SERMON
St. Simon's on the Sound - Nov. 15, 2020
Well, you may be happy to know that I have completed my first course in General Theological Seminary's Doctor of Ministry program – completed and passed.
My first class was one of a series of four progressive courses designed to focus on the foundations of practical theology. All fancy words aside, I have been reading and writing a great deal about theology over the course of the past seven weeks – a great deal.
Now before you groan too loudly, or sigh despondently, saying "theology, ugh", let me explain a few things.
There are really two distinct areas of theology – academic theology and practical theology. Academic theology, or the work of the universities and seminaries, is a field devoted to scholarly research that seeks to define God through an examination and systematic investigation of religious beliefs, behaviors, and institutions.
Names of academic theologians that you might recognize are Thomas Aquinas, St. Augustine, and Martin Luther.
Practical theology, on the other hand, is an investigation of the ways in which we apply our Christian values, beliefs, and ways of being. It is an investigation of our personal theologies as they impact our daily lives.
The study of practical theology is devoted to the task of promoting, supporting, and sustaining lived discipleship rooted firmly in the Christian tradition. It does this by studying and describing lived theologies – the church’s practice of Christianity. It's a bit like anthropology. It is the study of how Christianity is actually lived out in the myriad cultures throughout our world.
The purpose of practical theology is to facilitate and improve organizational leadership within the Christian church as it prepares congregations to go out into the world and better practice Christianity.
This brief explication of practical theology is, obviously, a vast oversimplification of the pages and pages that have been written about it, and the myriad discourses that have, and still, take place in universities, seminaries, and churches throughout the world. However, I hope that my much oversimplified and brief definition is sufficient in pointing out the difference between academic theology and practical theology – or how we practice theology in the world.
Now that we are all crystal clear about the definition of practical theology, a key question for us today is: What is the practical theology that we as St. Simonites have developed?
How do we St. Simonites who worship, study, and interact as members of St. Simon's on the Sound develop a personal theology based on Scripture, teaching, and prayer; and then, how do we practice that theology among ourselves and in the world? How do we define that personal theology? How do we live it? What happens when it experiences jarring moments?
Of course, you have heard Father David and I preach about this concept – practical theology - hundreds of times. Just last week at our Annual Meeting Fr. David spoke of the importance of taking our St. Simon’s lived theologies – our Christian values, beliefs, and ways of being developed through our life together, here at St. Simon’s - out into the community in ways that will encourage healing from divisiveness and anger. Ways that will bring Christ's love to a hurting world.
In his Annual Meeting charge to the congregation, Father David was asking us to “practice” our faith-based theologies – to engage in what is known as practical theology. To love our neighbors as ourselves – all of them. To live our theology.
St. Paul was of course the champion of practical theology. Paul spent the better part of his life trekking miles and miles throughout the Roman Empire, experiencing one hardship after another, all with the passionate intent of establishing Christian communities. Communities eager to hear his message about a Jew named Jesus who spoke of a God who offered salvation – freedom from sin and eternal life in his heavenly kingdom.
And he was wildly successful. As a “one-man show” preaching the good news – the gospel of Jesus Christ – Paul established Christian churches throughout the Empire. Christian communities that lived a Christ-centered theology of hospitality to all – welcoming the stranger and showing though word and deed the love and compassion of Christ. Love and compassion for all – regardless of social status or place of birth.
Paul's work was unceasing. He did not rest once a community had been established. Rather he left identified leaders behind and continued on to the next community to be converted to this new and exciting information brought by Jesus.
Wherever he traveled, Paul never lost touch with his beloved communities. Through his network of followers, he received ongoing news – kind of a constant contact weekly newsletter sent via communication systems of the times. Importantly, Paul didn’t just receive news, he sent letters responding to what he had learned about conditions of the churches he had left behind. He never stopped loving; he never stopped teaching. His commitment to Jesus Christ was unceasing.
