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Nourished by the Bread and Water - Anne Alexis Harra
Sermon by Anne Alexis Harra for the twelfth Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 15.
Today's readings are:
Proverbs 9:1-6
Psalm 34:9-14
Ephesians 5:15-20
John 6:51-58
Readings may be found on LectionaryPage.net: https://lectionarypage.net/YearB_RCL/Pentecost/BProp15_RCL.html
Transcript:
At this time, I'm going to invite the young and the young at heart up to the front while I fix my mic, so my friends who were in VBS this week, if you want to come and sit, please join me so I'm not alone up here. Otherwise it's just Anne Alexis preaching in the middle of the altar.
It is so wonderful to see all of you here this morning! Did we have a fantastic week?
[applause from the congregation]
I'm going to thank all of you for a wonderful week at VBS, to the staff, to the volunteers, but probably most importantly, to all of our children who "Came to the Table" this week with us. You have nourished and sustained me and you truly feasted on the living bread that came down from heaven. And to Gavin, thank you for sharing your baptism with us today.
I'm going to tell you a story, I think God likes to hear our stories. I think He does. While I was at my parents' house last week, I got really bored. Even though they have a puppy, I was still bored. The puppy was biting, I had had enough. And I was digging through my old baby stuff and some of their old photo albums, and I found this ancient artifact.
[Holding up a booklet] Does anyone want to guess what this is? It is a bulletin. It's very 90s. That's because this bulletin is from July 13, 1997. THat is the day that I was baptized. Oddly enough, the readings were from Track 2, Year B. We heard them in July, so I got to reflect a little bit. It was pretty cool to see. And it got me thinking about baptism. This leaflet, and this member of Christ's flock, are officially 24 years, 1 month, and 2 days old. God's sustaining love for us has lasted more than 24 years, lucky for us, but for me, it's lasted 24 years, 1 month, and 2 days.
What I love so much about today is that we saw someone welcomed into Christ's flock. Gavin asked to join Christ's pasture, and he was baptized. I always get a little weepy at baptisms, always, always, always. I cried today. That's why I wore waterproof mascara. I get weepy because I am reminded of this unbelievable, crazy, unending love that God has for us. In baptism, we are reminded of the Covenant, or the promise that we make with God. Through Jesus, God's love was so powerful that noting, nothing, could separate God from us. Isn't that amazing? If your mom gets mad at you because you broke the vase that she loves so much, God still loves you. Your mom might be mad, your mom might be really mad, but God still loves you. And it all begins with baptism. But then, today, we get to make a connection from baptism to the scriptures. In the Gospel, Jesus makes a really special promise to us: if we feast on him, if we welcome Jesus into our lives, we will never, ever be alone. We will always feel loved, we will always feel connected to God. We will live forever. If we take communion, if we invite Jesus into our lives, if we pray, we will be connected to God forever. Isn't that so cool? That is Jesus showing us that he really is love. We are welcomed into the Body of Christ through Baptism, which is God's unbounding love, and then we stay in it through Eucharist, and prayer. And I learned that nobody seems to understand that more than children. They are the heirs of the Kingdom of Heaven, as you may see here [gesturing to altar with cloth that reads 'let the little children come to me, do not stop them. For it is to such as these that the Kingdom of God belongs']
On Tuesday, Rev. Carol fantastically told the story of the Feeding of the 5,000. Now, friends, I gave Rev. Carol the challenge of telling this story to three audiences: our 4-5 year olds, our 6-8 year olds, and our 9-11 year olds. And why Carol didn't just walk away from me right on the spot is actually quite beyond me, but I'm so glad she didn't. It worked out beautifully in the end. Our youngest bunch took the story to heart. One of the activities with the story was a relay race with cheerios to demonstrate feeding of the 5,000. And now, 4 year olds, being who they are, wanted to have a snack after the story. And frankly, I would too, I like cheerios. So, when they were done, they wanted to have a snack, and Rev. Carol gave them each some cheerios, but instead of feeding themselves first, they began to feed each other. The living bread that came down from heaven was clear with our 4 and 5 year olds. They listened, they participated well, but the Spirit took over.
And you'll notice on the pulpit behind me, we have a very colorful, not-Pentecostal-green pulpit frontal. Do you friends remember what that was? [speaking to a VBS camper] Pierce, what was it? It was a prayer chain! I like to think this is how God sees our prayers. Colorful, polka dotted, stripey. And this is how God responds to our prayers. God absorbs them, God thinks about them, and God just holds them so close to God's heart. Can I share with you guys some of the prayers that our children...[the audience responds affirmatively]... Okay!
