10/27/2013 ~ Proper 25 ~ Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time ~ Twenty-Third Sunday after Pentecost ~ Joel 2:23-32; Psalm 65; Sirach 35:12-17 or Jeremiah 14:7-10, 19-22; Psalm 84:1-7; 2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18; Luke 18:9-14 ~ Annual Budget Information Meeting.
A Spirit of Humility
“But the other individual, the tax collector, stood far off, kept at a distance and would not even look to heaven. With real humility, all the tax collector said was: ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’” — Luke 18:13.
I have mentioned this here before: my Father was a teacher at a Parochial High School in New York City. It was Regis High School, named for Saint John Francis Regis, a Jesuit of the 17th Century, and the school is run by the Jesuits.
Because my Father taught at a Jesuit school, I sometimes say ‘when I was growing up Jesuits were my friends.’ Yes, they were my Father’s friends, but I became friendly with them too. And because of that, I do know a lot about them.
Here’s one item about Jesuits many people may not know: members of the order probably have as much education as any other group on the face of the planet. After acquiring a Bachelor’s degree, a Jesuit normally gets anywhere from 8 to 14 additional years of schooling and/or training before ordination.
That’s the equivalent of at least one PhD and some Jesuits have the equivalent of two before ordination. And when I say the equivalent, most of them actually have the class work and the sheepskin in hand to back it up. It doesn’t just say “S.J.” after the name. It says “PhD.” The point being, it is not just additional training within the order. They go through fully accredited academic work. [1]
Now, as you may be aware, the current and newly elected Pope is a Jesuit. And, as you may also be aware, it appears the Leader of the Roman Church has been shaking things up as of late. And who better than a cleric with that kind of extensive background and education to shake up things?
The Pontiff has already offended some and encouraged others by saying atheists can get through the pearly gates. When asked about people who are gay, Francis said, “Who am I to judge?”
Well, the Bishop of Rome was at it again last week. Francis warned against behaving as though (quote:) “the key to the Dominion of God is in their pocket and the door closed.”
Perhaps a pivotal question concerning what the Pope said is, “How did he get there? How did he come to a place where, in a sermon, he said (quote:) “...a Christian who becomes a disciple of ideology has lost the faith.” Quite a quote. (Slight pause.)
Well, let’s review what he said in context. He started the homily in which this was stated by reiterating a basic concept: without prayer, one abandons faith. By definition one, then, shifts into ideology. And ideological stands produce judgments which are, at best, moralistic but have little to do with faith and are merely judgments.
The fact of the matter is, Francis really tore into any and all ideologues in this sermon. What the Pope said was extensive, so what I am about to offer is a paraphrase. But it is certainly reflective of what was said. (Slight pause.)
In ideologies you do not find Jesus: the tenderness of Jesus, the love of Jesus, the meekness of Jesus, the strength of Jesus. Ideologies are rigid.
Ideologies do not beckon people. Ideologies do not address love. When a Christian becomes a disciple of ideology, that Christian is no longer a disciple of Jesus but is a disciple of attitude, not a disciple of Jesus but a disciple of a strain of thought. [2] Some powerful thoughts from the Pontiff. (Slight pause.)
And these words are from the work known as Luke/Acts in the section commonly called Luke: “But the other individual, the tax collector, stood far off, kept at a distance and would not even look to heaven. With real humility, all the tax collector said was: ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’” (Slight pause.)
In our church tradition, in our denomination, when a pastor retires or leaves to go to another church, historically and traditionally, that church forms a Search Committee and thereby looks for another settled pastor. In the course of the process the church also fills out a profile, a document which runs between twenty and thirty pages and describes the attributes of the church.
In that profile everything about the church gets listed— everything from finances to demographics to a description of the community in which the church located. The profile then gets sent to pastors who are looking for a church.
The denomination and the Conference, in one sense, act like match makers and try to match churches and pastors. After all, a church does not just want a body in the pulpit. A church wants someone who might fit in, someone who can be a pastor at that particular time and place in the history of a community of faith.
One of the questions in that profile that a church fills out reads this way. “Choose the statement that most accurately describes the theological/faith stance of your church. You may check more than one.”
“We tend to be theologically conservative. We tend to be theologically moderate to conservative. We tend to be theologically moderate. We tend to be theologically moderate to liberal. We tend to be theologically liberal. We tend to be quite diverse in theology. Other.” The question also allows for additional comments.
I don’t mean to criticize the denomination, but that is the craziest question ever asked of any church. Good theology, sound theology has no ideological basis and no ideological bias. Sound theology cannot be defined as liberal or conservative or any variation in between.
The members of a church may be somewhere between sociologically conservative and/or sociologically liberal in their secular stands. And those secular stands may, in fact, drift over into many aspects of church life.
But, by definition, if a church claims to be theologically conservative or theologically liberal (and many do), it is not a church. It is a mutual benefit society of some kind. But it is not a church. (Slight pause.)
Clearly both the Publican and the Pharisee are engaged in prayer. And prayer is the place the Pope started when those remarks were made about ideologies. And prayer is clearly not a place for ideologies. And, if anything, the prayers we hear from these two characters— these prayers— are a contrast between a non-ideological stand and an ideological stand.
Further, this parable of the Publican and the Pharisee is not a lesson in how to pray. Nor is it a lesson about things for which we might pray.
