The Widow's Change, a sermon on Mark 12:38-44

This was my first sermon in my field placement site. It brings up some interesting liturgical history specific to the parish.

Mark 12:38-44

Teaching in the temple, Jesus said, "Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, and to have the best seats in the synagogues and places of honor at banquets! They devour widows' houses and for the sake of appearance say long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation."
He sat down opposite the treasury, and watched the crowd putting money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums. A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which are worth a penny. Then he called his disciples and said to them, "Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury. For all of them have contributed out of their abundance; but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on."

The widow comes to the edge of the temple grounds...

She is not allowed to go any farther...

She is allowed to go in just far enough to give her gift, to make her peace with God and show her love.

The temple barely notices it, such a small gift.

The temple does not see what her gift means for her.

The temple devours her and moves on.

Jesus notices it, such a great gift.

Jesus sees what her gift means to her.

Jesus connects with her and loves her.

Jesus responds to her gift just a few days later... On the cross... Giving up his life, his all, for her, for all the widows not allowed inside the temple door, for all of us.

There is no doubt that each of us is called to struggle with how to enter into this call to give, and give fully, and follow the example of the widow, of Jesus.

We are also, however, called to notice the gifts of others, see what those gifts mean to them, connect with and love them for their gifts...

And respond to those gifts... To give also of ourselves... To change...

Jesus' response, Jesus' giving, Jesus' changing was anything but easy...

Maintaining the status quo, not noticing, not seeing, not connecting... Not Loving... would be so much easier...

As Christians we are called into the difficult road of Love... Called to be in the midst of authentic relationship with others... Called to let the widow in... Called at points to change...

Which does not mean we like to do it very much... But we do enter into it.

Look at the stain glass windows, we would not think of changing them... But they are not original to the building... At some point the parish decided to add them, decided to change.

Consider where you are sitting, you probably sit about where you are sitting now most Sundays... If we moved all the pews think of the chaos... But the parish has done that, look down and at the centre of your pew, see the wood running in the opposite direction towards the altar?... Those are the original aisles, all the pews have been moved....

Look at the altar space... would we think for a moment to tear it all down and replace it?... But the parish did just that, took out the entire rear wall... Risking the structural integrity of the entire building... To change the central focus of our worship space...

We have entered into change... change that for an outsider might seem small or insignificant... No more significant than the small change of the widow... But for the worshipers in this space it was a significant change a radical change... Change we celebrate every time we enter into this space for worship...

 And we keep doing it...

The prayer book, it is the 1979 book of common prayer... But St. Peter's been using it since 1971... St. Peter's took up the change in the Prayer Book at the first possible moment...

The pulpit I am standing in is a change, a change we have only been working with for two Sundays.

The Gloria and Sanctus we have been singing... They are still new to us, they are a change... They are ones I love and have been excited to sing... but in a few weeks advent shall begin and with it shall come different service music...

Things we take as certain set things... Have changed... At points St. Peter's has jumped at the chance to take part in extreme risky change... We worship in a cycle that brings us to constantly shift and change... Change is a constant part of our lives, as individuals and as a community.

I came to St. Peter's to be changed, to be challenged, to be formed... This will happen as I notice what gifts this community has, see why these gifts are important to you, make connections with you, and enter into the Love of Christ that is embodied inside and outside of these walls by you... As I journey with you over the next months it is possible you might find yourself changing just a little as well...

We must celebrate the change St. Peter's embraced to become and remain a successful parish... We need to remain open to the change that will continue to make us Bearer's of Christ's love to all who enter our red church doors and all we meet outside them... We cannot fear change...

Because to fear change is to not let the widow, the other, the outsider in...

To fear change is to not notice the gifts others bring us...

To fear change is to not see how important those gifts are...

To fear change is to devour the others gift and move on...

Jesus calls us to notice the gifts others bring...

Jesus calls us to see how important those gifts are...

Jesus calls us to connect with and to Love those around us...

And to enter into the change those relationships bring... No matter what the cost...

Amen.

Resolutions for Change: The Parish Call Process

During my morning run the idea for the following resolution to diocesan con/cans for the calling of an ordained minister to a parish came to me...









