Zion Episcopal Church

Zion Episcopal Church
We promise to share the love of Christ with all of God's children, in our worship, words, and witness

WELCOME

Welcome to the PastorofZion blog. Our community is served, at present, by a rotating cycle of supply priests. We bade a sad farewell to Father Gregg Wood on February 19, 2012. Reverend Deborah Dresser begins her tenure with us on February 26, 2012. We are delighted to have her and we look forward to her presence through Lent and into a joyous and redemptive Easter.

This blog is a compilation of their Sabbath sermons. Whenever you are unable to attend Zion, if you are visiting, or when you would simply like to reflect on the sage words of these dedicated Rectors, who have made studying and living the Written Word their lives' journey, please stop by PastorofZion.


We hope you will find your time here a step away into that rest which is the magnificent peace and grace of that "still small voice" of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

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1 Kings 19: 11-12 (The New Oxford Annotated Bible RSV )

11And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the LORD. And, behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and broke in pieces the rocks before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the LORD was not in the earthquake:

12And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.

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Sunday, August 21


Proper 16, Tenth Sunday after Pentecost 
The Rev. Dr. Deborah M. Dresser

I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God which is your spiritual worship.

What does Paul mean by referring to our bodies as a living sacrifice and how does one do that, if one wants to?

I became most interested in the language of sacrifice as I began to notice over a long period of time as a priest celebrating the Holy Eucharist that in Rite I, the often used Eucharistic Prayer at an early Sunday morning service,  the word sacrifice comes up five times.  This is in comparison to the prayers in Rite II. In each of those four, the word sacrifice is used only once. Why is this?  It is a question I will return to in a minute but first let us consider how the word sacrifice is used in our common parlance.

If you are a baseball fan you know that a sacrifice is a bunt or a fly ball that is pretty sure to be caught by the opposing team.  That’s the idea.  While the ball is in the air or in the act of being caught the runner tags a base or even comes home.

In today’s economy we hear a lot about sacrifice, the sacrifice that families that are making to keep financially afloat. Nancy, who runs the ice cream store down the street, told me yesterday that her family has given up the newspaper and Fios TV. Her son Chris is not returning to college this fall, because, as he said, "I need to take care of things here". I think I know what he means—the sacrifice that he is making is his tuition for the sake of the family.

Those of you who grew up in the depression or the 2nd World War are well acquainted with sacrifice.  But somewhere in the 1960s the idea of sacrifice has not had much popularity. Perhaps this is because as a society we had more than we needed.  Then again, a word like sacrifice has a lot of powerful cultural connotations and I think that it was in the  ‘60s that the language of sacrifice was identified with forms of oppression or debasement. This was a time when society was thinking a lot about liberation – social ethics, women’s liberation, and class liberation. For many who were not sharing in the riches and power of society the act of making a sacrifice was experienced much like being a doormat to someone else’s power trip.

Perhaps this cultural connotation has something to do with the limited use of sacrifice in the Rite II Eucharistic Prayers, which were afterall written in the late 60s.

So, we need to think about how Paul’s audience heard his exhortation back in the first century.  How did they hear this opening line in the twelfth chapter of his letter to the Romans—present your bodies as a spiritual sacrifice. What was their experience with the language of sacrifice? 

Sacrifice has always been essential to the act of worship and in Paul’s time whether the people who read his letter were Jews or Pagans, their association with sacrifice was a terrible smell—literally the smell of dead animals. Sacrifice was all about animals being slaughtered before an altar and burned to a crisp. So, on top of being smelly, it was noisy, and just down right messy.

Sacrifice was all about appeasing the gods or, in the case of Judaism, the God . Sacrifice was all about making restitution for sin or making a thank offering for some special blessing.

Before we get to the "how on earth does one make a living sacrifice?", let’s remind ourselves of what Paul has been talking about in the first eleven chapters of his letter.

In a nutshell, Paul is telling his readers what God has been doing since the beginning and what God’s intention has been in Jesus Christ. The burden of his text is this: this is what the Christ has been and has done for you. Yes, Paul talks loquaciously about the role of Abraham and the other forebearers; he speaks eloquently about the role of the law and of grace but the essential point is that he has built a case in favor of Christ. 

