12/24/2011 ~ A "Midrash" Sermon ~ Hearing with the Heart

12/24/2011 ~ Nativity of the Lord - Proper 1 ~ Christmas Eve ~ Isaiah 9:2-7; Psalm 96; Titus 2:11-14; Luke 2:1-14, (15-20) ~ Used John 1:1-5 (Call to Worship); Isaiah 9:2b, 6-7 (ILV); Luke 2:8-18 (ILV); Isaiah 60:1-3 (ILV); Genesis 1:1-3 (Everett Fox Translation).

Hearing with the Heart

“Now, there were shepherds in that region, living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night.” — Luke 2:8.


All day long a steady wind came over the hill out of the West. That was normal. Then, right at sundown, the wind became breathless. It remained that way for a quite a while.

It was a clear, cold night. There was no moon but the stars seemed to dance in the night sky over Bethlehem, the City of David, as if to announce their freedom to an unsuspecting world.

The only noise Judah, a lone shepherd out on this hill could hear, was the occasional bark of a dog and the bleat of some sheep. There were other shepherds. But they were far away, on a hill across the other side of the valley.

After a time, once the depth of night had settled in, the wind picked up again, but out of the East. That was odd, he thought. In this part of Roman Palestine only rarely did the wind come from the east. And it was quite strong.

Judah found that troubling. If, at night, you stood on top of one of these rolling hills outside the town and looked across the fields you could see campfires— dozens of them— some used for cooking some used simply for warmth.

But it had been very dry for several months. And this wind was not just strong but coming out of an odd direction. The campfires were always built to accommodate a wind coming from the opposite direction.

With a wind like this, a wind out of a strange direction, it was very likely a campfire could become a torch that set the dry brush ablaze. Such a fire might easily spread from one hill to the next to the next to the next. It was dangerous. (Slight pause.)

Judah was only thirteen, but had already been tending sheep for three years. His name was the tribal name of David. And this tribe, Judah, was the smallest of the twelve. Still, this tribe, despite its size, was the tribe of David, the great ruler of Israel.

“Judah!” the Rabbi had said to him, “Judah! It is your name. The very name Judah means to praise God!”

The local rabbi was an old man, but someone who had made an impression on the young shepherd, despite their difference in years and station. Judah did not quite understand why it was important to praise God. But he realized that he, himself, despite being a shepherd, bore the name Judah— praise God.

Shepherds were, in this society, the lowest of the low. So, as a shepherd, as a member of the least of the tribes, this youngster, with the ancient and honored name of Judah, was considered by anyone he encountered to be a hooligan, a roughneck, a troublemaker.

Still, he did not think poorly of himself since he remembered the words of the Rabbi. “You... you are a good boy. So love God; love neighbor. It is the covenant God makes. It is what God invites us to do.”

“How will that happen? How will I honor the covenant?” he asked the old man.

“You will know,” responded the codger, stroking his beard. “You will know. The words of the prophet say this: ‘God shall write on your heart.’” (Slight pause.)

The wind now became yet stronger, the night deeper. What little light the campfires on the hills provided grew weaker as the wind picked up and fires died.

Judah could still hear an occasional bark from a dog and the sounds of sheep, but he thought he heard a strange noise besides that— a little like a whistle. “It’s the wind,” he said to himself.

Perhaps it was. Perhaps it was simply the wind blowing across the rolling hills from exactly the wrong direction at exactly the right speed creating a sound like a whistle.

He tilted his head to the left and tried to listen harder. He heard dogs. He heard sheep. But this other... this other... thing— was it noise? Was it a sound he heard with his ears? Or was it simply in his head?

He looked toward the sky. He could see nothing but... clouds? Or was it smoke? From where had this come? Had a brush fire started somewhere close? He could see there was something glowing. Was it all around him? Was it above him? Was it right at his side?

The noise seemed to grow still stronger. And yet— whatever it was— there seemed to be nothing about it he was hearing with ears. Still, it felt very intense, very near. Again, he strained to listen. Was it one voice? Was it many voices?

Somehow, he sensed these words in the midst of this soundless cacophony: “child... God... heir... David... Messiah... covenant... freedom... sovereign... joy... love... hope... peace... stable.”

Had he actually heard these words? He did not know. It was more like he felt them, words heard within the depth of... silence. Yet the words were clear. They were plain. (Slight pause.)

Suddenly, the wind was again calm. He could hear a dog bark. He could hear the bleat of sheep. He could see stars.

He felt... changed. He was not quite sure how. His heart was pounding. He did not know why but he started to run, run down off the hill, run toward the town, run toward the City of David.

He ran and he ran and he ran. He did not know where he was going. He was following... what? His heart?

Just at the edge of town he stopped. Off to the left there was a barn. There was a light. Someone was there. He went toward it.

Inside the building a man and a woman sat by a fire. He approached. As he did so, he saw the woman holding a child, clearly a newborn.

He walked up to her. The child was asleep. She nodded and smiled with her eyes. He nodded and smiled back. She did not seem put off by the fact that he was clearly a shepherd.

She held the baby up toward him. His reaction was natural. He took the child in his arms. (Slight pause.)

Judah suddenly felt a kind of warmth he had never experienced before. He wondered what was going on. Again, he felt he heard something.

Judah looked down at the tiny head, the little dark curls. The child opened its eyes. Judah listened carefully. The child was silent. Once more, his heart was pounding. He wondered if something was being written there.

It dawned on him: perhaps you had to listen with your heart before you listened with your ears. Was that what the Rabbi meant? Listen with your heart?

He looked at the baby again. The infant smiled. How could you not listen with your heart?

He handed the child back. Not a word had been spoken, yet a multitude of words had been understood— words of the heart. Judah turned around and headed toward the hills outside of the City of David. A hint of the approaching sunrise was at hand and whispered in the Eastern sky.

Once on the hilltop, somehow Judah understood the covenant was real. Somehow Judah understood God is with us. Somehow Judah understood God writes on the heart. Somehow Judah understood he must be true to his name: he must find ways to praise God, always. Amen.

12/24/2012
Christmas Eve — 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 Choral Response and Benediction. This is an précis of what was said: “I have often said Christmas is the most important Christian feast on the secular calendar. At the very least for we Christians Easter, Pentecost, the Epiphany and Trinity Sunday should be counted as more important than Christmas. Which is not to say it lacks importance. It is to say we need to reclaim Christmas as a Christian feast. In an effort to reclaim real Christmas, let me make a suggestion, one I make each year. Please do not wish people a ‘Merry Christmas.’ When you greet someone say ‘Happy Christmas.’ People can be merry about the new year, but let’s be happy about what we celebrate tonight: the birth of the Messiah, present in our midst.”

BENEDICTION: The sun shall no longer be / your light by day, / nor for brightness shall the moon / give you light by night; / for Yahweh, God, will be your everlasting light, / and your glory. / Amen.

SERMON ~ 12/11/2011 ~ Good News?

12/11/2011 ~ Third Sunday of Advent ~ Love ~ Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11; Psalm 126 or Luke 1:46b-55; 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24; John 1:6-8, 19-28.

Good News?

“The spirit of Yahweh, GOD is upon me, / for Yahweh has anointed me; / God has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, / those who are poor, / to bind up the brokenhearted, / to heal broken hearts, / to proclaim liberty to the captives, / release to those held captive, / liberation to those in prison;...” — Isaiah 61:1


I am sure many of you know or knew the Rev. Dr. Susan Polizzi, formerly Pastor of the First Baptist Church in Norwich, currently pastor of the First United Baptist Church in Lowell, Massachusetts. Susan is, by her own admission a professional smart aleck. (I suppose, in contrast, that makes me only a semi-professional smart aleck, right?)

In a post on her Facebook page Susan first reemphasized she is a professional smart aleck. Then she wondered out loud (or at least as out loud as you can be on Facebook page) why people worry about the political correctness of saying “Merry Christmas” before it’s actually Christmas Day. After all, to invoke the saying— “Merry Christmas”— is not at all a correct thing to say, politically or otherwise, before December the 25th, before the very day.

You see, the season of Christmas runs from December 25th through January 5th. Before December the 25th Susan, professional smart aleck that she is, insisted that one should say something like “Have an Enlightened Advent” [on the recording of the sermon laughter is heard here and several times] or “Enjoy Your Season of Preparation for Celebrating the Birth of the Messiah.” And after January 5th, Epiphany being the season which runs from January the 6th, through the movable feast known as Ash Wednesday, if one is still in the mood to wish a merry anything to anyone, it should be something like “Joyous Epiphany” or “Happy Epiphany.” (Slight pause.)

Needless to say, that Facebook posting brought out the “smart aleck types” among the many friends of Susan on Facebook. Indeed, it turned out a lot of people besides Susan are smart aleck types, since so many responded to her initial post.

These ranged from a simple suggestion which said appropriate greeting for the season we are in would be (quote) “Advent tidings to you and yours” to a more mocking suggestion that aimed at gift giving. One said we should be gifting on all the days people celebrated world wide as gift giving days. These days range from Boxing Day, December the 26th, to the Epiphany, January the 6th, to the two days on which the Feast of Saint Nicholas is celebrated— December the 6th in the West and December the 19th in the East. Add December the 25th, and that makes five days for gifting in the course of a month. (Sounds good, right? {In response to a word of agreement from a choir member, the pastor says: “She’s there.”}

And of course, one wag did say to Susan (quote): “They pay you to be a smart aleck? How did you get that job?” Indeed, great frivolity was had by a bunch of smart alecks as comments flew back and forth. (Slight pause.)

And, of course, what was Susan poking fun at? As you may be aware, one cable news channel persistently claims there is a war against Christmas. A reporter from that network recently ambushed a Governor after a tree lighting ceremony and asked why that official called an evergreen a (quote): “holiday tree.” “After all, Governor, what holiday are we celebrating?” asked the reporter, shouting and sounding indignant, as the Governor scurried to a waiting car.