Be it resolved that the (appropriate section of the con/can of the diocese regarding the deployment of ordained ministers to a parish) be amended to include:



When a parish has decided upon its list of finalist for the call of an ordained minister those finalist will be provided with letters of recommendation for the parish from three of the following five categories of individual:

1) A member in good standing of the parish who is in High School.
2) A member in good standing of the parish who is between the ages of 21 and 35.
3) A minister of a local congregation that is not part of the Episcopal Church.
4) A director of a local non-profit that is in a ministry relationship with the parish.
5) An individual who regularly takes part in a ministry of the parish but does not regularly attend worship.

These letters of recommendation are to be held to the same standards of confidence as those provided by the applicant.

If a parish is unable to provide such letters it will be required to submit a report on why such a recommendation is not currently possible on one of the above categories for each letter it cannot provide. This report will be submitted to both the applicants as well as the diocesan TMO officer.

Explanation:
The above resolution's purpose is to provide a window into the parish for the applicant that might not be part of the normal search process. The specefic inclusion of youth and young adult reccomenders is not to place extra value upon them but to recognize that their voices are often not an active part in the call process. The inclusion of individuals from the greater community allows for a voice that is regularly not heard at all in the call process. These letters also recognize points of engagement that are crtical for a vital ministry. 

A little sermon dealing with law and gospel...

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. Awe came upon everyone, because many wonders and signs were being done by the apostles. All who believed were together and had all things in common; they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need. Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having the goodwill of all the people. And day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.

Followers of the law from every nation had gathered in Jerusalem, had witnessed the descent of the Holy Spirit, the miracle of Pentecost.

Three thousand of them had been baptized and become followers of Christ. And now they were living together in harmony under the law. They had declared a year of Jubilee and those who owned much had sold it and all had been redistributed. They went to the temple devoutly, prayed the traditional prayers with full hearts. Any Prophet of Israel or Judah would have walked into their community and found nothing wanting, nothing to rail about, they lived fully into both the spirit and word of the Law. Their works were a beautiful utopia on earth. A beautiful self sufficient insulated egg.

And God, the brooding mother hen, she looked down and said its time for that egg to hatch.

I am sure at the moment, however, it felt more like God the Master Chef looked down and said, time to make an omelet.

Because where is God’s action in this passage… “the Lord added to their number those who were being saved…”

Uh Oh

God’s Grace, the Full Gospel, enters stage left and everything falls apart. God’s Grace, the Gospel shown forth in full, is not an easy thing, its not a happy thing, it is a terrible thing, a terribly good thing, but a terrible thing none the less.

Kumbayah time is over for the first Christians… because the Full Gospel is arriving. The Lord is sending them those who have been saved.

And those who have been saved by God’s grace are not always followers of the law. They will be non-Jewish widows, uncircumcised men, gender non conforming Ethiopians, a man who sought their complete annihilation, and so many others.

The comfort zones of the early Christians will be violated. They will have to eat odd disgusting food with odd disgusting people. They will find themselves forced to touch and comfort menstruating women. They will be forced to look down at their genetalia and ask “wait that is not what defines me as God’s?”. 

This is God’s grace, this is the movement of the Gospel. This is God breaking into the laws and rules we surround ourselves with to make ourselves feel good and righteous and comfortable. This is God destroying our self-assurance and calling us to something fuller, the Assurance of Grace.

As the Gospel became manifest, as the Grace of God abounded, fighting and struggle came into full bloom within the early Christian community. The book of acts, the letters of Paul, report again and again the struggles, friction, and pain involved in entering into the Grace of God, of taking part fully in the Gospel. These times of struggle, the places where conflict occurred, is again and again where God was and where the church was growing.

Throughout history we find again and again humans laying down laws to make themselves feel comfortable and righteous: free will or predestination, real presences or remembrance, homoousios or homoiousios. Grace, the Full Gospel, attempts to break through, fighting breaks out. Sadly, more often then not, at the end of the fighting what results is two groups of humans less open to grace but more feeling very comfortable and righteous within their laws.

Our churches have seen so much fighting over the past years. The comfort zones of many have been violated. Why? Because for centuries we had gotten comfortable, gotten righteous, in our laws, in our insulated egg. A self-sufficient community dependent on certain turns of phrasing in the English language, dependent on a certain form of gender conformity, dependent on defining relational love in a very limited way. It was time to make an omelet.

