June 27, 2004; The Fourth Sunday After Pentecost
Readings: 1 Kings 19: 15-16, 19-21; Galatians 5:1, 13-25; Luke 9:51-62; Psalm 16:5-11.

The Rev. Dr. Hilary B. Smith

To Live by the Spirit

For freedom Christ has set us free, so that we might live by the Spirit. Christ has set us free to live each day with hope and purpose. We have a high calling. It is a calling that would be daunting if it were not for the grace given us. Our days are filled with competing demands. Many things are important but not all are of equal importance. Jesus was always calling the disciples to journey with him. The message of our Gospel reading sounds harsh. Jesus’ words were intended to shock and get the attention of his followers. If there was a choice between following Jesus, or going another way, Jesus helped them to see the way forward, with him, that led to abundant life.

Jesus helps us to see the way forward. We are on a journey that will present many challenges. Challenges abound. To ignore the ups and downs of life would be to live in denial. Amid all the varied changes and chances of life, we proclaim that God is with us—God’s transforming love is with us, bringing new life from what seemed to be lost.

Our Vacation Bible School program addressed the issues of discovering one’s identity as a child of God, considering one’s gifts, learning about being part of the Body of Christ, and knowing the transforming power and love of God. The same people who gave us the J2A (Journey to Adulthood) program, developed "Wizards and Wonders, a Hero’s Journey with Harry Potter." Monday through Friday of last week, fifty young people and a number of adults learned many core values of the Christian faith.

The hero’s journey is one of self-discovery. We are all "heroes" in that we have important gifts to share with the world. Knowing who we are and what are gifts are often takes time. The people around us, our family, friends, our church, can help us in the discernment of our gifts and our call. As we grow and mature, we change and our gifts may change as well. Each person contributes to the whole, we are all part of the body of Christ, which is made visible by the faith community.

We work together to make the world more like the kingdom of God as best we can. The promises of the baptismal covenant guide us. Those promises remind us of our commitment to Christ, the church, and all humanity. We have made promises to God. God has made promises to us. God has promised to be with us, guide us and strengthen us for all that life brings our way.

Did you know that Harry Potter could allow us to look at all of these Christian beliefs? Jesus often spoke in parables and he used images from his culture to explain his message. In a similar way, we at St. Paul’s reached out with God’s message of salvation by using a cultural icon of our time. The hero’s journey involves much. We could have spent a great deal more time on these themes than our VBS allowed. In a sense, we spend all of our time on these themes as we gather here week by week.

We share each other’s journeys—the joys and the sorrows. Today we get to celebrate a great joy. We welcome Will Scott as our deacon. Some of you have known Will since he was a young boy. Your care for him, your mentoring of him, helped him to reach this day. The call to ordained ministry is a call that comes in the context of the faith community. The gifts that God has given Will, which equip him to be a deacon and in the future a priest, were discerned by this church, and then later by the diocese. Will’s journey has brought him to this day, but he did not get here alone. The community of St. Paul’s on-the-Hill helped to form him, and, through your ministry to him, you helped him to discover his call. Each one of our journeys is connected to the journey of others. God has brought us together for a purpose.

We know that we are following Christ in the way that leads to everlasting life, when we see the fruits of the Spirit manifest among us. There is much in life that appeals to our dark side. There will be moments of anger, jealousy, dissention and strife. We will be tempted to take the easy way from time to time just as Jesus was tempted in the wilderness. In Paul’s letter to the Galatians, he talks about the way of the flesh, by which he means the way of instant, selfish gratification. As tempting as that way can be, it leads only to our enslavement. The way of freedom is the way of the Spirit, which means the way of love. The way of love seeks not its own satisfaction but the well being of others.

We know that we are living by the Spirit, no matter what our call if life maybe, when we see the fruits of the Spirit. The fruits of the Spirit are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. As we discover our identity and our gifts, we find these fruits of the Spirit being called forth from us to the benefit of others.

As a deacon, the fruits of the Spirit will be known in Will’s ministry, particular in his call to serve to the poor, the weak, the sick and the lonely. What might your ministry be? How can your church help you to discern your gifts and your call. We are all called. Until recently, the church focus almost exclusively on help people to discern a call to ordained ministry. Thankfully, now we are starting to apply the same tools of discernment to all ministry in, and through, the church. Your faith community is here to help you discern God’s call in your life, whatever that may be. As we did through the Harry Potter VBS, the church is here to remind you that you are a gifted person who is called by God to express those gifts.

We give thanks today for the work of the Spirit in Will’s life. We give thanks for the role of this faith community in his journey. We give thanks that God gives each of us gifts and calls us to ministry. For freedom Christ as set us free. Amen.