The Rev. Noah Van Niel
Christ and St. Luke’s
October 2nd, 2022
Proper 22 (C): Habakkuk 1:1-4, 2:1-4; Psalm 37:1-10; 2 Timothy 1:1-14; Luke 17:5-10
If you found yourself sitting there during our Old Testament lesson wondering, “Who on earth is Habakkuk?” you probably weren’t alone. Habakkuk’s contribution to sacred scripture covers just a few pages, and all we know about him is that he was a Prophet, and may have worked at the Temple in Jerusalem. We have a much better sense of the time in which he was writing though. From the contents of the book that bears his name we can tell he is writing just before the conquering of Jerusalem by the Babylonian Empire which is rising up in the east while the people of Judah, his homeland, are disintegrating from within by fighting among themselves and neglecting the Law of God. “Why do you make me see wrong-doing and look at trouble?” Habakkuk says to God about his people. “Destruction and violence are before me; strife and contention arise. So the law becomes slack and justice never prevails. The wicked surround the righteous–therefore judgment comes forth perverted.” All this means he is probably writing around the year 600 BC. Remember it was in 586 that Jerusalem was eventually destroyed by the Babylonians, and to hear Habakkuk tell it, it seems kind of like their own fault. As he observes the state of things and talks it over with God, he’s worried about his beloved homeland, his beloved people, his beloved faith because, thanks to rot from within, the future looks grim.
You know when I feel most like Habakkuk? Afraid for the future of something I love, and think is good, and right, and important but which is destroying itself from within? When I look at the current state of the Christian faith. When I see what passes for Christianity in the public square with its emphasis on judgmental exclusion; when I see Jesus promoted as one who is more about domination and damnation than justice, mercy, and love; when I read sickening accounts of manipulation, exploitation, and abuse from many corners of the Church; when entire denominations refuse to engage in the latest advancements in knowledge and science or take seriously the questions they raise; when I see a cross at the front of a mob bent on violence and insurrection; it makes me worried for the future of our faith. The Pew Research Center tells us that the percentage of Americans who identify as Christian has dropped 30% in the last 50 years and is projected to drop below half within 50 years from now. When asked why they are leaving, people often say, “hypocrisy; irrationality; bigotry; irrelevance.” Can we blame them?
And yet, when I look at the world and see how much it is hurting—the inequality, the injustice, the violence, the hopelessness, the loneliness, the social division, and ecological devastation, I can’t help but think, actually, the Christian faith gives us everything we need to remedy such afflictions. If only we could reclaim what it means to be a Christian as something closer to the humility and love of Jesus, reframe people’s conception of the God into something that is expansive, not restrictive, and regain people’s trust by being more merciful, kind, and gracious then we just might recapture that which is good, and right, and true about the Gospel. For those of us who hang on to being Christian, but understand it differently from how it is portrayed in contemporary culture, we cannot stand idly by as we, like Habakkuk, watch our beloved faith continue to discredit itself from within. Like Habakkuk it may make us mad, it can make us sad, but it cannot make us hopeless. Because I do believe our understanding of the Christian faith still holds a profound appeal. I believe that because of what I see around me, here at Christ and St. Luke’s where we have a spirit of growth and possibility permeating our parish. And one of the great joys I have found here is the number of people who are finding their way to us from many different places and relishing, rejoicing in the vision of God which we proclaim. I look around and I see some incredibly remarkable, faithful people who love God, love each other and love this church, people who believe that God is big and broad and beautiful, and believe that the way that we, as a community grounded in Christ, can love one another as he loved us is to welcome all people into that fellowship of love. I give thanks to God that there is a liveliness here, a vitality of Spirit, and an appreciation for the vision of the Gospel that we hold. And that gives me hope because this is a vision of God and community that I believe can remedy a lot of what is wrong with our world today.
But if we believe in this God of love, if we take pride in our Church and what it stands for, if we do not agree with the prevailing picture of Christianity as portrayed in our culture and yet believe the Church still has an essential role to play in shaping people’s souls and healing the wounds in our society, not exacerbating them, then it is up to us to “Write the vision” as God tells Habakkuk. Write it so big that everyone can see it. Write it by what we say and what we do, write by who we are and how we are. And in order for us to do that, to write that vision, we need you. We really do. We need your presence, your participation, your prayers. We need you to spread the word and share your gifts, and we need your financial contributions. I know we shirk from saying it, but part of participating in the life of a church is contributing financially to support the work and worship that proclaim our particular hope for humanity and our vision of the Holy. Because say what you will about our brothers and sisters who peddle that different understanding of the Gospel than we do, but people go…and people give…a lot.
