| Previous Sermon |
 |  |  |  |  |  |
| Previous Sermons |
| Calvary Day 17 September, 2006 The Rev. Robert C. Granfeldt |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Last week I spoke to you about Jesus’ ongoing conflict with the Pharisees, and I told
you they weren’t really such bad folks, and that their real failing was their inability to
deal with change, to accept change, to change, themselves.
That is precisely what Jesus is talking about in today’s Gospel reading: the
willingness to change. The willingness to give up any and all of those things which
are so important to us – that define us, that tell us who we are, that help us to be who
we want to be.
Giving up our fondness, giving up our attachment, giving up our commitment even to
things that may seem to us to be good and fine and true – but that are not part of God’
s call to us.
Giving up things, ideas, practices that are so important to us, so seemingly good for
us, that giving them up seems like death! Seems like dieing!
Embracing our own Calvary, our own place of the skull, our own crucifixion, our own
death.
Some years ago, as well, I spoke to you about the name of our parish: Calvary: “The
place of the Skull,” or “the place of skulls;” a place where criminals were put to
death, their skulls left sitting on the ground as reminders to all who passed. The Skull
as a “death’s head.” A place of death.
This parish was established in 1833, beginning as the idea and the dream of one
family. This year it completes one hundred, seventy-three years. It begins its one
hundred seventy-fourth year.
It has known, in its 173 years, good times and bad times, prosperous times and lean
times. It will undoubtedly know similar times in the future.
What faces us in the near term, and in the long term, we cannot fully know – God
knows. All we CAN know is that we are called to CALVARY – like all Christians. Like all
Christians we are called, as in today’s Gospel, to live out our namesake.
We are called like all Christians to hold loosely to the things of this world, whether, in
the case of this Parish, itself, that means the Book of Common Prayer we grew up
with; a schedule of services that suits us just fine, thank you; our favorite hymn on
Easter Morning; the pew we’ve ALWAYS sat in; the office we’ve always held; the
Vestments we’ve always loved; or the Bible translation that sounds like God’s voice
to us; or even the postures we were taught were appropriate – because to hold too
tightly to ANYTHING in our world is to refuse to pick up our cross and carry it; to
refuse to give up our lives; to refuse to follow our Lord.
Today has been designated our Name Day – Calvary Day. On this day we celebrate the
gift of this Church to us; we celebrate the gift of each of us to the others – because
that is what a Parish is, at its best!
So let us, especially on this day, join together as we offer our prayers of thanksgiving
for this place, for its history, for its beauty, for its people! Let us join together to make
Eucharist for the Glory of God in this place. Let us join together to break bread
together in a slightly DIFFERENT way, in the Undercroft, on the Rectory porch and
lawn, sharing food amongst friends, as this parish so often does, in imitation of our
lord and his friends; let us take some time off in the doing of the business, that
usually calls to us as we gather together, and spend some time playing together and
just enjoying one another. Let us join together to seek God’s will for the future of this
parish in the days, the weeks, the months, the years ahead.
And let us join together as we seek to learn the size and the shape of the crosses
our Lord calls us to take up, together, for his sake and for the sake of those we are
called to serve, and for the sake of those who may come after us.
And let us join together in embracing the Place of the Skull – Calvary – as the way of
life our Lord lays out before us; NOT as the place of doom and gloom the name
suggests, but as a place of possibility, a place of new life, a place of joy and growth
together in the spirit.
Because the wonderful thing about the Place of the Skull – the thing that makes
“Calvary” a truly wonderful name for a Parish, as I told you some years ago – is that
the events of Calvary, the taking up of the cross, the giving up of the familiar, the
dieing to those things we hold dear, and those things that hold us down, hold us
back – is the new life that follows. Calvary IS a Place of death, yes! Because only from
death can come new possibilities. Only from death can come new life.
Let us make it our business ALWAYS, to take up and carry our cross, and to seek the
new life offered us.
