Sermon ~ 07/31/2011 ~ Wrestling with God

07/31/2011 ~ Proper 13 ~ Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time ~ Seventh Sunday after Pentecost ~ Genesis 32:22-31; Psalm 17:1-7, 15; Isaiah 55:1-5; Psalm 145:8-9, 14-21; Romans 9:1-5; Matthew 14:13-21 ~ 5th Sunday Hymn Sing.

Wrestling with God

“...the other answered, ‘You shall no longer be called Jacob’ (which means heel grabber) ‘but you shall be called Israel, the one who wrestled with God, for you have striven with God and with mortals and you have prevailed.’” — Genesis 32:28.

This is a poem.

I thought life would be easy—
I wonder why.
Perhaps I got that notion
from my mother
for whom life did seem easy,
not from my father,
who was strong,
gentle and tried to teach me
about the wisdom of the sky
from whence life
often sears the soul and tries.

I know now that life is not easy
and as I lay prostrate
on the ground.
I can hear the other one— the sound
of heavy breathing,
and my own,
as I moan in pain and
we grapple neath the moonlit sky.
I thought life would be easy—
I wonder why.

Things change but the sky does not
and it is hard to see
where I needed to go
for no one gave me anything—
a map, a plan, a route to take.
So I had to make
and rake and break
and do whatever I had to do
to see me through.

And You! You!
You are here beside me
and I know not why.
Are You the sky?

What if I surrender, give up, stop?
Will that matter?
Will You offer a blessing?
Will that matter?
And what does it matter
that the sky goes on and on—
the stars glisten above our heads until dawn,
and then the stars are... gone?

(Pause.) The reading from Genesis is the famous story of Jacob wrestling. ‘Wrestling with Whom?’ is the key question. Does Jacob wrestle with angels? Does Jacob wrestle with a person? Does Jacob wrestle with self inflicted demons? Does Jacob wrestle with the human race— all humanity? Does Jacob wrestle with God? (Slight pause.)

It says in the reading (quote): “...you shall be called Israel, the one who wrestled with God, for you have striven with God and with mortals and you have prevailed.” To be clear: the very word Israel means one who has wrestled with God. And, to be clear, the deeper meaning of the word ‘wrestled’ is one who deals with and who struggles with the reality which is God and the reality who is God.

These words also indicated an even more expansive meaning than someone who has only wrestled with God. It plainly says Jacob wrestles with “God and mortals.”

The piece of the story not read today, the content of the narrative both before and after this scene concerns the relationship of Jacob and the brother of Jacob, Esau from whom Jacob has been estranged. And, indeed, Jacob has led both a successful and a contentious life.

So, Jacob gets by because of wrestling both with family and with everyone else. And while I don’t want to place emphasis on the combative aspect of the word ‘wrestling’ it is clear Jacob comes away from the struggle changed by the engagement, changed by life, itself. Jacob is injured, traumatized by life.

And who among us has not been traumatized by life in some way? At some point each of us has had to wrestle. Each of us has had a heavy heart because of something.

We all wonder what the future holds. We all have had failures and times which inflict feelings of being unworthy. It’s likely each of us has faced the death of a loved one— a parent, a spouse or even a child.

Some of us have experienced the anxiety of being socially marginalized. Some may be perplexed, even angry because obstacles are constantly put in our way. And we ask in each of these circumstances: “Does God care?” (Slight pause.)

I think if there is anything this story says, it says that God does care. It says that God engages with us in life.

Hence, rumor to the contrary, God is not Santa Claus. God is not some ‘Fix-it’ person. Rather, God stands in solidarity with us, is present to us.

And, perhaps that is the hard part about us wrestling with God. Perhaps we want Santa Claus, not God. But a God who is really God is not a fantasy.

And life which is really life is not a fantasy. Real life consists of ups and downs, joys and concerns, struggles and silliness. (Slight pause.)

Every day, our denomination sends out a daily reflection by e-mail. You can sign up for them, if you like.

Lillian Daniel writes some of them. She is the Senior Pastor of First Congregational Church, United Church of Christ, in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, a large suburban church in the Chicago area. This was yesterday’s reflection written by her. (Slight pause.)

“On Tuesday nights, a group gathers in our church lobby to knit prayer shawls, baby blankets and booties for the members of our congregation. The knitting ministry meets the same night as our church council.”

“So while we are in the conference room making what might [euphemistically] be called big picture decisions about the life of the church, just a few feet away on the couches in the lobby other people are knitting for the sick, the new babies or those in need of any kind of healing. I think it’s a nice combination of ministry on Tuesday nights, like a check and balance system for what leadership in the church is all about.”

“I still have the prayer shawl I received from my current church when I was sick, and I still have the prayer shawl I received from my former church when my mother passed away. I went on to inherit the prayer shawl her church made for her when she first fell ill. They all lie around my house as extra blankets in the family room, ordinary objects infused with prayer in the midst of our ordinary lives.”

“The prayer shawl didn’t cure my mother’s fatal illness. But there is no question in my mind that it was a conduit of healing. It remains a symbol to me of how all our churches are knit together by the Holy Spirit.”

“New babies receive a hand-made gift to keep them warm, blessed by prayer before it is given away. It’s a symbol of a beautiful Biblical metaphor that goes back many thousands of years.”

