Sermons from Mission Hills UCC San Diego, California Rev. Dr. David Bahr [email protected] April 30, 2023 “Are They Actually Looking Out for You?” John 10: 1-10 – The Message “Let me set this before you as plainly as I can. If a person climbs over or through the fence of a sheep pen instead of going through the gate, you know he’s up to no good—a sheep rustler! The shepherd walks right up to the gate. The gatekeeper opens the gate to him and the sheep recognize his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he gets them all out, he leads them and they follow because they are familiar with his voice. They won’t follow a stranger’s voice but will scatter because they aren’t used to the sound of it.” 6-10 Jesus told this simple story, but they had no idea what he was talking about. So he tried again. “I’ll be explicit, then. I am the Gate for the sheep. All those others are up to no good—sheep rustlers, every one of them. But the sheep didn’t listen to them. I am the Gate. Anyone who goes through me will be cared for—will freely go in and out, and find pasture. A thief is only there to steal and kill and destroy. I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of. You may recall a story we heard during Lent about a man who was born blind. Jesus mixed some dirt and spit together to create a mud paste and wiped it on the man’s eyes and when the man went to wash his face, he could see. When he came back with sight, people didn’t believe it was the same man. He had to keep saying, “No it’s me.” They took the man to his parents. “Is this your son? Why can he see?” They said, “Ask him. He can talk.” But they had heard his answers and didn’t like them so the Pharisees objected that this happened on the Sabbath – can’t be from God. Round and round and finally Jesus said, “I came so that those who cannot see now will, and those who can see, or who think they can see, may now become blind.” The Pharisees were indignant. “Surely you’re not calling us blind. Only sinners are blind.” Jesus responded, “If you were blind you wouldn’t have any sin. But because you say you can see, your sin remains.” How dare he. But the insults to their egos just continue, rolling right into today’s reading. Jesus said, 1-5 “Let me set this before you as plainly as I can.” He set before them the image of a sheep pen. [IMAGE 1] A sheep pen is an enclosure for sheep at night – walls, perhaps stones piled up, with one gate to limit access. Someone must watch the pen all night long to ensure no one climbs over the wall to steal the sheep or so a wolf doesn’t squeeze past the gate to devour the sheep. [OFF] It’s an unfamiliar image to us but everyone listening could fully understand. Jesus may have even said, “see that sheep pen over there?” Some villages might only have one sheep pen in common with many families. Again, Jesus said, 1-5 “Let me set this before you as plainly as I can.” And then he said, “If someone climbs over the fence instead of going through the gate, you know he’s up to no good—it’s a sheep rustler! A true shepherd walks right to the gate and the gatekeeper opens the gate to him. And when he calls out, his own sheep will recognize his voice and follow him out of the pen and go out to pasture. (So clearly, this is a pen with the sheep of more than one family.) Only his own sheep will follow the sound of his voice because it is familiar.” Jesus explained, “They won’t follow a stranger’s voice but will scatter because they aren’t used to the sound of it.” Jesus told this simple story, but as the text says, the Pharisees “had no idea what he was talking about.” So, he tried again. “Let me be explicit. I am the Gate for the sheep. All those others are up to no good and the sheep know it. Sheep won’t listen to a voice they don’t know. And again, he said, I am the Gate. Anyone who goes through me will be cared for—will freely go in and out, and find pasture. A thief is only there to steal and kill and destroy. I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of.” I often find John’s gospel frustratingly unclear and its stories often so circular in motion I get lost. But with patience, this one will start to make sense. The Bible also has so many stories about sheep and shepherds, they can sort of all run together. That’s because this was the life of the people. I told the Lunch and Lectionary group that if Jesus had lived in Pittsburgh 100 years ago, he would have used a lot of images of steel mills and furnaces as hot as hell and the people living in run down tenant homes while greedy industrialists lived in mansions towering on the hillsides. Jesus spoke in ways that real people could clearly understand as relating to their own lives. Or if Jesus traveled through mining towns during the gold rush, he would have used lots of images of searching for gold and sifting through dirt and climbing into dark and dangerous tunnels that can cave in at any moment. Make sure your life is right every time you go in. Or if Jesus was in Cupertino today, he would have told as many stories about apples as he would have about sheep. He’d say, “I’m the Good Apple.” Instead, as Jesus goes on, 11-13 “I am the Good Shepherd.” And what does that mean? He explained, “the Good Shepherd puts the sheep before himself, sacrifices himself to keep them safe if necessary. In contrast, a hired man is not a real shepherd. The sheep mean nothing to him. He sees a wolf come and runs for it, leaving the sheep to be ravaged and scattered by the wolf. He’s only in it for the money. The sheep don’t matter to him.” We get that. Someone who’s only in it for themselves. Here’s a modern reference. I’m constantly getting phone calls, voice mails, and texts from people trying to get me to sign up for their Medicare Advantage plan. Jesus would say, “I am your Good Medicare Plan Representative.” All the others are “wolves in sheeps clothing.” Only in it for the money. The sheep don’t actually matter to them. Rather, Jesus said, 14-18 “I am the Good Shepherd. I know my own sheep and my own sheep know me. In the same way, God knows me and I know God. I put the sheep before myself, sacrificing myself if necessary.” That’s what the Good Teacher does too. They put themselves in front of their students to shield them every time another mass shooter walks into a school. Of course, they wouldn’t have to if it weren’t for the hired hands of the gun lobby. What was it that Jesus said? Only in it for the money. The sheep/the children don’t matter to them. They are the price they are willing to have someone else pay. But then Jesus added a curious line: “You need to know that I have other sheep in addition to those in this pen. I need to gather and bring them, too. They’ll also recognize my voice. Then it will be one flock, one Shepherd.” The text continues, 19-21 ”This kind of talk caused another split in the religious ranks. A lot of them were saying, “He’s crazy, a maniac— completely out of his head. Why bother listening to him?” He’s demonic. But others weren’t so sure: “These aren’t the words of a crazy man. Can a ‘maniac’ open blind eyes?” Ah! And we’re back to the beginning where this all started. Full circle. “Surely you’re not calling us blind!” The story then jumps to Jesus walking around the Temple and a crowd of his opponents encircle him and growl, “How long are you going to test our patience?” Perhaps mumbling something about decorum too. Jesus went right back to talking about sheep and how no one is going to snatch them away on his watch. To which the opposition actually picked up stones and threatened him – not for hurting their egos but for “insulting God!” After that, Jesus left town and went back to where John had baptized him. It’s reassuring to know that when Jesus knew he needed to take a break, he took a break. That’s the example of a very good shepherd indeed. Protecting sheep is exhausting work! If you only look at the lines provided by the lectionary, this story lacks the drama and the tension that surrounds it. And without understanding the agricultural lives of these people, it’s all an abstraction. We might simply think of a nice pastoral image of Jesus holding a cute little lamb and saying, “I am the Good Shepherd,” with an adoring smile as he gazes lovingly. Rather, he is engaging the forces of those who steal, kill, and destroy while he tries to protect those whom he loves so much, he is willing to lay down his life to protect them. That’s the line I skipped over in the middle of all this. Jesus said, “I freely lay down my life. No one takes it from me. I lay it down of my own free will. I have the right to lay it down; I also have the right to take it up again.” Yes. This is what a Good Shepherd does. And how about all those other hired hands and sheep rustlers? What are they in it for? Sacrifice has nothing to do with it.
Jesus is the Good Shepherd, who sacrificed his life for you, but not only you. And anyone who tries to convince you that you are the center of the universe is only trying to steal, kill, and destroy. For themselves. How can we know the difference? Ask:
Only a false shepherd would say your interests are more important than the interest of the whole. I mean, you matter, you count, you belong to the almighty God of the entire cosmos who knows you by name – can you believe it! But it all means nothing without everyone else whom God also knows and loves just as much. There is only one flock called humankind. And if you hear a shepherd say that kind of thing, you can trust they are good.
