Category: Sermon Texts

Scripture Lessons: Genesis 12:1-4a and John 3:1-17
Pastor: Rev. Kim P. Wells

Who wants to move at, say, 98 years old? That’s a time when a person is well-established in their surroundings and relationships. Life is familiar and comfortable. Move? Why would you want to move? Well, maybe it would not be too bad if you were moving to a wonderful community like Lake Seminole Square – a place where one can easily make friends in a safe, welcoming environment where all your needs are met. Maybe that would be ok. But generally speaking, moving at that stage of life is not something most people would find appealing.

In the scripture from Genesis, we heard a story of God telling Abram that it is time to move. Abram is 75, we are told, which would be really old for those times given the life expectancy. But God is asking him to move to a whole new territory, a new life, and a new culture with Sarai, his wife, and his servants, flocks and herds. And Abram is told that he will have many descendants which is another surprise considering he has no children yet. God is introducing something new into the human drama. This new community is to be a blessing to all the families of Earth. And, Abram and Sarai are to lead this new endeavor even though they are well past the age of retirement.

So Abram and Sarai, head out on this new adventure. Why? To bless all families of the Earth. All families. Blessed. Thriving. Flourishing. At peace. All families of Earth. That’s the dream. And so they go.

Throughout history, and certainly throughout the Bible and the history of Christianity, people have been called to migrate not only from one place to another physically, but also from old ideas and old ways to new expressions of faith that bring Divine blessing to all of Creation. Changing times and circumstances call for new kinds of thinking about God and faith. Christianity has been migrating for 2000 years. It has adapted to new circumstances and cultures: Jewish, Middle Eastern, African, European and Asian, so that it can be a blessing in all of these different cultures and contexts.

Christianity has also made a significant migration from being a small, fringe religion to being the dominant religion of a major Empire. This change enabled Christianity to influence the empire but the empire also influenced Christianity.

Christianity has had to migrate and adapt as social realities have changed and as scientific knowledge has expanded human understanding. Archeological discoveries, linguistic discoveries, new knowledge in the fields of biology and astronomy, as well as other disciplines, have all influenced Christianity, which is always adapting and changing as humanity develops.

Given this ongoing process of migration and adaptation, I would like to share with you some of my thinking about how Christianity might migrate and move forward so that it can be a blessing to all families of Earth and all of Creation.

One thought is that for the church to be part of blessing the whole world and all families of the Earth, the church needs to embrace religious diversity. The God of the universe, of the cosmos, of black holes and deep space, of eukarya, archaea, and bacteria, is a God of diversity and mystery. So it only makes sense that people would respond to the Love at the heart of Creation, in many ways leading to the formation of different religions just like we have different languages and cultures.

This morning we heard about Abram who, the story goes, has two sons. One branch of the family is part of the Jewish tradition. From the other branch of the family, Islam emerges. It just seems too controlling and restrictive to confine Divinity to one religious expression.

So I think one of the challenges for Christianity is to let go of idea that it is the only one true, valid, religion, a claim that originally emerged to serve different circumstances. Today, I think we need to show acceptance and understanding of other religions. We need to be respectful and work with others in mutuality. It is time to end the condescension that Christians sometimes show toward people of other faiths and no faith if we want to be a blessing to all of Creation.

Another direction I think the church needs to migrate is hinted at in the Nicodemus story. At the end we hear that famous line, “God so loved the world.” I think Christianity needs to move toward being focussed on love for the world, the whole world, and all of Creation. This includes the land, the rocks, the waters, the air, the planets, the stars, the atmosphere, the molds, the trees, the grasses, the birds, the fish, the animals, all of life and all of material reality because all of it is the self disclosure of God. All of it is beloved.

We are part of a web of life dependent on other species and on the land and water and air for survival. I think we need to be thinking about and expressing our faith in terms of the salvation of Creation not just humanity. We need to move away from our anthropocentrism which focuses the expression of Divine Love primarily, if not exclusively, on the human condition. We need to think about more than Jesus calling people to a transformed life and loving our human neighbor. I believe the church is being called to expand its horizons beyond love for humanity to love for all of Creation. This involves thinking about revering, honoring, serving, and respecting all of Creation and its creatures. I think the church needs to migrate toward putting the God of Creation back at the center of Christianity.

