09/30/2012 ~ Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost ~ Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Proper 21) ~ Esther 7:1-6, 9-10; 9:20-22; Psalm 124; Numbers 11:4-6, 10-16, 24-29; Psalm 19:7-14; James 5:13-20; Mark 9:38-50 ~ 5th Sunday Hymn Sing.
Prayer and Efficacy
“Are any among you in trouble, suffering? Then pray. Are any among you in good spirits, cheerful? Then sing hymns of praise, songs of praise. Are any among you ill? Then call for the elders of the church and ask them to pray over those who are ill, anointing them with oil in the name of the Christ.” — James 5:13-14.
There is no question about this: the economy of our times can be labeled not as capitalism but as consumerism. This is the label given to a theory which says a progressively greater consumption of goods is economically beneficial.
However, like anything done to excess, when consumerism runs amuck, when consumption becomes an obsession, that is not good. The label sometimes give to this obsession— when mere consumption becomes so over active that it can be compared to buying done on steroids— the appropriate label is consumerist. So some would say we live not in a consumerism society or a capitalistic society. We live in a consumerist society.
Why put it that way? Consumption, in an of itself, is not bad. While many critics of capitalism suggest consumption is the driving force behind it and capitalism only as opposed to other economic systems is bad, that is arguably not the case.
Socialism, communism and even types of economies we more know from history than current practice also feed off consumption. These types of economies include barter, mercantilism, a hunter-gather economy, feudalism and even economies based on slave labor. All these economic systems contain consumption of some kind.
So again, consumption is not bad in and of itself. The abuse of consumption is. And all economic systems are capable of abusing consumption.
Indeed, this is the story I like to tell about anyone trying to say one economic system is more evil than any other. You may have heard me tell this story before, but briefly, I was once in a discussion group and the topic for the evening was: ‘is it all right for a Christian to be a communist?’ (And it is clear from the choice of topic what the political/philosophical leanings of the majority in that group were.)
After the question was batted around for a while, I raised my hand and said this: “It is all right for a Christian to be a communist. It is all right for a Christian to be a socialist. It is all right for a Christian to be a capitalist. It is all right for a Christian to be any kind of ‘-ist’ you want to name. What is not all right is for a Christian to be a greedy communist or a greedy socialist or a greedy capitalist, etc., etc., etc.” Discussion over. (Slight pause.)
Many of my colleagues, indeed, many who have reputations as being among the great theologians of the late 20th and early 21st Century criticize capitalism as a possible source of evil. I’ve always had trouble with that criticism because what they should be criticizing is not capitalism but consumerism gone rabid. In short, greed is the problem.
Now I, myself, have the good fortune of living with a great early 21st Century theologian— one Bonnie Scott Connolly. Here is why I give Bonnie the label of being a great theologian. A couple of years ago we found ourselves in the middle of the Carousel Mall in Syracuse about a week before Christmas.
That we were in a mall a week before Christmas was, itself, unusual, since we have tried to develop the bad habit of doing any shopping designated for Christmas gifts before Thanksgiving arrives. Therefore, being in that environment— being in a mall a week before Christmas— was a little abnormal for us.
And people were running to and fro, toting bags, children, spouses and often wearing frowns. Bonnie did what any great theologian would do. She observed what was happening around her. At one point she said, “You know what all this is?”
I shook my head indicating I had no idea. “Chaos?” I guessed.
“This,” she said, “all this shopping stuff has replaced the hunt. All this,” she said waving her arm at the milling crowd, “all this is about the thrill of the hunt.”
And of course she’s right. You see, life can be and often is perceived of as transactional. We do something or we give something or we pay something or we expend something. We then we expect to get something in return for that. Life leans toward being transactional.
This was even true of the hunter-gatherers. Indeed, if hunter-gatherers over hunt or over gather in a specific area in the course of their harvest of animals or vegetation, then those animals, that vegetation gets depleted. Then they have to move. But what I’ve just described is still a transaction. It’s a transaction with the environment. Life does lean toward transaction. (Slight pause.)
And these words are from the work know as James: “Are any among you in trouble, suffering? Then pray. Are any among you in good spirits, cheerful? Then sing hymns of praise, songs of praise. Are any among you ill? Then call for the elders of the church and ask them to pray over those who are ill, anointing them with oil in the name of the Christ.” (Slight pause.)
I think I’ve said this already, but let me reiterate: life, natural life, is made up largely of transactions. People do all kinds of things from working to interacting with others based just on the transactional aspects of living. It is largely the way we experience life.
But is life with God about transactions? Is life with God simply natural or is there something else going on? (Slight pause.) Indeed, is prayer transactional? Or is there something else going on? (Slight pause.)
I actually want to suggest our life with God is not just or simply a relationship. Our life with God is a supernatural relationship— not natural, supernatural. Hence, our a relationship with God should transcend transactions.
When people pray they often fall into the practice of making a transaction with God. Thereby, people treat God as if God were some kind of Santa Clause. People tend to start a prayer by saying: “Dear God, may I please have...” and make a request. Sometimes people even offer something back: ‘I’ll money give to the church; I’ll volunteer at the soup kitchen,’ etc., etc., etc. It’s a transaction.
Further, that transaction, that bargain, sets up an expectation about the efficacy, the effectiveness of prayer. Indeed, a classic question often asked is this: is prayer effective? Does prayer work? (Slight pause.) If effectiveness is the point of prayer, if effectiveness is the reason to pray, then you’ve missed the meaning of prayer.
Our life with God is about the supernatural. It is not about transaction. And our prayer life should not about tit for tat.
You see, we often think of our prayer life as being just ourselves and God. But in the entire history of Christianity prayer has always been at least as much about the community as it has been about the individual.
The expectation of Christianity is that the whole community prayers together, even when we pray separately, even when we are apart. Christian hermits have, for instance, always understood they have a community of people supporting them and praying not just for them but with them. (Slight pause.)
You may have noticed there is a set of thoughts about prayer in the bulletin. You can probably read them on your on but I’d like to recite a few.
“Prayer is an attitude toward life that sees everything as ultimately sacred, everything as potentially life-changing, everything as revelatory of life’s meaning. It is our link between daily-ness and eternity.” (Slight pause.) “In prayer it is better to have a heart without words, than words without a heart.” (Slight pause.) “A doctrine of the material efficacy of prayer reduces the Creator to a cosmic bellhop of a not very bright or reliable kind.” (Slight pause.)
“Prayer always thrusts one out into action sooner or later. One of its main functions is to induce one to think creatively; it stretches the imagination; it enables one to see things and people not as they are but as they might be.” (Slight pause.) “Prayer does not use up artificial energy, doesn’t burn up any fossil fuel, doesn’t pollute. Neither does song; neither does love; neither does the dance.” (Slight pause.)
As I said, the effectiveness of prayer is not the point. Prayer is not transactional. Life with God is a supernatural experience. Prayer should be is a supernatural experience. Or as Jesus said, “Thy will be done.” Amen.
09/30/2012
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 Congregational Response and Benediction. This is an précis of what was said: “Earlier Meena shared her gifts with us when she sang I Believe. (Thank you Meena!) This is the lyric (Quote): “I believe for every drop of rain that falls, a flower grows. / I believe that somewhere in the darkest night a candle glows, / I believe for everyone who goes astray, / someone will come, to show the way.” Now, you might take this lyric as being transactional, since it’s alist of give and take items. I would argue the opposite. Why? You need belief, faith to think they will happen. And faith, in its purest form, is never transactional.”
BENEDICTION: We are called to care in a world which can be uncaring, commissioned as lovers among some who may offer back indifference. Know this: God is with us in all our days. So, let us go forth knowing that the grace of God is deeper than our imagination, the strength of Christ is stronger than our need and the communion of the Holy Spirit is richer than all our togetherness. May God guide and sustain us today and in all our tomorrows. Amen.
