Foolishness

Psalm 27:1; I Cor. 1:10-18

 

        “The Lord is my light and salvation.” When the breeze is at your back and the temperature is in the mid 70’s, this is an easy statement to make. When our world is good, God is good. But what if the winds turn and the temperature drops? What happens when darkness invades our soul? Where do we turn for light?

        The Apostle Paul was a great evangelist. He brought an amazing message to a people living in darkness. Paul started churches in Philippi, Thessalonica, Ephesus, Galatia, and Corinth. Unfortunately, to start a church, Paul had to leave a church.  Paul had a huge personality. When he moved to a new place, the folks left behind had a problem filling this void. A classic example was the church in Corinth.  With Paul gone, they quickly turned to a flood of other voices. And with the thundering rain came chaos.

        Hearing of the dilemma, Paul wrote not one but five letters to the church in Corinth. His message was always the same, “Be of one mind and one purpose.” Easy for Paul. He only listened to one voice, his own. The church was equally divided between folks who pledged their allegiance to a particular personality. I can imagine the prevailing argument went like this, “My guy makes sense to me. Your guy is nuttier than a Baby Ruth.” The citizens of Corinth valued the judgment of a good argument and did not suffer fools. Paul’s response was received with great suspicion. He replied, “I will not try to persuade you with eloquent wisdom. All I have to offer is the foolishness of the cross.”

        Who in their right mind is going to be persuaded by foolishness? We weigh the evidence over against its historical and cultural values and based on good judgment, we make a clear and decisive decision.

Paul’s based his logic on stories found in the Jewish Bible. Let me give you a few examples of some of the fools that fill those pages:

Moses, a slave, stood toe to toe with Pharaoh, a god. Gideon, one of seventy, took on an army of thousands.

David, a boy, challenged Goliath, a giant.

Amos, a prophet, called the women of Bashan fat cows.  Well maybe that was taking foolishness a bit too far.

But most of all, Paul based his life on the example of Jesus, an uneducated, unemployed, unknown vagrant who debated Pilate, a Roman Governor, on the definition of truth.

        Paul understood the foolishness of Jesus’ words. But Paul also believed conventional wisdom is too often based on the loudest voice and the easiest path. The rally cry of conventional wisdom often ends up being, “If it’s not broke, why fix it.” Sometimes it takes a fool to recognize the brokenness of our world.   

        Jim Wallis wrote, “As Christians we stand before the world as fools. We are foolish enough to believe the way of Jesus is stronger and truer than the way of the world. We rest secure in the knowledge that Jesus has and will overcome. We are called to be fools for Christ, a people saved by his cross and converted by his resurrection.”

        I was watching a documentary last week on the execution of nine folks during a Bible Study at Mother Emmanuel AME church in Charleston SC. They were killed by a 21 year old boy who had been raised to hate African-Americans. In the mind of Dylan Roof, his actions were justified because he was defending his heritage. 

        The city of Charleston has always been a city on the edge of violence. Everyone knew there was going to be a horrific response to those murders. Then something foolish happened.    Dylan Roof, bound and guarded, stood before a TV camera. The folks in the courtroom could see Dylan and he could see them. The judge asked nine relatives of the people killed if they had anything to say to the murderer. None of this was rehearsed because no one knew the judge was going to make such a request. One after another a mother, a son, two husbands, two wives, two daughters, and a niece turned to the boy responsible for their grief and said, “We don’t know why you did this, but we offer our forgiveness. We hope you find peace in your soul.”

        I believe Dylan Roof wanted to initiate a race war in Charleston.  In response to his actions more than one person admitted they were planning to set the city on fire to expose the 400 year old crimes of Charleston. But nine foolish people spoke of forgiveness. Instantly, talk of revenge disappeared. One community organizer said, “I could find very few folks who agreed with what those folks said. But neither could I find anyone willing to desecrate their statements of faith.”

        May God convert all of us to such foolishness.      Amen.

Songs and Words of Martin Luther King Jr.

        I have the audacity to believe that people everywhere can have three meals a day for their bodies, education and culture for their minds, and dignity, equality and freedom for their spirits. I believe what self-centered men have torn down, God-centered people can build up.