Another new direction I think about for the church is perhaps the most difficult to talk about. The church has been called to be part of blessing all families of Earth. Its mission is to love the whole world, all of it. This is an all inclusive, expansive, and universal vision. Social scientists, anthropologists, linguists, and theologians are helping us to see the difficulties of fulfilling that calling when the God of our faith is predominantly imaged as male. Yes, we say that God is not really any gender. God is spirit. Male terminology is just a default setting because of the limitations of language. But we have come to learn that language has the power to form and shape culture and understanding. God as male morphs into male as God.

In practice, a male God doesn’t end up blessing all of Creation. A male God ends up being used to endorse male domination of human social arrangements. I don’t think this was an intentional strategy of oppression on the part of the church or of men. It is just something that evolved. The power attributed to men in a system with a male God ended up being used to dominate and subjugate women. Just recently, we saw the silencing of Elizabeth Warren reading the words of Coretta Scott King. Women. Silenced. By men. We read of Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback, Jameis Winston, telling the students at an area elementary school, “All my young boys, stand up. The ladies, sit down. But all my boys, stand up. We strong, right? All my boys, tell me one time: I can do anything I put my mind to. . . But the ladies, they’re supposed to be silent, polite, gentle. My men, my men are supposed to be strong.” [Tampa Bay Times 2/23/17, 6A] There you have it again. Men strong and running things, women, silent.

When the Constitution said all men are created equal, that’s what it meant – all men. Not women. Black men got the right to vote in America in 1870. Women of any color did not get the right to vote until 50 years later in 1920. This week we heard about thousands of women around the world participating in International Women’s Day on March 8. Why? Because women still don’t have equal rights. And the whole system which keeps men bound and limited as well as women, is enmeshed with male language for God.

When God is a he, you get a social system where men are considered superior and women inferior, and that is considered the natural order of things.

Scholars tell of the benefits to society when women and men are equal. There are benefits for the health of the species, for the economy, for peace, for the flourishing of human civilization, but patriarchy persists undergirded by the use of male language for God. I would like to see the world after 100 years of no male language or imagery for God in any religion. I think we would be much closer to the kind of world that Jesus had in mind for all people.

So I believe that the church needs to take seriously migrating away from male language for God toward new imagery that does not make God into some kind of male super hero. Then Christianity will increase its potential for being a blessing to all of Creation.

We, as individuals live, learn, and grow throughout our life cycle. We mature and adapt and change as our life journey progresses. We learn from our experiences and are in a continual process of adaptation. So it is with Christianity. As time goes on, and circumstances change, and we learn new things, our religious ideas must change and adapt so that our faith can continue to be a blessing to all of Creation. We in the church are responsible for saying yes, and being part of the migration of our faith into new territory which will be a blessing to all.

Some of you know that Lloyd Conover, of our church family died yesterday. Lloyd invented tetracycline, the antibiotic which was so effective in medical treatment. Until that point, antibiotics were grown and harvested from mold. They were made from naturally occurring substances. Lloyd, a chemist, believed that they could be created synthetically – which would make them much easier to produce and more readily available. He studied this and thought it was possible. It is notable that the others in his lab did not agree. They did not think this was possible and they did not support his research and efforts. He was pretty much on his own. And he eventually succeeded. And other drugs have been created building on his work, again increasing the effectiveness of medical treatment and healing. But Lloyd was an outlier. He did not have the support and encouragement of his colleagues.

This reminds us that sometimes when we venture into new territory, we must blaze the way. We may not have the encouragement and support of those around us.

When we think about the two stories we heard this morning, we remember Abram and Sarai, who said yes to migration and ventured into new territory. They were willing to be part of forming a new community intended to be a blessing to all families of Earth. And we think of Nicodemus who was also invited to migrate in his religious beliefs and understandings and he held back. He was not ready to move forward.

Today, we see the problems of the world. We see the violence, the war, the shootings. We see the tensions in international relations. We see conflict between religions and cultures. We see economic problems facing communities and countries. We see educational challenges and environmental devastation. And we want to be part of the healing. Part of the migration to a world where all may flourish in peace. So let us look for those new paths. Make needed adaptations. Embrace changes. So that we may be a blessing to all of Creation. 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: Feb. 26, 2017
Scripture Lesson: Matthew 17:1-9
Sermon: The Mountain Top Experience
Pastor: Rev. Kim P. Wells

Our world grew this week. Our reality got bigger. And that is not just because the Universe is expanding. Astronomers from the US and Belgium found 7 new planets about the size of Earth orbiting a single star named Trappist-1 less than 40 light years away. Given the location of the planets, their size, and the size of Trappist-1, it is very possible that there may be life on several of these planets. NASA’s Thomas Zurbuchen says that this discovery, “gives us a hint that finding a second Earth is not just a matter of if, but when.” [Tampa Bay Times, 2/23/17, “Earth-size planets found orbiting a single star,” 3A] This is very exciting for the advancement of human knowledge and self understanding. We are closer than ever to finding other life forms beyond Earth. This is amazing. Our horizons are continuing to expand. Or so we would hope.

