...and speaking of baptism...

Last Saturday we (family, friends and congregations) gathered to baptize this sweet girl. Years ago her mother was also baptized in the same creek, which runs through her great-grandmother's back yard. All four generations were present, as were assorted other family members and a number of parishioners from three of the regional ministry churches. Truly a gathering of the community of faith.

This was my second baptism here in as many weeks, and my first experience ever with a baptism outdoors. What a joyful blessing it was...

"We receive you into the household of God. Confess the faith of Christ crucified, proclaim his resurrection, and share with us in his eternal priesthood."

Amen!

Stones in the Road

When Jesus came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen:
"Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!"
"Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!"
Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, "Teacher, rebuke your disciples!"
"I tell you," he replied, "if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out."

Luke 19:37-40

I will follow Jesus as my Lord and Savior-- as he calls me, and as well as I am able by his grace. If that makes me no better than a baptized stone (as a commenter suggested), then so be it.

Sermon - 7th Sunday after Pentecost

Proper 11B
Isaiah 57:14b-21
Ephesians 2:11-22
Mark 6:30-44
Psalm 22:22-30

Have you been listening to the radio lately? I tend to turn it on a lot more often than I do the television, as a rule-- and I’ve been doing so even more lately as we’ve waited for the TV receiver to get hooked up. It’s been fun, to learn where the different stations are on the dial, and what sorts of programming they offer.

I will say, however, that what has not been fun has been listening to the political ads that are being broadcast. It seems as though every time I turn on the radio, I hear some candidate growling about how his opponent is a threat to “Truth, Justice and the American Way,” and how voting for him will send America straight down into a sinkhole of moral depravity and financial ruin.

Now, I’ve not been here long enough to know one blessed thing about the incumbent legislators or their opponents. So it’s hard for me to have any idea how much of what I’m hearing has some basis in truth, and how much of it is simply name calling in the name of campaign rhetoric. It’s hard to believe, however, that any one man-- or woman-- could really lead us down the path to perdition quite so thoroughly as the commercials would have us believe. Further, I don’t believe that sort of talk will result in any improvement in the culture or the American Condition. On the contrary, name calling and fear-mongering are not only not the least bit helpful, and actually do more harm than good in the long run. It sounds a lot like the sort of mean-spirited behavior that causes kids to lose recess privileges at school. It’s not any more appropriate in politics than it is on the playground.

Unfortunately, this sort of accusatory language is not limited to the political sphere and the school yard. If you’ve been paying any attention to the goings on in the national church, you may well have heard some of the same tone. “Liberal” and “Conservative” are only the tip of the iceberg. If you read the press releases, or the online news sources and weblogs you’ll hear things like “Overzealous, Self-Righteous Pharisees” (or worse) from one group, and “Revisionist Heretics” (or worse) from the other. It’s hard to see any example of Christian discipleship amid all the fearful finger-pointing and angry name calling, condemnation and threats of schism.

In the New Testament reading this morning, it seems that Paul was also dealing with some name calling. Calling one another “Circumcised” and “Uncircumcised” sounds a bit odd to our modern ears, but in that time and place it reflected a serious barrier and a cause of profound division. It had to do with identity, and tradition, and people’s understanding of how they were to faithfully follow God, in ways that ran soul deep.

Just like the conflict we find ourselves in today.

So let’s look at how Paul handled it. He did not fall into the name calling trap, pointing to one side as right and the other wrong. He did not urge the Gentiles to be circumcised, to prove their righteousness, or their commitment to God-- nor did he insult the traditional Jews for following what he clearly taught in other places was not necessary to salvation or faithful practice.

So, what did he do? He spoke about Jesus. He pointed to their common ground, at the foot of the cross. He reminded them that in Christ is found the only hope of reconciliation, and that all people are offered the salvation to be found in his life, and death, and resurrection. Jesus stretched his arms apart precisely for the purpose of offering all people a way to come together.

Brothers and sisters, the Good News is that this is still true. in Jesus we have a way to break down the walls, to “put to death the hostilities” between us, if only we will remember it.

Now, understand that I am not talking about denying there is division; there certainly is. It is deep and profound, and there are sins and errors on both sides. A so-called “conservative” in the church can easily point to “liberals” who disregard scriptural teaching and wander away from faithful discipleship into nearly pagan practice. And a so-called “liberal” can easily point to “conservatives” who pick the few verses they like (usually out of Leviticus) and use them as weapons, judging and condemning anyone who does not meet their standards of perfection. Both extremes are wrong, and neither does anything to advance the cause of Christ or the Kingdom of God in this world.

However, we need to acknowledge that there are also many honest, committed, faithful Christians on both sides, who read and study scripture, who pray regularly and consistently, who do the best they can to follow Jesus as Lord-- and who profoundly disagree with one another in the process. We need to remember that these are also our brothers and sisters, redeemed sinners adopted by grace, just as broken-- and in Christ, made just as holy-- as we are. This is why the way we treat one another in the process of disagreement is just as important, just as vital a witness to the Gospel, as any commitment to dogma or doctrine we may uphold.

We do not have to try to start at our opposite ends to find common ground; that’s already been done for us. In the midst of oppression, and conflict, and murderous rage, Jesus stretched his arms wide in love and mercy. He reached as far as he could... poles apart... to allow us to come together, to give us a place to gather. At the foot of the Cross, and at the Table.

This is where we start, brothers and sisters. Not by name calling and finger pointing and “walking apart” in schism, but “in the apostles teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread and in the prayers,” with Jesus in the middle of it all.

Independence Day

"Dissent is the highest form of patriotism."

-Thomas Jefferson

Happy holiday, y'all!

Transition

The short story:

• Saturday: Arrived in Montana.
• Sunday: Two services, including a baptism!
• Monday: Met our wonderful builder at the building site, and wandered through for the first time. We have a house!
• Tuesday: Holiday, and some down time, thanks be to God.
• Wednesday: Closing, and moving ourselves in. (moving truck to arrive later)

I will be so glad when we get settled!