Family Reunion

Genesis 45:1-15
45:1 Then Joseph could no longer control himself before all those who stood by him, and he cried out, "Send everyone away from me." So no one stayed with him when Joseph made himself known to his brothers.

45:2 And he wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard it, and the household of Pharaoh heard it.

45:3 Joseph said to his brothers, "I am Joseph. Is my father still alive?" But his brothers could not answer him, so dismayed were they at his presence.

45:4 Then Joseph said to his brothers, "Come closer to me." And they came closer. He said, "I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt.

45:5 And now do not be distressed, or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life.

45:6 For the famine has been in the land these two years; and there are five more years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvest.

45:7 God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors.

45:8 So it was not you who sent me here, but God; he has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt.

45:9 Hurry and go up to my father and say to him, 'Thus says your son Joseph, God has made me lord of all Egypt; come down to me, do not delay.

45:10 You shall settle in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near me, you and your children and your children's children, as well as your flocks, your herds, and all that you have.

45:11 I will provide for you there--since there are five more years of famine to come--so that you and your household, and all that you have, will not come to poverty.

45:12 And now your eyes and the eyes of my brother Benjamin see that it is my own mouth that speaks to you.

45:13 You must tell my father how greatly I am honored in Egypt, and all that you have seen. Hurry and bring my father down here."

45:14 Then he fell upon his brother Benjamin's neck and wept, while Benjamin wept upon his neck.

45:15 And he kissed all his brothers and wept upon them; and after that his brothers talked with him.

 

 

Family reunions are becoming an artifact of a bygone era, aren’t they? Our families have certainly scattered hither and yon, and some have even “dissolved” in a cloud of divorces or “tough love” necessitated by aberrant or addictive behavior. In some cases, it just isn’t practical to “gather” the diaspora of our families for even an occasional picnic or “destination” vacation, and in other cases, electronic connections, including FaceTime, Facebook, Instagram, email, and Zoom, have filled the bill, where there is even a desire to maintain connections. What do you remember about the days of “real” family reunions? You know, the times when some matriarch or patriarch of one of the “halves” of your family rented a pavilion or a meeting hall and invited the tiered generations of that part of the family to bring a “covered dish” or kick in for a caterer, and “bring the kids” so the grandmas and great grandmas could marvel how much they had grown since the last gathering? Of course, if you are much under 50 years of age, you may have no memories of such a thing, at all. This is where I realize that next week I will turn 69 years of age, and am almost a full generation ahead of any of you reading this sermon!

 

When I was a kid, we had an annual “Dahle” reunion (my Mom’s side of the family), usually at a local park in a rented pavilion. Of course, the “covered dish” was featured, as were hotdogs and hamburgers on a grill, or two. The Dahle reunion did NOT feature alcohol, as our family was not made up of folk who imbibed, for the large part—at least not publicly—and besides, the public parks ruled it out. We kids ran off to the concrete and steel playgrounds to skin our knees and have a great time, while the adults sat around spinning yarns, catching up, and smearing Merthiolate on our bleeding body parts and applying “flesh colored” Band-Aids. (We had no African Americans in our family, or this might have been an early clue that there was discrimination afoot?) The Dahle reunions petered out, eventually, as again, the family scattered, and the “elders” (mostly surviving grandma-types) moved to nursing homes or to that great nursing home in the sky. 

 

When I married Dara, I also acquired “membership” to the annual “Guentner” family reunion. (I’m not even sure I’m spelling that name right?) This was a gathering of families on the “Apel” side of Dara’s tribe, but frankly, I knew none of them with the last name of Guentner. They were “Aunt Agnes” or “Uncle Don” to me. It was Uncle Don who taught me how to throw horseshoes at the Guentner reunion. And since the Guentner reunion was held at North Park, it either allowed alcohol, or looked the other way, as beer was available and popular. Uncle Don liked it, and the more tuned up he got, the better his aim became at the horseshoe pits. As I was just learning the game of horseshoes, and did not drink beer like Iron City, in those days, Uncle Don used to chide me that my aim was off because I was NOT “pumping Iron.” My favorite character at the Guentner reunions, though, was Uncle Bion. He looked just like Yoda, and since the reunions were always on Sunday afternoons, he would park himself at the quieter, outer fringes of the party, with his ear close to a large transistor radio turned to KDKA and the Pirate baseball game. (The Pirates were worth listening to in those days…) About the only thing I remember Uncle Bion saying was “Shhhh!” eight or ten times when the Pirates were scoring. I must admit, the Guentner reunions were much better than the Dahle reunions of my childhood. Maybe it was the Iron City?

 

Today’s text from Genesis 45 is all about a famous family reunion. As we talked about in last week’s message, Joseph of “dreamer’s coat” fame, had been sold into slavery in Egypt by his brothers, who were jealous of his gift, and the attention it brought him from dad (Jacob). Their paths took diverse directions, more so than just the geography that separated them. His brothers, their family, and pretty much all of God’s people who would become Israel, were in the midst of a great famine, and the Pharoah of Egypt controlled vast storehouses of grain. Guess who was in charge of parceling it out to those in need, especially to people of foreign lands? Yep, good ol’ Joe! Thanks to his ability to interpret dreams, he had gotten in good with the rules of Egypt, and had been promoted by them to a position of prominence. This set the stage for our biblical family reunion.

 

One day, who should wander in looking sad and starving, begging for grain, but Joseph’s brothers! Their father, Jacob, hand sent them to beg for help, as the famine was taking its toll. Jacob was aware that this could be a humbling, if not near impossible task, as Egypt had a bad history with the Jews, and was not living under the kind of “code of hospitality” that God required of Jacob’s people. (This code was not yet formalized, but was in God’s nature, and God did not look kindly upon his people when they didn’t care for any strangers in their midst.) Egypt could just as easily tell them to “go pound sand” as give them food to help them through the famine. Joseph immediately recognized his brothers, but they didn’t have a clue that the Egyptian office of whom they must now beg for help, was the brother they had betrayed. 

 

Joseph sent all of the other Egyptians in his court away so he could “confront” his brothers in private, and then he exclaimed to them, “I AM JOSEPH!” What they must have been thinking in this moment reminds me of the lyric of a famous Johnny Cash song: “My name is SUE! HOW DO YOU DO?!?” But because this is a Bible story and not Stephen King, Joseph weeps in front of them for joy and hugs the neck of his little brother, Benjamin. He inquires if his father is still alive, and wants his brothers to bring his father to see him. He offers to not only save them from the throes of the famine, but to relocate them and all of their kin to nearby Goshen, where they will be fed and protected. He tells them that what THEY meant for evil, God used for GOOD, and used Joseph’s unexpected good fortune to save this remnant of God’s people. This family reunion was not just a reconciliation and a tear-jerker, but it would become the seeds of the whole people of Israel. No wonder Andrew Lloyd Webber wrote a musical about it! What a story!

 

Rarely did anything this dramatic happen at any of our family reunions, although I seem to remember a few times when one of the family “prodigals” showed up. After the gossipy titters died away, she or he was offered an “Iron” and welcome to join the others at the horseshoe pits or in the gaggle of “young moms” talking about where the bargains were. (Sorry for the sexism here, friends, but this was just the reality of the late 1970s in Western Pennsylvania!) I do seem to recall one time at the more boring Dahle reunion when a young member of the family who had just graduated from college was invited by a senior family member to “Come to my office next week, and I’ll see if I might have a job for you.” Not exactly a plot for a musical or a thriller movie, but at least a good outcome for that young man.

