Deuteronomy 15:1-11
Matthew 19:16-22
“Our Money Story: Release”
Preached on Sunday, October 16, 2022
In 2017 the hashtag “metoo” went viral. The Me Too movement was around over a decade before that. Here’s a blurb of the history of the me too movement from their website:
“In 2006, the ‘me too’ Movement was founded by survivor and activist Tarana Burke. In those early years, we developed our vision to bring resources, support, and pathways to healing where none existed before. And we got to work building a community of advocates determined to interrupt sexual violence wherever it happens.
In 2017, the #metoo hashtag went viral and woke up the world to the magnitude of the problem of sexual violence. What had begun as local grassroots work had now become a global movement — seemingly overnight. Within a six-month span, our message reached a global community of survivors. Suddenly there were millions of people from all walks of life saying ‘me too.’”
End quote.
For centuries, women have been shamed, discredited, and even attacked when they have spoken out about violence done against them - especially when that violence was sexual and/or domestic in nature. Men, too, are victims of these crimes, although less statistically likely. And men too have suffered backlash for coming forward with their stories. And so many women - and men- have carried their stories as secrets within them through their whole lives - where shame and fear and guilt and all those things can fester and be internalized - and where healing and accountability can’t happen. And what we found is that, when one person takes the very brave step to share her story and say, “This happened to me.” So many other people find the courage to use their voices, tell their stories, and say “me too.”
And while the “me too” movement was about sexual violence - we know this is true for many other traumatizing things that people are made to feel shame for - even when those things, and let me be clear on this, are far from shameful.
From support groups for those in recovery from addictions. To women who have struggled with infertility or suffered miscarriage or infant loss opening up about their stories. From those who came from abusive homes. From veterans of wars struggling with the aftermath. And so may more. Anyone who has gone through something, and kept the story inside to their detriment…they know the power in finally releasing their story.
Sometimes, telling your story, releasing that which you’ve had kept up inside you, tucked away where no one else can see it - it is only in releasing and telling that story that you begin to find healing. It is only in the open that the stigma dissipates. In the telling, freedom is found. And in the telling of one story, others are freed to say, “me too.” Allyship, companionship, mutuality is found when we release our stories and release the stigma and shame attached to them.
Let’s put a pin in this as we center ourselves back into our sermon series, “Our Money Story.” The idea behind this sermon series is that stories matter - all stories! They shape our lives, our relationships, our actions - everything. And stories about money seem to get to the heart of what we value or don’t value and the heart of how we view our neighbors and view God. And that’s maybe why talking about money makes us so uncomfortable - cause it’s never just about money. It’s about our mutuality.
So last week we talked about how stories matter and how we are called to remember our whole stories - even the bits we’d conveniently forgotten. We talked about how God re-wrote the story of the Israelites in the dessert, freeing them not just from slavery in Egypt but freeing them from the scarcity mindset to one of God’s providence, care, and providence - literal manna from heaven. And we talked about how maybe our money stories are like Judas’s - filled with shame, fear, anxiety….but let us not forget that even Judas had a seat at the last supper with Jesus, that there was room for him at the table and there is room for us - all of us - and room for our stories - ALL of our stories. It is only in knowing and telling our stories that we, with the help of God, can re-write our stories.
And today we are talking about this: (*open and close hand*) - okay, let me explain myself by turning to our text from Deuteronomy.
Now there is a command here that every seven years there is to be a remittance of debt for fellow Israelites in their community. The question I was asking of myself in this text was, was it a one-year hold on collecting debts? Was it a forgiveness of debts? I honestly couldn’t find the answer but it was, at the least, putting debts on hold for a year - done every seven years. It was a practice for the big remittance, the big forgiveness that is the year of Jubilee which is every seventh seventh year. And we’re going to be talking about the year of Jubilee next week as we continue our sermon series. But what strikes me is what comes after giving the command. The text says, remit debts every seven years…but should there really be any among you in need in the first place? Not if you’re treating each other like you should! Should there really be any among you who had to go into debt to survive? Not if you care for one another as you have been commanded! Oh if we only still held and followed this value today.
The last line of the passage from today really gets to the core of the values embedded in this passage: “Give liberally and be ungrudging when you do so, for on this account the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in all that you undertake. Since there will never cease to be some in need on the earth, I therefore command you, ‘Open your hand to the poor and needy neighbor in your land.’”
Open your hand…
Are you starting to get what I mean by this? (*open and close hand*)
Now, I want everyone to do this with me. Close your fists tightly….Now open, release….Now close tightly…and now open, release…
This is the primary concept or idea we are looking at in our sermon today - the juxtaposition between holding on too tightly to something or releasing it, letting it go.
Deuteronomy gives us instructions to open our hands for the good of our neighbors, to not hold too tightly or begrudgingly onto things, instead to liberally open our hands to our neighbors, the poor and needy.
In our Gospel lesson from Matthew we see a man holding on too tightly to what he has. A man comes to Jesus and asks him, “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?” To which Jesus replies, “If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.”
Well, “Which ones?”
“And Jesus said, ‘You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not bear false witness. Honor your father and mother. Also, you shall love your neighbor as yourself.’
“I have kept all these; what do I still lack?”
Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be perfect, go, sell your possessions, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.”
And then that line we know all too well: “When the young man heard this word, he went away grieving, for he had many possessions.”
He was holding on too tightly. Too tightly to his possessions. And maybe too tightly to his narrative of what those possessions could do for him. His money story. Maybe his money story was one of greed. Maybe his money story was one of shame because he had while others had not. Maybe his money story was one of trying to find peace and security in possessions and to give up his possessions would be to give up the false narrative that he is secure in them. We don’t know his story - but he has one - and it wasn’t giving him life - that’s why he came to Jesus. And yet…stories are hard to release, hard to re-write, and so he went away grieving…
Let’s open and close our hands again. Clench them tightly….now open, release…clench them tightly….now open, release….
I read one person say that the commandments that Jesus chooses to tell this young man are all relational commandments, neighbor to neighbor. And so while the young man says he has done them all…maybe he hasn’t. Sure, he might not be a murderer…but it’s hard to love your neighbor as yourself when you’re holding on to your things too tightly. If your fists are clenched tightly, literally or metaphorically, you cannot, as Deuteronomy says, open your hand and give liberally and ungrudgingly to your neighbors, the poor and needy.
So everyone, clench those fists again…hold them up, look at them. What does a world of clenched fists give us? I feel like we’re all rock ‘em sock ‘em robots. Literally or metaphorically, a world of clenched fists does not give itself to generosity, reciprocity, love and care…it leads to, well, fighting, hoarding, mine and yours, have and have nots…
And, on another level, it leads to not just not sharing goods - it leads to not telling our stories. And when we don’t tell our stories, our whole stories, people can be made to feel alone. Made to feel ashamed. Made to feel as if we can’t share our stories and made to feel like we can’t rewrite those stories.
Something really beautiful happens when we unclench our fists - go ahead, unclench your fists - when we unclench our fists and share our stories. Turn to your neighbor and offer them your hand. You can shake hands. You can hold hands. You can offer a hand up. You can be in relationship with each other. And when you’re in relationship with one other, we can tell each other our stories, releasing those things which bind us in shame or fear and find freedom and friendship in their place. When we relinquish our hold - on narratives that aren’t life giving, on money and possessions we hold on to, on whatever we are holding on to too tightly - and in releasing our own fists, our own stories - we empower others to do the same. To say, “me too.” To share their stories. To let go of that which is holding them back from rewriting their story. To let go of that which is holding us back from love of neighbor as self.
So today I will ask the same question that I asked of you last week: What is your story? What is your faith story? What is your money story? And how are the two intertwined? Are there parts of your story are you holding on too tightly to? What chapters of your story is God calling you to share in order to free yourself and free others? May all of us find release and share our stories so that we can live in relationship with one another, so that we can care for one another. So that we can open our hands and our stories to one another, giving liberally and ungrudgingly, loving neighbor as self.
Let’s tell our stories.
Amen.
Tuesday, October 25, 2022
Tuesday, October 18, 2022
"Our Money Story: Remember" a sermon on Exodus 16:1-18 & Luke 22:1-23
Exodus 16:1-18
Luke 22:1-23
“Our Money Story: Remember”
Preached Sunday, October 16, 2022
I recently read the book, “Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of the Plants” by Robin Wall Kimmerer. She starts her book with the tale of Skywoman, a Haudenosaunee creation story. Since you are probably not familiar with the story, we are going to watch a one minute video that’s the cliff notes version of the story.
Kimmerer then puts the story of Skywoman and the story of Eve side by side. And this is what she writes:
“On one side of the world were people whose relationship with the living world was shaped by Skywoman, who created a garden for the well-being of all. On the other side was another woman with a garden and a tree. But for tasting its fruit, she was banished from the garden and the gates clanged shut behind her. That mother of men was made to wander in the wilderness and earn her bread from the sweat of her brow, not by filling her mouth with the sweet juicy fruits that bend the branches low. In order to eat, she was instructed to subdue the wilderness into (which) she was cast.
Same species, same earth, different stories. Like Creation stories everywhere, cosmologies are a source of identity and orientation to the world. They tell us who we are. We are inevitably shaped by them no matter how distant they may be from our consciousness. One story leads to the generous embrace of the living world, the other to banishment. One woman is our ancestral gardener, a co-creator of the good green world that would be the home of her descendants. The other was in exile, just passing through an alien world on a rough road to her real home in heaven.
And then they met – the offspring of Skywoman and the children of Eve – and the land around us bears the scars of that meeting, the echoes of our stories. They say that Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, and I can only imagine the conversation between Eve and Skywoman: ‘Sister, you got the short end of the stick.’”
End quote.
I read this several weeks ago and I have not been able to shake it. And it fits with the start of our new sermon series today, “Our Money Story” because the crux of this sermon series is that stories matter.
Like Skywoman and Eve, stories shape how we view, treat, care for, or mistreat the earth. And in defense of our creation story, I do want to say, there are more generous interpretations of the Christian creation story that form eco-theologies of stewardship and thanksgiving with creation - and yet, it’s not the dominant narrative or understanding.
Stories, and how we understand and tell those stories, matter. It’s why we always say “Remember your baptism.” And we hope and pray that Brendan and all here today will always remember their baptisms - even if they happened before our memory reaches back. Because that’s the power of story. Sometimes the meaning behind it is so much more than the memory. When we say “Remember your baptism” we are not talking about what you wore and how old you were and who the minister was and what the weather was like that day… We are talking about the meaning behind the story. Of adoption into God’s family. Of Grace and forgiveness. Of covenant and community.
