us all.
But we don’t start with fishing.
We don’t even start with following.
We don’t even start with belief.
We start by repenting.
We start by making changes in our own lives.
We start by opening ourselves to God so that God might turn us around,
transform us, save us.
Jesus did not ask Simon and Andrew and James and John
To add one more task to what they are already doing.
Jesus calls them into a whole new way of being.
Jesus calls them to leave behind, to let go of their old way of life
And be made new, completely changed,
Absolutely transformed.
The recent movie Billy Elliot tells the story of a young boy
growing up in a rather rough and rowdy working class neighborhood in the north of England.
Quite unexpectedly, the boy—Billy Elliot—discovers
that he loves classical dance—and that he is a very fine dancer.
Billy knows his family well enough
to know that his gifts as a dancer
are not going to sit well with his father.
His father cannot understand why any boy would want to dance.
Billy is becoming part of a world that is alien to his father—
And nothing frightens a parent more.
Part of what we dream for our children
Is that they will set out on their own seas,
Go their own ways,
Make their own lives.
Sometimes however when that happens
We are shocked and discover that
Deep inside we rather hoped they would stay close by,
Hug the shore along with us.
It could not have been easy for Zebedee
To watch his own sons, James and John,
Leave him behind
As they set out to follow Jesus.
Yet by the end of the film, Billy Elliott’s father travels to London
and watches his son leap and turn and dance with beauty and joy
and the father takes delight and pride in his son,
in his child Billy.
We don’t know what happens to Zebeddee.
Did he become a follower of Jesus?
Or did he shake his head and turn back to mending his nets?
Just like Andrew and Simon, James and John,
Billy Elliott had to start with change.
He had to embrace a new way of life that was as alien to him
as it was to his father.
Billy had to embrace how God was working in his life in new ways.
He had to see the “good news” that his dancing brought.
Billy had to follow a path
that was not the usual path of boys in his neighborhood
or those in his family followed.
And in the end, it is not only Billy that is transformed
but all those around him
That is what fishing for people is all about.
When we ourselves are transformed
so are those around us.
Fishing requires heading out into the deep water.
The deep water is where we take that long honest look at ourselves
And our own lives.
And deep waters can be terrifying.
But if we don’t go into the deep water our nets will remain empty.
Jesus called THEM.
Jesus calls US.
We travel together.
We sail on deep seas together.
We rest safely in God’s arms together.
We realize how wide open and all embracing those arms are
and we call to others to come into the embrace.
Repent.
Believe.
Follow.
Fish.
We are in the month of January.
It is a new calendar year.
We all know what that means.
Lots of new year resolutions still fresh on the page.
Pick up any January issue of most magazines and you’ll find things like:
Dr. Oz’s 10 step check list for ultimate wellness.
5 things to do to improve your relationships
4 tips for a more beautiful you
7 Home Improvements even YOUR husband can do!
I pondered what kind of magazine front cover
Jesus and today’s gospel reading
might encourage.
Four ways to share the good news
Repent.
Believe.
Follow.
Fish.
Jesus calls us to repent and to believe in the good news.
Jesus calls us to follow and be transformed into fishers of people.
Repent.
Believe.
Follow.
Fish.
The order of those actions is quite fascinating.
This is not necessarily the order we do things in our lives—
or in our churches.
Our tendency is go immediately to work, to start fishing--
long before we have done the work of repenting.
The word repent—metanoia in Greek—means to turn around.
To change. To go a different way.
When Jesus calls us to repent
he is calling us to be transformed into different people.
to let go of our old selves
and to fully embrace our identity as children of God.
Repent.
Let go so that we might become who we really are created to be.
It may sound frighteningly Baptist—
But we really are all sinners.
Sin means anything that separates us from God.
It can be addiction or self-centeredness or anger or hate or jealousy…
Anything.
I saw a bumperstick this week that said:
Humankind. Try being both.
That might be a good first step towards repenting.
Believe.
Jesus is not calling us into doctrine or even discipline.
Jesus calls us to believe in the good news.
To believe that God is good ALL the time.
I had a professor in seminary who taught pastoral care.
He reminded us all semester long to look for God’s goodness
in every situation—in illness, in despair, even in death.
If we open your eyes we will see that God is always present—
in some small gesture, in some random action,
in a person who appears at just the moment you felt that all was lost.
Believe in the good news.
Repent.
Believe.
Follow.
Why do we come to church?
Much of our modern American world doesn’t, you know.
They sleep in. They go to Starbucks for coffee and the NY Times.
Why are we here?
There is no one answer to that question but perhaps the reason
we are here is
because we heard a voice calling us to follow.
Maybe it was the voice of God or angels or maybe it was the voice
of our mother or a neighbor or a friend.
We come together as a community
because that is one of the main lessons in the Bible.
God never encourages lone rangers.
Even Jesus doesn’t set out to do ministry by himself.
IMMEDIATELY Jesus comes and calls others to join him.
Jesus calls Simon and Andrew, John and James.
And over time he will call others
And somewhere along the way he called you
And he called me.
We come to church to be with our brothers and sisters in Christ.
We come to church to listen for how we might follow,
To pay attention to the words and the music and the prayers
And the beauty of this place
And the beauty in each person.
We follow so that we might make the tracks that others will follow.
We follow so that others might find their way as we find ours.
Repent
Believe.
Follow.
Fish.
I will make you fishers of people.
I know I have shared this phrase before==and no doubt I will share it again--
because it is one of my favorites.
The definition of evangelism
is one beggar telling another beggar where to find bread.
That’s the way theologian DT Niles puts it.
If we are transformed by God’s love for us.
If we have eyes and ears and hearts that are open to the good news
so that we can believe in the goodness and mercy of God.
If we have been courageous enough to let go of all that binds us
And follow Jesus,
Then we become fishers of people—
So that we too might share the good news --
The good news that there is room in God’s boat for everyone.
We too become fishers of people
because we feel called by God to share the good news.
Because we feel blessed by God
So much and so abundantly
That we stop paying attention
to people’s faults and shortcomings—
(And yes, we all have those)
And we begin to focus our hearts on the amazing grace
That blesses us all.
But we don’t start with fishing.
We don’t even start with following.
We don’t even start with belief.
We start by repenting.
We start by making changes in our own lives.
We start by opening ourselves to God so that God might turn us around,
transform us, save us.
Jesus did not ask Simon and Andrew and James and John
To add one more task to what they are already doing.
Jesus calls them into a whole new way of being.
Jesus calls them to leave behind, to let go of their old way of life
And be made new, completely changed,
Absolutely transformed.
The recent movie Billy Elliot tells the story of a young boy
growing up in a rather rough and rowdy working class neighborhood in the north of England.
Quite unexpectedly, the boy—Billy Elliot—discovers
that he loves classical dance—and that he is a very fine dancer.
Billy knows his family well enough
to know that his gifts as a dancer
are not going to sit well with his father.
His father cannot understand why any boy would want to dance.
Billy is becoming part of a world that is alien to his father—
And nothing frightens a parent more.
Part of what we dream for our children
Is that they will set out on their own seas,
Go their own ways,
Make their own lives.
Sometimes however when that happens
We are shocked and discover that
Deep inside we rather hoped they would stay close by,
Hug the shore along with us.
It could not have been easy for Zebedee
To watch his own sons, James and John,
Leave him behind
As they set out to follow Jesus.
Yet by the end of the film, Billy Elliott’s father travels to London
and watches his son leap and turn and dance with beauty and joy
and the father takes delight and pride in his son,
in his child Billy.
We don’t know what happens to Zebeddee.
Did he become a follower of Jesus?
Or did he shake his head and turn back to mending his nets?
Just like Andrew and Simon, James and John,
Billy Elliott had to start with change.
He had to embrace a new way of life that was as alien to him
as it was to his father.
