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Sermon, The Rev. Deacon Judith Jenkins, July 20

7/20/2014

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Recently, while I was at Fort Defiance at the Navajo Convocation, I met a group called YOUTH ALIVE, an interdenominational group of high school students from around the country, who spend a series of weeks each summer, working, praying, and living together at an assigned mission location. They have a sign posted which I found myself drawn to:

This is what it said:  "IF YOU WANT TO LIVE IN JESUS -- THEN YOU HAVE TO BEGIN TO LIVE AS JESUS LIVED!"  

Think about these words for a moment.  Jesus definitely spent a good part of his days with the people that were outcasts, disliked, and considered not "the in-crowd" by the religious of the day!

After reading the gospel lesson for this Sunday -- there were several important messages that got my attention!  Last week we heard Rev. Kristin speak about the complex composition and meaning of the parables.  Although they are clearly meant to draw our attention to issues that needed addressing --they are not the quick and simple stories we might like.

Remember the story about the farmer who sold his mule to his friend with the promise that the mule was cooperative and would do whatever told.  But after the sale, the new owner, exasperated, having done everything he could think of, from commanding quietly-- to yelling forcefully for the mule to pull his plow--went back to his farmer friend and complained.  The friend came to the rescue and taking a 2X4 swung with force and hit the mule on the rump.  "Now," he said, "pull that plow." And the mule did! 

"I thought you said he was cooperative," said the new owner, "and would do what I asked."

"He will, only FIRST, you have to get his attention!"

I believe that Jesus was teaching this parable about the wheat and the tares (weeds) in order to get the attention of the crowd! Hear again the question that the slaves asked of the master about the unwanted weeds:

         “…do you want us to go and gather them?”

         And the answer of the master was a CLEAR “NO”

That gives us our first clue as to how we are to live.  A definite warning!

It would appear, that while the owner of the field was unaware, that which was foreign to the good seed, managed to get in and settle alongside!

Weeds!  Who among us - who has gardened - does not know the battle with weeds?  But our lesson this morning gives us a somewhat different message about those particular weeds. These are weeds that Jesus lets them know need to live and grow right alongside the good seed until it comes time to harvest.  Known in biblical terms as "tares", these bearded darnel roots surrounding the roots of these good plants, make it impossible to root the unwanted ones out-- that is -- without damaging the good crop.  That is the interesting detail.

Above ground, darnel looks identical to wheat, until it bears seed.  Jesus' parable appears to be cautioning us against a rush to judgment. We cannot always tell initially what is the wheat and what is not.  The strong message regarding those elements that are not the ones we planted --- begs the question of what to do when they present themselves in our space…I would say that this parable is first and primarily about relationships between people -- not judging and not assuming WHO ARE THE WHEAT AND WHO ARE THE WEEDS:  

The other message in this parable and one we need keep in mind -- is this:   ULTIMATELY, GOD IS STILL IN CHARGE

 I suspect that Matthew was writing for a mixed Jewish Christian and Gentile congregation; neither group wanted to accept the other.  Each viewed the other as “the weeds,” themselves as” the wheat.”  We can certainly see this tendency in ourselves at times --ignoring those outside our inner circle as well as pretending we don't have some of the same flaws in us.  In a world where seeds of hatred and injustice are sown daily -- how difficult it is not to judge --not to exclude!  

When we imagine ourselves in the crowd gathering around Jesus, we realize that Jesus attracts all manner of people:  whether they be women, children, the elderly, beggars seeking a hangout, people dressed all wrong for attending our church, even those who are outcasts in society. 

-- -----BEYOND THE DESIRE TO BE WITH JESUS!

 

THERE IS NO STANDARD FOR ADMISSION TO BEING IN THE JESUS CROWD

 

Jesus prohibited judging in his teaching (over and over).  He was always in some conflict with the Scribes and Pharisees for their personal judgment of people and their attempts to control the minutiae of other’s lives.  YET, most people who have been alienated from the church today have said what they found most difficult about Christians, “Church people can be SO judgmental”!

Just how do we open ourselves to thinking and living the way Jesus calls us to live.   By his life, Jesus teaches us that no matter how critical the needs are, no matter how important the work that we do,we all, need to go away at times to a quiet place and rest in God’s presence – enabling the grace of God to work in the hidden world of our hearts.  That’s just one more example of “how Jesus lived!”

What a concept -- even though we might wish otherwise, if we are to grow up into Christ, side by side with the wheat and the chaff, the weeds,-- we are expected to accompany one another on the spiritual journey!  But as Brian Taylor used to say:  “Make this an experiment in your life – to  LIVE as Jesus lived – TRUSTING JESUS  as you go.”  Not falling back into the pattern of fear or control!

Conventional “good guy/bad guy” interpretations of this parable limit the possibilities, the chance for reconciliation, and the maturing in faith and compassion!

Sometimes there are exclusions and separations that are painful to experience, especially when people are living side by side.  Good example would be the pain experienced by those involved in the 41 wars being fought presently in our world -  many living side by side!

Some years ago, after spending a week in an interdenominational spiritual growth retreat, the large number of participants were to share in a final service together which was held in the sanctuary of the Roman Church.  As the mass began, the priest ready to consecrate the elements -- stopped.  Facing the cross with his back to his brothers and sisters , his shoulders began to shake and as he wept be bent his head to the altar.  There was absolute quiet for a moment and everyone knew the pain in this man's heart -- that he would not be able to serve many of his brothers and sister in this the GREAT THANKSGIVING -  THE BODY AND BLOOD OF CHRIST!

Following what seemed an interminable silence -- everyone could hear the footsteps coming down that long aisle.  It was a Lutheran pastor who had been one of the participants all week.  When he reached the altar he enveloped his brother in his arms and they wept together.  I doubt there were any dry eyes at that point and then suddenly ---  someone in the balcony began singing -- "We Are One In The Spirit"  …..And They'll Know We Are Christians By Our Love, By our Love… They Will Know We are Christians By Our Love….

That moment was for everyone the highest level of communion any of them could have known that day.  Somehow, the love of Christ had transcended all the exclusiveness and separations that man had created.

Sometimes we can't program our community to be exactly the way we'd like.  What if all those conference participants that day had just gotten up and walked out!!!! Instead, they sang, they surrounded with song the two pastors at the altar -- in a powerful reminder that we're all in this together!!!!  They will know we are Christians by our love.  We’re all in this together, St. Michael’s!!!!!

Understanding our gospel message today means:   strong in our forbearance and patience, hearts unfrozen, and always willing to live as Jesus lived.  I believe that St. Michael’s is ready to move ahead!  Let’s move ahead, in the Jesus crowd, by taking the risk -- trusting Jesus as we live the way Jesus lived!  To be a community as Steven Charleston describes in his prayer on Sanctuary, a house of God that shelters all those who come in need!!!!!

I want to close with this prayer from the "Spiritual Diary" by Steven Charleston :  pray with me:

Let our communities of faith be a sanctuary for any who seek safe space simply to be who they are.  Let our walls be a refuge against intolerance and fear, our welcome, a healing hand to restore the dignity of every human heart.  Let our doors be ever open, O God, to protect your children from harm.  Give us the courage to be the sanctuary for others that you have been for us, the one place we knew we could go when the dark clouds gathered and the hearth of our hope grew cold."

We are all in this together St. Michael’s.  They’ll know we are Christians by our love!!!!!

AMEN

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Sermon, The Rev. Deacon Judith Jenkins, May 18

5/18/2014

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For weeks, the words "to Listen!" have grown louder and more persistent!  But listen to what?  Listen to what's going on in the world around me?  It seems that there is either a storm which has caused such havoc, or wild fires in California, or a group that has kidnapped young girls, or another mining tragedy, this time in Turkey, or one nation once again forcing their hegemony on another such as the situation in Ukaraine, ………….Then there's the momentary crisis  with someone in my own family,or in my family here at church…….LISTEN?… HEAR?….Feel COMPASSION?  Jesus says to us:  Do not let your hearts be troubled?

On the other hand, maybe I could just put my hands over my ears so I don't have to listen.  

