Category: Sermon Texts

Sermon November 22, 2015 – Truth Telling John 18:33-37

Date:  November 22, 2015 Christ the King Sunday, Thanksgiving Sunday

Scripture:  John 18:33-37

Pastor:  Rev. Kim P. Wells

This Sunday is traditionally celebrated as Christ the King Sunday. It is the last Sunday of the church year. The year ends with a final declaration that Christ is King. Next week a new church year begins with the First Sunday of Advent. For a host of reasons, I don’t embrace the image of Jesus as a monarch but there is value to the idea that the gospel given to us by Jesus is worthy of our highest commitment and loyalty. It is a way of life for ourselves as individuals and for the church as a community, which is intended for the good of all people, including those who are on other spiritual paths, and the good of all creation. Thus the way of Jesus deserves our whole-hearted devotion.

This morning we heard the scripture lesson assigned for Christ the King Sunday. It is a story of a conversation between Pilate and Jesus specifically about the concept of kingship. Claiming to be a king was considered treason. It was a direct assault on the authority of Caesar, the true Emperor, the Divine King. And this crime was punishable by death. The religious authorities were threatened by Jesus because he was challenging their dictates. He was defying their rules and conventions. They wanted to get rid of him. So, they accuse him of claiming to be a king so that the Romans will see him as a threat and convict him of treason and put him to death by capital punishment. Thus the religious leaders will get the job done without getting their hands dirty.

The story we heard today tells of Jesus’ vision of his role. “My realm is not of this world.” His values, vision, and concept of power is so far removed from the hierarchy and tyranny of the leaders of his day, both Roman and religious, that he is by no means intending to take over their positions and put himself in office. No. He is revealing an entirely different reality in which the precious notions to which they cling have no place whatsoever.

From this short passage we glean at least two important points. We are surrounded by people, institutions, and values vying for our loyalty. When we are called to be Christians, the God shown to us by Jesus becomes the primary authority for our lives. Jesus’ teaching, his values, his worldview becomes preeminent for us. This is a big change from the surrounding culture in his day and as well as today. That’s one message here. Another message in the story of this brief encounter with Pilate is that following Jesus can put us at odds with the institutions and authorities around us in ways that are difficult, if not deadly.

The symbolic meaning of Christ the King Sunday is that Christ is our king. Our highest authority. The sovereign of our lives. The one we obey. Above all others. And there is that beautiful line at the end of the conversation between Jesus and Pilate: “. . . for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.” [John 18:37] As Christians, we get our truth from Jesus.

This week we will celebrate Thanksgiving. With the celebration of the quintessential American holiday ahead, let’s take a look at some of America’s history with the eyes of Jesus’ truth. This week, we will remember the iconic image of the Pilgrims and the Native American Indians feasting together. Yes, it is factual that the Pilgrims and the Indians had a feast together. The Indians saved the Pilgrims from perishing during their first winter in New England; something they very well may have come to regret. Now the Pilgrims knew what it was to be unwelcome and treated in a hostile manner from their experiences in England and Holland. They knew what it was like to have their religion and culture treated disrespectfully. Then they came over here and did virtually the same thing to the indigenous people, as did others who followed them from Europe, and the subjugation of the indigenous people continues to this day. Yes, the Pilgrims came to these shores to worship God in a Christian manner, seeking the freedom to practice their faith and create a community based on Christian principles. But what resulted was actually a far cry from way of Jesus that we are given in the New Testament. So on Christ the King Sunday, we open ourselves to seeing the truth as Jesus would, and not just the idolized fantasy of American lore.

Seeing the truth as Jesus sees it also deconstructs our mythologized version of Columbus’ arrival in the Americas. For most of American history, Columbus has been seen as a hero. He has his own holiday complete with parades, sales, and no mail. When Columbus came to this continent, he came in the name of the Catholic monarchs of Spain. The idea was to spread Christianity for the salvation of the people as well as to explore, find new markets, and identify new sources of raw materials. It all seemed legit. The proper exercise of power. But the way we know the story today, we know that the result was devastation not salvation including eradication of the locals, stealing of land and raw materials, and the decimation of indigenous religion and culture. With the eyes of the truth as Jesus shows it, Columbus Day may be better commemorated as a day of somber repentance.

On this Christ the King Sunday, we also revisit the national narrative that the United States is a Christian country. Actually, it was specifically founded as a nation of religious freedom. The government was not to foster the establishment of religion in any way. People are to have complete freedom of religious expression with nothing forced upon them in the public square. So, the US is not and never has been a Christian nation. Christianity has been the majority religion but that is by personal choice not dictate from the government. That is the truth despite the many other narratives that are perpetrated about the US being a Christian country.

In the spirit of truth telling on this Christ the King Sunday, while discussion of immigration swirls around us, it may do us well to remember the truth about the US when it comes to immigration. Yes, this is a nation of immigrants unless you are of Native American Indian descent. Yes, people have come here from all over the world seeking homes, jobs, and freedom. People have come to help populate this vast continent and supply labor for the growing economy, industry, and agriculture. But the idea that the US has welcomed the tired, poor, and huddled masses is stretching it. I am of Italian descent. And growing up, I heard stories of the discrimination and hostility that my forbears experienced coming to this country. Jewish immigrants have experienced discrimination here. Irish immigrants have experience hostility. The US interred its Japanese citizens during World War 2. Evidently this was done out of fear that they were terrorists or spies. That’s hardly hospitable. Those are just a few examples and there are many others shattering of the image of America as a country that welcomes immigrants with open arms.

