The Power of Community Love

 

SERMON

July 30, 2023

Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52 

It took me a long time to grasp the meaning of community and the power of love that God’s community holds as it moves in the world. 

As a young child I was a loner. I deemed it safer to keep myself separate from the confusion of my family’s comings and goings. But, during my adolescence as I struggled to be included in my peer group’s activities I began to understand the social consequences of years of keeping myself apart from others. It was a hard lesson to learn; one which continues to impact my current life.

When I was 14, I hesitantly joined my church youth group. Going to church was a new thing for my family. I am quite sure that my mother decided upon our church adventure for social reasons, not for a longing to be with God. But in any case, it was a great and necessary move for me. It brought me into weekly contact with the church’s Sunday afternoon youth group. The group was filled with wonderful people my own age, and our leader was an absolutely marvelous and energetic young man who delighted us with a wide variety of interesting speakers, who shared stories of what they did in the world.

One year we decided to put on a play to raise funds for the church. We selected The Heiress by Ruth and Augustus Goetz. The play centers around Catherine a young woman who stands to inherit her father's large fortune. Catherine falls in love when she meets Morris who gives her the love and affection her father doesn't. Catherine's father, believing Morris is only interested in money, tells Catherine she will be disinherited if she marries him. Morris' true intentions are put to the test when he finds out about the amended will.

Guess who played Catherine? Me. It was a fabulous adventure and everyone in the youth group had some sort of part or job. We rehearsed for weeks. We sold tickets. We designed sets and costumes. We put ads in the local newspaper. Most importantly we had fun, so much fun.

Two nights before our first scheduled performance my father died. Of course, I now was unable to participate in opening night, or any of the following performances. I called our leader and told him to please go ahead without me. He replied, “The group has told me they would not go forward without you. We will postpone the event until you can be with us. We are waiting for you, and we are praying for you.”

There are no words to express what the love and support of our youth group meant to me. It was at that moment in time that I understood the power of God’s love when it is expressed through many voices speaking as a community.

That was the beginning of my understanding of the power of community. The power of community as expressed in the theology of Ubuntu.

Ubuntu is an African philosophy that recognizes the humanity of a person is established only through a person’s relationship with other persons.  

Archbishop Desmond Tutu explained, “One of the sayings in our country is Ubuntu — the essence of being human. Ubuntu speaks particularly about the fact that you can’t exist as a human being in isolation. It speaks about our interconnectedness … We think of ourselves far too frequently as just individuals, separated from one another, whereas how you are connected and what you do affects the whole world. When you do well, it spreads out; it is for the whole of humanity.”

My youth group story and Desmond Tutu’s quote ring in my head when I consider today’s gospel passage from Matthew. “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in the field; it is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.”

“The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened.”

“The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls; on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.”

The kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and caught fish of every kind and when it was full, they drew it ashore.”

And “Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like the master of a household who brings out of his treasure what is old and what is new.”

In all of these metaphors Jesus is telling us that the kingdom of heaven becomes a reality only when we cease to think of ourselves as just individuals, separated from one another. The kingdom of heaven becomes a reality only when we are connected with each other and in that connection create a community in which God is fully present.

Regularly I hear stories of how hearts have been moved, how loneliness has been lifted, how suffering has been alleviated, how the kingdom of heaven has flourished through the love and caring of the people of St. Simon’s and their long history of mission, God’s mission, in Okaloosa County, and in some instances beyond. These stories must continue to abound, be heard, and be considered for what they truly are. These are stories that are the fruit of God’s mission in the world.

Several months ago, Bishop Russell visited with the vestry to discuss issues relating to ensuring St. Simon’s continued presence in the community. He said, and I gently paraphrase, “There is a need for St. Simon’s presence in this community. We must always remember how important we are to the flourishing of God’s community, both among ourselves and throughout Okaloosa County.”

It should come as no surprise to anyone here when I say that these are challenging times for St. Simon’s. We struggle with maintaining a building that needs costly repairs. We, like almost all other churches, are still regaining our footing as we recover from the Covid pandemic. We have journeyed with many invaluable friends who have died. We must face the growing reality of a world in which increasing numbers of people fall away from regular, if any, church attendance.

