The Three Way Covenant ~ 09/26/2010 ~ Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost ~ 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time

09/26/2010 ~ Proper 21 ~ 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time ~ Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost ~ Jeremiah 32:1-3a, 6-15; Psalm 91:1-6, 14-16; Amos 6:1a, 4-7; Psalm 146; 1 Timothy 6:6-19; Luke 16:19-31.

The Three Way Covenant

“‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets,’ Abraham and Sarah replied, ‘neither will they be convinced even if someone should rise from the dead.’” — Luke 16:31.


As you may be aware, I publish a blog on the Internet with all my sermons. Occasionally, I put other writing on the blog, but not often. On the other hand, several colleagues, pastors, publish things on their blogs other than sermons with great regularity.

I’ve mentioned one of those colleagues here before: the Rev. Mr. Michael Caine, formerly the Regional Conference Minister in the Metro Area of the New York Conference of the United Church of Christ, now serving the Old First Reformed Church, United Church of Christ in Philadelphia. This week, in a writing he did outside of a sermon, he recorded some thoughts on how people interact in church.

I’d like to share some of Michael’s thoughts on the topic. I will take the liberty of paraphrasing what he wrote in some places while expanding in others. But this is certainly the thrust of what he said. (Slight pause.)

Time, energy and anxiety are often dedicated in inverse proportion to the importance of the issue at hand in a church. Keeping perspective, letting go of minutiae, can help people focus on what the significant issues really are: justice, service, sharing the love God offers in our increasingly diverse world, a world which seems to us to be constantly smaller and smaller.

The long and the short of it is, wasting time on what doesn’t matter is not appropriate. Spending time on what does matter gives the church, gives people hope— don’t sweat the small stuff.

Next, with an interesting turn of phrase, Michael also said this: in a church the sky doesn’t fall very often, so don’t get yourself all in a twitter. After all, how many mistakes in church life and in the life of a church are either irreversible or deadly? Rare are the choices that warrant the kind of competitive, all or nothing, win or lose holy wars which sometimes, perhaps too often, get acted out in churches.

So, when we stumble (and we will stumble), we need to get back up, brush ourselves off and try again. Often mistakes are the best way to learn. Real growth, says Michael, growth in the sense of maturing, is almost always difficult and time consuming.

Unquestionably we, the church, need to strive to be good stewards. There are wrong answers. But there are rarely perfect answers. Therefore, letting go, trusting others, waiting to see and being patient over time are all spiritual disciplines and are key ingredients in living life to its fullest. (Slight pause.)

Michael also said it’s likely what a majority of people want is only what is best for a church. There might be disagreements, but given time, appropriate intentional process and rational behavior— underline that one— rational behavior— things can be worked out.

But and therefore, the people of a church also need to remember the church and the people of a church, have a history. And history is actually longer than any of our one on one interactions today.

The history of a church, and the effects of that history, you see, go back long before any of us were members here, and indeed, long before any of us were born. Whether or not we know it and whether or not we admit it, our own history, the church history, from a long time ago still has an effect on us today. And the history of this congregation and its involvement in the world in which we live is a long one.

In 1862 this church called the Rev. Mr. Samuel Scoville to be Pastor and Teacher here. Sam was the son-in-law of Henry Ward Beecher. Needless to say, Harriet Beecher Stowe, author of Uncle Tom’s Cabin, was the sister of Sam’s Father-in-law. And, while the story is apocryphal, it is alleged that when Abraham Lincoln met Stowe, the President remarked, “So, you’re the little lady who started the Civil War!”

Apocryphal or not, what that story makes clear is this church was deeply involved in the abolitionist movement. And, if you think the abolitionist movement was popular, you are sadly mistaken. (Many folks will tall you it did cause the Civil War.) But certainly to take a stand which says all people are equal still effects who we are, these hundred and fifty years later. (Slight pause.)

Now, as we all know, history can be more immediate too. Old battles between individuals who are currently members in a church may be and even are probably remembered. The wounds from those may smart.

However, when it comes to those places where individuals feel as if they are wounded, we need to give one another (to use a cliché) “the benefit of the doubt.” ‘Benefit of the doubt’— that’s a secular way of speaking about grace.

