04/28/2013 ~ Fifth Sunday of Easter ~ Acts 11:1-18; Psalm 148; Revelation 21:1-6; John 13:31-35.
Changes
“I had hardly started to speak when the Holy Spirit fell upon them in the same way she had upon us at the beginning.” — Acts 11:15.
Many of you know our parishioner Gary Gray. (Gary wave so we can see... O.K. That’s Gary.) When we were quite young— meaning he and I— when we were quite young, probably more years ago than either Gary or I care to mention, the job we both had was called “computer operator.”
We worked at very different places, however. I was working for Bloomingdale’s in New York City. Gary was working in Norwich for NBT. [1] But we both were working with the same style of main frame computer.
The amount of memory that computer had was 12K, that’s 12 thousand positions in memory. The amount of physical space that computer took up was an area at least the size of the Founder’s Room, where we have coffee hour.
[The pastor holds up a small electronic device, an iPod Touch.] This is an iPod Touch. It has 32 billion positions in memory and it’s not even the biggest one they make. I’ll do the math for you. That means this little thing is 2,666,666,666 times the memory, it’s that many times more powerful than something which was, not that long ago, the size of the Founder’s Room. (Slight pause.) Things do change. (Slight pause.)
So, let’s look at a little history. To do this, to look at history, I ask you to do me favor. Imagine yourself right here in Norwich but it’s 1833. Close your eyes, if you think it will help you conjure up those days of yesteryear.
Imagine what it might have been like in 1833, horses and wagons, no electricity, no gas and the river is down there [the pastor waves to the right] way a piece. Indeed, that’s why the east-west street the church is on is known as Main Street. Main Street was, in fact, the main street, the important street, leading to the River.
And one of the major things which was going on back in 1833 was the building of the Chenango Canal, which ran north and south. The canal opened in1834, the same year the Village of Binghamton was incorporated— the village of Binghamton. [2]
Now, in a similar way, imagine yourself right here in Norwich but it’s 1879. By 1879, this is a very different town than it was in 1833. The old wood church which stood on the land where we are sitting today had burned down in 1860. The so called Brick Church had been built in 1862 and today we still meet for worship in that shell of that Brick Church.
Again, I’ll do the math for you. 1833 to 1879— that’s 46 years between the two. But the canal?— the canal is now closed. Why? It was called the railroad, that’s why. The canal was open for just 44 years only to be replaced by the railroad. [3] (Slight pause.) Things do change.
Well, let’s fast forward a little. It is now 1928 and you’re still here in Norwich. Your family gets a new car. It’s not a Model-T, since Ford stopped making those in 1927, the year before. It’s 1928 and the family just bought Model-A Ford.
But it is 1928 and things are very different than they are today. What makes it a different era? Try this: women had only achieved the right to vote nine years earlier.
The first Presidential election in which women could vote was 1920, when Republican Warren Harding faced off against Democrat James Cox. Harding, the Republican, won the election taking every last state in the north and the west. Cox, the Democrat, took all the southern states, except Tennessee— pretty much the opposite of the political landscape today. (Slight pause.) Things do change.
So, here’s the issue to consider: you are here, in Norwich. It is 1928. The family has a new car. Does “Mom” (pardon the expression) learn how to drive that Model-A or is driving (pardon the expression) “the man’s job,” something only Dad does.
Please, don’t misunderstand me. I know in some families, even then, that was not an issue. I’m making an inquiry about the culture and its perceptions.
In fact, not that long ago most families got along with just one car. I know a woman, now in her early seventies, who raised four boys on West Hill in Oxford. Every day her husband went off to work with the only car. She could go nowhere— stuck on West Hill. (Slight pause.) Things do change. (Slight pause.)
And these words are from Luke/Acts in the section known as Acts: “I had hardly started to speak when the Holy Spirit fell upon them in the same way she had upon us at the beginning.” (Slight pause.)
If you think the word prophecy means foretelling the future, then it needs to be said we Christians have an abysmal record at being prophets. In the true letters of Paul, in the early ones, the disciple express a clear opinion that the second coming of Christ is around the corner. That opinion is so clear it is stunning how much Paul pulls back from the position in the later letters.
And while some Christians have wrestled with the Apocalypse, the so called ‘end times’ from the get go, it is amazing how many in just the last 150 years have made calculations which offer precise dates as to when the world might end. Some even took actions based on those calculations. And they have always been wrong.
I maintain to think the world will end in our time is nothing more than ego-centric. If it has not ended over the last 2,000 years, what makes someone think they are so special that they will enjoy the privilege of seeing the Apocalypse?
Now, when we listen to the reading from Acts, there are several things to note as that reading relates to change. First, the passage was written a long time after both Paul and Peter were not on the scene. Which is to say the writer full well knows the end times were not around the corner.
Next, as was said when this reading was introduced, the short version of what this passage offers is this: what God has blessed we cannot deny. And the odds are God blesses what we do not expect because of our own cultural blinders.
After all, in 1833 who could foresee the possibility of rail travel or that the Chenango Canal would last only 44 years? Who could foresee the rapid growth of Binghamton, so fast, that in 1867, very soon after it’s 1834 founding, it would incorporate as city?
Who could foresee in that in 1879, the year after the canal closed, even though the 13th, 14th and 15th Amendment to the Constitution which freed the slaves, defined citizenship and prohibited the denial of suffrage based on race, color or previous condition of servitude— who could foresee that women would be denied the right to vote until 1920. 1920— that was 42 years after the Chenango Canal closed, 55 years after the slaves were freed. [4] Indeed, things do change. But sometimes they change oh, so slowly. (Sight pause.)
So, if we Christians or even we humans are not good at predicting the future, what is prophecy about? As you have heard me say many times before, from the Biblical perspective prophecy is about seeking the Word of God, the Truth of God. But how does that happen? How is the Word of God, the Truth of God discerned? (Slight pause.)
I think we can take a cue about discerning the Word of God from Peter and we can take that cue on several counts. First, Peter has a vision while praying.
Second, Peter does not have a clue as to what the vision means until it works out in real life and in real time. Hence, there are two things necessary when trying to grasp change, when trying to discern change, when trying understanding change, when trying to discern the Word of God the Truth of God.
The first is prayer. The second is work. Since prayer seems so obviously necessary, I won’t even elaborate on that. But work is a different issue.
By way of explaining work, let me say four things. First, change is difficult. Not changing is fatal— bad for your health.
Second, I have a pastor friend who always ends a service of worship with a Benediction that starts with these words: “Our worship has ended, so now our service begins!” [5] Our worship has ended, so now our service begins! (Slight pause.)
