A Radical Project, The Reverend David R. Williams, Pentecost XX--Year B--October 20, 2006

Give us Grace, O Lord, not only to hear your word with our ears, but also to receive it into our hearts and to show it forth in our lives: for the glory of your great name.  Amen.

A radical event will happen this morning.  Later in this worship service, a profound book recognized in some circles as revolutionary will be given to young members of our church family.

All children in the second through the fourth grade classes will receive a book of Bible stories. As Episcopalians we might take for granted the Bible gathering dust on our bookshelves. We know the Book of Common Prayer, yes, our elegant liturgies with roots in the Bible. We hear the lessons, the Gospel each week.

Still, we may overlook the power of biblical stories –stories of God’s mercy and goodness, vengeance and judgment—stories which, in fact, have inspired, at worst, friction, debate and bloody wars and, at best, enlightenment and transformation.

We are going back to basics in a new and special way.

In his most recent book Letter to a Godchild: Concerning Faith, Reynolds Price shares a turning point in his life.  As a little boy, Price discovered a book of Bible stories on his family’s bookshelf.  Thus began a long spiritual journey, writes Price. He says he could not read enough of the stories, the characters and the drama metaphorical to life dramas, right here, now, in the modern world.

Under the wise guidance and leadership of our new Director of Christian Formation, Kim Futrell, we as a church family are establishing a new ritual. Each year, we will have a small ceremony in the context of Sunday worship, giving to each of our youngsters (grades two through four) a particular book of Bible stories for their own shelves. Older children eventually will receive through the church a personal copy of the New Revised Standard translation of the Bible.

In order to catch up, this radical project will be spread over the next twelve months.  By then, all of our children will have been given either a book of Bible stories or an actual Bible. In turn, our children will pledge to read, reflect upon and proclaim to others the Word—to intentionally “pay forward” those Biblical stories of transformation and renewal too often assumed or overlooked by us adults.

This morning’s stories of the Good Book include the saga of the beleaguered and forlorn Job seeking answers from his God. Job has lost everything and is desperate for explanation. From a whirlwind, the Lord finally answers with a series of daring questions:

“Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Who laid the cornerstone when the morning stars sang together?  Can you send forth lightning?  Who has put wisdom in the inward parts?”

Job is humbled. He knows the fundamental answer to each question: God’s power.

And so we, too, often find ourselves wrestling with frustration or feeling burdened by heavy demands or even tragedy.

Most of the time, the whirlwind eventually finds us – a hug from a loved one, a smiling child’s face, an unexpected gift.  We are humbled. We discover our true ordinary place in God’s creation.  The story of Job is a most radical, telling story.

In the Gospel today, we meet two disciples James and John, sons of Zebedee.  “Sons of Thunder” was the name given them by Jesus when he called them from their fishing boats.

James and John must have been obnoxious, brash, fiery – not always pleasant. Why else would Jesus give them the name of thunder? They were raised in a family of some prominence – father, a successful fisherman, and mother, recognized and respected as a Jewish leader.  In fact, their mother, Salome, was one of the three women noted to be actual witnesses of the crucifixion of Jesus.

Salome is here in our sanctuary--seen with one of the Marys-- in the stained-glass window to my right. The women have gone to the tomb and discovered it empty.

Having been raised with high expectations, the Zebedee brothers assume they will have the same distinction for the rest of their lives.  The brothers are among the very first disciples called by Jesus.  They are included when Jesus goes up the mountain and is transfigured.  And they are included in Jesus’ last hours, just before he is arrested, as he goes into the garden to pray.

You would think that, after being with Jesus for two years, these young men would have lost some of their haughty edge. But, no. As Jesus foretells his destiny, the brothers realize a major change will soon take place.  James and John believe they deserve a place right next to Jesus – to his left and and to his right – places of prominence, even majesty and power.

The brothers have not yet grasped the humility and attention to service sought by Jesus in his followers.

This has to be a most awkward moment for James and John.  Tactfully and cleverly, Jesus answers the brothers without slamming them too harshly.

“You do not know what you are asking.  The cup that I drink, you will drink; and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized, but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant…”

The other disciples ridicule James and John for their arrogance.  Then Jesus makes a point to them all:

“Whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant and whoever wishes to be first must be slave of all.  For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve...”

“The cup that I drink, you will drink.”

All twelve are humbled – not just James and John. Greatness is only to be found through service to others—and thus to God.

This is a radical story – very difficult for any of us to fully understand.

We tend to want what is also expected by James and John. We wish to be important, loved, respected.  In truth, we already are loved, respected and precious in the eyes of God. But none of us is equal to God.

In addition to the “radical act” of distributing Bibles today, we recognize this as the second Sunday of our Pledge Review.  Speaking of Christian servers, we have been humbled by the creative and heartfelt leadership this year of Bob and Kathy Hykes; by the very moving and personal testimonies of Derek Steed, Linda Munn, Dana Moore, Chris Seiler, Jan Kelly, Carrie Daniels, Joyce Padmos, Betsy Baldwin, and Caroline Ansbacher.   We are ever so grateful for the production of the first-ever Holy Comforter DVD. The actual disk was edited and made by Patty Puett Dement who grew up in this parish.

We are blessed and so humbled by the leadership talent and the willingness of so many people in this precious parish family.

Now we have are the opportunity to say not what we expect or what we deserve, but rather yes to the profound gift of this church family. We have the opportunity to say yes to the ministry we together provide together in this parish family and larger community, to say yes to the Christian formation quietly taking place before our very eyes and within our very hearts.

Our signature on this pledge card is as vital and meaningful as the dollar amount pledged. Our signature says , “Yes,” I am part of this family, not just the family of Holy Comforter, but the vast family of God’s nature. 

We affirm, over and over again, and we take nothing for granted:

“Whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all.”

Amen.