 And then he comes to that wonderful word that shifts his rhetoric: "therefore".  Like the good lawyer that he is, Paul has built a solid case, so that he can appeal to his brothers and sisters, on the bases of God’s act in the world how it is that they/we are to act—to live their/our lives in such a way that they/we will be holy and acceptable to God.  As God has done for you, so you too must do for God.

That’s pretty much a tight balance sheet. BUT If that were the final word, we would be in great trouble. There are preachers who will say, "Get it together, don’t let God down—after all he has done for you!”  Not even Paul was that glib. Paul is well aware, as he says in a variety of ways throughout his letters, 'I know what God has done for me—he has set me free to love—I know what God is asking of me, I know what is the right thing to do, I know the difference between good and evil, BUT I just can't seem to pull it together much of time'. 

He knew conflict, he knew sin—up front and personal—but he also knew the power of grace that far out-balanced his human efforts and human failings. Without that grace-fulfilling love from Christ, that has the power to pull us up and out from our sin, we are no better off than those who came offering cattle, lambs and pigeons to be sacrificed.

Paul is offering to his readers and therefore to us a completely different way of understanding sacrifice. While his readers might have envisioned a pageant of death, Paul is urging us to offer ourselves, our souls, our bodies, to be transformed into the body of Christ—to be united with Christ and to be made whole with him.

Paul confirms that sacrifice is an act of worship and as such it costs something. A living sacrifice suggests that our transformation is connected with our will to let go of the destructive behaviors and self-centered opinions that limit and harm others. It suggests, as Jesus enacted, a way of living that supports and values all humanity.

And, lastly Paul underscores that this living sacrifice is holy, in other words it is set a part for God, recognizing the preeminence of God in all of life.

Sacrifice the Pauline way, the Christ centered way, is not about tit-for-tat theology—God did this, I will do that, It’s not about fear of reprisal; nor is it a means to get aboard that ride into heaven; nor is it a roll over and let the world walk all over you.

No! The Gospel shaped meaning of sacrifice is about gratitude. It is a stand-up-and-take-account-of-yourself style of spirituality; a vigorous quest of the mind and heart for God’s presence.  It is a seeking to accept the gift that God has given to you through his son Jesus the Christ. How can one not be filled with gratitude in this realization? It is this response that makes our life a living sacrifice of thanksgiving and transforms the way we see ourselves and our relationships with those around us.

And, when we, as did Paul,  fail to live in that gratitude, we are reminded that it is God’s grace that has the power and desire to pick us up in a divine embrace and encourage us to take the next step.  And,  for this too, we are filled with gratitude.

Amen

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The Reverend Deborah Dresser

Deborah Dresser is a priest in the Diocese of New York since 1985. Most recently she served as Priest-in-Charge of St. George’s Church in Newburgh from 1996, retiring in 2010. Before coming to Newburgh, she headed in a multi-parish configuration in Rockland County. Prior to that position she was the Assistant Rector of Grace Church, White Plains. Mother Dresser holds a Master of Divinity from Union Theological Seminary in New York City and a Doctor of Ministry from New York Theological Seminary. She also holds a certificate of accreditation in spiritual direction from the Center of Spiritual Direction, Bronx, NY.

Before being called into ordained ministry, Mother Dresser was a graphic artist (pre-computerization) and continues today executing design work for not-for-profit organizations. She is the Vice President of the American Friends of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem, a humanitarian NGO that supports Palestinian Christians through our sister Episcopal Church in Israel, the Palestinian Territories, Lebanon, Syria and Jordan. She is also active in the promotion of chamber music through the Newburgh Chamber Music organization. And finally, she continues to be active in Episco-Build, a consortium of Episcopal parishes in the Region that partner with Habitat for Humanity of Greater Newburgh—an organization that she founded.

Deborah and her husband, Bob (retired priest), live in Newburgh with their two noisy corgis. They have four daughters—all married with children—making a lively family that unfortunately does not live next door.

