Sermon for Christmas 1, 2008

If you have a moment after the service today, I suggest taking a look at the statues on the pulpit. All famous preachers. They remind me of a sermon I heard a few years ago – a recording – by Gardiner Taylor, a famous African American preacher.

He began by speaking about some famous preachers of his own generation, Martin Luther King and others. He then traced his way backward through some of history’s other famous preachers: John Wesley preaching outdoors at Hanham Mount beginning a new wave of preaching and revivals. John Chrysostom preaching from the pulpit in Constantinople, railing against the Empress in the heart of the Empire’s capital. Saint Peter preaching at Pentecost leading to the conversion of thousands. John the Baptist preaching in the wilderness. Jeremiah preaching in the temple and going unheeded.

All great preachers, but – and this is such a great line favorite line– All great preachers, but… in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

The Word – both spoken and divine – is a common theme in all of today’s readings. Isaiah proclaims “I will not keep silent!” The Psalm reminds us that the Word of the Lord runs very swiftly. Saint Paul tells us that it is only by the power of the Holy Spirit in us that we are able to cry out “Abba, Father!”. And of course, the opening words of the Gospel according to Saint John’s:

In the beginning was the Word. The Word is with God and is God. It is through the Word that everything is created. It is the Word that became flesh and dwelt among us. It is the Word that has filled us with grace. And it is the Word that has made known to us the Father. But Saint John does not stop there. It is also the Word that makes us one with the Father. And it is the Word that abides in us forever.


Today I want to preach about preaching. Preaching is not just for preachers in the pulpit or for that matter for who are pictured on this pulpit. You don’t need to be able to fill Madison Square Garden to be an effective preacher. A preacher doesn’t even need to be a great speaker. A preacher needs only one thing, and that one thing you all have. All anyone needs to preach is to know Jesus

The words of Saint John are not all high theology. He opens his first letter by noting how easy it is to preach: “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon and touched with our hands, concerning the word of life… that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you may have fellowship with us; and our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.”

Those who preach have the Word, and that means all of us can preach. If you believe in Jesus, you can talk about him. And that makes you a preacher.

A question might be: How do I speak about Jesus? Speaking about Jesus is actually not that different than speaking about anything else. Whenever I go to a party I prepare a few talking points so that no matter who I encounter I will have something to say. I pick a few things that are relevant to the time of year or the party I am at, things that I also enjoy talking about and can talk about for 5 minutes to anyone.

Its easy, and its something that I think can work equally well when trying to figure out how to talk about Jesus.

This Christmas season is very special at Saint Mary’s, its full of things to talk about to anyone: friends, families, people who are visiting the church and have wondered into Coffee Hour. Here’s three things that anyone can speak about to anyone else:

1) Tonight we are offering a service of Lessons and Carols for the first time. It’s a wonderful service, full of great hymns and you get to hear all of the best Christmas readings.

2) Looking for something to do on New Year’s Day – the most boring day of the year? Well, come to Saint Mary’s! We are one of the few churches in the city offering a great service on a day that everyone can go. The Saint Mary’s Singers will debut at Solemn Mass and we’ll get to sing some of the best known Christmas hymns.

3) At the end of Christmastide our Sunday School is going to put on an Epiphany Pageant. I can personally guarantee it will be the most entertaining and also the shortest children’s pageant you’ve ever been to.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us and filled us with grace, even grace upon grace.

What if every Christian felt so full of grace and so full of the Word of God that abides with us, that the Word could no longer be contained? I think that every Sunday the church would look and feel a little more like Christmas.

Sermon for the second Sunday of November, 2008

At Saint Mary’s every year, the first week of November is devoted to parish requiem masses. We remember friends and family who have died and are now with our Lord. Members and friends of the parish submit the names of those people and those names are read, hundreds and hundreds of them, at the masses following All Souls’ Day.

Reading those names is always difficult for me. Its not the number: almost all of the names are people I have never met. It’s the occasional name that you do know: suddenly a name comes up and you know exactly who it is.

Eileen. Eileene Whittle, a beloved parishioner who died a little over a year ago. Eileen attended daily Mass and took care of the altar linens with love and devotion. She was one of the sweetest people I’ve ever met.

Max. Max Henderson-Begg. Max was the Verger at Saint Thomas on Fifth Avenue, where my father is rector. He was 46 years old and was survived by his son and wife. I knew Max for about 10 years. He was a wonderful man and a good friend.
Sometimes a name is read and it reminds me of someone I knew and miss.

Keith. One of my best friends in high school who died of Leukemia soon after graduation.

Paul. My uncle who died at age 32, leaving 3 children and his wife behind.

My God it can be difficult to read those names. I can only imagine how hard it can be to hear them being read off. Name after name for almost 10 minutes.

Saint Paul writes: “We would not have you ignorant, brethren, concerning those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep.”


I find it difficult to let go of grief. I have hope in the resurrection. I know that those who have already fallen asleep are with Jesus, and I know that I will one day see them again. I’m not sure hope makes grief any easier – as far as I can tell Christians grieve and mourn loved ones as much as everyone else. However, hope in the resurrection means that grief isn’t an end in itself.

When I remember Max, I think of the day he so suddenly died and it makes me very sad. But that sadness doesn’t have the last word. Hope in the resurrection and the love of God means that I can move through grief to new life in Christ instead of just moving on and letting go.

Saint John reminds us that: “God is Love.” Saint Paul assures us that: “Love never ends”. I believe that Christians gather to celebrate love. Love for everyone that has ever entered into our lives and the love of God that never ends. Through the Love of God in Christ we are given the gift of eternal life. Through the resurrection of Jesus Christ we are never separated from God or from each other. Because of the love of God I can see smiles and laughter on the other side of grief.

Our readings today put Christian hope of the resurrection in the context of being prepared for the unexpected. It is impossible to know what tomorrow will bring. In my life, prayer has made a big difference moving through all of life’s ups and downs. I believe that prayer can help open our hearts to God’s presence so that no matter what we always know that God is with us.

May we always feel and know ourselves to be surrounded by God’s love and presence. May God bless us and keep us and may the love of our Lord Jesus Christ shine brightly upon us and on those we love. Amen.

All Saints' Day 2008

One of the things that I like most about Saint Mary’s is that all major feasts are celebrated when they actually occur. There is a venerable tradition of moving some feasts to Sunday so that everyone can be present for the feast, and in many churches this seems appropriate sometimes. Saint Mary’s is a special place, where it’s possible to celebrate every feast on the date on which it falls, and I am thankful for that. Our celebration of any major feast begins, whenever possible, the night before. This is commonly referred to as the Eve of the particular feast. This year, All Saints’ Day, November 1st , falls on a Saturday, and it will be observed at our noonday services that day, but our primary celebration will be Friday night, October 31st, the Eve of All Saints’ Day.

