Sixth Sunday of Easter
The United Church of Santa Fe
8.30 am Contemplative Communion
[Readings for this Sunday follow the Homily]
+ In nomine Domini. Amen.
Many years ago, in the early seasons of my Ordained Life, my wife and I were stranded in southeastern Pennsylvania during one of the climactic Snowstorms in February.
In fact, it was Valentine’s Day and we were staying in Beverly’s parent’s house for we were celebrating her Father’s Birthday (born February 14, 1914). Since he was the advanced-elder of our Elders we made a solemn promise to fly back to PA (as the residents of Pennsylvania call the Keystone State; the only State in the US, by the way, where people refer to it by its initials) — a commitment to be with Pop on his Birthday as many years as we could.
The wind was whistling through the not so tight vintage windows of this lovely farm house built in the 1800s. The weather channel predicted not just a snowstorm, but a true Blizzard, with snow accumulation somewhere between 12 and 30 inches.
During the night the wind “picked up” as we used to say, and blew the accumulating snow into huge snowdrifts — closing the roads and highways, canceling school, government offices, and more. The Blizzard blew a giant snowdrift up against my in-law’s homestead. It began at the porch, crept up the front door and made its way almost touching the windows of the second floor of the house.
We were — in the words of the great American poet, John Greenleaf Whittier, Snowbound.
After doing all the things one can do isolated inside a home where wind and weather are having their frenetic way outside — listening to the radio, watching TV, talking with one’s Mother and Father in Law, eating, talking about the weather again and — again, eating; I began to look for things to read (this before the days of the Internet and Laptops). I read the collection of books of music, mostly “Songs from the Turn of the Century”: I recall “She’s only a bird in a gilded cage, A beautiful sight to see, You may think she’s happy and free from care, She’s not, though she seems to be.”
Finally, I turned to the antique coal bucket into which were poured the weekly issues of the local newspaper. I love local weekly newspapers (few are left these days I know). The Perkasie News-Herald was full of photos of local people doing things, stories of High-School activities, Obituaries (of course) and The Religion Page.
I turned to the advertisement for Trinity Lutheran Church (one of the plethora of Lutheran churches in the area). In addition to the listing of times of Sunday Morning Worship, there was an additional entry for Sunday afternoon at precisely 2.30 pm.
It said “Quiet Communion.”
I was intrigued. I called the Church. A secretary answered the phone. “I’m visiting,” I told her. She replied, “Quite a storm!” “Yes,” I replied. “So, I have a question. I’m reading the listing you have here in the Perkasie News-Herald for a service on Sunday afternoons at 2.30. It says “Quiet Communion.”
“Oh, yes,” she answered, “It’s extremely popular, especially with our older members.”
“I see,” I said (though I really didn’t and so I asked:) “Just what exactly is a Quiet Communion?”
There was a long pause. “Well,” she said, “It’s Holy Communion which is — you know — quiet.”
I love answers like that. I find there are a lot of answers like that (I find) especially in the Church. I persevered —
“But I still don’t know what you mean. What is so quiet about the Holy Communion? I mean do people not talk?”
“Oh, of course they talk, they just don’t sing!”
“Ah,” I said, “It’s a spoken Service. No music.”
“Yes, of course, I thought that was obvious!” she exclaimed.
“Indeed,” I relaxed. “Thank you so much for your help. Take care. Stay warm.”
“Very welcome,” she ended the call.
+++
I am, I hope you know, extremely honoured to be here this morning, any morning, in this congregation. And I’m truly honoured to be able to lead worship in the absence of my friend and colleague now of these some (35 years‽) Talitha Arnold. But I have to say that just as the early and late times of worship at my former parish, were as different as night and day; so it is here.
Each Service here has its own true soul and spirit and identity and one might say ethos.
Ten o’clock is full of song and sound and movement — and it is lovely. I will be there this morning shortly as you know.
But Eight-Thirty is different. It is indeed quiet. It really takes me back to my years at Christ Lutheran Church just up the street — our 8 o’clock service was very similar — it was lovely, people were faithful and caring — especially of each other! If someone did not appear for a few weeks, phone calls would be made, inquires would take place, “is everything OK? Are you well? Can I do anything?”
And it was (as we use the word here) Contemplative.
Someone suggested (from our 10 o’clock folks) “maybe you should have music and more at that service!” One of the faithful said to me, “Pastor. This is what we need: tell us why we are here, tell us the Story, feed us with Bread and Wine, and then let us go have coffee.”
It was (and you are sworn to secrecy here) actually my favourite Service (and I loved both Services and worship and the people for all those years).
But at Contemplative Communion both (if you will, at my former parish and here here at United) it seems to me that what happens is here we take in the essence of the Gospel, and fit it to our lives.
And that essence is incredible — it is life-giving and sustaining, and it propels us from our contemplation and quiet into the world! Nothing less.
What does Jesus say to his followers, what do we read this morning from the Story? What is the sum-total message in one sentence?
“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.”
There it is, direct, simple, holy. If we follow Jesus, if we come to the table and take the bread and drink the cup, if we pledge again this morning, this day, this service — that we will do the best we can to be like Jesus to every one we meet — if we do these things, then we have the entirely of the Gospel and we take it to ourselves and wrap ourselves it it like a blanket — and with that warmth we can walk in love with one another and everyone we meet.
And that, my sisters and brothers is the Gospel, the Good News. And let us all say, Amen.
