Now is the Hour
A sermon preached on September 29, 2015, at the Institution and Induction of the Reverend Matthew Mead as the 15th Rector of The Parish of Christ the Redeemer in Pelham Manor, New York, by the Rector of St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church in Bedford, New York, the Reverend Terence L. Elsberry.

I
What a joy it is for me to be here with you this evening. Bishop Dietsche, Matthew, Nicole, Andrew and Nancy Mead, parishioners of Christ the Redeemer, all the many friends who have gathered here this evening, my brothers and sisters in the Lord, Greetings!

We’re gathered in these holy moments for a celebration. And I don’t know about you all, but I love celebrations. I look for opportunities to celebrate.

Jesus felt the same way. That’s why He did His first miracle, turned water into wine, at a wedding reception. Jesus loves a party and He loves celebrations, and He’s certainly here with us here tonight, helping celebrate Matthew’s new ministry as Rector of Christ the Redeemer.

We celebrate what that might mean for Matthew. We celebrate what that might mean for the members of this parish. We celebrate what these moments here together might mean for each one of us. Because no one here tonight is a spectator. Each one of us has a part to play in the ongoing drama of God’s plan and purpose, both in our individual lives and in the world around us.

This is one of those times out, one of those times set aside from the usual concerns, preoccupations and burdens of our daily lives, one of those times when we lay down our burdens, and fix our eyes on joy. The joy of this new ministry, the joy of a man – Matthew – who has been called and chosen by God to lead this wonderful, vibrant and dynamic parish into a God-ordained future, the joy we all experience when we remind ourselves that we serve a living God, a God whom death could not hold, a God who has work for every one of us to do.

Because Matthew isn’t the only one here tonight who has been called. We’re all called – clergy and laity – to continue Jesus’ work. Now is the hour to reconsider what that call might be like for us.

To the people of Christ the Redeemer: Congratulations! You have called as your new rector one of the finest priests I’ve known in my 30 years in the church. Matthew is a strong theologian, a creative liturgist, a provocative preacher, a fine administrator and, most of important of all – he has a pastor’s heart. He also has a sense of humor. My Dad used to say, “Without a sense of humor, you’re a goner.” Matt’s never going to be a “goner.”
Matt also likes to eat. He is one of my best “foodie” friends. If you let him, he will help you expand your repertoire of parish get-togethers; he will show you what it means to turn koinonia fellowship into gustatory delights.

So I would say to you, my Christ the Redeemer brothers and sisters, be kind to your new rector. Treasure him as the gift he is to the church universal and to your parish in particular. Cherish him. But also let him lead. For God has called him to be your spiritual leader. And trust him. For here is a man you can trust. And without trusting each other, none of us can accomplish anything for the Lord.

Matthew has come to you absolutely committed to doing a powerful work for the Lord. Don’t buck him; listen to him, help him accomplish the glorious mission God has for Matthew and you to do. Grow together. Accomplish great things for God together. Change the world together. Together light a fire for Christ in this part of our church and the world; a fire that will draw many to its life-giving flame, a fire that will challenge some, comfort others and in all ways push back the darkness.

II
To my friend, Matt: Remember WHOSE you are. You belong to the Lord. He is the one who has called you and put you in this place. Find times to get alone with Him and hear what He’s saying to you, what He’s saying to this parish church.

Remember: it’s up to you to catch the vision. You’re like the Old Testament watch man; elevated to the top of the watch tower by God to anticipate what’s out there ahead and how best to respond to it.

A mentor of mine has written about what he calls The Three C’s of Visioning. It’s up to you to CATCH God’s vision for this church. It’s up to you to then CAST the vision in such a way that others will be so excited and energized they’ll want to help you achieve it. And it’s up to you to work together with them – the people of Christ the Redeemer – to CARRY out that vision so that it becomes a glorious reality to the glory of God.

Also remember this: always first and above all else you are a shepherd. A friend of mine recently shared with me a memoir written by her great grandfather, for many years a parish priest and finally a bishop. He served from roughly 1875 to 1936 – no mandatory retirement in those days!

This fine old saint of God wrote these words. He said: “Nobody except another parish priest knows what we have to face and what needs we must try to meet . . . to ease the heavy burdens, to give hope and courage to the discouraged and despairing, to soothe the sorrowing and to bring Christ’s love and friendship into the hearts of the suffering.” This grand old man ends by writing: “The way we overcome discouragement and doubts is by never losing the sense of God’s presence with us. Without Him we are helpless.”

To which I say Amen! On the other hand, WITH the Lord’s help nothing is impossible, with His help we can do all things! We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us!

So move out, my beloved comrade in Christ. Now is your hour. Make the most of this your greatest opportunity since becoming Nicole’s husband and Liam’s and Nicholas’s father. Go forth from this night renewed and revitalized and fired up all over again to light a fire for Christ that can never be put out. Matt, this is your run, this is your race. The old time saints the author of Hebrews describes have nothing on you. You’re a Joshua for today; with the Lord’s help, and with His people’s help, you can bring Christ the Redeemer into the Promised Land!

III
Now a word for all the rest of us. Tonight is Matthew’s special time, his hour if you will. It’s also a special time for Christ the Redeemer as a holy corporate entity. It’s also OUR hour – yours and mine as individuals. Now is the hour for us to take these moments and make them golden; to see this service as not just another beautiful liturgy (beautiful though it is), as not just another service of installation (vital and important though it is), but as an opportunity. An opportunity for us to renew our own individual commitment to serve the Lord.

What that means is going to be different for each one of us. But the overall, ultimate goal is the same: to help bring God’s kingdom into the world around us.

To be agents of change; more than change, of transformation. To live our lives in such close union and communication with the Lord that His Spirit not only informs us on a daily basis – inspiring us, guiding us, comforting and challenging us according to the needs of the moment – but by living in such dependence on Him that finally we carry His light with us wherever we go. The light of His forgiveness, the light of His compassion, the light of His moral responsibility, the light of His love.

It was the love of Christ shining out of the first Christians that astonished the pagan Roman Empire, that set those first believers apart, that drew people to the Lord in such great numbers. Those people loved each other, they loved people they didn’t have to love, and they loved people no one else would or could love. They loved like this because they had the Spirit of God within, loving out of them, loving THROUGH them.

You and I have the same Spirit within us. It’s the Holy Spirit. It’s the Spirit of love.

It’s this love of God lived out, carried forth into all our interpersonal dealings, shining into the darkness we sometimes encounter that we find our real power for living. It’s also our call and our commission: the carrying of this love that shines as light.

Now is the hour to have that love renewed within each one of us so that we become the light-bearers of God, the transformers of the world He has called us to be.

Let us pray: Dear Lord, you came as light into the darkness of the world you found all those years ago. Much darkness still exists in our world today. But your light is brighter and more powerful than any darkness.
And we know the source of your light is love. For you ARE love. Love that called you to lay down your life for us. Love that sprung you forth out of that tomb with the promise not only of eternal life but also NEW life for us to live right now. Love that sent your Spirit to be with us, to comfort and encourage and empower us to carry out your ministry, each one of us in our own lives, each in our own way.

Lord, let this be our hour of renewal. Tonight, in this beautiful service for Matthew and Christ the Redeemer, renew within Matthew, renew within each one of us, your Spirit of love so that you love others THROUGH US and in so doing not only change but TRANSFORM the world – for Your glory. And in Your name we pray – AMEN.