Next, from the history I recited earlier, I hope you picked something up. Change may feel rapid. But it is often painfully slow. And change takes work. It takes work to cope with change. It takes work to help change happen. It takes work just to be aware that change is the place to which God calls us.
Third [6] — third point here— a pastor friend in Florida said on Facebook that he had seen a plane with a banner which said: “Jesus is coming. Be prepared.” Then someone else posted the old joke line: “Jesus is coming. Look busy.” So, I posted: “Jesus is coming. Love your neighbor.”
Love your neighbor. I want to suggest that when change happens— and change will happen— loving neighbor is the way we need to address that change. And, if there is anything I am convinced about, it is that God calls us to change.
Why am I convinced God calls us to change? Have you not heard? God is still speaking. After all, it says this in Acts: “I had hardly started to speak when the Holy Spirit fell upon them in the same way she had upon us at the beginning.” Amen.
04/28/2013
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: “Back when I was still working in theater as a writer, many years ago, I was writing a club act for a friend. We went to see another club act so she could hear a piano player she was interested in having play for her act. He was actually well enough known as a jazz musician so he had cut a couple of records in the 1960s. She said to him, ‘Now look, You are fairly well known. Why are you playing club acts?’ He stared at her a moment and then said: ‘I’m just working in the vineyard.’ And maybe that is what God really calls us to do: work in the vineyard.”
BENEDICTION: Our worship has ended, so now our service begins! God is with us, always. When we love one another, God is pleased. And may the steadfast love of God and the peace of Christ, which surpasses understanding, keep our minds and hearts in the companionship and will of the Holy Spirit, this day and forever more. Amen.
[1] NBT - National Bank and Trust of Norwich.
[2] It should be noted that Binghamton, just 50 mines south of Norwich, became a large town compared to Norwich. Norwich has less than 7,000 people. Binghamton ash over 50,000 people and nearly 200,000 people when once the suburbs close to Binghamton are tallied in the calculation.
[3] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chenango_Canal
[4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_amendments_to_the_United_States_Constitution
[5] A blessing by the Rev. Mr. Michael S. Piazza.
[6] Oops! Lost count! That was number four.
Sunday, April 28, 2013
Sunday, April 21, 2013
SERMON ~ 04/21/2013 ~ “Plain Talk”
04/21/2013 ~ Fourth Sunday of Easter ~ Acts 9:36-43; Psalm 23; Revelation 7:9-17; John 10:22-30 ~ Note: moved Psalm 23 to 4/14 for Choir Anthem ~ Blessing of the Super Sew Sunday Quilts.
Plain Talk
“...Jesus was walking in the temple, in the Portico of Solomon when the religious authorities gathered around and said, ‘How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are really the Messiah, tell us plainly.’” — John 10:23-24.
When I, several weeks ago, preached in Corning on March 17th, it being Patrick’s Day, I wished them a happy one and said it’s commonly claimed we are all Irish on Saint Patrick’s Day. [1] My presumption, on the other hand, is if my full name— Joseph Francis Connolly, Jr.— does not say I am of Irish descent, nothing will. I, therefore, often forego the wearing of some green on March the 17th. It would be redundant.
Then I offered a history lesson about the Irish in America. I said my ancestors arrived on these shores shortly before the Civil War, an era when the Irish were stereotyped as uncivilized and their very humanity questioned. Advertisements for employment regularly said: “No Irish Need Apply.”
Many regarded the Catholicism of the Irish as an alien, rebellious religion and the Irish culture, itself, as an alien, rebellious culture. In fact, during the mid and late nineteenth century insurance companies would often refuse to sell Catholics insurance. Why? Simply because they were Catholic. [2]
And so, in 1882 the Knights of Columbus was born. The initial and real purpose of the Knights was to be (quote): “a mutual benefit society,” an insurance company, from which Catholics could buy life insurance without fear of discrimination. [3] (Pause.)
We heard a lot about violence this week— from bombs and gunfire in Boston to explosions at an ammonium nitrate storage facility in Texas. As these stories played out in the media I reflected and wondered about why my tendency is to remain calm in the face of violence.
To answer that, let me flesh out my own, personal history a little. (Slight pause.) I sometimes say I grew up in an Irish Catholic ghetto in Brooklyn, New York. There were some Italians and Germans in the mix, but mostly the names were O’Neill, Sullivan, etc.
But still, why do I label that neighborhood a ghetto? (Slight pause.) When I was about seven out a window of my family’s third floor apartment, I saw a woman being mugged.
I ran and got my mother who rushed to the street. The mugger had run off, so my Mom brought the woman to our apartment and called the precinct. A burly red-headed officer arrived to interview the victim, to take down information.
Despite my young age, I remember admiring his sense of calm. And I also remember he was clear— an incident like this was a normal occurrence. (Slight pause.)
So, why do I label that neighborhood a Ghetto? To this day I hesitate when I drop a letter into a mailbox on the street. You see, in that neighborhood it was a common occurrence for someone to dump some gasoline into a mailbox, light a match, throw it in and walk away. Those memories never leave your psyche. (Slight pause.)
So then, having reached the age of majority and having dropped out of college, I was drafted. And all that early experience of violence was reenforced as I saw first hand how inhumane people can be. (Slight pause.)
Let me fast forward a little. I was working on Wall Street in the World Trade Center— to think about the World Trade Center still leaves me with an empty feeling— I was working in the Trade Center but the place I worked was only five stories up. One day everyone in my office suddenly gathered at a window.
I joined them and saw police cars across the street. The next thing I knew a police officer came up behind us and told us to get away from the window because there was a sniper in the building opposite us.
The only ones to move back from the window were myself and another veteran. We knew precisely what violence was and had our fill of it, thank you. (Slight pause.)
Perhaps my tendency to remain calm in the face of violence is because I know what violence feels like, what violence tastes like, what violence means. Which is not to say I approve of violence. It is to say I am familiar with it. (Slight pause.)
This week I heard a lot of people, a lot of commentators trying to parse, trying to give a definition to the word terrorism. Let me give you some plain talk about what terrorism is.
Terrorism is an act of violence, any kind of violence— case closed. Motive does not matter. Means do not matter. Terrorism is any act of violence. (Slight pause.)
Therefore, terrorism is when insurance is not sold because someone is Catholic. And terrorism is when someone is mugged. And terrorism is when a mailbox is set aflame.
And terrorism is setting off a bomb in a crowd gathered to watch their friends run a marathon. And terrorism is when safety regulations for storing ammonium nitrate are not followed so it explodes obliterating a neighborhood.
And terrorism is when people are denied the right to vote. And terrorism is cheating on taxes. And terrorism is not treating someone as equal due to their sexual orientation.