You see it is very important to know and understand how we are part of a bigger picture, a larger reality, a cosmic drama. Since ancient times, God, Divinity, Holiness, and the Sacred, have been associated with mountains and high places. Think Mount Olympus of Greek mythology. Think Mount Sinai of the Jewish tradition. Think the Sermon on the Mount. Think Mount Everest which is sacred to the cultures that live nearby. High up – Sacred, Divine, Holy.

From a high place, you get a large perspective. You can see for a long way. You get a sense of the broad scope of reality. A vast vista. You get a feeling for your place in the big picture of things – Creation, history, geography, and culture. This perspective, the big picture, helps us to know how we fit in, where we belong, and how to properly understand who we are.

This morning we listened to a story of how Jesus, at a crucial point in his life and ministry, heads up a mountain. He is seeking God; direction from God, confirmation from God, and affirmation from God. He wants to see the big picture, the wider scope of things.

This story is placed after Jesus has told his disciples that he is to be killed. They are understandably horrified at this prospect. Their beloved leader. The one for whom they have left home and family. The one who has shown them the commonwealth of God and invited them to be part of that reality. How can he be killed? What will become of those who are left? Does that mean the end of everything? Have they misplaced their trust? Bet on the wrong horse? How can that be? The scene on the mountain conveys the message that Jesus is in line with the Law and the Prophets. The same words that are mentioned at Jesus’ baptism are mentioned in the story on the mountain. “This is my child, my Beloved.” With an added instruction: “Listen to him.” This story functions to confirm the identity and validity of Jesus as a faithful one of God; as a manifestation of Divine love. It is a scene of reassurance. In the midst of daily issues with the disciples and their lack of understanding and faith, in the face of the suffering and humiliation that lies ahead for Jesus, he is encompassed by God, living in God, part of the reality of God, part of the larger purposes of God to bless the entire Creation. We see how Jesus accepts that he is part of a much larger story.

It is important for us to remember the need to see the view from the mountain. So often we can get caught up in our own lives, our own realities, our own problems, that we ignore or worse yet intentionally discredit the larger view of reality. This kind of small scale thinking can lead to many problems. It can mean that we only see our own interests. And we advocate for those interests. And pursue those interests. Perhaps not seeing the wider ramifications that may not ultimately serve our own good or the good of the world.

An example comes from the agricultural sector. Farmers have been counseled to use toxic chemicals to deal with weeds and pests. This leads to greater crop yield. A good thing. So, thousands of tons of toxic substances are applied to field after field. The producers are happy to sell their products. The farmers are happy to be relieved of weeds and pests. But a wider view shows that the chemicals are poisoning the soil as well as poisoning water sources. They are causing health problems in animals, in plants beyond the field, and are a danger to human health. If we take the bigger view, we see the multiplicity of consequences and complexities involved and can make better choices.

As another example, we may look at pictures of polar regions and see amazing expanses of snow and ice. But satellite imaging and aerial photography over time show us the incredible depletion of glaciers and ice in polar regions. So, a view from above, over time, shows us a bigger picture. And tells a different story about what is happening with global warming.

Sometimes when we are having conflict in a relationship, with a family member, or with a neighbor, or at work, or even with someone at church, we may only be looking at the situation from one vantage point. Maybe if we take a bigger view, listen more, try to understand various perspectives, we can see more about what is going on. We can be better able to understand the conflict and strengthen the relationship when we take a larger view.

Seeing the bigger picture helps us to be people of integrity. Yes, we may want to be part of a world that is just, but taking the long view reminds us that we must use means that are consistent with the purposes of justice. We cannot achieve true and lasting justice through unjust means. We cannot create peace in the world through violence. It is not enough to be expedient. The means must be consistent with the ends for lasting transformation and change. This lesson we learn well from the farmworkers who will speak with us later this morning.

When we come to church each Sunday, in a way we are coming to seek that mountaintop view. We come here to remind ourselves again of the bigger picture: Of God’s intentions and purposes and character. Of our nature as human creatures created in the image of God. Of what it means to love ourselves, our neighbors, all of humanity, and all of Creation. We come to church to remind ourselves of this broader view so that we don’t become captive to the narrow interests of tribalism and self interest.

