Abiding in a Tent ~ Eighth Sunday after Pentecost ~ 16th Sunday in Ordinary Time

07/18/2010 ~ Eighth Sunday after Pentecost ~ Proper 11 ~ 16th Sunday in Ordinary Time ~ Amos 8:1-12 or Genesis 18:1-10a; Psalm 52 or Psalm 15; Colossians 1:15-28; Luke 10:38-42 ~ A Union Service with the Sherburne United Church of Christ.

Abiding in a Tent

“O Yahweh, who may abide in your tent? / Who has the right to enter your tent? / Who may dwell on your holy mountain? / Those who walk blamelessly; / those who conduct themselves with integrity, / and do what is right; / those who work for justice / and speak the truth from their heart—” — Psalm 15:1-2.

[At the Children’s Time the Pastor had a large picture of the vacation place on an island in Maine where he would be next week and asked if God takes a vacation. The answer was: no, God is always with us, at our side, loving us. At the point the pastor came out of the pulpit with many small prints of different places at that vacation place, asked people to pass the pictures around and chatted with members of the congregation as that was done.]

As these things go, July seems to be a pretty significant month for Connolly clan anniversaries— or at least the part of the Connolly clan which goes by the name Bonnie and Joe Connolly. (Slight pause.) I first met Bonnie on July 11th, 1987. For those of you who don’t have a calendar calculator handy, that was 23 years and one week ago today on that island.

One year and four days after that July day in 1987, July the 15th, 1988, I moved to Maine to marry Bonnie. And twelve days short of eight full years after that, on July the 3rd, 1996, right after I graduated from Bangor Theological Seminary, we arrived in Chenango County. I had accepted a call as Pastor and Teacher here, at the United Church of Christ, First Congregational, of Norwich.

I’d be the first to admit Bonnie pays more attention to those kind of personal anniversaries than I, even when it comes to July. I tend to say: “July— ‘that’s when Major League Baseball holds the All Star Game’ or ‘that’s when the Open is played’— can’t miss those.” On the other hand, when you get that many dates of personal note bunched together, you do notice.

But I, therefore and also, am led to wonder about anniversaries. Why do we do celebrate them, notice them? I mean, I’m all for celebrating. After all, as you are probably aware, we don’t simply have a service of worship. We celebrate a service of worship.

And, indeed, there is a significant amount of remembering, looking to and at our Christian heritage incorporated into every worship. Just in and by the recitation of Scripture we remember.

But even as we celebrate and remember, I think we also need to do some looking forward. Bonnie and I are actually about to do this since this time next week we on that island in the middle of Penobscot Bay where we met those twenty-three years ago.

And, needless to say, those twenty three years ago, neither of us would have predicted my journey to and through seminary. Neither of us would have predicted that we would be here, with you, now.

So, when we return to that island next week, we will look to the past and remember. But we will also be looking forward.

Why? Because we will remember that, when we met, we did not know where we would be these many years hence. And so it will be yet again. We will not know what comes next as we stand on the shore of the island. And we will wonder what tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow will bring.

This I do know: sometimes what tomorrow brings is simply waiting on God. Sometimes what tomorrow brings is something new and different for us, something already imagined by God in ways we cannot yet dream about.

I know this: there is and there will be and there is only one constant in tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow: it will be both the same as today and yet again different than today. As an Ancient Greek philosopher said, “you cannot step into the same river twice.” The river, you see, is always changing. And yet the river is always there. (Slight pause.)

And these words are from Psalm 15: “O Yahweh, who may abide in your tent? / Who has the right to enter your tent? / Who may dwell on your holy mountain? / Those who walk blamelessly; / those who conduct themselves with integrity, / and do what is right; / those who work for justice / and speak the truth from their heart—” (Slight pause.)

I think the compilers of the lectionary have made a sound choice in placing Psalm 15 next to the story of Abraham and the visitors. Abraham’s hospitable actions have several characteristics. They extend toward those who appear unexpectedly and, in this case, these visitors also happen to be strangers.

Abraham’s actions follow a certain protocol: seeing, meeting, welcoming, honoring, inviting, refreshing, preparing, serving, ministering. These can be summed up in one word: welcoming.

But Abraham does not act in a hospitable way because of a desire to please a visitor, even a visitor who, as the text implies, may be divine. These actions are meant to be seen as everyday gestures, a holy commitment to be welcoming— to live welcoming— on the part of Abraham.

What was offered was appropriate for all visitors, not restricted for only important ones. Further, when Abraham says (quote): “If I have found favor in your eyes, please do not pass by our tent.”

This sentiment gives the visitors the freedom to respond without embarrassment. Why? The sentiment embraces emotionally. (Slight pause.)

Our tendency is to concentrate on narratives in a story, action rather than the emotional life we might find therein. This seems to be especially true when we read Biblical stories. Our inclinations lead us to concentrate on what happened, on what transpired and on what resulted from a situation rather than on how people interacted.

So what can be said about the behavior exhibited rather than the plot? What can we say about the emotional life of this story? (Slight pause.)

What is clear is Abraham and Sarah have no preconceived notions about what might happen, no preconceived notions about the future and what or who they might encounter. What is clear is they are present to one another and are willing to be present to whomever they encounter.

And a divine visitor does show up. Do they know? Perhaps— but they treat everyone equally.

In so doing they are listening for the voice of God. They are not even sure when or if God will speak. But they strive to listen always. They understand it as part of the covenant.

All of that brings us back to the Psalm. (Slight pause.) Who may abide in the tent of Yahweh, God? (Quote): “Those who walk blamelessly; / those who conduct themselves with integrity, / and do what is right; / those who work for justice / and speak the truth from their heart—”

Sounds like a tall order, that. Does it not? Blamelessness, having integrity, working for justice, speaking the truth— not easy stuff.

And, if you listen only to the narrative implied it is a tall order. You see, when we listen to just the narrative gleaned both from the Genesis reading or the Psalm we might be directed toward results and results only— only what happens in the end.

That would be a mistake. Why? Seeing only the results might lead us toward a belief in what I call the ‘Santa Claus narrative’ we get in our heads about God. You know— “You better watch out, / You better not cry / Better not pout / I’m telling you why / Santa Claus is coming to town.”

We get God and Santa Claus mixed up because we think of our relationship with God as being a series of transactions. Dear God— I want this. And you get it or you don’t. And then you ask again. And you get it or you don’t. In this narrative God becomes a consumerist god, a god who simply enters into transactions.

But is that the God described here or, indeed, the God described in all Scripture? Is that an accurate description of God, a valid narrative, the true story of God? Or is the God described in Scripture a God who enters into relationship, a God who touches us on an emotional level?

I think the God being described in both readings and in all of Scripture is a God who invites us to be open to listening to God, open to the will of God. In short, the God being described in Scripture is a God who is still speaking. (Slight pause.)

