Sermon for 4 Epiphany
January 30, 2005
Cathleen Basile
Mission Sunday
Many of you by now
have heard of the awesome trip to New York City six of us recently took to
celebrate Kim Mann’s milestone birthday. There should be laws against having so
much fun. My face still hurts from laughing so much. It was truly a most
wonderful, blessed and life transforming venture full of happy as well as sad
emotional moments.
One of the main
stops of our whirlwind tour of Manhattan was St. Paul’s Episcopal Chapel near
ground zero, the site of the world trade center terrorist attack.
St. Paul’s was
completed in 1766 and is Manhattan’s oldest public building.
George Washington
worshiped there on Inauguration Day, on April 30th, 1789 and attended
services there during the two years that NYC was the country’s capital.
After the attack on
Sept. 11th2001, St. Paul’s Chapel served as a place of rest and
refuge for the recovering workers at the WTC tragedy. For eight (8) long
months, hundreds of volunteers worked 12 hour shifts around the clock, serving
meals, making beds, counseling and praying with fire fighters, constructions
workers, police, and many others.
There were
literally thousands of people giving of themselves more than they thought
possible. This profound sense of giving and reaching out was still very
prevalent as we walked through the area designated as ground zero.
My whole being
cried for the people that lost their lives that fateful morning.
The displays,
exhibits and other reminders of that tragic day, made me understand at least a
little bit of what God’s mission is. The extraordinary ways this humble little
chapel touched so many lives spoke volumes to me this day.
I remembered
hearing the stories back when it all took place and feeling a great sense of
pride that this church was Episcopalian. We were at the front lines courageously
responding to one of the most infamous days in our nation. Nevertheless, the
enormity of the work and energy that this Chapel was engaged in was beyond my
mental and emotional comprehension until I was there in the flesh. I knew in my
heart, that we at St. Luke’s would have responded in the same manner.
I believe that the
driving force at the Chapel work was Christ. In times of darkness He is often
our only light and always enough light.
Those exhibits at
the Chapel clearly and profoundly depicted the spirit of Christ in the world
during this tearful time. The movable stations display items donated by the
public after 9/11. Artifacts such as teddy bears, notes and cards, crosses, and
patches from firefighters and other workers were among the many mementos of life
in the display. I was so moved yet paralyzed in thought. It was like a river of
emotion sweeping through my soul.
The Book of Common
Prayer states that the mission of the church is to restore people to unity with
God and one another in Christ. The reality of this “statement of mission” was
never more prevalent for me than during the few hours that I spent walking
through this beautiful Chapel.
It was very moving
and I felt so privileged to be one of Christ’s missioners. What better way to
preach the Gospel, than to live it. Actions do speak louder than words “Mission
is about deeds”. Mission is an active process, a process that demands from us
effort, resources and love.
I vividly remember
the very moving service held here at St. Luke’s on the evening of this tragic
day. I remember feeling totally helpless. I remember calling Don, telling him
to find and talk to each one of our nieces and nephews who live or work in the
city and to call me back to tell me that they were alive and well. And still I
couldn’t rest until I heard their voices for myself.
And yet sometimes I
am overwhelmed with the amount of tragedy that exists in the whole world on a
daily basis. I cannot begin to comprehend the terrible depth of despair and
brokenness that the victims of the recent tsunami tragedy are feeling today. How
many Chapels will it take to heal their pain? Were will their light of hope come
from? What can I do to help fix the brokenness of so many lives?
I certainly cannot
help all those people. But does my sense of futility justify my indifference?
The need for love,
compassion, and mission work is so enormous that we feel crushed by it and often
live in denial of so much need.
The Church pursues
its mission as it prays and worships, proclaims the Gospel, and promotes
justice, peace, and love. The Gospels are a call from God to all His people to
be missionaries (the Great Commission), to spread the Word of God and the way of
salvation. It is impossible to be a Christian without a mission life. Mission
is the process by which Christians connect the Lord to the world and therefore
to ourselves.
God wants us to be
His medium for healing in this world. We are not meant to be passive. Mission
is not meant to be delegated solely to voluntary service organizations. It is
the business of the church and we are the church!
Mission is
responding to God’s call by meeting the needs of people by their standards and
not ours.
It also means
taking risks, exposing us to emotional, spiritual and physical hardships. It
means moving away from our comfort zone and willing to see the world through
another individual’s eyes. To accept that there are many roads to God and they
are all good and that my understanding of God is not infallible or obsolete.
That there are an infinite number of ways that people find God in a myriad of
cultures of which ours is one but not the only one.
Mission is not
about changing these people or their culture. It is about sharing the love of
Christ. Love that is shared is love that transforms. The impetus of missionary
activity is love. Mission work comes with spiritual growth. We are energized
-- evangelized, and come home with a deeper understanding of the Christian
life. We return with an excitement that is contagious and often permeates our
home congregation. Many have witnessed the excitement that I and others have
come home with after a trip to Puerto Rico or Honduras. Believe me, it is a
real life changing and spiritual experience. Without it, I would not be a
candidate for the deaconate today.
Our goal should be
to bring people, especially young people to a level of world awareness that
allows them to make decisions about their future in the light of world need,
global opportunities, and their commitment to Christ. I want young people
growing up in our churches to know that they are a part of a much larger church
that spans the globe, embraces all colors, cultures, and classes of people and
to be proud of the richness of that diversity.
The Episcopal
Church of USA’s corporate name is the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society.
So, by affiliation alone, all Episcopalians are missionaries. In fact, Early
American Episcopalians understood with clarity and passion that the church does
not exist except by being on mission.
What is a church
that doesn’t think about mission? Is it a church that just gathers? Is it a
church that is turned inward unto itself?
In contrast, a
church that is mission minded is a church that scatters. They go forth seeking
and entering into relationships with other people in the name of the spirit of
Christ; whether going means across the street or across the world. It is a
church that is dynamic and alive – a church that is growing, not just in numbers
but also in spirit.
But let us not
forget the great history of St. Luke’s. We are responsible for the concept of
some great ministries in our community. St. Susan’s and the Safe house are two
examples of Christ’s love in action.
We had a family
from St. Luke’s live in Honduras for 3 years spreading God’s love and living the
Gospel. We have had several teenagers and adults live out their faith on short
term mission trips to Honduras and Puerto Rico, one of our teenagers is in
Honduras right now and one will be returning this week. It was such a life
changing experience for them that they couldn’t wait to return. I am also happy
to announce that a deanery trip is planned to work with the native Americans in
Nevada this summer.
Mission
experiences open our eyes to God’s presence in our lives.
We are all called
to be part of God’s mission. What a privilege! I have committed myself to the
service of God for the rest of my life. Whatever doubts I may have had about my
calling were left in a small Chapel in lower Manhattan in early January. I
invite you to leave your doubts behind and join me in our shared calling to love
and serve the Lord with gladness and singleness of heart.
Amen.
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Cathy is a member
of St. Luke's Church and a candidate for the permanent diaconate.
You can contact her here.
