Sermon: “Celebrating New Ministries”
The Right Reverend Charles G. vonRosenberg
Third Bishop of East Tennessee

[This sermon by Bishop vonRosenberg was delivered using the following notes.]

The Episcopal Church is a sacramental church. Now, among other things, recognizing our sacramental nature means that we are comfortable in dealing with symbols that represent some other reality. That is, we are not always literal, in terms of meaning. For instance, bread and wine represent body and blood for us - and we are OK with that. At another level, we can create theologies from "Star War" movies … and I expect that we will see more of that activity in the near future.

I had a professor in seminary - long ago, and far, far away - who was fond of making this observation: "The only nonsymbolic thing that we can say about God is that all language about God is symbolic!" Somehow or other - being part of a sacramental church - we can understand what that means … at least as much as anyone could understand what that professor had to say.

There is a certain richness and fullness in our sacramental life … and in our use of symbols. Clearly, that sacramental, symbolic part of our identity lies pretty near and dear to the center of who we Episcopalians really are.

Thus, we are at home symbolically welcoming Cal Calhoun as rector of Church of the Good Samaritan this morning. We recognize that he actually has been around a while already - but today marks his symbolic beginning. Besides, Anna, Bryce and Molly are with him today … so that makes this a special occasion for all of them - and for us as well. Therefore, officially and symbolically, "welcome" to you today, Cal, as rector of Good Sam and as priest in the Diocese of East Tennessee!

Therefore, in addition to realizing that Episcopalians are comfortable with symbols, we need to observe something else about being a sacramental church. That is, our symbols have their limits. The symbols themselves do not tell the complete story or describe the total reality of anything.

Our "Celebration of a New Ministry" today does not do justice to the fact that Cal has already been on the job for nearly three months. Ask him or his family when his work began here, and I suspect they will not answer, "On May 22." The symbol of the service today is important and significant - but it does not tell the whole story.

If we are not careful, there is another part of what we do today - of our symbols today - that can be downright misleading. Cal will be receiving symbolic presents in just a few minutes … and that act of giving and receiving represents a wonderful and gracious welcome, as well as highlighting some important symbols for his ministry in this place. And then Cal will repeat a prayer that provides a powerful reminder of the call to priesthood and the ministry of a priest. Finally, we will have the opportunity to welcome Cal and his family - and I encourage you at that time to clap long and loud.

However - and here is the misleading part - our Prayer Book service for the "Celebration of a New Ministry" concentrates too much on the ordained person. It is almost as though Cal's ministry is the only one that we celebrate today. Therefore, this is one of those symbolic occasions that is good only as far as it goes. And it most definitely does not tell the whole story or convey the complete reality of Good Sam's present moment.

Cal and you and I all know that the ministry of Good Sam is not his alone. In our Gospel reading today, Jesus said, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest" (Lk 10:2). In our current circumstances, Jesus is not suggesting that we send Cal out into the harvest alone!

St. Paul has it right in the reading from Romans this morning. "For as in one body we have many members, and not all the members have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members of one another. We have gifts that differ according to the grace given us …" (12:4-6a). Indeed, we all have gifts for ministry, by virtue of our baptism.

By means of priestly ordination, some of us are set apart for certain responsibilities - presiding at worship, preaching, celebrating the sacraments. We pray at that time that the priest will excel as pastor, teacher and counselor. However, we affirm that the gifts for ministry are given through the grace received at baptism.

Therefore, today, we appropriately - and symbolically - recognize the joining of the gifts for ministry that God has given Cal Calhoun and each member of Church of the Good Samaritan. Because of God's graciousness in this uniting of gifts and of ministries, we have true reason for celebration today. I give thanks to God for Cal and for each of you. Further, I give thanks to God for the good work that you will do together, to the glory of God and for the benefit of God's church and of God's world. Amen.

Copyright © 2005 The Episcopal Diocese of East Tennessee