11/27/2016 ~ First Sunday of Advent ~ First Sunday of Lectionary Year “A” ~ The Sunday on Which We Commemorate Hope ~ Isaiah 2:1-5; Psalm 122; Romans 13:11-14; Matthew 24:36-44 ~ The Sunday in Advent on Which We Commemorate Hope ~ The Sunday After the Secular Holiday Known as Thanksgiving.
Light As Armor
“...you know what time it is, the time in which we are living. It is now the moment, the time, the hour for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer, closer to us now than when we became believers, than when we first accepted faith. The night is far spent, gone; the day draws near. Let us, then, lay aside the works of the night and put on the armor of light.” — Romans 13:11-12.
So, what time is it? Certainly most Sundays when I stand in this place it’s somewhere between 10 and 11 a.m. on a given Sunday. Today, as you heard me say earlier, is the 27th of November, 2016, the First Sunday in Advent of year ‘A’ on the church calendar, the Sunday in Advent on which we commemorate hope. [A choir member, realizing he pastor has said “October” rather than “November” points that our and there is a back and forth with the choir and the pastor as all have a good chuckle over this.] So, that’s secular time and church time. But what time is it, really?
In San Francisco it’s between 7 and 8 a.m. If you were there instead of here you could just roll over for another 40 winks. In London, England, on the other hand, it’s between 3 and 4 this afternoon, too late to start anything significant now. And in Sydney, Australia, it’s between 2 and 3 a.m. tomorrow, Monday morning. How does that work? (Slight pause.) What time is it, really? (Slight pause.)
A couple of weeks ago I started my comments by noting I was a voracious reader. And so I recently came across a book about the Stephen Sondheim show Follies, one of my favorite musicals, a book about putting the original production of the show together. I was unaware this book even existed. I bought it immediately.
I need to take a moment to tell you about Sondheim’s Follies— and yes, the topic here is time. For decades starting in 1907 there were a number of shows on the Great White Way which carried the title Follies or similar names. They were what we would today call variety shows and there would be a new production of a show most years.
The story in Sondheim’s musical is about a reunion of women— Follies girls to use the vernacular— who appeared in these shows. This narrative takes place on an evening in the Spring of 1971.
The reason for the reunion is a theater at which multiple, yearly productions of this version of a Follies show was presented is being demolished. The play— the story about this reunion party— takes place in that doomed theater on the evening before demolition is scheduled to start.
At the very beginning of the musical you know something strange is happening because what appears to be ghosts of Follies girls glide on and off stage as characters in real time, current time, come and go. Indeed, as the show unfolds the four main characters— two men and two women— live in real time, exchange dialogue and have songs to sing.
The ghosts of the four main characters are there also but never actually interact with their own, newer, modern self. They appear to be living, breathing, in the 1940s and sing and interact with the other ghosts as if it was the 1940s.
Further, the dialogue helps us understand that sometimes what had been true and really happened back in the 1940s is not exactly how it is remembered by the older, current versions of those ghosts, people now living in 1971. Additionally, things have not exactly turned out the way the younger people back in the 1940s had hoped.
At times all eight characters— old and young— are on the stage simultaneously saying things, singing, but never interacting with the other selves. Scenes from two eras happen simultaneously. However, what all eight characters say reflects on both on what had been true and untrue in the 40s and what will be true and untrue in the 70s.
An example from the show: in real time, reflecting on where life has taken him and where he has been and where he has gone, one character sings this. “The road you didn’t take / Hardly comes to mind / Does it? / The door you didn’t try / Where could it have led? / The choice you didn’t make / Never was defined / Was it? / Dreams you didn’t dare / Are dead / Were they ever there? / Who said / I don’t remember. / Chances that you miss / Ignore / Ignorance is bliss / What’s more / I won’t remember.”
The questions posed seem to be ‘where have I been?’ ‘Were am I going, now?’ ‘How did I get here?’ ‘Would I rather be back there, then?’ ‘Do I even want to be here, now?’
In short, this show not only mixes up time. You can feel the pain in those words, those question. And you can feel the truth in those words, those questions as the song asks what is happening now and asks what has happened? What are your memories? Are they real? What is real? So yes, the play asks, “What time is it, really?” (Slight pause.)
I wanted to tell you all this because I am reading that book about Sondheim’s Follies right now. Reading it has had a similar effect on me. I’ve started thinking about where I was in back 1971 when the show opened. I was there opening night. Who I was with? What I was doing?
Because many memories have been dredged up for me, I have started to have flash backs to when I was young. I started asking, “Do I remember, really, what my life was like, where I’ve been, what it has become, where has it gone?” “What time is it for me, now?” And there is pain in those questions and there is truth in those questions. (Slight pause.)
We find these words in the work known as Romans: “...you know what time it is, the time in which we are living. It is now the moment, the time, the hour for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer, closer to us now than when we became believers, than when we first accepted faith. The night is far spent, gone; the day draws near. Let us, then, lay aside the works of the night and put on the armor of light.” (Slight pause.)
Paul makes an assumption in this passage. The Apostle assumes readers, listeners will know the “time” referred to is not chronological time. Indeed, rather than using the obvious Greek word for time chronos, Paul uses kairos— kairos God’s time.
I would suggest in God’s time past and present blur. In God’s time, you see, God is near to us not then or now. God is near to us always. In God’s time God is at our side, always.
In God’s time the presence of God is not a linear but eternal. And there is pain for us in that observation. And there is truth in that observation. After all, we are mortal. How do we understand or even think about the eternal?
But then Paul takes us beyond that. Paul proclaims now, within our mortality, is the time for us to awake from sleep. Now is the time for us to cease dwelling on or in the past and to understand that God is with us, now. And what has happened or rather Who has happened that says to Paul that God is at our side, that God is present to us, now? Jesus, the Christ, has happened.
Because Jesus has happened, time— as it has been known before— time as it has been known before— has ended. On top of that, because Jesus has happened (quote:), “The night is far spent, gone; the day draws near. Let us, then, lay aside the works of the night and put on the armor of light.” (Slight pause.)
For some the past is a safe place. The night is a safe place. The shadows are safe. And hence, for some, light is threatening. And there is pain in that observation and there is truth in that observation. There are many who want to hide from the truth and take refuge in pain.
Further, while Paul speaks in terms of night and light, what is being addressed here is not the night nor is it the light. What Paul addresses is falsehood and truth. And yes, falsehood can sometimes feel comforting and truth can sometimes feel painful. But for all it’s potential for pain, Paul invites us to live in the truth and the reality of the present and the reality of the presence of God. (Slight pause.)
Today is the Sunday in Advent on which we commemorate hope, or so I said at the start of my comments. Having said light represents truth I also need to say light represents hope.
And what we celebrate in Advent is the hope found in Jesus. What is the reality of that hope, the truth of that hope? God is with us. God is at our side.
And there is pain in that observation and there is truth in that observation. There is pain in that observation because we recognize our own mortality. Also there is pain in that observation because we too often forget about hope.
But there is truth in that observation. There is truth because God is real. There is truth because God is not simply a vague memory which fades over time. God is a reality now.
So, as Paul suggests, awake we need to be— awake to the reality of God. We need to be awake to the hope and the peace and the love and the joy of God throughout this Advent. Amen.
11/27/2016
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 Choral Response and Benediction. This is an précis of what was said: “In my comments I made reference to the Stephen Sondheim show Follies. The word follies can, of course, be taken two ways. It is a show title. But we all have follies, fantasies, of some kind or another which ignore reality. Perhaps the most difficult of our follies is can we decide who we really are. I believe the answer is simple, if we are willing to see the truth and the pain of the answer. We are willing to be children of God who walk in the light of God, people who seek the truth of God.”
BENEDICTION: Let us know and understand that our hope is in God. May we carry the peace of God where ever we go. Let us share that peace and that hope, which is God’s, with all whom we meet. For God reigns and the joy of God’s love is a present reality. Amen.
