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Date: Oct. 2, 2016, World Communion Sunday
Scripture Lesson: Jeremiah 29:1, 4-7
Sermon: Come Union
Pastor: Rev. Kim P. Wells

You probably don’t know that Alexander von Humboldt was very likely the most famous person on Earth in the 19th century. He was a scientist, writer, polymath, and world traveler. In later life, Humboldt lived in Berlin. An American travel writer of the 1850’s tells us that “he had come to Berlin not to see museums and galleries but ‘for the sake of seeing and speaking with the world’s greatest living man.” [The Invention of Nature: Alexander von Humboldt’s New World, Andrea Wulf, p. 270]

On the hundredth anniversary of Humboldt’s birth, Sept. 14, 1869, there were celebrations of great magnitude the world over. There were festivities in Buenos Aries, Mexico City, and Moscow. In the US, there were parades and events in San Francisco, Philadelphia, Chicago, Boston, Charleston and beyond. Eight thousand gathered in Cleveland. Fifteen thousand gathered in Syracuse. There were 10,000 gathered to celebrate in Philadelphia including President Ulysses S. Grant. In New York, 25,000 gathered to remember Humboldt. Perhaps the biggest celebration was in Berlin where 80,000 people gathered in torrential rain for speeches and singing. [p. 6-7]

Why was Humboldt so renowned? Basically, he came up with the concept that nature is one living, breathing, interconnected whole. Through his scientific investigation and calculation, Humboldt developed the concept of nature, the web of life, that we assume today. He discerned that cutting down trees led to less rainfall and the drying up of a lake and could lead to global warming. This was in the early 1800’s. He speculated about there being tectonic plates that influenced the shaping of the earth as we know it. He traced global weather patterns. He identified links between different forms of life.

But Humboldt did not only study the natural world. He was moved by it. He had an intense emotional response to nature. So his scientific findings are intertwined with poetic descriptions of the glories of nature. He wrote many books with vivid illustrations to share what he was discovering. They were translated into many languages and widely read around the world. He also lectured to great acclaim. “I have never heard anyone in an hour and a half give expression to so many new ideas,” one scholar wrote. [p.196] Humboldt’s presentations were known to have “wonderful depth” and “lightness of touch.” People remarked on the extraordinary clarity with which Humboldt explained the complex web of nature. As his biographer Andrea Wulf describes it, “Humboldt was revolutionizing the sciences.” He was bringing scientific knowledge together into one cohesive whole. Human and animal. Life and land. Water and sky. All linked into one amazing system of which people were only a thread in a much larger tapestry.

We see this kind of wholistic view of Creation in the Genesis imagery of the Bible. Everything is created in an orderly manner to fit together to form a cohesive world. We also see throughout the Bible the use of nature imagery to portray and reveal the interconnectedness of humanity and nature and God. Nature reveals God. One world. One creation.

In the teachings of Jesus we also see this unity. Religion and society were busy trying to divide people up and separate them into haves and have nots, clean and unclean, citizen and alien, slave and free, etc. We see Jesus treating everyone as a beloved, precious, sacred child of God. Samaritan. Beloved. Blind. Beloved. Woman. Beloved. Prostitute. Beloved. Widow. Beloved. Tax collector. Beloved. Leper. Beloved. Jesus shows us there are no borders or boundaries to Divine Love. Divine Love embraces all: Those with HIV. Victims of human trafficking. Corporate executives. Corrupt politicians. Religious extremists. Homeless people. Drug addicts. Refugees. Immigrants. Communist. Capitalist. Everyday people. You. Me. Whatever our past. Whatever our politics. From the perspective of the Divine, we are sisters and brothers all. One community. One family. This is what Jesus shows us. His ministry is an affirmation of what we heard from Jeremiah. Live together. Seek the well-being of others and you will secure peace and security for yourself.

We also see Jesus showing us the interrelatedness of humanity and nature. Many times Jesus draws upon nature to express the character of God. God knows of the sparrow that falls to the ground. Surely, then God cares for you. Lilies neither toil nor spin. Surely God intends for you to thrive without stress or worry. Foxes have dens, birds have nests. Surely God wants everyone to belong and have a sense of home. Jesus follows in his tradition using nature to communicate about God and God’s love. A love that is universal. That knows no bounds or borders. As Shimon Peres, the former president of Israel who died this week said, “When you climb mountains, you don’t see borders.” [Heard in an interview with a former aide of Shimon Peres on the BBC]

Alexander von Humboldt was the first person of modern times to articulate and promote the unity and oneness of all of Creation. He portrayed the web of life. He showed the interconnectedness of land and water and animals and plants and people as part of a unified, miraculous whole. He also proclaimed the richness of nature integrating the scientific perspective and an artistic view. Intellect and emotion, thought and feeling, measurement and awe were of a piece. And from his travels and studies, Humboldt also affirmed the unity of the human species and was very much against slavery and oppression. He was a fierce defender of human rights.

