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Sermon text 2.23.25 “Faith Is Absurd” (resend)

LAKEWOOD UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST
2601 54th Avenue South St. Petersburg, FL 33712 on the Gulf of Mexico
On land originally inhabited by the Tocabaga
727-867-7961
lakewooducc.org
lakewooducc@gmail.com

Date: February 23, 2025
Scripture Lesson: Luke 6:27-36
Sermon: Faith Is Absurd
Pastor: Rev. Kim P. Wells

Love your enemies.
Do good to those who hate you.
Bless those who curse you.
Pray for those who abuse you.
Turn the other cheek.
If someone takes your coat give them your shirt also.
Give to everyone who begs from you.
Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
Love your enemies, do good, and lend, expecting NOTHING in return.

Do not judge or condemn. Forgive. [See Luke 6: 27-36]

Do we hear this? This is a radical shift from the common wisdom of the society and culture around us – it was in Jesus’ day and it may be even more so today. This is a call to ending complicity with a culture of violence and injustice and intolerance, economic and social. The gospel is a call to engaging in a completely different kind of living in which you let go of resentments and grudges and you don’t seek revenge. Where you seek to understand and help those who harm you. You, as an individual. You, as a community. You, as a country and a people. The form of the word ‘you’ in the verses we heard today is plural. So, this admonition is not just for the individual but for the community, the society. This is a call to ending self-obsession and narcissism and greed. It is a call to other-centered living. This is a call to wild compassion, generosity, and love expressed in community.

These are core teachings of Jesus. Perhaps among the best known. The foundation of the gospel. The basis for morality in the reality of God. Yet, let’s be honest. These teachings are, well, absurd.

Other spiritual paths have the moral dictate ‘do no harm.’ Well, that in and of itself is a challenge. But Jesus does not stop at the already almost inconceivable declamation, do no harm. No. Jesus goes even further. Do good. And do good to those who hate and revile you. And let’s remember that in the first century there were plenty of people, Roman and Jewish alike, who reviled the followers of Jesus; who were persecuting the followers of Jesus; who were doing physical, social, and economic harm to the followers of Jesus. So these words that we heard from Luke are not ‘theoretical.’ They are given to people who were actually very much experiencing harm at the hands of those around them for their devotion to Jesus.

And Jesus does not just say, do no harm. Don’t hit back. No. He says, turn the other cheek. Let them hit you again, if they will. Help these people. Give to them. More than they ask for. Forgive them. Don’t judge them. Don’t become consumed with hatred or fear of those who hate you. And for heaven’s sake, don’t use violence, force, to solve your problems or take revenge.

Jesus teaches us to do not just the easy good. Like a buck to the guy panhandling at the end of the exit ramp. But give to those who have wronged us. And not just giving away something ‘extra.’ Remember John the Baptizer saying, if you have two coats, give one away. Jesus says, if someone takes your coat, give them your shirt, too. Give away your own necessities. In our time, that may not be clothes. It may not even be money. It may be time. Take the time to help others despite all you think you have to do and should be doing. If someone asks for an hour, give them a day.

With Jesus, it is not just about do no harm, difficult as that is. But it is do the good. Do more. Go further.

Why? Why would Jesus ask this of his followers? We are told in the verses we heard this morning. Because you are ‘children of the most High: For God is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. Be merciful, just as God is merciful.” There it is. This is the nature of God. To do good for all. No matter what we have done. This is what God is like – giving us more than we could ask for or imagine. Providing for us. Loving us unconditionally. Showing us infinite mercy. So this is to be the character of our nature as well because we are created in the Divine image.

The teachings of Jesus completely shatter other images of God as a God that is violent, hateful, mean, angry, punishing, and war-like. These are images of God that are used to justify human behavior mirroring these traits. Jesus presents us with a template for a God that is merciful, kind, generous, forgiving, non violent, and compassionate.

And we are created in the image of that God. So, to be fully ourselves, to be true to ourselves, to experience our highest freedom without constraint, we are to emulate the character of God. Jesus is calling us to our highest good. Our deepest joy.

There was a very beautiful story in the New York Times last week about an evangelical pastor whose brother and then son come out as gay. This upends the pastor’s faith, life, job. Everything that has made him who he is. In 2013 before he knows that his son is gay, he writes in his journal, “I think down deep, I hate homosexuality. I hate it more than just about anything else in the world. I hate it because it seems sometimes to be stronger than you, God. Yes, that’s what I said. It seems that way. I am sure there is plenty of good in the gay community, but my experience tells me otherwise — I see the isolation, the craving, the insecurity. Father, you have to spare Timothy [his son] from that. You have to.” [This quote and the ones to come are from “How My Dad Reconciled His God and His Gay Son,” by Timothy White, The New York Times, 2/16/25.]

