Fourth Sunday after Pentecost (06/24/12)

Full Transcript of Father Swann's Homily:

I have always enjoyed the Old Sherlock Holmes Mystery Stories, from the time of Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce, playing Holmes and Dr. Watson----to the very modern version recently shown on PBS. I sometime listen to the radio version of Sherlock Holmes on CD as I drive the car. I recently ran across the following little story involving the “ever brilliant” Holmes and the somewhat “dull witted” Dr. Watson.

The story goes like this: Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson went on a camping trip. They set up their tent and fell asleep. Some hours later, Holmes woke his faithful friend up."Watson, look up at the sky and tell me what you see."Watson replied, "I see millions of stars." "What does that tell you?" asked Holmes. Watson pondered for a minute. "

Astronomically speaking,” it tells me that there are millions of galaxies and potentially billions of planets.

Astrologically, it tells me that Saturn is in Leo.

Horologically, it appears to be approximately a quarter past three in the morning.

Theologically, it’s evident the Lord is all-powerful and we are small and insignificant.

Meteorologically, it seems we will have a beautiful day tomorrow. Then after a pause, Watson said: “Well, Holmes, what does it tell you?"

Holmes was silent for a moment and then he said. "Watson, you imbecile, can’t you see that someone has stolen our tent."

There is a danger, even when we come to Scripture, that we look for the “complicated” and overlook the sublimely obvious. Lets look at Mark’s Gospel for today with that in mind.



Jesus and the disciples are in the same boat. It is night, a dangerous time for sea journeys. And yet, even though it is dark, Jesus invited then to go “sailing.” Sure enough a “great gale” arose, and the waves beat into the boat – so that the boat was being “swamped.” It’ s dark, it’s dangerous, and they are alone in the boat with no one but Jesus to protect them– and He is asleep on a cushion in the stern of the boat




In their fright, they call out, “Teacher , don’t you care that we’re sinking?” This is a “prayer” that the “powerless” disciples pray. In the parlance of current 12 step Programs– they are “ready.” They no longer live under the delusion of “self deliverance.” They have given up on the “idea” that they can “fix it themselves.” Jesus wakes up– calmly “rebukes” the wind and waves saying “peace be still.”

And having spoken to the “sea”- he now speaks to his people, and says, “why are you afraid?” Don’t you have faith? Notice he does not say why WERE you afraid- rather- he says why ARE you afraid? After all he just “stilled” the storm and waves. No doubt that event scared the “dickens” out of the disciples. Then the disciples say to one another: Who is this—even the waves obey Him?

That question: WHO IS THIS is always ‘on the table’ when we get in the “boat” with Jesus. William Willimon has said that they were afraid for two reasons: the first most obvious is the “fear” of the death dealing storm. The second is a kind of “fear” like the fear on that first Easter Morn- the response to the ‘risen Christ’ was not joy, but profound fear. -- -that- Easter just might be true- Even death is subject to Him. It isn’t over til He says its over. He makes a “way” when there was no way. In today’s Gospel His power is greater than the wind and the waves. That is “scary.”

Even in a congregation as small as St Paul’s- no doubt some of us are dealing with a “storm” of one sort or another-- in our lives. If not dealing with one now– we have had personal storms and no doubt will have more at some time.

Here is what a “storm” in your life or mine– DOES NOT MEAN. It does not mean that God does not love you. It does not mean that God is “angry” with you. It does not mean that God is “paying you back” for something. Storms “happen” - we live in a complicated “fallen” world where things happen. There is a degree of “randomness” built into God’s creation. In other words, good and bad happen to all.

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is one of total deliverance from evil, no matter how grim or overwhelming that evil appears in the life of a believer. This is the bedrock faith of the Church.

The “faith in Christ” that withstands life’s storms is not--- only available to the great major personalities in our faith tradition–BUT-- is available to all of us --the “rank and file”--- in all of the storms that come our way.

The Apostle Paul, writing on the firm ground and assurance of Christian hope, in the face of all storms, states emphatically: “In all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

It seems to me that three obvious points come out of our Gospel reading this morning:

1. Christ converts Chaos into Calm.

2. Christ Comforts His Companions in their Concern.

3. Christ is in Control.

God is here!! God is involved in our lives. And WE want to be in control ?? We must move from “control” to trust. The only way to ‘control life’ is to trust the only One who can control it.