Sunday, November 27, 2016
Monday, November 21, 2016
BONUS SERMON ~ ONE OFFERED AT CHENANGO VALLEY HOME ~ November 20, 2016 ~ “The Fulness of God”
November 20, 2016 ~ Chenango Valley Home ~ Reign of Christ ~ Twenty-Seventh Sunday after Pentecost and the Last Sunday after Pentecost ~ Proper 29 ~ Thirty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time ~ Jeremiah 23:1-6; Luke 1:68-79 **; Jeremiah 23:1-6; Psalm 46; Colossians 1:11-20; Luke 23:33-43 ** No Psalm assigned with this reading ~ The Sunday Before the Secular Holiday Known as Thanksgiving ~ Tuesday, next (11/22), is Turkey Day!
The Fulness of God
“God wanted all perfection / to be found in Christ, / and all things / are to be reconciled / to God through Christ— / everything in heaven / and everything on earth— / for in the Christ / all the fullness of God / was pleased to dwell,....” — Colossians 1:19-20a.
Many churches use what we commonly call a Creed. Generally, creeds set out a series of statements which we take to be a set of beliefs. There are some churches which say that creeds— this set of statements— are what you must believe.
In the Congregational tradition— my church is in the Congregational tradition— we much prefer to not use the term creed when we talk about a set of beliefs. We use the term Affirmation of Faith.
The implication is we do not tell you what to believe. Our assumption is that what you believe is your problem but it is also your privilege.
After all, you, yourself, on your own, need to be in relationship with God and you need to work on your relationship with God, yourself. I can give you advice about that relationship but I cannot do it for you. Therefore, I certainly cannot tell you what your relationship with God is like. Only you know what it’s like.
That having been said, one way of explaining sets of beliefs is to say there is a difference between dogma and doctrine. Dogma is when someone else tells you what you have to believe. Doctrine, on the other hand, is an explanation of what you, yourself, and perhaps others along with you, might believe.
Hence, at my church we do use Affirmations of Faith. Sometimes we use the ancient Creeds of the Church, such as The Nicene Creed. But, since when we use a creed we invite people to proclaim what they believe, we sometimes use other forms. As it happens, at the service this very morning we used a hymn as an Affirmation of Faith.
That hymn would be familiar to many of you. The title is God the Omnipotent. The first verse reads this way. “God the Omnipotent, boldly ordaining thunder and lightening Your strength to display. Bring forth compassion where violence is reigning; give to us peace in our time, we pray.”
The title of that piece, God the Omnipotent, presents us with an interesting conundrum about God. Generally people think the word omnipotent, especially when applied to God, means “all powerful.”
Indeed, some people make the argument that God is in control. But is that what omnipotent means? Does omnipotent mean God is all powerful, as in ‘God is in control?’ Or does omnipotent mean something else when we apply the term to God? (Slight pause.)
We find these words in the work known as Colossians: “God wanted all perfection / to be found in Christ, / and all things / are to be reconciled / to God through Christ— / everything in heaven / and everything on earth— / for in the Christ / all the fullness of God / was pleased to dwell,....” (Slight pause.)
Here is a controversial statement. God is not in control. At least God is not in control the way our modern, secular society thinks about someone, anyone, being in control. And, as a Christian, that God is not in control in that secular way comforts me.
Why do I say both that ‘God is in control?’ fails to be an accurate way of describing the omnipotence of God and that the idea that God is not in control comforts me? Four reasons come to mind.
First, if you say ‘God is in control’ it is really hard to avoid implying God causes atrocities. If you do say God is in control, then everything from earthquakes to the Holocaust becomes the responsibility of God. You tell me if you think that’s a good idea.
Second, sometimes we say God is in control because we are scared, really, really afraid. Hence, we do not say God is in control because it is true. We say God is in control because there is much in life that makes us anxious. So, we use saying God is in control as a way of being less anxious, less fearful.
Next, in saying God is in control some people do mean “God’s own emotions are in check.” But I have a hard time believing God is cool and calm when violence, hatred, and oppression rear their ugly heads. So that does not seem like a valid way to think about an omnipotent God, either.
Last, saying ‘God is in control’ is a way to be passive. Example: “My child just got punched in the face by another kid. But that’s O.K. These things happen. And after all, God is in control!”
So what or who is this so called omnipotent God? What or who is this so called omnipotent God who so many claim is all powerful, this God we hear about in the hymn God the Omnipotent? (Slight pause.)
The hymn actually give us the answer to the question about who God is in the lyric I read earlier. (Quote:) “Bring forth compassion where violence is reigning;...”
God is, you see, good. God is a God of compassion. And that is what omnipotent refers to. And, for what it’s worth, I don’t need God to be “in control” to be good.
I just need to God to be close. I need God to be present. I need God to care. I need God to be hopeful, to have a vision, a dream for creation. This close, present, caring, gritty and hopeful God is the God for Whom I have affection.
This is the God who entices me to be good, myself. This is the God who entices me to participate, myself, in the work of God. And this God has graced we humans with creativity and with passion.
This God is the God Who has graced we humans with a longing for justice— the justice of God, not human justice. This God is the God who invites us to work with the grace and with the love with which this God surrounds us.
Therefore, I believe a theology of divine control needs to be rejected. After all, controlling God is nothing more than a manipulative God. Further, to say God is a controlling God mis-reads what omnipotence is about. A theology of divine control needs to be rejected because a theology of control all too readily allows not good but evil to flourish under the guise of God being in control.
When a theology of control speaks that is not the voice of God speaking. It is the voice of some humans who seek to be in control.
So, what does it mean that God is omnipotent? It means that God is with us. And this gives me hope: God is with us. [1] It also means, as it says in Colossians, that we can see the fulness of God in Jesus. Amen.
Chenango Valley Home
11/20/2016
[1] A lot of this reasoning is taken from an article by Matthew Boswell, the pastor of Camas Friends Church, in Camas, Washington and re-worked for this context.
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/faithforward/2016/11/god-is-not-in-control/?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=NL%20Best%20of%20Patheos&utm_content=287
The Fulness of God
“God wanted all perfection / to be found in Christ, / and all things / are to be reconciled / to God through Christ— / everything in heaven / and everything on earth— / for in the Christ / all the fullness of God / was pleased to dwell,....” — Colossians 1:19-20a.
Many churches use what we commonly call a Creed. Generally, creeds set out a series of statements which we take to be a set of beliefs. There are some churches which say that creeds— this set of statements— are what you must believe.
In the Congregational tradition— my church is in the Congregational tradition— we much prefer to not use the term creed when we talk about a set of beliefs. We use the term Affirmation of Faith.
The implication is we do not tell you what to believe. Our assumption is that what you believe is your problem but it is also your privilege.
After all, you, yourself, on your own, need to be in relationship with God and you need to work on your relationship with God, yourself. I can give you advice about that relationship but I cannot do it for you. Therefore, I certainly cannot tell you what your relationship with God is like. Only you know what it’s like.
That having been said, one way of explaining sets of beliefs is to say there is a difference between dogma and doctrine. Dogma is when someone else tells you what you have to believe. Doctrine, on the other hand, is an explanation of what you, yourself, and perhaps others along with you, might believe.
Hence, at my church we do use Affirmations of Faith. Sometimes we use the ancient Creeds of the Church, such as The Nicene Creed. But, since when we use a creed we invite people to proclaim what they believe, we sometimes use other forms. As it happens, at the service this very morning we used a hymn as an Affirmation of Faith.
That hymn would be familiar to many of you. The title is God the Omnipotent. The first verse reads this way. “God the Omnipotent, boldly ordaining thunder and lightening Your strength to display. Bring forth compassion where violence is reigning; give to us peace in our time, we pray.”
The title of that piece, God the Omnipotent, presents us with an interesting conundrum about God. Generally people think the word omnipotent, especially when applied to God, means “all powerful.”
Indeed, some people make the argument that God is in control. But is that what omnipotent means? Does omnipotent mean God is all powerful, as in ‘God is in control?’ Or does omnipotent mean something else when we apply the term to God? (Slight pause.)
We find these words in the work known as Colossians: “God wanted all perfection / to be found in Christ, / and all things / are to be reconciled / to God through Christ— / everything in heaven / and everything on earth— / for in the Christ / all the fullness of God / was pleased to dwell,....” (Slight pause.)
Here is a controversial statement. God is not in control. At least God is not in control the way our modern, secular society thinks about someone, anyone, being in control. And, as a Christian, that God is not in control in that secular way comforts me.
