11/23/2014 ~ Reign of Christ ~ Twenty-Fourth Sunday after Pentecost ~ 34th Sunday in Ordinary Time ~ The Last Sunday Before the Season of Advent ~ The Last Sunday of the Church Year ~ (Proper 29) ~ Ezekiel 34:11-16, 20-24; Psalm 100; Ezekiel 34:11-16, 20-24; Psalm 95:1-7a; Ephesians 1:15-23; Matthew 25:31-46 ~ Operation Christmas Child Dedication.
The Relationship
“I pray that the glorious God of our Savior Jesus, the Christ, will give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation to bring you to a rich knowledge of the Creator.” — Ephesians 1:17.
As you heard earlier, Tuesday Bonnie and I will be on a flight to Dallas, Texas, to visit family. Now, Dallas is not exactly known as a tourist destination but the one thing I told our niece, Heather, I wanted to do in the course of the week, the one place I wanted to visit, was The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza.
Needless to say, this is a site and a museum which commentates the event which happened 51 years ago yesterday, the assassination of John Fitzgerald Kennedy, our 35th President. The museum, as its name implies, is located on the sixth floor of the Dallas County Administration Building.
That edifice was formerly the Texas School Book Depository. and the sixth floor is the place from which Lee Harvey Oswald fired the shots which killed the President and injured the Governor of Texas, John Connally— no relation— we spell our names different ways. (Slight pause.)
Well, have you ever heard about that six degrees of separation thing— the theory that everyone and everything is six or fewer steps away, by means of introduction one person to the next, from any other person in the world? What this six degrees of separation theory says is a chain of ‘a friend of a friend of a friend’ statements can be made to connect any two people anywhere in the world in a maximum of six steps.
That being said, I was chatting with Rebecca Sands, the Executive Director of the Place this week and I mentioned I was going to Dallas and wanted to visit The Sixth Floor Museum. “Oh,” she said, “my grandmother, who is now ninety-one years old, was Governor Connally’s nurse.”
“There’s a picture of her,” Rebecca continued, “in the Texas Encyclopedia pushing Governor Connally in a wheelchair to his car when he was released from the hospital.” Connections are often closer than we think. Connections can, obviously, even span across the abyss of time. (Slight pause.)
If you were alive when JFK was assassinated, the event probably felt like a punch in the stomach. if you were alive when the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated, the event probably also felt like a punch in the stomach.
And if you were alive when the Challenger exploded, the event probably, again, felt like a punch in the stomach. And when 9-11 happened— just 13 years ago— it probably felt like a gigantic punch— a haymaker.
So too, if you were alive when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor— and there are fewer and fewer of those of the greatest generation still with us— the event probably felt like a haymaker also. In relation to that last one, in relation to degrees of separation over the abyss of time but on a very personal note, Bonnie’s uncle, Bob Curtis, died Friday after a brief illness at the age of 96. He was 23 when the attack on Pearl Harbor happened.
Bonnie and I knew Bob well. And when we heard he died, it was not just that it felt like a punch in the stomach. On top of that feeling, it was very personal— visceral.
The personal is different— and visceral is the only word I can think of to describe it. Indeed, to address events like this in just my family, when my Mom died in 1983, it was visceral. When Bonnie’s Dad died in 1986, it was visceral. When Bonnie’s Mom died in 1994, it was visceral. And when my Dad died in 1998, it was visceral.
On the other side of that equation, a prime reason for us to visit Dallas, is we have a grand-nephew, Henry Light-Horse Lee— named for his Revolutionary War ancestor— Henry, who is already two years old who we have not yet seen face to face. And next Summer we expect visit our new grand-niece, Zoe Elizabeth, born this past July in Los Angeles.
My point is twofold: first, we are all connected in some way. At times we fail to notice that. Further, while the personal is more intense, the events which happen that impact a large number of people— they do feel personal, these do feel personal— because we are all connected.
Second, the real way we mortals determine the passage of time has nothing to do with clocks or with the 24 hour cycle of the day, or with the seven day weekly cycle or the monthly cycle or with the passage of years. The way we tell time is by and with and in and through events.
As I suggested, some events are public milestones. Some events— the death or the birth of a loved one— are more personal, more private. Either way, public event or private event, these happenings are milestones. And either way, a public event or a private event, the impact of what happened— the impact of it— rests on relationships. (Slight pause.)
We find these words in Ephesians: “I pray that the glorious God of our Savior Jesus, the Christ, will give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation to bring you to a rich knowledge of the Creator.” (Slight pause.)
A growing number of scholars think it is highly unlikely the Apostle Paul wrote Ephesians. But Ephesians does combine phrases from Colossians, which Paul did write, with its own emphasis on knowledge of the saving power of God illustrated by and with and in and through the Christ. This is emphasized by the song of thanksgiving we hear.
This eulogy found in these few lines joins author and audience in the praise of their common benefactor, God. This is a thanksgiving which tries to assure Christians concerning their relationship with God. (Slight pause.)
Here is something which would never come up as a serious question in antiquity: what time is it, right now? There were Sun dials back then, but they were not about an exact time in any sense. They simply were about a passage of time. There were no clocks.
There were calendars. But their prime function was agriculture— tracking the ebb and the flow of seasons.
In antiquity people kept track of time by events— public and personal. After all, the Second Verse of Luke 2, in an effort to place the Incarnation in a context, says this (quote:) “This was the first census taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria”— and event. (Slight pause.)
I want to suggest the writer of Ephesians presents us with two challenges in this passage. The first is to understand that God strives to be in relationship with us. The second is that this relationship to and with God can be seen not just now but forever, for all eternity, by and with and in and through Christ who is (quote:) “in heaven at the right hand of God, far above every ruler, every sovereign, every authority, every power, every dominion, and above every name that can be named— not only in this age but also in the age to come.”
The second challenge is an invitation to examine ourselves as to what events in our lives might trigger a memory of a relationship with God— what events in our lives might trigger a memory of a relationship with God. (Slight pause.) You see, this morning we will dedicate the Operation Christmas Child Boxes. Why? Because we are connected one with each other.
Each person, each child who receives a box from one of us is separated by only one degree— us, the child– me the child. And because of this work, it affirms the thought that we, each of us, is separated from God by only one degree— us, God— me, God– one degree of separation for all of time, forever, for eternity. Indeed, for all of time, forever and for eternity, God is with us. God is at our side. Amen.
11/23/2014
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: “In my comments this morning I said this: ‘...for all of time, forever and for eternity, God is with us. God is at our side.’ Question: if God is at our side, should we pick up the pace or slow down? Here’s what I say: your relationship with God, your dialogue with God will determine the pace.”
BENEDICTION: Go forth in faith. Go forth trusting that God will provide. Go forth and reach out to everyone you meet in the name of Christ. And may the peace of Christ which surpasses all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in the knowledge and love of the Holy Spirit this day and forevermore. Amen.
