Holy Food for the Holy Journey of Faith
Proper 13B
Ephesians 4:1-16; John 6:24-35
8/2/09
Lorraine Ljunggren

        Each week here at St. Mark's, following the breaking of the bread in the Eucharistic prayer, Jim or I say, “The gifts of God for the people of God, holy food for the holy journey of faith.”

        I can't recall when we began using that particular phrase as the invitation to communion, but it has come to be for me the most meaningful of invitation phrases. I think it's because there are layers of truth in the words. First, it acknowledges that the bread and wine of the Eucharist are, indeed, Holy gifts given to us by God. In ways that are and will always be mysterious, simple bread, whether shaped into a loaf or into little wafers, whether made from wheat or the flours of other grains, is blessed by God's Holy Spirit thereby bringing into the present the presence of the Risen Christ of God. Simple wine, pressed from grapes and fermented for some length of time, accompanies the bread, making real the life and ministry of Jesus of Nazareth in our time.

        The words of the invitation reassure us that we – the gathered community – are people of God. It is a reminder that, as we so often say, each of us is created in the image and likeness of God – we are part and parcel of God's creation. That's a message that is unspoken in other sorts of communities in which we gather.

        This invitation to communion also acknowledges that our journey of faith is itself a Holy enterprise. This invitation doesn't stop to analyze or define or unpack the paths we each take towards God; but it does say that this is a sacred quest, my friends, and it is best done in the company of other people of God. Truth be told, the Christian journey has never been intended to be a solitary one. Even those in history who've lived apart began and ended their journeys in community.

        Just as I can't recall when we began using this invitation to communion, I can't name the day or year in which I realized that to miss participating in the Holy Eucharist left a gaping hole in my week – or, should I say, something important was missing. I know I realized this well before I ever went off to seminary. If I was traveling for business or for fun and I missed church wherever I was, something was missing inside me. It wasn't a matter of keeping track of my church attendance; it was a matter of feeding my body, mind, and spirit in the midst of my faith community. In times when I was under a lot of pressure or stress, my need to gather with my sisters and brothers in Christ became greater – becomes greater to this day. When life pushes me – when circumstances aren't going the way I would like them to go, I need you more than ever because it is here I know in no uncertain terms I am loved by God and by you. It is here that I am reminded the gifts God has given me do matter – in using my gifts I do make a difference. And, I hope, that each of you realizes how important are the many gifts God has given you.

        It occurs to me that we, as the people of God at St. Mark's, are under a lot of pressure and stress – we're being pushed especially by the economic circumstances around us and within our community. Pay cuts and unemployment mean things aren't going the way we'd like them to go. The global stock markets are still influenced by the profit-takers and speculators. Gas prices follow the whim of unseen executives who certainly don't follow the old rules of supply and demand. The economy and changes in the lives of some of our members are about to change our clergy staffing here at St. Mark's – going from two to one clergyperson in 2010 will change some of the ways we do ministry. And, for these reasons, among many others, we need each other. We need all the gifts God has given us – we need to be reminded the gifts God gives us do matter and that using our gifts means we make a difference – and make a much greater difference together!

        When these types of events or circumstances press upon us, to borrow an image from old movies about the wild west, one temptation is to circle the wagons, looking inward, focusing only on ourselves. When faced with staffing changes, to borrow an image from the old silent movies, church members can be tempted to race around like the Keystone Cops, running about without stopping to ask the big questions about the mission and ministry to which God calls us. Members can be tempted to divide into factions in efforts to save favorite programs or people, or can be tempted to bail out leaving the community before even seeing how life will be different after change happens. I would submit there is a better way.

        We can take our cue from scripture! Surprise! Today we heard one of my favorite passages from the Letter to the Church in Ephesus – a passage which is about our connectedness, about our relatedness, about our oneness in Christ. It's about a transforming kind of unity – unity for the sake of the Gospel imperatives – unity of the sort reflected in our Baptismal promises.

        For those who've been in the Episcopal Church for awhile or who regularly read the Bible, some phrases are familiar: “There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God…of all, who is above all and through all and in all.” (Eph. 4:4-6) Every time we baptize someone, we repeat some of those words. The passage goes on to say that the gifts Christ gives are “…that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the
work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ…” (Eph. 4:11-12).

        Now, this list of gifts isn't all inclusive -- there are many gifts which equip us to build up the body of Christ. We are each given gifts by Christ to equip us for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ. On the surface that sounds easy enough. But, like so much of the holy journey of faith, it takes commitment. It takes commitment to God in Christ, commitment to one another as individuals created in God's image with all our differences and likenesses, commitment to build up this parish church as an important part of the body of Christ with a particular witness the world, I believe, desperately needs.

        I would submit that one of the best ways for us to approach the changes happening within our church and the changes in our global church family is to pause, take some deep breaths, and say some particularly focused prayers asking God's guidance as we discern our way forward. As one of your clergy married to our other clergyperson, you know I have a vested interest in these changes. To say it's unsettling in our household is an understatement. The temptations to which I pointed a few moments ago are well-known to me and to Jim. But, because we love you as individuals and as this part of the body of Christ, I believe there is a better way.

        We are preparing to engage in a visioning process – we've written about this in our newsletter, The Messenger, which I hope you all receive and read. We'll be writing about it more. A visioning process will serve us best if we all – all participate. As the planning team begins to formulate the process in which we'll all be invited to participate, please consider well the calls the team may put out asking for help from those with particular gifts. I don't know today what gifts we'll call upon, but I know you'll have what it takes.

        I started our sermon time today focusing on the words of the invitation to communion. It is an invitation to more than the circle we form around the altar each Sunday. It is an invitation into the heart of God – into the dream God has for us and for the people of God who surround us on every side in the world outside. It is an invitation to open our hearts and minds, our souls and imaginations, to an experience of the Living God whom we come to know through Jesus the Christ – whom we sense and feel through the Holy Spirit. It is an invitation to life, my friends – life amid the chances and changes which come and go.

        So, borrowing words from the service of Holy Baptism: May God bless us with inquiring and discerning hearts, the courage to will and to persevere, a spirit to know and to love God, and the gift of joy and wonder in all God's works. Amen.

©2009 Lorraine Ljunggren