Here’s another way of saying this: collaboration is vital to church. Collaboration is key to church. Collaboration is at the heart of what it means to be church and needs to be at the heart of our mutual engagement. Collaboration gives us a great ability to listen and to learn from one another. (Slight pause.)

To sum up Michael’s reflections: whether we are talking about keeping perspective or maturity in relating to one another or our personal history or our institutional history, this is clear: the basis of church, the different label a church uses for that term collaboration, is called covenant— covenant relationship with each other. (Slight pause.)

And these words are from the Gospel commonly referred to as Luke: “‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets,’ Abraham and Sarah replied, ‘neither will they be convinced even if someone should rise from the dead.’” (Slight pause.)

Another colleague of mine (not Michael) recently told me about a bumper sticker: “Non-judgmental Day is Near.” (Slight pause.) Please, please do not think the story of Lazarus and the person of wealth as having to do with any kind of judgment or even a judgment day. Nothing could be further from the truth.

The story of Lazarus— and by the way Lazarus is the only subject directly named in any parable Jesus told and the name means ‘God is my help’— the story of Lazarus and the person who had been rich is a story about relationships, not a story about judgment.

It is also a story about the human condition. It is a story about people closing their eyes to what is right in front of them.

Based on how the story is told, it seems unlikely the wealthy man even admitted Lazarus was even there. And, indeed, when Abraham and Sarah say “If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced even if someone should rise from the dead” the implication is obvious. You are offered all the help you need in identifying the situation. And you... did nothing. (Slight pause.)

As the Evangelist Jim Wallis likes to say: there are 3,000 verses in Scripture about poverty and injustice. Very few of those 3,000 verses are ambiguous. They describe God as being on the side of the poor and demanding justice for the poor.

To draw a contrast: there are a couple of verses about sexual behavior. And all of them are ambiguous. And on what topic does our society focus? Not on the Biblical topic— the three thousand verses. (Slight pause.)

The Census bureau released some statistics last week. The one which shocked most people said 43.6 million Americans currently live in poverty. That’s about 14% of the population, more than at any point in the last 51 years. (Slight pause.) And there are about 3,000 verses in Scripture concerning poverty and injustice. (Slight pause.)

If there is any message in today’s Gospel reading it is this: we need to listen for the Voice of God. We need to listen to what Moses and the Prophets say. And what do Moses and the Prophets say? (Slight pause.) There are about 3,000 verses in Scripture concerning poverty and injustice. Very few of them are ambiguous. (Slight pause.)

Now, you might be thinking, “O.K. But what can I do about a problem that big?” Let me assure you that you cannot fix it and that it is not your job to fix it and God is not calling on any of us to fix it. God is calling us to be in covenant relationship with one other.

The parable of Lazarus is not about judgement and neither is it about the wealthy person fixing the system alone. It is about the fact that the wealthy person had no relationship, no understanding of the covenant with Lazarus. It’s about the fact that the wealthy person did not even have a relationship, no understanding of the covenant with Moses and the prophets— the history of Israel.

A final word: the covenant with God is a three way covenant. It’s you and it’s me and it’s God all in covenant together. And then... and then... it starts all over again.

[The pastor moves from the pulpit and points at individuals and repeats what was just said.] It’s you and it’s me and it’s God. And it’s you and it’s me and it’s God. And it’s you and it’s me and it’s God.

The question is not ‘can we do this?’ Covenant is possible. The question is: ‘are we willing to do this?’ Amen.

09/26/2010
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: “We in the United Church of Christ, we in the Congregational tradition, tend to talk a lot about covenant. One of the things we need to remember about covenant it that it goes beyond this congregation to the other congregations in the Association, in the Conference and in the Denomination. Here’s an example: yesterday there was an Association meeting. I announced that this afternoon Chris Hedges would be speaking here and made some flyers about the event available. One woman came up to Bonnie and pressed a ten dollar bill into her hand for the speaker. That connective-ness, that covenant— she got it.”

Balm ~ 09/19/2010 ~ 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time ~ Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost

09/19/2010 ~ 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time ~ Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost ~ Proper 20 ~ Jeremiah 8:18-9:1; Psalm 79:1-9; Amos 8:4-7; Psalm 113; 1 Timothy 2:1-7; Luke 16:1-13.