There is some disagreement over the origin of the feast of All Saints. It has been celebrated on a number of different dates. In the eastern churches a festival for all the martyrs (eventually all the saints) has been celebrated since the time of St. John Chrysostom (d. 407 AD) on the Sunday after Pentecost. In the western church it has also been celebrated on November 1 and May 13. Many argue that the date of November 1 was chosen since it was the date of the Celtic New Year and other important Roman pagan celebrations, and the Christian observance of All Saints’ Day on that date began in Ireland or England and was eventually adopted by the rest of the western Church. While there are a number of instances where the dating of Christian feasts matches important local non-Christian celebrations, there is often stronger evidence that many Christian feasts date from events that happened in important churches. It is with this in mind that others would argue that the dates of November 1 and May 13 correspond to important events in churches in Rome.

At the start of the seventh century, the, at the time abandoned, Pantheon in Rome was given by the emperor to the bishop of Rome. On May 13, 609 (or 610?), the Pantheon was dedicated as the Church of Saint Mary and All Martyrs. The event was quite memorable, as Adolf Adam writes in The Liturgical Year: “On the day of consecration the pope had twenty-eight wagonloads of martyrs’ bones brought to the church from the catacombs. The antiphons of the old rite for the dedication of a church may refer to that triumphant act of translation; one of them, for example reads: ‘rise up, saints of God, from your dwellings; sanctify this place and bless the people!’” It sounds like an unforgettable event, and events like this are often the source of major annual celebrations, in this case for all martyrs, that eventually spread beyond the source church. A similar event (likely without quite as many bones or wagons) occurred about one hundred years later, between 731–741, when a chapel for All Saints’ was built in Saint Peter’s Basilica in Rome. It is believed that the chapel may have been dedicated on November 1, and from this dedication an annual feast spread north, reaching England by the end of the century, where it is attested by the middle of the eighth century. By the middle of the ninth century November 1 was confirmed as the official celebration for All Saints’ by the Holy Roman Emperor Louis the Pious.

Why is there disagreement about who started the feast and attached it to November 1? I am not sure. I think the simple answer is to say that Christians just used an existing date, but I’m not sure the simple answer is always the correct answer. There is no indication at all in Adam’s book that would lead one to think the feast developed anywhere other than at Rome, and significantly, Adam is a Roman Catholic, writing for Roman Catholics. On the other hand, the most popular sources on the web for “facts and history” (the History Channel and Wikipedia), do not mention at all the history of the different dates or reasons for them and assume that the date was mandated for the entire western church by the bishop of Rome simply to replace a popular pagan feast in the north-western-most part of the church. The Oxford Commentary on the 1928 American Prayer Book is careful to note both possibilities, but makes the case for only one: the date of November 1 probably was the date that the chapel was dedicated in Rome and it was a convenient coincidence that there also was pagan feast in England on the same date.

In any event, the church today celebrates All Saints’ Day on November 1. The Right Reverend Mark S. Sisk, Bishop of New York, will be with us as celebrant and preacher this year for Solemn Pontifical Mass on the Eve of All Saints’ Day, October 31, at 6:00 PM. This year All Saints’ Day and Halloween should be very special, and I hope you will be able to join us.

Evensong Sermon for October 26, 2008

The prophet Haggai was active after the Jews returned from exile in Babylon. The situation is fairly straightforward. The people have come back and have rebuilt their homes, but they have not yet rebuilt the destroyed temple. Haggai’s message is not one of condolence, but rather one of reprimand. Why is it, the Lord asks, after having been back for a number of years, that the people have managed to build for themselves beautiful homes, while the temple remains in ruins?

Presumably the Jews returning to Jerusalem meant to rebuild the temple as soon as they were settled in, but year after year passed and the project was continually put off. In modern day terms, we refer to that as deferred maintenance. We recognize that there is a problem, but now is not a good time to deal with the problem; maybe next year there will be enough time, maybe next year there will be enough resources. We’ll get it done eventually…

The question that I want to ask is this: Does it really matter that much if you are willing to put it off in the first place?

But I’m not sure that’s fair. Every organization, every group, ever family, and every individual has priorities. In the real world, sometimes things that shouldn’t slip through the cracks still manage to slip through the cracks. I’m not sure how helpful it is to question someone’s commitment because things aren’t what they should be. I think a better way of approaching a problem is this: “Here is a problem, now lets get through it together.” That’s is Haggai’s approach, and I think it’s a good one. He encourages the people to follow through on the commitment they already have.

Its not a secret that the economy is a mess right now. Its not a secret that everyone is looking at their priorities and trying to figure out what really matters. At the top of my list is my commitment to spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and I believe that’s probably the same for all Christians. Why? I have never been let down by the Lord, he has always been by my side and that has been most obvious when the world seems the darkest and most difficult. I hope nobody questions the commitment that you and I have to Jesus and to his church.

Of course, I’m concerned about the future, but worries and difficult times don’t change my commitment to Jesus or my commitment to making sure that Saint Mary’s continues being the wonderful place that it is.

Our stewardship campaign for 2009 begins in the next few weeks. Last year was a great success because so many people love this wonderful church and want to see it thrive. I hope you will join me in continuing to support Saint Mary’s mission of spreading the good news of Christ to the people of Times Square and New York City. Money is always helpful, but please don’t assume that’s the only way to support the church or its mission. In my opinion, the best way to support any church is to tell someone why you love the Lord and why you love the church. Then Jesus and Saint Mary’s will be at the top of their list of priorities too.

All Saints' Day (next week) - SMV Angelus Article for October 26

One of the things that I like most about Saint Mary’s is that all major feasts are celebrated when they actually occur. There is a venerable tradition of moving some feasts to Sunday so that everyone can be present for the feast, and in many churches this seems appropriate sometimes. Saint Mary’s is a special place, where it’s possible to celebrate every feast on the date that it falls, and I am thankful for that. Our celebration of any major feast begins, whenever possible, the night before. This is commonly referred to as the Eve of the particular feast. This year, All Saints’ Day, November 1st , falls on a Saturday, and it will be observed at our noonday services that day, but our primary celebration will be Friday night, October 31st, the Eve of All Saints’ Day.

There is some disagreement over the origin of the feast of All Saints. It has been celebrated on a number of different dates. In the eastern churches a festival for all the martyrs (eventually all the saints) has been celebrated since the time of St. John Chrysostom (d. 407 AD) on the Sunday after Pentecost. In the western church it has also been celebrated on November 1 and May 13. Many argue that the date of November 1 was chosen since it was the date of the Celtic New Year and other important Roman pagan celebrations, and the Christian observance of All Saints’ on that day began in Ireland or England and was eventually adopted by the rest of the western Church. While there are a number of instances where the dating of Christian feasts matches important local non-Christian celebrations, there is often stronger evidence that many Christian feasts date from events that happened in important churches. It is with this in mind that others would argue that the dates of November 1 and May 13 correspond to important events in churches in Rome.