Billy had to embrace how God was working in his life in new ways.
He had to see the “good news” that his dancing brought.
Billy had to follow a path
that was not the usual path of boys in his neighborhood
or those in his family followed.
And in the end, it is not only Billy that is transformed
but all those around him
That is what fishing for people is all about.
When we ourselves are transformed
so are those around us.
Fishing requires heading out into the deep water.
The deep water is where we take that long honest look at ourselves
And our own lives.
And deep waters can be terrifying.
But if we don’t go into the deep water our nets will remain empty.
Jesus called THEM.
Jesus calls US.
We travel together.
We sail on deep seas together.
We rest safely in God’s arms together.
We realize how wide open and all embracing those arms are
and we call to others to come into the embrace.
Repent.
Believe.
Follow.
Fish.
Sermon for the Feast of the Epiphany
Three Gifts
I have a surprise for you today.
But it means you are going to have to come forward
and sit a little closer to one another.
I want to pass something around and it just isn’t going to work
if you each stay in your own personal pew.
So take a minute and move.
We’re Epsicopalians!
We know how to do this--
we get up and down and move all around during worship.
Thank you for doing that.
In celebration of the Feast of the Epiphany
we are going to have incense.
Now, no need to go fleeing out the back door,
it’s not the smoking kind.
(At least not today for this service!)
But I want you to actually see one of the gifts the wise men gave.
I’m afraid I don’t have a box of gold to pass around,
Plus we have all seen gold if only in a piece of jewelry.
But I do want us to take a close look at frankincense.
And I want us to talk about myrhh.
Three gifts—gold, frankincense and myrrh.
The gifts the wise men brought are each significant—
as gifts often are.
Remember—we are celebrating the feast of the Epiphany.
And epiphany means to show, to reveal, to become aware—
And there was indeed an awareness for the magi
of whom this baby is.
Not just any baby—but the manifestation of God.
God!
Emmanuel—God with us—right here.
Matthew’s gospel tells us
they entered the house and opened their treasure chests
and offered the baby their gifts.
Extravagant gifts.
Gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
The gift of gold makes absolute sense.
In the first century or the twenty-first century
gold is an extravagant gift of great value.
Gold is a gift fit for a king.
Gold is the type of gift that a king would bring to another king.
The people are expecting a king.
A king who will come in great glory and splendor.
The wise men
When they left on their journey following a star
They had no idea what the end of the journey would reveal.
But it is doubtful that they thought
it would reveal a baby of such humble beginnings.
But that is what they found.
Frankincense was a gift that recognized
the priestly qualities of the Christ child.
Frankincense was widely used in religious rites of the time.
We still use it as incense in the church today.
I want to pass around this frankincense.
It does not look much different
than what would have been brought by the wise men.
The gift of frankincense makes absolute sense.
Frankincense was the incense used by the temple priests.
This gift symbolizes that this child is a gift from God.
Both frankincense and myrrh come from a bush or small tree.
It is the sap of these trees that is this chunky resin we use.
But in some ways myrrh is a strange gift to bring a newborn.
Now myrrh was very expensive, definitely an extravagant gift.
But myrrh was the incense burned at funerals.
Myrrh was made into an embalming ointment,
used to anoint the bodies of the dead.
It is through the gift of myrrh that the writer of Matthew’s gospel
Reveals the symbolism behind these gifts
and who this baby really is.
Alpha and Omega.
Beginning and end.
Birth and death.
Gold to symbolize the baby’s royalty.
Frankincense to symbolize the baby’s divinity.
And myrrh, to reference his future death.
Matthew wants his readers to understand
that God came into the world in human form
and everything was transformed
but everything was not easy.
The symbolism behind those three gifts was a way of saying:
Buckle your seat belts. It’s going to be a bumpy ride.
The wise men fell to their knees
and offered their gifts.
Nothing was withheld.
What will we offer?
What will we give to God?
How extravagant are we willing to be?
This congregation is amazing.
Unlike many other churches
our stewardship drive is complete.
You HAVE been generous and open=hearted in pledging and giving
to financially support the ministries of this parish.
Whether we like it or not
how we choose to spend our money
is a powerful reflection of our spiritual lives.
The gifts we give and how we give what others give to us
are very symbolic
of how we perceive the world, our selves and others.
Epiphany is a wonderful season to take a closer look.
We are also called—repeatedly—to give our time.
A wise person recently said to me,
“My money and my time—
those are the two things I have that I can give away.”
The joy with which he made that statement
absolutely stunned me.
Most of us are very busy people.
We never have enough time.
But we can all give something.
We can all volunteer somewhere,
do something to make this parish, this community, this world
a little bit more like the kingdom of God.
We are a small church but we are a mighty church.
And it is each of us offering our gifts
that makes us strong and alive
and joyful.
We all have many gifts—often more than we imagine.
Epiphany calls us to offer something new.
To step outside our box, the roads we know.
(Story of Jody at camp—step outside your box)
Epiphany calls us to dream dreams and to see visions—
to follow a star to unknown places.
Epiphany is a wonderful season
to reflect upon the gifts we have received in our life.
Epiphany is a wonderful season
to reflect upon what we might give to others—
to our family, to our friends, to our church, to our community, to God.
Being an extravagant giver is not always easy.
It can be a very bumpy ride.
But oh what a marvelous journey!
When we give a gift,
We let down our guard.
We offer a part of ourselves—
in thanksgiving, in celebration, in hope.
When we receive a gift,
we are called into relationship.
we are called to remember
the one whose arms are always held wide open to us.
When we try something new, when we travel a new path,
we place ourselves in God’s hands.
We trust.
May this holy season of Epiphany be for each of us
a time of moving beyond what is reasonable—
a time of living in God’s extravagance--
a time of following a star of wonder.
I have a surprise for you today.
But it means you are going to have to come forward
and sit a little closer to one another.
I want to pass something around and it just isn’t going to work
if you each stay in your own personal pew.
So take a minute and move.
We’re Epsicopalians!
We know how to do this--
we get up and down and move all around during worship.
Thank you for doing that.
In celebration of the Feast of the Epiphany
we are going to have incense.
Now, no need to go fleeing out the back door,
it’s not the smoking kind.
(At least not today for this service!)
But I want you to actually see one of the gifts the wise men gave.
I’m afraid I don’t have a box of gold to pass around,
Plus we have all seen gold if only in a piece of jewelry.
But I do want us to take a close look at frankincense.
And I want us to talk about myrhh.
Three gifts—gold, frankincense and myrrh.
The gifts the wise men brought are each significant—
as gifts often are.
Remember—we are celebrating the feast of the Epiphany.
And epiphany means to show, to reveal, to become aware—
And there was indeed an awareness for the magi
of whom this baby is.
Not just any baby—but the manifestation of God.
God!
Emmanuel—God with us—right here.
Matthew’s gospel tells us
they entered the house and opened their treasure chests
and offered the baby their gifts.
Extravagant gifts.
Gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
The gift of gold makes absolute sense.
In the first century or the twenty-first century
gold is an extravagant gift of great value.
Gold is a gift fit for a king.
Gold is the type of gift that a king would bring to another king.
The people are expecting a king.
A king who will come in great glory and splendor.
The wise men
When they left on their journey following a star
They had no idea what the end of the journey would reveal.
But it is doubtful that they thought
it would reveal a baby of such humble beginnings.
But that is what they found.
Frankincense was a gift that recognized
the priestly qualities of the Christ child.
Frankincense was widely used in religious rites of the time.
We still use it as incense in the church today.
I want to pass around this frankincense.
It does not look much different
than what would have been brought by the wise men.
The gift of frankincense makes absolute sense.
Frankincense was the incense used by the temple priests.
This gift symbolizes that this child is a gift from God.
