Category: Michael D
Reasonable Oneness: Words for a Sunday
I will not be visiting congregations in-person this fall to ensure that I don’t bring Covid-19 from my part of Oklahoma to another part of the state. Digital worship has materialized as a primary form many of our congregations within the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) are keeping the sabbath together. Other cousins in Christian faith are doing the same. i don’t have the presentation skills to be a TV preacher, and I’m not trying to convince someone to make a decision about professing faith in Christ. I am trying to give the hearer or reader an idea to consider, an opportunity for self reflection, and encouragement for their journey in faith.
I’m always honored when I’m gifted the trust of the pulpit by a minister or elders of a congregation. This week I reworked some words I’ve shared in other settings. That may shock some readers, but it is not an uncommon practice for clergy to reuse their words. For me, sometimes I’m just adding a new coat of paint. Sometimes it is a complete renovation. I am a manuscript preacher. I need to polish my presentation skills, but I don’t foresee a time when I won’t have those words I’ve worked on, lived with, and have worked on me in front of me. Below is the text of my sermon. This text is missing my version of Jimmy Fallen’s “thank you notes” and other words of welcome from siblings in faith from Oklahoma.
Reasonable Oneness
Scripture Text: Romans 12
The story goes something like this. In the first century BCE, a gentile asks two rabbis a provoking question. “Teach me the whole Torah while standing on one leg.” One rabbi is angered and hits the gentile with his measuring rod. The second rabbi responds, “That which is hateful to you, do not unto another: This is the whole Torah. The rest is commentary and now go study.”
Let us pray. Open our ears and our hearts, O God, that our meditations, our words, and living are a reflection of our faith in You, who creates, who redeems, and who sustains creation and our lives. Amen.
This morning I have reminders and a letter about “who we are.” But, as the old joke goes when you put five disciples in a room there are 8 opinions and 11 ideas. This is a weakness when we think it means we don’t have to be accountable to one another. And, it’s a strength when we respect the boundaries of covenantal community and hold ourselves accountable to community in our congregations and where we live.
Who are we?
The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) celebrates the spirituality that service and study embody when we paint a house, when we discuss how the way of Jesus is lived here in the 21st century, when we provide a meal for a grieving family or help a neighbor.
When the mountains quake or the ground shakes. When the wind blows home away. When rain floods, when fire scorches the land or human failings bring agony and pain, the spirituality of service and study show up locally through our hands, and through the work of Week of Compassion. We can love as God loves. We can and do respond. We can make justice happen.
Service and study strengthen faith and makes life meaningful. As I’ve grown up in our little frontier movement it seems to me that service and study are a compass, a winnowing stick, and a Geiger counter. Sometimes it takes more than one of these tools to help us reorient, separate noise from truth, and measure our passion to remain grounded in the good news of God.
Disciples understand that Christian unity does not mean sharing the lowest common denominator of belief. Christian unity means holding all who profess Christian faith to the highest standards of service in the world. Unity, not uniformity, is the commentary that embraces a curiosity about our differences of belief. You may remember the old saying that Disciples embraced as a compass: “In essentials unity; in non-essentials liberty; in all things charity.” I don’t know if you’ve noticed it, but the only kind of unity our culture, and some cousins in Christian faith, can muster right now is transactional. “The enemy of my enemy is my friend.” But, is that unity? No. It is a poor excuse for not doing the work of justice and equality.
Unity is practiced and pragmatic. It happens when people of good will speak out for, and act on behalf of, the common good: for a local community, a Nation or a congregation. That kind of unity could be described as reasonable oneness. I wonder what is it about we humans, even those of us who follow Jesus, that we can only muster that kind of character, that kind of unity in crisis or tragedy or by having an enemy?
Who are we?
We are people who worship on Sunday morning, Sunday night, Wednesday, or whenever we engage our community of faith seeking to hear and experience the gospel, the good news:
that the Lord’s mercies never cease;
that the Lord’s mercies are new every morning;
and that the Lord’s faithfulness extends beyond our ability to see in a mirror dimly and recognize the image of God in others as well as in our own face.
This morning, I have a portion of a letter from Paul, the Apostle, not Paul the Beetle. The universal Church and many individual Christians throughout the centuries have thought of the Apostle’s words as “gospel truth” rather than commentary. Maybe we should hear his words as a voice of wisdom or truth in his time that can inform our own experience anytime, and especially in pandemic time.
A portion of a letter from Paul, the Apostle, to Christians everywhere: Romans 12 (NRSV)
I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect.
For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to think, but to think with sober judgement, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. For as in one body we have many members, and not all the members have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another. We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us: prophecy, in proportion to faith; ministry, in ministering; the teacher, in teaching; the exhorter, in exhortation; the giver, in generosity; the leader, in diligence; the compassionate, in cheerfulness.
Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honour. Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers.
Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are. Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God; for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’ No, ‘if your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink; for by doing this you will heap burning coals on their heads.’ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
The New Testament scholar Marcus Borg calls this portion of Romans the so what section as Paul moves from theology about God and Christ to what that theology means when put into practice in our living. It is counsel about relationships, community, discipleship and being Christian that begins with be a living sacrifice, and “don’t be conformed by this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds.”
Is there any doubt that we could use a little renewing of our minds right now?
This is what “renewing your mind” sounded like when I was growing up.
Parent [looking frustrated]: “Why did you do that?
Me [looking for any reason to not be standing there] “I don’t know?”
Parent: “Did you stop and think about it first?
Me: “Umm, no.”
Parent: “Look, God gave you a mind and the ability to think so use it before you do something like that again. You’ve been taught better than that. Go to your room and think about what you did and how you will behave differently next time.”
That is one of the conversations I carry in adulthood. Which ones do you carry? How are you renewing your mind to be reasonable in a culture that, presently, profits from being unreasonable? How are you renewing your mind in a culture that rewards the unreasonable and the unethical among us?
The greek phrase translated, “spiritual worship,” can also be translated, “reasonable service.” Being a living sacrifice is “reasonable service.” That’s compelling because it challenges the current version of our extra-ordinary, most valuable player, me and my tribe, scarcity driven, red and blue, unreasonable culture. It seems only tragedy or crisis prevails on our sense of right and wrong: “That which is hateful to you, do not unto another” or maybe, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you” resonates better for you. Maybe this is what, “be a living sacrifice” means because somedays, most days, it can feel like carrying a cross.
Hard as it is to imagine, it is reasonable that firefighters and first responders show up when accident, crisis, or tragedy finds its way into life. Because that is what firefighters and first responders do on behalf of strangers they have never met. You have witnessed it time after time with your own eyes. Do you ever wonder if you are capable of doing extra-ordinary things? If called upon, am I capable of following through on that CPR training I received? Do you ever consider the reasonable things? Could I let someone with 3 items in their arms go ahead of me in the check-out line when I have a basket full. Reasonable things in pandemic time: masks and distance, take one mega pack of toilet paper instead of six, share instead of horde. One day we may hear the parable of hand sanitizer and toilet paper.
Reasonable service:
- Let love be genuine, hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good
- Outdo one another in showing honour.
- Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers.
- Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them.
- Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, associate with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are.
- Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all.
- Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Reasonable service. Yes, it requires some risk. What do you suppose your neighbors find hard to imagine about your reasonable service? What do you think non-believers say Christians do?
Paul, like the Christ he proclaims, says, change yourself. Transform yourself and be Christ-like. Show Jesus the Christ in your living as you interact with people everyday, and you won’t have to wait for the world to change in your 3 feet of influence. Great! But, what about the systems that organize our society? What about the systems.
What Paul and Jesus both leave out is, “It’s not easy.” And in the context of these United States, right now, some days it seems impossible. But, it is not impossible. Living as a follower of Jesus is a balancing act. Paul calls it being a living sacrifice. It was a balancing act for those who began this congregation and for the Christians in Rome to not conform, but to be transformed, to be counter-cultural in our living and not just our worship.
Paul the Apostle and Paul the Beatle both agree that reasonable service has something to do with love. Be a living sacrifice. That is reasonable oneness, and I think that leads to hearing, maybe even seeing in a mirror dimly, what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
The rest is just commentary. Go and serve. Go and study.
What has Covid-19 done for us?
A blunt observation. The virus has exposed anger. The righteous and fearful angry dispositions of our ourselves and our neighbors. It has replaced empathy, compassion, and justice with profit, nativism, and impunity. It has, somewhat, helped point to what matters most when everything matters.
What has Covid-19 done?
Exposed the fragility of America’s economy and global economic connections. 17 million unemployed. State employment agencies understaffed , underfunded, and infrastructure incapable of handling half that case load. Our Nation taxes labor more than profit, and much more than money making money. Just because one is free to look for another job does not make one free. Wall Street is a legalized craps game where the Big players never, ever loose. Who was held accountable for the 2008 financial crisis? Who went to jail? What regulations were put in place to keep that from happening again?
The SCOTUS Citizens United decision unleashed information robber barons and con artists. Citizens don’t know who is really funding politicians and the honor system relies on people having honor. Maybe that is why some politicians disclose the number of individual small donors they have. I’m more interested in your corporate list and your bundler list. That is who will be lobbying once elected. It is another reason why we need to see the tax returns for the current year and past 20 years of every person running for President. In matters financial and in matters of peace, will a President choose the good of the Nation or the good of their individual bank account. I’m not a scripture quoting Christian, but given the current administration’s example of running the Federal Government every professing Christian needs to revisit a parable and remember, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:21) Greed is not good.
What has Covid-19 done?
