The Language of God

Sermon #2: 

Day of Pentecost

June 12, 2011

St. Thomas Episcopal Church

Numbers 11:24-30

Acts 2:1-21

John 20:19-23

Psalm 104:25-35, 37

I’ve always been fascinated with people who can speak multiple languages.  I cannot.  I’ve tried Spanish, French, and Bosnian and each time it is a great struggle for me.  I never got much beyond counting, basic greetings and courtesy phrases, and a few nouns, food mostly.  But I love to listen to other people speak foreign languages, to listen and watch for any clue as to what is being said by tone, facial expression, and gestures and I get quite excited when I catch the occasional recognizable word. 

There is a Greek Orthodox Church in Toronto that I’ve been to a few times – it’s a beautiful place.  The interior is completely covered with icons telling Bible stories and depicting various Church Fathers and Saints.  Looking up into the dome you see the most wonderful icon of Jesus on his throne, larger than life yet at the same time not anywhere near big enough.  The priest, Father Stavros, is fluent in English, Greek, and Iconography.  He gave me and some of my classmates a “tour” one day of the icons, interpreting their language to us, teaching us how to understand the message of faith and belief that they convey without any words – every detail has meaning, the posture and hand position of the person represented, the items they are holding, the placement of objects and people in the scenes, the intentional distortion of certain human features.  One of my classmates and I attended a service there during Lent.  It was of course, in Greek.  But the flow of the service was familiar enough to what we know as Anglicans that for the most part we knew what was going on even if we couldn’t understand all of the words.  As we were listening to the clergy, the cantor, and the congregation speaking, singing and responding to each other, I could have sworn that all of the sudden I heard one sentence spoken by the priest in English and as he uttered it I remember wondering, wow, have I been listening so intently that I can now understand Greek?  A few minutes later, I thought I heard English again, just a single sentence and then back to Greek.  And then a third time.  I thought: “this must be what Pentecost was like!”  When the service was over and we were walking home, I asked my friend, somewhat hesitantly “did you hear any part of the service in English?”  He admitted he did too and we concluded that for whatever reason, the priest had spoken a few sentences in English and that we hadn’t really understood the Greek, but it didn’t stop us from feeling like we’d been given a glimpse of what the disciples must have felt that day in Jerusalem as they received through the Holy Spirit what they needed to speak the Language of God to all people. 

But, what is the language of God?  Dr. Francis Collins, head of the human genome project said he felt he could glimpse the Language of God in the coding of human DNA; some people believe that we can hear God’s voice in all of his creation; Some believe that can happen only in a church; St. Benedict would say that God can be heard in even the most mundane of tasks.  God’s word is creational, He spoke creation into being; He spoke and Sarah conceived Isaac; He spoke and rescued the Israelites from slavery in Egypt; He gave his word to Moses and the prophets of Israel; He sent his Word, His son Jesus into the human race to teach us his language so that we can not only speak it to the world around us but so that we can hear it all around us.  

We celebrate the Day of Pentecost every year to remind us that it is through the gift of the Holy Spirit that we are both enabled to hear the language of God and to speak it.  The Spirit entered the room where the disciples waited as a wind that filled not only the room, it filled each of the disciples as well.  In his gospel, John describes Jesus breathing on the disciples as the Spirit filled them.  The Greek word John uses is the same word that is used in the Greek translation of Genesis 2 when God forms the first man from the dust of the earth and breathes life into him.  The language of God, through the breath of the Spirit, re-created, transformed the disciples to the enfleshed Word of God.  God’s language creates and transforms all who hear it.  His Word requires some sort of response from everyone.  God’s language is word and action as the same time. 

For most of us, it is in Church that we first learn to hear the language of God, through Bible study and through participation in worship.  Just as every detail of the iconography of the Greek Orthodox church has meaning, so does every detail of the Eucharist service that we participate in.  When we open ourselves to recognizing God’s language in more than just words, we hear him not only in the reading and proclamation of His Holy Word but also in the passing of the peace, in the actions of the Eucharist, and in the faces of everyone we encounter both in this place and outside those doors. 