Both frankincense and myrrh come from a bush or small tree.
It is the sap of these trees that is this chunky resin we use.
But in some ways myrrh is a strange gift to bring a newborn.
Now myrrh was very expensive, definitely an extravagant gift.
But myrrh was the incense burned at funerals.
Myrrh was made into an embalming ointment,
used to anoint the bodies of the dead.
It is through the gift of myrrh that the writer of Matthew’s gospel
Reveals the symbolism behind these gifts
and who this baby really is.
Alpha and Omega.
Beginning and end.
Birth and death.
Gold to symbolize the baby’s royalty.
Frankincense to symbolize the baby’s divinity.
And myrrh, to reference his future death.
Matthew wants his readers to understand
that God came into the world in human form
and everything was transformed
but everything was not easy.
The symbolism behind those three gifts was a way of saying:
Buckle your seat belts. It’s going to be a bumpy ride.
The wise men fell to their knees
and offered their gifts.
Nothing was withheld.
What will we offer?
What will we give to God?
How extravagant are we willing to be?
This congregation is amazing.
Unlike many other churches
our stewardship drive is complete.
You HAVE been generous and open=hearted in pledging and giving
to financially support the ministries of this parish.
Whether we like it or not
how we choose to spend our money
is a powerful reflection of our spiritual lives.
The gifts we give and how we give what others give to us
are very symbolic
of how we perceive the world, our selves and others.
Epiphany is a wonderful season to take a closer look.
We are also called—repeatedly—to give our time.
A wise person recently said to me,
“My money and my time—
those are the two things I have that I can give away.”
The joy with which he made that statement
absolutely stunned me.
Most of us are very busy people.
We never have enough time.
But we can all give something.
We can all volunteer somewhere,
do something to make this parish, this community, this world
a little bit more like the kingdom of God.
We are a small church but we are a mighty church.
And it is each of us offering our gifts
that makes us strong and alive
and joyful.
We all have many gifts—often more than we imagine.
Epiphany calls us to offer something new.
To step outside our box, the roads we know.
(Story of Jody at camp—step outside your box)
Epiphany calls us to dream dreams and to see visions—
to follow a star to unknown places.
Epiphany is a wonderful season
to reflect upon the gifts we have received in our life.
Epiphany is a wonderful season
to reflect upon what we might give to others—
to our family, to our friends, to our church, to our community, to God.
Being an extravagant giver is not always easy.
It can be a very bumpy ride.
But oh what a marvelous journey!
When we give a gift,
We let down our guard.
We offer a part of ourselves—
in thanksgiving, in celebration, in hope.
When we receive a gift,
we are called into relationship.
we are called to remember
the one whose arms are always held wide open to us.
When we try something new, when we travel a new path,
we place ourselves in God’s hands.
We trust.
May this holy season of Epiphany be for each of us
a time of moving beyond what is reasonable—
a time of living in God’s extravagance--
a time of following a star of wonder.
Sermon for Year B Christmas 2
Insignificant Places
Our Sunday scripture readings do not follow a linear route.
We made it to the birth of the Christ child on Christmas Eve
Last Sunday we were still at the beginning as well—
with John’s beautiful gospel…
In the beginning was the WORD…
Next Sunday we will celebrate the Feast of the Epiphany—
Herod will be sending out the wise men to search for the baby.
The baby Jesus is back in the manger
And the magi arrive, following a star.
So where are we this Sunday?
We are still in the festive Season of Christmas,
at least according to the church year calendar,
We hear joy and praise expressed in Jeremiah,
We hear great happiness in the psalm
And in Paul’s tender words to his friends in Ephesus
We hear of God’s grace and greatness.
But the gospel reading today is a bit scary.
The wise men have left.
An angel appears to Joseph in a dream.
This angel skips the formality of saying the usual, ‘Fear not.”
This angel goes immediately to the action:
Get up. Take the child and his mother and flee…
Joseph does not argue nor delay.
Joseph gets up, gathers Jesus and Mary and leaves immediately.
They are fleeing from Herod.
Herod who would kill a baby without a blink.
Herod who HAS killed babies without a blink.
Herod who seeks to destroy this baby Jesus.
First the holy family travels to Egypt for safety
Then another angel appears and directs them to Israel.
But rather than go to Judea,
Joseph takes his wife and his baby, to the district of Galilee,
to the town of Nazareth.
Our gospel reading today is bot joyful but wise.
Joseph shows great wisdom.
First of all he listens.
He listens to the angels.
Joseph acts quickly.
Joseph makes wise decisions.
Especially the decision to return to Nazareth.
Nazareth, according to Luke’s gospel, was the home of Mary and Joseph
At the time of the Annunciation,
At the time the angel came to Mary
and told her she would be the mother of this baby.
From there they set out to Bethlehem to register as was required—
and it was there that the Christ child arrived in this world.
But Bethlehem was not a safe place.
So ultimately Joseph returns his family to Nazareth.
The interesting thing about Nazareth is there is not one mention
of this village in the Old Testament.
That is not surprising
Because in truth, Nazareth was quite insignificant,
Quite unspectacular.
Nazareth is a small village located on the side of a hill
about 15 miles from the Sea of Galilee
about 20 miles from the Mediterranean
In Jesus’ day it was a very small, secluded village
not on any main highways
although it was near Sepphoris, an important city—
and a city that Jesus probably knew well.
But Nazareth was pretty much in the middle of no where.
In John’s gospel (John 1:45),
when Philip speaks to Nathanael about Jesus being from Nazatreth Nathanael replies,
“Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”
Nathanael cannot believe that the Son of God
could come from a place as insignificant
As the village of Nazareth.
Nowheresville.
When I was in high school and looking towards college,
I decided the place for me was New York University.
I wanted to go to school someplace important—
and in those days, you didn’t get more important
than New York City!
I grew up in Raleigh,
The capital city.
But it wasn’t capital enough for me.
No.
Somehow I felt that if I could go to college in New York City,
My life would become so much better,
so much more significant.
So I told my mom I wanted to go to NYU.
And she looked at me and said,
We can’t afford NYU.
North Carolina has great colleges.
Find your second choice.
The Olivia Raney Library in downtown Raleigh,
Had a whole section in those days devoted to college catalogs.
I spent a whole Saturday afternoon perusing those catalogs
And found my second choice.
Only this time,
I didn’t go directly to my mother,
I went to the college counselor at Broughton High School.
Here’s where I want to go to college.
I had “borrowed” the catalog from the library.
I laid it on her desk.
Black Mountain College.
In Black Mountain, NC.
(In 1967 I think that Black Mountain,NC
might have given Nazareth a run for its money
in the “insignificant” category!)
Why did I pick Black Mountain College?
Certainly not for its name recognition—at least not at the time.
I fell in love with the college because the catalog
told me of the artists, the poets, and the musicians
that composed its faculty.
If I couldn’t have New York City, I could still have ultimately cool!
The college counselor looked at the catalog
(stamped—“Olivia Raney Library—REFERENCE—
Not for circulation”)
and said,
“Jeannie, this college no longer exists.
It closed. “
Oh.
I found out that Black Mountain College
had indeed closed ten years earlier
in 1957.
Hmm.
Well, I had to go on to choice number 3—
the University of NC at Chapel Hill.
And no self-respecting Carolina alumni would dare call that insignificant.
But I tell you this story because I think not all of us
would choose as Joseph did.
We don’t use our wisdom to discern and choose.
We use our egos or our desires for things that will not serve us best.
But Joseph listened and made wise choices.
Joseph thought of his family above anything and everything else.
Perhaps it was because he truly realized that this baby
was someone far from insignificant.
Or perhaps he was just a good father
Perhaps he was a father
who loved his family more than he loved himself,
a man who did not need to be important himself,
or live at an impressive street address—
but a man who only cared that his family had a safe home.