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April 27, 2023 I never aspired to live in California. I did aspire to live in Denver, which my husband and I achieved in 2007. We thought Colorado would be our forever home, but one day I visited San Diego. Why I was in San Diego in the first place is an incredible story – trust me – but too long for here. I enjoyed walking the beaches every day but did not have aspirations to live there. When I returned home, even though I hadn’t suggested it, my husband was clear: We’re not moving to San Diego. Well… Almost two years from the day he said that, we went under contract for a condo in San Diego. In the meantime, because of work commitments, we lived apart for 18 months – maintaining an apartment in San Diego and a house in Denver. If only maintaining two households was as cheap as buying one place here. Let me quickly add I wasn’t seeking a new job but things came together in such a way that it was undeniable I was called here and it has been a wonderful match. We were clear the real estate market would be difficult. We spent a lot of time trying to wrap our heads around the insanity of the possibility or even likelihood of paying one million dollars for a place to live, if we could even find one – although we did set some limitations. Even though there was no way we could afford to live in the neighborhood of the church, with small 900 square foot houses across the street selling for $1.5 million, I still wanted to live close enough to the church that it didn’t involve a long commute and I could feel part of the community. We also wanted to be a commutable distance to the train station so our adult child could make the 30-minute train ride to his work in La Jolla (a job he could transfer from Denver). And, if possible, live close enough to my husband’s work for him to feasibly walk to work downtown. After 18 months apart, a week after they permanently moved to San Diego, we met with a realtor and later that day went to our first open house – a two-bedroom condo for $900k. Plus HOA. It was a no. Then a two-bedroom townhome. Yes, please, even though it was literally under planes preparing to land. We put in an offer, contingent on the sale of our home in Denver – although I was awake at night horrified at the size of the mortgage on a $950,000 home. The deal they accepted almost fell through several times over the course of several weeks but finally slipped through our fingers for the last time – five minutes after learning our offer on another home wasn’t accepted either. In the meantime, we saw a very small but move-in ready condo for the low, low price of $725k. We debated too long and by the time we got around to making an offer, it was under contract for $780k. Every morning we woke up to see if there were any new possibilities – most days there were no new listings. On several occasions we saw a listing, told our agent we wanted to see it, arranged a time the next day to tour, only to be told it was already gone. So, we learned to submit offers before even seeing the house. We were learning to play the game. We saw one that was quite promising, not exactly in our ideal location but close enough. Our agent arranged for us to see it Friday night before weekend open houses and we brought a full ask offer in hand – trusting only in pictures that turned out not to be quite accurate, but we could still make it work. After all, it was a bargain at $800,000. Plus HOA. We hoped they would take our offer and cancel the open houses. They didn’t and when we came by on Saturday, the house was flooded with potential buyers. We learned they accepted an offer we couldn’t have matched just five minutes before losing the one I mentioned above that we had our heart set on. I wanted to get off this heart-break roller coaster, but what if the right home came open while on our break? We kept looking at the few options as they came up and kept reducing our “must haves.” We saw one that we later discovered was listed on the disclosures as a hazardous waste site, for $925,000! Yet, during the open house, it was filled with people trying to find a home under a million. However, by this point we were in a very good position. We closed on our house in Denver, had enough for a down payment in the bank ready to wire, and were fully underwritten for a mortgage the size of which we hoped we wouldn’t need to use. It was then that our agent sent us to an open house for a condo that had been on the market for 66 days and had dropped in price twice – into our range, though just barely. It would be open Saturday morning at 11 am, but while we were driving there, we got a call that they had pulled it. They had a buyer. Perfect location for our three commutes, two blocks from Balboa Park – high on our wish list. So, we went to the ocean instead, not a bad consolation prize. The next day at church, a woman greeted me after worship and said, “I bought a condo!” I didn’t know she was looking. “Where?” “By Balboa Park.” My heart sank. “975?” She had gone on Zillow, saw a listing, clicked the button to connect to a realtor, and placed an all-cash offer. The sellers accepted, eager to finally sell a property they had vacated months before. She explained she is not moving to San Diego but will use it for the good deal of time she is. As she told the story, we were surrounded by people who had seen pictures and marveled at how beautiful it was. I might have looked crestfallen. Yes, I know. It was the one we were on our way to see the day before. As the group continued to chit chat, a few minutes later, she said, “Why don’t I step aside and let you buy it. My deposit isn’t due until Tuesday. I haven’t put down any money yet.” I may have thought about it for 10 seconds but immediately dismissed it as an idea that could be inappropriate – pastoral ethics and boundaries. She offered a second time. “No, I’d really like to do this.” As people stood watching, I said no again, thanking her for her kindness. She repeated a third time. Well… OK. Let’s at least see if it could work. This is exactly the sort of unusual, but now familiar, thing that has happened in my call to Mission Hills United Church of Christ and our move to San Diego. I was only willing consider it because I know this woman quite well. She is an attorney who lives most of the time in the Bay Area. She frequently comes to San Diego to see friends and family and, when in town, go to church. We’re in Bible Study on Zoom together most weeks, she co-chairs the mission and outreach committee, a meeting I often attend, and we’ve had breakfast together a couple of times. More than perhaps most people, I know what motivates her and by what ideals she aspires to live. She is consistent and I knew she meant it when she said, “I want to step aside for your family.” But, the first thing we had to do was see how high this 3rd floor unit was. Height is an issue and time was of the essence. A decision had to be made before she paid any deposit, due on Tuesday. I immediately left church while people were still milling around so I could pick up my husband and we could look up at the balcony. When I called and explained, he didn’t believe my story, thought I was joking, but he consented to play along. We met the woman outside the condo. The height seemed OK so we called our realtor, who was in Kentucky with his sick mother. He called his associate, who had shown us a $700,000 dorm room on Friday night, to come over and show us the inside. This associate had a 1 pm open house and it was now 12:15, but he could come for 15 minutes. We went inside the unit and looked around while he and the woman talked. He tried to figure out why she would do this because he had to believe her before trying to convince a very-likely skeptical seller’s agent who, as it turned out, wasn’t just skeptical but vehemently opposed. This had to be some kind of deception. No one would step away like this. Fortunately, the agent helping represent us is chair of the San Diego committee who deals with unethical behavior by realtors, so he’s quite attuned to this. The unit is beautiful. Spacious. Huge south facing windows, good for watching planes land. Small balconies off both bedrooms, separated on opposite sides, each with their own bathroom. Parking garage with two spots. And our absolutely preferred location two blocks from the park. Let’s make this work! Our agent got to work and spent 30 minutes trying to persuade the skeptical agent, assuring her of the woman’s motives. Finally, she consented to present it to her buyers. Somewhat confused, they agreed. We also paid over-asking, so they pocketed a little extra money too. Let me stop to praise our agents. Our miracle dream home didn’t just land in our laps. We had dream agents who worked as hard and as fast as they could, and among other things, also had to work out a deal with the agent from Zillow so he wouldn’t lose out. On Monday, the sellers went to lunch with their good friends. They had news. After 66 days on the market, they finally had a deal, except now the buyer wants to step aside for someone else – something about a minister. Their friends looked at them and laughed. “That’s our pastor.” This is all legitimate. It was Sunday night when our realtor contacted our lender. He was at Legoland but returned our call to action immediately. We sorted through all the mortgage options on Monday morning, size of down payment, buying down points, a flurry of paperwork and all the disclosures, etc. And just like that, we were under contract on Tuesday and wired our deposit – the same day the seller would have received the other deposit. One week from closing in Denver. Two years since “We’re not moving to San Diego!” But not so fast. Clergy have regular boundary trainings and this story should raise for us all kinds of red flags. And perhaps even occupy a gray area in the end. Was the person who stepped aside capable of such a decision? Was this done in secret? Would there be any monetary harm or gain? Would the relationship between the pastor and member change or be subject to tension? In between hearing “I’ll step aside for you” three times, I asked these and many other questions. And continued to. Repeatedly and frequently in the middle of the night. Several important points: the woman is a practicing attorney, not a vulnerable adult. This would be a second home and would not displace her. She had not put down any money, though she had paid for an inspection – which we reimbursed. The whole idea came to her, not me, while people stood around listening to it unfold. This is completely in character for her. Will it change the pastoral relationship? When I first moved to San Diego and needed a temporary apartment for 18 months, a member offered to rent me one in a building they owned. I turned it down over possible tenant/landlord complications. What about this time? Perhaps I am rationalizing. Could we have waited and kept looking? Did I want to get off the housing-search roller coaster? Yes, to both. For both clergy looking to buy and churches trying to call a pastor to places with such outrageously high real estate prices and limited options, what are some solutions to a problem that’s only getting worse – not to mention for teachers and nurses and social workers and everyone else. We are extraordinarily fortunate to have owned a home we had lived in long enough to amass funds for a down payment. We have no student loan debt. Our child who lives with us is now a young adult. We are both fortunate enough to be 30 years into our careers. But can we keep paying this mortgage in retirement, because along with HOA fees, utilities, insurance, etc., this will eat up an unbelievable 67% percent of my husband’s and my take-home pay. We toyed with the idea of just renting/leasing instead of buying, but is that wise? I know for many younger people, it is the only option. I have no complaints about my congregation’s generous compensation – but can all churches do this? Will all clergy come with sufficient resources on their own? Of course not. And what does that portend for the church? Some churches with means in Northern California are acting like lenders who own percentages of the homes of their pastors. Holy cow that could be complicated! How can churches of any size recruit good candidates to move to California when it puts the financial futures of their pastors at risk? Might it lead to some good ethical questions – not unethical – in order to find housing? It could. And I would understand. I grew up in North Dakota in a tiny old drafty farm house which in the winter was surrounded by hay bales to insulate and plastic wrap to keep out the snow. There’s something about a pastor with a million-dollar home that seriously creeps me out. And ironically, there could be no greater contrast in my housing situation today from my first church. I lived in a massive run-down 100-year old, four-bedroom, four story parsonage in inner city Cleveland, six feet out the front door of the church. Some commute is a good thing! In an area with plenty of boarded up houses, the owner of one right behind us offered to give their house to the church to get it off their hands. We politely declined. My entire annual salary would have made only three monthly mortgage payments in San Diego! Two at my job at the UCC offices in Washington, DC. But while I sort through all these emotional and ethical issues, here’s the final best thing about this fantastical story: On my candidating weekend at Mission Hills UCC in August 2021, my sisters and brother-in-law were here with me. They went to pick my husband up at the airport. It was his first time in San Diego. He marveled at the beautiful marinas by the airport. It reminded him of Lake Erie and home. As they were driving along he pointed at a small house. How much do you think that is? Probably a million. For that!? Oh boy… The next morning my sister Mona woke to excitedly tell us a dream she had. First of all, however, you need to know: It was because of Mona I was originally in San Diego. I had tickets to visit her in Phoenix for a week in April 2021. A few weeks before, she told me she had to have unexpected surgery and would be in bed with her foot up for 12 weeks. She didn’t want me to simply sit by her bed, so why don’t I go to San Diego to walk the beaches? It all started from there. So, her dream: “One of your church members is going to give you a house!” She was sure of it. I responded that would have to mean someone agrees to sell theirs to us, not give it to us for free. We were both right and her dream came true. It is literally our, or rather her, dream home! I am so grateful to have received such generosity of spirit and hope it inspires more from me to others. And now - off to sign the final closing papers and get the keys. Sermons from Mission Hills UCC San Diego, California Rev. Dr. David Bahr [email protected] April 23, 2023 “Our Majestic Earth” Psalm 8 – Common English Bible Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name throughout the earth! You made your glory higher than heaven![b] 2 From the mouths of nursing babies you have laid a strong foundation because of your foes, in order to stop vengeful enemies. 