Third Sermon At Rock Springs, WY 9/20/09

Equality: Fact or Goal?
By Rev. Steven R. Mitchell
Psalm 1; James 3:13-4:3, 7-8a; Mark 9:30-37
First Congregational UCC, Rock Springs, WY 9/20/2009



Psalm 1 starts out with this lesson: “ Happy are those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or take the path that sinners tread, or sit in the seat of scoffers; but their delight is in the law of God, and on God’s law they meditate day and night.” In the book of James we read, “show by your good life that your works are done with gentleness born of wisdom.” In our Gospel reading in the book of Mark we read, “If anyone wants to be first, he/she must be the very last, and the servant of all.”
All three of these pieces of information seem to be very sound and wise advice. Good rules to live by. And I suspect that if all persons who call themselves “Christian” world wide actually embraced just these three rules, the whole world might want to know the God that has laid these rules (if you will) down to be able to live a peaceful and enriched life. How many times have you been in discussions with people about your church and even go so far as to “invite” them to join you in worship that coming week, only to hear them respond with: “Oh I’m a spiritual person, I just don’t believe in organized religion.” as an excuse for not coming with you? Well, the next time this happens to you, I have a response that you can share with them as a come back. Tell them, “That’s cool, and I understand totally. And since you don’t believe in organized religion, you will really like it at our church, because we have dis-organized religion!”
What we are really being informed of is that, historically the church has not lived up to what it teaches. We say we meditate on God’s Laws, but how much time per week do we sit and read the bible or sit in prayer longer than 5 minutes? We say we believe in justice but are we out in the market place voicing our convictions? We say we believe in peace, but how many times have we as a country that labels itself as Christian, gone to war; just since 1950 or have been involved in “skirmishes” or “conflicts”? As a whole, we pretty much talk out of both sides of our mouth, or as the Native American would say, “we speak with forked tongue.”
Today’s title of reflection is “Equality: Fact or Goal?” In the Epistle from James, he writes: “For where there is envy and selfish ambition, there will also be disorder and wickedness of every kind.” This is the type of behavior that keeps healthy, well adjusted people, who are Spiritual, away from “organized” religion. It is easy for us to look back at the very first century church and easily point the finger at them and say “shame on you, church people, didn’t you get what Jesus was talking about?” Of course, the twelve disciples seemed to never truly understand what Jesus was teaching. Mark says, “But they did not understand what he meant and were afraid to ask him about it.”
But what about now, 2,000 years later – do we understand it? Have we progress any? Do we live in an atmosphere in this church that reflects the true meaning of this banner, “God is Still Speaking?” or the other UCC battle cry, “Never put a period where God has placed a comma?” Do we really understand what this is saying? Do we understand what the “comma” is or who the “comma” represents? Is equality in this community of faith, a fact; or is it still a goal? You do know that anytime you go pointing your one finger at someone, there are three fingers pointing back toward yourself. Ched Myers, in his book “Say to This Mountain, Mark’s Story of Discipleship” writes, “According to Mark – our greatest individual and social addiction is the will to dominate.”
Today’s reading of Mark comes after the mountain top experience by Peter, James and John, where they experienced Jesus in conversations with Elijah and Moses. We call it the story of Transfiguration. After this tremendous experience that only these three disciples out of the twelve are recorded to have had the privilege of witnessing, we read that as they were walking along to Capernaum with Jesus, they were in conversations as to who out of the group of disciples were the most privileged and there by possessed the greater influence or power among them. We are not really told whether Jesus was able to over hear this conversation or not, but once at home in Capernaum, Jesus asked them what they had been discussing. Now in some translations and in other Gospels it is stated more harshly as to, “What were you guys arguing about on the road?” Scripture says, “The silence was deafening “
The silence was deafening. This small phrase can easily be glossed over by the reader thinking the focus of this story is on Jesus holding the little child and saying, “the greatest must become the least and servant of all.” I think this small phrase is the more important lesson out of today’s reading. Its importance is the basis for all non resolved arguments. The first time we read in the Bible about this problem is in Genesis, after Adam and Eve had eaten the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge. Up to that point, God had daily walks with Adam and Eve. But once they had eaten that fruit, they ran and hid from God when they heard Him coming. What is being shown here is a breakdown of communication! It is the separation of us from God. The inability to communicate with God is the underlying theme through out the whole Bible and the death and resurrection of Jesus is the bridge to reconcile that broken relationship.
