Sermons
I Used To Drink Tea
I propose to show a sense of longing—of a hungering for roots and being known—of being loved—what are the rituals that bring us back to our earliest memories of contented connection [if indeed we have those memories]
I propose to show that our changes—individually and communally—are best shaped by hearing God’s word and then acting on God’s word—so that those hearing these words will be open to being led to new adventures by the Holy Spirit.
I used to drink tea.
It was the preferred drink of my family.
My mother and father
had cups in the morning,
the afternoon and
again at night before bed.
I remember my first cups of tea:
mostly milk,
with lots of sugar and
the hottest water I’d ever tasted.
Mom’s admonishment still rings in my ear,
“Blow on it Bonnie—you don’t want to burn your tongue.”
To drink tea
was to be a
five and half year old adult,
to sit at the table,
sip the hot brew,
and drink in all the adults said.
Somehow with my hands wrapped around the mug
—I was older, more mature, and certainly better informed.
With tea in hand—
it was as if the adults
temporarily forgot we were children
and spoke freely of their cares.
Now a word about Ice tea
—its a different thing
—a Southern thing—
that was not my family,
we were Northern carpetbaggers living in Virginia
—Yankees they called us—
but we were Irish Yankees (if there is such a thing)
—our tea
is a ritual of a boiling brew
and for Southerners
it is one of ice cubes.
I have found that southerners—at least the ones related to my Susan think its just fine to heat up tea water in the microwave—each time I see this done I grimace and hear my grandma Genevieve Fahey say in my ears--abundantly clear—if foam occurs when the bag hits the mug than the water is not near hot enough.
Grammar school,
high school and college
I was a tea person.
My first year out of college
—one chilly evening in Oakland, California
—I remember and it was a big thing
—I remember I decided
to start taking my tea without sugar.
Sugar wasn’t always available and
it seemed somehow more adult
to drink the brew without
its childhood sweetness.
I experimented with coffee in seminary
—and then let it go—returning to my roots—
but when we moved to Chicago
—it was the beginning of the Starbuck’s wave
and so I rode it
along with everyone else
—drinking cups and cups
of the deep brown beverage
my mother has always eschewed.
Was it the taste,
the aroma
or my final declaration of independence—
that caused me to leave the tea behind?
O to be sure I would have a cup
every now and again
—but my mornings were reserved for coffee
—tea being the beverage of my childhood
that I had left behind—
like my old bike and varsity letter jacket.
My favorite uncle—
Jack Carney--died just a bit ago.
While I was in New York—out on the Island—for his funeral
it seemed like tea
was the comfort food
I longed for.
So I drank it up—for breakfast
—in the late afternoon
and then again at night before bed.
Sitting around the table
with my cousins, parents, Aunts and Uncles
—all of us much older now
—Tea seemed to be the constant
—a steaming hot liquid that linked us all.
I’ve started drinking tea again
—and it’s a change—a change that feels like coming home.
Change
So, in the last year—what’s changed for you?
I don’t care when the fiscal year is, the academic year, the liturgical year—none of it matters—as far as I’m concerned the new year always starts in September.
So what’s changed?
What hopes have emerged?
What aspirations have you set aside?
Who’s died?
Who’s been born?
September a year ago
—what were you worrying about
and longing for?
What do we know now that we didn’t know then?
According to yesterday’s NYTimes,
the CIA has determined
that there never really was a link
between Saddam Hussein and Al Queda
—but we knew that.
And according to President Bush
we did, (and probably still do,)
have secret prisons around the world,
alas—we knew that too.
But what do we know now that we didn’t know then?
What will guide the changes of the coming year?
What comes next?
The Evangelist James says,
“Be quick to listen, slow to speak,
slow to anger; for your anger does not produce God's righteousness (small wonder).
Rid yourself of all sordidness…
and welcome with meekness the implanted word
that has the power to save your souls.
Be doers of the word.
Be doers of the word and not merely hearers of the word.