That Governor missed an opportunity. The obvious answer: “What holiday are we celebrating? Why, we Christians are celebrating Advent. Only someone whose understanding of Christmas is totally based in secular ways would not know which season this is” should have been the response. (Slight pause.)

We find these words are from the Scroll of the Prophet Isaiah: “The spirit of Yahweh, GOD is upon me, / for Yahweh has anointed me; / God has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, / those who are poor, / to bind up the brokenhearted, / to heal broken hearts, / to proclaim liberty to the captives, / release to those held captive, / liberation to those in prison;...” (Slight pause.)

Last week, the Second Sunday in Advent, we heard these words from the Gospel known as Mark (quote): “The beginning of the good news of Jesus, the Christ, Child of God.” And, indeed, when we Christians refer to Jesus, we often speak about “Good News.” We connect “Good News” with Jesus.

But as was mentioned when the Isaiah was read, this passage speaks about “Good News” also. And this passage was written in exile in Babylon, at least 500 years before the birth of Jesus. So, what’s the difference in this “Good News?” (Slight pause.)

The Good News, as Isaiah refers to it, is meant to be an affirmation of the covenant of God with the people of God, despite the fact that they find themselves in exile— captive. And how is that covenant worked out, even in exile? It is worked out because, in covenant with God and one another, the people of God are called to work with and be in solidarity with the oppressed, the poor, the brokenhearted, the prisoners.

It is worked out— not thought of in terms of success or failure— because the people of God know the definition of covenant means that any one person— any one of them— is insufficient, unable to fully complete the task God has set before them. The covenant is, hence, worked out in solidarity with one another, with the knowledge that each person has shortcomings, each person has flaws, each person has limitations.

The covenant is worked out because of an awareness of the necessity of community, the necessity of relying on one another, the necessity of supporting one another. In short, the community needs one another.

This same covenant is made manifest, alive, in the Child, Jesus— the Child of God. Jesus born in a country occupied by the army of Rome. This occupation means the situation is not all that different from the exile. And that the presence of God seen in the birth, the life, the death and the resurrection of Jesus explains the excitement among early Christians about Jesus.

With Jesus, the covenant is embodied, made real, tangible. And we, as disciples of Christ, are now to be empowered to be in covenant with God and one another and, as the people of God, are to work out the covenant— work with and be in solidarity with the oppressed, the poor, the brokenhearted, the prisoners. (Slight pause.)

Let me put that in a different perspective for you, perhaps a perspective with words which might sound a little more challenging to any of us than what I just said. Yet another colleague of mine wrote what follows on her Facebook page, again in reference to what people are call the Christmas Season— this “Happy Holidays” thing that people seem to rebel against. I hope these words are not too challenging for you. I suspect she was angry when she wrote it.

(Quote) “If you get angry when someone doesn’t say ‘Christmas,’ in a greeting perhaps you should try, instead, getting angry over the children of Christ who are dying of malnutrition or dying of AIDS. Try getting angry over the fact that the Christmas chocolate people buy is kept cheap on the backs of the poor, because of slave wages paid to workers to harvest coco beans in so called third world countries. Try getting angry over the fact that both in this country and world wide preventable diseases kills people, daily”— challenging, indeed. (Slight pause.)

That bring me back to the “Good News” when it comes to Jesus. What is this “Good News?” (Slight pause.) In my family when I was a child in my house there were never any gifts under the Christmas tree. There was a large bureau against the wall in the living room and all the gifts went on that.

What was under the Christmas Tree? A creche— a nativity scene, and only that. You see the birth of Christ is the real gift at Christmas. It is a gift from God. That was the only gift under the Christmas tree in my childhood home. (Slight pause.)

Recognizing that we need to tend to the oppressed, the brokenhearted, captives and prisoners is an essential way we can prepare not just for the coming of God embodied by Jesus, but for the real and tangible presence of God— Christ lives. Indeed, in the Gospel reading it says John (quote) “came only to testify about the Light...” You see, one temptation we face is wanting others to see us as the light, rather than to see us as witnesses to the Light.

When we tend to the oppressed, the brokenhearted, captives and prisoners we are not the light. We are witnesses. So, let me be clear: I have no trouble with someone saying “Merry Christmas”— even in July. I have no trouble with someone saying “Happy Holidays.”

What I do know is we, together, as community, need to keep Christmas holy. Indeed, we need to keep each and every day holy— set aside for God. Amen.

12/11/2011
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 Choral Response and Benediction. This is an précis of what was said: “In a real sense I am quite liberal. I think all the traditions which have grown up around the celebration of Christmas— some secular traditions and some not so secular— are just fine. But the touchstone of Christmas— the central tradition— needs to be that the celebration of Christmas brings us to a deeper understanding of our relationship with God and with other people. When we lose sight of that centrality— when the traditions become an excuse to ignore the centrality of that covenant— then we have lost sight of what Christmas means.”

BENEDICTION: Let us be present to one another as we go from this place. Let us share our gifts, our hopes, our memories, our pain and our joy. Go in peace for God is with us. Go in joy for God knows every fiber of our being. Go in hope for God reveals to us, daily, that we are a part of God’s new creation. Go in love, for we rest assured, by Christ, Jesus, that God is steadfast. Amen.

Sermon ~ 12/04/2011 ~ Jesus, the Christ

12/04/2011 ~ Second Sunday of Advent ~ Peace ~ Isaiah 40:1-11; Psalm 85:1-2, 8-13; 2 Peter 3:8-15a; Mark 1:1-8 ~ Communion Sunday.

Jesus, the Christ

“The beginning of the good news of Jesus, the Christ, Child of God.” — Mark 1:1

Quite a while ago, a couple of friends gave me a gift certificate to the Colgate Bookstore. But it was only several weeks ago I took the time to cash it in.

I bought two books. You’ve probably heard of one them— Moneyball, a book about how statistics are used in Baseball. It was recently made into a movie staring Brad Pitt. Baseball fan that I am, I finally caught up with the book.

The other book I had not heard about. But, historian that I am, I found the dust cover interesting, so I bought it. Much to my surprise, I just heard the book won the National Book Award for non-fiction. This book is The Swerve (the Pastor repeats the title and waves his had as if it has made a sharp turn)— that’s The Swerve, by Stephen Greenblatt.

That odd sounding title is actually a description of what seems to be a sharp turn in European history. It describes the transition from what we euphemistically call the Middle Ages to the Renaissance.

Of course, the so called Middle Ages are sometimes referred to in popular culture as the “Dark Ages,” a time when Western civilization collapsed. The Renaissance, on the other hand, is thought to be a time of renewed achievement for Western Civilization.

Why do we label the Middle Ages as a time when Western civilization went downhill? Greenblatt supplies the answer. There are a string of the accomplishments humanity can claim, all of which happen before the birth of Christ. By the Middle Ages, humanity has forgotten nearly all these accomplishments.

This is a list of achievement in antiquity: Archimedes proposed the mathematical constant known as “pi,” the ratio of any circle’s circumference to its diameter. That laid the groundwork for calculus. Eratosthenes posited the earth was round and, using “pi,” calculated its circumference to within one percent. Therefore, geographers thought that by sailing West from what is now Spain, we could reach what is now India.

Astronomers proposed a universe where our Sun is at the center of a planetary system. They determined length of the year was 365¼ days and came up with the idea of adding a “leap year day” every fourth year to compensate.

Engineers developed hydraulics and pneumatics. People studied anatomy and for the first time understood how the brain and the nervous system interact, how the heart and the digestive system operate and conducted experiments in nutrition. [1] Again, all this was known or done by the human race before the birth of Jesus, over 2,000 years ago.

And then we forgot. By the time the Middle ages arrive, most people believe the Earth is at the center of our planetary system and the Earth is flat. We count the year in 365 day chunks but do nothing about that extra quarter day.

It will be the 1600s before Isaac Newton discovers calculus and describes the mathematics of the planets as they circle the Sun. In the 1600s the microscope is invented. This allows us to have insights into the human body and draw conclusions to which the ancients had already come.

In the 1600s the telescope comes into use. Thereby, we begin to collect information about the skies through observation and make conclusions about the nature of the world and aspects of it that the ancients had arrived at through mathematics.

In 1582 the calendar we use today— with 365¼ days— is introduced by Pope Gregory XIII. But only countries where Catholicism is dominant adopt it at that point. People in the countries where Protestants hold sway think that Catholics can do nothing of worth. Many Protestant countries do not adopt the new, clearly better system until the mid 1700s. Britain does so in 1752. [2]

So, what happened in between? What happened in that so called “Middle Age,” that so called “Dark Age?” Did people simply forget? (Slight pause.)

Most historians say the cause of this forgetfulness is incessant tribalism— which calendar to use being a very good example of tribalism— incessant tribalism leads to willful ignorance— willful ignorance— and the breakdown of institutions. This seems to be the cause rather than simply forgetfulness.

Hence on the institution side, government, the Church, academia all saw turbulent times. The institution which did survive, the church, for all its flaws, often unknowingly preserved some of the record which tells us about the achievements of ancient Egypt and ancient Greece and ancient Rome. (Slight pause.)

Some say today we are headed toward similar disaster, another “Middle Age,” another time of forgetfulness about who we are and our achievements because of tribalism and the breakdown of institutions. Certainly, there is an air of feeling less secure and uncertainty about the future than we have had in a long time.

But it’s too early to predict Armageddon or another “Middle Age” type of time. After all, the 1930s and 1940s were uncertain and turbulent, were they not? So, perhaps the two things we need to do to stave off another “Middle Age” is each of us needs to be involved in institutional life and willful ignorance, so often born of tribalism— even tribalism within one institution— needs to be countered. (Slight pause.)