        You most certainly recognize this as a quote from Martin Luther King. This week-end we will have multiple opportunities to hear both the “Mountain Top” and “Dream Speech”. Before King became a public voice, he was a preacher. We rarely have the chance to hear the sermons preached each Sunday at Dexter Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama. At Dexter Dr. King perfected his message. In this church he also joyfully sang with the choir. He didn’t have a great voice. Ralph Abernathy said, “We love Martin for his words but not his singing.” None-the-less, Dr. King appreciated music and used it in his sermons. He had two favorite singers, Mahalia Jackson and Odetta. That is a pretty high bar. I have Bill, Kathleen, John, and Marianne which isn’t bad. Listen, as hopefully we inspire you with excerpts from King’s sermons and the songs he loved.

 

Luke 10:29 - And Who is My Neighbor?

        The Samaritan had a piercing insight into that which is beyond race, religion, and nationalism. One of the great tragedies of humanities long trek is that we limit our neighborly concerns to our tribe. The God of the early Old Testament was a tribal God. “Thou shall not kill” meant don’t kill a fellow Israelite but for God’s sake kill the Philistine. Greek democracy embraced a certain aristocracy but not the slaves who built the city. The universalism at the center of the Declaration of Independence, “all are created equal” meant all white folk were created equal. What are the devastating consequences of such a narrow, tribal attitude? If Americans are only concerned about their nation, Americans will not be concerned about the peoples of Asia, Africa, and South America. Isn’t this why we engage in war without the slightest sense of guilt? If I murder a fellow American it is a crime. If I murder the citizen of another nation, it is an act of heroic virtue. We don’t see folks as humans. We see them as Chinese or Americans, Christian or Muslim, Blacks or White. The priest and the Levite saw only a bleeding body. What if the Samaritan had seen only a Jew? He didn’t. He saw another human.   

(Bill – If I can help somebody)

 

I John 4:18 – Perfect Love Cast out Fear

        Our faith endows us with the conviction that we are not alone in this vast uncertain universe. Beneath and above the shifting sands of time and the uncertainties that darken our days is a wise and loving God. This universe is not a tragic expression of meaningless chaos but a marvelous display of orderly cosmos. We are not just a wisp of smoke from limitless smoldering. We are created in the image of God. By God we are given wisdom for guidance, strength for protection, and boundless love. With a surging fullness God moves us forward to fill the little creeks and bays of our lives with unlimited recourses. Yet we remain fatigued by pessimism and our neurotic fear of our demise. Death is not the ultimate evil. We only need to fear living outside God’s love and that can never happen.

        One of the dedicated participants in our bus protest was Mother Pollard. Although poverty stricken and uneducated she has an amazing understanding of God’s power. A Sunday after a difficult week in which I was arrested and received many threatening phone calls at home, I tried to stand before you and convey strength and courage through my words. But inwardly I was depressed and fear-stricken. Mother Pollard came to the front of the church and said, “Come here son, something is wrong with you.” Trying to disguise my fears I retorted, “Nothing is wrong, I feel fine.” But she knew better. “You can’t fool me. I knows something is wrong. Is it we ain’t  doing enough? Is those white folks bothering you? Martin, we are trying to be with you all the way, but even if we ain’t, God’s gonna take care of you.”

        Her words continue to remind me our faith can transform the whirlwind of despair into a warm and reviving breeze of hope. Let this motto be etched on our hearts:

        Fear Knocked at the door.

        Faith Answered.

        There was no one there.

 (Kathleen  -  There is a Balm in Gilead)

  

Luke 11:5 – A Man came at Midnight Asking for Bread

        In this parable a man knocks on the door of a friend at midnight to ask for bread. At first no one answers. But the neighbor is not deterred. He knocks a second and third time. Finally his call for help is answered. Many people continue to knock on the door after midnight, even after the church has bitterly disappointed them. They knock because they have been told that the church has a word of hope. They have complex problems and no one has answers yet the church claims to have something the rest of the world cannot offer. Young people knock who are perplexed by the uncertainties of life. They are confused by daily disappointments and disillusioned by the ambiguities of history. Women come to the door because we have made them second class citizens. The discouraged come to the door and knock. They see life as a tragicomedy where nothing changes but the costumes and scenery. The weary come to the door. They come to the church longing for a place of peace and find the choir is singing, “Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition.” Some who knock are tormented by death. They are living in the evening of their life and cannot imagine another sunrise.

