Sermon Texts – Lakewood United Church of Christ

Sermon text 9.14.25 “Lost and Found”

LAKEWOOD UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST
2601 54th Avenue South St. Petersburg, FL 33712 on the Gulf of Mexico
On land originally inhabited by the Tocabaga
727-867-7961

lakewooducc.org

lakewooducc@gmail.com

Date: September 14, 2025

Scripture Lesson: Luke 15:1-10

Sermon: Lost and Found

Pastor: Rev. Kim P. Wells

It’s been a week. With remembrances of the horrors of 9/11 and then the murder of a prominent political operative, there has been plenty of commentary to keep us up at night.

One of the most helpful things I have read this week was by another young political operative, Corbin Trent. He says:

“We tell ourselves violence is never the answer while simultaneously accepting it as always the answer. From our foreign policy to how we attempt to prevent crime to how we settle our traffic disputes, violence is always an answer for America.

“Charlie Kirk’s death is an atrocity. But it’s not a break in the pattern. It is the pattern.” [“American Carnage: The Violence We Accept and The Violence We Don’t,” Corbin Trent and America’s Undoing Sept. 11, 2025.]

This article was truth telling at its best, reflecting who we truly are as a nation rather than who we think we are.

I read a book recently, a novel, Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead. The story takes place in a small town in Poland near the border with the Czech Republic. The main character is an adamant animal rights activist concerned about the deer and the foxes and other wildlife. When several deaths occur in the town, she becomes a person of interest relating to these deaths. I remember thinking, Why would they turn to her? She has this obsession with animals and reverence for life. Without giving too much away, let’s just say, people are strange and mental illness is real. And I encourage you to read the book! [By Olga Tokarczuk.]

We humans are constantly a crazy mix of high ideals and conflicting behavior. Or, of low ideals and conflicting behavior. Look at the religious scholars and Pharisees who are listening to Jesus’ teaching. They are supposed to be people of high ideals representing the goodness of God. The idea was that the Jewish people were to be compliant with God and this would create a community so compelling everyone would be drawn to it. It would be irresistible. The justice and compassion and peace incarnated in the community would captivate and attract. And later, the Jesus followers, the Christian community, saw itself in the same light. But what did we hear this morning: “. . . the Pharisees and the religious scholars murmured, ‘This person welcomes sinners and eats with them.'” Well, we remember Jesus as one who came to seek and save the lost.

But there it is. Our seemingly inborn judgmentalism rearing its ugly head this time against sinners and tax collectors. This might be like saying a prominent religious authority was eating with undocumented workers and members of Greenpeace. Or, depending on your vantage point, eating with MAGA members, anti-vaxers, and oil industry executives. At one time we might have included among the despicable those who take advantage of others to get rich, but they do not seem to be on anyone’s naughty list anymore.

But notice, instead of confronting all of the many issues involved with what the religious leaders have to say, instead of commenting on our ridiculous human proclivity for self deception and hypocrisy, Jesus responds to this criticism, this murmuring, by talking not about humans but about God.

And lost sheep. One of 100. Now there are 99. But the shepherd searches. The number 100 is symbolic of completeness. So, to find the one sheep is to create wholeness, completeness. Oneness. And it is lost to most of us, but it would not have been lost to the first century listeners: shepherds were not only lowly, but they were considered outcasts. That was work for those who couldn’t find a legitimate way to be part of respectable society. And the sheep is lost. And the shepherd risks everything to find it. This certainly would have grated on the ears of the religious leaders and yet Jesus was talking about God, the nature of God. He was not correcting or directly disputing their comments.

Then the story of the woman and the coin. Here again, an affront. The Divine Feminine. Jesus portrays God in feminine terms. The great God, almighty, imaged from the underside of society, after all, women were at best second class, and at worst chattel. And what is lost? A coin. Not a fortune. A coin. One of 10. Again, 10 is symbolic of completeness, wholeness.

In both stories, what has been excluded is included. We see the comprehensive love of God. No one forgotten or left out. And the initiative is on the part of God, seeking completeness, wholeness. Bringing together what has been divided. The God figure in these stories is not a task master, not a vindictive judge, not a divine scorekeeper. This portrayal of God undoubtedly disorients the religious authorities of the first century as well as the tax collectors and sinners. This portrayal of God subverts ordinary thinking about God.

We are presented with a God of grace and love. What parent would walk away and leave a child behind? This God is not swayed by politics or income. There is no criticizing or vilifying or othering in these stories. There is no room for division or separation. One love. For one Creation. Period. Which means that each one of us is in. And the people we love to hate are in. And the people we are trying not to hate, they’re in. And the people who disgust us. They’re in. The deplorables, whoever they may be? They’re in. And the people who have hurt us. They’re in. And the people who perpetuate violence. They’re in. We’re all in. We need to be for there to be completeness.