FURTHER THOUGHTS FOR MEDITATION ON PRAYER
“...prayer is more than an order of words, the conscious occupation of the praying mind, or the sound of the voice praying.” — T.S. Eliot
“Prayer is an attitude toward life that sees everything as ultimately sacred, everything as potentially life-changing, everything as revelatory of life’s meaning. It is our link between daily-ness and eternity.” — Joan Chittister
“In prayer it is better to have a heart without words, than words without a heart.” — John Bunyan — The Pilgrim’s Progress
“The doctrine of the material efficacy of prayer reduces the Creator to a cosmic bellhop of a not very bright or reliable kind.” — Herbert J. Muller, educator, historian, and author (1905-1980)
“Prayer always thrusts one out into action sooner or later. One of its main functions is to induce one to think creatively; it stretches the imagination; it enables one to see things and people not as they are but as they might be.” — Muriel Lester, social reformer and pacifist (1883-1968)
“Prayer does not use up artificial energy, doesn’t burn up any fossil fuel, doesn’t pollute. Neither does song, neither does love, neither does the dance.” — Margaret Mead, in Jane Howard’s book, Margaret Mead (1984)
“Trust, which is a virtue, is also a habit, like prayer. It requires exercise. And just as no one can run five miles a day and cede the cardiovascular effects to someone else, no one can trust for us.” — Sue Halpern (1993)
“Beware lest a stern Heaven hate you enough to hear your prayers!” — Anatole Francois Thibault
“More things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of.” — Alfred Lord Tennyson
“The Christian can realize union with God not only through interior prayer, but also in action.” — Ramon Bautista, Catholic priest in the Philippines
“Patient listening and the grace of the Spirit are the decoding devices of prayer. It is a good habit to ask, ‘What is God saying to me in this situation?’ Listening to our lives is part of prayer.” — Marjorie J. Thompson — Soul Feast
“Listening is the first expression of communication in prayer. We know that listening precedes speaking in the development of children’s language skills. The same order applies to the development of our prayer life. Something in our spirit is touched by the Divine Spirit before we are drawn to speak.” — Marjorie J. Thompson in Soul Feast
“Most of our problems with prayer arise from our tendency to turn spiritual growing into a set of laws or a gymnastic exercise. I have seen great inner struggle, fatigue, and guilt result when we treat prayer like a discipline.... It is best to have some form of deliberate opening to God each day, but we need not be troubled if the form and expression change.” — Flora Slosson Wuellner in Prayer, Stress, and Our Inner Wounds
“A person prayed and at first thought that prayer was talking. But then that person became more and more quiet and in the end realized that prayer is listening.” — Søren Kierkegaard in Christian Discourses
“Jesus asks us to move from a concern for relevance to a life of prayer, from worries about popularity to communal and mutual ministry, and from a leadership built on power to a leadership in which we critically discern where God is leading us and our people.” — Henri Nouwen — In the Name of Jesus
“Could there be anything more blessed than to imitate on earth the ring-dance of the angels and at dawn to raise our voices in prayer and by hymns and songs to glorify the rising Creator?” — St. Basil, Bishop of Caesarea (4th Century of the Common Era)
“Your cravings as a human animal do not become a prayer just because it is God whom you ask to attend to them.” — Dag Hammarskjold
“If the only prayer you said in your whole life was ‘thank you,’ that would suffice.” — Johannes Eckhart (A.K.A. Meister Eckhart)
“Prayer should be brief and pure, unless it happen to be lengthened by an impulse or inspiration of divine grace.” — Rule of Benedict
“The function of prayer is not to establish a routine; it is to establish a relationship with God who is in relationship with us always.... The function of prayer is to bring us into touch with ourselves, as well. To the ancients, ‘tears of compunction’ were the sign of a soul that knew its limits, faced its failings, accepted its needs, and lived in hope.” — Joan Chittister
“More tears are shed over answered prayers than unanswered ones.” — Mother Teresa
“All poetry is prayer. What else could it be?” — Jean Valentine, poet
“I don’t believe in the power of prayer. I believe in the power and presence of God, so I pray.” — Craig Satterlee, Lutheran Pastor legally blind since birth.
“If the gods listened to our prayers, all humankind would quickly perish since we constantly pray for many evils to befall one another.” — Epicurus, philosopher (341-270 B.C.E.)
“To give pleasure to a single heart by a single kind act is better than a thousand head-bowings in prayer.” — Saadi, poet, 1200 C.E.
“I have lived to thank God that all my prayers have not been answered.” — Jean Ingelow, Victorian poet
“Good deeds are the best prayer.” — Serbian proverb
Note: this was the Thought for Meditation in the bulletin.
“Not thinking critically, I assumed ‘successful’ prayers were proof that God answers prayer while the failures were proof that there was something wrong with me.” — Dan Barker, former preacher, musician (b. 1949)
ENDNOTES:
[1] Joan Chittister
[2] John Bunyan — The Pilgrim’s Progress
[3] Herbert J. Muller, educator, historian, and author (1905-1980)
[4] Muriel Lester, social reformer and pacifist (1883-1968)
[5] Margaret Mead, in Jane Howard’s book, Margaret Mead (1984)
Sunday, September 30, 2012
Sunday, September 23, 2012
SERMON ~ 09/23/2012 ~ Afraid to Ask
09/23/2012 ~ Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost ~ Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Proper 20) ~ Proverbs 31:10-31; Psalm 1; Wisdom of Solomon 1:16-2:1, 12-22 or Jeremiah 11:18-20; Psalm 54; James 3:13 - 4:3, 7-8a; Mark 9:30-37 ~ Reception of New Members; Initiation of the Church School Year.
Afraid to Ask
“...Jesus taught the disciples in this manner, saying to them, ‘The Promised One, is to be betrayed, delivered into the hands of others and will be put to death and three days later, after being killed, will rise again.’ But they did not understand, did not comprehend what was being said by Jesus and were afraid to ask.” — Mark 9:31-32.
When I landed my first job, my first time in the workplace, there was a given when it came to etiquette in an office environment. There were three rules everyone followed.
No, I’m wrong. There were probably dozens of rule everyone followed, but these are the three particular ones I’m addressing and I think they were pretty universal.
You never asked a question about the politics of another person. You never asked a question about the religion of another person. And you never, never, never, never asked a question how much any of your co-workers earned.
At that time, these were socially inappropriate questions. In some quarters, I am sure, they still are socially inappropriate questions, questions which do not get asked.
Equally and in short, I am also quite sure about this: often questions which need to be asked don’t get asked. Often questions which don’t need to be asked— things which are no one’s business— do get asked. (Slight pause.)
Now, there was a public debate last week between two politicians, Elizabeth Warren and Scott Brown, who are vying for a Senate seat in Massachusetts. The topic of Ms. Warren’s heritage came up. It is public knowledge that she had, at some point, checked a box on job application forms which indicated she had Native Americans among members of her family tree.
That claim was shown to be false. So, Mr. Brown raised a question about the boxes Ms. Warren had checked. I found her explanation as to why she checked those boxes, totally plausible. She said her parents, who are no longer alive, told her there were Native Americans in the family tree. She never thought to question her parents. She just believed them.
I find that a plausible explanation because there are things my parents told me about my heritage which I never questioned. I, for instance, was told that I had a great, great, great grandfather who had been the bootmaker for Napoleon. That ancestor would have been on the German side of my family. (My mother’s maiden name was Schwartz.)
I was also told being Napoleon’s bootmaker was not easy, since Napoleon had lost a couple of toes when the French Army retreated from Moscow. History shows the French Army marched out of Russia in during what was a particularly severe Russian fall followed by an equally severe Russian winter.
So I do know and it is a fact of history that the retreat of the French Army happened in severe weather and I also know the Prussians had been an ally of Napoleon. Hence, both the possibility of Napoleon losing toes and the German heritage parts of the story I heard sound right. On the surface, the story seems plausible.
On the other hand, I really do doubt the veracity of that story. Why? Well, it does seem like it’s a pretty tall story, the kind of thing that somehow gets spun out into family stories, the kind of thing which may have been entertaining but was meant to be simply that: entertaining. Afer all, where’s the proof? I don’t even know if Napoleon lost toes on the retreat from Moscow. Do you?
But let’s face it: since it was a family story, does its truth matter? Does it mean I will love my parents less if the story is untrue? No. I still love my parents.
And, given it’s a family legend, perhaps truth is not the point. Perhaps myth— a deeper truth— is the point in my family stories and in most family stories.
In the case of my family, perhaps the Napoleon story was a way to give some grandeur, some luster to my family of poor German immigrants and poor Irish immigrants. It was a way to say we really are important in the scheme of things, even if we are important only to us. (Slight pause.)
And these words are from the gospel commonly called Mark: “And Jesus taught the disciples in this manner, saying to them, ‘The Promised One, is to be betrayed, delivered into the hands of others and will be put to death and three days later, after being killed, will rise again.’ But they did not understand, did not comprehend what was being said by Jesus and were afraid to ask.” (Slight pause.)
I think all of what I am about to say are valid observations (slight pause): sometimes we don’t ask questions because we don’t want to know the answer. Sometimes we don’t ask questions because we feel they are intrusive. Sometimes we don’t ask questions because there is a social stigma connected with those questions. Sometimes we don’t ask questions because we trust too much.
