SCRIPTURE: Genesis 11:1-9, Romans 8:14-17 & Acts 2:1-21
I WONDER IF GOD EVER LOOKS IN ON THE DIVISIONS OF THE WORLD AND CURSES HIMSELF OUT FOR THE MISTAKE MADE AT BABEL?
GOD WAS JUST GETTING USED TO THIS HUMAN CREATURE “THING” HE HAD CREATED, AND WE ALL KNOW HOW FRUSTRATING IMMATURE BEINGS CAN BE—LIKE A PUPPY WHO THINKS YOU’RE PLAYING WHEN YOU’RE REPRIMANDING OR A BABY WHO STARTS WALKING AND GETTING INTO EVERYTHING! WITHOUT EVEN TALKING TO THE CREATURE, GOD INTERVENED TO CORRECT THEIR INAPPROPRIATE BEHAVIOR, TUMBLING THE TOWER AND TAKING AWAY THEIR ABILITY TO TALK TO ONE ANOTHER THROUGH DIFFERENT LANGUAGES. WHAT A MISTAKE TO MAKE HUMAN BEINGS UNABLE TO TALK TO ONE ANOTHER! ISN’T IT THE INABILITY TO COMMUNICATE THAT IS CLEARLY ONE OF THE WORST PROBLEMS OF CONTEMPORARY LIFE?
JUST THINK HOW MUCH EASIER OUR HUMAN EXISTENCE WOULD BE IF WE ALL SPOKE THE SAME LANGUAGE! EVERY TIME I GO TO NICARAGUA I BECOME MORE AND MORE CONSCIOUS OF HOW DIVISIVE IT IS FOR ME TO NOT KNOW THE SPANISH LANGUAGE. YES, THERE IS A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF COMMUNICATION THAT HAPPENS WITHOUT LANGUAGE. I WORK WELL ENOUGH WITH THE NICARAGUAN PEOPLE TO BUILD WONDERFUL HOUSES. THEY LEARN MINIMAL ENGLISH WORDS AND I KNOW JUST A FEW SPANISH PHRASES BUT I NEVER LEARN THE DEPTH OF WHO THEY ARE. THEY NEVER KNOW WHAT REALLY MAKES ME TICK.
WE CAN’T EVEN PRAY TOGETHER AND KNOW WHAT IS BEING SAID.
I KNOW WE ALL LOVE GOD AND I CAN CATCH A “JESUS CHRISTO” WHEN IT COMES UP, BUT I ALWAYS COME HOME AWARE OF THAT WHICH SEPARATES US AS WELL AS BEING GRATEFUL FOR THE HUMANITY THAT WILL ALWAYS CONNECT US IN A UNIVERSAL WAY.
AT ANY RATE, I HAVE A HARD TIME NOT THINKING THAT GOD MADE A MISTAKE AT BABEL, WHICH STANDS IN DIRECT ODDS WITH MY UNDERSTANDING OF GOD’S DIVINE PERFECTION. IS IT POSSIBLE FOR GOD TO MAKE A MISTAKE?
ACTUALLY, I DON’T REALLY HAVE AN ANSWER TO THIS QUESTION, BUT I DO HAVE A THOUGHT ABOUT GOD BEING ABLE TO GROW IN UNDERSTANDING.
MY HOMEGROWN THEOLOGY HAS COME TO ME OVER THE YEARS AS I HAVE COME TO SEE THE BIBLICAL STORY AS ONE WHOLE PIECE FROM GENESIS TO THE REVELATION OF JOHN. AND IT ALWAYS SEEMS TO ME THAT THE BIBLICAL STORY DETAILS THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN GOD AND GOD’S CREATION – HUMAN BEINGS.
ACTUALLY, IT’S KIND OF LIKE A MARRIAGE. THE FIRST YEARS CAN BE RATHER TUMULTUOUS AS YOU LEARN TO LIVE WITH ONE ANOTHER. THERE ARE UNREALISTIC EXPECTATIONS ON ALL SIDES – PLENTY OF SPATS AND DISAGREEMENTS. THEN SOMEWHERE ALONG THE LINE YOU EITHER LEARN TO LOVE EACH OTHER WITHOUT INAPPROPRIATE EXPECTATIONS, OR YOU GO YOUR SEPARATE WAYS, OR YOU CONTINUE TO LIVE TOGETHER WITH LITTLE UNDERSTANDING OR CONNECTION.
SO THE STORY IN THE CHRISTIAN BIBLE SEEMS TO ME TO BE THE STORY OF WHAT HAPPENS WHEN BOTH PARTIES GROW IN THEIR UNDERSTANDING OF ONE ANOTHER, AND LIFE CONTINUES ON IN AN ENHANCED MANNER. I HAVE ALWAYS THOUGHT OF JESUS AS THE GIFT OF GOD LOVING HUMAN BEINGS ENOUGH TO WANT TO REALLY UNDERSTAND HOW DIFFICULT IT IS TO BE INCARNATED OR EMBODIED, IF YOU WILL. SO GOD COMES TO EARTH IN THE EMBODIMENT OF JESUS LONG ENOUGH TO GROW DEEPLY IN HIS COMPASSION FOR THE HUMAN CONDITION. I HAVE TO BELIEVE GOD, AFTER HAVING PUT ON HUMAN SKIN, NO LONGER GROWS ANGRY AND IMPATIENT WITH HIS CREATION.
I HAVE TO BELIEVE THAT THE GIFT OF JESUS ON THE CROSS IS GOD’S APOLOGY FOR HOW DIFFICULT THE HUMAN CONDITION IS. I HAVE TO BELIEVE GOD GROWS IN A DIVINE AND PERFECT WAY, SEEKING TO BE EVER CLOSER TO US, NO MATTER WHAT THE COST. AND LIKE ANY REALLY GOOD LOVER GOD LEARNS FROM THE MISTAKES THAT ARE MADE RATHER THAN PULLING AWAY IN DESPAIR.
I FEEL THE RELATIONSHIP THE DIVINE HAS WITH US AS A CIRCULAR MOTION THAT CONSTANTLY MOVES US ALL FORWARD. AND I BELIEVE THE PENTECOST STORY IS THE FULL CIRCLE OF THE CIRCULAR MOTION THAT MOVES HUMANITY FORWARD FROM THE POSSIBLE MISTAKE OF THE TOWER OF BABEL.