It is, perhaps, a lesson in what our relationship to God is. It is, perhaps, a lesson about who we are and who God is. It is, perhaps, a lesson about our humanity. It is, perhaps, a lesson about an attitude of humility.
But what is humility? And is the promise of God really to pour out the Spirit? And if the promise of God is to pour out the Spirit, what does it mean to be humble in the context of the presence, the reality of the Spirit?
Could it possibly mean that being self-centered is inappropriate? If being self-centered is inappropriate, what does that mean in terms of community— the whole community? And why is humility necessary? (Slight pause.)
Jesus tells us, the Bible tells us to care for the poor and the outsider. Why? It is because we all need to stand in that position, stand in the shoes of the other, the outcast in society, for our own conversion to make sense to us. Perhaps we, each of us needs to stand in the mercy of God, the forgiveness of God, the grace of God.
And this needs to happen so we can start to strive to understand the very nature of reality of God. When we are too smug or too content, then it’s unlikely grace and mercy have no meaning. When we are too smug or too content then it’s unlikely the reality of God will have real meaning. [3] (Slight pause.)
So, how does that tie into ideology? (Slight pause.) Ideology is an offspring of tribalism— nothing more, nothing less. Ideology says one group of people is, by definition, outcast and unworthy.
Ideology, as it relates to faith, says one lacks the humility to stand before God. Ideology, as it relates to faith, says one lacks the humility to admit to imperfection. (Slight pause.)
I have said this here before. I will probably say it again. We are all part of one tribe: God’s tribe. Why would the Pope say, “...a Christian who becomes a disciple of ideology has lost the faith”? Because when it comes to faith, ideology has no place. By definition, ideology breaks us out into tribes. And we need to be humble enough to understand that.
I also need to note that when we humbly pray or even when we pray humbly something interesting can happen. Our self-created boundaries fall away from us. Suddenly it feels like we have nothing left to support us and it feels like we are free falling, falling in mid-air as if in a dream.
But, if truth be told, we are not in a free fall at all. You see, if we are truly humble, then we fall into the arms of God— God who is our solid basis of security.
Indeed, if I am to believe the Bible, there is one thing which sums up God’s very surprising agenda. God loves each of us and all of us so much that we are not members of any ideological group. Rather, we are all members of God’s tribe. [4] Amen.
10/27/2013
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: “From the perspective of the Hebrew Scriptures, this is a theological given: the Hebrews did not ‘have’ a theology. The Hebrews ‘did’ theology. The same is actually true in the Christian Scriptures. Indeed, a quote attributed to Saint Francis Assisi says this: ‘Preach the Gospel. Use words only if you have to.’ There is no ideology in that. Just faith combined with action.”
BENEDICTION: God stands by us to grant us support and strength. All who trust in God are strengthened and blessed. So, let us go on our way, proclaiming the Good News: when we question and when we are open, when we struggle to know God’s will and walk in God’s way, God will be our refuge. And may the face of God shine upon us; may the peace of Christ rule among us; may the fire of the Spirit burn within us this day and forevermore. Amen.
[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesuit_formation
[2] http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-prayer-keeps-us-from-losing-faith
[3]
http://myemail.constantcontact.com/Richard-Rohr-s-Meditation--A-Central-Point-.html?soid=1103098668616&aid=nRFAROd8ri8
[4] Ibid.
Sunday, October 27, 2013
Sunday, October 20, 2013
SERMON ~ 10/20/2013 ~ “A God of Justice”
10/20/2013 ~ Proper 24 ~ Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time ~ Twenty-Second Sunday after Pentecost; Jeremiah 31:27-34; Psalm 119:97-104; Genesis 32:22-31; Psalm 121; 2 Timothy 3:14-4:5; Luke 18:1-8.
A God of Justice
“Will not God, then, grant justice to the chosen who call out day and night? Will God delay long in helping them? I tell you, God will quickly grant justice to them.” — Luke 18:7-8.
Among the things my wife, Bonnie, and I have in common, is we are avid readers of newspapers. What has changed over time is Bonnie still favors the newsprint and ink versions. I favor their online siblings.
I suppose one other difference is I come away with less ink on my hands. But since my hands have to navigate and manipulate keyboard and mouse, I come away with more aches and pains in those digits.
Of course, it should not be a surprise Bonnies favors the paper and ink versions of the dailies. She was an award winning newspaper photographer, winning New England Press Association awards for her work.
Now, it may sound strange to you but one of the projects any pastor takes on in an examination of the news is not simply one by which we strive to be current— although I probably do know most of the pop culture names out there. Pastors strive to search out theology in what these outlets present. Why? To paraphrase the great 20th Century theologian Karl Barth, being a pastor demands having a newspaper in one hand and a Bible in the other.
But what theology is there in the news? Plenty— and you run into theology in places you don’t initially expect. And, indeed, I ran into some theology this week in an unexpected place as I scoured the web.
Theology was embedded in a piece about real estate— real estate— in the New York Times. To be clear, it was not obvious the story had anything to do with theology.
The article was about developers who are going to build two luxury apartment towers in Manhattan, in a section of the City sometimes referred to as Billionaires’ Row. Clearly this article was about neither Pope nor Pastor. So, on the surface it did not seem to have any evident theological bent. But it did.