We are struggling. But as we struggle God expects us to seek his kingdom of heaven and like the tiniest of seeds, the mustard seed, God expects us to ensure that our soil is deep and deeply cared for. A rich soil that ensures  a renewed and flourished tree to emerge. A tree that brings the kingdom of heaven to our community and beyond.

Importantly, our soil can only be rich and deep, rich and deep enough for the growth of a flourishing tree, without first working together, in love and in community to tend the soil and feed the growing bush.

Archbishop Tutu was so correct when he said “We think of ourselves far too frequently as just individuals, separated from one another, whereas how you are connected and what you do affects the whole world. When you do well, it spreads out; it is for the whole of humanity.”

The memory of the simple act of my youth group community saying that they would wait for me as I struggled with my grief will never leave my mind. Together, as a community, they waited for me out of compassion and love. Words cannot express the impact of their gesture on that deeply grieving teenager. Certainly, it allowed me to experience the kingdom of heaven.

In Romans 5 Paul writes “Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.”

Yes, we here at St. Simon’s are currently struggling. However, if we do not engage in that struggle in love and in community there can be no victory, only defeat. I do not believe defeat is an option God even considers. 

O God, the protector of all who trust in you, without whom nothing is strong, nothing is holy: Increase and multiply upon us your mercy; that with you as our ruler and guide, we may so pass through things temporal, that we lose not the things eternal…

 

 

 

 

 

Fidelity - No Easy Task

 

SERMON

July 2, 2003

Matthew 10:40-42

When I was 16 God came into my life. I was sitting in my boarding school chapel on one of the hard wooden pews. I was the only person there and it was so very quiet. As I remember it, I was feeling quite lonely and lost. And then, God was there. It was an absolutely stunning moment. There are no words to describe it. It just happened. All of a sudden, I experienced God within my very being and peace filled my soul.

Despite this absolutely mystical experience and the peace that it brought me the journey from my adolescence through the many years and stages of my life has not been smooth sailing. It has been bumpy. Quite bumpy. With both glorious and exciting highs and lows that quite frequently have filled me with despair and left me wondering “How will I go forward. I am quite lost and very scared.”

Yet, somehow, be the moment, high or low, since that afternoon in the chapel, many years ago, I have always sensed God with me. I have always believed that if I just kept going the next steps would come; the way would be made clear. I would go forward, and all would be well.

Now, as I look back, I realize that in essence I was continually saying, sometimes consciously, sometimes unconsciously, “Yes” to God and “No” to, at times, some quite self-destructive, temptations. And it is only recently as a result of my many spiritual experiences and studies that I have gained a deeper understanding of how important God has been in my life. How blessed I have been to have him present within me all this time. And now, as I write this sermon, I wonder did God put me in that chapel pew all those years ago intentionally?

These long-ago memories came to mind as I read today’s passage that tells the story of the binding of Isaac. As I studied several commentaries on the meaning of why God would test Abraham by asking him to sacrifice his only son Isaac, I became intrigued by the concept of fidelity to God. What does fidelity to God entail? What does the concept of fidelity to God mean for us in today’s chaotic world? How can we know if we are being faithful to God?

“God tested Abraham, He said to him, Abraham!” And he said “Here I am.” He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains that I shall show you. So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac; he cut wood out for the burnt offering, and set out and went to the place in the distance that God had shown him.”

As you can well imagine there are many, many interpretations attached to this rather shocking story. But in the end, there is a consensus that the goal is to demonstrate God’s testing of Abraham’s faith. Walter Brueggemann calls the story one of anguished faith. And a story which provides an account of the tangible movement in the relationship between God and Abraham.

Brueggemann explains that in verse 1 we hear God’s testing of Abraham’s faith.  “God tested Abraham, He said “Take your son, your only son Isaac whom you love and go to the land of Moriah and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains that I shall show you.” Brueggemann goes on to point out that by Verse 12 we learn that God now knows the depth of Abraham’s faith. God says “…for now I know that you fear God since you have not withheld your son.”

