Sermon

St. Philip's Episcopal Church, Durham, NC

1/8/06 - 1 Epiphany

The Rev. Harriette H. Sturges

The prophet cries out: Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights.

Peter began to speak: I truly understand that God show no partiality....he is Lord of all.

John the Baptist preached, saying: The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me.he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.

And a voice came from heaven: You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.

What was going on that made the prophet cry out, Peter speak, John preach, and a voice from heaven announce?

In Isaiah's time the Israelites were still in exile in Babylon watching to see if Cyrus, the king of Persia, would defeat the Babylonians and let them return to Palestine. For John and Paul, of course, it was the time of Roman occupation and although the Jews were geographically in their territory they were not in charge.  In a sense they were exiles in their own land.

What was going on?

On January 8th in years past, George Washington delivered the first State of the Union address, Elvis was born, the first soup kitchens in London were opened, Marco Polo died, the Loch Ness monster was photographed, WUNC in Chapel Hill began broadcasting, and thirteen years ago Mary Grace Benhase was born.

What is going on?

This week, Ariel Sharon had a major stroke, there was more bombing in Iraq, Sarah Ball-Damberg preached her first sermon as an ordained person, Texas won the Rose Ball, my husband asked me to include that Carolina beat State, the survivors of Katrina continued to struggle and adjust to life, and coal miners died.

Here at St. Philip's in addition to Sarah's ordination and sermon, Interfaith Hospitality Network moves in for the week,  we are looking forward to Maggie's return, we are getting ready to elect 4 new vestry members, we are planning a mission trip to Mississippi, and are involved in a capital campaign.  Kathleen Pike and Joshua Wigfall will celebrate their Rite 13 liturgies at 9 and 11 respectively, Dylan Thomas Szuch and Helen Bowsher-Burt will be baptized into the Body of Christ.

And this morning we hear the prophet cry out, Peter speak, John the Baptist preach and the voice of God proclaiming Jesus the beloved Son.

What does all this reveal to us? What is manifested to us by our participation in these liturgies, in these covenants?  Why do we need this season of light, of Epiphany, these stories of Gentile kings, of John proclaiming baptism, of miracles, signs and transfiguration manifesting the Messiah for all people not just Israel?

Now before I give you my answer, my opinion, my diagnosis, I want to say that this community of St. Philip's inspires me in our striving for justice and peace among all people, our efforts at feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless, visiting the prisoners and the sick and the lonely, and our ever-increasing respect for the dignity of every human being.  This community sustains me in its faithfulness in seeking and serving Christ in all person, by our perseverance in resisting evil and our repentance, our proclamation by word and example the Good News of God in Christ.  This congregation is exemplary in its faithfulness, its humor, its fun, its frustration, its obedience, its piety and love.  I love you and I'm deeply grateful to be a part of you.

But my God, your God, our God is too small. Like the heavens that were torn open to expand, it's time to shed the hardened shell of last year and crack ourselves open to what God is revealing to us now.  This is symbolized in part by our needing a larger house for our ministry in this community- symbolic as there can never be a house large enough to contain God. Your God Is Too Small is the title of a book but it's also the story of the season of Epiphany moving from the light of a star to the blazing light of the Transfiguration.  Why all this light?  So we can see more clearly, so we can be so totally blinded that we understand the limits of our physical eyes to see and therefore must depend on "the eyes of our hearts to be enlightened" as the author of Ephesians expresses it in order to know "what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe." This is the challenge and the promise of Epiphany whether it is through baptism, the Journey to Adulthood, a middle age crisis, retirement, or the last part of our lives.  Our God is too small and we are too comfortable or too uncomfortable to ignore this.

God,whether by means of a star, by baptism, miracles and signs, by absence or by mystery, our God wants to enlarge the sides of our tents and the size of our hearts, to dissolve the walls that divide us. How do we as a community allow this to happen?

On one hand, it is something we can't control or manipulate by our piety, our good deeds or our money. However, we can increase our awareness of God in our lives and our world. We can firm up our intention to be faithful by observing our tradition of liturgy and reading the Bible and our Book of Common Prayer. Read your Bibles and find how God has been revealed to others and how they have responded. What is it that you can learn from the Israelite midwives in Egypt, from Rahab the prostitute, Lydia the merchant of purple cloth, from Dorcas the seamstress and doer of good works. Ground yourself in the story. Again and again and again. Be so rooted in, so familiar with the ways of God that you recognize them in your world. You don't have time. You don't understand. I didn't say read the whole thing in one sitting.  I didn't say understand it on the first try.  Read, reread, ruminate and ponder.  Let the questions bug you.

Read your prayer book especially the parts you are not familiar with to see how your community understands God and has responded to this understanding.  Read the rite of reconciliation, the burial office, the ordination rites, the rite of marriage, the ministration to the sick and the thanksgiving for a child.

What?  You're too young to die or have already made your arrangements and peace with God. You don't want to be married or can't be.  Ordination- no thanks or no way. Moreover, the General Confession and Absolution serve you just fine.  You don't need a rite of reconciliation. Furthermore, you'll leave the thanksgiving for children to the parents and the ministration to the sick to those who are ill.

But God is not just your God, the personal god of an individual showing partiality but the Lord of all. God is the God of the married, the committed, the single, the widow, widower, divorcee, the laity and the clergy, the sinner and the reconciled, the sick and the well, the dying and the dead as well as the living. What is it about God that you are avoiding or ignoring?

The prophet cries out, John preaches, and a voice proclaims.  We often feel so pressured or so impotent, so involved or so tired, that we are afraid to listen.  What if the cry is to "do"? But look at Peter's revelation. Keep on doing what you are doing but with a new understanding. What if God is telling you to rest, take sabbath time?  It's often our minds and hearts that need changing before our actions.

So look for God. Listen to God.  Expect epiphanies, surprises and revelations. Be available to God and for God. This is Epiphany.  The season of manifestation.  God can lead you with a star or tear the heavens open and send a dove.  Watch out!

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