So. what do we need to do? We need to do what Abraham and Sarah did. We need to be open. We need to listen. Why?

Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow— as I suggested, twenty three years ago Bonnie and I did not know what tomorrow would bring. And when we are on the island next week, we will wonder yet again about tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow.

Now this much I can guarantee— not only will God still be speaking tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow, but whatever happens, God will be at our side— not on our side but at out side. God will be with us in our emotional life.

God will love us when things go wrong. God will love us when things go right. God will love us when we succeed. God will love us when we fail.

And God will still speak to us, and perhaps gently nudge us as we seek to walk in the will of God. As I am sure you realize, that is exactly what Abraham and Sarah did— seek to walk in the will of God.

You see, it’s not the narrative which takes precedence in any of these stories. It’s the state of being. And when we seek to walk in the will of God— guess what? We will abide in the tent of God. Amen.

07/18/2010
United Church of Christ, First Congregational
A Union Service with the Sherburne United Church of Christ

ENDPIECE: It is the practice of the Pastor to speak after the Closing Hymn, but before the Benediction. This, then, is an précis of what the pastor said before the blessing: “Speaking of remembering history, the pastor of this church from 1860 to 1877 was Samuel Scoville. Sam was the son-in-law of Henry Ward Beecher, the Pastor of Plymouth Congregational Church in Brooklyn and certainly one of the most famous people in America at that time. Beecher said this: ‘I never knew how to worship until I knew how to love.’ God stands with us. Surely that is one definition of love— standing with someone. I would suggest that when we worship, it needs to be an expression of love. But how is worship accomplished? Perhaps it means simply seeking the will of God and, thereby, abiding in the tent of God.”

7/11/2010 - 13th Annual Dixieland Jazz Service

THE UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST
FIRST CONGREGATIONAL
Norwich, New York 13815

July 11, 2010 ~ 10:00 a.m.

Seventh Sunday after Pentecost, Known in Some Traditions as the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Proper 10)

A Summer Union Service
United Church of Christ, First Congregational
First Baptist Church
Broad Street United Methodist Church
Christ Lutheran Church

13th Annual Dixieland Jazz Service

THOUGHTS FOR MEDITATION—
“All music is folk music; I ain’t never heard no horse sing a song.” — Louis “Satchmo” Armstrong

“Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent.” — Victor Hugo

NOTE: There was a mission aspect to this service of worship: Strawberry Sundays served at a Coffee Hour run by Christ Lutheran. The Free Will Donations were targeted for Our Daily Bread Food Pantry.

CHIMING OF THE HOUR

PRELUDE # 1 — Washington and Lee Swing
A Ragtime Classic, Washington and Lee Swing comes out of the same era as Dixieland and, hence, has many of the same musical roots. It was actually written as the “fight song” for Washington and Lee University by one Thornton W. Allen (class of 1913) in 1910. By 1924 more than fifty colleges had written Washington and Lee University for permission to adapt it. And yes, this song is of very little theological import. But it is great fun.

PRELUDE # 2 — A Closer Walk with Thee
This Gospel favorite makes an easy transition into many genres. Therefore, early on it became a staple of those who played jazz (there is a famous recording by clarinetist Pete Fountain) and, thereby, is a natural piece to be offered in a Dixieland arrangement.

WELCOME AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

A TIME FOR MEDITATION— I’ve Got Peace Like a River #478
Isaiah uses the image “peace like a river” (Isaiah 66:12). The tune has its roots in African American Spirituals and it is likely this was originally a Mississippi River work song. Words such as are found in the text can sustain those who find themselves enmeshed in poverty and captivity.

WE PRAISE GOD

CALL TO WORSHIP
ONE: Praise the Lord!
MANY: Praise God in the sanctuary.
ONE: Praise God for mighty deeds.
MANY: Praise our
great living God
whose steadfast goodness
and love endures forever!
ONE: Praise God with trumpet,
lute, reed and harp!
MANY: Praise God with
tambourine and dance,
with voice and hands
and trumpet,
with trombone, piano, clarinet,
with tuba, drums and strings!
ONE: Praise God with
clanging cymbals,
with loud clashing cymbals!
MANY: Let everything
that breathes
praise the Lord!
Let us praise the Lord together
and worship God
with prayer and song!

HYMN— Amazing Grace #547
This hymn by Newton is an autobiographical reflection on the time he was caught in a storm while captain of a slave ship. It is an obvious plea for forgiveness for one’s actions towards other humans, in this specific case, the captives on Newton’s ship. In making such an appeal, this hymn, historically, has had a special meaning for people from oppressed communities.

*THE CONGREGATIONAL GREETING OF PEACE
ONE: May the peace of Christ, whose present reality we celebrate, be with you.
ALL: And also with you.

*THE SHARING OF THE PEACE

OFFERTORY
I Woke Up This Morning Insert
As these things go, I Woke Up This Morning is a very new song composed in the genre known as Spirituals. It probably dates no earlier than sometime the 1960s or 1970s. By the 1980s it is found in collections. But as is true of most works with the designation ‘Spiritual’ the origins of this work are murky, its writer unknown and it, hence, in the most real sense, if true ‘folk’ art.

*OFFERING RESPONSE— God of Grace (# 436)

WE LISTEN FOR GOD’S WORD
IN SCRIPTURE AND SONG

A READING FROM THE HEBREW SCRIPTURES IN THE SECTION KNOWN AS THE TORAH— Exodus 15:1-2, 19-20
READER: Scholars agree: the Exodus is the central event of the Hebrew Scriptures. Chapter 15 of Exodus contains two hymns. The first is often labeled The Song of Moses. The second is often labeled The Song of Miriam. Placed right after the Hebrews have crossed the expanse, both hymns commemorate the event. The Song of Moses takes up a good part of that Fifteenth chapter. The Song of Miriam comes second and is quite brief. Hence, on an initial reading, The Song of Miriam might seem to be an afterthought. But just as we can tell the difference between Elizabethan English and Twenty-first Century English because of differences in style, grammar and spellings, when scholars examine The Song of Miriam they come to the conclusion that The Song of Miriam very much predates The Song of Moses and, indeed, may be some of the oldest words recorded in Scripture. I shall first read a small section of The Song of Moses and I shall then read The Song of Miriam. Hear now this reading as it is found in the work known as Exodus.

[1] [Having crossed over] ...Moses and the Israelites
sang this song to Yahweh, God:
“To you, O God, I will sing:
You have triumphed gloriously;
horse and rider You have flung into the sea.
[2] Yahweh is our strength and courage;
You have become our deliverance;
You are our God, and we will praise You,
God of our ancestors— we exalt You!”

