St. Blogory's: the internet café at St. Gregory's Episcopal Church, Deerfield, IL

Star Trek and Apocalypse, by the Very Rev. Bill Roberts

+ In the Love of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

In the late '60s of the twentieth century, America was in turmoil. There were Cold War tensions with the Soviet Union over the threat of ballistic missiles. The hot war in Viet Nam was increasingly unpopular, and there were anti-war protests and a riot in Chicago's Grant Park during the Democratic National Convention. Racial tensions were high, and riots broke out across the country after Martin Luther King, Jr., was assassinated. And the Women's Liberation Movement was demanding gender equality.

In the late '60s of the first century, Palestine was in turmoil. Riots broke out between Jews and Syrians, and to pay for restoring the peace, the governor made the fatal mistake of raiding the Temple treasury in Jerusalem. In violent reaction, many Jews rose up in rebellion and thousands of Roman soldiers were killed. Rome responded in force, and sent an army to pacify Palestine and destroy the Temple in Jerusalem.

During the late '60s of the twentieth century and the late '60s of the first century, people experienced what sociologists call a "loss of world." William Butler Yeats described such times this way: "Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold; / Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world. . . ." And during such times, people seek comfort and meaning in specific cultural expressions. In the late '60s of the twentieth century, one of those cultural expressions was Science Fiction, and in particular a television show by the name of Star Trek.

If you think I'm kidding, stay tuned! In 1998, Congress established the U.S. Centennial of Flight Commission, and the Commission published an essay on "Star Trek as a Cultural Phenomenon." Here's a portion of it:

"Star Trek . . . envisioned a multi-ethnic crew, including an African-American woman, a Scotsman, a Japanese American, and most notably, an alien, the half-Vulcan Mr. Spock. In the second season [Star Trek] added a Russian crewmember at a time when the United States was engaged in a tense cold war with the Soviet Union. Blacks and women were also shown as scientists and doctors on the ship. . . . Star Trek presented a positive image of the future at a time when the news was filled with stories of racism, social strife, and war. When many people wondered if the world would emerge intact from the Cold War, Star Trek depicted many different races working peacefully together several hundred years into the future. At its most basic level, Star Trek had a simple humanistic message: humanity will be okay."

In the late '60s of the first century, of course, people couldn't find comfort and meaning in Science Fiction, but they could find it in a cultural expression known as Apocalypse.

The word "apocalypse" comes from the Greek word "kalypto" which means to cover or veil, so apocalypse means to un-cover or un-veil. And the thing that is uncovered or revealed is the future. The earliest example of apocalyptic writing is the Old Testament book of Daniel, and the latest example is the New Testament book of Revelation. The message in all apocalyptic writing is a simple religious message: God will establish his Kingdom and we will be okay.

The Lord's Prayer is an apocalyptic prayer: "your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as in heaven" and "save us from the time of trial" are apocalyptic prayers. And in this morning's Gospel we have the final part of St. Mark's apocalypse. So let's take a look, beginning at the 24^th verse:

"But in those days, after that suffering, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. [That sounds a little like Science Fiction, doesn't it?!] Then they will see 'the Son of Man coming in clouds' [this is a quote from the book of Daniel] with great power and glory. Then he will send out the angels, and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven. From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates. Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. But about that day or hour [keep that word "hour" in mind] no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Beware, keep alert; for you do not know when the time will come. It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his slaves in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to be on the watch [remember that word!] Therefore, keep awake [remember that word!]— for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or at dawn, or else he may find you asleep when he comes suddenly. And what I say to you I say to all: Keep awake."

Mark has taken the popular form of apocalyptic, which is supposed to be about the future, and subverted it for the sake of his Christian community. And the key to his subversion is in the second to the last sentence: "for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening (when Jesus celebrated the Last Supper), or at midnight (when Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane), or at cockcrow (when Peter betrays Jesus), or in the morning (when Jesus stands trial and is taken to be crucified).

