Readings:
First Reading: Matthew 4: 23-25 (The Message)
From there he went all over Galilee. He used synagogues for meeting places and taught people the truth of God. God's kingdom was his theme—that beginning right now they were under God's government, a good government! He also healed people of their diseases and of the negative effects of their past. Word got around the entire Roman province of Syria. People brought anybody with an ailment, whether mental, emotional, or physical. Jesus healed them, one and all. More and more people came, the momentum gathering. Besides those from Galilee, crowds came from the "Ten Towns" across the lake, others up from Jerusalem and Judea, still others from across the Jordan.
Second Reaading: I Corinthians 1: 23-26 (The Inclusive Bible)
Consider your calling, sisters and brothers. Not many of you were wise by human standards, not many were influential, and surely not many were well-born. God chose those whom the world considers foolish to shame the wise, and singled out the weak of this world to shame the strong. The world’s lowborn and despised, those who count for nothing, were chosen by God to reduce to nothing those who were something. In this way no one should boast before God. God has given you life in Christ Jesus and has made Jesus our wisdom, our justice, our sanctification and our redemption. This is just as it is written, “Let the one who would boast, boast in our God.”
May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable in your sight, O God, our strength, our source, and our redeemer. Amen.
“Consider your calling, sisters and brothers!” Woohoo! We are sitting pretty, God has called us, and we have answered and responded with a resounding ‘yes’! But before we get ourselves puffed up about what God has called us to do, Paul zaps us with a little truth, Paul-style. “Not many of you were wise by human standards, not many were influential, and surely not many were well-born.“ Well, I’ll be…this is not exactly what we are expecting to hear. We are expecting to hear that God is proud of us for doing what we do, for working hard, and for forging ahead. Paul, a little tough in his love for the baby church in Corinth, tells us to slow down and get our priorities in order. Was that a pronoun slip? Not really, as I believe that this brand new, out of the womb church, has much to learn from Paul’s teachings written to the early church not so long after the resurrection.
But first, let’s take a good look at our gospel passage. Some of you, perhaps most of you, I hope, have wondered what our church’s ministries will look like in the years to come. I chose this particular passage in Matthew because it describes what Jesus did after he called his disciples and gives us the best diagram for designing the ministries of this church that I can imagine. This is what Jesus did: “He used synagogues for meeting places and taught people the truth of God. God's kingdom was his theme—that beginning right now they were under God's government, a good government! He also healed people of their diseases and of the negative effects of their past…People brought anybody with an ailment, whether mental, emotional, or physical. Jesus healed them, one and all. More and more people came, the momentum gathering.” It does not take much of a leap for this to sound familiar. Let’s break it down a bit; there is foundation and there is doing. First—the foundation—Jesus taught people the truth of God—and that truth was that God’s reign of justice was and is underway right now. Every act of ministry or evangelism, outreach or teaching came encircled and embedded in that foundational truth—God’s reign is here NOW! And there is the doing…thoroughly grounded in the foundation, feet planted firmly in the belief of the in-breaking of God’s justice and reign of peace. Jesus “healed people of their diseases and of the negative effects of their past. Jesus healed them and us of all our ailments, whether “mental, emotional, or physical”. This, my friends, is the only blueprint that we need to begin the joyful task of planning for the future of this church. We will, over the next few months, be engaged in the process of strategic planning for Open Circle MCC. We will be seeking input from all of you and hard work from some of you to help us plan the directions we will go, the ministries we will provide, and the paths we will open in our following of the ministry of Jesus. Won’t you pray, this day, that God will show you your place in all of this? And as you pray, think of our passage from I Corinthians. “Not many of you were wise by human standards, not many were influential, and surely not many were well-born. God chose those whom the world considers foolish…” I will tell you that this proclamation from Paul gives me great comfort AND scares me to death. Comfort in knowing that God can use even me and trepidation, because GOD CAN USE EVEN ME! And so, my excuses, and your excuses, my friends, go right out the window opened wide by Paul’s words.
Just as Jesus’ life and ministry gives us the blueprint for ministry, Paul’s words tell us who will do the work—all of us, especially those of us, who the world has thought foolish, those who were not well-born, who had no real influence, and not even very wise by human standards. God uses those of us who take the world by surprise with our competence, our passion, and our commitment. We are the folks who the world didn’t see coming…can it get any more exciting than that?
Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians is all about contrasting the wisdom of the world with divine or God’s wisdom. God’s wisdom is not about becoming powerful, making either a name or fortune for oneself. God uses the powerless of the world to surprise and impact those who pay no attention to those without power. The kingdom of God, lived out in the world, is not conformed to this world. But, rather, it transforms this world and us at the same time. And this in-breaking kingdom must inform the way we do both ministry and business in the church—so we begin with a commitment to being surprised!
There is a story that has drifted on the internet for years, and yet, I had forgotten about the profound truth that it tells—that is until one of you sent it to me this week. I even looked it up, making sure that the story was true or at least close to true. And I found, that with a few e-embellishments, it is remarkably close to the actual story. Here is it:
In the early 1900’s, a little girl, Hattie Mae Wiatt, by name, came from a poor family in Philadephia. She wanted to go to Sunday School but was often turned away because it was so crowded. One day the pastor noticed her hesitation to enter into Sunday School and carried her in himself. He promised her that one day, there would always be enough room for all the children to attend Sunday School. Two years later, little Hattie took ill and died. Her mother brought the pastor a collection of coins that Hattie had laid aside telling her mother that it was to build a big Sunday School building. The pastor told the congregation and, very long story short, the church raised enough money to not only build a new church and Sunday School but also Temple University in Philadelphia. The historians of the church say that it was Hattie Mae Wiatt, a little girl with nothing to offer, who didn’t even live long enough to amount to anything in the world’s eyes, who inspired a congregation to give in ways they formerly thought impossible and build one of the great churches and universities in the country.
You have to know that Paul would have loved the Hattie Mae story. It illustrates some of what Paul wants us to understand. And yet, Paul goes much deeper than this. Corinth was a bustling, significant port city which also controlled major land routes from the Corinth into central Greece. One cannot underestimate the importance of this town both industrially and culturally. A center for the arts, it would have had a very important elite class, so the hearers of this letter would have understood what Paul was suggesting in light of their own position in society. The early churches were not unlike the churches of today. They argued, mostly about what was most important and what should take priority in their ministries. Paul puts an end to it. God turned the world and the church in the world upside down. God chose the foolish, the weak, those who seemed to have no value at all. God chose people like us—people who had been told “you are not welcome here”, and out of it all, God creates salvation. No grounds for boasting here except in and through the cross of Jesus Christ.
