Tuesday, May 13, 2014

Easter 4A - The Rev. Kimberly A. Reinholz



Sunday ~ May 11, 2014
Easter 4A  - The Rev. Kimberly A. Reinholz
Cathedral Church of the Nativity

John 10:1-10


Today’s gospel falls just short of Jesus explaining himself, in the next verse of chapter 10 Jesus tells his disciples in no uncertain terms that he is The Good Shepherd.  But in this Gospel lesson we merely get the job description of a good shepherd.   

A good shepherd knows his herd, protects them, and leads them where they need to go.
A good shepherd comforts his sheep and knows them by name.
A good shepherd invites them into the sheepfold in their own time.   

Jesus as The Good Shepherd knows his followers, protects us comforts us and leads us where we need to go.

We as the Church, the Body of Christ in the world, need to likewise know one another, protect one another and lead one another where we need to go. 

When I think of the Good Shepherd I have three distinct images which come to mind.  The Shepherd as the protector, a super hero type, who with great strength and patience carries the sheep who has gone astray back into the fold.  The Shepherd as comforter, the gentle farmer, who with grace and steadfastness caresses the lamb who has lost its way and the Shepherd as host, the upright guide who with direction and discernment leads the way for all who follow him toward the right path. 

I have accumulated these varied images of the Good Shepherd over the course of my life.  The first the protective shepherd was given to me by my nursery school teacher, literally she gave me a small block of wood with a picture of Jesus decopaged onto the one side.  Jesus was standing surrounded by sheep with one astride his shoulders.  I am sure you have seen the image or something close to it in a children’s picture bible.  I put such faith in that picture that I slept with this image under my pillow as a child and when I had nightmares or was frightened by a storm I would reach for it and instantly be calmed. 

Jesus as the comforting shepherd like the protective shepherd shows poise and strength in dealing with a sheep that has gone astray.  He does not necessarily throw the stray sheep over his shoulder, but he recognizes that the sheep is injured and in need of healing before it can be carried back to the herd. 

The inviting shepherd stands waiting for the sheep to return of their own will.  Jesus with open arms and a staff or crook corralling all who are in need to come to the table and receive their fill, reminding each sheep that so long as we drink at the well of life and eat at the table of the eternal sacrifice we will never be thirsty or hungry.    

But what does it mean to have Jesus be the protector, comforter and inviter?  
What it means is that through our baptism we have been incorporated into the Body of Christ and we are now asked to fulfill the same role as the Church in the world. 

What is it that the Cathedral Church of the Nativity does to be a protector?  We ask each of our leaders, vestry members, Sunday school teachers, nursery volunteers, camp staff to take special training to protect the safety of our children.  We acknowledge that there are members of our community who have special needs and we hope to respond to those needs so that everyone can know and find their place in the congregation.   We work together to provide a safe space to discover the love of God through Jesus and through one another in our daily life and work.
What is it that the Cathedral Church of the Nativity does to be a comforter?  We offer housing and hospitality to our homeless neighbors in the height of the winter season.  We have pastoral care team who visits our homebound members and brings them communion and flowers during the Christmas and Easter seasons.  We knit blankets and prayer shawls for the newly baptizes and for those in need of physical comfort when they recover from surgery or illness. 

What is it that the Cathedral Church of the Nativity does to be an inviting presence?  We offer new comer classes for new members.  We have ushers and greeters who welcome those who come to worship.  We greet one another with a sign of peace during the service.

Are we doing enough to emulate the Good Shepherd?  Are we being shepherds ourselves?
Today as we relive the past year in our Annual Meeting and elections I invite you to look forward.  Consider today if you have protected, comforted or invited anyone in this community?  Have you fulfilled your role in the body of Christ?  Or consider in this time of reflection if have you been protected, comforted or invited into this community by someone else?

Each one of us has at one time or another needed to be protected, comforted and invited into this world we call the Church.  Even if you are cradle Episcopalian you were invited into the body of Christ through baptism, affirmed in faith through confirmation and remembered in the Eucharistic feast.

We are a sacramental people because we need to be reminded of the grace of God which is invisible through symbols which are tangible.

Now not everyone participates in all of the sacraments, but they are available to all members of the church and because we have the need the community provides the service often times through the hands of a priest or bishop who is appointed to be the shepherd of an individual congregation or diocese.

Because we need healing we have unction (the laying on of hands) to provide solace in suffering
Because we need protection we have reconciliation (the rite of confession) to resolve issues of sin

Because we need invitation we have baptism (or Christening) when we are named and marked as Christ’s own forever so that we can come to the table and be adopted into the family of all believers.

We are the sheep, but in being Jesus’ sheep we are called to be shepherd like.  And so I invite you today to consider where we are being called to lead our community, the nation and the world- we go where Christ leads and we invite all those who will hear us to follow us into the Kingdom which he has promised.   

Friday, May 09, 2014

Easter Day 2014 - The Very Rev. Anthony R. Pompa

Q. What do you call a rabbit with fleas?
A. Bugs Bunny

Q. What does the Easter Rabbit get for making a basket?
A. Well Two points of course!

Q. Why did the Easter Bunny hide the egg?
A. Because it was a little chicken.

Q. What's the best way to catch a unique rabbit?
A. You 'nique up on him.

Q. How do you catch a tame rabbit?
A. Tame way, unique up on it.

Q. What goes ha-ha-clunk?
A. A bunny laughing its head off.

A man was blissfully driving along the highway, when he saw the Easter Bunny hopping across the middle of the road. He swerved to avoid hitting the Bunny, but unfortunately the rabbit jumped in front of his car and was hit. The basket of eggs went flying all over the place.