And terrorism is not providing equal healthcare for everyone. And terrorism is not providing equal pay for equal work. (Slight pause.) And that, my friends, is plain talk.
Here is another piece of plain talk. When someone shuts their mind to what someone else says even though it is obviously true— that is terrorism because it is a violent act. Terrorism, you see, is when people play politics with the lives of other people to suit their own ego or their own needs or their own desirers. Violence is violence is violence is violence. (Slight pause.)
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said this: “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” (Slight pause.) Equally, violence— violence any kind of violence from physical violence to mental violence to economic violence to systemic violence— violence anywhere is a threat to the safety of all people everywhere. Violence anywhere is a threat to the safety of all people everywhere. (Pause.)
And these words are from the work known as John: “...Jesus was walking in the temple, in the Portico of Solomon when the religious authorities gathered around and said, ‘How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are really the Messiah, tell us plainly.’” (Slight pause.)
This passage is dripping with irony. Why? Those questioning the Rabbi have heard Jesus speak to the fact of being the Messiah in a multitude of ways. And they simply deny it. In their denial they are committing an act of violence— political violence— playing with the lives of others to suit their own ego and their own needs and their own desirers.
Again, violence is violence is violence is violence. Therefore, perhaps the real questions for us are twofold: how do we react to violence and what do we do to counter it. (Slight pause.)
Yes, I tend to be calm in the face of violence. Given the background I’ve outlined that’s not surprising. But I am also a theologian. Some of that demeanor comes from theology. The peace of God, you see, has little to do with the absence of violence.
The peace of God is the presence of God. The presence of God can be tangible, whatever the circumstances, even in the midst of violence. And when the peace of God, the presence of God is real to us, we understand that violence— any violence— is merely an attempt to divert us from the presence of God, to insist God is not real, to insist God is not present.
That realization about how people use violence can, in fact, be quite calming. (Slight pause.) So, if the presence of God is real to us, how do we take the next step? How do we counter violence, violence which can be all around us, despite the fact that we recognize the presence of God with us? (Slight pause.)
In a couple of minutes we will dedicate the quilts put together by the Chenango Piecemakers Guild. What these should represent for us is a response to violence. You see, historically some of these quilts will go to Chenango Memorial Hospital for newborns and to Roots and Wings for the domestic violence program. [4]
And that needs to be our real response to violence: to reach out to others, to try to comfort and to protect our neighbors. Our response to violence never needs to be a response of fear or a response self-centeredness. Our response to violence never needs to be more violence.
Why? God is with, by our side, present to us now and forever. And that, my friends, is plain talk— as plain as I can say it. (Pause.) Amen.
04/21/2013
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: “This quote was going around the Internet this week, probably with good reason. It is a quote from Fred McFeely Rogers, better knows as Mister Rogers. And for those of you who do not know this, Fred Rogers was an ordained Presbyterian Pastor. (Quote): ‘When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’ To this day, especially in times of ‘disaster,’ I remember my mother’s words, and I am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers – so many caring people in this world.’ (Slight pause.) And now before invoking the Benediction I ask for a point of personal and pastoral preference.” [The pastor reaches into a bag and brings out a Boston Red Sox hat, puts it on and proceeds to the blessing.]
BENEDICTION: Go now— go in safety, for you cannot go where God is not. Go— go in love, for love alone endures. Go— go with purpose and God will honor your dedication. And go— go in peace for it is a gift of God to those whose hearts and minds are in Christ Jesus, the Second Person of the Trinity. Amen.
[1] This was a pulpit swap with the Rev. Marraine Kettell of Corning.
[2] http://www.victoriana.com/Irish/IrishPoliticalCartoons.htm
[3] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knights_of_Columbus
[4] This Ceremony of Dedication, in fact, happened after the sermon and a time of prayer.
Plain Talk
“...Jesus was walking in the temple, in the Portico of Solomon when the religious authorities gathered around and said, ‘How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are really the Messiah, tell us plainly.’” — John 10:23-24.
When I, several weeks ago, preached in Corning on March 17th, it being Patrick’s Day, I wished them a happy one and said it’s commonly claimed we are all Irish on Saint Patrick’s Day. [1] My presumption, on the other hand, is if my full name— Joseph Francis Connolly, Jr.— does not say I am of Irish descent, nothing will. I, therefore, often forego the wearing of some green on March the 17th. It would be redundant.
Then I offered a history lesson about the Irish in America. I said my ancestors arrived on these shores shortly before the Civil War, an era when the Irish were stereotyped as uncivilized and their very humanity questioned. Advertisements for employment regularly said: “No Irish Need Apply.”
Many regarded the Catholicism of the Irish as an alien, rebellious religion and the Irish culture, itself, as an alien, rebellious culture. In fact, during the mid and late nineteenth century insurance companies would often refuse to sell Catholics insurance. Why? Simply because they were Catholic. [2]
And so, in 1882 the Knights of Columbus was born. The initial and real purpose of the Knights was to be (quote): “a mutual benefit society,” an insurance company, from which Catholics could buy life insurance without fear of discrimination. [3] (Pause.)
We heard a lot about violence this week— from bombs and gunfire in Boston to explosions at an ammonium nitrate storage facility in Texas. As these stories played out in the media I reflected and wondered about why my tendency is to remain calm in the face of violence.
To answer that, let me flesh out my own, personal history a little. (Slight pause.) I sometimes say I grew up in an Irish Catholic ghetto in Brooklyn, New York. There were some Italians and Germans in the mix, but mostly the names were O’Neill, Sullivan, etc.
But still, why do I label that neighborhood a ghetto? (Slight pause.) When I was about seven out a window of my family’s third floor apartment, I saw a woman being mugged.
I ran and got my mother who rushed to the street. The mugger had run off, so my Mom brought the woman to our apartment and called the precinct. A burly red-headed officer arrived to interview the victim, to take down information.
Despite my young age, I remember admiring his sense of calm. And I also remember he was clear— an incident like this was a normal occurrence. (Slight pause.)
So, why do I label that neighborhood a Ghetto? To this day I hesitate when I drop a letter into a mailbox on the street. You see, in that neighborhood it was a common occurrence for someone to dump some gasoline into a mailbox, light a match, throw it in and walk away. Those memories never leave your psyche. (Slight pause.)
So then, having reached the age of majority and having dropped out of college, I was drafted. And all that early experience of violence was reenforced as I saw first hand how inhumane people can be. (Slight pause.)
Let me fast forward a little. I was working on Wall Street in the World Trade Center— to think about the World Trade Center still leaves me with an empty feeling— I was working in the Trade Center but the place I worked was only five stories up. One day everyone in my office suddenly gathered at a window.