[19] And once Pharaoh’s horses and chariots and chariot drivers went into the seabed, Yahweh let the water collapse upon them. But the Israelites had walked through the seabed on dry ground.
[20] Then the prophet Miriam, who was the sister of Aaron, picked up a tambourine in her hand; and all the women followed her, dancing with tambourines in their hands [21] while Miriam sang this:
“Sing to Yahweh, God,
Who has triumphed gloriously;
Who has flung horse and rider
into the sea.”

Here ends this reading from Scripture.

HYMN— Wade in the Water Insert
This hymn, a so-called ‘slave song,’ has an important place in American history. Harriet Tubman sang it as a warning to runaway slaves. The message of the song was the escaping slaves were being told to abandon the land paths and move to the water. By traveling along the water’s edge or across a body of water, the slaves would throw chasing dogs and their keepers off the scent.

A READING FROM THE HEBREW SCRIPTURES IN THE SECTION KNOWN AS THE WRITINGS— Ecclesiastes 3:1-2, 4, 6, adapted
READER: No faith can survive long that is founded on the slippery slope of muddled piety. Often passages from the group of Biblical books known loosely as The Wisdom Literature offer doses of reality as a tonic. This is one such passage. Hear now this reading as it is found in that section of the wisdom literature knows as Ecclesiastes.

For everything there is a season,
and a time
for every matter under heaven:
a time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant,
and a time to pluck up
what is planted;
a time to weep,
and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn,
and a time to dance;
a time to seek, and a time to lose;
and a time to keep,...

Here ends this reading from Scripture.

The next hymn is Precious Lord, Take My Hand, Tom Dorsey’s lament written after the death of his wife and newborn son in a car accident in 1932. Tom Dorsey became known as Gospel Tom Dorsey, the father of Gospel music after this hymn was published. In the nineteen twenties Dorsey had been a jazz musician who worked with Ma Rainey, but later became a choir director for forty years at the Pilgrim Church in Chicago. Gospel Tom’s Precious Lord, Take My Hand is hymn # 472.

HYMN— Precious Lord, Take My Hand #472
‘Georgia Tom’ Dorsey adapted this tune to his text after his wife and newborn son died in a car accident in 1932. Dorsey, born in 1899, was greatly influenced by the New Orleans style of music.

A READING FROM THE HEBREW SCRIPTURES— 2 Kings 2:4-14
READER: It has often been said God is on the side of the outcast and the oppressed. Indeed, some of the most compelling artistic expressions about God, a God who reaches out to humanity, come from those who are oppressed. Certainly there is no era recorded in Scripture in which the offspring of Abraham could not be said to be an oppressed people and, thereby, a people who looked to God for salvation. Still, the work of God in defense of the outcast and the oppressed through the Spirit of God continues and we look to the stories of Scripture to assure us that the Spirit of God continues to work among us. Hear now this reading from Second Kings.

[4] Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here; for the LORD has sent me to Jericho.” But Elisha said, “As the LORD lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So they came to Jericho. [5] The company of prophets who were at Jericho drew near to Elisha, and said to him, “Do you know that today the LORD will take your master away from you?” And he answered, “Yes, I know; be silent.”
[6] Then Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here; for the LORD has sent me to the Jordan.” But Elisha said, “As the LORD lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So the two of them went on. [7] Fifty of the company of prophets also went, and stood at some distance from them, as they both were standing by the Jordan. [8] Then Elijah took his mantle and rolled it up, and struck the water; the water was parted to the one side and to the other, until the two of them crossed on dry ground.
[9] When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Tell me what I may do for you, before I am taken from you.” Elisha said, “Please let me inherit a double share of your spirit.” [10] Elijah responded, “You have asked a hard thing; yet, if you see me as I am being taken from you, it will be granted you; if not, it will not.” [11] As they continued walking and talking, a chariot of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them, and Elijah ascended in a whirlwind into heaven. [12] Elisha kept watching and cried out, “My father! My father! The chariots and the cavalry of Israel!” But when Elisha could no longer see Elijah, Elisha grasped his own clothes and tore them in two pieces.
[13] Elisha picked up the mantle of Elijah that had fallen and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan. [14] He took the mantle of Elijah that had fallen, and struck the water, saying, “Where is the LORD, the God of Elijah?” When he had struck the water, the water was parted to the one side and to the other, and Elisha went over.

Here ends this reading from Scripture.

The hymn is Swing Low, Sweet Chariot. It is found on an insert. Considering its origins in the African American community, this must not be seen as a hymn about redemption in the sweet bye and bye. Rather, as it recalls the scene in Second Kings, this is a hymn which insists there is a continuation of and there is a continuing of the work of God among the people of God.

HYMN— Swing Low, Sweet Chariot Insert
Swing Low, Sweet Chariot, a hymn in the Spiritual tradition, a hymn which probably had its origins in the mid Nineteenth Century, should not be seen as a lament but as a call to understanding that there are things eternal. As is true of most Spirituals, this hymn adapts readily to the Dixieland style.

A READING FROM THE GOSPELS— Matthew 16:24-26
READER: Those who think the message of the New Testament conveys just a simple message, have either ignored the New Testament, have never read the New Testament or confine themselves to looking at only the parts which please them, while throwing out the rest. Looking at only the parts of Scripture we like, as opposed to studying the whole is more common than we realize. Thomas Jefferson, to use one example, actually compiled and published a book with only the parts of the New Testament he liked. (Slight pause.) This next reading is one commonly called The Hard Sayings of Jesus. Here the idea is addressed that discipleship, following God and the Word of God, comes at a cost. Hear now this reading from the Gospel we have come to know as Matthew’s.

...Jesus told the disciples, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. [25] For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it. [26] For what will it profit them if they gain the whole world but forfeit their life? Or what will they give in return for their life?”

This is the Gospel of Jesus, who is the Christ.

The theologian Reinhold Neibhur said anything worth doing takes longer than one lifetime to accomplish. The work of seeking God’s justice and God’s will and God’s freedom is a continuing work. Let us recommit to that idea with We Shall Overcome, hymn # 570.

HYMN— We Shall Overcome #570
While this hymn is classified as a spiritual, its origins are unclear, as there are at least three tunes from which it may have been adapted. One is the spiritual, “No More Auction Block for Me.” Another is a hymn in the European tradition, “Sicilian Mariners” and a third is a hymn, “I’ll Be All Right.” Despite murky origins, a prominent place for this hymn in the History of American Christianity was ensured through its use in the Civil Rights Movement.

A TIME OF PRAYER AND DEDICATION

PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE
Sharing of Joys and Concerns
Silent Prayer
Pastoral Prayer
The Lord’s Prayer (‘debts’)

READER: Julia Ward Howe wrote the words to My Eyes Have Seen the Glory in December 1861, after the election of President Lincoln, but before the inauguration and the secession of the southern states. The tune pre-dates these lyrics and was already being used with other lyrics in the abolitionist movement and at camp meetings. Whenever this text is sung it should be remembered that the intent of the writer was not a proclamation of patriotism or nationalism, but an insistence that the people of God must seek the justice of God. Hence, it should be remembered that, as God’s people, we are called to always seek justice. I especially invite you to examine the last verse which remembers the cross. As a hymn of praise, please join with us in hymn # 610, My Eyes Have Seen the Glory.

