Dear Friends in Christ,
I am writing this on Monday, March 22nd. In the sermon I offered yesterday I repeated the question a colleague asked of his church: “what makes a real church?” My friend offered the following list.
“Trusting the Spirit enough to welcome anyone and everyone. Being as surprised by God as by one another. Letting down our hair and our guard rather than pretending and defending. Shouldering each other’s burdens; celebrating each other’s blessings. Opening ourselves to God loving us as we are; opening ourselves to growth.”
“Respecting others as they are, not as we wish they were. Honoring one another when we differ; seeing creativity in disagreement. Accepting that we all fall short and that church, itself, falls short. Valuing doubts and questions alongside of faith and assurance.”
“Aiming to be an alternative community wherein we learn to be different, apart from what the world would have. Looking to God for help with all this. Recognizing, in ways subtle and glorious, Jesus is always with us.”
Having stated this, I made my own suggestion about it: “It is both the first and the last piece on that list to which we Christians especially need to hold firm. Trust God; Jesus is with us, always.”
But how does that list come alive? In a recent Alban Institute article Wesley Wildman and Stephen Garner offer the following. I have edited it a little due to considerations of available space.
******
Are clergy at the center of church life? No. Your pastors and your churches would be lost without you. Without you there is no community. Without you the name ‘Jesus’ becomes an empty word rattling about in the corridors of history.
Without you church is a lifeless shell. The measure of the success of a church is directly related to how you, the lay membership, love one another and live out your faith daily.
The call of Jesus was not to a bunch of ordained clergy. Jesus called fishers, entrepreneurs, tax collectors, soldiers, mothers, widows, prostitutes, the able-bodied, the infirm— people with faith and without faith. Jesus called everyone to follow. So, take your role in the church and in the world very seriously.
What does that involve? Love— tend to and work to strengthen your church community, your church leadership, your pastor. This helps your community focus and to keep its focus.
Too often when the going gets tough, people hightail it right out of church. Church is messy. Community is messy. Life is messy. You can’t run from it because it will follow until you deal with it.
Remember, the church is yours but you are the church. Stick with the body of Christ in sickness and in health, in plenty and in want, in joy and in sorrow as long as you live.
This calling to unity and participation can be challenging. We can become frustrated when we feel we don’t fit. We are not always sure where to find our place. We do feel lost at times.
Many of us are uncertain about faith. But we need to be aware we are searching and we need to be aware that in order to find where one is going engagement in the community known as church is a necessity.
Indeed, one test of being the church and one test of faith occurs when you sit next to someone with whom you disagree on nearly everything. Can you participate in a faith discussion group or Bible study and genuinely strive to understand that person?
Another test: church can’t be only about differences. Why? Because it is first about Christ-centered commitment to radical inclusiveness, the principle of agape love. Divine love shines when you stay connected, strive for the spiritual maturity, place love ahead of your own personal comfort levels.
Yet another test of church is whether you, personally, will commit yourself to practices that build up the church and your faith. In particular, will you look for educational opportunities within your congregation and strive to deepen your understanding of your faith? Will you participate in worship practices which binds differently minded people together in the name of Christ?
In short, it takes work to learn and it is often uncomfortable to have our existing beliefs broadened and to make new discoveries. But committing to the journey of learning is a major part of discipleship and it can be incredibly exciting if you stick with it. Are you willing to be a disciple? That defines the community called church.
******
Well, none of that is mine. That’s the take of Wildman and Garner writing for the Alban Institute, a well known and well respected organization of church consultants.
So, I guess all I have to add to this is: “See you in church!”
In Faith,
Joe Connolly
Thursday, March 25, 2010
FIFTH SUNDAY IN LENT
03/21/2010 ~ Fifth Sunday in Lent ~ Isaiah 43:16-21; Psalm 126; Philippians 3:4b-14; John 12:1-8 ~ Blessing of the Quilts. [1]
“Do not remember the former things, / forget the events of the past / ignore the things of long ago / do no consider the things of old. / Look! I am about to do a new thing! / Now it springs forth! / Can you not see it? / Do you not perceive it? / I am making a road in the desert / I am making a way in the wilderness / I am making rivers in the desert— / setting waters to flow over parched earth.” — Isaiah 43:18-19.
I am sure some of you know about this computer thing, this Internet thing called Facebook. Indeed, I am sure some of you have a Facebook account or, in the terminology favored by the denizens of Facebook, you have a Facebook wall on which you can write and on which people whom you’ve designated as friends can see what you’ve written. And, in turn, those friends can write something back to you, can write on your wall.
For those of you who don’t know a thing about Facebook, let me offer this brief explanation by way of an analogy. Facebook is what the town square used to be. You went to the town square to see and to converse with friends.
On Facebook you can talk with friends, even without seeing them and even when your friends are not there. You see, on Facebook, you can leave messages, broadcast your activities or tell your friends whatever is on your mind. And your friends will get the message when they look.
On the town square, you could not do all that. Of course, on the town square you could have left a message with the town gossip. But that seemed a little dangerous, didn’t it?
Now, Facebook affords another opportunity. Besides being friendly with the folks currently in your circle, you can also try to track down folks you have not seen or spoken to or even thought about in years, like people you once knew in High School.
I graduated from High School in [the pastor mumbles something]. Even back then, I was involved in music. I was the librarian of the School Chorus. I was the manager of the School Dance Band.
The year I graduated, the Senior Play was The Music Man. I was involved in that too.
You may remember, this musical features a Barber Shop Quartet. Well, here’s how we put one together. It was the '60s (let the cat out of the bag there, didn’t I), so there was a trio of guys— to use the vernacular of the time, they were “Greasers”— there was a trio of guys who did doo-wop in the halls. They could often be found singing in stairwells, listening for their echo as they sang in three part harmony.
We recruited them for the show and taught them the melodies of the songs— Lida Rose, Sincere, It’s You. I developed a bass part and sang underneath those harmonies. It worked... perfectly.
The character of Harold Hill was played by a very talented fellow named Jeff Spolan. At the time, he and I became friendly. But graduation came along and we went our separate ways. He went off to Post College to study theater. I went off to Vietnam (theater of war).
But we did both wind up in professional theater. He was an actor and I was a writer. His passion was seeing the world— traveling. And he did.
How? Mostly, he hooked up with non-profit companies and toured, largely overseas. Probably the only continent he missed in his travels was Antarctica. He concentrated on doing the classics and avant-garde plays with these non-profit companies.
My career was more local and in a sense more parochial: it was confined to professional theater in New York City. I was not at all involved in the classics or avant-garde. I concentrated on new material, new plays, commercial plays. Hence, though we both wound up in professional theater, our paths never crossed.
