Listen to the Sermon for October 10, 2010 ~ Proper 23c
Read the Sermon for October 10, 2010 ~ Proper 23c
Blog
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An Epiphany From a Ginko Tree
The leaves on the Ginko Tree outside my study window are turning yellow. This is not a rare or disturbing phenomenon. The tree is not dying. What is happening is the predictable effect of photosynthesis, the process by which plants convert water and carbon dioxide into oxygen and sugar. The word means “put together with light.” Chlorophyll gives plants their green color and helps make photosynthesis happen. As summer ends and autumn arrives, days become shorter and there is not enough light for photosynthesis. So, during autumn and winter, the trees stop producing food. They rest and live off the food they stored during the summer. The green chlorophyll disappears from the leaves and other colors are visible.
Soon, the leaves will fall to the ground and add nutrients to the soil that will benefit the tree when spring and a new era of growth arrives. This annual process of change is necessary in order for the tree to thrive.
Human life also involves change. But we do not have to regard ourselves as “victims” of change. Unlike trees, which do not have the privilege of deciding how to manage change, humans have choices. We have options! The greatest options involve intangibles such as attitude, inspiration, perspective, and spirit. After all, the inner life of a child of God is different from that of a tree. The kind of light we “put together” with the elements of our lives is a different kind of light, one we can seek in any season. Enlightenment is the human equivalent of photosynthesis.
We regard our Creator as changeless. Creation, on the other hand, is made alive by change. Of all God’s creatures, humans have the most options for managing change in purposeful ways that impact the unfolding story of creation. When we are able to work with changes that impact our lives, they are more likely to become springboards that propel us into the next stage of growth. Learning to live creatively with change allows us not just to survive but to thrive.
So, in the light God gives, let us relish opportunities to explore changes that are thrust upon us and to purposefully initiate changes that will promote life and growth. In learning from change we expand our lives and become more fully human. By exercising our faith in God to guide and protect us through transitions, “we who are wearied by the changes and chances of this life” will find rest and refreshment in God’s eternal changelessness.
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Follow Him, Seek Him, Love Him
The chorus from W.H. Auden's Christmas Oratorio is on my mind today as I reflect upon my life and ministry and the people and places I have known:
He is the Way.
Follow Him through the Land of Unlikeness;
You will see rare beasts, and have unique adventures.He is the Truth.
Seek Him in the Kingdom of Anxiety;
You will come to a great city that has expected your return for years.He is the Life.
Love Him in the World of the Flesh;
And at your marriage all its occasions shall dance for joy.(W H Auden – 1907-1973)
This poem is set to two different tunes in The Hymnal 1982 of The Episcopal Church. Here's a beautiful choral setting: The Way, The Truth, The Life (Royal Holloway Choir, University of London, Samuel Rathbone & Rupert Gough)
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Transition
I am preparing to leave one community of faith where I have served as interim for the past year and am anticipating appointment as interim in another location in the near future. The community I am leaving is preparing to welcome a new spiritual leader. The community to which I go will be saying farewell to theirs. In the midst of all this change, I am reflecting on the wisdom St. Paul shared with the Corinthian Church regarding transitions in leadership.
The Corinthian Christians were having difficulty adjusting to new leadership. In his first letter to them, St. Paul describes how transitions are a normal aspect of the life of Christians in community. His focus is upon the common purpose of building up the Church in its mission.
For when one says, ‘I belong to Paul’, and another, ‘I belong to Apollos’, are you not merely human? What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you came to believe, as the Lord assigned to each. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. The one who plants and the one who waters have a common purpose, and each will receive wages according to the labour of each. For we are God’s servants, working together; you are God’s field, God’s building. – I Cor. 3:4-9
I might have written it this way:
It is human nature for one to say, ‘I liked Fr. So and So’, and another, ‘I didn’t like Fr. Such and Such’. Both are Pastors who tried to help you in your journey of faith using the gifts the Lord gave to each of them. One planted seeds, another watered them, but the resulting growth came from God. So, it’s really not about the Pastor, it’s about God! Each of us Pastors has a common purpose and that is to help you have enough faith to do the work God has prepared for you to walk in. – I Ron 3:4-9
I am not the Pastors who came before me. Nor am I the Pastors who come after me. God has gifted each one of us in different ways according to the leadership God desires the Church to have in a particular place and time. Each of us brings something different to the communities we serve. Each one builds upon the work of those who came before, so the changes each one brings are not intended to dismantle things. Instead, the changes are related to the common purpose we share and are to be understood as additions or enhancements to what has been. Our common purpose is to help you be the Church in mission. It’s not about Fr. So and So or Fr. Such and Such. It’s not about me. It’s about God and God’s mission of reconciliation in the world beyond those red doors.
