Bearing Fruit

Date: August 29, 2010
Scripture Lesson: Matthew 7:15-20
Sermon: Bearing Fruit
Pastor: Rev. Kim Wells

On our recent trip to Scotland, we visited the beautiful island of Iona. It is a small island, about a mile and a half wide and three and a half miles long, off the island of Mull, on the western side of Scotland. The water around Iona looks like the blue of the ocean around the Bahamas. Sheep graze on the hillsides. It is an idyllic paradise. But what makes Iona particularly special is not just its beauty but its religious significance. First a significant site to pagans in pre-Christian Scotland, it is the site where Christianity first came to Scotland. So it is hallowed as a sacred place, the birthplace of Christianity in Scotland.

Now, how did Christianity arrive at this tiny, remote spot? That is quite another story. Christianity was brought to Iona in 563 by St. Columba who is revered there and throughout Scotland. There are shrines to him, stained glass windows commemorating him, and he is referred to again and again. He is ever- present. And how did he come to found a Christian community on this remote island? Columba was from Ireland, which had a very well educated, advanced society at that time. Columba was of royal Irish blood. He had dedicated his life to the church and was trained by the wisest leaders of the church. Columba was a missionary in Ireland from the time he was 25 until he was 40. He established churches and monasteries. Then a local chieftain violated the sanctity of one of his churches. The church was giving sanctuary to a noble fugitive. And the chieftain pursued the nobleman into the church. Columba got the support of his powerful family and went to war against the offending chieftain. In the ensuing battle, it is said that Columba lost only one man, while his army killed 3,000 of the enemy. He attributed his victory to his Christian faith. Other leaders in the church were jealous of Columba and his power, and they arranged for him to be excommunicated for the 3,000 deaths that he caused. Columba was eventually reinstated and told to go and save as many souls as had been lost in the battle. He felt great remorse and decided to redeem himself through self-inflicted exile. He would leave his beloved native land and serve God elsewhere. He left Ireland in a small boat with 12 others and headed east. Iona was the first land that he came to from which he could not see Ireland. He felt that if he could see Ireland, he would not be able to resist the temptation to return. So, he settled on Iona, and established a monastery which brought Christianity to Scotland and beyond. [From “Welcome to Iona” by John Brooks, 1982]

It is quite a story of commitment and redemption, but I found myself disturbed by the violence involved. Christianity spread as the result of violence? This just doesn’t sound like the faith and values of the Jesus we know from the New Testament. It left a bad taste in my mouth. Bad fruit.

And then, as we traveled around Scotland and visited various churches and cathedrals, the veneration of another religious figure emerged. John Knox, noted Protestant Reformer, responsible for the establishment of the Church of Scotland, and revered as the patriarch of the Presbyterian Church. In many towns and churches there were plaques commemorating that “John Knox preached here.” But as we learned more about his legacy, from museums and churches, a pattern seemed to emerge: John Knox preached here and following the service the people rushed out and attacked the Catholics. Knox was known for preaching such a stirring sermon that the congregation was incited to violence. Again, I found this disturbing. Is this how Jesus spread love of God and neighbor? I don’t think so. Bad fruit.

And before we relegate this perpetration of violence by the church to Europe, we want to remember that Christianity has been a source of much violence on our shores as well: Beginning with the killing of the indigenous peoples and going on to the banishing and executing of heretics in Puritan New England, the Salem witch trials, the endorsement of slavery and more. More bad fruit, on our continent.

This week there are several anniversaries of important events in American history. On August 29, 1758, the first Indian reservation was established in this land, in New Jersey. And did the church of the time decry that injustice? No. On August 26, 1920, voting rights for women were endorsed by the US Congress. Did the church offer wholehearted, vociferous support for this initiative? No. On August 29, 1957, the Civil Rights Act was ratified. And did the Christian church across this nation support that justice effort? No. And on August 28, 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. gave the “I have a dream” speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. And ask people of the time. The Christian community of the US did not wholeheartedly support King’s movement, it was not even supported by the majority of African American churches in the US. Bad fruit.

