Pentecost 3

The Reverend Martha Frances

Year B, Pentecost 3, Proper 7

21 June 2009 

Text:  Mark 4:35-41

Others:  1 Samuel 17: 32-49; Psalm 9: 9-20; 2 Corinthians 6: 1-13 

      My introduction to many stories from Hebrew scripture came in the form of a small record player my sister & I received one Christmas & a group of 78 rpm records with accompanying booklets.  We spent endless summer hours listening to Joseph with his nasty brothers, Daniel who was rescued from the lion's den, & my favorite, David & his encounter with the giant Goliath.

      We drop into the middle of this familiar story today as the shepherd boy David is acting as messenger between his father Jesse & his older brothers in Saul's army.  He arrives at the front lines in the midst of Goliath's challenge to the Israelite army to send a warrior for single combat.  Such challenges were fairly common in the ancient world though they were usually not issued by a giant—by some reckonings over 9 feet tall—nor did they usually settle the dispute.  Rather, a full battle most often followed the single combat anyway.

      David sees the lack of Israel's response to Goliath as shameful, since Goliath's offense is against Yhwh, the living God of the Hebrews, so he volunteers, as our reading opens today, to fight Goliath himself.  Saul's & our introduction reveals David as ordinary & unremarkable, & David the boy can surely not stand up to Goliath the giant man.  David recites his credentials for Saul, indicating his courage in protecting his flock of sheep from the lion & bear & incidentally characterizes Goliath likewise as an animal. 

      Clearly, Saul sees no option so tries to protect David with his own armor which he—ironically—does not offer to take up himself, but David quickly realizes Saul's armor hinders rather than helps him.  He will fight Goliath as he has fought other wild animals, with slingshot & stones from the wadi, their version of a bayou. 

      Goliath sees the youth David as laughable as he approaches although he is once again described as ruddy & handsome.  Goliath even characterizes himself as a dog, promising to feed David to the wild animals.  Notice that David does not rely on his own abilities but feels confident because he knows that Yhwh will protect him due to the righteousness of his task.  As David answers the challenge, the hearer is barraged by action verbs describing David's heroic action:  David ran, pulled a stone from his bag, slung it, struck the Philistine on his forehead.  David's actions indeed show the metal of the man, yet he gives the credit to Yhwh, the God of Israel, though neither Saul nor the Israelite army have exhibited trust in their God. 

      The story of David & Goliath has been seen as metaphor for the hopes of the underdog but really hopes of all when we are confronted with overwhelming & evil power.  Here trust in God is not an intellectual exercise but motivates action, the hope for a way into the future where there seems no way, a chink in seemingly impregnable armor.  Can the heroic confidence & action of David speak to us today?

      Turning to our Gospel lesson today, the impregnable force the disciples are contending with is the sea.  But first, we remember God the creator, passing over the face of the deep & speaking the separation of the earth from the seas, creating living creatures both in sea & on land.  Pretty overwhelming, huh?

      Some of Jesus' disciples in today's gospel story make their living catching fish.  The boat & the sea are home to them.  After all, Jesus has just used this same boat for his pulpit to teach a crowd of people all day.  It is evening now, & this boat doesn't have battery-operated lanterns to ward off the darkness.  Jesus is undoubtedly tired, so he curls up to sleep in the stern as the boat crosses to the Gentile side of the lake where he will begin a new phase of ministry.

      Whirlwinds like the one which arises as Jesus sleeps were believed to be caused by demonic powers.  The sea was supposedly the abode of creatures hostile to God.  Certainly, it is terrifying enough that these disciples, many of whom are seasoned seamen, are scared to death.  How can Jesus sleep through this torrent?  It's not fair for him to sleep while they're so terrified.   Is that why they wake him up?  What do they expect him to do?  Maybe they think he can pray better than they.  His response is certainly not what they expect.

      What does he do?  He rebukes the wind saying, "Peace!  Be still!"  The Greek text is better translated, "Be quiet!  Be muzzled!"  Jesus treats the sea like a misbehaving animal which he can tame with his words.  I'm sure we would be just as stunned as the disciples that the sea obeys him.  Our translation says the wind ceased & there was a dead calm.  What a contrast from the violence of the storm!

      Jesus's focus turns from nature to the nature of the disciples when he says, "Why are you afraid?  Are you still without faith?"  Jesus must be pretty exasperated with them at this point.  After all, they've been spending a lot of time with him, yet they still don't fully comprehend who he is or from where his power comes.  To their credit, the disciples are filled with great awe as they say, "Who then is this, that even the wind & the sea obey him?"

      We in the 21^st Century might easily criticize the dense disciples who just don't seem to get it, even when the evidence is right before their very eyes.  We are apt to say, "Those dummies!  If I had been there, I would certainly have understood that Jesus is the Messiah & his power is God's power.  I would surely have believed in Jesus if I had seen him in the flesh."