The opposite of those observations can also be true. Sometimes we do ask questions because we want to know the answer. Sometimes we do ask questions despite the fact that the questions might be intrusive. Sometimes we do ask questions because we think some social stigma connected with those questions is inappropriate, and so, we want to violate that tabu. Sometimes we do ask questions simply because we don’t trust.
In fact, I’ve always wondered is there a deeper, darker secret when it comes to my family which was never broached. The year my mother was born, her mother, my grandmother, was forty years old. Given medical expertise in 1924, the year of my mother’s birth, the age of forty was not just old for a woman to give birth, it was dangerous.
Now, we— myself, my brother and my sister— were always told my grandfather, my mother’s father, died in 1924, before the birth of my mother. Is that true? I don’t know. We were never told any details— like how he died. We were never even told what his name was.
So, there are all kinds of questions which might have been asked about the situation around the birth of my mother. I am sure I don’t need to fill in the blanks for you. I never did ask any of them. Was I afraid to ask? Maybe. (Slight pause.)
Of all the questions which don’t get asked, I think the worst one to fail to ask is the one for which we really don’t want an answer. Jesus tells the disciples that (quote): “The Promised One is to be betrayed, delivered into the hands of others and will be put to death and three days later, after being killed, will rise again.”
We know enough about history to know a Messiah who would be killed was not the kind of Messiah for which the Jews were looking or wanted in New Testament times. They were looking for a much more temporal Messiah, one who would vanquish the Romans, defeat the occupying Roman Army, drive them out of their homeland.
You see, I want to suggest that, aside from asking the questions we’re afraid to ask, asking the right questions can be a key component in our relationship with God. When Jesus gathers the children it is not meant to be some kind of pastoral scene. I think the story about the children is placed here as an example because children have very few preconceived notions about what questions can be asked in polite company.
The impolite question which needed to be asked here is simple: what kind of Messiah is Jesus? (Slight pause.) Anthony B. Robinson, a United Church of Christ pastor and writer say this on that topic (quote): “The Christian faith not only gives us an adequate and a truthful vocabulary. It does far more. It declares unexpected, even scandalous, news....” (Slight pause.) And what is that news? Jesus is the Messiah. (Slight pause.)
So, what kind of Messiah is acceptable? What kind of message from God is acceptable? What kind of relationship with God is acceptable? Is it a relationship which understands Jesus is the Messiah?
Perhaps a way to personalize the thought that Jesus is the Messiah is by asking questions such as this: should a relationship built on love and on trust and on interactions with one another allow for all kinds of questions? If so, then bringing up questions about Jesus and who Jesus is are valid. These questions are not tabu.
But additionally, asking questions is a way to help understand relationships. Therefore, we should not be afraid to ask questions of God— questions of all kinds. Put another way: the stupid question is the one which is not asked. Amen.
09/23/2012
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 Congregational Response and Benediction. This is an précis of what was said: “I hope you find this paradox as interesting as I do. In my family we asked all kinds of questions about Napoleon’s bootmaker. Yet, we asked none about my Grandfather. It seems likely we had that backwards. We have no need to be afraid of asking questions about God, about Jesus, about the Spirit. But asking nothing is, I think, never going to be productive in our understanding of our relationship with God.”
BENEDICTION: Let us go forth in the Spirit of Christ. Let us seek the will of God. Let us put aside ambition and conceit for the greater good. Let us serve in joyous obedience. This is the prayer recited by Melanesian Islanders: May Jesus be the canoe that holds us up in the sea of life; may Jesus be the rudder that keeps us in the straight road; may Jesus be the outrigger that supports us in times of temptation; May the Spirit of Jesus be our sail that carries us through each day. Amen.
Afraid to Ask
“...Jesus taught the disciples in this manner, saying to them, ‘The Promised One, is to be betrayed, delivered into the hands of others and will be put to death and three days later, after being killed, will rise again.’ But they did not understand, did not comprehend what was being said by Jesus and were afraid to ask.” — Mark 9:31-32.
When I landed my first job, my first time in the workplace, there was a given when it came to etiquette in an office environment. There were three rules everyone followed.
No, I’m wrong. There were probably dozens of rule everyone followed, but these are the three particular ones I’m addressing and I think they were pretty universal.
You never asked a question about the politics of another person. You never asked a question about the religion of another person. And you never, never, never, never asked a question how much any of your co-workers earned.
At that time, these were socially inappropriate questions. In some quarters, I am sure, they still are socially inappropriate questions, questions which do not get asked.
Equally and in short, I am also quite sure about this: often questions which need to be asked don’t get asked. Often questions which don’t need to be asked— things which are no one’s business— do get asked. (Slight pause.)
Now, there was a public debate last week between two politicians, Elizabeth Warren and Scott Brown, who are vying for a Senate seat in Massachusetts. The topic of Ms. Warren’s heritage came up. It is public knowledge that she had, at some point, checked a box on job application forms which indicated she had Native Americans among members of her family tree.
That claim was shown to be false. So, Mr. Brown raised a question about the boxes Ms. Warren had checked. I found her explanation as to why she checked those boxes, totally plausible. She said her parents, who are no longer alive, told her there were Native Americans in the family tree. She never thought to question her parents. She just believed them.
I find that a plausible explanation because there are things my parents told me about my heritage which I never questioned. I, for instance, was told that I had a great, great, great grandfather who had been the bootmaker for Napoleon. That ancestor would have been on the German side of my family. (My mother’s maiden name was Schwartz.)
I was also told being Napoleon’s bootmaker was not easy, since Napoleon had lost a couple of toes when the French Army retreated from Moscow. History shows the French Army marched out of Russia in during what was a particularly severe Russian fall followed by an equally severe Russian winter.
So I do know and it is a fact of history that the retreat of the French Army happened in severe weather and I also know the Prussians had been an ally of Napoleon. Hence, both the possibility of Napoleon losing toes and the German heritage parts of the story I heard sound right. On the surface, the story seems plausible.
On the other hand, I really do doubt the veracity of that story. Why? Well, it does seem like it’s a pretty tall story, the kind of thing that somehow gets spun out into family stories, the kind of thing which may have been entertaining but was meant to be simply that: entertaining. Afer all, where’s the proof? I don’t even know if Napoleon lost toes on the retreat from Moscow. Do you?
But let’s face it: since it was a family story, does its truth matter? Does it mean I will love my parents less if the story is untrue? No. I still love my parents.
And, given it’s a family legend, perhaps truth is not the point. Perhaps myth— a deeper truth— is the point in my family stories and in most family stories.
In the case of my family, perhaps the Napoleon story was a way to give some grandeur, some luster to my family of poor German immigrants and poor Irish immigrants. It was a way to say we really are important in the scheme of things, even if we are important only to us. (Slight pause.)
And these words are from the gospel commonly called Mark: “And Jesus taught the disciples in this manner, saying to them, ‘The Promised One, is to be betrayed, delivered into the hands of others and will be put to death and three days later, after being killed, will rise again.’ But they did not understand, did not comprehend what was being said by Jesus and were afraid to ask.” (Slight pause.)
I think all of what I am about to say are valid observations (slight pause): sometimes we don’t ask questions because we don’t want to know the answer. Sometimes we don’t ask questions because we feel they are intrusive. Sometimes we don’t ask questions because there is a social stigma connected with those questions. Sometimes we don’t ask questions because we trust too much.
The opposite of those observations can also be true. Sometimes we do ask questions because we want to know the answer. Sometimes we do ask questions despite the fact that the questions might be intrusive. Sometimes we do ask questions because we think some social stigma connected with those questions is inappropriate, and so, we want to violate that tabu. Sometimes we do ask questions simply because we don’t trust.
In fact, I’ve always wondered is there a deeper, darker secret when it comes to my family which was never broached. The year my mother was born, her mother, my grandmother, was forty years old. Given medical expertise in 1924, the year of my mother’s birth, the age of forty was not just old for a woman to give birth, it was dangerous.
Now, we— myself, my brother and my sister— were always told my grandfather, my mother’s father, died in 1924, before the birth of my mother. Is that true? I don’t know. We were never told any details— like how he died. We were never even told what his name was.
So, there are all kinds of questions which might have been asked about the situation around the birth of my mother. I am sure I don’t need to fill in the blanks for you. I never did ask any of them. Was I afraid to ask? Maybe. (Slight pause.)
Of all the questions which don’t get asked, I think the worst one to fail to ask is the one for which we really don’t want an answer. Jesus tells the disciples that (quote): “The Promised One is to be betrayed, delivered into the hands of others and will be put to death and three days later, after being killed, will rise again.”