That is, our paths never crossed until I tracked him down by way of... Facebook. Yep, it was like walking into a time machine. We exchanged information and we were both surprised to find out where life had taken us.
The renewed contact with Jeff also reminded me about how different my life is now from what it was. I would not exchange where I have been and what I have done for the world. But where I am now and where I am going is more vital to me than anything which has gone before.
Could I go back to where I was and where I had been? Perhaps. But, as Shakespeare said in The Tempest: “What’s past is prologue.” (Slight pause.)
And these words come from the Scroll of the Prophet Isaiah: “Do not remember the former things, / forget the events of the past / ignore the things of long ago / do no consider the things of old. / Look! I am about to do a new thing! / Now it springs forth! / Can you not see it? / Do you not perceive it? / I am making a road in the desert / I am making a way in the wilderness / I am making rivers in the desert— / setting waters to flow over parched earth.” (Slight pause.)
This Prophet, the second one recorded in the Scroll of Isaiah, writes from the Babylonian Exile. We need to note something about this location in time. Conditions cannot be good. The Jews are in captivity.
Given the situation, the Prophet makes a stunning statement. Even though the Israelites are held captive, the much cherished Exodus event, their prime piece of remembered collective history, is not of first import. Why? God is doing a new thing.
Further, using an amazing metaphor despite the dire situation of the Jews, the Prophet insists God makes rivers flow in the desert. And their call, the call of the Jewish people, is to be aligned with God in newness. (Slight pause.)
All well and good for them, but how does this Word, clearly a Word of hope, apply to us today? (Slight pause.) A colleague recently asked a question of the church he serves: “what makes a ‘real church’?” (Slight pause.) He offered this list.
Trusting the Spirit enough to welcome anyone and everyone. Being as surprised by God as by one another. Letting down our hair and our guard rather than pretending and defending. Shouldering each other’s burdens; celebrating each other’s blessings. Opening ourselves to God loving us as we are; opening ourselves to growth.
Respecting others as they are, not as we wish they were. Honoring one another when we differ; seeing creativity in disagreement. Accepting that we all fall short and that church, itself, falls short. Valuing doubts and questions alongside of faith and assurance.
Aiming to be an alternative community wherein we learn to be different, apart from what the world would have. Looking to God for help with all this. Recognizing, in ways subtle and glorious, Jesus is always with us. [2] (Slight pause.)
It is both the first and the last piece on that list to which we Christians especially need to hold firm. Trust God; Jesus is with us, always. (Slight pause.) Still, the metaphor of “rivers in the desert,” wonderful though it is, is just that: a metaphor. How can it be real for us? What makes it real? (Slight pause.)
I invite you to look around. Look at the quilts we will dedicate in a couple minutes. They do not just represent the work of those who made them. They do not just represent the needs of those who will use them. They represent the reality of hope.
They represent the fact that those who made them and those who will use them and we who dedicate them believe a river can flow in the desert. They represent a belief that God has been among us, is present to us and will be among us. (Slight pause.)
Reacquainting myself with old friends and old times was and is heart warming, even when it is done over the Internet. But, as the words of the opening hymn indicate— ‘Let us hope when hope seems hopeless’— this means we need to be aware of the full possibilities of life moving forward, especially the possibilities which are to come, more so than what has passed.
When we realize those possibilities, we are empowered to trust God, to be aware that life with God is like a river, flowing, moving, ceaseless. Indeed, trusting God means being aware that the love of God is present, real, tangible and can be life giving. Trusting in God allows us to realize that the hope God wants for us is always forward looking, written in the present tense and realized in the future tense.
And so, let us be aware, as the advent of the Messiah helps us be aware, that there are rivers in the desert. Let us be aware that the hand of God is with us. Let us be aware that the Spirit of God surrounds us. Let us be aware that Christ is present to us.
And let us be aware that the love, the goodness, the wisdom and the peace of God etches its image in the sands of time and then, once more seeks out dry sand, new horizons, carving new and different pictures, yet again. And let us be aware, therefore, that the words of Isaiah (quote): “Can you not see it? / Do you not perceive it?” — these words both present us with a challenge and help us to be mindful of the constant, faithful, present and forward looking love of God. Amen.
03/21/2010
United Church of Christ, First Congregational, Norwich, New York.
ENDPIECE: It is the practice of the Pastor to speak after the Closing Hymn, but before the Benediction. This, then, is an précis of what the pastor said before the blessing: “Now, having said that blessings come and go out of style in the church, but you hear me give one every week. But you are all standing here. Let’s see if we can all hold hands as I offer the blessing. [People held hands and then the pastor offered this blessing:] ‘In Christ, we experience God’s presence together. Where Christ leads, let us follow. Where God calls us to service, let us go. And may the peace of God which surpasses all understanding keep our hearts and minds in the knowledge of God, the love of Jesus, the Christ and the companionship of the Holy Spirit, this day and forevermore. Amen.’” [3]
[1] This week the Quilts from Chenango Piecemakers were dedicated in the course of the service.
[2] The Rev. Mr. Michael Caine.
[3] The people had gathered around the quilts for their dedication. The quilts had been placed on stands and tables all over the nave. The people were still standing in those places through the final hymn, as they had been instructed to bring the insert for the final hymn with them to the quilts. Additionally, at the beginning of the dedication of the quilts the pastor had spoken about how blessing had come into and gone out of fashion in cycles over the history of the church.
Rivers in the Desert
“Do not remember the former things, / forget the events of the past / ignore the things of long ago / do no consider the things of old. / Look! I am about to do a new thing! / Now it springs forth! / Can you not see it? / Do you not perceive it? / I am making a road in the desert / I am making a way in the wilderness / I am making rivers in the desert— / setting waters to flow over parched earth.” — Isaiah 43:18-19.
I am sure some of you know about this computer thing, this Internet thing called Facebook. Indeed, I am sure some of you have a Facebook account or, in the terminology favored by the denizens of Facebook, you have a Facebook wall on which you can write and on which people whom you’ve designated as friends can see what you’ve written. And, in turn, those friends can write something back to you, can write on your wall.
For those of you who don’t know a thing about Facebook, let me offer this brief explanation by way of an analogy. Facebook is what the town square used to be. You went to the town square to see and to converse with friends.
On Facebook you can talk with friends, even without seeing them and even when your friends are not there. You see, on Facebook, you can leave messages, broadcast your activities or tell your friends whatever is on your mind. And your friends will get the message when they look.
On the town square, you could not do all that. Of course, on the town square you could have left a message with the town gossip. But that seemed a little dangerous, didn’t it?
Now, Facebook affords another opportunity. Besides being friendly with the folks currently in your circle, you can also try to track down folks you have not seen or spoken to or even thought about in years, like people you once knew in High School.