I joined them and saw police cars across the street. The next thing I knew a police officer came up behind us and told us to get away from the window because there was a sniper in the building opposite us.
The only ones to move back from the window were myself and another veteran. We knew precisely what violence was and had our fill of it, thank you. (Slight pause.)
Perhaps my tendency to remain calm in the face of violence is because I know what violence feels like, what violence tastes like, what violence means. Which is not to say I approve of violence. It is to say I am familiar with it. (Slight pause.)
This week I heard a lot of people, a lot of commentators trying to parse, trying to give a definition to the word terrorism. Let me give you some plain talk about what terrorism is.
Terrorism is an act of violence, any kind of violence— case closed. Motive does not matter. Means do not matter. Terrorism is any act of violence. (Slight pause.)
Therefore, terrorism is when insurance is not sold because someone is Catholic. And terrorism is when someone is mugged. And terrorism is when a mailbox is set aflame.
And terrorism is setting off a bomb in a crowd gathered to watch their friends run a marathon. And terrorism is when safety regulations for storing ammonium nitrate are not followed so it explodes obliterating a neighborhood.
And terrorism is when people are denied the right to vote. And terrorism is cheating on taxes. And terrorism is not treating someone as equal due to their sexual orientation.
And terrorism is not providing equal healthcare for everyone. And terrorism is not providing equal pay for equal work. (Slight pause.) And that, my friends, is plain talk.
Here is another piece of plain talk. When someone shuts their mind to what someone else says even though it is obviously true— that is terrorism because it is a violent act. Terrorism, you see, is when people play politics with the lives of other people to suit their own ego or their own needs or their own desirers. Violence is violence is violence is violence. (Slight pause.)
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said this: “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” (Slight pause.) Equally, violence— violence any kind of violence from physical violence to mental violence to economic violence to systemic violence— violence anywhere is a threat to the safety of all people everywhere. Violence anywhere is a threat to the safety of all people everywhere. (Pause.)
And these words are from the work known as John: “...Jesus was walking in the temple, in the Portico of Solomon when the religious authorities gathered around and said, ‘How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are really the Messiah, tell us plainly.’” (Slight pause.)
This passage is dripping with irony. Why? Those questioning the Rabbi have heard Jesus speak to the fact of being the Messiah in a multitude of ways. And they simply deny it. In their denial they are committing an act of violence— political violence— playing with the lives of others to suit their own ego and their own needs and their own desirers.
Again, violence is violence is violence is violence. Therefore, perhaps the real questions for us are twofold: how do we react to violence and what do we do to counter it. (Slight pause.)
Yes, I tend to be calm in the face of violence. Given the background I’ve outlined that’s not surprising. But I am also a theologian. Some of that demeanor comes from theology. The peace of God, you see, has little to do with the absence of violence.
The peace of God is the presence of God. The presence of God can be tangible, whatever the circumstances, even in the midst of violence. And when the peace of God, the presence of God is real to us, we understand that violence— any violence— is merely an attempt to divert us from the presence of God, to insist God is not real, to insist God is not present.
That realization about how people use violence can, in fact, be quite calming. (Slight pause.) So, if the presence of God is real to us, how do we take the next step? How do we counter violence, violence which can be all around us, despite the fact that we recognize the presence of God with us? (Slight pause.)
In a couple of minutes we will dedicate the quilts put together by the Chenango Piecemakers Guild. What these should represent for us is a response to violence. You see, historically some of these quilts will go to Chenango Memorial Hospital for newborns and to Roots and Wings for the domestic violence program. [4]
And that needs to be our real response to violence: to reach out to others, to try to comfort and to protect our neighbors. Our response to violence never needs to be a response of fear or a response self-centeredness. Our response to violence never needs to be more violence.
Why? God is with, by our side, present to us now and forever. And that, my friends, is plain talk— as plain as I can say it. (Pause.) Amen.
04/21/2013
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: “This quote was going around the Internet this week, probably with good reason. It is a quote from Fred McFeely Rogers, better knows as Mister Rogers. And for those of you who do not know this, Fred Rogers was an ordained Presbyterian Pastor. (Quote): ‘When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’ To this day, especially in times of ‘disaster,’ I remember my mother’s words, and I am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers – so many caring people in this world.’ (Slight pause.) And now before invoking the Benediction I ask for a point of personal and pastoral preference.” [The pastor reaches into a bag and brings out a Boston Red Sox hat, puts it on and proceeds to the blessing.]
BENEDICTION: Go now— go in safety, for you cannot go where God is not. Go— go in love, for love alone endures. Go— go with purpose and God will honor your dedication. And go— go in peace for it is a gift of God to those whose hearts and minds are in Christ Jesus, the Second Person of the Trinity. Amen.
[1] This was a pulpit swap with the Rev. Marraine Kettell of Corning.
[2] http://www.victoriana.com/Irish/IrishPoliticalCartoons.htm
[3] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knights_of_Columbus
[4] This Ceremony of Dedication, in fact, happened after the sermon and a time of prayer.
Sunday, April 14, 2013
SERMON ~ 04/14/2013 ~ Knocked Off a Horse?
04/14/2013 ~ Third Sunday of Easter ~ Acts 9:1-6, (7-20); Psalm 30; Revelation 5:11-14; John 21:1-19 ~ Note: Moved Psalm 23 from 4/212 for Choir Anthem.
Knocked Off a Horse?
“Now, as Saul was traveling along and approaching Damascus, a light from the sky suddenly flashed all around and Saul fell to the ground and heard a voice saying, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’” — Acts 9:3-4.
I have mentioned a number of times that one of my mentors in ministry was the Rev. Carol Anderson, who happened to be one of the first women to be officially ordained in the Episcopal Church. Carol often said among the disciples there are three examples of our relationship with God, three archetypes of how that relationship works out, to be found in the New Testament. Hence there are three examples, three styles we might emulate as our own relationship with God develops.
Carol labeled these archetypes as the Peter type, the Paul type and the John type. She never took my advice and labeled them as Peter, Paul and Mary. She was probably right. (The choir collectively bursts into laughter and the pastor points at them.) The choir got it!
In any case, in reverse order let’s review: John and Paul, the disciple also known as Saul, and then Peter. Now, if you’ve read the stories in the New Testament, John— John never seems to be in doubt about who Jesus was and is and what he needed to do because of who Jesus was and is. Even when, from the cross, the dying Jesus asks John to look after Mary, there is no flack, no push back, as in “You want me to do what?”
In short, John is calm and secure. John knows about life, John knows about the world, John knows about God. Now, if I had to guess, we probably all want to be just like John— never any doubts. But it’s also likely not a one of us thinks we could be anything close to that— so secure, so knowing, so compassionate. Instead, we opt for wanting to be like Paul.