At the start of the seventh century, the, at the time abandoned, Pantheon in Rome was given by the emperor to the bishop of Rome. On May 13, 609 (or 610?), the Pantheon was dedicated as the Church of St. Mary and All Martyrs. The event was quite memorable, as Adolph Adams writes in The Liturgical Year: “On the day of consecration the pope had 28 wagonloads of martyrs’ bones brought to the church from the catacombs. The antiphons of the old rite for the dedication of a church may refer to that triumphant act of translation; one of them, for example reads: ‘rise up, saints of God, from your dwellings; sanctify this place and bless the people!’” It sounds like an unforgettable event, and events like this are often the source of major annual celebrations, in this case for all martyrs, that eventually spread beyond the source church. A similar event (likely without quite as many bones or wagons) occurred about one hundred years later, between 731-741, when a chapel for All Saints’ was built in Saint Peter’s Basilica in Rome. It is believed that the chapel was may have been dedicated on November 1, and from this dedication an annual feast spread north, reaching England by the end of the century, where it is attested by the middle of the eighth century. By the middle of the ninth century November 1 was confirmed as the official celebration for All Saints’ by the Holy Roman Emperor Louis the Pious.

Why is there disagreement about who started the feast and attached it to November 1? I am not sure. I think the simple answer is to say that Christians just used an existing date, but I’m not sure the simple answer is always the correct answer. There is no indication at all in Adams’ book that would lead one to think the feast developed anywhere other than at Rome, and significantly, Adams is a Roman Catholic, writing for Roman Catholics. On the other hand, the most popular sources on the web for “facts and history” (the History Channel and Wikipedia), do not mention at all the history of the different dates or reasons for them and assume that the date was mandated for the entire western church by the bishop of Rome simply to replace a popular pagan feast in the north-western-most part of the church. The Oxford Commentary on the 1928 American Prayer Book is careful to note both possibilities, but makes the case for only one: the date of November 1 probably was the date that the chapel was dedicated in Rome and it was a convenient coincidence that there also was pagan feast in England on the same date.

In any event, the church today celebrates All Saints’ Day on November 1. The Right Reverend Mark S. Sisk, Bishop of New York, will be with us as celebrant and preacher this year for Solemn Pontifical Mass on the Eve of All Saints’ Day, October 31 at 6:00 PM. This year All Saints’ Day and Halloween should be very special, and I hope you will be able to join us.

Prophet Class Update

The Wednesday Night Dinner and Bible Study continued this week. We have finished reading about Samuel and we will begin to study prophets found in the narrative concerning David and Solomon. It was fascinating reading only about Samuel.

Children at Saint Mary's

This past Sunday we had 7 kids in the SMV nursery! The parish is growing in every way imaginable right now. Sunday School met for the second week and was once again a success. Thanks to Deacon Fox and Ms. Minor for their amazing efforts!

Sermon for Sunday, October 19, 2008

We have schedule cards placed around the church. One side features the weekly schedule, the rest is devoted to basic information about the church.

In the summer of 2004 the Republican National Convention met in New York, and, as they always are in elections years, people were anxious and on edge. You could sense feelers going out from people, probing the same question: which side are you on? During the Convention and for the next few months afterwards, Father Beddingfield, a curate here until a year ago, and now rector at a church in DC, came up with a schedule card that, I think, cut right through all of the anxiety and brought to the forefront what really matters.

On the front of the card, above a graphic of the church, in big bold letters read:

There is neither Republican nor Democrat,
there is neither Conservative nor Liberal,
there is neither Federalist nor Anarchist;
for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

Its that season again, and on top of the anxiety about the future that the election will bring, there is additional anxiety about the future of the economy. The card that Father Beddingfield produced had a wonderful affect. It reminded me, and I imagine many of you as well, that we are one in Christ, no matter what side we are on. It was a reminder that anxiety for the future doesn’t override the reality that we are and will always be one in Christ.

I think the Gospel passage today offers a related reminder. The Gospel story isn’t about money, it isn’t about whether or not Jesus has a tax policy that the Pharisees find agreeable or offensive. Its about which side Jesus is on. Is he for Caesar or is he against him? If Jesus says taxes should be paid to Rome, then he is Roman enabler and a supporter of the foreigners who have conquered and are oppressing his own people. If Jesus says taxes should not be paid to Rome, then he is a revolutionary who could be reported to the government for insurrection and treason. Our translation refers to this as a test, but I think it could just as well be called a trap.

Jesus does not fall into the trap. The money is made in Caesar’s likeness and image, so let him have it. But you are made in the image of God, so give yourself to God. I think that the image and likeness theme found in today’s Gospel is statement made by Jesus about every single one of us. A statement that cuts through anxiety of choosing sides and worrying about tomorrow by asking the question: Who are you really? And then giving an answer.

When I hear Jesus’ words today, I think of the opening chapter of Genesis where we read: God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. . . So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them." A few chapters later after the expulsion from paradise and the horrifying story of Kane and Able, the same turn of phrase is used about the descendants of these original humans. We read: “Adam became the father of a son in his own likeness, after his image, and named him Seth.”

I think that it important that that image, that likeness doesn’t wear off over time.
It isn’t worn down when life gets difficult or times get hard.
It isn’t even wiped out or removed by sin.
It passes from one generation to another and supports the Psalmists claim that we are children of God.

I’m anxious about the election. I’m anxious about the economy. But that anxiety is greatly calmed when I remember that my primary identity isn’t a citizen of this great country. My primary identity isn’t someone who works for a living. My primary identity isn’t an Episcopal priest. And it isn’t even as a devoted husband and father. All of those things are very important to me and they identify me, but who am I really?

Like all people, I am made in the image and likeness of God, I am a child of God and through Baptism, I become part of Christ’s body, and I am adopted and made an heir in the heavenly kingdom, and I know that God’s love will always be with me. I know that even when things get rough, when I get anxious, when everyone around me is worried about the future, that today and always I will remain in the image and likeness of God. I will remain forever part of the body of Christ. I will always be blessed to cry out to God as Father. And I know the same is true about all of you.

That’s why when we give ourselves to God we can praise Jesus when life is good and also when our hearts are troubled. And that’s why we can praise Jesus together even when we want to divide and take sides. We are all able to cry out to God together as Our Father.

A Prayer for the Sick

Gracious and loving God, bless and sanctify your servants who suffer from sickness, fill them and all who watch over them with your Holy Spirit with strength and love, and let the face of your Son shine with love upon them, now and for ever. Amen.

A Prayer of Thanskgiving

Almighty God, Heavenly Father, through your only-begotten Son you have offered us eternal life and salvation; on this day and every day we offer you thanks for all the blessings of this life: through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God for ever and ever. Amen.

Evensong Sermon for October 12, 2008

YEAR 2, PROPER 23, SUNDAY, EVENSONG & BENEDICTION:
JEREMIAH 36:1-10; 1 CORINTHIANS 4:9-16, JOHN 14:1-7

My day began at 4AM when my son Liam woke up – he didn’t want anything, he just didn’t want to sleep. When I came downstairs to begin setting up for church, I found out that the Red Sox – I am from Boston – lost last night’s playoff game by one run in extra innings. After morning prayer, I discovered that our child care expert wasn’t coming in. When she didn’t show up on time, I assumed, and later confirmed that she was sick. Five minutes before Solemn Mass began, I discovered that we were short a thurifer. At the last minute we had to adjust all of the acolytes and the effects of that rippled throughout Solemn Mass.

