“Jesus is coming, look busy…”

Sermon by Mother Laura Howell

Trinity Church, Bethlehem -- August 10, 2003

2 Samuel 18:5-9, 15, 31-33
Ephesians 4:25-5:2
John 6:35, 41-51
Psalm 34:1-8

In the name of the Father (+) and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

In the year 449, a council of the bishops and theologians of the Church was called at Ephesus. It was kind of like our Episcopal General Convention, except that it was international. At that time, the church was concerned with trying to understand the nature of Christ, and this council decided that Christ had only one nature—he was divine. There were problems with this council: some of the bishops couldn’t get there to debate. Some of the ones who did, took bribes to vote along the party line. And it ended in violence, with the murder of Flavian, the Patriarch of Constantinople, who opposed the faulty doctrine of Christ’s single nature. Makes the sometimes heated debate in Minneapolis look like an afternoon tea party.

The early Church was outraged! Pope Leo named this council the Robber Council and in 551, called another world-wide council at Chalcedon, which repudiated the findings and stated that Christ did indeed have two natures—the human and the divine. This is what we believe today.

I am telling you this to put into perspective what happened in Minneapolis. Sometimes, the church sitting in council is right. And the right decisions come down to us through history. Sometimes, the church, sitting in council is wrong. And those wrongs are rectified subsequently. We don’t always know in the moment.

I am aware that some of you think that this Convention is like the Robber Council. Some of you feel that way, because of the violence and false accusations leveled at Fr. Gene Robinson. Since when does a candidate for Bishop have to come to a church meeting with a bodyguard? It’s appalling, no matter what you think of the man.

And on the other side, some of you may think that this Convention has done violence to the orthodoxy of our faith. And that the church has taken a wrong turn. I can tell you that some members of my family feel that way, and we are talking about it together. They feel shocked and confused.

Last week, we noted that there would be mixed and difficult emotions no matter what decisions were taken by General Convention. And there are. Following the pattern of the early church, the Archbishop of Canterbury has called a meeting of the Anglican Communion, to discuss how we will continue to live and pray together, even with our differences.

So here we are. Together again. I’m not sure how much has changed for you. Maybe nothing. Maybe everything. It doesn’t feel any different for me to be in the pulpit or at the altar. I’m not really sure, actually, if I’m supposed to be feeling different. And I suspect that many of our deputies have the same sense of uncertainty. I know that at the close of convention, George Werner, the president of the House of Deputies talked about how he had been praying throughout the voting: "Lord, I think I am doing your will, but if I am not, please forgive me."

I think it’s useful to remember that we don’t control the outcomes. We can make decisions and plans, but what actually happens is up to God. Our deputies and bishops have voted for or against the various pieces of legislation after much time in prayer and conversation. Now God has to sort it out.

I find great comfort in Jesus’ words today. He says, “Stop complaining. Don’t you know that no one can come to me unless drawn by the Father who sent me? Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me. And whoever believes has eternal life. How about a little trust? God is responsible for drawing people into salvation. You do what I tell you to do and leave that part to me.”

Really, we have to give Jesus at least some credit. He is able to keep his church going in the right direction, even if sometimes we take a detour or two. The prophet Jeremiah says that the Lord rewards us with the fruit of our deeds. If the Church has made the wrong decisions, we will see that. If the Church has made the right decisions, we will see that. So stick around for the next 10 or 15 years to find out…

What comes next? The letter to the Ephesians gives us some hints. “Let us speak truth.” Brothers and sisters, there are lots of ways to lie—blatantly, or by implication. Don’t do it. Because evil talk does not build up the church, it tears it down. “Be angry, but don’t sin.” Scripture recognizes that anger is a normal part of life. It becomes sinful only when we hold onto it. When we refuse to let it go and make peace, it becomes a door for evil to enter. Here’s a really hard assignment: “Put away from you all bitterness and wrath and anger and wrangling and slander, together with all malice.” What?! No more arguing? No more pointing fingers? “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God.” In other words, be careful about attributing evil motives to our brothers or sisters—they may have made a decision for or against something because the Holy Spirit was whispering in their ears.

This is no fun at all. It sounds like we’re being asked to put aside our self-righteousness and be humble. Most challenging of all is the last sentence, which we say at the offertory: “Live in love, as Christ loved us.”

You know how easily I am shocked. I read a statement this week from a priest that truly shocked me. He wrote something like: “Christ came to bring us redemption, not teach us about loving relationships.” I was STUNNED. Because as I understand it, loving relationships are one of the fruits of our redemption, not to mention one of Christ’s commandments.

What am I hearing the Holy Spirit say to us as a parish in the days following General Convention? I hear the Spirit saying, “Get on with it. Trust the future of the church to me. And you get on with your prayers. Get on with feeding the hungry. Get on with showing the world what it looks like when people believe in Jesus’s saving words. Get on with the work of the Gospel. Love each other and support each other, even if you don’t agree about everything.” Or as an old joke says, “Jesus is coming, look busy.”

I am so proud of our Church. I am proud that as a national church we prayed and sang together in public. I am proud that we struggled with some really difficult issues, and didn’t try to sweep them under the rug. I am proud that we were brave enough to investigate openly the allegations against Gene Robinson. I am proud that we were mostly so civil and respectful with each other—at least in public--that a number of the world’s newspapers remarked on it.

And for those of us who are feeling uncertain about whether or not Convention made the right choices, let me leave you with a few words from Thomas Merton. This prayer is always my prayer, too: "Dear God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself... and the fact that I think that I am following Your will does not mean that I am actually doing so.

But I believe this: I believe that the desire to please You does in fact please You. And I know that if I do this, You will lead me by the right road, though I may know nothing about it at the time.”

Brothers and Sisters, let us trust that God will continue to lead us. And get busy…

Amen.