Category: Sermon Texts

Date: January 23, 2011
Scripture Lesson: Matthew 4:12-25
Sermon: Motivation Matters
Pastor: Rev. Kim P. Wells

In a letter to the editor this past Friday, a woman addresses the health care reform bill. In the letter, we are told of the woman’s earnest desire to make sure that she has access to healthcare for herself and her young family. Apparently, she contacted Rep. Bill Young’s office to discuss the issue. Debra Sheldon tells us, “After listening to my nearly desperate plea to fix, not repeal, this law, Rep. C.W. Bill Young’s office then referred to the legislation as “Obamacare.” Personalizing this issue in such a way at that very moment made me realize that we have reached a point where our disdain and contempt for Democrats runs far deeper than our passion for family and respect for human dignity.” [Letter to the editor, from Debra Sheldon, Dunedin, St. Petersburg Times 1/21/11]

Here, we are faced with the matter of motivation. Ms. Sheldon points out her concern that the motivation for opposing health care reform is not a positive one because you’re going toward something good, but a negative one. She points up two alternatives. One negative, contempt and disdain, and one positive, related to values. Is the goal to be vindictive or is the goal to support families and people? She sees the motivation for the opposition to health care reform as negative, not positive. It is not moving toward something positive out of commitment to certain values. Sheldon reminds us that motivation matters.

Motivation matters are also prominent when it comes to the gospel Jesus Christ. We see a contrast in motivation between Jesus and John the Baptist. John the Baptist is crying out to people to repent for the realm of heaven has come near. People confess their sins and repent as John preaches about condemnation and wrath. The ax at the root of the tree and unquenchable fire. John preaches repentance. The motivation is fear. Repent so that you are not punished by God.

Jesus, too, begins his ministry preaching, “Repent, the realm of God has come near.” But there is no fear. No threat. No punishment. No proverbial fire and brimstone. Jesus is not calling people to repent so that they can avoid burning in hell. So what motivation does Jesus use? He calls people to repent, but why should they repent? Why should they turn their lives in a new direction?

In the lesson we heard this morning, we hear of the Peter and Andrew, James and John, leaving their fishing business and following Jesus. They literally repent. They turn their lives in a new direction. From all that we know, they leave a good life, family, a successful business, and they follow Jesus. What is their motivation? Why do they follow Jesus and turn their lives in a new direction?

I see their motivation revealed in the verses that follow. We are told that after the disciples leave their fishing and follow Jesus, they go throughout Galilee with Jesus teaching, proclaiming good news, curing people of every disease and sickness including those with afflicted with demons, epilepsy, and paralysis. All are healed and given new life. And their are no requirements for this healing. The people do not have to make a confession of faith. There are no conditions involved that we are told of. The call is to repent. The action that accompanies the call is healing for all.

For me, the account of the healings following the call tells us that Jesus was inviting people to repent, to turn their lives in a new direction, to be part of this wonderful life of healing and wholeness and community and justice. Jesus’ call to repentance was a call to a life lived in the reality of God’s dreams and intentions for humanity. Jesus’ invitation to repent is a call to a life of healing and hope and goodness. The motivation to respond to Jesus’ call to repent is positive. Turn and head your life toward this glorious vision of wellbeing for all people and all of creation. Jesus’ invitation to repent was not a call to avoid punishment. It was not based on fear. It was a call to turn your life toward something wonderful, and positive, and good. The focus was not on condemnation or judgment or threat. There was to be an intended contrast between Jesus and John the Baptist. Jesus was supposed to be the “new thing” God was doing. He was to inaugurate a new era of God’s love revealed. And we see this from the very beginning of Jesus’ ministry as we heard this morning. It is about turning toward something new and beautiful and good for yourself and for the whole world. It was a different motivation.

As we look at Christianity today, we see these the continuing traditions of both negative and positive motivation for the Christian life. Christianity is well known for calling people away from a life of sin. A life of moral degradation. Drinking. Smoking. Stealing. Whoring. And all the other morally objectionable behaviors that can be elaborated upon. Leave all that evil that leads to hell behind and take up the Christian faith. Get ready for the glories of heaven and the streets paved with gold for all eternity. Avoid eternal damnation in the fires of hell. Turn to Jesus. This is more of a negative motivation for responding to the call to repent. It is based on judgment and fear. Something is wrong with you and you need to be fixed and if you repent, God will fix it for you and you can avoid rotting in hell. This can lead to a Christianity that is extremely judgmental and condemning. That tradition of Christianity can be quite vocal as we often see in the media.

We also see the positive motivation for repenting and following the Christian way lived out in the church today. We see people invited to find new life and hope by becoming part of a community of healing and wholeness for the world. We see communities inviting others to turn their lives in a new direction of service and giving and other-centered living. Not because they are bad or immoral, but because there’s a beautiful life in store as part of a community of people focussed on God’s realm of healing and grace. Christianity can be a transforming journey that is based on going in a positive direction toward being part of creating God’s realm in the world.

When Robin Rogers and George Overholser called off their wedding, they could not get the $3,500 deposit back that they had put down for the reception. So, were they just out this $3,500? They decided to convert the reception into a $100 per person fund raiser for the the Greenpoint Reformed Church’s soup kitchen in New York City and they raised $10,000 for the hungry. The Greenpoint pastor reflected, “This is a great example of someone turning mourning into dancing.” [The Christian Century, 1/11/11, p. 8]

This couple could have been overwhelmed by judgment and a sense of failure and disappointment. Instead they chose to move ahead toward something positive and good that they both believed in. They were motivated by the good they could do. What a beautiful testimony to being part of God’s realm, here and now. “Repent for the realm of God is at hand.”