The son, Timothy comes out 2 years later in 2015. The pastor starts to explore his theology and faith around inclusion. He considers the authority of the Bible and the church as he knows it. He questions the foundation he has built his faith and his life on. And as his foundation begins to crumble, he notes in his journal, “Life and morality and God and religion were a lot clearer then than it is now. And yet the strange thing is that I’ve never felt closer to Jesus — more intimate, more interested, more willing to sacrifice for him, and more free to be a Christian.”

There is it. The freedom. Jesus wants us to be free to fully express the good that is within us with no restrictions or constraints.

The pastor writes a letter to the governing body of his denomination telling about what his church is going through and their exploration of welcoming and including LGBTQ people into the church. He says: “Let me put it very plainly; I don’t think City Church Long Beach will be here in a year if we don’t live into the mission God has called us to. If we turn away the people he is bringing to us, our Sunday service will shrink and die. On top of that, if we can’t live into our convictions, our very souls will shrink and die. We will close our doors and shut down our hearts.”

This is what Jesus is trying to stop when he teaches: Love your enemy. Do good to those who hate you. Give and give and forgive. Asking nothing in return. Do not condemn. Do not judge. It seems too much. Scary. Beyond our capacity.

Certainly Timothy’s father found the journey to acceptance of his son and a transformation of his theology and world view threatening and scary. And yet as things resolve, he comments in his journal, “I entered this journey unwillingly, but as it draws to a close for me I find myself flooded with gratitude. I’m grateful to God loving me along the way, changing me along the way. And although it’s uncomfortable, I am grateful for the call to become radically welcoming — not just of those with whom I agree but welcoming of those with whom I disagree.”

Let’s be honest, our country, our communities, our families are fraught with disagreement at this time. There is severe polarization. Last night we went to another high brow event with our friends that administer an endowment for the arts. We were part of a table of eight at a gala. Our friends let us know, ahead of time, that one couple at the table did not share our political views. We were being warned so that we could behave accordingly. I told our friends, don’t worry, we’re ok with that. We’re Christians after all. We’re the ones who are supposed to be understanding and kind in our dealings with others, whoever those others may be.

I saw this same generosity of spirit from a neighbor recently. Her political leanings are different than mine. I was talking with another neighbor who shares my views. The other neighbor came up to join in the conversation. We told her we were discussing politics. She responded, “Then I’ll listen.” She is a devoted church goer. Again, she is being very Christian about the whole thing. And we need more of that.

True freedom. To be good. To be nonjudgmental. To be loving and kind. Because that is who we fundamentally are as creatures created in the image of God. We are free to be generous and loving. To everyone. Not just the people like us. This is true freedom.

It is not the freedom to stand your ground and kill someone. It is not the freedom to own a gun. Or to lower the taxes on guns so that more people can buy them. That is not freedom. Christian freedom is not the freedom to kill a killer, even if it is legal.

 Jesus challenges his followers, the church, to embody the true ways and spirit of Divine Love. To seek peace. And reconciliation. To give more than we are being asked for especially to those who are regarded as less than. We are to conduct ourselves with grace and generosity and good will toward all.

This description of the nature of the way of Jesus is so far from much of what we see in the church in this country. So much of Christianity today is self-centered, not other-centered. It is focussed on receiving blessings not giving blessings to others. It promotes amassing wealth and comfort instead of meeting the needs of others. Much of the church in America today is about giving a God-veneer to consumer capitalism, sexism, racism, and ethnocentrism. Jesus invites us to be free of all of that. To live unencumbered by hatred or malice or greed.

And, the church also readily accepts and promotes violence – encouraging armed conflict, military service, promoting gun ownership, even hiring armed guards as security for church services, supporting the death penalty. This is all completely contrary to the way of Jesus. We are to love all of our enemies, all those who consider us enemy, all those who would do us harm. Love them not just in our hearts, but by helping them, listening to their stories, honoring their experience and their humanity. Certainly we are not to mistreat or inflict violence upon another. I love the story about the church in California where a shooter appeared on Sunday morning and some church members tackled him and tied him up with an extension cord. They restrained him. For safety reasons. Someone did not whip out a gun and shoot him.

