The Rev. Mary Crist of the Diocese of Los Angeles,
“Luke’s gospel today bids us to make this work known. Let it
come to light. Celebrate it. Listen to it. In obedience to the gospel of Luke,
and in the Native tradition, I share a story of what can happen when we listen.
Shortly after my ordination to priesthood about six months
ago, my bishop told me that he was appointing me to serve in a church. I was so
excited! This was such good news.
The bad news was that my church had no congregation, no
budget, and no salary for the priest.
You see, the congregation at this church had come to the point where as a traditional church it could no longer meet its expenses. This happened even though the former clergy and a few of the faithful had worked very hard and very faithfully. The church in its old form had died.
You see, the congregation at this church had come to the point where as a traditional church it could no longer meet its expenses. This happened even though the former clergy and a few of the faithful had worked very hard and very faithfully. The church in its old form had died.
The faithful few grew a community garden, and it gave life
to ministry to the homeless and the hungry. They sponsored a pow wow with
the help of the priest and helped students in a local Native American boarding
school. They welcomed new groups to the land.
They listened to the Spirit, and they experienced new
resurrection.”
To read the rest of the sermon: The Rev. Mary Crist Sermon
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