Now please turn in your pew Bibles to Mark 14:34-41, and keep in mind those words "hour" and "watch" and "awake" and "sleep" in this morning's Gospel:

"And [Jesus] said to them, 'I am deeply grieved, even to death; remain here, and keep awake.' And going a little farther, he threw himself on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. He said, 'Abba, Father, for you all things are possible; remove this cup from me; yet, not what I want, but what you want.' He came and found them sleeping; and he said to Peter, 'Simon, are you asleep? Could you not keep awake one hour? Keep awake and pray that you may not come into the time of trial; the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.' And again he went away and prayed, saying the same words. And once more he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were very heavy; and they did not know what to say to him. He came a third time and said to them, 'Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? Enough! The hour has come; the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.'"

And so when Mark writes, "Therefore, keep awake, for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or at dawn," Mark's message to his Church and to ours is this: the apocalyptic event— the event which reveals God's victory— is not some future event; the apocalyptic event has already taken place in the Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ, and because Christ has died for us, we will be okay!

Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ [1 Corinthians 15:57].

"Where All are Welcome at the Table," A Thanksgiving sermon by Meredith Potter

During the years our family lived in Japan, we studied and observed the traditions of that very different culture; we sometimes even participated in the holidays and festivals. I remember watching my father hoist a large and colorful paper carp onto the rooftop of our house to announce the birth of my baby brother; from then on we flew the carp every Boys' Day. I loved the Doll Festival that was part of Girls' Day; I even learned some of the movements for the O-Bon-Odori folk dance festival. But the fall season was my favorite, because that was when the harvest festival was celebrated. Lanterns were lit and set afloat on the Shimazu River, and the fireworks were spectacular. They made Fourth of July in Chicago seem like backyard amateur hour. Men and boys, dressed in karate-like attire with colorful bandanas about their foreheads, wound their way through the streets bearing on their shoulders a replica of the local Shinto shrine. On that day rice cakes and other special foods, "matsuri" meals, were prepared as offerings to "Okami-sama,"the god of the harvest, and to their ancestors . Strangely these offerings never seemed to disappear, and so we were allowed to eat the delicacies that the harvest god and the ancestors hadn't consumed!

Several weeks after Harvest Festival, it was time for our family to celebrate the American Thanksgiving, which seemed rather lame in comparison to the Japanese Fall Harvest Festival. We would have a fresh turkey (thanks to a pilot friend who flew in fresh turkeys from the states). We could invite friends to share our special "American" meal. I remember one year I invited a cute young British classmate, but he refused to come until his parents convinced him that the American Thanksgiving had nothing to do with the Revolutionary War. Mother and Dad would invite friends, business acquaintances, and sometimes soldiers who were alone and without family in Japan. To my young mind it seemed like a holiday in which family and friends got together with the express purpose of eating special "American food" imported for the occasion. There were no gifts, no games or entertainment - just food - lots of food; entirely too much food. And yet, something else went on at our dinner table that distinguished Thanksgiving from the other festivals of my childhood. Before Dad began to carve the turkey, he would enumerate a number of our blessings during the past year, then he would remind us of our need to thank God who had provided us with all our needs. He would then ask each family member to give thanks for one particular blessing in our lives.

In this morning's lesson, Paul gives the Corinthians a three-fold formula for thanksgivings: first, we are to recognize that God has provided us with every blessing in abundance; secondly, we are to give thanks for our blessings; and finally we are to share our blessings and our abundance with others. At some point in my life, I made the connection between Paul's words and our family's Thanksgiving gatherings, particularly the part about sharing - about inviting others to our table.