Positive motivation for repentance is open to everyone who is captivated by the dream of God’s realm of wellbeing and peace for all. The invitation to be part of a community seeking meaning and justice through service has an appeal for all.

This past week someone from our church was telling me about the ministry of a pastor in Minneapolis who feels called to invite people who are young and rich and successful to consider a new direction for their lives. It is a call to repentance, to turn in a new direction. This pastor recruits a small group of wealthy young adults and takes them on a three week intensive trip to the poorest parts of Africa. The travelers are to have no contact with family or the outside world during the trip. Each day involves Bible study and devotions. The loved ones at home are to pray each day for their traveler. The intent is not to condemn the rich people for their success. It is not to malign them for getting rich at the expense of others. It is not to instill guilt. The journey is intended as an invitation to repent. To turn in a new direction. To consider what they can do for others given their know how and resources. It is a call to turn their lives toward making God’s goodness and abundance and generosity real in the lives of people who have great need. And the pastor has seen numerous cases of people who have come back from this trip and then invested themselves in significant ways for the betterment of people who are suffering. To me, this is a positive call to repentance. It is a call to be part of something beautiful and wonderful and life changing for self and for others.

There are many people in our community, in our lives, and in our world today who are waiting to be called. They are ripe for repentance. Looking for a new life, whether they know it or not. There are many hungering to be part of a life changing, world changing community. Aching to be part of something that has passion and heart. Ready to move toward something good and inviting and exciting. But they may not have heard the positive call of Christ. They may have only heard the judgment and condemnation, the fear and punishment, the threat of damnation and hell, as motivation for repentance. They may not have heard the call to healing and hope. They may not have heard the positive message of being part of something beautiful and transforming. They are waiting to hear the call to repent – from us! 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: January 9, 2011
Scripture Lesson: Matthew 3:13-17
Sermon: Water of Life
Pastor: Rev. Kim P. Wells

In July of 2008, NASA’s Phoenix Mars lander definitively identified water in a soil sample taken from the planet Mars. About two inches beneath the surface, the Phoenix exposed what looked like white sand, but after being heated, it was definitively identified as water. This confirms previous indications and observations pointing to the presence of water on Mars. And just why does this discovery have scientists and others so excited? Without evidence of water, scientists did not expect to find any signs of life. But now that water has been conclusively identified on Mars, the search continues for chemicals containing carbon and other raw materials which could lead to the discovery of life on Mars. Since there is water, there may be life. [“NASA Spacecraft Confirms Martian Water, Mission Extended,” 07.31.08, http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/phoenix/news/phoenix-20080731.html%5D

We know the importance of water to sustain life. Areas without water are uninhabitable. Lack of water imperils life. In his book Collapse, Jared Diamond identifies environmental factors that lead to the decline of civilizations and cultures. One of the significant factors that can influence the decline of a civilization is drought. Lack of water affects the ability to produce and procure food to perpetuate life.

Because water is critical to life, it is not surprising that water has a significant place in various religions. It is honored and worshiped in ritual and rite. Cleansing and immersing in water are important in many religions. It symbolizes life and unity with the sacred. In ancient practices, water was considered a representation of the semen of a god, or the water of the womb of a goddess. So immersion was symbolic of being reborn and receiving new life. [Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible, Supplement, “Baptism,” p. 85] Water rituals represented transition from one state to another. Rituals with water also symbolized consecration, taking up a high calling, like an ordination or inauguration, though we saw no rituals with water amidst the pomp and circumstance of the inaugurations of this past week.

While secular society may have abandoned rituals with water, they are still prominent in religion. Orthodox Jews practice ritual washings. Muslims wash in certain ways, including ears and nostrils. In India, millions of pilgrims flock to the Ganges River to immerse themselves in what is considered its holy water. Hindus believe that life is incomplete without bathing in the Ganges at least once in a lifetime. The city of Varanase is scattered with steps leading into the water for people to engage in ritual immersion in the sacred water of the Ganges.

And, of course, for Christians water is important because it is necessary for baptism, the sacramental entrance into the Christian life. And people flock to the Jordan River today to be baptized in the very river in which Jesus is said to have been baptized by John as we heard this morning. Being baptized in the Jordan is big business, though the condition of the river is threatening this tradition.

Last summer, an environmental organization called Friends of the Earth Middle East issued a statement calling “on regional authorities to halt baptism in the lower Jordan River until water quality standards for tourism activities there are met.” The statement continues identifying issues that compromise water quality: “Sadly, the lower Jordan River has long suffered from severe mismanagement with the diversion of 98 percent of its fresh water by Israel, Syria and Jordan and the discharge of untreated sewage, agricultural run-off, saline water and fish pond effluent in its place.” [“Jordan River Too Polluted for Baptisms,” http://news.discovery.com/earth/jordan-river-baptism-pollution.html%5D

In Jesus’ day, evidently the water in the Jordan was flowing strong and clear. And baptism was practiced by Jews as a ritual of purification and self dedication to God. It had connotations of moral purification with ethical obligations as well. New converts were initiated through the cleansing ritual of baptism. The emerging Christian community continued the practice of baptism from the Pentecost story of the first century on.

Christian Baptism is linked with the holy spirit and the consciousness of relationship with the Divine. It represents reception into the faith community, the church, the body of Christ. Once part of that body, barriers that divide people are no longer of significance. For Christians, baptism is symbolic of hearing and receiving and responding to the gospel of Jesus Christ, the life giving word, the bread of life, living water. Baptism involves the commitment to love God, self, neighbor and enemy. Baptism marks a transition to a new life and a new identity with high ethical and moral standards.

