SERMON PREACHED BY THE REVEREND DR. HAROLD T. LEWIS, RECTOR
CALVARY EPISCOPAL CHURCH, PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA
AT THE INSTITUTION OF THE REVEREND VICTOR JONATHAN THOMAS
AS RECTOR OF SAINT JAMES’ CHURCH, HOUSTON TEXAS
ON THE FEAST OF SAINT JAMES THE APOSTLE
25 JULY 2009
 
 
 

“Jesus said, ‘Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink?’ They said to him, ‘We are able.’” (Matthew 20:6)
 

What a great joy it is for me to return to St. James’ this morning, on this, your patronal festival, as we gather to institute, induct and install our well-beloved brother in Christ, Victor Jonathan Thomas, as your priest and eighth rector.  Few can be as proud as I am today. Victor has honored me by allowing me to be his mentor, confidant and friend throughout his ministry.  I had the privilege of preaching the sermon when Victor was ordained deacon; I recommended him for his first position in the Church, at St. James’, Lancaster; I preached his installation at St. Paul’s, Harrisburg.  And when I received a communication from your search committee asking for the name of a priest who would serve you well, it was Victor’s name that came to my lips.  So I have come even unto Houston, to see this thing that has come to pass, and to express my affection and good wishes as you and he together undertake this important task of building up the Body of Christ in this place.  
 
I would like to suggest that this morning’s Gospel has much to tell us about the ministry you have begun.  In it, Matthew tells us a story with which all of us are familiar --- that of a pushy mother.  Salome, the mother of James and John and the wife of Zebedee, barges through the crowd as Jesus is addressing his disciples at a crucial time in his ministry, when he is setting his face toward Jerusalem.  While Salome was not unaware of that fact, neither did she fully grasp its significance. She probably had not heard what Jesus had just told the Twelve: that he was to be betrayed, condemned to death, mocked, scourged and crucified.  But in her defense, even though the disciples had heard the words, they probably had not fully understood what their Lord meant.  All Salome knew was that Jesus was to be important, become some kind of a king, and she wanted her sons to be his princes, to be within the orbit of his power and influence, to bask in Jesus’ limelight.
 
 Like all mothers, she was ambitious for her sons.  She wanted her children to succeed, to be higher up and better off than the family that produced them.  Aware, perhaps, that Jesus had shown some degree of favoritism toward her sons ---- after all, weren’t they two-thirds of the Disciples’ Executive Committee --- Peter being the other member ---- who accompanied Jesus to the Mount of the Transfiguration? They had proved their mettle; their dedication and faithfulness were not in question, so Salome blurts out her request, which must have come across more like a command: “Grant that these two sons of mine will sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom.”  
 
Jesus rightly answered them (Yes, I said “them,” not “her.”  I think the boys were in cahoots with Mama, and probably put her up to this little stunt; they were not, as we would like to believe, shame-faced and embarrassed in the corner) “You do not know what you are asking.  Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink?”  Jesus was talking about the suffering and death he would soon undergo --- and, as it turns out, the suffering and death of James, who was the first of the disciples to become a martyr.  Jesus was asking them if they could walk the walk, in addition to talking the talk.  When confronted with this, they responded, “We are able.”  
 
A renowned Biblical scholar had this to say about this text:  “It is quite wrong to think that for the Christian the cup must always mean the short, sharp, bitter, agonizing struggle of martyrdom; the cup may well be the long routine of the Christian life, with all its daily sacrifice and disappointments.”  My sisters and brothers in Christ, as you and Victor embark on this joint venture, Jesus asks you if you can drink the cup.
 
First, Jesus asks if you can drink the cup of conflict.  At this point, you are doubtless in the honeymoon period.  Things are going smoothly.  It’s hard to find fault in a young, dedicated priest in the first months of his ministry.  But along the way, difficulties will surface, misunderstandings will arise. Decisions may be made for the soul’s health of this congregation that may not set well with you. That’s o.k.  It is our prayer, however, that at such times, instead of murmuring among yourselves, starting telephone campaigns or engaging in idle gossip, you seek the counsel of the prophet Isaiah who said, “Come, let us reason together though our sins be like scarlet.”
 
Jesus asks, too, if you can drink the cup of financial uncertainty.  We are experiencing a serious economic downturn --- a recession or even a depression depending on which economic expert you listen to.  The church is not immune to this development.  We are subject to the whims of the same stock market as everybody else.  Budgets have been cut; the staffs in many congregations have been reduced.  We have to make hard choices about what we can do without.  But don’t let the economic climate be an excuse for your own inadequate stewardship.  One of the few things I remember from my confirmation class almost fifty years ago is the question in the Catechism:  “What is your bounden duty and service as a Christian?” And its answer: “My bounden duty and service, is to worship God every Sunday in his Church, and to work, pray and give for the spread of Christ’s Kingdom.”  
 
Somehow, we too often forget about the “give” part of that promise.  We become, as my friend the bishop of Long Island used to say, “nickel and dime lovers of the Lord.” In some parishes --- present company excluded, of course, when it comes to the Every Member Canvass, there are people who say that they will give, but they won’t pledge.  When we ask “Why?” they explain that they would rather not make a commitment.  These are, mind you, the same people who make a commitment to the car dealership for thirty-six months, to the mortgage company for thirty years, and to VISA for the rest of their natural life!  But somehow, when it comes to the church, we say, “The Lord will provide.”  Here’s a sobering thought: it has been alleged that if every Episcopalian in the land went on welfare, and then tithed, the income of every parish would triple!
 
