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chavos · 12-16-2003, 08:05 PM

in response to...http://www.tfproject.org/tfp/showthr...13#post845413, specifically the article posted on why faith is the "enemy"...i'm posting a sermon i gave a while back. I'll put some TFP commentary in my next post.

Jeremiah 7 1-11

The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD: Stand in the gate of the LORD's house, and proclaim there this word, and say, Hear the word of the LORD , all you people of Judah, you that enter these gates to worship the LORD . Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Amend your ways and your doings, and let me dwell with you in this place. Do not trust in these deceptive words: "This is the temple of the LORD , the temple of the LORD , the temple of the LORD ."

For if you truly amend your ways and your doings, if you truly act justly one with another, if you do not oppress the alien, the orphan, and the widow, or shed innocent blood in this place, and if you do not go after other gods to your own hurt, then I will dwell with you in this place, in the land that I gave of old to your ancestors forever and ever.

Here you are, trusting in deceptive words to no avail. Will you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, make offerings to Baal, and go after other gods that you have not known, and then come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, "We are safe!"--Only to go on doing all these abominations? Has this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your sight? You know, I too am watching, says the LORD.

Matt 14:22-31

Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, but by this time the boat, battered by the waves, was far from the land, for the wind was against them. And early in the morning he came walking toward them on the sea. But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, saying, "It is a ghost!" And they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them and said, "Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid."

Peter answered him, "Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water." He said, "Come." So Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came toward Jesus. But when he noticed the strong wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, "Lord, save me! Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, "You of little faith, why did you doubt?"

Have faith. Pretty simple, really. You read the story, and you decide if it’s something you have faith in, right? So what happens when you have a question? Have you lost faith? Did you have it in the first place?

Hmm. So imagine me, sitting in a conservative church, listening to the sermon. I was there as a tourist, an assignment from class. I knew that my attendance was academic, but I did feel a bit responsible for being in the room. The liturgy was familiar, and I tried to feel something holy in it, to pull out of memory the sensation of being touched by God. Didn’t work. What good was my faith, if it could be drowned out so easily? This really got to me, and I started to think that I just didn’t have faith at all. I was fair-weather, able to agree to the Gospel when it agreed with me, able to see myself as forgiven, but not judged, and listening to the Good News only when it was convenient to do so. A carefully edited, sanitized version of faith.

That editing was brought to my attention very acutely by the sermon. Drawn from scripture, the texts I claimed to believe, he issued judgment: Abomination, unholy, nothing to do with God. He was talking about people. People I love. I was hurt. I was offended. No, I was angry. Not just regular angry, but with the fire to know more than anything else I know that he was not like me. That man was not like me at all. He was proclaiming Christ with one side of his mouth, and denying Christ with the other. This was evil, and hypocrisy at its worst: closing the doors to love. And that’s when I realized I forgot who I was talking about.

Square one. This was one of those beam and speck moments, where I realized I had projected my insecurities of faith on to him. My heart was full of the same hate and division, and yet I could only see his faults. But I was already to go with righteous indignation. And can it really be wrong to dislike those who are perverting God’s message, hurting God’s children? I mean, look at the prophets, Jesus cleansing the temple, and tonight’s reading from Jeremiah. It goes on, about burning anger, and the awesome power of an offended righteousness. There is something very real about that judgment. People were doing wrong in the name of the Lord, and there was going to be consequences. So I was right to be angry, this man was wrong to say what he did. My soul was being repelled by seeing sin and that’s what’s supposed to happen to good people, right?

Yeah..,. So I listen on, full of my anger, when it hits me. His sermon has veered away from hate, and starts talking about trust. It’s an unassuming word, with such big ideas behind it. I think to myself that that’s what’s wrong with him. He’s not evil himself; he’s done evil because he doesn’t trust. There are people, people made in God’s image telling him that they love, that they love in God’s image. And he doesn’t trust that. The spirit is moving these people to speak, and this man does not trust the message.

But do I trust him? Of course not-he’s a hate monger. Shoot. Square one, again-I’m mirroring his guilt. I’m never getting out of this. I may as well throw in the towel, and pick a new religion at this rate. I’ve failed to trust that he is one of God’s children as well, and that he is my brother in Christ. And I’m calling out his failings? I lack for trust, and I need to find it again.