The driver, being a sensitive man as well as an animal lover, pulled over to the side of the road, and got out to see what had become of the Bunny carrying the basket. Much to his dismay, the colorful Bunny was dead. The driver felt guilty and began to cry.

A woman driving down the same highway saw the man crying on the side of the road, kneeling in prayer and she pulled over. She stepped out of her car and asked the man what was wrong.

"I feel terrible," he explained, "I accidentally hit the Easter Bunny and killed it. There may not be an Easter because of me. I have been praying- What should I do?"

The woman told the man not to worry. She knew exactly what to do. She went to her car trunk, and pulled out a spray can. She walked over to the limp, lifeless bunny and sprayed the entire contents of the can onto the little furry animal.

Miraculously the Easter Bunny came back to life, jumped up, picked up the spilled eggs and candy, waved its paw at the two humans and hopped on down the road. 50 Yards away the Easter Bunny stopped, turned around, waved and hopped on down the road; another 50 yards, turned, waved, hopped another 50 yards and waved again!

The man was astonished. He said to the woman, “You have been the answer to my prayers! I can’t believe it! What in heaven's name is in your spray can? What was it that you sprayed on the Easter Bunny?" The woman turned the can around so that the man could read the label. It said: "Hare spray. Restores life to dead hare. Adds permanent wave."

See- See What God can do!

Like last night at our Easter Vigil, this day we lean in to the Eastern Orthodox tradition of telling jokes at Easter because on this day and in this season and in this life we celebrate that God has duped evil, death, and despair; through the person of Jesus now the Christ who is raised from the dead – death is conquered, love is eternal, despair is overcome- hope always is present in all circumstances- evil is no match for the power of the God of the universe.

Today is Easter- it is our day. It is the Lord’s day- it is the day where we “see what God can do!” Alleluia!

The Gospel account itself in John shows us what God can do. One can only truly describe that Easter morning as strange and confused. It is early, early, before the dawns light; it is Mary Magdalene who emerges out of the darkness that is symbolic of the fragile human spirit. SHE is the faithful follower of Jesus who is there-first- early- the tomb empty, she believes Jesus’ body to have been stolen.

She sends words of despair to Peter and to the disciple whom he loved (John) and they foot race to the tomb. Peter first to go in and see the tomb empty, he fears the worst- that someone had stolen the body, the beloved disciple wants to believe (for he believes Jesus to be risen, but doesn’t fully understand). They both leave a bit dazed and confused and they go off to find the others leaving Mary there, deep in her grief.

Mary is given the privilege in John’s Gospel of meeting the risen Jesus! Broken hearted, she is the enfleshment of sorrow. This is the stage set for the first meeting with the risen Christ. Her sorrow so thick she does not recognize him, (mistaking him for the Gardener), then he speaks her name- her name- he sees her, names her, and the dark, thickness of her sorrow is now transformed (like water into wine). He IS ALIVE. Like the Good Shepherd who knows his sheep by name, HE names her and SHE is the first believer- first follower. She is identified as follower of Jesus and SHE now must go and Tell! And she is obedient to that task! Mary will be the first witness to the risen Jesus! Sorrow transformed- out of the dark confusion of the morning- Mary Go and Tell- Jesus is Alive! He is Risen! The Easter statement of fact.

Tell What God can DO! – Alleluia!

So too the disciples still dazed and confused, and as we will read next week, will lock themselves in a room out of utter fear. Jesus too will appear to them bid their fear pardon and breathe on them a Spirit of courage and new life. Their fear too will be transformed and they like Mary will become witnesses to the risen Jesus; and out of the dark confusion of their fear, they too will have ONE task- to go and Tell- Jesus is Alive! He is Risen! The Easter statement of fact.

Tell What God can DO! Alleluia.

It is true when we approach the Easter story that we find in it all the graces of comfort and of hope! It is true that when we speak of God’s acting in Jesus we too may find comfort in our sorrows and light in our darkness. (God knows I have.)

It is true when we approach the Easter story that when we speak of God’s acting in Jesus we find there hope for our lives, and even for a sorry world, even and especially when it seems circumstances may throw a dark pall over our lives.

It is true that when we approach the Easter story that when we speak of God’s acting in Jesus we find there mercy and forgiveness in our lives even when we feel unforgiveable or just unable ourselves to find forgiveness.

These things are miracles really- sorrow transformed to joy, the bonds of fear released to hope and courage - the disease of offense made whole through mercy and forgiveness. They are miracles and you know it by your own lives living.

All this is true of our faith and of what we find in Jesus. But let us make no mistake this day about the power of believing what we believe and behaving in what we believe. There is A miracle today, the Easter miracle. Like for Mary and the disciples, the Easter story is about encountering the risen Jesus; and it is about believing that Jesus was risen that day, and is risen today and is risen through eternity. Like for Mary and the disciples, there is one response to that miracle in our lives-

Go and tell what God can do! Jesus is Alive! He is risen! Alleluia!