What is new and what is old — The Rt. Rev. Mary Glasspool | Sermons from the Pulpit of Saint Thomas

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be always acceptable in your sight O Lord our strength and Our Redeemer amen in preparation for this glorious event I read the entire to titled St Thomas Church Fifth Avenue by the late great J Robert Wright it was published in 2001 by St Thomas Church and the William E erdman's publishing company in that book Dr Wright quotes a pamplet published in 1824 reprinted on the inside cover of your bulletin which reads on Sunday evening 12 October 1823 notice thereof having been previously given in some of the public papers Divine service according to the rights of the Protestant Episcopal Church was celebrated for the first time in the large room number 440 Broom Street corner of Broadway by the Reverend Dr R Wayne Wright recor of Grace Church nearly all of the Episcopal clergy of the city being present after which a discourse by the Reverend Cornelius R Duffy from Psalm 87 verse 2 now for those of us who have not memorized the entire book of Psalms and I say that hesitantly because maybe somebody some some of you people here have but for those of you who have not Psalm 87: 2 reads the lord loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob and I wonder whether the Reverend Mr Duffy would have referenced verses 1 and three as well giving verse two its context the whole reads on the holy Mount stands the city he founded the lord loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob glorious things are spoken of you oh city of God the Reverend Mr was officially named the first recor of St Thomas Church in 1824 but his time in that position was relatively brief tragically Mr Duffy contracted typhoid fever and died on August 20th 1827 yet even though his rectorship was short in everything I have read Duffy is remembered as a beloved figure a leader inspirational humble and faithful to almighty God and the fledgling Congregation of St Thomas your current Rector the Reverend Canon Carl F Turner his spouse mother Allison Turner and the incredible leadership team currently serving this Exquisite Parish has continued the TR tradition of bringing out of our treasure things new and old joined by a great cloud of witnesses we now arrive at a very particular moment in time when we come together to celebrate a 200-year narrative that has incorporated many Transformations along the way including two devastating fires and relocation from downtown to Midtown given the rich tapestry of history and events that comprises St Thomas Church at 200 what pieces of treasure can we reflect on this evening that will provide some small sustenance as we celebrate coming this far and take some nourishment for the days ahead I suggest we reflect on three words which characterize the story of St Thomas Church balance Beauty and beloved these three words do not even come close to describing the entire life of the parish yet the words name aspects or dynamics of its life that are Central core values if you will which Infuse the life of St Thomas with the Bold power of God's holy spirit when we talk about balance a host of associations occur the dictionary I have on my desk at home offers 25 definitions and then further names such specifics as balance of power balance of trade and balance sheet Treasures take note the essence of the concept is that somehow there is an equal distribution of power or weight or wealth balance names a static situation but seeking balance can indicate a constantly moving back and forth that can be seen as small as two children on a seesaw and as large as the swing of a giant Pendulum In fact if we think of a pendulum in a mechanical clock we see that the pendulum must move back and forth if the clock is to tell time and the passage of time and yet the pendulum responds to both gravity and inertia and so in a mechanical clock at least keeps swinging the 200-year story of St Thomas Church reveals an early testing ground for the 19th and 20th Century fight between high and low churchmanship in the Episcopal Church St Thomas history includes UD times of discernment of mission and focus are we to serve the rich or the poor the immediate surrounding area or move Beyond reaching out to the larger Community does St Thomas Church name the building or the people you will of course recognize that these are false choices based on dichotomies of our our own making but my own reading of the history of St Thomas indicates that this part of the body of Christ in the world has always sought the equilibrium of balance without abnegating its prayerfully discerned identity and that Dynamic of seeking balance is one of the life streams of this church the lesson from Ecclesiastes speaks of many kinds of balance in life and the gospel is for and about the rich and the poor we can have and offer the world a beautiful building and understand the people as the body of Christ we can serve the needs of the immediate neighborhood and reach out beyond our immediate life balance I worked hard on the balance part of this sermon speaking about beauty in relation to St Thomas is practically effortless from the Ethereal music sung by the St Thomas choir of men and boys with the modus operandi Orchestra to the sight of the Exquisite stained glass windows The Magnificent ridos to the smell of sweet incense to the taste of good food and drink to the feel and sense of Fellowship in liturgy and worship St Thomas has long been characterized by beauty Beauty surrounds us right here and right now and the world is in such such need of beauty sometimes we find ourselves needing to justify the expense of energy or money into supporting Beauty but the beauty of God's world is not a luxury it's a necessity especially in times of great ugliness and despair when I think about the need for beauty I am reminded of the bread and r roses strike from January until March of 1912 in Lawrence Massachusetts LED mostly by women textile workers the strike was remarkable for at least two things it was peaceful and ended without injury and it United dozens of immigrant communities under the leadership of the industrial workers of the world James oppenheim coined the slogan bread and Roses in a poem first published in 1911 and the slogan was picked up by the strikers in Lawrence in 1912 oppenheim's poem was set to music in 1976 by Mimi finina and was made famous by Judy Collins's recording of it the music and the lyrics tell the story of the 1912 strike and the ongoing struggle for human dignity and matters of the heart as well as adequate food clothing and shelter and Humane working conditions the song is a marching song and one verse goes like this