Why do I say both that ‘God is in control?’ fails to be an accurate way of describing the omnipotence of God and that the idea that God is not in control comforts me? Four reasons come to mind.
First, if you say ‘God is in control’ it is really hard to avoid implying God causes atrocities. If you do say God is in control, then everything from earthquakes to the Holocaust becomes the responsibility of God. You tell me if you think that’s a good idea.
Second, sometimes we say God is in control because we are scared, really, really afraid. Hence, we do not say God is in control because it is true. We say God is in control because there is much in life that makes us anxious. So, we use saying God is in control as a way of being less anxious, less fearful.
Next, in saying God is in control some people do mean “God’s own emotions are in check.” But I have a hard time believing God is cool and calm when violence, hatred, and oppression rear their ugly heads. So that does not seem like a valid way to think about an omnipotent God, either.
Last, saying ‘God is in control’ is a way to be passive. Example: “My child just got punched in the face by another kid. But that’s O.K. These things happen. And after all, God is in control!”
So what or who is this so called omnipotent God? What or who is this so called omnipotent God who so many claim is all powerful, this God we hear about in the hymn God the Omnipotent? (Slight pause.)
The hymn actually give us the answer to the question about who God is in the lyric I read earlier. (Quote:) “Bring forth compassion where violence is reigning;...”
God is, you see, good. God is a God of compassion. And that is what omnipotent refers to. And, for what it’s worth, I don’t need God to be “in control” to be good.
I just need to God to be close. I need God to be present. I need God to care. I need God to be hopeful, to have a vision, a dream for creation. This close, present, caring, gritty and hopeful God is the God for Whom I have affection.
This is the God who entices me to be good, myself. This is the God who entices me to participate, myself, in the work of God. And this God has graced we humans with creativity and with passion.
This God is the God Who has graced we humans with a longing for justice— the justice of God, not human justice. This God is the God who invites us to work with the grace and with the love with which this God surrounds us.
Therefore, I believe a theology of divine control needs to be rejected. After all, controlling God is nothing more than a manipulative God. Further, to say God is a controlling God mis-reads what omnipotence is about. A theology of divine control needs to be rejected because a theology of control all too readily allows not good but evil to flourish under the guise of God being in control.
When a theology of control speaks that is not the voice of God speaking. It is the voice of some humans who seek to be in control.
So, what does it mean that God is omnipotent? It means that God is with us. And this gives me hope: God is with us. [1] It also means, as it says in Colossians, that we can see the fulness of God in Jesus. Amen.
Chenango Valley Home
11/20/2016
[1] A lot of this reasoning is taken from an article by Matthew Boswell, the pastor of Camas Friends Church, in Camas, Washington and re-worked for this context.
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/faithforward/2016/11/god-is-not-in-control/?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=NL%20Best%20of%20Patheos&utm_content=287
Sunday, November 20, 2016
SERMON ~ November 20, 2016 ~ “The Unseen God?”
November 20, 2016 ~ Reign of Christ ~ Twenty-Seventh Sunday after Pentecost and the Last Sunday after Pentecost ~ Proper 29 ~ Thirty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time ~ Jeremiah 23:1-6; Luke 1:68-79 **; Jeremiah 23:1-6; Psalm 46; Colossians 1:11-20; Luke 23:33-43 ** No Psalm assigned with this reading ~ The Sunday Before the Secular Holiday Known as Thanksgiving ~ Tuesday, next (11/22), is Turkey Day!
The Unseen God?
“Christ is the image of the unseen God, / the firstborn of all creation;...” — Colossians 1:15.
(The pastor loudly whispers the first sentence in the microphone.) It’s nearly here— just 34 days away— Christmas— 34 days and counting. On the church calendar that is, in fact, one reason we call today the Twenty-Seventh and Last Sunday after Pentecost, the Thirty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
On that church calendar the Season of Advent, of course, comes before Christmas. And, to be clear, Christmas is not just a day. Christmas is a season.
Not only is Christmas a season but I’d bet you know exactly how long that season lasts. 12 days, but I bet you knew that. So, next week we not only turn the corner into Advent, we start— in our three year church cycle— with a new Church Year, as we leave year ‘C’ and enter year ‘A.’
And why? Why does Advent come before Christmas? And what does it mean that it’s 34 days until Christmas? And afer all, does Christmas mean— as the secular world would have it— something about gifts, about presents, about family? Or is there more to this thing we call Christmas? (Slight pause.)
Gifts are an interesting topic. What are they about? Are they about you, if you are the recipient, or are they about the person doing the giving? Do you, when you give a gift, want to give what you believe to be the perfect gift or do you want to give the person on the receiving end what that person really needs? Note: that is not what someone else really wants but what someone else really needs. (Slight pause.)
Gifts— as I said— an interesting topic. When I was a child I had a set of Lionel Trains, model trains. Or perhaps I should say we— the family— had a set of model trains. You see, in theory, my brother— a year younger than myself— my brother and I had a set of Lionel Trains together.
But the story about these trains is even a bit more complicated than that. The basic set was purchased when I was less than two. The train set was, certainly not at that point, for me. It was for my father.
Each Christmas after that basic set was purchased my brother would get one railroad car to add to the collection of cars and I would get one railroad car to add to the collection of cars. Each Christmas my father would, dutifully, assemble the layout.
When I say assemble, my father was no Mr. FixIt, no Mr. Handyman. Even so, he had constructed a fairly large folding train board made of wood which sat on rollers so it was easy to shift around. The tracks were permanently screwed on the board.
At the end of the season, the train set, the board and all, would come down. The board would be folded up, the train cars set back in their original distinctive orange boxes. And all this would disappear until the following Christmas season.
You see, we lived in a small apartment in the Bushwick section of Brooklyn. There was no space to leave a train set up the whole year round.
Needless to say, as children we thought of the additional train car as our “big” present each year. Today Lionel trains would, indeed, be a big gift.
I looked it up. These days many of the locomotive units and/or whole sets in the same scale and the same style as the trains we had sell for hundreds and hundreds of dollars brand new. I am not sure what the prices were back then. I am fairly certain they were less expensive.
One of the things I say about my early family life is we were not impoverished. But we were relatively poor. Therefore, the more common gifts both under the tree and exchanged at Christmas were quite practical: dress clothes, shoes, sneakers, outerwear, socks etc., etc., etc.
All this is good. Gifts are good. Practical gifts are good. Less than practical gifts are still good. But this gift stuff— is that in any way connected to these words (quote:) “Christ is the image of the unseen God, / the firstborn of all creation;...”
Indeed, what is it we strive to celebrate with Christmas? What does it mean that the Christ is the firstborn of all creation?
And what does it mean that the Christ is the image of the unseen God? Hold it. What did that say? God is unseen... but Christ, Who we can see, is the image of God Whom we cannot see?
That sounds like a contradiction which may well open a variety of cans crammed with worms. Why would the writer of Colossians say God is unseen?
Does that separate God and Christ? And/or does the word ‘unseen’ mean unfelt also? And/or does unseen mean we have some real, intimate knowledge of the presence of God but our sensory perceptions lack any cognitive way for us to be in touch with the presence of this unseen God? (Slight pause.)
Personally, I think all those questions get answered in the reality of the Christ. Indeed, if what is recorded about the preaching of Jesus comes even close to being accurate, there is a singular and constant message from Jesus which fits right in with the words which state that “Christ is the image of the unseen God...”
What is the constant message we hear in the preaching of the Christ? God... is... near. And that message is not limited to the concept that God is near. The message includes this: God is with us. God walks with us.
This is the message of Jesus, the preaching of Jesus. And that preaching sends us right back to Colossians. Colossians asks, effectively, ‘Who is this Jesus? Who is the Christ?’ (Slight pause.)
Here’s where I stand. Jesus, the Christ, is the image of the unseen God. Jesus, the Christ, is the reality of the unseen God.
The reality of Jesus, the Christ, is that God and Jesus are both separate and one. The reality of Jesus, the Christ, the presence of Jesus, the Christ, does address our sensory perceptions, does address any lack of a cognitive way for us to touch the presence— the real presence— of God, God who is, as Jesus preached, always near, God who is with us, God who walks with us. (Slight pause.)