AMEN

Third Sunday after Pentecost (Sunday 06/17/12)

Full Transcript of Father Swann's Homily:

IN today’s gospel message Jesus speaks in parables—again. Jesus frequently uses this particular literary “literary device” to get his point across. We know that parables are “brief stories” that illustrate a particular religious or moral construct. They are NOT fables or legends, in that they are “true”—BUT—they are not like non-fiction narratives in that they are NOT always strictly factual.

Parables are a kind of “extended metaphor”- which is one way--and maybe the best way - of grasping the limits of human language.

WE hear two parables in today’s gospel. The parable of the “self- growing” seed and- the parable of the “mustard seed.” As a society we usually measure success by size. But “big” is not a “Kingdom value.” Often God works best with small and with weak, and with sinful because all the scriptures remind us: “God’s power is made perfect in weakness.”

Smallness is a focus of today’s gospel reading – the Parable of the Mustard Seed. From God’s perspective, things are often not what they appear to be at first. The tiny mustard seed may seem small and insignificant, but within it looms something very valuable, a usual part of creation.

Doesn’t this parable help us realize that size can be deceiving? Doesn’t it help us understand that out of a small thing can come something grand and wonderful and powerful? In this parable, Jesus spoke to the truth that smallness has its strengths and advantages and possibilities.

Smallness is a norm to which Jesus returned again and again in his ministry. And we know, too, that smallness is the

basis on which the church began. The church operates best when it carries into larger ministries the insights and techniques of smallness.

We are at our best when we engage in individual ministries because we have but one ministry as an example – that of Jesus himself. He gathered around him a small band of followers, totaling at best two dozen people. He worked closest with a select band of 12 who gathered with him at the Last Supper and heard his message of servanthood. When the church was forming itself, it first felt empowered by the Holy Spirit to carry the good news of Christ out into the world. It found expression in a small group of 11 who became empowered by the risen Lord in an upper room of fear.

The people Jesus chose to carry on his work were, by the world’s standards, “small men” – fishermen, unlearned, probably illiterate. One was a despised tax collector. They were simple people, ordinary people. Some of his band of followers were the very rejects of society. By all outward appearances, they were small people. This, of course, is based on the judgment and standards of quantity and wealth and education and worldly power.

But by the standards of “quality and stature” in God’s eyes, they can be seen as the greatest of people. And we can learn that, in the midst of a worldly culture that idolizes bigness, for the Christian there is a norm that honors smallness – the kind of smallness with which Jesus worked. We can see that no matter how large a congregation may grow in numbers, its success as a part of the Body of Christ depends on its ability to maintain standards illustrated by Jesus. This means maintaining concern for individuals, providing opportunity for ministry for everyone, promoting the feeling of worth in everyone, making sure that all are interconnected, so that, for example, there is somebody to miss you when you are absent.

Small-town people and those who live in “tight neighborhoods” in urban areas understand the value of natural and easy connectedness, of fellowship in the Christian sense. Others in different settings do well to work hard to make this kind of small community connectedness a reality in the midst of a mass culture. Congregations, small or large, can learn to live into the power of such a dynamic.

If, spiritually, we become “too big for our britches” – if bigness and its illusion of power becomes a problem for Christians, individually or as a faith community – the mustard seed image remains instructive. The small size of community does not devalue its potential. From the right kind of “small thinking” can flow the values and mission that Jesus gave to his first followers who have passed it on to us. This parable reminds us that it is not the size that is important but what comes from it. It is not the size of the seed that is important, but what counts – in God’s eyes – is the quality of God’s love that we can spread among each other and into the wider community. This is what we “embody” –or at least try to embody here at St. Paul’s Church.

A story that “connects” – I believe on this Father’s Day. WE all have a biological father- somewhere, somehow. But we need to be reminded that we have a heavenly Father—as well. This story is attributed to Fred Craddock who has East Tennessee connections.

A seminary professor was vacationing with his wife in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. One morning they were eating breakfast in a little restaurant, hoping to enjoy a quiet, family meal. While waiting for their food, they noticed a distinguished looking, white haired man moving from table to table, visiting with the guests. The professor leaned over and whispered to his wife, "I hope he doesn't come over here." But sure enough, the man came over to their table. "Where are you folks from?" he asked in a friendly voice."Oklahoma," they answered."Great to have you here in Tennessee," the stranger said. "What do you do for a living?""I teach at a seminary," he replied."Oh, so you teach preachers how to preach, do you?

