Readings

FIRST LESSON

The first lesson is from Nelson Mandela’s Address to the World Economic Forum, January 29, 1999

To ensure a better life for all our people is a complex and difficult task. Your support strengthens our efforts and inspires us. We know that this goodwill arises from the desire of good men and women everywhere that South Africa should succeed in reconciling our people and that we should lay the scourge of racism to rest. This requires strong democratic institutions and a culture of compassion. None of this is possible without a strong economy.

The challenges we face combine many of the great challenges that face our global society. We need social stability that is based on socio-economic development. We must nurture tolerance, collective wisdom and democracy. Like all countries, we must provide real personal safety and security against criminality and abuse of human rights.

The fact that we face these global challenges at the precise moment that we have become free with the world's support, places special obligations on our new democracy. Some people argue that we should focus on our own immense problems and leave others to their own devices. That would be to turn our back on those that helped liberate us, often at great costs to themselves. It would be contrary to our morality, which will not let us desert our friends.

Who, in our interdependent world, can turn their back on people in other lands when press, radio and television bring us the graphic reality of abuse, death, genocide and senseless and destructive wars? Is globalization only to benefit the powerful and the financiers, speculators, investors and traders? Does it offer nothing to men, women and children who are ravaged by the violence of poverty?

To answer "Yes" to these questions is to re-create the conditions for conflict and instability. However, if the answer is "No" then we can begin to build a better life for all humanity.

SECOND LESSON

The second lesson is from the Gospel of Luke, Chapter 6, verses 39 through 49

Jesus also told them a parable: “Can a blind person guide a blind person? Will not both fall into a pit? A disciple is not above the teacher, but everyone who is fully qualified will be like the teacher. Why do you see the speck in your neighbor’s eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye? Or how can you say to your neighbor, ‘Friend, let me take out the speck in your eye,’ when you yourself do not see the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbor’s eye.

“No good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit; for each tree is known by its own fruit. Figs are not gathered from thorns, nor are grapes picked from a bramble bush. The good person out of the good treasure of the heart produces good, and the evil person out of evil treasure produces evil; for it is out of the abundance of the heart that the mouth speaks.

“Why do you call me ‘Teacher, Teacher,’ and do not do what I tell you? I will show you what someone is like who comes to me, hears my words, and acts on them. That one is like the one building a house, who dug deeply and laid the foundation on rock; when a flood arose, the river burst against that house but could not shake it, because it had been well built. But the one who hears and does not act is like the one who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the river burst against it, immediately it fell, and great was the ruin of that house.”

This Week's Sermon

Date: February 7, 2010

Title: Making Sense of It All

Message Delivered By: Rev. Dr. Joe McMurray

Children say the darndest things, don’t they? Sometimes, what they say is so cute, you just can’t get over it. Other times, they say things so profound that make us think that they are wise beyond their years.

And then there are all those other times.

It’s difficult for parents who try to teach their children to be honest, while at the same time trying to teach them diplomacy. I think most children learn about honesty very early, but the diplomacy gene doesn’t usually kick in until they move away from home and learn diplomatically how to ask for money.

Teaching children to be honest is very important. How many adults have we known in our lives who never quite understood those lessons?

When I was a child, I was one of six, we learned to be honest before we learned to be polite. Once when we were visiting my aunt and uncle, and were getting ready to leave about dinner time, they asked us to stay and eat with them. They were having hot dogs for dinner. I looked at my aunt Freda, when she handed me a hot dog on a plate, and I said, “I don’t want that. I want meat.” So even as a child, I had developed a sophisticated palate.

When we finally got out of the “I want” stage and learned to be polite and we visited relatives, they’d ask if we wanted a Coke, and we’d say, “No thank you,” even though we wanted one. Finally, in my teens, my parents said, “If you want one, you can have one.” All those years, wasted.

Sometimes, children say things in truthfulness and innocence that we perhaps wish they hadn’t said. I’m thinking of the situation involving a young child and her mother, a certain working woman who invited several people over for dinner on a Friday night. By the time the mother got home from work, she was quite exhausted. Yet she had no other option to change plans, since the invitations had been made long ago and people would be arriving in about two hours. So she painstakingly prepared dinner, and the guests arrived on schedule.
When they all sat down to eat, the woman turned to her six-year-old daughter and said, "Honey, would you like to say the blessing?" The girl, who was very shy, replied, "Mommy, I won't know what to say."

The woman replied, "Just say what you heard Mommy say." And so the little girl very seriously folded her hands, bowed her head, and said, "Dear Lord, why on earth did I invite all these people to dinner?”
_____________________________________________________________

Will you pray with me? God, we are grateful for this community in which we worship. May we always make this place a welcoming and inclusive place so that whomever wants and needs to be here will find us, will find this beautiful space, and will experience the all-important sense of belonging that we sometimes take for granted. May we be mindful of the fact that we all have different experiences, different needs and different dreams. Yet, may we find common ground and work together to make our community and our world ever stronger. And may my words and all of our thoughts be filled with honor and praise to you. Amen.

In February of each year, we honor African American spirituality. As we know, there are many spiritualities, many theologies that comprise the Christian faith. Some have changed over the years, and many have been added, particularly the last half of the last century when a theology of liberation was born into much of Christianity.

From the time Christianity became a state religion, it honored and revered those who were gifted, those blessed with good health, solid employment, financial security, and those who were part of the elite and ruling classes. This could be explained, in part, as a sort of retribution theology: those whose lives were faithful were rewarded by God with abundance.