THE LANGUAGES ARE WHAT SEPARATED US AT THE BEGINNING AND NOW, ON THE DAY OF PENTECOST THE LANGUAGES ARE A SIGN AND A SYMBOL OF OUR UNITY. THERE IS CLEARLY SOME SORT OF MOVEMENT, BUT WHAT DOES THE MOVEMENT MEAN? HOW DID WE GET THERE?
ON THAT FIRST DAY OF PENTECOST GOD WAS SEEKING TO EMPOWER THE DISCIPLES TO GO INTO THE WORLD WITH THE GOOD NEWS OF JESUS CHRIST.
NOTICE WHAT A STRIKING DIFFERENCE THIS IS TO THE WAY GOD SOUGHT TO TAKE AWAY THE POWER OF THE PEOPLE AT THE TOWER OF BABEL.
AND THEN IT STRUCK ME. GOD DIDN’T MAKE A MISTAKE AT BABEL.
RATHER, GOD MADE A POINT THAT DOESN’T GET COMPLETELY CONCEIVED UNTIL THE FIRST DAY OF PENTECOST.
YOU SEE, WHEN WE LOOK BACK AT THE PEOPLE OF BABEL WE CAN SEE THAT THEY WERE STRIVING FOR A POWER THAT WAS BENEFICIAL ONLY TO THEM—IT WAS A SELF-SERVING POWER OF GREAT MAGNITUDE. THEY WANTED TO BECOME LIKE GOD. THEY WANTED TO BUILD A TOWER THAT WOULD REMOVE THEM FROM THE WHOLE OF CREATION AND SET THEM APART. THEIR UNITY HAD MADE THEM FULL OF THEMSELVES, WITHOUT RECOGNITION THAT A UNITY OF DIVERSITY IS WHAT GOD MEANT TO CREATE IN THE BEGINNING!
AND THEN WHEN WE LOOK AT THE FIRST PENTECOSTAL CELEBRATION WE CAN SEE THAT THE POWER COMES FROM A DIVERSITY THAT IS UNITED.
THE DISCIPLES SPEAK MANY DIFFERENT LANGUAGES ON THAT DAY, BUT THE SPOKEN LANGUAGES ARE A TOOL SO THAT MORE PEOPLE WILL BE INCLUDED IN THE MESSAGE—MORE PEOPLE WILL BE GATHERED INTO THE WHOLENESS GOD LONGS FOR.
REMEMBER IN THE STORY HOW THE BYSTANDERS THOUGHT THE DISCIPLES WERE DRUNK ON CHEAP WINE BECAUSE THEY ALL BEGAN SPEAKING IN DIFFERENT LANGUAGES? “THEY COULDN’T FOR THE LIFE OF THEM FIGURE OUT WHAT WAS GOING ON, AND KEPT SAYING, ‘AREN’T THESE ALL GALILEANS? HOW COME WE’RE HEARING THEM TALK IN OUR VARIOUS MOTHER TONGUES?’”
WELL, THE ANSWER TO THAT QUESTION IS SIMPLE. THE MESSAGE OF THE LOVE AND GRACE AND OPENNESS OF JESUS CHRIST IS A UNIVERSAL MESSAGE, IT IS MEANT TO BE TOLD TO THE WHOLE OF CREATION AS WELL AS THROUGHOUT THE UNIVERSE. AND GOD STAKED HIS CLAIM ON HIS INTENTION FOR DIVERSITY FROM THE BEGINNING. AT THE TOWER OF BABEL GOD WAS MAKING A DECISIVE MOVE ON BEHALF OF DIVERSITY AND DIFFERENCE. AND THE SPIRIT’S ACTION ON THE DAY OF PENTECOST AFFIRMED WHAT GOD DESIRES FOR US. WE’VE COME FULL CIRCLE AND I AM REMINDED OF THAT GREAT LITTLE POEM BY EDWARD MARKHAM:
HE DREW A CIRCLE THAT SHUT ME OUT HERETIC, REBEL, A THING TO FLOUT.
BUT LOVE AND I HAD A WIT TO WINWE DREW A CIRCLE THAT TOOK HIM IN.
HAVE YOU EVER NOTICED HOW VERY DIFFICULT HONEST CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY IS? WHEN WE BELONG TOGETHER IN ONE CHURCH FAMILY WE CAN EITHER BE LIKE THE FOLKS AT THE TOWER OF BABEL OR WE CAN BE LIKE THE DISCIPLES AT PENTECOST. WE CAN EITHER BE DIVIDED BY OUR LANGUAGE OR WE CAN UNDERSTAND EACH OTHER BETTER THROUGH THE LANGUAGES. I THINK AN OFTEN UNTENDED REALITY OF OUR CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY IS THAT WE ALL TEND TO SPEAK DIFFERENT LANGUAGES.
IN SOME CASES WE SPEAK ACTUAL DIFFERENT LANGUAGES. BUT EVEN IN CONGREGATIONS WHERE WE ALL SPEAK ENGLISH, WE STILL SEEM TO SPEAK DIFFERENT LANGUAGES.
ONE SPEAKS CONSERVATIVE WHILE ANOTHER SPEAKS LIBERAL. SOME PERSON SPEAKS JUSTICE AND SOMEONE ELSE MIGHT SPEAK MISSION.
A LOT OF PEOPLE SPEAK DISCIPLINE AND LAW, BUT JUST ABOUT THE SAME AMOUNT SPEAK FREEDOM AND GRACE. I THINK YOU GET MY POINT.
THERE IS NO WAY TO BE AN AMERICAN CHRISTIAN WITHOUT EVERYONE COMING TO THE COMMUNITY WITH A SENSE OF INDIVIDUALISM. OUR AMERICAN TRADITION TEACHES US TO VALUE THE INDIVIDUAL STRENGTHS OF A PERSON WHILE CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY DEMANDS THAT WE BRING THESE STRENGTHS TOGETHER, NOT ONLY IN A PEACEFUL AND LOVING WAY, BUT ALSO IN A WAY THAT THE STRENGTH OF ONE WILL BUILD UP THE STRENGTH OF ANOTHER. AND RIGHT FROM THE TOWER OF BABEL TO THIS VERY DAY GOD SHOWS US THAT EXPERIENCING THE DIVERSITY AND DIFFERENCES OF OUR HUMANITY IS THE ONLY FAITHFUL WAY TO CELEBRATE OUR ONENESS WITH GOD.
