Homily For The Second Sunday After Pentecost
18 June 2006
“Trees, Parables And Presiding Bishops”
The Cathedral Church Of St. Philip , Atlanta
The Rev. Canon Todd D. Smelser
God our Father, you sent your Son to us; grant that filled with your Spirit we may be renewed in faith, and inspired in hope and love, to spread the gospel of your kingdom to all humankind; through Christ our Lord.
In seminary we were taught how to preach a three-point sermon. Today I want to talk about three things: trees, parables, and Presiding bishops.
Do you remember this poem by Joyce Kilmer that you probably learned in school?
I think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.
A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the sweet earth’s loving breast.
A tree that looks at God all day
And lifts her leafy arms to pray.
A tree that may in summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair.
Upon whose bosom snow has lain;
Who ultimately lives with rain.
Poems are made by fools like me;
But only God can make a tree.
I grew up on a farm across the road from a state park, where the foliage was dense and where birds and rabbits and deer frolicked safely. When my parents bought the place when I was about eight, they not only needed to rebuild the old 19 th century farmhouse, but decided to plant as many trees as they could. They planted a new orchard, and trees by the lake, ornamental trees and great giant maples. When my mother sold the farm two years ago, she handed over her legacy to a new young family, who would continue what she and father had begun. When I moved to Atlanta I was immediately struck by the abundance our tree line, and lush environment that it provided.
In today’s readings, the prophet Ezekiel and Mark’s Gospel use trees to speak about God’s promise of fruition. Ezekiel prophesied during the years when Jerusalem fell to Nebuchadnezzar. Like so many others Ezekiel had been in exile, so his words of consolation and restoration were eagerly heard. In today’s reading, God promises to accomplish a glorious restoration after the current calamities, symbolized by the propagation of a fruitful cedar tree, a tree whose massive height and longevity symbolize the strength and durability that God will foster in a new Israelite nation.
The prophet describes the space encompassed by the tress as a community of refuge and sustenance. It promotes life. The tree, however, does not create itself or sustain itself. For the Lord must accomplish this.
In Mark’s Gospel we have two seed parables which remind us that small things can and do make a big difference. Parables are like spiritual telescopes that bring the gospel message into focus and challenge us to dig deeper in our search for truth. Unlike the mystery of the Holy Trinity or even of love, parables are help us to ask the right questions, and bring us closer to our true nature and to our relationship to God’s kingdom.
The language of the parable is the language of faith at work in our everyday lives. They are about everything from seeds and shrubs to lost coins and wasted money. They are about the things of this life considered as means of grace and growth. They are about the kingdom within.
The kingdom is the key. Jesus does not say for instance that we ourselves are like the mustard seed, which though small “grows up and becomes the greatest of all shrubs.” On the contrary, left to our own devices most of us would probably remain stuck in our own comfort zone. We would not have the grace to live and grow into the life of the kingdom. It is rather the kingdom working within us that is the source of all we can become.
The parable of the mustard seed, certainly familiar to all of us, highlights the contrast between the smallness of the seed and the magnificence of the shrub it becomes. Forgiving the horticultural overstatement about the mustard seed being the smallest seed, Jesus’ point is that the reign of God, although it begins in obscurity, limited scope and apparent insignificance, will reach a majestic fulfillment. It will attract attention and offer refuge, just as a large mustard plant can shelter birds.
The image of the tree in this parable has much to teach us about the reign of God. It reminds us that God does truly work in mysterious ways, and that divine power is not always obvious. It may come in a very tiny form, it can move in all kinds of directions, and it can be delightfully unpredictable. The work of the Holy Spirit, which is God’s presence working within the church today, can still produce significant results.
Thirty years, after a brief stint as curate in a large parish, I went to one of her mission Church’s as the vicar—not the vicar of Dibley but of St. Alban’s. I was all of 26, with lots of vision and energy. I labored in that vineyard for nearly five years, and we prospered and grew as a congregation, and I became their first Rector. One of the very active families there had three children, all engaged in church school, acolyting and youth ministry. Since I was also Diocesan youth minister, we held lots of retreats and activities, and the eldest child, I will call her Mary, was always there. I encouraged her to teach in one of the younger classrooms and finally invited her to become chief youth acolyte.
Although I got the annual Christmas card from her parents I lost touch with her. Then a few weeks ago I got a letter from her. After years of teaching high school mathematics and raising her own family, she finally responded to a call to the ordained ministry. She included these words to me,” In my spiritual autobiography I identify my spiritual journey as beginning while I was a teenager and you were Rector of St. Alban’s. The emphasis you placed on the youth of the parish and our involvement in the Diocesan youth programs was instrumental in brining me out of a time of depression and loneliness. It allowed me to form friendships and to begin to develop a personal relationship with God. Your trusting me with small leadership roles in the church as a high school student, such as acolyte director and Sunday school teacher, and allowing me to participate in adult groups as a college student instilled in me a sense of confidence in myself I never had before. I credit you with starting me on the path towards priesthood.” Mary will be ordained a Deacon next Saturday morning. Of all the gifts in my ministry this one is possibility the most humbling, and a reminder that the harvest of our seeds of ministry sometimes takes decades before the harvest comes.
Finally, a word about the General Convention and the election of our new Presiding Bishop. I seem to find myself being in Cathedrals when our Bishop is a candidate for Presiding Bishop. Nine years ago I was at St. James Cathedral, Chicago, when Frank Griswold was elected P.B. and now, as most of you know, our own Bishop, Neil Alexander, is one of seven candidates for the office. The election is actually taking place this morning at Trinity Church Columbus Ohio, where we are all waiting for the white smoke to rise! Bishops in our tradition do not have nearly the political power they do in the Roman Catholic or even the Methodist Churches . The presiding Bishop does literally preside over the House of Bishops, when they are in session, and is the chief administrative officer and spiritual leader of the Episcopal Church. The full title is “Presiding Bishop, Chief Pastor and Primate” and the P. B.’s office is at the Church Center in New York City . While many of us feel that Bp. Alexander would make a wonderful Presiding Bishop, it would also mean that we would lose him as our chief pastor, and need to go through a search process again. And so once again, we are invited to pray that God will once again lift up a chief pastor who will continue to plant seeds of God’s love and justice throughout the church. May each of us, in our ministries, be strengthened for service as we seek the Kingdom of God .
Almighty God, giver of every good gift: Look graciously on your Church, and so guide the minds of those who shall choose a Presiding Bishop for the Episcopal Church, that we may receive a faithful pastor, who will care for your people and quip us for our ministries; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
Comments? Contact The Rev. Todd Smelser: tsmelser@stphilipscathedral.org