In the story of the Transfiguration, we are told of Jesus and several of his disciples having this mountain top experience, but then they head down the mountain. Jesus knows that the path will take him to Jerusalem where he will be confronted by the authorities which will lead to his death. The mountain top experience gives him an overall view which then guides his day to day behavior. This experience gives him the perspective and strength to face the challenges ahead. He will make choice after choice based on what he knows of the broader reality. He will be guided by the visions and dreams of God. He will trust God. Over self interest. Over safety. Over self preservation. Over the disillusionment of his followers. And the betrayal and desertion of his friends. Jesus keeps himself focussed on the bigger picture. The long term goal. The greater good. And absorbs the risks and costs.

To be God’s people, to be faithful followers of Jesus, to fulfill our purpose in life, to find meaning and direction on the journey, we need that big picture, that long view, that mountain top inspiration. It doesn’t give us all the answers. We still have to find our way, but it helps us to maintain our focus on what is truly important and it strengthens our alignment with the purposes of God for all of Creation.

On the night before he was assassinated, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. preached at The Bishop Charles Mason Temple in Memphis, TN. In that sermon, King talks about the long view. He mentions the, “panoramic view of the whole human history up to now.” King mentions how people are rising up not just in the southern United States, but all over the world, “in Johannesburg, South Africa; Nairobi, Kenya; Accra, Ghana; New York City,” and of course, the South. King saw a human rights revolution erupting around the globe and he knew that what was going on in the southern United States was an expression of a much larger human longing. King could see what was going on in Memphis within the scope of human history and as part of a global movement. There was a much bigger picture. He got his understanding, his sense of purpose, his self identity, and his strength from that vast vista. Listen to how he ends his sermon, the last sermon of his life, the sermon delivered the night before he was killed:

Well, I don’t know what will happen now. We’ve got some difficult days ahead. But it doesn’t matter with me now. Because I’ve been to the mountaintop. And I don’t mind. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I’m not concerned about that now. I just want to do God’s will. And He’s allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I’ve looked over. And I’ve seen the promised land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people will get to the promised land. And I’m happy, tonight. I’m not worried about anything. I’m not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.

[From “I See the Promised Land” in A Testament of Hope: The Essential Writings of Martin Luther King, Jr., edited by James M. Washington, p. 286]

May we take in that mountain top view. For then we, too, will be able to shine love’s pure light without fear. 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.

Scripture Lessons: 1 Corinthians 3:1-9 and Matthew 5:21-37
Sermon: Spiritual Evolution
Pastor: Rev. Kim P. Wells

In December of 1831, the HMS Beagle set off from England on a voyage to chart the coastline of South America. On board, as naturalist and geologist, was Charles Darwin who was born on Feb. 12, 1809. The journey was projected to take 2 years. It took 5. In those 5 years, Darwin did geological study and collected natural history specimens including fossils. Darwin made drawings, took measurements, and kept extensive notes on his travels, which as we know included the Galapagos Islands. The expedition returned to England in 1836.

In the years following the voyage Darwin continued his study of his findings on the trip. And he pursued additional investigations as a naturalist. He examined the evidence and information that he was amassing. He looked for the ideas and explanations that were emerging from the data.

Up to that point, the accepted view was that each species was created in its final form as we know it. The religious view was that God created each species individually. All the biodiversity on Earth came from the hand of a creator God, species by species, one by one.

Darwin and others were seeing the relationships and connections between species and their studies led them to see that species were not independent and unrelated but that they were related and connected, evolving and changing over time.

Finally, after many years of investigation and exploration, in 1859, 23 years after the Voyage of the Beagle, Darwin, in collaboration with Alfred Russell Wallace, published a paper entitled, “On the Tendency of Species to form Varieties; and on the Perpetuation of Varieties and Species by Natural Means of Selection.” Later that year, Darwin’s full views about natural selection were presented in On Origin of Species. Darwin made the case for what we know as the theory of evolution. That was in 1859. By the 1870’s, Darwin’s views on natural selection and evolution were widely accepted.

The basic understanding is that species adapt and change over time in light of changing circumstances and conditions in the environment. Genetic traits that promote the survival of the species persist. Traits that are detrimental to the perpetuation of the species do not. Through this process of change new species emerge and some species go extinct. This is a natural on-going process that is part of the dynamic ever-changing environment. Change and adaptation are part and parcel of Creation which is in a constant state of flux.