And these words are at the very beginning, the first words we hear in the Gospel we know as Mark: “The beginning of the good news of Jesus, the Christ, Child of God.” (Slight pause.)

It has often been said those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it. But equally, those who wallow in the past are doomed to have a broken vision of the future.

It should be stunning to us that with these several words Mark, Mark who writes some two thousand years ago, addresses those issues. You see, Mark, for starters, with these words, addresses who Jesus is. Jesus is the Christ.

It was said when this reading was introduced that there is no Nativity story in Mark. But this is the Nativity story in Mark— Jesus is the Christ— because this is what the Nativity stories are about: Jesus is the Christ.

The true and full meaning of the Nativity story is not centered on shepherds or angels or babies or mangers or inns. The Nativity stories have one meaning: Jesus is the Christ.

Now, I don’t want to be misunderstood here: I am not trying to do away with or abandon shepherds or angels or babies or mangers or inns. These can all add layers to the Nativity story, ways which help us understand the Nativity story. Indeed, shepherds or angels or babies or mangers or inns should all point us— point us— to the true and full meaning of the Nativity story: Jesus is the Christ. (Slight pause.)

So, if Jesus is the Christ, how does that relate to the past and to the future and to our forgetfulness? (Slight pause.) First: our forgetfulness. When we hear the Gospels we tend to concentrate on the action in the stories from the Nativity, to the Life and the Work, to the Death, to the Resurrection of Jesus. But with our very concentration on all these aspects, we need to be reminded that the meaning in all those stories is never any different than the first words proclaimed by Mark: Jesus is the Christ.

Second: how does this relate to the past? (Slight pause.) In Jesus, God fulfills the promise God has made throughout history, throughout the Hebrew Scriptures: a Messiah will be with us. In the words of the theologian Nicholas Thomas Wright Jesus is (quote) “The Climax of the Covenant.” This is the fulfillment of the history of God with humanity.

Third: how does this relate to the future? (Slight pause.) If Jesus is the Christ, how are we to respond to that? Does that change our lives in any way? Are we called to change our relationship with God and with other people in any way? — the future. (Slight pause.)

The Sundays in Advent are celebrated as the Sundays of Hope, Peace, Love and Joy. This week we celebrate Peace. What is the peace of God?

The peace of God is not the absence of violence or conflict. The peace of God means God is present to us at all times and in all places.

As Christians, what we maintain is that Jesus lives— God is present to us at all times and in all places. And does that call us to change our relationship with God and with other people? (Slight pause.)

So, what does the Nativity mean? It means Jesus is the Christ. It means God is present to us at all times and in all places. It means the peace of God is with us. It means God stands with us as we consider our past and as we plan and look toward our future. Amen.

12/04/2011
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 Choral Response and Benediction. This is an précis of what was said: “What I did not directly address in my comments is how internal tribalism in the church is countered. The only way I know to counter internal tribalism in the church is to understand that Jesus is the Christ and that we are all one in Christ.”

BENEDICTION: Let us be present to one another as we go from this place. Let us share our gifts, our hopes, our memories, our pain and our joy. Go in joy for God knows every fiber of our being. Go in hope for God reveals to us, daily, that we are a part of God’s new creation. Go in love, for we rest assured, by Christ, Jesus, that God is steadfast. Go in peace for God is with us. And may the peace of God which surpasses understanding be with us this day and forevermore. Amen.

[1] Page 87 of the aforementioned book.

[2] Yes, when you talk about the 1700s one gets into the Enlightenment rather than the Renaissance. But there is only so much room for data in a sermon.

Sermon ~ 11/27/2011 ~ The Call of God

11/27/2011 ~ Beginning of Year ‘B’ ~ First Sunday of Advent ~ Hope ~ Isaiah 64:1-9; Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19; 1 Corinthians 1:3-9; Mark 13:24-37.

The Call of God

“God is faithful; by God you were called into the fellowship of the Child of God, Jesus, who is the Christ, into intimacy with Jesus, the Christ, who is our Savior.” — 1 Corinthians 1:9.

All pastors have what I loosely call “pastor stories,” stories about questions pastors get or encounters they have because they hold the office called ‘pastor.’ Now, as I have mentioned before, one of my mentors, the Rev. Carol Anderson, was among the first women officially ordained in the Episcopal Church. As one of the first such pastors she was, if not somewhat unique, at least unusual.

In her career, she served four churches. Those churches made her somewhat unique and unusual also. She served churches on the Upper East Side and on the Upper West Side in Manhattan, in Suburban Washington, D.C. and in Beverly Hills, California.

In short, she served urban, upper-class areas. Hence, her ‘pastor stories’ were a more little rarefied than most. One she would tell concerned going to cocktail parties in Manhattan. And she would go dressed in civilian garb, that is: not sporting her Roman Collar.

Invariably someone would ask what line of work she was in. She was always forthcoming about the fact that she was a priest.

And she always said the quickest way to drive someone away at a cocktail party on the Upper East Side (or the Upper West Side, for that matter), was to tell that particular truth— that she was a priest. Having admitted this, the person to whom she was talking would invariably find someone on the other side of the room who they had not seen in years and with whom they needed to reconnect immediately.

Now, as was one of the first women ordained an Episcopal priest, she was also in demand as a speaker. Hence, she traveled. So, the other place Carol had interesting encounters was on airplanes. And on airplanes, exactly the opposite happened.

On a plane a person next to her could not jump up and find a different seat. So, after a while, she would get to hear the life story of her traveling companion— with all the person’s sins thrown in for good measure— whether or not she wanted to hear them. In short, she heard a lot of confessions at 30,000 feet.

Well, I don’t hang out in the rarefied air of Manhattan or Washington or Beverly Hills. But still, I had an interesting encounter a couple months ago— a ‘pastor story.’

In the course of a conversation, a person wondered out loud why there was so much crime today. Perhaps I was being told this because crime is perceived as a moral problem, something with which we pastors are, theoretically, concerned.

In any case, this person was worried about their kids and grand-kids growing up in a troubled world. “The world,” he said wistfully, “isn’t as safe as when I was young.”

With my “pastor’s hat” on I affirmed the feelings being expressed. I said those feelings were real and should be honored. But my official title is “Pastor and Teacher.”

So with my “teacher’s hat” on I said while I affirmed the feelings about crime, feelings that the world was less safe than it used to be, to say there is more crime than there was 30 years ago is statistically inaccurate. And this person looked at me like I had come from another planet. Well, since we were not on an airplane, the other side of the room quickly became attractive to them.

But here are some facts on crime: there is less crime today per 100,000 people than there has been since the early 1960s. Murder is less prevalent today than it was in the 1930s. Paradoxically, as a nation we are incarcerating, by far, a greater percentage of the population than we ever have before, but that’s fodder for another sermon. Back to this one.

For me, that encounter raises an interesting issue. We need to pay attention to our feelings. They are real. They matter. But they are subjective.

Sometimes feelings overwhelm reality, overwhelm facts, overwhelm the possibility of the objective. And, since feelings are subjective, what are we to do when our emotional life becomes an obstacle to dealing with the objective? (Slight pause.)

This is where we need to come back to both Paul and the words of Paul. First, a little about Paul and New Testament times. When an Epistle is read at a service of worship, we often hear it introduced as being, for example, the “Letter to the Church in Corinth.”

So, how many people were in the Church in Corinth? When we hear the term “Letter to the Church in Corinth” does it conjure up an image of a church building in downtown Corinth with hundreds of people in it? (Slight pause.)

Most scholars think the churches Paul founded consisted of, even in a large city, perhaps, two hundred people, more likely less than that. And when the people met for worship, they would not all gather together in a large building simultaneously.

No more than a dozen of them, two dozen at most, would gather at any one time for worship, always in private houses. Their rituals of worship would very much sound like and seem like what it does today— prayers, readings, hymns, the sacraments, a sermon.

But in this setting worship would also provide great intimacy. You were there in some else’s home. People got to know one another very well. In today’s terms we would call these ‘house churches.’

And this is where we come back to the words of Paul. Throughout the whole Canon, Paul insists the peace of God, the shalom of God, makes for the proper ordering of the world and for human relations within it.

You see (quote): “God is faithful; by God you were called into the fellowship of the Child of God, Jesus, who is the Christ, into intimacy with Jesus, the Christ, who is our Savior.” (Slight pause.) By God, we are called into fellowship, into intimacy.

What would these words sound like translated into today’s terms, today’s definitions? It would sound like this, I think: ‘we are called to be a support group for one another.’

I think Paul always sees all believers as belonging to one another, as belonging to the family— the family of God. In short, the church becomes our true family, our home, our support.

But if we are family, if we are called to be that intimate, tell me what happens to individual autonomy, to our personal independence, to our feelings? Does not the mutual reliance demanded by being family diminish freedom some, diminish feelings some? Because, after all, do we want to hurt someone else’s feelings? Or do we want our’s hurt? (Slight pause.)

I think too often today we mistake individual autonomy for personal independence. And I think the Apostle understood that. Autonomy is not a path to independence or freedom. Mutual reliance is. Mutual reliance as in: we are a family. We need to be family.

What makes us truly free is our mutual reliance. But this is the hard part. I want to suggest that it is mutual reliance which helps us face reality.

You see, being family— above all else— is the definition of church. Being family— above all else— is the call of God on our lives. But in fact, only when we rely on one another is true family and, thereby, a true freedom which faces reality possible. (Slight pause.)

So, what is the call of God? We are called to support one another, in Christ. We are called to lift one another up, in Christ. We are called to love one another, in Christ. (Slight pause.)

Now, today, as you are aware, is the First Sunday in Advent, the Sunday on which we think about hope. So, consider this: freedom cannot be defined. It can only be felt. Neither can hope be defined. It can only be felt.

