READINGS: 11/25/2018 ~ Reign of Christ ~ Thirty-fourth and Last Sunday Before the New Church Year in Ordinary Time ~ Twenty-Seventh and Last Sunday after Pentecost Before the New Church Year ~ (Proper 29) ~ 2 Samuel 23:1-7; Psalm 132:1-12, (13-18); Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14; Psalm 93; Revelation 1:4b-8; John 18:33-37.
Trinitarian Continuity
“Yahweh reigns, robed in splendor; / You are robed, Yahweh, girded with strength. / Yahweh has established the world; / it stands firm; / it shall never be moved; / Indeed, Your throne, / Your reign is established from of old, / from ages past; / from everlasting to everlasting / from eternity You exist.” — Psalm 93:1-2.
The year was 1996, February 1996 to be exact, my last semester at Bangor Theological Seminary. Back then once a seminary student had entered the last semester that student could circulate a profile, a résumé for a pastor, a 20 to 30 page résumé.
And so, out my profile went to unsuspecting Search Committees all over the United States. Dozens of Search Committees from Iowa, Michigan, South Dakota, Maine, Connecticut and New York contacted me. I did phone interviews with some.
Some wanted an interview, but once I saw their profile I declined. When a pastor sends a profile to a church that church, if interested, sends their profile back. A church profile, is a 20 to 30 page résumé of a church. I declined some interviews because I felt they were not a match for my gifts, for who I am.
I suspect one reason my profile got a lot of interest is, even though I was about to graduate from seminary, I already had pulpit experience. I had served for two years as Assistant Pastor at a five church cooperative in Waldo County, Maine.
Now the profile twenty plus years ago had what was called a “forced choice” survey to fill out. The pastor had to check boxes from a list of 43 choices as to what that pastor thought their own gifts were. Then eight references for the pastor had to do the same— assess the gifts of the pastor, fill out the same survey, check boxes.
This was a “forced choice” survey because there were 43 boxes you could check. You had to choose 8, only 8. That was hard.
There were some obvious boxes to check: an effective preacher, a helpful counselor, makes pastoral calls— obvious. Some were not so obvious but were really good choices— works well on a team, accepting of divergent backgrounds. But all these were binary choices, a yes or no choice. Either the box was checked or it was not.
This history came to mind because of my duties on the Susquehanna Association Committee on Authorized Ministry. We are reviewing our polices for ordination so we looked at the current profile. In the new one the forced choice gauntlet no longer exists.
We now have the Faithful and Effective Marks of Ministry— 48 of them. But this is very different. These marks try to not be at all binary, yes or no. These try to be textured.
A serious and important possibility each mark poses is the idea that every last mark has 4 different levels of understanding. Just mathematics here: if each of 48 marks has 4 levels that’s 192 possibilities to be considered.
I would be the first to insist some marks just do not have multiple levels even though that’s the claim of the profile. For instance, one of the Marks of Ministry says a pastor needs to hold active membership in a local church. Now, either you belong to a church or you do not. That’s binary.
On the other hand the Mark of Ministry labeled as “Praying actively and nurturing spiritual practices” might have not just four levels. That one might have dozens of levels.
There is another mark which sounds binary, or perhaps to our 21st Century American ears it sounds binary. This Mark of Ministry says, “Acknowledging Jesus, the Christ, as the Sole Head of the Church.”
But is this binary? Is this mark a yes or a no answer? Jesus is the heard of the church; Jesus is not the head of the church? Or is the concept that the Christ is Head of the Church subtle, texture, complex with multiple levels? (Slight pause.)
We find these words in the work known as Psalm 93. “Yahweh reigns, robed in splendor; / You are robed, Yahweh, girded with strength. / Yahweh
has established the world; / it stands firm; / it shall never be moved;
/ Indeed, Your throne, / Your reign is established from of old, / from
ages past; / from everlasting to everlasting / from eternity You exist.” (Slight pause.)
Pilate, prefect of Rome in Judaea, tries to get Jesus to proclaim some kind of temporal, finite authority. Jesus avoids addressing temporal, finite authority. Instead Jesus speaks of witnessing to truth, eternal truth.
This is one of many truths to which Jesus attested: Jesus is the Christ. This is a subtle, textured complex claim and I think we have a difficult time grappling with how subtle, textured, complex it is.
Let me unpack that. Christ is Greek for Messiah. Messiah is one anointed to do the work and the will of God.
Indeed, as you heard earlier, today we celebrate a feast of the church: the Reign of the Christ. Of course, the word reign implies some kind of temporal authority.
But what do we Christians claim about the Messiahship of Jesus? Is it about finite authority? No. It is not about finite authority. We claim that in Jesus God is revealed— in Jesus God is revealed.
So, it seems to me connecting Jesus to temporal authority might simply be convenient shorthand. But it’s sloppy, not subtle, textured, complex.
We, of course, do not live in a society which particularly appreciates subtle, textured, complex. And this is where I think the reading from Psalm 93 comes into play and is helpful.
The Psalm leads us to a question: Who is the God Jesus proclaims? Jesus not only proclaims the God of the Hebrews, but Jesus refers to God by an intimate name. Jesus does not call God father. Jesus refers to Yahweh, God, as Abba, Daddy.
Please ask yourself what Jesus, in naming God ‘Daddy,’ might be saying about God? This is, after all, the God of the Hebrews, proclaimed in the Psalms, Who in the Hebrew tradition is proclaimed as One.
Further and again, Jesus says temporal, finite authority, is not a part of the picture. Further and again, Jesus also says I am the Christ, the Messiah, anointed to do the work and the will of Yahweh, God.
That leaves us with an obvious question. ‘Who is Jesus?’ People do often and accurately say Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah. So, if Jesus is the Messiah and if Yahweh, the God Jesus proclaims, is One, explain how Jesus, the Messiah, fits into the idea, the theological concept, that God is One. (Slight pause.)
It takes the church better than three centuries of thinking about this to respond. The place the church winds up has been given a grand name. We call it Trinity— three persons, One God.
I want to point out two things about this idea we call Trinity. First, Trinity insists we have a connection with Yahweh, God. That connection is Jesus.
Second, Trinity clearly insists there is some kind of relationship, a connection between God and the Messiah. The language Christians have historically used to explain the connection of God and Jesus is relational. Hence, the term ‘Father.’
But again, father is not the word Jesus used. Jesus used Daddy. I think the implication of using this kind of human familial language is not about Father-son, nor about Daddy-child. The implication is theological. It is about the sense of closeness God has with humanity and the sense of closeness humanity might have with God.
So, Trinity— Trinity which might sound like a high faluting subtle, textured, complex idea— Trinity is really about one thing and one thing only. Trinity says God loves us so much relationship matters.
And yes love is a subtle, textured, complex thing. Relationship is a subtle, textured, complex thing.
This brings me back to that Mark of Ministry which acknowledges Jesus, the Christ, as the Sole Head of the Church. Does Jesus, the second person of the Trinity, love us as God, the first person of the Trinity, loves us? If the answer is ‘yes’ seeing Jesus as the sole head of the church should be a part of a pastor’s profile.
And, as was said earlier, it is a Mark of Ministry in that profile. However, I need to point out that acknowledging Jesus as the Sole Head of the Church is not a mark only for pastors.
You see, when I got information from a church in Norwich, New York 20 plus years ago, a profile and a whole packet of information is what I got, one thing impressed me a lot. An enclosed Sunday bulletin said this: “Interim pastor: Charles Maxfield; Ministers: All the people.”
You see, Marks of Ministry are not simply traits for which we look in pastors. Marks of Ministry are traits in churches, traits found in parishioners, in the congregation.
And so for me, the point of Psalm 93, the point of the Messiahship of Jesus is not as subtle, textured, complex as it might seem. In a real way the point is rather simple.
The Psalm says God loves us. The Psalms, all of them, say God loves us. And Jesus, the One connected intimately to God, loves us. Therefore, when we, the church, show the love of Jesus, the Christ, to all people— we, the church— we are showing a Mark of Ministry. Amen.
11/25/2018
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: “As you heard earlier the Church, in it’s wisdom, has designated the last Sunday before Advent as the Feast of the Reign of Christ. Advent leads us toward Christmas, the Feast of the Incarnation, the Feast of the Birth of the Messiah. A number of years ago one parishioner told me she now understood Christmas is not about magic babies or angels or stables. What is Christmas about? Christmas is about us understanding the connection of Yahweh, God and the Messiah, the Christ. Christmas is about us understanding our connection, the connection of humanity with Yahweh, God and the Messiah, the Christ.”
BENEDICTION: Let us receive the gifts of God’s grace and peace. Let us rejoice in the freedom to love as Jesus loved. Let the Spirit of God speak through us today. Go forth and reach out to everyone you meet in the name of Christ. And may the face of God shine upon us; may the peace of Christ rule among us; may the fire of the Spirit burn within us this day and forevermore. Amen.
Sunday, November 25, 2018
Sunday, November 18, 2018
SERMON ~ 11/18/2018 ~ “Community”
READINGS:11/18/2018 ~ Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time ~ Twenty-Sixth Sunday after Pentecost ~ (Proper 28) ~ 1 Samuel 1:4-20; 1 Samuel 2:1-10; Daniel 12:1-3; Psalm 16; Hebrews 10:11-14, (15-18), 19-25; Mark 13:1-8.
Community
“...let us always think about how we can help one another to love and to do good deeds. Do not stay away from the meetings of the community, as is the habit of some, but encourage one another;....” — Hebrews 10:24-25.
I want to share a family story. But I also want to tie that story into American sociological-political history. I know— big concept. The personal family story has to do with the family of one Bonnie Scott Connolly.
Bonnie will tell you she was born in Philadelphia and there is family history connected with that city. But when she was young her parents moved to Westport, Connecticut. Even more family resided there. The year was 1952. (Stop trying to guess her age!)
So she grew up, came to maturity, in Westport— went to Grade School and High School there. Now, in the 1950s and 1960s, in that era, Bonnie describes Westport as a normal town.
Bonnie and I have a running disagreement about that. Me— the kid from Brooklyn— I say in that era the town was at least somewhat privileged. It was a suburb. From where I sat, from my perspective, that was privilege.
However, Bonnie is right. The town was normal. And that is what has to do with sociological-political history. In the mid-1950s the average salary of a CEO was much more in line with that of the average worker.
In the mid-50s a typical CEO made about 20 times the salary of an average worker at the same firm. Last year, CEO pay at a typical Standard and Poor’s 500 firm was an average of 361 times more than the average rank-and-file worker in the same company.
This is obvious. When that spread was closer, diversity in a community was a reality. I think a diverse community can mean a closer community. At the very least it seems a more likely possibility.
The reason I point this out is Westport, Connecticut is no longer normal in that sense. It has become an enclave for want to be CEOs, real CEOs and celebrities. Today it is a town largely cut off from what most people call normal.
But it is still Bonnie’s hometown, her community. And, just like I still keep track of news from the New York City theater scene, theater being my community, also not particularly normal— Bonnie keeps track of news from Westport, Connecticut. She regularly checks a couple web sites and blogs which specialize in Westport news.
One blog is called 06880. That’s the ZIP code in Westport. She is actually a contemporary of and personally knows the fellow who runs the site, Dan Woog.
A couple of weeks ago Dan posted some local news. “Trevor Noah, the host of The Daily Show on Comedy Central— head-liner at the tomorrow’s Anti-Defamation League of Connecticut fund-raiser— had to cancel. But the replacement is another well known name: Whoopi Goldberg.”
Given those names it’s pretty safe to say Westport is no longer normal. But that’s not the point. The point is the response which happened when Dan put up the post.
Somehow that information got re-posted on a web site that is not particularly friendly to people of color. And that other web site contained a link back to Dan’s post on 06880.
What happened? Hate comments started to flood Dan’s 06880 page which, as I indicated, is simply devoted to local Westport news.
Dan said this about the reaction. The comments were nasty, vile, racist. I disabled commenting on the story, took down the most odious ones, left others up. I wanted readers to see what’s out there, beyond the Westport bubble. [1] (Slight pause.)
This is clear. The writer of Hebrews refers to community as if it were a place. The reality is community is often located in a place. A place can be a way local communities self-identify.
Groups meet at a clubhouse, a restaurant, a designated room. I once regularly met with a Bible Study group in a room just off the trading floor of the New York Stock Exchange. We were a community.
Needless to say, communities also meet in churches, synagogues, mosques, ashrams— you name it. The bottom line: the community label can be applied to nearly any small group no matter where they meet, especially those groups who meet for guidance, for study, for mutual support.
But is that what this writer is trying to highlight, just the local community? My answer is yes and no. I think we have to pay attention to a number of things in an effort to define community as it is laid out in these words.
To do that let me throw out two fancy, $24 words— $64 dollar words? Inflation. The two words: orthodoxy and orthopraxy. Orthodoxy is an adherence to accepted creeds. And Orthodoxy is what this writer is explaining in no uncertain terms in telling us who Jesus is.
Please notice where that explanation starts. (Quote:) “This is the covenant / I will make with them / in those days,....” Covenant— this is the letter to the broad community known as the Hebrews. Jesus is tied to covenant. Now that’s orthodox.
The words continue with more orthodoxy. Christ offered for all time one sacrifice, sits at the right hand of God and with one offering Jesus, the great priest, made perfect those who are being sanctified. So let us hold fast a confession of hope which we profess without wavering. That’s also orthodox, a creedal proclamation for a broad community.
Where does the writer take us next? We are taken to a community location. (Quote:) “...let us always think about how we can help one another to love and to do good deeds. Do not stay away from the meetings of the community, as is the habit of some, but encourage one another;....”
This is where that other $64 word— orthopraxy, practice— comes into play. And yes, a community relies on practice, on action, on participation. This is clear: no participation, no action, no practice equals no community, really. Participation, action, practice, is necessary. It is necessary even with a Bible Study group that meets just off the trading floor of the New York Stock Exchange. We met with great regularity.
So, orthodoxy— belief— needs to be worked out in orthopraxy— action. What we say we believe is merely that, what we say. Unless there is some consequential action which fosters and encourages community the words are simply words.
I need to be clear about this. Orthodoxy, what we believe, and orthopraxy, what we do, are and need to be intertwined, inseparable.
Put another way, if the One who made the promise to us is faithful and we approach the house of God, enter the house of God filled with faith, filled with sincerity in our hearts— to quote the writer of Hebrews— what do we need to do there, in the house of God?
We need to (quote:) “...think about how we can help one another to love and to do good deeds.” Again, orthodoxy, belief, leads to orthopraxy, action. And not just action— action together, action in community. (Slight pause.)
