The Baptism of Arden

By The Rev. Bernard W. Poppe, Rector

It's a pleasure to welcome the immediate and extended families of Arden Murphy and their friends to St. George's this morning. It's a special day for several reasons. First, as the psalmist has written, this is the day the Lord has made, therefore let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Second, as the Sunday before Thanksgiving, the St. George's community celebrates the holiday today with a meal in the parish hall following the service. We're a little more relaxed than we will be as the week progresses and before we all go our separate ways it's nice to be together to give thanks.

Third, on the Liturgical calendar this is the last Sunday before Advent, and it has a special name. It's called Christ the King Sunday. The lessons for the day and the music choices focus on the theme of Jesus as Sovereign. More on that later.

Last, but in no way least, we are baptizing a little baby today named Arden Murphy. She was born in August and her parents Jessica and Chris have been coming to St. George's for a couple years, usually at 8 a.m. I believe the realities of nap time have begun to alter your lives a bit and we're seeing you at 10:30 more often. Little bundles create big changes. So here we are, and welcome to one and all.

I must admit that I automatically feel a bit apologetic to those of you who are new or visiting St. George's and that a word of explanation is needed for the choice of readings today. As I said earlier, since it is Christ the King Sunday the lessons are geared to that theme. Normally for baptisms different readings are assigned and some that are much less foreboding and grim. Usually they're happier.

For example, I would not normally have chosen Jeremiah to shout "woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture!" Nor would I have chosen the crucifixion for a happy baby day. But, like so much of life, we take what we're given and see how we can make it work.

Baptism, its symbols and vows bring a person into the church community. Not only the parish of St. George's, but the worldwide community of believers. But Christians are a motley crew with a wide range of beliefs and not always a gracious tolerance for the differences. Never the less, now matter what our creeds or beliefs are, we are united by the person of Jesus. That one life connects us all. We believe that God acted in the world in a unique way, and touched the lives of everyone on the planet in an act of love so profound that it radiates through the centuries and draws people to its light.

Love is that light. The very first act of creation noted in Genesis is when God made the light and said it was good. It's astounding that God so loved the world that he gave his only son, to quote John, that all who believe will have eternal life. Beliefs change and grow over time. They differ from others. Even those who claim to be the most traditional hold onto beliefs that have changed over time. The constant however, is that God loves the world. And God loves Arden. Those two statements are basically what Baptism is about. It's our way of telling her that, and reminding ourselves of the same truth as it applies to us.

In a way baptizing a baby on the feast of Christ the King may be very appropriate. Because without making that simple statement, there would be nothing to baptize her into.

One of the seeming contradictions of Jesus' life is the death of the King in the manner of a criminal. Yet, it demonstrates that sovereignty is not a measure of material or military strength. It's about union with God which transcends all the trappings of this life and goes to the core of our spiritual being. There is much more to us than the body, what we wear and what we eat or how we act and react in the world. At our deepest core is love and how we nurture it and reflect it in the world. That is the spark of God in us.

The crucifixion is a contradiction of what one expects of a King, but it's not a contradiction in the language of love. Parents do what they need to do to protect their children and God does what God needs to do to protect us, even if that means going to the deepest canyons of human fear and cruelty to say I still love you even here.

Jesus between the two thieves becomes a microcosm of the world. There he is between the ones who believe and the ones who don't. Scripture tells us the two on either side of Jesus were thieves. It doesn't say what they stole, but it must have been pretty bad to end up on a cross. All the rest of us may not be thieves of that ilk, but I dare say we all have one or two things that we regret and demonstrate that we are not without sin, to quote a phrase. None of us are going to be throwing any stones. Between each other, people in the world and even within ourselves there is always a tug of war between these two criminals - those who scoff at the power of love and those who depends on it and want to be remembered by it. In our deepest selves this tension exists at one time or another. In the world of contradictions in which we live this tension exists all the time. In business, at school, or in our families, these tensions exist. The good news is that God is there and despite the fallibility of people and even the intention to kill that which is good and loving, the power of God, the power of love cannot be killed and will always rise. That's why it's sovereign. And that's what we tell Arden. It'll be more convincing to her if we believe it. And we're more likely to believe it if we stay close to the source of it -- in prayer and meditation, in song and fellowship. If we practice reflecting God's love in the world through kindness and understanding, justice and generosity. Sometimes it's easier than others, and we may drift, but whenever we get back into the swing of it, we feel better.

