Mother Este's Sermon
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The Mustard Seed
June 13, 2021 |
The Mustard Seed
June 13, 2021 The Rev. Este Gardner Ezekiel 17:22-24T Psalm 92:1-4,11-14 2 Corinthians 5:6-10, [11-13],14-17 Mark 4:26-34 One of my favorite phrases in all of the the bible is given to us at the end of our Reading from Paul: “If anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation. Everything old has passed away. Behold, all things have become new.” Some mornings of my life when I would wake up guilt-filled and heavy with regret, this sentence would lift me up. It would heal me. It would remind me that if you are in Christ, the past just simply does not matter. You are not the person you once were. If you are indeed in Christ, EVERYTHING old has passed away. Every old action, habit, addiction, betrayal, abuse, harm, suffering, vanity, missed opportunity. EVERYTHING old has passed away. Behold- everything about you has become new. You may need to make amends for the past. But you do not have to suffer guilt or remorse over it, because it is over. You are a new creation. We cling to the old sometimes. We cling to our old behavior, our old bad habits, we may cling to people who abuse us, or to our own self-destructive habits. Even St. Paul was not immune to this. He said, in his letter to the Romans, “For what I do is not the Good I want to do. No- the evil I do not want to do- this I keep on doing.” Perhaps this is why he had to say plainly- if anyone is in Christ there is a new creation- Paul too had to be made new. Clinging to those old things he did not want to do was not the way of Christ. St. Paul had a beautiful way of showing us that we need to do more than just think about Christ or read about Christ or even believe in Christ. We have to clothe ourselves with Christ. We have to put on the armor of God, and finally, we have to allow ourselves to have the same mind as Christ Jesus. Putting on the armor of God, putting on the mind of Christ casts all those old things out of us like the casting out of a demon. All things have become new. Jesus was and is all about newness. We are shown this in the incarnation when God came to us as a newborn baby- heartbreakingly new. We are shown this when he told us to put no new wine into old wineskins, when he told us not to look back, but to keep your hand on the plow. And as for old attachments, Jesus told the young man hesitating to follow him because he wanted to bury his father, “let the dead bury the dead.” He was very clear in this teaching to embrace the new, and leave the old behind. What is your old bad habit you cannot and will not leave? Is it a person, a place, a thing? Following the one who makes all things new leaves no room for these attachments. He wants new life, and he wants us to have it now. We might have felt this in our baptism. We might feel it every time we share the bread and the cup. It may have come to us like a thunderbolt with some new revelation, or it might have built slowly like a growing tide. It may have begun like the tiniest of all seeds- like a mustardseed. The mustardseed plant that was described in our gospel story was a very invasive weed. It did indeed start out as a tiny seed, but then it grew and sprawled and soon covered the whole countryside. It was a revolutionary image, like so many of Jesus’ stories. It is the story of something small and insignificant- a babe in a barn, a young unmarried pregnant woman, a woman who posessed seven demons, a woman who had five husbands, a woman bent over double, a man posessed by a demon, a man possessed by leprosy, being healed, transformed, grown to epic proportions- made entirely new in Christ. What do we need to do to allow ourselves this newness? What will it take for us to grow up to the spiritual dimensions that Christ calls us to? What is holding us back? Not much actually. The wise teacher Thick Nhat Han, the author of “Living Buddha, Living Christ,” tells us, “The winds of Grace are always blowing. You have only to put up your sails.” The lowly fishers of Galilee did indeed put up their sails. The fishermen who Jesus called were, initially, the most unpromising of men- particularly Simon Peter who continued to bungle and stutter and put his foot in his mouth. Yet these fishermen were like the mustardseed- so insignificant, until they began to grow under the bright light of Jesus’ presence. They were transformed from fishermen into something entirely new. Fishers of women and men. Healers, disciples, brave souls, some of whom were martyred, some of whom carried on the Word of God. If people as clueless as the disciples can be made new, if they can grow to the spiritual stature Christ called them to, there must be hope for all of us. We may still feel insignificant. We may have been taught to feel insignificant by parents or teachers or cruel strangers or even spouses. But this is not the way of Christ. Christ never wants us to hide our light under a bushel. Christ wants us to live life and live it abundantly. He wants us to let our light so shine that everyone can see our Good Works. He wants us to become new. In this beloved church of ours, we are about to be visited by a radical newness. We will face a period of major construction, whether we renovate or rebuild, that will cause us to worship somewhere else- likely down the street at St. John’ school- for about two years. This will be a wonderful and transformational experience. We have already demonstrated in this past year that we need no building at all to carry out our worship and our ministries. And wonderful newcomers have joined us during this time, and so we are growing. In my last congregation our building suffered a severe fire. It was traumatic to the congregation. And yet the two years we worshipped out of the church were the most vibrant and flourishing years I spent there. It transformed the church. Because we had become something new. Because we were carrying out the work of Jesus. Because our mission and spiritual community sprouted and shot up to the size of that sprawing shrub, with a place in it for everyone in our community. And even through a great transition, our beloved church as well will become a new creation. Amen |
