First, from John 17:20-25
20-23I'm praying not only for them
But also for those who will believe in me
Because of them and their witness about me.
The goal is for all of them to become one heart and mind—
Just as you, Abba God, are in me and I in you,
So they might be one heart and mind with us.
Then the world might believe that you, in fact, sent me.
The same glory you gave me, I gave them,
So they'll be as unified and together as we are—
I in them and you in me.
Then they'll be mature in this oneness,
And give the godless world evidence
That you've sent me and loved them
In the same way you've loved me.
And now from Ephesians 3: 20-21
20-21God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! God does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, the Holy Spirit deeply and gently within us.
One of the great things that happens for me on vacation is that I have the time and desire to just think about things. At other times, I’m running to and fro, with a tight schedule, making sure I don’t forget anything (and that seems to get harder with each passing year) and working hard at keeping all my priorities in line. But two weeks ago, while we were on vacation, at Terri’s request, we spent a couple of days just being. One morning as we were sitting on the patio eating breakfast, God’s spirit broke into my heart. I was actually eating a banana, not a particularly theological pursuit, when out of the blue it dawned on me how incredibly different a banana is from an orange, or a strawberry, or a watermelon, or any other fruit for that matter. I allowed myself to gaze around at the flowers and foliage in the courtyard and began to notice, really notice, the intricate differences between each plant. Suddenly I was in tears and trying to explain to a now somewhat confused partner, how God was speaking to me about the wonder of the variety of creation and how that relates to the incredible bunch of people who make up this glorious church of ours. Now many of you are relatively new to Open Circle and may not really know how Open Circle came to be. But on this day of our first retreat when we want to spend some time envisioning a future for our church, I thought it important to talk a little bit about the dreams that made Open Circle a reality. Now my dream was just one of several that came together in the special way that only God works—and it is poured into the bucket of dreams of many—all of which combine to make Open Circle what you see today.
Just like many of you, there was a time when I had forgotten how to dream—forgotten that God had more in store for me than I could imagine—forgotten that God’s dreams for me were larger than I could ever dream for myself. As God began to speak to me about planting a church here in The Villages (and God used some of you sitting right here to do that), many of the other paths that God had led me on began to take on new meaning and make more sense. You see, planting a church is different from leading an established church and it began to become clear to me that all of my previous work was somehow a part of God’s plan to prepare me to lead in this very special place in a very special way. I have many bananas and oranges and strawberries and even kiwi or two along my way. All different, all planned by God. All united in the purpose of serving God and you here, in this church. And God said, “it is good!”
More importantly, God has placed all of you here, now, in this place with all of your bananas and strawberries and exotic fruit with fancy names and united us here as one body, one mind in Christ Jesus. Now...have you ever wondered why God placed us in a world so full of variety that there are still species of plants and animals that some have not even yet been discovered. Think a minute—even if every fruit looked and tasted like a banana we would still be healthy eating them—but God wanted more than just survival for us—God gave us variety, and that variety, my friends is indeed the spice of life at Open Circle.
I invite you to look around—there are singers and writers, chemists and computer gurus, bookkeepers and teachers and artists. There are young people, older people, moms and dads, grandmothers and grandfathers—maybe even a great-grand or two. There are native Floridians (well, at least a few) and New Yorkers, Midwesterners, and southerners and those from lands other than where we live now. There are golfers, softball players, players of that other incredibly dangerous game with the weird name where you hit a ball with a racquet and run backwards at rapid speeds, swimmers, runners, and those of us who love to watch what the rest of you do. There are those who love football, baseball, basketball or no ball. There are morning people, night people, partyers, and those who like to stay at home. There are Baptists and Pentecostals, Presbyterians and Catholics, Mormans and Buddhists and those who claim no previous faith at all. And God said, “it is good”.
And so, today as we seek to know God’s vision and, therefore, our vision for this church, I invite you to remember that we are not all bananas. But we come together in the way that Jesus calls us together in today’s reading: Jesus says: I'm praying not only for them, but also for those who will believe in me because of them and their witness about me.
The goal is for all of them to become one heart and mind— Just as you, Abba God, are in me and I in you, so they might be one heart and mind with us.” So today, Jesus prays for those of us who are already here that, through us, many will hear the good news of God’s unconditional acceptance and our radical hospitality.
But what is it that unites all of us with our varieties of backgrounds and skills, likes and dislikes, needs and gifts? Well-known businessman, Lee Iaccoa recalls in his autobiography called simply Iacocca, that he once asked the legendary coach Vince Lombardi what it took to make a winning team. Lombardi’s answer is as good for churches as it is for football teams: “there are lots of coaches with good ball clubs who know the fundamentals and have plenty of discipline but still don’t win the game. Then you come to the third ingredient: If you’re going to play together as a team, you’ve got to care for one another. You’ve got to love each other. Each player has to be thinking about the next guy and saying to himself: If I don’t block that man, Paul is going to get his legs broken. I have to do my job well in order that he can do his. “The difference between mediocrity and greatness,” Lombardi said that night, “is the feeling these guys have for each other.” My friends, I am standing here today suggesting to you that it is the feeling that we have one for another, the love we have one for another, that sets us apart and calls us to greatness as a church—as God’s church in this world large and small, here in Lake, Sumter, and Marion counties.
Jesus continues: So they'll be as unified and together as we are—
I in them and you in me. Then they'll be mature in this oneness, And give the godless world—(that is those who do not know of God’s unconditional acceptance and our radical hospitality) evidence that you've sent me and loved them in the same way you've loved me.
As a child of God, my mission has long been to bring the knowledge of God’s unconditional acceptance and redemption to all. By extending compassion, caring, celebration, and welcome to those with whom we come in contact, we embody the unfailing love that that God has for us, and become a grace-filled presence in the lives of those who respond.
At some point in this multi-layered journey, MCC required that I state my personal values that I bring to the task of pastoring this church: We will discussing in the next few hours what values and visions we bring to this church. I thought it might help if you heard an expanded version of what I wrote now almost a year ago. These then are the values on which I base my work with you and my service to God:
• Integrity—the transparency of motive, desire, and commitment—otherwise known as “what you see is what you get”,
• Wholeness—the integration of mind, body, spirit—we are created good as whole people and our sexuality is a beautiful expression of who we are—God’s children,
• Faithfulness—the ability to remain faithful to a person, group of persons, or cause in spite of adversities—and you all have rewarded my faithfulness with a faithfulness to this church that is nothing less than amazing,
• Compassion—the willingness to live “God” in the form which others need instead of remaining merely comfortable in my expressions of God’s love for others, and, finally,
• Inclusion—the commitment to welcome all into my life and faith, stranger and friend alike with no conditions.
And into this faith-filled and welcoming place comes God among us—and so we join with Paul in the closing of his prayer for the Gentiles in Ephesus and us, now in Open Circle: “Now unto God, the God that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power of the Holy Spirit who works in us, here at Open Circle; unto our Holy Creator, be the glory that is made manifest in this church, and in our lives, world without end! Amen and amen!
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