The residential towers to be built will both be over 900 feet tall— better than 65 stories— and located on West 57th Street. The height of these structures is the attraction for high rollers— the crowd with enough money to afford living in these apartments— since, even though West 57th Street is 2 blocks South of Central Park, their height will provide views of the Park for those ensconced on the upper floors.
One real estate consultant was quoted as saying “There’s a premium for views. The higher you go, the higher the price you can get.”
How much will these apartments cost? The article did not say. But an apartment in a similar structure still under construction has already sold (are you sitting down?) for 95 million dollars. (Bonnie reads my sermons ahead of time and she thought that was a typo— nope— New York Times— 95 million dollars.
All this is not new. A century ago, locations near the 840 acre Central Park inspired another boom in ultra-luxury housing: Millionaires’ Row. The Astor, Vanderbilt, Frick, Whitney and Carnegie families all built mansions near the Park. Andrew Carnegie constructed 64-room home across from the Park at 91st Street. I think it was 1905.
Referring to the new wave of building, Thomas Bender— a cultural historian at NYU— said the towers represented a flouting of the social distribution of wealth— a flouting of the social distribution of wealth. (Quote:) “These are the kinds of buildings the robber barons of the 19th Century built, and it’s also what you see in rapidly developing societies where billionaires seek to distinguish themselves in the midst of poverty.” [1] (Slight pause.)
We find these words in the work known as Luke/Acts in the section called Luke: “Will not God, then, grant justice to the chosen who call out day and night? Will God delay long in helping them? I tell you, God will quickly grant justice to them.” (Slight pause.)
I need to ask this question: ‘What is prayer?’ Notice, I did not ask ‘what is the result of prayer’ or ‘what is the efficacy, the effectiveness of prayer.’ Rather, I asked ‘what is prayer?’ (Slight pause.)
In Bible study Wednesday evening we listed a number of words to describe prayer. Among them were: ‘praise,’ ‘adoration,’ ‘contemplation,’ ‘communion’ and ‘meditation.’ We did list ‘supplication,’ ‘petition.’ But we also noted prayer is not a transaction. God is not Santa Claus— as in ‘Dear God, please give me...’
And in this reading Jesus is not speaking about prayer as a transaction. Rather, Jesus describes how we should pray: constantly.
There is nothing transactional about constant prayer. And in that we are meant to pray constantly, prayer can be described with two other words we listed Wednesday: ‘covenant’ and ‘communication.’ Again, when it comes to prayer, this passage is not about the result of prayer. It is about how to pray: pray constantly.
On the other hand, when it comes to something we might perceive as a result, what does Jesus say? ‘God will grant justice.’ This, then, poses what I think the key and central questions raised by this passage are: ‘What is the justice of God?’ and ‘How is that attained?’ (Slight pause.)
It goes without saying that the kind of justice God might seek brings us back to the luxury housing near Central Park. First, as must be obvious, the era matters not. We can see two eras of upscale structures which illustrate excess within blocks of each other. As the social historian I quoted earlier said, these are places (quote:) “where billionaires seek to distinguish themselves in the midst of poverty.”
But I want to suggest the excess, of itself, is not the problem. You see, a great 20th and 21st Century theologian— one Bonnie Scott Connolly, she of photography fame— once explained this to me.
She posited that we humans are hunters. It’s what we do. The more we catch, the better we like it— case closed. Hence, the hunt, and its results— the hunt taking many forms including shopping for Christmas presents— the hunt and its results seems to be simply very human of us.
Millionaire’s Row and Billionaire’s Row may define winners and losers. Millionaire’s Row and Billionaire’s Row may define what having more is about. But Millionaire’s Row and Billionaire’s Row says nothing about justice.
Another way to put this is to say we humans, we hunters, are always seeking more. We set up more— more of anything— as our goal. But what if our goal was something else, something other than more? What if our goal was not more but better?
Better— better not just for some; better for all, for everyone. (Slight pause.) You can name any area of life you care to mention from the economy to housing to transportation to health care and we all seem to want more instead of better.
You see, what the justice of God is about is not more. Neither is the justice of God about the gains of an individual or the gains of a group. The justice of God is about better. Better not just for me, better not just for my group, but for everyone.
I also need to say the justice of God is about excellence. Some think excellence is about more. But unless each person, all people, are entitled to participate in an excellence which is more, then more is not true excellence. More is simply more.
In fact, have you noticed there is a commercial for a phone company running currently where an adult is interviewing kindergarten kids and the adult asks them if more is better. They all say ‘yes’ more is better.
No one questions it. Not even we adults who are watching the commercial question that approach.
But in real life, in a real life kindergarten situation, the end of that discussion would always be very simple for the teacher. The kindergarten teacher asks the kids: “Did you bring enough to share? No? Well, then we’ll put that away.” More is not better in a real kindergarten class unless it’s shared. Why would it be better anywhere else? And we don’t question it. We sit there going “Oh, yeah! More is better! Not!”
All of which is to say, when we pray we need to do what Jesus says we need to do: pray constantly, without ceasing. And we need to pray without expecting a result. If we expect a result, it becomes a transaction.
If we, as individuals, do pray expecting a result, we, as individuals, need to focus not on what we, as individuals, need or what we want. We need to focus on participating with the Spirit of God.