I want to suggest that just as our reliance on one another can foster freedom, our reliance on one another can foster hope. I want to suggest that when we have mountains to climb, we cannot overcome them, we cannot even try to climb them, unless we are free to do so. And when we have mountains to climb, we cannot even try to climb them unless we have hope.

Further, when we have mountains to climb, we cannot overcome them, we cannot even try to climb them, unless we have one another for mutual support, unless we have the family of God. Mutual support is what empowers freedom— our freedom to do, to wish, to accomplish, and, indeed, freedom to face reality, freedom to face facts. (Slight pause.)

Paul starts this verse I quoted by saying (quote): “God is faithful;...” And here’s the amazing part and the point if Paul saying “God is faithful;...” God trusts us. God calls us to be family.

And then— and then, when we place our trust in God, it illuminates hope. And, when we place our trust in the family of God, that illuminates hope. Amen.

11/27/2011
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 Choral Response and Benediction. This is an précis of what was said: “I have said things like this here before. Those who founded this country knew about mutual support. These are the last words in the American Declaration of Independence (quote): “..for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.”

BENEDICTION: Let us, as the family of God share our gifts, our memories, our pain, our joy and our hopes. Go in peace for God is with us. Go in joy for God knows every fiber of our being. Go in love, for we rest assured, by Christ, Jesus, that God is steadfast. Go in hope for God reveals to us, daily, that we are a part of God’s new creation. Amen.

11/20/2011 ~ Sermon ~ One of These

11/20/2011 ~ Proper 29 ~ Twenty-Third Sunday after Pentecost ~ The Thirty-fourth and the Last Sunday in Pentecost ~ Known in Many Traditions as The Feast of the Reign of Christ ~ Ezekiel 34:11-16, 20-24; Psalm 100; Ezekiel 34:11-16, 20-24; Psalm 95:1-7a; Ephesians 1:15-23; Matthew 25:31-46 ~ Thanksgiving Basket Week ~ Children’s Time Is the Dedication of the Operation Christmas Child Boxes.

One of These

“I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.” — Matthew 25:35-36.


My bet is we all know these opening words from a classic novel. (Quote): “Marley was dead: to begin with. There is no doubt whatever about that. The register of burial was signed by the clergyman, the clerk, the undertaker and the chief mourner, Scrooge, signed it...”

This is, of course, A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. And I think most of us know what happens. On Christmas Eve Scrooge is visited by the ghost of Marley and the ghost of Christmases present, past and future.

But earlier in the story Scrooge is visited by some flesh and blood callers. I think it is with these living characters that the real denouement develops, the fulness of the tale turns. The events which will happen at the end of the saga come full circle only when compared with these visits from real people.

In one of those early episodes, a set of visitors, two gentlemen arrive unannounced who seek to collect funds to (quote): “...make some slight provision for the Poor and destitute, who suffer greatly at the present time.” Indeed, they state the obvious in the early Victorian era, conditions about which Dickens often wrote.

This is, you see, a time of great poverty. Some of that poverty exists because of huge cultural shifts within the class structures of British society. These changes came about for various reasons. In part change has happened because of progress in technology and in part because of depression and in part because of a famine and in part because of wars.

World wide, tumultuous was the only way to describe the decade which was the 1840s. The aforementioned shifts in society were happening in front of everyone and for all to see. Does that sound like today, or does it not? So, it is not out of the ordinary that the two callers seeking funds for the poor also make this statement: (quote): “Many thousands are in want of common necessaries; hundreds of thousands are in want of common comforts,...”

Perhaps the one slip they make is in their approach. With Scrooge, at least, the tactic they use seems to be a poor choice. They claim Christmas to be a (quote): “festive season of the year.”

Knowing the world to be a harsh place, could it be the old grump sees no place for being festive? The reply Scrooge has for them is chilly and blunt: “Are there no prisons?... workhouses?” (Slight pause.)

The other flesh and blood caller Scrooge has that Christmas Eve afternoon is his nephew. One could argue the greeting of this nephew is, perhaps, more spiritual and, therefore, more telling (quote): “A merry Christmas, uncle! God save you!”

On the other hand, the response of Scrooge has for this nephew is also blunt and even taciturn. “Bah! Humbug!... What right have you to be merry? What reason have you to be merry?”

Not to be trampled upon, the nephew shoots back: “What right have you to be dismal? What reason have you to be morose?” (Slight pause.)

As I indicated earlier, we all know what eventually happens— four ghosts and all that. But what happens after that? What happens after Scrooge emerges from those trials? (Slight pause.)

On Christmas morning Scrooge sends a big Turkey to the house of his clerk, Bob Cratchit. On the street, he greets people with a “Merry Christmas,” bumps into one of the gentlemen who had been soliciting funds for the poor and promises to send a large donation. He gives Cratchit a raise and becomes like a second father to Cratchit’s son, Tim. (Slight pause.)

As I already indicated, the tale of Scrooge and the ghosts is entertaining. But I also think the crux of story turns on the encounters with the mortal visitors, especially the visit paid by the nephew whose Christmas greeting includes these words (quote): “God save you!”

You see, when Scrooge first awakes from the encounters with those otherworldly beings, this is what the crotchety old fellow says (quote): “I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year.” I will honor Christmas in my heart. (Slight pause.)

So, what is honoring Christmas in the heart? What does that mean? (Slight pause.) First, it means learning something of what our relationship with God is about.

Even old Scrooge understands the centrality of learning (quote): “I will live in the Past, the Present and the Future. The Spirits of all Three shall strive within me. I will not shut out the lessons they teach.” I will not shut out the lessons they teach. And notice, that’s not the past tense— ‘the lessons they taught’— ‘it’s the lessons they taught.’ (Slight pause.)

You see, the nephew of Scrooge— by the way his name is Fred, I looked it up— is right in the Christmas greeting (quote): “God save you!” Why? The very name of Jesus, Yehoshua in the Hebrew, means ‘God saves.’ Indeed, if Christmas is to be honored as Scrooge says it should be honored— in the heart and year 'round— then everything, including outreach to others— starts with God and starts with learning that God saves.

So, why did the way Scrooge live life change suddenly? The old codger may have been frightened by ghosts, but the change did not happen because he was frightened.

If you change because you are frightened, that is merely coercion, the practice of forcing another party to behave in an involuntary manner. I do not think God forces anyone to do anything.

I think the change in Scrooge happened because the old man came to an understanding of what written on the heart. And that understanding starts with the idea that God saves. (Slight pause.)

On Friday last, I asked our Parish Coordinator, Cheri Willard, how many Thanksgiving baskets are being assembled by all the participating churches. The answer is 409. This church will distribute about 200 of those out of the Founder’s Room on Tuesday.

Late last week Emmanuel Episcopal Church got a grant through a private foundation to buy $25 gift cards at Save a Lot, where there is no tobacco or alcohol available for purchase, for an additional 100 families. Those also will be distributed here.

So, all together the churches will be helping 509 families. And, as you probably know, all the coordination for this effort happens here, in this church.

Hence, I want to suggest that for us, for ourselves, we need to ask this question: ‘why?’ ‘Why are we, as a church, helping people in this way?’ (Slight pause.)

As a church, I believe our first answer needs to be that ‘God saves.’ And we need to be clear that ‘God saves’ is written on our hearts. To be unambiguous about it: there are a lot of organizations that do a lot of good work for a lot of good reasons for a lot of people— Rotary, The Lions, the Boy Scouts, the Girl Scouts— that list goes on and on.

But we— we are a church. Our claim is that God seeks to write something on our hearts. That something is about loving neighbor.

You see, Jesus once put it this way (quote): “I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.”

In short, what God seeks to write on our hearts is an invitation to be relational with other people, to interact with other people. So, what we do as a church with the Thanksgiving basket work is not about simply giving someone something or about simply giving something away.

You don’t have to be a church to do that. Anyone can do that. This is about honoring the invitation of God, the invitation of God which says simply this: we are called to stand in solidarity with all humanity. So, indeed, let us stand in solidarity with others for that is the message God seeks to write on our hearts. Amen.

11/20/2011
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 Choral Response and Benediction. This is an précis of what was said: “Reflecting the Gospel reading my friend Mr. Rasely wrote this words: ‘Hey, we didn’t know it was you / We didn’t know it was you. / If we’d have known we’d have acted differently / But hey, we didn’t know it was you.’ You know what the message is: it’s always you. It’s not an excuse that we didn’t know it was you.” [1]

BENEDICTION: Go forth in faith. Go forth trusting that God will provide. Go forth and reach out to everyone you meet in the name of Christ. And may the peace of Christ which surpasses all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in the knowledge and love of the Holy Spirit this day and forevermore. Amen.

[1] Tom Rasely, our Composer in Residence, wrote an song (We Didn’t Know It Was You) which actually did reflect the Gospel reading and was used at the Children’s Time. That time was also used to dedicate the boxes being delivered to the Operation Christmas Child project.

Sermon ~ 11/13/2011 ~ Building

11/13/2011 ~ Proper 28 ~ The Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time ~ Twenty-Second Sunday after Pentecost ~ Judges 4:1-7; Psalm 123; Zephaniah 1:7, 12-18; Psalm 90:1-8, (9-11), 12; 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11; Matthew 25:14-30 ~ Enlistment/Stewardship Sunday.

Building

“Therefore, encourage one another and build up each other, as, indeed, you are already doing.” — 1 Thessalonians 5:11.

I need to start my comments today in a bit of an unusual way. As you can see, there is a basket up front. In that basket are what the Prayer Shawl Ministry Group calls Pocket Prayer Shawls— small crocheted squares in a cacophony of colors.

I’d like to invite everyone, each individual, to come forward and get a Pocket Prayer Shawl. It’s yours to keep. If you would rather I bring some to you from which you can choose, I can do that. I’ve got a separate basket. So, please come forward and get a Prayer Shawl— a Pocket Prayer Shawl. (Pause, while this happens.)

