Sermons

"When Congregational Hearts Meet"

Delivered from the Pulpit of First Congregational Church

of Anchorage by The Reverend Mark E. Long

on July 26, 2009

Lections:  Gn. 13.1-16

                  Js. 2.1-9, 13

                  Mt. 12.15-21, ref. Mt. 12:1-14

How we see "others" makes a difference in how we treat them.  We saw last week the "collateral damage" to lives when war breaks out because the definition of 'family' is too narrow.  Postponing our ability to truly celebrate the song we sing more hopefully than realistically, "Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me."

Today I turn to the second half of the question posed to me from the "sermon box":  "What holds us together in times of war."  This could be understood in a couple of ways but, I believe the larger issue for reflection is what keeps folks of strongly different opinions from turning their hostility on each other when times are rough?  What keeps the family together when circumstances or differences threaten to pull it apart?

As we said last week, part of the answer is the very idea of 'family'.  You may struggle to see a family member across the aisle who believes differently as a sister or brother, yet something in how the community identifies itself tells you it's true.  Still family forced onto family has a very uncomfortable feel to it.  Just because we believe someone is our sister or brother doesn't mean we have to like it or her.  It helps, as I said last week; it makes it more difficult to disregard their interests or strike the first blow but it is not the whole answer.

What promotes not just the reality of church as family but also the feeling of it?  What holds church people together, particularly Congregationalists, in rough times?

Congregationalism is rather unique.  The Roman Catholic Church holds together rather firmly through the Pope and a rigid church hierarchy.  Other denominations hold together in a similar way, more or less through a hierarchical system of bishops or a mix of lay and clergy that keeps the local churches and their people in line with the herd.  This system is aided in mainstream denominations with common books of order and confessions, e.g. the Westminster Confession of the Presbyterians.   

The Anglican Communion which includes the Episcopalians of North America is somewhat different because in spite of its Prayer Book and rigid hierarchy of bishops the theology and social perspective of its members is all over the place.  I have always thought of Anglicans as Congregationalists with a Prayer Book.  It is often all that the Anglicans share in common, a common liturgical bond.

This brings me to Congregationalism.  Is Congregationalism really so different from the others?  Well . . . yes it is.

But then before pressing my point I must admit upfront that Congregationalism in spite of its emphasis on individual conscience and autonomy of the local church split over theology in the 1950s.  Somehow out of that, a conservative leaning UCC now leans heavily the other way and draws people of like mind to it.  It is the NA brand of Congregationalism which carries the principal banner of theological diversity to be expected in churches where freedom of individual conscience is raised to the level of virtue.

We should carry this banner of diversity with honor but its weight can become an awful burden when individual consciences diverge from each other.  Congregational churches can become testy places, as members test their rights to pursue their conception of bliss against all others.  So what holds us together in times of war - those emotional times when our interests do not coincide about matters outside or within the church?

We hear a lot about tolerance.  But the Bible doesn't use that word in an approving way.  James warns that treating people differently on the basis of how they look, what they wear, or their social status is sin [period].  "You shall love your neighbor as yourself," says James repeating someone else.

The Christian call is to something more than an invitation to others through gritted teeth or an invitation to "stand over there" some distance away from us or "sit at my feet" (as in James' day) to show that you know your place around here.  We are called to be something more than tolerant of those on the other side of our interests.  They are family after all.

The Scriptures have a different word to express "loving your neighbor as yourself" - deference.  The story from Genesis has Abram going beyond tolerance of his nephew's interest to putting it first; Lot does not do the same. 

Abram and Lot are, recognizably, family to each other.  But they have large entourages which make the land on which they live too small for everybody.   So Abram proposes a deal.  It seems a good one for Lot.  Abram says:  We each have too much to peaceably live together.  So pick a side - if you go left, I will go right or if you go right, I will go left.  As I say, it appears to be a good deal for Lot.  Lot seizes on the good appearances of the plain of the Jordan, "well watered everywhere like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt."  I will go this way he says, as Lot heads east toward Sodom.  Abram goes the opposite way and settles in Canaan.