And then there are all the people of African descent who were forced to make this land their home. Those inhabitants did not come here willingly. And they were not free. Slavery was the most hostile and inhospitable system imaginable. This is hardly a welcoming nation as far as the slaves were concerned and while things have improved vastly there is still a LONG way to go.

Yes, the US is a nation of immigrants, but. . .

The week has been filled with conversation about the refugees fleeing their war torn lives in Syria; fleeing the regime the US does not support, fleeing the system of rule that we do not endorse. Why are we not taking these people in? There were communist terrorists during the Cold War. We still took in the Communist defectors. So why not take in the Syrians? Is it because they are brown? Or because they are Muslim? We seem afraid they will do to us what the European settlers did to the indigenous population – terrorize the natives.

Most of these Syrian people are just like the rest of us. They want a safe place to live. They want to have food for their families. They want to work in jobs that are meaningful and make a contribution to society. They want their kids to do well in school. They want to be able to play and pray. And we hear them talked about as if they are hostile invaders, coming here to infiltrate, to plunder, to terrorize. They want to leave all of that behind. That is what has driven them from their homes. They are looking for stability, freedom, and opportunity.

Now Obama may say that to refuse these people entrance into the US is un American. We must add to that that it is also unChristian. In story after story of Jesus, Jesus chooses to reach out to those that his society, his religion even, treated with hostility. We are told of Jesus having encounters with women. This was forbidden. We are told of his interactions with Gentiles, even helping Gentiles. This, too, was forbidden. We are told of Jesus going out of his way to engage foreigners, those who were “other” and taking heat for it from the leaders of his day. We hear of Jesus talking with those considered “enemy.” And he treats them with respect and compassion. He offers them the grace of God. We are given these stories of Jesus specifically to show us how he extends the grace of God to all. He goes beyond the bounds of social acceptability in his context. He violates the social dictates about who is and isn’t in God’s favor.

Jesus took seriously the scriptures of his tradition which dictate that welcoming the stranger, helping the alien, showing hospitality to a refugee, is required by God. No if’s, and’s, or but’s. That is a basic fundamental of Judaism and of Christianity.

This week I was asked by a colleague, a clergy person, what I think about taking in the Syrians. I said that we, Christians, pastors, don’t really have a choice about what to think. The Bible makes it clear how Christians are to treat those who are foreigners, immigrants, refugees, and aliens. So, as Christians, we really don’t have a choice. Our faith compels us to take these people in.

On this Christ the King Sunday, we are reminded that there are those who will sing and pray and preach about how Jesus is the ruler of their lives. He is the King. He is worthy. He is to be praised. People will extol their devotion to Jesus. But let’s remember that Jesus did not ask people to praise him. He did not ask people to honor him. He did not ask people worship him. We are told that Jesus asked people to follow him. And because we live in a country where we have freedom of religion and separation of church and state, there is nothing standing in our way as followers of Jesus. We are free to live according to his dictates; embracing the foreigner and the stranger, dismantling the social constructs that constrain people and diminish their dignity and freedom. A true Christian, a follower of Jesus, one who honors the authority of Christ, would be sure to invite an immigrant Syrian family to Thanksgiving dinner.  Amen.

Sermon – November 8, 2015 A Penny for Your Thoughts

Scripture Lessons: Ruth 1:1-18 and Mark 12:38-44
Pastor: Rev. Kim P. Wells

In our household, when the kids swept their rooms, if there was change on the floor, it simply want into the trash can with the rest of the sweepings. They weren’t interested in coin. To them, it was not worth bothering with. To their parents, who emptied the trash, however, it was another matter and the coin was routinely rescued from the rubbish bin.

What’s two cents? You can’t even use it to buy penny candy anymore. Two cents. It’s an inconsequential opinion added to a conversation. Two cents. Worthless. Useless. Inconsequential. That’s what they thought in Jesus’ day, about the widow’s contribution of two cents and, frankly, about the widow herself. Worthless. A nuisance, even. But Jesus shows us the value of the two cents and of the widow.

Now it is no random detail that the woman Jesus singles out is a widow. You see, there is a “thing” in the Bible about widows. Widows were perceived as being worthless, bothersome, a nuisance, a burden. If they had any means, which most did not, they were preyed upon for their wealth, as was mentioned in the lesson we heard this morning. But most widows were simply dirt poor and at the mercy of others given the way society was structured. A widow was vulnerable. And, according to our scriptures, a widow was important to God.

There are numerous references in the Bible to the need to take care of those who are widows. Here are a few examples:
Exodus 22:22-24 You shall not abuse any widow or orphan. If you do abuse them, when they cry out to me, I will surely heed their cry; my wrath will burn, and I will kill you with the sword, and your wives shall become widows and your children orphans.
Deuteronomy 24:17 You shall not deprive a resident alien or an orphan of justice; you shall not take a widow’s garment in pledge.
Exodus 24:19-22 When you reap your harvest in your field and forget a sheaf in the field, you shall not go back to get it; it shall be left for the alien, the orphan, and the widow, so that the Lord your God may bless you in all your undertakings. When you beat your olive trees, do not strip what is left; it shall be for the alien, the orphan, and the widow. When you gather the grapes of your vineyard, do not glean what is left; it shall be for the alien, the orphan, and the widow. Remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt; therefore I am commanding you to do this.
Exodus 27:19 “Cursed be anyone who deprives the alien, the orphan, and the widow of justice.” All the people shall say, “Amen!”
Jeremiah 22:3 Thus says the Lord: Act with justice and righteousness, and deliver from the hand of the oppressor anyone who has been robbed. And do no wrong or violence to the alien, the orphan, and the widow, or shed innocent blood in this place.
Zechariah 7: 8-10 The word of the Lord came to Zechariah, saying: Thus says the Lord of hosts: Render true judgments, show kindness and mercy to one another; do not oppress the widow, the orphan, the alien, or the poor; and do not devise evil in your hearts against one another.
And from the New Testament:
James 1:27 Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Almighty, is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.