“It seems that people have been knitting for one another forever, perhaps ever since God, the original knitter, knit each one of us together in our mother’s womb. So indeed, we are wonderfully made.” — Lillian Daniel on knitting, on meetings and on life. (Slight pause.)

This is a poem.

I thought life would be easy—
I wonder why.
Perhaps I got that notion
from my mother
for whom life did seem easy,
not from my father,
who was strong,
gentle and tried to teach me
about the wisdom of the sky
from whence life
often sears the soul and tries.

I know now that life is not easy
and as I lay prostrate
on the ground.
I can hear the other one— the sound
of heavy breathing,
and my own,
as I moan in pain and
we grapple neath the moonlit sky.
I thought life would be easy—
I wonder why.

Things change but the sky does not
and it is hard to see
where I needed to go
for no one gave me anything—
a map, a plan, a route to take.
So I had to make
and rake and break
and do whatever I had to do
to see me through.

And You! You!
You are here beside me
and I know not why.
Are you the sky?

What if I surrender, give up, stop?
Will that matter?
Will You offer a blessing?
Will that matter?
And what does it matter
that the sky goes on and on—
the stars glisten above our heads until dawn,
and then the stars are... gone?

Amen.
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: “Theologian Walter Bruggemann has said this about the God found in Scripture: ‘The image of God painted is a God of intentional artistic illusiveness’— intentional artistic illusiveness. God is real, but like anyone else we know, any friend, God cannot be fully explained. God can be experienced.”

BENEDICTION: Let us never fear to seek the truth God reveals. Let us live as a resurrection people. Let us understand every day as a new adventure in faith as the Creator draws us into community. So, go now, go in safety— for you cannot go where God is not. Go now— go in love— for love alone endures. Go now— go with purpose and God will honor your dedication. And last, go in peace— for it is a gift from God to those whose hearts and minds are in Christ, Jesus. Amen.

[1] As indicated, this is from the Still Speaking Devotional series sent out daily. Full disclosure: I did add one word to Lillian’s piece. That word is euphemistically.

[2] This poem was composed for this sermon by the Pastor. Its title is Jacob’s Lament.

The Love of Christ ~ Sermon ~ 07/24/2011

07/24/2011 ~ Proper 12 ~ 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time ~ Sixth Sunday after Pentecost ~ Genesis 29:15-28; Psalm 105:1-11, 45b or Psalm 128; 1 Kings 3:5-12; Psalm 119:129-136; Romans 8:26-39; Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52.

The Love of Christ

“What will separate us from the love of Christ? Trouble? Hardship? Distress? Calamity? Persecution? Famine? Hunger? Nakedness? Peril? Danger? The sword? Violence?” — Romans 8:35 [ILV]

The Rev. Dr. Glenn Miller, my Church History professor in seminary, is a Southern gentleman and very laid back. Nothing ruffles him. I have proof.

I was standing next to Glenn when a student approached and asked what I’d have to rate, in all Christian charity, as one of the silliest questions I’ve ever heard. “Dr. Miller— you’re offering a survey class in Church History this semester.” Glenn nodded. “What does that cover?”

Needless to say a survey course, by definition, covers the entire subject. Dr. Miller remained calm. He said, “Well, it’s a survey course... in Church History.”

“Yes,” the student insisted on pursuing this strange line of inquiry. “What does that survey cover?”

Glenn smiled. There was a twinkle in his eye. I could tell mischief was afoot. [The pastor mimics the motions in the following description.] Glenn reached out his left hand as far to the left as he could. “Jesus,” he said, “died somewhere over here— about the year 30 of the Common Era.”

Then he reached out his right hand as far to the right as he could. “Jesus will come back somewhere over here... we don’t yet know when.”

Glenn then looked back and forth across an imaginary line created by the distance between the two hands and made a pronouncement. “A survey course in Church History covers everything in between.” (Slight pause.)

I think I’ve actually told that story here before. But I was reminded of it because of a recent article in the magazine The Christian Century. The piece reported that American students don’t know much about the history of our nation.

When tested, most fourth graders can’t explain why Abraham Lincoln is important. Only 2 percent of high school seniors could name the social problem the Supreme Court addressed in Brown versus the Board of Education.

Lendol Calder, of Augustana College in Illinois, the article said, had been exploring this problem. At the start of a survey course in American History this professor asks students to write a short paper on the history of the United States. They are to write it without using any resources.

The students think they are being tested on factual knowledge. But the deeper purpose is to find out what they think the American story says.

Over the 15 years Calder has used that exercise the number of students who think of the American past as a story about gaining freedom has consistently and constantly dropped. It is now less than 20 percent. And that’s not even the real problem.

The real problem is this story has not been replaced by another story. Over 80 percent see the American past as just one thing after another— a jumble of disconnected events. Calder wonders if the American narrative cannot be seen as any kind of unfolding story, not even one about freedom, then does it seem meaningless?

Indeed, if there is no narrative framework, is it possible students cannot and are not able to see themselves in that story, to see themselves as inheritors of freedom. Last, if people have no narrative sense of the American story and its movement toward freedom, are they likely to be susceptible to ideologues who weave their own versions of the past in order to manipulate emotions? (Slight pause.)

My Church History professor, Dr. Miller, insisted history is not about dates and facts. History is about narrative, about story, about movement over the course of centuries, like the American movement toward freedom.