And, therefore, we need to focus on better— not better for some; better for all. And yes, even children in kindergarten realize sharing is important. Amen.
10/20/2013
United Church of Christ, First Congregational, Norwich, NY
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 have two worthy quotes to share with you. The first is Socrates (quote): ‘He is richest who is content with the least, for content is the true wealth.’ The second is Pope Francis: (quote:) ‘If the investments in the banks fall slightly...it is a tragedy... what can be done? But if people die of hunger, if they have nothing to eat, if they have poor health, it does not matter? This is our crisis today!’ Which do you want— more or better?”
BENEDICTION: God has made us partners in covenant. Let us truly be God’s people. Let us be guided by prayer, by study, by love, by justice. Let us continually praise the God of the universe who loves us. May our trust grow as we are empowered to do God’s work in this, God’s dominion. And may we love God so much, that we love nothing else too much. May we be so in awe of God that we are in awe of no one and nothing else. Amen.
[1]
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/16/nyregion/developers-end-fight-blocking-2-more-luxury-towers-in-midtown.html?hp
A God of Justice
“Will not God, then, grant justice to the chosen who call out day and night? Will God delay long in helping them? I tell you, God will quickly grant justice to them.” — Luke 18:7-8.
Among the things my wife, Bonnie, and I have in common, is we are avid readers of newspapers. What has changed over time is Bonnie still favors the newsprint and ink versions. I favor their online siblings.
I suppose one other difference is I come away with less ink on my hands. But since my hands have to navigate and manipulate keyboard and mouse, I come away with more aches and pains in those digits.
Of course, it should not be a surprise Bonnies favors the paper and ink versions of the dailies. She was an award winning newspaper photographer, winning New England Press Association awards for her work.
Now, it may sound strange to you but one of the projects any pastor takes on in an examination of the news is not simply one by which we strive to be current— although I probably do know most of the pop culture names out there. Pastors strive to search out theology in what these outlets present. Why? To paraphrase the great 20th Century theologian Karl Barth, being a pastor demands having a newspaper in one hand and a Bible in the other.
But what theology is there in the news? Plenty— and you run into theology in places you don’t initially expect. And, indeed, I ran into some theology this week in an unexpected place as I scoured the web.
Theology was embedded in a piece about real estate— real estate— in the New York Times. To be clear, it was not obvious the story had anything to do with theology.
The article was about developers who are going to build two luxury apartment towers in Manhattan, in a section of the City sometimes referred to as Billionaires’ Row. Clearly this article was about neither Pope nor Pastor. So, on the surface it did not seem to have any evident theological bent. But it did.
The residential towers to be built will both be over 900 feet tall— better than 65 stories— and located on West 57th Street. The height of these structures is the attraction for high rollers— the crowd with enough money to afford living in these apartments— since, even though West 57th Street is 2 blocks South of Central Park, their height will provide views of the Park for those ensconced on the upper floors.
One real estate consultant was quoted as saying “There’s a premium for views. The higher you go, the higher the price you can get.”
How much will these apartments cost? The article did not say. But an apartment in a similar structure still under construction has already sold (are you sitting down?) for 95 million dollars. (Bonnie reads my sermons ahead of time and she thought that was a typo— nope— New York Times— 95 million dollars.
All this is not new. A century ago, locations near the 840 acre Central Park inspired another boom in ultra-luxury housing: Millionaires’ Row. The Astor, Vanderbilt, Frick, Whitney and Carnegie families all built mansions near the Park. Andrew Carnegie constructed 64-room home across from the Park at 91st Street. I think it was 1905.
Referring to the new wave of building, Thomas Bender— a cultural historian at NYU— said the towers represented a flouting of the social distribution of wealth— a flouting of the social distribution of wealth. (Quote:) “These are the kinds of buildings the robber barons of the 19th Century built, and it’s also what you see in rapidly developing societies where billionaires seek to distinguish themselves in the midst of poverty.” [1] (Slight pause.)
We find these words in the work known as Luke/Acts in the section called Luke: “Will not God, then, grant justice to the chosen who call out day and night? Will God delay long in helping them? I tell you, God will quickly grant justice to them.” (Slight pause.)
I need to ask this question: ‘What is prayer?’ Notice, I did not ask ‘what is the result of prayer’ or ‘what is the efficacy, the effectiveness of prayer.’ Rather, I asked ‘what is prayer?’ (Slight pause.)
In Bible study Wednesday evening we listed a number of words to describe prayer. Among them were: ‘praise,’ ‘adoration,’ ‘contemplation,’ ‘communion’ and ‘meditation.’ We did list ‘supplication,’ ‘petition.’ But we also noted prayer is not a transaction. God is not Santa Claus— as in ‘Dear God, please give me...’
And in this reading Jesus is not speaking about prayer as a transaction. Rather, Jesus describes how we should pray: constantly.
There is nothing transactional about constant prayer. And in that we are meant to pray constantly, prayer can be described with two other words we listed Wednesday: ‘covenant’ and ‘communication.’ Again, when it comes to prayer, this passage is not about the result of prayer. It is about how to pray: pray constantly.
On the other hand, when it comes to something we might perceive as a result, what does Jesus say? ‘God will grant justice.’ This, then, poses what I think the key and central questions raised by this passage are: ‘What is the justice of God?’ and ‘How is that attained?’ (Slight pause.)