And that’s what this sermon series is about - stories. Stories that matter. Stories about money, yes. AND those stories are never just about money and possessions. They are also stories about providence and care, about scarcity and abundance, about fear and trust, about anxiety and generosity…stories about who we are as humans and how we view one another and God.
The stories we tell ourselves, that we tell each other, that we believe…and also the stories we DON’T tell, those we sweep under the rug, those we ignore, those we only selectively remember, those we purposefully forget…they all shape us. They shape our view of the environment, of money, of our theology, of our actions, our whole lives.
And stories about money and possessions often seem to cut through to the heart of the matter - to touch on how we really view the world and our neighbors and our responsibility to them. How we really view God. And how our relationship to God forms…and maybe that’s why they make us so uncomfortable. And for so long, we haven’t talked about Money Stories even though they shape and influence us just as much as creation stories and relationship stories and God stories.
Take the Bible stories we heard today. They are like the stories of Skywoman and Eve, two different stories, yet when taken together, they illuminate one another and show us how these stories have power and shape us.
One, from Exodus, is a story of providence, of care, of literal manna from heaven.
The other, from Luke, is a story of selling a man’s life - the Son of Man’s life - for money. A story of evil and a story of betrayal.
As Christians both of these stories have had staying power in our lives and faiths. Both of these stories shape how we view God and, yes, how we view money. Although, if we take a close look, we might decide that the story of Judas shadows our money stories more - maybe it colors our own stories. Maybe like his story, our money stories are stories of shame. And it shapes how we view money as a thing that is evil or shameful, a thing that can facilitate death and betrayal…and certainly not a thing we talk about in good company.
But neither of those BRIEF summaries of these stories I just gave are the whole story, are they? We heard, if not the full story, fuller versions of the stories when the Scriptures were read this morning.
Our story in Exodus doesn’t start with the miracle of manna and there being enough. It starts with the Israelites complaining in the wilderness, telling themselves a story that has been selectively remembered or conveniently forgotten: that they’d rather be enslaved and have food than be hungry and free.
Perhaps that should give us pause and make us ask: what parts of our stories have we selectively remembered or conveniently forgotten? And have our stories ever followed the same pattern as the Israelites in the desert?
But back to the Israelites, God wanted to help them re-write their stories.
A Sanctified Art commentator says this, “Within this text readers can hear a faith community’s changing narrative of money—moving from one which Walter Brueggemann describes as ‘the endless rat race for sufficiency,’ to that of living with enough. We are called both to individual and collective remembrance of our relationship to God and to reflect on our relationship to money.”
As for Judas, we remember him betraying Jesus for silver - but do we remember what comes right after? The Passover meal…with Judas at the table. Jesus knew that Judas had betrayed him and even still, there was a seat for him at the table - he ate and drank. Jesus gave him the bread and said this is my body. He gave him the cup and said this is my blood.
We don’t often tell ourselves that part of the story - but maybe we should. Maybe it will shape how we view money, betrayal, forgiveness, the sacraments, and room at the table…Maybe it will change our own stories.
During this Stewardship season, this Fall, I’d invite you to consider your money story and your faith story and how the two are intertwined. How the two influence each other - in ways you already know and in ways you might discover.
The devotional book that goes with this sermon series actually starts with guiding you through discerning and writing your own money story. The instructions begin with: “Use the following prompts to discern and record your money story. Throughout this exercise, notice what emotions emerge for you along the way. Take your time. Give yourself grace. Trust that your money story is valuable and redeemable. In completing this writing exercise, we hope you gain clarity, seek healing, and release what has been suppressed or hidden away. Our narratives and beliefs shape our actions. Ultimately, we hope this exercise inspires you to give more faithfully of yourself and your resources to bring forth God’s money story of liberation and healing for all.”
And so I would encourage each of you to take a book home, to follow along with the sermons, and work on discovering and rediscovering, writing and re-writing your money story - and all the stories that matter to us. What’s YOUR story? What do you want your story to be? Where is God re-writing your story?
May we walk this journey together, and may all our stories lead us closer to the heart of God: to love of God and love of neighbor.
Amen.
Luke 22:1-23
“Our Money Story: Remember”
Preached Sunday, October 16, 2022
I recently read the book, “Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of the Plants” by Robin Wall Kimmerer. She starts her book with the tale of Skywoman, a Haudenosaunee creation story. Since you are probably not familiar with the story, we are going to watch a one minute video that’s the cliff notes version of the story.
Kimmerer then puts the story of Skywoman and the story of Eve side by side. And this is what she writes:
“On one side of the world were people whose relationship with the living world was shaped by Skywoman, who created a garden for the well-being of all. On the other side was another woman with a garden and a tree. But for tasting its fruit, she was banished from the garden and the gates clanged shut behind her. That mother of men was made to wander in the wilderness and earn her bread from the sweat of her brow, not by filling her mouth with the sweet juicy fruits that bend the branches low. In order to eat, she was instructed to subdue the wilderness into (which) she was cast.
Same species, same earth, different stories. Like Creation stories everywhere, cosmologies are a source of identity and orientation to the world. They tell us who we are. We are inevitably shaped by them no matter how distant they may be from our consciousness. One story leads to the generous embrace of the living world, the other to banishment. One woman is our ancestral gardener, a co-creator of the good green world that would be the home of her descendants. The other was in exile, just passing through an alien world on a rough road to her real home in heaven.
And then they met – the offspring of Skywoman and the children of Eve – and the land around us bears the scars of that meeting, the echoes of our stories. They say that Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, and I can only imagine the conversation between Eve and Skywoman: ‘Sister, you got the short end of the stick.’”
End quote.
I read this several weeks ago and I have not been able to shake it. And it fits with the start of our new sermon series today, “Our Money Story” because the crux of this sermon series is that stories matter.
Like Skywoman and Eve, stories shape how we view, treat, care for, or mistreat the earth. And in defense of our creation story, I do want to say, there are more generous interpretations of the Christian creation story that form eco-theologies of stewardship and thanksgiving with creation - and yet, it’s not the dominant narrative or understanding.
Stories, and how we understand and tell those stories, matter. It’s why we always say “Remember your baptism.” And we hope and pray that Brendan and all here today will always remember their baptisms - even if they happened before our memory reaches back. Because that’s the power of story. Sometimes the meaning behind it is so much more than the memory. When we say “Remember your baptism” we are not talking about what you wore and how old you were and who the minister was and what the weather was like that day… We are talking about the meaning behind the story. Of adoption into God’s family. Of Grace and forgiveness. Of covenant and community.
And that’s what this sermon series is about - stories. Stories that matter. Stories about money, yes. AND those stories are never just about money and possessions. They are also stories about providence and care, about scarcity and abundance, about fear and trust, about anxiety and generosity…stories about who we are as humans and how we view one another and God.
The stories we tell ourselves, that we tell each other, that we believe…and also the stories we DON’T tell, those we sweep under the rug, those we ignore, those we only selectively remember, those we purposefully forget…they all shape us. They shape our view of the environment, of money, of our theology, of our actions, our whole lives.
And stories about money and possessions often seem to cut through to the heart of the matter - to touch on how we really view the world and our neighbors and our responsibility to them. How we really view God. And how our relationship to God forms…and maybe that’s why they make us so uncomfortable. And for so long, we haven’t talked about Money Stories even though they shape and influence us just as much as creation stories and relationship stories and God stories.
Take the Bible stories we heard today. They are like the stories of Skywoman and Eve, two different stories, yet when taken together, they illuminate one another and show us how these stories have power and shape us.
One, from Exodus, is a story of providence, of care, of literal manna from heaven.
The other, from Luke, is a story of selling a man’s life - the Son of Man’s life - for money. A story of evil and a story of betrayal.
As Christians both of these stories have had staying power in our lives and faiths. Both of these stories shape how we view God and, yes, how we view money. Although, if we take a close look, we might decide that the story of Judas shadows our money stories more - maybe it colors our own stories. Maybe like his story, our money stories are stories of shame. And it shapes how we view money as a thing that is evil or shameful, a thing that can facilitate death and betrayal…and certainly not a thing we talk about in good company.
But neither of those BRIEF summaries of these stories I just gave are the whole story, are they? We heard, if not the full story, fuller versions of the stories when the Scriptures were read this morning.
Our story in Exodus doesn’t start with the miracle of manna and there being enough. It starts with the Israelites complaining in the wilderness, telling themselves a story that has been selectively remembered or conveniently forgotten: that they’d rather be enslaved and have food than be hungry and free.
Perhaps that should give us pause and make us ask: what parts of our stories have we selectively remembered or conveniently forgotten? And have our stories ever followed the same pattern as the Israelites in the desert?
But back to the Israelites, God wanted to help them re-write their stories.
A Sanctified Art commentator says this, “Within this text readers can hear a faith community’s changing narrative of money—moving from one which Walter Brueggemann describes as ‘the endless rat race for sufficiency,’ to that of living with enough. We are called both to individual and collective remembrance of our relationship to God and to reflect on our relationship to money.”
As for Judas, we remember him betraying Jesus for silver - but do we remember what comes right after? The Passover meal…with Judas at the table. Jesus knew that Judas had betrayed him and even still, there was a seat for him at the table - he ate and drank. Jesus gave him the bread and said this is my body. He gave him the cup and said this is my blood.
We don’t often tell ourselves that part of the story - but maybe we should. Maybe it will shape how we view money, betrayal, forgiveness, the sacraments, and room at the table…Maybe it will change our own stories.
During this Stewardship season, this Fall, I’d invite you to consider your money story and your faith story and how the two are intertwined. How the two influence each other - in ways you already know and in ways you might discover.
The devotional book that goes with this sermon series actually starts with guiding you through discerning and writing your own money story. The instructions begin with: “Use the following prompts to discern and record your money story. Throughout this exercise, notice what emotions emerge for you along the way. Take your time. Give yourself grace. Trust that your money story is valuable and redeemable. In completing this writing exercise, we hope you gain clarity, seek healing, and release what has been suppressed or hidden away. Our narratives and beliefs shape our actions. Ultimately, we hope this exercise inspires you to give more faithfully of yourself and your resources to bring forth God’s money story of liberation and healing for all.”
And so I would encourage each of you to take a book home, to follow along with the sermons, and work on discovering and rediscovering, writing and re-writing your money story - and all the stories that matter to us. What’s YOUR story? What do you want your story to be? Where is God re-writing your story?
May we walk this journey together, and may all our stories lead us closer to the heart of God: to love of God and love of neighbor.
Amen.
