The Rt. Rev. Gethin Hughes
St. Margaret's Episcopal Church & School
Unedited
Good morning. Wow! I'm so grateful to Robert Certain, your rector for letting me gate crash the St. Margaret's Day party. I wasn't scheduled to come here, I've already done my visitation, but I've got one or two more Sundays before I retire. I've got some sabbatical time coming after Thanksgiving. So, I asked Robert, can't I come to St. Margaret's Day its such a blast. And, he said by all means. So thank you Robert, and thank you Dan Rondeau and the other staff and Margaret, where's Margaret? She's downstairs. This is her ordination anniversary. This time last year I ordained Margaret a priest. She thinks that's what St. Margaret's Day means. Don't tell her.
It's always a joy to be with you on this special day when you celebrate your patron saint, and when you reacquaint yourselves with the purposes about which this church is founded and what your main mission and ministry is all about and you celebrate that in a wonderful way with great music and with the pipers and with the great brass music. I haven't heard __________? The Welsh tune with bagpipes since oh last year when I was here. A wonderful day to celebrate the glory of God, the gifts of His majesty.
Howard Carter's narrative written November 1926 still retains an element of excitement and drama of that remarkable event he experienced. Let me read it. "Holding the candle firmly in my hand, I inserted it through the small opening in the wall and peered in. Lord Carnavan, Lady Evelyn and Calendar stood anxiously beside me waiting for the verdict. At first I could see nothing. The hot air escaping from the chamber causing the candle flame to flicker, but presently as my eyes grew accustomed to the light details of the room emerged slowly in the darkness. Strange animals, statues, paneling and gold everywhere, the unmistakable glint of gold. For a moment, an eternity it must have seemed to the others standing by, I was struck dumb with amazement. And, when Lord Carnavan unable to stand the suspense any longer inquired anxiously, can you see anything? It was all I could do to get out the words, yes, wonderful things."
Thus, Howard Carter describes the discovery of the incredible tomb of King Tutankhamen. Hidden treasure. Whether it's an exciting 16th century galleon found off the coast of Florida or an iron bound casket in a sandy cove on a remote south seas island or a young pharaoh's burial chamber in Egypt's Valley of the Kings the idea of finding treasure has a heart thumping, pulse racing ring to it. Today is a day when we are talking about treasure.
A different sort of treasure, perhaps. Jesus once said the kingdom of God is like a treasure. It's like a treasure buried in a field, which a man when he found it sold all he had to own that field and dig up that treasure. The kingdom is the Gospels way of speaking of God as the one who rules and guides and shapes all of life. God is the one who stands at the absolute center of our existence. And, having God in that central place in one's life, Jesus is saying, is of such phenomenal worth, such indescribable joy and importance that everything else pales in comparison.
Pointing the kingdom of God to yourself, your family, your world is the most important treasure you can discover. I'm reminded of that because in reading about the wonderful Saint Margaret of Scotland, I read a story of her where she's described as Scotland's greatest treasure. If you've been to Scotland you would think I wonder if that's true. The countryside is beautiful, the castles are remarkable, the people are wonderful, the towns and the artifacts, the traditions are priceless. And yet, here's somebody describing Margaret as our greatest treasure. You know her story is almost like a fairy tale. A Saxon princess, shipwrecked off of Scotland. Rescued and brought to the court of Malcolm the Barbarian king, who after he rescued her was struck by her beauty and her grace and fell in love with her. And, within a year they were married, and slowly this beautiful lady, who like all good princesses was as good as she was beautiful, transformed the wild King Malcolm and had an effect on the barbarous and rebellious Scots and won them into a people of love and compassion. Single-handedly almost by her example and her witness she tamed their wild hearts. She brought them the Christian message, which they already had but she gave to it a compassion, an importance, an energy, which had been hitherto missing.
She would feed orphans every morning. She would say her prayers with the simple. She builds churches and hospitals and monasteries. She made such a huge difference. A treasure indeed. Treasure of the kingdom, not just hidden treasures. It seems to me that we are surrounded by hidden treasures in our potential relationships with God. There are those small outcrops of gems you could say. Family relationships. Significant moments and occasions. Memorable things that sparkle and shine and catch our attention. They give us a clue to the reality that God is here and that this is something precious taking place. They give us a glimpse of God's love. But, often we let the sand and the dust of everyday existence blind us to the beauty and recognition of these things that lie so close to the surface of our lives. We miss so much. We lose so much.
