Monday, October 2, 2017

Actions Speak Louder Than Words

Actions Speak Louder Than Words 
  • Philippians 2:1 - 13; Matthew 21:23-32  

There has been a lot of chatter through recent years about filtering public discourse for politically correct talk. At times it has become tedious as every group that considers themselves a minority, seeks to have equal recognition. 

The pushback, the counter claim to, “we all know everyone is equal so why do we have to bend over backwards for every over-sensitive liberal cause” is effectively negated when there are gatherings of folks in paramilitary outfits, waving semi-automatic weapons and Nazi flags. We note that when we do not clearly say, “Black Lives Matter,” and speak up for women’s rights, gay rights, native American rights, and even for clean air and clean water, we experience a rush to reverse the protections put in place by law. 

But we are not here to discuss or correct the present trends in popular discourse. In fact, I try to check myself and my middle class, suburban upbringing, against the love of God, known through the scriptures and the history of the church. 

And even that is complicated. Times change and the historic church has changed in reaction to the times. Human truth is limited by our humanity. Let me give you a ‘for instance.’  

Among the things that Martin Luther protested 500 years ago, was the practice in the then Catholic church, to require everyone to go to confession once a year, and take communion once a year at Easter. The premise was that sinners should not take communion, you should only take communion in that idyllic period between your last confession, and your next sin against the holiness of God. 

So every Holy Week before Easter, all of the Catholics would line up for confession, take communion Easter Sunday, and then be done for the year. 

Luther felt that the only confession that was needed was to pray to God for forgiveness, the priest and his absolution were created by the church to enhance the status of the clergy. He protested, so that people could come to communion more freely and more frequently. Today of course, the Catholics offer communion daily, and we Protestants schedule communion services in a more limited way, saying we want to enhance the meaning of the sacrament for the recipients. Things change, positions shift, our humanity is easily exposed if you are willing to check the history. 

We read from Paul’s letter to the Philippians. Often when people find out I am a pastor, they “confess” that they do not know the Bible or do church very well. I have frequently been asked if there is a good way to begin to read the Bible. I recommend they start with Philippians. Paul writes a letter of love and encouragement. There is little of the scolding that shows up in so many letters. There is little of the heady thinking about the nature of God and God’s righteousness. He lets the focus be on love and encouragement. 

In today’s passage, Paul tells them to let God be God, and keep their own egos in check. We belong to each other, and collectively, we all belong to God. This is great advice. 

Now, you cannot live successfully without a healthy sense of who you are, and who you are not. If we would ever be comfortable in our own skin, and be comfortable the presence of God, we would need to have a balanced understanding of who we are. 

There is no small amount of work required to develop a healthy ego. People around us as youngsters provide us with a lot of information. Many times we are told who we are and what we believe, which is little more than window dressing on controlling behavior on the part of the adult. 

They may or may not know who we are, and they may or may not actually care for what makes each of us unique. It is the unique character of our souls and personhood, that makes us able to love and be loved. The ability to love and be loved, I believe, is the actual DNA of God, the image of the divine, that marks us as creatures of a good and generous God. 

We need to learn as children, who is encouraging the healthy and unique person we are, and who is just a controlling adult. The least mature adult aged persons are the least useful as we try to develop a healthy sense of self. 

When we find acceptance of our own humanity, then we are able to relate to others in the community. We seek out community, in the proportion we are introverted or extroverted. We seek out communities that reflect our general core values, and communities which honor our individual opinions - to the extent we need the personal freedom to be open about them. 

This congregation - Community UCC - is a distinctive oasis for those who would seek to know God in a personal way, free from heavy-handed directives. This is a large part of why I responded to your call for an Interim. I knew the area was conservative, though the extent of “how conservative” I underestimated, and through your Covenant Statement, you promise to provide a welcoming place for those who do not fit more narrowly defined faith communities. 

Paul goes on to show us how he sees Jesus as an example of living beyond his own simple ego needs. He credits Jesus with the evident humility that took him through his execution, in obedience to the call of the father, and not kicking, screaming and damning those who ordered, and performed his killing; or even those who betrayed or abandoned him. 

In the gospel lesson from Matthew, Jesus deals with a confrontation with the chief priests and elders in the Temple. We are careful to note that Jesus does not get over anxious in this exchange. They confront him, since he is known to preach, but he does not have credentials from the Temple. “Who are you and how dare you preach without credentials?” they ask. 