History is, therefore and paradoxically, personal. It is personal because we are a part of the story. But history cannot be personal unless we can see ourselves as a continuation of a story.

So, what is this narrative of American freedom? Freedom did not happen overnight but over the course of centuries. The two instances I mentioned earlier— Lincoln was president from 1861 to 1865. But the Era of Lincoln was from around 1840 to 1870, when slavery was contested.

The decision known as Brown versus the Board of Education happened in 1954. It insisted civil rights were for all people and that separate is not equal. But we need to see the American struggle for equal rights as starting when the first slave of African descent landed on these shores.

And we need to see this movement as one which continues even today. And we need to see us— here, now— as a continuing part of that story about freedom.

Unless we come to grips with narrative and how it effects us, personally, unless we see ourselves within the framework of history, we are left thrashing around wondering who we are, as we try to figure out what’s happening around us. Unless we see history as part of our own story, there are only disconnected events. Indeed, unless we see ourselves in the context of the story we lose a part of ourselves. (Slight pause.)

And these words are from the work known as Romans: “What will separate us from the love of Christ? Trouble? Hardship? Distress? Calamity? Persecution? Famine? Hunger? Nakedness? Peril? Danger? The sword? Violence?” (Slight pause.)

Can we, do we see ourselves as a part of the story about the relationship between God and humanity? (Slight pause.) [The pastor holds up a hand and points to the thumb finger and pinky finger as a beginning and an end.] When I do Bible study I start with a premise. I ask what does the Bible mean from beginning to end, from Genesis to Revelation— the whole arc?

The Bible means God loves us and wants to covenant with us. That’s what the narrative is about. That’s the whole story.

Hence, to ask what this verse says over here in Leviticus or to ask this verse here in Romans says is inadequate— always inadequate. [Again the pastor points to fingers on the hand.] We need to ask how what is said in Leviticus and what is said in Romans— how these verses fit into the basic story— the basic story— the one that says God loves us and wants to covenant with us.

Indeed, if we look at one of those verses and decide it says God does not love someone or that someone is outcast, we’ve not just misread the narrative. Either we do not really know the narrative or we’ve twisted the story beyond recognition.

Further, this needs to be personal. We need to see ourselves in that narrative, a story which says God loves us and wants to covenant with us. All of which is to say, that the basic narrative, the basic story of the Bible is really, really simple: God loves each of us. God loves all of us. (Slight pause.)

So, “What will separate us from the love of Christ?” If we do not see ourselves and everyone else as a part of the narrative of the love of God, all these aforementioned things— trouble, hardship, distress, calamity, persecution, famine, hunger, nakedness, peril, danger, the sword, violence— will separate us from the love of God. They will separate us from what God has done for us in Christ. (Slight pause.)

I need to be clear about something. What this does not say— what this does not say— is that trouble, hardship, distress, calamity, persecution, famine, hunger, nakedness, peril, danger, the sword or violence will cease to exist because of the love God offers. You see, as Christians, we believe the peace of God is with us.

But the peace of God is not the absence of trouble, hardship, et cetera. The peace of God is, rather, the presence of God.

And, as Christians, we believe Christ lives. We believe the presence of Christ is with us, the presence of God is with us— here, now. (Slight pause.)

A relationship with God, you see, just like any other relationship, is personal. And once we realize that nothing can separate us from Christ, once we see ourselves as children of God, that relationship becomes very, very personal.

Why? Because we see ourselves as loved by God in Christ, Jesus, and we see ourselves as a part of the story— part of the story called The Love of God. The Love of God— I could be wrong but is that not the greatest story ever told? Amen.

07/24/2011
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: “Another seminary student, not the one from the earlier story, once said to me that the reason the professors wanted us to write so many papers is they wanted us re-write the Bible. ‘No,’ I said. ‘They want to empower us to know the story of the Bible so well that we can relate what Bible says using our own words.’ I think that illustrates the relationship we need to Scripture because it is about relationship. It is personal.”

BENEDICTION
Let us recognize that the transforming power of the love God offers is forever among us. And may we love God so much, that we love nothing else too much. May we be so in awe of God that we are in awe of no one else and nothing else. Amen.

07/03/2011 ~ Sermon ~ In Christ

07/03/2011 ~ Proper 9 ~ 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time ~ Third Sunday after Pentecost ~ Genesis 24:34-38, 42-49, 58-67; Psalm 45:10-17 or Song of Solomon 2:8-13; Zechariah 9:9-12; Psalm 145:8-14; Romans 7:15-25a; Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30 ~ Communion Sunday ~ Pastor Joe Does North Guilford Also.

In Christ

“There is, therefore, now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” — Romans 8:1.

It used to be, if you were in the recording business, indeed, it used to be— to use the euphemism— if you were a recording artist, July was an important, special month. July was the month many artists— instrumentalists and singers— went into the studio and recorded... Christmas albums. With technology today, that time frame has gotten a little shorter, in part because the distribution aspect of being a recording artist no longer involves vinyl— vinyl which was a slow process.

I was reminded of that because in the last several weeks Tom Rasely and I have been doing the composer and lyricist equivalent of inhabiting a recording studio in July. The first Sunday in Advent this year is November 27th. So, yes, a couple of weeks ago we wrote an anthem which seems appropriate for the Season of Advent.