Balm

“Is there no balm in Gilead? / Is there no physician there? / Why, then, has the health of my poor people / not been attended to, restored?” — Jeremiah 8:22


Karen Armstrong is a former nun. But she is also a British scholar of comparative religion. Armstrong first rose to prominence in 1993 with her book A History of God, a work that made the New York Times best seller list. In her research on religion she places an emphasis on the Golden Rule: ‘Do unto others as you would have others do unto you.’

In 2008, $100,000 in funding was set up by a non-profit group to help develop and spread a document which has become known as the Charter for Compassion under Armstrong’s guidance. This charter is an expression of the universal truth found in the spirit of the Golden Rule. It is an effort to identify shared moral priorities across traditions. It is an effort to foster global understanding.

The Charter for Compassion was unveiled in 2009 and the signers of this document are quite diverse. They include Queen Noor of Jordan, the Dalai Lama, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Deepak Chopra and Paul Simon (to name a few). You yourself, in fact, can find the Charter on line and add your name to it as a signer.

This is what the charter says (quote:) “The principle of compassion lies at the heart of all religious, ethical and spiritual traditions, calling us always to treat all others as we wish to be treated ourselves. Compassion impels us to work tirelessly to alleviate the suffering of our fellow creatures, to dethrone ourselves from the center of our world and put another there and to honor the inviolable sanctity of every single human being, treating everybody, without exception, with absolute justice, equity and respect.”

“It is also necessary in both public and private life to refrain consistently and empathically from inflicting pain. To act or speak violently out of spite, chauvinism, or self-interest, to impoverish, exploit or deny basic rights to anybody and to incite hatred by denigrating others— even our enemies— is a denial of our common humanity. We acknowledge that we have failed to live compassionately and that some have even increased the sum of human misery in the name of religion.”

“We therefore call upon all men and women: * to restore compassion to the center of morality and religion; * to return to the ancient principle that any interpretation of scripture that breeds violence, hatred or disdain is illegitimate; * to ensure that youth are given accurate and respectful information about other traditions, religions and cultures; * to encourage a positive appreciation of cultural and religious diversity; * to cultivate an informed empathy with the suffering of all human beings— even those regarded as enemies.”

“We urgently need to make compassion a clear, luminous and dynamic force in our polarized world. Rooted in a principled determination to transcend selfishness, compassion can break down political, dogmatic, ideological and religious boundaries. Born of our deep interdependence, compassion is essential to human relationships and to a fulfilled humanity. It is the path to enlightenment, and indispensable to the creation of a just economy and a peaceful global community.” [1] (Slight pause.)

I probably need to note there are some who would say this document is not Biblical, in that it does not reference the Bible and its contents directly. That’s actually true. But it is equally accurate to say the document contains nothing which fails to affirm— affirm— Biblical principles. (Slight pause.)

And these words are from the Scroll of the Prophet Jeremiah: “Is there no balm in Gilead? / Is there no physician there? / Why, then, has the health of my poor people / not been attended to, restored?” (Slight pause.)

Intercessory prayer is a difficult task for many people. Sometimes we simply do not know what to ask for and feel helpless in presenting to God a troubled friend or family member whose need baffles us. At other times we become fearful of asking for too much, lest our very prayers begin to make sharp demands on us to supply for the needs of those for whom we pray— like food to the hungry and companionship to the lonely. (If you, yourself, aren’t going to do something about it, why are you praying about it?) [Slight pause.]

In this text, the prophet mourns because the people have brought about their own isolation from Yahweh and the initiatives of Yahweh. And Yahweh, in fact, longs to save the people.

The lament of the prophet is clear (quote:) “Hark! Hear the cry of my people / who are in distress; / hear that cry far and wide / from a distant land: / ‘Is Yahweh not in Zion? / Is its ruler not in her, / not there anymore?’ For the hurt of my poor people I am hurt, / I mourn, and dismay has taken hold of me.”

This is an intercessory prayer, nothing more, nothing less. And what does prayer do, what is prayer about?

Prayer is a dialogue, a conversation with God which names the issue and seeks the will of God, nothing more, nothing less. The prophet names the issue, the situation— and pleads for mercy.

But it is also clear that Yahweh, God, is in anguish. So, it is not just Jeremiah’s joy that is gone but the joy of Yahweh as well.

Why? How? The people provoke Yahweh with (quote): “their graven images, / with their carved images / with their foreign gods.” In its own way this is also a lament.