 

So, here we sit today, as people of faith, recalling our own family reunions, and reading about one of the historic ones in the Bible. Don’t you get the feeling that GOD really enjoyed the irony of this story of Joseph and his brothers? And yes, I know God ORCHESTRATED the whole thing, but even Andrew Lloyd Webber must get a kick out of his clever musicals, especially when the people and the money roll in from them! I think God had a field day with this—so much so, that as the story of Israel and all of the people of God who would follow unfolded, such ironic and even comedic “reversals of fortune” would forever become part of their tribal DNA. OUR tribal DNA! We Christians have the stories of people like Peter, who was always putting his foot in his mouth and even a sword to a soldier, and yet God used him mightily, and he became a pillar of the budding church. How about Saul, who persecuted early Christ followers unto death, supervising the stoning of Stephen? God “grabs” him right off his horse and makes him the “Apostle to the Gentiles.” Most modern historians credit the growth and influence of the early Christian movement with sowing the seeds of the destruction of the Roman Empire that sought to oppress them! God seems to get a real kick out rooting for the proverbial “underdog.”

 

And here we are, we modern believers, gathered yet again to pray, to fellowship, and to worship! Down through the centuries, countless villains, oppressive and obsessive leaders, and even historical circumstances have “conspired” to destroy communities of faith of all kinds, not just the church. And yet, here we are, and most of them are gone. Even in our day, schism has brought about another gut-punch to our United Methodist denomination, but let us remember that God is still “in charge,” and while we may hope the best for the people and churches that broke away, we also believe that God has a good plan for the People Called United Methodists! Maybe someday, in God’s good timing, these two “factions” will hold their own family reunion? We can surely pray!

 

Have you ever pondered what is really happening when we gather to “worship” God? I know all of the language about this—we “praise” God, we give God “glory” when we worship, etc., etc. We feel good doing it, as it is a cleansing, renewing way to express our gratitude to God for life, love, family, and forgiveness. But have you ever wondered what it does for God? Honestly, if you read the Bible from Genesis to maps, you will find very little that says that God is “blessed” by what we call worship. It just doesn’t seem to be in the “character” of Yahweh to “demand” that we do all of this “religious” stuff, for God’s benefit. Remember, this is a God who gets God’s “kicks” out of the underdog stuff, or the ironic, comedic “turns” in the story, as we have seen in today’s text about Joseph and his brothers. What would this God “get” out of a bunch of people singing praises or shouting “Hallelujah”? Here’s my theory.

 

It's all a big, weekly FAMILY REUNION. We are implored by God to “not forsake our assembling together.” We are told to offer our corporate praises, and to sing hymns and spiritual songs to God. But note how important it is that we GATHER to do so! THIS is the “secret” to what worship “does” for God!

 

What I most remember about those family reunions was gazing over to one side of the room or the picnic pavilion, and seeing all of the little, old “grandmas,” sitting together, and joyfully watching their generations of progeny laughing, playing together, and chatting up a storm, as they “reconnected” after not having seen one another for a while. Those grandmas were SO happy, as they witnessed this “joyful fellowship of family” unfolding right before their eyes. They wouldn’t miss it! GOD is like those GRANDMAS, friends!!! God doesn’t “need” our songs, our praises, even our worship, but by wanting us to come together to DO so, means that God gets to see God’s family gathering together each week, joyfully fellowshipping, “catching up” with each other about life, and supporting one another with hugs, prayers, handshakes, and “Gee, it’s so GOOD to see you!” greetings and smiles. God gets OFF on watching this happen! We are God’s family reunion! Choirs SING because they love to SING, and God loves to watch their joy, as they do so. Preachers PREACH because they love God and want to tell EVERYONE about God’s love and grace! God loves to watch them preach, and see God’s people listening to what they have to say! We all love to do like Joseph does to his little brother, Benjamin—“hug the necks” of our fellow Christians and “pew mates,” some of whom may actually have become closer to us than our blood family! You had better believe that God gets “off” on witnessing this happen! THIS is why we worship. This is why we gather—to love on one another, and support one another, come what may. There is healing in these “family reunions”! There is reconciliation in these family reunions! And as we truly learn to “welcome all strangers” into our community of faith, there is GREAT JOY in the growth of our family, as the weekly “reunions” continue. THIS is what God gets out of our worship, friends! If you don’t believe it, keep reading the Bible. It’s all there.

 

So, if your family—or some part of it—still does those family reunions, go to the next one. Look for the grandmas. They are God of the reunion. And then, the next time you gather with your friends at church, think of the grandmas, for that image is the perfect one to understand God’s presence in our worship each week. And there is great joy here! And you don’t even have to “pump an Iron” to experience it! Amen!

Here Comes This Dreamer...

 Here Comes This Dreamer

 

Genesis 37:1-4, 12-28
37:1 Jacob settled in the land where his father had lived as an alien, the land of Canaan.

37:2 This is the story of the family of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was shepherding the flock with his brothers; he was a helper to the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father's wives; and Joseph brought a bad report of them to their father.

37:3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than any other of his children, because he was the son of his old age; and he had made him a long robe with sleeves.

37:4 But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably to him.

37:12 Now his brothers went to pasture their father's flock near Shechem.

37:13 And Israel said to Joseph, "Are not your brothers pasturing the flock at Shechem? Come, I will send you to them." He answered, "Here I am."

37:14 So he said to him, "Go now, see if it is well with your brothers and with the flock; and bring word back to me. "So he sent him from the valley of Hebron. He came to Shechem, 

37:15 and a man found him wandering in the fields; the man asked him, "What are you seeking?"

37:16 "I am seeking my brothers," he said; "tell me, please, where they are pasturing the flock."

37:17 The man said, "They have gone away, for I heard them say, 'Let us go to Dothan.'" So Joseph went after his brothers, and found them at Dothan.

37:18 They saw him from a distance, and before he came near to them, they conspired to kill him.

37:19 They said to one another, "Here comes this dreamer.

37:20 Come now, let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits; then we shall say that a wild animal has devoured him, and we shall see what will become of his dreams."

37:21 But when Reuben heard it, he delivered him out of their hands, saying, "Let us not take his life."

37:22 Reuben said to them, "Shed no blood; throw him into this pit here in the wilderness, but lay no hand on him" --that he might rescue him out of their hand and restore him to his father.

37:23 So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe, the long robe with sleeves that he wore;

37:24 and they took him and threw him into a pit. The pit was empty; there was no water in it.

37:25 Then they sat down to eat; and looking up they saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead, with their camels carrying gum, balm, and resin, on their way to carry it down to Egypt.

37:26 Then Judah said to his brothers, "What profit is it if we kill our brother and conceal his blood?

37:27 Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and not lay our hands on him, for he is our brother, our own flesh." And his brothers agreed.

37:28 When some Midianite traders passed by, they drew Joseph up, lifting him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. And they took Joseph to Egypt.

 

History has never been kind to dreamers. Jesus had a dream of a just and peaceable kingdom, and those who studied the scriptures and knew of it, prophetically, led the onslaught against him, resulting in his cruel death. The Apostle Paul had a dream of an inclusive church, bringing together Jews and Gentiles, rich and poor, male and female, slave and free, under a common discipleship of Jesus Christ. He was persecuted, beaten, jailed, and eventually martyred for it. Galileo had a dream of a solar system that made scientific sense, but it was the church that brought him down. (And I’m letting Galileo “stand in” here for countless others whose “dream”—in many cases bolstered by scientific observation or rational logic—went against the grain of worldviews accepted and propagated by the church.) Martin Luther King, Jr. had a famous dream of a society where all races would be treated equally and equitably, and because of it, he was persecuted, beaten, jailed, and eventually martyred (sound familiar?). In each case, the “established” church egged on, if not sponsored, the killing or suppression of the dream. 

