Solitude can be very enriching, a few friends sitting for brunch and sharing can also restore our souls. Having the opportunity to listen and console another or speak and allow your heart to be healed, even just sharing a presence can fortify us with vitamins no food or pill can provide.
I've been pondering this... and you can take it or leave it but I have a couple other thoughts. Although I deeply believe that a time of solitude with God or your higher power is so very enriching and essential for your soul (even Jesus did it on several occasions if the texts are correct), I also feel that so much of what is essential in "church" is the community we foster. If it was just between me and God, I could put the ashes on my own head to use a currently relevant worship liturgy example.
So often we strive to find a group of like-minded individuals who match our every belief… and then we are frustrated by the failure of such a quest. It seems impossible to find a group of people just right, a Goldilocks Gathering as it were… but worship community is more than that, it's about being part of a flawed, disagreeable gathering of miscreants who struggle with who they are existentially and who they are in relationship to each other and God. Many of my friends and I feel strongly about the need for diversity… until it comes to certain beliefs. It’s funny how we don’t even realize it when we draw circles that exclude people whose beliefs we don’t agree with or may be offended by. But the beauty of diversity is that it is the contrasts of the very bright and very subtle that excite the eye or tantalize the pallet. Instead of a mixture of greens and blues and yellows, throwing in some red and purple really livens things up. The best wines are the ones where you find several varying layers of flavor hit your tongue as you take the first and second sip… then when you open your mouth, Pow! A completely different and delightful burst of spice or tannin. Putting this into human terms, in my own experience it is very challenging to be friends with a staunch republican but you know… I love some of them very deeply. And our talks have not simply remained apolitical. It is through our discussions that my views have been sharpened or broadened and it is through our conversation and community that I have been able to share my perspective with them… sometimes broadening their views as well.
There’s a wonderful story about pro-choice and pro-life groups in Boston on a recent episode of This American Life (http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/453/transcript). Amazing story and I don’t think I can convey the impact as well as the program does so either read the transcript or listen to the podcast. It’s just wonderful. It’s a great example of how very different people who previously demonized one another could become very good friends. I know, I know, how could you ever even be in the same room as someone with those views… (insert your view here). LOL just give it a read.
But back to the point, where do we find God most easily but in the presence of God's diverse creation... especially those that can give us a hug, a smile, and even a heartbreak. I’ve said that I love to be out in creation... but I’ve failed to consider that being in a large group of people is “being out in creation.” Often in my efforts to take humanity off the pedestal that our society puts it on, I make the mistake of putting it down in the basement considering it less beautiful than a tree or a windy cloud swept sky or the rich earth I might dig to plant a garden. But it’s not. It’s part of who I am and it’s part of how I was created. Being thus, it is through human interaction that I can most deeply come in contact with creation and my creator… even if that human interaction has it’s challenges. So there's something to be said for places of worship that don't feel like a good fit. I’m not saying that we should all seek out disagreeable intolerant places to worship in, but to recognize that it may be better to be in a gathering of people who vary (sometimes significantly) in their views and beliefs than it is to miss out on the blessings of diverse humanity. They help to brighten the tapestry of life and feed our need for more community, more love, more tolerance, and more of the divine that we can only experience in gathering together.
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Friday, November 12, 2010
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Why Did Jesus Curse the Fig Tree?
Why Did Jesus Curse the Fig Tree
- Jonathan Jones (Mark 11:12-14, 21-22)
Reading through the Bible one night
With my son, my pride and joy
I saw something was just not right
With my troubled little boy
Reading from the Gospel of Mark
When Christ cursed the barren tree
He had that look like when the ark
Left all others in the sea.
Why did Jesus curse the fig tree?
Also, why did Grandpa die?
If God loves us, how could this be?
There must be a reason why.
My friend Mikey now has cancer
And Aunt Lilly lost her child
Tell me, Pappa, what’s the answer
How is Jesus meek and mild?
My friends fighting in our classroom
Grown ups fighting in the war
As I lie here in my bedroom
There are things I can’t ignore.
Is God mad or did we do this?
Was that fig tree really bad?
Is there some great point that I miss?
Does God care when I am sad?
Real good questions my sweet scholar
I can see you’re real confused.
Sometimes life can make you holler
When it seems we’ve just been used
It’s OK to not know reasons
It’s OK to question God
For everything there are seasons
Even questions that seem odd.
Sometimes life is just life my son
Sometimes there’s no how’s or why’s
Fig trees like your broken bike chain
Sometimes make us angry guys
Jesus loves us, of this I’m sure
Trees will come and trees will go
Grandpa died ‘cause there was no cure
Not because God didn’t know
Why did Jesus curse that fig tree
Hmm, I guess I don’t know why
Maybe for you to ask of me
Why your Grandpa had to die.
