7 Easter, June 2, 2019
Emmanuel Church, West Roxbury
The Rev. Nancy E. Gossling
When I was with you two weeks ago, I
talked about visions and voices, and today the writer of Revelation, whose name
is John, claims that he has seen visions of Jesus and can hear his words.
Today, I want to talk to you about your vision as a church community. I know
that you have been in transition for some time, even before Father Edson served
as your interim rector, or more recently with Father Voysey as your priest in
charge. I also know that you are having a parish meeting next Sunday in order
to discuss your current life together and your plans for the future.
I want to tell you a story about a
wise old man who lives in a desert. A young man comes to him with a question:
he wants to know why people give up searching for God so quickly. And the wise
man, like Jesus often did, told him a parable, which is another story, and if I
remember correctly, it goes something like this:
“There was a dog who caught sight of
a rabbit. Because he was hungry, he took after it. Friends and neighbors heard
his barking and, although they hadn’t seen the rabbit, they decided to join him
in the chase. Night and day they ran after the bunny, and yet they weren’t able
to catch it. Slowly, members of the pack fell away, until only one dog was left
in the hunt, and that one dog was the one who had seen the rabbit.”
I think our churches are like that
today, are they not? People who have seen the rabbit, or a vision of God, are
still in the chase. Whether or not they go to church, they are hungry for
something, something more than what the world can give them. Perhaps they come
to church because they think that the rabbit might be found here, or at least
they might catch a glimpse of it, or a whiff of its scent. Maybe they come
because they have friends and neighbors who are also in the hunt, and they’ve
heard your barking, or smelled your good food.
This
is the last Sunday during the Easter season, and this past Thursday, we
celebrated the Ascension of Jesus into heaven. Depending upon your stained
glass windows, you may have a vision of Jesus waving goodbye, or see his feet
dangling below some clouds. Perhaps there is no image of Jesus at all, only the
bug-eyed faces of his disciples who he left behind.
Today,
we’ve been waiting a very long time for Jesus to come again in power and great
glory. Today, we are left only with the visions and voices of Jesus that we
read in scripture. The Easter bunny has come and gone, Jesus has ascended into
heaven, and plenty of people have grown weary of waiting. They have fallen out
of the pack, or have found God somewhere other than church. Some people never
caught the vision in the first place.
“Do
not leave us comfortless, but send your Holy Spirit to strengthen us, and exalt
us to that place where our Savior Christ has gone before,” we pray today. Now
I’ve never run in a marathon, only a few 5K’s and one 10K long ago; and yet I
know from experience that at times like these, life can seem like a marathon.
Our races can take us through various landscapes; and when we find ourselves
lost in the wilderness, overheating in the desert, or climbing heartbreak hill,
we may wonder if it’s time to quit the race.
For
most people, life is a marathon; and prayers are essential. We want comfort,
strength, and guidance. Even though we may be running with the pack, life can
still be a lonely experience, and prayers remind us that we are not alone..
Prayers can help us to tap into a power that is greater and higher, enabling us
to do more than we can ever ask or imagine. Although we may lose sight of the rabbit
at times, our prayers can remind us that the rabbit really does exist.
Encouraged by a vision of God’s kingdom, we can run our race to the finish
line, believing that a great feast awaits us there and we will hunger and
thirst no more.
Many years ago I attended a
conference called CREDO. It’s an acronym that stands for “Clergy Renewal
Education and Discernment Opportunity” and its purpose is to provide clergy
with some time away for renewal, to learn new things, and to discern what’s
next, not only for them as individuals, but also for the churches in which they
serve. With clergy from all over the country, we remember that we are all
connected to God and one another in communion, and in our common mission of
chasing that rabbit.
A vision, unlike our mission, is to
imagine what the future might look like. For that hungry dog, he sees himself
actually catching the rabbit, and then enjoying a tasty meal, perhaps sharing
it with others in the pack. He satisfies his hunger, however only for a little
while, and then off he will go again. Chasing after rabbits is hard work. It
takes time, discipline, and training. It takes perseverance, encouragement, and
hope. It is a labor of love and a marathon for life, and prayers are essential.
Now
Paul had a vision to go to Philippi to proclaim the good news of our salvation
to the people there. Before then, he was on a mission to persecute Christians
and had been knocked off his horse on the way to Damascus. Temporarily blinded,
he heard the voice of Jesus asking him what he was doing. Coming to believe in
Jesus, St. Paul turned his mission into one of proclamation. He became an
evangelist, testifying to the love of God and the power of God’s love as
revealed to us in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Whether he was on
the road or by the river, in a prison or in a house, St. Paul preached the good
news of Christ.
After
many weeks of travel, “Paul and his companions went outside the gate by the
river, where he thought there was a place of prayer; and they sat down and
spoke to the women who had gathered there.” Along the way, they “met a slave
girl who had a spirit of divination and “she would cry out, ‘These men are
slaves of the Most High God, who proclaim to you a way of salvation.’ But Paul,
very much annoyed, turned and said to the spirit in her, ‘I order you in the
name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.’ And it came out that very hour.”
Over
the years, I have found the practice of prayer not only essential but also
difficult. There are distractions that will demand my attention, slave girls
who will clamor in my ear, perhaps speaking the truth, and yet still annoying
me. These voices will tell me to forget about God’s vision, that I am wasting
my time, and to quit chasing that rabbit. In fact, in times of distress or
weariness, I am tempted to believe that there is no rabbit at all. I am tempted
to join the crowds, and say, “Why bother? Let’s just call Grub Hub instead.”
Paul and Silas had been thrown into
jail for annoying others with their evangelism and ruining the money-making
efforts of the slave girl’s owners. In prison, however, Paul and Silas did not
despair; rather they spent their time praying and singing hymns to God. They
still had a vision of God’s kingdom; and then “suddenly there was an earthquake,
so violent that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and all the doors
were opened and everyone's chains were unfastened. Terrified, the jailer asked
them, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" And they answered,
"Believe on the Lord Jesus."
Richard
Hooker, a priest in the Church of England in the sixteenth century, once said
that change never comes without inconvenience. A change does not come until a
bottom is reached, a wall does not yield, a job is lost, a relationship is
ruined, pews become empty, your foundations have been shaken, and no one is
chasing the rabbit except one hungry dog. Earthquakes, whether they come to us
personally or as a faith community, will force us to assess the current state
of our affairs, perhaps inviting us to do things differently. A dog chasing its
tail will never catch the rabbit.
I
have seen the fragility of our faith communities and the ongoing challenge of
imagining God’s vision for our future, and I don’t have any answers, except
these. Don’t stop praying, keep chasing the rabbit, and believe in Jesus; for
I’ve come to believe that resurrection life is not bound by our walls nor is it
contained in our buildings. Rather resurrection life is always running ahead of
us, and it lives in the hearts of those who remain on the hunt.
Acts 16:16-34
Revelation 22:12-14,16-17,20-21
John 17:20-26
Psalm 97
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