St. Thomas’ Episcopal Church, Owings Mills MD
May 7, 2023
Year A: The Fifth Sunday of Easter
Acts 7:55-60
Psalm 31:1-5, 15-16
1 Peter 2:2-10
John 14:1-14
Joining God in the Neighborhood
Alleluia! Christ is risen!
The Lord is risen indeed! Alleluia!
I guess about six years ago, my former diocese in New Jersey – the Diocese of Newark – started a new effort called, “Going Local.”
As part of “Going Local, “ the then-Bishop, Mark Beckwith, spent a summer visiting various churches in the diocese.
These were not official visits – there wasn’t any of the usual fanfare around an episcopal visit – there wasn’t even a service. Instead, the Bishop came by on a weekday afternoon and met with a group of parishioners.
When he came to my church in Jersey City, we sat in a circle in the chancel.
We read and heard a passage of Scripture, and reflected on what God might be saying to us – individually and as a community.
We talked about what was going on in the church – the kinds of ministries we offered and the challenges we faced.
And then, we went out on a walking tour of the neighborhood, trying to keep our eyes, ears, and hearts open to signs of God’s presence and ways that we might be of better service to - and with - the community.
Finally, the Bishop took us out for dinner at a local restaurant. And as we sat around the table, we talked about what we had seen and heard.
As you know, I’m actually from Jersey City and, I admit, I prided myself on knowing my way around – my father once told me that I drove like a taxi driver – it was a compliment, I think.
I prided myself on knowing lots of people and being known by lots of people in the neighborhood.
But as we walked around, the Bishop saw our community with fresh eyes and asked us questions – “What goes on in the building?” “Have you ever met the pastor of this church that’s just a couple of blocks away from yours?” – questions that I couldn’t answer very satisfactorily at all.
The idea of “Going Local” was that, while God is certainly here in church, God is also very much out there in the world – out in the community – out in the neighborhood.
And so, we need to get out there to discover what God might be up to in our neighborhood.
I was reminded of “Going Local” when I reflected on today’s gospel lesson.
Today is the Fifth Sunday of Easter – yes, it’s still Easter – but, maybe surprisingly and confusingly, today’s gospel takes us back before the first Easter, back to Holy Week, back to Jesus’ last supper with his disciples and friends.
By the time of the Last Supper, even the notoriously slow-to-get-it disciples were realizing the hard truth that Jesus – the One they had come to know and love as Lord – Jesus was going to die.
In the first half of today’s lesson, Jesus tries to reassure his friends that this won’t be the end of our story – that Jesus will bring them – and us – to the place of reunion.
And, not only that, Jesus says we know the way to the place of reunion.
Apparently, Thomas was the only one brave and honest enough to say, “Lord, we do not the know way.”
And Jesus says, “I am the way.”
That passage is probably familiar to many of us because it’s the gospel lesson we almost always read at funerals.
But then, in the second half of today’s lesson, we have an extraordinary exchange between Jesus and Philip.
Right after Jesus says, “If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him” – right after that, Philip, missing more than a couple of beats, Philip says:
“Lord, show us the Father and we will be satisfied.”
And a probably somewhat exasperated Jesus responds with words almost too bold for Philip and us to understand or believe.
Right there at the Last Supper, Jesus boldly proclaims the mind-blowing truth of incarnation – since God the Father and Jesus the Son are one, when we see Jesus, we see God.
Or, as my friend Gary Commins writes in his new book, “To see Jesus is to see God’s work and God’s face. To experience Jesus is to behold God.”
Or, as Eugene Peterson translates John 1:14:
“The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood.”
“The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood.”
In and through Jesus, God has moved into the neighborhood, right into the joys and sorrows and messiness of our neighborhood.
That’s what love looks like.
And God invites us – calls us - to join God in the neighborhood.
Joining God in the neighborhood.
One of the personal and professional challenges I’ve faced in the nearly two years I’ve been here is that it’s kind of difficult to get to know this particular neighborhood.
Back In Jersey City, I was able to walk out the door and see all sorts of people, familiar faces and strangers.
On just about every walk to the post office or the bank or the pizzeria, I was stopped by someone who wanted to greet me and chat for a bit, or talk about some challenge they were facing, or to ask me for help.
Sometimes that was joyful and sometimes, honestly, it was annoying and frustrating, especially if I was tired or hungry or in a hurry.
But, you know, it wasn’t hard to join God in that neighborhood.
Here in my new situation, I can’t walk past the end of the rectory driveway without risking my life to people speeding along St. Thomas Lane.
Even after almost two years, I still haven’t met any of our immediate neighbors.
I’ve thought about it, but the only way would be driving over and knocking on their door. That doesn’t really appeal to me, especially now.
Of course, sometimes “the neighborhood” comes to us.
A couple of Sundays ago, after the 10:00 service, two men showed up here separately – one said he’s been living in his car and the other had a tale of woe that sounded very Jersey City-like – both came here hoping and looking for some peace and kindness – and I hope they found it.
I think so.
And, the lack of walkability certainly hasn’t stopped some St. Thomas’ parishioners from “going local” and joining God in the neighborhood.
I think of our parishioners volunteering at the Community Crisis Center and Owings Mills Elementary School – that’s definitely joining God in the neighborhood, right?
But, I’ve been thinking that maybe we should consider doing our own version of “Going Local.”
Maybe some day this summer we should gather here to pray together and read and hear Scripture and then fan out into the neighborhood.
Where there’s no sidewalk, we could drive more mindfully than usual – and where there are sidewalks we could walk - really looking around, taking the time to notice what’s going on around here – who is living and working here - where God might be at work - and where God might be calling us to get to work.
And then we could return here and share what we’ve discovered.
Six years ago when the Bishop came to Jersey City, I was pretty confident that I knew my neighborhood really well – I had lived almost my whole life there, after all.
But that afternoon with fresh eyes and an open heart, I was able realize that God had moved into the neighborhood in ways that I hadn’t noticed before.
And, I bet the same would be true for us here.
Because, in and through Jesus, God has moved into the neighborhood - right into the joys and sorrows and messiness of our neighborhood.
That’s what love looks like.
And God invites us – calls us - to join God in the neighborhood.
Alleluia! Christ is risen!
The Lord is risen indeed! Alleluia!
Amen.
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