And, indeed, it is when the prayer of the prophet becomes a true dialogue with God that this prayer becomes transformative for us. Prayer, as I said, is, by definition, dialogue with God. And, indeed, in that response God also names the issue, the situation. And the issue seems to be that the people are not listening to the Voice of God.

After all, if one does not listen to the Voice of God, how can there be any hope for dialogue? (Slight pause.) Needles to say, the eternal question remains: what does the Voice of God say? To where is the Voice of God calling us? (Slight pause.)

I am quite sure there are some who would construe this passage to mean God is a vengeful God, if only in the response offered by God. Some might even say that a vengeful, angry God is good. Some people like to dwell on the thought that God might be merciless.

I am not sure why that is. It is a sentiment which seems to insist the reactions God would have are human reactions— reactions of violence. This, therefore, simply turning God into another human. It also seems to be an attempt to domesticate God— this talk of a violent God— to domesticate God, to transform God, to insist God is petty and petulant. (Slight pause.) Now, if this is really a dialogue between the prophet and God where does it come down, what is the sentiment being expressed in the prayer?

(Slight pause.) The words of this passage clearly ask a specific question (quote): “Is there no balm in Gilead?” Now, you’ve probably noticed that the well known hymn, the anthem offered by the choir, There Is a Balm in Gilead, turns that question around. The hymn states the presence of a balm in the positive.

In short, the hymn insists the physician— in this case, God— is there for us. The compassion of God, a compassion which is an overriding theme in Scripture, is a theme central to Scripture and central to our relationship with God is there says the hymn. In fact, later, in the Ninth Chapter of Jeremiah, words are recorded in the Voice of God which make the commitment of God to a relationship of covenant clear.

And what is a relationship of covenant? A relationship of covenant is a commitment to mutual growth. Mutual growth is impossible without... dialogue. If one side refuses to dialogue with God, refuses to grow, refuses to learn, the covenant is abandoned. God is abandoned.

All of which is to say, compassion is a central aspect of covenant. Compassion needs to be a central aspect of our relationship with one another. Compassion is a central aspect of the relationship of God with us. And what is compassion? Compassion is the balm in Gilead. Amen.

09/18/2010
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: “Yahweh is provoked with (quote): ‘their graven images, / with their carved images / with their foreign gods.’ I think this is clear: you, me, we all have foreign gods of some kind lurking somewhere in our subconscious. For some, that foreign god is tribalism. Tribalism says anyone not like us needs to be a target for violence. But that is not the compassion God seeks, is it?”

[1] http://charterforcompassion.org

SEPTEMBER NEWSLETTER - LETTER TO THE CHURCH

Dear Friends in Christ,

I have always maintained the term “organized religion” is an oxymoron. Well, a recent Alban Institute article speaks to the fact that many young adults (those born from about 1975 through about 1992— and there are in the neighborhood of 72 million of these folks) can, at least loosely, be categorized under the newly invented heading “Nones” when it comes to church involvement.

Younger than the general population, Nones do believe in God. But Nones are skeptical about “organized religion.” For them, “organized religion” is an oxymoron too. Hence, the name Nones— no church affiliation.

Still, this group is largely made up of socially-conscious people, people who want to make an impact. But they do not relate well to “traditional institutional structures,” like churches.

Now, many studies say membership is declining in mainline Protestant denominations, in part because they don’t evangelize well. Indeed, ask someone who belongs to a mainline church about the “E” word and you will likely be told those of us in the mainline are culturally self-conscious about evangelism.

So, the advent of the Nones, these people who want to make an impact but do not relate well to “traditional institutional structures,” may be good news for the mainline churches. Why? Nones are put off by traditional evangelism techniques, the very techniques we in mainline churches tend to reject.

This poses an obvious question: how does one evangelize without evangelizing? In the Alban Institute article mentioned above, Tom Brackett, church planting specialist for the Episcopal Church, says: “One reason many churches don’t evangelize well is they feel the motivation for it is too self-serving.” Indeed, Brackett believes a focus on evangelism as a strategy for church growth is counterproductive, especially with young adults. A more positive approach lies “in pointing out the ways God is already active, transforming lives, connecting us to each other.”

In 2008, The Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts initiated the Relational Evangelism Pilot Project. This project, this ministry is not about “converting” anyone.

