Sermon for Warren UMC, by Ben Roe
July 21, 2013
Scripture: Genesis 12:1-3; Mark 1:14-15; Matthew 5:1-3; 38-48
You've heard it said that the only thing constant in life is change.
We here at Warren continue to go through changes: 3 pastors in 12 months (for various reasons) and a continuing discussion about our future on this corner of Capitol Hill here in Denver. So here are some thoughts about change. To start with, I have some “light bulb” questions for you:
Q: How many Christians does it take to change a light bulb?
A: Three, but they're really only one.
Q: How many United Methodists does it take to change a light bulb?
A: Undetermined. Whether your light is bright, dull, or completely out, you are loved -- you can be a light bulb, incandescent, CFL, a turnip bulb, or tulip bulb. Churchwide lighting service is planned for Sunday, August 18. Bring bulb of your choice and a covered dish.
Q: How many church members does it take to change a lightbulb?
A: Change? Change?!?!?! My grandmother paid for that light bulb!
You know, you wouldn't think an old building like this changes much. That's why you might think that being a trustee of the church (whose main task is care of the building) would be pretty easy. Right? Well, let me tell you that old buildings do change: the wood around their windows gradually gets weaker because of rain and sun damage, paint flakes off, old plumbing rusts out, old repairs may not have been done well, and sometimes older stuff no longer meets the needs of the current inhabitants! As chair of the Warren Trustees I can attest that change is constantly present!
You have heard that it was said that the only thing constant in life is change. Yep. I can sure attest to that. Most of you know that I have started falling more frequently, sometimes with painful bruises—but so far no broken bones, thankfully. I have had to face the possibility of increasing impairment in my mobility when I'm on my feet. (When I'm on my scooter, however, my only disability is that some places aren't accessible! So watch out!)
And this is not a new development: When we moved here to Denver in 1988, I did a lot of work on the move, and pushed beyond pain and fatigue to get it done—with excuses of “I know how to do this” and “We can't afford to hire it done.”
Well, the reality was that my late effects of polio, or post-polio syndrome, became worse, and I started needing a brace, then a cane, then a scooter. In contrast to my rehab following my experience with polio at age 2 ½, which involved pushing and pushing to get the maximum recovery of function, now pushing and pushing results in the overstressed communications “wiring” in my body and sometimes it just quits working: some of the remaining anterior horn cells which connect the spinal cord to the muscles just die (more noticeably than those we all lose with age).
So, change is a constant part of my physical existence.
But so is my internal reality: I get new insights, hear new perspectives on old issues (sometimes from the preacher!), recognize new angles on old memories, and find new things to work on or work out. The reason, however, is that I made a decision many years to be open to these things.
The issue for us as a congregation is similar: will we choose to be open to new understandings of ourselves, new insights of faith, and new ways of looking at the world which come with new people wanting to become a part of our faith community?
I've found some thoughts on change that might be useful in our discussion:
We here at Warren like to think that loving people will help them change, but one wag put it this way:
“Love can change a person the way a parent can change a baby—awkwardly, and often with a great deal of mess.” [― Lemony Snicket, Horseradish: Bitter Truths You Can't Avoid ]
And we can't just withdraw into a safe cloister:
Another writer says, “You can't stop the future
You can't rewind the past
The only way to learn the secret
...is to press play.” [ ― Jay Asher, Thirteen Reasons Why]
In other words, participate, put some effort in your life, work at your issues, regrets, sorrows, and through all the struggle will come the secret...
George Bernard Shaw once said, “Those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.”
Madonna said, “No matter who you are, no matter what you did, no matter where you've come from, you can always change, become a better version of yourself.”
Wayne Dyer wisely advised, “Change the way you look at things and the things you look at change.”
And here's one especially useful for what I'm saying today:
“You never change things by fighting the existing reality.
To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.”
― Buckminster Fuller, an inventer
Some time ago I saw the movie Invictus, directed by Clint Eastwood and starring Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon. It is a story about South Africa, just after the end of apartheid and the election of Nelson Mandela, the first black president. Mandela is now in ill health, and just turned 95 this week. In the movie set now nearly 20 years ago, he is a thoughtful, forceful, and wise leader. He sees an opportunity to bring the new country together through the Rugby World Cup in 1995. You see, the white minority loved the sport and identified with the nearly all-white team. There was a call by some to change the name of the team, but Mandela resisted that, saying that they were still a South African team. He worked with the white captain of the team to bring rugby to townships and young black boys by using the team members to teach the kids the sport and raise excitement and expectations for the World Cup contest.