3 When I look up at your skies, at what your fingers made-- the moon and the stars that you set firmly in place-- 4 what are human beings that you think about them; what are human beings that you pay attention to them? 5 You’ve made them only slightly less than divine, crowning them with glory and grandeur. 6 You’ve let them rule over your handiwork, putting everything under their feet-- 7 all sheep and all cattle, the wild animals too, 8 the birds in the sky, the fish of the ocean, everything that travels the pathways of the sea. 9 Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name throughout the earth! Before there was anything, there was God, a few angels, and a huge swirling glob of rocks and water, in no particular order. The angels asked God, “Why don’t you clean up this mess?” So, God collected rocks from the huge swirling glob, put them together in clumps and said, “Some of these clumps will be planets, and some will be stars, and some of these rocks will be… just rocks.” Then God collected water from the huge swirling glob and put it together in pools of water and said, “Some of these pools of water will be oceans, and some will be clouds, and some of this water will be… just water.” The angels said, “Well, God… it’s neater now. But is it done yet?” God said, “Nope.” On some of the rocks God placed growing things and creeping things, and things only God knows what they are. And when God had finished doing all this, the angels asked, “Is it done yet?” “Nope.” God made some animals for the rocks and some swimming things for the water and then some humans by combining some water and stardust and told them, “I’m done. Please finish up the world for me. Really, it’s almost done.” But the humans protested: “You have the plans. We can’t do this alone.” “Yes, you can,” said God, “but I’ll agree to this. You keep working on it and I’ll be your partner.” The humans asked, “What’s a partner?” God explained, “A partner is someone you work with on a big thing that neither of you can do alone. If you have a partner, it means you can never give up because your partner is depending on you. On the days you think I’m not doing enough and on the days I think you’re not doing enough, we commit to keep working together. That’s my offer.” And they all agreed to the deal. The next time the angels asked God, “Is it done yet?” God answered, “I don’t know. Go ask my partners.”[1] How is our side of the deal going? For Earth Day, I thought we should ask the question. But first, why? The God question. The theological answer seems obvious to me. In Christian terms, “all things bright and beautiful, all creatures great and small, all things wise and wonderful, the Lord God gave them all.” And we are to be the careful stewards. It’s simply stewardship. Or as Muslims call it – Khalifah: we are trustees. “We are not masters of this Earth; it does not belong to us to do with as we wish. It belongs to Allah who has entrusted us with its safekeeping.” Buddhists speak of the interconnectedness of human beings, society, and Nature. But the Dalai Lama added, “taking care of the earth is nothing special, nothing sacred, and nothing holy. It’s like taking care of our own house. We can’t just pick up and move to another planet.” Hindu tradition also understands that “humans are not separate from nature. We are linked by spiritual, psychological, and physical bonds with the elements around us.” Poetically, I love how His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew 1 of the Eastern Orthodox Church puts it: “The whole world is a sacrament. And humankind stands as a priest before the altar of creation, as microcosm and mediator.” Humans are like priests at the altar of creation – mediating for its good. Wow! From our different perspectives, these traditions come to the same place of care and protection for the earth as an act of our various faiths.[2] And yet a careless attitude toward the environment is often an appeal to the Bible – for example, we are only slightly less than divine and we have dominion over the earth to do as we please. To me, Christians or any person of faith should be at the forefront of protecting God’s handiwork. So, why are so many Christians the biggest climate change deniers, or object to the idea that is human caused and do something? Well, for some, the earth is a sinking ship. It’s going down so the role of the church is to give people life vests. Saving souls. To get us off of here. Think of the images from books and movies of the saved being taken up in a rapture, leaving a despoiled earth behind for the heathen. Yet, 500 years ago Martin Luther is said to have remarked, "If I knew Jesus would return tomorrow, I’d still plant a tree today." Verse 6 of Psalm 8 says, “You’ve let them rule over your handiwork.” But better said, it’s not that God’s lets us “rule over” but that God lets us, or entrusts us to, “care for” God’s handiwork. And we’ve been lousy partners – focused more on how humans are “slightly less than divine” as an excuse. At the top of the food chain. Though some Christians are the forefront of climate change as a hoax, I’m grateful for how many young evangelicals are bucking this trend – changing this attitude – who understand that human activity is in fact punishing our majestic earth. You heard Devin read the familiar text from Matthew about “the least of these.” Or as The Message puts it: the overlooked and ignored. To me, not protecting the earth is the same as not feeding the hungry. In both, we reject Jesus. When you pollute the water, you pollute me. When you cut down the forests, you cut me down. When you disbelieve the havoc of a warming planet, you disbelieve me. When Samoans flee their islands because of rising seas, you are displacing Jesus. Doubting Thomases might demand, “Prove it.” Thomas said, “Unless I see the nail holes in his hands, and stick my hand in his side, I won’t believe it.” And yet, instead of complaining about his lack of faith and saying “Get behind me Satan,” Jesus simply said, “Here. Take your hand and stick it in my side. Take your finger and examine my hands.” If that’s what it takes, ok. It was with patience and understanding from Jesus that Thomas then exclaimed, “My master. My God.” And from there Thomas spread the faith and is considered the founder of Christianity in India. Thomas demonstrates that it’s never too late for those who don’t believe now to get on board and accomplish amazing things. And that’s like Scott Rodin. Scott was an ardent Christian climate change doubter who has been born again and now calls himself an “evangelical environmentalist.” He had been taught to be afraid of environmentalists because they’re all left-wing, socialist, former hippies who have no job and hate those who do. They’re all alarmist, scare-mongering activists who chain themselves to trees and, annoyingly, always claim the world is coming to an end. They’re all shame peddlers, always wanting to make everyone feel guilty for the way we live and for not caring about the rain forest, polar bears, and spotted owls. And worst of all, they’re all atheists who worship nature and hate Christians. And, he said, if that’s what you’ve been taught, then don’t be surprised if Christians don’t want to partner up. But he’s been converted. How is a longer story, but he now drops off his recycling on the way to Bible study. And he uses electricity generated from solar panels to show films about Jesus. And he proudly displays a Save the Whales bumper sticker next to the emblem of a Jesus fish on his car. It starts small and grows. He’s having an impact on his skeptical neighbors and church members. Although, really, to make a dent in the problem, it has to be done on a scale such as companies and governments have. I love stories like how a Kentucky coal company is refurbishing an old mining site with a massive solar farm, generating 5 to 10 times more than the next biggest site in Appalachia.[3] And generating clean energy jobs. As a church we have:
We can always question what more can we do to be good partners with God for the sake of our majestic earth, the gift of God entrusted to us lowly humans for care and protection. Because when we express love for our earth, we express love for Jesus. When we care about rain forests and polar bears and spotted owls, we can about Jesus. Congratulations on the steps you’ve already taken and keep asking what else we can do together? [1] Rabbi Marc Gelman, “Partners” from Does God Have a Big Toe, Harper Collins, 1989 [2] For excerpts of these statements and more, see www.greenfaith.org [3] https://thinkprogress.org/kentucky-coal-mine-solar-farm-a5d10d6526bb Sermons from Mission Hills UCC San Diego, California Rev. Dr. David Bahr [email protected] April 16, 2023 “A Real Life” John 20: 19-30 – The Message Later on that day, the disciples had gathered together, but, fearful of the Jews, had locked all the doors in the house. Jesus entered, stood among them, and said, “Peace to you.” Then he showed them his hands and side. 20-21 The disciples, seeing the Master with their own eyes, were awestruck. Jesus repeated his greeting: “Peace to you. Just as the Father sent me, I send you.” 22-23 Then he took a deep breath and breathed into them. “Receive the Holy Spirit,” he said. “If you forgive someone’s sins, they’re gone for good. If you don’t forgive sins, what are you going to do with them?” 24-25 But Thomas, sometimes called the Twin, one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples told him, “We saw the Master.” But he said, “Unless I see the nail holes in his hands, put my finger in the nail holes, and stick my hand in his side, I won’t believe it.” 26 Eight days later, his disciples were again in the room. This time Thomas was with them. Jesus came through the locked doors, stood among them, and said, “Peace to you.” 27 Then he focused his attention on Thomas. “Take your finger and examine my hands. Take your hand and stick it in my side. Don’t be unbelieving. Believe.” 28 Thomas said, “My Master! My God!” 29 Jesus said, “So, you believe because you’ve seen with your own eyes. Even better blessings are in store for those who believe without seeing.” 30-31 Jesus provided far more God-revealing signs than are written down in this book. These are written down so you will believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and in the act of believing, have real and eternal life in the way he personally revealed it. For our siblings in Eastern Orthodox churches today, Happy Easter! Either we were a week early or they are a week late. Naturally, of course, we ask, why is Easter on a different day – although, to add a twist, on rare occasions, they are the same day – like in 2017 and again in 2034. Well, for the first 300 years of Christianity, churches celebrated the resurrection any day they wanted. In 325, the Council of Nicaea sought to bring uniformity and proclaimed that Easter is on the first Sunday that occurs after the first full moon after the vernal equinox, but also always, and only, after Passover. Got it? To avoid confusion, the vernal equinox was set as March 21. This system would guarantee that all churches would forevermore celebrate Easter on the same day. Except. There’s always an except… In the year 1054, “The Great Schism” split Christianity into eastern and western churches – Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic. “Why” is a whole other very complicated story and depends on who is doing the telling. Even so, for the next 500 years, Easter remained on the same day, but in the 1500s, the Western church started following the Gregorian calendar while the East stayed on the Julian calendar. Plus, the Western church decided that Easter didn’t have to follow Passover. And ever since then, we celebrate Easter on different days, except occasionally. In any case, we both proclaim that Christ is Risen! Christ is risen indeed! Except that in some Orthodox communities, they add a third phrase. Christ is Risen! Christ in Risen Indeed! I can see him in your face.” Nice addition. But to say “Christ is Risen” still means the same thing, right? Of course not! What “Christ is Risen” means in western and eastern churches is fundamentally different. Like, totally