Just as plants and animals adapt and change, so humans, too, are evolving and changing both biologically and culturally. For instance, the appendix is getting smaller and smaller as humans evolve. It is disappearing because it no longer serves a useful purpose. So, at some point in the future, it may be that people are born without an appendix.

In addition to the biological evolution of human beings, we also see that human culture is evolving and changing over time. This, too, contributes to the perpetuation of the species. There was the harnessing of the power of fire. There was the development from being hunter-gatherers, to settled agriculture. There was the age of fossil fuels which powered industrialization. Human culture is continually adapting, changing, and evolving.

We also see the evolving of religion in the history of humanity. In past times, people thought the world was controlled by gods who had different jobs. One was in charge of rain. One took care of the thunder. There was a god of the sun and a god of the moon. People believed in many different gods that were doing different things to keep the world running. Humans believed they could influence these gods to their benefit.

With Judaism, we see the emergence of the first form of monotheistic religion, religion with just one God. And Christianity and Islam emerge from that. There has also been the emergence of many other religions. These religions emerge to meet the spiritual needs of people in varying circumstances as humanity develops. Religion adapts to the ever advancing human understanding of the world and nature and science. As humanity has grown and progressed intellectually, religion has adapted accordingly. Or it should.

In our religious tradition, we see the process of evolution at work. Jesus was Jewish. In the scripture that we heard today, Jesus references traditional Jewish teaching about murder. Thou shalt not kill. Jesus builds on this. He doesn’t replace it, he takes it further. He affirms that our religious ideas are growing, changing, and deepening as humanity moves forward.

Sure, it is fine to have a teaching that we should not murder or kill. But Jesus adds to this the challenge to look at what causes killing and murder. Anger. Hatred. Strife. So he encourages people to deal with their conflicts in a constructive manner. Don’t just “not kill.” Work out your problems. Learn to get along with others. Pursue reconciliation before you are thinking about killing someone. And the sooner this happens the better. The longer we wait, the more difficult it can become. We are to work out our differences and to pursue right relationship with others. He is encouraging reconciliation not exploitation or violence.

Jesus’ message is basically the same when it comes to marriage. Sure, there are legal standards around marriage. There is what is lawful. But Jesus is encouraging people to do what is good and true. He is viewing marriage not as a property transaction but as a human relationship of mutuality, dignity and respect.

As for a vow, if you have to take a vow to make sure you are not lying, the presumption is that the rest of the time, you may very well be lying. Jesus is saying don’t lie. Ever. So you don’t have to worry about taking a vow. Be true all the time.

What Jesus is showing us is the evolution from needing rules to keep us from harming each other to offering teaching that shows us how to get along with each other and live as brothers and sisters in communities that foster life and creativity. Jesus is showing us how to transition from a basic view of “don’t do the bad,” to “do the good.” It’s not enough not to hate, we must love one another, even those we consider an enemy. Jesus is drawing upon the traits of his religious tradition that he feels are needed to advance the perpetuation of the species. He is offering what is good for the continuing future of humanity.

In a time of extreme conflict and challenge, Abraham Lincoln drew upon those teachings to foster the perpetuation of the United States, its people and ideals. Lincoln was born on Feb. 12, 1809, the same day and year as Darwin. While Darwin was busy helping us to understand how species develop biologically, Lincoln shows us how a species develops morally. He is a great teacher of the practicalities associated with the moral evolution of humanity that we are taught by Jesus. While Lincoln was not much for church, he was an avid reader of the Bible and very much committed to the teachings of Jesus including the teaching that we heard this morning.

Lincoln was committed to the hard work of being in right relationship with others personally, in society, as a nation, and in international affairs. We see this carried out by Lincoln who said, “Do I not destroy my enemies when I make them my friends?” He applied this in all circumstances including war and peace.

In addition, Lincoln very specifically selected a cabinet that included people with differing points of view, from each other, and from Lincoln himself. Lincoln believed in the honest sharing of a diversity of ideas and perspectives. Through this give and take, he felt that a better result would emerge. From conflicting viewpoints better policy could be created. Lincoln wanted to learn from others and felt that a diverse cabinet would best serve him and the nation. You can read more about this in the book, Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin.

In Lincoln, we see the commitment to reconciliation over exploitation especially in the aftermath of the Civil War. We remember those great words of his second inaugural address: “With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation’s wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.”

