Readings

FIRST LESSON

The first lesson is from The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream by Barack Obama

It’s not simply that a gap exists between our professional ideals as a nation and the reality we witness every day. In one form or another, that gap has existed since America’s birth. Wars have been fought, laws passed, systems reformed, unions organized, and protests staged to bring promise and practice into close alignment.

What’s troubling is the gap between the magnitude of our challenges and the smallness of our politics—the ease with which we are distracted by the petty and trivial, our chronic avoidance of tough decisions, our seeming inability to build a working consensus to tackle any big problem.

We know that global competition—not to mention any genuine commitment to the values of equal opportunity and upward mobility—requires us to revamp our educational system from top to bottom, replenish our teaching corps, buckle down on math and science instruction, and rescue inner-city kids from illiteracy. And yet our debate on education seems stuck between those who want to dismantle the public school system and those who would defend an indefensible status quo, between those who say money makes no difference in education and those who want more money without demonstration that it will be put to good use.

We know that our health-care system is broken: wildly expensive, terribly inefficient, and poorly adapted to an economy no longer built on lifetime employment, a system that exposes hardworking Americans to chronic insecurity and possible destitution. But year after year, ideology and political gamesmanship result in inaction, except for 2003, when we got a prescription drug bill that somehow managed to combine the worst aspects of the public and private sectors—price gouging and bureaucratic confusion, gaps in coverage and an eye-popping bill for taxpayers.

We know that the battle against international terrorism is at once an armed struggle and a contest of ideas, that our long-term security depends on both a judicious projection of military power and increased cooperation with other nations, and that addressing the problems of global poverty and failed states is vital to our nation’s interests rather than just a matter of charity. But follow most of our foreign policy debates, and you might believe that we have only two choices—belligerence or isolationism.

We think of faith as a source of comfort and understanding but find our expressions of faith sowing division; we believe ourselves to be tolerant people even as racial, religious and cultural tensions roil the landscape. And instead of resolving these tensions or mediating these conflicts, our politics fans them, exploits them, and drives us further apart.

SECOND LESSON

The second lesson is from Luke, Chapter 7, Verses 11 to 17

Soon afterwards Jesus went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd went with him. As he approached the gate of the town, a man who had died was being carried out. He was his mother’s only son, and she was a widow; and with her was a large crowd from the town. When Jesus saw her, he had compassion for her and said to her, “Do not weep.” Then Jesus came forward and touched the bier, and the bearers stood still. And Jesus said, “Young man, I say to you, rise!” The dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother. Fear seized all of them; and they glorified God, saying, “A great prophet has risen among us!’ and “God has looked favorably on the people!” This word about Jesus spread throughout Judea and all the surrounding country.

This Week's Sermon

Date: June 6, 2010

Title: Equal Time

Message Delivered By: Rev. Dr. Joe McMurray

I had prepared for today’s sermon early in the week. My worship plan was in place, the readings, theme and sermon title were chosen, the bulletins were completed by Wednesday, and all I had left to do was write the sermon, which I typically do late Saturday.

Hoping for a relaxing Saturday evening, I began writing the sermon late yesterday afternoon; yet the more I wrote, the more I saw that the sermon I was writing was much more appropriate for next week’s Pride Sunday sermon. So, despite my reservations, I decided to finish that sermon before I began the task of finding new readings, a new theme and sermon title, and an entirely different approach.

The bad news, of course, was that I got a very late start for today. The good news is, next week’s sermon is done (that is, unless I decide to change it between now and then). These are some of the pitfalls of the contemporary preacher.

It is, however, a good lesson in humility—it shows that oftentimes my plans are not God’s plans. I truly do feel inspired to write what I write. That doesn’t mean the finished product is anything more than what comes out of me—in other words, there is no guarantee that my sermon will be brilliant (or even good).

The thoughts and feelings I share, though they are mine, are not entirely mine. What I pledge to give you is my best. It reminds me there’s something much bigger, much greater, and much more in control than I will ever be alone.
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Will you pray with me? Loving God, so much of life is caught between extremes when often our truths lie somewhere in the middle. All too often, we live at the extremes which can leave us distant from one another and distant from you—away from compromise, far from compassion, and at a great distance from peace. Help us, even as we fight for our truths, to be compassionate about the hopes and desires of others.

We know that when we live in the light of your truth, we are best able to dispel the shadows of what we know is not true—that anything that does not reflect your love and life-giving essence is not of you. Help us to make room for and promote those truths, even when they do not come easily to our thinking. May my words and all of our thoughts be filled with honor and praise to you. Amen.
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There are many imbalances in life and these imbalances cause unnecessary separation and division among us. Nothing has as much of an impact upon humankind with regard to division as the hardship of war—whether that war involves us directly or indirectly.

Indeed, we hearken back to a time when our own country was divided by war—north against south. In many ways, that war is still being waged today, perhaps not so much with a show of physical force and violence, but with a violence of words and actions that make us feel that we are divided and that our common goals have been compartmentalized.

But there are other divisions among us that also very stark. Look at how our economic hardships divide us. In fact, we might say that our socio-economic differences are part of what created the hardships in the first place: those who have versus those who have little or nothing in comparison. Our democracy is founded upon personal freedom and freedom of expression. This has allowed us to create opportunities, and in a capitalist society, this means that those who begin with wealth and power often expand that wealth and power.

Some who have benefited from education and experience, replicate those experiences and have become entrepreneurs, lifting themselves from the everyday work and toil of the lower and middle classes with new innovations which, in many cases have paid huge dividends. These efforts have been completed through the merits, the drive and the opportunities that were afforded them. We most associate these successes as expressions of the so-called “American dream.”

