Sermon preached by the Reverend John E.
Kitagawa at the Ordination of Gregory A. Foraker to the Sacred Order of
Deacons, and Celebration of the Holy Eucharist on Sunday, 21 November 2010, at St. Philip’s In The Hills Parish,
Tucson, Arizona
Good afternoon, and welcome to St. Philip’s
Parish, sometimes referred to in the Diocese of Arizona as the “Deacon
Mill”. I suppose the nickname is
somewhat deserved. Tom Lindell and
Beverly Edminster led the way. Happy
belated tenth anniversary to you! During
my brief-by-St. Philip’s-standards tenure as rector, Dan Behling, Anne Sawyer,
Ralph Taylor, Sally Stevens Taylor, Anne Strong have been ordered Deacons. God-willing and the Commission on Ministry
and Bishop affirming, Ruth Hooper, Leah Sandwell-Weiss and Brigid Waszczak will
follow. And, of course, today, we gather
for Gregory A. Foraker’s ordination to the Sacred Order of Deacons.
I am puzzled by the reaction of some clergy
to the number of deacons who have discerned and clarified their vocations, been
nurtured and supported in their ministries here. I have been asked, “What can you do with all
those deacons?” or, “Don’t you have enough deacons already?” Such questions suggest a functional or
utilitarian view of the Diaconate, as if ordination means an individual takes
on the functions, roles, and robes of a deacon, or a priest, or a bishop for
that matter. In my understanding of Holy
Orders in Anglican tradition, at ordination, we become deacons, we become
priests, and we become bishops. This
differentiates us from other traditions in ways that have complicated ecumenical
dialogues on Baptism, Eucharist and Ministry.
As far as I am concerned, we cannot have too
many deacons in the Church, or in this parish.
Let me tell you why. Today’s
Scriptures lay the foundation for understanding the call to diaconal ministry clearly
and emphatically as a call to servant ministry.
The Greek word, diakonia,
means servant. Bishop Smith often uses
the image of “waiter” to talk about deacons.
The Jeremiah passage speaks of a call, if accepted, that is under God’s authority
and direction. It is not a call to
freelance, or to “do one’s own thing.” Taken seriously, the passage from Luke puts servant
ministry into perspective, tempering ego needs for recognition and credit.
With these thoughts in mind, let us consider
the Examination portion of this service.
We will soon hear Bishop Smith define diaconal ministry and charge Greg
with these words:
In
the name of Jesus Christ, you are to serve all people, particularly the poor,
the weak, the sick and the lonely.
You
are to interpret to the Church the needs, concerns and hopes of the world.
At
all times, your life and teaching are to show Christ’s people that in serving
the helpless they are serving Christ himself[1].
I suppose one could see these charges in
utilitarian ways. I think these charges
amount to more than tasks, they are meant to shape a way of life, and to help form
a raison d’etre—to form a focus, the
priority, and the passion of a deacon’s life. Let me call your attention to the second
of the three charges: “You are to interpret to the Church the needs, concerns
and hopes of the world.” The full meaning
of this charge emerges when linked it to the next one: “…your life and teaching are to show Christ’s
people that in serving the helpless they are serving Christ himself.” In other words, the deacon’s ministry of
bringing the needs, concerns and hopes of the world to the Church is critical
for members of the congregation to be in servant ministry themselves. The corollary is that it is not the Deacon’s function
to carry out servant ministry by him or herself, or on behalf of or in place of
the servant ministry of the whole people of God. The Episcopal Church is sometimes caricatured
as a church ministering primarily to the chic, the connected, the rich and the
well to do. There are, no doubt, people
in these demographics who are “weak, sick and lonely.” But, the Ordinal specifically lifts up a Deacon’s
calling to put onto the Church’s agenda real and compassionate responses to the
needs, concerns and hopes of the poor and marginalized. The most significant tool at a deacon’s
disposal is not power, nor intellect, nor the ability to persuade. His or her most significant tool is being a
living example of and advocate for servant ministry.
Having one or many deacons does not let the
rest of the congregation—priests and laity alike—off the hook in response to
“the needs, concerns and hopes of the world”, nor in ministering to all the
people, especially the poor, the weak, the sick and the lonely. In fact, at its best, the ministry of deacons
has a leavening effect—deepening commitment to and making possible greater
participation of the whole body in ministry.
This may sound like a lot of theory and theological rumination. However, I do not think it is coincidental
that St. Philip’s has seen a growth in lay leadership, and lay participation in
ministry as the presence and example of diaconal ministry has grown amongst us. I cannot prove a linkage, but I do not think
it is accidental that as the work of parish discernment groups—an important
part of the ordination process—has engaged more parishioners, conversations
about parish ministries are changing from recruiting volunteers to connecting
members with a passion or sense of vocation to leadership and/or participation
in ministry.
