Micah 4:1-5 "Brief Reflection on Memorial Day"

    You are welcome to use parts of this sermon, but if you do, please attribute them properly!     

         Our older son, Paddy, knew from about the fifth grade on that he wanted to be a teacher.  After he graduated from college, he took his first teaching job at the Caesar Chavez School, an inner city charter school in Washington, DC.  It was the kind of place where teachers were instructed to leave before 5:00 P.M. to go home and not to walk to the metro station alone after dark.

         I went to watch Paddy in the classroom one day.  I took the metro from our hotel through downtown Washington.  All the well-dressed federal workers with their laptops and briefcases got off at Federal Triangle.  All the summer-clad tourists with their cameras got off at the Smithsonian stop.  

         By the time we got to Minnesota Avenue, which was where I got off to walk the three or four blocks to Paddy’s school by myself (he was going to meet me, but got waylaid somehow – and it was not after dark), I was the only white person on the subway – kind of like the racial make up of the school, which was about 75% African-American and 23% Latino, with everyone on the federal free lunch program. 

         Backpacks were checked at the door of the school.  Kids walked through metal detectors each day as they entered the building.  Bulky coats were not allowed in the classroom. There were not enough desks or chairs for the 35 teenagers in Paddy’s classroom, so some students sat on the metal heaters by the window sills or on the floor instead, and the school had three different principals in three years.

         I was rather glad when Paddy began his second teaching job at the White Mountain School in Bethlehem, NH.  It was hard for Paddy to leave DC.  He loved the kids.  However, we also knew that the area of Washington where he taught was sometimes called our nation’s murder capital and that, in the heat of the Iraqi War, Paddy had a greater chance of being shot going to and from work than a US soldier on patrol in Baghdad.

         There are many ways to serve one’s country.  Yet, we seem to focus exclusively on Memorial Day – Remembrance Day – on those who have served in the Armed Forces.  Now hear me out.  I am not gainsaying the loyalty, dedication to country, or patriotism of soldiers and marines. 

And I am certainly not diminishing the ultimate sacrifice that so many of these young people have made in too many wars and bitter conflicts. 

         However, on this Memorial Day Sunday as we reflect on peace, peacemaking, and peacekeeping, let’s not forget those young men and women who have chosen to serve their country through the Peace Corps, through various Christian aid groups, and through other humanitarian organizations. 

         Let’s not forget those young people who walk into areas of conflict without the benefit of firearms to protect them, whose greatest weapon is their neutrality and passion for the agricultural, educational, peace keeping, and community building projects in which they are involved. 

         Those of them who also made the ultimate sacrifice died in ways not dissimilar from those who chose to serve in the military.  They too were taken down in tragic accidents, by illness, through violence, and by suicide.

        As well as the soldiers we remember this day, let’s also remember the 296 Peace Corps volunteers who, over the years, have sacrificed not only their energy and time, but also their lives while pursuing the Peace Corps mission.  Let’s remember the 3223 UN peacekeepers who also died in the line of their duty.  Let’s remember the over 500 Red Cross workers who have been killed providing aid to troops in two world wars, Korea, and Viet Nam.  Let’s remember the aid workers in Afghanistan alone in 2012 and 2013 who encountered 412 attacks with 47 people killed, 70 wounded and 140 detained or abducted. (New York Times)

         Let’s remember all who have served.  Please join me in our Litany for Peace.

 by Rev. Nancy Foran, Raymond Village Community Church U.C.C.

         

Acts 7:55-60 "Calling all Deacons, Stonecutters and Masons, Coffin makers, and Headache Sufferers"

Acts 7:55-60

You are welcome to use parts of this sermon, but if you do, please attribute them properly!

         Last week, you may recall, we talked about the early church basking in true harmony.  Remember?  The author of Acts told us that those early Jewish Christians prayed together, ate together, learned from the Apostles together, and even pooled together all their individual resources for the common good of the community.  That first image of the early church had a certain Woodstock veneer – a veritable love fest.

         Perhaps you remember as well that I said it was quite possible that the author of Acts might be seeing his beloved church through rose-colored glasses. That is, not everything was always as hunky dory as the author professed. At any rate, if there was this utopian euphoria, it did not last for long. 