Well, I've got a really good story for you. And with that, the gentleman pulled up a chair and sat down. The professor groaned and thought to himself, "Great. Just what I need -- another preacher story!"The man started, "See that mountain over there?" He pointed out the restaurant window. "Not far from the base of that mountain, there was a boy born to an unwed mother. He had a hard time growing up because every place he went, he was always asked the same question: 'Hey, boy, who's your daddy?'

Whether he was at school, in the grocery store or drug store, people would ask the same question: 'Who's your daddy?' He would hide at recess and lunch time from other students. He would avoid going into stores because that question hurt him so bad. When he was about 12 years old, a new preacher came to his church. He would always go in late and slip out early to avoid hearing the question, 'Who's your daddy?'

But one day, the new preacher said the benediction so fast, he “got caught” and had to walk out with the crowd. Just about the time he got to the back door, the new preacher, not knowing anything about him, put his hand on his shoulder and asked him, 'Son, who's your daddy?' The whole church got deathly quiet. He could feel every eye in the church looking at him. Now everyone would finally know the answer to the question, 'Who's your daddy?'

The new preacher, though, sensed the situation around him and using discernment that only the Holy Spirit could give, said the following to the scared little boy: 'Wait a minute! I know who you are. I see the family resemblance now. You are a child of God.' With that, he patted the boy on his shoulder and said, 'Boy, you've got a great inheritance -- go and claim it.'

With that, the boy smiled for the first time in a long time and walked out the door a changed person. He was never the same again.

Whenever anybody asked him, 'Who's your daddy?' he'd just tell them, 'I'm a child of God. 'The distinguished gentleman got up from the table and said, "Isn't that a great story? "The professor responded that it really was a great story.

As the man turned to leave, he said, "You know, if that new preacher hadn't told me that I was one of God's children, I probably would never have amounted to anything!" And he walked away. The seminary professor and his wife were stunned. He called the waitress over and asked, "Do you know that man who was just sitting at our table?" The waitress grinned and said, "Of course. Everybody here knows him. That's Ben Hooper. He's the former governor of Tennessee!"

AS an aside, Ben Hooper was pointing toward Newport.

Good old Baptist Ben Hooper—knew who his most important father was.

AMEN.

Second Sunday after Pentecost (Sunday 06/10/12)

Full Transcript of Father Swann's Homily:

Family. We all come from one. Some are loving, some are quirky, some are dysfunctional, some are abusive, and some are a combination of those things. No matter what type of family we have, we have a ‘role to play’ within it: the Peacemaker, the Pretty One, the Black Sheep, the Smart One, the Religious One, the Baby, and so on. But what happens when the Black Sheep starts acting like the Smart One? Or the Peacemaker becomes the Artistic One? The delicate system of roles is shaken and the other players must try to put the person back in their role or adjust to the new role that is being played. Guess which one folks usually choose?

Fear of the “new role” usually wins out, and people often try to sabotage the fledgling before anything permanent can happen. We think we “know what is best” for the other person because really, it is best for us.

Take any self-improvement – losing weight, quitting smoking, going back to school, going to a counselor – and there will be people who will not be encouraging because it makes them look at the improvements they need to make and aren’t. They fear change in their lives, so why should they support the changes in yours? It takes a strong person to become who God created us to be and to continue to make positive changes when it puts personal relationships in jeopardy.

Look at Jesus coming back to his hometown where his family lived. People were crowding him to see if he would heal them, but some were talking about him, “He’s gone out of his mind,” and “He has Beelzebul, and by the ruler of the demons he casts out demons.” People feared what they did not understand. Jesus’ family tried to restrain him, but Jesus faced the crowd.

He was called by God to preach and teach and heal, and that was his focus. He knew his role, but it was not necessarily the “role” that his family or hometown thought he should be in. God was doing a new thing in Jesus. God was expanding what it meant to be “bonded to another person” the way we are in a family, and Jesus called attention to this. God knows what is best for Jesus and for us, not the other way around.

When Jesus declared, “Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother,” it challenged the Jewish culture around him. No longer are you “close to God” because you were born into a Jewish household; no longer do you just take care of your “own kind;” instead, your family is being extended to anyone who does the will of God.

That certainly broadens the margins and challenges those who took that relationship with God for granted. Today, it challenges us to look beyond our walls, our denominational lines, our socio-economic status, and our faith to see our brothers and sisters and mothers. God calls us to expand our family in ways that are just as shocking as it was to the Gospel of Mark’s first-century audience.

We should come to expect this from God. How successful are we when left to our own devices?

