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Scripture citation(s): Hebrews 10:35-11:1; John 20:24-29
A Sermon by
The Rev. Canon Carl Turner
on
Hebrews 10:35-11:1; John 20:24-29
✛
We shall rest and we shall see, we shall see and we shall love, we shall love and we shall praise, in the end that is no end.
(St. Augustine)
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From the Letter to the Hebrews, “faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”
Saint Thomas has an international reputation; a year ago, the Mayor of New York issued a proclamation about our Church’s bicentennial; next month, the BBC is going to broadcast not one but two services that will reach every part of the globe. Our livestreams are watched regularly from places as disparate as China and the Netherlands; Australia and India, but we should never forget the humble beginnings of Saint Thomas Church: No French-Gothic church of medieval cathedral proportions; no jeweled Book of the Gospels or silver-gilt chalices; just the Bible, the Book of Common Prayer, and a simple rented room on Broome Street and Broadway. When the parish was incorporated into the City and County of New York on January 9, 1824, there were just 23 parishioners on the roll. But those 23 with their faithful Rector, Cornelius Roosevelt Duffie, had one thing in common –they had a vision.
We read in the book of Proverbs: “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” (Proverbs 29:18)
The vision of our forebears has been handed on to future generations. Like the Olympic torch is handed over to successive runners to light a beacon of hope, so the flame of that vision has been handed over many times over 200 years. The Holy Spirit fans that flame into a consuming fire of love and devotion if we are attentive to the call of God to be a Beloved Community at the heart of Manhattan; to be an oasis of prayer open 365 days a year on the most visited shopping street in the world.
Saint Thomas Church is often described as a ‘Gate of Heaven.’ Here are some words I shared at last year’s Gala by Archbishop Michael Ramsey reflecting on heaven. With so much conflict, war, terror, and mistrust in our world today, we do well to reflect on these words and how they connect with the vision of Saint Thomas Church.
How may we think of heaven? Let us recall some words of St Augustine: ‘We shall rest and we shall see, we shall see and we shall love, we shall love and we shall praise, in the end that is no end.’ Resting, seeing, loving, and praising: these words describe not only the goal of heaven but also the message of Christianity in the world. For the world has lost the way of resting, seeing, loving, praising. Swept along in ceaseless activity, the world does not pause to consider. With no resting and no considering, the power to see is lost: to see where we are going, to see the larger perspectives, to see beyond the group, nation, or race, to see human beings as they really are with the image of God within them. Where seeing is dim, love becomes faint; and praise is lost, for we praise only when first we have seen and loved. Human beings lose the praise of their Creator, which is the goal of their existence and the source of their resting, seeing and loving. [1]
Such beautiful words, written some 42 years ago, yet as relevant as they were then. Where seeing is dim, love becomes faint; and praise is lost, for we praise only when first we have seen and loved. My friends, that is the vision of Saint Thomas Church Fifth Avenue, to help people to see more clearly the possibility of a living relationship with Jesus Christ. And because we begin to see the presence of God in our midst, and learn how to love – to love like Jesus wants us to. Because our love has that kind of quality, our praise of him becomes all the more authentic, because it is attuned to the praise of heaven.
So many people cannot see this. They are blinded by bitterness, or filled with rage, encouraged by those who prefer discord to harmony; who teach hate rather than love. The writer of the letter to the Hebrews encourages us: “faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”
Look around you – at all the beautiful people sitting in this church! All of us are so different; and we all have such precious stories. Some of those stories we cherish, and there are others we wish we could forget. But all of these stories weave a rich tapestry that is the life of Saint Thomas Church. That tapestry is now 201 years old, yet is still unfinished.
In the prophecy of Isaiah there is a beautiful image of a person’s life journey described as a tapestry or a carpet. As you know, when a carpet or tapestry is being woven, as it grows in size and it is impossible to carry on without rolling it up on the loom and the roll becomes bigger and bigger, and the consequence of that is that the pattern becomes obscured. When the rug or tapestry is complete, the weaver cuts it off from the loom and unrolls it. Isaiah says: “like a weaver I have rolled up my life; he cuts me off from the loom.” (Isaiah 38:12) This process of being cut off from the loom in which the rug was made is a process of separation; it is necessary in order for the rug to be of any use. Isaiah uses that image, of course, to describe a person’s life and their subsequent death, but that image is poignant, for it is only when the carpet is cut off from the loom that it can then be unrolled, and then rich and unique pattern is fully revealed.