The Murphy's are a sailing family. I had prepared a series of sailing metaphors but decided to spare you, metaphors of safe harbors in stormy seas, and stories of Jesus' calming the waves, that sort of thing. But I do want you to look up at the ceiling of this church. The section in which you are seated is called the "nave". It's from the Latin for "ship". If you use your imagination you can see the inside hull of the ship. There are a lot of stories in scriptures about boats and the sea since that was part of their everyday life. I realized I didn't need to come up with sailing metaphors since the most important one is the one we are now gathered in. It is a safe place for Arden to meet Jesus and for all of us to voyage together. We fuss from time to time, but on the whole we play well together. We pray, sing and eat together, and we try our best to reflect the love of God together. So for these things we give thanks, we praise Christ the King, we welcome Arden on board and look out on this wonderful day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it. Amen.

©2010 St. George's Episcopal Church, Maplewood, NJ

Gabriel's Gift

By The Rev. Deacon Christine McCloud

May the words of my mouth and the meditation of all our hearts be acceptable in your sight. All this we ask in the name of our God who created us, His Son who redeems us and the Spirit that makes us holy. Amen.

As we come to the end of our liturgical year, we pause and take this day to acknowledge and honor Jesus Christ as our king; to celebrate His victory over death and to examine what His authority over His kingdom means to us. We not only come to this day to celebrate the person and work of Christ, but we look to the absolute certainty that His continuing reign among us assures us of His everlasting peace and justice for all of His people.

Matthew’s Gospel brings us full circle from the Ezekiel reading. Ezekiel shares with us that God will take over as the shepherd of his sheep and that he will seek out and search for his sheep. God will gather them up and bring them to a safe place -- “their own land” -- from those places from which they had been scattered on the day of exile. And God gives his promise to find those who are lost; and to those injured, He will heal; and to those weak, He will strengthen. But, there is also some bad news to ponder. Ezekiel makes it clear as does the Gospel of Matthew, that there will be judgment by God on the last day. The entire flock, all of us, Ezekiel proclaims, will stand before God to be judged for the treatment of our fellow sheep.

There will be consequences for our actions and inactions. What is made clear in both the Old and New Testament readings is how we treat one another matters. But it’s important to understand that the readings today are not about a theology of works of righteousness. If we take the time to understand and put into context all of Jesus’ teachings, then what should emerge for us is that we do acts of love and compassion not to gain a room in the heavenly mansion. No. We do these things because of the One who loved us first. We do these things in response to what God has done for us through Christ. And because of God’s love, we should be absolutely impelled… driven without hesitation… to love others because there is absolutely no other way for us to respond to God’s powerful, transforming love.

Exactly who are the “least of these”? The Gospel tells us, “for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.” Before we take the jump to look outside of ourselves to see who these “least” might be, I thought it would be best to stay right here -- within these walls -- and take a moment to identify with the “least” among us.

Many here at St. George’s understand what it means to be exiled. From family and friends; from co-workers, even our own Church communities and parts of the world, we have experienced and felt exile simply because we happen to be gay or lesbian. Others here who aren’t gay or lesbian also understand and have experienced exile for other reasons but imposed by and from many of the same entities. Most of us, if not each and everyone of us here, knows very intimately what it feels like to be naked and exposed -- to have our vulnerabilities sitting right out in the open -- because of the painful hurts and deep wounds inflicted and suffered at one time or another. Most of us have been thirsty for love, hungry for companionship, and to have a sense of belonging.

Who are the least of these that Jesus speaks of? It’s all of us in some way or another. Yes. Jesus speaks and identifies first with the poor, the weak, the sick, the lonely, the aged, the imprisoned -- but he also speaks of and to us. There were no outcasts in Jesus’ ministry -- there are no outcasts in His love for us. Each one of us who has experienced any kind of spiritual or emotional exile often find ourselves longing for the God who searches us out; we long for the God who heals our wounds; and we long for the God who restores us to new life in Him through Jesus.

At the end of our lives, it doesn’t matter if we lived a long life or a short one. In the end, it doesn’t matter whether or not we made a ton of money or we were the hottest personality around. In the end it only matters if we brought joy to those around us. In the end, it only matters if we gave what we had to better the life of someone else, known or unknown to us. Whether what we had to offer was clothing or food; to visit or care for someone who was sick or imprisoned; or to give the simple gift of a red tricycle to a homeless child living in a shelter.