If we use our own wisdom,
that is probably not far off
from what most people in the world want today—
a safe home.
We need to listen to Matthew’s gospel
and learn from Joseph.
How are we being called
to make safe homes
a reality for the people in our community,
in our city, in the world?
How are we being called
to reach out to those who are homeless,
those who are without safety, those who spend their lives in fear?
Habitat for Humanity.
Room in the Inn.
Swannanoa Women’s Correctional Center.
Episcopal Relief and Development.
Guardian Ad Litem.
Those are only a few of the places one could start.
The longing for a safe home is immense and global.
God has given us ears to hear and eyes to see--
just as he did with Joseph.
Perhaps the angel is standing at our door saying:
“Get up.
Flee from those who seek to kill the dreams of God.
Get up and get out into the world
and make a difference.
Don’t just say you are a Christian—
actually live like one.
Perhaps if we listen,
we, too, might fulfill
what has been spoken by the Lord through the prophets.
Our Sunday scripture readings do not follow a linear route.
We made it to the birth of the Christ child on Christmas Eve
Last Sunday we were still at the beginning as well—
with John’s beautiful gospel…
In the beginning was the WORD…
Next Sunday we will celebrate the Feast of the Epiphany—
Herod will be sending out the wise men to search for the baby.
The baby Jesus is back in the manger
And the magi arrive, following a star.
So where are we this Sunday?
We are still in the festive Season of Christmas,
at least according to the church year calendar,
We hear joy and praise expressed in Jeremiah,
We hear great happiness in the psalm
And in Paul’s tender words to his friends in Ephesus
We hear of God’s grace and greatness.
But the gospel reading today is a bit scary.
The wise men have left.
An angel appears to Joseph in a dream.
This angel skips the formality of saying the usual, ‘Fear not.”
This angel goes immediately to the action:
Get up. Take the child and his mother and flee…
Joseph does not argue nor delay.
Joseph gets up, gathers Jesus and Mary and leaves immediately.
They are fleeing from Herod.
Herod who would kill a baby without a blink.
Herod who HAS killed babies without a blink.
Herod who seeks to destroy this baby Jesus.
First the holy family travels to Egypt for safety
Then another angel appears and directs them to Israel.
But rather than go to Judea,
Joseph takes his wife and his baby, to the district of Galilee,
to the town of Nazareth.
Our gospel reading today is bot joyful but wise.
Joseph shows great wisdom.
First of all he listens.
He listens to the angels.
Joseph acts quickly.
Joseph makes wise decisions.
Especially the decision to return to Nazareth.
Nazareth, according to Luke’s gospel, was the home of Mary and Joseph
At the time of the Annunciation,
At the time the angel came to Mary
and told her she would be the mother of this baby.
From there they set out to Bethlehem to register as was required—
and it was there that the Christ child arrived in this world.
But Bethlehem was not a safe place.
So ultimately Joseph returns his family to Nazareth.
The interesting thing about Nazareth is there is not one mention
of this village in the Old Testament.
That is not surprising
Because in truth, Nazareth was quite insignificant,
Quite unspectacular.
Nazareth is a small village located on the side of a hill
about 15 miles from the Sea of Galilee
about 20 miles from the Mediterranean
In Jesus’ day it was a very small, secluded village
not on any main highways
although it was near Sepphoris, an important city—
and a city that Jesus probably knew well.
But Nazareth was pretty much in the middle of no where.
In John’s gospel (John 1:45),
when Philip speaks to Nathanael about Jesus being from Nazatreth Nathanael replies,
“Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”
Nathanael cannot believe that the Son of God
could come from a place as insignificant
As the village of Nazareth.
Nowheresville.
When I was in high school and looking towards college,
I decided the place for me was New York University.
I wanted to go to school someplace important—
and in those days, you didn’t get more important
than New York City!
I grew up in Raleigh,
The capital city.
But it wasn’t capital enough for me.
No.
Somehow I felt that if I could go to college in New York City,
My life would become so much better,
so much more significant.
So I told my mom I wanted to go to NYU.
And she looked at me and said,
We can’t afford NYU.
North Carolina has great colleges.
Find your second choice.
The Olivia Raney Library in downtown Raleigh,
Had a whole section in those days devoted to college catalogs.
I spent a whole Saturday afternoon perusing those catalogs
And found my second choice.
Only this time,
I didn’t go directly to my mother,
I went to the college counselor at Broughton High School.
Here’s where I want to go to college.
I had “borrowed” the catalog from the library.
I laid it on her desk.
Black Mountain College.
In Black Mountain, NC.
(In 1967 I think that Black Mountain,NC
might have given Nazareth a run for its money
in the “insignificant” category!)
Why did I pick Black Mountain College?
Certainly not for its name recognition—at least not at the time.
I fell in love with the college because the catalog
told me of the artists, the poets, and the musicians
that composed its faculty.
If I couldn’t have New York City, I could still have ultimately cool!
The college counselor looked at the catalog
(stamped—“Olivia Raney Library—REFERENCE—
Not for circulation”)
and said,
“Jeannie, this college no longer exists.
It closed. “
Oh.
I found out that Black Mountain College
had indeed closed ten years earlier
in 1957.
Hmm.
Well, I had to go on to choice number 3—
the University of NC at Chapel Hill.
And no self-respecting Carolina alumni would dare call that insignificant.
But I tell you this story because I think not all of us
would choose as Joseph did.
We don’t use our wisdom to discern and choose.
We use our egos or our desires for things that will not serve us best.
But Joseph listened and made wise choices.
Joseph thought of his family above anything and everything else.
Perhaps it was because he truly realized that this baby
was someone far from insignificant.
Or perhaps he was just a good father
Perhaps he was a father
who loved his family more than he loved himself,
a man who did not need to be important himself,
or live at an impressive street address—
but a man who only cared that his family had a safe home.
If we use our own wisdom,
that is probably not far off
from what most people in the world want today—
a safe home.
We need to listen to Matthew’s gospel
and learn from Joseph.
How are we being called
to make safe homes
a reality for the people in our community,
in our city, in the world?
How are we being called
to reach out to those who are homeless,
those who are without safety, those who spend their lives in fear?
Habitat for Humanity.
Room in the Inn.
Swannanoa Women’s Correctional Center.
Episcopal Relief and Development.
Guardian Ad Litem.
Those are only a few of the places one could start.
The longing for a safe home is immense and global.
God has given us ears to hear and eyes to see--
just as he did with Joseph.
Perhaps the angel is standing at our door saying:
“Get up.
Flee from those who seek to kill the dreams of God.
Get up and get out into the world
and make a difference.
Don’t just say you are a Christian—
actually live like one.
Perhaps if we listen,
we, too, might fulfill
what has been spoken by the Lord through the prophets.
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Sermon for Christmas Day 2008
You are the apple of God’s eye!
Merry Christmas!
Today, as we all know, is Christmas Day.
As Episcopalians
we celebrate Christmas for much longer than one day.
That’s not because we start the celebration early—
we don’t start celebrating Christmas the day after Halloween—
even though that’s when Christmas decorations and candy
seem to appear in the stores.
Instead, we have this wonderful season of waiting and expectation
called Advent.
It gives us time to purposefully prepare,
to get excited, to look forward.
But NOW the waiting is over!
Christmas is here!
The really good news for us?
Christmas lasts awhile!
We don’t’ have to let this joy
just swoop in and swoop out.
We get to enjoy Christmas for twelve days.
Tomorrow officially begins the twelve days of Christmas.
from December 26 to January 6, the Feast of the Epiphany.
Most of us know at least a few of the verses of
The Twelve Days of Christmas.
The song is about quite an extravagant list of gifts--
from a partridge in a pear tree to twelve drummers drumming.