I graduated from High School in [the pastor mumbles something]. Even back then, I was involved in music. I was the librarian of the School Chorus. I was the manager of the School Dance Band.
The year I graduated, the Senior Play was The Music Man. I was involved in that too.
You may remember, this musical features a Barber Shop Quartet. Well, here’s how we put one together. It was the '60s (let the cat out of the bag there, didn’t I), so there was a trio of guys— to use the vernacular of the time, they were “Greasers”— there was a trio of guys who did doo-wop in the halls. They could often be found singing in stairwells, listening for their echo as they sang in three part harmony.
We recruited them for the show and taught them the melodies of the songs— Lida Rose, Sincere, It’s You. I developed a bass part and sang underneath those harmonies. It worked... perfectly.
The character of Harold Hill was played by a very talented fellow named Jeff Spolan. At the time, he and I became friendly. But graduation came along and we went our separate ways. He went off to Post College to study theater. I went off to Vietnam (theater of war).
But we did both wind up in professional theater. He was an actor and I was a writer. His passion was seeing the world— traveling. And he did.
How? Mostly, he hooked up with non-profit companies and toured, largely overseas. Probably the only continent he missed in his travels was Antarctica. He concentrated on doing the classics and avant-garde plays with these non-profit companies.
My career was more local and in a sense more parochial: it was confined to professional theater in New York City. I was not at all involved in the classics or avant-garde. I concentrated on new material, new plays, commercial plays. Hence, though we both wound up in professional theater, our paths never crossed.
That is, our paths never crossed until I tracked him down by way of... Facebook. Yep, it was like walking into a time machine. We exchanged information and we were both surprised to find out where life had taken us.
The renewed contact with Jeff also reminded me about how different my life is now from what it was. I would not exchange where I have been and what I have done for the world. But where I am now and where I am going is more vital to me than anything which has gone before.
Could I go back to where I was and where I had been? Perhaps. But, as Shakespeare said in The Tempest: “What’s past is prologue.” (Slight pause.)
And these words come from the Scroll of the Prophet Isaiah: “Do not remember the former things, / forget the events of the past / ignore the things of long ago / do no consider the things of old. / Look! I am about to do a new thing! / Now it springs forth! / Can you not see it? / Do you not perceive it? / I am making a road in the desert / I am making a way in the wilderness / I am making rivers in the desert— / setting waters to flow over parched earth.” (Slight pause.)
This Prophet, the second one recorded in the Scroll of Isaiah, writes from the Babylonian Exile. We need to note something about this location in time. Conditions cannot be good. The Jews are in captivity.
Given the situation, the Prophet makes a stunning statement. Even though the Israelites are held captive, the much cherished Exodus event, their prime piece of remembered collective history, is not of first import. Why? God is doing a new thing.
Further, using an amazing metaphor despite the dire situation of the Jews, the Prophet insists God makes rivers flow in the desert. And their call, the call of the Jewish people, is to be aligned with God in newness. (Slight pause.)
All well and good for them, but how does this Word, clearly a Word of hope, apply to us today? (Slight pause.) A colleague recently asked a question of the church he serves: “what makes a ‘real church’?” (Slight pause.) He offered this list.
Trusting the Spirit enough to welcome anyone and everyone. Being as surprised by God as by one another. Letting down our hair and our guard rather than pretending and defending. Shouldering each other’s burdens; celebrating each other’s blessings. Opening ourselves to God loving us as we are; opening ourselves to growth.
Respecting others as they are, not as we wish they were. Honoring one another when we differ; seeing creativity in disagreement. Accepting that we all fall short and that church, itself, falls short. Valuing doubts and questions alongside of faith and assurance.
Aiming to be an alternative community wherein we learn to be different, apart from what the world would have. Looking to God for help with all this. Recognizing, in ways subtle and glorious, Jesus is always with us. [2] (Slight pause.)
It is both the first and the last piece on that list to which we Christians especially need to hold firm. Trust God; Jesus is with us, always. (Slight pause.) Still, the metaphor of “rivers in the desert,” wonderful though it is, is just that: a metaphor. How can it be real for us? What makes it real? (Slight pause.)
I invite you to look around. Look at the quilts we will dedicate in a couple minutes. They do not just represent the work of those who made them. They do not just represent the needs of those who will use them. They represent the reality of hope.
They represent the fact that those who made them and those who will use them and we who dedicate them believe a river can flow in the desert. They represent a belief that God has been among us, is present to us and will be among us. (Slight pause.)
Reacquainting myself with old friends and old times was and is heart warming, even when it is done over the Internet. But, as the words of the opening hymn indicate— ‘Let us hope when hope seems hopeless’— this means we need to be aware of the full possibilities of life moving forward, especially the possibilities which are to come, more so than what has passed.
When we realize those possibilities, we are empowered to trust God, to be aware that life with God is like a river, flowing, moving, ceaseless. Indeed, trusting God means being aware that the love of God is present, real, tangible and can be life giving. Trusting in God allows us to realize that the hope God wants for us is always forward looking, written in the present tense and realized in the future tense.
And so, let us be aware, as the advent of the Messiah helps us be aware, that there are rivers in the desert. Let us be aware that the hand of God is with us. Let us be aware that the Spirit of God surrounds us. Let us be aware that Christ is present to us.
And let us be aware that the love, the goodness, the wisdom and the peace of God etches its image in the sands of time and then, once more seeks out dry sand, new horizons, carving new and different pictures, yet again. And let us be aware, therefore, that the words of Isaiah (quote): “Can you not see it? / Do you not perceive it?” — these words both present us with a challenge and help us to be mindful of the constant, faithful, present and forward looking love of God. Amen.
03/21/2010
United Church of Christ, First Congregational, Norwich, New York.
ENDPIECE: It is the practice of the Pastor to speak after the Closing Hymn, but before the Benediction. This, then, is an précis of what the pastor said before the blessing: “Now, having said that blessings come and go out of style in the church, but you hear me give one every week. But you are all standing here. Let’s see if we can all hold hands as I offer the blessing. [People held hands and then the pastor offered this blessing:] ‘In Christ, we experience God’s presence together. Where Christ leads, let us follow. Where God calls us to service, let us go. And may the peace of God which surpasses all understanding keep our hearts and minds in the knowledge of God, the love of Jesus, the Christ and the companionship of the Holy Spirit, this day and forevermore. Amen.’” [3]
[1] This week the Quilts from Chenango Piecemakers were dedicated in the course of the service.
[2] The Rev. Mr. Michael Caine.
