Rev. Wells

Sermon 9.3.23

LAKEWOOD UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST
2601 54th Avenue South St. Petersburg, FL 33712
On land originally inhabited by the Tocabaga
727-867-7961
lakewooducc.org
lakewooducc@gmail.com

Date: September 3, 2023
Scripture Lessons: Ecclesiastes 9:1b-4 & Zechariah 9:12
Sermon: Prisoners of Hope
Pastor: Rev. Kim P. Wells

I would like to share a recent obituary with you:

“Agnes Abuom, the influential ecumenical leader and peacemaker, died May 31 after a short illness. She was 73.

“An Anglican layperson born in northwest Kenya in 1949, Abuom’s ecumenical roots ran deep. She had Anglican, Catholic, and Pentecostal family members. Her political engagement also emerged early, during her student days at the University of Nairobi.

“In 1976, Abuom’s political involvement forced her to flee Kenya for Sweden. She returned to Kenya in 1989 and was imprisoned for her opposition to President Daniel arap Moi. In 1997, she launched her own agency, TAABCO Research and Development Consultants, which coordinated social action programs in the Horn of Africa.

“Abuom was president of the World Council of Churches from 1999-2006. In 2013, she became the first woman and the first African to serve as moderator of the World Council of Churches’ Central Committee. Abuom was also closely associated with the All Africa Conference of Churches, the National Council of Churches of Kenya, and Religions for Peace.

“Abuom’s wholehearted commitment to justice was infectious. ‘When Dr. Agnes Abuom is done talking to you,’ wrote an interviewer in 2021, ‘you want to do either of two things; punch the air and scream, ‘We shall rise!’ Or sit in a quiet corner and ask yourself, ‘What’s my contribution to humanity?’’” [The Christian Century, August 2023, p. 22.]
As long as we are a live dog and not a dead lion, as Ecclesiastes puts it, we have power, and what are we going to do with that power? To me, just from this obituary, Abuom seems to be using her power to spread hope. As long as we are alive, we have the power to make a difference, and she wanted everyone to know that.

The message of the gospel of Jesus, the core of our faith tradition, is that the realm of God is within us and among us. Right here. Right now. And we are to bear witness to that. That is how we know that things should be better than they are – for humanity, for other than human life, for the planet and for Creation. We get a glimpse, an inkling, or like Abuom, an IMAX vision, of the reality of God, within us and among us. And that gives us hope that things can be better for all of us.

Who was most impacted by the hurricane this past week? Those who are made poor, who are sidelined, and marginalized. Who don’t have the money to go to a hotel or a shelter. Or to afford insurance for their home. I talked with a friend of the church who is houseless, and it was a severe strain for him that the buses were not operating on Wednesday. He told me that he had to walk all day to take care of his affairs. And he wore his best shoes. But they were worn out by all the walking. And how will he get another pair of good shoes?

There are many around us, among us, who struggle – in so many ways. Trying, trying, trying and never feeling like they are in a stable situation let alone getting ahead.   It can be hard to remain hopeful that things will get better.
But that is part of how our society is set up: There are leaders and people in positions of power who want the population to be in a constant condition of struggle and despair. Who want people to be afraid and anxious. Who promote dualistic thinking – us and them. Because then people are easier to control.   Divide and conquer. Keep people distracted with fighting amongst themselves. Keep people focussed on the perceived threat from their neighbors, so they don’t figure out what the people on the tippy top are doing to take advantage of those underneath. It’s an age old story.

So, for these summer sermons, we were given the prompt: ‘I would like to hear a sermon about.’ There was this response: “How to remain hopeful when nothing is going your way, when it seems the tables are turned against you.”

Here is my response: Come to church. I know it sounds simplistic. But come to church to be reminded that the realm of God is within you and among us. Come to hear that you are precious and sacred. Your life matters. Come to be reminded that you are alive and powerful. Come here to hear the truth: That there are those who are actually turning the tables against you. And that, in spite of that, we have the power to make this world a better place for all. Love is more powerful than greed or hate.

Here in church we celebrate stories of people who have overcome. And those stories are powerful and subversive. The Bible is filled with those stories. From the slaves of Egypt to the followers of Jesus. And here in church we continue to bear witness to stories of liberation and transformation. From the slaves of African descent, to the farmworkers, to the houseless people of the neighborhood, to the every day people of our congregation who have overcome so many challenges and struggles like lack of access to healthcare, and tragic grief, and demeaning discrimination. Here in church, we are empowered by those stories.

Some years ago, the LUCC congregation made the decision to open the facilities of the church as a shelter to those who were houseless for 3 months. We had 20-30 people stay here on the church premises. And, yes, we heard their stories. What they were dealing with. But in the midst of that experience, several people from the church family, from the congregation, shared that they had been houseless. They had experienced being shelterless. While we had known those people for years, this had never come up. Now we heard something new about them. How they had overcome. And those stories inspired compassion and hope for our houseless guests.

Church is a place to celebrate hope. If you want to stay in a state of despair and apathy and resignation, don’t come to church.   Because here at church we tell the truth about who we are and how things are and how we’ve overcome.   We celebrate the presence of the sacred within us and among us. We infect one another with hope. It’s contagious here. When your hope is running low, there is someone here who will give you some of their hope to help you persist. We rekindle hope in those whose hope is fading. Here we rejoice that ‘We shall rise!’ And we ask ourselves what we can be doing to make things better. There is power in church!