We will never have all the right answers to solve the world’s problems or even our own problems. But we must keep working on those. Jesus shows us that the most important thing is relationships. And we are held tightly in the arms of Love. No matter our thoughts, opinions, or beliefs. Relationship is what brings us wholeness, completeness, oneness. Jesus doesn’t argue the fine points of the law with the religious authorities who feel it is their obligation to uphold the law in order to maintain right relationship with God. Jesus emphasizes God’s love of humanity and Creation, not God’s love of the law. It’s the relationship, not the issue. And God will stop at nothing to be in right relationship with us.

Sandra Hoffmeister was a young woman when her father divulged to her that she had a half sister, half a world away in Australia. That’s about all she knew until her father came to live with her in his later years. Before his death, he told her a bit more. Through all those years, Sandra was wondering about this sister. Who was she? How could she find her? Once the internet was a viable tool, she pursued trying to find this unknown sister. She tried everything she could with every scrap of information she had. She could not give up thinking about this sister and wanting to know her.

Finally, through an ancestry site, a connection was made. But then she considered how to approach this because she did not know if the sister knew about her birth father and she did not want to upset her relationship with the father who raised her. Finally, Hoffmeister was able to contact her sister’s adult daughter. And the sisters were joyfully reunited.

An article about this reunion reports,

“Hoffmeister says it’s amazing to look at photos of her sister and see so many similarities.

‘We both like jewelry. We both like shoes. She loves dogs, I love dogs. She wore purple, and when she got married a second time, her dress was purple,’ Hoffmeister says.

“Naturally, ‘Purple is my favorite color.'” [“Long-Lost Sisters on the Other Side of the World Reunite Decades Later, Thanks to DNA” by Susan Young, People, 1.2.25, https://people.com/long-lost-sisters-reunited-from-across-the-world-by-myheritage-dna-match-8763084%5D

Can we let ourselves be found, be fully claimed, be embraced by Divine Love? Can we see what we have in common? That we, too, are brothers and sisters born of one Love? Then maybe we can make progress on caring for one another and for this precious planet. Even if only Christians let ourselves be found by this searching love and grace, things might get better for everyone in this country and beyond. 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 text 5.18.25 “Arise”

LAKEWOOD UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST
2601 54th Avenue South St. Petersburg, FL 33712 on the Gulf of Mexico
On land originally inhabited by the Tocabaga
727-867-7961

lakewooducc.org

lakewooducc@gmail.com

Date: May 18, 2025
Scripture Lesson: Acts 9: 36-43
Sermon: Arise!

Pastor: Rev. Kim P. Wells

Just to be clear, like Peter in the story we heard from Acts, I have been in a room alone with a dead body. On numerous occasions, actually. And with a nearly dead body. Yes, it is sacred space. But the last thing I can imagine is praying, “So and so, arise,” and then helping what was the corpse, out of the bed. Many of you have been with dead bodies, too. In your work with hospice. Or in the presence of loved ones. In a hospital or care home, they give you time with your loved one. Some of you worked in the funeral home business and were with many dead bodies. And no one has ever told me that they prayed and the person came back to life.

But there are many ways to die. Many deaths, happening all the time. The death of loss of dignity. The death of loss of rights. The death of loss of freedom. Ask someone in prison. Or someone made poor. There is the death of the loss of certain abilities, mental or physical. There are relationships that essentially die. Some so dead that it is easier to imagine a resuscitated corpse than reconciliation between two living, breathing people, in this life. There are the deaths when we struggle to find a job. And get no reply. To inquiry after inquiry after inquiry after inquiry. The death of the ability to imagine a future. Especially in a place like Gaza. There is the dying of hope, all around us, every day, as people see their food, and medical care, and transportation, and activities, and income, being taken away. Away. Away. There is the death of a common culture. And the death of common values. And the death of commitment to the common good. And one can make a case that we are witnessing the death of democracy in our country. One blow after another.

When you look at the numbers, we could also say that we are witnessing the death of the church. The numbers of believers, let alone those who actually participate in a faith community, are going down, down, down. At least in the US. It is projected that the country with the most Christians in the years to come will be – brace yourself – China. We heard this from a presenter this past week at the Festival of Homiletics in Atlanta, Georgia. China. Oh our dear Chairman Mao must be turning over in his grave.

So, let’s turn to Tabitha. The one in the story we heard today. The name Tabitha, Dorcas, actually means Gazelle. Maybe she was lean and lanky when she was born. We are told that she is a leader of a circle of friends, one of exemplary faith and compassion. Devoted to good works. Helping others. The guild of widows presents a pageant of the tunics and clothes she has made for these otherwise poor, abandoned women. And with two words, “Tabitha, arise,” she is back at it. No conjuring or pleading or elaboration. No arm waving or posturing. No flash and dash. No wand or cape. Just two words. Oh, yes, and the power of God that raised Jesus from the dead. And Tabitha is restored to her community. And Peter stays with a tanner, someone considered unclean according to Jewish law because the tanner does unclean work involving blood. But Peter has been taken over by the love of God revealed to him in Jesus. Love for everyone, no exclusions, no exceptions – despite what religious authorities may say about it.