This family custom of sharing God's blessing with "a stranger" took on special meaning the last year we were all together for Thanksgiving with our aging parents. The siblings in my generation and some of our children and grandchildren had all gathered in Denver at the home of my youngest sister, who amongst the Denver relatives had the largest dining room table. Just as we were about to sit down to our Thanksgiving meal, the doorbell rang. A man, disheveled and unshaven, stood on the front porch. It was a brisk day, but he had no jacket; he wore only a flannel shirt. He told us he had left his duffle bag which contained all his belongings including his most prized possession, a radio, under a bench at a nearby park. When he went to retrieve his duffle bag, he couldn't find it, so he was stopping at every house to inquire if anyone had seen it. Without hesitation, Mother invited this stranger to come inside, sit by the fire, and have a cup of hot cider while some of the family members went looking for his belongings. In the meantime I noticed mother instructing one of the grandchildren to set another place at the head table. Our visitor seemed close to tears when the "search party" returned empty handed, but he cheered up as we led him to his place at the table.. Dinner was loud and fun. Everyone seemed to talk at once while eating abundantly. Our visitor joined in with the conversation and the eating. After dinner my father, my brother, and I drove our visitor to Target where we bought him a new duffle bag, underwear, toiletries, a warm jacket, and a new radio. Then, after a call to an Episcopal priest, we deposited him at St. Francis Center, the local Episcopal emergency shelter, where he could receive additional help and counseling. I've never forgotten that thanksgiving gathering. It was our last Thanksgiving together with both of our parents, since Dad died that following year; but more importantly, the act of welcoming that stranger to our table had enriched our own thankfulness on that day.

Douglas Meeks, a noted Methodist Theologian, has written about the function of meals and table fellowship. He says, "Home is where there will be a place for you at the table, [ and] what is on the table will be shared. . ." His words might well have described the Woods family dinner table, but he was actually describing the Christian community and why we have gathered together this morning. For at this table we share the sacred meal together; we even call this act of sharing "The Great Thanksgiving."

Today Paul reminds us: "God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that by always having enough of everything, you may share abundantly. . ." And he also tells us not to wait for the "stranger" to ring our doorbell in distress. Christ calls us to go into highways and byways seeking out those in need - especially those in need of the food that is present only at this table. And so as we come to this table to be fed Christ's body and blood, let us not forget that every day is Thanksgiving Day in the life of the Christian. God has always provided our every need and will continue to shower grace and abundance upon each of us. Our only response to God's goodness and abundance is : Thanks be to God.

Rector’s Newsletter

Dearly Beloved,

Cissy Singleton received this email last week:

Dear Ms. Singleton,

On behalf of Lt. Governor Pat Quinn, I would like to invite you to our celebration of Homefront Heroes. The Homefront Hero awards are presented to people and organizations who are making a special effort to help our service members, military families and Veterans. The Lt. Governor would like to recognize St. Gregory's Episcopal Church for your Troop Care Package program.

Please join us on Sunday, November 23rd at 2pm, as we honor your organization and others at a press conference. The event will last approximately one hour. It will take place at the James R. Thompson Center, 100 W. Randolph St., Chicago, IL 60601, 15th Floor Blue Room. . . . During the press conference the Lt. Governor will ask you to say a few words (no more than 30 seconds) about what you did. . . .

Jeff Singleton accepted the award with these words:

I'd like to accept this recognition from the Lt Governor and Homefront Heroes on behalf of St. Gregory's Episcopal Church in Deerfield, the Very Reverend Bill Roberts, the parishioners, and especially in recognition of the two key leaders of our Troop Care Package program, Nuala Kurokawa and Eleanor Singleton.

The reason Eleanor and Nuala were unable to be here in fact is due to their working a packaging effort this very moment in conjunction with a local Brownie Troop.

Over the last 3 1/2 years, Nuala, Eleanor, and St Gregory's have mobilized the parishioners and most of the surrounding community to fund, donate and most of all participate in 23 Troop Packaging Nights, sending close to 3000 packages to the men and women who are the sons/daughters, sisters/brothers, mothers/fathers, nieces/nephews serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Community members of all faiths, backgrounds, political ideologies and views have understood the value a package from "back home" means to our men and women serving abroad.

Again, thank you from Eleanor, Nuala and St Gregory's Episcopal Church!

Jeff brought back a framed citation of our Award, and we will find a suitable place to display it. You can also see an article about the Homefront Heroes at OperationHomefront.org, and at www.standingupforillinois.org/feature.php?id=1816.