We’ll close with a story from India about a dog.

“There was once a perfectly normal little dog — neither fierce nor timid. One day, this little dog wandered off to a nearby fairground, and found itself inside the hall of mirrors.

“The little dog took one look around, and saw hundreds of dogs staring back at it. Terrified at being so surrounded, it began to bark and to bare its teeth. To its horror, every one of the hundreds of other dogs did the same. Suddenly the ordinary little dog was in the midst of a hostile army of strange and fearsome looking animals. Its barking grew even more frantic and its growl more vicious. It tried to bite the other dogs, but as soon as it got near to them, they too growled and tried to bite.

“This might have gone on all night, but the little dog’s owner came looking for it. As soon as the little dog caught sight of its owner and heard the familiar call, it began to wag its tail and jump up and down for joy.

“And yes, all the other dogs did the same. And the little dog went home thinking that perhaps the big, wide world wasn’t quite as terrifying as it had first thought.” [“The Ferocious Dog,” retelling of a traditional Indian story in One Hundred Wisdom Stories from Around the World by Margaret Silf, p. 108.]

At church, we see someone like Agnes Alboum in the mirror, or the person sitting next to you, or across the sanctuary, showing us the capacity for hope that is within us. And the big, wide world isn’t quite as terrifying. 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.

Sermon 8.13.23

The novel entitled The Colony by Audrey Magee takes place on an island off of the coast of Ireland in 1979. The island is about 3 miles long and one mile wide so the residents form a very close knit community. One character has lost her husband, her father, and her brother in a tragic storm as they were fishing and their boat went down. Several times in the novel, which was recommended at an LUCC monthly Book Talk gathering, there is reference to waiting for the three men to return. Though months, even years have passed, there is still this lingering faint hope? expectation? possibility? that one day, one of the men will wash back up out of the sea. Their presence is still part of the fabric of the community and so is their absence.

In the story we heard today from Luke, there is also a lost loved one. The father knows nothing about what has happened to his son. He only knows that the son has left turning his back on his family and faith. The request for the inheritance was essentially wishing the father dead. So this son is not only gone, but lost – to the community, family, morals, values, and culture that he was part of.
We are told of the father catching sight of the returning son from a long way off. This father figure, who has been abandoned, has not given up on the son, on the son’s return. We can imagine the father looking for the son, maybe even every day. One day in one direction. Maybe the next day in another direction. The father has no information to go on. Still, it seems the father looks, with hope? expectation? possibility? for the son to return.

We are told that the father saw the son from far away. How did he know the son? Was the gait still the same? The hair color? The demeanor? The height? But a parent knows such things about a child. A parent has the intimate knowledge needed to recognize the one coming, even from far off.

Then we are told that the father runs to greet the son. Embraces him. Kisses him. It was unseemly for an elder land holder to run. A landowner waited for people to come to him. Seek him out. Yet we are told of this father running to meet the son. The son barely begins his prepared speech and the father cuts him off. You’re home! We must celebrate! The best clothes are placed upon the son. And a ring. This is no hired hand, this is an heir.

And the father in the story also goes to his other son who is resentful and angry. The father seeks him out. Listens to him. Affirms him and his place in the father’s heart and household.

It seems that the love and joy of this father for both of his sons is irrepressible.

In the Gospel of Luke, this story is presented as being told to a group of religious officials who are complaining that Jesus eats with tax collectors and sinners. Tax collectors were rich and powerful people who were not accepted in the faith community, and sinners were outcasts, usually poor or sick, who were not accepted in the faith community. Jesus had a reputation for socializing with the wrong people on both ends of the economic spectrum.

And here we are given an allegory that seems to portray a God who eagerly accepts all. Wherever they are on the spectrum. The wayward son and the steady, loyal son. This is a portrait of a God who is a both/and God not an either/or God. A God with open arms, awaiting all. Not a transactional God opening a gate only for those who qualify, who can pay, who have earned their way, through their religious observance perhaps. This is a story in which every person is beloved. And there is nothing you can do about it.

This God figure doesn’t make the younger son grovel, offering bread and water, sackcloth, ashes, kneeling, and tears. This God responds with exuberance: a fatted calf, a new robe, jewelry, dancing, merriment. This is an irrepressibly joyful God eager to welcome all, especially those who have been lost.

We get the New York Times each Sunday, and my spouse, Jeff, reads it all week, often while we are sitting together at the dining room table. I am probably doing the crossword. And he gives me a curated version of the weekly paper; telling me about the things he thinks I will find interesting. A couple of weeks ago, he was telling me that apparently about 80% of Americans say that they believe in God. Frankly that surprised me. A little more investigation shows that only 56% believe in God as described in the Bible. [https://www.newsweek.com/fact-check-do-80-americans-believe-god-1782664]

Well, who is the God described in the Bible? Do those 56% believe in God as portrayed in this story from Luke? This prodigal father figure? Or do they believe in the punitive God of other stories in the Bible? Is it the creator God they believe in? Or is it the God who raises Jesus from the dead? What are the attributes of the God of the Bible that people believe in?

I will tell you this. If 56% of the people in this country believed in the God portrayed in this story from Luke, this would be a very different society. We would be a people of lavish generosity and hope. The government would be looking out for the wellbeing of all residents. There would be no prison industrial complex, no school to prison pipeline. Prejudice and bias would be much lower. There would not be a group of one kind of people attacking another kind for asking them to move their boat as we saw recently. We would not be in bondage to selfishness, greed, and individualism.   Because we would see that it is all grace not accounting.