This morning ranks as one of my favorite Sunday mornings since I have been at Saint Mary’s. You might not think it was an ideal morning for me, but it was. All of those difficulties are small potatoes compared to what really happened today.

Because the nursery wasn’t staffed, I got to receive communion with my son. He’s not quite 2. When he says the chalice, he points at it and says: Beer. As a baptized Christian he is part of this community as much as anyone else, even if he doesn’t always get all the details, and there is nothing quite like the experience sitting next to him at our Lord’s Table.

We began Sunday School for children for the first time in years. We had four kids – we have the potential for six, and I’m thrilled. They are three and four years old. Maybe they can’t explain adequately the position of Saint Abelard on the Atonement, but I think they understand what really matters. They learned that through Jesus they were not only children of Abraham but also children of God.

Solemn Mass – for all the stress that it began with – was wonderful. I can’t tell you how happy it makes me to see parents bring their children to the front so they can see, and today this happened. Everyone from the youngest to the oldest was able to worship Jesus Christ who died and rose for all of us. It was marvelous.

Tonight we read from Jeremiah and from Saint Paul. Both of them had more bad days than most people. He lived through the collapse of the kingdom of Judah, but in the midst of that, he was also an outcast among his own people. Things had gotten so bad for Jeremiah that he has been banned from visiting the temple. The scroll that he writes and sends to be read ends up being burned by the king. Eventually Jeremiah gets put in prison, and remains there while the kingdom crumbles.

Likewise, Paul has gone through some hard times: he writes: “To the present hour we hunger and thirst, we are ill-clad and buffeted and homeless, and we labor, working with our own hands.” He says he is reviled, persecuted, slandered, and has become refuse to the entire world.

Yet both Jeremiah and Paul recognized that having a bad day – or a bad week or a bad year – wasn’t a reason to stop spreading the good news of God’s love to others, they didn’t let bad news ruin the joy of seeing the love of God radically affect and change people. Neither Paul nor Jeremiah stopped preaching because they were rejected. Neither stopped when things didn’t go as planned. Why?

For me the answer is summed up in the reading we will hear at Benediction. Jesus says: “Let not your hearts be troubled; believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And when I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.”

When things don’t go perfectly, when things seem like they are falling apart, I think of this reading. As a Christian, what matters for me is that God loves me so much that he will never let anything separate me from his love. No matter what may trouble our hearts, Jesus is preparing a place for all of us: that’s what matters. As a kid I got that. It was a great day because the kids we had today in Sunday School get that too. I hope and pray that no matter what is going on in our lives, we are all able to get that, and also experience what its like to pass that great news on to someone else.

The Diocese

A rendering of the (finished) Cathedral of Saint John the Divine in New York. The Cathedral remains unfinished.

No Christian exists in a vaccuum. Therefore, no church should exist in a vaccuum. The local church, its members and clergy, is involved in the Diocese in a number of ways. Diocesan assements, paid by each church, support most of the work done on the Diocesan level, including but not limitted to outreach, programs, staff, and of course supporting congregations that cannot support themselves.

As a priest in the Diocese, I think it is important to be involved as a leader in the Diocese, as much as I am able to. I serve (a 3 year elected term) on Diocesan Council. And I am currently appointed to the Congregational Support Plan Committee and the Commission on Ministry. The work is time consuming but important.

I think its important for both clergy and lay people to seek positions of leadership in the local church and also in the Diocese. Is that something you might be called to do?

Sunday Adult Forum (Christian Essentials 2008 1a & 2008 1b)

Saint Jerome & the Lion

Last Sunday the adult forum began. The topic for October is the Bible. The first two classes, which I am leading, focus on the Bible as we have recieved it. Last week we discussed what it means that the Bible is a translation. How do we get from Greek and Hebrew (and other things) to English? What is the difference between this translation and that translation? Why do we use the translation (RSV) that we do?

This Sunday we will focus on where the texts that we have come from. Why do we have four Gospels? Do they agree? Do they disagree? What does it mean? It should be a lot of fun.

Sunday classes meet in the Mission House (133 West 46th Street) at 10AM.

Bible Study on the Prophets

Michelangelo's Moses

On Wednesday the Wednesday Night Bible Study resumed. This year we are studying the prophets (all of them!). - Last year we read all of Saint Paul's writings.

For the opening class we looked at what a prophet is, and we saw some examples in the Biblical texts of who were called prophets (Abraham is the first person refered to as a prophet!). The bulk of the class looked at Moses, the prophet-par-excellence in the OT, and how the role of a prophet in Israelite society is spelled out in Deuteronomy. We concluded by looking briefly at the activities of some prophets in the period of the Judges (Deborah and the man of God in Gideon's time). Next week we will study the activities of Samuel.

Of note is the fact that these prophets all have roles within the centralized government (such as it was), which contrasts greatly with the more peripheral roles of many of the prophets we will later study.

The class is Wednesdays at 7PM in the Mission House (133 West 46th Street).

Primary Things Liturgical Conference

Saint Mary's offered a liturgical conference for clergy on Michaelmas 2008. Bishop Frank Griswold was keynote speaker - he lectures on Priests, Pastors and Teachers. Father Gerth (rector at SMV) offered a lecture on clergy as the Servants of the Assembly. The Parish clergy offered a practicum on why we do what we do at low mass at Saint Mary's (the practicum was called Details Matter).

I thought it was fantastic! For more information, see Saint Mary's Website, archives section. The next Primary Things conference will be scheduled soon.

The Revised Common Lectionary

Follow this link for an analysis of the RCL (compared the 1979 BCP) that I did a year ago. The complete article was published in "The Anglican" this past summer and it has been puiblished on the Saint Mary's website for about a year.

http://images.acswebnetworks.com/1/49/RevisedCommonLectionaryAnalysis.pdf

Sunday School at Saint Mary's

Sunday School for Children resumes at Saint Mary's this Sunday, October 14, 2008 at 10AM.

Marian Hymn Sing & Oktoberfest

"O Maria!"

The second annual Marian Hymn Sing and Oktoberfest was a smashing success! We had 45 people in attendance; the food and German beverages were delicious, the hymns were sung with gusto, and we all learned a great deal about Marian Theology and our wonderful church organ (thank you James Kennerley!).

Hope you can make it next year!

Blog Update

I have retooled this blog. I will continue to add sermons and homilies. However, in an effort to keep this site more active, I will also add other information that I hope will be helpful.

Baby Steps

YEAR 2, PROPER 9 (14TH WEEK OF ORDINARY TIME), THURSDAY, MASS:
PSALM 80:1-7, HOSEA 11:1-9; MATTHEW 10:7-15

Our Gospel today is part of a larger section of what it means to be an apostle (someone who is sent out by Christ to proclaim the good news of God's salvation). yesterday, Jesus sent out the Twelve Apostles two-by-two and gave them specific instructions about who to preach to and who not to preach to. They were only to go to the people of Israel, not to any foriegners or people who were different from them. Today, more instructions are added. They are told what to bring and what not to bring. They are told not to waste their time on people who won't listen to them, but to move on and only spread the word to those who will listen.

