2 Epiphany, Year C — Annual Meeting Address
The three significant events that mark the season after the Epiphany are the shining of the star which the Magi followed to the place where they encountered Jesus, the baptism of Jesus by John in the Jordan river and the wedding at Cana where Jesus performed his first miracle by turning water into wine. These events give character to this season of the church year when the focus is on the spread of the Good news of God in Christ from Galilee, to the surrounding areas, the rest of the Middle East and ultimately the whole world. The light that was kindled with the birth of the Messiah shines and spreads providing illumination for all people. The baptism of new life in the Spirit is offered through Christ to all who are called the beloved of God. And, at Cana, the wedding banquet of love overflows with the abundance of the finest wine, a sign that the Kingdom of God is here and now for all to experience.
The Annual Meeting of the congregation always falls during the season after the Feast of the Epiphany. Here in my 10th year as your Vicar, these iconic Epiphany stories from Scripture seem to fit more than I could have ever imagined when I first arrived at St. Luke’s, Ballard in 2015. Using the lens of the shining star, the baptism and the miracle of the wine, let’s take a look back at 2024.
We are in a period of decline in the institutional church’s influence and presence in our communal life. When I came to St. Luke’s there were only a dozen or so faithful folks keeping things going. Most of the people in the neighborhood didn’t even know there was a functional church here. If they were aware at all of the church it was often a negative perception due to the presence of the hungry and homeless who come daily for a meal, shelter or clothing. The people of our diocese and its leadership viewed St. Luke’s as a problem. Not only had the church split with most of the parishioners abandoning the Episcopal Church over doctrinal disputes, but we were in debt $450,000 with unpaid assessments and failed investments of hundreds of thousands of dollars in plans and programs that had not been successful.
We did not have a good reputation in the neighborhood or in the larger church. There was little support left to keep the congregation going except by the faithful members who remained. Real estate developers and investors were circling, offering to buy the land once the church closed for good. I think the promising words of Isaiah to the beleaguered people of God after their period of exile would have been the hope of the faithful remnant at St. Luke’s, “You shall no more be termed Forsaken, and your land shall no more be termed Desolate.”
And yet, the Spirit of God was still present and able to kindle light in an overwhelmingly difficult situation. God promises, “you shall be called My Delight Is in Her and your land Married; for the Lord delights in you, and your land shall be married.”
So it is that this past year, we broke ground on our 84 unit affordable family housing building that will open in October to house those who cannot afford to live in this neighborhood, a place for families and individuals for generations to come. The sign of the star is shining above this place even now atop the huge construction crane that can be seen for miles around. As we expanded our capital campaign beyond our own congregation we told the amazing story of how God’s Spirit has brought this project to birth. We hosted an event for the diocesan leadership last Spring, presented to a variety of community groups and were the topic of the monthly Ballard Alliance’s business breakfast with a record attendance from those who wanted to learn more about how St. Luke’s redevelopment is shaping this community for years to come.
New people are coming to join the church because they share our vision to ‘build a place where love will dwell.” Attendance is increasing. The opinion of our diocese has changed as well. Bishop’s Melissa and Phil have both lent their name and support to our capital campaign and the addition of pledges and gifts from our diocese and community has raised our total to $1.6M. St. Luke’s is a congregation which reflects the light of Christ.
Last week we celebrated the second marker in the season of Epiphany, the baptism of Jesus. At baptism we are incorporated into the community of faith, we are marked as Christ’s own forever, we are sealed by the Holy Spirit. Each of us is named as God’s precious and beloved child as was Jesus and filled with the Spirit.
One of the most important and meaningful parts of our life together is the annual spiritual pilgrimage during Lent and Easter seasons. In this weekly gathering with those who are exploring the Christian faith, preparing for baptism, confirmation or reaffirmation of their faith or joining St. Luke’s, we walk together to deepen our faith and commitment. This past year’s pilgrimage was a rich experience for all who participated and this body of Christ has been blessed by the presence of those who were part of it.
In addition it was a year of births as the number of children who are part of the congregation increased. Our families met to discuss their hopes and desires for their children and we are working towards establishing a regular children’s program each week as well as a monthly gathering for families. This year’s Christmas pageant had a record 18 participants and last Sunday we baptized Emmy who was our own baby Jesus in the pageant.