YOU SEE, EVEN THOUGH WE TEND TO SPEAK DIFFERENT LANGUAGES IN OUR CHRISTIAN COMMUNITIES, WE ALSO SHARE A UNITY THAT CAN NEVER BE TAKEN AWAY FROM US. WE ALL HAVE FAITH IN A LOVING GOD. WE BELIEVE THAT JESUS CHRIST IS OUR LORD AND SAVIOR. AND THROUGH OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS WE KNOW THERE IS A TRANSCENDENT POWER ALIVE AND WELL, WORKING IN OUR WORLD.
IN THE NEW INTERPRETER’S BIBLE TERENCE FRETHEIM SAYS, “DIFFICULTIES IN COMMUNICATION CAN OFTEN LEAD TO DIFFICULTIES IN RELATIONSHIPS, BUT THIS USUALLY INVOLVES THE FAILING OF PEOPLE WHO SEEK TO COMMUNICATE RATHER THAN THE REALITY OF DIFFERENCES IN LANGUAGE AS SUCH.” PENTECOST WAS THE BIRTHING OF THE CHURCH AND THE BIRTHING OF OUR UNDERSTANDING THAT DIFFERENCES DO NOT KEEP US APART.
WE KEEP OURSELVES APART.
THE CHURCH – THE CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY – IS ALL ABOUT BEING WITH ONE ANOTHER, TALKING TO PEOPLE WHO SPEAK A DIFFERENT LANGUAGE, AND STAYING WITH ONE ANOTHER UNTIL THE DIFFERENCES ARE TRANSCENDED.
WHEN PEOPLE TELL ME WE CAN BE GOOD CHRISTIANS BY SITTING AT HOME AND READING THE NEW YORK TIMES ON A SUNDAY MORNING I HAVE TO TAKE EXCEPTION. CHRISTIANITY IS ALL ABOUT MIXING IT UP. CHRISTIANITY IS ABOUT RELATIONSHIPS. GOD DIDN’T COMMUNICATE AT ALL IN THE GENESIS ACCOUNT, BUT BY THE TIME WE MADE IT TO PENTECOST GOD HAD SPOKEN OVER AND OVER AGAIN IN JESUS THE CHRIST. GOD GREW MORE INTIMATE WITH HUMANITY IN CHRIST. THEREFORE, IT STANDS TO REASON THAT A PERSON SIMPLY CANNOT BE A WHOLE CHRISTIAN WITHOUT ACTING UPON HIS/HER FAITH THROUGH OUR RELATIONSHIPS WITH ALL OF GOD’S CREATION. AND AS WE LEARN FROM THE FULL CIRCLE AFFECT OF TODAY’S SCRIPTURE PASSAGES, GOD INTENDED DIVERSITY FOR THE WORLD AND GOD INTENDED UNITY.
THERE IS NO THEOLOGICAL CONCEPT I AM FONDER OF AND MORE INFORMED BY THAN THE IDEA OF A DIVERSE UNITY, A PLACE WHERE PEOPLE CAN AGREE TO DISAGREE WHILE LOVING AND RESPECTING ONE ANOTHER ALWAYS.
THIS, MY FRIENDS, IS THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST AS WE CELEBRATE OUR BIRTHDAY TODAY. AND FOR OUR CHURCH COMMUNITY WE GIVE THANKS AND PRAISE!
ALLELUIA! AMEN!
SCRIPTURE: Acts 16:16-34 & John 17:20-26
WHEN OUR SOCIETY WAS RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE WWJD FAD I ALWAYS FOUND MYSELF RATHER IRRITATED AT THE IMPLICATIONS OF THAT ACRONYM.
IN CASE YOU DON’T REMEMBER, WWJD STANDS FOR WHAT WOULD JESUS DO?
AND I JUST GET SO IRRITATED AT THE IDEA THAT ANY ONE KNOWS FOR SURE WHAT JESUS WOULD DO. I, FOR ONE, AM QUITE SURE THAT I DON’T KNOW WHAT JESUS WOULD DO, BUT I’M ACTUALLY PRETTY SURE IT WOULD BE SHOCKINGLY WONDERFUL!
BUT YOU KNOW, AS I PONDERED TODAY’S GOSPEL LESSON I BEGAN TO THINK ABOUT WWJD BECAUSE THIS IS ONE SCRIPTURAL REFERENCE THAT TELLS US EXACTLY WHAT JESUS DID DO, ALONG WITH GIVING US A VERY CREDIBLE GLIMPSE AT WHAT JESUS MIGHT DO!
THE 17TH CHAPTER OF THE GOSPEL OF JOHN IS A PRAYER. IT IS JESUS PRAYING TO GOD AS HE READIES HIS DISCIPLES AND HIMSELF FOR THE JOURNEY TO JERUSALEM. PREVIOUS TO CHAPTER 17 JESUS HAS BEEN GIVING THE DISCIPLES LAST MINUTE INSTRUCTIONS, SO TO SPEAK. JUST AS A PARENT WOULD TELL A 16 YEAR OLD TO TURN THE OVEN OFF AFTER DINNER AND MAKE SURE THE FRONT DOOR IS LOCKED BEFORE GOING TO BED, JESUS TOLD THE DISCIPLES MANY THINGS THAT WERE MEANT TO HELP SHAPE THEIR MINISTRY AFTER HE IS NO LONGER WITH THEM. BUT IN CHAPTER 17 JESUS IS NO LONGER TALKING TO THE DISCIPLES. JESUS IS TALKING TO GOD. AND THE DISCIPLES—RIGHT ALONG WITH YOU AND ME—ARE LISTENING IN ON THIS INTIMATE CONVERSATION.