different. In western churches, the resurrection happened to Jesus as an individual. (see picture below) In eastern churches, the resurrection of Jesus is an act that involves all of humanity all the way back to Adam and Eve. (see picture above) Think of Western Christianity as more of a “me and Jesus” kind of thing. Individuals. For example, how often have we heard it said: Jesus saved me. In Eastern Christianity, however, Jesus saves us – the whole of humankind. In western art that depicts the resurrection, Jesus is often slightly elevated, surrounded by light, arms spread open – a lone individual looking down. Alone. In the artwork of eastern churches – from Turkey and Greece and Russia and Egypt – icons of the resurrection often depict Jesus grasping the hands of Adam and Eve, often with prophets on either side. These icons portray the act of resurrection as Jesus rising up from the dead and taking everyone with him. Universal resurrection. No one is left behind. What difference does it make? In the gospel reading today, after the story of “doubting Thomas,” John completes the chapter by saying, “Jesus provided far more God-revealing signs than are written down in this book. These are written down so you will believe that Jesus is the messiah, the Son of God, and in the act of believing, you will have real and eternal life in the way he personally revealed it.” You will have real life. What is that? And in 1st Peter, “Because Jesus was raised from the dead, we’ve been given a brand-new life and have everything to live for, including a future in heaven – and the future starts now! The Day is coming when you’ll have it all – life healed and whole.” And the future starts now. So, I was curious. What is a real life? And instead of trying to answer it for you, I asked the question during my daily connections on Facebook Live this week. Plus, I emailed a few people and asked participants at Lunch and Lectionary. I got more answers than I can possibly share but here is some of the wisdom you shared. Danielle said, “A real life is a life with purpose and meaning, a life which has a positive impact on others.” Carol said, “I would define a real life as one where your life counts for something and you do something that makes the world a better place for others.” She adds, “hopefully a real life is a blend of both doing things for sheer enjoyment but also doing things to help improve the world in whatever way you can.” Danielle expanded her statement about purpose and meaning to say, “A real life is a life lived with authenticity, with courage to be your true self, and the full scope of human emotion (excitement and fear, joy and sorrow). It’s not always safe or easy, but it is fully worth living.” That’s very true. And Lois explained how. “A real life is living one day at a time. It is surrendering to God what we cannot control, giving to and helping others in need, having gratitude for all that we have, and finding peace and joy in our hearts even in a broken world.” Pondering my question further, Carol asked, “is a real life synonymous with a good life or a life well lived? Or is a real life closer in meaning to an authentic life? Day to day life so often involves presenting ourselves to others or acting a certain way to fit into what society expects of us. It seems to me that a real life is one where you present your authentic and honest self to others and, to perhaps use a cliché, live your own truth. And if one is fortunate, your close friends and family accept and love you as you are.” That was true for others too. Several spoke of what it feels like to be accepted and understood. And how especially important it is to understand and accept ourselves. John shared, “I was diagnosed at age 62 with Autism and some dyslexia. Suddenly, like completing a puzzle, my life events started to fall into place – why I survived a suicide attempt, why I was provided business mentors at the right time and found a loving and understanding husband. The toughest part has been learning to understand God’s timing is sometimes different than mine.” Rachel described a real life as living an examined life. And, similar to others, shared the difficulty of understanding grace and accepting forgiveness, adding that accepting forgiveness is hard work. Pat agreed. It’s hard to accept that yes, God has forgiven me but I have to forgive myself too. Sometimes I act as though I know better than God. In fact, as Rachel added, we often act as though we have higher standards than God. Why would God forgive me? In a real life, we’re OK with our shortcomings which allows us to embrace our strengths. And back to the gospel reading, real life is showing up with our scars, like Jesus to Thomas, showing our vulnerabilities, because in them, something good, at least in our group’s shared experiences, something good has always come. We discover this as stages, passages from one part of our life to the next. Not to be feared. And even death. Death is not a failure. It’s simply the next stage. As a group, we acknowledged that we are blessed with the wisdom of age. How can we tell someone without the gift of age? Well, by showing up with our scars and sharing with honesty and vulnerability, we can let people know that some of the worst times in life have been the very things that have led to the best times in life. They have prepared us for what is next – just like the resurrection. However, Laurie reminds us, “for most people in the world, real life is unfair. The zip code or country where we are born can make all the difference in how difficult or easy our lives may be. Real life is truly a mix of tribulation, sorrow, joy, and comfort, yet always having the presence of God with us to share in the good times and sustain us through the hard times. Yet even if our lives are going relatively smoothly, we hurt for those whose lives are a struggle. Therefore, real life involves following the Spirit’s leading to help make the lives of others better.” It is all related. We are all related. I really resonate with the idea of a universal resurrection in the Eastern tradition. A rising with Jesus and the rest of humankind, for the sake of humankind. A real life doesn’t make sense if anyone is left behind – at least, it doesn’t make sense as a belief within Christianity. This life, as Jesus personally revealed it, is about all of us together, not a few winning some game in some afterlife. The future is now. So, a real life is:
Those are a few of the things that constitute a real life, from the experience of our congregation, revealed by the life of Jesus. What else would you add? One more thing. The wisdom of Marla. When she fell and broke her hip, she didn’t ask, why me. She asked, “What is the gift in this?” A gift she could then share with others. That’s how humanity rises together. Sermons from Mission Hills UCC San Diego, California Rev. Dr. David Bahr [email protected] April 9, 2023 - Easter Sunday “Life, Goodness, and Love” Jeremiah 65: 17-25 – Common English Bible Look! I’m creating a new heaven and a new earth: past events won’t be remembered; they won’t come to mind. 18 Be glad and rejoice forever in what I’m creating, because I’m creating Jerusalem as a joy and her people as a source of gladness. 19 I will rejoice in Jerusalem and be glad about my people. No one will ever hear the sound of weeping or crying in it again. 20 No more will babies live only a few days, or the old fail to live out their days. The one who dies at a hundred will be like a young person, and the one falling short of a hundred will seem cursed. 21 They will build houses and live in them; they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit. 22 They won’t build for others to live in, nor plant for others to eat. Like the days of a tree will be the days of my people; my chosen will make full use of their handiwork. 23 They won’t labor in vain, nor bear children to a world of horrors, because they will be people blessed by the Lord, they along with their descendants. 24 Before they call, I will answer; while they are still speaking, I will hear. 25 Wolf and lamb will graze together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox, but the snake—its food will be dust. They won’t hurt or destroy at any place on my holy mountain, says the Lord. Five years ago, Loomis Basin UCC, located not far from Sacramento, looked at statistics from The Trevor Project[1] and decided they could do something:
So, Loomis Basin UCC started The Landing Spot, a place of support for LGBTQ youth and their parents, one of few such safe places in Placer County. In addition to groups that meet at the church, they have successfully worked in collaboration with area high schools for several years. But last month, it all came to a sudden and screeching halt. Two activists from Project Veritas masqueraded as the supportive parents of a trans teenager and asked to meet with Pastor Casey. Without his permission, they videotaped the conversation and then edited it – manipulated it – into something that would elicit community outrage. Project Veritas is an infamous, discredited, organization known for doing exactly this kind of thing. They released their deceptive video to the news media which, predictably and as they desired, led to the schools denouncing and cutting ties with The Landing Spot. And as intended, brought a whole lot of hate spewed toward the pastor and threats made upon the church.[2] They suspended in person services while sorting through security issues. But the church stands united, the need for their ministry confirmed. The Council Moderator stated they will not be intimidated and Pastor Casey said, “In the midst of the increasing nationwide attacks on the LGBTQ community, we are committed to walking in the way of Jesus.”[3] Another church was in the news around the same time. Chesterland UCC is in a rural area near Cleveland. They sponsored a drag story hour in collaboration with an area restaurant. Opponents to equality pounced, condemning what they called “a so-called church.” In response, the church wasn’t just condemned or even vandalized, one night someone actually threw lit Molotov cocktails, attempting to burn it down.[4] Story hour proceeded and the church’s resolve is to persist in showing Christ’s love because it is quite obviously necessary to counteract growing anti-LGBTQ legislation in Ohio. And elsewhere.[5] I was a tiny part of Chesterland’s journey to become Open and Affirming 30 years ago. They invited guest speakers to talk to church members and I preached there one Sunday. I remember it well because after worship a woman approached, walked around me, looked up, and said very sincerely, “I’ve never seen one of you before.” Today we celebrate the risen Christ. We proclaim that Life is stronger than death. And Goodness is stronger than evil. And Love is stronger than hate. The powers of supremacy and superiority and privilege just won’t stop trying, right? They keep trying to crucify Christ – and even worse, do it in the name of Christ. We celebrate the risen Christ and the way to truly celebrate the risen Christ is to walk in the way of the crucified Christ. Resurrection has no meaning without remembering what was done to Jesus in the last few hours of life – and why:
A toxic mix of empire and religion thought they had won. The religious authorities had been eager to work with the Roman governor to crucify Jesus because it allowed them to keep their positions of privilege and status. In turn, Pilate benefited by having these religious allies who could keep his subjects in line and thus keep him in power.[6] It was a great deal for everyone—except the people whom Jesus loved so dearly. But while these colluding partners had one idea, God had a very different one – that even though hate may try, and keep trying and trying and trying, love wins. But, does it really? Last week I tried to explain to children that in the resurrection, love wins. But even as I was saying it, I thought, yeah, it sure doesn’t feel that way. At least, not if you’re paying attention. In today’s reading from the Prophet Isaiah, the author offers a beautiful, hopeful vision to the exiles living as captives in Babylon; a vision of returning home and living in houses you build and eating from gardens you plant. There is one line of this vision I find especially powerful: “They won’t labor in vain any longer, nor bear children to a world of horrors.” Oh, what I wouldn’t give for a world without horror for children.
We make the resurrection of Christ real by walking in the way of the crucified Christ – individually and collectively – with the misunderstood and mistreated people Christ loves – the people for whom he willingly suffered – to bring life, goodness, and love. It is to do as Loomis Basin UCC did. To understand that just one accepting adult can reduce the risk of a suicide attempt by an LGBTQ youth by 40%. One person saying no to hate. Even better, a whole church. It involves a cost, but nothing as high as a life saved. That’s how love wins. It is to do as the organization Just in Time does. Just in Time gathers youth who have aged out of the crucifying experience of foster care to walk alongside them and help build a life beyond the horrors they have known as children. One at a time, a community is built that keeps growing stronger as we will learn more next month. And that’s how goodness prevails. It is to do as Mission Hills UCC does.
This is what it looks like to walk in the way of Jesus. The list is longer, and the needs even greater, but I need to wrap this up. To celebrate the risen Christ is to walk in the way of the crucified Christ. That’s how goodness prevails. That’s how love wins. Is it too simplistic? Or is it that simple?
