LAKE JAMES
NORTH CAROLINA
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LAKE JAMES NORTH CAROLINA
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Solemnity of the Presentation of Christ in the Temple February 4, 2007 + Saint Paul’s Church, Lake James
The evolution of the meaning of words can be quite interesting. Later this morning, you will elect new members of the Vestry and, in two weeks, we will install them as parish leaders for the coming year. In thinking about that, I was reminded that the term “vestry” comes to us from the English Church where it originally referred to the room in which the clergy vestments were kept. It was, therefore, the place where the priest vested for the liturgy, and, over the course of time, the room was referred to in terms of its use. In this country, Anglican custom tended to be different, referring to that same room by its older title of “sacristy,” a name which derives from the sacred vessels kept there. However, language also changes over the years. Think of the evolution of the word “church.” Originally, it referred to a group of people, and technically, it still does, but in common usage today, it tends to have a strong association with the building in which people worship. In the case of the word “vestry,” the opposite has happened and, in this country, at least, the word refers not to the place of meeting, but to the people who meet there! So now, having listened carefully to all I have said, the next time you play a game of Ecclesiastical Trivial Pursuit, you should amaze your friends by your knowledge! But there is a point – a truly important point – I’d like to offer you about vestries. In some places, a vestry is seen as being those laypeople who have been elected merely to serve as the group who transact “business matters” for a parish. While it is true that, by canon law, vestries are charged with the responsibilities for the upkeep of the fabric of church buildings and for managing the budgetary aspect of parish life, a wise vestry is one whose members understand how those tasks are intimately related to the worship of God and what might be called “spiritual” matters. When a vestry operates the way it should, its members are conscious of carrying on an important ministry to the Glory of God. In the fourteen months I have been privileged to be your Parish Priest, it has been clear that that concept of “ministry” is not only accepted, but has truly been lived by your vestry. Saint Paul’s has been in good hands and I have no doubt that that will be equally true during the coming year. I am looking forward to working closely with the 2007 Vestry in the months ahead. One of the themes of this Solemnity of the Presentation of our Lord in the Temple seems to me to have particular relevance for the work of Parish Officers and Vestry members. Let me tell you why. When Mary and Joseph brought the infant Jesus to the Temple to be “presented” to God, their intention was simply to obey Jewish religious law. It is unlikely that they had anything else in mind, but what happened was that they wound up bringing incredible joy to Simeon and Anna, two elderly, holy people who had been promised by God that they would not die until they had seen God’s Christ, the Messiah. Think of it! The fulfillment of God’s promise came about because Mary and Joseph just did what they were supposed to do! What would have happened, do you suppose, if Mary and Joseph had not bothered to do their religious duty? If they had not been in the mood, or if they decided that making the uncomfortable, four day long journey to Jerusalem was just too much, too inconvenient? Who knows? There is no way to tell. But one thing we can say, and say with assurance, is that Simeon and Anna would certainly have been the poorer! Sometimes, what we expect to be the result of what we do may turn out to be a surprise. A wonderfully humorous example of that was told by the Suffragan Bishop of Long Island, reminiscing about his early days as a priest. He said “I was asked by a funeral director to conduct a graveside service for a homeless man from the area. The burial was to be at a new cemetery way out in the country and this would be the first burial there. I was not familiar with the area and, I got lost! Being a typical man, I did not stop to ask for directions, just kept driving until, finally I found the cemetery – but I was an hour late! I saw the crew sitting by their truck eating lunch, but the hearse was nowhere in sight. I apologized to the workers for being late and, all decked out in my vestments, stepped to the open grave, where I saw the vault already in place. I assured the workers that I would not delay them long, but that we should still do what was proper. The workers gathered around (still eating their lunch) and I poured out my heart and soul as I officiated, being careful to leave nothing out. I ended with the blessing and walked to my car. As I was taking off my vestments, I overheard one of the workers say to another, ‘I’ve never seen anything like this before – and I’ve been putting in septic tanks for 20 years!’ ” Another example of an unexpected result took place fifty four years ago, when I was a senior in college. I was given the daunting task (but also great honor) of being invited to preach ¼ of a sermon at the main service in my home parish, the Church of the Advent in Boston. That year, there were 17 members of the parish who were then in various stages of preparing for ordination, and Father Hale, our Rector, chose four of us to share one sermon. Our instructions were that we were to tell simply (and briefly – we were each given four minutes) why we believed we were called by God to the Sacred priesthood. Not only didn’t we go alphabetically (which, with a name like Zadig, would have been fine with me), I was given the job of going first! Despite my shaking knees and pounding heart, I mounted the steps to the pulpit and spoke of the shock of my loving, but non-religious Jewish parents when, at the age of 14, I had told them of my desire to become a rabbi. Then I shared the reasons which had later brought me to Christian faith and, despite my love for my mother and father, and knowing that it would bring them pain, I was sure God was calling me to be a Priest. The time given to me was up almost before I knew it, and I returned to my pew, grateful that I had survived the experience and that my voice had not quavered. Later, at the coffee hour, the Senior Curate, Father Peter Blynn, came up to me in great excitement, asking if I knew Doctor So and So. I said that not only did I not know him, I had never even heard of him. Father Blynn told me that the doctor, a very successful Boston physician and devout parishioner, had been so moved by what I had said that he had decided to do something he had been considering for some time, which was to go to Liberia for two years as a Missionary Doctor. I was stunned! Neither at that moment, nor in the years since, have I been able to understand how anything I said in that sermon could possibly have had that kind of effect on anyone – but it did! That experience, far from being unique, is in fact, quite typical of the way people influence other people. Most likely, you, perhaps without ever knowing it at the time, have been used by God to influence others by something you said, or did. The point is that God uses people in wonderful, even amazing ways, often (perhaps most often) in ways we don’t understand or even realize at the time, but which can bring about all sorts of blessings for others. Today’s Gospel example is of Joseph and Mary doing that for Simeon and Anna. But what about you? God willing, you come to worship each Sunday because you want to be faithful, and also because you know it is your duty. But think of this: What a difference there can be between coming to an almost-empty church or a well-filled one. One is depressing, the other is encouraging. Both can have a significant influence on the life of a parish, on how well or how poorly it fulfills its calling to be a faithful worshiping community. A few years ago, I read a newspaper article describing a study made by the headquarters of the Presbyterian Church concerning attendance at Sunday services in their denomination. They decided that a typical parish was doing well if 1/3 of its members were in church on an average Sunday. Let me tell you that at St. Paul’s, we have been averaging better than 2/3 Sunday by Sunday! I say that not to get our arms out of joint by patting ourselves on the back, but to reflect what is a healthy pattern here – a blessing for which we can and should thank God. Do you remember that Burger King used to have a jingle in their television ads which was “Hold the pickle, hold the lettuce, special orders don’t upset us! Let us serve it your way!” With the loud refrain “HAVE IT YOUR WAY! HAVE IT YOUR WAY!” Let me suggest that the message of the Gospel, the message of this Solemnity of the Presentation of Christ in the Temple, is just the opposite: “HAVE IT GOD’S WAY!” All sorts of amazing things can and do happen when people simply do what they are supposed to do, bringing unexpected blessings to others which we neither plan nor perhaps even understand. Of course, the reverse is also true. If we don’t bother to fulfill our obligations, if we ignore God’s will, what blessings may we fail to bring to others? That’s true for each of us as individuals, as families, and as a parish. The Parish officers and Members of the Vestry are selected for ministries of service and responsibility, but our legitimately high expectations of them should equally apply to anyone and everyone who bears the label “Christian.” Regardless of the particular function we may have, the Great Commission we all share is to be Christophers – that is, Christ-bearers to others. Today, as we prepare to hold our Annual Parish Meeting, and as we consider what we should be doing during the coming year, let me suggest that, paraphrasing one of the powerful prayers in the Prayer Book, we do well to pray that we: you and I, St. Paul’s Parish, the Episcopal Church, the Anglican Communion, and all other Christians everywhere, regardless of denominational labels, may do all those good things which God has prepared for us to do. Should we really want to do anything less? + In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Father Alfred T. K. Zadig, Sr.
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This page last modified on Friday, April 11, 2008 09:40 PM |