These are just a few examples of Biblical dictates that require taking care of widows. Evidently this is mentioned over and over again because it was an issue. Widows were not being cared for and so the people had to be reminded again and again of the need to do so.

There are numerous references in the Bible to the people of God being taken to task for neglecting to take care of the widows in their midst. Again, an indication that this was an ongoing problem.

So we see that widows are more than just women whose husbands have died. They are also symbolic of God’s care for all, especially those whom society has made vulnerable. While humans are cajoled to take care of widows, and reprimanded when they neglect that responsibility, we see again and again in the Bible how God shows care and compassion for widows:
Deuteronomy 10:17-18 For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who is not partial and takes no bribe, who executes justice for the orphan and the widow, and who loves the strangers, providing them food and clothing.
Psalms 146:9 God watches over the strangers; God upholds the orphan and the widow, but the way of the wicked God brings to ruin.

We also see God’s care for the widow in the story of Elijah feeding the widow at Zarapheth and saving her son. In Acts there is a story of the raising of Tabitha who cared for widows. We see God’s care of the widow in the story of the raising of the son of a widow in the Gospel of Luke. And in Jesus offering salvation to the woman at the well, who was likely a widow. God’s esteem for widows is evident in the role of Anna the prophetess, a widow, identifying the baby Jesus as the Messiah.

In stories in the Hebrew scriptures as well as the Christian scriptures, we see God’s care and concern for widows. They are a symbol of vulnerability and justice. God’s care for the widow shows God’s alternative value structure to that of the world which sees these women as worthless. God shows they are worthy of saving and have a constructive role to play in God’s community.

The story of the widow’s mite incorporates all these aspects of the widow in scripture. This widow is considered worthless by the community around her. Her gift is considered worthless. Yet Jesus cites her as an example for the leaders to follow. She is the last person who would have been considered worthy of emulation as the model for those who considered themselves worthy. In this story, the widow is used to show God’s intention to turn societal convention on its head, and to invert the values of society.

This widow defies all expectations. She does not allow herself to be confined to the identity assigned to her by those around her. She is not limited by cultural expectations. She is not defined by the negative messages of those around her. She will not let herself be controlled by the attitudes of the religious leaders. She defies all of this. And walks up to the treasury in full view of everyone, not cowering or sneaking or abashed, and puts her two cents in the treasury, all she has. With this simple act, she topples the reality that those with status and power and wealth have carefully constructed.

Today, corporations, politicians, the government, religion, and society try to control our thoughts, our lives, and our identities. And they can do this for a penny – just give some kind of economic incentive, just make it look like it is saving you money, or making you money, and we are easily brainwashed. These institutions are pretty good at constructing and controlling reality and we let them do it. But the story of this widow shows us that the gospel of Jesus Christ is far more than money. It is power. It is self identity. It is dignity and respect in spite of the messages pervading the cultural context around us. It is pushback. It is freedom.

As Christians, we believe that people are defined by God. Dignity is a divine birthright for all people regardless of their religion or lack thereof. Each and every person is sacred and invaluable. For us, everything is not defined by money, in economic terms. People are not pawns in power games or economic units. Life is sacred. The gospel is a message of freedom from the constructs and delineations and categories that so ofter drain and diminish life. The gospel is freedom from being controlled by the opinions and perspectives of society.

This past week we heard that the number of “nones” is going up in our country. Nones, not nuns. Nones are people who claim no religious affiliation. There are more and more people in the US who do not consider themselves religious. To me, this is not a surprise at all because in many ways the church has let itself be defined by the culture and so is anachronistic, irrelevant, arcane, and even laughable.

This week, there was a big article in the paper with a large picture about the Episcopal Church installing its first African American as presiding bishop. [Tampa Bay Times 11/2/15] Yes, in a way this is to be celebrated. But in another way, it is embarrassing. Given everything in the New Testament that is anti-racist and anti-bigotry, and given the blatant diversity of the early church, it’s sad that this is a big deal over 2,000 years later. The church should have been way past this a long time ago and it is a travesty worthy of repentance that it is not. When the church is patting itself on the back in 2015 for authorizing a black person to a position of power in the church, when the country already has a black president, this is embarrassing and its no wonder there are a growing number of nones. This kind of thing makes the church look passe and irrelevant. Which, sad to say, it often is.

The Gospel has freed us from the cultural constraints around us and we have ignored that freedom and instead chosen the shackles of society. The church should be way ahead of society, bringing society along, making a witness.

Friends if the church seems our of touch, passe, a relic, this is not because of the gospel. This is not because of the teachings of Jesus. This is not because of the witness of the early church. The story of the widow shows the power of the gospel to free us and transform us and empower us to model a new reality, the reality of God, in the midst of our skewed human society. We are to be yeast, light, salt to the world. Making a difference. [You’ll hear more about that next week.] The Gospel is a message of freedom and hope. Yet the church is seldom perceived as the bearer of that radical Good News.

I know that many of you are on Facebook, which I am not, and I’m told that our daughter, Angela Wells, pastor of the Burlington United Church of Christ Congregational in Massachusetts, is a prolific poster. So, maybe you have already heard these stories, but they bear repeating because they show the way the church is perceived as not only irrelevant but harmful.

