Sunday, January 26, 2014 (full size gallery)
Today continued cold (below freezing) with changeable weather. This kept most of the snow from this past week of a couple of inches on the ground. At 9am there was broad and plentiful sunshine but by the end of 11am it had turned cloudy
We had only 7 at 9am and 27 at 11am. We did celebrate Helmut’s birthday at the latter service.
The key word this weekend considering both Annual Council and Epiphany 3 is "cal
l. In the sermon "Jesus calls us all, and Jesus calls us over and over and over. Jesus is always walking past us as we go about our lives and hoping to perform a miracle in our lives…My point is, and the good news is, that Jesus is always calling us, wanting to perform a miracle in our lives. Whether or not we respond, and to what degree we respond, is up to us.
"From St Paul’s in Richmond and its mission to the downtown area, and Christ Church in Millwood launching a food ministry that feeds the hungry in Clarke County, to Church of the Resurrection in Alexandria, which is literally going to be torn down and be resurrected as a new church and new affordable housing, churches all over the diocese are answering the call of Jesus to follow him in new and surprising ways. "
The main example in the sermon was the story from a recent article of Martin Luther King in the challenges for him to continue the leadership in the civil rights movement in 1956. God called him – “At that moment, I could hear an inner voice saying to me, ‘Martin Luther, stand up for righteousness. Stand up for justice. Stand up for truth. And lo, I will be with you, even until the end of the world…The article goes on to say, “Even though King was a preacher, it was the first time he had his own personal, intimate encounter with God. It was an encounter that endowed him with a deep sense of peace and purpose for the journey ahead.”
Likewise in the Annual Council, we may be called as Bishop Shannon said of "new ways to do church and being church." We are being stretched to what is next and as Bishop Goff remarked "we stretch every nerve to be faithful people." Annual Council showed a number of stories of renewal and answers to challenges. Bishop Shannon thinks the church is best when challenged.
Today is Matthew’s account of the calling of the first disciples compared to John last week
John the Baptist’s death was the spark that caused the ministry to begin. It was necessary to emphasize in this beginning that Jesus’ ministry is aligned with God’s purpose as it is revealed in the Scriptures.
When the news comes to him about John’s arrest, he makes a different choice, by withdrawing to Galilee, where he calls his first disciples, preaches the Sermon on the Mount, begins his ministry of healing, and teaches what it means to be the Messiah who is "God with us."
Unlike the Gospel of John, Matthew does not identify Jesus as the light of the world. Nonetheless, the prophecy from Isaiah makes clear that Jesus’ return to Galilee will be the occasion for those who sit in darkness to see "a great light" (Matthew 4:16-17). No doubt Jesus’ ministry of teaching and healing is the basis for that light.
Jesus calls people as they are, from where they are, being who they are. At the same time, however, as the gospel narrative proceeds, readers learn that it is the followers of Jesus who bear his light in the world by their own (collective) way of life. In the sermon on the Mount, Jesus tells the people, "You (plural) are the light of the world,. . . Let your light shine before others so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven" (Matthew 5:14-16). Jesus’ proclamation that the realm (kingdom) of heaven has come near is the first flicker of a light that will grow and burn among his followers until they are able to "proclaim
Those first disciples, for their part, might have preferred to keep their jobs, to remain with their families, to stay with the life that they knew. When they see Jesus and hear his words to them, they make a different choice, however; they take a risk, step out in faith, leave behind that which is comfortable and secure. They choose to follow Jesus.
The Diocese of Virginia took a chance this week to dramatically alter the content and format of the Annual Council, 2014. There were no outside speakers and the event concentrated on the examples of "stretching every nerve" within the Diocese. Bishop Shannon encouraged us to look at what "struck a nerve" with us and take two or three home. The event had a number of shorter segments using presentation software to make the case rather than longer traditional speeches. We are being called in 2014 to go beyond the ordinary, go beyond what you have done and go and meet people and develop relationships where they are. The presentations were done by people of all ages for ministries involving all ages.