[3] The people had gathered around the quilts for their dedication. The quilts had been placed on stands and tables all over the nave. The people were still standing in those places through the final hymn, as they had been instructed to bring the insert for the final hymn with them to the quilts. Additionally, at the beginning of the dedication of the quilts the pastor had spoken about how blessing had come into and gone out of fashion in cycles over the history of the church.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
03/14/2010 ~ Fourth Sunday in Lent ~ Joshua 5:9-12; Psalm 32; 2 Corinthians 5:16-21; Luke 15:1-3, 11b ~ Note: used the whole of chapter 15 in Luke.
“So this makes us ambassadors for Christ, since God is making an appeal directly through us. Therefore, we entreat and implore you on behalf of Christ, and in the name of Christ: be reconciled to God.” — 2 Corinthians 5:20.
I have a bad habit. I read books. I want to briefly mention one I have just read. Today, it is considered a classic and it was written back in 1966. That work, Miracle at Philadelphia: The Story of the Constitutional Convention, May to September 1787, is about how the Constitution of the United States of America came together.
Now, given that there is so much discourse today about the faith practices of politicians and even the faith practices of the founders of this nation, what the author of this book, Catherine Drinker Bowen, had to say about those founders and their faith practices, lo these forty-four years ago, is instructive. It is instructive because it illustrates many of our founders were Christian in name only.
Bowen states (quote): “Deism was in the air.” To be clear and to define that: Deism believes a Supreme Being created the universe and that the Supreme Being can be determined using reason and by observing the natural world, without need for faith of any kind.
As she states, Deism was in the air. It was a common belief in revolutionary times. It embraced the science of Newton and rejected dogma. Deists called it “natural religion.” In short, Deism says God created the world but did not interfere thereafter with its workings.
Among those who claimed Deistic tendencies were Franklin, Washington, Jefferson, Adams, Paine and many, many more, in fact, a veritable who’s who of those involved with the founding of this nation. To be clear, the record says all these venerable people attended churches we would label as Christian.
But the writings and the public statements made by these folks about religion were decidedly Deist and therefore decidedly not Christian. They proclaimed and applauded this belief in a God who wound up the universe, set it moving and then abandoned it. And Deism is, in many quarters, still a popular belief. [1] (Slight pause.)
Now, this next piece of information might sound like a leap of logic to some. Believe me, it is not.
Have you heard about the flap over the commentator Glenn Beck? He told his audience that if their church or church web site said anything about social justice, they should leave that church because the words social justice are only used by organizations which support Communism and Nazism.
Well, that may be Beck’s opinion. But he has gotten push back from many church quarters, on both the left and the right.
Of course, mainline Protestants, known for social justice positions, took umbrage. But even the Southern Baptists, not exactly a group of liberals, have condemned Beck. Perhaps most prominently, he raised the ire of Roman Catholics.
Writing on the web site of the magazine America the Rev. James Martin, a Jesuit, outlines a history of social action positions proclaimed by Popes over the course several centuries. Then Father Martin takes this defense of social action one step further.
One could assume Beck is telling people to leave the Roman Church, he says, since the Roman Church is deeply involved in social action. But Beck is saying something else, insists Martin. Leave Christianity— period.
Martin quotes a Catholic Archbishop of Brazil, the late Dom Hélder Pessoa Câmara, who is noted for saying (quote): “When I feed the poor, they call me a saint. When I ask why the poor have no food, they call me a communist.” [2] (Slight pause.)
Is God not a God concerned with social issues, social justice? In many quarters this is still a popular belief. (Slight pause.)
Here’s a question: what is the nature of God? Please notice I did not ask about an explanation of God, such as the classic Christian formula has it: God is Trinity. I asked what is the nature of God? In other words, how does God interact with us? What is the response of God to the human condition? (Slight pause.)
At the Bible Study last Wednesday evening— by the way, you are all invited to attend the Bible study it happens most Wednesday evenings here— at the Bible Study it was pointed out the words of Paul are often dense, often hard to understand. (Quote:) “So this makes us ambassadors for Christ, since God is making an appeal directly through us. Therefore, we entreat and implore you on behalf of Christ, and in the name of Christ: be reconciled to God.”
At the time it was pointed out that Paul’s words can be dense, I agreed. I said they are hard to understand. I was wrong. What the Apostle does is start with an assumption about what the reader knows.
In fact, if the reader does not know or does not realize the assumptions Paul makes about what we know, then Paul is hard to understand. But Paul can be readily understood if we know what those assumptions are.
So, what is Paul assuming we know? (Slight pause.) God loves each of us. God loves humanity. God wants to be in covenant with us. In covenant, God has acted and is acting in history.
God acted in history through the Messiah, who is Jesus. This is an affirmation of the covenant God made with humanity. We are, thereby, instruments of the work of this covenant, the work of the Dominion of God. (Slight pause.)
There are many, many common understandings about God, as Catherine Drinker Bowen puts it (quote), “in the air.” These understandings surround us. They include a god who wound up the universe and set it on its course but does not act in our lives and a god who does not care about social justice.
These gods in the atmosphere which surrounds us include the Santa Claus god, one who is supposed to grant whatever we pray for. There is also the god who can be readily or easily be understood without studying Scripture and without grappling with Scripture.
Another prevalent god is the one who does not invite us to do the work of the Dominion— feeding the hungry, caring for the sick. Another prevalent god is a blatantly prejudicial God who seems to somehow always agree with the stand we take. Another equally prejudicial God insists people cause their own trouble and that trouble is never caused by the pressures of society or the dominant systems found in society. (Slight pause.)
These are all gods. And all these are secular gods. None of these descriptions many people believe to be accurate illustrates the God of Scripture. None of these descriptions many people believe to be accurate illustrates the God of Jewish and Christian history. (Slight pause.)
In one specific sense, the God described by Paul is not as easy to understand as the God described in the Gospels. That is because Gospel descriptions are in story form. Today we heard the three stories of the lost in the Fifteenth Chapter of Luke. [3]
The last one is commonly called the Parable of the Prodigal Son, but should be called the Parable of the Loving Parent. And, indeed, in many translations, the parent says to the child who has stayed home (quote): “...you are always— with me...”
Now, the exact same five words in the translation I used today were put this way (quote): “...you are with me— always...” Do you see the difference? “...you are always— with me....” verses “...you are with me— always...”?
For me, “...you are always— with me...” has a sense of a child who is less than willing to be there, a child being dragged along. However, “...you are with me— always...” has a sense that the parent is surrounding the child with an all encompassing love. (Slight pause.)
So, is Paul hard to understand? No. You see, Paul knows the story. Paul is not hard to understand, if you start where Paul starts: with the story.
And this is the story Paul knows: God loves. God surrounds us with love. God loves each of us. God loves humanity. God wants to be in covenant with us. In covenant, God has acted and is acting in history.
