May God’s words alone be spoken, may God’s words alone be heard.  Amen.
Wow!  What a joyful celebration yesterday, right?  So many people here to support the new ministry of priest and parish – of all of you and me – together.  And in the induction, the gifts presented were all signs of the ministry we will share with one another.  The Rev. Melissa Hall, a dear friend and colleague, spoke in her sermon about this being like a marriage, and it is.  It is a new beginning.
In Eastertide, we hear a great deal about new beginnings.  I was asked by a parishioner on the second Sunday of Easter if we had somehow forgotten the Hebrew scripture, because we had, and still have, as the first reading verses from the Acts of the Apostles.  But in Eastertide, I assured her, we set aside for a moment the Hebrew texts to listen to the stories of the earliest followers of Jesus as they try to reconcile what has happened, and their experience of the risen Christ.  And, as they do, they begin to form an identity that is new – a set of relationships based on the growing understanding of who they are, who Christ is, and what Christ taught them.
Today, the scriptures tell us a lot about who we are here at Christ Church, as we move forward together in our new relationship.  Hopefully, no one thinks this means I should be hauled out and stoned outside the walls, like our protomartyr Stephen.  That can come later.
Take a look though at the reading from 1 Peter.  Now, this was written as the church was rapidly growing in Asia Minor, though the date of its composition, and even who actually wrote it, is up for debate.  But, it is a letter that seeks to address issues arising out of these new communities of faith – disagreements on direction, persecution from the outside, and so on.
But the author of the letter implores the people in these communities to remember who they are – God’s holy people – “chosen and precious in God’s sight.”  And then tells them that they are to be “like living stones, let[ting] [them]selves be built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood.
Now yesterday, you heard a lot about what it means to be a priest.  In our catechism, we have the teachings of our faith (which, if you ever want to read, are located on pages 845-863 of the Book of Common Prayer – that red/black book in your pew rack).  And on page 855 you will find that the answer to the question of “who are the ministers of the church” is
Who are the ministers of the Church?
A.  The ministers of the Church are lay persons, bishops,
priests, and deacons.
Q.
What is the ministry of the laity?
A.
The ministry of lay persons is to represent Christ and his
Church; to bear witness to him wherever they may be;
and, according to the gifts given them, to carry on
Christ’s work of reconciliation in the world; and to take
their place in the life, worship, and governance of the
Church.
“to carry on Christ’s work of reconciliation in the world; and to take their place in the life, worship, and governance of the Church.”
See, the thing is – being church is a very active thing – for priests, yes, but also for every one of you.  Because, as the author of 1 Peter makes clear, all of you are called to the priesthood as well.
Being a Christian is not for those wanting to stay on the sidelines.  It is about being in a relationship – a relationship with Christ, with each other, and with the world around us.  And if there is one thing anyone who has been in a relationship can tell you, it is not a passive thing.  You cannot phone in a relationship – you must be present and active in it for it to work. And relationships have to be grounded in the very things Melissa was talking about yesterday and what we heard today in the epistle from 1 Peter.  Love.
Now, you’d think that would be easy.  Sort of like a Beatles song “All you need is love”  do-de-do-de-do.  But the reality is that this…wait for it…”crazy little thing called love” (yup – on a bit of a song kick here), anyway, this love thing is not always what we expect.  I think some folks are okay with love, so long as it is on their terms.  You know, like the Broadway show…”I love you, you’re perfect, now change” All the benefits, with none of the risks.
See, that’s the thing about relationships, to enter into one, to love, is to take a risk.  It is a risk to be exposed – to put your heart on the line.
At my ordination, Melissa was also the preacher, and she gave me four gifts – all of which I keep in my office – bandaids, nails, a yield sign, and a plunger.  Okay…you want to know what those were for:  The nails were to remind me to always take the first nail for justice, just as Jesus did.  The yield sign was to slow down.  And the plunger, well I’ll have to quote her on that one.  She held it up as the last gift, and as everyone started to laugh, she said, “And this plunger, because your sermon won’t count for a tinker’s damn, if you can’t get the toilet working on Sunday.”  And THAT is why I love her so very much.  A dear, dear, friend.  But, it was that first one, the box of bandaids, that I am reminded of now (though on other occasions these past few months – the plunger looms large).  She said that the bandaids were needed because my heart would be broken.
And she is right…not that it has been here, but it is part of loving.  Now, there are a lot of books on congregational growth, how to run a parish, financial management of congregations, bible study, and of course all the seminary scholarship, yada yada yada.  But in one, my favorite, the author said that the key to it all is that we must love fall in love with our congregations.  And we all know that when one falls in love, one risks being hurt.
Well, the truth is – I have fallen in love with you – all of you – and this place we call Christ Church.  I fell in love with you before I was called here, while working as a pastoral supply for you and serving here on Wednesdays as the supply priest.  And that love has grown even more in the months since I walked in the door as your new Rector.