That takes us to a pivotal question. What is community? Is community a group that meets in a church, a synagogue, a mosque, an ashram or just off the floor of the Stock Exchange? Or is community something different? (Slight pause.)
Too often I think, communities act as a protective bubble. That’s what the writer of the 06880 blog was pointing out. I say community cannot isolate itself in a bubble and be a real, a valid community. Why? I think this Letter to the Hebrews lets us know why.
If, in our practice, we are called to help one another to love and to do good deeds, if in our belief we are bound in covenant, then the community is where we gather for guidance, for study, for support. But that same community, if it is true to loving and doing good, points to other communities, points to never being isolated.
And yes, communities can grow isolated over time. Dan Woog pointed that out to the 06880 community.
Dan was saying ‘look!’ Look at the greater picture, the greater community. Look at what’s happening out there. Don’t get isolated. Don’t let yourself become isolated.’ (Slight pause.)
So indeed, community is larger than a small groups, larger than us, here today. That very concept proposes an obvious question: how is community built, the local community, the broad community?
Community is built two ways. A community who helps one another to love, to do good deeds, invites people in, invites people to be a part of that local community. After all, if what that community shares among its own members is helpful, why not spread the word that the community is wonderful?
And a community who helps one another to love and to do good deeds also goes out from the group. The community, recognizes, becomes involved with other communities. Unless I am mistaken the motto of the national United Church of Christ is, “That they all may be One.” (Slight pause.)
The opening hymn today was Come Let Us Join with Faithful Souls. These are the words of the first verse. (Quote:) “Come let us join with faithful souls our songs of faith to raise; / One family in heart we are and one the God we praise.”
I cannot say it better than that. What is community? We are all one community. We are all one family, the human family. Amen.
11/18/2018
United Church of Christ, First Congregational, Norwich, NY
ENDPIECE: It is the practice of the Pastor to speak after the Closing Hymn, but before the Choral Response and Benediction. This is an précis of what was said: “It is said the Hebrews did not have a theology. Rather, the Hebrews did theology. Western Christians are susceptible to thinking having a theology is enough— if you simply think right thoughts I don’t have to worry about anything. Clearly the writer of Hebrews did not think having a theology was enough. Doing theology— building community is vital.”
BENEDICTION: Go forth in faith. Go forth trusting that God will provide. Go forth and reach out to everyone you meet in the name of Christ. And may the face of God shine upon us; may the peace of Christ rule among us; may the fire of the Spirit burn within us this day and forevermore. Amen.
[1] Note: both of Dan’s statements used here are somewhat truncated for use in this context.
Community
“...let us always think about how we can help one another to love and to do good deeds. Do not stay away from the meetings of the community, as is the habit of some, but encourage one another;....” — Hebrews 10:24-25.
I want to share a family story. But I also want to tie that story into American sociological-political history. I know— big concept. The personal family story has to do with the family of one Bonnie Scott Connolly.
Bonnie will tell you she was born in Philadelphia and there is family history connected with that city. But when she was young her parents moved to Westport, Connecticut. Even more family resided there. The year was 1952. (Stop trying to guess her age!)
So she grew up, came to maturity, in Westport— went to Grade School and High School there. Now, in the 1950s and 1960s, in that era, Bonnie describes Westport as a normal town.
Bonnie and I have a running disagreement about that. Me— the kid from Brooklyn— I say in that era the town was at least somewhat privileged. It was a suburb. From where I sat, from my perspective, that was privilege.
However, Bonnie is right. The town was normal. And that is what has to do with sociological-political history. In the mid-1950s the average salary of a CEO was much more in line with that of the average worker.
In the mid-50s a typical CEO made about 20 times the salary of an average worker at the same firm. Last year, CEO pay at a typical Standard and Poor’s 500 firm was an average of 361 times more than the average rank-and-file worker in the same company.
This is obvious. When that spread was closer, diversity in a community was a reality. I think a diverse community can mean a closer community. At the very least it seems a more likely possibility.
The reason I point this out is Westport, Connecticut is no longer normal in that sense. It has become an enclave for want to be CEOs, real CEOs and celebrities. Today it is a town largely cut off from what most people call normal.
But it is still Bonnie’s hometown, her community. And, just like I still keep track of news from the New York City theater scene, theater being my community, also not particularly normal— Bonnie keeps track of news from Westport, Connecticut. She regularly checks a couple web sites and blogs which specialize in Westport news.
One blog is called 06880. That’s the ZIP code in Westport. She is actually a contemporary of and personally knows the fellow who runs the site, Dan Woog.
A couple of weeks ago Dan posted some local news. “Trevor Noah, the host of The Daily Show on Comedy Central— head-liner at the tomorrow’s Anti-Defamation League of Connecticut fund-raiser— had to cancel. But the replacement is another well known name: Whoopi Goldberg.”
Given those names it’s pretty safe to say Westport is no longer normal. But that’s not the point. The point is the response which happened when Dan put up the post.
Somehow that information got re-posted on a web site that is not particularly friendly to people of color. And that other web site contained a link back to Dan’s post on 06880.
What happened? Hate comments started to flood Dan’s 06880 page which, as I indicated, is simply devoted to local Westport news.
Dan said this about the reaction. The comments were nasty, vile, racist. I disabled commenting on the story, took down the most odious ones, left others up. I wanted readers to see what’s out there, beyond the Westport bubble. [1] (Slight pause.)
This is clear. The writer of Hebrews refers to community as if it were a place. The reality is community is often located in a place. A place can be a way local communities self-identify.
Groups meet at a clubhouse, a restaurant, a designated room. I once regularly met with a Bible Study group in a room just off the trading floor of the New York Stock Exchange. We were a community.
Needless to say, communities also meet in churches, synagogues, mosques, ashrams— you name it. The bottom line: the community label can be applied to nearly any small group no matter where they meet, especially those groups who meet for guidance, for study, for mutual support.
But is that what this writer is trying to highlight, just the local community? My answer is yes and no. I think we have to pay attention to a number of things in an effort to define community as it is laid out in these words.
To do that let me throw out two fancy, $24 words— $64 dollar words? Inflation. The two words: orthodoxy and orthopraxy. Orthodoxy is an adherence to accepted creeds. And Orthodoxy is what this writer is explaining in no uncertain terms in telling us who Jesus is.
Please notice where that explanation starts. (Quote:) “This is the covenant / I will make with them / in those days,....” Covenant— this is the letter to the broad community known as the Hebrews. Jesus is tied to covenant. Now that’s orthodox.
The words continue with more orthodoxy. Christ offered for all time one sacrifice, sits at the right hand of God and with one offering Jesus, the great priest, made perfect those who are being sanctified. So let us hold fast a confession of hope which we profess without wavering. That’s also orthodox, a creedal proclamation for a broad community.
Where does the writer take us next? We are taken to a community location. (Quote:) “...let us always think about how we can help one another to love and to do good deeds. Do not stay away from the meetings of the community, as is the habit of some, but encourage one another;....”
This is where that other $64 word— orthopraxy, practice— comes into play. And yes, a community relies on practice, on action, on participation. This is clear: no participation, no action, no practice equals no community, really. Participation, action, practice, is necessary. It is necessary even with a Bible Study group that meets just off the trading floor of the New York Stock Exchange. We met with great regularity.
So, orthodoxy— belief— needs to be worked out in orthopraxy— action. What we say we believe is merely that, what we say. Unless there is some consequential action which fosters and encourages community the words are simply words.
I need to be clear about this. Orthodoxy, what we believe, and orthopraxy, what we do, are and need to be intertwined, inseparable.
Put another way, if the One who made the promise to us is faithful and we approach the house of God, enter the house of God filled with faith, filled with sincerity in our hearts— to quote the writer of Hebrews— what do we need to do there, in the house of God?
We need to (quote:) “...think about how we can help one another to love and to do good deeds.” Again, orthodoxy, belief, leads to orthopraxy, action. And not just action— action together, action in community. (Slight pause.)
That takes us to a pivotal question. What is community? Is community a group that meets in a church, a synagogue, a mosque, an ashram or just off the floor of the Stock Exchange? Or is community something different? (Slight pause.)
Too often I think, communities act as a protective bubble. That’s what the writer of the 06880 blog was pointing out. I say community cannot isolate itself in a bubble and be a real, a valid community. Why? I think this Letter to the Hebrews lets us know why.
If, in our practice, we are called to help one another to love and to do good deeds, if in our belief we are bound in covenant, then the community is where we gather for guidance, for study, for support. But that same community, if it is true to loving and doing good, points to other communities, points to never being isolated.
And yes, communities can grow isolated over time. Dan Woog pointed that out to the 06880 community.
Dan was saying ‘look!’ Look at the greater picture, the greater community. Look at what’s happening out there. Don’t get isolated. Don’t let yourself become isolated.’ (Slight pause.)
So indeed, community is larger than a small groups, larger than us, here today. That very concept proposes an obvious question: how is community built, the local community, the broad community?
Community is built two ways. A community who helps one another to love, to do good deeds, invites people in, invites people to be a part of that local community. After all, if what that community shares among its own members is helpful, why not spread the word that the community is wonderful?
And a community who helps one another to love and to do good deeds also goes out from the group. The community, recognizes, becomes involved with other communities. Unless I am mistaken the motto of the national United Church of Christ is, “That they all may be One.” (Slight pause.)
The opening hymn today was Come Let Us Join with Faithful Souls. These are the words of the first verse. (Quote:) “Come let us join with faithful souls our songs of faith to raise; / One family in heart we are and one the God we praise.”
I cannot say it better than that. What is community? We are all one community. We are all one family, the human family. Amen.
11/18/2018
United Church of Christ, First Congregational, Norwich, NY
ENDPIECE: It is the practice of the Pastor to speak after the Closing Hymn, but before the Choral Response and Benediction. This is an précis of what was said: “It is said the Hebrews did not have a theology. Rather, the Hebrews did theology. Western Christians are susceptible to thinking having a theology is enough— if you simply think right thoughts I don’t have to worry about anything. Clearly the writer of Hebrews did not think having a theology was enough. Doing theology— building community is vital.”
BENEDICTION: Go forth in faith. Go forth trusting that God will provide. Go forth and reach out to everyone you meet in the name of Christ. And may the face of God shine upon us; may the peace of Christ rule among us; may the fire of the Spirit burn within us this day and forevermore. Amen.
[1] Note: both of Dan’s statements used here are somewhat truncated for use in this context.
Sunday, November 11, 2018
SERMON ~ 11/11/2018 ~ “Finite We Are”
READINGS: 11/11/2018 ~ Thirty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time ~ Twenty-Fifth Sunday after Pentecost ~ (Proper 27) ~ Ruth 3:1-5; 4:13-17; Psalm 127; 1 Kings 17:8-16; Psalm 146; Hebrews 9:24-28; Mark 12:38-44 ~ Stewardship/Enlistment Sunday ~ Veterans Day on the Secular Calendar.
Finite We Are
In the translation of the Psalm you read earlier in the New Century Hymnal these words were in verses 3 and 4 of Psalm 146: “Do not put your trust in nobles, / in mortals, / in whom there is no help, / When their breath departs, / they return to the earth; / on that very day their plans perish.” — Psalm 146:3-4 [NCH]. I need to say the translations used for the Psalms in our hymnal was done by my Seminary New Testament Professor, the late Rev. Dr. Burton Throckmorton.
In the November Newsletter there was an article by our Director of Music Ministries, Mary Williams. She touched on the idea that we strive to have some unity in our services among the Scripture readings, the hymns, the anthem, the prelude and postlude.
Mary noted she and I meet and review the lectionary readings for each Sunday. As you may be aware, we use and follow what is known as the Revised Common Lectionary. Many Main Line Protestant churches and the Roman Church follow a three year set of readings. Each denomination has some variations built into the lections but the readings are, for the most part, at least similar. We’re kind of saying or hearing the same things in a lot of churches.
Why follow set readings? Certainly part of the point is so parishioners can experience a range of readings over time.
I would also suggest using a lectionary places a helpful constraint on a pastor. You see, when the lectionary is followed parishioners are not being subjected to what may simply be the favorite readings of a pastor week after week after week. Equally, with the discipline offered by following a lectionary the pastor is, in a sense, obligated to deal with readings which may be obscure or difficult to understand when initially read.
Coming back to what Mary said— we strive to have unity in the course of worship. How does that work? How do Mary and I come to that place?
Well, I gather some thoughts based on the readings and send them to Mary. Then we sit together, discuss a general direction, a message, and find hymns that support the readings, as we work on refining a direction for the service.
So, rather than take a look first at the Psalm we read today as happens in my remarks often, I’d like to make a comment or two about the work known as the Book of Psalms, the whole book. The first thing to say is it’s organized into five sections, five books. A lot of people don’t know that.
Second, the words found in Psalms are not just poetry. I think even in translation we can discern these words are lyrics, words meant to be heard with music. Do we know what that ancient music in the Temple might have sounded like? No, we don’t.
Now, as you know, I write lyrics on occasion and I have over time written lyrics with and for three composers. And we, the composers and I all agree: lyrics are not simply poetry. Lyrics are different, take diversions, paths poetry might not, discover and uncover rhythms in syllables and words and sentences.
In any case, the bottom line is the Book of Psalms is a hymnal filled with lyrics. In fact, over time you may have heard me say this Book is the hymnal of the Second Temple in Jerusalem.
Which brings me back to the topic of organization. One glance at our New Century Hymnal should tell you it’s organized in several ways. To name two, it’s organized thematically and theologically.
The same is true for the Book of Psalms— it’s organized. And I want to stress the theological organization. You see, Psalm 146 is the opening work in the last book, Book 5, of the Psalms.
Hence, it has a task. And the task Psalm 146 tries to accomplish is to illuminate the entire work, the entire Book of Psalms. It recalls the beginning of the psalter— Psalms 1 and 2— which orients the reader to hear the Torah, the “instruction” found in Scripture. This is one instruction emphasized: we need to trust God. Do not trust human rulers.
Psalm 146 also recalls the message at the theological heart of the psalter Psalms 93, 95 and 99: God reigns. It recalls that message with one phrase. In Burt Throckmorton’s translation it says (quote:) “Praise be to God.” Often that phrase is translated with only one word: “Alleluia!”
That one word is a proclamation which praises God because God reigns. This analysis that I’ve just offered is a simple concept. The hymnal known as the Book of Psalms illuminates and is in service of the Torah, the instruction, the learning.
Now, if Psalm 146 is a hymn from a hymnal that brings up an interesting issue. What do music and lyrics say to us? How do we hear music and lyrics? Do we really, deeply listen? Or do we go on auto pilot, not pay attention to what is being said by the music and the lyrics, especially when the hymn is familiar? (Slight pause.)