         You see, not more than five chapters in the Book of Acts, and hardly a few years later, we find today’s passage about the horrific and most violent death of Stephen.  He was an early church parishioner who had managed first to irritate some members of the synagogue, then had crossed the line by preaching a vitriolic, though rambling and lengthy, sermon, lasting 53 verses,

nearly a full chapter in the Book of Acts, and finally had a vision that he described to the conservative Jewish powers-that-be in great detail.

         Stephen: He has his own Feast Day, which falls on December 26^th.  Remember the Christmas carol – “Good King Wenceslas looked out, on the Feast of…..Stephen”?  That is our Stephen – St. Stephen - if the Roman Catholic Church has anything to say about it. 

         St. Stephen – patron saint of deacons, stonecutters and masons, coffin makers, and headache sufferers:  Deacons because Stephen was one of the original seven appointed to assist the Apostles.  Stonecutters and masons because it was the kind of stones these laborers would use in their work that were heaved and thrown at Stephen, causing his untimely death.  Coffin makers because he was the first Christian martyr, the first person to die for the faith, and, finally, headache sufferers because to be hit over and over again in the head with rocks would certainly cause a massive headache before it caused death. 

         Now, to be a saint is a really big deal – even today, even if the required miracles do not have to be quite as dramatic as they used to be. So let’s put Stephen, this saint and martyr, into an historical context to get a clearer sense of the reasons behind his violent death as well as his saintly contribution to the growth of the early Christian church.  In short, let’s figure out how the Holy Spirit worked through this man, Stephen.

         As I said, when we meet Stephen, the love fest of the early church appeared to be almost over.  There was a rift developing – between those who called themselves Jewish Christians and those who aligned with the old ways and remained simply Jews. 

         At their core, however, they were all first and foremost bound to Judaism. They all worshipped in the synagogue together.  They all said the same ancient Jewish prayers and read the same ancient Jewish Scriptures.

         However, those followers of Jesus, those Jewish Christians, were stirring things up.  They were inviting people in from the outside (outside of Jerusalem, that is, people highly influenced by that secular Greek culture, to be specific) – and, worst of all, those interlopers were assuming positions of leadership.  There goes the neighborhood!

         So, in a way, it all began with the Greek widows, whom I also mentioned last week.  They were the ones that Stephen (a Greek-speaking Jew himself) and others believed were getting the short end of the stick when it came to food distribution.  Because the widows could not speak up for themselves, perhaps simply because they did not speak Aramaic (the language of Jerusalem), these women were apparently not getting their fair share.

         Herein lies one of the very first seeds of conflict in the early church.  It was a problem, which, in all fairness to the Apostles, they tried to solve.  The eleven reasoned that, since they should be giving their full attention to prayer and preaching, the community should choose seven others to handle the finances associated with distributing food equally among the widows, the poor, and the marginalized.  These appointees were the helpers, the deacons, the table waiters.  Stephen was one of the seven – hence the patron saint of deacons. 

         However, in his heart of hearts, Stephen was also a wannabe preacher, an orator, and a good one at that, filled with the Spirit, as the author of Acts would say. Above all, Stephen spoke his mind.  However, good orators always have their detractors, the ones who do not care to hear the truth, and Stephen was no exception.  

         So it was not long before a bunch of those detractors stirred the pot, greased the skids with a bit of money passed around under the table, and, before you knew it, people were saying things in the parking lots about Stephen like, “We heard him speaking against Moses and against God!”  Or – “This man is always talking against our sacred Temple and Law of Moses.  We heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will tear down the temple and change all the customs which have come down to us from Moses!” (Which is “church speak”, of course, meaning “But we’ve never done it this way before.”).

         It was because of irate remarks like those that Stephen ended up before the High Priest and his Council – as Jesus once had himself.  However, whereas Jesus chose to remain mostly silent during his tribunal, Stephen rose to the occasion with an impassioned speech that recounted – in a less than favorable light – the history of the Jewish people.  He recalled the Exodus – and Solomon.  He pointed out how God’s chosen people had a history of messing up that was continuing to this very day.        

