Quiet Time

St. Thomas’ Episcopal Church, Owings Mills MD

November 28, 2021

Year C: The First Sunday of Advent

Jeremiah 33:14-16

Psalm 25:1-9

1 Thessalonians 3:9-13

Luke 21:25-36

Quiet Time

Well, last Sunday we had quite the celebration of our new ministry together!

Thanks to the talent and hard work of so many parishioners and our staff, the church and grounds looked beautiful, the music was beyond excellent, and it was so good to finally have at least some fellowship in the hall – the chance to enjoy each other’s company, not to mention those delicious cupcakes, each bearing the seal of our church – such a classic St. Thomas’ touch.

And it was great to have our bishop here with us.

And my dad was here, as well as a few good friends from New Jersey.

And it was especially wonderful to see so many parishioners at both services, including more than a few I had not met before, and an encouraging number of children and youth, too.

And let’s not forget all those Thanksgiving dinner bags – over 180 of them – so much overflowing generosity from our parish and preschool to our neighbors in need!

Yes, it was quite a day. 

Everyone seemed overjoyed to celebrate the official start of our work together – and, maybe more than that, everyone just seemed excited to be together again.

And, as for me, I think I know how St. Paul felt when he wrote these words to the Thessalonians:

“How can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy that we feel before God because of you?”

St. Thomas’, how can I thank God enough for all of you? 

How can I thank God enough for this holy and amazing place?

Of course, I do have an advantage over Paul, because he was far away from his beloved Thessalonians, but you and I get to be together on a regular basis!

But, you know, as great as last Sunday was, I do have a few regrets.

Not everyone was here – some parishioners were out of town – and my mother couldn’t be here, though I’m glad to say that Sue and I and both of my parents celebrated a beautiful Thanksgiving together in the rectory.

Another regret is that since we were busy celebrating our new ministry together, we did not get to commemorate the last Sunday of the church year: the Feast of Christ the King – although Wanda and the quartet did give us a glorious rendition of Crown him with many crowns.

So, if you don’t mind, today I want to spend a few minutes talking about Christ the King.

Unlike most of the rest of the church calendar, which is pretty ancient, the Feast of Christ the King is relatively new, dating to only 1925.

Back in the 1920’s the leaders of the Roman Catholic Church recognized that Christians – lots of Christians – were putting their ultimate trust in the “kings” of the world.

There were strongmen taking charge of countries, elevating themselves to the place of God, and demanding absolute loyalty from “their” people.

And, in a search for salvation, or at least solutions to their very real problems, growing numbers of people were putting their faith in ideologies and political and economic systems – the “isms”  - including nationalism, fascism, communism, and capitalism.

So, in response these distressing and destructive developments, the Catholic Church, and soon after, Anglicans like us and Lutherans and other churches, adopted the new Feast of Christ the King.

This relatively new addition to the calendar is a pointed reminder that our king is not a political or military leader.

Our king is not an ideology or a system.

Our king is Christ the King.

A century ago, one of the Christian leaders concerned about Christians following kings other than Christ was our own homegrown Episcopal saint, Samuel Shoemaker.

You may remember I talked a little bit about Shoemaker on All Saints’ Sunday.

He was baptized at St. Thomas’, grew up in Greenspring Valley, celebrated his first Holy Communion as a priest right here in our church, and is buried in our graveyard, just outside the church door.

Back in the middle part of the last century, Sam Shoemaker was perhaps the best-known Episcopal priest in the land, writing a couple of dozen books, broadcasting on the radio, and releasing his sermons on records.

Today he is best remembered for providing the spiritual foundations for AA, and all the other Twelve Step groups that have followed.

As I’ve been learning more about Shoemaker, I’ve become convinced that he has a lot to say to our own time today, when, let’s face it, many Christians are again – or still – placing their ultimate faith in “kings” other than Christ.

Throughout his preaching and writing, Shoemaker plotted a course for us to follow back to Christ – it was this path that AA’s founders borrowed to help people achieve and maintain sobriety.

And one of Shoemaker’s bedrock principles and practices was what he called Quiet Time.

For Shoemaker, Quiet Time was so important that he capitalized it.

Quiet Time.

Shoemaker repeatedly urged people to practice Quiet Time, ideally in the morning before the start of the business and busyness of the day.

Shoemaker taught that there are three main parts to Quiet Time.

First, is Bible study – to spend some time with a passage of scripture, to attentively read and ponder God’s Word. 

