Beautiful and Good 11-16-14

When We Know Who We Really Are 11-2-14

God of strength and power, grant us the wisdom to know that you are the author and provider of the courage we need to follow you and make your call our priority.  Give us insight to know that you hold us in a precious place of peace.  Amen

           

            I’m down to my last four sermons in Open Circle.  I have anguished over the exact words that I want to leave you with.  One of our Sundays is devoted to Trees—really sort of perfect, given my love of trees.  For the other three Sunday, I have chosen to do a three-part series on what, to me, are the most important traits of being a follower of Jesus.  Those three traits are courage, compassion, and faithfulness.  Today, I want to start with courage because I don’t think the other two traits are possible without it. 

When I think of courage, I always think of the Lion in, you guessed it, the Wizard of Oz.  He wanted so badly to be brave—especially to think of himself as brave—to know in his heart of hearts that he had the courage to be the ferocious lion he believed that he was supposed to be.  He wanted this so badly that he was unable to see the many acts of bravery that he routinely performed.  When the Great Wizard was found out (by a tiny little dog, I might add), he, nevertheless, wants to give each of the characters what they came for.  When he reaches the so-called “Cowardly Lion”, author Frank Baum has the Wizard say this:  “You have plenty of courage, I am sure,"… "All you need is confidence in yourself. There is no living thing that is not afraid when it faces danger. The true courage is in facing danger when you are afraid, and that kind of courage you have in plenty.”  And, so, the Cowardly Lion discovers that he is not cowardly at all; but, rather, brave over and over again. 

            Children’s tales, notwithstanding, we all can probably recount times when it seemed as if our courage failed us.  Some of those times may have been crucial and some of those times may have turned out not to matter at all; though it may have been years before we figured out which one was which.  In the recorded words of Jesus, we don’t hear him talking much about courage.  He certainly lived a life of courage, but his teachings don’t really give us much to go on.  When the word ‘courage’ does appear in the four gospels, it is always linked to the expression of fear by someone he encounters.  Take for example what is probably one of the most famous stories in the New Testament.  Feeding the thousands has just occurred.  Jesus sends the disciples on to the other side of the lake; this lake was a big lake, big enough to have waves and bad weather.  Jesus, after serving all those people dinner, goes off to pray.  In the story, he then meets up with the disciples in the middle of the lake.  There is a great storm and they are struggling mightily to keep the boat afloat.  So, here comes Jesus, walking on the water, and the disciples are scared out of their wits. 

I think most of us can identify.  So, here is Jesus, apparently intending to walk across the lake rather than ride in the boat like everyone else.  Suddenly, his disciples see him, are convinced he is a ghost or spirit of some kind and start screaming.  He speaks, “Courage! It’s me. Don’t be afraid.”  He then gets in the boat, the winds and waves die down, and they can proceed without any more fear or danger.  Now, as beautiful as the hymns and poems about this story might be, it never made sense to me why it is here.  And, it really doesn’t unless you realize that the core of the story is in the phrase of Jesus’ response--“Courage! It’s me. Don’t be afraid.”  “It’s me”, says Jesus.  Jesus knows who he is.  He is the incarnation of God.  He knows there is no reason to fear him.  The problem is that they—the disciples—don’t know who he is.  More importantly, they didn’t know who they were.  If they knew that they were followers of the earthly incarnation of God, they would have recognized Jesus for who he is and was and known that there was nothing to fear.  But, Mark says, “They were stunned, shaking their heads, wondering what was going on. They didn’t understand what he had done at the supper. None of this had yet penetrated their hearts.”  It would take much more time for any of this to even begin to penetrate their hearts as they followed the man they called, “Teacher”. 

It has always troubled me, even though I understand it, that it took so long for the disciples to understand who they were following and the impact of that on their lives.  I’ve told you before that I would like to think that I would have caught on much sooner, but I suspect that is far from likely.  And, so I wonder—what is it about who they were; and, hence, who we are that keeps any of us from grasping the miraculous or the extent to which God can live through us.  Even though the language may seem strange, when I started reading on courage, Julia Cameron’s words (our second reading) seemed most appropriate to think about what our Gospel lesson is telling us about courage and the connection to knowing who we are.  She suggests that we might not live into our destiny because we do not believe that we have one.  Further, she suggests that we allow others to determine how we experience ourselves rather than discover it for ourselves.  Jesus, I believe, calls us to be the best version of ourselves that we can be—not some watered down version, dependent upon what others think we ought to be, but a courageous version—a version made possible by knowing exactly who we are. 

And, just who are we?  My friends, we are children of God, created by God, loved by God, and called by God.  I agree with Cameron and others who have suggested that it is fear that keeps us from living into the fullness of all that we are created to be.  And, it isn’t that we must create something that isn’t there.  Our belonging to God has already happened; but, we must uncover for ourselves exactly what that means.  Do we not uncover what that means for each of us by exploring our own stories—looking seriously and honestly at how God has been at work in our lives? 

Every once in a while I change the saying that appears at the bottom of all my emails.  The one that is currently there has been there for a while.  I suppose I will leave it there until I “get it” in its fullest meaning.  It is a quote from Father John O’Donohue.  It says, “May I have the courage today to live the life that I would love, to postpone my dream no longer; but do at last what I came here for and waste my heart on fear no more.”  Initially, I had no idea that “living the life I would love” would entail leaving the church that I love.  It never occurred to me that to “do at last what I came here for” was different than being your pastor.  So, in my reflection and meditation, I got to thinking about how that came to be. 