Angela’s husband, Martin, was invited to the wedding of his boss, a woman who was marrying another woman. The boss took Martin aside and talked with him about the wedding and she expressed sensitivity to the fact that Martin’s wife was a pastor and she may not be supportive of this same gender wedding. The boss said she knows Martin is progressive in his thinking but she didn’t assume that his wife was the same way. After rattling off the numerous instances of UCC support of gay rights he told his boss that there were gay people in their church and Angela had performed gay weddings. Then he looked at the boss and said, “Where do you think I get my progressive ideas? I get them from Angela who gets them from the church.” The boss started to cry. The church is just not perceived to be a champion of freedom and dignity for all people.

In another situation, Angela was meeting with a family from the community about a memorial service. An elderly person had died and they were not part of a church but wanted a service at Angela’s church. One of the adult children involved was transgender. At the meeting about the service, the transgender person asked Angela if she was ok with the situation. She replied, “I just want to know what name you want me to use when I speak with you and what gender pronoun you prefer.” The person started to cry.

Frankly, this makes me want to cry at the pathetic state of the church and its reputation in society. The Gospel is a message of freedom and empowerment for ALL people. It is hope for the widow; it is hope for the world. Yet the church seems to be known for being judgmental and narrow minded. It can be seen as a derelict relic. No wonder there are so many nones.

And the great travesty is that society desperately needs to hear the gospel of freedom. Society needs to see the hope of a different reality and alternative future. People are hungry for transformation. I saw a bumper sticker this week on a car which said – and I realize this is off color for a sermon and unconventional and perhaps offensive but it strikes a chord – the bumper sticker said, “Bernie Because fuck this shit.” People are sick and disgusted with the way things are. And the church has an alternative. The church has a message of freedom and dignity and justice for all people.

This week we heard about the death rate going up among some middle aged white people. This was a complete surprise. Up? Why? Drug abuse, addiction, alcoholism, and suicide. These are expressions of desperation. This is hopelessness. This is people who share the sentiment of the bumper sticker but they have given up.

And the church holds back its two cents; it’s message of hope and an alternative world view, and lets the money of corporate America do all the talking, define the terrain, determine the value of a life, and set the course for the future. We have a message of hope and transformation that people are literally dying to hear. We have a message that frees us from the social constructs that deny life and hope. We are heirs to a tradition of power that defies the opinions, stereotypes, and stigmas around us. This widow will not let the people around her, even the religious authorities, define her, tell her who she is, or tell her what she is worth. Her faith has freed her from that power over her. With her two cents, with her all, she puts her trust not in money, not in people, but in God and God’s intentions for reality and creation.

Society wants to define us. Our faith frees us from the constraints of these definitions. We hear the stress put on STEM these days. Science, technology, engineering and math. And those pursuits are important. My husband is a science teacher. Now the Gates Foundation has put forth the “Reinvent the Toilet Challenge” to encourage the design of a toilet that can serve the 2.5 million people who do not have access to plumbing facilities. We’ll see what results. All l know is that the lights for a park that are fueled by dog waste were developed by an artist not an engineer or a scientist. Our faith compels us to break out of the limiting constraints that society is trying to impose upon us.

In our crazy days of selecting a presidential candidate, there is much fodder in the news. This week, when one of the presidential wannabes was asked a question, the candidate’s reply included this sentence, “I have to admit that I don’t know a great deal about that, and I don’t really like to comment until I’ve had a chance to study the issue from both sides.” [Tampa Bay Times 11/5/15, “Carson stumbles on Cuba question”] There’s the problem. Not that the candidate is uninformed, but that the candidate assumes there are two sides. Why only two? Most issues have more than two sides; many perspectives and facets. To assume there are just two sides is to simplify an issue, to already choose sides, to ignore the multiplicities of realities. It’s assuming a construct that is not helpful and limits the way that positive solutions and responses can emerge.

Our faith calls us to expand our thinking and not be limited by the labels society uses and the constructs society imposes. Corporate America wants to control our thoughts for a penny. Save a buck, make a buck, and we listen. We tune in. It’s on our radar. The widow shows us what two cents can do. Two cents defy all the power structures and economic assumptions of the day. Two cents defy every stereotype, stigma, and social construct. They don’t expect this widow to be generous. They don’t expect her to give. They expect her to be needy, pathetic, and dependent on others. With two cents, she breaks out of the prison they have created for her. She defines herself. And she declares her freedom to love and serve only God. And it only takes two cents. 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 Nov. 1, 2015 All Saints Sunday – Hometown Survival

Scriptures:  Deuteronomy 6:4-5 and Mark 12:28-34

Pastor:  Rev. Kim P. Wells

On the radio show, “Prairie Home Companion,” Garrison Keillor begins his weekly monologue, “It’s been a quiet week in Lake Wobegon, my hometown.” Well, we can’t say that about our hometown this week. It has not been a quiet week.

We watched a teen age orphan girl being thrown across the classroom by a police deputy for texting in math class. Well, that’s if your hometown is Columbia, South Carolina.

We’ve been told that U.S. military personnel have been sent in to Syria. Not our hometown, but the soldiers have hometowns across this land.

I don’t know how much good we can do in Syria when the military can’t control a surveillance blimp which was supposed to be guarding the government but got loose and was brought down in Pennsylvania after taking out power lines and wreaking havoc that affected lots of hometowns in the area.

There was the sentencing of a student from the elite St. Paul’s Prep School in Concord, New Hampshire convicted of rape. Evidently, the students were not just competing for top grades or coveted spots in Ivy League schools but the male students were competing for sexual conquests even raping their classmates to increase their score. And sadly, sexual harassment and rape are part of the reality of most hometowns.