God acted in history through the Messiah, who is Jesus. The advent of the Messiah is an affirmation of the covenant God made with humanity. We are, therefore, instruments of the work of this covenant, the work of the Dominion of God.
Now, once we do understand the story, it does present us with a challenge. Are we willing to be (quote): “ambassadors for Christ.” Are we willing to be (quote): “reconciled to God,” this God who invites us to be instruments of justice, instruments of peace, instruments of truth, instruments of hope, instruments of wisdom, instruments of love. Amen.
03/14/2010
United Church of Christ, First Congregational, Norwich, New York
ENDPIECE: It is the practice of the Pastor to speak after the Closing Hymn, but before the Benediction. This, then, is an précis of what the pastor said before the blessing: “Christianity is not simply a religion or a belief or a faith or a philosophy. Christianity is a way of life, a way of thinking about the world and the relationship of God with the world and with all of humanity. It is, hence, a life long journey, an adventure and an experience in which we constantly learn about ourselves and about God. So, I suppose a question to ask of ourselves is: are we willing to sign up for the life long work of being (quote): ‘ambassadors for Christ,’ and the life long work of being (quote): ‘reconciled to God.’ That may be a little more challenging than courtesy on a golf course. What do you think?” [4]
1] Page 215 and ff. Catherine Drinker Bowen, Miracle at Philadelphia: The Story of the Constitutional Convention, May to September 1787; © 1966 Back Bay Books/ Little Brown and Company; Hachette Book Group USA; New York; Republished 1986.
2] America Magazine ~ Glenn Beck to Jesus: Drop Dead ~ A Blog ~ James Martin, S.J. http://www.americamagazine.org/blog/entry.cfm?id=21159420-3048-741E-7761300524585116
3] It should be noted that all of Chapter 15 of Luke was read, as opposed to the Lectionary assignment. The translation used was the Inclusive Language Version by the Priests for Equity.
4] At the Children’s Time the Pastor and another parishioner (with a putter) hit some golf balls toward a target and then the pastor talked about the fact that there was a courtesy on the course which said you did not walk in the line between the ball and the hole of another golfer. The pastor explained this was not just a courtesy but a way of life. Then the pastor related that to the fact that living our life with God was also a “way of life.”
Reconciliation
“So this makes us ambassadors for Christ, since God is making an appeal directly through us. Therefore, we entreat and implore you on behalf of Christ, and in the name of Christ: be reconciled to God.” — 2 Corinthians 5:20.
I have a bad habit. I read books. I want to briefly mention one I have just read. Today, it is considered a classic and it was written back in 1966. That work, Miracle at Philadelphia: The Story of the Constitutional Convention, May to September 1787, is about how the Constitution of the United States of America came together.
Now, given that there is so much discourse today about the faith practices of politicians and even the faith practices of the founders of this nation, what the author of this book, Catherine Drinker Bowen, had to say about those founders and their faith practices, lo these forty-four years ago, is instructive. It is instructive because it illustrates many of our founders were Christian in name only.
Bowen states (quote): “Deism was in the air.” To be clear and to define that: Deism believes a Supreme Being created the universe and that the Supreme Being can be determined using reason and by observing the natural world, without need for faith of any kind.
As she states, Deism was in the air. It was a common belief in revolutionary times. It embraced the science of Newton and rejected dogma. Deists called it “natural religion.” In short, Deism says God created the world but did not interfere thereafter with its workings.
Among those who claimed Deistic tendencies were Franklin, Washington, Jefferson, Adams, Paine and many, many more, in fact, a veritable who’s who of those involved with the founding of this nation. To be clear, the record says all these venerable people attended churches we would label as Christian.
But the writings and the public statements made by these folks about religion were decidedly Deist and therefore decidedly not Christian. They proclaimed and applauded this belief in a God who wound up the universe, set it moving and then abandoned it. And Deism is, in many quarters, still a popular belief. [1] (Slight pause.)
Now, this next piece of information might sound like a leap of logic to some. Believe me, it is not.
Have you heard about the flap over the commentator Glenn Beck? He told his audience that if their church or church web site said anything about social justice, they should leave that church because the words social justice are only used by organizations which support Communism and Nazism.
Well, that may be Beck’s opinion. But he has gotten push back from many church quarters, on both the left and the right.
Of course, mainline Protestants, known for social justice positions, took umbrage. But even the Southern Baptists, not exactly a group of liberals, have condemned Beck. Perhaps most prominently, he raised the ire of Roman Catholics.
Writing on the web site of the magazine America the Rev. James Martin, a Jesuit, outlines a history of social action positions proclaimed by Popes over the course several centuries. Then Father Martin takes this defense of social action one step further.
One could assume Beck is telling people to leave the Roman Church, he says, since the Roman Church is deeply involved in social action. But Beck is saying something else, insists Martin. Leave Christianity— period.
Martin quotes a Catholic Archbishop of Brazil, the late Dom Hélder Pessoa Câmara, who is noted for saying (quote): “When I feed the poor, they call me a saint. When I ask why the poor have no food, they call me a communist.” [2] (Slight pause.)
Is God not a God concerned with social issues, social justice? In many quarters this is still a popular belief. (Slight pause.)
Here’s a question: what is the nature of God? Please notice I did not ask about an explanation of God, such as the classic Christian formula has it: God is Trinity. I asked what is the nature of God? In other words, how does God interact with us? What is the response of God to the human condition? (Slight pause.)
At the Bible Study last Wednesday evening— by the way, you are all invited to attend the Bible study it happens most Wednesday evenings here— at the Bible Study it was pointed out the words of Paul are often dense, often hard to understand. (Quote:) “So this makes us ambassadors for Christ, since God is making an appeal directly through us. Therefore, we entreat and implore you on behalf of Christ, and in the name of Christ: be reconciled to God.”
At the time it was pointed out that Paul’s words can be dense, I agreed. I said they are hard to understand. I was wrong. What the Apostle does is start with an assumption about what the reader knows.
In fact, if the reader does not know or does not realize the assumptions Paul makes about what we know, then Paul is hard to understand. But Paul can be readily understood if we know what those assumptions are.
So, what is Paul assuming we know? (Slight pause.) God loves each of us. God loves humanity. God wants to be in covenant with us. In covenant, God has acted and is acting in history.
God acted in history through the Messiah, who is Jesus. This is an affirmation of the covenant God made with humanity. We are, thereby, instruments of the work of this covenant, the work of the Dominion of God. (Slight pause.)
There are many, many common understandings about God, as Catherine Drinker Bowen puts it (quote), “in the air.” These understandings surround us. They include a god who wound up the universe and set it on its course but does not act in our lives and a god who does not care about social justice.