Sunday, August 14 2011


Proper 15A/Ordinary 20A/Pentecost +9 
                             Zion Church, Wappingers Falls                                           
 The Reverend Dr. Deborah Dresser

It is lovely to be with you this morning in this beautiful worship space. By introduction I am Deborah Dresser, recently retired from a 14 year pastorate in Newburgh New York, just across the Hudson.  I continue to live in Newburgh with my family. 


Last Sunday, however, I was not here in New York but rather in France during which time we celebrated a family reunion. During that time I visited Chartres Cathedral, a most extraordinary Medieval cathedral southwest of Paris, known for it beauty, especially in stained glass, and its important place in church history.

In the nave of Chartres there is laid in stone a labyrinth that has been, throughout the ages a place of meditation and pilgrimage. Undoubtedly many of you know the shape and meaning of labyrinths so bear with me if this is old news. A labyrinth is a path set within a circle. It has one place to start and finish and the center of the labyrinth is the goal—the destination. One walks the path of the labyrinth but not in a straight line but a continuum of swings that take you from one side of the circle to the other. Just as you think you have arrived, the path propels you in another direction. The beauty of the labyrinth is that no matter how far-a-field you think you have gone, you will arrive at the center eventually and retracing your steps you will leave the labyrinth as you began—well, maybe not spiritually.

Every Friday at Chartres the great tarp that covers the labyrinth is drawn back so that pilgrims, tourists, curiosity seekers can walk the labyrinth. Some do so with in quiet, prayerful attention to the movement of the body and soul. Others, teenagers who there under the sufferance of their parents, race to the center and back again, and casual observers chatting with one another as they move along–there are lots of people with different agendas, doing their own thing on the labyrinth. And, that’s life.

Now the labyrinth bears some resemblance to the maze in that it is a contained set of paths within a defined shape. However, there is a significant difference between the labyrinth and the maze. The maze is created to trick you. It is a creation of paths all of which—but one—come to a dead end. Often the paths of the maze are made of high hedges that you can not readily see over—all to further confuse you. This is just the point, the maze is game of trickery; it is meant to confound.

The point of the maze is to get lost; the point of the labyrinth is to be found. The path of the labyrinth is dependable and will get you to the arrival place if you just trust the path. In spiritual language the labyrinth is a metaphor for our life journey in God. The path is what leads us to God; the path at the same time is itself God leading us to the place of God’s purpose for ourselves.

The Biblical story is all about journeys that like the labyrinth are marked with twists and turns. The stories in the biblical journeys literally take individuals and families into new lands, crisscrossing geography, encountering hardship and disappointment, as well as joy and accomplishment. And while many of the stories, at certain points, sound very maze-like, God’s people are not caught in dead ends but in God’s movement toward life.

Throughout the summer months we have been hearing the stories of the first great family saga in the Book of Genesis--Abraham and Isaac and Jacob the patriarchs of the three world religions, first Judaism, then Christianity and finally Islam. Their saga begins with Abraham being called into a new land with God’s promise of eternal blessing and a great and numerous family. But from there it all gets pretty messy. Promises seem to be broken, husband betrays wife, brother schemes against brother—well, you just wonder where God is in all of this family stuff!

In the scene that we read today, Joseph takes center stage. Joseph is the great grandson of Abraham and the last of the twelve sons of Jacob. Why Joseph is the favorite son of Jacob is not entirely clear—but he is.  Remember the famous dream coat of many colors that the father gives to the favored son (actually it was a long-sleeved coat to connote superiority); you can just imagine how that goes down with his eleven brothers.

In fact they throw him down into a well in the desert and leave him there to die. To make a very long story short, Joseph is picked up by a caravan and sold into Egyptian slavery where he makes his mark by interpreting dreams.

Now Pharaoh is given to disturbing dreams and hearing about Joseph summons him to interpret a particular dream. This dream is a warning that a seven-year famine will ravish the land. So it is that Joseph organizes the Egyptians to store their grain against the coming famine—for their own use and with enough to sell to people beyond the Egyptian boarders (for a profit, of course). Sold into slavery, Joseph has now become a rich and respected man with a great deal of power. 

His brothers back in Canaan suffering from the famine leave their ailing father and come to Egypt looking for food. Not knowing that their youngest brother is the chief Egyptian steward, they throw themselves on his benevolence.
                             