That's what Stephen's crowd did when he spoke to them and delivered the news that they didn't want to hear.  Stephen is recorded as the first martyr of the new Christian faith and by the way the patron saint of DEACONS.  Not sure just what the implication is here……. but then. 

Stephen was called before the Sanhedrin.  He infuriated them and the crowd.  They covered their ears, and with a loud shout all had rushed together against him.  Then they dragged him out of the city and began to stone him; In the face of an angry mob, Stephen delivered a message that accused the people "of being stiff-necked, uncircumcised in heart and ears ---of rejecting the prophets, and of opposing the Holy Spirit…."

AHHHH!  Perhaps that's the key ….  We are able to listen, to hear, to have compassion, because we are unwilling to oppose the Holy Spirit.  So now how do we align ourselves, as individuals and as a congregation IN TRANSITION so that we are indeed working in alignment with the HOLY SPIRIT?    Perhaps because we are all concerned about our transition time and the importance of hearing one another, we can hear what Jesus was saying to the disciples in our gospel reading this morning.  It opens with these words…"DO NOT LET YOUR HEARTS BE TROUBLED……..IN MY FATHER'S HOUSE THERE ARE MANY DWELLING PLACES……..  

Many rooms…JOHN'S JESUS ATTEMPTS TO ASSURE DISCIPLES THAT THERE WILL BE PLENTY OF ROOM for all.  The relationship is going to continue, even as it changes.  Let me say that again.  The relationship is going to continue, even as it changes! Jesus is reassuring the disciples that his death is not the end, but "THE BEGINNING!"

Robert Jensen writes about God's 'roominess' in relation, not to space, but to time.  God is willing to take all the time it takes, but are we, much of the time willing to set aside some of our TIME --TO LISTEN!  God's promise to love us, to make room for all of us, to know and to be known by us, NEVER ENDS!  THEREFORE OUR HEARTS NEED NEVER BE TROUBLED.  That is if we don't put our hands over our ears…..WE HAVE TO LISTEN……Really listen to one another! 

I like what Bill Plotkin says :  "The first half of life" is doing our survival dance"  That would be in my opinion the time when we create the many costumes we try on to fit the images we want to create.  "The second half of life," Plotkin continues," can then become our "sacred dance." " That is when I believe that we SHOULD see ourselves dressed In the garments of the Spirit.  

When we are too busy saving our souls, we never get beyond our survival dance; and so we neglect to ask the deep concerns of the soul --the necessary questions that lead us into the sacred dance!  That place where we are found "not opposing the Holy Spirit" but partnering with the Holy Spirit!  And to do that we have to listen!

Now, St. Michael's must be ready to move forward.  Let's not allow the survival mode attached to our former group identity to be a distraction as we embrace the wonder of a new journey together.  Let's catch the vision of what can be --and with joy prepare to dance the sacred dance.  It's not that we forget or neglect to see and to even give thanks for all those early stages, but our energy moves with us as we go forward.  THE RELATIONSHIP CONTINUES EVEN AS IT CHANGES!

Dragged by an angry mob, and stoned -- two kinds of actions are witnessed in our story recorded in Acts.  The members of the Council cover their ears -- so they won't hear…..because they have already determined what they are going to do …..because they don't want to change their way of thinking.  And then there is the action of Stephen….he knelt down and cried out in a loud voice, (while they were stoning him)…."Lord, do not hold this sin against them."  Stephen had emphasized how God had been with Israel throughout the wilderness period.  He had tried to convince them that often their times of greatest growth had occurred during their greatest struggles.  

Even our Psalmist says this morning in Psalm 31:  "MY TIMES ARE IN YOUR HANDS;………….

Are we willing to not be anxious or troubled to the degree that it interferes in the sacred dance with the Holy Spirit in this transition time?  Opening our hearts with compassion, and listening -- truly listening?

Wednesday night, I had one of those nights-- you know when you go to bed and several hours later you're still wide awake….  Well, I really wasn't worrying about anything  in particular, but nevertheless, sleep just wouldn't come…. Eventually I just got up.  I had read earlier in the evening and wasn't in the mood to read more now, so I switched on the TV.  SIGH!  Well, at that time of night there was nothing I wanted to see or hear….so I watched the a rerun of the GOLDEN GIRLS!  You laugh…but believe me, those comedy sitcoms often times deliver a powerful message….AS IT DID IN THIS ONE.

Blanche has announced that her brother Clayton is arriving with a big surprise. "Maybe he's bringing home his girl," she says hopefully, where upon Dorothy reminds her that Clayton in gay.  "Oh", says Blanche, "I think that was just a phase he was going through"!  Well, as you may have guessed, Clayton does arrive with the big surprise that he and his partner Doug are going to get married!  The other roommates accept Doug and welcome him, but Blanche refuses to be a part of anything that is going to be made public.

BLANCHE CLOSES HER EARS (in a sense she holds her hands over her ears as well as her heart)…..SHE DOESN'T HEAR WHAT DOUG AND CLAYTON OR HER ROOMMATES TRY TO TELL HER.

Well, eventually using comedy and many clever comments and situations -- at the end…..Sophia the elderly member of the household and the mother of Dorothy, speaks the words that Blanche finally hears. I guess Sophia might be said to symbolically play the part of the Holy Spirit.

Here's what Blanche says to Sophia as they sit across the table from one another…"Well it's easier for you, Sophia, to accept the situation-  He's not your brother.  I can accept the fact that he is gay but why does he have to slip a ring on the finger of this man so the whole world will know?"  This is Sophia's answer, first in the form of a question!  "Why did you marry George?

Blanche answers without a moment's hesitation.  "We loved each other…We wanted to make a life-time commitment… We wanted everyone to know that!

BIG SILENCE--- then:

Sophia's quiet reply:  "That's what Doug and Clayton want.. Everyone wants --someone-- to grow old with.  Shouldn't everyone have that opportunity?"   You can surmise how the situation ended…….. With joy of course and celebration, of course! 

We too have to listen to one another: to hear God's promise to love us and to make room for all of us: to know that even in our wilderness times, the time of our transition, God is calling us to DANCE THE SACRED DANCE WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT! 

AND THEREFORE, To never allow our hearts to be so troubled, NEVER TO PUT OUR HANDS OVER OUR EARS AND REFUSE TO HEAR WITH BOTH HEARTS AND EARS! 

Our relationship is going to continue -- even as it changes!
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Sermon, The Rev. Deacon Judith Jenkins, April 17 (Maundy Thursday)

4/17/2014

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The moment when Jesus kneels down to wash the disciples feet, (EVEN THE FEET OF JUDAS) is in one sense a tragic farewell, a night so bleak, so dark ------YET, we see the foreshadowing of great hope – of the light from God’s unconditional love!

With less than 24 hours left on this earth for him, Jesus gathers his disciples together away from the crowds to an upper room.  The noise from the street below is somewhat muted --yet there is something different about tonight.  Though they are gathered together for a meal, there seem to be no servants around making preparations, no one waiting to wash the disciples' dusty feet before they recline together for a meal.

Jesus knowing that His death is near, THAT HIS HOUR HAD COME TO DEPART FROM THIS WORLD, rises from his place, takes off his robe, and proceeds to tie a towel around his waist.  The sense of uncertainty in the room rises.  I can almost hear the disciples, turning to whisper to one another --"What is He doing?"  Jesus explains to Peter, "you do not know now what I am doing, but later you will understand."

Jesus is kneeling in front of his disciples and washing their feet.  I can picture in my own mind, when Mary is kneeling and anointing Jesus feet, or even if the story was about Peter washing the feet of the Master.  But for Jesus to kneel tonight, if He were here at St. Michael's and to wash MY FEET!!!!!  Would I understand?  Would I, like Peter, be reluctant to participate in this- the most tender act of Jesus?

 "So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet.  For I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you."  Jesus spells it out by giving them a new commandment, "that you love one another….as I have loved you"!   They are to humble themselves (We are to humble ourselves) and to SERVE one- another.

