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.”
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