Genesis 11.1-9
For over fifty years, this parish has sponsored a school to fulfill our mission of serving the children of Washington, DC. The Day School of St. Patrick's is one of many important ministries of this place. The dedication of generations of parishioners, rectors and clergy, teachers, parents, and students have made our school an important ministry in the Palisades and the surrounding neighborhoods.
Today, we, along with Episcopalians across the country who have dedicated their time and effort to this life-changing endeavor, celebrate the ministry of Episcopal Schools. There are over 1,000 Episcopal Schools in the United States. From preschool and kindergarten programs, to elementary schools, to middle and high schools, to colleges, universities, and seminaries. I'm honored to have served as a chaplain of an Episcopal school, to have conferred with colleagues around the country in a doctoral program focused on Episcopal education's role in today's world, and to, now, be the Rector of St. Patrick's Episcopal Church and Day School.
I am lucky to have these opportunities because fifteen years ago, seminaries, bishops, and dioceses discouraged their future ministers from exploring calls in the vast network of schools. You see, school ministry was outside the mainstream of the Church. The Church felt that their resources should be spent on parish ministry, which has defined the Church's structure for generations. While studying at the Seminary of the Southwest, I came to realize the important work of Episcopal Schools and how that work reflected the foundations of all that I found essential about the Christian faith in this tradition. As I first expressed my call to serve in an Episcopal school, the Commission on Ministry, the group of people charged with helping one through the discernment process, expressed concerns that their time and money was being wasted by me wanting to serve God through an Episcopal school. Over the years, that mindset has changed as Episcopal Schools have better defined their mission and lived into it in extraordinary ways. The Church discovered that the schools lived by example what the Church hoped to be as institutions and what they were called to be through baptism. These common hopes revolve around (1) worship, (2) mission, and (3) inquiring and discerning hearts. These are some common characteristics that define the essence of Episcopal education.
The core of the Episcopal tradition is found within our common time in worship. It has been said that our "praying shapes our believing." The Book of Common Prayer forms the basis of that worship, as it calls each of us to center our lives in a regular practice of prayerful reflection on the Bible, the foundational scriptures that define the core of Christian faith. Worship is what grounds what we do as an institution. It brings the community together to reflect on the essential mission, hold up in prayer the needs of that community and the world in which it exists, and at the same time sends people out to learn, grow, and serve. As schools grounded in the Christian faith, Episcopal Schools developing a good balance of worship and religious learning is essential to being formed in this tradition. This does not mean that an Episcopal School only welcomes Episcopalians. The tradition of prayer, sabbath, and reflection are important for the spiritual practice in all the major religious traditions of the world. As I taught Muslims, Jews, Mormons, Hindus, Buddhists, and Christians, I always knew that the goal of Episcopal Schools was not to convert, but to encourage each person, whatever their tradition, to come to know their faith better. Our eighth graders, in their reflections, noted that St. Patrick’s "equally valued" (Shannon Morgan) every student no matter their cultural background or faith tradition and, as one student wrote, "I came to understand my religion better and respect differences in other cultures and religions." (Isabelle Craner)
From worship comes mission. Mission to the world is an important part of any worldview but is essential to that of an Episcopalian. Each of our worship services concludes with a promise to return, what we learn and reflect upon, to the world. In the educational process, it is important to demonstrate; not only in words, but also in action what we can do to serve the world in response to God's great blessings to us. Episcopal Schools focus time, talent, and treasure to reaching out to the world. From our missions to Haiti, to our service to the needy in Washington, DC, St. Patrick’s is on the cutting edge of mission. Several of our eighth graders wrote about their experiences helping others at the DC Central Kitchen as moments that taught them about the purpose of life and the importance of reaching outside of oneself to make a difference in the world. Mission is a part of the essential fabric of any Episcopal School, including St. Patrick’s.
At Baptism, we ask God to:
Give them an inquiring and discerning heart, the courage to will and to persevere, a spirit to know and to love you, and the gift of joy and wonder in all your works. (BCP, 308)
Give them an inquiring and discerning heart, the courage to will and to persevere, a spirit to know and to love you, and the gift of joy and wonder in all your works. (BCP, 308)
The Episcopal tradition is based on the idea of questioning, discerning, employing a critical mind, and seeking a deeper understanding. Episcopalians are known for not taking positions on issues that divide us (although there are some who wish we would), but instead to keep an open mind to the variety of ways people act out their ministry in the world. I have always found that it is a strength that people who disagree about many things could sit next to each other at worship, that it was ok to love someone who shares a different life philosophy. That respect for the diversity of God’s creation sits at the core of any Episcopal institution. At times, there are people who consider this a weakness, but our efforts to maintain an inquiring and discerning heart are essential to living into God's call. In order to maintain such an environment, Episcopal Schools foster a community where it is safe to share an opinion and challenge the status quo. An eighth grader wrote that at St. Patrick’s she feels "comfortable expressing my opinions and being myself." (Carlin Pappas)
Our lesson today from the Book of Genesis teaches us about the problems of only hearing one voice. It is told through the lens of the Tower of Babel where the people speak in one language; build a tower in hopes of making it to the heavens, in an attempt to "make a name for themselves." In this primeval story of the early relationship with God, humans felt that the greatest good could be quickly accomplished by settling into one place, speaking with only those like them, and not doing what God commanded of them. See, God had told them to spread throughout the world but these Babelites thought they knew more than God.
We, humans, often want to repeat this phenomenon. We want to surround ourselves with those who think just like us, will celebrate our good works, and will affirm whatever path we choose to follow. Humans feel most comfortable when the world is either black or white, but shy away from the grays. When one perspective defines all the policies, sets all the rules, and is unwilling to hear the diversity of voices that exist around them, they delude themselves into believing that they are above all things and that all the answers can be fulfilled by their self-congratulations. We can call this building a trench. It’s the safest way to feel like we are in the right.
We often believe that to speak from consensus is a good thing, but for God that doesn’t mean just squelching all other voices from the table. Consensus building means being willing to be proven wrong, accepting that others have equally valid points of view, and looking to grow and change with what we learn from our experiences.
God, after witnessing the Tower built to reach the heavens, confused their language and sent them out to all corners of the earth. An Episcopal education maintains this call to keep an open mind, spread throughout the world, share what you believe, and be willing to hear and grow by listening to others. Avoid only being with those who think, talk, and are like you. Instead, open yourself to the great diversity that exists in the world around you.
Our eighth graders wrote, often, about being a family, or a community, or deepest friends. The eighth graders, and everyone in the school, and everyone here today, come together from diverse backgrounds. We all carry our own history, our own experiences, our own self, what our school does and what we hope this parish can do is be a place where everyone feels comfortable sharing, keeping an open mind to the many opinions that exist around us, so that we can continue to grow and change just as God commanded of those Babelites. A community that welcomes this sharing opens up opportunities to "take more risks" (John Evans), "work together to resolve problems" (Isabelle Jubin), or find "balance." All of our students won’t go to Harvard, but can make it to heaven.
St. Patrick’s is blessed by the many years of ministry of our school. It is, as I said before, a wonderful opportunity to give back to the community where we live and serves to fulfill our mission to serve the children in this city. But, it also serves us. It brings to this place different perspectives, voices, and cultures that change who we are. These voices, in their wide array, are the voices God calls us to know, and grow from. They are the ones who force us to change by expanding our minds and our spirits. They add to our worship, enhance our ministry, and fill our inquiring and discerning minds.
So on this day, we give thanks for Episcopal Schools and especially St. Patrick’s Episcopal Day School. Amen.
Episcopal Schools Sunday
October 17, 2010
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