Category: Posts

Date: September 19, 2010
Scripture Lesson: Luke 15:1-10
Sermon: Grumbling and Grace
Pastor: Rev. Kim P. Wells

This past week, we were notified that St. Mark United Church of Christ in Valrico, south of Tampa, will be holding its last service next Sunday. St. Mark was founded in 1984 in a growing area of exurban Tampa. With a membership of about 88, the congregation feels it is no longer viable as an established church. This notification about St. Mark Church saddened me. I know the founding pastor well. The current pastor did an internship at my father’s church in Bethlehem, PA in the 1980‘s. The church has a beautiful facility. Yet they are closing.

With our Charter Sunday this week, I found myself thinking about how it is that Lakewood UCC is still here, after 43 years and with just over 50 members. Some would say that we are not viable, and yet here we are. Yes, this is a small church, but a small church that is vibrant, strong, and spirited. How is it that there is such positive life and energy here?

Let’s look back at the scripture lesson that we heard this morning from Luke. In the introduction we are told “. . . the Pharisees and the scribes [religious leaders] were grumbling and saying, ‘This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them.’ So Jesus told them this parable.” [Luke 15:2-3] There follows the story of the lost sheep. Then the comment from Jesus, “Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.” [Luke 15:7] And after the story of the lost coin, there is a similar comment, “Just so, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” [Luke 15:10]

The religious leaders are grumbling and complaining. They are bitter because Jesus is reaching out to those who have been cast out by the dictates of religious rules and requirements. The little people. The people of low class and worth. The people who don’t matter. The people who have made a mess of their lives. The people who can’t get back into the good graces of their faith tradition. By reaching out to those outside the fold, the leaders feel that Jesus is undermining their authority. They feel he is challenging their power and control. They want to maintain their smug self-righteousness. They want to remain judgmental. The want a merit-based system of rewards and punishments that they administer to be sure that they get their reward. They have become angry and hostile because Jesus is not supporting the religious power structure. They feel that Jesus, dispensing divine grace with abandon, is undermining their superiority and position. They are embittered.

There is a folk tale which tells of a farmer who was granted three wishes. He could ask for anything he wanted. There was only one caveat. Anything that the farmer asked for, his neighbor would also receive – doubled. The farmer considered this. He announced his first wish: “I wish for 100 head of cattle.” And sure enough, there appeared in his pasture 100 more cows. Incredible. As he looked across at his neighbor’s field, he saw even more cattle – 200 additional cows. It was just as he had been told. Whatever he asked for was granted and his neighbor got twice as much. So, for his second wish, the farmer asked for an additional one hundred acres of land. And sure enough, the size of his farm mushroomed. More grazing land for the additional cattle. This was marvelous! Then he saw that his neighbor received 200 additional acres of land. Hmmm. The farmer became jealous. His neighbor’s good fortune was outpacing his. He felt betrayed and slighted. Afterall, hadn’t he been granted the wishes? And while his fortunes had increased beyond what he ever could have imagined, his neighbor had even more. It wasn’t fair. So, he carefully considered his third wish. Then he called out, “I’m ready with my third wish. I wish to be blind in one eye.” The wish was granted and God wept.

This story seems to relate to the attitude of the religious leaders toward Jesus’ teachings about God’s love and grace. They are bitter, jealous, and threatened. So they complain and grumble. For now. Later, they will seek Jesus’ death.

In the story from Luke, the attitude of the leaders is starkly contrasted with the sense of gratitude, joy, and celebration in the parables about the sheep and the coin. In those stories, we’re told of how the lowlife shepherd and the second class woman, their friends, and neighbors are all partying. We are told of God’s joy at the lost being found. Jesus paints a picture of celebration and delight. In vivid contrast to the grumbling, murmuring stuffed shirts, Jesus describes a party characterized by joyful abandon.

The story presents a choice. There are alternatives. Jealousy and murmuring over unmerited mercy. Or joy-filled celebration over unmerited mercy. Protecting power through judgmentalism. Or living it up with the lost. Commitment to self interest. Or commitment to community good. It is our choice.

In looking back at the early years of Lakewood United Church of Christ, it can be seen that this church got off to a rocky start characterized by conflict and broken relationships.