        Midnight is a difficult hour, especially when no one will come to the door. But they continue to knock. They desire to see the dawn and our eternal message has always been, the dawn will come. Our fore-parents realized this. They were never unmindful of midnight because they could never forget the rawhide whip of the overseer. In the darkness they sang, “Nobody knows the trouble I’ve seen, Gloria Hallelujah!

        It was the belief in the dawn that kept the slaves faithful. It was the belief that God is good and just that kept them knocking on the door. People are still knocking. Despite disappointment, sorrow, and despair they are knocking. When will we open the door and offer the joy that comes in the morning?

 (John  - Precious Lord)

  

Micah 6:8 – Do Justice, Love Kindness, Walk Humbly

        My personal trials have taught me the value of unmerited suffering. I have tried to make suffering a virtue if only to save myself from bitterness. Some consider it a stumbling block, others foolishness. I am convinced it is the power of God within me. Redemptive suffering has brought me closer to God. I have always believed in the personality of God. But until recently the idea of a suffering God was less than satisfying. Now, in the midst of personal trials, the suffering of God has given me inner calm. In the lonely and dark days I hear a voice whispering, “I am with you always.” I have felt the power of God transform the fatigue of my despair into hope. I am convinced the struggle for justice and righteousness is being orchestrated by a power that knows my suffering. When I feel limited by my own strength, I know God has conquered more than life. By defeating death, God is a living God. Therefore I am not discouraged about the future. Every crisis has dangers and opportunities. Every moment presents the world with a new moment for the kingdom of God to reign in the hearts of man. My eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.

(Marianne – Battle Hymn of the Republic)

Baptism is a Really Big Deal!

Matthew 3:13-17; Isaiah 42:1-9

 

Why do we baptize our children?  We Presbyterians may get turned around backwards on some things but baptism is not one of them.  We know, or at least we claim to know, why baptisms are such a big deal.  We know, or at least we claim to know, why in the Presbyterian Church baptisms are done publicly in the midst of worship and not privately in someone’s home.  And we know, or at least we claim to know, that for the gospel writers and for the early church, the baptism of Jesus was a bigger celebration than Christmas!  That hardly seems possible.  Imagine Frosty the Snow Man or Santa Claus being replaced a John the Baptist doll, complete with animal skins and a pull string which allows the doll to cry out, “You brood of vipers; who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Sinners repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand!”  

I hate to admit it, but as important as Baptism is in the Presbyterian Church, I worry that we have lost sight of why this event is so significant.  When I was a Christian Educator in Charleston S.C., I got an early morning call from the church organist.  Nancy was seven months pregnant and as you can imagine much of the buzz in the church centered on the birth of her first child. But this was a phone call no one wants to receive.  She had been rushed to the hospital when the pregnancy had gone terribly wrong.  The doctors could find no fetal heart beat.  Stewart, the minister of our congregation had been with the couple through the night. When I arrived, I sat and prayed with the distraught couple.  Then Nancy grabbed my hand and said, “My baby will be stillborn.  But that doesn’t mean that he wasn’t alive yesterday.  When he is delivered, would you baptize him?  We can’t understand why Stewart won’t do it.”

With tears flooding my eyes I looked at them and gave the wrong answer.  I blurted out, “You know I am not ordained.  I am not allowed to perform the sacraments.”   

Nancy responded, “We don’t care. We just want our child to know God loves him.”

What is Baptism if not a glimpse of God’s expansive love which embraces all people ……. no exceptions! Baptism reminds us that God is beyond our understanding and comfort zone. Baptism marks the moment people first hear the words, “You are my beloved”.   It celebrates the moment we begin our journey within the community of faith by proclaiming each of us are participants in God’s Holy covenant. 

