St. Thomas’ Episcopal Church, Owings Mills MD
February 25, 2024
Year B: The Second Sunday in Lent
Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16
Psalm 22:22-30
Romans 4:13-25
Mark 8:31-38
Walking In Love
Walk in love as Christ loved us, and gave himself for us, an offering and sacrifice to God.
Last Friday evening, some of us who have been involved in helping our Afghan friends got together over at Gilead House.
We had been invited by our very first Afghan friend – Hizbullah – whom we first met about a year and a half ago.
As some of you know, Hizbullah is a very bright and personable guy – a go-getter for sure. So, to no one’s surprise, he has already done quite well here in his new country.
In fact, he’s just gotten himself a new job in Washington DC. Which means he’s leaving Baltimore, which is definitely bittersweet for everyone who has gotten to know him here.
So before leaving, Hizbullah invited us for one last get-together, to say thank you for the welcome and the help.
During the party, as I looked around the room at our own parishioners, and parishioners from St. Mark’s in Pikesville, and members of the synagogue Chizuk Amuno, and Betty Symington who leads ERICA, our local Episcopal group helping refugees, when I looked around at all these wonderfully capable and generous people, I thought back to a memorable lunch I had with our parishioner Louis Hogan over at the Greenspring Club, not long after I first arrived here.
We got to talking about the fall of Afghanistan and the dire plight of the Afghans desperately trying to flee, including many who had assisted the US during our long entanglement with their country.
Louis wondered if there was something that we – St. Thomas’ – might do.
And so began a long and winding journey, with many fits and starts along the way.
We learned a lot about the challenging and complicated work of refugee resettlement.
We made friends with Betty at ERICA, and folks at St. Mark’s and Chizuk Amuno, and elsewhere.
And, eventually, we welcomed Hizbullah and Abdul and Abobaker and others.
By now, Hizbullah has learned a lot about America and so he was aware that Valentine’s Day had just passed. And so he made a point of inviting spouses to his pizza party.
And so as I looked around the room, I thought of how much time and energy these wonderful people and their wives and husbands have sacrificed to welcome strangers – I thought of all the rides to and from school and work and all sorts of appointments – I thought of all the hours trying to cut through really thick and sticky red tape – I thought of all the dinner invitations and outings – I thought of all the sacrifices, although I know that each one of these people would say that caring for our new friends may not have always been easy but it has always been a gift and a blessing.
Walk in love as Christ loved us, and gave himself for us, an offering and sacrifice to God.
One of the curious themes in the gospels is the fact that the disciples – Jesus’ friends and followers – usually have a hard time figuring out who he is exactly and what is mission is all about.
The demons always know who Jesus is, but his friends, not so much.
There are exceptions, though, or at least partial exceptions.
Just before today’s passage from the Gospel of Mark, Jesus asks his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?”
That was an easy one – the disciples knew that people thought that Jesus was the return of one of Israel’s great prophets.
But then Jesus asks his disciples a tougher question.
“But who do you say that I am?”
Probably to everyone’s surprise including his own, it’s Peter who gets the answer exactly right:
He says, “You are the Messiah.”
At that moment, I always imagine Peter kind of shyly beaming, like the only student in class to give the correct answer.
But, as we heard today, the problem is that Peter and the others have not yet grasped just what kind of Messiah Jesus is.
They probably have visions of worldly glory and triumph – glory and triumph that the hoped to enjoy as Jesus’ top lieutenants.
So it must have come as quite a shock when Jesus told his friends that he was going to suffer – that he would be rejected by all the world’s powerful people – that he would be executed.
What kind of messiah – what kind of savior – is that?
Jesus also mentioned that he would rise again on the third day but by then I doubt anyone was still listening.
Peter simply cannot accept this – can’t accept that his Lord and friend was going to be hurt and die – and Peter may also have made the leap to wondering just what Jesus’ suffering and death would mean for him and the other disciples.
And so Peter pulls Jesus aside and rebukes Jesus – a strong word, rebuke – in the gospels it’s often used when dealing with demons and evil spirits.
But Jesus does not accept Peter’s rebuke and turns it back on him, calling Peter “Satan,” the tempter – tempting Jesus to turn away from his mission of sacrifice and love.
Walk in love as Christ loved us, and gave himself for us, an offering and sacrifice to God.
Walking in love may sound sweet and sentimental but Jesus teaches us that this kind of love is expensive – it cost Jesus and his friends a lot – and it will cost us a lot, too.
But Jesus knows that offering ourselves, sacrificing ourselves, is the only way to new life.
The Bible and Christian history teach us that this is true.
And the Annual Report of this parish also teaches that this is true.
If you take the time to read the report – which I hope you will – you’ll find that there has been a whole lot of walking in love – a whole lot of self-offering and sacrifice – here at St. Thomas’ over the past year.
I’ve already mentioned all the time and effort given for our Afghan friends, but on just about every page you can read about so many parishioners – you - who have given of yourselves so abundantly.
You’ve given astronomical amounts of time to our church and its ministries and shared your talents and your treasure so generously: planning and leading Bible Study – polishing silver and brass and arranging flowers – rehearsing hymns and anthems – assisting at worship as ushers, lectors, chalicists, and acolytes – crafting quilts and blankets for people sorely in need of some warmth and comfort – guiding our Preschool and Sunday School so they can continue to be places of care and education for our children – being wise stewards of our wealth and property – writing hundreds of thank you notes to people who have pledged or given in other ways - looking into painful chapters of our church history that have been neglected or even forgotten, remembering and re-membering – sharing our time and resources with people at Paul’s Place, the Community Crisis Center, Owings Mills Elementary School and other places of good work - coming to church regularly, even when maybe you don’t feel like it, because God has been so good to us and, who knows, maybe the person sitting near you just really needs you to be here.
Yes, there has been a whole lot of walking in love – a whole lot of self-offering and sacrifice – here at St. Thomas’ over the past year.
And no one has given more of herself to our church than Jesse VanGeison.
Although much of her work as Senior Warden has taken place behind the scenes at many meetings – so many meetings – you know that on top of her many warden responsibilities, Jesse also coordinates hospitality on Sunday, is leading our Cemetery Unity Committee with great devotion, and, as if that were not enough, has recently stepped up yet again to coordinate our Sunday School.
All of this on top of her demanding professional responsibilities.
It is a rare day that Jesse and our exceptional Junior Warden Barritt Peterson and I aren’t in some kind of communication – innumerable texts, and phone calls, and, yes, meetings both in person and on Zoom.
Over these past couple of years I’ve come to know what many of you have known for a long time: Jesse is an extraordinary person – wise and skilled and generous – and with a really big heart.
At the end of most of our meetings or calls, Jesse will ask me, “Is there anything I can do for you?”
“Is there anything I can do to support you?”
What a tremendous gift and example for all of us – a servant leader for a servant church, walking in love, giving away so much of herself for God and for us.
So, yes, there has been a whole lot of walking in love – a whole lot of self-offering and sacrifice – here at St. Thomas’ over the past year.
And look where it has brought us!
Peter wasn’t able to hear Jesus say that he would rise again on the third day, but, eventually, he got it – he experienced the New Life of Jesus.
And, during a hard time in our land and our world and many of our lives, maybe we can’t hear the promise of new life, either.
So I say, read the Annual Report.
Or just look around.
And, most of all, let’s keep walking – let’s keep walking together – walking in love as Christ loved us, an offering and sacrifice to God.
Amen.
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