 

And yet, in our most recent history, a megalomanic unrolled HIS “dream” of a presidency and a country that revolved totally around him and his whims, masquerading as a government. He found it easy to make millions believe his “dream” included them, too, all the while catering to a handful of monied interests, and quelling the rights of the very people who put him in power. Upon being “deposed” by voters in a democratic election, he started screaming “persecution,” and has threatened to crush his opposition, should he be returned to power. Russia? China? North Korea? Guess again.

 

Why is it so hard to sell a positive dream—one that may benefit all others, not just a narrow constituency? And why is it so easy to proffer a maligned, malignant “dream” (nightmare?) that, at its core, concentrates both power and wealth in a despotic, central politburo which will harvest the plumpest plums from the public tree? History gives us few clues, but maybe today’s text unveils the selfish root of this behavior. Witness Joseph’s brothers.

 

Joseph has a gift. Unfortunately, thanks to Andrew Lloyd Webber, we think it was about the coat, that his brothers decided to sell him as a slave to a group of Ishmaelite traders. But it was his gift of interpreting dreams that got raised their ire, as it endeared Joseph to Jacob, their father. Jacob trusted Joseph, as he recognized that his prophetic dream-gift came from God. One could argue that Jacob’s gift of the coat was a sign of his favoritism, but as I understand it, the coat was probably more Jacob’s way of “anointing” Joseph as a kind of prophet. The long sleeves were a sign of wealth, and possibly even a foreshadowing of his share of the eventual inheritance, but prophets and mystics adorned themselves with long robes with elegant sleeves as a sign of their “office.” The giveaway in this story is the key line, “Here comes this dreamer.” They were jealous of his God-given gift, and the “extra” measure of status it gave him with dad.

 

What about the dreamers in today’s church? Innovation and vision are often only recognized when they fit the patterns and “biblical orthodoxy” of the perceived majority. “Dreamers,” like all true prophets, “speak forth” the truth they understand from God, as typically communicated through what we Wesleyans call the “quadrilateral”: Scripture, Tradition, Experience, and Reason. Gifted dreamers (visionaries?) start with their scripture-rooted faith, hold it up to the changing traditions of the church, which they then “turbocharge,” to use Leonard Sweet’s word, and then re-interpret and extrapolate a vision from these historical “roots,” molded through contemporary experience (needs?) of the church. The dreamer/prophet/visionary is NEVER afraid to apply human reasoning to this formula, as we ARE human, and God’s truth is of little application unless it meets us at our human level. We are not God, and will NOT be God, but we ARE human. And if we believe the experience of the Christ Event, God BECAME human, so God’s truth could connect with humanity, redeem it, and reconcile it to Godself. Dreamers don’t distrust reason; they understand it as an “essential” to interpreting and living out our Christian discipleship. But this process often leads to new ways to “be the church,” ways that may be more “Open Minds, Open Hearts, and Open Doors” than some in the faith community can accept. And “these dreamers” then come under fire. 

 

Scripture? We, like Mr. Wesley, “trust” it as the primary source for our faith. But what if we understand it like Jesus did, as a kind of “seed” which we plant in the world, expecting it to take root and provide a large “yield” of redeemed people? This, in contrast to merely limiting it to “original inspiration,” which then gives way to tightly defined and “enforced” doctrines and dogmas. Tradition, too, is better understood as our history, helping us remember and celebrate what “worked” in our past, but inspiring us to move forward to new ways to tell our story to a changing world. Experience puts us into the current state of mind, making comparisons between what the church HAS been, versus what it will NEED to be, to connect to people in the contemporary context. Too often, church people have sat around lamenting that “things aren’t what they used to be,” rather than “dream” about what they MIGHT be, as the Holy Spirit gives fresh inspiration. Reason is the powerful and necessary tool to weave this all together into a vision, a “dream” that will focus and empower the Christian message and mission for tomorrow. The “quadrilateral” was never a TEST, but a METHOD for dreaming!

 

No modern church leader wants to hear the kind of indictment leveled by Joseph’s brothers: “Here comes this dreamer,” as they are rarely words of affirmation or welcome. And how many creative church leaders—especially young clergy—are “sold into slavery” by old ideas proffered by their congregations, and even their supervisors? Bowing to what “sells” instead of an inspired “dream” of how to make the gospel “come alive” to a skeptical, “disaffiliating” age could do irreparable damage to the church in our time. 

 

Of course, we know that the story of Joseph has a “happy” ending, thanks to the “comedy” of God’s intervention. He saves his brothers, his father, and basically the people who will become God’s people Israel. Are we faithful enough to believe that God can likewise save the church from our parochial folly and fear of the “dreamers”? As a retired pastor now more a part of the “great cloud of witnesses” than a player on the field, I sure hope and pray so! I have done my part to encourage the dreamers, and most especially those who have themselves been persecuted by the church: our gifted women leaders; those who are part of the LGBTQ community; and those who continue to experience racism, sexism, and ageism, even in the Body of Christ. 

 

May we all work for and pray for the day when “Here comes this dreamer” is said with a spirit of excitement and welcome! It will be the dreamers who will bring the Word of God to us, and who will breathe new life into the church. Amen!

 

 

When Family Breaks Your Heart

When Family Breaks Your Heart

 

Romans 9:1-5
9:1 I am speaking the truth in Christ--I am not lying; my conscience confirms it by the Holy Spirit--

9:2 I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart.

9:3 For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my own people, my kindred according to the flesh.

9:4 They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises;

9:5 to them belong the patriarchs, and from them, according to the flesh, comes the Messiah, who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen.

 

I empathize with the deep pain of families where either the children grow up to greatly disappoint the loving parents, or where the children, needing love, have parents who disappoint them by focusing on their own needs and disputes, treating the children like possessions, and later, as “bargaining chips” in divorce proceedings. These things are far too common, at least from what I observed as a pastoral caregiver. And doesn’t your heart just break when you read—as I just did today—of a toddler suffering and dying in a hot car when the “parent” forgets them and goes to work (or into a bar)? It’s even more heart-breaking when you read that it happened to an otherwise responsible parent, who has now had to both grieve the loss of a child AND undergo an investigation, let alone face their partner, if there is one in the picture. I should be thankful that I was never under the influence of chemicals—illicit or prescribed—or in such anguish over some event that I could have ever let something like this happen. I just can’t imagine. I’m also thankful that future technology is trying to prevent such horrible occurrences. Our new EV (electric vehicle) has a system that sets off all kinds of alarms if you try to turn the car off and exit the vehicle with ANYTHING in the back seat. Good for those engineers at GM!

 

Putting aside these “extreme” ways our family may break our hearts (or we, theirs), there are still myriad ways we may leave a wake of disappointment behind us. Just ask many transgender persons or others in the LGBTQ community about how their families greeted their coming out. Or the children of parents who divorced. As a pastor, I found myself sternly “correcting” parishioners in my counseling room who used “It will be better for the kids, anyway” as one of their justifications for filing for divorce. No, it will not. Unless there is emotional or physical abuse going on, it will NOT be “better for the kids.” Your children will suffer through a divorce and will never be the same. With adequate support and possibly even therapy, they will get over it, but it will be very hard on them. Believe me. I have met many an adult product of a long-since completed divorce who STILL harbors the hope—and even belief—that their “folks” will get back together. It just breaks your heart.