If someone were to ask me what I think the bravest thing I have done in the last 5 years is; my answer would not be “leave a full-time job in Orlando and come here to plant this church”.  Although, I have to say, that was a pretty brave thing to do.  No, the bravest thing I have done is share my own spiritual journey with you, exactly as it unfolded along the way.   At some point, and I don’t remember exactly when, I gave myself permission to stop shaping what I believe or thought I believed around what I thought I was supposed to believe.  And, that was the bravest thing I have done.  I invited God to show me exactly who God is and who I am.  In the doing of that, I was gifted with the knowledge that, first and foremost, I am the child of a God who created me and loves me in fullness beyond fullness.  I came to understand that it was not necessary to understand everything that God was revealing; that it was enough to know that God is God and that things become clear to me, just as they did for the disciples, as life teaches me more and more about myself and about God.  I let go of the tether that was keeping me safely floating fairly close to the shore and drifted out into the deep water where the waves and storms of God’s truest lessons take place.  And, most of all, I started (emphasis on started) to believe that I was on the right track towards experiencing all that God wants for me. 

The second bravest thing I did was begin to share my journey with you.  Some of you were excited as God invited us to explore more and more about what freeing our hearts and minds from old dictates and dogma would look like, feel like, act like.  Some of you, not so much.  I guess that’s what made it brave.  I believe that God calls us, more than anything else to be true to ourselves and our journeys.  Many of you have been brave as well.  I invite us all to continue in a life of courage, a life where we, together or apart, continue to walk courageously the joyful path of self-discovery.  May we open our heart to what God longs for us to know—that, in God’s Spirit, we are powerful and brave beyond measure.  We are called, all of us, to “do at last what [we] came here for and waste [our lives] on fear no more”.  Amen and amen.  Namaste.

Live, Laugh and Let Your Light Shine!” 10-26-14

God, you gave us light, you filled us with light and now you send us into the world to be the bearers of that light to others.  Give us courage to strike the match and set our world aflame with your light.  Amen

            Every year I tell you that most of us preacher-types hate having to preach the annual Stewardship sermon.  For one thing, we all know it shouldn’t be ‘annual’ but rather ongoing.  The problem is that most, if not all if not all of you, dislike listening to it as much as we dislike preaching it.   This year, though, I am in an enviable position of being able to say everything that I want to say, without measuring my words or guarding against saying something that will come back to haunt me because I am leaving you before long.  I, unlike in past years, when I did not want to risk offending any of you, I can leave you with the very words that I would like to say regarding stewardship.

            First of all, let me acknowledge that no one wants to hear about money.  Many of us grew up in homes where money was added to the topics of politics, sex, and religion which should never be talked about in polite company.  Information about at least money and sex were never to leave the home.  If a family needed money, saying so in public was considered shameful--like airing one’s dirty laundry where the public could see it.  It just wasn’t done.  And, we never, never were to ask someone how much something costs.  Again, it just wasn’t done. 

            And, here we walk into church and expect people to feel comfortable talking about money.  Why, I don’t feel comfortable.  Why?  Because I was raised in the same era as most of you and taught all the same prohibitions as you.  But, I am your pastor and expected to push myself past all the same feelings you are having and talk about money.  And, don’t forget about the rest of the triangle—talent and time.  I fear that many church-goers suspect that we add in time and talent to the more touchy treasure just so you, the congregation can’t accuse us of only talking about treasure or money.  Nothing can be further from the truth.  As I was thinking about words on stewardship that I wanted to leave you with, six specific points seemed important. 

1.      It really does take money to run a church.  Bills are necessary and the perks once given to churches like lower rates and in-town discounts disappeared with small town good will.  Space whether rented or built costs 10 times what it did just a few decades ago.  Utilities go up at the same rate for the church as they do for your house and insurance is even more costly.

2.      Pastors can’t and shouldn’t work for free and most of the perks that used to be afforded to pastors have disappeared as well.  Pastors now have student loans.  MCC has no way to assist their pastors with seminary attendance which requires 3 years of full time schooling and many pastors, such as your current pastor, have an additional master’s degree as well.  Pastors are professionals and deserve to be compensated as such.  I know you know that it is a myth that pastors work one day a week; but, you may not realize that small church pastors often work parts of 7 days a week.  As you think about compensation for your next pastor, please keep all these things in mind.  Providing for that pastor is part of good stewardship as well.

3.      Programs and ministries cost.  They cost money, people, talents, skills, and time.  The price of resources has risen dramatically in the past few years. Even DVD series don’t teach themselves so they need skilled leaders and someone has to be committed to ensuring that the building is open, the room is ready, and then, locked up again.

4.      Church now have costs that the churches of 25 years ago do not have.  Website hosting, graphic design, printing, marketing and cell phone bills are just a few.  Technology is wonderful, but expensive.  Churches need security systems now—a thing unheard of in the past.                                                                 

NOW FOR THE GOOD NEWS---

5.      Everyone yes everyone, has at least one talent they can dedicate to the church.  It is important for a church to help its congregants to identify those talents so they can help build the community.  Do some thinking yourself—you may be surprised at what you discover you can offer to God’s work.

6.      There is no formula for how many people per hundred members it takes to run a church.  Why?  Because it takes 100 people for every 100 members to run a church.  Each member must donate time, talent, and treasure if a church is to bear fruit.  Do you know that it has been documented over and over again that, in most churches, 20% of the people do all the work.  Think about that for a minute.  And I lovingly challenge you—if the only thing you do for your church right now is ‘show up’ on Sunday mornings, please rethink your commitment to this church.  If your church is a blessing to you, please be a blessing to it.