Sunday, November 23, 2014
Sunday, November 16, 2014
SERMON ~ 11/16/2014 ~ “God of Infinity”
11/16/2014 ~ Twenty-Third Sunday after Pentecost ~ 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time ~ (Proper 28) ~ Judges 4:1-7; Psalm 123; Zephaniah 1:7, 12-18; Psalm 90:1-8, (9-11), 12; 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11; Matthew 25:14-30.
“Before the mountains were born, / You brought forth / the earth, the world, / from everlasting to everlasting / You are God / without beginning, without end.” — Psalm 90:2.
Many who are members or attend the churches in the denomination known as the United Church of Christ insist on the independence of our churches. And rightfully so. But I believe too many Congregationalists, too many members of our denomination ignore a simple, pivotal, necessary founding and foundational truth about our churches.
The basis of Congregational Churches is not simply or only our independence. The basis of Congregational Churches is our independence and our interdependence.
Congregational Associations have existed since the 1600s, Conferences since the 1700s. These Associations and Conferences are living examples of our interdependence.
The nature of greater Congregational church organization— Associations and Conferences— is covenant, is connectivity. We are each of us one but we are also one each with the other and one with all— independent and interdependent.
I am reminded of our interdependency every time I attend a Susquehanna Association clergy gathering. The clergy don’t assemble as simply a social function. A portion of these gatherings is always set aside for education. That’s the point of the meeting.
Another advantage these events bring is we clergy get to see other pastors in their settled setting and physically see other churches in our Association. Having been in the Susquehanna Association lo these many years, I think I have been to all the churches.
Last week I was at Eastside Congregational Church in Binghamton. Gary Smith is the Authorized Pastor. The Association will gather for an Ecclesiastical Council in January and Gary will present an ordination paper.
I, having already read that paper, think it’s likely our Association in cooperation with the Eastside Church will be ordaining Gary sometime this Spring. But when I say the church and the Association will ordain Gary, that goes back to our interdependency.
You see, you— by your presence in this church— you will be a part of Gary’s ordination. How? By dint of your presence in this church, you participate in the Association.
By dint of your participation in the Association, whether or not you are physically present at the ordination, you participate in and affirm that ordination. Congregationalist are not just independent. We are interdependent. (Slight pause.)
We find these words in Psalm 90: “Before the mountains were born, / You brought forth / the earth, the world, / from everlasting to everlasting / You are God / without beginning, without end.” (Slight pause.)
The superscription, the opening words of Psalm 90, say this is a Prayer of Moses. These words should not be taken literally. These words should be taken seriously. These words are not an indication Moses was the writer. These words are a clue that we need to read Psalm 90 in the context of the Pentateuch, the Torah.
The central claim made by the Torah is God wants to be in covenant with us. God wants to be in covenant with each of us. God wants to be in covenant with all of us.
The second central claim made by the Torah is God wants us to be in covenant with one another. You have heard these two central claims about covenant voiced here many times before using different words. Love God; love neighbor. Covenant with God; covenant with neighbor. (Slight pause.)
For a moment let me come back to that clergy gathering. Our friend Joanne Lanfear ran the education piece on that day. Having picked up on this at a conference of Pastoral Counselors, Joanne presented some of the work done by Brené Brown, author of the New York Times Bestsellers The Gifts of Imperfection and Daring Greatly. She is a social work researcher whose areas of expertise include vulnerability and courage.
Online— you can do that these days, sit there and watch something online— online we watched a TED talk— that’s TED: Technology, Entertainment, Design— [1] online we watched a TED talk by Brené Brown. In this talk Brown stated her research maintains that connection is the prime reason are here— connection is the prime reason are here. Connection is what gives purpose and meaning to lives.
Having discovered this based on research, Brown refocused her work. She concentrated on people and how people connect. What she stumbled on amazed her.
When she asked people about love, they told her about heartbreak. When she asked people about belonging, they told her about excruciating experiences of being excluded. And when she asked people about connection, they told stories about disconnection.
She eventually discovered much of this boiled down to shame— not guilt but shame. There’s a difference. The problem of shame can be stated this way: “I’m not good enough.”
We all know that feeling: I’m not blank enough— fill in the blank. I’m not thin enough, rich enough, beautiful enough, smart enough, important enough.
Brown tried to dig deeper still. She found the underlying concept is vulnerability. And shame works against that. Shame works against being vulnerable. Further, in order for connection to happen— connection, this reason why we are here, remember— in order for connection to happen we have to allow ourselves to be seen, really seen. That requires us to expose ourselves— to be seen requires vulnerability.
So, she spent six years doing research on vulnerability, thousands of deep interviews— she is a researcher— thousands of deep interviews trying to get a handle on it. What did she find? Let’s peel away some levels.
As indicated earlier, one thing that keeps us out of connection is our fear we’re not worthy. So, what did people have who tended to connect?
What they had in common is what Brown labels as a sense of courage. But don’t confuse courage with bravery. They are not the same.
The word courage, you see, is from the Latin word cor, meaning heart. So, courage means speaking with the heart.
Brown’s research found people who speak from the heart had the courage to be... imperfect. I need to add being imperfect is not particularly acceptable in our society. Her research strongly suggests people willing to allow for imperfection also have the compassion to be kind to themselves first, and thereby be open about their own imperfections and, thereby, then be kind to others.
It is, in fact, hard to practice compassion with others if we can’t treat ourselves kindly. Compassion leads to a willingness to let go of who we think we should be in order to be who we really are. And all that, especially being who we really are as opposed to who we think we should be, leads to connection— the reason why we’re here.
Put another way, the process of admitting imperfection to others bring us to a sense of compassion which fully embraces vulnerability. Vulnerability leads to connection.
To be clear: vulnerability in no way means being comfortable with ourselves or with anyone else. Most of what I just said is not comfortable to anyone at any time, ever. Vulnerability is, rather, a willingness— and I think this is really the key— vulnerability is a willingness to invest in a relationship that may or may not work out. Vulnerability— a willingness to invest in a relationship that may or may not work out. [2] (Slight pause.)
All that brings me back to a God Who is (quote:) “without beginning, without end.” As I said, the claim being made for God by the Psalm is one of covenant.’
Therefore, the claim being made is about God is about a God who connects, a God Who is vulnerable. The God of Scripture is a God Who presents a willingness to invest in a relationship that may or may not work out.
Further and importantly, vulnerability— our vulnerability or the vulnerability of God— is not weakness. Rather, vulnerability presents a willingness to fail— a willingness to fail— something rarely seen in our society. Last, this kind of vulnerability is the birthplace of creativity and courage and change. And change— where does that go? Change leads to... growth. Change leads to growth. (Slight pause.)
I think this takes us to two places. First, the possibility that being vulnerable seen as a goal presents to us and illustrates to us our own human failings. After all, we don’t like to fail. We don’t like to let others know we fail.
Second, God who is infinite is a God who is vulnerable, a God who is willing to fail, a God Who presents a willingness to invest in a relationship that may or may not work out. (Slight pause.)
Perhaps, just perhaps, somewhere deep down inside us we are in touch with our own mortality; we know about our limits. Therefore, I want to suggest we Congregationalists have it right. We are both independent and interdependent.
