First, a Bible Quiz for you:
What is the first mention of baseball in the Bible?
“In the big-inning.”
Who is the shortest person in the Bible?
“Nehemiah . . . Bildad
the Shuhite . . . Peter, he was so short he slept on his watch.”
Why was there only bread and wine at the Last Supper?
“It was a pot luck and
only guys were invited.”
Next question is not really from the Bible . . but it is an
important one:
Who is the absolute hardest person for God to work with?
Someone who is perfect
– or thinks he or she is perfect – or never wrong.
We’ll come back to that, but first:
while I was reading our passage from Ephesians over and over again in preparation for this morning, my
first thought was “This is a wonderful, moving description of what a Christian
congregation should be. I mean, it is really very inspiring.” Then I thought:
why would St. Paul write that? He didn’t have a word processor – or even a
decent typewriter. He, himself, acknowledged that writing was very difficult
for him.
“I entreat you. . that you live up to
your calling. Be humble always and gentle, and patient, too. Be forbearing with
one another and charitable. Spare no effort to make fast with bonds of peace
the unity which the Spirit gives. There is one body and one Spirit, as there is
also one hope held out in God’s call to you; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one
God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.” (4:1-6)
I believe Paul wrote that because that congregation was
struggling – most likely coming apart at the seams. You find the same thing in
I Corinthians – only there it is worse. Almost the whole of that Epistle is
“Hey, come on guys!”
On the other side, I think most
people who come to the Episcopal Church have the same response: “What a great
church.” “I really feel accepted here.” “Everything here is what I’ve always
wanted in a church.” And do you know something? That’s true. And you want to know something
else? That’s not the whole story, the entire reality. And given that, what I
want to do this morning is to give you a Congregational Survival Guide –
through several images.
When I was an undergraduate, I got to
take three different courses with the great theologian, Paul Tillich. From that
experience, the one thing which continues to rattle around in my brain was his
constant reference to a single verse in Paul’s letter to the Romans, always
spoken by Tillich with such anguish: “The good that I would, I do not - and that which I would not . . . is what I
do, what I end up doing.” Every parent knows the truth of that. I know that
despite trying to avoid what my parents got wrong I could hear my father’s
voice in my own. That which I would not. . . is what I did.
That is who we are: it is not all
that we are, but it is part of who we are: “Everyone must have two
pockets into which he or she can reach from time to time,” said the Rabbi of
Kobryn.
“In the one pocket it shall be written: ‘For my sake were
the heavens and earth created.’ And in the other, ‘I am but dust and ashes.”’ Both
pockets. The whole story of each of us .
.and of this and every other congregation.
The second
image has to do with a friend of mine in Santa Fe – you may know her or have
heard of her. Her name is Sallie Bingham – one of the wealthiest people in
Santa Fe if not NM. She is also one of the kindest and most generous people
I’ve known. About a year ago in the middle of our Sunday service at St. Bede’s,
a really disheveled homeless guy wandered into the church and to the shock of
everyone started checking out the altar and then knelt in front of it babbling
nonsense.
I went up from my pew and knelt
beside him and then quietly asked if he would join me in the front pew.
Something quite magical happened then. As I put my arm around his shoulder, he
rested his head on mine. And so it was through the service.
It was then
that the second and more important miracle happened. When the fellow had left,
Sallie Bingham came up to me and said, “Tom, I am so glad there is a place for
that man here at St. Bede’s, because that means there is a place for me.” I
was. . and I remain . . stunned. What was it that Sallie understood? But she understood – as
few people understand.
The third image
is from the beginning of Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5). Jesus, looking out over
this large crowd which has gathered to hear him speak, says “You are the light
of the world. . .” Just a week ago a know it all theologian quoted that verse
and wrote, Jesus is telling us who we have to be – we need to be the light the
world.”
BEEP “Wrong answer, try again.”
When Jesus says to those in the crowd: “You are the light of
the world,” there is no “ought,” no “should,” no “You better watch out,
you better not cry, you better be good and I’m telling you why. Jesus Christ has
come to town.”
It is
simply (and this is Jesus talking directly to each one of us) “You are the
light of the world.” I think that is the hardest verse in the whole Bible. “I
am the light of the world? Come on, get serious.” And then, once I begin to
“get” that, comes the second step. All these other people here -- they, too,
are the light of the world. Despite all those efforts by well meaning people
through history to transform the Kingdom of God into someone’s notion of morality
or being good, the kingdom is not a matter of having all the right moral merit
badges.
How can we
stay in touch with that? Let me try with a Puppet Show: in two parts. The first
is the World’s Shortest Hand Puppet Show - which probably should have been in
the joke section: [two bare hands facing
one another] “Oh, look, Adam, we are
naked.” “Oh, Eve, I am so ashamed.”
Then, the
second part: The World’s Most Important Hand Puppet Show! It could be two kids
on the playground – or a married/unmarried couple. James and John, Peter and
Paul, or Adam and Eve. [Again, hiding
behind the pulpit, with sock covered hands serving as two puppets] “I heard
what you said to them. You told a lie about me.” Did not. . . did too. . did
not . .did too. You are the worst . . . no worse than you . . . I’ve had it
with you. . . No, I’ve had it with you!” And then the puppeteer appears and, seeing
that they have been given life by the same puppeteer, they each realize that
their, that our lives are tied together – and in a way that is different from any other
place in world.
Those
stupid puppets and their connection with one another are so important to
understanding the reality of Holy Communion. It is not the point that we become
Jesus. Jesus gets to be Jesus – and he’s got plenty to do. The
consecrated bread and wine. . they take on our DNA. Our Lord blessing
and informing who we are. . . both pockets . . the homeless guy and Sallie
Bingham . . the diversity of this congregation. Maybe it is only those who
regard themselves as perfect or as always right who miss the blessing.
With all
that in mind, where is the survival guide? It is the same thing that happens in
pre-marriage instruction. You know, marriages based primarily on romance nearly
always go bad. I’ve seen it over and over again: “We are so much in love with
one another and we know this will go on forever. I will feel loved. . . and I
will be able to love him/ her forever.” Romantic love is good – but it comes
and goes. And there are long stretches when it seems absent and there are times
when we hurt one another and it is hard to forgive. . .
But there
are two kinds of love – Romantic and Necessary Love. While romantic love is
sweet nothings, candlelight dinners, and sleeping in on Saturday mornings
(notice that I did not say “Sunday mornings”).
Necessary love is taking out the trash, holding one’s flu-ridden
partner’s head over the toilet during the worst of the flu and asking
forgiveness, sometimes even when it wasn’t your fault. Christ is in the Romance
– in every aspect of it. Christ is also in the Necessary Love – in all the day
to day loving, forgiving and healing.
You know, we don’t get to have the
opportunity to experience God face to face. Mostly we experience God
sacramentally, through the gifts God give us – husband, wife, partner, St.
Stephen’s. It is primarily through their love, their healing, their forgiveness
that we will experience the love, the healing power and the forgiveness of God.
In your
life here, there will always be glitches – some through my fault, sometimes by
those on this side of the aisle, sometimes by those on that side of the aisle. But
there will also be miracles – miracles of love and acceptance, grace and
goodness, forgiveness and healing.
The walls of this church have heard
it all – heartbreaks, losses and deep sadness / baptisms, weddings and growing
closeness with God and with one another. Do not let anyone fool you. . . please,
don’t let anyone fool you: this is the
pearl of great price.