And God, the Mother Hen, she knew it was time for that egg to hatch.

And so Grace is breaking through… it is not comfortable… it is at points terribly frightening… but it is also terribly good… it is the sign of a world relating more and more to the Full Gospel…

The question before us now is that can we keep fighting, can we keep struggling, can we keep getting uncomfortable… or will we simply start feeling comfortable in our new laws around the turns of phrase in the English Language… feel assured by not allowing those who do not fit into our new laws of gender conformity to have a place… feel righteous in our new limits on relational love… will we simply seek some consensus that creates some new self sufficient insulated community all nestled and happy and kumbayah…

Or will we continue to be a community that struggles, that fights, that at points gets a bit violated… so that we can continue to be sufficient on a Grace that comes from a place completely beyond us.  

Jesus Stood Still, sermon preached at St. Luke's Cathedral, Portland Oct. 24, 2012

Jesus and his disciples came to Jericho. As he and his disciples and a large crowd were leaving Jericho, Bartimaeus son of Timaeus, a blind beggar, was sitting by the roadside. When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout out and say, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" Many sternly ordered him to be quiet, but he cried out even more loudly, "Son of David, have mercy on me!" Jesus stood still and said, "Call him here." And they called the blind man, saying to him, "Take heart; get up, he is calling you." So throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. Then Jesus said to him, "What do you want me to do for you?" The blind man said to him, "My teacher, let me see again." Jesus said to him, "Go; your faith has made you well." Immediately he regained his sight and followed him on the way.

 Jesus stood still. In the midst of the chaos around him... he stood still.

 And it was a chaotic early morning in Jericho. The streets are packed with pilgrims on their way to Jerusalem for the Passover. The disciples are still a bit ruffled from last nights chastisement, that they were not to seek to be powerful leaders but humble servants. Internally I can only imagine that Christ's mind and heart were heavy with the his next steps, that afternoon he would ask his disciples to find him a colt and ride into Jerusalem as the people shouted Hosannah in the highest and laying palm branches down for him to ride upon... Starting a chain of events that would culminate in his trial and crucifixion. The various shouts for mercy and coins from the outer edge of the crowd were an added source of confusion... Summarily being hushed.

 In the midst of his thoughts, in the midst of the disciples who surely want to get as far away from last night as they can, in the midst of the crowd of pilgrims pressing them from all sides towards Jerusalem... Jesus stood still, Jesus required the outsider to come in, and Jesus listened.


 Being able to stand still, place aside the flurry of thoughts and emotions, and listen, truly listen, to another human being is an essential skill for Christian living.

 It is a skill used by those who volunteer at st. Elizabeth's food pantry; a skill used by those who in a little while will be listening to those seeking prayers of healing in the side chapel, a skill used by those who will share our communion with those who are sick and shut in.

 It is an essential skill that you are practicing right now.

 It happens in that crucial moment when you stop saying "I know about that" and start saying "I am curious about that". It happens when surety of knowledge is recognized for the dangerous thing it is. 

One night this summer when I was on call in the ER a trauma came in. A highschooler had broken his leg during soccer practice. When his parents arrived I was surprised to find that they had brought their own pastor with them. The youth was quickly found to be in good stable condition and I quickly found myself on another call. I continued to check on the soccer player throughout the night and every time I came by there seemed to be another pastor, or sometimes even a pair of them, visiting his room. I eventually found out that one of his grandfathers had been a leading pastor in the area and all of his protégés were coming by to lay hands on the boy and call down the healing power of Jesus Christ. It was a veritable parade of pastors.