Of course, once unrolled, it is also possible to see the flaws that were created during its making. Those faults and mistakes are just as much a part of the design as the intended pattern. Indeed, we might notice that the pattern itself has changed over time, particularly if another weaver takes over the task of threading the yarn. Just as individuals do, so we, as a church, can fear that our own flaws may be revealed and we will be judged because of them. That is human perception. I think that, for God, judgment is less of an ordeal, and more a means of growth into his loving embrace; coming to him who is the way, the truth and the life. Didn’t Jesus tell us that the truth would set us free, if only we would follow his way which leads to life?
Saint Thomas, our patron knew this. As you know, he has the most unfortunate of nicknames in the history of the church – doubting Thomas. I am not so sure that doubt is the correct description; that says more about us than him! The priest-poet Malcolm Guite, in writing about the Sonnet for St. Thomas that I shared with you in this week’s e-news says this: “Really, he should be called ‘Courageous Thomas’, ‘Tenacious Thomas’, ‘Truthful Thomas’! Either way, thank goodness for Thomas, the one disciple who had the courage to say what everyone else was thinking but didn’t dare say, the courage to ask the awkward questions that drew from Jesus some of the most beautiful and profoundly comforting of all his sayings:”
Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” Jesus said to Thomas, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him. (John 14:5-7)
Thomas was not present when Jesus appeared after his Resurrection; no wonder he was so adamant that he would not believe unless he saw the imprints of the nails and the spear.
“Where seeing is dim, love becomes faint; and praise is lost, for we praise only when first we have seen and loved.”
Jesus said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.” Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:27-28)
“We shall rest and we shall see, we shall see and we shall love, we shall love and we shall praise, in the end that is no end.”
My friends, our Bicentennial Celebrations come to a conclusion at evensong this afternoon, but our resting, seeing, loving, and praising has only just begun. Today also marks the beginning of our 2025 Annual Appeal – an appeal that takes us into the next stage of our parish’s life, and we weave new threads into the tapestry together. Over the past year, we have unrolled that tapestry and examined it, and we have been reminded of the many vibrant threads that have been woven through it over 200 years. We have also reflected on the flaws and the mistakes that have been woven into the pattern. Now, perhaps, we need to roll it up again as we work together to weave a new part of our tapestry.
Last year, the Bicentennial Gala helped us reach our target of $2 million. Can we reach a similar goal this year without a gala? As you know, the Vestry is working extremely hard to finally meet one of the strategic goals of 2019 to make the Choir School sustainable once and for all. What that means is making all our finances sustainable, and that’s why we need your help more than ever; that’s why we need you to take seriously the part that you play in weaving a vibrant yet robust tapestry that is the community of Saint Thomas Church and its Choir School. As always, like my predecessor, I will tithe to the Church 10% of my pre-tax household income – it is the biblical tithe – it is the standard by which we work out how to give. Like Fr. Mead, I ask you to join me in that way of pledging – that is, in proportional giving. Last year, all the clergy responded to our Bicentennial Appeal by becoming or continuing their membership of the Keystone Society – giving at least $5,000 per anum. It always was, and remains today, the biblical way to give thanks to God. The bible makes no distinction between flocks, herds, grain, and money, because proportional giving means that we all take seriously our pledge regardless of how much or how little we have at our disposal.
The tapestry that is Saint Thomas Church has so many beautiful threads and patterns because of the generosity of those who have gone before us – those who tithed – those who made sacrificial giving a part of the Christian responsibility – those who remembered Saint Thomas Church and Choir School in their estate plans – great and small sums – but all of them given cheerfully. They are they many threads that remind us of the time, the talent, and the treasure given by countless Saint Thomas parishioners who have gone before us.
Soon it will be November, the month of remembering, and we will remember those who have gone before us and cherished this place and this community. However, the month of November always ends with Thanksgiving Day which, in turn, leads us to Advent Sunday. Do you see the connection?
Remembrance; thanksgiving; new beginnings: It’s what we have done this past year, and prepares us for the future. Remember – give thanks – look forward: It is the vision of Saint Thomas Church, to be a community of love and praise, and an oasis of prayer in the middle of New York, actively weaving a tapestry of divine proportions.
‘We shall rest and we shall see, we shall see and we shall love, we shall love and we shall praise, in the end that is no end.”
Sermon Audio
References
| ↑1 | “Be Still and Know,” p.123 |
|---|