Imagine being on the banks of the Jordan River.  You have heard about this preacher called John the Baptizer.  Unconventional hardly defines this man. More beast than human, this crazy Nazarene, stands in the middle of the water, daring people to come down and join him.  His sermons are quotes from the book of Isaiah, begging the people to remember that from the beginning that they were a covenant people.  He screams out, “One will come in righteousness.  He will open your eyes.  He will open the prisons and bring out the people who sit in darkness.  He will bring the former things to pass by doing a new thing.” 

You are stunned by the words of this mad man who seems strangely sane.  You remember hearing about the God of Abraham, Moses and David. You weep as you rejoice in the memory of God’s covenant.  You celebrate on being reminded of the ancient promise that in life and in death we have always belonged to God.  And then you witness the Baptizer as he looks beyond where you are standing.  The Baptizer gazes at a very ordinary man who is approaching the water.  In a voice that startles you John declares, “Here come the servant, the chosen one in whom my souls delights.  Here is the one I have told you about.  Behold the righteousness of our God.”  

    The man about whom John speaks makes his way into the water.  John seems to almost hesitate, unsure what he is supposed to do in this drama.  Finally he reaches down, cups the water in his hands and lets it flow over the head of the chosen one.  Then a voice larger than even the Baptizer’s is heard from above.  The voice spilt the clouds like thunder declaring “This is my beloved son”.  Your eye catches sight of what appears to be a dove descending toward the figure in the water.  This bird, this manifestation of holiness, lights on the man’s shoulder completing the covenantal coronation.

Yes, Baptism really is a big deal.  It is divine action and human response.  When a person is baptized, the water poured on the recipients head is a representation of the action of the crucified and risen Lord, uniting the baptized person with Christ and Christ’s church.  It is promise by the person baptized to respond to God’s gracious action and accept the role of child of God.  None of this is terribly complicated when the baptized person is an adult.  The decision and the responsibility following this confession fall directly on the person baptized.  But what about an infant?  How can an infant understand the significance of the moment?  How can an infant confess the desire to repent?  How can an infant be held responsible for actions beyond the child’s comprehension?

In the early church, the rite of Infant Baptism became a reminder to the community that the church was forever bound in a covenant relationship with God.  This was not something that children just sort of got by osmosis.  It had to be taught.  That responsibility fell to both the parents and the church.  The Magna Charta of the Hebrew religion, Deuteronomy 6:4-7, proclaims, “Hear, O Israel, our God is one God.  You shall love the Lord your God with all you heart, soul and mind.  These words shall be upon your heart.  You shall teach them diligently to your children.  You shall teach them when you sit in your house, when you walk along the paths, when lie down and when you rise up.”  This is why during baptisms in a Presbyterian Church the parents are asked, “Relying on God’s grace, do you promise to live the Christian faith, and to teach that faith to your child.”  It is also the reason members of the congregation are asked, “Do you the members of the Church of Jesus Christ promise to nurture and guide, by word and deed, with love and prayer, encouraging them to know and follow Christ to be faithful members of Christ’s church.”

  My dear friend Stewart knew he could not baptize the child mentioned in the beginning of this sermon because Stewart felt restrained by his ordination. As Presbyterians we believe Baptism to be more than a magical admission to heaven. It is a sacrament, a sacred promise that the baptized a child will be taught the story of God’s grace.  But sometimes our rigidity to doctrine supersedes the cry of the human heart. I am still haunted by Nancy’s impossible request.

Rowan Williams, former Archbishop of Canterbury writes, “Baptism is a restoration of the humanity God originally imagined. Jesus steps neck-deep into the swirling waters of our chaos in order that each of us might be reborn.”  

Baptism for the most part has become a ritual, a celebration of birth, a pre-wedding ceremony complete with white dress, attendants, and a party afterwards. Presbyterians have tried our best to use baptism as a gentle reminder of parental and congregational responsibility for the Christian upbringing of the child. Along the way perhaps we have forgotten that the original baptism was a transformational event. Baptism reminds us we have been contaminated by death. One cannot go into the waters of chaos without stirring up a lot of mud. In the midst of suffering and pain, in the midst of confusion and disorder Jesus stepped neck deep into our pain. Forty two years ago a childless mother understood this far better than I. She cried out, “We want our child to know that God loves him.”