         As Baptist pastor, Amy Butler writes, “Stephen’s speech told of the way in which God’s Spirit had led the Jewish people through a powerful journey of faith, often taking them into unknown places and asking them to follow.  He reminded those gathered in the temple of all the many ways in which God had consistently asked them to step out of what felt comfortable and follow the movement of God’s Spirit, even when that movement seemed strange, foreign, unusual.” 

         It was clear that Stephen was pretty frustrated at the inability of these conservative-minded Jews to contemplate both change and the possibility of the Spirit working in mysterious ways, its wonders to behold.  “You stiff-necked people,” he concluded, “forever opposing the work of God!”

         Well, that just about did it, as far as his listeners were concerned - and so we find ourselves at the beginning of today’s passage.  The Pharisees and Sadducees who tried Stephen were furious.  The author even says that they “ground their teeth at him in anger.”  And it was at that moment of serious teeth grinding and fist shaking that Stephen had a vision that he just could not keep to himself.  He announced, “Oh! I see heaven wide open and the Son of Man (i.e. Jesus) standing at God’s side!”

         That statement – to put it bluntly - was the straw that broke the camel’s back.  The author tells us that the Council members covered their ears.  Such blasphemy!  Then, hissing like snakes and yelling invectives, they dragged Stephen out of the city, a growing mob in tow, and began pelting the deacon with stones and broken bottles – hence the patron saint of stonecutters and masons. 

         It was hot and thirsty work, and, in capturing a wonderful detail, the author tells us that the ringleaders took their cloaks off and laid them at the feet of a young radicalized Jew named Saul (who would one day be renamed Paul the Apostle), but who now watched the proceedings with great interest and a controlled lust for violence in the name of traditional Judaism.

         Stephen died that afternoon – bruised, cut up, and beaten to a pulp – not unlike the one he died for and not before he whispered similar dying words, “Master, don’t blame them for this sin.” “Forgive them, father, for they know not what they do.”

         That is the bloody story of Stephen – of a man promoting change, caught in the midst of violent conflict that cost him his life, but remaining true to his Messiah to the very end. What do we make of him? What is it about his story that caused his peers to proclaim him a saint, and how should such saintliness be reflected in our church today?

         First, this story tells us something about change, the impact that change can have on a community, and how we cope with such change.  Those Jewish Christians – those Jesus followers – brought a new perspective and a new way of looking at things that made traditional Jews very uncomfortable, to say the least.  Those newcomers had a lot of newfangled ideas – some of which were good and some of which ended up being pretty unworkable. 

         For example, the idea of deacons has lasted some 2000 years – though deacons do less table waiting now than originally. Then there is Stephen’s concept of radical welcome and inclusion – opening our doors to everyone – be they Jew or Greek, slave or free, male or female (as Paul wrote years later in his letter to the Galatians), be they gay or straight, conservative or liberal, greatest or millennial generation – all are one in Christ Jesus.  That notion has been a bit more problematic, but we are getting there.  Pooling all our resources – well, that really never did stand a chance.

         No matter how you look at it though, change is inevitable, and perhaps that is something we can take from this story. Stephen understood that the Holy Spirit is alive and well if folks will just be on the lookout for it. It may not lead us where we want to go.  It may lead us to undertake significant changes in order to continue to be the church in an age of increasing secularism.  However, being attuned to the Spirit beckoning should certainly be a lesson for us if we are intent on not just surviving, but also thriving. 

         In Stephen’s case, the specter of change was a source of violent and deadly conflict – hence the patron saint of coffin makers. However, it does not have to be that way.  Change may lead to conflict (in fact, it probably will), but conflict need not always lead to a bad outcome.  Conflict can also be an opportunity for growth, self-reflection, and transformation.  Conflict can lead to new life, not death.  Dealt with positively, change and conflict can be healthy experiences for any congregation – ours included.