And, finally, 7.  We give because we have been given just as we love because we have been loved.  And, in loving and giving we are able to live, laugh and let our lights shine.  Our Old Testament Lesson reminds us that God’s people have always needed light.   The Israel people were on a journey following God.  But they needed to see God, because they didn’t always seem to know where God was going next.  So God stepped in and helped—appearing as a cloud of smoke during the day when the natural light was shining and as a pillar of fire at night when they would be unable to see.  Either way, whether it was day or night, they could see where God was heading.    God revealed the sacred presence as light so that they could follow.

            Now, contrast that to the New Testament where Jesus became the light in the world.  Jesus—pointing the way to God’s kingdom—God’s reign of justice.  Jesus, himself, was the light of and to and in the world.  But, we know that Jesus was here for more than just to be the light.  Jesus was here to teach, us, the followers of his way of being, to be the light in the world.  So another triangle is complete—God is light and reveals the light—God sends Jesus to be the light and to walk upon the earth—Jesus teaches us—his followers how to be light.  Jesus is firm in his beautiful words.  We are sent to show all the God-colors in the world—all by being the light as Jesus was the light.  Think about these stained glass windows that we so much admire.  Now it’s not that they are ugly when it’s night—why they are beautiful works of art and when lit from behind have a certain beauty.  But it is a beauty they keep all to themselves.  Now think about or look at the windows in the daylight.  Beautiful rainbow colors—all God-colors are reflected all over the room.  And they are all different—different shapes and sizes—just like we are.

            We will not all have the same thing to give—not the same time, the same talent, or the same treasure.  But looking at the lights, can you pick out one that is more beautiful than the other?  Even if you can, I doubt your neighbor would pick the same.  It all depends on how you look at it—all beautiful—all different.  Why is it is so hard for us to believe that we all have lights—lights that matter—lights that make the difference between the success and failure of this church.  Many of you have little treasure and more time—for some of you it is the opposite.  It doesn’t matter as long as you are giving something to all three points of the triangle.

            Some final thoughts.  In this church, it is not the responsibility of the Board or the Pastor to make this church successful—financially or spiritually.  If think that it is their responsibility or mostly their responsibility, then you are in the wrong kind of church.  You are in the kind of church where everyone accepts responsibility for the church—where we are all equal before God—where each voice matters.  You are in the kind of church where everyone has a light and a book of matches.  Notice how Kathy didn’t pass out candles to some and matches to others and candles and matches to others.  This is not how Open Circle works.  Take your metaphorical candle and matchbook and light the candle.  If you need help lighting your match, get someone to help you, but for the sake of the light of the world, don’t leave your matchbook tightly closed.  That is the very worst choice you could make. 

            And now I say to you in the grace of the one who showed us how to be light, Light your match, light your heart, light your church, and go light the world.  Amen and amen and Namaste!

           

Ancient Wisdom/Modern Prophet: Brian McLaren 10-19-14

God, in the spirit of truth and love we come to you today.  Fill us with your love for each other, for ourselves, and for you.  Lead us gently into wholeness.  Amen

                I’ll be honest.  This is not a sermon about the work of Brian McLaren.  It was supposed to be; but, it is not.  It is a sermon, however, that is inspired by his work, and the words of Jesus.  Brian McLaren is one of the voices of Progressive Christianity and one of the authors of some of the Living the Questions materials that we have been using for over a year now.  He encourages us to ask questions more than give answers.  He calls us most of all to an authentic faith—one that we learn for ourselves in our experiences with God.  In his book, Naked Spirituality, he calls us to stand naked in front of God and see for ourselves who we are in God’s presence and notice what God is doing in the world—in our world and in our life.  Jesus, does he not, calls us to the same kind of worship—in spirit and in truth he says—no more arguing over the details, enter only into true religion—the kind we have when we stand before God with nothing more than who we are.

                Now, for more honesty.  In the current situation that we find ourselves in as a faith community, I, as your spiritual leader, cannot stand naked before God, before I stand in front of you and share my truth with you.  I understand that after last week very few of us viewed our community as moving toward resolution and it is imperative that we address that today.  So, I am going to share my heart with you.  I ask those of you who have determined that you do not trust me to put that assumption aside for these few moments when I speak to you as your pastor.  If this is your first Sunday, I will not apologize for this sermon.  Hear it and use it to know that this is a church that loves and takes responsibility for healing and caring.

                It is time for the hurting to stop.  Let me say that again, more strongly—the pain and hurting must stop now.  We must all commit to stop bruising each other with words, looks, and whatever other ways we have been employing to make our own hurt known; thereby hurting others in return.  I am your spiritual leader at least for a while longer; and, while some of you dislike my leadership style or some of my decisions, I am the person that God has intended to be here today as the leader of this spiritual community.  Please, help me, help us, find a way to be the Open Circle that we all once knew and loved.  It isn’t about ‘winning’ or losing.  There is no triumph in the destruction of peace and sanctuary for those who long to come to this place as a place of safety and serenity.  And, I also want you to know, that I trust us all to do this.  I do, in the spirit of openness and honesty want to say a few words about where we are now.

                First of all, I want you to know that I do not believe that it was the intention of any group or any person to deliberately bring pain and conflict to this congregation.  That being said, many sad things have come to pass.  This is what I believe:  it no longer matters “who started it” in the childlike language of one sibling tattling on another.  If you believe that it does matter, please pray mightily about it as you must let go of that notion if you are to join us all on the path of healing. 