A HYMN OF PRAISE— My Eyes Have Seen the Glory #610
Julia Ward Howe, suffragette and abolitionist wrote this text to the camp meeting tune when she witnessed a parade of Union troops near Washington, D.C. This was after the election but before the inauguration of Lincoln, just before the onset of the Civil War. The hymn, of course, expresses the sense of a clear religious call to action. That same call, but in a more secular sense, also served as a basis of the Union’s mission. It was the call to freedom for all people. Therefore, the hymn, if we are true to the sense of what the words actually mean, remains a call for all Christians to the kind of action that might ensure the freedom offered in the dominion of God.

CHILDREN’S TIME
(The Children were invited to hand out kazoos to everyone in the Congregation. The Congregation was invited to march out behind the musicians playing their kazoos and singing When the Saints Go Marching In.)

COMMISSION AND BENEDICTION

BLESSING: Hear now this blessing: let us walk in the Spirit, remembering that we are one in Christ, for, in the Dominion of God, the grace of true freedom is the inheritance of those who walk in the love of God.

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.

*CLOSING HYMN— When the Saints Go Marching In
This tune is often associated with the march back from the grave-side. The joy expressed is because the deceased knows God face to face.

Note: this lyric is the one often used by Louis Armstrong throughout this career.

Oh, when the saints go marching in,
When the saints go marching in—
Oh Lord, I want to be in that number
When the saints go marching in.

And when the sun begins to shine,
And when the sun begins to shine—
Oh Lord, I want to be in that number
When the saints go marching in.

When the moon turns red with blood,
When the moon turns red with blood—
Oh Lord, I want to be in that number
When the saints go marching in.

On that hallelujah day,
On that hallelujah day—
Oh Lord, I want to be in that number
When the saints go marching in.

Oh when the trumpet sounds the call,
Oh when the trumpet sounds the call—
Oh Lord, I want to be in that number
When the saints go marching in.

When God’s revelation comes,
When God’s revelation comes—
Oh Lord, I want to be in that number
When the saints go marching in.

When the rich go out and work,
When the rich go out and work—
Oh Lord, I want to be in that number
When the saints go marching in.

When the air is pure and clean,
When the air is pure and clean—
Oh Lord, I want to be in that number
When the saints go marching in.

When we all have food to eat,
When we all have food to eat—
Oh Lord, I want to be in that number
When the saints go marching in.

When our leaders learn to cry,
When our leaders learn to cry—
Oh Lord, I want to be in that number
When the saints go marching in.

NOTES ON THE DIXIELAND SERVICE
Jazz, of which Dixieland is a sub-set, is nearly impossible to define. The Encyclopedia Britannica makes a self-admitted partial attempt by labeling jazz as an idiosyncratic musical form, developed by African-Americans, decidedly American in its many strands, often improvisational, containing rhythmic complexity, European harmonics, blues, group dynamics, solo ‘riffs’ and speech intonations. It is a unique experience which can never quite be repeated a second time.
The origins of Jazz, and especially the Dixieland variety, are found in the New Orleans area, dating to the brass bands of the mid 1800s. By then the custom had already developed to have brass band music at funerals. The tempo on the way to the grave was solemn, as one mourned loss. On the return trip the tempo was vibrant and the singing loud, as an expression of joy because a friend or relative was now with God. This music was, thus, early on, tied to worship, as was much music which developed out of the African-American experience. Jazz has, since its inception, influenced the worship experience and vice-versa.
Many jazz forms developed as African-American, Creole and Caucasian musicians exchanged musical and cultural experiences. The terms ‘Dixieland Style’ and ‘New Orleans Style’ are, at times, interchangeable. The earliest recordings of Dixieland date at 1917. At about that same time the purveyors of jazz and its many variations began migrating north, since there were more job opportunities in the north. Further, being a musician often meant one found only limited employment in that field and Chicago and New York City were willing to offer opportunities to the migrants.
Last, it should be noted that Spirituals, a genre used in this service several times, has close connections to Dixieland, at least in terms of sensibilities. But it should also be noted that Spirituals are notorious for having many and varied lyric possibilities, something rare in Western European music.

Note: All the readings were are adapted from the Inclusive Language Version of the Bible or the paraphrase known as The Message.

07/04/2010 ~ Sixth Sunday after Pentecost ~ Proper 9 ~ 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time ~ 2 Kings 5:1-14 or Isaiah 66:10-14; Psalm 30 or Psalm 66:1-9; Galatians 6:(1-6), 7-16 (Used: Galatians 6:1-10, 14-16); Luke 10:1-11, 16-20 ~ Fourth of July Holiday on the Secular Calendar ~ Communion.

Freedom and Responsibility

[Jesus said]: “...therefore ask the overseer of the harvest to send out the laborers, the workers to the harvest.” — Luke 10:2.


I do not remember the exact date the letter arrived. I do know it was the first week of November, 1967. I was 19.

Those of a certain age will be familiar with the first words in the letter and recognize exactly what they meant. (Slight pause.) “Greetings from the President of the United States.”

For those a little younger, this letter informed me I had been drafted into the Armed Forces of these United States. It was my draft notice. The President who sent those greetings was Lyndon Baines Johnson.

I remember watching television more than three years earlier when that very same President interrupted the regular broadcast. United States Navy vessels had been attacked off Vietnam in the Gulf of Tonkin, he said. It later turned out the facts were not quite in line with what was reported. No U. S. vessel had been attacked.

Though still in High School when I heard Johnson, I was sharp enough to recognize the war was about to escalate and the numbers of those drafted would increase. I was also sharp enough to recognize people of my age would carry the brunt of that.

All of which is to say I was neither innocent nor in denial about what would happen once drafted. Vietnam was my likely destination.

That draft letter had one other piece of news. The date set for induction was December the 5th, my mother’s 44th birthday. Happy birthday, Mom. (Slight pause.)

At the time I was a computer operator working at Bloomingdale’s Department Store in New York City. The next day I gave two weeks notice.

That afternoon the boss called me into the office of a senior vice-president and, much to my surprise, told me the company was acting on my behalf to get the draft notice postponed. That would allow the company to assign me someone to train to do my job.

Mind you, they had not asked my permission to intervene. They just did it. I went along, in part because I did not want to be inducted on my Mom’s birthday.

Within days I got a second notice. The induction date was set as January 20th, 1968. In short, the large, well known company for which I worked, could and did get my draft postponed. It was a life lesson in real world power. (Slight pause.)