We will do well to remember this brief passage from Paul to the Corinthians as we proceed down the path to which God continues to call us. For Paul shows us where our eyes must stay focused, where our hearts must stay grounded. God has given us life in Jesus Christ and has made Jesus the foundation of our personal and communal ministry by being our justice—our sense of what is right, our sanctification—our spiritual growth and formation, and our redemption—our re-created selves in God’s image. Therefore, let us boast, when we boast, only in the Lord.
This, then is my prayer for us: May our love for each other and the world be simple—inspired by and infused with God’s love for us. May our knowledge, that which we know that we know, be based on the wisdom that comes from our hearts and the heart of God. And may our righteousness be found in doing justice, loving mercy and walking humbly with our God. Amen and amen.
Welcome!
Monday, January 31, 2011
Monday, January 24, 2011
"It Is Not Enough" Part 2 1-23-2011
Reading 1: Isaiah 9: 1-4
“But there will be no more gloom for the land that was in anguish! In the past God humbled the land of Zebulun, the land of Naphtali, but in the future God will bring glofy to this Road to the Sea, this Land beyond the Jordan, this Galilee of the Nations.
The people walking in darkness are seeing a brilliant light—upon those who dwell in a land of deep shadows light is shining! God, you have made the nation greater—you have brought them abundant joy! They celebrate in your presence as with the harvest celebrations, or as warriors celebrate when dividing spoils. For the yoke that burdened them, the weight on their shoulders, the rod of their oppressors—you have shattered it, as you did at the defeat of Midian.
Reading 2: Matthew 4: 18-23
As Jesus was walking along the Sea of Galilee, he watched two brothers—Simon, who was called Peter, and Andres—casting a net into the sea. They fished by trade. Jesus said to them, “Come follow me, and I will make you fishers of humankind.” They immediately abandoned their nets and began to follow Jesus. Jesus walked along further and caught sight of a second pair of brothers—James and John, ben-Zebedee. They, too, were in their boat, mending their nets with their father. Jesus called them, and immediately they abandoned both boat and father to follow him.
Jesus traveled throughout Galilee, teaching in the synagogues, proclaiming the Good News of the kindom of heaven and healing all kinds of diseases and sicknesses among the people.
God, open our hearts to hear your word. Open our minds to understand, and give us the will to listen and follow Jesus as he says to us, “Come, follow me.” Holy God, We meet you in our darkest days, and we see you in the light. Shine upon us. Turn us around from thinking more of our own needs than those of others. Forgive us and give us courage to shine with your compassion, justice, and peace. Amen.
Many of you know that I spent 4 of the days in between last Sunday and this at an UFMCC retreat for leaders in the denomination. It was a privilege to be there—to be counted among the emerging leaders in our denomination. But more than that, it was privilege, beyond measure and full of grace, to be there as your pastor, to be representing the wonderful, joyous community called Open Circle MCC. And let me tell you, we were news at that conference. Open Circle was spoken of by Rev. Elder Nancy with pride and celebration. Many asked the question, how and when can we do elsewhere what Open Circle has done. And I reflected with pride and humility about the wonder of our last year’s journey and the excitement that lies ahead as we truly now begin to be church—to expand our spiritual formation opportunities, our discipleship, and our service to others. It was a good time for me to have this time to think about and ponder all that we are and all we can be. Thank you for giving me the time to be in that special place.
And so, on to part 2 of our challenge from Isaiah last week: It is not enough! This week, Isaiah calls to us in a passage that usually finds its way into many Advent programs, “The people walking in darkness are seeing a great light—upon those who dwell in the deep shadows light is shining!” We must combine this message with the message from last week when Isaiah tells us that WE are that light—that we are the light to the nations. And on to the New Testament where Jesus, not only the source of the light, but the light itself, is calling those special people to follow him then, just as he calls us, as special people—a set apart people, to follow him today.
In Jesus we are given a God that is real—a God who walks among us. Even so, this simple story along the Sea of Galilee leaves us with the question: Why in the world did these fisherfolk leave their nets and follow Jesus then and why would we do it now? Is it not because Jesus offered them more? In a single moment, Jesus expanded their vision—told them that there was more to fishing than catching fish and invited them to fish for humankind. What we may miss in this simply recorded story is that it was because of the transforming presence of Jesus that these four left their nets. Jesus, God made real, walked up to them and invited them to take what they felt and saw in this “God-among-us” to all the world.
In the poverty and hopelessness of communities such as those found in Galilee, this was a radical thing indeed. And these poor, humble folks enslaved by society and politics may well have longed for the liberation and hope found in the transforming presence of Jesus. As we follow the stories of these first disciples and the people who came after them, it all plays out. The transforming presence of Jesus worked—it actually made a difference—“Jesus traveled through Galilee, teaching in the synagogues, proclaiming the Good News of the Kingdom of heaven and healing all kinds of diseases and sicknesses among the people.” And, indeed, we have the same need for this transforming presence of Jesus and those who follow him today. Jesus spoke the transforming word of RADICAL ACCEPTANCE AND LOVE WITHOUT CONDITION to those common fisherfolk and to all that he touched with healing, teaching, and preaching. And so must we!
And here is just a little part of the reason why: Over two years ago, we all watched as both Florida and California fought political battles over the rights of LGBT people to marry. We know the outcome of both. What is most interesting now is the why. There was a study done on the struggle in California. Overwhelmingly, there were three factors that were shown to affect the way California voters voted: first, ideology or viewing oneself as conservative rather than liberal, second, one’s political party, and third—and this is where it truly gets alarming—whether or not one attended church on a weekly basis. When these categories are factored in, they were more important than race, economic status and gender. Of people who attended church regularly, 70 percent voted to support Proposition 8—which, of course outlawed marriage between same sex couples. 70%--think what this means in light of the Gospel that we have been called to preach.
With the wisdom that age, persecution and ministry bring, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, the Anglican Archbishop of South Africa, states this about the church’s historical treatment of LGBT people: “We reject [homosexuals], treat them as pariahs, and push them outside our church communities, and thereby we negate the consequences of their baptism and ours. We make them doubt that they are the children of God, and this must be nearly the ultimate blasphemy.” Those of us who have known and loved other churches know well this “nearly ultimate blasphemy”.
But we, right here, right now, have been given the word of transformation--and we must take the good news to those who ‘doubt they are the children of God’. We must not grow comfortable within the safety of these walls or the relative safety of our mostly isolated lives. We must reach out to those who do not know the good news that God loves them and Jesus lived and died for them.