You know what? You can be helpful
With your friend when he feels weak
Love Aunt Lilly when she’s doubtful
We’re the answer that we seek.
You see, my son, we are God’s hands
God’s feet and voice. We do God’s will
When bad things come then life demands
We get to work and not be still.
If there’s one thing you remember
Know God loves you very much
Of God’s family you’re a member
Try to sense God's loving touch
And now that we’ve had our talk
Time for bed my sweet young son
It’s very late; look at the clock
Sleep in peace oh little one.
- Jonathan Jones (Mark 11:12-14, 21-22)
Reading through the Bible one night
With my son, my pride and joy
I saw something was just not right
With my troubled little boy
Reading from the Gospel of Mark
When Christ cursed the barren tree
He had that look like when the ark
Left all others in the sea.
Why did Jesus curse the fig tree?
Also, why did Grandpa die?
If God loves us, how could this be?
There must be a reason why.
My friend Mikey now has cancer
And Aunt Lilly lost her child
Tell me, Pappa, what’s the answer
How is Jesus meek and mild?
My friends fighting in our classroom
Grown ups fighting in the war
As I lie here in my bedroom
There are things I can’t ignore.
Is God mad or did we do this?
Was that fig tree really bad?
Is there some great point that I miss?
Does God care when I am sad?
Real good questions my sweet scholar
I can see you’re real confused.
Sometimes life can make you holler
When it seems we’ve just been used
It’s OK to not know reasons
It’s OK to question God
For everything there are seasons
Even questions that seem odd.
Sometimes life is just life my son
Sometimes there’s no how’s or why’s
Fig trees like your broken bike chain
Sometimes make us angry guys
Jesus loves us, of this I’m sure
Trees will come and trees will go
Grandpa died ‘cause there was no cure
Not because God didn’t know
Why did Jesus curse that fig tree
Hmm, I guess I don’t know why
Maybe for you to ask of me
Why your Grandpa had to die.
You know what? You can be helpful
With your friend when he feels weak
Love Aunt Lilly when she’s doubtful
We’re the answer that we seek.
You see, my son, we are God’s hands
God’s feet and voice. We do God’s will
When bad things come then life demands
We get to work and not be still.
If there’s one thing you remember
Know God loves you very much
Of God’s family you’re a member
Try to sense God's loving touch
And now that we’ve had our talk
Time for bed my sweet young son
It’s very late; look at the clock
Sleep in peace oh little one.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Senior Sermon 11/04/2009
The Love is Genuine
(Romans 12:9-21)
There are parts of our scripture reading today that seem good, intuitive, and easy to understand: abhor evil, cleave to good; love each other with mutual affection; weep with those who weep, rejoice with those who rejoice… yes, there are lots of good solid truths. But then there’s verse 14 “Bless those who persecute, bless and do not curse.” Well, maybe we’re just meant to pray for them like the Rabbi in Fiddler on the Roof who says, “'May God bless and keep the Czar... far away from us!” Or wouldn’t it be nice if it read, “If your enemy is hungry or thirsty, heap burning coals on his head.” That coals on the head part seems such a relief after reading all that love and bless stuff. It seems contrary to our nature, right? People don’t actually normally bless those who persecute them, do they?
On a brisk October Monday, in 2006, Charles Carl Roberts IV drove his pickup up to the West Nickel Mines School, in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, a one room Amish school for the Old Order Amish community of Nickel Mines. After ordering, at gunpoint, the males in the class to help him carry in wood, nails, tools, and sexual lubricant, he allowed them to leave along with a pregnant woman and a few others. Ten girls were left bound with plastic ties. Knowing their fate, the two oldest begged him to take their lives and spare the others. Both were shot… as were the other eight girls. Some were shot with a handgun and some with a shotgun. Finally Roberts took his own life. Three, including Roberts, died at the scene, three later in the hospital, and the remaining five have disabilities ranging from mild to near vegetative existence.
What was the response of the families? What was the retaliation of the Amish? Anger? Condemnation? A call for better police security? A lawsuit levied against the family of the killer? No, the response was immediate and it was grace. The response of forgiveness and the extension of compassion was swift; within hours of the shooting, the community visited Marie Roberts, Charles Roberts’ wife. Amish visited the family of Charles Roberts to comfort them in their time of loss. It is said that an Amish man held the father of the Roberts for over an hour as he wept. Where does such grace come from? It seems so counter-intuitive. It seems like it could not possibly be genuine. I think there is a part of us deep down that wonders exactly how many of the mothers, fathers, brothers, and sisters truly feel the way that was reported in the news. It’s hard to imagine that it was authentic, that it was heartfelt. But… the thing is, it was genuine.
In fact, according to Paul’s description, this is the most genuine love that there is. It is a love that has been poured into us. In Romans 5, Paul writes, “we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.”