As a people of God, we are not asked or demanded by God to give up our person, our identity, but rather we are asked to develop who we are in the nurturing surroundings that we call our faith community. We all have differing opinions on how things should operate. Just like in a marriage, the idea when we say, “the two shall become one”, doesn’t mean that one person lords’ power over the other person, but rather through communications and working with each others perceptions come to a common agreement or goal, where both have their integrity in tact and not having to have had it compromised or marginalized.
But when one or more people within a faith community perceive themselves as having greater power or privilege then we see what James is warning about, “For where there is envy and selfish ambition, there will also be disorder and wickedness of every kind.” This is nothing new to any church. Every church struggles to find balance within its uniqueness of every member as to how to allow every voice to be heard. Not just voiced, but to be “heard”.
When one hears statements like, “I don’t like this pastor and I’m not coming back till he leaves,” or “I don’t like so and so, and I’ll just stay away until they leave,” or “I won’t come to church on the Sunday’s the music isn’t up to my standard, “I as a person of faith have to wonder where Christ is at in that person’s heart? I would have to ask what is the real reason one comes to Worship with these types of feelings. Is not the reason for coming to Worship, but togather with other members of the faith community and open ones heart to receive the Love and mercy of God and experience for that hour an environment where all are equal in the sight of our creator? When I hear statements that are negative about the “why’s” of not coming together, what I am truly hearing is the “importance of Ego” and not what James finishes in say, “ But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy.” Is it any wonder why those who don’t come to church say they don’t like “organized” religion?
So Jesus’ response to the arguing over “who was more powerful” by taking hold of a child and placing this child in the middle of the group and giving us this lesson, “Whoever embraces one of these children as I do embraces me, and far more than me – God who sent me.” Now for the 21st Century reader, this is a Kodak moment, or a Norman Rockwell painting; For at some levels, we value children in our society a good deal, but for the culture that Jesus was living in, children were the very least of the least. As a child you held no value in society, you weren’t even valuable enough to have been sold as a slave.
Once again Jesus was challenging social norms and values not only of his day, but also the behaviors of our society, not just in third world countries where baby girls are murder because sons hold value or young girls are sold into prostitution to pay for family debt, but also here in the United States; here in Wyoming; and here in Rock Springs. Quoting again from Ched Meyers, “Throughout this section Mark has articulated the Way of the cross as the practice of solidarity with “little ones” in daily life. In every social relationship, power is unequally concentrated, and the Jubilary task is to redistribute it – even in the context of traditional structures such as marriage and the family. Mark has also undermined any “proprietary” rights that the discipleship community may wish to claim for itself. There is plenty of exemplary behavior outside our own communities of faith and plenty of problematic behavior inside them. The vocation of the church is not to render moral condemnations, but to seek justice within and without.”
By using the example of “welcoming” a child Jesus is challenging the disciples as well as us to a new understanding of just how valuable every person is to God. And not just a new understanding but a challenge to truly be welcoming and inviting. In a culture where your “holiness” was based on your worth this is not an easy concept to understand.
The conversation the disciples might have had with Jesus could have sounded a bit like this: You mean Jesus, we are to welcome the person who doesn’t have the power or ability or place to welcome us in return? To invite people into our faith community with no expectation of reciprocity? Basically Jesus, you are telling us to welcome and even value small, insignificant, powerless people? So let me get this right, Jesus, you are telling me that the only way that I can truly integrate you into my heart is to accept and give value to the guy who is beating on his wife and kid and not expect him to stop and live by my standards; or even worse, I have to really accept and value the bum who comes in off the street and smells like the garbage dump and actually sit next to him in Worship and you expect me to invite him to coffee time and then chat with him? Can’t you just accept my money and my good intensions and call that good? Not really huh. That means that I have to give up my good opinion of myself before I can do that Jesus. Oh, that’s what you’ve been trying to tell all this time. I don’t know; can I get back to you on that one, please.
“Marks gospel holds a vision of society, church, and family that is based on access and acceptance. To become like a child is to acknowledge the place and condition of the most vulnerable ones in our midst.” Pg 122 Before we can really break the response of “I’m Spiritual, I just don’t buy into organized religion”, we need to do what James asks us to do, to empty ourselves of the selfish desire to be in control and allow the gentle love and wisdom of God to enter into our hearts. There is nothing scarier in life than to feel like you are not in control of yourself or of your environment. But Jesus is saying that equality is the only way life will be lived out peacefully and where the sense of safety and security is a fact not a goal. In the UCC battle cry, “Never place a period where God has placed a comma”, the comma is “every individual”. Never put judgements or boundaries or self imposed values on any of God’s creatures; that my dear friend’s is the “comma”. For it is in the “comma” that each one of us has the ability to be nurtured and to grow.
Amen