It goes without saying that the kind of justice God might seek brings us back to the luxury housing near Central Park. First, as must be obvious, the era matters not. We can see two eras of upscale structures which illustrate excess within blocks of each other. As the social historian I quoted earlier said, these are places (quote:) “where billionaires seek to distinguish themselves in the midst of poverty.”
But I want to suggest the excess, of itself, is not the problem. You see, a great 20th and 21st Century theologian— one Bonnie Scott Connolly, she of photography fame— once explained this to me.
She posited that we humans are hunters. It’s what we do. The more we catch, the better we like it— case closed. Hence, the hunt, and its results— the hunt taking many forms including shopping for Christmas presents— the hunt and its results seems to be simply very human of us.
Millionaire’s Row and Billionaire’s Row may define winners and losers. Millionaire’s Row and Billionaire’s Row may define what having more is about. But Millionaire’s Row and Billionaire’s Row says nothing about justice.
Another way to put this is to say we humans, we hunters, are always seeking more. We set up more— more of anything— as our goal. But what if our goal was something else, something other than more? What if our goal was not more but better?
Better— better not just for some; better for all, for everyone. (Slight pause.) You can name any area of life you care to mention from the economy to housing to transportation to health care and we all seem to want more instead of better.
You see, what the justice of God is about is not more. Neither is the justice of God about the gains of an individual or the gains of a group. The justice of God is about better. Better not just for me, better not just for my group, but for everyone.
I also need to say the justice of God is about excellence. Some think excellence is about more. But unless each person, all people, are entitled to participate in an excellence which is more, then more is not true excellence. More is simply more.
In fact, have you noticed there is a commercial for a phone company running currently where an adult is interviewing kindergarten kids and the adult asks them if more is better. They all say ‘yes’ more is better.
No one questions it. Not even we adults who are watching the commercial question that approach.
But in real life, in a real life kindergarten situation, the end of that discussion would always be very simple for the teacher. The kindergarten teacher asks the kids: “Did you bring enough to share? No? Well, then we’ll put that away.” More is not better in a real kindergarten class unless it’s shared. Why would it be better anywhere else? And we don’t question it. We sit there going “Oh, yeah! More is better! Not!”
All of which is to say, when we pray we need to do what Jesus says we need to do: pray constantly, without ceasing. And we need to pray without expecting a result. If we expect a result, it becomes a transaction.
If we, as individuals, do pray expecting a result, we, as individuals, need to focus not on what we, as individuals, need or what we want. We need to focus on participating with the Spirit of God.
And, therefore, we need to focus on better— not better for some; better for all. And yes, even children in kindergarten realize sharing is important. Amen.
10/20/2013
United Church of Christ, First Congregational, Norwich, NY
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 have two worthy quotes to share with you. The first is Socrates (quote): ‘He is richest who is content with the least, for content is the true wealth.’ The second is Pope Francis: (quote:) ‘If the investments in the banks fall slightly...it is a tragedy... what can be done? But if people die of hunger, if they have nothing to eat, if they have poor health, it does not matter? This is our crisis today!’ Which do you want— more or better?”
BENEDICTION: God has made us partners in covenant. Let us truly be God’s people. Let us be guided by prayer, by study, by love, by justice. Let us continually praise the God of the universe who loves us. May our trust grow as we are empowered to do God’s work in this, God’s dominion. And may we love God so much, that we love nothing else too much. May we be so in awe of God that we are in awe of no one and nothing else. Amen.
[1]
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/16/nyregion/developers-end-fight-blocking-2-more-luxury-towers-in-midtown.html?hp
Sunday, October 6, 2013
SERMON ~ 10/06/2013 ~ “Doing and Believing”
10/06/2013 ~ Proper 22 ~ Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time ~ Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost ~ Lamentations 1:1-6; Lamentations 3:19-26 or Psalm 137; Habakkuk 1:1-4; 2:1-4; Psalm 37:1-9; 2 Timothy 1:1-14; Luke 17:5-10 ~ Communion Sunday ~ World Wide Communion Sunday ~ Neighbors in Need.
Doing and Believing
“The apostles said to Jesus, ‘Increase our faith!’” — Luke 17:5
Our denomination, the United Church of Christ, is the result of a merger among four denominations— Congregational Churches, Christian Churches, Evangelical Churches and Reformed Churches. At the Fall Meeting of the Susquehanna Association, last Saturday, we devoted time to sharing information on polity, the church governance, found in those roots.
Bonnie and I attended the meeting. I was invited (chosen?) to speak about Congregationalism. What follows is the essence of what I shared. (Slight pause.)
To start, I let everyone know I grew up Roman Catholic. Hence, I turned to the expert on Congregationalism in the family— Bonnie. While she readily admits she was Baptized in an Episcopal Church, her family lamented and wisely joined a Congregational Church by the time she was three.
From that point forward, she has always been a member of a Congregational Church. Given that history, I asked Bonnie what being a Congregationalist meant to her.
She laid it out simply. We have no Bishops to govern us, so each church is responsible for itself. No one else tells us what we have to believe. And we are in covenant with others in our own church and with other churches so each of us as individuals and each of our churches pledge to listen, to respect and to help each other.