So, what are prayer shawls? Some of these words are taken from the folder which describes the Prayer Shawl Ministry in this church.

In 1997 Janet Bristow and Victoria Galo graduated from the Women’s Leadership Institute at Hartford Seminary in Connecticut. They started an outreach ministry with knitters and others who make crafts, a ministry people all over America then took up.

Shawls, as I am sure you’re aware, have been made for centuries around the world. The shawls and other crafts created by people participating in this ministry are created in and with prayer. Doing this work also brings to mind a truth: God empowers us to create and God empowers us to give.

Since the people involved are focused in this way, with an understanding that God is central to the enterprise, the making of the shawls— to concentrate just on shawls— is both a universal action and an action which embraces each individual blessed by the ministry.

Indeed, the making of shawls and the distribution of them is symbolic of an inclusive, unconditionally loving God. So, God blesses those who create and give.

And the finished products, whatever they may be, are meant to beautifully comfort, wrap, enfold, cover, give solace, nurture, hug and shelter. Therefore, God blesses those who receive.

The intent is that those who give the works remember why they are doing this work and Who is the prime giver. The intent is that those who receive the works remember these have been given with the kindness and the generosity of spirit God intends. Last, these items are a way of remembering our connectivity to one another. (Slight pause.)

Clearly, a prayer shawl ministry is a ministry of not just of this church but many churches. So, I’d like to talk about churches for a moment. (Slight pause.)

There is no question about this: local churches are in a very, very basic way, grass roots organizations. This is especially true in the denomination known as the United Church of Christ because in our structure there is no hierarchy. There are no bishops telling us what to do or defining who we are. Those of us in the Congregational tradition are, by definition, involved in a grass roots organization.

Put differently, the basic structure in the United Church of Christ is the local church. If for no other reason, that means our connectivity to one another on this local level and then moving out from this local level, this feeling of first being grass roots and then moving further is of great and paramount importance.

So, how do we support one another? How are we in covenant with one another? How are we grass roots? (Slight pause.)

You may be aware that there are three written histories of this church. The first one, published in 1879, contains the By-laws of the Church current then and names the officers in that structure.

So, what do the By-laws indicate it meant, indicate what we did, to be in covenant with each other then? (Slight pause.) In this document, the town is divided into four quadrants. Deacons were assigned to these areas, these quadrants. The well being of each soul living in these quadrants (member or not) was the responsibility of those deacons.

To be clear: this was not simply an assignment to look after spiritual needs. This also meant being aware of the physical needs of people, both members and non-members alike. Today, we would probably call that the work of outreach— outreach both to members and non-members. In short, what the By-laws laid out then meant being connected to one another as members of the church and being connected to one another as members of the human race, being connected to one another as children of God. The By-laws say that was important.

Are we organized in a different way today? Yes. But the work of outreach is still here and the work of outreach is still the same. In short, it still means being connected to one another as members of the church and being connected to one another as members of the human race, being connected to one another as children of God. (Slight pause.)

I think I need to offer a definition. What is outreach? Outreach is simply this: kindness. Indeed, let me ask: is not kindness the first measure of faith? Is not kindness the first measure of faith? (Slight pause.)

I have a friend who has been a college teacher his entire professional life in the New York City area. But he grew up in Rome, New York.

At his request to me this church has been sending his elderly aunt, who still lives in Rome, our newsletter. He recently asked me if we would be so kind as to change the address to which we send the newsletter, since he has had to move her to a nursing facility.

His e-mail with that request says she has (quote): “...immensely enjoyed your mailings. She especially likes the little stories and anecdotes and feels pride in having not only shared some of them with her minister in this region but also being informed by him that he’s used some of them in his own sermons.” (Slight pause.)

Doing that, sending that newsletter, is just a small kindness. But it means something to someone.

This church was doing a kindness in sending the Newsletter to my friend’s aunt. But most of us did not know we were doing that. Being connective sometimes means something to someone, even when we don’t know it’s happening, even when our understanding of what is happening is not direct. (Slight pause.)

So, why did I want to help the Prayer Shawl Ministry give out Pocket Prayer Shawls today? This might be an obvious question. (Slight pause.) They are meant to be a reminder that for us, for this church, doing outreach means being connective, being kind.

So let me suggest that you take your pocket prayer shawl and put it in your pocket or on your desk or on your night-stand, or even use a magnet to attach it to your refrigerator door. Put it someplace where you will see it and be able to touch it regularly, feel its texture.

Let it be a tactile point of reference for your memory. I want to suggest if you put it in an obvious, accessible place, it will be a reminder that connectivity is central to our lives as Christians and that kindness is central to our lives as Christians. (Slight pause.)

So, what does all this have to do with the fact that this is our Stewardship Sunday, our Enlistment Sunday? (Slight pause.) Paul tells us to (quote): “...encourage one another and build up each other...” (Slight pause.)

Outreach is connectivity and kindness and faithfulness all wrapped up into one. It is a part of building up each other. Clearly not all of what we do but certainly a good portion of what we do, together, as a church, in connectivity with one another, is empowered a pledge.

And pledging is not meant simply to be a place where we give away money— write a check and forget about what that means or what that has the potential to do. Pledging is meant as a sign that we stand in solidarity— in solidarity with everyone in this church, in solidarity with everyone in this town, with everyone in this state, with everyone on this planet. (Slight pause.)

You see, solidarity in our connectivity and in our kindness and in our faithfulness to the Word of God is the place to which God calls humanity. So, in solidarity and in connectivity and in kindness we are called to encourage one another and build up each other. Building each other up— that, that is real stewardship. (Slight pause.)

I am sure you have heard me say this way too often. The basic message is: “Love God. Love neighbor.” Easy right? Well, yes. If we connect with people. If we are kind. If we are faithful. Amen.

11/13/2011
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 Choral Response and Benediction. This is an précis of what was said: “The words of the second verse in the closing hymn say this: ‘Teach us, O God, Your lessons, / as in our daily life / we struggle to be human / and search for hope and faith. / Teach us to care for people, / for all, not just for some, / to love them as we find them, / or as they may become’ (Slight pause.) It has been said that the ancient Hebrews did not have a theology. They did theology. I think that is the call to Congregational Churches. We do theology.”

BENEDICTION: A kind and just God sends us out into the world as bearers of truth which surpasses our understanding. God watches over those who respond in love. So, let us love God so much, that we love nothing else too much. Let us be in awe of no one else and nothing else because we are so in awe of God. Amen.

Sermon ~ 11/06/2011 ~ Knowing the Day and the Hour

11/06/2011 ~ Proper 27 ~ Thirty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time ~ Twenty-First Sunday after Pentecost ~ Joshua 24:1-3a, 14-25; Psalm 78:1-7; Wisdom of Solomon 6:12-16 or Amos 5:18-24; Wisdom of Solomon 6:17-20 or Psalm 70; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Matthew 25:1-13 ~ COMMUNION SUNDAY.

Knowing the Day and the Hour

“...Jesus then said, ‘Stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour.’” — Matthew 25:13.

Bonnie and I have a G.P.S.— a Global Positioning System— for our car. And we really like it. Having the G.P.S. for trips to places with which we are not totally familiar, like the trip to Philadelphia slightly over a week ago, just makes things easier.

Now, interestingly, this week I bumped into a friend here in Norwich and we got to talking about how easy the G.P.S. makes things. He then told me this story.

His granddaughter called him from her cell phone. She also lives in Norwich. She was in Herkimer when she called— about 55 miles away. “Grandpa,” she said, sounding upset. “I’m in Herkimer.”

“So?” he asked.

“How do I get back to Norwich?”

A little flustered and not quite understanding what the problem was, my friend said, “Well, first you’ve got to get on Route 8.”

And then grandpa got really a big surprise. His granddaughter did not know what Route 8 was. His granddaughter did not know where Route 8 was. His granddaughter had never read a map in her life.

Now, she is young. She has been driving only a year. But she had totally and always and only relied on her G.P.S. And she had left the G.P.S. at home.

A friend had guided her to Herkimer but then that friend decided to stay there. She was afraid to call her Dad and tell him that. So, she called Grandpa.

And, indeed, Grandpa was probably more understanding, or at least a little more sympathetic about it than Dad would have been. So, as dangerous as this is, over the phone Grandpa talked her back to Route 8 and once she got far enough along Route 8 to notice some landmarks she recognized, she was able to make her way to Norwich. (Slight pause.)

In today’s bulletin you will find something Tom Rasely and I wrote. It’s a new Christmas Carol called One Angel Sings. Would you please take a moment to pull it out and look at it? (Pause as the Pastor waits for the congregation to do this.)

Tom and I have had a conversation a number of times which runs like this. The piece of paper on which this music is printed (the Pastor hold up the music) is nothing more than a road map. It is not the music itself.

You cannot hold the paper up to your ear and listen to it. (The pastor holds the paper up to his ear.) The paper does not make the music come alive. The music comes alive through your experience of it.

Further, that piece of paper with music printed on it is simply a series of landmarks— a roadmap of sorts. These landmarks do become familiar once you’ve experienced them. But you need to experience them to gain that familiarity.

Now you’ve never heard this music because it’s never been sung by a congregation. So, let’s do that. Let’s see what the experience of this Christmas Carol, newly written, this roadmap, is like. Bob will play through it once and then we’ll all sing it together. Bob— it’s all yours— once then three— right.

One angel sings / both silent and plain: / “A Child is born— Emmanuel now!” / And suddenly shouts / from heaven are heard / as the many heavenly hosts / cry out a refrain.

Chorus: “Glory to God, the peace of God reigns. / Glory to God, the Alpha, Omega. / Glory to God whose presence is here. / The peace of God reigns” / the angels proclaim.

One Angel sings / and freedom abounds. / A Child is born / and God is with us. / The peace of God / whose presence resounds. / And we respond to God / with songs of praise.

