The Love of Christ ~ Sermon ~ 07/24/2011

07/24/2011 ~ Proper 12 ~ 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time ~ Sixth Sunday after Pentecost ~ Genesis 29:15-28; Psalm 105:1-11, 45b or Psalm 128; 1 Kings 3:5-12; Psalm 119:129-136; Romans 8:26-39; Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52.

The Love of Christ

“What will separate us from the love of Christ? Trouble? Hardship? Distress? Calamity? Persecution? Famine? Hunger? Nakedness? Peril? Danger? The sword? Violence?” — Romans 8:35 [ILV]

The Rev. Dr. Glenn Miller, my Church History professor in seminary, is a Southern gentleman and very laid back. Nothing ruffles him. I have proof.

I was standing next to Glenn when a student approached and asked what I’d have to rate, in all Christian charity, as one of the silliest questions I’ve ever heard. “Dr. Miller— you’re offering a survey class in Church History this semester.” Glenn nodded. “What does that cover?”

Needless to say a survey course, by definition, covers the entire subject. Dr. Miller remained calm. He said, “Well, it’s a survey course... in Church History.”

“Yes,” the student insisted on pursuing this strange line of inquiry. “What does that survey cover?”

Glenn smiled. There was a twinkle in his eye. I could tell mischief was afoot. [The pastor mimics the motions in the following description.] Glenn reached out his left hand as far to the left as he could. “Jesus,” he said, “died somewhere over here— about the year 30 of the Common Era.”

Then he reached out his right hand as far to the right as he could. “Jesus will come back somewhere over here... we don’t yet know when.”

Glenn then looked back and forth across an imaginary line created by the distance between the two hands and made a pronouncement. “A survey course in Church History covers everything in between.” (Slight pause.)

I think I’ve actually told that story here before. But I was reminded of it because of a recent article in the magazine The Christian Century. The piece reported that American students don’t know much about the history of our nation.

When tested, most fourth graders can’t explain why Abraham Lincoln is important. Only 2 percent of high school seniors could name the social problem the Supreme Court addressed in Brown versus the Board of Education.

Lendol Calder, of Augustana College in Illinois, the article said, had been exploring this problem. At the start of a survey course in American History this professor asks students to write a short paper on the history of the United States. They are to write it without using any resources.

The students think they are being tested on factual knowledge. But the deeper purpose is to find out what they think the American story says.

Over the 15 years Calder has used that exercise the number of students who think of the American past as a story about gaining freedom has consistently and constantly dropped. It is now less than 20 percent. And that’s not even the real problem.

The real problem is this story has not been replaced by another story. Over 80 percent see the American past as just one thing after another— a jumble of disconnected events. Calder wonders if the American narrative cannot be seen as any kind of unfolding story, not even one about freedom, then does it seem meaningless?

Indeed, if there is no narrative framework, is it possible students cannot and are not able to see themselves in that story, to see themselves as inheritors of freedom. Last, if people have no narrative sense of the American story and its movement toward freedom, are they likely to be susceptible to ideologues who weave their own versions of the past in order to manipulate emotions? (Slight pause.)

My Church History professor, Dr. Miller, insisted history is not about dates and facts. History is about narrative, about story, about movement over the course of centuries, like the American movement toward freedom.

History is, therefore and paradoxically, personal. It is personal because we are a part of the story. But history cannot be personal unless we can see ourselves as a continuation of a story.

So, what is this narrative of American freedom? Freedom did not happen overnight but over the course of centuries. The two instances I mentioned earlier— Lincoln was president from 1861 to 1865. But the Era of Lincoln was from around 1840 to 1870, when slavery was contested.

The decision known as Brown versus the Board of Education happened in 1954. It insisted civil rights were for all people and that separate is not equal. But we need to see the American struggle for equal rights as starting when the first slave of African descent landed on these shores.

And we need to see this movement as one which continues even today. And we need to see us— here, now— as a continuing part of that story about freedom.

Unless we come to grips with narrative and how it effects us, personally, unless we see ourselves within the framework of history, we are left thrashing around wondering who we are, as we try to figure out what’s happening around us. Unless we see history as part of our own story, there are only disconnected events. Indeed, unless we see ourselves in the context of the story we lose a part of ourselves. (Slight pause.)

And these words are from the work known as Romans: “What will separate us from the love of Christ? Trouble? Hardship? Distress? Calamity? Persecution? Famine? Hunger? Nakedness? Peril? Danger? The sword? Violence?” (Slight pause.)