Given Bonnie’s eloquent input, I probably should have just repeated what she said. But I’m a preacher. I repeated it and then I illustrated with story. (Slight pause.)
A classmate of mine at Bangor Theological Seminary wound up there because his pastor, David Ladry, had graduated from Bangor in the early 1960s. That was at the very beginning of the time when the United Church of Christ had come together as a body.
When a student at Bangor, David was asked to be a supply preacher at a small church in Aroostook County— very far north in the State of Maine. Upon arrival David was met by the Chair of the Deacons. Having shown this student the worship space, the Deacon said, “Of course, this is Communion Sunday.”
David, appropriately, demurred. “I’m not licensed by any Committee on Ministry to offer the Sacrament.”
The Deacon, all five foot four of him, got in the face of David who was nearly six feet tall wagging a finger. A thick Maine accent— David had not noticed it before— poured forth. “Are you the person Bangor Seminary sent here to preach today?”
A little put off, David replied, “Well of course I am. Who else would have come here from Bangor at this time of day?”
The Deacon seemed to relax. “Fine. This is Communion Sunday. Case closed.”
The real punch line here is David went on to become the licensed and later the settled, ordained pastor at that church, the first settled and ordained pastor that church ever had. But the point is within our Congregational polity we do have this streak of independence.
However, there is another side to our polity and Bonnie mentioned it. That is our mutual interdependence.
Let me illustrate it this way. Our Susquehanna Association is geographically large. It stretches from Walton to Corning, from Sherburne to Binghamton— about 120 miles West to East, 60 miles north to South. Put another way it’s shaped like a big sausage. And size is only one aspect. It also cuts across a bunch of hills and valleys.
Now, the famous writer Mark Twain spent a lot of time in Elmira. But he also spent a lot of time in Hartford, Connecticut.
To travel from Hartford to Elmira, Twain would get on an evening train in Hartford and go to bed in a sleeper car. The train would switch engines in Albany and head west. Twain would wake up in Elmira ready to face the day.
You see, between about 1870 or 1880 and 1940 transportation— and the Susquehanna Association existed then among Congregational Churches— between about 1870 or 1880 and 1940 transportation and, therefore, communication and, thereby, connectivity, across these hills and valleys was better than it is now— better than it is now. And one of the places where covenant among our churches needs to happen and one of the places we need to encourage it to happen, is in our communication, our connectivity today. Communication and connectivity: that is the life blood of any Association or Conference.
Having said communication and connectivity are vital, that small church in Northern Maine I mentioned earlier in Aroostook County— despite the aforementioned independent streak, it communicates and connects pretty well. It just hosted a Conference-wide meeting. And if you think the Susquehanna Association is hard to get around in, you’ve never been to Maine.
Well, all that addressed polity— government. So I finished with a word about what should empower church government— faith.
These are the words of the Puritan William Ames. This quote addresses not just the local church but the whole church in each of its settings.
Hence, the quote addresses the Covenant our churches have with one another. (Quote:) “...the profession of true faith is the most essential note of the Church.... that same profession doth make a Church visible, which by its inward and real nature doth make the mystical Church...”— [1] faith— visible and mystical. (Slight pause.)
And these words are from the Gospel known as Luke: “The apostles said to Jesus, ‘Increase our faith!’” (Slight pause.)
I have found myself using the words of theologian Richard Rohr way too much on Sundays. So, let me apologize as I do so again.
“A common saying is this: ‘God helps those who help themselves.’ ...Scripture clearly says... God helps those who trust in God, not those who help themselves. We need to be told that very strongly because of our ‘do it yourself’ orientation.”
‘Trusting God takes applying the brakes, letting go of our own plans,... experiencing power from a Another Source to really move to different awareness. Otherwise, there is no real transformation, only increased willpower.’
‘The way our culture perceives things it’s as if the one with the most willpower wins! Willfulness is... different than willingness. They... yield very different fruit.’ [2]
‘Subtraction makes one holy, not addition. The stripping of illusions, the letting go of pretense,... breaking open the heart to understanding God and neighbor makes one holy— holy— that means set apart to do the work and the will of God.’
‘We tend to reflect the pride and arrogance of Western civilization.... Our operative religion is success. Success is holy!’
‘That version of Christianity makes the Gospel nothing more than spiritual consumerism. Ego is in charge so there is not much room left for God; one’s own private self-development becomes an end. Christianity, on the other hand, says it’s not just about me; we are all in this together.’ [3] — theologian Richard Rohr.
Personally, I ask this question: is freedom an imperative of the collective or the individual? I maintain if freedom fails to be collective then it ceases to be within the grasp of any one individual— if freedom fails to be collective then it ceases to be within the grasp of any one individual.
And I think that is where and why and how our Congregational polity is in line with the idea of freedom and call of the Gospel to freedom. The Gospel does invite us to accept responsibility for ourselves— independence. But it also invites us to reach out to one another, to support one another— interdependence. (Slight pause.)
Today we both accepted the Neighbors in Need Offering and we celebrated World Wide Communion Sunday. In so doing we recognized that first, we, ourselves, are in need.
In so doing we recognized our neighbor sitting in the pew next to us might be in need. In so doing we recognized our neighbor might be half way around the globe in France, in Afghanistan, in Japan and might be in need.
