Call of Christ as Spiritual Mobility

3 Epiphany A      January  22, 2017

Is. 9:1-4         Psalm 27:1, 5-13
1 Cor. 1:10-18    Matt. 4:12-23

Lectionary Link

Imagine Peter in Rome, not yet dead but hanging upside down upon a cross.  What do you think went through his mind?  "I've come a long way from being a fisherman in Galilee."  Peter's brother Andrew supposedly died on an x shaped cross.  What do you think went through his mind?  He too was a long way from the Galilean Sea where he used to fish for a living.  James, son of Zebedee, also was a martyr and only John, son of Zebedee, according to tradition lived and died of old age but he also may have gone through some years of suffering and imprisonment.  Four fishermen in the family business but they were all coaxed out of the business and followed the itinerant Rabbi, Jesus of Nazareth, the one who succeeded John the Baptist.

The call of Christ can change people's lives and some in very significant ways.  Some people say the call of Christ must have been miraculous since it could change four simple fishermen into the brave and brilliant church leaders and evangelists who they became.

If I were to guess, I bet that each of these fishermen felt rescued by the call of Christ; rescued from having to remain under-developed and unchallenged in their families' fishing businesses.  I imagine sons of fishermen in Galilee at the time of Jesus had very few vocational choices in their lives; if dad was a fisherman then the sons would be obliged to fish as well, and it could be that there were too many brothers to share the family fishing business and so if some of the brothers found other jobs that would be okay.

We take the many vocational choices that we have today for granted.  We can be in our twenties and thirties and still looking for our vocations after trying many different majors at the university.  We can be swamped and paralyzed by having so many choices and we may end up making a vocational choice based mainly on financial reasons rather than genuine sense of personal development doing "people-related" work.  Lots of people are trapped in jobs for making a living and look for relief in hobbies and avocations in their playtime.

I think that the church has gotten locked into lots of clichés about the call of Christ which has made it lose its significance and relevance to lots of people.  For many the call of Christ means being called to the "official" ordained ministries of the church as bishop, priest, deacon, pastor, evangelist or apostle.  Evangelical Christianity has tried to correct this by emphasizing that evangelism is the duty of every Christian, but when you get to know most evangelicals, they mostly just want to convert you to their particular view of God, Jesus and the Bible.  They mostly have changed being a fisher of people into getting people to join their particular religious group.  I think this too is a misrepresentation of what the call of Christ means.  St. Paul rebuked the Corinthian church for dividing themselves into groups that were loyal to various teachers: "I'm Paul's disciple, I'm Cephas' disciple, I'm Apollos' disciple,  and some thought it was a competition by claiming to be the best  of Jesus' disciples."  If we reduce the call of Christ to being Catholic, Episcopalian, Lutheran, Baptist or Methodist, then we probably have reduced it to just a different kind of identity politics.

In my own life, the call of Christ has meant many things, and I have been raised in groups that were more concerned how I believed things rather than being concerned about whether I was really a loving and kind person.  Yes, I have heard it said that such a person was a really loving and kind person but they were not "saved."  Such language has lead me to believe that many people believe that being an evangelical is catching and trapping people into one's view about God, Christ and the Bible.

What the call of Christ has come to mean for me is what I would call "spiritual" mobility.  We supposedly pride ourselves in America when say the individual has social, economic and educational mobility.  It may be truer for America than other countries but it may be more of a myth than reality, because people born in disadvantage end up in disadvantage and people born in advantage end up having larger safety nets to help them succeed.

The spiritual mobility of the call of Christ is the "pinch yourself" reality check of what one is able to become because of answering the call of Christ.  The last thing that I ever thought that I would be involved in was the endless production of language through speaking and writing.  As a very average student with more interest in sports, I would have rather had a career in sports, or coaching with some teaching.  I never imagined that I would discover at the center of my being an endless and continuous fountain of words rising to consciousness in word products of speaking and writing, so much so that it does not stop.  I have to stop the inner oracle because I have a continuous compulsion to organize human experience into words in trying to make sense of why my world is and why it is the way it is.

