Happy All Saints! (Ray's Nov 6 sermon)

We celebrate today the feast of all the saints of God. Those of heroic virtue, the classic definition, whose name everybody knows like St. Francis. And the special genius of this day is to remember everyone, perhaps especially those whose names are forgotten by the world, who are known only to God. In the New Testament the word “saints” refers to the whole community, and today we celebrate the entire community of those who followed Jesus on earth as his disciples in their day, and who are now with him in heaven.

A day to have baptisms

Today is one of the four days of the Church Year the Prayer Book specifically asks us to have baptisms – along with Easter Eve, Pentecost and the Feast of the Baptism of Jesus.

And today Danielle will baptize Paul Anthony Saunders.

And the day we offer our pledges

And in our parish family life, today is the day we offer our pledges to support St. Chrysostom’s in the coming year, in 2012. May our pledges be a tangible sign of each one of us renewing our own baptismal promises – a tangible sign of our yes to follow Jesus as his disciples – to accept, trust, follow, obey.

In a few minutes in the baptismal rite we will all renew our baptismal promises to follow Jesus – to accept, trust, follow, obey God’s call to love, to loving service – and we will all promise to support this child in his life in Christ. May our pledges be a sign of that promise, an investment in carrying out that promise. . 

What have you done?

The road between Chicago and the hills of western Massachusetts has been traveled many times. Early in the new year Eve and I will drive it, to move to our new house, when I retire as rector here.

In 1858 a farm boy, 21 years old, came to Chicago from the village of Northfield, Massachusetts. His name was D.L. Moody. In later years he founded the high school I went to, and my son went to, back in his home town. I love D.L. stories. Someone asked him in later years how he dared to preach since he had so little formal education. Mr. Moody said, “I did the best I could with the advantages I have had. What have you done with the advantages you’ve had?”

Just the question for today.

I want to speak very personally today about how much I love this parish. Oh, maybe an element of saying goodbye. But more, this is my personal list, from my heart, of what I love about this community of Christ’s in this place, this koinonia. You make your list in your heart and prayers.

Hospital: My life as a priest has been woven in the lives of parishioners as I have visited in the hospital, or at nursing homes, or at home. I remember many years ago Dr. Ferris at Trinity Church in Boston saying he felt most useful in the sickroom – that has been my experience. It is a great honor to bring prayer and Communion and to be there. 

Children: And there has been the enormous gift of so many children and young families – here at  weekly worship, coming for Communion or a blessing. There is nothing I love more than a baptism! The gift of so many children in parish and school calls us to work together, calls us to make it a win-win situation.

New: I have loved some new things we have done -- things that weren’t in anybody’s mind or soul and then the idea came and we tried it. When some years ago tutoring moved to the new LaSalle Cornerstone building there was a clear wish to have a hands on outreach project in these buildings and we came up with Neighbors in Need which we started at Thanksgiving 2005 with a dinner for the good Gospel number of 12 guests. And Noma from heaven is saying remember also Cooking for Deborah’s Place. Then there was the time Mary Ellen had the music person from the Episcopal School in Manhattan come and that sparked Charles’ songs. And my doing a weekly email letter and all the connections that has brought. A reminder to me and to all of us to be open to the Spirit and the new.

Friends: Clergy friends in this diocese have meant a great deal to me.  Bishop Lee was here Tuesday for Ben’s ordination to the diaconate and how much our seminarians have meant – two of whom were sponsored for ordination by St. Chrysostom’s. And then my colleagues as associate rectors – what diverse and rich gifts of mind and heart and soul they have brought! That you, Danielle, have brought!

And I am grateful for my other colleagues on the staff here. Audrey Williams is a combination of efficiency and tact – how I value both her advice and her discretion. It is a measure of her gifts that during her time here, while working full time, and being a mom, she has earned both her bachelors and master of fine arts degrees. 

Music: Eve and I have loved living in Chicago, and one thing we both love about the city is the banquet of music available. Both at Orchestra Hall – one of my favorite places in the world – and in this parish church with Richard and Roger. If somebody said to me, quick, give me three examples of excellence: I would shoot back, Rudolph Serkin at the piano and Pablo Casals on the cello at Marlboro when I was in high school, and Richard playing Bach.

