Sermons from Mission Hills UCC San Diego, California Rev. Dr. David Bahr [email protected] April 28, 2024 “Pretending” Acts 5: 1-6 – Common English Bible However, a man named Ananias, along with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property. 2 With his wife’s knowledge, he withheld some of the proceeds from the sale. He brought the rest and placed it in the care and under the authority of the apostles. 3 Peter asked, “Ananias, how is it that Satan has influenced you to lie to the Holy Spirit by withholding some of the proceeds from the sale of your land? 4 Wasn’t that property yours to keep? After you sold it, wasn’t the money yours to do with whatever you wanted? What made you think of such a thing? You haven’t lied to other people but to God!” 5 When Ananias heard these words, he dropped dead. Everyone who heard this conversation was terrified. 6 Some young men stood up, wrapped up his body, carried him out, and buried him. In some churches, when the liturgist finishes reading a scripture passage, they will say “The Word of the Lord,” and the congregation replies “Thanks be to God!” This is one of those passages where the response is more likely to be “Thanks be to God??” Ananias and Saphira sold a piece of property and gave the proceeds to the apostles to care for the needs of their community. Why? The previous chapter tells us. Acts chapter 4: The community of believers were united as one – one heart, one mind. No one said, “That’s mine; you can’t have it.” They shared everything and so there was not a person in need among them – that’s the power of the Holy Spirit. Those who owned fields or houses sold them and brought the proceeds to the apostles as an offering and the apostles distributed it according to each person’s need. This was such a remarkable characteristic of the early Christians that this is already the second time in the Book of Acts that the author, Luke, has told this story. Back in Acts chapter 2, following their experience of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost: All the believers were united as one – one heart, one mind. The believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to the community, to their shared meals, and to their prayers. They would sell pieces of property and possessions and distribute the proceeds to everyone who needed them. Sound familiar? Must be important. And then Barnabas is specifically lifted up as an example. Barnabas, whose name means “encourager,” owned a field, sold it, brought the money and placed it under the care and authority of the apostles. What an inspiration he is! The next word, however, is "however…" Yay Barnabas, and then, let me tell you, however, about Ananias and Saphira. They saw the example of Barnabas and others. They too decided to sell a piece of property but this husband and wife duo decided they would hold back a piece of the proceeds for themselves. To be clear, that was their right to do. Peter said so. He told Ananias, that was your property to keep and after you sold it, it was your money to do with as you wanted. But Peter could tell there was some kind of deception going on. What was it? Peter said they lied to the Holy Spirit. That’s not really a helpful explanation for us, but Ananias understood and when he heard it, dropped dead. He wasn’t struck dead, he dropped dead from a conscience attack. He was wrapped up, carried out, and buried. A frightful and puzzling conclusion. And now we say, thanks to be God? This is not an inspiring story. It could have been. I mean, this seems like a perfect opportunity to teach about two central ideas in Christianity: honesty about our actions and forgiveness. For example, the story could have been that when Ananias was confronted by his deception, it broke his heart. He realized his error and begged forgiveness. He promised to change his ways and he did! And look at what this man became – the greatest philanthropist in history! Instead, he realized what he had done was wrong and he dropped dead. Where is the opportunity for redemption in that? This is not an inspiring story. And it’s not even the end. It gets worse. Three hours later, Saphira arrived. She didn’t know that anything had happened to her husband. Peter said, “Tell me, was this the price you given for your field?” “Yes, that’s the price.” Peter replied, “how could you scheme with each other…” but he doesn’t specify exactly what that scheme was, leaving us, again, to wonder what was the real offense? But, it was bad enough that when confronted with it, she too immediately dropped dead. Just fell to the ground. Another conscience-attack. They were under no obligation to sell. And the problem wasn’t that they held some back, which they were free to do. So, what was the problem that resulted in such an extreme action? My theory is that they pretended to give the entire proceeds of the sale to receive recognition for their generosity. They pretended that it was because the Holy Spirit had inspired them to give, just like Barnabas and all the others. But the Holy Spirit would never inspire us to do less than we are capable of already. The Spirit is in the business