Paul’s Letter to the Thessalonians was written during his lengthy stay in Corinth. This letter must have been a joy for Paul to write for the church in Thessalonica was doing well. Paul writes to them, “But you, beloved, are not in darkness…for you are all children of the light and children of the day.” This church has held onto Paul’s teachings about God and Christ as the way to God’s eternal kingdom. Christ’s pathway to salvation. They have held on – firmly – to their newfound faith.
Paul continues, “But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, and put on the breastplate of faith and love, and a helmet for the hope of salvation. For God has destined us not for wrath but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep we may live with him.”
Paul warns that although things may be going along smoothly at the moment, this will not always be the case. There will be difficult moments. Moments that are jarring to their faith – their newly minted Christian theologies. The going can and probably will be tough even for those who believe. Strong armor is needed if faith is to remain steady and solid.
And finally, Paul says, “Therefore encourage one another and build up each other, as indeed you are doing.”
Encourage one another and build up each other…Paul knew those two thousand years ago the strength of distractions that lead us away from Christ in this world. He understood this so clearly. He told us to clothe ourselves with protective armor. And, most importantly and realistically he insisted on the importance of a strong community. One in which members were continually supporting each other in their faith.
Paul knew that communal encouragement and support was, and of course continues to be, absolutely necessary to holding on to faith as one journeys through the world each day; and as one practices their personal theologies and relays to their home communities through word and deed the good news of Jesus Christ.
Today’s take away point is this: Paul understood that in order to practice the theology of the Good News, one must have ongoing and strong support from their church community. Personal theologies and the way in which we practice them once we leave church are highly dependent on the teachings and love that we receive from our life together here at St. Simon’s. This particular House of God is our foundation and our stronghold. As such it is more valuable than we can imagine.
It is here at St. Simon’s that we develop a personal theology founded upon the cornerstone of our Christian commitment to loving our neighbor as ourselves. A personal theology that never loses sight of compassion and love. A personal theology that encourages us and supports us in our role as disciples – our life as the hands, feet, and voice of Christ in the world.
In this time of Covid 19, a time in which we are separated in so many ways, including our ability to be together as a community here at St. Simon's, holding on to our faith, our hope, our love of neighbor can be challenging.
Our role as lonely warriors for Christ cast into the angry swirl of life that currently surrounds us can be unspeakably difficult. Overcoming the fear, anxiety, anger, depression, and the long-term effects of social isolation and social distancing – overcoming these dangerous, dangerous side-effects of this Covid time does indeed require heavy armor. I am quite certain that Paul would agree most wholeheartedly.
But God is with us – always and forever. We must hang onto to that knowledge.
And I believe we must take every opportunity to be together, safely, here at St. Simon’s – and, of course on Zoom when necessary – to worship, to study, to reflect, and to discuss. To keep Christ vibrantly alive in our lives – alive in the practice of our personal theologies - we must seek and receive support from our St. Simon’s community members. We must use the blessing of our church community to give us the strength to keep love, justice, and peace alive in the communities in which we live.
As I write this sermon, the nation continues to suffer from ways of being so antithetical to Christ’s teachings. It is, for me at least, hard to focus, hard to cling to hope for healing.
To divert from distressing thoughts, I imagine Paul sitting with his friend and scribe Timothy. Paul rises and walking back and forth begins to dictate a letter. Timothy writes, furiously trying to keep pace with Paul's quickly spoken thoughts.
Paul's letter reads:
“To my beloved at St. Simon’s on the Sound in Ft. Walton Beach, Florida, I write to you in this troubled time to give thanks for your steadfast love of each other. And I pray that you will continue to have the strength and the courage to show that love to each other and to your neighbors. Do not be distracted by worldly matters that cause you to fail in your commitment to our Lord, Jesus Christ. Your life as his disciple is your salvation. May you be blessed with a strong heart filled with love, and a deep desire to bring the peace of God – a peace that passes all understanding – to all whom you encounter. Your faithful servant, Paul.”
Shall we write back, and say, “Beloved Paul, we will practice this theology diligently. Peace to you.”
