The Rev'd Kenneth H. Saunders III
Christ Episcopal Church
Cleveland, NC
RCL Year B (Proper 9) - July 5, 2009
Happy Birthday America!
This is the weekend in which we celebrate this country becoming a sovereign nation, happening some 233 years ago, on July 4, 1776. What is interesting is that the actual legal date of separation from British Rule in America was July 2, 1776 when the Continental Congress voted to accept the “resolution” of independence. After this resolution was debated and revised, it was writ in a declaration on July 4th.
I have talked a bit in our Christian Education class about the closeness and interrelatedness of the foundation of government in this country and the foundation of our beloved Episcopal Church in America; independent from, but now in full communion with the Church of England.
It was interesting, and a bit ironic, that on my trip to my parent’s home recently, I was able to attend “The Lost Colony” on Roanoke Island, in Manteo, NC. I don’t know if you have ever seen it, but it is an outdoor production reenacting the early English settlement chartered by Elizabeth I to Sir Walter Raleigh on Roanoke Island in 1584.
Anyhow… It was amazing to me how much “church” there was throughout the play, up to and including the priest, Fr. Martin, who accompanied them on the voyage, baptized Virginia Dare (who was the first Christian baptism in North America), and suffered with them through the hardships that led to their mysterious disappearance.
It must have been amazing to be that mission minded, and focused on bringing not only civilization to a unknown foreign land, but to also bring their church with them. Though the play didn’t cover it, we also know that the native American ally of the colony, Chief Manteo, was also baptized there with Virginia Dare.
What courageous missionaries they must have been for what they were willing to do in order to share their belief in Jesus Christ as Lord with a much different culture than theirs.
Today’s Gospel lesson is about mission and about Jesus words of urgent preparation to his disciples to go out into the nearby towns and villages and proclaim the good news to repent – that the kingdom of God has come near. But, In today’s Gospel lesson, things aren’t exactly what they seem to be; especially to those folks whom Jesus has come home to see.
Jesus has gone with his disciples to the synagogue in Galilee. And he begins to teach. Now, when Jesus lived in Galilee, the people knew him there as the carpenter, Son of Mary and Joseph, oldest brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon, and his sisters. But, Jesus has now returned as a wise prophet of the living God, and they reacted like we probably would (given the circumstances) “where did this guy get all this?” “who does he think he is?” “isn’t he the carpenter?”
They are all caught up in their perception of what they “expect” Jesus to be, rather than what he has come to do. He has come to prepare them and teach them how to make way for the kingdom of God. He has been on both sides of the Sea of Galilee, and in the middle, preaching, teaching and performing great miracles and acts of the living God. But, now he has returned home - home to the place where he was raised, to astound and possibly bewilder the crowd with his teaching, only for them not to believe in him. The scripture says that he was made powerless there, other than laying hands on a few sick people and healing them.
Then, after it seems that his own hometown has rejected him, he uses the incident as an opportunity to prepare his disciples for the work they must do to build up the body of believers. For their “mission” among the villages and towns. The “hard” work. The hard work that will not be received by everyone, especially in their hometowns… Hard work that will be the source of ridicule and laughter to some, and the way to salvation for others, but ALL must be reached.
It’s all Mission. Mission framed in the sense of urgency to Go Out! Don’t stop to pack a bunch of stuff! You don’t need anything for your journey… just a staff. You don’t need any money, or food, or even a change of clothes. You just basically need to put on your shoes, grab your staff and go!
Now, I don’t know about you, but when I go somewhere, there is usually some serious packing involved… at least an overnight bag, provisions for food or shelter, and definitely my computer and book-bag (I am not going anywhere without that!) After all, what would I do if I couldn’t check my e-mail? Kyle and I went camping last week for only 4 nights in the mountains and it seemed that we had our van loaded down.
So I had to think long and hard about what this passage was trying to tell us…
I felt that this was Jesus teaching us how mission is to be done… Not relying on ourselves, but trusting in God to provide what is needed for what must be done. Focus on God’s providence in the face of challenge and rejection. Mission done with urgency and complete trust in what God provides.
How come when it comes to modern mission in the church, we don’t follow that biblical example? We would rather complain about our scarce resources than trust in God’s providence and love for us. We focus on our sensitive nature and how we may feel when the negative rejections come, rather than rejoicing in the many blessings that God has provided for us. We would rather be sure of our own security than to risk it boldly spreading the Gospel.
Jesus sent them out, and gave them instructions, to spread a message of repentance to everyone, knowing that some will refuse them and some will listen. The scripture tells us that they went out and casted out demons and anointed many with oil and cured them.
Jesus wants no less from us…
Jesus wants us to be bold. Bold and daring to be the church in the world. Bold enough to proclaim that the kingdom of God has come near, and is hear with us in the living body of Christ, the church. The Church… the community where we worship, engage in dialogue, learn and challenge each other. The community where we hold each other up, support each other, and reach out into the world around us bringing us all closer to the kingdom of God.