Taking on this new life means emulating the life of Jesus. It is centered on the commitment to love and serve. It involves generosity and material simplicity. It is marked by devotion to spiritual disciplines and religious observance. The new life initiated at baptism involves investment in reconciliation and forgiveness, never retribution, vengeance or retaliation. New life in Christ involves commitment to non- violence. In fact, as we have been exploring through the Advent season, it a commitment to anti-violence and peace making. To live in Christ, is to live in a way that does not take advantage of others in any way, that does not create victims, that does not oppress – those in your family, community, in the fields, or in a sweat shop oceans away. Baptism is a transition to a completely new life and a new identity.

This week, there was an article in the Neighborhood Times [St. Petersburg Times, 1/5/11] about a woman who was ordained as a Buddhist nun. This lovely article discussed the commitment that entails, including taking a new name. Reading the article I noted how similar this transition is to Christian baptism, including some of the same commitments and values. When we are baptized into the body of Christ, we make a transition into a new life, with new commitments that involve a new lifestyle, and we are given our name for life as God’s beloved.

Of course, any transition to a new life comes with its challenges and Christian baptism is no exception. This new life of devotion to God and others is a significant departure from the values of the world around us. It is an alternative to being consumed with greed, success in worldly terms, power grabbing, attention seeking, self absorption, addiction, material wealth, etc., all of which never fully satisfy the soul and leave people unsated, ever hungry for that which does not fulfill, but only drains and depletes. Baptism is a big life alteration.

Now there was a backslider in a certain congregation, and every time the church had a revival, this man would get religion. Then, it was down to the river to be baptized – again. After being baptized for the sixth time, the preacher put the man under the water three times, raised him up, and said, “You’ve been baptized so much that the fish know you by your first name!”

Because baptism involves such a drastic conversion, the new life in Christ initiated at baptism requires nurture and support. That is why we are baptized into the faith community; to be our support. Baptism is not a solitary matter. It is not about the individual alone. It is about entrance into a community, a community that is needed so that the full joys and blessings and relationships of this new life can be realized and appreciated. The faith community, the church, is needed to help us go deeper into our life in Christ, to grow in discipleship and to reap the harvest of comfort and joy that comes with the Christian life. The community is needed to help us maintain our commitment as temptations and challenges confront us.

Twelve step programs are noted for their success because of the community of support, the relationships, and the connections made that help people to pursue the life of sobriety. The people who founded Alcoholics Anonymous were Christian, and modeled AA on Christianity with its built in community of support to help people transition and live into a new way of life. The weekly meetings. The fellowship. AA was a way to emulate the role of the church as a community of support for the Christian, but for the alcoholic pursing a new life of sobriety.

Christian baptism marks the beginning of a new life, whether we are baptized as infants, children, adolescents, or adults. Baptism begins a new adventure. A total makeover. It is a moment of definition. Of transition. This is who you are. This is your primary identity. You are a manifestation of divine love for the world. And in that life, there is salvation, from selfishness, tyranny, bondage, oppression, greed, abuse, fear of death, and from all that diminishes and destroys life.

Given the magnitude and significance of Christian baptism, it is ironic that our tradition of the sacrament has evolved into a solemn ceremony with a mere sprinkling of water done with dignity and decorum. Unless, of course, the child has the impulse to cry and scream. Which brings us much closer to the image of John the Baptizer, crying out in the wilderness. Loud. Bold. Uncompromising. Full of power and passion. Far more fitting for the drastic nature of the commitment involved.

Baptism is a whole life commitment. A total transformation. It’s not about dipping your toe in, it’s about diving in, being doused head to toe. And not caring about clothes that are ‘dry clean only’ or about the chill or about the hairdo or about being seen in a wet T shirt. We belong to God. We are sacred. We are holy. We are love. That is life! 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: January 2, 2011
Scripture Lesson: Isaiah 60:1-6
Sermon: Redeeming the Gift
Pastor: Rev. Kim P. Wells

How many of you have unused gift cards languishing in a drawer at home? From this past Christmas? Last Christmas? The Christmas before that? Your birthday? Several websites have emerged to help with this problem. Unused gift cards can be sold for partial value at websites such as PlasticJungle.com, Cardpool.com, GiftCards.com, and GiftCardGranny.com. [“Gift cards going to waste? Sites let you sell them for cash, pay bills,” by Cameron Huddleston Saturday, January 1, 2011; 5:38 PM,http://www.washingtonpost.com/wpdyn/content/article/2011/01/01/AR2011010102105.html%5D Or you can donate your unused/unwanted gift card at GiftCardGiver.com, a non-profit gift card website that will make sure your unused gift card goes to someone in need. [What to Do with Unused Gift Cards, http://www.suite101.com/content/what-to-do-with-unused-gift-cards-a308753%5D Experts estimate that in 2009, $5 billion worth of gift cards went unused. [Published by Joel, http://www.creditcardchaser.com/gift-card-inactivity-fees-will-soon-be-a-thing-of-the-past-kind-of/%5D All of these gift cards wasted, worthless because they were unused.

