Merry Christmas!

Almighty God, you have given your only-begotten Son to take our nature upon him, and to be born this day of a pure virgin: Grant that we, who have been born again and made your children by adoption and grace, may daily be renewed by your Holy Spirit; through our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom with you and the same Spirit be honor and glory, now and for ever. Amen.

The Rev. Peter M. Carey Sermon 29 October 2017

The Rev. Peter M. Carey

Sermon

29 October 2017

Listen to the audio track HERE

“increase in us the gifts of faith, hope, and charity”

“You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.”

“’You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”

Cut to the chase

At the end of the day

The bottom line is

The final score

I hear that there are people who like to read the final page of a book before they begin the book.  They want to know what happened, and want no surprises along the way.  They want to know “who-done-it” before the mystery begins and likely are the kind of folks who might ask you to “cut to the chase” when you speak with them.

I don’t think I have ever picked up a book and read the last page first, I would rather enjoy the book, and I am one who is interested in the process, interested in the narrative, character development and the descriptions so carefully presented by the author along the way.

However much I enjoy the story and the developing narrative or argument of a writer or speaker, there are times, when I appreciate having a clear “takeaway” from a talk, lecture, book or essay.  What about you, are you more of a “enjoy the narrative process” sort of person, or are you someone who want a message you can memorize or put on a notecard?  I think, no matter how much we love the story, at times, we are looking for a “lunchpail message” which we can reflect upon over our peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

“increase in us the gifts of faith, hope, and charity”

Pour into us, increase in us, fill us with gifts.  There is a deep recognition that we are gifted with our very lives, with all that we are, and all that we have.  Here we ask God to build us up with faith, hope and love.  Where we may falter in faith, God will provide faith.  When we may falter and enter fearfulness and have hopelessness, God will increase our hope.  Where we may falter and fear, God will increase our love and charity - caritas.  Just as we have these gifts increased in us, we also steward and care for all the blessings that God has given us, and we offer these gifts to others.  We offer our time, our treasure and our talent back to God.  “All things come of thee, O Lord, and of thine own have we given thee.”

“You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.”

Blessed.  Set aside.  Having a holy purpose - not unlike the frontal, the chalice, the paten.  You shall be holy.  Not merely here as crude matter, not merely as automotons, not merely as random beings in the world.  We are called, and empowered to be holy, to be set aside as blessed beings for God’s mission in the world.  We are empowered to be disciples, to follow God, to enter the Way of Jesus.

“’You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”

Cut to the chase.  Here, the lawyers, pharisees, sadducees are finally trying to trick Jesus again, but here the question is not unlike our own.  Fine, Jesus, many parables later, many healings, exorcisms, miracles and all that.  But, really, Jesus, what are we to do, what is the one most important commandment?  Here, Jesus breaks it down.  Here, Jesus cuts to the chase.  Here, Jesus gives us all the bottom line.  “Love the Lord your God will all your heart, and with all our soul, and with all your mind - (and) You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

So get to it.  Go do it. Every single bit.  That’s it.

The Rev. Peter M. Carey Sermon ~ 22 October 2017 ~ “Give it back to God”

The Rev. Peter M. Carey

Sermon - 22 October 2017

“Give it back to God” ~ “Of thine own have we given thee”

Listen to the audio HERE

Earlier in the gospel of Matthew, which we heard just a few weeks ago, when Jesus was teaching in the Temple, Jewish officials questioned his authority to do “these things”.  Jesus declined to answer the question, for the answer could only be understood by those with faith.  Just before our gospel today, we find the parable of the Wedding Feast, which the Pharisees saw as an attack on them.

Now followers of the “Pharisees” and “Herodians”– who all wanted to get Jesus arrested  – speak to him. They appear to respect him, but speak with irony. And then the question, the subject of great debate in Jewish circles: should we pay the annual poll tax to Rome?

As with any good question, the possible responses varied:

If Jesus says yes, Zealots and other Jews hostile to Rome will turn against him; if he says no, he will risk arrest for inciting rebellion against Rome. We know his answer, as translated, but “Give” can be give back or repay.   

So he says, “Give back to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God, give back the things that are God’s.”

“All things come of thee, O Lord, and of thine own have we given thee”

2 Chronicles, chapter 29, verse 14

Pharisees try to entrap Jesus, and he uses some rhetorical brilliance to get out of a jam.

But is there more than that?

Is there more to say here.

Of course.

Look at the end.

Look to the very end, the part that Jesus adds to his answer to the Pharisees.

