LAKE JAMES

NORTH CAROLINA

Proper 12 B + July 30, 2006 + Saint Paul’s Church, Lake James

+ In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Thirteen years ago, I received a most unexpected and thrilling gift in the mail: a large but slim package from a dear friend who is a well known composer. In it was his then newest work, a suite for organ based on the Hebrew tune called “Leoni” which is what we sang as our first hymn this morning. In the letter which accompanied the gift, he wrote “Dear Al, this is for you. Look at what is printed at the top of page one.” When I did, I saw the dedication of the music which read “To the Reverend Doctor Alfred T. K. Zadig, Priest and Friend.” My reaction was amazement, gratitude, and, (I don’t mind admitting it) tears of joy. The composer and I had sometimes talked about that particular Hebrew tune and my love for it. As a boy, I had often sung it in the synagogue, and later, as a Christian, was delighted to see that it was also in the Episcopal Hymnal. It reaffirmed my conviction that I had not lost the richness of my Jewish heritage in becoming an Anglican. Also, because that hymn was often sung in the parish where, as a College student, I became an Episcopalian, I came to associate it with the happiness of new relationships in the Church, and especially with several priests who became my mentors and inspirations.

While I’m sharing that pleasant thought, let me add another. That parish in Boston used to offer full breakfasts after the two early services at 8:00 and 9:00. The kitchen downstairs provided orange juice, bacon and eggs, hot cereal, toast, and coffee, so when you came into the church on a Sunday morning, there was a magnificent combination of aromas: that of incense (which never seemed to leave the building), but also those of coffee and bacon – smells still dear to my heart! I hope that in your experience too, there are sights and smells, hymns and prayers, which bring to your mind happy memories of people and places which have been influential in your life.

By now, you may be wondering “what in the world has gotten into Father Zadig? Why is he reminiscing like that in the pulpit instead of preaching a sermon?”

In fact, this is a sermon, a sermon about connections, connections between people, and connections with God.

What do you think of when you hear the word “church?” Some may immediately have a mental image of this building or some other edifice. Others may think of the solemn ceremonies of the Eucharist, and for still others, the thought may be of the awe-filled act of receiving Jesus in Holy Communion or the joy of welcoming new Christians in the Sacrament of Baptism. As wonderful and important as those are, I’d like to ask you instead to focus for a moment on people. Look around you. See the other people who are here. You are looking at The Church. Consider for a moment how different we are from each other. Some differences are obvious. Some of us are male and some are female. As we get to know each other, we realize that our experiences, including our religious backgrounds, heavily influence our thoughts and values. Some of us are Republicans and some are Democrats. Some love classical music and others prefer bluegrass or jazz. Some speak in lovely southern accents while others (including Fr. John and me) are obviously “damnyankees.” Father John and I have each been priests for many years but we are hardly clones of each other. We have different personalities, different preaching styles, and sometimes we have different opinions on various subjects, but we respect each other, we like each other, and I think we work well together. I count it not only a true privilege, but a great honor to minister with him in this parish, and I am sure St. Paul’s is far better served because of, rather than in spite of our differences. So yes, we – clergy and laity are different from one another. But, to quote one of my favorite theologians, Tevye from the play Fiddler on the Roof, who, after uttering a piece of wisdom, always adds “but, on the other hand…” So I would add, on the other hand, we are not only so different from each other, we are so much alike!

Perhaps the most important reality we share is that each of us is a child of God, created in the Divine Image. Each of us wants and needs to be loved and to love. Another way we are alike is that, each of us, being human, is imperfect. Our belief in God is imperfect, but so are our doubts. Our love for God, and for others, is imperfect, but so is our rejection of both. A wonderful thing is that the great present of God to us, the Christian Faith, is truly a “one size fits all” gift. But, within that gift, some will be drawn to certain aspects, while others will find different facets of the Faith to be most important. And that’s fine, although sometimes it can lead to disagreements, even battles within the Christian Community. I think of a letter written by a little child to God which read: “Dear God, I bet it’s very hard for you to love everybody in the whole world. There are only four people in our family, and I can never do it! (signed) Nancy”

At its best, our Anglican understanding of Church is not a narrow straitjacket which everyone must accept in exactly the same way. Any visitor to Episcopal churches will quickly find that, while the central act of worship is the Holy Eucharist, the way that worship is expressed varies widely from very simple to elaborate ceremonial, from devoutly quiet prayer to exuberant charismatic worship, all of which are expressions of a diversity within a greater unity, and I am sure that all are not only acceptable, but precious to God.

We also see great diversity in the way Anglicans carry out ministries in response to God’s calling. Old and young, married and single, laypeople and members of the clergy serve God in so many different ways, and how much poorer and incomplete our response to God would be if everyone had to serve in exactly the same way. Likewise, the ministries of the Religious Orders of the Anglican Communion are quite different from each other. The way of life lived by our Franciscan friars is quite different from that of our Benedictine monks; our contemplative nuns follow a vocation which is very different from our teaching or nursing sisters, yet all are not only legitimate, but just right for those God calls to them.

In today’s Epistle, Saint Paul writes that, while there is one Body and one Spirit, one Lord, one Faith, one God and Father of us all, still grace has been given to each of us to be ourselves, to express our faithful response to God in ways which fit who we are.

Again, in St. Paul’s words, “some are called to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers.” Not everyone has to be ordained, not everyone has to be a member of the Vestry, a greeter or a coffee hour host, but we all belong – or can, if we want to. There is a place for you, the real you, with whatever abilities and interests you have, or don’t have. It’s in the connectedness of the whole People of God that we, the Church, fulfill our vocation. So, today, think of people who have been meaningful to you, helpful in whatever way, in your spiritual journey. They may have been priests or ministers of other traditions, teachers, family, friends, or even composers! Thank God for them and be thankful for God’s loving call to you through the years, whatever that call may have been.

Finally, let me ask you two questions: what are you doing now as a Christian, and second, what more may God be calling you to do?

+ In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

The Reverend Alfred T. K. Zadig, Sr.

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