Sermon by Lou - Feb. 7 - Dusting off our Dreams and Exploding into New Beginnings

Sermon on the Last Sunday after the Epiphany – the Rev. Lou Hays

Luke 9:28-36

Two weeks ago I was trying to figure out what to use for opening devotions for that evening’s Vestry meeting. The Vestry is akin to the Board of Directors of the parish, and we always begin our meetings with some sort of Bible reflection or prayer.

As I was contemplating what to do, I opened an email I get every day with a quote that is supposed to speak to the upcoming Sunday’s scripture reading. And as I read the quote, I knew I had found the reflection I would share with the Vestry, thank you Lord!

Some of you have heard of Joan Chittister. She’s a Roman Catholic nun, prolific author and speaker, and she drives the bishops nuts because she is a forceful voice for change and reformation in the Church. Here are her words that leapt off the page:

"Change may frighten us, of course, but it may just as surely free us from our old selves and freshen us for life newborn. Change dusts off our dreams and explodes us into new beginnings."

Change dusts off our dreams and explodes us into new beginnings. Change transforms us. You might say change transfigures us: life is reborn.

I chose that passage to reflect on with the Vestry because we were going to launch major change at St. Paul’s. I wanted to remind them, just as I want to remind you, that change is exciting, change is powerful, and of course, change is a little scary.

A year ago, after consulting with the Bishop, the Vestry and I began succession planning for our parish. At the time I was two and a half years away from the Episcopal Church’s mandatory retirement age. Clergy may continue to work, but not in the parish they are serving when they turn 72. And that night, using Joan Chittister’s reminder of the power of change as the backdrop, we confirmed and refined the plans we had made a year ago. And as most of you know from my letter and the Senior Warden’s email, the transition process has begun.

Transition. Change. Our Gospel is about change. Every year the Season of the Epiphany begins with Jesus’ baptism and ends with Jesus’ transfiguration. It’s not a perfect comparison, but it’s a little analogous to our baptism and our confirmation. The transfiguration confirms that this is Jesus, the Christ, the Son of God, a mature affirmation, just as at our confirmation we make a mature affirmation that we are part of the body of Christ.

We call this event the transfiguration, a fancy word for change, because Jesus’ appearance changes. According to Luke’s version the appearance of his face changes and his clothes become dazzling white. Matthew tells us that Jesus’ face shone like the sun. Jesus himself doesn’t change, but his full glory and divinity are revealed, punctuated by God’s words, “This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!”

We all react a little differently to change. Some people embrace change. Some people are afraid of change. Some people act a little goofy when there is change. Guess where Peter falls in that spectrum? Peter, as he often is, is a little goofy. He doesn’t quite understand what’s happening. He wants to capture what is going on, preserve it, turn it into what we used to call a Kodak moment. He wants to build three booths, one for Jesus, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.

In a sense we can identify with Peter. We’ve probably all had moments, mountain-top moments that we would like to capture and hold tight to forever. But of course we can’t, and we have to be satisfied with the memories of that special moment and hope that we can carry some of it with us forever.

It’s probably safe to say that we all share in the various potential reactions to change, depending on the time and the circumstance. Some of us will embrace the change some of the time, some of us will probably be fearful of the change some of the time, and surely some of us will get a little goofy some of the time.

It’s a bit of a cliché to say that the only certainty in life is change. But there’s truth in this statement. And because we have so much change in our lives in the world, we find change in the church to be particularly difficult. Church, or so many believe, is the one place we can escape from change, a place to find refuge and comfort. But even in church, change is the norm. Babies are born, people die. Newcomers arrive, long time members move away. Staff come, staff go. Rectors come, rectors go. The only churches that don’t change much are those that are dying.

No, church is not a refuge from change. Church is a place where we come to worship and serve the one constant in our lives, God revealed to us in Jesus Christ. The constant in church is Jesus. That’s why we will sing as our opening hymn at the annual meeting, “Christ is made the sure foundation, Christ the head and cornerstone. . . .Holy Zion’s help forever, and her confidence alone.”

As we enter this time of transition, we need to cut each other some slack. If someone is suggesting that the world is coming to an end, remember that change is challenging. If I seem a little off from time to time, remember that I too am going through transition, moving from the concept of retirement to the reality of retirement. As with Peter, there may be a little goofiness.

This is not my valedictory. There will be time for that later, when I will know, based on how the search process is going, when I will actually be departing. And you will have the opportunity to reflect on our successes and our challenges, and your hopes and dreams for the future of St. Paul’s. This reflection and input from the congregation will be one of the most important steps leading up to the search process. I would also invite you to prayerfully consider whether God might be calling you to accept the offer sent out on Friday to apply to become a member of the Rector Search Committee, which will be an incredibly important ministry.

Today we celebrate that God is revealed to us through Jesus Christ. As God’s glory is revealed, Jesus’ appearance changes, the disciples change, and we are changed. And my prayer for all of us is this: may we be freed from our old selves, may we experience life newborn, and embrace change that will dust off our dreams and explode us into new beginnings.

Amen.