The Christmas season is the season of gift giving in celebration of the gift that has been given to us in Jesus Christ. As Isaiah prophesied, Our light has come. And the glory of God has been revealed. [Refer to Isaiah 60:1-6] We celebrate Jesus’ birth because we believe he is that light. We celebrate Jesus’ birth because of the life he lived, modeling for us uncompromising, unconditional love. We celebrate Jesus’ birth because of his ministry grounded in justice and peace. We celebrate the birth of Jesus because of his witness to full life and joy found in service. We celebrate Jesus’ birth in gratitude that he was willing to lay down his life for his friends. We celebrate the birth of Jesus because of the lifestyle of other centered living that Jesus has given to us. We celebrate Jesus’ birth because real life is not self-centered but God-centered, love-centered, peace and justice-centered. We celebrate the birth of Jesus because he shows us that life is found in giving, in generosity, in engagement with people who are oppressed, poor, forgotten, unfairly treated, suffering, or considered “less than.” We celebrate the birth of Jesus because of his teachings of love for your neighbor, love for yourself, love for your enemy, love for God. In Christ Jesus, we have been given the path to life in all its fullness and joy. We have been given the gift of real life. Of hope . Of possibility. Of meaning. Of new beginnings. Of fresh starts. A way of grace and mercy that satisfies and does not disappoint. The gifts we give each other at Christmas pale in comparison with the gift we have been given in Christ Jesus. The gifts we give are but faint reverberations of what has been given to humanity in the life, ministry and death of Jesus. A gift for all people, for all time. An embodiment of the love that all human beings are capable of incarnating, whatever their culture or religion. A blessing to all peoples, all nations, and all generations. And those who follow Jesus are meant to keep giving that gift to the world, generation after generation. The light has come. The darkness has not overcome it. The light of Christ still shines.

So each Christmas, we celebrate the amazing, precious, unfathomable gift that has been given to us in Christ Jesus. We worship and honor the babe born in Bethlehem. We sing and pray and praise his coming. But what happens after Christmas? We put away the decorations, the displays, the lights. Back in the boxes until next year. What do we do with the gift? Do we put it away? Unused? Perhaps even forgotten after the tinsel and pine needles are all cleaned up? Does the gift languish, like those unused gift cards, migrating to the back of a darkened drawer as the days go by?

The gift of Christ Jesus is something we should be using each and every day. It is something that should be with us and within us at all times. We should never leave home without it! We should be redeeming the gift of Christ day in and day out. A gift that does not loose value. That does not run out. That does not go bankrupt or fail. And that has no expiration date

A question for us to consider as the Christmas season draws to a close and the New Year begins is what are we going to do with the gift we have been given at Christmas? What are we going to do with the gospel of Jesus Christ that has been given to us? Are we going to redeem it? Use it? Put it into service? Activate it? Or will it go unused like those $5 billion dollars worth of unused gift cards?

To help us think about this, I would like to share the story of Karen, who surely used the gift of the gospel of Jesus Christ in all of its fullness.

In 1989 Karen Ridd and four other international volunteers were working with a group called Peace Brigades International (PBI) in El Salvador. They were suddenly arrested by the Salvadoran military. Three of the five were Spanish nationals and were deported, leaving Karen, who was Canadian, and her friend Marcela Rodriguez, who was from Columbia. Karen had time to alert another PBI volunteer and the Canadian consul about what had happened. She knew that they would mobilize worldwide networks of support to secure their release. But how long would that take? What would happen in the meantime? Would they be killed?

Marcela heard the soldiers describing them as “terrorists from the Episcopal Church.” They were loaded on a truck with other detainees and taken to an army barracks, where they were blindfolded and interrogated for 5 hours about their connection to a guerilla group. During the questioning, sounds of torture and sobbing victims came from nearby rooms.

The immediate international outcry motivated the Canadian embassy to mobilize to secure Karen’s release. Canada brought pressure to bear on the Salvadoran government and within a few hours, Karen was walking across the barracks grounds toward a waiting embassy official, a free woman. As she was leaving, the soldiers removed her blindfold and she caught sight of Marcela, face to the wall, looking like “a perfect image of dehumanization.” While Karen was glad to be alive and relieved to have been freed, she felt terrible leaving her friend, Marcela, behind. She couldn’t do it. She made some excuse to the exasperated Canadian embassy official who had come all the way from San Salvador to retrieve her. Then she turned around and walked back into the barracks. She did not know what would happen to her, but she knew it could not be worse than deserting her friend.

The soldiers, too, were shocked and exasperated. They did not know what to do with Karen. They handcuffed her again. In the next room, a soldier banged Marcela’s head into the wall shouting that some “white bitch” [expletive deleted] was stupid enough to walk back in there, and, “Now you’re going to see the treatment a terrorist deserves!” But Karen’s return was having a strange effect on the soldiers. They talked with her, despite themselves, and she tried to explain why she had returned. “You know what it’s like to be separated from a companero.” That got to them. They released Karen and Marcela and the two women walked out together under the stars, hand in hand. [“The Story of Karen Ridd,” Engage: Exploring Nonviolent Living, A Study Program for learning, practicing, and experimenting with the power of creative nonviolence to transform our lives and our world, by Laura Slattery, Ken Butigan, Veronica Peiliaric, and Ken Preston-Pile, pp.71-72]

I guarantee it, we will have countless opportunities each and every day to use the gift we have been given by God through Christ. In our jobs, families, volunteer work, civic involvement, homes, church, and in all realms of our lives and experience, we can put the gift of the gospel to work. It is the gift that keeps on giving. Open it. Explore it. Put it to use. Enjoy it. Learn from it. Take delight in it. It is the most exciting and valuable gift you will ever be given at Christmas time or any time. Make sure you redeem this gift in 2011. Happy New Year! 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: January 16, 2011, Martin Luther King, Jr. Sunday
Scripture Lesson: John 1:29-42
Sermon: Come and See
Pastor: Rev. Kim P. Wells

In The Trumpet of Conscience of 1967, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. discusses his opposition to the Vietnam War. He writes:
It is many months now since I found myself obliged by conscience to end my silence and to take a public stand against my country’s war in Vietnam. . . I cannot speak about the great themes of violence and nonviolence, of social change and of hope for the future, without reflecting on the tremendous violence of Vietnam. . .

