Sermon 17th Pentecost Year B 9-15-24 Josh Ziemski Last Sunday
Our gospel passage today Jesus questions his disciples “Who do people say that I am?” And they answered him, “John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.” He asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, “You are the Messiah.”
Many theologians believe It is the central question of the Gospel. And, it’s the central question of Christianity, period.
Peter’s confession of faith at Caesarea Philippi is the heart of the Gospel because it is an existential question. Jesus asks his apostles two questions. The first is a reporter’s question: “Who do people say I am?” The apostles can answer it by research: Some say A; others B; a few C.
The second question can’t be answered by a survey, except perhaps of one’s heart. It’s not just informational. “Who do you say that I am?” requires me to take a stand. It demands my commitment.
This question that Jesus poses to his followers is the same question each of us must answer for ourselves. Each of us do this differently in our lives depending on how God calls us to live into our hearts and respond to this question.
Today, I would like to shine a light on how a group of people express their answer of giving glory to God through their gift of art and music. Specifically, I focus this Sunday to celebrate our music director, Josh Ziemski who is leaving us after today serving for 10 years.
For many people in churches expressing their love of God comes through art and music as it does for Josh.
He was born into a family of church musicians. His grandmother Lucille who we honored two weeks ago told me she sang in church choir since the age of 12. This spring she announced she could no longer participate in the choir. However, this means that she has dedicated her life to church music for 84 of her 96 years. That is a true testament to someone who believed in the core of her being that claiming Jesus as Messiah for herself meant expressing it through music.
Her daughter Nancy is much the same, having dedicated her life to music as a violinist, teacher, singer, and choir mistress. It is not an exaggeration to say that these past few years while Josh was earning his firefighter’s certification Nancy kept us all together as the choir.
These two extraordinary people instilled in Josh a love of music at an early age. They watched him learn and grow and become the musician he is today. Josh went to college to study organ. Right out of college he came to us as a 21-year-old and has been her since.
As we have begun our search for a new director, we are finding that there are good musicians and choir directors out there, but to find a real organist is a challenge. Josh mastered this historic instrument and made it sing. His ability at improvisation was truly remarkable. So, our next director will mostly likely be very different from Josh with other skills.
Josh, you did not have a chance other than to follow the call of being a musician coming from your family. And, we are more blest because of it. So, I simply want to say thank you for your gift of music to us these ten years. I know you have a desire to really be an accompanist, working with a skilled choir director to continue to grow in your response to Christ as an artist and musician. We send you with our blessings. Now I will stop because there are others who will speak.
Others to speak.
Every Sunday morning before coming to church, I get up early to do private morning prayer. In Sunday private morning prayer is a Prayer for Artists and Musicians that I’d like to offer.
O God, whom saints and angels delight to worship in
heaven: Be ever present with your servants who seek through
art and music to perfect the praises offered by your people on
earth; and grant to them even now glimpses of your beauty,
and make them worthy at length to behold it unveiled for
evermore; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.