The Church of St. Paul and Incarnation, Jersey City NJ
May 9, 2021
Year B: The Sixth Sunday of Easter
Acts 10:44-48
Psalm 98
1 John 5:1-6
John 15:9-17
Meraki
Alleluia! Christ is risen!
The Lord is risen indeed! Alleluia!
So, the other day I came across a beautiful word:
Meraki.
It’s a Greek word that means doing something with soul, with creativity, or with love. Meraki means putting something of yourself into what you’re doing, whatever it may be.
I immediately thought of some of the best cooks of our parish:
Catherine, who created our Stone Soup Community Suppers, feeding lovingly prepared, delicious, and healthy dinners to any and all who came through our doors – Sonia, feeding lovingly prepared, delicious, and just-as good-as-coffee hour homemade hot lunches, served to the guests at the homeless drop-in center – and Eric, feeding lovingly prepared, delicious, and over-the-top coffee hour feasts, and let’s not forget all those rich desserts.
I could name others, but all of these wonderfully talented and generous chefs prepare food that tastes so good because of good ingredients and the technical skill, yes, but there’s something more. Somehow we can also taste the love that goes into their food - the love that goes into offering something beautiful for other people, especially for people who may not have a whole lot of beauty in their lives.
But, even if you have not had the chance to enjoy the food prepared by our talented and loving chefs, I know that you all know what meraki is – or at least what it sounds like.
Each week you get to hear Gail – who is of course deeply knowledgeable about all kinds of music and is highly skilled in technique, but that’s not why people swoon when they hear her, not why people always ask what church she sings at and what time’s the service, not why she’s in demand at our diocesan services like yesterday’s ordination.
No, you all know that what makes Gail’s music so special is meraki – doing something with soul, creativity, and love – putting something – sometimes a lot – of yourself into what you do.
I couldn’t help but think of meraki last Saturday morning, when a few of us gathered for the blessing of the Lighthouse in its new home in Union City.
Many of you will remember that our own Deacon Jill Singleton started the Lighthouse a few years ago over in the Parish House at the Church of the Incarnation.
Her idea was simple and it was ambitious: to offer our underutilized space as a home for people who had received asylum in the United States.
Lots of people from Incarnation and St. Paul’s and Grace Van Vorst and All Saint’s Episcopal Day School and other friends and supporters all pitched in to make Jill’s bold vision a reality.
I’ll never forget those days when the Parish House was thoroughly cleaned and painted and furnished – so many people coming and going – working so hard to create a safe and comfortable home for people we had never met – in most cases, people we would never meet - people who had traveled through hell on perilous journeys to safety and hope and new life.
One thing I have often said about the leaders of the Church of the Incarnation is that they never said no to ministry – they have been always up for trying new things – and what a blessing it is that they – you – have brought that Incarnation boldness to our unified parish – for example, just look at our new and quite popular small groups, spearheaded by Carol Harrison-Arnold.
And, the people of Incarnation didn’t just provide space for the Lighthouse. With a real spirit of meraki, some parishioners took the time to get to know our guests, stopping by for conversation and to share meals.
And no one took greater interest in the Lighthouse than our dear brother Sidney King, who died one year ago tomorrow, and for whom we still grieve.
To be honest, maybe because we couldn’t mourn him the way we normally would, sometimes I still have remind myself that Sidney is dead.
Sidney knew what it was like to travel far from home to a strange new land, and, of course, he was a deeply faithful Christian wholeheartedly committed to ministry, so he spent a lot of time with our Lighthouse guests. In fact, now that I think of it, Sidney was kind of like a lighthouse to the guests, helping them to navigate unfamiliar, and sometimes treacherous, waters.
To the guests, Deacon Jill was “Mama Jill” and Sidney was “Papa Sidney.”
Meraki: doing something with soul, creativity, and love.
Meraki: putting something of yourself into what you do.
The Lighthouse closed after we put the former home of the Church of the Incarnation up for sale.
During the many months since, Deacon Jill has persistently worked to reopen at a new location in Union City.
I’ll spare you the unpleasant details except to say that it has been an ordeal - an ordeal involving lots of bureaucracy, mold, a termite infestation, oh, and, yes, a once-in-a-century pandemic.
Although there were a few times when even the unstoppable Jill Singleton considered throwing in the towel, in the end, with God’s help, the Lighthouse is now ready to reopen.
So, last Saturday, a few of us gathered to bless the new Lighthouse. Now, Jill had kept me informed of all the trials and tribulations, and she told me how beautiful the house now looks, but I was not prepared for what I saw when I walked through the door.
Just like any of us would be glad to eat one of Sonia’s as-good-as-coffee hour lunches for the homeless, the truth is that any of us would be delighted to call the Lighthouse our home.
Not only are the mold and termites gone, but the house is spacious and inviting, carefully decorated, with a nice little backyard, and in the basement there’s even a brand-new washer and dryer donated by our friends at All Saints’ Hoboken.
As I looked around, I thought, this is the gospel in action – this is the gospel in brick and wood and plaster – this is love – this is love of stranger – put into action.
Soon, just like at the old Lighthouse, the guests and hopefully some of you, too, will be breaking bread at the dining room table, under a sign that reads:
“The Sidney W. King, Jr. Room of Hospitality.”
Meraki: doing something with soul, creativity, and love.
Meraki: putting something of yourself into what you do.
Of course, Jesus is the supreme example of meraki.
It’s what drew people to Jesus and it’s what continues to draw us to him.
Jesus lived a life of perfect love, pouring that love into his teaching and healing, and reaching out to the lost and the outcast.
Jesus lived a life of perfect love, and calls us to do the same, to follow his example and love one another as he has loved us – promising that he will always be with us, giving us the strength to follow him.
Jesus says, “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.”
Jesus says, “And I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last.”
And as I’ve been thinking about Jesus’ command to love one another and his wish that we bear good fruit, I keep going back to my new favorite word – meraki –the idea of doing what we do with love, of putting ourselves into what we do – which is really the call – the command - of Jesus, right?
And, with God’s help, when we do what we do with love, when we put something of ourselves into what we do, we produce good fruit – good fruit for people we may never meet, good fruit for people who may never thank us, good fruit for people who can never repay us.
With God’s help, when we put something of ourselves into what we do, we produce good fruit like food for the hungry – good fruit like music that touches our souls – and, good fruit like a Lighthouse that provides safety and shelter to sisters and brothers who have journeyed far and at great risk, in search of what God always offers: new life.
Alleluia! Christ is risen!
The Lord is risen indeed! Alleluia!
Amen.
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