A person’s nature is their reflexive way of acting; the pattern of behavior that reflects their inner essence. I’ve often thought that a response such as the Amish gave is contrary to our nature and I suppose I still believe that in a way… it is contrary to our fallen nature. But in Christ, we are given a new nature. Earlier in Romans 12, Paul writes, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect.” So by the transforming power of God, we are given a new nature… Now whether this as a gradual process of sanctification or a dramatic change that occurs all at once, I’ll leave to you to ponder. In either case, there is a change.
It may be just a guess, but after reflecting on these verses I’ve come to the hypothesis that
1. Without God, we live in the illusion that it is natural to return evil for evil; to love friends and hate enemies.
a. Although we can act otherwise, it is in tension with that nature.
2. With God we see that our true nature is to overcome evil with good; to love friends and to love enemies.
a. Acting otherwise causes tension, we strive against our true nature when we act according to the false nature.
Let me say more about that. If our former understanding of our nature is to return evil for evil and to retaliate with vengeance, then why do we see acts of forgiveness outside the Christian community? I do believe this is possible and authentic, but still in tension with our false nature. God is able to act where God chooses.
But why do I believe this 'way of grace' is part of our true nature? Because of the weight of carrying a grudge, the nagging pain of bearing un-forgiven anger towards another, and because of the obvious joy we feel when we are the giver or recipient of forgiveness.
There is something in us that loves a story of redemption. We love to see such grace in news items, books, songs, and movies. For instance, in Les Miserables, after being granted hospitality by a benevolent Bishop, Jean Valjean assaults him and robs the Bishop. But when Jean Valjean is caught and brought back by the police, the Bishop tells them to release him, telling them that the silver was a gift. Later he says to Valjean, “You no longer belong to evil. With this silver I've bought your soul. I've ransomed you from fear and hatred. And now I give you back to God.” As the story moves on, Valjean takes that to heart and does become a loving and generous man. The act of grace causes a chain effect not only within the story but also in us as we read it.
Do you feel that? Do you sense it? Do you remember seeing such a story and getting a bit choked up? Was there a wetness in your eye?
That is our true nature. We recognize the beauty of it.
One other thing, though. As I was writing this, it seemed to me that we love stories of redemption and can even see the good of pursuing resolution when it is not so close to home. It’s easier to talk about working for peace between our nation and another, than working for resolution between ourselves and that family member who hurt us or abused us. It’s easier for us to work for understanding through religious pluralism than it is for us to humbly embrace our neighbors across the road at that other seminary. But there are no qualifications on who our enemy might be. No, we are called to bless and show love and hospitality to our enemies… period…
Consider who that might be for you. Osama Bin Laden? Fred Phelps who pickets funerals? Political pundits who virulently perpetuate a culture of hate? People on one or the other side of the abortion picket lines? The men who tied Matthew Shepherd to a fence, pistol whipped him, and left him to a slow death? The ex-husband who beat you? The uncle who sexually abused you? The mother who emotionally tortured you through your childhood?
Consider in your own life… think about that person who came to mind when you held that stone in your hand. It’s painful. It’s so much work. It hurts to hold a grudge. We seek to allay the pain in many ways. Sometimes we block that person out of our mind, sometimes we seek revenge, but does vengeance ever heal us? Does cutting them out of our lives bring joy?
…
Now consider a time in which you have forgiven someone… consider an event from your history in which you have sought to bless, reach out to, and love someone who has harmed you deeply… Was there an unburdening? Was there healing? Was there a restoration of your soul? Was it replenishing?
How else can we understand what is part of our nature if not by observing what is healing to us, what is restorative to us? This love IS what is described so well in Romans 12. This love IS genuine.
But what about those hot coals? The ones heaped on the heads of our enemies when we show them grace, love, hospitality, forgiveness. To understand this, I can look back at the times that I have been forgiven for no reason at all and no repentance of my own. It set my head on fire with a recognition of what I had done, a desire to say I was sorry, and a mind to grow closer to this person… a mind to share this grace with others around me. In literature we see this reflected in how the forgiveness and blessing from the Bishop cause repentance in Valjean and in turn blessings for those who Valjean encountered.
As Marie Roberts wrote later "Your love for our family has helped to provide the healing we so desperately need. Gifts you've given have touched our hearts in a way no words can describe. Your compassion has reached beyond our family, beyond our community, and is changing our world, and for this we sincerely thank you."
Consider, as we listen to this song, what God is laying on your heart. After the song, there will be a time to pray and reflect; a time to return to the thoughts of the one or ones who have harmed you in body, mind, or spirit; a time to consider what to do with that weight you carry. I encourage you to listen for a word from God…
Thanks be to God.