                Secondly, while I won’t say much about this here, I think we got some mixed messages about the nature and process of the ‘intervention’ from UFMCC.  The intervention stage did not include mediation; and, it would appear that the process so far has brought an increase in conflict.  I can assure you that this was not my intention nor the intention of the Board as a whole when we solicited their help.  I, personally, deeply regret that doing what we thought would help, brought greater pain. 

                One of the things that is interesting to me is that both “sides” if we have to use that language thought that the report was, in some way, unfair or heavy-handed toward them.  I don’t know if that is the mark of a good assessment or not; I just know that people were hurting at the end of the meeting.  I left last Sunday broken hearted—literally broken hearted.  Hearing people’s tone and distrust was incredibly difficult.   I, like all of you, love this church; and, to sit in such a pit of pain in the very place we are to worship in freedom and praise, did something to me and I know it did to you as well.  We walked out of here a deeply sorrowed people—no matter where you stood in the conflict the pain was there. 

                Perhaps, that is our common ground at this point.  We all want the pain to stop.  My friends, my dear friends, there is only one way for the pain to stop and that is for us to stop it.  All of us, right now, have the ability to ensure that no one else is ever hurt or re-hurt by this conflict that has been raging for the past few weeks.  Again, I remind you:  we can make it stop and the report will at least help us move forward in putting the pieces back together.

                Now, as for my leadership—it is a difficult, extremely painful thing to have one’s integrity questioned.  Those of you, who know me well, know that my integrity is precious to me and even in the midst of confusion and turmoil; I strive to allow that sense of integrity and authenticity to direct my every move.  I sought and suggested to the Board that we seek help from the denomination because I believed that bringing in someone from the outside was the most appropriate thing to do and I stand by that position.  However, my prayer that I be somehow able to lessen the hurt along the way was not answered, at least in a way that I understood.  That’s ok, it happens sometimes when God has other ideas and waits for us to catch up.  Just as importantly, we all failed each other and reconciliation will require us to do some forgiving and to do it quickly so that we may all move on.  I want you all to know, whether you can hear it and accept it today or not, that I forgive you all.  I forgive those of you who didn’t know the harm that meeting separately would bring.  I forgive those of you who are part of Open Circle and, yet, chose not to lend your gifts to the community when we needed you most.  I even forgive the weekly FaceBook critiques and caustic remarks.  I forgive you and I forgive myself for not always knowing the best way to proceed.  And I do so, not because you asked me to, but because I need to—for myself, for my heart, and for my very soul.

                Finally, I want to speak just briefly about my role here at Open Circle.  Being a founding pastor is a gift above gifts and a joy above other joys.  It’s unlike anything I have ever done before.  Knowing that there will be an Open Circle after I move from this area and even after my body no longer holds this soul—a place that loves and comforts and offers salvation from the world’s hatred and despair—knowing that fills my heart to full and over-flowing.  As you can well guess, founding pastors are protective, perhaps overly so, because we love this little child of God, this growing incarnation of Christ and this spirit-filled canvass upon which great things will be painted.  Initially, my plan was to be your pastor for 10 years.  I’m not sure how I thought I was going to do that, but it was my intention.  God has other plans.  I am aware that some of you shared with Liz that I had changed in last couple of years.  You may well be right, but it has not been for the reasons you may have assigned to it.  As my serious health issues have deteriorated, I know that my energy and passion may have lessened as well.  I wish that were not so; however, it is.  I believed that I was keeping that hidden.  Best laid plans…and all that. 

                God has something better for both Open Circle and its founding pastor.  I must tell you that I believe that it is in the best interest of both Open Circle and me that I move my retirement up by several months.  I have shared this with the Board of Directors and they agree.  Therefore, my last Sunday will be Sunday, November 30 although I will preside at the interfaith AIDS Vigil on December 1^st.  I will be on leave through the month of December.  Nan, Fin and I will move to Asheville, NC during the month of December.  We chose Asheville because the air is crisp and, yes, sometimes, cold, and God whispers constantly in the leaves of the trees that cover the majestic mountains in the area. 

I look forward to the wonderful things that Open Circle will do with the guidance of new leadership and I eagerly anticipate sharing with you my improving health and God’s unfolding direction in my life.  My you all be blessed and may we love one another as God loves us.  Amen and amen and Namaste.

               

Modern Prophet/Ancient Wisdom: Barbara Brown Taylor

Modern Prophet/Ancient Wisdom:  Barbara Brown Taylor

God, author of Light, teach us to walk in the inner light of your Spirit.  Lead us deep within to reconnect with all you have to show us in darkness and light alike.  Talk to us, we are listening.  Amen

            Barbara Brown Taylor is our modern prophet today.  She is modest in her biography, telling us only that she is a Professor of Religion at Piedmont College in rural northeast Georgia.  We know more however--An Episcopal priest since 1984, she is the author of 13 books, including two New York Times bestsellers, Learning to Walk in the Dark and An Altar in the World. She is a preacher of great note in today’s world and has inspired women and men theology students alike in her quest for authenticity and honesty.  Her books are connected to her life and to ours.  She and her husband Ed live on a working organic vegetable farm in the foothills of the Appalachians with, as she describes it, “wild turkeys, red foxes, two broken down Quarter horses and too many chickens”.  Today, we’ll look at her quest to establish a relationship with the dark. 