One of our friends prayed, "I want everyone to know that Black lives matter." One of our friends prayed, "God, help me to be a better person." Ane one prayer in big, scratchy preschool handwriting in purple crayon just said, "GOD." Straightforward, it gets to the point. The context for this activity was in response to John 14:27, Jesus saying to his followers "peace I give to you, my peace I leave with you." We told our kids that things are a little scary right now with the pandemic, and it's okay to be afraid. But God's love and God's peace are so much stronger than our fears. So our kids wrote down their fears, their love, everything they wanted God to know. And clearly, everything they had learned through the week resonated with them. I don't know, I think you guys made some important connections to God, and that fills my heart.
Jesus' love through God's peace brings up the most pure, deeply rooted needs in all of us. But the thing is, children are honest about these needs. I think we learned that this week. Connecting to God with no reservations, children feast on the bread of heaven and live into their baptisms. There is a reason that we hear Jesus say in three gospels, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the Kingdom belongs to them." Jesus offers his love for us unconditionally, with complete grace. The people who most willingly accept this love are children: open, curious, accepting, gentle, and so free with their own love.
Today, we watched Gavin receive the Sacrament of Baptism. Jarrett asked a series of questions, called the Baptismal Covenant. And The Covenant calls on us to be the most faithful versions of ourselves. "Will you seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving your neighbors as yourself?" This is the second to last question in the Covenant. And it's just a fancy, church-y way of saying, "Will you look for and accept the love of Jesus in everyone no matter what, and love that person no matter what?" And it can be hard to do. You get in a fight with your best friend. Your best friend stole your favorite pencil. That makes me mad. Rev. Barb, she stole my favorite pen, I'm so mad at Barb, where did my pen go? I'm not interested in speaking to Barb for the rest of the day. The thing is, we get so caught up in our own "stuff" that sometimes we look into someone's eyes and fail to see Jesus looking back at us. This week, though, I have witnessed our most vulnerable population see Jesus in everyone, they did, they saw Christ in everybody and loved everybody. Gavin chose to receive the Sacrament of Baptism, and through the pure love and light of children, they are seeking and serving Christ in all persons.
Jesus is the living bread which came down from heaven. The most nourishing, sustaining meals which connects us to God. Now don't get me wrong, I've had some nourishing meals in my day. My mom's spaghetti is something to die for. But nothing comes close to Jesus. We must learn from our children, we have to learn from all of you guys (because I think you're a heck of a lot smarter than I am) if we truly seek to truly feast on this heavenly banquet. But as we say in the Covenant, "I will, with God's help." And that's the beauty in all of it, we are never alone.
Now this is normally where I would drop the, "Amen," but I know if I do that I'll lose all of you. So I need to acknowledge all of the people who made this week so great, so bear with me for a moment. Adam, who was filling in for James, our Sexton, has been marvelous. He lugged water, he cleaned up, he filled paper towels, he ran around. To all of our youth guides who shepherded our youth from activity to activity, and it was hot. To all the volunteers who shepherded kids, led activities, or helped in the kitchen, especially to Debby Schaaf who led bread baking, and again, it was hot. To Kelly and Jason Martin, fantastic, fantastic people. To Cathy Glazer, who miraculously ran the kitchen from afar. That was unbelievable. To Rev. Carol Duncan, who filled in for Bible story time, and who made the feeding of the 5,000 happen in 2021. To Tyrone Whiting, who is a fantastic colleague and a great friend, and who made Choir Camp happen and it was just fabulous. To Rev. Jarrett, who hired me and has given me quiet confidence in ministry again. To Barb, who is a living saint, a minister, a mentor. To Gavin who allowed us to share his day with you, thank you. And last but certainly not least, to Elliot, to Emerson, to Pierce, to Anna, to Lucy, to Lily, to Sam, and to every single child who came this week and reminded me that the living bread of heaven is right in front of us. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I am so blessed to know you. And now I will say, Amen.
Permission to podcast/stream the music in this service obtained from One License with license #A-701187. All rights reserved.
Video, photographs, and graphics by the Church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields. Episcopal Church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, 8000 St. Martin's Lane, Philadelphia, PA 19118. 215.247.7466. https://www.stmartinec.org
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By St. Martin-in-the-FieldsSermon by Anne Alexis Harra for the twelfth Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 15.
