Sermon

I preached at both services this morning. I did pretty well, I was very nervous at the early service and went too fast. I felt I did better at the later service, though still a little too fast. I am posting it below, it is based on the Gospel of Matthew 23: 1-12.

This morning’s Gospel is a well-known, oft repeated story. We hear from a very young age “Do as I say, not as I do” which can be very confusing if you truly watch what others are saying and doing. Parents, teachers, and politicians love this phrase because it gives them a loophole, and as with much of life we are always looking for loopholes. We often take for granted the fact that others may look up to us as role models. As Christians it can be hard to live our lives according to the Gospel. There is a saying I heard “Preach the Gospel always, and if necessary use words.” What we do is almost always what people will remember about us.

We all know that one person, whether it is a coworker or friend or family member, who likes to tell others to do things, but never actually does anything themselves. They leave the work to others, often making excuses that seem barely believable; we may even be guilty of it ourselves at times. It certainly would have been easy for Jesus to perform a miracle or two and then step back and let someone else do all the “dirty work.” If that were all we needed from Christ, then walking on water and then turning water into wine would have sufficed. We know that to be false. We needed to hear what He had to say, we needed to see Him working with the poor and the outcasts, we needed Him to die on a cross to show us God’s saving grace.

I think that the scribes and the Pharisees were the religious celebrities of Jesus’ time. They were in positions of power and their behavior was not considered unusual. Don’t get me wrong I’m sure there were exceptions just as there are exceptions with celebrities today; but in general much of what they did was about seeing and being seen. Who gets the best seat at the banquets? In the synagogues? Who’s recognized when they go out in the marketplaces? What “good deeds” can they do that people will see and applaud?

We all like to be recognized for our accomplishments and the things we do for others. Praise is a slippery slope. Are we receiving the praise because we truly deserve it, or because it’s what’s expected? Do we do certain things because we know others will take notice and acknowledge our good works? Or do we do them because we feel that is what Christ is calling us to do with the talents God gave us? Are we seeking our five minutes of fame by going to Haiti to help the victims of a natural disaster, or are we going to seek and serve Christ in others?

Was Christ putting on a show for others when He went to Zacchaeus’ house for dinner? No, He was criticized and reprimanded, but He did it anyways. Jesus was rebellious in so many ways that we seem to have forgotten. He accepted water from a Samaritan woman at the well, He healed ten lepers though only one was grateful, and He was outraged when He found a temple filled with merchants selling their wares! And He didn’t worry about His reputation, when living His life according to God’s will. He offended others just as much as He healed them; but it was necessary.

It is important for us to hear that we are not God. God is God, and we are God’s children; that no matter how many times we try to play God with our own lives or with the lives of others, we will not succeed. All things happen because God’s Holy Spirit works within and through and among us. We can certainly plan for things to happen, as we are unlikely to wake up in the morning and say “I’m not doing anything today unless God says to me that I should do it.” I certainly don’t have God on speed-dial, I know some people think they do, but I don’t and so I can’t even begin to guess what God is saying I should do everyday.

At the same time, it is equally important for us to recognize that we are not perfect. We all make mistakes; we all do things to get attention rather than because we should do them for others. The important thing is knowing that when we ask, God will forgive us. Christ died for our sins. He made the ultimate sacrifice so that when we screw up, and we always do, we can seek God’s forgiveness. It is God’s opinion that matters in the end. When we die and the day arrives for God to pass judgment on us, can we tell the truth about our life? Can we admit our faults? Can we recognize our mistakes? If we cannot, are we prepared to face eternal damnation for our stubbornness and pride? These are the questions we should be asking ourselves, when we hear the phrase “Do as I say, not as I do.”

Internship Week of October 23rd

I attended another meeting of the Stephen's Ministry this week, as well as a meeting of the Vestry, and I had a meeting with my discernment committee. All three were positive experiences, but the bulk of my week has been rather single-minded.

Much of my spare time this week has been focused on my nerves. I’m preaching on Sunday and I’m equal parts terrified and excited. The rector at my internship is an amazing preacher so I know I have big shoes to fill, but this also makes her an inspiration. There are parishioners, who have told me how much they are looking forward to hearing what I have to say, and my family will be there; so I’ve been feeling the pressure. I had a dream one night that I got to church and had forgotten my sermon, so the rector had to preach at the 8 o’clock service while I desperately tried to come up with something for the 10:15.

As a result of this stress, I’ve been taking a lot of time to just sit in silence and pray. I’ve derived a great deal of comfort from doing so. At the same time I’m excited. I’ve preached before, but never on the Gospel. It has been a different experience writing this sermon. It’s taken some discipline to sit and be in the moment with the Gospel, and then to organize my thoughts and what I wish to convey. I’m excited and a little nervous to get feedback from the rector and the parishioners. When I preached before I was in high school and I don’t think I got any real feedback. I just have to remember to turn at least once and look at the choir.

