Witnesses
“We are witnesses to all Jesus did in the countryside, in Judea and in Jerusalem. Finally, Jesus was put to death, killed, hung on a tree only to be raised by God on the third day.” — Acts 10:39-41
Bonnie and I moved from Bangor, Maine, to Norwich nearly 15 years ago. We brought our two cats, Topsy and Turvy, with us. As these things go and for cats, the two lived to a ripe old age. Topsy died over a year ago, last December, and Turvy died in March, both at about 16 ½ years old.
So, we have been ‘cat-less’ for ten months. For me personally, except for my stint in the Army, that’s the longest I’d ever been without a cat in my household. The previous longest period without a cat was more like ten weeks, not ten months.
As you heard earlier, yesterday, two twelve week old kittens, sisters, a tortoise shell and a grey and orange tiger [the pastor places pictures of the cats, used at the Children’s Time on the pulpit], both subsets of calico, came to live with us. [1] For now, we’ve named them J.J. and B.B (for Jo Jo and Bon Bon). These may be the names they keep, but we also figured they are good place holders.
J.J.
B.B.
After all, once we see what each of them is like, other names might present themselves. And the good thing about changing names for cats is, unlike changing a name for a person, we don’t have to go to court to get it done. [A parishioner calls out: “And they don’t care. The pastor agrees] And they don’t care; that’s true too!Now for all you dog lovers, Bonnie and I do not hate dogs. We’ve each owned dogs we fondly remember. Bonnie’s favorite was a beagle named, for an obvious reason, Snoopy. My favorite was a border collie named, for no obvious reason, Buckley.
And yes, just as there are good reasons to have a pet, there are good reasons to have no pet at all. It’s not a matter of liking or disliking pets. It’s much more a matter what you become accustomed to. It’s about habit, taste— culture. Those of us whose culture is to have pets, don’t like to be without them.
And they do seem to have a positive, calming effect or, at the very least, a distracting effect— not calming says Bonnie, just distracting. Pets have even become a part of assisted living and nursing home environments. Their ability to be companions is amazing.
For those of us who do have pets, I also suspect this is a truth: they work their way into your heart. Why? Pets don’t question us. They just accept us. Perhaps even with pets we could, therefore, use that often abused word ‘love.’ (Slight pause.)
And these words are found in the work known as Luke/Acts in the section called Acts: “We are witnesses to all Jesus did in the countryside, in Judea and in Jerusalem. Finally, Jesus was put to death, killed, hung on a tree only to be raised by God on the third day.” (Slight pause.)
The book American Grace: How Religion Divides and Unites Us by Robert Putnam and David Campbell was published just last October. Only at the end of the work do the authors fully explain the title— American Grace. It’s our ability to live with religious pluralism.
They admit throughout our history religious divisions seem prominent. Among the historical incidents of disunion are anti-Catholic riots in 1834 and 1844 in Massachusetts and Philadelphia. Even today various acts of vandalism are at times perpetrated on places of worship. As was proven yesterday in Tucson, fringe elements are always with us.
On the other hand, we have not had religious wars, the kind which erupted all over Europe from the Reformation onward. Disruptions like these have continued right into the modern era in places like Northern Ireland and the Balkans.
So, what is it which allows for this culture of what Putnam and Campbell call American Grace, a high level of religiosity which lives with religious pluralism? They claim a prime enabler of this is that we create social webs which transcend religion. No matter what our own tradition, odds are we have friends or work with folks from many backgrounds: Catholic or Protestant or Mormon or Jewish or Muslim, etc., etc., etc.
In short, we have interlocking personal relationships with people of many faith traditions. Additionally, intermarriage among people of other faith traditions, is something which breaks down barriers most of the time, and such intermarriage is common in our society. [1]
In the work place or the neighborhood if someone is becoming a friend, the odds are you don’t ask: ‘Well, in what faith tradition were you raised?’ But among the questions you ask might are: ‘What are your hobbies?’ ‘Are you married?’ ‘Where did you grow up?’ ‘What school did you attend?’
Please notice: ‘Are you saved?’ is not listed among those questions. In short, building relationships is of first importance. And, dare I say it, the acceptance found in relationship leads to love.
