Signs, Miracles and Wisdom
“Those who are Jewish demand signs, call for miracles; Greeks look for wisdom.” — 1 Corinthians 1:22.
I think we, in the church, can get a little possessive, a little unbending when it comes to our own territory. I think about that possessiveness every time I hear someone use the word “unchurched.”
Unchurched— I don’t even know what that word means. Unless it means someone else worshiping in a way which does not have the approval of the individual, of the person, using the word “unchurched.” In short, it often it sounds as if it is being used as a pejorative, a put down.
Well, I suppose I have a fairly broad definition of church. And to my way of thinking, I’m satisfied to let someone choose their own way of being church.
There is, however, something else to be considered here. And that actually comes back to the definition not of ‘unchurched’ but of ‘church.’ What is church? Perhaps the secret is in how I just put it: being church— not a noun— not a naming but a verb, an action word.
You see, church is not something which is. But it is something you do. And, rumor to the contrary, church is not something you do alone. Hence, church, by definition, means community.
And church is not just a community of people you like or a community of people who are just like you, although that may, in fact, be both why and how a church initially gathers. If truth be told, that’s how the early church, the New Testament Church, gathered. So being church means being community.
Now, we do need to turn to theology, the study of our understanding of God, and away from the sociology, in this case the study of how people gather. Community, in the theological sense, means there are all kinds of people, in all shapes and all sizes and all ages and all persuasions and all ethnicities who gather together to form church, to be church.
And among those in the gathering you, individually, might like some of the people and might not like others. And you might be like some of the people and you might not be like others.
Which, to be blunt, means someone might claim that going off in the woods to commune with nature is church. Indeed, that’s a definition of church I’ll bet we’ve all heard. But it is not church.
Why? Going off into the woods does not even meet the simplest definition of church, that of community, so it is not an accurate description of church.
Or rather, that definition of church can only be accurate if, as you go into the woods, you bring a whole lot of people with you, some of whom you like and some of whom you do not like, some who are like you and some who are not like you and you are all somehow communing with nature, together. (Slight pause.) You think you can do that? Go off in the woods with a whole group of people? That’s a really big camp, isn’t it? (Slight pause.)
And these words are found in the work known as first Corinthians: “Those who are Jewish demand signs, call for miracles; Greeks look for wisdom.” (Slight pause.)
Perhaps the real question which needs to be asked here is what are true signs? What are true miracles? What is true wisdom? And, indeed, another question which should be central for us is what does it mean to be in community? (Slight pause.)
The one central and communal thing we do in the church, in theory at least, is worship. And, rumors to the contrary, worship is not and has never been something between the individual and God. That definition is a modern heresy.
Why? Worship can be logically described as private, but it can never be logically described personal. It is always communal.
So, perhaps that begs yet another question. What is our understanding of God, our communal understanding of God? What does the presence of God in our lives mean? Is it possible that, just like the Greeks, we have some pre-conceived notions about how God should behave and enjoy imposing that on others.
After all, just look around, just look at the headlines in the newspapers and you can see people from many walks of life using the words of Jesus to draw neat lines when it comes to what they think God looks like and what they think God wants. For instance, it is common for people to proclaim ‘if you are not for us, or with us, you are against us,’ thus misusing Matthew 12:30.’
That usage is nothing more than an attempt to demonize people, to split people into groups of ‘us and them,’ ‘clean and unclean,’ ‘acceptable and unacceptable.’ When this is done people are simply attempting to condemn other people who are not like them or do not think like them. This is a way of approaching life which rejects the possibility of equity, reject the notion that God might seek equity among people.
Further and again, just look at those headlines today and what do you see? And any questioning which probes an underlying belief is condemned, deemed as not permissible. This questioning is condemned, even though it seems evident that underlying beliefs often lead to specific behaviors, behaviors which run counter to the notion of equity. And, needless to say, it should be no surprise if those specific behaviors on the part of public people should somehow become specific policies— policies not just imposed on some people but imposed on all people. (Slight pause.)
Well, here’s an observation. It seems to me as if people are insisting— perhaps because of trying to impose things on others— humility might not be a vital and valid and vibrant part of true and deep faith. (Slight pause.) Friends, since when did humility stop being a vital and valid and vibrant part of Christianity?
The way I see it, a Christian understanding of who we are as a people of God says we are not to be swaggering or brash. A Christian understanding about who we are as a people of God says we are but one of many peoples in this world and, as such, are not sanctioned by God to be a sole voice of authority.
A Christian understanding about who we are as a people of God says we are not just to tolerate to our neighbors. We are to love our neighbors. A Christian understanding about who we are as a people of God says we are to love those who are not like us. A Christian understanding about who we are as a people of God, therefore, says humility needs to be a integral part of faith. (Slight pause.)
For a moment let come back to that definition of church. This is what the Rev. Dr. Rowan Williams, one Archbishop of Canterbury says— a definition of church: “No one can be written off; no group, no nation, no minority can just be a scapegoat to resolve our fears and uncertainties. We cannot assume that any human face we see has no divine secret to disclose: this includes those who are culturally or religiously strange to us, these people who so often don’t count in the world’s terms....” (Unquote) [Pause].
In a couple moments we will practice being church. How? We will dedicate the quilts made by the Chenango Picemakers, quilts to be distributed both to newborns the Domestic Violence program. And how is that being church?
It is being church not just because it is a symbol of our community. It is being church because it is a symbol of the greater community. It is inclusive. And that, you see, that is church: being community for everyone. Amen.
03/11/2012
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’d like to come back to what I said in the sermon about going off into the woods and calling that church, since I’ve labeled it as ‘not church’ but I did not elaborate. My bet is the people who call ‘being in the woods alone’ church are not actually ‘unchurched.’ Their church might be going to sporting events or concerts or movies, places where you mingle with people, where you do have community. But, again, church is never done alone. (The pastor holds up a quilt which was among those dedicated at the time of prayer.) Which makes this church.”
BENEDICTION: This is the message of Scripture: God loves us. Let us endeavor to let God’s love shine forth in our lives. For with God’s love and goodness, there is power to redeem, power to revive, power to renew, power to resurrect. So, may the love of God the Creator which is real, the Peace of Christ which surpasses all understanding and companionship of the Holy Spirit which is ever present, keep our hearts and minds in the knowledge and care of God this day and forever more. Amen.
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