Gifts to Create the Beloved Community

January 17, 2010 The Second Sunday after Epiphany
Sermon "Gifts to Create the Beloved Community"
Scripture I Corinthians 12: 1-11; John 2: 1-11

"Our goal is to create a beloved community and this will require a qualitative change in our souls as well as a quantitative change in our lives." Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Collect: Gracious God, whose miracles surround us day by day and whose revelation in Jesus Christ awakens our wonder, let this be an hour of powerful encounter with you in which our gifts are called forth for the sake of your church and for the transformation of your world. Work within us, among us, and through us, we pray, that believing minds may blossom into trusting hearts and helping hands, fully committed to your service. Amen.


Today's sermon is about what it means to be "community," a "Beloved Community" of faith celebrating God's good gifts to serve the church in the fullest way possible. I want us to mark this day with many congregations throughout our country to remember Rev. Martin Luther King Jr and the meaning he brought to the scriptures so long ago as he preached, worshipped and taught the meaning of God's kingdom. There are three words for us to focus on in this time together and they are: Attitude, Affirmation and Action

ATTITUDE Throughout all of Dr. King's speeches and writings was the theme "Beloved Community." What was this "beloved community?" In short, it was genuine intergroup and interpersonal living; in other words, integration. Yes, human existence is social in nature, he said. God made us this way. " We are tied together in the single garment of destiny, caught in an inescapable network of mutuality."

The apostle Paul said it this way in I Corinthians 12: 4-7
"Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of services but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good."

So, what happened the course of human history in our own country that went the opposite way of this teaching? We sadly recall our history. Before the Civil Rights movement, board a city bus in Greenville, South Carolina and the sign on the front of the bus clearly read: "South Carolina Law: White patrons sit form the front. Colored patrons sit form the rear." No one ever questioned those signs. Or, if they did, they'd be breaking the law and pay the price.

Even in Sheboygan County, I understand, there was law on the books that prohibited black people from being in the city after dark. There are many examples of segregation all around our country. Sad, sad examples. Desegregation needed to happen. But, we know today is that desegregation can be brought about by laws but integration requires a change in attitude.

Attitude. Integration will enlarge the concept of sisterhood and brotherhood for total interrelatedness but how do you get people to live it? How do you get people to change their attitudes?

Unfortunately, as Rev. King said, "history will have to record that the greatest tragedy of this period of social transition was not the trident clamor of the bad people, but the appalling silence of the good people." We are all still compelled to pay attention to our attitudes and how we are bringing about an invitation to all people to share their gifts to build the Body of Christ.

I believe we care deeply at a local level and wider global levels given our different languages, customs and cultures. Caring deeply speaks about what we affirm. I'm glad we, in our United Church of Christ, have opportunity to mark Racial Justice Sunday, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and Week of Prayer for Christian Unity on our calendars. Why? Caring implies that we'll work on our attitudes. If we forget, we need to turn to our "affirmations."

AFFIRMATION Where does affirmation begin? Being in covenant with God is like a marriage. It is a commitment to belong to God, to be faithful and to live life together. We remembered our baptism last week and were thankful. Many of you told me you appreciated the opportunity to come forward to the baptismal font and mark the "remembering" with water. Baptism is the time when we mark a beginning of the covenant and a reminder of that joy. At a marriage, after the ceremony, usually there is a party. Yes, I've been invited to a number of baptism parties in my years in ministry; we need our celebrations.

Today our gospel setting is a wedding and a party. Jesus and his disciples are invited to a wedding in Cana, a village about nine miles north of Nazareth. When we say a wedding and reception or party what comes to your mind? What do you expect? Well, we think we know what to expect with marriage, the reception and happy ever after. But, do we?

In the gospel of John the story of the wedding is like many wedding stories, there is a problem. The host has runs out of wine and risks embarrassment. Jesus is asked by his mother, who is there as well, to do something about it.

He quickly tells her that "it is not my problem for my hour has not yet come." But intuiting his desire to respond, she told those nearby to be prepared to do whatever he asked of them. It seems Jesus decides to use this occasion for showing forth his message.

Jesus asked that six stone water jars reserved for the ritual of purification to be filled with water. This was about 120-130 gallons of water. It was a lot of water. This was not water for cleansing but water that would be used as a sign of preparation for worship.
The Torah declared that people must be clean by ritual cleansing in order to get close to God and be with God. Did it take over 100 gallons for this to happen?

The Talmud specified that only about a cup of water was necessary to purify 100 men. So, what was going on? What did it mean to have all this water turned into wine, really good wine? It was a sign, a miracle, an affirmation of God's presence.

In some of Jesus' miracles he heals, in others he feeds, but this one he turns water into wine. It seems that Jesus' wanted a sign for people to remember that when he was present something extraordinary would happen. Don't get stuck on trying to figure out how to explain the change of the water to wine. That's not the point. The point is the affirmation that Jesus is the chosen one of God and Jesus could show us how to live a life of transformation.