We are so grateful for all that you already give and do for this Church. I have been blown away by the generosity I have found in coming to serve in this place. But if we—Christ and St. Luke’s—we who believe in a Gospel of goodness, and grace, and love—want to reclaim the narrative of what it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ and to be a leader of that vision in this area, we need to be fully equipped. Specifically, that means we need to complete our building renovation so we can finally get busy using our physical spaces not just dreaming about them. The good news is that we expect to have construction completed in the next few months and the Lychgate Garden redesign done within a year. That means soon we will have finished the entire master plan for preserving and preparing our buildings and grounds for the next hundred years of promoting a vision of a God whose love is for all. However, due to inflation, delivery delays, and cost increases, we are going to have to raise more money to finish this project. Between the completion of the renovation and the redesign of the garden, we need an additional $2 million dollars. That’s the hard news. But the great news is that thanks to some incredibly generous parishioners who believe in the vision of this project and the future of this parish we have already raised over $1.65 million of those dollars towards this effort. That means we need your help to raise the remaining $350,000. We think that goal is very much in reach. The more generous each of us can be, the faster we will reach it. As a sign of their support and leadership, every member of your Capital Campaign Steering Committee and your Vestry has made an additional pledge towards the completion of this campaign. We hope you will join us in helping complete the restoration and renewal of a campus that all of us here today, as well as those outside our walls, and those who may find their way to us in the future, will have reason to use and enjoy for generations to come.
At the same time, to accomplish all the exciting things our new physical infrastructure will allow us to do, we also need to complete our annual task of funding our operating budget. This is how we pay for the ongoing expenses of running the church and parishioner support makes up almost 90% of the money we need to do that. Your annual pledges will help us expand our outreach, help our neighbors, teach our children, create beautiful music, and support those undergoing difficult times. And this year, after so many years of generous investment in our buildings, we now need to invest in our people, so that we have the team in place that will help lead us into that exciting future. Our first priority is to provide for the staff team who saw this community through its time of transition and have persevered through less-then-ideal working conditions for a long time. Additionally, if we hope to be an even brighter beacon for God’s love and acceptance, within the Episcopal Diocese of Southern Virginia, the city of Norfolk, and the Hampton Roads region, we need a full-time Associate Priest to share in the liturgical and pastoral duties of our church. And to help attend to the many important details that allow a parish with our level of activity to run smoothly, we also need to hire part-time administrative support. To meet these goals, as well as cover the regular increases in our operating expenses, we have set our annual appeal at $1.1 million dollars. If you have pledged in the past, we ask you to consider making a 15% increase to your annual pledge. And if you have never made a pledge to Christ and St. Luke’s, we strongly encourage you to do so. Because our ability to reach that goal will depend on everyone’s participation, no matter the size of the gift.
This week you will be getting a mailing from us with all this information as well as two pledge cards to fill out and return to us or complete online. One for the annual campaign, and one for the completion of the capital building campaign. We know that a dual stewardship ask can be daunting. But with your support our building renovation and our staff will be complete and this church will be ready to soar. Soar not to greater heights of our own glory but soar in service and love. Because when you give money to support our church you are not just making sure Christ and St. Luke’s has what it needs, you are staking a claim of what you believe in: a God who is big, and broad, and beautiful; a Lord who is gracious and kind above all else, and a people who aspire to be the same. Help us write that vision and make it real so that we don’t have to stand there like Habakkuk on the Temple wall and watch our beloved faith falter and fall under the weight of our misdeeds. For when we are at our best, we are a window, a witness into the heart of the universe, modeling our life together on the love that Jesus showed us to be the essence of God, Almighty. That’s what we’re about. So yes, give because you like the sermons, give because the people are nice, give because the music is beautiful, but give because you believe in God, a God of overflowing love which is given freely to all, and because This is the Day the world needs to hear about it. Thank you. And amen.