I never imagined myself to be a man of words, and the call of Christ has been an event of spiritual mobility to completely reorder and remake and reconstitute my life.  This call has been a gradual call in how I have understood it and how I have developed it.  The call of Christ, who is the Word of God at the beginning of human life as we know it, is a call always to be reconstituting our lives.  I had the sense the call of Christ long before I became drawn to the ordain ministry of the Episcopal Church and as such I believe the call of Christ is always already being offered to everyone.  It is the call to completely surprise oneself with a "spiritual" mobility.  Spiritual mobility is the invitation to be animated in all directions, body, mind and spirit, vocationally, aesthetically, socially, intellectually and verbally.

As hard as life became and ended for the four fishermen from Galilee, I would bet that they would never want to go back.  As hard as life was for them, their call of Christ left them no regrets.  They totally surprised themselves in travelling far from home delivering a way of life which could help others also discover this life changing call which would initiate a profound spiritual mobility in life.

The call Christ may have milestone markers which can have anniversaries like baptisms, confirmations, ordinations, matrimony, graduation ceremonies, but the milestone markers are only moments within this wonderful invitation to spiritual "mobility" of Christ.  This spiritual mobility is continuous and always being offered to us in different ways with different challenges.  People who live in skilled nursing centers and in assisted living residences need this call of spiritual mobility of Christ.  Why?  The call of Christ as spiritual mobility helps to adjust each of us to the current life circumstances even while inspiring us to exercise significant creativity given the limitation of any situation.

Jesus Christ was a fisher of persons.  He caught Andrew, Peter, James and John.  He did not get out his ruler and measure them to determine whether he should throw them back into their fishing vocation.  They were caught by Christ; they were keepers; he did not throw them back ever.  This is the nature of being caught by the call of Christ; it is an invitation to such personal spiritual mobility that one never wants to go back.  It is a call that is always renewing itself if we are willing to keep listening and responding.

What is the nature of your call of Christ today?  Do you know the joy of this spiritual "mobility" to surprise yourself with the experience of becoming someone completely different that you thought you would ever be?  Are you willing to accept the fact that you've been caught by Christ and he is never going to throw you back, because you are a keeper?

When you and I discover this wonderful "spiritual" mobility of the call of Christ to become self-surpassing people in future states, we can become people who carry and bear the excitement of the call of Christ to others.  We can live infectious lives as we invite others to find this joy of "spiritual" mobility.

The call of Christ is "spiritual" mobility.  It is a lure with attractive energy to us to want to be different in the future improvement of our lives.  And it is always and already and it is current to us now because it is never finished.

Let us make the effort to become intentionally aware of how we have been called by Christ and let us be attentive to new deliberate opportunities for "spiritual" mobility to surprise ourselves with what we can yet become.  Amen.

Sunday School, January 22, 2017 3 Epiphany A

Sunday School, January 22, 2017    3 Epiphany A

Theme:  Speaking the language of fishermen

When Jesus taught people he used language that they could understand.  With farmers he spoke about sowing seeds and about grapevines.  With shepherds he spoke about raising sheep. With fishermen, he spoke about fishing.  Jesus told them that he was a fisherman and he did not fish for fish, he fished for people.  Fishing might be fun to do for recreation but if it is your every day job, it might not always be so fun, especially if the fish are not biting.  Jesus told Peter, Andrew, James and John that he could teach them how to fish for people.  What did he mean by this?  It meant that he would teach them how to make friends in a special way by teaching them how to bring good news to the lives of other people.  Jesus told people God love them and forgave them.  He told them they did not have to fear death because God would preserve their lives after death.  He taught people.  Teaching people makes their lives better.  When we learn new things, we can do new things and it is like light comes on.  Jesus was a teacher and he brought light to James, John, Peter and Andrew.  They saw that Jesus was such a good teacher for them, they wanted to learn how to teach and help others.  So that is how Jesus taught them to fish for other people.

How can you fish for other people?  How can you make friends?  How can you help other people learn about God?

Learning how to be friends with others is learning how we can share good news about God’s love and care.

Sermon

What is the biggest light in our life?  We see it every day unless it is covered by clouds.  What do we call that big light in the sky?  It is the sun.  The sun is really a star that is just close to us than the other stars.  What do we need the sun for?  Many things: heat, light, growing our plants.  If we did not have the sunlight, we could not live. So it is very important.

