500 Years of Protestantism: What's Next? Preached on October 29th, 2017 Focus scripture: Deuteronomy 34:1-12 Over the past few months my husband, Simon, and I have cleaning out our attic as we anticipate moving to a smaller home. We’ve been sorting through our stuff, deciding what to keep and what to give or throw away. Many items have served us in an earlier stage of life: toys, games, children’s furniture and sports equipment. We sent some of these to the yard sale run by the youth group at the local church. We’re keeping things that are still useful to us like dinnerware and pots and pans; books that used for reference or we’ll read again; furniture that is suitable for a smaller home. In the book “The Great Emergence”, author Phyllis Tickle talks about rummage sales and what happens when the Church cleans out its attic. Tickle’s theory is that the Church - along with all of society – engages in a huge rummage sale approximately every 500 years. [1] As we learned today, the Reformers, such has Luther, disrupted the church and culture during the 16th century. Their intent was to bring the focus back from hierarchical control and domination to scripture, Christ, faith and grace. The Great Reformation dispensed with some practices of what we now know as the Roman Catholic Church. The number of sacraments was reduced to two: baptism and communion; the Bible was put back into the hands of the people, translated into the commonly used languages of the time. Hymnody was developed to make the concepts of the faith more accessible to ordinary people. For adopters of Protestantism, these were huge changes. 500 years before the Reformation was the Great Schism, during which the Eastern and Western churches separated. The Eastern Orthodox church we know today took certain doctrines and practices, while what is now the Roman Catholic Church,maintained ecclesial and theological authority in the West. And 500 years before the schism was the demise of the Roman Empire, and a great disruption in the church over the nature of Jesus and of Mary as the “Mother of God.” The Church lost the support of the empire but was upheld by the monastics, who maintained communal life during some very disruptive times. Tickle also reaches back to cyclical disruptions at the time of Jesus, and back into Jewish the history. Similar cycles may be tracked in other faith traditions and cultures. Each time one of these climactic events took place, the people propelled the church into the next era had to decide what were the essentials to be kept, and what could be left behind. As Phyllis Tickle says, as it is now 500 years since the Reformation we are in another “hinge period.” Another rummage sale is upon us which has been going on for a century or so. Tickle calls this “The Great Emergence.” This particular hinge period has manifested itself in great developments in science and technology: the theory of evolution, the invention of the automobile, the hydrogen bomb, computers, the internet, and cell phones. Societal changes have brought us to a time where the family has changed radically. In the new generation, many parents work alone raise a family. In two-parent families, both usually work outside the home. The tradition of family dinner together each day has largely gone by the way. Sunday morning might be the only opportunity for families to find some quality time, unless of course sports and activities have taken that spot too. This is a very scanty overview of the changes of the 20th-21st century. But you get the picture. These changes impact the Church as a whole, with a knock on effect in local churches. Circumstances force our church to get into the latest rummage sale. They require us to grapple with our own faith stories, our most personal attachments, even our own family histories. This is not easy stuff! But then again, a life of faith is not for the faint of heart. Ask Luther, ask Moses. Our Hebrew Bible, or Old Testament, reading today comes from the very last verses of the Five Books of Moses, or the Pentateuch. This story provides a transition from one era to another. The Israelites go from being wandering nomads, to conquering heroes. In the wilderness they have been dependent on God or their miraculous daily bread. Now they will be expected to work the land for a living. Moses and the Israelites have wandered for 40 years in the wilderness, led by God. There were murmurings and rebellions among the people. They were not always faithful to God or loyal to Moses. Meanwhile Moses had his own struggles of faith. But they have come through, and now Moses stands on the top of Mount Nebo, surveying land from Dan in the north to Zoar in the south, from the ocean in the west to the River Jordan just beyond the mountain. All he has to do is come down from the mountain and lead the Israelites into the Promised Land. But God tells Moses: "This is the land of which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, saying, 'I will give it to your descendants'; I have let you see it with your eyes, but you shall not cross over there." Moses will not cross over there. He will stand at the brink, but he will die before the Israelites move on into the land. This is the kind of humility needed for a servant of God. They serve their time in the ways that God sees fit, they do not necessarily see the results. Moses will be replaced as leader by Joshua. This past August I went home to visit my parents. I was alone and so I didn’t need to accommodate my husband and our kids in my plans. I could spend time visiting relatives and some of my old haunts. I grew up in a village which is nothing like the country villages described by James Herriot. My village exists on the route between city and town. During the industrial revolution, wool was sent from the hills of the Yorkshire dales, down into the city of Leeds. The mills, in my town, Morley, would process the wool, spinning and weaving it into fabric. The town of Morley is an uphill journey from the city. The road to be traveled by horses and carts, and then later trolleys, had a toll at the bottom and at the top, with several “watering holes” or public houses along the way. These days drivers speed up the hill in a matter of minutes, barely noticing the village of Churwell. As a child, I attended the Back Green Methodist Church where my grandparents were pillars of the church. My great grandfather, as an active Methodist, had invited the men who waited for the pub to open on Sundays into the church, as a positive alternative for them and their families. In its heyday the church had two buildings: a Wesleyan style chapel with a center pulpit and a balcony; and a separate Sunday School with kitchen, hall and stage, and classrooms. As a kindergartener, my Sunday School class was packed with children. I remember
