The
Unusual Voices of Hope
Christ
Church, Poughkeepsie
30
January 2005
The Rev. Richard Cyril Witt Jr.
Epiphany 4 (a)
Micah 6:1-8
I Corinthians 1:26-31
Matthew 5:1-12
Before I
begin, allow me to thank you for the opportunity to be with you during the next
few months. I have very fond memories of
this parish and my time with you. It is
hard to believe that my tenure as Associate Rector was over ten years ago. It
is an honor to be back with you. Michael, who is a very dear friend has kept me
a bit in touch through the years, although as I looked through the parish list
the other night, I was reminded of the many and great talents within this
congregation and I found myself in awe. So,
I look forward to learning from you during our time together. Again, thank you for having me as your
Interim, Interim!
The twilight zone. That is what I
call those moments in my life when everything is surreal, out of whack. The moments in 1999 after
discovering I had cancer. (Which by
the way contrary to the rumor I heard here the other day - I am not dead - yet )
These are
the type of moments we have all faced at various points in our lives. Moments
when our balance is thrown off and we are lost.
And now we face one of those moments here at Christ Church. I know that there are many different
feelings we are all experiencing with Michael’s and Mary’s departure. Some of us are deeply sad, some angry. some of us are in shock, and perhaps of few us don’t care
one way or the other. All
of this to be expected in a congregation as diverse as Christ Church.
My
assumption, long held, and many times proven, is that this congregation is
here, because deep in your soul you have a desire to be touched by and to know
the Holy.
The
challenge in the months before us, is to actually
allow ourselves to be touched by the Holy - to remember that we are called by
God to be a people of hope - to live into this hope and to proclaim hope. This
morning and indeed in the weeks to come that I am with you - a sort of chaplain
during this initial period - I want to be a voice that reminds us of our hope
and our mission, so that we don’t lose our way.
During this period of the months to come you will have the opportunity
to listen to voices of hope, voices of the Holy, and the question is whether
you will listen
I’ll
begin with a story that I am sure you have heard, but sometimes its good to hear stories again - to better immerse ourselves
within them.
The Story
of Luck
Sometimes
the opportunities are right before us, but we have trouble listening or
believing.
Voices,
unexpected, unusual, different, annoying - have a way
of inviting us to new possibilities.
Today we
are reminded of those unexpected, uncommon voices in the Gospel of Matthew:
voices that hold forth the dominion of God.
Blessed
are the poor in spirit, the peacemakers those who are persecuted. ...
Blessed are their voices, for they speak truth and they will be heard.
These are
voices that are often ignored for they cry out in agony, they confront
oppression, they speak of a different way of being.
They hold up hope, because frequently that is all they can hold forth - but it
is a true hope of humanity and dignity and the sanctity of life.
The year
ahead offers Christ Church a time to listen to those voices that are
unexpected, unusual, different, annoying. To listen to one another and
especially those who are not a part of this parish. For these voices will provide a new direction
for you. In the weeks and months ahead
prepare yourselves to listen.
While it
may be too early in your journey to begin listening ( as
we are still in a twilight zone) it is a good time to prepare ourselves to
listen. Thus I offer three suggestions
as we seek the wisdom of the Holy:
Listen
in Hope
Listen in
the hope that you will a great community of faith, not just another nice parish. . . . .The great communities of faith, those who
have been beacons of hope, are those who have gone beyond jut getting by. They
have been those who have been willing to go forth into the darkness ... and
witness. They have been courageous,
determined, passionate - because they have possessed
the hope that God’s will will be done.
Christ
Church is a historic church that is well known for living into hope. One of the best known
congregations in the country.
This is why I moved from Boston to the Hudson Valley in the 1980's. Through the years this parish has been on the
cutting edge of urban and social ministry.
You have produced at least four Bishops, prominent lay leaders and
several ghosts. Your commitment
to liturgy and education have created models for others and your
willingness to explore has opened doors that have enabled others to not only
survive, but thrive: The Larry B. Timm Fund and the
Homeless shelter come to mind.
Listen
actively. . . . .to those you don’t usually listen to
Prepare
yourselves to listen to those whose voice is often heard around here. Listen in love. A good focal point for
listening are the two great Commandments.
“You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart,
all of your mind,
all
of your soul. . . and your neighbor as well”
God is to
be found in these voices and when we are loving - not
patronizing, or sappy, but truly loving, then we will open the doors and others
will speak and we will hear. Many years
ago I was a part of an affluent parish in Massachusetts. The Parish gave away a great deal of money -
but one day they were challenged to ask instead of give. Well we spent months trying to figure out
what we really needed. As one person said: “We have everything!” Finally one person said: “You know these
outreach meetings are boring - and I notice that whenever that group that we
support comes by, they are always filled with joy - we should aske them to teach us about joy.”
Or the
woman who I met one September, when I first went to Rural and Migrant Ministry
who told me that she had started the summer seeking to save some souls - when I
asked her how it went - She said “ Well one soul got saved - mine! I discovered that six of the workers were
deacons in their own church, and they knew a heck of a lot more about the Bible
than I did”
We have
to work hard in this day and age to listen - we are so used to talking, being
in control, knowing it all. And it is
much easier when we do listen, to listen to those who are of like backgrounds
and minds. This is a wonderfully diverse
congregation in a wonderfully diverse city. You will not have far to go to
listen to those who are different.
This
leads me to my final point: Listen and allow yourself to be ruffled
It is not
going to be easy in the months to come.
There will be many moments when you will want to take short cuts, or
give up. There will be times when you
will roll your eyes at the thought of another meeting, or having to listen to
someone speak for the eighteenth time, Don’t give up.
Give thanks for the challenge, for it is an opportunity. Our world is filled with many negative
forces, doubts and fears. Not to mention greed, prejudice and oppression. God needs communities of faith to be beacons
of God’s love. To provide an alternative
- Hope. But sometimes in order to get
there we have to be ruffled - in order to find a new path. Don’t allow yourself
to live only in the comfortable pew - but allow yourself to live in the midst
of tension.
Hear the
words of Franciscan Blessing:
May
God bless you
with discomfort at easy answers, half truths superficial relationships so that
you will live deep within your heart
May
God bless you
with anger at injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people so that you
will work for justice, equality and peace.
May
God bless you
with tears to shed for those who suffer from pain, rejections starvation and
war so that you will reach out your hand to comfort them and change their pain
into joy.
And
may God bless you
with the foolishness to think that you can make a difference in the world so
that you will do the things which others tell you cannot be done.
Amen.