Tuesday, September 20, 2022
“Forgive Us Our Trespasses, Sins…and Debts” a sermon on Luke 16:1-13
Luke 16:1-13
Psalm 79:1-9
“Forgive Us Our Trespasses, Sins…and Debts”
Preached Sunday, September 18, 2022
One of my all-time favorite movies is the 1987 movie, “The Princess Bride.” The background for the movie is that a grandpa is reading his favorite book to his grandson while the kid is in bed sick. The book is one of pirates, giants, duels, fantasy, and romance. And at one point in the story, the grandson interrupts the telling cause he doesn’t like the way it’s going! The story can’t end that way, it’s just not fair! Let’s watch:
*see video below*
“Well who says life is fair? Where is that written? Life isn’t always fair.”
Wise words from the Grandpa in The Princess Bride and perhaps every father figure ever on sitcoms - or even in our own lives. “Life isn’t fair.” Have any of you ever been told or told someone “life isn’t fair”?
And I want to propose today that while we inherently want the world to be fair - nowhere in the Bible does it say that life is fair. The Bible is actually not interested in fairness but more so in justice. In right-ing wrongs. In lifting up the oppressed and bringing down the mighty. As followers of Jesus we shouldn’t be concerned with fairness as much as we should be concerned with compassion and forgiveness.
But that kind of rubs against our American values - we want everything to be fair. I think a really good example of this came from various reactions to the recent announcement of student loan forgiveness of 10,000 dollars. 20,000 for those who received undergraduate PELL grants. While many were beyond grateful, still others know that this barely scratches the surface of their student loans, and still others cried out, “that’s not fair!”
“That’s not fair because no one helped me.”
“That’s not fair because other people have managed to pay off their student loan debt.”
“That’s not fair because, because, because…”
Now, I am going to tip my hand a little bit: I do not have student loan debt. Which is an oddity in my generation. But it’s not because I made good financial decisions - it’s because of the unfairness of this world. That I was privileged enough to have family members who had the financial ability to help me pay for school. That I married a spouse who was making financially sound decisions around schooling. That we had family members that were economically privileged enough to leave money to us when they died so we could pay off loans. And that’s not even getting into the systemic ways that everything from my race to my gender to who my parents are to where I grew up influenced how I would be seen by colleges and scholarship committees - all of which worked in my favor.
But when it benefits us we don’t always like to call it unfairness.
But loan forgiveness isn’t about fairness. It’s about justice. That there is an unjust and predatory student loan system in this country that preys on young people, especially young black and brown women.
It’s not about fairness - it’s about a step toward justice. And this small act of 10,000 loan forgiveness is a long way from the systemic changes that would bring about justice.
Psalm 79:1-9
“Forgive Us Our Trespasses, Sins…and Debts”
Preached Sunday, September 18, 2022
One of my all-time favorite movies is the 1987 movie, “The Princess Bride.” The background for the movie is that a grandpa is reading his favorite book to his grandson while the kid is in bed sick. The book is one of pirates, giants, duels, fantasy, and romance. And at one point in the story, the grandson interrupts the telling cause he doesn’t like the way it’s going! The story can’t end that way, it’s just not fair! Let’s watch:
*see video below*
“Well who says life is fair? Where is that written? Life isn’t always fair.”
Wise words from the Grandpa in The Princess Bride and perhaps every father figure ever on sitcoms - or even in our own lives. “Life isn’t fair.” Have any of you ever been told or told someone “life isn’t fair”?
And I want to propose today that while we inherently want the world to be fair - nowhere in the Bible does it say that life is fair. The Bible is actually not interested in fairness but more so in justice. In right-ing wrongs. In lifting up the oppressed and bringing down the mighty. As followers of Jesus we shouldn’t be concerned with fairness as much as we should be concerned with compassion and forgiveness.
But that kind of rubs against our American values - we want everything to be fair. I think a really good example of this came from various reactions to the recent announcement of student loan forgiveness of 10,000 dollars. 20,000 for those who received undergraduate PELL grants. While many were beyond grateful, still others know that this barely scratches the surface of their student loans, and still others cried out, “that’s not fair!”
“That’s not fair because no one helped me.”
“That’s not fair because other people have managed to pay off their student loan debt.”
“That’s not fair because, because, because…”
Now, I am going to tip my hand a little bit: I do not have student loan debt. Which is an oddity in my generation. But it’s not because I made good financial decisions - it’s because of the unfairness of this world. That I was privileged enough to have family members who had the financial ability to help me pay for school. That I married a spouse who was making financially sound decisions around schooling. That we had family members that were economically privileged enough to leave money to us when they died so we could pay off loans. And that’s not even getting into the systemic ways that everything from my race to my gender to who my parents are to where I grew up influenced how I would be seen by colleges and scholarship committees - all of which worked in my favor.
But when it benefits us we don’t always like to call it unfairness.
But loan forgiveness isn’t about fairness. It’s about justice. That there is an unjust and predatory student loan system in this country that preys on young people, especially young black and brown women.
It’s not about fairness - it’s about a step toward justice. And this small act of 10,000 loan forgiveness is a long way from the systemic changes that would bring about justice.
It’s simply…an act of forgiveness. Debt forgiveness.
Now, as I talked about that, I could tell that some people were getting a little uncomfortable in their seats. First, it’s been a highly politicized issue, which, I have to say, I do not think it should be. And second, we’re talking about forgiveness of debts…of money.
In the church, every single Sunday we pray: “forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.” And we don’t get so hot in our seats. But if I were to suddenly suggest we begin praying “forgive us our debts as we forgive those with debts against us…” Well, we might start getting a little uncomfortable - and not just because the way we pray the Lord’s Prayer is ingrained in us and has deep personal meaning. We do know that there are at least 3 versions of the Lord’s Prayer out there: some pray to forgive sins, others trespasses, and still other’s debts. I could go into the Greek and weigh out why all three are valid or why one translation might be better than another…but I am not going to do that! I will say that all three are valid translations and yet, I would also venture to say that “debts” is by far the least used version. Maybe because while sins and even trespasses certainly have a more spiritual connotation, when we talk about DEBT, we often think of the more worldly associations such as debts of money.
And talking about the forgiveness of debts makes us uncomfortable.
Whether that’s praying for the forgiveness of debt, talking about student loan forgiveness, or in today’s parable told by Jesus about the dishonest manager. This parable is always one that has confounded people.
Some biblical background:
Rich landowners, like the rich man in our parable, were like loan sharks - charging exorbitant interest rates from peasants - often to the point of forcing them to disinherit property that would then be owned by the ruler - making the poor poorer and amassing wealth for themselves. Jesus tells us in the parable that this money was dirty money - he had become rich by dishonest means - probably exorbitant interest rates which Jewish laws were against. Speaking of student loans and exorbitant interest rates - maybe we can see a connection here… Anyway, the rich landowners, the rulers, didn’t like to get their hands dirty. They weren’t the ones who would go to the peasants and squeeze them for their payment - they had stewards for that. People who oversaw the bills and collections of debts. And, well, it says this one was dishonest too. One way that they could have been dishonest was actually charging additional interest or demanding more money than was owed so they could take their cut. They would skim off the top and get rich in the same way. Now, we don’t know why this dishonest manager was about to get fired - but his master wasn’t happy with the way that he was managing the accounts - perhaps he wasn’t squeezing enough money out of the people. Maybe he was skimming too much off the top. We don’t know. We do know that he was going to be fired.
And it is here that he does an interesting, shrewd thing. Before he can get fired, or before he hands over the books after being fired, he goes around to those who owed his master debt, and he slashes what they owe.
How much do you owe my master? 100 jugs? Make it 50. Cutting the bill in half.
How many containers of wheat? 100? Make it 80.
AND THEN. It says the master commended him for acting shrewdly. Jesus commends him, too.
There has been a lot of ink spilled. A lot of sermons given. A lot of head scratching from people trying to make sense of this parable, what Jesus wanted to tell us, why he would share this story and why he would praise the dishonest steward. I know I have preached on the topic before. I looked back over my sermons here and this is actually my third time preaching on this topic and I think both other times I gave different reasons than the one I am about to give you - and that’s the richness and beauty of the Biblical text, isn’t it? It’s so complex and so layered…and so I do want to suggest here today that one of the reasons Jesus praises the dishonest manager is simply because forgiving debts, with whatever reasoning behind this, is a good thing that pleases God.
Forgiveness of debts is actually a major theme in the Bible. One of my favorite concepts from the Old Testament is the year of Jubilee, that every 50 years - which is every 7th Sabbath year - the land and animals completely rest, all debts are forgiven, all slaves are released, and land returns to its rightful owners.
Talk about forgiveness - of debts and other kinds.
Now, unfortunately, we don’t practice Jubilee. Could you imagine if we did? Could you imagine how many TV pundits or think pieces would exclaim, “That’s not fair!”
So here’s the thing: I want to propose today that generally, we as people and we as Christians, are really not comfortable with forgiveness. And our discomfort with student loan forgiveness, this parable of the dishonest steward, and, really, all money talk, just shows what is is underneath the surface - even when it comes to forgiveness of sins and trespasses.
Take today’s Psalm for example. It is a Psalm of lament, most likely after the destruction of Jerusalem and it’s temple in 587 BCE. The imagery of horror and bloodshed matches so many on the evening news. It’s a terrible and devastating scene.
And then the Psalm goes on to call down God’s vengeance upon those who harmed them.
“Pour out your anger on the nations that do not know you, and on the kingdoms that do not call on your name.
For they have devoured Jacob and laid waste his habitation.”
This is a pretty normal human reaction, an eye for an eye. Wanting to see punishment and retribution.
And then the Psalm pivots to ask God forgiveness for their, the Israelites, sins, past and present, and for God to have compassion on them:
“Do not remember against us the iniquities of our ancestors; let your compassion come speedily to meet us, for we are brought very low.
Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of your name; deliver us, and forgive our sins, for your name's sake.”
The juxtaposition maybe doesn’t surprise us as much as it should. It took me a couple of times reading it to catch it, actually. Cause it’s so human to want compassion on yourself but to ask for fairness for others - like when someone has wronged or hurt you. We are not far from the anniversary of 9/11 and maybe we remember how even as churches were being filled with people looking for answers, people were also crying out to bomb Afghanistan and to turn it into a parking lot. Repaying bombs with bombs. Such is the way of the world.
So maybe we’re not all that comfortable with the idea of forgiveness. Whether it’s debts, sins, trespasses - we are way more comfortable with fairness.
Cause forgiveness, forgiveness is complicated and it’s messy. Every time I preach on forgiveness I do always want to clarify that forgiveness is not the same as forgetting. It’s not forgive and forget. So it’s not allowing harm to still be done in the name of forgiveness. Cause God wants wholeness, health, love, and peace for all of God’s creation. Indeed - forgiveness and repentance go hand in hand - and both are hard. And both have systems stacked against them.
