A sermon by the Rt. Rev. Gary R. Lillibridge, Bishop of the Diocese of West Texas, given on February 13, 2008, at All Saints' Church in Austin during a Festival Eucharist for the Mission of the Church on the occasion of awarding honorary doctoral degrees to four ETSS graduates who are recently new bishops in the Episcopal Church

I want to begin by thanking Bishop Wimberly and Dean Travis for the invitation to share in today’s service. I also want to offer my congratulations to the degree recipients and the seminary on the election of four bishops who are alumni of the seminary.

When I asked Bishop Wimberly the theme of today’s service, he told me he wanted to focus on mission. Therefore, if you like this sermon, tell me – if you do not, tell Bishop Wimberly.

Today’s gospel lesson (Luke 10.1-9) is really the original New Testament “venture in mission.” The appointing and sending of the “seventy.” Who were these “others”; for they are never mentioned by name. Eusebius, Bp of Caesarea, the “father of Church history”, who lived in late 3rd/early 4th century opined that “the names of the apostles…are clear to everyone from the Gospels, but no list of the seventy disciples is in circulation anywhere…” But some have said “that Barnabas was one them…Sosthenes was one of these as well…Tradition holds that Matthias and Thaddaeus” are named. Beyond that, who knows?

There is no evidence of exceptional IQ among the group, no hint that they had the ability to influence others, no mention that they were good preachers - why I doubt if any of them even had an honorary degree. But sent they are.

They are sent in pairs, as “lambs into the midst of wolves”, bringing to mind passages from Isaiah (11.6/65.25): The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid. As the old saying goes, the wolf may lie down with lamb, but lamb ain’t going to get much sleep that night.

On the surface, this mission appears to have a slim chance of success, it is a bit of a gamble, really. The “70” hadn’t attended any seminars on how to grow the church; hadn’t had any systematic theology classes; apparently were not part of cohort/colloquy group; they probably hadn’t even been to Cursillo. They are simply to spread out over the countryside, taking with them their partner and the authority of Jesus.

You’ll recall another time 70 were called forth was in book of Numbers, 11.1-17.

Remember that? Things weren’t going so well in the wilderness, on that “venture in mission.” Those people were complaining about their misfortunes, crying out “give us meat to eat…there is nothingat all but this manna to look at.” And on it went, as if there was no end to the anxiety in the community. Moses was on receiving end of this wailing, and he was sick of it and sick of them.

Evidently the Lord wasn’t doing to well either, because the Lord’s anger “was kindled” and God starts burning down “some outlying parts of the camp.” Moses prays to get the fire stopped, but he is onverge of nervous breakdown.In fact, one of the greatest understatements in the entire bible can be found in this passage: “The Lord became very angry and Moses was displeased”. No kidding.

Moses to God: Why have you treated your servant so badly? DidI conceive all this people? Did I give birth to them,that you should say to me ‘Carry them in your bosom to the land that you promised on oath to their ancestors?’ Translation: I hate this venture in mission. If this is the way you are going to treat me, put meto death at once – if I have found favor in yoursight – and do not let me see my misery. So the Lord had Moses gather up 70 elders, and God took some of the spirit that was on Moses and put it on the 70 so that the burden is shared.

Both of these stories – the sending of the 70 and Moses’ troubled times in wilderness tell us that part of biblical message is that we need partners, we need each other in this work – in this venture in mission. These stories show that even God and Jesus don’t work alone. We, too, are called to be involved in God’s work inworld. Not only called, but sent; and not sent alone mind you. The question to us is: Will you go? Will you sign up?

St. Luke, in the sending of the 70, sees a big shake-up in the world’s front office; Luke sees new world order emerging. The view, the horizon, is under going changes throughout the gospels. And its about big changes – these 70 are being called to do great, big, important things in Jesus’ Name.

And the things that they are called to do often seem counter-intuitive. Last shall be first, love enemies, lose your life to save it…that sort of thing. This is not business as usual for these disciples. They are to announce that the Kingdom of God has literally come near.

This is big. Jesus has big hopes and expectations of this mission initiative. Oh, he knows there will be setbacks. He even tells them if they are rebuffed to wipe the dust of the town from their feet; a kind of first century “up yours” I suppose. And off they go. And to those who have ears to hear and eyes to see, The Kingdom of God comes near.

This theme of the Kingdom being “near” and/or “far off is also picked up in today’s reading Ephesians. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace; in his flesh he has made both groups into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us…so that he might create in himself one new humanity in place of the two, thus making peace, and might reconcile both groups to God in one body through the cross, thus putting to death that hostility through it. So he came and proclaimed peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near; for through him both of us have access in one Spirit to the Father…In him the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord; in whom you also are built together spiritually into a dwelling place for God.