South Africa faced huge change from the oppressive, racist minority white rule to a multiracial democracy, with lots of unfinished business from the killings, betrayals, and tortures that happened during the struggle.
Needless to say, there was resistance to Mandella's ideas all the way through the movie, but ultimately he proved right in his strategy and not only did the team win, but the country won by being more united behind them.
The movie title is Latin, and means something like undefeated, or unconquered—or maybe invincible, and is based on a poem that came out of a painful TB-related leg amputation of its author, William Hensley. At the end of the poem which gives thanks for his “unconquerable soul” and that he is not afraid of what lies ahead are these famous lines:
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.
While incarcerated on Robben Island prison, Nelson Mandela recited the poem to other prisoners and was empowered by its message of self-mastery. In the movie Invictus, Mandela gives the captain of the national South African rugby team the poem to inspire him to lead his team to a Rugby World Cup win, telling him how it inspired him in prison.
So change happens, and our challenge is how will we respond to change?
Do we respond with fear? With resolve (to resist change)? With anger? With sadness and grief? With paralysis?
Some of you know that these past 6 months have been difficult for me and for some of you, facing the reality of our dwindling numbers, our dwindling money, and the insistence of our Conference leadership that we were misusing our endowment for program expenses. We had to face that we could afford either the building or a pastor, but not at the same time.
We have tried many things over the past 15-20 years to reverse the decline of our congregation. We never mastered the healing arts of Jesus to bring people back from the dead or to prevent our older members from dying. And we apparently haven't mastered the art of the truly welcoming and supportive community who has room for new people, new ideas, new perspectives, and new energy. Yes, we've blessed people with passion on a new initiative, but most of the time most of us haven't been actively involved or supportive.
We have tried different styles of worship: traditional, contemporary, and mixed, and we had fun doing it.
We haven't figured out why newer people come but don't stay. Is it because we call them “visitors”? Is it because we welcome them, but only if they will join us in doing what we've always done? Is it because we welcome them, but if they mess up, we criticize in ungraceful ways? What spiritual growth might we be missing? We've had prayer group studying books like How to pray when you're not good at it. And there's a book floating around, How to Pray When You're Pissed Off at God. We've had Companions in Christ studies. All of these have been meaningful for those who have participated.
The world around us has changed. And it has changed radically. And we haven't figured out how to change enough to minister to it in a way that invites more and more people into the fellowship we enjoy in this faith community.
I know some of us are simply afraid. What will happen if we change? Will my needs continue to be met? Some of us resist the change: why do we have to change? Some of us don't know what to do, and wring our hands in confusion. And some of us would gladly do something different if we had the right wise, knowledgeable, enthusiastic, and encouraging leadership.
Well, as we continue in this time of reflection on the future of our church, I want to challenge us to imagine ourselves as Abram, being asked to leave all you know and commit yourself to going to a new place which you have never been before, and in fact which you have no idea where it is, because it will be revealed to you on the way? Talk about everything changing! Do we have that level of trust in God?
Just as I am challenging us to respond to change in a new way, now I'm going to suggest something that will change everything, including our fears, doubts, resistances, and uncertainties: The Gospel of Jesus.
OK. Now, sure, you've heard that before. So what's so new about that, that would “change everything”?
Maybe we've misunderstood what the Gospel of Jesus is.
At the United Methodist Annual Conference gathering at the DTC Marriott last month, we heard Brian McLaren, a pastor and author and leader of what some call the “emerging church.” I was intrigued enough by what he said to get a couple of his books.
The one I just finished has this title: The Secret Message of Jesus: Uncovering the Truth That Could Change Everything.
Sure, there are lots of books about Jesus: There's the one by Deepak Chopra, just called Jesus. There's the one by Marcus Borg, Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time. There's one called One Jesus, Many Christs. And the list goes on and on. He's probably the most written-about person in history!
As I read McLaren's book, I recognized something I had learned years ago in seminary, and indeed in my last year in college: that the Gospel of Jesus was about the “Kingdom of God.” But as I read, I also realized something the significance of which I had missed: that the “Kingdom of God” is now. It is “within.” It is “among” us.
So what is so new about this?
Simply this: that the Kingdom of God is a whole different way of living and relating to life, the world, oneself, one's neighbor, one's enemy, money, community, sex, physical pleasures...everything!
But I can hear some of you thinking, “What does Kingdom language mean in this day of symbolic, figurehead kings and queens, democracies, republics, democratic republics, and other forms of government that are not monarchical?