…Maybe at about this time in the sermon your going, Pastor, where is the Good News?
The Good News is that even though we need to admit, confess even, that we are not as comfortable with forgiveness as we’d like to be - the Good News is that God is a forgiving God. Much much more forgiving than fair.
God does not give us what we deserve. God gives us love, compassion, and mercy.
God does not have a ledger of sins or debts - God offers us forgiveness.
God is not a God of fairness at all - and thanks be to God for that. God is a God of restoration of justice and of forgiveness…
So what are we to do with all this?
When we realize that, well, maybe as individuals and also collectively as a people, that we’re not where we should be with the concept of forgiveness - it opens our eyes to the ways our world is stacked against forgiveness and justice and restoration. How our systems for rehabilitation are more so designed as systems of punishment. How our penchant is often to ask judgment or fairness upon others and compassion upon ourselves…that very first step is crucial. Because from there we can ask God to open our eyes to the way we can make our world and our lives more like God’s Kingdom - more loving, more compassionate, more just, more forgiving.
The world isn’t fair - but through us doing the work of God, it can be forgiving.
Amen.
Now, as I talked about that, I could tell that some people were getting a little uncomfortable in their seats. First, it’s been a highly politicized issue, which, I have to say, I do not think it should be. And second, we’re talking about forgiveness of debts…of money.
In the church, every single Sunday we pray: “forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.” And we don’t get so hot in our seats. But if I were to suddenly suggest we begin praying “forgive us our debts as we forgive those with debts against us…” Well, we might start getting a little uncomfortable - and not just because the way we pray the Lord’s Prayer is ingrained in us and has deep personal meaning. We do know that there are at least 3 versions of the Lord’s Prayer out there: some pray to forgive sins, others trespasses, and still other’s debts. I could go into the Greek and weigh out why all three are valid or why one translation might be better than another…but I am not going to do that! I will say that all three are valid translations and yet, I would also venture to say that “debts” is by far the least used version. Maybe because while sins and even trespasses certainly have a more spiritual connotation, when we talk about DEBT, we often think of the more worldly associations such as debts of money.
And talking about the forgiveness of debts makes us uncomfortable.
Whether that’s praying for the forgiveness of debt, talking about student loan forgiveness, or in today’s parable told by Jesus about the dishonest manager. This parable is always one that has confounded people.
Some biblical background:
Rich landowners, like the rich man in our parable, were like loan sharks - charging exorbitant interest rates from peasants - often to the point of forcing them to disinherit property that would then be owned by the ruler - making the poor poorer and amassing wealth for themselves. Jesus tells us in the parable that this money was dirty money - he had become rich by dishonest means - probably exorbitant interest rates which Jewish laws were against. Speaking of student loans and exorbitant interest rates - maybe we can see a connection here… Anyway, the rich landowners, the rulers, didn’t like to get their hands dirty. They weren’t the ones who would go to the peasants and squeeze them for their payment - they had stewards for that. People who oversaw the bills and collections of debts. And, well, it says this one was dishonest too. One way that they could have been dishonest was actually charging additional interest or demanding more money than was owed so they could take their cut. They would skim off the top and get rich in the same way. Now, we don’t know why this dishonest manager was about to get fired - but his master wasn’t happy with the way that he was managing the accounts - perhaps he wasn’t squeezing enough money out of the people. Maybe he was skimming too much off the top. We don’t know. We do know that he was going to be fired.
And it is here that he does an interesting, shrewd thing. Before he can get fired, or before he hands over the books after being fired, he goes around to those who owed his master debt, and he slashes what they owe.
How much do you owe my master? 100 jugs? Make it 50. Cutting the bill in half.
How many containers of wheat? 100? Make it 80.
AND THEN. It says the master commended him for acting shrewdly. Jesus commends him, too.
There has been a lot of ink spilled. A lot of sermons given. A lot of head scratching from people trying to make sense of this parable, what Jesus wanted to tell us, why he would share this story and why he would praise the dishonest steward. I know I have preached on the topic before. I looked back over my sermons here and this is actually my third time preaching on this topic and I think both other times I gave different reasons than the one I am about to give you - and that’s the richness and beauty of the Biblical text, isn’t it? It’s so complex and so layered…and so I do want to suggest here today that one of the reasons Jesus praises the dishonest manager is simply because forgiving debts, with whatever reasoning behind this, is a good thing that pleases God.
Forgiveness of debts is actually a major theme in the Bible. One of my favorite concepts from the Old Testament is the year of Jubilee, that every 50 years - which is every 7th Sabbath year - the land and animals completely rest, all debts are forgiven, all slaves are released, and land returns to its rightful owners.
Talk about forgiveness - of debts and other kinds.
Now, unfortunately, we don’t practice Jubilee. Could you imagine if we did? Could you imagine how many TV pundits or think pieces would exclaim, “That’s not fair!”
So here’s the thing: I want to propose today that generally, we as people and we as Christians, are really not comfortable with forgiveness. And our discomfort with student loan forgiveness, this parable of the dishonest steward, and, really, all money talk, just shows what is is underneath the surface - even when it comes to forgiveness of sins and trespasses.
Take today’s Psalm for example. It is a Psalm of lament, most likely after the destruction of Jerusalem and it’s temple in 587 BCE. The imagery of horror and bloodshed matches so many on the evening news. It’s a terrible and devastating scene.
And then the Psalm goes on to call down God’s vengeance upon those who harmed them.
“Pour out your anger on the nations that do not know you, and on the kingdoms that do not call on your name.
For they have devoured Jacob and laid waste his habitation.”
This is a pretty normal human reaction, an eye for an eye. Wanting to see punishment and retribution.
And then the Psalm pivots to ask God forgiveness for their, the Israelites, sins, past and present, and for God to have compassion on them:
“Do not remember against us the iniquities of our ancestors; let your compassion come speedily to meet us, for we are brought very low.
Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of your name; deliver us, and forgive our sins, for your name's sake.”
The juxtaposition maybe doesn’t surprise us as much as it should. It took me a couple of times reading it to catch it, actually. Cause it’s so human to want compassion on yourself but to ask for fairness for others - like when someone has wronged or hurt you. We are not far from the anniversary of 9/11 and maybe we remember how even as churches were being filled with people looking for answers, people were also crying out to bomb Afghanistan and to turn it into a parking lot. Repaying bombs with bombs. Such is the way of the world.
So maybe we’re not all that comfortable with the idea of forgiveness. Whether it’s debts, sins, trespasses - we are way more comfortable with fairness.
Cause forgiveness, forgiveness is complicated and it’s messy. Every time I preach on forgiveness I do always want to clarify that forgiveness is not the same as forgetting. It’s not forgive and forget. So it’s not allowing harm to still be done in the name of forgiveness. Cause God wants wholeness, health, love, and peace for all of God’s creation. Indeed - forgiveness and repentance go hand in hand - and both are hard. And both have systems stacked against them.
…Maybe at about this time in the sermon your going, Pastor, where is the Good News?
The Good News is that even though we need to admit, confess even, that we are not as comfortable with forgiveness as we’d like to be - the Good News is that God is a forgiving God. Much much more forgiving than fair.
God does not give us what we deserve. God gives us love, compassion, and mercy.
God does not have a ledger of sins or debts - God offers us forgiveness.
God is not a God of fairness at all - and thanks be to God for that. God is a God of restoration of justice and of forgiveness…
So what are we to do with all this?
When we realize that, well, maybe as individuals and also collectively as a people, that we’re not where we should be with the concept of forgiveness - it opens our eyes to the ways our world is stacked against forgiveness and justice and restoration. How our systems for rehabilitation are more so designed as systems of punishment. How our penchant is often to ask judgment or fairness upon others and compassion upon ourselves…that very first step is crucial. Because from there we can ask God to open our eyes to the way we can make our world and our lives more like God’s Kingdom - more loving, more compassionate, more just, more forgiving.
The world isn’t fair - but through us doing the work of God, it can be forgiving.
Amen.
Sunday, September 4, 2022
“Inviting To: A Relationship with Grace” a sermon on Philippians 1:3-11
Philippians 1:3-11
“Inviting To: A Relationship with Grace”
Preached Sunday, September 4, 2022
“I thank my God every time I mention you in my prayers. I’m thankful for all of you every time I pray, and it’s always a prayer full of joy.”
These are Paul’s words to the disciples in Philippi - although a different Scripture version than the one I read today. And these are my words that I want to say to you today, as your pastor - at the close of our sermon series “Inviting To: A Relationship With…” and as we close this Worship by the Water season and are getting ready to transfer into our next season in our church year.
And at the risk of sounding like a sap, they are true words. I do thank God for you and I am filled with joy when I think of you.
When I went through the vision process with a small team here and we set to identify our mission statement we wanted it to have what we were calling the 5 c’s: clear, concise, catalytic (meaning actionable), contextual and compelling. My vision coach said you know it’s compelling when it makes you feel like an old Southern church lady who grabs her pearls and goes “Oh my heavens.” Although I asked my friend who is a through and through Southerner if this was right and my friend said pearl clutching is more being aghast and better metaphor to draw would be making a Southerner say, as my friend’s mom would always say: ‘That tastes so good it’ll make you slap your momma!”
Our mission “to invite all into a joyous and caring Christian community” did just that. A little bit of a good “Oh my heavens” - no actual mother slapping - and a lot of strangely warming my heart. That last one is Methodist language. John Wesley said he felt his heart strangely warmed when he was convicted of God’s love for him. I consider myself strangely warmed when I feel the Spirit moving around in my heart, filling me with passion and love for God’s work in this world. And it didn’t just ring true for me, I know many of you had that reaction. That warmness and joy that spread across your faces when you first heard our mission statement. Because whether you’ve been here over 50 years or 5 weeks - you can just sense that we truly are a joyous and caring Christian community. I have had charter members tell me it rings true as well as friends who have visited once or guest preachers who have shared in worship - they text me and say, “Your congregation is something special. You can feel the joy of the Spirit in them.”
And so along with Paul I say, “I thank my God every time I mention you in my prayers. I’m thankful for all of you every time I pray, and it’s always a prayer full of joy.”
I also think, along with me, Paul also might call that church in Philippi - “a joyous and caring Christian community.”
In fact, scholars and lay people alike have said for centuries that one of the defining traits of the letter to the Philippians is JOY. And that can be surprising when you realize that Paul wrote this letter from jail - awaiting his trial where he could recieve a sentence of execution. He had been here before and he thought he would be released - but also, he didn’t know. But his faith never faltered. And neither did his thanksgiving for the church in Philippi - a congregation who Paul knew was doing the Good Work of God, a congregation who cared for Paul during his trials and time as a prisoner, a congregation that had been generous with him and with others.