In early 1967, All Saints Lutheran Church, the newly formed congregation which began on this site and built these buildings, formally approached the Florida Conference of the United Church of Christ about becoming part of the UCC. In a memorandum from the Florida Conference UCC staff person for church growth dated April 1, 1967, April Fool’s Day, there is a brief summary of the situation: “. . . I was convinced that it has been rather a stormy situation from the beginning. . . They withdrew from the former Lutheran Church five or six years ago, with the minister, and established this new congregation.” A rocky start from a split with another church.

In a history of the church, written by Evelyn Kaspar in honor of the 10th anniversary of Lakewood UCC, the beginning of the church is described in this way: “The Lakewood United Church of Christ emerged as a result of unfortunate circumstances within the All Saints Lutheran Church. . . Internal problems within the church and the inability of the church to resolve differences with the Lutheran Church of America from which the congregation had originally withdrawn prompted the contact to explore possibilities of a relationship with the U.C.C.” [Quotations from materials in the scrapbook Lakewood United Church of Christ Volume 1]

Apparently, when the All Saints Lutheran congregation approached the UCC, internal conflicts had intensified to the point that the pastor eventually had to resign and many members left the church. In the 10th anniversary history, we’re told, “The financial status was desperate and there was a large debt to be met.”

The church was not in very good shape. Hardly a plumb. Conflicts, problems, broken relationships, debt. And here they reached out to the United Church of Christ, as a lifeline, really. There seems to be a sense of relief and joy, when the history reports that on August 13, 1967, only about 5 months after the initial inquiry, “The U.C.C. Florida Conference and the U.C.C. Board of Homeland Ministries had approved the church as a new Mission Church.” Lakewood emerged as part of a new community, with a new home, and a new sense of belonging. The lost was found. And there was much rejoicing.

Not only did this congregation begin lost in conflict and debt, but there was the location. This building was constructed before 54th Avenue South was built. The original address was 5301 Caesar Way South. Looking back, Evelyn recalls: “Will anyone of you ever forget the times you got lost in Lakewood trying to find the church? Or the times you explained to others where the church was?”

The establishment of Lakewood United Church of Christ as a new congregation was about redemption, transformation, belonging, a new start. The lost being found. Grace abounding. Celebration and joy. Maybe it’s because of this rocky beginning that when faced with the choice presented in the scripture this morning between bitterness over unmerited mercy or joy-filled celebration of unmerited mercy, LUCC seems to have a proclivity for living it up with the lost. This church has scrapbooks filled with stories about solidarity with the least and the lost. There was intentional integration in the 1960’s well before it was PC chic. There was support for the farmworkers and migrant community in the 70’s. There was protesting and boycotting of nuclear war in the 80’s. There was an intentional welcome of all regardless of sexual identity in the 90’s. Hospitality for the homeless in the 2000’s. And these are just a few highlights.

This church has not only tried to side with the sidelined, but has endeavored to create inclusive community where all are truly welcome. People who have not felt welcome in the church as a whole have found a home here including people who have been in prison, those involved in sexual misconduct, those addicted to drugs and alcohol, those with DUIs, mixed race couples, those on public assistance, and on and on. Even people who want nothing to do with organized religion have found a home here! And there is amazement at the incredible community that is created. And there is great rejoicing.

Somehow, this church has tried to steer clear of smug self- righteousness. And the bitterness and selfishness that comes with defending a merit-based system of grace. This congregation has tried to be more than a self-perpetuating, self-serving institution. There is an honesty. A sympathy. A desire to reach out without judgment or recrimination. To be a community that celebrates grace, wherever it appears. Without trying to take control or take credit.

Now, church analysts will tell you that it is extremely difficult for a church with a rocky beginning to overcome the shaky start. It will have a negative influence over the entire history and ministry of the church. It seems ironic that the church, supposedly the community of resurrection and transformation, would take such a defeatist perspective. Yet that is the common wisdom among experts. But I think, in the case of Lakewood, the rocky beginnings, the tenuous start, may be at the heart of our heart, our compassion, our understanding, our appreciation for belonging, our acceptance. Our rocky start may account for our desire to reserve judgment and condemnation.