And yes, in this last week we’ve been working on something for Christmas. And yes, right now is that part of the monthly cycle within the Julian calendar which seems so opposite from Christmas: the Summer month called July. Or at least it seems opposite when you’re in the Northern Hemisphere. Do remember— Christmas in Australia comes in the Summer and the Summer in Australia comes in December.

Now, the reason I bring up Christmas, even though it is July, has to do with the fact that writing these Advent and Christmas pieces got me thinking about what it is we celebrate at Christmas from the theological perspective. (Slight pause.) And what do we celebrate?

Do we merely celebrate the birth of a child? If so, what details do we connect with the celebration? Was the child born at night? The shepherds hear about the birth at night. But does the birth happen then? Scripture does not tell us. We can imply it was at night, but there is nothing which actually describes the time of day the birth happened.

Was there a bright light? Scripture does not tell us that, either. It tells us shepherds experienced (quote): “the Glory of God.” In Hebrew that word “Glory” would be kabode and we are pretty sure, even though Luke is written in Greek, that’s the reference being made— kabode— the “Glory of God.”

Now, we are not totally sure of the meaning of kabode— but we know it shines but that does not mean it is the same as light. Some scholars believe kabode is something akin to the essence of God or the presence of God. But while describing kabode as ‘light’ may be as close as we can get, that description is probably not exact. (Slight pause.)

Did the angels sing? Scripture does not tell us that, either. In fact, Scripture clearly states that, first, one angel speaks and then a whole bunch of angels— if you will allow me to refer to angels as ‘a bunch of angels’— Scripture tells us a whole bunch of angels speak. No singing is mentioned in the Greek.

Now, don’t worry. I am not a spoil sport. I am not trying to take anything away from how we celebrate Christmas. In fact, the piece Tom and I are working on has singing angels— a bunch of singing angels.

What I am trying to do here is to ask some serious questions. In short, I am not asking ‘what happened at the birth of the Messiah?’ I am not asking ‘how did the birth of the Messiah happen?’ These questions are, in a real sense, irrelevant.

The more important question to be asked about Christmas and the question I am really asking is: ‘what does the birth of the Messiah mean to us here, now?’ What does it mean to us that, as Christians, we proclaim that Jesus is alive and lives among us? (Slight pause.)

And these words are from the work known as Romans: “There is, therefore, now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” (Slight pause.)

So, why does Paul say there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus? And what might that mean? Indeed, is the very statement, in and of itself, a condemnation of those who don’t accept Jesus or is that kind of separation of wheat from chaff not central in what Paul is trying to say? (Slight pause.)

So, let’s ask that previous question again: ‘what is Christmas about?’ I want to suggest that a deep understanding of what Christmas is about rests not on shepherds or angels. A deep understanding of Christmas rests on our recognition of the reality of the presence of God in our midst.

Equally, a deep understanding of this passage from Romans rests on the reality of Jesus and on the reality of what God has done in Jesus. God has revealed God’s own self in a way which has not happened before the birth of Jesus.

And what is God saying in this event? God is saying ‘I am with you for all times. I am with you for all eternity. Death should hold no fear because of my presence with you.’

Indeed, we need to understand the Christian short hand used in these words, shorthand which claims that we are “one in Christ.” To be “one in Christ” means we recognize the presence of God among us, the presence of God in one another, the presence of God in the lives of all people. (Slight pause.)

I once saw a sign held up by someone who was participating in a protest. The sign read: “Equal Justice, Not Social Justice.” I was left scratching my head on that one since these— equal justice and social justice— are one and the same.

Why? These is no justice but the justice offered by God. There is no such thing as my justice or your justice. There is only the justice of God.

And the justice God offers says we are all loved. The justice of God says we are all one. Hence, equal justice is social justice. And social justice is equal justice.

The advent of Jesus, the Christ, the Messiah, you see, says we are one, we are all loved, equally. The advent of Jesus, the Christ, the Messiah says we are one people gathered to do the will and the work of God.

The advent of Jesus, the Christ, the Messiah says God is with us throughout eternity. Hence (quote), “There is, therefore, now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Amen.

07/03/2011
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: “Over time, I have become convinced that when we read Scripture we need to try to understand it the way those who first heard or read it understood it. Those who first heard the story of the birth of Jesus did not comprehend it as being about the birth of a child but understood angels speaking as a sign of the real presence of God. Those who first heard Paul’s words from Romans understood the universality of the message, understood that the lives of all people had been changed— that’s all people— had been changed because of Jesus.”

BENEDICTION
May God bless our minds and help us as we think; may God bless our lips and help us as we speak; and may God bless our hearts and help us as we love. And may we receive this blessing in the name of the Triune God— Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer. Amen.

06/26/2011 ~ SERMON ~ DISCIPLESHIP

06/26/2011 ~ Proper 8 ~ 13th Sunday in Ordinary Time ~ Second Sunday after Pentecost ~ Genesis 22:1-14; Psalm 13; Jeremiah 28:5-9; Psalm 89:1-4, 15-18; Romans 6:12-23; Matthew 10:40-42 ~ Annual Organizational Meeting. [1]

Discipleship

“But the truth is whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these lowly ones just for being a disciple will not lack a reward.” — Matthew 10:42.