Change is difficult for many people. We don't like it when something upsets the equilibrium and pushes us out of our comfort zone. So we resist and complain. Resistance to change, while human, can undermine the true spiritual
discernment that has led to this union of Pastor and People, thwarting
God's purpose. Most complaining about change when a new Pastor arrives constitutes avoidance of the real work to which God is calling the faithful. Valuable spiritual energy is wasted in an activity that is useless to the cause of Christ!This time of transition is a unique opportunity for God to work wonders through divine interaction with the new relationships that are being formed. God is creating a new context in which to bring about growth. Trust God enough to invite your new Pastor and encourage one another to fully express the gifts God has given to help you be the Church. You will grow, the Church will grow, and the Kingdom of God will grow.
So let no one boast about human leaders. For all things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future—all belong to you, and you belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God. – I Cor. 3:21-22
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A Message of Thanks and Farewell to Trinity, Lawrence
August 5, 2010
Dear Members and Friends of Trinity Church,
One year ago today I began my ministry with you as Interim Pastor. Ten days from now, August 15, will be my last Sunday with you. Your new Rector, The Reverend Rob Baldwin, will lead you in worship on August 29.
I write with mixed emotions to say farewell and express gratitude for the opportunity to share Christ’s work with you during this year of transition. We have worked together to remember and celebrate the history of the parish, to clarify your present-day identity, to manage changes in leadership, to strengthen ties with the wider Church, and to prepare for commitment to a new era of mission with your new Rector. It will make my heart glad to know that these transitional developments have made you ready for the days ahead.
Many have asked about our plans for the future. Our Galveston home remains on the market and Gay has retired from teaching. We will take a vacation and visit our sons during late August and early September. We hope conversations with several bishops and deployment officers will soon result in a call to a new place of ministry, either interim or settled. There are some very interesting possibilities!
You are most welcome to stay in touch with us. We want to know what is happening in your lives and in the life of this parish. However, my role as your Priest will be concluded. Your new Rector will arrive soon and he will need every opportunity to establish a relationship with you. So, I will not be coming back or performing sacramental or liturgical rites for Trinity. We’ve moved before and have seen the wisdom in this practice. We continue to have wonderful friends from every place we’ve ever served and everyone understands that we now play a different role in their lives. Please make a note of the following contact information:
Ron and Gay Pogue
3017 Avenue O
Galveston, Texas 77550-6847
(Mail to our Galveston address will be forwarded to us wherever we may be.)Ron’s Email: ron@e-piphanies.com
Ron’s Phone: 832-576-9019
Ron’s Blog: http://e-piphanies.comGay’s Email: gaypogue@mac.com
Gay’s Phone: 409-939-9975
Gay’s Blog: http://angelsnakes.com/May God bless Trinity and may God bless each of you in your spiritual journey. I remain convinced that the greatest days of this parish lie in the future. You and those who come in the future will have the joy of remaining open to the guidance of the Holy Spirit to discover what new things God wants to accomplish through the people who are Trinity Episcopal Church. We will keep you in our prayers and we ask that you keep us in your prayers as God’s new day unfolds!
Faithfully yours,
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Who exemplifies Christ’s humility?
Today I was reflecting on a favorite passage of scripture, Philippians 2:1-11, sometimes called the "Philippians Hymn" or the "Kenosis (meaning "emptying") Hymn." The writer exhorts Christians to conduct themselves toward one another with humility and to have the same mind as Christ.
Who, I wondered, have I known that exemplifies such humility as described in this passage?
In a split second, a person and a situation came to mind. In a way, it was a very small thing, almost imperceptible, but at the time it touched me and cemented my respect for this gracious person.
Gay and I were being introduced to the Vestry at Christ Church Cathedral in Houston. We had been visiting with the Dean, Walter H. Taylor, and his wife Mary. When it was time to go into the room where the Vestry was gathered, as we started through the doorway all four of us were together. But when we arrived in the room, Mary was not with us. The instant I realized she had waited out in the hallway, I knew why she did it. She wanted us to be the entire focus of the Vestry's attention. It was a simple, but profoundly thoughtful and gracious gesture on her part. I've never forgotten it nor have I forgotten the lesson Mary taught me. She stepped back so that we could step up!
Mary's gesture that evening exemplified Christian humility of the sort described in the Philippians Hymn and particularly the fourth verse, "Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others."
Who have you known that exemplifies Christian humility? Who in your life has stepped back so you could step up? How has their example touched your life and taught you a lesson you needed to learn?
It's something to think about.
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A Fruitful Life
Modern personnel practices in secular business settings emphasize the importance of performance appraisals. Some of that spills over into our perspective on our life as followers of Jesus Christ. There is a problem with that.
Business and the economy are concerned with performance and productivity. People are useful as long as they are able to contribute to the bottom line. People are cogs in the wheels of commerce.
Jesus was concerned about fruitfulness. He said, "Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing" (John 15:4-5).
I helped a family say farewell to a loved one today. He was a renowned surgeon, husband, father, and Christian gentleman. During those last minutes of his life, they were not concerned in the least with his performance. They spoke of the wonderful life he lived and the stewardship of his gifts as a physician that allowed him to heal, save lives, give people another chance. "That was why he was put here," they said. He understood that God had made him a physician and guided his hands in God's healing work. He lived a fruitful life.