Since the spring of 1967, when I first made public my opposition to my government’s policy, many persons have questioned me about the wisdom of my decision. ‘Why you?’ they have said. ‘Peace and civil rights don’t mix. Aren’t you hurting the cause of your people?’ And when I hear such questions, I have been greatly saddened, for they meant that the inquirers have never really known me, my commitment, or my calling. [The Trumpet of Conscience in A Testament of Hope: The Essential Writings of Martin Luther King, Jr. edited by James M. Washington, p. 634]

King blanched at his life’s work being restricted to the realm of civil rights activist. That was a small, narrow, confined description which denied the realities and interconnectedness of worldwide injustice and violence that King sought to bring to the light of day. For King, “Justice is indivisible.” [Ibid, p. 636] It was about all who were oppressed, all over the world. King was a universalist, and yet is known and is remembered primarily as an advocate for civil rights for African Americans in the United States.

In the scripture that we heard this morning from the gospel of John, Jesus has been baptized by John and is beginning his ministry. Followers of John are wondering about this new teacher. Who is he? What is his message? And Jesus invites them to, “Come and see.” Come and see where he is staying. Come and see what he is all about. Come and see how he lives. Come and see who he is. Come and see what he cares about. Come and see what he is like. Come and see what he teaches. Come and see the whole picture. “Come and see” is an invitation to full disclosure. Come and see. Then decide. Jesus was not a single issue savior luring people to his product with catchy sound bites. He rejects reductionism. The gospel is about real life, full life, whole life, all life. It is comprehensive and cosmic is scope. And Jesus invites people to experience the whole picture. Come and see.

So many people were attracted to the ministry of Jesus because it was broad in scope. He spoke to people in many different conditions and life circumstances offering compassion, grace, and community. Jesus reached out to the poor, to the sick, to the downtrodden, as well as those in positions of authority and power, and to the rich. He included those who were sidelined and redlined and maligned. Regardless of ethnicity, religious preference, gender, or job, Jesus had a word of comfort, new life, and hope. Come and see. Try it out. Then decide. And some walked away. The universal scope was too much. Or the personal cost was too great. People were never turned away by Jesus, they turned away of their own accord. Jesus never compromised on “Come and see.” He held nothing back in his radical commitment to universal love.

The ministry of Martin Luther King, Jr. was based on a comprehensive understanding of the gospel of Jesus Christ. King was first and foremost a minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ. King took Jesus up on his invitation to “Come and see.” King saw the gospel in all of its fullness: love for ALL people; love of enemy; healing and hope for all; a message based on the sacredness of each and every person; a calling to anti-violence and justice. King was moved and motivated by the full gospel of Jesus Christ, not a reductionist version of Christianity, because he accepted Jesus’ offer to “Come and see.”

King embraced the full depth and breadth of the gospel. This is where King gets his commitment to racial justice, economic justice, and non-violence. This is where King gets his vision of an interconnected human family crossing all borders and divides. This is where King gets his spiritual strength that stands up to all opposition with love and understanding. This is where King gets his love that casts out all fear. It is from the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is a response to Jesus’ invitation to “Come and see.” King has experienced Jesus’ full disclosure and responds with wholehearted commitment. King affirms his commitment to the ministry of Jesus Christ, and explains, “To me the relationship of this ministry to the making of peace is so obvious that I sometimes marvel at those who ask me why I am speaking against the war.” [Ibid]

Jesus invited people to “Come and see.” Experience the full breadth of his teachings and the transformation that ensues. King responded and his life was shaped and moulded by that experience. As the body of Christ today, as the community of faith entrusted with stewardship of the gospel, our calling is to invite others to “Come and see.” See the full breadth of life in Christ. In a world hungry for healing and meaning and justice and hope and an alternative to the path of destruction and death that captivates our society, we are called to invite others to “Come and see.” Come and see another way of life. A way of meaning and purpose. A way of healing and wholeness for ourselves and for the world. A way of peace and decency and respect. A way of power and grace.

Many people who need the message of Christ have nothing to do with the church because they just don’t know all that life in Christ has to offer. No one has invited them to come and see the whole picture. Others have turned away from the church because the church has chosen to follow, endorse, proclaim, and perpetuate only a portion of the teachings of Jesus. Maybe it’s about grace and love for “us,” but not for “them.” So they haven’t been exposed to the full disclosure practiced by Jesus. Often the church has offered only a reductionist version of the gospel, and not the full breadth of the Christian message. This is a temptation for every church. Perhaps the focus is on liturgy and worship, to the neglect of personal and social ethical transformation. Maybe the message is narrowed to social activism, with little sense of personal responsibility or piety. The church may be focused on the next life to the neglect of the present one. The promises of God may be stressed and their fulfillment in the lives of some but at the expense of others. There are countless ways for the church to become diverted from the full disclosure practiced by Jesus: Come and see. It is very easy for the church to narrow its focus and distort the gospel leading to deception and often abuse in the name of Christ. And it is disempowering to the very message that has the power of life. Every church faces this challenge.

