A season of "We've Never Done It That Way Before"

published in the Feb 2019 edition of the Diocesan Times (NS/PEI)

            As I write this, we have just celebrated the Feast of the Epiphany, that joyous occasion of revelation of Jesus' divinity. So here we are in this Epiphanytide, or Ordinary Time, until Ash Wednesday. This year we will have a later Easter, meaning a later Lent - and thus we have opportunity to pray and celebrate in this season for a longer-than-average time.

            With this extended period, we have the opportunity to journey through an exciting arc in the Gospel narratives.  It's a whole season which could be labeled "But we've never done it that way before..." For each of the passages we will hear proclaimed on Sundays, we are being given an example of how Jesus challenges the status quo, breaks the mold, re-educates the people what it means to be followers of God. And in every instance, the power of God breaks through in an astonishing way.

            In the special feast days, we see John baptizing Jesus despite acknowledging that this is an unnatural order; at the presentation at the Temple Jesus' divinity is proclaimed by unknown elders; in the Transfiguration divulging his true nature to his friends yet requiring their silence.

            In the "ordinary time" readings we are equally baffled by the extraordinary expressions of atypical moments: wedding guest Mary coercing Jesus to be revealed in the water/wine miracle; Jesus openly declaring that he fulfills the prophet Isaiah; an unlikely disappearance as target of an angry mob; an unlikely catch from the other side of the boat; the beatitudes challenge all levels of earthly 'authority'.

            In each of these narratives, the message comes through the abnormality of events. Jesus is showing his friends that the possibility for the revelation of God goes beyond human knowledge and expectation and experience. It is not arrogance that has this carpenter telling master fishermen where to cast nets, but an invitation to try something a little bit different - and thus to reap the reward. It is not to reject the law that Jesus offers the Beatitudes, but as a means to confer grace and blessing to a people who are seeking compassion.

            Jesus is not aiming to stir up trouble for the sake of rebellion, but to embody kindness and to inspire faith-based action. And now, some 2 millennia later, Jesus is inviting us to the same ministry: to move beyond our patterns and practices and try to discern ways to live the Good News in our communities.

            What an exciting invitation! What a privilege to have this time for these lessons! What a beautiful reminder that sometimes the most exciting and fruitful ministry can happen when we move (and are moved) outside the box, being sufficiently nudged and guided by God's Holy Spirit in ways that may scare us, with results that we are not anticipating, but always in ways where God is profoundly at work in and through us. How exciting to see the glory of the Lord revealed!

            Just as the magi used their courage and faithfulness in the great revelation of Epiphany, I pray we all may be emboldened by the Spirit to embrace new opportunities in ministry, that God's glory will shine even brighter this extended Epiphanytide. As the New Zealand Prayer Book invokes: "Let us look expectantly to new days, new joys, new possibilities."