But what am I going to trust in? What will give me hope, when I’m stuck in the failings of the church, myself, and the human race. Think about that for a moment. In the beginning, God thinks to create the world. All of human history can be seen, and the words begin to form. Let there be….wait a minute! Is this going to be good? When it’s all said and done, will have humankind been good to create? God says yes. To all of the doubts, to the sins, to the failures, to the mistrusts, God says yes. This will be good, and I will be seen in this creation. I will be made known by what I have made. That’s hope. That’s trust.

Only I can’t see the future. And I can’t base this trust in the abstract, and just conjure faith from nothing. But, I can trust what I have seen. I can trust in seeing people cross boundaries of faith, to challenge and support each other in seeking justice and peace at the Interfaith retreat a few weeks ago. I can trust in all of the witnesses that have touched my life, and shown me resilient and steadfast love. I can trust in the expectation that has sustained so many communities during their struggle for rights and freedom, with out assuming the violence and oppression that wounded them. I can trust in mercy that allows me to move on from these crisis of faith, and assures me that I am still in God’s image, no matter how clouded my thoughts, or thin my conviction. I can trust that anger and schism in the church is not the solution to be sought, but a pain we endure. I can trust God’s yes to creation, because I can hear that whisper, even amongst the clamor and noise of human shortfall. These things can be real to me, grounding for my faith. You see, faith didn’t always have these negative connotations it has today. It didn’t mean an all or nothing confidence, with out regard to evidence, a certainly that is divorced from the mind or a selective and willful blindness. It used to mean loyalty to something that had been loyal to you. Faith was holding on to that which was authentic and tangible to you.

So I try one last time. I have to trust that however broken; that preacher is a part of God’s family. However broken, I am still a believer in Christ. However broken, I believe my indignation can be tempered with love. However broken, the Church Christ left us is still going to proclaim good news to the world. However broken, this people is still made one through his sacrifice. However broken, this world is still God’s. What has been lost is redeemed and brought in to new life. This can be our hope, our trust.

So let us pray.

God of Mercy, be with us tonight, and give us the audacious courage to affirm your creation. Let us not have eyes only for what is hurt and torn apart, but be able to see what you have knit together in love. Lead us to join you in the work of recovering this world, beginning with ourselves. Give us what we need to trust and to hope, and sustain us when we cannot. Above all, come in to this world abundantly, and show us what you are making anew. Amen.

