Posts

Sharing the Harvest Devotion 11.4.18

Sunday

It’s Sunday.  Yep.  That’s the day that you may go to church if you want to.  I say “you” because I have to go to church – I’m getting paid to go, you might say!  But for others reading this, you have the opportunity to go to church today.  

In some places, people are forced to participate in religion, whether they want to or not.  In other places, people are forbidden to practice their religion.  We have the freedom to choose.

That means that we are free to go to church. Today and every Sunday. There is no one stopping us from being part of the community, enjoying the music, experiencing the prayers, being with the caring people, having our values nurtured, having our spirits fed, and feeling rooted and grounded in love.  This is always available to us.  Each and every week.  And there is no law or authority to prevent us from participating in church.

There is also nothing to stop us from offering our generous support to the ministry of the church as it feeds us and the world.  We can give as much time and money to the church as we choose.  There are no barriers or limitations imposed by an outside authority on our giving to the church.  

There is also no limit placed on our ability and our capacity to serve.  No one can stop us from offering a smile or a kind word.  No one can make us stop praying in our hearts.  No one can prevent us from writing a letter and expressing our views or joining in a demonstration.  Because we know that serving is more than helping one individual person in some way.  It is also about changing the institutional arrangements that create and perpetuate need.  

I am so very thankful that it is Sunday and there is nothing stopping us from fully expressing of our faith today and every day!

Looking ahead, make sure to plan to be in church for The BIG Event on Sunday November 18.  Come and share the harvest!

“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”  1 Thessalonians 5:16

Sharing the Harvest Devotion 11.3.18

Scarcity Part Two

This is a second look at scarcity.  Yesterday, I mentioned how the culture around us tries to convince us that we are lacking something, and that something is scarce, so we have to seize the chance to get it.  This kind of cultural ambiance keeps the focus on what we don’t have rather than on what we do have.  So we feel a sense of scarcity.  Intentionally choosing a discipline of gratitude helps to counter that.

But there is another aspect to the scarcity mentality around us.  It is not just that we are lacking some material object.  There is also the perpetuation of the idea that we are not good enough.  We’re not thin enough.  Or tall enough.  Or rich enough.  Or stylish enough.  Or athletic enough.  Or successful enough.  Or charming enough.  Or. . . . enough.  

This creates the impression that we are lacking.  In and of ourselves.  As we are.  This is disempowering.  And can lead us to think, I can’t make a difference.  What I do doesn’t matter.  I don’t count.  

The scarcity mentality tells us that we don’t really count for much. With this outlook, we are less likely to give, to help, to contribute because we think we’re not much and our help doesn’t matter.     

When we choose to be thankful and affirm our gratitude, we see how powerfully gifted and blessed we are.  We see our abundance.  And then we are aware of all that we have to give and share.  And it does matter.  And we can help.  And we do have much to offer.  

As we prepare for The BIG Event, think of all that you have to offer to the life of Lakewood United Church of Christ.  Let your gratitude guide you!

“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”  1 Thessalonians 5:16

Sharing the Harvest Devotion 11.2.18

Scarcity Part One

Hurry in and save.

This week only.

Don’t miss it.

This won’t last.

Free.  No cost.  No obligation.  Call today.

Don’t let these deals get away!

We are constantly encouraged to hurry up and buy.  Something.  Anything.  Goods.  And services.  The underlying messaging is: 1) that we are lacking something, and 2) that there isn’t enough of it.   There is the creation and perpetuation of the illusion of scarcity.  

Something we already have is not good enough.  There is something new that we need.  That something is in high demand and we have to be sure to get ours.  Our economic system has to create demand to keep growing.  Demand can be created by making something look really appealing or necessary, and scarce.  It’s a never ending cycle and we get sucked into the whirlpool.   It is very stressful to the spirit, this always trying to keep up and not to miss out.  And it can be stressful to the wallet to feel pressured to spend beyond our means.  

One way to put the brakes on this endless cycle, to reduce the stress, to reframe reality, is to engage in the spiritual discipline of giving thanks.  The conscious choice to give thanks, to look for what we have in our lives to be grateful for, is an intentional rebellion against the mindset of scarcity and consumerism.  The practice of gratitude reorients our reality.   Gratitude and giving thanks induce a change of heart.  Instead of seeing what is lacking, what we don’t have, what we can’t do, we see all that we do have.  Our perception of reality transforms from scarcity to abundance.  

