sacred canopies
January 20, 2019
Psalm 36:5-10
One Sunday evening back on March 9, 2014 I attended a worship service at the Metropolitan Community Church of New York City. I was in New York for an urban immersion class I was taking while attending Wake Forest Divinity School. The official name for the course was Multicultural Contexts for Ministry: NYC. Our group had arrived in New York City the day before and tried our best to settle into our barrack like bunk beds at Metro Baptist Church in the Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood on the West side of Midtown Manhattan.
Our agenda was jam packed for our second day and by the end of that day, in addition to the other items on that agenda, we had attended three worship services at three different churches. Our final worship service was at the Metropolitan Community Church NYC. While all of our worship experiences were great, the service at MCCNY was especially memorable. Like other churches in NYC, MCCNY is located in what I can only describe as a row of connected buildings, all with similar exterior facades. After climbing the stairs to the second floor we turned right and entered a long narrow-esque room which, as it turned out, was the church’s sanctuary. As we waited for the service to begin, we mingled with the members of the church there for worship.
I would describe the bulk of the service as being lay lead, or lead by the people of the church, instead of the ministerial staff. The Senior Pastor, Rev. Pat Bumgardner, preached the sermon and presided over Communion, but the other elements of the service were led by the people. Looking back now, I can say it was quite powerful to see so many people invested in the elements of their worship service.
For me, there was one element of that worship service that stood out more than any other – Communion. At MCCNY Communion is served every Sunday by intinction. Now, experiencing communion each week by intinction was not new to me as I’m aware of a number of denominations who serve communion in the same, or similar way. However, consuming the elements didn’t end the communion experience at MCCNY. You see, after receiving the elements from Rev. Pat, she turned and directed you to stand in one of the lines that had formed behind her. On that particular night there were three lines and at the head of each of these lines were three of the Deacons of the Church. Those Deacons had a very specific job… pray with each person in their line. One by one people in line would gather with their appointed Deacon who would then begin praying with and more importantly praying for that person. This was not just any kind of prayer, though. This prayer was both personal and universal and this prayer included the laying on of hands.
So, when my turn arrived, I stepped to my appointed Deacon who introduced himself (his name is Les **********) and asked my name. No sooner had I told him my name when he draped both of his arms around me and with our heads bowed, he began praying. During the entire prayer Les’ physical embrace of me never wavered. In fact, when he was really feeling what he was saying, his embrace became even stronger. Les prayed for me as though he and I had been close friends our whole lives. Les prayed for me like he knew me. When discussing this experience with my classmates afterward, all of us were struck by the feeling that our prayer leader knew us. It was a remarkable moment, and something I’ve reflected on quite a bit on the years. Just this past week I was reading through some of my past journal entries and I came across a quick entry from March 9, 2014. This is what I wrote:
“Communion Prayer – Les prayed for me to be wise and that I may know God’s wisdom.”
After the worship service my class spent time with Rev. Pat. During that question and answer time, someone asked about their practice of praying during Communion, and more specifically about the prayer leader embracing the person in front of them. Rev. Pat began answering by talking about the early happenings of the AIDS epidemic. She talked about the way people feared being in the presence of someone suffering this wretched disease. More to the point though, she talked about life for those suffering AIDS in the early 1980’s. How isolated from the world those people were. How they had become so isolated from human contact. It was during those times that MCCNY added this element to their weekly communion and that element has remained ever since. Rev. Pat told us that during those early days they were the only place in all of NYC where someone with AIDS could feel the touch of another human being. So, for those beloved sons and daughters of God who had been largely forgotten by the world around them, MCCNYC made a place. It seems to me, MCCNYC took seriously the call to serve the least of these in its midst. MCCNYC took seriously the call to love, especially those the world says are unlovable. And in answering these calls, all who sought, found what they were seeking - Refuge in the shadow of God’s wings.
***************************************
This is a Psalm of praise. Praise for a God whose steadfast love is always present, even and especially in the midst of the brutality of exclusion and oppression. This is a Psalm about a God of abundance who saves both humans and animals alike. This is a Psalm praising a God who draws us all in and folds us under the safety of the endlessly expanding wings of God’s sacred canopy. The one and only sacred canopy that matters because any other is really an idol of someone else’s creation.