Lot seizes on the opportunity to assert his interest above Abram's and is dealt a bad end.  Lot heads toward Sodom after all, and we and the hearers of the story know what happens there later on.

For Abram the future is promising beyond his expectations.  His act of deference to Lot's interest leads to the earliest statement of the Lord's intention to make Abram the father of Israel.  "All the land that you see," says the Lord, "I will give to you and to your offspring forever.  I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth; so that if one can count the dust of the earth, your offspring also can be counted."

What does deference look like where interests collide in all the places and ways that circumstances make possible in a Congregational Church?

Frankly, it looks tough to pull off.  I could say well but that is the standard.  But honestly, how could deference ever realistically be the rule?  First, the standard would be that everyone abandons their own interests in favor of the other.  This requires everyone to be false to themselves.  Believers in the physical resurrection of Jesus would stand and applaud those who claim it was a hoax and those who doubt the physical resurrection would do likewise for those who say that Christianity stands or falls on the claim.  This is obviously nonsense.  Deference may work on an isolated basis in the church but for the most part in the context that we sit it is just not a reasonable standard of behavior even for family. 

Church members need to be guided in their behavior toward each other as family by an expression more loving than tolerance and more realistic than deference.  Congregational churches in particular will rise and fall on whether in times when tensions run high their people hold together as a family.

I offer respect, mutually given and received, as the emotional glue that binds church families together when times get rough.  We will not agree with each other about everything or maybe many things, and we certainly shouldn't expect to, but we can respect each other anyway.

As but one example, I would hope you are as eager to hear what Spirit lays on Gwen's heart when she shares from her theological perspective as you are to hear mine.  For either of us, it is what the words of witness point to rather than the words of witness themselves that is valuable.  Each of us hopes you glimpse the consciousness that gives rise to our feelings and words.  It is a Spirit we share through which we translate in very different language our longing and hopes for this community and its mission.

Congregationalism is uniquely challenged as well to find a blend of words, symbols, and movement that express liturgical events in ways respectful of the diversity of the beliefs and experiences of its members.  Congregationalism is a challenging setting for a minister to create and lead the people liturgically in ways that open up community words and symbols to meaningful private interpretations.

It is critical for the people to understand that the words, symbols, and movement do not have shared meanings for all.  In some church settings this may be the case, but not in a Congregational church.  Respect is essential if Congregationalism is to survive much further in its present form.

Congregationalism is a radical experiment that people can be trusted to hold loyally to what they believe, practice, feel and express (until such time they are persuaded by intellect or experience to do otherwise) yet respectfully and truly allow others to hold loyally what they believe, practice, feel and express as well. 

All is well until those interests are dramatically different and charged with emotions that the difference matters.  When Congregational hearts do not meet is when the genius of Congregationalism is challenged to its core.  Ironically, it is also when Congregational people have the opportunity to bear witness to the deepest truth of humanity.      

A silly, but wise, story I read the other day makes the point about this deepest truth which Congregationalists perhaps better than any other church bear witness.

A number of scientists are convinced that they don't have any need for God anymore so one of them goes to tell God the bad news.  The scientist says, "God you had a good run but we are cloning all sorts of things; we are very close to creating immortality for ourselves.  We really don't need your creating skills anymore."  To which God said, "Well, we will see about that let's have a creation contest."  "O.K.," the scientist shrugs and starts to pick up a handful of dirt.  But God stops him, smiles, and says; "Go find your own dirt."

You see the deepest truth of our humanity is that we are all created, figuratively of course, from the same dirt.  We throw on different appearances, say things in different ways, and use different symbols and expressions to tell what we think we know.  But the truth is we all come from the same dirt.

This is how I see it, with great hope for Congregationalism when Congregational hearts meet with respect.  Amen.