And violence and intolerance continues to be supported by the church in many of its expressions in our country today. Either overtly or through silence, the majority of churches in this country support the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. You have to wonder. If these countries were Christian countries would these wars be so well-supported? And we cannot resort to saying, “Well, a Christian country would not have had such an evil dictatorship as that of Saddam Hussein, or the Taliban.” But what about Nazi Germany? A Christian country, led by a heinous dictator who perpetrated genocide using the church as an ally to further his aims, and with very little dissent from the church of the time. Bad fruit.

Much of the violence and hostility being directed toward Muslims in this country today is the by-product of the teaching of churches that Christianity is exclusively right and superior to other religions, and Islam is violent and evil. The Christian church produces its share of bad fruit.

Recently writer Anne Rice has made a public declaration about leaving the church. In a posting on her Facebook page, she said: “I remain committed to Christ as always but not to being ‘Christian’ or to being part of Christianity. It’s simply impossible for me to ‘belong’ to this quarrelsome, hostile, disputatious, and deservedly infamous group. I refuse to be anti-gay. I refuse to be anti-feminist. I refuse to be anti-artificial birth control. I refuse to be anti-Democrat. I refuse to be anti-secular humanism. I refuse to be anti-science. I refuse to be anti-life. In the name of Christ, I quit Christianity and being Christian. Amen.”

Sure, the faith community has its problems. That’s what Jesus was talking about in the scripture lesson that we heard this morning. There were problems in his day, too. This is nothing new – this using religion for personal gain, to promote a political agenda, to pursue power and control. It has ever been thus. Bad fruit.

But religion is also responsible for good fruit. Most Christians, Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims, Jews, Bahais, etc. seek to be dedicated to compassion and service. We are trying to be good people. Honest, generous, caring, etc. We desire to bear good fruit.

And while religion has the potential for harm, it also has at least as much potential to foment good. We need the community of support, the focus beyond ourselves, the encouragement to live for others, the values of community over individuality, and the access to our deepest spiritual resources, all of which Christianity provides, to bear good fruit. We need the church in the true spirit of Jesus to tend and nurture us so that we can bear good fruit. Left to our own devices, this is not likely to happen.

Jesus faced the challenge of the corruptibility and abuse of religion leading to bad fruit as we do today. But we want to remember that Jesus’ goodness, his compassion, his dedication to service, all came from his religious context, his religious tradition, and his religious community. His commitment to anti-violence, his sense of justice, his investment in forgiveness and mercy, his trust in redemption, his creating of community – all of it came from his religious roots. Without the Jewish religion, there would be no Jesus. Religion has the potential to produce good fruit.

Jesus shows us the dangers and abuses that plague religion, but he also shows us the good it can do. Despite the problems with the religious leaders of his day, Jesus does not start a new religion. Christianity only emerges as a separate religion several decades after Jesus’ death. Jesus does not abandon religion. He continues to be an observant, devout Jew until his death. He shows us all that religion can be. How it can foster the bearing of good fruit.

Through religion and religious teachings, Jesus shows us how to bear good fruit in all aspects of our living: our personal lives, our families and relationships, our lifestyle, our use of resources, our advocacy, our business practices, our work and our play. He shows us that every aspect of our living can be an opportunity for the bearing of good fruit.

Yes, Scotland has a very violent history. And our guide at the Glasgow Cathedral, told us rather abashedly, that Scots like to fight. Their national motto amounts to, Hit us and we’ll hit you back. (So much for turn the other cheek and love your enemy.) But at least they are honest about it! And we were told by a reputable source that Scotland is rated as one of the most violent countries in the developed world. But they also have the image that the US is very violent. The US-initiated war in Afghanistan is very unpopular in the United Kingdom. And the US is renowned in the UK for personal violence as well. A guide at the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh mentioned to our group that everyone in the US carries a gun. Obviously that is a ridiculous caricature. But, the US is a very violent society. The solution is not to get rid of religion. Cut down the tree. Then where will the good fruit come from?

In a wonderful letter to the editor responding to Anne Rice leaving Christianity, LUCC member Mark Gibson suggests, “I encourage Anne Rice and others who feel alienated and berated by Christianity to consider joining a progressive congregation. Don’t abandon the church altogether, but join with others to create a new version of church.” [St. Petersburg Times, 8/21/10]

We are needed to tend and nurture the vision and values of Jesus because what the world needs now is more good fruit! Amen.

A reasonable effort has been made to appropriately cite materials referenced in this sermon. For additional information, please contact Lakewood United Church of Christ.