These gods in the atmosphere which surrounds us include the Santa Claus god, one who is supposed to grant whatever we pray for. There is also the god who can be readily or easily be understood without studying Scripture and without grappling with Scripture.
Another prevalent god is the one who does not invite us to do the work of the Dominion— feeding the hungry, caring for the sick. Another prevalent god is a blatantly prejudicial God who seems to somehow always agree with the stand we take. Another equally prejudicial God insists people cause their own trouble and that trouble is never caused by the pressures of society or the dominant systems found in society. (Slight pause.)
These are all gods. And all these are secular gods. None of these descriptions many people believe to be accurate illustrates the God of Scripture. None of these descriptions many people believe to be accurate illustrates the God of Jewish and Christian history. (Slight pause.)
In one specific sense, the God described by Paul is not as easy to understand as the God described in the Gospels. That is because Gospel descriptions are in story form. Today we heard the three stories of the lost in the Fifteenth Chapter of Luke. [3]
The last one is commonly called the Parable of the Prodigal Son, but should be called the Parable of the Loving Parent. And, indeed, in many translations, the parent says to the child who has stayed home (quote): “...you are always— with me...”
Now, the exact same five words in the translation I used today were put this way (quote): “...you are with me— always...” Do you see the difference? “...you are always— with me....” verses “...you are with me— always...”?
For me, “...you are always— with me...” has a sense of a child who is less than willing to be there, a child being dragged along. However, “...you are with me— always...” has a sense that the parent is surrounding the child with an all encompassing love. (Slight pause.)
So, is Paul hard to understand? No. You see, Paul knows the story. Paul is not hard to understand, if you start where Paul starts: with the story.
And this is the story Paul knows: God loves. God surrounds us with love. God loves each of us. God loves humanity. God wants to be in covenant with us. In covenant, God has acted and is acting in history.
God acted in history through the Messiah, who is Jesus. The advent of the Messiah is an affirmation of the covenant God made with humanity. We are, therefore, instruments of the work of this covenant, the work of the Dominion of God.
Now, once we do understand the story, it does present us with a challenge. Are we willing to be (quote): “ambassadors for Christ.” Are we willing to be (quote): “reconciled to God,” this God who invites us to be instruments of justice, instruments of peace, instruments of truth, instruments of hope, instruments of wisdom, instruments of love. Amen.
03/14/2010
United Church of Christ, First Congregational, Norwich, New York
ENDPIECE: It is the practice of the Pastor to speak after the Closing Hymn, but before the Benediction. This, then, is an précis of what the pastor said before the blessing: “Christianity is not simply a religion or a belief or a faith or a philosophy. Christianity is a way of life, a way of thinking about the world and the relationship of God with the world and with all of humanity. It is, hence, a life long journey, an adventure and an experience in which we constantly learn about ourselves and about God. So, I suppose a question to ask of ourselves is: are we willing to sign up for the life long work of being (quote): ‘ambassadors for Christ,’ and the life long work of being (quote): ‘reconciled to God.’ That may be a little more challenging than courtesy on a golf course. What do you think?” [4]
1] Page 215 and ff. Catherine Drinker Bowen, Miracle at Philadelphia: The Story of the Constitutional Convention, May to September 1787; © 1966 Back Bay Books/ Little Brown and Company; Hachette Book Group USA; New York; Republished 1986.
2] America Magazine ~ Glenn Beck to Jesus: Drop Dead ~ A Blog ~ James Martin, S.J. http://www.americamagazine.org/blog/entry.cfm?id=21159420-3048-741E-7761300524585116
3] It should be noted that all of Chapter 15 of Luke was read, as opposed to the Lectionary assignment. The translation used was the Inclusive Language Version by the Priests for Equity.
4] At the Children’s Time the Pastor and another parishioner (with a putter) hit some golf balls toward a target and then the pastor talked about the fact that there was a courtesy on the course which said you did not walk in the line between the ball and the hole of another golfer. The pastor explained this was not just a courtesy but a way of life. Then the pastor related that to the fact that living our life with God was also a “way of life.”
Sunday, March 7, 2010
03/07/2010 ~ Third Sunday in Lent ~ Isaiah 55:1-9; Psalm 63:1-8; 1 Corinthians 10:1-13; Luke 13:1-9 ~ Communion Sunday ~ Girl Scout Sunday.
“I call out to all who thirst: / come to the waters; / and you that have no money, / come, buy and eat! / Come, buy wine and milk / without money and without price.” — Isaiah 55:1.
Once again this week there is an insert in the bulletin, as there was last week, with guidance for Lent gleaned from the so called Desert Fathers and Mothers. These people were largely both hermits and they were refugees from the chaos and turmoil of Third Century Rome. The information on the insert was compiled by the Rev. Mr. Michael Caine. I came across it too late to put in the March Newsletter, so I asked Cheri to run it in the bulletin for a couple of weeks.
Michael, as it says in that insert, went to college with the Rev. Mr. Jim Hollister, the 32nd and previous Pastor of this church. And I got to know Michael as a colleague and friend, since he was the Area Conference Minister in the Metropolitan Area of New York Conference. As we liked to say in the theater business: ‘it’s a tight circuit.’
Some time ago, Michael heard and heeded a call out of Conference ministry work and back into local parish work. Given his training and experience, he went into the very difficult area called Transitional Ministry.
This is a specialized field, temporary work with churches, stints limited to three or at most four years. The are churches who need this kind of Transitional Ministry because usually they have had usually had serious internal conflict. By its nature, this ministry very much focuses on spiritual renewal.
Michael currently serves the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Old First Reformed Church. In a recent writing to that church, Michael tells a story found in Harry Golden’s book Only in America, a series of essays about growing up Jewish in the 1940s and 50s.
In it, Golden addressed a frustration about the religious habits of his father. His Dad frequently and loudly proclaimed agnosticism. But every time the synagogue doors opened, Golden’s father was there— never missed a service.
While still a teen, Harry confronted that apparent hypocrisy. “You say you doubt God exists,” he sputtered nervously to his Dad, “but you go anyway. Why?”
“There are many reasons to go to synagogue,” replied his father. “Take Silverberg. Silverberg goes to talk to God. Me? I go to talk to Silverberg.” (Slight pause.)
Indeed, says Caine, individuals often go to church to find community. And, indeed, says Caine, some in that community might be only loosely defined as “the faithful,” because, like Golden’s Dad, the purpose of their presence in a congregation is not to be in dialogue with God but is strictly confined to seeing friends.