And you can see a picture of Jeff as he receives the citation from Lt. Governor Quinn on our Blog: http://stgregoryschurch.typepad.com/stblogorys/troop_support_ministry/

Giving Campaign Update

So far we have received 64 pledges, including 5 from first-time pledgers, totaling $285,287. This represents a little more than 60% of our hoped for $450,000 target. I am grateful for this encouraging beginning.

If you haven't pledged yet, please mail or bring in your pledge this week, or place it in the alms basin at one of our services this coming Sunday. The Giving Campaign Committee will begin making follow-up calls the first week of December.

Adult Confirmation

If you would like a refresher course on Christianity and the Episcopal Church, or if you would like to reaffirm your Baptismal vows, be confirmed, or be received into this branch of Christ's One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church (what does that mean?!), then please join us on these Sundays from 1:30 – 3:00 PM: February 8 and 22; and March 8 and 22.

Faithfully yours,

 

"We are ambassadors for Christ, God appealing to the world through us."                                                                      2 Corinthians 5:20

St. Gregory's receives "Homeland Heroes" Award

Jeff Singleton accepts the Lt. Governor's citation for our Troop Support Ministry

 

And here's "the rest of the story":

Cissy Singleton received this email last week:

Dear Ms. Singleton,

On behalf of Lt. Governor Pat Quinn, I would like to invite you to our celebration of Homefront Heroes. The Homefront Hero awards are presented to people and organizations who are making a special effort to help our service members, military families and Veterans. The Lt. Governor would like to recognize St. Gregory's Episcopal Church for your Troop Care Package program.

Please join us on Sunday, November 23rd at 2pm, as we honor your organization and others at a press conference. The event will last approximately one hour. It will take place at the James R. Thompson Center, 100 W. Randolph St., Chicago, IL 60601, 15th Floor Blue Room. . . . During the press conference the Lt. Governor will ask you to say a few words (no more than 30 seconds) about what you did. . . .

Jeff Singleton accepted the award with these words:

I'd like to accept this recognition from the Lt Governor and Homefront Heroes on behalf of St. Gregory's Episcopal Church in Deerfield, the Very Reverend Bill Roberts, the parishioners, and especially in recognition of the two key leaders of our Troop Care Package program, Nuala Kurokawa and Eleanor Singleton.

The reason Eleanor and Nuala were unable to be here in fact is due to their working a packaging effort this very moment in conjunction with a local Brownie Troop.

Over the last 3 1/2 years, Nuala, Eleanor, and St Gregory's have mobilized the parishioners and most of the surrounding community to fund, donate and most of all participate in 23 Troop Packaging Nights, sending close to 3000 packages to the men and women who are the sons/daughters, sisters/brothers, mothers/fathers, nieces/nephews serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Community members of all faiths, backgrounds, political ideologies and views have understood the value a package from "back home" means to our men and women serving abroad. 

Again, thank you from Eleanor, Nuala and St Gregory's Episcopal Church!

Jeff brought back a framed citation of our Award, and we will find a suitable place to display it. You can also see an article about the Homefront Heroes at OperationHomefront.org, and at www.standingupforillinois.org/feature.php?id=1816.

What if the Church marketed like Starbucks?

I came across this today and found it thought provoking.  Although it isn't 100% relevant to our experience as Christian Episcopalians, and I know St. Gregory's does a much better job, I wonder where we could improve.  Looking at coming to the coffee shop/church from a visitor's point of view is always an enlightening experience.

Rector’s Newsletter

Dearly Beloved,

I delivered this message at all three services last Sunday:

This year's Giving Campaign is different from past campaigns.

First, it takes place at a time of historic economic distress and uncertainty.

Second, this is going to be our shortest Giving Campaign. By Wednesday, every household should have received a letter and pledge card from me, and this coming Sunday, November 23, will be our ingathering, when you will be invited to place your pledge on the Altar.

Third, I will ask parishioners who haven't pledged for several years, or have never pledged, for whatever reason, to consider making a pledge for 2009. Your willingness to pledge will give the Vestry more confidence as we put the budget together.