12-16-2003, 08:05 PM	#1 (permalink)
chavos Banned Location: St. Paul, MN	Have Faith in response to...http://www.tfproject.org/tfp/showthr...13#post845413, specifically the article posted on why faith is the "enemy"...i'm posting a sermon i gave a while back. I'll put some TFP commentary in my next post. Jeremiah 7 1-11 The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD: Stand in the gate of the LORD's house, and proclaim there this word, and say, Hear the word of the LORD , all you people of Judah, you that enter these gates to worship the LORD . Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Amend your ways and your doings, and let me dwell with you in this place. Do not trust in these deceptive words: "This is the temple of the LORD , the temple of the LORD , the temple of the LORD ." For if you truly amend your ways and your doings, if you truly act justly one with another, if you do not oppress the alien, the orphan, and the widow, or shed innocent blood in this place, and if you do not go after other gods to your own hurt, then I will dwell with you in this place, in the land that I gave of old to your ancestors forever and ever. Here you are, trusting in deceptive words to no avail. Will you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, make offerings to Baal, and go after other gods that you have not known, and then come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, "We are safe!"--Only to go on doing all these abominations? Has this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your sight? You know, I too am watching, says the LORD. Matt 14:22-31 Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, but by this time the boat, battered by the waves, was far from the land, for the wind was against them. And early in the morning he came walking toward them on the sea. But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, saying, "It is a ghost!" And they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them and said, "Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid." Peter answered him, "Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water." He said, "Come." So Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came toward Jesus. But when he noticed the strong wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, "Lord, save me! Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, "You of little faith, why did you doubt?" Have faith. Pretty simple, really. You read the story, and you decide if it’s something you have faith in, right? So what happens when you have a question? Have you lost faith? Did you have it in the first place? Hmm. So imagine me, sitting in a conservative church, listening to the sermon. I was there as a tourist, an assignment from class. I knew that my attendance was academic, but I did feel a bit responsible for being in the room. The liturgy was familiar, and I tried to feel something holy in it, to pull out of memory the sensation of being touched by God. Didn’t work. What good was my faith, if it could be drowned out so easily? This really got to me, and I started to think that I just didn’t have faith at all. I was fair-weather, able to agree to the Gospel when it agreed with me, able to see myself as forgiven, but not judged, and listening to the Good News only when it was convenient to do so. A carefully edited, sanitized version of faith. That editing was brought to my attention very acutely by the sermon. Drawn from scripture, the texts I claimed to believe, he issued judgment: Abomination, unholy, nothing to do with God. He was talking about people. People I love. I was hurt. I was offended. No, I was angry. Not just regular angry, but with the fire to know more than anything else I know that he was not like me. That man was not like me at all. He was proclaiming Christ with one side of his mouth, and denying Christ with the other. This was evil, and hypocrisy at its worst: closing the doors to love. And that’s when I realized I forgot who I was talking about. Square one. This was one of those beam and speck moments, where I realized I had projected my insecurities of faith on to him. My heart was full of the same hate and division, and yet I could only see his faults. But I was already to go with righteous indignation. And can it really be wrong to dislike those who are perverting God’s message, hurting God’s children? I mean, look at the prophets, Jesus cleansing the temple, and tonight’s reading from Jeremiah. It goes on, about burning anger, and the awesome power of an offended righteousness. There is something very real about that judgment. People were doing wrong in the name of the Lord, and there was going to be consequences. So I was right to be angry, this man was wrong to say what he did. My soul was being repelled by seeing sin and that’s what’s supposed to happen to good people, right? Yeah..,. So I listen on, full of my anger, when it hits me. His sermon has veered away from hate, and starts talking about trust. It’s an unassuming word, with such big ideas behind it. I think to myself that that’s what’s wrong with him. He’s not evil himself; he’s done evil because he doesn’t trust. There are people, people made in God’s image telling him that they love, that they love in God’s image. And he doesn’t trust that. The spirit is moving these people to speak, and this man does not trust the message. But do I trust him? Of course not-he’s a hate monger. Shoot. Square one, again-I’m mirroring his guilt. I’m never getting out of this. I may as well throw in the towel, and pick a new religion at this rate. I’ve failed to trust that he is one of God’s children as well, and that he is my brother in Christ. And I’m calling out his failings? I lack for trust, and I need to find it again. But what am I going to trust in? What will give me hope, when I’m stuck in the failings of the church, myself, and the human race. Think about that for a moment. In the beginning, God thinks to create the world. All of human history can be seen, and the words begin to form. Let there be….wait a minute! Is this going to be good? When it’s all said and done, will have humankind been good to create? God says yes. To all of the doubts, to the sins, to the failures, to the mistrusts, God says yes. This will be good, and I will be seen in this creation. I will be made known by what I have made. That’s hope. That’s trust. Only I can’t see the future. And I can’t base this trust in the abstract, and just conjure faith from nothing. But, I can trust what I have seen. I can trust in seeing people cross boundaries of faith, to challenge and support each other in seeking justice and peace at the Interfaith retreat a few weeks ago. I can trust in all of the witnesses that have touched my life, and shown me resilient and steadfast love. I can trust in the expectation that has sustained so many communities during their struggle for rights and freedom, with out assuming the violence and oppression that wounded them. I can trust in mercy that allows me to move on from these crisis of faith, and assures me that I am still in God’s image, no matter how clouded my thoughts, or thin my conviction. I can trust that anger and schism in the church is not the solution to be sought, but a pain we endure. I can trust God’s yes to creation, because I can hear that whisper, even amongst the clamor and noise of human shortfall. These things can be real to me, grounding for my faith. You see, faith didn’t always have these negative connotations it has today. It didn’t mean an all or nothing confidence, with out regard to evidence, a certainly that is divorced from the mind or a selective and willful blindness. It used to mean loyalty to something that had been loyal to you. Faith was holding on to that which was authentic and tangible to you. So I try one last time. I have to trust that however broken; that preacher is a part of God’s family. However broken, I am still a believer in Christ. However broken, I believe my indignation can be tempered with love. However broken, the Church Christ left us is still going to proclaim good news to the world. However broken, this people is still made one through his sacrifice. However broken, this world is still God’s. What has been lost is redeemed and brought in to new life. This can be our hope, our trust. So let us pray. God of Mercy, be with us tonight, and give us the audacious courage to affirm your creation. Let us not have eyes only for what is hurt and torn apart, but be able to see what you have knit together in love. Lead us to join you in the work of recovering this world, beginning with ourselves. Give us what we need to trust and to hope, and sustain us when we cannot. Above all, come in to this world abundantly, and show us what you are making anew. Amen.