This ministry strives first to listen for what another person wants, feels, is saying. (When your prime goal is to listen, you don’t convert anyone. God does the converting.) So, this “relational evangelism” is about having deep relationships. Or, as I have said from the pulpit: evangelism is easy. All it requires is being friendly.

The Gospel, you see, has always been spread by building relationships and community. Further, when members of a church strive to build relationship by sharing what the mission of that congregation is about, that church then offers ways a newcomer can become involved. I would suggest “relational evangelism” is crucial not only in this age of religious pluralism, it is actually how real evangelism has been done since the day after Pentecost.

When we strive to be relational through intentional listening, people can become open to the love God offers. The love offered by God always seeks a deeper relationship with all creation and always responds to heartache which can be seen in the world. In short, relational evangelism can contribute to the creation of healthy environments in which young adults listen to God at work in their lives and discern ways their gifts can contribute to the reign of God. This can lead them to make the impact they seek to make.

All of which is to reiterate: this should be good news for those of us in churches which are “culturally self-conscious about evangelism.” We do not need to worry about the “E” word. We need to actively participate in the “R” word: relationship.

Here is one way to “actively participate in the ‘R’ word.” The Pulitzer Prize winning author, Chris Hedges, will be speaking at our church at 3:00 p.m. on Sunday, September 26th. Do you know someone who might be interested in hearing Chris? You can practice “relational evangelism.” Invite a friend to come listen.


In Faith,


Joe Connolly

P.S. A reminder— the topic of Hedges address will be his most recent book: Empire of Illusion: The End of Literacy and the Triumph of Spectacle.

09/12/2010 - Acceptance, Forgiveness and Perseverance

09/12/2010 ~ Proper 19 ~ 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time ~ Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost ~ Jeremiah 4:11-12, 22-28; Psalm 14; Exodus 32:7-14; Psalm 51:1-10; 1 Timothy 1:12-17; Luke 15:1-10; used Exodus and Luke 15.

Acceptance, Forgiveness and Perseverance

“‘But my child,’ said the father, ‘you are with me always, and all that is mine, everything I have, is yours.’” — Luke 15:31.

What I am about to recite is something I did not write. Part of me says, “Gee, I wish I had written this.” Part of me is quite satisfied to attribute it elsewhere. This is The Prodigal Son (In the Key of F). It was written by Todd and Jedd Hafer and it’s from their book: Mischief From the Back Pew: and you thought you were safe in church.

And, oh yes, once I am finished reciting it, don’t blame me. You can blame The Rev. Dr. Susan Polizzi, late of the First Baptist Church, in Norwich. She sent it to me.

The Prodigal Son (In the Key of F)— Feeling footloose, frisky, fancy-free, a frivolous, feather-brained fellow, Fred by name, forced a fond, fawning father to fork over a fair share of the family farthings. Then this flighty flibbertigibbet offered a felicitous farewell, not at all forced, and fled far afield to foreign fields.

He ferociously frittered away a fabulous fortune, famously feasting among faithless fair-weather friends until, fleeced by his fun-loving fellows in folly, he found himself flinging feed in a festering, filthy farmyard. Flummoxed, famished, forlorn, filled with foreboding and finally facing famine, the frazzled fugitive found his faculties and returned to his father’s farm. (Slight pause.)

“Father, Father!” he forlornly fumbled, “I’ve flunked, flubbed, failed and frivolously forfeited family favor. Phooey on me! Let me be as one of your flunkies. For even a fruitless flunkie would fare far, far better than I have fared. Fair enough?” (Slight pause.)

“Filial fidelity is fine,” the father philosophized, “but, folks, the fugitive is found! Let fanfares flare! Let flags unfurl and flutter! Fetch the fatling, play that funky music, and let’s have some fabulous fun!” (Slight pause.)

As fortune would have it, unfortunately, older brother Frank was unforgiving and fumed furiously. “Forsooth! Father, flee from this folly! Frankly, it’s unfair. That fool forfeited his fortune!”

“Frank, Frank, Frank, Frank, Frank, Frank, Frank,” the father confronted. “Do not fear and do not fester. I am your fan.”