The way of Jesus puts us completely out of step with the society around us. Jesus tells his listeners that if they follow him they will be hated, reviled, excluded and defamed. This goes for Christians today. If we were really taking the Sermon on the Plain seriously, there’d be fallout.

Oh, we can’t invite her to the Met Gala. She’s a Christian. She won’t wear an obscenely expensive designer outfit. Oh, he’s a Christian. We can’t accept him in the police academy because he won’t fire a gun at a criminal and that might put the lives of colleagues in danger. Oh, she’s Christian, we can’t have her as a diplomat because she will try to help all the countries even those that hate us instead of just helping our allies. We can’t hire him to work on this political campaign because he’s a Christian. He won’t design ads that smear the other candidate.

I mean there are all kinds of ramifications that go with actually following the teachings of Jesus that we heard today. You could lose your job, for instance, even if you are a pastor.

Some 6 years after his decrying of homosexuality, Bill White, the pastor whose son was gay, entered this in his journal: “As Katy [his wife] prayed last night she thanked you for the remarkable gift of Timothy coming out — and how we thought it was the end, but it was only the beginning of a full, true, vibrant life in Christ. Father, thank you that you created our son gay. Forgive me for how poorly I received that gift.” Maybe next Pastor Bill White will be led to examine patriarchy and male imagery for God!

The teachings of Jesus were absurd in the first century. And they may be seen as even more absurd now. But they are life-giving. And when we water them down, we negate our reason for being as a church. And we deny the gift we are being given and that the church has to give the world.

We close with a story from a monk of the 13th century and how he navigated the waters of the extreme teachings of Jesus and the watered down version endorsed by his monastery. Apparently, Brother Juniper, a companion of Francis of Assisi, was notorious for constantly giving his possessions away, including his clothes. Remember the verse, if someone asks for your coat, give them your shirt as well? Well, Brother Juniper took Jesus at his word. But his superior in the monastery was not happy about all the clothes and other things that were being given away. At one point Brother Juniper was ordered by his superior not to give away his coat to beggars anymore. Shortly after that order, he met someone in need who asked for some clothing. Apparently, Brother Juniper is remembered for responding: “My superior has told me under obedience not to give my clothing to anyone. But if you pull it off my back, I certainly will not prevent you.” Francis is said to have joked that he wished for a forest of Junipers! [This story is in Common Prayer: A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals, Shane Claiborne, Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove, Enuma Okoro, p. 278.]

May we not be afraid or selfish when it comes to the power of love within us. May we be open to being transformed. May we transform 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.

Sermon text 2.2.25 “Do Whatever He Tells You”

LAKEWOOD UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST
2601 54th Avenue South St. Petersburg, FL 33712
On land originally inhabited by the Tocabaga
727-867-7961
lakewooducc.org
lakewooducc@gmail.com

Date: February 2, 2025
Scripture Lessons: 1 Corinthians 13:1-13 and John 2:1-11
Sermon: “Do Whatever He Tells You”Pastor: Rev. Kim P. Wells

We begin with a poem from Walt Whitman, quintessential American poet of the 19th century:

. . . I know nothing else but miracles,
Whether I walk the streets of Manhattan,
Or dart my sight over the roofs of houses toward the sky,
Or wade with naked feet along the beach just in the edge of the water,
Or stand under trees in the woods,
Or talk by day with any one I love, or sleep in bed at night
with anyone I love,
Or sit at table at dinner with the rest,
Or look at strangers opposite me riding in the car,
Or watch honey-bees busy around the hive of a summer forenoon,
Or animals feeding in the fields,
Or birds, or the wonderfulness of insects in the air,
Or the exquisite delicate thin curve of the new moon in spring.
These with the rest, one and all, are to me miracles,
The whole referring, yet each distinct and in its place.

To me every hour of the light and dark is a miracle,
Every cubic inch of space is a miracle,
Every square yard of the surface of the earth is spread with miracles,
Every foot of the interior swarms with miracles.

This is the reality of Divine Love. Seeing the miracles of Divine Love in all of Creation and all of our human experience – exquisite and excruciating. Life is a sacred gift and we are here to relish it all!

This morning we heard the story of Jesus changing water into wine at the wedding in Cana. This is Jesus’ first splashy public act of ministry in the gospel of John. As we heard last week, in the gospel of Luke Jesus begins his ministry with a prophetic sermon that ends with the people trying to chase him over a cliff. (National Cathedral Bishop Budde is in good company.) But in the gospel of John, Jesus’ ministry begins with the wedding in Cana. A celebration of love that involves the whole community and goes on for up to 7 days. A scene where Jesus’ mother sees the need and encourages her son, as she has been doing, no doubt, for his whole life. A story that tells of wine flowing in abundance beyond all expectations. Wine that is finer than anyone has tasted in the past.