Today for the Postlude Bob will play an arrangement of the well known hymn My Eyes Have Seen the Glory. In our hymnal this is # 610. Needless to say, this hymn is also known as The Battle Hymn of the Republic.
To see this work as a patriotic piece of music is to completely and utterly misunderstand what it says, what it means and is a violation of the Biblical context in which it was written and the Biblical message about which it was written. It is a hymn about the justice God seeks, not a hymn about nationalism or patriotism or any justice sought by a human entity.
Julia Ward Howe, a suffragette, an abolitionist, wrote the text to a camp meeting tune, a religious revival 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 was intended to expresses not patriotism but a clear sense of a religious call to action. It was a summons to proclaim freedom not just for the privileged in society but for all people, the outcast, the downtrodden, the enslaved.
The hymn, if we are true to the sense of what the words actually mean, remains a call to action, action which might ensure the freedom offered in the reality of the dominion of God. Therefore, to treat this hymn as a call to nationalism or as a call to patriotism entirely misses the point of the sentiments being expressed.
This hymn, if you look at it carefully, is not even about specific nation or country. It is a call to humanity to work for peace, freedom, justice— God’s peace, God’s freedom, God’s justice. It is a call to humanity to do the work of God not the work of governments.
Indeed, as Christians, we need to pay particular attention to the last lines which read, “As Christ died to make us holy, / let us die to make all free:— all free— “all free” / While God is marching on.” If looked at in any light, this hymn should be looked at as sobering. After all, does God’s peace, God’s freedom, God’s justice prevail now, here, today?
If this work stirs up emotions in us, those emotions should inform us that injustice exists in our world, that injustice it is real, that injustice is pervasive and that we need to work at countering it. Indeed, I invite you to examine the insert in today’s bulletin with quotes about justice. [1] I might even say it is important to look at that insert. (Slight pause.)
As you know, today is our Enlistment Sunday. What does that have to do with justice? One of the things we try to accomplish here with our giving is making sure it has nothing to do with paying for the heat or electric bills. We try to ensure what we give is used to further the Dominion of God, the Reign of God, the justice of God.
What does that mean? In a real sense, it means our pledges are lyrics— lyrics which say we trust God, not human rulers. Our giving acts a lyric which says, “Alleluia! Praise be to God!”
One last thing: in making a pledge we need to understand the rulers of this world, the governments of this world are finite. And, yes, we too are finite. We are all here for a limited time.
In that time, in our time, we are called to seek and to do God’s will and God’s work. If what we offer to this church helps just a little in doing what this Psalm calls us to do— seeking justice for the oppressed, giving food to the hungry, setting prisoners free, lifting up those who are bowed down, upholding orphans, widows, then we are seeking to do the will of God, to do the work of God. Amen.
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: “Earlier I said we are finite. I hope that’s obvious. However, the Christian apologist C. S. Lewis addressed both our being finite and the possibility of our infinite life with God this way (quote:) ‘You don’t have a soul. You are a soul. You have a body.’ Since we are a soul I want to suggest our souls need to strive to do God’s will which encompasses justice, mercy and freedom for all people no matter what their station. Where do we need to place our trust? We need to place are trust in God. Why? We are souls.”
BENEDICTION: Let us lay aside anxious toil. Let us give our lives over to the One who grants life. Let us be open to the possibility that the whole of our being should rest in the will and wisdom of God and that the whole of our being should rest in the ways of love taught by God. In short, let us trust God. And may the face of God shine upon us; may the peace of Christ be among us; may the fire of the Spirit burn within us this day and forevermore. Amen.
[1] THOUGHTS ON JUSTICE
“The way of radical Christianity is to stay outside of unjust systems— insofar as possible— so they cannot control your breadth of thinking, feeling, loving, and living out universal justice.” — Richard Rohr
“As mankind becomes more liberal, they will be more apt to allow that all those who conduct themselves as worthy members of the community are equally entitled to the protections of civil government. I hope ever to see America among the foremost nations of justice and liberality.”— President George Washington
“Justice is the grammar of things; mercy is the poetry.” — Frederick Buechner
“The work of divine justice always presupposes the work of mercy, and is based on it” — Thomas Aquinas
“I do not pretend to understand the moral universe; the arc is a long one, my eye reaches but little ways; I cannot calculate the curve and complete the figure by the experience of sight; I can divine it by conscience. And from what I see I am sure it bends towards justice.” — Theodore Parker, Of Justice and the Conscience (1853)
“Charity is no substitute for justice withheld.” — Saint Augustine
“In the absence of justice, what is sovereignty but organized robbery?” — Saint Augustine
“[Rebellion’s] most profound logic is not the logic of destruction; it is the logic of creation… the logic of the rebel is to want to serve justice so as not to add to the injustice of the human condition.” — Albert Camus, The Rebel
“Justice is the first virtue of social institutions, as truth is of systems of thought.” — John Rawls (1921–2002) Harvard University
“Rats and roaches live by competition under the laws of supply and demand; it is the privilege of human beings to live under the laws of justice and mercy.” — Wendell Berry
“If you hate injustice, tyranny, lust and greed, hate these things in yourself.” — Mahatma Gandhi
“Politicians who profit from exploiting hate, from fanning it, must not be tempted by this easy way to profit from fear and misunderstanding. And my fellow clerics, of all faiths, must stand up for the principles of universal dignity and fellowship. Exclusion is never the way forward on our shared paths to freedom and justice.” — Bishop Desmond Tutu
“‘Resurrected’ people prayerfully bear witness against injustice and evil— but also agree compassionately to hold their own complicity in that same evil. It is not over there, it is here.” — Richard Rohr
“Justice cannot be for one side alone, but must be for both.” — Eleanor Roosevelt
“We are not to simply bandage the wounds of victims beneath the wheels of injustice, we are to drive a spoke into the wheel itself.” — Dietrich Bonhoeffer
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.” — Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
“We shall awaken from our dullness and rise vigorously toward justice. If we fall in love with creation deeper and deeper, we will respond to its endangerment with passion.” — Hildegard of Bingen (1098–1179)
“Justice is truth in action.” — Benjamin Disraeli
“We cannot seek or attain health, wealth, learning, justice, or kindness in general. Action is always specific, concrete, individualized, unique.” — Benjamin Jowett
“Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable. Every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals.” — Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
“If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor. If an elephant has his foot on the tail of a mouse and you say that you are neutral, the mouse will not appreciate your neutrality.” — Bishop Desmond Tutu
“There’s nothing more radical, nothing more revolutionary, nothing more subversive against injustice and oppression than the Bible. If you want to keep people subjugated, the last thing you place in their hands is a Bible.” — Bishop Desmond Tutu
“Liberty, equality— bad principles! The only true principle for humanity is justice; and justice to the feeble is protection and kindness.” — Henri F. Amiel
“Truth and justice interweave with all good things.” — Hildegard of Bingen (1098–1179)
“May we, in our dealings with all the peoples of the earth, ever speak the truth and serve justice.” — Dwight D. Eisenhower
“My voice would like to have the strength of the voice of the humble and lowly. It is a voice that denounces injustice and proclaims hope in God and humanity. For this hope is the hope of all human beings who yearn to live in communion with all persons as their brother and sisters and as children of God.” — Adolfo Pérez Esquivel, Nobel Lecture
“In many parts of the world the people are searching for a solution which would link the two basic values: peace and justice. The two are like bread and salt for mankind.” — Lech Walesa, Nobel Lecture
“If you desire peace, cultivate justice, but at the same time cultivate the field to produce more bread; otherwise there will be no peace.” — Norman Borlaug, Nobel Lecture
“I have always found that mercy bears richer fruits than strict justice.” — Abraham Lincoln
“If we want a beloved community, we must stand for justice, and have recognition for difference without attaching difference to privilege.” — bell hooks, American writer and professor
“Over and above all movements for social justice is God’s movement, [which is] the creative origin of any movement toward human liberation and solidarity.” — Welcoming Justice, by Charles Marsh and John Perkins
“If we ask why the God of the Bible cares about politics, about systemic justice, the answer is disarmingly simple. God cares about justice because the God of the Bible cares about suffering. And the single biggest cause of unnecessary human suffering throughout history has been and is unjust social systems.” — Marcus Borg
“If we are to keep democracy, there must be a commandment: Thou shalt not ration justice.” — Billings Learned Hand, Jurist
“Philanthropy is commendable, but it must not cause the philanthropist to overlook the circumstances of economic injustice which make philanthropy necessary.” — Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
“Never pray for justice. You just might get some.” — Margaret Atwood
“I am cognizant of the interrelatedness of all communities and states.... Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly.” — Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Letter from a Birmingham Jail
“Charity is commendable; everyone should be charitable. But justice aims to create a social order in which, if individuals choose not to be charitable, people still don’t go hungry, unschooled, or sick without care.” — Bill Moyers
“To take usury for money lent is unjust in itself, because this is to sell what does not exist, and this evidently leads to inequality, which is contrary to justice.” — Thomas Aquinas, (1225-1274)
“Ignorance, allied with power, is the most ferocious enemy justice can have.” — James Baldwin
“Justice is like the Dominion of God— it is not without us as a fact; it is within us as a great yearning.” — George Eliot, Romola
Finite We Are
In the translation of the Psalm you read earlier in the New Century Hymnal these words were in verses 3 and 4 of Psalm 146: “Do not put your trust in nobles, / in mortals, / in whom there is no help, / When their breath departs, / they return to the earth; / on that very day their plans perish.” — Psalm 146:3-4 [NCH]. I need to say the translations used for the Psalms in our hymnal was done by my Seminary New Testament Professor, the late Rev. Dr. Burton Throckmorton.
In the November Newsletter there was an article by our Director of Music Ministries, Mary Williams. She touched on the idea that we strive to have some unity in our services among the Scripture readings, the hymns, the anthem, the prelude and postlude.
Mary noted she and I meet and review the lectionary readings for each Sunday. As you may be aware, we use and follow what is known as the Revised Common Lectionary. Many Main Line Protestant churches and the Roman Church follow a three year set of readings. Each denomination has some variations built into the lections but the readings are, for the most part, at least similar. We’re kind of saying or hearing the same things in a lot of churches.
Why follow set readings? Certainly part of the point is so parishioners can experience a range of readings over time.
I would also suggest using a lectionary places a helpful constraint on a pastor. You see, when the lectionary is followed parishioners are not being subjected to what may simply be the favorite readings of a pastor week after week after week. Equally, with the discipline offered by following a lectionary the pastor is, in a sense, obligated to deal with readings which may be obscure or difficult to understand when initially read.
Coming back to what Mary said— we strive to have unity in the course of worship. How does that work? How do Mary and I come to that place?
Well, I gather some thoughts based on the readings and send them to Mary. Then we sit together, discuss a general direction, a message, and find hymns that support the readings, as we work on refining a direction for the service.
So, rather than take a look first at the Psalm we read today as happens in my remarks often, I’d like to make a comment or two about the work known as the Book of Psalms, the whole book. The first thing to say is it’s organized into five sections, five books. A lot of people don’t know that.
Second, the words found in Psalms are not just poetry. I think even in translation we can discern these words are lyrics, words meant to be heard with music. Do we know what that ancient music in the Temple might have sounded like? No, we don’t.
Now, as you know, I write lyrics on occasion and I have over time written lyrics with and for three composers. And we, the composers and I all agree: lyrics are not simply poetry. Lyrics are different, take diversions, paths poetry might not, discover and uncover rhythms in syllables and words and sentences.
In any case, the bottom line is the Book of Psalms is a hymnal filled with lyrics. In fact, over time you may have heard me say this Book is the hymnal of the Second Temple in Jerusalem.
Which brings me back to the topic of organization. One glance at our New Century Hymnal should tell you it’s organized in several ways. To name two, it’s organized thematically and theologically.
The same is true for the Book of Psalms— it’s organized. And I want to stress the theological organization. You see, Psalm 146 is the opening work in the last book, Book 5, of the Psalms.
Hence, it has a task. And the task Psalm 146 tries to accomplish is to illuminate the entire work, the entire Book of Psalms. It recalls the beginning of the psalter— Psalms 1 and 2— which orients the reader to hear the Torah, the “instruction” found in Scripture. This is one instruction emphasized: we need to trust God. Do not trust human rulers.
Psalm 146 also recalls the message at the theological heart of the psalter Psalms 93, 95 and 99: God reigns. It recalls that message with one phrase. In Burt Throckmorton’s translation it says (quote:) “Praise be to God.” Often that phrase is translated with only one word: “Alleluia!”
That one word is a proclamation which praises God because God reigns. This analysis that I’ve just offered is a simple concept. The hymnal known as the Book of Psalms illuminates and is in service of the Torah, the instruction, the learning.
Now, if Psalm 146 is a hymn from a hymnal that brings up an interesting issue. What do music and lyrics say to us? How do we hear music and lyrics? Do we really, deeply listen? Or do we go on auto pilot, not pay attention to what is being said by the music and the lyrics, especially when the hymn is familiar? (Slight pause.)
Today for the Postlude Bob will play an arrangement of the well known hymn My Eyes Have Seen the Glory. In our hymnal this is # 610. Needless to say, this hymn is also known as The Battle Hymn of the Republic.
To see this work as a patriotic piece of music is to completely and utterly misunderstand what it says, what it means and is a violation of the Biblical context in which it was written and the Biblical message about which it was written. It is a hymn about the justice God seeks, not a hymn about nationalism or patriotism or any justice sought by a human entity.
Julia Ward Howe, a suffragette, an abolitionist, wrote the text to a camp meeting tune, a religious revival 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 was intended to expresses not patriotism but a clear sense of a religious call to action. It was a summons to proclaim freedom not just for the privileged in society but for all people, the outcast, the downtrodden, the enslaved.
The hymn, if we are true to the sense of what the words actually mean, remains a call to action, action which might ensure the freedom offered in the reality of the dominion of God. Therefore, to treat this hymn as a call to nationalism or as a call to patriotism entirely misses the point of the sentiments being expressed.
This hymn, if you look at it carefully, is not even about specific nation or country. It is a call to humanity to work for peace, freedom, justice— God’s peace, God’s freedom, God’s justice. It is a call to humanity to do the work of God not the work of governments.
Indeed, as Christians, we need to pay particular attention to the last lines which read, “As Christ died to make us holy, / let us die to make all free:— all free— “all free” / While God is marching on.” If looked at in any light, this hymn should be looked at as sobering. After all, does God’s peace, God’s freedom, God’s justice prevail now, here, today?
If this work stirs up emotions in us, those emotions should inform us that injustice exists in our world, that injustice it is real, that injustice is pervasive and that we need to work at countering it. Indeed, I invite you to examine the insert in today’s bulletin with quotes about justice. [1] I might even say it is important to look at that insert. (Slight pause.)