  Today we have read from the Psalm that God, the Lord is our Light.  And we read in our Gospel story how people called Jesus as great light. 

  How can God and How can people be like a light?

  A light allows us to see things that we cannot see if we don’t have a light.  A light allows us to see things differently.

  When it is dark in your bedroom sometimes a shadow can look like a big tree or something else?  But when you turn on the light you find out it was just a shadow of the curtain.

   God helps us to see things differently.  God’s light is shared with people.  God’s light was in Jesus Christ.  Jesus Christ is light because he showed us how to live better lives.  His life was like a light because he taught people and he healed people and he helped people.

   So you have people who are like lights in your life?  When you lose your toys, your mom says, did you look under your bed?  And her words are like a light shining to help you find your toys.  Your parents are like lights for you because they care for you and teach you new things.  Your teachers are like lights for you because they teach you new things.

  Do you know what Jesus said to his friends?  He said, “You are the lights of this world.”  What did he mean by that?

  He meant that we all have to live in a way to show others how to live better lives.  How do we live our lives to be like lights?  By loving and caring for one another and by making friends.  Jesus told his friends who were fishermen that they should fish for people.  What does that mean?  Does it mean we should try to catch people with a net or try to get them to swallow a fish hook?  No.  Jesus liked to speak in riddles; to fish for people was his way of saying, they needed to become very good at making friends.  How do we make friends?  By loving and caring for them, by helping them,

  Today we have learned how our lives can be like a light.  By teaching others.  And we’ve learn how to fish for people.  By learning how to make friends.

  Okay let turn on our lights now.  Let me see you shine.  And lets go fishing.  Let go and make some friends.

St. John the Divine Episcopal Church

17740 Peak Avenue, Morgan Hill, CA 95037

Family Service with Holy Eucharist

January 22, 2017: The Third Sunday after The Epiphany

Gathering Songs:

I Will Make You Good Fisher Folk; Seek Ye First, Glorify Your Name; Dona Nobis Pacem

Liturgist: Blessed be God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit

People: And Blessed be God’s Kingdom, Now and forever. Amen.

Liturgist:  Oh God, Our hearts are open to you.

And you know us and we can hide nothing from you.

Prepare our hearts and our minds to love you and worship you.

Through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Song: I Will Make You Good Fisher Folk (Christian Children Songbook # 58)

I will make you good fisher folk, good fisher folk, good fisher folk.  I will make you good fisher folk, if you follow me.  If you follow me, if you follow me.  I will make you good fisher folk, if you follow me.

Hear God calling, come unto me, come unto me, come unto me.  Hear God calling come unto me, I will give you rest.  I will give you rest.  I will give you rest.  Hear God calling come unto me, I will give you rest.

Liturgist:         The Lord be with you.

People:            And also with you.

Liturgist:  Let us pray

Give us grace, O Lord, to answer readily the call of our Savior Jesus Christ and proclaim to all people the Good News of his salvation, that we and the whole world may perceive the glory of his marvelous works; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Litany of Praise: Chant: Alleluia

O God, you are Great!  Alleluia

O God, you have made us! Alleluia

O God, you have made yourself known to us!  Alleluia

O God, you have provided us with us a Savior!  Alleluia

O God, you have given us a Christian family!  Alleluia

O God, you have forgiven our sins!  Alleluia

O God, you brought your Son Jesus back from the dead!  Alleluia

A Reading from the First Letter of Paul to the Corinthians

I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you be in agreement and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same purpose.

Liturgist: The Word of the Lord.

Peope: Thanks be to God

Let us read together from Psalm 27

The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom then shall I fear? * the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom then shall I be afraid?

One thing have I asked of the LORD; one thing I seek; * that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life;

Litany Phrase: Thanks be to God! (chanted)

Litanist:

For the good earth, for our food and clothing. Thanks be to God!

For our families and friends. Thanks be to God!

For the talents and gifts that you have given to us. Thanks be to God!

For this day of worship. Thanks be to God!

For health and for a good night’s sleep. Thanks be to God!

For work and for play. Thanks be to God!

For teaching and for learning. Thanks be to God!

For the happy events of our lives. Thanks be to God!

For the celebration of the birthdays and anniversaries of our friends and parish family.

   Thanks be to God!