            Sociologists and other people who study human behaviors have told us for decades now that it is a very bad idea to teach children to be afraid of the dark.  This leads to, among other things, inherent racism, even among peoples of color; and, reinforces fear as a justification for hatred or mistrust of all things dark.  Sight-impaired people have asked us to stop referring to the negative side of things as ‘darkness’.  In short, Taylor believes that some of our greatest spiritual and personal discoveries are ours to be had in the dark.  Her book is a personal telling of the story of her growing friendship with the dark and she invites us to come along. 

            Now, many of you know that I love to tell stories as part or whole of the sermon.  I just returned from the National Storytelling Festival and came away even more enamored with the story as both art form and passageway to truth that we might not otherwise hear.  So, you guessed it, I could not help but share a story with you today. 

            There was once a young man who longed to become a great spiritual leader among his people.  He was determined.  He studied at the feet of the great leaders—the shamans, the gurus, the theologians, and the mystics.  He longed for recognition as the spiritual leader that he wanted to be.  Now we know that this isn’t the way God chooses spiritual leaders, but the young man refused to believe that he was not called.  The problem was, no one listened to him.  It’s hard to be a leader when you have no followers.  So he set out on a journey to discover what was keeping him from attaining the station of spiritual leader.

            First, he travelled to a different land and spoke with all the leaders he could find.  No one could tell him why his studies hadn’t resulted in a following.  He said all the right things, knew all the right holy verses to quote, and cut a striking figure when he was all dressed up in his ‘leader clothes’.  Then he travelled to another land and another and another.  But the result was always the same.  No one could help him.

            One night, he laid down in despair, and finally drifted off to sleep.  God the Spirit came to him in a dream.  “Do you really want to know what is missing?” asked God.  At that, the young man awakened and said, “Yes, Spirit, I do want to know.”  “No, I mean, do you really want to know?” asked God.  God and the young man went back and forth like this for several moments and finally the young man said, “What do you mean, do I really want to know?  I searched the land over, talked to anyone who would give me their time and spent my fortune on studies and lessons.  Yes, Spirit, I want to know.”  Spirit laughed—God can be like that sometimes—and said, “I want to be sure that you are really ready and able to finish the work you must complete before you can become a leader of your people.”  Now the young man got a little nervous and said, with a little shake in his voice, “What’s the final lesson?”

            “You must learn to live in the dark,” said God.  “Why, I’m afraid of the dark,” said the young man.  “Surely, there is something else I can do.”  “I’m sorry,” said God, “that is what you must learn to do.”  “Why, why must I learn to do this?” asked the young man with quite a big shake in his voice now.  “Because”, said God, “your people walk in the dark at various times throughout their lives; and, you cannot lead where you have not been.  Go away, now, and when you are ready, come back to this place, and we will talk again.” 

            Saddened, the young man got up and continued his travels.  But, this time it was different.  He knew, deep in his heart, that he was running away from what he had to do.  So, back he went.  Before he went to sleep, he said, “Spirit of God, I’m ready.”  Sure enough, he had a dream and God was there.  He awoke and spoke to God.  “You win, I’m back, defeated and ready to learn to live in the dark.  What is next?”  God told him to leave the city and go as far into the country as he could where no lights from neighboring villages would reach him—where no light from fellow wanderers could be seen.  So he set out. 

            Leaving the city, he at first thought, “this is not so hard.”  He did not realize how much the residual glow from the lights in the village was helping him find his way.  Slowly, he walked farther and farther away from the village.  It got darker and darker.  Every time his would think that he had gone far enough, he would come upon the fire of fellow wanderers.  Even when invited to stay the night, he kept walking.  He stumbled, a lot.  He landed on his face more than once; and, finally, he reached it—the place where no light shone except from the stars and the crescent moon.  He sat down.  And began to wait—still comforted by all the stars that he could see and even identify.  Suddenly, the wind shifted and clouds began to quickly move in, placing a mantle over the moon and stars and, it was dark.  Let me say it again.  It. Was. Dark. 

            The young man shut his eyes, he opened them—no difference at all.  It was so dark that it fit the old saying “you couldn’t see your hand in front of your face”.  As he sat, something began to dawn on him—no pun intended, it was a long time until dawn.  “This is nothingness,” he said to no one in particular.  And, God’s Spirit began to lead him through the lesson.  First, he was very afraid, very, very afraid.  Of what, he was not sure.  Mostly, it was the unknowing—what was out there.  What was close and what was far away.  He began to whimper.  “Just sit,” said God.  “I am here”.  “But I can’t see you,” whispered the young man.  “Just sit,” said God.  “I am here”.  And, so, he sat.  As he did, his well-trained mind began to think of everything he had learned in his quest.  Nothing had prepared him for this.  No-thing.  “Just sit,” said God.  “I am here”.  And then he began to think of all the things that could go wrong.  He could be killed just sitting here.  He might never make it home.  Why, there could be an earthquake and a giant gash in the earth could keep him separated from all he knew as familiar.  “Just sit,” said God.  “I am here”.  God did not grow impatient as most of us would have.  Every time the young man grew distraught, sometimes working himself into giant sobs, the quiet voice came.  “Just sit,” said God.  “I am here”. 

            Along about 3:00 a.m., the young man grew quiet.  And, he sat, quietly.  He listened and discovered that he could hear the leaves rustling in some far off trees.  He listened again, and he could hear the small animals of the field moving around.  He realized that if he could hear them, he could know that no large predators were close by as they were not afraid.  He heard the song of the night birds longing for each other.  And he could hear his own breath and sense the miracle of his own body, a part of all creation.  And, he heard God’s voice saying, “Just sit, I am here”.  And it was in the sitting in the presence of God with those terrifying thoughts that taught him a thing or two about darkness.  And, so, he spent the rest of the night, thinking of all the things he was learning about sitting in the dark of life. 