Now, before we go thinking that the church in Philippi was perfect - or even, before we go thinking that Grace is perfect! - Paul’s letter also focuses on some problems in the church and he urges them to correct them. There is a dispute between two church leaders that Paul talks about - he even mentions their name and basically tells them to bury the hatchet. He also knew that the church was facing harassment - I mean, he himself is in prison for preaching the Gospel! And he offers them both comfort and theological reasoning so they can continue to hold fast to Jesus and the work of Gospel they are called to do.
The fact is: no church is perfect. Churches are really just communities made up of imperfect people, striving toward love of God and neighbor together. And sometimes we get it more right than others. Sometimes there are internal disputes and sometimes external factors plague us.
But like Paul in a jail cell and like the church in Philippi, we are joyful despite it all! Because that joy comes from trusting that God will never abandon us and will always see us through: “I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work in you will continue to complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.”
God is doing good things through Grace and through each of you. I see it every day. How you all strive to better know and love God. How you all strive to love one another. To love neighbor. To love all. To serve one another, neighbor, all. To see Christ in the least of these. To invite all into a joyous and caring Christian community.
God began this work in us and I am joyful because I trust that the God who began a good work in us will complete that good work. As long as we follow God’s call, as long as we strive to serve God, as long as we can - God will work in us and through us, and often, as I say: God will work despite us! I trust that we and the work we do to live out our mission are a part of God’s GREATER mission to establish the Kingdom of God here on earth and a reign of peace and love that will never end. And because of that, I am filled with joy.
To help them stay true to the good work, Paul also urges the Philippians to “determine what really matters.”
And this is also something that makes me thankful for Grace: we’ve done that. We lift up and follow our mission. We have talked about how as a church all we do should connect to Worshiping, Belonging, and Serving. And we even have named values that help us discern what kind of tasks we undertake as a congregation and what kind of people we want to be!
And in case you don’t know what those values are: They’re Persistence through Resilience, Gratitude through Generosity, Service through Companionship, and Beauty through Wonder. I’d love to talk more with you about what those mean if you don’t know - but that would make this sermon too long! If you grab the bags of popcorn at the Greeter’s table, there is info on how to learn more about Grace, our mission, and our values on our website.
Okay - so I think this is a good point to take a step back. I’ve been talking about the church in Philippi and the church in Vermilion - about how I am thankful for you, about how God has begun a good work in you, and about how you have determined what really matters so that, the words of Paul, that our love may overflow.
And now I want to center all that in the midst of our current sermon series I mentioned in the beginning. “Inviting To: A Relationship With…”
So a quick recap - the whole purpose of this sermon series is to lay the foundation for our current vision goal: In order to build, strengthen, and renew connections with Grace, we will extend 500 invitations with the hope that 50 or more will be accepted.
We wanted to equip and empower each of you to know what you’re inviting someone TO and why you should invite them. So at first we talked about “Inviting To: A Relationship with Jesus.” And a relationship with Jesus is about abiding in God’s love, knowing you always have a home in Jesus where you are deeply known and deeply loved.
Then “Inviting To: A Relationship with Christians” - because we’re not meant to do this alone. Together we are the full body of Christ in this world. When we are together, God is in our midst and we learn and grow in God with and through one another.
Last week was “Inviting To: A Relationship with the World” - basically a relationship with Jesus IS a relationship with the world. However we treat the least of these, the hungry, thirst, naked, stranger, sick, and prisoner - that’s how we treat Jesus.
And so over the course of the last month or so you may have noticed we widened the net a little bit each week - Jesus, Christians, World. And that was a natural progression - a love for and from Jesus that radiates out and changes everything. But with this week, “Inviting to: A Relationship with Grace” - we reeled it way back in - to our particular church.
Now, I know there are people here who aren’t members of this church - maybe you like Worship by the Water and are just with us for the summer - and that’s okay. I hope that as I talked about the joy present in this church community, you thought of a church community that you have felt that joy in, that you know is carrying out that good work, that you give thanks to God for. Maybe you don’t have a church community yet - and maybe today’s sermon made you think, “I’d love to be part of a place like that.” My prayer is that you do find a church home that fills you with joy, that is doing the good work of the Gospel, that you give thanks to God for - whether it’s here or elsewhere.
But I wanted to focus on Grace today, our Grace, because if you want to invite someone to connect with Grace and through us, connect with Jesus, other Christians, and the world - you have to believe and know that there is something about Grace, something about the community we share, something about how we live out our mission, how we care for one another, how we serve that world…that is worth being a part of. That it’s life changing.
And I think it is. And I am thankful for you, filled with joy when I think about you - and am full of hope and joy for what God has begun in and through you and will continue to do through you.
I pray you are too.
So together, let’s invite all into a joyous and caring Christian community.
Amen.
“Inviting To: A Relationship with Grace”
Preached Sunday, September 4, 2022
“I thank my God every time I mention you in my prayers. I’m thankful for all of you every time I pray, and it’s always a prayer full of joy.”
These are Paul’s words to the disciples in Philippi - although a different Scripture version than the one I read today. And these are my words that I want to say to you today, as your pastor - at the close of our sermon series “Inviting To: A Relationship With…” and as we close this Worship by the Water season and are getting ready to transfer into our next season in our church year.
And at the risk of sounding like a sap, they are true words. I do thank God for you and I am filled with joy when I think of you.
When I went through the vision process with a small team here and we set to identify our mission statement we wanted it to have what we were calling the 5 c’s: clear, concise, catalytic (meaning actionable), contextual and compelling. My vision coach said you know it’s compelling when it makes you feel like an old Southern church lady who grabs her pearls and goes “Oh my heavens.” Although I asked my friend who is a through and through Southerner if this was right and my friend said pearl clutching is more being aghast and better metaphor to draw would be making a Southerner say, as my friend’s mom would always say: ‘That tastes so good it’ll make you slap your momma!”
Our mission “to invite all into a joyous and caring Christian community” did just that. A little bit of a good “Oh my heavens” - no actual mother slapping - and a lot of strangely warming my heart. That last one is Methodist language. John Wesley said he felt his heart strangely warmed when he was convicted of God’s love for him. I consider myself strangely warmed when I feel the Spirit moving around in my heart, filling me with passion and love for God’s work in this world. And it didn’t just ring true for me, I know many of you had that reaction. That warmness and joy that spread across your faces when you first heard our mission statement. Because whether you’ve been here over 50 years or 5 weeks - you can just sense that we truly are a joyous and caring Christian community. I have had charter members tell me it rings true as well as friends who have visited once or guest preachers who have shared in worship - they text me and say, “Your congregation is something special. You can feel the joy of the Spirit in them.”
And so along with Paul I say, “I thank my God every time I mention you in my prayers. I’m thankful for all of you every time I pray, and it’s always a prayer full of joy.”
I also think, along with me, Paul also might call that church in Philippi - “a joyous and caring Christian community.”
In fact, scholars and lay people alike have said for centuries that one of the defining traits of the letter to the Philippians is JOY. And that can be surprising when you realize that Paul wrote this letter from jail - awaiting his trial where he could recieve a sentence of execution. He had been here before and he thought he would be released - but also, he didn’t know. But his faith never faltered. And neither did his thanksgiving for the church in Philippi - a congregation who Paul knew was doing the Good Work of God, a congregation who cared for Paul during his trials and time as a prisoner, a congregation that had been generous with him and with others.
Now, before we go thinking that the church in Philippi was perfect - or even, before we go thinking that Grace is perfect! - Paul’s letter also focuses on some problems in the church and he urges them to correct them. There is a dispute between two church leaders that Paul talks about - he even mentions their name and basically tells them to bury the hatchet. He also knew that the church was facing harassment - I mean, he himself is in prison for preaching the Gospel! And he offers them both comfort and theological reasoning so they can continue to hold fast to Jesus and the work of Gospel they are called to do.
The fact is: no church is perfect. Churches are really just communities made up of imperfect people, striving toward love of God and neighbor together. And sometimes we get it more right than others. Sometimes there are internal disputes and sometimes external factors plague us.
But like Paul in a jail cell and like the church in Philippi, we are joyful despite it all! Because that joy comes from trusting that God will never abandon us and will always see us through: “I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work in you will continue to complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.”
God is doing good things through Grace and through each of you. I see it every day. How you all strive to better know and love God. How you all strive to love one another. To love neighbor. To love all. To serve one another, neighbor, all. To see Christ in the least of these. To invite all into a joyous and caring Christian community.
God began this work in us and I am joyful because I trust that the God who began a good work in us will complete that good work. As long as we follow God’s call, as long as we strive to serve God, as long as we can - God will work in us and through us, and often, as I say: God will work despite us! I trust that we and the work we do to live out our mission are a part of God’s GREATER mission to establish the Kingdom of God here on earth and a reign of peace and love that will never end. And because of that, I am filled with joy.
To help them stay true to the good work, Paul also urges the Philippians to “determine what really matters.”
And this is also something that makes me thankful for Grace: we’ve done that. We lift up and follow our mission. We have talked about how as a church all we do should connect to Worshiping, Belonging, and Serving. And we even have named values that help us discern what kind of tasks we undertake as a congregation and what kind of people we want to be!
And in case you don’t know what those values are: They’re Persistence through Resilience, Gratitude through Generosity, Service through Companionship, and Beauty through Wonder. I’d love to talk more with you about what those mean if you don’t know - but that would make this sermon too long! If you grab the bags of popcorn at the Greeter’s table, there is info on how to learn more about Grace, our mission, and our values on our website.
Okay - so I think this is a good point to take a step back. I’ve been talking about the church in Philippi and the church in Vermilion - about how I am thankful for you, about how God has begun a good work in you, and about how you have determined what really matters so that, the words of Paul, that our love may overflow.
And now I want to center all that in the midst of our current sermon series I mentioned in the beginning. “Inviting To: A Relationship With…”
So a quick recap - the whole purpose of this sermon series is to lay the foundation for our current vision goal: In order to build, strengthen, and renew connections with Grace, we will extend 500 invitations with the hope that 50 or more will be accepted.
We wanted to equip and empower each of you to know what you’re inviting someone TO and why you should invite them. So at first we talked about “Inviting To: A Relationship with Jesus.” And a relationship with Jesus is about abiding in God’s love, knowing you always have a home in Jesus where you are deeply known and deeply loved.
Then “Inviting To: A Relationship with Christians” - because we’re not meant to do this alone. Together we are the full body of Christ in this world. When we are together, God is in our midst and we learn and grow in God with and through one another.