 Near the end of the night I found myself walking the soccer player's grandmother out to the lobby. "None of them get it" she said. "Get it?" I queried... "He is not worried about his leg, he knows the type of injury he has, he knows it will heal, he is upset because the soccer team is his social life, it is where all his friends are, and now he is going to be cut off from that. But none of the pastor's prayed with him about that, none of them asked what he was concerned about, they just came in to call down God's healing. He talked to me about it, we prayed about it, but he is so frustrated with all these pastors." The frustration of not having a voice, the frustration of having someone else assume what your needs are, the frustration of not being heard. Over the past two days at diocesan convention the Bishop charged the parishes to name the spaces, the lines, where the church was engaging the world. He asked us to consider not how can we engage those lines but instead consider what do we need to engage those lines. My suggestion, my charge, is that in order to truly engage those lines we need to be able to stand still, allow the outsider in, and listen. Before we can do anything else we must be ready to stand still, allow the outsider in, and listen. Bartimeaus sought mercy. It could have been the mercy to share a knowledge he knew because he understood the world beyond the sense of sight. It could have been the mercy to point out an injustice of the society around him. It could have been the mercy to have his sight restored. These are all mercies that Jesus provides throughout his ministry. Jesus, stood still, allowed Bartimeaus to come close, and listened... Bartimeaus was given a chance to state what he believed, what mercy was longed for... And Jesus responded with God's grace. This Grace of God, this stuff that Miracles are made of, is alive and well in the world. God is working in the life of every person we meet no matter who they are or where we meet them. The question is do we have the strength to place aside our presumptions, our assumptions, our supposed knowledge and definitions of what grace is and instead be curious, can we move away from the thoughts and emotions whirring away inside of us and all of the pressures and conflict around us for just a moment and stand still? can we forget about what we want to say for just long enough so that we can listen? If we can do that on that line where the church is meeting God's world, truly do it, then we will have regained our sight and be ready to follow Jesus on the way.

Processions

Processions

All coordinated movement of worship leaders are processions. Processions happen to the church and to the world and to parts of the church. A general rule is that processions happen in order from individuals with the least specific duties in the worship to those with the most specific duties in the worship. Below is a general outline for an opening and closing procession. Individuals in [brackets] are less normative.

[Verger]

[Thurifer]

Crucifer

Torch                     Torch

[Streamers]

[Choir Banner]

[Choir Verger]

[Choir]

[Parish Banner(s)]

[Streamers]

[Second Thurifer]

[Second Crucifer]

[Second Verger]

[Visiting, Vested, but non-assisting Laity (ordinands)]

[Visiting, Vested, but non-assisting Deacons]

[Visiting, Vested, but non-assisting Priest]

[Lay Minister(s)]

[Lay Eucharistic Minister(s)]

[Lay Preacher]

[Gospel Bearer (subdeacon)]

[Deacon]

[Subdeacon (alt.)]           Celebrant            [Deacon (alt.)]

[Visiting, Vested, but non-assisting Bishop(s)]

[Bishop’s Chaplain]

[Bishop]

[Third Verger]

 

Generally any procession in the church follows that pattern with whatever people necessary for the function that is occurring at the arrival of that group. The above allows for a full pomp and circumstance ceremony. Vergers are basically brought in when traffic control is necessary but should be as invisible as possible.

The three main exceptions are Gospel processions, Baptismal Processions, and Funeral Processions.

Gospel processions from the altar flow out normally: [Verger] [Thurifer] [Crucifer] [Torches] [Gospel Bearer] Deacon/Priest. BUT return with the Gospel Book at the front of the procession, generally in reverse order.

In Baptismal Processions baptismal candidates, families, and sponsors follow the rest of the procession.

When a procession is occurring with the remains at the end of the funeral from the church to the graveside/hearse or from the hearse to the graveside the following order is followed: Presiding Minister, Remains, [Crucifer], [Torches], immediate relations, [Assisting Ministers], [Choir], Mourners.

Marriage processions are a matter for another day.

Prayers of the People for Social Justice

I put these prayers together for an Integrity Eucharist in Maine several years ago. They are not specific to the LGBTQ community and its needs but speak to social justice and community division as a whole.

Prayers of the People and the Confession of Sin

Bidder            Creator God, you made each of us in love and for love. In baptism we were anointed as prophets and you call us to live holy lives and to participate in the mission of justice.

People            Grant us the grace, O loving God, to be attentive to your call, to be sensitive to injustice whenever we encounter it, and in all things to act justly, love tenderly, and walk humbly with you, our God.

Bidder            We are weak, limited, fallen, O God. We fail to acknowledge the inherent worth of each person as a child of God. We focus on what divides us and makes us different rather than on the great truth that unites us – that we are one body in Christ.