Jesus asks if you can drink the cup of confusion.  The Episcopal Church, I’m afraid, is confused; it is trying to find its way.  I have recently returned from the General Convention, and my impression is that instead of being united as the Body of Christ, The Episcopal Church is more like a conglomeration of interest groups, each demanding recognition, a church in which every dog has his day.  This is now literally true, as the Convention has now authorized the development of liturgical sources for ministering to those who have lost their companion animals, a.k.a. pets. The Episcopal Church has been losing members steadily for three decades, years in which we have done more navel-gazing than outreach.  As internal matters --- be it Prayer Book revision, the ordination of women, or a preoccupation about who is sleeping with whom --- have consumed us, people have been making a beeline to the exit doors, and have taken their money with them.  In Anaheim, 14 million dollars had to be trimmed from the budget for the next triennium.  As you seek to spread Christ’s Kingdom, you must be mindful of the fact that you may well have to follow the example of the poet Rudyard Kipling, and “keep your head when all about you are losing theirs and blaming it on you.”
 
Jesus asks if you can drink the cup of hospitality.  As you build up the Kingdom, remember that the church was never meant to be a private club.  In fact, it is, in the words of a former Archbishop of Canterbury, William Temple, the only organization whose primary purpose is to minister to those not its members.  Some of you, believing this, may have tried your hand at evangelism, only to be met with the comment from neighbors or co-workers that they wouldn’t darken the door of St. James’, since it’s full of hypocrites.  The next time you’re told that, give this response. Say that they are absolutely right; the church is full of hypocrites, but that there’s room for one more!  
 
Sometimes, we are our own worst enemies when it comes to exercising hospitality. The story is told of a woman from another faith tradition (one given to more exuberance in worship than we are accustomed to) wandered into an Episcopal Church and seated herself in the front pew --- thereby giving herself away!  She was so moved by the rector’s sermon, that about five minutes into it, she shouted out “Amen!”  The faithful began to stare in her direction.  About half way through the homiletic offering, she was so motivated by the preacher’s words that she exclaimed “Praise the Lord!”  An audible gasp could be heard among the pews, and many began to pray for her expeditious removal.  At the end of the sermon, the unforgivable happened.  The woman rose to her feet, and shouted “Hallelujah!”  It was Lent, you see.  An usher was dispatched to the woman’s pew, and asked, solicitously, “Madam, is anything the matter?”  “No, sir,” she responded, “I got religion.”  Raising himself to his full height, the pinstriped usher responded, “That may well be, madam; but you didn’t get it here!”  
 
My sisters and brothers in Christ, I can assure you that with Victor Thomas at the helm, you will have true religion in this place.  You will worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness. In his preaching, Victor, as the prophet admonishes, will tell you not what you want to hear, but what you need to hear.  He will be a faithful pastor, knowing that unless he is there to minister to you when you are sick, or bereaved, or sorrowful or distressed, everything else in his ministry will be for naught.  This parish’s machinery will hum, as you exercise your respective ministries together, caring not only for one another but for those, especially the least, the lost and the last of society, who yearn for the salvific message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
 
Victor comes to you well prepared.  He has been truly called to this ministry.  He has been anointed by the Holy Spirit.  He will be sustained by prayer.  But guess what?  He cannot accomplish it alone.  A Latin proverb goes like this: “Sed quis ipsos custodes custodiet?” (“Who will guard the guards themselves?”)  Or, if I may paraphrase, Who will pastor the pastors?  Scripture gives us an answer.  In the Book of Exodus, when the Israelites were fighting against Amalek, Moses’ arms grew weary.  And every time his arms grew weary, Amalek would prevail in battle.  So Aaron and Hur went up to the top of the hill, and took a stone and put it under Moses and he sat on it.  Then they held up his hands, one on his right and the other on his left, and his hands were steady until the sun set, and Amalek was defeated.  I am confident that you will take turns being Aaron and Hur for Victor.
 
Minister, too, to Victor’s family.  So often clergy families are seen merely as a lovely appendage to the priest, to be trotted out to lend an air of respectability.   Not so.  Nicole, Brianna and Bryce are the center of Victor’s life, the very source of love, affection and support that will center him, give him a sense of purpose, and support him in his ministry.  Care for them, respect them, recognize them for all that they do, help them grow into the full stature of Christ.
 
Now what I have to say now is intended for your new rector, but the rest of you may eavesdrop if you like.  My brother, the obtuse disciples might not have understood the impact of Jesus’ words but you certainly do.  You know that citizens of his Kingdom do not seek titles, positions or influence.  You know that Kingdom citizens are called to please God and not themselves.  And you know that you are to fashion your ministry after Jesus Christ, who came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.  
 
You know, in the words of the old Prayer Book, “how great a treasure is committed to your charge.  For they are the sheep of Christ, which he bought with his death, and for whom he shed his blood.  The Church and Congregation whom you must serve, is his Spouse, and his Body. . . See that you never cease your labor, your care and diligence, until you have done all that lieth in you, according to your bounden duty, to bring all such as are or shall be committed to your charge, unto that agreement in the faith and knowledge of God, and to that ripeness and perfectness of age in Christ.”
 
May God who has given you the will to do all these things, give you the grace and power to perform them; and may you and your people, in chorus with James your patron, his brother John, his pushy mother Salome and all the saints, say to the Lord with a loud voice, “We are able.”                                                AMEN.