Yes, Christ is risen. Will you come along so that Christ may keep rising? [1] https://www.thetrevorproject.org/survey-2022/ [2] https://www.abc10.com/article/entertainment/television/programs/to-the-point/placer-county-pastor-receives-death-threat-controversial-video/103-b80a49b2-e139-4f27-9437-1f267794b182 [3] https://www.loomisucc.org/press-release [4] https://www.justice.gov/ur/node/1488816 [5] https://www.ucc.org/churches-in-ohio-california-attacked-for-sponsoring-drag-shows/ [6] https://time.com/6269313/trump-jesus-comparisons-blasphemy/ Sermons from Mission Hills UCC San Diego, California Rev. Dr. David Bahr [email protected] March 26, 2023 “Open to Maybe” John 11: 1-48 – Common English Bible A certain man, Lazarus, was ill. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. (2 This was the Mary who anointed the Lord with fragrant oil and wiped his feet with her hair. Her brother Lazarus was ill.) 3 So the sisters sent word to Jesus, saying, “Lord, the one whom you love is ill.” 4 When he heard this, Jesus said, “This illness isn’t fatal. It’s for the glory of God so that God’s Son can be glorified through it.” 5 Jesus loved Martha, her sister, and Lazarus. 6 When he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed where he was. After two days, 7 he said to his disciples, “Let’s return to Judea again.” 8 The disciples replied, “Rabbi, the Jewish opposition wants to stone you, but you want to go back?” 9 Jesus answered, “Aren’t there twelve hours in the day? Whoever walks in the day doesn’t stumble because they see the light of the world. 10 But whoever walks in the night does stumble because the light isn’t in them.” 11 He continued, “Our friend Lazarus is sleeping, but I am going in order to wake him up.” 12 The disciples said, “Lord, if he’s sleeping, he will get well.” 13 They thought Jesus meant that Lazarus was in a deep sleep, but Jesus had spoken about Lazarus’ death. 14 Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus has died. 15 For your sakes, I’m glad I wasn’t there so that you can believe. Let’s go to him.” 16 Then Thomas (the one called Didymus) said to the other disciples, “Let us go too so that we may die with Jesus.” Jesus with Martha and Mary 17 When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. 18 Bethany was a little less than two miles from Jerusalem. 19 Many Jews had come to comfort Martha and Mary after their brother’s death. 20 When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went to meet him, while Mary remained in the house. 21 Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother wouldn’t have died. 22 Even now I know that whatever you ask God, God will give you.” 23 Jesus told her, “Your brother will rise again.” 24 Martha replied, “I know that he will rise in the resurrection on the last day.” 25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me will live, even though they die. 26 Everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” 27 She replied, “Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Christ, God’s Son, the one who is coming into the world.” 28 After she said this, she went and spoke privately to her sister Mary, “The teacher is here and he’s calling for you.” 29 When Mary heard this, she got up quickly and went to Jesus. 30 He hadn’t entered the village but was still in the place where Martha had met him. 31 When the Jews who were comforting Mary in the house saw her get up quickly and leave, they followed her. They assumed she was going to mourn at the tomb. 32 When Mary arrived where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother wouldn’t have died.” 33 When Jesus saw her crying and the Jews who had come with her crying also, he was deeply disturbed and troubled. 34 He asked, “Where have you laid him?” They replied, “Lord, come and see.” 35 Jesus began to cry. 36 The Jews said, “See how much he loved him!” 37 But some of them said, “He healed the eyes of the man born blind. Couldn’t he have kept Lazarus from dying?” Jesus at Lazarus’ tomb 38 Jesus was deeply disturbed again when he came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone covered the entrance. 39 Jesus said, “Remove the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said, “Lord, the smell will be awful! He’s been dead four days.” 40 Jesus replied, “Didn’t I tell you that if you believe, you will see God’s glory?” 41 So they removed the stone. Jesus looked up and said, “Father, thank you for hearing me. 42 I know you always hear me. I say this for the benefit of the crowd standing here so that they will believe that you sent me.” 43 Having said this, Jesus shouted with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” 44 The dead man came out, his feet bound and his hands tied, and his face covered with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Untie him and let him go.” 45 Therefore, many of the Jews who came with Mary and saw what Jesus did believed in him. 46 But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. Caiaphas prophesies 47 Then the chief priests and Pharisees called together the council[a] and said, “What are we going to do? This man is doing many miraculous signs! 48 If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him. Then the Romans will come and take away both our temple and our people.” So, the basic story is this: Jesus loved Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. And Lazarus is sick. So naturally, Mary and Martha sent word to Jesus. They didn’t say explicitly that he should come right away, but clearly, that is what they expected. But instead of dropping everything to rush over, Jesus promptly did nothing. The disciples were fine with that because the last time they were there, the townspeople had been ready to stone Jesus. Jesus gave the disciples some confusing spiritual admonition about light and stumbling, about which they collectively said, “Huh?” So Jesus told them that Lazarus has fallen asleep. They descended into a comedy routine, unintentionally of course, about why Jesus would need to go to such a dangerous place to wake him up and so Jesus interrupts and said, “He’s dead.” Back at Mary and Martha’s, at any moment they expect to see Jesus coming over the horizon to save the day – to save their brother, the one whom he loved so much. But what did Jesus do? He sipped herbal tea at small cafés and went window shopping and maybe got his bangs trimmed. Whatever it is that he actually did, it took him so long to go two miles, he had the nerve to show up four days after Lazarus died. Four days is important. It was popular belief that it took three days for the soul to separate from the body, so it would have been obvious to everyone who heard the story that at four days nothing more could be done. The situation was beyond hope. It was past time that even a miracle worker could do something. Jesus said, or seems to say, “You’re lucky I wasn’t here. Now you can give glory to God.” But what kind of God would do that? What kind of God would let your brother die in order to prove a point? And that’s about how Martha felt about it. She pleaded or yelled or cursed or some combination of it all – “Why weren’t you here? Why don’t you care? If you had been here, my brother wouldn’t be dead.” She then probably crumbled in tears at his feet. And when she could finally breathe, “Yet, even now,” she said, “I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.” Did Martha really believe there was still time for a miracle? She was probably both desperate and resigned to the fact that it was too late. Four days. Jesus and Martha then talked back and forth. If you hold the stereotype about Martha being too busy cooking, the doer, while Mary was the thinker sitting at Jesus’ feet, remember this exchange. Theologically, Martha can hold her own. Just then, Mary comes running from the house pointing her finger and angrily accusing Jesus of neglect. “If you had been here, our brother wouldn’t be dead!” Well, maybe that’s what I would do. Perhaps Mary simply whispered these words under her breath, “If only you had been here…” You’ve experienced grief. You know how mixed our emotions can be. But whatever her tone and whatever she said, her words moved Jesus. He was genuinely pained to see such dear friends suffer. And so, “Jesus wept.” Over the years I’ve asked people about their favorite Bible verses. Some have said, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” “The Lord is my shepherd.” “Come to me, all who are weary, and I will give you rest.” “For God so loved the world…” Do you have a favorite? It’s hard to choose just one. Well, one time a man answered, “Jesus wept.” He explained, “It’s how I know he was truly human. And if he really was divine, it’s how I know that God cries with us when we suffer.” Back with the sisters, Jesus asked to see the tomb. They warned, “Don’t get too close. He’ll stink!” Jesus cried, “Come out!” And either the Zombie apocalypse had begun or Lazarus came stumbling out of the tomb, his eyes covered, his body still wrapped in unraveling bands of cloth. Alive! But you know what, maybe Jesus and Lazarus had this planned all along, just a little prank. A little hide and seek with his sisters. I mean, otherwise, if you think about it, how would Lazarus feel when he realizes all that has happened to him? I’d be pretty ticked off. But in fact, it gets worse. In response to Lazarus coming back to life, the authorities had him killed again. All to prove a point? And what, exactly, was the point of letting him die to bring him back to life? John has been testing us throughout his gospel. How far will we go? In fact, the raising of Lazarus is the last of what are known as John’s Seven Signs. Signs of escalating improbability. The first one is at the wedding in Cana when Jesus turned water into wine. And we think, yeah, sure, why not. A little sleight of hand and anyone can do that, right? The second sign was when a royal official asked Jesus to heal his son. Jesus didn’t bother to go to the official’s house. He phoned it in and said, “Your son’s healed.” And sure enough, he was. But maybe he wasn’t that sick, just a panicky dad. Sign number 3. Jesus healed a paralytic man in Bethesda. He didn’t ask for healing, just a little help getting into a pool of water known for its healing qualities. Instead of helping, Jesus told him, “pick up your mat and walk.” And he did! However, maybe he wasn’t really all that disabled. In my mind, I’m thinking, it was probably just a little joint pain in the morning. Sign number 4 involved a crowd of 5,000 people… You know where this is going. Jesus told the disciples to feed them. They gathered up a few fish and some loaves of bread and after everyone had eaten, there were 12 baskets of leftovers. You see the escalating improbabilities. Water into wine. Healing from afar. A man who can walk again. 5,000 people fed. Sign number 5: Jesus walked onto a stormy lake and calmed the sea. He walked on water. Really? How do we explain that? Maybe he just walked on a strategically placed sand bar at low tide. A skeptical mind isn’t a bad thing. Doubts and questions are good. But it’s true that all these escalating improbabilities were also upping the fear factor for the Roman Empire and the religious authorities. It’s one thing for Jesus to be a good party guest. Or that Jesus can heal. But by controlling nature, Jesus is clearly more than an average traveling miracle worker. Sign number 6: We heard last week about how Jesus wiped spit and mud on the face of a man born blind and he could see. But wasn’t Jesus really just exposing the blindness of the religious authorities? And wasn’t #5 just about confronting our fears – Peter tried to walk on water too but couldn’t because he was too afraid. And #4 was the power of sharing your food. And #3 was taking initiative for your own healing. And #2… But then sign number 7. Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. Stinking dead after 4 days. I once had a friend who got in trouble. Or rather, was accused of something. I don’t know if she did what she was accused of. I doubted it but I couldn’t be certain. But the truth is, it didn’t matter whether I believed that what was said of her was true. I believed in her. I sometimes have the same feeling about Jesus. I don’t know if I believe all the things said about him. Sometimes it feels like I’m supposed to believe all those things. Am I a bad Christian if I’m not sure? But, here’s what I can say. I believe in him. In 1910, fundamentalists developed a list of five things Christians must believe in: 1)The inerrancy of the Bible – including a literal 6 day creation 2)The virgin birth 3)The substitutionary atonement of Christ – that Jesus was a sacrificial lamb offered as a blood offering to pay for our sins 4)The bodily resurrection 5)The reality of miracles. Every miracle exactly as written. The rise of fundamentalism came as people increasingly adopted a more scientific view of the world. Our ancestors in the Congregational Church were among the leaders in scholarship that questioned certain doctrines that resulted in a modernist/fundamentalist split. I think there is a middle way. As progressive Christians we take the Bible seriously, not literally. We don’t have to be locked in two boxes, such as, the miracles happened exactly as written or that miracles are simply metaphors that can be explained. There’s more to it than that.