As you know, today is our Enlistment Sunday. What does that have to do with justice? One of the things we try to accomplish here with our giving is making sure it has nothing to do with paying for the heat or electric bills. We try to ensure what we give is used to further the Dominion of God, the Reign of God, the justice of God.
What does that mean? In a real sense, it means our pledges are lyrics— lyrics which say we trust God, not human rulers. Our giving acts a lyric which says, “Alleluia! Praise be to God!”
One last thing: in making a pledge we need to understand the rulers of this world, the governments of this world are finite. And, yes, we too are finite. We are all here for a limited time.
In that time, in our time, we are called to seek and to do God’s will and God’s work. If what we offer to this church helps just a little in doing what this Psalm calls us to do— seeking justice for the oppressed, giving food to the hungry, setting prisoners free, lifting up those who are bowed down, upholding orphans, widows, then we are seeking to do the will of God, to do the work of God. Amen.
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: “Earlier I said we are finite. I hope that’s obvious. However, the Christian apologist C. S. Lewis addressed both our being finite and the possibility of our infinite life with God this way (quote:) ‘You don’t have a soul. You are a soul. You have a body.’ Since we are a soul I want to suggest our souls need to strive to do God’s will which encompasses justice, mercy and freedom for all people no matter what their station. Where do we need to place our trust? We need to place are trust in God. Why? We are souls.”
BENEDICTION: Let us lay aside anxious toil. Let us give our lives over to the One who grants life. Let us be open to the possibility that the whole of our being should rest in the will and wisdom of God and that the whole of our being should rest in the ways of love taught by God. In short, let us trust God. And may the face of God shine upon us; may the peace of Christ be among us; may the fire of the Spirit burn within us this day and forevermore. Amen.
[1] THOUGHTS ON JUSTICE
“The way of radical Christianity is to stay outside of unjust systems— insofar as possible— so they cannot control your breadth of thinking, feeling, loving, and living out universal justice.” — Richard Rohr
“As mankind becomes more liberal, they will be more apt to allow that all those who conduct themselves as worthy members of the community are equally entitled to the protections of civil government. I hope ever to see America among the foremost nations of justice and liberality.”— President George Washington
“Justice is the grammar of things; mercy is the poetry.” — Frederick Buechner
“The work of divine justice always presupposes the work of mercy, and is based on it” — Thomas Aquinas
“I do not pretend to understand the moral universe; the arc is a long one, my eye reaches but little ways; I cannot calculate the curve and complete the figure by the experience of sight; I can divine it by conscience. And from what I see I am sure it bends towards justice.” — Theodore Parker, Of Justice and the Conscience (1853)
“Charity is no substitute for justice withheld.” — Saint Augustine
“In the absence of justice, what is sovereignty but organized robbery?” — Saint Augustine
“[Rebellion’s] most profound logic is not the logic of destruction; it is the logic of creation… the logic of the rebel is to want to serve justice so as not to add to the injustice of the human condition.” — Albert Camus, The Rebel
“Justice is the first virtue of social institutions, as truth is of systems of thought.” — John Rawls (1921–2002) Harvard University
“Rats and roaches live by competition under the laws of supply and demand; it is the privilege of human beings to live under the laws of justice and mercy.” — Wendell Berry
“If you hate injustice, tyranny, lust and greed, hate these things in yourself.” — Mahatma Gandhi
“Politicians who profit from exploiting hate, from fanning it, must not be tempted by this easy way to profit from fear and misunderstanding. And my fellow clerics, of all faiths, must stand up for the principles of universal dignity and fellowship. Exclusion is never the way forward on our shared paths to freedom and justice.” — Bishop Desmond Tutu
“‘Resurrected’ people prayerfully bear witness against injustice and evil— but also agree compassionately to hold their own complicity in that same evil. It is not over there, it is here.” — Richard Rohr
“Justice cannot be for one side alone, but must be for both.” — Eleanor Roosevelt
“We are not to simply bandage the wounds of victims beneath the wheels of injustice, we are to drive a spoke into the wheel itself.” — Dietrich Bonhoeffer
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.” — Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
“We shall awaken from our dullness and rise vigorously toward justice. If we fall in love with creation deeper and deeper, we will respond to its endangerment with passion.” — Hildegard of Bingen (1098–1179)
“Justice is truth in action.” — Benjamin Disraeli
“We cannot seek or attain health, wealth, learning, justice, or kindness in general. Action is always specific, concrete, individualized, unique.” — Benjamin Jowett
“Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable. Every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals.” — Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
“If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor. If an elephant has his foot on the tail of a mouse and you say that you are neutral, the mouse will not appreciate your neutrality.” — Bishop Desmond Tutu
“There’s nothing more radical, nothing more revolutionary, nothing more subversive against injustice and oppression than the Bible. If you want to keep people subjugated, the last thing you place in their hands is a Bible.” — Bishop Desmond Tutu
“Liberty, equality— bad principles! The only true principle for humanity is justice; and justice to the feeble is protection and kindness.” — Henri F. Amiel
“Truth and justice interweave with all good things.” — Hildegard of Bingen (1098–1179)
“May we, in our dealings with all the peoples of the earth, ever speak the truth and serve justice.” — Dwight D. Eisenhower
“My voice would like to have the strength of the voice of the humble and lowly. It is a voice that denounces injustice and proclaims hope in God and humanity. For this hope is the hope of all human beings who yearn to live in communion with all persons as their brother and sisters and as children of God.” — Adolfo Pérez Esquivel, Nobel Lecture
“In many parts of the world the people are searching for a solution which would link the two basic values: peace and justice. The two are like bread and salt for mankind.” — Lech Walesa, Nobel Lecture
“If you desire peace, cultivate justice, but at the same time cultivate the field to produce more bread; otherwise there will be no peace.” — Norman Borlaug, Nobel Lecture
“I have always found that mercy bears richer fruits than strict justice.” — Abraham Lincoln
“If we want a beloved community, we must stand for justice, and have recognition for difference without attaching difference to privilege.” — bell hooks, American writer and professor
“Over and above all movements for social justice is God’s movement, [which is] the creative origin of any movement toward human liberation and solidarity.” — Welcoming Justice, by Charles Marsh and John Perkins
“If we ask why the God of the Bible cares about politics, about systemic justice, the answer is disarmingly simple. God cares about justice because the God of the Bible cares about suffering. And the single biggest cause of unnecessary human suffering throughout history has been and is unjust social systems.” — Marcus Borg
“If we are to keep democracy, there must be a commandment: Thou shalt not ration justice.” — Billings Learned Hand, Jurist
“Philanthropy is commendable, but it must not cause the philanthropist to overlook the circumstances of economic injustice which make philanthropy necessary.” — Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
“Never pray for justice. You just might get some.” — Margaret Atwood
“I am cognizant of the interrelatedness of all communities and states.... Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly.” — Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Letter from a Birmingham Jail
“Charity is commendable; everyone should be charitable. But justice aims to create a social order in which, if individuals choose not to be charitable, people still don’t go hungry, unschooled, or sick without care.” — Bill Moyers
“To take usury for money lent is unjust in itself, because this is to sell what does not exist, and this evidently leads to inequality, which is contrary to justice.” — Thomas Aquinas, (1225-1274)
“Ignorance, allied with power, is the most ferocious enemy justice can have.” — James Baldwin
“Justice is like the Dominion of God— it is not without us as a fact; it is within us as a great yearning.” — George Eliot, Romola
Sunday, November 4, 2018
SERMON ~ 11/04/2018 ~ “What Do We Say to Children?”
READINGS: 11/04/2018 ~ Thirty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time ~ Twenty-Fourth Sunday after Pentecost ~ (Proper 26) ~ Ruth 1:1-18; Psalm 146; Deuteronomy 6:1-9; Psalm 119:1-8; Hebrews 9:11-14; Mark 12:28-34 ~ Communion Sunday.
What Do We Say to Children?
“Let these words that I command today / be written in your heart. / Recite them, teach them diligently to your children....” — Deuteronomy 6:6-7a.
Newspaper articles and Facebook postings made many aware the interfaith community gathered at the Chenango County Courthouse steps on Thursday last to offer a vigil for peace. At the vigil we tried to address the current violence against different groups and, therefore, stand against hate.
I am sure many would say: the opposite of hate is love, is it not? And we are all for love? Are we not? So organizing a gathering against hate was a given.
However, that misses the point. The opposite of hate is not love. The opposite of hate is apathy. That is why we needed to gather, needed to take action, the action of shining a light on love which is neither apathetic nor indifferent. Love, itself, is an action.
Members of this church were present. But for those who were not let me offer a précis of how it unfolded— or at least what I remember. A caveat: some who were there may have different details or impressions. This is just my experience. (Slight pause.)
One count put the number of souls assembled at more than 100. At the beginning we heard the steeple bell of this church peal 13 times.
Dr. Tom Holmes started by referring to recent violence. 11 people were murdered while worshiping at a synagogue in Pittsburgh and two African-Americans died in Tennessee while shopping, murdered because of their race.
We were gathered, Tom said, to honor those who died in acts which were clearly hate crimes, American citizens murdered because they were Jewish or African-American. Ken Warner from the Norwich Jewish Center then read the names of the 13 who died.
Ken also recited the Kaddish, the prayer said as part of mourning rituals in the Jewish tradition. There was silence and then Mary Williams rang a handbell 13 times.
Susan Fertig from the Norwich Jewish Center offered context. She recalled how 2 ships carrying Jews seeking asylum, seeking safety, were turned away from our shores just before and during WWII. Many who were refused entry wound up in concentration camps.
Sue spoke of personal history, of relatives who both did not survive the holocaust or lived through it. She spoke about the desecration of the Jewish Center here in Norwich several years ago. The building has still not been totally restored.
Next the Rev. Rachel Morse of Broad Street United Methodist Church read Psalm 5 from the translation known as The Message. Verses 4, 5 and 6 read: “God, You do not socialize with Wicked, / invite Evil over as Your houseguest. / Hot-Air-Boasters collapse in front of You; / You shake Your head over Mischief-Makers. / God destroys Lie-Speakers; / Blood-Thirsty, Truth-Benders disgust You.” And verse 11 says, “...You, O God, welcome us with open arms / when we run to You for cover.” (Slight pause.)
The Rev. Dr. David Spiegel of the First Baptist Church then spoke with passion. David was raised in his mother’s Christian tradition but his father was Jewish. His father, a World War II hero, acted as the personal body guard of General Dwight David Eisenhower.
After the war David’s father tried to join the Jersey State troopers. You can’t do that, he was told. You’re Jewish, too weak. You’ll run when there’s danger. Eventually David’s father became the chief, the commanding officer, of the Jersey State Police.
David’s Dad always impressed on him prejudice was going to be a part of his life. Indeed, when David attended a Christian College in Iowa, since he had name often associated with a Jewish heritage, people asked him why he wanted to go to a Christian school. David’s message to us was clear: marginalization, hate, bigotry have no place.
I was next. I offered some history. I said marginalizing groups and inciting has been around for many, many millennia. In 1949— more recent but still a long time ago— Rodgers and Hammerstein wrote the musical South Pacific.
In this work the song You’ve Got to Be Carefully Taught is sung by Marine Lieutenant Joe Cable who is in an interracial relationship. He insists racism is “not born in you! It happens after you’re born...” Cable then sings these words.
“You’ve got to be taught to hate and fear. / You’ve got to be taught from year to year / It’s got to be drummed in your dear little ear. / You’ve got to be carefully taught. / You’ve got to be taught to be afraid / Of people whose eyes are oddly made / And people whose skin is a diff’rent shade / You’ve got to be carefully taught. / You’ve got to be taught before it’s too late / Before you are six or seven or eight / To hate all the people your relatives hate / You’ve got to be carefully taught.”
Then I said let us, together, understand we must not marginalize, we must not teach hate. Let us understand we must teach love and respect. When we teach love and respect and when we learn love and respect, this will empower us all to be truly free. At that point I offered a Benediction. I will use those words at the end of this service today.
A number of people told me they were moved by this event, moved by its simplicity, its sentiments, its honesty, its attempt at shining a light when light is sorely needed. I take no individual credit for that. I was part of a team. (Slight pause.)
This is what we hear in the work known as Deuteronomy: “Let these words that I command today / be written in your heart. / Recite them, teach them diligently to your children....” (Slight pause.)
We need to understand something about the instruction which tells us to teach our children. What are we invited to teach? (Quote:) “Yahweh, our God, Yahweh alone, is one. You are to love Yahweh, our God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength.” (Slight pause.)
This should be obvious. We are invited to love. As I said earlier, love is an action. We are invited to teach. Teach is an action. Why was there a gathering Thursday last? Action was necessary. Action was imperative.
We live in a world where silence is not an option. It does not matter if you are an introvert and say, “Well, I can’t say anything in public. That’s not who I am.”
You do not have to say a word. You can act. Actions speak louder than words. (Slight pause.)
In a couple minutes, in the time set aside for the Prayers of the People, we shall have a Litany of Remembrance. It might be argued these prayers are just words, not action, when action is required.
So let me address my experience with words which are prayers. Prayer centers us to be prepared to take action, to be active, centers us and thereby empowers us to understand God walks with us at all times, under all circumstances.
Which brings us back to action— the action called for by Deuteronomy— that we need to diligently teach the love of God to our children. I think a key question for us as a society is not ‘what are we teaching our children?’ We know we need to teach love. The key question is ‘how are we teaching our children?’
We need to teach our children with action. And yes, sometimes actions are words. Sometimes words are used to spread love of God and love of neighbor. And yes, sometimes words are used to spread violence and anger and hate.
Indeed, I said marginalizing groups and inciting have been around for millennia. So perhaps words and action have always been necessary. To be clear, I think many of us believe in our time silence is not viable option.
I do not think silence, at this time, is golden. I do realize right now there are many who are practicing silence, perhaps with the belief that violence, anger, fear will dissipate on its own or perhaps malice drives the silence. Again, silence is not an option. Silence is a display of apathy.
Let me quote holocaust survivor, Nobel Laureate Elie Wiesel on the topic of silence. (Quote:) “Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented. When human lives are endangered, when human dignity is in jeopardy, national borders and sensitivities become irrelevant. Wherever men and women are persecuted because of race, religion or political views, that place must— at that moment— become the center of the universe.” [1]
So, how are we teaching our children? Do our words and our actions invite violence, anger, fear? Or do our words, our actions invite what Jesus, the Christ, the Messiah, insisted were the two great commandments (quote:) “...love the Most High God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, with all your strength” and (quote:) “...love your neighbor as yourself.” (Slight pause.)
