Erl Purnell Sermon

b25Pentecost 21 ~ October 29, 2006 ~ A sermon preached by The Rev’d Erl G. Purnell at Old St. Andrew’s Church, Bloomfield, CT

Isaiah 59 1-4, 9-19; Psalm 13; Hebrews 5.12-6.1, 9-12; Mark 10.46.52

“The blind man said to him, ‘My teacher, let me see again.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Go; your faith has made you well.’ Immediately he regained his sight and followed him on the way.”

Yes, let the blind man see!

A week ago Friday and Saturday, the Diocese of Connecticut met for their 222^nd annual convention at Christ Church Cathedral in Hartford. During our time together we elected members to the Standing Committee, passed the 2007 budget, approved the merger of Christ Church, West Haven and St. John’s by-the-Sea, West Haven, endorsed universal healthcare and affordable housing in the State of Connecticut, and advocated the Congress guarantee basic human rights for immigrants and undocumented workers.

In addition to the business of Convention, we worshipped together, sang hymns, and heard a wonderful talk by Bishop Dinis Sengulane of the Diocese of Lebombo, Mozambique. But, this Convention will undoubtedly be remembered for Bishop Smith’s powerful and prophetic address on Friday afternoon. Copies of the Bishop’s speech are on the old altar in the hallway.

Two issues in particular were on the Bishop’s mind—first, the diocesan “relationship with five congregations and their rectors who petitioned for what they name alternative episcopal oversight in May 2005,” and second, the Bishop’s response to passage by the Connecticut Legislature in August of 2005 of the civil union law and the Governor’s subsequent signing of that bill into law.

Regarding the five parishes, what is so important is—and I am quoting Bishop Smith—“diocesan episcopal oversight of these parishes, and the obedience of the rectors to their ordination vows.” Bishop Smith, for two and a half years, has been thoughtful, careful, and available, but most of all, he has been patient and prayerful. All of this, you’ll remember, stems from Bishop Smith’s support for the ordination of Gene Robinson, a partnered gay man, as Bishop of New Hampshire in 2003.

In his address, the Bishop said, “within our polity there are two alternatives for the five congregations and their rectors: Either live in compliance with the Church’s Constitution and Canons which means serving in communion with the Diocese of Connecticut and our bishops…or, leave this church.”

While there may be fair-minded people who believe Bishop Smith has not done everything possible to engage the five congregations and their rectors, I am convinced that his efforts at reconciliation have been in the true spirit of Christ. He has listened long and hard; he has clearly stated the polity of our Church and the limitations our Constitution and Canons place on him or any bishop; he has endured public and private misrepresentations of the issues; and, his motives and character have been impugned.

In 2005, of the five parishes in question, two have contributed nothing to the diocese, while the average contribution of the other three was $430. Meanwhile, the parishes and their clergy have enjoyed the benefits of diocesan insurance coverage—liability, property, and casualty for the parishes; health and life for clergy, plus on-going participation in the Church Pension Fund. And yet, the five parishes and their rectors have filed law suits in both State and Federal court, which the Diocese has need to defend at a cost of $350,000. They also made complaint against the Bishop. The national Episcopal Church is presently investigating those charges.

I’m sure you can understand the frustration Bishop Smith, Executive Counsel, and the Standing Committee face. And so, speaking from his heart, the Bishop said, “We are well aware of the canonical actions that are available to the diocese. They are serious. We have been patient. We continue to hold open the door. Yet, it is time to say, Enough. The passive non-support and active sabotage of the diocese by the leaders of these five congregations and those who support them from the outside are a scandal in the community and before the Lord, and they cannot continue.”

As Episcopalians in the Diocese of Connecticut, each of us is called upon to consider the circumstances and consequences at hand. I, for one, applaud Bishop’s Smith reserve and now his resolve. For me, like many, the real question is, in Bishop Smith words, “What kind of church will this be, what are our gospel values and imperatives, how we shall live and minister? Shall we be a church of generosity or judgment?”

Yes, let the blind man see!

While the Jesus story invites ALL to live into the fullness of Christ, not all are able to do so. For some, true openness and full inclusivity go too far, and I have to wonder what gospel these folks are reading!

Yes, let the blind man see! raises the question of what could Bartimaeus, the blind beggar outside of Jericho, not see? What is it any of us is blind to? The lack of universal health care? An interminable war? Unheeded warnings of global warming? Hungry children? Inadequate education? Violence? Over-flowing prisons? Prejudice?

Do you see what actually happened that morning outside the gate of Jericho so long ago? Jesus says, “Go; your faith has made you well.” He does nothing. He simply says, “Go; your faith has made you well.” What matters here, is what we do in response to Jesus’ presence. Bartimaeus was ready to see; he was ready to have his eyes opened so he could live in a new and vital way. What he needed was to see the world, his life, others with fresh eyes. In the presence of Jesus, our eyes open and we have the ability to see beyond the blind darkness. The imagery of a blind man receiving his sight is stunning and the metaphor compelling.

Mark knows what he is doing. Mark’s Jesus says it is Bartimaeus’ faith that has opened his eyes. Anne Lamott, perhaps my favorite contemporary American writer, contends that the opposite of faith is not doubt, but certainty. I think she’s right. The opposite of faith is not doubt, but certainty.

Certainty is akin to blindness. Certainty is a small box filled with things like fear, prejudice, hate, anger, vengefulness, miserliness, exclusion, and the blackness they live in. Faith, on the other hand, opens for Bartimaeus—and for you and me—the full spectrum of Jesus’ light in its magnificence. It’s not a fluke that we say Jesus is the Light of the World!

“‘Go; your faith has made you well.’ Immediately he regained his sight and followed him on the way.” Faith, I think Anne Lamott is saying, helps us to see so we know where to go. Faith ejects the paralysis of blind certainty and opens the Divine to us, where we find the support and guidance needed to question and consider, to engage and inform, to seek the truth even though we can never fully know—Paul’s seeing through a glass dimly or the Buddhist admonition to hold to beliefs lightly. While we have many beliefs here today, we need also to be open to truths not yet revealed.

Remember what Bishop Smith asked so boldly? “The root of this controversy is What kind of Church will this be?” In what he has said and done, the Bishop calls us to be truly Christ-centered, a faith-filled and inspired Church with eyes wide-open, eyes that take in and guide us to the fullness of God’s creation, not just selected, small slivers of a personal comfort zone. Dare we be a church that is wastefully generous of spirit, compassionate, forgiving, standing on the rock of justice, and unconditionally loving?

One concrete example of such a Church is its inclusion and support for our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters whose civil unions have been acknowledged by the State of Connecticut. As such, Bishop Smith says “we as a Church will welcome and embrace and serve with and care for and bless persons who are homosexual and partnered as cherished and fully accepted members of the Body of Christ.”

I am so proud of Bishop Smith, our Diocese, and all people whose eyes, through faith, have been opened to accept, finally, full communion in our Church for ALL. Yes, let the blind man see!

At the same time, I am keenly aware that some of the faithful among us will not share my enthusiasm nor this new way in which we follow Jesus. At Old St. Andrew’s, now and always, I, and we, know how to stand in the tension of differences. We are a family that honors all points of view and lives in love and respect for each other regardless of our differences. Lets continue to live in that spirit.

By way of conclusion, I repeat one more time, Yes, let the blind man see! Let our eyes be opened in faith to be the Body of Christ in this wonderful but broken world. Let us stand up and follow Jesus. Let us walk with him along the Way, being people of reconciliation and people who are so opened to Christ’s love that ALL are welcome at the table, today and always.

Amen.