      Yet we, too, are traveling on the sea of our lives, often in boats which we didn't choose any more than the disciples chose to cross that sea when Jesus commanded it.    We handle the oars or the sails pretty well when the seas are calm & the breezes gentle. Our lives might not be exactly what we want, but things are going pretty well, aren't they?  In fact, we may not even acknowledge God's presence daily, or at least we don't give God credit for good weather & fair crossing.  But sure, we trust God.

      Then, the storms gather.  Rain batters us, & the whirlwind sweeps us up in it!  The world all around us is a storm, & we definitely feel alone.  What do we do?  We, like the lieutenant in Forrest Gump's shrimp boat, are likely to look up to the heavens, shake our fist at God, & holler, "Wake up, God!  Don't you see what's going on down here?  Do something!  Save me!"  We get pretty demanding of God when chaos reigns supreme in our lives, don't we?  It is now that we utter our most fervent prayers:  "God, help!" 

            How many of us trust God when all is going well but get pretty shaken up when the bottom falls out of our lives & God doesn't rescue us the way we expect?  In my profession, I hear a lot of people complain about the bad things that happen to the good people--they themselves!  We're pretty quick to judge whether occurrences in our lives are good or bad.  When an alcoholic or addict hits bottom, seldom does she realize that only then is she vulnerable enough to let God intervene, perform a miracle, & start her on the road to new life.  Losing a job is traumatic, & the results are often terribly frightening.  Only then can a person sometimes be open to a healthier way of viewing the world & his place in it.  I won't even go into how frightening & costly our health care system can be, leaving us with difficult choices.  Savings & investments aren't nearly as secure as we were led to believe they were, leading us to tighten our belts & live more cautiously.

      How do you react out there on the sea in the boat when the weather turns nasty, the rain batters you, & the winds blow so hard you're afraid your boat will capsize?  Do you realize that Jesus is there with you?  Do you turn to him & trust him completely, even in the midst of the storm?  This story is about our recognizing who Jesus is, the power which Jesus can have in our lives if we let him, & how much we can let ourselves trust him.  Are we ready to have our excuses which keep us from living our lives fully washed away?  Can we really trust Jesus that much?  God's grace is sufficient for us to trust more & more if we only accept the grace which God offers.

      (Seldom do I find music for our worship which better expresses the spirit of the scriptures than we have today.  At communion today, we will sing, "Jesus, Savior, pilot me."  The images of the sea & the storm pour through that old hymn.  In the 2nd verse, we equate Jesus' ability to still the storms of our lives with the mother who calms her child's fears.  As you sing in a few minutes, rest in the arms of Jesus who can comfort you like a mother.)

      David in our first story & Jesus in the 2^nd offer us a gift which we're encouraged to take:  courage.  We're assured that God is with us & will give us all we need to respond to the storms in our lives. 

      We at Hope can become pretty discouraged at times, especially when we're struggling financially & seem to lack people to carry out the mission of our church.  Yesterday at the reception after Jackie Cockrell's funeral I was privileged to chat with the doctor who had cared for Jackie over the past 12 to 15 years.  She assured me that she never saw Jackie that Jackie didn't tell her about this community of Hope.  Dr. Anderson knew of our struggles but also the many ways we have grown as an intentional multicultural community.  Jackie's prayer for us was—& I contend still is—for us to exhibit the courage to move forward to reach out to others & to care for one another in Christ's love.  The doctor's words encouraged me & reminded me that we often get hung up thinking that the mission of Hope is all up to us, yet both these stories invite us to align our efforts to the hope which God can fulfill in us if we continue to live out of our trust in God.  Let us claim the promise from our psalm today, "Those who know your Name will put their trust in you, for you never forsake those who seek you, O Lord."  Amen.

Pentecost 2

The Reverend Martha Frances

Year B, Pentecost 2, Proper 6

14 June 2009 

Texts:  Mark 4: 26-34; I Samuel 15: 34-16: 13

Other readings:  Psalm 20; II Corinthians 5: 6-10 (11-13), 14-17 

      First I want to thank you all for welcoming me back from my holiday which was partly vacation & partly continuing education.  I'm only sorry to see that, in my absence, you let the temperature & the price of gasoline rise far too much!

      When I left here last month, we were in the season of Easter, & now we are in the season of Pentecost, the longest liturgical season which lasts from now until Christ the King Sunday which is around Thanksgiving, after which we begin a new church year with Advent once again.  This season is also called Common Time or Ordinary Time which is when we spend the majority of our lives, isn't it?  During the long hot days of summer & into the fall, the scriptures chosen for us to read & grapple with involve the teachings & daily activities of Jesus as he moved from place to place with his disciples. 

      Traditionally, the focus for this time of year has been in our own growth as disciples and the renewal of the Church.  Our Collect for the Day which we said together at the beginning of worship captures our theme well.  We ask God to keep God's household or family the Church growing in steadfast faith & love so that we may be bold in the proclamation of God's truth & compassionate as we minister with God's justice, all through God's grace, not by our own efforts or abilities. Our prayer acknowledges that God does the initiating, & we pattern our lives after God's will.