We saw the wreckage of yet another boat filled with refugees in the Aegean Sea. Another tragedy involving people driven from their hometowns by violence and war.

And there was the presidential debate on Wednesday night. In some ways more scary than any fantasy horror flick because it was not Hollywood but our real live hometown.

And then closer to home, there was the execution of Jerry Correll on Thursday on behalf of the citizens of the state of Florida. There’s our hometown for you.

And we still know well Bruce Springsteen’s 1984 hometown of racial strife, gun violence and disappearing jobs.

We seem to have plenty of horror happening these days Halloween not withstanding. It doesn’t take much imagination to conger an evil empire or a satanic realm.

In the scripture we heard this morning, the story includes what is almost like a little side comment from Jesus near the end of the encounter: “You are not far from the realm of God.” This is what Jesus tells the scribe who has come to him asking about the most important commandment. The scribe affirms Jesus’ response and even adds that love of God and neighbor is more important than religious observance and this from a religious official. And Jesus tells him, “You are not far from the realm of God.”

Now when we think back to Bible times, we may have an idyllic image of the simple life when people had time to devote to spiritual matters and when they had the inspiration of being in the presence of revered holy figures like Jesus. In our minds, it may seem like a fairy tale land: Long ago and far away. But the times in which Jesus lived were hardly a pastoral paradise though there were sheep and goats. Jesus lived in hard scrabble times. They were under the thumb of the Roman Empire which unabashedly used military might to threaten and intimidate to ensure cooperation from its subjects. The Roman Empire put the screws on economically. Taxes and fees were squeezing the everyday people into poverty. That’s what it was like in Jesus’ hometown.

And the religious community was hardly a beacon of hope or virtue. The religious establishment had succumbed to collusion and corruption. It’s hard to stay pure and committed under pressure as we know all too well. And Jesus is threatening the delicate balance exposing the complicity of the religious leaders.

It is in these life threatening circumstances, in this time of peril and danger, when the future, if you dare to think that far ahead, is dark, and when day to day existence is in question, that Jesus reminds people that the heart of faith is to love God and neighbor. Neighbor? When I can barely get by? When no one can be trusted? Love my neighbor? And this love Jesus was talking about was not some warm, sentimental feeling but love as proactive service, justice, and generosity. Love your neighbor means taking the part of your neighbor, next door in your hometown but also taking responsibility for the wellbeing of the stranger, the refugee, the enemy, and humanity as a whole. Yes, Jesus teaches love of neighbor, engaged service and self giving to others, at a time when daily survival was a battle and the future a threatening prospect. Love your neighbor. Do good to those who persecute you. Pray for your enemy.

Is this pie in the sky? Is this simply theoretical ethics? Is this otherworldly houha? Is it quaint arcane philosophy? Maybe Jesus can be expected to live by that code but the rest of us? This couldn’t be meant to apply to the complications and complexity we face today in our hometowns.

Yet Jesus knew what he was talking about. Love your neighbor. As yourself. Pray for those who persecute you. Love your enemy. Ah yes. When times are frightful and the future is imperiled and our hometown seems like the set for a horror thriller, that is just when the only sanity, the only solace, the only salvation, is in loving your neighbor. The worse the times the more apt the teaching. For when it is really bad the only thing that can keep you from going under is to live for others, to serve others, to save your life by loosing it in engagement with the wider world. To love your neighbor, to do good to a stranger, to help an enemy, this gives the very meaning and purpose and worth that the world it trying to take away. This preserves dignity and the sacredness of life when all around you life is askew, contorted, and twisted.

And if we look to sages throughout human development, we see the same truth shining through. Russian writer Leo Tolstoy tells us, “The sole meaning of life is to serve humanity.” And Karl Menninger, a premier figure in 20th century American psychiatry, advised that when someone is down they need to find someone who needs help and help them. There are similar teachings in all the world’s religions and cultures. Get outside of yourself. Live for others. Serve. Do good. This is what saves. This is what grounds us and helps us to live with health and sanity and integrity in the midst of chaos and complexity.

Last week, I was in Orlando serving with the Florida Conference of the UCC. There was someone from the national staff of the UCC who was making a presentation at the Fall Gathering who needed to be picked up at the Orlando airport. I didn’t know the person, but I could go to the airport. I was told to be in the cell phone lot at the Orlando airport at 8:00 p.m. and I was given the name and phone number of the person I was to pick up. Before going to the airport, I mentioned to a colleague what I was going to do. She looked at me in a puzzled way. “Well, you’ve always been a risk taker,” she said. Well, to me, this was hardly risky even though this was not my hometown. I picked up the staff person with no problems and delivered her to the hotel.

Little did I know that was preparation. On the way home from Orlando, Saturday evening at about 7:15, I stopped for gas when I got off the highway here in my hometown, St. Petersburg. While I was pumping the gas, a man came up to me saying he needed to get back to Bay Pines where he is staying. Did I know where Bay Pines was? Maybe I wasn’t from around here, he said, since we were at a gas station near the freeway. The guy was in his 60’s, in shorts and a t shirt, clean, carrying a gym bag, with a story about how he had left his wallet on the bus. After hearing his story, I clarified, “So you are looking for a ride to Bay Pines?” “Yes.” I thought to myself, “Bay Pines? Really? What can I say, I live right near Bay Pines.” I heard myself tell the man, “I can take you to Bay Pines.” Honestly, what could happen driving across 54th Ave. N. from 275 to Bay Pines? Don’t answer that. So, the man looked at me. Then, he started talking about how it would be too awkward to get in the car alone with a woman, etc. and he backed out of the ride I just offered. He told me he would make another call and try to get a ride from a friend. My final comment was, “That’s up to you.”

