An Interactive Sermon

[EXPLANATORY NOTE: I was the guest preacher at Central Christian Church in Fairmont on the Sunday before Thanksgiving (11/21/10), and in thinking about what to do, I decided to try an approach I had once seen about ten years ago. It was during a worship workshop in Pittsburgh, which was opened by Dr. Douglas Adams, professor at Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley, CA (if memory serves), who delivered a lecture on St. Matthew's genealogy using cue cards prompting audience responses similar to the ones I employ in this sermon. Ever since witnessing Dr. Adams' creative presentation, I have wanted to "borrow" his idea. And I did, and except for my lack of coordination in handling the cue cards, the sermon seemed to make a point--maybe not the intended point, but it was fun doing something different.]

The Sermon

You know the difference between parents' stories and grandparents' stories, don't you? Perhaps an illustration will help. Say as a parent you just learned that your son or daughter got a "D" on an exam. Chances are, you not only will let your child know how upset you are at his or her performance, but you may find yourself saying something about how hard you had to work to get through school and how you not only had big assignments in ten different classes every night, but you also had at least two hours of chores to do at home as well, to say nothing about having to slog two miles through a foot of snow to get to school everyday. Now, that's a parent's story. Sometimes as parents we make it seem as if life was so much tougher in our day, and inadvertently leave our children with the impression that they will never be able to measure up to all we did when we were their age. Our parent stories tend to make it seem as if we were perfect growing up.

But suppose later on our child who made the "D" happens to be talking with grandmother, and informs her how upset we parents are about the poor grade? Ah, then our son or daughter might learn some very interesting things, like the time grandma was upset and worried because the so-called perfect dad flunked math in the fifth grade and had to take it over again in summer school, or the time perfect mom and some of her friends played hooky from school for a whole week in order to hang out in Palatine Park during the Three Rivers' Festival.

The difference between parents' stories and grandparents' stories is that grandparents tend to tell the whole story whereas parents are apt to let children see only the good parts of their stories. And if the only stories children get to hear are the perfect parent stories, then they will feel inferior and as if they will never measure up. Parents' stories leave daughters and sons feeling as if no one has made such mistakes as they have. But grandparents' stories help youngsters to understand that everyone messes up.

I want to let you in on a secret. The Bible is not a collection of parents' stories. Rather, it is a huge library of grandparents' stories. Humans are forever messing up in the stories of the Bible, but they are still valued and appreciated and considered worthy of God's love and acceptance. Look, for example at the genealogy in St. Matthew's gospel that no one ever reads because the names are too hard to pronounce (like Shadrach, Meshac, Abednego, and Nebuchadnezzar, huh Susan?). Besides that, it is all so boring. But Matthew's genealogy tells the whole story of the history of God's people all the way up to the time Jesus was born. I'm going to need your help reading this genealogy. I have some cue cards (applaud, cheer, boo, hiss, huh?) and as I go through the genealogy, I'll hold them up and you respond as requested.

"An account of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah (applaud & cheer), the son of David (applaud & cheer), the son of Abraham." (applaud) Abraham who left his father's home and kindred for a land God would show him, and through whom God would bless the nations of the earth (applaud). Yes, Abraham who told his wife to pretend she was his sister when they were in Egypt so that Pharaoh, upon seeing her beauty, would think that she was an eligible receiver of his affection and wouldn't kill Abraham in order to have Abraham's beautiful wife to himself. (Boo)

"Abraham was the father of Isaac (applaud), and Isaac the father of Jacob." (applaud) Yes, Jacob who tricked his brother Esau out of his birthright and stole the father's blessing that rightfully belonged to Esau. (Boo) Jacob whose favored treatment of his younger son, Joseph, led the other brothers to jealous rage. (Boo/Hiss)

"Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers (Huh?) and Judah the father of Perez (Huh?) by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron (Huh?), and Hezron the father of Aram, and Aram the father of Aminadab (Huh?), and Aminadab the father of Hahshon" (Huh?) the leader of the tribe of Judah. (Applaud) "And Nahshon the father of Salmon (Applaud) and Salmon the father of Boaz (Applaud) by Rahab" who according to scripture was one of the four most beautiful women in the world (Applaud & Cheer). But Rahab was a prostitute (Hiss) who on one occasion provided shelter to two spies from Israel and helped them escape the Canaanite secret police (Applaud & Cheer).

