Readings

FIRST LESSON

The first lesson is “Saying Yes and Saying No” by M. Shawn Copeland (from Practicing Our Faith: A Way of Life for a Searching People, edited by Dorothy C. Bass)

Many of us long to grow stronger in the Christian life. But are we really ready to exert ourselves? Being spectators comes much more easily. We prize the football player’s skill and strength; we admire the dancer’s trim, toned body; we applaud the pianist’s dexterity. But when it comes time to actualize our own plans for physical exercise or for rehearsals, too often we prove halfhearted and fickle. The slogan “No pain, no gain” cuts close to the bone. We are conditioned by our modern culture to count on immediate results; we want the gain, but we shrink from the pain. If we find it difficult to respond to the demands of athletic and artistic training, then it is not surprising that we find it difficult to engage in the Christian practice so sorely needed for the development and growth of the interior or spiritual life.

Throughout Christian history, it has been clear that spirituality is not a spectator activity. Tough decisions and persistent effort are required of those who seek lives that are whole and holy. If we are to grow in faithful living, we need to renounce the things that choke off the fullness of life that God intended for us, and we must follow through on our commitments to pray, to be conscientious, and to be in mutually supportive relations with other faithful persons. These acts take self-discipline. We must learn the practice of saying no to that which crowds God out and yes to a way of life that makes space for God.

SECOND LESSON

The first lesson is from the Gospel of John, Chapter 3, verses 1 through 15

Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. He came to Jesus by night and said to him, ‘Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God.’ Jesus answered him, ‘Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the realm of God without being born from above.’

Nicodemus said to him, ‘How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother’s womb and be born?’ Jesus answered, ‘Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the realm of God without being born of water and Spirit. What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be astonished that I said to you, “You must be born from above.” The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.’ Nicodemus said to him, ‘How can these things be?’ Jesus answered him, ‘Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things?

‘Very truly, I tell you, we speak of what we know and testify to what we have seen; yet you do not receive our testimony. If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Child of God. And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Child of God be lifted up, that whoever believes may have eternal life.’

This Week's Sermon

Date: June 7, 2009

Title: Born from Above

Message Delivered By: Rev. Joe Mc Murray

When I went up to Cambridge to take classes toward my doctorate, I took public transportation to and from the airport to Episcopal Divinity School, because the campus is located right near Harvard Square, which is a main stop. It certainly was worth the savings. It cost about $1.25 one way. Meanwhile, a cab ride costs upwards of $50.00.

No matter what major city you’re in, you meet all kinds of colorful characters on the subway, in various stages of alertness and dress, depending on the time of day and where they’ve been.

Take, for example, a man who obviously had too much to drink one night after going out with people from his office after work. He got on the subway in New York City, staggered into a seat reeking of alcohol, and promptly sat right down next to a priest.

The man's tie was stained, his shirt was unbuttoned, his eyes were drooping, he had lipstick smeared on his collar and his face, and a half empty bottle of gin was sticking out of his coat pocket. He saw a newspaper on the seat next to him, and he opened it and began to read. After a few minutes the man turned to the priest and asked, “Say Padre, what causes arthritis?”

The priest was shocked that the man addressed him, but saw this as a teaching moment. He offered a silent prayer for strength, and replied, “My son, in truth, arthritis is caused by loose living, belligerent behavior, sexual promiscuity, alcohol and drug abuse, and having disrespect and contempt for your fellow human being.”

“Well I'll be darned,” the man said, and he had a very sad look on his face as he returned to reading his newspaper.

The priest thought about what he’d said to the man. Not wanting to be too harsh or judgmental, he said another silent prayer and leaned over and nudged the man and apologized to him.

“I'm sorry my words were so strong. It didn’t occur to me that I should consider your feelings. You must be terribly impacted by your disease. How long have you had arthritis?”
“Oh, I don't have arthritis, Padre,” the man said, “But I was reading here that the Pope has it.”

“Judge not, lest ye be judged” seems to apply quite well under these circumstances.
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Will you pray with me? God, we know that we are imperfect people. Yet if we strive for perfection, if we strive to reach our greatest potential, we know you will be more than satisfied with our efforts. We do these things out of love for you, with love for our sisters and brothers, and as a way of loving ourselves, as you have asked us to do. May all those who travel to Key West in the coming days to celebrate all that they are and all that you created them to be, arrive safely, and may we make them welcome in this place. And may my words and all of our thoughts be filled with honor and praise to you. Amen.
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Today is Trinity Sunday – a day to reflect on the various images or manifestations of God in our lives. God can be viewed by us in so many ways. From the God from the Old and New Testament scriptures, we imagined a male, androcentric God whom we called ‘God the Father.’

As theology has progressed, theologians have come to understand that to assign God a gender specific identity only limits God in a way that we have no right to do. As a result, progressive Christianity generally declines from assigning a gender to God. God is far greater than anything we can envision.

Sometimes, we universalize gender association with God so that it reflects a Creator who is not limited to one gender but encompasses many genders, thereby rejecting the temptation to place God into the box of our own comfort-construct.

So whether God is Father, Mother, Parent, Holy One, Guardian, the Divine, the Creator, Elohim, Adonai, Almighty Power – or just ‘God’ – what we mean by these titles is meant to encompass the broad and endless expanse of who we believe God to be as part of the Trinity.

Another component of the Trinity is embodied in the person of Jesus Christ – Jesus, our brother – who in human flesh transformed our understanding of Divinity from a strictly otherworldly context to a context which is much more understandable, available, and tangible. Jesus was and is for us a much more exemplary identity of the holy – the ‘Emanuel’ or God with us – the essence of the Divine in the ‘here and now’ that is actually present to us.

