Like I do every Saturday, here is a condensed version of my sermon for tomorrow that I share with my FB friends, If you are in NY for the Super Bowl, stop by St Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church. You may hear the full sermon. Presenting Ourselves to God If I were to tell you that your pledges, tithes and financial donations to our church are not necessary, please tell me that I am a liar. Your offerings are important to our ministry. You support what we do in so many ways. In fact, I need to thank you for all you do for our church here and abroad. Sometime soon, I will leave for Port-au-Prince carrying with me several iPads donated by people all around the Diocese of New York. Personally, I want to give back to the country and the diocese that have contributed a lot to who I am today. From kindergarten to seminary (yes seminary), the Episcopal Diocese of Haiti, through her academic institutions, religious institutions, medical institutions, professional institutions, has trained me, molded me, formed me. My daughter was born in Hopital Ste Croix, created under the leadership of The Rev. Pierre Thevenot, an Episcopal priest. My mother had a hysterectomy in 2000 at the same hospital. So many memories from baptism to priesthood are gone with Holy Trinity Cathedral which collapsed in the earthquake of 2010. I need to feel useful while we stand together trying to rebuild the complex. It is important that I explain that it is the complex that will be rebuilt and not just the worship space. The complex is home to the elementary school, the trade school, a high school, the convent, the music school. Ill be leading two conversations with the clergy of Haiti: the first on Digital Ministry and the second on Radio Broadcasting. This will be a small way to express my gratitude. I am thankful to The Right Rev. Andrew M. L. Dietsche for approving this trip and making some of the funds available for my flight. Archdeacon William C. Parnell for traveling to Haiti during the Northern Region Clergy Conference and for taking with him 5 iPads funded by the Global Mission Committee of the Diocese of New York. My heartfelt thanks go to The Rev. Canon Blake Rider who spontaneously responded to my invitation/request and donated 4 refurbished iPad 2s. I am thankful to The Rev. Derek Darves-Bornoz from CPG who donated 4 reformatted iPads, The Rev. Susan Hill who donated 1 iPad, The Rev Canon Jeanne Person and Kamal who donated an iPad 2 and casing, the people at Christ Church Staten Island and Father Chuck who donated an iPad Air with a protective case for the Diocese of Haiti. I am particularly touched by this last gift as Ive learned that two boys from Christ Church, Luke and Anthony, donated their pocket money, $ 4.16, to contribute to this donation. Last, but not least, I am thankful to you, my people from St. Augustines. Not only have you put down your money, you have put your hearts to bring what you believe is useful to the people of Haiti in a barrel sent to Marcus Pedilus (name changed for his own security), a gay brother living with HIV in a country not really tolerant of such a lifestyle, and where people believe HIV is a curse from God. I am proud of what we can accomplish together as a Diocese in terms of partnership with the clergy and people of the Diocese of Haiti. I thank you all for your spontaneous generosity. I will let every clergy receiving these gifts, know of your good hearts and you will be in their prayers. These acts of generosity are one way we express to each other that we care. It is appreciated, it is working, and we should promote such exchanges. We also need to emphasize how important it is for us not to limit our generosity to earthly goods and financial contributions. The danger of dumping what we need and what we dont in the plate, while not getting involved in what we can achieve together, is that we can create a toxic environment. It is great to give and to give back, but above all, let us introduce ourselves to one another and be the gift. Let us present ourselves to God and become THE offering. Let us walk in love as Christ loved us and gave himself for us as a sacrifice to God. The Gospel from Luke that is our calendar reading today tells us about Jesus being presented to the temple as was the tradition. You and I should not be surprised that Jesus presentation was not traditional. It was in itself an epiphany. With Jesus, the presentation to the temple was not just ceremonial, it was sacrificial. Jesus was the offering besides what his parents were requested to bring by the tradition. When tradition becomes addiction, it is toxic and needs to be transformed into a more fulfilling experience. As a church we need to constantly monitor our traditions so they dont become toxic, automatism, pure reflex. No matter what it may be, a sacrament, a prayer, a hymn or a way of doing something, when we dont think anymore of its meaning, the reason we do it when we do it, it is toxically dangerous. Last Sunday, we had a baptism. I refrained myself, on purpose, from speaking about it in my meditation and during the sermon. Dealing with overly sensitive people in the past, I now know that some may feel targeted when ministers address certain matters in sermons. We should acknowledge however, that how we address baptism and other sacraments of the church needs to be revamped. Call it presentation to the temple, baptism, confirmation or Eucharist and marriage, the sacraments of the church require the offering of ourselves in order to be complete. Let us acknowledge that often the emphasis is lost. From the meaning of the sacrament, we pay more attention to the decorum, what to wear, how big should be the reception after. Churches are not places we go to buy (pay for) a sacrament. What we put in the plate (sometimes the least of our priority) is important but most important is whom we bring: US (our own selves). I have two issues Id like to explain here today regarding my decisions to divide the offertory in two distinct sections and to have baptism at the altar instead of at the baptismal font on the side of our church. Many believe that offertory and money collection during the service are one. I like to see them as two distinct sections. Actually, the very definition of offertory does not put the emphasis on the financial offering, but on the bread and the wine, what is to become the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ freely offered as a ransom for our salvation. I smile when, sitting in the pews a few times, I see ministers raise only the plate while singing the doxology, as though only the plate constitutes the offering. My understanding is that the offertory is the moment that we join our Lord Jesus Christ and we become with him offering and sacrifice. The offertory is when we become part of Christ, as he is part of us. I am sometimes tempted to have one hymn for the financial collection, then give thanksgiving right there and only then, start a second hymn for the processing of the bread and the wine. Such separation would emphasize that those who represent the congregation: the bearers themselves are included into the consecration and they co-celebrate with the priest. It is NOT only the things that we carry toward the altar but WE who should be presented to God. Baptism is an initiation, an introduction to Christian life. At baptism we offer our lives to God, we enter into a pact, contract or testament. We die with Jesus so that we can resurrect with him. It is offering oneself to be adopted by God through Jesus Christ. What better place for that to happen than at the altar (the center of our worship) where Jesus himself is celebrated in the memorial (Eucharist) he established. When we come in the presence of God it is essential to think of ourselves as a present, a gift, an offering for God to enjoy. Let us empty ourselves of the matter and lift ourselves up spiritually so that it might be so for us today and always. Amen.
Posted on: Sun, 02 Feb 2014 02:28:36 +0000
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