Humboldt significantly influenced the poets Goethe, Wordsworth, and Coleridge. He was revered by Thomas Jefferson, Simon Bolivar, and Henry David Thoreau. And he was the inspiration for Charles Darwin.

As I read Andrea Wulf’s beautiful testimony to Humboldt, The Invention of Nature: Alexander von Humboldt’s New World, I kept asking myself why we don’t know more about Humboldt today? I didn’t recognize his name. My spouse, a science teacher, knew the name but not much more. Humboldt’s ideas were spot on. He predicted the problems that would be caused by cutting down trees, especially in the topics, and how that would lead to global warming. And this, 200 years ago. Why don’t we know more about him? In the epilogue of the book, I finally got my answer. One reason we don’t know more about Humboldt is that during his lifetime and subsequently, science was dividing up into separate specialities and disciplines. And science was also moving away from art and literature. So Humboldt, with his view of unity, was running against the intellectual grain that was subdividing and specializing. Wulf tells us, Humboldt with “his more holistic approach – a scientific method that included art, history, poetry and politics alongside hard data – has fallen out of favour. . . As scientists crawled into their narrow areas of expertise, dividing and further subdividing, they lost Humboldt’s interdisciplinary methods and his concept of nature as a global force.” [p. 335] And here we are in the 21st century, aware of the limitations of specialization and looking for connections once again and trying to see things from a variety of disciplines because we have come to know that the best arrangements and solutions for humanity and the Earth come from looking at things from multiple perspectives.

Also, as an explanation of Humboldt’s more recent obscurity, Wulf posits that his ethnic origin contributed to his fading from memory. Humboldt was of German heritage and the anti-German sentiment, as least in the United Kingdom and the United States, was so great from the First World War on, that Humboldt was ignored and forgotten. Specifically Wulf tells us: “In Cleveland, where fifty years earlier thousands had marched through the streets in celebration of Humboldt’s centennial, German books were burned in a huge public bonfire. In Cincinnati, all German publications were removed from the shelves of the public library and ‘Humboldt Street’ was renamed ‘Taft Street.’” [p. 336]

When we separate and divide, when we label and limit, we move away from the oneness that is intended for Creation. And we do so at our peril. We lose our center; our connection to the sacred, to our deepest selves, to one another, and to all of the natural world. We wither and perish. This World Communion Sunday invites us to celebrate our faith which calls us to oneness with all of our brothers and sisters and with all of nature. It is an affirmation of this miraculous, mysterious reality of which we are a part. It is a reminder that all of creation is our home and all of life our family. Amen.

The information about Alexander von Humboldt used in this sermon is taken from Andrea Wulf’s The Invention of Nature.

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: Sunday Sept. 25, 2016
Scripture Lessons: Jeremiah 32:1-3a, 6-15 and 1 Timothy 6:6-19
Sermon: Investment Strategies
Pastor: Rev. Kim P. Wells

Many times we’ve heard the song, “I’ve got some ocean front property in Arizona, from the front porch you can see the sea. . .” Obviously a bad land deal. Maybe even worse than the land deal that Jeremiah makes in the story we heard this morning.

In a very public display, Jeremiah spends a lot of his own money on a field that will not produce any return for him. No food. No development. No beautification. He will never personally benefit from this transaction. It will not come to fruition of any kind in his lifetime. And he knows it. The land is probably the location for the encampment of the occupying Babylonian army. It is not likely to be under the control of Judah in the foreseeable future. So why is Jeremiah buying this field? He is showing his peers and the authorities and the occupying enemy that despite what they are doing, despite the power they have now, God’s way will prevail. God’s people will live on that land in a way that is just and equitable and compassionate and be a light to the nations. It may take a while, but God will have the last word. Jeremiah would be in agreement with the man in the grocery store checkout line who told me, “Here’s what I know. Good always wins out. Sometimes it’s just a little slow.” So, Jeremiah buys a field but more than that he makes a public display of his investment in God’s dreams for the future.

