This sermon generated as much positive feedback as any sermon I have preached in Troy. Not sure if it means the topic was timely, or if the use of several stories means people really like stories.
It was a sermon I enjoyed preaching because the topic seems critical to me at this juncture in the world (and I suppose, my life). Perhaps a strength of the sermon (and storytelling) is that it lets the listener find her or his own meaning, as opposed to sermons that are less open-ended. But, of course, for some the open-ended sermons are weaker, because they do not share a specific response the listener should do or feel.
Here is the text of the sermon (or at least the notes):
“Resident or Aliens” Sept. 26, 2010; 21st Century Christians series
Move 1: By calling ourselves Christians, we lay claim to being followers of Christ.
We know that Christ came and became human – not merely pretending to be human, or wearing the mask of humanity, but living as one of us.
Now, here is the question for the day – does the incarnation mean that Christ is immersed in the world, taking on our values and living like we do, a resident of the world, if you will; or, did Christ come and like among us for the purpose of show how differently he lived than the rest of humanity and how we are called to join him in that separateness, to live as aliens in the world, if you will?
We are not the first of God's people to ask this question.
a. When we read about the Israelites,w e see that they seemed to go back and forth on this issue.
1.At times, they accentuated their separateness. They were different than others, so they literally separated themselves from the rest of the world.
2.At other times, they seemed immersed in the world During David's time and Solomon's time for instance, Israel lived as another world power with the exception being their worship of God. But the distinctiveness of lifestyle was lost.
b. Early church
1.We see how they seemed to separate themselves to live in community with other Christians.
2.But, we also read their letters and hear the debate about dietary restrictions. That's what's at stake in those arguments – should they be like everyone else, or should they be distinctive.
c. This may have always been a question of Christians, but this question takes on greater meaning in the 21st century, particularly for we who live in places where Christianity has historically been accepted.
1.IN fact, in the Western world, not only has Christianity been tolerated, but it has been a dominant part of our societies since the time Constantine ruled the Roman Empire in the 4th century.
2. Now, we no longer operate with the basic assumption that everyone is Christian and we no longer live in a world that default into accommodating Christians.
3.Think about non-profit status with the government – no longer the purview of just churches or even Christian groups.
d. so the question becomes for us: Do we understand our calling as a disciple of Christ is to blend in with the world around us – at school, at work, in the neighborhood – never really mention you are a Christian, but live your life, to be a resident, if you will?
or do you see ourselves as living our discipleship by separating ourselves from the world and modeling for the world what it means to be a distinctly Christian?
Move 2: Some stories for you to ponder.
a. Trinity University – Sundays; cafeteria; Christians separated themselves; they were different; they prided themselves on their differences. Resident – living as any other college student or alien – living in a separate world.
b. Chaplain in a prison –a colleague served as a chaplain in a prison during seminary; as he prepared for the first worship service, he was going to do the Call to Worship and opening prayer.
Sunday afternoon; prisoners arrive; he looks at them as isn't sure if they are Christians who want to worship or prisoners who like the freedom of being out of their cell in in the worship space.
The hour arrives for worship to begin; prisoners loud and paying him no attention; he tentatively pounds on the makeshift pulpit to get their attention; not ones stops talking; he beings the call to worship once or twice, but no one is listening. He helplessly looks at the the chaplain supervisor, who kind of shakes his head.
The chaplain supervisor then comes to the pulpit and shouts out above the din “Shut the expletive up” "Let us expletive, worship God."
Resident – immersed in the culture and language of prison; or alien – leading worship and speaking of God
c.Priest: (Excerpted from an article in the Boston Globe,
1/18/2002)
For priest, blackjack was means to an end
By Tom Long, Globe Staff, 1/18/2002
The Rev. Joseph R. Fahey was an ace fund-raiser.
As president of Boston College High School, he boosted
the school's endowment by 500 percent and financed an
athletic center, library, and computer laboratory. He
also donated tens of thousands of dollars to the
Society of Jesus.
His means were not always sacred.
''Many Jesuit missions owe a great debt to him and his
abilities at the card table,'' said John Dunn, who
worked for Father Fahey at BC High.
Rev. Fahey, 65, who died Wednesday at
Deaconess-Waltham Hospital, apparently of a heart
attack, was a card counter.
Dressed in his one blue suit, Father Fahey played
blackjack tables from Atlantic City to Las Vegas -
''all for the greater glory of God,'' as he once said
- until the casinos blacklisted him.
