Sermon preached by the Reverend John E. Kitagawa at the Celebration of the Holy Eucharist on Sunday, 13 September 2009 (Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost) at St. Philip’s In The Hills Parish, Tucson, Arizona

STIR US TO TIRELESS STRIVING

Proverbs 1: 20-33; James 3: 1-12; Mark 8: 27-38

Whether you have been a St. Philippian for decades or days, WELCOME! Whether you are here every Sunday, back after a period of absence, or here for the very first time, WELCOME! Whether you are a mature Christian, feet firmly planted on your spiritual journey, or a new or renewing Christian, taking tentative steps on your spiritual journey, WELCOME! Whether you are a confirmed Episcopalian, or a confirmed skeptic (these are not mutually exclusive), WELCOME! If you have come just to see, WELCOME! If you have a deep and spiritual need to grow with God, WELCOME! If you came some time ago to see, stuck around and are growing with God, and now ready to go and do God’s work in the world, WELCOME!

If you are here with any inkling about being a follower of Jesus, and having heard today’s Gospel, you may not fully trust my welcome. Listen again. Jesus is in full-disclosure mode—setting the terms and cost of discipleship.

If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it (Mark 8: 34-35).

These are not what you would call comfortable words. In fact, words like these are sometimes referred to as Jesus’ hard sayings. Hard, because they are demanding and because there is no real way to avoid or get around them—if we truly want to be Jesus’ followers. There is no way to avoid the confrontation with who we are, what our priorities are, and how we live our lives. If the two sentences I have just quoted are not sufficiently clear, Jesus closes any escape hatches with the next two.

For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life? Indeed, what can they give in return for their life? (Mark 8: 36-37).

So, before you embrace my welcome, you might want to know just what am I welcoming you to. Fair enough. I welcome you to this Christian community, which means it is not like other associations, clubs, or groups. This community is first defined by the love, forgiveness and grace of God through Jesus Christ. As such we are consequently a community called by God to baptize, shape and commission disciples to be agents of God’s healing, reconciling and redeeming love. This is a hard working community that defines success as being faithful and fruitful rather than being influential and powerful. This community is learning to reach out and invite any and all to “come and see” all that God is doing in our life and ministry. This community does its best to encourage any and all to “grow with God” so our relationships with God in Christ and one another deepen so can be more discerning and courageous in our responses to God’s people within and beyond ourselves. This community does its best to empower its members to “go and do” meaningful and transformative ministry through parish programs, or in myriad other ways in southern Arizona and beyond.

Today’s Gospel recalls a pivotal moment in Jesus’ ministry, and one of his friends’ most important decision points. To fulfill his calling, Jesus knew it would soon be time to move his ministry to Jerusalem. There he would speak truth to the religious establishment of his day. Jesus also knew that the future of his valued relationship with his friends, and their willingness to follow him rested on two factors. The first was the depth of their understanding of who he was and what his mission was. The second was their willingness to turn their lives upside down, to re-prioritize, to redefine the terms of success, and to single-mindedly commit themselves to the cause of Christ. The passage of time and the events of history have not altered the basic path to becoming followers of Jesus Christ. So, my welcome is to a dynamic life of discovery, of relationship building, of healing wounds, of choosing a redemptive path of life, and of active usage of the gifts, graces and talents God bestows upon us. My welcome is to the vision printed every Sunday on our bulletin:

St. Philip’s is a strong and loving community that welcomes, encourages, and empowers all to grow in Christ and to do God’s work in the world.

I believe the following quotation captures much of what I have just said in different words and from a different perspective. The quotation also suggests a strategy for turning our vision into life-transforming realities:

The Church has an obligation to discern and affirm the gifts of each of its members and to match those gifts with a meaningful form of ministry, even if it means creating new ministries[1].

This quotation comes from a weeklong seminar the Program Staff[2] and I attended in June. Within it is a clear supposition that Jesus’ followers are called to serve and to use their gifts in meaningful forms of ministry. The first part of the quotation strongly suggests that it is disrespectful for Christ’s beloved community to behave as if its members are not gifted by the Spirit. Similarly, it is unacceptable for the community to less than energetically commit to providing meaningful ministry opportunities for its gifted members to lead or participate in. I believe, implicit in this quotation, is a mutually strengthening and mutually beneficial holy covenant between a congregation and its members.

It is truly auspicious to have this Gospel today, Welcome Sunday. There are many reasons why this is a great day to be at St. Philip’s. Choirs are back in full force and glory to enliven and enrich our worship. I feel the energy of lots of members, youth and children back after absences during the long, hot summer. But, most significantly, in relationship to our Gospel text, the Ministry Fair offers many different potential avenues for that holy covenant to come to life. The Ministry Fair is in the Galleries on the other side of the Fish Pond Garden. Displays and representatives of many of our diverse ministries are ready to tell their stories. You will receive more than information. Be prepared to be inspired by the ways these ministries touch and transform lives. Be open to new possibilities and ways you can support them or participate with them. The Ministry Fair is a great celebration of community and ministry, and a lively context in which to renew old friendships or to make new ones.

The Survival School quotation underscores an aspect of the holy covenant and a significant responsibility for those already engaged in ministries, or in ministry leadership. Simply put, our strategy can no longer rely solely and passively on hoping people will self-discern and self-select participation in our specific ministry. Nor can our strategy be to recruit people to fill our organization’s needs or slots on our organizational chart. The holy covenant calls us to affirm and match gifts and, I would say, passions to meaningful ministries. That suggests we must initiate ministry conversations without predetermined goals and outcomes. So, listening has to take precedence over using our persuasive powers. Within the Spirit of our overall and uniting vision, the best match of gifts may be with another ministry. So, we must commit to assisting these persons make the connection with that match.

Surely, today’s hard sayings of Jesus must have given Peter and the disciples pause. They must have been, at least momentarily, tempted to call it quits and to return to their families and previous vocations. I think their decisions to persevere were rooted in seeing Jesus’ love and compassion touching, healing and transforming lives. They must have taken stock and recognized the power of the Spirit growing within them. And, these factors were enough to believe Christ’s promise of ultimately sharing in his abundant life.

In closing, I suggest meditating on the words of our closing hymn. I find particular meaning and inspiration in the third verse, which I will now use as a closing prayer:

As we worship, grant us vision, till your love’s revealing light,

in its height and depth and greatness, dawns upon our quickened sight,

making known the needs and burdens your compassion bids us bear,

stirring us to tireless striving, your abundant life to share.

AMEN.