The Diocese of East Tennessee
Sermons

Feb. 13, 2000
Epiphany VI
Delivered at Diocesan Convention

Sermon: The Light of the World
The Right Reverend Charles G. vonRosenberg
Third Bishop of East Tennessee

Several days before Christmas, a rather remarkable natural event occurred. The winter solstice - the longest night of the year - coincided with the perigee of the moon's orbit - the point at which the moon comes closest to the earth. And these events took place on the occasion of a full moon - the millennium full moon. Expectation of this occurrence added several apparent degrees of brightness to the reality of a slightly larger-appearing moon. And all of this resulted in an awesome celestial display!

Now, my habit is to take a daily walk before dawn. I remember quite well observing the moon that particular morning and feeling awe-struck at its beauty and brightness. My path takes me along the water's edge, and the play of light and water that day enhanced the scene's loveliness.

The setting of my morning walk encouraged me to contemplate the theme of light. Indeed, as of that morning, light would turn the tide in its yearly battle with darkness, for days - long in retreat - finally began to advance once again.

I reflected also on events soon to be remembered in our churches, for Christmas and Epiphany lay just ahead. Thus, I thought of Isaiah's familiar proclamation: "The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness - on them has light shined" (9:2). I also anticipated the wonderful words of St. John: "The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it"(1:5). Several days later, we would hear other words of encouragement from Isaiah: "Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you"(60:1).

On my bright, early morning walk, I also projected my thoughts beyond Christmas and Epiphany, for the call of the Church in our day is to be the light of the world now. That is, grounded in the reality of the light of Christ, and encouraged by the Epiphany experience of discovering and sharing that light, we now inherit the imperative of mission - to take the light of Christ to the world.

In our task of mission - of carrying forth the light of Christ - we do well not to underestimate the power of darkness. Darkness has not overcome the light, but neither has darkness been obliterated in our lives. That reality presented itself to me symbolically on my walk the very next morning. While the moon was nearly as bright as the day before, a thick fog obscured it from view. Only an occasional peek through the fog-enhanced darkness testified to the brightness of the moon's light.

One of the battles with darkness involves new learnings as we try to find our way into the light of awareness and knowledge. Indeed, I can relate to this challenge as I continue to grope my way into new responsibilities as bishop. During the past year, I have often remembered another ordained person who faced the uncertainty of a new position … another one who struggled toward the light of new learning.

A certain Father Bob moved to a new parish, and he soon discovered that children's sermons were an expectation in this place. He had no experience in giving such sermons, and so, he fretted a great deal in anticipation of his first children's sermon. Eventually, though, he had a brainstorm that he thought would work well. Father Bob decided to speak with the children about the variety and wonder of God's creation, and he planned to involve the children directly in his lesson.

The big day arrived, and Father Bob called the children up to the front of the church where they all sat down together. Then, Father Bob said, "Today we are going to talk about God's wonderful creation. In order to begin, I want to ask you a question. Tell me, what is a furry little animal that climbs in trees but spends a lot of time on the ground, too?" Father Bob waited, but nobody said anything. So, he continued, "You know, this animal looks for nuts and even hides them in the ground to dig up later. What is it?" Again, no one answered. Father Bob was becoming desperate. He said, "Come on, kids. This little animal chatters and shakes his tail. We see them all the time. Somebody tell me what it is!"

At the back of the group, a hesitant hand went up. The relief was quite apparent on Father Bob's face. He said, "Thank you, Ginny. Please tell us what I'm looking for." And Ginny replied, "I know the answer is Jesus Christ. But it sure sounds like a squirrel to me!"

Without pushing the analogy too far, I want to suggest that Father Bob may represent the bishop; the clergy; the wardens, vestries, and mission councils; and the delegates to convention - in short, the leadership of the Church. And little Ginny may be all the other people of God in the Church - the folks in the pews.

My friends, the point is this. If we are to be faithful to Jesus Christ - if we intend to be the light of the world for our Lord's sake - then it will take all of us to do so. It will not be appropriate for some of us to pretend to have all the right answers and to expect the others of us to guess them. Rather, we must find ways and occasions to communicate, to listen, and to value each other so that together we may carry the light of Christ. After all, we are indeed one Church. The gifts and talents and experiences and wisdom of the entire body must be encouraged, enlisted, and empowered for the sake of our Lord.

Let me share with you several brief examples that arise from the experiences of this convention. First, the Area Mission Teams represent an effort in grassroots mission direction, in response to our Lord's commission to spread the light of the Gospel. The creative effectiveness of these Teams will be directly related to their contact with churches at the local level. Secondly, our Archdeacon will provide another set of ears to hear ideas from the diocesan family, thus encouraging participation of all our people in the life of the Diocese. I am not interested in this person - or anyone else on my staff - being someone with all the answers but rather, one who takes very seriously the gifts of all the baptized, for the sake of the Body of Christ. Thirdly, our companion relationship with the Diocese of Nassau and the Bahamas will make the most sense and the most difference if we engage consciously in direct, personal encounters with one another - rather than being only an institutional reality. And finally, the Camp and Conference Center Task Force has the responsibility of gathering perspectives, hopes, and dreams from as many diocesan groups and individuals as possible, in anticipation of making a recommendation to the Diocese one year from now.

The Diocese of East Tennessee is one Church. We have been entrusted with the light of Jesus Christ. Together, it is our responsibility and our joy to share that light with the world. May God grant us the vision to perceive our call as missionaries for Christ's sake, the commitment to embrace our call to mission, and the strength to engage in that call as we follow our Lord. Amen.

Copyright © 2000 The Episcopal Diocese of East Tennessee