We know enough about history to know a Messiah who would be killed was not the kind of Messiah for which the Jews were looking or wanted in New Testament times. They were looking for a much more temporal Messiah, one who would vanquish the Romans, defeat the occupying Roman Army, drive them out of their homeland.
You see, I want to suggest that, aside from asking the questions we’re afraid to ask, asking the right questions can be a key component in our relationship with God. When Jesus gathers the children it is not meant to be some kind of pastoral scene. I think the story about the children is placed here as an example because children have very few preconceived notions about what questions can be asked in polite company.
The impolite question which needed to be asked here is simple: what kind of Messiah is Jesus? (Slight pause.) Anthony B. Robinson, a United Church of Christ pastor and writer say this on that topic (quote): “The Christian faith not only gives us an adequate and a truthful vocabulary. It does far more. It declares unexpected, even scandalous, news....” (Slight pause.) And what is that news? Jesus is the Messiah. (Slight pause.)
So, what kind of Messiah is acceptable? What kind of message from God is acceptable? What kind of relationship with God is acceptable? Is it a relationship which understands Jesus is the Messiah?
Perhaps a way to personalize the thought that Jesus is the Messiah is by asking questions such as this: should a relationship built on love and on trust and on interactions with one another allow for all kinds of questions? If so, then bringing up questions about Jesus and who Jesus is are valid. These questions are not tabu.
But additionally, asking questions is a way to help understand relationships. Therefore, we should not be afraid to ask questions of God— questions of all kinds. Put another way: the stupid question is the one which is not asked. Amen.
09/23/2012
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 Congregational Response and Benediction. This is an précis of what was said: “I hope you find this paradox as interesting as I do. In my family we asked all kinds of questions about Napoleon’s bootmaker. Yet, we asked none about my Grandfather. It seems likely we had that backwards. We have no need to be afraid of asking questions about God, about Jesus, about the Spirit. But asking nothing is, I think, never going to be productive in our understanding of our relationship with God.”
BENEDICTION: Let us go forth in the Spirit of Christ. Let us seek the will of God. Let us put aside ambition and conceit for the greater good. Let us serve in joyous obedience. This is the prayer recited by Melanesian Islanders: May Jesus be the canoe that holds us up in the sea of life; may Jesus be the rudder that keeps us in the straight road; may Jesus be the outrigger that supports us in times of temptation; May the Spirit of Jesus be our sail that carries us through each day. Amen.
Sunday, September 16, 2012
SERMON ~ 09/16/2012 ~ WISDOM
09/16/2012 ~ Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost ~ Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time ~ (Proper 19) ~ Proverbs 1:20-33; Psalm 19; Isaiah 50:4-9a; Psalm 116:1-9 or Wisdom of Solomon 7:26 - 8:1; James 3:1-12; Mark 8:27-38.
Wisdom
“Wisdom cries out in the street; / in the squares She raises Her voice. / At the busiest corner She cries out; / She cries out from the top of the walls / at the entrance of the city gates, / on the roads leading to the cities She speaks: / ‘How long, O simple ones, / How much longer, you ignorant people, / will you love being simple, being ignorant? / How much longer, O you who mock others, / will you continue to mock, delight in your mocking? / How much longer will you fools / hate knowledge, sneer at understanding?’” — Proverbs 1:20-22.
Timothy Egan is a writer with The New York Times. He related some straightforward facts about what happened in the Middle East last week, including its nominal cause, with this simple description.
(Quote) “A fanatic makes a hate movie, filled with wild claims about the founder of one of the world’s major religions. Fanatics of another sort are inflamed by the crude film, crying blasphemy.”
“Hatred flares. Mobs attack the embassy in Cairo, shouting there is no God but their God. Another mob attacks the consulate in Benghazi, Libya, with a military-style assault, using the film as motivational cover. An extraordinary public servant, Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens, is killed in the line of duty in a city he helped save from a dictator’s last gasp. Three other Americans are killed as well.” (Pause.)
Also this last week, in part because of the office I hold as the Moderator of the Susquehanna Association, I traveled to Elmira to consult with the Park Church. Just as a by-the-way, starting in 1854 Thomas Beecher, the brother of Henry Ward Beecher, was the pastor at Park church.
Starting in 1860, Samuel Scoville, the son-in-law of Henry Ward Beecher was the pastor at this church, here in Norwich. Henry Ward Beecher was, of course in the forefront of the Abolitionist Movement and we— in this area— we were central in that campaign.
In any case, the members of the Park Church are about to embark on re-writing their by-laws. And, as I said here a couple of weeks ago, I am a well known by-laws geek, so they asked for some guidance.
In my presentation, one of the things I said was phrased this way (quote): “...by-laws can be and are sometimes used as cudgels, weapons. If someone says the by-laws are not being followed, the odds are that statement is both true and it is not about what the by-laws say which is being called into question. It is a question about who is wielding power and how that power is being used.”
“Equally, if someone, when challenged on a point of order, claims the right course is obviously being taken, since the by-laws are being followed right down to the last letter, odds are that statement is both true and it is not the by-laws which are being called into question. This is also a question about who is wielding power and how that power is being used.” (Pause.)
Now, I have often said there is one sure way to press my buttons, one way to get me really, really upset. If you want to get to me, be willfully ignorant.
Please note: it is not ignorance which presses my button. It is willful ignorance. The way I look at it, ignorance can be fixed. A person can learn, become better informed, acquire new skills, always grow.
But willful ignorance is, you see, not simply about refusing to learn. Willful ignorance is about an abuse of power. How so? A willfully ignorant person possesses an ability to overcome ignorance.
In fact, a person displaying willful ignorance is not necessarily unaware of the facts. They may know the facts. So, a person displaying willful ignorance has the power to overcome ignorance. A person displaying willful ignorance chooses to ignore facts. And, since a willfully ignorant person has the ability to over come ignorance, willful ignorance is about the abuse of power.
To be clear: there is only one conclusion to be drawn about an abuse of power, any abuse of power. The abuse of power is an act of pre-meditated violence. The abuse of power is an act of pre-meditated violence. (Pause.)
There really is no question about this: Islam is not a religion that preaches violence. You can look everywhere in the Koran and you will not find anyplace which condones the violence we’ve seen in the last week and in the last decade plus a little for any reason.
Indeed, none of the major world religions condone violence. Hence, anyone who uses religion to give violent actions a veneer of justification is exercising willful ignorance, is exercising an abuse of power, is committing a violent act. (Slight pause.)
I need to make one more point about willful ignorance. The easiest and the most deceitful way to be willfully ignorant is to just follow a person or a cause without question.
Insisting there is no choice except following, without engaging in analysis, is willful ignorance, an abuse of power, a violent act. Equally, doing nothing in the face of willful ignorance is, itself, willful ignorance. Doing nothing in the presence of willful ignorance is not just an act of violence, it is a deceitful act of violence. (Pause.)
And these words are from the work know as Proverbs: “Wisdom cries out in the street; / in the squares She raises Her voice. / At the busiest corner She cries out; / She cries out from the top of the walls / at the entrance of the city gates, / on the roads leading to the cities She speaks: / ‘How long, O simple ones, / How much longer, you ignorant people, / will you love being simple, being ignorant? / How much longer, O you who mock others, / will you continue to mock, delight in your mocking? / How much longer will you fools / hate knowledge, sneer at understanding?’” (Slight pause.)
Behind the language in this passage is the deeply held conviction of Israel’s wisdom teachers that a gracious God has placed at our disposal the ability to understand who God wants us to be and what God wants us to do. God has created a world of order and coherence and, by studying that world in terms both of what we might call “nature” and what we might call “nurture,” it is possible to understand the places to which God calls us.
Now, to be sure, not all the mystery in life has been dispelled. But we also need to understand life is not so much a mystery as it is a walk with God— a walk during which we are empowered to learn about God and learn about others.
So, this passage is not just a call to education, although it could be construed that way. This passage is, rather, a call to faithfulness. And just like willful ignorance boils down to an abuse of power, an act of violence, failing to be faithful can be reduced to a similar formula.
Being unfaithful is also an act of violence. Why? Being unfaithful consists of one thing: dismissing knowledge by being tone deaf to the Voice of Wisdom, the Voice of God. Hence, being unfaithful is the violence of waywardness or the violence of complacency or both. (Slight pause.)
Earlier I mentioned this church and the church in Elmira were in the forefront of the Abolitionist Movement to ban slavery in this country. In short, our own history is one of engagement. Our own history is one of understanding God loves all people. (Slight pause.)