         Second, this story of Stephen tells us something about standing firm in our beliefs. One blogger I read this week noted, “When I look at this passage, I wonder why Stephen had to say so much to his hostile accusers. Why didn't he coat the truth with a little sugar and save his life? That is, of course, what our culture teaches us to do, isn't it? We are skillfully schooled in the art of offending no one by blurring the truth just enough to feel honest about telling it while standing clear of possible repercussions.

         For Stephen, there was no cowardly compromise, no sidestepping the issues or tap-dancing around reality. Stephen chose to speak the truth, the unmasked truth, in spite of the obvious threat of consequences.”  Stephen was passionate about the Gospel message and impassioned by the Holy Spirit, and so he spoke the truth as he understood it not in anger and vindictiveness but in love – albeit tough love - and with great honesty. 

         At the core of Stephen’s passion was his conviction that, through Jesus, another world is possible.  “Imagine that!”  He might have said.  “Do not cling to the old ways, but imagine what is possible.”  That is the truth that must be preached, that must be lived through our rituals and traditions – especially now. Firing up our religious imaginations to speak the truth as Stephen did in new and relevant ways is perhaps the highest calling of our church today.

         Finally, this story of Stephen reminds us that, although Stephen lost his life to the onslaught of rocks and stones, to the very end, he remained faithful to the Living Stone, the rock of refuge, the strong fortress.  Mouthing words of forgiveness with his dying breath, this saint lived as all Christians are called to live – in reconciliation, impassioned by the truth of the Gospel, in communities with doors wide open in welcome, eager to grow and be transformed.

         Here’s to Stephen then: agent of change, protector of widows, orator of truth, waiter of tables, first martyr of the faith, and patron saint of deacons, stonecutters and masons, coffin makers, and headache sufferers.    

by Rev. Nancy Foran, Raymond Village Community Church U.C.C.

Acts 2:42-47 "The Story"

You are welcome to use parts of this sermon, but if you do, please attribute them properly!

         Once upon a recent time, a devoted churchgoer was at a party.  We know it was a recent time because as far as he could tell, he was the only one there who was actively involved in a congregation. 

         When asked if he had plans for the upcoming weekend, the churchgoer replied, “Why, yes.  I am congregating with a group of Homo Sapiens committed to the dominant values of the Judeo-Christian tradition in order that we might become instruments for the transformation of the social order into the kind of eschatological utopia God envisioned from the beginning of time." (Tony Campolo)

         The person who had raised the question was taken aback and merely mumbled in response: "Oh, my, I'm just a lawyer working on some briefs."

         “Congregating with a group of Homo Sapiens committed to the dominant values of the Judeo-Christian tradition in order that we might become instruments for the transformation of the social order into the kind of eschatological utopia God envisioned from the beginning of time”:  That is “the Story”.  That is our story. That is what church is all about – coming together in community in order to catch a glimpse of – and perhaps, in a small way, usher in – the reign of God in our crazy, mixed up world.

         “We are the church,” we proudly proclaim.  But what does that declaration mean in this day and age when worship attendance in all churches is declining precipitously?  Who is the church, and what is it doing here?  Why do we do this thing we call “church”? What is the point of all?

         As we consider how and in what ways we, as the Raymond Village Community Church (United Church of Christ), want to grow as a faith community (and that is what we keep saying that we want to do), it should be instructive to look at the earliest church and see if those folks had a handle on their mission and values. 

         And so today, we turn to a very brief passage in the Book of the Acts of the Apostles.  Biblical scholars generally accept that the same individual who penned the Gospel of Luke also wrote this book, which we commonly call “Acts”.  It is a continuation of the story of the saving acts of God through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ begun in the Gospel. This Volume II focuses on how Jesus' ministry was sustained through the power of the Holy Spirit in the life of the early church.             This passage that we just read comes directly after the story of Pentecost, which we will reflect on in detail in just a few weeks.  To set the scene for today, however, we only need to know that Peter, disciple and illiterate fisherman that he was, had found his voice and preached a sermon to end all sermons, connecting all the dots to prove that Jesus was indeed the Messiah and the hope of all Israel.  We also should note that there were 3000 converts that day, 3000 people who all enthusiastically subscribed to this new and transformative way of living and understanding the world. 