NOW THE GOSPEL OF JOHN IS WRITTEN IN SUCH A WAY THAT IT ALMOST SOUNDS LIKE A FOREIGN LANGUAGE, EVEN AFTER IT IS TRANSLATED FROM THE ORIGINAL GREEK AND ARAMAIC. READING JOHN, EVEN IN ENGLISH, MAKES ME KIND OF DIZZY! AS YOU, FATHER, ARE IN ME AND I AM IN YOU, MAY THEY ALSO BE IN US.” (VS 21) IT SOUNDS LIKE A PSYCHOLOGIST’S WORST NIGHTMARE OF FAMILIAL ENMESHMENT. WE CAN’T TELL THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN JESUS AND GOD AND THE COMMUNITY OF BELIEVERS.
BUT WHERE THAT LACK OF BOUNDARIES WOULD BE DISASTER IN ANY HUMAN FAMILY, HERE IT IS NOTHING LESS THAN THE VERY BEST PART OF THE GOOD NEWS OF JESUS CHRIST!
JESUS’ PRAYER TO GOD IS ALL ABOUT THE COMMUNITY OF BELIEVERS BEING INFUSED WITH THE LOVE OF GOD SO DEEPLY THAT GOD’S LOVE IS KNOWN BY WATCHING THEM…ACTUALLY, BY WATCHING US! WE ARE THE CONTEMPORARY COMMUNITY OF BELIEVERS, AND THIS INTIMATE AND INCREDIBLY GENEROUS PRAYER IS WHAT JESUS TRULY WOULD DO.
HE PRAYS FOR US. AND THE PRAYER HE PRAYS IS SUCH THAT WE WILL LEARN TO LOVE ONE ANOTHER AND THE WORLD BY WATCHING THE LOVE THE SON HAS FOR THE FATHER AND THE FATHER HAS FOR THE SON. THE WORLD IS MEANT TO SEE THE LOVE OF GOD THROUGH US—BY WHAT THEY SEE IN US.
THE WORLD IS MEANT TO KNOW THE LOVE OF GOD BY KNOWING US. I THINK IT WAS THE ANCIENT HISTORIAN FLAVIUS JOSEPHUS WHO FIRST SAID, “SEE THOSE CHRISTIANS, HOW THEY LOVE ONE ANOTHER.” HE RECEIVED THE TANGIBLE MESSAGE JESUS WAS PRAYING FOR. HE COULD SEE THE LOVE OF GOD IN THE COMMUNITY – IN THE FIRST CENTURY ANYWAY!
MOST OF YOU KNOW THAT BEN KINGSLEY STARRED AS THE MAIN CHARACTER IN THE MOTION PICTURE GANDHI. HE SPENT MONTHS PREPARING FOR THE ROLE, VISITING THE VARIOUS INDIAN LOCALES GANDHI HAD FREQUENTED.
HE EVEN LEARNED TO SPIN COTTON THREAD ON A WOODEN WHEEL WHILE HOLDING CONVERSATIONS AS GANDHI DID. THE PHYSICAL RESEMBLANCE BETWEEN GANDHI AND KINGSLEY WAS ALMOST STARTLING. AFTER FILMING A SCENE IN A VILLAGE SOUTH OF DELHI, KINGSLEY STEPPED OUT OF A CAR, AND AN ELDERLY PEASANT KNELT TO TOUCH HIS FEET. EMBARRASSED, KINGSLEY EXPLAINED THAT HE WAS MERELY AN ACTOR PLAYING GANDHI.
“WE KNOW,” REPLIED THE VILLAGER, “BUT THROUGH YOU HE WILL SURELY LIVE AGAIN.”
HAVING SEEN THE MOVIE GANDHI SEVERAL TIMES I HAVE TO SAY THAT GANDHI WAS TRULY “LIVED AGAIN” THROUGH BEN KINGSLEY. THERE IS A TRANSCENDENT POWER ABOUT THAT MOVIE. IS THERE A TRANSCENDENT POWER ABOUT THE WAY WE ARE THE BODY OF CHRIST – THE COMMUNITY OF BELIEVERS IN TODAY’S WORLD? IF THE WORLD IS TO KNOW THE LOVE OF GOD THROUGH US, THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST, WHAT, THEN, DOES THE WORLD KNOW?
IT SEEMS TO ME THE ANSWER TO THAT QUESTION IS A BIT MORE COMPLICATED THAN ONE WOULD THINK. YOU SEE, THERE IS THE BIG PICTURE THAT THE WHOLE WORLD SEES ABOUT THE COMMUNITY OF BELIEVERS, AND THEN, AGAIN, THERE IS THE INDIVIDUAL SNAPSHOT.
I’M AFRAID THE BIG PICTURE IS WHAT THE WORLD SEES THROUGH THE LENS OF THE MEDIA WHEN THEY REPORT ABOUT THE INSTITUTIONAL CHURCH.
CASE IN POINT IS AN ARTICLE ON THE FRONT PAGE OF THE NEW YORK TIMES YESTERDAY ABOUT HOW THE PRIVATELY FUNDED INSTITUTE ON RELIGION AND DEMOCRACY IS SEEKING TO CONTROL THE THEOLOGY OF MAINLINE PROTESTANT CHURCHES. WHEN THE WORLD LOOKS AT US FROM THAT PERSPECTIVE I DARE SAY THEY SEE DIVISION AND CONFLICT, A LOT OF MEANINGLESS RITUAL, A RATHER LARGE POWER BASE FROM WHICH TO MAKE A STATEMENT OR POSSIBLY EMPOWER A SOME KIND OF ACTION.
BUT IT SEEMS TO ME THAT THE LENS OF THE MEDIA TENDS TO DISTORT THE PICTURE TO THE POINT THAT THE LOVE THAT WAS GIVEN TO THE SON BY THE FATHER CANNOT BE RECOGNIZED. THE SMALL INDIVIDUAL PICTURES OF THE DIFFERENT COMMUNITIES OF BELIEVERS ARE A FAR MORE ACCURATE DEPICTION OF WHAT JESUS WAS PRAYING TO GOD FOR. THE BEST NEWS ABOUT THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST IS RARELY REPORTED ON THE FRONT PAGE OF THE NEWSPAPER OR ON THE SIX O’CLOCK NEWS. THE TRUE COMMUNITY FOR WHOM JESUS PRAYS IS GATHERED TOGETHER HERE, THIS MORNING, SEEKING TO PLACE GOD’S BLESSING UPON ANOTHER CHILD OF GOD – AMANDA KATE.
