Deacon Janet's Sermon, Trinity Sunday
Archdeacon Janet Tidwell delivered the sermon during Sunday’s service at St. Christopher’s. Unfortunately, due to technical difficulties the Zoom meeting was sometimes difficult to understand. Below is the text of her sermon.
Sermon, Trinity Sunday
Matthew 28:16-20
June 7, 2020
In today’s Gospel reading, which is also known as The Great Commission, Jesus says,
“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you.”
Eleven men gathered on a mountain, when an apparition of their friend and Master, who had just been crucified, appeared and told them to go out among all people, Jews and non-Jews, baptize them and teach them to obey everything that he had taught and commanded of them.
What was it like to have been one of them? To be a faithful follower receiving your “marching orders” from the Master?
Exactly what is a disciple? What does it take to be one?
The dictionary describes a disciple as one who receives instruction from another: one who accepts the doctrines of another and assists in spreading or implementing them: one of the inner circle of Christ’s followers.
What words characterize a disciple?
Faithful, disciplined, enthusiastic, industrious, determined, courageous, patient, curious, a good listener and communicator, and a follower—but also a leader. Whew! That’s an 11-adjective description of a disciple. Can we live up that?
Not long ago I observed what I believed to have been a disciple of sorts while standing in my kitchen. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed an ant scurrying toward a stray Graham cracker crumb. It looked like an insect on a mission.
Since the counter is in the middle on my kitchen, I wondered just how it got there. Having had some experience in tracking ants to find their source of entry, I decided to do a little sleuthing. I retrieved my flashlight and watched as it moved down the counter to the floor molding, then along the wall where it encountered a doorway. It traversed up, over and down the doorway and continued along the baseboard.
Halfway between the doorway and the window, it encountered another ant going in the opposite direction. Both stopped momentarily. I swear they were communicating. Then they both continued along their individual paths.
My heart beat a little faster as the ant approached the window. It traveled across the window sill and encountered more ants. Sure enough, past the first window, then the second, and at the very end of the third window near the corner of the room, it exited. Ah-hah! The point of entry had been found.
Later I thought about the characteristics of a disciple. That ant had almost every one of them—determination, enthusiasm, patience, discipline, courage, industriousness, a leader and a communicator.
What does a Christian disciple look like? How do you know one when you see one?
Is it a young to middle-aged man wearing a brown burlap garment, secured at the waist with a rope, wearing sandals, bearded and looking slightly disheveled? In today’s world that person might be identified as some kind of religious zealot on one hand, or a homeless vagrant on the other. When Christ walked among us, we had living examples of disciples.
Today’s disciples come in different genders, assorted ages, shapes, sizes, colors, denominations, physical abilities and temperaments; however, they all adhere to Jesus’s directive to “teach them to obey everything that I have commanded you.”
When we talk about discipleship, the “E” word inevitably comes up. Yes, Evangelism is alive and well in the Episcopal Church. In fact a new 6-part digital course entitled “Embracing Evangelism” is now available. If you remember, the Diocese of Atlanta held a robust, extremely motivating Episcopal Revival last January which drew some 2000 participants. The Forward Movement has been inspiring disciples and empowering evangelists for 85 years. Bishop Curry reminds us that we all should be dedicated to spreading the good news and welcoming new people to join the Episcopal branch of the Jesus Movement.
What does it take be become a Christian disciple?
Jesus states clearly, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” Now GO…make disciples. Add to this command the willingness to accept the love, joy and enthusiasm of Jesus, even to the point of zealousness. Be willing to “go against the grain”; “push the envelope.” And be willing to endure the pain of indifference, apathy and rejection. Disciples do experience “push back.”
So what causes anyone to take up the Cross and endure “push back”? I think you begin by hearing or experiencing something that you strongly believe. Then you “catch fire” and get caught up in a “New Enthusiasm.” You’re bursting with the desire to share it. You know--that feeling you get when you’ve heard a really good sermon or attended a class or workshop where the leader gave you so much information with such enthusiasm that you can’t wait to tell anyone who will listen.
But wait!
As a disciple, this is where some people will dismiss you–politely or not—and may even laugh at you. Here’s where you’ll have to “bear the cross.” Be courageous and keep the faith. But oh, how sweet the reward when you observe a smile, see “the light bulb turn on” in someone’s eyes, get a hug or have someone take your hand and gently squeeze it during prayer.
Through our baptismal covenant, each one of us is called to be a disciple and “proclaim by word and example the Good News of God in Christ.”
I can sense some reluctance out there. “Deacon Janet, we’re in the middle of a worldwide, viral pandemic; we’re filled with uncertainty, anxiety and fear; and you’re asking us to go out and make disciples?”
Yes, this may be one of the best ways to fill the emptiness, address the grief, and escape the wilderness that you may be occupying. I have felt the emptiness of a self-imposed isolation. The Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu suggests that this emptiness should be valued. He states, “There must be emptiness in order to balance constant and continuous fullness.”
Pope Francis suggests that we do this by serving and helping each other, saying, “No matter how difficult it is…Life is good when you are happy; but much better when others are happy because of you.”
Opportunities for filling the emptiness, alleviating the anxiety, serving other humans and making disciples abound. Here are a few that have come to my mind:
1) Write short notes/poems/drawings or make telephone calls to let individuals know that they are being thought about, cared for, loved and/or missed -- friends, relatives, people in nursing homes and assisted living facilities, people you may or may not know;
2) Conduct drive-bys to give a wave or shout-out from your vehicle;
3) Volunteer at food banks, healthcare or crisis hot lines;
4) Read to children or adults using your telephone with or without face-to-face contact;
5) Read Scripture and Pray;
6) Join a diverse virtual study group;
7) Talk to your neighbors, while wearing masks and social distancing;
8) Write to an elected official about inadequate healthcare options, creation care, social injustices, etc.
Do what Jesus might have done if He were on earth today. After all we are His hands and feet in the world. There are all kinds of what I call “disciple-ing” opportunities that each one of us can do. Of course, it all begins by listening to the Holy Spirit through prayer and meditation.
As a child we sang the Christian pilgrimage hymn, “Onward Christian Soldiers,” every Sunday in church school. Shortly we’re going to sing Hymn 347, “Go forth for God.” Go to the world in peace, in love, in strength, and in joy. Let the Holy Spirit that dwells within each one of us work its “magic” in fulfilling The Great Commission.
Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.
Amen.