And what was Paul like? Well, when we ask ‘what happened to Paul?’ the traits exhibited in the story of that disciple seem obvious and quite attractive to us.
Clearly Paul got knocked off a horse. Put another way, Paul was headed in one direction— persecuting the people of ‘The Way,’— and winds up going in exactly the opposite direction.
Changing direction is, of course, the real meaning of repentance. To be celar: repentance has nothing to do with being sorry or sad. Repentance is when turns one’s life around, turns one’s life over to God, turns one’s life over to the will of God.
So, that’s archetype number two: get knocked off your horse and come suddenly into some kind of new and clear knowledge, some new way of understanding. And this new knowledge, this new way of understanding is what changes your life forever. You never go back to the old ways. (Slight pause.) As I suggested, I think it’s likely this method is how most of us would like to have things happen— over and done with in one act— quick and simple.
Then there is Peter. If truth be told, most of us want to be like Paul but most of us we are probably more like Peter. Let’s look at two incidents involving Peter to illustrate what the Peter archetype is like.
In one story Peter says Jesus is the Christ. In another Peter denies knowing the Christ. Yes, no, yes, no— that’s Peter. Peter cannot seem to steer a steady, consistent course. Peter is all over the map. And, as I said, I suspect most of us are like Peter in our relationship with God: all over the map. (Slight pause.)
So, now here’s the trick question— Bible trivia, if you will. I suggested we all want to be like Paul and get knocked off our horse. But does Paul ever even get knocked off a horse? (Slight pause.) No. Paul does not get knocked off a horse. (Quote:) “The Rabbi fell to the ground and heard a voice....” No horse is mentioned.
So, from where does the horse come? It comes from Christian Art, mostly art out of the Renaissance era. Mind you, one can assume Paul was riding. But, if that’s the case, if Paul is on a horse, that’s a pretty long fall to the ground.
You see, the phrase ‘being knocked off your horse’ is in that sense quite secular and is a little like the phrase ‘God helps those who help themselves.’ That phrase is not in the Bible, either.
Although ‘God helps those who help themselves’ has been commonly attributed to Benjamin Franklin, it probably originated in ancient Greece. But the sentiment, itself, that God helps those who help themselves, is throughly, throughly, anti-Christian, since it is contrary to the Scriptural message which says the grace of God is available to all.
Similarly, we have this image that Paul gets knocked off a horse and comes suddenly into some new and clear knowledge, some new way of understanding, which changes life forever. You never go back to the old ways when you get knocked off that horse. Was that true of Paul? Was it just that Paul got knocked off a horse, or is there more to it? (Slight pause.)
And these words are from the work know as Acts: “Now, as Saul was traveling along and approaching Damascus, a light from the sky suddenly flashed all around and Saul fell to the ground and heard a voice saying, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’” (Slight pause.)
When the reading from Acts was introduced it was said Paul’s own account is in some tension with this version. Indeed, based on what Paul says in the letters most scholars believe that any fulness of a public proclamation about Jesus from Paul did not happen for about 14 years. This is when Paul returns to Jerusalem.
So, what happened in that time span— 14 years? (Slight pause.) We do not know. Scholars speculate Paul spends that time studying. In fact, the depth and the integrated theology Paul exhibits and writes on in the Epistles strongly suggests there was time spent in study, in reflection, in prayer and in meditation. (Slight pause.)
So, how does that apply to us? I think we can be knocked off a horse. We can have some kind of conversion experience. And that is wonderful. But it is not enough. It was not enough for Paul.
I want to suggest even if we have a conversion experience, we need to emulate Paul. How? We need to study, to meditate, to reflect, to pray. (Slight pause.)
I was privileged to be at a series of lectures Archbishop Desmond Tutu gave in New York City before he won the Nobel Peace Prize. At one session he was asked how much time he spent each day in study, meditation, reflection and prayer. He said he spent at least two hours a day, except when he was under pressure or had a lot of work to do. Then, he said, he needed to spend four or five hours a day in study, meditation, reflection and prayer.
In short, conversion does not just happen and it’s over and done. Conversion happens every hour of every day. And yes, we all lead busy lives.
But when we repent, we hand our lives over to God that can open up new vistas. This handing our lives over to God, this repentance, means we study, we meditate, we reflect and we pray every day. It means every day in our life with God we grow. And growth?— that is what relationship is really about, is it not? Amen.
04/14/2013
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: “This is a quote from the late theologian Henri Nouwen: ‘You don’t think your way into a new kind of living. You live your way into a new kind of thinking.’ So, in a real sense repentance means when it comes to our relationship with God taking action each and every day.”
BENEDICTION; Let us go where God leads us, for surely God leads us to embrace our neighbor with love. Let us follow where Christ has gone, and see the great commandment of loving God and loving neighbor as a watchword. And may the steadfast love of God and the peace of Christ, which surpasses understanding, keep our minds and hearts in the knowledge, companionship and will of the Holy Spirit, this day and forever more. Amen.
Knocked Off a Horse?
“Now, as Saul was traveling along and approaching Damascus, a light from the sky suddenly flashed all around and Saul fell to the ground and heard a voice saying, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’” — Acts 9:3-4.
I have mentioned a number of times that one of my mentors in ministry was the Rev. Carol Anderson, who happened to be one of the first women to be officially ordained in the Episcopal Church. Carol often said among the disciples there are three examples of our relationship with God, three archetypes of how that relationship works out, to be found in the New Testament. Hence there are three examples, three styles we might emulate as our own relationship with God develops.
Carol labeled these archetypes as the Peter type, the Paul type and the John type. She never took my advice and labeled them as Peter, Paul and Mary. She was probably right. (The choir collectively bursts into laughter and the pastor points at them.) The choir got it!
In any case, in reverse order let’s review: John and Paul, the disciple also known as Saul, and then Peter. Now, if you’ve read the stories in the New Testament, John— John never seems to be in doubt about who Jesus was and is and what he needed to do because of who Jesus was and is. Even when, from the cross, the dying Jesus asks John to look after Mary, there is no flack, no push back, as in “You want me to do what?”
In short, John is calm and secure. John knows about life, John knows about the world, John knows about God. Now, if I had to guess, we probably all want to be just like John— never any doubts. But it’s also likely not a one of us thinks we could be anything close to that— so secure, so knowing, so compassionate. Instead, we opt for wanting to be like Paul.
And what was Paul like? Well, when we ask ‘what happened to Paul?’ the traits exhibited in the story of that disciple seem obvious and quite attractive to us.