“And to God, render the things that is God’s”

And so, we should consider what is God’s, after all.

After all, you have made the time to be here in this glorious place.

God’s

Everything is God’s

The emperor - that’s fine...give him a bit…

Fees

Taxes

DMV

Electricity

But, to God, give to God what is God’s.  Jesus was not playing around with these petty entrapment kind of questions.  He knew the truth of God’s gift.  He knew what Thomas Merton later wrote:

If you want a spiritual life, you must unify your life. A life is either all spiritual or not at all.

And, what have we received from God, that we might give back to show our gratitude, our Thankfulness?  What might we “give back” to God?

Time

Love

God’s People

Money to the church

Time to the church

Effort

Good will

Intelligence

Good-nature

Loving-kindness

Shrewdness

Wise as serpents, and innocent as doves.

Intelligence

Creativity

But to God, render what is God’s.

“All things come of thee, O Lord, and of thine own have we given thee.”

And so, if we were thinking that this was merely a debate about a coin, whose head was on a coin...let’s remember that Jesus knew his Bible.  And his Bible was the Jewish Scriptures.  And he knew his prayer book.  And his prayer book were the Psalms.

In today’s psalms...ALL creation sings to the Lord.

11 Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad;

let the sea thunder and all that is in it; *

let the field be joyful and all that is therein.

12 Then shall all the trees of the wood shout for joy

before the Lord when he comes, *

when he comes to judge the earth.

Of course it does.

Every instant

Every moment

Every love

Every pain

Every pleasure

Every suffering

Every fellowship

Every loneliness

Every cup of coffee

Every slice of bread

Every sip of wine

God is in it

It is God’s

And so, this is the state of mind of Jesus when he is asked about giving money to the Emperor, giving back the money which was minted by the Roman Empire.  Jesus says fine - give back to the Emperor.  BUT, give BACK to God the things which are God’s - which is all.  Jesus’s life was unified, and he was deep in Holy Week when he answers their question with this great truth.  

“All things come of thee, O Lord, and of thine own have we given thee.”

The Rev. Peter M. Carey ~ Sermon ~ 15 October 2017 ~ Matthew 22: 1-14

The Rev. Peter M. Carey

Sermon

15 October 2017

Matthew 22: 1-14

Listen to the audio HERE

"The parables of Christ, even the innocent, pastoral, tender, innocuous-seeming ones, conceal just below the surface a whiplash, a shock, a charge of dynamite. The stories set conventional expectations, whether concerning God, religion, politics, vocation, status and class, utterly off kilter."   ~ Daniel Berrigan

My interpretive lens, “The Wedding Banquet”

Chorus:

I cannot come to the banquet, I cannot come to the banquet,

don't trouble me now.

I have married a wife; I have bought me a cow.

I have fields and commitments that cost a pretty sum.

Pray, hold me excused, I cannot come.

A certain man held a feast on his fine estate in town.

He laid a festive table and wore a wedding gown.

He sent invitations to his neighbours far and wide

but when the meal was ready, each of them replied:

The master rose up in anger, called his servant by name,

said: "Go into the town, fetch the blind and the lame,

fetch the peasant and the pauper, for this I have willed,

my banquet seem so crowded, and my table must be filled.

When all the poor had assembled, there was still room to spare,

so the master demanded: "Go search every where,

to the highways and the byways and force them to come in.

My table must be filled before the banquet can begin.

Now God has written a lesson for the rest of the mankind;

If we're slow a responding, he may leave us behind.

He's preparing a banquet for that great and glorious day

when the Lord and Master calls us, be certain not to say: I cannot come.

In today’s gospel, we are introduced to two different challenging parables which are more or less conflated together by Matthew.  The setting and context for these parables are the city of Jerusalem.  As I mentioned just a few weeks ago, Jesus is only a few days away from his crucifixion.  He is teaching amidst a great diversity of people in the melting pot stew of the religious, political, and social setting of Jerusalem.  In this context, Jesus is comparing the kingdom of heaven to a king who gives a wedding feast.  

Before we take a look at what IS going on here, I want to give a bit of a sense of what IS NOT going on in this gospel.

First, this is NOT about what we are literally required to wear to a party, not what we require people to wear at church.  This is not about Carol Palmer or Earl James or Steve Zartarian or Steve Snyder throwing anyone out of church for not wearing their Sunday best.

Second, this isn't just any banquet. It's not a backyard barbecue.  It’s not even just “any” wedding.   