I don’t share this because I think it was some heroic gesture. Many of you may think it was pure and utter stupidity. But looking back on it, I see that offering the man the ride was more for me than it was for him. It was a way of maintaining my dignity, not letting the forces of fear overcome me, not capitulating to the crazy world around us. The greater risk was to turn him down and to risk loosing my soul. Offering the ride was a way of holding on to my humanity and trying to live near to the realm of God in spite of the times and because of the times.

Love God – however you understand God – and love your neighbor; other human beings, made in the image of God, for whom you can embody love in service. Regardless of the surrounding circumstances, without full comprehension let alone assurances, in spite of the crazy times, maybe because of the crazy times, love your neighbor. This is what saves. This is what makes it possible to be near the realm of God even in our hometown. 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 October 4, 2015 World Communion Sunday – Migrants All

Scriptures:  Exodus 22:21 and Mark 7:24-37

Pastor:  Rev. Kim P. Wells

Africa is a continent of untold wonders. From the Sahara Desert to the Nile River and Victoria Falls, the geographies and cultures of Africa are magnificent. On a trip to Kenya many years ago I remember coming around a curve in the road and there, laid out before us, for miles upon miles, was the vast Rift Valley. The cradle of humanity. Our home. It was an extremely emotion filled moment that took me by surprise.

In a sense, we could say that all humans are Africans, because we all come from ancestors who originated in Africa some 200,000 years ago. And over the course of thousands of years, homo sapiens has migrated from Africa to the Near East, to Asia and Australia, then Europe, and finally in more recent times, relatively speaking, across the Bering Straits to North America and South America.

As humans settled the globe, migration continued. People migrated with the seasons. In search of food. In response to the weather or a natural disaster. All the while seeking to sustain themselves and live. Such migration continues today, though in more complex ways. We still move for a better job, snowbirds migrate seasonally, and weather like Hurricane Katrina forces people to move to a new home. So, migration continues.

In our faith tradition, we are told of Abram and Sarai called to migrate from Haran to Canaan to begin a new branch of religious culture in human history. Later we are told of their heirs migrating to Egypt in search of food in a time of drought. We are given the story of the Hebrews liberated from slavery in Egypt and wandering for 40 years until finally settling in the Promised Land. In the Bible we also hear of conquests that lead people to lose their land and homes resulting in dispersion. Forced migration. And we hear of return to the homeland.

Our faith tradition continues the theme of migration when we think of the stories associated with Jesus and the early church. We have a story which tells us of Joseph and Mary fleeing with Jesus to Egypt for safety. Later, we are told of Jesus, so often on the go, seeking out regions beyond his homeland. He migrates to foreign lands and into hostile territory seeking to share the Good News of a loving God as we heard in the gospel read today. And Paul, the apostle, and his followers, go even further afield to the frontiers of the Roman Empire. There is all of this movement and migration in the stories of our faith in the Bible.

And the migration stories continue as we learn of people migrating to this continent, across the seas, seeking land, space, food, resources, and also coming to these shores for religious liberty. Every child learns in school of the Pilgrims and their journey from Holland in search of a place where they could practice their religion without interference. All well and good except that they robbed the indigenous residents of their liberty, religious and otherwise.

In our history, we also know of migration that occurs due to human trafficking. The slave trade within Africa and between Africa and Europe and the New World caused a great migration, though it was by force, not by choice. And we know of Australia and even Florida populated by migrants who were criminals and sent to these remote destinations where they could not be of harm to society at large.

Can any of us here in this room say that we are not migrants to this our home? We all come from Africa and have gotten here by many different routes!

Migration happens for many reasons. Some migration occurs because people are trying to get away from something – famine, war, oppression, crime, punishment, family problems, natural disaster, poverty. People want a chance for a better life. So they seek it through geographical migration.

Sometimes people migrate motivated by what they are going to. They want more land, space, food, water, natural resources, freedom, safety, economic opportunity, education, family, a more pleasing climate, adventure, a different kind of beauty.

The human story is a story of migration. Everyone, family , clan, tribe, ethnic group, has come from somewhere, and migrated, save those who still inhabit the Rift Valley.

The US had a dominant self image as a melting pot, or more recently, a salad bowl. We saw the diversity of the immigrant population to the US as a strength. We have benefitted from all of the different peoples that have come to this land: Their strengths and skills in industry, human service, agriculture, and the arts, have added to the richness of this country.

We prided ourselves on taking in dissidents from repressive regimes and welcoming those seeking freedom of conscience. We welcomed refugees from Vietnam and other war ravaged lands.

There have been moments that mar our self image as a welcoming nation. We think of turning away ships full of Jews fleeing Nazi Germany and the interment of Americans of Japanese heritage during World War 2. We are ashamed of these failures because we declare ourselves to be a country of “liberty and justice for all.”

The Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor has welcomed thousands upon thousands of immigrants and refugees to this country including my four grandparents. The US has been proud of its image as a place where anyone who wants to work hard can make a contribution and have a good life. This pride is captured in the poem “The New Colossus” written by Emma Lazarus, a Jewish migrant, in 1883 for the base of the famous statue. I bet many of you memorized this poem in school:

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame,
“Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!” cries she
With silent lips. “Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore,
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!