We do know we need to work as independent individuals; we do know we do need to be interdependent, to rely on one another. Why? Independence and interdependency is the place to which God who is infinite calls us. Amen.
United Church of Christ, First Congregational, Norwich, New York
11/16/2014
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 saying is attributed to Theodore Roosevelt: ‘It is not the critic who counts, not the one who sits and points out how the doer of deeds could have done things better but has fallen and stumbled. The credit goes to the one in the arena whose face is marred with dust and blood and sweat. In the arena, at best this one wins, and at worst this one loses. But loss happens only because one dares greatly.’ Which is to say engagement— engagement on many levels is, I think, an imperative.”
BENEDICTION: A kind and just God sends us out into the world as bearers of truth which surpasses our understanding. God watches over those who respond in love. So, let us love God so much, that we love nothing else too much. Let us be so in awe of God that we are in awe of no one else and nothing else. Amen.
[1] TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) is a global set of conferences owned by the private non-profit Sapling Foundation, under the slogan: “Ideas Worth Spreading.”
[2] https://www.ted.com/talks/brene_brown_on_vulnerability#t-602822
God of Infinity
“Before the mountains were born, / You brought forth / the earth, the world, / from everlasting to everlasting / You are God / without beginning, without end.” — Psalm 90:2.
Many who are members or attend the churches in the denomination known as the United Church of Christ insist on the independence of our churches. And rightfully so. But I believe too many Congregationalists, too many members of our denomination ignore a simple, pivotal, necessary founding and foundational truth about our churches.
The basis of Congregational Churches is not simply or only our independence. The basis of Congregational Churches is our independence and our interdependence.
Congregational Associations have existed since the 1600s, Conferences since the 1700s. These Associations and Conferences are living examples of our interdependence.
The nature of greater Congregational church organization— Associations and Conferences— is covenant, is connectivity. We are each of us one but we are also one each with the other and one with all— independent and interdependent.
I am reminded of our interdependency every time I attend a Susquehanna Association clergy gathering. The clergy don’t assemble as simply a social function. A portion of these gatherings is always set aside for education. That’s the point of the meeting.
Another advantage these events bring is we clergy get to see other pastors in their settled setting and physically see other churches in our Association. Having been in the Susquehanna Association lo these many years, I think I have been to all the churches.
Last week I was at Eastside Congregational Church in Binghamton. Gary Smith is the Authorized Pastor. The Association will gather for an Ecclesiastical Council in January and Gary will present an ordination paper.
I, having already read that paper, think it’s likely our Association in cooperation with the Eastside Church will be ordaining Gary sometime this Spring. But when I say the church and the Association will ordain Gary, that goes back to our interdependency.
You see, you— by your presence in this church— you will be a part of Gary’s ordination. How? By dint of your presence in this church, you participate in the Association.
By dint of your participation in the Association, whether or not you are physically present at the ordination, you participate in and affirm that ordination. Congregationalist are not just independent. We are interdependent. (Slight pause.)
We find these words in Psalm 90: “Before the mountains were born, / You brought forth / the earth, the world, / from everlasting to everlasting / You are God / without beginning, without end.” (Slight pause.)
The superscription, the opening words of Psalm 90, say this is a Prayer of Moses. These words should not be taken literally. These words should be taken seriously. These words are not an indication Moses was the writer. These words are a clue that we need to read Psalm 90 in the context of the Pentateuch, the Torah.
The central claim made by the Torah is God wants to be in covenant with us. God wants to be in covenant with each of us. God wants to be in covenant with all of us.
The second central claim made by the Torah is God wants us to be in covenant with one another. You have heard these two central claims about covenant voiced here many times before using different words. Love God; love neighbor. Covenant with God; covenant with neighbor. (Slight pause.)
For a moment let me come back to that clergy gathering. Our friend Joanne Lanfear ran the education piece on that day. Having picked up on this at a conference of Pastoral Counselors, Joanne presented some of the work done by Brené Brown, author of the New York Times Bestsellers The Gifts of Imperfection and Daring Greatly. She is a social work researcher whose areas of expertise include vulnerability and courage.
Online— you can do that these days, sit there and watch something online— online we watched a TED talk— that’s TED: Technology, Entertainment, Design— [1] online we watched a TED talk by Brené Brown. In this talk Brown stated her research maintains that connection is the prime reason are here— connection is the prime reason are here. Connection is what gives purpose and meaning to lives.
Having discovered this based on research, Brown refocused her work. She concentrated on people and how people connect. What she stumbled on amazed her.
When she asked people about love, they told her about heartbreak. When she asked people about belonging, they told her about excruciating experiences of being excluded. And when she asked people about connection, they told stories about disconnection.
She eventually discovered much of this boiled down to shame— not guilt but shame. There’s a difference. The problem of shame can be stated this way: “I’m not good enough.”
We all know that feeling: I’m not blank enough— fill in the blank. I’m not thin enough, rich enough, beautiful enough, smart enough, important enough.
Brown tried to dig deeper still. She found the underlying concept is vulnerability. And shame works against that. Shame works against being vulnerable. Further, in order for connection to happen— connection, this reason why we are here, remember— in order for connection to happen we have to allow ourselves to be seen, really seen. That requires us to expose ourselves— to be seen requires vulnerability.
So, she spent six years doing research on vulnerability, thousands of deep interviews— she is a researcher— thousands of deep interviews trying to get a handle on it. What did she find? Let’s peel away some levels.
As indicated earlier, one thing that keeps us out of connection is our fear we’re not worthy. So, what did people have who tended to connect?
What they had in common is what Brown labels as a sense of courage. But don’t confuse courage with bravery. They are not the same.
The word courage, you see, is from the Latin word cor, meaning heart. So, courage means speaking with the heart.
Brown’s research found people who speak from the heart had the courage to be... imperfect. I need to add being imperfect is not particularly acceptable in our society. Her research strongly suggests people willing to allow for imperfection also have the compassion to be kind to themselves first, and thereby be open about their own imperfections and, thereby, then be kind to others.
It is, in fact, hard to practice compassion with others if we can’t treat ourselves kindly. Compassion leads to a willingness to let go of who we think we should be in order to be who we really are. And all that, especially being who we really are as opposed to who we think we should be, leads to connection— the reason why we’re here.
Put another way, the process of admitting imperfection to others bring us to a sense of compassion which fully embraces vulnerability. Vulnerability leads to connection.
To be clear: vulnerability in no way means being comfortable with ourselves or with anyone else. Most of what I just said is not comfortable to anyone at any time, ever. Vulnerability is, rather, a willingness— and I think this is really the key— vulnerability is a willingness to invest in a relationship that may or may not work out. Vulnerability— a willingness to invest in a relationship that may or may not work out. [2] (Slight pause.)
All that brings me back to a God Who is (quote:) “without beginning, without end.” As I said, the claim being made for God by the Psalm is one of covenant.’
Therefore, the claim being made is about God is about a God who connects, a God Who is vulnerable. The God of Scripture is a God Who presents a willingness to invest in a relationship that may or may not work out.