But the societal changes of the 1960’s were already impacting the village. By the time I was in the junior classes, just a handful of kids attended Sunday School. After I left home for college the congregation sold the church building to a developer and moved into the Sunday School for worship and activities. This situation worked well for about a ¼ century. But the dwindling and aging congregation struggled for too many years to maintain this property. Eventually, just over one year ago, they had to make a decision. They wanted to continue as the one remaining gathered Christian community in the village. And so they gave the building back to the trust from which it came many years before and made arrangements to rent space in the modern community center just across the main road. When I went home to church with my mom, this is where I went. The congregation has been joined by the remnants of another church. They have become the Churwell Community Church. The space they use feels both intimate and comfortable. The room is bright and airy, they have a piano for accompaniment and they use handmade banners for decoration. The day I was there we celebrated communion gathering in a half circle around the table. I am proud of my home church for participating in the 21st century rummage sale. The structures built by my grandparents and great grandparents no longer exist. Nor does the place I remember from my childhood or young adulthood. Those places have served their day and time. Church members do not know how long they will be in the center. But they continue their witness for Christ in a rapidly changing culture, providing a place of safety for those on the margins. As I look back on the end of the story of Moses, I realize that in a period of 40 years, many of the older people of Israel would have died and been buried in the wilderness. There would be few remaining who could remember life in Egypt. For some their only experience would have been wandering in the wilderness. Young adults would have married and had babies during those wandering years. And as they entered the “Promised Land” new children would come along who would know the times of slavery and wandering only through the stories of their elders. But through all this they did not cease to understand themselves as belonging to God’s in a particular way that identifies the Jewish people to this day. Sometimes I worry about this church. (“Really”, I hear you say, “only sometimes?”) Especially when I think about what will be required of us in this huge 21st century rummage sale – this transitional time. Each Monday morning I reflect back on our time together, as I read from a book of contemplative reflections called “The Art of Pastoring.” These reflections encourage me to let go of anxiety and embrace the thing that God has for us to do in this time and place. Last Monday this is what I read: God is the birther of the universe. Before the universe was born, the solitary, infinite, changeless, formless eternal God was! And this creator of all flows inside your church, outside your church, through your church, and binds your church to the beginning of all things. So your pastorate, your congregation, and your life are bound to the beginning and to the end. Why then would you ever think that your position, or your congregation, or your life needed protection? For God flows through the universe, into your church, into you, and back out to God No beginning, no end. [2] Amen [1] Phyllis Tickle, The Great Emergence: How Christianity is Changing and Why, (BakerBooks, Grand Rapids MI, 2012) [2] William C. Martin, The Art of Pastoring: Contemplative Reflections, (Vital Faith Resources, Pittsburgh PA, 1994)
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“Inscribed with the Image of God” Preached at Wollaston Congregational Church On October 22nd, 2017 Scripture: Matthew 22:15-22 Two groups come to Jesus posing a question. It is a trick of course, the first in a series of three test questions from various groups who are out to get Jesus. The context for this story is the same as for last week’s text. Jesus is still in the temple in Jerusalem, teaching during his last days before the crucifixion. This time the question is posed by the Pharisees and the Herodians: opposing groups. The Pharisees, in spite of their “bad rap” in the gospels, are devoutly religious people. They are the ones who will begin to establish synagogue based Judaism following the destruction of the temple. The Pharisees oppose the paying of Roman taxes using the denarius, the coin that bears Tiberius Caesar’s image as divine. For them there is no God but the God of Israel. Even to bring the coin into the temple is considered a blasphemy. The Herodians on the other hand support Herod, Rome’s client king in Jerusalem, and so they support the paying of taxes to Rome. They have no problem with the image on the coins. The question, “Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or not?” is a trick because Jesus cannot answer safely either way. If he says it is against Jewish law to pay the taxes, the Herodians can accuse him of inciting revolution. On the other hand, if he says that it is lawful, the Pharisees can accuse him of blasphemy. But it is worth remembering that by the end of the week, Jesus will be taken to the cross to die. I imagine his response to this question is less about saving himself, and much more about a teaching something to his