      All our scriptures today have to do with the ways in which God works in the world for renewal, & God's call us to participate in such a call.  Way back in the days of the Hebrew people, the prophet Samuel is grieving because Saul has turned out to be such a defective king of Israel, & even God regrets the choice of Saul.  However, God calls Samuel to action, gives him a job to do.  God takes the initiative to send Samuel to Bethlehem where God has already chosen the next king of Israel.  Samuel is frightened since he knows the anointing of a new king while Saul is still king amounts to treason, so God gives him a cover, so to speak.  Samuel is to make a sacrifice to God, a common part of a priest & prophet's life, & to invite Jesse & his sons to the sacrifice during which the new king will be anointed. 

      When Samuel goes about fulfilling God's instructions, he is surprised to find that those of Jesse's sons presumably most capable of kingship are not God's choice.  God has to remind Samuel that God's criteria for leadership are not the same as we would choose.  Much is made in the story about mortals' limited vision which only sees outward appearances while God looks upon the heart.  Samuel rejects Jesse's 7 sons & asks if there is another, & Jesse has clearly not considered his youngest, David, a likely candidate for leadership as he is still in the fields tending the sheep. 

      We, too, might be surprised that it is the youngest son whom Samuel anoints, yet our Hebrew scriptures are full of younger sons whom God chooses for special leadership roles, Isaac & Joseph among them.  In addition, David's first profession as shepherd foreshadows his role as King, since the image of the king as shepherd was common in Israel & throughout the ancient Near East.  Further, David's family tree includes women who were unlikely vessels of God's grace:  Ruth, the foreigner; Tamar, the Canaanite woman almost executed for adultery; & Rahab, another Canaanite woman known as a prostitute. 

      A friend with whom I went to church when Barbara Harris was elected bishop fumed about her shortcomings.  She hadn't gone to a proper seminary, she was divorced, she hadn't pastored a cardinal parish.  I wondered at the time whether he was truly more upset that she was female or that she was African-American.  She has recently retired as the much-beloved Suffragan Bishop of Massachusetts, & General Convention will soon celebrate her becoming bishop 20 years ago.  All of which puts me in mind of the verse from the Psalms that Jesus quoted about the stone that the builders rejected becoming the chief cornerstone.  In our communities where power is deeply entrenched, God's word to Samuel is applicable: God does not see as mortals see; mortals look on outward appearance but God looks on the heart. 

      When we turn to the Gospel of Mark, we find 2 short parables about seeds which are the only 2 Mark gives us to visualize the Kingdom or the Reign of God.  Both parables stress God's initiative in dealing with humans.  Someone scatters seed on the ground—we're not even told it must be an expert so perhaps even I could be the sower in this parable—for then the sower does not stand over the seed to encourage it to grow or even worse, dig it up to see how far along the process has come.  The rhythm of the parable even in English suggests the necessity of patience until the seeds germinate in God's time (notice the similar phrases in our offertory hymn today):  the sower would sleep & rise night & day; the earth produces of itself, first the stalk, then the head, then the full grain in the head.  All God's timing & maturing.  Then the sower can become the harvester. 

      The 2^nd parable today is very familiar to us, especially those of us old enough to have worn necklaces as youth with a small mustard seen encapsulated in a plastic bead.  God's reign starts out on earth (presumably just as Jesus was actually telling the parable) like a mustard seed, so small that it is almost invisible.  Mark is careful to preserve the meaning when he says that it grows up to become the greatest of all shrubs.  It still does not have the majesty of a cedar of Lebanon, but it has branches strong enough to house bird nests.  I've often wondered if this parable is true to life & was discussing it with our parish administrator Mary the other day.  She said she could certainly relate to this parable since their church has a community garden (not a bad idea, perhaps), & the mustard shrubs had to be taken out as they were overtaking the space for all the other vegetables in the garden.  Indeed, that small seed does produce prodigiously. 

      Can you just imagine Jesus telling this parable to a crowd of people who are discouraged at the seeming lack of progress or growth in their spiritual lives or faith community?  What a sign of encouragement that mustard seed could be to poor or marginalized people in the backwater area of an occupied country in the Middle East.  In fact, for those of us who can get wrapped up in outward signs of success, the mustard seed can certainly speak to us today.  After all, our country is in a recession, people are losing jobs, necessities are more expensive than ever, & life seems very difficult when a family member is ill or simply because the heat drains everyone of energy.  Furthermore, here at Hope, our church hasn't grown the way we had hoped it would, attendance is lower in the summer than usual, pledges are down & people are slow in paying them, & it's hard to encourage more people to make & keep commitments.  Aren't these the ways we judge success out in the world? 

