By The Rev. Bernard W. Poppe, RectorOn certain Sundays it seems like there is a lot of surprises. Here we are in the Resource Center. We expected to have our services disrupted because of the renovations but not this soon. This Sunday had been chosen some time ago to be the Choir's last Sunday before the Summer break when we had good reason to believe that the scaffolding would go up later in the month. Who would have expected construction to proceed ahead of schedule? Miracles do happen!
And so here we are, recognizing the choir's ministry in this space away from the grand instrument which provides the backbone of the music program. Or does it? It's often said that if you want to make God laugh, make a plan. When plans get disrupted, it's a nice opportunity to take a look at what God might be saying in between the lines of what's expected and what happens.
In this space, I think God may be saying that the music we makes comes from our hearts and voices and that no matter where we are the sincerity of that music is what makes it strong. Strength comes from the community of singers. Choirs lead the community's prayerful song. This ministry is extremely important not as performance but as providing shape and tone to our prayer in rhythms and measures that balance with the spoken word of scripture, creed and blessing.
Our choir does it well. And on behalf of the congregation I thank you for your time, commitment and the depth of spirit you bring to your music and our prayer. You have had an emotional and roller coaster season this year. Learning of the departure of one music director, the sadness of goodbyes and the grief of a friendship transferring to one of distance. Graciously you bid Michael Godspeed in his new work and entered into the most demanding and sacred times of the liturgical year with an interim. St. George's knows something about interims. And if anything is clear, it's that the strength of the community comes to the surface at such times. Again you were at the forefront of that and together with a talented and promising interim, the quality of your spirit and work helped the whole community continue to sing and pray twice through song.
We are blessed with the new ministry of Christopher Jennings among us, and as Sonny and Cher once sang to us, The Beat Goes On! I would love to spend a great deal of time developing the symphonic metaphor of ministries at St. George's working in harmony, but I won't. Suffice it to say that the choir is an important ministry in the liturgy we love so much, and together with the readers, intercessors, healing ministries, altar guild, acolytes, Eucharistic ministers, ushers and greeters, hospitality, office workers, people in the pews, perhaps even clergy -- we give shape and voice, leading the worship and community at prayer. Later today some of us will join a Diocesan service celebrating the ministries of senior members of our churches. St. George's has put forward the names of Susan Mangasarian and Hubert Pierson for recognition of their long years of service to this church, and they will be thanked and honored among members of other churches.
It is a sacred work we do, and I know it's pleasing to God. Not in a way that feeds a celestial ego, but because it participates in a flow of divine love enveloping the world so torn and in pain. Our prayer reaches out in ways we can't understand while at the same time reaching in to strengthen us in our lives and the movements and cycles of our various worlds. We are better people walking out of here than when we walked in because we slowed down long enough to form in prayer before God, we listen, sing, pray, share in communion and draw on the love of God to infuse us with what it takes to live and move and have our being in this world.
The lessons this morning give some rather harsh pictures of sin. First of all there's David. The greatest King in the history of Israel. The first line of our lesson says "The thing that David did displeased the Lord..." Well, the "thing" that David did was to put the husband of his mistress in the front lines of battle so he’d be killed and David could marry the women who had become pregnant with his child. The prophet Nathan was given the uncomfortable job of confronting David with his behavior and did so imaginatively and bequeathed to humanity the immortal declaration of self discovered guilt, "Thou art the man!" David's remorse at his own actions demonstrate an ability to face his own selfishness and cruelty, irresponsibility and abuse of power. He became a better man and a better king through this, but the tragic price tag of this lesson left a jagged scar on his life and those close to him. (The writer of these scriptures sees the death of the infant as God's judgement and punishment of David. I don't believe God to be so vindictive, but I can certainly understand how those so close to the scene could interpret it that way.)
In the Gospel lesson, Jesus is the dinner guest of a Pharisee who arrogantly disdains a woman he considers sinful as she weeps and washes Jesus' feet. Whether or not her sins were as egregious as the Pharisee thought, her coming to Jesus demonstrated her own facing of what she considered her sin in a moment of intimate connection with her Lord. The subsequent conversation between Jesus and the Pharisee showed that whatever her sin, it was quite small in comparison to the Pharisee who played the unforgiving, self righteous and unrepentant judge.
The topic of sin is a difficult one, but one that is important to consider. Sin is not about breaking laws and a heavenly balancing of accounts, but it has to do with losing perspective on how God's love calls us into relationship with ourselves and each other. There are many things that lead us into sin -- greed, lust, insecurity, fear, envy, to name a few of the big tickets. From small to large scales we sometimes take actions that demean ourselves and very often harm others physically, financially or spiritually. We sacrifice our integrity and honor, hoping to achieve something that at the time seems worth the cost. It never is. And we can face the truth or live in denial, but either way we are the man or the woman who needs to face the mistake we made or the crime we committed. Confession and forgiveness are the balm to those wounds. God's love embraces and welcomes back into relationship those who have taken themselves out of it by their own actions. In our liturgy we have a general confession. For deeper concerns there is private confession available with a priest. As your parish priest I invite you to consider private confessions with me. If you prefer the anonymity of confession with another priest I can facilitate that quite happily. Like the music we love so much, I believe God's will for us is to live in harmony with ourselves and each other. When it's interrupted, we can always return. That's one of God's promises delivered through the life and ministry of Jesus.
In this wonderful place we conduct our lives and ministry with disruptions, rebuilding, remodeling and renovation. We pray, we sing, we work, we eat, laugh, sometime argue and fall out of community. When we can face ourselves and each other after wrongs or hurts we come back to the community that strengthens us and deepens our understanding and devotion to the God who made us and loves us. Amen.
© 2007 St. George's Episcopal Church, Maplewood, NJ
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