Remembering David Darnell

Recently, I was out walking

close to our home here in Ft Walton.

It was a relatively quiet evening, not too cold…

And the night sky seemed like it was as big and wide as Texas.

For a few moments looking up,

I felt like I had been transported back to my childhood…

to a wrinkle in time when I was just about 19 years old,

and remembered a day when my father had died

suddenly of a heart attack.

A time, which I now can call…

an "instantaneous, pivot of life."

Meaning - one moment your life is in place,

and a split second later,

everything has changed forever.

And so, I looked up

into the vastness of our enormous universe

and simply said…Wow!

Look at this creation…

Look at what God has made,

and all of life’s glorious complexities.

But, you know God,

“I still have a lot questions for ya”…

How is it that in a few weeks we’ll begin to see

hundreds of beautiful purple and white Crocus’

starting to pop up and reach to the sun for new life?

How can it be possible, dear God,

that we live on a planet

where we can clearly see your hand in nature.

You are not a mystery.

You have given us life and cause…

But far too often, now

we continue to experience,

at a moment’s notice,

the precious, sweet gift of life torn away, from us.

How can this be?

Where are you in all of this…

So many contradictions?

So many…Questions!

So, few answers…

Do you remember…

the popular 80s song writer, Karla Bonhoff --

wrote a lot for Linda Ronstadt.

I think Karla tried to answer this when she wrote:

"We never know where life will take us,

we just never know…

And we never know when death will shake us

and we wonder how it will feel."

Well, today it feels pretty awful, doesn’t it?

Remembering that same feeling,

I walked back up our drive way,

and I heard a voice coming from next door…

it was a small child’s voice,

it was as clear as a bell.

The little girl said, only four words,

“Because, I love you.”

There it was…God’s answer!

Here I am - in full bloom.

God loved David Darnell into being

on a hot August day in 1971,

and from that very moment on

David has been a shinning light

for countless people…

Rich and Poor,

Black and White.

But, maybe David’s Godmother, Carolyn Scott,

said it best –

“our world is a much darker place now without David…

but I believe Love enhances, Love enriches,

and most of all, Love will endure.”

Betsy, Jasper, Ruby, Ben, Kai…

Sharilyn, Mary and Cloyce,

Davie, Connie and Jimmy –

all the cousins.

Jesus weeps with you,

and will never abandon you.

God loves you!

Someone once defined grief as “the pain of letting go.”

And I like that.

I think it accurately describes what we do

every time a loved one dies;

we have to let go, ready or not.

And so, today we gather here in this beautiful space

to continue our grieving,

and not so much to find absolute answers.

But in this grief, let us never forget

that what matters most for people of faith…

whether you are Jewish, Catholic, Baptist,

or on your own spiritual journey,

we can all NOW fully understand…

THIS answer.

Which is - the God of Abraham is the source of all life

and when we die

each one of us returns to this very same source

of goodness and love which has created us.

And, if that’s not a message of hope…

then I guess, I don’t know what is.

Hope and Love are simple, Free gifts.

It doesn’t take a Biblical scholar to figure that out!

They come under the heading called -- Grace.

It was in the midst of a cold Maine winter in 1848,

when the Shaker hymn writer Joseph Brackett, once wrote –

“‘Tis the gift to be simple, ‘tis the gift to be free,

'Tis the gift to come down where we ought to be,

And when we find ourselves in the place just right,

'Twill be in the valley of Love and Delight.”

It seems to me this is exactly

where David is today, isn’t he?

With the Resurrected Christ,

surrounded by Love and Delight.

And so, David Lee Darnell

Today, as you enter the New Jerusalem…

We lift you to God.

We left you to God with all the love of our heart and say…

good bye and thank you in the very same breath.

Thank you for your loving presence in our lives…

You will always be loved.

Amen.

Looking Back

A wonderful memory this past year from our annual Preach on the Beach Eucharist at Tods Point in Greenwich (May, 2010). In this photo, I am joined by two of the finest folks we've known during our years at Christ Church Greenwich -- Clawson Smith to the right, and Kip Burgweger to my left. Our sincere thanks once again to everyone at Christ Church for your love and support for me, Cheri, Emma and Ella.

Celebration of New Ministry

Wonderful friends Toni Daniels and Ian Cron joined us for my Celebration of New Ministry service here at St Simon's on Wednesday, Dec. 5th. In fact, Ian spoke to a luncheon with a nice group of local clergy, parishioners, and friends and then later that evening preached. Cheri, Emma and Ella and I were also so grateful that our long time dear friend Toni Daniels could join us from New York City. Toni is the Co-Director of Mission for the Episcopal Church.