So, what is it we strive to celebrate with Christmas? What does it mean that the Christ is the firstborn of all creation? What does it mean that the Christ is the image of the unseen God?
Christmas means that God is with us, no matter what the circumstances. Christmas means that God walks with us, no matter what the situation.
And that kind of leads us back to how those gifts we find under the tree or gifts we exchange or even those gifts we buy because we want them for ourselves, so we buy them for ourselves. Ah! Those gifts— to be straightforward, I have very, very fond memories of those Lionel trains. I loved those trains. I kind of wish I had a set now.
But not only is that a fantasy about childhood simply rekindled in my brain, that’s not about the real world today. That is about me. But Christmas— Christmas— is not about me. And Christmas— perhaps it’s not about an unseen God.
Christmas is about the real world today because Christmas is about celebrating God who can be seen. This God can be seen in the truths represented by Jesus.
And this is a list of some but not all of the truths represented by Jesus, truths which can be seen in the life and in the preaching of Jesus. The list: unity, social justice, equality, caring for our world, diversity, freedom, equity, love.
So, Christmas— this season toward which we are headed as we work through Advent— is, therefore about each of us reaching beyond ourselves to express love, to express grace, to express forgivingness, to express acceptance no matter what the culture might tell us because, indeed, the culture tells us that love, grace, forgiveness, acceptance are not good values. Indeed, this aforementioned list of attributes which we Christians are called to practice is not an agenda— political or otherwise.
This list simply pays attention to and responds to the fact that God is with us, God walks with us, God is present to us. That does not sound like an unseen God to me. Amen.
11/20/2016
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 Choral Response and Benediction. This is an précis of what was said: “I think this is another take on what I am trying to get at when I speak about Christmas: God is not Santa Clause. We say, ‘Oh! I got what I wanted! God is in control’ or conversely, ‘Nuts! I did not get what I wanted. That’s O.K. I’ll live with it for now since God is in control.’ You see, the gifts of God are greater, much greater, than anything we might want or anything we might find under a tree, even Lionel trains. You heard this earlier. These gifts include but are not limited to unity, social justice, equality, caring for our world, diversity, freedom, equity, love. But we won’t find them under a tree. God relies on us to work with them and for them.”
BENEDICTION: Let us walk in the light God provides. Let us thank God for reaching out to us in love. Let us be daily recreated in the image of God who wants us to live with justice as our guide and freedom as our goal. And may the peace of Christ which surpasses our understanding keep our hearts and minds in the companionship of the Holy Spirit and the love of God this day and evermore. Amen.
The Unseen God?
“Christ is the image of the unseen God, / the firstborn of all creation;...” — Colossians 1:15.
(The pastor loudly whispers the first sentence in the microphone.) It’s nearly here— just 34 days away— Christmas— 34 days and counting. On the church calendar that is, in fact, one reason we call today the Twenty-Seventh and Last Sunday after Pentecost, the Thirty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
On that church calendar the Season of Advent, of course, comes before Christmas. And, to be clear, Christmas is not just a day. Christmas is a season.
Not only is Christmas a season but I’d bet you know exactly how long that season lasts. 12 days, but I bet you knew that. So, next week we not only turn the corner into Advent, we start— in our three year church cycle— with a new Church Year, as we leave year ‘C’ and enter year ‘A.’
And why? Why does Advent come before Christmas? And what does it mean that it’s 34 days until Christmas? And afer all, does Christmas mean— as the secular world would have it— something about gifts, about presents, about family? Or is there more to this thing we call Christmas? (Slight pause.)
Gifts are an interesting topic. What are they about? Are they about you, if you are the recipient, or are they about the person doing the giving? Do you, when you give a gift, want to give what you believe to be the perfect gift or do you want to give the person on the receiving end what that person really needs? Note: that is not what someone else really wants but what someone else really needs. (Slight pause.)
Gifts— as I said— an interesting topic. When I was a child I had a set of Lionel Trains, model trains. Or perhaps I should say we— the family— had a set of model trains. You see, in theory, my brother— a year younger than myself— my brother and I had a set of Lionel Trains together.
But the story about these trains is even a bit more complicated than that. The basic set was purchased when I was less than two. The train set was, certainly not at that point, for me. It was for my father.
Each Christmas after that basic set was purchased my brother would get one railroad car to add to the collection of cars and I would get one railroad car to add to the collection of cars. Each Christmas my father would, dutifully, assemble the layout.
When I say assemble, my father was no Mr. FixIt, no Mr. Handyman. Even so, he had constructed a fairly large folding train board made of wood which sat on rollers so it was easy to shift around. The tracks were permanently screwed on the board.
At the end of the season, the train set, the board and all, would come down. The board would be folded up, the train cars set back in their original distinctive orange boxes. And all this would disappear until the following Christmas season.
You see, we lived in a small apartment in the Bushwick section of Brooklyn. There was no space to leave a train set up the whole year round.
Needless to say, as children we thought of the additional train car as our “big” present each year. Today Lionel trains would, indeed, be a big gift.
I looked it up. These days many of the locomotive units and/or whole sets in the same scale and the same style as the trains we had sell for hundreds and hundreds of dollars brand new. I am not sure what the prices were back then. I am fairly certain they were less expensive.
One of the things I say about my early family life is we were not impoverished. But we were relatively poor. Therefore, the more common gifts both under the tree and exchanged at Christmas were quite practical: dress clothes, shoes, sneakers, outerwear, socks etc., etc., etc.
All this is good. Gifts are good. Practical gifts are good. Less than practical gifts are still good. But this gift stuff— is that in any way connected to these words (quote:) “Christ is the image of the unseen God, / the firstborn of all creation;...”
Indeed, what is it we strive to celebrate with Christmas? What does it mean that the Christ is the firstborn of all creation?
And what does it mean that the Christ is the image of the unseen God? Hold it. What did that say? God is unseen... but Christ, Who we can see, is the image of God Whom we cannot see?
That sounds like a contradiction which may well open a variety of cans crammed with worms. Why would the writer of Colossians say God is unseen?
Does that separate God and Christ? And/or does the word ‘unseen’ mean unfelt also? And/or does unseen mean we have some real, intimate knowledge of the presence of God but our sensory perceptions lack any cognitive way for us to be in touch with the presence of this unseen God? (Slight pause.)
Personally, I think all those questions get answered in the reality of the Christ. Indeed, if what is recorded about the preaching of Jesus comes even close to being accurate, there is a singular and constant message from Jesus which fits right in with the words which state that “Christ is the image of the unseen God...”
What is the constant message we hear in the preaching of the Christ? God... is... near. And that message is not limited to the concept that God is near. The message includes this: God is with us. God walks with us.
This is the message of Jesus, the preaching of Jesus. And that preaching sends us right back to Colossians. Colossians asks, effectively, ‘Who is this Jesus? Who is the Christ?’ (Slight pause.)
Here’s where I stand. Jesus, the Christ, is the image of the unseen God. Jesus, the Christ, is the reality of the unseen God.
The reality of Jesus, the Christ, is that God and Jesus are both separate and one. The reality of Jesus, the Christ, the presence of Jesus, the Christ, does address our sensory perceptions, does address any lack of a cognitive way for us to touch the presence— the real presence— of God, God who is, as Jesus preached, always near, God who is with us, God who walks with us. (Slight pause.)
So, what is it we strive to celebrate with Christmas? What does it mean that the Christ is the firstborn of all creation? What does it mean that the Christ is the image of the unseen God?
Christmas means that God is with us, no matter what the circumstances. Christmas means that God walks with us, no matter what the situation.
And that kind of leads us back to how those gifts we find under the tree or gifts we exchange or even those gifts we buy because we want them for ourselves, so we buy them for ourselves. Ah! Those gifts— to be straightforward, I have very, very fond memories of those Lionel trains. I loved those trains. I kind of wish I had a set now.
But not only is that a fantasy about childhood simply rekindled in my brain, that’s not about the real world today. That is about me. But Christmas— Christmas— is not about me. And Christmas— perhaps it’s not about an unseen God.
Christmas is about the real world today because Christmas is about celebrating God who can be seen. This God can be seen in the truths represented by Jesus.
And this is a list of some but not all of the truths represented by Jesus, truths which can be seen in the life and in the preaching of Jesus. The list: unity, social justice, equality, caring for our world, diversity, freedom, equity, love.