The second part of Quiet Time is prayer – to open our heart to God – to let God know what God already knows: our needs, our hopes, our fears, our regrets.

And the third is the quietest and, for Shoemaker, the most important part of Quiet Time – to simply listen for guidance from God.

You know, the “kings” of the world are usually noisy, clamoring for our attention, aiming to drown us in words and slogans, numbing us into submission.

But Christ is a different kind of king, a quiet king.

That’s why for Shoemaker, “listening became the dominant note” during Quiet Time.

A hundred years ago, people were busy just like many of us are busy today.

A hundred years ago, people were distracted by demands on our attention and weighed down by worry and grief, just like many of us are distracted and weighed down today.

But Shoemaker insisted that Quiet Time was essential.

And, by the way, AA borrowed Quiet Time from Shoemaker, and, in fact, during AA’s early days, Quiet Time was seen as even more important for recovering alcoholics than attending the meetings that are the best-known part of the program.

Quiet Time.

And now here we are today - the start of a new church year – the First Sunday of Advent.

In an effort to draw our attention to this holy season, we’ve made a few changes to our service, including switching our liturgical color to blue, the color often associated with hope and with the Virgin Mary, the young woman whose faith and courage will be at the heart of the Advent story.

And there’s our beautiful wreath, its candles reminding us that Advent is an all-too-quick season of just four Sundays – with the third Sunday represented by a rose candle, signaling that Christmas joy will soon be here.

Today and over the next few weeks, we will prepare for the birth of Christ the King, our king who was born not in a grand palace but quietly, in an out-of the-way and barely adequate place, recognized by almost no one.

And, as we heard loud and clear in today’s gospel lesson, during Advent we will also prepare for our king’s return on the Last Day.

With all the commotion and distractions of the world, I know it’s not easy, but Advent is meant to give us a few weeks of Quiet Time.

It’s an important opportunity, so let’s not miss it. 

  During these Advent days, let’s set aside even just a few extra moments for study, prayer, and, most of all, listening.

This quiet Advent, let’s once again place our faith and trust in Christ the King.

        And, if we do that, Jesus assures us that there is really nothing to fear from the inevitable troubles and tribulations of life – nothing to fear from the false kings of the world.

So, as a new year begins, together, let’s pray for a holy Advent - and for some much-needed Quiet Time.

Amen.

God's Place

St. Thomas’ Episcopal Church, Owings Mills MD

November 14, 2021

Year B, Proper 28: The Twenty-Fifth Sunday after Pentecost

1 Samuel 1:4-20

1 Samuel 2:1-10

Hebrews 10:11-25

Mark 13:1-8

God’s Place

Usually you see me wearing a mask, so maybe you can’t tell that I’ve been having a wonderful time here with all of you.

It feels like I hit a kind of spiritual jackpot that I get to serve beside so many devoted and wise lay leaders, most especially our wardens.

It feels like I hit a kind of spiritual jackpot that each day I get to work with an incredibly talented and hardworking church staff. As many of you know, they really are quite a team.

And, although the pandemic has limited our opportunities for fellowship, it feels like I hit a kind of spiritual jackpot that I have the chance to get to know you, to learn your stories from the past and your dreams for the future of our church.

And next week, Bishop Sutton will be here to make the whole thing official!

One of the best parts of these first months together has been traveling around with our friend Caroline Stewart. She has been introducing me to lots of ministry leaders in our community – and I’ve benefited from her knowledge and wisdom as we make our way around town.

But, it’s not just Caroline. About a week and a half ago, Kathy Capp and Betsy Wilmerding brought me down to Pigtown, where we toured Paul’s Place – a profoundly life-giving ministry, that, as many of you know, St. Thomas’ has supported for many years, including by providing countless casseroles and innumerable sandwiches.

We saw the dining room where hungry people were being fed a hearty midday meal. We saw the kitchen and met the cooks who take such obvious pride in their work. We saw the laundry facilities, where guests can have their laundry washed and folded. We saw the computer room that allows people to keep in touch with the outside world and where they can get help with resumes. We saw the “boutique,” a room arranged like a real clothing store, giving people the dignity of choosing their own clothes. And we saw the culinary school, offering a viable career path without amassing student debt.

And, finally, we had lunch at Groundwork Kitchen, the beautiful new restaurant operated by Paul’s Place, where the culinary students get to put their skills to work.

It was a delicious meal.