On the other hand, both Jesus and the Hebrew Scriptures are clear about how God and the community are of import and intertwine and interact. Quoting Deuteronomy, Jesus says, the greatest commandment is ‘to love God with one’s heart, mind and soul.’ And, quoting Leviticus, Jesus says the second is like unto it. ‘Love one’s neighbor as oneself.’ (Slight pause.)
Michael told that story about Harry Golden’s father because one of his parishioners sent him a letter which said she did not want the church to grow. She was comfortable with the size it’s at right now.
Caine appreciated the fact that this parishioner was forthright. After all, he insisted, the much more common opinion expressed is a fear that ‘no one wants to join us.’ This is clearly a sign of the low self-esteem found in mainline churches and little else, he says.
However, the note did lead Michael to ponder the shear impossibility of knowing more than, perhaps, a couple of dozen people really, really well. Once you get beyond that the number, knowing someone in depth, by definition, becomes tenuous.
Therefore, asked Michael, if one joins a community of faith, what should the true purpose be? Should it be, like Harry Golden’s Dad, to know Silverberg really, really well?
Or perhaps the fear of Caine’s parishioner, that she might need to know every last member really, really well to be fully a part of that community, is valid. After all, knowing others really, really well is an outsized demand, in and of itself. If the church community grows, knowing a lot of people really, really well, is out of the question.
But is there not another possibility, Caine asks? Is it conceivable the purpose of living within a Christian community is not to know every last member really, really well. Is it not possible that the primary purpose of living within a Christian Community is to first strive to know God, Christ, the Spirit? (Slight pause.)
As I said earlier, last Saturday, my friend, Ken Andersen died. As sure as I am that some of you knew him, I am sure some did not. Ken was a Methodist— which we did not hold against him. Now, perhaps due, in part, to our common Brooklyn, New York heritage, he and I became friends over the last thirteen years plus.
I got to know Ken both through ecumenical services of worship with the other churches and through the Norwich Rotary Club. In fact, I remember once, in the middle of a service, I called out a question to Ken and he responded in his loud, clear voice. And, so, it was as a friend and because of that friendship, I attended Ken’s Memorial Service.
His son Mark, who now lives in Louisiana, made some comments as Ken was remembered. He said there was only one tribute he wanted to give his Dad and he labeled it as the best tribute he could give. He simply asked us to look at one another. And he paused and waited while we did that.
Then he asked us to realize we knew each other through his Dad and because of living in the community called Norwich with all its institutions from church to Rotary. Even though he, Mark, now lives in Louisiana, he said we were still his real family. (Slight pause.)
And these words are found in the work known as the Scroll of the Prophet Isaiah: “I call out to all who thirst: / come to the waters; / and you that have no money, / come, buy and eat! / Come, buy wine and milk / without money and without price.” (Slight pause.)
If nothing else is clear, this should be: God offers the covenant. It is a free gift. God offers grace. It is a free gift. These are to be cherished. These have no assignable value. These are priceless. (Slight pause.)
Can we, mere mortals, know God? I think the Biblical witness is clear on that topic. The answer is yes and deeply. But the answer is also that we cannot know God fully. The fullness of God, the goodness of God, is beyond our understanding, beyond our mortal grasp.
But, in fact, the place to which God always calls us is to strive for a fuller, deeper, richer understanding of God. How can that happen? How does that happen? (Slight pause.)
Relationship with God happens in the same way human relationships happen. In a human relationship, how deeply we to get to know one another tends to depend on how deeply we are willing to interact with each other and how deeply we are willing to trust each other.
And, just like human relationships, institutions help. I knew Ken Andersen through church and Rotary, flawed human institutions, especially the church.
But the fact of the matter also is, none of us is perfect. We are flawed. We are not God. We are human. On the other hand, our relationships with one another, for all their imperfections, can reflect the depth of a relationship with God. (Slight pause.)
I want to suggest our relationships with God and each other— these relationships is priceless. As Mark Andersen indicated, those gathered at that memorial service knew each other, we were in relationship with each other, through Ken. And those relationships were nurtured through many institutions here in this town.
So, I want to suggest that the true, tried, steady path toward enriching relationship with God is by striving to first know God deeply. That is the initial step. What follows is that, being human, we get to know one another, in a flawed way, not fully, but we get to know each other. And sometimes, it is even through this flawed institution called church.
But I think Michael Caine is right. Knowing God needs to come first. Then church can really, really help in knowing one another. Otherwise, Rotary, not church, is all we need. (Slight pause.) And they may say a prayer at Rotary meetings but I am not sure you’ll find a deeper path toward God there. And I say that as a Rotarian. (Slight pause.)
Let me make a presumption. Let me presume you are doing your best to know God. Now, just like Ken’s son did at his service, I am just going to ask you to look around and look at the person near you. And I’ll wait while you do that. (Slight pause.) Please recognize that in that person you can see a reflection of God. (Slight pause.)
So, seems easy, doesn’t it? First: love God. Get to know God. Then, love neighbor. Get to know neighbor. Loving God, knowing God— priceless. Loving neighbor, knowing neighbor— priceless. (Slight pause.) Amen.
03/07/2010
United Church of Christ, First Congregational, Norwich, NY
ENDPIECE: It is the practice of the Pastor to speak after the Closing Hymn, but before the Benediction. This, then, is an précis of what the pastor said before the blessing: “As I suggested, Transitional Ministry concentrates in spiritual growth. Why? It does not matter how big or small a church is. It does not matter if a church grows in size. If there is no spiritual growth, there is no growth. Transitional Ministry does ask how deep is our faith and how deep do we want our relationship with God to be, knowing that once we know God more deeply we will know one another more deeply.”
Priceless
“I call out to all who thirst: / come to the waters; / and you that have no money, / come, buy and eat! / Come, buy wine and milk / without money and without price.” — Isaiah 55:1.
Once again this week there is an insert in the bulletin, as there was last week, with guidance for Lent gleaned from the so called Desert Fathers and Mothers. These people were largely both hermits and they were refugees from the chaos and turmoil of Third Century Rome. The information on the insert was compiled by the Rev. Mr. Michael Caine. I came across it too late to put in the March Newsletter, so I asked Cheri to run it in the bulletin for a couple of weeks.
Michael, as it says in that insert, went to college with the Rev. Mr. Jim Hollister, the 32nd and previous Pastor of this church. And I got to know Michael as a colleague and friend, since he was the Area Conference Minister in the Metropolitan Area of New York Conference. As we liked to say in the theater business: ‘it’s a tight circuit.’
Some time ago, Michael heard and heeded a call out of Conference ministry work and back into local parish work. Given his training and experience, he went into the very difficult area called Transitional Ministry.
This is a specialized field, temporary work with churches, stints limited to three or at most four years. The are churches who need this kind of Transitional Ministry because usually they have had usually had serious internal conflict. By its nature, this ministry very much focuses on spiritual renewal.
