Easter 7 – A

The Rev. Dorian McGlannan

In January of 2007, there was an article in the New York Times about renovation divorces entitled “Irreconcilable Interiors: When Mates Don’t Match.”  I know all about renovation divorces because I was in Baltimore in the mid-70’s to mid-80’s when the renovation craze took over the city.  At that time in Baltimore, the city sold run-down historic houses for a dollar but those who bought a house had to agree that that house would be their primary residence and that they would completely restore the house. For the most part this plan was a spectacular success with the exception of more than a few mangled marriages along the way.  Here’s the renovation divorce scenario.  Couples take on a major home restoration project, living in the home while they are doing the work.  The couple can’t handle the disorder and chaos that accompanies such projects, they start fighting, blame each other with the stress increasing to the point of divorce. That is a gross simplification but for some people the challenge was just too much.  In terms of stress on a family, any situation of angst and trauma can be substituted.  Take your pick: unemployment, serious illness, death in the family, problems with adult children, challenges with school-age children…

 “Like a roaring lion your adversary the devil prowls around, looking for someone to devour.”  What a great line, what incredible word painting.  I mean if that doesn’t heighten your awareness, nothing will.  The first letter of Peter is one of those colorful and imaginative pieces of scripture.  This roaring line fragment which is found in the Compline service of our Book of Common Prayer has always been a favorite of mine because all of us at one time or another are dealing with stress that fits the intensity of this image.

At this particular point in the Christian story the level of anxiety is very high.  Following weeks of interaction with the risen Lord, there is a sense of abandonment.  On Thursday we observed the feast of the Ascension.  Jesus is no longer around, he has ascended to God, gone vanished.  This is very hard on his followers not only because he is no longer physically present to them but also because they have no idea what the next piece of the story is.  This is that in-between time – the time in-between the resurrection stories and the magnificent story of Pentecost.  Jesus’ followers are in limbo and to be honest limbo creates anxiety, hence this passage from First Peter.  

That is the liturgical use of this passage, the reason we are reading it on this particular Sunday.  But the actual circumstances of the historical situation which gave rise to this letter were also very anxious times.  In the first three centuries after Jesus’ death and resurrection, early Christians were severely persecuted.  Peter tells his readers: cast your anxiety on God because God cares for you. 

We live in anxious times.  The anxiety in this region is very real.  As an outsider, I am beginning to have a deeper understanding of the dramatic move from the days of glory when most people in the auto industry made lots of money to the current situation in which people wonder if they will be the next person to be laid off. People who are accustomed to living during lean times have more ability to deal with anxiety because they have done this before.  Those who have never experienced any kind of real hardship tend to get spiritually lost during times of dramatic shift. 

What we need to remember is that early Christians were constantly being told by Paul in his letters that they needed to come together, let go of internal struggles and focus on the mission of proclaiming Christ crucified and risen. This letter of Peter’s is much the same.  It is perhaps human nature to do the opposite.  When times are tough we blame each other.  It was true then and it is true now. Hence the renovation divorces…

One of the core messages of these early epistles is that when anxious situations come upon us we have to turn to those whom we trust and ask for help. We have to acknowledge our need for the other.  This is clearly what was happening in Peter’s community.  They are under threat; persecutions are a common occurrence yet Peter calls them to cast their anxiety on God:   “Remain steadfast in your faith because you know that your brothers and sisters in all the world are undergoing the same kinds of suffering”. The power of community whether it is a community of two or a community of 300 hundred cannot be cast aside.  This is where the rubber hits the road.  Peter is emphasizing the need to be together and resist the enemy whatever that enemy may be.

Part of my work, probably the part I most cherish is that of listening to people’s stories.  The most meaningful work I do happens when you and I just get together and talk about what is going on in your lives.  Sometimes people come in and talk about things that happened years ago; the need to share our burdens is very real.  We who are ordained are not trained therapists and in some cases, therapy is needed.  But more often than not, there is simply a need to share what is going on in our lives.  When we clergy are at our best, we function as containers of people’s stories. 

The other way that Peter’s directive to cast our anxiety on God gets played out in a church setting is through small groups. More and more of these small groups have evolved at St. John’s as time moves on.  This is where the real work of Christian community is done.     Sunday mornings provide the opportunity for the whole body to come together and worship.  We come to offer our thanksgiving to God, to praise God, to ask God’s blessing and to pray for our concerns.  But depth of conversation and faith sharing cannot happen on Sunday morning.  The typical coffee hour conversations are very limited.  Everybody asks how everyone is doing and most everyone says they are doing fine!  Not quite!

Small groups happen in a variety of ways.  Our youth have two wonderful small groups; we have several Bible studies, the Wednesday prayer chapel and book studies. Music ensembles are small groups as is the vestry.  The Christian Formation Ministry Team has moved away from being just a committee to being a faith formation group that does some committee work. All of these are places where we share the heartbeat of our lives.

Today we have a number of people making a formal commitment to the community of St. John’s. Through this action, you are saying that this is the place you will worship God and the place where you will find companions for your spiritual journey. Joining a church involves a commitment of time and finances. It is not a light consideration.  But the joy and rewards are endless.  In a recent conversation with an active church member who will be moving out of the area and transferring his membership to another church, I thanked him for the incredible support he has given to this church.  In response, he said: “I have received much more from this community than I have ever given.”  That those words would come from someone who has served six times as senior warden is a remarkable testament to how fulfilling church service can be.

The membership of a congregation is always in flux.  People move, people leave, people join…  It is the way life is.  But while we are here, whether it is for thirty years or three, our spiritual journey will be enriched in direct proportion to what we give of ourselves.  When we are able, as Peter says, to cast our anxieties upon God, life opens up for us and the adversary clothed as a roaring lion becomes nothing more than a little kitten that has no power over us.  With that we walk in peace together now and forever.