Clearly Paul got knocked off a horse. Put another way, Paul was headed in one direction— persecuting the people of ‘The Way,’— and winds up going in exactly the opposite direction.
Changing direction is, of course, the real meaning of repentance. To be celar: repentance has nothing to do with being sorry or sad. Repentance is when turns one’s life around, turns one’s life over to God, turns one’s life over to the will of God.
So, that’s archetype number two: get knocked off your horse and come suddenly into some kind of new and clear knowledge, some new way of understanding. And this new knowledge, this new way of understanding is what changes your life forever. You never go back to the old ways. (Slight pause.) As I suggested, I think it’s likely this method is how most of us would like to have things happen— over and done with in one act— quick and simple.
Then there is Peter. If truth be told, most of us want to be like Paul but most of us we are probably more like Peter. Let’s look at two incidents involving Peter to illustrate what the Peter archetype is like.
In one story Peter says Jesus is the Christ. In another Peter denies knowing the Christ. Yes, no, yes, no— that’s Peter. Peter cannot seem to steer a steady, consistent course. Peter is all over the map. And, as I said, I suspect most of us are like Peter in our relationship with God: all over the map. (Slight pause.)
So, now here’s the trick question— Bible trivia, if you will. I suggested we all want to be like Paul and get knocked off our horse. But does Paul ever even get knocked off a horse? (Slight pause.) No. Paul does not get knocked off a horse. (Quote:) “The Rabbi fell to the ground and heard a voice....” No horse is mentioned.
So, from where does the horse come? It comes from Christian Art, mostly art out of the Renaissance era. Mind you, one can assume Paul was riding. But, if that’s the case, if Paul is on a horse, that’s a pretty long fall to the ground.
You see, the phrase ‘being knocked off your horse’ is in that sense quite secular and is a little like the phrase ‘God helps those who help themselves.’ That phrase is not in the Bible, either.
Although ‘God helps those who help themselves’ has been commonly attributed to Benjamin Franklin, it probably originated in ancient Greece. But the sentiment, itself, that God helps those who help themselves, is throughly, throughly, anti-Christian, since it is contrary to the Scriptural message which says the grace of God is available to all.
Similarly, we have this image that Paul gets knocked off a horse and comes suddenly into some new and clear knowledge, some new way of understanding, which changes life forever. You never go back to the old ways when you get knocked off that horse. Was that true of Paul? Was it just that Paul got knocked off a horse, or is there more to it? (Slight pause.)
And these words are from the work know as Acts: “Now, as Saul was traveling along and approaching Damascus, a light from the sky suddenly flashed all around and Saul fell to the ground and heard a voice saying, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’” (Slight pause.)
When the reading from Acts was introduced it was said Paul’s own account is in some tension with this version. Indeed, based on what Paul says in the letters most scholars believe that any fulness of a public proclamation about Jesus from Paul did not happen for about 14 years. This is when Paul returns to Jerusalem.
So, what happened in that time span— 14 years? (Slight pause.) We do not know. Scholars speculate Paul spends that time studying. In fact, the depth and the integrated theology Paul exhibits and writes on in the Epistles strongly suggests there was time spent in study, in reflection, in prayer and in meditation. (Slight pause.)
So, how does that apply to us? I think we can be knocked off a horse. We can have some kind of conversion experience. And that is wonderful. But it is not enough. It was not enough for Paul.
I want to suggest even if we have a conversion experience, we need to emulate Paul. How? We need to study, to meditate, to reflect, to pray. (Slight pause.)
I was privileged to be at a series of lectures Archbishop Desmond Tutu gave in New York City before he won the Nobel Peace Prize. At one session he was asked how much time he spent each day in study, meditation, reflection and prayer. He said he spent at least two hours a day, except when he was under pressure or had a lot of work to do. Then, he said, he needed to spend four or five hours a day in study, meditation, reflection and prayer.
In short, conversion does not just happen and it’s over and done. Conversion happens every hour of every day. And yes, we all lead busy lives.
But when we repent, we hand our lives over to God that can open up new vistas. This handing our lives over to God, this repentance, means we study, we meditate, we reflect and we pray every day. It means every day in our life with God we grow. And growth?— that is what relationship is really about, is it not? Amen.
04/14/2013
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: “This is a quote from the late theologian Henri Nouwen: ‘You don’t think your way into a new kind of living. You live your way into a new kind of thinking.’ So, in a real sense repentance means when it comes to our relationship with God taking action each and every day.”
BENEDICTION; Let us go where God leads us, for surely God leads us to embrace our neighbor with love. Let us follow where Christ has gone, and see the great commandment of loving God and loving neighbor as a watchword. And may the steadfast love of God and the peace of Christ, which surpasses understanding, keep our minds and hearts in the knowledge, companionship and will of the Holy Spirit, this day and forever more. Amen.
Sunday, April 7, 2013
Sermon ~ 04/07/2013 ~ Second Sunday of Easter ~ “The Alpha and the Omega”
04/07/2013 ~ Second Sunday of Easter ~ Acts 5:27-32; Psalm 118:14-29 or Psalm 150 Revelation 1:4-8; John 20:19-31 ~ Communion Sunday.
The Alpha and the Omega
“‘I am the Alpha and the Omega,’” says our God “‘who is and who was and who is to come, the Sovereign.’” — Revelation 1:8.
My late mother used to say, “If you want to really know what’s going on in the world, don’t pay any attention to the news. When you open up the newspaper in the morning turn to the comic strip section first.” You see, she believed that day to day reporting was, for the most part, just a series of facts— she even referred to them as “so called facts.”
Facts don’t always have the ability to tell you the full impact, the full truth about what’s going on. In a real way, when you follow just facts it feels like what you are seeing is simply chaos. There are too many facts and they don’t connect, don’t provide a sense of the whole.
Indeed, that’s why an analysis of facts is necessary. And analysis, Mom believed, is what the comic strip section brilliantly gives. Good strips— Peanuts, The Wizard of Id— reflect not just a particular moment in time but the flow of time, the steady center and the general direction. In short, I think my Mom was probably right. Pay attention to the comics section first.
Of course, today, newspapers are a dying breed, the comic strip section along with them. Certainly one reason for the demise of print is the advent of the Internet. Newspapers and comic strips seem to be transferring to the web.
In fact, not only do I read the news mostly on line I, personally, know two people who draw comic strips professionally. Both of them have a presence on the web.
Now, I’ve discovered something else relating to that, and it does surprise me some. If you pay close attention to what your friends are talking about on Facebook, what they post, it can be a little like following the news— chaotic.
The secret of understanding Facebook is to not pay too much attention. If you pay too much attention, it’s just like reading the newspapers. You get overwhelmed by day to day details.
