"Scatter Joy," the senior sermon of Jennie Anderson, from the Diocese of Massachusetts, given on April 25, 2007 in Christ Chapel

Lord, make us stewards of ourselves, that we may be servants of others, Take my words and speak through them, take our minds and think through them, take our hearts and set them on fire, for Jesus’ sake. Amen.

 7 How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of the messenger who announces peace, who brings good news, who announces salvation, who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.”

I’ll never forget the first morning, as a little girl of about six or seven, when my brothers and I didn’t argue and squabble at breakfast. You know the voice register of young children… “Gimme the milk!” “Josh, don’t hog all the berries!” “But Adam I like that cup too and today its my turn!” … These were the normal patterns of communication in the morning, some mornings a little livelier than others... But on this particular morning, my brothers and I passed into some sort of place filled with the Holy Spirit. It was very early and so it was dark and we were up on that chilly spring morning because Adam and Josh each had hockey games to go. ( I didn’t play hockey until I was in high school and back then, I was a very supportive rink rat.)

On that morning, we got ourselves up out of bed without any fuss. In well modulated, soft and considerate voices, we asked very graciously for what we each wanted and offered what we knew the other liked, before they could even ask. We spent that particular breakfast acting for each other rather than reacting to each other. The specialness of that morning was not in what we were doing, eating breakfast, or where we were going, to a hockey game, but in how we were treating each other, with gentleness and kindness… But …the most special thing about this morning was that we each recognized that it was special …right at that very moment! That it was different and really groovy but also … we weren’t doing it on purpose, it just came to us, through a power outside of us. It felt really good, almost giddy, to actually practice the behaviors that Mom and Dad had been trying to teach us all along, when they weren’t even in the room! The harmony and charity that we gave to each other in that shadowy morning was such an anomaly that I have never forgotten it and it’s a scene of hope that I carry in challenging times.

It was the gift of peace . It was a moment full of giving instead of taking; it was a moment full of submission instead of competition; it was a moment full of receiving with gratitude instead of grabbing with greed. Of course it was just the one morning and as children, it never happened again as I recall. But we each had a taste of it, my brothers and I, and we knew, “the beauty of the feet of the messenger who announces peace.”

Mark

1 The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ…

The peace of that morning brought on a particular kind of joy that I’ve experienced often in my life since then, even in the midst of anguish. It was a joy that was gift and couldn’t be taken away, because even if the behaviors changed, the transformation had already happened and the peace we shared with each other, my brothers and I, was demonstrated in such a way that it was a permanent mark. Just as we are marked as Christ’s own in baptism, we were marked that morning with the peaceful joy of the Holy Spirit.

4 John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.

This peace and joy takes practice. It doesn’t come naturally as our childhood breakfast behavior bear out, and at first, we don’t always have good examples of how to practice peace and joy in the world. I am grateful that I have been given good examples of practice in the church and in the world through steady Christian teaching. This sense of gratitude comes from ‘trying it on’… practicing… being with someone that I don’t agree with, who even threatens my sense of justice in their political views and… loving them anyway for themselves, for who they are as gift from God… as someone who has something to teach me… trusting the Holy Spirit in her infinite wisdom… It also helps me to practice praying for those with whom I don’t agree.

6 Now John was clothed with camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey.

☺ Talking right out loud about peace and joy doesn’t always fit in the context of the communities I have lived, moved and had my being in, for example, the heavy industrial construction trades, where I’ve spent the past fifteen years earning a living. ☺ As a matter of fact, it may seem sometimes, that what is actually being said has little to do with offering someone a blessing. But all kinds of banter can work in God’s scheme of things, in teaching us how to share peace and joy. Sometimes great flattery for a particular skill works. Sometimes a simple “good job” is a more appropriate gift, even when the job wasn’t done perfectly. Sometimes the peace comes through a simple, silent prayer offered for a fellow worker when they are at risk… in a dangerous or difficult spot.

9 In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan .

Sometimes a person on the jobsite can come off as being the worst kind of bigot. Amazingly enough, having a conflict with someone can occasionally lead to a better understanding and a deeper abiding peace and joy in the relationship. I’ve lived this. It’s true. Now most situations aren’t as simple as I have described. The layers upon layers of substance and matter that get in the way of peace and joy are countless. Peace, often said to be the absence of violence; and joy, often said to be an indulgence; fit very well in the diverse and sometimes violent community of a construction site.

12 And the Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. 13 He was in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts…

The things that get in the way of being able to offer this peace and joy to another human being are numerous. So I just want to name a few obstacles that I encounter in my journey of faith. Barriers such as fear; fear that I won’t get what I want, and fear that I will loose what I have… The overwhelming sense of competition, not just competing but winning and loosing… Sitting in the place of “winner” is almost as disturbing to my peace practice at times, as sitting in the place of “looser” especially at the expenditure of others. Egregious desire for something, anything, that I believe will solve all my problems, money, prestige, property, control, a good job, a good figure, good health, the respect of others, and on and on… not caring for myself, my health- in body, mind and soul and not caring for my community. All these things get in the way of the practice of peace and joy.

14 … Jesus came to Galilee , proclaiming the good news of God, 15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.”

The practice of peace and joy is a gift we can give each other even here and now, as we progress through the challenges of leaving seminary, or changing our position as junior, or middler and rising to the next category of student in the community. It’s a gift we can offer in our welcome to the new juniors. The tinder of this community is very dry in times of change. And to live through the transition without starting an inferno by producing sparks of discontent, perceived hurts, damaging rumors and innuendo, takes an attentive and disciplined practice of peace. We need to be free to safely express our fears, our torment and anguish our accomplishments, and bless the transitional experience and the community with our insight, generosity, and our gifts of peace, joy and especially laughter.

Let’s laugh ‘till our bellies ache during the last gathering. Let’s cry with each other in the moments of pain in the upcoming changes. Let’s practice, pray, and share God’s peace and joy with one another and support each other now and in the years to come. Let’s go out and create communities that sing with joy… (Sshhh) Let’s offer each other a peaceful breakfast in the dark, early morning; offer that holy and unheard of surprise of the gift of peace to one another on the dawn of our new lives both here and away.

Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote, “… [we] must be marked by fine perception, the acquaintance with real beauty. [we] must always show self-control: [we] shall not be facile, apologetic, or leaky, but king over [our] word; and every gesture and action shall indicate power at rest. Then [we] must be inspired by the good heart. There is no beautifier of complexion, or form, or behavior, like the wish to scatter joy… around us.”

7 How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of the messenger who announces peace, who brings good news, who announces salvation, who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.”

Amen