Jesus didn’t just fill the room with the Spirit, he filled the disciples.  He didn’t tell them they could only experience the Spirit in the upper room.  He told them “as the Father sent me, so I send you.”  The Spirit filled the disciples; it fills US, so that it is as much a part of us as our very breath, so that we carry it with us, so that with every breath we can be aware that we share the Spirit of God not only in our words but in who we are.  We don’t have to think about breathing, for most of us it just happens.  When we intentionally think of our breathing, we also become aware bit by bit of what is going on with the rest of our being as well.  That is why meditation and centering prayer begin with breathing. 

So what would happen if we intentionally tried to think to ourselves “how am I experiencing the Spirit of God in this time and this place?  Am I intentionally listening for the Language of God in myself and others?”

How many of you noticed the mints in the pews when you came in?  What did you think when you saw them?  Did you think perhaps the VBS kids left a mess?  Did you wonder who left them?  Did you think of Bill Traylor?  Did you think of them as a gift?  Or did you just move them out of the way?  I always considered these mints to be part of the Language of God that our friend Bill was so fluent in, little symbols of the way he cared for each human he encountered as if they were Christ himself.  And, yes, they are red, and yes, when you put one in your mouth, you feel a fire in your breath.  What better illustration for Pentecost and the fire and breath of the Holy Spirit?

God speaks through wind and fire and in stillness and quiet.  He speaks within these walls and in the world outside.  He speaks in joyous times and painful times.  God speaks and the world IS, we ARE.  Our task, yours and mine, is to intentionally listen so that we are transformed by His language so that our very lives interpret who He is to the world. 

Amen.

Troubled Hearts

My first sermon for this summer:  

May 22, 2011

St. Thomas Episcopal Church, San Antonio

Fifth Sunday of Easter

Acts 7:55-60

Psalm 31:1-5, 15-16

1 Peter 2:2-10

John 14:1-14

“Do not let your hearts be troubled.”  These are words that ring true to all of us.  It is something everyone knows about.  We live in a world of troubled hearts – economic troubles, natural disasters, political corruption, family issues, job issues, relationship problems … the list could go on and on.  The world has a troubled heart and there are many, many solutions given to settle our hearts.  If we own the right house, or the right clothes, drive the right car, get that better job, buy the right beauty products, drink the right coffee, if we can destroy those groups who make us feel threatened or if we could change, by force if necessary, those who don’t meet our standards.  If we satisfy our every longing or do away with those things that cause trouble in the world then our hearts would not be troubled.  The solution to the trouble in the world is somewhere in the world, isn’t it?

Those who believed in Harold Camping’s prophecy that the world was going to end yesterday, I’m sure had troubled hearts in the weeks and days leading up to 6pm on May 21, 2011.  Their hearts were troubled by the thoughts of doubt that they were one of the chosen or by thoughts of loved ones who don’t believe in God, and I’m sure they were quite troubled by those of us who didn’t put any credit in what their teacher had convinced them of.  Their solution to ending their troubled hearts was to convince themselves and others that the troubled world was coming to an end; God had had enough as was ending it.  I’m sure that today, when it is obvious his predictions didn’t come true, their hearts are even more troubled.  They are troubled by the thought that if their teacher was wrong about what he claimed was a biblically based prophecy then how could they trust the Bible and if they can’t trust the Bible how can they trust God?  I’m sure Mr. Camping is cleaver enough to find the words to convince them he was not really wrong and so their hearts will remain troubled by his false teaching.  And nothing of this world will settle their heartache, nor ours. 