But God’s power is not limited by our lack of imagination.

So let me tell you about another Tabitha. She was a young girl with a sister. And her family situation was precarious. Her parents weren’t able to properly care for and provide for their children. So, every summer, someone in her church took care of her and her sister for the summer. This woman was a teacher and so she did not have to work over the summer. She was not married. But she knew these girls and their family. And all agreed that the girls were better off with the teacher. So, when she was out of school for the summer, she took care of the girls. One summer. Another summer. And then, by the time Tabitha was in kindergarten, this teacher had adopted the two sisters. They lived with her full time. She was their parent. Their mother. We know about this because Tabitha was a best friend of our son, Sterling, in elementary and middle school. These two girls were essentially rescued from death. They were given a new life. A life with a loving, capable, responsible parent who could see that the girls thrived. This kindergarten teacher, Miss Peaseley, saved these girls from hardship and misery, maybe worse than death. Oh, and Miss Peasley’s first name is Grace. “Oh to grace how great a debtor daily I’m constrained to be,” we sing in the hymn. Grace essentially saved the lives of those two little girls.

So, now we see that in different ways death is all around us. And in this resurrection season, we remember that the power of death, it cannot hold a candle to the power of God, the power of Love, the power of grace, for good. And Peter, oh Peter, who was always trying to set Jesus straight: Remember, Get thee behind me, Satan. Peter, who denied Jesus three times. Peter, feed my lambs. Tend my sheep. Feed my sheep. Oh Peter, he has surrendered. He allows himself to be a conduit, a vessel for the power of God. Tabitha, arise. And she does!

The power is there. Love reigns supreme. It is always looking for a crack, an opening, a circumstance, a person, to let it in. To work. To overcome even death.

Huey Newton was a founder of the Black Panther Party in 1966. The platform of the Panthers was a demand for freedom, land, bread, housing, education, clothes, justice and peace. Basic needs. Newton knew the importance of these basic needs because he grew up in circumstances of deprivation. In the book A More Perfect Party: The Night Shirley Chisholm and Diahann Carroll Reshaped Policies, author Juanita Tolliver tells us about Huey Newton’s childhood: “A Louisiana native and the youngest of seven children, Newton’s struggling family moved to Oakland, California, when he was three years old. The family bounced from apartment to apartment during the next ten years, barely able to keep food on the table. The local public school system failed Newton; he was functionally illiterate while still being passed through each grade of school. In his memoir, Revolutionary Suicide, Newton wrote, ‘Not one instructor ever awoke in me a desire to learn more or question or explore the world of literature, science, and history. All they did was try to rob me of the sense of my own worth, and in the process they nearly killed my urge to inquire.’” [Tolliver, p. 44.]

Yes, death is still all around us. And we are here because we want to surrender. We want to bring life. We want to save those around us. Save ourselves. From languishing. From despair. From being overcome by death which prevents us from seeing the beauty, the joy, and the delight in this life. We hear the invitation. Arise.

We, too, can be bearers of life:

To a dying democracy, we can say, arise.

To a despairing immigrant, we can say, arise.

To a failing student, we can say, arise.

To a grieving friend, we can say, arise.

To an unemployed neighbor, we can say, arise.

To a drug dependent loved one, we can say, arise.

To our deeply wounded, despairing planet, we can say, arise.

To the white supremicist, we can say, arise.

To those addicted to war and violence, we can say, arise.

To the arrogant and ignorant, we can say, arise.

To those obsessed with self-importance, we can say, arise.

To those degraded and defeated and demeaned, we can say, arise!

There are so many deaths around us, and we can embody the power of Divine Love, when we say, arise!

In closing, I invite you to listen to this poem by Lucille Clifton called won’t you celebrate with me:

won’t you celebrate with me

what i have shaped into

a kind of life? i had no model.

born in babylon

both nonwhite and woman

what did i see to be except myself?

i made it up

here on this bridge between

starshine and clay,

my one hand holding tight

my other hand; come celebrate

with me that everyday

something has tried to kill me

and has failed.

Here that once again,

come celebrate

with me that everyday

something has tried to kill me

and has failed.

Death, where is your power? Where is your sting? Friends in Christ, arise!

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 text: “Connections: Grounded” 3.30.24

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: March 30, 2025
Scripture Lesson: Luke 6:46-49
Sermon: Connections: Grounded
Pastor: Rev. Kim P. Wells

Why do you call out, ‘Rabbi, Rabbi,’ but don’t put into practice what I teach you? Those who come to me and hear my words and put them into practice — I’ll show you who they’re like: they are like the person who, in building a house, dug deeply and laid the foundation on a rock. When a flood arose, the torrent rushed against the house, but failed to shake it because of its solid foundation. On the other hand, anyone who has heard my words, but has not put them in to practice, is like the person who built a house on sand, without any foundation. When the torrent rushed upon it, the house immediately collapsed and was completely destroyed.”