Liturgist:         The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew

People:            Glory to you, Lord Christ.

When Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee. He left Nazareth and made his home in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, so that what had been spoken through the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: "Land of Zebulun, land of Naphtali, on the road by the sea, across the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles--the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death light has dawned."  From that time Jesus began to proclaim, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near." As he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea-- for they were fishermen. And he said to them, "Follow me, and I will make you fish for people." Immediately they left their nets and followed him. As he went from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John, in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets, and he called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed him. Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and curing every disease and every sickness among the people.

Liturgist:         The Gospel of the Lord.

People:            Praise to you, Lord Christ.

Lesson – Father Phil

Children’s Creed

We did not make ourselves, so we believe that God the Father is the maker of the world.

Since God is so great and we are so small,

We believe God came into our world and was born as Jesus, son of the Virgin Mary.

We need God’s help and we believe that God saved us by the life, death and

     resurrection of Jesus Christ.

We believe that God is present with us now as the Holy Spirit.

We believe that we are baptized into God’s family the Church where everyone is

     welcome.

We believe that Christ is kind and fair.

We believe that we have a future in knowing Jesus Christ.

And since we all must die, we believe that God will preserve us forever.  Amen.

Litany Phrase: Christ, have mercy.

For fighting and war to cease in our world. Christ, have mercy.

For peace on earth and good will towards all. Christ, have mercy.

For the safety of all who travel. Christ, have mercy.

For jobs for all who need them. Christ, have mercy.

For care of those who are growing old. Christ, have mercy.

For the safety, health and nutrition of all the children in our world. Christ, have mercy.

For the well-being of our families and friends. Christ, have mercy.

For the good health of those we know to be ill. Christ, have mercy.

For the remembrance of those who have died. Christ, have mercy.

For the forgiveness of all of our sins. Christ, have mercy.

Youth Liturgist:          The Peace of the Lord be always with you.

People:                        And also with you.

Offertory: Song during the preparation of the Altar and the receiving of an offering

Seek Ye First  (Blue Hymnal, # 711)

1                 Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you; Allelu, alleluia.  Refrain: Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, allelu, alleluia.

2          Ask, and it shall be given unto you, seek, and ye shall find, knock and the door shall be opened unto you; Allelu, alleluia!  Refrain

Doxology

Praise God from whom all blessings flow. Praise Him, all creatures here below.

Praise Him above, ye heavenly host. Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

Prologue to the Eucharist

Jesus said, “Let the children come to me, for to them belong the kingdom of God.”

All become members of a family by birth or adoption.

Baptism is a celebration of birth into the family of God.

A family meal gathers and sustains each human family.

The Holy Eucharist is the special meal that Jesus gave to his friends to keep us together as the family of Christ.

The Lord be with you

And also with you.

Lift up your hearts

We lift them to the Lord.

Let us give thanks to God.

It is right to give God thanks and praise.

It is very good and right to give thanks, because God made us, Jesus redeemed us and the Holy Spirit dwells in our hearts.  Therefore with Angels and Archangels and all of the world that we see and don’t see, we forever sing this hymn of praise:

Holy, Holy, Holy (Intoned)

Holy, Holy, Holy Lord, God of Power and Might.  Heav’n and earth are full of your glory.

Hosanna in the highest.  Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. 

Hosanna in the highest. Hosanna in the Highest.

All may gather around the altar

Our grateful praise we offer to you God, our Creator;

You have made us in your image

And you gave us many men and women of faith to help us to live by faith:

Adam and Eve, Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, Jacob and Rachael.

And then you gave us your Son, Jesus, born of Mary, nurtured by Joseph

And he called us to be sons and daughters of God.

Your Son called us to live better lives and he gave us this Holy Meal so that when we eat

  the bread and drink the wine, we can  know that the Presence of Christ is as near to us as  

  this food and drink  that becomes a part of us.

And so, Father, we bring you these gifts of bread and wine. Bless and sanctify them by your Holy Spirit to be for your people the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ our Lord.  Bless and sanctify us by your Holy Spirit so that we may love God and our neighbor.

On the night when Jesus was betrayed he took bread, said the blessing, broke the bread, and gave it to his friends, and said, "Take, eat: This is my Body, which is given for you. Do this for the remembrance of me."