Further and importantly, vulnerability— our vulnerability or the vulnerability of God— is not weakness. Rather, vulnerability presents a willingness to fail— a willingness to fail— something rarely seen in our society. Last, this kind of vulnerability is the birthplace of creativity and courage and change. And change— where does that go? Change leads to... growth. Change leads to growth. (Slight pause.)
I think this takes us to two places. First, the possibility that being vulnerable seen as a goal presents to us and illustrates to us our own human failings. After all, we don’t like to fail. We don’t like to let others know we fail.
Second, God who is infinite is a God who is vulnerable, a God who is willing to fail, a God Who presents a willingness to invest in a relationship that may or may not work out. (Slight pause.)
Perhaps, just perhaps, somewhere deep down inside us we are in touch with our own mortality; we know about our limits. Therefore, I want to suggest we Congregationalists have it right. We are both independent and interdependent.
We do know we need to work as independent individuals; we do know we do need to be interdependent, to rely on one another. Why? Independence and interdependency is the place to which God who is infinite calls us. Amen.
United Church of Christ, First Congregational, Norwich, New York
11/16/2014
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 saying is attributed to Theodore Roosevelt: ‘It is not the critic who counts, not the one who sits and points out how the doer of deeds could have done things better but has fallen and stumbled. The credit goes to the one in the arena whose face is marred with dust and blood and sweat. In the arena, at best this one wins, and at worst this one loses. But loss happens only because one dares greatly.’ Which is to say engagement— engagement on many levels is, I think, an imperative.”
BENEDICTION: A kind and just God sends us out into the world as bearers of truth which surpasses our understanding. God watches over those who respond in love. So, let us love God so much, that we love nothing else too much. Let us be so in awe of God that we are in awe of no one else and nothing else. Amen.
[1] TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) is a global set of conferences owned by the private non-profit Sapling Foundation, under the slogan: “Ideas Worth Spreading.”
[2] https://www.ted.com/talks/brene_brown_on_vulnerability#t-602822
Sunday, November 9, 2014
SERMON ~ 11/09/2014 ~ “Choices”
11/09/2014 ~ Twenty-Second Sunday after Pentecost ~ 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time ~ (Proper 27) ~ Joshua 24:1-3a, 14-25; Psalm 78:1-7; Wisdom of Solomon 6:12-16 or Amos 5:18-24; Wisdom of Solomon 6:17-20 or Psalm 70; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Matthew 25:1-13 ~ Stewardship Sunday ~ Also the Sunday Closest to Veterans Day.
Choices
“Now then, throw away the foreign gods among you and turn your hearts toward Yahweh, the God of Israel.” — Joshua 24:23.
I have a confession which will not surprise too many of you. I always wanted to broadcast Major League Baseball games, be the one to call the plays— the runs, the hits, the errors. I was reminded of that a week ago as Bonnie and I sat and watched Game Six of the World Series.
That, by the way, tells you Bonnie is a good person, but you’ve probably noticed. She, after all, was willing to sit and to watch baseball with me.
For those of you who are not baseball fans, Game Six of this series was a boring game. But, as you probably know, I am into baseball. It was not boring to me.
In fact, Game Six would have been boring to most casual observers. It was a blow out. One team led by a lot of runs. After only five innings the score was Kansas City nine, San Francisco nothing— zero. The final score was ten - zip.
At that point— at the end of five innings— I said to Bonnie, “Watch what the San Francisco Manager does with the bull pen. He has to stop worrying about winning this game and start worrying about winning Game Seven. This game no longer matters.”
“What he’ll be doing,” said I, “is bringing in pitchers who can eat up innings. But these are probably not the pitchers he’ll use tomorrow in Game Seven.”
About five minutes later one of the broadcasters— a former major leaguer baseball player— said the same thing using nearly the same words. Bonnie looked over at me, glowered a little, and said, “You missed your calling.”
Calling? What are the odds I would have been able to work my way into the broadcast booth of a Major League Baseball team? Slim and none— and slim just left the room. Yes, I played ball as a kid. I was average at best. And I had no contacts in baseball or in the broadcast industry.
Which is to say for me landing that kind of position would have been just dumb luck. I know of only one person who became a Major League Baseball broadcaster by way of dumb luck. And although he did not have a lot of experience, even he had some experience.
That person is Gary Thorne, a native of Bangor Maine. He is an attorney who, as a hobby and for fun and for free, started broadcasting University of Maine Hockey Games. Then for pay, a little bit of pay, he did the same for the Maine Guides— a Triple A baseball team.
On a lark he submitted an audition tape to the New York Mets. It turned out the day the tape arrived the Mets had just fired a broadcaster. They decided to hire Thorne before anyone else had a chance or was asked to submit a tape— pure dumb luck.
I mention all this to ask a simple question: the choices we make can be and even are important. But in the larger scheme of things how do we account for what happens?
I want to suggest, fortunately or unfortunately, much of what happens to us is just luck, chance. To be clear: that luck is involved in our lives at all violates American theology.
American theology makes the claim we are in control of everything that happens to us. But that is simply and even obviously not true. Yes, we all do need to make good choices. That’s not what this discussion is about. You see, the chips will fall where the chips will fall and mostly— mostly— we have little control. (Slight pause.)
We find these words in Joshua: “Now then, throw away the foreign gods among you and turn your hearts toward Yahweh, the God of Israel.” (Slight pause.)
I can guarantee this: we all have gods, little gods, things we hold on to. ‘Can we throw them away?’
‘Can we throw them away?’ is a serious question. You know, you can read a passage in Scripture a hundred times and the hundredth and first time, you see something that you never saw before. That’s what happened to me when I read those words at a committee meeting this week.
As strange as it sounds, in ancient times people carried around small idols, little statues. These represented gods. So, when Joshua tells the Israelites to throw away foreign gods, the statement can be taken somewhat literally.
The instruction probably means take that little statue you’ve been carrying around; throw it away. If only we were able to throw away our false gods. Now, the next thing Joshua says tells us how to throw away our false gods (quote:) “...turn your hearts toward Yahweh, the God of Israel.”
Indeed, here’s one way to look at this passage: luck will happen. And maybe that is what those little idols are about— luck. These statues, these little gods we hold on to, are as likely or unlikely to work as well chance— to work as well as pure dumb luck.
But this passage also says we— we— need to ignore luck. We need to be faithful, no matter what happens, no matter what luck comes our way. We need to turn our hearts toward God. We can’t be fair weather Christians only turning toward God when luck goes our way.
So, says Joshua, for we Israelites, luck is no longer central. Faithfulness is now central. But that still leaves us with a basic question: why be faithful? (Slight pause.)
I have told bits of this story here before. When I was in Seminary, my Hebrew Scriptures professor was Dr. Ann Johnston. Dr. Johnston was a Hebrew Scholar and a Irish Roman Catholic nun, not a combination one finds too often.
At the beginning of a term she might have a class filled with people who never studied with her before. Like many classrooms, often there would be a little din of background noise as people gathered.
Ann had a very small, quite voice and would start a class in that voice, a voice which was normal for her. So, if you wanted to hear what Ann said, you had to keep quiet. Hence, in any class she taught, within five minutes of its initial session, people got very quite. People learned to listen.