So, Christmas— this season toward which we are headed as we work through Advent— is, therefore about each of us reaching beyond ourselves to express love, to express grace, to express forgivingness, to express acceptance no matter what the culture might tell us because, indeed, the culture tells us that love, grace, forgiveness, acceptance are not good values. Indeed, this aforementioned list of attributes which we Christians are called to practice is not an agenda— political or otherwise.
This list simply pays attention to and responds to the fact that God is with us, God walks with us, God is present to us. That does not sound like an unseen God to me. Amen.
11/20/2016
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 Choral Response and Benediction. This is an précis of what was said: “I think this is another take on what I am trying to get at when I speak about Christmas: God is not Santa Clause. We say, ‘Oh! I got what I wanted! God is in control’ or conversely, ‘Nuts! I did not get what I wanted. That’s O.K. I’ll live with it for now since God is in control.’ You see, the gifts of God are greater, much greater, than anything we might want or anything we might find under a tree, even Lionel trains. You heard this earlier. These gifts include but are not limited to unity, social justice, equality, caring for our world, diversity, freedom, equity, love. But we won’t find them under a tree. God relies on us to work with them and for them.”
BENEDICTION: Let us walk in the light God provides. Let us thank God for reaching out to us in love. Let us be daily recreated in the image of God who wants us to live with justice as our guide and freedom as our goal. And may the peace of Christ which surpasses our understanding keep our hearts and minds in the companionship of the Holy Spirit and the love of God this day and evermore. Amen.
Sunday, November 13, 2016
SERMON ~ November 13, 2016 ~ “Gifts for the Temple”
November 13, 2016 ~ Proper 28 ~ Twenty-Sixth Sunday after Pentecost ~ Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time ~ Isaiah 65:17-25; Isaiah 12 **; Malachi 4:1-2a; Psalm 98; 2 Thessalonians 3:6-13; Luke 21:5-19 ~ ** No Psalm assigned with this reading ~ Stewardship Sunday ~ The Sunday After Veterans Day (Friday).
Gifts for the Temple
{Jesus said} “‘All of them have contributed out of their abundance, out of their surplus, but she out of her poverty, out of her want, has put in what she could not afford, every penny she had to live on.’ Some disciples were speaking about how the temple was adorned with beautiful, precious stones and gifts dedicated to God, votive offerings.” — Luke 21:4-5.
I should not say we all do this. But certainly most of us do it. Most of us use the drive through window of a bank or credit union. When we do we grab the canister from the receptacle, open it and stuff the intended transaction in it. We stick it back into the tube and press send the button.
Off it goes with a rattle and a great, giant sucking sound through the primitive pneumatic tube system. Perhaps because, from my youth, I remember these systems being used in department stores I think of this as ancient technology.
And in terms of how we think and act today this is ancient technology. Pneumatic tube networks gained acceptance in the late 19th and early 20th centuries to transport small, urgent packages— mail, paperwork, money over relatively short distances— within a building or, at most, within a city. Believe it or not, when we landed on the moon NASA Mission Control Center was still using pneumatic tubes.
These systems were operated also by the United States Post Office Department in cities. In New York a system connected Brooklyn and Manhattan. Other Post Office systems were used in Chicago, Boston, St. Louis. The last of these closed in 1953. A major network of tubes was still used in Paris until 1984.
Well, sometimes, as I sit there at the drive through and wait for my transaction to be completed, my mind does wander a little. I wonder where the canister really goes. Will I ever see any kind of result from the personal trust I have expressed by this placing something of monetary value in a canister and watching it disappear?
Of course, I have never failed to get a reassuring receipt back. But I still wonder about it.
Evolutionary biologists tell us we humans all still have a part of the brain which dates back to when reptiles were in charge on our planet. So maybe the real reason for my wonder and fear is that reptilian part of this organ called the brain has kicked into gear rather than any logical, cognitive awareness in my 21st Century mind.
Aside from fear, perhaps I exhibit a lack of trust in the pneumatic tube system because I was once told a story about the use of these systems. You may have noticed all these drive through stations have signs which say ‘please no rolls of coins.’ Well, this story comes from before these signs were there.
The story goes that an older gentleman placed five rolls of coins in the tube and within moments of hearing that great, giant sucking sound the next great sound heard was coins— all kinds of coins— being flung around inside the tube system, probably lodging themselves in the walls and ceiling of the bank.
He was never sure if the bank was able to retrieve all the coins. So perhaps, at least if you have put coins in the tube, there is a good reason not to trust the system. I guess that proves conclusively we can ruin just about any system. (Slight pause.)
These words are in Luke/Acts in the section commonly referred to as Luke. {Jesus said} “‘All of them have contributed out of their abundance, out of their surplus, but she out of her poverty, out of her want, has put in what she could not afford, every penny she had to live on.’ Some disciples were speaking about how the temple was adorned with beautiful, precious stones and gifts dedicated to God, votive offerings.” (Slight pause.)
In this reading we also heard these words (quote:) “Jesus looked and saw people of wealth putting their offerings into the Temple treasury; there also was an impoverished woman, a widow, who put in two small copper coins.” So, what does that mean when it says “the Temple treasury” and why is this woman singled out by Jesus? (Slight pause.)
Well, let’s start at the beginning. This one who puts an offering in the Temple treasury is a woman, a widow and poor. Each of these makes her unacceptable, unclean, an outcast.
Hence, simply because she is a woman— not even taking into account her poverty or her status as a widow— she would have not been allowed beyond an outer wall of the Temple. So where is the money this widow offers being placed when it says the Temple treasury? Is it being tallied and taken in by some treasurer of the Temple at a desk?
No. Actually, the Treasury at the outer wall of the Temple was likely to have been a box, a contraption, some kind of door with a handle on it. Pull down the handle. Drop the money in. Walk away. You’re done.
The Temple gratefully accepts the offering you made. Thank you. No. We will not give you a receipt. Do not even try to prove the Temple has the money. So, to put money— especially (quote:) “every penny she had to live on”— in the box took a great leap of faith.
Next, we need to hear what is said after the comment about the generosity and faith of the widow— that the temple was adorned with beautiful, precious stones. This does make one wonder where the money goes.
One is led to wonder about that because immediately preceding the reading we heard today, Jesus condemns those who (quote:) “devour widow’s houses.” The widow, you see, is the connective tissue between the passage that precedes the one we heard and this passage..
And the Hebrew Scriptures are clear as to where the money should go. The money should go to the widows, the orphans, the outcast.
These are to be first in line when it comes to who the Temple helps. But the reading certainly leaves one with the impression that what is being offered is not going to the widow, the orphan, the outcast. It is, perhaps, going toward precious stones.
That brings me back to this great leap of faith exhibited by the widow. She trusts. She trusts in God, Whose Word clearly delineates who should benefit from giving— outreach as we call it today— giving should go to the widows, the orphans, the outcast. And the widow trusts God, so she puts “every penny she had to live on” in the box. (Slight pause.)
In a couple of moments we will have a ceremony of commitment. As I have often said, in this church we do not have to worry about precious stones.
In this church everything people give goes to outreach. And the records we keep on that are open. We publish them. In this church you do not drop money in a box and wonder where it goes, what happens to it. We tell you what happens to it. And it all goes to outreach. (Slight pause.)
That places an interesting choice before us. We can feel self-satisfied by what we, in this church, do. Or what we already do can prompt we, in this church, to offer even more. (Slight pause.)
Now, I think most if not all of you have received a letter from me about a different approach to stewardship this year. I outlined an effort to do more, to be even more involved with outreach. The more we pledge or even give, the more we will help others through the diaper program run by the First Baptist Church.
And this helping others thing— some call that an act of justice— this helping others thing, an act of justice, is what that stewardship is about. Our gifts are not simply or only gifts to the temple. Our gifts are gifts involved in the work of justice. Our gifts are gifts involved in helping others.
That was what the widow, in an act of faith in God, wanted to do: help others. That is what we want to do. In an act of faith in God we want to help others. And that should be a definition of stewardship for us. In an act of faith in God we do help others. Oh, yeah— where I come from that is called justice. Amen.