Every life he touched made a difference to others. We'll never know how many. Something The Rev. Robert H. Schuller said came to mind. "Anyone can count the seeds in an apple, but only God can count the number of apples in a seed." Fruitful people go around planting seeds. Those seeds germinate, take root, sprout, grow, and produce fruit. And so the process continues from generation to generation.
Here's a question: When you die, do you want someone to say about you, "He always had good performance appraisals," or do you want it said, "He lived a fruitful life"?
Do what you have to do to earn a living, keep your job, and provide for your family. Be a top performer. But don't confuse being a cog in the wheel with living a fruitful, abundant, Christian life.
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Confirm Thy Soul in Self Control
As we approach this Independence Day, my thoughts are on the internal threats to our nation and the need to restore unity. Whatever problems we face, "we the people" are much stronger than a mob of individuals pointing fingers, insisting on our own way, and fighting over ideologies. We also know better than that and we've always been more effective in solving our problems by pulling together than by pulling apart!
So, for those of us who believe we are called to pray for our nation – for one another – now would be a very good time! There are many fine prayers for such an occasion, but the one that has been on my mind this week is best known as the hymn, America the Beautiful. Every word is packed with the kind of spirit we need to restore our unity of purpose. But the words that are ringing in my ears are these:
America! America! God mend thine every flaw,
Confirm thy soul in self-control, thy liberty in law.In order to face one another and to work effectively with those with whom we differ, we need the humility to admit that none of us has yet achieved the perfection we seek. Whether or not we ever actually achieve it, we'll come closer if we pursue it in the company of our fellow Americans. Let us humbly ask God to mend our flaws.
We also need divine help in gaining self-control so that our impulses and anxieties will not drive us apart. Many of our problems are truly frightening. No wonder we are so anxious and so prone to knee jerk reactions. We can't listen to one another or really seek understanding in that condition. Let us ask God to calm us down.
And, we need to respect the boundaries that make it possible to live and work together. Some of those boundaries must be imposed from without, but the most important ones must be established within us. Jesus taught us that all the Law is summed up in one commandment, "love your neighbor as yourself." When that law is at work, we are most inclined to do the right thing in relation to our brothers and sisters at home and abroad. So, let us ask God to write that law in our hearts so that we all might be truly free.
It will come as no surprise to some of you that I am a longtime Judy Collins fan. In 1993, she and the Harlem Boys Choir led a host of people on the National Mall in singing America the Beautiful. It is one of the most moving performances of this prayer/hymn I know. Maybe you'll enjoy watching the video and singing along.
Have a safe and happy Fourth of July!
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Hunger never takes a vacation.
We're having a special emphasis on relieving hunger at our church this Sunday. We're calling it "Loaves and Fishes Sunday." Leaders of our Trinity Interfaith Food Pantry will provide inspirational talks at both services and educational materials at the receptions that follow in the Parish Hall.
The idea for this summertime emphasis comes from St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church in Granby, Colorado, where my family and I have worshiped from time to time. They realized that donations of food and funds to fight hunger drop during the summer months while people are on vacation. Yet hunger never takes a vacation! Therefore, this is an important time of year to ask people to be mindful of our Lord's call to feed the hungry.
Our three-year Revised Common Lectionary includes the story of the Loaves and Fishes as told by Matthew in Year A and as told by John in Year B. However, for some reason, Luke's version (Luke 9:10-17) is skipped in Year C. So, in order to set this up as an annual emphasis, I petitioned the Bishop of Kansas to allow us to use the story of the Loaves and Fishes from the Gospel of Luke instead of the Gospel reading appointed in the lectionary for this Sunday.
The story of the Loaves and Fishes is the only miracle story that is recounted in all four of the Gospels and it carries a powerful message. Here's the gist of it:
• The disciples come to Jesus with a problem – the people need food.
• Jesus told them, "You give them something to eat."
• The disciples protest that there isn't enough food.
• Jesus told them to "Make them sit down in groups of about fifty each."
• Jesus took the five loaves and two fish, blessed and broke them, then gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd.
• All ate and were filled.
• There were twelve baskets of leftovers.The lesson: When we place what seems not enough in the hands of Jesus, he transforms scarcity into abundance to fulfill his mission.
We place our contribution and our commitment into the hands of Christ. He adds his blessing and returns them to our hands, multiplied, so we can carry out his mission. Recognition of our inadequacy is the first step, but never the last. That recognition reminds us that God's work is always humanly impossible and prompts us to trust him to add everything needed to make us adequate to the task. Without him we can do nothing!
So, on Loaves and Fishes Sunday, we are aware of the immensity of the problem of hunger in the world, in our nation, and in our community. It is overwhelming to realize that in 3.8 million U.S. households, (3.5 percent of all U.S. households) one or more household members were hungry at least some time during the year because they could not afford enough food. We feel inadequate to even make a dent in the problem, Jesus. And yet he says, "You give them something to eat." So we bring what we have – food from our pantries, funds from our pockets, the work of our hands – and give it to him. He will take it, break it, bless it, and give it back to us to share, with the promise that because it is his work that is being done, there will be more than enough.
Let's try it and see what happens.