Chorus.

Let’s stand for the last one!

One angel’s voice / both silent yet clear / says God lives among us / now in the world. / And suddenly shouts / from heaven are heard! / As the many heavenly hosts / cry out the refrain:

Chorus. [1]


(Pause.) Please be seated. [To the organist:] Thank you Bob! [To the Congregation:] And thank you all for singing that.

So, just looking at the road map is quite a different experience than traveling on this road, is it not? And when you stood it was a different experience, right?

So, I want to suggest that when you experienced the road laid out on this map rather than just looking at it (the pastor hold up the paper with the song printed on it), you lived out the road in time, you lived with the road in time.

If you take the journey the map laid out, you have to be in relationship with the journey over time. And, as the words and music moved forward through time, the relationship changed and shifted.

Now, you did follow the landmarks on the paper. And despite not initially really knowing the landmarks since this is a piece of music you have never seen before, you were, in fact and none-the-less, faithful to those landmarks and responded to them. And I’d also bet every time you sang another verse, the landmarks became more familiar through your previous experience.

To be clear and perhaps even redundant: when you were only looking at the road map, you may have been able to imagine what it should be like and what it could be like. But, even if you could imagine what it would or could be like, you’d probably have to admit that experiencing it, living it, is different than imagining it. (Slight pause.)

And these are words we find being used by Jesus in the Gospel commonly called Matthew: “...Jesus then said, ‘Stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour.’”

Before the passage from the Gospel was read it was said society seems to want to know when the end times will happen. It was also said that may have been true in the era recorded by the Gospels.

After all, Jesus gives what I take as at least an admonition, and perhaps a clear warning (quote): “...you know neither the day nor the hour.” In short, realizing the error of that kind of thinking which must have been going on then, Jesus points it out.

But besides actually wanting to know the day and the hour clearly an error according to Jesus, I happen to think people make a second error when examining this story. People tend to ask: ‘what did the wise attendants do which helped them be wise, helped them successful?’

But that’s the wrong question. The question which needs to be asked is: ‘How did the wise attendants do that which helped them to be wise, be successful?’ How did they do it, as opposed to what did they do?

I think the ‘how’ in this story is that they are willing to engage in process. Their wisdom comes not from what they did— having enough oil. It comes from how they did it— being faithful to the task at hand.

You see, knowing about the ‘what’ of a situation is simply mechanical. It takes no thought, no relationship, no process. In this case, it just took a little oil. On top of that, engaging in the ‘how’ of a situation, which is exactly what these attendants did, does not worry about the outcome, does not worry about results.

Put a different way, today people often say ‘winning isn’t everything. Winning is the only thing.’ So, whatever happened to this motto: ‘It’s not whether you win or lose. It’s how you play the game’?

I think that’s what this story is really about— how we play the game. You see, we often take this— as I said— as a story about who wins and who loses. But it is not.

Neither is it a story about having oil on hand. It is a story about an approach to life. Suppose the wedding party had been still later than they already were? The so called ‘wise’ attendants may have run out of oil too.

That would have made them no less wise. That would have been no less faithful. Indeed, what makes the wise attendants wise is that they were faithful to the process, faithful the place to which they are called. (Slight pause.)

Theologian Friedrich Nietzsche is unfortunately known for coining the phrase ‘God is dead.’ But the following phrase certainly ranks as one of his more important conclusions (quote): “The ‘Dominion of Heaven’ is a condition of the heart— not something that comes ‘upon the earth’ or ‘after death.’” The Dominion of heaven is a condition of the heart. (Slight pause.)

I think this goes without question: life is a dynamic dialogue with God. The dialogue is ongoing, continual. It is a process. Life needs to be a condition of the heart. Living life needs to be a condition of the heart.

Hence, the key for us is a willingness to engage in the process. We may win. We may lose. But it is the journey, the experience— not the map and not the landmarks and not even the end result which counts.

So, let us concentrate on what we need to do. Based on the words of Jesus, the end times are clearly of no concern. We need to simply strive to be faithful. We need to simply strive to do what God calls us to do.

In short, we need to work on the process called loving God and loving neighbor. Having a map may be good. Noticing where the landmarks are is helpful. But engaging— engaging in the journey— that is key. Amen.

11/06/2011
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 Choral Response and Benediction. This is an précis of what was said: “I invite you to look at the Thought for Meditation courtesy of Sister Joan Chittister (quote): ‘Life is not about knowing exactly what we are meant to do. It’s about doing what must be done that makes our lives a song.’ Making our life a song is a process.”

BENEDICTION: The knowledge that God loves us frees us for joyous living. So, let us trust in the love God offers. Let us also be fervent in prayer as we make choices daily, and seek to do God’s will and walk in God’s way traveling on our Christian journey. And may the peace of God which surpasses all understanding and the abiding truth of Christ keep our hearts and minds in the knowledge, love and companionship of the Holy Spirit this day and forever more. Amen.

[1] Copyright 2011 - Tom Rasely and Joseph Connolly. If you want to hear what the hymn sounds like, the audio of this sermon will be posted on the web site of the United Church of Christ, First Congregational of Norwich after 11/09/2011.

Sermon ~ 10/30/2011 ~ Holy Work

October 30, 2011 ~ Proper 26 ~ Thirty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time ~ Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost ~ (If All Saints Not Observed on This Day) ~ Joshua 3:7-17; Psalm 107:1-7, 33-37; Micah 3:5-12; Psalm 43; 1 Thessalonians 2:9-13; Matthew 23:1-12 ~ Fifth Sunday Hymn Sing ~ Reformation Sunday ~ Budget Information Meeting.

Holy Work

“They do all their deeds, to be seen by others; their works are performed to be seen; they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes, their tassels, long.” — Matthew 23:5


Well, it is the season of little hobgoblins, is it not? If you are home when Trick or Treat time comes tomorrow, it’s likely you will be visited by costumed little ones, sometimes even costumed older folks, as they go on a quest for sweets. But what is, as this older form of English has it, Hallow-een?

It is, more formally, All-Hallows-Evening. Hence Halloween is the evening before All Hallows Day or the Day of All Who Are Holy, the Saints, better known as the Feast of All Saints, November the First. In any case, since this is the time of All Hallows Eve (and by the way, have you noticed Halloween is no longer a day but a whole season?) tomorrow being the actual date, I thought I’d offer an amazing statistic about how we Americans have come to celebrate Halloween.

So, what do you think the current estimate is of how much Americans spend each year on costumes and candies and parties as we celebrate Halloween? (Slight pause.) Would you believe the tab on these items currently runs at about seven billion dollars— seven billion dollars? (Slight pause.)

Now, when I said seven billion dollars is an amazing statistic, let me put that in perspective with another amazing statistic. How much do you think all candidates for President of the United States in the major political parties spent in 2008? Now, this calculation is the total spent by all the significant Republican Candidates and all the significant Democratic candidates together in the campaign which ran two years from 2006 to 2008? (Slight pause.) Would you believe that total was two billion dollars? (Slight pause.)

O.K. We spend seven billion dollars each year on costumes and candies and parties to celebrate a holiday which we made up, a holiday which has nothing to do with the real day which should be celebrated— All Saints Day. And then, over the course of two years, Americans spent two billion dollars in deciding who the leader of the most powerful nation in the world should be, or as the position is often named: the leader of the free world.

Can anyone explain that to me? Can anyone make any sense of that except by writing it off as a cultural phenomena? (Slight pause.)

Many think the worst year of the Great Depression was 1933. That was the year my late mother would have been nine. When I was a child, she would let us go out to do the Trick or Treat routine. After all, had we not gone Trick or Treating we might have been ostracized by our friends, our own peer group.

On the other hand, she often wondered out loud, so I think she meant all her children to hear it, why we might partake in this somewhat self centered exercise on the evening of all that is holy. You see, she would explain, aside from the fact that the day which celebrates all who are holy is more important, when she was growing up, in inner city poverty in the midst of the Great Depression, a common practice was for children to put on their worst clothes, clothes with holes and stains, on Thanksgiving.

And then, on that day— Thanksgiving Day not Halloween— they’d go out and knock on doors and say to anyone who answered: “Do you have anything for the ragamuffins?” The real question they were asking is: ‘do you have anything for us— children who live in poverty as you offer thanks to God for what you have?’

Was it meant to be a guilt trip? Probably. But they did this in the hope that the person answering the door might be generous. They hoped they would get not candy, but something more nourishing like an apple or a banana or a potato or a yam or (the saints be praised) something even more valuable like a nickel or a dime. (Slight pause.)

And we find these words in the work known as Matthew: “They do all their deeds, to be seen by others; their works are performed to be seen; they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes, their tassels, long.” (Slight pause.)

Tradition has it that Halloween— the Eve Before the Feast of All the Saints— is the day in 1517 on which Martin Luther nailed 95 Thesis to the Cathedral Door in Wittenberg, Germany. Theologians count this as a turning point in the history of the church, the point at which the Reformation became real.

Theologians will tell you the great instruction of Luther is we are justified by faith, not by works. But I want to suggest what is embodied by those 95 Thesis is much more subtle than the simplicity of the saying ‘justified by faith, not by works’ makes it appear. After all, one could logically conclude from that sound bite that works should not be a part of the undertaking of our life with God, that works are superfluous, unnecessary.

In fact, the place Luther starts the 95 Thesis is by saying Jesus calls us to (quote:) “repent.” And from the Biblical perspective, what is repentance? Repentance is handing our whole life over to God.

And what does that mean— ‘handing our whole life over to God’? (Slight pause.) It means constantly seeking to do the will of God and constantly seeking to do the work of God. (Slight pause.)