Love, itself, is often described as unconditional acceptance. Based on the progression I just offered, relationship does lead to acceptance. But relationships actually flower— relationships flower— because of knowledge. When we know something about a person— where they went to school, where they grew up— then relationship starts to build. Knowledge helps lead to relationship.
Equally, once a relationship builds through acceptance love is empowered. Hence, love can be and sometimes is described as a fullness of knowledge— love— a fullness of knowledge. Note: love is not a full knowledge, a complete knowledge. Love is a fullness of knowledge.
Indeed, in the words exchanged by a couple in the wedding ceremony I use says each party will (quote): “...love what I know of you and trust what I do not yet know...”— ...love what I know of you and trust what I do not yet know.... Hence, here’s yet another definition of love— a knowledge never fully realized. That is, therefore, when trust must prevail. When knowledge is never fully realized trust must supercede love. (Slight pause.)
The Tenth Chapter of Acts is both one of the most complex in the new Testament and one of the most important, most pivotal. I invite you to read it when you go home. Pull that Bible down off the shelf and blow the dust off and open it up.
But, for our purposes today, this is what you need to know: Peter is in the home of a Roman Centurion. The Romans killed Jesus. But this Roman seeks God. Peter then realizes God loves all people, even Romans.
Think about what is happening. Despite spending all that time with Jesus, this is the first time Peter realizes God shows no partiality. God loves all people. And what does Peter do in response to this? Peter offers some facts about what God has done in Jesus.
Even before Peter finishes, the Spirit of God is present to all those gathered. Relationship happens. Acceptance happens. Love happens. (Slight pause.) “...love what I know of you... trust what I do not yet know...” (Slight pause.)
Nothing is fully cerebral. Nothing can be only in the head. On the other hand, nothing is fully in the heart. Nothing is simply or only emotional. Real relationships, deep relationships take both facts and time to build. Head and heart need to work together. Heart and head need to be integrated. (Slight pause.)
In a couple of minutes you will be invited to recite The Nicene Creed. We who live in the post-Enlightenment era often treat creeds as if they were a series of intellectual statements, facts about God simply meant to be affirmed.
Yes, creeds are descriptive. In that sense, they are facts. But that is neither why nor how they were written. Creeds were meant to be and are an emotional response to God, God who is alive in the life of people, God who is alive in the life of the church.
Creeds, you see, are not a set of facts any more than the description Peter offers. And Peter is not giving a set of facts. Peter is giving an emotional explanation about what God has done. (Slight pause.)
Creeds also are and need to be an emotional response for us, since they are about who God is and what God has done in Jesus and how the Spirit is with us now. Further, given these basic details we find in creeds, they then leave it to us— leave it to us to explore a relationship with God.
Once we explore that relationship it can lead to acceptance. Acceptance leads to love. Seems simple, does it not? Loving God is about building a relationship with God. (Slight pause.)
Who are J.J. and B.B.? I don’t know yet. They just arrived yesterday. But I will know because a relationship will be built through that knowing.
If we can build relationships with pets, it seems to me building a relationship with God might be just a tad more important. And so, we are invited, by God, to be in relationship.
And, because we are in relationship, we are invited to be witnesses, as was Peter and as was all those who lived in the house of the Roman Centurion— witnesses to who God is and what God has done. Needless to say, we cannot be witnesses to that relationship unless we know something of who God is, who Jesus is, who the Spirit is. Relationships— easy, right? Amen.
01/09/2011
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: “I understand the irony of having addressed our culture’s ability to accommodate alongside the incident in Tucson yesterday. As I said earlier, there are and always have been both tensions in society and fringe elements. Further, it’s too early to connect yesterday’s violence with forces political or religious. Still, it does feel as if there is some connection. My proof? Not an hour after the shooting, pages on web sites of well know parties, politicians and media outlets which came close to crossing a line when it comes to civility had been taken down. If there was and is not a direct connection, clearly some felt there was enough of a connection. Bottom line? We are all brothers and sisters in Christ. When we forget that, we loose something of our humanity, we deny that relationships can ever be built.”
[1] The pastor used pictures of the cats in the Children’s Time, explaining that God invites us to look after pets and asking ‘who looks after us?’ Then the pastor invited the children to stand and look and the people in the congregation and explained that we look after one another.
[2] Pg. 548. American Grace: How Religion Divides and United Us. Robert D. Putnam and David E. Campbell. Simon and Schuster, New York. Copyright 2010.
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