Fourth, the Giving Campaign Committee will make follow-up calls during the first week in December so that the Vestry will have as much information as possible for approving a 2009 Budget at our meeting on December 9^th.

Fifth, because our church isn't immune to this financial crisis, our Giving Campaign is based on this principle from archery: "aim above the mark to hit the mark." We are going to aim high, because our purpose is high: "to seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving our neighbor as ourselves."

This will be an extraordinary Campaign because these times are extraordinary. I hope your response will be extraordinary, too.

Let us pray.

Gracious God, by the resurrection of your Son Jesus Christ on the first day of the week, you conquered sin, put death to flight, and gave us the hope of everlasting life. Redeem all our days by this victory; banish our fears and make us bold to praise you and to do your will, through the same Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

 

The Camp Algonquin Tragedy

I am sure all of you have heard or seen coverage of this terrible accident. It has connections to our parish family.

Jim and Claudia Swarthout's backyard ends on the bank of the Fox River opposite the bank where Camp Algonquin is located. Jim's essay on the tragedy was published on Sunday in the Daily Herald: http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=250985

Our assisting priest, Ken Erickson, is the headmaster of St. Gregory School for Boys, and he issued this notice on Friday:

"The St. Gregory Episcopal School community today mourns the tragic death of a former student, Melvin Choice, who was one of the youth who drowned over night in the Fox River.  Melvin was a student at St. Gregory from first through eighth grade, and graduated four years ago before attending North Lawndale College Prep High School.  Other family members also attended St. Gregory.  Several of our students remained friends with him, and our math teacher, Mr. Willie Murrell, taught him for several years." 

We prayed for Melvin Choice and the other families, and for Ken and Jim and Claudia on Sunday. Please continue to keep them in your prayers.

 

Coming up at the Adult Forum

This Sunday, November 23: The Parables of Jesus according to Robert Farrar Capon

Sunday, November 30: Thanksgiving Break: Coffee Hour Conversation

Sunday, December 7: The Parables of Jesus (continued)

Sunday December 14: The Parables of Jesus (completed)

Sunday, December 21: The Christmas Pageant

 

Faithfully yours,

 

"We are ambassadors for Christ, God appealing to the world through us."                                                                      2 Corinthians 5:20

"Use It or Lose It," by The Rev. Meredith Potter

Ever since I began to post my sermons on our church website, I've had to come up with a title for each sermon. Usually, I wait until the sermon is completed, and then I search for a few succinct words or a clever phrase that might not only capture the essence of the message, but might even entice a visitor to the website actually to read the sermon. But this week the title came first: "Use it or Lose it." And that title came to mind, because this morning's Gospel reminds me of an experience from my childhood that drove home that lesson - an experience and a lesson I've obviously not forgotten.

Our family was getting ready for a rather long trip, and our grandfather gave each of us children $5 as spending money. Now that was a lot of money to give a child in those days - to put the size of the gift in perspective, my weekly allowance was 25 cents. But our grandparents told us how delighted they were to give us the money, because they wanted us to enjoy the trip. We were told we could spend the money any way we wanted; we could buy bubble gum or a comic book or a souvenir. The important thing was for us to enjoy the money and the trip. But I decided that it would really please my grandparents if instead of spending the money, I saved it for college - and so I carefully put the $5 away. When we returned from the trip and I showed my grandfather the $5 that I had so carefully saved and not used, I was quite surprised that he seemed displeased and disappointed with me. He said, " You know that I will help you with college when the time comes; that's why we send you savings bonds on your birthday and at Christmas; but your grandmother and I gave you this money to enjoy your trip - to spend, not to save. I guess if you don't use the money we give you, we just won't bother to give you spending money in the future." And true to his word, the next time our family went on a vacation, my younger sisters got spending money from our grandparents, and I did not. And that's how I learned at a very young age: "use it or lose it."