But why is Jesus telling his disciples to not let their hearts be troubled?  Let’s put the passage in context.  It is what we call the Last Supper.  The disciples, at the time, though didn’t know it was their Last supper with their beloved teacher, they thought they were having a festival meal together as a community.  But, they were troubled.  Things were not going well for Jesus and his band of followers.  A lot of the Jews who professed belief in him as the Messiah kept quiet for fear of being thrown out of the temple.  Jesus knew that the religious authorities were seeking to kill him.  So, here they find themselves, retreating to a private place during the busy and crowded Passover festival in Jerusalem to share a meal together.  But, as it turns out, this is to be no ordinary family gathering.  Jesus, their leader and teacher, washes the disciples’ feet, and after humbling himself to them, he reveals to them that one of them will be the one to hand him over to the authorities; and then he tells Peter, his right hand man, the one he said would be the rock of the church, that he will deny him not just once but three times.  The disciples have to be a bit perplexed at this moment.  And at the climax of Jesus’ discourse, he tells them “do not let your hearts be troubled”.  Can’t you just imagine them thinking “how on earth are we supposed to not be troubled after what you’ve just told us!?”  Their response reflects their apprehension. 

And then he gives them what should be a very simple set of instructions: Believe in God, believe also in me.  He knows it will be excruciatingly difficult for them to hold onto this belief over the next few days.  To reassure them, he tells them that they know the way to the presence of God.  He is the way.  They know the Father, whom they have not seen because they have lived in the presence of Jesus the Son who is one with the Father.  

And he tells them that if they can’t, if WE can’t quite grasp the concept of Jesus abiding in the Father and the Father in him, then the works of Jesus we have witnessed should convince us.  And when we believe in him we will do those things that Jesus does. 

Our first work is to believe in Jesus and then to let ourselves be transformed by that belief into being the incarnated presence of Jesus in this world just as Jesus is the incarnate presence of God.  We are to believe and trust in God as Jesus believes and trusts in the Father; to allow him to work in us to align our desires so closely with the Father’s that whatever we ask, we will be given. 

Just as Jesus revealed to the world who the Father is, so we are to reveal God to the world by how we live - living in this time and this place, being attentive every moment to God’s presence in everything and everyone around us; Abiding in God and allowing him to abide in us so that we can be his presence in the world.  And that means we live in this world, conscious of every moment and every day.  We don’t live in fear of what might happen in the future, we don’t ignore those in need around us because we are too busy thinking about the life after this one.  We do the things that Jesus did, we care for our neighbors and love our enemies. 

Our culture tells us it is okay to be wrapped up in our own needs, that if we don’t take care of ourselves, who will?  Our culture tells us that it is the things of this world that will settle our troubled hearts.  Jesus tells us it is only in a relationship with God that we can find comfort for our hearts.  It isn’t that we won’t have troubles in this world, it’s a troubled world we live in.  But through our belief and in our relationship with God, our hearts can be at ease abiding in God’s presence and knowing he abides in us.

I have no doubt that the followers of the latest rapture prediction believe in God and love him and want to serve him.  Jesus even tells us to watch and be ready for his coming again.  The fact that Jesus will come again and we will live out eternity in God’s Kingdom is the hope of our belief!  As St. Augustine tells us, we should plan our life as though he isn’t coming back for centuries but live our life each day as if he is coming back today.  Jesus tells us that we are not only to do his works but that we will do works greater than his in this world.  Jesus was the incarnate presence of God in the world because he is God, one person of the Triune God that is the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  We are to live in his abiding presence while he prepares a place for us in the time to come.  It is not for us to prepare that place; it is for us to be Christ to the world in this time and place. 

Summer with the Saints

Howdy!  This summer I have the privilege and joy of serving as an intern at my home parish - St. Thomas Episcopal Church in San Antonio.  My duties include hospital and home visits, assiting with Sunday and other services, helping with VBS, teaching a class called "I Don't Remember That from Sunday School", preaching, and anything else Fr. Chuck thinks will be useful for me to learn how to do.  Although I was a bit concerned before I started that everyone involved - the congregation, the staff, and especially me - would be able to see me in a whole new role, everyone has proved that concern unnecessary.  The greatest compliment I've received so far happened immediately after the services on my first Sunday.  A parishioner told me "you looked so normal up there". 