         As Pentecostal pastor, Clifton McKinley, notes: “If there was ever a church growth plan that worked, it was the one used by the first-century church. Talk about effectiveness. This church exploded.”  And so you have got to wonder with statistics like that (3000 new members, I mean):  Is there something they knew that we do not – or maybe have, over the millennia, simply forgotten? 

          Let’s take a closer look at this passage because it encompasses God’s dream for the church – and surely that must mean something when it comes to growth.  However (and this is important), herein lies not evidence to support the discouragement we may feel about being the church in an age of secularism.  Rather, it is a challenge to be all that God has called us to be, to be a living and vibrant part of “the Story.”

         The author of the Book of Acts outlines four foundational qualities of the church.  Let’s look briefly at each one.

         First, the church is a place of learning.  As the author writes, “They devoted themselves to the Apostles’ teaching.”  That is, they read their Holy Scriptures and tried to make sense of them within the context of their own lives.  They struggled both privately and as a community to define how Jesus’ message  - his parables about Good Samaritans and mustard seeds and Prodigal Sons - how this Good News could be reflected in their own lives and in the life of their faith community. 

         In short, they had a passion for the Gospel.  As the author of the blog “Through a Glass Darkly” wrote, Jesus “was their joy; their focus and their object of devotion.

Nothing mattered to them more than discovering more about Jesus and His will for their lives.”

         The blogger goes on to say: “The most basic problem that the church faces today is that we have lost this freshness and this joy about the good news of Jesus. (However, Jesus) is the cornerstone on whom the church is built …. I am more and more convinced (he writes) that until we regain our passion, our spark, our enthusiasm for Jesus that the church will continue to wane and to die. Jesus (and his mission have) to be the center of all that we do, and without that passion we will never live up to our primary calling to be His body, the church.”

         Here at RVCC, do Scripture and the Gospel lie at the heart of our quest to be part of “the Story”?  If so, then how are we demonstrating this passion for learning?

         Second, the church is a place of fellowship, a mecca of community.  “Day by day…they broke bread together at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having the goodwill of all the people,” the author declares.

         We find at the core of that statement the fact that Christianity never was intended as a solitary practice.  Hmn!  Then what about all those people who say that they do not need to come to church because they can find God just as well on the golf course or in the woods, thank you very much? 

         Now – do not get me wrong.  I am not questioning the spirituality of those men and women, but I do object to their calling themselves “Christian.”  Community and fellowship are fundamental to the Gospel message.  After all, the very first thing Jesus did was to gather disciples, create a community – an eclectic one too, made up of unschooled fishermen, former tax collectors, and wannabe revolutionaries. 

         It was no different in the early church either.  I doubt that those 3000 converts all agreed on politics, philosophy, and their outlook of life.  However, they spent time together.  The author of Acts tells us that they spent a lot of time in the temple together.  They shared meals together.

         As our blogger writes, “what brought them together was not just a common human interest, or a shared curiosity about the Christian faith, but a deep, deep work of the Spirit….

Lives were being transformed… Through the power of the Holy Spirit they were becoming more like Christ….That broken relationship was mended;…that legacy of bitterness replaced by acceptance and forgiveness;…that grief and despair touched by resurrection hope and joy. Everywhere you looked the Spirit was at work, and it was little wonder everyone was filled with awe.”  (Through a Glass Darkly)

         Here at RVCC, how do we demonstrate such fellowship and radical welcome? How do we strengthen a community that is at once diverse, feisty, and empowered by the spirit?  How do we encourage seekers – questioners, doubters, the millennial generation - those who may never have had a relationship with a church community – ever – to even contemplate that we offer something they crave – simply to be part of “the Story” with us?

         Third, the church is a place of love.  As the author of Acts tells us, “All who believed were together and had all things in common; they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need.”

         In the early church, the wellbeing of the community was more important than the wellbeing of any individual.  The reason the community could do this, of course, is that they fervently believed in the second commandment – to love your neighbor as yourself.  This was no socialist utopia – though there certainly was a demonstrated unity and power because everyone – everyone (even the oddball, the geek, the one who can’t seem to hold a job - everyone) was loved and accepted.