Love of God and love of neighbor are irrevocably intertwined with justice— God’s justice for all people. We must not remain silent as we seek God’s justice. Amen.
11/04/2018
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: “Earlier I said a number of people told me they were moved by the vigil, moved by its simplicity, its sentiments, its honesty, its attempt at shining a light when light is sorely needed. I hope for those who were not there my description helped you feel some of that. But descriptions are poor substitutes. Living through things, experiencing helps us understand ourselves, understand what life, what justice, what love is about. So to reiterate, silence is not an option. Action is necessary to help us understand ourselves, understand life, justice, love especially when teaching out children.”
BENEDICTION: Here now this blessing and this is the Blessing I used at the vigil for peace on Thursday: Go now— go in safety, for you cannot go where God is not. Go now— go with the purpose of fulfilling the will of God and God will honor your dedication. God now— go in freedom as we know God is the One Who sets us free from all that destroys. Go now— go in hope, for hope sees clearly the promise of God to walk with us. Go now— Go in love, for the love of God endures. Go now— go in peace for it is a gift of God to all people whose hearts and minds honor, respect and love. Amen.
[1] The Nobel Laureate speech of Elie Wiesel:
http://eliewieselfoundation.org/elie-wiesel/nobelprizespeech/
What Do We Say to Children?
“Let these words that I command today / be written in your heart. / Recite them, teach them diligently to your children....” — Deuteronomy 6:6-7a.
Newspaper articles and Facebook postings made many aware the interfaith community gathered at the Chenango County Courthouse steps on Thursday last to offer a vigil for peace. At the vigil we tried to address the current violence against different groups and, therefore, stand against hate.
I am sure many would say: the opposite of hate is love, is it not? And we are all for love? Are we not? So organizing a gathering against hate was a given.
However, that misses the point. The opposite of hate is not love. The opposite of hate is apathy. That is why we needed to gather, needed to take action, the action of shining a light on love which is neither apathetic nor indifferent. Love, itself, is an action.
Members of this church were present. But for those who were not let me offer a précis of how it unfolded— or at least what I remember. A caveat: some who were there may have different details or impressions. This is just my experience. (Slight pause.)
One count put the number of souls assembled at more than 100. At the beginning we heard the steeple bell of this church peal 13 times.
Dr. Tom Holmes started by referring to recent violence. 11 people were murdered while worshiping at a synagogue in Pittsburgh and two African-Americans died in Tennessee while shopping, murdered because of their race.
We were gathered, Tom said, to honor those who died in acts which were clearly hate crimes, American citizens murdered because they were Jewish or African-American. Ken Warner from the Norwich Jewish Center then read the names of the 13 who died.
Ken also recited the Kaddish, the prayer said as part of mourning rituals in the Jewish tradition. There was silence and then Mary Williams rang a handbell 13 times.
Susan Fertig from the Norwich Jewish Center offered context. She recalled how 2 ships carrying Jews seeking asylum, seeking safety, were turned away from our shores just before and during WWII. Many who were refused entry wound up in concentration camps.
Sue spoke of personal history, of relatives who both did not survive the holocaust or lived through it. She spoke about the desecration of the Jewish Center here in Norwich several years ago. The building has still not been totally restored.
Next the Rev. Rachel Morse of Broad Street United Methodist Church read Psalm 5 from the translation known as The Message. Verses 4, 5 and 6 read: “God, You do not socialize with Wicked, / invite Evil over as Your houseguest. / Hot-Air-Boasters collapse in front of You; / You shake Your head over Mischief-Makers. / God destroys Lie-Speakers; / Blood-Thirsty, Truth-Benders disgust You.” And verse 11 says, “...You, O God, welcome us with open arms / when we run to You for cover.” (Slight pause.)
The Rev. Dr. David Spiegel of the First Baptist Church then spoke with passion. David was raised in his mother’s Christian tradition but his father was Jewish. His father, a World War II hero, acted as the personal body guard of General Dwight David Eisenhower.
After the war David’s father tried to join the Jersey State troopers. You can’t do that, he was told. You’re Jewish, too weak. You’ll run when there’s danger. Eventually David’s father became the chief, the commanding officer, of the Jersey State Police.
David’s Dad always impressed on him prejudice was going to be a part of his life. Indeed, when David attended a Christian College in Iowa, since he had name often associated with a Jewish heritage, people asked him why he wanted to go to a Christian school. David’s message to us was clear: marginalization, hate, bigotry have no place.
I was next. I offered some history. I said marginalizing groups and inciting has been around for many, many millennia. In 1949— more recent but still a long time ago— Rodgers and Hammerstein wrote the musical South Pacific.
In this work the song You’ve Got to Be Carefully Taught is sung by Marine Lieutenant Joe Cable who is in an interracial relationship. He insists racism is “not born in you! It happens after you’re born...” Cable then sings these words.
“You’ve got to be taught to hate and fear. / You’ve got to be taught from year to year / It’s got to be drummed in your dear little ear. / You’ve got to be carefully taught. / You’ve got to be taught to be afraid / Of people whose eyes are oddly made / And people whose skin is a diff’rent shade / You’ve got to be carefully taught. / You’ve got to be taught before it’s too late / Before you are six or seven or eight / To hate all the people your relatives hate / You’ve got to be carefully taught.”
Then I said let us, together, understand we must not marginalize, we must not teach hate. Let us understand we must teach love and respect. When we teach love and respect and when we learn love and respect, this will empower us all to be truly free. At that point I offered a Benediction. I will use those words at the end of this service today.
A number of people told me they were moved by this event, moved by its simplicity, its sentiments, its honesty, its attempt at shining a light when light is sorely needed. I take no individual credit for that. I was part of a team. (Slight pause.)
This is what we hear in the work known as Deuteronomy: “Let these words that I command today / be written in your heart. / Recite them, teach them diligently to your children....” (Slight pause.)
We need to understand something about the instruction which tells us to teach our children. What are we invited to teach? (Quote:) “Yahweh, our God, Yahweh alone, is one. You are to love Yahweh, our God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength.” (Slight pause.)
This should be obvious. We are invited to love. As I said earlier, love is an action. We are invited to teach. Teach is an action. Why was there a gathering Thursday last? Action was necessary. Action was imperative.
We live in a world where silence is not an option. It does not matter if you are an introvert and say, “Well, I can’t say anything in public. That’s not who I am.”
You do not have to say a word. You can act. Actions speak louder than words. (Slight pause.)
In a couple minutes, in the time set aside for the Prayers of the People, we shall have a Litany of Remembrance. It might be argued these prayers are just words, not action, when action is required.
So let me address my experience with words which are prayers. Prayer centers us to be prepared to take action, to be active, centers us and thereby empowers us to understand God walks with us at all times, under all circumstances.
Which brings us back to action— the action called for by Deuteronomy— that we need to diligently teach the love of God to our children. I think a key question for us as a society is not ‘what are we teaching our children?’ We know we need to teach love. The key question is ‘how are we teaching our children?’
We need to teach our children with action. And yes, sometimes actions are words. Sometimes words are used to spread love of God and love of neighbor. And yes, sometimes words are used to spread violence and anger and hate.
Indeed, I said marginalizing groups and inciting have been around for millennia. So perhaps words and action have always been necessary. To be clear, I think many of us believe in our time silence is not viable option.
I do not think silence, at this time, is golden. I do realize right now there are many who are practicing silence, perhaps with the belief that violence, anger, fear will dissipate on its own or perhaps malice drives the silence. Again, silence is not an option. Silence is a display of apathy.
Let me quote holocaust survivor, Nobel Laureate Elie Wiesel on the topic of silence. (Quote:) “Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented. When human lives are endangered, when human dignity is in jeopardy, national borders and sensitivities become irrelevant. Wherever men and women are persecuted because of race, religion or political views, that place must— at that moment— become the center of the universe.” [1]
So, how are we teaching our children? Do our words and our actions invite violence, anger, fear? Or do our words, our actions invite what Jesus, the Christ, the Messiah, insisted were the two great commandments (quote:) “...love the Most High God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, with all your strength” and (quote:) “...love your neighbor as yourself.” (Slight pause.)
Love of God and love of neighbor are irrevocably intertwined with justice— God’s justice for all people. We must not remain silent as we seek God’s justice. Amen.
11/04/2018
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: “Earlier I said a number of people told me they were moved by the vigil, moved by its simplicity, its sentiments, its honesty, its attempt at shining a light when light is sorely needed. I hope for those who were not there my description helped you feel some of that. But descriptions are poor substitutes. Living through things, experiencing helps us understand ourselves, understand what life, what justice, what love is about. So to reiterate, silence is not an option. Action is necessary to help us understand ourselves, understand life, justice, love especially when teaching out children.”
BENEDICTION: Here now this blessing and this is the Blessing I used at the vigil for peace on Thursday: Go now— go in safety, for you cannot go where God is not. Go now— go with the purpose of fulfilling the will of God and God will honor your dedication. God now— go in freedom as we know God is the One Who sets us free from all that destroys. Go now— go in hope, for hope sees clearly the promise of God to walk with us. Go now— Go in love, for the love of God endures. Go now— go in peace for it is a gift of God to all people whose hearts and minds honor, respect and love. Amen.
[1] The Nobel Laureate speech of Elie Wiesel:
http://eliewieselfoundation.org/elie-wiesel/nobelprizespeech/
Sunday, October 28, 2018
SERMON ~ 10/28/2018 ~ “Faith Is Vision”
READINGS: 10/28/2018 ~ Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time ~ Twenty-Third Sunday after Pentecost ~ (Proper 25) ~ Job 42:1-6, 10-17; Psalm 34:1-8, (19-22); Jeremiah 31:7-9; Psalm 126; Hebrews 7:23-28; Mark 10:46-52 ~ Sometimes Celebrated as Reformation Sunday ~ Annual Budget Information Meeting.
Faith Is Vision
“Jesus replied, ‘Go. Your faith has saved you.’ Immediately Bartimaeus received the gift of sight and began to follow Jesus along the road.” — Mark 10:52.
I want to start my comments today with a word about the polity of the United Church of Christ. Polity— that’s a fancy word which means governance. Polity is the term used to describe how any denomination governs itself.
This is a given for us: the basic unit in the denomination known as the United Church of Christ is the local Congregation. Congregations join into Associations. Part of the idea is churches gathered in an Association can, in unity together, do things an individual congregation might not be able to do on its own.
But part of the idea is churches gathered in an Association should not do some things in insolation from other churches because it would be unwise. Quite specifically, one of those unwise things would for a congregation, on its own, to ordain pastors.
Pastors are ordained not just by the local church. Ordination is done in conjunction with and cooperation from the Association.
Why is this mutuality important? Pastors are, you see, ordained for the whole church. An act this universal needs be done in conjunction with others— in this case with the Association. Why? Ordination is an action for the good of the whole, not just for the good of the local church.
In forming Associations we rely on covenant, a word you’ve heard me say a couple thousand times. We are in covenant with other churches in the Association.
This covenant among churches is about honoring one another, mutually seeking the justice of God and, as well as we are able, striving to be a presence to the world concerning issues of justice. Similar to ordaining, seeking the justice of God in this world needs the intentional involvement of more than one congregational acting on its own.
So, how is covenant established, accomplished, maintained? Covenant is established, accomplished and maintained by listening in prayer and with respect to the other churches in our Association.
And other churches, to keep covenant with us, need to do the same. To be clear, Associations have been a part of our Congregational tradition since the early 1600s. It is part of our heritage, our history, our life as a church. To ignore this ignores our heritage, our history, our life as a church, ignores a bedrock piece of our tradition.
In my time in Norwich we have hosted Association Meetings and we have hosted a New York Conference Board Meeting. Right now I am a member of two committees of the Association and two committees of the Conference.
But this is not about me. We have lay delegates to both our Association and our Conference. Lay members from this church have served on Association Committees and on the Conference Board.
In my time in Norwich we have gathered for our regular Sunday worship with the United Church of Christ in Sherburne. We have gathered for our regular Sunday worship with the entire New York Conference in Binghamton. Each and every Conference Minister who has served us over this time has preached from this pulpit.
Now, there’s a word I’ve just used several times— Conference. What is a Conference?
Conferences are not an aspect or an appendage of Associations. This is not about hierarchy. Just like the process with the Associations, Congregations come together in a Conference, a larger gathering. And in a Conference churches can, in unity, do things together an individual Congregation might not be able to do on its own.
Indeed, churches gathered in a Conference can do some things it would be unwise for a Congregation to do on its own. It would be, for instance, unwise for a local Congregation to embark on pastoral search alone.
Again, in forming a Conference we rely on covenant, this honoring of one another, as we mutually seek the justice of God and, as well as we are able, seek to be a presence to the world on issues of justice. Seeking the justice of God is a task for which a Conference can be even better suited than an Association. It is, after all, a larger body.
To be clear, Conferences have been in the Congregational tradition since the 1800s, by far [re-dating the origins of the United Church of Christ. It is part of our heritage, our history, our life as a church, a bedrock piece of the our tradition. (Slight pause.)
As I said, we are in covenant with the Association and the Conference. I think one of the things we do not understand about covenant is the commitment, the intentionality, the mutual responsibility involved. Covenant does not somehow magically happen on its own.
I’ve said this before. Covenant is a commitment to growth, to change, a commitment to be intentional in relationship. It is a bedrock aspect of faith.
But really, who wants to grow, to change, to be intentional? Why can’t things be just left as they are or even go back to what they were? These are frequently asked questions, are they not?
However growth, change and intentionality are important. These empower real, substantive faith. And, oh yes— a commitment to growth and to change and to intentionality is necessary in seeking the justice of God. (Slight pause.)
Something should be obvious about this story we heard from Mark. There are many obstacles with which Bartimaeus needs to deal.
The text notes a large crowd surrounds the Rabbi. And so, at the side of the road, unable to see, needing to carefully listen amid what was probably something of a tumult surrounding Jesus, is where Bartimaeus starts.
It also seems the crowd is moving along the road. Again, for someone unable to see, probably unable to move too far, this makes perception of what’s happening difficult.
This is also clear: Bartimaeus is a beggar. In that era a beggar cannot be compared to someone in poverty today. This is a station in society. So it’s unlikely people will help. In short and to reiterate, there are many obstacles with which Bartimaeus needs to deal.
So, what does Bartimaeus do? This is also clear. Bartimaeus seeks Jesus. Bartimaeus seeks change, growth. Bartimaeus is intentional.
But this may not be clear. When Bartimaeus calls out the writer of Mark uses a title (quote:) “Heir of David.” This is the first time in Mark we hear a Messianic title.