For the past several weeks, I’ve been on a journey with a little 2½ year old boy that I personally never had the opportunity to meet in this life. But I have met him and have come to know him through God’s amazing grace. I have come to know him through his artwork that he and his mother Suzette did while he was in the hospital. I have come to know him through his father Miguel who read the most amazing love letter to him at his funeral right here at St. George’s not so long ago. I have come to know him through his grandmother Yolanda who made a promise to buy him a red tricycle for his 3rd birthday.

Gabriel left us at the tender age of 2½ years… just 17 days before his 3rd birthday. But oh sweet Jesus, what a life this child had! He was the absolute embodiment of love. He gave all that he had and all that he sought in return was the absolute love of those in his life and he received that love back from them in abundance. His short life was filled with the beauty of his artwork, the beauty of his joyful spirit, the beauty of his song and dance, the beauty of the love of his family -- a joy so absolutely fundamental to who he was, that his parents, Suzette and Miguel, stood right there; right there, next to his casket and did Gabriel’s “happy dance” during his funeral. My friends, I can’t even begin to express to you my feelings at seeing the both of them -- naked and exposed in their grief -- dancing for Gabriel, their most beloved son who they lost so early. That moment will forever remain in my thoughts and in my heart.

Gabriel left us far too soon, but his life will not be a story of only loss, or a story of God’s absence. His story is a story that his parents and grandparents are determined to write for him. His story will be one of kindness, generosity and love. A little later on during our service, Father Poppe will bless a tricycle in Gabriel’s name on behalf of another 3 year old child from Turning Point Community Services, the shelter program for women and children that I oversee and which Carla and I founded some years ago. It is my absolute honor to be able to accept that tricycle on behalf of Gabriel for this child. I am deeply touched and moved beyond words at the incredible act of unselfishness offered by Yolanda in her grief.

Because of a grandmother’s promise, 3 year old Iyanna will be able to know a different type of joy in her young life. She’ll ride around on that tricycle with exuberance, leaving her 3 year old worries and cares on the wayside. She’ll be able to dance the happy dance of playfulness and enthusiasm with her new bike. And why? Because of Gabriel.

On the 4th Sunday of Advent, we will hear in Luke’s Gospel how God sent His angel, Gabriel to visit Mary and to tell her of her favored status with God and that she would bear a son. The word angel means messenger. I truly believe that our Gabriel is a messenger sent from God; sent to teach us what life can be like. A life lived in full abundance -- full of creativity, hope and joy -- a life that touches the lives of others with grace, wonder and possibility. Can any one of us aspire to more than this in our more advanced years? You see, it really doesn’t matter if we live long or short lives.

Mother Teresa said: “We can do no great things for God, but we can do small things with great love.” This small gift from a small boy’s grandmother is a gift of that great love. Yolanda’s love for Gabriel as well as Miguel and Suzette’s love for him and Gabriel’s love for them, issues forth in love for every parent, for every grandparent, for every aunt and uncle and cousin, for every godparent, and every child because they know -- they know as we should know -- just how special and irreplaceable each and every person is.

Each one of us here today is that irreplaceable. Each one of us here today is that loved. God loves each one of us equally. He loves us so completely and calls us to love one another as He loves us. There is no “us” and “them” -- there is only “us”. There is no “we” and “they”. There is only “we” -- one family, cradled under one God, each one of us brother and sister to the other in Christ just as Gabriel is now a brother to Iyanna and who will watch over her as she races around the shelter on that little red tricycle and as he will watch over every other child that comes through our doors. The least of us -- the hungry, sick, naked, poor -- we are siblings to them all. How will we love them? How will we love us?

In the end, it won’t matter if we lived long lives or short. It won’t matter if we made a fortune or lost a fortune; it won’t matter if we built the biggest house in the universe or if we lost our home. What will matter: did we take the opportunity to share what was ours and share it in love? Did we recognize and understand that we are so inextricably bound to one another that our caring for our neighbor is caring for God Himself and that this is always our calling? Did we take any risks -- did we step out in faith -- to help another?

Jesus tells us: “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these, you did it to me.”

Amen.

© 2008 The Rev. Deacon Christine McCloud

Christ the King Sunday

By The Rev. Deacon Christine McCloud

How many of us are comfortable with the notion of kingships or kingdoms? As Americans and those of us have become "Americanized," the language of kingship is a little problematic for us. Our history as a nation was founded and shaped around the democratic principles of government and the idea of replicating a monarchal type of government was soundly renounced and rejected. Aside from our insatiable curiosity of the comings and goings of the British Royal Family, the idea of kingships and monarchies don't really matter much to us at all.