I think that it is very important to note that this is the first time Jesus sends out the Apostles, but it is not the last. Saint Matthew's Gospel ends with the great commission, when all of the disciples are sent out to every person and all nations. In the Acts of the Apostles, we see how this plays out. Saint Peter and Saint Philip not only preach to but convert foriegners. Saint Paul does not give up when people do not listen to him and often returns to places that he has been persecuted in. The restrictions have been removed. Why?

I think an example from life at Saint Mary's may be helpful. Three years ago we had a Nursery that was open some Sundays. It was located in a small room without windows. It was far from ideal. My sister visited the church one Sunday with her two children and told me that she would not come to this church because we didn't have a nursery open the Sunday she visited. To address this need, we moved the mursery to a larger space and did what we could to make sure it was open most Sundays. I'm happy to say that today I hired a professional child care worker who will run our Nursery every Sunday and on a number of Feast Days. The result has been that we have more and more children her each Sunday. Three years ago, it would not have been possible to hire someone that was a professional. It would have been too expensive, too much of a gamble. It took - pun intended - baby steps. We started small and worked our way to a situation that is ideal now. I pray that we will continue to grow soon have to hire a second professional child care worker.

Even the Apostles learned how to walk before they could run. They first learned how to preach to people who were like them and who were willing to listen, soon they were able to preach to people who were different and even patiently return to those who had rejected them the first time around. Evangelism is no different than anything in Christian life. I didn't wake up one day and start saying morning and evening prayer. I didn't wake up one morning with the ability to preach nine different sermons in a week. I started started by saying my prayers at night and taking classes on daily preaching in Seminary. Whether you are grow in your prayer life, or as someone who does lots of charty and outreach, or as someone who welcomes new people to the church; I think it is a good idea to start small and learn the basics before taking on too much.

Two by Two

YEAR 2, PROPER 9 (14TH WEEK OF ORDINARY TIME), WEDNESDAY, MASS:
PSALM 105:1-7, HOSEA 10:1-3,7-8,12; MATTHEW 10:1-7


Today's Gospel account narrates the first time the Twelve apostles are sent out by Jesus. They are named in pairs. Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zeb'edee, and John his brother; Philip and Bartholomew... and so on. Traditionally, this pairing has been seen to indicate that the apostles were sent out in pairs.

I think its very important to note that the apostles were not sent out alone. Christians go through good and bad times, times of clear faith and also times of deep doubt. Recall that even Saint Peter denied Jesus, and he did that when all the other disciples had fled and he alone had followed Jesus.

I need the support of those around me, just as the apostles, like Saint Peter did. Whatever work you and I do in the name of Jesus Christ our Savrior, I pray that we may be supported and surrounded by other Christians who can show the love of God to us and to others in ways that you and I might not be able to do alone.

The Spirit will tell you what to say.

Sermon Preached on Sunday June 29, 2008
Proper 7A, 8th Sunday after Pentecost

For the past few weeks I have found myself more and more out in the city in my clericals: the black suit and the collar. I have been at Saint Mary’s for four years, and I’m somewhat embarrassed to say that I have not gotten used to walking around the city dressed as a priest, nor have I gotten used to some of the comments that have been made on account of my appearance.

Almost every time I walk outside alone in my collar someone asks me for money. Usually I don’t have anything to give and I say that. I’d say about half the time that brings out an angry response. A couple of weeks ago a guy kept screaming at me as I walked down the block after I told him I didn’t have any money.

I’ve noticed on the subway that if I ignore someone asking for money, half of the train will give money. If I don’t ignore someone asking for money, nobody will give money.

I love being a priest, I think sometimes it is difficult being an obvious representative of the church. I find responding the comments that I get only because I am a priest, both good and bad comments, very difficult.

In our Gospel today Jesus gives his disciples a number of instructions before he sends them out. In particular, one instruction hit home to me. “do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say; for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour; for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.” As I said, I have rarely found it easy to find the right thing to say when I am greeted or confronted by a stranger simply because I am a priest. What am I supposed to say?

I don’t think that question is for the clergy alone. I would be surprised if any Christian had gone through his or her life without ever being questioned in a friendly manner or in a confrontational manner about the faith. I have been searching for some perfect response or turn of phrase, but I haven’t found anything yet. Somebody recently suggested that I should just give everyone the finger who bothers me. Certainly that would be unexpected, but I’m not sure that’s the ideal response.

As difficult as it might be, I think in sometimes the Spirit may be telling me to hold my tongue. At other times, speaking directly about my faith in Christ is called for and I think often it is through the power of the Spirit that we are able to speak about what we believe.

One thing is for sure. The apostles who were sent out by Jesus to spread the good news of the death and resurrection of Jesus didn’t go out assuming the Spirit would solve all of their problems. In the Acts of the Apostles, there is a story about one of Jesus’ disciples named Philip who encounters an Ethiopian eunuch. When the eunich questions him, Philip responds by interpreting the Scriptures for him and Often, Paul uses his knowledge of the Scriptures to speak about God’s love in Christ.

One of my favorite stores to buy clothes at is Symms. Aside from the good deals, the shopping bags they have are great: they have huge lettering that says” I am an educated consumer.” I think God is calling each of us to be educated Christians.

When I am questioned about my faith, I have found it very useful to be familiar with the Scriptures. I’ve found it very useful to be familiar with the history of the church. I believe that all of us will be confronted about our faith at some point. God will be with us if we ask him to be at those times, but in the meanwhile, I think it is wise to be familiar with our own faith. The summer has only begun, and I invite you to join a number of us who read the daily office here at Saint Mary’s. In my opinion it is the best way to become familiar with the Old and New Testament. I also invite you to look ahead to the Christian Education offerings beginning in September.

The Visitation

Sermon Preached on the Eve of the Visitation
May 30, 2008, Sung Mass.
In the grand scheme of things, celebration of the Visitation is fairly new. The earliest evidence of it is from 1263 when Saint Bonaventure ordered that it be celebrated by the Franciscans. Over the next hundred years, the feast was celebrated in more places because the Franciscans spread out to more places. The feast was mandated by Pope Urban VI for the whole church in 1389.

Urban was Pope at the beginning of what is now known as the Great Western Schism, which took place from 1378-1417 – this is different from the Great Schism between Eastern and Western Christianity in 1054. For political reasons, from 1309-1377 Avignon in France was the residence of the Pope. The Schism started when, on the death of Pope Gregory IX the last of the Popes who lived in Avignon, the cardinals elected Urban VI, an Italian, as pope, under pressure of the Roman populace who were sick of the Bishop of Rome living in France. Once elected Urban VI began a series of reforms and its said that he took on a very high opinion of himself and a very low opinion of everyone else. His desire to reform the church and his rapidly deteriorating relationship with the cardinals was quickly attributed to insanity. In a short time the cardinals left Rome and elected another pope, who settled in at Avignon and took the name Clement VII. There was immediately a split in the church as different nations chose different side. This situation lasted for twenty years as each side continued to support and elect Popes in both Rome and Avignon. In 1409, A council was convened in Pisa in the hope to settle the issue by electing someone that both sides could accept. This solution didn’t settle anything and resulted in three Popes: One in Pisa, one in Avignon, and one in Rome.