There is a series of novels by Alexander McCall Smith, of Number One Ladies’ Detective Agency fame, that takes place in Edinburgh, Scotland. It is the 44 Scotland Street series. In the book The Importance of Being Seven, one of the characters is in the process of buying a new flat; Scot’s speak for apartment. Matthew has married Elspeth and they are expecting triplets and they decide to buy a bigger apartment on the ground floor instead of their current third floor walk up. After having his offer accepted on a large apartment in the chic complex, Moray Place, Matthew must have the dwelling assessed by a surveyor. The person who turns up to do the job is someone Matthew knows and does not like. Here’s how the inspection goes.

Matthew and Bruce meet outside the building. They greet each other. And then:

“Let’s go in,” said Bruce. “Let’s go in and see what’s wrong.” . . . “Let’s ` take a look at this place.”. . . “Let’s go through here. . . . Hold on, hold on.”

Matthew watched as Bruce looked up at the ceiling.

“Odd space,” said Bruce. “Usually you find . . .”

“I think they did some alterations,” said Matthew. “The lawyer said something about not having had permission. I thought that it wouldn’t matter too much as we weren’t planning to sell it again in the short term.”

Bruce frowned. “Hold on. . . Look, you see up there? There? Yes. That’s where a wall used to join the roof. That’s what they took away. And it went all the way to where that Chinese thingy is — that cabinet.”

Bruce pointed to the far side of the room where a large Chinese display cabinet reached all the way up from floor to ceiling.

“Yes,” said Matthew.

Bruce turned to look at him. He lowered his voice. “That wall, Matthew, was a supporting wall. You see — look up there. You see that bulge in the ceiling? That’s your proof.”

“A supporting wall?”

“Yes,” said Bruce. “And you know what a supporting wall does? It supports. And you know what happens when you take away a supporting wall? You have no support.”

“But if that were the case,” said Matthew, “then wouldn’t the ceiling have come down?” Bruce nodded. “It should have. But you see that cabinet over there? That, I think is holding up the ceiling. Move that and the whole thing comes down.”

Matthew stared at Bruce in horror.

“And here’s something else,” said Bruce. “If the ceiling comes down, then that could bring down the ceiling above it, and so on — all the way to the top flat and the roof. And if that happened, then the flats next door could lose vital support and come down as well. So the whole of Moray Place could fall over like a house of cards.”

“Oh,” said Matthew.

“So the fact of the matter,” Bruce said, relishing his newly found Jeremiah role, “the fact of the matter is that all of Moray Place is probably being supported by one Chinese cabinet. Quite a thought, that!”

“So what do we do?” asked Matthew.

Bruce smiled. ”Don’t move the Chinese cabinet.”

[Alexander McCall Smith, The Importance of Being Seven, large print, pp. 363, 365-367.]

Ah, an unstable situation caused by the bad judgment of people choosing expedience and expense over wisdom. We know about that. And they did in Jesus’ day as well.

Jesus saw this again and again. The teaching we heard this morning comes at the end of the Sermon on the Plain in Luke. Jesus has offered his most important teachings. Laid them out. Given a direct account of the Word and ways of God. Shared with people the basics for a good life. For a community that is intended to thrive and flourish. And his followers are still chasing after him, pleading, Rabbi, Rabbi! Like, what do we do? Like, we’re having trouble. Like, we need your help. Like, the sky is falling.

We know this reality. We, too, have been given all we need to live lives of purpose, meaning, peace, and compassion. And yet, look at the state of things in our country and our world.

If there is anyone that can relate to the image used in the gospel of a house built on the sand versus a house built on the rock, it is we the people of Florida. We live in a state that is essentially a sandbar atop porous limestone. Not a very firm foundation for building. In Luke, there is reference to the threat of flood waters. We KNOW about that. In Matthew, the same image includes mention of not only flooding but wind and rain as well. Oh, yes. This teaching was meant for Floridians. We know the risks of unstable building practices. What about Surfside in Miami? And we know the perilous power of wind, and rain, and floods. We know how things can be washed away in a storm. Our homes. Our belongings. Our dreams?

And we know first hand how rights can be washed away in a political storm. And how healthcare can be swept away. And how sound educational practices and books can be whisked away in a bluster of fear.

We see in our state, our country, and the world, the sweeping power of greed for money. We see the damage caused by greed for power. We see the devastation wrought by lies. Our happiness ranking is falling in the world. We who are promised life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness in our Constitution. We see division and discord each day. We know that things are not right. And lives are at stake.

And there are still people, in this very state, after all of the weather cataclysms recently and the billions of dollars in damages, who say, it was a one hundred year anomaly. That will never happen again. Ah, no. It’s actually human induced climate change. And if you think pursuing sustainability is expensive and inconvenient, look at the bills for the storms, floods, and fires. There is NO comparison. There is only intractability. And blindness. And greed. We are not standing on solid ground. We are not building a future on solid ground. Our cities and communities along the coast of Florida are like sandcastles on the beach. And we just keep building more. If only it were as easy as – Don’t move the Chinese cabinet. It’s all falling down. Around us. Literally. Add to climate destruction the devastation to society and culture.

