The church needs Dorothy's ordination more than Dorothy needs it herself.

Part 1

Part 2

Deacon Dorothy Pierce

She already is serving as a deacon. She has been doing that for a long time.

She goes where the church needs reinforcements. She goes to jail. She goes to the dying with the Hospice program. She goes to underprivileged children as a tutor. She's been part of a program for at-risk teens across the street from a tough high school. She goes where the church needs reinforcements, and needs them badly. Jesus said, "Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also."

In our Episcopal tradition, like other liturgical churches, we make a big deal of ordination. It is one of our sacraments. In an ordination, a person is set aside by the bishop and the church to be something and to do something.

In our Episcopal tradition, we make a big deal of ordaining bishops. And we make a big deal of ordaining priests. But for a long, long time, we have NOT made a big deal of ordaining deacons. I find that both interesting and sad.

You see, more than the other orders, a deacon is an icon of service. A deacon is a living image of servanthood. A deacon is an iconic picture of Jesus himself, who came, not to be served, but to serve. We are trying to recover this in the Episcopal Church.

And I can think of no one better than Dorothy Pierce to lead us further into that recovery.
She has the heart of a servant. She has a heart of compassion. She has, if I may be so bold to say it, the heart of and for Christ. "Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also."

I love my job. I love being a priest. I love taking care of this congregation of St. Mark's. But I am in awe of the job that Dorothy is taking on. Most of my job is to stand in the midst of this parish family, leading them, serving them, caring for them. But Dorothy's job as a deacon will be out there in the world, especially with the people on the margins, the broken ones, the ones we would rather ignore here in our safe church.

Dorothy's job as a deacon will involve standing out there in the world and nagging us.

She will have a ministry of holy nagging. She will remind us relentlessly of the people we'd rather ignore - the poor, the prisoners, the dying - and she will lead us out there to serve them.

This is precisely why one of the liturgical jobs of a deacon is to give the dismissal at the end of the service. "Go in peace to love and serve the Lord." Or, "Let us go forth into the world, rejoicing in the power of the Spirit."

Dorothy will be a mother to us. Have you ever heard a mother say to her children, "What are you doing inside? It's a beautiful day! Get out there and get some exercise!" Dorothy will be a mother to us, saying, "Scoot! Go! Get out there and serve that world!"

And she won't limit this holy nagging to St. Mark's. The area clergy and Bishop Adams are excited by the potential for Dorothy's service as a district deacon, working with the Episcopal churches in the Binghamton area, and in ministries beyond the Episcopal Church. We know her ministry will encompass more than one parish.

Now, the people of St. Mark's know that I have a special daughter. Her name is Marie. She is 26 years old, but she will be a young child forever. She has autism and mental retardation, and has been a great challenge and heartache to me and to her mom.

At the same time, she has a special wisdom and a spiritual heart. She is, on occasion, a prophet, or an angel, or a baby Buddha, or whatever you want to call it.

You know how kids who grow up on a farm usually work for the family farm? Or how a family which owns a small business has the kids working in that family business early on? Well, Marie is like that. She has served as a preaching consultant for me on many occasions. She is what they call in the world of the internet "a content provider."

One time a couple of years ago, we were walking the mall. Out of the blue, she said to me, "Pretend you're God." "How?" I asked. She answered, "Sing in your heart." Pretty good answer, I think.

We walked along for a while. I wanted to be sure I had it right. So I said, "Marie, you told me to pretend I'm God. How do I do that?" She said, "Love." There you have it.

Two days later, same mall, walking again. Out of the blue, she said, "Pretend you're Jesus." I asked, "How?" She said, "Dance."

Later, I told my wife all about this with a laugh. Marie was there, and she quietly said, "The lips of God."

The gospel text Dorothy chose for this ordination service was from the Gospel according to John. "Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also." I'm adding to that from the Gospel according to Marie.

Dorothy, you're about to be ordained a deacon.
Pretend you are God.
Sing in your heart.
Love.
Pretend you are Jesus.
Dance.

As a deacon, you will send us out to serve the world. At the end of this service, you will say, "Let us go forth into the world, rejoicing in the power of the Spirit." The Spirit is God's presence in us, and the Spirit enables us to sing in our hearts, and to love, and to dance. The Spirit is the Holy Breath of God, the Holy Wind of God. And the Spirit is here today.

The wind is picking up - can you feel it?

Inmates at the jail are learning to read more fluently.
They are learning to write poetry.
They are learning to pray.
They are learning that someone cares.
They are learning to find a little hope.

The wind is picking up - can you feel it?

There is a school district nearby with limited resources
and a great deal of grinding rural poverty.
Young children in that school district are getting help with their homework.
They are getting help with their learning.
And they are learning that someone cares.

The wind is picking up - can you feel it?
People who are dying are being touched by caring hands.
They are being listened to and cared for.
Their families are being comforted and supported and encouraged.

The wind is picking up - can you feel it?

In a time when mainline denominations are supposed to be dying
and when people are saying they want to be spiritual and not religious
and when people avoid institutional religion like the plague,
there is a mainline parish right here that refuses to decline,
a parish that thrives and celebrates,
a parish full of people who feed the hungry
and build wheelchair ramps for the disabled
and visit the sick
and paint houses for people they've never met -
and they have fun while they do all this.
And this is not the only mainline parish like that.

The wind is picking up - can you feel it?

Episcopal clergy in this district are resisting the temptation to hoard resources
and are instead choosing to share ministries and people.
And that includes a new deacon for this district.

The wind is picking up - can you feel it?

I think Dorothy's ordination is part of it.
She's part of all that service I just described.
She knows how important it is to serve,
how important it is to help,
and how important it is to get out there and do kindness.

The wind is picking up, and I think people are hungry for it.
The wind is picking up, and I think people want to be part of it.
The wind is picking up, and I think many of us are tired of consumerist Christianity.
Many of us are tired of conformist Christianity.
Many of us are tired of safe Christianity.

The wind is picking up,
and I think many of us want to be fed here and then go out and feed others.
Many of us want to find healing here, and then go out and be healers.
Many of us want to be Jesus-followers rather than churchgoers.

The wind is picking up,
and I think many of us want to be practicing Christians,
not just believing Christians.

Okay, I've talked long enough.
It's time to get on with the service.
I don't mean the liturgy.
It's time to get on with the service.

Ask any deacon.
She'll be a mom, and she will nag you in a holy way,
with God's voice, like my daughter does.

Ask any deacon, and she'll tell you.
She'll tell you that the service starts when the liturgy ends.
She'll point the way.
It's time to get on with the service,
because the wind is picking up!