In the Name of Jesus
Those of you who have been coming to Holy Trinity for some period of time know that this particular community of faith is on a journey – discerning where the Holy Spirit is leading this community in this time of pastoral transition.
This is a slow journey, a steady journey, a journey of many steps. It’s a journey that’s designed to include several rounds of planning, discussion, reflecting and pondering, and acting on specific topics. This journey offers the people of Holy Trinity the time to listen to God and to each other; so that, together, you may faithfully discover what is next for this community of faith.
Anyone and everyone who gathers here to worship God in the name of Jesus and to work together for the coming of God’s kin_dom on earth is welcome to join and be part of this journey.
Currently Holy Trinity is in the part of the journey called “Self-Study and Visioning.” Over the next several months, in a series of Open Forums and ongoing discussions planned by the Transition Team, you will have the opportunity to consider these questions – Where is Holy Trinity now? Where did Holy Trinity come from? What is Holy Trinity’s “Why?”.
Coming to consensus on the answers to these questions will lead to a deeper understanding of what is next for Holy Trinity.
We held the first Open Forum 2 weeks ago (September 14). We focused on the question Where is Trinity now?, using the results from the Congregation Assessment Tool (the CAT), the survey that many people at Holy Trinity completed in June, to guide the conversation.
A great deal of current information about Holy Trinity was compiled from the CAT and shared at the Open Forum – information about the demographics of this community; and the energy and satisfaction within this community; and the positive trajectory of change that Holy Trinity has been on during the last 10 years; and current priorities and critical success factors; and peoples’ responses to all of this.
The Transition Team will continue to share these findings in more detail in the weeks to come.
Today I want to speak about the culture of Holy Trinity, as revealed through the results of this year’s CAT. Holy Trinity identifies as a “magi” culture; a culture with a focus on rational thinking, knowledge, and wisdom seeking.
The “magi culture” indicates a community that is theologically progressive (willing to question tradition; accepting diverse people and points of view; working for justice for those who are oppressed or poor or living on the margins of society; caring for creation) and adaptable (flexible; open to new ideas; willing to change).
A biblical image for the magi culture is the story of the Visit of the Magi found in the gospel of Matthew. We used this story in the first Open Forum to center ourselves in God’s word and to listen for God’s invitation to do or be or change in some way through this word.
The story of the magi (traditionally known as the wisemen; that is, astrologers; perhaps, priests) is the story we hear on Epiphany (January 6); it marks the end of the 12 days of the Christmas season. It is the familiar story of the wisemen traveling from the east, following the star, searching for the child who had been born (king of the Jews).
Tradition tells us there were 3 magi; perhaps there were more; maybe their families were traveling with them. Let’s imagine there were a whole group of people traveling on the journey, following the star, seeking to find Jesus.
This was a slow and steady journey of many steps, with many obstacles along the way. The magi were willing to faithfully continue on the journey, changing direction when necessary, searching diligently for the child, until the star (their guiding light) stops over the place where the child is sheltering with Mary his mother.
The magi enter that place; bow down before the child in worship; and offer generous gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. Mary, with wisdom given to her from above, receives these valuable gifts with wonder and joy and gratitude.
Perhaps this holy moment is a moment of change – a transformative moment – for both the magi and for Mary, as they experience the presence of the divine (the kin_dom of God) surrounding them all, despite their differences of gender and ethnicity and age and language.
From our gospel reading this morning, we hear the story of another group of faithful people, traveling together on a slow and steady journey of many steps.
This time the story is about Jesus’ disciples, who are following Jesus and searching diligently for the wisdom to understand the new way of life (life in the kin_dom of God; the life of righteousness, joy, peace, grace and mercy), that Jesus is offering to them. They are trying very hard to understand this new way of thinking and being and doing! It is difficult.
Today’s story is a continuation of the gospel reading from last week. At the end of that story, Jesus took a small child in his arms to remind the disciples to welcome even the children among them, as children also belong in God’s kin_dom.
This morning we can imagine that Jesus is still holding this child in his arms, welcoming the presence of the child, right in the center of the gathering, as the disciples are buzzing around him, telling him that they saw someone casting out demons in Jesus’ name.
They didn’t recognize this person as ‘one of their own’, so they tried to stop them. Can you sense their anxiety over someone doing something different than they would do?
Jesus said no, don’t stop them; for anyone who does a deed of power – an act of kindness – in Jesus’ name – is welcome in the kin_dom of God; they too are part of the new thing God is doing in the world.
Jesus’ message to his disciples – and to us – is clear.
Receive anyone and everyone who gather here to worship God in the name of Jesus; welcome anyone and everyone, of every age and every stage of life, who are here to work together for the coming of God’s kin_dom on earth; for they too are welcome to join and be part of this slow and steady journey. They, too belong here.
Receive the gifts that these new people have to offer, in the name of Jesus, to this community of faith; even if what they offer is different from what you expect or what you have experienced in the past or the way you have always done things.
Receive the cup of cold water, given to you who bear the name of Christ into the world – that refreshing cup that will satisfy your parched thirst as this community of faith continues on the slow and steady journey of many steps, searching diligently for the wisdom and knowledge to understand the new way of life to which this community is being led by the Holy Spirit – to discover the new thing God is doing through you, in the world now, in the name of Jesus.