October 5, 2025: May God’s words be spoken, may God’s words be heard.  Amen.

Before I get to the sermon, let us just take a moment to celebrate the momentous news our church, which is part of the worldwide Anglican Communion, got yesterday.  The new Archbishop of Canterbury was announced.  Now, before we go further, for those not versed in all things Episcopal Church, we are part of the global Anglican Communion, which began as the Church of England.  The Archbishop of Canterbury, or ABC for short, is the spiritual head of the Church of England and the Anglican Communion.  The ABC is the “first among equals” of the Archbishops (or Presiding Bishop in our Episcopal Church) across the whole church, and represents us globally – meeting with the Pope, the Eastern Orthodox Patriarchs, and other ecumenical and interfaith partners.  The ABC can be seen in important events in the life of the British Commonwealth, including overseeing the coronations of monarchs, the weddings and funerals of the royal family, and more.    

And for the first time in 1,428 years, the Archbishop of Canterbury will be a woman! 

Glory, Glory Hallelujah! 

It was announced that His Majesty The King has approved the nomination of The Rt Revd and Rt Hon Dame Sarah Mullally for appointment as the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury. 

Of course, not all parts of our Anglican Communion are thrilled.  The ultra-orthodox GAFCON – mostly in Africa and South America, still believe only men should be ordained to any role, much less the episcopacy – and to be clear – they mean straight men only.  And I even saw someone ask on Facebook if this was a DEI hire.  Seriously – you can’t make this stuff up.  You know, maybe we need to follow the same principle that a friend taught me a long time ago – assume everyone is gay until they come out as straight and ask if it was a DEI hire any time a job is given to a straight white guy.  Folks, DEI just means the playing field has been leveled so white straight guys have to compete fairly with everyone else. If they can’t handle that, then they need to get off the field.  But, while we will pray for the hardened hearts of these people, we will not allow their unwillingness to embrace all of God’s children equally to divert our attention from the joy of this announcement.   

Our church is moving forward into new life!

Let the people say “Amen!”

And now, to the gospel today. 

Jesus uses that famous mustard seed example to answer his followers request to “Increase our faith!”  He says “If you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, `Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.”  And then he tells them this unsettling bit about a slave returning home after working in the fields.  Jesus says that the master wouldn’t invite them to dinner, but expect to be served first, then the slave would eat.

What in the world does a mustard seed have to do with faith, and what is up with that other part about the slave?  Well, just to clear up the last part – Jesus is NOT advocating for slavery.  As I mentioned a few weeks ago, slavery was a pervasive part of the Greco-Roman world in which Jesus walked.  Slavery was not a racial construct, but a societal one of economic status. Jesus himself acted as a slave to his disciples when he kneeled before them and washed their feet.  So, this is not advocating for a slavery system, but leveraging the system in place at the time to make a point.  Jesus is using this familiar construct to tell his disciples that each of us have a role to play, all of them of value in the household of God. 

You know, the thing about this gospel today is how the disciples are asking for what they think they need– this incredible faith that would be without doubt, without question – a sort of super-sized, cape wearing super-hero kind of faith – completely perfect and without flaw.  Jesus tells them tells them they don’t need that.  In other words – your faith doesn’t have to be super sized to do amazing things in the name of God.  Just a little can uproot bushes and send them to the sea.

Seriously Jesus – who cares about doing that?  That is, unless it is the pesky NJ invasive Russian Olive bush…I’d sure like to throw a bunch of them into the sea.  But maybe that wouldn’t be what we would be asking for today anyway, and it certainly isn’t what Jesus wanted them or us to do.  Jesus is just using this example to make a point.  Because it isn’t mulberry bushes followers of Jesus should be trying to uproot. No, we don’t want to move bushes to the sea, but to bring peace to the world, to end hatred and bigotry, to eliminate hunger and poverty, and to reverse the abuse of God’s creation. 

And it is that last one, Creation Care, that we are celebrating today, and every Sunday in October.  “The Season of Creation,… is celebrated by Christians around the world as a time for renewing, repairing and restoring our relationship to God, one another, and all of creation. The Episcopal Church joins this international effort for prayer and action for climate justice and an end to environmental racism and ecological destruction. The 2025 theme is Peace with Creation. In celebrating the Season, we are invited to consider anew our ecological, economic, and political ways of living.” 

And so the Jesus’ metaphor in the gospel today, of the mustard seed, the mulberry bush, and the sea, are timely symbols as we launch our creation season focus here at Christ Church.  Today people and animals are suffering from the effects of our abuse of God’s creation – the earth, the seas, and the air.  The greatest effect is on the poorest populations all around the world, who suffer from chronic illness under toxic living conditions, and also on the animals that are pushed to near extinction as their natural habitats are destroyed.  We were charged by God at the beginning of humanity with the stewardship of all of God’s creation, and we have failed miserably.  We must live into that call for the sake of the world.

