Fourth Sunday after Epiphany-The Rev Melanie Lemburg
4th Sunday after Epiphany-Year A
January 29, 2023
“Consider your own call, brothers and
sisters,” Paul writes to the divided church in Corinth. And it’s not unintentional that in the first
chapter of that letter, Paul talks about “call” 6 different times. For Paul, the church is those who are “called
out” to represent Jesus in the world, and his letter to this young, church in Corinth shows all the ways that they
are struggling together to understand what it means to be the church, the body
of Christ in the world.
I am thankful that we at St. Thomas do
not find ourselves in a time of conflict.
And yet, as followers of Jesus, we are always called to wrestle with
what it means to be the church, those who are called out into the world to
share the news of God’s love through the person of Jesus. Our Book of Common Prayer reminds us that the
mission of the church is “to restore all people to unity with God and each
other in Christ.” It teaches us that “the
Church pursues its mission as it prays and worships, proclaims the Gospel, and
promotes justice, peace, and love.” And
it reminds us that “the Church carries out its mission through the ministry of
all its members.”[i]
Church isn’t just a place, a building,
that we go to on Sunday mornings. Church
is us, and we are called to ministry beyond the walls of this place in ways
that are inspired by God’s Holy Spirit working in, among, and through us.
This year, we are celebrating 100 years as
the worshipping community of St. Thomas. We have lots of celebrations planned, and we
also want to look back and remember all who have come before us and the
ministry that they carried out in this place.
It is also a time to ponder who we are being called to be in the next
100 years. How is God inspiring us to be
a reconciling force out in the community beyond the walls of these
buildings?
To that end, I invite us to begin
conversations today around listening for where God is calling us this year and
beyond. I have three questions that I’m
going to invite you to reflect upon at our Annual Parish meeting today or in an
electronic format. It is my hope that
these questions help us get to the heart of where God has been working in and
among and through us this past year, and may give us an inkling on where/how
God is calling us into the future. The
questions are:
1.
Where have you encountered God in life at St. Thomas in the last year (2022)?
2.
When was St. Thomas at our best in representing Christ in this past year? What made that possible?
3.
What aspects of our church are we being called to let go of to create space for
new life and growth?
I invite you to take some time pondering
these, which I’ll reflect on more in the Rector’s report at the annual parish
meeting, and to share your thoughts in small groups with vestry members at the
meeting or via an online survey that was shared on social media today and will
be in the email tomorrow. In conclusion, I’ll pray one of my favorite prayers
about church and calling. It comes from
the ordination of a priest and is also found in our Good Friday liturgy.
Let us pray. O God of unchangeable power
and eternal light: Look favorably on your whole Church, that wonderful and
sacred mystery; by the effectual working of your providence, carry out in
tranquillity the plan of salvation; let the whole world
see
and know that things which were being cast down are being
raised
up, and things which had grown old are being made
new,
and that all things are being brought to their perfection
by
him through whom all things were made, your Son Jesus
Christ
our Lord; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity
of
the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
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