I had been thinking about ordination to the priesthood off-and-on since my freshman year of high school. That year I attended a Happening weekend where I encountered a radically loving Christian community where I experienced the love of God in a way I had never imagined to be possible. Since that retreat I had become more and more involved in youth events, church, and spiritual leadership. That said, my discernment about priesthood was anything but firm. Some days I planned on being a lawyer, others an archeologist, others a priest. I knew that Christ was an important part of my life but how could I ever know, truly know that I was called, that priesthood was what God had in store for me? How could I know that the longing I felt in my heart was more than a personal desire? How could I know that priesthood was my calling, my vocation? These questions had been haunting me for three years.

It was my senior year of high school and about 10 months prior, the Diocese of Maine had elected a new bishop, the Rt. Rev. Chilton R. Knudsen—those of you who took part in my ordination to the priesthood here at St. John’s have met Chilton. On the Friday evening before her consecration as bishop at the Cathedral, I along with about 15 other youth were practicing songs that we would be singing the next day at her ordination. The sound of our voices merging together in the echoing cathedral was inspiring. As we sang and practiced I felt the presence of God hovering over our small group. That presence of God was a presence I had sensed time and again through worship and fellowship. That presence of God called to me, it touched me deeply in the center of my being calling me ever more into relationship with Christ. As we continued to sing Chilton came into the cathedral and walked over to join us. She sang about two songs with us and then began to talk to a number of us. She turned to me and started a conversation I will never forget. After about one minute of introductions Chilton looked me directly in my eyes and said, "Peter, you feel called to be a priest, don’t you?" Her words sank deep within me. How could she know? We’d only met once before and not spoken at all about my thoughts of ordination. How could Chilton know this deep part of me which even I was so unsure of? Chilton’s question served to confirm and strengthen my growing sense of calling to the priesthood.

The 2^nd letter of Peter was written in the midst of a time of great confusion and fear in the life of the early church most-likely by a close follower of the recently deceased Apostle Peter. This letter was written somewhere around 90 AD to multiple churches who were confused and questioning a foundational part of their faith. The great turmoil that the 2^nd Letter of Peter addressed was around the return of Jesus in glory—the same glory that we see revealed on the holy mountain in Jesus’ transfigured splendor. The early church was confused because they had witnessed the death of the apostles, the followers of Jesus who had walked with him, seen his miracles, witnessed his heartbreaking death, rejoiced in his glorious resurrection, and had been filled with the power of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. The early church was confused because these leaders had taught Christians that Jesus would return soon—that Jesus would bring wholeness and healing to a broken world. Most Christians expected this return of the glorified Christ before the Apostles had died. And yet there they were, reading a letter in 90 AD doubting, confused because Christ had not returned, the world was still broken, prophecy was not fulfilled. The churches were wondering, questioning, were the Apostles wrong? Would Christ ever return? How could Christians be sure of anything anymore?

2^nd Peter reminded Christians that their faith was not based on myths, it was not based on human ideas but instead it was based on the very presence of God in their midst. It was based on the life of Christ which demonstrated time and again the power and presence of God in the midst of human life. 2^nd Peter reminded its readers and us today that our faith is based on an experience shared by many, an experience of God’s love and power made known to individuals, to churches, and to church leaders. 2^nd Peter assured the Church that their faith was based on the very truth of God, experienced by so many, not on a myth devised by a few.

Foundational to our reading from 2^nd Peter is the fact that God has spoken and continues to speak in the midst of our world. God continues to work in the midst of us, calling us to a goal, calling us ever deeper into relationship with Christ. Our faith is not a faith that is based solely upon ourselves or our own personal ideas and experiences, our faith is based upon the firm and solid foundation of Christ continuing to be present with us through many and varied ways.

All too often we can find ourselves surrounded by situations which cause us to doubt, situations which cause us, along with the early church, to loose heart. And yet, even there, in the midst of desolation and despair God is present, God is walking with us. The God who was made visible in Christ, the God who walked the road of our world’s suffering, the God who shines with glory and holiness, the God who reigns in glory from the Cross and the God who reigns in majesty in the bread and wine is walking with us. God is with us in our own lives, in the life of this community and in the long heritage of the Church. We have a firm and certain foundation.

Think for a moment of the glorious reality of this fact—God is present with us in so many ways. God reaches out to us again and again through our personal experience, through the gathered wisdom of the church and through the authority and knowledge of the apostles—the bishops—who guide us ever more into life in Jesus. Our God acts through many and various ways to direct us, to nurture us, to lead us ever deeper into faith and an all abundant life even when we stumble and loose heart.

Sisters and Brothers, just as Jesus was not limited as he lived on earth but displayed the glory of God in many and various ways—through healing, through teaching, through prayer, through his transfigured glory on the Holy Mountain—so too is our journey of faith not limited, not restricted to one way of being. God meets us time and again in so many different ways. God meets us time and again to call us ever more into ministry. God meets us time and again to remind us that we are not following cleverly devised myths but the very truth of God. God meets us and supports us time and again so that we might be attentive to the truth of God "as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts."

On that evening as I sang with friends and spoke with my bishop I realized that my road to ordination was not a cleverly devised myth, it was not a matter of my own creation. My call to priesthood was not something foisted on me by my parents or by the church, my calling was a calling from the very God of my creation. It was God’s call on me, confirmed by my personal experience—the longing deep within my heart. Priesthood was my calling, confirmed by my peers who encouraged me and supported me. My call to the priesthood was confirmed by a bishop who did not even know me, a bishop who is an heir of the apostles Peter, James and John who saw Christ transfigured in glory on the Holy Mountain. Within my experience I saw personally and profoundly the basic fact that God is active and present in our midst even today, even here and now.

My friends, I am certain that God does not simply call priests, God calls all of us. My story is nothing more than an example, a personal story which confirms the words of 2^nd Peter. Our faith is not a cleverly devised myth, it is the very truth of God. The Christian belief that God is active, calling each and every one of us to know Christ personally and intimately has been confirmed time and again by bishops, by gathered communities, by individuals. God is reaching out to all of us, God is calling all of us to experience the power and presence of Christ, the very Christ who shines in transfigured splendor. God is reaching out to all of us, calling us out of our fear, out of our disbelief and into the light of Christ which enflames our hearts and gives us hope for wholeness and deep joy. May we see Christ on this and every day reaching out to us, offering us strength, joy and life. May we have our eyes opened by our own experiences, by the faith of our community, and by the leadership and wisdom of the apostles passed on through the ages. May we be enabled to see Christ in the midst of all of our life and then be empowered to tell others the story of how Jesus has called us, how Jesus has loved us, how Jesus has saved us, how Jesus has healed us and transformed us.

So may it be.  Amen