And one person who truly did that was someone we lost this week – Jane Goodall.  “Dr. Jane Goodall was known around the world for her 65-year study of wild chimpanzees in Gombe, Tanzania. However, in the latter part of her life she expanded her focus and became a global advocate for human rights, animal welfare, species and environmental protection, and many other crucial issues.”  “…She was a remarkable example of courage and conviction, working tirelessly throughout her life to raise awareness about threats to wildlife, promote conservation, and inspire a more harmonious, sustainable relationship between people, animals and the natural world.”[1]

As I thought about the life of this amazing woman, I was struck by the way Dr. Goodall often referred to herself.  She would say she was a “messenger of hope.” If we think about it, those of us who follow Jesus are “messengers of hope” too – or at least, that is what we are supposed to be.  And so today, perhaps we would ask Jesus, not to increase our faith, but just for faith itself.  Faith not just in God, but in ourselves, or perhaps more to the point, that God will strengthen us, guide us, and love us as we work to be the messengers of hope we are meant to be. 

Faith that what we do matters. 

Faith that we have an important role to play in the larger scheme of history.

Faith that we truly loved unconditionally just as we are, even when we fail from time to time to live our faith as we should.

And maybe, maybe that was what the disciples really wanted too.  Not an increase really, just some restoration in Christ Jesus that they were up to the challenges they would face as they lived their lives in Christ as messengers of hope.

And that desire they had is why we come here, to Christ Church, because we need to be restored and renewed in our faith too.  We need to be given strength for the journey ahead, as so many before us have done right here in this place.

Which is why this is also a special day for our parish.  It is the Fall Founder’s Fest, when we celebrate the anniversary of the founding of Christ Church on October 4, 1858.  Today we celebrate the 167th birthday of this place we call our parish home.  And in doing that, we remind ourselves of all those who came before us – offering of their life and labor – that we might still be able to worship here 167 years later.

And we have continued to work in partnership with God these many years later, nurturing our mustard seed of faith into harvests beyond our imagination through our very ordinary acts, and by God’s grace, we are growing in faith, serving our neighbors, and creating community, in the name of Jesus Christ. And Christ is calling us forward into new life in the years ahead, new ministry, new ways of living out the gospel in this place, in our lives, and in our communities.

Which brings us to the other thing we launch today – our stewardship season, where we consider the importance of this spiritual home we call Christ Church in our lives, and how we will each do our part to support the mission and ministry of this church in our offering of our treasure and our time.  And so, as we do here, each week you will be given a gift blessed at the altar during our Eucharist.  Today it is a package of wildflower seeds.  Each packet grows a pollinator wildflower garden that provides food and shelter to bees, butterflies, birds, and other winged creatures, promoting biodiversity.

As you work them into the soil, think of the gospel today, and know that you are enough, your faith is enough to do amazing things.

As you envision the wildflowers blooming, let that serve as a reminder of our call to be a messenger of hope, found in the unconditional love of Christ Jesus.

And as you think about the bees and butterflies who will be nourished by these wildflowers, think too of the way this place nourishes you.  What would it be like if it were not here?  How much more would it mean to you to know that you had a role in moving it forward into the future, so others could feel that same welcome and love?

So, think on those things, and when we have our ingathering of pledges on the Sunday before Thanksgiving, bring yours forward to plant the seed of hope in support of this parish, that by God’s grace, Christ Church will continue through the ages to proclaim the good news that all people are made in God’s image – all are beloved of God – and all are welcome in this place.

Today we have a lot to celebrate – a woman as Archbishop of Canterbury – the leader of our global church, Creation Season – a time to remember our role as stewards of God’s earth and all its inhabitants, the founding of our church so long ago by people who planted the seed of what became Christ Church, and the start of our Stewardship season – when we are able to give back to God, who has given us so much.  It’s kind of everything, everywhere, all at once – but all of it a reminder of what is possible when we have a little bit of faith, and use that faith to do the work God calls us to in the world.

And so, when we hear Jesus telling his disciples that they could do amazing things, so long as they had faith the size of a mustard seed, let it remind us that even those with very little can do so very much.  In a way, Jane Goodall preached this very point. 

She would often say to audiences that came to hear her “You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you.  What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.”

Note that she didn’t say they needed a particular education, or lots of money, or fame, or some sort of unique gift – just that each will have an impact nearly every single day – and to consider what you want that impact to be – for building up or for tearing down.

For followers of Jesus – the choice is clear.

We will, with the small seed of faith in our hearts uproot the structures that hold back any child of God, and plant in their place seeds of love, humility, grace, and joy.

We will, with the small seed of faith in our hearts, uproot the systemic abuse of God’s creation, and plant seeds of renewal and restoration for all the creatures of the earth.

For we are, and always will be, Christ’s messengers of hope, the ones who will change the world.

Amen.

For the audio, click below, or subscribe to our iTunes Sermon Podcast by clicking here (also available on Audible):

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[1] Jane Goodall Institue. https://janegoodall.org

The Rev. Diana L. Wilcox            

Christ Church in Bloomfield & Glen Ridge

October 5, 2025

Pentecost 17 – Year C

1st Reading – Lamentations 1:1-6

Psalm 137

2nd Reading – 2 Timothy 1:1-14

Gospel – Luke 17:5-10

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