It’s hard to imagine that poem being selected today for such a monument. A current contender for the Republican nomination for president, not Donald Trump, has declared that multiculturalism is bad for the United States. He adds that immigrants who close themselves off from American culture deny themselves access to economic rewards. [Tampa Bay Times, 9/23/15, “Jeb Bush: Don’t Close Yourself Off to Culture”, 3A] American culture? Is he talking about corn and deer and bison? Weaving baskets and blankets? Making decisions based on the wellbeing of 7 generations hence? Because anything on these shores that is not indigenous Native American is multiculturalism. And we used to be proud of that.

Regardless of current sentiments, humankind is a species characterized by migration. People on the move. To new frontiers. To new possibilities. To peace and freedom. And now we are even looking to migrate into space!

As a migrating people, as a people on the move, we surely know that migration requires the expression of hospitality and welcome. In a few weeks we will commemorate the classic image of American history: The Pilgrims and the Indians sitting down to feast together. If not for the Indians, who’s to say, maybe none of us would be here! Every immigrant, every refugee, every transplant knows the importance of help from the locals with getting the lay of the land and becoming acclimated to the new environment. We see this expressed beautifully today as vacationers on the isle of Lesbos in Greece help the people coming ashore in perilous vessels. Here are people on their summer holiday having breakfast then going to the store and getting food and supplies for the refugees and delivering them before heading to the beach for the sun and the sand. How beautiful. This is the love and compassion of the human spirit rising up and refusing to be suppressed by greed and ethnocentrism and self absorption.

This beautiful capacity of the human spirit for hospitality is expressed by churches, organizations, and communities that are working to help people from war torn, repressive countries find shelter and safety as they transition to a new home.

In the story we heard this morning from the gospel of Mark, we see the pleading of a desperate mother. She is so concerned about the well being of her child, she will resort to anything she needs to to take care of her child. She will lower herself to approaching a total stranger to beg for a favor. She will speak with a man in public which is against the law. She will risk the reproach of a foreigner and endure being insulted and demeaned. Being called a dog was a slur back then just as it is today. But she persists. She will not be daunted or intimidated because of her desperate love for her daughter. She will do whatever she possibly can to secure her child’s well being.

How many millions of parents around the world are risking everything, daring anything, degrading themselves willingly, for the sake of their children. They will resort to anything to see that their children are safe, have a home, and can go to school and play. Most of the migration today is about people fleeing horrific conditions to save their lives and give a decent life to their children. There are driven by desperation not greed.

I have been to Mexico numerous times. I love Mexico – the food, the colors, the people, the music, the churches, the art, the culture. To me, it is an amazing delight. Why would people want to leave this wonderful homeland? Hunger, violence, lack of opportunity, corruption. This is why people are leaving Mexico. The policies of the Mexican government particularly in partnership with its northern neighbor have devastated Mexico. The land is taken over by multinationals and people can’t grow food. Coca Cola has water rights while people have no drinking water. Cash crops are grown instead of food, crops that become drugs to meet the demands of the largest market in the world for these illicit substances just on the northern border of Mexico. Legitimate society is collapsing. People have no hope. That is why they are leaving.

Like the Syrophoenician woman, people around the world will resort to anything to save the lives of their children. They are fleeing to save themselves and their beloved families.

When the Syrophoenician woman approaches Jesus in the story, he is not interested in her need. He tries to shut her down. He doesn’t want to be bothered. We heard echoes of these sentiments from European leaders as they met to decide what to do about all the people arriving on their shores. We can’t take care of our own. We can’t help these people, too. They’ll destabilize our society. But Jesus is moved by the desperation of the woman. She calls forth his compassion with her determination and resolve. He relents and helps her daughter.

In The Fire Next Time, James Baldwin observes, “If the concept of God has any validity or any use, it can only be to make us larger, freer, and more loving.” [p. 61] That’s what happens to Jesus in this story. Migration and the plight of immigrants and refugees today gives us the opportunity to be moved like Jesus. To become larger, freer, and more loving. It is our call to fulfill the demands of decency and morality as well as the compunction of our faith to offer compassion, generosity, and hospitality. As spiritual migrants, hopefully we are constantly progressing on our spiritual journey toward greater love. Humanity as a whole throughout the ages as well as each one of us in our individual lives are making a journey in our beliefs, our understandings, our attitudes, and our faith. The challenge posed by refugees and immigrants invites us to move further on the journey toward our best selves, toward our highest good, toward a fuller expression of the Christ within us. When we offer hospitality to the tired, the poor, the huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of teeming shores, the homeless, the tempest tossed, that kind of generosity and compassion help us move forward on our life long migration toward good, toward each other, and toward God our forever home. Amen.

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

Sermon August 9, 2015 – Give Me Patience!

Scripture: Mark 10:13-16
Pastor: Rev. Kim P. Wells
Summer sermons are based on topics requested by the congregation.

Several months ago, a woman friend and I went to hear the Florida Orchestra at Ruth Eckerd Hall on a Sunday evening. We thought the concert began at 8:00. We arrived at 7:30. Apparently the concert started at 7:30. As we arrived at the appropriate entrance to the auditorium, the doors were closed. Three women ushers were sitting on a bench near the door. One told us that the concert had begun, we would have to wait to enter. We could watch the monitor for the appropriate timing. Then she told us we could take a program and she indicated a stack on top of a tall retaining wall topped with a planter. We got our programs and waited. As we were waiting, two men came up to the same door, apparently also late. When they arrived, one of the women ushers who had been sitting on the bench chatting with the other ushers immediately got up, retrieved the stack of programs from atop the retaining wall, approached the two men, handed them programs and explained that they would have to wait to enter the concert hall. It took a few minutes to take in the blatant sexism of the situation and by then we were heading into the auditorium to find our seats.