Third, these parables were probably not taught by Jesus right after each other, and so it is helpful to separate the messages.

Fourth, not every part of these parables might have a direct referent.  What I mean by that, is that Jesus is painting a picture, or two pictures of what the Kingdom of God is like, and we can certainly get caught up in the details and forget the message.

Now, what IS going on here?

First, to begin with the second parable about the seemingly irrational and grouchy king who throws out a guest for not wearing a wedding robe.  The kingdom of God is like an irrational and grouchy king?  No.  This episode would be understood in the context of conversion, and of entering a new way of life.  The wedding robe in this story symbolizes a “new way of life,” which is required of those who would enter the Kingdom of God.  This “new way” is centered on love of God, love of neighbor, and love of self.  This approach, this “garment” of love is what is required of those entering the Kingdom of God.  Those who can’t live out this life of compassion, caring, and abundant love are already in the outer darkness, already weeping and gnashing their teeth.

Second, let’s talk about the wedding feast.  As I mentioned, this is no mere party, no backyard barbeque, no tailgate at an Eagles game.  This is not even *just* any old wedding.  It's the royal wedding of the king's son.  The best we can imagine is Prince Charles and Lady Diana in 1981. By one count, 750 million people watched it live on television.  Or, perhaps the wedding of Prince William and Kate more recently.  Jesus is making the point that you just really wouldn’t refuse this invitation Who in their right mind would refuse such an imperial invitation?

There once was a king who prepared a royal banquet for his son's wedding. After the elaborate preparations were made, he sent out the invitations.  Then comes the first shock. Some people rejected the king's invitation. Jesus says that some people "refused to come." Others "paid no attention." Another group even killed the king's messengers. Such responses, said Jesus, showed that these people "did not deserve to come" (22:8).

Would you have refused an invitation to St. Paul's Cathedral in London for the royal wedding of Charles and Diana? Not a chance. But that's what happened in this parable. The people on the king's A-list refused his extravagant generosity. They spurned an invitation to the most prestigious party in town.

To those who refused his invitation, the king "sent his army and burned their city." The king then goes out and finds people who are willing to put on the garment of God’s love, to enter into the free gift of God’s banquet.  To the highways and byways God sends out his messengers!  

Everyone without exception has received a free invitation to the Kingdom of God. It's a banquet of abundance. But some people refuse God's generosity. It's hard to believe, but experience tells us it's true.  Some others may think they can enter this banquet without putting on the “garment of God’s love” and forget that God requires us to “love God, love our neighbor, and love ourselves.”  Sneaking in the side door will not work.  Life doesn't work that way, not in the world and not in the kingdom of God.

Paradoxically, God's generosity is free for all and it doesn't come cheap. It requires us to be “all in,” and requires us to adopt an ethic of love, but the reward is beyond our imagination.  

God has written a lesson for the rest of mankind;

If we're slow a responding, he may leave us behind.

He's preparing a banquet for that great and glorious day

when the Lord and Master calls us, be certain not to say:

I cannot come to the banquet.

Sermons online on SoundCloud ~ The Rev. Peter M. Carey

Sermons online on SoundCloud ~ 

The Rev. Peter M. Carey 

at St. Mary's Episcopal Church, Cathedral Road

St. Mary's Cathedral Road's channel on Soundcloud

11 June 2017 ~ Trinity Sunday Sermon ~ The Rev. Peter M. Carey

The Rev. Peter M. Carey

St. Mary’s, Cathedral Road, Philadelphia

Sermon

Trinity Sunday

11 June 2017

Almighty and Loving God, you live and move and have your being with us and among us and within us always.  Shower your grace upon us, and let us feel your healing presence in our lives always.  You gave us a vision of perfect love and community in the Trinity, allow us to find an entry into the way of Jesus so that we might too live in such a way that your love is communicated through us to the suffering and hurting world.  Be with us, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Today we embrace the sense that God is Trinity, three persons, and yet One God.  God as Father, as Son, and as Holy Spirit.  God as Creator, Redeemer, Sanctifier.  Today we embrace the reality that God not only was present to his people in the past, but is present to us today, and will be ever present with us in the future.

The mystery of the Trinity is one that may confound us.  How can something be One, and yet Three.  How can we claim to believe in one God, when it seems we are leaning towards polytheism?  The theological questions are deep, centuries old, and have confounded even the greatest theological minds of the church.  