WE ALL KNOW THAT THE SACRAMENT OF BAPTISM IS NOT JUST ANOTHER MEANINGLESS RITUAL – ALTHOUGH SOME IN THE WORLD MIGHT SEE IT THAT WAY. THE SACRAMENT OF BAPTISM IS THE ULTIMATE EXPRESSION OF GOD’S LOVE. IT IS ABOUT ADOPTION. IN BAPTISM WE ARE ADOPTED INTO GOD’S GRACIOUS LOVE.
AND WHAT BETTER WAY FOR THE WORLD TO KNOW THE LOVE OF GOD THAN BY EXPERIENCING AN “OUTWARD SIGN OF AN INWARD GRACE,” WHICH IS HOW MARTIN LUTHER DEFINED THE SACRAMENTS SO MANY YEARS AGO?
THE SACRAMENT OF BAPTISM IS ALSO ABOUT INCLUSION. WHEN WE BAPTIZE A PERSON WE GATHER HER INTO THE CIRCLE OF CHRIST. AMANDA IS NOT BAPTIZED A PRESBYTERIAN TODAY; SHE IS BAPTIZED A CHRISTIAN – A LOVED CHILD OF GOD. AND WE KNOW GOD LOVES HER BECAUSE OF THE LOVE THAT IS REALITY THROUGH GOD AND JESUS AND US. YOU SEE, AMANDA’S BAPTISM IS RECOGNIZED THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY, NO MATTER WHAT DENOMINATION. AMANDA WILL NEVER NEED TO BE BAPTIZED AGAIN. SHE IS ONE WITH US AND WE ARE ALL ONE TOGETHER. BECAUSE, BELIEVE IT OR NOT, BAPTISM IS ALSO ABOUT UNITY.
EVEN THOUGH SOME WOULD CHOOSE TO ARGUE ABOUT THE RULES AND REGULATIONS OF BAPTISM, THE GREAT MAJORITY OF CHRISTIANS COME TOGETHER AROUND THIS RITUAL. OUR LOVE IS AS SIMPLE AS THIS.
JESUS WAS BAPTIZED BY JOHN IN THE JORDAN RIVER AND SO WE BECOME A PART OF HIM WHEN WE ARE BAPTIZED IN HIS NAME. AND THERE WE GO AGAIN WITH THE DIVINE ENMESHMENT THAT MAKES US ONE WITH PURE LOVE – ONE WITH GOD.
NOW IT IS MY OPINION THAT LOVE IS AN OVERUSED WORD IN TODAY’S SOCIETY. WE USE THE WORD “LOVE” SO MUCH THAT WE TEND TO LOSE TRACK OF THE INTENSITY OF ITS MEANING. WE ALSO TEND TO FORGET THE POWER OF ITS INTENTION.
THIS WEEK I RECEIVED A WONDERFUL EMAIL LISTING CHILDREN’S THOUGHTS ON LOVE. SOME OF THE THOUGHTS WERE CUTE AND FUNNY, BUT SOME WERE INCREDIBLY INSIGHTFUL AND THEY REMINDED ME OF THE ORIGINAL INTENT OF THIS GOD-GIVEN WORD. LET ME SHARE SOME OF THEM WITH YOU…
CHRIS IS SEVEN YEARS OLD AND SHE SAYS, “LOVE IS WHEN MOMMY SEES DADDY SMELLY AND SWEATY AND STILL SAYS HE IS HANDSOMER THAN ROBERT REDFORD.”
SEVEN YEAR OLD DANNY SAYS, “LOVE IS WHEN MY MOMMY MAKES COFFEE FOR MY DADDY AND SHE TAKES A SIP BEFORE GIVING IT TO HIM, TO MAKE SURE THE TASTE IS OK.”
BUT NIKKA, WHO IS SIX YEARS OLD SAYS, “IF YOU WANT TO LEARN TO LOVE BETTER, YOU SHOULD START WITH A FRIEND WHO YOU HATE.”
AND SEVEN YEAR OLD BOBBY SAYS, “LOVE IS WHAT’S IN THE ROOM WITH YOU AT CHRISTMAS IF YOU STOP OPENING PRESENTS AND LISTEN.”
BUT I THINK THE BEST OF ALL IS FROM FOUR YEAR OLD BILLY WHO SAYS, “WHEN SOMEONE LOVES YOU, THE WAY THEY SAY YOUR NAME IS DIFFERENT. YOU KNOW THAT YOUR NAME IS SAFE IN THEIR MOUTH.”
WHEN SOMEONE’S NAME IS SAFE IN OUR MOUTH, THIS IS WHEN THE WORLD SEES THE LOVE OF GOD THROUGH US. THIS KIND OF ACTION DOESN’T MAKE THE FRONT PAGE OF THE NEWS, BUT IT DOES HAPPEN ALL THE TIME.
WHAT THE WORLD KNOWS ABOUT THE LOVE OF GOD THROUGH US HAPPENS IN THE LITTLE THINGS – THE THINGS THAT GO UNANNOUNCED AND UNNOTICED ON A DAILY BASIS.
THE LOVE OF GOD IS KNOWN THROUGH US WHEN WE TAKE FRUIT TO THE BREAKFAST PROGRAM IN SPRING VALLEY VERY MONDAY MORNING.
THE LOVE OF GOD IS KNOWN THROUGH US EVERY TIME WE STOP OURSELVES FROM SAYING SOMETHING CRUEL OR THOUGHTLESS ABOUT ANOTHER PERSON. THE LOVE OF GOD IS KNOWN THROUGH US EVERY TIME WE SIT WITH ANOTHER AND SPEAK THE TRUTH IN LOVE. THE LOVE OF GOD IS KNOWN THROUGH US EVERY TIME WE PICK UP A PIECE OF GARBAGE BESIDE THE ROAD RATHER THAN LEAVING IT THERE TO SPOIL THE ECOLOGY.