 

I’ll not spend much time on how addiction—on the part of the children, the parents, or both—just shatters one’s soul. Having had to offer care to families who lost a child to addiction breaks more than one’s “heart.” It’s bone-crushing for these families. They never get over it, even if they make all of the “right” responses to the tragedy. The death of a child due to addiction is paralyzing, and brings on a version of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) that is all but untreatable. It’s not much better when the “loss” is not to death, but to the “tough love” act of writing the addict out of one’s life, in the hope that they may seek help, before they destroy ALL of the lives involved. 

 

I’m trying to stay “in the lane” of the heartbreak induced by bad decisions on the part of family members, but please don’t take away that I’m downplaying all of the other ways we may be shattered by loss. But the Romans text in today’s message is about the “tragedy” of choice.

 

Paul is deeply saddened and perplexed by his “family,” the Jewish people of first-century Palestine. Never mind that he had to experience a dramatic confrontation with the risen Christ on the road to Damascus before HE became a disciple of Jesus. He grieves that his family hasn’t yet joined him, despite his best efforts to persuade them. And as we see in his other letters, even when some do, they are hard-pressed to give up some of their former faith practices such as circumcision and kosher eating preferences, even when they divide the community. 

 

I find it interesting that Paul introduces this passage with the strong affirmation that he is “not lying,” for therein lies yet another way people break each other’s hearts, and not just in families! As I write this, we are learning more details about a national “drama” playing itself out in front of us all, namely the latest indictments of former president, Donald Trump. These federal indictments clearly accuse him of lying “bigly” to the American public about his losing the 2020 election, and most especially using these lies in an attempt to motivate his minions (and less self-aware followers) to do his bidding to overturn the results of that election. And now, he continues to lie, saying the indictments are a result of “political persecution.” The “good news” in all of this is that the final “judge” of who is right and who is lying will occur in a federal court of law, with the world paying close attention. On a more “micro” level, I’m sure we can all cite an example of where lies were employed in attempts to help someone get her or his way in a family or in a relationship. It never turns out well. Ever. 

 

So, Paul goes almost “postal,” declaring that he is not lying to his people about the glory and joy he has found in Jesus Christ. However, he does not condemn his people, and if you read Romans throughout, you will see that he pronounces them “safe” in the covenant they already have with God. He is sorry for the joy and freedom they are missing out on, in not accepting God’s pardon and grace in Jesus, but he does NOT believe they are condemned by it. “May it never be,” he exclaims in Romans 11:1, “I ask, then, has God rejected his people? May it never be!” God’s people Israel is “saved” by their faith and the covenant they already have, but are they missing out on some of the freedom Christians experience? This is a tough question, in that my Jewish friends ARE joyful people, and those who take part in the life of a synagogue or other Jewish gathering/community of faith offer all kinds of ministries of justice and compassion to the world. Judaism has evolved since the days of Paul, and maybe we judge it too harshly when we apply Paul’s critique of it to the modern Jewish community? When we do this, I think we are pointing the finger in the wrong direction!

 

If Paul were here with the church now, I fear he would be laying out a case against US, for the same reasons he was upset with his Jewish siblings in his day. Has the church not ALSO spent more time on being judgmental? More time on drawing “lines” as to who is “right” and who is “wrong” about everything from how we read and understand the Bible, to the social issues before us? Have factions in the modern church not continued the practice of schism, thinking it will solve problems, rather than just divide? How would Paul treat this contemporary truth that has led to a divide within many denominations today: “I just don’t want to be in the same church with YOU, and what you believe.” Why, if the modern “nuclear” family were to behave like the Christian church has, every time one of its members disagreed with the “beliefs and doctrines” of the family, they would trash their bedroom and go out the window! And then would hope that the family they left behind would fail, so they could pronounce that infamous benediction, “I TOLD you so!”

 

Families of any kind are complex systems and must be understood in this manner. As I have said many times before, one of the most useless, and even heart-breaking, analyses of any family “crisis” is oversimplifying what is far more complicated than we often see, on first read. And if we continue in this direction, we “spasm” and craft an overly-simplified “solution” to the presenting problem, which usually makes things worse, even after at first appearing to “solve” the issue. Oversimplification should be the “thou shalt not” of the eleventh commandment. A cheap “solution” to a complicated problem just makes things worse, and often leads to a judgmental attitude that adds gasoline to the presenting “fire.” And, of course, any of us with more than a ten-minute short course in human psychology and family systems knows full well that the “presenting” problem may not be the real issue at all! Remember when President Trump suggested that maybe ingesting or injecting BLEACH might be a solution to the COVID-19 problem? This ludicrous idea is akin to the problem we face in the church today. 

 

It was heartbreaking for Paul to see how his “blood” family, the Jews, were often “at war” with his adopted family, the church. It didn’t have to be. And it doesn’t have to be today. The same could be said for other religions and the church, as well. The Good News of Jesus Christ was not meant to be a “call to arms,” but a healing balm for the divisions infesting humanity. And the answer is NOT devising or distilling doctrines that must be “accepted” by all others before we will call them “brother” or “sister.” The answer, while most certainly complex, begins with acceptance, tolerance, and an understanding that we are all seeking God’s favor, and what is best for the creatures of the creation, both human and otherwise. 

 

It is said that the late, great football coach, Vince Lombardi, used to begin his training camp for the Green Bay Packers by holding up that well-known leather prolate spheroid and firmly toning, “Gentlemen, THIS is a football.” Maybe the church needs to go back to such basics? Paul thought so, beginning with the most basic truths of love and grace. Even Mr. Wesley said:

“What religion do I preach? The religion of love—the law of kindness brought to light by the gospel. What is this good for? To make all who receive it enjoy God and themselves, and to make them like God, lovers of all.”

Paul goes back to the “basics” of Jewish faith history. Jesus brought a new “word” to us—“You have heard it said, but I say unto you…” John Wesley appealed to love and acceptance of “the other.” Friends, this is OUR football. May we head the words of Paul the Apostle, speak the truth, and stop breaking each other’s hearts! Amen! 

The Anxiety of Solomon

 The Anxiety of Solomon

 

1 Kings 3:5-12
3:5 At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, "Ask what I should give you."
3:6 And Solomon said, "You have shown great and steadfast love to your servant my father David, because he walked before you in faithfulness, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart toward you; and you have kept for him this great and steadfast love, and have given him a son to sit on his throne today.
3:7 And now, O LORD my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David, although I am only a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in.
3:8 And your servant is in the midst of the people whom you have chosen, a great people, so numerous they cannot be numbered or counted.
3:9 Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, able to discern between good and evil; for who can govern this your great people?"
3:10 It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this.
3:11 God said to him, "Because you have asked this, and have not asked for yourself long life or riches, or for the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right,
3:12 I now do according to your word. Indeed I give you a wise and discerning mind; no one like you has been before you and no one like you shall arise after you.

 

Have you ever been given a tough assignment that caused you to stop in your tracks and ask for wisdom? Frankly, every church I served prompted this response. Here’s my United Methodist appointment “travelogue”:

 

1985-1992—Turtle Creek: McMasters. I was appointed to be this church’s first student pastor, after a long, slow slide (due mostly to that community’s “rust belt” diminishment) that left them unable to pay a full-time pastor. Knowing the history of this fine church, and that I was being sent there to offer them a “new hope” (with apologies to George Lucas), I prayed like crazy for wisdom, given it was my first church assignment, that I would be a full-time dad and a full-time seminary student, and knew my own tendencies toward being a “workaholic.” What started out as a three-year student pastorate ended up a seven-year (tied for my longest appointment) gig, and I left them in better shape than when I arrived, which is ALWAYS a positive answer to the “wisdom” prayer!

