Sermon Proper 16C, 2007
Lots of people come and go through the doors of Saint Mary’s. Visitors, future members, members, even clergy come and go. I like to think, in the same vein as the hymn, that there is a wideness to the doors of Saint Mary’s like the wideness of the sea. However, I know that it can be difficult to walk through the doors of a church. It’s a serious moment for many people. The world does not always look favorably on the church or those who come and go through its doors – and often for good reason.
The way I see it, there are usually two huge problems. The first is that the church often comes across as mean, stupid and out of touch. I could point to some things done during the Crusades, to the Inquisition, to the church’s involvement in slavery, to the church’s lack of involvement standing up against the Nazis, to Christians blowing up doctors who perform abortions and so forth. But why stop there? It seems to me that TV, books, and the internet is full of average Christians telling all of we’re awful people. Type in “am I going to hell?” on Google and the first website that pops up is entitled: “You’re going to Hell”. Well at least that’s settled.
The second problem is that the church often comes across as boring. On Tuesday I made the mistake of flipping through the Christian Worship channels. It was like watching a train wreck. I couldn’t take my eyes off the cantor and the priest. The cantor kept waving his arms around as he bleated out the responses which were supposed to be sung by the people and I was sure the priest was asleep. It was the lamest thing I have ever seen. As a priest it was a lesson in what not to do, but as a Christian I was embarrassed.
I believe that we are in a unique position at Saint Mary’s to do something about this. Obviously the whole world isn’t going to come through our doors, but lots of people do. At one point a few years ago an official count numbered over 500 people coming and going on a hot August weekday. Changing people’s perceptions happens one person at a time. We can’t change everyone’s mind about the church, but we have an opportunity to show anyone that comes through our doors that some churches may be mean and boring, but not all of them and not this one.
Our Gospel today speaks of the Narrow Door. Jesus says we ought to strive to enter by the narrow door. He says many will seek to enter and not be able to. There are lots of ways to read this text, but I think on some level, no matter how wide open the doors of a church may be, for many people they still look and feel quite narrow. For many reasons people may seek to enter through those doors and not be able to. What can we, as members of this church, do to make sure that we are not one of those reasons?
Jesus talks about those who are last being first. He says people will come from east and west to sit at the God’s table. In Luke’s Gospel the last time Jesus talks about the first being last is at the Last Supper. He instructs his disciples that they are not called to be served, but to serve. I believe that we are Christ’s Body in the world and as such each of us is called to assist others, just like Jesus himself did, as they strive to enter and eat at God’s table. We can open the doors of the church. We can offer a warm and generous welcome to friends and strangers alike. We can open our hearts and our arms to them and offer to help then find a place in this church. But I think we can also offer to others the things that make this place so special to each of us.
When I ask myself: what do I love so much about this church I come up with many answers. How can I offer those things to someone else? Here’s a few: I love the occasional time that I an thurifer at a midweek mass. Its not boring at all, its awesome. I can offer that experience to someone else, if you are interested in serving at the altar, speak to me after Mass. I enjoy learning about the Bible. The Bible doesn’t have to be mean, in fact, its written in the Bible that God is Love. I can offer that experience too. If you are interested in learning about Saint Paul, come to our Wednesday Evening Dinner and Bible Studies. Each of us, I think, loves this place for different reasons. I think that those reasons often appeal to people who are striving to find their place at God’s table, and I think that those reasons can often help bring that person in.
