Isaiah 62:1-5

The Second Sunday of the Epiphany- January 20, 2013

I liked to share with you a story that I heard at a conference in Binghamton a couple of months ago a few months back.  This is the story of an Episcopal Church in the diocese of Western Massachusetts.  In  July of 2008, one  of the walls at this beautiful old stone church began to crumble- structural engineers were  quickly brought in-  but the building to far damaged  had to be condemned-  the cost to reconstruct the building was insurmountable- so the congregation was forced to abandon their church building.  They ended up in all places worshiping in a brewery. 

As all this was swirling about- the church begins a community garden -- to grow produce to share with the area poor.  As they were working to get their garden off the ground- they enlisted the help of a local, organic- sustainable farm in the area.    Their community garden becomes known as Gideon’s garden. 

Then in  August 2011, Hurricane Irene blows through the New England – you may remember seeing some of the images of flooding coming out of Vermont and Massachusetts—that local farm  doesn’t fare well its  fields and crops are washed away, the years income is decimated.  But this church steps to help their new friends-it raises tens of thousands of dollars to help get this farm through the loss of its crops for the year. 

At the same time there was little another Episcopal Church in the Berkshires that was struggling to keep its doors open, the congregation has gotten old, its membership is dwindling- the last person out was going to turn out the lights and turn the keys into the diocese--- this church was in hospice  or at least they were – until they began to notice the good things going on down the street— they see a church that was beating the odds—leadership thought maybe that church might have some interest in joining together.   

Just a few weeks, the two communities officially joined together and became Grace church of the Southern Berkshires.

The amazing thing is that the story doesn't end there.  In 2011, some members of our church traveled to Western Mass. to help after a devastating tornado- while we were feed from some of this produce of this Gideon’s garden.    After returning home from the trip Mollie Appollony and Roberta Grundtisch came to me and said we could do that here and so the Giving Garden was born last spring. 

What I have found amazing-  is the many ways that God has been working in this entire story to build  and restore communities of faith---you have these two churches  that join together to find a new way forward both in trouble- you have this  great reciprocal relationship  that develops between Gideon’s garden and this local farm –neither could have survived without the other—you have the way in which Gideon’s Garden inspired this community of faith to build its own garden- to feed people right here in our own backyard.     

The reading from Isaiah is about God in this community building mode.  Last week, we heard Isaiah speaking the word of God to the Israelite’s who have been ripped from their homes, ripped  from their communities and exiled to Babylon.  

Today, the story has shifted---the exiles have trekked back across the desert-- they have returned home from Babylon, but   guess what? Everything isn't the  way it used to be- the community is in shambles-there is no sort of government in place to legislate,  to organize, (maybe that’s not such a bad thing) the temple where God had made his home has been  desecrated- ransacked and destroyed-   there are new people sleeping in  the people’s bed-  this the Goldilocks story--their lives are in shamble.

 Isaiah though is quick to remind the people that the time is coming when God will restore   Jerusalem- the community one day  they will again  be a “crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord,”  the community will one day again be  “a royal diadem in the hand God.”   Someday the nations will see their vindication, some day-- kings will see their glory. Isaiah reminds the people that God will not sleep, God will not rest until Jerusalem’s vindication, “shines out like the dawn…”

If God has had his hand in the restoration of Jerusalem, If God had his hand in the restoration, the creation, the formation of those church communities in Western Massachusetts, don’t  you think he might also be up to something right here in this community of faith? 

Don’t you think that God might be up to something right here at 6595 East Quaker Street in Orchard Park,  Don’t you think that God might be up to something right here in the diocese of Western New York, in the city of Buffalo? 

Might God be creating this community of faith to be a royal diadem, a crown of beauty-- to display his Glory, the help usher in his kingdom. 

Could it have been God’s hand that helped the creation of that garden down the street? Could it have been God’s hand that has compelled more than 65 people to walk through the doors of St. Mark’s as visitors and guests in 2012.

How is God creating this community to be a royal diadem, a crown of beauty?  How have you seen God’s work here?

One of the great gifts that  St. Paul gave  to the church was his recognition that every member of the church has a role to play in God’s glorious kingdom, the glorious opus that God is creating. 

Just a few moments ago, we heard, St. Paul speaking  to the Corinthians about variety of gifts  that God had endowed that community with--for the building up of the  church, the body of Christ. Gifts, that we too have!

What role are you being called to play?  What gifts are you being called to share? 

God is in building mode. He is creating us to be a royal diadem, a crown of beauty- how are we called to participate? 

AMEN