of inspiring us to do more than we thought possible. It would be a betrayal of the Spirit to do less. Ananias and Saphira wanted praise for their acts of generosity, which they were, just not quite as generous as they wanted to people to think. Their motivation was status in the community, not love for it. In the origin story of the church, they were the first “pretend Christians.” That can actually mean many things. We are well aware of the declining rates of church participation across the country. It’s not all a bad thing. It just means people don’t have to pretend anymore. For a long time, some people’s motivation to belong to a church had more to do with cultural expectation than religious orientation; maybe some family pressure. Everyone was supposed to belong to a church. And now they’re free not to. It’s not that they had bad intentions but now, since they won’t be judged for not going to church, they’re not going to church. Please understand that I’m not trying to cast blame – but some people felt they had to pretend to be Christians to fit in, to be accepted. Isn’t honesty and freedom better for everyone involved? Now, I would suggest to them that belonging to a church is a good thing, participating in religious rituals, practicing generosity, giving kids a moral grounding, caring for and being cared for by your neighbors – all of these things bring tremendous meaning to our lives. We often like to pretend that we are at the center of the world, but it’s a really good thing to be reminded on a regular basis that we are not. So why did Luke tell this story? Of all the important things he could have chosen to say about the origins of the church at the very beginning, why include this less than inspiring story about Ananias and Saphira? I’m sure there are plenty of reasons, but the one that speaks to me today was his concern for the appearance of hypocrisy among early Christians. This couple wanted to look generous, they sought out status, but they were not acting out of love. And that’s not Christianity. They weren’t misers, cheapskates. They were impostors. Pretenders. And Luke cautions the early church to be careful, because hypocrisy can be deadly. You know, the kind of pretend Christianity that is killing the church in America, but don’t blame people who are leaving. They are reacting quite understandably and logically to an inexplicable form of Christianity that seeks privilege for itself, professes love for authoritarians, embraces the denial of science, a distrust of women, and the demonization of immigrants. It’s all in such stark contrast with descriptions of the early church characterized by its remarkable generosity and sacrificial concern for all who have need. It’s a betrayal of the Holy Spirit. That’s why I have such gratitude for churches like this. Not perfect but trying. Aspiring to love and understand and serve – to do more than it would seem possible, were it not for the Holy Spirit. From the bottom of my heart, please hear my gratitude for your genuine generosity and compassionate spirit. I give thanks for your orientation to our community – what do the people around us need? It is churches like this that many of us depend upon to remain in Christian community or we might be among the formerly-churched. Not that we should be overly self-congratulatory, but it can’t be stated enough. Churches like this matter. And we shouldn’t keep it a secret. I know I have thrown some arrows at so-called pretenders, so let’s turn our gaze inward and be reflective. Are we as loving and accepting as we profess to be? Are we pretending to care? As individuals – am I, are you, using our resources to address human need in our communities – not for recognition but the requirement of love insisted upon by the Holy Spirit? Am I trying to hold back what the Spirit is inviting me to share? Because I don’t want to just pretend to be a Christian. Do you?
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Sermons from Mission Hills UCC San Diego, California Rev. Dr. David Bahr [email protected] April 21, 2024 “In the Name of Jesus” Acts 3: 1-10 – The Message One day at three o’clock in the afternoon, Peter and John were on their way into the Temple for prayer meeting. At the same time there was a man crippled from birth being carried up. Every day he was set down at the Temple gate, the one named Beautiful, to beg from those going into the Temple. When he saw Peter and John about to enter the Temple, he asked for a handout. Peter, with John at his side, looked him straight in the eye and said, “Look here.” He looked up, expecting to get something from them. 6-8 Peter said, “I don’t have a nickel to my name, but what I do have, I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk!” He grabbed him by the right hand and pulled him up. In an instant his feet and ankles became firm. He jumped to his feet and walked. 