THE LOVE OF GOD IS KNOWN THROUGH US EVERY TIME WE QUELL OUR ANGER AT THAT CRAZY DRIVER WHO HONKED HIS HORN AND SHOOK HIS FIST AS A COMMENTARY ABOUT MY DRIVING. THE LOVE OF GOD IS KNOWN THROUGH US EVERY TIME WE GATHER TOGETHER IN THE NAME OF CHRIST AND STUMBLE CLOSER TO A TRULY OPEN AND LOVING RELATIONSHIP WITH ANOTHER HUMAN BEING. IT’S NOT THE BIG, SPLASHY, PERFECT THINGS WE DO THAT SHOW THE LOVE OF GOD, IT’S THE QUIET UNPRETENTIOUS MOMENTS WHEN WE ARE SO EMPTY OF OURSELVES THAT WE CAN BE FULL OF CHRIST. THESE ARE THE TIMES WHEN THE REST OF THE WORLD SEES THE LOVE OF GOD THROUGH US. AND MY FRIENDS, THIS IS THE COMMUNITY FOR WHOM JESUS PRAYS.
ALLELUIA! AMEN!
SCRIPTURE: Revelation 7:9-17, John 10:22-30 & Acts 9:36-43
ONE OF THE COURSES I TOOK AS A SEMINARIAN WAS A COURSE ON WOMEN’S HISTORY. AS A PROJECT FOR THAT COURSE I NEEDED TO WRITE A HISTORY OF PRESBYTERIAN WOMEN USING SOME KIND OF CHURCH RECORDS.
NOW I WAS A STUDENT MINISTER AT THE FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF WHIPPANY, NJ AT THAT TIME, SO THE WHIPPANY PRESBYTERIAN WOMEN’S ASSOCIATION ALLOWED ME TO USE THEIR RECORDS THAT WENT BACK AS FAR AS THE LATE 1800’S. WHAT A TREASURE IT WAS! IT WAS ABSOLUTELY FASCINATING TO READ THOSE RECORDS, HANDWRITTEN IN THE MOST BEAUTIFUL SCRIPT AND SPOKEN IN THE VERY PROPER VERNACULAR OF THE DAY. THEY COULD MAKE THE MOST TEDIOUS JOB SOUND LIKE A GLORIOUS MISSION, ORDAINED BY GOD, FOR THE BUILDING UP OF THE CHURCH.
OUR SCRIPTURE STORY FOR TODAY ALWAYS REMINDS ME OF THAT PARTICULAR WOMEN’S ASSOCIATION BECAUSE IN THE LATE 1800’S THEIR ORGANIZATION WAS CALLED THE DORCAS SOCIETY. THEY ONLY BEGAN TO BE KNOWN AS THE WOMEN’S ASSOCIATION LATER ON IN THE 20TH CENTURY.
THIS GROUP OF WOMEN GOT TOGETHER TO SEW AND KNIT, AS WELL AS STUDY THE BIBLE. THEY MADE CLOTHES FOR THE NEEDY, QUILTS TO GIVE AWAY TO THE HOMELESS, AND BAKED PIES AND CAKES AND COOKIES TO SELL IN ORDER TO MAKE MONEY TO DONATE TO FOREIGN MISSIONS.
THEY WERE THE DORCAS SOCIETY, NAMED AFTER THE WOMAN IN THIS STORY WHOM THE WIDOWS MOURNED AND PETER BROUGHT BACK TO LIFE.
DORCAS, THE ONE OF WHOM THE BIBLE SAYS SHE WAS “DEVOTED TO GOOD WORKS AND ACTS OF CHARITY.”
I OFTEN WONDER WHETHER THIS STORY IS MORE ABOUT DOING “GOOD WORKS” OR BEING RAISED FROM THE DEAD. AND THEN IT STRUCK ME.
THESE TWO ARE PRETTY MUCH WOVEN TOGETHER AND OF EQUAL IMPORTANCE. GOOD WORKS ALWAYS SEEM TO BRING A SENSE OF NEW LIFE AND JOY TO THAT WHICH SEEMED MOMENTARILY DEAD.
NOW I’M GOING TO DIVERT US FROM THE STORY OF PETER AND DORCAS FOR JUST A MOMENT SO THAT WE CAN LOOK AT THE GOSPEL LESSON – THE STORY OF JESUS BEING CHALLENGED BY THE PEOPLE TO STATE CLEARLY WHETHER OR NOT HE IS THE MESSIAH. THE PEOPLE WANTED A SIMPLE “YES” OR “NO” ANSWER, BUT WHAT THEY GOT WAS SOME PRETTY TYPICAL “JESUS TALK” THAT IS MOST COMMON TO THE GOSPEL OF JOHN. IN RESPONSE TO THEIR QUESTIONS JESUS SAYS, “THE WORKS THAT I DO IN MY FATHER’S NAME TESTIFY TO ME.” IN OTHER WORDS, WHAT YOU SEE AND FEEL IS WHAT YOU WILL BELIEVE. IF WE SEE AND FEEL GOD IN JESUS, THEN WE WILL KNOW HE IS THE MESSIAH.
AND IN ANOTHER “JESUS TALK” PHRASE WE HEAR JESUS SAY, “MY SHEEP HEAR MY VOICE. I KNOW THEM AND THEY FOLLOW ME.” TO KNOW JESUS IS TO KNOW THE SOUND OF HIS VOICE AND UNDERSTAND THE NUANCE OF HIS LANGUAGE. IT IS VERY TRICKY STUFF TO UNDERSTAND JESUS AS THE MESSIAH.
AND THIS PASSAGE IN THE GOSPEL OF JOHN REMINDS ME OF THE STRUGGLE BETWEEN A LITERAL INTERPRETATION OF THE BIBLE AND A FREE INTERPRETATION THAT VALUES THE HISTORICAL/CRITICAL CONTEXT IN WHICH ALL OF SCRIPTURE WAS WRITTEN. THE PEOPLE WHO WANT FACTS ARE THE PEOPLE WHO SAY, “ARE YOU THE MESSIAH? ANSWER US ‘YES’ OR ‘NO’.”
