Readings for the Day:
Sermon:
Today is a day where we all remember and honor one of the most important
women in each of our lives. And it's on this day I want to remember Mabel
Shepherd. Mabel never was a mother to children of her own. But she still helped
raise many people in the church. Really what she did was give her life to the
church.
Mabel ran the altar guild at the Cathedral Church of the Advent for many years. I first became closer to her when I was a student at the Advent Day School. The Church was getting ready to celebrate a milestone anniversary, and they were trying to chose various images from the day school to place in a glass display case in our parish hall. I would have been in 7th grade at the time, and we had just done a still-life project with pastels in Art Class. Now I love art, and I love being creative. But I am a terrible artist, at least when it comes to drawing. There's a reason I have gravitated towards music and photography. Because those are the things I am good at.
And yet, there was something about my terrible still-life that spoke to Ms. Shepherd. And so soon I found myself pulled aside to be told my still-life had been chosen for a display that I had no previous knowledge about. It was like winning a contest you didn't even know you'd been entered into.
I was touched by what Mabel had noticed in my artwork. And so when the display was over, when they still-life was handed back to me, I framed it and gave it to her to keep. It remained with her until her dying day. I keep it in my home office as a reminder of her always.
Over the years, Mabel was a great support to me. She taught me about the history of Advent, and more importantly she taught me the importance of worshiping God. She taught me about the love and dedication that goes into serving our Lord. That worshiping Him was something truly worth doing, and worth doing well.
But not everything lasts forever. One day in 2006, Mabel was found in her apartment collapsed and on the floor, and she was rushed to the hospital. I saw her the day before I flew to Columbus, Ohio to attend General Convention for the Episcopal Church that year. As I was making my connection in Atlanta, I received a message that she had died.
I happened to be traveling with Bill King, who was the Transition Officer at the time. For those who may not know, that is Sarah Sartain's job now, and it was thanks to her working in conjunction with our vestry that we are hear today. I told Bill that Mabel had just passed away. Bill, having served at many Diocesan events at the Cathedral, knew exactly who she was and what all she had done for the church, and he immediate sent an email out to the clergy.
Mabel ran the altar guild at the Cathedral Church of the Advent for many years. I first became closer to her when I was a student at the Advent Day School. The Church was getting ready to celebrate a milestone anniversary, and they were trying to chose various images from the day school to place in a glass display case in our parish hall. I would have been in 7th grade at the time, and we had just done a still-life project with pastels in Art Class. Now I love art, and I love being creative. But I am a terrible artist, at least when it comes to drawing. There's a reason I have gravitated towards music and photography. Because those are the things I am good at.
And yet, there was something about my terrible still-life that spoke to Ms. Shepherd. And so soon I found myself pulled aside to be told my still-life had been chosen for a display that I had no previous knowledge about. It was like winning a contest you didn't even know you'd been entered into.
I was touched by what Mabel had noticed in my artwork. And so when the display was over, when they still-life was handed back to me, I framed it and gave it to her to keep. It remained with her until her dying day. I keep it in my home office as a reminder of her always.
Over the years, Mabel was a great support to me. She taught me about the history of Advent, and more importantly she taught me the importance of worshiping God. She taught me about the love and dedication that goes into serving our Lord. That worshiping Him was something truly worth doing, and worth doing well.
But not everything lasts forever. One day in 2006, Mabel was found in her apartment collapsed and on the floor, and she was rushed to the hospital. I saw her the day before I flew to Columbus, Ohio to attend General Convention for the Episcopal Church that year. As I was making my connection in Atlanta, I received a message that she had died.
I happened to be traveling with Bill King, who was the Transition Officer at the time. For those who may not know, that is Sarah Sartain's job now, and it was thanks to her working in conjunction with our vestry that we are hear today. I told Bill that Mabel had just passed away. Bill, having served at many Diocesan events at the Cathedral, knew exactly who she was and what all she had done for the church, and he immediate sent an email out to the clergy.
Later, I would learn that this email list is usually reserved for news about clergy or their spouses. And yet Bill saw the importance of Mabel's ministry so much that he believed it was important to mark her passing to the clergy of the entire state.
In a way, this was a recognition that Mabel's ministry was just as important as any of the rest of us. Even those of us with a collar. It was worthy of recognition because it was Christ-centered. It was important because at the root of it was the love for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the cornerstone of our faith.
It is was important because Mabel impacted the lives of others. And those lives have gone on to spread the joy and the Good News of Christ Jesus to even more others.
It's easy for us as clergy to see ourselves as the most crucial to the work of the
church. It's even easy for us as parishes to see ourselves as The church. But at the
end, we only play a part. We may have important roles, perhaps at times very
important roles. But at the end of the day, it is everyone in the church. Lay and
clergy, young and old, weak and strong, and parishes and whole dioceses that are
part of the building blocks. We are the bricks that build up the church around the
cornerstone of Christ Jesus.
This is 1 Peter's message to us this morning. That every single one of us matters. That we are all part of the bricks that build up the church, just as our own saints here at St. Paul's have built up this church from its brick, to its stained glass, to its pews, to its vestments, to its bell tower, and to its altar. This is why 1 Peter does not differentiate but calls us all priests in God's holy temple.
All of us have a role in God's church. Because all of us have given vows. Through our Baptismal Covenant, which we were reminded of only a few weeks ago with our Bishop's visitation, through that covenant we promise to reject the world, sin, and evil. We promise to commit ourselves to Jesus Christ and His saving grace. And we promise to do what is in our power to do the work He has given us to do in the world.
This is 1 Peter's message to us this morning. That every single one of us matters. That we are all part of the bricks that build up the church, just as our own saints here at St. Paul's have built up this church from its brick, to its stained glass, to its pews, to its vestments, to its bell tower, and to its altar. This is why 1 Peter does not differentiate but calls us all priests in God's holy temple.
All of us have a role in God's church. Because all of us have given vows. Through our Baptismal Covenant, which we were reminded of only a few weeks ago with our Bishop's visitation, through that covenant we promise to reject the world, sin, and evil. We promise to commit ourselves to Jesus Christ and His saving grace. And we promise to do what is in our power to do the work He has given us to do in the world.
We all promise to fulfill the work of God, and thus the work of the church, in the world. I am no different from in of you in that regard. I have simply taken on extra vows to help insure that mission in the world.
But we all have a role to play in God's work. St. Paul's is fortunate to have so many of you who give so much of yourselves to God's work through your service in the church. I have seen that grow in my time among you as we celebrate a year of my service at St. Paul's today. As we move forward in this next year together, this is an opportunity for us to stop and reflect on what more each of us can do to serve God in this world. Because serving our Lord is not just the job for a select few. It takes all the Mabel Shepherds out there to do God's work. It takes all of us to continue to spread the Good News of Christ Jesus and to fulfill His will for all in the world.