      Jesus offers us the mustard seed.  Jesus tells us that the growth of God's reign is God's initiation & God's grace.  Our part is to do some sowing, some weeding, a lot of praying for the community & for those within it, & to align our will to God's in every way possible.  God gives the growth.  Yes, there are things we can do, & we should do.  Thank God for the work being done by parishioners on the gardens here at Hope as well as the remodeling recently done—the new kitchen & restrooms in the parish hall, new furniture in the offices, new computers for the day school.  As disciples, we are to participate in God's work in the world—growing in our own spiritual journey & sharing in the spiritual deepening in the community.  Critical & destructive conversation has the opposite effect of the sort of encouragement which Jesus' mustard seed parable gives us.  Imagine my surprise in returning from my time away to find that rumors have been flying that I am leaving!   I certainly hope that is not true; I don't believe our ministry together here at Hope has been done yet.  We all need each other, & Jesus reminds us in these parables that God's ways are not our ways, that our task is to continue to pray & give & grow as sowers & harvesters in God's field, leaving to God the growth of the mustard seed.  Please join & continue in the Hope-ful community in our journey of faith.

Easter VI

The Reverend Martha Frances

Year B, Easter VI

17 May 2009 

Texts:  Acts 10: 44-48 & John 15: 9-17

Other readings:  Psalm 98; I John 5; 1-6 
 

      What Jesus has to say to his disciples in today's gospel reading is part of what has been called his farewell discourse, his final instructions to his disciples before his almost certain death.  It follows last week's gospel reading in which he is the vine & we the branches.  He is stressing the necessity of staying connected to the source of love & empowerment which is God & establishing the chain of love & obedience in which he is connected with God & his disciples must stay connected to him. 

      Although I believe reading & studying faithful translations of scripture is essential, sometimes modern paraphrases help us glean meaning we would otherwise miss.  Eugene Peterson's The Message puts this passage this way:

      "I've loved you the way my Father has loved me.  Make yourselves at home in my love.  If you keep my commands, you'll remain intimately at home in my love.  That's what I've done—kept my Father's commands & made myself at home in his love.

      "I've told you these things for a purpose: that my joy might be your joy, & your joy wholly mature.  This is my command: Love one another the way I loved you.  This is the very best way to love.  Put your life on the line for your friends.  You are my friends when you do the things I command you.  I'm no longer calling you servants because servants don't understand what their master is thinking & planning.  No, I've named you friends because I've let you in on everything I've heard from the Father.

      "You didn't choose me, remember; I chose you, & put you in the world to bear fruit, fruit that won't spoil.  As fruit bearers, whatever you ask the Father in relation to me, he gives you.

      "But remember the root command: Love one another."

      What Jesus had to say to his disciples before his death applies equally to us as his present-day disciples as we mature day by day.  Jesus tells us he models the love that God showed him & we need to stay just as connected to Jesus as Jesus does to God.  I love the way Peterson translates "abide," a word we talked about last week.  Jesus invites us to make ourselves at home in his love.  There's an intimacy & comfort in making ourselves at home; we're no longer just visitors; we belong at home.  How do we do that?  We fulfill God's commands.  Love is an action verb; we show love not just by putting on a uniform & acting out a part but by the way in which we live our lives, even when we're "at home."

      I'll tell you that, in order to be open to being at home in Jesus' love, I need regular intentional contact with Jesus, both in public community worship & also in daily prayer, meditation, & Bible reading.  When I'm filled up with Jesus' body & blood of the Eucharist & the awarenesses I receive in the scripture & prayer & journaling I make it a habit to include at the beginning of my day, I'm much more able to feel & then pass on God's love. 

      As I was thinking of resting in God's love, I was reminded of Dame Julian of Norwich whose feast day we celebrated on the 8^th of May.  At 30 years old, she had been gravely ill when, on the 7^th day, all pain left her & she had 15 visions of Jesus' Passion which gave her great peace & joy.  In her Revelations of Divine Love, written as meditations on those visions, she explains, "From that time I desired oftentimes to learn what was our Lord's meaning," & she received the answer through the Holy Spirit: " 'Wouldst thou learn the Lord's meaning in this thing?  Learn it well.  Love was his meaning.  Who showed it thee?  Love.  What showed he thee?  Love.  Wherefore showed it he?  For Love.  Hold thee therein & thou shalt learn & know more in the same.'  Thus it was I learned that Love was our Lord's meaning," Julian said. 

      Now we might think Julian was repetitious in her insistence that we look to love as Jesus' central message for us.  However, our gospel reading today becomes the scriptural precedence Julian had for her focus on love. Jesus' emphasis is upon the interweaving of love between the Father & Son, the model for Jesus' love for humankind & our model for caring for each other. 

      Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could say that Jesus' 1^st followers were such extraordinary lovers that the early churches ran smoothly & such has been the case even unto this day?  Where did Christians go so wrong that we now have such a variety of expressions of Christianity in different denominations & even within denominations so that we have incredibly acrimonious infighting as some anticipate at the upcoming Episcopal General Convention to be held in Anaheim next month?  What has happened that so many Christians, much less everyone else, argue endlessly about the proper relationship between Church & State as well as who belongs in the church community & who must remain out?