(Song: That Guy – Andy Gullahorn)
(Romans 12:9-21)
There are parts of our scripture reading today that seem good, intuitive, and easy to understand: abhor evil, cleave to good; love each other with mutual affection; weep with those who weep, rejoice with those who rejoice… yes, there are lots of good solid truths. But then there’s verse 14 “Bless those who persecute, bless and do not curse.” Well, maybe we’re just meant to pray for them like the Rabbi in Fiddler on the Roof who says, “'May God bless and keep the Czar... far away from us!” Or wouldn’t it be nice if it read, “If your enemy is hungry or thirsty, heap burning coals on his head.” That coals on the head part seems such a relief after reading all that love and bless stuff. It seems contrary to our nature, right? People don’t actually normally bless those who persecute them, do they?
On a brisk October Monday, in 2006, Charles Carl Roberts IV drove his pickup up to the West Nickel Mines School, in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, a one room Amish school for the Old Order Amish community of Nickel Mines. After ordering, at gunpoint, the males in the class to help him carry in wood, nails, tools, and sexual lubricant, he allowed them to leave along with a pregnant woman and a few others. Ten girls were left bound with plastic ties. Knowing their fate, the two oldest begged him to take their lives and spare the others. Both were shot… as were the other eight girls. Some were shot with a handgun and some with a shotgun. Finally Roberts took his own life. Three, including Roberts, died at the scene, three later in the hospital, and the remaining five have disabilities ranging from mild to near vegetative existence.
What was the response of the families? What was the retaliation of the Amish? Anger? Condemnation? A call for better police security? A lawsuit levied against the family of the killer? No, the response was immediate and it was grace. The response of forgiveness and the extension of compassion was swift; within hours of the shooting, the community visited Marie Roberts, Charles Roberts’ wife. Amish visited the family of Charles Roberts to comfort them in their time of loss. It is said that an Amish man held the father of the Roberts for over an hour as he wept. Where does such grace come from? It seems so counter-intuitive. It seems like it could not possibly be genuine. I think there is a part of us deep down that wonders exactly how many of the mothers, fathers, brothers, and sisters truly feel the way that was reported in the news. It’s hard to imagine that it was authentic, that it was heartfelt. But… the thing is, it was genuine.
In fact, according to Paul’s description, this is the most genuine love that there is. It is a love that has been poured into us. In Romans 5, Paul writes, “we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.”
A person’s nature is their reflexive way of acting; the pattern of behavior that reflects their inner essence. I’ve often thought that a response such as the Amish gave is contrary to our nature and I suppose I still believe that in a way… it is contrary to our fallen nature. But in Christ, we are given a new nature. Earlier in Romans 12, Paul writes, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect.” So by the transforming power of God, we are given a new nature… Now whether this as a gradual process of sanctification or a dramatic change that occurs all at once, I’ll leave to you to ponder. In either case, there is a change.
It may be just a guess, but after reflecting on these verses I’ve come to the hypothesis that
1. Without God, we live in the illusion that it is natural to return evil for evil; to love friends and hate enemies.
a. Although we can act otherwise, it is in tension with that nature.
2. With God we see that our true nature is to overcome evil with good; to love friends and to love enemies.
a. Acting otherwise causes tension, we strive against our true nature when we act according to the false nature.
Let me say more about that. If our former understanding of our nature is to return evil for evil and to retaliate with vengeance, then why do we see acts of forgiveness outside the Christian community? I do believe this is possible and authentic, but still in tension with our false nature. God is able to act where God chooses.
But why do I believe this 'way of grace' is part of our true nature? Because of the weight of carrying a grudge, the nagging pain of bearing un-forgiven anger towards another, and because of the obvious joy we feel when we are the giver or recipient of forgiveness.
There is something in us that loves a story of redemption. We love to see such grace in news items, books, songs, and movies. For instance, in Les Miserables, after being granted hospitality by a benevolent Bishop, Jean Valjean assaults him and robs the Bishop. But when Jean Valjean is caught and brought back by the police, the Bishop tells them to release him, telling them that the silver was a gift. Later he says to Valjean, “You no longer belong to evil. With this silver I've bought your soul. I've ransomed you from fear and hatred. And now I give you back to God.” As the story moves on, Valjean takes that to heart and does become a loving and generous man. The act of grace causes a chain effect not only within the story but also in us as we read it.
Do you feel that? Do you sense it? Do you remember seeing such a story and getting a bit choked up? Was there a wetness in your eye?
That is our true nature. We recognize the beauty of it.