BUT JESUS SAYS, “YOU NEED TO INTERPRET WHAT YOU HEAR AND WHAT YOU SEE.” JESUS DRAWS PEOPLE IN TO A FREE INTERPRETATION, WHICH REMINDED ME THAT HOW WE READ THE STORY OF DORCAS AND PETER HAS A LOT TO DO WITH THE WISDOM WE GAIN FROM IT.
IF WE READ THIS STORY AS HISTORICAL FACT, THEN WE FOCUS ON THE MIRACLE OF THE RESURRECTION PETER WAS ABLE TO PRAY UPON DORCAS.
AND QUITE FRANKLY THIS STORY OF PETER RESURRECTING DORCAS FROM THE DEAD MAKES NO SENSE TO ME AS HISTORICAL FACT. I PERSONALLY CANNOT GO THERE.
BUT IF WE READ THIS STORY AS AN ETERNAL TRUTH THAT IS OPENLY REINTERPRETED WITH EVERY PERSON WHO READS IT, THEN WE CAN INTERPRET THE RESURRECTION STORY TO REPRESENT ANYTHING THAT GIVES AND BRINGS LIFE. SEEING THE RESURRECTION OF DORCAS AS METAPHOR FOR LIVELINESS RATHER THAN FACT OF LIFE IS LIKE HEARING THE VOICE OF JESUS AND RESPONDING OUT OF AN INTUITIVE KNOWLEDGE THAT WE BELONG TO HIM. PETER SAYS, “GET UP.” AND DORCAS COMES ALIVE.
SO IT ACTUALLY SEEMS TO ME THAT PETER WAS ABLE TO LOOK AT DORCAS AND SEE HOW MUCH GOODNESS THERE WAS IN HER. PETER KNEW HER BY EXPERIENCING HER WORKS – BY SEEING ALL OF THE CREATIVITY AND COMPASSION DISPLAYED BY THE OTHER WIDOWS WHO WORKED WITH DORCAS. IT WAS LIKE PETER HAVING AN INTUITIVE SENSE OF THE LIVELINESS IN HER THAT GAVE DORCAS HER LIFE BACK.
AND TO TAKE THE METAPHOR JUST ONE STEP FURTHER I BELIEVE PETER REPRESENTS THE CHURCH UNIVERSAL THROUGHOUT THE AGES AS MUCH AS HE SPEAKS FOR HIMSELF. AFTER ALL, BIBLICALLY SPEAKING, PETER WAS THE ROCK UPON WHICH THE CHURCH WAS TO BE BUILT. IT DOESN’T TAKE TOO MUCH OF A LEAP TO SEE THAT PETER COULD REPRESENT THE CHURCH AND IT’S MISSION BY HOW HE CAME TO THE DEAD WOMAN AND BROUGHT HER BACK TO LIFE. WOULDN’T IT MAKE SENSE THAT THE MISSION OF THE CHURCH IS TO GIVE LIFE WHERE THERE SEEMS TO BE NONE?
NOW I GOT TO THINKING ABOUT THE LIFE AND WORKS OF THE PEOPLE OF NAURAUSHAUN PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH. I GOT TO THINKING ABOUT HOW WE HAVE BEEN A PETER TO SOME MANY DIFFERENT DORCAS’ THROUGHOUT THE YEARS. I GOT TO THINKING AND I BEGAN TO GET A SENSE OF RESURRECTION THAT I HADN’T THOUGHT TOO ABOUT MUCH BEFORE. I BEGAN TO THINK OF THE PLACES WHERE THERE SEEMED TO BE DEATH AND NOW THERE IS LIFE.
ANGUS SAMPATH FIRST VISITED OUR CHURCH AS A GRIEVING WIDOWER.
ANGUS WAS LOOKING FOR LIFE FOLLOWING THE DEVASTATING EXPERIENCE OF WATCHING HIS BELOVED WIFE DIE. AND I THINK NPC SPOTTED THE SPIRIT IN ANGUS. I THINK IN MANY WAYS WE WERE PETER TO ANGUS, PRAYING FOR HIM AND SAYING “ANGUS, GET UP.” AND HERE HE IS A VIBRANT PART OF OUR COMMUNITY AS TODAY’S LITURGIST AND HAVING SERVED ON THE BOARD OF DEACONS FOR THE PAST SIX YEARS. THE TWINKLE IS BACK IN HIS EYES AND THERE IS DEFINITELY LIFE THERE.
JACKIE AND LISA AXT-OHANNESYAN CAME TO US WITH SORROW IN THEIR HEARTS. THEY HAD GONE TO OTHER CHURCHES IN THE AREA, LOOKING FOR A PLACE TO BE A PART OF A CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY AS WELL AS A PLACE TO BAPTIZE AND RAISE THEIR SON EVAN. THE DEATH THEY HAD EXPERIENCED WAS THE SLAMMING OF SEVERAL CHURCH DOORS IN THEIR FACES BECAUSE THEY ARE A LESBIAN COUPLE. NPC HAS BEEN PETER TO JACKIE AND LISA AND EVAN. WE HAVE PRAYED FOR THEM AND SAID, “JACKIE AND LISA, GET UP.” WE HAVE BROUGHT OUT A LIVELINESS BY OPENING OUR DOORS TO THIS LOVING FAMILY. WE SEE LIFE AS WE WATCH EVAN GROW. WE SEE LIFE AS WE ELECT JACKIE TO BE ORDAINED A DEACON. WE SEE LIFE WHEN LISA LEARNS SOMETHING NEW ABOUT THE BIBLE AND IS SO DELIGHTED IN THE LEARNING.
THERE IS LIVELINESS THERE; SEE THE SMILE ON THEIR FACES?
I WISH YOU ALL COULD HAVE MET THE RODRIQUEZ FAMILY FROM MASAYA, NICARAGUA. THIS IS THE NAME OF THE FAMILY WE HELPED TO BUILD TWO HOMES LAST SUMMER. ROSA IS THE MATRIARCH AND SHE RUNS QUITE A QUEENDOM. MATRIARCHS ARE UNUSUAL IN NICARAGUA. USUALLY WOMEN ARE NOT GIVEN A POSITION OF POWER AND CONTROL, BUT IN THIS SITUATION WE ALL KNEW THAT ROSA WAS THE MAIN WOMAN.