At the beginning of the Summer I had to meet with the Diocesan Standing Committee (a normal part of the process - I wasn't in trouble)  and one of the questions they asked was how has my confidence in being called into ministry changed since I started seminary.  My answer was simple: for the first time in my life, what I'm doing fits.  I don't have to alter anything, it just fits comfortably as I try each new thing "on for size".  I'm blessed and humbled and honored to be doing what I'm doing. 

In addition to what I'm learning through my internship, I'm continuing my studies of Benedictine spirituality that I began through Lent.  I want to write more about this and will do so, but it has needed to "percolate" and begin to settle inside me before I can articulate how exactly it is forming me.  One thing I know it is doing is to provide the rhythm in my life that is enabling me to sit in the balance of "I am but dust" and God's freely given, over abundance of love and grace. 

The summer of 2011 - a summer in the communion of saints that is the people of St. Thomas and with St. Benedict.  It's turning out to be a pretty amazing time ... I'll keep you posted. 

God's peace be with you,
Nancy

Remembering

So, here's a slight diversion before I get back into writing about my Lent study.  Because of who it is about, it is best read sitting on a deck drinking a glass of wine - you see, this was one of our favorite ways to have a conversation.

One year ago today, my dear friend and spiritual mentor passed away.  His name was Bill Traylor and he was a Texas man through and through.  He wore boots and western cut blazers, a straw hat in the summer and a felt hat in the winter.  More than being a Texan, Bill was a son of God and a follower of Jesus.  He's one of those people that I wish every one else I know could have known him.

It's been incredibly busy these past few weeks as the term is coming to an end and I'm pretty tired.  Today was one of those days that I wondered if I was too old to be here doing what I'm doing and the heaviness of missing Bill has made me move just than much slower today.   I was thinking about how a year ago I was getting ready to get on a plane to go to Bill's funeral and do the eulogy and so I found the text I prepared for it and read it and I could hear Bill telling me to hang in there and not give up.  And, I thought it just might bring encouragement to someone else, whether you knew Bill or not, so here it is:

Eulogy for Bill Traylor
March 27, 2010
St. Thomas Episcopal Church, San Antonio
By: Nancy Springer

We’ve all got many, many Bill stories to tell and I’m honored and humbled to be asked to speak of what he means to me and to all of us.  As I began to play through my head what I would say today, I thought there would be no way to fit all that was Bill into just a few words.  Everyone here has special memories of him and the way he dedicated himself to taking care of all of us:
•    He loved unconditionally and had a great capacity for forgiveness. 
•    He spent his time serving God by helping those he cared about tirelessly. 
•    He corrected when necessary and scolded with compassion and love. 
•    He could see the best in everyone and when our worst came out, he was willing to tell us so we could get back to working at being our best. 

I first got to know Bill through the St. Thomas world mission group and we went on a mission trip to Bosnia together.  Then we were in EFM together and the healing ministry and lay reading and on the vestry.  Like all of you, I can’t imagine St. Thomas without him … and besides who’s going to pass out the peppermints?  I’d like to share with you, especially, the role Bill has played in my process to get to seminary and I’m pretty certain that in the things he did for me and taught me each of you can relate to your own memories of him. 

Bill was one of the first people I began to talk to about God’s call for my life.  He was always willing to listen to my fears and my excitement of things to come and he had a way of helping me draw out my deepest thoughts that I struggled to express.  Through all of the bumps and road blocks along the way, when I was ready to give up, he would look me square in the eye and say “you can’t give up on what God has called you to do.” 

The day before I left for seminary Bill and I were sitting on his deck talking about what were my biggest fears of what lie ahead.  I appreciated that he wanted me to prepare for, or at least think about, both the good and the not so good.  I shared with him that I was feeling like everything I was going to say about faith and belief was going to be under scrutiny and what if I say the wrong thing simply because I was working something through.  He told me that whenever I was uncertain about what I was learning or thinking to call and talk it through with him, knowing that he would place no judgment on what I said.  He reassured me that if I was heading down a heretical path, he’d definitely let me know.  We agreed that he would be my spiritual “patron”, supporting me in the formation that was and is to come.  So, I have to say, I’m a bit mad at him right now, and, you know what, I’m pretty sure he’s okay with that. 