            First, he learned that it was not inherently bad as he had been taught—that in the darkness one found a side of God that one might not find in light of day.  He learned that his internal life seemed more intense in the dark.  With no distractions, he could really hear what he was saying to himself and what he was saying to God.  And, most of all, he learned that God does not desert us in the darkness nor punish us for our doubts.  God is just there.  Always there.  And, so the young man returned to his people a changed man.  No longer young in his understanding of God and considerably more humble in his approach to becoming a spiritual leader.  He had many more experiences of God in the darkness and, each time, he came away stronger and more able to share what he learned.  We may never know whether or not this young man became the spiritual leader he once longed to be; but, we do know that those he touched knew they had been touched by a man who had experienced God in the dark—and that gave them hope. 

            May we learn to walk in the dark and share our talks with God with the world.  Amen and amen and Namaste.

 

Ancient Wisdom-Modern Prophet: Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu 9-28-14

Ancient Wisdom-Modern Prophet:  Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu   9-28-14

God, we’re on dangerous ground here.  Seeking and granting forgiveness is something that forces us to rely completely on your grace.  You call us to be whole.  Give us the courage today to say yes to your mercy.  Amen

            I had to put this sermon off for several weeks because I wasn’t ready to preach it.  I hope you know and trust that my sermons come from my heart as God leads.  Well, this is a sermon that wouldn’t go away; or rather, God wouldn’t go away.  So, here I am, a little bit peeved at God; and, relieved at the same time to know that God has prepared my heart in the intervening weeks to be able to share with you the wonderfully healing words of Desmond Tutu, Archbishop Emeritus of South Africa. 
            I want to start with a story.  It happened sometime in 1984 or 85.  I was a student in NYC at Union Theological Seminary, bastion of liberal theology and human rights.  Apartheid had not been abolished in South Africa—that would not happen until 1991.  Then Bishop Desmond Tutu was visiting Union during one of his many trips to the UN.  I was attending a large dinner in our refectory in his honor.  People were sitting down in a somewhat random fashion.  There was no head table.  I, somehow, miraculously, ended up across the table from the Bishop.  He was lovely.  I told him of my work in women’s history.  He told me my work was important.  He talked about the women in his country and the long journey to full human rights made 100 times more difficult by the apartheid laws.  But this is not the story.  The story is that a much younger, still idealist, young woman minister came away knowing what it looked like and felt like to sit with someone so full of God’s presence that it literally poured across the table and spilled all over me.  Try as I might, I simply could not find any hatred in the man sitting across from me—only God’s pure, full, amazing, grace.  Even then, and his famous work in forgiveness was still ahead of him, he radiated the willingness to start anew, if only his people could be free.  There was no revenge desired; and, therefore, no hate.  This may well have been my first and one of my only experiences of being with someone who embodied God’s spirit to its fullest.  Yes, I was starstruck at the time, but, over time, came to realize that it was God’s spirit that drew me like a magnet.  God gives us these visions, I believe to show us, just as Jesus showed us, what it looks like to be a child of the almighty God.    

            Apartheid was abolished in 1991, but for Archbishop Tutu, a new work was beginning.  The Truth and Reconciliation Council was born as a way for the country to heal.  Story upon story was told by survivors, relatives, and perpetrators.  And, reconciliation was somehow achieved or at least begun.  This work fueled and clarified for Archbishop Tutu God’s call to reconciliation among God’s people—and all were God’s people—victim and perpetrator alike.  Evil was acknowledged and consequences were levied; but, most of all, a country learned to love again. 

            Archbishop Tutu’s recent book , written with his daughter Mpho A. Tutu, The Book of Forgiving: the Fourfold Path for Healing Ourselves and Our World, uses many of the stories from the Council and elsewhere to illustrate the process of forgiveness.  It was not an easy book for me to read, and not just because of recent events here in this church.  Like everyone else, I carry hurts from my family and from my past that needs the healing that the Tutus speak about in this lovely, difficult book.  So, today, I want to speak to you about forgiveness and why I believe it is the single most important task, shall we say, facing this incarnation of the body of Christ. 

            The book begins with the question, “Why forgive?”  The answer:  “The only way to experience healing and peace is to forgive.  Until we can forgive, we remain locked in our pain and locked out of the possibility of experiencing healing and freedom, locked out of the possibility of being at peace. “  And, elsewhere he says, “When we forgive, we take back control of our own fate and our feelings.  We become our own liberators.”  Let me assure you, this is not an easy forgiveness for those who are being forgiven.  Evil and wrongdoing has consequences.  He says, “And those who shred the web of interconnectedness cannot escape the consequences of their actions.”  So, we learn that because of this interconnectedness which Tutu sees as primary, we cannot avoid the consequences of what we have done. 

            Our first reading today was from one of Paul’s many letters to new Christians.  It is not important who or what action, Paul is speaking of.  That is why I asked that you not jump to conclusions about why I chose this passage, or whom I was secretly addressing through the choice of this passage.  You see, I’m addressing all of us, myself included.  We are, none of us, exempt from needing forgiveness and reconciliation even in the relatively small incident that is the not so quiet elephant in the midst of almost all our interactions. 

