Let us pray. May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my strength and redeemer. Amen.

St. Margaret's: A Beacon of Light and Love

Never have those words been more true than today, as we are gathered here at St. Margaret’s, worshipping all together as we do only once a year for our annual meeting. It is a special day for me as I look back on my four years as senior warden and search for the words to express my great love for St. Margaret's and for all it represents as part of the New Jerusalem, about which we just heard.

I'm so fortunate to have family, friends, all of you here to join me in celebrating the end of my service. Leave it to Susan Blue to institute a Warden's farewell address as a new Washington tradition; and for that I am grateful. Thinking about and preparing for today has been one of the most refreshing and healthy ways to reflect on my time as warden and to lift my thoughts out of the day-to-day and to a slightly higher plane. I hope to do as well as my predecessors.

I realize that I am most familiar to many of you, from standing before you over the past 4 years to talk about budgets and finance, buildings and responsibility. I think I understood in the midst of, let's face it, rather dry pie charts and occasional dust-ups over deficits and by-laws, that there was an underlying theology. That there was a reason that my gifts or "skill set" as I'm too prone to say, really could be put to better use for the greater whole and still have some spiritual meaning. Now mind you, I am an EFM drop-out – so the theology may be a little shaky ... but I do believe that in this community, this parish, we have a spirit, an identity, a vision and a mission.

§ For the glory of God? Yes.
§ For the care and spiritual enrichment of our members? Yes.
§ For the quest for justice and peace in our local and global community? Yes.
§ Are we striving to build the New Jerusalem here on Connecticut Avenue? Yes.

BUT are we sometimes just enamored with our own image? St. Margaret's on a pedestal? Do we at times rest on laurels or imagery from the past? Do we understand the responsibility that comes from being a beacon of light and love?

Today's lessons are particularly telling in helping me connect the reason why we commune together and what we face in the future. Peter is in Joppa, facing harsh criticism for accepting change, radical change, and feels strongly that he should not "hinder God" in accepting that change. John reveals his vision of the New Jerusalem, of God's power to heal, to wipe every tear, to quench our thirst. And Jesus offers the new commandment, upon which all so much is based: "Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another."

We are part of the New Jerusalem that encompasses faith, justice, compassion, and most importantly LOVE.

So today, I come before you Elated (but not for the reasons some of you may think). And Filled with Love.

How has St. Margaret's become the beacon of light and love for me?

Here's the short version:

Twenty years ago this summer I walked into St. Margaret’s for the first time. I came with the intention of wanting to engage locally in my new home—Washington, DC. I was not as sure of where I was on the spiritual or religious side with my own faith journey; the 12 year hiatus between Camp Wright and any other experience in a religious community was daunting.

I immediately was directed towards the so-called "outreach folks" – Julia and Allen Lear, Ray and Betty Burnes— they, of course, were much more than that. And I volunteered to represent and engage St. Margaret's with the fledgling Samaritan Ministry of Greater Washington—then attempting to develop a diocesan model of pooling resources for ministry to the poor and homeless. Little did I know that my volunteer efforts 20 years ago would lead to my eventually becoming head of a faith-based Episcopal-Lutheran affordable housing organization, Transitional Housing Corporation, joining many of you in seeking to live our faith 24/7 in our personal and professional lives.

Then there was the social side. I formed many friendships, some very close, some still existing today, some ended by early death. Because, like many of you, I walked in here 20 years ago and found immediate fellowship and friends -- with individuals, small social sets and with the parish as a whole. We prayed together, we fasted and feasted together during Lent and Easter. I took a brief respite after much sadness and a little upset. And then later returned to more new friends as the familiar Washington merry-go-round of folks coming and going brought new members during our recent growth under Susan Blue's leadership the past 10 years.

Steve Lembesis

But I wouldn't be here today in this pulpit as your outgoing senior warden, without having been inspired, still to this day, by Steve Lembesis. It goes beyond irony for me that today's second reading is the same Epistle reading I read at Steve's funeral in 1993. "See, I am making all things new. ... It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end." Several of you knew Steve and knew just how much fun he was to sit next to at the 11:00 service, while his partner Carlos sang his heart out in the choir. He was the most faithful, loyal, wry, affectionate, loving and politically savvy man. He carried St. Margaret's light throughout the Diocese as the president of Episcopal Caring Response to AIDS. Nobody worked harder to bring disparate Episcopalians together; nobody ran a better meeting; nobody fought harder to live. Personally, I especially miss the Alice Roosevelt Longworth ("if you don't have something nice to say, come sit next to me") side of Steve. Most certainly he would have been amused, and more, at my serving as Senior Warden, mostly because of my supposedly steadfast desire for my church life, unlike my work life, not to be political. I only hope I brought the best of what he taught me to my service and I thank God Steve has stayed here with us all these years. Most importantly, he would be so proud that St. Margaret's has become the beacon it is in our Diocese, in our nation and in the world.

