Almighty God, may you
guide us to seek the Truth: come whence it may, cost what it will, lead where
it might. Amen.
What a joy and honor it is to be standing here before you
all today as your new Rector. I cannot begin to tell you how excited we are to be
joining the St. Luke’s community. I look forward to getting to know and serving
each of you. This morning, I’d like to consider the idea of the Dream of God.
That is the title of a wonderful book, written by Verna Dozier. Defining what
exactly that dream is can be a challenge- you might quote from Isaiah and say
that is when the wolf lies down with lamb. Perhaps it is when God can again
look at Creation and say that it is all “good.” Or maybe when we all “do
justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with our God.” I would invite you to
spend some time considering how you would define the Dream of God, and figure
out some ways to make that dream a reality.
New research done by neuroscientists tells us of the importance of having
dreams, as they allow our minds to grow and process the data from the previous
day. It is in dreams that many Biblical characters encounter God. When people
are unable to dream, insanity often follows. And the same is true not only of
the dreams that we have in our sleep, but also for the conscious dreams that we
have for our lives and world. Dozier says that the Dream of God is where what is
impossible with humans becomes possible with God. We dream of a better world
for our children, of a cure for a disease, of reconciliation and peace in our
own lives and across the globe. Dreams give us hope, because they are the place
in which we are called to a possibility other than the oppressive kingdoms of
this world.
It was a dream that led the Hebrew people that day to the
shores of the sea. They were enslaved back in Egypt, under the harsh rule of
their taskmasters. They dreamed of freedom. They dreamed that the promise made
between Abraham and their God, a promise of a land flowing with milk and honey,
might soon come to fruition. And so God calls Moses and says, I have heard the
cries of my people; I know their dreams. Following that dream, Moses goes to
Pharaoh and says “let my people go,” and leads them out of Egypt. But today we
find them stuck between a rock and a hard place- the unforgiving waters in
front of them, and Pharaoh’s army behind. But God had a dream for salvation to
come to the world through Israel, and so they are led through the waters
towards safety. And through the fulfillment of that dream, we are here today as
descendants of that great dream for peace and freedom.
With this as our lens, I’d like to spend some time
reflecting on our dreams. Being the Rector of St. Luke’s is a part of my dream.
Since I was a 10 year old acolyte, my dream has been to serve God in the
Church, and I am blessed to be able to follow that dream as a priest. My dream
is working towards furthering our prayer that God’s Kingdom might come on earth
as it is in Heaven. I am blessed and excited to be living out part of this
dream here at St. Luke’s. But I wonder- what are your dreams?
Verna Dozier wrote that if we are to live for the Dream
of God instead of the nightmares of this world, that what you believe will not
matter nearly as much as what difference that belief makes in your life. She
writes that clergy are tasked with the role of making the Church a place where
the wounded find healing, the confused find light, the fearful find courage,
the lonely find community, and the strong find gratitude. The laity has the
task of being ambassadors for Christ in daily life and work. It is not that
clergy have calls and everyone else has jobs. No, we are all called to further
the Dream of God. I primarily do that through preaching, teaching, liturgy, and
pastoral care. But for the Dream of God to become a reality, we all will
contribute. How you treat patients as a doctor matters, how you teach children
shapes the future, how you build things affects God’s dream, how you deal with
customers makes a difference. What is your dream for yourself? For your
family? For our world? What are you doing to pursue it?
In our reading from Romans, St. Paul says “We do not live
to ourselves, and we do not die to ourselves. If we live, we live to the Lord,
and if we die, we die to the Lord; so then, whether we live or whether we die,
we are the Lord’s.” It is a reminder that the most important dream is God’s
dream for us and not our own dreams for ourselves. Sometimes, what we want for
ourselves are good and noble things; but as we all know, we can also have
selfish dreams. There is a great prayer in our Prayer Book which says that God
is doing better things than we can ask for or imagine, and this is true of
God’s dream for us.
It has been said that every priest only has one sermon,
and you’ll just get a variation on that theme each week. I’m not sure if that’s
quite true or not, but if it is, something that you’re going to hear me talk
about a lot is of God’s abundance. At my core, I firmly believe that God
provides, that there is enough love in our world, that there is enough space in
our hearts to love our neighbor, that there is enough grace, that there is
enough healing, enough forgiveness, enough money, enough time, enough courage.