            Paul sets us straight:  The focus of my letter wasn’t on punishing the offender but on getting you to take responsibility for the health of the church. … The fact is that I’m joining in with your forgiveness, as Christ is with us, guiding us. After all, we don’t want to unwittingly give Satan an opening for yet more mischief—we’re not oblivious to the evil one’s sly ways!”  I believe that Paul, like Archbishop Tutu, knows that, in one way or another, the lack of forgiveness—the continuation of mistrust and lack of reconciliation—lead us nowhere except down a path of more and more hurt and pain.  Tutu says, “When we ignore the pain, it grows bigger and bigger, and like an abscess that is never drained, eventually it will rupture. When that happens, it can reach into every area of our lives—our health, our families, our jobs, our friendships, our faith, and our very ability to feel joy may be diminished by the fallout from resentments, anger, and hurts that are never named.”   Tutu says that when we are hurt, and we will be hurt, we have two choices.  (Cue slide)  He draws it out for us in his book.  We can enter the Revenge Cycle which leads us from Pain to Choosing to Harm to Rejecting Shared responsibility to Revenge which leads to violence or cruelty and returns us to pain OR we can enter the Forgiveness Cycle. 

            Instead of choosing to harm, we choose to heal.  Before we look briefly at the Forgiveness Cycle I want to point out a fact that I had missed somewhere along the way of my six decades of life.  We cannot choose to harm and then go to choose to heal—if you look, you’ll see that there is no arrow from choose to harm to choose to heal.  Once we have chosen to harm, we are well on our way to revenge. 

            Once, however, we have made the choice to heal, there are four stops along the path.  All of these steps could be a workshop in itself and probably should be, so let’s consider this sermon a mere introduction to the topic of forgiveness.  Tutu says, first, tell your story.    Secondly, name the hurt.  Naming is important work.  It helps us clarify not only what has happened to us, but also the impact it has had on our lives.  For today, I want to focus just a bit on the third step—“granting forgiveness”.  You can only imagine the number of times any pastor hears the words, “I can’t forgive him, or her, or them, or, even God.”  No wonder we are wounded people.  And, for many reasons, LGBT folks and their families have been hurt a lot.  We have a lot to forgive and that doesn’t even touch the well of childhood hurts.  Tutu tells us, “We choose forgiveness because it is how we find freedom and keep from remaining trapped in an endless loop of telling our stories and naming our hurts.  It is how we move from victim to hero.  A victim is in a position of weakness and subject to the whims of others.  Heroes are people who determine their own fate and their own future.”  So, we, you and I, choose to grant forgiveness because it changes us. 

Secondly it is important that we understand that  forgiveness grows out of ‘shared humanity’.   We all are flawed and make mistakes or as Scripture tells us, “we all fall short of the glory of God.”  Tutu wants us to know that we all have the capacity for evil and acknowledging our shared humanity, both the less-than-perfect and the perfectness enable us to move forward in our granting forgiveness.    Whether it be in an intimate relationship or a fellowship of believers, we each, pastor included, at any moment, are capable of being the bearers or cause of hurt.  Once we get that embedded in our thoughts, it becomes much more difficult to refuse to choose forgiveness. 

Finally, we are at the point of knowing whether to renew or release the relationship.  Forgiveness does not mean that you choose to renew the relationship.  It may be that the healthiest thing you can do, once forgiveness has been experienced is to ‘walk away’, to release that relationship and continue on with your life.  Tutu believes that it is always preferable to renew the relationship, but he acknowledges that it is neither possible nor healthy, in some cases, to work to renew the relationship.  Nevertheless, forgiveness is necessary for your good, the good of the community, and, ultimately, the good of the world. 

We have merely begun to touch on the nature and process of forgiveness today.  But we have touched on it, and will continue to speak of it as a community.  I hope that when we are ready to begin our own process of reconciliation, that we will remember the words of this modern prophet.  May we all find the glow of peace and never shy away from the work it takes to get there.  Amen and amen and Namaste. 

Ancient Wisdom—Modern Prophet: Mother Teresa 9-21-14

God, at the core of our being, we want to know you.  Show us the beauty of our journey as we seek to walk more and more in awareness of your presence.  Amen

            Throughout this series, we have been looking at the ways contemporary Christians bring the ancient wisdom of Christianity to life.  Today, I have chosen one of the most famous Christians of all time.  I would imagine if I asked you to list the most important Christians throughout history in terms of impact on the world, Mother Teresa would easily make it onto 80-90% of those lists.  The modern world was and remains fascinated with Mother Teresa; perhaps because she demonstrated the love of Jesus Christ in this world in ways that no one else ever has.  Mother Teresa shows us the meaning of embodiment—the embodiment of the spirit of God here on earth.  It is as if she was a walking example of the reign of God’s justice among us.  She believed that if a person came into our life it was because God intended for us to interact with that person— “The very fact that God has placed a certain soul in our way is a sign that God wants us to do something for him or her. It is not chance; it has been planned by God. We are bound by conscience to help him or her.”   This sermon was neither easy for me to write or speak, given the events of the last few weeks.  But Mother Teresa has much to say to us, things which God refuses to allow me to ignore. 