I've been thinking about this and I prefer the term Realm of God. By that I mean, that Realm is a concept of space, of idea, of commitment, of community: we talk about the realm of the law, the realm of social sciences, the realm of psychology, the realm of science, the realm of religion.
Yes, the first meaning in the dictionary is associated with a kingdom or other royalty. But the other meanings are associated with things like domain, area, discipline, sphere (of influence), department, even circle.
This was not one of McLaren's suggested synonyms of Kingdom. He thought of the Dream of God, Revolution of God, the Dance of God, the Network of God, the Party, the Mission of God.
When we are freed of the outdated monarchical imagery of Kingdom, especially when we come to understand God as personal, like “Father” (or “Mother”), or other images Jesus suggested, we can begin to see some new things.
Jesus is talking about the Realm of God being present, among, within, and available now.
Just consider for a moment that Jesus's way of dealing with change was a radical giving up of the old ways of separation from God, from neighbor, from enemy, and a turning around of one's life to a totally upside down way of understanding life, love, community, and God.
Think again of the scripture Kathy just read: [read excerpts]
This new way is a whole new way of relating to God and to each other. Not based on success, not based on the world's ways, not based on public recognition of good works, not based on revenge or keeping grudges.
It's upside down, from the world's point of view! The last will be first; poor are blessed; rich have difficulty; enemies are loved; peacemakers are honored; where revenge is replaced with reconciliation. For example, it is a realm where one becomes aware that the emotion and perspective and motivation that leads to anger and ultimately to murder is alienation. Think of it this way: insult is a socially acceptable way of character assassination, a way of doing violence to another verbally. Jesus's way is a call to a deeper way of life, where the other is respected and honored, prayed for, and if there is alienation and harm, one seeks reconciliation. It is the way that inspired Martin Luther King, Jr., Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, Desmond Tutu, Mother Teresa, Rosa Parks, the early feminists. It is a way that deals with injustice and conflict in a radically new way that not only preserves the lives of people, but actually builds up people and communities.
Restorative Justice is a relatively new practice, and is an example, too, I think, where the ones who have been harmed meet the one who harmed them and work on a process that leads to greater understanding, remorse, forgiveness, and ultimately reconciliation. South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission helped heal the injustices of oppression, fear, hate, and death, and bring about a new nation without descending into the bloodbath of revenge that was sure to follow.
It is a way that focuses away from money, away from physical pleasures, and away from power. It is a way where the focus is not on the external following of rules and law, but on a deeper way of living that focuses on inward integrity, peace, humility, and a realistic sense of one's need for God and the journey towards compassionate perfection.
What nonsense to the ways of the world!
It's like the prophet's words, “I will write my law on their hearts.”
This new way is a new way of community, a new way of being in the world, a new perspective on everything!
And this new way changes everything. The way we see ourselves, the way we see others, the way we see our culture, our lives, our priorities. And it is a freedom unlike any other.
Can we be free to see God in each other? To see God in those who criticize, who are afraid when they see what we are trying to do? To respond with forgiveness, with grace, with self-giving concern and compassion?
How will we respond to this new way? Do we have the will and willingness to commit to changing and joining the Realm of God? Do we have the willingness to reflect on how we treat each other, the newcomer, especially if they have new ideas, new ways of doing things, new passions? Do we have the willingness to repent of our old ways, to change our direction (of course, “to repent” means to change the heart and mind to a new way, to change our consciousness).
Years ago as a college student attending First Methodist Church in Lincoln, Nebraska, I heard this statement every Sunday from Rev. C. Ebb Munden, the senior pastor, and I think it is a statement that captures the essence of the good news of Jesus.
My friends, the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the good news that life is a gift from One who loves us and wants us to live. In this love we are free, you and I, to live, not out of the past, but out of a new future, which God now freely offers to all who will receive it.
Listen to it again:
My friends, the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the good news that life is a gift from One who loves us and wants us to live. In this love we are free, you and I, free to live, not out of the past, but out of a new future, which God now freely offers to all those who will receive it.
You have heard it was said that the only thing constant in life is change. And Jesus asks us to change, too: to change our life, turn away from the way things are, to a new birth, a new life, and a new Realm, the Realm of God. As we respond, everything changes, we become free to live in a new way, open to the future, open to each other and to newcomers, no matter whether they be rich or poor, home owners, apartment dwellers, or homeless; gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, or straight; Republican or Democrat, from northern European backgrounds or African, Middle East, or Asian, impaired in any of many ways, mentally ill or otherwise challenged. Jesus saw each person—each person—as an individual loved by God, created by God, and capable of responding to the call to a new Realm of God.
Will you join me as we live and journey this Realm of God?