SERMON
at
Christ Church, Watertown, Connecticut
Easter III
April 26, 2009
by
The Rev. Stanley C. Kemmerer, AHC

Has someone ever said to you, “You look like you’ve just seen a ghost!” When people say that to us it isn’t because our expression is one of pleasure or joy. It’s probably because “You’re white as a sheet!” Our expression is probably one of alarm.

As, apparently, was the apostles’… We don’t imagine them saying, “Hey, guys, lookit. It’s Jesus!” Or, to Jesus, “Hey, Jesus! Que pasa?”

In a state of alarm and fright, they thought they were seeing a ghost. His appearance was unexpected. But he said, “Why are you so agitated, and why are these doubts arising in your hearts? Look at my hands and my feet; yes, it is I indeed. Touch me and see for yourselves; a ghost has no flesh and bones as you can see I have.” And as he said this he showed them his hands and feet.
But we’re not there yet: Their joy was so great that they still could not believe it, and they stood there dumbfounded; so he said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?” Visuals don’t seem to work; let’s try something else. “Got food?” And they offered him a piece of grilled fish, which he took and ate before their eyes. Now they get it: ghosts don’t eat. Ghosts don’t need to eat.

Now for the message. His valedictory. This is Luke’s account of Jesus’ last instructions to the apostles. Then he told them, “This is what I meant when I said, while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses, in the Prophets and in the Psalms, has to be fulfilled.” He then opened their minds to understand the scriptures, and he said to them, “So you see how it is written that the Christ would suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that, in his name, repentance for the forgiveness of sins would be preached to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem (Where they now are.) You are witnesses to this.

He continues beyond this morning’s appointed reading…”And now I am sending down to you (I’m turning the work over to you.) what the Father has promised. Stay in the city then, until you are clothed with the power from on high.” (Which occurs, as they will come to see, at Pentecost.)

Jesus does not always come to us when we expect, nor does He always come to us in the way we expect. And we often react in fear. And we often are dumbfounded.

What is amazing (and heartening) to me is how certain modern apostles, like Jesus’ “come through.” Look at your journey:

At the end of 2007 the Parish of Christ Church experienced something of a crucifixion as many who had worshipped here and formed what there was then of a community, left this space.

Over the past almost sixteen months you have experienced something of a resurrection. In the beginning of last year you came nowhere near to filling the choir stalls. But you were joined by others who learned of this resurrection, of your hope and enthusiasm. They were attracted to your fellowship, Mary and I among them. Now, these choir stalls can’t hold you, and you increasingly fill the nave.

Jesus has never been absent from us in our resurrection, as he never was absent from the apostles after his resurrection. We are given to understand he will come to us in a new way, as he did to them in a new way, in this morning’s Gospel lesson.

I began my ministry in a diocese and under bishops who believed where ministry was going on measurable results were to be expected. Diocesan mission funds were viewed as “seed money,” like today’s venture capital. Congregations set goals and lay/clergy teams conducted visitations to measure performance against those goals, much as accreditation teams do in educational institutions. I served on some of those teams and my parish was visited and evaluated by them. I formed the practice early on of setting goals and measuring progress toward them, mine and others’.

It had been awhile since I’d done that, so I did the exercise this last week. I was amazed at what I found! My notes covered two typed, single space pages! Our numbers are steadily growing. We continue to see new faces pretty much on a weekly basis. The formerly untrained are being trained and assuming responsibilities. We’ve had our first baptism. Three weddings are scheduled. Choirs are increasingly part of our worship and one of our own is planned. We have a plan for child care. We have a working stove. A sound system and web presence are on the way. And the list goes on.

With the help of the Leadership Group we’ve embarked on a project of getting to know one another better: How we got to Christ Church, what our respective desired levels of involvement are, what we do or did for a living, what we enjoy doing with such spare time as we have, what talents we have, all with the aim of at once spreading our work more broadly and offering more opportunities to enjoy the fellowship we share. The calls I’ve made have produced information that has amazed and astounded me as I’ve filled in the blanks talking with those of you I thought I knew, convincing me we’ve only scratched the surface of what we can be and we’re already a lot!

There are plenty of same old/same old tiny congregations, little “clubs,” hanging on by a thread, where one wonders why they’re still around, what they’ve done for Jesus lately. Christ Church is not one of them. In the business world it might be viewed as an attratctive start-up, a good candidate for a round of financing.

Jesus’ appearance to the apostles came as he was preparing them for his ascension and theirs. His to his Father in heaven; theirs to their mission to spread the gospel beyond Jerusalem to the world at large.

We have had our crucifixion and resurrection. Before long we shall have a much clearer picture of our mission and the framework through which we may be called to carry it out. As we look toward our ascension, let our mindset not be whether but how we shall accomplish it!