After supper, Jesus took the cup of wine, gave thanks, and said, "Drink this, all of you. This is my Blood of the new Covenant, which is shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Whenever you drink it, do this for the remembrance of me."

Father, we now celebrate the memorial of your Son. When we eat this holy Meal of Bread and Wine, we are telling the entire world about the life, death and resurrection of Christ and that his presence will be with us in our future.

Let this holy meal keep us together as friends who share a special relationship because of your Son Jesus Christ.  May we forever live with praise to God to whom we belong as sons and daughters.

By Christ, and with Christ, and in Christ, in the unity of the Holy Spirit all honor and glory

 is yours, Almighty Father, now and for ever. AMEN.

And now as our Savior Christ has taught us, we now sing,

Our Father: (Renew # 180, West Indian Lord’s Prayer)

Our Father who art in heaven:  Hallowed be thy name.

Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will be done: Hallowed be thy name.

Done on earth as it is in heaven: Hallowed be thy name.

Give us this day our daily bread: Hallowed be thy name.

And forgive us all our debts: Hallowed be thy name.

As we forgive our debtors: Hallowed be thy name.

Lead us not into temptation: Hallowed be thy name.

But deliver us from evil: Hallowed be thy name.

Thine is the kingdom, power, and glory: Hallowed be thy name.

Forever and ever: Hallowed be thy name.

Amen, amen, amen: Hallowed be thy name.

Amen, amen, amen: Hallowed be thy name.

Breaking of the Bread

Celebrant:       Alleluia! Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us.

People:            Therefore let us keep the feast.  Alleluia!

Words of Administration

Communion Song: Glorify Your Name (Renew! #37)

Father we love you, we worship and adore you, glorify your name in all the earth.  Glorify your name, Glorify your name, glorify your name in all the earth.

Jesus we love you, we worship and adore you, glorify your name in all the earth.  Glorify your name, Glorify your name, glorify your name in all the earth.

Spirit we love you, we worship and adore you, glorify your name in all the earth.  Glorify your name, Glorify your name, glorify your name in all the earth. Glorify your name, glorify your name in all the earth.

Post-Communion Prayer

Everlasting God, we have gathered for the meal that Jesus asked us to keep;

We have remembered his words of blessing on the bread and the wine.

And His Presence has been known to us.

We have remembered that we are sons and daughters of God and brothers

    and sisters in Christ.

Send us forth now into our everyday lives remembering that the blessing in the

     bread and wine spreads into each time, place and person in our lives,

As we are ever blessed by you, O Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Closing Song: Dona Nobis Pacem (Blue Hymnal # 712)

Dona nobis pacem, pacem.  Dona nobis pacem.  Dona nobis pacem.  Dona nobis pacem.  Dona nobis pacem.  Dona nobis pacem.

Dismissal:   

Liturgist: Let us go forth in the Name of Christ.  

People: Thanks be to God!   

Origin of the Church? Christian Befriending

3 Epiphany A      January  26, 2014

Is. 9:1-4         Psalm 27:1, 5-13

1 Cor. 1:10-18    Matt. 4:12-23

Lectionary Link 

  When something is successful, there ensues this curiosity about the causes for that success.  We want to do a forensic analysis of success so that we might understand the ingredients of why things come to happen.  We cannot help but be curious about success.  This past week we had the 30^th anniversary of the Macintosh computer and so now historians and biographers look back at the circumstances which brought about its development.

  I think that sometimes we project back upon the history of the church this sense that the persecuted church was not very strong and was struggling for its very existence.  I have come to think differently; I think the early church leaders were very excited and they realized that the message was very successful in forging community in an unstoppable way.   The Gospel program was becoming a sweeping social force in the cities of the Roman Empire but it was a stealthy force.  The churches built upon this social force of the Gospel began to be built in the private spaces of houses in the cities of the Roman Empire.  It was so successful and it morphed in so many ways that the leaders could disagree passionately about the forms of expression which the Christian message took.  The fact that there is so much early disagreement among Christians is a sign that it had become a social force to contend with in the society-at-large.

  I would contend that it is the success of the message which made all of the institutionalization of Christianity necessary.  When movements are successful they have to be institutionalized for standardization and organization in order to function within different settings and to give some sense of comprehensive unity.  They have to be institutionalized in order for their franchises to become operative in many locations.  In the first century after Jesus of Nazareth one was able to find the great increase in number of many home churches throughout Roman Empire.