"You do not know now what I am doing -- but later you will understand. " Jesus knew that his death was near and "having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end."  Jesus girded himself to perform a menial act of service in spite of the concern and objections of Peter, who is puzzled and offended to see Jesus in the role of a servant.  And like Peter, tonight, we have to face our inner reluctance to serve and to be served.

We are called to wash each other's feet because that is precisely what Jesus did at the first Eucharist, at the Last Supper.  Both the Eucharist and the Foot Washing are meant to send us out into the world -- ready to give expression to Christ's love, Christ's hospitality, and course Christ's humility.  What is so unexpected, and so radically loving, about this foot washing, is --not just that it is the Teacher and Master doing a servants work.  What sticks out in my mind is that Jesus held their dirty feet (which undoubtedly they were dirty indeed)…and in that moment of intimacy --- he HELD SO MUCH MORE.    Jesus held their untrusting hearts, their weakened spirits, their calloused and embarrassed egos, and their unwillingness to be so vulnerable!

TONIGHT ----We ALLOW Jesus to serve us through one another!!!!

As Jesus has stripped his outer garments --- we will strip the altar this night, preparing for our journey to the cross tomorrow.  

Listen now to a poem,  by Ruth Mary Fox:  Stripped Tree 

Alone it stands and silent, a stripped tree,
         Robbed of its leaves, its nesting birds all flown.  
         Round it and through it bitter winds have blown,
         Testing its strength by stern adversity.
         Serene it stands tonight, all sorrow-free,
         Silvered with starlight, its branches radiant grown.  
         Had it been green with boughs, I'd have not known
         This rarer beauty now revealed to me.
         I am that silent tree upon the hill:
         Strip me of all my leaves, even of my song,
         If stark against the sky I can fulfill,
         My quest for ultimate Beauty.  Not for long
         Endures the darkness of earth's bleakest night.
         Serene the stars break through with silver light.

Serve one another this night, knowing that as we participate in this sacred act, we are experiencing God's love for us through one another.  Christ becomes present with us as surely as He is in the breaking of the bread -- Washing away the GRIME of all our frustrations, our struggles, our mistakes,-- tenderly touching us! 

Let us open our hearts to RECEIVE GOD'S LOVE, and to GIVE CHRIST'S LOVE, as we participate in the rest of our service tonight.  

AMEN

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Sermon, The Rev. Deacon Judith Jenkins, March 30

3/30/2014

1 Comment

 
All I know is:  That I was blind and now I see!

Questions and more questions:
Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parent, that he was born blind?
Is this not the man who used to sit and beg?
How were your eyes opened?
Where is he? (the one who sent you to the pool of Siloam?)
How can a man who is a sinner perform such signs?
What do you say about him?  It was your eyes he opened.
Is this your son, who you say was born blind?  How then does he now see?
How did he open your eyes?
Why do you want to hear it again?  Do you also want to become his disciples?
You were born entirely in sins, and are you trying to teach us?
And the question that spoke to me:  Surely we are not blind, are we?

The disciples start all this questioning, asking "Rabbi, who sinned, this man 
or his parents, that he was born blind?  For the blind man, did the birth 
defect mean that he had somehow sinned in the womb,  or was he the
victim of his parents' transgression? 

The disciples saw what they had been taught to see -- a man who was 
being punished by God.  They obviously knew something of his story -- that 
he had always been blind.  So they raised a question already answered for 
them in the Book of Job:    Remember Job's so -called comforters who 
attempted to convict him of sin as the reason for his misfortune?  

It has been said that the world we live in is created for us by our 
perceptions -- by what we take in and what we filter out, by how we 
interpret the data we receive and by how we choose to respond to it.  The 
writer Anais Nin said "We do not see things as they are.  We see things
as we are."

Jesus asks the man, after he washes in the pool of Siloam, "Do you believe 
in the Son of Man?"  and our friend, who has just received his sight, says:
"Point him out to me, sir, so that I can believe in him."  Here Jesus gives 
an explanation that I think is worthy of our reflection:  

            Jesus says"  You have seen him and the one speaking with you is 
            he….I came into this world …. so that those who do not see may see, 
            and those who do see may become blind.

            IN OTHER WORDS, THOSE WHO HAVE MADE A GREAT 
            PRETENSE OF SEEING WILL BE EXPOSED AS BLIND!  

The man may have received his sight, but there were some powerful
people who were not interested in receiving theirs.  It's at this point that we 
see the comedy of shallow human comprehension!  They all thought they 
knew just how the world worked, and they weren't about to change their 
perceptions or their beliefs!  

This was, in a sense, a messy situation!  For the Pharisees it was easier to 
know how to handle someone's blindness  --as being the result of God's 
judgment.  But, now, when blind people get miraculously healed -- in God's 
name, ----  now this Jesus was here again, complicating their nicely "put 
together theology."  What if this healing had really happened? There must 
be some other explanation!!!  Or at least we'll create another reason.

They could try and get a confession from the blind man -- maybe get him 
to admit that he wasn't really blind -- it had all along been a hoax.  Or maybe 
they could get the parents to admit that their son wasn't really blind - get 
them to contradict their son!

It would seem that too many had decided in advance what was the truth 
and then they had to make the facts conform to their own prejudices, 
or fears.  Do we sometimes catch ourselves deciding in advance what
is the truth before we listen with an open mind?

Then there is the community, who have probably seen this particular blind
 man around town, since his birth and of course known about his blindness?  
            One says, "Isn't this the man who used to sit outside and beg?"  
            Some say "Yes", but others say "No, he just looks like the same
            man."
            It takes them awhile to get around to asking the man himself :
            "So how were your eyes opened?"
            "A guy named Jesus made mud, spit on it and rubbed it on my eye,-- 
            told me to go wash in the pool and I did. Now I can see."

 Not the act of healing which most physicians would choose to imitate today.

And the parents?  They simply answer, "yes our son was born blind -- 
but as to how he can now see, we have no idea -- ask him."  But we might 
ask them --  Was the fact that he was born blind such an embarrassment 
that you rejected him AND HE'S  NOW FORCED TO BEG?. Were you
tired of neighbors wondering what you had done to bring such punishment
on your son?

How did the blind man see himself?  Well, after a life of nothing but 
rejection-- how was he supposed to feel?

But then comes the touch of Jesus!  Jesus saw someone in need and he
didn't use that person's plight to develop a political or moral agenda.  Jesus
took the opportunity to demonstrate God's act of mercy!  WHERE ARE
WE IN THIS SCENARIO?  Which question are we asking?  Or on which 
belief are we stubbornly fixed?

This brings us to another important question:  Was BLINDNESS the only 
marker, the only characteristic, by which this man was identified?

What about those in our community for whom we see only by the markers 
or labels, with which they have been forced to live?  What about those who 
stand on the street corners - how do we decide whether to help or ignore?  
What means of justification or judgment do we use?  What about some of 
those veterans who have come home only to discover that there is no work 
for them,…..sometimes no home, or loved ones to welcome them home.  
Vets with PTSD!  many of them homeless on our streets!   Are they 
identified as "NOT DESERVING?"  How are we influenced by these labels
under which they have been forced to live?

What about those young people -- out there on the streets who have "come 
out" to their families and are rejected and forced to live on the street?  
There are many questions in our community for us to consider this day!!! 
SURELY WE ARE NOT BLIND ARE WE?

I was reminded of the words of Isaiah:  "And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest 
upon him;  The Spirit of wisdom and understanding;  The Spirit of 
knowledge and fear of the Lord.  He shall not judge by what his eyes
see nor decide by what his ears shall hear…"

HE SHALL NOT JUDGE BY WHAT HIS EYES SEE NOR DECIDE BY 
WHAT HIS EARS SHALL HEAR!

Amazing Grace how sweet the sound ….I once was lost, but now am 
found; was blind, but now I see!  "All I know," he tell the authorities, is 
that I was blind and now I see"!

Those who have never seen will see, and those who have made a great 
pretense of seeing will be exposed as blind."

Remember, a few weeks ago when the Rev. Douglas Travis said that 
people want to know God not things about God?