11/13/2016
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 Choral Response and Benediction. This is an précis of what was said: “Here is an interesting quote and I’ll give you two guesses who said it: ‘As humankind becomes more liberal, they will be more apt to allow that all those who conduct themselves as worthy members of the community are equally entitled to the protections of civil government. I hope ever to see America among the foremost nations of justice and liberality.” George Washington said it. Then there is, of course, Saint Augustine: ‘Charity is no substitute for justice withheld.’”
BENEDICTION: A kind and just God sends us out into the world as bearers of truth, a truth which surpasses our understanding, that the love of God knows no bounds or boundaries. Indeed, 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 noone else and nothing else. Amen.
Gifts for the Temple
{Jesus said} “‘All of them have contributed out of their abundance, out of their surplus, but she out of her poverty, out of her want, has put in what she could not afford, every penny she had to live on.’ Some disciples were speaking about how the temple was adorned with beautiful, precious stones and gifts dedicated to God, votive offerings.” — Luke 21:4-5.
I should not say we all do this. But certainly most of us do it. Most of us use the drive through window of a bank or credit union. When we do we grab the canister from the receptacle, open it and stuff the intended transaction in it. We stick it back into the tube and press send the button.
Off it goes with a rattle and a great, giant sucking sound through the primitive pneumatic tube system. Perhaps because, from my youth, I remember these systems being used in department stores I think of this as ancient technology.
And in terms of how we think and act today this is ancient technology. Pneumatic tube networks gained acceptance in the late 19th and early 20th centuries to transport small, urgent packages— mail, paperwork, money over relatively short distances— within a building or, at most, within a city. Believe it or not, when we landed on the moon NASA Mission Control Center was still using pneumatic tubes.
These systems were operated also by the United States Post Office Department in cities. In New York a system connected Brooklyn and Manhattan. Other Post Office systems were used in Chicago, Boston, St. Louis. The last of these closed in 1953. A major network of tubes was still used in Paris until 1984.
Well, sometimes, as I sit there at the drive through and wait for my transaction to be completed, my mind does wander a little. I wonder where the canister really goes. Will I ever see any kind of result from the personal trust I have expressed by this placing something of monetary value in a canister and watching it disappear?
Of course, I have never failed to get a reassuring receipt back. But I still wonder about it.
Evolutionary biologists tell us we humans all still have a part of the brain which dates back to when reptiles were in charge on our planet. So maybe the real reason for my wonder and fear is that reptilian part of this organ called the brain has kicked into gear rather than any logical, cognitive awareness in my 21st Century mind.
Aside from fear, perhaps I exhibit a lack of trust in the pneumatic tube system because I was once told a story about the use of these systems. You may have noticed all these drive through stations have signs which say ‘please no rolls of coins.’ Well, this story comes from before these signs were there.
The story goes that an older gentleman placed five rolls of coins in the tube and within moments of hearing that great, giant sucking sound the next great sound heard was coins— all kinds of coins— being flung around inside the tube system, probably lodging themselves in the walls and ceiling of the bank.
He was never sure if the bank was able to retrieve all the coins. So perhaps, at least if you have put coins in the tube, there is a good reason not to trust the system. I guess that proves conclusively we can ruin just about any system. (Slight pause.)
These words are in Luke/Acts in the section commonly referred to as Luke. {Jesus said} “‘All of them have contributed out of their abundance, out of their surplus, but she out of her poverty, out of her want, has put in what she could not afford, every penny she had to live on.’ Some disciples were speaking about how the temple was adorned with beautiful, precious stones and gifts dedicated to God, votive offerings.” (Slight pause.)
In this reading we also heard these words (quote:) “Jesus looked and saw people of wealth putting their offerings into the Temple treasury; there also was an impoverished woman, a widow, who put in two small copper coins.” So, what does that mean when it says “the Temple treasury” and why is this woman singled out by Jesus? (Slight pause.)
Well, let’s start at the beginning. This one who puts an offering in the Temple treasury is a woman, a widow and poor. Each of these makes her unacceptable, unclean, an outcast.
Hence, simply because she is a woman— not even taking into account her poverty or her status as a widow— she would have not been allowed beyond an outer wall of the Temple. So where is the money this widow offers being placed when it says the Temple treasury? Is it being tallied and taken in by some treasurer of the Temple at a desk?
No. Actually, the Treasury at the outer wall of the Temple was likely to have been a box, a contraption, some kind of door with a handle on it. Pull down the handle. Drop the money in. Walk away. You’re done.
The Temple gratefully accepts the offering you made. Thank you. No. We will not give you a receipt. Do not even try to prove the Temple has the money. So, to put money— especially (quote:) “every penny she had to live on”— in the box took a great leap of faith.
Next, we need to hear what is said after the comment about the generosity and faith of the widow— that the temple was adorned with beautiful, precious stones. This does make one wonder where the money goes.
One is led to wonder about that because immediately preceding the reading we heard today, Jesus condemns those who (quote:) “devour widow’s houses.” The widow, you see, is the connective tissue between the passage that precedes the one we heard and this passage..
And the Hebrew Scriptures are clear as to where the money should go. The money should go to the widows, the orphans, the outcast.
These are to be first in line when it comes to who the Temple helps. But the reading certainly leaves one with the impression that what is being offered is not going to the widow, the orphan, the outcast. It is, perhaps, going toward precious stones.
That brings me back to this great leap of faith exhibited by the widow. She trusts. She trusts in God, Whose Word clearly delineates who should benefit from giving— outreach as we call it today— giving should go to the widows, the orphans, the outcast. And the widow trusts God, so she puts “every penny she had to live on” in the box. (Slight pause.)
In a couple of moments we will have a ceremony of commitment. As I have often said, in this church we do not have to worry about precious stones.
In this church everything people give goes to outreach. And the records we keep on that are open. We publish them. In this church you do not drop money in a box and wonder where it goes, what happens to it. We tell you what happens to it. And it all goes to outreach. (Slight pause.)
That places an interesting choice before us. We can feel self-satisfied by what we, in this church, do. Or what we already do can prompt we, in this church, to offer even more. (Slight pause.)
Now, I think most if not all of you have received a letter from me about a different approach to stewardship this year. I outlined an effort to do more, to be even more involved with outreach. The more we pledge or even give, the more we will help others through the diaper program run by the First Baptist Church.
And this helping others thing— some call that an act of justice— this helping others thing, an act of justice, is what that stewardship is about. Our gifts are not simply or only gifts to the temple. Our gifts are gifts involved in the work of justice. Our gifts are gifts involved in helping others.
That was what the widow, in an act of faith in God, wanted to do: help others. That is what we want to do. In an act of faith in God we want to help others. And that should be a definition of stewardship for us. In an act of faith in God we do help others. Oh, yeah— where I come from that is called justice. Amen.
11/13/2016
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 Choral Response and Benediction. This is an précis of what was said: “Here is an interesting quote and I’ll give you two guesses who said it: ‘As humankind becomes more liberal, they will be more apt to allow that all those who conduct themselves as worthy members of the community are equally entitled to the protections of civil government. I hope ever to see America among the foremost nations of justice and liberality.” George Washington said it. Then there is, of course, Saint Augustine: ‘Charity is no substitute for justice withheld.’”
BENEDICTION: A kind and just God sends us out into the world as bearers of truth, a truth which surpasses our understanding, that the love of God knows no bounds or boundaries. Indeed, 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 noone else and nothing else. Amen.
Sunday, November 6, 2016
SERMON ~ November 6, 2016 ~ “The Redeemer”
November 6, 2016 ~ Proper 27 ~ Twenty-Fifth Sunday after Pentecost ~ Thirty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time ~ Haggai 1:15b-2:9; Psalm 145:1-5, 17-21 or Psalm 98; Job 19:23-27a; Psalm 17:1-9; 2 Thessalonians 2:1-5, 13-17; Luke 20:27-38 ~ Communion Sunday ~ 11/01/2016 (the Previous Tuesday) ~ All Saints Day ~ (Sometimes observed on first Sunday in November) ~ Daniel 7:1-3, 15-18; Psalm 149; Ephesians 1:11-23; Luke 6:20-31.
The Redeemer
“For I know that my Redeemer lives— / my Vindicator Who, at the last, at the end, / will stand upon the earth;...” — Job 19:25.