You have to relish this moment. Joseph has them just where he wants them—in the clutches of his mercy. This could be a supreme moment of retaliation but no—listen to what Joseph says through his tears of pent up yearning for his family.
                                            
And now, do not be distressed, or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life…God sent me here before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth…So it was not you who sent me here, but God.

Rather than resorting to that dead-end place of revenge, Joseph recognizes that God has been with him on his journey all along. He looks back on the rejection he suffered at the hands of his family and sees the hand of God working for himself and all of God’s people. He’s able to look upon the horrendous experience of being sold as a slave and subsequently exploited and plunged into jail – as God moving mightily to save His people and all the people of that corner of the world from famine.

What the story of Joseph exemplifies for us is the idea that regardless of the trials and discomfort that we endure, God promises to be with us through it all. And, our experience is that even out of evil, good can emerge, perhaps not on our timetable but in God’s time.
              
We hold onto that idea because our faith is rooted in the journey of our Lord. The fulfillment of Jesus did not come without cost. There were shocking moments of betrayal, misunderstanding, unexpected challenges—emotional and physical pain. In our faith journey that mirrors that of Jesus we are reminded ever year that there is no resurrection without the cross.

Our story follows the biblical path – not of dead ends but a path of faith that is in and of the risen Lord. However much our path is characterized by twists and turns and surprises it is nevertheless glued to the promise that God is with us and that our journey takes us to the place where God’s love reigns.

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The Reverend Deborah Dresser

Deborah Dresser is a priest in the Diocese of New York since 1985. Most recently she served as Priest-in-Charge of St. George’s Church in Newburgh from 1996, retiring in 2010. Before coming to Newburgh, she headed in a multi-parish configuration in Rockland County. Prior to that position she was the Assistant Rector of Grace Church, White Plains. Mother Dresser holds a Master of Divinity from Union Theological Seminary in New York City and a Doctor of Ministry from New York Theological Seminary. She also holds a certificate of accreditation in spiritual direction from the Center of Spiritual Direction, Bronx, NY.

Before being called into ordained ministry, Mother Dresser was a graphic artist (pre-computerization) and continues today executing design work for not-for-profit organizations. She is the Vice President of the American Friends of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem, a humanitarian NGO that supports Palestinian Christians through our sister Episcopal Church in Israel, the Palestinian Territories, Lebanon, Syria and Jordan. She is also active in the promotion of chamber music through the Newburgh Chamber Music organization. And finally, she continues to be active in Episco-Build, a consortium of Episcopal parishes in the Region that partner with Habitat for Humanity of Greater Newburgh—an organization that she founded.

Deborah and her husband, Bob (retired priest), live in Newburgh with their two noisy corgis. They have four daughters—all married with children—making a lively family that unfortunately does not live next door.

August 7, 2011

Proper 14 Year A
Father Gregg Wood

Today's gospel is the story of Jesus calming the sea.  Now Jesus had recently learned of the death of his cousin and mentor, John the Baptist.  He would like to get away to grieve for John by himself, but, as we saw in last week's gospel, that is not possible.  He is being followed by a crowd of people looking for healing and teaching from Him and, even when He tries to get away by boat, He finds them waiting for Him when the boat lands.  He tends to them.  He even feeds 500.  But He still needs to get away.

Jesus gathers his disciples and sets them in a boat.  He climbs back up the mountainside alone, stopping first to send the crowds away.  He lets them touch Him and thank Him, until finally, He gets to rest, to pray, and to grieve for His friend John the Baptist, and to focus once more on His mission and ministry.   

Meanwhile, back in the boat, the disciples are having trouble navigating against a strong wind.  Suddenly, whom do they see but Jesus walking toward them on the water.  They are afraid, but Jesus reassures them.

At this point Peter says, "Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water."  Jesus says "Come", so Peter gets out of the boat and starts walking toward Jesus.  But soon, he becomes frightened and he begins to sink.  He cries out, "Lord, save me!"  Jesus immediately reaches out His hand ans catches Peter saying "You of little faith, why did you doubt?" Then Jesus and Peter climb into the boat and the wind ceases to blow. 