Now, I suppose it’s likely some of you are tired of hearing me say, “Love God; love neighbor”— you hear me say that a lot. But I need to tell you, loving God and loving neighbor means this: be engaged. Be engaged in a relationship with God and be engaged in a relationship with neighbor.
Being engaged means rejecting ignorance; be engaged means rejecting passivity. And, once we are fully engaged, then Wisdom, the Spirit of God, will flow in our minds, in our hearts, in our whole being. Amen.
09/16/2012
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 Congregational Response and Benediction. This is an précis of what was said: “It is often said that knowledge is power. My friends, knowledge is not power. When knowledge used to love God and in the service of God, a God who loves us beyond our imagination, and when knowledge is used to love one another, that use of knowledge is powerful. Hence, knowledge is not power. But knowledge can be powerful.”
BENEDICTION: We are called to care, even when conventional wisdom says we should not. God is our helper. Christ is our teacher. The Holy spirit is our guide. Let us go forth knowing that the grace of God is deeper than our imagination, the strength of Christ is stronger than our need and the communion of the Holy Spirit is richer than our togetherness. May God guide and sustain us today and in all our tomorrows. Amen.
Wisdom
“Wisdom cries out in the street; / in the squares She raises Her voice. / At the busiest corner She cries out; / She cries out from the top of the walls / at the entrance of the city gates, / on the roads leading to the cities She speaks: / ‘How long, O simple ones, / How much longer, you ignorant people, / will you love being simple, being ignorant? / How much longer, O you who mock others, / will you continue to mock, delight in your mocking? / How much longer will you fools / hate knowledge, sneer at understanding?’” — Proverbs 1:20-22.
Timothy Egan is a writer with The New York Times. He related some straightforward facts about what happened in the Middle East last week, including its nominal cause, with this simple description.
(Quote) “A fanatic makes a hate movie, filled with wild claims about the founder of one of the world’s major religions. Fanatics of another sort are inflamed by the crude film, crying blasphemy.”
“Hatred flares. Mobs attack the embassy in Cairo, shouting there is no God but their God. Another mob attacks the consulate in Benghazi, Libya, with a military-style assault, using the film as motivational cover. An extraordinary public servant, Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens, is killed in the line of duty in a city he helped save from a dictator’s last gasp. Three other Americans are killed as well.” (Pause.)
Also this last week, in part because of the office I hold as the Moderator of the Susquehanna Association, I traveled to Elmira to consult with the Park Church. Just as a by-the-way, starting in 1854 Thomas Beecher, the brother of Henry Ward Beecher, was the pastor at Park church.
Starting in 1860, Samuel Scoville, the son-in-law of Henry Ward Beecher was the pastor at this church, here in Norwich. Henry Ward Beecher was, of course in the forefront of the Abolitionist Movement and we— in this area— we were central in that campaign.
In any case, the members of the Park Church are about to embark on re-writing their by-laws. And, as I said here a couple of weeks ago, I am a well known by-laws geek, so they asked for some guidance.
In my presentation, one of the things I said was phrased this way (quote): “...by-laws can be and are sometimes used as cudgels, weapons. If someone says the by-laws are not being followed, the odds are that statement is both true and it is not about what the by-laws say which is being called into question. It is a question about who is wielding power and how that power is being used.”
“Equally, if someone, when challenged on a point of order, claims the right course is obviously being taken, since the by-laws are being followed right down to the last letter, odds are that statement is both true and it is not the by-laws which are being called into question. This is also a question about who is wielding power and how that power is being used.” (Pause.)
Now, I have often said there is one sure way to press my buttons, one way to get me really, really upset. If you want to get to me, be willfully ignorant.
Please note: it is not ignorance which presses my button. It is willful ignorance. The way I look at it, ignorance can be fixed. A person can learn, become better informed, acquire new skills, always grow.
But willful ignorance is, you see, not simply about refusing to learn. Willful ignorance is about an abuse of power. How so? A willfully ignorant person possesses an ability to overcome ignorance.
In fact, a person displaying willful ignorance is not necessarily unaware of the facts. They may know the facts. So, a person displaying willful ignorance has the power to overcome ignorance. A person displaying willful ignorance chooses to ignore facts. And, since a willfully ignorant person has the ability to over come ignorance, willful ignorance is about the abuse of power.
To be clear: there is only one conclusion to be drawn about an abuse of power, any abuse of power. The abuse of power is an act of pre-meditated violence. The abuse of power is an act of pre-meditated violence. (Pause.)
There really is no question about this: Islam is not a religion that preaches violence. You can look everywhere in the Koran and you will not find anyplace which condones the violence we’ve seen in the last week and in the last decade plus a little for any reason.
Indeed, none of the major world religions condone violence. Hence, anyone who uses religion to give violent actions a veneer of justification is exercising willful ignorance, is exercising an abuse of power, is committing a violent act. (Slight pause.)
I need to make one more point about willful ignorance. The easiest and the most deceitful way to be willfully ignorant is to just follow a person or a cause without question.
Insisting there is no choice except following, without engaging in analysis, is willful ignorance, an abuse of power, a violent act. Equally, doing nothing in the face of willful ignorance is, itself, willful ignorance. Doing nothing in the presence of willful ignorance is not just an act of violence, it is a deceitful act of violence. (Pause.)
And these words are from the work know as Proverbs: “Wisdom cries out in the street; / in the squares She raises Her voice. / At the busiest corner She cries out; / She cries out from the top of the walls / at the entrance of the city gates, / on the roads leading to the cities She speaks: / ‘How long, O simple ones, / How much longer, you ignorant people, / will you love being simple, being ignorant? / How much longer, O you who mock others, / will you continue to mock, delight in your mocking? / How much longer will you fools / hate knowledge, sneer at understanding?’” (Slight pause.)
Behind the language in this passage is the deeply held conviction of Israel’s wisdom teachers that a gracious God has placed at our disposal the ability to understand who God wants us to be and what God wants us to do. God has created a world of order and coherence and, by studying that world in terms both of what we might call “nature” and what we might call “nurture,” it is possible to understand the places to which God calls us.
Now, to be sure, not all the mystery in life has been dispelled. But we also need to understand life is not so much a mystery as it is a walk with God— a walk during which we are empowered to learn about God and learn about others.
So, this passage is not just a call to education, although it could be construed that way. This passage is, rather, a call to faithfulness. And just like willful ignorance boils down to an abuse of power, an act of violence, failing to be faithful can be reduced to a similar formula.
Being unfaithful is also an act of violence. Why? Being unfaithful consists of one thing: dismissing knowledge by being tone deaf to the Voice of Wisdom, the Voice of God. Hence, being unfaithful is the violence of waywardness or the violence of complacency or both. (Slight pause.)
Earlier I mentioned this church and the church in Elmira were in the forefront of the Abolitionist Movement to ban slavery in this country. In short, our own history is one of engagement. Our own history is one of understanding God loves all people. (Slight pause.)
Now, I suppose it’s likely some of you are tired of hearing me say, “Love God; love neighbor”— you hear me say that a lot. But I need to tell you, loving God and loving neighbor means this: be engaged. Be engaged in a relationship with God and be engaged in a relationship with neighbor.
Being engaged means rejecting ignorance; be engaged means rejecting passivity. And, once we are fully engaged, then Wisdom, the Spirit of God, will flow in our minds, in our hearts, in our whole being. Amen.
09/16/2012
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 Congregational Response and Benediction. This is an précis of what was said: “It is often said that knowledge is power. My friends, knowledge is not power. When knowledge used to love God and in the service of God, a God who loves us beyond our imagination, and when knowledge is used to love one another, that use of knowledge is powerful. Hence, knowledge is not power. But knowledge can be powerful.”
BENEDICTION: We are called to care, even when conventional wisdom says we should not. God is our helper. Christ is our teacher. The Holy spirit is our guide. Let us go forth knowing that the grace of God is deeper than our imagination, the strength of Christ is stronger than our need and the communion of the Holy Spirit is richer than our togetherness. May God guide and sustain us today and in all our tomorrows. Amen.
Sunday, September 9, 2012
SERMON ~ 09/09/2012 ~ Doing Things Well
09/09/2012 ~ Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost ~ Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time ~ (Proper 18) ~ Proverbs 22:1-2, 8-9, 22-23; Psalm 125; Isaiah 35:4-7a; Psalm 146; James 2:1-10, (11-13), 14-17; Mark 7:24-37 ~ Colorscape Weekend in Norwich.
Doing Things Well
“Those who saw these things were amazed, astounded beyond measure, and said, ‘Jesus has done everything well and even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.’” — Mark 7:37.