It’s hard not to be selfish and say how much I need Bill, how much we all depended on his faithfulness, but that’s not what Bill taught us.  We have all been blessed beyond measure by his presence in our lives and we can honor his memory best by living out the things he taught us.  For me, that’s pushing forward with seminary, even when I’m tired and overwhelmed and thinking I can’t do it.  Although I can’t call him anymore for a “hi, Darlin’” followed by a good old fashioned pep talk, I can still hear his voice in my own head telling me not to give up on what God has called me to do.  And I know each one of you has your own voice of Bill that will always be with you.

Bill and I shared a favorite verse, Micah 6:8 “He has showed you, O Mortal, what is good.  And what does the Lord require of you but to act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”  I can only hope that I live out that verse as beautifully as Bill did. 

________________________________________

Thanks for letting me share it - and if you don't know and want to ask me, I'll explain about the peppermints.  ;-)

God's peace, my friends,
Nancy

Seeing a Shape of Things to Come

Well, I’m still behind on my reading, but I’m making progress and not giving up.  I’m praying for endurance and persistence and clarity this weekend and I have two papers to write for school as well as my regular weekly readings, and overdue Ember Day letter to my bishop, and getting on track with my Lent reading.  You would think that after two years I’d be in the habit of starting all study with prayer but it is still something that sometimes I have to remind myself of.  I truly experience a difference in those times when I approach study prayerfully instead of just jumping in and trying to plow through it.  I wonder why sometimes it takes me getting so frustrated I’m ready to throw my books out the window before I stop to pray and allow God into my studying … my mom always said I was stubborn. 

But, I am encouraged by my readings in Chittister’s book on The Rule.  I’ve been reading the chapter on the qualities of the abbot or prioress.  What a radical concept of leadership!  A spiritual leader is to lead not drive, to guide, challenge, and enable those in one’s care, to be the center and norm of the group but not above it, “to show in our own lives the beauty that oozes out of those who live the spiritual life to its fullness”.  (I give kudos to any author who can work ‘ooze’ into a legitimate sentence!)  St. Benedict describes leaders who are committed to the best in the people they lead, who are concerned with the growth and formation of the whole person, not just simply getting things done.  He wants as Chisttister describes it “holy listeners who care about the effect of what they do on everybody else. Imagine a world that was run by holy listeners!” 

I had a conversation with our Chaplain this week and it’s official, I will be Head Sacristan next year.  Basically what that means is I will work under the Chaplain to plan and organize the daily and weekly chapel services.  I shared with her that I see so much potential with this position – that it shouldn’t just be about the administrative stuff but also about the spiritual formation of our students.  It has to be more if chapel isn’t to be seen as just another task or duty we do each day.  Society teaches that spirituality, religion, and church are pieces of our lives and yet somehow in seminary we are to discover that spirituality is about how we live not something we do.  I obviously struggle with this and I see others struggle with it, too. 

As I was reading this chapter on leadership I could see a link between what I am reading and my position next year and I can already see how this Lenten study and continuing to live with the things I learn after Lent is forming me so that by the guidance and grace of God I can help form others.  I pray that I can learn to lead as a holy listener. 

God’s peace,

Nancy

Scabs and Onions

Lent, that six week period before Easter during which Christians are to reflect on penitence and discipline, giving up those things which have become a stumbling block to or a distraction from our relationship with God.  This year for Lent, instead of giving up something, I’m taking on an intense personal study on the Rule of St. Benedict to learn this ancient yet still relevant way of intentionally and thoughtfully listening for and living out God’s will.  I’m not sure I can offer up a well articulated explanation for this, really, except that it’s what I feel led to do.  I’m anxious and excited at the same time, knowing it is going to be a time of growth and formation for me. 