as we go marching marching we bring the greater days the rising of the women means the rising of the race no more The Dredge and idler tend that toil where one reposes but a sharing of life's glories bread and Roses bread and Roses Our Lives shall not be sweated from birth until life closes Hearts starve as well as bodies bread and Roses bread and Roses we all need bread and we all need roses too balance Beauty beloved I'm tempted to go directly to the epistle lesson and quote the writer of First John and and leave it at that beloved let us love one another for love is of God and everyone that loveth is born of God and knoweth God God is love love is God love one another but that would be too easy and while the lesson assures us that God loves us first and we love God in response to that first love and gave Jesus to show us the way I believe we really need to look at the gospel lesson and to learn something about how we build the Beloved Community or the Kingdom of Heaven as the gospel writer Matthew puts it we can receive some guidance from Jesus himself and the gospel lesson Matthew's Jesus is teaching his disciples about the kingdom of heaven and what it's like the Kingdom of Heaven which Jesus teaches about and the Beloved Community which we are trying to build are similar in nature if not the same Jesus says and forgive me here I'm going to translate the King James version into the new revised Standard Version so that I can try to speak without spitting the Kingdom of Heaven is like treasure hidden in a field the Kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls the kingdom of of Heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea going back a few verses in Matthew's gospel we can add Jesus saying the Kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and sewed in a field it is the smallest of all seeds but when it is grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree so that the birds of the air come and make nests in their branches and the Kingdom of Heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened a colleague of mine recently noted that if there was only one way to God Jesus would have only told one Parable but he doesn't the Kingdom of Heaven is like this or this or this or this or this and let me tell you a story about that in an attempt to be as exhaustive and reach as many people as possible you there the Kingdom of Heaven is like a pearl of great price that doesn't work for you okay the Kingdom of Heaven is like treasure hidden in a field no all right the Kingdom of Heaven is like a net cast into the sea then we have to to ask is the kingdom of heaven really like a mustard seed like yeast like treasure like a pearl like a net no not exactly the grammatical structure of the Greek indicates that a better translation of all of these little Parables would be it is the case with the Kingdom of Heaven as with a mustard seed or as with a little yeast can you hear the difference the emphasis in each Parable is not meant to be placed on the object itself the purpose of each Parable is to compare the kingdom of heaven with the final stage of the process there in described so the Kingdom of Heaven is not exactly like a Mustard Seed what the Kingdom of Heaven is like is the tree that the that the seed eventually becomes the Kingdom of Heaven is not exactly yeast what it's like is the Risen dough when the yeast has permeated the whole thing the Kingdom of Heaven is not like treasure hidden in a field it is the it is like the response made to Finding the Treasure hidden in the field likewise the Kingdom of Heaven is not like the pearl of Great Value it's like the response of the merchant in search of fine pearls and finally the Kingdom of Heaven is not exactly like a net thrown into the sea but the situation at the coming of the kingdom is compared to the sorting out of the fish caught in the net take note we're getting some instructions on how to build Beloved Community with all of these Parables but perhaps particularly with the treasure hidden in the field and the pearl of Great Value Jesus seems to be saying that God sometimes acts in Hidden ways paradoxically God sometimes reveals God's self through that which is concealed but discoverable sometimes God acts in Hidden ways Jesus himself is a living instance of this the eyes of civilization were seeking for power creativity and change and they're all fixed on Rome yet it is away from that Focus where God acts Rome is not the Divine Center it is Bethlehem Jewish tradition looks to a messiah who will come with power and Charisma to conquer but here comes a village Carpenter instead of seeking his following at the center of power in Jerusalem he remains secluded in the Hills of Galilee instead of outlining a political plan he speaks of a kingdom concealed in the human heart and in the designs of God when finally he submits to the terrible wheel of history that revolves to crush him he lies sheltered in the Tomb and then emerges as conqueror of death God sometimes acts in Hidden ways if indeed God works this way then we are wise always to presume the possibility of God's activity in places that are hidden if we regard an area of life as ordinary and everyday and pedestrian then let us beware mustard seeds lie in dirt waiting for the sun and a little water to free them up to grow if we come to take relationships for granted then let us be careful under ordinary Fields there may be treasure if colleagues at work or the place itself or its tasks have begun to feel Soul destroying it is just possible that somewhere hidden in that situation is an element which can become an entry point into new possibilities and a door into to the Beloved Kingdom as St Thomas Church continues seeking ways to build that Beloved Community know that in addition to the treasures that appear obvious there are some Hidden Treasures that have yet to be revealed they can pop up at any time maybe even tonight the treasure you've been seeking might be sitting right next to you the pearl of great price might be the one you've been looking at for low these many years yet have not recognized its Great Value the net cast into the sea has drawn us all together this evening but I sense that our purpose and call will move us Beyond this celebration ation to cast that net again and again and again balance Beauty beloved these are words that describe at least in part St Thomas Church they are words that can help guide us as we continue to seek the kingdom of heaven and build the Beloved Community recognizing that the balance Beauty and beloved nature already here St Thomas Church can do what it does best bring out of that rich treasure what is new and what is old to the honor and glory of God amen