So what do we see as God’s dreams for the future? For our communities and our country? For humanity and for the Earth? Surely we know God intends for humanity to live in peace. God wants the Earth itself to be clean and healthy and thriving. God desires an end to injustice and poverty and oppression and racism. We can imagine God desiring the flourishing of the human intellect and spirit. Strong relationships and bonds of solidarity in families and communities of mutual support and care. The valuing of each and every life, human and nonhuman as part of a sacred whole. In the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. “I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit together at the table of brotherhood.” We can think of a world where the children of Israelis and Palestinians, North Koreans and South Koreans, ISIL and Westerners, sit down together at a table of peace.

A closer look at the Jeremiah story will help us to see how we can increase our commitment and our investment in God’s dreams for humanity.

First, Jeremiah takes the long view. That is something we see again and again in scripture. Prophets, teachers, leaders, and people of faith take a long view. Moses never saw the promised land. Abraham didn’t know where he was going to end up when he set out as a ninety-something-year-old for a new land or if he would even get there. They take the long view. Sometimes I think that can hold us back from investing in God’s future. We want to see results. We want quantifiable goals that are achievable. We are acculturated to immediacy; we want everything now, or in the next election cycle. That’s as far as our vision goes. Some years ago, the church hosted an intern from Germany. When she got here and people took her out to eat, she was so surprised that the server came to the table right away. The food was brought so quickly. And the check appeared as soon as the food was finished. She thought it was as if they were trying to get rid of you, get you out of the restaurant. She said in Germany, it would be considered rude to have the service be so fast. People went out to eat as a social event, to talk, visit, tell stories, enjoy their time together. They did not want to be rushed.

Jeremiah was never going to personally benefit from the purchase of the field. The documents are put in an earthenware jar, a sign that they are to be preserved for a very long time – think Dead Sea Scrolls. This was clearly an investment, a symbolic gesture to others, of Jeremiah’s trust in God’s future. When we look at Jeremiah taking the long view, we are reminded that a role of the church is to help us look at a bigger picture, not only in scope, taking in all reality and all of Creation but also all of time. “A thousand ages in God’s sight are but an evening gone,” the psalmist declares. Faith involves taking a long view when it comes to investing in God’s future. It is not about immediate pay off. Maybe we aren’t reconciled with someone for years. Maybe the forgiveness we have offered is not received for decades. Maybe the seeds we plant and tend for peace and justice don’t come to full fruit for years and years, maybe not even in our lifetime. We want to think about what future generations will see when they look back on our ministry. How will they benefit from what we have done to invest in God’s dreams? It can be hard to think about making an investment, particularly a significant investment of time, money, and energy, when we may not see any return. It can be much more satisfying to help someone and see the direct result. There is nothing wrong with that unless we let it prevent us from also taking a long view and investing in the long term hopes and dreams of God for Creation.

Reinhold Niebuhr, a theologian and one of the most influential American thinkers of the mid 20th century reminds us, “Nothing that is worth doing can be achieved in a lifetime; therefore we must be saved by hope.” He knew the story of Jeremiah and the field at Anathoth.

There is a second thing that we learn from the story of Jeremiah and the purchase of the field. And it comes in part from pairing of this story with the verses from 1 Timothy that are assigned for this week in the lectionary, the three year cycle of scripture readings that we use in church each Sunday. From Timothy, we heard that oft quoted line, “The love of money is the root of all evil.”

Some may be thinking, they’re always talking about money in church. Well, money, wealth, and economic justice are referenced on practically every page of the Bible. So, a church that takes the Bible seriously is going to be talking about money.

We want to note that the Bible does not say that money is bad, that wealth is bad, that having financial resources is bad. The Good Samaritan had to have money to pay for the care of the man in the ditch as Margaret Thatcher reminded us. But the Bible does say that LOVE of money is a sin. Greed is a sin. Letting yourself be controlled by money prevents you from giving yourself completely to God and God’s will. In another verse in the gospel we are told you can’t serve two masters, God and money.

In the story from Jeremiah, we see the prophet buying a field that is worthless, that will not produce, that he will never materially benefit from. In today’s thinking that seems unwise, wasteful, and stupid. Yet he is doing this to demonstrate to his people and to the establishment that has imprisoned him, that he is not captive to them. He submits only to the authority and will of God. He is banking on God. They can do what they like but he knows that God’s way will triumph in the end. He is showing his faith and trust in God and God alone. Jesus does the same thing especially when he is arrested and crucified. It is a statement that he is not controlled by human authority and power but by the power and authority of God alone.