This story is in three of the Gospels but Matthew is the only one who includes this episode of Peter jumping out of the boat.  Why this emphasis of Peter?  It is important to understand some of the background of the little Christian community to which Matthew is writing.  The Christian community of which Mathew is a part is suffering persecution from those around them.  In the terms of Social and Political Science, the winds were against them. But faith can weather the storm. That is the message that Matthew wants to convey--not simply that Jesus was a Messiah, for His listeners would already have believed that, but that faith in Jesus has power.

Peter had to leave the ship and risk his life in the sea in order to learn about his own weaknesses and the power of faith.  If Peter had never taken the risk, he would never have learned the power of faith. 

I am sure that most of us believe, in a general sense, that God is with us.  But when it comes to putting that belief to the test, when we are asked to step out of the boat and to walk on the water, we have our doubts.  Is God really on our side? Or will God put us out on a limb and leave us there?  We are afraid that, in the midst of the storm, we will be overcome.

One of the great fears of the ancient people was that God would fall asleep.  When the prophets of Baal could not get their gods to rain down fire on the top of Mount Carmel, Elijah taunted them, "maybe your god is asleep," he said.  On the other hand, the Jews took great comfort in the fact that the God of Israel, neither slept nor slumbered.

When Abraham set out for the promised land, turning his back on everything familiar, God spoke to him, "Fear not Abram, I am your shield and your reward will be great."

When the Israelites stood at the Red Sea and could see the chariots of the Pharoah coming over the horizon, they cried out that they would all be slaughtered,  Moses said to them, "Stand still, fear not, and see the salvation of the Lord."

When the angel of the Lord came to Mary and said she would bear a child, she trembled with fear.  What would become of her?  The angel said, "Fear not, Mary, for you have found favor with God."

Fear not, fear not, say our scriptures. This is repeated over seventy times; fear is the emotion referred to more than any other.  So if you have your fears, you are not alone.  Paul, writing to the young disciple, Timothy, said, "God has not given us a spirit of fear but of love, power and a sound mind."

Faith and love cast out fear.

Martin Luther King, Jr., said, "Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the staircase."

The Christian missionary E. Stanley Jones said , "Faith is not merely your holding on to God--it is God holding on to you.  God will not let you go!"

And the reformer John Calvin had this to say, "Faith is not a distant view, but the warm embrace of Christ."

Peter what do you think you're doing?  You cannot walk on water.  But Peter does, albeit briefly.

I don't know what storm of life will come your way this week, or what storm you may be enduring at this very moment.  But I know this: even as the storm rages around you, if you listen carefully with your heart, you will hear a gentle voice saying, "Take heart, it is I; Do not be afraid." In time, the storm will pass.  And Jesus will still be there. 

There is a saying:  If you feel distant from God, who moved?

Jesus comes precisely when we are rowing against the wind and making no headway at all.  He tells us not to be afraid.  He calls us to come to Him.  Some get out of the boat and test the water.  Some take a step or two.  Peter was ok as long as he had his eyes on Jesus, as long as he had faith and conviction.  Faith involved our venturing out, doing things we never dreamed of, trusting that God will take care of us.  

When have you felt sideswiped by a raging storm and been frightened?  What were the winds and waves that battered you?  Did you have companions in that storm?  What was a focus of help?  Did you pray?  Did doubt cause you to sink into anxiety and to fall into adversity?  And how did Jesus appear, holding out His hands, inspiring you to splendid action, even risk-taking inspite of the storm?  When were you in the boat, battered and fearful, and then, saw Jesus walking toward you?

Faith is not just a passive trusting that God will come to us when we are down and out.  Faith is an active process of living a vital and full life:  going places we would never go, loving people we would never love, living life to the fullest because we know the Lord Jesus.

I think each of us has the opportunity to walk on water.  It is going to mean something different to each one of us.  For one person it may mean overcoming an obstacle that you never thought you could overcome.  For another person, it may mean undertaking a task that was once thought impossible.  For some else, it may mean initiating a relationship, or mending a friendship that seemed beyond all hope.  So walking on water will be something different for everyone.  But we can say this much, it always means moving out of our comfort zone.  It always means dealing with fear.  And it always means acting in faith in response to a call.

May your fears diminish, and your faith increase, so that you too can respond to that scary exciting call.