I don’t believe everything that is said of Jesus but I do believe in Jesus. And when you believe in someone, it’s not a series of statements about the person but the relationship that makes a difference in our lives. A creed doesn’t hear us when we cry out in pain, “If only you had been here.” But Jesus does. That’s why we lift our loved ones and our world up in prayer, asking for healing, even when what we ask for is impossible. I can’t explain how prayer changes things, but that’s not as important as the fact that we care and that caring itself is healing. To pray for healing is to be open to maybe – even after 4 days. It means that our hearts and minds are not closed. It means that we refuse to be held down by despair. It means that we refuse to be crippled by cynicism. And some days, wouldn’t that be a miracle? Sermons from Mission Hills UCC San Diego, California Rev. Dr. David Bahr [email protected] March 19, 2023 “Who Sinned” John 1: 1-41 – The Message Walking down the street, Jesus saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked, “Rabbi, who sinned: this man or his parents, causing him to be born blind?” 3-5 Jesus said, “You’re asking the wrong question. You’re looking for someone to blame. There is no such cause-effect here. Look instead for what God can do. We need to be energetically at work for the One who sent me here, working while the sun shines. When night falls, the workday is over. For as long as I am in the world, there is plenty of light. I am the world’s Light.” 6-7 He said this and then spit in the dust, made a clay paste with the saliva, rubbed the paste on the blind man’s eyes, and said, “Go, wash at the Pool of Siloam” (Siloam means “Sent”). The man went and washed—and saw. 8 Soon the town was buzzing. His relatives and those who year after year had seen him as a blind man begging were saying, “Why, isn’t this the man we knew, who sat here and begged?” 9 Others said, “It’s him all right!” But others objected, “It’s not the same man at all. It just looks like him.” He said, “It’s me, the very one.” 10 They said, “How did your eyes get opened?” 11 “A man named Jesus made a paste and rubbed it on my eyes and told me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash.’ I did what he said. When I washed, I saw.” 12 “So where is he?” “I don’t know.” 13-15 They marched the man to the Pharisees. This day when Jesus made the paste and healed his blindness was the Sabbath. The Pharisees grilled him again on how he had come to see. He said, “He put a clay paste on my eyes, and I washed, and now I see.” 16 Some of the Pharisees said, “Obviously, this man can’t be from God. He doesn’t keep the Sabbath.” Others countered, “How can a bad man do miraculous, God-revealing things like this?” There was a split in their ranks. 17 They came back at the blind man, “You’re the expert. He opened your eyes. What do you say about him?” He said, “He is a prophet.” 18-19 The Jews didn’t believe it, didn’t believe the man was blind to begin with. So they called the parents of the man now bright-eyed with sight. They asked them, “Is this your son, the one you say was born blind? So how is it that he now sees?” 20-23 His parents said, “We know he is our son, and we know he was born blind. But we don’t know how he came to see—haven’t a clue about who opened his eyes. Why don’t you ask him? He’s a grown man and can speak for himself.” (His parents were talking like this because they were intimidated by the Jewish leaders, who had already decided that anyone who took a stand that this was the Messiah would be kicked out of the meeting place. That’s why his parents said, “Ask him. He’s a grown man.”) 24 They called the man back a second time—the man who had been blind—and told him, “Give credit to God. We know this man is an impostor.” 25 He replied, “I know nothing about that one way or the other. But I know one thing for sure: I was blind . . . I now see.” 26 They said, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?” 27 “I’ve told you over and over and you haven’t listened. Why do you want to hear it again? Are you so eager to become his disciples?” 28-29 With that they jumped all over him. “You might be a disciple of that man, but we’re disciples of Moses. We know for sure that God spoke to Moses, but we have no idea where this man even comes from.” 30-33 The man replied, “This is amazing! You claim to know nothing about him, but the fact is, he opened my eyes! It’s well known that God isn’t at the beck and call of sinners, but listens carefully to anyone who lives in reverence and does his will. That someone opened the eyes of a man born blind has never been heard of—ever. If this man didn’t come from God, he wouldn’t be able to do anything.” 34 They said, “You’re nothing but dirt! How dare you take that tone with us!” Then they threw him out in the street. 35 Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and went and found him. He asked him, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” 36 The man said, “Point him out to me, sir, so that I can believe in him.” 37 Jesus said, “You’re looking right at him. Don’t you recognize my voice?” 38 “Master, I believe,” the man said, and worshiped him. 39 Jesus then said, “I came into the world to bring everything into the clear light of day, making all the distinctions clear, so that those who have never seen will see, and those who have made a great pretense of seeing will be exposed as blind.” 40 Some Pharisees overheard him and said, “Does that mean you’re calling us blind?” 41 Jesus said, “If you were really blind, you would be blameless, but since you claim to see everything so well, you’re accountable for every fault and failure.” As Jesus walked along, he saw a man blind since birth. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned causing this man to be born blind; him or his parents?” A few years ago, a 9-year-old boy named Grayson was excited to bring his brand new backpack to school. Administrators at the school in Ashville, North Carolina, stopped him at the door and told him he couldn’t bring it in because it could “trigger bullying.” If the boy was bullied for carrying his My Lil Pony backpack it would be his fault – not those so threatened by the sight of a little boy with a cartoon backpack that they couldn’t control themselves. After a media storm, the public school apologized and recognized that this was a teachable moment to address the wider issue of bullying.[1] But not the Christian school in Lynchburg, Virginia. They expelled an 8-year-old girl named Sunnie because she was “not feminine enough.” She wore pants and her hair was too short and so they claimed she was not upholding “biblical standards.” When the child’s grandparents complained, first to the school and then to the media, the school claimed that the grandparents were lying and the media were distorting the truth. The school dug their heels in even further and claimed they were really the victims. They claimed they were being “bullied” by secular society. Lawyers for the school explained, “Parents send their children to this school because of our Christian beliefs and standards. We have a duty to create an environment that is supportive of these Christian values. We cannot have conflicting messages or standards because such conflict will confuse students and frustrate parents who entrust their children to us.”[2] So, first the school claimed the grandparents were lying. Then, that the media were bullying them. This fantasy-world of victimization is so irritating and outrageous. You’ve no doubt heard the polls that white evangelical Christians claim that “persecution” against them in this country is much worse than Muslims and every other actually mistreated group.[3] But by the school’s own explanation, they weren’t victims. They claimed that had to expel 8-year-old Sunnie because she was a danger to other children and parents for confusing them. And the disciples asked Jesus, “Rabbi, who sinned?” They assumed that blindness was the cause and effect of sin. Let’s be clear: It is not. Even so, remember the pain that such a question must cause for people who are differently-abled. Like the man who was formerly blind – the subject of conversation rather than participant, talked about instead of talked with. This story is a long back and forth and back and forth – ironically kind of funny, almost a keystone cops kind of spectacle with lots of characters, including curious people from the crowd, outraged Pharisees, frightened parents, clueless disciples, Jesus and the man himself (who, did you notice, wasn’t asked before Jesus wiped spit and dirt on his face – can we talk about consent!) Anyway, after all this back and forth and blame game and deflection – “he healed on the Sabbath” – and hypocrisy and false outrage, “how dare you,” – and finally the grand proclamation: “I don’t know. All I know is that I couldn’t see but now I can.” What a great response. How did he heal you? I don’t know. All I ask is that you believe my experience, not express an opinion about whether it’s possible or not. Does Jesus heal? I don’t know. All I know is what people have said about their experiences. And I believe them. So, let’s believe and celebrate with the man. Perhaps, however, the more challenging question is not whether Jesus does or does not heal, but why some and not others. I don’t know. But what I know is that there is nothing I can do to change the situation other than to change myself. And I believe this is where Jesus leads the conversation. So, we start where the gospel starts, “Rabbi, who sinned?” And then follow Jesus to the point. If we stick with it, if we keep engaging this back and forth story, we will finally come to ask – How am I a hypocrite? Such a question can sting, but we all have blinders. You’ve perhaps heard these words before: “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just and will forgive our transgressions and cleanse us from unrighteousness.” This is the practice of self-reflection, self-examination, looking for our own blind spots. Or we can try to make it about everyone else, point fingers, and look for someone else to blame. But as people of faith, we believe honesty leads to truth. Self-reflection leads to growth. And confession leads to transformation. Unless we refuse to see. And so, Jesus said, “I came into the world to bring everything into the clear light of day, making all the distinctions clear, so that those who have never seen will see, and those who have made a great pretense of seeing will be exposed as blind.” Some Pharisees overheard him and said, “Surely you’re not calling us blind?” Do you ever think Jesus rolled his eyes? He said, “If you were really blind, you would be blameless.” Like last week when Jesus spoke to the Samaritan woman at the well. He told her he was the Messiah. The same woman that one scholar called a “five-time loser” and a “tramp” and others described as living a “morally dubious life.” Jesus honored her and respected her and yet she was, and still is, blamed for the hard life she had been forced to endure. Surely, she brought this upon herself. The disciples didn’t even bother to ask who sinned. They all presumed she had, never asking, “Who sinned against her?” And they never thought to ask who had sinned against this man, forcing him to live as a beggar? Instead the question is asked whether the man born blind had sinned to cause his being born blind? When exactly would that have been? Eye roll and Jesus dismisses the idea as ridiculous and instead spoke to the man, honored him, revealing, I am the Son of Man. To which the man responded, I believe. Just as the woman had. Jesus turned the worlds of both the man and the woman upside down, which threatened the religiously powerful who would do anything – then and now – to keep, hold on to, their power. These radical ideas of Jesus were becoming more dangerous every day. He kept including more and more people who had previously been outcasts for whatever blame game religious, cultural, political, or moral reasons they could conceive. I don’t know why the church refuses to see this. That when you exclude women, when you scapegoat people of every color, race, and nation, and blame people for escaping violence, when you judge people who are queer, and marginalize people who are differently-abled, and stigmatize people with mental illness… Where is the radically inclusive Jesus of the gospel? Instead, obsessed with sin – not the kind that leads to self-examination but rather blame. That’s not Jesus, but it is what too much of American Christianity represents to people outside of or fleeing the church. Sarah Speed (from A Sanctified Art) wrote a poem called “Jesus in the psych ward.” He’s in group therapy, plastic chairs in a circle. Paper cups with weak coffee. Everyone in the room has seeking eyes. The Pharisees admitted him. They said things like, “he’s more than we can handle.” They let the rumors fly. The other patients like him. They say, “He listens to me.” He calls them by name. And when one of them asks, “Is this our fault? Are we here because we sinned?” Jesus doesn’t wait for the facilitator to speak. He crosses the circle and kneels down. He grabs their hands in his and says, Child of the covenant, God loves you too much to ever wish you pain. Bodies and minds crumble sometimes, but God’s love for you does not. And after that There were happy tears and the group was dismissed to lunch, Where they broke bread and no one ever again talked of sin.