      A closer look at the reading from Acts today may enlighten us historically.  You may remember that Peter is a pretty conservative disciple who at first believes that only Jews are eligible to receive the Holy Spirit & become Christian, but then that same Holy Spirit gives him a vision in a dream of many animals which aren't considered kosher & invites him to kill & eat.  Peter is horrified when the Spirit tells him, "What God has made clean, you must not call profane."  However, immediately, he is called to visit Cornelius, a centurion in the Roman army, a Gentile.  As Peter teaches Cornelius & his family the basics of the Christian faith, the Holy Spirit descends upon them & empowers them to praise God, even speaking in tongues.  Peter has learned from his vision & decides to baptize those who have received the Holy Spirit in the name of Jesus Christ.  Then he remains to further enlighten them on the Christian life.

      We'll leave for another day the hullabaloo that Peter's rash action stirs up in the larger Christian community, but looking back on this event from many centuries later, we can hardly know how earth-shaking it was to the early Jewish Christians who considered themselves a sect of Judaism to contemplate non-Jews receiving the gifts of the Holy Spirit & becoming part of the "in group."  Over & over again, we see the struggle of the "in groups" to be willing to be inclusive of those previously considered unworthy for whatever reason.

      The undercurrents of Luke's story—as well as his detail elsewhere—tell us that change & further inclusion were not any easier for the early disciples than worshipping in an integrated community has been at many places in our current generation. 

Fortunately, the earliest communities chose to be inclusive & outreaching rather than exclusionist though not without serious opposition repeated throughout history even until now.  Love was the criterion then as it is now, & God's loving us through the self-giving love of Jesus is the model of how we are to love one another.  At last night's concert of Duke Ellington music, one of the songs was "God is a 3-letter word for love, & love is a 4-letter word for God."  What a meaningful coupling for us to remember!

      A wonderful part of today's gospel is Jesus' insistence that a fruit of the love he encourages us to share with others is joy:  "my joy may be in you, & that your joy may be complete" or, as Peterson says it, "mature."  As we mature in the faith, we are better able to have joy in those wonderful experiences others in the community have rather than the envy & jealousy which may bubble up within someone less mature.  Once again, mature love for others often shows itself in deep contentment at another's blessings & gifts of ministry. 

      Further, the growth of the early Church depended upon winning disciples who were willing to put their love to action even when that might mean persecution or at least relocation to avoid persecution.  Increasing the numbers of members wasn't the objective; sharing the news of God's love through Jesus Christ was.  Our growth as a Christian community is essential, not primarily because more active members will increase our stability & spread the work load but mostly because we exist to share the Good News with all we encounter, & growing in discipleship should call others to deepen in faith with us.  How can we at Hope so grow in our own faith & love that others are drawn to share it with us?

      The last part of the gospel passage reminds us that God is the first actor & we are invited to respond.  Jesus assures us that he chooses us as disciples just as he chose his first apostles.  Why?  He says we are to go & bear fruit, fruit that will last, & that God will provide what we need for our love to bear good fruit.  Earlier, Jesus has used the metaphor of the vine (himself) & the branches (us), both dependent upon God the vine grower.  Our love must have arms & legs & wings, for true love is acted out in our lives.  We can only keep what we are willing to give away—the love which bears fruit.  When we are obedient to Christ in our concrete expression of love, Jesus tells us the result is joy—his as well as our own.  We at Hope are well named for opening ourselves to & pursuing how the perfect love which Jesus calls us to is to be manifest among ourselves but also beyond these walls to a world in much need of Christ's love.  How do we accomplish such love?  Jesus says God will give us whatever we ask in Christ's name.  God doesn't call the equipped; God equips those who are called.  How does God call Hope Episcopal to love one another today?

Easter V

By The Rev. Martha Frances

Year B, Easter V

10 May 2009 

Text:  John 15: 1-8

Other Readings:  Acts 8: 26-40; Ps. 22: 24-30; I John 4: 7-21 

      For the past 2½ years, I've become acquainted with a new kind of gardening for me:  growing things in the ground.  Most of my adult life, I've lived in apartments where I had no responsibility for nor interest in making anything grow that didn't grow in a pot which I could just throw out if it began to turn brown & gnarly.  Only since I bought my house have I developed interest in keeping the lawn green & adding flower beds with color.  I have a gardener who does the actual work, mind you, but when the calla lilies we had grown from bulbs around my trees began blooming last week, I was thrilled.  And vines & branches make much more sense to me now that I'm watching how trailers are covering the brown spots in the lawn.  Jesus' metaphor now makes much more sense to me.