Alice in Wonderland was written by one Charles Dodgson, under the pseudonym Lewis Carroll. It tells of the story Alice, who falls down a rabbit hole. The entertaining and unnerving part for the reader is this strange world, this fantasy world, makes a whole lot of sense.

One scene reads like this— Alice to the Cheshire Cat: “Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?”

The Cat: “That depends a good deal on where you want to get to.”

Alice: “I don’t much care where.”

The Cat: “Then it doesn’t much matter which way you go.” (Slight pause.)

Now, that’s a deep truth. If you don’t care where you’re going, it doesn’t matter which way you go. Indeed, if you don’t care where you’re going how can you get lost?

It seems to me that over the last decade ‘lost’ is not only the title of a popular television program, the word, itself, has acted as an explanation of society. We have often seemed lost. Is it that we have not paid attention to where we are going or is it that we just don’t care?

I’m not sure, but I’m not the only one pondering about how lost we are. Last December Time Magazine addressed the systemic failures of institutions in the first decade of the 21st Century, starting with our inability to decide who the president might be in the 2000 election— a failure of the political system.

Then we had terrorist attacks— a failure of the intelligence system. Then we had the initiation of two wars without clear objectives— a failure of the military system.

You get the picture. Time then enumerates failures from Hurricane Katrina to the economy— and lays the problem squarely in one place: these are institutional failures, it says. [2]

The paradox and the confusion for us as a society is that throughout the 20th Century institutions served us well. So, the obvious question is: does that mean we ditch institutions? Or does that mean we need to find out what’s wrong and correct it? (Slight pause.)

The wisdom of the Cheshire Cat says if you don’t care where you’re going, it doesn’t matter which way you go. Perhaps we have too often and too much relied on institutions to tell us where to go. And I think that’s the real issue. And I think that’s the real issue because we’ve got it backwards.

We are in charge, not our institutions. Institutions have no mind but ours. It is we who need to tell our institutions where to go or the institutions won’t know how to get there. (Slight pause.)

Is the church an institution? Yes. And unless each of us gives the church direction about where to go, the church does not and will not know how to get there.

Now, we create institutions and we create them with goals in mind. So, what is the goal of the church? (Slight pause.)

The goal of the church is to transform lives. I’m not making that up. That’s been true since the day of Pentecost. The goal of the church is to transform lives.

The future of the church lies in its ability, its competence, its readiness to transform lives. And who empowers the church to be able, to be competent, to be ready to transform lives? We do. (Slight pause.)

The church, you see, is only an institution. The church is only as able, as competent and as ready as we are. So, how do we empower the institution known as church to transform lives?

By acting as disciples. And, in the words of Jesus, when we give a cup of cold water to a lowly one, we are transformed. We become disciples. (Slight pause.)

What is church is about? Some will tell you church is about music. Some will tell you church is about fellowship. Some will tell you church is about buildings. Some will tell you church is about education.

All these are a part of the church but the church is about none of these. Church is about being disciples who transform our own lives by our own actions and through our relationship with God transform the lives of those around us by our own actions and through our relationships with one another. In short, the church transforms lives because we are disciples.

Music, fellowship, buildings, education are not a means to an end. Discipleship is the means. Music, fellowship, buildings, education are the results of discipleship.

Unless we strive to be disciples and unless we are disciples not only will we not know where we are going, the institution known as the church will not know where it is and not know where it is going. In short, discipleship actually means we are, each of us, leaders. Amen.

06/26/2011
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: “In the bulletin this morning you will find a list of so called United Church of Christ “firsts.” These range from some churches taking an early stand against slavery in 1700 to the Old South Church in Boston being a meeting place where leaders of the American Revolution gathered to being the first in historic Protestantism to ordain a person of African American descent to ordaining the first woman to ordaining the first openly gay person. But it was not the denomination or its predecessors who did this, nor was it even individual churches who did this. It was individuals acting within their institutions who did this. The individuals told the institutions where to go and what needed to be done. In short, everything starts with us— with you and with me.”

BENEDICTION:
May we love God so much, that we love nothing else too much. May we be so in awe of God, that we are in awe of no one else and nothing else. Amen.

[1] Note: This sermon is shorter than most in part because this church has its Annual Organizational Meeting inside the context of the service of worship.

[2] Some of the above examples: i.e.: the Cheshire Cat and the existence of the Time Magazine article, are found in Liberating Hope: Daring to Renew the Mainline Church by Michael S. Piazza and Cameron B. Trimble. I, however, go in a very different direction with my thinking.

PASTOR’S REPORT 2010-2011

PASTOR’S REPORT 2010-2011

Many of you know that with my Annual Report I try to look toward the future, not at the past. Striving to illuminate the past is not the place on which people in positions of theological leadership should dwell. That, having been said, let’s look ahead.

************************************************

Archbishop Desmond Tutu recently had a new book published. Its title attracts immediate attention: God Is Not A Christian: And Other Provocations.

In it Tutu tells the story of a person who is inebriated, who crosses a street to the opposite side, accosts someone walking on that side of the street and asks, “Which way to the other side of the street?” Needless to say, given that this pixilated pedestrian had just crossed the street, it seemed to be a silly question.

The person of whom the question was asked, somewhat nonplused, pointed to the side from where the tipsy traveler had just come and replied, “That side, of course!”

“Strange,” said inebriated pedestrian. “When I was on that side, they said it was this side.”