Confession: I am a voracious reader. But you probably at least suspected that. Most of my reading is non-fiction— history, biography— or concentrates on professional areas— theology, Scripture— church connected.
Do I, for pleasure, occasionally delve into fiction? Why, yes I do. And, when I do move over to fiction, I tend to gravitate toward science fiction.
Further I occasionally re-read a book. And so I recently found myself once again devouring the science fiction classic The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
For those unfamiliar with this work, I need to explain it is not just a work of science fiction. It’s science fiction and comedy. And it’s not just any comedy but specifically British comedy— dry, eccentric comedy. Think Star Wars meets Monty Python and you’ve got a good idea of what The Hitchhiker's Guide might be like.
Here’s one example of its comedic style. The Hitchhiker’s Guide series— yes, it is a series— is called a trilogy. A trilogy— that’s three books. Except there are five books in The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy trilogy— five books in this particular trilogy— that’s British humor, you see— dry, eccentric.
In the first book of the trilogy the opening scene starts in an very ordinary way. The protagonist, Arthur Dent, has been oblivious to the fact that a superhighway needs to run right through his property. Therefore, his home needs to be demolished.
One morning Arthur crawls out of bed to find his house surrounded by bulldozers. The person in charge claims the demolition plans have been on file and available at the local city hall for months. Arthur says ‘but no one told me’ and lays down in front of the bulldozers thinking he’s not going to let this destruction happen.
Just then the best friend of Arthur, Ford Perfect, snatches him away to a local pub. Despite looking quite human, unbeknownst to Arthur, Ford Perfect— and to reiterate, this Ford Perfect fellow is Arthur’s best friend— is from another planet. And Ford Perfect, being from another planet, knows the Earth is about to be destroyed.
Ford Perfect, in fact, knows not just that the Earth will be destroyed. Ford Perfect knows that the Earth will be destroyed in about ten minutes. And Ford Perfect is determined to avoid this, determined to hitchhike into space on a starship and determined to take Arthur with him. And so someone from another planet, has taken Arthur to a local pub so they can become inebriated enough to withstand the stresses involved in hitching a ride on a starship.
Why is the Earth being destroyed? Well, of course, the Earth is being destroyed so a superhighway can be built for starships. And that superhighway for starships runs right through the place where our planet is and/or used to be.
Why don’t we earthlings know about this? The documents which could have told us about the destruction of the planet are on file and available at a record hall located in another galaxy.
All of which is to say, not too far into the novel the Earth, as we know it, is completely destroyed. It no longer exists. Only Arthur survives. As I indicated, it’s a comedic novel— but it’s British humor— dry, eccentric— it takes strange, interesting turns. (Slight pause.)
On a serious note, I have mentioned this about my family background before. When I was around four or five, my father had what was in the parlance of the day was called a nervous breakdown. Today we would have describe it as the onset of the mental illness identified as passive dependency or passive aggression.
I was at that point both the oldest of three children and at a tender age. While I won’t get too deep into the psychology of this here— to do so would take more time than either I or you have— suffice it to say one interpretation of this event is that, for me at least, the Earth, as I knew it, was completely destroyed. I survived. (Slight pause.)
We find these words in the work known as Job: “For I know that my Redeemer lives— / my Vindicator Who, at the last, at the end, / will stand upon the earth;...” (Slight pause.)
Christians often refer to Jesus as the Redeemer. I would be the last one to disagree with that.
But equally, coming back to the thought that I am a voracious reader and part of what I read is theology, Scripture— I know that to limit the idea of redeemer exclusively to Christianity may be a fairly common secular practice. But to limit the idea of redeemer to an exclusively Christian concept defies the evidence of theology and the evidence found in Scripture. Indeed, as we just heard there is evidence in the work we know as Job. God is called ‘redeemer.’
In fact, in Handel’s Messiah, if you look carefully at the Air For Soprano titled I Know That My Redeemer Liveth, you find the piece strings together both this passage from Job and words from I Corinthians 15. Therefore, the point this music makes is ‘God as Redeemer’ is not an exclusively a Christian concept. The Testaments are a continuum. The God of the Hebrew Scriptures and Jesus are connected.
That brings me to the story we heard from Luke. At the resurrection who will be the husband of this woman who has married seven? While the answer of Jesus is couched in the language of resurrection, Jesus is not making a point about resurrection.
What is the point Jesus makes? (Quote:) “God is not of the dead but the living. All of them are alive to God.”
Put another way, God lives. That is the belief of Jews. That is the belief of Christians. God lives.
This concept is heard throughout Scripture. This concept is not confined to one segment of the text. The same sentiment— God lives and moves and works among us— this same sentiment is scattered throughout Scripture.
These words, which we also heard today, are found in Psalm 98. (Quote:) “God has made salvation known, / has shown vindication, / divine justice, / to the nations / and has remembered / steadfast love, / truth and faithfulness...”
A God Who is these things, a God Who does these things is a living God. God is then and God is here and God is now and God will be. God lives.
That, in turn, does bring us to the Christian belief called the Resurrection. If God lives, if God is here, if God is now, if God will be, if Jesus and God are connected— then Jesus, who we call the Second Person of the Trinity— lives.
Hence, at its heart and as I say each Easter Sunday, Resurrection is not about resuscitation nor is it about reanimation. Resurrection addresses a basic Jewish belief and a basic Christian belief: God lives. (Slight pause.)
That brings me back to both my background and The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. In The Hitchhiker’s Guide the Earth is destroyed in a somewhat comedic way. But survive Arthur Dent did.
My own world was destroyed and it affected me in ways which were less than comedic. But survive I did.
To be blunt and again to delve a little into psychology, I think one reason I survived is a parental figure in my life ceased to be present to me. But, paradoxically, that opened my eyes to a singular theological truth: God lives.
I realized my world was shattered but my world was not destroyed. I did survive. I realized I could live life in a new way. For reasons I cannot, myself, explain, I held firm onto the reality, the truth we call the living God. (Slight pause.)
Diana Butler Bass is an Episcopal member of the laity, scholar, church historian and theologian. She recently wrote a short piece she called Credo, A Litany of Grace.
To place this writing into context we need to remember the Latin word Credo does not mean “I believe.” The Latin word Credo means ‘that to which I give my whole heart.’ This is Credo, A Litany of Grace by Diana Butler Bass.
(Quote:) “I believe God creates the world and all therein— good, even very good, no matter how far from that goodness human beings wander; I believe Love casts out fear, and that living with compassion is the path to joy; I believe Gratitude threads all of the connections in the web of life;”
“I believe Wisdom dwells among us, embodying both divine insight and human intellect; I believe Hope banishes cynicism, always drawing us toward a creative future;...”
“I believe Awe opens us to an awakened life that reaches out to the world to restore and save; I believe Justice flows all around us, like a healing river; I believe All Shall Be Well.” — the words of Diana Butler Bass. [1] (Slight pause.)
Do terrible things, things we abhor, happen? Whe yes, they do. Worlds are shattered. But God lives.
And my point is not just that God lives. God walks with us at all times and in all ways. God is with us, always. Or as Diana Butler Bass says, “All shall be well.”
You see, when it is said “I know that my Redeemer lives” this needs to be all we hear and all we understand: God lives. It’s that simple. And all shall be well, for God is with us. Amen.
11/06/2016
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 Choral Response and Benediction. This is an précis of what was said: “The well known pastor and theologian Brian McLaren said ‘If you summarize all the work of Diana Butler Bass who I quoted earlier into a single thought this would be it: “Nostalgia is a really, really bad idea.”’ Why would nostalgia be a not just a really, really bad idea but a really, really bad theological idea? God lives. That’s about right here and that’s about right now and that’s about what will be. But it is not about yesterday. Let me reiterate this basic theological concept: God lives.”
BENEDICTION: We can find the presence of God in unexpected places. God’s light leads us to places we thought not possible just moments ago. God’s love abounds and will live with us throughout eternity. The grace of God is deeper than our imagination. The strength of Christ is stronger than our needs. The communion of the Holy Spirit is richer than our togetherness. May the one triune God sustain us today and in all our tomorrows. Amen.
[1] Note: very slightly altered for this context.
The Redeemer
“For I know that my Redeemer lives— / my Vindicator Who, at the last, at the end, / will stand upon the earth;...” — Job 19:25.
