1) Rogation days are, in the calendar of the Western Church, four days traditionally set apart for solemn processions to invoke God's mercy.
a) April 25, the Major Rogation, substitute for the Roman pagan celebration Robigalia, which was a special celebration to pray for crops
b) three days preceding Ascension Day, the Minor Rogations.
i) The word "Rogation" comes from the Latin verb rogare, meaning "to ask," "Ask and ye shall receive" (Gospel of John 16:24).
ii) The Sunday itself was often called Rogation Sunday as a result, and marked the start of a three-week period (ending on Trinity Sunday),
(1) Roman Catholic and Anglican clergy did not solemnize marriage.
(2) The faithful typically observed the Rogation days by fasting in preparation to celebrate the Ascension, and farmers often had their crops blessed by a priest at this time.
(3) . A common feature of Rogation days in former times was the ceremony of "beating the bounds", in which a procession of parishioners, led by the minister, churchwarden, and choirboys, would proceed around the boundary of their parish and pray for its protection in the forthcoming year.
(4) Rogation Sunday fell out of use in 1970, but has been always been and still is an optional observance............................................... (All this from Wikipedia!)
2) So Rogation day holds a special place in my heart. – And I think that there are two reasons for that it reminds me of the expanse of God’s creation, our place in that creation, and of our dependence on God for all that we have and secondly it calls me to a place of participation in the stewardship of God’s creation
a) I have a question for you. What is a parish?
i) Clearly to walk the boundary of the parish means that we don’t stop at the door or at the wrought iron fence. It means that we go out into the community – walk the sidewalks and streets and gardens and get to know our neighbors. Now obviously they are not all members of this worshipping community – but they are living within the “bounds” of our parish.
(1) We have a responsibility to care for our property so that the area is a testament to the beauty of God’s creation – to sing a new song about the marvelous things God has done. –
(2) and we have an obligation to both set an example and to encourage our neighbors to do the same.
ii) In these days, when so many are concerned with material things, it is well for us, city and country people alike, that the Church makes us stop to realize that all we have is the gift of God, and that we must ask His blessing on the labors of those who till the soil.
iii) Rogation Days are a time for Christians to develop in ourselves and in our children a sense of wonder and awe at the power and the goodness of our Creator and the fragility of this island home of ours.
3) As a child wait for Dad to come home from work and we would walk the property. Sometimes in silence and sometimes sharing our day –
a) it was an especially spiritual time for me and I think for my Dad too
b) Walk and see roses, camellias, rabbits, spider webs.
c) Growing up on LA during 50s and 60s I remember studying about how the Mississippi river overflowed its banks each year and from that overflow the rich delta land that I loved so much was built.
i) I also remember the assurances by the Corps of Engineers that levees were the perfect solution for the problem of flooding and how they would allow us to transform swamps into arable land and would allow us to put houses where houses had never been before.
ii) I remember how proud we were of the canals that criss crossed the marsh making boating possible where lily pads and marsh grass had previously ruled.
iii) I remember also the acres of cypress knees where tall trees had once stood.
iv) And I like many others in Louisiana ignored the ominous signs and went about our lives as though nothing could stop the limitless flow of natural resources. Now I don’t know if good stewardship could have made a difference in the devastation of NOLA, but I wish we had tried.
d) Haverhill has a similar story in the poisoning of the Merrimack with the very industry that made this city great.
i) And of course there is the story of the Cape and of Plum Island and the loss of beaches there from storm and human damage.
ii) It seems that being a good steward of our boundaries is difficult for us at best.
4) I think that if we were to walk the bounds of our parish today we would find some more ominous signs.
a) Violence, drugs, poverty, addiction
b) But also hopelessness, fatigue, frustration, a sense of being beaten down and not knowing where to turn for support.
i) For sure most of our society has lost sight of God as a source of strength.
ii) Not sure if the church is offering a perfect alternative, but I am sure of two things.
(1) One our community needs a place of respite and encouragement – a place where hope is foundational and one that loves, honors, and empowers those who come for healing and strength. And two – God and God’s people are the place where those gifts are found and shared.
5) Meeting with Alice Mann today – we are working to come together on a vision of who we are and where we are called as God’s instruments in this city
a) Exploring options of sharing space with a daycare, and after-school program, looking at how we might be wasting our energy money, looking at ways to stimulate our growth, looking at our stewardship and exploring ways to increase our giving through pledges and other offerings.
b) Our Worship committee and Christian Education committee have designed a new worship format that we hope will offer more inclusive invitations to young adults and to children and they are looking for ways to address the need for quiet, restful space for worship that is so congruent with our Anglo-catholic tradition of high church.
i) Two different worship styles, new music in a contemporary format at one and a more traditional format for solemn mass.
ii) We are expanding our sights to work with other parishes to provide youth programs and more adult Christina formation.
c) But these are only Band-Aids to address a deeper and more systemic ailment – not just at Trinity but in the wider church as well.
i) Joyce brought in an article by Francis Schaeffer on the reasons for church decline. He had looked at a cross section of denominations and like other authors he pointed to the relevance of worship formats, availability of services, music styles that address a cross section of age groups and more , but Schaeffer said that the critical element in building a strong faith community is teaching God’s Word in a way that is engaging and is contextualized to the needs of the larger community.
ii) In other words – studying the Bible, being aware of the needs of the community in which one is called to serve, and praying for God to empower us to address those needs.
iii) When and athlete is struggling to excel the coach will inevitably go back to teaching the basics. Likewise when a faith community is struggling it is time to return to the place of connectedness and power – for us it is to return to prayer, study, worship, and service.
6) Psalm 98 that we sang this morning casts a different glow than many of our other psalms. For sure it is sung in praise of God and in awe of God’s glory and power but it also moves us as a gathered community from the traditional expression of joy in God’s might to a place of deep understanding of the covenantal faithfulness and justice of God. It moves us form the cosmic glory of God to an appreciation of God’s creative works here in the midst of our human condition. And Psalm 98 calls on all of creation to sing in praise of God = the hills, and the ocean and all that is within the bounds of our experience
a) Praise here though does not mean to just celebrate
b) Here praise directs us to take seriously our own responsibility which we hold as covenantal partners with God.
c) It calls us to return to the place of our connectedness and power. That call is bound to the Gospel reading from John this morning. It continues Jesus’ exhortation to us to abide in Him because He is the source of our strength and our hope and it reminds us that we are chosen by God as bearers and sharers of the Love that we have received. And through that connectedness God’s Kingdom will grow and flourish.
7) It just doesn’t get any better than this. We are not God’s Frozen chosen. We are God’s instrument in the world – instruments of praise, of teaching, of serving, of praying - and of drawing all that is within our Bounds - to God’s love.
8) Let us pray, Gracious God, we ask your blessing as we walk into the future that we may be united in your love with all creation and that we ourselves be fertile soil, producing abundant growth rich in the fruits of the Spirit. In the Name of God, Father, Son, Holy Spirit. Amen.
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