The early “stormy situation” and “unfortunate circumstances” may account for why this small but vibrant and strong congregation continues in ministry today. We once were lost. But God did not give up on us or abandon us. And there is much joy, and only occasional grumbling. 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.

Date: Sept. 12, 2010
Scripture Lessons: Jeremiah 4:11-12, 22-28; Luke 15:1-10
Sermon: Flag Waving
Pastor: Rev. Kim Pirazzini Wells

This past week, the news has been dominated by Terry Jones of the Dove World Outreach Center of Gainesville, and his plans for “International Burn a Koran Day.” This whole misguided initiative has been like waving a red cape in front of a bull. I don’t think Jones could have generated more publicity unless he had decided to promote “International Burn a Bible Day.” But then again, maybe not. He certainly managed to mobilize significant anti-American and anti-Christian sentiment across the globe not only from those who are Muslim but also from those who see Christianity and American domination as a scourge. Jones certainly incited hostility and hatred. Are these the hallmarks of the ministry of Jesus?

As far as his association with Christianity and the church, any reasonable person would say that Jones has lost his way. He has wandered off the path of the gospel of Jesus Christ. His behavior does not reflect the core teachings of Jesus: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you, Love your neighbor, or Love your enemy.

When it comes to being on the path of Jesus, Jones has lost his way. And we can think of others who have lost their way from the central teachings of Christianity – Glenn Beck, some would say. Pat Robertson, others would cite. Many think that the pope has lost his way in light of the handling of the sex abuse scandals that are being revealed in the Roman Catholic Church. We also think of others who are lost – to addiction, to greed, to pursuit of wealth, or to cynicism or apathy. There are many we could cite as having lost their way from the Christian path, though they may not see it. And sometimes part of being lost is not realizing that you’re lost. Often those who are lost become more entrenched in their deluded reality. No flare or red flag sent up for help. They stay in denial and maintain that they are fine.

When we hear the story of the lost sheep and the lost coin from Luke, we often think about individuals who are lost, and how God never gives up on them. Even one is of such value to God, that God persists. This is an important message in this story.
And we gravitate to an individualistic understanding of this story because there is the tendency in American Christianity to view faith in individualistic terms and to focus on individual personal salvation. The individual getting into heaven. And the behavior of the individual related to that goal. In the American context, the Christian faith is looked at largely as a personal, individual matter.
But the reading from Jeremiah reminds us that faith is also about the community, and being lost isn’t something that happens only to individuals. It also happens to communities. The prophet Jeremiah is addressing the condition of the faith community, the community of the people of God, the chosen people. He points out how they have lost their way: They are foolish, they are stupid, they have no understanding, they are skilled in doing evil but do not know how to do good. [Jeremiah 4:22] Pretty scathing commentary on a faith community. But an important reminder that the faith community can loose its way. Can stray from God’s will for justice and peace and compassion. The faith community can be lost, and can insulate itself with mutually reinforced delusion and deception. In the verses from Jeremiah, God’s condemnation of the offending community is severe.

While our first inclination may be to see being lost as an individual matter, the combination of Luke and Jeremiah as the lectionary recommends, invites us to open ourselves to consider with honesty how the faith community of today may be lost. May have strayed.

Let’s consider the growing Islamaphobia in this country evidenced in increasing hate crimes against Muslims. If our country were populated predominantly by secular people, would we have this growing problem? Would secular humanists become so rabid about a religion? I don’t think so. Secular people tend to see religion as irrelevant or archaic. They tend to be tolerant and accepting.

As I see it, the growing Islamaphobia in this country is being fueled largely by some Christians and Christian churches who see Islam as a threat to Christianity. They see Islam as a threat to Christian domination in this country; suspending the constitutional enshrining of separation of church and state. They see Islam as a competitive religion. The work of the devil undermining the supremacy of Christ in this country. And they see the Sept. 11 attacks as a direct assault on Christianity by Islam. This all might seem far out to some of us who are more moderate Christians, but check out the messages of more conservative Christianity – on TV, on line, on the radio. Even in an area UCC church, the pastor prayed publicly for victory over the infidel Islam. I believe much of the foment and fuel for the anti-Islamic sentiment that is growing in the United States is coming from a vocal minority of the Christian church. Those who claim to be Christian are fanning the flames of intolerance and even vilification.