But love is….oh, no – another song title – “a two way street.”  Love, deep and abiding love in relationship, is something that both sides need to have, and to work on.  Yes, work on.  I have felt the love from all of you, and we are off to a great start.  Some would say that we are in a honeymoon period.  But you know what?  Honeymoon periods do not ever have to end.  See, the thing is, honeymoon periods end because the people in the relationship forget over time the joy that brought them together.  But, if we drink the spiritual milk that the author of our epistle speaks of, it will be impossible to forget the joy that brought us together.
What is that spiritual milk?  The Word and The Word.  The Word of God in the scriptures, and the Word of God in Christ found in the Eucharist.  That is why they are both so important.  I was talking to a friend of mine recently who was saying that when she was a little girl in the Roman Catholic church, she was refused the Eucharist if she had come to church late, and not heard the Gospel read. We laughed about that, but while it is a bit old school, the theology behind it makes sense.  We are fed by both – both are the spiritual milk that forms us into the living body of Christ.  I have even been tempted, and may just do it, to switch the order of the service on a Sunday or two, just to emphasize that very point.
And being the body of Christ means we are rooted in love, the very love that will keep us always in that honeymoon period.
See, all of us have a role, all of us have a part to play in this relationship that we call Christ Church.  As the scripture says from yesterday’s reading from Ephesians, “each of us was given grace according to the measure of Christ’s gift…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, until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ. We must no longer be children, tossed to and fro and blown about by every wind of doctrine, by people’s trickery, by their craftiness in deceitful scheming. But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and knitted together by every ligament with which it is equipped, as each part is working properly, promotes the body’s growth in building itself up in love.”
Each of us will find a place in this relationship, a way to contribute “according to the measure of Christ’s gift.”  And we have to.  Our faith teaches us – both in scripture and in tradition – that we are all part of the priesthood of all believers – all called to love and to serve.  And, as the Ephesians reading says, to speak the truth in love.  See – all of it is about love.  Isn’t that what all relationships – family, romantic, friendship – isn’t it what makes them all work – love?  It is certainly what Christ taught us to do – love one another as he loved us.
And yesterday we officially started a new relationship together, one that was begun in January.  And it is a relationship built on love – the love I have for you, that you have for each other and for me – and all of it built upon the love of God for all of us.  It is the marriage we are all in, and like any marriage, we will need to love fiercely to make it work.
I remember when I was first creating a profile on Facebook several years ago.  Now for those of you that are not on Facebook, a profile would describe where I grew up, my birthday, where I worked, my relationship status, etc..  So, I went to select my relationship status – widow, and it wasn’t listed.  Neither was separated or divorced, all of which are fairly standard relationship categories to most people.  But you know what was listed – “It’s complicated.”  Seriously.  I couldn’t say I was widowed, but I could say that my relationship status was “It’s complicated.”  I wrote them to complain (and it has been updated – I suspect many complained).  Still, it got me to thinking about a movie called “It’s Complicated.”  One of the scenes has Jake, played by Alec Baldwin, and Jane, played by Meryl Streep, who are divorced, having this conversation: “I’m sorry,” says Jake.  Jane gives him a quizzical look. “How far back does that ‘sorry’ go?”  “How far back do you need it to go?” “Waaaaay back.”  It’s a verbal joust only a long-married couple could have.
I bring this up because in truth, relationships are often complicated, messy, and a whole lot of other things.  And, for them to work, we also have to be willing to say we are sorry.  Because we will, unintentionally or not, hurt one another.  That is the risk we take – that is why bandaids were a good idea for an ordination present.
You see, we embark together on a relationship built on love, on trust, and on the foundation of Christ.  And because we love one another, we are emotionally engaged.  We have to be or this will not work.  We cannot be a church and phone it in.  We cannot be a church and not participate.  We cannot be a church and not love, which means we cannot be a church and not, on occasion, intentionally or not, hurt one another.  But if we build our relationship on the spiritual milk of Christ, if it is founded on love, we will seek first to care for each other, respect each other, support each other, and be quick to seek and offer forgiveness.
That is how we will continue in our honeymoon period for many years to come.
It isn’t magic.
It isn’t even complicated.
It is just a simple thing called love.
May God continue to bless our relationship in the years to come, that our love for each other, for our neighborhoods, and the world in need be based on a foundation of Christ’s love.
Amen.

All sermons posted are as written, and not necessarily as heard on any given Sunday.

The Rev. Diana Wilcox
Christ Church in Bloomfield & Glen Ridge
May 18, 2014
Fifth Sunday of Easter – Year A
1st Reading – Acts 7:55-60
Psalm 31:1-5, 15-16
2nd Reading – 1 Peter 2:2-10
Gospel – John 14:1-14