Can we, do we see ourselves as a part of the story about the relationship between God and humanity? (Slight pause.) [The pastor holds up a hand and points to the thumb finger and pinky finger as a beginning and an end.] When I do Bible study I start with a premise. I ask what does the Bible mean from beginning to end, from Genesis to Revelation— the whole arc?

The Bible means God loves us and wants to covenant with us. That’s what the narrative is about. That’s the whole story.

Hence, to ask what this verse says over here in Leviticus or to ask this verse here in Romans says is inadequate— always inadequate. [Again the pastor points to fingers on the hand.] We need to ask how what is said in Leviticus and what is said in Romans— how these verses fit into the basic story— the basic story— the one that says God loves us and wants to covenant with us.

Indeed, if we look at one of those verses and decide it says God does not love someone or that someone is outcast, we’ve not just misread the narrative. Either we do not really know the narrative or we’ve twisted the story beyond recognition.

Further, this needs to be personal. We need to see ourselves in that narrative, a story which says God loves us and wants to covenant with us. All of which is to say, that the basic narrative, the basic story of the Bible is really, really simple: God loves each of us. God loves all of us. (Slight pause.)

So, “What will separate us from the love of Christ?” If we do not see ourselves and everyone else as a part of the narrative of the love of God, all these aforementioned things— trouble, hardship, distress, calamity, persecution, famine, hunger, nakedness, peril, danger, the sword, violence— will separate us from the love of God. They will separate us from what God has done for us in Christ. (Slight pause.)

I need to be clear about something. What this does not say— what this does not say— is that trouble, hardship, distress, calamity, persecution, famine, hunger, nakedness, peril, danger, the sword or violence will cease to exist because of the love God offers. You see, as Christians, we believe the peace of God is with us.

But the peace of God is not the absence of trouble, hardship, et cetera. The peace of God is, rather, the presence of God.

And, as Christians, we believe Christ lives. We believe the presence of Christ is with us, the presence of God is with us— here, now. (Slight pause.)

A relationship with God, you see, just like any other relationship, is personal. And once we realize that nothing can separate us from Christ, once we see ourselves as children of God, that relationship becomes very, very personal.

Why? Because we see ourselves as loved by God in Christ, Jesus, and we see ourselves as a part of the story— part of the story called The Love of God. The Love of God— I could be wrong but is that not the greatest story ever told? Amen.

07/24/2011
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: “Another seminary student, not the one from the earlier story, once said to me that the reason the professors wanted us to write so many papers is they wanted us re-write the Bible. ‘No,’ I said. ‘They want to empower us to know the story of the Bible so well that we can relate what Bible says using our own words.’ I think that illustrates the relationship we need to Scripture because it is about relationship. It is personal.”

BENEDICTION
Let us recognize that the transforming power of the love God offers is forever among us. And may we love God so much, that we love nothing else too much. May we be so in awe of God that we are in awe of no one else and nothing else. Amen.

07/03/2011 ~ Sermon ~ In Christ

07/03/2011 ~ Proper 9 ~ 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time ~ Third Sunday after Pentecost ~ Genesis 24:34-38, 42-49, 58-67; Psalm 45:10-17 or Song of Solomon 2:8-13; Zechariah 9:9-12; Psalm 145:8-14; Romans 7:15-25a; Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30 ~ Communion Sunday ~ Pastor Joe Does North Guilford Also.

In Christ

“There is, therefore, now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” — Romans 8:1.

It used to be, if you were in the recording business, indeed, it used to be— to use the euphemism— if you were a recording artist, July was an important, special month. July was the month many artists— instrumentalists and singers— went into the studio and recorded... Christmas albums. With technology today, that time frame has gotten a little shorter, in part because the distribution aspect of being a recording artist no longer involves vinyl— vinyl which was a slow process.

I was reminded of that because in the last several weeks Tom Rasely and I have been doing the composer and lyricist equivalent of inhabiting a recording studio in July. The first Sunday in Advent this year is November 27th. So, yes, a couple of weeks ago we wrote an anthem which seems appropriate for the Season of Advent.

And yes, in this last week we’ve been working on something for Christmas. And yes, right now is that part of the monthly cycle within the Julian calendar which seems so opposite from Christmas: the Summer month called July. Or at least it seems opposite when you’re in the Northern Hemisphere. Do remember— Christmas in Australia comes in the Summer and the Summer in Australia comes in December.