Therefore, Bartimaeus is intentional about seeking the Messiah of God. And to do that Bartimaeus overcomes the aforementioned obstacles. This poses a question for us to consider: how does faith become empowered? (Slight pause.)
Many churches in the Reformed tradition celebrate this Sunday as Reformation Sunday. Of course, Martin Luther’s theological premise was justification by faith. This is what Luther said about how the substance of justification by faith happens.
(Quote:) “This life is not righteous but growth in righteousness; is not health but healing; not being but becoming; not rest but exercise; we are not yet what we shall be but we are growing toward it; the process is not yet finished but it is going on; this is not the end but it is the road; all does not yet gleam in glory but all is being purified.”
Luther’s contention says life, indeed, the Christian life, is forever an unfinished product. That did not sit well with the power structure in Luther’s time which believed a lack of growth and change was beneficial to power. Nor does it sit well today probably for the same reasons.
Why do the ideas of Luther not sit well today? We live in a society which believes in some kind of magic. We believe things will be just fine when stagnant. Lack of growth, lack of change and an unwillingness to be intentional about growing and changing are rampant in the world in which we live. (Slight pause.)
As was said earlier, after the service today we shall gather to look at some budget numbers. We will decide nothing. That’s for a later date. [1]
But when it comes to finances, for us solvency is not an issue. Indeed, logically our solvency should afford us the freedom to be intentional about covenant. And we do constantly need to be intentional about covenant. We need to intentionally strive to see the world as God might see the world— a place of change, a place for growth, with our eyes intentionally fixed on the justice of God.
And yes, we do need to trust God. Therefore we should not, to use the old fashioned word, trust Mammon.
Why? Trust in Mammon inevitably turns people of faith away from growth and change and intentionality. Mammon inevitably turns people of faith toward the false feeling of safely being stagnant. People of faith are intentional about growth and change.
How do I know that? Please just look at the actions Bartimaeus took. And then look at what happens. The words we heard in the Gospel today say this (quote:) “Jesus replied, ‘Go. Your faith has saved you.’ Immediately Bartimaeus received the gift of sight and began to follow Jesus along the road.” Amen.
10/28/2018
United Church of Christ, First Congregational, Norwich, New York
ENDPIECE: It is the practice of the Pastor to speak after the Closing Hymn, but before the Choral Response and Benediction. This is an précis of what was said: “The late famous poet Maya Angelou said this about being a Christian: ‘I’m working on trying to be a Christian and that’s serious business. It’s not where you think like, Oh, I’ve got this done. I did it all day— hot diggity. The truth is all day long you try to do it.... And then in the evening, if you’re honest and have a little courage, you look at yourself an say, Hmmm— I only blew it 86 times today. Not bad.’— Maya Angelou. Covenant— the basis of faith— it’s about intentional growth and change.”
BENEDICTION: Go out in the strength and love God provides. Praise the deeds of God by the way you live, by the way you love. And may the steadfast love of God and the peace of Christ, which surpasses understanding, keep our minds and hearts in the companionship and will of the Holy Spirit, this day and forever more. Amen.
[1] After the service the Congregation gathered to look at the first and preliminary outline of the 2019 budget. This Congregation’s solvency stems from an endowment that is around $14,000,000.
Faith Is Vision
“Jesus replied, ‘Go. Your faith has saved you.’ Immediately Bartimaeus received the gift of sight and began to follow Jesus along the road.” — Mark 10:52.
I want to start my comments today with a word about the polity of the United Church of Christ. Polity— that’s a fancy word which means governance. Polity is the term used to describe how any denomination governs itself.
This is a given for us: the basic unit in the denomination known as the United Church of Christ is the local Congregation. Congregations join into Associations. Part of the idea is churches gathered in an Association can, in unity together, do things an individual congregation might not be able to do on its own.
But part of the idea is churches gathered in an Association should not do some things in insolation from other churches because it would be unwise. Quite specifically, one of those unwise things would for a congregation, on its own, to ordain pastors.
Pastors are ordained not just by the local church. Ordination is done in conjunction with and cooperation from the Association.
Why is this mutuality important? Pastors are, you see, ordained for the whole church. An act this universal needs be done in conjunction with others— in this case with the Association. Why? Ordination is an action for the good of the whole, not just for the good of the local church.
In forming Associations we rely on covenant, a word you’ve heard me say a couple thousand times. We are in covenant with other churches in the Association.
This covenant among churches is about honoring one another, mutually seeking the justice of God and, as well as we are able, striving to be a presence to the world concerning issues of justice. Similar to ordaining, seeking the justice of God in this world needs the intentional involvement of more than one congregational acting on its own.
So, how is covenant established, accomplished, maintained? Covenant is established, accomplished and maintained by listening in prayer and with respect to the other churches in our Association.
And other churches, to keep covenant with us, need to do the same. To be clear, Associations have been a part of our Congregational tradition since the early 1600s. It is part of our heritage, our history, our life as a church. To ignore this ignores our heritage, our history, our life as a church, ignores a bedrock piece of our tradition.
In my time in Norwich we have hosted Association Meetings and we have hosted a New York Conference Board Meeting. Right now I am a member of two committees of the Association and two committees of the Conference.
But this is not about me. We have lay delegates to both our Association and our Conference. Lay members from this church have served on Association Committees and on the Conference Board.
In my time in Norwich we have gathered for our regular Sunday worship with the United Church of Christ in Sherburne. We have gathered for our regular Sunday worship with the entire New York Conference in Binghamton. Each and every Conference Minister who has served us over this time has preached from this pulpit.
Now, there’s a word I’ve just used several times— Conference. What is a Conference?
Conferences are not an aspect or an appendage of Associations. This is not about hierarchy. Just like the process with the Associations, Congregations come together in a Conference, a larger gathering. And in a Conference churches can, in unity, do things together an individual Congregation might not be able to do on its own.
Indeed, churches gathered in a Conference can do some things it would be unwise for a Congregation to do on its own. It would be, for instance, unwise for a local Congregation to embark on pastoral search alone.
Again, in forming a Conference we rely on covenant, this honoring of one another, as we mutually seek the justice of God and, as well as we are able, seek to be a presence to the world on issues of justice. Seeking the justice of God is a task for which a Conference can be even better suited than an Association. It is, after all, a larger body.
To be clear, Conferences have been in the Congregational tradition since the 1800s, by far [re-dating the origins of the United Church of Christ. It is part of our heritage, our history, our life as a church, a bedrock piece of the our tradition. (Slight pause.)
As I said, we are in covenant with the Association and the Conference. I think one of the things we do not understand about covenant is the commitment, the intentionality, the mutual responsibility involved. Covenant does not somehow magically happen on its own.
I’ve said this before. Covenant is a commitment to growth, to change, a commitment to be intentional in relationship. It is a bedrock aspect of faith.
But really, who wants to grow, to change, to be intentional? Why can’t things be just left as they are or even go back to what they were? These are frequently asked questions, are they not?
However growth, change and intentionality are important. These empower real, substantive faith. And, oh yes— a commitment to growth and to change and to intentionality is necessary in seeking the justice of God. (Slight pause.)
Something should be obvious about this story we heard from Mark. There are many obstacles with which Bartimaeus needs to deal.
The text notes a large crowd surrounds the Rabbi. And so, at the side of the road, unable to see, needing to carefully listen amid what was probably something of a tumult surrounding Jesus, is where Bartimaeus starts.
It also seems the crowd is moving along the road. Again, for someone unable to see, probably unable to move too far, this makes perception of what’s happening difficult.
This is also clear: Bartimaeus is a beggar. In that era a beggar cannot be compared to someone in poverty today. This is a station in society. So it’s unlikely people will help. In short and to reiterate, there are many obstacles with which Bartimaeus needs to deal.
So, what does Bartimaeus do? This is also clear. Bartimaeus seeks Jesus. Bartimaeus seeks change, growth. Bartimaeus is intentional.
But this may not be clear. When Bartimaeus calls out the writer of Mark uses a title (quote:) “Heir of David.” This is the first time in Mark we hear a Messianic title.
Therefore, Bartimaeus is intentional about seeking the Messiah of God. And to do that Bartimaeus overcomes the aforementioned obstacles. This poses a question for us to consider: how does faith become empowered? (Slight pause.)
Many churches in the Reformed tradition celebrate this Sunday as Reformation Sunday. Of course, Martin Luther’s theological premise was justification by faith. This is what Luther said about how the substance of justification by faith happens.
(Quote:) “This life is not righteous but growth in righteousness; is not health but healing; not being but becoming; not rest but exercise; we are not yet what we shall be but we are growing toward it; the process is not yet finished but it is going on; this is not the end but it is the road; all does not yet gleam in glory but all is being purified.”
Luther’s contention says life, indeed, the Christian life, is forever an unfinished product. That did not sit well with the power structure in Luther’s time which believed a lack of growth and change was beneficial to power. Nor does it sit well today probably for the same reasons.
Why do the ideas of Luther not sit well today? We live in a society which believes in some kind of magic. We believe things will be just fine when stagnant. Lack of growth, lack of change and an unwillingness to be intentional about growing and changing are rampant in the world in which we live. (Slight pause.)
As was said earlier, after the service today we shall gather to look at some budget numbers. We will decide nothing. That’s for a later date. [1]
But when it comes to finances, for us solvency is not an issue. Indeed, logically our solvency should afford us the freedom to be intentional about covenant. And we do constantly need to be intentional about covenant. We need to intentionally strive to see the world as God might see the world— a place of change, a place for growth, with our eyes intentionally fixed on the justice of God.
And yes, we do need to trust God. Therefore we should not, to use the old fashioned word, trust Mammon.
Why? Trust in Mammon inevitably turns people of faith away from growth and change and intentionality. Mammon inevitably turns people of faith toward the false feeling of safely being stagnant. People of faith are intentional about growth and change.
How do I know that? Please just look at the actions Bartimaeus took. And then look at what happens. The words we heard in the Gospel today say this (quote:) “Jesus replied, ‘Go. Your faith has saved you.’ Immediately Bartimaeus received the gift of sight and began to follow Jesus along the road.” Amen.
10/28/2018
United Church of Christ, First Congregational, Norwich, New York
ENDPIECE: It is the practice of the Pastor to speak after the Closing Hymn, but before the Choral Response and Benediction. This is an précis of what was said: “The late famous poet Maya Angelou said this about being a Christian: ‘I’m working on trying to be a Christian and that’s serious business. It’s not where you think like, Oh, I’ve got this done. I did it all day— hot diggity. The truth is all day long you try to do it.... And then in the evening, if you’re honest and have a little courage, you look at yourself an say, Hmmm— I only blew it 86 times today. Not bad.’— Maya Angelou. Covenant— the basis of faith— it’s about intentional growth and change.”
BENEDICTION: Go out in the strength and love God provides. Praise the deeds of God by the way you live, by the way you love. And may the steadfast love of God and the peace of Christ, which surpasses understanding, keep our minds and hearts in the companionship and will of the Holy Spirit, this day and forever more. Amen.
[1] After the service the Congregation gathered to look at the first and preliminary outline of the 2019 budget. This Congregation’s solvency stems from an endowment that is around $14,000,000.
Sunday, October 21, 2018
SERMON ~ 10/21/2018 ~ “Service”
READINGS: 10/21/2018 ~ Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time ~ Twenty-Second Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 24) ~ Job 38:1-7, (34-41); Psalm 104:1-9, 24, 35c; Isaiah 53:4-12; Psalm 91:9-16; Hebrews 5:1-10; Mark 10:35-45.
Service
“Anyone among you who wishes to aspire to greatness must serve the rest; whoever wants to rank first among you must serve the needs of all. The Promised One has come not to be served but to serve—....” — Mark 10:43a-45. [1]
Please bear with me. I am about to share two very personal stories concerning my family background. I have used them before. But my intent is to frame them in a different context. (Slight pause.)
Well, I have often mentioned my mother died at a relatively early age. She was only 58. I was 35. She had cancer of the bladder which, even back when she died in 1983, was fatal only 10% of the time. She simply was on the wrong side of the bracket when it came to those odds.
Here’s some background about my family you need to know for the story I will tell. I am the first of three children. I have a brother, 14 months younger than I am and a sister who is 4 years younger.
Not long before Mom died I had a conversation with her which I think was cathartic. My judgment is she wanted to, she felt had to say this to someone. For a number of reasons, reasons which I shall get to later, I was the one with whom she had this discussion.
Here’s some more context: my mother was the youngest in her family, raised by a single mother in the 1920s and 1930s. She had one sibling who was much older.
As a single parent, her mother worked and was absent a lot. My mother, in fact, told me tales of being what today is called a latchkey child and this was back in the 20s and 30s.
I suspect one result of her family situation was she had no role models when it came to having and raising her own children. And so, in the course of this chat my mother described her three children in this way.
She labeled me, her firstborn, as her experiment. She had never really raising a child up close, so I was her experiment. She then said my brother was her baby and my sister was her plaything, her enjoyment.
I need to be clear. I am not saying any of that was good or even healthy. I am simply offering, repeating her description of her children. I am convinced she was trying to explain how she related to us, how she recognized us as different, as individuals.
In a real sense what she said illustrates how much she loved each of us. And she loved each of us both differently and deeply. (Slight pause.)
Well, please bear with me. The next thing I want to say is also something very personal about my family background. And I have mentioned this here before.
When I was about five years old my father had what was called in the terms used back in the early 1950s a nervous breakdown. Today we would have recognized this as the onset of a mental illness known as Passive Dependency or Passive Aggression.
One of the consequences of that was as the next oldest male— again, we are looking at a different era, the early 50s— as the next oldest male, family members looked to me for leadership. Or at least they invested me with and groomed me for that role.
I could tell you tales about how that happened and what it looked like. Suffice it to say my mother chose to have the aforementioned conversation with me and that should be a good illustration of my place in that family structure.
But illustrating my place in that structure is not the point. More to the point is in that family structure I clearly was fulfilling a leadership role, and that was true by the time I was in my early teens.
I also need to be clear about this: I am not saying any of that was good or even healthy when it comes to family dynamics. I am simply offering these stories to illustrate two aspects of family dynamics not just in my family but in any family.
One aspect of these dynamics could be labeled as relationship— that story of my mother and her children. A second aspect of these dynamics could be labeled as structure. And in that structure leadership was craved. Again, this is not just any family. Relationship and structure are present in all families, in fact in any organization.
That opens a classic question. The question is not ‘Which is more important, relationship or structure?’ since structure and relationship are givens. The question is ‘Which will be the driving force in any family, in any group, in any institution— relationship or structure? (Slight pause.)