The Bible helps us to be aware and honest about the power of money and the lure of wealth that may draw us away from God, from trust in God, and from service to God. This is a very real and present threat to our devotion and commitment to the way of Jesus. It can undermine our generosity and service. To be closer to God, to live in a way that is in harmony with all of Creation, to find life and joy in the way of Jesus, we need to be take seriously the role of money in our lives and the power that we give to it. The story from Jeremiah reminds us of this, especially in combination with the verses from Timothy.

Money is a tool and we want to be conscious of how we are using it and what we are doing with it. It is a tool that we can use to invest in God’s hopes and dreams. We can use it to love and serve God. We can use it for our health and well-being. We can use it for the good of the Earth and others. This is what our faith asks of us.

On a societal scale it is much more difficult for us to influence the way that money is perceived and used. We see that love of money and excessive greed can do much harm to people and to the Earth. Some of us watched the movie, “Making A Killing: Guns, Greed, and the NRA,” at the Carter Woodson Museum in June. This documentary traces how the love of money drives gun manufacturers to promote gun ownership and laws that protect gun ownership so that they can profit pocketing millions upon millions of dollars. If there were no monetary gain involved in gun ownership, if someone wasn’t profiting financially from gun proliferation, there would be far fewer guns in American homes and cars and trucks. And far fewer gun deaths. Money plays a role in this issue. It is not just about freedom, the Constitution, or self protection. The main factor influencing this issue is money.

The story is similar with energy, oil and coal, specifically, and related industries. If there were not millions of dollars to be made in the fossil fuel energy business we would be off of fossil fuels and on to renewables such as wind and solar in a few years. But those making the millions use their money to buy power over government officials, to support their industry, and to keep alternatives at bay. Instead, they could be investing in alternatives and helping the transition from fossil fuels that might help to preserve the Earth as we know it for future generations. These multinational corporations in the energy industry have the money, resources, and wherewithal to transform the entire US if not the whole world to safe, renewable energy in a short time. But the will is not there. The desire to invest in God’s future is not there. The vision is clouded by greed and love of money. Money is being used as a tool to abuse the Earth rather that to sustain the Earth.

Racism and oppression continue mainly because they have economic implications that benefit some people. Greed and love of money drive much of the suffering in this world. If there was no economic benefit to racism, it would be significantly diminished in short order. I think that is one of the reasons that gay marriage became legal and generally accepted as quickly as it did. It did not have vast economic consequences. It was about rights, legality, and dignity with relatively small financial implications. When vast sums of money are involved things get far more complicated.

Our faith calls us to consider how money can be used to invest in God’s intentions for humanity even though it is very hard to conceive how it might be possible to work for change on a societal level. It is hard enough to think about our own lives, incomes, and roles as investors. We try to be responsible consumers and not let ourselves be overcome by consumerism and debt. Out of a sense of responsibility, we try to foresee what we will need to sustain ourselves in our later years so that we do not become a burden on others or society. We try to be responsible about how we can most effectively use our resources for good in the world. We investigate which organizations have the best track records for using donations effectively. With all of that at a personal level, it can be overwhelming to try think about money issues at the societal level.

Here we are led to a third insight that we are given by the story of the purchase of the field at Anathoth. This buying the field was more than a personal statement or a private investment. Jeremiah was a prophet to the society, and specifically, to the king and the court. His ministry was intended to influence social policy and the government. The same can be said of Jesus. His teachings were not just to help people feel closer to God as individuals. His ministry was about creating the realm of God, the commonwealth of God, the Kingdom of God. It was a communal vision for a social order that was just and compassionate and respectful of the dignity of everyone. So when we think about investing in God’s dreams for humanity, we want to think about the social, communal dimensions of God’s vision as well as the individual and personal aspects of that commitment.

Jeremiah makes a very public display of his purchase of the field. He makes sure the authorities and the community know what he is doing. He makes a display of his trust in God, his investment in God’s future. He is making a very public statement. We are shown that investment in God’s reality involves personal devotion, commitment, and behavior. It also involves having an influence on the society around us, on its values, commitments and policies. There is a very public dimension to our ministry as the church and as individual people of faith.

From this story of Jeremiah, this land deal, we are given guidelines for investing in God’s dreams for humanity. Take the long view. Be intentional about using money as a tool for good. And invest in the wellbeing of humanity on the personal as well as the societal level. This is a significant calling. It may involve changing our attitudes, our behaviors, and our commitments. Sometimes the way we are is well-entrenched and change can be difficult.