All of this points to the immeasurable love of God, which God is continuously trying to bestow upon us. This story shows us the intentions of God. God wants more for us than we could ask for or imagine. Our highest good. Our best interests. Fully experiencing the wonder, awe, intensity, inanity, richness, and delight of this life. And this all stems from the power of love that is at the heart of reality.

Have you seen the yard sign in the median between Publix and Walgreens here on 54th Avenue South? The yellow sign declares: Love is my main ingredient. God. The New Testament Bible. That says it all: Love is my main ingredient.

We are so loved, God wants more for us than we could ever conceive. And Jesus shows us how to tap into that love. Love that is more powerful than solar energy, or atomic energy, or wind energy. More powerful than the human intellect and the wisdom of animals and plants and Creation. More powerful certainly than hatred, apathy, or death. More powerful than all of that, is LOVE. Jesus shows us how to live from that love; how to unleash that power in our lives and the life of the world. He shows us how not only to see the miracle but to be the miracle. To live from that core of love, that image of Godness, that is within each of us.

The best wine fills the stone jars to overflowing.

Romano Guardini, 20th century priest and philosopher, says this about the imagery of wine: “The purpose of wine is not only to quench thirst, but also to give pleasure and satisfaction and exhilaration. . . . This wine bestows courage, joy out of all earthly measure, sweetness, beauty, limitless enlargement and perception. It brings life in intoxicating excess, both to possess and to impart.”

This is the life that is being offered to us. This morning we also heard the beautiful hymn to love from Corinthians. What love is and what love is not.

But let’s take a step back. This hymn of praise to love, this beautiful exposition on the nature of love – why is it included here in this letter to the faith community at Corinth? Well, because they are quarreling. They are divided and competing. They are trying to impose hierarchy in the community. They are giving more status to some rather than others. They are enmeshed in lust for power, egotism, and desire for dominance. This is undermining the beloved community that is to be realized by those who follow Jesus. So they are given careful instruction about the nature of love because they have lost their way.

Yes, love is this amazing gift, this power, that we are being given all the time, to help us navigate the twisted paths of life with joy and authenticity. But do we tap into this power? Do we partake of this wine freely given? Divine Love is showering us, drenching us, but do we avoid it, ignore it, suppress it? To tap into love involves choosing love. It involves intentionality and discipline.

Martin Luther King, Jr. spoke frankly about the rigors of love:

Then the Greek language has another word for love, and that is the word “agape.” Agape is more than romantic love, it is more than friendship. Agape is understanding, creative, redemptive good will toward all men [sic]. Agape is an overflowing love which seeks nothing in return. Theologians would say that it is the love of God, operating in the human heart. When you rise to love on this level, you love all men [sic] not because you like them, not because their ways appeal to you, but you love them because God loves them. This is what Jesus meant when he said, “Love your enemies.” And I’m happy that he didn’t’ say, “Like your enemies,” because there are some people that I find it pretty difficult to like. Liking is an affectionate emotion, and I can’t like anybody who would bomb my home. I can’t like anybody who would exploit me. I can’t like anybody who would trample over me with injustices. I can’t like them. I can’t like anybody who threatens to kill me day in and day out. But Jesus reminds us that love is greater than liking. Love is understanding, creative, redemptive goodwill toward all men [sic]. . . .

Bomb our homes and threaten ourchildren, and, as difficult as it is, we will still love you. Send your hooded perpetrators of violence into our communities at the midnight hour and drag us out on some wayside road and leave us half-dead as you beat us, and we will still love you. Send your propaganda agents around the country, and make it appear that we are not fit, culturally and otherwise, for integration, and we’ll still love you. But be assured that we’ll wear you down by our capacity to suffer, and one day we will win our freedom. We will not only win freedom for ourselves; we will so appeal to your heart and conscience that we will win you in the process, and our victory will be a double victory.

[Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., from “A Christmas Sermon on Peace” delivered at Ebenezer Baptist Church, Atlanta.]

Yes, the power of love is available to us; it is being given to us. And we are given the church to help us appreciate the gift, celebrate the power, and cultivate the inclination to choose love, even for our enemies. We have each other for encouragement and support and celebration.

In the story of the wedding at Cana, Jesus’ mother tells the servants, Do whatever he tells you. We see Mary bestowing confidence and support upon Jesus so that he can share God’s expansive, abundant, profligate love with the world.