Last week, we spoke briefly of our teens and young adults who are committing suicide because that good news has not yet reached them. There is another statistic that we must face regarding our young people. Many organizations working with homeless youth, including Lambda, point out the unacceptably high number of homeless youth who are LGBT. As many as 40% of youth wandering the streets of major cities, including Orlando and Gainesville, have been thrown out of their family homes because of their sexual orientation or so brutalized by parents demanding that they change that they left in fear and despair. WE MUST SPREAD THE GOSPEL OF RADICAL ACCEPTANCE AND LOVE WITHOUT CONDITION before the next child sleeps on the streets of New York, Dallas, Chicago or Ocala. We reach out in ways like we already have, in additional ways like providing for battered and abused families in our current outreach program. And we find new ways—many ways we haven’t even thought of yet.
There are no easy answers, no obvious first steps. But this I know, God is calling us to SPREAD THE GOSPEL OF RADICAL ACCEPTANCE AND LOVE WITHOUT CONDITION beyond these walls. We must find ways to reach the youth, at least in our neighborhood, if not the world. We must find ways to reach the disaffected adults—those who have tried to find acceptance in their churches and have been rejected and those who have never known the peace that comes from a relationship with our great God. We must find ways to reach the older people, those alone, those afraid of ‘coming out’ after all these years.
And so, as I will do as long as you call me your pastor, I call us to action...to explore new ministries and to build up existing ones. I call us to dream dreams and to do the work to turn those dreams into reality. Most of all, I call myself and all of you, to care more about freedom for all people than comfort for the few. I call us to sacrifice in the name of Jesus, to go forth, to SPREAD THE GOSPEL OF RADICAL ACCEPTANCE AND LOVE WITHOUT CONDITION, without exception. I call us to pray, and pray fervently. I call us to love, and love as we have never loved before. I call us to reach out, and reach out farther than our own individual arms will reach. I call us to give, and give of our time and energy. I call us to free ourselves and others, and free our lives to work and live in the name of Jesus, that once, little known prophet from Nazareth who once stood on the side of the Sea of Galilee and called to common people like us to make a difference and, by doing so, saved the world. Amen and amen.
“But there will be no more gloom for the land that was in anguish! In the past God humbled the land of Zebulun, the land of Naphtali, but in the future God will bring glofy to this Road to the Sea, this Land beyond the Jordan, this Galilee of the Nations.
The people walking in darkness are seeing a brilliant light—upon those who dwell in a land of deep shadows light is shining! God, you have made the nation greater—you have brought them abundant joy! They celebrate in your presence as with the harvest celebrations, or as warriors celebrate when dividing spoils. For the yoke that burdened them, the weight on their shoulders, the rod of their oppressors—you have shattered it, as you did at the defeat of Midian.
Reading 2: Matthew 4: 18-23
As Jesus was walking along the Sea of Galilee, he watched two brothers—Simon, who was called Peter, and Andres—casting a net into the sea. They fished by trade. Jesus said to them, “Come follow me, and I will make you fishers of humankind.” They immediately abandoned their nets and began to follow Jesus. Jesus walked along further and caught sight of a second pair of brothers—James and John, ben-Zebedee. They, too, were in their boat, mending their nets with their father. Jesus called them, and immediately they abandoned both boat and father to follow him.
Jesus traveled throughout Galilee, teaching in the synagogues, proclaiming the Good News of the kindom of heaven and healing all kinds of diseases and sicknesses among the people.
God, open our hearts to hear your word. Open our minds to understand, and give us the will to listen and follow Jesus as he says to us, “Come, follow me.” Holy God, We meet you in our darkest days, and we see you in the light. Shine upon us. Turn us around from thinking more of our own needs than those of others. Forgive us and give us courage to shine with your compassion, justice, and peace. Amen.
Many of you know that I spent 4 of the days in between last Sunday and this at an UFMCC retreat for leaders in the denomination. It was a privilege to be there—to be counted among the emerging leaders in our denomination. But more than that, it was privilege, beyond measure and full of grace, to be there as your pastor, to be representing the wonderful, joyous community called Open Circle MCC. And let me tell you, we were news at that conference. Open Circle was spoken of by Rev. Elder Nancy with pride and celebration. Many asked the question, how and when can we do elsewhere what Open Circle has done. And I reflected with pride and humility about the wonder of our last year’s journey and the excitement that lies ahead as we truly now begin to be church—to expand our spiritual formation opportunities, our discipleship, and our service to others. It was a good time for me to have this time to think about and ponder all that we are and all we can be. Thank you for giving me the time to be in that special place.
And so, on to part 2 of our challenge from Isaiah last week: It is not enough! This week, Isaiah calls to us in a passage that usually finds its way into many Advent programs, “The people walking in darkness are seeing a great light—upon those who dwell in the deep shadows light is shining!” We must combine this message with the message from last week when Isaiah tells us that WE are that light—that we are the light to the nations. And on to the New Testament where Jesus, not only the source of the light, but the light itself, is calling those special people to follow him then, just as he calls us, as special people—a set apart people, to follow him today.
In Jesus we are given a God that is real—a God who walks among us. Even so, this simple story along the Sea of Galilee leaves us with the question: Why in the world did these fisherfolk leave their nets and follow Jesus then and why would we do it now? Is it not because Jesus offered them more? In a single moment, Jesus expanded their vision—told them that there was more to fishing than catching fish and invited them to fish for humankind. What we may miss in this simply recorded story is that it was because of the transforming presence of Jesus that these four left their nets. Jesus, God made real, walked up to them and invited them to take what they felt and saw in this “God-among-us” to all the world.
In the poverty and hopelessness of communities such as those found in Galilee, this was a radical thing indeed. And these poor, humble folks enslaved by society and politics may well have longed for the liberation and hope found in the transforming presence of Jesus. As we follow the stories of these first disciples and the people who came after them, it all plays out. The transforming presence of Jesus worked—it actually made a difference—“Jesus traveled through Galilee, teaching in the synagogues, proclaiming the Good News of the Kingdom of heaven and healing all kinds of diseases and sicknesses among the people.” And, indeed, we have the same need for this transforming presence of Jesus and those who follow him today. Jesus spoke the transforming word of RADICAL ACCEPTANCE AND LOVE WITHOUT CONDITION to those common fisherfolk and to all that he touched with healing, teaching, and preaching. And so must we!