In this morning's Gospel, Jesus tells the story of three slaves who were each entrusted with different amounts of money by their owner who was going on a long journey. In those days the coin of the realm was the "talent"- which was actually a measure used to weigh gold, and it was worth a great deal of money - more than slaves might see in a lifetime. Two of the slaves put the talents they had been given to good use, investing the money wisely. But the third slave - the one who had been given only one talent - feared the owner. He feared what would happen if he spent or lost the talent; so he decided to protect the talent that had been entrusted to him by safely burying it. And he, too, was quite surprised when his master returned and was displeased with his slave's decision. In effect, the master told the slave, "since you didn't use it, you will lose it" and he took the talent from the slave who had saved it and gave it to the slave who had already amassed a fortune by investing and doubling the money that he had been given.

The parable is a harsh story and it provides a harsh lesson in using it or losing it - a harsh lesson that doesn't seem quite fair. After all, the slave's intentions - though driven by fear - were surely honorable. But to understand the point of Jesus' teaching, we note that today's story is the second of three parables in Matthew's Gospel in which Jesus is talking about how the disciples (and now you and I) are to live while we wait for Jesus' promised return - while we wait for God's Kingdom to come. Last week the message was that we need to stay prepared in this time of waiting. We heard about the ten sorority sisters (or bridesmaids as our Gospel referred to them) and how only five of them were prepared for the bridegroom's arrival. Today's Gospel emphasizes another aspect of our preparation: how we are to live as people of faith until the promised "day of the Lord."

Since the Church has long interpreted the word "talent" to mean not only our money and possessions, but also our gifts, our abilities, and our skills, the parable instructs us to use the gifts from God that have been entrusted to us. The fearful slave failed to recognize the owner's joy and delight in entrusting him with the talent, and that the owner expected his slave to use and enjoy the talent he had been given. Joy and delight had also motivated my grandfather to give his grandchildren a gift for their trip to be spent and to be enjoyed And because I really didn't understand my grandfather's intent - because I didn't understand what would please him - I didn't enjoy his gift. God has taken great delight in bestowing talents upon each of us. God has showered us with talents - and those talents are to be enjoyed and they are to be used

This congregation, this church, each one of us gathered here, is filled to overflowing with talents - skills, abilities, resources, as well as many opportunities to use and enjoy those talents. And so the question becomes: what use do we make of the "talents" that God has given us? In his letter to the Thessalonians, Paul suggests that faithful Christians spend this time of waiting by recognizing each other's gifts and by encouraging one another to use our gifts to help each other. Paul's words are a special reminder during this time when economic stresses may tempt us to focus on our own needs - rather than the needs of others.

Given the current state of today's economy, we can certainly empathize with the slave's hesitancy to risk investing the talent he had been given. Just saying the word "invest" is a bit scary, but God calls us to invest the talents we have been given - to invest in those who need our help, to invest in our neighbors, to invest in our community, to invest in this congregation. Because when we make such investments, we are in fact investing in God's kingdom. Not only will that delight the One who has given us our talents, but the Gospel message also assures us that what we invest in God's kingdom will be returned to us two-fold. What we give away in the name of God's love will multiply beyond our expectations. The alternative, particularly in these stressful economic times, is play it safe - to save our assets, to hoard our skills, to protect our resources. But if we choose to do that, God will respond: "use it or lose it!"

St. Gregory's Youth November calendar

Click here  to download November youth calendar

Rector’s Newsletter

Dearly Beloved,

Coming up at the Adult Forum:

This Sunday, November 16:    Margaret Clark, Director of Communications and Advocacy, Interfaith Housing Center of the Northern Suburbs

November 23:    Bill Roberts: Introduction to the Parables according to Robert Farrar Capon

Annual Thanksgiving Day Celebration

Join us for our beautiful service on Thursday morning, November 27, at 10 AM, complete with piper! In addition to the bagpipe prelude and postlude, the pipes will accompany us as we sing Amazing Grace.

We will also sing the evocative hymns which recall Thanksgivings Past and express so profoundly our gratitude for all the gifts so richly bestowed on us and our nation.