One other thing, though. As I was writing this, it seemed to me that we love stories of redemption and can even see the good of pursuing resolution when it is not so close to home. It’s easier to talk about working for peace between our nation and another, than working for resolution between ourselves and that family member who hurt us or abused us. It’s easier for us to work for understanding through religious pluralism than it is for us to humbly embrace our neighbors across the road at that other seminary. But there are no qualifications on who our enemy might be. No, we are called to bless and show love and hospitality to our enemies… period…
Consider who that might be for you. Osama Bin Laden? Fred Phelps who pickets funerals? Political pundits who virulently perpetuate a culture of hate? People on one or the other side of the abortion picket lines? The men who tied Matthew Shepherd to a fence, pistol whipped him, and left him to a slow death? The ex-husband who beat you? The uncle who sexually abused you? The mother who emotionally tortured you through your childhood?
Consider in your own life… think about that person who came to mind when you held that stone in your hand. It’s painful. It’s so much work. It hurts to hold a grudge. We seek to allay the pain in many ways. Sometimes we block that person out of our mind, sometimes we seek revenge, but does vengeance ever heal us? Does cutting them out of our lives bring joy?
…
Now consider a time in which you have forgiven someone… consider an event from your history in which you have sought to bless, reach out to, and love someone who has harmed you deeply… Was there an unburdening? Was there healing? Was there a restoration of your soul? Was it replenishing?
How else can we understand what is part of our nature if not by observing what is healing to us, what is restorative to us? This love IS what is described so well in Romans 12. This love IS genuine.
But what about those hot coals? The ones heaped on the heads of our enemies when we show them grace, love, hospitality, forgiveness. To understand this, I can look back at the times that I have been forgiven for no reason at all and no repentance of my own. It set my head on fire with a recognition of what I had done, a desire to say I was sorry, and a mind to grow closer to this person… a mind to share this grace with others around me. In literature we see this reflected in how the forgiveness and blessing from the Bishop cause repentance in Valjean and in turn blessings for those who Valjean encountered.
As Marie Roberts wrote later "Your love for our family has helped to provide the healing we so desperately need. Gifts you've given have touched our hearts in a way no words can describe. Your compassion has reached beyond our family, beyond our community, and is changing our world, and for this we sincerely thank you."
Consider, as we listen to this song, what God is laying on your heart. After the song, there will be a time to pray and reflect; a time to return to the thoughts of the one or ones who have harmed you in body, mind, or spirit; a time to consider what to do with that weight you carry. I encourage you to listen for a word from God…
Thanks be to God.
(Song: That Guy – Andy Gullahorn)
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Ninth Sermon - Butter Side Up; Butter Side Down 07/19/2009
Butter Side Up; Butter Side Down (Scripture reading: Ephesians 2:11-22)
There is a children’s book, a Dr. Seuss book, that was written in the early 1980s. The reason it was written was to show how the inability for two sides to agree to disagree on ideological differences can lead to mistrust, geographical isolation, demonization of the other side, and most importantly… the threat of mutual annihilation.
The author simplified the argument to a minor difference between those who liked their toast with the butter side up and those who preferred their toast with the butter side down. He was criticized for trivializing the differences between the two global sides to which he was alluding… the democratic free west and the communist superpowers of the USSR and China.
The book describes how each side simultaneously begins to build bigger and more lethal weapons while also speaking in increasingly exaggerated derision of the other side. As many of you remember, there was a term for the separation between capitalistic west and communist east; it was called the Iron Curtain. It was most significantly manifest and symbolized in the Berlin Wall; a wall that was built down the middle of a German city to separate the democratic side from the communist side. Can you imagine if a wall was built separating the northern part of Louisville from the southern part of Louisville?
The wall between eastern and western Europe has fallen, the emotionally charged video marks the beautiful event. I still remember where I was when I saw those revolutionary Germans jump up on top of that wall and go at it with hammers and picks… whatever they had that could help tear it down. For those of you who were there… close your eyes for a second and remember that emotion… there’s something in us that loves to see a wall come down, that loves to see a parent forgive their child, that loves to hear the story of reconciled friends.
But there’s also something in us that holds to the old adage, “Good walls make good neighbors.” The same people who pointed out the great evil of the East Germans who built the wall in Berlin to keep people from fleeing to the free west are now demanding new walls be built between Israel and Palestine, between the US and Mexico. Political purists celebrate their red statedness or their blue statedness. Neighborhoods, though legally free of restrictions, are still segregated to a great extent on racial and especially socio-economic bases. Many neighborhoods in Louisville have actual walls or gates separating them from others. There is something in us that loves to see a wall go up.
Physical walls go up but even before the mortar is mixed or the bricks are bought, a wall has been erected. We create walls in our minds to separate those who believe and act and live as we do from those who don’t. We create walls between those who worship as we do from those who don’t. Why shouldn’t we? We can see justification for walls in certain readings of the Hebrew scriptures, can’t we?