Now, the reason I bring up Christmas, even though it is July, has to do with the fact that writing these Advent and Christmas pieces got me thinking about what it is we celebrate at Christmas from the theological perspective. (Slight pause.) And what do we celebrate?

Do we merely celebrate the birth of a child? If so, what details do we connect with the celebration? Was the child born at night? The shepherds hear about the birth at night. But does the birth happen then? Scripture does not tell us. We can imply it was at night, but there is nothing which actually describes the time of day the birth happened.

Was there a bright light? Scripture does not tell us that, either. It tells us shepherds experienced (quote): “the Glory of God.” In Hebrew that word “Glory” would be kabode and we are pretty sure, even though Luke is written in Greek, that’s the reference being made— kabode— the “Glory of God.”

Now, we are not totally sure of the meaning of kabode— but we know it shines but that does not mean it is the same as light. Some scholars believe kabode is something akin to the essence of God or the presence of God. But while describing kabode as ‘light’ may be as close as we can get, that description is probably not exact. (Slight pause.)

Did the angels sing? Scripture does not tell us that, either. In fact, Scripture clearly states that, first, one angel speaks and then a whole bunch of angels— if you will allow me to refer to angels as ‘a bunch of angels’— Scripture tells us a whole bunch of angels speak. No singing is mentioned in the Greek.

Now, don’t worry. I am not a spoil sport. I am not trying to take anything away from how we celebrate Christmas. In fact, the piece Tom and I are working on has singing angels— a bunch of singing angels.

What I am trying to do here is to ask some serious questions. In short, I am not asking ‘what happened at the birth of the Messiah?’ I am not asking ‘how did the birth of the Messiah happen?’ These questions are, in a real sense, irrelevant.

The more important question to be asked about Christmas and the question I am really asking is: ‘what does the birth of the Messiah mean to us here, now?’ What does it mean to us that, as Christians, we proclaim that Jesus is alive and lives among us? (Slight pause.)

And these words are from the work known as Romans: “There is, therefore, now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” (Slight pause.)

So, why does Paul say there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus? And what might that mean? Indeed, is the very statement, in and of itself, a condemnation of those who don’t accept Jesus or is that kind of separation of wheat from chaff not central in what Paul is trying to say? (Slight pause.)

So, let’s ask that previous question again: ‘what is Christmas about?’ I want to suggest that a deep understanding of what Christmas is about rests not on shepherds or angels. A deep understanding of Christmas rests on our recognition of the reality of the presence of God in our midst.

Equally, a deep understanding of this passage from Romans rests on the reality of Jesus and on the reality of what God has done in Jesus. God has revealed God’s own self in a way which has not happened before the birth of Jesus.

And what is God saying in this event? God is saying ‘I am with you for all times. I am with you for all eternity. Death should hold no fear because of my presence with you.’

Indeed, we need to understand the Christian short hand used in these words, shorthand which claims that we are “one in Christ.” To be “one in Christ” means we recognize the presence of God among us, the presence of God in one another, the presence of God in the lives of all people. (Slight pause.)

I once saw a sign held up by someone who was participating in a protest. The sign read: “Equal Justice, Not Social Justice.” I was left scratching my head on that one since these— equal justice and social justice— are one and the same.

Why? These is no justice but the justice offered by God. There is no such thing as my justice or your justice. There is only the justice of God.

And the justice God offers says we are all loved. The justice of God says we are all one. Hence, equal justice is social justice. And social justice is equal justice.

The advent of Jesus, the Christ, the Messiah, you see, says we are one, we are all loved, equally. The advent of Jesus, the Christ, the Messiah says we are one people gathered to do the will and the work of God.

The advent of Jesus, the Christ, the Messiah says God is with us throughout eternity. Hence (quote), “There is, therefore, now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Amen.

07/03/2011
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: “Over time, I have become convinced that when we read Scripture we need to try to understand it the way those who first heard or read it understood it. Those who first heard the story of the birth of Jesus did not comprehend it as being about the birth of a child but understood angels speaking as a sign of the real presence of God. Those who first heard Paul’s words from Romans understood the universality of the message, understood that the lives of all people had been changed— that’s all people— had been changed because of Jesus.”

BENEDICTION
May God bless our minds and help us as we think; may God bless our lips and help us as we speak; and may God bless our hearts and help us as we love. And may we receive this blessing in the name of the Triune God— Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer. Amen.