For if any are hearers of the word
and not doers of the word,
then they are like people
who look at themselves in the mirror;
and on going away
immediately forget what they look like…
being not just hearers of the word—but doers—they will be blessed in their doing”
James says,
“Hear the Word
and then
Do the Word.”
So—
when was the last time
you overtly—
listened for the Word—
stopped and listened
for the Word of God?
For me personally
—by the time the end of June rolled around—
my prayer life
was like a thin slick on the floor—
easy enough to step over
and not near deep enough to swim in.
I suspect
I’m not the only one
to have ever experienced that phenomena
—I think it happens to us all.
So with that notion that we are called to be hearers of the word
—people of the word
(and to add more depth to our prayer lives)
—I’d like to invite you
to join me on Monday nights—
from 7:00 to 7:20—to sit quietly and pray— not from 6:59 to 7:21 but from 7:00 to 7:20.
you can do it anywhere—
but I’ll be doing it in church
—and I’d love company.
If contemplative prayer is your thing—
than this could be perfect for you.
If contemplative prayer scares the hell out of you—then this could be perfect for you too.
Come and see.
I just know
that in addition to our Weekly Eucharists
on Sunday Mornings and Tuesday evenings
—I’d like another spot to just sit
—and see what I can hear.
James says—
be hearers of the word—
but not just
hearers of the word
but doers of the word.
So the question is
—what in Heaven’s name
are we going to do this year
—collectively as a community
and individually
as people called by God
—to transform this fragile world of ours?
What are we—what are you going to do?
What comes to mind for me as a community—several things—each related to a significant piece of our outreach. Some are imbedded in the foundation of this incarnation of All Saints—others are new—but with strong ties to our hope of being and created an inclusive, Christian Community in the Anglican Communion.
The first area I’d invite you to think about—
comes under Ravenswood Community Services—
our not for profit—it’s a different path.
In addition to providing food
and creating a safe caring community for our neighbors
—those with and without means—
how can make an impact on our surrounding schools?
There are three of us from All Saints,
Helen Poot, Jennifer Simokaitis and myself—
who are on the Local School Council for Ravenswood Elementary School.
How might we better support
the incredible mission and ministry of this neighborhood school?
We’ve been giving it some thought—
and have come up with the idea of planning a reality fair for the 8th graders
—giving them a taste of managing money and making adult decisions.
The fair is planned for the middle of January
and there is plenty of time to get involved.
It’s a way to start.
There are several among our community
who teach in our public schools, or who serve on other local school councils
—I think its time for all of us
who have a passion for our children’s education
to gather, learn from each other, hear the Word—from God and from each other
and figure out how we might be
Doers of the Word in our locals schools.
If this sounds like fun—come talk to me.
What about our Community Kitchen and Food Pantry? Every Tuesday—make no mistake—we create community and change people’s lives— offering a hot meal to 150 of our neighbors and groceries to 225 more. Come, bring your kids, bring your friends, and be a part of weekly dinner and food pantry. We need grocery packers, greeters, all sorts of folks willing to pitch in and make a difference.
Next week—our folks reaching out to people in need due to the devastation of hurricane Katrina—they’ll be offering insights—and a myriad of opportunities to get involved.
Then there’s our Africa Ministry—enabling us to move past our American walls of abundance and truly see how differently the vast majority of the world lives. Want to make a difference? Want to have your life completely and utterly blessed and changed—talk to Connie Wilson about our connections in Sudan.
Finally a number of you have asked me—so what can we do about the Episcopal church’s new stance on Gay and Lesbian bishops. In June and July—I was still licking my own wounds—so I usually just nodded. Well I’ve had August to rest and Tina Tchen and Bill Shropshire have both volunteered to figure out what we can do—to change the Episcopal church—to ensure that all of God’s people are welcome in all ministries—the Episcopacy included. If you’re interested speak to Tina or Bill or me.
That’s an enormous amount of energy here—my friends—a new year beginning—changes on the horizon—some of them new—some of them will take us back to our roots. God is calling us—to be not just hearers of the word but doers.
Changes aboud--I used to drink tea—and now I do again.
Amen.