We can learn a lot from our history…
The history of this country is ingrained and entrenched with the missionary efforts of those Christians, both lay and ordained, that have gone on before us, spreading and building up the kingdom of God as they went.
We are here today in this Christian Community because the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel, (an English Missionary Society), saw fit to bring the church to the western part of North Carolina in 1754. And in 1821, our Community became part of the newly formed diocese of North Carolina that reached from the coast to where we are today.
We share that wonderful legacy of foundation and mission, and we have the responsibility to continue to build up the kingdom of God right here in Rowan County. And we have the opportunity each and every day…
Every time we walk down the street, or see our neighbor in the yard, or talk to a friend in the grocery store; we have the opportunity to share with them the terrific and life giving presence that we know in our lives, because of our relationship with Jesus Christ. And we have an opportunity to ask them to be a part of that fellowship in mission and come and worship with us.
Not forcing them or scaring them into believing, but inviting them to be a part of us and nurturing their souls with what we have to offer.
We can only imagine the hardships that the first missionaries in this area faced, but they trusted that God’s provision and grace would give them exactly what they would need at the time that they would need it. As a result, Christ Church, this very church, when it was admitted to the diocese as a parish had on record some 250 families and was the second largest parish in the diocese.
Our forbearers knew something about mission and providence! They may have not known where their next meal was coming from, but they built this simple beautiful worship space in 1827 out of locally harvested heart pine.
Since its missionary inception, this church has survived 250 years of wars, suppression, depression, economic calamity, and even ritual and liturgical change. And we keep going. We will continue to be formed, informed, and transformed by the living presence of Jesus Christ in our lives, as we celebrate Him and worship Him.
Bishop Curry challenged us in this diocese to vision itself as a missionary diocese, a re-creation, something he called “a new Church.” Our challenge is to go forth from this place envisioning that “new church,” using that Biblical lesson of urgency and providence, trusting that God will be there with us as we reach out to others and invite them to become part of us, thriving and vital, focused and engaging… A steadiness in this unsteady and ever changing world around us.
We are each responsible, we each are responsible for our own faithfulness. We are not responsible for the response we may receive when we offer our ministries in Christ’s name, but we are each only responsible for being faithful stewards ourselves… responsible for our own faithfulness to what we are doing.
The only thing that we are assured of. Our only sure and certain hope is in the life, death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is with that assurance, and only with that assurance, that we can go out and proclaim the Gospel in this world both boldly and faithfully.
This is the weekend in which we celebrate this country becoming a sovereign nation, happening some 233 years ago, on July 4, 1776. What is interesting is that the actual legal date of separation from British Rule in America was July 2, 1776 when the Continental Congress voted to accept the “resolution” of independence. After this resolution was debated and revised, it was writ in a declaration on July 4th.
I have talked a bit in our Christian Education class about the closeness and interrelatedness of the foundation of government in this country and the foundation of our beloved Episcopal Church in America; independent from, but now in full communion with the Church of England.
It was interesting, and a bit ironic, that on my trip to my parent’s home recently, I was able to attend “The Lost Colony” on Roanoke Island, in Manteo, NC. I don’t know if you have ever seen it, but it is an outdoor production reenacting the early English settlement chartered by Elizabeth I to Sir Walter Raleigh on Roanoke Island in 1584.
Anyhow… It was amazing to me how much “church” there was throughout the play, up to and including the priest, Fr. Martin, who accompanied them on the voyage, baptized Virginia Dare (who was the first Christian baptism in North America), and suffered with them through the hardships that led to their mysterious disappearance.
It must have been amazing to be that mission minded, and focused on bringing not only civilization to a unknown foreign land, but to also bring their church with them. Though the play didn’t cover it, we also know that the native American ally of the colony, Chief Manteo, was also baptized there with Virginia Dare.
What courageous missionaries they must have been for what they were willing to do in order to share their belief in Jesus Christ as Lord with a much different culture than theirs.
Today’s Gospel lesson is about mission and about Jesus words of urgent preparation to his disciples to go out into the nearby towns and villages and proclaim the good news to repent – that the kingdom of God has come near. But, In today’s Gospel lesson, things aren’t exactly what they seem to be; especially to those folks whom Jesus has come home to see.
Jesus has gone with his disciples to the synagogue in Galilee. And he begins to teach. Now, when Jesus lived in Galilee, the people knew him there as the carpenter, Son of Mary and Joseph, oldest brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon, and his sisters. But, Jesus has now returned as a wise prophet of the living God, and they reacted like we probably would (given the circumstances) “where did this guy get all this?” “who does he think he is?” “isn’t he the carpenter?”