And once people listened, they realize what Ann said was invaluable. She was and is a great teacher. She was, in fact, so great, that you wanted to give back to her your best, the best work you possibly could. You wanted to be... faithful. (Slight pause.)
God speaks. And God speaks in a small, quiet voice. Or at least that’s my experience. What does God say? Be faithful.
Perhaps yet another question for us is ‘how?’ How can we be faithful? I recently saw this banner outside a U.C.C. church. (Quote:) “Be the Church. Care for the poor. Preserve the Environment. Forgive Often. Reject Racism. Support Those Who Are Powerless. Share Earthly and Spiritual Resources. Embrace Diversity. Love God.” (Slight pause.)
We all make choices. Some pan out. Some don’t. The choice we need to make is to be faithful, to remain faithful, no matter what luck pans out, no matter what happens. (Slight pause.)
As I have said here hundreds of times before, every dollar you pledge to the church goes toward outreach. Every dollar you give to the church goes toward outreach. What does that mean? It means among other things that, as a church, we are lucky to have an abundance with which we can help others.
It also therefore and imperatively, urgently, it means we need to be the church. It means care for the poor. Preserve the environment. Forgive often. Reject racism. Support those who are powerless. Share earthly and spiritual resources. Embrace diversity. Love God. In short, no matter what luck brings we need to be faithful. Amen.
11/09/2014
United Church of Christ, First Congregational, Norwich, New York
ENDPIECE— It is the practice of the Pastor to speak after the Closing Hymn, but before the Congregational Response and Benediction. This is an précis of what was said: “I want to suggest that faithfulness should never translate into tribalism. Our commitment to God should foster what philosopher Alfred North Whitehead described as whole world-loyalty. It should not produce parochial in-group, out-group attitudes. Put differently, it’s not about winning or losing or what strategies to employ in an effort to win. Faithfulness is about consistency. It’s about how you play the game. Do we play the game with love on our hearts, being witnesses to God?”
BENEDICTION: The knowledge that God loves us frees us for joyous living. So, let us trust in the love God offers. Let us also be fervent in prayer as we make choices daily, and seek to do God’s will and walk in God’s way as we travel on our Christian journey. And may the peace of God which surpasses all understanding and the abiding truth of Christ keep our hearts and minds in the knowledge, love and companionship of the Holy Spirit this day and forever more. Amen.
Choices
“Now then, throw away the foreign gods among you and turn your hearts toward Yahweh, the God of Israel.” — Joshua 24:23.
I have a confession which will not surprise too many of you. I always wanted to broadcast Major League Baseball games, be the one to call the plays— the runs, the hits, the errors. I was reminded of that a week ago as Bonnie and I sat and watched Game Six of the World Series.
That, by the way, tells you Bonnie is a good person, but you’ve probably noticed. She, after all, was willing to sit and to watch baseball with me.
For those of you who are not baseball fans, Game Six of this series was a boring game. But, as you probably know, I am into baseball. It was not boring to me.
In fact, Game Six would have been boring to most casual observers. It was a blow out. One team led by a lot of runs. After only five innings the score was Kansas City nine, San Francisco nothing— zero. The final score was ten - zip.
At that point— at the end of five innings— I said to Bonnie, “Watch what the San Francisco Manager does with the bull pen. He has to stop worrying about winning this game and start worrying about winning Game Seven. This game no longer matters.”
“What he’ll be doing,” said I, “is bringing in pitchers who can eat up innings. But these are probably not the pitchers he’ll use tomorrow in Game Seven.”
About five minutes later one of the broadcasters— a former major leaguer baseball player— said the same thing using nearly the same words. Bonnie looked over at me, glowered a little, and said, “You missed your calling.”
Calling? What are the odds I would have been able to work my way into the broadcast booth of a Major League Baseball team? Slim and none— and slim just left the room. Yes, I played ball as a kid. I was average at best. And I had no contacts in baseball or in the broadcast industry.
Which is to say for me landing that kind of position would have been just dumb luck. I know of only one person who became a Major League Baseball broadcaster by way of dumb luck. And although he did not have a lot of experience, even he had some experience.
That person is Gary Thorne, a native of Bangor Maine. He is an attorney who, as a hobby and for fun and for free, started broadcasting University of Maine Hockey Games. Then for pay, a little bit of pay, he did the same for the Maine Guides— a Triple A baseball team.
On a lark he submitted an audition tape to the New York Mets. It turned out the day the tape arrived the Mets had just fired a broadcaster. They decided to hire Thorne before anyone else had a chance or was asked to submit a tape— pure dumb luck.
I mention all this to ask a simple question: the choices we make can be and even are important. But in the larger scheme of things how do we account for what happens?
I want to suggest, fortunately or unfortunately, much of what happens to us is just luck, chance. To be clear: that luck is involved in our lives at all violates American theology.
American theology makes the claim we are in control of everything that happens to us. But that is simply and even obviously not true. Yes, we all do need to make good choices. That’s not what this discussion is about. You see, the chips will fall where the chips will fall and mostly— mostly— we have little control. (Slight pause.)
We find these words in Joshua: “Now then, throw away the foreign gods among you and turn your hearts toward Yahweh, the God of Israel.” (Slight pause.)
I can guarantee this: we all have gods, little gods, things we hold on to. ‘Can we throw them away?’
‘Can we throw them away?’ is a serious question. You know, you can read a passage in Scripture a hundred times and the hundredth and first time, you see something that you never saw before. That’s what happened to me when I read those words at a committee meeting this week.
As strange as it sounds, in ancient times people carried around small idols, little statues. These represented gods. So, when Joshua tells the Israelites to throw away foreign gods, the statement can be taken somewhat literally.
The instruction probably means take that little statue you’ve been carrying around; throw it away. If only we were able to throw away our false gods. Now, the next thing Joshua says tells us how to throw away our false gods (quote:) “...turn your hearts toward Yahweh, the God of Israel.”
Indeed, here’s one way to look at this passage: luck will happen. And maybe that is what those little idols are about— luck. These statues, these little gods we hold on to, are as likely or unlikely to work as well chance— to work as well as pure dumb luck.
But this passage also says we— we— need to ignore luck. We need to be faithful, no matter what happens, no matter what luck comes our way. We need to turn our hearts toward God. We can’t be fair weather Christians only turning toward God when luck goes our way.
So, says Joshua, for we Israelites, luck is no longer central. Faithfulness is now central. But that still leaves us with a basic question: why be faithful? (Slight pause.)
I have told bits of this story here before. When I was in Seminary, my Hebrew Scriptures professor was Dr. Ann Johnston. Dr. Johnston was a Hebrew Scholar and a Irish Roman Catholic nun, not a combination one finds too often.
At the beginning of a term she might have a class filled with people who never studied with her before. Like many classrooms, often there would be a little din of background noise as people gathered.
Ann had a very small, quite voice and would start a class in that voice, a voice which was normal for her. So, if you wanted to hear what Ann said, you had to keep quiet. Hence, in any class she taught, within five minutes of its initial session, people got very quite. People learned to listen.
