07/01/2012 ~ Proper 8 ~ Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time ~ Fifth Sunday after Pentecost ~ 2 Samuel 1:1, 17-27; Psalm 130; Wisdom of Solomon 1:13-15, 2:23-24 or
Lamentations 3:22-33; Psalm 30; 2 Corinthians 8:7-15; Mark 5:21-43 ~ COMMUNION SUNDAY.

NOTE: THIS SERMON WAS OFFERED AT THE NORTH GUILFORD "SUMMER CHURCH" AT 9:00 A.M.  THE PASTOR THEN HURRIED OVER TO NORWICH FOR THE REGULAR SERVICE AT THAT CHURCH AT 10:00 A.M.

Just Believe

“While Jesus was still speaking to the woman, some people came from the house of the synagogue officer and said to that officer, ‘Your daughter is dead.  Why trouble the Teacher any further?’  But Jesus overheard the remark and said to the leader of the synagogue: ‘Do not fear— just believe.’” — Mark 5:35-36.

For today’s generation the late baseball player Tug McGraw is probably best known as the father of the famous country music singer Tim McGraw.  However, since I am getting to the point where some might call me ‘long in the tooth’ I remember Tug McGraw before his son Tim was an apple in his eye.  And I remember Tug as an outstanding relief pitcher who was in the Major Leagues from the late 1960s right through the early 1980s— 19 seasons.

McGraw was a part of the World Series winning 1969 New York Mets, the 1973 National League Pennant winning New York Mets and the 1980 World Series winning Philadelphia Phillies.  And Tug always had a way with words.

His first major league manager was Casey Stengel, so perhaps the reason he could compose a well turned phrase was that he learned a ballplayer had to be able to speak well and he learned the art of speaking baseball at the foot of a master.  Stengel— the old professor as he was called— was known for his sharp wit and his ability to talk at length on anything baseball-related.

In any case, perhaps the reason Tug stands out in my memory bank is a catchphrase he invented for those 1973 National League Pennant winning New York Mets.  But before I talk about the phrase McGraw invented, for those of you who don’t follow baseball, I need to explain the 1973 Mets.

Under their manager Yogi Berra (someone who also had and has a way with words) the 1973 Mets won the National League East title.  And they did so with a 82–79 record.  They then won the National League Pennant by beating a much stronger Cincinnati Reds team in the playoffs.

But that 82–79 record in the regular season meant their winning percentage was .509.  Hence, they had by far, the least number of regular season wins of any pennant winning team in major league history, something Baseball is still embarrassed about, 39 years later.  And that’s where McGraw and his words come in.

Every time the Mets would win, McGraw would shout out “You Gotta Believe!”  Every time the Mets would lose, McGraw would shout out “You Gotta Believe!”

And then his teammates picked up on it.  And then the press picked up on it.  And then the fans picked up on it.  People started making banners with the words “You Gotta Believe!” emblazoned on them and marching around Shea Stadium.  If the Mets were winning by ten runs the fans would shout “You Gotta Believe!”  If the Mets were losing by ten runs it did not matter.  The fans would shout “You Gotta Believe!”  (Slight pause.)

“You Gotta Believe?”  Believe what?  Believe you can throw a baseball?  Believe you can hit a baseball?  Believe you can win a baseball game?  Yes, the Mets did win the 1973 National League Pennant.  But did they win simply because they proclaimed “You Gotta Believe?”  (Slight pause.)

These words are from the work known as Mark: “While Jesus was still speaking to the woman, some people came from the house of the synagogue officer and said to that officer, ‘Your daughter is dead.  Why trouble the Teacher any further?’  But Jesus overheard the remark and said to the leader of the synagogue: ‘Do not fear— just believe.’” (Slight pause.)

What is belief?  People say they believe in Jesus.  What does that mean?  Indeed, what does someone believe, what is it someone believes if they say they believe in Jesus?

In this passage, it is clearly not a belief in Jesus being invoked since it is Jesus who says (quote): “Do not fear— just believe.”  So, in what is Jesus inviting people to believe?  (Slight pause.)

In her book Christianity After Religion: the End of the Church and a New Spiritual Awakening Diana Butler Bass says when the Protestant reformation came along people started to place more of an emphasis on Creeds.  Now some would define a Creed as a list of beliefs, a set of principles onto which one is expected to sign, a list of beliefs one was at least expected to affirm.

But Creeds have only been defined that way, as a list of beliefs, since about the time of the Reformation.  What I find fascinating about that timing is it coincides with the dawn of what might be called Western science.

Suddenly, right about the time of the Reformation, people are looking at the heavens through telescopes and seeing things they have never seen before.  And right about the time of the Reformation, people are looking at droplets of water through microscopes and seeing things they have never seen before.

In short, things we humans never saw before and things we humans never thought about before, things we never knew existed before are coming into focus for us.  We are making new discoveries.  And we humans start to look at the world with a new set of eyes.  We start seeing things as a list of facts to be gathered.  (Slight pause.)

Now I, for one, do not want to overturn the discoveries of the Enlightenment and all that it brought.  I like electric lights, computers and flush toilets, all benefits of scientific knowledge.  But I do want to suggest that when we look at faith, when we look at belief like a science problem, we are headed down a questionable path.  But why?  Why is that a questionable direction?  (Slight pause.)

The word ‘Creed’ comes from the Latin word Credo.  We translate the Latin word Credo as ‘I believe.’  Fair enough.  And in fact, the first words of the Nicene Creed in Latin are Credo in unum Deum...  I believe in One God...

But to say the word Credo means I believe is somewhat deceiving.  You see, the intent of the word Credo is not to affirm an item of belief or affirm a list of beliefs.  The word Credo means I give my heart.  So, in order to translate the phrase Credo in unum Deum accurately we should say “I give my heart to One God.”  (Slight pause.)

I want to suggest giving one’s heart to God is not an affirmation of God as if God was just another item on a check list.  If we give our hearts to God it means we long to be in a deep relationship with God.

All of which is to say in Scripture and perhaps even in Baseball, giving one’s heart is the key ingredient of belief.  And when Jesus says to the synagogue officer (quote): “Do not fear— just believe” that is what Jesus is talking about— giving one’s heart to God.  (Slight pause.)

We need to be in relationship with God.  That’s what belief is about.  And what we will find out over time is, once we are in relationship with God, God calls us to be in relationship with one another.  (Slight pause.)  Belief— it’s the easiest thing we will ever do.  It’s the hardest thing we will ever do.  Amen.

North Guilford Church
07/01/2012