Sermon

St. Philip's Episcopal Church, Durham, NC

May 20, 2007 - Seventh Sunday of Easter

The Rev. Vicki L. Smith

 “Transitions”

If we were to sit down with the disciples this morning, between Jesus’ ascension into heaven and the gift of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, we would find one sorry group of people.  They were sad, confused, hurt, uncertain, a little angry perhaps.  They had just gotten used to having the resurrected Jesus with them, and he was gone, returned to the highest heaven with God the Father.  If they had thought about it, they would have realized this was bound to happen, but even that knowledge wouldn’t make it any easier to bear.  They were in the middle of a major transition and they faced all those transition questions: What should we do?  Where should we go?  Who will we be after this?  Our collect for the day summarizes their feelings well when it says, “Lord, do not leave us comfortless.”  In the face of transition, in the face of change, in the face of uncertainty and confusion, please Lord, do not leave us comfortless.

That was the first of what would prove to be many, many transitions in the life of the church.  From the first disciples in the first century to us in the 21^st century, change has been the name of the game for the church. 

While I hesitate to draw a direct comparison between the ascension of Jesus and the departures of Kent and Harriette, I do have to say that we are in the midst of a big transition here, and we share many of the emotions and challenges of our ancestors in the faith.

Kent and Harriette have been integral parts of St. Philip’s, literally part of the fabric of this place.  Few people even remember that there was an organist/choirmaster before Kent and almost a whole generation of parish children have grown to adulthood under Harriette’s gentle care and teaching.  It is difficult even to begin to describe the wonderful gifts that these two people have given to this parish.  Kent has developed and led a music program that is second to none, sharing high quality music that deepens our worship and nourishes our souls.  Harriette has led this parish in the implementation of the Catechesis program that so blesses our children and in the development of a Hispanic ministry that has grown and that others now share.  They have both brought a depth of spirit and commitment that is extraordinary.

And now they are leaving – Kent to retire and Harriette to begin a new ministry in Washington, D.C.  In the face of such a major transition, we share many of the emotions of those first disciples: we are sad, confused, uncertain, hurt, and a little angry perhaps.  In the face of this major change, we need to do what the disciples did: pause, pray and get ready to get going.  Pause, Pray and get ready to get going, knowing that Jesus has made provision for exactly this kind of challenge, that God has given us the Spirit to comfort and lead us through exactly these times, and that God has led us through change before and will do it again right now.  

Pause, pray and get ready to get going. 

For a little while after Jesus ascended to heaven, his disciples just stood there, watching where he had gone.  They needed a little pause to process what had just happened.  Today, we, too, pause to process what is happening.  Though Kent and Harriette will both be with us for one more Sunday, today is the party day – the day when we will pause to say thank you to them and to share memories with them.  We will step out of the whirlwind of activity and emotion and pause, just for a little while, to thank God for them and to send them on their way with our love.

Pause, pray and get ready to get going.

In the face of this change we also need to pray.  We need to give all this mix of emotions over to God – the turmoil, the sadness, the fear – all of it.  We give it over to God in prayer and let him hold for awhile.  And we also pray for the Spirit’s leadership, especially at this time – we pray that we will be open to the winds of change, that we look at our future with a spirit of honesty and compassion, and that we will embrace innovation and not fear it.  Most of all, we entrust this parish, and especially its music and children’s ministries, to God in prayer. God has never left us comfortless and God never will.

Pause, pray and get ready to get going.

I think the Bible version of that is “Gird up your loins,” but I’ve never really like that phrase – I prefer “get ready to get going.”  This is the lull before the storm – in a good way.  This is the pause before the power.  God has so much more in store for Harriette, for Kent, and for St. Philip’s.  Out of change comes growth, excitement, new energy and new ministry – for all of us. We tend to resist change, perhaps out of fear or inertia, but the opposite of changing is, well, dead.  Anything living is changing, whether that be people or churches. If we’re alive, we’re changing and there are wonderful things to come out of that. 

It is perhaps hard for us to imagine St. Philip’s without Harriette and Kent, as I am sure it is hard for them to imagine themselves apart from St. Philip’s, but God can imagine it. God has imagined it and God is ready to lead us forward into that wonderful vision for Kent in retirement, for Harriette at St. Alban’s, and for St. Philip’s in Durham.  

Today we pause to give thanks to God for Harriette, for Kent and for St. Philip’s.  Today we pray for Harriette, for Kent and for St. Philip’s.  And Harriette, Kent and St. Philip’s – get ready to get going. God has wonderful things in store for us all.

© 2006, Saint Philip's Episcopal Church
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 218, Durham, NC 27702
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