[4] Jesus said, “I came into the world to bring everything into the clear light of day, making all the distinctions clear, so that those who have never seen will see, and those who have made a great pretense of seeing will be exposed as blind.” “Surely you’re not calling us blind?” He said, “If you were really blind, you would be blameless. But since you claim to see everything so well, you’re accountable for every fault and failure.” The powerful clinging to their supremacy claimed to be shocked, victimized, and so they intensified their plot to crucify this Jesus who sees all of us exactly as we really are. And isn’t it amazing that with forgiveness for our own blinders, although once we could not, now too we can see! See ourselves with honesty and be seen by others exactly as we really are – fearfully and wonderfully made. [1] https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2014/03/18/my-little-pony-backpack-banned-school-north-carolina/6565425/ [2] https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/03/26/girl-feminine-school-virginia/6900935/ [3] https://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2014/08/the-evangelical-persecution-complex/375506/ [4] This powerful poem is based on another one called “Jesus at the Gay Bar” and his interaction with a boy who begged to be healed. He said, child, there is nothing in you to be healed. https://jayhulme.com/blog/jesus-at-the-gay-bar Sermons from Mission Hills UCC San Diego, California Rev. Dr. David Bahr [email protected] March 12, 2023 “Would You Give Me a Drink” John 4: 3-30, 39-42 – Common English Bible Jesus left Judea and went back to Galilee. 4 Jesus had to go through Samaria. 5 He came to a Samaritan city called Sychar, which was near the land Jacob had given to his son Joseph. 6 Jacob’s well was there. Jesus was tired from his journey, so he sat down at the well. It was about noon. 7 A Samaritan woman came to the well to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me some water to drink.” 8 His disciples had gone into the city to buy him some food. 9 The Samaritan woman asked, “Why do you, a Jewish man, ask for something to drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” (Jews and Samaritans didn’t associate with each other.) 10 Jesus responded, “If you recognized God’s gift and who is saying to you, ‘Give me some water to drink,’ you would be asking him and he would give you living water.” 11 The woman said to him, “Sir, you don’t have a bucket and the well is deep. Where would you get this living water? 12 You aren’t greater than our father Jacob, are you? He gave this well to us, and he drank from it himself, as did his sons and his livestock.” 13 Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks from the water that I will give will never be thirsty again. The water that I give will become in those who drink it a spring of water that bubbles up into eternal life.” 15 The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I will never be thirsty and will never need to come here to draw water!” 16 Jesus said to her, “Go, get your husband, and come back here.” 17 The woman replied, “I don’t have a husband.” “You are right to say, ‘I don’t have a husband,’” Jesus answered. 18 “You’ve had five husbands, and the man you are with now isn’t your husband. You’ve spoken the truth.” 19 The woman said, “Sir, I see that you are a prophet. 20 Our ancestors worshipped on this mountain, but you and your people say that it is necessary to worship in Jerusalem.” 21 Jesus said to her, “Believe me, woman, the time is coming when you and your people will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22 You and your people worship what you don’t know; we worship what we know because salvation is from the Jews. 23 But the time is coming—and is here!—when true worshippers will worship in spirit and truth. The Father looks for those who worship him this way. 24 God is spirit, and it is necessary to worship God in spirit and truth.” 25 The woman said, “I know that the Messiah is coming, the one who is called the Christ. When he comes, he will teach everything to us.” 26 Jesus said to her, “I Am—the one who speaks with you.”[a] 27 Just then, Jesus’ disciples arrived and were shocked that he was talking with a woman. But no one asked, “What do you want?” or “Why are you talking with her?” 28 The woman put down her water jar and went into the city. She said to the people, 29 “Come and see a man who has told me everything I’ve done! Could this man be the Christ?” 39 Many Samaritans in that city believed in Jesus because of the woman’s word when she testified, “He told me everything I’ve ever done.” 40 So when the Samaritans came to Jesus, they asked him to stay with them, and he stayed there two days. 41 Many more believed because of his word, 42 and they said to the woman, “We no longer believe because of what you said, for we have heard for ourselves and know that this one is truly the savior of the world.” In a desert climate, what time of day would you normally go to the well to draw water? Probably not the hottest time of day. So why was this woman there at Noon? It speaks volumes to who she was:
At least, that’s how I see it. Because here’s the thing: We can hear the words of Jesus that she had had five husbands and was now living with a man who wasn’t her husband and think he was judging her. That’s how many scholars, male scholars that is, have written about her. Listen to these: She exhibits a “dubious lack of morals” and “aberrant sexual behavior.” What?! One wrote that she was a “five-time loser” and a “tramp.” These men reveal more about their own attitudes toward women than anything they could possibly find in the actual text itself. Let’s think about the time in which she lived. As a woman, what kind of power did she have? For example, even if she had wanted to, she couldn’t have a initiated divorce with one let alone five men. And if it had been adultery, the man would have been patted on the back in the locker room, while others were out assembling a pile of stones to throw at her. Maybe every single one of the men died and people thought she was cursed. I immediately think of the story of the woman forced to marry 7 brothers, one after the other after each man died – like a piece of property handed down. To recognize that the woman at the well had been married five times means we must realize, sympathize with, what a hard life she must have had. Imagine a life filled with such grief, a life of being abandoned, the hunger inherent in such instability, and thirst. Literal thirst as she did everything she could to survive. And what did she get for all that? Scholars calling her a loser and women who didn’t invite her to join them in the early morning as they laughed and shared stories on their way to the well. Why was she at the well at Noon? Not only her exclusion but the time of day also reveals the contrast between her and Nicodemus – a respected member of the religious establishment. In the chapter right before this, Nicodemus came to Jesus in the middle of the night. He didn’t want anyone to see him talking with Jesus. To his credit, he went to Jesus with an open mind, but he couldn’t comprehend the idea that he must be born from above or anew or again. He walked back into the night unconvinced. But, by the light of the Noonday sun, this woman with no power, and not only that, a Samaritan, a person of a hated and despised people, regardless of whether she had a “past”… she not only immediately understood who Jesus was, this woman at the well raced to tell other people the good news. She was the first preacher of the gospel! Now, it wasn’t a coincidence or an accident that Jesus happened to come across her. On his trip back to Galilee from Judea, he chose to go directly through Samaria. Imagine you’re traveling from San Diego to San Francisco. It wouldn’t make sense to drive through Las Vegas to get there, right? That is, unless you’re trying to avoid Los Angeles. Not because of the traffic but because you despise the people of LA. To get from Judea to Galilee it would make geographic sense to take a direct route, but Jews avoided Samaria at all cost. They hated each other. Remember the story of the “Good” Samaritan. There was no such thing because nothing good could ever come from Samaria. It’s like hearing a story of the “good” smuggler or the “good” white supremacist. It’s going to get your attention. And why did Jews and Samaritans hate each other so much? Well, scholars don’t all agree and it’s too complicated to really go into with much depth, I tried but it took too long, so just know that it existed with intensity. And yet despite this animosity, or likely because of it, Jesus chose to travel through Samaria. Jesus explained to Nicodemus in that after-dark meeting just verses before that “God so loved the world…” And then immediately put that famous “John 3:16” passage into practice. Samaria represented “the world” and this was just the beginning. And the message was exemplified, amplified, by Jesus telling this particular woman “I Am.” It wasn’t a coincidence. She was exactly the kind of person he was looking for. Nicodemus didn’t understand. Not even the disciples understood. But as Jesus engaged in serious theological conversation with her, treating her with respect like an equal, she not only understood, again, she raced to transform the lives of the very villagers among whom she was an outcast. This isn’t just a nice little story. This story destroys the labels we attach to people, it explodes pre-conceived notions, this story tears down walls, it’s a blast that flings open the door for anyone who has ever felt judged and shut out. Anyone who has ever felt excluded is provocatively welcomed by Jesus who offers Living Water to us all. Again, the statement Jesus made about her five husbands wasn’t a dig at her past. He understood her hard life and offered a healing balm. Like the choir sang, there is a balm in Gilead to heal the wounded soul. Wait, if you’ve sung that song before, it’s supposed to be “sin-sick,” right? To heal the “sin-sick” soul. But is this the same sort of “sin-sickness” the woman was accused of? Is it the reason she went to the well alone at Noon or the reason she was called a tramp with an aberrant sex life, i.e. sin-sick? Why must people be so cruel? Right now, in legislatures across the country, the lives of transgender and non-binary people are being debated like never before. The United Church of Christ reported on Friday that as of March 3rd, there have been 385 anti-LGBTQ bills introduced,[1] the highest number ever introduced in a single legislative season, with 108 of them aiming to end gender affirming healthcare, affecting 54,000 youth, about whom the same kinds of things were said of the woman at the well. Rejected, ostracized, and wounded – but called instead, among other things, sinful, aberrant, morally dubious. And a danger to our kids. Let me introduce you to a woman in Samaria who has had five husbands and now lives with a man who is not her husband. Jesus didn’t say “if you repent I’ll offer you some Living Water.” There was no forgiveness needed. Instead of assigning labels and inciting violence, the church should be offering the water of understanding for how hard life can be when you live under judgment for things over which you have no control. Do we try to understand? Or assign some kind of moral deficiency? To me the parallels are extraordinary. As well as the cruelty. The religiously-based cruelty. But there is a balm in Gilead for the wounded soul. Not the pointed-at = sin-sick. Wounded. For all wounded by religion – perhaps because of divorce you’ve been excluded from communion, or judged because you have doubts, or you or your children weren’t baptized, or you or a loved one are LGBTQ, or because you’ve been looked down upon for whatever reason – religious people can come up with a lot of reasons. Or are you a woman who has been barred from preaching the good news of Jesus who offers the kind of Living Water which will make us never thirst again? I asked our Lunch and Lectionary friends on Thursday, what is Living Water? Marla said it’s the love of God. Others described it as having motion. Water moves. What is the opposite of living water? Stagnant – dank, smelly, unfit to drink – water. Like faith. Think of a stagnant faith or one that is living. A living faith moves and breathes and changes course. A living faith says, God is still speaking. A stagnant faith may counter-propose “God has spoken. Period.” And what does the UCC say to that? Never place a period where God has placed a comma. Is your faith alive or has your faith stagnated? A living faith, like water, is always in motion, it’s changing, always changing, often in ways you can’t control. And why would you want to control it? We are people of faith in motion, Living Water. Sometimes water can only be found in springs below the surface. We might fear it has disappeared because we haven’t seen it for a while, yet it is still there nourishing our thirst. Maybe our prayer is for God to stir the waters. The woman at the well is an inspiration. Just like our national UCC leaders said to trans and non-binary youth on Friday, you are a beloved child of God, created with intention and vibrant love. Within your body rests a sacred offering of God’s multitude. We see you. You belong. As Danielle read at the beginning of the service, hear Jesus say to you: I’d give you a drink, a warm cup of tea with lemon and mint, I’d give you a confetti cannon, roses from the garden, my favorite sweatshirt, a bed to lay in, homemade bread, a hand to hold. I’d give you my full attention. I’d give you my phone and say here, put your number in. I’d give you the melody line, a standing ovation, a sense of security. I’d give you anything and everything If it made you believe That you are enough.[2] [1] https://www.aclu.org/legislative-attacks-on-lgbtq-rights?inf_contact_key=2a3609f37382a474fa1cadbeb3009123464dbfbc1801014bcbec243a32905af2 [2] Sarah (Are) Speed from A Sanctified Art Sermons from Mission Hills UCC San Diego, California Rev. Dr. David Bahr [email protected] February 19, 2023 “Delight in God’s Ways” Isaiah 58: 1-9a – The Message Shout! A full-throated shout! Hold nothing back—a trumpet-blast shout! Tell my people what’s wrong with their lives, face my family Jacob with their sins! They’re busy, busy, busy at worship, and love studying all about me. To all appearances they’re a nation of right-living people-- law-abiding, God-honoring. They ask me, ‘What’s the right thing to do?’ and love having me on their side. But they also complain, ‘Why do we fast and you don’t look our way? Why do we humble ourselves and you don’t even notice?’ 