Annual Meeting
Sermon
The Church of
the Good Shepherd
January 30, 2010
The Rev. Deborah
M. Woodward
When did I begin
working on this sermon?
There is a story
behind that question.
We met last Wednesday
night, here at the Shepherd, to review the sermon that your seminarian, Meghan,
had preached the previous Sunday, “We,” being the parish committee of lay
people, gathered to reflect on Meghan’s ministry with us.
One of us asked
Meghan, “When did you begin working on the sermon?”
That question
got ME thinking.
I asked myself
that question as I faced this Sunday and this Sunday’s sermon.
When did you
begin working on the sermon?
Thursday,
perhaps, or Friday?
No.
I began three
years ago.
I remember. It was my second Sunday at Good Shepherd as
your priest-in-charge. It was Good Shepherd Sunday, The fourth Sunday of
Easter, April 29, 2007. We sang all the Good Shepherd Hymns. The Gospel was John, Chapter 10, which we also
read this morning.
“I am the Good
Shepherd.
I call my sheep
by name.
I came that you
might have life and have it abundantly.
I lay down my
life for the sheep.
And I have other
sheep I must bring them in also
There will be
one flock and one Shepherd.”
All I remember
about that sermon is this...
I certainly had
not done that well… because I didn’t know you…. yet. I didn’t know your names.
And, I didn’t have much practice with the concept of the Good Shepherd. I had
not walked down this aisle 300 times (more or less) to celebrate at your altar.
I not yet made floppy sheep ears for your Christmas pageant.
Oh how that has
changed.
Do you know, that
when I “do” a funeral at a funeral home, often I begin with these words…
“If we were at
the church, the first thing we would do, is to walk up the aisle, pall bearers,
casket, and priest, toward this beautiful altar with its image of the Good Shepherd. There is no greater comfort than to begin our
worship by knowing whose you are, in life and in death.”
I’ve been shepherded
by you all. Thank you for these three years.
Jesus said, “I
am the Good Shepherd. I came that you
might have life and have it abundantly.” Abundant Life.
I will reflect on our abundant life here.
Jesus then said,
“There are other sheep. I must bring them in also.” I will consider what we must become. Because there are other sheep who need the Shepherd. Other sheep that the Shepherd needs.
As we celebrate
the past and look to the future, I invite you to join me for a walk. A stroll through the land
of abundance.
A
pilgrimage with the Shepherd to the gates of Evangelism.
By the way,
clergy call this the “E”
word. Evangelism. Shouldn’t
be said in public. But this
Sunday we will be daring.
We begin outside
the church building.
The building
When I drive
around the corner of Chute and
The flock
We enter the
double doors, We pass by that seemingly ordinary bulletin
board with all those lists: vestry, ushers. I glance to see if there are any
changes this week. Lay
readers, acolytes. The apparently simple fact that occasionally two
acolytes might switch Sundays, AND I see it written down on the sheet, without
having to worry about that myself. This may
seem like a simple fact.
No. This is a serious
sign of abundance. Because it means to me that that this flock
is sane and mature; a reliable and competent bunch of sheep. And let me
tell you that that is huge!
The children
I glance into
the nursery, I remember what a mess it was. I am
grateful. I know the sheep who painted it. I know the sheep who carpeted it. I
know who is paying the salary of the nursery care provider. We smile for the
abundance of babies who weren’t there before.
The office of
Administration
Usually, I walk
to my office through the outer office when I come in to work. Now we walk on a
clean carpet, along a counter that is tidy and beside computer where every list
is identified, data filed, accounts audited, past a closet where every box is
labeled. When I realize the work of the treasurers since I got here, the
diligence of your administrator, the patience of Mr. I.T... I am beyond
grateful. We now have those names and number nailed, coded, tallied, and tamed.
How hard was that? Incredibly. It took three years. The
Shepherd cheers.
Parish lay leadership
Come into the
office. When I sit behind the desk I remember how many of you have sat across
from me and offered yourself to the work of this parish, laid down your sheep
lives, to serve the Shepherd.
Now
just one story. Bob
McGovern’s funeral was April 16, 2007.
My first Sunday was April 22nd.