The God figure in the story from Luke, this is the God of Jesus. This is the kind of God Jesus wants us to worship. This is the sort of God Jesus wants us to see, know, and recognize. This is the God Jesus teaches us to expect and to find – in ourselves. And in each other. A God of prodigal love.

Meister Eckhart, a Christian mystic who lived from 1260-1328, said, “God is at home; it is we who have gone out for a walk.” [See Matthew Fox, Original Blessing, p. 161.]

May we make our way home to the God of this story, joyfully awaiting us, eager to welcome us. Home.   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.

Sermon 8.20.23

LAKEWOOD UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST
2601 54th Avenue South St. Petersburg, FL 33712
On land originally inhabited by the Tocabaga
727-867-7961
lakewooducc.org
lakewooducc@gmail.com

Date: August 20, 2023
Scripture Lesson: Luke 19:1-10
Sermon: Reconciliation and Forgiveness
Pastor: Rev. Kim P. Wells

“Today salvation has come to this house.” These are the words proclaimed by Jesus in the story of Zacchaeus that we heard this morning. This is the essence of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This is the Good News. Salvation has come to this house. To us. To humanity. To the world. The word in the New Testament for salvation implies healing, restoration of well-being, wholeness.   When we are told of Jesus declaring that salvation has come to Zaccheaus’ house, Jesus is declaring that the Gospel, the Good News, has come and has been received. Zaccheaus is restored to right relationship – with himself, with the community, with God, and with Creation. Yes, all is right with the world!

And this is the intent of the Good News. To bring healing, wholeness, and restoration to what has gotten out of balance, to what has been distorted, to what has been violated. The love and grace of God seeks to work in our lives and in our world in ways that foster reconciliation and restoration of relationships.

We see this focus in many of the teachings of the gospels related to forgiveness. Forgiveness is part of the path to the restoration of relationships. In the teachings associated with Jesus, the disciples want to know how many times they must forgive and Jesus tells them 70 time 7. That still sounds overwhelming. Yet it shows the importance of forgiveness. It is necessary for right human relationships. There is a gospel story about a group of men ready to stone a woman caught in adultery. There is no mention of the man who was also part of the infraction. And in the story, Jesus tells the gathered would-be slayers, let the one without sin cast the first stone. They slowly depart. And Jesus tells the woman that he does not condemn her either.   A compelling portrayal of forgiveness and restoration. The woman’s life is quite literally saved. In another story, Jesus tells his followers, if you come to the altar with a gift and have an unresolved issue with someone in the community, put down your gift and go seek out the person and pursue reconciliation. Then come back to the altar and make your gift. Forgiveness and reconciliation are core teachings of Jesus. And of course, there is the story of Jesus, declaring from the cross, “Forgiven them Abba, for they don’t know what they are doing.” Perhaps something that could be said by every victim of the death penalty?

The Gospel is about restoration and reconciliation; the pursuit of right relationships. This has implications for our relationship with ourselves, with others, with society, with the Earth, and with God. The Good News is about aligning ourselves to be in harmony with all of Creation. And given our free will, our selfishness and greed, our fear, there is a lot of need for us to put the Gospel message to work healing and repairing relationships on many fronts.

I read something recently about how when people play video games with others and their faces are blurred so others don’t see them for who they are, when their identities are masked, they are more selfish. [The Christian Century, August 2023, p. 10.] There is less sense of being in relationship.

A similar dynamic comes into play on social media. People say harmful things because they can do so relatively anonymously. They don’t have to worry about having to see the person the next day at school or at work. In the flesh. So, the hurtful venom is spewed. But there are few repercussions to real life relationships. Today, we can do so much with our identities blurred. And it can lead to damage in relationships.

Related to this, in December someone from the community, known to the church, broke into the church office and stole some checks from the check book. The person has tried to cash some of those checks but the credit union has prevented it. The person has been arrested and is out on bail. There was a pretrial hearing in the case this past week. Three of us from church went: Mark Gibson, our church treasurer who has borne the brunt of the consequences in hours of time spent working with our financial institution and with the police and court system, Barbara Donohue, an advisor, and I. I thought it was important for the person involved to see that we are people, that what he did had an impact on people who know him and are in relationship with him. This isn’t just about a wooden door and some pieces of paper. It isn’t even just about money and time. It is about his relationship with people in the community. We are not anonymous entities on line. We are flesh and blood people. And he has violated our trust and damaged our relationship with him. We are staying involved to help to repair and restore that relationship.

At the recent UCC General Synod in Indianapolis last month, the Rev. Dr. Carmen Lansdowne preached at the large Sunday afternoon service. She is the moderator of the United Church of Canada. She is the first indigenous woman to lead a denomination in Canada.   Her sermon was magnificent.   There is one thing she told us that I have not stopped thinking about. She is descended from indigenous people who lived for 15,000 years on the land in her region of Canada. She told us that 25-30,000 people lived in community on that land for all those years and in their language, in their culture, they don’t have the word ‘forgiveness.’   They don’t have a word like that. There is no saying ‘I’m sorry’ or ‘I forgive you’. The implication is that when there was a problem, it was made right. There was some kind of action taken to restore community and justice and right relationship. They didn’t need to say something about forgiveness because they did something about forgiveness.

