THE GREAT BELL & THE CROSS

SERMON: The Great Bell and the Cross
The following is a traditional children’s story from Imperial China, early 15th century:
Once there was a Chinese artisan, who was given an impossible job. The Great Emperor of all China commissioned the artisan to make the new imperial bell. Now this was not to be just any bell. This was to be a bell of great power, of perfect tonal quality, whose sound would be unmatched throughout the world.
The future bell maker was met with the Emperor, who told him, “This BELL must be so great that the sound of it will ring out to a distance of thirty-three miles in every direction. To this end, you should add in proper proportions gold and brass, for they give depth and strength to everything with which they mingle. Furthermore, in order that this giant may not be lacking in the quality of sweetness, you must add silver in due proportion.”
Well, the bell maker did not fell up to the job. He knew that if he failed, that he would be executed, for failure was not an option. Likewise, the bell maker’s daughter was deeply disturbed by this assignment. The girl loved her father dearly and there had come into her heart a strange terror at thought of his possible danger.
For two months, the bell maker undertook elaborate preparations for the intricate job of casting the Great bell. All the metals had to mix properly, or he would fail. Finally, the day for the casting arrived. The Emperor and his courtiers assembled at the foundry, next to the daughter. She peered anxiously towards the cauldron of molten liquid, knowing that her father’s life depended on the success of this enterprise.
At last , the Emperor gave the sign. Then the glowing liquid ran forward faster and faster along the channel that led into the great earthen bed, which was the mold or the bell. Well, to the dismay of the bell maker, something had indeed gone wrong. When at last the earthen moulding had been broken, even the smallest child could see that the giant bell, instead of being a thing of beauty was a sorry mass of metals that would not blend.
Upon seeing his failure, the bell maker cried out in agony. However, the Emperor was a reasonable man, and he gave the bell maker another chance to make successfully make the great imperial bell.
For weeks, the bell maker consulted with metallurgists and sought to learn from his mistake. Meanwhile, his devoted daughter continued praying and worrying, with even greater intensity. Once the preparations were finished, the Emperor and his courtiers returned to the foundry. Once again the liquid metal flowed into the cast. But alas, there was failure once again. It was dreadfully ugly, for the gold, silver and the baser elements had again refused to blend into a united whole. Well, this time the Emperor was furious, and he demanded that the bell maker try one more time. If this next time, the bell maker was unsuccessful, then he would be hung.
So, for this last time as the bell maker made these final preparations,
• his heart was heavy, for he felt that he would soon journey into the dark forest, the place from which no pilgrim ever returns.
• His daughter, of course, was deeply distressed. Willingly she would have done anything to save her beloved father. Night and day she racked her brains for some plan, but all to no avail.
On the day before the third casting, the daughter went to consult a local scholar and holy man. She told her story, and the holy man prayed. Then, he spoke to her, saying, “Nothing could be plainer than the reason of your father's failure, for when a man seeks to do the impossible, he can expect only expect failure. Gold cannot unite with silver, nor brass, unless the blood of a maiden is mingled with the molten metals.”
The next day, everyone assembled, one last time, and the foundry. However, unnoticed by all, the bell maker’s daughter had planted herself directly opposite the huge tank in which the molten, seething liquid bubbled. She waited the exact moment when it was starting to be poured. The girl sprang with a wild leap into the boiling liquid, and in her clear, sweet voice, she cried,
"For you, dear father! It is the only way!"
This, then, my children, is the time-worn legend of the great bell of Peking, a tale that has been repeated a million times by poets, story-tellers and devoted mothers. You must know that on this third casting, when the earthen mould was removed, there stood revealed the most beautiful bell that eye had ever looked upon. When it was swung up into the bell-tower there was immense rejoicing among the people. The silver and the gold and the iron and the brass were all held together by the blood of the one who willingly sacrificed herself for the one she loved. That sacred bell rang out over the great city, sounding a deeper, richer melody than that of any other bell within the limits of the whole empire, or, for that matter, of the entire world. And later the Emperor had the bell engraved, to extol the girl who died to save her loved one.