Guess who walked into the office on maybe April 23rd. Yes indeed, it was
Bill Webb, and he had two or three (or 4 or 5 or 6) hand written, annotated
pages, long pages, of shut-ins, nursing home folks, former parishioners. It made my head spin, and it made my heart
celebrate. In the weeks that followed,
others came to visit and said, This is who we are, we are here to
help. Let us know what we can do.” Lay
leadership. Be sure to do this for your new rector and for yourselves. Please, please, please!
It’s time to go
to into the church.
Generosity - In
the hallway, we walk by the outreach bulletin board. And the generosity of this parish brings
tears to my eyes. Bread of
Generosity
I help count the
Sunday money, you know. This is the first parish where I have actually known
what people give. And I was afraid to know. I was afraid I might think badly of
you. Stupid me.
What have I discovered? Only the truth, the faithful, faithful generosity of the sheep of this
fold. Week
after week after week.
Here’s a small
but tender story. Every now and then, we get a really thick envelope from
someone who has been away or ill or shut in.
In the envelope we might find 5 or 10 or more of the weekly envelopes,
each one with the amount neatly written in the space provided. Each envelope has its separate weekly
offering in it. All the little envelopes
are there. It makes me weep. It is so dear.
Worship - We
walk into this holy worship space. “Ah,
this is good, this is fresh and clean and cared for.”
The windows are not boarded up. Did you know that the initiative to repaint the
chancel did not come from me. It came from junior
warden.
And you know why
we are not freezing in here… You know,
that a parish where the laity is willing to actually climb inside your very own
fiery furnace to fix the holes… you know you are in it is a pretty special
place.
Worship - Here
we are. Sheep gathered in this worship space.
Where we celebrate, pray, sing, cry, laugh, and love, in the presence of
the Shepherd.
Here we find
abundance. Where we are welcomed, first, last, always.
At the Deanery
meeting last week, after dinner, we engaged in some table talk, responding to the
question. “In your parish, what excites you?”
Worship
I’m a priest, so
for me, clearly - clearly for me it is the simple act walking down this aisle.
Walking down
this aisle, is not actually a simple act at all. It is
a choice, a bodily, incarnational, with your feet,
choice. It is a spiritual, with your
heart, choice. A decision to walk into the embrace of the
Shepherd. It is a physical statement of a spiritual truth. It is an
outward and visible sign of an inward grace, saying “ I
belong to the Shepherd and commit myself to that obedience in the world.”
In this place
and in that act lies our greatest abundance.
“Blessed is he
who comes in the name of the Lord.” When
I say those words on Sunday I see the Shepherd walking toward the altar to be
present and part of us. And then I see
you. Walking down the aisle.
Blessed is the
one...
Blessed are
they...
The
babies to be baptized. The partners to be wed. The dead to be commended to
God. The sheep
to be fed the Eucharist. The children. The future. Standing
by the altar, on Sunday morning, I can see the children, gathering in the
foyer. We all turn to watch that line
straggle happily up to the altar.
In this space
lies our greatest abundance. In the
sacraments of the Church that turn the sheep into the flock. Where we first welcomed.
“I have come that
you might have abundant life.”
The
building, the flock, the children, the administration, the lay leadership, the
generous spirit, the worship.
All of these abundances are actually tools for evangelism. They are the first tools. The ones you
already have, for the mission that lies ahead.
And Jesus also
said:
“There are other
sheep. I must bring them in also.”
Our stroll has
brought us to the Gates of Evangelism.
All that you have is linked to all that you might be as the Shepherd
moves forward.
Evangelism
This Building - Maintenance
will always be with you. You have been blessed with Junior Wardens who have
made huge progress and have planned for the future. And there are challenges. There is limited
parking. And - The building is not
handicap accessible. These are growth and evangelism concerns. I’m sure you
know that.
And then there
is the issue of visibility in the community.
Good Shepherd is on a main street. You have bright red doors and event
signage. This is not enough. Find a way to be more visible. Weekly services on cable. Presence in the
community. Actively – on the street corners - visible. This needs to
happen. It is called Evangelism. Because there are other sheep who need the Shepherd.