Exposed the fear and anxiety of the early 21st century. Fear of what it takes for America to be a shining city on a hill. Fear of loosing position, power, influence, or paying the taxes so that a neighbor can thrive in the system the same way you have. This President, his administration and enablers, have embraced the national anthem of the “2000 Year Old Man” as America’s anthem as it distinguishes between Republican and Democratic cities and States. “Let all the other caves go to hell except cave 76!” The corporate overlords continue to take their cut from the division in our Nation. How would you define an “equal chance” at the American dream? Maybe the better question is, “What are our common obligations to each other to keep the rules “fair” for all?” Is the American dream meant to be competitive or sacrificial? Abundant or scarce?
What has Covid-19 done?
Reminded me of Eddie Murphy’s comedy take on two Americas in, “White Like Me.” It makes me laugh and pause. Wait. What? Black Lives Matter.
Reminded me that Blazing Saddles was a brilliant, satirical comedy. We’ve lost the ability to look at ourselves, listen to ourselves, and laugh at ourselves on the way to being a better human being as well as a more perfect Union. Maybe Spike Lee could do a remake, but it is probably better to let this piece of film be a historical reminder. Remember, Do the Right Thing.
What has Covid-19 done?
Within Christendom the virus has exposed the masked nature of our neighbors, cousins in faith, and siblings in faith. It has strained relationships and created a zero sum game for power and dominance. No longer we, but I. Me and mine. Me and my Jesus. My church. Right now, masks in public benefit the common good to slow the spread of the virus, but like so much in our Nation, for some masks are also a political statement even in one’s place of worship. Unfortunate. Disappointing. Unnecessary. It is not about religious freedom. The only thing theological about masks is that they can alert a person that the breath of God being expelled may need a mint. I’ll admit that I didn’t want to wear a seatbelt once it became a law, but I’m no longer a child and have put away childish ways, mostly. Well, specifically about seatbelts.
What has Covid-19 done?
Unmasked, again, the systemic inequities and “isms” of these United States that continue to plague our culture around race, economics, and gender. Unregulated capitalism is no more the answer than unregulated socialism is. How many times must we try “trickle down” economics to have enough data points to know it does not work? How many black, brown, red, and yellow people have to die in custody for the Nation to admit that there is a problem with policing? How many more children and adults have to be murdered with weapons meant for the military battlefield before we have enough data points to know that we have a gun problem in this Nation? How much longer must this adolescent phase as a Nation continue?
Covid-19 unmasked that cheaper and faster has replaced right and wrong for a majority of the Nation. If it were not so, charity would not be necessary to maintain the status quo. We can’t be a great society, or Nation, when the law requires Warren Buffett’s secretary to pay more in taxes than he does.
What has Covid-19 done?
Displayed the different silos we each participated in before SIP (shelter in place). It has helped some of us understand what is important in our daily lives and what we can do without. It has brought families around dinner tables at home. It has exposed the for-profit childcare system that is part of our economic system as a necessity instead of a choice. If the “Right to Lifers” were consistent, then childcare would be free or based on your income, public schools would first class learning centers, and birth control universally covered for women and men by insurance.
The virus has shown that we can no longer treat teachers or teaching as a pay for service industry. It is a profession. A vocation. A part of the social contract of this Nation supported by taxes so that educated citizens can guide the Nation with their spending, voting, and communal service. The virus has exposed our choices, our moral compasses, and how to spot the helpers as if we needed that refresher course. It has shown a light on the underpaid “essential” workers that might show up on an episode of Dirty Jobs.
What has Covid-19 done?
Streaming services! Our budget allows my companion and I to access several streaming services and cable TV. My childhood was filled with edgy sitcoms and dramas brought into the house by antenna (on a good day). I’m thankful my parents let me watch Maud, All in the Family, Alice, Good Times, Sanford & Son, M*A*S*H, and Hill Street Blues. Black-ish and This Is Us seem like equals to those old shows, but I’ve only seen an episode or two. They are on the playlist for the fall.
I grew up watching TV and it is on more than it is off in our house. It seem’s like the Riddler’s fictional “Box” from “Batman Forever” (1995) is a real device as we are entertained and numbed by the visual to be either incapable of change or outraged and in the streets. Generational systemic change plods along or not. Engineered reality TV and goofy competition shows keep the population comfortably numb. It is like we are caught in an episode of The Truman Show and the public is Truman. We are unaware or don’t care that we are being acted upon for the amusement of others and to sell product.
My companion and I are rewatching HBO’s, The Newsroom and realizing how timely it was, and is. The opening scene from the pilot, I think, is true of today.
What has Covid-19 done?
Am I more grateful, thoughtful, and precise. Are we more grateful, thoughtful, and precise. More self aware or self conscious about our effect on others? Able to admit mistakes? More compassionate and less fearful. I wonder what the social side effects of a Covid-19 vaccine or treatment will include. Will the social side effects depend on who is elected to Congress and is elected President of these United States of America this November?
What has Covid-19 done for us?