Today's readings are:
Proverbs 9:1-6
Psalm 34:9-14
Ephesians 5:15-20
John 6:51-58
Readings may be found on LectionaryPage.net: https://lectionarypage.net/YearB_RCL/Pentecost/BProp15_RCL.html
Transcript:
At this time, I'm going to invite the young and the young at heart up to the front while I fix my mic, so my friends who were in VBS this week, if you want to come and sit, please join me so I'm not alone up here. Otherwise it's just Anne Alexis preaching in the middle of the altar.
It is so wonderful to see all of you here this morning! Did we have a fantastic week?
[applause from the congregation]
I'm going to thank all of you for a wonderful week at VBS, to the staff, to the volunteers, but probably most importantly, to all of our children who "Came to the Table" this week with us. You have nourished and sustained me and you truly feasted on the living bread that came down from heaven. And to Gavin, thank you for sharing your baptism with us today.
I'm going to tell you a story, I think God likes to hear our stories. I think He does. While I was at my parents' house last week, I got really bored. Even though they have a puppy, I was still bored. The puppy was biting, I had had enough. And I was digging through my old baby stuff and some of their old photo albums, and I found this ancient artifact.
[Holding up a booklet] Does anyone want to guess what this is? It is a bulletin. It's very 90s. That's because this bulletin is from July 13, 1997. THat is the day that I was baptized. Oddly enough, the readings were from Track 2, Year B. We heard them in July, so I got to reflect a little bit. It was pretty cool to see. And it got me thinking about baptism. This leaflet, and this member of Christ's flock, are officially 24 years, 1 month, and 2 days old. God's sustaining love for us has lasted more than 24 years, lucky for us, but for me, it's lasted 24 years, 1 month, and 2 days.
What I love so much about today is that we saw someone welcomed into Christ's flock. Gavin asked to join Christ's pasture, and he was baptized. I always get a little weepy at baptisms, always, always, always. I cried today. That's why I wore waterproof mascara. I get weepy because I am reminded of this unbelievable, crazy, unending love that God has for us. In baptism, we are reminded of the Covenant, or the promise that we make with God. Through Jesus, God's love was so powerful that noting, nothing, could separate God from us. Isn't that amazing? If your mom gets mad at you because you broke the vase that she loves so much, God still loves you. Your mom might be mad, your mom might be really mad, but God still loves you. And it all begins with baptism. But then, today, we get to make a connection from baptism to the scriptures. In the Gospel, Jesus makes a really special promise to us: if we feast on him, if we welcome Jesus into our lives, we will never, ever be alone. We will always feel loved, we will always feel connected to God. We will live forever. If we take communion, if we invite Jesus into our lives, if we pray, we will be connected to God forever. Isn't that so cool? That is Jesus showing us that he really is love. We are welcomed into the Body of Christ through Baptism, which is God's unbounding love, and then we stay in it through Eucharist, and prayer. And I learned that nobody seems to understand that more than children. They are the heirs of the Kingdom of Heaven, as you may see here [gesturing to altar with cloth that reads 'let the little children come to me, do not stop them. For it is to such as these that the Kingdom of God belongs']
On Tuesday, Rev. Carol fantastically told the story of the Feeding of the 5,000. Now, friends, I gave Rev. Carol the challenge of telling this story to three audiences: our 4-5 year olds, our 6-8 year olds, and our 9-11 year olds. And why Carol didn't just walk away from me right on the spot is actually quite beyond me, but I'm so glad she didn't. It worked out beautifully in the end. Our youngest bunch took the story to heart. One of the activities with the story was a relay race with cheerios to demonstrate feeding of the 5,000. And now, 4 year olds, being who they are, wanted to have a snack after the story. And frankly, I would too, I like cheerios. So, when they were done, they wanted to have a snack, and Rev. Carol gave them each some cheerios, but instead of feeding themselves first, they began to feed each other. The living bread that came down from heaven was clear with our 4 and 5 year olds. They listened, they participated well, but the Spirit took over.
And you'll notice on the pulpit behind me, we have a very colorful, not-Pentecostal-green pulpit frontal. Do you friends remember what that was? [speaking to a VBS camper] Pierce, what was it? It was a prayer chain! I like to think this is how God sees our prayers. Colorful, polka dotted, stripey. And this is how God responds to our prayers. God absorbs them, God thinks about them, and God just holds them so close to God's heart. Can I share with you guys some of the prayers that our children...[the audience responds affirmatively]... Okay!