We can well image those followers of Jesus, pleading, Rabbi, Rabbi. Save us! Help us! It’s all going down. And what does he say? I have saved you. I have helped you. I have given you all the teachings you need to thrive. The Sermon on the Plain, like the Sermon on the Mount, basically says it all. Who is your model? Jesus. Follow him. Emulate him. Tend to your own faults before worrying about the faults of others. Have a good heart. A good heart bears good fruit. Bless the poor. Warn the rich. Love your enemies. Love generously. Be nonjudgmental with others. There is no place for smug superiority. Dig deeply. Lay the foundation of your life in the word of God, the teachings of Love.

You see, it has been all laid out for us. We have been told all that we need to know to build our lives on a stable foundation. A foundation that nothing can shake. All it takes is hearing Jesus’ words and PUTTING THEM INTO PRACTICE.

The putting them into practice part must be the challenge because there are numerous places in the writings of the New Testament where there is an emphasis on doing not just hearing Jesus’ teachings. So, already, the people who actually heard the first century Jesus were struggling with this. Jesus is aware of the inherent nature of humanity, and still we are called into relationship with God. Maybe because of our inherent nature, Jesus makes the plea to us to listen to and follow the word of God.

Here is a story of someone who did choose to follow the word of God; the teachings of Jesus:

During World War II a German widow hid Jewish refugees in her home. As her friends discovered the situation, they became extremely alarmed.

“You are risking your own well-being,” they told her.

“I know that,” she said.

“Then why,” they demanded, “do you persist in this foolishness?”

Her answer was stark and to the point: “I am doing it,” she said, “because the time is now and I am here.”

[This story is in 25 Windows into the Soul: Praying with the Psalms, from the writings of Joan Chittister, p. 338.]

It is not always easy to follow Jesus. It can require boldness and courage. Yes, times are challenging for us, and we know the teachings of Jesus. So, we can take encouragement from the wisdom of the 16th century saint, Ignatius of Loyola, who said, “In times of desolation you should never make a change, but stand firm in the resolutions and decisions that guided you the day before the desolation.” Our deep foundation, laid upon the rock of the word of God spoken through Jesus will see us through. We are facing so many challenges and desolations today. Yes, we have been given all that we need to be agents of good, of love, of compassion, of justice. We have been given all that we need to create a society with engaging education, a fair and just economy, a culture of compassion, with thriving arts and recreation, and readily available healthcare for all. And, we have been given all that we need to tend to the health of our dear mother, Earth.

Our spiritual teachings tell us to have reverence for all life. We are told of the earth as a precious gift given to us that we must cherish and care for so that it can continue to sustain us. We have been given the knowledge to stop global warming with its increasing storms, rains, winds, and fires. We know what we need to know. It has all been given to us. Including the wisdom to see what the consequences are of ignoring the teachings we have been given. The basis of the word of God is reverence for God, creation, and each other. All sacred. Let us not be afraid to dig deep. To build on the rock of the gospel of Jesus. To live grounded in the ways of Divine Love. 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 text: “Connections: Heart Health” 3.23.25

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: March 23, 2025
Scripture Lesson: Luke 6:43-45
Sermon: Connections: Heart Health
Pastor: Rev. Kim P. Wells

I want to tell you about something that happened to Jeff, my husband, in April of 2020. Take a moment to remember back to that time. We had a church service on March 15. After church we had a meeting. We sat in a circle and we discussed what was going on with the corona virus. We shared our knowledge and tried to figure out what was best for the church in light of the unfolding health crisis. We decided to stay on top of things and respond accordingly. We fully expected to gather for church the next Sunday. Later in the week, it was clear that we could no longer hold church services safely. And we did not have church again until the first Sunday of November, All Saints Day. We had that first in person service in 8 months outside by the Memorial Garden. None of us could have predicted what we would be going through.

In the midst of this, in the last week of April, Jeff had 3 health episodes within a few days. He didn’t mention this to me until Wednesday. He had been talking to his sister about it, she is a doctor in Cincinnati. She was managing the Covid situation for the University of Cincinatti. She told Jeff to get an oximeter and measure his oxygen level to determine if he had covid. There were no vaccines yet. He told me about his episodes and I asked if he had looked up the symptoms of a heart attack. He had never had one but he was taking medication for high blood pressure. The next day, Thursday, I asked him again about the heart attack symptoms. He was still on the covid trail. I looked up the symptoms and I told him about it. This sounded like what he had experienced several times that week. That Thursday he finally called his doctor. And left a message. By Friday morning, there was no call back. He said, How long should I wait to hear before trying to call the doctor again. I said, 10:00. Just before 10, the doctor called. She listened as Jeff described his situation. She told him that he was to go to St. Anthony’s Hospital immediately. And if cost wasn’t a factor, she would recommend calling an ambulance. Well, with Jeff, cost is always a factor, so I took him to St. Anthony’s. He thought he was going in for some tests. A checkup. I suggested maybe he should take his phone charging cord, a toothbrush, something to read. His pills. Some clean underwear. Maybe they would be keeping him overnight. This had not occurred to him. So, he packed a few things and off we went. When we got to the hospital, I had to drop him off at the door. I could not go in – because of covid. So, we said our good byes. Later that day, he called me to say it was determined that he had had at least 2 heart attacks that week. Maybe more. And they were going to do emergency surgery and put in a stint. He would be in the hospital for several days. After the surgery, the doctor called me to report that all had gone well. The idea that Jeff had several heart attacks floored us both. Heart attacks? Where did that come from? To us it was completely unexpected. Out of the blue. Shocking. Clearly, we did not know the state of Jeff’s [physical] heart health.