She knew baptism is a really big thing.

To God be the glory.   Amen.

 

Should I Bring A Gun to Church?

        I live in a very small world and yet I encountered five people in the last week who wanted to know if Rockfish Presbyterian was a safe place to worship. This concern was generated by the events of the last week. First, a man wielding a machete entered a house celebrating Hanukah.  Five people were wounded. While many have suggested this to be an isolated incident initiated by a mentally ill assailant, his actions were proceeded by tension over zoning laws and accusations against what some have called a Jewish “voting bloc” in Rockland County, New York.

        The second incident happened outside of Fort Worth. A transient recently given assistance by the minister of the West Freeway Church of Christ opened fire with a shotgun as the service began. He was shot and killed by the churches volunteer security team. Two members of the congregation died.  The minister praised the security team giving them credit for saving the lives of many members of the congregation.

        Like public schools, churches have become targets of human rage. The majority of these attacks have been burnings or destruction of church property at times when the buildings were empty. But as this week has exhibited, human lives have been lost while participating in the sacred act of worship.

        Your session, on more than one occasion, has discussed the safety of worshiping at Rockfish. We are fortunate to have a number of folk, including Jim Wright, whose professional lives revolved around working with Federal Agencies that dealt with such tragedies. Your session has listened carefully to their advice.

        More than one of you has told me you are licensed to carry a firearm and do so on a regular basis. I have not had the inclination to inquire if that includes times of worship. I am certain all of you know my views on gun violence and you have little desire to hear them again.

        But that is not the question I have been asked. Folks want to know if it safe to worship here. Here are the facts:

1. The majority of places of worship attacked have been African-American congregations, Synagogues or Mosques. We are none of the above.
2. While most of our request for financial help is transmitted through a phone call, we are engaged in more ministry projects than any other church in Nelson County. People know who we are.
3. By declaring ourselves to be “The Light in the Valley”, we have identified ourselves as a congregation which welcomes the LGBTQ community. We celebrate this but not everyone is so enlightened or delighted.
4. Our location near Wintergreen insures that we often have visitors who do not live in the area. On many Sundays I do not know everyone worshipping in our congregation. This is where we are dependent on the observant eyes of a selected few.

Keeping all of this in mind I have concluded since we are not a racial or religious minority our chance of confronting a violent situation is at best minimal. That does not mean nothing will ever happen. I am certain neither Emmanuel AME in Charleston or First Baptist in Sutherland Texas imagined such a tragedy occurring. But because the possibility of violence exists, do we drastically change who we are?

This place in which we worship has been identified with a radical concept, sanctuary. This is a place where we dare to admit how frail and limited each of us really is. It is a place where we claim a mystery, a God, as having a fundamental meaning over the way we approach life. It is a place we can dare to think thoughts that make no sense on Monday morning. It is a place we welcome the stranger. It is a place we offer hope to the lost. It is a place we utter “The Lord is my shepherd” as well as “ I shall not fear” and at least for a brief moment, believe those words to be true.

If I should walk toward this pulpit and one of you pat your hip and say, “Don’t worry, I have got your back”, I would instantly feel in conflict. This is my sanctuary. This is my holiest of holy places. To carry an instrument of violence within these sacred walls challenges the very notion of the idea of sanctuary.

One might argue this space is not exclusively mine, it is ours. Therefore the risk of our sanctuary being violated is shared. I would counter this logic with an illogical consideration. The spirit of sanctuary challenges protection from the very instruments which threaten to disrupt our holy refuge. I refuse to believe the answer to gun violence is more guns. I choose to trust within this sanctuary we try to speak and think and act in God’s way, not in the way of a fear-filled world. Our security comes from embracing something beyond what makes sense to those outside these walls. The logical mind would suggest I am risking lives by not arming myself. My illogical response would be, why make the church another haven for frightened people? God has called us to be an incubator for creative and courageous thought. This sanctuary is where birth happens. Our discoveries here give hope to a weary people out there.