Remember that lovely stanza from Grey's Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard, "Full many a gem of purest ray serene, The deepest chasms of the ocean bear, Full many a flower is born to blush unseen and waste it's sweetness in the desert air." We let so many things go by. We often fail to realize those hidden treasures in our lives until it's almost too late. So often we fail to express when we have the opportunity a sense of joy and gratitude for the value of family and friends and community and the memories of them.
So today we think about what's precious to us. What are your treasures? Don't think of your house please, or your golf club, or the things that are passing away. Think rather of the treasures God has placed within your grasp and has surrounded you by lo these many years. Husbands, wives treasure each other. Recognize what a gift you are to each other. Express those senses of joy and wonder. Through rather curious happenstances of the universe you're spending life together. Of all the people in the world you are spending life together and you are going to make it work.
The most beautiful thing. Parents, grandparents, treasure your grandchildren and your children. You know what I mean. I have a two and a half year old now _ granddaughter.
I was digging in the garden doing a lot of honey do's for the Nona recently, planting plants and Sofia came up and said, Grandpa does Momma know you are playing in the dirt. I can't wait until she gets older and gives me more and more sermon illustrations. All of you, treasure your friends. They are the most important things that surround you. Never take them for granted and never miss an opportunity to say thank you and I appreciate you, and I value you. They are God's gift in your life. And, today especially, today especially is the treasure of this church.
You know the story of St. Margaret's founded a long time ago used to meet in that area over there which is now the Parish Hall. Karns Hall. And through the vision and wisdom and generosity and drive of many people, especially Brad Hall and others who built this wonderful spectacular edifice which holds so many of us and is packed today, we should have made it a little bit bigger, I think. This is a precious place. This is a treasure isn't it? This is a place where you encounter God. Where the reality of your life can be tested and touched. Where the yardstick of God's grace can be placed against your own existence. And no matter how far you wander off what you really should be, you are brought back into a place where you try to get it back in shape.
Today above all things else we think thank you Lord for the treasure of this wonderful place we call St. Margaret's. With all it has been, with all it means to us, and all it will be to us. But you know with all these wonderful treasures of family and friends and church and community they just point us, they are just yardsticks, they are just direction sticks to the true treasure.
The great treasure Jesus is talking about. That relationship with God that lies at the center of all human spiritual existence. Unfortunately not everyone finds that treasure, and some never find it because they don't truly seek for it. They just don't need God, or they don't believe in God. They think the legend of the kingdom of heaven is just a myth or something not real. Some never find it because they look in the wrong places, in material possessions, in climbing ladders of affluence and influence in this status conscious society. In these things of a passing age in which they put their trust. Some come close to finding it. But aren't able to claim it because they are unwilling to pay the price. It doesn't come for free. They shy away from the commitment to place the kingdom of God and the love of God in the center of their lives at the top of their list of priorities, not just shuffled in somewhere else. The price is high.
I recall that wonderful joke about the lady traveling through East Africa and she came upon a rare antique native artifact. But, because it was so expensive she thought she should get in touch with her husband. This was in the days when they sent cables. So, she sent a cable saying, "Found rare antique asking $5,000 can I buy?" She received reply. No price too high. And she was encouraged and spent $5,000 and brought the antique home and her husband was furious. He had said, "No. Price too high".
On times like this when we are brought up into a somewhat surprising realization of how we failed to recognize treasures, God says, be sure that you recognize that I am your treasure. I am the center of life. I am eternal life and nothing else will make sense until you put your faith and love in me.
The wonderful composer and musician Johan Sebastian Bach put a lovely chorale to Johan Francs incredible words Jesu ……..? If Frederick Swann will play I will try to sing it. "Jesu priceless treasure source of purest pleasure. Truest friend to me. How my heart has panted and my soul hath fainted searching Lord for thee. Thine I am oh spotless lamb. Not from me thy love shall sever. Jesus priceless treasure.
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