And this speaks to the teaching we heard today associated with Jesus. Good people have good stored up in their hearts. People who do evil have evil stored up in their hearts. So, what do we have going on in our hearts? They are the source of our identity, our character, our actions and behavior. What is going on in our hearts? What are we storing? Do we even know???

It is hard to say. It seems that many around us are completely unaware of what they are doing and how it effects others. Consumer capitalism keeps us obsessed with getting the newest, the fastest, the sleekest, the latest. Ads continually popping up in our news feeds and our email and our internet searches. Always trying to sell us something; something we probably don’t need. And reminding us of what we don’t have. All the while many are just trying to stay afloat working several jobs and still there is “too much month at the end of the money.” [Toby Keith]

Tangled in all of this debris, do we even know the state of our hearts? What are we filled with? What moves us?

Some of us heard Matthew Fox speak on Friday evening. He said, “There are two kinds of people. There are people who are grieving. And people who don’t know they are grieving.” What do we know about the state of our hearts?

Jeff didn’t know he was headed for a heart attack. Sometimes we just don’t know. Then something traumatic, dramatic, or cataclysmic happens, and we are lurched awake. We become aware.

The heart connects us to ourselves, to each other, to what is beyond us, to God, the sacred. Our hearts tell us who we are. They determine our choices and behavior and what fruit we bear, whether we know it or not. One way to tune into what is in our hearts is to pay attention to what makes us cry. What brings tears to our eyes. And what makes us laugh? What fills us with delight. Lent is a season to pay attention and to become more aware of the state of our hearts.

One of Frida Kahlo’s most famous paintings is Two Fridas. In the painting by the Mexican artist of the 20th century, there are two images of the artist, Frida Kahlo. The one on the left portrays a Frida dressed in a white lace blouse with a high neck. This is something that would be worn by a fiancée of her station in Mexico. Status was conveyed by emulating European style. Frida’s father was from Germany.

The Frida on the right is wearing traditional Tehuana dress. It is the clothing of indigenous Mexicans. Frida was known for identifying with the indigenous people. Her mother was Mexican.

Each Frida in the painting has half of a heart and the two hearts are attached by a blood vessel. The two Fridas are holding hands. They represent two parts of Frida’s identity. They are both part of her heart. Who she is. They are both important to her identity.

There is another blood vessel in the painting that circles a picture one Frida holds in her hand. It is a picture of her beloved Diego Rivera as a child. A picture she actually owned. Through the blood vessel her heart extends to Diego and encompasses him. Her friend. Her lover. Her husband. Her life. There is also a blood vessel that is severed, dripping onto the white dress of one Frida, the bleeding staunched by clamps. The heart is also a source of pain.

And in the background, there is a stormy sky. It conveys turbulence. Distress. Sadness. Emotional anguish. Yes, when Frida did this painting, she was extremely distressed. She had come to know that her husband, Diego, was having a long term, intense affair with her sister, Cristina. And Diego had asked Frida for a divorce. They were divorced. And later remarried. In a letter to Diego during this time, she declared, “. . . at bottom you and I love each other very much, and even if we go through countless affaires, splintered doors, insults and international claims, we shall always love each other. . . . All these things have happened and happened again for the seven years we’ve lived together and all of the rages I’ve gone into have only led me to understand better that I love you more than my own skin. . .” [Frida Kahlo 1907.2007, p. 202.] Yes, Frida knew her heart. She portrays the intensity and reality of her heart in Two Fridas with glaring, gorgeous honesty.

So how well do we know our hearts? If we are to follow Jesus, our hearts are to be filled with goodness and love. This is what is needed to bear good fruit. To live in a way that is pleasing to God and helpful to others. The implication from Jesus is that God seeks to fill our hearts with good. We are to be like Jesus. With hearts fulled with compassion and goodness and love. Are our hearts filled with good? Or have we let evil creep in? While most of the time we are not people of evil intent, maybe we should say, are our hearts filled with good or not good? Is there dissipation? Apathy? Selfishness? Greed? Misunderstanding?

Do we know our hearts? It isn’t easy with the distractions of TV, social media, alarmist news, and scraping to get by day to day.

If our heart is good, we will bear good fruit. That can help us to assess the situation with our hearts. Are we letting all the good in from God? And then letting it out as good fruit? Like blood going into the heart and back out again to serve the needs of the body.

