December 3, 2023 ~ Beginning of Year ‘B’ ~ First Sunday of Advent ~ The Sunday on Which We Commemorate Hope ~ Isaiah 64:1-9; Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19; 1 Corinthians 1:3-9; Mark 13:24-37 ~ VIDEO OF FULL SERVICE: https://vimeo.com/showcase/7960701/video/892540702

The Call of God

“God is faithful; by God you were called into the fellowship of the Child of God, Jesus, Who is the Christ, into intimacy with Jesus, the Christ, Who is our Savior.” — 1 Corinthians 1:9.

My best friend Paul Lee Johnson who happens to also be Bonnie’s cousin, is a very competent historian. His latest publication is a work of care, deep commitment and love. Its title is With Gladness and Singleness of Heart.

This book is a history of All Angels’ Episcopal Church in New York City. Paul has been a member there for fifty years. I, myself, was a member there for ten years.

Paul’s book arrived in the mail a couple weeks ago and dredged up a multitude of memories for me. For some of my time at that church the Rev. Carol Anderson was the Rector— Rector being Episcopal talk for the Congregational title Settled Pastor. Carol was also among the first women officially ordained in the Episcopal Church.

Perhaps more important for me personally, Carol was the first ordained person who ever confronted me, directly told me that I needed to be ordained. When she did that I had known her for only about two months. How did she know after only two months?

One of the consequences of that is I think of Carol as one of my mentors. Mind you, it took another fifteen years after her urging for the idea of going to seminary and being ordained to sink into my thick skull. By that time I was here in Maine, Brunswick to be precise. I then made the obvious choice by heading into the wilderness of the North— Bangor to be precise— and went to Bangor Theological Seminary.

When I say Paul’s book is a work of care, deep commitment and love what I am trying to say is church in general but that church in particular is family for him. In fact and despite it being more than thirty-five years since I left New York City, that church is still family for me also.

So here’s a pastor’s confession: All Angels’ in New York, First Parish Church in Brunswick, each of the five churches yoked together in the cooperative parish I served in Waldo County— Frankfort, Monroe, Freedom, Brooks, Jackson— the church I served in Upstate, New York, the North Yarmouth Church where I did sabbatical coverage, the South Freeport Church where I spent a significant length of time as they looked for a new pastor and this church all feel like family to me.

And yes, the reality of the work of being a pastor is we leave our heart in these places. And yes, the reality of the work of being a pastor is it does hurt to leave, since some of your heart remains in these places.

Now, you could say one of the realities of the work of a pastor means you know you will move on and there is no looking back. But in truth, that is also the reality of being a member of the laity.

After all, I was a member of the laity at All Angels’ in New York City. I was a member of the laity at First Parish in Brunswick. And I moved on. Unquestionably a piece of my heart is still in each of those places. Those of you who have been associated with other churches before landing here might feel the same way. (Slight pause.)

This is where we come back to the words of the Apostle Paul. Throughout the whole Canon of Paul’s writings, the Apostle to the Gentiles insists the peace of God, the shalom of God, the presence of God, makes for the proper ordering of the world and for human relations within it.

(Quote): “God is faithful; by God you were called into the fellowship of the Child of God, Jesus….” (Slight pause.) It is, you see, by God and by the faithfulness of God that we are called into fellowship, into intimacy. (Slight pause.)

So, what would these words sound like translated into today’s more modern terms, today’s definitions? Try this: ‘We are called here to support one another’ or, in very modern terms, ‘we are called here to be a support group for one another.’ (Slight pause.)

I am convinced the Apostle Paul always sees all believers as belonging to one another, as belonging to family— the family of God. In short, the church becomes our family and is our home, our support.

Now if we are family, if we are called to be that intimate, tell me what happens to individual autonomy, to our personal independence, to our feelings? Does not the mutual reliance demanded by being real family diminish individual freedom somewhat, even diminish individual feelings some? Why? How?

Because of the need to respect each other and respect the feelings of each other. In short, it seems to me there is a surrendering of self that being deeply involved with others is a segment of. It seems to me this is a part of being family— surrendering to each other. (Slight pause.)

I think too often today we mistake individual autonomy for personal independence. And I think the Apostle understood that. Autonomy is not a path to independence nor is it a path toward freedom.

I maintain mutual reliance is the real path to independence. That’s mutual reliance as in: we are a family. That’s mutual reliance as in: we need to be family.

The way I see it is what makes us truly free is mutual reliance. I also say it is mutual reliance which helps us face reality since it allows us to see and even sometimes experience the perspective of others, allows us to walk a certain extent in someone else’s shoes, allows us therefore to be real family.

And being family— above all else— is the definition of church. Being family— above all else— is the call of God on our lives. My position is only when we rely on one another as true family does true freedom become possible. (Slight pause.)

So, what is the call of God? We are called to support one another, in Christ. We are called to lift one another up, in Christ. We are called to love one another, in Christ. (Slight pause.)

Now today, as you are aware, is the First Sunday in Advent, the Sunday on which we are invited to think about hope. So, consider this: freedom cannot be defined. It can only be felt. Hope cannot be defined. Hope can only be felt.

And just as our reliance on one another can foster freedom, our reliance on one another can foster hope. This leads me to a central idea about progress, our progress as individuals and our progress as a community of faith, as a church.

When we have mountains to climb, we cannot overcome them, we cannot even try to climb them, unless we are free to do so. And when we have mountains to climb, we cannot even try to climb them unless we have hope.

And when we have mountains to climb, we cannot overcome them, we cannot even try to climb them, unless we have one another to rely on for mutual support, unless we have the family of God. Mutual support empowers freedom— our freedom to do, to wish, to accomplish what needs to be accomplished, needs to be done in the context of the community of faith, in the church. (Slight pause.)

Paul starts the verse I quoted earlier by saying (quote): “God is faithful;…” Here’s the amazing part and the point about which Paul insists: “God is faithful;…” Put another way, in faithfulness God calls us to be family and God trusts us to be family.

And when we place our trust in God, that illuminates hope. When we place our trust in the family of God, that illuminates hope. Amen.

12/03/2023
Elijah Kellogg Church, Harpswell, Maine

ENDPIECE: It is the practice of the Pastor to speak after the Closing Hymn, but before the Choral Response and Benediction. This is an précis of what was said: “On my first day in my first class session at Seminary, a survey course in the New Testament, these were first words of the professor. ‘The New Testament is about confrontation. The New Testament is about confronting one another when it comes to the reality of God, the Christ, the Spirit. But we need to know how to confront one another in love; without love nothing works’— the first words I heard in a Seminary classroom. Well, my take on that is we cannot confront one another in love or know how to confront one another in love unless we are truly family. Like I said, the Rev. Carol Anderson confronted me about the idea of me being ordained. And she confronted me in love.”

BENEDICTION: Let us, as the family of God share our gifts, our memories, our pain, our joy and our hopes. Go in peace for God is with us. Go in joy for God knows every fiber of our being. Go in love, for we rest assured, by Christ, Jesus, that God is steadfast. Go in hope for God reveals to us, daily, that we are a part of God’s new creation. Amen.