And on January 20th, 1968 I was off to Fort Jackson, South Carolina, for Basic Training. Late March landed me in Fort Lee, Virginia, for Advanced Training.

The next significant date in this sequence is hard to forget. 42 years ago today— July 4th, 1968— I arrived in Vietnam. Happy Independence Day. (Slight pause.)

I’ve always said my brother is the one who got the smart genes in our family. First, whereas I dropped out of college, he did not. Second, because of that, by the time he was eligible to be drafted the system had changed. Draft numbers were assigned by date of birth.

Before that, individuals were chosen completely at random. The draft is, you see, the only time I ever have won a lottery.

Realizing he had a very low draft number, Jim applied for conscientious objector status. And he got it.

Now, I could have done that. I knew all the same priests who signed letters in support of his stand.

And, in fact, even before I graduated from High School, I knew enough about the South East Asian conflict to be totally aware it was an ineffective foreign policy and a military strategy poorly thought out and poorly executed. Last, it seemed, even then, to stand on questionable moral grounds. So, why did I go? (Slight pause.)

Rumor to the contrary, the system of government under which we live in American is not a democracy. Rumor to the contrary, the system of government under which we live in American is not a republic.

The system under which we live is a democratic republic. Democratic republic— this is not a particularly high falutin, intellectual term. You can look it up in any competent high school civics text book. We just don’t pay much attention to it in our country. Political commerce seems to prefer the mindless rhetoric which confines us to the terms democracy or republic, neither of which is accurate.

So, what does it mean to be a democratic republic? So, what does it mean to live in a democratic republic?

Perhaps this will help: in the initial draft of the Declaration of Independence, again and again, the inhabitants of the 13 colonies are referred to as (quote) “subjects.” But then something amazing happened. Jefferson methodically wiped the word “subjects” out of the text and, each time that word appeared, he changed the word from “subjects” to the word “citizens.”

“Citizens”— no longer subjects, we Americans became and are a people whose allegiance was not to a monarch but to one another. [1] As far as I am concerned, from that point forward as a nation, we have been bound to hold one another in mutual covenant— citizens not subjects. (Slight pause.)

So, why did I acquiesce and allow my self to be drafted? After all, I was fully aware it placed me in harms way, the policy of the government went beyond being flawed to being incompetent and I clearly had avenues I could exercise which might have led to deferment.

Further, I had no sense of ‘gung-ho!— now it’s off to war I go’ to which some in their teen years might have been readily susceptible. And, yes, I was against the war on many levels, including the moral. So, why? (Pause.)

I realized that, as a citizen of a democratic republic, as a citizen of this democratic republic, as one designated by chance, by tradition, by law, by age to serve in the armed forces, I had a responsibility to others.

Now, you may agree or disagree with that decision. But maintaining that I needed to be responsible is where I came down.

For me, the responsibility found in mutual covenant was key. Put another way it’s this simple: real freedom can be found only in the collective. Therefore and paradoxically, real freedom depends on the responsibility assumed by each individual. (Pause.)

And these words are from the work known as Luke: [Jesus said]: “...therefore ask the overseer of the harvest to send out the laborers, the workers to the harvest.” (Slight pause.)

You may have noticed the themes of the Epistle and Gospel readings intertwine this week. In Galatians self indulgence is taken to task.

Luke comes at the same topic from a different angle by addressing how the Good News spreads. When I say ‘how the Good News spreads,’ we need to pay heed not to details but to principles. In this case the principles include mutual responsibility.

The disciples are sent out. What is it which binds them in covenant? This message (quote): “...the reign of God has drawn near.” Once we are clear as to what the disciples are commissioned to do, to spread the Word about the reign of God, only then can we ask ‘how do they go about it?’

And how do they go about it? First, Jesus tells them to pray. So, in prayer, they embrace the humility and repentance found in accepting communal responsibility.

Second, they are commissioned by God. God is in charge. This is not a place for individualistic, self-appointed entrepreneurs.

Indeed, they go out two by two physically, therefore, embracing the humility and repentance found in accepting communal responsibility. And embracing humility and repentance can and does, you see, form living community. (Slight pause.)

So, what is this (quote): “reign of God” which has drawn near? Can it be it has something to do with the freedom granted by God? And can it be that it has something to do with the humility and repentance found in accepting communal responsibility? (Slight pause.)

The closing words of the American Declaration of Independence say this (quote): “...for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.” (Slight pause.) The signers of the Declaration embraced humility, repentance and accepted communal responsibility. (Slight pause.)

It is often said freedom is not free. And our human experience says in order to achieve freedom we need to be vigilant about preserving freedom.

But none of us are up to that task alone. Being a lone ranger works only in the movies. We need to be in covenant with one another. We need to rely on one another to see the full reality of freedom and its gifts. (Slight pause.)

As Christians who wish to seek the freedom promised by the reign of God, we must work toward community and in community. So, perhaps the way we need to think about our freedom on this Independence Day is that it is really “Interdependence Day,” a day on which mutual respect and mutual responsibility is held sacred. (Slight pause.)

Yes, freedom is not free. The freedom promised by the reign of God is empowered when we form living community, when we are responsible to one another.

So, let us remember these words of the Gospel: “...therefore ask the overseer of the harvest to send out the laborers, the workers to the harvest.” You see, when the Word is spread, is when we accept responsibility for spreading the Word. And then living community is formed. Amen.

07/04/2010
United Church of Christ, First Congregational

ENDPIECE: It is the practice of the Pastor to speak after the Closing Hymn, but before the Benediction. This, then, is an précis of what the pastor said before the blessing:
“I’ve said this before: most people believe the idea of church is to bring people into church. The idea Jesus seems to have, indeed the idea which seems to define church, is this: let us send people out from the church to be disciples who spread the word about the Dominion of God drawing near. Two paradoxes there— that is the way community gets formed. And it is formed out of the humble willingness to be a living community.”

[1] The Washington Post; Jefferson Changed ‘Subjects’ to ‘Citizens’ in Declaration of Independence; By Marc Kaufman; 07/03/2010
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/07/02/AR2010070205525.html?nav=rss_email/components

NEWSLETTER JULY/AUG - LETTER TO THE CHURCH

Dear Friends in Christ

I have publicly mentioned my friend and colleague Michael Caine several times. Formerly, the Regional Conference Minister in the Metropolitan Region of the New York Conference, Michael is currently the transitional pastor (A.K.A. Covenant Minister) at the Old First Reformed United Church of Christ in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. As many of you know, Michael was also a classmate of the Rev. Mr. Jim Hollister, the previous pastor in Norwich, when they both attended Colgate.

In the church blog the Rev. Mr. Caine recently wrote about a challenge he suggested to the Old First Reformed congregation. This is the question he asked: “Who Will Be Our Witnesses?” One parishioner suggested the church could use the fence in front of the building this summer to share the God Is Still Speaking message of the United Church of Christ.