followers. Of course, the trick question deserves a trick answer Jesus asks to see the coin used for the tax. He asks “Who [is] this icon and the inscription?” The coin is stamped with the head and image of Tiberius, the inscription is “Caesar Augustus Tiberius, Son of the Divine Augustus” Son of God! His answer to the question is, “give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, give to God what belongs to God.” Many Christians have interpreted this as a neat compartmentalization. The coin has the emperor’s likeness so give the taxes that are due to the emperor, the things of the world to the world. Reserve the things of God, Sunday worship attendance, prayer, bible study, and charitable works for God. Case closed and Jesus off the hook. If Jesus was only trying to get out of the snare, I think this would be an acceptable way to interpret his answer. But, as we all know, and I’m pretty sure Jesus knows by now, the cross is inevitable. He will not stop provoking in the temple and in the Jerusalem, this will go on all week. So we are going to have to look for a deeper meaning. There are two recipients in Jesus’ answer: Caesar and God. Of these two, I’m quite I know who is the most important to Jesus. And so it seems to me that the teaching is all about what belongs to God. I invite you to ponder for a moment, with me: what belongs to God? Psalm 24 prompts us: “The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it, the world, and those who live in it; for God has founded it on the seas, and established it on the rivers.” (Psalm 24:1-2) Deserts and forests Lakes and oceans Mountains and plains Solar systems and galaxies Fish and land animals Birds, bats, insects The laws of nature Wind, fire, rain and snow. Earth dense with nutrients Fruit and grains, Roots and leafy greens, Animals who produce eggs, milk, and meat. How big is our universe? How expansive is that which belongs to God? It ALL belongs to God. Now, if this sermon had been preached to me, I know that I would be beginning to feel a little uncomfortable around about this point. Perhaps I would be shifting in the pew, mentally taking stock of the money in my purse. How much would I be placing in the plate today, given that it ALL belongs to God, and Jesus has said I am to give what belongs to God to God. And it’s true, what we think belongs to us, belongs to God. The money that we earn comes from God: our natural talents, our physical and mental abilities … from God; our families, our friends, even our workplaces, our schools and our neighborhoods, from God. And it’s true that God’s own world can benefit from our generosity and charity. But I really think that Jesus is getting at something deeper in this tricky teaching. I have to imagine that he is getting at something even dearer to God’s heart than our weekly offering neatly stuffed in the envelope. What are truly the most precious things to God? In all the universe there is something extraordinarily specific that belongs to God. It is, perhaps, God’s most precious belonging. The denarius bears the image of Caesar, but God could not care less. This exploiter claims to be divine, the coin is to remind the Roman subjects they belong to his empire. They have to submit their hard-won wages to him, they are to submit themselves to him. But the living God’s image is not stamped on a manufactured coin. God’s image is stamped on each human being. We learn that in the very first book of the Bible, Genesis. It is a living, breathing image. There’s no need for a shoddy reproduction. There’s no need for an inscription, “child of the divine.” The light of God’s life shines through each beloved child … each beloved child. Even as this is difficult to take in, also hear God’s message given by the prophet Isaiah to the Israelite people when they were held captive by another empire, Babylon: Can a woman forget her nursing child, or show no compassion for the child of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you. See, I have inscribed you on the palms of my hands; your walls are continually before me. (Isaiah 49:15-16) God, in turn, is inscribed with our likeness. God’s image inscribed on you and in me, our likeness inscribed on God. In the light of this mutual inscription, what does this mean for giving to God that which belongs to God? I have, on occasion, attended churches that used the expression “give it up to God.” I believe this refers to giving over worries and cares in prayer. Churches that use this expression encourage their members to lay down their burdens of sin on God’s altar. Often people are invited forward, for what is known as an “altar call.” For some, it is the first time they have had the experience of trusting God with their fears and anxieties, the burdens of what they have done. Although it may seem a little strange in a church like ours, “give it up to God” is a powerful statement for those who take it seriously. I don’t mean to mock it. Yet, this expression doesn’t quite satisfy my search into Jesus’ answer. I feel a deeper wholeness in this call to “give to God what belongs to God.” I wonder if our relationship with God … God’s image being inscribed on us, and our image inscribed upon God … connects at a deeper level than I have ever imagined before. If I am to give to God what belongs to God in any real sense, I am called to give the things God cares about most deeply. And with this incredible inter-relatedness between God, humanity, and all living things, surely those are the things I care about most deeply. This week I learned about the “Dear World” project. Perhaps you’ve heard about it. You can find it online at dearworld.com. [1] The Dear World project, as the name suggests, is essentially addressed to anyone in the world. A photographer, Robert Fogarty, began in New Orleans by asking individuals to share a love letter for the city. Participants would take a sharpie and write their letter on their skin for Fogarty to photograph. What he learned from that exercise is, as he says, that “we all have hopes and fears, losses and joys, and this is one way to express our desire to be heard.” Fogarty has moved on from that project to invite everyone he photographs to share one message to someone or something they care about. Since beginning the project Fogarty has photographed thousands of people, of all ages, ethnicities, sexual and gender expressions … from Syrian refugees to survivors of the Boston Marathon bombing. In the photographs on the Dear World website there are messages such as …