      However, for the followers of Jesus who were fishermen & shepherds, farmers & wine-makers, this final "I am" saying in John's gospel was already familiar.  Regardless, one does not need gardening skills to understand at a deep level the points Jesus makes in these last two "I am" sayings. 

      Jesus says, "I am the true vine, & my Father is the vinegrower." Later, he says, "I am the vine; you are the branches." These two metaphors are not placed in the same paragraph by accident.  First, Jesus identifies himself in relation to God & then to his disciples. Jesus did not exist in isolation & neither do we.  Jesus is the true vine, but his authenticity, his being "true," is because of his connection with the vinegrower.  Jesus' very being is possible because he has been planted & is tended by God whom he calls Father.  Jesus doesn't exist in isolation or just for himself.  Jesus the vine is the root & the foundation for the branches, his community.  Jesus gives life & connectedness to his disciples because they share the same life which originates in the vinegrower, God.  In fact, it is impossible to determine where the vine ends & the branches begin.  All are entangled in each other & interrelated, mutually dependent upon each other.  And all are dependent upon God the vinegrower.

      Pretty simple metaphor, isn't it?  Not hard for even us city folk to comprehend.  But we might say, "So what?  What a nice image.  But what does that mean in my daily life?"  Let's look at this business of bearing fruit or being pruned.  We're told that God removes the branches that don't bear fruit.  Even the branches that bear fruit have to be pruned to make them more productive.  Begins to sound painful & personal, doesn't it? 

      For years back when we lived in a condominium, our neighbor Jeannie took personal responsibility for the roses & other plants growing in the common areas.  She spent many hours out there watering & fertilizing & pruning those roses.  At pruning time, it pained me to see her cut the rose bushes back almost to the ground.  How could those little stumps ever bear fruit again?  Sure enough, usually near Easter time each spring, the shoots would sprout up, buds would appear, & we would walk out one morning to the wonder of a garden full of blossoming roses. 

      Then Jeannie moved away, & the professional gardeners who were contracted now cared for the roses in a haphazard fashion.  Never were they pruned back like Jeannie had previously cut them.  The paltry number of blossoms that finally bloomed could never equal those Jeannie had given her loving but seemingly severe care.  Finally, I have come to appreciate the importance of pruning.

      When Jesus speaks both of removing fruitless branches & of pruning fruitful ones, Jesus is speaking of his own disciples.  Jesus says the whole point of being disciples is to bear fruit.  Notice, all the disciples are part of the vine; all are invited to participate in preparing for the reign of God, not just certain leaders.  All are expected to bear fruit. 

      What, then, is this fruit we are all expected to bear?  In John's gospel, fruit-bearing begins with God loving the world so much God sent the Son so that all might believe.  Those who don't show love in the Christian community won't be able to survive within that community.  They'll actually separate themselves, most likely.  

      All of us require some pruning to show the kind of love Jesus models for us.  The word for pruning is often translated cleansing.  We all need some pruning or cleansing in order to show forth the love Jesus gives us.  We need cleansing to stay in relationship with Jesus & ultimately with God. 

      Pruning is usually painful.  Few of us like to change, to give up old habits that keep us from fully accepting the love of God & hold us back from passing that love on to others.  Pruning takes various forms for us all, but here at Hope, it sometimes means reexamining assumptions we've made about doing church the way we've always done it.  In fact, in order for our church to grow & to deepen, we must be open to new ways of thinking & behaving.  In so doing, we might encounter the vinegrower in a new way.  What pruning does God the vinegrower need to do in your life in order that you might bear much fruit? In the life of Hope Episcopal Church?  I invite you to pray this next week that God will show us what stands between us & our full ability to be fruitful.   

      In our first reading today from Acts, Luke describes an apostle discipling the Ethiopian eunuch.  Philip doesn't just happen to meet this Ethiopian eunuch because he is wandering down a wilderness road.  No, an angel directs Philip to the place he will encounter the eunuch.  God initiates their meeting.  Philip has just completed a successful evangelistic crusade in Samaria, preaching the good news of Jesus & healing many people who respond with great joy.  So it's curious that the angel rushes him away to a lonely road to nowhere & to one foreigner, & on top of that, a eunuch. 

      You see, eunuchs aren't even allowed entry into the Jewish temple, yet he has been to Jerusalem to worship.  He is at least a God-fearer, certainly an earnest inquirer, now searching the scriptures as he returns to Ethiopia in his chariot.  He's a high court official, treasurer for the Candace, which is a title like Pharoah, so he can afford a chariot & doesn't have to walk on his pilgrimage.  Philip must be bold to even approach such a bigwig. 

      The eunuch is reading aloud, as most people did in those days, so Philip asks if he understands what he is reading.  The eunuch is probably pretty relieved to see a Jew to ask about the Jewish scriptures, so he invites Philip to enlighten him.  Early Christians believed Jesus was the fulfillment of the Hebrew longing for a messiah, so naturally, Philip's good news is that Jesus has fulfilled Isaiah's prophecy as God's humble servant bearing the consequences of others' sins.  Philip illustrates our 3rd baptismal promise:  "Will you proclaim by word & example the Good News of God in Christ?"  We all respond, "I will, with God's help."  Surely God's Spirit was with Philip as he explained scripture to the eunuch.  If we're doing what God calls us to do, God truly abides with us. 