Those of you who know something of my personal history, know I was raised in the Roman Catholic tradition. Or as I always like to say, with a name like Joseph Francis Connolly, Jr., that’s a little hard to hide. But, equally, I confess to having had Jesuit training and so, as I also always like to say, scratch a Jesuit and you’ll find a Protestant.
Perhaps as a consequence of Jesuit influence, when I was in my mid-twenties, I migrated... something which, given my history should have been a surprised neither to me nor anyone else... I migrated and I found a church home in the Episcopal Church. It was high church enough to satisfy my liturgical heritage but, at the same time, very different.
Still later, after I had married Bonnie and had moved to Maine, I saw the light and joined First Parish Church, United Church of Christ— a Congregational Church— in Brunswick, Maine. Or as a pastor friend of mine observed, I had both moved across the spectrum of Christianity from Catholicism through the spectrum of Protestant Revolution and, thereby, fully appreciated the whole history and theology.
First Parish Church, the place I landed, was Bonnie’s church. I distinctly remember she was very open about letting me try the Episcopal Church in Brunswick. Of course, she had been in Brunswick a number of years at that point and as a consequence, she knew something I did not know.
She knew the Episcopal Church in Brunswick was so boring you could fall asleep in the pews during a service and no one would even notice. She also knew that First Parish, because of their people, was a church where things were happening and a church that made things happen. Or as another of my favorite aphorisms has it: no church has a lock on the Gospel; you find the Gospel where it is preached. To paraphrase the late Tip O’Neill— all church is local.
Now, I’d like to tell one brief story, one I’ve probably told before, about my time with the Episcopal Church when I still lived in New York City. (Slight pause.) There is an office that members of the laity can hold in the Episcopal Church called Licensed Lay Reader and Chalice Bearer. I was among the members of the laity in that church so designated.
The position is what it says it is. Certain individuals are set apart to read Scripture at a service of worship and to assist with the distribution of Communion, at a minium a weekly occurrence with Episcopalians. Not only did I preform that function, I also trained people for this work and drew up the schedule for who among us would cover what services.
Once, one of the other Lay Readers approached me and said, “You do all of this church stuff so well. When are you going to go to Seminary?” I responded: “When I get the call. I haven’t heard the call yet.” (Slight pause.) Little did I know...
Coming back to that “You do this so well” thought... when you get right down to it, most of us don’t do just one thing well. Most of us do many things well.
But I do believe a key question for nearly any aspect of life is not “what do I do well?” A key question for nearly any aspect of life is this: “Am I called?” Put differently, “Since God has granted me many talents, is what I am doing right for me and right for others, as I work out my covenant relationship with God and with other people?” (Slight pause.)
We find these words in the work commonly called Mark: “Those who saw these things were amazed, astounded beyond measure, and said, ‘Jesus has done everything well and even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.’” (Slight pause.)
Jesus does a lot well in this passage. Jesus even does an exorcism at a distance— does an exorcism without needing to be in the presence of the one being exorcized— (tell that one to Peter Blatty, writer of The Exorcist). No small feat, is it?
But the very thing noted by those who saw what seems to be miracles performed by Jesus— these healings— the things noted by these people tells us these people do not understand what’s going on, do not understand why Jesus is there and do not understand why miracles are happening. And perhaps we don’t either.
Indeed, in popular culture today it seems we dwell on miracles. But all the miracles we find in Scripture— all of them, no exceptions— all the miracles we find in Scripture are not about a miraculous event being described. Put differently, not a one of these miracles is about the miracle, itself. Each and every miracle is about the presence of the Spirit of God.
Equally, today we seem to dwell on what people do well rather than on what their calling might be. Just to be clear, I would never say God calls us to do something we fail to do well. I am saying, since we do a multitude of things well, the more important question after that is ‘to which of these things, these things we do so well, and to what actions does God call us?’ (Slight pause.)
Coming back to Jesus and what is happening in this story, to simply concentrate on the actions of Jesus, to concentrate on the miracles of Jesus, as do the people presented in the reading, is to turn what Jesus does into a trick, into a parlor game. Indeed, to concentrate on the actions of Jesus, to concentrate on the miracles of Jesus, is to reduce the proclamation of Jesus into something akin to magic.
And what is it which Jesus proclaims and the people in this story do not seem to grasp? The proclamation offered by the very presence of Jesus is that the reign of God has drawn near. And that is the point of miracles. They are an announcement that the reign of God has drawn near. They are meant to focus our attention not on the miracles but on the idea and on the fact that the reign of God has dawned, that the presence of God is with us.
There is one part of the story which, to my mind, should make it evident that the realm of God has drawn near. I say it should make it evident because we often miss the fact that there are passages of great irony in Scripture. This is one of those ironic places.
You see, those who hear and speak clearly do not know about or recognize the realm is near. But the one who could not speak plainly because of not being able to hear, this one now both hears and speaks. And for this one, the presence of God’s dynamic reign is real. Why? It is embodied in Jesus.
That brings us back to something quite essential. If the reign of God is present and real, are we aware of it? If the reign of God is present and real, are we aware of it? Do we realize this presence of God as a basic message and a basic premise of the New Testament writings? And last, if the reign of God is real and present, are we using the gifts and talents God grants us, those things we do well, to further the reign of God? (Slight pause.)
Well, I want to suggest that the first step in using the gifts and talents God grants us and using them well is to be aware of and acknowledge that the reign of God is present among us. And that first step, that acknowledge, that awareness, is probably the hardest thing we will do as Christians. Amen.
09/09/2012
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 Congregational Response and Benediction. This is an précis of what was said: “Earlier I said that ‘First Parish, because of their people, was a church where things were happening and a church that made things happen...’ Notice, the people make things happen. I think if we acknowledge that the reign of God is present and real, we become empowered as a people, as a church to make things happen.”
BENEDICTION: Surely God will empower our ministry; surely God will supply for our needs when we are about God’s work; may this God, the God who formed the universe, bless us with the courage, the knowledge, the wisdom and the fortitude to serve the Gospel of Christ, empowered by the Spirit, this day and forever more. Amen.
Doing Things Well
“Those who saw these things were amazed, astounded beyond measure, and said, ‘Jesus has done everything well and even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.’” — Mark 7:37.
Those of you who know something of my personal history, know I was raised in the Roman Catholic tradition. Or as I always like to say, with a name like Joseph Francis Connolly, Jr., that’s a little hard to hide. But, equally, I confess to having had Jesuit training and so, as I also always like to say, scratch a Jesuit and you’ll find a Protestant.
Perhaps as a consequence of Jesuit influence, when I was in my mid-twenties, I migrated... something which, given my history should have been a surprised neither to me nor anyone else... I migrated and I found a church home in the Episcopal Church. It was high church enough to satisfy my liturgical heritage but, at the same time, very different.
Still later, after I had married Bonnie and had moved to Maine, I saw the light and joined First Parish Church, United Church of Christ— a Congregational Church— in Brunswick, Maine. Or as a pastor friend of mine observed, I had both moved across the spectrum of Christianity from Catholicism through the spectrum of Protestant Revolution and, thereby, fully appreciated the whole history and theology.
First Parish Church, the place I landed, was Bonnie’s church. I distinctly remember she was very open about letting me try the Episcopal Church in Brunswick. Of course, she had been in Brunswick a number of years at that point and as a consequence, she knew something I did not know.
She knew the Episcopal Church in Brunswick was so boring you could fall asleep in the pews during a service and no one would even notice. She also knew that First Parish, because of their people, was a church where things were happening and a church that made things happen. Or as another of my favorite aphorisms has it: no church has a lock on the Gospel; you find the Gospel where it is preached. To paraphrase the late Tip O’Neill— all church is local.
Now, I’d like to tell one brief story, one I’ve probably told before, about my time with the Episcopal Church when I still lived in New York City. (Slight pause.) There is an office that members of the laity can hold in the Episcopal Church called Licensed Lay Reader and Chalice Bearer. I was among the members of the laity in that church so designated.
The position is what it says it is. Certain individuals are set apart to read Scripture at a service of worship and to assist with the distribution of Communion, at a minium a weekly occurrence with Episcopalians. Not only did I preform that function, I also trained people for this work and drew up the schedule for who among us would cover what services.
Once, one of the other Lay Readers approached me and said, “You do all of this church stuff so well. When are you going to go to Seminary?” I responded: “When I get the call. I haven’t heard the call yet.” (Slight pause.) Little did I know...
Coming back to that “You do this so well” thought... when you get right down to it, most of us don’t do just one thing well. Most of us do many things well.