As well as members of our own congregation, we are pursuing ways to care for the children in our neighborhood. After years of planning and advocacy, the playground in Ballard Commons Park was opened this May directly across the street. We received a $175,000 grant to cover the pre-construction expenses of turning our new church classrooms into spaces suitable for providing affordable childcare and we have chosen a partner, Launch Learning to run this program.
Living into our baptism is the practice of a lifetime, no matter when it begins. And so it is that St. Luke’s and the diocese hosted a Civil Rights Pilgrimage in October for 38 participants, including our new Bishop Phil. Our commitment to pursuing justice for all people and respecting the dignity of every human being is rooted in our baptismal promises. We are called to address the sin of racism and our part in the systems that perpetuate it.
As one of the co-leaders of the pilgrimage, I have made a commitment to pursue the injustice of unequal, mass incarceration and will be looking for partners in establishing the One Parish, One Prisoner Program here at St. Luke’s.
Finally, we come to the miracle of water changed to wine, a miracle it seems as though Jesus was at first reluctant to perform. It’s a miracle some of our more pious siblings wonder about. Couldn’t Jesus have started out with something more holy and meaningful than giving fancy wine to people who might already have drunk too much? It seems like a frivolous way to start your career as a healer and miracle worker.
But I think the gospel writer was onto something with this story. This is a story of out-of-this-world abundance in celebration of love and community. It is God providing more than we could ask or imagine or even fully appreciate. I mean, who needs 180 gallons of Chateauneuf, du Pape?!!! But this is what life is like in God’s Kingdom. There is enough, more than enough, for all if we can only see and share it. This is a sign that God loves a feast where everyone is invited and provided for. You don’t have to earn the finest wine or deserve the first class party. God’s abundant grace and love is for all people. It overflows and calls us to overflow with joy, gratitude and generosity.
I’ll never forget our wedding. We had 350 guests and the plan was for anyone who was willing and able to bring wine for the bar. The caterer had agreed to waive any corkage fees so we would be completely dependent upon our guests for this critical element of the party. It was amazing! We had a ballroom full of people eating, drinking, laughing and loving. People still talk about our wedding as the best one they had ever been to. The dancing went on until midnight and everyone had a grand time. About halfway through the dinner, the head waiter came up to us with a couple of bottles of wine. She knew her stuff and she recognized that some of the bottles were extremely valuable. She mentioned that they had more than enough wine for the rest of the night and asked us if we would like her to hold back the dozen or so bottles of expensive wine for us to take with us. Bryon and I looked at each other and busted up laughing. It was such a God thing! After all my worry about the cost of this big party, here we were with the best wine ever. Of course we told her to serve it!
As I look back at this year, I think of the many contributions of the people of this congregation. The beautiful prayers, our wonderful musician, the leadership of the Bishop’s Committee and the hard work and skill of our staff, the diligence of the treasurers and the generosity of our donors. I’m grateful for the clergy, preachers and our seminarian as they partner in sharing the good news. I’m amazed by what our Property Stewardship Team, giving team and Capital Campaign team have done to move us forward with this huge redevelopment plan.
Our Edible Hope Kitchen staff and Advisory Board managed to raise over $100,000 in addition to operating expenses to pay for the remodeling of the kitchen at St. Paul’s UCC and to move operations successfully to our new location in preparation for construction here on this site. Our carillon continues to call the neighborhood to attention before worship and mark the hours of the days.
At the Annual Meeting our Treasurer will be reporting on our financial position. We began the year with an anticipated budget deficit in the tens of thousands of dollars due to the transition we are making in preparation for construction. Instead we will end our year $10,000 to the good and saw huge increases in both our redevelopment funds, Edible Hope and general reserve funds. When you look at the past ten years at St. Luke’s and see how God has provided, it truly seems as if the water has been turned to wine so that we might celebrate love and life together and share generously with our neighbors in need.
As we come into 2025 we are to shine the light from the star, not only in our little corner but in the community, the nation and the world as we stand up for the most vulnerable and live into the promises of our baptism. We are to feed people in body, mind and spirit and to prepare a place for love to dwell. And we are to celebrate the grace and goodness of God by giving thanks and by sharing generously with others. I can’t wait to see what the Spirit will be up to in 2025!