A ''mathematical genius,'' Rev. Fahey donated all his
winnings to the Society of Jesus to uphold his vow of
poverty, said Dunn, director of development and public relations at BC High.
Resident – immersed in the culture of gambling and Vegas, or alien – taking a vow of poverty and living a life of financial stewardship?
d.Baptist pastor in Southern town during 1960s. It had been declared that the school would integrate. White community leaders gathered to discuss how to fight the decree or work around it. Angry, loud words spoken. Baptist minister who had served in the community 20+ years sat and listened. Then, he stood and asked to speak. He said, “I'm embarrassed and ashamed. If you have heard me preach and teach the gospel for 20+ years and this is what you are now saying about integration, I am ashamed and embarrassed to be your minister.” He walks out. Soon, others follow. The schools integrated the next week as they were supposed to do.
Resident – immersed in the life and ministry of the community; Alien – able to proclaim the distinctive gospel in a time of crisis. (Resident Aliens, Hauerwas and Willimon)
Move 3: 21st century
a. Being a Christian will not matter, relative to being a Muslim or Jew or spiritual but not religious person or atheist, if being a Christian comes down to a series of propositions or beliefs.
1.Most people won't care.
2.Or they won't be able or willing to make the distinctions between what one group believes over against what another group believes.
b. Being a Christian will matter, it will be of ultimate importance, when we live as transformed people of hope who offer others that transforming power and how we have discovered in Christ.
1.The question will not be, “What do I believe as a Christian,” but “what does it matter.”
2.And the answer will be lived out in our lives.
3. As we live as residents of this world, who also recognize that our distinctiveness as Christians comes from the power of Christ to transform and bring hope.
Conclusion: Soccer referee; no one knows, and probably no one cares; in fact, part of the appeal for me, I suppose, is that when some coach or parent is yelling at me, they may call me lots of names, but Reverend isn't one of them.
Over time, some of the people I work with come to know I'm a minister. I even overheard a parent one time trying to convince an angry parent that I wouldn't be cheating them because I was a Presbyterian minister (I don't think the person found that argument convincing).
One of the referees often kids me about being a minister – he invariably begins our conversations with 'Praise the Lord.” We've never talked about his religious beliefs, but I'm pretty sure he does not actively practice whatever faith he might have.
Recently, he was talking to me and he said, “I need to tell you something.” Thus began a conversation about his wife, who was going to have to have triple by-pass surgery. As he spoke, I was wondering, why is he telling me this? As he finished telling me about her surgery and so on, I asked him, “do you want me to pray for your wife and add her to our prayer list at church?”
a long pause. Not sure what to make of it. Then, he said, “Sure, that would be great.”
I don't know if his response was the easy way out for him at an awkward moment in the conversation, or if he could feel what it meant to have others people commit to praying for his wife and seeking God's healing power.
Still trying to figure that one out.
Christians in the 21st century: residents, immersed in the world around us – yes.
Aliens – offering that distinctiveness that knows the transforming power of Christ and the hope Christ offer – yes.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
"We're Not in Kansas Anymore"
I enjoyed preaching the sermon Sunday, which reflects the energy I have around the topic of being Christian in the 21st century. Sunday's sermon focused on being church in the 21st century. I am certain that I don't have a handle on exactly what it means that the church is experiencing a seismic shift in how it lives out its calling as the body of Christ. But, it certainly feels like we are in a time of dramatic change. I struggle with what that change might be because I serve a church with stained glass windows, I wear a robe, and we are fairly liturgical. Much of what I read about the changing church sees those attributes as hindrances as we live as the church. But, I see so much value in the traditions and ministries that this church (and others like it) have. How to claim the ministries, while still engaging the next generation seems to be our challenge.
Here are my sermon notes from Sunday.
Move 1: Does church seem different to you?
a. an older couple moves to a Midwestern town. They begin looking for a church home. They self-identify themselves as conservative and evangelical, so they visit churches with that theological bent first. Never finding a comfortable church to join, they end up attending, but never joining a mainline Presbyterian Church. Why? Because the conservative, evangelical churches all have contemporary worship and the Presbyterian church has traditional worship.
b. a young couple have their kids and decide it is time to start to church. They visit a very large church in the area. There is a lot they like about the church – lots of different programming; they can worship Sat. night; Sunday morning early, or Sunday late morning; there is babysitting provided any time there is a function at the church. They love the upbeat, contemporary music. But, they never feel the sense of community they long for – too many people; changing faces each time they attend a different function. They never seem to meet the same people twice.
