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"Easter 3"
The Rev. Catherine Wright
April 26, 2009
Easter 3, Year B
St. Mark’s, Glen Ellyn
(RCL) Acts 3:12-19, Psalm 4, 1 John 3:1-7, Luke 24:36b-48
Gather, strengthen and go- ready or not!
I found myself thinking “if I don’t write this
sermon, then does my final Sunday at St. Mark’s not come?”
Like the toddler that believes that if she covers her eyes,
you can’t see her. If I pretend like it is further away,
like there is more time, will that make it so? I am very aware
that this is a place and a people that I will always have a
stronger tie to then just our time together would seem to indicate.
You celebrated my ordinations as both a deacon and a priest
with me. You helped bring to fruition those sacraments that
I had been working towards for years. And this is such a full
Sunday. Such a wonderful day. (at the 10:30 service) We have
Kate’s baptism and we have the celebration of the completion
of some instruction on communion for some of our children and
for many of them the first time to receive communion. And as
we do each week when we gather, we are all invited to participate
in the sacrament of the Eucharist. I don’t know that we
could pack any more into one day!
Kate (will be) is wearing the baptismal gown that my children
Luke and Rachel wore on the days of their baptisms. My niece
Lydia wore it also when she was baptized. So Kate is the fourth
so far to be baptized in that gown. I hope others will be able
to share in its heritage. These baptisms have been in different
places- Dallas, Austin and now Glen Ellyn. Different families.
Even different denominations. But the same words. The same promises
to support and teach this child. The same Christianity. The
same body of Christ spread throughout the world and throughout
time. In this baptism Kate is joined to all Christians. All.
She is gathered into this larger family where we trust she will
be strengthened, as we have been and will continue to be strengthened.
And she will and does go forth into the world. In her own way
even today proclaiming the love of God. Who better than an infant
to let us know that God wants the world to continue and that
there is hope and new life. Who better than Kate to proclaim
today the Good News of new life in Jesus Christ. Who better
to remind us, as the writer of 1 John does, “what love
the Father has given us, that we should be called children of
God.” We, all of us, children of God! From the youngest
of us to the oldest- all Children of God.
You are to do for Kate what Jesus did for the disciples. We
hear in today’s Gospel that Jesus opened their minds to
understand the scriptures. He reminded them that they are witnesses.
We are to open the scriptures for Kate and for all the baptized.
We are to remind her that she is a witness to the world, and
to remind each other and ourselves that we are witnesses to
the world. Even when we are not ready. Even when we want to
hide our eyes and pretend that no one can see us. The disciples
were not ready. They were hiding behind their fingers, hiding
their eyes, not really believing what they had seen and heard.
Even while recounting how they had seen Jesus, his presence
amongst them startled and terrified them. Even while telling
how he had been raised from the dead, they thought they were
seeing a ghost. Hey, Jesus says, you got anything to eat? It
is me, in a real body, and I am hungry. Let me help you put
down your fingers. I can see you. This is really happening.
The impossible has occurred. The Messiah is no longer dead but
alive. The tomb is empty and the scriptures fulfilled. The Kingdom
of Heaven is at hand. The day is here, ready or not. They had
joy in seeing him and yet Luke tells us that they were “disbelieving
and still wondering”. That joy mixed with the fear and
disbelief. All those emotions together- much like our emotions
today. The sadness of leaving you. The joy of a baptism. First
Communion. The excitement of joining St. Andrew’s as their
rector.
We gather, are fed and go. Each week and on a larger scale.
You are gathered here, now. Christians around the world continue
to know and depend on the power of gathering together. At any
moment there are Christian gatherings throughout the world.
We will all continue to gather with other Christians. Each week
we gather, to hear the word proclaimed, to be fed by the sacraments
and to encourage each other. To encourage and be encouraged.
To see how to be a part of the Kingdom of God today in this
place that we find ourselves at.
Jesus gathered with his disciples. Jesus gathered with them-even
though in some ways the work had already been done. He had been
crucified, had gone to the dead, death destroyed. Task completed
in some ways. Battle over, victory is won. Everyone can sleep
in. But he did not leave it up to them to figure out what had
happened or what it meant. He knew that we are a thick headed
lot and he gathered with them to help them understand what had
happened- to make sense of what the teachings meant and continue
to mean. Eating the fish, opening their minds to the scriptures.
The disciples continued to gather after Jesus had ascended-
a number were together in our reading from Acts. As we gather
to make sense of what the teachings mean. As we will teach Kate
what it means. Not just once, but over and over. Jesus is still
teaching. Over and over, as much as we need it. Whether we are
ready for it or not we will hear that there is forgiveness of
sins- that there is new life for all people.
And they went- Ascension Day is coming when Jesus ascended
into heaven and we would not be here today if the disciples
had not carried their message of life and healing in the name
of Jesus Christ to the world. And we go. We go back into our
communities to spread the love of God by our words and our actions.
We bring food to a hungry world, nets to those at risk and a
message of hope and community to those that have none. The Kingdom
of God has come near. Death has lost its power. The veil between
God and us has been destroyed. Strengthened and convicted by
our time together we can see the world again how God wants it
to be and not just as it is.
I am so happy for Kate and her whole family today. A day of
celebration a long time in the making. She is being gathered
into the Body of Christ. A child hoped for and planned for who
took some effort to get here. Arriving a little early, there
was a little nervousness when she had to spend some time in
the hospital. We were happy she was here, and worried about
her health. She has been protected from crowds to help keep
her healthy so only recently have she and her father Phil been
back at St. Mark’s in worship. We have wanted them with
us, even as we understood and knew that staying away was the
right choice. Longing for them, resigned to them being away.
So many mixed feelings. And into them all God comes. Do you
have anything to eat? Will you share? Let’s gather, in
many places, to learn and to be strengthened. And then we will
go. We will go like Peter, a person transformed. Peter, who
went from just before the crucifixion denying even knowing Jesus
to the person in our lesson from Acts today addressing the crowds
and proclaiming that their sins may be wiped out. From hiding
behind his fingers to confident proclaimer. So, ready or not,
we find ourselves here at my final Sunday at St. Mark’s
in Glen Ellyn and as I prepare to head off to be the rector
at St. Andrew’s in Ohio. I was gathered to you about 2
years ago. For these past years we have been strengthened by
each other. You have fed me and hopefully you have been fed
by me. We have re-presented Christ to each other in many ways
throughout our time together these past couple of years. And
now I am going out- to be fed and to help feed others in a new
place. You will continue to be fed and to feed. I will remember
the lessons learned here and the love I have been a part of.
You have strengthened me. You have helped me to prepare for
this day, and I thank you. Keep helping each other. Keep being
the Body of Christ in and to a desperate world in need of a
savior. And know that I will continue to do so also.
Thanks be to God, Alleluia, Alleluia.
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