This November as we prepare for Sharing the Harvest at The BIG Event, consider using the Gratitude Journal offered by the church (available at church and on the website) to guide you in the spiritual discipline of giving thanks.  

“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”  1 Thessalonians 5:16

Sharing the Harvest Devotion 11.1.18

The Magic Words

When I was growing up, the magic words were not “abracadabra” or “wingardium leviosa,” but “please” and “thank you.”  As I child, I could understand why please was a magic word.  It helped you to get what you wanted because it was used in conjunction with a request of some kind.  But thank you?  In my young mind, I saw that as just flat out being extra nice.  

I see thank you quite differently these days.  It is more important than I thought as a child.   Just a simple thank you, especially to a stranger, acknowledges the humanity of the other person and recognizes your interdependence and connection.  I am surprised at how many times I get a heartfelt, “You’re welcome!” from a clerk or a stranger to whom I have simply said, “Thank you.”  

Saying thank you, whenever I have the opportunity, reminds me how much I am receiving from others all of the time.  This helps me to see how much I need other people; in many different ways.  It’s not just all about me and what I do.  Thank you reminds me that I am dependent on others and it helps me get away from being so self-centered.  Thank you undermines the tyranny of the self.  

Thank you makes me realize that I am constantly benefitting from things that I did not do, that I did not create, that I am not responsible for, and that I cannot control.  

So, that simple thank you, is a magic word.  It takes my beyond myself and makes me aware that I am part of a much larger reality that includes other people, known and unknown to me.  That larger reality involves the natural world which supports life.  And it alludes to the mysterious unknown, named God by some, that is at the heart of it all.    

In this season of gratitude at LUCC as we prepare for Sharing the Harvest at The BIG Event on Sunday November 18, I am going to try to say thank you more often and let that simple act work its magic.  Will you join me?  

“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”  1 Thessalonians 5:16

Sermon 10.21.18 "Fact and Faith"

Scripture:  Mark 10:46-52

Pastor:  Rev. Kim P. Wells

The quintessential American writer and social commentator of the 19th century, Mark Twain, had this to say:  “You cannot depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus.”  It doesn’t take much discernment to see that there are many in our country today whose imaginations are way out of focus.  As Martin Luther King, Jr. would say it, we have guided missiles and misguided men.  Our species has made enormous strides in science and in understanding the world around us and beyond.  We have achieved tremendous technological advances, so much so, that it almost seems as if we are living in a sci-fi movie from the 50’s or 60’s.  

And Albert Einstein observed, “Imagination is more important than knowledge.”  So, I am wondering about our capacity to imagine humans living in balance with Earth in a way that sustains both.  I am wondering about the will to imagine human communities that are just:  Free of racism, sexism, homophobia, classism, ageism, and all of the other attitudes that judge and therefore diminish people.  I am thinking about our capacity for imagining economic arrangements that profit the common good.  I am wondering about imagining peace.  Many of us joined hundreds of others to do just that yesterday at Circus McGurkis and what a glorious celebration it was! 

It seems there is boundless imagination for schemes of amassing power and wealth at any expense.  There seem to be no limits to the imagination when it comes to inflicting pain and inventing weaponry.  But what about imagination for the good?

Since the dawn of human consciousness, the human mind has used imagination in service to religious expression.  Humanity has used imaginative pictures and stories and rituals and monuments to shape community, consciousness and meaning.  Humans do not live by bread alone, as scripture tells us.  We need stories and images which form narratives that help us to understand and make meaning out of our experience.  Religious expression is part of that.  Religion is a response to mystery, awe, and wonder.  Religion helps us to understand the world around us and the world within us.  Religion invites exploration of our motivations, influences, and values.  It helps us to figure out who we are, why we are here, and what matters.  

Religion, Christianity included, relies largely upon story in this process.  Jesus did not deliver well thought out, well documented treatises about human behavior.  He told stories.  The stories of our religious traditions, folk tales, myths, and lore, these stories all help us to see who we are, shape who we are, and help us to understand ourselves and the world.  Narratives define us.   