In this section of Ephesians, Paul is speaking of reconciliation in Christ – in this case, Jew and Gentile. Is there something in these words that speaks to the need for Godly reconciliation in our own church today?

On this passage from Ephesians, John Chrysostom (bp Constantinople, c347-407) notes: Jesus did not pass the task of reconciliation on to another. He made himself the means of combining one with the other. He himself was the first instance of this reconciliation. He brought them together, doing away with all that estranged them.

 Paul doesn’t indicate to some degree reconciled, but fully reconciled in Jesus.

When Paul writes, “through (Jesus) both of us have access in one Spirit” to God…

he means not less access for the one and more access for the other…but rather equal access by a single grace. For Paul, the hostility/the dividing wall is broken down through the cross.

And Paul wrote on divisions of the Church frequently. On the 3 rd Sunday of Epiphany, the epistle was taken from 1 Corinthians: I appealto you brothers and sisters, by the name of our LordJesus Christ…that there be no divisions among you. For it has been reported to me that there are quarrels among you. What I mean is that each of you saysI belong to Paul orI belong to Apollosor I belong to Cephas orI belong to Christ…Has Christ been divided?

I wonder what Paul might write to us? Here’s a possibility: I appeal to you brothers and sisters, by the name ofour Lord Jesus Christ…that there be no divisions among you. For it has been reported to me that there are quarrels among you. What I mean is that each of you says, I belong to Remain Episcopal, Claim the Blessing, GAFCON, AMiA, Via Media, Windsor, Common Cause, Integrity, CANA, Lambeth, Network, West, Global South, I’m Progressive, I’m Orthodox…Has Christ been divided?

 We can spend all day labeling ourselves and others, but in the final analysis, Christ is not divided no matter what is going on with us. Paul spent huge amounts of his time and energy trying to reconcile members of the church with one another.

In the scripture, Godly reconciliation begins with Christ and the cross. It is through Christ and the cross that people are brought together, doing away with all that estrangesthem, to use Chrysostom’s language. At such times, the Kingdom of God comes near.

This is not to deny the fact that there are serious difficulties in our Church, far from it. Simply reciting the mantra “Christ is not divided” doesn’t settle the issues. Indeed, far from settling these issues, this mantra offers the beginning point from which our divisions should be addressed.

“Starting with Jesus” must be done with careful and deliberate theological language, a careful Christology, and herein lies part of our problem. We are plagued by a problem I will call “linkage.” I mean by this that if one holds an opinion about something, they are assumed to hold a host of other opinions as well. For example, in the arena of human sexuality, if someone is in a more “conservative” place theologically, they are labeled by some on the other end of the spectrum as homophobic, intolerant, or referred to as bigots. On the other hand, if someone is in a more “liberal” place theologically on this issue, some on the opposite end will assume they deny the divinity of Christ, that they are heretical, and that they deny the basic core doctrines of the Christian faith.

While these linkages might be true of a few people on each end, it is my growing experience around this diocese and the wider church that these linkages are not accurate for most of our church. That is why it is all the more important to get the big picture clear first and see how we begin in and with Jesus in our efforts. In my view, core doctrines of the faith such as the Incarnation, the second person of the Trinity, the Resurrection, and the Creeds are not up for a vote as if these are somehow out of date or politically incorrect.

I believe these to be bedrocks of the very essence of Christianity. Jesus is not simply the greatest person who ever lived or just a wonderful teacher who had an interesting way with words. Jesus Christ is the Incarnate Son of the Living God, and that must be our beginning point. It is ludicrous when some in the Church, the Body of Christ, see this acknowledgment as a stumbling block, for the whole reason the New Testament Church was founded in the first place can be traced back to this core belief.

And with regard to reconciliation with the community of Christ’s body, again the words of Chrysostom: Jesus made himself the means of combining onewith the other. He himself was the first instance of this reconciliation. He brought them together, doing away with all that estranged them.

This whole missionary endeavor, this venture in mission, is built upon the foundation of Jesus’ reconciling work on the cross; and without it our efforts don’t mean anything.

In fact, if we understood our conflicts in the Church as being, literally, at “cross-purposes”, we might come to really believe that in Christ: the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple (Ephesians 2.21)

Paul, writing to the Colossians (1.17) also says that Jesus is before all things, and in him all things hold together. Really? If this passage is accurate and “all things hold together” in Jesus, as one looks at the current landscape of our Church, you have to wonder, Are we in Christ? And this is not some vague “Are we in Christ”, but more specifically, “Am I in Christ”?