But I do believe a key question for nearly any aspect of life is not “what do I do well?” A key question for nearly any aspect of life is this: “Am I called?” Put differently, “Since God has granted me many talents, is what I am doing right for me and right for others, as I work out my covenant relationship with God and with other people?” (Slight pause.)
We find these words in the work commonly called Mark: “Those who saw these things were amazed, astounded beyond measure, and said, ‘Jesus has done everything well and even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.’” (Slight pause.)
Jesus does a lot well in this passage. Jesus even does an exorcism at a distance— does an exorcism without needing to be in the presence of the one being exorcized— (tell that one to Peter Blatty, writer of The Exorcist). No small feat, is it?
But the very thing noted by those who saw what seems to be miracles performed by Jesus— these healings— the things noted by these people tells us these people do not understand what’s going on, do not understand why Jesus is there and do not understand why miracles are happening. And perhaps we don’t either.
Indeed, in popular culture today it seems we dwell on miracles. But all the miracles we find in Scripture— all of them, no exceptions— all the miracles we find in Scripture are not about a miraculous event being described. Put differently, not a one of these miracles is about the miracle, itself. Each and every miracle is about the presence of the Spirit of God.
Equally, today we seem to dwell on what people do well rather than on what their calling might be. Just to be clear, I would never say God calls us to do something we fail to do well. I am saying, since we do a multitude of things well, the more important question after that is ‘to which of these things, these things we do so well, and to what actions does God call us?’ (Slight pause.)
Coming back to Jesus and what is happening in this story, to simply concentrate on the actions of Jesus, to concentrate on the miracles of Jesus, as do the people presented in the reading, is to turn what Jesus does into a trick, into a parlor game. Indeed, to concentrate on the actions of Jesus, to concentrate on the miracles of Jesus, is to reduce the proclamation of Jesus into something akin to magic.
And what is it which Jesus proclaims and the people in this story do not seem to grasp? The proclamation offered by the very presence of Jesus is that the reign of God has drawn near. And that is the point of miracles. They are an announcement that the reign of God has drawn near. They are meant to focus our attention not on the miracles but on the idea and on the fact that the reign of God has dawned, that the presence of God is with us.
There is one part of the story which, to my mind, should make it evident that the realm of God has drawn near. I say it should make it evident because we often miss the fact that there are passages of great irony in Scripture. This is one of those ironic places.
You see, those who hear and speak clearly do not know about or recognize the realm is near. But the one who could not speak plainly because of not being able to hear, this one now both hears and speaks. And for this one, the presence of God’s dynamic reign is real. Why? It is embodied in Jesus.
That brings us back to something quite essential. If the reign of God is present and real, are we aware of it? If the reign of God is present and real, are we aware of it? Do we realize this presence of God as a basic message and a basic premise of the New Testament writings? And last, if the reign of God is real and present, are we using the gifts and talents God grants us, those things we do well, to further the reign of God? (Slight pause.)
Well, I want to suggest that the first step in using the gifts and talents God grants us and using them well is to be aware of and acknowledge that the reign of God is present among us. And that first step, that acknowledge, that awareness, is probably the hardest thing we will do as Christians. Amen.
09/09/2012
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 Congregational Response and Benediction. This is an précis of what was said: “Earlier I said that ‘First Parish, because of their people, was a church where things were happening and a church that made things happen...’ Notice, the people make things happen. I think if we acknowledge that the reign of God is present and real, we become empowered as a people, as a church to make things happen.”
BENEDICTION: Surely God will empower our ministry; surely God will supply for our needs when we are about God’s work; may this God, the God who formed the universe, bless us with the courage, the knowledge, the wisdom and the fortitude to serve the Gospel of Christ, empowered by the Spirit, this day and forever more. Amen.
Sunday, September 2, 2012
SERMON ~ 09/02/2012 ~ Be Doers
09/02/2012 ~ Proper 17 ~ Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time ~ Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost; Song of Solomon 2:8-13; Psalm 45:1-2, 6-9; Deuteronomy 4:1-2, 6-9; Psalm 15; James 1:17-27; Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23 ~ Communion Sunday ~ Labor Day Weekend on the Secular Calendar.
Be Doers
“Be doers, act on this Word, and not merely hearers. Because if all you do is listen, you are deceiving yourself.” — James 1:22.
I think most of you know many moons ago I worked on Wall Street. One firm at which I worked was quite large and, as would be true in most such firms, job openings in other parts of the company got posted.
Now, the tricky part of applying for a job in your current company is, while you may well want that other position, if you apply for any of them, you have just, effectively, insulted your current boss. You see, here’s what you’re saying to your supervisor— “Hey! You! You’re great. But I don’t want to work for you any more.”
So, the secret of successfully applying for another position within a company is simple. Keep on the good side of your boss at all times. Be their friend, even their confidant— and sometimes that’s a tall order.
Why do you want to stay on the good side of your boss? The reality is, at some point, your boss will be asked by someone if you are right for the other job. And this is what you want your boss to say: “Well, yes— I really, really hate to lose an employee out of my department who is of such an outstanding caliber. But I can see that this move would be the right thing to do because it would be good for the company. So I approve.” (Slight pause.)
Well, I once changed jobs in an internal move. Why was I able to do that? My boss approved. We were friends. Now after I had made that move, I asked him this question: “If you had to design a job for me, what would it be?”
“Oh, that’s easy,” he said. “I’d put a clipboard in your hands and let you walk around and just observe. I guarantee in a couple of weeks you’d come back to me and suggest all kinds of possible changes. Of course,” he said with a little nervous laugh, “the company doesn’t give me the kind of budget that I’d need to assign anyone that task. But you’d be the one.”
“So, you see me as a consultant?” I asked.
“Yes,” he said. “That’s what it is— a consultant.” (Slight pause.)
Well, probably through no intention or even fault of my own, that’s what I sometimes find myself doing— acting as a consultant. You see, in my time as the Chair of the Committee on Authorized Ministry and then as Moderator of the Susquehanna Association I have been asked to consult with other churches on issues a number of times.
One of the ways I did that with the Committee on Authorized Ministry is by being a mentor to candidates as they went through the ordination process. And I have also been a mentor to newly ordained pastors.
In my capacity as moderator, I’ve already been called on to be of service several times. My next foray as a consultant will be with a group of churches on the Western end of our Association in about two weeks. I am being asked to offer some advice about by-laws and how they operate.
Of course, I do have a reputation as a by-law geek in the Conference. By-law geek— that’s a pretty narrow group. Is that a good thing? Who knows? It is true I assisted this church in a realignment of our By-laws.
After that became known, I was invited to be on a committee that rewrote the New York Conference By-laws. And then I participated in a rewrite of the By-laws of the Susquehanna Association. (The pastor points a finger back at his face.) “By-law geek— all of which is to say— not that I am going to retire any time soon— but I may have figured our a good retirement job for me— church consultant. (Slight pause.)
And these words are from the work known as James: “Be doers, act on this Word, and not merely hearers. Because if all you do is listen, you are deceiving yourself.” (Slight pause.)
When I was a student at Bangor Seminary, the school hired a consultant to help them through a visioning process. The Seminary President invited me to participate on that committee. And so we went off for a weekend retreat on the Maine Coast— now there’s a hard job— weekend retreat on the Maine Coast— and worked with that consultant on visioning. This particular consultant was very clear about one very basic item: he could not do the work for us.
He could advise. He could cajole. He could lay out possible paths. But we had to choose the paths. We had to be willing to be coaxed. We had to seriously consider any advice. Last and in the long run, after he left, he would no longer be there to hold our hands as we moved through the results of the process. We had to think about how to move forward, process what we did and, finally, do the work. (Slight pause.)
It is, I think, helpful to see the writer of James as struggling with the integrity of the Christian life. What gives Christian life wholeness? What identifies Christian life? How can belief and action be held together in a unity?
Put differently, how can belief and action possibly be separated? In short, how can people live out what they believe? (Slight pause.)
What was true in ancient times is still true today: it seems to me that in our times there is a never-ending battle to place a monetary value on everything. We want to rest assured that our faith is worth something. The problem with that attitude is it turns faith into a commodity.
What happens when we turn faith into a commodity is, like any other commodity or like any other acquisition, we resort to calculating. We ask if the rewards are worth the effort. We ask if the rewards are about belief or about action.
But the writer of James is clear: the reward— the blessing, if you would— is not a goal. And the reward is in not just the listening and the reward is not just in the action. If there is a reward it is in listening and then in acting. However, this cannot even be thought of in terms of being a reward. This is a way of approaching life.