Now Boaz, son of Salmon & Rahab, was the wealthy and virtuous man from Bethlehem who, when he realized that a foreign woman whose name was Ruth was gleaning in his fields, moved very quickly to protect her from the men who were sure to have their way with her. An unmarried, beautiful foreign woman living in Israel would be considered fair game for any and all. But Boaz showed deep appreciation for her noble character and saw to it that no harm came to her and he even married her (Applaud & Cheer).

"And Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of King David." (Applaud & Cheer) Yes, David who defeated Goliath and the Philistines. (Applaud & Cheer) David, the king who established Jerusalem as the Capitol of Israel. (Applaud and Cheer) David, who seduced Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah the Hittite while Uriah was away fighting in David's army. And when Bathsheba became pregnant with David's baby, David, in order to avoid a public scandal, commanded his general to place Uriah in the front lines and then pull back the rest of the troops so that Uriah would be killed. And he was. Then David was free to marry Bathsheba. (Boo & Hiss)

"And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah." Solomon, the wise king of Israel (Applaud) who promised his half-brother Adonijah, who was the rightful heir to the throne, that no harm would come to him if he did not contest Solomon's kingship. (Applaud) Adonijah agreed, but Solomon executed him anyway. (Boo)

"And Solomon the father of Reheboam, a bad king (Boo), and Rehoboam the father of Abijah, (Huh?) and Abijah the father of Asaph, (Huh?) and Asaph the father of Jehoshaphat" a good king who brought an end to the civil war between Israel and Judah. (Applaud)

"And Jehoshaphat the father of Joram," the king, who put his eight brothers to death when he became the king (Boo), and "Joram the father of Uzziah (Huh?), and Uzziah the father of Jotham, and Jotham the father of Ahaz," an evil king who is remembered for his idolatry, a man who even sacrificed his own sons by burning them to death in his pagan religious practices. (Boo & Hiss)

"And Ahaz the father of Hezekiah," who was an able and vigorous ruler and a pious king (Applaud), and Hezekiah the father of Manasseh," another evil king who restored Baal worship and the practice of sacrificing humans. (Boo & Hiss) "And Manasseh the father of Amos (Huh?), and Amos the father of Josiah." Now Josiah was the king who rid the land of Baal worship and the practice of human sacrifice once and for all, and restored the religious practices of Judaism. He is known as one of Israel's greatest kings. (Applaud & Cheer) "And Josiah the father of Jechoniah and his brothers (Huh?) at the time of the deportation to Babylon. After the deportation to Babylon: Jechoniah was the father of Salathiel (Huh?) and Salathiel the father of Zerubbabel." Zerubbabel was the king who resumed the building of the Temple in Jerusalem after the Exiles returned from Babylon. (Applaud)

"And Zerubbabel the father of Abiud and Abiud the father of Eliakim and Eliakim the father of Azor and Azor the father of Zadok and Zadok the father of Achim and Achim the father of Eliud and Eliud the father of Eleazar and Eleazar the father of Matthan and Matthan the father of Jacob (Huh?) and Jacob the father of Joseph (Applaud) the husband of Mary (Applaud) of whom Jesus was born, who is called the Messiah." (Applaud & Cheer)

That's the whole story as grandparents would tell it. Both positive and negative details are included. If these persons, despite their foibles and flaws found favor in the eyes of God, then maybe there's hope for the rest of us.

And perhaps that is a word that can add meaning to our annual Thanksgiving observance this coming Thursday. Is Thanksgiving possible if there are places in our lives where we feel that we have failed others or they have failed us, if we harbor feelings of hurt, ill-will, resentment, disapproval, disappointment or negativity toward others or ourselves? How can we be truly thankful if we do not see how all of life is a gift to be received and appreciated?

Mary Corita Kent, in her book Footnotes and Headlines says something very interesting in this regard. In her words,

"It seems that perhaps there is nothing unholy, nothing unrelated. And that, as we fit things together, synthesize rather than analyze, we might be coming closer to God's view, from which all must somehow fit together. And we must be more careful about stamping out evil, or hating anything, because we know that in the past and in the present, many people and things have become tragically destroyed in the name of good....Evil maybe not seeing well enough....so perhaps to become less evil, we need only to see more, see what we didn't see before. And here everybody is in the game. Things look different to different people, depending on where they stand. And if we can share views, we would get a larger vision. No single group can do it alone--the job is too big, and we can only make it if we work it out together."