I think there is something about extravagant gifts
that has a lot to do with the real meaning of Christmas.
The message and the meaning is NOT
that we need to go out and try to buy extravagant gifts..
The message and the meaning IS
that we have already received the most extravagant gift possible.
We receive the love of God
and that love comes to us in human form.
This baby.
This Jesus.
At the heart of this extravagant gift is this message:
God loves you.
God loves me.
God loves each and every one of us.
more than we can ask or imagine.
And that kind of love--
Love without a long list of conditions--
is almost beyond our imagination.
Yet we are so hungry to be loved in that way!
We should jump with joy!
(Or for those of us who are rather jumping challenged—
shouting with joy will do!)
Because the truth is-
We are the apple of God’s eye.
Yes, you and I—we are the apple of God’s eye.
Could we possibly receive a better gift than that?
Imagine if we went out into the world
and said to someone,
You know, the checker at Ingles,
the woman behind the counter at the dry cleaners,
the dental hygienist who cleans our teeth:
What if we really said to someone,
You are the apple of God’s eye!
I wonder how the world might change.
I wonder how we might change.
What if we looked ourselves in the mirror each morning and said,
Wow! I am the apple of God’s eye!
I wonder how our day might be different.
I wonder how we might treat others differently.
That phrase--the apple of God’s eye-- is found in many places in the Bible
but one that I am very drawn to is from Deuteronomy (32:10):
He found him in a desert land, and in the waste howling wilderness;
he led him about, he instructed him,
he kept him as the apple of his eye.
God often finds us in a desert land, wandering in the wilderness.
Repeatedly God comes to us.
God finds us.
God waits for us.
God is right there.
Why?
One reason.
God loves us.
We are the apple of God’s eye.
That is the good news that Jesus brings to us,
beginning on this day, this Christmas Day.
That is the good news that is too big, too much, too wonderful--
to only celebrate for one day.
The Christmas party goes on now for 12 days.
The real truth is
The party goes on for ever and ever .
Why?
One reason.
You are the apple of God’s eye.
That is the Good News of Jesus Christ.
As you leave today,
You will find the manger at the back of the church
right by the baptismal font.
It’s filled with apples.
Take two as you leave.
One apple is for you.
Remember how much God loves you:
You are the apple of God’s eye.
One is for you to give away to someone--
someone who needs to know how much God loves them.
Jesus came into the world so that we might really believe
we are the apple of God’s eye.
Merry Christmas!
Merry, merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas!
Today, as we all know, is Christmas Day.
As Episcopalians
we celebrate Christmas for much longer than one day.
That’s not because we start the celebration early—
we don’t start celebrating Christmas the day after Halloween—
even though that’s when Christmas decorations and candy
seem to appear in the stores.
Instead, we have this wonderful season of waiting and expectation
called Advent.
It gives us time to purposefully prepare,
to get excited, to look forward.
But NOW the waiting is over!
Christmas is here!
The really good news for us?
Christmas lasts awhile!
We don’t’ have to let this joy
just swoop in and swoop out.
We get to enjoy Christmas for twelve days.
Tomorrow officially begins the twelve days of Christmas.
from December 26 to January 6, the Feast of the Epiphany.
Most of us know at least a few of the verses of
The Twelve Days of Christmas.
The song is about quite an extravagant list of gifts--
from a partridge in a pear tree to twelve drummers drumming.
I think there is something about extravagant gifts
that has a lot to do with the real meaning of Christmas.
The message and the meaning is NOT
that we need to go out and try to buy extravagant gifts..
The message and the meaning IS
that we have already received the most extravagant gift possible.
We receive the love of God
and that love comes to us in human form.
This baby.
This Jesus.
At the heart of this extravagant gift is this message:
God loves you.
God loves me.
God loves each and every one of us.
more than we can ask or imagine.
And that kind of love--
Love without a long list of conditions--
is almost beyond our imagination.
Yet we are so hungry to be loved in that way!
We should jump with joy!
(Or for those of us who are rather jumping challenged—
shouting with joy will do!)
Because the truth is-
We are the apple of God’s eye.
Yes, you and I—we are the apple of God’s eye.
Could we possibly receive a better gift than that?
Imagine if we went out into the world
and said to someone,
You know, the checker at Ingles,
the woman behind the counter at the dry cleaners,
the dental hygienist who cleans our teeth:
What if we really said to someone,
You are the apple of God’s eye!
I wonder how the world might change.
I wonder how we might change.
What if we looked ourselves in the mirror each morning and said,
Wow! I am the apple of God’s eye!
I wonder how our day might be different.
I wonder how we might treat others differently.
That phrase--the apple of God’s eye-- is found in many places in the Bible
but one that I am very drawn to is from Deuteronomy (32:10):
He found him in a desert land, and in the waste howling wilderness;
he led him about, he instructed him,
he kept him as the apple of his eye.
God often finds us in a desert land, wandering in the wilderness.
Repeatedly God comes to us.
God finds us.
God waits for us.
God is right there.
Why?
One reason.
God loves us.
We are the apple of God’s eye.
That is the good news that Jesus brings to us,
beginning on this day, this Christmas Day.
That is the good news that is too big, too much, too wonderful--
to only celebrate for one day.
The Christmas party goes on now for 12 days.
The real truth is
The party goes on for ever and ever .
Why?
One reason.
You are the apple of God’s eye.
That is the Good News of Jesus Christ.
As you leave today,
You will find the manger at the back of the church
right by the baptismal font.
It’s filled with apples.
Take two as you leave.
One apple is for you.
Remember how much God loves you:
You are the apple of God’s eye.
One is for you to give away to someone--
someone who needs to know how much God loves them.
Jesus came into the world so that we might really believe
we are the apple of God’s eye.
Merry Christmas!
Merry, merry Christmas!
Sermon for Christmas Eve Midnight Mass 2008
God’s Surprises Earth With Heaven
Who would think that what was needed
To transform and save the earth
Might not be a plan or army,
Proud in purpose proved in worth!
Who would think, despite derision,
That a child should lead the way!
God surprises earth with heaven,
Coming here on Christmas Day!
Many of you know
that here at St. John’s
we have two services on Christmas Eve.
We have a service at 5 pm that includes our children’s Christmas pageant
and then we have this service
which begins with a choir concert at 10:30
and then at 11 pm
we begin the service of Holy Eucharist--
the Christmas midnight mass.
Last year after the pageant
one of the children asked me “What happens to Jesus now?”
I was somewhat taken a back.
How to answer this deep theological question
coming from the tiny mouth of a little girl just 7 years old?
I hesitated to try to gather my thoughts
on how best to explain to her “what happens to Jesus now”,
what happens after Christmas, after the nativity.
Fortunately before I could speak and begin my profound discourse
about Jesus and his life,
I was rescued by the child’s mother,
who said quite matter of factly,
“She wants to know what is going to happen to the doll.”
The doll?
Oh, right.
The doll.
Baby Jesus.
What happens to Jesus now?
“Well, we will pack Jesus away with the manger and the pageant costumes and put them over in the storage closet.”
She looked at me with horror.:
“You’re going to put the baby Jesus in a closet?”
(It sounded rather horrible to me as well!!)
Then I got it.
Then I understood what she was really asking me.
I picked up the baby Jesus and asked her,
“Would you be willing to take Jesus home with you?
Would you be willing to take care of the baby Jesus this year?”
Small hands reached out and took the baby from my arms.
“YES! I’ll take care of him all year.
I will.”
What’s happens to Jesus now?
It is a very good question
for all of us to ponder on this eve of Christmas.
We’re here—in church on Christmas Eve—
we showed up to celebrate Jesus arriving into the world.
What now?
What about the rest of the year?
How will we take Jesus home with us tonight?
Where will Jesus live the rest of the year?