Christmas Eve - 2010

The bus ride from St George’s College
in the center of Jerusalem
to Bethlehem’s Manger Square - as it is called today,
is actually only 6 miles…

That’s about from here to Eglin AFB.

And so, n this particular day, I was part of
an Anglican and Palestinian Christian group of pilgrims
headed to see the birth place of Jesus.
Which truth be told, was most likely a cave…

Anyway, our bus pulled up in Manger square and just as I stepped out,
there was loud automatic machine gun firing off / in the distance.
no one panicked, in fact, most folks didn’t even flinch.

I was not amused…
but just as things settled
a young child from our bus,
who was a Lebanese Christian,
bolted across the square on a bee line for
small stone entrance to the 4th century church
which the Emperor Constantine’s mother St Helen named
the Church of the Nativity.

We all followed and just as the child came to the manger,
she yelled out in Arabic…
“I found the Baby Jesus!”

Sometimes it takes a child to discover the truth, doesn’t it?

And so on this Christmas eve night,
you and I have come here to the manager, too…
And I suspect we are all searching for that same, little Baby.

Where is He?
We need him…don’t we.
2010 has been a long hard year for many of us, right?

The old King James says,
that precious baby is now wrapped in swaddling clothes
and waiting for us to come see him.

But trouble is before we can reach the manager….
somewhere off in the distance
we stop and hear –
not gun shots,
but the soft sound of a tinkling bell.

It’s the bell of irony.

And that tiny bell reminds me
that on this very feast of the Nativity
when we so much want everything to stay same,
I can get trapped into believing
that Christmas is only about
keeping sentimental memories…

So this bell jolts me back into reality…
back to the truth
that Christmas means far more than this.

Christmas is about celebrating
the greatest moment of change in human history.
A moment when God enters into time
and nothing is ever the same again.

Incarnation means change.
God comes into our time
into our space
into our lives
and shakes things up.

In fact, my favorite theologian,
the German protestant Jurgen Moltman, says…
“To believe in God, is to believe in change.”

Christmas is nothing more than a constant celebration
that our lives will never be the same
and that every year, we are…
older, wiser, balder…
but still engaged with God,
the God of history,
who comes to change the world.
To create life out of death.

Of course, God doesn’t change…but Life does.

And how ironic, all this…
that on a day when we want absolutely nothing to change
we are, in fact, celebrating the greatest change ever.

For those of us who grew up in the 60s,
you’ll remember that John Lennon and the Beatles
lead the way for cultural change with their song Revolution.

It seems to me there is a spiritual revolution
taking place today across America.

In fact, Ian Cron and St. Francis are both right,
this Revolution is not something Christians should ever fear.
Because change is the nature of our spiritual life.

Green growth always comes after the fire…doesn’t it?
Change means we are alive,
growing from death into life.

So where is that revolutionary child
who comes to show us the changing Kingdom Of God…

Here is a tip –
You won’t need MapQuest to find Him….
from this point in your journey, it’s all about
faith, prayer and an open heart.

We need to claim God’s Kingdom now
and wrap ourselves up,
completely in this gift of Christmas night,
I'm going to.

Enjoy these visions of angels,
shepherds, the manger,
and keep it exactly the way it has always been.

Just today, just for this one more day,
let it be comforting and traditional.

Let the birth of Jesus tonight be familiar, warm and life giving.

Tomorrow can wait…
But for today,
and especially for you Christmas and Easter friends,
for this one special day,
let us relax into the peace that is silent and holy…

Into a place where time it-self seems to stand still.

May God’s Holy Spirit lead you back to Manger Square –
because tonight you can find the Baby, Jesus.
He is here. He is alive.

He is the Prince of Peace, God’s Joy to this complex world.
So, Come Let Us Adore Him!
Merry Christmas!

Costly Grace - Sept 5th

There is absolutely nothing subtle
about this Gospel reading today, is there?

Sometimes in our long Pentecost summer readings
the lectionary offers us
interesting parables, miracle stories about fig trees and such…
which can leave us scratching our heads
wondering what in the world Jesus wants from us.

But not today…
you’d have to have been taking a nap to miss out on this one.

