Reformation Rap

This one goes out to JerusalemAnglican. Happy Reformation Day!



Thanks to Stand Firm

For the G-Man

Invisible Servants

A few weeks late, but this is the sermon I preached on my final Sunday at my home parish. I am now off for a (school)year's internship.

I wanted to call this "What use are deacons, anyway?", but the Rector thought that was a bit unfriendly for the notice board.


Jeremiah 1:4-9
Psalm 84
Acts 6:2-7
Luke 22:24-27

Now the Word of the Lord came to me, saying, "Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you, and before you were born, I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations"

Then I said, "Ah, LORD God! Behold, I do not know how to speak, for I am only a youth."

But the LORD said to me, "Do not say, 'I am only a youth; for to all to whom I send you you shall go, and whatever I command you you shall speak. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you, says the LORD."

Then the LORD put forth his hand and touched my mouth; and the LORD said to me, "Behold, I have put my words in your mouth." (Jeremiah 1:4-9)

This morning's readings are taken from the Ordination Rite for deacons. As most of you know, I am beginning my 3rd year of preparation for the diaconate. This is my last Sunday with you for the next nine months. The Diocese requires that all those in the ordination process serve an internship in a parish other than their home parish. During this time I will be given some hands on training to be a deacon. What exactly is a deacon, though?

The ministry of deacons is one that can be hard to explain. Deacons are often described by what they CAN"T do. Deacons can't do the "ABC's" - absolve, bless, consecrate. Deacons can not pronounce absolution of sins in the name of the Church. Deacons can not bless a marriage in the name of the Church. Deacons can not consecrate the Holy Eucharist.

Deacons can read the Gospel. Deacons can set the Altar Table. But can't a priest do that? Well, yes. Deacons can administer the Chalice. Deacons can take Communion to the sick & house-bound. But can't Lay Eucharistic Ministers do that? Well, yes.

What does a deacon do that either the priest or laity can't do? Just what use are deacons, anyway? In my journey through the ordination process, I have struggled with this question.

In the Old Testament lesson appointed for the Ordination of Deacons, we get a glimpse of just what deacons are good for. In the calling Jeremiah, God tells Jeremiah that he is called to be a prophet to the nations. God promises to put His words in Jeremiah's mouth. That is part of the calling of all deacons, to speak the Word of God to the nations. Who are the "nations"? The nations are those who are outside the Household of God. Deacons are to be evangelists, proclaiming the salvation of God to all people, especially "the poor, the weak, the sick and the lonely". Deacons are to live in the nations, work in the nations & carry the needs of the nations back to the church. Most deacons don't have church jobs; they work in colleges, schools, businesses, just like you.

Deacons are to be students of Scripture. In this diocese, the clergy and all those in the ordination process follow the ancient custom of praying the Daily Offices of Morning and Evening Prayer every single day. Prayers and Scripture shape and form the day. Scripture becomes part of you when you immerse yourself this way. You begin to find that God has put His words into your mouth and heart and mind.

Deacons are to be servants, doing what they are commanded to do by God. Jeremiah protests that he is only a "youth" - inexperienced; how can he be a prophet? He hasn't gone to the prophet seminary! But God tells him, "Do not say, 'I am only a youth', for to all whom I send you, you shall go, and whatever I command you, you shall speak." Deacons don't need to be experts; they need to be willing to follow the call of God.

But wait a minute, aren't all Christians called to spread the Good News of Christ, to pray & study the Scriptures and to serve God? Yes! Now we get to what a deacon is for. A deacon is a living reminder, an icon, of the servant ministry of Christ that all Christians are called to participate in. When you see a deacon, you are supposed to remember your calling, your gifts and your ministry to the world. Deacons serve by empowering you to find your ministry, to answer the call of God on your life. They do this in as many ways as there are deacons. Some preach & teach, opening up the Word of God to your life, some work in soup kitchens, visit prisons, work with addicts. All seek to draw in other Christians to serve with them. Deacons start new ministries and give them away to others; deacons assist already established ministries, serving in whatever way they can.

I said that deacons are an icon of Christ's servant ministry. What is an icon? In this parish, we are blessed with many holy icons, but when most people hear that word, they think of those little pictures on their computer. You know, click on the tiny house and you go right to Google's homepage. That's what an icon does - it takes you through the image to the real thing. The icon disappears and the reality appears. When you look at a religious icon, you aren't supposed to see just the pictures, but to look through it to the reality it represents. The painting of Jesus is more than a two-dimensional image in paint; it's a device that can take the faithful into the presence of the Lord himself.

The calling of a deacon is to fade into the background, to be invisible, to be among you as one who serves. When you see the deacon on Sunday morning setting the altar table, look through him & see Christ preparing to feed you with His Body & Blood. When you hear a deacon read the Gospel, don't stop at hearing her voice, but listen for the voice of Christ, speaking to your heart.

God willing, and you the people of God consenting, when I stand before the Bishop to be ordained, in a very real way I will disappear. My calling is to show forth Christ and to assist you in your ministries. The passion God has placed on my heart is to serve at His altar and to teach the Scriptures. Through the Scriptures we come to know God and grow closer to Him. At His altar we are fed.

When you see me clothed as a deacon, my prayer is that you will look through me & find a passion in your soul for the Word and Sacraments. That with the Psalmist, you will say: "How dear to me is our dwelling, O LORD of hosts! My soul has a desire and longing for the courts of the LORD, my heart and my flesh rejoice in the living God." (Psalm 84:1)

AMEN

Close your eyes

Al Galladoro passed away this last Saturday. Our town will miss him. He was not only a brilliant musician, but a delightfully funny man. Close your eyes in peace, Al.

I'll start my own club & you can't join!

