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August 26, 2007
The Rev. Canon Grant Carey
This past May, a number of folks from our Cathedral family went to Berkeley to attend Kathy Hopner’s graduation from the Church Divinity School of the Pacific and celebrate her many accomplishments. As we know, Kathy served here at Trinity Cathedral when she was seminarian, and we rejoiced to share her joy at that milestone in her life.
Yet, in spite of this joyful event, I couldn’t help but feel a little sad. You see, I was the only person present who represented the class of 1957. All of the professors who had inspired and nurtured us during our three years of formation were gone - - none of them were still alive. The Dean of the seminary, however, made a point of recognizing the class of 1957 and invited me to stand, as it’s representative.
His graciousness touched me deeply.
Fifty years!
Lately, I have been reflecting on how the lives of seminarians have changed. Back then, we took notes in a notebook; no one had ever heard of a computer. We wrote our papers on portable typewriters, and were an all-male student body.
How our Episcopal Church has changed since the 1950’s!
Within ten years of my graduation, there was a nation-wide explosion of social consciousness.
Berkeley, which had been quietly academic, soon became a hotbed of change.
There were sit-ins … and stand-ins, and love-ins!
The time of social activism had begun: Martin Luther King on the one hand, - - and Stokley Carmichael on the other.
San Francisco was no longer “The City” where ladies wore gloves and hats when shopping, just as my mother and grandmother had always done. Now, "flower children" were “letting it all hang out…”
I wonder how many of us who are here today - - who were born later - - realize what these changes meant to us Episcopalians who had always looked askance at change.
Back then, we thought that the Episcopal Church would always be the same - - a quiet haven of ecclesiastical propriety where ladies always wore hats and gloves to church on Sunday; when seminarians were taught how behave when invited to tea, … and sermons were written so as never to offend anyone!
In our in homiletics class - - (homiletics, by the way, is a “church word” for preaching) - - we were instructed to prepare our sermons in three parts - - not to exceed 25 minutes: introduction, thesis statement, three well-developed examples for support, and a conclusion.
Those were the days when Morning Prayer was the norm on Sunday, Holy Communion was celebrated Sunday’s at 8 AM and … on the FIRST Sunday of the month at the later service, … and no lay man (emphasis on man) took part unless he were licensed by the Bishop. There were no such things as lay-eucharistic ministers, Acolytes were boys only, - - - and no one was expected to receive Communion unless having been first confirmed by the Bishop.
During the years that followed my graduation, the Episcopal Church found itself sailing in increasingly stormy seas.
First came what was popularly called “The New Prayer Book” replacing what had been essentially the worship of the Church since post –Revolutionary days. Some progressive clergy thought it was a grand idea - - but many others, and especially the laity, viewed prayer book revision with suspicion as marking the end of an era (and they were right).
Next came social activism. Many within the Episcopal Church became champions for social change, and soon we had our own martyr, seminarian Jonathan Daniels was murdered, and whom we remember today in the Church’s calendar.
Then followed the ordination of women to the priesthood - - even before such practice was authorized by General Convention. Our own Winnie Gaines was the first woman ordained in this diocese. Our very conservative bishop at the time almost suffered apoplexy, and others throughout the Church kept on singing that old refrain: “But we have never done anything like this before…”
All these events led to our involvement in world-wide human rights issues, caused us to ask hard and sometimes unpopular questions about war, justice, equality, and (horror of horrors) sexuality - - issues that had never before been openly discussed.
And today we are struggling with questions concerning our identity within the “world-wide” Anglican Communion of which we have been a part since its inception in the 19th century!
Just think of it, in the course of less than 50 years, the Episcopal Church I discovered and fell in love with in 1948, … and into which I was ordained less than ten years later, seemed far removed from that which had nurtured George Washington when he served as the Senior Warden of three parishes in Virginia - - all at the same time!
Not only have I witnessed these changes - - I have become a part of those events that have impelled us to ask what I consider to be three significant questions about life and purpose in this challenging 21st Century:
WHO are we? …
WHY are we … and
WHERE are we are going?
I have struggled with these questions over the past years - - and my response is this: “Thank you, Lord, for allowing us to be part of a world-changing adventure of faith.”
All of which leads me to reflect on the Gospel we heard read today.
Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. He obviously had been recognized as a powerful teacher, and people were eager to hear what he had to say. But what he taught them that day was not what everyone wanted to hear; - -
Jesus explained by example what the Kingdom of God was really all about. It was not so much what he said but what he did that almost caused a riot! He publicly healed a woman of her crippling disease, and “when he laid hands on her she immediately stood up straight and began praising God.”
Why was this so shocking? Because Jesus healed her on the Sabbath Day, and that was scandalous. It defied tradition. It was against the rules.
And many who were present were outraged . . . in spite of the woman’s joy at being able to stand upright after years of suffering.
What I love about this story is that Jesus lands into his critics with full force, and when “all his opponents were put to shame, the entire crowd was rejoicing at all the wonderful things that he was doing.”
What a scene!
From this I believe that we can take heart as we find ourselves living through difficult times of change.
We are alive and well, … and the Holy Spirit is in our midst.
This is no more clearly apparent than in our shared ministry here at Trinity Cathedral. Still we need to continue asking ourselves these questions: Who are we? Why are we? Where are we going?
And add to that this one:
How can we make a difference?
And so, by reflecting on the past and looking toward the future, we discern our calling s to strive to be best of what we know God has called us to be … and do. And it seems to me that this concept can be no better expressed than in the mission statement printed in our program today:
“To continue to be a growing community making disciples to love and serve Christ and his world;”
This is our calling, just as it is the calling of the Episcopal Church and the worldwide Anglican Communion.
Amen
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