The Ordianation of Thomas Broad

The Revd Deacon Polly Bowen preached this sermon at the ordination of Thomas Broad to the Diaconate on the Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost, September 2, 2007. God willing, Tom will be awarded the Master of Divinity degree from The General Theological Seminary and be ordained to the Priesthhod in  the spring of 2008.

In the name of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Jeez, Tom, it’s about time, don’t you think?

A long time ago, fifteen years or so, Frieda Webb and I sat in the back of this church waiting for Mass to begin.  Tom and Sue Broad came in the front door, said Good Morning and proceeded to their usual seat, about half way down on that side.  I said to Frieda, “I believe Tom is called to the priesthood, but he won’t listen to me or to anybody else on the subject.”  Frieda said, “Oh, of course he is.  But Tom is already a priest, and some day he’ll discover that and own it.” 

Mother Frieda is a wise woman.

But we’re here today to make Tom a Deacon, not yet a Priest.  Today’s readings are all about hospitality and humility, two wonderful diaconal traits that Tom possesses in remarkable quantity.  But we’ve all heard one sermon on those readings already, so I’m not going to dwell on them. 

Instead, I’m going to talk a bit about the Diaconate itself.  I used to believe very strongly in what they call per saltem ordination – meaning if you’re called to the priesthood you go straight to that, skipping the diaconate.  It always seemed disingenuous to me to have an aspirant for the priesthood saying to his bishop “I believe I am so called” when asked if he was called to be a Deacon. 

But I have been privileged to work with some very Diaconal priests, men and women who are very much priests, but who have not left their diaconal ministry behind, people who have successfully managed to embody the one office within the other.  So now I don’t know what I think about that.

But what I think is relatively unimportant – the Church continues to argue the issue, but also continues to insist that priests first become deacons.  So be it. 

You know what diaconal ministry is – you see it acted out in the pageantry of ritual.  Everything the deacon does in church represents what the deacon does in the world.  It’s caring for the poor, the sick, the outcast, feeding the hungry, housing the homeless, bringing the Word of God to others.  Setting the table, washing the dishes – whatever tasks need to be done – stepping in when nobody else is there to do it.  And it’s also teaching and empowering and sending the People of God to be the servants they are called at their baptism to be. 

Tom is already all of that – a servant, a teacher, an empowerer.  He has lived his diaconate all his life, in more ways than I can begin to enumerate.  So why do you suppose it took him so long to recognize God’s call?  Perhaps because he was already living it. 

One of the frequent questions Commissions on Ministry love to ask a diaconal candidate is What can you do as a deacon that you can’t do as a lay person?  And the correct answer is something like Precious Little.  That’s because it isn’t about doing at all – it’s about being.  It’s about being in relationship to God and the church.  Ordination isn't about the person at all - it's about the Church, in which some are prophets, some apostles, some pastors and teachers, and so forth.  A deacon is ordained to powerless servanthood in a world (and sometimes in a church) that is obsessed with power.  Deacons are ordained to be the icon of this powerless servanthood, and of the One who said, “I am among you as one who serves.’  The deacon is called to do ministry, but more importantly, to empower ministry, to get you to do your share of Christ’s ministry.  It’s a delicate balance between leadership and service. 

The reasons why the Church needs deacons are subtle.  The former bishop of Kansas, where there are lots of deacons, said that the way to understand the ministry of deacons is to talk about icons.  Not the icons on your computer screen, but Church Icons.  An icon is a representation of a reality, usually a saint or a biblical theme.  It says something about that reality, but it also draws the observer into the reality.  It’s not just a work of art; it’s a theological statement about God and God’s people – and a window to the sacred.

A deacon is like that.  An ordained deacon is the icon of the servant ministry of all Christians.  When you see a deacon you are seeing a sign of the service to which Christ calls you.  The ministry of service belongs to all the People of God.

But if ministry belongs to everyone, why do we need any “orders” at all?  Because our Ministry expresses who we are.  We are called to ministry at our baptism, but there is a division of labor within the church.  All Christians are charged with the responsibility to represent Christ to the world; those in orders also represent Christ in and to the church.  We have bishops because we are an Apostolic Church, faithful to Catholic tradition.  We have priests, because we are specific communities gathered in Christ’s Name, and the one who calls us together and presides also gives us our sense of order and “connectedness.”  And we have deacons to remind us that we are servants.

The task and responsibility of the deacon is to model the ministry that is fundamental to the whole People of God.  But if you know everything your deacon is doing, then he is not going about diaconal ministry in the right way.  The idea is to do it as much as possible without calling attention to himself – but also to empower you to do your share of Christ’s ministry.

A few weeks ago our Presiding Bishop Katharine spoke at a meeting of the North American Association for the Diaconate.  She said that the task of the deacon is to be a nag in the Church.  Remember that, Tom.  When I was ordained nearly twenty years ago, Fr. Andy Newbert put it even more colorfully.  He said the deacon is to be a burr under the saddle of the church.  Remember that, Tom. 

Remember, too, that your diaconal ministry is so varied, often so unpredictable, that you have to remain pliable. 

Tom, will you please stand up?  I want to read to you from a description of the primitive Christian liturgy by an ancient bishop, Ignatius of Antioch. 

           . . . the Bishop presides in his chair, an icon of god the Father, surrounded by his council of presbyters, images of the apostles.  Moving to and fro, making the liturgy “go,” are what Ignatius calls “my favorites, the deacons.”  It is they, he says, who are the images of Jesus in the liturgy . . .

This is an awesome gift and responsibility. 

Tom, welcome to the Sacred Order of Deacons.

            Take your place as a servant leader.

            Remember your promises:

                        Obey your Bishop.

                        Be faithful in prayer and in the study of the Scriptures.

                        Look for Christ in everyone.

                        Let your life reflect the teachings of the Lord.

                        And above all, seek not your own glory, but the glory of Christ.

Amen.