We are here to share that confidence and support and encouragement with one another. We are here to tell each other: Do whatever Jesus tells you to do. Choose love. Of yourself. Others. Neighbors near and far. And enemies. Love. In word and deed. Take extraordinary action. Defy expectations. For the good of the world and for our own good.

Frederick Buechner, 20th century theologian and writer has this to say about engaging with Divine Love:

Who knows how the awareness of God’s love first hits people? Every person has his own tale to tell, including the person who would not believe in God if you paid him. Some moment happens in your life that makes you say Yes right up to the roots of your hair, that makes it worth having been born just to have happen. Laughing with somebody till the tears run down your cheeks. Waking up to the first snow. Being in bed with somebody you love. Whether you thank God for such a moment or thank your lucky stars, it is a moment that is trying to open up your whole life. If you try to turn your back on such a moment and hurry along to Business as Usual, it may lose you the whole ball game. If you throw your arms around such a moment and hug it like crazy, it may save your soul. How about the person you know who as far as you can possibly tell has never had such a moment? Maybe for that person the moment that has to happen is you.

In a world beset with jealousy, greed, prejudice and hate. In a world that turns a blind eye to suffering, to injustice, to poverty, to climate change. In a world where leaders are more concerned with their own image than with the well being of the populace or the planet. In a world cultivating billionaires and seeding poverty – the power of Divine Love is desperately needed. Love is the source of our joy and wonder and delight in life. It is the source of our power for good and for healing. We know this love. This is what has drawn us to Jesus and to his church and to each other. This is the love we are to encourage in one another.

May we listen to Mary and do what Jesus tells us to do. Love! The results will astound.

Amen.

Faith Expressed Freely

Faith Expressed Freely – Statement on congressional response to Bishop Budde’s sermon

Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow. – Isaiah 1:17
Preaching at the National Prayer Service, the Right Reverend Mariann Budde offered a sermon that was timely and prophetic following the inauguration of the 47th president. Her message offered a vision of hope and unity that is not easily lived and is needed now:

Unity is not partisan. Rather, unity is a way of being with one another that encompasses and respects differences, that teaches us to hold multiple perspectives and life experiences as valid and worthy of respect; that enables us, in our communities and in the halls of power, to genuinely care for one another even when we disagree.

Bishop Budde also warned about the normalization of a culture of contempt, of purposeful polarization manufactured to benefit a few while threatening to tear our country apart. The entirety of her message was lost in the response of the president of the United States, which focused on vilifying Bishop Budde’s appeal for mercy on the oppressed of our day. The prophetic plea was weaponized, and the message of unity presented went unheard.

Bishop Budde’s words and actions are consistent with many faith leaders over the centuries and today who have provided voice in the call for justice. The voice of faith leaders must be heard in the public square calling truth to power in all times. We commend the courage and wisdom of Bishop Budde and other faith leaders who bring a message of justice and hope for the oppressed.

The introduction of H. Res. 59 “Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the sermon given by the Right Reverend Mariann Edgar Budde at the National Prayer Service on January 21st, 2025, at the National Cathedral was a display of political activism and condemning its distorted message” is problematic as is the condemnation of the Bishop by the President. Our country’s rich history of religious freedom prohibits elected officials from dictating the message of religious communities, so their characterization of her sermon as “distorted” is deeply troubling.

Faith leaders must be able to speak freely from the convictions of their faith, uncensored by threats of political retribution, following in the prophetic tradition, calling for justice in their communities. People of all faiths must be able to express their faith without fear of government harassment, coercion, or duress.

As ministers of word and sacrament, we have a responsibility to seek justice for all. Our voices join with Bishop Budde and others defending the oppressed. This is a time to learn to do right, as the prophet Isaiah exhorts. The call for unity is before us. For the sake of the vulnerable with whom we are called to care and for the free expression of our faith, may we continue to center Jesus’ work and God’s vision for a just world for all.

Rev. Dr. Karen Georgia A. Thompson
General Minister and President/CEOUnited Church of Christ

Sermon text 1.5.25 “Another Way”

LAKEWOOD/TRINITY UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST
2601 54th Avenue South St. Petersburg, FL 33712
On land originally inhabited by the Tocabaga
727-867-7961
lakewooducc.org
lakewooducc@gmail.com

Date: January 5, 2025 Epiphany!
Scripture Lesson:Matthew 2:1-12
Sermon: Another Way
Pastor: Rev. Kim P. Wells

This morning we heard about astrologers from the east, maybe Persia, following a star to the province of Judea. They are looking for a king. A newborn king. So, they consult the current king about the whereabouts of the newborn king. Sounds reasonable. Unless the king is Herod, or another monarch or authoritarian ruler, who is power hungry and corrupt.