You know that it is bad when the Baptists are worried. The Baptist Center for Ethics has “warned of a widespread demonization of Islam that has taken root in some evangelical churches.” Robert Sellers, a missions professor at the Logsdon School of Theology in Abilene, Texas, states, “Defaming the Prophet Muhammad, speaking ill of Islam or portraying Muslims collectively as if they were all extremist or terrorist individuals is wrong, unloving and deceitful. I trust that none of us wishes to sin against our neighbors by spreading fear and stereotypes.” [“Baptists warned of Islamaphobia” in The Christian Century, 9/7/10, p. 14]

Vilifying Islam is not only wrong and unloving and deceitful, as Sellers states, it is also unChristian. Jesus talks about loving your enemies. Praying for those who persecute you. He never condemns another religion. He saves his most scathing condemnations for leaders of his own religion.

There are other examples of how the church has strayed. The obsession with sex is one: From heinous sex scandals, to incessant wrangling over gender, sexual identity, sexual orientation and behavior. The church has strayed from its foundation in anti-violence to blatant promotion of violence by supporting war and militarism. The church has lost its way from its beginnings as a gospel of peace and justice and communitarian values. The message of Jesus is not about waving flags at people to incite conflict. It is about waving them home to community, to transcendence, to grace, and peace, like the airport runway staff guiding a plane in. The community of Christ is to be about finding the lost and restoring fullness of joy and wholeness. Not about being incendiary and fanning flames of contention and violence. But in many ways, the church has gotten lost, either stirring up passion about the wrong things or nothing.

One pastor in the United Church of Christ, G. Jeffrey MacDonald, has written a book in which he comments: “. . . churchgoers increasingly want pastors to soothe and entertain them.” He says that the advisory committee in his small Massachusetts congregation told him to keep his sermons to ten minutes, tell funny stories, and help people feel good about themselves. The implicit message being: “give us the comforting, amusing fare we want or we’ll get our spiritual leadership from someone else.” [“Occupational Hazard II,” The Christian Century, 9/7/10, p. 8]

This summer when we were in Scotland, we visited a wonderful museum in Glasgow called the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, a major cultural institution akin to a Smithsonian museum. The art, the natural history specimens, and the building itself were spectacular. But what was even more impressive was the honesty of the exhibits. There was an exhibit about violence against women tracing the history back hundreds of years, as well as chronicling this problem today. One placard read: “Throughout history, women have often been kept silent and powerless. Today, for some women, this is still the case. Real women, real stories.” We were amazed at the forthrightness of this exhibit. Dealing so directly with a social problem, giving historical perspective and making it contemporary. It was so honest. And this exhibit was on the main floor of the museum in a prominent location.

In another part of the museum, the entrance to an exhibit about armor and armaments began with this introduction: “Conflict and Consequence – How we keep inventing new ways of killing people, and then wonder why.” At the exhibit about swords, the sign declares: “Swords are works of art and tools of death. They were often beautifully made and richly decorated. Designed to allow their users to kill quickly and easily, swords are powerful symbols of human violence.” The commentary was breathtakingly honest.

Near a sculpture from the 1800’s of a man, seated, holding his elementary age daughter, both figures clearly sorrowful, the sign tells that the mother/the wife, has died, and the sculptor wanted to capture the grief of the family. We are also told that while men are seldom portrayed nurturing or crying, these are both natural responses for men, not only for women. Again, poignantly honest.
Frankly, the commentary and exhibits in this museum stunned us for many reasons, not the least of which was the unabashed honesty. Shouldn’t we expect the same from the church? “The truth will set you free.” [John 8:32] And yet the church does so much to “put on a happy face.”

In this consumerist age, the church has become consumed with people pleasing and institutional maintenance. “Keep the customer satisfied.” Keep people united against a common enemy so they keep coming to church, feeling they are on the right side, consolidate power and control and to keep the budget funded for salaries, buildings, and programs. Notice in the story from Luke, the power establishment, the Pharisees, are grumbling about Jesus. He is not pleasing the right people. And then he tells these two parables about finding the lost, featuring a shepherd, of low rank in society, considered disreputable, shiftless, and thieving. A trespassing hireling. And the other story featuring a woman, at best a second class citizen. The two figures that reveal God’s character are marginal people. This is not pleasing to the power structure. The same issue continues to confront the church today. The church is expected to placate the powerful, those with money, those with influence, those deemed worthy. The church is to protect its power and exclusivity claims.

