By The Rev. Bernard W. Poppe, RectorIt feels good to be back home and very good to be back in this pulpit. I preached in several interesting places including a monastic chapel and a Cathedral in South Africa, a village church and Cathedral in England. The monastic chapel is a relatively new building and the Rochester Cathedral is among the oldest in Britain. The memories of all those places are like a kaleidoscope of images accompanied by memories of the sounds of drums and ethereal choirs. But of all the pulpits I entered, this is still the one that fits best. There are many stories to tell and lessons learned. I have some to share and I already know that you do as well. Our sabbaticals were each times of exploration, learning and prayerful journey. One of my favorite quotes is from T.S. Eliot and it says: “We shall not cease from exploration and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started... and know the place for the first time.” I feel a bit of that now, grateful to have gone, and even more grateful to be back.
As the weeks unfold, so will the stories, but today we have some other kinds of celebration and transitions to observe. We’ll start by looking at the readings.
The lessons today give nice images of new life, growth and hope. Ezekiel wrote of a sprig being taken from the top of a mighty cedar tree and becoming the start of a new tree that would be a haven for birds and beasts. He even goes so far as to say that it will bear fruit. We need to remember that Ezekiel is a prophet, he’s not a botanist. Cedars don’t bear fruit, but the image still works in terms of the growth of the new sprig and the abundance of protection it offers. Ezekiel is writing to a people in exile and giving them hope of new beginnings and a return to their homeland. The image is itself a seed to plant the imagining of a new Israel in the future. In an earlier chapter he uses the metaphor of the cedar to refer to their former line of kings. In the segment we read, clipping the top of the old tree is the suggestion that the royal family will be restored someday. It is in fact the seed of the expectation that a messiah will come to restore that line.
The Gospel echoes this story with the parable of the mustard seed. Again, we have to let go of botanic accuracy in favor of literary license. It’s not really the smallest of all the seeds on the earth, but it’s small. And who hasn’t picked up any tiny seed and been amazed at the tree or shrub that grows out of it? Any growth is a wonder and Jesus uses it here to make the point of both growth and protection. The birds make their nests in the shade of this shrub where they will be safe.
I decided to do some research on this image and although I don’t have a mustard shrub in the yard, I do have some nice trees and I went outside when it wasn’t raining, sat down and watched one. Watching a tree can be very instructive. As for the tree I watched, I noticed that some birds do in fact have a nest in it, while others simply came for various periods of time and flew off. Not all the birds got along and some got along very well. Occasionally one would chirp, sing or coo. But that’s not all. Not only birds are to be found it the trees. There were squirrels and the neighbors cat sat curiously poised, alternately looking at me and then the tree, no doubt like my neighbors wondering what I was doing and why I was there. (It had occurred to me to disguise my intent by holding an open book in my lap, but I decided to keep my focus uncluttered by deception or embarrassment.) I glared at the cat, daring it to go up the tree, it left shortly after. I think it was shaking its head, but I could be wrong.
I counted several varieties of birds and just meditated a bit on the miracle of the seed that took root so many years ago. The kingdom of heaven is like this tree too, I imagined.
The art of the parable is to look at it in different layers. There are some generally accepted interpretations, but there’s no one way to understand them and each person who studies one will have a different take on it.
We have a lot happening today in the life of this parish and while I watched the tree I imagined that it was St. George’s like the kingdom of God where some make nests and stay for a long time raising families, while others are here for a shorter time and will make their nests in another tree. But all in all, it’s a miracle.
We come here to find God, to discover and develop a relationship with God and be enriched by a community engaged in their own pursuit of God. And that is the Kingdom of Heaven. It’s not without squirrely challenges and catlike struggles, (sorry, but I had to put those in somewhere) but over time it’s a place dedicated to the pursuit of the “holy”.
During June we celebrate graduations of our children from various grades or schools and some of our seasonal programs end. At the family service we celebrated and thanked the church school teachers and their fearless leader, Jane Cates. At this service we will be thanking our choir for their work and dedication over the past year. We will also be thanking Mary Davis for her work and ministry among us as she concludes her time with us. I can also say now that she was interviewed yesterday by the Commission on Ministry and approved for the next level of her process and she is now officially a candidate in this labyrinthine journey to ordination.
Today we also observe Juneteenth, commemorating June 19, 1865 when General Gordon Granger informed the people of Galveston, Texas that slavery was over. General Order # 3 was read aloud stating:
"The people of Texas are informed that in accordance with a Proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and free laborer."Hats are worn today as a gracious tribute to the traditions of African American women and the crowns they represent from the heritage of proud African dress.
June is also the month of Gay Pride with parades and marches scheduled in many different towns and cities giving witness to the need for further equality and justice. These marches like almost every other march for justice is sometimes met with cheering and welcome and at other times met with jeers, insults, arrest and violence.
In this church this morning we all rest in the shade of this great tree of God’s love. We represent and participate in one or more of the many facets of life celebrated this day or this month. We do so in community and in sharing God’s love. We do so claiming our own voices and in support of our brothers and sisters who are claiming theirs.
Sometimes I like to come in here when it’s quiet and walk around. I like to look at the plaques and memorials and wonder at the people who were here before us. What kind of shade were they looking for and what kind did they find? Using Ezekiel’s image, were they seeds for shrubs or trees? How high did they grow and how high will we grow while protecting the little sprouts in our care?
With all its graduations and celebrations, June is a month that marks transitions and life changes. It watches movements occur in our lives. But like the birds of the parable, we may go from branch to branch or tree to tree in the kingdom of God we are assured that God is a safe secure roost for our wanderings. We may go from place to place, but God is there wherever we go ready to give us shelter, protection and hope. That is the Kingdom of God. Amen.
© 2009 St. George's Episcopal Church, Maplewood, NJ
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