Deo Gratias (+)
The Rev. Benjamin Larzelere III
Retired
John 13.1-9
1 Πρὸ δὲ τῆς ἑορτῆς τοῦ πάσχα εἰδὼς ὁ Ἰησοῦς ὅτι ἦλθεν αὐτοῦ ἡ ὥρα ἵνα μεταβῇ ἐκ τοῦ κόσμου τούτου πρὸς τὸν πατέρα, ἀγαπήσας τοὺς ἰδίους τοὺς ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ, εἰς τέλος ἠγάπησεν αὐτούς.2 καὶ δείπνου γινομένου, τοῦ διαβόλου ἤδη βεβληκότος εἰς τὴν καρδίαν ἵνα παραδοῖ αὐτὸν Ἰούδας Σίμωνος Ἰσκαριώτου,3 εἰδὼς ὅτι πάντα ἔδωκεν αὐτῷ ὁ πατὴρ εἰς τὰς χεῖρας καὶ ὅτι ἀπὸ θεοῦ ἐξῆλθεν καὶ πρὸς τὸν θεὸν ὑπάγει,4 ἐγείρεται ἐκ τοῦ δείπνου καὶ τίθησιν τὰ ἱμάτια, καὶ λαβὼν λέντιον διέζωσεν ἑαυτόν.5 εἶτα βάλλει ὕδωρ εἰς τὸν νιπτῆρα καὶ ἤρξατο νίπτειν τοὺς πόδας τῶν μαθητῶν καὶ ἐκμάσσειν τῷ λεντίῳ ᾧ ἦν διεζωσμένος.6 ἔρχεται οὖν πρὸς Σίμωνα Πέτρον. λέγει αὐτῷ, Κύριε, σύ μου νίπτεις τοὺς πόδας;7 ἀπεκρίθη Ἰησοῦς καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ, Ὃ ἐγὼ ποιῶ σὺ οὐκ οἶδας ἄρτι, γνώσῃ δὲ μετὰ ταῦτα.8 λέγει αὐτῷ Πέτρος, Οὐ μὴ νίψῃς μου τοὺς πόδας εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα. ἀπεκρίθη Ἰησοῦς αὐτῷ, Ἐὰν μὴ νίψω σε, οὐκ ἔχεις μέρος μετ’ ἐμοῦ.9 λέγει αὐτῷ Σίμων Πέτρος, Κύριε, μὴ τοὺς πόδας μου μόνον ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰς χεῖρας καὶ τὴν κεφαλήν.
Now before the festival of the Passover, Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart from this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. 2The devil had already put it into the heart of Judas son of Simon Iscariot to betray him. And during supper 3Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going to God, 4got up from the table, took off his outer robe, and tied a towel around himself. 5Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was tied around him. 6He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, ‘Lord, are you going to wash my feet?’ 7Jesus answered, ‘You do not know now what I am doing, but later you will understand.’ 8Peter said to him, ‘You will never wash my feet.’ Jesus answered, ‘Unless I wash you, you have no share with me.’ 9Simon Peter said to him, ‘Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!’ [NRSV]
John 15.9-17
9 καθὼς ἠγάπησέν με ὁ πατήρ, κἀγὼ ὑμᾶς ἠγάπησα· μείνατε ἐν τῇ ἀγάπῃ τῇ ἐμῇ.10 ἐὰν τὰς ἐντολάς μου τηρήσητε, μενεῖτε ἐν τῇ ἀγάπῃ μου, καθὼς ἐγὼ τὰς ἐντολὰς τοῦ πατρός μου τετήρηκα καὶ μένω αὐτοῦ ἐν τῇ ἀγάπῃ.11 Ταῦτα λελάληκα ὑμῖν ἵνα ἡ χαρὰ ἡ ἐμὴ ἐν ὑμῖν ᾖ καὶ ἡ χαρὰ ὑμῶν πληρωθῇ.12 αὕτη ἐστὶν ἡ ἐντολὴ ἡ ἐμή, ἵνα ἀγαπᾶτε ἀλλήλους καθὼς ἠγάπησα ὑμᾶς·13 μείζονα ταύτης ἀγάπην οὐδεὶς ἔχει, ἵνα τις τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ θῇ ὑπὲρ τῶν φίλων αὐτοῦ.14 ὑμεῖς φίλοι μού ἐστε ἐὰν ποιῆτε ἃ ἐγὼ ἐντέλλομαι ὑμῖν.15 οὐκέτι λέγω ὑμᾶς δούλους, ὅτι ὁ δοῦλος οὐκ οἶδεν τί ποιεῖ αὐτοῦ ὁ κύριος· ὑμᾶς δὲ εἴρηκα φίλους, ὅτι πάντα ἃ ἤκουσα παρὰ τοῦ πατρός μου ἐγνώρισα ὑμῖν.16 οὐχ ὑμεῖς με ἐξελέξασθε, ἀλλ’ ἐγὼ ἐξελεξάμην ὑμᾶς καὶ ἔθηκα ὑμᾶς ἵνα ὑμεῖς ὑπάγητε καὶ καρπὸν φέρητε καὶ ὁ καρπὸς ὑμῶν μένῃ, ἵνα ὅ τι ἂν αἰτήσητε τὸν πατέρα ἐν τῷ ὀνόματί μου δῷ ὑμῖν.17 ταῦτα ἐντέλλομαι ὑμῖν, ἵνα ἀγαπᾶτε ἀλλήλους.
9As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love. 10If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. 11I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete.
12 ‘This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. 14You are my friends if you do what I command you. 15I do not call you servants any longer, because the servant does not know what the master is doing; but I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from my Father. 16You did not choose me but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask him in my name. 17I am giving you these commands so that you may love one another. [NRSV]
Nota(ble) Be(n)e 