“Your coffers are fairly filled to overflowing, with forty million farthings. But your phantom brother, Fred, is finally and fortuitously back in the fold. For many fortnights, I’ve fantasized about this fabulous and festive feast. So focus on fun for Fred, not funds— and, to be frank, flake off, Frankie.” (Slight pause.)

So, a fatheaded, foolish fugitive found fulfillment. Furthermore, the father’s fond forgiveness formed a foundation for both the former fugitive’s future welfare and the fixations of the sibling fretter. Hence, do not forget: a faithful father loves forever. Well now, that’s finally finished! [1] (Slight pause.)

Remember— blame Susan Polizzi for that. I can give you her phone number. I can even give you her cell phone number. (Slight pause.)

And these words are from the work commonly called Luke: “‘But my child,’ said the father, ‘you are with me always, and all that is mine, everything I have, is yours.’” (Slight pause.)

Walt Kelly, the late cartoonist, is best known for the classic comic strip, Pogo. In one of the most famous lines ever in a comic strip, the character Pogo the Possum, gazing at garbage all over the ground in what should have been a pristine woodland ruefully says: “We have met the enemy and they is us.” (Slight pause.)

Surely, the wack-er-doodle-ry to which so many have paid attention in the news over the last several weeks and days has, for me at least, reenforced the concept of “We have met the enemy and they is us.” So, what does “we have met the enemy and they is us” have to do with the ‘Parable of the Loving Parent.’ (Slight pause.)

The reason I read a very, very different version of the parable was in the hope that it might be, therefore, heard in a very different way. You see, we get so used to hearing the parables that I think we often don’t perceive their depth.

Indeed, that is one reason these parables have been, over time, named the ‘Parables of the Lost’ when they are not. And, as naming them as the ‘Parables of the Lost’ suggests, too often they are taken in a simplistic way.

Nothing could be much clearer than these are not the ‘Parables of the Lost’ but the parables of the “Faithful Shepherd,” the “Diligent Housekeeper” and the “Loving Parent.” To say they are the ‘Parables of the Lost’ is simply wack-er-doodle-ry.

Paradoxically, one of the things I think we miss in the in the story of so called ‘Prodigal Son.’ is the wack-er-doodle-ry contained therein. Now, let me be clear on at least one of the things I mean by wack-er-doodle-ry. Wack-er-doodle-ry is the making of poor choices— the making of poor choices. (Slight pause.)

As must be evident, this story feels as if it is drawn from the life experience of family dynamics, a life experience with which most folks can identify. In real life, family dynamics often contain wack-er-doodle-ry— people making poor choices. Relatives cannot often change those choices. The choices are lived with.

In this case, the son who is footloose, frisky, fancy-free, frivolous and feather-brained clearly makes some very poor choices. Then the same son starts making good choices. In a reversal, the son who has made some good choices at the start suddenly becomes unforgiving, fumes furiously and makes some very poor choices.

Even though his coffers are fairly filled to overflowing, something his father has given him, he blames his father because he has not used what is his. Perhaps his real problem is he never claimed it for himself— also a very poor choice.

Well, what’s the lesson here? Many times, when these two siblings look in a mirror, they have met the enemy. They are their own worst enemy because they make poor choices— wack-er-doodle-ry. (Slight pause.)

So, do people make poor choices? Yes, people make poor choices all the time. And what can we do with that?

We can react in the way the loving parent reacted. We can offer some acceptance. We can offer forgiveness. But there is a final attribute here, I think not often noticed. I believe it to be the most important attribute the parent exhibits.

The Prodigal Son (In the Key of F) says (quote): “the faithful father loves forever.” But what makes that love so steadfast is that (quote): “For many fortnights, I’ve fantasized about this fabulous, festive feast.” In short, the father never gives up hope— never gives up hope.

To be clear: hope dies when we surrender to wack-er-doodle-ry. Hence, hope has two equally important qualities. Hope, real hope, is not some pie-in-the-sky good-will-happen in a sweet by-and-by dream world. Equally, hope, real hope, is not imposing an agenda on others. Where I come from imposing an agenda is not called hope. It’s called violence.

All of which is to say, perseverance is the prime attribute of hope. Hope comes alive when persistence is involved. Perseverance, persistence— working with someone until they understand how to, for themselves, make good choices, that defines real hope. Perseverance, persistence matters. (Slight pause.)