Yes, in certain readings of the Hebrew Scriptures, there are clear divisions between God’s chosen people and… us…meaning Gentiles, non-Jews, the Other, the Stranger, the alien, the goy. However, a closer look reveals that though there were many calls to be separate, there were many more and much stronger calls to honor, respect, and even love those who were foreign to us, those who had different backgrounds, traditions, religions, and ways of living. Is this how we respond to people of other denominations (Baptists, Catholics, Pentecostals, those who attend what some have called “Six Flags Over Jesus”)?
Is this how we view and interact with Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, and… especially these days, Muslims? Is this how we move through the world as the heart rate increases or the purse is clutched tighter or the hand slides into the bag to find the can of mace… when someone from a different part of town approaches from the other direction as we walk down the street. Even by Hebrew Scripture standards, I think we all could find evidence of walls in our past and sometimes present behavior.
There is something in us that loves a wall and by the time that Christ walked the streets of Jerusalem, there were actual dividing walls between different levels of the temple based upon ethnic background, religious perspective, personal holiness, and finally upon rank within the system of religious hierarchy. It is to this division that the author of Ephesians writes about in our scripture today.
The letter is addressed to gentiles. The author reminds them of the way that the chosen people of God referred to them… the uncircumcised, the unclean by reason of birth. They (we) were not born into the covenant relationship that God had with the people of Israel. It’s true, God had chosen a covenant people, a people called to be a royal priesthood, a people who had access to God and God’s promises. A people from which Priests arose who had direct access to God in the inner chambers of the temple. Remember, remember, that you were once outsiders. You were once the other. And if you tread on temple grounds, you were once the illegal immigrant in God’s chosen land.
It seems from the scripture reading, that there had been some real and active hostility between Jews and Gentiles. We know that there was a great debate about whether or not Gentiles must first become Jews to become followers of Christ. Remember that until about 70AD, there was no Christianity separate from Judaism. Followers of Jesus were a sect within Judaism.
So there was still a dividing wall, a hostility between them. But the author writes that Christ came to break down that wall, to abolish the things that separated the Jew from the Gentile (and as we see in Galatians, also things that separated free from slave, man from woman). The result is not that Jews adopt Gentiles, nor that Gentiles superceed Jews. But rather, the result is that in Christ, one new humanity is created in place of the two, thus making peace. Not only between Jew and Gentile, but also the wall or separation between humanity and God is broken down.
In Christ, humanity is reconciled to God and becomes one body. The death on the cross was the death of all that separated us from God. Consider that for a second. The first division that was destroyed was the division between Jew and Greek, a division between humans. We must first reconcile to our sister, we must first make amends with our brother, we must first ask forgiveness of our mother, we must first forgive our father, before we approach the throne of grace to accept the forgiveness that has already been granted to us through Christ’s life, death, and resurrection. There is something in us that loves to see a wall come down, and that something (or someone) is Christ.
We, the body of Christ, are not immune to wall building, though… clearly. I was talking with a chef at work this past week. He’s no longer a Christian but has a very caring attitude toward people of different faiths, but likes to laugh a bit at the sad realities of those who claim to follow the Prince of Peace.
Two of his friends, from differing Christian backgrounds, I won’t say which, were discussing the question of Christ’s ascension on their facebook walls. Well, the discussion became a debate, the debate became an argument, and in full swing, verses were quoted by one to support the claim that Jesus ascended immediately after seeing Mary in the garden then returned to minister to his followers until his ultimate ascension 40 days after his resurrection. Verses were quoted on the other side to say that Christ only ascended after the 40 days and not immediately after resurrection.
One might guess how the argument started, a mention of the second coming, a response that Christ already came a second time so it will be the third coming… You can see the implications, it’s proof that Jesus’ words can be trusted when he tells his disciples that this generation will not pass before the son of Man returns. Back and forth they went, in full view of God and all their facebook friends. My chef friend was amused.
My heart grieved and I was reminded of the times that I have been in their place. His only question to me was, “How does any of this tell us how we should treat other people?” in other words, what does this have to do with how we live our lives? Does it matter?
It’s so easy to be drawn into theological arguments about things that are later labeled “non-essential” or adiaphora (indifferent things) or not related to our salvation. We want to know God. We want to be sure that we know God. We want to be right about what we know of God…because we love God.
However good it is to want to know God, it is never a good excuse to fight. Because in fighting, we simply reveal how little we know of God. “For he is our peace, in his flesh he has made both groups into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us.”
Arguing about little things is futile. We are reminded by conventional wisdom to “not sweat the small stuff,” and to “choose your battles.” But either because we have a much deeper problem with our adversary or maybe it’s just that we are hungry, angry, lonely, or tired (HALT), we bicker about whether it’s best to eat our toast butter side up or butter side down.
The argument becomes emotionally charged (especially when it has to do with religion or politics), we begin to demonize the other person, bringing up stuff from their past that has nothing to do with the current issue. But the time and energy invested in this type of argument is downright sinful.