This Psalm praises a God whose protection and love extend to all creation. This Psalm praises a God who has always and will always have an open seat at the table, but not just any table. This table is open to everyone. At this table everyone is welcome to partake of the endless bounty. And here’s the thing, the God being praised in this Psalm is the same God we gather to praise and worship today. This God of abundance. This God of righteousness. This God of Love is our God. And this steadfast love is something to be experienced, not just talked about. Professing only mental belief in this God of abundance and love is to miss the experience altogether. Drinking from that fountain of life requires you to move out of the stands… step off of the sideline… stop just observing, and instead get in the game. Participate in God’s game of abundance and love and when you do, well the Psalmist says you will be in God’s light and when you are in God’s light, well that is when you see light.
***********************************
A few days ago, Becky was telling me about her recent trip to Baptist hospital. While there, some people she did not know dropped by to let her and those she was with know about a meal they had prepared and setup in the waiting room. They invited everyone to come join them for this meal, which they did. Turns out this was a church group from a neighboring county who drops in a Baptist Hospital once a month with an abundant meal and invites all to partake. This came about because of something a member of that church experienced some years earlier. While that person’s spouse was receiving treatment at Baptist Hospital, it was discovered that many families were in need of a home cooked meal, including this person. So once able, they went back to their home church to share their discovery and found that a handful of members of the church were willing to cook a meal, travel to Baptist Hospital and serve that meal to all who accepted their invitation. That person’s ability to see a need, share that need, and enlist the help and support of others has turned into a signature ministry for that church.
In listening to Becky this seemed like more than a meal. You see, there were all kinds of people eating and drinking together that night. All kinds of faith traditions sharing a meal together that night in that space. It seems to me the decision by that church member and that church was a decision to participate in the ever-expanding refuge of God’s wings. That decision was a decision about participate in God’s world of ever-expanding love and abundance.
************************************
All around us people are seeking refuge. In fact, all of us here have either experienced at some earlier point in time, or are currently experiencing, the desire for refuge. So we know what it means. We can recognize it when we choose to live in God’s light. The question for us then is this, will we do our part to participate in God’s ever-expanding wings of refuge. God certainly believes we can and I do too. The hope and the prayer is we will.
Amen!
Psalm 36:5-10
One Sunday evening back on March 9, 2014 I attended a worship service at the Metropolitan Community Church of New York City. I was in New York for an urban immersion class I was taking while attending Wake Forest Divinity School. The official name for the course was Multicultural Contexts for Ministry: NYC. Our group had arrived in New York City the day before and tried our best to settle into our barrack like bunk beds at Metro Baptist Church in the Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood on the West side of Midtown Manhattan.
Our agenda was jam packed for our second day and by the end of that day, in addition to the other items on that agenda, we had attended three worship services at three different churches. Our final worship service was at the Metropolitan Community Church NYC. While all of our worship experiences were great, the service at MCCNY was especially memorable. Like other churches in NYC, MCCNY is located in what I can only describe as a row of connected buildings, all with similar exterior facades. After climbing the stairs to the second floor we turned right and entered a long narrow-esque room which, as it turned out, was the church’s sanctuary. As we waited for the service to begin, we mingled with the members of the church there for worship.
I would describe the bulk of the service as being lay lead, or lead by the people of the church, instead of the ministerial staff. The Senior Pastor, Rev. Pat Bumgardner, preached the sermon and presided over Communion, but the other elements of the service were led by the people. Looking back now, I can say it was quite powerful to see so many people invested in the elements of their worship service.
For me, there was one element of that worship service that stood out more than any other – Communion. At MCCNY Communion is served every Sunday by intinction. Now, experiencing communion each week by intinction was not new to me as I’m aware of a number of denominations who serve communion in the same, or similar way. However, consuming the elements didn’t end the communion experience at MCCNY. You see, after receiving the elements from Rev. Pat, she turned and directed you to stand in one of the lines that had formed behind her. On that particular night there were three lines and at the head of each of these lines were three of the Deacons of the Church. Those Deacons had a very specific job… pray with each person in their line. One by one people in line would gather with their appointed Deacon who would then begin praying with and more importantly praying for that person. This was not just any kind of prayer, though. This prayer was both personal and universal and this prayer included the laying on of hands.