So they try a smaller membership church. There is much to like about the church. Each week they see the same people sitting in the same pews; the people are friendly and inviting; they feel a sense of community and connectedness they do not feel at the larger church. But, those traditional hymns are kind of boring and the formality of the worship (the minister even wears a robe) is less exciting that worshiper at the larger church. And, with worship only on Sunday mornings and Christian education only on Sunday mornings, their busy schedules with the kids make it hard to make it to church.
So, they end up going nowhere.
c. Studies of people's religious affiliations show the number of Americans who claim to be spiritual, but not connected with a community of faith rapidly rising.
As you experience church, do you feel this pulls and tugs at the church as you know it?
d. Phyllis Tickle – church has a major shift every 500 years or so. Tickle began by referencing the work of Anglican Bishop Mark Dyer, who contends that every 500 years the church has “a giant rummage sale.” She cited the Great Reformation of the 16th century, the Great Schism of the 11th century, the Great Decline and Fall of the 6th century, and the Great Transformation 500 years before that as examples.
1. “Rummage sale.” Church shedding what it no longer finds valuable, and moving in a new direction.
2. If we move forward from the early church that grew out of Christ's resurrection, then we are in the next great shift, following the Reformation (which gave birth to the Presbyterian Church).
Do you feel this shift? This fall we will be reflecting on what it means to be the church in the 21st century.
Move 2: We begin with an affirmation – God's church will survive.
a. not the first time
b. Psalm 137
1.can they be God's people if they are not living in Jerusalem and cannot make pilgrimage back to Jerusalem?
2.Learn to affirm that they can worship God, they can be God's people, even in a foreign land.
c. Acts 2
1. the beginning of the early church.
2. Radically different than the faith community of God's people.
3. Living in response to the resurrection.
d. The church will survive because Christ called it into being.
Move 3: Role of technology
a. cartoon with two people leaving church. One comments to the other, "You know God Googles us to see how we're behaving."
b. some people see technology as the shift;
1.In fact, technology may be playing an important part in the changing church.
2.But it is not the shift, but a tool.
c. Lots of opportunities
1.Presbyterian Today
2.Prayer chain; elink
2.Web-sites
d.lots of challenges.
1.How to be community if you seldom see each other face-to-face?
2.How do we deal with the massive information available to us?
Move 4: Church is “called out”
a. Greek word “ekklesia”
1.Called out
2. Called out of the world to be the body of Christ.
3. Called out and then sent back into the world.
b. Called out to a new life.
1.as followers of Christ, we ought to be changed.
2.The church models that change to the world.
3.Our task is not to justify the ways of the world, or align ourselves with the world, but to live as Christ' body in the world.
4. One of the hallmarks of the 21st century may be less emphasis on Head and more emphasis on heart. One of the primary characteristics of emergence Christianity is that it is more interested in narrative than in doctrine. Tickle recounted a favorite story in which she was addressing a group in Atlanta about the virgin birth. After her talk, a young man, who had abandoned his role scraping dishes to listen intently, came up to her and said, “I don’t understand what their problem is. [The virgin birth] is so absolutely beautiful, it has to be true whether it happened or not.”
c.called out to be a part of a faith community.
1.Acts 2.
Conclusion: Dorothy: [has just arrived in Oz, looking around and awed at the beauty and splendor] Toto, I've a feeling we're not in Kansas any more....
As we look around, we notice that we are not in the Presbyterian Church of the 1950s anymore; or the 1850s anymore; or the 1750s
But perhaps we can see the beauty and splendor of the opportunity to be the body of Christ in the world in the 21st century.
Here are my sermon notes from Sunday.
Move 1: Does church seem different to you?
a. an older couple moves to a Midwestern town. They begin looking for a church home. They self-identify themselves as conservative and evangelical, so they visit churches with that theological bent first. Never finding a comfortable church to join, they end up attending, but never joining a mainline Presbyterian Church. Why? Because the conservative, evangelical churches all have contemporary worship and the Presbyterian church has traditional worship.
b. a young couple have their kids and decide it is time to start to church. They visit a very large church in the area. There is a lot they like about the church – lots of different programming; they can worship Sat. night; Sunday morning early, or Sunday late morning; there is babysitting provided any time there is a function at the church. They love the upbeat, contemporary music. But, they never feel the sense of community they long for – too many people; changing faces each time they attend a different function. They never seem to meet the same people twice.