The magi consulted Herod son of Antipater, procurator of Judea under Julius Caesar. King under Augustus Caesar. Also known as Herod the Great. He ruled from 37 BCE to 4 BCE. We don’t want to confuse him with Herod Antipas, his son, tetrarch of Galilee and Peraea, who was involved with the beheading of John the Baptizer and the conviction of Jesus leading to the crucifixion. No, the gospel of Matthew starts with Herod the Great. And he was great. Great at being a menace. A threatening, violent, insecure terror. Everyone was deathly afraid of him. He was great at building projects including rebuilding the Second Temple in Jerusalem at twice its original size and building 5 fortresses for refuge for himself and his family. He had a great secret police and a personal guard of 2000 soldiers. He was great at extorting money from his poor subjects, his own Jewish people, whom he impoverished with his building projects. He was great in that he had 3 of his sons killed. And he may be considered great in that he was eventually executed by members of his own family including his wife. Oh he was great in many ways, but he was not good. In the story we heard today, when those astrologers appear at Herod’s court and he consults his advisors, you can bet those advisors are quaking in their boots. They had to say just the right thing or they would be done for, and maybe the astrologers, too. This was rule by intimidation, fear, and violence.

In the aftermath of the magi’s visit to Herod, we are told the story of the slaughter of the innocents. The babies in the vicinity of Bethlehem are killed to prevent the encroachment of this newborn king upon Herod’s power. Herod is going to nip that in the bud. This leads to the flight of the holy family to Egypt for safety. Some of these stories are reminiscent of the stories of Moses. This is because the writer of the gospel of Matthew wants to portray Jesus as a prophet in the line of Moses only greater.

Herod represents the ways of the world. Wielding power by fear and force. Imposing rule by threat and intimidation. We still see this today in many countries, including, sometimes, our own.

We are coming upon the anniversary of the January 6 insurrection which was an attempt to thwart the workings of the US Congress. This mob attack was right in keeping with initiatives throughout the ages to unseat those who are in power and to impose new rulers. This happens again and again in history. People seek to impose their way on others through violence, intimidation, and fear. It can be a one on one situation or a societal power play.

Now, let’s notice something about the story we heard today. The astrologers visit Jerusalem. Doubtless in the camel barn or at the inn or in a cafe, they were told about Herod. His evil violent nature. His lust for power. His oppression of the populace as well as his advisors and minions. So these astrologers have been warned about Herod. They know he is a bad guy.

So, do the astrologers foment a rebellion against Herod? Do they pull together a militia to take Herod down? Do they return to their countries and amass an army to come to the defense of the Judeans being extorted and intimidated by Herod. No.

We are told that after their encounter with Herod and then Jesus and the Holy Family, they go home another way. By another route. To encounter Jesus is to be changed. To be redirected. To be rewired. Re-oriented. They are no longer the same. While they may have had the inclination to confront the violence of Herod with further violence, this is no longer the case after their encounter with Jesus. This newborn king inspires peace on earth, goodwill to all. Transformation and change, liberation and justice are on the horizon, but they will not come to fruition through more violence and death. It will have to happen another way.

As we head into this New Year, there are many challenges that will confront us. Some of us are scared. Some feel betrayed. Some feel threatened. Some of us are numb from all the trauma.

The message of Christmas is that there is another way. Love and peace can prevail. Through commitment and creativity, new methods and strategies and tactics can emerge to alter reality. The story of the magi tells us that there is another way. We can encounter the Christ and be changed. We do not have to keep losing the same losing game. We, too, can go home another way. 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.

A pastoral letter to the United Church of Christ on unity and justice

From https://www.ucc.org/pastoral-letter-to-the-united-church-of-christ-on-unity-and-justice/.

by Staff Reports | published on Dec 4, 2024

Leaders of the United Church of Christ have written the following pastoral letter to the UCC community, offering reflection and an invitation on what it means to faithfully be Christ’s church in the present moment. The pastoral letter is also available to download here.

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid (John 14:27).

Dear beloved United Church of Christ community,

During this blessed Advent season, we enter a time of hopeful anticipation. We wait patiently for what God will newly reveal to us, and trust that God is indeed birthing bold possibilities amid our uncertainty and fears, as well as our hopes and joys.