And once people listened, they realize what Ann said was invaluable. She was and is a great teacher. She was, in fact, so great, that you wanted to give back to her your best, the best work you possibly could. You wanted to be... faithful. (Slight pause.)
God speaks. And God speaks in a small, quiet voice. Or at least that’s my experience. What does God say? Be faithful.
Perhaps yet another question for us is ‘how?’ How can we be faithful? I recently saw this banner outside a U.C.C. church. (Quote:) “Be the Church. Care for the poor. Preserve the Environment. Forgive Often. Reject Racism. Support Those Who Are Powerless. Share Earthly and Spiritual Resources. Embrace Diversity. Love God.” (Slight pause.)
We all make choices. Some pan out. Some don’t. The choice we need to make is to be faithful, to remain faithful, no matter what luck pans out, no matter what happens. (Slight pause.)
As I have said here hundreds of times before, every dollar you pledge to the church goes toward outreach. Every dollar you give to the church goes toward outreach. What does that mean? It means among other things that, as a church, we are lucky to have an abundance with which we can help others.
It also therefore and imperatively, urgently, it means we need to be the church. It means care for the poor. Preserve the environment. Forgive often. Reject racism. Support those who are powerless. Share earthly and spiritual resources. Embrace diversity. Love God. In short, no matter what luck brings we need to be faithful. Amen.
11/09/2014
United Church of Christ, First Congregational, Norwich, New York
ENDPIECE— It is the practice of the Pastor to speak after the Closing Hymn, but before the Congregational Response and Benediction. This is an précis of what was said: “I want to suggest that faithfulness should never translate into tribalism. Our commitment to God should foster what philosopher Alfred North Whitehead described as whole world-loyalty. It should not produce parochial in-group, out-group attitudes. Put differently, it’s not about winning or losing or what strategies to employ in an effort to win. Faithfulness is about consistency. It’s about how you play the game. Do we play the game with love on our hearts, being witnesses to God?”
BENEDICTION: The knowledge that God loves us frees us for joyous living. So, let us trust in the love God offers. Let us also be fervent in prayer as we make choices daily, and seek to do God’s will and walk in God’s way as we travel on our Christian journey. And may the peace of God which surpasses all understanding and the abiding truth of Christ keep our hearts and minds in the knowledge, love and companionship of the Holy Spirit this day and forever more. Amen.
Sunday, November 2, 2014
SERMON ~ 11/02/2014 ~ “The Saints Who Have Witnessed to Us”
11/02/2014 ~ Communion Sunday ~ Twenty-First Sunday after Pentecost ~ Thirty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time ~ [If All Saints Not Observed on This Day] ~ (Proper 26) ~ Joshua 3:7-17; Psalm 107:1-7, 33-37; Micah 3:5-12; Psalm 43; 1 Thessalonians 2:9-13; Matthew 23:1-12 ~ The Grange Dinner for the Choir.
11/01/2014 ~ All Saints Day ~ (Sometimes observed on first Sunday in November) ~ Revelation 7:9-17; Psalm 34:1-10, 22; 1 John 3:1-3; Matthew 5:1-12 — Note: Used Revelation 7:9-17 (ILV) and Matthew 23:1-12 (ILV).
The Saints Who Have Witnessed to Us
“The greatest among you will be the one who serves the rest. And all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all those who humble themselves will be exalted.” — Matthew 23:11-12.
The New York Conference of the United Church of Christ sends out a weekly e-mail newsletter. It has reminders about dates, notices about meetings— the usual stuff for this kind of missive.
Each week there’s also a message from one of the Conference Staff called My Thoughts. But mostly our Conference Minister, the Rev. David Gaewski, is the writer.
This week David reflected on the idea that it takes a mixture of humility and gall— ego— to be a preacher. The gall part, the ego part, is obvious: it’s presumptuous to even consider the possibility that God might use you as a conduit of the Word.
The humility part comes from the thought that any preacher should be aware those in the pews are members of the Priesthood of Believers. When standing in a pulpit, David wrote, the preacher is in no way standing “above” the congregation. There is both humility and wisdom in recognizing ministry which is shared.
Now, the term ‘Priesthood of all Believers’ embodies the idea that everyone can be mediators of God’s grace, mediators of God’s healing, mediators of God’s forgiveness, mediators of God’s justice, mediators of God’s love. This is the ministry found in the pews. (Slight pause.)
On a very different but perhaps equally interesting note, I was proselytized this week. Someone tried to convert me to Christianity, or at least their brand of Christianity.
How? Often while I have lunch, I read. I do a lot of work related reading just to keep current. But the reading I do at lunch is purposefully not work related. It tends to be about some other interest I have.
I was in one of the local fast food joints Tuesday and I sat reading for a time. When I finally stood and was nearly out the door a man and a woman who appeared to be in their eighties waved me over to their table. They asked what I was reading.
I held up the book, Innovators. I offered an explanation. “It’s a history of how what we call the modern computer started to take shape in the 19th Century and continues the story to its evolution to the machines we have today.”
Well, my assumption was they had some genuine interest when they saw me reading intently and that’s why they stopped me. I was wrong. Why? Because after that explanation, they asked if I had read the greatest book ever written.
I dodged a little. I said, “That depends on what you mean by the greatest book.”
The woman said, “Why, the Bible, of course.”
I said, “Look— I’m a pastor. I’ve read Scripture in the original languages.”
The woman nodded and said, “Oh, that’s nice.” Clearly what I said either was not heard or did not register. These two were on some kind of remote control because the man handed a tract to me. In bold letters the front page asked, “Where Will You Spend Eternity?”
I said, “That’s an interesting question. But it’s not a question about God. It’s a question about you.” Again, clearly what I said either was not heard or did not register. I realized there was a tape playing in their heads. There was no stop button on that tape.
“Don’t you want to see your friends in heaven?” the man asked.
“Christian tradition has it,” I said, “that to be in the presence of God is so glorious, we will not notice anything else. And I am late and I really need to go.”
I headed toward the door. The woman called out, “I just know you want to spend eternity with your friends!” (Slight pause.) Yes, that really happened. (The liturgist says something which the pastor then repeats.) Linda says you can’t make that stuff up. (Slight pause.) [1]
These words are from the work known as Matthew: “The greatest among you will be the one who serves the rest. And all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all those who humble themselves will be exalted.” (Slight pause.)
In March 1994 I was a student at Bangor Seminary. But I had already preached at a number of churches in rural Maine and many of those churches had asked me back.
Our Associate Conference Minister, Sue Ingham, heard about that. And then something happened and Sue found herself in a bind.
The preacher scheduled to lead the Palm Sunday service at the church in Belfast, Maine, had to drop out on Friday morning. The church called Sue. Sue called me.
“There’s only one problem,” she said. “The bulletin is already printed, so the sermon title is set.”
“What’s the title?” I asked.
“When Is a Church Not a Church?” she responded.
“I can work with that,” said the ego in me. (Slight pause.)
Well, we all know the Scripture on Palm Sunday is the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. And we all know Jesus is acclaimed by the crowd.