Sacred space: I am mainly talking about people and ministries, and rightly so, for they are St. Chrysostom’s. But a lot of people have taken part in a real labor of love in restoring and maintaining these buildings. We have gone over five million dollars raised for renovations since the capital campaign began in 1998. This tally does not include additional sums raised by the Day School, for instance for their lovely new class rooms. There have been several wonderful bequests (important to remember the church) but a clear majority of these funds are from living members. There have been both things seen: saving the bell tower, the new courtyard, re-facing the wall on the south side of the courtyard, restoring the stained glass and lighting fixtures. This great organ. And things not visible to you here: We should have a behind the scenes tour some Sunday of the new boilers and the electrical system. And this year there is the challenge of the clean up after a surprise flood. Not a penny of this has ever been spent that was not voted by the vestry, nor has any check ever been signed except by the lay leadership.

The bell tower in scaffolding.

This is to speak of capital expenses by the parish, by you, but the annual giving of course is needed for heat and light and cleaning and repairs.

We sent to you something called a narrative budget this year. Danielle and I and stewardship chair Craig Korte figured out how much each staff person costs to be here – and then broad brush what we do with our time. Then we asked what the building costs and what is done in it. Craig crunched the numbers to give you a simple chart of how your gifts of money are spent in worship and education and pastoral care and outreach and so forth. I don’t particularly love pie charts but it is a pie chart of some things I do love and care about deeply and so do a lot of other people. Your gift of money heats an apartment so a non-frozen priest can be there to visit in the Intensive Care unit at Northwestern. Your gift of your gift of money pays for electric lights and plumbing for a twelve step program to meet.

Worship: I deeply love the worship in this place, and specifically this service of worship at this hour today: Baptism and Eucharist and Sermon – Word and Sacrament -- this is the very best we have. The Book of Common Prayer in action. It is the same at places of worship far bigger than we are – and far smaller -- almost word for word at the National Cathedral in Washington or Trinity Church, Wall Street or all sorts of places. Indeed when our pilgrimage was at Canterbury Cathedral several years ago the liturgy was almost word for word the same as today’s (there did not happen to be baptism). Almost word for word except the words in Spanish and Mayan – Tseltal -- in Yochib under a tin roof. This is not ours only, but this is us at our best, our heritage at its best, the best we have to offer, the best evangelical tool we have. To speak to people who have a deep hunger and thirst for the spiritual life.

Eve and I went to Symphony last Thursday evening, and as I was about to leave I picked up a small notebook, which happened to be from a conference called CREDO I attended some time ago – a conference for clergy which was very helpful and meant a great deal.

I just had it with me to jot down thoughts – perhaps I got the idea because we’ve happened to sit near our two different Chicago music critics recently.

Anyway, there I was

sitting in row F at Orchestra Hall

Thursday night just before 8

and I opened the notebook to a quotation

in my handwriting

someone at the conference must have had me write it down.

And I read these words from St. Anselm –

part of a prayer he wrote to God:

… admit me into the inner room of your love. (intra cubiculum amoris tut) .

                          St. Anselm of Canterbury 1033-1109  

God does – does admit me --

God welcomes us in.

Water and bread and wine are signs of it –

God welcomes me into God’s inner room of God’s love,

And I am washed and welcomed and fed.

And so are you.

And the door is opened for every one.  

Poverty: My own experience of poverty –

Ray Webster’s own poverty of spirit in today’s Gospel –

at this moment in my life

is what isn’t finished or didn’t work

or didn’t get tried

or went off track.

And there are those I mourn. .

God puts a small piece of bread in my hand

to be a sign of that body given in love for me

on a day in our history,

the body of he who experienced poverty of spirit –

a small piece of bread is put in my hand

to say God is here

and loves

and it is OK, it is OK,  

and those I mourn are safe with God.

And my hunger is met by the blessed feeding

God gives me, gives you, each one –

And I am fed

by the abundance of God’s love in Jesus Christ.  

(This sermon was preached by the Rev. Raymond Webster, Rector, in St. Chrysostom’s Church, Chicago, Illinois on Sunday, November 6, 2011 All Saints’ Sunday and Stewardship Sunday.)