In the early 1960s and probably earlier the Episcopal Church canons (laws) required three written sermons prepared by candidates for Holy Orders. The biblical texts were chosen by the Examining Chaplains of the Diocese. The sermons were part of the gathered documents and examinations leading to ordination as a deacon and priest. In those days it was assumed that a deacon would be ordained a priest from 6 months to a year after the first ordination.

This unedited canonical sermon was preached in Christ Church (Waltham, Massachusetts) on Sunday, June 30, 1963, the day after my diaconal ordination was held in Christ Church. It was rather daunting to preach in the church where I was baptized and confirmed as well as nurtured spiritually through high school. Christ Church’s rector in 1963 was The Rev. George O. Ekwall, who had baptized me and pastored me to adulthood. (See www.philosophy-religion.org/nolan/episcopal.htm.) Adding to the anxieties of my first Service as an ordained minister was the presence of many family members and friends.

Text - (Acts I:8) “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth.”

Yesterday our parish with many visitors gathered for a Service of Ordination. Such an event is too uncommon for many of us, and the real meaning too often lost in the excitement. Actually, our understanding of the Ordination, as with any religious event, greatly depends upon our understanding of the Church’s mission.

Two of the ways in which we have occasionally thought of the purpose of the Church involve the future and the past. For some people the Christian religion is primarily a preparation for death, for the hereafter. Their goal is, in everyday terms, “to get into heaven.” For others a main emphasis of the Church is the preservation of the past, the keeping of traditions. The real meaning for their lives is in the glory of the all-powerful state church or in the symbols which point to past history.

Interestingly enough, there are corresponding thoughts about life outside of the church building. So often do we hear people focusing their present-day activities upon eventual retirement; or that future vacation. And, how many of us young people hear about the “good old days” when life was much better; some of us tend to dwell in our memories of the “good old days.”

In the Lesson from the New testament this morning we heard the question the disciples asked Jesus after His Resurrection: They asked, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel? It is Important to notice that Jesus did not answer that question with either a “yes,” “no,” or “maybe.” Instead, he corrected them by saying, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has fixed by his own authority.” Their question was not appropriate.

Why not? Jesus continued: “But ye shall receive power when the Holy 5pirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth,” Jesus’ answer directed their attention from the past, the restoration of the Old Kingdom, and also from the future, when this was to happen. It was not the restoring of the Old Kingdom that was important; it was not this future event that was the chief concern. Instead, it was the present. Jesus shifted the focus from speculations about the re-establishment of the Kingdom sometime in the near future to the more important present.

For their present work the disciples were promised power, whatever strength they needed, to minister God’s healing Truth, to help transform men’s lives. Their mission was directed to the whole world, “to the end of the earth,” not In the future, but in the every “today” thereafter.

If we take Jesus’ words at face value, it can be an exciting time to be a Christian. We are not concerned chiefly with the Hereafter or with the preservation of the Past. We are not concerned chiefly with finding meaning for our lives in future retirement, vacations, or in the “good old days.” Rather, we will find meaning for our lives here and now, today.

For each of us in our own ways, our eternal concern is to be ministers of God’s healing Truth, to help men transform their lives, to be witnesses to God’s will wherever we find ourselves. No matter what our ages and vocations, it is neither in the past nor in the future that life has meaning, but in the Church’s mission, our mission, today.

Each of us may receive God’s power to carry out our responsibilities as Christians. We need not dwell in the memories of the past: We cannot undo World Wars I and II, but with God’s power we can prevent World War III. We cannot restore the best part of the “good old, fair” business world, but with the power of God we can help transform modern industry by taking the selfishness out of it. We cannot bring back the enthusiastic Church of Christ’s day - nor can we just dream for the Last Day - , but with the power of God, our busy, active churches can be changed into a worshipping fellowship. And, when we face problems which present only the least of several evils as alternatives, we can be assured of God’s forgiveness.

At this point I should like to mention some exciting things happening within one Christian vocation, the ordained ministry. Here most decidedly has come the realization of the important present, rather than the past or far future. Most seminaries are now including many pertinent studies within their curricula. Not only are the classic theological disciplines, such as Bible, Church History, and Theology being taught, but new insights from other fields are incorporated. Psychology is giving the minister a better understanding of the human personality as well as tools for counseling; in return the psychologist is presented with certain moral yardsticks and significant dimensions for his work, especially with a better understanding of guilt and forgiveness. Dr. Clark, the professor who read the Epistle at the Ordination, is a leader in this field; he is professor of psychology of religion at Andover-Newton Seminary. At Union Seminary, there in a department of religion and psychiatry, headed by a theologically trained psychiatrist, a Doctor of Medicine. Another important area is Sociology, Which gives the clergyman a better understanding of the society in which he is to function. These departments of Church & Community, as many are called, are started with theologically trained sociologists, who confront the minister with some of the facts of life of the real world. Yes, even seminaries are becoming exciting, concerned with today, now.

Another exciting area is the Ecumenical Movement. The Archbishop of Canterbury visited the Pope, the Vatican Council invited non-Roman observers. Local protestant groups are doing more together. I wonder if ten years ago a Roman Catholic priest could have comfortably attended an Episcopal Service; yet yesterday Cardinal Cushing was represented by Fr. Morgan at the Ordination.

An excellent example of the Church’s concern for the present is in Christian education. Whereas we used to emphasize memorizing for the sake of so-called knowing something, today the Church Schools are concerned with live, religious issues. Although when these courses are well-taught, the students do accumulate a number of facts, and rightly so, the emphasis is on the meaning of these facts within live issues and problems which we all face. Our sacred traditions and hope of the Kingdom can be seen as they relate to real life.

A final illustration of the present emphasis is in the changing methods of worship. The Roman Church is including more of the language of the people; the Episcopal Church is studying the prayer book with the intention of revision. All of the churches are concerned with updating our various expressions of worship.

If the mission of the historic Church emphasizes the today of the Gospel, as Jesus Himself indicated the Church would have power to do, every event, whether in or out of the church building, is seen within the context of God’s search for our love, TODAY. Our ordination yesterday has indeed preserved something of the past; the Office and work of a Deacon has existed for just under 2000 years. Part of its function includes preparation for the Kingdom of God. But, its chief concern is to receive continually the power of God and witness to His Love as a person set apart by God and Church for those tasks mentioned in the Ordination Service. Those same tasks every Christian shares to one degree or another.

In conclusion, I should like to add a personal word. In years past I was baptized at this Font and Confirmed at this Altar. My ordination to the diaconate is now in the past, as soon will be this, the first Sermon of my ordained ministry. I look forward to the future, with all the possibilities for various types of ministries, and finally to the hope of the Kingdom of God. But for the present day, I ask for your prayers that I may continually receive the power of the Holy Spirit to execute well the Authority of the Office of a Deacon in the Church of God.