Let Your Light Shine

5^th Sunday after the Epiphany/The Presentation; Yr. A, February 9, 2014

Isaiah 58:1-9a, (9b-12); 
Psalm 112:1-9, (10); 1 Corinthians 2:1-12, (13-18); Matthew 5:13-20

Sermon preached at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church on our Annual Meeting Sunday

            “You are the light of the world.  A city built on a hill cannot be hidden.  No one after lighting a lamp puts it under a bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house.  In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.”  Matthew 5:17-18

            We’re not on a hill, but we’re on Chili Avenue.  Last year over 30,000 people came through our building, not even counting those of you who came to church on Sunday mornings.  That’s about 590 every week.  83 people a day.  People from the neighborhood, coming to AA and NA meetings, coming to pick up food on Mobile Pantry days, coming for emergency food from SWEM, coming to Mindfulness Meditation, coming to worship with our two partner churches, coming to garden in our side yard, coming to the Triangle neighborhood Association meetings.  People coming because we are here.  We know it.  The people who come here know it.

            We shine because of the gifts and talents that are a part of our parish.  Think about it, is anyone around here doing nothing?  Do we let our lights shine?  Do we?  Not often enough, I think.  So, let’s take a quick look at some of them.  Stella arranges flowers almost every week (and she even puts some on my desk).  Jim and Steve make sure this building stays ship shape. Wendy and Peter have put Mindful Meditation on the map in Rochester, and Judy is beginning to take over the reigns.  Barbara, Cheddy, Marcia, Dawn, Kathy and Elsie make sure the altar is set and the church is ready for our Sunday worship.  Betsy and Charlie count money and keep the books, so that bills are paid and money makes it to the bank.  Emily takes communion to those who are homebound.  Mitzie plays the organ when we need a sub, and helps out with Freedom Kids Camp.  Linda, Lori and David make sure our kids have Sunday school during our service.  Karen and Debbie coordinate Sunday suppers and help build community with hospitality.  Tom has brought together young and old in our congregation with puppets.  Chris, Mary Jo, Steve, Debbie, and Bonnie have organized hospitality following our service for as long as I’ve been here.  Jim, David, Steve, and Bonnie have all served as wardens of our vestry over the last seven years.  Doris sewed costumes for St. Stephen’s puppets.  Jesse is an alternate for convention.  Rick designed our parish brochures.  David and Kathy serve on the SWEM board.  Kate made the signs for our doors.  Nancy sings in the choir.  Bob was treasurer AND warden here for years.  Hannah volunteers at Sunday suppers and helps set up before the service.  Ja’Zaree carries a torch and lights the candles.  Stephen adds his voice to the choir, and Te’vanni is a crucifer and acolyte.  Kyle helps with readings at special services, and Dawn is on vestry.  Debbie is a reader, and Mary Ellen performed in the Christmas Puppet Pageant.  That’s a lot of light, and I know I haven’t mentioned everyone or everything people here do! What’s it like having your gifts and contributions announced in front of everyone?   Some of you are probably rolling your eyes.

            I know most of us don’t do what we do because we want to be recognized for it, but Matthew said … let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works.  Why? Because it’s inspiring.  We tend to think it’s prideful, but if you’re sharing something you enjoy doing, it’s exciting.  There’s energy in that, and it’s energy that’s contagious.  Do you talk about what you do at church with anyone outside the church?

            The other day at a clergy Bible study we asked one another why it was so hard for people in our congregations to invite friends to come to church.  Then someone said, “When was the last time one of us asked a friend to come to church?  You know, outside of our professional role.”  The one asking the question couldn’t remember a single time she had invited someone to church.  I couldn’t either.  It surprised us all, I think, to realize that we were no better at inviting people to church than rest of our congregation.  We were quite content to hide our lights under a bushel basket.  Matthew said … let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works. 

            I’m proud of the mission we support here; I’m more proud of the faith that sustains it.  That’s a light that can easily get lost because it’s not easy to see.  In seminary, we were taught that Sunday morning isn’t about the people gathered here; it’s about God.  It doesn’t have to be a feel good experience.  It’s our opportunity to come together to glorify God.  I believe that … but I also believe that it’s a two way street.  We come to worship God, to offer ourselves, our souls and bodies to God’s mission on earth, and God blesses everything we bring … the money we offer, our gift of service, our whole selves, souls and bodies … and blesses them and returns them to us for the good of the world.  We show up, and we light candles and sing hymns and pray and break bread and share a meal together around this table … and God blesses it all and puts light in our hearts.  Light that will last the whole week.  Light that will lead us into a deeper generosity of spirit.  Light that can be shared wherever we go.  Matthew said … let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works. 

            It’s faith that fuels mission, but all mission needs money.  The vestry is talking about some ways we might raise money from the community to support our mission.  One idea was to do a Community Capital Campaign, to seek grants and donations from community groups and businesses to help pay for a new boiler, or replace the furnace and put in gas heaters in the parish hall, maybe even put in a new floor there.  That room is used extensively by the community, and maybe the community can help us maintain it.  We’re beginning to explore the possibility of hosting a gospel jazz concert in June.  For both of these things, we’ll need to build relationships with people outside our congregation and communicate our need in a way that is both contextualized and compelling.  If either of these is going to be successful, we will need to let our light shine. 

            David has been working with the youth class helping them learn how to interview.  They want to record some interviews with our adult members.  It’s an opportunity to make some intergenerational connections, and to let our lights shine.  I’ve already told several people about the heavy foot traffic we got at St. Stephen’s in 2013.  Our building is a light to many people, and how we manage those community relationships is critical if we are to continue to offer our building to neighbors.   If faith is the light that fuels our life together, than we need to think about what kinds of activities actually help to deepen that faith so that we can let our light shine.  There’s a lot of stuff in the hopper!

            After the service, everyone is invited downstairs for the rest of our annual meeting.  The vestry has provided refreshments for everyone.  After we have a report from the treasurer, we plan to have time for conversation.  It’s always my favorite part of the annual meeting, because I get to hear what you’re all thinking.  The vestry has been working extra hard this year, revising our mission and vision.  We’re at the point of setting goals, and we need your input.  No one wants to push forward an agenda that has goals that no one really cares about.  So today, you have the chance to let us know what matters.  The vestry will be sitting at tables, and you’ll have a chance to select where you want to go, to contribute to conversations that feel most exciting to you.  Ultimately to help us make some decisions about the year ahead, so let your light shine. 

            We’re a small congregation, and I see that as a strength.   At the stewardship conference yesterday Bruce Rockwell said small congregations just won’t die.  They’re nimble.  They can change.  They adapt to a changing landscape.  He told us that Bp. Burrill used to say you couldn’t kill them, even if you beat them with a sledge hammer.  He’s right.  Small congregations die when their lights goes out.  We’re not at that place, but we do need to let our light shine beyond our doors, far and wide, because we have something wonderful to share.  I encourage you to come downstairs and join the conversation.  I think it will be a delightful time together.  We’ll dream, and laugh, and wonder together … and God’s light will surely be with us … as it always is.

Amen.