Spirit of Peace UCC

June 22, 2008

Amos 5: 21-24

Matthew 10: 37-39

Rev. Jean Morrow

Well, here we are. Sunday #4 in our Progressive Christianity series.

As a community, we are trying to articulate with some clarity the marks…or the characteristics of Progressive Christians.

Two weeks ago, I suggested that too much of modern day Christianity is about Jesus. A Progressive Christian characteristic is studying the ministry of Jesus as an approach to faith…then embodying the spirit of Jesus and his ministry into our own ministry. In that way, a Progressive Christian strives to become God’s incarnation at work in the world…modeling one’s life after the life of Jesus.

Last week, part of what Marcia shared is that Progressive Christians are more concerned with living good lives in relationship with God than in building correct belief systems. That reminded me of a cute story that pokes gently at those who desperately want an agreed upon correct belief system

Once, there was a grandfather walking with his 4 year old granddaughter one Saturday afternoon. The grandfather came from a rigid fundamental background, and every time something came up in the conversation that he didn’t agree with, he said to the little girl, “We don’t believe in that, do we?”

She said something about playing the card game Old Maid, and he said, “We don’t believe in that, do we?” She mentioned her friends dancing and his response was, “We don’t believe in that, do we?” She said something about planting flowers in the garden the next day, Sunday, after church, and he said, “We don’t believe in working on the Sabbath, do we?”

In their walk on this beautiful afternoon, they came to a farm pond where they saw that a mother duck had hatched her eggs and the fuzzy little ducklings were scurrying on the ground. The little girl sat in their midst, enchanted by what she saw. As they got used to her, she tenderly picked up one of the baby ducks…and then, in a moment of shocked self-consciousness, she quickly set the duck down, look at her grandfather, and asked, “Grandpa, do we beweeve in ducks?”

We begin today in solidarity with that little girl…we begin again this morning to ask questions of our faith…but we do it in a progressive way, by bouncing our ideas against scripture, each other, church tradition, our own experiences, and our gift of reason. Unlike the little girl’s grandfather, we encourage each other to make our faith our own and to search more deeply for clues to understanding that mystery we call God and to hear the call that God makes on our lives.

Today we turn a little more specifically to our call to justice. I found a concise, understandable definition of justice on the UCC website…the statement read, “Justice is the social expression of love.”

What does that mean? Well, perhaps our love for humanity…all of humanity…is best expressed as we enact and embody justice. Talking about love and connectedness is one thing. But, if we really do love our sisters and brothers, known and unknown to us, nearby and around the globe, then we show it…we show it by making sure they have all the rights and riches, all the power and privileges that any other human does. It means giving some things up…it means taking some things on…it means sticking our necks out for the sake of love…recognizing that love and justice are joined…like our heart and lungs…one doesn’t work very well without the other.

Is this a new way of thinking about justice? Do I stand here a cutting edge prophet and theologian? Sadly, no…

The Hebrew prophet, Amos, voices these words as from the very lips of God…

“I hate, I despise your festivals, and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies. Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them; and the offerings of well-being of your fatted animals I will not look upon. Take away from me the noise of your songs; I will not listen to the melody of your harps. But let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.” (Amos 5: 21-24)

Just in case the biblical language disguised the meaning, I want to read that same passage from The Message Bible, not a scholarly interpretation, but a contemporary adaptation of scripture into modern language and images. So, again, we have Amos, the prophet, addressing the so-called religious folk who say they love God, who say they love humanity…but their actions don’t really show it…listen again as Amos speaks from God’s perspective,

“I can’t stand your religious meetings. I’m fed up with your conferences and conventions. I want nothing to do with your religion, your projects, your pretentious slogans and goals. I’m sick of your fund-raising schemes, your public relations and image making. I’ve had all I can take of your noisy ego-music. Do you know what I want? Do you? I want justice…I want oceans of it…I want fairness…I want rivers of it. That’s what I want. That’s all I want.”

That makes it pretty clear. Thinking about love…talking about justice…that isn’t enough. We need to do something about it. We need to challenge injustices when we encounter them.

But, challenging injustices…well, that isn’t all that easy, either. It is hard to take a stand sometimes. Why is it we Christians sometimes appear to lack…well…courage to take on injustices when we know they exist?