And here is just a little part of the reason why: Over two years ago, we all watched as both Florida and California fought political battles over the rights of LGBT people to marry. We know the outcome of both. What is most interesting now is the why. There was a study done on the struggle in California. Overwhelmingly, there were three factors that were shown to affect the way California voters voted: first, ideology or viewing oneself as conservative rather than liberal, second, one’s political party, and third—and this is where it truly gets alarming—whether or not one attended church on a weekly basis. When these categories are factored in, they were more important than race, economic status and gender. Of people who attended church regularly, 70 percent voted to support Proposition 8—which, of course outlawed marriage between same sex couples. 70%--think what this means in light of the Gospel that we have been called to preach.
With the wisdom that age, persecution and ministry bring, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, the Anglican Archbishop of South Africa, states this about the church’s historical treatment of LGBT people: “We reject [homosexuals], treat them as pariahs, and push them outside our church communities, and thereby we negate the consequences of their baptism and ours. We make them doubt that they are the children of God, and this must be nearly the ultimate blasphemy.” Those of us who have known and loved other churches know well this “nearly ultimate blasphemy”.
But we, right here, right now, have been given the word of transformation--and we must take the good news to those who ‘doubt they are the children of God’. We must not grow comfortable within the safety of these walls or the relative safety of our mostly isolated lives. We must reach out to those who do not know the good news that God loves them and Jesus lived and died for them.
Last week, we spoke briefly of our teens and young adults who are committing suicide because that good news has not yet reached them. There is another statistic that we must face regarding our young people. Many organizations working with homeless youth, including Lambda, point out the unacceptably high number of homeless youth who are LGBT. As many as 40% of youth wandering the streets of major cities, including Orlando and Gainesville, have been thrown out of their family homes because of their sexual orientation or so brutalized by parents demanding that they change that they left in fear and despair. WE MUST SPREAD THE GOSPEL OF RADICAL ACCEPTANCE AND LOVE WITHOUT CONDITION before the next child sleeps on the streets of New York, Dallas, Chicago or Ocala. We reach out in ways like we already have, in additional ways like providing for battered and abused families in our current outreach program. And we find new ways—many ways we haven’t even thought of yet.
There are no easy answers, no obvious first steps. But this I know, God is calling us to SPREAD THE GOSPEL OF RADICAL ACCEPTANCE AND LOVE WITHOUT CONDITION beyond these walls. We must find ways to reach the youth, at least in our neighborhood, if not the world. We must find ways to reach the disaffected adults—those who have tried to find acceptance in their churches and have been rejected and those who have never known the peace that comes from a relationship with our great God. We must find ways to reach the older people, those alone, those afraid of ‘coming out’ after all these years.
And so, as I will do as long as you call me your pastor, I call us to action...to explore new ministries and to build up existing ones. I call us to dream dreams and to do the work to turn those dreams into reality. Most of all, I call myself and all of you, to care more about freedom for all people than comfort for the few. I call us to sacrifice in the name of Jesus, to go forth, to SPREAD THE GOSPEL OF RADICAL ACCEPTANCE AND LOVE WITHOUT CONDITION, without exception. I call us to pray, and pray fervently. I call us to love, and love as we have never loved before. I call us to reach out, and reach out farther than our own individual arms will reach. I call us to give, and give of our time and energy. I call us to free ourselves and others, and free our lives to work and live in the name of Jesus, that once, little known prophet from Nazareth who once stood on the side of the Sea of Galilee and called to common people like us to make a difference and, by doing so, saved the world. Amen and amen.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
It Is Not Enough” Part 1 Preached 1-16-2011
First Reading: Isaiah 49: 1-6
Islands, listen to me! Pay attention, distant peoples! Yahweh called me before I was born, and named me from my mother’s womb. God made my mouth a sharp sword, and hid me in the shadow of the hand of the Most High. The Almighty made me into a sharpened arrow, and concealed me in God’s quiver. The Holy One said to me, “You are my Servant, Israel, in whom I will be glorified.” I had been thinking, “I have toiled in vain, I have exhausted myself for nothing!”—yet all the while my cause was with Yahweh, and my reward was with my God. Thus says Yahweh, who formed me in the womb to be God’s Servant, who destined me to bring back the children of Jacob and gather again the people of Israel: “It is not enough for you to do my bidding, to restore the tribes of Leah, Rachel, and Jacob and bring back the survivors of Israel; I will make you the light of the nations, so that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.”
Second Reading: John 1: 29-34
The next day, catching sight of Jesus approaching, John exclaimed, “Look, there’s God’s sacrificial lamb, who takes away the world’s sin! This is the one I was talking about when I said, ‘The one who comes after me ranks ahead of me, for this One existed before I did.’ I didn’t recognize him, but it was so that he would be revealed to Israel that I came baptizing with water.” John also gave this testimony: “I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and she came to rest on him. I didn’t recognize him, but the One who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘When you see the Spirit descend and rest on someone, that is the One who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ Now I have seen for myself and have testified that this is the Only Begotten of God.”
God, grant us wisdom to understand that our calling comes from You and is designed according to Your holy plan. Let us not grow weary as we seek to become a light to the nations! Amen
On a week when doing what my grandmother used to call “resting on our laurels” would seem perfectly appropriate, God uses Isaiah to challenge us anew—to say, don’t get comfortable—in fact, only now are you ready to hear my call. And this challenge is so vital, so crucial to who we are as a congregation that this sermon is in two parts—so, know ahead of time, that I will continue my meditation on God’s challenge begun this week into next.
In our reading today, Isaiah, chapter 49, we hear Isaiah’s belief that God called him to be a prophet even before he was born. Isaiah says that God named him and designed him to be God’s servant. That God has called Isaiah to this great prophetic role is so clear that his words take on special meaning to all those who hear him. And then Isaiah surprises us and says “I’m not only for those people of Israel”—those tribes named in our scripture today—“No!”, says Isaiah, “God is calling me to be a light to the nations—to the whole earth!” And so we read these words and hear this call after the celebration of the greatest day in our history as a church—but God says to Isaiah and to us, “It is not enough!”
In 1976, the founder of MCC Churches, Troy Perry preached a sermon entitled “God Has Called Us, God Has Spoken, the Message is Clear” at the close of the UFMCC General Conference. That was just 8 years after the first MCC church service was held in Los Angeles. He proclaimed, “We’re at that place now where you are calling us to be true to the vision that you have given us. That vision is to teach and to preach that you love all people right where they’re at. And I am suggesting that we are still in that place.” I am sure that Rev. Perry is as saddened as the rest of us are that we are still, still, in 2011, still in that place.