A couple of weeks ago when I was visiting our daughter in Burlington, Massachusetts I read the local weekly paper. In it there was an announcement about a rally that had been held in Boston: “About two dozen legislators joined a variety of women’ rights groups for a rally ahead of Tuesday’s Labor and Workforce Development Committee hearing on the Act to Establish Pay Equity. The bill aims to eliminate the wage gap for women and people of color.” As I read this, I thought, It’s great that they are working on this here in Massachusetts. That would never happen in Florida – a big public rally, with 12 legislators, about equal pay for equal work. And then I thought, how do we let this go on?

Martin Luther King, Jr’s book comes to mind: Why We Can’t Wait.

How long do we let the sexism go on? How long do we tolerate the racism in this country? How long do we accept people suffering from hunger and homelessness? How long do we watch as people are cheated of their rights and their dignity? Decade after decade. Century after century. And we go on. Hardly worked up. Hardly loosing sleep.

Oh, but how annoyed we become when we have to wait in line for something. We are steaming over a long wait. How frustrated we become and aggravated waiting for something to download over a slow connection on the computer. And don’t you just love being put on hold when you call the cable company or the health insurance people? These things make us crazy. We become annoyed, aggravated, irritated, and fume. That’s before we even get to traffic tie ups and road rage.

So what about this sermon request about patience? My first response was that we don’t need more patience, we have too much patience. But we have patience with the wrong things. Kids come to school hungry because there is no food at home, oh well. But a kid taking too long to tie their shoes while we are trying to get out the door and we’re counting to 10 to try not to blow up. In addition, I want to mention that the sermon request specifically included the desire for patience with parenting to be addressed. First, I offer a disclaimer. I was not and am not a patient person or a patient parent. When we had two kids at home, and three kids at home, there was a lot of yelling. There’s still a lot of yelling. I don’t pretend or claim to be patient.

But I am thinking about Jesus’ gentle attitude toward children. The kids are annoying the disciples. We can imagine their attitude, bothersome things, children. We can’t have them disturbing the master. And yet Jesus welcomes the children. Yes, there are all kinds of symbolic and metaphorical meanings in this story but what does this image of Jesus welcoming the children say to us about patience and parenting? Jesus has no patience with adults who are taking advantage of people. He has no patience with greed. He has no patience with self serving. But he has all the time in the world – for children.

Take time. Sit down. Read a book. Look at the clouds. Be forgiving. Gentle. With children.

But be impatient, irritated, annoyed, and aggravated that there are children with no food to eat, children who can’t read, children targeted by companies as consumers, children made into billboards for brand names, children who are tied to a screen, children who are not safely cared for, who don’t know how to play outside, and who are made to witness countless acts of violence on the screen and in real life. These are things to fume about. This situation is reason to go ballistic. This should raise our blood pressure. This should make us want to yell.

I’m wondering – Why don’t we have more patience, especially with our children? What is so pressing, so important, so distracting and diverting that we aren’t more patient with our kids day to day? Well, parents are often working, working, working, and trying to keep up with household maintenance, chores, food, laundry, homework, etc. on top of paying jobs that may be demanding and time consuming. We live in a society in which the work expectations are incredibly high. Much higher, say, than is the case in Europe. In Europe the people have a shorter work week and longer vacation. And here in the US, people are often working more than one job to make ends meet, to have health insurance, etc. Economic need coupled with material desires fostered by advertising pressure parents to work, work, work. Kids want this. Kids want that. Thanks to the super effectiveness and ever presence of advertising – even in schools. All this work leaves less time for home life so things need to be done more quickly and efficiently leading to a lack of patience with children who dawdle, forget, take their time, get distracted, etc. Which is how children are and should be.

But there is another side to this. Were things so much better in former days when many mothers were stay at home moms? Was there less yelling? Was there more patience? I have asked some older people about that. It does not seem to be the case. That wasn’t a perfect scenario, either. Often fathers were impatient after coming home from stressful days at work. And some mothers were miserable staying at home and not being out making a contribution in the wider world. This stressed the family, too. The “Leave It to Beaver” world was not perfect, either.

This reminds us of something that is important for parenting, for patience, and for being the person we want to be and that is self care. When we take care of ourselves, we can be our best selves. To be good, we have to take care of ourselves. There may be many reasons why we may be short tempered, easily annoyed, and irritable. Maybe part of the problem is that we are not getting enough sleep, or the proper food, or needed physical activity, or engaging in activities that feed the soul, or we are not serving others. These things help us to be our best selves. It’s difficult to be patient if you are sleep deprived, surviving on caffeine, and overworked in a job you hate.

And while we are aware that good parenting, and good character, involve patience, we are in a culture that is obsessed with fast, immediate, and efficient. No matter how fast your computer is, no matter how fast you get your job done, things like character take time to form, build, and emerge. Cultivating the good, learning how to take care of ourselves, these things take time. To learn a skill or perfect an art takes time and practice. The same is true for perfecting character and becoming good. It takes time and effort. It doesn’t happen over night. To examine things, ourselves included, and understand who we are and who we are called to be and move in that direction takes time. We don’t want to devote the time needed to building character. We let ourselves get caught up in the whirlpool of day to day life and want immediate gratification.

In the story of the disciples and the children, we see that the disciples had their impatience misplaced. They were worried about the children bothering Jesus. Jesus let the children come. Took his time with them. They are worth our time and attention. They not only need us, but they teach us about the world as well. Have patience with children. There is much learning and growing to be done by all.

And we should be impatient with a society that values efficiency over relationships, money over fairness, productivity over parenting. 15.8 million children go to bed hungry in the richest country in human history, partly due to the gender wage gap, as it turns out. Now that is something to blow up about. Amen.