Last week was “Inviting To: A Relationship with the World” - basically a relationship with Jesus IS a relationship with the world. However we treat the least of these, the hungry, thirst, naked, stranger, sick, and prisoner - that’s how we treat Jesus.
And so over the course of the last month or so you may have noticed we widened the net a little bit each week - Jesus, Christians, World. And that was a natural progression - a love for and from Jesus that radiates out and changes everything. But with this week, “Inviting to: A Relationship with Grace” - we reeled it way back in - to our particular church.
Now, I know there are people here who aren’t members of this church - maybe you like Worship by the Water and are just with us for the summer - and that’s okay. I hope that as I talked about the joy present in this church community, you thought of a church community that you have felt that joy in, that you know is carrying out that good work, that you give thanks to God for. Maybe you don’t have a church community yet - and maybe today’s sermon made you think, “I’d love to be part of a place like that.” My prayer is that you do find a church home that fills you with joy, that is doing the good work of the Gospel, that you give thanks to God for - whether it’s here or elsewhere.
But I wanted to focus on Grace today, our Grace, because if you want to invite someone to connect with Grace and through us, connect with Jesus, other Christians, and the world - you have to believe and know that there is something about Grace, something about the community we share, something about how we live out our mission, how we care for one another, how we serve that world…that is worth being a part of. That it’s life changing.
And I think it is. And I am thankful for you, filled with joy when I think about you - and am full of hope and joy for what God has begun in and through you and will continue to do through you.
I pray you are too.
So together, let’s invite all into a joyous and caring Christian community.
Amen.
Wednesday, August 31, 2022
Call to Worship based on Psalm 66
L: Make a joyful noise to God!
P: We sing the glory of God’s name!
L: Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds!”
P: We come together to share what God has done.
L: God is at work here!
P: And over all the earth!
L: And so we worship and praise God’s name.
P: Let us worship in word and song.
All: Amen.
P: We sing the glory of God’s name!
L: Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds!”
P: We come together to share what God has done.
L: God is at work here!
P: And over all the earth!
L: And so we worship and praise God’s name.
P: Let us worship in word and song.
All: Amen.
Sunday, August 28, 2022
"Inviting To: A Relationship with the World" a sermon on Matthew 25:31-45
Matthew 25:31-45
“Inviting To: A Relationship with the World”
Preached Sunday, August 28, 2022
We are now halfway through a 4 part sermon series called “Inviting To: A Relationship with…” This sermon series is laying the foundation for living out our 2022-2023 vision goal which we just kicked off at the beginning of this month and is already well-underway. That vision goal is: In order to build, strengthen, and renew connections with Grace, we will extend 500 invitations with the hope that 50 or more will be accepted.
And so, welcome to those who are here today by invitation! We’re so glad you’re here and yes, the rumors are true, there will be ice cream right after the service.
But back to the sermon series - we started by talking about “Inviting To: A Relationship with Jesus.” A relationship with Jesus means abiding in God’s loving, knowing and feeling that you always have a home in Jesus where you are deeply known and deeply loved, just as you are.
Then, we moved on to “Inviting To: A Relationship with Christians.” A Relationship with Christians means that we who claim the name of Jesus belong to one another - we need each other to be the full body of Christ in this world. And through being the body of Christ together, we know God is with us when we are gathered. And our relationships with each other helps us live out our relationship with Jesus AND strengthens that relationship as we see God in and learn about God through one another.
And then we took a week intermission with a fabulous guest preacher and now we’re following the natural progression of the series which leads us to: “Inviting To: A Relationship with the World.”
Now, some Christians (or really, any sect of any religion or sort) like to paint themselves as “us against the World.” World - Us. This mindset really creates a false dichotomy of sacred versus secular where in order to embrace the sacred, we have to reject all that is secular…and that’s simply not how any of this works. The world and our lives and our faith are not as black and white as any would like us to think. There is a lot of gray, a lot of blurring lines, a lot of overlap between what would traditionally be called sacred and what would be called secular. Now there are “things of this world” that truly are not of God. In our Baptismal vows we promise to reject evil, injustice, and oppression in whatever forms they present themselves! And that’s important to reject those - AND there are things, quote on quote, “of this world” - secular rather than obviously sacred, if you will, that we would do better to open our eyes and hearts, and see God in, to blur the lines, to let sacred and secular overlap and see how God is in all the world, even places we might not have thought to first look.
Okay, okay - I don’t want to go too much into this tangent cause it really is a whole other sermon AND as Christians, it’s time to think of not “us versus the world,” or “us or the world,” or even “us and the world” - we need to think of “us WITH the world.”
As a relationship with Jesus necessitates a relationship with other Christians, relationships with Jesus and other Christians necessitate, and even naturally progress, to a relationship with the world.
Matthew 25 is probably *the* prime example of how we are called to be in relationship with the world. We are in relationship with Jesus in this world with how we react to the pain, hurt, and suffering of the world. We are only so much in relationship with Jesus as we are in relationship with those experiencing the brokenness of this world. Matthew 25 specifically lifts up how we are in relationship with the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the naked (the have-nots, if you will), the sick, and the prisoner.
And that should really give us pause. As a word of indictment against those who claim the name of Jesus in our country, I often think we should be so much more collectively horrified with how our systems treat those in need. The hungry that are ridiculed. The thirsty who cannot get clean water. The strangers who are turned away. The poor who are criminalized. The sick who are saddled with debt and the prisoners who are dehumanized and profited off of. According to Jesus in Matthew 25, how we treat the least of these are how we treat Jesus himself. How we are in a relationship with Jesus. Collectively, as a whole, it’s not looking good for us when it comes to the separating of the sheep and the goats.
Again, a slight tangent there.
But when we seriously look at Matthew 25, we see that a relationship with Jesus doesn’t just necessitate a relationship with the world - a relationship with Jesus IS a relationship with the world - a relationship WITH the least of these: the hungry, thirsty, stranger, naked, sick, and imprisoned. A relationship WITH them IS a relationship with Jesus. To fully be the body of Christ with and for the world, we are called upon as the whole body of Christ, in relationship with each other as Christians, to show the abiding love of Jesus to the world.
Looking out at the world and seeing the hurt and brokenness is where we are invited to live out our relationship with Jesus as we partner together to be co-creators of God’s Kingdom here on earth. And it’s not so much that we are holding something we disperse upon the world, like we’re removed from it or above it… but that the hurt we see around us draws our hearts to engage because we love Jesus so much.
I know I’ve said this before and it bears saying again: love of Jesus and love of neighbor are flip sides of the same coin. Love of Jesus pushes us out to love those in pain and those who need love. How we experience God in our neighbors then pushes us back to further love of God.
Another illustration is the Wesleyan Means of Grace and the cross.
So picture the vertical line of the cross, okay - up and down. This line is vertical cause it directs us “up” - if you will, toward God. And it’s made up of both individual acts of piety: these are things like prayer, reading the Bible, devotions, meditations AND communal acts of worship: and these are things like, well, worship, Holy Communion, Baptism, singing hymns together. So as an individual and as a community, we are oriented toward God.
But this isn’t a cross - it’s just one line.
So then comes the horizontal line. And this line is horizontal cause it directs us out, toward each other. And this line is comprised of both individual acts of charity: these are things like generosity, serving at a food kitchen, doing good works AND communal acts of justice and these are things like working toward systemic change and freeing of the oppressed - a classic example we use is how Wesley spent the latter part of his life speaking out against the slave trade.
Okay so you have a vertical line that, individually and communally, directs us toward God. And you have a horizontal line that, individually and communally, directs us toward each other. They’re just two lines, not the whole picture. And when you put these two lines together you get: the cross, the Gospel, the full picture of Jesus and what it means to live out our faith: love of God and love of neighbor as self.
And so, to invite into a relationship with the world is to not only invite those who are already in a relationships with Jesus and the church to see Jesus in the brokenness of the world and then to BE Jesus in the midst of that brokenness - to invite into a relationship with the world is also our biggest way to invite others to know Jesus. For those who are used to “us versus the world” instead of “us with the world” this may seem counterintuitive. Yet the early church didn’t grow because of the right doctrine or amazing worship services or family friendly programming or even because of ice cream socials. The early church grew because of the radical way they showed up and showed love to the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the naked, the sick, and the imprisoned.
As the favorite hymn goes:
“They will know we are Christians by our love, by our love, yes they’ll know we are Christians by our love.”
May we love God and love the world.
Amen.
“Inviting To: A Relationship with the World”
Preached Sunday, August 28, 2022
We are now halfway through a 4 part sermon series called “Inviting To: A Relationship with…” This sermon series is laying the foundation for living out our 2022-2023 vision goal which we just kicked off at the beginning of this month and is already well-underway. That vision goal is: In order to build, strengthen, and renew connections with Grace, we will extend 500 invitations with the hope that 50 or more will be accepted.
And so, welcome to those who are here today by invitation! We’re so glad you’re here and yes, the rumors are true, there will be ice cream right after the service.
But back to the sermon series - we started by talking about “Inviting To: A Relationship with Jesus.” A relationship with Jesus means abiding in God’s loving, knowing and feeling that you always have a home in Jesus where you are deeply known and deeply loved, just as you are.
Then, we moved on to “Inviting To: A Relationship with Christians.” A Relationship with Christians means that we who claim the name of Jesus belong to one another - we need each other to be the full body of Christ in this world. And through being the body of Christ together, we know God is with us when we are gathered. And our relationships with each other helps us live out our relationship with Jesus AND strengthens that relationship as we see God in and learn about God through one another.
And then we took a week intermission with a fabulous guest preacher and now we’re following the natural progression of the series which leads us to: “Inviting To: A Relationship with the World.”
Now, some Christians (or really, any sect of any religion or sort) like to paint themselves as “us against the World.” World - Us. This mindset really creates a false dichotomy of sacred versus secular where in order to embrace the sacred, we have to reject all that is secular…and that’s simply not how any of this works. The world and our lives and our faith are not as black and white as any would like us to think. There is a lot of gray, a lot of blurring lines, a lot of overlap between what would traditionally be called sacred and what would be called secular. Now there are “things of this world” that truly are not of God. In our Baptismal vows we promise to reject evil, injustice, and oppression in whatever forms they present themselves! And that’s important to reject those - AND there are things, quote on quote, “of this world” - secular rather than obviously sacred, if you will, that we would do better to open our eyes and hearts, and see God in, to blur the lines, to let sacred and secular overlap and see how God is in all the world, even places we might not have thought to first look.
Okay, okay - I don’t want to go too much into this tangent cause it really is a whole other sermon AND as Christians, it’s time to think of not “us versus the world,” or “us or the world,” or even “us and the world” - we need to think of “us WITH the world.”