This past week, the season shifted, even here in Florida. The Fall equinox occurred marking the separation of Summer and Fall. The cycling of nature continues and brings changes with it though not as drastic here as in some places. When our Florida-raised daughter was in high school, we took a trip to New England in the Fall. The leaves were in full color. Each day, I would point out to her the beauty of the changing leaves. She poo-pooed the whole thing. “Oh mom, do you have to keep bringing that up?” “Yes, I see the leaves.” “What’s the big deal.” Fast forward 7 years and our daughter moved to the Boston area. Her first Fall there, she called me. “Ok, mom. Now I see why you were making such a big deal about the leaves. They are gorgeous.”

The leaves turn their glorious colors and put on a beautiful display of color in the process of dying. From red and yellow and sienna and umber and gold and magenta they will turn to brown and fall to the ground. This makes it possible for the tree to focus its energy in the roots, under the ground, to withstand the winter, so that it can grow new leaves in the Spring. In addition, the dead leaves enrich the soil that feeds the tree. The dying of the leaves sustains the life of the tree.

As we think about how we are called to invest in God’s dreams this first week of Fall, let us be aware that there are things we need to let go of. There are things we need to let die, things we need to shed, so that we may invest freely, with hope and abandon, in God’s vision. There are activities, assumptions, wants, desires, habits, behaviors, relationships, associations, and maybe actual material possessions, that we need to shed, let drop, and allow to wither and fade so that we can be fully rooted and invested in God’s love for the life of the world. Amen.

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

Meditation: As the Birds Fill the Air
Date: Sept. 18, 2016 Charter Sunday and Dedication of the Peace Pole
Scriptures: Isaiah 11:6-9 and Matthew 5:1-10
Pastor: Rev. Kim P. Wells

Noah Strycker spent a year traveling around the world visiting 41 countries in order to identify 6000 different species of birds to set a Guiness Book of World Record. He travelled over 100,000 miles. Strycher spoke about his year-long quest at Eckerd College last week. We heard about all kinds of birds, beginning with the penguin, and all kinds of habitats. We also heard about all kinds of people in many different circumstances and habitats. Literally around the world, Strycher found people not only willing, but eager to help him and host him.

This little vignette is a reminder that not only are there birds all over the world of infinite variety, on all continents, in vast profusion, but there are people all over the world. People who are good. People who desire to be helpful. People who care about others, nature, and the environment. People who are, essentially, living and working for peace in their day to day lives.

Though climates and cultures may differ drastically, people pretty much all over the world want to live in peace. They want to have what they need to live, help others, and make the world a better place. People of all religions of the world are working to promote peace. People from north to south and east to west value dignity, respect, and self determination. We want to be involved in constructive, meaningful work, have loving relationships, and engage with beauty, nature, and the arts. We want to take joy in life. We are, fundamentally, a peace loving species.

On top of that, there are millions of people the world over, who are very intentionally working for peace through constructively developing nonviolent ways to resolve conflicts between people and nations. There are millions of people working to reduce violence in every day life. There are students being trained every year in schools in peer mediation. There are institutes and foundations dedicated to building a more peaceful world.

There are countless people working, volunteering, and giving millions upon millions of dollars to create more peace in the world by promoting healthcare, education, the arts, environmental protection, and empowerment of those with limited resources. These things are the things that make for peace. Peace is not just about not hitting or not shooting or not bombing anyone. Peace is about making life for all stable and meaningful with opportunities for creativity, self determination, and service.

Are there some people and groups that trust violence, believe in violence, use violence, and promote violence for their own interests? Are there people that work against the cultivation of peace? Yes. Such people and groups exist. But they are the minority; maybe the vocal minority but the minority nonetheless. There are anomalies in every species. But I believe the vast majority of people on this precious planet desire peace and are willing to work for it in ways large and small.

We remember Jesus for saying, “Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called children of God.” We believe that all people are children of God, so all can be peacemakers.

Noah Strycher found wonderful, peaceful people around the world willing to go to great lengths to help him with his birding adventure. This is a reminder that just as there are birds all over the world, there are people of peace in each and every land. Take time to notice the birds around you. They are there each and every day. Chirping and warbling. Flitting and soaring. May they be reminders of the people of every shape and hue the world over who are working for peace: the countless doves of peace that inhabit this holy habitat. Amen.

This meditation was followed by people in the congregation blessing one another as peace makers. Congregants placed their hands on the shoulder of another and said, “Bless you, peacemaker and child of God.”