Dr. King resisted this aberration. He sought to embrace the totality of the gospel message. Yes, he was a civil rights leader seeking to bring justice to American society by pursuing racial equality. But his commitment was greater than that. He sought to make the connections between injustice in this country and around the world. And he was committed to non-violent social change. Not just here in American society, in our domestic realm. But King was committed to non-violence, anti-militarism, and pacifism. It doesn’t take much imagination to project the condemnation that King, were he alive today, would have for America’s warring madness. In 1967, King identified “the greatest purveyor of violence in the world today: my own government.” [Ibid] And when you consider US military expenditures, money and arms sales, not much has changed. King’s message still has not been fully heard or appreciated.

Some say that this is in part because of the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday we celebrate this weekend: That the holiday was created to narrow the focus of King’s dream to racial equality in this country, a concept which is now widely accepted in theory, if not in practice. And with the holiday and the exclusive civil rights focus, King has been mainstreamed and co-opted thus disempowering and diverting attention from the more radical aspects of his vision. The celebrations and orations of this weekend will make precious little reference to King’s commitment to economic justice, non-violence, anti-militarism, and pacifism. In fact, there are usually vendors selling toy swords and guns at the MLK Parade here in St. Petersburg.

So what do we do with the annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday? If we were paying attention to the full message of Dr. King, maybe we would fly the flags at half mast in recognition of the violence and injustice that continues to plague our society and black bunting would festoon the halls of government. Maybe MLK Day would be treated as a national day of mourning and repentance. Maybe the “I Have a Dream” speech should be banned so that people read King’s other speeches and sermons and books and interviews and are exposed to the full breadth of this commitment. Come and see. The full nature of King’s witness and not the narrow, truncated, distorted version that only addresses racial justice for African Americans in this country.

King saw the full implications of Jesus’ teachings: Love for all people. Equally. Honoring the dignity of each and every human being. In Jesus, King saw a God who so loved the whole world and everyone in it. King saw Jesus’ gospel of peace, not achieved through violence, but through non-violent reconciliation and love. Maybe the way to honor Dr. King is to hold non-violent training sessions like King did. And promote the commitment made by those who participated in the demonstrations organized by King and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in Alabama. “Every volunteer was required to sign a a commitment card that read:
I HEREBY PLEDGE MYSELF – MY PERSON AND BODY – TO THE NON-VIOLENT MOVEMENT. THEREFORE I WILL KEEP THE FOLLOWING TEN COMMANDMENTS:
1. MEDITATE daily on the teachings and life of Jesus. REMEMBER always that the nonviolent movement in Birmingham seeks
justice and reconciliation – not victory.
3. WALK and TALK in the manner of love, for God is love.
4. PRAY daily to be used by God in order that all men might be free.
5. SACRIFICE personal wishes in order that all men might be free.
6. OBSERVE with both friend and foe the ordinary rules of courtesy. 7. SEEK to perform regular service for others and for the world.
8. REFRAIN from the violence of fist, tongue, or heart.
9. STRIVE to be in good spiritual and bodily health.
10. FOLLOW the directions of the movement and of the captain of a
demonstration.

I sign this pledge, having seriously considered what I do and with the determination and will to persevere.” [Chapter 4, Why We Can’t Wait, in A Testament of Hope, pp. 537-538]

In addition to adding name and address, the volunteer signing this commitment form had to give the name and address of his or her nearest relative, because it was understood that this commitment involved risk. Maybe some of you here this morning signed such a pledge card.

Can you imagine countless newspapers printing this set of 10 commandments tomorrow instead of the “I Have a Dream” speech? Can you imagine children in school being taught about these 10 commandments of Dr. King and the civil rights movement? Can you imagine organizers handing out commitment cards like this at the MLK parade tomorrow? They would be left as litter for the city sanitation workers to pick up.

Come and see. Full disclosure. Let our sights not be narrow or limited. Let us not accept distortion or diversion. Like Dr. King, let us respond to Jesus’ invitation to experience the full gospel of love. Come and see. 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: December 12, 2010
Scripture Lesson: Isaiah 35:1-10
Sermon: Paths to Peace?
Pastor: Rev. Kim Wells

The conquest of Mexico by the Spanish began in earnest on Good Friday 1519. An appropriate day, considering the carnage. In just over 10 years, the mission was completed. Theologian Virgil Elizondo, a native of the United States, offers this description of the fulfillment of that mission, pursued in honor of God and for the evangelization of the Christian church. Elizondo tells us:

The time is 1531. The place is the city of Mexico – site of what had been the most developed, advanced, and well-organized civilization of pre-Columbian America, a city now reduced to ashes, its canals filled with corpses, its streets filled with people moving around as if they were the living dead. It was the epicenter of the great cultural earthquake that had destroyed the entire edifice of native civilizations. The previously highly disciplined people were now wandering around aimlessly, with no life, purpose, or direction The warriors had been killed or reduced to humiliating servitude; their women had been violated; their beautiful cities had been burned; and their gods were being destroyed. Their old ways were being discredited, and the new ways did not make sense to them. Nothing of meaning or value was left; there was no reason to live. And on top of all this, the Europeans had brought new diseases that devastated the remaining population, making the stench of death the constant companion of everyday existence. [Guadalupe: Mother of the New Creation, Virgil Elizondo, pp. 25-26]

And this was all done in the name of God, the God of the Christian people of Spain, who had come to evangelize the native peoples, offering them the love of Christ and eternal life in heaven. They were trying to prevent these poor heathen from rotting in hell. Such were their noble intentions. The means, they believed, were justified by the ends.