8-10 The man went into the Temple with them, walking back and forth, dancing and praising God. Everybody there saw him walking around and praising God. They recognized him as the one who sat begging at the Temple’s Gate Beautiful and rubbed their eyes, astonished, scarcely believing what they were seeing The Book of Acts began last week with the criteria Peter presented for choosing a new disciple to replace Judas Iscariot. As I said, Mary Magdalene should have been the one and only one considered as the 12th apostle but wasn’t, in favor of a guy whose name we’ve immediately forgotten. All of that happened sometime between the 40th and 50th day after Jesus’ resurrection. The 50th day was the Feast of Pentecost, a Jewish High Holy Day. The faithful were all gathered in Jerusalem when followers of the risen Christ of every nationality and language were filled with the Holy Spirit – a big story we’ll get to in a few weeks. Right after their Holy Spirit experience, the community of Messiah believers quickly grew to more than 3,000 people, but it’s important to note, they didn’t see any conflict with continuing to also practice all the rituals of the Jewish faith. And so it was that Peter and John went to the Temple at 3:00 in the afternoon. It was just a regular day. It was also just a regular day that they would encounter someone at the entrance gate collecting alms. That’s simply how a disabled person at the time could earn money on which to live. Nothing unusual. As they approached the temple, the man asked Peter and John for mercy, another word for alms. Peter said, “we don’t have any money, but I’ll give you what I do have. In the name of Jesus Christ, rise up and walk.” And he did. He jumped up and walked around and entered the temple, leaping and praising God. As he walked in, people stared at him in wonder and amazement. For years they had walked past him and now here he was walking past them. People rushed to Peter and John to ask how this was possible. Peter replied, “why are you so amazed,” as if there was anything unusual about an old man – yes, the text notes, he was over 40 years old – walking for the first time in his life. Peter then explained to the crowd that Jesus was simply the fulfillment of promises and prophecies dating all the way back to the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. You know, the one we’ve been expecting all this time. “Don’t look at us like we’ve done anything unusual. It wasn’t because of our power or some kind of extraordinary faithfulness on our part. This was done in the name of Jesus.” But no matter how humble they might have been about it, their healing actions incensed the religious authorities, the same ones who plotted with the Romans to execute Jesus only months before. Now his followers are out healing in his name – a new form of danger. Irate, the authorities arrested Peter and John and threw them in prison. But when word got out, the number of believers increased from 3,000 to 5,000 – overnight! The next morning, Peter and John were led in front of the high priest, elders, legal experts, and Roman authorities who all demanded an answer: “By what power or in what name did you do this?” In response to the hostile questioning of all those powerful and important men, Peter had a simple answer. “You’re making a big deal about a good deed?! All this because we did something good for a sick man?” He explained, all these things were done in the name of Jesus who, again, is simply the one promised down through the ages. Why do you find that so unusual? Peter’s simple answer caught those powerful and important men by surprise because they assumed Peter and John were just ignorant and uneducated Galileans. How could they be so eloquent? They had no counter argument and the healed man was standing right there, so they couldn’t claim it didn’t happen. The crowds were on Peter and John’s side. What could they do? They ordered Peter and John to wait outside while they discussed their dilemma and then brought them back into the room. The authorities demanded they stop all speaking and teaching in the name of Jesus. Peter and John said, “No.” “All right, we’ll make you stop.” “OK, try it and see how that works out for you. This time.” It wasn’t a threat. It was simply true. Those powerful and important men thought that by executing Jesus, it would send a message to stop anyone else from trying to imitate him. But all they had done was increase the number of his followers, now 5,000 and rising. Peter and John were released and they rejoined the others. Together they rejoiced over the signs and wonders done in the name of Jesus. “In the name of Jesus.” As I thought about my sermon title today, the phrase “in the name of Jesus” kept coming to mind, but I hesitated – picture the over-the-top antics of a television evangelist. “In the name of Jeee-sus!” But I kept the title because I want to tell you about something extraordinary done in the name of Jesus on Tuesday. In 1966, the pastor of Mission Hills and three members went to tour a new apartment building next to Grace Lutheran Church in Hillcrest. The church had recently opened a 15-story tower next door for low income seniors through HUD – the newly formed Department of Housing and Urban Development. They came back to our church and began promoting the idea that we should do the same. In addition to Pastor Kermit White, one of those