Doing the will of God often means leaving our comfort zones. As Episcopalians, our Baptismal Covenant demands a life that follows God by continuing in the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, in the prayers, resisting evil, repenting and returning to the Lord, proclaiming by word and example the Good News of God in Christ, seeking and serving Christ in all persons, loving our neighbor as ourselves, striving for justice and peace among all people, and respecting the dignity of every human being. This is not an easy road to journey! Yet we readily answer, “I will, with God’s help.”

What do you have to do to be credibly called a Christian, a contemporary follower of Jesus? William Willimon from a sermon said; First of all, you must be willing to be baptized, that is, to be adopted by a new, far-flung, barrier breaking family – the Church. You must be disposed to let go of your ‘innate American individualism’—and be subsumed into a family bigger and more demanding than the one you were born into.

You must join us at the table”—addressing some of the most sinful, ornery brothers and sisters--- just because Jesus loves them to death.

You can see why , when the ‘Jesus movement’ got going as the Church, baptism became the “radical” rite of Christian initiation. Baptism signified not only everything that water means—cleansing and birth, and death and refreshment, renewal, life--- BUT baptism also meant ADOPTION.

AS John the Baptist said; “God is going to have a family, even if God has to raise a people out of the rocks in this river.”

On Good Friday, as Jesus hung on the cross, he performed an amazing last act of invitation and adoption. Having been deserted by most of his family, the crucified Jesus, in a last wild, act of “inclusion”—invited a thief to join him in paradise.

Every Day that the “Family of God” gathers together for the Eucharist ( the Holy Communion), or even a covered-dish-dinner—the world looks at this “odd family” and says, “ Jesus is hanging out with the same reprobates that got him crucified.”

And to that we say ; “Thank God!”

We cannot do this alone. Jesus’ single-minded focus on God’s will is an example to us. We must have God’s help to follow the call of Jesus in order to be the people we were created to be. May we go forth, as the blessing from St. Clare says, to “live without fear: your Creator has made you holy, has always protected you, and loves you as a mother. Go in peace to follow the good road, and may God’s blessing be with you always.”

Amen.

Rose Mauzy's Passing

Rose Mauzy has finished her journey in this life and has entered into eternal habitations.  She is now present in the company of heaven.  There will be a Requiem Mass held at St. Paul Episcopal Church (1028 Boyd's Creek Hwy Seymour, TN 37865) on Saturday, June 30, 2012 at 11:00 AM for Rose.    

Saint Paul reminds us, "For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s (Romans 14:8)." 

Jesus says, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand (John 10:27-29) .” 

Please enjoy ''Take My Hand, Precious Lord" as you contemplate about the reunion that Rose had today with all of her friends and family that went before her to their reward.

First Sunday after Pentecost (Sunday June 3, 2012)

Full Transcript of Father Swann's Homily:

Here we are at Trinity Sunday in the Church year, following the celebration of Spirit and Light that was the Day of Pentecost. This is a Sunday when the “focus” is NOT an event in the life or teaching of Jesus. It is about the doctrine of The Holy Trinity which is nowhere explicitly described in Scripture, but is supported by “interpretation” of Scripture.

Trinity Sunday was popularized by St. Thomas a Becket centuries ago. The feast of the Trinity became so important that until recently Anglicans ‘numbered’ the long Summer Sundays as “Sundays after Trinity.” Since 1979 we count Sundays as being after Pentecost.

AS we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Trinity, we confess the three persons of one God: God the Father, Creator and sustainer of the Universe; God the Son who lived a human life among us; and God the Holy Spirit, the Voice of God within us to inspire and guide.

Belief in the Trinity as the full revelation of God is a mystery and a paradox. The Holy Trinity as a doctrine, is expressed in the historic creeds, the concept is drawn out of the revelation underlying our experience of God as Creator, Redeemer, and sanctifier.

The strongest explicit use of the Trinitarian formula occurs in Matthew’s Gospel in the Great Commission given to all who follow Jesus-- “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”

The Church of England – “from whence we sprang”- until recent years required the saying of the Athanasian Creed- always on Trinity Sunday. That creed is contained in the “Historical Documents” of the current 1979 Prayer Book. The American Episcopal Church had the same requirement for many years. That creed begins; “Whosoever will be saved, before all things it is necessary that he hold the Catholic Faith”—and it goes on from there.

Now- to that part I want to focus on- THE DESCRIPTION OF WHAT THE “Catholic Faith” is: the creed now says , - “The Catholic Faith is this: That we worship one God in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity neither confounding the Persons, nor dividing the Substance.”