This was the context for the encounter between the poor, indigenous peasant, Juan Diego and the mother of God, the Virgin of Guadalupe. On a hill, sacred to the Indians as the holy place of their most holy goddess, a poor, dispossessed peasant, Juan Diego has several encounters with a female divine presence, whom he recognizes as the mother of God, the God of the Indians as well as the Christians. She shows compassion and respect for Juan Diego, unlike the human representatives of the church, who want to convert the peasants, but not treat them with respect and certainly not include them in any leadership capacity in the church. Guadalupe, however, entrusts Juan Diego with the mission of going to the local bishop and convincing him to build a church on the sacred hill. Not surprisingly, the bishop’s staff, and the bishop himself, have little time, patience, or respect for Juan Diego. But Juan Diego persists. Finally, the bishop tells him to come back with a sign, and then he will listen. So Juan Diego goes back to the holy hill, encounters the Virgin once again, and tells her that he needs a sign. The hill is barren save for desert scrub. As a sign, the Virgin produces a hillside of flowers, which Juan Diego picks and takes in his cloak to the bishop. The bishop can’t believe the profusion of flowers, and can’t imagine where Juan Diego has found them. Juan Diego explains, and then as the flowers are removed from his cloak, the image of the Virgin of Guadalupe appears on the cloak. When you go to the Basilica of the Virgin of Guadalupe in Mexico City you can see this cloak, in the church that was built where the Virgin requested it to be built.

The encounter between Juan Diego and the Virgin became a bridge of reconciliation between the Spanish and the Mexicans. There was the integration of the feminine and the masculine which had characterized native Mexican religion. There was the respect and dignity shown to a peasant. There was the honor given to a dark skinned person that challenged racial prejudice. There was the comfort and consolation that Guadalupe came to offer. There was the affirmation of life and beauty in the gift of flowers. The Virgin could have given Juan Diego a sword as a sign for the bishop. But instead, the case is made with flowers. The rendition of the encounter between Juan Diego and Guadalupe is the absolute antithesis of the encounter between the Catholic Spaniards and the native Mexicans. And, yet, the Virgin of Guadalupe became not only the patron saint of the Catholic church in Mexico, but she is respected throughout Latin America, as well as Europe and Asia and Africa. And she has become a significant figure not only for Catholics but for people of all religions and no religion. A dark skinned female figure appearing on the cloak of a worthless peasant. Almost 500 years later, she is one of the most recognized religious figures in human history. And today, December 12, is her saint day which is observed literally around the world.

The two vignettes – about the Mexican conquest and the encounter between Juan Diego and the Virgin of Guadalupe – these two vignettes typify two enduring strands of the Christian tradition. There is the strand of domination and conquest, supposedly to further the mission of the church and for the salvation of more people. And there is the strand of non-violent compassion for the poor and dispossessed. And we see these two very different themes borne out not only in Christian tradition, but in other religions as well, even up to the present.

While the Dalai Lama is promoting anti-violence even in resolution of the differences between Tibet and China, there are other Buddhists who are taking up arms against the Chinese. There are those within Judaism who are promoting peaceful coexistence with Palestine and the cessation of hostility by Israel against the Palestinians, while others promote continued violent conquest of the territory. In Islam, there are are those who are advocating for non-violence and peaceful coexistence with other religions and cultures, while a powerful minority pursue armed conquest and domination.

In Christianity throughout the ages, there have been voices for armed conquest and empire, as well as voices for anti-violence, compassion, and peaceful coexistence. There are those who have justified war, relying on Augustine’s just war theory, as a necessary tool for defense and protection. We know these perspectives. World War II was justified to stop Hitler and to save the Jews. The bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki prevented the potential for even more suffering and death. While other voices advocated for pacifism and conscientious objection. Jeff’s father was a conscientious objector in World War II, and worked as part of an ambulance corps in Europe helping wounded soldiers.

So we are very familiar with these two impulses in religion – one that justifies the use of violence, and one that promotes compassion as we see in the story of Guadalupe, as well as in the more recent witness of Mohandas Gandhi, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, and the Dalai Lama.

These two diverging impulses in religion can be seen in the scripture lesson that we heard from Isaiah this morning. We are given beautiful images: with wilderness glad, the desert blossoming, joy and singing, weak hands made strong, feeble knees fortified, the removal of fear, the healing of blindness and deafness, the waters bringing life to the dry barren wilderness. It sounds like Guadalupe providing all of the flowers for Juan Diego! Then, in the middle of this glorious vision of Isaiah, we are told, “Here is your God. God will come with vengeance, with terrible recompense.” There it is: the two strands. Comfort and violence.

And this tension persists in Christianity. We justify violence in some circumstances while promoting compassion and peace. The church may tell a woman, stay with the husband who abuses you because divorce is a sin and people can change. We punish the murderer with the death penalty. You may spank your child for hitting another child, because we don’t hit. Help and protect people around the world, even if it means killing them and devastating their country in what we consider justified violence for a greater good. We deal with these two competing and diverging impulses in Christianity constantly.

In this season, as we prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus, let’s take a moment to examine the role of Jesus in the relationship to what is perceived as justified violence, and compassion and anti-violence. In some ways, we can see remnants of these two threads in the life of Jesus. He is considered to be of the line of David, as in slew Goliath, a warrior king responsible for the killing of thousands for the cause of God. And Jesus is known as the Prince of Peace. So what do we see when we look at the teachings of Jesus that have come down to us through our scriptures? We see the teachings of not only non-violence, but anti-violence. Turn the other cheek. Pray for your enemy. Do good to those who persecute you. Do not kill. Do not take an eye for an eye. Those who live by the sword die by the sword. These teachings are very much anti-violent. In addition, we do not see Jesus participate in or support violence, even what was considered justified violence. For instance in one story, Jesus defends a woman about to be stoned for adultery when he would have been completely justified by the law in picking up a rock and throwing it at her. We do not have any stories of Jesus directly perpetrating violence. In fact, what we have is the direct opposite. He does not even defend himself verbally in the stories of his accusation and trial. He is the complete pacifist. The totally innocent victim. He gives no cause for being associated in any way with what could be seen as religiously justified violence, even in self defense.