four people was Lawrence Green, a member of the church for 40 years. Among other things, he owned 40,000 acres of citrus groves south of Escondido. He was wealthy and a Christian at heart. He put up the money to hold onto some available land at the corner of Fort Stockton and Ibis to ensure a location by the church. As he said, without the land, the plan wouldn’t have happened. That’s why it’s called Green Manor – named for Lawrence Green, not that people are being put out to green pastures. HUD financed the 13-story building with a loan of $1.5 million dollars – equivalent to $12 million today. As part of the loan agreement, the church agreed to “finance the expected preliminary operating expense and at least 25% of the estimated annual operating expenses” for the first five years in the event Green Manor was unable to do so on its own. The church took on a significant financial risk in order to see the project to completion. To me, that sounds like a miracle, wonder and amazement, done in the name of Jesus. Construction began in October 1969 and residents started moving in just one year later in November 1970. Pretty hard to believe construction of something that large could happen so quickly. But people were waiting. There were 150 apartments for 2,000 applicants. When you drive around town you’ll see quite a number of these HUD senior towers, often built by churches. First Lutheran built Luther Tower, Wesley Methodist built Wesley Terrace, First Presbyterian built Westminster Manor, and so on. And one more. When First Congregational and Mission Hills merged to form Mission Hills UCC, as part of their legacy they built First Congregational Memorial Tower on Park Boulevard. Each building has its own board of directors, effectively the owners of the property, and often it is still the members of the sponsoring church that serve as the board. More than a few of you here today have served in the last 50 years. By Green Manor’s bylaws, the pastor is a permanent director and the majority of the board must be members of the church. It’s not owned by but it is a mission of the church. Two years ago, we learned about something called low-income housing tax credits. To this day I still can’t really explain it, but I know what it can do. Affordable housing developers can purchase properties like these senior towers to rehabilitate them and extend their life as affordable housing. The building’s board of directors can take the money from the purchase and use it for other non-profit purposes. They can walk away. Or the board can enter a joint ownership agreement with a developer and remain a minority partner, receiving as payment the equity of the building while the developer receives the benefit of the tax credits. The building is completely rehabilitated, including the residents’ apartments, and the property is guaranteed to remain affordable housing for another 55 years. If you don’t quite understand how or it sounds too good to be true, imagine the challenge of the board responsible for the stewardship of the building and the lives of the residents. Was it a scam? Would it put the building or residents at risk? Imagine, however, the risk the church agreed to 50 years ago if Green Manor failed. We were propelled by one thing: what more can we do for today’s growing number of unhoused seniors? But look what can be done when it is in the name of Jesus. That’s why churches did it in the first place. To take seriously the healing ministry of Jesus, to follow the teachings of Jesus to show love by feeding his sheep, to clothe the naked, visit the sick, and shelter people without a home. So, here’s what happened this week: after two years of education, skepticism, diligence, and a lot of meetings, our board evaluated 17 offers, pursued deeper conversations with three different affordable housing developers - two of whom live in Mission Hills and drive by Green Manor every day, and all three have kids in school in either Grant or Francis Parker. We chose one group and agreed to enter into a long-term joint-ownership which will completely rehab the building from top to bottom and ensure the building continues as a home where low-income seniors pay only 30% of their income for rent. Plus, in our arrangement, we will return to majority ownership after 16 years. And for all that, we will receive $53 million. A staggering amount with which we are determined to build more low-income housing – in the name of Jesus. We’ve already put in an offer on a piece of land and if it’s accepted, we can start working toward another apartment complex –for only a portion of the $53 million. This is wonder and amazement done in the name of Jesus to bring healing among our neighbors. They may not be able to jump up and leap their way into the temple, but for many, a safe home would feel ever as much a miracle after working a lifetime at lower wage jobs. Amazing, right? In the spirit of Peter and John, I think this is a miracle worth celebrating today. Sermons from Mission Hills UCC San Diego, California Rev. Dr. David Bahr [email protected] April 14, 2024 “Mary Magdalene and Peter Armwrestle” Acts 1: 15-16, 21-26 – The Message 15-17 During this time, Peter stood up in the company—there were about 120 of them in the room at the time—and said, “Friends, long ago the Holy Spirit spoke through David regarding Judas, who became the guide to those who arrested Jesus. That Scripture had to be fulfilled, and now has been. Judas was one of us and had his assigned place in this ministry. 