There is a story behind each message. Some of the stories are told on the website, along with the captivating portraits. Participants tell of a struggle they have gone through; a triumph they have had; the last time they saw a loved one. I find the photographs captivating because the message is boldly shown for all to see. The most deeply valued message is inscribed on each one. It’s not too difficult to imagine that there is a message in all of us, whether it is inscribed on our skin, or buried deep beneath the surface. Give to God what you care most about. What would your sharpie message say? What story, buried in your heart, would that reveal, your most precious possession, your most deeply held value? And so I say, give to God the things that are God’s, because they have no other place than the very center of God’s heart. Amen Your comments are invited ... Conversation starter: what would your sharpie message be? [1] http://www.dearworld.com/ accessed on 10/21/17 A Strange Wedding Feast Preached at Wollaston Congregational Church On October 15th, 2017 Scripture: Matthew 22:1-14 I was excited when I learned that the parable of the wedding feast was our reading today. “Great,” I thought, “this is my favorite parable!” But I hadn’t reckoned on the fact that we would be reading Matthew’s telling of this story. In Matthew’s version a king is on the rampage making war with those who refuse the invitation to the feast. Messengers are killed by those they bring their messages to. And then in the end, a lowly guest is thrown into eternal torment for being inappropriately dressed. When I realized that this was the version we had for our reading today I wondered what to do. Should I simply substitute Luke’s version of the parable. This comes from the comfortable setting of a dinner party where Jesus is a guest. He tells a story of someone who gave a banquet and invites many guests. But all of the guests politely decline the invitation: they are busy with their own lives, business and family interests. They are taking care of their material wealth and social lives. Since none of the expected guests can come, the host sends his servants to gather up the poor, the lame, and the blind to attend instead. And when there are still open seats at the table, he sends invitations out into the streets for one and all. This is the parable I know and love, in which the host takes lemons and makes lemonade. If his respectable, wealthy guests do not want to attend, he will feed the poor and those in need, he will fill the banquet hall with all those he can find. Luke’s story fits neatly into my understanding of the gospel, and it allows me a little smugness too. It is always nice to have a story from Jesus to explain what is going on in the church these days. While some claim they are “busy” with their lives, preoccupied with work and family and business, we get to be at God’s banquet. And, I continue to preach, if we are serious about filling up God’s banquet hall, we need to invite in the poor, the blind and the lame. We will bring in those who do not have the luxury of busy-ness and wealth. And then our church will be full. End of sermon! But, I couldn’t in good faith substitute the Luke parable when the Matthew version is what is the assigned reading for the week. Especially as the lectionary is working through some of the final teachings in Jesus life as presented by Matthew’s gospel. To be honest, I’ve already taken a break from Matthew’s texts these past couple of weeks. Last week I avoided preaching on the particularly disturbing parable of the vineyard. In that story the owner leases his vineyard to wicked tenants who take control. They kill the owner’s servants who are sent to collect the produce at harvest time. Ultimately the owner sends his own son to negotiate, but the evil tenants also kill the son. This is not a pleasant story! As the Matthew narrative goes, Jesus is telling parable upon parable. Today’s is the third in a row. The audience for these parables is comprised of the chief priests and the elders of the temple. Although, I imagine that the disciples are listening in too. The setting is the Jerusalem temple, but this is not just any visit to the temple. This teaching occurs in the days following “Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem” the event we remember on Palm Sunday. Jesus is teaching during the few days he has left, before the terrible event of the crucifixion. These are tense times. This audience, the chief priests and the elders, has a particular role in Matthew’s gospel. We met them at the very beginning of the story, when the Magi, or wise men, came from the East, telling Herod they were seeking the one who was born King of the Jews. Herod is Rome’s client king in Judea, the chief priests and elders are his advisors and informers in the temple. In this last week of Jesus’ life, there is a new but equally ruthless King Herod, acting for Rome. The chief priests and elders continue in their role. When Jesus begins teaching in the temple, these priests and elders challenge his authority. In response he begins to tell parables, including this story of the vineyard and the murder of the owner’s son by the wicked tenants. He asks his audience what they expect the owner of the vineyard will do. Predictably they say that the owner will “put those wretches to a miserable death.” They prescribe vengeance. “Wrong answer!” says Jesus. These religious authorities seem incapable of understanding the merciful nature of God. In response Jesus begins in our parable for today. The some have likened the kingdom of God to …” hmm, most parables begin “the kingdom of God is like.” This one is different. Jesus might well have said, you think of the kingdom of God as