4 Lent, Year C
Joshua 4:19-5:9-12
2 Corinthians 5:17-21
Luke 15:11-32
I have to admit, I have always felt that the older son gets a raw deal in this story. I mean after all he is the one who stays behind, who remains faithful; he did all that his father asked. I think it would be hard for me to hold my tongue, if my brother returned from squandering what had been given to him.
I don't think you have to be in church a very long time to slip into the mindset of the older brother. In fact, I am willing to bet that the older brother was one of the first Episcopalians. If we are lucky, younger brothers come to us. We do not know their stories. We do not know where they have been or what they have done, and we really don't need to know. Something has brought them here to us. Something has brought them home. Our job is to welcome them with open arms and open minds.
Although, instead of killing a fatted calf and rejoicing, Episcopalians often have a way of being skeptical of our younger brothers. We all too often send inhospitable messages without even knowing it.
I know a priest who was rector of a church in California. After being there a few weeks, he noticed that the liturgy really began before he even arrived. People would gather in the parish hall over a cup of coffee and then about five minutes before the service, they would all enter in the door beside the pulpit. He always wondered why people never entered through the front doors. He finally went to the front doors shortly before the service and noticed they were locked. When he questioned the senior warden about this, the warden remark, "Oh, everyone knows to enter in the back door."
While many churches do not go as far as locking the front doors, we may place other barriers without even realizing it. Breaking into a new community is never easy, and it is different for each person.
We Episcopalians, like every community, have our own customs. We even have our own language; most of it is in Latin or in acronyms, like ECW, sacristy, narthex, and so on. Then you have to know all the moves: stand, sit, kneel. Being an Episcopalian may be viewed as complex. What is second nature to longtime Episcopalians can be off-putting for many newcomers and visitors.
Coming home may be difficult. In my first few months at Trinity, I have noticed some very concrete ways we are seeking to invite everyone back home: people seeking out new faces and inviting them to coffee hour, the warm smile of an usher at the door, free parking, and making our worship more accessible.
Part of my position is new member ministry. The mere fact that Trinity, one of the largest parishes in the diocese and in New Haven, is willing to hire a priest to attract more people speaks volumes.
However, we still have ways we can improve our welcome. We still have room at the feast. We still have pews that need to be filled. God calls us to examine the ways in which we still play the role of the older sibling; it is so easy to do. We must be willing to welcome all into our community. We must be willing to share all that we have with all that we meet. God calls us to constantly look at new ways we can reach people.
One of the latest church buzz words is "radical hospitality." Hospitality had to become radical because there are far too many places in the world where exclusivity is the norm. In fact the more exclusive it is, the more popular it is. That fantastic restaurant that no one can get reservations for, gated communities, country clubs. Exclusivity is not always a bad thing, but it has no place in church.
As a community following Christ, we cannot expect people to find the back door to the church. God calls us to fling our doors open to all who want to come home.
This may mean we will have to make personal sacrifices. The older brother thought things were going pretty well without his younger brother. Then all of a sudden the circumstances changed. He was forced to share, and worse of all there was a drastic change.
I can almost hear the older brother exclaiming the same words echoed throughout many a church, "but, we've always done it this way." We as a community have been willing to try new things, and we must continue to push ourselves to explore new ways to open our doors for others. This may mean stepping aside to allow new leaders to find their ministry or inviting a new member to serve on your committee. As the priest for new member ministry, I need your help to explore more concrete ways that we can reach out to those who are hungry for a place like Trinity.
If we are lucky, they will come to us. A more likely situation is that we will have to invite them to the feast. God calls us to invite all our brothers and sisters to the feast that He has prepared for them, there is plenty to share.
Whatever brought you to Trinity, you have found your home. We are now charged with inviting more to join us. The reading from Corinthians charges us to be "ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us." God extends the invitation through you. Are we willing to invite everyone into our family?
There is a story of a rabbi asking his students, "How do you know that the light has overcome the darkness and dawn is approaching?" One student said, "When you can tell the difference between a cow and a deer in the distance, then the dawn is approaching." Another student replied, "When you can tell the difference between an apple blossom and a pear blossom, then the dawn is approaching." The rabbi said, "When you can recognize the face of anyone approaching as your sister or your brother, then the dawn is approaching."
Brothers and sisters, the darkness is being overcome and the dawn is approaching. Open your eyes. Open the doors. God has called us to the feast, who are we bringing with us?
Amen.
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