The gift of the Holy Spirit is another manifestation that rounds out the Trinity. The Holy Spirit as the spirit of God. Some envision the spirit of God symbolically as a dove, or in a flame of fire as we witnessed last week on the Feast of the Pentecost – the gift of the Holy Spirit to the disciples.

Christian theology teaches that when Jesus left this world and ascended to the realm of heaven, God sent the Holy Spirit in Jesus’ place to reassure humankind that God had not abandoned us, but was with us still.

Some view the Spirit of God as the wind – the mighty wind. In ancient Hebrew, the word ‘ruach’ is the same word for wind, breath and spirit. The breath of God. There’s a beautiful song that captures this essence:

“Blow through me breath of God; blow through me; like a pipe, like a flute, like a reed making melody. The cosmic song in me, breath of God.”

I love a windy day, because it is one of the times I see the movement of the God I cannot see. The wind is responsible for so much of life and movement in the world; sometimes as a gentle breeze, sometimes as a violent wind that changes the landscape and often reshapes our lives.

Spirit has also been known to take shape in other ways: as manifestations or appearances of angels or guardian angels, or manifested in those we love who have departed from this life, those to whom we are still connected, they reach out to us to reassure us that they are there and watch over us.

Some envision God’s spirit through movement on earth: through events that take place in the solar system or right here in front of us; through the actions of humanity toward each other; even through the circle of life that we experience in the plant and animal life that inhabits the earth.

Our faith, which is expressed through our participation in this church, embodies each of these access points to God: the conscious mind is the center of our communication with, realization of and belief in God; the body – for we are all sisters and brothers in Christ, each made in God’s image; and the spirit – that inner sense of the holy that dwells within us and compels us to goodness, to righteousness, to a life-giving embrace of all creation.

Though we speak about body, mind, and spirit as separate entities, they are not separate, but one. The Trinity is one entity, made manifest to us in different ways – perhaps more ways than we dare to imagine.

The concept of three entities in one has always been a difficult one for the human imagination. Today’s scripture gives such an example as Jesus challenges our old friend, Nicodemus, to move beyond his old way of thinking to a new understanding about faith, devotion to God, and what it means to be a true follower of the message of gospel.

Nicodemus was a man of faith. He was a Pharisee – a leader and a teacher in his own right, and probably a member of the powerful Sanhedrin – the very influential Jewish court system. The legal and religious systems of ancient Israel were one and the same. The Sanhedrin was the final authority on Jewish law and no one went against its decisions for fear of severe punishment – even death. Nicodemus’ participation in the Sanhedrin is probably why he came to see Jesus under cover of darkness.

How would it look for him, a learned participant of the establishment, to seek counsel from the one who stirred up so much trouble for the ones most responsible for implementing the strict religious law?

Nicodemus was confused. He claimed to be a believer, but he based his faith only on tangible things – on the miracles that had been performed. He believed what he saw but was doubtful of the rest.

Jesus was interested in the depth of Nicodemus’ belief – not just what he relied upon with his eyes and his experience, or what others told him about Jesus, but what he felt on the inside – from the deep recess of his heart – from the core of his being. Jesus tells Nicodemus that “one must be born again, from above, born in Spirit,”

But Nicodemus doesn’t understand. “How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother’s womb and be born?”

Being born again is not about repeating something that’s already been done. It is a new experience of the freshness of birth. It’s like discovering a new calling or a new career, but this time with a more focused and meaningful purpose. It’s establishing a new identity or the re-creating of a spirit. It’s about finding a new behavior or a new approach toward life that is fulfilling; something that promotes goodness and strength toward the positive reconstitution of the world where it may not have existed before.

Being reborn suggests that we were born a first time into a path of faith. Like Nicodemus, we can say we believe in the value of Jesus’ ministry based on what he accomplished – the miracles, the healing, the visible movement of people’s spirits from one place to another that directly impacts action in the world.

But Jesus demanded that Nicodemus be born again – be born from above. This meant understanding faith in a new way and living that new way to accommodate the greater expanse of God’s love.

To be born from above means we’ve had a change of heart; a new vision; an understanding of God that we may have never thought possible. To be born from above is to learn to trust in God even more than we have thus far; and to invite others into that place, not under cover of darkness, but in the broad daylight and with loud voices so that others will know by our actions who we are.

They will know we are an open and inclusive and life-giving community. And our ways will be infectious and will rub off on those who have never experienced it before. And little by little, others will also be born anew, born from above, and the spiritual reawakening will continue. And other will experience within themselves what we have experienced within ourselves.

Shawn Copeland underscores the importance of our continuing journey. He critiques a culture that expects quick fixes and refuses to allow time for discernment, fermentation, and blossoming to happen. Ours is a culture that wants to skip from seedling to bloom – as if we could conveniently forget about all the nurturing, the toil and labor, and the tender care necessary to produce a beautiful flower or to bear fruit.

Our church is a meeting point of the Trinity – we come here to find God, and by finding God, we find each other. And by finding each other, we find ourselves, and thus, we find God in yet a new way.

Being born from above means that we open ourselves to God, accept the challenges God places before us, and do what is necessary to bear witness to God’s presence, however that presence is experienced.

Being born from above calls us to reawaken our spirits and challenges us to step into the role of ‘Christian’ in a way that goes beyond needing to see miracles every day. Being born from above is about the greatness of who we are at the core of our being. Why should we be complacent waiting for miracles to happen when we can actually participate in making miracles of our own?

May it be so. Amen.