The funny thing is, occasionally, someone posts a commentary on Facebook, on the newsfeed, a commentary on the facts which reminds me of the kind of analysis we get in comic strips. One friend recently did exactly that: made an entry on Facebook which had the flavor of analysis.
I hope this won’t bore you too much, but the post read like this (quote): “In case you don’t feel like scrolling through your news feed today”— the news feed is a list of what all your friends are posting— “In case you don’t feel like scrolling through your news feed today let me sum it up, tell you what people are saying: homophobia is bad; congress is inept; we should ban all guns; the Game of Thrones is awesome; so is Dr. Who; Twilight— those books with a vampire theme?— not so much.”
“Marriage equality is good; God does not exist; congress is messing with the middle class and the poor. You should believe in yourself; God does exist; friendship matters more than money; chase your dreams; puppies are adorable; kittens are cute; George Taiki (or any one of several other ‘B’ list celebrities) posted something funny.”
“There are also those silly and totally false postings,” the soliloquy continued. “These claim that Bill Cosby or Robin Williams or Warren Buffett or Abraham Lincoln or John Boehner or Barack Obama or Queen Elizabeth or George Washington never said the silly thing I am about to attribute to them but I am posting it any way.”
“I am going to say they did say what I know is not true because it confirms to my preconceived notion of what I think they should have said. And I am positing it because it also says something about where I am at and how silly I am and how prejudiced I am.” (Slight pause.) And that was that end of commentary— long but interesting.
And, the way I see it, just like the comic strips, that stream of consciousness post on Facebook insists there is a larger picture in everyday life. And despite or perhaps because of its length, it is a commentary on so called facts. So let’s be real: a constant stream of hard news— a constant stream of so called hard facts, is not easy to take.
Sometimes you have to shut off the TV news and tune in to reruns of The Big Bang Theory or Friends or go very retro and try to find episodes of Happy Days or I Love Lucy just to give your brain some relief. To be blunt I, personally, sometimes find a string of facts either consoles me or upsets me.
Why? A stream of facts makes things feel chaotic. A stream facts does not help me with analysis, does not help me understand context. (Slight pause.)
And these words are from the work known as Revelation: “‘I am the Alpha and the Omega,’” says our God “‘who is and who was and who is to come, the Sovereign.’” (Slight pause.)
I think a lot of people believe the times through which we are living are tumultuous, chaotic. In fact, you can see that by what people post on Facebook. And I can understand where people are coming from.
After all, we were attacked on 9/11— that’s chaos; we fought 2 wars simultaneously— that’s chaos; we have now seen the worst economic times since the 1930s— that’s chaos.
However: if you believe it’s bad now, imagine the chaos experienced while the Civil War was in progress. Or think about this: in the course of a lifetime many people lived through one World War, a Great Depression and a Second World War— that’s chaos.
To make that concept of chaos a little more personal here’s a story about my family. In early in 1929 my grandparents, my father’s parents, owned some railroad stock and sold it off at the beginning of that year to make a down payment on a house.
That October the market crashed. My grandfather worked for the City of New York, so during the Depression he often worked six days a week but was paid only for three or four days. However, he had a job, some money, a house, because he had sold off that stock— the family survived. But the Depression did not just feel like chaos. It was chaos.
So, how did people get through those times? (Slight pause.) By taking life one day at a time— day by day by day and by looking at the big picture. They constantly asked themselves not what does today mean but what does my life mean, how do I live my life over a broad span of time? (Slight pause.)
I invite you to look at the cover of today’s bulletin. And let me wait a second while you do that. (Slight pause.) Those are pictures of the large Alpha and Omega we put up in the front of the nave at Christmas.
I remember being blown away when I saw that for the first time seventeen years ago. My reaction was: “Wow! This congregation gets it. The celebration at Christmastide is not simply a celebration of the birth of a child, not even simply about the birth of Jesus.”
“This is a celebration which has greater implications. And this congregation gets it that at Christmastide we celebrate the in-breaking of God.” (Slight pause.)
When the reading from Revelation was introduced it was stated that the basic themes found in the work are in the first sentences. And, indeed, they are.
I would suggest that the entire meaning of Revelation is not a prophecy of the end times. It has nothing to do with the Apocalypse. To say Revelation is about the Apocalypse is to say Revelation offers a message about chaos.
However, that God is the Alpha and the Omega conveys the thought that God transcends time, that God was before time existed and that God will be after time exists, and that God encompasses all time. Revelation says God brings order— God brings order— in opposition to chaos.
So, the work known as Revelation is not simply about a particular moment in time, not even about a moment which might come— a moment we loosely label as the Apocalypse. Revelation is about grappling with God, the eternal. (Slight pause.)
Don’t misunderstand me: that God encompasses all time is not an easy concept. But this is a more simple way to put it: to say God is the Alpha and the Omega says we need to be calm amidst the chaos of life.
We need to understand that God is with us always. In short, we need to grapple with the thought that God loves us always and that God loves us beyond time. Amen.
04/07/2013
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: “The First words in Genesis say this (quote): ‘At the beginning of God’s creating of the heaven and the earth— when the earth was unformed and void, wild and waste, filled with chaos and emptiness, as night reigned over the surface of the deep, a wind from God, the rushing Spirit of God swept over the face of the waters.” [1] God brings order to chaos. If we do not understand that the last book in the sequence of how the books are laid out in Scripture, Revelation, is placed there to be a bookend, to be a commentary when it says God is the Alpha and the Omega, and that this says nothing about the end times, the apocalypse, then we do not understand Scripture.’”
BENEDICTION: Go out in the compassion and love God provides. Praise the deeds of God by the way you live. And may the steadfast love of God and the peace of Christ, which surpasses understanding, keep our minds and hearts in the companionship and will of the Holy Spirit, this day and forever more. Amen.
[1] Genesis 1:1-3 (ILV).
The Alpha and the Omega
“‘I am the Alpha and the Omega,’” says our God “‘who is and who was and who is to come, the Sovereign.’” — Revelation 1:8.
My late mother used to say, “If you want to really know what’s going on in the world, don’t pay any attention to the news. When you open up the newspaper in the morning turn to the comic strip section first.” You see, she believed that day to day reporting was, for the most part, just a series of facts— she even referred to them as “so called facts.”
Facts don’t always have the ability to tell you the full impact, the full truth about what’s going on. In a real way, when you follow just facts it feels like what you are seeing is simply chaos. There are too many facts and they don’t connect, don’t provide a sense of the whole.