The point the Archbishop was making (and on which Tutu elaborates) is where the other side of the street really is depends on where the one giving the answer to that question is located right now. Perspective differs with context.

Further, the things that have helped form us give us grounding. Religion is one of the most potent of these formative influences. It helps to determine how and what we understand of reality and how we operate in our own specific context.

Hence, this seems overwhelmingly simple: accidents of birth and geography determine to a very large extent to what faith we belong. The chances are very great that if you were born in Pakistan you are a Muslim or, if you happened to be born in India a Hindu or, if it is Japan, a Shintoist. Needless to say, you are likely to be a Christian if you were born in Italy. The relationship of location to tradition seems obvious.

‘What is the significant fact that can be drawn from this?’ asks Tutu. Perhaps that we should not succumb too easily to the temptation to be exclusive and dogmatic. You could so easily have been an adherent of the faith that you are now denigrating but for the fact that you were born here rather than there.

But the esteemed Archbishop makes a deeper point. Our God, the God we worship, would be severely small if that God was not also the God of Gandhi. God is a God of all people, whether anyone else acknowledges this or not.

Put another way, God does not need our protection. Indeed, it is often said, somewhat in jest, that God created humanity in God’s own image and humanity has returned the compliment, saddling God with our own narrow prejudices and exclusivity, foibles and temperamental quirks.

In short, God remains God, whether God has worshipers or not. God does not need us. We need God.

Tutu is also clear about the Christian position: Christ as unique. The reality of Christ helps us understand a fullness of God.

I want to come back to the point Tutu made: God does not need us. We need God. It seems breathtakingly evident. And yet, there are times we seem to be apathetic about God and about the institution of church.

Indeed, how often have you heard that people just don’t care? Dave Meslin, an artist, an organizer and a self proclaimed “professional rabble-rouser” recently gave a talk on apathy. “How often have you been told,” he asks, “that real substantial change is not possible because people are too selfish, too lazy or too busy to try to make a difference in their community?”

His claim is that people do care but we live in a world which discourages engagement. One of the things Meslin centers on to expand on this idea is a series of ten movies. This is the list: The Matrix, Harry Potter, The Golden Compass, Pokemon, Power Rangers, Sailor Moon, The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, Alice in Wonderland, The Neverending Story, The Golden Child.

Meslin asks, ‘what do these movies have in common?’ The answer is they all have heros who are chosen. Someone comes up to them tells them they are a part of a prophecy and says, “You have to save the world.” And they go off and save the world with a few people tagging along because they’ve been told to do that. These are hero stories.

This helps Meslin understand why a lot of people have trouble seeing themselves as leaders. The sole hero, he says, does not, in any way, illustrate leadership. It is not an example of leadership. A real heroic effort is a collective effort. Real leadership is about the group, not about the individual.

Additionally, real leadership is an ongoing process. And, unlike movies which tell a slice of a story, real life is an ongoing process. Real leadership does not suddenly start and suddenly end. Further more, real leadership is not very glamorous. It is a day to day to day to day effort which strives to move a group along productive paths. It is a journey.

Last, and perhaps most importantly, real heroism, real leadership is voluntary. As long as we believe that to be a hero someone puts a scratch on your head or tells you that you are part of a prophecy or that you need to save the world, you do not have a choice in the matter. You are designated.

Leadership, he says, is a choice. We enter into leadership by our own volition, uninvited and we work with others to envision what collective dreams are and work with others to help those dreams become a reality.

Pastor and theologian John C. O’Keefe says the same thing in a different way: ‘the church is an organic life form not a Limited Partnership; “Church, LP” is not church. The church is not a company. It is not a social gathering.’

Which brings me back to Desmond Tutu. It goes without saying the Archbishop is right. God does not need us. We need God.

Because of our need, the church becomes pivotal in our life. Why?

In today’s world the church is the only place where are can come together as community to tell, to hold, to share, to listen, to love, to pray, to feed and to teach. The question for us, hence, is this: are we willing to admit our need. Are we willing to commit to God because God both loves us and God calls us to a life where we are to tell, to hold, to share, to listen, to love, to pray, to feed, to teach.

The Rev. Mr. Joseph Connolly
Pastor and Teacher

Sermon ~ 06/12/2011 ~ Open to Listening

06/12/2011 ~ The Feast of Pentecost ~ Acts 2:1-21 or Numbers 11:24-30; Psalm 104:24-34, 35b; 1 Corinthians 12:3b-13 or Acts 2:1-21; John 20:19-23 or John 7:37-39 ~ Communion Sunday ~ Confirmation ~ Strengthen the Church All Church Offering Received.

Open to Listening

“Amazed and astonished, they asked, ‘Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? How is it that each of us hears these words in our own native language?’” — Acts 2:7-8

It has often occurred to me we all believe in magic. [The pastor throws red foil streamers up on the air.] Why else would so many insist on the reality of the detail about tongues of fire in the Pentecost story? [The pastor again throws red foil streamers up on the air.]

Why else would so many give so much credence to speaking in tongues? [The pastor again throws red foil streamers up on the air, then beckons a choir member to take some red foil streamers and pass them around. That choir member does this.]

Speaking in tongues— glossolalia to use the official Greek word— is something some people would have us believe is a part of a holy language. Some consider it a proof of a of true faith.