Let me tell you part of why this is so sad…while we are rejoicing, many of our folks remain in despair. Even our young people—numbers generally accepted indicate that around 30% of the young people WHO SUCCEED in their suicide attempts are LGBTQ young people. And the call of many conservative religious and social groups to young people to turn away from who they know themselves to be causes pain and despair beyond belief. Their outreach offers no hope of acceptance—only the false offer of adopting the appearance of heterosexuality or lifelong abstinence. These groups argue that so many young people are committing suicide because they have been told by people like us that our lifestyle is not chosen but created by God and so they believe that they will never be able to become “normal” heterosexuals. Suicide seems a better choice than accepting themselves as God made them to be. We all, straight, gay, allies, see the challenge in the faces of these precious young people.
Some say that we have inflated those numbers and there are “that” many young LGBT people dying because of torment, rejection, and bullying. To those people, I want to scream, in behavior, not so politically or ministerially correct, “What is the matter with you? If one young person dies because they have been rejected or brutalized, that is too many. The hundreds of young people who take their lives every year because of confusion, rejection by family and friends, and fear that God will not accept them either, is a tragedy beyond our ability to truly take into our hearts. But take it into our hearts, we do indeed!
The national organization Lambda, long recognized for its work for equality for our community notes that “in the United States, a teen takes their own life every 5 hours because they are gay, lesbian, or transgender, and cannot deal with the added stresses that society puts upon them”. This means that before most of us get home today, at least one young person will have died while we gathered with our family and friends to worship a God who gave us Jesus to show us the measure of divine love and concern that is present through God’s grace. WE MUST SPREAD THE GOSPEL OF RADICAL ACCEPTANCE AND LOVE WITHOUT CONDITION before the next child dies. We must be a light to the nations.
You all know me by now and you know that I am headed somewhere—going to ask you to respond. And you are right, I’m going to ask you to stand with me and be the light in this time, in this place. I have gone through my own “surely you don’t mean me, God” and “Surely you don’t mean Open Circle”. But I cannot escape the voice that calls to me and to us as God’s people just as Yahweh called Isaiah..calling us to be a light to the nations… Listen with me to the voice of God calling us to care, to SPREAD THE GOSPEL OF RADICAL ACCEPTANCE AND LOVE WITHOUT CONDITION now in our community, in our world. We must not shun this great work, because the forces of hatred, and persecution rage long and loud in our land.
I believe with my whole heart that we have been called in this place at this time for a purpose—and that is to SPREAD THE GOSPEL OF RADICAL ACCEPTANCE AND LOVE WITHOUT CONDITION to all our brothers and sisters, young, middle age, and old, who have not heard or cannot believe that God loves and accepts them and that we love and accept them.
Tomorrow we celebrate the life and work of one of the world’s great prophets, Rev. Dr. King; and it is incumbent upon us to hear his words, in light of the many challenging and controversial issues we face today. Today, however, we are still in our celebration of our own affiliation as an MCC church; and the Founder and prophet of MCC, Rev. Troy Perry, does not shrink from calling us to this great work. Both of these prophets had dreams. Listen briefly with me to them both. First, Rev. Dr. King, in his speech accepting the Nobel Prize: “I have the audacity today to believe that peoples everywhere can have three meals a day for their bodies, education and culture for their minds, and dignity, equality and freedom for their spirits. I believe that what self-centered [people] have torn down [people] other-centered can build up. I still believe that one day [humankind] will bow before the altars of God and be crowned triumphant over war and bloodshed, and nonviolent redemptive good will shall proclaim the law of the land….I still believe that we shall overcome.”
Rev. Elder Nancy Wilson, who spoke so eloquently to us last week of our place in this world, this week, has this to say about the connection between the dream and Metropolitan Community Churches. “MCC, in solidarity with so many others, we are the keepers of an amazing dream that must not die! MCC was born in the year Dr. King died, and the choice is ours to keep hope alive, to speak up for peace, for non-violence, and for the kind of inclusive justice that will heal our world. Dr. King's memory does not belong to this nation or to one community alone, but to anyone who will offer their gifts and lives to that vision.”
And now listen to Rev. Perry from the same sermon I quoted earlier, “This is my dream, I shall come to the City of God, to [the] Kingdom, knowing I shall be totally accepted as myself, sharing my ‘being somebody’ with all gay people everywhere. I dream of that time when all people who are gay, all who are hiding it, will step forth freely into the light of truth, total acceptance and understanding…I dream that we can all come out of hiding, that we can all stand tall and walk with our heads held high…” Gay or not, I believe that you can all see the glory of Rev. Perry’s dream.
These two dreams, not so different, though one more specific that the other, are worthy dreams for us today. I think that both of these men hoped that we would need neither to preach nor to hear a sermon such as this in 2011. But they would both be equally proud that we are who we are. For we know that God still calls, we still listen, and we act with faith in the One who calls us to bring light to the world. Amen and amen.
Islands, listen to me! Pay attention, distant peoples! Yahweh called me before I was born, and named me from my mother’s womb. God made my mouth a sharp sword, and hid me in the shadow of the hand of the Most High. The Almighty made me into a sharpened arrow, and concealed me in God’s quiver. The Holy One said to me, “You are my Servant, Israel, in whom I will be glorified.” I had been thinking, “I have toiled in vain, I have exhausted myself for nothing!”—yet all the while my cause was with Yahweh, and my reward was with my God. Thus says Yahweh, who formed me in the womb to be God’s Servant, who destined me to bring back the children of Jacob and gather again the people of Israel: “It is not enough for you to do my bidding, to restore the tribes of Leah, Rachel, and Jacob and bring back the survivors of Israel; I will make you the light of the nations, so that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.”
Second Reading: John 1: 29-34
The next day, catching sight of Jesus approaching, John exclaimed, “Look, there’s God’s sacrificial lamb, who takes away the world’s sin! This is the one I was talking about when I said, ‘The one who comes after me ranks ahead of me, for this One existed before I did.’ I didn’t recognize him, but it was so that he would be revealed to Israel that I came baptizing with water.” John also gave this testimony: “I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and she came to rest on him. I didn’t recognize him, but the One who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘When you see the Spirit descend and rest on someone, that is the One who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ Now I have seen for myself and have testified that this is the Only Begotten of God.”
God, grant us wisdom to understand that our calling comes from You and is designed according to Your holy plan. Let us not grow weary as we seek to become a light to the nations! Amen
On a week when doing what my grandmother used to call “resting on our laurels” would seem perfectly appropriate, God uses Isaiah to challenge us anew—to say, don’t get comfortable—in fact, only now are you ready to hear my call. And this challenge is so vital, so crucial to who we are as a congregation that this sermon is in two parts—so, know ahead of time, that I will continue my meditation on God’s challenge begun this week into next.