 

A Mother's Letter

November 6, 2008     To the Congregation of St. Gregory's,

On behalf of our son, 1^st Lt. William Sloan, I want to thank you for your care package. It actually just arrived at our home in Michigan, having gone to Iraq and then being forwarded to our home!! Billy returned safely from his second tour of duty in late April and finished his four year commitment to the Marines in July. He is currently in his first year of Georgetown U. Law School. I will see that the contents of the package go to another soldier or Marine, but I so much appreciate your thoughtfulness. It means a great deal to our troops in war zones.

Sincerely, Debby Sloan.

President-elect invited to St. James Cathedral

 

The Cathedral provost, the Very Rev. Joy Rogers, has sent an invitation to President-elect Barack Obama, inviting him to follow in the footsteps of Chicago's only previous president, Abraham Lincoln, and come to the cathedral to pray before going to Washington D.C. for his inauguration January 20, 2009. A plaque in the narthex commemorates Lincoln's visit on November 25, 1860 when he offered a prayer, a portion of which is included on the plaque: "Whatever shall appear to be God's will, I will do."

Congratulations Corner

To Stuart Babcock, whose accomplishments appeared in two separate articles in October 30^th's Deerfield Review:

    "The Deerfield High School Student Congress team won the Illinois Congressional Debate Association's tournament at Grayslake North High School on Oct. 17 and 18. Four hundred thirty students from 28 schools participated in the two day tournament. . . First Place Speaker Award- Stuart Babcock."

    "Seven Deerfield High School students were recently named to the Illinois Music Educators Association District VII Music Festivals. These students auditioned with hundreds of other high school musicians from Northeastern Illinois and were chosen based on their tone, technique and reading skills. They will perform in the district festivals in November where they will work with leading university music professors in a day of rehearsals and performances. Competition for these groups is very keen, and it is a great honor to be selected. Congratulations to . . . Stuart Babcock- Piano, Jazz Band. . . ."

Faithfully yours,

 

"We are ambassadors for Christ, God appealing to the world through us."                                                                      2 Corinthians 5:20

“The Parable of the Ten Sorority Sisters,” by the Very Rev. Bill Roberts

+ In the Love of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

If Jesus had come through that door a little bit earlier, he might have said to Dennis, "You don't have to read the Gospel this morning, Dennis, I'll just tell a new story, instead of that one I told Matthew all those years ago." And then Jesus might have turned to us and said:

"The kingdom of heaven will be like this. Ten sorority sisters went to Grant Park last Tuesday night, and of course they had their cell phones so they could text their friends. But five of them hadn't fully charged their cell phones, and by about ten o'clock their cell phones started making beeping sounds. The election results were delayed, so they decided to dash back to their dorms to recharge their cell phones. But while they were away, at midnight (well, midnight Eastern Time) a shout went up, and soon afterward the President-elect appeared! But by the time those five young women got back to Grant Park, the President-elect had come and gone."

And then Jesus would have turned to me and said, "You're still the preacher, Bill, so go ahead!"

So then I'd have said (if I could have said anything), "Well, I'll give it a try, but I wasn't expecting you this morning" and then my voice would have trailed off because of course that's the whole point of the parable, isn't it? And then I might have said (if I'd found my voice again):

Well, it seems to me that the problem with those five foolish sorority sisters is that they had forgotten what the party in Grant Park was all about: it was a party to welcome home their candidate, win or lose. If they had remembered that the party was all about the candidate, and if they'd been having fun with everyone else who was there, rather than texting their absent friends, then when their cell phones had started beeping, they would have just turned them off and enjoyed the festivities and the excitement and the anticipation, and they would have been there for the big moment.

The same could be said for the five foolish bridesmaids in this morning's Gospel. If they'd just remembered that the wedding was about the bridegroom, and not about them, they would have forgotten about their empty lamps and just hung out with the others, and they'd have been there when he finally arrived.

