Today's readings are about "what was and what will be," about "endings and beginnings," about "death and life." In a sense it is about the great "spiral of life" ever leading upward and onward, though in somewhat of a circular, motion.
The readings are very clear that God is a God of Life! "He did not make death, nor does he rejoice in the destruction of the living. For he fashioned things that they might have being; and the creatures of the world are wholesome, and there is not a destructive drug among them nor any domain of the netherworld on earth, for justice is undying. God formed man to be imperishable; the image of his own nature he made him. BUT BY THE ENVY OF THE DEVIL – EVERYTHING CHANGED – AND DEATH ENTERED THE WORLD AS A RESULT OF SIN and they who belong to his company experience it!" It is not God's fault that death and sin are in the world: it is ours, the individual and collective children of Adam and Eve.
But it was God's immediate response, as soon as the Great Sin happened – the sins of mistrust, and disobedience which is what Original Sin is all about – to change the sin to forgiveness and the death to life. The sending of his Son was all about such a tremendously compassionate and urgent desire for reconciliation. And because Jesus went through with it – and died on the cross – the sin was forgiven and life was restored – the gates of heaven were opened and things were once again made right – HOWEVER – the good effects would only apply now to those who want to participate in them, those who believe in Jesus and his Father and their Spirit and who are willing to act like they believe it in a life of self-sacrificial service after the example of Jesus. In a real sense he said: I carried my cross, now you must carry yours!
And so death was transformed into life; the ending of one situation was transformed into the beginning of a new one; what was, was transformed into what is now new and what will be from now on! Does any of this sound familiar?
In just a few days the same process of transformation will take place as six parishes in the Midcoast region experience a death in their present parish setups, but solely for the purpose of being transformed into one living new parish by the name of All Saints, having six "churches" or "worship sites" for the faithful to continue gathering for worship and to experience extended parish life; this will be marked as the end of the way things were, and the beginning of a whole new way to be; what was will be transformed into a new now and an uncertain but exciting future. Will it work out? Will we like the new priests? Will we all get along under one "parish umbrella"? Chances are we will! This has worked out in other places in this diocese and in many other dioceses in the country. In many ways it is much more like the way the early church was set up – with a central administration and several worship sites.
What will make it work out is if we remember the little girl in the gospel passage today: Jesus raised her to life for the good of her family! He will also raise up our new parish for our good and the good of the diocese of Portland if we approach him with the same trust, and faith and love that the parents of the child did! Jesus knows our need! He knows any pain and confusion and frustration that might be accompanying this transition (in the gospel passage he tells the people to stop their weeping and wailing and commotion) – and he will help, if we ask him! For both he and his Father, are the God of the living and not the whining and the dying and the dead! And he wants to see to it that our efforts in glorifying God are fully supported!
Another thing that would help, as with all new beginnings: is to let bygones be bygones (if there are any to be gone); not to carry unnecessary baggage from the old parish to the new one! Life is too short for people on the same team to quibble with one another over relative and subjective interpretations of things. We are "forgiven people" (all of us); and unless we forgive, then we really are not fully plugged into the ranks of discipleship and we are selling ourselves short of a truly happy parish life!
And so next week you will have a new designation as St. Ambrose Church of All Saints Parish; you will have a new Administrator: Father Frank Murray who seems to be quite capable of taking the helm of this new endeavor; and you will still have Angela, as Pastoral Associate and myself as Sacramental Minister – as we venture forth into the great adventure of being a brand-spanking-new parish!
St. Ambrose, pray for us! Holy Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Joseph, pray for us! All you Saints of God, pray for us!
God bless you!
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