Think about how easy it is to say, ‘I’m sorry.’ Or to text: ‘My bad.’ And that’s it. Took care of it. Did my part. Problem over. If it lingers, that’s on the other person.

Friends, that’s just too easy. True reconciliation and restoration especially after something significant, it takes more. Look at Zacchaeus. Jesus says – I’m coming over. Zacchaeus is filled with delight. He feels redeemed. Welcomed back into the community. Touched by Divine grace. That is restoration between Zacchaeus and God. But what about the community? The people Zacchaeus has betrayed and extorted? His victims? They grumble. So in his new state of reconciliation and restoration with God, Zacchaeus addresses himself to seeking right relationship with his community, his neighbors, his victims.   Zacchaeus commits to giving away half of all he has to poor people. Ok. Now you’re talking. He is doing something. Taking action. Not just spewing a little air on a few words. Then he mentions paying back anyone who has been cheated four fold. This man has been truly touched by Divine Love. He wants to make things right. He wants to be restored to the community. To himself. He wants reconciliation.   And in joy he exudes generosity not just of words or of spirit but of restitution. That is true conversion of heart.

This story of Zacchaeus has always been one of my favorites in the Bible. Since I was a small child. I have often thought about that. Why this story? Is it because of the Singing Nuns’ song about Zacchaeus that I heard a hundred times and loved to sing when I was small? Is it because as a kid I loved to climb trees? We would spend hours at the top of the willow trees in my best friend’s back yard. But in reflecting on this story this week, I think one of the things I really love is that Zacchaeus takes direct action in response to the love of God he receives from Jesus. He immediately sets about making things right. I love that. The taking action. The doing something to make change, to implement justice, right relationship. It’s not all head and heart, it’s the bank account, too. Not just words, which can be powerful, but also behavior and action. Not just theory but practice. I love that.

This month some 60 years ago, 250,000 people marched on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. It was the largest demonstration for human rights in our nation’s history. People were spell bound by what have become Dr. King’s iconic words painting the possibility of hope for the future for the people of this country and the world. In the wake of the march, the 1964 Civil Rights Act and the 1965 Voting Rights Act were passed.

In an editorial in the latest issue of the journal The Christian Century, editor Peter Marty, talks about the aftermath of the march: “According to the American National Election Studies for 1956, 65 percent of White people believed the government should guarantee a job to anyone who wanted one and provide a minimum standard of living. Heather McGhee, who has studied the ANES surveys extensively, notes that White support for these ideas cratered between 1960 and 1964, from nearly 70 percent to 35 percent.” [The Christian Century, August 2023, p. 1.] This was a back lash against civil rights legislation and federal programs benefitting African Americans.

Doing something, taking action, to address race related inequity was not popular with the majority of Whites. And that spirit continues today. White people might be ok about talking an anti racist game, or the theory of equity, but when it comes to actually doing something, making restitution, redistributing resources, etc. that is when the controversy erupts. Here in Florida, the government not only doesn’t want to do anything about creating right relationships among the diverse racial groups of our state but it also wants to mask, bury, and hide the truth about the wrongs that have been done to create the harm that is impacting all of our lives right now.

The Gospel of Jesus teaches us to tell the truth because the truth is what will set us free. Set us free to say and do the things that can lead to forgiveness, reconciliation, and right relationship. Zacchaeus knew what he had done was wrong and immediately took steps to make things right. We need to know what we have been part of as a society and we need to be part of making things right on many fronts, not just race relations, otherwise the wounds just fester and poison the whole enterprise. As we well know.

In a country with our wealth and our resources, there is no reason, no reason, why every single person does not have a safe place to live and food to eat and needed health care. Period.   We do not have this because laws in this country protect the amassing of wealth and limit the paying of taxes to fund the common good. The reason we do not have housing, food, quality education and healthcare for all is not lack of resources. It is lack of desire. Lack of will. Lack of moral vision.

The gospel is Good News telling us that we have the power to make things right. We are capable of pursing reconciliation and of making things right, no matter what has happened to cause harm and damage. The Gospel is a message of ultimate healing and well being for everyone. Reconciliation and forgiveness are powerful paths for bringing us to wholeness and joy.

Yes, this involves spiritual work, prayer, and interpersonal relations. It involves our forgiving of ourselves, each other, and those who have gone before us. It involves living into right relationship with God, however we conceive of God, and Creation. And this work involves more than just how we feel or what we might say. It also involves taking action. Making things right. Zacchaeus makes bold declarations of his intentions: He gives half of his wealth to the poor. And pledges to repay those cheated four fold. And we know there were those who were extorted; that is how the system was set up. Zacchaeus does this out of joy and delight. In response to the Good News of the Gospel. He does not have to remain an outcast. He can be restored to the community. And he wants to do his part to pursue reconciliation with the community.

Forgiveness and reconciliation. This is not only something between us and God in our hearts. It is not only something that Jesus does for our souls. It is not only about making peace with yourself in your spirit and forgiving yourself or your family member or friend, with words. Forgiveness and reconciliation are also about setting things right. And making recompense for the damage that has been caused. It is about making things right not just saying the right thing.

