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Homepage >> Ministry >> Worship And Music >> Sermons >> Transformation Transformation
This weekend, the
Primates of the Anglican Communion are meeting in a special session in
Tanzania. Primates are the heads of the individual, constituent churches that
make up the worldwide communion. Our own Presiding Bishop, Katherine Jefforts
Shori, is attending as the principal representative of the Episcopal Church.
Three other Bishops, representing different voices in our church, are in
attendance with her. The purpose of the
meeting is for the Primates to examine the Episcopal Church’s response to the
Windsor Report, a critical document produced over two years ago to address the
ongoing tensions within the Communion. They are also spending time in “deep
listening” – examining the ways in which they might more fully hear the
concerns of everyone in the room. Issues of leadership and oversight,
interpretation of scripture, human relationships and the mission of the church
are also being addressed. They are in daily prayer with each other. Most are
sharing Communion with each other. For me, the meeting of
the leaders of the church of which we are an important part serves as a perfect
illustration of where we are today in our life together. Liturgically, we are
at the end of our Epiphany season and on the brink of our Lenten journey,
looking forward to the glorious celebration of Easter. The story of Christ’s
transfiguration on the mountain – his changing into a glorious presence in the
midst of his most trusted disciples – serves as a fitting conclusion to the
season in which we have heard of the various ways in which Christ is made
manifest to us. It seems also a perfect introduction to a period of reflection
on what it might be like to live in the full knowledge of that glorious
revelation. In
the transfiguration, Christ is revealed in all his glory to the disciples who
were with him on that mountaintop. As he was at his baptism, Jesus is
identified as God’s beloved – God’s chosen one – and the disciples are
instructed to listen to him. During Epiphany, we have been reminded in many
different ways of this light who came to live among us. During Lent, we are
called to reflect on those things we have done and left undone – to a time of
repentance for all the ways in which we have not listened to Jesus – to his
teachings, to those things revealed to us through his word. We
know that beyond Lent lies Easter – the central celebration of the Christian
life, the glorious affirmation of God’s great love for each of us manifested in
Jesus’ giving of his life for our sake, of his being raised from the dead
thereby assuring eternal life for us all – a living forever in the loving
presence of God. In many respects, our gathering together in these seasons is
suffused throughout with a message of love – a call to act in love toward
others and live in love as Christ loved us. The
Apostle Paul’s majestic words to the early church in Corinth are familiar to
many of us. They are frequently chosen as one of the readings for weddings.
They have particular resonance for two people who have chosen to enter into a
lifelong relationship with each other. Yet if we listen to them in a different
context – that of the manifestation of God’s glory on earth in the person of
Jesus, we might discern that love – a sacred love – is at the heart of our
walking together. This is a love that is directed outward – not inward – a love
that transforms all that it touches. As
Anglicans, as Episcopalians, we are a disparate group – with many backgrounds
and cultures, having many different stories of how we got here, offering many
different and varied talents. We always have been and I hope that we always
will be true to who we are. Yet, as fundamentally different as we are, we are
all one – the body of Christ and “individually members of it” as Paul
describes. Within that body, some are apostles, prophets, teachers, healers and
leaders. Some are blessed with the gift of language; others are given the
ability to assist others. In the midst of all this disparity – all this
different “giftedness” – we are called as one body to offer greater gifts, to
follow a more excellent way. That way, I believe, is defined by God’s love – a
love different that ours. The
love of God as revealed in Christ is “patient and kind,” not envious, boastful,
arrogant or rude. “It does not insist on its own way.” In other words, it is
not focused on ourselves, but on others. The love of God is “not irritable or
resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing but rejoices in the truth.” In
other words, this love is not focused on the issues of the moment, but is
willing to look ahead to the ultimate truth that is revealed through the
workings of God. The love of God “bears all things, believes all things, hopes
all things, endures all things.” In other words, this love stands the test of
time. This love never ends. When
we lose sight of the true love of God, we fall into the darkness of those
things which separate us from God, from each other. When we focus on our
selfish loves – those turned inward – the entire body suffers and it indeed
splits apart into its separate and individual members. Rather than holding
together and functioning as one with a common mission, we become focused on
ourselves and not what God would have us to do. We
see this played out in the Primates meeting. We’ve seen brief press releases
about their common deliberations. The body as a whole agreed to refrain from
speaking to the media until their discussions are finished tomorrow. From what
has been released so far, most seem to be meeting in a spirit of cooperation
and tolerance. However, the shrill voices of dissent still are making
themselves heard through leaks to the press. And that seems to undermine the
overall efforts of everyone concerned. I
am dismayed when our leaders are unable to talk to each other – when selfish
motives or fundamental distrust scuttle any efforts to address our differences.
I am profoundly saddened when our leaders – when we – refuse to come to the
table and share Eucharist together. On the other hand, I am heartened when we
speak of the collective mission of the church and the level of cooperation seen
and experienced at the person-to-person level. I am hopeful when we speak of
the challenges that lie ahead and that, within the endless bounds of the love
of Christ, how we can work to discern the truth that somehow is partially
hidden from us now, but which will be revealed to us fully in God’s own time. We
are disparate members of the body of Christ, yet we are inextricably bound
together by our baptismal vows – by the simple fact that we are all sealed as
Christ’s own forever, loved and beloved beyond measure. We are collectively
strengthened by sharing our common holy meal together at this table, at every
table, even as far away as Tanzania. We each have something valuable to offer.
We each have something to learn from each other. All of us – together – have a
responsibility to care for each other in ways that are patient and kind, not
envious of the other’s position or boastful of our own – not insistent on our
own way, but open to the larger truth that will be revealed when – and if – we
actually look at each other face to face. Christ
was transfigured in the eyes of his disciples. In that moment, Jesus became
more than they thought he was and God’s glory was revealed in a way that they
could only begin to understand. But it was a moment that forever changed the
course of their lives. None of us can come into the presence of the risen
Christ without being similarly transformed. We look at each other differently –
we treat each other differently. We retain our identity and our value to each
other, yet we live and move and have our being as one body – manifesting the
love of God for everyone in all of its glorious revelation. We
come full circle. The light that came into this world at our Christmas
celebrations shines brilliantly through our Epiphany season. Our journey
through Lent continues to be illuminated as we learn to live into that light
and move forward with boldness and confidence. We reach the other side – Easter
– and catch a glimpse of a world that is completely transformed, wholly
transfigured, by God’s love. May the Primates, Bishops, Priests, Deacons and
lay people of all churches, dioceses and parishes see this same world and
commit to working for its fulfillment in love for and with each other –
listening to the words of Jesus, not our own. (This
sermon was preached by the Rev. Terri Stanford, Associate Rector, in St.
Chrysostom's Church, Chicago, Illinois, on Sunday, February 18, 2007, The Last
Sunday after the Epiphany.)
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