Finally the Council of Constance, which met from 1414 to 1418, settled the matter by accepting the resignation of one pope and deposed the other two. In the midst of this Schism Pope Urban VI ordered that the feast of the Visitation be celebrated throughout the church in the hope that Christ and his Mother would visit the church in the midst schism and bring peace and unity to a divided church.

That same theme of church unity between two other divided communities can be seen in the pages of Saint Luke’s account of Christ and the early church. In the Acts of the Apostles, Luke tells us about an encounter a Christian Group has with another group who had received the Baptism of John, but not the Baptism of Jesus. All followers of John the Baptist did not immediately follow Jesus or join the early church. Christians may have been surprised to find out that John’s followers were not necessarily Jesus’ followers. Even to John’s followers, Christians had to take on the role that John himself had played throughout his life as someone who points out who Jesus is to others, a role we are told John played from the very beginning. John leaps in the womb at the presence of Jesus and bears witness to Elizabeth. John took action and Elizabeth took note.

As we celebrate the Visitation, I think that each can follow John’s example. If we take action, I believe that others will take note. Prayer is a form of action. The church is divided today and I hope that we continue to pray that Christ and his Mother will visit us all and bring us peace and unity. Another way we can act and help bring about Christian Unity is by reaching out and supporting other churches that are doing different things than we are doing.

Last Friday I visited a Saint Ann’s Church in the South Bronx that cannot support itself. The neighborhood where the church is listed as the poorest congressional district in the entire United States. The church has over 400 members but only brings in about 25000 a year to keep the doors open and keep the building staffed. Through a wide array of grants they run a weekly soup kitchen, a daily food pantry, after school programs from over 100 children, and a number of other great programs. Their doors are kept open with money from churches like Saint Mary’s. We give over 80000 to the Diocese each year to support other churches and various regional programs. Different churches supply different needs and together I believe that they are more and more able to witness to the world about the love of God in Christ.

I do believe that when you and I take action, people will take note and they will know that our Lord Jesus Christ is present.

Gregory of Nazianzus

Sermon preached on Friday, May 9, 2008
EASTER 7, FRIDAY: ACTS 25:13-21, PSALM 103:1-6, JOHN 21:20-25

Today we celebrate the feast day of Saint Gregory of Nazianzus. Gregory was a bishop in the early church and one of a group of three Saints (Saint Basil the Great, Saint Gregory of Nissa, and Gregory of Nazianzus) known as the Capedocian Fathers. Their theological writings and sermons on subjects such as the Trinity and the Oneness of God were important in defending the church from various heresies that attempted to divide God or subjugate Jesus or the Spirit to the Father. In particular, Gregory is known for a series of five sermons that he preached on the Trinity and the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

Today's Gospel comes from the final chapter of John's Gospel. The three questions by Jesus about Peter's love for him mirror the three denials that Peter made during the Passion. Often, Jesus' command to Peter to "Feed my sheep" is used by bishops and other clergy for the care they are to give to Christ's flock, the church. I don't think we need to limit the care of those around us to clergy alone.

I think each of us can support other members of the church through the gifts that God has givne us. Gregory was a gifted preacher and theologian and he supported the church with those gifts and fed the people of God through the power of the Holy Spirit that filled him. My guess is that each of us is trying to use the gifts that God has given us to support and nurish the church and its members. This week, as we move toward Pentecost and the celebration of the Holy Spirit working in our lives, I hope that each of us can ask for guidance and help, to be filled with the power of the Spirit, that we might continue what we have begun, and also that we might find in ourselves gifts that we are not yet using to help spread the love of God to those around us.

Prayer & the Ascension

Sermon preached on Sunday, May 4, 2008.
YEAR A, EASTER 7: SUNDAY MASS
PSALM 47; ACTS 1:8-14; 1 PETER 4:12-19; JOHN 17:1-11


My wife, Nicole and I went to Sicily a week ago. We were there for a press trip featuring the health benefits of the Mediterranean Diet, specifically olive oil. I can tell you personally that I greatly benefited from eating the Mediterranean Diet in Sicily. I benefited by about 5 pounds over 7 days. (In all seriousness, the trip was fantastic, but the health benefits of the Mediteranian Diet will have to wait for a future sermon.) As wonderful a time as we had, I think we were both ready to leave after about the fifth day because we missed our son Liam – who is just about 18 month old. I knew he didn’t know where we were, I hoped he wanted us to come back, and I really hoped that when we did come back he would remember us. He did. I will never forget this hug he gave me when we got home.

While we were still in Sicily, I found my self praying for Liam more and more as the week progressed. In my life prayer is important. I pray for family and friends and the people I work with and go to church with. I pray for my enemies and those people who are enemies of the people I love. I pray the Daily Office with the clergy and sisters nearly every morning and evening here at Saint Mary’s. I pray at mass most days of the week and every Sunday. I pray alone. I pray with others. Why?

On Thursday we celebrated the Ascension of Jesus to the Father. The brief catechism at the back of the Prayer Book explains the Ascension as followed. “Jesus took our human nature into heaven where he now reigns with the Father and intercedes for us.” I believe that prayer is a very real way of experiencing the unity of humanity with God which is brought about through the Ascension of Jesus. I also find that prayer is a way of truly experiencing the unity of the body of Christ. No matter how far away from my family I might be, I know that we are part of the one Body of Christ, and when I pray for them, I experience that unity in a way that is difficult to describe. No matter how upset I might be with someone, if I pray for them I have a hard time holding onto the anger.

Some Christians take issue with praying for the dead or asking for the prayers of the saints. I do not. I am comfortable asking the saints for prayers. I pray for my friends and family who have died. On All Souls Day and for several days after the parish community prays by name for many of our loved ones who have died. I don’t think we do this to make ourselves feel better. I can only speak for myself, but I think prayer is one great way that we experience our oneness – that is not broken even by death – with God in Christ and with all of the members of the Body of Christ throughout history. That is the power of the resurrection and ascension of Jesus.

Today’s Gospel is a selection of Jesus’ great prayer to the Father from the Gospel according to John. He prays for his disciples. This is the last thing he will do before arriving in the Garden of Gethsemane where he will undergo the Passion. In our reading from the Acts of the Apostles, we find out what happens immediately after Jesus’ ascension. The Eleven, the blessed Virgin Mary, the other women, and all of the disciples gather together and pray.

It may have sounded like my prayer life is perfectly structured, but its not. Aside from those times where I am scheduled to be in church on Sundays and during the week, I always find it difficult to keep up my prayer life. There are days when I don’t say my prayers. I know it can be a challenge to build up a life of prayer beyond nighttime and Sunday morning prayers. I think its worth taking that challenge on and I hope that each of us can continue to pray and teach those around us to pray.