However, even these confounded qualities of the Trinity are a gift.  While we rely on our logical and rational brains in our day to day world, there are deeper truths  beyond our own thinking.  In our day to day world, we live and move in a dualistic world.  We look at things as either, or, as up and down, as good and evil, as life or death.  However, much of life is not merely either/or, but is both/and.  Our faith moves us deeper.  Jesus leads us into this strange and wonderful existence where we are called to “Love our enemies,” to “pray for those who persecute us” and where even the “poor are blessed” and where “our burdens are light.”  In a few moments at the altar, we will again affirm that even death will not have the final word.  We will affirm that there is even resurrection and life after death.  And so, today, on Trinity Sunday, God confounds us once again by showing us that One is Three and Three is One.

In the earliest centuries of the church, the “movement” of the Trinity was described in Greek by the word: perichoresis.  Peri, meaning “around” - where we get the word perimeter for the distance around a geometrical object.  And then”choresis” - where we get the word choreography, dance, movement.  And so, this movement of the church is an interconnected three-person dance.  As Richard Rohr names his book on the Trinity, “The Divine Dance.”  A loving dance of three persons of the Trinity - three “persons” and yet One God.

And so, what can we glean from this image, how might this mystical and theological image have any relevance to the likes of us?  How might this Trinity Sunday give us something to reflect upon, how might it challenge us, how might is get us to see God, and our lives in a new way, how might it inspire us to get to work in building God’s kingdom?

A model of movement.  Love overflowing.  Other images of the trinity.  Shamrock.  Pouring buckets.   Just as the Trinity has three persons who are interconnected in a holy and loving dance, so to, are we empowered to build loving and interdependent relationships.  God calls us and empowers us to go beyond a static pattern of our lives to a dynamic and robust one.  The interconnected and interdependent Trinity offers us a model of relationship that is also essentially interrelated with others.

One of the clearest and most passionate descriptions of this kind of relationship was described to me by Archbishop Desmond Tutu through his writing and speaking.  I was blessed to have a few occasions where I was able to spend time with him and learn about Ubuntu.

Ubuntu - a relational life - not merely us alone

A person is a person through other persons.

I am, because of you.

Tutu:  “One of the sayings in our country is Ubuntu – the essence of being human. Ubuntu speaks particularly about the fact that you can't exist as a human being in isolation. It speaks about our interconnectedness. You can't be human all by yourself, and when you have this quality – Ubuntu – you are known for your generosity.

We think of ourselves far too frequently as just individuals, separated from one another, whereas you are connected and what you do affects the whole World. When you do well, it spreads out; it is for the whole of humanity.”

When we reflect deeply, we know that our life is fundamentally relational.  Our life is fundamentally dependent upon others.  We are shaped by our family and friends, by our schools, and our workplaces, and by our worshipping communities.  We are each  dependent on others, but also others depend on us.  We need others, and others need us.  

Interdependent.  “I am because of you.”  “A person is a person through other persons.”  This is the joy of God, the grace of God that confounds us, but is a deep truth and a deep gift for us.

Nelson Mandela: “A traveller through a country would stop at a village and he didn't have to ask for food or for water. Once he stops, the people give him food and attend him. That is one aspect of Ubuntu, but it will have various aspects. Ubuntu does not mean that people should not enrich themselves. The question therefore is: Are you going to do so in order to enable the community around you to be able to improve?”

This  image of the Trinity can inspire us to also live and move with the deep knowledge that we are deeply connected to one another.   This Trinity Sunday gives us an image of three persons, but one God, of perichoresis or the “divine dance” of God, which may help us to also reach out and deepen our own connections one to another.  The love of God flows between and among the three persons of the Trinity.  This love is poured out for us, and we are empowered to pass it along, to pay it forward to others. God offers us a confounding and wonderful love.  Healing in the midst of pain, Life in the midst of death, Joy in the midst of sorrow, relationship in the midst of loneliness.  

Holy Trinity, One God, you live and move and have your being with us always.  Shower your love upon us, and let us feel your healing presence so that we may be known by our love for others.  Help us to remember your love always, and the ways that we are connected deeply with one another.  Amen.

An unfinished church

“So, you have discovered that St. Mary’s is an unfinished church. Those soaring arches and unfinished upper walls are awaiting completion with timeless patience. The symbolism of the unfinished structure is a parable. The Church is not yet finished either. The Church is as unfinished as is every human soul. We, the Church, have not yet become all we are called to be. St. Mary’s is beautiful in its incompleteness.” 

~Marjorie R. Maurer