In fact, as an example, the author offers up exactly the kind of action found in the Hebrew Scriptures. (Quote): “...coming to the aid of orphans and widows [1] when they are in need and keeping oneself uncontaminated by failings of this world”— keeping oneself uncontaminated by failings of this world. (Slight pause.)
In our times we hear a lot about the cost/benefit, especially when it comes to helping others. Scripture is clear: calculating the cost or the benefit has no place in the community of faith. Relationships are central.
And when relationships are central it sets up an obvious sequence. When we listen carefully, we need to do. When we do, we are empowered to love.
When we love, then we are empowered to seek better understandings. When we understand, we do not simply love. We grow in love. Love becomes stronger, deeper, more intimate. And guess what we do then? We listen better, more deeply. (Slight pause.)
I need to be clear: all this is hard work. It has many parts. It comes naturally to none of us. But doing is vital if we are to integrate faith and understanding with love and community. Or, as the writer of James puts it (quote): “Be doers, act on this Word, and not merely hearers.” Amen.
09/02/2012
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 Congregational Response and Benediction. This is an précis of what was said: “There is another modern heresy which seems to be going around— society has absolutely no influence on our lives. We do it all. We cause our own outcomes. Gustavo Gutiérrez Merino, a Professor of Theology at the University of Notre Dame says this on that topic (quote): ‘...the poor person does not exist as an inescapable fact of destiny. The poor are a by-product of the system in which we live and for which we are responsible... Hence the poverty of the poor is not a call to generous relief action but a demand that we go and build a different social order.’ Go. Do.”
BENEDICTION: God’s Word lights our path. The risen Christ dwells among us. The Holy Spirit, guides, protects and sustains us. Let us go forth from this service of worship and offer service to the world in the name of Christ, for the grace of God is deeper than our imagination, the strength of Christ is stronger than our need, the communion of the Holy Spirit is richer than our togetherness. May God guide and sustain us today and in all our tomorrows. Amen.
[1] When this passage was read during the course of the service it was noted that, whenever we find the words “widows and orphans” in Scripture they are meant to be code words. These words are codes for “the poor and the outcast.”
Be Doers
“Be doers, act on this Word, and not merely hearers. Because if all you do is listen, you are deceiving yourself.” — James 1:22.
I think most of you know many moons ago I worked on Wall Street. One firm at which I worked was quite large and, as would be true in most such firms, job openings in other parts of the company got posted.
Now, the tricky part of applying for a job in your current company is, while you may well want that other position, if you apply for any of them, you have just, effectively, insulted your current boss. You see, here’s what you’re saying to your supervisor— “Hey! You! You’re great. But I don’t want to work for you any more.”
So, the secret of successfully applying for another position within a company is simple. Keep on the good side of your boss at all times. Be their friend, even their confidant— and sometimes that’s a tall order.
Why do you want to stay on the good side of your boss? The reality is, at some point, your boss will be asked by someone if you are right for the other job. And this is what you want your boss to say: “Well, yes— I really, really hate to lose an employee out of my department who is of such an outstanding caliber. But I can see that this move would be the right thing to do because it would be good for the company. So I approve.” (Slight pause.)
Well, I once changed jobs in an internal move. Why was I able to do that? My boss approved. We were friends. Now after I had made that move, I asked him this question: “If you had to design a job for me, what would it be?”
“Oh, that’s easy,” he said. “I’d put a clipboard in your hands and let you walk around and just observe. I guarantee in a couple of weeks you’d come back to me and suggest all kinds of possible changes. Of course,” he said with a little nervous laugh, “the company doesn’t give me the kind of budget that I’d need to assign anyone that task. But you’d be the one.”
“So, you see me as a consultant?” I asked.
“Yes,” he said. “That’s what it is— a consultant.” (Slight pause.)
Well, probably through no intention or even fault of my own, that’s what I sometimes find myself doing— acting as a consultant. You see, in my time as the Chair of the Committee on Authorized Ministry and then as Moderator of the Susquehanna Association I have been asked to consult with other churches on issues a number of times.
One of the ways I did that with the Committee on Authorized Ministry is by being a mentor to candidates as they went through the ordination process. And I have also been a mentor to newly ordained pastors.
In my capacity as moderator, I’ve already been called on to be of service several times. My next foray as a consultant will be with a group of churches on the Western end of our Association in about two weeks. I am being asked to offer some advice about by-laws and how they operate.
Of course, I do have a reputation as a by-law geek in the Conference. By-law geek— that’s a pretty narrow group. Is that a good thing? Who knows? It is true I assisted this church in a realignment of our By-laws.
After that became known, I was invited to be on a committee that rewrote the New York Conference By-laws. And then I participated in a rewrite of the By-laws of the Susquehanna Association. (The pastor points a finger back at his face.) “By-law geek— all of which is to say— not that I am going to retire any time soon— but I may have figured our a good retirement job for me— church consultant. (Slight pause.)
And these words are from the work known as James: “Be doers, act on this Word, and not merely hearers. Because if all you do is listen, you are deceiving yourself.” (Slight pause.)
When I was a student at Bangor Seminary, the school hired a consultant to help them through a visioning process. The Seminary President invited me to participate on that committee. And so we went off for a weekend retreat on the Maine Coast— now there’s a hard job— weekend retreat on the Maine Coast— and worked with that consultant on visioning. This particular consultant was very clear about one very basic item: he could not do the work for us.
He could advise. He could cajole. He could lay out possible paths. But we had to choose the paths. We had to be willing to be coaxed. We had to seriously consider any advice. Last and in the long run, after he left, he would no longer be there to hold our hands as we moved through the results of the process. We had to think about how to move forward, process what we did and, finally, do the work. (Slight pause.)
It is, I think, helpful to see the writer of James as struggling with the integrity of the Christian life. What gives Christian life wholeness? What identifies Christian life? How can belief and action be held together in a unity?
Put differently, how can belief and action possibly be separated? In short, how can people live out what they believe? (Slight pause.)
What was true in ancient times is still true today: it seems to me that in our times there is a never-ending battle to place a monetary value on everything. We want to rest assured that our faith is worth something. The problem with that attitude is it turns faith into a commodity.
What happens when we turn faith into a commodity is, like any other commodity or like any other acquisition, we resort to calculating. We ask if the rewards are worth the effort. We ask if the rewards are about belief or about action.
But the writer of James is clear: the reward— the blessing, if you would— is not a goal. And the reward is in not just the listening and the reward is not just in the action. If there is a reward it is in listening and then in acting. However, this cannot even be thought of in terms of being a reward. This is a way of approaching life.
In fact, as an example, the author offers up exactly the kind of action found in the Hebrew Scriptures. (Quote): “...coming to the aid of orphans and widows [1] when they are in need and keeping oneself uncontaminated by failings of this world”— keeping oneself uncontaminated by failings of this world. (Slight pause.)
In our times we hear a lot about the cost/benefit, especially when it comes to helping others. Scripture is clear: calculating the cost or the benefit has no place in the community of faith. Relationships are central.
And when relationships are central it sets up an obvious sequence. When we listen carefully, we need to do. When we do, we are empowered to love.
When we love, then we are empowered to seek better understandings. When we understand, we do not simply love. We grow in love. Love becomes stronger, deeper, more intimate. And guess what we do then? We listen better, more deeply. (Slight pause.)
I need to be clear: all this is hard work. It has many parts. It comes naturally to none of us. But doing is vital if we are to integrate faith and understanding with love and community. Or, as the writer of James puts it (quote): “Be doers, act on this Word, and not merely hearers.” Amen.
09/02/2012
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 Congregational Response and Benediction. This is an précis of what was said: “There is another modern heresy which seems to be going around— society has absolutely no influence on our lives. We do it all. We cause our own outcomes. Gustavo Gutiérrez Merino, a Professor of Theology at the University of Notre Dame says this on that topic (quote): ‘...the poor person does not exist as an inescapable fact of destiny. The poor are a by-product of the system in which we live and for which we are responsible... Hence the poverty of the poor is not a call to generous relief action but a demand that we go and build a different social order.’ Go. Do.”
BENEDICTION: God’s Word lights our path. The risen Christ dwells among us. The Holy Spirit, guides, protects and sustains us. Let us go forth from this service of worship and offer service to the world in the name of Christ, for the grace of God is deeper than our imagination, the strength of Christ is stronger than our need, the communion of the Holy Spirit is richer than our togetherness. May God guide and sustain us today and in all our tomorrows. Amen.
[1] When this passage was read during the course of the service it was noted that, whenever we find the words “widows and orphans” in Scripture they are meant to be code words. These words are codes for “the poor and the outcast.”
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