Again, I realize that I live on both sides of this fence. I have served the United Church of Christ on the Church and Ministry Board where clergy credentialing issues are resolved. Today I am the co-Coordinator of the Fitness Review Team. The Fitness Review Process evaluates performance and behavior activities of pastors, so that misbehaving pastors do not get simply passed along to another congregation, another Association, another Conference. 

So I squirm a little bit when Jesus confronts the chief priests and elders. They ask Jesus where his authority comes from. Honestly, it is not an unfair question. He is actually in the Temple. 

Jesus, knowing their hearts, asks them about their response to John the Baptist. We know that the Baptizer made the authorities a little crazy. We know that they were relieved when Herod had him arrested and taken out of circulation. So Jesus pushes their buttons. What did you think about John? And they are stuck. What should they even say? 

I have seen some folks misrepresent themselves and their backgrounds seeking authorization for ministry. I have also seen committees treat clergy candidates and their credentials without respect. The first time I saw it I was new to the Committee, I felt like it was not my job to correct them. I decided in the aftermath, that inclination was wrong. 

No matter what the organization, no matter how new I am, as a Christian it is always my job to address bad behavior. If the organization claims to follow Christ, my responsibility is even more explicit. So I will break into conversations and interviews that take a turn down the avenue of disrespect, and call for a correction. This is the responsibility of all of those who love God and neighbor, it is not reserved for the clergy. 

That day in the Temple, Jesus did not need help. He understood both the concern of the Temple, and also their weakness. He challenged them on the authority of John the Baptist. This got their attention. Then he gave them a parable, to see if they agreed with him on the core principle of being true to what is right. It is nice if you make a promise, it is critical to do what is right. 

Words without appropriate action, are just pointless noise. There is plenty of pointless noise in the world today. We do not need to wander far to find to find examples. In football it is called “Misdirection.” All of the blockers push to the right, so the defense runs to the right, and at the last second the ball runner cuts left, into the part of the field the defenders just abandoned. 

In politics we say we are doing something for the economy, and then load the fine print with tax cuts for our donors, or extensions on exclusive patents for Big Pharma. We raise a hullabaloo over the most sincere and non-violent protests a black man can muster, even as Congress proposes a national budget that rewards the rich at the expense of the poor. 

The problem for the Temple authorities is that Jesus was not an insider, and he looked and acted like one of those political radicals that would gather a following and disturb the balance of power between Rome, their puppet King Herod, and the Temple authorities. As proof of the validity of their concern, in 70CE, Rome crushed an uprising, leveled the Temple, killed all the priests or drove them into exile. In the subsequent days, Judaism would take on a new form with rabbis (teachers) and synagogues and end the era of priests, the Temple and sacrifices. 

What the priests were unable to understand - was that our Jesus, was preaching a radical message about the identity of God, and not fermenting a radical political movement. Once they decided he was a troublemaker, there was little interest in understanding what kind of troublemaker he was, he was defined as a threat.  

I am enough of a bleeding heart liberal to know that words matter. But what is more useful is an actual example. In the gospel story this morning, Jesus uses an example of one who promises the world, but then does nothing. He is contrasted with the one, reluctant to promise, goes ahead and performs the work requested of him. We all agree, it is better to do what is asked. 

Today the church in the world celebrates World Wide Communion Sunday. The stole I wear is a gift from a seminary classmate and roommate, who was obtaining an advanced degree before returning to his parish in Mumbai, historically known as Bombay, India. Each World Communion Sunday, I reflect on the wonderful people from around the world I met and shared seminary with. 

India, Sri Lanka, South Korea, Cameroon, South Sudan, Scotland, the Caribbean, and Central America, were all represented in my seminary class. I have worshipped the God we know in Jesus and shared communion with them all. We have reflected together on how the presence of God, is made tangible and real in the sacrament - is firmly implanted in this world and the next. Love, the essence of God, exists in this world and the next, not bounded in the least by our limited human life. 


Jesus promised to be with us. His words ring throughout our worship. And in this sacrament, in this communal celebration, Jesus puts his words into action. May we be empowered to boldly proclaim our love for Jesus, and God’s love for all of humanity, and let the spiritual communion of the faithful be evident the action of our living, this day, and every day, world without end. Amen. 

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