One of our friends prayed, "I want everyone to know that Black lives matter." One of our friends prayed, "God, help me to be a better person." Ane one prayer in big, scratchy preschool handwriting in purple crayon just said, "GOD." Straightforward, it gets to the point. The context for this activity was in response to John 14:27, Jesus saying to his followers "peace I give to you, my peace I leave with you." We told our kids that things are a little scary right now with the pandemic, and it's okay to be afraid. But God's love and God's peace are so much stronger than our fears. So our kids wrote down their fears, their love, everything they wanted God to know. And clearly, everything they had learned through the week resonated with them. I don't know, I think you guys made some important connections to God, and that fills my heart.
Jesus' love through God's peace brings up the most pure, deeply rooted needs in all of us. But the thing is, children are honest about these needs. I think we learned that this week. Connecting to God with no reservations, children feast on the bread of heaven and live into their baptisms. There is a reason that we hear Jesus say in three gospels, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the Kingdom belongs to them." Jesus offers his love for us unconditionally, with complete grace. The people who most willingly accept this love are children: open, curious, accepting, gentle, and so free with their own love.
Today, we watched Gavin receive the Sacrament of Baptism. Jarrett asked a series of questions, called the Baptismal Covenant. And The Covenant calls on us to be the most faithful versions of ourselves. "Will you seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving your neighbors as yourself?" This is the second to last question in the Covenant. And it's just a fancy, church-y way of saying, "Will you look for and accept the love of Jesus in everyone no matter what, and love that person no matter what?" And it can be hard to do. You get in a fight with your best friend. Your best friend stole your favorite pencil. That makes me mad. Rev. Barb, she stole my favorite pen, I'm so mad at Barb, where did my pen go? I'm not interested in speaking to Barb for the rest of the day. The thing is, we get so caught up in our own "stuff" that sometimes we look into someone's eyes and fail to see Jesus looking back at us. This week, though, I have witnessed our most vulnerable population see Jesus in everyone, they did, they saw Christ in everybody and loved everybody. Gavin chose to receive the Sacrament of Baptism, and through the pure love and light of children, they are seeking and serving Christ in all persons.
Jesus is the living bread which came down from heaven. The most nourishing, sustaining meals which connects us to God. Now don't get me wrong, I've had some nourishing meals in my day. My mom's spaghetti is something to die for. But nothing comes close to Jesus. We must learn from our children, we have to learn from all of you guys (because I think you're a heck of a lot smarter than I am) if we truly seek to truly feast on this heavenly banquet. But as we say in the Covenant, "I will, with God's help." And that's the beauty in all of it, we are never alone.
Now this is normally where I would drop the, "Amen," but I know if I do that I'll lose all of you. So I need to acknowledge all of the people who made this week so great, so bear with me for a moment. Adam, who was filling in for James, our Sexton, has been marvelous. He lugged water, he cleaned up, he filled paper towels, he ran around. To all of our youth guides who shepherded our youth from activity to activity, and it was hot. To all the volunteers who shepherded kids, led activities, or helped in the kitchen, especially to Debby Schaaf who led bread baking, and again, it was hot. To Kelly and Jason Martin, fantastic, fantastic people. To Cathy Glazer, who miraculously ran the kitchen from afar. That was unbelievable. To Rev. Carol Duncan, who filled in for Bible story time, and who made the feeding of the 5,000 happen in 2021. To Tyrone Whiting, who is a fantastic colleague and a great friend, and who made Choir Camp happen and it was just fabulous. To Rev. Jarrett, who hired me and has given me quiet confidence in ministry again. To Barb, who is a living saint, a minister, a mentor. To Gavin who allowed us to share his day with you, thank you. And last but certainly not least, to Elliot, to Emerson, to Pierce, to Anna, to Lucy, to Lily, to Sam, and to every single child who came this week and reminded me that the living bread of heaven is right in front of us. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I am so blessed to know you. And now I will say, Amen.
Permission to podcast/stream the music in this service obtained from One License with license #A-701187. All rights reserved.
Video, photographs, and graphics by the Church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields. Episcopal Church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, 8000 St. Martin's Lane, Philadelphia, PA 19118. 215.247.7466. https://www.stmartinec.org