Davison's Doodle

And do you come to me?

Yesterday, Sunday, I was gifted the trust of the pulpit by one of my colleagues. One of my roles as Associate Regional Minister is the opportunity to fill the pulpit or “guest preach” for my colleagues. I also have the opportunity to lead workshops, speak, or preach for special events in congregational life or retreats. Now, you might think it would be easy to be the guest preacher/speaker. One can say just about whatever one wants. You might not be back for a while or maybe ever. It is not a simple task to offer words about the good news of God to a bunch of people that see you once or twice a year no matter how well you know some of them. I don’t live with them day in and day out. I don’t know their stories or, as I often say near the beginning of a sermon:

I don’t know what brought you to worship or what you carried into the sanctuary this morning on your heart or in your mind.  What I do know is that all of us come to worship seeking to hear and experience the good news: that the Lord’s mercies never cease; 
that the Lord’s mercies are new every morning;
and the Lord’s faithfulness extends beyond our ability to see in a mirror dimly, or recognize the image of God in others as well as in our own reflection.

So tact and gentle care is needed to say something meaningful, but not cause your colleague grief with upset parishioners. Last week I offered some words on the baptism of Jesus as told in the gospel of Matthew. Guest preaching is an opportunity to thank a congregation, to connect a congregation to their siblings in faith in our Region and beyond, so the first several minutes are words of that nature. Below is the portion of the sermon where I’m working with the text and my thoughts about the text.

And do you come to me?
Matthew 3:13-17

Matthew doesn’t have time for a nice story about the baby Jesus and his growing up years. He needs the adult Jesus who challenges “the way it has always been.”  The first three chapters layout the case for Jesus’ identity as God’s most recent change agent.

Dr. Warren Carter, one of the New Testament professors at Phillips Theological Seminary, summarizes the Gospel of Matthew this way:

“The Gospel is a counter-narrative that helps its audience to live a countercultural, alternative existence. (in the midst of such claims and commitments.)  The Gospel asserts that it is God’s world, not Rome’s (11:25; 28:18); that God’s reign and presence are manifested in Jesus, and not in the emperor (1:23; 4:17); that God’s blessings extend to all people, not just the elite (5:3-12); that Jesus, not Rome, reveals God’s will.”

Warren Carter, “Matthew Introduction”. The New Interpreter’s Study Bible”, Abingdon Press, 2003, p. 1746.

If you’ve been around Christendom for a while, you’ve probably heard a sermon or two about the baptism of Jesus. Often this story and sermons focus on Jesus, but this morning I would like us to focus on John.

In those days John the Baptizer was out in the desert proclaiming, “repent, the kingdom (empire is probably a better translation of the greek) of heaven has come near.”  He was the best show outside of town.  Many went out to the desert to listen to the baptizer rant and preach about the way of the Lord; and maybe some went down to the river to pray.  Times were hard.  Maybe a little confession and water could make it better.  Maybe it could provide a different outlook on life and living.  Couldn’t hurt could it?

And Jesus walks up. John and Jesus share a familiarity, not so much family, as like having heard stories about the other.  There in the water, it’s like they give each other a head nod and “what’s up.”  Was it mutual admiration for each others work or as Christian tradition teaches, are they simply following the cosmic plan that neither fully understands.  We can’t know. It is easier to place faith in a plan rather than happenstance.  Yet, John’s response is the place so many of us live when Jesus shows up, “And do you come to me?”  Or in modern dialect, “you want me to do what?’  I should be asking you for (fill in the blank) . . . I should be asking you to (fill in the blank) . . . 

Beyond the theological pragmatics and semantics of sin and salvation, our little frontier movement, the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), has generally thought of baptism as an outward sign of an inward decision. That a person wants to follow Jesus, wants to be in relationship and accountable to a group of Jesus followers.  “Believers baptism” we like to call it.  It is more than a membership initiation right.  It is a willful act based on a decision not to be taken lightly.  Baptism is not something that you can do on your own.  You need someone to perform this for you, to you, on you.  To look you in the eyes and covenant with you.  You need witnesses to see and testify to your baptism.  That day in the Jordan, John and Jesus both claimed an inward decision with an outward sign.  They both found their identity as a beloved of God or at least began to understand it differently. Maybe that’s the point of baptism anyway. [words written but not shared]

Just like John the Baptist, we have a choice to make each time Jesus shows up: in the face of a neighbor in need, when someone calls you the enemy, or when you need your moral compass. [Head nod] – “You want me to do what?’  It is our community of faith that is supposed to help us discern when we are talking with Jesus, following Jesus, or just talking to ourselves in our echo chamber.  When Jesus shows up it will often be a counter-cultural choice that might make you feel like a voice in the wilderness or, like Jesus, the Spirit might lead you into the desert so you can see what you are really made of.  God already knows.  It may be comforting to believe that God doesn’t give us more than we can handle, but beyond the things that are out of our control, I think it is our choices that burden us, stretch us, tempt us, comfort us, or give us a chance recalibrate our moral compass. When the arc of the moral universe bends toward justice, it only does so when people of good will wake up to their responsibility to do unto others as they would have others do unto them. Or, in Jesus speak, “love your neighbor as yourself.” [these words not shared from the pulpit]