Others believe the vocalizations heard with speaking in tongues are meaningless. Which is not to say those vocalizations fail to be real. It is to say critics cite hypnosis and social learning as explanations.

To be blunt, for most of us in main line traditions, it’s likely speaking in tongues is considered just weird. Some, probably as quietly as they can, claim the people who practice speaking in tongues are mentally ill.

However, in 1969 a team from the University of Minnesota conducted an extensive study among people who regularly practiced this phenomena. They did extensive research into that possibility. The researchers saw the practice as valid and not related to mental health issues.

These researchers examined practitioners in the United States, Mexico, Haiti and Colombia, in many Protestant groups, especially among Pentecostals, all the way to what might be called the other end of the spectrum— Roman Catholics. Mental illness was not a conclusion. In 2003 another study said the only odd thing about it was that people who practiced speaking in tongues were stable but quite clearly extremely extroverted. [1]

However, I think the real issue which needs to be raised about the attention many seem to pay to speaking in tongues is not about its veracity, its reality, whether or not it happened or happens whether or not its about mental illness or even about whether or not its simply magic. [The pastor again throws red foil streamers up on the air.] The issue raised by the depiction of the Pentecost event found in Scripture much more concerns what we do in response to the actions of God and the Word of God than anything else.

And it seems obvious to me we are by far too ready to believe in miracles and believe, therefore, in the power of others or the power of an outside force rather than to see ourselves as a part of the miracle, rather than to see ourselves as central to what this story addressees.

So, do we sometimes see strange behavior? Strange behavior is not the point. Do we see miracles? [The pastor throws red foil streamers up on the air.] Miracles are not the point. (Slight pause.)

And these words are from Luke/Acts in the section commonly called Acts: “Amazed and astonished, they asked, ‘Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? How is it that each of us hears these words in our own native language?’” (Slight pause.)

Even to the casual reader of this passage it should be evident that if there is any miracle to be experienced, it is not in the speaking of unknown languages. If there is any miracle here, the miracle is in the hearing— in the hearing of those who listened.

How it was said and even what was said does not really matter. What matters is how it was heard and what was heard. What matters is the reception, not the broadcast. (Slight pause.)

So, what do we hear? Is the Spirit still speaking today? Certainly, that is what our denomination claims. God is still speaking.

But do we trust that God is still speaking and that God is inviting us to the work of God or have we turned church into just a social gathering? (Long pause.) In short, do we believe that God is working in the world and do we believe that God invites us to do the work of God in the world? (Long pause.)

There is a video on youtube about Pentecost in which these words are flashed on the screen. (Slight pause.) Quote: “Go ahead. Admit it. You are wondering about your future. You are maybe even worrying about your future.”

“Do we, those in the church, even have a future? Will our church survive? Will our children have faith? Will our faith have children?”

“There are so many challenges. Money. Divisions. Arguments. We are getting older. How are we going to get things done?”

“We don’t know the people next door anymore. Why would they want to come to our church?”

“People pass by. We don’t know them. No one comes in. They remain outside. We are inside.”

“And so we wait. And we watch. And we worry. But we don’t know what to do. Won’t someone come and help us?”

“These are big questions,” the video continues. “But you are not the first to ask them. Did you know there’s a story in the Bible that is exactly like this?”

“Do you remember? There were only a few left. People passed by outside. The small group remained inside— waiting, watching— and they did not know what to do.”

“And then...... Wind. Fire. Noise. And....... silence.” (Long pause.)

“So, what happened? No one came and took away their problems. Instead the Spirit was recognized in their midst and that created a new problem.”

“That’s right. The Holy Spirit— recognized right in their midst. And that created a problem.”

“They could not stay inside. They had to go outside. They had to go outside and preach. And serve. And care. And witness. And teach. And pray. And invite. And love. And preach, serve, care, witness, teach, pray, invite, love. Preach, serve, care, witness, teach, pray, invite, love. That is Pentecost” (Slight pause.)

The video does not stop there. Here’s what it says: “So, I’ve got good news and I’ve got bad news. The bad news is: no one is coming to fix your problems. The good news is: the solutions you seek are all around you. You have the strength. You have the courage. You have the compassion. And you have a story to tell.”

“Our problem isn’t money. Our problem isn’t divisions. Our problem isn’t arguments. Our problem is we have a story to tell and we need to tell it.”

Words from the video continue to unfold on the screen: “Now, imagine one person— one person reaching out to another and then another and then another to tell, to hold, to share, to listen, to love, to pray, to feed, to teach. And to tell, to hold, to share, to listen, to love, to pray, to feed, to teach. Tell, hold, share, listen, love, pray, feed, teach. Why? Because that is Pentecost. The Spirit is with us.” [2] (Long pause.)

[The pastor throws red foil streamers up on the air.] Too often we want magic. Too often we wait for magic. [The pastor throws red foil streamers up on the air.] There is no such thing as magic from outside of us. We are the magic. (Slight pause.)

And, by the grace of God, we can be and are empowered to listen for and to hear the Word of God. It is my experience that the last thing the Word of God invites us to do is to be static. The last thing the Word of God invites us to do is to buy into magic solutions.

So, therefore, Pentecost does create a problem. Are we willing to be attentive to the Word of God? You see, the Word of God invites us— invites us to tell, to hold, to share, to listen, to love, to pray, to feed, to teach. Amen.