Why? Because we invest more and more emotion and value in this one little thing that we do damage (sometimes lifelong damage) to our relationships and we ignore the command we have to love one another. I don't deny the importance of debate. But when you are furious about whether it's best to use water rather than milk in your oatmeal preparation, then it is a futile argument over a little thing.
My goal... and I hope it might be yours as well, is to divest little things of emotion especially when such an investment blinds me to the harm I might be doing or the good that I ought to do. How much time we waste on things that don’t matter. How much time we waste when so much needs to be done about things that do matter.
For he is our peace. In Christ we are made into one. The dividing wall has been broken down. Let us not seek to build it back up. There is something in us that loves a wall… and that is love for and fear for ourselves and our safety. There is something in us that loves to see a wall brought down… and that is love for God and others and willingness to risk loss and trust in God’s power to unify us.
Let us strive to tear down walls, to bare our hearts to one another, to accept the differences of the other, to remember the good intentions of others despite possible disagreement on the means to the ends, to celebrate the diversity of God’s creation.
So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone. Let us act like members of the household of God, brothers and sisters who may differ in opinion but can agree to disagree, and who hold the love of this family of humanity as a greater value than which side our bread is buttered on.
There is a children’s book, a Dr. Seuss book, that was written in the early 1980s. The reason it was written was to show how the inability for two sides to agree to disagree on ideological differences can lead to mistrust, geographical isolation, demonization of the other side, and most importantly… the threat of mutual annihilation.
The author simplified the argument to a minor difference between those who liked their toast with the butter side up and those who preferred their toast with the butter side down. He was criticized for trivializing the differences between the two global sides to which he was alluding… the democratic free west and the communist superpowers of the USSR and China.
The book describes how each side simultaneously begins to build bigger and more lethal weapons while also speaking in increasingly exaggerated derision of the other side. As many of you remember, there was a term for the separation between capitalistic west and communist east; it was called the Iron Curtain. It was most significantly manifest and symbolized in the Berlin Wall; a wall that was built down the middle of a German city to separate the democratic side from the communist side. Can you imagine if a wall was built separating the northern part of Louisville from the southern part of Louisville?
The wall between eastern and western Europe has fallen, the emotionally charged video marks the beautiful event. I still remember where I was when I saw those revolutionary Germans jump up on top of that wall and go at it with hammers and picks… whatever they had that could help tear it down. For those of you who were there… close your eyes for a second and remember that emotion… there’s something in us that loves to see a wall come down, that loves to see a parent forgive their child, that loves to hear the story of reconciled friends.
But there’s also something in us that holds to the old adage, “Good walls make good neighbors.” The same people who pointed out the great evil of the East Germans who built the wall in Berlin to keep people from fleeing to the free west are now demanding new walls be built between Israel and Palestine, between the US and Mexico. Political purists celebrate their red statedness or their blue statedness. Neighborhoods, though legally free of restrictions, are still segregated to a great extent on racial and especially socio-economic bases. Many neighborhoods in Louisville have actual walls or gates separating them from others. There is something in us that loves to see a wall go up.
Physical walls go up but even before the mortar is mixed or the bricks are bought, a wall has been erected. We create walls in our minds to separate those who believe and act and live as we do from those who don’t. We create walls between those who worship as we do from those who don’t. Why shouldn’t we? We can see justification for walls in certain readings of the Hebrew scriptures, can’t we?
Yes, in certain readings of the Hebrew Scriptures, there are clear divisions between God’s chosen people and… us…meaning Gentiles, non-Jews, the Other, the Stranger, the alien, the goy. However, a closer look reveals that though there were many calls to be separate, there were many more and much stronger calls to honor, respect, and even love those who were foreign to us, those who had different backgrounds, traditions, religions, and ways of living. Is this how we respond to people of other denominations (Baptists, Catholics, Pentecostals, those who attend what some have called “Six Flags Over Jesus”)?
Is this how we view and interact with Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, and… especially these days, Muslims? Is this how we move through the world as the heart rate increases or the purse is clutched tighter or the hand slides into the bag to find the can of mace… when someone from a different part of town approaches from the other direction as we walk down the street. Even by Hebrew Scripture standards, I think we all could find evidence of walls in our past and sometimes present behavior.
There is something in us that loves a wall and by the time that Christ walked the streets of Jerusalem, there were actual dividing walls between different levels of the temple based upon ethnic background, religious perspective, personal holiness, and finally upon rank within the system of religious hierarchy. It is to this division that the author of Ephesians writes about in our scripture today.