Doing that could certainly be a witness. Graphic red and black posters and banners with the God Is Still Speaking message are available. Unquestionably these can provide a passerby a peek into the faith community and publicize the prophetic and progressive witness of the United Church of Christ which this national identity campaign provides.

Michael shared that plan with Ron Buford, the original architect of the Still Speaking Initiative. Ron said: “Michael, what do you think would happen if members share their personal stories with each other alongside the broader, overarching promises of the denomination?”

That certainly put a different spin on what real witness is about, wrote Michael. This is what he said in a church blog: “If we back up what, otherwise, may sound like the surprising, even ‘almost too good to be true’ invitation of the United Church of Christ (the invitation which insists God Is Still Speaking to us today) with real stories of real life from real people, our message of God touching the life of people (no longer sounding like just wishful thinking) could really hit home!”

Michael suggested that if the people of Old First started to share their own stories with one another, then it’s possible folks beyond that community might hear about this sharing and begin to perceive the same wonder and grace the people at Old First are starting to realize, just because they have started to share the stories with each other. A number of people have sent in stories to Michael and he has started to publish them in the church newsletter.

They are not stories about conversion or stories about big events. They are simple stories about relationship. Here are a couple of those stories.

***

A woman who moved to Philadelphia with three small children. She needed a church, searched the yellow pages for a congregation and found Old First. When she arrived with her three children in tow, someone in the congregation invited this woman and her children to sit with them during worship. They became best of friends.

One person wrote: I don’t want to be the grumpy old lady music snob! I loved the Bernstein song in worship last week, but I’m guessing there were some whose response was “Um, that’s sort of different.” The next week after that one of the offerings featured drums. And next week, I know there will be something by Handel. I love a church where no matter what music you love, you might hear it on a given Sunday morning!

Yet another wrote that the initial welcome they received at Old First was warm and genuine. But the most wonderful moment during that first visit was when they realized that their family didn’t raise an eyebrow. Two-moms-and-a-daughter was no big deal at Old First. You can’t imagine how great that felt. They still appreciate and cherish this sense of belonging and “okay-ness.”

****

I want to suggest God Is Still Speaking. And God speaks through us. Unless we speak out about how God is speaking through us, this Speaking God still talks but the voice becomes so small it is nearly silent.
We need to share our stories about God who still speaks. We need to share our stories about God who still speaks with each other. We need to share our stories about God who still speaks with the greater community.
I suppose the challenge is obvious. Do we believe God Is Still Speaking? Do we believe God can speak through us? Or do we think the voice of God is so tiny that it can barely be heard?
All the bright colored banners and fancy posters and snappy slogans won’t mean a thing unless they have something and someone behind them. That something is our story. That someone is you and me— us.
As another colleague of mine says: “See you in church!”

In Faith,

Joe Connolly

P.S. If anyone wants to submit some stories about God speaking through them in this church for the Newsletter, I would be happy to publish them.

ANNUAL REPORT TO THE CHURCH

PASTOR’S REPORT 2009-2010

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.

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

It is a key question for any church at all times: to where is this church called? Most people do not hear that vital question correctly. The thing most people hear when the question ‘to where is this church called?” is another, very different question: ‘To what is this church called?’ (Some would say “how is this church called” rather than “to what” but either will do.) I want to suggest that answering “to what is this church called” is close to useless. “To where is this church called” might be a helpful pursuit.

Why would I say that? Dwight D. Eisenhower, the 34th President of the United States put it this way: “In preparing for battle I have always found that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable.” Which is, obviously, not to say any church should fail to plan. I cherish plans. It is to say ‘where’ supercedes ‘what.’

I had a pastor friend who, many years ago, started an organization called The Institute for Clergy Renewal. It is still running. The sole purpose of the organization was to offer clergy who had ‘burned out’ by being overly involved in ‘action’ in ‘what’ to be involved in a spiritual retreat for an extended time— about three months. In those retreats they would be given an opportunity to become renewed by concentrating on issues of faith. Why? Issues of faith are the ‘where’ to which any person and any church is called. You see, without the ‘where,’ without faith, the ‘what’ becomes meaningless. And, when we pursue goals without having a spiritual grounding, the action to carry out those goals become meaningless.

So, to where are we called? I think that answer is pretty clear: we are called to be a community of faith. One becomes a community of faith and, indeed, one renews faith through a combination of the intentional study of Scripture and intentional worship.

I cannot overstress how important the study of Scripture is. But I also need to note that simply reading Scripture is not studying Scripture. Further, if you are studying Scripture alone and not in a group, I cannot overstress how important it is to have multiple commentaries (which show a variety of viewpoints) available for that study. Which, of course, argues for studying Scripture in a group because those kinds of resources are more likely be available.

That brings us to “intentional” worship. What is “intentional” about worship? There are two things members of a church need to do to practice intentional worship. The first is to strive to be, each Sabbath, the community of faith gathered together to worship the One, Triune God. The second is to make a personal commitment to each other, to the other members of the community of faith, to be present at the normally scheduled service of worship, each week, once a week, no matter what. To be intentional means that a parishioner lets nothing, lets no one, lets no other commitment get in the way of that commitment and that intentionality. I cannot overstress how important “intentional” worship is. To be clear: these two aspects of church, together— study and worship— show where our personal priorities lie.

Now, I know some will say: “O.K. that’s the ‘where’ but I am a ‘nuts and bolts’ kind of person. You really have to show me a ‘what’ or I won’t believe a ‘where’ is there.

O.K.— the ‘what’— there is a fairly popular and successful program many churches use called Five Practices of Faithful Congregations. These are the five steps. Please note: these are practices. These make recommendations about what to do, about what you can do. These all address ‘what.’ These emphasize the faithful behaviors necessary to be a vital congregation.

The Practice of Radical Hospitality
Radical hospitality happens when Christians offer the absolute utmost of themselves, their abilities, and their creativity to welcome others into the faith.

The Practice of Passionate Worship
Passionate worship is when the community explores how the ingredient of passion can transform a worship service and offers insights and ideas on how to have worship that deeply touches souls and changes lives.

The Practice of Intentional Faith Development
Faith Development is an exploration of high quality learning experiences for all ages that matures the spirituality and faith of congregational participants.

The Practice of Risk-Taking Mission and Service
We do sometimes need to be reminded that by reaching out and taking risks, churches become the resources God uses to change lives and transform the world.

The Practice of Extravagant Generosity
This has been a given throughout the history of humanity: generosity enlarges the soul, realigns priorities, connects people to Jesus, and strengthens congregations to fulfill the ministries of Christ.

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

So, there you have it: a ‘where’ and a ‘what.’ And I hope you noticed the significant degree of overlap between the two.

