Erl Purnell Sermon

Great Easter Vigil ~ April 15, 2006 ~ A sermon preached by The Rev’d Erl G. Purnell at Old St. Andrew’s Church, Bloomfield, CT

Acts 10.34-43; Psalm 118.14-29; Colossians 3.1-4; Mark 16.1-8

We have just renewed our baptismal vows. After reciting your affirmation that God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, I asked you five questions. You responded to each with, “I will with God’s help.” Most of us rarely pay much attention to what we’re asked in baptism. The words simply fall out of the Prayer Book by rote, and slip across our ears without much serious consideration. But, it’s really worth taking a look at what you agreed to do “with God’s help,” for these are the most basic tenets of being Christ’s people in the world.

The first question asked is, “Will you continue in the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in the prayers?” Ever wonder what the apostles’ teaching is, or their fellowship? We’re probably in good shape concerning the breaking of bread, and probably even in the prayers. Each Sunday, and sometimes in between, like now, we gather to remember the words Jesus said at his final meal: “Take, eat. This is my body which is given for you.” And, “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.” After each acclamation, the Celebrant says, “Do this in remembrance of me.”

We share the bread and wine as Jesus asked us to do. Moreover, just to get to the Table, we say myriad prayers—the Collect, the Prayers of the People, the Lord’s Prayer, and the prayer of consecration. Likewise, in the every day of our lives, we often find time to squeeze in a prayer or two on our own—for the traffic to let up, for good health, for a pay raise or a 92 on the Math test, for Christmas to come, for winter to go, for peace in Iraq. You know what I mean.

As for the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, you may not think a lot about it, but we actually do a pretty good job there, too. Fellowship has everything to do with sharing life among ourselves, in the community of Old St. Andrew’s Church. We eat and drink together and we work together. We support this Christian family with our pledges and we serve the parish in the ECW and teaching Church School and serving on the Altar Guild, to give three examples.

Fellowship, however, also has to do with reaching out to others and inviting them into our lives. It has to do with being ambassadors of Christ and OSA as we welcome guests into the church; it’s about living out of our abundance, not a sense of poverty; it means taking our good spirit to the community beyond us and generously giving away some of what makes us so fortunate.

The apostles’ teaching? The apostles’ teaching is what we talk about and listen to in the prayers, in the sermons, and in the conversations we often have about the meaning of Christ’s Good News. The apostles’ teaching is found in Scripture but also in the wisdom and insight of scholars who write and speak about the life of Jesus, the history of the church, and the sometimes difficult ethical and moral choices before us. The apostles’ teaching is dynamic and so it requires our participation. It is neither good enough nor responsible to simply accept out of hand what you hear or read. Rather, in the tradition of the Anglican Communion’s understanding of baptism, you are charged to “hear [Scripture], read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest” (Proper 28) the teachings available to you. This is hugely important. It means that each of us is to think about, pray and meditate on the Scriptures and the commentaries about them.

Next, I ask, “Will you persevere in resisting evil, and, whenever you fall into sin, repent and return to the Lord?” This is a pretty easy one. It acknowledges what we all know, namely that, there is evil in the world. We also know that, from time to time, we get sucked into it, we sin, which is another way of saying we fall out of right relationship with God and with other folks. It’s hard not to, try as we might. But the church recognizes that and asks that you remember your baptismal covenant. When you sin—when you aren’t in right relationship with God or others—, acknowledge it, turn around and head in a new direction—that’s what repent actually means—and commit yourself to serving God by accepting God’s guiding wisdom and teaching in the example of Jesus.

The third question: “Will you proclaim by word and example the Good News of God in Christ?” I’m pretty sure it’s easier for most of us to do this by example than by word. I can quickly say that the spirit of Christ is with most of us most of the time. Folks who call Old St. Andrew’s their church home are alive as the Body of Christ. You take the spirit of Christ into the world. And, that’s a good thing.

Sadly, few people among us are willing to speak about our faith. Now I’m not suggesting that any of us beat anybody over the head with the Bible or Prayer Book. That never works. However, I think that one of the very best ways to speak of our faith is to listen to what others have to say. Usually when people tell me they are disaffected with God, I ask them to tell me about the God they don’t believe in. Every-single-time, after twenty minutes or so, I’m able to say, “Right. I don’t believe in that God either.” If the Good News in Jesus Christ is truly “good”, then it’s OK to share how this Good News affects you and your life with others. You’ve pledged to do this and so I hope you will.

“Will you seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving your neighbor as yourself?” Isn’t this where compassion, forgiveness, and generosity of spirit come in? Remember the admonition of Jesus, “Just as you do this to the least of these, so you do it to me”? And notice, too, that the question asks you to consider ALL persons, not just some, not just people you like or know, not just the clean and sober and kindly and educated and motivated and faithful. There’s something else, too. Do you realize that “love your neighbor as yourself” says nothing about what your neighbor is going to do? It only speaks of what you’ll do, who you’ll be, how you’ll act. Can you act with compassion, forgiveness, and generosity of spirit at all times and with all people just as you would with your brother Jesus? You’ve said you will with God’s help.

The last question: “Will you strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being?” Years ago, as a teenager, I was often among people who told racist and anti-Semitic jokes. This was during the civil rights movement, in which I was involved. I pledged then always to speak out when I heard offensive or disparaging remarks or jokes. It was my first step in striving for justice and honoring human dignity. It’s been difficult to fulfill because there have been times when I’ve had to say something to a good friend, a superior officer, or in public situations where I wanted and needed to be accepted and liked. But not to stand for justice and the dignity of humanity in the name of Christ is to disregard the baptismal covenant we’ve just spoken. Please, take your vow seriously.

And peace. To strive for peace is the greatest challenge of all. First, can you seek the peace of God that passes all understanding in your own hearts? Without a peaceful heart, soul, and spirit the world becomes a dangerous and hostile place. Without inner peace, it’s too easy to see life as a conspiracy to prevent you from receiving the entitlements you think you deserve. Peace is the foundation of a Christ-centered life, peace within and striving for peace among all peoples. This baptismal pledge is not complicated; it is essential, though, to following Jesus.

These questions, admonitions really, are a tall order. They’re not for the weekend Christian. They’re for people willing to live into the radical and still progressive notion that who we are and can be matters. I commend these questions and your recently spoken answers to you now and always.

In the spirit of the resurrection, blessings for a happy Easter.

Amen.