      Philip tell the eunuch the story of salvation & before long, the eunuch spots some water in this arid land & asks to be baptized.  What an affirmation to Philip that he is fulfilling Jesus' great commission to go to the ends of the earth, proclaim the good news, & baptize all people! Then Philip disappears immediately after the baptism, continuing to preach the good news all the way back to Caesarea. 

      In this story Luke emphasizes how Jesus' Gospel breaks down geographic as well as ethnic barriers in the early Christian community.  During Easter season, we remember Jesus' encounter with the disciples on the Emmaus road.  Perhaps the eunuch also tells the good news to others as he returns to the Candace's service in what is now the Sudan. 

      I haven't seen many chariots coming down 43^rd Street lately—some art cars, but not chariots—but each of us has ample opportunity to reach out to our neighbors, not only in word & speech, as John says, but in truth & action in our daily lives. The way you live your life every day speaks volumes.  Turning away from an angry person rather than reacting with bitter words is an incredibly difficult thing to do, but you're not alone, are you?  Even bowing to say grace when you eat out is a true witness to the priorities in your life as is tipping the waitstaff a healthy sum since they make little else.

      There was a bumper sticker a few years ago which I loved.  It said, "Practice random acts of kindness."  St. Francis told us to preach the Gospel wherever we went, & when necessary, use words. I'd like to challenge you today to watch this next week for opportunities to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ by your actions, whether or not the other person knows you are a Christian. Whether or not the other person is even aware of your action.  What difference might your acting like a disciple make in your own life this week?  What difference might it make in your neighbor's?

      We need the experience of regular worship, study, & fellowship in order to be emboldened to share our lives as Christians.  May we uphold each other in prayer as we build community together.

      Near the end of today's Gospel passage, Jesus tells us if we abide in Jesus & Jesus abides in us, then our prayers will accord with God's will & be answered.  This & similar passages have led some Christians to visualize God as the great Santa Claus who providing them with whatever their little hearts desire.  However, there's a very important "if" in the sentence.  "IF you abide in me," Jesus says, "and my words abide in you," THEN we can ask whatever we wish & that will be done.  "Abide" is a fascinating word.  It really means that we live in God's presence, we make our home with God so completely that whatever we ask will be God's will.  We don't just drop in for a visit when it's convenient.  We're invited in to come in the kitchen & help with the dishes.

      Finally, we're told God is glorified by our asking for whatever allows us to bear much fruit; God is glorified by our desire to dwell with God & within the Christian community.  We will bear fruit as we worship & study God's word & fellowship & play & strengthen our discipleship with other Christians.  In so doing, we can make more of an impact on the larger neighborhood.

      We Americans have felt great pride in individualism & accomplishing a lot on our own, but remember that no one can tell where the vine ends & the branches begin.  Jesus' metaphor is radically egalitarian, non-hierarchical.  We are called together to take his body & blood & then go forth, strengthened by his own gift of life, to bear fruit.  Life in community isn't always easy, & we must be accountable to each other.  But we must learn to live together & be pruned together in order to share the Gospel message with others.

Easter IV

The Reverend Martha Frances

Year B, Easter IV

3 May 2009 

Texts:  Psalm 23; John 10: 11-18

Other reading: Acts 4: 5-12; 1 John 3: 16-24 

      Someone famous once said, "These are the times that try men's souls," & certainly in these days, men's & women's souls or at least nerves are stretched to what seems like the limit.  The economic outlook in our nation & indeed in the world is pretty bleak, & those of us who live on a fixed income or who are depending upon investments for our future are pretty nervous right now.  To add insult to injury, we hear of guys like Stan____ and Barney Madoff who are making off with other people's money unabashedly.  More folks are losing jobs weekly, & finding a new one requires time & perhaps more luck than skill.  Our own & our family's health may be a bit fragile—certainly mine has been this spring.  Then, the swine flu arrives, & no one seems to know how serious a danger it is.  Life feels heavy & serious to many people at this time in our lives, doesn't it?

      As often happens, our lectionary texts seem to be chosen especially for such times as this.  For a few moments, breathe deeply and allow this most familiar of all psalms to nourish you:

(Reread the psalm).

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not be in want.

He makes me lie down in green pastures and leads me beside still waters.

He revives my soul and guides me along right pathways for his Name's sake.

Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil;

For you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

You spread a table before me in the presence of those who trouble me;

You have anointed my head with oil, and my cup is running over.