In our reading today, Isaiah, chapter 49, we hear Isaiah’s belief that God called him to be a prophet even before he was born. Isaiah says that God named him and designed him to be God’s servant. That God has called Isaiah to this great prophetic role is so clear that his words take on special meaning to all those who hear him. And then Isaiah surprises us and says “I’m not only for those people of Israel”—those tribes named in our scripture today—“No!”, says Isaiah, “God is calling me to be a light to the nations—to the whole earth!” And so we read these words and hear this call after the celebration of the greatest day in our history as a church—but God says to Isaiah and to us, “It is not enough!”
In 1976, the founder of MCC Churches, Troy Perry preached a sermon entitled “God Has Called Us, God Has Spoken, the Message is Clear” at the close of the UFMCC General Conference. That was just 8 years after the first MCC church service was held in Los Angeles. He proclaimed, “We’re at that place now where you are calling us to be true to the vision that you have given us. That vision is to teach and to preach that you love all people right where they’re at. And I am suggesting that we are still in that place.” I am sure that Rev. Perry is as saddened as the rest of us are that we are still, still, in 2011, still in that place.
Let me tell you part of why this is so sad…while we are rejoicing, many of our folks remain in despair. Even our young people—numbers generally accepted indicate that around 30% of the young people WHO SUCCEED in their suicide attempts are LGBTQ young people. And the call of many conservative religious and social groups to young people to turn away from who they know themselves to be causes pain and despair beyond belief. Their outreach offers no hope of acceptance—only the false offer of adopting the appearance of heterosexuality or lifelong abstinence. These groups argue that so many young people are committing suicide because they have been told by people like us that our lifestyle is not chosen but created by God and so they believe that they will never be able to become “normal” heterosexuals. Suicide seems a better choice than accepting themselves as God made them to be. We all, straight, gay, allies, see the challenge in the faces of these precious young people.
Some say that we have inflated those numbers and there are “that” many young LGBT people dying because of torment, rejection, and bullying. To those people, I want to scream, in behavior, not so politically or ministerially correct, “What is the matter with you? If one young person dies because they have been rejected or brutalized, that is too many. The hundreds of young people who take their lives every year because of confusion, rejection by family and friends, and fear that God will not accept them either, is a tragedy beyond our ability to truly take into our hearts. But take it into our hearts, we do indeed!
The national organization Lambda, long recognized for its work for equality for our community notes that “in the United States, a teen takes their own life every 5 hours because they are gay, lesbian, or transgender, and cannot deal with the added stresses that society puts upon them”. This means that before most of us get home today, at least one young person will have died while we gathered with our family and friends to worship a God who gave us Jesus to show us the measure of divine love and concern that is present through God’s grace. WE MUST SPREAD THE GOSPEL OF RADICAL ACCEPTANCE AND LOVE WITHOUT CONDITION before the next child dies. We must be a light to the nations.
You all know me by now and you know that I am headed somewhere—going to ask you to respond. And you are right, I’m going to ask you to stand with me and be the light in this time, in this place. I have gone through my own “surely you don’t mean me, God” and “Surely you don’t mean Open Circle”. But I cannot escape the voice that calls to me and to us as God’s people just as Yahweh called Isaiah..calling us to be a light to the nations… Listen with me to the voice of God calling us to care, to SPREAD THE GOSPEL OF RADICAL ACCEPTANCE AND LOVE WITHOUT CONDITION now in our community, in our world. We must not shun this great work, because the forces of hatred, and persecution rage long and loud in our land.
I believe with my whole heart that we have been called in this place at this time for a purpose—and that is to SPREAD THE GOSPEL OF RADICAL ACCEPTANCE AND LOVE WITHOUT CONDITION to all our brothers and sisters, young, middle age, and old, who have not heard or cannot believe that God loves and accepts them and that we love and accept them.
Tomorrow we celebrate the life and work of one of the world’s great prophets, Rev. Dr. King; and it is incumbent upon us to hear his words, in light of the many challenging and controversial issues we face today. Today, however, we are still in our celebration of our own affiliation as an MCC church; and the Founder and prophet of MCC, Rev. Troy Perry, does not shrink from calling us to this great work. Both of these prophets had dreams. Listen briefly with me to them both. First, Rev. Dr. King, in his speech accepting the Nobel Prize: “I have the audacity today to believe that peoples everywhere can have three meals a day for their bodies, education and culture for their minds, and dignity, equality and freedom for their spirits. I believe that what self-centered [people] have torn down [people] other-centered can build up. I still believe that one day [humankind] will bow before the altars of God and be crowned triumphant over war and bloodshed, and nonviolent redemptive good will shall proclaim the law of the land….I still believe that we shall overcome.”
Rev. Elder Nancy Wilson, who spoke so eloquently to us last week of our place in this world, this week, has this to say about the connection between the dream and Metropolitan Community Churches. “MCC, in solidarity with so many others, we are the keepers of an amazing dream that must not die! MCC was born in the year Dr. King died, and the choice is ours to keep hope alive, to speak up for peace, for non-violence, and for the kind of inclusive justice that will heal our world. Dr. King's memory does not belong to this nation or to one community alone, but to anyone who will offer their gifts and lives to that vision.”
And now listen to Rev. Perry from the same sermon I quoted earlier, “This is my dream, I shall come to the City of God, to [the] Kingdom, knowing I shall be totally accepted as myself, sharing my ‘being somebody’ with all gay people everywhere. I dream of that time when all people who are gay, all who are hiding it, will step forth freely into the light of truth, total acceptance and understanding…I dream that we can all come out of hiding, that we can all stand tall and walk with our heads held high…” Gay or not, I believe that you can all see the glory of Rev. Perry’s dream.
These two dreams, not so different, though one more specific that the other, are worthy dreams for us today. I think that both of these men hoped that we would need neither to preach nor to hear a sermon such as this in 2011. But they would both be equally proud that we are who we are. For we know that God still calls, we still listen, and we act with faith in the One who calls us to bring light to the world. Amen and amen.
Monday, January 3, 2011
Partakers of the Promise 1-2-2011
Ephesians 3: 1-12
1 For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles—
2 Surely you have heard about the administration of God’s grace that was given to me for you, 3 that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly. 4 In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, 5 which was not made known to people in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets. 6 This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.
