On this, the feast of St. Andrew

I have been negligent in posting... and I'd continue the trend, but instead, here is the sermon I preached on St. Andrew... It'll have to do for now!

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In the name of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Today we celebrate the feast of St. Andrew. Part of the oral tradition that surrounds the life of Andrew is remarkably similar to his brother Peter. Both were persecuted for their outspoken portrayal of the Gospel – for proclaiming the love of God – for continuing to live out and proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ after his death, resurrection and ascension. Both Peter and Andrew were crucified in their death, both telling their executioners that they were not worthy to be crucified on the same cross style as Jesus, and persuaded them to alter the shape. Peter was hung upside down; Andrew is believed to have been crucified on an X-shaped cross. And about 300 years later it was thought that St. Andrew's bones were moved from Greece to "the ends of the earth" - Scotland… To commemorate the saint, Scotlands flag is in the shape of an X shaped cross.

But truly very little is actually known about St. Andrew. We do know that he was one of the twelve. In all the stories where disciples were named, Andrew was among them. Andrew was there for the teachings of Jesus, the miracles of bringing hurting people to a state of wholeness, the lessons of love and compassion that pervaded every encounter.

He is our witness to the incarnate love of God in Jesus Christ.

Andrew is mentioned by name only 12 times in the New Testament. Each Gospel has an account like the reading today where Jesus calls the first disciples - so that is four. Each Gospel also has a list of who all of the disciples are when they have all been called - that's another 4. The Book of Acts names him as being there in the upper room when the disciples chose Matthias to replace Judas. That's nine of the 12 leaving just three other accounts of St. Andrew - but each of these accounts has something in common with the next and they all come from the Gospel according to St. John.

There is the parable that describes a number of Greeks who wish to speak with Jesus, they approach Philip, who tells Andrew, and the two of them tell Jesus. Also, according to the Gospel of St. John, Andrew is also responsible for bringing Simon Peter to meet the one whom he calls the messiah – to meet Jesus. And then finally before Jesus feeds the Five Thousand, it is Andrew who says, "Here is a kid with five barley loaves and two fish."

Andrew brings the Greeks to Jesus, he brings Simon Peter to Jesus and he brings the young boy to Jesus. On each occasion when he is mentioned as an individual, it is because he is instrumental in bringing others to meet Jesus. He is bringing other people into the loving presence of the incarnate God. Isn't that what we are all asked to do? Through our words and actions, show forth the love and compassion of the crucified, risen and ascended Lord? We are to bring the love of God to everyone we meet and to share the story of faith so that people feel comfortable exploring the great questions in life.

Now, I can't think of anytime in my life that I've been sought out by a teacher to study with them. On the contrary, I have had to fill out applications and go for interviews – all things that I initiated. But other students are quick to tell you who to study with! Teachers don't seem to seek out students –but that is what Jesus did. The great teacher, the Rabbi from Nazareth, seeks out and calls his disciples to him. And as we heard today, Jesus issues both a command and a promise. The command to "Follow Me" is fairly straight forward.

But I think we do a great disservice to this story if we look at it merely in terms of fishing metaphors and desires to go out and convert people. One of the truly remarkable parts of the story is not only the promise to make them fishers of people, but the simple fact that these men, these fully employed, middle class men saw something so remarkable in Jesus of Nazareth, that they were willing to drop everything that they were doing to follow him. They were willing to let go of their possessions to follow this call from God. If you remember in the story, Andrew, Peter, James and John never actually say anything. They don't ask "where are we going" or "what do you want us to do" they simply get up and go. Jesus engendered such an incredible trust and hope that these men knew by faith that this is what they had to do. The next years of their lives are filled with everyday moments that became extraordinary through the teachings of Jesus. The miracles of wholeness; of trust; and of faith that they were witnesses to, and took part in.

This is how we honour the memory of the apostle named Andrew: by remembering his name as we tell the story of Jesus, the One who called both Andrew... AND US into the Jesus story and the never-ending love of God.

Amen

God and Palm Fronds

Picture it…

A young (well young is a relative term…) naïve, curious me walks into a church, my Baptist childhood roots trailing behind me. It’s a strange world filled with palm fronds hanging from the window ledges, in front of the altar, festooned around the pews and the pillars and strewn all over the carpeted aisles. I entered a strange world of church on Palm Sunday. A world with a community filled with compassion and of those actively living out the Gospel in their daily lives – well doing their best to do this! Then the invitation went out to attend services every night in Holy week, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday… The Gospel story stirred something deep within my being. It awoke a part of me that hadn’t felt life in such a long time. I took them up on the invitation. I came to the services – all of them – and I never looked back. That’s part of my story. Part of how I was reintroduced to God, to Christ, to community – to Church. That was 5 years ago.

Here’s what amuses for me. This story has now been adopted into the collective narrative of the church. It is my story, it is my entrance into the Anglican Church, but the parishioners have adopted it as “our” story. When they want to talk about successfully welcoming someone to the church – they tell this story. When they introduce me to visiting clergy – they tell this story. When they meet new parishioners – people who have just walked into the church for the first time in years or the first time ever, they tell this story. My story, has become our story – and I wouldn’t have it any other way. This community has helped shape me, has walked with me in darkness, sorrow, joy, pain you name it. They are my family, and I love them.

Someone just sent me this photo… This is Palm Sunday at St. George’s On-The-Hill. This is what I walked into. This is where the stories came back to life. Thanks be to God!