 

1992-1997—Associate Pastor at Allison Park: St. Paul’s. After meeting with Dr. Ronald Hoellein to see if I felt we could work together (and actually after the meeting when HE was given the right to “wave off” me as his associate), I was thrilled to join him on a pastoral team that was four-strong, in those days. But especially knowing that I would inherit a buzzing youth program that had been orchestrated by Rev. Joe Patterson, I prayed for God’s wisdom to “do” youth ministry again, especially knowing that I was coming IN older than Joe was going OUT! Working with Ron, George Crooks, and Leah Bergstrom was a wonderful experience, and St. Paul’s really got into my blood, and thanks to God answering the “wisdom” prayer, into my DNA, to the good of my future appointments.

 

1997-2003—Coraopolis UMC. If you are a pastor reading this, and you ever had to follow a popular, successful predecessor, you know how important “wisdom” prayers are! In the long history of the Coraopolis UMC, my predecessor—Dr. Donald Scandrol—had the longest tenure of any of their prodigious list of ministers: Nine years. Now, they were getting me. Don was both a mentor and friend, so my wanting to “make good” on the appointment as his successor had double meaning for me. On that first Sunday, with lots of pairs of eyes staring at me during my first sermon, here’s what I told them:

 

When I arrived at the church this morning, I went upstairs to my new study and tried to open the door. It only opened a few inches, and stopped, acting like someone had pushed a heavy sofa against it, or something. As I struggled with the door, our Music Director, Rev. George Tutwiler, came walking by, and asked what was the problem. I told him about the door, seeming like something big was blocking it. “OH,” he said, “That’s just a pair of Don’s SHOES he left for you to fill!”

 

The congregation burst into laughter, and the “wisdom” prayer was again answered. I had a wonderful six years at Coraopolis.

 

2003-2009--Sharon: First UMC. I won’t go into the whole story, but I had some “connection” or “history” to each of the churches I served in 36 years of ministry, except this one. The only thing I knew about Sharon First was that my part-time, colleague at Coraopolis—Rev. Jack Moon—had retired from Sharon First, and had told us many stories about some of the “tough situations” he had dealt with in that church. When the call came that I was being appointed there, Jack’s only endorsement was: “Oh my God…” Time for “wisdom” prayer number four! The Sterlings spent five and a half years at Sharon First, and all I will say to affirm that this prayer was answered is that, of all of the churches I served, I would have to put Sharon First UMC at the top of my “favorites” list. It was a wonderful experience, and I think we did good ministry there.

 

2009-2014—Warren: First UMC. The move to Warren came mid-appointment year, in January, on the coldest day Warren had seen in 40 years. (I wondered where in the world the Cabinet had sent me!) The mid-year move was necessitated by the sudden and serious illness of our of our District Superintendents, who had to go on full disability. This created a “chain” of moves, after his successor to the District office was named. Dr. Eric Park went on the District, Rev. Bill Starr moved to Eric’s church, I moved to Warren, etc., etc. Again, a “wisdom” prayer was necessary, as I had never stepped into the top leadership role of a multi-staff church in the middle of their program year and RIGHT after Christmas. Also, I was well aware of the historic nature of First UMC, having received and sent many a pastor from/to the superintendency, and had a couple of bishops elected from its clergy ranks. They were also the most heavily financially endowed church in the conference, and aiding in the managing of these funds was part of the job, as well. After another five and a half years of service at Warren: First UMC, I can say that I was quite pleased with how God used us there. Unfortunately, I must also say how disappointed I am that my successor helped steer that great church OUT of the United Methodist Church via disaffiliation. 

 

2014-2021—Allison Park: St. Paul’s (again). Dr. Hoellein served for 22 years at St. Paul’s, and upon his retirement, the Cabinet figured that I might make a good seven year “interim,” given that I planned to retire as of June 30, 2021. I still knew about half of that congregation, and some of its staff, and had maintained a close friendship and “working” relationship with my old boss, which would make the transition easier. Besides, our “styles” and theological viewpoints were pretty compatible. That said, however, never had I prayed a “wisdom” prayer so fervently as I did many late nights before taking the reins of St. Paul’s. These prayers, coupled with the “OH boy…” prayers of that tremendous staff and my clergy colleague, Rev. Karen Slusser, certainly guided us through the transition and into seven years of good ministry, together. In retirement, Dara and I have been blessed to continue to worship at St. Paul’s, and be blessed by the tremendous preaching and leadership of Karen and our new Lead Pastor, Rev. Amy Wagner.

 

So, there you have it—my “journey in ministry.” You should know, however, that MANY “wisdom” prayers were said by yours truly, other than just in these “new appointment” moments. Three major “crises” benefitted from panicked, sincere “wisdom” prayers, on my part: the attacks of September 11, 2001, when I was at Coraopolis, a church literally on the glide slope of Pittsburgh International Airport, and one known as “US Airways at prayer,” with many of our folk working for the airlines. It was a scary time for the whole nation, obviously, but was even more so for airplane folk. For those days that all aircraft in the USA (other than military) were grounded, the silence in Coraopolis was deafening. The other two “crises” occurred during my final years at St. Paul’s. in 2019, our beloved Administrative Director, Faith Geer, died after her malignant melanoma returned. Faith was a conference-wide treasure and a boon to the growth and life at St. Paul’s. Leading that staff and congregation through their grief, and finding new ways to manage our ministry together was a real challenge, especially given that Faith was about as “irreplaceable” as a person could be in her unique role. We made it, though, thanks to MANY “wisdom” prayers. Then, in 2020, came COVID-19. If it weren’t for the wisdom granted to our whole staff by God, I don’t know how such a large church with a huge weekday ministry program would have made it through that, but like most of your churches, we did. Thanks be to God!

 

I share these personal stories with you, the reader, as these are what come to mind immediately, upon reading how Solomon addressed God in his time of “transition” to the leadership of Israel. I hope they have set the stage for the review of your own incredible stories of how YOUR “wisdom” prayers have been said and answered! Now, on to Solomon…

 

This is obviously a famous passage where King Solomon asks God for “an understanding mind” (wisdom) to govern Israel. Given that he was a politician, of sorts, I might take this “prayer” with a grain of salt, if not for the fact that the text says that even God believed his request was genuine. The discernment to know what is truly “good” and what is dangerously “evil” is one of the most valuable of the spiritual gifts. As a pastor, I treasured persons who had the gift of discernment, and who could offer a word of “caution” or “go slow on this” to me, especially given that I was a pretty “driven” leader, who liked to “forge ahead.” Interestingly, three of these very discerning people were church custodians! (There are reasons why it is important to build relationships with your staff, at ALL levels!) 

 

Of course, Solomon just MAY have been this humble, sidling up to God, after he got a good look at Israel. About the only thing in history that has shown itself to be as rag-tag, as poor at keeping “the main thing, the main thing,” bound to wander in the wilderness, and in such need of God’s rescue as Israel,  is the Christian church! I sometimes think that God sent the Holy Spirit upon the church more as a BABYSITTER, than as an “energizer.” If you’ve raised teenagers, you have at least a sample of how God feels about the church. And yet, like we love our teens, God still loves US! God keeps promising good things, even when we drop the ball.