Local Congregational Support & Mission

Sermon preached April 6, 2008.
YEAR 2, EASTER 3, SUNDAY EVENSONG $ BENEDICTION:
DANIEL 4:1-18, 1 JOHN 2:7-17, EZEKIEL 37:1-14

Tonight we read a passage from the First Letter of John. The First Letter of John is, in a sense, a follow-up to the Gospel of John. One struggle in the Johannine community which is reflected in the Gospel is between those who believe in Jesus and those who do not: those who believe in and follow the way of the Word made flesh compared to those who walk in the ways of the world. The First Letter of John seems to deal with a situation within the Johannine church. Some believe it is enough simply to believe in Jesus; the writer reminds them that they were given a commandment to love one another. In short, belief in the Word made flesh translates into action mirroring what Jesus himself did: loving one’s brother and sister in Christ and also showing the love of God to the whole world, just like Jesus did.

The passage read tonight reminded me of a few things that happened on Thursday last week. While I was reading the final draft of the Angelus, I noticed a sentence in Father Smith’s paragraph about mission. He noted that someone had asked him why we at Saint Mary’s did not support any mission work done locally. It happened that as I was reading this paragraph, I was also printing out reports and minutes for a meeting I was going to at the Cathedral later that night. I serve on the Diocesan Council and on the Congregational Support Committee. Through these two organizations I know first hand that about half of the money that Saint Mary’s send – along with the mon y almost every church in the Diocese sends – as our annual assessment goes directly to supporting the work of our brothers in sisters in Christ throughout the Diocese.

In the next month, my work for the Congregational Support Plan Committee will take me to two different parishes in the Bronx. The first is in the poorest congressional district in the United States: it operates a soup kitchen, a food pantry, a drug treatment center, an after school program and a play ground. The second is in a different part of the Bronx: it operates a soup kitchen, a food pantry, and an after school program. Without the direct financial support given from the assessments of the parishes of the Diocese, these parishes, and a number of others like them would not be able to stay open.

Much of my work at Saint Mary’s revolves around Christian Education. I think that part of being an Educated Christian means knowing in what ways we are in fact supporting our brothers and sisters in Christ. In a very basic way, by pledging to Saint Mary’s or any church of the Diocese, you are ensuring that the mission of the Episcopal Diocese of New York is not limited to Midtown Manhattan.

Saint John reminds us that we are called not only to believe, but to love and support our brothers and sisters in Christ. There are many opportunities for mission and outreach at Saint Mary’s, I think that perhaps one that does great good is also the one that is often overlooked. I am looking– as I think we all are looking – for ways that to more actively live out the belief in Jesus that I have. I hope you will join me in pledging to Saint Mary’s. By supporting this church, we not only keep our own doors open in Times Square, we also continue to keep the doors open of churches throughout the Diocese.

Participation

Sermon Preached At Evensong & Benediction, March 9, 2008.
YEAR 2, LENT 5; SUNDAY EVENSONG AND BENEDICTION;
JEREMIAH 23:16-32, ROMANS 12:1-21, JOHN 10:1-16

Last Week Father Ryan Lesh, our visiting preacher, noted that, due to a variety of very powerful things that had happened in his life as a priest and a doctor, he was for the first time simply letting Lent happen. No additional devotions, not abstaining from anything. It’s a perspective that I’d not considered, but I think the same positive attitude can be taken towards Holy Week as well.

Saint Paul encourages the Roman Christian to present his or her body as a living sacrifice. In terms of presenting our bodies, I think that one way to do that is by physically partaking in the rites of Holy Week. Paul speaks about the church and its members and the Body of Christ with its many different members. On Palm Sunday, God willing and weather permitting, we are all invited to walk as one in procession through Times Square, witnessing to everyone present that we are indeed the Body of Christ. On Palm Sunday and again on Good Friday we the people are invited to take the part of Jesus in the Passion Narrative. On Maundy Thursday we are all invited to wash and be washed. On Easter we are invited to witness to the initiation of new people into the Body of Christ and also renew the covenant we made at baptism.

Saint Paul also encourages that we be transformed by the renewal of our minds. One of my favorite things about Holy Week is all of the great readings that we hear witnessing to who Jesus is and who we are in Christ. The great prophesies, the Passion Narratives, and the wonderful resurrection accounts are just the beginning.

I think we can all participate in mind and body this Holy Week and so fill our minds with the love of God in Scripture and present ourselves, our souls and bodies, as living witnesses to the power of our Lord Jesus Christ in our lives.

Devotions...

Today is the last Sunday after the Epiphany. Wednesday is Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent. Every Friday throughout Lent Saint Mary’s offers a devotion called Stations of the Cross. I happened to do a good amount of research into the Stations this past week on a whim and summed up some of what I found in a blurb in the Angelus.

There are a lot of different devotions or devotional services: the Rosary, Benediction, Stations of the Cross, The Watch following Maundy Thursday, and plenty of others. One of the things I find interesting about many of these devotions is that they are often without set form. They are often adapted to different parishes or individuals. For example, if you trace how people have done the Stations of the Cross throughout the last thousand years, you will find that many Christians walked a different amount of stations – sometimes as few as 7, sometimes as many as 35. The stations themselves have also varied. At one point there was a tradition of 7 Falls of Jesus. Apparently four of these falls were attached to individuals in some way assisting Jesus: his mother, Simon of Cyrene, Veronica, and the women of Jerusalem. Over time, these individuals overshadowed the fall itself leaving us with three falls and four encounters along the way.

There will always be people out there who will claim that Stations has always been done a certain way and that varying from that format means that you are not really doing it. I’ve heard of people complaining that we don’t do Benediction correctly because of this or that is out of order. That’s nonsense. What matters is that the devotion has in same way opened our hearts to the presence of God among us. How that happens means a great deal only because it is through the differences in our devotions and worship that God reaches different people in different ways.

I think that the is exactly the point of the Sundays after the Epiphany which points to several moments in the life and ministry of Jesus where he was revealed to different people in radically different ways. Jesus is revealed to those around him through astrological signs and ancient prophesies. He is revealed at his Baptism by the presence of the Holy Spirit and a voice from heaven. He is revealed through a number of different miracles, turning water into wine, healing and curing people, providing abundant food out of almost nothing.

Today we conclude this cycle with the transfiguration. I’ve always been amused that Saint Peter is the one who doesn’t seem to understand what’s going on. He wants to build some tents, presumably to keep this scene going for a while – maybe even recreate the forty days Moses spent with God on the Mountain. How Jesus is revealed to those around him means a great deal only because God reaches different people in different ways.

The apostles all encountered Christ in different ways, but they all preached the same message of the Love of God for all of us through the death and resurrection of Jesus. In all of the Gospel accounts it is only after encountering the risen Lord that the apostles were able to make sense of what they had seen and heard during Jesus’ ministry. I think for us today the same is true.