I ran across an insightful blog a couple weeks ago. It recounted one of Larry King’s interviews with Joel Osteen. Are you familiar with Joel Osteen? He is the 45 year old pastor of Lakewood Church in Houston…if you’ve seen him on TV, he smiles the whole time he preaches…and he often blushes…he comes across as just one of sweetest people you’d ever want to know. He’s never been to seminary, but he’s grown a church in the past 7-8 years that averages 40,000 in worship weekly. They worship in the 16,000 seat Compaq Center where the Houston Rockets used to play…and their services are broadcast all over the world. That down-home, sweetie-pie, aw-shucks thing seems to work…at least for him.

I’ve watched him a few times as I have been channel surfing. He preaches a lot about hope. He’s very positive, upbeat…his messages are gently, sweetly challenging about leading better lives and how one achieves personal salvation.

Honestly, I want to like the guy…had we met in college, I’m pretty sure we would have been friends…and while I’m watching him I almost always reflect that maybe I’m a little too uptight and intense…but when I listen to him preach, I also feel like something is missing. For me, his Christian message of hope is a little biblically light and a little too theologically detached.

Well, back to the blog. It recounted an interview with Larry King that brought the point home for me. I’ll try to make the back and forth conversation of the interview understandable:

King: Do you ever take a political stand? Do you ever discuss Iraq?

Osteen: I never do. Not…not in that sense. We discuss it in the fact that we pray. Many of our members have family members that are over there and family members that they’ve lost. So, in that sense, we just do our best to support our president, whether we agree or not. I mean, we don’t agree with anybody 100%, but we get behind them. We believe God puts the leadership there. And…but we don’t…I don’t…take positions like that.

King: Because?

Osteen: Well, I think a lot of times it’s going to divide the people that I’m trying to reach. Because not everybody, you know, in a church like ours, with all of the diversity… you have got Democrats, Republicans…people that are for the war, people that can’t stand the war. And, I’m not there to solve all those issues. I’m there to give them hope and keep them pointed towards Christ.

He says he keeps the people pointed towards Christ…yet, he never engages social issues… Well, to that I say, Joel, point them towards Christ. Tell the people what Jesus taught…you could start by telling them he said, “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you…” Or tell the people one of the longer, more detailed stories that Jesus told…the one about the Good Samaritan who literally puts his life at risk to save his arch enemy, the Jew.

I would encourage him to stop portraying an anemic Jesus. Genuine Christian concern for other people includes resisting any forces that would drain them of energy, deny them substance, rob them of dignity, or destroy their hope. Progressive Christians believe that the resistance to evil in society, rather than the enhancement of our social position, has always been both an obligation and an opportunity for those who follow Jesus.

But, that way of life isn’t easy for any of us. It’s hard. In fact, it is costly. A life following Jesus entails selfless love, a conscientious resistance to evil and a renunciation of privilege…and I think for gathered communities, like the church, taking a stand for justice does run the risk of dividing us…because, we don’t all agree, and division with those we love is truly hard difficult.

But, fearing division shows a lack of trust in the way of Jesus. Fear will surely build a dam that blocks the flowing stream of justice. John Thomas, the general minister of the UCC, challenges us about fearing division. He said, “A divided church, a church enduring conflict because it stands for something, is stronger than a united church that stands for nothing.”

Or consider the words of Archbishop Desmond Tutu: “If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.”

Taking a stand can divide a community, but it can also refine a community. Exposing an injustice or stating an alternative perspective within our community calls us to a higher level of conversation, reflection, understanding…and, eventually, decision-making and action. Taking a stand and staying in the tension of discussion within the community will more likely lead us to a better, broader, deeper, life-giving way of life than simply remaining silent and opinion-less. And how we lead our lives is foundational for a Progressive Christian.

In conclusion, Progressive Christians understand that seeking justice is the social expression of love. When it comes to taking a stand, many churches will remain neutral, but a Progressive Christian church will risk much to stand for equality extended, inequities addressed, and power shared. It is not an easy call, but it is the progressive call.

May we here at Spirit of Peace continue to have the strength and courage to take on and live deeply the costly, life-giving ministry of Jesus Christ. Amen.