Jesus gave a sign that affirmed God's presence with him which we can interpret as God's presence throughout history with God's people. It is a presence that brings forth the best in us, like the new wine. A sign is a window through which we glimpse an unrestricted sight of God in the flesh among us. It that moment when the heavens opened and the veil was thin between heaven and earth, God's grace was manifest. If we move this experience to the present tense, we are grateful for those times (weddings, baptisms, services of worship, even at funerals) of naming God's goodness and grace and blessing in our Beloved Community. Yes, from ordinary water we become new wine, good wine, the best wine!

When Rev. Jesse Jackson was pastor of a church in inner-city Chicago, he was reported to ask the congregation to say in worship in unison, "I was nobody. But, now, thank God, I'm somebody." I think we need to pause on some Sundays and repeat this phrase because we forget what it means to be "somebody" in God's realm.

In the presence of Jesus, we are like the water changed to good wine. Maybe you don't feel you need that message today but many people do. We need the affirmation of God with us to change our attitude and know that change means "better." "Better" leads us to action!

ACTION I believe that God's miracles were at work through Dr. King and the Civil Rights Movement and continue to be at work in us when we appreciate the richness of our diversity and the power we have to do good together. Many people still need to say "I was nobody. But now, thank God, I'm somebody." Every "somebody" makes the church better. This teaching is evident in Paul's writing about the diversity of our gifts and the utilization for the good of each gift for the body. It is essential that think about what that means for us. We can read this quote from Dr. King, ""Our goal is to create a beloved community and this will require a qualitative change in our souls as well as a quantitative change in our lives" but what does it mean in a practical way?

With our annual meeting coming up at the end of month, it is a good time for us to ask "who" we are and "who" we want to be as the Immanuel United Church of Christ. All of us know that our resources are stretched; every church is having problems with finances. But, that is not new. What is new is that we are forgetting what it means to be the church and let every member do their part. So, we need those 3 "A's": Attitude, Affirmation and Action.

Yes, we need to constantly be aware that it takes each member doing her/his part for our church to create the "beloved community" we long to be. It is hard work to be in the process of transformation and change and to see church health and growth develop but we know that the process is worth every effort. Why? Because our church is central to who we are and who we are becoming as children of our loving God. How do we keep focused on that growth?

John Cobb wrote a book several years ago entitled, Reclaiming the Church: Where the Mainline Church Went Wrong and What to Do . About It. He offers three suggestions for churches that want to be vital and active.
1.a vital church is one that is culturally engaged. It is engaged with society's problems, crises, trends, and sufferings.
2. a vital church will respond to how the larger society challenges the convictions and beliefs of the world of faith. How do we struggle with conflicts of faith and reason, technology, and human dignity?
3.a vital church will be engaged in theological thinking. He makes a strong point: Theology is neither an academic discipline nor a set of doctrines. It is not memorization of a creed, a prayer, a catechism or even scripture. Theology is thinking about everything and anything from a faith perspective, for us that means a Christian perspective,.

How do we measure up? Pastor Martin Copenhaver has said that "there are times when we mjust make a 100 percent commitment to a something about which we are only 51 percent certain. It is faith in that uncertainty, yet certainty, that motivates us to think about what sign or miracle we can be in the world."

Faith if living in confidence and trust in God and depending on God to give us life in its fullest measure. When Jesus left the wedding at Cana, he had along way to go on his journey. There would be less glorious moments for him; he would face rejection, humiliation, and he would be misunderstood most of the time.

"His hour" would be an hours of pain, suffering and deep loss. His hour would be the cross. The glory of his first miracle, the wedding party, did not change that.

Yet, the sign, the glory, the joy shared at the marriage, would enable him to continue. It was a sign that God would not abandon him to darkness and death. Beloved friends of the Immanuel United Church of Christ, God will not abandon us. God wants us to be a Beloved Community in Jesus name with vitality, growth and deep, abiding joy in our life together.

We know that when we leave today, that there will be less glorious moments for us in our daily lives. We know that a sweet hour on Sunday morning will not change our life journey. The gospel hymns today reflect that message. Yet, when we leave and go back to the world that is in short supply of hope, we go home quite different from the way we came.

C.S. Lewis says that "miracles are aspects of the continuing creativity of God." We are invited to use our gifts as best we are able to allow God's glory to shine in us.

As I was listening this morning to the morning news, I was grateful for a parting gift from Rev. Samuel Billy Kyles (Monumental Baptist Church, Memphis, TN) area preparing to preach his Sunday sermon. The interviewer asked him what he would preach about and he said that he'd be preaching about "knocking holes in the darkness." He was referring to the practice years ago of the lamplighters lighting the streetlights in the evening. They were in a sense, "knocking holes in the darkness."

Solutions to our problems take time; it is a slow process. But, at the same time, we take our three A's, attitude, affirmation, and action, and know that through God's help and human effort, we will make progress. God is at work in our universe and we have the gifts to create the Beloved Community. Truly as Rev. King said, "Evil dies on the seashore, not merely because of man's endless struggle against it, but because of God's power to defeat it." May we be part of that power to defeat it; may we be "knocking holes in the darkness." Amen.