Jesus says very clearly to the large crowd traveling with him…
“Whoever does not carry their cross and follow me
cannot be my disciple.”

In other words --
”Do not begin something
if you are not sure, you can successfully complete it.”

Remember about 20 years ago…
the popular Steven Covey book
7 Habits of Highly Effective People?
Habit number 2,
has always been one of my favorites
and maybe the most challenging --
“Begin with the end in mind.”

Jesus is pretty much telling his followers
before you begin this journey with me to Jerusalem,
and you’ll remember Luke verse 9:51 –
when he sets his face toward Jerusalem,
he knows what the End will look like.

So, He begins his journey with the Cross in mind.

But Jesus turns to us today and says once again,
costly discipleship means --
we must change.

Change our view of everything…
in business, family, at school, and here at Church…
from Self to All.

Because this call is to walk away from
the way the world, of culture, and of society
which encourages “me before you.”

This theme hits pretty close to home for us, doesn’t it?
As we begin our relationship
between rector and congregation.

We’re in this early honeymoon period aren’t we?
thinking, dreaming, expecting and waiting
to see what God has in-store for us,
as disciples…
and just what the cost is going to be?

Saint Luke’s Gospel has Jesus using the story of the king
going off to war
without sufficient soldiers and strategies
and then the man who begins building and can’t finish,

But, probably the one that troubled me the most
from my childhood --
“but why must we hate our fathers and mothers,
brothers and sisters….” Well,

Seriously, make no mistake…
Jesus is not asking us to literally hate those we love,
what he wants to get everyone’s attention on is this…
we can not let any one or anything
come between us and God.

This would simply become a good definition of Sin.
Anything which separates us from the Love of God alone is Sin,
and must be forgiven.

For all would be followers of Jesus,
this has to be a foundational faith question –
“Are we able to measure up to the demands of this Gospel?”

And in our own unique context here at St Simon’s
we would do very well to reflect on this
both individually in our spiritual lives
and again corporately in our call to future ministry
to those who do not know
the healing, forgiving Love of God.

Adam Clayton Powell, Sr…
the great preacher and pastor
from Harlem’s famous Abyssinian Baptist Church,
in the 1940s coined the phrase Cheap Grace.

Later Dietrich Bonhoeffer would expand on this,
saying…
"cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness
without requiring repentance;
Cheap grace is without the cross,
grace without Jesus Christ."

And that’s why this question is so tough…so fundamental for us.

In his sermon on the Mount, Jesus says…
“if you want to be my follower
here is what you’ve got to do…”

You will have a moral, ethical and spiritual responsibility
not to the Real Housewives of New Jersey…this is Cheap Grace

But to Costly Grace which is to the poor, the grieving,
the hungry, the peacemakers,
and those being persecuted.

Discipleship is tough and serious business…
are we up for it?
In our church and in our lives…

Remember at Baptism --
we are called on to respect the dignity of every human being?

that means --
ALL God’s Children…Everyone.
Desmond Tutu preaches this over and again…
ALL means ALL

So, Costly – how can I do it?

Not to despair…
this is not a message of hopelessness,
in fact, this text is rooted in Hope.
Because, “the rest of the story” is…
God has assured us we will never be alone,
or separated from him.
Romans 8, right?

But Psalm 139:1 –
“Lord you have searched me out and know me…”

We can do this…God knows me, has searched for me.

So, working together with God,
we can embrace whatever is to come…

Just think of what has happened
since that hot and steamy July 1st, 1945 evening
when The Rev Dr Charles Farrar,
Rector of Christ Church Pensacola
drove over here to Camp Walton
for that historic first Evensong.

Do we have what it takes to follow Jesus?
You bet we do.
And more than ever.
After 60-plus years,
this is a strong, proud parish full of faithful disciples.

Christ calls us now to imitate
His spirit of humble generosity and compassion
by picking up the crosses of others
who are stumbling under even heavier crosses than ours.

Faith embraced at baptism
is unfailing hope
which transforms the crosses we are to carry in this life
into instruments of Amazing Grace
and Resurrection Power.
Amen.

Great to be back along the Gulf Coast

View from my office! Well, actually the back of the church building.

Nevertheless, we are off to good start at St Simon's and appreciate all the prayers and support. Our family feels very blessed with so many wonderful friends - it's made a huge difference with this transition from Connecticut back to the Gulf Coast.

First Sunday at St Simon's

There are moments in life,

which come to us…it seems,

from beyond the stars .