I guess its part of a process that has been going on for a few months in which I’ve been discovering some behaviors and patterns that keep me from experiencing the fullness of my current relationships.  There is much behind this that I’ve chosen not to blog about although I’ve journalled extensively about it privately.  I’ve been peeling away at layers and removing what I put up as protective coverings to reveal unhealed wounds underneath.  But just as cutting an onion produces tears yet flavors dishes deliciously I know that the end result will be well worth it. I’m working through the layers of all of the notions I have about what others want or think they need me to be and realizing who I am simply as a child of God.  And just as sometimes a wound needs to be reopened and treated differently to allow proper healing, I’ve had to reawaken some painful memories to let them heal rightly. 

The books I’m reading are:

Seeking God: The Way of St. Benedict by Esther de Waal

This is an overview of the Rule and a good place to begin discovering what the Rule as a whole teaches: God’s presence is everywhere and seeking Him is not what we do but how we live.

And

The Rule of Benedict: A Spirituality for the 21^st Century by Joan Chittister

This one is a commentary on the Rule itself.  It breaks the Rule down into small chunks with Chittister’s commentary on how it applies to our lives today.  It is meant to be read daily so that the entire Rule and commentary is read through completely three times a year.  I’ll read the whole of it during Lent and then settle into the daily reading going forward. 

To be honest, a week in I’m already behind in my reading.  It’s been a week of irregular schedules and interruptions.  In this time of taking on a study and formation that I’m excited about and long for, the demands of my time are greater than usual.  It’s part of the struggle, right?  This is part of the point of why I chose to study St. Benedict, to live the spirituality that it is so easy to segment into a “part” of life rather than letting it be life. 

In the Prologue chapter, Joan Chittister says “This [living life well] is an enterprise between two spirits, in other words, God’s and our own. We will fail often, but God will not fail us and we must not stop.”  I'm going to keep at it and I'll write about my progress. 

I wish you all a blessed Lenten journey.

God’s peace,

Nancy

Choices

It's the beginning of a new year … and as we all do, I've been reflecting on the "old" one (year, I mean, not me). 2010 was a year of joy, sorrow, love, and blessings. I'm blessed with family and friends that I love dearly and who love me. I'm privileged to be studying for the vocation to which God has called me (even if I have a "love/hate" relationship with graduate school, it is always a privilege). I lost a dear friend and spiritual mentor. I continue to live with the loss of my mother and husband in recent years. God has answered my prayers, sometimes the way I wanted and sometimes not, but in all cases I can see that it was always the best answer for me.

And, of course all of this reflecting leads to reflecting on life in general … and the one word that keeps coming to my mind is "choices".

In his book, Mere Christianity, C. S. Lewis says something that has really stuck with me:

"[E]very time you make a choice you are turning into the central part of you, the part of you that chooses, into something a little different than it was before. And taking your life as a whole, with all your innumerable choices, all your life long you are slowly turning this central thing into a heavenly creature or a hellish creature: either into a creature that is in harmony with God, and with other creatures, and with itself, or else into one that is in a state of war and hatred with God, and with its fellow creatures, and with itself. To be the one kind of creature is heaven: that is, it is joy and peace and knowledge and power. To be the other means madness, horror, idiocy, rage, impotence, and eternal loneliness. Each of us at each moment is progressing to the one state of the other."

There are many events in our lives, both good and bad, that we don't choose but the choice we can make is how we react to and deal with those events. We can choose to see the negative or the positive. Even if sometimes the positive isn't readily visible, we can trust in faith that God sees a bigger picture that we can't always see and we can trust that His vision is better than ours. We can make the choice that no matter what happens, to live a life in harmony with God, with others, and with ourselves and to choose those actions and attitudes which enable such harmony.

Now, don't get me wrong, I don't think this is easy or something you decide to do like a New Year's Resolution. It's a choice we make each and every moment, sometimes consciously sometimes unconsciously, with each and every thing we do, say, think, and feel. It's intentional. The more we consciously choose harmony, the more we'll choose it unconsciously. It will become part of who we are becoming.

I wish each of you God's peace in 2011!

Nancy