St. John’s Episcopal Church
Tallahassee, FL
Habakkuk 1:1-4; 2:1-4
This sermon was part of The Year of the Bible—a yearlong initiative in which all sermons, classes, and formation for all ages followed a parish-wide journey through the entire Bible. With the bishop’s permission, we used a custom lectionary: two readings drawn from that week’s section of Scripture, plus a psalm and the regularly appointed gospel of the day.
A special welcome to all of you here
on our Parish Meeting Sunday.
And to all of you worshipping with us
in the online balcony . . .
we see you and love you, too.
Before we do anything else,
can we please hear it for our fabulous
6th through 12th grade youth members
serving as part of today’s service?
You know, a lot of people say,
“Oh, young people are so important
because they’re ‘the Church of the future’” . . .
which is fine and not untrue,
but at our church—here at St. John’s—
I would encourage you to view it differently;
I would encourage you to say:
“You know,
young people are so important
not just because they are ‘the Church of the future,’
but because they are an integral, beloved part
of the Church of today.”
To all of you who are
in middle school,
and high school,
and college . . .
this church does not just love you
because who you will one day be.
We already love you
for who you already are.
You are important today.
You are loved by God today.
God has a purpose for you,
and you have gifts and ministries to share today.
To that end, I ask everyone here to please
take special notice of today’s bulletin insert
inviting you to “Take Stock in Youth.”
Youth and volunteers
will be stationed out in the breezeway today
so you can talk with them
and invest in our young people
and all that God is doing through them today.
* * *
Like I said, today is Parish Meeting Day.
At the end of the service,
right after the post-Communion prayer,
we will have a quick 15 minute “comfort break,”
and then we will reconvene here in the nave
for some reports and updates
from your fellow lay leaders.
If you have not already voted for new Vestry members
please do so during the break .
And I also encourage you to read about
all the wonderful things
that have transpired this year
in our Annual Report,
which you can download via the link
in today’s paper Chimes.
* * *
But first . . .
let’s do what we are always supposed to do.
Let’s open the scriptures
and hear what God has to say to us today.
This year,
we have been reading the Bible together—
the whole thing—
as a parish.
And in the last few weeks,
we have finally landed on the prophets.
Now some people talk about the prophets
as though they were fortune tellers,
but that’s not really the case.
Instead, the prophets were the truth tellers.
The prophets were the ones
who spoke on God’s behalf,
who comforted the afflicted
and afflicted the comfortable.
The prophets were the ones
who spoke truth to power.
The prophets were the ones
who called God’s people home.
And that is exactly what is happening
in the part of the Bible
we have landed on today.
You see,
we have come to the part of the Biblical story where—
through a series of wars,
and bad kings,
and poor decisions—
God’s people have been
scattered to the winds . . .
forced into exile . . .
living far from home.
And right when it feels like all hope is lost,
here comes Habakkuk.
And I know y’all are excited about this
because if there is one book
that is everybody’s favorite book of the Bible,
it is the book of Habakkuk.
Y’all’ve been chomping at the bit for this,
and I’m so glad.
But stick with me here.
When we meet Habakkuk,
he is sitting over to the side, saying,
“Lord, what are we supposed to do?
Who are we supposed to be?
Lord, where do we go next?!”
And out of nowhere,
like a bolt of lightning from the sky,
God says these three powerful words.
He says:
“Write the vision!”
“Write the vision, Habakkuk!!
Write the vision!
Make it plain on tablets,
so that a runner may read it.
For there is still a vision for the appointed time;
it speaks of the end, and it does not lie.
If it seems to tarry, wait for it;
for it will surely come,
it will not delay.
“Write the vision, Habakkuk!!
Write the vision!”
As is often the case,
the Hebrew is not entirely clear.
Some translations say,
“Write vision and make it easy
so that a runner can carry it swiftly
and read it to others.”
Other translations say,
“Write the vision and make it big
so that even a runner running past it
cannot possibly miss what it says.”
Either way,
Habakkuk is asking,
“O Lord, what is next for us?”
and God is saying,
“It is time, Habbakuk . . .
It is time to write the vision
and don’t be shy about it.”
* * *
I believe the same is true for us.
I believe it is time, St. John’s,
for us to write the vision.
If you were here for my installation
just over a year ago,
you heard my friend
Bishop Scott Benhase say in his sermon
that there comes a point
between every new rector and every parish
when the honeymoon is finally over
and the real work begins.
That, he said, is when things get exciting.
That, he said, is when things get moving.
That, he said, is when things get good . . .
and he’s not wrong.
The honeymoon is over.
We know each other’s quirks.
We know each other’s gifts.
We know each other’s limitations.
We know that we will bless one another
and disappoint one another
because that is what life
in realistic Christian community
is really like.
And now that the new car smell has worn off
and we’ve begun to settle into a new day together,
it’s time.
Y’all, our beloved church
stands on the precipice
of 200 years of history
right here in the heart of Tallahassee.
We are just five years away from that extraordinary milestone!
But the real question is not just,
“How do we celebrate
who we’ve been
for the last two centuries?”
The much more important question is,
“Who do we wish to be in the years ahead?
Who is God calling us to be?