 

The Oxford Dictionary defines anxiety as: a feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease, typically about an imminent event or something with an uncertain outcome. This is exactly what Solomon faced, as this text from I Kings makes clear. He is “a child,” and he faces replacing his father, who was revered as a great leader. Israel is a “great people,” in Solomon’s mind, and yet, we can “hear” his concern about how difficult they are to govern. “Great people” often have their very own ideas about what, how, when, and where things should happen, and if their appointed leader disagrees with the majority, sparks can fly. Sound like the church to you? Great leaders often have to go against the tide of popular opinion, and that tide may, at a moment’s notice, turn into a riptide, carrying the leader far from shore. Too often, a “leadership moment” may turn into a pissing contest between the leader (be they pastor or king) and those she/he is trying to lead. Good leaders understand that not all best directions will have popular support, but good leaders work with this and don’t take it personally, using the earliest thread of disagreement as a time to sit down together, reason, converse as co-interested parties, and come to an agreed upon direction. Good leaders learn how to “sell” their position. Wise leaders never lose sight of the goal. And wise leaders know that rarely does this wisdom emanate from themselves, alone. 

 

Still, such important tasks breed anxiety. What do good leaders do when they are anxious? They reach out to all of the benevolent, good forces that guide them in life—trusted confidants, competent “consultants” with long and good track records, and certainly to their “higher power.” Believers turn to God in prayer, even while consulting with their earthly sources and doing regular gut-checks. Anxiety should be a motivator, not a disabler, for a competent leader. 

 

Teaching moment: some of us have issues with inordinate anxiety, and some of these persons may be called by God into the ministry. Not all pastors should be seen as “interchangeable” in all situations, thus. Even persons with anxiety issues can be shepherds of God’s people! They may have a sensitivity in matters of pastoral care, and even in guiding church decision-making and goal-setting. However, it behooves them to know her or his limits, and resist the temptation to take on larger and more responsibility, knowing their “anxiety trigger” trips much quicker than that of others. Also, ALL leaders should know when to seek professional counsel with anxiety and personal emotional challenges, and good leaders do. But those with “hair trigger” anxiety most assuredly must. 

 

In today’s text, God offers accolades as well as wisdom to Solomon for asking humbly for an “understanding mind.” It appeared to God, at least, that Solomon was wise enough to know what wisdom looked like, when granted to him, and would have both the brains and the guts to use it. 

 

I wish I could say that I always knew when to DO what I felt God leading me to do, both as a pastor and as an individual Christian disciple. Thankfully, most of the time I did my best to do so, but there were times when either I was a bit “chicken” to do so, or just didn’t have the energy to push that button, at the time. However, the same God was God over me who was God over Solomon, and God both forgave and did a little “kicking” to push me off of dead center. There are just those times in ministry when risk is more important than rest, and as many, if not more times, when the opposite is true. We need God’s wisdom to know the difference, and the support of our supportive community to undergird us when we don’t choose so wisely!

 

Here's my prayer for you:

 

Dear God, I’m not Solomon. I’ll not be building you any temples or making too many choices that will put my work into the history books, let alone the pages of scripture! But I am called to serve you and your people, and I am willing to listen for your wisdom, which I expect to hear through your Holy Spirit who dwells within me. May I serve you humbly, or at the very least, learn my “humble lessons” when things don’t go my way, or the way I wish they would. As your servant John Wesley said, O God, “Let me be employed by Thee or set aside by Thee,” but above all, let me glorify Thee! Amen.

 

Oh, and Lord, don’t let the inevitable anxiety of being a preacher, a leader, and a Christian get the best of me! Amen!

Hold My Beer...

 

Hold My Beer…

 

Genesis 28:10-19a
28:10 Jacob left Beer-sheba and went toward Haran.
28:11 He came to a certain place and stayed there for the night, because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones of the place, he put it under his head and lay down in that place.
28:12 And he dreamed that there was a ladder set up on the earth, the top of it reaching to heaven; and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.
28:13 And the LORD stood beside him and said, "I am the LORD, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring;
28:14 and your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south; and all the families of the earth shall be blessed in you and in your offspring.
28:15 Know that I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you."
28:16 Then Jacob woke from his sleep and said, "Surely the LORD is in this place--and I did not know it!"
28:17 And he was afraid, and said, "How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven."
28:18 So Jacob rose early in the morning, and he took the stone that he had put under his head and set it up for a pillar and poured oil on the top of it.
28:19a He called that place Bethel; but the name of the city was Luz at the first.

I’m always fascinated by stories about ladders, possibly because the ones I have owned usually seem just a rung or two too short for what I need them for! I bought a 16 foot extension ladder when we moved into our townhouse, figuring it would help us paint the interior entrance tower. (We bought only a 16-footer, because it was the size we could: a. afford; b. get home with our Forrester, since it was only 8 feet in total length; and c. had room to store in our garage.) And yes, it was JUST a bit too short. I finished painting the entranceway on my tippytoes, hanging off the top of the ladder (DON’T try this at home!). By the way, in my youth, I would climb a 40-footer with reckless abandon, as I painted houses for a summer job. Now, at the top of my “par three” ladder, I’m far less steady. Time steals your balance. Believe it. 

 

Facebook and other public, social media sites have videos of people setting up elaborate ways to “beat” the way-too-short ladder, or to place a ladder precariously in a place where it just doesn’t work safely, yet climbing it, nonetheless. These videos usually are captioned by something like this: “Why women outlive men…” The “joke” in our time is the challenge that a person—usually a stunted-thinking man—takes on the risky (Ridiculous? Stupid?) challenge with the expression, “Hold my beer.” 

 

 

Is the Christian church in danger of becoming a “Hold my beer” organization? I am convinced that the recent migration of congregations away from the United Methodist Church via the “Great Disaffiliation” may have been, at its heart, one of these foolish, “Hold my beer” moments. For years, warring theological camps have been lobbing charges and counter-charges back at forth, with one or the other threatening to “leave,” because of the either “too tight” or “too loose” views of the other. And when the tenuously compromised “Protocol of Reconciliation and Grace” dissolved (both sides accuse the other of being the cause, by the way), it was the “orthodoxy” crowd that set down their beer and set up the rickety ladder of disaffiliation. No matter how you view it, it was a schism. Initial estimates that “less than 10%” of protesting congregations would leave turned out to be way low, and around 25% of UMC congregations left to either become independent or join with the recently established Global Methodist Church. Both factions now find themselves in the situation of backing down off the unsteady ladder of escalation that got them here, in an effort to rebuild a foundation under themselves. “Hold my beer,” as the “fun” is just beginning, especially for the most vulnerable churches and the least competent clergy leaders.

 

Regarding the rickety church, this week’s morning chapel speaker—Dr. Craig Barnes—told a funny story about flying to various engagements. He said that he hoped that none of his “seat mates” and potential conversationalists ever ask him what he “did for a living.” When they did, he said there were three possible responses: he would be ignored by them, after hearing he was a pastor; when they found out he was a Presbyterian pastor, they would try to “lead him to Jesus”; and finally, the other party in the dialogue would begin a long harangue about what they felt was wrong with the church. Barnes said that he would let them go on, and when he got a word in edgewise, he would say: “Look, I’ve worked in the church a long time, and I’ve been around the church a LOT longer than you have, and I can tell you, it’s a LOT worse than you think; a LOT worse!” (He would go on to say that still, he NEEDS the church to bring him regularly back to Jesus, and to be his “community.”)

 

I’m writing this message in the library at the Chautauqua Institution where we have been enjoying the lectures and activities of Week Four around the theme of “What We Believe.” No, it’s not a study of doctrines or dogmas of one faith, but an interesting conversation of what makes us “tick” in our adopted believes about a lot of things, religion being only one element of this. Kate Bowler, a young historian of faith, pretty much told us that the American religious landscape may best be summed up in the adversarial, challenging exclamation, “Oh YEAH?” Religious faith in American society is usually cruising for a fight, rather than seeking how to love; calling out what’s wrong with our neighbor’s religion, rather than offering to help them in their time of need. While this is a more hostile variation on “Hold my beer,” it tends to have the same stupid and less-than-productive outcome.

