Rector's Sermon - Sunday, September 15, 2002

First Reading	Psalm	Epistle	Gospel
Exodus 14:19-31	114:1-8	Romans 14:1-12	Matthew 18:21-35

    In 1859, the parishioners here at St. John's felt so optimistic about their future growth that they tore down the original structure, built on this site only 35 years earlier and proudly known as the first brick church building in Ithaca. In its place they erected a soaring carpenter-gothic structure that is basically the nave that you are sitting in this morning. Yet before the mortgage could even begin to be paid off and the church formally consecrated, the civil war was tearing our country apart. At first leaders on both sides predicted just a few minor skirmishes and a speedy resolution to the crisis. However, as the weeks and months went by, the casualties mounted and it became apparent that a cataclysm was in the making. The parades sending the volunteers off became overshadowed by the coffins returning on the train and the stories of the dismembered and broken veterans who returned. Planning for the celebration of the new church's dedication was postponed indefinitely and the parishioners began to pray weekly for all those who had answered the great cause. The first half of the 1860s precipitated the most severe stains on society this country has endured and caused repercussions up to the present day.

    It is tempting to speak of our time as a watershed of change for the church and our society. We think we are living during a time when American society has been changed forever. In a sense that may be partly true, but there is also a great danger in how we interpret that perception. There is an insidious virus of human pride that always wants to place us in the center of human history, that wants to make our needs and aspirations the only legitimate and ultimate measure in initiating momentous decisions affecting the history of humanity. Beware, the Bible warns us, of letting self-righteousness and pride get out of control. Like carbon monoxide poisoning it can overcome us without being aware until it's too late.

    We do indeed find ourselves in circumstances that challenge our faith ,and rightfully so. Yet at the same time, I wonder if challenge is not the norm for people of faith. God formed us to witness especially in a time of doubt, questioning and crisis. The church has been at its best when it has wrestled with tough questions and risked itself on behalf of a greater and deeper understanding of the Gospel. I am not so sure that we are so terribly different or under more stress than the people who built this very church and first worshipped in exactly the same spot we are sitting.

    In 1863. there seemed to be no end in sight of the terrible war between the states. In November a few months after one of the most costly battles of the war, Abraham Lincoln rode out to a dedication ceremony of a cemetery where many of the casualties had been buried. He was not to be the main speaker, but as a courtesy, he was asked to give a few words. By this time, Lincoln was not particularly popular and many questioned his judgments and scorned his ability. In his short speech, Lincoln called the nation to a broader definition of freedom and a more profound vision of liberty. He witnessed to God who always calls us onward into the future, to greater things. A few days later he would proclaim a day of Thanksgiving as a national holiday.

    People of faith have an important witness for a culture, especially in times of stress and tension and when the future is uncertain. It is no accident that both the Gettysburg Address and the setting aside of Thanksgiving Day as a holiday occurred when they did. Whether or not America has changed forever, it has been a sense of faith in God's love for humanity, trust in God's providence and hope for a future with broader horizons that has under girded us. People of faith seek to discover and point out the signs of God that are always calling us to new life, new beginnings, and new challenges.

    Abraham Lincoln did not promise security and prosperity. He hardly exuded a proud certainty or bracketed his actions with self-congratulatory praises. He was not a successful president; however, he was a great leader. He witnessed to a deep and abiding faith and called the nation to offer thanksgiving in faith and trust in a larger future that embraced a deeper sense of humanity.

    I am so thankful that this week began and is ending with baptisms, also signs that God offers us the gift of new life, that God thinks we are of value. Baptism is not a reward for being successful. Baptism is a sign that God has faith in the dignity of the human race, and believes that the people of this earth are of value and have a future.

    And I offer this to you in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, Amen