Today, the church sets aside this last Sunday of the church year to celebrate Christ as King. It is more than just a transition of the church seasons; it is also a time when we pause and stop to acknowledge the reign and kingship of Christ. Some find this day meaningless and unimportant – a colossal waste of time. Others find it odd that the Gospel focuses on the crucifixion story at a time when we're getting ready to prepare for the birth of Christ. I think quite the opposite. More than ever, in our war-torn, polarized and demoralized world, we need to take each and every moment we can to remember Christ as our King. It's a time for us to restore our spiritual wholeness in remembering that Jesus' death upon the cross was not some terrible accident or miscarriage of justice… it was the exclamation point of his ministry here on earth.

In Luke's Gospel, he shares with us his understanding of God's radical love and grace for us. It is in this Gospel that we have Jesus being crucified in the city garbage dump of Jerusalem where in his excruciating pain and final breaths of life, we still find Jesus reaching out to the despised and the rejected.

In moving towards restoring our spiritual wholeness we need to explore exactly who was this King of Kings hanging on a cross in the local city dump. When we take a little time to compare and contrast the Epistle and Gospel readings for today, we get a full picture of Jesus from two absolutely opposite views.

Paul in his letter to the Colossians shares with us a profound spiritual view of who Christ is. "…all things have been created through him and for him …in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell…" Luke on the other hand gives us the gut wrenching picture of Jesus hanging on the cross in-between two convicted criminals. The religious leaders scoffed at him, the soldiers mocked him and the people stood by watching and jeering. Even one of the criminals being hanged along with Jesus takes some of his last breaths to insult him.

I imagine that back then, the long awaited Messiah was expected to have a kingdom and rule much like King David did. King David ruled by reclaiming the independence of his people through his mighty armies. Fast forward… here comes Jesus. He's dressed in garments that were more likely closer to pauper's clothing than clothing akin to royalty. He lived among the poorest of the poor… he didn't even have his own home… and he spent most of his days with the despised and least popular folks of his time. And to make matters worse, instead of making his entry into Jerusalem on the back of the "Cadillac" camel, he comes in riding on the back of a donkey. No wonder the crowds mocked him and felt vindicated and content to watch him suffer on the cross.

In some ways today, we still mock Jesus' kingship. The notion of Christ as King in a democratic society seems threatening. Even though many in this democratic society are forever calling for "Christian moral values" to take precedence, there are those of us who ask, whose Christian moral values are we embracing and pushing to the forefront? These so called moral values depicted by the religious right sound neither Christian nor moral to me when they are planted firmly in the language of intolerance and bigotry.

The kingship of Christ and the rule of God is not about earthly power or political authority, revenge or judgment. It is about restoring all of creation to the fullness of peace and justice and to the truth and love that God intended for us. It's about all lands and all people – not just a select few. It's about the interconnectedness of all humanity -- loving our neighbors as ourselves. Jesus' kingship is and always has been vastly different than the worldly kingship. When we celebrate and embrace Christ as King, we are holding up a king who is, first and foremost, a reconciler, a redeemer, a servant. This is a king who not only comes to show us how to live as a people of God in the kingdom of God, but who makes the ultimate sacrifice to save us from our own sins. This is why it is important that we end our church year not with a story of triumph and vindication, but one of humiliation, pain and vulnerability.

Christ's kingship, the love he offered and proclaimed was too radical, too inclusive and far too dangerous to the status quo, then and now. The battle he fought, and still fights, is that of fear and ignorance. He chose as his weapons, words of mass reconciliation, truth and justice, peace and love. How is it then that the very Jesus who gave his life for us to show us how to love one another has had his message of reconciliation co-opted and transformed into a way to polarize us? We need to understand that when we allow others to take Christ's kingship and turn it around to be a rule of law rather than the reign of love that God intended it to be, we grieve the heart of God and Christ's crucifixion becomes far removed from the reconciling act of love it was intended to be.

Why is Christ the King Sunday important? It is important because it is the day that we reclaim and proclaim the Good News of the Gospels for ourselves and the world. This is day that we stand, not in our own self-righteousness, but in Christ's righteousness and share his enduring, sacrificial love at all times, for all reasons. It is a time that we remember that Christ's kingdom wasn't about exercising dominion over people, but instead to transform our lives through his redeeming love and grace.

In spite of Christ's pain on the cross; he forgives. In spite of His suffering, he promises paradise. He gives us hope for better tomorrows when today looks so bleak and hopeless. If you still have problems with understanding or accepting the whole Christ the King idea, it doesn't matter. What we think about Jesus is not as nearly important as what He thinks about us. Be blessed to know that you and I are the objects of his complete, unconditional and sacrificial love at all times.