Now, I don’t want anyone here to think that I am some kind of ogre, that I am against fun or against Halloween. I am not. I’ve been know to give out candy on Halloween. (I just did it, didn’t I?) [1]

I’ve also been known to occasionally root for a specific baseball team, especially an underdog. (I just love it that the underdog Saint Louis Cardinals won the series.) I’ve even been known to do and to say all kinds of frivolous things— if you have ever seen me and Tom Rasely, you know that’s true! [2] In short, I’ve been known to have some real fun.

But I also like to think I try to put things into perspective. And I don’t think it’s a good thing that we spend seven billion dollars on Halloween, for instance. The practice seems to be not just cultural but culturally ego-centric.

And I think that is what Jesus is getting at in condemning those who wear phylacteries and fringes and tassels. This seems to be not simply cultural but culturally ego-centric, something done with neither sincerity nor, more importantly, a desire to seek the will of God and do the work of God. (Slight pause.)

So, what is work, really? Why should we do it, really? And how does it fit into being justified by faith? (Slight pause.)

The work we are called by God to do is first seeking the will of God and second, seeking out ways to fulfill that will. Based on the Biblical witness, the work to which God calls us seems clear: protect the human rights of all people, especially the outcast and the needy.

Is there a human right to food? Is there a human right to be clothed? Is there a human right to be housed? Is there a human right to health care? If so, we should be striving to feed those who are hungry, to clothe those who wear tatters, to shelter those who are homeless and to comfort and to strive to cure those who are ill.

I am not saying any of these are easy. These are all tall orders. I am saying there is a Biblical call, an invitation by God, to be about this work. (Slight pause.)

A couple of minutes ago you heard about some of this work from Cathy and Gary. [3] And, indeed, in November we will also have our Annual Thanksgiving Basket effort where we help feed nearly 500 families— a major piece of work.

We will also be a part of Operation Christmas Child. [4] Last, we will have our so called ‘enlistment campaign,’ and will make some determinations about supporting a part of our outreach ministries.

This is all the work of God and, historically, this church has been outstanding in its efforts in these areas. All of which is to say if we are justified by faith, we also need to be doing the will of God and the work of God. We need to constantly be about repentance and, therefore, to be about steering our lives toward God. We need to constantly be seeking the ways in which God would have us walk.

Last, there is one thing the work to which God calls us is not. It is not fire insurance, as in: if I do this, it will be a sure path to heaven. And doing this work will keep me out of you know where— H-E-double hockey sticks. Indeed, if there is any kind of fire insurance, it is embodied by trusting God and seeking the will of God and acting in the work to which God calls us. Amen.

10/30/2011
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 Choral Response and Benediction. This is an précis of what was said: “Who are saints? What are saints? Saints are people set aside to do the work of God. We are, you see, all saints. Friday morning bright Fall sunlight fell around Bonnie and I as we visited the Philadelphia area and as we looked around the graveyard of the Episcopal Church of Saint James the Less for some of Bonnie’s ancestors. I noticed a tombstone for the Fifth Bishop of Pennsylvania, one Ozi W. Whitaker, who died in 1911. On the stone was this inscription: ‘Well Done Good and Faithful Servant.’ And I think that’s the point. Do it well; trust God; that’s it.”

BENEDICTION: Go from here in the Spirit of Christ. Dare to question that which is false and that which holds us captive. Count it a privilege that God calls upon us to be in covenant and to work in the vineyard. And may the peace of Christ which passes all understanding keep our hearts and minds in the love, knowledge and companionship of God the Creator, Christ the redeemer and the Holy Spirit the sanctifier this day and forever more. Amen.

[1] Note: the pastor gave out candy at the Children’s Time.
[2] Tom Rasely is the Music Associate at the church. The pastor and Tom have written sermons together which have a comedic bent.
[3] Cathy Hammons, Chair of the Deacons and Gary Gray, a member of this church and a volunteer at the food pantry spoke about working at Our Daily Bread Food Pantry at the Episcopal Church.
[4] For the first time this year the church will participate in the widely known activity Operation Christmas Child.

Sermon ~ 10/23/2011 ~ Loving God

10/23/2011 ~ Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time ~ Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost ~ Proper 25 ~ Deuteronomy 34:1-12; Psalm 90:1-6, 13-17; Leviticus 19:1-2, 15-18; Psalm 1; 1 Thessalonians 2:1-8; Matthew 22:34-46 ~ Children’s Time: Operation Christmas Child.

Loving God

[Jesus was asked this question by the expert on the law.] “‘Teacher, which commandment of the law is the greatest?’ Jesus answered, ‘You shall love the Most High God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’” — Matthew 22:37.

The week the well known entrepreneur and inventor Steve Jobs died, I used some memorable quotes of his in my comments. Jobs was something more than a celebrity, perhaps icon is the closest description, so I am not the only one referencing this zen master of computers in comments on the world around us, in comments about the society in which we live.

I was reminded of that because of an article in a newsletter I get which comes out of the University of Chicago Divinity School. That article also referred to Jobs as the author wondered about the memorial displays to the inventor which seemed to spontaneously spring up outside of Apple Stores all around the world right after he died.

These shrines— and that is certainly what they are: shrines— contained personal messages, flowers, candles, homemade artwork and images of Jobs. The writer of the article, Benjamin E. Zeller a Professor at Brevard College, wondered if public memorials like these reveal something profound for those who study religious practice as it plays out in the public square. Indeed, do not these spontaneous shrines seem to somehow be religious memorials? [1]

In fact, many have referred to Apple as a ‘cult,’ as if it was somehow connected with religion, and referred Jobs its ‘chief priest.’ I do not see it that way. The company is a simply a computer and media concern at the forefront of design and was led by an enormously talented individual.

On the other hand, there are lots of things in popular culture which look like and give the appearance of practices associated with religion. After all, the same kind of memorials suddenly appeared upon the death of Princess Diana.

And these days football games show all the trappings of people gathered for religious events. They all stand up and sit down at the same time, don’t they.

For me, a serious baseball fan, this might be too close to the bone but at the World Series game last night someone had a banner which said: “WE BELIEVE.” Believe? Believe in what? In baseball? In the team? Are these some kind of minor gods? (Slight pause.)

I would insist the aforementioned practices are not religious nor do they fulfill religious rituals. These shrines I mentioned are a cultural practice— a cultural ritual, not a religious one. (Slight pause.)

This is clear: much of what passes as religious practice in our society has little, in particular, to do with religion or the practice thereof. These merely have ritualistic trappings. And these trappings, as I said, are cultural.

You see, memorials to the deceased are a fairly common practice world wide both currently and historically. Let’s face it: what are the Pyramids except memorial shrines? In fact, memorial shrines are not a theologically central part— not a theologically central part— I’m going to say that one more time: not a theologically central part— of any major religion. Shrines are not central.

But, if that’s the case, it begs these questions: ‘What is religion?’ ‘What is the culture?’ And ‘What is the difference?’ (Slight pause.)

And these words are found in the work known as Matthew: “‘Teacher, which commandment of the law is the greatest?’ Jesus answered, ‘You shall love the Most High God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’” (Slight pause.)

There is a cultural argument which runs throughout all Scripture. And time and time again that cultural argument is countered with a theological argument.

I need to be clear when I use the term theological. Theology is about relationship, intimate relationship, nothing else— I’m going to say that one more time too— theology is about relationship, intimate relationship, nothing else. The conflicting positions between culture and theology can readily be stated this way: is our intimacy with God— is our intimacy with God— determined by a set of rules or is our intimacy with God determined by relationship? (Slight pause.)

Now, when I say there is an argument between the culture and theology throughout Scripture, you need to realize Jesus says nothing new here but is simply quoting Deuteronomy 6:4 and Leviticus 19:18. This is old stuff. And Jesus gives the theological answer, the intimate answer, the relational answer to the question being asked.

But the question put to Jesus is not about theology. The question put to Jesus is not about relationship. The question put to Jesus is clearly on the cultural side of that ledger because it asks (quote): “Teacher, which commandment of the Law is the greatest?” and it is asked by (quote): “an expert on the law.”

The rabbis counted 613 commands in the Torah. Among them there were 248 positive commands and 365 negative commands.

Although rabbinical teachers would also indulge in giving summaries of the Law, there was a self serving view among many that all commandments were equal. Why self serving? Because a lot of these 613 commandments were about mere ceremony.

They were, in short, cultural in nature— cultural in nature. Jesus responds by insisting that our relationship with God and with the children of God must take precedence.

Now I’m going to draw a little chart for you.

[There is an easel with newsprint on the platform where the pastor is speaking. The liturgist sets up the easel and the pastor goes to it and draws a box.]

If you promulgate unbending rules, the requirement is clear. You must live inside the box. There’s no way out.

[The pastor draws arrows from the lines which make up the edge of the box going toward the center.]

The requirement of relationship, on the other hand, is that you acknowledge rules are there, but that you are invited to be in intimate relationship with God.

[The pastor draws arrows going out from the lines which make up the the edge of the box.]

Intimate relationship invites you to live out from the box, live out from the rules. (Slight pause.)

It seems obvious (it certainly seems obvious to me) that this cultural/theological argument has been going on for millennia. And what can I say? It seems obvious to me on which side of this divide Jesus stands: the relationship side. (Slight pause.)

That still begs the question: “What is this loving God stuff and loving neighbor stuff about?” (Slight pause.) I think... loving God and loving neighbor is about... intimacy. And, boy, does that frighten our culture.

Indeed, what makes another person real to us? Is it not personal interaction and experience of that person? That is intimacy.

And at what level does that personal interaction, that intimacy, with someone else and that experience with someone else transform into trust? (Slight pause.) At what level does personal interaction, that intimacy, with God, that experience with God transform into trust? (Slight pause.)

If you do not have an intimate relationship with God, you will not love God. If you do not have an intimate relationship with God, you will not trust God.

And, in fact, if you do not have an intimate relationship with others, you will not love them and you will not trust them. And this one might be the big stumbling block: in fact, if you do not have an intimate relationship with yourself, you will not love yourself and you will not trust yourself.