How distressing it has been in our recent political climate to watch our leaders accusing opponents of horrendous evil, shouting boo and hissing a lot, and stubbornly refusing to "work it out together." How sad it is in any arena, including the church, when differences lead to misunderstandings causing us to see one side as all good and the other side as all evil. "Evil may be not seeing well enough!"

Thanksgiving includes an awareness of how all of life's experiences, even those that seem to deny life's goodness, are a part of a larger, all-inclusive panorama, a much broader vista. Thanksgiving is the recognition that grandparents' stories are truly the ones we need to hear. They are the stories that help us understand that even though we all mess up, we are still a part of God's never-failing love that covers it all. Jesus, according to St. Matthew's genealogy, is the culmination of generations of human fumbling and fault. This is the same Jesus who offers us still as his disciples the gift and power of a love that accepts us all, left, right, in the middle, Jew Christian, Muslim, atheist, African-American, Latino, Asian, Gay, Straight, rich, poor, young or old.

Remember, the first disciples, like typical teenagers--no, forgive me, teenagers: like typical human beings--quickly found ways to abuse Jesus' love that covers it all. Judas betrayed Jesus into the hands of the authorities--but Jesus never spoke a word against Judas or ever declared null and void his love for Judas. Peter denied Jesus, repeating three times, "I don't even know him!" That must have hurt Jesus deeply--yet Jesus ignored this attempt to throw off his love and loved Peter still. The remaining disciples ran and hid during and after the crucifixion. They didn't want to be seen with Jesus or vaguely associated with him--yet Jesus' amazing love sought them out and covered them with the reassurance of resurrection. Thank God for the grandparents' method of telling the whole story.

A Church Worthy

Last Thursday's minor surgical procedure did meet with one irksome complication, which to describe might cause contorted facial expressions among those who read this, especially if I were to include an account of the remedy. So suffice it to say that "everything came out" okay and all is well.

Despite the extended period of discomfort, there was a delightful upside to the time spent in and around Shadyside UPMC hospital in Pittsburgh. Polly and I stayed in the hospital's Family House across Centre Avenue from the medical center, a six-floor apartment building that provides beautiful, spacious and comfortable accommodations for patients and/or their families. As helpful as having living quarters close by was, the truly enjoyable aspect of our six-day sojourn into Steeler territory came on Sunday.

Just two doors down from the Family House is a church, First United Methodist Church to be precise, an imposing gigantic structure that probably ranks as one of our country's finest examples of Romanesque church architecture dating from the late 1800s. Because of limited mobility, the decision to attend church two doors down was a "no-brainer." Though some misgivings did surface when I noticed a huge banner on the lawn advertising Wednesday evening "Worship Jams." "Ugh!" I thought, "Are we in for another one of those hip-hop jiving to Jesus jamborees?" Quickly, I decided that before entering the sanctuary I would skim the worship bulletin and, if my suspicions were confirmed, inconspicuously slip back out of the church.

What greeted me, however, when entering the building, was harmonious choral music emanating from the sanctuary. The choir was warming up and practicing the anthem for the day. "All right!" I thought, "This sounds promising," as, indeed, it was.

Being early, there were only a few others scattered throughout the nave, an African-American couple nearby, he dressed in a beige suit, she in a stylish dress.. A few others had taken seats too far away to see clearly. As with most "respectable" Methodists, I chose a seat nearer the rear of the sanctuary and allowed the practicing choir to assist my quieting of mind and spirit in preparation for worship. The choir soon finished rehearsing, and rather than rushing off to don robes, there in the sanctuary stillness the choristers, one by one, offered individual prayers; the words were inaudible to one seated in the rear; nonetheless, a gentle hum formed by the many voices seemed more than the sum of the individual parts.

The choir then exited the sanctuary and a flurry of activity began: the pastor checking his notes in the pulpit (which is elevated about four feet above human contradiction); acolytes not yet garbed in their acolyte apparel, fetching their candle-lighters in jeans and Nikes; the music director placing a pair of conga drums in the chancel; and, worshippers filtering into the pews.