And how did God get from “not knowing” to “knowing?” The answer is found in verse 8 when Abraham says, “God himself will provide the lamb for a burnt offering, my son. So, the two of them walked on together.” Abraham trusts that God will provide. He does not know the outcome of this incredible challenge, but his trust in God is unreserved and he is willing to commit his way to God’s command.

Brueggemann concludes this particular exegesis by saying, “God is God. He insists on being trusted, totally. God commands us, ‘You shall have no other Gods before me.’ God insists upon fidelity.” 

For Brueggemann fidelity and infidelity are the two fundamental categories of faith. In a separate commentary he writes, “If we are going to live inside the narrative of the Bible, rather than some other narrative, that seems to be what we are either blessed with or stuck with.”

In our chaotic and confusing world, a world which is increasingly politized and dangerously polarized the concepts of fidelity or infidelity to God as understood in the Christian faith through scripture, tradition, and reason must be the essential norms by which we measure our way. The binding of Isaac presents a narrative for life that is consistent with all our lives throughout the ages. As heirs of Abraham, we are all tested by times when it is quite tempting to find an easier, less demanding response to God’s way. These are the times that force us to determine whether or not we mean what we say about our faith being grounded solely in the gospel. 

Do we live within the narrative of scripture? Or do we live within some other narrative?

In Genesis God tested Abraham by asking him to sacrifice his only son. The son he loved. In the Gospel according to Mark Jesus says to his followers, “For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it.”  And a bit later in his gospel Mark tells us “Peter began to say to him, 'Look, we have left everything and followed you.”

“We have left everything and followed you.” Radical obedience to God’s commands.

I do not believe that I am unique in my boarding school experience of sensing God within me and God with me. I imagine that it is an experience that we all have had, and probably more that once. The critical question is do we acknowledge that presence. Do we listen to that elusive but distinct voice that always, always points us in the direction of fidelity? Or do we shy away from what is being whispered in our ear and take the easier and perhaps more tempting road that leads to infidelity?

Fidelity to God is no easy task. It is a task that requires a lot of effort, and it is a task that cannot – cannot - be done in isolation.  Desmond Tutu wrote “Christian spirituality articulates our image of God as diverse persons in a unified nature. Christian spirituality immediately becomes problematic when it is conceived out of community because community is the very image of God. Salvation comes in the turning toward God in community.”

“Salvation comes in the turning toward God in community.” 

How does the story of Abraham impact us today? What is it relevance for the people of St. Simon’s? Why do we even bother with such a grim story told thousands upon thousands of years ago?

We bother with it because it is a story that presents in bold relief the critical issue of fidelity vs. infidelity to God. 

The binding of Isaac is a story of fidelity in which Abraham says “Here I am” to God in the direst of all circumstances, the sacrifice of his only and beloved son Isaac. A story which points to the depth of Abraham’s faith when he says to his terrified son, “God will provide”. A story through which we understand the challenges that God quite frequently places before us. Challenges that strain the bounds of our faith; that force us to chose between fidelity or infidelity – God’s bottom line.

We at St. Simon’s currently face a big challenge as together we comprehensively explore the multiple issues that must be addressed in order to ensure our way forward and the integrity of our presence in Ft. Walton Beach and beyond. Hard decisions must and will be made and implemented. Love must fill our hearts and our minds as with integrity, courage, and patience we make the changes necessary to the well-being of our life together. Fidelity to God’s call must at all times be uppermost in our minds.

As Archbishop Tutu correctly pointed out “Christian spirituality immediately becomes problematic when it is conceived out of community because community is the very image of God. Salvation comes in the turning toward God in community.”

Fidelity to God’s call for St. Simon’s can only be attained in community. In the diversity of our community, we will experience God among us, and we will be better able to hear his voice as it calls to us, “People of St. Simon’s.” We will be better prepared to respond, “Here I am. “Here we are.”

However, if we are to accomplish this challenging goal we must work together as a beloved community. A community of faith that follows Tutu’s ubuntu theology and the more recent advice that Martin Luther Kings, Jr gave to his congregation in one of his final sermons, “Faith is taking the first step even when you can’t see the whole staircase.”