If Jesus is our beginning point as Chrysostom says, then we need to make sure that we are building on solid biblical Christology as to what we hold in common regarding Jesus as

Lord. If our beginning point is faulty, the whole house collapses. For my money, then, this is where the conversation needs to move. Perhaps a serious engagement with these questions will make addressing the issue of human sexuality easier to engage as well. Certainly something different is needed for we are not making much progress, nor are many minds being changed, simply by concentrating on the complex question of human sexuality.

While we argue about who has the true faith and wipe the dust of others off our feet, does the world – which is the object of God’s venture in mission – see a body worth joining? I mean, what kind of example are we, the Church, setting in a world already racked with division? Are we being built together spiritually into adwelling place for God? (Ephesians 2.22) Are these the words that the world would use to describe us, the so-called Body of Christ?

We need effective means to bring such a dwelling place together and we are not going to be able to identify these ways if mutual recrimination continues to be the preferred way of people dealing with one another.

I’m finding that when I speak with people all over this Church, there are many, many people who are growing weary at being pulled one way or the other…in what is becoming an increasingly tense tug of war between some on one end saying they have had enough and they are leaving…and some on other end saying “good, if there is going to be a divorce, let’s get on with it.”

There are many who find both of these positions unacceptable. This is a critical time in Anglicanism and we don’t have the luxury of drifting around in our separate groups pointing fingers and wringing hands – “milling around” in the light of Christ as it were.

We are approaching a cross-roads (there’s that word again, cross) in our life in Christ and the world, the mission field, is watching. Yes, there are difficult days ahead. And like the Israelites in the wilderness, there are days that all you have to fall back on is miraculous manna from heaven, even when you would rather have meat to eat. And I suppose that’s not all bad, because it makes you dependent on God. As Moses learned one afternoon in the wilderness, a dependence on God often results in an overflowing abundance even when you, like Moses, seem to be cracking up because of the pervasive anxiety which is sweeping through your community.

Differences and divisions have been with humanity and with the Church since the beginning. They often run deep and are profound. But that is not to be unexpected, because, you see, endeavors with human beings tend to be complex matters…and rarely are there simple answers to the complexity of human beings and of human nature. We humans are strange creatures even as we are created in the image of God.

So the question before us is: Will you go? Will you sign up, then, as lambs among wolves, even in those times when the wolves appear to be in your own house? Or, heaven forbid, people think that you are one of the wolves.

The Kingdom of God – far off or near? In some very real ways, it is up to us. 2008 and 2009 are going to continue to be years in the wilderness so we might as well face into them head on.

Being the Church is a complex and often messy endeavor. Sometimes being part of it means we have to die to self. All the more reason we should re-double our efforts to love the Church – to love Christ’s body. I am not talking about loving an institution, I’m talking about loving the body of Christ. All of it. Loving the body of Christ means loving people. Even those with whom with profoundly and passionately disagree. Jesus had a few thoughts about loving our enemies just as he had a few thoughts about loving our neighbors.

Some people apparently hold a position that says, in effect, “God loves us best.” Let that not be us. Let us walk humbly with our God and be instruments of reconciliation, for Jesus loves the whole Church because it is His body and he died and rose again for it.

Henri Nouwen wrote a meditation on loving the church. He states: Loving the Church often seems close to impossible. Still, we must keep reminding ourselves that all people in the Church – whether powerful or powerless, conservativeor progressive, tolerant or fanatic – belong to that long line of witnesses moving through this valley of tears, singing songs of praise and thanksgiving, listening to the voice oftheir Lord, and eating together from the bread that keeps multiplying as it is shared. When we remember that, we may be able to say, “I love the Church, and I am glad tobelong to it.” Loving the Church is our sacred duty. Without a true love for the Church, we cannot live in it in joy and peace. And without a true love for the Church,we cannot call people to it. Well said.

When we are caught in days like those of Samuel when The word of the Lord was rare…; visions were not widespread (1 Samuel 3.1); we must be very careful not to lose hope. If you understand the word “rare” in this context as “lacking”, hope can indeed become scarce. But if you understand the word “rare” as “precious”, hope, like the Kingdom of Heaven, need not be far off, but near. The word of the Lord was precious in those days. The word of the Lord is precious in our own day.

The writer of Psalm 139 understood that the word of the Lord is precious wherever we may find ourselves. I imagine that one evening the writer of this psalm sat down, looked up at the stars in the sky, reflected and prayed for a few moments, and then penned these words: Where can I go then from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?

If I climb up to heaven, you are there; if I make the grave my bed, you are there also.

If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, Even there your hand will lead me and your right hand hold me fast.

We are called and we are sent to a great venture in mission, and it demands many things from us - not least of which is hope. In the final analysis, I’m not interested in winning. I am interested in healing. And I am confident that in God’s time, we will discover that the stream does, in fact, find the ocean. Amen.

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