Amen.

© 2007 The Rev. Deacon Christine McCloud

Christ the King Sunday

By The Rev. Bernard W. Poppe, Rector

From the Book of Daniel we heard, "...one that was ancient of days took his throne; his clothes were white as snow, and the hair of his head like pure wool; his throne was fiery flames..." From Revelation we hear, "I am the alpha and the omega,' says the Lord God, who is, and who was and who is to come, the Almighty'"

These dramatic descriptions are familiar ones that are used in ancient scriptures through medieval paintings like Michelangelo's Sistine chapel, to images today. It's become a formulaic description of the Creator God. It continues the mystery language of the Apocalyptic writer who reaches for an image of ultimate majesty and power as the forces of good and evil combat one another using both heaven and earth as the battle field.

I can't help but also think of the contemporary image taken from the movie series called The Matrix. In this series the protagonist Neo finally meets God prior to another ultimate conflict of good and evil. This time God is an older African American woman in a bit of a frumpy house dress with an oversized shoulder bag, seated not on a throne, but a park bench. A very different picture, to be sure, than that painted by both Daniel and John, but no less authoritative or less powerful. I'm certainly not equating this movie series with scripture, especially given the ratings it got, but it does help to point out something very important; namely, the image of God painted by humans is merely a vehicle to understand the vastness of God and the power of God.

How do you literally put a face on the source of all life and creation? How can we contain the infinite in words or pictures? It's impossible and yet as Christians we believe that the word of God became flesh in the person of Jesus. We convey our limited understanding of God into a still imperfect but easier concept of a human embodying the nature of God as well as the nature of humans.

This day in the Liturgical Calendar is called Christ the King. It is the last Sunday in the church year and is the culmination of all the preceding Sundays marking the life events of Christ and the teachings. It's the conclusion of the year in story form. Next week begins a new year with the first Sunday of Advent. And the telling begins anew.

But the beginning of a new year can wait for now. In this moment we celebrate Christ the King. Our Gospel lesson recalls the conversation between Pontius Pilate and Jesus regarding his Kingship. In the context of the Gospel Pilate wants to be convinced. He wants to find a reason to free Jesus and through this discourse it's clear that Pilate is fascinated with Jesus, speaking to him not as a prisoner but as an equal. Pilate knew there was more to this man than the charges brought against him, but allowed others to intervene and cut the discovery short. Pilate's refusal to pursue his desire to know more about Jesus, to engage him in further conversation, to be convinced and understand more about his kingship led to a crucifixion, an attempt at silencing the absurd yet compelling claims of kingship.

The ability to grasp the concept of Jesus' kingship, like the ability to grasp the image of God is much like the ability to grasp water or air. It seems impossible. And yet, I think the Gospel writer as well as the others, spend so much time with Pilate because the reader also becomes in a way Pilate, in a position of judgment over the claims that others make over this person. Who is he? Criminal or King? It seems to be the question reverberating throughout the Gospels, from the Pharisees and Priests who see a law breaker, to his childhood neighbors who see a presumptuous upstart, to those healed by him, taught by him and fed by him. All through the Gospels there are those who would kill him and those who would crown him. And yet each making their decision based on their needs and their expectations.

Like Pilate we too have heard these stories and we have more to add through the years of Christian history. Like Pilate we too must judge. Do we crucify or follow? Like Pilate we can figure out that there are consequences to either choice. This day is a reminder that the actions made once and for all so long ago are also actions that we make every day.

The relationship between Pilate and Jesus is all the more important for us when we accept that Pilate thought he was in control of the situation. He thought his decision would take care of the matter. And of course it did not.

God's dominion over the universe and all of creation isn't mediated through humanity, regardless of their authority. God's power grace and goodness flows whether we choose to believe it or not, or, accept it or not. The word of God made flesh in Jesus was felt by those who knew him and His spirit is still felt today regardless of who believes it or not.

We have many images of God created through scripture and story, painting and movie. We have images of God know to ourselves alone or perhaps shared with another. All are valid as they open us up to the wonder that is God's being. All of us confront the person of Jesus and try to understand what the Son of God means, the King of Glory, the Prince of Peace or any of the titles conferred on him by humanity in an attempt to grasp his reality.

There is satisfaction in knowing that whatever we decide God is still God and Jesus is still Jesus, and Christ is King. We cannot plumb the depths of that statement but we can in our need and in our time embrace it. Amen.

© 2006 St. George's Episcopal Church, Maplewood, NJ