It is appropriate in this season for us to reflect on how God might be calling us in fresh ways to be the “united and uniting” church we profess as our identity in the United Church of Christ. We offer this letter as our invitation to prayerfully consider how we can most faithfully be Christ’s church in this moment, with the joyful confidence that God is indeed doing a new thing among us.

The Great Divide

United in Spirit and inspired by God’s grace, we welcome all, love all, and seek justice for all.[1]

In the aftermath of the United States presidential election and the days of campaigning leading up to the election of the 47th president of the United States, the political divide in the country was evident. This political divide over critical social issues is not new; however, the polarization on the issues has created a chasm where there once was an aisle. More critically, this division is evident in the church, where diversity is broad and runs deep. This has always been so in the United Church of Christ, across the mainline churches and in the church at large. There is an inherent diversity in the church which includes political diversity.

The political divide poses a threat to the unity of the church. While there is value held in identifying that “unity does not mean uniformity,” the political narratives of the day are quite different from those seen in the recent past, particularly given the rise of white Christian nationalism, a religious ideology and political movement that uses Christianity as a foundation for a hate-filled xenophobic, misogynistic, homophobic, and racist rhetoric.

White Christian nationalism itself is not new and is based on white supremacy. “The Christian nationalist movement is largely white, reflecting the long entanglement of nationalism and racism that is our collective inheritance since the earliest days of America’s colonial settlement. In white nationalism this history is sanitized, removing the sins of genocide, slavery, Jim Crow laws, and all the many ways in which racism has saturated and sustained our society, thereby removing any felt need for repentance or repair.”[2] Addressing this religious ideology is a priority.

The ministry of Jesus was one that prioritized those on the margins of society. His ministry was bold and prophetic, speaking to and against the religious norms of his day, which perpetuated injustices and oppressed “the least of these.” Jesus brought a message of love. When asked by his disciples about the greatest commandment, Jesus responded: “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself’” (Matthew 22:37b-39). This is love which compels us to action.

The call to love our neighbor as ourselves begins in loving each other in the church. While not an easy task, the possibilities are yet before us to live beyond the many issues which are evident and to love each other in all the rich diversity of humanity and the church. The politics of our day ought not to divide us in ways that create harm, foster hate, and hinder the ability of others to love and serve God. The love of God has the power to transcend and transform the frailties and fragilities of our human existence.

The call to love our neighbor as ourselves extends beyond the walls of the church, into our communities, and into the world. Our action on behalf of those in our communities is based on love. Jesus called us to love across the great divide that is our differences. This call remains urgent today, as the church is called to be salt and light in the world. In loving ourselves and our neighbor, we must give voice to the truths of our day: 1. White nationalism is not Christian, nor is it patriotic; 2. God calls us to love all people; and 3. God is still God of the oppressed.

Christian Unity

To love God with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength and our neighbor as ourselves.[3]

The ecumenical community recognizes that there are church-dividing issues – differences of doctrine that cannot be resolved over time. Even in those cases, churches have been able to reconcile differences. Then, there are the times when our doctrinal issues cause the breaches in relationship that split communities of Christians, causing pain, grief and loss in the body of Christ. Our political narratives should not be church-dividing.

In the days before his death, Jesus taught the disciples and prayed for them. The motto of the United Church of Christ, “that they may all be one” (John 17:21), is a part of a prayer Jesus offered for his disciples. He prayed: “I ask not only on behalf of these but also on behalf of those who believe in me through their word” (John 17:20). This earnest prayer was for the disciples who Jesus knew, and for those who would believe in him through the disciples. Jesus prayed for the unity of his followers.

The history of the United Church of Christ is based in unity. The forming of the denomination in 1957 was a sign of the visible unity of the church and pointed to the possibilities for the church, as the one body of Christ. The formation of the UCC brought together denominational streams which were willing to forego their own denominational identities to live into the unity of the church. The formation of the UCC brought together people with different ideas about the church. Those differences were theological and political. There were racial and ethnic differences, too. There were also language and economic differences. Yet, the desire to be the church together far outweighed the differences that were perceived.

The unity of the church continues to be a priority for Christians around the world. Here in the United States, we continue to hold before us Jesus’ prayer. In the United Church of Christ, we name the diversity among us as an important part of who we are as Christians. This time of division and the presence of Christian nationalism revisits a painful history and past in the United States when the church was complicit in its silence, an issue which was addressed by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in his Letter from a Birmingham Jail which was written in April 1963. The letter was a prophetic call to the leadership of the church to be the church on the side of the oppressed.