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Now, some people who initially hear this story find it disturbing. I know I did, when I first heard it in a professor’s sermon in seminary. But, then again, the blood sacrifice of Jesus is very disturbing, so maybe it is appropriate or us to reflect upon this as we prepare for Good Friday and Easter.
You see, there are some ways in which we can be compared to the bells in today’s story.
• Those bells were each comprised of different elemental metals. Like the bells, each of us is comprised of many elements—like our bodies, our minds, our hearts, and our relationships, our work, and our families, and the like.
• Like the Emperor in the story, God has a picture of us being perfect and uniquely wonderful, because God created us to ring out our chimes with beauty, boldness, and abandon.
However, also like the first two bells in the story, there are times when the elements of our life not mix well together:
• Spending too much time at work, on a regular basis, does not mix well with a wholesome and balanced family life.
• How often do we face problems where our heart is pulling us in one direction, our head in another direction, and someone else recommending a 3rd way?
• Or maybe one of our relationships breaks our heart, or dies ?
• Or maybe our bodies suffer health problems, which do not mix with the rest of our life?
But like the bell maker, we have someone in our lives who loves us more than life itself. 2000 years ago, there was a perfect man, who looked into our futures, even though we had not even been born or thought of. Like the girl in the story who foresaw her father heading for disaster, Jesus also foresaw us heading for disaster. You see, humanly speaking, our lives are very fragile. They can be shattered in an instant. So Jesus foresaw that, He decided to help us out:
• You see, Jesus can help us make reconciliation in our broken relationships, because He is the Prince of Peace.
• Jesus can help us when we are confused, and feeling pulled p part in different directions. He is THE wonderful counselor.
• Jesus can help us and our families discover and live out new priorities, because Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life.
• Jesus can help us when we are sick or bereaved. Today’s scriptures remind us that He lifted up upon the cross that we might be saved from our troubles and our sins.
All of this is available to us, because Jesus, the perfect God-man voluntarily sacrificed his human life and shed his blood in an act of unselfish love. Like the girl in the story, he plunged to certain death. Simultaneoulsy, he absorbed our heart ache and sins within in Himself, and that killed Him. But something miraculous then occurred: God raised Jesus to new life, so that He might bring to you and me the very peace, wisdom, guidance, healing and comfort that God wants us to receive.
All this, done or for you and me, because of His love and because, as the little girl said when she plunged to her death, “There was no other way.”
We may not understand it all, but here is something that we can understand---God’s love is like a supernatural adhesive, which can taken the broken pieces of our lives, and put them back together. And not just put them back together, make us stronger. Jesus tells us in today’s Gospel that he came not to condemn us, but to put his arms around us to pull each of us together in his amazing love. All we have to do, according to today’s scriptures is to turn to him and to ask for “Help.” The Bible says that in this way: Please repeat after me: “ Lord has mercy on me.”
I know this is true, for I have seen it happen in the lives of many people, not just the super spiritual, but regular folks like you and me.
I can remember several times when my whole life and everything I valued seemed to be falling apart: Deep conflict in family; chronic debilitating asthma, followed by depression, which was then followed by burnout at work. On each occasion, I felt had no way to turn. So, not knowing what else to do, I turned to the cross o Jesus. I am speaking figuratively, of course, but each time I mentally visualized Jesus hanging on the cross, with me looking up at Him. Then, I mde a very complicated and theologically correct prayer, and here is the transcript: HELP. I had no fancy words. I felt desperate. I didn’t know what even to ask for. I just called out for help and then waited. ..Patiently waited, beneath the cross of Jesus.
Well, shortly after my prayer, I somehow began to feel stronger. I did not have solutions, but as Paul says in today’s reading, by grace through faith, I chose to believe that God would help in some way.