In this address, we see Lincoln’s desire not so much to win a war as to win a peace. And he knows that to win peace means pursuing reconciliation with the South. That will require compassion and generosity. It must be based on respect and dignity. This is not how those who win a war typically treat the loser of the war. What is customary is for the loser to be punished, debased, stripped of power, agency and resources; exploited. Lincoln would have none of that. He exhibits the commitment to making things right with the South in accordance with the teaching that we heard from the Gospel this morning. Lincoln tells us, “I have always found that mercy bears richer fruits than strict justice.”

Lincoln was very much inspired by the Bible and the teachings of Jesus. And we see the ethics of Jesus borne out in Lincoln’s life and work. It is for this that he is revered and remembered, though, sadly, not enough emulated.

We see Lincoln drawing upon the traits of Christianity that he feels will best serve the good of the world. In him we see the evolution of Christianity as a force for good not just in the North, or in the United States, but in the world. And this leadership is based on the Bible. But notice that Lincoln chooses carefully what teachings in the Bible to follow. He could have followed teachings in the Hebrew Bible and Christian Testament that would have supported punishing the South. Taking the spoils of the South. Degrading and demeaning the South. Lincoln could have impugned the South with threats of the fires of hell and burning for eternity. There are plenty of verses in the Bible that Lincoln could have drawn upon to support that agenda. But just as biological species evolve and change and adapt to ensure survival, religion changes to meet the challenges of the circumstances that it confronts. Lincoln knew that vindictiveness and revenge were not going to promote the survival of the United States of America. And so he chose carefully from the Christian tradition the traits that would best serve the interests of survival and peace at the moment and into the far future.

The church has always been involved with choosing from its heritage what to preserve and what to let go of to meet the current situation. The church has always been choosing what traits to carry on and what traits to let go of. This is nothing new. Jesus came for the good of the world. The church exists for the good of the world. So it is incumbent upon the church to always be seeking how to serve the good of the world in the current circumstance. And we have a rich heritage to draw upon.

Today, the world needs a witness to right relationship, to dignity and respect, to truth and integrity. The world needs to be shown how to engage in reconciliation. Our first response seems to be weapons and conflict and violence when there is a problem. The world needs a world view; looking at what is in the best interests of the world, not just one people, one country, one place, but the world needs a planetary perspective including all of Creation. Given our technology, weaponry, mobility, and the rampant greed around us the world need the witness of the expansive moral vision of Jesus now more than ever.

We see Darwin and Lincoln giving the world their best for the good of the world. We see them giving the world their best intellectual capacity, their best creativity, their best moral vision. In their own way, they are contributing to the perpetuation of the species. The church needs to be giving the world the best it has to offer.

It is in the DNA of the church to be an agent of reconciliation and right relationship not only between people, but between humanity and the natural world, plants, animals, land, water, and space. The church must draw upon those traits for they are necessary for the survival of the world and offer them as a bold witness.

We are living in a time of strained relationships from the court room to the board room to the situation room to the bedroom. In decades and centuries to come, looking back upon these days, will the church be remembered as a spiritual infant, an image we are given in Corinthians? Will the church be remembered for promoting a faith of prohibitions. Don’t do this. Don’t’ do that. Avoid evil. Will the church be remembered for promoting intimidation and threat? Don’t do that or you’ll spend eternity rotting in hell. Do this if you want to go to heaven and live for eternity in paradise. Will the church be remembered for fostering inequality and division?

Or will the church be remembered for preserving the traits of our heritage that promote universal love and extraordinary reconciliation? Will the church be remembered for its spiritual maturity embracing the full scope of the ethics and teachings of the Jewish Jesus?

In biology, when traits are no longer serving the survival of the species, they adapt or the species becomes extinct. In culture, when practices and attitudes no longer serve the future interests of the community, they are left behind. So it is with religion as well. Aspects of our tradition that are no longer useful, that no longer serve the good of the whole Creation need to be jettisoned. The church has significant traits to offer to the world that can definitely contribute to the survival of humanity and the planet. Will the church continue its evolution and perpetuate those traits? If the church ceases to exist in a significant way, we will know that the church was not serving its purpose. That it did not allow adaptation and natural selection to work.

Christianity has been opting for various traits since faith communities began gathering in the first century CE. Slight variations to fit the circumstances. Slight differences being preserved so that the radical love and scandalous reconciliation of the way of Jesus will continue to be enfleshed for the good of the world. Our religious tradition is needed to be a source of good news, new life and the transformation of creation into the paradise God intends for it to be. May the church encourage the process of natural selection and continue to evolve and contribute to the good of the world.
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.