Liberation theology, which encompasses Latin American spirituality, African American spirituality, and many others, is a relatively new theology that celebrates those outside the norm; it celebrates those who do not own property, the poor and destitute, those who struggle, those who live on the streets, the unemployed, the marginalized and the have-nots.

The so-called “kingdom of heaven” for this group of people, according to the earlier tradition, would come to them only if they lived a good life, did what they were told, and remained loyal to those whom they served. Those in positions of power and authority, it was assumed, were already at the front of the line for their heavenly reward.

Liberation theology celebrates those disenfranchised from the central authorities in society and religion—those who previously were thought to be inferior. It taught that God loves all people regardless of their plight, that justice for all humanity must prevail, and that a preferential option for the poor were among the true messages of the gospel taught by Jesus’ ministry.

Lest anyone misunderstand, Nelson Mandela is not African American – he is South African. But what he wrote in this 1999 Address to the World Economic Forum is remarkably similar to the types of liberation movement writings that we uphold in our communities.

His address speaks to the cultural constraints on a just and fair society when the differences between economic well-being are so far apart. Only when basic human rights are established, he says, can humanity move forward safely and securely. Part of these rights depend upon economic justice.

But Mandela did not promote isolationism, an attitude that says, let’s take care of our own first, and then care about the rest of humanity. Echoing Dr. King, he did not believe that South Africans, nor any nation, should separate itself from the rest of the world until injustice everywhere had ceased. He believed that all people were connected, despite the artificial divisions created by borders, by nationalities and race. He thought it was immoral to desert people in need.

Mandela’s ideals are the same as those expressed in the liberation theologies—that it is not only the powerful and the wealthy who should benefit, but those who have been victimized and exploited throughout history, and who still suffer from world ignorance and ambivalence.

In comparison, Jesus was speaking metaphorically in today’s Scripture. Can those who are ignorant lead others from their ignorance? Can those who are fearful teach others to dispel their fears? The point of the message is the hypocrisy of those who assume they are best to be judge and jury without looking first at their own offenses against humanity.
Who better to teach than the righteous, the faithful and those who understood his message of compassion?

Jesus speaks about human character when he says, “No good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit. Each tree is known by its own fruit. The good person out of the good treasure of the heart produces good, and the evil person out of evil treasure produces evil; for it is out of the abundance of the heart that the mouth speaks.” It is out of the abundance of the heart that the mouth speaks.

We’ve been in rehearsal for the past several weeks and have been using one of the large church halls for our rehearsal space. Unfortunately, the church double-booked us on a couple of nights, and one of the church elders was very indignant that though we were also victims of a double-booking, we were the ones who must move immediately. He treated us as if we had committed an offense. It was very off-putting, not only to us, but to those from his church who witnessed his behavior.

It really didn’t matter the age of the individual. He could have been 20 or 120, but he acted like a crotchety man who was intent on punishing others for his own unhappiness.

I know I’m generalizing a bit here, but I do so to make a point. One of our cast members remarked, “I hope I’m not like that when I get to be his age.” But another said, “If that’s your nature, it doesn’t matter what your age is. If you’re that way when you’re young, chances are you’ll be that way when you’re older.”

This is, in part, what Jesus is saying. While it is possible, it’s extremely unlikely for a person to change their nature. I may have mentioned before that I once had a lively discussion with my Christian ethics professor in graduate school who claimed that the nature, the essence of a person does not change. If something is known to be part of a person’s nature, it cannot just disappear and suddenly not be. He felt that the type of effort it would take, for example, for an habitual liar to become a truth-teller was all but impossible.

I, on the other hand, always believe that redemption is possible. I have seen and experienced many things. I believe in miracles and in the power of transformative prayer; I believe that with God, all things are possible. Some transformations may be unlikely, perhaps; but they are still possible.

Jesus asked a very poignant and challenging question of the disciples: “Why do you call me ‘Teacher’ and not do what I tell you? If you lead the kind of life I keep telling you about, it would be like someone who built a house upon a strong foundation; when the flood came, the water burst against the house but could not shake it. As to those who do not listen—who cannot allow themselves to listen—when the water bursts against a house without a foundation, it means the ruin of that house.”

Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for 27 years under apartheid when the white majority ruled the country and many political opponents were arrested and placed behind bars. A year after his release, he shared the Nobel Peace Prize with President F.W. DeKlerk, who emptied the prisons. Mandela then became president in the first open and free elections.

I read yesterday that Mandela has invited his ex-wife and one of his former jailers to dinner this coming week to celebrate the 20th anniversary of his release from prison. He invited one of his jailers to dine with him. For some, inviting his ex-wife is also a rather earth-shaking event. But that’s the sort of man he is.

So we have very clear messages about what justice means. And we have the talent, the tools, and the imagination to bring about justice to the world. And by “we” I mean the collective “we.”

We also have a clear understanding of what Jesus is telling us. He has shown us the way to live, the way to treat others, and the way to be compassionate and loving as God is with us. He points us toward our very nature, and in some sense challenges us to change it if it is out of synch. Jesus said, “It is out of the abundance of the heart that the mouth speaks.”

If it is our nature to be peaceful, we will bear the fruit of peace and harmony. If it is our nature to generate chaos, then we will bear the fruit of disruption and enmity.

It really makes perfect sense.
The only question that remains is, “Which shall we choose?” Because, unlike my ethics professor, I believe it is more our choice than it is our nature as to how we engage the world.

I will admit, sometimes, the choices we make are difficult and go against what others may think is most natural. But we must act from our conscience, from our sense of what we believe is truly right and wrong. And we must act within what we consider God’s desire to be.

It is my hope that as individuals and as community we make the best choices and continue to follow where God is leading. Amen.