It turns out there is a fruit that is good for the heart. The strawberry; a fruit that looks like a heart and is actually good for your physical heart. Eating two servings of strawberries a day can reduce the risk of heart attacks. It can lower blood pressure. It can improve cholesterol. And reduce inflammation. The strawberry is also good for the gut and for cognition. So, this delicious fruit, grown right here in Florida, is good for the heart.

Are our hearts in good shape? We can think about the food we eat. Are we eating strawberries? But as Jesus suggests, we must look not only at the fruit we are eating but also at the fruit we are bearing. Is it good fruit? Lent is a time to pay attention. To be aware. To be in touch with our hearts. And to come to know our hearts by the fruit that we are producing.

Now, speaking of fruit, we are going to turn to a beautiful prayer about the strawberry that comes from the Seneca, native people of this land. They lived south of Lake Ontario in what we now call New York state.

Before you listen to this prayer, we will give you a strawberry to help focus your reflection. And at the appropriate time, you are encouraged to eat the strawberry.

[Strawberries are distributed.]

The Sacred Berry Seneca oral tradition, recorded by Jose Hobday

Oh sweet gift to the Seneca, I admire you. You are shaped like the heart to remind us that we are to live by the heart.

Your flesh is red, to tell us our hearts should be moist with blood,

never dry and brown and crackly.

We study the seeds on the outside. They are many, to teach us that there are many ways in the world to believe, to understand life. All are worthy of respect.

We finger the leaves, so we keep in mind that you must always stay connected to Mother Earth and appreciate her gifts.

Now, we eat this beautiful strawberry from the bottom up,

relishing the sweet taste. For the last bite we eat berry and leaf together to help us remember life holds bitter tastes with sweet. For all, we keep a thankful heart.

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 text: “Connections: Following Our Leader” 3.16.25

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: March 16, 2025
Scripture Lesson: Luke 6:39-42
Sermon: Connections: Following Our Leader
Pastor: Rev. Kim P. Wells

Jeff and I like to walk the Camino de Santiago in Spain. And people wonder how we know where we are going. Walking through unfamiliar territory for hundreds of miles. Well, we follow the signs. Scallop shells posted everywhere. But when the way seems ambiguous for some reason, which does happen, I wait to see where someone else is going. Then I follow. One time my brother, Mark, and husband, Jeff, left ahead of me in the morning. When I left, I went down the correct road. Then I knew I needed to make a right turn. I came to the place I thought I should turn. But I wasn’t sure. Some people were coming toward me on the main road. I waited to see if they would turn. Then I looked closer. It was Jeff and Mark. Why were they coming from the opposite direction? And they were closely followed by two Canadian women we had met the day before. Well, apparently Jeff and Mark missed the turn, where I was waiting to see if others turned. They walked on. When they met up with the Canadians, they got things straightened out. When the Canadian women saw me, they said, “We fetched them for you.” And I said, “Many thanks!”

We really need to be aware of where we are going and who we are following and where that will lead. And this extends in our world of connection from people in the flesh to social media. Who are you following on your social media accounts? Are the people or organizations you are following leading you to somewhere you want to go? Is the information being disseminated accurate? Helpful? What kind of influence are you letting those you follow have over you? Yes, this can be media, but it can also be mentors, friends, historical figures. Our son had an obsession with Stalin for several years. Stalin? Is that someone you want to follow? A tyrant responsible for the deaths of thousands or was it millions?

This may seem benign but people can be highly influenced and get into the clutches of those who do not have the best intentions. This could be some kind of financial scam. Investing in something that promises great dividends but turns out to be only taking your money and not giving anything in return. This could be involvement with an organization that seems to be doing good but is really involved in something like human trafficking. This could involve a relationship online that turns into an in person relationship that is abusive or worse.

Maybe now more than ever, we need to be careful about who we are following and what influence we are giving them in our lives.

Many years ago someone from the church got involved in a group on line that was about male identity and family responsibility. It seemed like it was about building strong families. But there was a subversive agenda. It turned out to be about male superiority and domination of women. The man involved started getting dictatorial toward his wife and trying to limit her freedom. The marriage ended in divorce. Because of who the husband started following online.

It is very important to be aware of who we are following. Who we are giving power to in our lives. Are we letting ourselves be led by someone who is blind? OR worse, someone devious and deceptive? Someone with ill intentions who is devoted to doing harm but making it look like good?

Who are we following? What are we connected to? This is a question that Jesus addressed. Make sure you choose a teacher worthy of your devotion. A teacher in sync with the purposes of God. A teacher devoted to love. Other-centered love. Not someone who is self aggrandizing or sycophantic. A self promoter. A user.

And let’s be honest, people in the religion business are infamous for abusing power and trust. It was no different in Jesus’ day. Religion is a prime domain for people getting other people to do what they want. There are so many aspects of religion that lend themselves to manipulation – the threat of hell, the promise of heaven, retribution, connection to otherworldly power, the promise of miracles or the threat of cataclysms. Oh, yes, religion is rife with tools that can be used for manipulation.