Generosity - You
are generous. There just aren’t enough
of you. To balance the budget. To do the work. Other sheep. This has to happen.
Evangelism –
This doesn’t come naturally. It’s not in
our DNA. We need to believe it matters. We need to be taught to do it, and be
equipped with the right tools. Passion and confidence.
Lay leadership -
I am going to link this to “welcome.” We
know that everyone is busy, many are frayed. Newcomers are the answer. They are
the new lay leaders. They are the ones who will bring new energy, and new vision.
There are challenges
here. It is not sufficient to say to people, “You are welcome.” This is
courtesy and kindness. It is not evangelism.
Newcomers need
two actions. They need a place, program,
or activity to join. They need a place to hang their hat. There is not enough
programming the Shepherd to respond well to this. Programming is an evangelism
tool.
And newcomers
need a ministry. The old wisdom is, “Let them get comfortable first.” That is
not what happens. It does not usually work. They don’t get comfortable. They
leave. Newcomers need to matter and they need to matter immediately.
Education - The
children and their education. Thank God for Godly Play. Your Godly Play
teachers are fabulous. They are not just good at this, they are brilliant.
And someone
needs to step up and oversee that program next year. Not to teach it but
oversee. Your blessed seminarian will not be here. Someone needs to care for
the teachers and the lambs and it cannot be the new rector. You do not want to
siphon off that energy from the core responsibilities of your new rector,
prayer, vision, growth, pastoral care, and sacramental ministries. Good
Christian Education is, after worship, the power tool in the tool box.
Programming for
Adults and Adult Education - This has to happen better than I have been able to
do it. This is where the spirit is
formed for Christian ministry and leadership.
Worship - That
walk down the aisle. Where we first welcome and are welcomed. I have done very
little to enrich your Sunday liturgies or to facilitate your active
participation in creating those liturgies. It is work I love. But there were
other critical priorities. I’m not sure that you really know what it feels like
to own Sunday morning more deeply. By which I mean, participating in and
creating the liturgy yourselves, so that it is not given to you but made by
you.
Our tradition
works against this, creating a sometimes lovely worship experience, but too
often a consumer worship experience. I
really believe that liturgical renewal is called for. It can be great fun, and deeply
rewarding. It matters for you and it
matters for those who join you. Worship
is the biggest tool in the Evangelism toolbox. It saddens me that I never
really got there with you.
“I lay down my
life for the sheep.
I have other
sheep I must bring them in also
So that there
will be one flock and one Shepherd.”
You have the
foundation now. An
attractive building that doesn’t leak… much. Quality
leadership. Dedicated and competent administration.
Generous, sweet spirited sheep. A
flock of little lambs. The brilliant sacramental
worship tradition of the church.
And here I pause
for awhile. Having offered my thoughts,
I wonder how to conclude this last annual sermon.
Initially, I
thought would l close by making a list of the qualities that I would pray your
new rector would have. So that you could go forward well.
Fortunately, I realized that was a really bad idea.
First,
this not my job. It
would have been a backdoor, not very subtle, way of telling you what to hire.
Not my job.
Second. And worse. That idea
was clericalism at its worst. Having risked saying all these things that I
thought the flock should consider. I was about to invest the entire future of
the flock in the character of the new rector,
uploading all the responsibility onto this next
person. Yes, the new rector matters a lot.
But you are
hiring this person to work with you, not for you.
What I might
better pray for is this…
May these gifts
and passions reside in you, the flock, and all the sheep who
will join you, in order that you might have life and have it abundantly.
Shepherd,
This is my
prayer for the flock,
I pray that unto
you will be entrusted...
An
absolute assurance that Jesus Christ is Lord of all, your Savior, Redeemer, and
Friend.
A
passionate belief that the Word of God is your foundation.
A
heartfelt conviction that the sacraments of the Church are sanctifying of your
soul and nourishing of your spirit and empowering for your ministry.
A fearless faith
that endures pain, risks shame, and bears failure in the certain confidence
that you are bound for joy, intended for glory and sealed for resurrection.
And
a determination to love the dignity of every human being.
I would have
prayed the same prayer three years ago.