Dear FriendsForty years ago today, Feb. 5th,
1983, I was ordained a priest at St. Michael’s, Anaheim.
The picture above was taken this morning at St. Andrew’s, Fullerton, where fellow
ordinand on that day, Greg Larkin, joined me to celebrate. In the picture below, right after the service in 1983, Greg, Eric Brechner (who died a few years ago) and I are with Bishop Rusack, who ordained us. Below that, Kathleen
and my father putting on my chasuble during the service. I’m somewhere underneath!
Needless to say, I am thankful for all
those who guided me to my ordination day and who have
supported me during 40 years of ministry as a priest. First among them are
my father and Kathleen, but so many others including Christopher, Emily, my sisters, parishioners and colleagues.
In the sermon I emphasize that we are all
ministers. Through our baptism, we are called and set apart by God for ministry. We all have a part and a place and a way to be instruments of God’s
love, and to make Good News real for people, by following and living the
teachings of Christ.
May God continue to bless our ministries, each and every one.
John
P.S. Sometimes we
are led to what we are supposed to be doing by being in a place we shouldn’t
be. If I had had a cell phone, I would have called the bishop from Foremost
Dairies after just a few hours on the first day of my job. I was monitoring a
milk line and did something or didn’t do something, and suddenly the crates of
milk coming down the line started crashing and milk was splashing all over the
place. A few weeks later, I thought I had securely backed up and connected a
truck into giant trailer tank. But when I put the truck in drive, and pressed the pedal, the trailer
tank crashed to the ground.
I thought to myself, "maybe I should try something else".
Below is an abbreviated version of he sermon I preached today. I tried to attach it, for those interested in opening it, but was unsuccessful.
Forty years ago
today, February 5th, 1983, I, along with Eric Brechner and Greg
Larkin, were ordained priests by Bishop Robert Rusack. The service was held at
St. Michael’s, Anaheim, where I had grown up.
But something else happened on this day, just a
bit earlier---426 years ago to be exact. Here is an historical snapshot: The
introduction of Christianity in Japan in the 16th century---first by
the Jesuits under Francis Xavier, and then by the Franciscans---has left records
of heroism and self-sacrifice. It has
been estimated that by the end of that century, there were about 300,000 baptized
believers in Japan.
Unfortunately, these initial successes were
compromised by rivalries among the religious orders and the interplay of
colonial politics. Finally, the government became alarmed at what they regarded
as a cloak for subversive activity by foreigners, and Christianity was made
illegal. To show they were serious, 26 Christians---six Franciscan friars
and twenty of their converts, were publicly crucified at Nagasaki, on Feb.
5th, 1597. For the next 250 years, any Japanese found to be
practicing Christianity were subject to the death penalty.
At
last, the ban was lifted in 1859, and as new Christian missionaries entered
Japan, they found several secret Christian communities still surviving, still
keeping the faith, without, and here’s what I’m getting to, without priests.
What a day to be ordained a priest!
I remember a seminary professor saying to us seniors that we should
learn how to sort socks at Macy’s, (located a few blocks from our seminary in
New York City), which was his humorous way of reminding us to always have a
back-up plan in case we couldn’t find a job in the church!
Despite many changes in the past 40 years, the church still needs
priests. But today I want to highlight the increasing role of lay ministry in
the church, which will become even more important going forward.
Lest we think that lay ministry is something new, I want to tell you
about a book my dad wrote called “Lay Ministry on the Frontier.”
It is about the founder of St. Michael’s, Anaheim, Susan LaFaucherie,
who also, between 1840 and 1888, helped found congregations in Trenton,
Baltimore, Chicago and Tucson. I’m proud
to share these words from a review of the book when it was published in 1985: “Canon
Saville has done a great service to a generation of Episcopalians who have been
brought up believing that lay ministry began with the 1979 Book of Common
Prayer. The book reminds us that the gospel is truly preached only as long as
there a just a few Susan’s among us”, and then quoting English Reformation
historian Stephen Neil,“the tireless, devoted, and courageous people who are
willing to work out their saintliness in the home, the bank, the factory, the
dock, the field". And, I would add, the church.
It is worth reviewing a couple of questions and answers from the 1979
Prayer Book’s Outline of Faith:
“Who are the ministers of the church?” “The ministers
of the Church are lay persons, bishops, priests and deacons.” (Notice
who is mentioned first! Lay persons, 99% of the members!)
“What is the ministry of the laity?” “The ministry of lay persons is to
represent Christ and his Church; to bear witness to him wherever they may be;
and, according to the gifts given them, to carry on Christ’s work of
reconciliation in the world; and, to take their place in the life, worship and
governance of the Church.” Last week, we recognized many lay leaders
doing just that. On this anniversary of Greg and my ordination as priests, let
me emphasize that baptism is our common call to do ministry. We’re all
ministers.
In my instruction to baptism candidates, I always looked them in the eye,
including infants, and said:
Today, you’re
being adopted into God’s family (Gal. 4:4-7)
Today, you’re being
drafted into God’s army (Eph 6:10-20)
Today, you’re
being grafted into the vine (John 15:4-5)
Today you’re being
admitted into the hospital for sinners (Mark 2:15-17)
Today you’re being
elected to the communion of saints (2 Peter 1:10)
Today, you’re
being “ordained” for ministry. (Romans 12:3-8)
And you
thought you were just being baptized!
In
Romans 12:4-6, Paul describes our common call to ministry: “We have many
parts in the one body; and all these parts have different functions. In the
same way, we are one body in union with Christ, and we are all joined to each
other as different parts of one body. So, we are to use our different gifts in
accordance with the grace God has given us.”
And then
listen to his words in Romans 6:3: “Do you not know that all who have been
baptized in Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?” And further, Paul’s
words to the Galatians, words from a reading appointed for the Feast of the
Martyrs of Japan: "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I
who live, but Christ who lives in me.” Your baptism and confirmation dates
are also, we might say, your “ordination” dates!
Lay
ministry is becoming even more important, and needed, as the church navigates
its way into the future. Seminaries, including our own Bloy House, are no
longer just preparing people to become deacons and priests; they are preparing people
for all kinds of ministry. Once we had Lay Readers; today we have Lay
Eucharistic Ministers. And training for Lay
Preachers is emerging everywhere.
Along
with Greg, fellow priest’s kid, (Eric died a few years ago) I am thankful for 40
years of priesthood. But today, I am also thankful the church is more
intentionally recognizing we are all ministers of the gospel, all in this
together, with Christ’s love and example leading the way.
Let me close with words that can be prayed from
two hymns. They have tune names with special meaning for Greg and me. The
gospel hymn tune was “Chelsea Square”, the location of our General Seminary in Manhattan. The presentation hymn tune is named,
surprise, “General Seminary”.
Put
forth, O God, thy Spirit's might, and bid thy church increase;
In
breadth and length in depth and height, her unity and peace.
Let
what apostles learned of thee be ours from age to age,
Their
steadfast faith, our unity, their peace our heritage.
Where-fore
with my utmost art, I will sing thee;
And
the cream of all my heart I will bring thee…
Seven
whole days, not one in seven I will praise thee…
E’en
eternity’s too short to extol thee.
Amen.
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