June 9, 2007 Sermon
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Phil Ray Ordination Sermon
Emmanuel Episcopal, San Angelo
June 9, 2007 Allan Conkling
Philip Ray, for the better part of 10 years you and your family have been scrutinized, examined, questioned, interviewed, evaluated, poked, prodded, exposed, filled with new information, purged of old beliefs, spiritually directed, sent, received, and now- presented for Ordination. Chapter 58 of the Rule of St. Benedict written nearly 1500 years ago could be the plotline of your life:
“Do not grant newcomers an easy entry into the religious life. Rather as the apostle says, ‘Test the spirits to see if they are from God’. Therefore if a petitioner comes and keeps knocking at the door, and at the end of [a long time] has shown himself patient and persistent in bearing harsh treatment and difficulty of entry, only then they should be allowed to enter. They should continue to be tested. They must also be told of the difficulties and austerities ahead on the pathway to God.”
Like every other candidate since the time of St. Benedict, you have felt yourself (and rightly so!) supported, abandoned, upheld, let down, loved by God, ignored by others, drawn closer, kept at arms length, esteemed, criticized, undervalued and overworked. You have been compared to Jesus by folks who have overly-high expectations, and have felt like the Devil because you know that you are not, and never will be. You have been the topic of many conversations at vestry, examining chaplains, standing committee, executive committee, the psychiatrist’s office, the bishop’s office, over coffee, and in gossip at the beauty parlor. You have been found to be without serious moral impediment or notable crime. And still you want to do this! I applaud you, and I am glad you are here.
Today the door opens to you on what John Snow has called The Impossible Vocation. Today you take on the mantle of prophet, teacher, preacher, forgiver, baptizer, and one who knows how to fix toilets and repair leaky water fountains! You model that crazy, topsy-turvy world of Jesus, where the first are last and the last are first. Don’t try to figure all this out: “Christianity” as Snow says, “is a terrible problem solver.” Snow reminds us that the ministry is different from any other vocation. “It is not a spiritual technology nor a social or psychological technique…” (John Snow, The Impossible Vocation, pg. 22) and clergy always run into frustration and despair whenever we see ourselves in this light. Rather just be a priest (with all the craziness that entails) and be a servant. Do these things and your ministry will prosper.
As priest you are to be the dream caster for a world, and for a church that these days is short on imagination. The doorway through which you pass today, like the wardrobe to Narnia is bright, but watch out for the satyrs and ice-queens. This road will take you to the mountain of God, and also further into the “cloud of unknowing.” Reconcile yourself to life in this contradiction. You are on the right path. Rest assured you do not walk alone. We the clergy and laity gathered are glad you are here, and support you in your ministry.
Sometimes I wonder why anyone would want to go into this line of business! And why now? Who would choose this job - this Impossible Vocation? That’s my cynical side. Actually Phil, you are coming into the ministry at an incredible time in the life of the church. It is a time when seismic changes are as common place as the North Texas wind, and for which you are to be the calm, non-anxious presence, and the pace-setter. At times you will doubt your direction, but I hope never your calling. Alan Jones, in his recent book, Common Prayer on Common Ground asks the question that is on so many people’s mind these days: “Are we in a new Dark Ages or are we awaiting the approaching dawn?” (Alan Jones, Common Prayer on Common Ground, pg. 17) I guess that is a matter of perspective. I have often wondered how it was at the exact moment when the darkness of Holy Saturday turned into the light of Easter. I wonder if, in that precise moment, one could tell which was which? Is it darkness? Or is it the beginning of the new day? I truly believe that is where we are today in the church: at a point of transition. Some of course would say this is a very dark time in the life of the Church. Why enter the ministry when everyone seems to be leaving? But I think we are standing at the doorway of the empty tomb. Some say that religion is going down the tubes. But I look at it like an hourglass: We have passed through the narrow-most point and the other side - the future- is wide open. What a great time to be a priest!
I love the story Alan Jones tells about the little lady coming up to him after he had just preached a sermon in a suburban church just outside of San Francisco. Fiery mad about all the issues she began to rail at him because of the things he and his kind were responsible for:
“‘Before you people came along with this Prayer Book, these women priests, and these homosexuals,’ she lamented, ‘we had this darling little church.’ She clung to the vision of the unchanging ‘orthodoxy’ of her childhood. But that darling little church has disappeared forever (if it ever really existed in the first place); and we are in the whirlwind of hurt, controversy and change. And it’s no wonder. The brave new world of modernity didn’t materialize. And because the secular project has failed, many live in a howling spiritual vacuum which advocates of new and old orthodoxies are eager to fill.” (pg 21)
You will meet people like that! You will encounter those who want to fill the vacuum and resist change. Maybe you’ll even find yourself from time to time sucked into the vortex of that vacuum. Don’t be afraid - some of the best ministry takes place in times of chaos and insecurity. Consider the OT reading for today:
“Woe is me!” cried the Prophet Isaiah. “I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips….” In 738 BCE the King of Israel contracted leprosy. His popularity rating had plummeted lower than the Bush administration’s (if that’s possible) and the nation had fallen upon bad times. Isaiah was worshipping in the temple in Jerusalem when suddenly he was seized by a vision of God, the Holy and Exalted One. The voice of the Lord speaks, “Whom shall I send?” Isaiah could probably think of a few others that he could recommend for the job! Who would volunteer to go into this business? But you know the answer. You know what he said: “Here am I; send me!”
Phil please stand.
Phil Ray, brother in Christ, you are called to be priest of the Church of God…
> Bob Dylan back in the ‘60’s said “The times they are a changin’.” Those days now seem tame by comparison. The world is a dangerous and confusing place; but we have not been promised comfort. Where we as a church and you as a priest will be in a decade or two is anyone’s guess. But today, Live in the moment. Be confident of the love of Jesus Christ, and his irrevocable call in your life. God will guide you.
>Strike that delicate balance between service to the church and service to the world. Yes, I know that you are being ordained into the “institution”, but remember that the most important congregation you will ever have are those who are not in the pews. The unfortunate tendency in any denomination and any parish is to ask, “How can we survive if we have to keep pouring our self into the world?” But that’s what we are about. We are not here for ourselves. Don’t forget it.
>Love Big. Remember the holiness of every human being. Be a lover, a listener, the God bearer (theotokos). Remember that Christians are not here to build institutions, to convert other people, or to claim that we have the ultimate corner on God. We are to love people.
>Challenge the system! Challenge those who believe that creeds are literally true, Bibles are inerrant, and popes are infallible. To some this may sound like heresy - but I have a hunch that this is going to keep the church vibrant. Change is good! Remember the seven last words of the church: “We have never done that here before.” Don’t let those words be yours!
> Prepare to be inconvenienced. A friend of mine once said that. That’s just the way life is in this business, so get used to it.
>Finally, don’t take yourself or this job too seriously! Listen to your wife. If she says you are you are spending too much time at work you probably are. Work hard, but work smart. And most of all have fun! You couldn’t have a better boss to work for!
Phil, may you be a true ambassador for Jesus Christ, a faithful steward of the mysteries of the Gospel, and faithful to your vows for the rest of your life.
In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Copyright © 2003 Emmanuel Episcopal Church. All rights reserved.
Revised: 06/18/07