St. Paul's Episcopal Church

St. Paul's Episcopal Church
425 Cleveland Ave SW
Canton, Ohio 44702
Phone: 330-455-0286
Fax: 330-455-9818
E-mail: office@stpaulscanton.org

17 Pentecost
St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Canton OH
Esther 7, 9; James 5:13-20; Mark 9:38-50

September 27, 2009
The Rev. Barbara L Bond

The Emerging Church

We have three remarkable scenes in our readings today, and they all seem to speak to where I have been this past week.

The first reading is a crucial scene in the story of Esther. Esther is married to the King, but her position is precarious. Her husband the king does not realize that she is Jewish. The king’s minister Haman has hatched a subversive plot to get rid of all the Jews, and the king has unwittingly gone along with it. But Esther exposes the plot, informs the king that she herself is Jewish, and she begs for the lives of her people. She bravely confronts Haman and puts her life and the lives of her people on the line. Her gamble pays off, and the tables are turned on the wicked Haman. Esther came into the palace initially because of her beauty, and she learned to play palace politics to her advantage. Esther was originally an outsider, but she came inside and worked for change.

The letter of James describes an early Christian community which takes care of its own needs. There is no mention of a priest. Healing comes from anointing by elders. Are you suffering? Then pray. Are you cheerful? Then give thanks. Confess your sins to one another and you will be forgiven. Apparently sacramental life was shared in the early church.

In the gospel reading, Jesus’ followers were not sure about the rules. John comes running to Jesus and says, “Teacher, someone else is casting out demons in your name! We tried to stop him. He doesn’t have the right credentials to be throwing out demons!” Jesus was not interested in credentials, but rather in spreading the Gospel. If someone is doing good work, for goodness sake don’t stop him!

The common thread I see in all three stories is the power of God working in community, not necessarily according to the rules. Esther managed to save her people despite a palace minister’s effort to destroy them. The community of James does sacramental work for each other. And Jesus’ preaching has apparently touched people outside the circle of disciples, who feel empowered to minister in Jesus’ name. In other words, in all cases, these acts of mercy are not being done according to church protocol! Something is loose here. Where’s the control???

That’s a question that Christians will be asking themselves as this 21st century progresses. Church as we have known it, and loved it, is changing. Fifty years ago, we thought we knew the rules – that’s when the majority of Americans attended church regularly. The churches were tightly controlled from the top, with the clergy and hierarchy making all the decisions. But as the decades of the last century rolled on, this control started to slip. Our whole society is undergoing vast change right now, and the church along with it. Since the 1950s, all mainline denominations of Christians have seen a decline in attendance, and the percentages of those who identify themselves as Christian is declining rapidly. Attending church has become just one option of many for a Sunday morning – why not play golf, or go to a school soccer game, or go shopping at the mall? Many folks make these other choices, and our churches shrink and shrink and shrink. The old controls are gone – the inner controls of our upbringing, and the outer controls of the hierarchical church. Oh, woe is me!

And yet this is not bad news, because God is still with us, and our yearning for connection is finding new forms. A new expression of Christianity is emerging, and it will look very different from what we are used to, but it will have energy and authenticity. Perhaps, instead of shopping or amusing ourselves, we will find ourselves saying, “I want to be with my community, because that is a place that matters. These people matter to me, and what we are doing matters to me. I can shop any day, but when my community gathers, I want to be there.”

And the rules might be different. How about healing and anointing? We already have lay healers who practice this ministry right here, no ordination required. What about other priestly functions? The old rules said there were three things that only priests can do, the ABC’s: Absolution, Blessing and Consecration. Well, what if the community can offer forgiveness? What if the community offers a different kind of solace, acceptance, and love? Surely that is more effective than a priest saying a formula! And blessing? This community already offers blessing on wedding anniversaries – all of you read the blessing, and that chorus of voices is more supportive to the couple than my voice alone. And consecration? So far the church has a hammer-lock on that one: I am the only one saying the words over the bread and wine – but what if we shared them? What if a group gathered around the altar and consecrated the bread and wine together? What if we shared the sermon? Oh no! Jesus, someone is casting out demons in your name!

I think, little by little, the sacred cows will be put out to pasture, and in their place, the emerging church will be a vibrant, committed community, concerned about each other and those around them, with fresh approaches and forms. The church is changing, but remaining authentic and true to the teaching, life, death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus. Some things must die, for true resurrection to happen. The emerging church is bringing new life to our lives of faith. Do not be afraid. God’s Kingdom is breaking through in this new world.

AMEN