How else has St. Margaret's become the beacon of light and love for me?

In time, after I met Susan Rees in early 1991 (and after I checked her out, of course, with Steve!) and we formed a family, adding our daughter Flo in 1999, St. Margaret's became a place for our family to grow together .. Now I did promise Susan and Flo that I wouldn't get all mushy – but suffice to say, that it fills me with such love to see my partner and our daughter thrive in the spiritual and social love of St. Margaret's as we support each other in our ministries here.

Grandfather Donaldson .. A beacon of light and love ...
Now, those who know me know how much I like symmetry and connections; that I am one who likes to forge the ties of past to present – and, at times, to force them.

And so, when I realized that May 6 was coming ... I wanted to see if there might be something of relevance from my grandfather The Rev. Thomas Donaldson's writings and sermons. So I searched through what I thought was a cache of his photos and papers, stored in our basement, only to find that the papers I had consisted mostly of delightful tributes to my grandfather upon his retirement, his devotion to the Diocese of Easton in Maryland, his love of baseball (including being part owner and manager of the Centreville MD Class D minor league team that included Hall of Famer Jimmy Foxx). And how he blended all three. He spoke of love and clearly inspired great love. But I did find one homily or tribute written by my grandfather of his love for his dear and soon to die faithful companion, Silver Bodo von Stack, his dog. And through that love and sorrow, he had a clear vision of the Kingdom: "God is the God of all life and my spirit belongs to him; is it too much to say that since all life is of God then all that has life belongs to God? "

My grandfather was an Episcopal minister from 1918 until his death in 1967. His Episcopal Church was low church, featuring the 1928 BCP, Morning Prayer, male priests and vestries made of vestrymen, and, in his Diocese as in many, racially segregated parish memberships. I know from my father's recounting what my grandfather did about the latter, when he failed in his efforts to change the minds of an obstinate Vestry to approve the membership of a long-attending black couple, he resigned and retired, on principle.

I'm not sure my father would agree, but I do feel sure that my grandfather, like Peter today in Joppa, would understand the need for change, that he would not "hinder God", in relation to worship, inclusive language, women priests and, yes, gay and lesbian priests, bishops, wardens and parish members. It is my belief, and, yes, my fervent wish. But it is also grounded in the fact that my grandfather believed that God is the God of all life and his spirit belongs to God. And he believed in love.

I know one compelling, deep-seated reason I want to be here with St. Margaret's as a beacon of light and love is because I want to connect with that now long ago memory of my grandfather.

And NOW:
We are very proud at St. Margaret's – proud of the heritage of St. Margaret of Scotland, the plaid, the bagpipes, the beautiful sanctuary and parish hall, the Tiffany stained glass windows, the music, the food (better after 11:15, of course), the programs, the sales—rummage and book. All important. But not all.

The people of St. Margaret's and the love we show—that's what makes us the beacon. By following the commandment that we "love one another."

§ We are the beacon for those whose churches are wracked with tension and dissension over issues of sexuality, gender, and forms of worship.

§ We are the beacon for those who want to do something about helping poor and homeless people with dignity, not just talk about it.

§ We are the beacon for children and families of all shapes and sizes, with the commonality of love for all our parish's children.

§ We are the beacon for those who are at varied places in their spiritual journeys and who want a safe, respectful place to explore their faith.

§ And, thankfully, we are a supportive home for a rector dedicated to making St. Margaret’s a diocesan and national beacon on the fundamental issues facing the Episcopal Church today, with the absolute right blend of leadership, advocacy and love.

We feed everyone. And everyone knows we are Christ's disciples because we have love for one another.

And so I am filled with love – and truly believe that at the core of what makes St. Margaret's is the tug between the old and the new; the need to fulfill our beaconness, if you will.

Peter speaks best today in Acts to the challenge of change: "If then God gave them the same gift that he gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could hinder God?"

I spoke earlier of my grandfather, and several weeks ago, I was all prepared to use the line "this is not my grandfather's Episcopal Church anymore," because I thought it was cute and snappy and true. Not so. And although there have been monumental changes since he was ordained in 1918 –in language, in the role of women in the church, in so much more--In fact, I like his vision of the Kingdom. God is the God of all life and our spirit belongs to God; The message of all encompassing inclusiveness is steadfast and present. It is this God who, John says, will be there with us everyday. "God will dwell with them as their God. We will be God's peoples and God will be with them."

The events this weekend in Virginia make clear that St. Margaret’s needs to continue to be a beacon of light and love and of hope and the future – that we are the Episcopal Church of my grandfather, of my family and friends and all the wonderful people of St. Margaret's. And I thank God that I am here.

Amen.