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La semilla de mostaza
13 junio 2021 |
La semilla de mostaza
Una de mis frases favoritas en toda la Biblia se nos da al final de nuestra Lectura de Pablo: “El que está unido a Cristo es una nueva persona. Las cosas viejas pasaron; se convirtieron en algo nuevo. Algunas mañanas de mi vida, cuando me despertaba lleno de culpa y pesado de arrepentimiento, esta frase me levantaba. Me curaría. Me recordaría que si estás en Cristo, el pasado simplemente no importa. No eres la persona que alguna vez fuiste. Si en verdad estás en Cristo, TODO lo antiguo ha pasado. Cada vieja acción, hábito, adicción, traición, abuso, daño, sufrimiento, vanidad, oportunidad perdida. TODO lo viejo ha pasado. He aquí, todo en ti se ha vuelto nuevo. Es posible que deba enmendar el pasado. Pero no tienes que sufrir culpabilidad o remordimiento por ello, porque se acabó. Eres una nueva creación. A veces nos aferramos a lo viejo. Nos aferramos a nuestro antiguo comportamiento, a nuestros viejos malos hábitos, podemos aferrarnos a las personas que abusan de nosotros o nuestros propios hábitos autodestructivos. Incluso San Pablo no fue inmune a esto. Dijo, en su carta a los romanos, “Porque lo que hago no es el Bien que quiero hacer. No, el mal que no quiero hacer, esto lo sigo haciendo. "Quizás por eso tuvo que decir claramente: si alguien está en Cristo, hay una nueva creación, Pablo también tuvo que ser renovado. Aferrarse a esas cosas viejas que no quería hacer no era el camino de Cristo. San Pablo tenía una manera hermosa de mostrarnos que debemos hacer más que solo pensar en Cristo o leer acerca de Cristo o incluso creer en Cristo. Tenemos que revestirnos de Cristo. Tenemos que ponernos la armadura de Dios y, finalmente, debemos permitirnos tener la misma mente que Cristo Jesús. Ponernos la armadura de Dios, revestirnos de la mente de Cristo arroja todas esas cosas viejas de nosotros como la expulsión de un demonio. Todas las cosas se han vuelto nuevas. Jesús estuva y esta a favor de la novedad. Se nos muestra esto en la encarnación cuando Dios vino a nosotros como un bebé recién nacido, desgarradoramente nuevo. Se nos muestra esto cuando nos dijo que no echáramos vino nuevo en odres viejos, cuando nos dijo que no MIR A RAMOS Satrás, sino que man tu vi ér a mos la mano en el arado. Y en cuanto a los viejos apegos, Jesús le dijo al joven que dudaba en seguirlo porque quería enterrar a su padre, "que los muertos entierren a los muertos". Él fue muy claro en esto: abrazar lo nuevo y dejar atrás lo viejo. ¿Cuál es tu viejo mal hábito que no puedes y no dejarás? ¿Es una persona, un lugar, una cosa? Seguir al que hace todas las cosas nuevas no deja lugar para estos apegos. Quiere una nueva vida y quiere que la tengamos ahora. Podríamos haber sentido esto en nuestro bautismo. Podríamos sentirlo cada vez que compartimos el pan y la copa. Puede que nos haya llegado como un rayo con alguna nueva revelación, o puede que se haya construido lentamente como una marea creciente. Puede que haya comenzado como la más pequeña de todas las semillas, como una semilla de mostaza. La planta de semilla de mostaza que se describió en la historia de nuestro evangelio era una mala hierba muy invasiva. De hecho, comenzó como una pequeña semilla, pero luego creció y se extendió y pronto cubrió todo el campo. Era una imagen revolucionaria, como tantas de las historias de Jesús. Es la historia de algo pequeño e insignificante: un bebé en un granero, una joven embarazada soltera, una mujer que poseía siete demonios, una mujer que tenía cinco maridos, una mujer inclinada sobre el doble, un hombre poseído por un demonio, un hombre poseído por la lepra, siendo sanado, transformado, crecido a proporciones épicas, hecho completamente nuevo en Cristo. ¿Qué debemos hacer para permitirnos esta novedad? ¿Qué se necesita para que crezcamos hasta alcanzar las dimensiones espirituales a las que Cristo nos llama? ¿Qué nos detiene? En realidad, no mucho. El sabio maestro Thick Nhat Han, autor de “Buda viviente, Cristo viviente”, nos dice: “Los vientos de la gracia siempre soplan. Solo tienes que izar las velas ". Los humildes pescadores de Galilea en verdad arriaron sus velas. Los pescadores a quienes Jesús llamó fueron, al principio, los hombres menos prometedores, en particular Simón Pedro, que continuó tartamudeando y tartamudeando y metiéndose el pie en la boca. Sin embargo, estos pescadores eran como semillas de mostaza, tan insignificantes, hasta que comenzaron a crecer bajo la luz brillante de la presencia de Jesús. Fueron transformados de pescadores en algo completamente nuevo. Pescadores de mujeres y hombres. Sanadores, discípulos, almas valientes, algunos de los cuales fueron martirizados, algunos de los cuales llevaron la Palabra. Si personas tan desorientadas como los discípulos