In May at an ecumenical conference in Johannesburg, South Africa, leaders joined together to call for a global tax and economic system that restores the extensive resources appropriated from the African continent by global corporations. The initiative emphasizes that global corporations have robbed Africa of millions of dollars through evasive tax practices while low income Africans, especially women, pay exorbitant consumption taxes.    “Our resources need to start working for us,” said Francis Kairu, a policy adviser at Tax Justice Network Africa. “We need to ensure that tax is addressing inequality issues, including gender.” And what is the inspiration for this tax reparations initiative in Africa? Zacchaeus. It is called the Zacchaeus Tax Campaign or ZacTax. Those who have exploited the tax system are being called to repent and make reparations like Zacchaeus did. [The Christian Century, August 2023, p. 17.]

The Gospel promises us the joy of living in right relationship even when we find ourselves up a tree like dear Zacchaeus.

May Zaccheaus continue to inspire us to take action – radical, drastic, profligate action – toward being in right relationship with ourselves, our God, our families and friends, the Earth, our society, and the entire human community. There is much work to do. And we have much to contribute! What a glorious future we can create! Yes, pray. Yes, say things that show contrition and understanding. Yes, ask for and offer forgiveness freely. But also, take action. Reach out. Open your wallet. Go out on a limb. That’s where the best fruit is. 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.

Sermon 7.23.23

LAKEWOOD UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST
2601 54th Avenue South St. Petersburg, FL 33712
On land originally inhabited by the Tocabaga
727-867-7961
lakewooducc.org
lakewooducc@gmail.com

Date: July 23, 2023
Scripture Lesson: Mark 1:21-39
Sermon: What Can We Do?
Pastor: Rev. Kim P. Wells

I’m not much of a movie person. And I rarely pay any attention to something like the Academy Awards. But this year, I was thrilled when “Everything Everywhere All At Once” won best picture. I actually did see this movie – 2 times at home and 3 times in the theater. As much as some people, many people, including people in my own family, thought this movie was horrible, a complete waste of time, I thought it was fantastic. I have no desire to change your opinion of the movie, if you even saw it, which I assume most of you did not. And I certainly doubt any of you saw it 5 times. But to me, it was filled with the themes of our faith, of Christianity: good overpowering evil, redemption, reconciliation, loving your enemy, being kind. There are many messages in the movie that echo the themes of Christianity.

Today, I am going to tell you about one scene in the movie that I absolutely love.

To give you a bit of background, the story involves a Chinese American family that owns a laundromat. The owners, a couple, are being audited by the IRS. They go to the intimidating IRS office to meet with an auditor. In the course of things, the husband and wife find themselves in a utility closet, think brooms and mops, and he tells her a ludicrous story about an evil villain trying to take over the worlds, and how he has come from another metaverse to tell her that after searching the universes, they landed on her as the one who needs to defeat the evil villain. They have chosen Evelyn, this unremarkable wife, mother, business owner, daughter, to vanquish the evil villain.

Evelyn is having none of this story. She thinks the man, who appears to be her husband, is crazy. She is worrying about the IRS audit. And the Chinese new year party that night at the laundromat. And her father who is visiting from China. And her daughter who has a girlfriend, and making sure the Chinese grandfather does not find out about that. And she is thinking about the laundry of the woman with the little dog in a stroller. An evil villain threatening the metaverses and she is to vanquish this evil character, who, by the way, turns out to be her daughter? She is having none of this.

After this preposterous situation has been revealed to Evelyn, in the broom closet at the IRS office building, the messenger from another metaverse, presenting as her husband, Waymond, pleads with her, begs her, implores her, WE NEED YOU!   And she replies, “Very busy today. No time to help you.” And she dismisses him. I love that scene.

Even when presented with a far smaller mission, how many of us have thought, “Very busy today. No time to help you.”

We know about being busy.   Time on hold calling a utility company. Time logging in and finding out about this and that. Time getting the car fixed at the garage. Time for the doctor’s appointments. What happened to all the leisure time we were supposed to have due to the many labor saving devices we have access to and the increased productivity of our work which would mean less time on the job? What happened to all that time we were supposed to have to pursue hobbies and re-creation? Many of us are barely staying afloat . . . trying to manage everyday life. We can sympathize with, “Very busy today. No time to help you.”

And while we may not get squirreled away into a broom closet and have the hard sell put on us to save the world, we are certainly inundated daily with the sufferings of the world. The trials and tribulations of people here in our own community, in our country, and all around the globe. Thanks to the marvels of technology, it’s sort of like living in the utility closet of the movie – we are constantly being confronted with the needs of the world, brought home to our screens large and small, ubiquitous, showing us in glaring visuals the ravages of suffering around us. Between the busyness that assaults us and the problems of the world that assault us, we can feel that we are under siege.

As followers of Jesus, we want to be good people. We want to serve others. We want to help to make the world a better place – on Earth as it is in heaven. We want to be compassionate. We want to be kind and loving, even to our enemies. We want to be generous. These things are important to us. We know that this is fundamentally who we are, created in the image of God. We know that our highest good and our deepest joy is found in following Jesus and living for others. But given our time constraints, our financial situations, our health issues, we face limitations.

The person who requested a sermon on this topic wrote: “I want to know that I’m fully living my personal ‘ministry’ to love and serve. That’s hard to know when surrounded by so much need.” Yes, it is!

Here we turn to the story we heard today of a typical day in the life of Jesus. Let’s review his itinerary for that Sabbath day:

Go to weekly services and teach
Deal with the person with an unclean spirit who shows up at the service
Head to Simon and Andrew’s house
Heal Simon’s mother-in-law
Eat dinner, prepared by Simon’s mother-in-law
Cure all the people from the city who show up in the evening
In the morning, while it is still dark, go to a deserted place and pray
Be interrupted by the disciples who say, “Everyone is searching for you.”
Head to neighboring towns to teach and heal Repeat. Repeat. Repeat.