We find these words in the work known as Mark. “Anyone among you who wishes to aspire to greatness must serve the rest; whoever wants to rank first among you must serve the needs of all. The Promised One has come not to be served but to serve—....” (Slight pause.)
There are three scenes in this reading. First, there is the request of James and John for prominent spots in the Dominion. There is also the anger expressed by the other disciples at the audaciousness of the request. Last we have Jesus. (Quote:) “Anyone among you who wishes to aspire to greatness must serve the rest;....”
Please note, Jesus does not rebuke the brothers. We might want to— not Jesus. And yes, Jesus also confronts them with reality.
And then there is anger on the part of the other disciples. It’s likely this reflects jealousy rather than indignation. Jealousy about the structure.
Again, Jesus resists a rebuke. Jesus instead uses the pagan authorities as models of how to not exercise leadership. And Jesus does it again: confronts with reality.
You see, in a choice between structure and relationship, the criterion for leadership is not the effectiveness of structure, who gets the job done the quickest, who has the better program. Rather, in the Dominion of God we are called to be faithful.
The text even admits faithfulness as a style of leadership and a style of life runs counter to the prevailing wisdom of that day and I would suggest it runs counter to the prevailing wisdom we have today since effectiveness, speed and programs are highly valued. This, therefore, may not make much sense to those whose eyes are stuck on effectiveness, speed and programs. These all consider the bottom line... but these go no further than the bottom line.
In the Dominion of God the needs of people, how service can be rendered to meet those needs are vital. Priority is given to relationships. (Slight pause.)
I want to go back to the earlier discussion about my family. Clearly there was a structure. But the problem with that structure was not even the fact that I was young when the family turned to me.
The problem with that structure is my family was not looking for a leader. The problem of any structure which does not rely on relationship is that structure— effectiveness, speed, programs— structure simply searches for a hero. A structure tries to find fixes, tries to find someone to fix things. Structure searches for a hero.
Let me substitute a theological term for the word hero. People look for a savior. Jesus did not have a hero complex. In fact what makes Jesus Savior is a willingness to be a servant.
The reason we call Jesus Savior is there is a willingness displayed in the Christ to say we are in this together. The reason we call Jesus Savior is there is a willingness displayed in the Christ to say we need to support one another.
The reason we call Jesus Savior is there is a willingness displayed in the Christ to explore relationship. The reason we call Jesus Savior is there is a willingness displayed in the Christ to be in relationship. The reason we call Jesus Savior is there is a willingness displayed in the Christ to not be served but to serve. (Slight pause.)
One more observation— did James and John and the disciples completely miss the point of the preaching of Jesus? Did they completely miss the point when Jesus put the little child in their midst?
Did they completely miss the point when Jesus blessed the group of children who otherwise seemed a nuisance? Did they completely miss the point when Jesus spoke to the rich man about the need to break with possessions?
My answer which might surprise some is ‘no,’ they did not miss the point. Rather, they willfully ignored the point. Why?
You see, we are human. We are imperfect and in our imperfection we believe structure is perfect. We believe structure— the very thought of which gives us great comfort— we believe structure will be a solution for everything. And we, therefore, do seek the comfort of structure rather than the haphazardness of relationship. But relationship is what Jesus relies on.
Relationship is what Jesus teaches, and perhaps more importantly acts out. Jesus teaches and acts out relationship with God and one another. And you know what that is— relationship with God and with one another— you know what that is, right? Yes— here comes that word again: covenant. Covenant— it’s about relationship. Amen.
10/21/2018
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: “Tell me, how often have you heard people chant, ‘We’re number one?’ A lot, right? How often have you heard people chant, ‘We’re all in this together.’ Never, right? But that’s what sound leadership is about. It recognizes that we are all one, that we are all in this together. You’ve heard of a three legged race where two partners need to cooperate? And believe me, just two people cooperating is hard to do. Well, church is a thousand legged race were everyone needs to cooperate. And that is really hard since what it actually says is everyone needs to be a leader just like everyone else is a leader and everyone needs to serve one another.”
BENEDICTION: There is a cost and there is a joy in discipleship. There is a cost and there is a joy in truly being church, in deeply loving one another. May the face of God shine upon us; may the peace of Christ rule among us; may the fire of the Spirit burn within us this day and forevermore. Amen.
[1] This was the Gospel reading and the translation used.
Mark 10:35-45 [ILV] ~ The Gospel makes a point like this quite often, so the sentiment addressed by this passage was probably a truth found in the communities of the early church: any kind of power structure was not welcome. Hear now this reading from the Gospel we have come to know as Mark’s.
[35] The Children of Zebedee, James and John, approached Jesus. “Teacher,” they said, “we want you to grant our request.”
[36] “What is it?” Jesus asked.
[37] They replied, “Grant to us that we sit next to you, one at your right and one at your left, when you come into your glory.”
[38] But Jesus told them, “You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the cup I will drink or be baptized in the same baptism with which I am baptized?”
[39] “We can,” they replied.
Jesus said in response, “The cup I drink you will drink; and the baptism with which I am baptized, you will share; [40] but as for sitting at my right or at my left, that is not mine to grant; it is for those for whom it has been reserved.”
[41] The other ten, on hearing about this, began to be indignant with James and John.
[42] So Jesus called them together and said, “You know that among the Gentiles, those whom exercise authority, those who are domineering and arrogant, those who are perceived to be ‘great ones,’ they know how to make their own importance felt. [43] But it cannot be like that with you. Anyone among you who wishes to aspire to greatness must serve the rest; [44] whoever wants to rank first among you must serve the needs of all. [45] The Promised One has come not to be served but to serve— to give one life in ransom for the many.”
Service
“Anyone among you who wishes to aspire to greatness must serve the rest; whoever wants to rank first among you must serve the needs of all. The Promised One has come not to be served but to serve—....” — Mark 10:43a-45. [1]
Please bear with me. I am about to share two very personal stories concerning my family background. I have used them before. But my intent is to frame them in a different context. (Slight pause.)
Well, I have often mentioned my mother died at a relatively early age. She was only 58. I was 35. She had cancer of the bladder which, even back when she died in 1983, was fatal only 10% of the time. She simply was on the wrong side of the bracket when it came to those odds.
Here’s some background about my family you need to know for the story I will tell. I am the first of three children. I have a brother, 14 months younger than I am and a sister who is 4 years younger.
Not long before Mom died I had a conversation with her which I think was cathartic. My judgment is she wanted to, she felt had to say this to someone. For a number of reasons, reasons which I shall get to later, I was the one with whom she had this discussion.
Here’s some more context: my mother was the youngest in her family, raised by a single mother in the 1920s and 1930s. She had one sibling who was much older.
As a single parent, her mother worked and was absent a lot. My mother, in fact, told me tales of being what today is called a latchkey child and this was back in the 20s and 30s.
I suspect one result of her family situation was she had no role models when it came to having and raising her own children. And so, in the course of this chat my mother described her three children in this way.
She labeled me, her firstborn, as her experiment. She had never really raising a child up close, so I was her experiment. She then said my brother was her baby and my sister was her plaything, her enjoyment.
I need to be clear. I am not saying any of that was good or even healthy. I am simply offering, repeating her description of her children. I am convinced she was trying to explain how she related to us, how she recognized us as different, as individuals.
In a real sense what she said illustrates how much she loved each of us. And she loved each of us both differently and deeply. (Slight pause.)
Well, please bear with me. The next thing I want to say is also something very personal about my family background. And I have mentioned this here before.
When I was about five years old my father had what was called in the terms used back in the early 1950s a nervous breakdown. Today we would have recognized this as the onset of a mental illness known as Passive Dependency or Passive Aggression.
One of the consequences of that was as the next oldest male— again, we are looking at a different era, the early 50s— as the next oldest male, family members looked to me for leadership. Or at least they invested me with and groomed me for that role.
I could tell you tales about how that happened and what it looked like. Suffice it to say my mother chose to have the aforementioned conversation with me and that should be a good illustration of my place in that family structure.
But illustrating my place in that structure is not the point. More to the point is in that family structure I clearly was fulfilling a leadership role, and that was true by the time I was in my early teens.
I also need to be clear about this: I am not saying any of that was good or even healthy when it comes to family dynamics. I am simply offering these stories to illustrate two aspects of family dynamics not just in my family but in any family.
One aspect of these dynamics could be labeled as relationship— that story of my mother and her children. A second aspect of these dynamics could be labeled as structure. And in that structure leadership was craved. Again, this is not just any family. Relationship and structure are present in all families, in fact in any organization.
That opens a classic question. The question is not ‘Which is more important, relationship or structure?’ since structure and relationship are givens. The question is ‘Which will be the driving force in any family, in any group, in any institution— relationship or structure? (Slight pause.)
We find these words in the work known as Mark. “Anyone among you who wishes to aspire to greatness must serve the rest; whoever wants to rank first among you must serve the needs of all. The Promised One has come not to be served but to serve—....” (Slight pause.)
There are three scenes in this reading. First, there is the request of James and John for prominent spots in the Dominion. There is also the anger expressed by the other disciples at the audaciousness of the request. Last we have Jesus. (Quote:) “Anyone among you who wishes to aspire to greatness must serve the rest;....”
Please note, Jesus does not rebuke the brothers. We might want to— not Jesus. And yes, Jesus also confronts them with reality.
And then there is anger on the part of the other disciples. It’s likely this reflects jealousy rather than indignation. Jealousy about the structure.
Again, Jesus resists a rebuke. Jesus instead uses the pagan authorities as models of how to not exercise leadership. And Jesus does it again: confronts with reality.
You see, in a choice between structure and relationship, the criterion for leadership is not the effectiveness of structure, who gets the job done the quickest, who has the better program. Rather, in the Dominion of God we are called to be faithful.
The text even admits faithfulness as a style of leadership and a style of life runs counter to the prevailing wisdom of that day and I would suggest it runs counter to the prevailing wisdom we have today since effectiveness, speed and programs are highly valued. This, therefore, may not make much sense to those whose eyes are stuck on effectiveness, speed and programs. These all consider the bottom line... but these go no further than the bottom line.
In the Dominion of God the needs of people, how service can be rendered to meet those needs are vital. Priority is given to relationships. (Slight pause.)
I want to go back to the earlier discussion about my family. Clearly there was a structure. But the problem with that structure was not even the fact that I was young when the family turned to me.
The problem with that structure is my family was not looking for a leader. The problem of any structure which does not rely on relationship is that structure— effectiveness, speed, programs— structure simply searches for a hero. A structure tries to find fixes, tries to find someone to fix things. Structure searches for a hero.
Let me substitute a theological term for the word hero. People look for a savior. Jesus did not have a hero complex. In fact what makes Jesus Savior is a willingness to be a servant.
The reason we call Jesus Savior is there is a willingness displayed in the Christ to say we are in this together. The reason we call Jesus Savior is there is a willingness displayed in the Christ to say we need to support one another.
The reason we call Jesus Savior is there is a willingness displayed in the Christ to explore relationship. The reason we call Jesus Savior is there is a willingness displayed in the Christ to be in relationship. The reason we call Jesus Savior is there is a willingness displayed in the Christ to not be served but to serve. (Slight pause.)
One more observation— did James and John and the disciples completely miss the point of the preaching of Jesus? Did they completely miss the point when Jesus put the little child in their midst?
Did they completely miss the point when Jesus blessed the group of children who otherwise seemed a nuisance? Did they completely miss the point when Jesus spoke to the rich man about the need to break with possessions?
My answer which might surprise some is ‘no,’ they did not miss the point. Rather, they willfully ignored the point. Why?
You see, we are human. We are imperfect and in our imperfection we believe structure is perfect. We believe structure— the very thought of which gives us great comfort— we believe structure will be a solution for everything. And we, therefore, do seek the comfort of structure rather than the haphazardness of relationship. But relationship is what Jesus relies on.
Relationship is what Jesus teaches, and perhaps more importantly acts out. Jesus teaches and acts out relationship with God and one another. And you know what that is— relationship with God and with one another— you know what that is, right? Yes— here comes that word again: covenant. Covenant— it’s about relationship. Amen.
10/21/2018
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: “Tell me, how often have you heard people chant, ‘We’re number one?’ A lot, right? How often have you heard people chant, ‘We’re all in this together.’ Never, right? But that’s what sound leadership is about. It recognizes that we are all one, that we are all in this together. You’ve heard of a three legged race where two partners need to cooperate? And believe me, just two people cooperating is hard to do. Well, church is a thousand legged race were everyone needs to cooperate. And that is really hard since what it actually says is everyone needs to be a leader just like everyone else is a leader and everyone needs to serve one another.”
BENEDICTION: There is a cost and there is a joy in discipleship. There is a cost and there is a joy in truly being church, in deeply loving one another. May the face of God shine upon us; may the peace of Christ rule among us; may the fire of the Spirit burn within us this day and forevermore. Amen.
[1] This was the Gospel reading and the translation used.
Mark 10:35-45 [ILV] ~ The Gospel makes a point like this quite often, so the sentiment addressed by this passage was probably a truth found in the communities of the early church: any kind of power structure was not welcome. Hear now this reading from the Gospel we have come to know as Mark’s.
[35] The Children of Zebedee, James and John, approached Jesus. “Teacher,” they said, “we want you to grant our request.”
[36] “What is it?” Jesus asked.
[37] They replied, “Grant to us that we sit next to you, one at your right and one at your left, when you come into your glory.”
[38] But Jesus told them, “You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the cup I will drink or be baptized in the same baptism with which I am baptized?”
[39] “We can,” they replied.
Jesus said in response, “The cup I drink you will drink; and the baptism with which I am baptized, you will share; [40] but as for sitting at my right or at my left, that is not mine to grant; it is for those for whom it has been reserved.”
[41] The other ten, on hearing about this, began to be indignant with James and John.
[42] So Jesus called them together and said, “You know that among the Gentiles, those whom exercise authority, those who are domineering and arrogant, those who are perceived to be ‘great ones,’ they know how to make their own importance felt. [43] But it cannot be like that with you. Anyone among you who wishes to aspire to greatness must serve the rest; [44] whoever wants to rank first among you must serve the needs of all. [45] The Promised One has come not to be served but to serve— to give one life in ransom for the many.”
Sunday, October 14, 2018
SERMON ~ 10/14/2018 ~ “It’s Not the Particulars!”
READINGS: 10/14/2018 ~ Twenty-eight Sunday in Ordinary Time ~ Twenty-First Sunday after Pentecost ~ (Proper 23) ~ Job 23:1-9, 16-17; Psalm 22:1-15; Amos 5:6-7, 10-15; Psalm 90:12-17; Hebrews 4:12-16; Mark 10:17-31.
It’s Not the Particulars!