Internship Week of October 16th

I sat in on the Children’s Chapel this Sunday. It is really wonderful. The rector gathers them all before the service starts and speaks to them briefly, then they process with their own cross downstairs. They gather and discuss a Bible story then do an activity relating to the story. Then they go back upstairs at the Offertory and help bring the food bank donations down for blessing. It is a great way to occupy the children during the “boring” parts of the service, but still keep them engaged in a spiritual way.

I went with the Rector to take communion to a Retirement Community Thursday. It was a very different experience for me. I enjoyed it immensely and would like to go again next month. There were only a few “participants” but they seemed enthusiastic and really appreciative of what we were doing.

The rector and I met again this week. We talked about how I’m feeling and what I’m experiencing. The rector wanted to make sure I was getting to do a little of everything, and to give feedback on my participation. It was all very positive and I feel like I am moving in the right direction.

Just before we were scheduled to meet something interesting happened, and I thought I would share it here. While waiting for the rector to be available for our meeting a homeless man came to the office door. He asked the secretary if there was a priest he could see, and after checking with the rector she asked him to wait. the rector came out and invited him into hir office, and while they had a private conversation many things came to mind. How often does this happen here? How does the rector handle the situation? How would I handle the situation? All I could think about was the passage where Christ tells us “when you helped the least of these you helped me.” Society tends to shun and turn a blind eye to those who are among the poor in our own neighborhoods. Christ’s ministry and teaching were the opposite; He asked that we embrace the poor, and the hungry, and the sick as members of the Body of Christ.

I shared my thoughts with the rector, and was told that it happens more often then most people realize. This brought up the question of where do you draw the line? How do you know if you are actually helping someone or feeding an addiction of some kind (drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, etc.)? We agreed that you can’t ever really know for sure, and sometimes that doesn’t matter. What matters is remembering to “seek and serve Christ in all persons” regardless of their income.

Internship Week of October 9th

I attended Adult Forum again on Sunday morning. It was the first of a monthly discussion of Mitch Albom’s “Have a Little Faith.” We began by discussing spiritual journeys, which spoke to me quite a lot. I volunteered to share mine, and it felt really great to be able to contribute so much to the discussion. It was also enriching to hear the snippets of others’ stories; I realized how much we share, but at the same time how differing the stories can be. If you haven't already read it I highly recommend it.

I attended the Stephen’s Ministry meeting again on Tuesday. I’ve really enjoyed learning about the lay side of pastoral care. The people who are a part of this ministry are extraordinary individuals. They have been very welcoming of me, and encourage my opinions when I feel they are appropriate. I will be going with the rector to take communion to a Retirement Community next week; something I’m very excited about.

I met with my spiritual advisor this week. She and I discussed how it feels going from the process I was in to the one I’m in now, and how I feel my internship is going. I’m really optimistic about the experiences I’ve been having at my internship; the congregants have been supportive and welcoming.

Internship Week of October 2nd

I attended Adult Forum again on Sunday morning. It was more crowded than last Sunday and the discussion was very stimulating. There will be a monthly discussion of Mitch Albom’s “Have a Little Faith” starting next Sunday, so I spent a few days reading it this week. I found it really spoke to me in a lot of ways, and look forward to discussing it with the other participants. It will be lead by a parishioner instead of Rev. Ann, and I look forward to seeing how that leadership role, plays out.

I served at the 10:15 service. I was given the Archdeacon’s seat next to the rector. I the rector at the table for the Eucharist, and served wine at the High Altar. This was a little different for me, and I really enjoyed it. I made a few mistakes, but seemingly no one in the congregation noticed, as I received nothing but positive feedback.

The rector and I met for a time, and discussed many things. Mostly we talked about my involvement, and pastoral care. It was an eye opening discussion about how she, as the sole non-retired-staffed priest of the parish, handles her pastoral care duties. The rector spoke a lot about the importance of prioritizing everything, and about having support from parishioners.

I attended a jazz concert at the church. It was an event open to the public, and half of the people who attended were congregants and half were not. It was interesting to see how welcoming the congregants were to the members of the community, and how much everyone got out of the experience.

Internship Week of September 25th

So I've been at my internship parish for over about two weeks now, and here is my experience from last week.


I attended Adult Forum for the first time on Sunday morning following the 8am service. It was an extremely enjoyable experience. We were discussing the history of the church as a whole, its part of a four-week series that concludes next Sunday. Everyone was very welcoming to me, and it was fascinating to watch the dynamics play out between the rector and the parishioners who were in attendance. It was a fairly decent sized crowd of about 15 or so, and everyone had a great time discussing what the rector was teaching us.
I also attended the bi-monthly meeting of the Stephen’s ministers on Tuesday evening. I was most looking forward to this, as it was my first foray into the world of pastoral care. They explained things as we went along if I didn’t understand what was happening, and encouraged my participation. I really learned a lot from the meeting. These men and women dedicate time every week to go and visit with their care receivers and they get so much back in return. I think the Stephen’s Ministry is a really neat concept. The process they have for meeting and confidentially discussing their care receivers in a way that doesn’t violate confidentiality but allows them to get feedback and advice is fantastic. They are doing such important work, I really admire them all and can’t wait to learn more about pastoral care.