Sermon St. Mary Nanoose Bay September 23, 2018 Mark 9:30-37

Transcription

1 Sermon St. Mary Nanoose Bay September 23, 2018 Mark 9:30-37 Whoever wants to be first, must be last of all and servant of all, we hear Jesus say this in the gospel reading this morning. In our world, servant is not a word we want to associate ourselves with. Because a servant is someone who is subservient, someone who is under the control of another, at the bidding of another. Someone who is not free to follow their own will. Hmmm, does that description of being a servant sound attractive to you? We all like to do what we want to do. What serves us and makes us feel good. We like to serve our own personal destiny. We like to be recognized for our successes as if they are our own. We are a culture based on competition. On winners and losers. On looking good. And on being seen. But this is not the life Jesus is calling us into. He turns the world upside down and challenges us. Can we see and hear what he is saying to us in today s reading? Our work is to love. Not to win. Our work is to welcome. Not to hoard and defend. The invitation is not to be first or best, the invitation is a welcome into life with others. The invitation is to be part of a whole. Our call comes from One who welcomes and is generous. And created in God s image, we are invited to be the same - to be extravagant with our time, love, energy and resources. 1

2 When we engage in this way of living; being extravagant with what we have and who we are, we discover a reality that is radically different from our carefully measured and competitive one. We are invited into a relationship of abundance. A passage from the gospel of Matthew describes it well: For to those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away (Matt 13:12). We are called to the kind of work that defies the systems of this world. People aren t rewarded by recognition and accolade, they find their reward in the relationships they engage more and more deeply in; with God and with neighbour. Their work is their relationships. Their lives express the love they experience. They engage in what brings and serves life. They see and understand that we are all part of one body; the body of Christ. So when we serve others, we are actually serving ourselves and God. We are living the Trinity. We are living holy relationship. When I came to St. Mary s 2.5 years ago, I came with the question: How do we, as a community, live into this body of Christ? This body which is who we are, and who we are called to be? I m still wrestling with this question. But these days I am keeping my eyes and ears open to see how it is already happening, rather than trying to make anything happen. And I see that we are already engaged in this serving and welcoming life probably more than we know. I think 2

3 maybe that if we can see, feel and hear how we are living the life we are called to more clearly, we ll be able to more fully trust the Spirit that is at work in and amongst us. Someone came to me several weeks ago to remark how vibrant and active our parish community is. Our calendar is full, there s lots of activity, and our numbers are increasing. You re lucky, she said, you have some really good volunteers. At face value, her statement seemed sound. Yet, it didn t feel right. And while I appreciate what she was saying, I think our gospel reading today speaks to another way of viewing what is happening here at St. Mary s. If we are one body in Christ; if we are a family; if we are a parish community, then how can we have volunteers? Family members don t volunteer, they do what needs to be done to make the family a place where everyone can thrive.. So if we are family; if we are the body of Christ, then we simply do what is necessary to maintain the health of our family. We pitch in because as this body, this family, our health depends on the care and attention of each one of us. We each contribute to our own well being to the best of our ability. And our abilities change over time. And where we serve this body may change, location- wise. But as the body of Christ, we respond with the gifts and attention and care that we have been given, wherever we are. 3

4 One of the sisters of St. John the Divine who has been here on the west coast for several years now, has been called back to the Mother House in Toronto at the end of this year. I saw her last week and expressed my sadness at her leaving. I teased, Will I be invited to your goodbye party? She gave me a hug and said something like, No party. We live and think as a community. I m not leaving the community. There s just a change within. Wow! That s a hard one to wrap my head around. Yet, I see that kind of thinking and acting all the time around here. I ve been here long enough to see people come and go. Different people respond to the needs of this community. Different individuals do so much to insure the health and well being of this community. And most of us have no idea how much they contribute. I m the fortunate one who is around to see what kind of servants we have in this community! We take care of ourselves and each other so that we can be a welcoming community. We need to be healthy. We need a comfortable home to welcome people into. We need good food to offer. We need to be rested and healthy and grounded. Because we are called to holy work. We are to offer others what we ourselves receive. Teresa of Avila speaks to this kind of work when she wrote these words 500 years ago: 4

5 Christ has no body now on earth but yours, no hands but yours, no feet but yours, Yours are the eyes through which to look out Christ's compassion to the world Yours are the feet with which he is to go about doing good; Yours are the hands with which he blesses all the world. In a little while, you are going to be asked to consider the kinds of service that are required to create and sustain this little community; this expression of Christ s service and welcome in Nanoose Bay. You may feel pressured, you might feel like you should sign up to contribute in some way to this community. Please don t. We re not talking jobs here. We re not talking about getting things done. We re talking about a practice; a practice of doing what seems like an ordinary chore, and bringing a different perspective to the work an attitude of love, of service, of caring for the people in this parish and beyond. Of working in order to see how interconnected we truly are; neighbour, self and God. So please don t do anything out of resentment or thinking you should. Don t be fooled into thinking that you re the only one who can tackle a specific form of service. God does provide. So God will lead. Just listen carefully and respond. And don t do something just because you can, or you re good at it. If you feel drawn to do something you ve never done before, go for it! We are here to support each other and help each other learn. We are called to risk and grow! 5

6 Have I told you the story of the priest who wiped the slate clean? One Sunday he announced, Everyone is fired. His congregation was stunned. And then he invited them all to sign up to serve in ways they would enjoy. Offering themselves from a place of love and snes of abundance. He said, There s no room here for resentment, shoulds and negativity when our God is so gracious. So in a while, we will be asking you to consider how you might like to contribute to this family; to this parish; to this expression of the body of Christ. Open your hearts, offer what you can freely and joyfully give. And we will all, in turn, give thanks to the One who provides. In abundance. In love. For all eternity. Amen. 6