Moments which are precious, loving and so grace-filled…

we never want them to end.

You can probably think of a few, I am sure, in your life.

And so it is today,

we find ourselves in just such a moment.

Because today we gather here at St Simon’s and are filled to the brim

with an abundance of new blessings…

It is a blessing to worship God in such a beautiful sacred space.

It is a blessing for a fresh opportunity

to regroup and rethink

how we can better serve God’s people.

I am indeed honored and excited

to be called as your eighth Rector,

and to claim these moments with you, along the way.

Jesus loved people…

and he loved observing people –

he would have been a great Walmart greeter.

Jesus had an eye for the person in the corner,

the blind man, the woman scorned

and, today, the one so crippled by a spirit,

she couldn’t even stand up straight.

Jesus’ first instinct

was to touch others with Compassion.

But, Sabbath is supposed to be about rest.

And there is no rest for one who is crippled by pain.

So with a word and a touch of his hand,

Jesus heals this woman,

and immediately she stands up and praises God. Something old has been made new!

Well, let me just warn you,

God is fixing to do a whole lot of new and exciting things

right here at St Simon’s…

Old things are now ready to be transformed

into something New!

As many of you know, my wife Cheri Smith grew up here,

and I was born and raised over at Trinity Church, Mobile.

It’s still hard to believe, isn’t it?

Who would have ever dreamed…

only wish our dear friend Ed Horton,

my dad, and Cheri’s dad were here…

*Gen. Doolittle and Malcom at Eglin/Hurlburt.

Well, a few weeks ago,

I said good-bye to many wonderful dear friends and colleagues

at Christ Church Greenwich, Connecticut.

And in the midst of saying good-bye and thinking of this ministry…

I realized something significant…

I believe there is a disconnect taking place

between Religion and Spirituality.

What I mean by this is…

many folks in their 20s, 30s, and even a few 40s/50s…

have grown up in a totally different spiritual environment,

than their parents or grandparents did.

Church is different now.

Church membership and financial giving are clearly different…

Making time for God, has changed.

But, what I am discovering,

as someone who is almost 50, is…

there remains in every human being

a very deep longing for Spiritual Connection,

for transformation….

for a better way to live and breath.

Especially when life hurts…

Connecting to the sacred mystery of life is important…

and longing for answers to profound questions and doubts,

about personal and professional ethics

for conflicting societal standards,

are indeed all appropriate and good.

But, unfortunately, there is bad news for us…

because many now see The Church –

mainline protestants, and Roman Catholics --

as a less relevant community for spiritual growth.

In fact, I think you will discover

that even among some evangelicals

there is push back now…

Because what is emerging

is this deeper longing for

authenticity, relevance

and connection with The Living God.

Who is real…and knowable.

This is not about Mega Church,

Conservative or Liberal…

its all about what am I to do

with this dark emptiness inside…

I am tired of keeping up with the latest,

cars, boats, clothes, house…

In other words,

many are saying…

there’s got to be more to this life,

than managing my daily appearance.

Seekers of Jesus Christ

need a safe space to connect with Him.

To fall in love with Him.

To Worship Him.

This is really not rocket science…

It’s called FAITH.

And as you know,

“Faith is the evidence of things hoped for

and the assurance of things to come. “

Maybe one of our first faithful tasks together

may very well be to ponder all this…

Asking for God’s help

as we seek to serve Christ in all people.

My immediate predecessors,

Bill Richter, Jim Spencer and Ed Campbell

all provided solid leadership here.

And you certainly have a long rich history

of successful ministry here…

You already know what is needed

to nourish a healthy congregation.

Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, in his book,

Where God Happens,

says -- “A healthy church is one in which we seek

to stay connected with God

by seeking to connect others

with God.”

Fortunately, we don’t have to do this alone…

Jesus shows all of us the fundamental way to be:

and that is -- be Compassionate Observers.

Prayerful Observant Christians point the neighbor to Christ,

and show the same compassion that Jesus did.

Jesus says,

“come to me all you who are heavy-laden;

and I will give you rest. “

We at St Simon’s,

are called to serve all those who seek

the Face of God

and need rest.

As St Francis loved to say so long ago…

“Always, we begin again.”

We begin with this moment…

A moment when The Word

has come very near to us

from across the stars,

and has landed right here in our hands.

So, let’s grab it,

claim it,

love it,

and then give it away to others.

If you are ready,

I am ready!

Let’s get this started…

Amen.