(see www.wipf.org/mlksbelovedcommunity for a brief essay on Rev. King's understanding of the term "Beloved Community.")

The Blessing of Birth

December 25, 2009
Christmas Day Worship
Texts: Isaiah 52: 7-10, Psalm 98, Titus 3: 4-7, Luke 2: 8-20, John 1: 1-14
Meditation: "The Blessing of Birth"

I feel blessed today to have my daughter, Ann Martha, with me in worship. Christmas is a time for worship and for families, who can be together, to appreciate one another and the gift of life. As a church family, we gather to appreciate one another and our gift of community and the bond of love in Christ we share. Even if we are alone, without family close by, we know that Christmas is a time to appreciate the blessing of birth, new babies and the potential for new spiritual birth among us.

Having Martha here reminds me of our life on Cape Cod when she was involved in high school drama and local community theatre. One year, the Nauset Honors Acting Troupe from Nauset High School performed the beloved holiday classic It's a wonderful Life; A Live Radio Play. They brought to the audience the story of George Bailey and his struggle with the ups and downs of life.

I'm sure you remember the classic line of George, when he was so discouraged with life, saying he wished he had never been born. He goes so far as to try to end his life but that "guardian angel" trying to earn his wings, Clarence, saves him from himself.

The story is of George and Clarence visiting people and places where George had lived when he was a person. He saw what his corner of the world would look like if he had never been born. Of course, in the end of the story, he is glad he was born and he looked at the struggles, the little annoyances, with a different perspective. He was able to appreciate the blessing of birth and the blessings he could bring to others with his life. He saw the bigger picture and the significance of what he could give to life with all his faults and limitations.

It is a wonderful Christmas story; a timeless theme. For, we, too, can come this morning and be grateful for the blessing of birth and the potential of each new life and each new beginning, whether physical or spiritual birth. We can be grateful for the part we may play in another's life and ways we bring healing, hope and blessing. The traditional readings for this season point us toward visions, dreams, and promises.

We heard the dreams and the visions of the psalmist and prophets in our readings. We heard the gospel writers hold to the promise that the Messiah had been revealed in the birth of a child, a child who will choose good and refuse evil. This child will cherish virtue. This child, born under threat, in secret, amid ponderings and anguish, who triggers hard decisions for those associated with him, will dispel fear and inspire hope.

The readings come alive as we yearn for hope and the revelation of God abiding with us to teach us again to be people of faith, grasped by the power of love. Today we affirm the truth that our God brings holiness and hope to a needy world, a suffering world, so we honor the blessing of birth. We honor the potential of spiritual birth among us, don't we? What can this hope mean for us, the Christmas "birth" story we tell each year? Can the story continue to dispel fear and inspire hope that our lives make a difference?

There is another story that leads us to believe this is possible. Once there was a young woman who was stricken with pneumonia and slowly dying. She would look out her window at a great tree and see the leaves torn off the branches by wind and cold. She was resigned to dying and told her friends that when the last leaf fell from the tree, she would depart as well.

But, that last leaf refused to fall. It held on for dear life. It clung to that branch. And, the woman lived. It was only after the young woman lived she learned that the last leaf had been painted on the window by a friend as she slept. Her friend, someone she described later as her "guardian angel," brought hope when she was in a place of no hope.

This is the season when you may be able to look back and be grateful for a person in your life who has painted a leaf on the window while you slept. It is the season to be grateful for people, places, kindness, mercy, hope, promise and, even, guardian angels. It is the season to turn to faith believing that the blessing of being born and reborn in Christ's spirit always gives new birth, new perspective, and for some, a new day. You may be that person who pains the leaf on the window of your friend.

The story is about faith, for the birth of Christ brings us back to faith. And, if you are not sure where to begin, remember these words from Rev. William Sloane Coffin who said, "I love the recklessness of faith. First you leap, and then you grow wings."
(Credo, p 7)

I believe George and Clarence would understand the meaning of this wisdom saying.
I understand it to mean, from my own experience, that faith gives us invitation to be open to new ways that God will help us be a person of faith in the world. When we allow God to dwell with us, life takes on new meaning and purpose. Like George, we see life from a different angle. Are the problems still there? Does death still come even when we are not prepared? Yes.

Are the struggles going to continue? Yes. But, they are manageable because we are not alone. Through the story of Christ's birth, we learn again and again to cling to the dreams and possibilities of making God's reign a reality in our time. Through the story of Christ's birth, we recognize that, if at Christmas, Jesus became like us, it was so we might become more like him.

Through the story of Christ's birth, we renew our commitment to justice and peace and extravagant welcome to all who have received the gift of life, the blessing of birth. May we live Christmas peace every day of the New Year in our churches, in our homes, in our communities, in our places of work and leisure and, especially, in the wider world where God dwells. Hope is now a person, a child born in our midst, Emmanuel, God with us.
Amen.