It won't come as a surprise to you that I've been to a lot of weddings! Almost all of them have been joyous and delightful and beautiful, but occasionally the bridesmaids, and more often the groomsmen, and sometimes even the photographer, have acted as if the wedding were about them rather than about the bride and groom. For example, I once assisted at a wedding in Long Island, and when the Dean of the Cathedral asked for the ring, the Best Man produced a Dunkin' Donut– fortunately, that was at the rehearsal! On another occasion, also when I was only assisting (thankfully), the photographer held the bride at her Manhattan apartment until he was satisfied that he had all the pictures he wanted, and the bride was half an hour late for the ceremony. So during wedding rehearsals I always remind the bridal party: "you are here for the bride and groom."

In fact, the one thing that all the guests at a wedding have in common is their relationship with the bride and groom. Some of the people may only know the groom, other people may only know the bride, but by then end of the wedding party a real community has developed.

The same was true in Grant Park: the one thing that all of the people there had in common was their relationship with the candidate, and yet as you watched the people gather you could see a community forming in the quiet, orderly, hopeful, and then joyful crowd.

In fact, the party in Grant Park could make a pretty powerful image of the kingdom of heaven. After all, consider: there was the miracle of a warm November night in Chicago! There was the beautiful skyline of Chicago (and remember that the Bible begins in a Garden but ends in a City). And finally there was the incredible mix of people, what St. John describes in his book of Revelation as being "a multitude from every nation, race, people, and language."

The Church is supposed to be like that, too, which is why Jesus' favorite image for the kingdom of heaven is a party, and usually a wedding party at that. Because, you see, the one thing we all have in common here today is our relationship to the Bridegroom, Jesus Christ. And out of this common relationship, if we are truly being the Church, our community grows as we love one another and care for one another.

And there's one more reason to keep our focus on the Bridegroom: because the world really is like the world in this morning's parables: the unexpected happens all the time, and sometimes we are too late, and sometimes we find ourselves in real difficulty. And in anxious times, we need the Bridegroom.

When I first began my ministry at St. Gregory's, I started having anxiety attacks, especially when I was officiating at weddings. I don't know why they started happening, and I don't know why they eventually stopped happening, but while they were happening I was afraid I wouldn't be able to finish the service. So as I was speaking the words of the service out loud, silently I was praying that the Lord would sustain me because I wanted the wedding to be about the bride and groom, and not about me.

And then, a few years later, when I was at the center of a parish conflict, in the midst of all that anxiety, keeping my focus on the Lord is what sustained me.

This is all to say that I understand what it is to be anxious, what it is to feel that one's job is threatened, what it's like to face the abyss.

Today we have many reasons to be anxious, for ourselves and for others. Year to date, the markets have lost a third of their value. Ten million Americans are out of work, and half a million Americans lost their jobs in just the last two months.

In times like these, how do we keep our focus on the Lord, how do we replenish the oil in our lamps?

First, we need to turn off our cell phones and come to the party which the Church throws for the Bridegroom every time we celebrate the Holy Eucharist. We need to be reminded how much the Bridegroom loves us, and to enjoy the company of our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Second, we need to carve out some time in our lives just to sit and let the Lord love us. In fact, why don't we take a moment right now to let the Lord love us? Just close your eyes, and in whatever way seems most appropriate for you, let the Lord love you, let his love be poured into your heart; let his love surround you; let his love embrace you; let his love wash over you.

Third, we need to take the advice of St. Peter, who wrote, "Cast all your anxieties on God, for God cares about you." Again, let's just take a moment to do that. Close your eyes and think of one or two of the things you're most anxious about this morning, and then "cast your anxieties on God, for he cares about you."

The fourth thing we need to do, even in the midst of our own anxieties, is to reach out to others. The rabbis tell us that oil is a symbol for good deeds, and there is no better way to replenish your oil than by helping others.

And finally, if you need help, let the Church know: let me know, or let Meredith know, or let someone in the Church know.

And remember, we don't have to wait until the Second Coming for the Bridegroom to show up unexpectedly, for he has promised us that whenever two or three are gathered together in his name, there he is in the midst of them. And whenever we feed the hungry, or clothe the naked, or visit the sick and those in prison, and whenever we welcome the stranger, there he is, for he himself has told us, even as you have done it to the least of these my brothers and sisters, you have done it to me.

Amen.