Is tonight just a one night stand
and we’ll all go home and shut Jesus up in a closet,
leave him in the dark
so he doesn’t get in the way of our daily lives?
What happens to Jesus now?
Shepherds watch and wise men wonder,
Monarchs scorn and angels sing;
Such a place as none would reckon
Host a holy helpless thing;
Stabled beast and by-passed strangers
Watch a baby laid in hay;
God surprises earth with heaven
Coming here on Christmas Day.
What is being asked of us this night?
Ponder Mary’s story.
Mary was a teenager—literally a teenager.
Most likely 14 or 15 years old.
Teenagers are amazing because they stand on the edge—
the edge between the imagination of childhood
and the power of creating life as adults.
Just like the prophets
teenagers often challenge us and challenge our choices.
They are willing to risk new ideas, new looks, new visions.
Teenagers have the great audacity to bear new things into the world.
(You only have to look at our clothes, our language,
our social customs to see that is still true today)
So isn’t it perfect
that God chose a teenager to take the risk,
to bear the baby that would change everything?
What is being asked of us tonight?
In truth, God asks nothing of any of us--
other than to open our hearts and receive the love God offers.
It always astounds me how many people refuse that gift.
Some people make a conscious choice,
choosing apathy or skepticism or even hate over love.
It always baffles me how many people get upset
with some one or some thing in the church and walk away.
Trust me, I know the church is far from perfect.
But Church at it’s best is like a holy post-it note—
to remind us weekly of what really matters
to remind us that we—each and every one of us—
really matter to God.
That is the truth.
And we don’t hear that message many places in the world today.
Most of us are old enough to know that life is not all light.
There are times and places of deep darkness.
Our challenge is not to let the darkness overcome the light.
Think of the time we spend criticizing, complaining, judging and worrying.
Those seemingly harmless activities
place extra weight on the darkness side of the scale.
Do we try to place equal or more on the side of the scale
that brings light and love and life into the world?
Praise, joy, adoration, thanksgiving, laughter?
This is the real battle of the scale.
These are the true weights we need to watch.
We are the shepherds standing in the field, doing our work,
taking care of our families and our selves, paying the bills,
earning a living, trying to stay warm on a cold night.
And suddenly—as we stand there in the darkness--
suddenly—our whole world is overpowered by a brilliant light.
We see it—we can’t miss it—
and we are overwhelmed by its beauty and power.
But then our fears kick into high gear—
It is too too wonderful to be true.
Impossible.
It can’t last we start to murmur.
We shake out heads and say,
This joy and light and goodness--it won’t last.
How hard it is to trust light and hope and possibility.
What happens to Jesus now?
Look to Mary.
Look to the wise and risky and visionary teenager who says YES to God.
She treasures the words of good news, of hope, of possibility.
She holds on to them and ponders those tidings of great joy in her heart.
There are absolutely no guarantees that her life will be easy—
it certainly hasn’t been an easy beginning for her, has it?
Pregnant, unwed, no room in the Inn—
and we know there are horrors and heartbreak ahead.
But Mary does not live today in fear of what may come.
Mary does not live today as if the past was all her life can be.
Mary lives in the present.
because that is where God is.
On this night the present is right in front of her--and us--
in this baby.
What happens to Jesus now?
That is your question and my question to ponder in our hearts.
.
…While the human lot we ponder,
Lest our hopes and humour fray,
God surprises earth with heaven,
Coming here on Christmas Day.
+ + +
The song lyrics in italics are from the Iona Community’s Wild Goose Worship Group’s hymn “Who Would Think That What Was Needed” by John Bell and Graham Maule.
This image of Mary as a teenager was inspired by an advent reflection by my husband’s friend Heidi Clark who gave me permission to use this concept as part of my sermon. Thanks, Heidi. You rock!
Who would think that what was needed
To transform and save the earth
Might not be a plan or army,
Proud in purpose proved in worth!
Who would think, despite derision,
That a child should lead the way!
God surprises earth with heaven,
Coming here on Christmas Day!
Many of you know
that here at St. John’s
we have two services on Christmas Eve.
We have a service at 5 pm that includes our children’s Christmas pageant
and then we have this service
which begins with a choir concert at 10:30
and then at 11 pm
we begin the service of Holy Eucharist--
the Christmas midnight mass.
Last year after the pageant
one of the children asked me “What happens to Jesus now?”
I was somewhat taken a back.
How to answer this deep theological question
coming from the tiny mouth of a little girl just 7 years old?
I hesitated to try to gather my thoughts
on how best to explain to her “what happens to Jesus now”,
what happens after Christmas, after the nativity.
Fortunately before I could speak and begin my profound discourse
about Jesus and his life,
I was rescued by the child’s mother,
who said quite matter of factly,
“She wants to know what is going to happen to the doll.”
The doll?
Oh, right.
The doll.
Baby Jesus.
What happens to Jesus now?
“Well, we will pack Jesus away with the manger and the pageant costumes and put them over in the storage closet.”
She looked at me with horror.:
“You’re going to put the baby Jesus in a closet?”
(It sounded rather horrible to me as well!!)
Then I got it.
Then I understood what she was really asking me.
I picked up the baby Jesus and asked her,
“Would you be willing to take Jesus home with you?
Would you be willing to take care of the baby Jesus this year?”
Small hands reached out and took the baby from my arms.
“YES! I’ll take care of him all year.
I will.”
What’s happens to Jesus now?
It is a very good question
for all of us to ponder on this eve of Christmas.
We’re here—in church on Christmas Eve—
we showed up to celebrate Jesus arriving into the world.
What now?
What about the rest of the year?
How will we take Jesus home with us tonight?
Where will Jesus live the rest of the year?
Is tonight just a one night stand
and we’ll all go home and shut Jesus up in a closet,
leave him in the dark
so he doesn’t get in the way of our daily lives?
What happens to Jesus now?
Shepherds watch and wise men wonder,
Monarchs scorn and angels sing;
Such a place as none would reckon
Host a holy helpless thing;
Stabled beast and by-passed strangers
Watch a baby laid in hay;
God surprises earth with heaven
Coming here on Christmas Day.
What is being asked of us this night?
Ponder Mary’s story.
Mary was a teenager—literally a teenager.
Most likely 14 or 15 years old.
Teenagers are amazing because they stand on the edge—
the edge between the imagination of childhood
and the power of creating life as adults.
Just like the prophets
teenagers often challenge us and challenge our choices.
They are willing to risk new ideas, new looks, new visions.
Teenagers have the great audacity to bear new things into the world.
(You only have to look at our clothes, our language,
our social customs to see that is still true today)
So isn’t it perfect
that God chose a teenager to take the risk,
to bear the baby that would change everything?
What is being asked of us tonight?
In truth, God asks nothing of any of us--
other than to open our hearts and receive the love God offers.
It always astounds me how many people refuse that gift.
Some people make a conscious choice,
choosing apathy or skepticism or even hate over love.
It always baffles me how many people get upset
with some one or some thing in the church and walk away.
Trust me, I know the church is far from perfect.
But Church at it’s best is like a holy post-it note—
to remind us weekly of what really matters
to remind us that we—each and every one of us—
really matter to God.
That is the truth.
And we don’t hear that message many places in the world today.
Most of us are old enough to know that life is not all light.
There are times and places of deep darkness.
Our challenge is not to let the darkness overcome the light.
Think of the time we spend criticizing, complaining, judging and worrying.
Those seemingly harmless activities
place extra weight on the darkness side of the scale.
Do we try to place equal or more on the side of the scale
that brings light and love and life into the world?
Praise, joy, adoration, thanksgiving, laughter?
This is the real battle of the scale.
These are the true weights we need to watch.
We are the shepherds standing in the field, doing our work,
taking care of our families and our selves, paying the bills,
earning a living, trying to stay warm on a cold night.