21-22 “Judas must now be replaced. The replacement must come from the company of men who stayed together with us from the time Jesus was baptized by John up to the day of his ascension, designated along with us as a witness to his resurrection.” 23-26 They nominated two: Joseph Barsabbas, nicknamed Justus, and Matthias. Then they prayed, “You, O God, know every one of us inside and out. Make plain which of these two men you choose to take the place in this ministry and leadership that Judas threw away in order to go his own way.” They then drew straws. Matthias won and was counted in with the eleven apostles. After the resurrection, Jesus spent another 40 days with his 11 remaining disciples and many more followers before leaving them to figure out how to keep his message going: Love one another as I have loved you. They returned to Jerusalem and gathered. The Book of Acts says there were about 120 in the family of believers at that time – named as both men and women. Peter stood up and said they should choose a replacement for Judas Iscariot. Peter told them his criteria and to cast lots – think of it like drawing straws. As in, the one with the longest straw “wins.” Did you know that the Amish choose their pastor by casting lots? The way I heard it told, and I could be completely wrong, is that a slip of paper is put into a hymnal. A stack of hymnals is put on a table and then all men over a certain age go forward and choose one. When every man has a hymnal, they open it up and the one with a slip of paper becomes the pastor. It doesn’t matter how qualified that man may be, they believe that because God has done the choosing, God will give that one all he needs. Of course, what about the women? And what about the women among the 120 gathered in that room in Jerusalem? Peter addressed them, “Brothers and sisters,” the person to replace Judas could include anyone who had been with Jesus since his baptism and who stuck with him until the moment Jesus just ascended. Anyone who fit these criteria could become among those who now go forth to share the Good News of Christ’s resurrection. Oddly, that would have included no one in the room. At our bible study on Thursday, Rachel pointed out that no one was with Jesus at his baptism since it happened before he began his public ministry and began gathering disciples. I had never noticed that before. And if we look more closely at Peter’s criteria, the only ones eligible on the second point would have been women. While the men had locked themselves behind closed doors, only women stuck with Jesus through it all. It was only women who discovered the empty tomb. And women were first to preach that Jesus had risen to men who thought they were telling idle tales. More importantly, Jesus appeared to only one woman in particular on the morning of his resurrection. In the Gospel of John, Mary Magdalene, named as present in every gospel… Jesus appeared to Mary, the one and only one who should have been named the 12th apostle. But as Renita Weems said, they chose what was expedient over what was prophetic. Perhaps a power struggle could have been settled if just one man had stood up and said, “What about Mary?” The history of Christianity would have been radically different. Overnight, the false argument that women can’t be ordained because Jesus only had male disciples would be gone – an already absurd argument given the unwavering faithfulness of his many women disciples. Just one man to say, “How could we not consider Mary?” You may or may not know that there were more than four gospels written. Four were included in the official canon – Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John – but other gospels were written. For example, the Gospel of Thomas, the Gospel of Judas, which portrays the actions of Judas Iscariot in a very different, and positive, light than the others. And a Gospel of Mary – Mary Magdalene. She didn’t write it – it came after her death, written in the second century, just like the Book of Acts was written in the early second century. But it tells a story lost – perhaps intentionally lost as Mary was minimized in that room of 120. It was just the beginning of Mary’s character assassination and the start of a betrayal of Jesus’ egalitarian intentions. There are only fragments of the Gospel of Mary,[1] but this is what we know: Just like today’s text began, “Jesus departed.” Chapter 5 of the Gospel of Mary continues: 1) But they were grieved. They wept greatly, saying, How shall we go to the Gentiles and preach the gospel of the Kingdom of the Son of Man? If they did not spare Him, how will they spare us? 2) Then Mary stood up, greeted them all, and said to her brethren, “Do not weep and do not grieve, for His grace will be entirely with you and will protect you. 3) But rather, let us praise His greatness, for He has prepared us… (skipping ahead) 5) Peter said to Mary, “Sister we know that the Savior loved you more than the rest of women. 