And a Thanksgiving Sermon
In late January Todd Donatelli, Millie Elmore, Sallie Hart, and Rosemary Sells visited our companion diocese in Durgapur, India with a delegation from the diocese. In twelve days they covered an area from Delhi to Kolkata, south to the Bay of Bengal and northward to Durgapur. They were moved by the work of our companions in India including the work of churches and schools in that region. From tribal dances to microenterprise work with Episcopal Relief and Development and time spent living with the children in one diocesan hostel, they were guided through a rich and engaging experience of our sisters and brothers in Durgapur.
Sermon, Durgapur Annual Thanksgiving Service
The Very Reverend Todd Donatelli
Namaskar. Namaste. Johar.
I bring greetings to you from the people of the Diocese of Western North Carolina. It is our privilege and joy to be with you today. We bring also with us the joy of our Diocese. It is a joy that comes from knowing we share with you in the life of God. It is a joy that comes from knowing you are bringing the life of God to others.
We are honored by the hospitality we have been shown in Durgapur. To Bishop Probal and Rita, to our drivers, the clergy, the diocesan staff, the teachers and to all of you, we give our deepest thanks.
We also give thanks for your witness to the love of God in Durgapur and in Bangladesh. We give thanks for your witness that all people are part of the family of God.
I am the youngest of four children in my family. I have two older brothers and one older sister. I am still the smallest of the children. My brothers are 15 centimeters taller than me.
When I was a child I often complained to my parents. I complained that I was not able to do the things my older sister and brothers were doing. Because I was younger I would have to watch them do things I was not old enough to do. I watched them go to school. I watched them dance. I watched them play sports. For many years I was only able to watch, and I was jealous. And I complained to my parents.
My parents said to me, “When any of us is doing something we are all doing it. When any of us enjoys something we are all enjoying it because it becomes part of all our lives. We watch your sister and brothers because we get to see their joy, and when we see their joy, it becomes part of our joy.
Now there were also times I watched my sister and brothers become sad. They became sad when they were hurt by someone. They became sad when they had hurt someone. They became sad when they lost a friend. They became sad when they failed at something. My parents told me whenever any of us is in pain we all share the pain because that is what families do.
When I became older my sister and brothers would come to see me at school. They would come to see me play sports. They would come to see me dance. (I am not as good a dancer as the young women we saw yesterday at the Women’s Fellowship gathering!) These things were more joyful for me because my sister and brothers came to share them with me.
And when I was sad because I had hurt someone or had failed at something my sister and brothers would come to share my sadness with me, because that is what families do.
Our life as a family was not a life of competing with one another. Our life as a family was not made less because there were many of us. Our life as a family was full because we shared each other’s life. Knowing we belonged to each other, sharing each other’s lives, made us thankful.
Today my sister, brothers and I are much older. We all have gray hair and we live in different cities in America. My sister and brothers still call me to tell me things they are doing, and I call them to tell them what I am doing. I have been sending them many pictures from India and they love them. We call each other not to brag or compete. We call each other because we enjoy hearing about each other’s lives. We call because we know we belong to a family, and knowing we belong makes us thankful.
In today’s Gospel story John’s disciples are complaining. They are complaining because people are going to Jesus to be baptized instead of going to John. They want John to do something. They want John to stop the people going to Jesus and they want the people to come to John.
But John will not join their complaining. John tells them, “No one can receive anything unless it has been given from heaven.” John is saying to his disciples: If they are being lead to Jesus it is because God is leading them. John is saying to his disciples: We should not be concerned about who is attracting more people. We should be grateful when anyone is lead to God. For we all are part of God’s family and when anyone is finding God, we are all finding God. When anyone participates in the life of God, we all participate in the life of God. When anyone finds the joy of God, our joy and God’s joy is more full.
John knows he belongs to the family of God. John knows that the life of God’s family is more full when all people share in God’s life. Because he knows he is part of God’s family, he finds thankfulness in his life. Because John knows he is part of God’s family, he is thankful for all who share in God’s family.
Today there are several thousand members of God’s family gathered under this tent. Some of us are little, some of us are big. Some of us are old, some of us are young. Some of us live in large cities, some of us live in small villages. Some of us are from India and some from Bangladesh, some from the U.S. and some from the U.K. Some of us are Santali, some Boro, some Munda, some Orao. And all of us are members of the family of God.
Look around you. Look at all the faces here. Look. We have many stories in this tent. We have stories that are both joyful and sad. We have stories of how we are finding God more deeply. We have stories of how God is using us to bring life, hope and health to others. We share these stories because that is what families do.
We share these stories because they make our lives more full.
When we gather like this we see our sisters and brothers in God. When we gather like this we see the many faces of God. When we gather like this we remember that we all belong to God, and God chooses to belong to us. When we know we belong to God, we can find thankfulness in our lives. When we know we are the family of God, we find thankfulness for each other.
May God continue to draw each of us closer to God and closer to one another. May God continue to draw all people into the life and family of God. And may God continue to use all of us to bring others into the life and family of God.
For the life which we share in God we give thanks. For the life of God which you have shown us we give thanks. May God bless and keep us. Dhanyabad.