Confession: I am a voracious reader. But you probably at least suspected that. Most of my reading is non-fiction— history, biography— or concentrates on professional areas— theology, Scripture— church connected.
Do I, for pleasure, occasionally delve into fiction? Why, yes I do. And, when I do move over to fiction, I tend to gravitate toward science fiction.
Further I occasionally re-read a book. And so I recently found myself once again devouring the science fiction classic The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
For those unfamiliar with this work, I need to explain it is not just a work of science fiction. It’s science fiction and comedy. And it’s not just any comedy but specifically British comedy— dry, eccentric comedy. Think Star Wars meets Monty Python and you’ve got a good idea of what The Hitchhiker's Guide might be like.
Here’s one example of its comedic style. The Hitchhiker’s Guide series— yes, it is a series— is called a trilogy. A trilogy— that’s three books. Except there are five books in The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy trilogy— five books in this particular trilogy— that’s British humor, you see— dry, eccentric.
In the first book of the trilogy the opening scene starts in an very ordinary way. The protagonist, Arthur Dent, has been oblivious to the fact that a superhighway needs to run right through his property. Therefore, his home needs to be demolished.
One morning Arthur crawls out of bed to find his house surrounded by bulldozers. The person in charge claims the demolition plans have been on file and available at the local city hall for months. Arthur says ‘but no one told me’ and lays down in front of the bulldozers thinking he’s not going to let this destruction happen.
Just then the best friend of Arthur, Ford Perfect, snatches him away to a local pub. Despite looking quite human, unbeknownst to Arthur, Ford Perfect— and to reiterate, this Ford Perfect fellow is Arthur’s best friend— is from another planet. And Ford Perfect, being from another planet, knows the Earth is about to be destroyed.
Ford Perfect, in fact, knows not just that the Earth will be destroyed. Ford Perfect knows that the Earth will be destroyed in about ten minutes. And Ford Perfect is determined to avoid this, determined to hitchhike into space on a starship and determined to take Arthur with him. And so someone from another planet, has taken Arthur to a local pub so they can become inebriated enough to withstand the stresses involved in hitching a ride on a starship.
Why is the Earth being destroyed? Well, of course, the Earth is being destroyed so a superhighway can be built for starships. And that superhighway for starships runs right through the place where our planet is and/or used to be.
Why don’t we earthlings know about this? The documents which could have told us about the destruction of the planet are on file and available at a record hall located in another galaxy.
All of which is to say, not too far into the novel the Earth, as we know it, is completely destroyed. It no longer exists. Only Arthur survives. As I indicated, it’s a comedic novel— but it’s British humor— dry, eccentric— it takes strange, interesting turns. (Slight pause.)
On a serious note, I have mentioned this about my family background before. When I was around four or five, my father had what was in the parlance of the day was called a nervous breakdown. Today we would have describe it as the onset of the mental illness identified as passive dependency or passive aggression.
I was at that point both the oldest of three children and at a tender age. While I won’t get too deep into the psychology of this here— to do so would take more time than either I or you have— suffice it to say one interpretation of this event is that, for me at least, the Earth, as I knew it, was completely destroyed. I survived. (Slight pause.)
We find these words in the work known as Job: “For I know that my Redeemer lives— / my Vindicator Who, at the last, at the end, / will stand upon the earth;...” (Slight pause.)
Christians often refer to Jesus as the Redeemer. I would be the last one to disagree with that.
But equally, coming back to the thought that I am a voracious reader and part of what I read is theology, Scripture— I know that to limit the idea of redeemer exclusively to Christianity may be a fairly common secular practice. But to limit the idea of redeemer to an exclusively Christian concept defies the evidence of theology and the evidence found in Scripture. Indeed, as we just heard there is evidence in the work we know as Job. God is called ‘redeemer.’
In fact, in Handel’s Messiah, if you look carefully at the Air For Soprano titled I Know That My Redeemer Liveth, you find the piece strings together both this passage from Job and words from I Corinthians 15. Therefore, the point this music makes is ‘God as Redeemer’ is not an exclusively a Christian concept. The Testaments are a continuum. The God of the Hebrew Scriptures and Jesus are connected.
That brings me to the story we heard from Luke. At the resurrection who will be the husband of this woman who has married seven? While the answer of Jesus is couched in the language of resurrection, Jesus is not making a point about resurrection.
What is the point Jesus makes? (Quote:) “God is not of the dead but the living. All of them are alive to God.”
Put another way, God lives. That is the belief of Jews. That is the belief of Christians. God lives.
This concept is heard throughout Scripture. This concept is not confined to one segment of the text. The same sentiment— God lives and moves and works among us— this same sentiment is scattered throughout Scripture.
These words, which we also heard today, are found in Psalm 98. (Quote:) “God has made salvation known, / has shown vindication, / divine justice, / to the nations / and has remembered / steadfast love, / truth and faithfulness...”
A God Who is these things, a God Who does these things is a living God. God is then and God is here and God is now and God will be. God lives.
That, in turn, does bring us to the Christian belief called the Resurrection. If God lives, if God is here, if God is now, if God will be, if Jesus and God are connected— then Jesus, who we call the Second Person of the Trinity— lives.
Hence, at its heart and as I say each Easter Sunday, Resurrection is not about resuscitation nor is it about reanimation. Resurrection addresses a basic Jewish belief and a basic Christian belief: God lives. (Slight pause.)
That brings me back to both my background and The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. In The Hitchhiker’s Guide the Earth is destroyed in a somewhat comedic way. But survive Arthur Dent did.
My own world was destroyed and it affected me in ways which were less than comedic. But survive I did.
To be blunt and again to delve a little into psychology, I think one reason I survived is a parental figure in my life ceased to be present to me. But, paradoxically, that opened my eyes to a singular theological truth: God lives.
I realized my world was shattered but my world was not destroyed. I did survive. I realized I could live life in a new way. For reasons I cannot, myself, explain, I held firm onto the reality, the truth we call the living God. (Slight pause.)
Diana Butler Bass is an Episcopal member of the laity, scholar, church historian and theologian. She recently wrote a short piece she called Credo, A Litany of Grace.
To place this writing into context we need to remember the Latin word Credo does not mean “I believe.” The Latin word Credo means ‘that to which I give my whole heart.’ This is Credo, A Litany of Grace by Diana Butler Bass.
(Quote:) “I believe God creates the world and all therein— good, even very good, no matter how far from that goodness human beings wander; I believe Love casts out fear, and that living with compassion is the path to joy; I believe Gratitude threads all of the connections in the web of life;”
“I believe Wisdom dwells among us, embodying both divine insight and human intellect; I believe Hope banishes cynicism, always drawing us toward a creative future;...”
“I believe Awe opens us to an awakened life that reaches out to the world to restore and save; I believe Justice flows all around us, like a healing river; I believe All Shall Be Well.” — the words of Diana Butler Bass. [1] (Slight pause.)
Do terrible things, things we abhor, happen? Whe yes, they do. Worlds are shattered. But God lives.
And my point is not just that God lives. God walks with us at all times and in all ways. God is with us, always. Or as Diana Butler Bass says, “All shall be well.”
You see, when it is said “I know that my Redeemer lives” this needs to be all we hear and all we understand: God lives. It’s that simple. And all shall be well, for God is with us. Amen.
11/06/2016
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 Choral Response and Benediction. This is an précis of what was said: “The well known pastor and theologian Brian McLaren said ‘If you summarize all the work of Diana Butler Bass who I quoted earlier into a single thought this would be it: “Nostalgia is a really, really bad idea.”’ Why would nostalgia be a not just a really, really bad idea but a really, really bad theological idea? God lives. That’s about right here and that’s about right now and that’s about what will be. But it is not about yesterday. Let me reiterate this basic theological concept: God lives.”
BENEDICTION: We can find the presence of God in unexpected places. God’s light leads us to places we thought not possible just moments ago. God’s love abounds and will live with us throughout eternity. The grace of God is deeper than our imagination. The strength of Christ is stronger than our needs. The communion of the Holy Spirit is richer than our togetherness. May the one triune God sustain us today and in all our tomorrows. Amen.
[1] Note: very slightly altered for this context.
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