That’s quite a schedule! and Jesus didn’t have a day timer or a calendar app to keep him organized! He was truly busy. Did he manage to brush his teeth? Walk the dog? Call his mother? Do his PT exercises? We don’t know.

What insights do we get from this story about how we can figure out what we are to be doing as followers of Jesus, in the face of limited resources and unlimited needs and suffering?

One thing we see in this story is Jesus going to the synagogue and going off alone to pray. These are religious observances. By participating in the ritual of weekly gathering for worship, Jesus stays grounded in the Jewish tradition, in the stories, and prayers, and readings and teachings that root his identity and his ministry. So one part of being in touch with our ministry, who we are, and how we are called to serve, involves rooting ourselves in a faith community and engaging regularly in worship.

Another dimension of this connection to tradition which informs our identity and our activity is spending time in prayer. In quiet. Being. Not doing. Maybe this is a time of Bible reading and devotional reading followed by reflection each day. Maybe it is a walk in silence around the neighborhood. Maybe it is sitting quietly for a few moments each day in your car during your lunch hour. With the devices off.   And books closed. Maybe the eyes closed, too. Creating space – for reflection. For things to settle. To become clear. To appear. To resolve. This can be a time to connect with reality beyond the minutiae of every day life which can be consuming. And with the twenty four hour news cycle, we can be constantly made aware of all the suffering, pain, tragedy, injustice, and loss that goes on around us, yes 24/7. Jesus shows us that we need take some time, each day, to step off the treadmill of life. To reground and reset ourselves.

Jesus routinely goes off alone to pray, to maintain his connection with God, with his true self, with his calling, so that he does not get derailed and detoured and distracted. Another example of this is the story of Jesus going to pray in the garden of Gethsemane the night before the crucifixion. He needs to center his spirit, shore up his purpose, ground his identity, so that he can face that ignominious death.

So we are shown that regular participation in our faith community and daily time in silence can help to keep us aligned with our ministry and purpose in life.
After Jesus heals Simon’s mother-in-law, we are told, they brought to him all who were sick or possessed with demons. And the whole city was gathered around the door. This sounds overwhelming. Everyone. That word is used on purpose, I believe. It is supposed to sound like an onslaught. The need is so great.

We, too, have the world and its troubles lined up at the doors of our awareness each and every day. And it is not just the village or city that we are in. With the advances of technology, it is literally the needs of the whole world. Well, if we are told the truth. . . And, yes, it is overwhelming.

Just this week, the cluster bombs, the heat, the fires. I finished reading the novel Demon Copperhead and that was an eye opener to suffering in our midst. And surely there was another mass shooting. Somewhere. This week.

It can make you just want to crawl under a rock. What can I do? How can I make a difference? How can I love and serve when the needs are so great? What is my drop of water in this ocean of despair going to do?

Again, let’s turn to Jesus to help us see how we can be making a difference, not only for others, but for our own lives because when we have purpose, we find our lives abundant and filled with joy. When we look at the tradition we have of the ministry of Jesus, we see Jesus over and over again dealing with the people that he encounters in the course of his day to day life. Someone comes up to him. They line up at the door of the house where he is staying. They appear where he is teaching like in the synagogue.   And Jesus stops and responds to them. Regardless of his strategic plan, of his agenda, his schedule, he responds to those whom he encounters in the moment. This can help us in our discernment about fulfilling our ministry. Are we paying attention and responding to those who come across our path, literally, who are in need?

The last time I went to visit someone in Bayfront Hospital, I went out to the parking garage to drive back to church. I had the windows open on the car to let the heat out. When I got to the exit of the garage, I stopped for a pedestrian walking down the sidewalk in front of the garage. As she walked in front of the car, she called out to me and asked if I was going past the McDonald’s on 4th St. I said I was, and she proceeded to open the passenger door and get into the car telling me that it was hot and she needed a ride. To be honest, she really didn’t give me an opportunity to reflect on whether I wanted to do this or not, so there really wasn’t much discernment on my part. She was in the car. I really couldn’t ask her to get out. So I introduced myself and told her I was the pastor of Lakewood United Church of Christ on 54th Ave. S.   She had heard of our church. She told me her cousin was a pastor and she went to his church. When we got to McDonald’s she told me where to go, a few blocks into the neighborhood, and she asked me to stop, and she thanked me and got out. Well, that was interesting.

But we can become so caught up in our plans and schemes and schedules that we neglect the need that is right in front of us. Maybe is it a need that we have ourselves, that we aren’t paying attention to. So, one thing I would say is look at the example of Jesus, and deal with what is in front of you. Train your eyes, ears, and heart, to notice and respond to what comes your way, literally, in the course of your day.

Now, there is much that comes our way via the media and technology. How are we to deal with that? We can simply turn off our device. Power down. Shut out the need, the pain, the suffering. One way to navigate the media onslaught of need and trouble is to notice, what makes you want to cry? When you hear about something and it brings tears to your eyes, pay attention. Maybe that is something that you need to think about responding to or helping with. Maybe that is an issue that you could get involved with.

Last week after church someone came up to me and told me about something on National Public Radio about the earth entering a new era, the Anthropocene. And it is demarcated by the destructive impact of humans on the environment of the planet. When the person told me about this, the person had glassy eyes. Almost teary. That to me is an indicator that this is an issue that person may want to get involved with, making a difference.