“You know the commandments: ‘No killing; no committing adultery; no stealing; no bearing false witness; no defrauding; Honor your father and mother.’” — Mark 10:19.
It feels like I have done a lot of traveling on church business in the last two weeks. I was twice in Homer, once in Binghamton for Susquehanna Association work and once in Syracuse for New York Conference business.
Obviously, the shortest trip on that list was Binghamton, an hour or so, depending on where in that metropolis you’re headed. All in all, that’s a lot of time in the car.
When traveling in a car alone some people listen music but some listen to a book and some prefer novels, some prefer non-fiction. I’m different. I listen to academic lectures, often lectures on history. I know— history: boring!!! Well, boring for most people. Not for me.
As I listen I always find out new information, new insights, new ways of looking at things. Indeed, I have often said to be a good theologian you need to be a good historian. Christianity is steeped, even based in history— Greek History, Roman History, Western History, Church History.
Our claim as Christians is Jesus was real, lived in history, at a specific time, in a specific place. Our claim as Christians is with the advent of the Christ God was in the world then, has been in the world throughout history. Our claim is God is in the world, our world— here, now, with us in our present history. (Slight pause.)
Well, I’m lectures to which I’m currently listening are Foundations of Western Civilization. It would be redundant to say the foundations of Western civilization contain Greek History, Roman History, Western History, Church History. They do.
In the last couple of lectures I’ve stumbled on information I’d not known before, new ways of looking at things. I even found out something about Upstate New York. To illustrate, I need to point out an obvious fact about Upstate.
Generally, this area was settled by Europeans between the late-1700s and the mid-1800s. What was going on in America in that era? Americans saw ourselves, America saw itself as inheritors, keepers, preservers of Greek and Roman tradition.
Hence, many names of places in this area come out of the history of Greece and Rome: Syracuse, Cicero, Vestal, Cincinnatus, Pharsalia— all of them out of that history. It’s that last one— Pharsalia— that caught my attention when I heard it in a lecture. I knew those other names had Greek and Roman connections but I had not associated the name Pharsalia with Rome.
Pharsalia is the name of an epic Roman poem about a battle between an army led by Julius Caesar and one led by Pompey— Pompey— yes, another Roman name with a town name in this area. Pharsalia refers to the Battle of Pharsalus in 48 B.C.E. So Pharsalia is the name of yet one more place in this area taken from the Greco-Roman tradition and affirms what was happening in the era of European settlement in Upstate New York.
Another thing I heard was more general but much more important. Despite the title of the famous book by Gibbon The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, the Roman Empire neither declined nor fell. Things changed but the Empire remained quite intact.
Indeed, in the era in which Gibbon claimed decline happened, Rome was led by two competent emperors— Diocletian and Constantine. They were competent because they foresaw and saw— anticipated and identified— change in the Empire. And they dealt with those changes, made structural adjustments in how Rome was governed.
Now yes, you may think that’s a boring idea. But anticipating and identifying what will and what is happening is important. Therefore, instead of getting tied up in details, concentrating only on right now, competent leadership looks at the whole picture.
And so it’s inaccurate to say the Roman Empire declined. The Empire simply changed, constantly changed. Of course, everything changes constantly. It’s a lesson we can and should learn from history. (Slight pause.)
These words are in Mark. “You know the commandments: ‘No killing; no committing adultery; no stealing; no bearing false witness; no defrauding; Honor your father and mother.’” (Slight pause.)
There are three conversations in this reading. I think we need to consider the three of them as one. Commentaries suggest the writer of Mark meant them to be seen as one and that insight could be a key to understanding the thrust of the whole passage.
But first, we need to grapple with the idea that what is said to the rich person is not a call to abandon the world. Neither is it a suggestion to become a wandering mendicant, a beggar.
The disciples left all to follow Jesus. Their future is described as more than ample. Therefore, we need to grapple with the idea that, we, the church, cannot flee the arena, the time and place in history through which and in which we are called to live and serve.
Further, the rich person, like the disciples, keep the commandments. We need to grapple with the idea this is not enough. The commandments are just details, particulars. We need to look at the larger picture.
Hence, this question needs to be addressed: what does the world look like, really? And how do we, how should we respond to the world, really? (Slight pause.)
There are two answers to those questions. First, yes the world is broken. If you think that’s not true, please listen to the news. What are we going to do about that?
Second, yes things change constantly, the world changes constantly. If you think that’s not true, please listen to the news. What are we going to do about that?
Well, this is what history suggests to me: the details do not matter as much as seeing the entire picture, envisioning the whole. Foreseeing and seeing are imperative.
Put in a more colloquial way, when we pay too much attention to the tree or to the trees, we miss the fact that a forest stands in front of us. That forest is waiting to be identified, inviting us to grapple with it. (Slight pause.)
Let me put that trees/forest concept another way. In my Church History Survey course the professor was painfully aware students needed to keep up with the reading. Fall a week behind, it’s hard to catch up.
So each week there was a 10 question short answer quiz. The professor was generous. The tests were only 10% of the grade. One answer each week was “Sir John Free-be” so you would get at least 10% on each quiz without doing the reading.
This same teacher also said the importance of facts is to give context. But it is much more important to know and understand the broad sweep of history, the big picture.
Knowing Columbus sailed the ocean blue in 1492 is not as important as knowing the voyages of the explorers in that era are about the beginnings a new economic system called capitalism. The facts— the tree— that’s Columbus. The broad sweep— the forest— that’s capitalism. Which is more important— Columbus or Capitalism?
So a forest is a larger picture. Our Christian forest is not about specific rules but about how we live our lives. So living within the rules is good. Living out from the rules is our calling. Put another way, Scripture constantly asks: where is our heart?
Loving one another is not a rule. Why? A rule is static, immoveable, a noun. Love is an action, a motion, a verb.
All that brings up another question about anticipation and identification. What is the purpose of this Church? This is a question with which this church shall be grappling in the next year and beyond the next year, a question with which this church should never stop grappling.
In order to faithfully grapple with this question we need to have foresight and sight— anticipation and identification. These have nothing to do with what programs we have, who the pastor is, even who the leadership is.
We all need to faithfully grapple with the question ‘what is the purpose of this church?’ And one way to work out that purpose might be that we all need to learn something from history.
Static, immoveable does not work. Action, motion does work. Change is not easy. But it is inevitable. Success is not a goal. Being faithful is.
So let me make one suggestion as to what being faithful might entail. I maintain faithfulness means living out from the rules, living out from what is the reality of now into the reality of what can be, seeing the big picture, perhaps even seeing the way of life to which God calls us.
We therefore need to live out our lives, live out the life of this church in covenant love. And covenant love means growth. Covenant love means change.
And that, my friends, suggests what yet another step might be. And it is a really, really big step. We— all of us together— need to trust God— God who is faithful. Amen.
United Church of Christ, First Congregational, Norwich, New York
10/14/2018
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: “President Harry S. Truman said this: ‘The only thing new in the world is the history you don’t know.’ Author Michael Lewis says this: ‘Program management is the existential threat you never really imagined as a risk. But Program management is the innovation that never occurs, the knowledge that is never created, because you have ceased to lay groundwork for it. It is what you never learned that might have saved you.’”
BENEDICTION: The Word of God guides us and assures us of God’s saving grace, God’s healing love, God’s eternal promises. May the face of God shine upon us; may the peace of Christ rule among us; may the fire of the Spirit burn within us this day and forevermore. Amen.
It’s Not the Particulars!
“You know the commandments: ‘No killing; no committing adultery; no stealing; no bearing false witness; no defrauding; Honor your father and mother.’” — Mark 10:19.
It feels like I have done a lot of traveling on church business in the last two weeks. I was twice in Homer, once in Binghamton for Susquehanna Association work and once in Syracuse for New York Conference business.
Obviously, the shortest trip on that list was Binghamton, an hour or so, depending on where in that metropolis you’re headed. All in all, that’s a lot of time in the car.
When traveling in a car alone some people listen music but some listen to a book and some prefer novels, some prefer non-fiction. I’m different. I listen to academic lectures, often lectures on history. I know— history: boring!!! Well, boring for most people. Not for me.
As I listen I always find out new information, new insights, new ways of looking at things. Indeed, I have often said to be a good theologian you need to be a good historian. Christianity is steeped, even based in history— Greek History, Roman History, Western History, Church History.
Our claim as Christians is Jesus was real, lived in history, at a specific time, in a specific place. Our claim as Christians is with the advent of the Christ God was in the world then, has been in the world throughout history. Our claim is God is in the world, our world— here, now, with us in our present history. (Slight pause.)
Well, I’m lectures to which I’m currently listening are Foundations of Western Civilization. It would be redundant to say the foundations of Western civilization contain Greek History, Roman History, Western History, Church History. They do.
In the last couple of lectures I’ve stumbled on information I’d not known before, new ways of looking at things. I even found out something about Upstate New York. To illustrate, I need to point out an obvious fact about Upstate.
Generally, this area was settled by Europeans between the late-1700s and the mid-1800s. What was going on in America in that era? Americans saw ourselves, America saw itself as inheritors, keepers, preservers of Greek and Roman tradition.
Hence, many names of places in this area come out of the history of Greece and Rome: Syracuse, Cicero, Vestal, Cincinnatus, Pharsalia— all of them out of that history. It’s that last one— Pharsalia— that caught my attention when I heard it in a lecture. I knew those other names had Greek and Roman connections but I had not associated the name Pharsalia with Rome.
Pharsalia is the name of an epic Roman poem about a battle between an army led by Julius Caesar and one led by Pompey— Pompey— yes, another Roman name with a town name in this area. Pharsalia refers to the Battle of Pharsalus in 48 B.C.E. So Pharsalia is the name of yet one more place in this area taken from the Greco-Roman tradition and affirms what was happening in the era of European settlement in Upstate New York.
Another thing I heard was more general but much more important. Despite the title of the famous book by Gibbon The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, the Roman Empire neither declined nor fell. Things changed but the Empire remained quite intact.
Indeed, in the era in which Gibbon claimed decline happened, Rome was led by two competent emperors— Diocletian and Constantine. They were competent because they foresaw and saw— anticipated and identified— change in the Empire. And they dealt with those changes, made structural adjustments in how Rome was governed.
Now yes, you may think that’s a boring idea. But anticipating and identifying what will and what is happening is important. Therefore, instead of getting tied up in details, concentrating only on right now, competent leadership looks at the whole picture.
And so it’s inaccurate to say the Roman Empire declined. The Empire simply changed, constantly changed. Of course, everything changes constantly. It’s a lesson we can and should learn from history. (Slight pause.)
These words are in Mark. “You know the commandments: ‘No killing; no committing adultery; no stealing; no bearing false witness; no defrauding; Honor your father and mother.’” (Slight pause.)
There are three conversations in this reading. I think we need to consider the three of them as one. Commentaries suggest the writer of Mark meant them to be seen as one and that insight could be a key to understanding the thrust of the whole passage.
But first, we need to grapple with the idea that what is said to the rich person is not a call to abandon the world. Neither is it a suggestion to become a wandering mendicant, a beggar.
The disciples left all to follow Jesus. Their future is described as more than ample. Therefore, we need to grapple with the idea that, we, the church, cannot flee the arena, the time and place in history through which and in which we are called to live and serve.
Further, the rich person, like the disciples, keep the commandments. We need to grapple with the idea this is not enough. The commandments are just details, particulars. We need to look at the larger picture.
Hence, this question needs to be addressed: what does the world look like, really? And how do we, how should we respond to the world, really? (Slight pause.)
There are two answers to those questions. First, yes the world is broken. If you think that’s not true, please listen to the news. What are we going to do about that?
Second, yes things change constantly, the world changes constantly. If you think that’s not true, please listen to the news. What are we going to do about that?
Well, this is what history suggests to me: the details do not matter as much as seeing the entire picture, envisioning the whole. Foreseeing and seeing are imperative.
Put in a more colloquial way, when we pay too much attention to the tree or to the trees, we miss the fact that a forest stands in front of us. That forest is waiting to be identified, inviting us to grapple with it. (Slight pause.)
Let me put that trees/forest concept another way. In my Church History Survey course the professor was painfully aware students needed to keep up with the reading. Fall a week behind, it’s hard to catch up.
So each week there was a 10 question short answer quiz. The professor was generous. The tests were only 10% of the grade. One answer each week was “Sir John Free-be” so you would get at least 10% on each quiz without doing the reading.
This same teacher also said the importance of facts is to give context. But it is much more important to know and understand the broad sweep of history, the big picture.
Knowing Columbus sailed the ocean blue in 1492 is not as important as knowing the voyages of the explorers in that era are about the beginnings a new economic system called capitalism. The facts— the tree— that’s Columbus. The broad sweep— the forest— that’s capitalism. Which is more important— Columbus or Capitalism?
So a forest is a larger picture. Our Christian forest is not about specific rules but about how we live our lives. So living within the rules is good. Living out from the rules is our calling. Put another way, Scripture constantly asks: where is our heart?
Loving one another is not a rule. Why? A rule is static, immoveable, a noun. Love is an action, a motion, a verb.
All that brings up another question about anticipation and identification. What is the purpose of this Church? This is a question with which this church shall be grappling in the next year and beyond the next year, a question with which this church should never stop grappling.
In order to faithfully grapple with this question we need to have foresight and sight— anticipation and identification. These have nothing to do with what programs we have, who the pastor is, even who the leadership is.
We all need to faithfully grapple with the question ‘what is the purpose of this church?’ And one way to work out that purpose might be that we all need to learn something from history.
Static, immoveable does not work. Action, motion does work. Change is not easy. But it is inevitable. Success is not a goal. Being faithful is.
So let me make one suggestion as to what being faithful might entail. I maintain faithfulness means living out from the rules, living out from what is the reality of now into the reality of what can be, seeing the big picture, perhaps even seeing the way of life to which God calls us.
We therefore need to live out our lives, live out the life of this church in covenant love. And covenant love means growth. Covenant love means change.
And that, my friends, suggests what yet another step might be. And it is a really, really big step. We— all of us together— need to trust God— God who is faithful. Amen.
United Church of Christ, First Congregational, Norwich, New York
10/14/2018
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: “President Harry S. Truman said this: ‘The only thing new in the world is the history you don’t know.’ Author Michael Lewis says this: ‘Program management is the existential threat you never really imagined as a risk. But Program management is the innovation that never occurs, the knowledge that is never created, because you have ceased to lay groundwork for it. It is what you never learned that might have saved you.’”
BENEDICTION: The Word of God guides us and assures us of God’s saving grace, God’s healing love, God’s eternal promises. May the face of God shine upon us; may the peace of Christ rule among us; may the fire of the Spirit burn within us this day and forevermore. Amen.
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