            Many of you know the biography of Mother Teresa, so I will be brief.  Gonxha Bojaxhiu was born in Yugoslavia in 1910.  Her father died when she was eight years old and she became especially close to her pious Catholic mother.  Although, it would have seemed a likely call for Gonxha to pursue, she says that she never thought of being a nun until she turned 18.  At that age, she chose to become a novice in the Loreto Sisters of Dublin, educators of young girls.  In 1928 she travelled to Ireland; and, never saw her mother again.  After her years in the convent were completed, she was sent to Calcutta to teach in a high school for girls.  She enjoyed this position for the next 15 or so years. 
            Paul reminds us that love “doesn’t fly off the handle and doesn’t keep score of the sins of others,” and Mother Teresa challenges us, “If you judge people, you have no time to love them.”   Again, Paul’s description of love, “doesn’t revel when others grovel”; and Mother Teresa explains, “Love is not patronizing and charity isn't about pity, it is about love. Charity and love are the same -- with charity you give love, so don't just give money but reach out your hand instead.” Her insistence on love in the act of charity is important for us to grapple with.
And, as he is closing, Paul says that love “trusts God always and always looks for the best”. She speaks of this as well.  “There is thing you can do but I cannot and there is thing I can but you cannot; so let us together make something beautiful for God.”  Finally, Paul concludes that love “never looks back, but keeps going to the end”.   She tells us and challenges us here at Open Circle, “Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin.”
            My final prayer for you this day comes directly from Mother Teresa.  “May today be peace within. May you trust your highest power that you are exactly where you are meant to be... May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith. May you use those gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you... May you be content knowing you are a child of God... Let this presence settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise, and love. It is there for each and every one of you.”   Amen and amen and Namaste. 

            In 1946, Sister Teresa was on a train bound for a retreat when she heard her ‘second call’ what she considered a “call within a call”.  This call—to give up all and follow Christ into the slums to be of service among the poorest of the poor—was different from her call to teach.  Because she had taken a vow of obedience, she could not do this without permission from her order.  While seeking permission to form a new order, she gave up wearing the nun’s habit she had grown used to and began wearing a white Indian sari and sandals.  She and the order she founded would wear those for life.  Within a year of receiving permission to begin her work, she had taken a course in nursing, and followers began to flood in.  These volunteers later became the core of her Missionaries of Charity.  She worked side by side with these sisters until her death in 1997.  She won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979 and has amassed a long list of awards and recognitions.  While, Mother Teresa has not been named a saint in the Roman Catholic Church, many people believe that she will be one day.  The beatification of Mother Teresa was conducted Oct. 19, 2003 by Pope John Paul II; and her beatification is the latest step in that path to sainthood.

            For our first reading today, I chose 1 Corinthians 13 written by Paul to the early Christians in Corinth.  Because this is often heard in the context of a wedding; we rarely hear it elsewhere.  But Mother Teresa’s work calls us to look at the qualifications of love in the broader context of life.  Our reading on love begins, “If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don’t love, I’ve gotten nowhere.”  Mother Teresa tells us, “At the hour of death when we come face-to-face with God, we are going to be judged on love; not how much we have done, but how much love we put into the doing.”  She places love above the importance of works, even though her travails with the poor required much work indeed.  But, the love that was to shine through such works for her was imperative.

            Paul reinforces this notion when he next says, “So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I’m bankrupt without love”.   Again, Mother Teresa speaks to us of the end of our lives:  “At the end of life we will not be judged by how many diplomas we have received, how much money we have made, how many great things we have done.  We will be judged by "I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat, I was naked and you clothed me. I was homeless, and you took me in.”   Paul continues, “Love never gives up”.  Mother Teresa guides us in knowing how not to give up.  She says, “When you have nothing left but God, you have more than enough to start over again.” 

            Paul challenges us:  “Love cares more for others than for self”.  Mother Teresa clarifies Paul’s assertion for us.  “I must be willing to give whatever it takes to do good to others. This requires that I be willing to give until it hurts. Otherwise, there is no true love in me, and I bring injustice, not peace, to those around me.”   In other words, the love behind the caring must be true love—a love that doesn’t stop giving until we feel the pain of sacrifice.  To do works, without true love will eventually bring injustice to the very people we believed we were helping.  Paul continues in his description and suggests, “Love doesn’t want what it doesn’t have.  Again, Mother Teresa exhorts us, “Be happy in the moment, that's enough. Each moment is all we need, not more.”

            And now, Paul gives us a series of short descriptions of love and for each, Mother Teresa pushes us to think harder and deeper.  Paul’s words:  “Love doesn’t strut, doesn’t have a swelled head.”  Mother Teresa elaborates:  “If you are humble nothing will touch you, neither praise nor disgrace, because you know what you are.”  Mother Teresa, known for her humility, shows us a greater truth about humility.  Think about it—she tells us that humility brings us a true knowledge of who we are; and, therefore, nothing, neither praise nor disgrace, is able to move us away from who we know ourselves to be.   Again, from Paul, love “doesn’t force itself on others”; and from her, “When you know how much God is in love with you then you can only live your life radiating that love.”   Paul continues, “Isn’t always ‘me first’”.  And Mother Teresa responds, “If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.” 

            Paul explores this with us—love “takes pleasure in the flowering of truth”.  Mother Teresa identifies the nature of the truth.  “Jesus wants me to tell you again...how much is the love He has for each one of you-beyond all what you can imagine...Not only He loves you, even more--He longs for you. He misses you when you don't come close. He thirsts for you. He loves you always, even when you don't feel worthy...”  Love, says Paul, “puts up with anything”.  And Mother Teresa agrees.  “There is a light in this world”, she says, “a healing spirit more powerful than any darkness we may encounter. We sometimes lose sight of this force when there is suffering, too much pain. Then suddenly, the spirit will emerge through the lives of ordinary people who hear a call and answer in extraordinary ways.”