We are called to be intimately connected with one another, to serve as 
priest to one another.  That's what the "priesthood of all believers" means!

God is deeply implicated in our lives, in every place and moment and 
person in our human experience……In the book 
Down and Out in Providence, the former bishop of the Rhode Island, 
Geralyn Wolf who lived as one of the homeless, says this:

            It was from the cross that Jesus made the new family.  
            To John he said, "Look, here is your mother" and to Mary, 
            "Here is your son."  In the shelter,  Bishop Wolf continues, 
            it's not about class or race, schooling or jobs;  it's about 
            staying with someone when they are dying inside.

As Gregory of Nyssa said long ago, "human life is not directed toward a 
static goal….but a continual process of stretching and being stretched 
out toward God."  

We are called to open and to stretch our hearts and minds, to serve as 
priest to one another.  We cannot stand above anyone in the presence
of God -- only are we to stand along side one another! 

Surely, we are not blind, are we?  I once was lost -- but now I'm found,
I was blind -- but now I see!  

AMEN 
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Sermon, The Rev. Deacon Judith Jenkins, January 5

1/5/2014

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Sermon for Epiphany Sunday  
The Rev. Deacon Judith Jenkins
January 5th, 2014

Today we celebrate the Feast of the Epiphany:  The story of the Magi who traveled from the East --following a star - a story that involves a journey.

We have heard the word Emmanuel - "God with us" during these last weeks and hopefully we have all taken some time to ponder what that real means for each of us!  I grew up in a church with the name Immanuel; and I have to admit that as a young child, learning that those words meant "God With Us,"  I assumed that our Presbyterian Church really did have an edge on all the other churches because we must, after all, have had first dibs on GOD BEING WITH US!!!!!!

The word Emmanuel and the meaning of Epiphany are part of the same wonder to which we are all celebrating.  From the Greek word "epiphaeia", meaning "appearance" or "manifestation" we are talking about the appearance into our world- of Jesus.  This time was a foretaste of what would become an extension of Jesus' ministry to the Gentiles.  Emmanuel, God with us, is truly an epiphany proclaiming that Jesus Christ is Savior of the whole world and that God's promise of salvation to Israel now applied to all the peoples of the earth.

Much Christian folklore surrounds the Magi.  The term East is vague, undefined, but it certainly points us to the entrance of a foreign people into our Bethlehem narrative.  Why did these people come?  Or when? Whether it was six days after the birth of Jesus or months or even years, the beauty of the story is to ask ourselves:  What is revealed to us in this story, and how are we to respond?

I'm impressed that the wise men paid attention -- they noticed that a new era was dawning and they were drawn to the "Light" to the star.  It's true when we refer to  Epiphany we are usually referring to the Feast which marks the celebration of a star appearing to lead wise men to the Christ Child.  

However, that is hardly the only epiphany in the Bible.  From the very first book -- from the beginning of our history with God, God has been revealing God's self to us!!!!

         To Adam and Eve in the garden
         To Abraham and Sarah in the desert
         To Moses in the burning bush
         To Paul in a blinding flash on the road to Damascus
         To all of us in a baby born in a stable!

Our God is a God of Epiphany!  a revelation of  Emmanuel - God with us!

And so it was that God chose a people to be God's people.

     God told Abraham that he was chosen so that his family could be a blessing to all people
   
     Through Isaiah, God told the people that they were chosen to be a light to the nations.

     Paul was told he was to carry the light of Christ to the Gentiles

     Christ told his disciples that He was the Light sent to the world
     And, you and I are meant to be the light to the world as well!!!!

Even if we did not ask, God has been clear about why we have been chosen and to what we are called.

The people of God are to be an epiphany!  a revelation of who God is and how God loves this world --This is what is revealed to us in this story!

         How are we responding to our calling to be a light?  (Think back over this last week – these last few months – the past year of 2013!)

Well, it's not always easy to be the light.

When all is going well for us, do we forget sometimes that we are the light that is to shine in the darkness for others --others who are not sensing the light at this time in their lives?

When we are seated around our tables, comfortable in our homes that are warm and safe, surrounded by those we love and who love us, do we forget those who do not have this security in their lives? I was reminded so much of this as a group of us from St. Michael's and San Gabriel shared Christmas day dinner at AOC, a shelter for men who do not currently have a home.

When events in our church community happen in which, we don't feel comfortable or the circumstances in which we find ourselves are not to our   choosing, do we neglect our responsibilities to be the ambassadors of Christ's light?

For the last many months it has not always been easy to be a light within our community at St. Michael's or even in the diocese.  Sometimes the darkness comes close and touches the people we care about.  Sometimes we are uncertain about the journey ahead of us where things feel unfamiliar -- unknown.  That's when we remember the journey that the wise men were willing to take --into the unknown- because they were searching for the meaning of the star – following the light!

This is the meaning of the epiphany -- a revelation, a paying attention to the light!  and a willingness to allow the Light to be shown in us.

Rabbi Nahum says that when Moses sees a bush on fire which is NOT consumed, it is not that the bush is burning, but rather that Moses NOTICES!  The Wise Men noticed the star and they left home, the most familiar of places, where expectations were understandable -- yet they ventured out toward the unknown, the unfamiliar.  This was a not unlike the journey of Sarah and Abraham.

Like any journey we all have discovered some rough spots along the way.  Our story tells us that the Wise Men paid attention once more -- and then responded to a warning in a dream to not return to Herod, but to go home a different way.  I know that when I take the time to have some space – some reflective time – that I’m more likely to pay attention to things that I might just miss otherwise.

Our Wise Men paid attention -- they noticed and then they responded!

A little over fifty years ago, two children rode in a limousine following the horse drawn caisson carrying a flag draped coffin that carried their father to his place of rest in the National Cemetery.  Their mother and their uncle walked outside behind the caisson and the children were alone in the limo with their Nanny. Carolyn, just seven years old had just been told about her beloved father's death.

What happened as the procession moved along is the moment when a secret service man paid attention to what might have seemed an inconsequential detail!  This agent, walking in the procession -- closest to the limo carrying the children, took notice of a small hand which was suddenly extended out one of the back windows.

Instinctively, this secret service man reached over and took hold of Carolyn's small hand. He held it tightly in his until they reached their destination.  I suppose he could have been reprimanded for that act since that was definitely not part of his job description;  but nevertheless, this man noticed and responded;  and a little girl whose heart was breaking found some measure of comfort in that long walk to the National Cemetery.

We too are an Epiphany People who are called to notice where God is leading us and to respond.  Sometime it may be one of us who reaches out the window and needs someone to squeeze our hand-- or other times we may need to be like the secret service man and reach out to care about someone else!  Let’s not let people fall through the cracks in our community!!!

We are to be so close to the heart of Jesus that we can’t help but allow the light of Christ to shine in us and through us!.

AMEN

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Sermon, The Rev. Deacon Judith Jenkins, September 8

9/8/2013

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SERMON:  Letting Go and Counting the Cost:  Defining Who I Am 
Sept 8th,  judith jenkins


Some of Jesus' words this morning may sound a little harsh to us:  Curious, I picked up The Message, a paraphrase by Eugene Peterson.  Here is how these gospel words are paraphrased:

"One day when large groups of people were walking along with him, Jesus turned and told them, 'anyone who comes to me, but refuses to let go of father, mother, spouse, children, brothers, sisters---yes, even ones' own self---can't be my disciple….

Is there anyone here who, planning to build a new house, doesn't first sit down and figure the cost so you'll know if you can complete it?

Simply put, if you're not willing to take what is dearest to you, whether plans or people, and kiss it goodbye, you can't be my disciple."

The two phrases that give emphasis to the meaning are: "to let go" and "to figure the cost."

Let's turn to the setting:  Here was Jesus, walking along with all these people --- not just his small band of followers, but the gospel says "A CROWD."  There were clearly a large number of people who were drawn to  "this Jesus."  His reputation had obviously preceded him.

