|
Proper 25, Year B
October 26, 2003
Christ Church, Covington
“Purpose” is the buzz this Fall. There are a number of books out there
this Fall with the word “purpose” in them: like, “The Purpose Driven Life”
and “The Purpose Driven Church”. The notion is that the things that we do
ought to have some intentionality behind them; to be headed in a
direction; in short, to serve a purpose. People are often working against
their own values and goals because they are not focused enough.
So why are we here today? What is the agenda of our gathering? What is the
purpose of our returning each week for this liturgy? It’s arguable that
the purpose may be obscure to some people, or that others may be mistaken
about it, or that the purpose may even be clear but unconvincing. For
moral instruction? Well, yes, that certainly goes on when we gather. To
say our prayers for ourselves and others? Without a doubt, we certainly
pray. To receive communion? That seems to be a regular item, at least in
the Episcopal Church.
Yet the purpose of our gathering, the agenda of our liturgy, if you will,
week by week, is something else. Have you ever been to a meeting, and
wondered what the purpose is? Perhaps at the end of the meeting you were
still wondering. Still, we hope that the title of the agenda would provide
some orientation. The key is the title at the head of our gathering, “Holy
Eucharist”: a word which means “thanksgiving”. We are here, that is, to
give thanks. That is the purpose of this meeting; without thanksgiving we
are purposeless and working against our own agenda. And of course the
agenda is not ours, but God’s; this gathering has been called by the One
who has also supplied the purpose.
In a few minutes the priest will issue the invitation, “Let us give thanks
to the Lord our God”, which will begin the “Great Thanksgiving” prayer.
This is the agenda setting item. So what are we thankful for? In this
prayer, we sketch out the territory of what we are thankful for: “the
goodness and love which you have made know to us in creation”; “the
calling of Israel to be your People”; “your Word spoken through the
prophets”; “above all, the Word made flesh, Jesus, your Son”. At the heart
of the thanksgiving is our thanks for Jesus’ death and resurrection, which
means new life for us.
The purpose of our meeting is to give thanks and to remember God’s
generosity. God’s generosity is the source of our existence itself. God
was under no obligation to make the world. God’s generosity is the source
of our redemption; in fact, a costly generosity, highlighted by the wounds
of the cross. Remembering makes these great gifts present to us once
again.
But we might bring these a bit closer to home, if we are going to be truly
“purpose driven”. We might be thankful for the gifts we have: our homes,
our families, our health. We might be thankful for preservation in times
when these things are challenged by events, by the chaos that can overtake
us. We might be thankful for God’s mercy in forgiveness, in cases where
our own actions have damaged ourselves and others. What are you thankful
for? Our thanks ought to track God’s generosity pretty closely. There is
really no limit to God’s generosity, or to our need for thankfulness.
Giving thanks for these things is also part of our agenda today. On our
way to the altar for communion we are invited to detail what we in
particular are thankful for. Our thanksgiving is a part of what we do in
this Eucharist, as we give thanks for God’s mercies in our lives.
Here is where stewardship becomes thanksgiving. God has been generous in
our lives, in bringing us here to this point. Giving generously in turn of
what we ourselves have been given is a powerful way in which we can
express our thanks for God’s gifts. It’s a way in which we can enter into
God’s own generosity. Being generous, and giving, is a way in which we can
feel closely the generosity of God toward us. Remembering, and giving, is
the way we make the reality of these great gifts present.
I have told you before that the Bauerschmidt family have been tithing for
a number of years. Yet for me, going beyond the tithe was a challenge. Yet
giving in this way has unlocked the truth of the real generosity of God,
and the way in which I can join in it. I have much to be thankful for (not
least of all Christ Church), and this seems a fitting way to express it.
Our purpose is clear. We are here to give thanks, and God has given us
this opportunity to do so.
The Rev’d John Bauerschmidt is Rector of Christ Church, Covington.
Return
to Recent Sermons |