Episcopal Church of the Messiah
Worship Service Sermons
July 12, 2009
The Reverend Carolyn Estrada
Pentecost Proper 10B
Amos 7:7 – 15 Psalm 85:8 – 13 Ephesians 1:3 – 14 Mark 6:14 – 29
John the Baptist is beheaded.
Jesus is crucified.
Stephen is stoned.
Polycarp is burned at the stake.
Felicitas and Perpetua are fed to the lions.
Brother Lawrence is roasted over hot coals.
It’s a litany that moves through history::
Thomas Beckett of Canterbury is struck down by the sword at the altar.
Sir Thomas Moore is beheaded.
Thomas Cranmer is burned at the stake.
And, of course, we can find more contemporary examples:
Deitrich Bonhoffer is hanged.
Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr., and Oscar Romero are all shot.
I can remember those college bull sessions, when invariably the question would come up: "What would you be willing to die for?" and everyone thinking we should say, "Our faith" – and then wondering if we really would… Was it strong enough, central enough, to who we are to die for?
I can remember the press given to an incident in relation to the Columbine shootings – an incident later proven not to have happened – of young girl who was shot after she answered affirmatively that she was a Christian.
What are we willing to die for?
I think perhaps we have the question wrong.
Those people’s deaths were all incidental to what they were willing to LIVE for.
Amos today tells us of the plumb line the Lord sets in the midst of the people.
The plumb line: an organizing principle for our lives, something by which we measure our actions and our attitudes.
"I am setting a plumb line in the midst of my people," the Lord says.
I’ve had an experience this week of Messiah’s "plumb line" and how it has shaped our ministry over the years.
We all know it, of course:
Our history of anti-apartheid activities, resulting in a visit here from Desmond Tutu.
the stories of Hands Together and Morning Garden and Noah Project.
Our commitment to Spanish ministry.
The trips we’ve taken to do Katrina relief, or, most recently, Carol and Christina’s mission trip to Kenya.
The work of our Steven ministers and our Intercessory Prayer Groups.
Or consider the gathering of the National Convention of the Episcopal Church, meeting this week in Anaheim: Messiah has more Convention volunteers – the people who do the "grunt work" and make that event flow smoothly – over fifty! – than any other church!
We have a history of GIVING – we spend ourselves, our time, our talent, and our money – on others!
This week we had another exciting affirmation of our ministries, a powerful recognition of the way we live out of that plumb line of righteousness and love.
Last Friday morning, I was shepherding five sleep-deprived grandchildren through the Wild Animal Park after our traditional summer "sleep-over." (I have to explain that "sleep-over" is a euphemism for what happens after children have spent the afternoon and evening running around with binoculars, seeing animals up-close and far-away, dancing around a campfire eating s’mores and drinking hot chocolate – and then crawling into sleeping bags in a tent – with flashlights! – and hearing to the lions roar outside in the distance. Obviously we were ALL sleep-deprived the next morning!)
So: Friday morning we were just finishing up our Wild Animal Park adventure when my cell phone rang. Thinking it was my daughter calling to check up on us, I was surprised to hear Bob Williams, the Diocesan communications officer, on the other end of the line. What he was going to tell me was VERY confidential, he said. I could tell no one. But July 8, he wasn’t sure what time – probably late afternoon, maybe about 4 o’clock, Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, was going to visit Messiah and its outreach ministries. If I have any questions, I should feel free to call the Bishop Bruno’s cell phone at any time… (Like I have Bishop Bruno’s cell phone number!)
Imagine: I’m hearing this message and trying to keep track of five kids under the age of 8; my 4 year old granddaughter has just decided to cool herself off by pouring the remains of her lemonade icee over her head; my 6 year old grandson is doing what little boys do, and teasing his sisters to get a rise out of them; my 3 year old grandson is whining, "I thought we were going to see the gorillas!" and I’m thinking: What day of the week is July 8? Oh, please God! Help me to remember the date – not having a pen handy to write it down! And, I know I have lots of questions, I just can’t think of them now!
Fortunately subsequent conversations did ensue on Monday (and Tuesday! AND Wednesday!) when I got back into the office. I’ll spare you the details, but suffice it to say:
The Archbishop is an "invited guest" at our National Convention, meeting this week in Anaheim, and he was eager to visit a church and learn about its ministry. Bishop Bruno immediately thought of Messiah, and suggested he come to us. It’s quite an honor – not very many American churches are graced with a visit from the Archbishop of Canterbury!
I was finally given permission to tell the wardens and one board member from Hands Together. (I had called Brad earlier because I knew he would be excited to get the news, which he was, and I know he regretted being unable to be present for the visit.)
I was requested to obtain a "police presence" – which, after they had talked to Bob and realized just WHO Rowan Williams was, meant TWO SWAT team members.
I learned more than I ever thought I wanted to know about entrances and egresses, staging areas, motorcades, and protocol for archbishops.
AND – I had a great time!
The Archbishop is very personable, and wound up on the floor of the classrooms at Hands Together, interacting with the children. He and his entourage spent about 45 minutes at Hands Together and then came to see our church. He appeared quite impressed with our history, our ministries in the community, and the beauty of our facility.
It was quite an honor!
And, I think, quite an affirmation of the way we LIVE our life in Christ.
Our "plumb line" is evident in who we are, and in our many ministries both outside our walls, and within.
So – let us not think, "What are we willing to die for?" but rather, "What are we willing to LIVE for!"
St. Francis admonished us to "Preach the Gospel at all times; if necessary, use words."
And may we continue so to live that all whom we encounter can indeed receive our Gospel message and recognize that the plumb line that the Lord has given us.
Amen.