• So, I began by deciding to trust Jesus with the next ten minutes of my life. Did I believe that God could help me through the next ten minutes? Later, trusted him with the next hour, and the next hour then became the next day.
• Slowly, I began the darkness began to lift and through the dim light I can see new paths, leading to some possible new solutions, As I started making progress, I felt stronger both physically and emotionally. The conflict moved to reconciliation, and I later rediscovered God’s joy in my work.
Now, you story is probably different than my story. But know that God wants your life to ring out with beauty, boldness, and beneficence. This we all can do, due to the cross and mercy of Jesus Christ our Lord. AMEN.

--The Rev. John Donnelly, Christ Church Quaker Farms, Oxford, CT, March 18, 2012

Celebration/Installation Sermon by The Rev. Ellen A. Donnelly

Celebration of Our New Ministry
With the Installation of The Rev. John A. Donnelly
Christ Church Quaker arms, Oxford, CT March 3, 2012
Sermon by The Rev. Ellen A. Donnelly
Well, here’s is a historic occasion. This is, of course, the bicentennial year for Christ Church, which is celebrating 200 years of ministry in this place. And now we are gathered today to celebrate the latest chapter in that history – the new ministry which belongs to the people of Christ Church and their new Rector, John Donnelly. It is also a real family occasion, since we have among us today, in addition to the Christ Church family, the family of the Episcopal Diocese of Connecticut, represented by Bishop Laura and others, the St. Michael’s Wayne, NJ family (welcome, old friends), the far-flung Donnelly family, and the family of the Quaker Farms community. Of course, it’s also a family occasion because the preacher is the wife of the new rector. I admit I was rather surprised when John invited me to preach at this service, since he had just escaped from 30 years of having to listen to me preach every other week. So I want you to know, dear, that I am strenuously resisting the temptation to regale your congregation with stories that might embarrass you (like falling through the roof of the parish hall, for instance), or, on the other hand, to impress upon you the priority of your Honey-Do list over your church work. Not going there. So you can breathe easy.
Now, turning to the Word of God, the Scriptures that John chose for this occasion, you will notice, are all about LIGHT. The prophet Isaiah urges us to “walk in the light of the Lord.” The psalmist says “in your light we see light.” St. Paul, in his letter to the Ephesians, says to us, “You were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. [So] Live as children of the light.” And the Apostle John says that Jesus was Himself the “[true] light of all mankind…..[and that light continues to shine] in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”
Now I happen to know that Fr. John has been lifting up this light theme in recent months, and – no surprise there - has even come up with a visual representation of what the Bible says. So here is Christ Church, lit up with the light of the Lord, as the Bible tells us God wants it to be. And today we’re singing some of Fr. John’s favorite songs about that light – “Praise the Lord, I saw the light!” and “Shine Jesus shine, fill this land with the Father’s glory” – great songs all. But perhaps we would do well to look a little more closely at what exactly this light of the Lord is. The Bible, in both Old Testament and New, uses “light” as an image, a symbol, of the very presence of God Himself. God wants to be present in our world, He wants to be present in this church. When He is present, a church shines with His light; when He’s not, the light is out..
So the question is: how does Christ Church get lit, so to speak? It seems to me that 3 things are needed for any church to shine. The first is that God’s light must shine inside you individually. After all, the church isn’t a building, it’s a community of believers; if this church is going to shine, it’s going to have to start with you. So what does it look like when God’s light shines in you? Well, it’s all about love. The Bible says that God IS love, which is to say that what God does is to love, and that means that He loves YOU personally. But God’s love doesn’t do you any good til you believe it and accept it; and then you begin to love Him back out of gratitude that He loves you. It’s that love relationship between the Lord and you that gives you the peace, joy, and hope that is visible – and that’s the light of God’s love shining in you. Now I can see the light shining in a bunch of you this morning. And I think you’d all agree that there’s nothing spooky about it; it’s not just for the spiritually advanced. It’s for everybody. So if you know you don’t have it, then just look around and fine someone who’s shining and ask them how they got it; it’s that simple.
