The sermon notes that follow are the beginning of a process of thought that has not yet reached its maturity. I am pondering what it means for us as Anglicans to have lost our privileged position in society even as we remain a means of God's saving compassion in a world focused on privilege, prestige and power. I hope that you will be patient with me as I work these thoughts out, whether in future sermons or essays. In the meantime, may God give us hope, guidance and joy.
Richard+
RCL Proper 22C (Series 2)
1 September 2013
Saint Faith’s Anglican Church
Vancouver BC
Propers: Sirach 10.12-18; Psalm 112; Hebrews 13.1-8,
15-16; Luke 14.1, 7-14
On the 15th
of October 1906 the sometime Anglican Bishop of Shanghai died in Tokyo where he
had retired in 1883. His name was Samuel
Isaac Joseph Schereschewsky. His life’s
pilgrimage began in Lithuania as the son of Jewish parents, continued to
Germany, then to the United States where, after time spent in the Baptist and
Presbyterian churches, he became an Anglican deacon.
He answered a
call for missionaries to China and, during his travel to Shanghai, he learned
how to write the Chinese language. From
1862 to 1875 he served in Beijing where he began his translation into Mandarin
of the Bible and the Book of Common Prayer.
In 1877 he was elected Bishop of Shanghai and, in addition to his
pastoral work, founded Saint John’s University, some of whose alumni
established Saint John’s College at the University of British Columbia. He also turned to translating the Bible into
Wen-li, another form of the Chinese language.
But
Schereschewsky’s tenure as Bishop was cut short by Parkinson’s disease and he
was virtually paralyzed by the disease.
He retired as Bishop in 1883 and then spent twenty-three years in
Japan. During those twenty-three years
he continued his translation work having the use of only one finger. When interviewed four years before his death
about his disability, Schereschewsky said, “I have sat in this chair for over
twenty years. It seemed very hard at
first. But God knew best. He kept me for the work for which I am best
fitted.”
In all of our
readings today there is a common thread:
Walk humbly with your God. The
author of Sirach expresses it simply, “Pride was not created for human beings”
(Sirach 10.18a). But let us not confuse
humility with groveling, self-denying abasement. Humility mean recognizing who we are, what
are our gifts and what role is God calling us to play in the great drama of
salvation. Perhaps Bishop Schereschewsky
did not achieve all his dreams for his ministry in China, but he left a
foundation in his translation work that later Christian missionaries and
teachers built upon. With one finger he
gave the Christians of Shanghai and the surrounding region the resources
necessary to share their faith with others.
And he did it well.
I cannot help
but think that we Anglicans are living through a time when the pride of our
past has come home to roost. After
centuries of assuming our place at the head of the table, we are being asked to
vacate our privileged position and to move to a less exalted place. Our heritage of beautiful buildings, inspired
music and dignified liturgy serves as a constant reminder of who we were while,
at the same time, presenting us with a challenge: Who do we wish to become? What gifts do we bring to life in the
twenty-first century? What role is God
calling us to play in contemporary society?
I will not try
to answer these three questions today, but I can say that I believe that many
Anglicans are willing to walk humbly with our God. We are seeking to embody in our lives and in
our public ministries the qualities the author of the letter to the Hebrews
describes:
- Learning to love our neighbours as ourselves.
- Showing hospitality to strangers, especially to those who have no knowledge or experience of the Christian faith.
- Remembering those who are held prisoner to hopelessness, hunger, homelessness and addiction.
- Honouring the loving relationships with which God gifts us.
- Building up the lay and ordained leadership of our communities.
- Doing good and sharing what we have.
Losing our privileged place in society may be the best thing
that has ever happened to us. We have
been liberated to return to our roots, a movement begun in the ministry of
Jesus of Nazareth, empowered by the Spirit to share with God in the work of
renewing the creation.
Setting aside
the sin of pride and taking on the mantle of humility does not mean denying the
wisdom we have gained over two thousand years or denying the knowledge and
skills God has given us to meet the needs and concerns of our neighbours and
our world. Mrs Lucardi, my Grade 8
algebra teacher, once said, “It ain’t boasting if it’s true!” There are things that we know; there are things
that we may do better than anyone else.
But humility also is found by acknowledging what we do not know or do
not do well. Humility means partnering
with others and becoming a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts.
So, my friends,
the summer has come to an end and we’ve work to do. Part of that work is clearing our garden of
the weeds of centuries of Anglican pride and planting the seeds of Christian
humility. It is a humility that
celebrates what God has done for us and for all creation as we ask for the
wisdom to know what God would have us do in the coming year and beyond. It is a humility that dares to use the
wisdom, knowledge and skill we have in companionship with others, whether of
our faith or not, who will bring their own wisdom, knowledge and skill to our
common task.
Remember
this: God’s work may only require one
finger, a finger guided by the Spirit and strengthened by the love of
Jesus. With such a finger God can do
great things. Amen.
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