As a relationship with Jesus necessitates a relationship with other Christians, relationships with Jesus and other Christians necessitate, and even naturally progress, to a relationship with the world.
Matthew 25 is probably *the* prime example of how we are called to be in relationship with the world. We are in relationship with Jesus in this world with how we react to the pain, hurt, and suffering of the world. We are only so much in relationship with Jesus as we are in relationship with those experiencing the brokenness of this world. Matthew 25 specifically lifts up how we are in relationship with the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the naked (the have-nots, if you will), the sick, and the prisoner.
And that should really give us pause. As a word of indictment against those who claim the name of Jesus in our country, I often think we should be so much more collectively horrified with how our systems treat those in need. The hungry that are ridiculed. The thirsty who cannot get clean water. The strangers who are turned away. The poor who are criminalized. The sick who are saddled with debt and the prisoners who are dehumanized and profited off of. According to Jesus in Matthew 25, how we treat the least of these are how we treat Jesus himself. How we are in a relationship with Jesus. Collectively, as a whole, it’s not looking good for us when it comes to the separating of the sheep and the goats.
Again, a slight tangent there.
But when we seriously look at Matthew 25, we see that a relationship with Jesus doesn’t just necessitate a relationship with the world - a relationship with Jesus IS a relationship with the world - a relationship WITH the least of these: the hungry, thirsty, stranger, naked, sick, and imprisoned. A relationship WITH them IS a relationship with Jesus. To fully be the body of Christ with and for the world, we are called upon as the whole body of Christ, in relationship with each other as Christians, to show the abiding love of Jesus to the world.
Looking out at the world and seeing the hurt and brokenness is where we are invited to live out our relationship with Jesus as we partner together to be co-creators of God’s Kingdom here on earth. And it’s not so much that we are holding something we disperse upon the world, like we’re removed from it or above it… but that the hurt we see around us draws our hearts to engage because we love Jesus so much.
I know I’ve said this before and it bears saying again: love of Jesus and love of neighbor are flip sides of the same coin. Love of Jesus pushes us out to love those in pain and those who need love. How we experience God in our neighbors then pushes us back to further love of God.
Another illustration is the Wesleyan Means of Grace and the cross.
So picture the vertical line of the cross, okay - up and down. This line is vertical cause it directs us “up” - if you will, toward God. And it’s made up of both individual acts of piety: these are things like prayer, reading the Bible, devotions, meditations AND communal acts of worship: and these are things like, well, worship, Holy Communion, Baptism, singing hymns together. So as an individual and as a community, we are oriented toward God.
But this isn’t a cross - it’s just one line.
So then comes the horizontal line. And this line is horizontal cause it directs us out, toward each other. And this line is comprised of both individual acts of charity: these are things like generosity, serving at a food kitchen, doing good works AND communal acts of justice and these are things like working toward systemic change and freeing of the oppressed - a classic example we use is how Wesley spent the latter part of his life speaking out against the slave trade.
Okay so you have a vertical line that, individually and communally, directs us toward God. And you have a horizontal line that, individually and communally, directs us toward each other. They’re just two lines, not the whole picture. And when you put these two lines together you get: the cross, the Gospel, the full picture of Jesus and what it means to live out our faith: love of God and love of neighbor as self.
And so, to invite into a relationship with the world is to not only invite those who are already in a relationships with Jesus and the church to see Jesus in the brokenness of the world and then to BE Jesus in the midst of that brokenness - to invite into a relationship with the world is also our biggest way to invite others to know Jesus. For those who are used to “us versus the world” instead of “us with the world” this may seem counterintuitive. Yet the early church didn’t grow because of the right doctrine or amazing worship services or family friendly programming or even because of ice cream socials. The early church grew because of the radical way they showed up and showed love to the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the naked, the sick, and the imprisoned.
As the favorite hymn goes:
“They will know we are Christians by our love, by our love, yes they’ll know we are Christians by our love.”
May we love God and love the world.
Amen.
Tuesday, August 16, 2022
"Inviting To: A Relationship with Christians" a sermon on Romans 12:3-21
Romans 12:3-21
“Inviting To: A Relationship with Christians”
Preached Sunday, August 14, 2022
We’re in our second week of our sermon series surrounding our new vision goal which is “In order to build, strengthen, and renew connections with Grace, we will extend 500 invitations with the hope that 50 or more will be accepted.” And so we’re laying the foundation for that goal to be a success with a sermon series on “Inviting To: A Relationship with…” Last week we talked about “Inviting To: A Relationship with Jesus.”
And we started off talking about how, to some people, they may have some baggage surrounding the phrase “Relationship with Jesus” therefore we need to show and tell with our actions and words how having a relationship with Jesus is not about passing some litmus test but about abiding in God’s love. Abiding in God’s love means always having a home in and with God where you are deeply known and loved, no matter what. And that moves us to live out Jesus’s commandment to love one another as he loves us.
And I hate to break it to you, but if “A Relationship with Jesus” carried some baggage for people based on their age or experiences ....”A Relationship with Christians”!? Oh boy. This is like the conveyor belt at an airport after several fully booked lights just came in: full of baggage.
There is a reason so many know that infamous quote attributed to Gandhi: “I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.” I do know that some people question if this quote really is from Gandhi but the fact that it’s so prevalent and quoted so often means that it resonates with people, it strikes a chord as true within them.
Now, this quote is coming from someone outside of Christianity so it is often dismissed by critics as such. But isn’t that, uh….kind of the point? If Christians only looked good to Christians…there would be no new Christians. The thing is, Christianity and Christians don’t even always look good to other Christians.
The Rev. E. Heath talks about this in the book “Glorify: Reclaiming the Heart of Progressive Christianity.” Heath says that Christians “have a bit of a public relations problem.” I would likely say, it’s more than a bit. To sum up this problem Heath says, “It’s no wonder that many people think Christians are judgmental, antigay, anti-women, antichoice, antiscience extremists. So much of that they have experienced in church has been just that.
Even if people have not experienced it themselves, they have heard about it on the news. When talk shows want someone to offer ‘the Christian perspective’ they far too often call up someone with extremist views who will make for good television.”
And it is often the most extreme that defines the Christian narrative, our public relations if you will, to the rest of the world and non-Christians.
And I know good, God-loving, neighbor-loving Christians, followers of Jesus, filled with love for God and love for the Church and love for the world…who no longer want to claim the name Christians. Multiple people like this. And it’s not that they want to leave the faith or even necessarily leave the church, although people do both because of our PR problem - or beyond the PR, really just how other people, claiming the same God and same title as them, Christians, act toward others. And these Christians are asking: Do I really want to be lumped in with people who call themselves Christians but are not Christlike? Christlike meaning showing love of God and love of neighbor. And so they question, how much can I really be a part of this whole Christian and Christianity thing? How much can I call myself a Christian? And how much do I want to be in relationships with other Christians? And I do think these are valid questions to be asking and discerning, given the current state of the perception of Christians and Christianity.
Heath continues, however, to say that the PR problem with Christianity doesn’t just come from those with extremist views that aren’t Christlike and lacking love of neighbor, our PR problem comes from Christians who are striving to live out God’s commands to love God and to love neighbor but hide their light under a bushel.
Y'all know what I mean by that phrase? Matthew 5:14-16: “‘You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. People do not light a lamp and put it under the bushel basket; rather, they put it on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.’” Or, you may know it from “This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine. This little light of mine. I’m gonna let it shine. This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine, let it shine, let it shine, let it shine. Hide it under a bushel? No! I’m gonna let it shine. Hide it under a bushel? No! I’m gonna let it shine! Hid it under a bushel? No! I’m gonna let it shine, let it shine, let it shine, let it shine!”
But as Heath says, “We may also be asked to explain our beliefs to incredulous others, and sometimes we find the questioner already believes they know what we will say. Explaining the nuances of faith to a critical acquaintance at a dinner party can be a losing proposition from the start. Sometimes it feels much easier to keep quiet, and ask someone to pass the potatoes.”
Or, moreover, when we do talk about our faith, we do so with apologetics. “Yes, I am Christian BUT NOT LIKE THAT” or “I’m Christian but not THAT kind of Christian.” Talking about our identity in Christ this way actually still lets that less-than tolerant, judgmental and extremist version of Christianity to have center stage because we define ourselves as NOT them. Now, if people are looking for meaning-making in their life, if they’re looking for something to fill a void within themselves, there are plenty of options that are NOT that. Take your pick. And no one is gonna pick something that has the same name as that but hasn’t defined itself in any positive way apart from that.
Do you follow me? Saying “I am a Christian but not /that/ kind of Christian” doesn’t tell others what kind of Christian you actually are and why YOUR Christianity is worth being a part of. And why YOUR Christ is worth following.
It’s time that Christians who strive to be Christlike, to love God and to love neighbor as themselves, started defining ourselves in a positive way. To say: I am a Christian because I love God and ever strive to love my neighbor as myself. To say: I am a Christian because I believe that Love is greater than any force in this world, including death. And even to say, I am a Christian because of my relationships with other Christians who have shown me the love of Christ. Romans 12 is a great example of what it means to BE a Christian.
Romans 12 says that Christians:
Love genuinely
Hate what is evil
Hold fast to what is good
Love one another with mutual affection
Out-do one another in honor
Are enthusiastic about serving the Lord together
Have hope
Practice patience
Care for our neighbors, strangers, ALL
Don’t curse those who are against us
Actually, BLESS those who against us
Rejoice with those who are rejoicing
Weep with those who weep
Live in harmony
Aren’t haughty
Hang out with the least of these
Don’t think you’re smarter than you are
Show respect for the common good
Don’t repay evil with evil
And as best as we can, live peacefully with all others
Living in that way is the mark of Christians who follow Jesus. It is our light that we cannot hide under a bushel but need to share with the world. So that others will see the light and want to be in relationship not only with Jesus who invites us to abide in his love, but with other Christians who seek to love God and love neighbor together.
Cause the fact is, it’s not just about a relationship with Jesus - although that’s obviously central, it’s also about a relationship with other Christians. We aren’t meant to do this alone. As Paul says in today’s reading: “we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another.” The more famous explanation of being the body of Christ together comes from 1 Corinthians 12:
“For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ…Indeed, the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot would say, ‘Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,’ that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear would say, ‘Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,’ that would not make it any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole body were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many members yet one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I have no need of you,’ nor again the head to the feet, ‘I have no need of you.’”
We need each other to be the full body of Christ. We cannot do it alone. “It” being living out the love of Christ in this world for the whole world. This is why last Sunday I brought up the phrase, “it’s about a relationship, not a religion” and said it doesn’t paint the whole picture, cause it’s both. A relationship with Jesus is necessitates a relationship with other Christians, i.e. religion.