The letter is addressed to gentiles. The author reminds them of the way that the chosen people of God referred to them… the uncircumcised, the unclean by reason of birth. They (we) were not born into the covenant relationship that God had with the people of Israel. It’s true, God had chosen a covenant people, a people called to be a royal priesthood, a people who had access to God and God’s promises. A people from which Priests arose who had direct access to God in the inner chambers of the temple. Remember, remember, that you were once outsiders. You were once the other. And if you tread on temple grounds, you were once the illegal immigrant in God’s chosen land.
It seems from the scripture reading, that there had been some real and active hostility between Jews and Gentiles. We know that there was a great debate about whether or not Gentiles must first become Jews to become followers of Christ. Remember that until about 70AD, there was no Christianity separate from Judaism. Followers of Jesus were a sect within Judaism.
So there was still a dividing wall, a hostility between them. But the author writes that Christ came to break down that wall, to abolish the things that separated the Jew from the Gentile (and as we see in Galatians, also things that separated free from slave, man from woman). The result is not that Jews adopt Gentiles, nor that Gentiles superceed Jews. But rather, the result is that in Christ, one new humanity is created in place of the two, thus making peace. Not only between Jew and Gentile, but also the wall or separation between humanity and God is broken down.
In Christ, humanity is reconciled to God and becomes one body. The death on the cross was the death of all that separated us from God. Consider that for a second. The first division that was destroyed was the division between Jew and Greek, a division between humans. We must first reconcile to our sister, we must first make amends with our brother, we must first ask forgiveness of our mother, we must first forgive our father, before we approach the throne of grace to accept the forgiveness that has already been granted to us through Christ’s life, death, and resurrection. There is something in us that loves to see a wall come down, and that something (or someone) is Christ.
We, the body of Christ, are not immune to wall building, though… clearly. I was talking with a chef at work this past week. He’s no longer a Christian but has a very caring attitude toward people of different faiths, but likes to laugh a bit at the sad realities of those who claim to follow the Prince of Peace.
Two of his friends, from differing Christian backgrounds, I won’t say which, were discussing the question of Christ’s ascension on their facebook walls. Well, the discussion became a debate, the debate became an argument, and in full swing, verses were quoted by one to support the claim that Jesus ascended immediately after seeing Mary in the garden then returned to minister to his followers until his ultimate ascension 40 days after his resurrection. Verses were quoted on the other side to say that Christ only ascended after the 40 days and not immediately after resurrection.
One might guess how the argument started, a mention of the second coming, a response that Christ already came a second time so it will be the third coming… You can see the implications, it’s proof that Jesus’ words can be trusted when he tells his disciples that this generation will not pass before the son of Man returns. Back and forth they went, in full view of God and all their facebook friends. My chef friend was amused.
My heart grieved and I was reminded of the times that I have been in their place. His only question to me was, “How does any of this tell us how we should treat other people?” in other words, what does this have to do with how we live our lives? Does it matter?
It’s so easy to be drawn into theological arguments about things that are later labeled “non-essential” or adiaphora (indifferent things) or not related to our salvation. We want to know God. We want to be sure that we know God. We want to be right about what we know of God…because we love God.
However good it is to want to know God, it is never a good excuse to fight. Because in fighting, we simply reveal how little we know of God. “For he is our peace, in his flesh he has made both groups into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us.”
Arguing about little things is futile. We are reminded by conventional wisdom to “not sweat the small stuff,” and to “choose your battles.” But either because we have a much deeper problem with our adversary or maybe it’s just that we are hungry, angry, lonely, or tired (HALT), we bicker about whether it’s best to eat our toast butter side up or butter side down.
The argument becomes emotionally charged (especially when it has to do with religion or politics), we begin to demonize the other person, bringing up stuff from their past that has nothing to do with the current issue. But the time and energy invested in this type of argument is downright sinful.
Why? Because we invest more and more emotion and value in this one little thing that we do damage (sometimes lifelong damage) to our relationships and we ignore the command we have to love one another. I don't deny the importance of debate. But when you are furious about whether it's best to use water rather than milk in your oatmeal preparation, then it is a futile argument over a little thing.
My goal... and I hope it might be yours as well, is to divest little things of emotion especially when such an investment blinds me to the harm I might be doing or the good that I ought to do. How much time we waste on things that don’t matter. How much time we waste when so much needs to be done about things that do matter.
For he is our peace. In Christ we are made into one. The dividing wall has been broken down. Let us not seek to build it back up. There is something in us that loves a wall… and that is love for and fear for ourselves and our safety. There is something in us that loves to see a wall brought down… and that is love for God and others and willingness to risk loss and trust in God’s power to unify us.
Let us strive to tear down walls, to bare our hearts to one another, to accept the differences of the other, to remember the good intentions of others despite possible disagreement on the means to the ends, to celebrate the diversity of God’s creation.
So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone. Let us act like members of the household of God, brothers and sisters who may differ in opinion but can agree to disagree, and who hold the love of this family of humanity as a greater value than which side our bread is buttered on.
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