When I read this week’s lesson, I was excited.  Knowing it would be my first sermon as your “priest,” and knowing that many of you would have just attended my ordination on Wednesday, I saw in these reading the opportunity to talk about ministry – mine and yours.

In the language of the church, as a priest, I have been “set apart” from, “not above”, the laity and given the responsibility of proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ, by word and deed. I am to love and serve the people among whom I work – regardless of age, social status, health, or wealth.  I am to declare God’s forgiveness to the penitent and pronounce God’s blessing.  My role is to administer sacraments and nourish God’s people.    The bishop has been given charge over this diocese, a job too large for any one person.  He shares this responsibility with the many priests and deacons in our diocese.  He shares it we me here at St. Andrew’s where I am charged to serve as your shepherd. 

Moses is called by God to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt where they are slaves.  The people are, however, unhappy once they are free.  Freedom does not come with a house and a garden.  They were unhappy in Egypt and wanted freedom, but now that they have it, they remember the blessings they had while there.  The grass was greener on the other side of the fence – until they escaped their bondage.  Once free, they remember the meat, the fish, and the vegetables they ate from their gardens.  Now, the grass is greener in Egypt. 

The people are unhappy, and the Lord is unhappy with the people.  The Lord gave them the freedom they wanted, and the people are not grateful.  Moses is caught in the middle.  He is the leader, yet he can not please the people or the Lord.  He gets angry and complains to God, saying:  “Why have you treated your servant so badly? Why have I not found favor in your sight, that you lay the burden of all this people on me?” 

The Lord does not respond as most of us do when challenged.   The Lord is not defensive.  God responses by having Moses gather members of his tribe, seventy members of the people of Israel, and gives them some of the responsible previously entrusted to Moses alone.  You see, God understands it will take more than one person to lead the people.  To move the people forward, Moses will need help.  Others need to experience God’s call and share God’s message with the people. 

Father Matt Doss, at my ordination, talked about reflecting light into dark places. One mirror can reflect the light of the sun into a dark space, but many mirrors reflecting light can light up an entire room.  A church that depends entirely on its priest is a dark and uninviting place.  But a church that is filled with the light of Christ is one in which the laity reflect the source of all light.

I believe this to be such a place.  My ordination was like any church service – it was a chance to open our doors and welcome others into our midst.  From our guests, I heard comment after comment on what a welcoming congregation we have here.  They experienced here, what I have.  They felt invited into the life of this church, if only for one evening.  

Before the crowd came, members of this parish worked countless hours with great pride to put our best foot forward.  I even cleaned my office!  As our senior warden noted in the e-mail she sent out the next day:  “The church was shining.  The grounds were beautiful.  The hall prepared for the dinner was welcoming to all Jim’s guests.  The dinner was delicious. It is amazing what we can do when we work together.”   What you did to make this evening special was a gift to me and all who attended. It reflected the love we share in this parish and our guests felt it.  James reminds us in his letter to sing when we are cheerful, and we did.  The entire evening was a celebration.  Thank you.

 Yet, after all such occasions, we must return to everyday life.  Life goes on and in it, James reminds us, we experience suffering, illnesses and we sin.  He tells us to pray when we suffer, and to seek the elders of the church when we are sick.  “The prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise them up; and anyone who has committed sins will be forgiven.”  When we sin, James tells us to confess our sins to one another, to pray for one another in order that we might be healed.  “The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective,” he says. The elders that James is talking about are not the priests, but the leaders of the church.  The seventy selected to help Moses were given the spirit and prophesied.  Elders in the church are not the powerful, but the ones who reflect the light of Christ.  By confessing our sins to each other, we are acknowledging our humanity and turning toward the light. 

I may now declare God’s forgiveness to the penitent, because of my office as a priest – but James reminds us that the forgiveness and healing begins when we confess to one another – not the priest, but one another.  The Episcopal Church has a rite for confession; we call it the reconciliation of the penitent, but it should be noted that confessions may be heard by laity as well as priests.  In this rite there are two endings:  after the person confesses, a priest may pronounce absolution, or a deacon or lay person may read a declaration of forgiveness.  Either way, a person’s sins are forgiven – not by us, but by God.

Moses cannot satisfy the people or God, but with the help of the elders, he can lead the people to the Promised Land.  I cannot lead this church without your help.  I represent the institution of the church – but you are the church. 

After the seventy receive the Holy Spirit, the scripture says, “Two men remained in the camp, [and] they prophesied in the camp. And a young man ran and told Moses, ‘Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.’ One of [Moses’] chosen men, said, ‘My lord Moses, stop them!’ The apostle John came to Jesus saying, “‘Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us.’” 

Moses responded, “‘Are you jealous for my sake? Would that all the LORD's people were prophets, and that the LORD would put his spirit on them!’”   Jesus responded, ‘Do not stop him; for no one who does a deed of power in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me. Whoever is not against us is for us. For truly I tell you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you bear the name of Christ will by no means lose the reward.’”  James, in his letter, says, “My brothers and sisters, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and is brought back by another, you should know that whoever brings back a sinner from wandering will save the sinner's soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.”

I was ordained a priest this week which means I have certain duties and responsibilities – but none of what I have to do as a priest is as important, my friends, as our baptismal covenant.  We are all called to love God and our neighbor.  When we opened the doors of St. Andrew’s Wednesday, our church was shining and our grounds were beautiful – but more important than that, we invited others into our church and made them feel welcome.

Hospitality of this magnitude takes work.  There are many in this community who are, as James said, “wandering” and need to be brought back to God’s all encompassing love.  They need a church where they will be welcomed, loved, and accepted.  Sue Geery said of Wednesday, “It is amazing what we can do when we work together.”   This is the same hospitality I pray that all guests to St. Andrew’s will experience.  Working together we can be known in this community as a church that welcomes all who enter.  A church that does not cause others to stumble, but is a place for those who are wandering and need a home.  A church where people are not only welcomed on Sunday morning, but invited to participate in meaningful ways in the activities and worship that take place in this church.  A church where we remember our baptismal covenant to seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving our neighbors as ourselves. 

Let us pray.

Lord, open our hearts to your grace and truth, fill them with your holy and life-giving spirit, and teach us to love others in the power of the Spirit.  Send us into the world as witnesses of your love and bring us into the fullness of your peace.  Amen.