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April 27, 2008 sermon

Out in the World
(Micah 6: 1-8; John 14: 16b-19, 25-27)

Reverend Minister Sally Harris

One day this week I lost it. In my humanity a vexing situation finally broke something open in me and my emotions spilled out. So I spent some time talking about it with my beloved. Gloria is a great partner. Throughout our 16 years together she has seen me in many ministerial situations. She has always been adept at offering respectful, challenging and spiritual insights. Her words help me find a path through the muddle at hand; whether it’s a tangle of words in something I’m writing or a difficult situation that comes up in having a ministry that has never fit a specific mold. I don’t remember precisely how I described to her what was vexing me on this particular day—I know I was struggling with an institutional system, which is the context in which I am called. I do remember some words that Gloria offered as we finished our conversation and my lament. “The thing to remember here, Sally,” she said, “is that I am on your side.”

Having somebody on our side, somebody whose sidefulness doesn’t require that we always agree with them or bend ourselves to their agenda, is a remarkable gift. That is why it is so important to be an affirming congregation. We dare speak of our love. We dare speak because there are no shadows in this place. We dare to name our love because we know God is on our side. Do you know how rare that is for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer folks to hear? Do you know how difficult it is to be in a world, a society and a religious institution that still resists, still holds at bay, still whispers in the corner, still assumes heterosexuality as normative… … do we know how awesome it is to hear that God is on our side. Just sit with that for a minute.

And so we pray… Surprising, Holy One we come grateful to be in this place of welcome and affirmation. Inspire us so that we may continue to bear witness to the whole of creation of your radical, inclusive, world changing, church transforming word of love. Amen

My experience of this conversation with my beloved provides something of a glimpse into what Jesus is offering to the disciples. This passage of John’s Gospel speaks of Jesus’ lingering with his followers - breaking bread and drinking wine, talking deep into the night. Jesus speaks the crucial words he feels pressed to offer his friends before he is taken from them. We see the depth of Jesus’ desire for them to understand how he means for them to abide with him after he is gone. Jesus tells them, “ I will pray to God who will give you another Counselor to be with you forever. This,” he continues, “is the Spirit of truth….” Let us just sit with that for a minute. God is still speaking… there is a Spirit that is still guiding us, teaching us, leading us to know the God who is on our side.

As our Wednesday morning Bible Study looked at these Scripture readings the important word context was examined. How we hear the gospel, how we are led to new truths and what those new truths mean are located in varying contexts. The word of good news shifts dramatically depending on one’s context. God is out in the world in a variety of ways. Let us sit with that for a minute.

Dorothy Wiebe:
When reading the Micah passage at our lectionary Bible study on Wednesday, verse 7b reminded me of a story passed down to me by my father. The verse reads: "Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression, and the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?" In our culture we, fortunately have no idea of what this means.

Back in the 1920's, my parents went to Nigeria as missionaries where they served a small isolated jungle tribe. These people had never seen white people before and had almost no contact with the outside world. Their lives were constantly in danger from animals, illness, and vagaries of nature. Their defense was to make offerings of appeasement to the spirits which inhabited their world--all of which were evil. When my parents arrived saying that they knew a God who was love, the people were thrilled with the "good news" and immediately desired to follow this God.

My Dad struggled to preach in this new language and one Sunday prepared a sermon around John 3:16. " God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten son," he began and continued on. During the following week a very young woman came to their house with her baby son. Dad said, "Is this your only begotten son?" She turned and left quite outraged. So Dad appealed to his helper Dogago. " What did I say wrong?" " Oh, you will never learn our language," was the reply. You asked if this was her only son in this world as if she could have sons in other worlds. She isn't old enough to have sons in other worlds--sons who have died.. You should have asked her if this was her only son in all the world of worlds.

The next Sunday, Dad preached again on John 3:16. This time he read, "God so loved the world that he gave his only son in all the worlds of worlds..." At this the people shouted that he had made a mistake. So he calmed them down and repeated the line. Again there was uproar, and once more he calmed them down. Then he repeated the line the third time, and they realized that he meant it. For a moment there was utter silence as they took in this message that it was indeed God's ONLY son that had been given. Then they began to keen--to mourn for the Father who had given his ONLY son. Dad's sermon could not be finished, so he left and all day long until sunset he could hear the people weeping for the Father.

The nex day, one of the elders of the village came and called out at Dad's door, so they sat in the shade of the hut for awhile. Finally, the elder spoke: "When there was terrible trouble in our village--drought or sickness--we would make offerings to the spirits. If the offerings didn't work, we would offer a chicken in sacrifice. If that didn't work-- a goat. If things got really bad, we would offer a girl." There was a long silence. "Have you ever seen the face of a father who sacrificed his daughter?" And there was a very long silence. Then he continued, "If things became absolutely desperate, we would offer a boy." Silence. " Have you ever seen the face of a father who sacrificed his son? " Another very long silence. " Have you ever seen the face of a father who sacrificed his ONLY son? " And they sat in silence for a very long time. Thus, the people had mourned for God--a God who had given His ONLY son for them.

A Spirit is coming, Jesus declares, that will keep challenging us and guiding us to new truths. Truths that are freeing, truths that are threatening; that are dangerous to former ways of thinking. Truths that are public and turns on its head the way the world usually sees God. Jesus knew that such a concept of truth and justice in the context of a world that claims the agenda of God will be an uncomfortable place, a dangerous, a place where one will need an advocate, a counselor, a presence more powerful than the world – a resurrecting power. Jesus seems to be saying, " I am setting you a hard task, and I am sending you out on a very difficult engagement. You are to be out in the world. But I am going to send you someone, a counselor, an advocate, who will guide you as to what to do and enable you to do it." Just think about that: the God who set the stars in place, the planets in their courses, the power in the tiny atom is advocating on our behalf through the Spirit, the breath of the power of God. This spirit is capable of bringing courage and comfort to our very human selves.

Indeed it was - and is - this Spirit of God that empowers the church
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you, not as the world gives do I give you.
Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid

Never doubt though the journey’s long - the spirit guides us on our way – hope and freedom this we pray. When justice rings out we say: Never doubt!!

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