And in so doing we recognized we are all in this together. In so doing we recognized there is but one human tribe: God’s tribe and we are all members. Indeed, what is the motto found on the emblem of the United Church of Christ? “That they may all be one.”
And the one thing that can hold us together as one is the very thing Jesus said was necessary ingredient: faith. In short, trust God.
You see, the great commandment— love God; love neighbor— has only one linchpin. Trust God. And it is when we place our trust in God that loving God and loving neighbor becomes possible, that loving God and loving neighbor becomes real. Amen.
10/06/2013
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: “Coffee hour today will have an example of our connectivity with other churches. It will feature 2 pies from the Sherburne United Church of Christ pie sale, yesterday. And so we are connected on many ways. And yet again next week we shall have an opportunity to understand our interdependence as the Rev. Marian Shearer, Associate Conference Minister for Clergy and Authorized Ministry Concerns, will be with is to share the Word. And certainly part of that Word is this: we are one human tribe: God’s tribe.”
BENEDICTION: We are called by God to serve faithfully, trusting in God’s grace. May the gifts of God be rekindled within and among us. May our trust grow as we are empowered to do God’s work in this, God’s dominion. And may the peace of Christ which surpasses our understanding keep our hearts and minds in the knowledge and companionship of God’s Spirit this day and forevermore. Amen.
[1] Pp. 74. Visible Saints: The History of the Puritan Idea, by Edmund S. Morgan. Cornell University Press. Ithaca and London. 1963.
[2]
http://myemail.constantcontact.com/Richard-Rohr-s-Meditation--Willfulness-Versus-Willingness.html?soid=1103098668616&aid=3Rg1bZSVjLk
Note: some of this is edited for the sermon. If I have mangled Rohr’s meaning, the fault lies with me and not with Rohr.
[3]
http://myemail.constantcontact.com/Richard-Rohr-s-Meditation--The-Gospel-of-Prosperity.html?soid=1103098668616&aid=2ytU6UUC8ZQ
Note: some of this is edited for the sermon. If I have mangled Rohr’s meaning, the fault lies with me and not with Rohr.
Doing and Believing
“The apostles said to Jesus, ‘Increase our faith!’” — Luke 17:5
Our denomination, the United Church of Christ, is the result of a merger among four denominations— Congregational Churches, Christian Churches, Evangelical Churches and Reformed Churches. At the Fall Meeting of the Susquehanna Association, last Saturday, we devoted time to sharing information on polity, the church governance, found in those roots.
Bonnie and I attended the meeting. I was invited (chosen?) to speak about Congregationalism. What follows is the essence of what I shared. (Slight pause.)
To start, I let everyone know I grew up Roman Catholic. Hence, I turned to the expert on Congregationalism in the family— Bonnie. While she readily admits she was Baptized in an Episcopal Church, her family lamented and wisely joined a Congregational Church by the time she was three.
From that point forward, she has always been a member of a Congregational Church. Given that history, I asked Bonnie what being a Congregationalist meant to her.
She laid it out simply. We have no Bishops to govern us, so each church is responsible for itself. No one else tells us what we have to believe. And we are in covenant with others in our own church and with other churches so each of us as individuals and each of our churches pledge to listen, to respect and to help each other.
Given Bonnie’s eloquent input, I probably should have just repeated what she said. But I’m a preacher. I repeated it and then I illustrated with story. (Slight pause.)
A classmate of mine at Bangor Theological Seminary wound up there because his pastor, David Ladry, had graduated from Bangor in the early 1960s. That was at the very beginning of the time when the United Church of Christ had come together as a body.
When a student at Bangor, David was asked to be a supply preacher at a small church in Aroostook County— very far north in the State of Maine. Upon arrival David was met by the Chair of the Deacons. Having shown this student the worship space, the Deacon said, “Of course, this is Communion Sunday.”
David, appropriately, demurred. “I’m not licensed by any Committee on Ministry to offer the Sacrament.”
The Deacon, all five foot four of him, got in the face of David who was nearly six feet tall wagging a finger. A thick Maine accent— David had not noticed it before— poured forth. “Are you the person Bangor Seminary sent here to preach today?”
A little put off, David replied, “Well of course I am. Who else would have come here from Bangor at this time of day?”
The Deacon seemed to relax. “Fine. This is Communion Sunday. Case closed.”
The real punch line here is David went on to become the licensed and later the settled, ordained pastor at that church, the first settled and ordained pastor that church ever had. But the point is within our Congregational polity we do have this streak of independence.
However, there is another side to our polity and Bonnie mentioned it. That is our mutual interdependence.
Let me illustrate it this way. Our Susquehanna Association is geographically large. It stretches from Walton to Corning, from Sherburne to Binghamton— about 120 miles West to East, 60 miles north to South. Put another way it’s shaped like a big sausage. And size is only one aspect. It also cuts across a bunch of hills and valleys.
Now, the famous writer Mark Twain spent a lot of time in Elmira. But he also spent a lot of time in Hartford, Connecticut.
To travel from Hartford to Elmira, Twain would get on an evening train in Hartford and go to bed in a sleeper car. The train would switch engines in Albany and head west. Twain would wake up in Elmira ready to face the day.