I, personally, know this truth: there are times we feel despair. Surely, as the father waited for his son, those times must have presented themselves. Surely, persistence is not an easy road. And surely those times when one’s patience is tested are the times we need to rely on God.

There is a hymn in our hymnal, one we will not sing today— Let Us Hope When Hope Seems Hopeless. The last verse reads: “Like a child outgrowing childhood / setting childhood things away / we will learn to live in freedom / in the light of God’s new day. / Now we see as in a mirror. / Then we shall see face to face / understand how love’s compassion / blossoms through amazing Grace.”

Indeed, I think one of many points in these ‘Parables of Hope,’ these ‘Parables of Rejoicing’ is that the maturity found in perseverance can define hope. (Slight pause.)

I try not to show this or to talk about this much. September the 11th is always a hard day for me. And the Sunday nearest, it is always a hard day to preach. As most of you know, I am a native of New York City. And I worked in the World Trade Center.

It went down and a part of me died. But I know that a mature response needs to be one of hope and, therefore, one of persistent love. Hope— [the pastor pauses and holds a stone over his head used at the Children’s Time with the word “hope” etched in it] persistent hope is not the only response we can have in the broken world in which we live. But it is the mature response. Amen.

United Church of Christ, First Congregational, Norwich, NY
09/12/2010

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: “I earlier mentioned that Pogo’s famous line, ‘We have met the enemy and they is us.’ It came as the possum gazed at garbage all over the ground in what should have been a pristine woodland. Kelly was making a comment about how the environment is often treated. That is a good example to illustrate the need for mature persistence. We need maturity to realize that preservation of resources is important. And we need persistence because each and every day resources need to be preserved. And, if we lose hope, we will be neither mature nor persistent.”

[1] Excerpt from Todd & Jedd Hafer’s Mischief From the Back Pew: and you thought you were safe in church, ©2003, Bethany House Publishers

Being Personal ~ 09/05/10 ~ Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost ~ 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

09/05/2010 ~ Proper 18 ~ 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time ~ Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost ~ Jeremiah 18:1-11; Psalm 139:1-6, 13-18; Deuteronomy 30:15-20; Psalm 1; Philemon 1-21; Luke 14:25-33 ~ Communion Sunday.

Being Personal

“...you see, my friend, let me have this benefit from you in Christ! I want to make you useful to me in Christ! Refresh this heart of mine in Christ!” — Philemon 20


I have addressed this item here before but I want to revisit it for a moment. I am sure most people have at least heard about the social networking tool called Facebook.

Facebook allows people to post messages on a web site. Most of the time people write about what they are doing or where they are at in their lives or just make silly comments. Anyone who also has access to Facebook and has signed on to be your friend, a friend of the person posting information, can then look at what you wrote and, themselves, write things. In that sense, it’s a little like writing something on the wall of a building but, in this case, only your friends can see what you wrote.

Some people call this social networking. Others say it’s simply a way to efficiently spread gossip. Spreading gossip is not that new, however.

Facebook is, hence, merely a sophisticated version of the town square method of spreading gossip. In days of yore, one went to the town square to spread the word when something notorious happened. One now simply goes to a Facebook page— just as easy— easier.

Over time, this much has become clear to me: Facebook is not just about gossip. It gives people an opportunity to spread good news.

Ask Linda and Bob Oehme about this. Pictures of their first grandchild, Melodie (right back there) {the child was in the congregation}, were posted on Facebook within hours of her birth. This announcement of the birth probably saved at least dozens of phone calls. Indeed, word of the joyful family news spread among friends and family much faster than it would have just ten years ago. (Slight pause.)

Last Friday, Bonnie and I marked twenty-two years of marriage. We both wrote something on our individual Facebook walls noting that milestone. Suddenly, a number of people, dozens between the two posts, were commenting.

These were people who knew us before we were a couple and people who know us only since we are married, people who knew me in New York City, who knew Bonnie and the both is us in Brunswick, Maine and Bangor, Maine, people who now live as far away as Australia. They might not have known or remembered it was our anniversary if it had not been for Facebook. Still, their simple gestures offering congratulations left us feeling warm, loved, appreciated. (Slight pause.)

And these words of the Apostle Paul are found in the work known as Philemon: “...you see, my friend, let me have this benefit from you in Christ! I want to make you useful to me in Christ! Refresh this heart of mine in Christ!” (Slight pause.)