In a recent article, Douglas John Hall, professor emeritus of theology from McGill University in Montreal, Canada, critiques the church and offers new direction. He writes: “The greatest dangers to human welfare in today’s global village are all of them products of, or backed by, religions driven by immodest claims to ultimacy.” He goes on to say, “Only a nontriumphalistic Christianity. . . can contribute to the healing of the nations. . .” Hall also suggests, “Instead of clinging to absurd and outmoded visions of grandeur, which were never Christ’s intention for his church, serious Christian communities ought now to relinquish triumphalisitic dreams of majority status and influence in high places an ask themselves about the possibilities of witnessing to God’s justice and love from the edges of empire – which is where prophetic religion has always lived.” Hall further recommends that “churches should take the initiative in their own disestablishment.” [“Cross and Context,” Douglas John Hall, The Christian Century, 9/7/10, p. 40]

The church has lost its way from its beginnings in the ministry of Jesus. And it is time for the church to wave a white flag of surrender, or better yet, to send up a flare, so that we can be found. So that we can be restored to our intended mission to help people connect with something beyond themselves, to embody universal love in the world, to work for justice, and to create community that is expansive not exclusive. Is there any reason to hope that the church can be redeemed? In the gloom and doom prophecy of Jeremiah that we heard this morning, there is a fragment of hope. After talking about laying waste to the people, turning the land into a barren desert, and wreaking desolation, through the prophet God says, “. . .yet I will not make a full end.” [Jeremiah 4:27] There is a glimmer of hope for the future.

And in the parables from Luke, the shepherd and the woman are relentless in seeking what is lost. They exhibit patience and persistence. They are proactive, risking whatever it takes to find what is lost. Their dogged dedication shows the value of what needs to be found. They will not give up.

I believe God is looking for the church. With patience and persistence. Proactively risking whatever it takes to reclaim and restore the church to its mission as the body of Christ. I believe God is seeking the church: To eradicate violence in our world. To eliminate poverty. To establish justice. To create true communities of honesty and meaning. To foster healing and wholeness. To transform emptiness and loneliness. To embody compassion. To demonstrate material generosity and grace. These are the things that Jesus was known for. These were hallmarks of the first Christian communities. God is seeking us to restore us to our roots. And God will not give up. Until the sheep is found. The coin reclaimed. The church restored.

Why bother, we may ask? What can a few people do? What difference can a small group make? Well, let’s go back to Terry Jones and the Dove World Outreach Center. Fifty people. That’s it. Fifty people in that congregation. It’s smaller than our church! And look at the fuss they made! They got the attention of multitudes around the world and of top US leaders, including the president. They managed to incite violence and inspire hatred. There is no doubt that the church has power. But how is that power being used? When the church is lost, power is abused and distorted. But when it is found, it is the power of life and hope.

In India, churches were urge to hoist black flags for a day to protest discrimination faced by Christian Dalits. Dalits are people from the low castes in India and they are treated as untouchables. There are protections for Dalits who are Hindu, Sikh, and Buddhist. They receive free education and reserved government jobs. But Dalits who are Christian or Muslim, do not receive these rights. In an effort to call attention to this situation and to protest this injustice, churches flew black flags for a day. [“Flagging Injustice,” The Christian Century, 9/7/10, p. 9]

Here we see the church found, the church restored to its intention, the church home in the fold of the God of Jesus Christ, calling attention to the poor, creating community for the marginalized, and agitating for justice in the wider society. Waving their flags to get attention and give direction.

It is time for the Christian church in the United States to wave flags of surrender to the forces of consumerism and empire that have co-opted the church. It is time for the church to extricate itself from fanning the flames of injustice, intolerance, and violence. It is time to let God find the church once again and restore us to our rightful position, on the margins of society, waving our banners and leading the procession toward wholeness and peace. 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.