"You've Already Made the Team"

Sermon by The Rev. Ranie Neislar 

August 4, 2024

In a little over a month, we are going to gather together for something we have started calling Game Day… it comes around the same time as a ministry fair, some aspects of it may seem like a ministry fair… but the goal is not necessarily to get you signed up for something. If you want to sign up for something, great… do that, of course we want you to feel out a way to become invested here at All Saints and if you find that opportunity and your heart gravitates to the choir, or youth formation, or involvement in pastoral care--- we will be so thrilled to get you involved! But the more I’ve been thinking about our upcoming All Saints Game Day, the more I’ve started to think about tailgating. If you are from the south, and have in some way or another witnessed tailgating or heard about tailgating during college football season, then you know, it is quite the event… for the most part it is ABSOLUTLY about fellowship, food, drinks, maybe some yard games… and, if you are a real enthusiast you talk about the season, you talk about the team… how does the team look… where are our strengths, our weaknesses… what does the coach bring this year… maybe we aren’t perfect commentators with an expert pedigree but we all have our own perspectives, our hopes for what the team will bring to the season. But in the month of August, what we might call an entire month of tailgating as we make our way to All Saints Game Day, there is a different commentary going on. We have the opportunity to begin discussing our next season of sorts, a time for considering our individual skills, because for this program year, this season, we are not merely called to be fans, people on the sideline or in the stadiums, doing a little commentary on our favorite team, we are part of the team… we are on the roster, and if on the roster, a part of this community in an entirely different way than a mere fan. One part of being a disciple is embracing your skills as one… we were not created to sit on the sideline. Each one of you lives a big life—there are no small parts, small skills, or small lives. Each one of you sitting here today has received a big gift in some shape or fashion and we are called to exercise that big gift in our lives. In the letter to the Ephesians, we hear that each of us has been uniquely gifted: “The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, ¹²to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,” First, it is very comforting to know we don’t have to check our individuality at the door in order to live out our faith lives. Great. So, if we continue to grapple with the reality that we are each unique and have been gifted uniquely with the gift to serve in our community it is really important to figure out our uniqueness. For example, I know a parishioner that is really invested in the care of individuals during major life transitions—whether it is an exciting time in their lives or a loss, this person is deeply committed to communicating and tending to individuals or families as they face life changes. This tending to is what many of us call pastoral care, and this care is done in a very specific way by the clergy, but is not limited to the clergy—so many of us are invited into this aspect of being present to others as they navigate this life, and for some in this community they are uniquely equipped to be pastoral. Maybe you are hearing this for the first time and you feel something… anything, maybe you can’t put your finger on it, but if you feel stirred in any such way, this is a great time to discern about what our All Saints roster looks like and where your skills may best serve our community. That is one example and I’ve spent quite a few hours looking through the various and diverse active ministries we have in our community. So many ministries, in fact, that I can see that it might be a little overwhelming to figure out where to jump in--- there are some obvious ones, like being a lector, someone who reads our scripture on Sunday’s, or participating in the choir… but there is so much more that you might not see on a Sunday, so many other opportunities to be a part of this incredible community that is actively reflecting Christ’s ongoing work in the world, and specifically here in Birmingham. There is another huge part of engaging in, and reflecting on your gifts and skills and how they are called to be exercised here in our community: we are a body specifically equipped to do different works in order to be whole and healthy. All Saint’s does not function well without a diversity of gifts reflected in our ministries. I’m going to go back to our lovely sports team analogy again… let’s take a team with a variety of different positions—you have this team and individuals on the team are differently gifted—some are super-fast runners, some are great playmakers, and some, maybe, particularly big people, that really make defense solid. Now, let’s just say that as a team, and some of the coaches, because they can really make it or break it sometimes, we don’t do a great job helping discern individual’s skill and because of that we have no defense, or our defense is made up of some of our fast, but smaller teammates… and we actually have some folks on the team that would make great defenders, but we don’t ask them or help them discern their skills, so we basically have a terrible defense, and because we have a terrible defense we lose all. The. Time. So sad. But, that isn’t the case at All Saints, because we are actively working with all those invested in being on our team, helping them to figure out their skill-set… wondering along with you… how can you best serve and exercise your, God-given talent, if you will. You are here, in this spiritual community because you recognize you have been given a gift, a particular skill, and we want you to use that skill, wherever you are right now, whatever you think of yourself you have something to aid us as a community, seeking to be part of Christ’s work in the world. I would say that August is a month of tryouts, because you’ve already made the team, but it is a time to figure out, to discern, where are you being called? Are you a playmaker with great vision? There is a place for you as we vision together… maybe even, the vestry. Do you want to make people feel at home? There is a spot for you as we do hospitality, and do it well! Take these next few weeks to discern what, not if, you have been skillfully created for here—because this team is making a mark here in our community, and you’ve been set apart to play an important role in our work with each other and God.