And we all know five days later a crowd that probably contained many of the same individuals who were in the crowd acclaiming the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, are shouting “Crucify.” (Slight pause.) When is a church not a church? (Slight pause.)
I have said this many times. Churches, synagogues, mosques— so called communities of faith— are not theologically gathered communities. They are sociologically gathered communities. Like people worship with like people. There is no way around that.
Paradoxically and equally, no community of faith is made up of cookie cutter people— a group totally determined by sociological similarities. We are all dissimilar in different and even in significant ways— from income to education to family of origin. But still, in any congregation, there is always some strand of sociological DNA which holds a group inexorably together.
Hence, the challenge for us is, while we must admit to and identify the agonizing reality of that sociological DNA, we, the church, must not be simply a sociological gathering. The challenge for us is to be church. The challenge for us is to identify a strand of theological DNA which binds us, makes us one, makes us whole. The challenge for us is to be saints. [2]
This is clear: both when that crowd waves palms, seemingly to praise God, and when that crowd shouts “crucify” seemingly to mock God, it is unlikely those crowds are held together by theological DNA. Even in the First Century of the Common Era, it’s much more likely those crowds are held together by sociological DNA.
Indeed, identifying a strand of theological DNA was the challenge for the crowd on Palm Sunday and was the challenge for the crowd on Good Friday. And based on the results, they failed that challenge. So perhaps the challenge for us, still today, is to identify a strand of theological DNA which inexorably binds us together into church.
All this begs the question: what is a saint? (Slight pause.) I can guarantee this: when there is a tape playing in your head that does not allow you to hear another person, that is not theology influencing you. It’s sociology.
When a preacher is unaware those in the pews are members of the Priesthood of Believers, when that preacher thinks in terms of standing “above” the congregation, theology is not at work. Sociology is.
And just like those who lived in the early First Century of the Common Era, we who live in the early Twenty-first Century of the Common Era need to grapple with humility. Why? None of us is better than anyone else before God. None of us is better than anyone else before God.
All of us need to be in relationship with those around us. All of us need to be in relationship with those around us not because of sociological reasons, not because those around us might be like us and we find that inviting.
We need to be in relationship with those around us so we can act as a Priesthood of Believers, so we can act together, empowered to be mediators of God’s grace, mediators of God’s healing, mediators of God’s forgiveness, mediators of God’s justice, mediators of God’s love. This meditation— this is the ministry found in the pews. This is the ministry of the saints. Amen.
United Church of Christ, First Congregational, Norwich, New York
11/02/2014
ENDPIECE— It is the practice of the Pastor to speak after the Closing Hymn, but before the Congregational Response and Benediction. This is an précis of what was said: “It seems appropriate to me that the 200th Anniversary Litany we used today was based on the Beatitudes. [3] After all, those who were among the first saints who heard those words still witness to us today and those words still witness to us today.”
BENEDICTION: Go from here in the Spirit of Christ. Dare to question that which is false and that which holds us captive. Count it a privilege that God calls upon us to be in covenant and to work in the vineyard. And may the peace of Christ which passes all understanding keep our hearts and minds in the love, knowledge and companionship of God the Creator, Christ the redeemer and the Holy Spirit the sanctifier this day and forever more. Amen.
[1] It needs to be noted that as the pastor told this story there was much laughter.
[2] At the start of the service, after noting it was the day after All Saints Day, the pastor said this: “...contrary to popular belief, a saint is not someone who possess a special kind of devoutness, but someone set aside to do the work and the will of God and we understand ourselves as a priesthood of all believers, that means we are all saints.”
[3]
CLOSING LITANY —
LITURGIST:
We come now to a time where we strive to honor our 200th Anniversary. Today we shall offer a prayer. This litany is among the prayers labeled among the closing prayers for a service in The White Ribbon Hymnal, published in 1892. While The White Ribbon Hymnal was never designated a Congregational hymnal by any publisher, to say it did not have a significant part within Congregational Churches would likely be inaccurate. Why? The White Ribbon Hymnal was the hymnal of the Women’s Temperance Movement. To say the Women’s Temperance Movement did not have a significant part in Congregational Churches would simply be inaccurate. This litany is certainly an interesting communal prayer to offer toward the end of a service. Won’t you join with me in the Prayers labeled as a Closing Litany found in the bulletin.
ONE: Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Realm of Heaven.
MANY: Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted.
ONE: Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth.
MANY: Blessed are they which hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled.
ONE: Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.
MANY: Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
ONE: Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God,
MANY: Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the Realm of God.
ONE: Blessed are ye when others shall revile you and persecute you and say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
MANY: Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
ONE: Blessed is she that believed, for there shall be a fulfillment of the things which have been spoken to her by our God.
MANY: Blessed are they that sow beside all waters.
ONE: Blessed are they that do the Commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life and may enter the gate through the city.
MANY: Blessed are those servants whom, when our God cometh, are found watching.
ONE: May the Christ be with thy spirit.
MANY: The Eternal God is our refuge and underneath us are the everlasting arms. Amen.
11/01/2014 ~ All Saints Day ~ (Sometimes observed on first Sunday in November) ~ Revelation 7:9-17; Psalm 34:1-10, 22; 1 John 3:1-3; Matthew 5:1-12 — Note: Used Revelation 7:9-17 (ILV) and Matthew 23:1-12 (ILV).
The Saints Who Have Witnessed to Us
“The greatest among you will be the one who serves the rest. And all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all those who humble themselves will be exalted.” — Matthew 23:11-12.
The New York Conference of the United Church of Christ sends out a weekly e-mail newsletter. It has reminders about dates, notices about meetings— the usual stuff for this kind of missive.
Each week there’s also a message from one of the Conference Staff called My Thoughts. But mostly our Conference Minister, the Rev. David Gaewski, is the writer.
This week David reflected on the idea that it takes a mixture of humility and gall— ego— to be a preacher. The gall part, the ego part, is obvious: it’s presumptuous to even consider the possibility that God might use you as a conduit of the Word.
The humility part comes from the thought that any preacher should be aware those in the pews are members of the Priesthood of Believers. When standing in a pulpit, David wrote, the preacher is in no way standing “above” the congregation. There is both humility and wisdom in recognizing ministry which is shared.
Now, the term ‘Priesthood of all Believers’ embodies the idea that everyone can be mediators of God’s grace, mediators of God’s healing, mediators of God’s forgiveness, mediators of God’s justice, mediators of God’s love. This is the ministry found in the pews. (Slight pause.)
On a very different but perhaps equally interesting note, I was proselytized this week. Someone tried to convert me to Christianity, or at least their brand of Christianity.
How? Often while I have lunch, I read. I do a lot of work related reading just to keep current. But the reading I do at lunch is purposefully not work related. It tends to be about some other interest I have.
I was in one of the local fast food joints Tuesday and I sat reading for a time. When I finally stood and was nearly out the door a man and a woman who appeared to be in their eighties waved me over to their table. They asked what I was reading.
I held up the book, Innovators. I offered an explanation. “It’s a history of how what we call the modern computer started to take shape in the 19th Century and continues the story to its evolution to the machines we have today.”