Righteousness. Faithfulness. Justice. Compassion. Forgiveness. All of these, I think, are judged based on the consistency of your living.  It’s not about “earning” heaven, grace, forgiveness, or salvation.  It’s about doing what is right, because it is right, no matter who is watching. That’s my parent’s voice in my head. “Do what is right because it is right no matter who is watching.”  And in our social media, cameras everywhere connected day and age, lots of people are watching.  Jesus shows up in the unexpected places, unexpected circumstances, and asks of me, or you, to do what you think is his to do, his mission, his ministry. In the gospel of John Jesus tells his followers, “one who believes in me will also do the works that I do, and, will do greater works than these.”  (John 14:14)

Siblings in faith, there is ministry to do and gospel to that only you can do and only you can be.  May the God that Jesus proclaimed grant you the vision, voice, and courage of John the Baptist to respond when you have those “and do you come to me?” identity moments this year.

Sound It Out

What does your church sound like? It seemed like an odd question to ask from the pulpit. I was the ministry apprentice in a community just west of Houston, TX. The minister of this new church start walked to the pulpit and began, “What does our church sound like?” That question rattled through the double-wide trailer that served as sanctuary and office space that sat a short distance from the shell of the new building under construction.

He continued, “Does our congregation sound like an old, durable lawn mower that, with some TLC, will rumble to life at the appointed time of year to mow for another season? Or do we sound like a Harley? You know, that unique sound you can hear in the distance, getting closer, and then once past leaves a trail of sound and smells unique to the brand.” One can be comfortable with both sounds, I guess, but they represent different visions of what Church and Christianity are to be and be about in this world.

Not long ago, I sat in the sanctuary of congregation that five years ago was a whisper in their community. My denomination’s tradition for serving communion (eucharist or Lord’s Supper) involves parishioners. We serve one another the elements with trays passed through the pews. Someone holds the bread for me. That same person holds the cup for me. I hold the bread for you. I hold the cup for you. We serve the elements to each other and put into practice the priesthood of all believers. It is one way we embrace a table open to all, no matter where one worships or may have been baptized. Community is experienced in the sharing of communion as a kind of original potluck dinner. In this instance we showed up without a dish. On occasion we use the more priestly form for serving communion know as intinction. Worshippers travel down the aisle to the chancel to meet the minister and elder, or an elder and deacon, to receive communion from those persons. You take a piece of bread and dip it into a common cup. You depart to return to your seat. It is good to have different experiences and to receive communion in this fashion at different times during a year. But, it is not our typical way though I lament that some have adopted it as such.

Five years ago, in remembrance of Jesus, worshippers were invited to come forward to receive communion by intinction. It is a large sanctuary built for a time when Sunday was theological and social for most of America. That day, the floor squeaked, a little mouse sound, as the thirty or so of us made our way to the chancel to receive communion. I remember worshipping in this congregation three and a half years ago when we installed their new minister. On that day the same thirty or so made their way down the aisle in remembrance for communion. The floor squeaked a slight bit of hope with a new vision for being Church and practicing Christian faith.

Not long ago, I worshipped with this congregation as they bid farewell to their minister who was called to another congregation. I was sitting in the second pew. After partaking of communion at the chancel steps by intinction I returned to my seat. The sound of dozens of feet and a chair or two past by me. So many stories of life. Beneath the well worn carpet wood popped, rumbled, and groaned not unhappily, but as if strong memories were awakened. You could hear the floor give a bit as it was designed to take the weight. It was a welcomed workout. It went on and on. One elder looked concerned for a moment that there may not be enough for everyone. You could see the memory of potluck dinners wash over him. There was plenty. More than enough. There were leftovers. One hundred and fifty plus people shared “do this in remembrance of me”. It is a congregation that decided what they want church to sound like.

I grew up in a time when children were taught to read by “sounding it out”. If you came upon a word you didn’t know how to pronounce, don’t worry. You can do it. Use your knowledge of the alphabet, and the sounds of the letters, and your memory to sound it out. Do you know the word “Christian”. It may take more than one try, but you will get it. Will you pronounce it perfectly? No, not the first time and maybe not even the fourth time. But you will. And what does that word mean? You may not know, but the sentence can give clues or the context of the paragraph may help determine a basic meaning. You know, like a contestant in a spelling bee might ask to hear a word used in an sentence to help determine the spelling. It is not always just stalling for more time. Christian. In the coming week you have several opportunities to put your Christian faith into action by serving at the food pantry, or serving one of our free community meals, or helping with the after school program.

Here in the early 21st century, it seems like that is what many mainline Christian denominations are doing in their communities where they once dominated Sunday or Wednesday or both. Many are having to sound it out. There are always new words and the meaning of words can change. What sound does your church make? And, could I ask a personal question? “What sound does a Christian make?” You can do it. Sound it out.

Follower of Jesus.

Christian.

Conservative.

Liberal.

Evangelical.

Progressive.

Progressive Evangelical.

Person of faith.

Spiritual, but not religious.