August 30, 2009 Sermon

The Dream of God - Rev. George Millard

Introduction: In one of his books, Marcus Borg tells about growing up in North Dakota, just across the border from Manitoba, and every time I meet him, I remind him that I grew up in Manitoba, just across the border from North Dakota. - His community Lutheran, mine United Church - But so similar: - rigid, pietistic Protestant - strict moral teaching! - Sunday very boring – no games allowed - it was a day of rest for farmers.

1. In July, Marcus Borg was back in Vancouver and some of us attended a lecture, and he spoke of God's dream, or vision of the world; this vision wasn't any Garden of Eden where everything was beautiful and lovely and harmonious; because 3,000 years BC, there was no Garden of Eden, just Domination Systems as bad or worse than ours!

Features: 1) about 1 or 2% of the population acquired about 2/3 of the production of wealth, mostly from agriculture – familiar? 2) and those in charge of religion declared this social order of the very poor and very rich to be God's will! (and how can you challenge that?) 3) and wars developed as emerging communities competed with each other for more wealth and power and property.

2. this world of domination systems is the world in which the Bible came into existence – much of it a protest, (amazingly) of these systems. – we are all familiar with the story of the Exodus, and people of Israel getting free from Pharaoh. – not only those people, but all nations (ancient and modern) – need freedom from Pharaohs – and especially we all seek freedom from the Pharaoh within, or the best within, that often rules our hearts and minds (Expo film).

3. the great Old Testament prophets – Amos, Isaiah and Micah railed against unjust domination systems, and sought economic justice for everyone (usually we think of justice as punitive justice: those who do wrong, they get punished, their just desserts, - but Marcus Borg points out that it is economic justice that the prophets are speaking of – that wonderful hymn we sang: "What does the Lord require of you… justice… kindness…"

4. Marcus Borg speaks of God's vision: justice and peace and Mark's Gospel calls it The Kingdom or Realm of God. "Jesus' passion for the dream or vision of God led to his passion (his crucifixion) – this is why Jesus was arrested and executed by the authorities" – the rulers said "No" to the Dream of God!

5. Some people wonder what the Bible is all about – I have always said that it is a record of a people's struggle to know who and what God is. Marcus Borg would add: it is a story of the conflict/struggle between 1) God's dream and 2) humanly created domination systems going back over 5,000 years – but we are called to participate in this dream, this vision for justice. "God, without us, cannot transform the world".



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