So, what happens when you do not trust yourself? You readily buy into the culture and whatever the culture is selling. Buying into the culture becomes really problematic when you buy into the culture for signs of reassurance, signs of reassurance which claims that you are whole. Believe me: the culture out there cannot make any of us whole.

Further, I also want to suggest that this looking to the culture for reassurance of self is merely a way of avoiding intimacy. And I want to suggest that loving God and loving neighbor is not only a key to intimacy with God and neighbor, but if you are fully open to loving yourself, then it becomes a key to not just trusting yourself but to respecting yourself and to knowing yourself fully.

Last, I do not want to diminish the task of loving God and loving neighbor and loving self and make that task sound easy. After all, it seems to me this is a very counter-cultural task and it seems to me this has been a counter-cultural task for millennia. Further, I doubt that any of us will ever be perfect at it. That does not mean we should cease to work at it.

I do want you to rest assured that loving God and loving neighbor and loving self can and does lead us on fruitful paths. These are the paths called love, hope, freedom, peace and joy. Amen.

10/23/2012
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 Choral Response and Benediction. This is an précis of what was said: “Scripture is riddled with cultural artifacts. Polygamy is culturally often acceptable in the narratives found in the Hebrew Scriptures. Slavery was clearly culturally acceptable in the era the Christian Scriptures are written. The Southern States here in America used those passages to justify slavery before the Civil War. Just because pieces of Scripture contains cultural artifacts does not mean they are theologically acceptable. Remember: theology is about relationship, intimate relationship, nothing else.”

BENEDICTION: God sends us into the world ready and equipped. God is with us each day and every day. We can trust God Whose love is steadfast and sure. Let us commit to doing God’s will and God’s work. And may God’s presence be with us this day and forevermore. Amen.

[1] The article was written by Benjamin E. Zeller in the e-mail Newsletter Sightings. He is Assistant Professor of Religious Studies, Coordinator of the Religion and Philosophy Major, and Director of Honors at Brevard College, a private liberal arts college in North Carolina's Appalachian Mountains. His academic website is http://www.nrms.net.

Sermon ~ 10/16/2011 ~ “Kabod”

10/16/2011 ~ Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time ~ Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost ~ Proper 24 ~ Exodus 33:12-23 ~ Psalm 99; Isaiah 45:1-7; Psalm 96:1-9, (10-13); 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10; Matthew 22:15-22.

Kabod

“When my glory passes by you, I will place you in the cleft of the rock and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by.” — Exodus 33:22


How many people here this morning remember those ancient times when dinosaurs roamed the face of the earth called the 1980s? If you remember that era, you may remember a classic television advertisement. (If you don’t remember it, you can find this commercial on youtube.)

The product in question is Memorex recording tapes and the commercials featured a person often called the “First Lady of Song,” vocalist Ella Fitzgerald. The tag line in the ads was: “Is it live or is it Memorex?”

Of course, the idea illustrated by the commercial was that Ella singing live could shatter a glass with her voice. But the quality of the Memorex tape was so perfect even a recording of Ella’s voice would give you the same result: a shattered glass.

Let me assure you this advertisement presented a serious scientific fact. If Ella’s voice live could shatter a glass, a good quality tape recording of her voice played through a high quality speaker system could do the same thing: shatter a glass.

But that leaves open the question: ‘Does a recording, no matter how accurate, offer the same experience as a live performance?’ Was there something about the innate charisma and warmth and vitality and genuineness and intimacy of an Ella Fitzgerald— or, to be more modern about it is there something about the innate charisma and warmth and vitality and genuineness and intimacy of a Lady Gaga or a Taylor Swift— something present in a live performance situation that a recording cannot possibly capture? (Slight pause.)

Many of you know I worked as a writer mostly in theater and you might, therefore, expect me to favor the live performance of theater over, for instance, movies or television. The short answer is: yes, you are right. I do favor live theater over movies or television. Even when television is being broadcast (quote, unquote) “live” as the euphemism has it— broadcasting things like baseball games. For me there is still a second hand quality to that experience.

Now, does that keep me from watching baseball games on the tube? No. But, would I rather be at the ballpark watching and experiencing these athletes.

And whether we’re talking about live performance in theater or live performance in sports or a live performance at a concert or a live performance for a club act, I think live performance, experiencing what is happening— in person, myself, live— is always a better experience. A recorded performance or a performance broadcast through some box or projected on a screen— these always feel like somehow flat— a second hand reality. (Slight pause.)

Now, I have seen, in person, a goodly share of baseball games in my times. And I’ve even been to a World Series game— only one game— but I have been to one. It was Game 2 of the 1986 Series at Shea Stadium, the Boston Red Sox against the New York Mets, a Championship eventually won by the Mets.

However, by the 7th inning of Game 2 the Mets were behind 7 to 3. It was a cold night, the temperature hovered in the high forties at best. The score was so lopsided, the stands began to empty out in the 7th inning.

My Dad was with me at the game. Given the temperature, we were both bundled up to protect from the cold. And we also had what might charitably be called nosebleed seats, way, way up in the left field stands and that wind was blowing good.

Dad was not really in the best of health so, trying to be sensitive and given the score and given that by the 7th inning many, many people were already involved in a mass exodus, streaming to their cars and to the Subway, I asked my Dad if he wanted to leave. All he said was: “This is a World Series game.” (Slight pause.)

Is it live or is it Memorex? (Slight pause.)

And in the 33rd Chapter of Exodus, we hear these words: “When my glory passes by you, I will place you in the cleft of the rock and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by.” (Slight pause.)

In Hebrew the word used for glory, as in ‘glory of God,’ is kabod— that’s the sermon title— “Kabod.” But what is it? What does kabod really mean? What does glory really mean?

Indeed, why is it in this theophany, in this description of the real presence of God, are we not given some concrete facts about God? Why are we not told what it feels like to be in the presence of God? And why does Scripture always rely on images and metaphor when describing God? Is it possible God is indescribable? (Slight pause.)

It is of interest that this passage, which speaks about the glory of God, once again, utters, proclaims the Name of God— ‘I AM.’ The Hebrew word we take to be this name is Yahweh. And Yahweh is a verb— ‘to be.’

So, this name of God is not a noun. Hence, ‘to be’ is, in one sense, not a name, not a naming, although God insists it is. And ‘to be’ is also clearly not just a verb. ‘To be’ implies and even is a state of being. (Slight pause.)

I want to suggest that this glory of God, this kabod, is also a state of being. In fact, I want to suggest the only way to described God is as a state of being. But how can you describe a state of being? It cannot be described.

Indeed, God cannot be recorded as if on tape. God cannot be reproduced. You cannot playback God. Memorex, or anything else, cannot fix the real presence of God. God can only be... experienced. (Slight pause.)

In Philippians Paul addresses something the Apostle labels as “the peace of God which surpasses all understanding.” There are a number of translations for these words. Among them are these— the New International Version which says, “...the peace of God, which transcends all understanding...” The New Living Translation has it as, “...God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand.” The New American Standard Bible uses this: “...the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension...”

The International Standard Version says, “...God’s peace, which goes far beyond anything we can imagine...” The Aramaic Bible in Plain English favors “...God, Who is greater than every mind...” The Bible in Basic English uses “...the peace of God, which is deeper than all knowledge...” The Weymouth New Testament says, “...the peace of God, which transcends all our powers of thought...”

Now, what we in the 21st Century do not realize is this so called “peace of God” is not an absence of violence or an absence conflict. The peace of God is, rather, the actual and real presence of God in our midst. And Christian theology makes the claim that with the advent of Jesus, God is now with us and God will always be among us.

Hence, I think one point Paul is making in addressing the peace of God is that God is always in our midst. And needless to say, sometimes we don’t recognize or acknowledge the presence of God. But God is there. This, I think, is the “I AM” of God— always there, God who is a form of the verb “to be,” God who is a state of being.

Still, that leaves the question: ‘What is this kabod of God, this glory of God? How is it different than the presence of God? (Slight pause.)

This is what I think: it’s possible that the kabod of God, the glory of God is the active experience of God. And God cannot be experience second hand. God is not available on tape. So, I want to suggest that a prime place for us to experience God is in one another, as in ‘love your neighbor.’

And I also want to suggest that we can experience God first hand. We can experience God, among other places, in silence. And we can experience God in song. And we can experience God slim ripples of a breeze. And we can experience the soft, healing touch we know when we realize a memory of a loved one no longer with us still speaks.

In short, there are many ways we each experience the Glory of God, not simply the passive presence of God but the active Spirit of God moving in our lives. But the key is: that experience, our individual experience, is like the experience of no one else. And so, as our own experience, it cannot really be described. It is our experience, and our experience only.

Perhaps that is why an experience of God is not like Memorex. This experience of God is not second hand. And this experience of God is real. And this experience of God is full. And this experience of God is live, not Memorex, not tape. (Slight pause.)

What is kabod? What is the glory of God? We experience the glory of God when God acts in our lives. We experience the glory of God when we feel hope, when we know love, when we touch peace, when we find joy, when we taste freedom, when memory is real. Amen.

10/16/2011
United Church if Christ, First Congregational, Norwich, New York

ENDPIECE: It is the practice of the Pastor to speak after the Closing Hymn, but before the Choral Response and Benediction. This is an précis of what was said: “Is it live or is it Memorex? Why do we need to worship God? After all, God is self sufficient. God does not need us to offer worship to God. I think we need to be in communal worship because it is an opportunity to experience God with each other and to experience God in our own individual way. But worship is live. It is not second hand. It is not Memorex.”

BENEDICTION: We have gathered, not just as a community, but as a community of faith. Let us respond to God, who is the true reality, in all that we are and say and do. Let the Holy Spirit dwell among us and may the peace of God which surpasses our understanding be with us this day and forever more. Amen.