full of violence and vengeful actions. How wrong you are! As he tells this exaggerated tale of violence, perhaps he gives a sideways wink to the disciples. “Look how the earnest religious leaders are swallowing this whole!” And perhaps, for me too, there is a temptation to swallow it whole. In this telling, Matthew distorts Luke’s story, but also provokes some important questions. A king gives a banquet for his son’s wedding. A Royal Wedding! The stakes are high. Who would have declined an invitation, for William and Kate’s wedding, for example? Who would dare to turn down an invitation from this king who is quick to take offense? The intended guests don’t even make excuses. Some simply make light of the invitation, wandering off to their farm and business. Surely they know the King is a tyrant, surely they know that declining the invitation will be seen as an act of rebellion. Others seize the messengers who come with the invitations, mistreating them and killing them. This brings down the wrath of the king who goes to war against their cities! Meanwhile, the servants are instructed, as in Luke’s gospel to go into the streets and invite everyone. There is no distinction between rich and poor, good and bad, all are invited. But this time it is because the king is determined to fill the banquet hall, he will not be shown up. The final scene shows the brutal king binding an unsuspecting guest who fails to dress correctly and throwing him into outer darkness. This is not a happy ending! This is such a distorted view of God’s invitation to us. God gives freedom to come and feast and worship, dressed just as we are. The egomaniacal king is focused on crowd size and deferential dress. Jesus presents this as a distortion in the minds of his hearers, the religious leaders. Jesus seems to be saying that this is what is rotten in the temple system, which is in collusion with the Roman rule. But, I wonder, has that distorted view percolated through 2,000 years of church history. Is this how some people have experienced church? Does the invitation to God’s banquet come with strings? Do people fear that belonging to church means guilt-trips and obligations? Last week our Sunday book group talked about people we knew who had left the church, or those who resist coming to church. Some talked about friends who no longer attend church because the religious educators of their childhood threatened them with hell. Others talked of the attitudes among ministers and teachers, who told them that their childhood friends of other faiths would also be excluded from heaven. Some talked of friends who are not easily convinced that church is ever a welcoming place for LGBTQ individuals. What if they are welcomed in at first, but then are seen to be “inappropriately dressed” because of their relationships, or the way they present themselves. Who wants to experience the humiliation of being ejected? Over the past few decades the sexual abuse of children and others by those in authority in the church has come to light. The movie “Spotlight” tells the story of the widespread and systemic child sex abuse in the Boston area by numerous Roman Catholic priests. The abuse was covered up for years until it was finally reported in the Boston Globe in 2002. While the much of the focus of such news reports has been on the Catholic church, we must remember that all denominations and religious organizations have been found guilty in this respect. Even the United Church of Christ has had its share of clergy sex abuse scandals. Abuse of authority and power casts a huge shadow over the reputation of the church today. In the light of these things, it is easier to understand why some might decline an invitation to God’s banquet. In the book “The Great Spiritual Migration”, Brian McLaren discusses other historical distortions of the faith, saying: “For centuries, Christianity has been presented as a system of beliefs. That system of beliefs has supported a wider range of unintended consequences, from colonialism to environmental destruction, subordination of women to stigmatization of LGBT people, anti-Semitism to Islamaphobia, clergy pedophilia to white privilege.” My friends, the notion of a king who forces subjects, against their will, to attend a wedding banquet offends us all. We are uncomfortable with a history of abusive behaviors of the church of Christ, which ought to demonstrate the unfailing love and mercy of God in the world. We know we strive to project a vision of the love and mercy of God, here at Wollaston Congregational Church. But the parable of the wedding feast is something we have to reckon with. I wish we could circumnavigate the gospel of Matthew and use Luke instead. But we cannot. The church of Christ has been held hostage for far too long by the likes of the brutal, unmerciful ruler. Jesus gives a sideways wink to his disciples, and also to us. They, and we, will need to be bold, to make an outward and visible stand for mercy and inclusion. This will take courage, and yet, we follow a courageous leader and teacher. We follow this one all the way to the cross, and to the resurrection beyond. Let all God’s people say, Amen God in God’s Place Preached at Wollaston Congregational Church On October 6th, 2017 Scripture: Exodus 20:1-4, 18-20 The people have been brought out of slavery in the land of Egypt. They have been traveling in the wilderness for a while now. They have been given the food they need to eat, the water they need to drink, and they have the guidance of God represented in a pillar of cloud going before them. Now it is time for the covenant, and in this covenant God is going to require something of the people. This is a momentous event. Moses is summoned up the holy mountain, Sinai. The raw presence of God is too much for any of the company except Moses and Aaron and so the people wait for the word of the Lord to come to them from Moses. This is the giving of what are known as the 10 commandments, sometimes called the Decalogue, meaning 10 words. I do not need to remind you that these commandments are foundational for much of western morality and law. But it is