So they try a smaller membership church. There is much to like about the church. Each week they see the same people sitting in the same pews; the people are friendly and inviting; they feel a sense of community and connectedness they do not feel at the larger church. But, those traditional hymns are kind of boring and the formality of the worship (the minister even wears a robe) is less exciting that worshiper at the larger church. And, with worship only on Sunday mornings and Christian education only on Sunday mornings, their busy schedules with the kids make it hard to make it to church.
So, they end up going nowhere.
c. Studies of people's religious affiliations show the number of Americans who claim to be spiritual, but not connected with a community of faith rapidly rising.
As you experience church, do you feel this pulls and tugs at the church as you know it?
d. Phyllis Tickle – church has a major shift every 500 years or so. Tickle began by referencing the work of Anglican Bishop Mark Dyer, who contends that every 500 years the church has “a giant rummage sale.” She cited the Great Reformation of the 16th century, the Great Schism of the 11th century, the Great Decline and Fall of the 6th century, and the Great Transformation 500 years before that as examples.
1. “Rummage sale.” Church shedding what it no longer finds valuable, and moving in a new direction.
2. If we move forward from the early church that grew out of Christ's resurrection, then we are in the next great shift, following the Reformation (which gave birth to the Presbyterian Church).
Do you feel this shift? This fall we will be reflecting on what it means to be the church in the 21st century.
Move 2: We begin with an affirmation – God's church will survive.
a. not the first time
b. Psalm 137
1.can they be God's people if they are not living in Jerusalem and cannot make pilgrimage back to Jerusalem?
2.Learn to affirm that they can worship God, they can be God's people, even in a foreign land.
c. Acts 2
1. the beginning of the early church.
2. Radically different than the faith community of God's people.
3. Living in response to the resurrection.
d. The church will survive because Christ called it into being.
Move 3: Role of technology
a. cartoon with two people leaving church. One comments to the other, "You know God Googles us to see how we're behaving."
b. some people see technology as the shift;
1.In fact, technology may be playing an important part in the changing church.
2.But it is not the shift, but a tool.
c. Lots of opportunities
1.Presbyterian Today
2.Prayer chain; elink
2.Web-sites
d.lots of challenges.
1.How to be community if you seldom see each other face-to-face?
2.How do we deal with the massive information available to us?
Move 4: Church is “called out”
a. Greek word “ekklesia”
1.Called out
2. Called out of the world to be the body of Christ.
3. Called out and then sent back into the world.
b. Called out to a new life.
1.as followers of Christ, we ought to be changed.
2.The church models that change to the world.
3.Our task is not to justify the ways of the world, or align ourselves with the world, but to live as Christ' body in the world.
4. One of the hallmarks of the 21st century may be less emphasis on Head and more emphasis on heart. One of the primary characteristics of emergence Christianity is that it is more interested in narrative than in doctrine. Tickle recounted a favorite story in which she was addressing a group in Atlanta about the virgin birth. After her talk, a young man, who had abandoned his role scraping dishes to listen intently, came up to her and said, “I don’t understand what their problem is. [The virgin birth] is so absolutely beautiful, it has to be true whether it happened or not.”
c.called out to be a part of a faith community.
1.Acts 2.
Conclusion: Dorothy: [has just arrived in Oz, looking around and awed at the beauty and splendor] Toto, I've a feeling we're not in Kansas any more....
As we look around, we notice that we are not in the Presbyterian Church of the 1950s anymore; or the 1850s anymore; or the 1750s
But perhaps we can see the beauty and splendor of the opportunity to be the body of Christ in the world in the 21st century.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Worship Off
This Sunday the sermon is not exactly a sermon in the traditional form. I will be sharing a bit about each of the elements of the worship service -- why we do what we do or a neat story or two about how we do them. Sometimes we forget, but we follow the particular order of worship for theological reasons (sometimes, it's about logistics!).
One of the Scripture lessons is from Exodus when God ties leading the Israelites out of Egypt with the need for the Israelites to worship God. I find it fascinating that one of the primary reasons the Israelites needed to be out of slavery in Egypt was so that they could worship God. That means worship has a very important place in the life of God's people.
What makes worship important to you?
One of the Scripture lessons is from Exodus when God ties leading the Israelites out of Egypt with the need for the Israelites to worship God. I find it fascinating that one of the primary reasons the Israelites needed to be out of slavery in Egypt was so that they could worship God. That means worship has a very important place in the life of God's people.
What makes worship important to you?
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