The Rev. Lillian Daniel, author of “When ‘Spiritual But Not Religious’ Isn’t Enough” says, “Being privately spiritual but not religious just doesn't interest me. There is nothing challenging about having deep thoughts all by oneself. What is interesting is doing this work in community, where other people might call you on stuff or, heaven forbid, disagree with you. When life with God gets rich and provocative is when you dig deeply into a tradition that you did not invent all for yourself.”
She also says - and her words, not mine, not calling anyone an idiot here but she says, “Any idiot can find God alone in the sunset. It takes a certain maturity to find God in the person sitting next to you who not only voted for the wrong political party but has a baby who is crying while you’re trying to listen to the sermon.”
And that’s really, the miracle that happens when you are a part of a religious community, a church, in relationship with other Christians, we begin to see God in each other, in messy, flawed humans who don’t always get it right and we may not always agree with but we’re still trying our best to love God and to love neighbor, together.
And at Grace, I believe, we have found that to be true. We do know that God is here and we find God in each other - wherever two or three are gathered, God is there! And we have all experienced God in one another. We see God in how we come together to offer support to each other, love and service to the world…and yes, even in how we challenge one another and propel each other on to better love of neighbor.
We are striving to live out those marks of a Christian from Romans 12 - to let our light shine to the world by loving genuinely, holding fast to what is good, blessing all, weeping with those who weep and rejoicing with those who rejoice. And through doing that, boldly and positively claiming the name of Christian in this world and inviting others to be in relationship with the God who is Love and with us, Christians who strive to live out that love.
If we have a PR problem, it's up to us to change that. Here at Grace we are "a joyous and caring Christian community.” It is not just part of our mission statement, it’s truly who we are. And we need to show that to the world, to tell others how we love genuinely, how we care for each other and care for the least of these, and let our light shine… and invite others, invite all, to be a part of it - and they might just be surprised at how loving and how good it is to be part of the church, to be in relationship with Jesus and with Christians.
Amen.
“Inviting To: A Relationship with Christians”
Preached Sunday, August 14, 2022
We’re in our second week of our sermon series surrounding our new vision goal which is “In order to build, strengthen, and renew connections with Grace, we will extend 500 invitations with the hope that 50 or more will be accepted.” And so we’re laying the foundation for that goal to be a success with a sermon series on “Inviting To: A Relationship with…” Last week we talked about “Inviting To: A Relationship with Jesus.”
And we started off talking about how, to some people, they may have some baggage surrounding the phrase “Relationship with Jesus” therefore we need to show and tell with our actions and words how having a relationship with Jesus is not about passing some litmus test but about abiding in God’s love. Abiding in God’s love means always having a home in and with God where you are deeply known and loved, no matter what. And that moves us to live out Jesus’s commandment to love one another as he loves us.
And I hate to break it to you, but if “A Relationship with Jesus” carried some baggage for people based on their age or experiences ....”A Relationship with Christians”!? Oh boy. This is like the conveyor belt at an airport after several fully booked lights just came in: full of baggage.
There is a reason so many know that infamous quote attributed to Gandhi: “I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.” I do know that some people question if this quote really is from Gandhi but the fact that it’s so prevalent and quoted so often means that it resonates with people, it strikes a chord as true within them.
Now, this quote is coming from someone outside of Christianity so it is often dismissed by critics as such. But isn’t that, uh….kind of the point? If Christians only looked good to Christians…there would be no new Christians. The thing is, Christianity and Christians don’t even always look good to other Christians.
The Rev. E. Heath talks about this in the book “Glorify: Reclaiming the Heart of Progressive Christianity.” Heath says that Christians “have a bit of a public relations problem.” I would likely say, it’s more than a bit. To sum up this problem Heath says, “It’s no wonder that many people think Christians are judgmental, antigay, anti-women, antichoice, antiscience extremists. So much of that they have experienced in church has been just that.
Even if people have not experienced it themselves, they have heard about it on the news. When talk shows want someone to offer ‘the Christian perspective’ they far too often call up someone with extremist views who will make for good television.”
And it is often the most extreme that defines the Christian narrative, our public relations if you will, to the rest of the world and non-Christians.
And I know good, God-loving, neighbor-loving Christians, followers of Jesus, filled with love for God and love for the Church and love for the world…who no longer want to claim the name Christians. Multiple people like this. And it’s not that they want to leave the faith or even necessarily leave the church, although people do both because of our PR problem - or beyond the PR, really just how other people, claiming the same God and same title as them, Christians, act toward others. And these Christians are asking: Do I really want to be lumped in with people who call themselves Christians but are not Christlike? Christlike meaning showing love of God and love of neighbor. And so they question, how much can I really be a part of this whole Christian and Christianity thing? How much can I call myself a Christian? And how much do I want to be in relationships with other Christians? And I do think these are valid questions to be asking and discerning, given the current state of the perception of Christians and Christianity.
Heath continues, however, to say that the PR problem with Christianity doesn’t just come from those with extremist views that aren’t Christlike and lacking love of neighbor, our PR problem comes from Christians who are striving to live out God’s commands to love God and to love neighbor but hide their light under a bushel.
Y'all know what I mean by that phrase? Matthew 5:14-16: “‘You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. People do not light a lamp and put it under the bushel basket; rather, they put it on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.’” Or, you may know it from “This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine. This little light of mine. I’m gonna let it shine. This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine, let it shine, let it shine, let it shine. Hide it under a bushel? No! I’m gonna let it shine. Hide it under a bushel? No! I’m gonna let it shine! Hid it under a bushel? No! I’m gonna let it shine, let it shine, let it shine, let it shine!”
But as Heath says, “We may also be asked to explain our beliefs to incredulous others, and sometimes we find the questioner already believes they know what we will say. Explaining the nuances of faith to a critical acquaintance at a dinner party can be a losing proposition from the start. Sometimes it feels much easier to keep quiet, and ask someone to pass the potatoes.”
Or, moreover, when we do talk about our faith, we do so with apologetics. “Yes, I am Christian BUT NOT LIKE THAT” or “I’m Christian but not THAT kind of Christian.” Talking about our identity in Christ this way actually still lets that less-than tolerant, judgmental and extremist version of Christianity to have center stage because we define ourselves as NOT them. Now, if people are looking for meaning-making in their life, if they’re looking for something to fill a void within themselves, there are plenty of options that are NOT that. Take your pick. And no one is gonna pick something that has the same name as that but hasn’t defined itself in any positive way apart from that.
Do you follow me? Saying “I am a Christian but not /that/ kind of Christian” doesn’t tell others what kind of Christian you actually are and why YOUR Christianity is worth being a part of. And why YOUR Christ is worth following.
It’s time that Christians who strive to be Christlike, to love God and to love neighbor as themselves, started defining ourselves in a positive way. To say: I am a Christian because I love God and ever strive to love my neighbor as myself. To say: I am a Christian because I believe that Love is greater than any force in this world, including death. And even to say, I am a Christian because of my relationships with other Christians who have shown me the love of Christ. Romans 12 is a great example of what it means to BE a Christian.
Romans 12 says that Christians:
Love genuinely
Hate what is evil
Hold fast to what is good
Love one another with mutual affection
Out-do one another in honor
Are enthusiastic about serving the Lord together
Have hope
Practice patience
Care for our neighbors, strangers, ALL
Don’t curse those who are against us
Actually, BLESS those who against us
Rejoice with those who are rejoicing
Weep with those who weep
Live in harmony
Aren’t haughty
Hang out with the least of these
Don’t think you’re smarter than you are
Show respect for the common good
Don’t repay evil with evil
And as best as we can, live peacefully with all others
Living in that way is the mark of Christians who follow Jesus. It is our light that we cannot hide under a bushel but need to share with the world. So that others will see the light and want to be in relationship not only with Jesus who invites us to abide in his love, but with other Christians who seek to love God and love neighbor together.
Cause the fact is, it’s not just about a relationship with Jesus - although that’s obviously central, it’s also about a relationship with other Christians. We aren’t meant to do this alone. As Paul says in today’s reading: “we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another.” The more famous explanation of being the body of Christ together comes from 1 Corinthians 12:
“For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ…Indeed, the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot would say, ‘Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,’ that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear would say, ‘Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,’ that would not make it any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole body were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many members yet one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I have no need of you,’ nor again the head to the feet, ‘I have no need of you.’”
We need each other to be the full body of Christ. We cannot do it alone. “It” being living out the love of Christ in this world for the whole world. This is why last Sunday I brought up the phrase, “it’s about a relationship, not a religion” and said it doesn’t paint the whole picture, cause it’s both. A relationship with Jesus is necessitates a relationship with other Christians, i.e. religion.
The Rev. Lillian Daniel, author of “When ‘Spiritual But Not Religious’ Isn’t Enough” says, “Being privately spiritual but not religious just doesn't interest me. There is nothing challenging about having deep thoughts all by oneself. What is interesting is doing this work in community, where other people might call you on stuff or, heaven forbid, disagree with you. When life with God gets rich and provocative is when you dig deeply into a tradition that you did not invent all for yourself.”
She also says - and her words, not mine, not calling anyone an idiot here but she says, “Any idiot can find God alone in the sunset. It takes a certain maturity to find God in the person sitting next to you who not only voted for the wrong political party but has a baby who is crying while you’re trying to listen to the sermon.”
And that’s really, the miracle that happens when you are a part of a religious community, a church, in relationship with other Christians, we begin to see God in each other, in messy, flawed humans who don’t always get it right and we may not always agree with but we’re still trying our best to love God and to love neighbor, together.
And at Grace, I believe, we have found that to be true. We do know that God is here and we find God in each other - wherever two or three are gathered, God is there! And we have all experienced God in one another. We see God in how we come together to offer support to each other, love and service to the world…and yes, even in how we challenge one another and propel each other on to better love of neighbor.
We are striving to live out those marks of a Christian from Romans 12 - to let our light shine to the world by loving genuinely, holding fast to what is good, blessing all, weeping with those who weep and rejoicing with those who rejoice. And through doing that, boldly and positively claiming the name of Christian in this world and inviting others to be in relationship with the God who is Love and with us, Christians who strive to live out that love.
If we have a PR problem, it's up to us to change that. Here at Grace we are "a joyous and caring Christian community.” It is not just part of our mission statement, it’s truly who we are. And we need to show that to the world, to tell others how we love genuinely, how we care for each other and care for the least of these, and let our light shine… and invite others, invite all, to be a part of it - and they might just be surprised at how loving and how good it is to be part of the church, to be in relationship with Jesus and with Christians.
Amen.
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