So that’s the first thing that has to happen for a church to shine with God’s light: a critical mass of its members have to have the light inside them. The second thing that has to happen is that the light of God’s love has to shine inside the church. Again, it’s all about love: God’s light shines inside these walls when you love each other. That’s what St. Paul means when he says “you are now light in the Lord, so live as children of the light.” You have the chance every time you come together to be the human face of God’s love to each other, by accepting each other as God has accepted you.
Now, unless Christ Church is very different from every other church I’ve ever known, that’s easier said than done. In any church, there are some people you like and some you don’t; in any church there are disagreements, conflicts, grudges. And the light of God’s love can get smothered by the lack of love among its members. But a church where sincere love among the members is taught and highly valued is a church that is much more likely to have the light of God’s love shining inside it. And I know that many of you are making an effort in that direction with your Lenten Bible study “Love One Another.”
And finally, the third thing that has to happen is that the church – which means YOU – must be committed to shining the light of God’s love outside the walls of this building. God loves you individually, each of you, but He also loves the world outside your doors; the Bible tells us that He loves that world so much that He gave His son to bring each and every human being home to His family. And He needs YOU to be channels for that love to shine forth into Oxford today. He needs you to be the human face of His love in your community. He needs you to offer His love to the world just the way He offered it to you.
Of course, you are already doing that here at Christ Church; your pizza nights open to the community are one example. But generally speaking, people who don’t know God’s love aren’t going to come to you; you have to go to them. How do you do that? Well, try asking yourselves this question: If Jesus lived in Oxford today, who would touch His heart? Who would He want to reach out to with His unconditional love? If you ask the Lord to open your eyes to the needs in your community, He will do it. And then you will be able to see those people around you who need YOU to be the human face of God’s love. The more you put your time and energy and resources into serving the world for Jesus’ sake, the brighter God’s love will shine through you. That is God’s plan for His church. That is the reason He planted this church in this spot 200 years ago and has allowed it to keep going….so that you can be a shining light for Him.
Fortunately, you have chosen a Rector who excels at love. John Donnelly is undoubtedly the most indiscriminate lover I have ever known! He loves the old and the young, the rich and the poor, the sad and the happy, the powerful and the weak; he loves those he agrees with and those he disagrees with; he loves believers and sceptics alike. He has been the human face of God’s love to hundreds and even thousands of people during his 30 years of ministry. He is uniquely suited and qualified to lead this church to become a church that shines with the light of God’s love. What a gift of grace He will be to you in the years to come!
In conclusion, it is customary on these occasions for the preacher to deliver a “charge” – a word, hopefully from the Lord – to the new Rector. But I sense that the Lord wants to speak to the Rector and the people of Christ Church together. So I would ask Fr. John and all the members of Christ Church to stand.
Dear people, deeply loved by God, as you embark on your third century in this place, be closely attentive to the new Word the Lord has for you today. Love is not an optional extra. God’s amazing, extravagant, unconditional love for the world He made IS the message. God’s love – shining in you, shining among you, shining outside you – IS what the church is meant to be. So don’t waste your time and His by putting all your energies into merely surviving. Dare to dream big dreams, dare to believe that God can use you to be the human face of His love in Oxford. Dare to hope that you can shine the light of His love into the darkness of a world that has no hope without Him. God has sent your Rector here to be the human face of His love for you, and through you, the world around you. He wants you to cherish him; John, He wants you to cherish them. Never forget that it is all about love. Everything else will fade away – the sermons, the programs, the dinners, the magic tricks, even this beautiful building – none of that will last. But the love that you receive from the Father of all mercies will last; the love that you give Him in return will last; the love that you show to each other will last; the love you show the world around you will last. Let that be your purpose, your mission, your goal.
So I invite the congregation to join you in standing and making this song a prayer: “I want to walk as a child of the light….shine in my heart, Lord Jesus.”