Indeed, that’s why an analysis of facts is necessary. And analysis, Mom believed, is what the comic strip section brilliantly gives. Good strips— Peanuts, The Wizard of Id— reflect not just a particular moment in time but the flow of time, the steady center and the general direction. In short, I think my Mom was probably right. Pay attention to the comics section first.
Of course, today, newspapers are a dying breed, the comic strip section along with them. Certainly one reason for the demise of print is the advent of the Internet. Newspapers and comic strips seem to be transferring to the web.
In fact, not only do I read the news mostly on line I, personally, know two people who draw comic strips professionally. Both of them have a presence on the web.
Now, I’ve discovered something else relating to that, and it does surprise me some. If you pay close attention to what your friends are talking about on Facebook, what they post, it can be a little like following the news— chaotic.
The secret of understanding Facebook is to not pay too much attention. If you pay too much attention, it’s just like reading the newspapers. You get overwhelmed by day to day details.
The funny thing is, occasionally, someone posts a commentary on Facebook, on the newsfeed, a commentary on the facts which reminds me of the kind of analysis we get in comic strips. One friend recently did exactly that: made an entry on Facebook which had the flavor of analysis.
I hope this won’t bore you too much, but the post read like this (quote): “In case you don’t feel like scrolling through your news feed today”— the news feed is a list of what all your friends are posting— “In case you don’t feel like scrolling through your news feed today let me sum it up, tell you what people are saying: homophobia is bad; congress is inept; we should ban all guns; the Game of Thrones is awesome; so is Dr. Who; Twilight— those books with a vampire theme?— not so much.”
“Marriage equality is good; God does not exist; congress is messing with the middle class and the poor. You should believe in yourself; God does exist; friendship matters more than money; chase your dreams; puppies are adorable; kittens are cute; George Taiki (or any one of several other ‘B’ list celebrities) posted something funny.”
“There are also those silly and totally false postings,” the soliloquy continued. “These claim that Bill Cosby or Robin Williams or Warren Buffett or Abraham Lincoln or John Boehner or Barack Obama or Queen Elizabeth or George Washington never said the silly thing I am about to attribute to them but I am posting it any way.”
“I am going to say they did say what I know is not true because it confirms to my preconceived notion of what I think they should have said. And I am positing it because it also says something about where I am at and how silly I am and how prejudiced I am.” (Slight pause.) And that was that end of commentary— long but interesting.
And, the way I see it, just like the comic strips, that stream of consciousness post on Facebook insists there is a larger picture in everyday life. And despite or perhaps because of its length, it is a commentary on so called facts. So let’s be real: a constant stream of hard news— a constant stream of so called hard facts, is not easy to take.
Sometimes you have to shut off the TV news and tune in to reruns of The Big Bang Theory or Friends or go very retro and try to find episodes of Happy Days or I Love Lucy just to give your brain some relief. To be blunt I, personally, sometimes find a string of facts either consoles me or upsets me.
Why? A stream of facts makes things feel chaotic. A stream facts does not help me with analysis, does not help me understand context. (Slight pause.)
And these words are from the work known as Revelation: “‘I am the Alpha and the Omega,’” says our God “‘who is and who was and who is to come, the Sovereign.’” (Slight pause.)
I think a lot of people believe the times through which we are living are tumultuous, chaotic. In fact, you can see that by what people post on Facebook. And I can understand where people are coming from.
After all, we were attacked on 9/11— that’s chaos; we fought 2 wars simultaneously— that’s chaos; we have now seen the worst economic times since the 1930s— that’s chaos.
However: if you believe it’s bad now, imagine the chaos experienced while the Civil War was in progress. Or think about this: in the course of a lifetime many people lived through one World War, a Great Depression and a Second World War— that’s chaos.
To make that concept of chaos a little more personal here’s a story about my family. In early in 1929 my grandparents, my father’s parents, owned some railroad stock and sold it off at the beginning of that year to make a down payment on a house.
That October the market crashed. My grandfather worked for the City of New York, so during the Depression he often worked six days a week but was paid only for three or four days. However, he had a job, some money, a house, because he had sold off that stock— the family survived. But the Depression did not just feel like chaos. It was chaos.
So, how did people get through those times? (Slight pause.) By taking life one day at a time— day by day by day and by looking at the big picture. They constantly asked themselves not what does today mean but what does my life mean, how do I live my life over a broad span of time? (Slight pause.)
I invite you to look at the cover of today’s bulletin. And let me wait a second while you do that. (Slight pause.) Those are pictures of the large Alpha and Omega we put up in the front of the nave at Christmas.
I remember being blown away when I saw that for the first time seventeen years ago. My reaction was: “Wow! This congregation gets it. The celebration at Christmastide is not simply a celebration of the birth of a child, not even simply about the birth of Jesus.”
“This is a celebration which has greater implications. And this congregation gets it that at Christmastide we celebrate the in-breaking of God.” (Slight pause.)
When the reading from Revelation was introduced it was stated that the basic themes found in the work are in the first sentences. And, indeed, they are.
I would suggest that the entire meaning of Revelation is not a prophecy of the end times. It has nothing to do with the Apocalypse. To say Revelation is about the Apocalypse is to say Revelation offers a message about chaos.
However, that God is the Alpha and the Omega conveys the thought that God transcends time, that God was before time existed and that God will be after time exists, and that God encompasses all time. Revelation says God brings order— God brings order— in opposition to chaos.
So, the work known as Revelation is not simply about a particular moment in time, not even about a moment which might come— a moment we loosely label as the Apocalypse. Revelation is about grappling with God, the eternal. (Slight pause.)
Don’t misunderstand me: that God encompasses all time is not an easy concept. But this is a more simple way to put it: to say God is the Alpha and the Omega says we need to be calm amidst the chaos of life.
We need to understand that God is with us always. In short, we need to grapple with the thought that God loves us always and that God loves us beyond time. Amen.
04/07/2013
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: “The First words in Genesis say this (quote): ‘At the beginning of God’s creating of the heaven and the earth— when the earth was unformed and void, wild and waste, filled with chaos and emptiness, as night reigned over the surface of the deep, a wind from God, the rushing Spirit of God swept over the face of the waters.” [1] God brings order to chaos. If we do not understand that the last book in the sequence of how the books are laid out in Scripture, Revelation, is placed there to be a bookend, to be a commentary when it says God is the Alpha and the Omega, and that this says nothing about the end times, the apocalypse, then we do not understand Scripture.’”
BENEDICTION: Go out in the compassion and love God provides. Praise the deeds of God by the way you live. And may the steadfast love of God and the peace of Christ, which surpasses understanding, keep our minds and hearts in the companionship and will of the Holy Spirit, this day and forever more. Amen.
[1] Genesis 1:1-3 (ILV).
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