What then follows in the Athanasian Creed is a series of “tongue tangling statements.” So, lets shift a bit.

The lesson today from Isaiah tells a tale of the prophet having a vision, in which he sees God and shouts, “Woe is me! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among people of unclean lips, yet my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of Hosts.”

In the face of the majesty of God, Isaiah recoils in fear, conscious of his unworthiness. God showed himself to Isaiah, not to frighten him, but to send him out to tell others about God.

IN the Gospel today, Nicodemus comes to Jesus by night. Both Isaiah and Nicodemus sought something they lacked. Jesus tells Nicodemus that if he wants to know what God is doing, he has to “start from scratch,” -- to be born anew.

Nicodemus can’t understand the “mystery” of this statement . How can this be?

Jesus then uses some familiar words. Here they are in the language of an Anglican Bishop and great New Testament scholar; N. T. Wright; “So, just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so in the same way the son of man must be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may share in the life of God’s new age. This you see, is how much God loved the world; enough to give his only special son, so that everyone who believes in him should not be lost but should share in the life of God’s new age. After all, God didn’t send the son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world could be saved by him.”

The doctrine of the Trinity is a confusing doctrine. Even the finest theologians find themselves at a loss to explain it satisfactorily. Some use the analogy of the masks worn by actors in the old Greek tragedies. One actor ‘wearing many masks’ can play many parts. But it is still just one actor.

Others have used the analogy of water. Under normal conditions of temperature and pressure, water, H2O, is a liquid, but freeze it and it becomes a solid. Heat it and it becomes steam. It is still H2O, whatever form it takes, but it can have three radically different ‘forms.’

Still others have used the analogy of roles and relationships. A man can be at the same time a father, a son, a husband, a nephew, etc. One man but different roles. Those are not perfect analogies, but they are probably the best we can do with the minds God has given us.

The Holy Trinity is one of those many things about life and faith that you and I will never fully understand.

There is much that none of us can understand. Having established that, however, there is a second thing to be said: THE SECRET OF A SUCCESSFUL LIFE IS NOT UNDERSTANDING BUT TRUST.

We can either spend our lives making ourselves miserable about ‘what does not make sense to us’-- or we can live joyful lives based on trust in God.

If we wander outside at night on a crystal clear evening and look up, we see the marvelous night sky. And what we see is only a very small fraction of what is actually there. But what about the part we cannot see?

The heavens are like God. We look up to the “lights of heaven” and in them we see God, but --in the part we cannot see, there is God – Father, Son, Holy Spirit,--- Creator, Redeemer, Sustainer, ---Energy, Wisdom, Light, ---Justice, Hope, Perfection. In what we cannot see in life, there is God, hidden, yet eternal.

There, in the mystery, is the goodness of God. Who cannot be captured. AMEN

Day of Pentecost (Sunday May 27, 2012)

On the day of Pentecost the apostles were gathered together when they heard a violent rush of wind which filled the house.  The Holy Spirit had come down on them and they spoke in various KNOWN languages.  This is not the “speaking in tongues” you might hear about from some forms of fundamental Christianity.  Instead these are languages that were spoken by various ethnic groups in the area.  To place into perspective exactly what the Gospel account is referring to in our modern culture, picture a migrant worker from Mexico that does not speak English.  Now, imagine the farm owner only speaks English.  If the Holy Spirit descended on them in the same fashion the two could understand each other even though they have no formal education in that language. 

Jesus reminds us in the Gospel lesson today the Holy Spirit was already in existence much before coming down as God’s spirit to create the church.  The Holy Spirit was being sent as a comfort to the people of God.  God promises to never leave or forsake us and the Holy Spirit having descended upon the earth for Christ’ Kingdom on earth further proves that statement.  The Holy Spirit also convicts us when we do not do what we should be doing.  Whether we are doing good, or bad, God’s love is infinite.  God shows love for us in many different ways.  It is unimaginable that some people blame God when things turn out wrong.  However, just as God knew we would need a comforter (the Holy Spirit) all things come to us in good time.  Thanks be to God.  Come Holy Spirit. 

Installation of our First Rector

You are cordially invited to St. Paul Episcopal Church on Sunday, June 3, 2012 at 5:00 in the evening. We welcome our Bishop, The Right Reverend George D. Young III, and the Clergy of the Diocese of East Tennessee for the Installation Service for our first Rector, Father Henry Swann. A covered dish dinner will be served immediately following the service.