What is the world we wish to
see
and make
and believe in
and build
hand in hand
with the living, loving God?”
In other words:
Why are we here?
What are we doing?
What is the vision?
Now, you’re probably going to say,
“Neat. How exactly are we going to do this?”
I don’t know.
Y’all’ve done this kind of thing before.
I’ve done this kind of thing before.
Chances are it’ll look a little different
from how we’ve each done it in the past,
but the two things I know for certain
is that good things take time,
and they take the whole community.
To that end,
it will not happen overnight,
and we’re going to need to do it together.
Obviously,
your vestry and your staff
will play a large role in helping to shape
whatever conversations we’ll all have.
For my part,
I’m going away for a week
at the end of this month,
not for vacation or time off,
but to pray, and think, and strategize, and prepare . . .
. . . and the whole Vestry and I
are going to do the same
during the last weekend of this month
for the very same purpose.
Not to go off
and come back
and say,
“Alright! We figured it all out!”
But to go off
and come back
and say,
“We spent time in planning and prayer,
and here’s how we hope
to help you help us
write the vision
for the next several years
at St. John’s.”
Speaking of the Vestry,
I want to thank our Vestry this year.
Y’all, the have represented you well,
and what you may not know
is this is a working Vestry.
They have been dedicated.
They have been active.
They have filled in the gaps,
and supported your ministries,
and made wonderful things happen.
I am especially grateful for
Rebecca Brown,
J.R. Saginario,
Marcy Muldrow Sanders,
Chris Schoonover,
and Susan Walton . . .
all of whom gave months and months
of their time, talent, and love,
to build up
children’s ministries
and pastoral care
and stewardship
and outreach.
Would you please give them a hand?
I also want to mention
some of our staff.
First, if you’ll recall,
it was during this sermon last year
that I told you we were still searching
for a desperately needed Associate Rector,
and lo and behold,
a visitor was sitting in the pews
who came up to me later,
gave me a name and a number,
and said, “I know someone named Leslie Roraback.
Call her.
She’d be perfect for your new associate.”
[The Lord truly works in mysterious ways.
Who knows? Maybe lightning can strike twice,
so if that’s the case,
the biggest thing on my wish list this year
is our new HVAC to be fully paid for by the end of today.]
But in all seriousness,
how fortunate are we
to have Mother Leslie with us?
I will also say
it was a complete and total bummer
when our beloved Mandy Schnittker
came to me last year and said,
“You know, I think I’ve done
what I was supposed to do.
I’ve loved it, but it’s time to open some new doors.”
Y’all, what Mandy did for the life of this parish
through her ministry as Communications Director
over the last several years
is nothing short of miraculous. [applause]
Mandy, we already miss you on staff,
but we’re so glad you’re still right here with us
in our pews.
And then, I’m sure you’ve all read the news
about the amazing Kate Kile,
our current Director of Finance and Faith Formation.
Kate has been invited to take a new position
with the Village Square right here in Tallahassee,
and organization that fosters
peace
and conversation
and bridge building
and mutual understanding . . .
and if ever there were someone perfect for that role,
it is Kate Kile.
Again, it’s a bummer,
but our loss is truly Tallahassee’s gain.
Kate, thank you for your seven years
of extraordinary ministry here at St. John’s. [applause]
Kate’s not transitioning out until mid-March,
and just like Mandy,
she plans to remain right here in our pews
as a beloved part of our church family.
I’m hoping all of you have begun to meet
David Guido, our new Administrative Assistant to the Clergy,
Frank Kuhny, our new Organist,
and of course, you all know Clair Dodd,
who has stepped into the Communications role
and is already off to a great start.
And then, of course,
we are on the lookout
for our next Director of Youth & Family ministries
to take up where Nic Mandolini left off.
We wish Nic well in his new ventures,
and we’re excited to see who God has next
for our young people.
In the meantime, THANK YOU
to all the volunteers—too numerous to name—
who are meeting the needs of our youth and children
and keeping those ministries strong.
The truth is, in an organization this large,
there are always comings and goings,
but I believe for every going,
God already has a new friend in mind
with new gifts and skills
to help us in new ways
as we continue to love and serve
here at St. John’s.
* * *
You’ve noticed I’ve only mentioned the HVAC once.
That’s partially because
you’ll hear about it more from Ramsay Simms
during the actual meeting;
partially because
I’ve already preached that sermon;
and partially because
I just truly believe
that we’re going to do
what we need to do
to reach that goal.
Besides, as important as the HVAC is,
it’s not the main thing.
The main thing, my friends,
as it ever has been
and ever shall be . . .
is love.
St. John’s stands
on the precipice of 200 years . . .
a bastion of God’s unconditional
love, healing, forgiveness, and grace.
And so now it’s time.
It’s time to ask,
“Lord, what are we supposed to do?
Who are we supposed to be?
Lord, where do we go next?!”
It’s time to write the vision
so that a runner may read it.
For there is still a vision for the appointed time;
it speaks of the end, and it does not lie.
If it seems to tarry, wait for it;
for it will surely come,
it will not delay.
Repeat after me,
St. John’s.
Write the vision.
Write the vision.
Write the vision.
Amen.