Sermons
Building Community Together
The Rev. Eric K. Hinds
Sermon given at Saint Matthew’s Episcopal Church, San Mateo, California on 30 September 2007, The Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost. Lessons: Jeremiah 29:1, 4-7; Psalm 66:1-11; 2 Timothy 2:8-15; Luke 17:11-19
In the course of tending to some of the details of everyday life, it will often be the case that I encounter, while wearing my clericals, a fair number of people who do not go to church. Some take that opportunity to explain to me why they do not go to church. People offer many reasons, most centered upon some type of negative experience, but I must say that among the explanations that I hear, the only group that I really tire of listening to, is the subset of people, who with an air of self-satisfaction, make a point of saying that “I am not a religious person—I am a spiritual person.” Now if the person simply said “I am a spiritual person,” that is something that I could easily embrace, and likely feel some connection and affinity towards. But I think that it is the quality of individual arrogance, on the part of those who put down the practice of a religious tradition--combined with a blindness to the benefits of a faith community—that in the end, often makes listening to such a discourse, a tedious exercise of hearing some variation of “look at me and see how superior I am.” Now, I am being overly harsh here. It is really only one or two individuals who have ever approached the extreme--of obnoxious condensation, and there is another part of me that laments the fact that such individuals have not had a significant positive experience within a faith community.
In this morning’s reading from the First Testament, the prophet Jeremiah is speaking to a faith community that has been devastated by loss. After being conquered, most of the people of Israel have been deported to Babylon. Futility and despair have set in. The people feel abandoned by God--without any hope for the future. It is to this situation that Jeremiah preaches words of hope. The prophet reminds the people of God that they have not been abandoned, and that there is a way—That there is a future, and that God calls them to be courageous, and to rebuild. Calls them to get on with living and to move forward.
It is the story of a community that was shattered--and then slowly begins to find a way to reform, to reconnect, and to discover a future together. The bonds of community, the bonds of a faith community, can be a powerful source of strength; for there is a powerful way in which the faith of a sum of individuals--transcends and overcomes individual feelings of futility or despair. Community life can also present difficulties—the reason I suspect that some decline to participate, but it is simply the case that that community does not exist without setbacks and conflict.
For the past few weeks, I have been especially aware of one of the challenges that has been a part of this community’s life for some time. For the past year our Vestry has been struggling with the specific task of coming to terms with an agreement to define the financial relationship between the church and day school. On the positive side, this struggle has been the last part of an enormous conscious effort to improve the relationships and functioning between both church and school—and it is obvious that today that we are living into a new reality. A sense of sharing a joint mission in education, a sense of mutual support and appreciation, and an excitement for what the future will bring. At the same time, I have been aware that it has been difficult to get out from under the enormous weight and burden of past mistakes-- and the knowledge and experience of past years of conflict. It has been a heavy burden for your Vestry and other leaders to shoulder. It has been a burden made all the greater by the realization that conflict always comes with a cost--not the least of which has been the cost of lost opportunity and focus. It takes intentionality and determination to overcome breeches of trust in one’s history. It takes an abiding faith, and above all a commitment to community.
Over the past week, I have gained a much deeper appreciation of both the weight that the past places upon the present—and also of the deep commitment that I sense of this community working to move forward. Last Sunday, the entire Vestry met for several hours after church to work and wrestle with the details of a complicated agreement based upon mutual trust between the church and school. On Monday, I attended the school Board meeting, and encountered a group equally engaged in efforts to advance the future of our community. On Tuesday, our Vestry continued to work together and came to agreement to move forward.
It has not been easy work and there have been many different opinions expressed along the way—but what I have to say has impressed me above all else, and about which I have no doubt--is the deep love and passion that our leadership have for St. Matthew’s. A love that is shared throughout this community. That this parish is a place that has nurtured their souls and faith of so many is obvious--and that the hard work of not just keeping our community together, but working to secure a stable future, is worth the expenditure of their energy, time, talent, patience and above all passion.
I have read the story of Jesus healing the ten lepers many times. What strikes me in this retelling of the story is the leper who returned to Jesus. Not just because he returned to give thanks—but because I can not help but think that the leper returned with the hope—perhaps even the expectation of joining a community. A community where the people care for one another, a community where the love of God in Christ is made known and manifest to each individual, a community especially extended to outsiders, that like the lepers, that they might know what it means to be a beloved part of a faith community—A community that we call the Body of Christ.
On Tuesday evening, here in the church, our entire community is invited to share in the excitement and joy of the installation of our new Head of School. I so look forward to our official welcome of Mark and his family into our midst—their time with us here has already been such a blessing. And I must say that today I am more excited than ever about our future. We will undoubtedly have our share of challenges ahead, but today we do well to hear again the words of Jeremiah-- a reminder that God calls us to have faith, and to be of good courage, even when—perhaps especially when--some of the going has been difficult.
We are reminded this day that our labor will ultimately bear fruit--and that it is in working together, as God’s gathered community that we will ultimately secure our future.
Amen
-
-
Support St. Matthew's Sunday School - join eScrip!
-
-
St. Matthew's Episcopal Day School
-
-
The Episcopal Church welcomes you!