There are many different devotions, many different ways of doing church, many different ways of trying to help spread the love of God to others and reveal Christ. I think a two good Lenten questions to ponder and try to live out an answer to is this:
1) In what ways has Jesus been revealed to me?
2) I what ways can I reveal Jesus Christ to someone else?
Each of us has different answers to those questions and it is through those differences that the Good News of Christ continues to spread to new and different people every day.
1) In what ways has Jesus been revealed to me?
2) I what ways can I reveal Jesus Christ to someone else?

Fishing

Last Sunday, we heard Saint John’s narrative of the call of the first disciples. In that account, Jesus first disciples were directed to him by John the Baptist. One of those disciples, Andrew, went of his own accord and told his brother, Peter, about Jesus. Among other things, we are given the earliest examples of evangelism. Those who follow Jesus were all told about him by someone else.

Today, we heard Saint Matthew’s account of the call of the first disciples, and it was a bit different. In this narrative, Jesus himself approaches his future disciples, including Peter and Andrew, in the midst of their regular routine – they are hard at work fishing – and he simply says to them: “follow me.” They follow him.

One of the challenges of being a Christian comes from our own scriptural texts. They don’t always agree. One perspective held by many scholars today holds that Matthew and John are offering two different versions of the same initial call. On the other hand, most commentators in the early church held the view that the Gospel accounts each tell part of the story of Jesus – each adding details that the others do not contain. In this vein, Saint John Chysostom, archbishop of Constantinople at the turn of the 5th century A.D., offers a solution to this textual difficulty that I find particularly elegant.

Chysostom refers to Saint Matthew’s account of the call of the disciples as the second call. He notes that the first call, narrated by Saint John, occurs in the wilderness where John was baptizing. There, John the Baptist directs Andrew to Jesus, and in turn Andrew brings Peter to Jesus. Our gospel account today, narrated by Saint Matthew, takes place after John the Baptist has been arrested and put in prison. After hearing of John’s arrest, Jesus withdraws to Galilee while those initial disciples withdraw and return to work. Once Jesus begins preaching he again encounters Andrew and Peter – and James and John – and tells them to follow him. The fact that they will become fishers of men will mirror this process. Chrysostom says: “[Jesus] neither resisted them at first when they desired to withdraw from him, nor having withdrawn themselves, did he let them go altogether. He gave way when they moved aside from him and came again to win them back. This, after all, is exactly what fishing is all about.” Fishing is all about luring the fish over and over again until at last the fish is caught.

Some of my earliest memories are fishing with my father and my sister in Maine. We had a tiny boat and we would often fish for Flounder and Mackerel. Once, I remember my sister caught a lobster. She reeled in her line and there, holding onto the hook with its claw, was a lobster. When it got into the boat it let go – it was never caught, it seemed to have come willingly. If my sister could do that every time she dropped her lure into the water, she would be the greatest fisherman the world has ever seen. Sadly, that was the only time it ever happened. Every other time, when she or I or my father caught anything, it was either by dumb luck, snagging a fish that was just passing by, or through careful tired and true fishing techniques: dropping the lure into the water and waiting until a fish took note of it, moving it out of sight and then returning – over and over – until at last the fish just had to take a bite.

I like Chrysostom’s take because my experience of evangelism has been like fishing. Rarely have I seen an instantaneous conversion. I have met many people who have been directed to Christ by someone else. I, myself, am one of those people: told about Jesus by my parents, my friends, and my mentors; brought up and led by the hand towards Jesus much like Peter was led by Andrew. I have also met many people who in their middle of the daily routine have encountered Christ in a way that dramatically changed their lives. I am one of those people too: I have encountered Body of Christ in the world in ways that have deeply affected and changed me, surprised by grace in the middle of the mundane. The Christian that I am today and the vast majority of Christians that I encounter, however, have been shaped in both ways.

Like those first apostles, I believe that we have all been called to be fishers of men – called by our Lord to spread the good news of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ to every man, woman, and child that we encounter. But I also know that evangelism is rarely like catching a lobster on a fishing line. It takes time, it takes patience, and sometimes it takes luck.

God has filled every one of us with great gifts to use to spread the Gospel: We all have been given a different set of lures and fishing tackle. These gifts can come in the form of time or money to help further the mission of Saint Mary’s and other churches. My wife and I pledge at three different churches because we know that our support makes a difference and helps spread the Gospel to people we might never even meet. Every gift makes a difference.

Also, I think it’s a plus that we all are more comfortable fishing in different environments so that like the apostles, we can cover more ground and reach a greater variety of people. Saint Mary’s location in Times Square means that an enormous variety of people comes through the doors. One of us can meet someone here today and change a life in a way that the rest of us might not be able to. I think our differences are an enormous gift from God that we can use to spread the Gospel to other different people.

I also think its good that that we have time on our side. If we don’t have a productive day, there is always tomorrow or next week. Like every fisherman, we continue because we know today might bring another great catch. And tomorrow might too.

As each of us continues to be shaped by the power of the God coming into our lives, may God make evangelists of us all, give us power to use the gifts he has given to us to spread the Gospel, and fill us with the patience that his Son, Jesus Christ, showed with his own disciples. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Holy Name

At the start of my discernment for Ordination I met with the Reverend Anne Richards who was, at the time, Canon for Ministry in the Diocese of New York. At that meeting she asked me to tell her a brief history of my life and how I gotten to the point where I found myself sitting in her office, discerning the priesthood. I talked and talked and when I was finished, she said something to me that I have never forgotten.

She asked: “In all of that what didn’t you tell me about?” I didn’t know. “Jesus, you never mentioned the name of Jesus.”

“Oh”, I said, “I thought that was self-evident – I mean, it is after all the church, its all about Jesus.”

“No”, she replied. “Its never self evident. As a church leader, its always necessary to talk about Jesus, even when it might seem you don’t need to.”

Today we are celebrating the holy name of Jesus. To put it lightly, the name of Jesus is abused by many people in the world. Inserted into conversation as any other curse word might be. In my view, the use of the name of Jesus on the lips of many Christians is equally problematic. There are plenty of Christians who think that they don’t need to talk about Jesus because who he is and what he means is self evident to those they are speaking (or writing) to. I’m here today to tell you that it is not.

When we celebrate Christmas and the joy of Emanuel (God With Us), we are celebrating Jesus. Our Gospel is about one thing: telling others about Jesus. The angels told the good news of Jesus to the shepherds. The shepherds went and saw Jesus and went out spreading the good news of Jesus to others. Spreading the good news of Jesus didn’t stop there. John the Baptist witnessed to all Judea that Jesus was the Christ. The apostles witnessed Jesus risen from the dead and they spread that good news to others. Saint Paul encountered the risen Lord Jesus and it changed his life and he told everyone he encountered about Jesus, going so far as to write: at the name of Jesus every knee should bow.

At the start of this new year, I hope and pray that each of us can boldly proclaim the name of Jesus to those around us. Its never self evident. As a Christian, its always necessary to talk about Jesus, even when it might seem you don’t need to.