This is hysterical.

Someone styling himself "President of the Standing Committee of the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh":

On Wednesday afternoon, I received a phone call from David Wilson, President of the Standing Committee, informing me that in 15 minutes there would be a conference call with the other seven members and that they intended to remove me from the Standing Committee. Two reasons were given. First, I had not accepted my letter of transfer to the Southern Cone. Actually, I had missed the announcement at convention and the letter was never offered to me. When I returned home that evening I found it in the mail having been sent the previous day. The second reason given was that my parish, St. Michael’s, appeared on this web site as having decided to stay in the Episcopal Church. I was not asked to join the conference call and was offered no due process. I do not recognize the authority that purported to take these actions. Providentially at that moment, I was meeting with key leaders of the Diocese of Pittsburgh of the Episcopal Church. After I reported the phone call to those assembled, and with the advice of the Diocesan Chancellor, I immediately appointed two new members to the Standing Committee, which the canons give me the authority to do. This was done at 2:44 P.M. I am pleased to announce that Ms. Mary Roehrich and The Rev. Jeff Murph, who were in attendance at the meeting, immediately accepted those appointments.

So let me get this straight. The Rev.Dr. James B. Simons is kicked off the Standing Committee and he decides that he and he alone is the one true, real, legitimate and only member of the Standing Committee, so he appoints himself president and appoints new members to his "Committee". The two members just happened to be "in attendance" at his clubhouse meeting. I wonder if they met in a treehouse and had a special handshake? This is just beyond satire.

Pittsburgh joins the Southern Cone

Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh Changes Constitution, Joins Anglican Province
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Deputies to the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh’s 143rd Annual diocesan convention voted by strong margins on October 4 to join the Anglican Province of the Southern Cone.

Vote totals on the key constitutional provision that opened the way for the change were as follows. A total of 191 laity voted. 119 voted in favor. 69 voted against, 3 abstained. A total of 160 clergy voted. 121 voted in favor. 33 voted no. 3 abstained. 2 invalid ballots were cast.

“We deeply value our shared heritage and years of friendship with those still within that denomination, but this diocese could not in good conscience continue down the road away from mainstream Christianity that the leadership of The Episcopal Church is so determined to follow,” said the Rev. Peter Frank, director of communications for the diocese.

The rest here....

From this morning's readings

Collect of the Day: Proper 21

O God, you declare your almighty power chiefly in showing mercy and pity: Grant us the fullness of your grace, that we, running to obtain your promises, may become partakers of your heavenly treasure; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Psalm 102:13-14

You will arise and have compassion on Zion,
for it is time to have mercy upon her;
indeed, the appointed time has come.

For your servants love her very rubble,
and are moved to pity even for her dust.

Heavenly Father, we stand amidst the dust and rubble of the Episcopal Church. Arise and have compassion on your people. Declare your mighty power and have mercy upon us.

Hosea 10:4

They utter mere words; with empty oaths they make covenants; so litigation springs up like poisonous weeds in the furrows of the field.

Holy Spirit, you are the Spirit of Truth. Protect us from those who utter empty oaths and covenants. Uproot the poisonous weeds of litigation from the field of your Church.

Luke 6:20-26

20 Then he looked up at his disciples and said: 'Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.
21 Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you will be filled. Blesses are you who weep now, for you will laugh.
22 Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of the Son of Man.
23 Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, for surely your reward is great in heaven; for that is what their ancestors did to the prophets.
24 But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation.
25 Woe to you who are full now, for you will be hungry. Woe to you who are laughing now, for you will mourn and weep.
26 Woe to you when all speak well of you, for that is what their ancestors did to the false prophets.

Jesus, Keep our hearts focused on you. Help us to hunger and weep for the Kingdom of God. When we are excluded and defamed for your sake, let us rejoice that we are suffering for your sake. Save us, Lord, from the danger of seeking approval from the world. Amen

Diocese of Quincy Standing Committee votes to re-align

From The Living Church:

Quincy Standing Committee Opts for Realignment
Posted on: September 30, 2008
The standing committee of the Diocese of Quincy has recommended that the diocese seek realignment with the Anglican Church of the Southern Cone based in Argentina, while continuing as a member of the Common Cause Partnership, according to Fr. James Marshall, president of the standing committee.

Bishop Keith Ackerman of Quincy is on sabbatical through the end of October. In the absence of the bishop, the standing committee is in charge of non-sacramental ecclesiastical duties. Bishop Ackerman will be back in time to preside at convention, which is scheduled to meet Nov. 7-8 at St. John’s Church, Quincy.

The standing committee decision following a Sept. 25 meeting at Grace Church, Galesburg, is similar to recommendations made by the standing committees in Pittsburgh and Fort Worth. Both of those dioceses have also scheduled votes similar to the one in Quincy.

Last year delegates to the annual synod in Quincy approved a number of canonical changes in preparation for this year’s decisive vote on whether to remain in union with the General Convention of The Episcopal Church.

And so it goes. Any thoughts on who will be next?

How many Episcopalians does it take to change a light bulb?

Chris Johnson at Midwest Conservative Journal has posted the PB's Hobart Lecture. So, to honor this faithful shepherd, Schori tells us to change our light bulbs.

So what does a reflection on tending the pasture say to us pastors and shepherds? We could be quite literal at first and ponder how much effort we’re putting into our role as gardeners. If we don’t steward this planetary pasture more wisely, our role as pastors will soon be vastly more difficult and, before much longer, moot. What is your congregation doing in the green department?

Most of us begin with the relatively easy, local initiatives like changing the light bulbs to compact fluorescents, or examining our use of disposable items, and then move on to upgrading building insulation and heating and cooling systems.

Sigh.