Proper 13; 11th Sunday After Pentecost
Year B; Track 2
5 August 2018
Ephesians 4:1-16 The gifts he
gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some
pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building
up the body of Christ…
In today’s Epistle Reading Paul, bless him, gives a listing
of gifts the faithful need in order to equip them for the work of ministry and
in the building up of the body of Christ.
Now, that is something, I dare say, all of us in this congregation want
to do: build up this branch of the Body of Christ in our small corner of this
vast diocese of New York. His a rather precise list: apostles, prophets,
evangelists, pastors, and teachers.
Seems to me to be a list of rather specific skill sets that make for a
somewhat professional cadre of folks with specific skills. Now I spent most of
my professional career in the classroom with mostly middle school students…no
mean feat, I can tell you that. My
colleagues and myself dealt with budding adolescents during a time in their
development when their parents, the very people who felt they knew their children
the best, would often, during parent-teacher conferences, bewail the fact that
some sort of evil being had emerged and taken possession of their former
care-free elementary school student and created this unpredictable changing
that often was more like an out of control dirt devil then the youngster they
nurtured and loved from infancy. We would try to sooth their trouble minds by
assuring them that this was the beginning of a time of growth and maturity for
their child…this too would pass, and their child needed their care, love and
support during this time…. we also reminded them to keep being involved with
their school progress, and by the time the child reached about 15 or 16, things
would settle down. We also had a shared
philosophy that we had to laugh at least once a day at something, and there was
always something to chuckle about when you deal with seventh graders, believe
me. We knew our strengths and we worked together like a fist. Teaching was our
gift. And it is easy to see how this gift is important in equipping the saints
for ministry, but it certainly is not the only one.
I firmly believe that one of the important gifts for ministry
is hospitality.
And that is something I believe this parish does very, very
well. I remember that it was at
Ascension that I was first introduced to the concept of ice cream at coffee
hour, which for me meant ice cream for breakfast! What a concept! A nice bowl
of good vanilla ice cream with some walnuts for fiber, blueberries for
antioxidants, and granola for crunch…. what’s not to like…and healthy as well!
And the cucumber sandwiches!!! I still wax poetic whenever I expierence the wonderfulness
of a well-made cucumber sandwich, the very best ones I ever had, were here.
Then there is the Octoberfest and Chinese New Year…I am not sure which
celebration I like better! They certainly both have their charms and their
fans.
But the one really impressive ministry that is done here at
Ascension has got to be the work you have done over twenty years ministering to
the residents of Lakside Manor. These are truly the people Jesus was talking
about when he said, “…feed my sheep.” Many of them have been abandoned by
friends and family due to their mental state and questionable behavior. But every Sunday, rain or shine, a cadre of
the faithful from Ascension are there to offer prayers, listening hearts and
cake to bring a bit of God’s love into their lives.
Now, you may not think this is a big deal, but it is. Your work at Lakeside has inspired a group at
Christ Church to start a similar ministry at Staten Island Cares, a similar
facility in New Brighton. This is important work, good work, God’s work that is
happening because of you, by you and through you. You are the saints equipped
in doing the work of ministry and building up the body of Christ. Thank you for furthering the Kingdom.
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