Vehicle



One of the many gifts and blessings that I celebrate in my ministry has been the joy of serving you, the faithful people of Christ Church. It has been my greatest honor, and I do not for one moment take it for granted. It has been such a special blessing for me, and I want to believe that in just the same way that you have been and continue to be a blessing to me, so have I been a blessing to you and to the people you love.

I was hit hard by this deep sense of gratitude this past Sunday. I don’t really know where it came from, but there was this peaceful and holy moment while standing behind the Altar Table and looking at you, my faithful people, that was drowned by this grace of humility. I couldn’t keep the moment to myself; I had to share it with you, because the same sense of gratitude that I feel is what I believe you also feel.

In that moment, I wondered to myself: "Who am I? What have I done to deserve the blessing of being a shepherd in this community at this time? Why this outpouring of love and blessings of grace within this community of faith?"

That is not to say that we do not have significant challenges. We do have some very large challenges. But I believe that the gifts that the collective WE all possess within Christ Church outweigh the challenges that we may have. More importantly, if we see ourselves as Vehicles of God’s faithfulness, then there is no challenge that could be too big for us.

I shared with our community the good news of a sixth transplant and a kind donation of $20,000.00. These gifts are in addition to what each of you, in your own varying ways and amounts, contribute on a daily basis to lift this church up. With your prayers and kind generosity, you breathe life into this community of faith. Again, I wonder to myself, what have I done to deserve the blessing of serving a people who fill each moment with gratitude. And whose belief in God drives every single bit of their actions.

At our core, I believe we are humble enough to appreciate that everything that happens here at Christ Church is about the God who sees each of us, has given us the power to be Vehicles of the abundant grace for which Jesus suffered on the cross, and has empowered us to expound and propagate the deep goodness of that life-giving love.

The fact of the matter is this: The good news has never been about any one particular person, group of people, or any community. It has always been about the good news itself, and we ourselves are humble Vehicles of the transforming love of God. It is the acceptance of that humility that makes us act.

"Every Jew is born in a world of cognitive dissonance: between the world that is and the world that ought to be," said Rabbi Jonathan Sachs. "And we do not attempt to resolve that cognitive dissonance in our heads by some acts of theology, philosophy or theodicy. We agree that there is a contradiction between the world that is and the world that ought to be, and the only way we can resolve that is by action. Every act we do to right some wrong in the world brings the world that is a little closer to the world that ought to be."

Rabbi Sachs was referring to Jews in his words, but I think what he said refers to each Christian, as well, because we also believe in works. And as James reminds us:

Faith without works is dead.



For faith to have any credible value, it must always be considered as a protest against the sufferings of the world. Faith’s job is not only to raise the concerns of the suffering, the hurting, and the marginalized, but it is to empower us to act as Vehicles. To be a Vehicle isn't easy, but it is joyful. It is for that reason that we can rejoice in our suffering.

To see yourself as a Vehicle, then, is a gift in itself; it is an empowering tool; it is a graceful acceptance of a role that aligns with God’s vision of the world. Here is a kind reminder: God is always creating. And to know God is to know the creative power of God, which is made manifest every single moment. To know God is to understand the lyrics of this hymn, New Every Morning Is The Love.

To know God is to understand our unique role as Vehicles. But if for one reason or the other you have a challenge or are uncomfortable seeing yourself as such, then you have not only lost the joy of being a Christian, but you are controlling the joy within you.

Malcolm Guite, an Anglican priest, wrote this beautiful poem, O Sapientia, that I’d love to share with you. Sapientia is wisdom in Latin. The poem is an Advent poem which brings into focus the divine creative role and the importance of wisdom’s guidance. 

O Sapientia

I cannot think unless I have been thought,

Nor can I speak unless I have been spoken.

I cannot teach except as I am taught,

Or break the bread except as I am broken.

O Mind behind the mind through which I seek,

O Light within the light by which I see,

O Word beneath the words with which I speak,

O founding, unfound Wisdom, finding me,

O sounding Song whose depth is sounding me,

O Memory of time, reminding me,

My Ground of Being, always grounding me,

My Maker’s Bounding Line, defining me,

Come, hidden Wisdom, come with all you bring,

Come to me now, disguised as everything.

Sunday was such a special moment for me. And I believe it was a special moment because of the joy of being a vehicle. It is my prayer that wherever you are on your spiritual journey, you may embrace the joy and blessing of being a Vehicle of God’s transforming and life-giving love.

Blessed Summer, 

Manny+