Scriptures: Isaiah 58:1-12 and Matthew 5:13-20
Pastor: Rev. Kim P. Wells

It seems like many people I talk to feel out of kilter, adrift, and disoriented. Maybe the pictures of people being turned away at airports under the temporary travel ban on certain Muslim countries hit home because in some sense we feel troubled, alienated, and dispossessed as America we knew it seems to be eroding. . . I imagine that for people who support what is going on, the protests and demonstrations seem confusing. People are supposedly getting what was voted for, why are they agitating so passionately? In any case, many feel disoriented.

In a 1995 commentary about the Isaiah lesson for today, a Biblical scholar remarks, “There are clues here about rehabilitation of a society in disarray!” [Texts for Preaching: A Lectionary Commentary Based on NRSV – Year A, Brueggemann, Cousar, Gaventa, and Newsome, p. 129] How appropriate for us today!

In the book, The Sellout: A Novel, by Paul Beatty, which won the Man Booker prize, unusual for an American, the father of the main character, a psychologist, an eccentric sort, tells his son, “You have to ask yourself two questions: Who am I? and How may I become myself?” [p. 250]

So in this time of shifting sands beneath us, we turn to the scriptures with these questions: Who am I? and How do I become myself? In the lesson from Matthew, Jesus tells us that we are salt and light. Notice we are told that Jesus says, “You are the salt of the earth. . . You are the light of the world.” [Emphasis added.] It doesn’t say, if you do this, then you will be the salt of the earth. If you believe that, then you will be the light of the world. It doesn’t say, you could be the salt of the earth. Or you might be the light of the world. It says, “You are the salt of the earth. . . You are the light of the world.” [Matthew 5: 13,14] That is who we are.

We are here today, in this church, some of us Christians, some Jewish, some Buddhist, some agnostic, some atheist, some “other,” because somehow, in some way, we have experienced the stirrings inside us telling us that we are salt and light. We have been called to, as theologian Carter Heyward puts it, “. . . join Jesus and many others in giving God a voice, giving God an embodied life on earth.” [Resources for Preaching and Worship Year A: Quotations, Meditations, Poetry, and Prayers, compiled by Hannah Ward and Jennifer Wild, p. 66] We are here to enflesh love.

Now we know who we are. So we turn to, “How may I become myself?” How do we function as light and salt? How do we embody Divine love in the world, the world that we are in, the world as we know it, the world that is shifting under our feet, the world that seems to be becoming more and more divided?

From both Matthew and Isaiah, we hear that our calling is to make a difference in the world. We are to take action in the public realm. To make a concrete response to public issues, to human need, to dehumanization, oppression, and poverty. One scholar says it this way, “. . . the direct, immediate engagement with self and neighbor with clearheaded awareness of systemic issues.” [Texts for Preaching, p. 129]

I know that you are not the crowd that needs to be convinced of our call to do good in the world, make a difference, and show God’s love for all people. But sometimes we need help moving from our minds and hearts to our hands, feet, and wallets.

This week, I was inspired by the Rev. Bernard Lafayette who spoke at the University of South Florida. Rev. Lafayette was an advisor to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. He was on the front lines of the Civil Rights Movement. In his last conversation with King on the day King was killed, King told Lafayette that they needed to take the movement from civil rights in the United States to human rights around the world. He told Lafayette that the agenda was to go global with nonviolent direct action. And Rev. Lafayette has spent his life doing just that leading workshops on nonviolent action around the world, including in Israel, Niger, and Columbia where he had to laugh when they referred to him as a “gringo.” In his remarks, Lafayette reminded us: “Don’t sit on the couch, the rocking chair, the floor, and grieve. . . Don’t be weak and pitiful and just complain. . . Don’t wait and see what’s going to happen next, make something happen. . . Look for cracks in the system and use your crowbar to pry. . . Don’t burn down the bus station.”

In these times of great challenge and peril, it can be hard to be salt and light, to be ourselves. We can feel so out of step with what is going on around us. In the face of fake news, alternative reality, deceit, lies, delusion, and the complexity of every problem that we face, we must resist the temptation to crawl under a rock! We are needed to be discerning and responsive, following in the way of Jesus. We know that to be salt and light is to act with love. It is, as one commentary suggests, to embody “unheard-of reconciliation, simple truth-telling, outrageous generosity, and love of one’s enemies.” [Texts for Preaching, p. 136]

It’s a challenge at the best of times. To do this, to embody “unheard of reconciliation, simple truth-telling, outrageous generosity, and love of one’s enemies,” to be salt and light, we want to keep three things in mind.