So think about, what makes you cry? What breaks your heart? That may lead you to the ministry that is needed from you, and that you need to pursue for your highest good.

In the story we heard today, Jesus tells his disciples they are going to neighboring villages, to proclaim the Good News. “For that is what I came out to do.” That is what Jesus needed to do. This reminds us that we are to do what we are needed to do. To do our part.   Which no one else can do. Fulfill our calling, make our contribution. And it is not to end suffering in the world. It is not to defeat evil for all time. It is not to stop all the pain and injustice in the world. It’s not to be everything to everyone everywhere all at once. No one can do that alone. Even Jesus needed disciples, followers, us, today, to work on all of that. So no one of us is here to do it all. We are here to do what we can do. In this moment. In this place.

At the United Church of Christ General Synod earlier this month in Indianapolis, the Rev. Dr. Karen Georgia Thompson was elected General Minister and President of the United Church of Christ, our highest office. Karen Georgia was a member of this church when she lived in St. Petersburg. At one point during the meeting there was a 2 hour long Q and A with Karen Georgia in a jam packed convention center meeting room. In response to one question she replied, First of all, I’m not interested in how big your church is, tell me about what you are doing. I LOVE that. We don’t have to make excuses or try to be everything to everyone everywhere all at once. Here. Now. Where we are. Who we are. What are we doing? Remember Jesus called a rag tag group of disciples with full confidence in what they would do even though they continually try to undermine his selection process with their density.

At the end of the movie, “Everything Everywhere All At Once,” after all the transporting to other realities, and other versions of herself, after confronting evil in its many guises, including her daughter, the main character, the mother, Evelyn, comes back to this life, to the parking lot at the laundromat, and a conversation with her daughter with whom she has a very strained relationship. She is there with her daughter. And after all the metaverses, and powers, and glory, and fame, she tells her daughter, “No matter what I still want to be here with you. I will always, always want to be here with you.” She has found what she needs to do, what will bring her life meaning and joy, (the daughter’s name is Joy), and it is enough.

We started with the question, Am I am fully living my personal ministry to love and serve? First, remember – No one is expected to be everything to everyone everywhere all at once. Then engage in discernment. You’ve come to church. That’s a good start right there. How can you know what you are supposed to be doing?   Spend some time in quiet every day. Notice the needs around you and respond. Pay attention to what moves you, makes you cry, and find a way to make a difference. Then you will know that you are doing what you have been put on this precious beautiful Earth to do. And it is enough. 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.

Sermon 6.4.23

NOTE: This sermon was preached at Naples United Church of Christ on Sunday June 4, 2023.   Rev. Kim Wells was invited to be a guest preacher. Kim’s daughter, Rev. Angela Wells-Bean, is the Minister for Congregational Care at Naples UCC.

LAKEWOOD UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST
2601 54th Avenue South St. Petersburg, FL 33712
On land originally inhabited by the Tocabaga
727-867-7961
lakewooducc.org
lakewooducc@gmail.com

Date: June 4, 2023
Scripture Lesson: I Corinthians 12:3b-13
Sermon: Still Smoking
Pastor: Rev. Kim P. Wells

We moved to Florida in 1990 when Angela’s father was called to serve Pilgrim Congregational United Church of Christ in St. Petersburg. We moved at Thanksgiving and then it was on to the Christmas season. The congregation of Pilgrim Church was largely made up of retirees and they liked to get together for social events especially during the holidays.   So we were invited to numerous gatherings and it was a good way to get to know people. I remember a conversation at a party in which one of the church members, John Bucklin, known as Bucky, a retiree, laughingly told me about how busy he was. He told me that he and his spouse jokingly refer to December as their season of 3-event days. They routinely have three scheduled events to attend most days in December. I tried to appreciate this good natured poke at being retired. But as a mother of 2 young children and used to working full time, I thought a three event day sounded like a vacation!

Yes, we are used to being busy in the Christmas season. And then after the holiday, we put the tree and the decorations away and resume ‘normal’ life – many fewer three event days for some of us!

In the early centuries of the Christian movement, there were three great holy day seasons each year. Christmas, of course. Easter. Yes. And, Pentecost. These three festivals anchored the church year. We celebrated Pentecost last week. It’s the festival of red and flames and wind and speaking in various languages. You probably had red paraments on the altar and pulpit and lectern last Sunday. The pastor probably wore a red stole. At our church we had windmakers which the congregation uses to make sound effects during the reading of the scripture referring to the wind.

But it is the week after Pentecost, and like the week after Christmas when the tree and wreaths are put away, we have likely put Pentecost away for another year.

In the Pentecost story in the book of Acts, we are told that over 3,000 people were baptized that day. What a success! But their mission did not end when everyone went home from Jerusalem at the end of the Festival of Pentecost. Those disciples went on to carry their message of love far and wide over many years. And it is because of their efforts, those simple country people, who were not sophisticated or well educated, that we are here today. And the compelling message that galvanized their mission was spreading the universal, unconditional love of God.

Dr. Stephen Patterson, once a professor at Eden Seminary where your former interim minister, David Greehaw, was president, is now a professor at Willamette University in Oregon. He is a scholar of religion, early Christianities, the historical Jesus, and the New Testament. He has written a book that outlines a reconstruction of an early Christian creed, the good news that the followers of Jesus repeated as a statement of their core beliefs and their mission. This creed has echoes in the verses that were read today from 1 Corinthians. Here is how Patterson translates what he calls the ‘forgotten creed’:

You are all children of God:
There is no Jew or Greek;
There is no slave or free;
There is no male and female;
For you are all one.