  When success happens one needs to account for that success through tracing the origins.  But in trying to trace the story of origin, one uses those stories as the method to further spread the influence of the social movement.  You should embrace the Gospel because look what it has done for so many people in so many place.  And this is why it happen.

  The season of the Epiphany is a season dedicated to mark the historical fact that Christ and the Gospel became known across the Roman world.  How did this happen?  It is as though a great light shown in the world and began to change the world because new things were now being able to be seen.

  A great light has shown.  What is the source of this light?   And how has this light kept shining with a continuous brightness?  And so we have origin stories about the source of this light, Jesus Christ.  And we also have origin stories about the source of the continuing transmission of this light in the calling of Christ to his disciples and in the birth of the church.

  The Gospels provide us with the infancy narratives and the record of the ministry of Jesus to give an explanation account of the source of this great Christian social movement.  The light did not just get limited to Jesus of Nazareth; he was able to transfer this light to his disciples.  They were able to transfer this light to subsequent disciples and the movement grew in an exponentially profound way.

  We are often taught that the birth of the church occurred on Pentecost when the message of Jesus was seen to be universally accessible in all of the languages of humanity.  But one can trace the history and the origin of the church to something very basic, namely, befriending which took place between Jesus and his friends and students.  As their teacher, he was more than a teacher; he was an intimate mentor and friend and in the befriending dynamic which took place between Jesus and his disciple the transmission of the social and spiritual energy of the church occurred.  And it has been occurring forever.

  This befriending dynamic is the origin of the church and it accounts for the success of the church and it will be present in the future success of the church.  Where befriending occurs in our life orientation toward God, there we will find the essence of Christ;  there we will find the essence of the church.

  The church has institutionalized this befriending in the person and office of a bishop.  A bishop stands as a symbolic person of the fellowship and befriending behaviors of Christians with each other in our world today.  But a bishop also stands as a symbol of the fact that Christ-like befriending has been passed from one generation of Christians to another.  A bishop does not exhaust the essence of Christian befriending; a bishop’s symbolic personage reminds us that befriending with Christ is the birth of the church; it is the secret of the transmission of the Gospel from the past to the present; it is the symbol of our befriending fellowship with one another now and in the office of the bishop laying hands on future bishops, we have symbolized our obligation to pass on to future friends the wonderful gift of Christian befriending.

  The Church happened very successfully because of this universally adaptable Christian befriending.  The church happened because the befriending nature of Jesus of Nazareth caught on and spread and it spread like a wildfire because it was adopted to all times and cultures.

  The befriending nature of Christ continues today.  Churches fight about it. Some churches put limitations upon how they think the Christ befriending behaviors should manifest themselves.  But the Christ befriending winsomeness just keeps rolling on; the befriending Christ befriends many people for whom you and I may not have an affinity; it befriends many people who may have completely different life experiences than the experiences which we have.

  But I would ask us this:  Should we be offended and limiting about the scope and nature of the winsomeness of this wonderful befriending that happens because of Christ?  In our acceptance of our own Christian befriending should we deny the validity and sincerity how it has happened to others?

  At some point every bishop and church leader need to have the humility to admit: Wow! I do not control this Christ-befriending dynamic that is present in this world.  I do not control it even as  I and many others have been swept away by its awesome winsomeness, by it awesome good news.  And God forbid that we get in the way of someone's good news with our petty censoring ways of how we think that good news should be received.

  The birth of the church took place in the call of Christ to his disciple students and friends.  This is the heart of the transmission of the light and good news of Christ in the world.  This befriending turned out to be a wildfire in the Roman Empire and ultimately the entire world had to deal with this befriending dynamic.

  Let us be thankful for the befriending behaviors which we have had particularly those which have given us good news about being loved, being forgiven, being perfectible and being given hope for all of the possibilities of the future, enough to inspire actual choices of faithful behaviors in our lives now.

  Christ is the Light of the world.  We have received this light of Christian befriending and cannot help but let this good news go forth into the future to everyone in our lives with the release of our befriending gift of Christ to all for whom it is intended.  Amen.