People            We come before you, O God, parent of us all, asking your grace to appreciate the beauty of our diversity and to celebrate the gift of God incarnate in every one we meet.

Bidder            God of peace, you made us to live in harmony and community, not in chaos and violence. So much of our world is torn by strife, there are so many divisions among us that result in a lack of freedom.

People            We ask the grace and strength to be instruments of peace in our hearts, our homes, communities, nations, and the world.

Bidder            O God, the cross we bear precedes the crown we wear. To follow you we must take up our cross, with all of its difficulties and agonizing and tension packed content and carry it until that very cross leaves its marks upon us and redeems us to that more excellent way which comes only through suffering.[i]

People            God of the oppressed and suffering, we pray for all those who suffer in any way. Grant us the strength to bear whatever crosses are in our lives and the grace to know our losses, grief, and pain as part of the mystery of your love for us.

Bidder            The lives of your saints stand as a reminder of what it means to belong to God, to be persecuted for justice’s sake, to live and to die for God and for God’s people.

People            We give thanks, O compassionate God, for the lives of the holy and prophetic leaders of our time and ask you that we can become in our various ministries of serving others the living presence of your son and our brother Jesus. We bring these and all our own needs and the needs of our families and communities to your loving care.[ii]

Bidder            We acknowledge that it is your mercy that lifts us up beyond ourselves.

People            God of all mercy, we confess that we have sinned against you, opposing your will in our lives. We have denied your goodness in each other, in ourselves, and in the world you have created. We repent of the evil that enslaves us, the evil we have done, and the evil done on our behalf. Forgive, restore, and strengthen us through our Savior Jesus Christ, that we may abide in your love and serve only your will. Amen[iii]

Presider            God forgives you, restores you, and strengthens you. Abide in the love of Jesus Christ and serve the will of the Holy Spirit.

---

[i] This section of the prayer is adapted from the words of Martin Luther King Jr.

[ii] Adapted from a Movement Toward Reconciliation a liturgy of the Roman Catholic Church (Evans, Abigail. Healing Liturgies for the Seasons of Life. WJK Press. London, 2004. page 398)

[iii] From Enriching our Worship 1 (Webber 480)

Gluten Free Communion Bread Recepe and Discussion

As a general rule I consider myself a purist when it comes to communion elements.

The question that comes up, however, is to what am I to be pure.

When it comes to communion bread I generally feel that loafs of bread made by a member of the community by hand is the best option. There  is something dynamic for a community to be able to truly know where and how this bread came into being.

I generally espouse wheat bread because that is the basic type of bread used by everyone in our society, the bread used should truly reflect the daily bread of the people. This was the case in the time of Jesus and continues to be so today. This ancient commonality is important.

The other deal, especially in small communities, is that everyone should be taking part in the same bread. The earthy, dirty, possibly unhygienic reality of a common bread is actually important and forces us to live out a reality that should permeate all aspects of our lives.

My community is faced with the reality that we cannot come together and share a common bread together if that bread involves gluten. So I have spent a bit of time over the past few days experimenting and have at this point created the following viable recipe. It is a work in progress and if you experiment with it or have some great insight to make it better let me know.

Practice loves have been given to priest to check for ability to be broken during ceremony and other needs.
 

Gluten Free Communion Bread (makes two circular loaves each good for 25 people)

2 Cups Red Mill Gluten Free All Purpose Flour (the multi source variety)

2 Teaspoons Xanthum Gum

Sprinkle of Salt

1 Tsp Baking Soda

5 Tbls butter

5 Tbls Heavy Whipping Cream

2 Eggs

1 Tbls Honey

Sprinkle of Vanilla

Preheat oven to 400

Grease a circular baking mold (I use a cast small cast iron skillet)

Whip the Cream until stiff. Add eggs and beat until blended. Add honey and vanilla and beat until blended.

Sift the Flour, Xanthum, Salt, and Soda in a bowl. Blend in the butter as if it was biscuits. With as little mixing as possible blend end the wet ingredients and knead two or three times. Divide dough in half.

Place one half of dough in pan. Gloss with egg white if desired.

Score dough with a cross.

Bake for fifteen minutes or until golden brown and knife comes out clean. 

Repeat with other loaf.