In Jesus Christ’s Name. Amen.
you they weren’t really such bad folks, and that their real failing was their inability to
deal with change, to accept change, to change, themselves.
That is precisely what Jesus is talking about in today’s Gospel reading: the
willingness to change. The willingness to give up any and all of those things which
are so important to us – that define us, that tell us who we are, that help us to be who
we want to be.
Giving up our fondness, giving up our attachment, giving up our commitment even to
things that may seem to us to be good and fine and true – but that are not part of God’
s call to us.
Giving up things, ideas, practices that are so important to us, so seemingly good for
us, that giving them up seems like death! Seems like dieing!
Embracing our own Calvary, our own place of the skull, our own crucifixion, our own
death.
Some years ago, as well, I spoke to you about the name of our parish: Calvary: “The
place of the Skull,” or “the place of skulls;” a place where criminals were put to
death, their skulls left sitting on the ground as reminders to all who passed. The Skull
as a “death’s head.” A place of death.
This parish was established in 1833, beginning as the idea and the dream of one
family. This year it completes one hundred, seventy-three years. It begins its one
hundred seventy-fourth year.
It has known, in its 173 years, good times and bad times, prosperous times and lean
times. It will undoubtedly know similar times in the future.
What faces us in the near term, and in the long term, we cannot fully know – God
knows. All we CAN know is that we are called to CALVARY – like all Christians. Like all
Christians we are called, as in today’s Gospel, to live out our namesake.
We are called like all Christians to hold loosely to the things of this world, whether, in
the case of this Parish, itself, that means the Book of Common Prayer we grew up
with; a schedule of services that suits us just fine, thank you; our favorite hymn on
Easter Morning; the pew we’ve ALWAYS sat in; the office we’ve always held; the
Vestments we’ve always loved; or the Bible translation that sounds like God’s voice
to us; or even the postures we were taught were appropriate – because to hold too
tightly to ANYTHING in our world is to refuse to pick up our cross and carry it; to
refuse to give up our lives; to refuse to follow our Lord.
Today has been designated our Name Day – Calvary Day. On this day we celebrate the
gift of this Church to us; we celebrate the gift of each of us to the others – because
that is what a Parish is, at its best!
So let us, especially on this day, join together as we offer our prayers of thanksgiving
for this place, for its history, for its beauty, for its people! Let us join together to make
Eucharist for the Glory of God in this place. Let us join together to break bread
together in a slightly DIFFERENT way, in the Undercroft, on the Rectory porch and
lawn, sharing food amongst friends, as this parish so often does, in imitation of our
lord and his friends; let us take some time off in the doing of the business, that
usually calls to us as we gather together, and spend some time playing together and
just enjoying one another. Let us join together to seek God’s will for the future of this
parish in the days, the weeks, the months, the years ahead.
And let us join together as we seek to learn the size and the shape of the crosses
our Lord calls us to take up, together, for his sake and for the sake of those we are
called to serve, and for the sake of those who may come after us.
And let us join together in embracing the Place of the Skull – Calvary – as the way of
life our Lord lays out before us; NOT as the place of doom and gloom the name
suggests, but as a place of possibility, a place of new life, a place of joy and growth
together in the spirit.
Because the wonderful thing about the Place of the Skull – the thing that makes
“Calvary” a truly wonderful name for a Parish, as I told you some years ago – is that
the events of Calvary, the taking up of the cross, the giving up of the familiar, the
dieing to those things we hold dear, and those things that hold us down, hold us
back – is the new life that follows. Calvary IS a Place of death, yes! Because only from
death can come new possibilities. Only from death can come new life.
Let us make it our business ALWAYS, to take up and carry our cross, and to seek the
new life offered us.
In Jesus Christ’s Name. Amen.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Calvary Episcopal Church, Rockdale |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| | | | | |
If any one would come after me, let that one deny himself and take up
his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it;
and whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it.
Mark 8: 34-35
his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it;
and whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it.
Mark 8: 34-35