So then, when Jesus spoke to the crowd that day, we might wonder why he didn't encourage those in the crowd-- those who were interested, and curious enough to follow him-- if they would like to sign up: to become part of his team: maybe even ask the name of their home village so he could send a disciples to each community, to organize them and to stay with them as their local leader.

After all, this is the way that the movement would grow!  RIGHT?

Instead, Jesus surprised them with some rather disturbing words -- Words about "letting go" of all that was dearest to them and "counting the cost" -- in order to be a disciple - (or an apprentice of Christ, as some have put it.)

Jesus' advisory board might have said to him ---Hey, this is no way to grow your movement!  In fact, this is a great way to kill our whole movement!"

OK---so let's be honest---- how did you respond this morning when the gospel was read?---to the idea of "letting go" of those people and those things that are dearest to you in order to follow Jesus?

I'm guessing that those who were with him were startled, to say the least!  They probably had heard how loving Jesus was--how he had time for little children --how he stopped to heal the despised lepers -- to have dinner with the most disreputable people in towns and villages.

Instead -- Jesus hands them a very different image about what it means to be his follower!  "If you intend to follow me, you'd better calculate very carefully to see if you're ready to pay the price."

So what is the price?  The price we have to pay -- is to continually challenge ourselves to "let go" of anything that stands in our way of allowing ourselves to be transformed by God's love.  

We can ask:  With which are we most concerned:  to be transformed daily by God's all-enveloping love:  or with our own image that we've already spun, seeking affirmation in the eyes of others?  

I think this is what Jesus was saying about counting the cost, which really meant letting go of how others see us, as well as clinging to an image of how others think we should be.

I love what Thomas Merton says about this constant concern of ours about our image, about what it takes to feel worthy:

God is asking me the unworthy, to forget my unworthinessss and that of my brothers, (and sisters), and dare to advance in the love which has redeemed and renewed us all in God's likeness.  And then TO LAUGH, after all, at the preposterous idea of worthiness."

? Am I concerned about my image in the eyes of others? ---Think about how often that concern rules our lives!

Recently coming out of a restaurant, I noticed a young woman who was wearing a t-shirt with these words in large, bold letters:  JUST LET ME BE ME:  EVERYONE ELSE IS TAKEN."

I smiled to myself and thought -- good message!  Then as I climbed into my car, I found myself thinking:  Perhaps we might say:  JUST LET ME -- BECOME THE REAL ME-- WHILE GOD AND I ARE WORKING ON IT!

Are we willing to stand up for those when they need our support even though we might be afraid of the disapproval of others?  When we know that something is wrong, are we willing to let go of anything that would keep us from taking the stand that we know would be the right one?

The word for FAITH in new Testament Greek is a verb.  It is not something we have;  it is something we do- something we live.  And that means "letting go," of those obstructions to our journey as a follower of Christ!

There still are -- pockets of resistance in me-- to God's kingdom and the Spirit -- places where there remain some unresolved reactions, and even some stubborn resistance to change my way of thinking.

It should be of concern to us all -- that the image of ourselves -- created for the benefit of everyone else, should ever warp the image of God already in us!

Brian Taylor in his book SETTING THE GOSPEL FREE, says this:
"When we stop our self-centered emotional 'fleeing' and grasping,' we can then enjoy who others are.  Whether they are attractive, or repellant, angry or sweet, we can simply see them as they are….We don't have to see people as experiences that we want to either avoid of cling to."

Several weeks ago my ten year old grandson, Joshua, and I decided to rent and watch "42", the story of Jack Roosevelt Robinson, first African American to play Major League baseball.

The story of General Manager Branch Rickey's decision and subsequent battle to bring Jackie to play for the Dodgers was a powerful one.  The story of Jackie and his battle to not lose his temper when he had good reason in the face of ugly prejudice, was an amazing story as well!

But the example that stood out for me - as "counting the cost", and of "letting go" --even of family and friends ---was the demonstration by Pee Wee Reese!  Pee Wee stood up for Jackie when the Philies' manager, was disgracefully heckling Jackie with language that you can well imagine was difficult for any African American to stomach!

However, it was when Pee Wee received a letter from home that he was sorely tempted to give in himself.  The letter, as he described it to Mr. Rickey, told him that when the Dodgers played in Cincinnati, which was right next door to Louisville, Kentucky, home to Pee Wee's family and friends --- it would not be wise for him to play in a game while Jackie was still on the team!

"They are calling me a carpet bagger", Pee Wee reported.

Rickey then showed Pee Wee the many files of letters that Jackie and his family had received -- letters which were grossly worse!!!!  Pee Wee wondered out loud if Jackie had seen the letters.

"Of course he saw them," responded Rickey and they called him far worse!  They threatened his life and the life of his family -- yet he's still here"! 

At the beginning of the game that day in 1948, in Cincinnati, Pee Wee walked over to Jackie on the field,  clapped him on the shoulder, and wished him good luck -- this in front of all the fans.  Then…he said "THANK YOU!"

JACKIE TURNED TO PEE WEE AND EXCLAIMED WITH GREAT CONFUSION…."WHY ARE YOU THANKING ME?"

I'm thanking you, responded Pee Wee, "because today my family is all here from Louisville, up there in the stands; and I am able to demonstrate to my family --WHO I AM!"  

Then Pee Wee put his arm around Jackie's shoulder saying:…"Maybe, we should all wear the number 42, next game, and then they wouldn’t be able to tell us apart!

Pee Wee had to count the cost -- and what a witness he was when he made his stand that day!  He knew in his heart what was right, but he had to "let go of his family and friends that --what they thought he should do and who he should be.

What does it mean to each of us in our daily lives to be willing to let go of anything or anyone that stands in the way of our being a follower (an apprentice) to Christ?

AND THEN TO TAKE A STAND WHERE IT COUNTS!!!!    amen

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Sermon, The Rev. Deacon Judith Jenkins, July 14

7/14/2013

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THE JERICHO ROAD
Sermon July 14th, Judith Jenkins

I was reminded this week in reading our gospel lesson of all the literature concerning tales of the road. Like Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, or Cervantes, Don Quixote, Homer's Odyssey, or Jack Kerouac, On the Road….Jesus too, is traveling along; he leads his disciples upon a series of travel adventures, telling them tales-- parables: this one about traveling along the Jericho Road.

Luke supplies us with the setting for the story, which is essential to understanding its meaning. To see this parable as merely an illustration of ethical living,- a story of the one who gets the Good Neighbor Award for the Year, is to miss some of the implications that run much deeper.

This road between Jericho and Jerusalem was an exceedingly dangerous one in Jesus time. Today, Jericho lies on the West Bank of the Palestinian Territories, and sadly, the seeds of Distrust, Bigotry, sometimes even hatred for one's fellow travelers, haven't really changed all that much.

Martin Luther King said this: "We must come to see that the whole Jericho Road must be transformed so that men and women will not be constantly beaten and robbed as they make their journey on life's highway."

The Jericho Road is a symbol of where we meet God----And where we recognize God in One Another!!! We live in a world that continues to experience much violence—where too many of us have sought to preserve only our own limited belief system.

The Jericho Road runs straight through the church, as through each of our lives, giving us the opportunity as we meet, to see the other travelers in the guise of the "Good Samaritan.” That is -- when we are willing to part with all of our old ways by not allowing our "separateness" to keep us from one another.

John Philip Newell tells about how he and his wife Ali were lost in one of the Middle Eastern cities while searching for St. John's tomb. In his words:
"My wife and I wandered by mistake into the garden courtyard of a mosque. The Imam welcomed us and asked about our visit to the Middle East. When he learned that I was a minister, HE BOWED TO ME.

'You are a minister of Christ,' he said. He then invited us into the mosque, where we exchanged blessings. It was the Imam then, who showed us the burial place of St. John, just up the hill from the mosque."

Philip goes on to say: "As I climbed toward the tomb, I could not stop thinking about the humility of this teacher who had bowed to me. It was the SAME POSTURE OF SOUL that I had encountered years earlier in the old Cree Elder from Saskachewan, that Native American Elder who said to me…'We pray for you, and for your people.' "My people," thought Philip, "who had so wronged his people!"