I’d like to end with a couple of thoughts about church on which I invite you to meditate. They are not mine. They are all taken from the writings of the late Rev. Dr. William Sloane Coffin, Jr., a Presbyterian Pastor and writer, who held standing in the United Church of Christ. At different times in a long career Coffin was a CIA agent, a chaplain at Yale University, a leader in the civil-rights and peace movements of the 1960s and 1970s, a member of the secret society Skull and Bones and, finally, the Senior Minister at the Riverside Church in New York City.

“All of life is the exercise of risk.”

“To be avoided at all costs is the solace of opinion without the pain of thought.”

“I love the recklessness of faith. First you leap, and then you grow wings.”

“The world is too dangerous for anything but truth and too small for anything but love.”

“It is often said that the Church is a crutch. Of course it’s a crutch. What makes you think you don’t limp?”

“Diversity may be the hardest thing for a society to live with, and perhaps the most dangerous thing for a society to be without.”

“When a man is drowning, it may be better for him to try to swim than to thrash around waiting for divine intervention.”

“The temptation to moralize is strong; it is emotionally satisfying to have enemies rather than problems, to seek out culprits rather than the flaws in the system.”

“Hope is a state of mind independent of the state of the world. If your heart’s full of hope, you can be persistent when you can’t be optimistic.”


The Rev. Mr. Joseph Connolly
Pastor and Teacher

Fifth Sunday after Pentecost

06/27/2010 ~ Fifth Sunday after Pentecost ~ Proper 8 ~ 13th Sunday in Ordinary Time ~
2 Kings 2:1-2, 6-14 or 1 Kings 19:15-16, 19-21; Psalm 77:1-2, 11-20 or Psalm 16; Galatians 5:1, 13-25 (Used: Galatians 5:13-18, 22-25); Luke 9:51-62 ~ Annual Meeting.

Stories and History

“...the fruit of the Spirit is this: love, joy, peace, patient endurance, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” Galatians 5:22.


Would you do me a favor? Just for a moment, would you close your eyes and try to place yourself among the disciples of Jesus on the day after Pentecost?

Now, what you need to remember as you try, is this: none of the Gospels have been written. No one knows who Paul is. None of the Epistles have been written. The term Christian has not been invented or even heard.

So, just close your eyes and try to put yourself there, the day after Pentecost, with the disciples of Jesus. (Pause.) Now, my bet is you can’t really do that. That’s because we know their future and it is impossible for us to remove that knowledge from our sensibilities. You just can’t do it. We know what’s going to happen.

The disciples, on the other hand, don’t know a thing about their future. They do not know what would happen. Did they worry about the future? Yep. Still, they moved toward the future.

What is, perhaps, even more difficult for us to understand is the writings called the New Testament are not a history of what happened and were not meant to be a history. The New Testament is not a set of facts, akin to the data we find in history. The New Testament is about the feelings and the responses to their story— the story about what happened to them.

The writers are not addressing the facts of what happened, but what it felt like. So, when Paul writes, he is interested in what it feels like to be a follower of Christ.

(Quote): “...the fruit of the Spirit is this: love, joy, peace, patient endurance, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” (Slight pause.) And here is how the disciples were able to live through those uncertain times (quote): “...those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified their ego with its passions and desires.” (Pause.)

Well, we are, today, in many ways in the same place as the disciples of Jesus the day after Pentecost. We do not know what our future will bring.

But in telling us how the disciples lived through those times with an unknown future and what it felt like, Paul is giving us some important guideposts for our times, today. (Quote): “...since we live by the Spirit, let us also be guided by the Spirit.” (Slight pause.)

We do not know a thing about what will happen in our future. Do we worry about the future? Yep. But we need to move toward the future.

So the challenge for the church today and tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow is clear: can we, you and I, the church, live our lives not knowing the future and submitting our ego to the work of the Spirit, trusting the Spirit? Trusting the Spirit— that, my friends, is a definition of church. Amen.

United Church of Christ, First Congregational, Norwich, New York
06/27/2010

ENDPIECE: It is the practice of the Pastor to speak after the Closing Hymn, but before the Benediction. This, then, is an précis of what the pastor said before the blessing: “This church was incorporated in 1814. A building went up on approximately the space occupied by this nave, this worship space in 1819. In February 1858 that structure burned to the ground. The brick church, this space in which we now worship, was dedicated in June of 1862. In 1860 this church calls the Rev. Samuel Scoville, son in law of Henry Ward Beecher, pastor of the Plymouth Church in Brooklyn and brother of Harriet Beecher Stowe and, literally, the most famous man in America at that time to be the pastor. Being the denomination who started the Civil War, as we Congregationalists are since we were key in the movement to abolish slavery in American, Sam says we will build the town Meeting House. So, in 1874 the building was expanded to its present size and the nave expanded to seat 1,300. In 1958 the size of the worship space in which we now stand moved back to its original design and renovated in 1984. It actually says in one write up that the worship space was reduced because the town did not need a meeting house any longer. All that is history. It is factual data. It says nothing about how we feel about being a community of faith. Telling our story as a church does not mean listing factual data. It means saying something about how we feel.” [1]

[1] Note: the meditation was brief because the Annual Organizational Meeting of the Church was held within the context of the service of worship.

05/30/2010 ~ Trinity Sunday ~ Proverbs 8:1-4, 22-31; Psalm 8; Romans 5:1-5; John 16:12-15 ~ Memorial Day Weekend ~ Hymn Sing In Place of Prelude ~ i.e.: 5th Sunday.

God Is Still Speaking

“When the Spirit of truth comes, that Spirit will guide you into all the truth; for the Spirit will not speak independently, but will speak whatever the Spirit hears, and will announce to you the things that are yet to come.” — John 16:13

A few weeks ago, I was sharing some time with a colleague who asked if there was a specific incident to which I pointed as the initiation of a call to ordained ministry. As it happened, there is. So I shared it with him.

I have shared the story about that incident here before, but not in a long, long time. So, some of you may have heard it. Others have not. Hence, I’d like to share it again, especially for those who have not. (Slight pause.)

I have been a church member, involved in church work across several denominations since I was a teen. When I moved to Maine from New York City to marry Bonnie, I joined First Parish Church, United Church of Christ, in Brunswick.

Having done so, I became aware of Bangor Theological Seminary. Since the day it was established in 1814, the same year the Norwich Church was incorporated, Bangor has specialized in people like me, those who enter ordained ministry as a second career.

Frankly, I always did have some sense of a call to ordained ministry. And I always did my best to ignore it. Still, I decided to get on the Seminary mailing list.

Probably after the Admissions Office sent me too many flyers without a response, they sent me a letter asking if I wanted to remain on that list. I answered “yes.” They sent me a catalogue. For some reason, they had not done that before.

I set aside some time alone to sit and read through it. And, as I read boring course descriptions, I found myself crying. At that point I remembered an Episcopal priest friend who said when she realized she had a ‘call to ministry’ she cried for three hours. I knew something was up, so I went to see my pastor, Bill Imes.