So, when my turn arrived, I stepped to my appointed Deacon who introduced himself (his name is Les **********) and asked my name. No sooner had I told him my name when he draped both of his arms around me and with our heads bowed, he began praying. During the entire prayer Les’ physical embrace of me never wavered. In fact, when he was really feeling what he was saying, his embrace became even stronger. Les prayed for me as though he and I had been close friends our whole lives. Les prayed for me like he knew me. When discussing this experience with my classmates afterward, all of us were struck by the feeling that our prayer leader knew us. It was a remarkable moment, and something I’ve reflected on quite a bit on the years. Just this past week I was reading through some of my past journal entries and I came across a quick entry from March 9, 2014. This is what I wrote:
“Communion Prayer – Les prayed for me to be wise and that I may know God’s wisdom.”
After the worship service my class spent time with Rev. Pat. During that question and answer time, someone asked about their practice of praying during Communion, and more specifically about the prayer leader embracing the person in front of them. Rev. Pat began answering by talking about the early happenings of the AIDS epidemic. She talked about the way people feared being in the presence of someone suffering this wretched disease. More to the point though, she talked about life for those suffering AIDS in the early 1980’s. How isolated from the world those people were. How they had become so isolated from human contact. It was during those times that MCCNY added this element to their weekly communion and that element has remained ever since. Rev. Pat told us that during those early days they were the only place in all of NYC where someone with AIDS could feel the touch of another human being. So, for those beloved sons and daughters of God who had been largely forgotten by the world around them, MCCNYC made a place. It seems to me, MCCNYC took seriously the call to serve the least of these in its midst. MCCNYC took seriously the call to love, especially those the world says are unlovable. And in answering these calls, all who sought, found what they were seeking - Refuge in the shadow of God’s wings.
***************************************
This is a Psalm of praise. Praise for a God whose steadfast love is always present, even and especially in the midst of the brutality of exclusion and oppression. This is a Psalm about a God of abundance who saves both humans and animals alike. This is a Psalm praising a God who draws us all in and folds us under the safety of the endlessly expanding wings of God’s sacred canopy. The one and only sacred canopy that matters because any other is really an idol of someone else’s creation.
This Psalm praises a God whose protection and love extend to all creation. This Psalm praises a God who has always and will always have an open seat at the table, but not just any table. This table is open to everyone. At this table everyone is welcome to partake of the endless bounty. And here’s the thing, the God being praised in this Psalm is the same God we gather to praise and worship today. This God of abundance. This God of righteousness. This God of Love is our God. And this steadfast love is something to be experienced, not just talked about. Professing only mental belief in this God of abundance and love is to miss the experience altogether. Drinking from that fountain of life requires you to move out of the stands… step off of the sideline… stop just observing, and instead get in the game. Participate in God’s game of abundance and love and when you do, well the Psalmist says you will be in God’s light and when you are in God’s light, well that is when you see light.
***********************************
A few days ago, Becky was telling me about her recent trip to Baptist hospital. While there, some people she did not know dropped by to let her and those she was with know about a meal they had prepared and setup in the waiting room. They invited everyone to come join them for this meal, which they did. Turns out this was a church group from a neighboring county who drops in a Baptist Hospital once a month with an abundant meal and invites all to partake. This came about because of something a member of that church experienced some years earlier. While that person’s spouse was receiving treatment at Baptist Hospital, it was discovered that many families were in need of a home cooked meal, including this person. So once able, they went back to their home church to share their discovery and found that a handful of members of the church were willing to cook a meal, travel to Baptist Hospital and serve that meal to all who accepted their invitation. That person’s ability to see a need, share that need, and enlist the help and support of others has turned into a signature ministry for that church.
In listening to Becky this seemed like more than a meal. You see, there were all kinds of people eating and drinking together that night. All kinds of faith traditions sharing a meal together that night in that space. It seems to me the decision by that church member and that church was a decision to participate in the ever-expanding refuge of God’s wings. That decision was a decision about participate in God’s world of ever-expanding love and abundance.
************************************
All around us people are seeking refuge. In fact, all of us here have either experienced at some earlier point in time, or are currently experiencing, the desire for refuge. So we know what it means. We can recognize it when we choose to live in God’s light. The question for us then is this, will we do our part to participate in God’s ever-expanding wings of refuge. God certainly believes we can and I do too. The hope and the prayer is we will.
Amen!