For me, the most memorable moment of the visit came when right at the start when we were looking at the Paul’s Place dining room. One of the guests, maybe because of drugs or simply the exhaustion of poverty, fell asleep in his chair, his face sliding onto his plate of food.

One of the workers noticed and came over to him. He gently, almost tenderly, placed a hand on the poor man’s shoulder to wake him, and handed him a napkin so he could wipe his face.

That simple and beautiful act told me all I really needed to know about Paul’s Place.

Another reason I feel like I hit a kind of spiritual jackpot is the incredible beauty of this place, especially now with the riot of gold, orange, and yellow that’s all around us.

All of that color and the morning chill tell us that the season is changing out there, and there are signs that the season is changing here in church, too.

It’s a little hard to believe but in just two weeks, it will be Advent, a brief, four Sunday-long season, a season with two distinct themes. 

One is the preparation for Jesus’ birth. 

And the other is looking ahead to the last day. 

And, in today’s gospel lesson, we most certainly heard some hard and frightening words about the last day, or, actually, the days before the last day. 

Jesus and his disciples have just left the Jerusalem Temple. And one of the disciples, sounding very much like he was on his first trip to the big city, looks in awe at the Temple. But, who can blame him, since the Temple was the religious and cultural heart of the Jewish people, a spectacular structure that one of the wonders of the ancient world.

The disciple says, “Look, teacher, what large stones and large buildings!”

But instead on agreeing with the disciple’s honest and kind of endearing observation, Jesus replies with a shocking prophecy: “Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left here upon another; all will be thrown down.”

And, about 40 years later, Jesus’ frightening prophecy was fulfilled.

In the year 70, the Romans burned the Temple and looted its treasures. Eventually, by the time they were done all that remained was just a massive retaining wall – the Western Wall – which stands to this day.

It’s hard to describe the magnitude of this disaster for the Jewish people. But, try to imagine it: the holiest place on earth – the place where, in a sense, God was believed to dwell – God’s Place – was no more.

In the face of such a catastrophe, it was easy to assume that this really was the end - that the last day had arrived.

At first, it must have been nearly impossible to imagine a future.

But, over time, the Jewish people went on without the Temple and its sacrifices, recognizing and remembering that God’s Place has always been and will always be with God’s People.

And, over time, the little band of Jews who claimed Jesus as Messiah – they went on without the Temple, too.  They recognized that God’s Place is wherever the Body of Christ gathers – God’s Place is wherever and whenever we continue to share the Good News in word and deed.

So, God’s Place is certainly here in our beautiful temple, where generations of faithful people have gathered, bathing these old walls with prayers of hope and thanksgiving.

And, long ago, God’s Place was with Hannah who, despite her sadness and humiliation, prayed faithfully to God. And when God answered her prayer with the gift of a son, she sang her great song, dedicating Samuel to God - the God who “raises up the poor from the dust” and “lifts the needy from the ash heap.”

And, as we will soon remember and celebrate during Advent, God’s Place will most of all be with Mary, the young woman from Nazareth who at great cost to herself, will say “yes” to God and carry God’s Son into the world.

And, just like Hannah, Mary will sing her own song to the God who casts down the mighty from their thrones and lifts up the lowly.

And, yes, God’s Place is at Paul’s Place, where the poor are raised from the dust, where the needy are lifted from the ash heap.

God’s Place was in that brief, simple, but profoundly moving moment, when a worn-out man asleep at the table was touched gently and respectfully, treated as a beloved child of God.

My new friends, here in this beautiful place, you and I have all hit the spiritual jackpot.

But, we know that doesn’t mean that everything will be easy.

Sometimes, it may even be hard or nearly impossible to imagine a future.

But, no matter what happens, God’s Place is here, whenever we are together.

And, God’s Place is also out there, beyond the temple walls.

God’s Place is wherever people like Hannah and Mary put their trust in God.

  And, God’s Place is wherever the poor are welcomed as honored guests, cared for and fed as if they were Jesus himself.

Amen.

Expedited Sainthood

St. Thomas’ Episcopal Church, Owings Mills MD

November 7, 2021

Year B: All Saints’ Sunday

Isaiah 25:6-9

Psalm 24

John 11:32-44

Expedited Sainthood

Out in the world, All Saints’ Day doesn’t get very much attention. If it’s recognized at all it’s as the day after Halloween, the day when day Giant and CVS slash their prices on all that leftover candy!

So, imagine my surprise on Monday morning when I opened my copy of The Sun  – and right there on the front page was a story about…saints!