Here’s one of my litmus tests when it comes to those who profess to being leaders in the Christian church. Do they seem rich? Are they driving a fancy car? Wearing expensive clothes? Eating at pricey restaurants? Living in a big house? That kind of thing. If they are, I am suspect. Because Jesus was poor. If you are following Jesus, if he is your teacher, you are not headed to an opulent lifestyle. And where is all that money coming from? Parishioners? If so, it should be used to help people in need.

Jesus warns us to pay attention to who we are following, especially when it comes to religion. He had plenty to say about the religious leaders of his day. In fact, the only scathing remarks that are associated with Jesus are about religious authorities because they are supposed to be working to implement the realm of God not using their position for personal gain.

So, who are we following? Who are we connected to? Who do we give authority in our lives? Celebrities? Sports figures? Politicians? While I am likely to look at the money side of things to assess integrity and purpose, there are other gauges to pay attention to. We heard of another integrity factor in the lesson read today: judgement. Those who follow Jesus are to be nonjudgmental. Worry about the log in your own eye not the speck in someone else’s.

Now, ask a random person on the street and the general impression is that Christians are known for being judgmental. And this is not just fallout from the Salem witch trials. This comes from current behavior. Christians are known for holding up a high moral standard and condemning those who do not live up to that. Even when they themselves do not live up to that standard. Oh, but they are forgiven because they have been washed in the blood of Jesus.

But what do we hear from Jesus about judgment? The teaching is clear. Do not judge. Do not judge people. Do not condemn people. Judge the evil or morality of behavior, but do not judge the person. Do not look for fault in another. Instead, look for the fault in yourself and resolve that. Worry about yourself and your behavior. Look at how you are following your teacher and living up to the call of the gospel. Don’t impose judgment on others.

Again and again in the gospels, we see Jesus extending the unconditional, universal love of God. He doesn’t condemn people. Rail at them. Decry and abuse them verbally for their transgressions. Even those responsible for his crucifixion. Even those who betray and desert him. He forgives. He heals. He comforts. He restores. He has compassion. He invites people to follow him. Not to be punished. But to follow him on the path of life – full, abundant, free. Not controlled and manipulated by others. But a path of Love not condemnation.

Yes, we must assess our own actions. And judge their conformity with the gospel of Love. We must judge ourselves by a high standard of morality. We are to judge our own behavior. But we are to renounce judging, condemnation, resentment, and especially violence and hostility toward others, whoever they are, whatever they have done. This is what our teacher, Jesus, shows us. Compassion and understanding toward others. As God has for us. This is what Jesus models to those who are following him.

So often in the world around us we see judgment. Criticism. And condemnation. Scathing, in the political realm, at least. It is horrible. Who are they following? Certainly not Jesus. It doesn’t have to be this way. We actually can treat each other with dignity and respect. We can conduct ourselves in ways that honor our deeply held commitments without condemning those who may not agree with us.

I recently heard a story on the radio last week about a woman in the Boston area who was concerned about global warming. She decided that she wanted to heat her house with geothermal energy instead of the commonly available natural gas to help reduce her energy footprint. When she looked into the particulars she found out that geothermal heating for her house would cost upwards of $40,000 which was prohibitive for her. She ended up working with a a group of women, Mothers Out Front, who are concerned about climate change. They studied the geothermal issue and decided that they wanted to get the local natural gas company to offer geothermal energy to homes in the Framingham, Massachusetts area.

The Mothers Out Front group arranged a meeting with the gas company. The gas company had no idea what to expect. They not only had lawyers at the meeting but bodyguards as well. They were ready to be attacked – verbally and literally.

The Christian Science Monitor tells us of the beginning of the meeting:

But as the meeting started, Zeyneb Magavi and each of the other mothers calmly explained their passion to Mr. Akley, the president of gas operations at Eversource Energy: “I have three kids,” Ms. Magavi said. “I’m worried about climate change. And I’m worried about their future.” When the women finished, there was a pause. Mr. Akley broke the silence. “I have three kids, too. I’m worried about climate change. And I am also worried about their future.”

“That was our little sliver of common ground that we started to grow,” recalls Ms. Magavi.

[https://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/2024/0828/geothermal-energy-renewable-power-utilities]

The gas company has since installed an experimental geothermal service in Framingham and it is being explored for use in other areas as well.

Notice, the mothers did not attack the gas company. They did not condemn the executives. They did not judge and vilify them for continuing to use natural gas despite the high methane content involved and the severe contribution that makes to global warming. Instead, they shared their concerns for their children and the future. And they found common ground.

Jesus is our teacher. And instead of condemning other people, he teaches us to LOVE others. To treat people with dignity and respect. To find our connection and our common ground instead of creating division and rancor through judgment that is often hypocritical.

May we open our eyes, our own eyes, and may we see who we are really following. And the path of abundant life that Jesus offers. 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.