 

If ever there was a “Hold my beer” character in the Bible, it was Jacob. The conniver, the trickster, the cheater, is chosen by God to “father” the tribes of Israel. Go figure. Maybe we come by our “Hold my beer” mentality honestly? Every time you read of a flawed, or even scandalous figure in the Bible, believing God will get out the “smite stick” to cool their jets, it seems GOD says, “Hold my beer,” and does something great through them. Does God do this to goad the “righteous,” who always seem to think THEY deserve to be “the chosen?” Or does God do this because that’s what God does—redeems, recycles, and reinvigorates the sick souls? Maybe God just does it because God can, and WE usually WON’T even try. Jacob is one of these characters, indeed.

 

Our text tells us these various images come to Jacob in a dream, as he sleeps with his head on a rock (itself an interesting image). The ladder in this story serves as a bridge between heaven and earth, here being “tested” by angels, ascending and descending. It almost sounds like they are just having fun, touching down on Planet Earth. (One can imagine these angels telling the other, less mischievous angels, “Hold my beer!”) Is the ladder an usual Christophany, forecasting God’s ultimate “bridge” between the Realm of God and the human home world? Another thought, and is one that would associate Jacob, God’s “heal grabber,” with Jesus, God’s “soul grabber.” Jacob, of course, becomes the lynchpin of God’s plan for growing Israel in the Hebrew Bible; Jesus is the culmination of the redemption of all of the people of God, in the New Testament. 

 

A little “side trip” story: Dara and I attended a Bible Study on Tuesday night at the United Methodist House here at Chautauqua. It is held weekly, and is led by Dr. Paul Womack, a retired pastor and scholar, and current interim pastor at the historic Hurlbut Memorial Church (UMC) on the Institute grounds, and Joe Lewis, a British, Jewish lay teacher. I must say, the interaction between these two is amazing. They have been “stuck” on the book of Jeremiah for some time, but there is so much to cover with the “Weeping Prophet.” Mr. Lewis (whom I mistakenly called “Rabbi,” upon which he immediately corrected me) told a story from British religious lore I thought you might enjoy. The “pillow stone” that Jacob slept on in this week’s text was supposedly later came into the possession of the prophet Jeremiah, as a kind of relic. Later kings of Israel were crowned upon the stone, because of its significance, and as a symbol that, as Jacob “fathered” all of Israel’s tribes, so the stone would signify that the king was the monarch over all of Israel. After some of the leaders of Israel—in fulfillment of Jeremiah’s prophecies—were later taken into captivity in Babylon (today’s Baghdad), legend has it that Jeremiah fled the country WITH the “pillow stone” and sailed to Ireland. The stone later winds up on Scotland, where it is dubbed the “Stone of Scone,” and is incorporated into a special throne upon which the kings of Scotland would be crowned. In subsequent wars with England, it changes hands a time or two, but mostly resides in England, to this day. King Charles II was crowned on that throne, complete with its “Stone of Scone,” supposedly symbolic of England’s monarch being “king” over all the realm, including historical “Israel.” Mr. Lewis told us that England now “loans” the throne/stone to Scotland so they may use it to crown their own leaders as well. He told us that this whole story is highly suspect, and that we should NEVER tell anyone that he told it to us. “Hold my beer…”

 

If the ladder image in today’s text is a foreshadowing of God’s future incarnation in Jesus Christ (the ultimate presence of God with humans), we should take special note of what is the central theme of this passage, namely God telling Jacob “I am with you” and “I will not leave you.” 

 

Quick seminary story: I was in the first year of my M.Div. studies, taking the required “Interpreting the Bible” course (which we all called “Interrupting the Bible,” just to be a bunch of wise asses). Dr. Donald Gowan, a giant of Old Testament scholarship, was teaching the “left side of the Bible,” as Steven Tuell would say. As he began each class, he would open his notes, pray, and launch into a particular OT book. This one week, however, before he opened his notebook, he did something quite uncharacteristic: He asked if we had any questions. Catching us all by surprise, one wiseacre in the back of the room spontaneously blurted out, “Yeah. Can you summarize the whole Bible in one sentence?” The class laughed a quick, awkward laugh, but Dr. Gowan REALLY shocked us by almost immediately saying, “Yes, I can.” Before he spoke, I can tell you that every pen or pencil was poised for THIS bit of wisdom! Then, he answered: “Here’s the sentence: It’s God, saying, ‘I will be with you.’” “’I will be with you.’ That’s the theme of the whole Bible.” And here it is again, in this story of Jacob and his rock-headed dream.

 

I’m not sure it’s worth trying to tie all of this together for you, as there are enough messages in this narrative for you to extract the one that works for YOU this week! I SHOULD say, however, that I am NOT advocating for the kind of “Oh YEAH?” version of a faith that is meant, instead, to be about loving God and neighbor, rather than taking them on in a challenge, although Jacob WILL later engage God in a wrestling match, won’t he? And I am NOT suggesting that “Hold my beer” should be our discipline or the praxis of what we believe. It’s unfortunate that, according to so many of the speakers we have heard at Chautauqua this week, this is what the world sees happening in Western Christianity with our warring over “orthodoxy,” “Biblical authority,” abortion, birth control, and the rights of LGBTQ persons. Remember, “Hold my beer” usually precedes acts of pure idiocy, or at the very least, high folly. And the outcome is typically not something designed to give glory to God, either.

 

Here's the good news: In these ridiculous pursuits, we are in danger of being as conniving and devious as Jacob. And yet, God was WITH him, and found a way to use him to launch the nation of Israel. Maybe even in our foolish “Hold my beer” mentality, God will not only NOT abandon us, but will perform a “new thing” and redeem our rickety ladder-climbing, launching a fresh expression of forgiveness, love, and grace? Jesus actually climbed DOWN the ladder so we don’t have to do anything as silly as try to climb UP it! Jesus brought God to US. We certainly can hope and pray for a “new thing” that God might now do in our midst to revitalize the church!

 

AND we can “borrow” the image of the ladder between heaven and earth as a hopeful sign that Jesus Christ is still in the “bridge” business, bringing together opposing forces and disputing factions, and rebuilding a church out of it all. 

 

In a way, we can take comfort in the thought that NOTHING is impossible with God! “Hold my beer…” Amen!

All in the Same Boat

 

All in the Same Boat

 

Romans 8:1-11
8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
8:2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.
8:3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do: by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and to deal with sin, he condemned sin in the flesh,
8:4 so that the just requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
8:5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.
8:6 To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.
8:7 For this reason the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God's law--indeed it cannot,
8:8 and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
8:9 But you are not in the flesh; you are in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.
8:10 But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
8:11 If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit that dwells in you.

 

As you read my recent messages, you may see a pattern developing: I tend to get more jazzed by the Old Testament texts than the new, and there are a couple of reasons. First of all, I took Greek in seminary, and had no time to squeeze in Hebrew, after I took a near full-time student pastorate. Secondly, I never liked the Old Testament, because in my “NT” prejudice, I thought it was too judgmental and “nasty.” In my old age and retirement era, I am coming to see its more of its beauty, and thanks to more time for better exegetical scholarship, am seeing more clearly through the “human” hands that wrote it, to view the benevolent, brooding, and yet rejoicing God who inspired it. That said, there are New Testament texts that read like the Magna Carta or the Declaration of Independence, and the book of Romans is full of them!