And God’s dream for us is based out of that abundance. Now that doesn’t mean
that everything is always going to come up roses. The great preacher William
Sloane Coffin said “what God gives us is maximum support, with minimum
protection.” So though there may be some rough patches, God has a wonderful
dream for each of us, a dream that will further God’s dream for all of Creation
if we can have the courage and trust to follow it.
And I also believe that God has a dream for all of us
together. In the Romans reading and the Gospel reading from Matthew, we heard
of Paul and Peter trying to figure out what it means to be part of a community
that is trying to live into the Dream of God. Paul exhorts his readers not to
pass judgment on others and to focus on Jesus. And Peter asks Jesus, “Lord, how
often should I forgive?” They are both trying to figure out what it means to be
the Body of Christ.
Peter wonders if we might forgive each other as many
times as seven? Which really is a lot if you stop and think about it. What’s
the phrase- fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me. Peter is
willing to go as high as seven times of turning the other cheek. And Jesus says
“no, try seventy-seven times,” or other translations say “seventy times seven.”
Either way, the number seems impossibly high- the point is that you don’t stop
forgiving, you don’t ever write each other off.
Now, I realize that forgiveness can seem impractical in
our world. It makes sense to eliminate threats, not to keep them around. But
what if, in the words of the Lord’s Prayer, we are actually forgiven in
accordance with the way we forgive others? That might change our attitudes a
bit. Forgiveness isn’t about the absolution of our guilt, but rather the
reconciliation of brokenness and the restoration of community, and is more of a
miracle of God working in us than anything we muster up ourselves. Forgiveness
enables the Dream of God to flourish.
Unfortunately, sometimes this passage is used in the
wrong way and I think it is also worth mentioning the disclaimer that our call
to forgive others in pursuing the Dream of God is not a call to be a doormat or
a victim of abuse. Forgiveness is not about letting the cycles of abuse,
violence, or degradation continue. The Dream of God is not about being taken
advantage of because you have a forgiving heart, but rather it is about letting
go of those wounds which hold us back from true freedom.
So as the early Church is trying to sort out what it
needs to thrive and survive, both Paul and Peter realize that it will take some
forgiveness, and Jesus reminds them that God’s dream is about radical,
extravagant, unfathomable, merciful love, and it’s going to take a lot more
forgiveness than they ever imagined.
And so I wonder- what is God’s dream for St. Luke’s? I
think there is a reason why the Holy Spirit has brought us together. We might
have some ideas about why this call seems like a good fit, but I can’t wait to
find out more about what God has in store for us together. It is an honor and
privilege to be tasked with you on this journey of discerning and moving
towards God’s dream for St. Luke’s.
Being
the church that feeds people is a wonderful dream that you all have discerned,
and I look forward to living further into that dream. We will feed souls
through meaningful worship. We will feed minds in conversations and classes
which deepen our discipleship. We will feed bodies through serving others in
Jesus’ name. And we will feed our hearts through being a community of grace
with a strong heritage. I have high expectations for what God is going to do
through each of you, and what we will do together in the name of St. Luke’s.
Just as Peter and Paul knew that forgiveness would need
to be a part of their community, we will need it as well. I have no illusion of
there never being instances where passions and ideas clash. But I trust in the
power of forgiveness, and in particular, I trust in the power of the Holy
Eucharist.
St. Luke’s is the church that feeds people, but it must
also be the church that is itself fed through the Eucharist. It is the most
important part of our worship together, as it is when we get a foretaste of the
heavenly banquet. The Eucharist has the power to unite us to God and to each
other. Breaking bread together has the power to inspire us to pursue the Dream
of God. Sharing the chalice has the power to reconcile us to God and to each
other. We can gather to be healed and nourished in the times of trial, and we
can gather to celebrate and give thanks in times of joy. I truly believe that
if we will celebrate the Holy Eucharist together each week, that we will live
into God’s dream for St. Luke’s through the grace, love, unity, and salvation
that comes through this most holy meal.
Just as God had a dream to lead the Hebrew people out of
slavery and into freedom, God also has a wonderful dream for all of us. It is a
dream of grace and knowing the love of God. Living that dream in community will
take forgiving each other and a steadfast commitment to breaking bread
together. Today is the beginning of a new chapter for me, and for all of us at
St. Luke’s. I pray that God might inspire us, embolden us, guide us, and be
present with us as we seek live into the Dream of God. Amen.