6) Tell us the words of the Savior which you remember which you know, but we do not, nor have we heard them.” (Peter admits she knew more than the men.) 7) Mary answered and said, “What is hidden from you I will proclaim to you.” 8) And she began to speak these words: “I saw the Lord in a vision and I said to Him, Lord I saw you today in a vision. He answered and said to me, 9) ‘Blessed are you that you did not waver at the sight of Me. For where the mind is there is the treasure.’” The next fragments are lost, but when it resumes in chapter 9, she concludes telling them what Jesus told her. 2) But Andrew answered and said to the brethren, “Say what you wish about what she has said. I at least do not believe that the Savior said this. For certainly these teachings are strange ideas.” 3) Peter answered and spoke concerning these same things. 4) He questioned them about the Savior: “Did He really speak privately with a woman and not openly to us? Are we to turn about and all listen to her? Did He prefer her to us?” 5) Then Mary wept and said to Peter, “My brother Peter, what do you think? Do you think that I have thought this up myself in my heart, or that I am lying about the Savior?” 6) Levi answered and said to Peter, “Peter you have always been hot tempered. 7) Now I see you contending against the woman like the adversaries. 8) But if the Savior made her worthy, who are you to reject her? Surely the Savior knows her very well. 9) That is why He loved her more than us. Rather let us be ashamed and put on the perfect Man, and go as He commanded us and preach the gospel, not laying down any other rule or other law beyond what the Savior said.” (that was repeated several times in the Gospel of Mary – no other rule or law beyond what Jesus himself said) 10) And when they all heard this, they began to go forth to proclaim and to preach. Thank goodness that at least Levi spoke up and defended Mary, accusing Peter of treating Mary like their adversaries. And did you notice Peter’s comment – do you really think Jesus preferred Mary to us? Why wouldn’t he? Her devotion was unfailing and she deserved to be named the 12th apostle. But the power dynamics revealed in the Gospel of Mary are pretty much what we might expect. Jesus’ intention for those who followed him were radically egalitarian, upsetting the status quo in many ways, including the patriarchy. But as time went on, the farther the church got from Jesus, the more anti-woman it became. The final nail in the coffin for Mary Magdalene came from Pope Gregory in the year 591. He claimed that Mary was a prostitute – a complete fabrication. A total lie to discredit women. But with that, her character assassination was complete. The doors to women completely shut. Though Mary wasn’t named the 12th, scholar Therasa Topete makes the following points:[2] When Mary stood up to speak, she had a leadership role among the apostles. She spoke of courage to a group that was distraught and afraid to stand firm. They listened to her and believed that she had knowledge the others did not have. They acknowledged she had received a revelation through a vision. Only someone with strong moral fiber and considered a pure soul was considered worthy to receive revelation. It wasn’t the revelation, though, that Peter attacked. It was that she was a woman. If only they had arm-wrestled to settle it. I put my bet on her. Yes, the Gospel of Mary is not in our Bible, but its existence along with other writings that were not included show the struggle to fulfill Jesus’ vision against the prevailing attitudes toward women at the time. That still plague much of Christianity to this day. Thank God the UCC has ordained women since 1853, through our Congregational tradition, since before Arizona adopted a code of laws or was a state. And do you know why Antoinette Brown, the first woman ordained in the Congregational Church of South Butler, New York, was allowed to be ordained? One male pastor stood up and said, “Wait a minute. Women were the first preachers of the gospel. Why would we not ordain her?” He didn’t say it, but we could add, just look at Mary Magdalene. As the role and rights of women in church and society continue to be the subject of debate, let’s make it simple. What would Jesus do? The Gospel of Mary has great advice: “Let’s not lay down any other rule or other law beyond what the Savior himself said.” Oh, and by the way, that 12th apostle chosen by lot – which one was it again? Don’t worry. His name was never mentioned ever again. Instead, let’s remember and honor Mary Magdalene’s extraordinary witness as we preach the good news of Jesus Christ. Are you a disciple of Christ? Then treat one another – everyone – as you would like to be treated. [1] http://gnosis.org/library/marygosp.htm [2] https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5451v7g8 |
AuthorI love being a Archives
May 2024
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