And suddenly—as we stand there in the darkness--
suddenly—our whole world is overpowered by a brilliant light.
We see it—we can’t miss it—
and we are overwhelmed by its beauty and power.
But then our fears kick into high gear—
It is too too wonderful to be true.
Impossible.
It can’t last we start to murmur.
We shake out heads and say,
This joy and light and goodness--it won’t last.
How hard it is to trust light and hope and possibility.
What happens to Jesus now?
Look to Mary.
Look to the wise and risky and visionary teenager who says YES to God.
She treasures the words of good news, of hope, of possibility.
She holds on to them and ponders those tidings of great joy in her heart.
There are absolutely no guarantees that her life will be easy—
it certainly hasn’t been an easy beginning for her, has it?
Pregnant, unwed, no room in the Inn—
and we know there are horrors and heartbreak ahead.
But Mary does not live today in fear of what may come.
Mary does not live today as if the past was all her life can be.
Mary lives in the present.
because that is where God is.
On this night the present is right in front of her--and us--
in this baby.
What happens to Jesus now?
That is your question and my question to ponder in our hearts.
.
…While the human lot we ponder,
Lest our hopes and humour fray,
God surprises earth with heaven,
Coming here on Christmas Day.
+ + +
The song lyrics in italics are from the Iona Community’s Wild Goose Worship Group’s hymn “Who Would Think That What Was Needed” by John Bell and Graham Maule.
This image of Mary as a teenager was inspired by an advent reflection by my husband’s friend Heidi Clark who gave me permission to use this concept as part of my sermon. Thanks, Heidi. You rock!
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Sermon for the Ordination of Danae Ashley to the Priesthood
Thousands of angels rejoicing in holy dances…
What a glorious day for Danae’s ordination!
Today is the fourth Sunday of Advent.
Today is the first day of Hanukah.
Today is the feast day of St. Thomas.
Today is the Winter Solstice.
I think if Danae could have selected any day of the year for her ordination
it could not be better than this day.
Now I must warn you,
I also read on the internet this week
that the rapture is beginning today.
Yes! This very day!
But no worries!
That same internet article that says the rapture begins today—
December 21, 2008--
also notes that the rapture will take until 2015 to complete--
so there’s plenty of time for my sermon,
for Danae’s ordination,
for Holy Eucharist
AND for the festive reception afterwards!
So don’t leave—at least not yet!
But truly, and seriously, today is a day
of an amazingly diverse convergence of happenings.
We hear it in the scripture readings.
Isaiah sees God on a high and lofty throne,
There are celestial seraphs—angels—
flying about with fluttering wings
and golden tongs
and burning coals and cries of holy, holy, holy.
Paul writes to the Ephesians
of the grace and gifts that God showers upon God’s people.
Not a stingy drip drip drip of grace
but showers.
God bucketing a rain of gifts upon us.
And the words of John’s gospel
tell us of a shepherd who willingly risks everything
for the sheep he so loves—
and the good news is
the Good Shepherd loves all the sheep.
So we have this convergence:
--the cosmic entry into the mystery of God’s call;
--the absolute assurance that God will grace each one of us
with the gifts we need
to do God’s work in the world ;
--and the determined and passionate inclusiveness
of One who loves all the sheep,
those lost and those found.
Ordination is also a convergence--
a convergence of all that was and all that is and all that will be--
all that breaks our hearts
and all that makes our hearts sing—
All that has happened in Danae’s life,
in the life of this parish,
in the life of our diocese,
and in the life Church—
with a capital C!
What is God doing in making Danae Ashley a priest?
The truth is
only God REALLY knows.
Ordination is a liminal event that will transform everything about Danae.
Only she –and we—will not have the eyes to see it all at one time.
Danae’s priesthood will be revealed to her
and to us
over and through time.
But what we do know is this:
At some point, Danae heard God ask,
Whom shall I send?
and Danae courageously—
and my guess is,
with more joy and enthusiasm
than some of us will ever muster—
Danae sang out, “Here I am! Send me!”
And God did.
And God continues doing.
At some point, others started looking at Danae
and recognizing that HER gifts were gifts leading her on a journey
to Holy Orders.
And God led.
And God continues leading.
Danae listened and followed and the journey
led from the Diocese of Spokane
to the Diocese of Western North Carolina
via Sewanee
here to Denver.
Denver, NORTH CAROLINA.
God doesn’t tend to draw a nice straight linear path for any of us.
You better like twists and turns and switch backs and cloverleafs,
If you are going to follow God’s call.
Today hands will be laid upon Danae
and the Holy Spirit will fall upon her and surround us all
and Danae will be made a priest in our Church.
And we will all be witnesses
to the grace and power of God
continuing to work in the world through humanity.
Today is indeed the convergence of some many miraculous events.
Danae and I share a great love for Celtic Christianity.
You can’t spend time in any Celtic country without noticing
that there are a lot of sheep.
More sheep that people in fact. (That is the honest truth!)
Danae, I pray that God will give you strength and courage and endurance
because being a shepherd is hard work.
I also pray that you don’t spend all your time in your office.
Go out and be with people where they are--
in their homes, at Starbucks,
in a karaoke bar,
in a hospital waiting room..
It’s okay to spend time wandering in the wilderness,
Because you never know whom you might bump into there.
(Just ask Moses—or Jesus!)
As a priest you are called to pattern your life after Christ,
to set a wholesome example for your people.
This is truly important and sometimes truly difficult.
However, I want to be clear.
Danae, some of us would have a very hard time
walking a mile in your shoes,
But we love your spirit of joy and delight,
And by no means do we want you to ever
trade your funky shoe wardrobe
for sensible saddle oxfords!
Paul offers excellent advice to the Ephesians when he writes:
Equip the saints for ministry.
Look at all these saints!!
Remember, you do not have to do it all yourself, Danae.
Encourage and support the ministries of all God’s people.
The best work we do is the work we do together.
I also pray that you will designate one person—one brave person—
and give that person permission and your blessing
to always speak the truth to you.
To speak the truth in love.
That means allowing that one person, when necessary,
to walk into your office, close the door,
and say, “Danae, you are acting like a jerk!”
or “What are you thinking?”
or “You are wrong about this.”
If we surround ourselves with too many people who adore us,
who think we are perfect and holy and without fault,
we lose the ability to see our own brokenness,
we forget the necessity
of falling to our own knees on occasion.
And most dangerous of all,
we start to believe that it is all up to us.
It is not up to us.
It is up to God.
So choose and designate one person to remind you of that
and when they speak the truth in love:
Listen.
Really listen.
Then act accordingly.
There is an early 6th century hymn that was written on the island of Iona— some say it was written by St. Columba himself.
There is this wonderful line in that hymn:
Thousands of angels rejoicing in holy dances.
That is not just about what it feels like on one’s ordination day.
That is what it feels like to any of us
when we live fully
into the wondrous mystery
of God’s on-going presence in our lives.
Thousands of angels rejoicing in holy dances.
In times of celebration and in times of weariness,
in times of helping someone bear their suffering,
and in times of helping someone share their joy,
I pray that God will keep your eyes, your mind and your heart,
always open, Danae,
so that you will see God moving in your priesthood:
like thousands of angels rejoicing in holy dances.
Holy, holy, holy.
Amen.
Isaiah 6:1-8
In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lofty; and the hem of his robe filled the temple. 2Seraphs were in attendance above him; each had six wings: with two they covered their faces, and with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew. 3And one called to another and said: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory.’ 4The pivots* on the thresholds shook at the voices of those who called, and the house filled with smoke. 5And I said: ‘Woe is me! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; yet my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!’
Then one of the seraphs flew to me, holding a live coal that had been taken from the altar with a pair of tongs. 7The seraph* touched my mouth with it and said: ‘Now that this has touched your lips, your guilt has departed and your sin is blotted out.’ 8Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I; send me!’
