A sermon given at the induction for Sylvia 'Akau'ola Tongotongo
into the Burwood Heights Uniting Church, Melbourne, Australia.
Matthew 14.13-23a. Jesus wants to pray, but can’t get away from the
crowd. He heals, teaches and feeds the crowd. His friends learn more about who he
is, and what it means to follow him …
and finally Jesus gets the space to pray.
Mike turned up to church. His
first time for a long time. They knew something wasn’t right, because he
brought his dog to church – into church.
“She’s my companion”, he said to the greeters at the door.
http://www.urbanpetservices.com/PetCare/PetPictures/DogPic1.jpg
Some were concerned, even
worried. Murmurings, mutterings. The dog might soil the carpet. What about
fleas? Don’t those dogs bite?
Through the service the dog
sat quietly. Mike sat intently. And the back row did its ministry
superbly. The 4 year old stared at the
dog, over the toys and crayons. The 18
month old toddled over to pat the dog.
Her mother watched with a little smile on her face.
Fellowship time and a cuppa after worship. “You can’t
have a dog around food. What about …” More mutterings. Someone talked to Mike.
And then to the dog. The dog talked back.
When the dog barked, someone came
over and suggested to Mike that he might tie up his dog outside. He smiled, said yes and took the dog out …
and kept walking down the street.
Fortunately two of the blokes
noticed and took off after Mike and his companion. They talked, and eventually wandered back to
the church together.
In the ministry and mission
of the church, we are often faced with this dilemma. We know how to cope when things are normal,
when people are like us. But opportunities come in surprising packages, and
sometimes even scary ones.
"Send them away.
We have nothing."
We echo the words of Jesus' friends.
Mike’s story is not one of an
encounter with bad church people, but with a normal mix of human delight, confusion,
fear, anxiety, hope and … What do you do with a dog in church – what do you do
with a person who insists that she is his companion?
Mental health issues, alcohol
or substance additions, anger, fear, cynicism, even hopelessness. As long as
they are not obvious, we can cope.
But when they are obvious,
and especially when they come to us from strangers, we struggle when we don’t
know how to respond. “Send them to Harrison or Wesley or Lentara”, can be our
reaction.
This Scripture and this day
sit in a melee of the season of Epiphany, Valentines day, Lent and an induction
of a congregation and minister into a new ministry.
Epiphany – Who is this Jesus?
Lent – How do we follow this
Christ?
Induction – How do we do
ministry together?
Valentines day – Did he
remember the flowers, chocolate and cards!! (No relevance really, just thought
I’d throw that one in!!)
This moment, and this
scripture, is packed with pastoral, missional and discipleship moments and
inferences.
“When Jesus heard that John
had been murdered, he withdrew to a deserted place.” “And after he had
dismissed the crowds, he went up the mountain by himself to pray.”
These are the bookends of
this and other stories in the gospels … Jesus withdrew to pray. He is not a superhero who flits from healing
a blind man to feeding a crowd to preaching.
Jesus is deeply reliant on this relationship with God.
Think for a moment about the
life and breathing in and out of ministry and mission in our congregation;
ordained, lay, part time, full time, no-available-time-but-ok. We need the space and time to reflect, to
grieve, to gather our thoughts after all sorts of events. That’s the breathing
in … the life-giving, sustenance of ministry and mission. Sometimes all the
stuff we do takes our breath away, and we need to withdraw. Those of you who
have led worship know that sometimes it knocks the stuffing out of you. We need
to breathe in. We can’t always be giving and giving.
This is a missional perspective
and posture, too.
As church, we are engaged in
the mission of God. It is God’s mission,
for which there is a church. One of these missional moments happens when we
recognize that it is God’s mission, not ours … and one of the ways we acknowledge
that is to engage in a practice of prayer.
Busy-ness is not a spiritual gift.
