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St. Charles’ Episcopal Church - Saint Charles, IL

The Third Sunday after the Epiphany - Epiphany 3 RCL – Year C

Sunday, January 24, 2010 - Annual Meeting Sunday

Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-6, 8-10 – Psalm 19 – 1 Corinthians 12:12-31a – Luke 4:14-21

Rev. William R. Nesbit, Jr.

In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, Amen.

“The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him.”

This is it. The climax. The moment of truth. OK Jesus, what ya’ gonna do?

This story of Jesus returning to his home town has been moved by Luke to the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry. When it appears in the other Gospels, it appears later in the story. Luke uses this story to foreshadow the whole ministry of Christ. We only heard the beginning of the story this morning, but it goes on for another nine verses in which the people in the synagogue are initially amazed by the good news that Jesus brings, but then become enraged and try to kill him and Jesus then passes among them and goes away. The story turns when for some reason the initially friendly crowd turns hostile. Why? What is it about the message that Jesus brings that so enrages the people of Nazareth? Actually it’s pretty simple, and we don't like hearing it today, any more than they did back then.

What he tells them is essentially, it’s not about you. The good news that Jesus brings is for all people not just the Jews. And for that matter, not just for Christians either. The good news that Jesus brings isn’t something we get to keep or something we can even keep to ourselves. More than anything else it compels us to action; Action beyond ourselves. The good news of Christ is about breaking down walls, pushing back boundaries, and opening doors. Moving out of our comfort zone. I remember when I was in preaching class at seminary, our class was told to keep in mind that one of the roles of a good preacher was to comfort the afflicted, and afflict the comfortable.

When Jesus came to the synagogue that morning his reputation preceded him, he was, if you will, already “Nazareth’s greatest son.” After he says, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing,” the people are amazed and speak well of him and say, “Is this not Joseph’s son?” At first glance you might think of this as a statement of incredulity,like, “who does he think he is?” but I think a closer interpretation might be something more like, “That’s our boy; Isn’t that just like a son of Joseph.” In short, I don’t think they’re mad yet. They’re still comfortable. And Jesus moves right away to break that comfortable assumption. He pushes the point -- I’m not here to make your life easier. It’s not about you. And then they get mad and try to throw him off a cliff. Luke puts this story early in his Gospel because he wants us to get the message early. Luke knows that often, the response of people to the good news becomes one of possession and protection.My congregation, my church, my call, my faith. Luke has Jesus gently reminding us this morning that it’s not about us. We are the comfortable ones. Reminds us that it really is about the poor, and the captives, the blind and the oppressed. It’s about them and what they need from us.

We started this season of Epiphany by renewing our baptismal vows. In that act we rededicated ourselves to the mission and ministry of Christ’s church. Reminded ourselves of this important truth; that we are not God, we follow God; that it’s not about us, and our will, it’s about God and God’s will for us; that we are only members of the body of Christ. Members one of another. Paul says it this way: “For in the one Spirit we are baptized into the one body” There are times when it is easy to remember that we are one body, and there are times when it is more difficult.

Almost two weeks ago, an earthquake devastated Port au Prince and much of Haiti. I don’t think anyone with a right mind has ever thought that we don’t have a responsibility to help them.Our money and our prayers and our hearts go out to them without a second thought. It is easy to remember in times like these that we are one body. On the Fifth of December, the Diocese of Los Angeles elected Mary Douglas Glasspool to serve as one of their Bishops Suffragan. Rev. Glasspool is openly gay, and so, as you might imagine, this is one of those times when it can be harder to remember that we are one body, but not for the reasons you might think. Rev. Glasspool has been elected, but before she can be consecrated a bishop she must receive the consent of the broader Episcopal Church. To receive that consent, both a majority of the dioceses, and a majority of the bishops must give their consent to the ordinationwithin 120 days of the election. We are currently in the midst of that process. The good news is that so far it has been civil. The bad news is that it probably won’t stay that way. Until we make a decision, both sides, for the most part, are keeping the debate open, and at least pretending to listen to each other. On both sides of the issue there are people of faith praying and trying to do what they think is right. And from the other side vocal minorities of both are projecting the other as muddle headed thinkers of shallow faith who have either sold out to a hedonistic society, or are entrenched in a medieval one. Neither is true, but that hasn’t stopped the argument yet.

And once a decision is made on Rev. Glasspool we will, I believe, get to just the situation that Paul was writing about. And it doesn’t really matter what the decision is, for the crisis will come regardless. If we approve her election there will be many in the Anglican Communion who will take this as the last straw and will say, in effect, you are no longer a part of the body of the Anglican Communion. Whether that is actually true or not is another matter. Still, it will be said, and believed in places. And the body of Christ will be broken, and the fabric of the Anglican Communion torn. But what if we decide not to approve her election? Would that solve the problem? Perhaps, but another problem would rise in it’s place. To not approve the election of Rev. Glasspool would be, in effect, to say to a whole group of faithful baptized Christians in our church, you are no longer part of the body. Whether that is actually true or not is another matter. Still, it will be heard that way, and believed in places. And the body of Christ will be broken, and the fabric of the Anglican Communion torn. So what are we to do? Is there no hope? This is the very danger that Paul preached against to the church in Corinth.

There will be differences of opinion in the church because there are differences of people. Always. In spite of that, as Christians we are called to be one in our differences. “God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as God chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be?” This is the answer. This is the hope. Like reconciliation, it is not easy, it wasn’t meant to be. It is hard work. Our inclination will be to take the easy way out; to separate and let each go their own way, but that is not God’s will for us. “The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I have no need of you,’ nor again the head to the feet, ‘I have no need of you.’” As difficult as it will be for each side, we must do the hard work of listening to each other and struggling to discern how God is speaking to us through the other.

This truth that Paul shares with us today is not only for the broader church. It applies to us here in St. Charles as well. The changes the greater church faces may be different than the changes we face, but the church, small or large, is always facing change.I know nobody likes to hear the word change. It is not my intent to scare anyone, but I do need to tell the truth. We are changing. Indeed, we are always changing.Today at our annual meeting two members of the Vestry [will be retiring / retired], four members of the parish [will be / were] elected to fill the gaps and we [will be / are] electing a new warden.In this our own little incarnation of the body of Christ, the conformation of the body will change. What once was known and comfortable will become unpredictable and mysterious. It will be a time of growth and change. It will be uncomfortable...for a while. But if we do it right,then we know it comes from God, and it will be good. And so our job is to be sure that we do it right.

“If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honored, all rejoice together with it. Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.” Not tomorrow or next week or next year but now! In the weeks ahead I ask you to pray about our own transition of leadership.Pray that those who retire may leave with a sense of accomplishment,and not just exhaustion. Pray that those are elected may come with a deep awareness of the gifts that God has given them for the task ahead, and not only a sense of dread over the enormity of the task before them. Pray that the whole congregation may constantly remember that though we are individually members of the body of Christ, and all have important pieces of the mission to do, the entirety of the mission is in God's hands, And so we need only work, and not worry.We need only trust in God and pray for strength.The Spirit of the Lord is upon us, because the Lord has anointed us to bring good news to the poor. The Lord has sent us to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor. Isn’t that just like a son of Joseph! I sure hope we’re ready. Amen.