That is the unique revelation of Jesus. We are told that God promises to do a new thing in the life of the faith community. In Jesus, the new thing is the absolute abdication of violence. In Jesus, a life of compassion, generosity, and forgiveness which ends in a completely unjustified death, we see the initiative to break the cycle of justified violence. Throughout human history, religions have justified the use of violence to respond to chaos, disorder, and imbalance. Religion has sanctioned violence to create a new equilibrium, order, and peace. But then, the need for more violence eventually emerges, and the cycle continues. In the crucifixion of Jesus, a completely unjustified act, we see the initiative to break that cycle.

In the earliest days of Christianity, people did not preach Jesus Christ resurrected, but Jesus Christ crucified. Because his completely unwarranted, unjustified death was seen as breaking the cycle of religiously justified violence. This was the new thing God was doing. This was the new revelation. No more vengeance, retribution, or divinely justified punishment. But as time went on, the faithful reverted to the old concepts and overlaid them on the crucifixion experience, once more making the crucifixion justified violence. Seeing it as God providing Jesus to die for our sins, Jesus being the scapegoat for human sin, Jesus being the sacrifice to appease God. And we are right back to the traditional concepts used in Judaism and Christianity as well as other religions to justify violence: The very thing that Jesus was trying to transform, convert, and overcome through a completely unjustified death. There was no defense. No satisfactory explanation. No accounting for this killing of a person who was completely good, loving, generous, and compassionate. It was an indefensible death. Christ crucified. A new thing. Not the old pattern. A witness to break the cycle. But people could not stand the threat to the status quo. And eventually integrated the crucifixion back into the religious tradition of justified violence. And the stress between the conflicting views of violence in the Christian tradition continues.

We have seen it recently played out in international relations. President Obama went to visit the troops in Afghanistan. In a visit to a base, he told the troops, “As President of the United States, I have no greater responsibility than keeping the American people secure. I could not meet that responsibility, we could not protect the American people, we could not enjoy the blessings of our liberty without the extraordinary service that each and every one of you performs each and every day.” [“Commander in Chief visits 10th CAB Soldiers at Bagram Airfield,” Dec. 10, 2010, Staff Sgt. Todd Pouliot, 10th Combat Aviation Brigade, http://www.army.mil/-news/2010/12/10/49238-commander-in-chief-visits-10th-cab-soldiers-at-bagram-airfield/%5D This statement implies violence is necessary to protect blessings, divinely bestowed gifts. Obama’s words of support and encouragement definitely draw upon the tradition of religiously and morally defensible violence. And Obama comes from a Christian context – personal and social.

Then we have the controversy over the recently awarded Nobel Peace Prize. The award recognized Liu Xiaobo of China. In a statement to the Chinese court in December 2009 before receiving a prison sentence of 11 years for his subversive activity, Xiaobo declared:

I have no enemies and no hatred. Hatred can rot away at a person’s intelligence and conscience. Enemy mentality will poison the spirit of a nation, incite cruel mortal struggles, destroy a society’s tolerance and humanity, and hinder a nation’s progress toward freedom and democracy. That is why I hope to be able to transcend my personal experiences as I look upon our nation’s development and social change, to counter the regime’s hostility with utmost goodwill, and to dispel hatred with love.” [St. Petersburg Times, 12/11/10, p. 3A]

The US president, who comes from a Christian context makes statements that could never have come from the lips of Jesus, while the Chinese citizen, from a communist country, an anti-Christian context, makes a statement that could very well have come from the mouth of Jesus.

To add to the irony, China boycotted the Nobel Peace Prize award ceremony and would not allow the jailed Liu Xiaobo or anyone from his family to attend. China urged other nations to shun the ceremony as well. The US completely supports the Nobel Peace Prize process and supported the ceremony. But Iraq and Afghanistan, where we are supposedly morally justified in our military efforts, refused to attend the ceremony. Makes you wonder just what is our violence is accomplishing.

The divergent themes of religiously justified violence and compassion and anti-violence continue to coexist in a precarious relationship. The tensions and the inconsistencies are becoming ever more evident. And this is a piece of what is undermining the perceived legitimacy and authority of Christianity in the world today.

In Mexico, the Catholic church annihilated indigenous people, while claiming to have come to bring the country to Christ and save the people from hell by offering them the Christian God of love. While the heathen Indian responds with the Virgin of Guadalupe, the mother of God, defending the poor, the downtrodden, the Indians, the women, etc. in a way absolutely consistent with the ministry of Jesus.

There was and is irony and inconsistency all over the place in our religious expression and theology. But the message of Jesus is not ironic or inconsistent or complicated or convoluted. His life was about love and peace. Pure and simple. And you cannot live peace, create peace, pursue peace, or impose peace through violent means. Eventually, violence begets more violence. And the reason for this season is to celebrate the birth of the one we believe had the divine mission of breaking that very cycle. The birth of Jesus is the birth of peace. May we, too, birth that peace. Amen.

In addition to Elizondo’s book about the Virgin of Guadalupe, the book Violence Unveiled: Humanity at the Crossroads by Gil Bailie was used in the preparation of this sermon though not directly quoted.

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