We live in a chaotic, polarized and
unmerciful world. This is the mission
field the Church is called to witness and minister in. Many members of faith communities would
prefer the church to be a shelter from the chaos and conflict, the violence and
vicissitudes of the world. They can be
resistant to those who “interpret to the Church the needs, concerns and hopes
of the world.” I understand this
desire. To a greater or lesser degree,
all of us yearn for safety, security and a sense of peace. They can and should be an important haven in
times of great personal need. However, I
know, first hand, how important it is to stretch beyond our comfort zones in
order to be faithful disciples. That is
why I am so thankful that more and more St. Philippians are hearing Christ’s
call to ordained ministry, and especially to lay ministry. I am awed that so many St. Philippians pour
their hearts and souls, and their time, talents and financial resources into
doing God’s work in the world.
Would the congregation please stand.
Today, it is good and proper to focus on the
ministry of deacons, and particularly on our friend, Greg. However, Christ’s ministry is a community
affair. In our tradition, the Church
calls on the gifts of the Holy Spirit, given to the whole Body—to Bishops,
Priests, and Deacons and Lay Ministers—to carry out God’s work in the
world. I charge you to see Greg’s
journey as an example for discerning God’s mind and unique call for each of you. To be clear, I am not suggesting everyone’s
journey has to lead to ordination to be validated. For 99% of you, I pray discernment leads to
discovering, renewing or honing your raison
d’etre—your focus, your priority, and your passion for your unique lay ministry.
A good number of you are here because you
have supported Greg in his discernment process, or you have been influenced by
his leadership, or worked as a colleague in ministry. I charge you to remember his journey is not
done. There is another big step, and
even when that is accomplished, Greg will always need friends, companions, and
colleagues to enrich him, and to be enriched by sharing in ministry with him.
Thank you.
Please be seated.
Greg, would you please stand.
Greg, my colleague, my friend, my brother in
Christ. You, more than most, can
legitimately talk about the journey, or as the Beatles once sang, “the long and
winding road”! If you ever have to fill
out a form asking about your best qualities, put perseverance and patience somewhere
at the top. You first discerned a call
to ordained ministry long ago. As you
have traveled that long and winding road, your sense of call has become clearer
and I believe stronger. You have
navigated every twist and turn, bump and pothole with amazing grace and dignity. You never lost faith in God’s call, and you
have exhibited extraordinary patience with human processes. Another word that should be on your resume is
openness. Where most people would see
hoops and hurdles, you have seen opportunities and new possibilities for
learning and growing. I charge you to bring
these qualities into ordained ministry.
In fact, hone them. There will be
challenges and conundrums that will require you to draw on these special inner
resources and spiritual gifts.
The Diaconate is a sacred, historic and
unique order of ministry. You believe
you are ultimately called to the priesthood.
If you do not mind me saying so in front of Bishop Smith and members of
the Committee on Ministry, many here, including me, share your belief that you
are so called. However, I charge you to
exercise your spiritual gift of humility—being fertile soil for the good seeds
God will plant in the coming months. To
the extent you are open, you will find that your diaconal ministry will shape
and form you in ways that will serve and grace your life-long ministry. I remind you, you are not just taking on the
functions, roles and robes of a deacon.
So, to embrace your diaconate as the foundation and an essential part of
your identity, I further charge you, during your diaconate, to discern and
design a particular project to interpret to this parish, the needs, concerns
and hopes of the world.” God willing,
the Commission of Ministry and Bishop affirming, you will be ordained to the
priesthood, but you will not cast aside your diaconal vows. Should you be ordained to the episcopate, you
would not shed the vows you make today. (It
could happen. Your middle initial “A” could
stand for Ambrose.)
Greg, you may remember that I quoted a
parishioner’s Gratitude Statement last Sunday:
St
Philip’s is my place to stay in touch with God, and teaches me to continue this
communication when I’m away from this place.
As a spiritual
director yourself, you know how our lives can be distorted, derailed or damaged
when that precious and sacred connection is neglected or relegated to a lower priority
than the endless tasks of ministry. I know
you share in our parishioner’s gratitude to this community of faith. More importantly, I charge you to maintain
the spiritual disciplines that help you stay in touch with God, and continue
and grow in that sometimes illusive, but always life-giving, life-sustaining,
and life-renewing relationship.
Finally, my brother, friend and colleague,
may the love of God, the companionship of the Holy Spirit, and the grace of our
savior Jesus Christ be with you and bless you, both now and evermore.
AMEN.