Loading...Sermon – September 20, 2015
The Rev. Rebecca S. Myers, LSW
The Church of the Nativity and St. Stephen, Newport, PA
Pentecost XVII Proper 20, Track 2
Then he took a little child and put it among them; and taking it in his arms, he said to them, "Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me." Mark 9:37
Please be seated.
Nine years ago today, I received a call at about 2:00 in the morning. It was from my son, telling me he and his wife were on the way to the hospital for the birth of their daughter. I was living outside of Washington, DC at the time. Originally, my son had asked if I’d stay with my grandson during the birth of my granddaughter. I had said I would, but was a little disappointed I wouldn’t be present for my granddaughter’s birth. I learned that Logan had been taken to his Aunt’s house, so I wasn’t needed to watch him.
I told my son I was going back to sleep and I’d come up in the morning. Yeah, right! Of course I couldn’t go back to sleep and got up and drove to Harrisburg. I was there for the birth of my granddaughter after all. What a glorious thing to hold her at just a few minutes after her birth!
Today she is nine years old! I miss holding the little baby and at the same time really enjoy the little girl she’s become.
In our Gospel today, the disciples are arguing about the pecking order for their group. Seems like there’s something in us as humans that wants to rank everyone from the greatest to the least, rather than our mere humanity qualifying us to be part of the group, equal members with a variety of gifts to bring. Don’t most of us walk into a room full of people we don’t know and try to figure out where we fit?
Well, Jesus brings a little child into the midst of his followers and explains that this little child, who has the least status in their eyes, is great in the eyes of God. Jesus shifts the argument right out from under them. Don’t get caught up in competing for status and position as the greatest, Jesus says. Remember that each of you is great, he implies. The Disciples are stuck in their way of thinking, so he needs to put it into terms they might eventually understand – this little child, who is the least, is equal with you. Welcome the little child and you welcome Jesus. Welcome the little child and you welcome God.
In Parlor People, we’ve begun discussing what it means to welcome people the way Jesus asks us and teaches us in this Gospel today. Unfortunately, 2,000 years after the resurrection, we as human beings clung to ways that rank people into categories of greatest to least. Even with Jesus’ teaching and Paul’s letters, which emphasize these same ideas, we somehow in our broken humanity continue to set standards by which we value people differently. And often it feels so normal to us when we’re in a group just like us, that we don’t even see we’re doing it. Our way feels like it’s right.
Using the book, Radical Welcome, we are taking Jesus’ words to heart and examining ourselves and our church community. Where have we ranked people as greatest and as least? Are there people who are a regular part of our community who have no say in our life together…who have no voice in the liturgy and programs? Are there people who have decided we would never be open to them and to their voice?
Sometimes we fear if we add too many other voices, we’ll lose what is important to us in our traditions. That’s why the Vestry has been looking at how we manage the best of tradition and the best of innovation. One is not right and the other wrong. We need to keep both in mind.
We have and have always taken some great actions to treat every human being with dignity. Building Honaman House and Episcopal Commons, for instance, providing affordable housing for people who are elderly and disabled and who have very little income. You are worthy and loved, we communicated. We continue to offer support and fellowship for these two communities and continually seek to strengthen our work there.
We offer Godly Play for your children and youth. In Jesus’ time, children had the least status in the household. Godly Play assumes children and all of us are born with a “spiritual questioning, curiosity and hunger.” Through Godly Play, we respect children, helping them find the language and ways to express their spirituality.
We have ushers who greet and assist people as they come to church each Sunday. We invite people to our abundant coffee hour after church for fellowship.
The Rev. Stephanie Spellers, author of the book Radical Welcome, defines radically welcoming churches in this way:
Radically welcoming churches understand that each group brings gifts and perspectives that help the whole congregation to fulfill God’s dream and purpose. These churches seek to embrace everyone’s voices, presence and power, with a special commitment to embracing groups who have been defined as The Other. (Handout for Session 1.)
Then he took a little child and put it among them; and taking it in his arms, he said to them, "Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me."
Let’s continue to work together to bring this dream of God and Jesus more into reality for our life together.
Amen