Justice

United in Christ’s love, a just world for all.[4]

The perpetuation of injustice is challenging to the well-being of all creation. The quest for a just world for all is yet before us. Martin Luther King, Jr., reminded us that “the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” The church is called to participate in seeking justice in the world. While there are times when the church has been silent, the church has also followed the teachings of Jesus and has been on the side of the oppressed, advocating for justice.

The UCC and its predecessor bodies have a history of being on the forefront of justice:

We remember that our ancestors’ ministries during the 19th century included the abolition movement, the struggle for women’s suffrage, and the creation of social justice organizations and churches that assisted immigrants new to our shores. In the early 20th century, the Social Gospel movement emboldened our forebears to denounce economic injustice and express their solidarity with immigrants who endured pain and hopelessness in urban tenement communities.

During the Second World War some of our forebears spoke out against the internment of Japanese citizens, and some congregations helped to sustain their Christian sisters and brothers during their forced relocation. In the 1950s we spoke up for Native Americans whose land was once again being stolen in order to build a dam that would devastate their communal life.

In the 1960s our church provided sustained support for civil rights organizations like the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and participated fully in the racial justice work of the National Council of Churches. In the 1970s we stood with migrant farm workers demanding just wages and dignified living conditions. We are, indeed, surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses whose faith and witness can embolden ours.[5]

Our history will always be with us, as will the witness of those who came before us. Ours is the task of attending to what lies ahead for the church and for the world. The journey requires that our unity and quest for justice be accompanied by civil discourse and the commitment to be engaged through hard conversations. This engagement is built on the call to love as we move forward together. The witness of the church of today will create the history that will be told in a future beyond these days. “Thus says the Lord of hosts: Render true judgments, show kindness and mercy to one another; do not oppress the widow, the orphan, the alien, or the poor; and do not devise evil in your hearts against one another” (Zechariah 7:9-10).

A Vision for the Future

…that they may all be one (John 17:21)

We are a “big tent” in the UCC. This big tent is identified by the multiplicity of ways members of the UCC reflect the categories of diversity present in the United States and in the world. We are ecumenical, coming from disparate places and experiences with roots well beyond the identified streams in the UCC’s history. We are representative of language, racial/ethnic, gender, theological, and political diversities, to name a few areas of our diverse landscape. We are reflective of the beloved community, one where love lives. Our commitment to live this diversity is a commitment to live into the radical love Jesus taught. We can love one another beyond the expectations and conditioning of this world in which we live where diversity is the source of division.

We will rise to the challenges of these unfolding days as we have in the past: speaking truth to power, attending to the call to do justice, ensuring the hungry are fed and the vulnerable are protected. We will rise to the challenge of hearing and learning from each other as we commit to being the church for today. We will rise to the challenge of loving beyond our human capacity, a possibility with the power of the Holy Spirit. Ours is the ministry of care and compassion, a call to attend to the moments of change life presents, and to attend to our communal needs.

The prophet Micah provided words of hope to a people in despair: “But as for me, I will look to the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me” (Micah 7:7). We wait in hope, believing that God is ever-present with us and will keep us through this moment, providing peace and comfort. God will also be with us in the days that are ahead, granting us strength, courage, and wisdom. We wait in hope, believing that change is possible as we seek a just world for all.

As we wait:

We pray.
We care for those in need.
We advocate for change.
We speak truth to power.

God of hope and love, you are ever-present with us. We wait patiently for you, knowing that you hear our prayers. The call to do justice is on-going. As governments come and go, we are called to bring healing and care to those in need. This is such a moment. A time when there will be the hungry to feed, the homeless to house, and the widows and orphans who will need our care. This is a time when we will continue to honor the inherent dignity and worth of each of your children. This is a time when the church will be prophetic, calling for truth and for change. Provide your church and all who lead and minister within it hope and healing for the living of these days. Amen.

Rev. Dr. Karen Georgia A. Thompson
General Minister and President

Rev. Shari Prestemon
Acting Associate General Minister

Rev. Dr. Bentley DeBardelaben-Phillips
Transitional Executive Minister

Council of Conference Ministers

[1] UCC Mission Statement, https://www.ucc.org/mission/
[2] https://nationalcouncilofchurches.us/common-witness-ncc/the-dangers-of-christian-nationalism-in-the-united-states-a-policy-statement-of-the-national-council-of-churches/
[3] UCC Purpose Statement, https://www.ucc.org/mission/
[4] UCC Vision Statement, https://www.ucc.org/mission/
[5] UCC Pastoral Letter on Racism (2008)