Michael currently serves the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Old First Reformed Church. In a recent writing to that church, Michael tells a story found in Harry Golden’s book Only in America, a series of essays about growing up Jewish in the 1940s and 50s.
In it, Golden addressed a frustration about the religious habits of his father. His Dad frequently and loudly proclaimed agnosticism. But every time the synagogue doors opened, Golden’s father was there— never missed a service.
While still a teen, Harry confronted that apparent hypocrisy. “You say you doubt God exists,” he sputtered nervously to his Dad, “but you go anyway. Why?”
“There are many reasons to go to synagogue,” replied his father. “Take Silverberg. Silverberg goes to talk to God. Me? I go to talk to Silverberg.” (Slight pause.)
Indeed, says Caine, individuals often go to church to find community. And, indeed, says Caine, some in that community might be only loosely defined as “the faithful,” because, like Golden’s Dad, the purpose of their presence in a congregation is not to be in dialogue with God but is strictly confined to seeing friends.
On the other hand, both Jesus and the Hebrew Scriptures are clear about how God and the community are of import and intertwine and interact. Quoting Deuteronomy, Jesus says, the greatest commandment is ‘to love God with one’s heart, mind and soul.’ And, quoting Leviticus, Jesus says the second is like unto it. ‘Love one’s neighbor as oneself.’ (Slight pause.)
Michael told that story about Harry Golden’s father because one of his parishioners sent him a letter which said she did not want the church to grow. She was comfortable with the size it’s at right now.
Caine appreciated the fact that this parishioner was forthright. After all, he insisted, the much more common opinion expressed is a fear that ‘no one wants to join us.’ This is clearly a sign of the low self-esteem found in mainline churches and little else, he says.
However, the note did lead Michael to ponder the shear impossibility of knowing more than, perhaps, a couple of dozen people really, really well. Once you get beyond that the number, knowing someone in depth, by definition, becomes tenuous.
Therefore, asked Michael, if one joins a community of faith, what should the true purpose be? Should it be, like Harry Golden’s Dad, to know Silverberg really, really well?
Or perhaps the fear of Caine’s parishioner, that she might need to know every last member really, really well to be fully a part of that community, is valid. After all, knowing others really, really well is an outsized demand, in and of itself. If the church community grows, knowing a lot of people really, really well, is out of the question.
But is there not another possibility, Caine asks? Is it conceivable the purpose of living within a Christian community is not to know every last member really, really well. Is it not possible that the primary purpose of living within a Christian Community is to first strive to know God, Christ, the Spirit? (Slight pause.)
As I said earlier, last Saturday, my friend, Ken Andersen died. As sure as I am that some of you knew him, I am sure some did not. Ken was a Methodist— which we did not hold against him. Now, perhaps due, in part, to our common Brooklyn, New York heritage, he and I became friends over the last thirteen years plus.
I got to know Ken both through ecumenical services of worship with the other churches and through the Norwich Rotary Club. In fact, I remember once, in the middle of a service, I called out a question to Ken and he responded in his loud, clear voice. And, so, it was as a friend and because of that friendship, I attended Ken’s Memorial Service.
His son Mark, who now lives in Louisiana, made some comments as Ken was remembered. He said there was only one tribute he wanted to give his Dad and he labeled it as the best tribute he could give. He simply asked us to look at one another. And he paused and waited while we did that.
Then he asked us to realize we knew each other through his Dad and because of living in the community called Norwich with all its institutions from church to Rotary. Even though he, Mark, now lives in Louisiana, he said we were still his real family. (Slight pause.)
And these words are found in the work known as the Scroll of the Prophet Isaiah: “I call out to all who thirst: / come to the waters; / and you that have no money, / come, buy and eat! / Come, buy wine and milk / without money and without price.” (Slight pause.)
If nothing else is clear, this should be: God offers the covenant. It is a free gift. God offers grace. It is a free gift. These are to be cherished. These have no assignable value. These are priceless. (Slight pause.)
Can we, mere mortals, know God? I think the Biblical witness is clear on that topic. The answer is yes and deeply. But the answer is also that we cannot know God fully. The fullness of God, the goodness of God, is beyond our understanding, beyond our mortal grasp.
But, in fact, the place to which God always calls us is to strive for a fuller, deeper, richer understanding of God. How can that happen? How does that happen? (Slight pause.)
Relationship with God happens in the same way human relationships happen. In a human relationship, how deeply we to get to know one another tends to depend on how deeply we are willing to interact with each other and how deeply we are willing to trust each other.
And, just like human relationships, institutions help. I knew Ken Andersen through church and Rotary, flawed human institutions, especially the church.
But the fact of the matter also is, none of us is perfect. We are flawed. We are not God. We are human. On the other hand, our relationships with one another, for all their imperfections, can reflect the depth of a relationship with God. (Slight pause.)
I want to suggest our relationships with God and each other— these relationships is priceless. As Mark Andersen indicated, those gathered at that memorial service knew each other, we were in relationship with each other, through Ken. And those relationships were nurtured through many institutions here in this town.
So, I want to suggest that the true, tried, steady path toward enriching relationship with God is by striving to first know God deeply. That is the initial step. What follows is that, being human, we get to know one another, in a flawed way, not fully, but we get to know each other. And sometimes, it is even through this flawed institution called church.
But I think Michael Caine is right. Knowing God needs to come first. Then church can really, really help in knowing one another. Otherwise, Rotary, not church, is all we need. (Slight pause.) And they may say a prayer at Rotary meetings but I am not sure you’ll find a deeper path toward God there. And I say that as a Rotarian. (Slight pause.)
Let me make a presumption. Let me presume you are doing your best to know God. Now, just like Ken’s son did at his service, I am just going to ask you to look around and look at the person near you. And I’ll wait while you do that. (Slight pause.) Please recognize that in that person you can see a reflection of God. (Slight pause.)
So, seems easy, doesn’t it? First: love God. Get to know God. Then, love neighbor. Get to know neighbor. Loving God, knowing God— priceless. Loving neighbor, knowing neighbor— priceless. (Slight pause.) Amen.
03/07/2010
United Church of Christ, First Congregational, Norwich, NY
ENDPIECE: It is the practice of the Pastor to speak after the Closing Hymn, but before the Benediction. This, then, is an précis of what the pastor said before the blessing: “As I suggested, Transitional Ministry concentrates in spiritual growth. Why? It does not matter how big or small a church is. It does not matter if a church grows in size. If there is no spiritual growth, there is no growth. Transitional Ministry does ask how deep is our faith and how deep do we want our relationship with God to be, knowing that once we know God more deeply we will know one another more deeply.”
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)