Maybe some of you saw it, too.

It was a story about a group of Black Catholics in Baltimore who are petitioning the Vatican to expedite the sainthood of six Black holy women and men.

The six include Mother Mary Lange, who back in 1818 founded St. Frances Academy in Baltimore, the very first Catholic school for children of color, a school that is still educating city children more than two centuries later.

As you may know, the Catholic Church has a long and complicated process for officially declaring saints – sometimes it can take decades or even centuries.

But, you know how it is, when an institution wants to, it can bend or even break the rules, like in the case of Mother Teresa and Pope John Paul II, who were fast-tracked to sainthood.

And the people petitioning the Vatican argue that, considering the historic racism of the church, these six holy people should be fast-tracked, too.

I’ve been thinking about this story all week.

First of all, the lives and ministry of these six people are inspiring, especially when we remember the obstacles they faced. 

But, I’m also struck by how the petitioners have such a sense of urgency – there is no time to waste – these people were clearly exceptionally holy – and in a time of so much despair we need all the faithful role models we can get, right?

So, they call for “expedited sainthood” – not sainthood some other time, but sainthood right now.

Expedited Sainthood.

Many of you know that we have an “official” Episcopal saint right here at St. Thomas’.

Samuel Shoemaker spent much of his youth here in the Greenspring Valley, and after his ordination to the priesthood he celebrated his first service of Holy Communion right here in our church.

In his day, back in the middle part of the last century, Sam Shoemaker was one of the best-known Episcopal priests. He wrote dozens of books. He hosted radio programs. Recordings of his sermons were released on records. 

From 1925 to 1952, he was Rector of Calvary Church in New York City, where he operated Calvary Mission – a ministry that served anyone in need, including alcoholics who were looking for a hot meal and a place to dry out, at least for a while.

Two of those alcoholics were Bill W. and Doctor Bob, who went on to start Alcoholics Anonymous. Bill W. worked with Shoemaker to develop the Twelve Steps. Shoemaker is remembered and honored as the spiritual founder of AA.

Since I first became aware of Shoemaker’s connection to this place – and the fact that he rests in our churchyard - I’ve been learning as much as I can about him.

And what amazes me most is his sense of urgency.

For Sam Shoemaker, there was no time to waste – there were always more people who needed to receive the Good News, both in word and in a bowl of soup.

I suppose Shoemaker would have been too modest to say this out loud – he was an Episcopalian, after all – but, with God’s help, he strived for an “expedited sainthood” – not sainthood some other time, but sainthood right now.

Expedited Sainthood.

And now here we are today, on All Saints’ Sunday.

In just a few moments, I’m going to have the great joy and privilege of baptizing three beautiful children: Parker, Edward, and Violet.

Just like Sam Shoemaker, and like so many of you, they have deep roots in this holy place.

Their journey to sainthood will begin right here in the water of Baptism – when their parents and godparents will make some big promises on their behalf.

Their journey to sainthood will begin in the water of Baptism – when God will make an indissoluble, unbreakable bond, with them. 

God will simply not let go of them, no matter what.

The journey to sainthood begins in the water of Baptism, when we will all promise to support them in their Christian life.

The journey to sainthood begins in the water of Baptism, when, with God’s help, we all renew our promises to pray and break bread together, to love God and our neighbor, very much including the people we don’t like, or maybe even don’t trust.

The journey to sainthood begins in the water of Baptism.

The only question is the pace.

So, my prayer for Parker, Edward, and Violet – and for all of us – is that we will be blessed with the gift of holy urgency.

May we be blessed with the holy urgency that moved Mother Mary Lange who, when slavery was still the law of the land, opened a school for Black children, offering them new life just as surely as Jesus called Lazarus out of the tomb.

May we be blessed with the holy urgency that moved Samuel Shoemaker to open wide the doors of his church and his mission, inviting in absolutely everyone. And, Shoemaker's ministry, still to this day, long after his death, offers new life to addicts, just as surely as Jesus called Lazarus out of the tomb.

As in the days of Mother Mary Lange and Sam Shoemaker, today people are entombed by oppression and addiction, hatred and anger, loneliness and fear.

Our broken world sorely needs saints, and lots of them.

Our journey to sainthood begins in the water of Baptism.

And since there really is no time to waste, may Parker, Edward, and Violet, and all of us, each in our own way and always with God’s help, strive to be “expedited saints.”

Amen.