the very beginning of the giving of the law, highly valued by the Jewish people, that we’ll consider today. I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery; you shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. When I heard Bible stories like this, as a child, my eyes would glaze over. This isn’t the stuff of small boys defeating giants, or animals packed two by two into a humongous houseboat. It isn’t a tale of trumpet tunes that make sturdy stonewalls crumble and fall. It is instruction and it is silly instruction. What is making an idol to me? Why would I choose to have any other god than God? I had seen the gods and idols the ancient people used to make of wood, metal or stone, in museums. They were primitive and rough, ugly dolls. I felt superior belonging to the modern world, where we knew better than to worship made up things. The command about idols simply didn’t apply to us. Or so I thought. Little did I understand about idols, because our idols, of course are the things we worship and value, the things we put first in our lives. They are the things we pay the most attention to, spend the most time on, and spend the most money on. Gulp. Now idolatry is beginning to feel a little closer to home. My sports, my TV, my computer, my house, my clothes … are these the things my idols? Are they taking the place of God in my life? And what about my pacifiers, my addictions, something to take the edge off, or something to fill the silence? Those who have turned to Alcoholics Anonymous and other 12 step programs to recovery will be familiar with the first step in the program. In this step the person admits that they are powerless over their addiction - that their lives had become unmanageable. The second and third steps they… “come to believe that a Power greater than [themselves] can restore [them] to sanity.” And they “make a decision to turn [their] will and [their] lives over to the care of God as [they] understand God.” 12 step programs require their adherents to acknowledge the power of idolatry in their lives. Surrendering to God, as they understand God, is key to recovery. I am fortunate to have a low tolerance for unmanageability in my life. I truly believe that this has saved me from the grip of various idols and addictions in my time. As a young mom, our children’s needs and activities: sports music, scouts, academics and social; mine and my husband’s work schedule; our volunteer responsibilities, sent me into a continual state of stress and anxiety. These things, that are healthy aspects of a good life when held in balance, became idols and took control. I had bought into the thinking that I should do more and more, in order to be good enough. Some of the other mothers I knew had the problem of a stressful life solved in a particular way. They rose super-early in the morning, had the lunch bags packed and the laundry on. With the phone wedged between their ear and shoulder, making arrangements for play dates later in the day, they wriggled little feet into resistant sneakers, and scribbled notes for the teacher. The morning run seemed to be their adrenaline boost. I simply wasn’t made like that. Managing my stress and busy-ness by getting ahead of it wasn’t an option. And so I reached a point when I confessed, at least to myself, that life had become unmanageable. Rising earlier in the morning did help. But instead of getting a start on the day, I turned to a book of daily scripture readings recommended by my pastor. My anxiety management was 20 minutes on the screened porch with my morning tea and God. That was helpful! I discovered what it felt like to be centered, putting God in God’s place and myself in my place, at least for a few minutes each day. The centeredness didn’t come all at once of course, and I am still working on it. But like I say, I simply have low tolerance for an unmanageable life. But besides the materialism, the distractions and the addictions in our world, I believe that there is an idol that is far more insidious. This idol is threatening to take the place of God in our culture. It is Americanism. You may think that I am being alarmist, or just completely off base. In fact, as I was putting this sermon together, I began to think I might be off base too. Then I discovered a book defending Americanism as a religion, called “Americanism: the Fourth Great Western Religion.” The author, David Gelernter, is quite proud of the idea of Americanism as religion, thinking that we have found something better than the religions of old. I find this prospect really very scary.[1] Seeing Americanism as a religion and America as a God is the idolatry that the first commandment warns against. In this scenario, there is no higher power or critique. When Americanism is religion, the flag and the constitution become articles of faith. Patriotic songs become hymns to the one to be worshiped. “One nation, under God” becomes one nation is equal to God. Gelernter is not the only one who is promoting Americanism as superior to religions that truly worship God. And this is a problem. The practice of Americanism is flawed religion because there is reference to a higher power and a higher law. When terrible events occur, elected officials offer “thoughts and prayers” but there is no requirement in the practice of Americanism for humility. Practitioners of Americanism are not required to offer prayers of confession. There is no acceptance of culpability for the “tragedies” that strike. There is no fasting, or beating of the chest, no rending of garments, or falling prostrate before the God of all the universe. God who is far greater than our ideas and our ideals. America, as an idol, has nothing to learn from her neighbors in the world. America is above reproach. America is exceptional. What applies in other lands simply does not apply here. This past week, we witnessed the most deadly and dangerous shooting spree known even in this country. We were reminded that a person of any ethnic origin, any social grouping, any race or religion, can flip without warning and become homicidal and suicidal. Access to large stashes of lethal weaponry simply allows them to act out their intent, taking numerous innocent bystanders with them to the grave. But of course, the people who were injured and died in Las Vegas last Sunday are not the only ones to have been victims of gun violence. This week, the Telegraph, a respected British news source, reported that in the United States there is an average of one mass shooting every day and a major mass shooting every two months. Most do not even make the headlines. And then there are these statistics:
America is the idol, and access to firearms is the addiction. Americans own more guns per capita than residents of any other country. [4] My friends, don’t you think that our lives as citizens and residents of the USA have become unmanageable? Don’t you think it is time for this nation, as a whole, to admit that we are powerless over gun violence and that our life as a nation has become unmanageable? Don’t you think it is time for us to make a decision to turn our will and our life over to the care of God? I think we need a lower tolerance for unmanageability. I know about the separation of church and state in the United States. I know that there are people of many faiths, beliefs, and of no religion in US. But in this case, the name given to the Higher Power doesn’t matter: the God of Israel; The Holy Trinity; Allah; Vishnu, Brahma and Shiva; Mother Earth; nature; universal moral law; wisdom and understanding. My friends, this is a plea for us, not only in our own private lives, but as a nation, to center ourselves to put God in God’s place, and our nation back under that place. Then, I believe that if we hold ourselves and our elected officials accountable, to God or their understanding of God, we will stand a chance. Let all of God’s people say Amen. [1] David Gelernter, Americanism: the Fourth Great Western Religion, (Doublsday, 2007) [2] https://www.csgv.org/issues/disarming-domestic-violence/ [3] https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2016/10/17/guns-dont-kill-people-toddlers-do-the-shocking-new-gun-control-psa-focused-on-children/?utm_term=.333099f575ee [4] http://www.cnn.com/2017/10/03/americas/us-gun-statistics/index.html Is the Lord With Us or Not? Preached on October 1st, 2017 At Wollaston Congregational Church Scripture: Exodus 17:1-7 Over the past weeks in our Hebrew Scriptures readings, we have been hearing the story of Moses and the Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt. This week, I decided, it was time to pay attention to this foundational story of liberation which is also a story of struggle and challenge in the wilderness. In our reading, the Israelites asked the question “Is the Lord with us or not?” and that is certainly a question that is still relevant to us today. So the story so far …the King, Pharaoh, was perplexed by these strange Israelites. They have been providing the labor he needed for the massive construction projects going on in a thriving Egypt. They had come long ago, as nomads from the desert, the brothers of Joseph. It was a time of famine, they had been desperate for work, for food, for a place to live. As far as Pharaoh was concerned, things had turned out well for them. They had their own encampment, although the housing was not quite what a well-to-do Egyptian would require. Each evening they had enough meat for a simmering pot of stew, enough grain for fresh baked bread. Surely their lives were good! They were expected to work and pull their weight. But, this was the same for everyone wasn’t it? But now a problem had come back to bite Pharaoh. Years ago, he had allowed his daughter to adopt the Hebrew infant she had found floating in basket in the Nile. Moses had been raised with the best education the Egyptian culture could provide. But he had returned to join his birth tribe, the Hebrews. He had even returned to the wilderness to stay with the nomads. And then, stranger still, just when they had forgotten him, he returned with a peculiar demand from the Hebrew God: “Let my people go!” Go? Go where? The only place to go was out into the wilderness where no one could survive. It was a foolish suggestion. No, of course the Hebrews could not go! Pharaoh made his feelings clear. You’re better off here. Don’t follow that crazy Moses with his messages from your invisible one-God! Going out into the wilderness will mean death. No matter, the Hebrews were done being slaves. The wilderness may have dangers but the calling of their one-God who desired their liberation and wholeness would strengthen them. The God of the Hebrews had not taken the Pharaoh’s answer “no” lightly. The Egyptians had been afflicted with plagues. Each time the Pharaoh resisted, until, the last devastating plague, when he finally gave in. They left quickly, because Pharaoh might well go back on the decision. There was drama, of course, in their escape … with all that thunder and might, there was no doubt, for the Israelites: the Lord was with them, God was on their side. But as the journey into the wilderness continued, their confidence in the presence of the Lord diminished. They began to falter and fall as they trudged, well into their second month in the wilderness. They were hungry, and had cried out for food – using Moses as their go –between. They cried “If only we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by our fleshpots and ate our fill of bread.” They were suffering from nostalgia. They were looking back on their captive lives in Egypt through rose-tinted spectacles. And yet God responded to their need and provided manna each morning, and quails each evening. Quite a luxury diet for freed slaves wandering the desert. This went on for a while, but some time later they came Rephidim to camp, and there was no water. The company was parched and worn out. Again they complained against Moses. Moses saw their arguing with him as a direct challenge to God. “Why do you test the LORD?” he asked. The people may have been afflicted by hunger and thirst, but Moses was afflicted by the people who were almost ready to stone him! None the less, God was patient, and simply responded to the need. The Lord