7 I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace given me through the working of God's power. 8 Although I am less than the least of all the Lord’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the boundless riches of Christ, 9 and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things. 10 God's intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, 11 according to God's eternal purpose that was accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. 12 In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.
Partakers of the Promise Preached 1-2-2011
God, fill us with gratitude for awaking to walk our journey for another year. Give us insight for our paths and love for each other. Grant us your wisdom and peace. Amen
Welcome to 2011! May this year find you renewed in strength, in health, and in insight into the wonderful gifts given to us through Jesus Christ. May this be the year that the desires of your hearts match perfectly with God’s roadmap for your journey. And may you know perfect peace.
I want to be sure that we understand the radical nature of our scripture lesson today. For there is little else in the New Testament as socially, culturally, and theologically transformative as what Paul is telling the Christians at Ephesus. And in today’s world it remains just as radical and just as relevant. I want us to walk through this passage in detail—none of us should leave here today without a full understanding of the just how revolutionary God’s invitation is to the Gentiles and, hence, to us.
The letter to the Ephesians is about the revelation of the good news and the imperative to evangelize the rest of the world. That imperative was what usually got Paul locked up. But even while imprisoned, Paul never stopped spreading the word. Paul subscribes to one very significant bottom line: the salvation of humankind through Jesus Christ has been made manifest to all and those of us who are committed to this same Jesus Christ will continue to spread the Good News.
This doesn’t sound so radical to us in 2011, unless you believe that there are certain categories of people who are outside of the love of God. Unfortunately, there are many otherwise well-meaning believers in this Good News who do consider whole groups of people as falling outside the circle of those who experience redemption. Any of this beginning to sound familiar? Regrettably, it sounds all to familiar to those of us who have been on the margin, falling off the edge of acceptability in others’ eyes.
And here is where we meet up with Paul. Jews and Gentiles were arch enemies—different categories of people—the bridge between them had not even been thought necessary, much less begun to be built. And it is to this world, that Paul brings the news of Epiphany. Now "epiphany" comes from the Greek word epiphaneia, which means "appearing" or "revealing." And so, this day of Epiphany focuses on God's self-revelation—God’s appearing in Christ. So far, so good—no conflict here. But listen to what Paul tells these folks who were all wrapped up in the good news of Christ. “This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.” Heirs together—here is where the rubber meets the road.
Imagine how challenging this was to the hearers of this epistle. Paul is clear—Jews and Gentiles are to live together as joint heirs in Christ. This was rarely the case in Paul’s time—there was too much history, too much hatred, too much fear. You must remember that Christianity, at this time, was probably made up of 80-90 percent Jewish folks. Gentiles made up approximately 10% of all Christians. A mere 10% or so of the Christian population—hardly worth mentioning and certainly not worth accepting as equal heirs in Christ. This notion of equality between Jewish and Gentile Christians was radical indeed.
From the perspective shared by most of the Jewish Christians, there were really only two divisions in humankind—Jewish and Gentile. Race was not a factor, and while there were some cultural differences depending on where you were from, these all paled in comparison to the only distinction that mattered. Paul, then, goes way out of the community’s comfort zone when he declares that the most important dividing wall in humankind has been broken down in Christ Jesus. Through Jesus Christ, God made one humanity with no distinctions between who was worthy and who was not. Simple, right?
Far from simple, this radical call to the oneness of humanity is the basis for any and all calls to oneness, to understanding, to harmony, to unity among Christians. This is Epiphany—this is God among us working to change the age-old hatred, mistrust, and fear. I think, for the most part, we just don’t get it—we don’t get that we are all precious in God’s sight, that WE are precious in God’s sight. And certainly those who wish us ill, those who would condemn us because they do not understand and accept that we are precious in God’s sight, those who have not experienced the radicality of the call of Epiphany, have failed to understand the promise that is guaranteed to us all.
Trappist Monk Thomas Merton, says it beautifully: "I have the immense joy of being a member of [the human] race in which God became incarnate. As if the sorrows and stupidities of the human condition could overwhelm me, now I realize what we all are....There is no way of telling people that they are all walking around shining like the sun. It was as if I suddenly saw the secret beauty of their hearts, the depths of their hearts where neither sin nor desire nor self-knowledge can reach, the core of their reality, the person that each one is in God's eyes. If only they could all see themselves as they really are. If only we could see each other that way all the time. There would be no more war, no more hatred, no more cruelty, no more greed." And we echo his desire.
If only we could see each other as God sees us—is this not all there really is to do? Paul says that we all share the promise together—that we are all partakers of the promise. This folks, is all I need—all I need because it makes sense because of who God is—makes sense because I am a child of God. There are those among us who still struggle with the promise—God’s promise of peace, redemption, and hope. There are those who say we are wrong because of who we are, damned because of whom we love, and broken because of the way God made us. This is not our tragedy—this is their tragedy. Our tragedy is that there are some among us and many more not found in this place today who believe this message of hatred and pain.
My sisters and brothers, Paul calls us to a new understanding of God’s grace—to a new understanding of promise and to a new understanding of call. Paul makes it clear and we hear it clearly on this Sunday of epiphaneia—of revelation and appearing. In this passage where we are assured of blessed redemption and grace, we are also called—called to break down the walls—to live as joint heirs with those who despise us. And we are called to bring the news of this great mystery—that there are no walls that divide us—no walls that make some people worthy and some people not—we are called to bring the news of this great mystery to all who will hear.
And so, here we are on the first Sunday of 2011, one week before we reach an historical milestone. We are about to lose the status of a church plant and gain the status of “church”. But this transition is not without responsibility. As a church plant, we have focused, rightly so, on growing up. And we will continue to grow—but our growth must reach beyond our walls, into our community, and even into the world. We have young people looking to us for answers, for assurance that their lives matter to us and to God. We have older people looking to us for the promise that they are safe here—that they can be who they are—gay, straight, in mental decline, with physical needs, with spiritual and emotional wants and with desires to give what they have to give and have those gifts accepted. We have a community looking to see if we will be like every other church or whether we will rise above the crowd and change the face of our world. We have friends testing us to see if this is a place for them to call home.
And so, I say with Paul, “surely you have heard of the good news in Jesus Christ”. We become servants of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace given to us through the working of God's power…, this grace was given to us: to preach to the Gentiles the boundless riches of Christ, and to make plain to everyone the mystery of the promise. God’s eternal purpose was accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. In Jesus and through faith in Him we may approach God with freedom and confidence. Amen and amen.
1 For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles—
2 Surely you have heard about the administration of God’s grace that was given to me for you, 3 that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly. 4 In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, 5 which was not made known to people in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets. 6 This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.