Affirmation of Faith

I found this quite lovely. I sometimes peruse the volunteer opportunities with the Iona Community - dreaming of when I can go back - the place calls me home... I miss it!

Here is the Affirmation of Faith as found in the August edition of the Coracle which is the quarterly magazine of the Iona Community

We believe that God is present
in the darkness before dawn;
in the waiting and uncertainty
where fear and courage join hands,
conflict and caring link arms,
and the sun rises over barbed wire.
We believe in a with-us God
who sits down in our midst
to share our humanity.
We affirm a faith
that takes us beyond the safe place;
into action, into vulnerability
and into the streets
We commit ourselves to work for change
and to put ourselves on the line;
to bear responsibility, take risks,
live powerfully and face humiliation;
to stand with those on the edge;
to choose life
and be used by the Spirit
for God's new community of hope.

Amen

By Jan Sutch Pickard (who was the Warden on Iona when I was a Volley there!)
and Brian Woodcock.

FREE HUGS

Side note to my previous post about the man who wanted to get us all to smile: He had said something that I didn’t know what to think about until I just got an email from a friend. He said I should have been here on the day that he had his “FREE HUGS” sign. I chuckled… thought to myself – what a strange thought. You know what? How sad is it that I thought this was a strange! Actually how pathetic is it that I thought this was odd.

A friend of mine just sent me this link. It is the beginning of the FREE HUG sign. I hope you watch it and are as moved as I was.

http://www.freehugs.org/

So go and hug somebody!

We Remember

In Flanders Fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place;
and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved, and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch, be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields

by Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae

SMILE

Thursday was a strange day. It was full of crises, crazies and just down right nonsense. I spent my day putting out fires. I welcomed 5 o'clock with such zeal you would have thought I was still working a Xerox! I went out for dinner with a friend and we wandered through the mall window shopping. I have discovered that I am getting old. I remember the return of a trend! I would have NEVER thought that the shoes from the 80's would have resurfaced, but much to my eternal dismay - they have - and I found myself saying - "I had a pair of boots like that in highschool - I should have kept them they would have been in style again."
Whoa!!!
Yes folks, those words came out of my mouth. I guess you really do become your mother at some point in time - apparently that time for me was Thursday November 9th somewhere around the 8pm mark...

We had fun. It was nice to relax and just chat about something else - anything else!

When I was driving home, I exited the 401 at the Bayview exit and rolled to a stop about 12 cars from the light. There was a homeless man (actually that is a strange term - I don't know that he is homeless - but it seems to be the generic term for people who have a sign and are looking for financial assistance.) That is one of the things that has been happening recently. People stand in the middle of intersections and walk down past cars as they wait for the light to turn green. They usually have a sign something like this:

'homeless and hungry, please help'

But this guy was different - his sign was about 4 feet wide and 2 feet tall and all it said was "SMILE"

Who knows what his situation was, but he is a born marketer. the ends of his sign actually folded in to hide the message and he started walking to each car and unfolded it for each person. I know I thought I would read something like the first sign above, and when he unfolded it with a great flourish and a HUGE grin of his own, I know I had a huge smile on my face. He did ask for change and I did give him some just as the light changed colour. It was a cold night so I went over to the local Tim Hortons and bought him a coffee got a bag with all the fixings, cream sugar, milk, stir sticks, and went to take it over to him. But in order to do that, I had to go back on the highway - the other direction, exit at Yonge St, then get back on the eastbound 401 and exit at Bayview again - cause he was talking to people as they exited the offramp! So I pull up, and he said "back for another smile?"

I said - "yours - yes! but I can't offer you another one - this one hasn't left yet!"

We both laughed, I gave him the coffee and we talked for a few minutes. When the light turned green the chorus of horns behind me forced me onwards.

What an interesting way to end a crazy day, I had someone who society tells us doesn't have much to be joyful, about tell me to SMILE. I'm glad I met him - he had a rather profound effect on me. wow.

Ministry of presence.

What an honour it is to serve parishioners. To be able to facilitate worship through prayer and song and administering the host to the congregation in the morning, to conversations at coffee hour, it is truly an amazing privilege. One friend has not been able to be at church for various health reasons, and this afternoon his wife asked me if I would bring him communion at home. We sat in their living room, talked, prayed, and with his family, we shared in the bread and wine of holy communion from the reserve sacrament. I’ve never done this by myself before, and I know I will never forget the feeling of connectedness with God and with that family. Kairos time – God time.

I have to admit, I’m still kinda speechless.

up there without one...

Welcome to my weekend. I'm up there without one...

I have two 10 page essays due monday, one for my class in Death, Dying and Grief, and the other was due last week in my Leadership in the Church class. I have an essay proposal for studies in Anglican Theology (pre-cursor for a 15 page paper) I have to write a sermon that will be delivered twice (only because I'm not writing another one for the next day... different congregation - it will be OK!) I have to write an extended version of my obituary as if I died yesterday - the globe and mail publishes a section called "Lives Lived" and we are to pattern ours after that! I also have to present a saint in Chapel to the grades 1-4's and the same saint in a different formate to the grades 5-8's in chapel.... I also promised to write the blurb for church that goes on the back of the announcement sheets... You'll love this - it's called "Things to read if the sermon is boring!" I didn't make that up - that's there EVERY week!

I really want to know where that store is... I need some of their merchandise to get me through this weekend!

Good news is that I'm feeling more human after ACPO!