Surely your goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,

And I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

      What an assurance!  What a radical statement of faith about God & God's care for each person as we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, if not our own, then that of friends, families, & co-workers.  Just this last week, we have observed anniversaries of the Branch Davidian fiasco in the Waco area, the bombing in Oklahoma City, & the Columbine High School shootings.  Security we had taken for granted was pretty shattered even before 9/11.

      As these events & situations have made the news this week, my mind has returned to today's psalm & to Jesus' declaration, "I am the Good Shepherd."  In fact, the image of the Good Shepherd has come alive once again, the Good Shepherd whom the sheep trusted & followed because he knew them each by name. 

      Although we may not all know each other's names here at Hope, the Good Shepherd knows us each by name, & we all wear the name "Christian" today. David probably authored this psalm long before he was king, when he was a Palestinian shepherd boy keeping watch over his sheep.  Long before Jesus told us he was the Good Shepherd, royalty through the ancient Near East used that title to designate how rulers should care for their people.

      Thus, when Jesus told his followers he was the Good Shepherd, they knew what kind of leader he was to be.  He didn't say he was LIKE the Good Shepherd, but he WAS the Good Shepherd.  Which one?  And this is what Jesus added which wasn't part of the Hebrew scriptures' description of the Good Shepherd.  Jesus is the one who lays down his life for the sheep.  Who are we?  And WHOSE are we?

      First, we shall not be in want.  Some of us are more affluent than others, & I even though we're all worth less than several months ago, we're better off materially than my parishioners were at Lord of the Streets, but down there I heard time & again an attitude of gratitude for God's daily provisions, often through the ministry of the folks at LOTS.  My parishioners there taught ME a lot about trusting God for the basics of my life, & most of the time, what we middle-classed folks find lacking are our wants, & not our needs. 

      Psalm 23 begins in peace & tranquility, & only when the psalmist mentions right pathways are we reminded that we must trust God to keep us on the right path as there are many dangerous ones out there, aren't there?  In our world, we are bombarded by cunning advertisements beckoning us to seek fulfillment with material possessions & measures of success very different from Jesus' values.  Our challenge is to keep listening for the Shepherd's voice & to respond to the nudge of the Shepherd's crook lest we wander off into briars & brambles which look suspiciously like the good ole American dream.  You know what your briars & brambles of temptation look like, so I'll leave the details to your imagination.

      In the psalm, we move quickly to the ultimate test of trust, don't we, & are reminded of our own personal valleys of the shadow of death.  Because I had been both widowed & divorced back in my 20s, when my husband Bill became very ill several years ago, I thought I could handle his worsening health & then his death without too much trouble.  In fact, I continued with my work pretty much as I had before.  I was certainly in a lot of denial as to the level of exhaustion & grief I was experiencing until about 9 months after Bill's death.  Then, as what was wrong began to dawn on me, I was overly-critical of myself because I felt I should be able to manage better—after all, I'm the priest, I've been a chaplain, I've studied the grief cycle.  But those of you who have experienced similar struggles with sudden death or long-term illnesses can relate to what's taken out of you.  I can encourage you to be gentle with yourselves as I now try to be.

I can encourage you to grab on with all your hearts to the promise of abundance the psalmist offers:  "for you are with me; your rod & staff comfort me."  Perhaps you are in a good place in your life right now, & your cup is running over, but we can all remind each other to allow the Good Shepherd to care for us.

      Twice in today's gospel reading, Jesus tells us he is the Good Shepherd.  He says he knows his own sheep & they—or we—also know him.  In fact, he speaks about these sheep—the early Church—as a community who are all cared for by the Good Shepherd.  Sheep don't do well when we're alone, do we?  Remember Jesus' parable about the lost sheep?  He left the 99 to go after even one.  Jesus desires us to be part of a sheepfold, the community of believers.

      Here at Hope, we have had varying success in growing & deepening our community of faith. Jesus calls us to cross over boundaries, recognize someone else's reality, & hear other people's stories just as many of us did in our Lenten study groups, aware that we may be changed by the experience.   

      After all, Jesus says in the Gospel for today that others are not of this fold.  Even scholars are not sure to whom he was referring in this passage, but it's clear Jesus is asking us to stretch our level of acceptance to include people vastly different from us, helping them become part of our community.  We have certainly begun that process in the past 4 years, but we continue to be challenged not just to accept others but to reach out actively to bring others into our midst.  Jesus offers radical hospitality to a wide variety of people, some of them clearly those who challenge our idea of community, welcoming others as sisters & brothers.

      We who are called to lead congregations are often called "pastors," another word for "shepherd," & you at Hope are the flock whom I'm called to shepherd.  When Bishops High visits here in December, he will carry a large staff or crozier, a shepherd's crook,  for our bishops are our chief shepherds & we their sheep in congregations throughout our diocese.  Ultimately, however, all of us must turn to Jesus as the true Good Shepherd, trusting Christ to lead us where we must go with those with whom we're called to travel.  Let us continue to journey together.  Surely Christ's goodness & mercy will follow us all the days of our lives.