What an array of humanity gathered in that sanctuary! African-Americans, Latinos, Asians, Caucasians, Gays, Straights, children, parents, students, professors, senior citizens, some fashionably outfitted, others casually or plainly attired--a microcosm of the globe! A man appearing to be in his fifties was seated in the front row, his disability somewhat more obvious than ours are, and yet, congregant after congregant went out of his or her way to carry on friendly conversations with this lone occupant of the front row. A young woman rose from her seat, walked up the center aisle toward the rear doors, her tight slacks sporting worn places, holes even, that would have raised disapproving glares from the typical churchgoers I have known over the years. Three rows directly ahead of me was a couple probably in their mid-twenties who held each other in warm embraces throughout the service, both women taking turns resting each other's arm around the other and their heads on each other's shoulders.

A beautiful Latino family consisting of mom, dad, and two sons, one about three years old, the other an infant asleep in his carrier, sat in the pew in front of me. Occasionally, dad would reach across his two children and place his arm affectionately on his wife's shoulder, or rub his older son's head. When we stood to sing the first hymn ("Let All Things Now Living"), something about my voice (hopefully not too earsplitting) caught the little boy's attention. He turned around and looked up at me; I in return smiled back at him. He quickly turned away. That began a ritual of his looking at me and my smiling back and then his turning away, a sort of variation of "peek-a-boo." Shortly before the end of the hymn, I smiled and waved, and this time the little boy smiled and waved back. Our game ended when the hymn did. What a sign of health and wholeness it is when children in the midst of an overwhelming space, yet in their parents' presence, feel trusting enough to venture out into the surrounding environment.

When it was "Family Time" (the spot in the service for the children to gather on the steps of the chancel, some accompanied by parents), the Latino dad and son walked hand-in-hand to join the more than thirty other children and a few other parents for the children's message. Afterwards, dad took his son to another part of the building where supervised activities are held for young children, and then rejoined his wife and infant son in the sanctuary. Intermittently, this beautiful young couple held hands or extended arms around shoulders during the rest of the service.

The worship service included Holy Communion. (Unlike some traditions that observe the sacrament every week, United Methodists have struggled to follow their founder's [John Wesley] insistence on "frequent communion," but the common practice today in many Methodist congregations of holding communion on the first Sunday of each month is actually closer to Wesley's instruction than at any other time in American Methodism.) Since "communion Sundays" mean that the service will take longer, most UM pastors plan shorter sermons/meditations to help keep the service from being too long. That was so at this service. Pastor Bob Wilson's message was brief, but very masterful in unpacking the day's scripture lesson, helping us to understand that the early church's emphasis on koinonia, which is most often translated "fellowship," is a far richer concept than mere friendliness. He argued convincingly and correctly that koinonia encompasses the kind of compassionate family connection that accepts and strives together in the midst of both suffering and joy, conflicts and consensus, in times of chaos and times of contentment. "Pastor Bob" went on to describe the history of how in Shadyside First Church that deepened sense of family has manifested itself through the years, and how the same quality continues to be lived-out, not only within the walls of the church building, but in the surrounding community as well. Witnessing the wide acceptance of people from all walks of life actually happening in what was turning out to be a truly enriching time of worship coupled with Pastor Bob's words pointing to the same reality, I found myself in one of those rare instances when word and actions coalesce to drive home the point. What an awesome time of worship visiting at Shadyside First was turning out to be.

Of course, given my musical propensities, the icing on the cake came with the great choral and congregational singing, including singing contemporary versions of the traditional communion responses (Sanctus, Memorial Acclamation, and Great Amen). The song that concluded the service, which I had never heard before, was a kind of calypso rendering with only the Conga drums accompanying:

I believe that peace will come.

I believe that hope will rise.

I believe that love will thrive.

Shadyside's Mission Statement is succinct:

• First United Methodist Church of Pittsburgh affirms that God's grace is available to all.
• We prayerfully seek to openly welcome all of God's children regardless of Christian perspective, education, economic condition, race, gender, national origin, physical and mental abilities, sexual orientation, age, or marital status.
• We commit ourselves to be in ministry for and with all persons, independent of society's regard.
• God blesses us all so that together we can be God's instruments of blessing to the world.

I can't say, because no one really knows what the church to come will be, but I so fervently want to believe that the Christian communities that survive will look and act like this amazing congregation.