[See The Forgotten Creed: Christianity’s Original Struggle against Bigotry, Slavery, and Sexism by Stephen J. Patterson.]

This is the essence of the teachings of the earliest followers of Jesus. To me, this forgotten creed expresses the kind of community that the church is still called to be today. Community that is egalitarian, not patriarchal, not sexist, not stratified, not biased or prejudiced in any way. If this seems dreamy now, it was even more visionary in the early centuries of the Christian movement in the context of the Roman Empire which was founded on patriarchy and class division and in which people owned slaves and women were considered property as well.

Yet even in that context, Christians embraced this creed:

You are all children of God:
There is no Jew or Greek;
There is no slave or free;
There is no male and female;
For you are all one.

This creed remains an expression of the core mission of the church today. And we know that there is still a lot of work for our churches to be doing to create this kind of radical egalitarian community. And Naples UCC is blessed to have the expertise of associate pastor Angela Wells-Bean who was well-trained in diversity, equity, and inclusion as a

sociology major at New College — back when Florida still had DEI. Angela is a wonderful resource for pursuing this egalitarian vision for the church.

This creed expresses the mission the disciples were given on Pentecost. They were able to speak to everyone; to reach out to all. The church is called to create community where all are beloved — where it doesn’t matter where you are from, whether you are a citizen or an immigrant, where it doesn’t matter if you are a CEO of a Fortune 500 company or a janitor, where it doesn’t matter how you vote, where gender does not matter and all loving relationships are affirmed and there are bathrooms for everyone. And where there is a safe, clean natural environment to support human and other than human life. One beloved human community created in the Divine Image. The body of Christ. One body with different parts, yet an organic whole.

We may have put away the red paraments, and the windmakers, and the red candles, but the work of the church is not done. And the power of the Spirit being given to the church has not diminished.

I am not a movie person and I seldom watch TV. My spouse loves movies. At least once a week he asks me, Wanna watch a movie? I politely suggest he to go ahead — without me. Once in a while someone suggests a movie and I make it a point to watch it especially if recommended by a parishioner. But generally speaking movies are not on my menu.

So, several months ago, our son Malcolm and partner, Samantha, mentioned there was a movie they wanted to watch with us. We scheduled it. I don’t say no to our kids! They told us the name but not much else. I looked into it a bit so that I would have some context that might help me to appreciate it more. Instead of being illuminated I was confused by what I read. So I thought I’ll just watch politely and see what’s what.

So, we watched the movie. And I found myself thinking about it. Like every day. And I thought I would like to see it again. Maybe on the big screen so that I could see better what was going on.

Then, months later, lo and behold, the movie was in the theaters and I went to see it — three times.   By now you’re probably wondering what the heck the movie was! Well, here goes. Everything Everywhere All At Once. How many of you have seen it? Now, in our family, there seem to be very strong feelings about this movie. Love it. Me. Or hate it. Angela. Not much in between. And that seems to be the case in the wider culture. Either you think it is great or you think it’s garbage, a waste of time. If you have any opinions about this movie, don’t look to me to change your mind.

To give you a bit of background, the story involves a Chinese American family that owns a laundromat. The owners, a couple, are being audited by the IRS. They go to the IRS office to meet with an auditor. In the course of things, the husband and wife find themselves in a utility closet, think brooms and mops, and he tells her a ludicrous story about an evil villain trying to take over the worlds, and how he has come from another metaverse to tell her that after searching the universes, they landed on her as the one who needs to defeat the evil villain. They have chosen Evelyn, this unremarkable wife, mother, business owner, daughter, to vanquish the evil villain.

Evelyn is having none of this story. She thinks the man, who appears to be her husband, is crazy. She is worrying about the IRS audit. And the Chinese new year party that night at the laundromat. And her father who is visiting from China. And her daughter who has a girlfriend, and making sure the Chinese grandfather does not find out about that. And she is thinking about the laundry of the woman with the little dog in a stroller. An evil villain threatening the metaverses and she is to vanquish this evil character, who, by the way, turns out to be her daughter? She is having none of this.

After this preposterous situation has been revealed to Evelyn, the messenger from another metaverse, presenting as her husband, Waymond, pleads with her, begs her, implores her, WE NEED YOU!   And she replies, “Very busy today. No time to help you.” And she dismisses him. I love that scene.

So, Pentecost the third big festival of the church year is over. We have celebrated the birthday of the church. And the power of the Holy Spirit. And the monumental calling of the church to create egalitarian community. And ‘the season’ is over.

But the Spirit still has work for us to do. We are all in the church because we have been called, we have received the Spirit, we are needed to fulfill the mission of Jesus and spread the message of the forgotten creed year in and year out. There is still evil to be vanquished in the world, and we are called to confront evil by creating communities where everyone is welcome and loved and all are equally valued. We are to include people of all ethnic backgrounds, all gender and sexual identities, and people of all financial means or lack there of, yes, even the houseless, with everyone valued, respected, and treated with dignity. We have been given work that needs to go on all year, not just at the holy days. The Spirit is still smoking with power, revving up, blasting us, for this mission even though the red banners have been put away. “Very busy today. No time to help you.” Never. 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.