ROSA AND HER TWO SONS AND HER DAUGHTER, ALONG WITH HER DAUGHTER’S HUSBAND AND CHILDREN ALL LIVED IN ONE LITTLE CORRUGATED TIN HOUSE. AND WHEN I SAY “HOUSE” I PRACTICALLY CHOKE ON THE WORD. THERE WAS VERY LITTLE THAT WAS PROTECTIVE ABOUT THE PLACE THEY LIVED, NEVER MIND CLEANLINESS AND DESIGN. IT FELT LIKE THE DARKNESS OF DEATH WHEN YOU WALKED INTO THEIR LITTLE SHACK WITH A HARD DIRT FLOOR.
BUT A GROUP OF 11 PEOPLE, MOSTLY FROM OUR CHURCH, WENT TO NICARAGUA WITH FAIRLY STRONG BACKS AND VERY WILLING HANDS TO HELP THE RODRIQUEZ FAMILY BUILD TWO NEW HOUSES. THERE WAS ONE FOR ROSA AND ONE FOR ROSA’S DAUGHTER. IN A WAY WE WERE PETER TO THIS FAMILY. BY OUR WORKS WE WERE THE PRAYER AND THE COMMAND TO ROSA AND HER FAMILY TO “GET UP.” AND THEY DID! WE SAW A SPIRIT IN THEM THAT WAS LIVELINESS. OUR WORKS HELPED TO BRING ABOUT A MOMENT OF RESURRECTION, AND WE HAVE PLENTY OF PICTURES TO PROVE IT.
NOW THESE ARE JUST A FEW OF THE EXAMPLES OF SPOTTING THE SPIRIT OR SEEING LIFE SPRING FORTH WHEN THE SORROW AND THE SADNESS AND THE DEATH IS BROUGHT TO THE ATTENTION OF RESURRECTION BELIEVERS.
IT’S JUST A FEW EXAMPLES OF THE CHURCH BEING ABLE TO SEE A CERTAIN QUALITY THAT THE REST OF THE WORLD CANNOT. IT’S JUST A FEW OF EXAMPLES OF SPOTTING THE SPIRIT, AND I’M SURE YOU CAN THINK OF PLENTY MORE SPOTTINGS COMING OUT OF YOUR OWN EXPERIENCE, EVEN AS I SPEAK.
SO REMEMBER, FOR CONTEMPORARY CHRISTIANS PETER CAN REPRESENT THE CHURCH FOR US. NOT ONLY OUR OWN BROTHERS AND SISTERS, BUT THE ENTIRE WORLD LOOKS TO US TO BRING LIFE WHERE THERE HAS BEEN DEATH.
DO WE SEE OURSELVES IN THAT SAME WAY? DO WE THINK OF OURSELVES AS SPOTTERS OF THE SPIRIT? DO WE THINK OF NEEDING TO KNEEL IN PRAYER AND THEN DEMAND OF THE WORLD “GET UP,” – LIVE AGAIN?
THIS POWER – THE POWER TO SEE LIFE WHERE OTHERS CANNOT – IS AN EXTREMELY WONDERFUL THING. THIS POWER IS THE RESURRECTION POWER; IT IS THE POWER OF TRANSFORMATION. THIS POWER IS WHAT TURNS DARKNESS INTO LIGHT; IT TRANSFORMS SORROW INTO JOY. THIS POWER IS WHAT TURNS DIVISION INTO A PERFECT WHOLE; IT TRANSFORMS HATRED INTO LOVE. THIS POWER IS WHAT TURNS POVERTY INTO WEALTH; IT TRANSFORMS SELFISHNESS INTO GENEROSITY.
NOW SOME OF YOU MAY REMEMBER GWEN ENTWISTLE – A TRUE SAINT OF A WOMAN. I WAS PRIVILEGED TO RECEIVE THE FINEST COMPLIMENT OF MY PASTORAL CAREER FROM GWEN. IT WAS DURING THE PERIOD BEFORE HER DEATH, DURING ONE OF THE VISITS I MADE TO HER IN THE HOSPITAL.
I CAN REMEMBER THE EXACT SPOT WE WERE IN WHEN SHE TOLD ME THAT I HAD BROUGHT THE SPIRIT BACK TO NPC. WHAT SHE WAS REALLY SAYING WAS THAT I HAD SPOTTED THE SPIRIT THAT HAS ALWAYS BEEN HERE.
GWEN WAS SAYING TO ME THAT I HAD BEEN PETER TO NPC. I HAD SEEN THE GOODNESS AND SAID, “GET UP!” I HAD PRAYED FOR GOD TO BRING LIVELINESS OUT OF THE DARKNESS THAT HAD DESCENDED UPON NPC DURING PREVIOUS YEARS, AND THE LIVELINESS RETURNED, THE TRANSFORMATION HAPPENED, THE RESURRECTION BECAME REAL—NOT BECAUSE OF ME, BUT BECAUSE OF GOD.
AT THE TOP OF THE BULLETIN I HAVE QUOTED FROM JACK SPONG’S BOOK RESURRECTION. IN CLOSING I WOULD LIKE TO QUOTE HIM AGAIN, AND I THINK THIS STATEMENT RATHER SUMS IT ALL UP FOR TODAY. HE SAYS, “AS I GIVE MY LIFE, MY LOVE, AND MYSELF AWAY NOW, I HOPE THAT OTHERS CAN BE CALLED INTO DEEPER LIFE, GREATER LOVE, FULLER BEING, AND THAT BY EXPANDING EACH OTHER, WE ENTER THE INFINITY OF WHAT PAUL TILLICH CALLED THE ‘ETERNAL NOW.’ TO LIVE IT, NOT TO EXPLAIN IT, IS MY TASK AND, I BELIEVE, THE TASK OF THE CHRIST IN THIS WORLD AND THEREFORE THE TASK OF THAT GROUP OF PEOPLE WHO DARE TO CALL THEMSELVES THE BODY OF CHRIST.” (PG. 293)
MAY IT BE SO – AMEN.