They are all caught up in their perception of what they “expect” Jesus to be, rather than what he has come to do. He has come to prepare them and teach them how to make way for the kingdom of God. He has been on both sides of the Sea of Galilee, and in the middle, preaching, teaching and performing great miracles and acts of the living God. But, now he has returned home - home to the place where he was raised, to astound and possibly bewilder the crowd with his teaching, only for them not to believe in him. The scripture says that he was made powerless there, other than laying hands on a few sick people and healing them.
Then, after it seems that his own hometown has rejected him, he uses the incident as an opportunity to prepare his disciples for the work they must do to build up the body of believers. For their “mission” among the villages and towns. The “hard” work. The hard work that will not be received by everyone, especially in their hometowns… Hard work that will be the source of ridicule and laughter to some, and the way to salvation for others, but ALL must be reached.
It’s all Mission. Mission framed in the sense of urgency to Go Out! Don’t stop to pack a bunch of stuff! You don’t need anything for your journey… just a staff. You don’t need any money, or food, or even a change of clothes. You just basically need to put on your shoes, grab your staff and go!
Now, I don’t know about you, but when I go somewhere, there is usually some serious packing involved… at least an overnight bag, provisions for food or shelter, and definitely my computer and book-bag (I am not going anywhere without that!) After all, what would I do if I couldn’t check my e-mail? Kyle and I went camping last week for only 4 nights in the mountains and it seemed that we had our van loaded down.
So I had to think long and hard about what this passage was trying to tell us…
I felt that this was Jesus teaching us how mission is to be done… Not relying on ourselves, but trusting in God to provide what is needed for what must be done. Focus on God’s providence in the face of challenge and rejection. Mission done with urgency and complete trust in what God provides.
How come when it comes to modern mission in the church, we don’t follow that biblical example? We would rather complain about our scarce resources than trust in God’s providence and love for us. We focus on our sensitive nature and how we may feel when the negative rejections come, rather than rejoicing in the many blessings that God has provided for us. We would rather be sure of our own security than to risk it boldly spreading the Gospel.
Jesus sent them out, and gave them instructions, to spread a message of repentance to everyone, knowing that some will refuse them and some will listen. The scripture tells us that they went out and casted out demons and anointed many with oil and cured them.
Jesus wants no less from us…
Jesus wants us to be bold. Bold and daring to be the church in the world. Bold enough to proclaim that the kingdom of God has come near, and is hear with us in the living body of Christ, the church. The Church… the community where we worship, engage in dialogue, learn and challenge each other. The community where we hold each other up, support each other, and reach out into the world around us bringing us all closer to the kingdom of God.
We can learn a lot from our history…
The history of this country is ingrained and entrenched with the missionary efforts of those Christians, both lay and ordained, that have gone on before us, spreading and building up the kingdom of God as they went.
We are here today in this Christian Community because the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel, (an English Missionary Society), saw fit to bring the church to the western part of North Carolina in 1754. And in 1821, our Community became part of the newly formed diocese of North Carolina that reached from the coast to where we are today.
We share that wonderful legacy of foundation and mission, and we have the responsibility to continue to build up the kingdom of God right here in Rowan County. And we have the opportunity each and every day…
Every time we walk down the street, or see our neighbor in the yard, or talk to a friend in the grocery store; we have the opportunity to share with them the terrific and life giving presence that we know in our lives, because of our relationship with Jesus Christ. And we have an opportunity to ask them to be a part of that fellowship in mission and come and worship with us.
Not forcing them or scaring them into believing, but inviting them to be a part of us and nurturing their souls with what we have to offer.
We can only imagine the hardships that the first missionaries in this area faced, but they trusted that God’s provision and grace would give them exactly what they would need at the time that they would need it. As a result, Christ Church, this very church, when it was admitted to the diocese as a parish had on record some 250 families and was the second largest parish in the diocese.
Our forbearers knew something about mission and providence! They may have not known where their next meal was coming from, but they built this simple beautiful worship space in 1827 out of locally harvested heart pine.
Since its missionary inception, this church has survived 250 years of wars, suppression, depression, economic calamity, and even ritual and liturgical change. And we keep going. We will continue to be formed, informed, and transformed by the living presence of Jesus Christ in our lives, as we celebrate Him and worship Him.
Bishop Curry challenged us in this diocese to vision itself as a missionary diocese, a re-creation, something he called “a new Church.” Our challenge is to go forth from this place envisioning that “new church,” using that Biblical lesson of urgency and providence, trusting that God will be there with us as we reach out to others and invite them to become part of us, thriving and vital, focused and engaging… A steadiness in this unsteady and ever changing world around us.
We are each responsible, we each are responsible for our own faithfulness. We are not responsible for the response we may receive when we offer our ministries in Christ’s name, but we are each only responsible for being faithful stewards ourselves… responsible for our own faithfulness to what we are doing.
The only thing that we are assured of. Our only sure and certain hope is in the life, death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is with that assurance, and only with that assurance, that we can go out and proclaim the Gospel in this world both boldly and faithfully.