pueden ser renovados, si pueden crecer hasta la estatura espiritual a la que Cristo los llamó, debe haber esperanza para todos nosotros. Es posible que todavía nos sintamos insignificantes. Es posible que los padres, los maestros o los extraños crueles o incluso los cónyuges nos hayan enseñado a sentirnos insignificantes. Pero este no es el camino de Cristo. Cristo nunca quiere que escondamos nuestra luz debajo de un celemín. Cristo quiere que vivamos la vida y la vivamos en abundancia. Él quiere que dejemos que nuestra luz brille de tal manera que todos puedan ver nuestras Buenas Obras. Quiere que seamos nuevos. En esta amada iglesia nuestra, estamos a punto de ser visitados por una novedad radical. Enfrentaremos un período de construcción importante, ya sea que renuevemos o reconstruyamos, que nos hará adorar en otro lugar, probablemente al final de la calle en la escuela St. John, durante aproximadamente dos años. Esta será una experiencia maravillosa y transformadora. Ya hemos demostrado en el último año que no necesitamos ningún edificio para llevar a cabo nuestra adoración y nuestros ministerios. Y maravillosos recién llegados se han unido a nosotros durante este tiempo, y así estamos creciendo. En mi última congregación nuestro edificio sufrió un severo incendio. Fue traumático para la congregación. Y, sin embargo, los dos años que adoramos fuera de la iglesia fueron los años más vibrantes y florecientes que pasé allí. Transformó la iglesia. Porque nos habíamos convertido en algo nuevo. Porque estábamos realizando la obra de Jesús. Porque nuestra misión y comunidad espiritual brotó y se disparó hasta el tamaño de ese arbusto en expansión, con un lugar para todos en nuestra comunidad. E incluso a través de una gran transición, nuestra amada iglesia también se convertirá en una nueva creación. Amen. |
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Epiphany 2021 (January 24)
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Epiphany 2021 (January 24)
After Jesus’ baptism, the heavens open and the Spirit descends. God calls out to Jesus, proclaiming that he is the Son of God, and then Jesus is driven by the spirit into the wilderness. Our Gospel begins just after this 40 day wilderness journey. In the very short version in Mark, only three things happen to Jesus during this time: He is with the wild beasts, he is tested by Satan, and angels minister to him. And after he has been able to survive the company of wild beasts, and the temptations of the devil, and the angels have shown him the way, he is ready to begin his ministry on Earth. At the very beginning of our gospel, Jesus comes to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near.” Last week’s story was about a calling, and this week’s story is as well. This is a story of the calling of the Kingdom of God. Anyone who is a Christian has answered a call. Whatever it may seem like, it is a call to usher in the Kingdom of God, here, now, on this earth. The Kingdom of God is a state of grace, where peace, prosperity, justice and plenty are manifest everywhere. The time and place of its arrival varies from gospel to gospel. Sometimes Jesus says, “The Kingdom of God is within you.” And often it is seen as a future state of grace, which Jesus inaugurates with his coming. As he says, “The time is fulfilled and the Kingdom of God has come near.” We can understand more of what Jesus thought the Kingdom was by the people he says it belongs to. He says it belongs to the little children. In the beatitudes he says it belongs to the poor, or in Matthew, for a more affluent crowd, to the poor in spirit. And he says it belongs to those who are persecuted because of righteousness. He also says, famously, that it is very difficult for the rich to enter the Kingdom of God. So the Kingdom of God belongs to the very innocent- the very humble, but also to the very brave. The innocent have not yet experienced hate or violence. They are already living in the Kingdom of God. The poor have not much to their name but their humility. And those who hold onto innocence and love and justice in the face of persecution- well, they too are living in God’s Reign. So this is our calling. To be as innocent as children and as brave as martyrs. And if we follow this difficult calling, ours too will be the Kingdom of God. This, as Jesus’ disciples said, is a difficult teaching. Who can follow it? Well, we can all follow it, but we can only follow it imperfectly. Like the disciples, we follow it clumsily. We will often note that for all our good intentions, we too are sometimes, indeed of little faith. Jonah the prophet, of our Old Testament reading, was specifically called by God to tell the people of Nineveh to repent. But when the people did repent, and God decided not to punish them, Jonah was so furious that he lay down under a bush and declared that he was angry enough to die. A very imperfect prophet of God. But he was surely called. The disciples fought amongst themselves for power, and violently threatened to burn up some unwelcoming Samaritans. And, of course, Peter denied Jesus three times. And yet this greatest betrayer was the one Jesus called “my rock.” The very first bishop. So as you consider your calling, don’t reject it because you will not do it perfectly. Do not reject it, as I initially did, because you feel yourself unworthy. If God did not feel you were worthy enough, she would never have called you, and you would not be a Christian. Don’t think about it too hard. Just drop your nets and follow. Amen. |