Together, we formed a Discernment Committee made up of church members. After working with them, sorting out as many issues as possible, treating the possibility of a call to ordained ministry in a serious way, a year and a half later I entered Bangor Seminary. (Slight pause.)

The kind of story I just offered is often called ‘personal testimony.’ Such narratives are not meant to exclusively be about what happens in a call to ordained ministry. Many are also called to do the work of the church as members of the laity. Those kinds of stories— stories of being called by God to do all kinds of things from committee work to being a member of a choir to being an usher to spending time staffing the Food Pantry— those stories need to be shared.

Now, any kind of personal testimony raises a number of questions. Among them are: ‘is God still speaking to us?’ ‘Is it possible that sometimes God speaks and we fail to hear?’ ‘Is God only a personal God, a God who just speaks to an individual or does God speak to whole communities of faith?’ ‘Can this God, who we claim is a God of all people, be somehow described by all of us, collectively?’

Those questions address three kinds of calls: the call of God to the individual, the call of God to the local church and the call of God to the whole church. That poses another obvious question: ‘what is church?’ (Slight pause.)

I quoted a definition of church offered by Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, in the Newsletter published Friday. Many of you probably have that Newsletter already.

“Church,” said Williams, “is a distinctive social body given coherence by the action of God in Jesus.” As I said in my article, I find both the breadth and the precision of this definition appealing.

In its breadth, it encompasses each individual, the local church and the greater church. In its precision, it recognizes the unifying (quote): “action of God in Jesus.”

But what does this stuff about church, the collective, mean to us, as individuals? What does it mean to be church, together? And, indeed, don’t definitions, themselves, and even gathered groups like churches, make things less personal, more distant, obtuse? (Slight pause.)

The Rev. Dr. John Buchanan is a Presbyterian pastor at a large church in Chicago. In a recent edition of The Christian Century he reminisced about church when he was a teen. Confirmation class consisted of memorizing the questions and answers in The Westminister Shorter Catechism— 107 questions and answers.

The church elders (all, quite literally, elderly men) made sure the task had been accomplished by questioning the teens because they questioned the Confirmands. After all, one becomes a Christian on the basis of what one knows about salvation, God, Jesus, the Trinity— right? (Slight pause.)

Well, it’s more than that. Faith, Buchanan says, is also defined by following Jesus, thereby becoming a part of the people of God. Faith is certainly not defined by rote learning. That truth came home to him when, last Easter, he laid hands on each person in a current Confirmation class.

The class included his granddaughter Rachel. Rachel has Down Syndrome. During a year of Confirmation classes, that class learned together in the classroom, prayed together, served meals to the homeless together, experienced the church as a place of service and celebration of the God of the Trinity, this God, Buchanan knew only in rote answers as a teen. This God we call Trinity— Creator, Redeemer and Spirit— became personalized.

Yes, the class still reviewed the catechism questions about the God of Trinity. There is no doubt this is a necessary piece. But they also came to a place where they felt the definition. [1] (Slight pause.)

So, who is God? What is church? How are they intertwined? Is it possible God is personal and Church impersonal or is God is impersonal and church personal?

And what is this personal call and personal witness stuff about, anyway? How does the church witness? How do we, you and I, witness as individuals and how do we witness together?

Also, how do we integrate feeling and knowing? How can we come to both know about and feel— experience— God who is still speaking, this God defined as Trinity? (Slight pause.)

I believe God calls each of us to be a member of a community of faith. I believe God then calls each us to do specific work within that community of faith. And I also believe that God calls us to be together within the community of faith, calls us to a mission of mutual respect, love and commitment and, thereby, to witness to our individual faith and our collective faith.

After all, God has no hands but ours, no feet but ours, no mind but ours, no heart but ours, no voice but ours to act in this world God created. If we are not aware of these calls of God on our lives, nothing of God gets done. Therefore, God calls all of us, no matter what our gifts and talents, whatever they are.

And we Christians do give voice to what we feel in naming God Trinity— Creator, Redeemer and Spirit. That is historically true. Indeed, in a couple of minutes we will recite The Nicene Creed, a document which has spoken to Christians for some 1,700 years— this description of God as Trinity. On the other hand, wasn’t that document, literally, written by elderly men way back in the 4th Century?

So, how can that be personal? Why would and why should we recite it? Did those elders in ancient times know what they were saying? (Slight pause.)

Actually, they did know what they were saying. The words they proposed merely describe their experience of God. It is, therefore, our responsibility to examine it with enough depth to attempt to see what they are trying to say to us. After all, if it has lasted this long, perhaps we need to honor it enough to strive to see if it is as personal as they believed it to be.

And that, that may be the deepest of truths: personal relationship of any kind is not just about or only about feeling. A personal relationship of any kind does not happen and does not develop without work. Any relationship does not become truly personal unless we do the work which nurtures that relationship.

Therefore, The Nicene Creed or any creed or any church cannot be personal unless we strive to do the work which nurtures relationship. Doing the relational work helps and, indeed, ensures that this God who is defined as Trinity will also be felt, experienced. (Slight pause.)

So, is God still speaking? Yes. But we need to do the work which will ensure that we are listening to God. John Buchanan’s granddaughter, Rachel, did that work. Each of us can do that work. And, as it happens, the work of relationship which needs to be done is the kind of work which places God at the center of our lives. Can we do the work which places God at the center of our lives? (Slight pause.)

So, perhaps the vital point is very simple: are we willing to do that work, work which will allow us to listen for the movement of the Spirit. After all, Scripture tells us the Spirit is moving and does move. Scripture tells us God is still speaking.

How do I know God is still speaking? Indeed, is what it says in the Gospel we have come to know as John (quote): “When the Spirit of truth comes, that Spirit will guide you into all the truth; for the Spirit will not speak independently, but will speak whatever the Spirit hears, and will announce to you the things that are yet to come.” God is still speaking. Amen.

United Church of Christ, First Congregational, Norwich, New York
05/30/2010

ENDPIECE: It is the practice of the Pastor to speak after the Closing Hymn, but before the Benediction. This, then, is an précis of what the pastor said before the blessing: [Before speaking the Pastor placed a small device on a pedestal at the head of the center isle, a device which had been used in the Children’s Time. It was a perpetual motion like machine (powered by a battery) which moved back and forth. The visual effect matched what the pastor said. The Pastor started the device and stopped the device upon getting to the word ‘silent’ in this brief statement.] “Personal testimony is when we talk about our relationship with God. I want to suggest, if we do not talk to one another about our experience of God, God becomes silent and impersonal.”

[1] The Rev. Dr. John M. Buchanan; The Christian Century, June 1, 2010; Volume 127, Number 11; From the Editor’s Desk, Page 3.