06/12/2011
United Church of Christ, First Congregational

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’s an interesting question: do you know a surefire way to write a best seller? Hire a ghost writer. It’s what Jack Kennedy did when Profiles in Courage was written. It won Kennedy a Pulitzer Prize, even though he did not write it. Kennedy’s ghost writer on that occasion was also Kennedy’s prime speech writer, the late Ted Sorensen. Sorensen insisted that Kennedy wrote at least 90% of his Inaugural Address himself, including the famous line: ‘Ask not what your country can do for you — ask what you can do for your country.’ In short, when it really counted, Kennedy did it for himself. He did not get a ghost writer. He did not subcontract the work out. Church is the same. You cannot expect the church to be successful if you subcontract the work out. The Holy Ghost, to use the old fashioned term, is present and with us. But employing ghostwriters won’t work, won’t make for a successful church.”

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glossolalia

[2] This is from Working Preacher: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmweXyEeoBw>. I have made some minor alterations in the text to suit this occasion.

LETTER FROM JUNE NEWSLETTER

LETTER TO THE CHURCH FROM THE JUNE NEWSLETTER OF THE UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST, FIRST CONGREGATIONAL OF NORWICH, NY

Dear Friends in Christ,

On behalf of our church, the United Church of Christ, First Congregational, I recently attended the Installation of the Rev. Mr. David Spiegel at the First Baptist Church. But I was wearing two hats on that day. I brought greetings both from the Norwich Ministerium and from this church. What follows is an edited version of my comments.

“I am charged with bringing greetings from the Ministerium. One might think that is easy, because we are (or at least Scripture says we should be) one in Christ. Galatians says this (quote): “In Christ there is no Jew or Greek, slave or citizen, male or female. All are one in Christ.” Now, given the society in which we live, it’s not always clear this edict of Paul’s is given credence. But, on behalf of the pastors in the Ministerium, I want you to rest assured we believe we are one in Christ, so I, in fact, bring greetings with confidence that we are one.”

“I also bring greetings from the United Church of Christ, First Congregational. Every month in the Newsletter of my church, I address my letter to the church in this way: ‘Dear Friends in Christ.’ And as much as we are one in Christ, to me being ‘one in Christ’ sounds and feels like a mystical union.”

“Now, I have nothing against mystical unions, but to be friends in Christ feels more like a human bond to me. And our two churches together, over the course of 200 years, have been friends in Christ, have had a human bond, a friendship with human connections.”

“Indeed, a number of years ago when the roof of the First Baptist Church had some trouble, this congregation used our space for worship. When the building of the United Church of Christ underwent massive remodeling, the people of the First Baptist Church graciously invited us to use your space. On a personal and human note, I already know that David and I have some real bonds in our backgrounds, in our understandings of church, and I believe our collegial relationship is already flourishing.”

“In his First Inaugural, Abraham Lincoln famously used the phrase: ‘bonds of affection.’ In the very next sentence, less famously but with equal import, Lincoln defines ‘bonds of affection’ as (quote): ‘the mystic chords of memory.’ That’s not cords, as in rope. That’s chords, as in a blend of harmonious sound. The bonds of affection, the mystic chords between the First Baptist Church and the United Church of Christ, First Congregational run deep and I expect we can and will continue to make music together.”

“David— welcome to Norwich. We are glad to have you here. May God bless your ministry here and our ministry together.”

Now, there were a number of speakers on this occasion, but I loved what the Rev. Mr. Ken Simpson had to say. Ken is a retired Baptist pastor, now living in Cortland. When I arrived in Norwich fifteen years ago, Ken was already retired but was a member of the First Baptist Church of Norwich. I got to know him back then. He is a fine man and a good pastor.

Ken got in the pulpit and said two things. In making this ‘charge’ to the church, a tradition at services of installation, he said, first, love your new pastor. The action of loving a pastor can only be helpful to the ministry of the church.

Next Ken, offered a remembrance about his High School graduation. The speaker on that occasion, he said, emphasized that the key to success for the graduates was that they needed to be enthusiastic— enthusiastic about life, about what they might choose to do with their lives. So, said Ken, from that point forward, he understood that enthusiasm needed to be a high priority in life.

So, Ken went on to say, the key to being church, the key to having a successful church, he said, was to be enthusiastic. Be enthusiastic about your church. If you are enthusiastic about your church— if you speak enthusiastically about your church to others, if you attend services weekly, if you go to all the concerts the church offers or pot luck suppers or whatever else the people decide to do, the church will be successful.

Indeed, he said, you need to be enthusiastic about each other, love each other. Then he reiterated the implied premise: enthusiasm leads to the success of a church.

Last, Ken reflected on the word enthusiasm, itself. As he grew in those years after High School, he never forgot that enthusiasm is a key to life. And after he became a pastor and had studied Greek some, he came to realize the word enthusiasm had its roots in Greek. Loosely, it means ‘Ecstasy arising from God.’

So, church is not just the thing about which we can be enthusiastic and about which we should be enthusiastic. Enthusiasm is more appropriate for life in the church than in any other aspect of life because, by definition, enthusiasm is about God.

So, as I have mentioned in this space often, a colleague of mine likes to say: “See you in church.” Perhaps what I need to say is: “Be enthusiastic. It is Church! And that’s where we can be enthusiastic about God and each other.”

In Faith,

Joe Connolly