         As independent Canadian pastor Nathan Colquhoun comments about those who witnessed early church communities, “Who are these people that are selling their stuff just so everyone else is taken care of? Who are these people who eat together in each other’s homes? This isn’t the way the world works normally.

         Life then, as it is now, was plagued with individualism, greed and a constant chasing after instantaneous results and pleasure. It is awe inspiring to see a community of people reject that way of living and take the narrow path toward a life of community, learning and downward mobility.”  They were living, to the best of their ability, what the Kingdom of God should look like.

         (He goes on to say that) acts of love – such as pooling resources and radical sharing- are some of the most significant ways that the church witnesses in the world.  Such acts of love substantiate everything we say we are. 

         We do it differently now since we certainly do not hold everything in common here in our post-modern church culture.  Most of us do not even share 10% with our church community in support of its acts of love. 

         Here at RVCC, how willing are you to uphold this most significant witness of our church by supporting the acts of love, the ministries that are our foundation as the Body of Christ?  What part of your resources are you willing to share, so that our church can truly be a place of love?  Ten percent?  More?  Less?  Do you even know what portion of your income you are sharing?  How are you demonstrating in your financial commitment to our churcy a passion for acts of love?  What role are you playing in “the Story”?

         Finally, the church is a place of worship.  As the author notes, “They devoted themselves to prayer…and spent much time together in the temple.” The early church was built on prayer and worship.  And guess what?  Early congregants did not go to church because they were forced to or because they had nothing better to do.  They worshipped together because the community mattered to them.  In fact, it was like nothing else mattered.   They praised the one who had become their passion.  Worship was at the center of their conviction that they had freely chosen to embody the promise of the Kingdom of God.

         Worship is still a big part of who we are as the church.  It is where these foundational qualities come together. Worship is where we learn about the teachings of the Apostles and Jesus himself.  It is not an easy learning either because it requires both mind and heart.  I agree with Clifton McKinley when he writes:  “People develop an appetite for what they are fed. A church with a steady diet of feel-good sermonettes in place of good theology or solid teaching from Scripture will eventually raise a congregation that is weak.”  You may not always like what I have to say.  You may not always enjoy the symbolism and songs that Karen and I use, but hopefully the worship experience will always make you reflect.

        Worship is also where we gather for fellowship and to support one another.  And worship is where we become empowered over and over again to initiate, facilitate, or simply follow along in those loving actions that define us as the Body of Christ.  Worship tells “the Story” - our Story.  Here at RVCC, how willing are you to actively participate in that weekly telling – even if it nudges you out of your comfort zone?

         Questions, questions - lots of questions this morning in this sermon as we compare our mission and values with those of the early church.  But, come on, you may ask, surely this is an academic exercise, not grounded in reality.  Tell me, was it really like this back in the first century?  Sharing meals and money?  A veritable love fest?

         And the fair answer to that question is that, if it was, then it certainly was not for long.  You see, the Book of Acts is also filled with stories of conflict – from the relevance of rules of kosher eating to how the widows of Greek converts were being treated. 

         However, as UCC pastor, Kate Huey, tells us, this brief passage “holds up for us a wonderful model, a memory and ideal not just for the Christians at the end of the first century, but for us, too, here in the twenty-first.”  She goes on to remind us that however the church has failed – religious wars, inquisitions, hypocrisy – it has managed to pass on the message of God’s love and forgiveness, the promise of the new life and hope we find in Jesus, and the dream of God’s reign on earth – a kingdom of justice and peace.  And that is a good Story – one worth telling both in the first century and in the twenty-first.

         And so we “congregate with a group of Homo Sapiens committed to the dominant values of the Judeo-Christian tradition in order that we might become instruments for the transformation of the social order into the kind of eschatological utopia God envisioned from the beginning of time.”  Yes, that is “the Story” - our Story - and it has been passed on to us here at the Raymond Village Community Church (United Church of Christ), challenging us to live it out in a manner of continuous improvement in our learning, our fellowship, our love, and our worship.

  by Rev. Nancy Foran, Raymond Village Community Church (United Church of Christ)