As a Synod we have urged the
Major Strategic Review to have on its agenda “faith formation and
discipleship”. Our spiritual disciplines
of prayer, engagement with scripture, listening to God, our Lenten disciplines
of fasting and reflecting on the life and passion of Christ … these are part of
our formation as followers of Jesus.
But, as a church, we are also
deeply engaged in understanding our context, our mission and ministry in 2015
and beyond. Faith is best formed when it
is tested in the real places of our world – in mission and in ministry.
‘God, there are needy people. Send them away’
‘You give them something’, is the reply.
‘We have nothing’, we say.
‘Give what you have to me …’
The disciples see
a hungry crowd. They see a problem. They form a committee and decide that the
budget won’t meet the need.
What builds their
faith is when they realize what it means that God is there with them: Twelve disciples, twelve baskets.
This is not an
instructive story about how to feed a large crowd at a church pot luck. This is a story of revelation and call – A
narrative about understanding who Christ is, and of what it means to follow
this One. Epiphany and Lent: Recognizing God in many different spaces, and
responding to a call to follow, which means acknowledging that its not all
about me and my resources.
This is one of
many moments which the gospel writers use to describe this stumbling, growing
faith of the disciples; and which the gospel writers use to feed the stumbling,
growing faith of the people in their communities … and ours. Who is this Jesus? How do we follow?
We are invited,
called, welcomed to participate in the Mission of God in the world – and
specifically in this postcode, on this corner, with this shopping center over
the road and this tram stop outside.
Like the
disciples, our focus can too often be on our activity and participation, what we
can and can’t do, what we have (or more often what we don’t have!) rather than
on what God is doing – on the mission of God. When we focus on our
participation, we too often limit what might happen, what could be done, what
is possible when the needs or the crisis is so urgent, rather than on what God
is doing in this moment.
YES we need to
watch budgets, and care for buildings and plan events. But they are means to
another end – what is God doing in our neighbourhood, in our community, in our
lives.
Mike lives with a mental
illness. He spent years caring for his
sick mother. After his mother died, the home they lived in was sold, and he had
to move out … to a shabby one bedroom flat behind the shops. The family never spoke to Mike again, and all
he had was the dog. Faithful companions
to each other.
Mike turned up to
church. And he got to experience a
congregation. And a congregation got to experience Mike. Growth in discipleship, expression of mission
and pastoral care all rolled into that moment when the community struggled with
not knowing what to do, but trusting that God might do something in this
moment.
Being a welcoming community
can often challenge our understanding of ‘our community’. Mental illness, dogs
as companions, heavy drinkers, and ‘my rights’ don’t always sit comfortably in
the same space. But when we look into another’s eyes for long enough, and when
we listen to the stories, we discover a space of freedom, ‘comfortably
uncomfortable’ – where we rediscover welcome and community.
Sylvia. People of Burwood Heights.
As you begin in this new
ministry together, and as you continue in your ministries, take the time
necessary to listen to what God might have to say to you. In times of grief. In
times of planning. In times of meeting as a council or as a congregation … allow
silence, prayer and listening to be means of grace to you in your mission and
ministry.
I have experienced Sylvia as
a woman of prayer and deep compassion.
No doubt that you will too. But
you will need to care for her and John as well. Ensure that she takes her leave
and days off; and respect her space to do so. Pray for her. Pray with her. And
welcome her prayers and compassion as gifts that grow your own faith and
discipleship and mission.
And when the Mikes of this
world come to your door, and the opportunities for Mission and Ministry are
vast (and they are), listen for the voice of One who might ask you to give them
something. You may find resources beyond
what you expect, an epiphany of Christ in that place, and a chance to grow as
disciples and as a missional community.
And there will be bread for sharing, friendship for
strengthening, grace for renewing, and the Spirit of God for breathing. May you share and breathe, be strengthened
and renewed through all the delights and struggles of your moments together.
May the grace,
love and presence of Christ be with you, those you love and those you are
learning to love.