Many of you know this. Some don’t. So, briefly, let me say something about our individual ages when Bonnie and I got hitched. We met when I was thirty-nine and Bonnie was thirty-eight.

We got married a year later, so you can do that math and, having mentioned how many years we have been married, we would both really appreciate it if you did not do that math. (Someone calls out: “too late.”) Yes, too late. The piece which surprises some is, despite the fact that we got married late by any standard, it was the first marriage for both of us.

Having held out that long, I think it was harder for both of us to surrender being single than it would have been had we tied the knot in our early twenties. After all, we had both built independent lives for ourselves.

Still, I believe we got married not just because we saw in each other someone we loved and someone who loved us. We saw in each other someone who was willing to unconditionally accept the other. I am, frankly, still baffled it happened.

But let me put that term “unconditional acceptance” another way. We were both willing to put ourselves on the line for that other person. We were both willing to take a chance on that other person. (Slight pause.)

Now, the reality is we all put ourselves on the line, take a chance on other people, each and every day. We do so in big ways. We do so in small ways. Sometimes, when we put ourselves on the line, take a chance on another person, things turn out well. Sometimes things fall apart.

Sometimes when we put ourselves on the line, take a chance that person is a close relative and things turn out well and sometimes things still fall apart. The same is true when we put ourselves on the line for a friend or acquaintance. Things sometimes turn out well. Things sometimes fall apart. (Slight pause.)

My dad was a parochial school teacher. Once, a close personal friend of his, another teacher at the same school, needed cash. So my Dad co-signed a bank loan. Shortly thereafter, the friend was fired from that teaching position and my Dad was left holding the bag on the loan. He paid back every cent. Relationships are not easy. (Slight pause.)

Philemon is a very personal letter. But it is also profoundly theological. It says something about what Paul believes God has done and is doing for each of us and for all of us in Christ, Jesus. Because Onesimus is a brother in Christ to Paul and to Philemon, Paul now insists this one who has been seen as a slave by Philemon should be received and treated with unconditional acceptance, accepted as an equal before God, as a brother in Christ.

But perhaps more important than the specifics of the request Paul makes to Philemon— the letter never tells us about the results of the request, never tells us whether or not Onesimus remains enslaved— perhaps more important than the specifics of the request Paul makes to Philemon is that Paul puts himself, his own being, on the line. Paul takes a chance on Onesimus because Paul sees this other person as a child of God and this other person sees Paul as a child of God. (Slight pause.)

What makes theology come alive, what makes church come alive, you see, is not that it’s about God. What makes theology come alive, what makes church come alive, is not the quality of the services or the charisma of the preacher.

What makes theology and church live are relationships— deep, involved, risk taking relationships. Theology, church is about our relationship with God and it is about our relationships with each other. Being risk averse when it comes to relationships— being risk averse when it comes to relationships— means not honor that unconditional acceptance we often call ‘love.’ And, yes, you can say love is about unconditional acceptance. And, therefore, it is also about taking a risk.

Indeed, what Christian love is really about is putting ourselves on the line for another person— putting ourselves on the line for another person. That is unconditional acceptance. And, indeed, in terms of Christian love, that other person for whom we are placing ourselves on the line might be a member of the family, might be a friend, might be an acquaintance, but maybe it might even someone we do not know. (Slight pause.)

So, relationships are key. And what are relationships about? Are we willing to put ourselves, our own being, on the line? That’s what they’re about.

Is that hard to do? Of course it is hard to do. If it was not hard to do, there would be no wars, no hunger, no poverty. Wars, hunger, poverty— these come about because of broken relationships— noting more, nothing less.

So, do we want a world in which there is no war, no hunger, no poverty? We need to put ourselves on the line, daily, not for any causes. Put yourself on the line for a cause— that’s yet one step away from a relationship.

We need to put ourselves on the line, daily, to build more relationships, to build better relationships. Building relationships— that’s what Paul did. No? Amen.

09/05/2010
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: “The Pulitzer Prize winning author, Chris Hedges, will be here speaking in this space on September 26th at 3:00 p.m. And, yes, it will be hard to walk up to a friend and invite that friend to come to this event. Why? It means putting yourself on the line. It means challenging yourself about relationships.”