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April 20, 2008 sermon

Sticks and Stones
(Acts 7: 55-60; John 14: 1-7;12)

Reverend Minister Sally Harris

Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me…. But they do… In fact Stephen’s passion for people to recognize God inflamed his narrative into an accusation. The assembly rose in anger and stoned him to death for his words.

Sticks and stones may break my bones but words can kill you! The words from our gospel lesson hold the beloved words offered as hope to the grieving Let not your heart be troubled…I go to prepare a place for you Perhaps even better known is the next section of the gospel reading: I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to God except by me.

Traditionally, this has been the crucial text of Christian exclusivity. Such interpretation claims that only those who know Jesus will be saved. Gospel words of hope have hurt many people because the Christian Church has used them in an elite, exclusive and dominating way… as if we knew the only way to wholeness, to salvation… to heaven….

Sticks and stones may break my bones but words can wound deeply! But let us begin at the beginning of our texts… and let us be surprised by them. And so we pray… Surprising, Holy One we come with these words of our sacred story before us. Grant that we may see you standing and speaking a word of hope for all so that we may bear witness to the whole of creation. Amen

Who would have thought that being a waiter could be so dangerous? One might expect impatient customers, lousy tips and long hours--these come with the territory. But more dire consequences? Surely not. Yet in the sixth chapter of Acts Stephen is chosen as one of seven who will "wait on tables," an occupation and a witness that will lead to his death. The apostles must not be distracted from their preaching to attend to the daily distribution of food to the widows. So Stephen becomes a kind of subversive cafeteria worker, and his wisdom and his witness of caring for the least in the community so provokes and challenges the powers that be, he is arrested. When asked, Are these things so?(Acts 7: 1) Stephen responds with a long narrative describing Jewish history. And then the narrative becomes personal as Stephen passionately describes the unwillingness of the religious establishment to listen to the Spirit – they have become yoked to the letter of the law and forgotten to observe the ministry of angels. Those who listened to his words were stung to the heart.

Sticks and stones may break my bones but words can sting the heart! Sticks and stones may break my bones but words can incite a mob!

Whoa this doesn’t happen in our day! No one is stoned for speaking from his or her heart. We are too civilized and tolerant a society, at least here in North America. We have freedom of speech and religion… surely Sticks and stones may break my bones but words can never hurt me!

If you google Christian exclusivity there are 1, 630,000 sites that you can explore. I did not explore them all but contemporary Christian attitudes toward people of other faith can be summarized under three broad rubrics: exclusive, inclusive, and pluralistic. According to the exclusivist perspective, there is salvation only for Christians. Conversion to the Christian faith is required of all people.

According to the inclusive approach salvation is still Christian salvation, but it is available to all people whether they are Christian or not. Devout people of other faiths may be regarded as "anonymous Christians," for everyone is included within the universal scope of Christ’s saving work.

And then there is the position known as pluralism. Pluralists view the various religions as valid spheres of salvation, each assuming a characteristically different form.

In his 'World Christian Encyclopedia' (2001) David Barrett identifies 10,000 distinct religions, 150 of which have a million or more followers. Is it reasonable to believe that Jesus is the only way and that the other 9,999 religions are false? But perhaps we are asking the wrong question.

The Fourth Gospel is not concerned with the fate, for example, of Muslims, Hindus, or Buddhists, or with the superiority or inferiority of Judaism and Christianity as they are configured in the modern world. The Fourth Evangelist’s primary concern was the clarification and celebration of what it means to believe in Jesus. As modern day readers we need to read this verse in the context of the late first-century world of the Johannine community rather than the twenty-first-century world of the contemporary church.

I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to God except by me [John 14:6] should not be understood as the sweeping claim of a major world religion but as the conviction of a religious minority in the ancient Mediterranean world. The troublesome text should be understood as a joyous affirmation of a particular faith community that believes that God is available to them through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. [resource: Ronald L. Farmer]

Although the paths to the summit may differ, from the top one sees the same moon. This traditional Japanese saying suggests, despite outward differences, all religions connect with the same divine reality. Although the paths to the summit may differ, from the top one sees the same moon. But wait a minute… does that mean sticks and stones do break my bones but today gospel words don’t matter?

If the doors to salvation are open to all, what is the point of sharing the good new with anyone outside the church? How we answer this question is more than an issue of church survival or growth, but our understanding of the fundamental message of Christianity and the goal of human life.

We may know what we do not believe, but we also need words for how the message of Jesus the Christ can help people find wholeness once we take the issues of heaven and hell out of the equation. In fact the way of Christ may have, in its lively intimacy, many paths toward wholeness.

Stephen’s response provides a vision of a living faith in a perilous situation. Stephen follows the path of Jesus. As the heavens open up in this mystical encounter, Stephen asks that God forgive his persecutors. The way of Christ is not about condemnation and separation, but a radical inclusion of lost humankind within God’s healing realm. [resource: Bruce G. Epperly]

And so we follow Christ way boldly and without judgment because the Gospel of John's Jesus, promises his followers something we often forget. “Truly, truly, I say to you, all who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I go to God.”

Our life of faith isn't just a matter of remembering and believing in the terrific things Jesus accomplished during his earthly ministry. He presumed that anyone who dared imitate him would continue his ministry after his death and resurrection. Jesus trusts all of us not only to accomplish what he achieved, but to even go beyond what he was able to do. The way of Christ moves us beyond even our sacred story.

Our faith is meant to empower us to do great things—to teach and preach, to feed the hungry, to seek justice, and to heal the earth. The One present in Jesus’ life is also present in our lives. The power of God (however we name it) is our legacy too and Jesus is our inspiriting, passionate guide to do great things in our time. Beyond the cross and resurrection, Christ is alive in us through God’s creating, transforming and healing touch.

We are assured by the way of Jesus, we are welcoming in this way and we witness to a way that engages the world spiritually in the name of God beyond us, the Christ within us and the Spirit between us. We are indeed blessed to care for all of creation. May it be so!

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