Julie’s News from Maryland

I have been invited to preach at the Eucharist in the Chapel of the Good Shepherd here at seminary on Monday morning.  Every M.Div. student is invited to preach one sermon there during their senior year, the “senior sermon.”  I can hardly believe that my time has already come.  I remember listening to the seniors the first year that I was here and trying to imagine what it was like to be in that spot - almost to the end rather than just at the beginning.

I’ve been working on my sermon for a little over a week.  Sometimes when I’m writing a sermon I feel like I barely have enough to say to eek out a little something.  Other times I feel like I have so much to say that I have to work hard to edit the sermon and keep it on task.  Lucky for me, this is one of those times. I actually have too many mental images, too many metaphors, and one too many points (IMHO a sermon should have ONE point).   I love having a plethora of ideas from which to choose - it makes me feel less like I’m just using something because it is all I’ve got.

Last night, some friends mentioned that they are curious to see what exciting wardrobe option will appear as I preach in the chapel.  Will it be crazy shoes?  A bright pattern under my alb?  How will I break the rules?, they asked.

Interestingly, I’ve given this a fair amount of thought.  Should I break the rules when I preach?  I hate preaching from a pulpit, I could easily break with tradition by stepping out of the pulpit and preaching from the broad step where I’d be more comfortable.  But, I wouldn’t have a microphone, so I’d have to shout and there is some chance that folks in the back would have a hard time hearing.  That doesn’t seem like a good option.  I could do something fun and crazy with my shoes or earrings.  But, as a friend of mine from another seminary learned when he wore bright red sneakers for his senior sermon, folks were so distracted by the shoes that they didn’t hear anything he said.

There is a lot of stuff in chapel that I find silly; a lot that I think is goofy and outdated and irrelevant to the world today.  I don’t have any problem poking fun at old traditions and causing a little trouble to challenge people’s ideas about what is ‘right’ and ‘wrong’.  But, preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ crucified and risen is a different matter.  You see, I don’t think there is anything we can do that is more relevant to the world today than to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ.  The world is a hectic, chaotic, broken, crazy place.  Jesus breaks into the midst of our chaos and offers us an alternate way to live - Jesus offers us new life in relationship with him. 

Preaching the gospel is what this thing is all about for me.  Proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ crucified and risen is the whole point.  Giving people the opportunity to meet Jesus and to have new life is the only reason that I’m doing this.  I love the Episcopal church, but, as my friend Cristopher said, “Even if the Episcopal Church crumbled tomorrow, you and I would still preach the gospel.”  This is it folks.  This is why I’m here.  This is why I have put myself and my family through so much turmoil and change - because I am convinced that God has called me to preach the gospel (and when necessary, to use words).

I care too much about preaching the gospel to do anything that might distract someone from hearing the Word of God in their heart.  If I were to act out and be silly in the chapel on Monday, most people in that room would walk away talking about my silliness.  I want the people in chapel on Monday to walk away talking about Jesus and who Jesus is calling them to be in the world.  Believe me, I won’t do anything to jeopardize that.