 

Take a look at the first verse of this pericope from Romans 8: “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Wow. One must ask, however, “What does it mean to be IN Christ Jesus?” A few weeks ago, five people were “in” a submersible called the “Titan,” and they all simultaneously lost their lives when it imploded under the overwhelming water pressure at 13,000 feet below the ocean. Sin is an imploding thing, crushing us under its tremendous pressure. However, Christ “lifts us up.” When we are “IN church,” worship inspires and recharges our spirit. Being “IN Christ” is a gift of God, NOT a specific list of “orthodox” doctrines we must painstakingly “obey” to please God. JESUS pleased God for us, and our best, righteous living we now do out of GRATITUDE for this gift.

 

As I wrote in a recent message, it is helpful to understand “sin” differently and more deeply than the “tweet” version of it we often hear. If I were to ask you to define “sin,” you might say it’s “disobedience to the law of God,” or behaviors or attitudes that “anger” a “righteous” God. Those are both religious definitions. I have suggested that a better definition of “sin” is “anything that damages relationships between persons, including a person’s relationship with God.” In this vein, “sin” may also be things that harm community (eroding it) between persons, or that creates excessive resistance to its forming. What if we expand our definition of sin to include things within the person that keep them from “forming” into the fullness of what they want to be, or are “called” to be. Sin, in this thinking, may include mental illness, unhealed, broken relationships, financial hardship, or even negative behaviors like bullying or gossiping. “Sin” may cut a wider, insidiously “bad” swath through the individual psyche, the heart of benevolent community, or the church, than we fully understand. To reduce “sin” to just a breach of some rule or law found in scripture is to lose focus on just how destructive it can be. “Fixing” it is, therefore, requires so much more effort or remedy than a “substitutionary” offering that equates Christ’s death to a cow butchered and burned on an ancient altar. A friend recently posted an Edward Teller quote that summarizes the power of “sin” to disrupt:

 

Life improves slowly and goes wrong fast, and only catastrophe is clearly visible.

 

Paul is telegraphing the destructive power of sin when he connects it with death, which he does on more than one occasion. What kind of death? We all know that there are harmful practices that may lead to a physical death, ranging from murder, to addictions, to dying by suicide prompted by any manner of horrible, demeaning experiences in a life that rob a person’s sense of worth. Lesser, yet tragic “deaths” include the emptiness that occurs within an individual when they sell out great sections of their life to things that provide pleasure, but little purpose, or give in to manipulation or “game playing” by others in their life, who derive their pleasure by controlling people. The Apostle says that the only effective balm for sin is living “IN Christ.”

 

There are many ways to unpack what it means to live “IN Christ,” including this text’s reference to the Holy Spirit of God living IN (or within) our lives, comforting, guiding, and nudging us toward right living. It should be so much more, though, than the trite “religious” meaning we give to it. If sin is so insidious, then God’s effort to disarm it would necessarily need to be much more pervasive. We can argue theology all day long about how the Christ Event provided an “ally, ally, in-free” for the spiritual “penalties” of sin, as we addressed in last week’s message, but let’s say that the Christ offers us a clean slate in this regard. But to provide a fix for the tenacled nature of sin, both individual and corporate, living “in Christ” must include all manner of healing for addiction, mental anguish and illness, that inner emptiness, and purposelessness that may haunt any of us. Corporately, a community “in Christ” must adopt the teachings and “vision” of Jesus to overcome sin’s entropy and cleanse itself through acts of compassion and mercy aimed at what our Jewish siblings call tikkun olam, or “fixing the earth.”

 

I titled my message on this passage, “All in the Same Boat,” based on the Rembrandt painting at the top of this page, and a story that Maxie Dunham tells in one of the first-generation “Disciple Bible Study” videos. Dunham shows Rembrandt’s painting of “Storm on the Sea of Galilee,” depicting the time Jesus and the twelve were in a boat on that famous body of water, and a big storm came up. Jesus is asleep, and the disciples were panicking, thinking they would perish. It’s a wonderful (and somewhat dark) painting. Dunham shows us that if we carefully count the men in the boat, there are FOURTEEN, not just the twelve disciples and Jesus. The dark figure in the rear of the boat—just as terrified as the rest—is Rembrandt, himself. He has painted himself into the scene, because he believed “we are all in the same boat.” Sin is like the storm, be it one of those quick ones that may come up on the Sea of Galilee, or the “500 year” variety that now seems to strike at least monthly! But while storms pass, sin will not go away on its own. In fact, it is so insidious, it will seed itself and just keep spreading, when we are not held to account for it, whether it is personal or corporate. 

 

It's a little hard to see in Rembrandt’s painting, but if you look very closely, he appears to be terrified AND lost, at the same time. Sin can do that to us. Paul would know. He had become so convinced that what he was doing in persecuting these new Christ followers even to the point of having them stoned to death was RIGHT, that he believed he was doing God’s work. This kind of delusion is common to people who sell out to sin. Persecuting people who disagree with your faith or viewpoint is very clearly wrong. The people who stormed the U.S. Capitol, who did great harm to police officers, and threatened the Vice President of the United States with hanging were wrong, plain and simple. But the people in both of these examples had become convinced that their cause was “righteous.” Sin puts us all in the same boat and kicks up the storm. Some in the history of humanity strike out when appropriately challenged, or when their fear overcomes their conscience. One wonders what might have happened on that boat if Jesus hadn’t intervened. One way we are “all in the same boat” is that we may be victims of sin, and perpetrators of it. It may just depend on the day or the circumstances. Either way, sin gets us, especially when you begin to see its “wider” form.

 

The GOOD NEWS is that Jesus is in that boat with us! When the scriptures tell us that “Jesus was tempted as we are, but without sinning,” we should take that to mean that as he walked among us, having “emptied” himself of the “privilege” of all that being part of the Godhead, he experienced the typical human “tug” of all that promises great things that it can’t deliver, leaving an emptiness of its own, behind. And we should interpret that Jesus was “without” sin to mean that his resolve to begin the process of fixing us and the world was so strong that the “tick” of sin couldn’t find a soft spot to bite on him. In the midst of rescuing people—including the disciples on the boat—he launched the rescue of all of us. So, we are all in THAT boat, too! By now, you know my theological perspective that the redeeming power of the Christ Event is so strong that ALL of us on the “boat” have been rescued, unless we intentionally jump overboard. While there’s nothing at all wrong with saying a prayer to “ask Jesus into your heart” and to proclaim oneself “saved,” these steps are most likely not even necessary. If you WANT to find salvation, however you understand that, it is already yours. God ran so strongly our direction, as evidenced by the life and ministry of Jesus Christ, that the only way we can “miss out” is to very intentionally refuse, refuse, refuse, and reject, reject, and reject the love and grace of God. I don’t know why anyone would do that, but I’m sure some have, and some will. How very sad. No one is more sad than God over this, but it is a freedom we have ALSO as a gift from God.

 

Recap: We are “all in the same boat” in that sin can really screw up our lives, our relationships, and our world. Indeed, it has. But we are ALSO “all in the same boat” in that the redemptive, rescuing, reconciling God is “in the boat” with us, and will calm the waves and heal us of our fear. And as we learn to fully integrate the teachings of Jesus, as well as trust the indwelling lure of the Holy Spirit, we will experience life “IN Christ,” as Paul says. Again, a caution: don’t read the Bible to discern who’s “in” and who’s “out.” Read it to find the key or keys to unlock the doors and gates so that everyone can be “in the same boat,” the boat of safety, love, acceptance, and possibility, for NOTHING is impossible with God! Happy sailing! Amen.