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Given by Dr. Kathy Oliver
August 10, 2014
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.
Recently, my family gathered in South Carolina to spend a week at the beach celebrating my mother's 90th birthday. One of my responsibilities was to get my mother to the house that we had rented. I drove from Northern Virginia to South Carolina where my mother lives; I drove her to the beach, and then at the end of the week I drove her back home; and, finally, I returned home myself. In all, I drove more than 1,400 miles-most of them in the car alone. There was a lot of time to think on this trip, and I frequently found myself thinking about Saint Patrick's.
God blessed us for more than 20 years with a wonderful, caring pastor and friend; when will the feelings of anxiety that we now feel, after his retirement, go away?
When will we be able to focus more on looking forward, instead of finding ourselves tempted to try and hold on to the past?
When will we have an interim rector in place who'll help us through this period of transition?
Driving from Northern Virginia to South Carolina you cannot miss the hundreds of billboards along the highway. Billboards are those large, outdoor advertisements along the road.
Many billboards just tell us what hotel, restaurant, or kind of gasoline is nearby. The name or logo on the sign announces that a Hampton Inn or Hilton Hotel, a McDonald's or a Cracker Barrel restaurant, an Exxon or Shell gas station is just down the road. The billboards only announce the presence of these businesses. They don't tell us anything special about the particular restaurant or hotel that's nearby. They rely completely on what we already know about the brand that they're advertising.
On the other hand, from the Virginia border through North Carolina to South Carolina there are approximately 100 brightly colored billboards advertising a place called South of the Border. South of the Border is a rest stop or roadside attraction with restaurants, motel rooms, gift shops, fireworks and entertainment located just as you enter South Carolina. The first time I saw all those signs I could hardly wait to get there, cross the border, and see this place for myself.
South of the Border spends most of its 40 million dollar advertising budget on these billboards; and, as a result, more than 8 million people a year pull off the highway there for gas, food, gifts, or lodging. They are not after repeat business. One stop was all it took for me to know that I didn't want to stop there a second time. But, 8 million people equal almost 22,000 people a day, 365 days a year.
I saw several new signs on this trip that advertised auditions for Actors, Models, and Talent for Christ. I wondered what that advertisement was all about. And, I questioned whether these signs were legitimate or some sort of scam.
I saw two United States Marine Corps recruiting billboards. These billboards pictured a young marine in dress uniform with an American flag and the words "We don't accept applications, only commitments." Those signs provided food for much thought-don't just apply, commit.
Commitment thins the ranks; eight million people aren't likely to show up at a marine corps recruiting office, but those few who do will probably stay.
The Episcopal Church sign at the bottom of Brush Drive is sort of like the billboards along the highway that advertise well-known brands. It just says we're here, but is that enough?
I'm not suggesting that we erect a billboard on Annandale Road; but we need to know who were are and what our message is. What would we put on a billboard for all the world to see? What message do we want to share with an Interim Priest or a new Rector? Who do we say that we are? What is the journey that we are inviting them to travel along with us?
Most days on my vacation we had 12 people living under the same roof-4 generations-from my mother who is almost 90 to my youngest grandson who is less than a year old.
My children and my grandchildren call my mother "Oma." They call me "Nana." Most days you could hear my daughter gently and quietly reminding her three children-Have you said good morning to Oma? Have you given Nana a hug today? Have you given Oma a kiss goodnight?
These hugs and kisses and greetings, though prompted, are still precious. I wouldn't trade them for the world; but one night, Reed, my daughter's middle child, was clearly up to some mischief. He had memorized my password to get on the Internet; he had his family's iPad; and, without permission, he was downloading an application from the Internet. When I saw what he was doing, I figured that he was going to be in big trouble before the evening was over.
But, I was wrong. It wasn't long before he was back-dancing about the living room with a big smile on his face. Rap music was blaring from the iPad. He had downloaded an application from the Internet which takes phrases uttered in a conversational tone and turns them into rap music. The rap music he was playing had been created from these simple words that he had put together and entered into the application:
This is for Oma.
It is her birthday.
My Oma's awesome.
Happy Birthday,
Oh yeah, Oma, Happy Birthday!
Before long, we were all making up our own rap music. None of us were as successful as Reed had been; but a great grandson had truly connected with his Oma; and soon we were all laughing and sharing this special time together.
Again, I am not suggesting that we start writing rap music to include in our Sunday worship services. But I do think that our efforts at telling people about our church have been more like my daughter's gentle suggestion to give Oma a hug before going to bed than like Reed announcing that his Oma is awesome.
We don't need to download a program to write rap music, but we do need to craft a message that can be understood by people a century apart in age and continents apart in experience.
Today's New Testament lesson is about facing storms. It's about facing the difficult and challenging times in our lives. The disciples were probably angry with Jesus. It was Jesus who sent them ahead so that he could go up into the mountain, by himself, to pray. And now, here the disciples are, stranded in a boat, in the middle of a storm. They are being battered by the waves, and they are far from shore. They are frightened. They are unhappy, and they believe that Jesus abandoned them.
And then, in the early morning light, Jesus comes to them, walking on the sea, through the terrible storm. When thy see him coming across the water, the disciples become even more frightened; they think he's a ghost. But Jesus calls to them and tells them to take heart and to not be afraid.
And then, at Peter's request, Jesus commands Peter to come to him on the water. Enthusiastically, Peter jumps out of the boat and starts walking with confidence on the water; but it doesn't take long before Peter becomes frightened again and begins to sink. When Peter cries out, Jesus immediately reaches out his arm, catches Peter and saves him.
We worship and serve an awesome God. He loves us even when we stumble and fall, even when we lose heart and become frightened. He comforts us in our sorrows, and he reaches out to encourage and support us when we feel as though we are sinking amidst the difficulties of life.
My questions and concerns haven't gone away. I still keep asking myself...
When will these feelings of apprehension and anxiety go away?
When will we begin to focus more fully on the future, instead of being tempted to try and hold on to the past?
When will an interim rector be in place to help us through this period of transition?
Perhaps the message that we need to share with each other and with the world around us, on that billboard in our minds and as part of that rap music in our hearts, is simply this...
We worship and serve an awesome God. His Son, Jesus, continually reaches out His hand to support, encourage, and guide us. Jesus, truly, is the Son of God. He will not abandon us. He is here with us now and forever more. Amen.
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