Well, my assumption was they had some genuine interest when they saw me reading intently and that’s why they stopped me. I was wrong. Why? Because after that explanation, they asked if I had read the greatest book ever written.
I dodged a little. I said, “That depends on what you mean by the greatest book.”
The woman said, “Why, the Bible, of course.”
I said, “Look— I’m a pastor. I’ve read Scripture in the original languages.”
The woman nodded and said, “Oh, that’s nice.” Clearly what I said either was not heard or did not register. These two were on some kind of remote control because the man handed a tract to me. In bold letters the front page asked, “Where Will You Spend Eternity?”
I said, “That’s an interesting question. But it’s not a question about God. It’s a question about you.” Again, clearly what I said either was not heard or did not register. I realized there was a tape playing in their heads. There was no stop button on that tape.
“Don’t you want to see your friends in heaven?” the man asked.
“Christian tradition has it,” I said, “that to be in the presence of God is so glorious, we will not notice anything else. And I am late and I really need to go.”
I headed toward the door. The woman called out, “I just know you want to spend eternity with your friends!” (Slight pause.) Yes, that really happened. (The liturgist says something which the pastor then repeats.) Linda says you can’t make that stuff up. (Slight pause.) [1]
These words are from the work known as Matthew: “The greatest among you will be the one who serves the rest. And all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all those who humble themselves will be exalted.” (Slight pause.)
In March 1994 I was a student at Bangor Seminary. But I had already preached at a number of churches in rural Maine and many of those churches had asked me back.
Our Associate Conference Minister, Sue Ingham, heard about that. And then something happened and Sue found herself in a bind.
The preacher scheduled to lead the Palm Sunday service at the church in Belfast, Maine, had to drop out on Friday morning. The church called Sue. Sue called me.
“There’s only one problem,” she said. “The bulletin is already printed, so the sermon title is set.”
“What’s the title?” I asked.
“When Is a Church Not a Church?” she responded.
“I can work with that,” said the ego in me. (Slight pause.)
Well, we all know the Scripture on Palm Sunday is the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. And we all know Jesus is acclaimed by the crowd.
And we all know five days later a crowd that probably contained many of the same individuals who were in the crowd acclaiming the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, are shouting “Crucify.” (Slight pause.) When is a church not a church? (Slight pause.)
I have said this many times. Churches, synagogues, mosques— so called communities of faith— are not theologically gathered communities. They are sociologically gathered communities. Like people worship with like people. There is no way around that.
Paradoxically and equally, no community of faith is made up of cookie cutter people— a group totally determined by sociological similarities. We are all dissimilar in different and even in significant ways— from income to education to family of origin. But still, in any congregation, there is always some strand of sociological DNA which holds a group inexorably together.
Hence, the challenge for us is, while we must admit to and identify the agonizing reality of that sociological DNA, we, the church, must not be simply a sociological gathering. The challenge for us is to be church. The challenge for us is to identify a strand of theological DNA which binds us, makes us one, makes us whole. The challenge for us is to be saints. [2]
This is clear: both when that crowd waves palms, seemingly to praise God, and when that crowd shouts “crucify” seemingly to mock God, it is unlikely those crowds are held together by theological DNA. Even in the First Century of the Common Era, it’s much more likely those crowds are held together by sociological DNA.
Indeed, identifying a strand of theological DNA was the challenge for the crowd on Palm Sunday and was the challenge for the crowd on Good Friday. And based on the results, they failed that challenge. So perhaps the challenge for us, still today, is to identify a strand of theological DNA which inexorably binds us together into church.
All this begs the question: what is a saint? (Slight pause.) I can guarantee this: when there is a tape playing in your head that does not allow you to hear another person, that is not theology influencing you. It’s sociology.
When a preacher is unaware those in the pews are members of the Priesthood of Believers, when that preacher thinks in terms of standing “above” the congregation, theology is not at work. Sociology is.
And just like those who lived in the early First Century of the Common Era, we who live in the early Twenty-first Century of the Common Era need to grapple with humility. Why? None of us is better than anyone else before God. None of us is better than anyone else before God.
All of us need to be in relationship with those around us. All of us need to be in relationship with those around us not because of sociological reasons, not because those around us might be like us and we find that inviting.
We need to be in relationship with those around us so we can act as a Priesthood of Believers, so we can act together, empowered to be mediators of God’s grace, mediators of God’s healing, mediators of God’s forgiveness, mediators of God’s justice, mediators of God’s love. This meditation— this is the ministry found in the pews. This is the ministry of the saints. Amen.
United Church of Christ, First Congregational, Norwich, New York
11/02/2014
ENDPIECE— It is the practice of the Pastor to speak after the Closing Hymn, but before the Congregational Response and Benediction. This is an précis of what was said: “It seems appropriate to me that the 200th Anniversary Litany we used today was based on the Beatitudes. [3] After all, those who were among the first saints who heard those words still witness to us today and those words still witness to us today.”
BENEDICTION: Go from here in the Spirit of Christ. Dare to question that which is false and that which holds us captive. Count it a privilege that God calls upon us to be in covenant and to work in the vineyard. And may the peace of Christ which passes all understanding keep our hearts and minds in the love, knowledge and companionship of God the Creator, Christ the redeemer and the Holy Spirit the sanctifier this day and forever more. Amen.
[1] It needs to be noted that as the pastor told this story there was much laughter.
[2] At the start of the service, after noting it was the day after All Saints Day, the pastor said this: “...contrary to popular belief, a saint is not someone who possess a special kind of devoutness, but someone set aside to do the work and the will of God and we understand ourselves as a priesthood of all believers, that means we are all saints.”
[3]
CLOSING LITANY —
LITURGIST:
We come now to a time where we strive to honor our 200th Anniversary. Today we shall offer a prayer. This litany is among the prayers labeled among the closing prayers for a service in The White Ribbon Hymnal, published in 1892. While The White Ribbon Hymnal was never designated a Congregational hymnal by any publisher, to say it did not have a significant part within Congregational Churches would likely be inaccurate. Why? The White Ribbon Hymnal was the hymnal of the Women’s Temperance Movement. To say the Women’s Temperance Movement did not have a significant part in Congregational Churches would simply be inaccurate. This litany is certainly an interesting communal prayer to offer toward the end of a service. Won’t you join with me in the Prayers labeled as a Closing Litany found in the bulletin.
ONE: Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Realm of Heaven.
MANY: Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted.
ONE: Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth.
MANY: Blessed are they which hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled.
ONE: Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.
MANY: Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
ONE: Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God,
MANY: Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the Realm of God.
ONE: Blessed are ye when others shall revile you and persecute you and say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
MANY: Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
ONE: Blessed is she that believed, for there shall be a fulfillment of the things which have been spoken to her by our God.
MANY: Blessed are they that sow beside all waters.
ONE: Blessed are they that do the Commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life and may enter the gate through the city.
MANY: Blessed are those servants whom, when our God cometh, are found watching.
ONE: May the Christ be with thy spirit.
MANY: The Eternal God is our refuge and underneath us are the everlasting arms. Amen.
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