Though I don’t intend to simplify our differences, it is clear that in our contemporary culture and society, there are is a huge disparity between the quality of life some enjoy versus the lack of quality of life for others.

Even this understanding puts us at odds with one another: many believe that what they accomplish in life entitles them to certain power and authority; and that those who do not have similar accomplishments, regardless of the reasons or circumstances why they do not have similar successes, should not receive any benefit or entitlement at all. Still others believe that those who are most fortunate should reach out and help others who, for whatever reason, have been disadvantaged in life.

On one side, there are claims that attempts to achieve this type of equity are founded in principles of justice that are consistent with both the type of government we have and the various faith traditions to which we belong—almost all of which place a greater value on equity and a somewhat equal distribution of goods that allows for everyone to thrive and no one to suffer. Yet, on the other hand, others claim that the goals of these do-gooders is a “redistribution of the wealth”; taunts of “communism” and “socialism” surface as fear-mongering takes center stage in the ongoing debate.

This is no more apparent illustration of this than the recent tragedy in the Gulf of Mexico. Millions are impacted by this environmental disaster—those who live along the coasts; those whose businesses depend upon the Gulf waters; those whose livelihoods depend on visitors and vacationers who bring money to spend in the Gulf states; those who literally feed off of the seafood the Gulf provides; and the list goes on and on. This could be described as a trickle-down tragedy that will soon impact us all.

There are others who believe that the oil companies are most impacted; that any desire on the part of the American people and the government to limit or place a moratorium on future drilling in the face of this tragedy are just holding up private enterprise; depriving the American people of this natural resource; of trying to limit the actions of corporations and placing undue burdens and regulations on systems that “work most of the time.”

Then it turns into an environmental issue, where, frankly, there are those who still feel humankind has a right to dominate the earth and all of creation, even to the destruction of much of that creation. And there are others who believe that humankind is only one species of God’s creation, and as responsible caretakers of the earth, we should protect her natural habitats, ensure the continuation of all her species, and leave the earth in better shape than we found it.

These issues have become polarizing; reasonable disagreement has turned into violent difference; there is no room to tolerate opinions other than the ones we hold.

With tensions heightened in these troubled times, especially with this type of disaster looming out there in the Gulf with a daily threat of what might happen, what could happen, what is likely to happen, we retreat to the safety of our own beliefs, however accurate or inaccurate they are.

Many have already risen in self-righteous indignation to try to blame the disaster on one entity—the oil company responsible, or all oil companies who drill for oil in the Gulf or in our oceans and coastal waters; or the government for not acting swiftly enough or having all the resources at the ready to prevent the damage that’s already being done; or those who are in favor of drilling in our waters who create this type of threat simply by their presence. I’ve even heard some people blame environmentalists despite the fact that they have long opposed offshore drilling. Somehow their opposition to drilling closer to land forced the oil companies to drill further offshore, which is where this explosion happened.

The fact of the matter is, we are all responsible—indirectly—for this tragedy that has occurred. We have become so good at consuming that we have failed to use the gifts God gave us to create alternative, renewable energies that would have prevented our need for this type of oil drilling to take place. We have become lazy users of the earth, and in that sense, we are all equal partners in needing to find solutions—not in pointing fingers of blame. There will be plenty of time for blame later on, as the impact of this tragedy will be felt for decades to come.

But for now, we must find solutions. We are all equal in terms of responsibility and we are all equal with regard to being victims. Once the remedy is in place, once the oil stops gushing, once the wildlife is captured-cleaned and restored, and once all the damaging oil has been removed—we can get on to the business of ensuring that this never happens again.

In a sense, this is part of the message of Luke’s Gospel. Jesus did not point the finger of blame at those who came to him. Jesus knew that the world, especially the world immediately before him, was in distress and in need of healing. He became available to everyone in need.
Jesus was not, for the balance of his ministry, accessible only to those whom he felt deserved God’s attention. Because in Jesus’ eyes, everyone deserved attention; everyone was worthy of God’s love. Whether rich or poor, Jew or Gentile, slave or free, man-woman or child, criminal or esteemed citizen, sinner or saint—everyone had the same access to God’s unconditional love.

The most important aspect of Jesus’ ministry was salvation—the salvation of people, the salvation of lives, the salvation of souls. Jesus was a healer—one who brought remedy to those who were suffering and in pain; one who brought solace to those who were afflicted with emotional or psychological disorders; one who did not target people or ostracize them for who or what they were; but one who reached out to them in love despite who or what they were.

It is thought that part of what made Barack Obama so appealing as a presidential candidate was his ability to read humanity well. He seemed to grasp the issues, always able to look from above it at all sides of an issue and pinpoint—if not solutions—a clear assessment of the problem.

Our lesson this morning from Obama’s book, The Audacity of Hope, demonstrates just that point. Obama illustrates in a few short paragraphs what I’m also trying to impart to you this morning. He is very adept in highlighting and clearly stating the problem.

But from there, it’s up to all the rest of us to find solutions that are communicated with honesty and truth; to seek solutions that offer the best we have and benefit everyone fairly and adequately; to encircle those solutions with compassion so that we do not leave the voiceless behind.

It’s up to us to offer the best of ourselves with everyone making the necessary sacrifices to ensure that we are, in fact, equal partners, not only in the sight of God, but in the sight of each other; sharing the responsibility; sharing the benefits; sharing the love that God so freely gives. May we continue to follow where God is leading. Amen.