You see, between about 1870 or 1880 and 1940 transportation— and the Susquehanna Association existed then among Congregational Churches— between about 1870 or 1880 and 1940 transportation and, therefore, communication and, thereby, connectivity, across these hills and valleys was better than it is now— better than it is now. And one of the places where covenant among our churches needs to happen and one of the places we need to encourage it to happen, is in our communication, our connectivity today. Communication and connectivity: that is the life blood of any Association or Conference.
Having said communication and connectivity are vital, that small church in Northern Maine I mentioned earlier in Aroostook County— despite the aforementioned independent streak, it communicates and connects pretty well. It just hosted a Conference-wide meeting. And if you think the Susquehanna Association is hard to get around in, you’ve never been to Maine.
Well, all that addressed polity— government. So I finished with a word about what should empower church government— faith.
These are the words of the Puritan William Ames. This quote addresses not just the local church but the whole church in each of its settings.
Hence, the quote addresses the Covenant our churches have with one another. (Quote:) “...the profession of true faith is the most essential note of the Church.... that same profession doth make a Church visible, which by its inward and real nature doth make the mystical Church...”— [1] faith— visible and mystical. (Slight pause.)
And these words are from the Gospel known as Luke: “The apostles said to Jesus, ‘Increase our faith!’” (Slight pause.)
I have found myself using the words of theologian Richard Rohr way too much on Sundays. So, let me apologize as I do so again.
“A common saying is this: ‘God helps those who help themselves.’ ...Scripture clearly says... God helps those who trust in God, not those who help themselves. We need to be told that very strongly because of our ‘do it yourself’ orientation.”
‘Trusting God takes applying the brakes, letting go of our own plans,... experiencing power from a Another Source to really move to different awareness. Otherwise, there is no real transformation, only increased willpower.’
‘The way our culture perceives things it’s as if the one with the most willpower wins! Willfulness is... different than willingness. They... yield very different fruit.’ [2]
‘Subtraction makes one holy, not addition. The stripping of illusions, the letting go of pretense,... breaking open the heart to understanding God and neighbor makes one holy— holy— that means set apart to do the work and the will of God.’
‘We tend to reflect the pride and arrogance of Western civilization.... Our operative religion is success. Success is holy!’
‘That version of Christianity makes the Gospel nothing more than spiritual consumerism. Ego is in charge so there is not much room left for God; one’s own private self-development becomes an end. Christianity, on the other hand, says it’s not just about me; we are all in this together.’ [3] — theologian Richard Rohr.
Personally, I ask this question: is freedom an imperative of the collective or the individual? I maintain if freedom fails to be collective then it ceases to be within the grasp of any one individual— if freedom fails to be collective then it ceases to be within the grasp of any one individual.
And I think that is where and why and how our Congregational polity is in line with the idea of freedom and call of the Gospel to freedom. The Gospel does invite us to accept responsibility for ourselves— independence. But it also invites us to reach out to one another, to support one another— interdependence. (Slight pause.)
Today we both accepted the Neighbors in Need Offering and we celebrated World Wide Communion Sunday. In so doing we recognized that first, we, ourselves, are in need.
In so doing we recognized our neighbor sitting in the pew next to us might be in need. In so doing we recognized our neighbor might be half way around the globe in France, in Afghanistan, in Japan and might be in need.
And in so doing we recognized we are all in this together. In so doing we recognized there is but one human tribe: God’s tribe and we are all members. Indeed, what is the motto found on the emblem of the United Church of Christ? “That they may all be one.”
And the one thing that can hold us together as one is the very thing Jesus said was necessary ingredient: faith. In short, trust God.
You see, the great commandment— love God; love neighbor— has only one linchpin. Trust God. And it is when we place our trust in God that loving God and loving neighbor becomes possible, that loving God and loving neighbor becomes real. Amen.
10/06/2013
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: “Coffee hour today will have an example of our connectivity with other churches. It will feature 2 pies from the Sherburne United Church of Christ pie sale, yesterday. And so we are connected on many ways. And yet again next week we shall have an opportunity to understand our interdependence as the Rev. Marian Shearer, Associate Conference Minister for Clergy and Authorized Ministry Concerns, will be with is to share the Word. And certainly part of that Word is this: we are one human tribe: God’s tribe.”
BENEDICTION: We are called by God to serve faithfully, trusting in God’s grace. May the gifts of God be rekindled within and among us. May our trust grow as we are empowered to do God’s work in this, God’s dominion. And may the peace of Christ which surpasses our understanding keep our hearts and minds in the knowledge and companionship of God’s Spirit this day and forevermore. Amen.
[1] Pp. 74. Visible Saints: The History of the Puritan Idea, by Edmund S. Morgan. Cornell University Press. Ithaca and London. 1963.
[2]
http://myemail.constantcontact.com/Richard-Rohr-s-Meditation--Willfulness-Versus-Willingness.html?soid=1103098668616&aid=3Rg1bZSVjLk
Note: some of this is edited for the sermon. If I have mangled Rohr’s meaning, the fault lies with me and not with Rohr.
[3]
http://myemail.constantcontact.com/Richard-Rohr-s-Meditation--The-Gospel-of-Prosperity.html?soid=1103098668616&aid=2ytU6UUC8ZQ
Note: some of this is edited for the sermon. If I have mangled Rohr’s meaning, the fault lies with me and not with Rohr.
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