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Priest of the Priest

Father's Day and Fr. Chinery.

Hello Church. Hello Ed Chinery. After many miles of spiritual travel, a long journey, Ed Chinery attained his destination and was ordained to the priesthood yesterday at the cathedral in Trenton. Barbara and I were both there (and a bunch of others to present him for this sacrament. We were there because Ed is from St. Luke's and we are the priests of St. Luke's, representing the church, and, I guess because Ed likes us and respects us. Thank you Ed. It was indeed a great privelege.

After the ordination we came back here and partied - both Indian and mediterranean food. There are an awful lot of parties associated with church life. Its a good thing. But you can't just party on in this life. You have to do some work every now and then. Or so I'm told.

And today, Ed begins his priestly work by presiding at mass with us. Thank you Ed. This is work which you need to do and work which we need for you to do. Because Eucharist makes us who we are. Eucharist makes us real Christ like people, and we need someone to preside and more than preside, to say the words, say mass, to reach out the hand in blessing, to represent the one who did this for the first time to be the words of the Word, the hands of the great one who holds us all in his hands. And we are so glad that it is you because you are from us, one of us. And now you are trained and ordained and gifted .....

And because you want to. At least I hope you usually do, although there might be times. The psalmist sings: As the hart longs for the water brook, so longs my soul for thee O God. I know that's true for you because God has called and gifted you for this work, although let me hasten to say, its not all work. Is it work? Eucharist is a party also, isn't it? God has called and gifted you and sent you for this party and this work. Its for your sake and for ours.

Anyone else? Is it for anyone else? There aren't so many passing by now that the bridge on 27 is out and is getting fixed. But there are hundreds every day. And all around. Do they need Jesus Christ in their lives? Well, maybe not in the sense that they are supposed to be part of our church (although I do wish that many more would join up), or even Christians, but don't you think its important, even if everyone doesn't recognize him, that Jesus Christ is here for the world. In the shape of beautiful church, the building, yes, and the structure we make as the people of God, gathered here, rightly ordered, with proper Priests as part of the whole, living order of things.

The first English Priest, I don't know if you'd call him exactly Anglican, although maybe, was one Amphibalus, back in the early 200s, who converted the King and Martyr Alban. Yes, the world needs priests, for the church and for the world.

We are so glad you can preside, and make church with us and for us and for the world.

And today is the first time!

You know they say that when you do it for the first time, something is lost and something is gained. What's lost here? Well of course its not anything to do with innocence or ignorance. Its subtle, but I think it has something to do with the relationship beween the people who are served and one who is serving. The ones who are enabled and the one who is enabling. And what do you gain? Well, it has something to do with that same dynamic. And certainly this is a relationship of lovers, whether erotic imagery is really appropriate or not. Saying mass has something to do with how love happens in the church. I'm sure of that. Although we do have to be careful. Imagery of the singular male and the plural female, Christ and his church, is only one among the powerful images that help to describe the priest presiding at Mass with all the people.

And of course, the Eucharist has never, in the deepest sense, ever happened more than once. The first time was it. And we know who was sacrificed, and we know who presided. So what are you doing Ed? saying mass. What you are doing is taking us into the real presence of the one in whom we are created, and, broken as we are, restored, made new. You lead us into the real presence of Jesus Christ who presides at the gift of himself. You are the priest of the one priest.

This is hard work. This is demanding celebration.

The angel came to Elijah under the broom tree, touched him and said: "Get up and eat this cake, not Indian food, maybe sort of Meditteranean - otherwise the journey will be too much for you".

You touch the bread and you hold the cup and you give us this wonderful spiritual nourishment, and you drink of it yourself, and you tast the bread. How we all need it, because otherwise the journey would certainly be too much for us.

But now, because of this bread and this wine which you and Christ himself have made for us, we are strong, and we walk on together, true church of the true God. Because we have so much to celebrate and so much work to do.

Thank you Ed Chinery for feeding us and making us able to be who we are, to do what we are called to do.

Amen.

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