In Mexican lore, there is a creation story about people being created from corn.  Corn was growing prolifically.  And a divine figure turns the tall, erect corn stalks into people.  And this is how people came into the world.  Of course this is not science.  But we know that.  We see that this is a story that helps to shape a culture in which corn is the most important food.  Corn makes life possible.  The story gives people a sense of their core connection to the corn, the land, and the love that sustains them. 

Story is an important part of religion.  Stories help us to see who we are and find meaning in our experience.  We see this in the story that we listened to from the gospel of Mark this morning.  We are told that Jesus is walking along through a town called Jericho, accompanied by a large crowd. So this is a public circumstance.  As they are leaving Jericho, on the outskirts of town, they encounter a person who is on the outskirts of society – someone on the fringe, the edge, marginalized.  We’re told about a physically blind person who, when he finds out that Jesus is going by, cries out for mercy.  The blind person, who cannot see, seems to see who Jesus really is and what he is capable of.  And, remember, from stories in the Hebrew Bible, the people knew that that the messiah was supposed to give sight to the blind.  So this blind man’s expectations are in line with the teachings of his religion.  He is giving Jesus the opportunity to show the crowds who he is.  But the crowds, including the disciples, don’t see this.  They are forgetting their stories and they tell the blind man to be quiet; stop making a scene.  But in the story, Jesus sees what is going on.  This is an opportunity for him to fulfill his role as messiah, messiah not only to the respectable people, but messiah to those on the outskirts of society.  So we are told that Jesus calls out to the man.  Well, the crowd immediately responds and calls the man to Jesus.  The man throws off his cloak, perhaps his only possession,  and goes to Jesus.  He gets rid of anything that gets in the way.  He is willing to give up whatever he has to because he sees who Jesus is and values whatever Jesus will give him above all else.  This is in contrast to the disciples who just verses before are wondering why they have left home and family and job to follow Jesus and if it will be worth it.  And there is also the story of the wealthy person who cannot give his wealth to the poor to follow Jesus.  The blind man may only have one possession, but even this he will gladly cast aside for he trusts Jesus. 

Next in the story, Jesus asks this man, “What do you want me to do for you?”  What does he want?  It’s almost like a genie and three wishes.  But you can’t ask for three more wishes.  What do you want me to do for you?  Again, just a few verses earlier, the disciples have come to Jesus with a request:  To sit at his right hand and left hand in the realm of God.  They want favored status, recognition,  and privilege.  This brings to mind the observation of Helen Keller, a person who was physically blind and deaf: “The only thing worse than being blind is having sight but no vision.”   What does this blind man want?  “My teacher, let me see again.”  See.  This man wants understanding.  Insight.  Meaning.  That is what he asks for which also tells us what he does not ask for:  wealth, power, status and prestige.  There are lots of things that he does not ask for.  The one thing he wants is sight.  True vision.   

In the story, Jesus tells him, “Your faith has made you well,” or saved you, or made you whole, or cured you, depending on how the word is translated.  But the man’s inner sight, his trust, his awareness, has led him to Jesus, to desiring what is true, to letting nothing stand in the way of his quest.   And he is rewarded. 

And what is the first thing he does once he can see?  Does he look in a mirror?  Does he count the coins he has collected begging?  Does he take a swing at someone nasty in the crowd that has taunted him?  No.  We are told, “Immediately he regained his sight and followed Jesus on the way.”  He sees with validity and the value of this alternative world that Jesus is offering to people.  He sees the commonwealth of God in Jesus and his way.  He sees the truth that our highest good is found in living for others.  

We have touched on just a few of the many meanings and insights in this story that help us to see truth and to see ourselves more clearly.  This story has much to offer in helping us to examine ourselves and better understand ourselves and the nature of the world around us.  

Now, the touchy topic.  Did Jesus heal the man?  Did Jesus actually physically heal this man or anyone?  Is this a miracle?  Is it an occurrence that is beyond the bounds of scientifically provable experience?  Is this story to be looked at literally to show that Jesus is the Messiah?  