As Philip reflected on the Imam, he realized that the humility of spirit of both these spiritual leaders had in no sense suggested a betrayal of any of their religious convictions. Quite the opposite, it was the truest mark of spirituality. They were inviting Philip to be true to the heart of his own Christian tradition.

We honor Christ not because he embodies an exclusive truth, a truth that pertains only to him: we bow to Christ because he reveals the most inclusive of truths, the truth that the whole universe, all of us, comes directly from God's being. That is the sound of the heartbeat in the Good Samaritan!

Carl Jung says, and I paraphrase: Only to the extent that we are in touch with our own brokenness, both individually and collectively, will we be a strong presence of healing for others. Only to the extent that we know that the wounds we treat in others are part of our own woundedness, will we ever be truly whole.

I wish that we could all take a trip to New Harmony, Indiana, to visit THE CHURCH WITH NO ROOF: a place of vision which was built after the Second World War -- built with the hope that it might become a sacred place to face the brokenness and woundedness of one another.

Three statues were erected in this sacred space:
The First: The Descent of the Spirit (by Jacob Lipchiz), depicts the Spirit descending to an abstract womb about to give birth. Lipchiz was declaring that everything in the universe is conceived by God:

The Second: The Pieta (by Stephen de Staebla), depicts the form of a primitive naked woman standing with her breast split open: within her breast appears the head of Jesus. This sculpture creates a strong emotion, especially in those mothers and fathers who have known the loss of a child. It is seeing in the Palms of Her Hands, Her Feet, and in Her sides, the nail marks of crucifixion!

She is every mother or father who has lost a child. She is the mother of those 19 firefighters, of those boys just found at Quemado Lake. The pain and brokenness comes from the very heart of her being!

In the commissioning of this incredibly beautiful statue, The Pieta, was the hope that we might all find a way forward, together, in our own lives and world, hearing the SACREDNESS of ALL OUR CRIES!

But there are three statues:
The Third is called The Polish Memorial (by Eva Sygulka). It is of God the Father, behind his son, arms are outstretched, and reminding those who experienced the pain of Poland under Nazi occupation -- that the EVERLASTING and SUPPORTING ARMS of God the Father WERE and ARE-- always present.

How do we each walk our Jericho Road hearing the sacredness of all our cries? Is it easy? No – but that’s what we are called to do.

What if we could experience what happened to Thomas Merton on 4th and Walnut in Louisville? --- Merton was suddenly overwhelmed, standing there in the shopping district, with the realization that he loved all these strangers.

"Then it was," he said, "as if I suddenly saw the secret beauty of their hearts, the depths of their hearts, where neither sin nor desire, nor self knowledge, can reach,….instead I saw for a moment the core of their reality, the person that each one is in God's eyes. If only” (he said) “they could all see themselves as they really are. If only we could see each other that way all the time.”

To limit our existence, our journeys along the Jericho Road by allowing contact with only those whom we choose, or by limiting our knowledge to only what we already know, does indeed blind us to the mystery and wonder of how we are all divinely intertwined with our Creator.

This story is told about Jane Addams, who co-founded the Hull House in Chicago in 1889. One night, the last in the office to leave, Jane left alone to walk home through a rather questionable area. Not long after she left, she heard footsteps behind her, and when she turned she recognized one of the troubled young men from the settlement. This young man had a history of trouble and for a moment fear touched Jane. Then, instead of quickening her pace, she stopped, turned, and faced the young man.

“I’m so glad to see you”, and she called him by name. “I am a little concerned about walking through this area at night alone and I wonder if you would walk with me? I’d feel much safer.”

For a moment, neither of them moved, and then as if realizing that she was seeing him in a different light than he would have thought possible, he moved forward, giving her the assurance that he would accompany her through the area.

In that moment, did the young man see himself as God sees him thru the eyes of Jane?

Mark Nepo says: "With each trouble that stalls us, and each wonder that lifts us, we are asked to put down our conclusions and our assumptions and to feel and to think in a new way….This involves holding our opinions and our identity lightly so that we can be touched by those who are different. It means loosening our fist-like hold on how we see the world, so that other views can reach us, and expand us."

WHO ARE WE GOING TO MEET ON OUR JERICHO ROAD as we travel today: praying for the grace to see ourselves and to enable those we meet to see themselves as God sees us all.

Amen

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Sermon, The Rev. Deacon Judith Jenkins, January 20

1/20/2013

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WEDDING AT CANA SERMON  JANUARY 20, 2013

On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there;  Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding.  When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to Him, “They have no wine.”

A little more than a year ago, I climbed off the bus with a group from our diocese, in what is now the modern town of CANA of Galilee.    Everywhere along the street were signs:  Here is where Jesus performed his first miracle.  Come and buy wine here!!!

I have to admit that standing in the streets of Cana was not as memorable as seeing one of the very early (probably even from the time of Jesus) stone jars that was used to keep water for ceremonial purification purposes.  This was an immense vessel, ABOUT THE SIZE OF AN AVERAGE 30 GALLON GARBAGE CONTAINER.  The religion of the day held that the faithful, would be cleansed, ritually speaking, by pouring water over their hands.

These huge stone jars, in our gospel lesson, become a symbol of HOPE, of God’s abundant grace and transforming love and most certainly a sign of NEW BEGINNINGS FOR JESUS' MINISTRY.

What we know from our gospel reading is this:  here was Jesus, his disciples and his mother …. all at a wedding.  And weddings in the first century typically lasted at least seven days.  This wedding may have been in its third day – so there were a number of days left for celebrating….. and most embarrassing for the host and hostess,  THEY HAD RUN OUT OF WINE!

Jesus may have told his mother something like this:  ….”Now mother, don’t drag me into this mess, I didn’t have anything to do with it, and this isn’t my time right now.” 

Put yourself in Mary's place.  Some scholars think that Mary may have been related to the wedding hosts.  SO WHAT COULD MARY DO?   There were no grocery stores or Coscos down the street in which to run in and choose from shelf after shelf of various wines.  Instead, Mary puts her hopes on Jesus, as she says to the steward, "Anything at all that he tells you..do!"

We are told that the stone water jars are empty; and Jesus directs that the jars be filled with water, which they did…..TO THE BRIM…..and the jars, once filled, turn into wine. Jesus substitutes the legal function of purification in order to save a bridal banquet.

Then our gospel says: “ and his disciples believed in him.”

The writer of the gospel emphasizes the large water jars and their ritual function, which is of the Law, and the unexpectedness of the transformed water, which we recognize as a sign of becoming something new.   All this as a beginning – not an ending!
The Miracle at Cana points to a new day:  Definitely a “transformation”.  What Jesus ushers in is something miraculously new and different from what anyone might have imagined.  The Cana miracle and the multiplication of the loaves early in church history... become symbols for the bread and wine of the Eucharist.

At any wedding, then as now, there are bound to be tears of sadness and joy.  After all, there is a change of status and new relationships about to take place.  We are approaching a time as well…. at St Michael’s, when we will be experiencing a change … a time to experience new relationships and a change in status of a long time relationship with our rector.  And of course there are tears of joy and sadness all mixed together.

I think our gospel story might move each of us today, in this very important time of transition, as well as the time of discerning how we are to proceed with the “Who is My Neighbor” ministry.  Just as the abundance of God’s grace and love is a theme that can flow out of these huge stone jars, so too can an abundance of God’s grace and love flow from St. Michael’s in the coming year.  It's a time as our rector minded us last week:  a time to say YES to NEW BEGINNINGS!

We aren’t called to try and keep our frame of reference in terms of how things always are, or how things have always been done, or even whether we believe what things become possible with God ……rather we are called to recognize how active the holy presence of God is when we are open and willing, as Mary says, to do whatever he tells us.  This means to move forward!

I absolutely love this quote by Valentin Tomberg that Cynthia Bourgeault quotes in her book “Mystical Hope: Trusting in the Mercy of God.”