7 I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace given me through the working of God's power. 8 Although I am less than the least of all the Lord’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the boundless riches of Christ, 9 and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things. 10 God's intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, 11 according to God's eternal purpose that was accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. 12 In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.
Partakers of the Promise Preached 1-2-2011
God, fill us with gratitude for awaking to walk our journey for another year. Give us insight for our paths and love for each other. Grant us your wisdom and peace. Amen
Welcome to 2011! May this year find you renewed in strength, in health, and in insight into the wonderful gifts given to us through Jesus Christ. May this be the year that the desires of your hearts match perfectly with God’s roadmap for your journey. And may you know perfect peace.
I want to be sure that we understand the radical nature of our scripture lesson today. For there is little else in the New Testament as socially, culturally, and theologically transformative as what Paul is telling the Christians at Ephesus. And in today’s world it remains just as radical and just as relevant. I want us to walk through this passage in detail—none of us should leave here today without a full understanding of the just how revolutionary God’s invitation is to the Gentiles and, hence, to us.
The letter to the Ephesians is about the revelation of the good news and the imperative to evangelize the rest of the world. That imperative was what usually got Paul locked up. But even while imprisoned, Paul never stopped spreading the word. Paul subscribes to one very significant bottom line: the salvation of humankind through Jesus Christ has been made manifest to all and those of us who are committed to this same Jesus Christ will continue to spread the Good News.
This doesn’t sound so radical to us in 2011, unless you believe that there are certain categories of people who are outside of the love of God. Unfortunately, there are many otherwise well-meaning believers in this Good News who do consider whole groups of people as falling outside the circle of those who experience redemption. Any of this beginning to sound familiar? Regrettably, it sounds all to familiar to those of us who have been on the margin, falling off the edge of acceptability in others’ eyes.
And here is where we meet up with Paul. Jews and Gentiles were arch enemies—different categories of people—the bridge between them had not even been thought necessary, much less begun to be built. And it is to this world, that Paul brings the news of Epiphany. Now "epiphany" comes from the Greek word epiphaneia, which means "appearing" or "revealing." And so, this day of Epiphany focuses on God's self-revelation—God’s appearing in Christ. So far, so good—no conflict here. But listen to what Paul tells these folks who were all wrapped up in the good news of Christ. “This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.” Heirs together—here is where the rubber meets the road.
Imagine how challenging this was to the hearers of this epistle. Paul is clear—Jews and Gentiles are to live together as joint heirs in Christ. This was rarely the case in Paul’s time—there was too much history, too much hatred, too much fear. You must remember that Christianity, at this time, was probably made up of 80-90 percent Jewish folks. Gentiles made up approximately 10% of all Christians. A mere 10% or so of the Christian population—hardly worth mentioning and certainly not worth accepting as equal heirs in Christ. This notion of equality between Jewish and Gentile Christians was radical indeed.
From the perspective shared by most of the Jewish Christians, there were really only two divisions in humankind—Jewish and Gentile. Race was not a factor, and while there were some cultural differences depending on where you were from, these all paled in comparison to the only distinction that mattered. Paul, then, goes way out of the community’s comfort zone when he declares that the most important dividing wall in humankind has been broken down in Christ Jesus. Through Jesus Christ, God made one humanity with no distinctions between who was worthy and who was not. Simple, right?
Far from simple, this radical call to the oneness of humanity is the basis for any and all calls to oneness, to understanding, to harmony, to unity among Christians. This is Epiphany—this is God among us working to change the age-old hatred, mistrust, and fear. I think, for the most part, we just don’t get it—we don’t get that we are all precious in God’s sight, that WE are precious in God’s sight. And certainly those who wish us ill, those who would condemn us because they do not understand and accept that we are precious in God’s sight, those who have not experienced the radicality of the call of Epiphany, have failed to understand the promise that is guaranteed to us all.
Trappist Monk Thomas Merton, says it beautifully: "I have the immense joy of being a member of [the human] race in which God became incarnate. As if the sorrows and stupidities of the human condition could overwhelm me, now I realize what we all are....There is no way of telling people that they are all walking around shining like the sun. It was as if I suddenly saw the secret beauty of their hearts, the depths of their hearts where neither sin nor desire nor self-knowledge can reach, the core of their reality, the person that each one is in God's eyes. If only they could all see themselves as they really are. If only we could see each other that way all the time. There would be no more war, no more hatred, no more cruelty, no more greed." And we echo his desire.
If only we could see each other as God sees us—is this not all there really is to do? Paul says that we all share the promise together—that we are all partakers of the promise. This folks, is all I need—all I need because it makes sense because of who God is—makes sense because I am a child of God. There are those among us who still struggle with the promise—God’s promise of peace, redemption, and hope. There are those who say we are wrong because of who we are, damned because of whom we love, and broken because of the way God made us. This is not our tragedy—this is their tragedy. Our tragedy is that there are some among us and many more not found in this place today who believe this message of hatred and pain.
My sisters and brothers, Paul calls us to a new understanding of God’s grace—to a new understanding of promise and to a new understanding of call. Paul makes it clear and we hear it clearly on this Sunday of epiphaneia—of revelation and appearing. In this passage where we are assured of blessed redemption and grace, we are also called—called to break down the walls—to live as joint heirs with those who despise us. And we are called to bring the news of this great mystery—that there are no walls that divide us—no walls that make some people worthy and some people not—we are called to bring the news of this great mystery to all who will hear.
And so, here we are on the first Sunday of 2011, one week before we reach an historical milestone. We are about to lose the status of a church plant and gain the status of “church”. But this transition is not without responsibility. As a church plant, we have focused, rightly so, on growing up. And we will continue to grow—but our growth must reach beyond our walls, into our community, and even into the world. We have young people looking to us for answers, for assurance that their lives matter to us and to God. We have older people looking to us for the promise that they are safe here—that they can be who they are—gay, straight, in mental decline, with physical needs, with spiritual and emotional wants and with desires to give what they have to give and have those gifts accepted. We have a community looking to see if we will be like every other church or whether we will rise above the crowd and change the face of our world. We have friends testing us to see if this is a place for them to call home.
And so, I say with Paul, “surely you have heard of the good news in Jesus Christ”. We become servants of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace given to us through the working of God's power…, this grace was given to us: to preach to the Gentiles the boundless riches of Christ, and to make plain to everyone the mystery of the promise. God’s eternal purpose was accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. In Jesus and through faith in Him we may approach God with freedom and confidence. Amen and amen.
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