3-5 “Well, here’s why: “The bottom line on your ‘fast days’ is profit. You drive your employees much too hard. You fast, but at the same time you bicker and fight. You fast, but you swing a mean fist. The kind of fasting you do won’t get your prayers off the ground. Do you think this is the kind of fast day I’m after: a day to show off humility? To put on a pious long face and parade around solemnly in black? Do you call that fasting, a fast day that I, God, would like? 6-9 “This is the kind of fast day I’m after: to break the chains of injustice, get rid of exploitation in the workplace, free the oppressed, cancel debts. What I’m interested in seeing you do is: sharing your food with the hungry, inviting the homeless poor into your homes, putting clothes on the shivering ill-clad, being available to your own families. Do this and the lights will turn on, and your lives will turn around at once. Your righteousness will pave your way. The God of glory will secure your passage. Then when you pray, God will answer. You’ll call out for help and I’ll say, ‘Here I am.’ The people are complaining that God should be more appreciative of their sacrifices and acts of piety and devotion. They want a pat on the back, a gold star, and a cheer – well done! Isaiah declares, God doesn’t want your busy worship and scripture study and fasting from food for the sake of being pure and holy. No sackcloth and ashes, just lives lived for the needs of others. As Micah said so eloquently: What does God require of you but to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with your God? And Amos: God desires justice to roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream This is the kind of fast day I want, says God: to break the chains of injustice, to rid exploitation from the workplace, to free the oppressed, cancel debts, share your food with the hungry, invite the poor into your homes, put clothes on the naked, and not to turn away from your families. That’s the fast that is pleasing to God. As Christians of the social gospel tradition, this is the message we seek to instill in our children and youth. That’s why two weeks ago, 25 people from Mission Hills UCC were on a roof in Tijuana instead of here in the pews. Today we’re going to hear their experiences of turning the words of prophets like Isaiah, Micah, and Amos into action. And then I’ll have a few more things to say about how we can sustain our dedication to such compassion and justice for a lifetime. Trip participants share their experiences – Watch our service on YouTube to hear https://www.youtube.com/@missionhillsucc8846 See a trip video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I67eDy7y3Qs&t=21s So, back to Isaiah: God’s impatience was with rituals only for the purpose of fulfilling rituals; performances for the sake of performing; acts without meaningful action. Many of us grew up in a time that many people went to church because it was the socially expected thing to do. Perhaps a place to make business contacts or to be seen. If you didn’t belong to a church someone might wonder what’s wrong with you. Now, people are just as likely to think there’s something strange about you going to church. What’s wrong with you!? There was a time when people went to church out of habit. Now, social habits are more likely to revolve around brunch. During the pandemic many of us got into such habits as folding laundry during worship and out of the habit of going at all. Although, to be clear, American church attendance has declined every year since 1963. It’s not a recent phenomenon, but it has certainly accelerated. And yet, this is not all bad because today, instead of habit or social expectation, people are motivated to attend worship – or not – by some positive value they attach to it. I asked our Lunch and Lectionary group why they go to church. Listen and think about what you would say. For one person, she explained, it’s grounding. I’m grounded in community and in 2,000 years of history. Grounded in community, by the way, as a congregant who lives 500 miles away. Another person said, we need a place for perspective – to see and understand the bigger picture and be reminded of our calling. Another comment: I can’t be my best self or live my values without being held accountable, and when I hear about the love and forgiveness of Christ, these stories call me to reflect on my highest values and how I live my life. Worship is the nourishment I need for the work of repairing the world. One said, the weekly rhythm of Sundays allows us to step in and step out of the ordinary in order to think about the deeper meaning of life in a way that often doesn’t happen anywhere else. Another person said that worship nourishes her soul and is a place where she finds support and acceptance unlike any other. For another, it’s the beauty. The beauty of music and architecture and words and liturgy. Community was a big reason people gave about why they come to church – but not necessarily for friends. In something as simple as the communal act of listening together, breathing together, singing together, we are filled by transcendence and leave with wisdom to share. In a lonely world, we are not alone. Many other examples were offered. What would you add? Why are you here today? What do you expect? What do you offer? Worship sustains a lifetime dedicated to God’s love and justice and compassion in the world. This is how we delight in God’s ways. Justice work, let alone life, is exhausting and not easy without pauses to remember why we are on this earth and what we are doing. The prophets have been calling us back to this for thousands of years. And when you put it that way, there’s no better way to put a hard week into perspective! Thank you again to all who went on the trip and represented the Body of Christ in the world. As Jesus calls to his followers, you relieved suffering and offered hope and joy. Sermons from Mission Hills UCC San Diego, California Rev. Dr. David Bahr [email protected] February 12, 2023 “The Dangers and Virtues of Anger” Matthew 5: 21-26 - Common English Bible “You have heard that it was said to those who lived long ago, Don’t commit murder,[a] and all who commit murder will be in danger of judgment. 22 But I say to you that everyone who is angry with their brother or sister will be in danger of judgment. If they say to their brother or sister, ‘You idiot,’ they will be in danger of being condemned by the governing council. And if they say, ‘You fool,’ they will be in danger of fiery hell. 23 Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, 24 leave your gift at the altar and go. First make things right with your brother or sister and then come back and offer your gift. 25 Be sure to make friends quickly with your opponents while you are with them on the way to court. Otherwise, they will haul you before the judge, the judge will turn you over to the officer of the court, and you will be thrown into prison. 26 I say to you in all seriousness that you won’t get out of there until you’ve paid the very last penny. This is the first of six “you have heard that it was said, but I say to you” teachings of Jesus. Just to be clear, Jesus is not trying to abolish or overturn these laws. Instead, he invites us to take it more seriously. He asks, why stop at murder? What about anger? What about just calling someone a name? What about simply calling someone an idiot or a fool? You have heard that it was said, do not murder. But, Jesus said, I say to you, everyone who is angry with their brother or sister will be in danger of judgment. It made me think: What are the dangers of anger? I asked our Lunch and Lectionary bible study on Thursday and they had a great list:
I’m sure you could name many more. But, I also wonder, isn’t there sometimes a danger in not being angry? Isn’t that also a danger, for example, to our mental health? I’m reminded of the poem by Langston Hughes called “Harlem.” What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun? Or fester like a sore – and then run? Does it stink like rotten meat? Or crust and sugar over – like a syrupy sweet? Maybe it just sags like a heavy load. Or does it explode? The “dream deferred” Hughes speaks of is not simply wishes for a better life but basic, fundamental, human dignity and freedom. In 1961, James Baldwin was asked about being Black in America. He responded, “To be a Negro in this country and to be relatively conscious is to be in a state of rage, almost all the time. And part of this rage is this: It isn’t only what’s happening to you. It’s what’s happening all around you and all of the time in the face of the most extraordinary criminal indifference…” Cruel indifference, for example, in how some people are more upset about people being angry than oppression. Stereotypes of angry Black men and angry Black women deflect just how logical anger would be as a reaction to daily microaggressions or out and proud white nationalism so vividly on display. Why isn’t everyone angry? On the other hand, there is so much anger in our country right now, I certainly don’t want to encourage more. The lack of civility is astounding. The constant grievances and attacks. I’m not encouraging more anger. Rather, I’m talking about the vision of shalom and peace and wellbeing of the biblical prophets – of Micah and Amos and Jeremiah and Isaiah and more. Their anger over the lack of justice, the care of widows and orphans, the welcome of strangers and foreigners. Anger at the lack of wellbeing for everyone. The prophets call for a religious practice that is demonstrated in compassion and not in compliance with empty religious practices devoid of love. When Jesus said, “You have heard it was said but I say,” he was painting a vision of the kingdom of God, a world full of people with mercy. And if not, as we witness a denial of justice and welling for our neighbors, how could we not be as angry as the prophets? It is good to be wary of anger, of not stoking anger, of not provoking anger. But there can be something very good about anger. Virtuous, even. Poet Audre Lord shared how when “focused with precision, anger can become a powerful source of energy serving progress and change. Anger is loaded with information and energy.” Dr. Myisha Cherry is a professor of philosophy at the University of California Riverside. Her most recent book is The Case for Rage: Why Anger is Essential to Anti-Racist Struggle.[1] In it, she makes a case for anger. She wrote after George Floyd’s murder about how anger can build a better world. Anger is not, she said, antithetical to love.
I’m not sure I’ve ever thought of anger as hopeful or as a virtue. Still, I wonder what the voice of non-violence might think. Surely, Dr. King never advocated anger. But it’s not about advocating anger. It’s recognizing the power in it. When Martin Luther King, Jr. was in high school he won an oratorical contest. As he and his teacher were returning home in triumph, riding on a bus, some white passengers got on. The white bus driver cursed at them and ordered King and his teacher to give up their seats. King wanted to stay seated but his teacher urged him to obey the law. They had to stand in the aisle for 90 miles back to Atlanta. Dr. King told an interviewer decades later that it was “the angriest I have ever been in my life.” His daughter Bernice told the story too about how extremely angry her father had been at that particular incident. She said he came dangerously close to hating all white people. It was when he was in college and seminary that he discovered non-violent resistance as a channel for that anger – to move it into positive forms of protest. “If you internalize anger, and you don’t find a channel, it can destroy you.” That’s why he said, “Hate is too great a burden to bear.” He continued to wrestle with anger throughout his life but tried always to use it as a motivating force for change; as well, to contain its potential for destruction.[3] Feel angry when it’s what you feel. Anger is not the opposite of love. It is part of the process of redemptive love. Without anger we could become numb to injustice. And that’s not loving. We could become desensitized to racial terror. And that’s not loving. We could succumb to despair. We simply won’t get to love without going first through the anger we rightfully feel. Surely Jesse Owens was rightfully angry with the racist philosophy of Aryan superiority. At the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, he used it set world records in front of Hitler’s face.[4] Surely Marian Anderson was rightfully angry at the denial by the Daughters of the American Revolution to sing in Constitution Hall. She used it to instead triumph in front of a massive crowd of 75,000 people from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in 1939.[5] Surely Mary McLeod Bethune would have been rightfully angry that her formerly enslaved parents weren’t allowed to learn how to read. She used it as fuel to found a college in 1929 and eventually became a nationally known educator, philanthropist, and adviser to five U.S. presidents. Appointed by President Harry S. Truman, Bethune was the only woman of color at the founding conference of the United Nations in 1945.[6] Her parents were slaves. I could keep going with examples of rightfully-angry injustices that became triumphs, but my point is, you may have heard it was said that anger is bad for you. I say, use it as the fuel to change the world – to advance the Kingdom of God. Anger is necessary to the condition of living as a human being with empathy. It’s the price of being fully human. In addition to the fight for racial justice, where else might this apply in your life? Where are you angry?
But remember,
[1] Oxford University Press: 2021 [2] https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/08/how-anger-can-build-better-world/615625/ [3] https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2019/02/20/691298594/the-power-of-martin-luther-king-jr-s-anger [4] https://olympics.com/en/athletes/jesse-owens [5] https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/eleanor-anderson/ [6] https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/mary-mcleod-bethune |
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May 2024
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