One is feed the soul. We need to be sure that we are feeding our souls and nourishing our spirits. This means coming to church, daily prayer, turning to scripture, meditating, journaling, walking the labyrinth, going on silent retreat, whatever it is that keeps you connected and grounded in the transcendent, the Divine, the greater good, the larger reality. Feeding the soul is critical to being salt and light.

And we want to keep in mind that there are many people who may feel the urging of God, the sense of the transcendent in their lives, but they are not connected to a faith community. They have not yet found a way to feed the soul through a church or religious community. They may be needing that connection now, and it is up to us to let people know about this church and invite people to see what is here because it may be just what they need to help them be the salt and light they are called to be. So don’t be shy about mentioning the church to your friends, neighbors, coworkers, etc. Let them know that being part of this church grounds you in your world view, your activism and your service. Invite others to come and see. This is another way of giving food to the hungry and clothes to the naked; it is meeting the core human needs of others.

So, we maintain our ability to be light and salt by nourishing the soul and that can take many forms. We also want to be clear that as we seek to stay grounded so that we can radiate Divine, universal, unconditional love, we may need to ration our intake of negativism, hate, and delusion. Yes, I am talking about turning off the news. Spending less time on Facebook and Twitter. Giving the radio a rest even if it is National Public Radio. And maybe even limiting exposure to certain people – friends and even family. The constant frenetic pace of unfolding events can lure us into being almost voyeuristic – we want to see what is going on. We don’t want to miss anything. But we have to exert our power to limit the negative material we allow to enter our beings or it will take us over. We are in danger of being overwhelmed, drowned, and held hostage. We want to maintain our freedom to stay true to our Divine calling as salt and light. We cannot let our light be put out and we cannot let our salt be trampled underfoot. So we must take responsibility for what enters our minds and hearts just as we do with our bodies. I know that I listen to NPR far less than I used to. I have stopped catching up on Twitter before I go to bed because I get too worked up to sleep well. And we need to be well-rested and in good form, physically and spiritually, to be the salt and light that we are needed to be right now.

So, we need to feed our souls, limit negative influences, and lastly, confront our fears. Much of what is going on around us is fear-driven. There are economic fears. There are fears of those who are different. There are fears of other countries. There are fears of losing freedoms. There are fears of hastening environmental collapse. There are fears of violent attack. There are fears around access to health care. Every day, there are more things for us to be afraid of. And when people are afraid, they give up control and power. And the darkness grows.

We are salt and light. Salt and light are naturally occurring, part of Creation, of God. Their power is derived from the Divine. As salt and light, we are powerful. Think of living without light. Or life without salt. We would die. Salt and light are images of power. Power that stands down fear.

In his remarks on Thursday night, Rev. Lafayette spoke of fear. He said, “You have to overcome the fear of death. Then you can operate nonviolently. You are going to die anyway. Don’t wait. Do some good. The greater fear is that you’ll die before you do some good.”

We are salt and light. We are to fulfill the vision presented in Isaiah:

“to loose the bonds of injustice,
to undo the thongs of the yoke,
to let the oppressed go free,
and to break every yoke.
To share your bread with the hungry,
and bring the homeless poor into your house:
when you see the naked, to cover them. . .” [Isaiah 58:6-7]

We are needed in the world as the embodiment of God working for reconciliation, justice, compassion, and peace. For each and every individual. And for the whole Creation.

As we revisit the poetic words of the prophet Isaiah let us remember what is promised. He tells the people to give up their hollow, showy piety, and to get down to business caring for others, and creating a just society. In other words, be salt and light. But when the people are true to their God-given nature, when they fulfill God’s desires and intentions, then they experience the fullness of life. The prophet tells us:

“Then your light shall break forth like the dawn,
and your healing shall spring up quickly,
God will guide you continually
and satisfy your needs in parched places,
and make your bones strong;
and you shall be like a watered garden,
like a spring of water,
whose waters never fail.” [Isaiah 58: 10-11]

When we are true to ourselves, when we are the salt and light we have been called to be, we find our deepest joy and strength. We find our highest good. We find our healing and wholeness.

The Gospel in Solentiname by Ernesto Cardenal shares the responses of a community of campesinos in rural Nicaragua to stories in the Gospels. It was written in 1976. In her response to the teaching about being the salt of the earth, Dona Adela, a little old woman, calls to mind the preservative properties of salt. With a weak voice, she says: “We are the salt of the world because we have been placed in it so the world won’t rot.” [p. 94] And we can add, so that we don’t rot with it. 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.