Hope is not something subjective due to an optimistic or sanguine temperament, nor a desire for compensation in the sense of modern Freudian or Adlerian psychology.  Rather, it is a light-force which radiates objectively and which directs creative evolution toward the world’s future.  It (HOPE) is the celestial and spiritual counterpart of terrestrial and natural instincts of biological reproduction…In other words,  HOPE IS WHAT MOVES AND DIRECTS SPIRITUAL EVOLUTION IN THE WORLD.

As Cynthia reflects on this concept of hope she says:
“the nature of hope is to move, and to move forward. “ As we let ourselves yield and go with the current flow of hope, it will open us toward the authentic unfolding of our being.  The opposite is also just as true;  any form of resistance, be it nostalgia, clinging, bitterness, self-pity, or self –justification, will make it impossible to find that current of hope,  impossible for hope to carry us to our true becoming.”
I believe that this is not the time to be skeptical about the hope of new beginnings, but rather a time of celebration with the community... in a continuing transformation of ourselves as St. Michaels'.

Hope, like the Greek word “arche” used in the gospel, (meaning a beginning) reminds us that HOPE lies at the beginning as we are to move forward;  and it does not come at the end, as the feeling that results from a happy outcome.
Hope is not imaginary, or illusory, any more than our gospel story of turning water into wine was an illusion.  Like the steward who tasted the “new wine” and said…”Everyone serves the good wine first, and then the inferior wine after the guests have become drunk.  But you have kept the good wine until now.”  I don’t think the steward had any idea where the wine came from, but the reality of it was he recognized this as being new wine!

What we are called to do and to be in these months ahead is a willingness to focus on our continued journey of transformation.  Our lives, the life of this parish, is to be like the jar of water transformed:  Each of us, this parish, unique, yet the expression of becoming ALL that we are called to become.
There is an old Hasidic tale that reminds us of how things are able to happen when we open our hearts.
The pupil comes to the rabbi and asks "Why does Torah tell us to place the wisdom of these holy words UPON our hearts?  Why does it not tell us to place these holy words IN our hearts?  The rabbi answers, "It is because as we are, our hearts are too often closed, and we cannot yet place the wisdom of these words IN our hearts.  So, we place them on top of our hearts.  And there they stay until the day our hearts break open, and the words of wisdom, fall in."

As we open our hearts, we too will discover the spirit and wisdom of BECOMING who God has called us to be.  The huge stone jars, EMPTY, BUT WAITING, a symbol of HOPE AND TRANSFORMATION, …ARE most certainly a sign of NEW BEGINNINGS for us this day and in the days to come.

AMEN

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Sermon, The Rev. Deacon Judith Jenkins, November 4

11/4/2012

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Today we celebrate the feast of “All Saints,” and how wonderful that we can look up here and see the many saints that are represented from our families and friends who have gone before us.  It reminds me of the scripture in Hebrews which begins:  “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses…..”

Who among us has not loved to sing, “When All the Saints Go Marching In  …..O Lord, I Want to Be in that Number.  WOW!  That’s quite a parade to join.  Some of the ways that we have recognized saints are these:
    
     They have extended to others the mercy that they have received from God.   

    And when God’s reign was under attack, they found the courage to stand     steadfast -- regardless of the cost that this might exact.

Many of you know how much I have admired Etty Hillesum, A Dutch Jew, who wrote about the need to unbind those who were headed for the death chambers, at the hands of the Nazis!  Here is what Etty wrote in her journal as she was preparing for her own deportation:
    …One thing is becoming increasingly clear to me:    that we must help You, God,     in order to help ourselves -  all of us…..what really matters these days is that we     safeguard that little piece of You God, in ourselves, and to defend Your dwelling     place inside us to the last……

It may have seemed that God was not intervening directly, but Etty and so many others will tell story after story of how they were able to partner with God in both prayer and simply encouraging and supporting one another.  As a result they were able to see the many God-moments that required only a human response to complete the miracles that God was already doing within those camps and beyond.  Hitler’s thousand-year Reich was brought down in only twelve years!

We are a part of the communion of saints, not because of some inherent quality or because of what we have done, but because we have chosen to become a part of God’s community.  Our baptism becomes a mark of sainthood.

St. Paul uses the term “saint” over and over in his letters to refer to the Church on earth.  We are called saints because of God’s continuing incarnate presence among us.  What gives God’s people the label of saint, is not what we do, or what we have earned -- but because of God’s presence within and among us.

This Sunday’s readings for All Saints Sunday focuses less on the “saints” and more on what all saints are promised and encouraged to be in our partnership with God’s work here on earth.

Our gospel lesson this morning, the story of the raising of Lazarus, is one of the most heartrending stories in the Bible. It describes with passion the loss that one feels in the face of death, and it shows the depths of compassion that people do feel for loved ones who are coping with loss.  
 
As Lazarus comes forth from the tomb, can’t you just hear all the people and friends who were gathered there to mourn?   Lazarus, Lazarus, tell us, what  was it like?

Lazarus passed through death and was returned to life-- but I think we’d agree that Jesus was pointing to a far more important reality than what Lazarus may or may not have experienced “on the other side.”  Lazarus’ experience points to the main theme in the Gospel of John:  ETERNAL LIFE DOESN’T BEGIN ON THE FAR SIDE OF THE GRAVE…..IT BEGINS……..ON THIS SIDE!  

This is what our gospel message says to us today:  the kingdom of God is here and now and most certainly “eternal life does begin on this side of the grave.”

What grabbed me most this week, as I read and reread again this story of Lazarus - were the words:  “UNBIND HIM AND LET HIM GO”!
First, Jesus commands Lazarus “TO COME OUT.”  Next he commands the community “TO UNBIND HIM AND LET HIM GO.”

Jesus performs what is perhaps his most significant miracle—so much so that not only are many in the crowd moved to faith but his opponents are moved to conspire toward his death.
What I see as equally important is that Jesus instructs and expects the crowds to     participate in and actually “TO COMPLETE THE MIRACLE.”  

BOTH MATTER!  It is Jesus who has the power to heal, to feed, to restore, to     bring to life, to redeem.  But Jesus seeks to involve US in these actions and,     indeed, perhaps expects us to complete them.

Think about what other miraculous things God intends to do in our communities.--

We have to think seriously about not only the things that bind us as a community and the work to which we are called to partner with Christ,--- but also about those things that bind us individually from moving ahead in our own journey….
So what do we need unbound? -- either as individuals or as a community?

Is it to unbind ourselves by forgiving ourselves for not being who we want to be? This is a big one for many!

Is it to unbind our prejudices and let go -- perhaps accepting a new view of others?

Is it to unbind our hearts where love stops short?  This is one that I have to wrestle with often because there are some for which I’m only willing to love – just so much
Is it to unbind our resources and share with those who have far less? What about the victims of the recent storms?

Brian Taylor in his book “BECOMING HUMAN”  says this:  “We must learn somehow to forgive ourselves for being human” ….he goes on to say that we have to get over basing our self worth on any accomplishments we have achieved or not achieved but instead on God’s delight in us AS WE ARE TODAY!!!! Wow!  God’s delight in us AS WE ARE TODAY!  

Henri Nouwen reminds us that “the greatest enemy and trap that keeps us bound is self-rejection, doubting who we really are!

Remember the time in David’s life as is told in I Samuel when he had made some bad decisions, ended up fighting on the side of King Saul’s enemy.  Then all of a sudden David found himself in the situation where even those he had trusted were now against him and there were those who were about to stone him….. David was pretty much at the bottom and……..

What did David do?  The story goes that David went out and “encouraged” himself in the Lord, or as the modern translation states:  “He went out and strengthened himself in the Lord.”  What a fantastic way to deal with situations and ourselves when everything around us feels hopeless…. even when we feel we are to blame.   We just turn around and do what David did…… “ENCOURAGE OR STRENGTHEN OURSELVES IN GOD.”  

