Sermon preached by the Rev. Paula Jefferson
Year C, First Sunday after the Epiphany, January 9, 2022
Last Summer, I was introduced to Godly Play. It’s a Christian formation program designed for young, inquiring Christians. Those who lead a session, tell a story from the Bible, and then invite children to experience the story using “wonder” questions. ‘I wonder why Jesus chose to be baptized?’ or ‘I wonder why the Holy Spirit chose to be present like a dove?’
In the language of Godly Play, the persons of the Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) are named differently: Creator, Redeemer, Sustainer.
We don’t preach often about the Holy Spirit, the Sustainer. But during January, February, and March this year, my sermons are going to listen for the Spirit…How is She represented in our readings? Why do we imagine the Holy Spirit as a Sustainer? And, quite particularly, as St. Mary’s approaches her 150th anniversary, how has the Holy Spirit, the Sustainer, influenced the life of this parish? At the end of each sermon, I’ll ask you to think about two specific questions.
This is the work of discernment…and, I think, discernment is one way we experience the Holy Spirit in our time.
Before Jesus ascends, he tells us that he will send the Holy Spirit to be our Advocate and Guide. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are accounts of people who walked with Jesus, the Son of God. Paul writes from his remarkable experience with the Risen Christ.
And, in today’s Gospel reading, Luke presents a rare, clearly Trinitarian moment.
Jesus has been baptized; Heaven opens: and the Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus in bodily form…like a dove…and a voice came from Heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you, I am well-pleased.” The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer: participate in this holy moment.
Then Peter and John laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.
In our lesson from Acts, the disciples learn that the folks in Samaria have become believers. Samaria is complicated. Nine hundred years before Jesus, the Israelite tribes experienced a schism. They divided into two kingdoms: Judah, the southern kingdom, is where Jesus was born and lived. Israel, the northern kingdom, existed separately from Judah. The two kingdoms and their people did not get along. Samaria was the capital city of the northern kingdom. When Luke tells us stories about Samaritans, he is talking about people from Samaria.
When Peter and John hear that these people have accepted Jesus, they immediately go to Samaria. It’s risky business. They must leave the safety of their own country and cross into another kingdom that is not welcoming of Judeans.
When they arrive, they first pray that the Samaritans will receive the Holy Spirit. Come, Holy Spirit, come.
And the text says, Peter and John laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.
Bp. Curry wrote in his book, Love is the Way: “There will be a time when God’s GPS points you in a direction that makes people uncomfortable. It may make you uncomfortable.”[1] Notice he doesn’t say, there could be a time when God’s GPS points you in a direction that makes people uncomfortable…. he says, there WILL be a time.
That’s the rub when we invite God to participate in our life…as individuals, as a family, as a parish. Ours is not a status quo God. Ours is not a God who worries about what the neighbors will think. Our God calls us to go…but not alone.
The disciples follow God’s GPS: Peter and John got up from their couches and go to be with these new believers. They go into hostile territory…. rub elbows with folks good Judean families don’t associate with….and they prayed that the Holy Spirit would come among them.
They go. They pray. They invite the Holy Spirit. And they lay hands on these people.
God, the Sustainer, does the rest. God calls them. God goes with them. God responds to their prayers.
Through these two disciples, God inhabits the lives of new believers.
I wonder how Peter and John felt…knowing that they participated in this holy moment.
Eleven weeks from now, we will celebrate the 150th anniversary of St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in Hillsboro, Texas. You are one of the oldest parishes in Texas.
Recently the Episcopal News Service wrote a lovely article about St. Mary’s and the litigation experience you have endured. The second sentence in the article grabbed my attention:
“The past year has been one of transition for St. Mary’s, with its past locked up in a historic church building to which these Episcopalians no longer have the keys.”[2]
It’s beautiful sentence but it is not correct.
Your history is remarkable.
St. Mary’s was founded before the Civil War. Hillsboro’s neighbor to the north, Dallas, had a population of roughly 3,000 people when this parish began. Early in its life, the parish church was destroyed. More recently, the parish church building was lost in litigation.
When I first met you, last February, eleven of us worshiped at Abbott Street, wearing masks because of a global pandemic…not the first pandemic in the life of this parish.
Your history isn’t locked up in some building. Your history is right here. You are the living history of St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in Hillsboro.
I’ve only witnessed a small time slot in this parish’s life. During that time, you have been in diaspora…you moved into a conference room to continue gathering and sustaining your spiritual lives with worship. You found this building, with a bathroom and a coffee pot, and you rolled up your sleeves and created another worship space.
Through all of it, you have packed thousands of snack packages for kids who don’t have adequate nutrition. You imagined and made happen a blessing for the emergency and police vehicles and personnel in your community. You have been, and you are, Christ to one another…when one needs help, the others come.
When your crazy priest says, “what do you think about a Bible study,” you say Yes.
If that same crazy person says, “how about a book study for Advent?” you say Yes.
It is clear to me that God’s GPS is leading St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in Hillsboro.
During January, I invite you to a work of discernment regarding the history of this parish. Invite the Holy Spirit to come among you and help you find consensus to this question:
Looking at the past 150 years, what three adjectives best describe the parish of St. Mary’s Hillsboro?
You know the history of this parish better than anyone. I know (or, at least I think I know) that none of you were here in 1872 when St. Mary’s began. Whether you have been here for 2 months or 20 years, you have wisdom to add to this discussion. And by participating in the process, you will be better able to do the discernment work of February and March.
As an example, to prime the pump so to speak, in my brief time with you, the first adjective that I would use to describe the parish’s history is resilient.
The second task is a bit more challenging, but I think your three adjectives will help you accomplish it:
As you look back at the parish’s history with 20/20 vision, write a mission statement that fits the history of St. Mary’s.
A 150-year anniversary is quite an accomplishment. The Holy Spirit, the Sustainer, has been among you, holding you together through all the experiences of this parish. This opportunity is a holy moment to celebrate the past….to listen for the Holy Spirit’s wisdom: Who have we been called to be?
Let us pray:
Creator, Redeemer, Sustainer, we receive you into our hearts, our minds, our Souls: Grant us Mary’s wisdom to heed the inner voice that we know is you. Guide us to accept your invitation to serve and to do so with strength and courage. Amen.
[1] Michael Curry; Love is the Way p 166[1]
[2] ENS article $2 million bequest tied up in court as growing North Texas congregation worships in former bank drive-thru; by David Paulsen; Posted Jan 4, 2022