If the Bible is taken literally, then there are many claims that are in direct conflict with scientific fact.  Some of these can be accounted for by the less advanced state of knowledge at the time the documents are written.  But some of the stories are specifically intended to contradict scientific fact to show the power of the Divine.  But these stories were not originally taken literally, as we understand that term.  In ancient times, there was not the delineation between scientifically provable fact and fiction that we understand today.  Stories were considered true because of what they conveyed about human experience that resonated with the listeners and their experience.   Strict Biblical literalism as we know it is a relatively recent development, really since the 19th century.  And the problem with this new Biblical literalism is that it puts religion at odds with science and creates a false choice between science and religion.  And a consequence of this false choice is that religion with its potentially powerful influence for good loses much of its authority and validity and respect.  

Our religious tradition is rich in stories that help us to understand ourselves, see our choices, choose our reality, make moral judgments, create community, and pursue justice.  The stories of Jesus have much to offer the world to address the many challenges and problems that we are facing.  And we know that stories have the power to shape our consciousness.  Narrative creates our reality.  The power of our Christian stories is being lost to this blind insistence on literalism.  

We’ll take a moment to look at how this is the case with two important images associated with Christianity.  First, heaven and hell.  Seen as metaphors, symbolic images, the concepts of heaven and hell have much to offer.  On Earth as it is in heaven.  Creating communities, societies and culture that respect the dignity and value of every human being.  That’s heaven.  Living in harmony with the physical creation.  That’s heaven.  Living the path of love and forgiveness and generosity.  That’s heaven.  Living for others and serving others.  That’s heaven.  Creating peace through justice.  That’s heaven.  That’s what we are told about the way of Divine Love in the Bible.  These are visions of God’s way.  And we can image that as heaven.  

And what is hell?  Hell is life that is not lived from the foundation of Divine Love.  Hell is when we do not love our neighbor as ourselves.  When we do not love our enemy.  When we do not see the needs of others.  When we live from our own selfishness and greed.  This creates suffering and separation and pain and violence.  This can be imaged as hell.  

To insist that heaven and hell are only actual places that you go after you die distorts and limits the potential constructive power of these images.  

Another example is the powerful image of resurrection.  The story of Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection is a story that tells of the human capacity for evil and violence.  It tells of the power of greed and lust for power and control.  It tells of human resistance to the way of love.  It is also a story of the ultimate triumph of love.  Of resilience.  Of the power for new life that is beyond our wildest imaginings and dreams.  Think of Nelson Mandela becoming the president of South Africa.  Think of the European Union forged from peoples who were at war with each other off and on for hundreds of years.  Think of the parents who keep going, one more day, after the tragic death of a child.  Resurrection is all around us.  It is always possible within us.  To limit this concept only to something literal that happened to Jesus and will happen to us after we die is to rob this symbol of its power.  Symbols and stories by their very nature are not limited in power and scope.  To insist on literalism when it comes to the Bible is to limit its power.  

Now I have a wand here, an exact replica of the wand used by Daniel Ratcliffe in the Harry Potter movies.  This wand was custom made for Malcolm Wells by his father, Jefferson Wells.  Now, if I point the wand at the altar and utter the spell, wingardium leviosa, what will happen?  Will the altar rise?  Levitate?  Of course not.  But that does not diminish the power of the story of Harry Potter in which we see the battle between good and evil.  And we see the extreme loyalty that marks true friendship.  And we see evidence of sacrificial love as a mother places her body between her child and a deadly curse, giving up her life to save the life of her child.

If we ask to have our sight restored, we will see that the perceived conflict between science and religion, between verifiable fact and religious truth, is illusion.  We will see that the way of Jesus, a way of love, service, reconciliation, and valuing the worth of every person and all of Creation, is life-giving.  And we will choose that way.

The blind man in the story threw down his cloak and gave up life as he knew it to embrace a new life following Jesus.  There is a loud cry coming from our society, from our communities, from our neighborhoods, and from ourselves for healing and hope.  Our faith tradition is rich with stories that help us to see our circumstances, the implications of our choices, and the meaning of our lives.  May we be willing to abandon the dogma and theology and tradition that prevent us from following Jesus and finding new life.  May our plea be, “Let me 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.