SERMON FOR SUNDAY, JULY 27, 2014 -- SAINT ANNE'S DAY

A message from Saint Anne, upon her first visit to Saint Anne's Episcopal Church

Dear Ones, my dear, dear children,

My heart is so happy to be with you today! 

I can’t tell you how often I have longed to come and see you. 

Ever since you were born, 29 years ago, 

I have been so happy that you chose to be named after me!  

Anne... or Anna as I am often called...  

And it has pleased me through the years how many women named Anne have chosen this church!

There was Anne Miner-Pearson, your first rector.  

And through the years many Annes, some of whom are still here -- 

Ann Lanoue, Anne Bleecker-Snoeyenbos,  Anna Dupont, Anna Rexeisen,

Ann Malachek, Ann Schultheis... Did I miss anybody?

I’m especially remembering another Anne who was a long-time Saint Annian.  

Anne Hotchkiss died just a few weeks ago. 

Her ashes are buried in our columbarium.

Anne was 92 when she died.  She was such a funny, kind, energetic person.  

She had a large family, and when her family would get together 

she would sit and look at all of them and think to herself, 

“None of you would be here if it weren’t for me.”

And now, as I look at all of you, I am thinking the same thing:  

“None of you would be here if it weren’t for me.”  

Well, not ME exactly, but I did cry out to God for a child, 

and the child God gave me turned out to be one very special girl.  

And her son... well, I know every grandmother is proud of her grandchildren, 

but really, you know, Jesus was extraordinary.

And that’s not just my opinion. I know you think so too. 

That’s why you’re here -- not really because of me. 

You are here because you want to learn more about my grandson, 

so you can live a life of love and compassion.  

You want to be people who believe, and then ACT what you believe. 

You are here to learn from his life and remember his death 

and celebrate his resurrection.  

You are here because together -- as a community -- 

you can shine much brighter, making a difference in the world, than you can alone.

And I am SO PROUD of you!!!

Saint Anne’s Church.  Saint Anne’s.

I just like saying that.  

Saint Anne’s.  

You are 29 years old now, no longer a child or an adolescent. 

You are a young adult, and you have the energy and optimism of young adulthood.  

And you have some growing pains, as you transition into a more stable adulthood.  Don’t worry.  You are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses -- your faith ancestors, including me, and lots of other saints, and of course Jesus. 

He’s always here, when 2 or 3 or more of you are gathered. 

And he will help you, as you keep on turning to him and remembering him.

Let me tell you some of the really good things I see:

Lots of children. 

Children are a sign of hope and new life in a faith community.  

You need to have children, to help you remember what is really important.  

My grandson, Jesus, he used to love to have children around. 

If his disciples tried to keep the kids away, 

because they thought the adults needed quiet and seriousness to listen to what Jesus was saying,... 

well, Jesus would sometimes have to speak sharply and remind them that no, 

the children were always welcome. 

In fact, he used to say often that if we wanted to know how to be part of God’s kingdom, we needed to look at children, 

and learn from them about joy and curiosity and honesty and vulnerability.

Another good thing about this community 

is how much you care about the whole world, not just yourselves.  

You have been like a mustard seed of faith that grows into a large tree, 

offering shade and shelter to birds.  

I have seen the work you have done in White Earth, and Minneapolis, 

and in Belize, helping to build a school, 

and a Maya language radio station, teaching and mentoring, feeding, 

working side by side with people of different faiths, sharing the work to make the world better.  

I have seen you bringing food, and sharing Care Packages, 

and I am proud of how each month you give money to an organization doing God’s work in your community. 

Your “angel tree” at Christmastime gives me special joy, 

as well as all the thousands of little and big acts of generosity in your lives.  

I want to remind you -- as you are focusing on your building, doing the much-needed improvements for safety, accessibility, and beauty -- 

don’t forget to keep your vision turned outward.  

Another of your faith ancestors, William Temple 

(he was an English man, Archbishop of Canterbury during WWII) said, 

“The church is the only organization 

that exists for those who aren’t its members.”  

You are here to be light for the world, 

to continue the good work my grandson did in his life on earth, 

and to be his hands, feet, and loving arms in this world. 

Never forget that!

Another good thing I see is how much you love each other. 

You take care of each other in times of sickness and grief, 

you celebrate together in times of joy, and you pray for each other.  

But I have to say...  

I have also noticed lately that you don’t always notice the stranger or visitor.  

Back when you were struggling to grow, you were better at this.  

I want to remind you, when you go to coffee hour or to the picnic later, 

-- speak with at least three people you don’t know very well. 

Invite them to sit with you and your long-time friends.  

Ask them about their life, and tell them some of the stories about yourself, 

and about Saint Anne’s Church, so they can become part of the community too.

So let’s talk for a minute about this building. 

Your buildings and grounds.  

What a wonderful legacy! 

More of your faith ancestors, Minnesotans in the 20th century, 

envisioned this church. They donated the land. 

They gave money and sweat and they worked hard to build these buildings. 

You have inherited a good facility! 

And you have a responsibility to maintain it, 

and invest in it just as your forebears did, thinking -- just as they did -- 

about those who are not yet here.  

I am so proud of you, that you are doing just that. 

I can’t wait to see how it all looks when you are finished.  

New parking lot with more parking spaces, better accessibility for all people, beautiful new flooring...  It’s going to be great.

But never forget, it is just a facility.  

The building is not the church. 

YOU are the church. The building is a tool for ministry.  

Its condition is a sign of the health of your interior spiritual life, 

but it is not a substitute for that interior, spiritual life.

Fixing up your building will help it serve you, as you serve God.  

Taking care of the problems on it will mean less of your energy and attention will have to go to those little and big distractions -- 

like failing septic systems and icy sidewalks -- 

Oh yes, I’ve noticed all those things you’ve been dealing with!!

For a short while now, you have to focus hard on the buildings and grounds.   

Just like your faith ancestors did when they built this sanctuary, 

and the rest of what you have here.

But even while you are doing that, don’t forget 

to give thanks for the children... 

to welcome the stranger... to care for each other... 

to reach out in love to the world...  

I know you will do those things because you love my grandson.

Did I tell you how proud I am of you?  

Thank you for letting me speak this morning. I hope you will invite me again.

love, Grandmother Anne