says to Moses, "Go on ahead of the people, and take some of the elders with you … I will be standing there in front of you on the rock at Horeb.” In this place the Israelites would receive enough water for their needs. There was no need to go back. In fact, the leaders needed to press on to meet the Lord. And so, this place is named for the people’s question: “Is the Lord among us or not?” The Israelite liberation parallels the classic tale of human spiritual growth. A young person sets out on a journey into the wilderness. Sometimes it is necessary for survival, sometimes it is just for adventure. Despite dangers and depravations, it is essential that the sojourner completes the mission, grown, in maturity and spiritual wisdom. The story of St Francis, who we remembered today with our blessing of the animals, is true to this type. As the story goes young Francis was something of a playboy and troubadour. He was the son of a wealthy merchant and enjoyed an extravagant lifestyle. When Francis was 20 years old, his region, Assisi, went to war. Enticed by the idea of chivalry and adventure, Francis enlisted. But Assisi lost the war and Francis was taken prisoner, incarcerated in dungeons for a year. At the end of that year Francis return home, sick and defeated. His former flamboyant lifestyle was no longer possible. The wilderness of war, imprisonment and sickness had changed him forever. There would be more challenges and struggles down the road, but this was the beginning of Francis’s life of spiritual devotion, peacemaking, and service to the poor.[1] We also see this story reflected in current day life: young people go away to college, bunk up in a dorm with a stranger. The new roommate becomes their best friend or their greatest challenge. But it is our hope that they learn and grow socially and spiritually as well as academically. This is not in spite of leaving the comforts and safety of home, but because they do. Some journeys are extremely difficult, and not always safe. A young military recruit may grow in strength and wisdom, as they serve. But others may return from training and deployment wounded and broken, physically or emotionally. It’s understandable that they would ask “Is the Lord with us or not?” Most of us, we do not have to take the story of the journey into the wilderness literally. But, the truth remains the same: in order for us to become the people God intends us to be, growth is necessary. The people of Israel had remained in Egypt for generations. They were enslaved and oppressed. God had other things in mind for them. God’s desire was for them to grow into a thriving and free people. God’s people would not be put down into slavery anymore. In spite of the fact that all people are challenged to grow into who God intends them to be, there is often resistance. As Brian McLaren writes in “The Great Spiritual Migration”, “Exodus and exile, the two main storylines of the Hebrew Scriptures, are tales of a people in motion, and the biblical plot line seethes with the deeply human tension between settling down and moving on.” McLaren has come to see the Christian faith as “no longer a static location but a great spiritual journey.” I concur with McLaren and I believe that the church itself has been settled down for much too long. The culture has moved on without us. Now we are the ones who are called to move on, even if it means we will be out in the wilderness for quite some time. That may be a scary thought, but it is also liberating. In an effort to move into the place where God will meet them, I have seen many churches make bold vision statements. They talk of becoming more welcoming and inclusive, or engaged with the issues of our times. They head down that road a little ways, but then things get tough and challenging. Their people disagree about which way to go. Resources seem scarce. They look around them and see the wilderness and so they get scared and hurry back to the safety of business as usual. Often they don’t even pause long enough to ask the question ... is the Lord with us or not? Instead they turn to nostalgia, like the Israelites in the desert. Wasn’t it wonderful back in the day? Do you remember? With rose-colored spectacles looking back on the comforts of “church back in the day.” Blogger and “church professional” Maggie Nancarrow tells the story bluntly, in the article “The Church is not Dying. It’s Failing.”Nancarrow has talked with many “Nones” (those unaffiliated with any religion) and Millenials about their relationship with church. She says that most are “profoundly hungry to talk about God.” They are “profoundly in need of spiritual guidance, profoundly hungry for acceptance, trust and love.” But the churches they have encountered in the past excluded them, with unloving stances on GLBT issues, or they deeply scarred them through sex abuse scandals and abuses of authority in the church. Or, they just got tired of churches obsessed with “the way it used to be.” Nancarrow goes on to say, “The church of the 1950s has failed. It is already gone. We don’t get to rely on the ‘just because’ model anymore … now we have to authentically feed people spiritually, emotionally and physically to earn our existence in society.” Friends, we at Wollaston Congregational Church, may sometimes ask “Is the Lord With Us or Not?” as we move on toward being church God would have us be. Perhaps the ways of worship and programming of the past looks rosy from this place. But though we a sparse in numbers, I do believe that the answer is “yes” the Lord is with us. It is my hope that we will soon make bold statements about welcoming and inclusion and engagement with the issues of our time. And we will press on. And if we grow thirsty and discourage, because that road is not necessarily smooth, we will pause long enough to ask “Is the Lord with us or not?” I trust and pray that the answer will be, “go on ahead, I will meet you … I will meet your thirst with streams of living water. Do not be discouraged.” Amen [1] http://www.messengersaintanthony.com/content/st-francis-conversion |
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