Ephesians 4:7-8,11-16
But each of us was given grace according to the measure of Christ’s gift. 8Therefore it is said, ‘When he ascended on high he made captivity itself a captive; he gave gifts to his people.’ 11The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, 12to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ. 14We must no longer be children, tossed to and fro and blown about by every wind of doctrine, by people’s trickery, by their craftiness in deceitful scheming. 15But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16from whom the whole body, joined and knitted together by every ligament with which it is equipped, as each part is working properly, promotes the body’s growth in building itself up in love.
John 10:11-18
11“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12The hired hand, who is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away—and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. 13The hired hand runs away because a hired hand does not care for the sheep. 14I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, 15just as the Father knows me and I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep. 16I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. 17For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. 18No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again. I have received this command from my Father.”
What a glorious day for Danae’s ordination!
Today is the fourth Sunday of Advent.
Today is the first day of Hanukah.
Today is the feast day of St. Thomas.
Today is the Winter Solstice.
I think if Danae could have selected any day of the year for her ordination
it could not be better than this day.
Now I must warn you,
I also read on the internet this week
that the rapture is beginning today.
Yes! This very day!
But no worries!
That same internet article that says the rapture begins today—
December 21, 2008--
also notes that the rapture will take until 2015 to complete--
so there’s plenty of time for my sermon,
for Danae’s ordination,
for Holy Eucharist
AND for the festive reception afterwards!
So don’t leave—at least not yet!
But truly, and seriously, today is a day
of an amazingly diverse convergence of happenings.
We hear it in the scripture readings.
Isaiah sees God on a high and lofty throne,
There are celestial seraphs—angels—
flying about with fluttering wings
and golden tongs
and burning coals and cries of holy, holy, holy.
Paul writes to the Ephesians
of the grace and gifts that God showers upon God’s people.
Not a stingy drip drip drip of grace
but showers.
God bucketing a rain of gifts upon us.
And the words of John’s gospel
tell us of a shepherd who willingly risks everything
for the sheep he so loves—
and the good news is
the Good Shepherd loves all the sheep.
So we have this convergence:
--the cosmic entry into the mystery of God’s call;
--the absolute assurance that God will grace each one of us
with the gifts we need
to do God’s work in the world ;
--and the determined and passionate inclusiveness
of One who loves all the sheep,
those lost and those found.
Ordination is also a convergence--
a convergence of all that was and all that is and all that will be--
all that breaks our hearts
and all that makes our hearts sing—
All that has happened in Danae’s life,
in the life of this parish,
in the life of our diocese,
and in the life Church—
with a capital C!
What is God doing in making Danae Ashley a priest?
The truth is
only God REALLY knows.
Ordination is a liminal event that will transform everything about Danae.
Only she –and we—will not have the eyes to see it all at one time.
Danae’s priesthood will be revealed to her
and to us
over and through time.
But what we do know is this:
At some point, Danae heard God ask,
Whom shall I send?
and Danae courageously—
and my guess is,
with more joy and enthusiasm
than some of us will ever muster—
Danae sang out, “Here I am! Send me!”
And God did.
And God continues doing.
At some point, others started looking at Danae
and recognizing that HER gifts were gifts leading her on a journey
to Holy Orders.
And God led.
And God continues leading.
Danae listened and followed and the journey
led from the Diocese of Spokane
to the Diocese of Western North Carolina
via Sewanee
here to Denver.
Denver, NORTH CAROLINA.
God doesn’t tend to draw a nice straight linear path for any of us.
You better like twists and turns and switch backs and cloverleafs,
If you are going to follow God’s call.
Today hands will be laid upon Danae
and the Holy Spirit will fall upon her and surround us all
and Danae will be made a priest in our Church.
And we will all be witnesses
to the grace and power of God
continuing to work in the world through humanity.
Today is indeed the convergence of some many miraculous events.
Danae and I share a great love for Celtic Christianity.
You can’t spend time in any Celtic country without noticing
that there are a lot of sheep.
More sheep that people in fact. (That is the honest truth!)
Danae, I pray that God will give you strength and courage and endurance
because being a shepherd is hard work.
I also pray that you don’t spend all your time in your office.
Go out and be with people where they are--
in their homes, at Starbucks,
in a karaoke bar,
in a hospital waiting room..
It’s okay to spend time wandering in the wilderness,
Because you never know whom you might bump into there.
(Just ask Moses—or Jesus!)
As a priest you are called to pattern your life after Christ,
to set a wholesome example for your people.
This is truly important and sometimes truly difficult.
However, I want to be clear.
Danae, some of us would have a very hard time
walking a mile in your shoes,
But we love your spirit of joy and delight,
And by no means do we want you to ever
trade your funky shoe wardrobe
for sensible saddle oxfords!
Paul offers excellent advice to the Ephesians when he writes:
Equip the saints for ministry.
Look at all these saints!!
Remember, you do not have to do it all yourself, Danae.
Encourage and support the ministries of all God’s people.
The best work we do is the work we do together.
I also pray that you will designate one person—one brave person—
and give that person permission and your blessing
to always speak the truth to you.
To speak the truth in love.
That means allowing that one person, when necessary,
to walk into your office, close the door,
and say, “Danae, you are acting like a jerk!”
or “What are you thinking?”
or “You are wrong about this.”
If we surround ourselves with too many people who adore us,
who think we are perfect and holy and without fault,
we lose the ability to see our own brokenness,
we forget the necessity
of falling to our own knees on occasion.
And most dangerous of all,
we start to believe that it is all up to us.
It is not up to us.
It is up to God.
So choose and designate one person to remind you of that
and when they speak the truth in love:
Listen.
Really listen.
Then act accordingly.
There is an early 6th century hymn that was written on the island of Iona— some say it was written by St. Columba himself.
There is this wonderful line in that hymn:
Thousands of angels rejoicing in holy dances.
That is not just about what it feels like on one’s ordination day.
That is what it feels like to any of us
when we live fully
into the wondrous mystery
of God’s on-going presence in our lives.
Thousands of angels rejoicing in holy dances.
In times of celebration and in times of weariness,
in times of helping someone bear their suffering,
and in times of helping someone share their joy,
I pray that God will keep your eyes, your mind and your heart,
always open, Danae,
so that you will see God moving in your priesthood:
like thousands of angels rejoicing in holy dances.
Holy, holy, holy.
Amen.
Isaiah 6:1-8
In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lofty; and the hem of his robe filled the temple. 2Seraphs were in attendance above him; each had six wings: with two they covered their faces, and with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew. 3And one called to another and said: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory.’ 4The pivots* on the thresholds shook at the voices of those who called, and the house filled with smoke. 5And I said: ‘Woe is me! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; yet my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!’
Then one of the seraphs flew to me, holding a live coal that had been taken from the altar with a pair of tongs. 7The seraph* touched my mouth with it and said: ‘Now that this has touched your lips, your guilt has departed and your sin is blotted out.’ 8Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I; send me!’
Ephesians 4:7-8,11-16
But each of us was given grace according to the measure of Christ’s gift. 8Therefore it is said, ‘When he ascended on high he made captivity itself a captive; he gave gifts to his people.’ 11The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, 12to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ. 14We must no longer be children, tossed to and fro and blown about by every wind of doctrine, by people’s trickery, by their craftiness in deceitful scheming. 15But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16from whom the whole body, joined and knitted together by every ligament with which it is equipped, as each part is working properly, promotes the body’s growth in building itself up in love.
John 10:11-18
11“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12The hired hand, who is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away—and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. 13The hired hand runs away because a hired hand does not care for the sheep. 14I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, 15just as the Father knows me and I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep. 16I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. 17For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. 18No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again. I have received this command from my Father.”
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