Sermon Preached On January 29, 2012 The Rev. Rebecca S. Brown

Sermon preached on January 29, 2012 The Rev. Rebecca S.
Brown Deuteronomy 18:15-20 Psalm 111 1 Corinthians 8:1-13 Mark 1:21-28 Hallelujah! I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart, In the assembly of the upright, in the congregation. Welcome to Annual Meeting Sunday. Today isnt, of course, formally recognized in the churchs calendar of feast days, even though every parish has its own customs and patterns for ritual observance. Since this is my first time with you here at Christ the King, we will both be feeling our way through it together. Although this is my first Annual Meeting with you, it isnt the first time Ive been at such a gathering. I cant be absolutely sure, but I suspect that many of the dynamics are pretty similar across churches. And while these lessons arent chosen specifically for this occasion, there are elements of each of our lessons that seem to be especially appropriate for today. Lets begin with the opening verse of the Psalm 111: Hallelujah! I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart, in the assembly of the upright, in the congregation. It makes sense to begin this time of reflecting on the past year with worship, with all of us gathered together to give thanks to God. Here, we sing Gods praise, listen to Gods word, offer prayers on behalf of those who need Gods presence with them, confess our own shortcomings, hear of Gods forgiveness, share Gods peace with one another, and receive the sacramental gifts of bread and wine, signs of Gods continuing presence with us. Worshipping together reminds us that we are the Body of Christ, that we are to be visible signs of Gods presence in the world. And that we are not along in this workwe share this ministry together, encouraging and supporting one another. From First Corinthians: Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up Following our worship service, we will share a meala common practice in the early church. Im not sure that we need to concern
ourselves with whether or not food has been sacrificed to idols, as the church in Corinth apparently did. However, Pauls brief reminder Knowledge puffs up, but love builds upis certainly pertinent when we come together to discern Gods call for our congregation. Many of us may think that we have the knowledge necessary to make decisionsat least for ourselves. But others may not, and it can be a challenge to be willing to put aside our own certainties so that others can be heard and cared for. Acting in love toward one another being is more important than being right. In our reading from Deuteronomy, we have Gods promise that a prophet will be raised up for the Israelites, someone who will speak to God on their behalf once Moses has died. Of course, there are some warnings from God as well: To the people: You all need to listen to my prophet, or I will hold you accountable. And to the prophet: Say only what I tell you to say, or you will die. As we move into our meeting time, I wonder what would happen if we tried thinking of each other as prophets. Would we be willing to listen as if we might hear the Word of God? And when we speak, what would it be like if we were to speak not our own words, but what we thought might be Gods words to us? Next our lesson from todays Gospel: Jesus first public healing. Its rather a dramatic beginning, dont you think? Gathered for a quiet, orderly reflection on the appointed texts for the day, the participants may have been intrigued by this stranger to Capernaum, who entered their synagogue and began to teach. But that was nothing compared to what happened next. One man who had come to worship suddenly cries outmaybe its more like a strange shriekchallenging the guest teacher. What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? And the teacher answers him, saying Be silent, and come out of him! And unclean spiritfor thats what it must have beengives another loud shriek and is silent. This is the first indication we have of what the author of Mark means when he talks about the kingdom of God being near. In Jesus, God challenges all that is evil in this world, all the forces that would rob the children of God of all that God hopes and intends for them. And this passage reminds us of our purpose as a community of faith, people who are gathered and organized and called together to make the kingdom of God visible on earth. We, too, are to be a community of transformation and of radical healing, where unclean spirits can be
named and cast out and where the power of Gods love sets all of us free. And finally, the closing words of our psalm: The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; those who act accordingly have a good understanding; his praise endures for ever. It is often hard to remember thatin the endall of what we are doing is in Gods hands, now and for ever. We in the church often experience times when the urgency of our immediate situation seems to overwhelm us, and we forget that we arent really expected to have all the answers. Knowing when to let go of our own needs, learning to trust that God will lead us when the way isnt clear, we begin to grow in wisdom and to act out of love and hope, rather than anger or fear. There is no question that we live in challenging times, when the future is uncertain and the paths we need to follow are only barely visible some of the time. But these are also times of tremendous possibility as we open ourselves to the power of the Spirit moving among us. To ground our lives in prayer and praise, to care for one another, to listen to each other and speak thoughtfully, to remember who we are called to be, and to trust in Gods faithfulnessthese are all signs of Christian community. Thank you for the privilege of serving as your Priest-in-Charge here at Christ the King. I look forward to working with you as we take on the challenges before us, surrounded by the knowledge of Gods faithfulness in the past and Gods promises of hope for the future.

Sermon Preached On January 29, 2012 The Rev. Rebecca S. Brown

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