Then we are able to reach out and unbind another:
The story is told of a Dutch soldier who was captured and made prisoner of war.  Isolated, lonely, afraid, and feeling that he had nothing to live for, he received an unexpected letter, crumpled and dirty because it had traveled so long and far to     reach him.  It was just a piece of paper, but on it were these simple words:  “We     all are waiting for you at home.  Do not worry.  We will see you back at home.”  This simple letter, these simple words changed his life.  He now had a reason to live.  The external circumstances of his life, his imprisonment and his isolation, did not change….but     SOMEBODY WAS WAITING FOR HIM.  HE STILL HAD A HOME….. AND HOPE WAS REBORN IN HIM.

When we accept who we are at God’s Table.  We are to remember that we don’t have to earn God’s approval or love.  It is freely given – we just have to RECEIVE IT.”

Today, as we celebrate the Eucharist, in the presence of all the saints who have gone before us, and the saints with whom we share this communion table, let’s be mindful it is a day to accept ourselves -- as we receive God’s Grace, God’s Mercy, God’s Unconditional Love, AT THE TABLE…… IN THE COMMUNION OF SAINTS.”

Amen
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Sermon, The Rev. Deacon Judith Jenkins, April 29

4/29/2012

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SERMON on April 29th, 2012

As we said the 23rd Psalm this morning, I wonder how many of us could have said it for memory.  As I child committing it to memory, I discovered that saying it once or twice as I fell asleep was a much better method than counting sheep and left me knowing how much the Good Shepherd cared for me.  Many of us will remember the Mother Goose rhyme about how “Little Bo Peep lost her sheep and didn’t know where to find them.  Leave them alone and they’ll come home, wagging their tails behind them.” I’m not sure what the theological implications of those sheep were, but, according to our gospel – sheep definitely need leadership.  

 It’s fairly common to hear comments about the stupidity of sheep.  However, the facts are that sheep are more aware than we thought.  Studies have shown that sheep are smart enough to recognize the faces of more than 70 other sheep in their flock; and that they are able to recognize that some are getting special attention and will demonstrate jealousy toward some of their own flock.  Hummmmmm

Reflecting about the Good Shepherd and the sheep recognizing each other,  I found myself wondering:  “Do we recognize each other as ‘children of God?’  Do we pick and choose to whom we assign the face of Christ?    Or like some sheep do we show jealousy because others get special or more attention?”  

Karl Barth reminds us that there is no such thing as an individual Christian.  In the same vein, there is no “separate singular form of the word sheep,” (in other words, there is 1 sheep, or fifty sheep). As children of God, we are not separate from one another.  Brian reminded us of this last week!  And yet, I suspect that all of us at times find it awkward or even feel uneasy if we have to make room for “those others”, especially those who are marginalized from our clan.

What if the words we heard this morning were Jesus claiming to be the “the good migrant worker”!  Would we see those folks as the image of Jesus?  Like Jesus, we are to provide a space where all are welcome.  The flock is open-ended, never closed.  

In Barbara Brown Taylor’s book, An Altar to the World:  she reflects on “encountering others” as a spiritual practice and she expands our understanding of hospitality as the biblical “love of stranger.”

Taylor does a remarkable job at describing our tendency to be at the center of our own awareness and forgetting that other people are at the center of their own awareness; not on the fringes of ours.  We need to be challenged as to whom ”the others” are in our lives, in our churches, our communities, and in the world:  These “others” are on the margins of our horizons, -- horizons which are established through circumstance, habit, and some of the unfairness and unjust practices present in our society.  

Let me tell you about something that happened to me some years ago in Cambridge.  I was spending six weeks at Harvard as a part of an NEH grant.  I had  started running very early along the Charles River each morning before we all gathered for breakfast.  The campus streets weren’t crowded yet and the people out and about were mostly runners or walkers.

One morning coming back from my run, there was a woman of a different ethnicity who started following me, shouting all manner of obscenities at me, very loudly.  She was obviously wounded and full of hatred; for whatever her reason, I was the scapegoat for her that day.  At first it was embarrassing, awkward to say the least, because everyone in the Cambridge Square was staring at the two of us.  Block after block she followed me, relentless in her determination to let me know how much she hated everything and everyone I represented.  

I tried to ignore her at first, then I tried to pray for her under my breath, and then finally after several humiliating blocks, I decided to stop and face her, which I did.  “I’m truly sorry, I really am, for whatever it is that I represent to you.  I can tell that you are deeply hurt, and I’m sorry.”  

Her response I can still hear:  With venom, she responded:  “that just doesn’t cut it, BITCH.”
You, know, she was right; my telling her that I was sorry from her perspective was pretty meaningless to her in that moment.  

Our reading from I John this morning puts it like this: …we should…love one another, not in speech but in action, knowing that Christ abides in our brothers and sisters because of the Spirit that God has given us.  

There’s a story told about Robert Coles going to interview Dorothy Day in 1952.  Upon entering her “house of hospitality” he found her talking with a woman who was obviously very drunk.  Eventually Dorothy got up and came over to Coles.  With a voice that could be heard by the woman, she said:

“Are you waiting to speak to one of us?”ONE OF US?  The troubled, intoxicated woman was not “the other” “the outsider”, or “one of them”; she was definitely not AN OBJECT of Dorothy Day’s charity.  Rather, Day was ONE with this woman -- in the love of Christ.

What an example for all of us.  Taking down the boundaries that we all have a tendency to put around our circle of those we accept!  Was there a way that I could have better responded to the woman that followed me that day?  
And with others like her, how are the traumas of our falls and fears to be healed and what is our place in helping to set one another free?  Free to experience God’s healing love!  My avoidance at looking at this hurting woman for several blocks, ignoring her because of my own discomfort still haunts me.

What about my own commitment to grow with God’s help in being responsible in ways that might help prevent some of my own blindness and ignorance?

Jesus lived a counter- cultural lifestyle which took him away from security, daring to express by words and actions the grace of God for all peoples in ways that scandalized so many of the respectable.  Rather than exalting princes or religious leaders, he was quite often to be found with the most rank of outsiders, telling them that they had a stake in the Kingdom of God.  And through it all, he was attracting the enmity of the predators of his day, predators who would eventually get their way in his being hounded to a brutal public execution.

Jesus, the Good Shepherd, not only revealed God in his teaching, but how important to recognize that he revealed God in his WAY of BEING!  As the image of God, we know what God is like – a compassionate Jesus who was moved to touch lepers, to heal on the Sabbath, to see in the ostracized members of the human community –“children of God”; and then to risk his life for the sake of saving his people from a future which he could see and they could not.  

Compassion is both a feeling and a way of being!! We feel compassion and then we are to be compassionate.
There is a social dimension as well as an individual dimension to the compassion of God as we see it in the image of the Good Shepherd”.  For him, as for the prophets before him, the divine compassion included grief and anger about the blindness, the injustice, and the idolatry that CAUSED human suffering.  Persistent blindness and heedlessness do have their consequences!

But Jesus, as the Good Shepherd, discloses that at the very center of everything – is a Reality, a God, that is in love with us and wills our well-being, both as individuals and as individuals within society.  When you and I are filled with the Spirit of God, the Compassionate One,  then compassion is given us as a grace ---not an achievement.  Our level of compassion is dependent upon our relationship to the Spirit.

And so if we know Jesus as the Good Shepherd, then growth in the Christian life is essentially a growth in compassion!  Do we recognize the presence of Christ in one another, here in our own church, or in those ostracized members of the human community?  Will we seek and serve Christ in ALL persons?

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.  He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed……”

Let me close by sharing from Thomas Merton’s Conjectures of a Guilty Bystander:  (listen with your hearts open to the wisdom that Merton speaks)

“At the center of our being is a point of nothingness, which is untouched by sin and by illusion, a point of pure truth, a point of spark which belongs entirely to God, which is never at our disposal…. which is inaccessible to the fantasies of our own mind, or the brutalities of our own will.

This little point of nothingness and of absolute poverty is the pure glory of God in us…….It is like a pure diamond, blazing with the invisible light of heaven.

IT IS IN EVERYBODY, and if we could see it we would see these billions of points of light coming together in the face and blaze of a sun that would make all the darkness and cruelty of life vanish completely…”
Merton goes on to say:  “I have no program for this seeing.  It is only given.  But the gate of heaven is everywhere.”
AMEN
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