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Back to Sermon ArchivesMay 17, 2009
Guest Preacher:
Rev. Deborah Lee, Pacific School of Religion
“Even the
Gentiles’
Unfinished Business
Intro:
Good Morning. Good to be here- finally make it to Reno.
Appreciate being here with this church this whole weekend. I subscribe to his
weekly sermons, so we get to hear parts of the life of this church community.
Reluctantly accept this offer to preach, because highlight for me is to
experience John preaching. Reading the sermons is one thing, but the experience
of John preaching is really another- and I hate to miss it.
As John mentioned – we are located at PSR. Bring
greetings. Hit hard loss of financial markets, but even in these times, full
classes of new students are entering seminary, pursuing study and vocations in
ministry. It’s not a vocation about the money, anyway. PANA was founded in
2000- along with PSR’s other program center. At the center of our programming
is the intersection between race and religion, an emphasis on justice in
society. R2W program-“Theme: Stand UP: We Shall Not Be Moved” - youth, lay
leadership, supporting academic study of APIs, building progressive faith voices
through the lens of API experience.
Opportunity- to give some reflections, not only on the
text- but also on our time here with the community this weekend.
Final weekend of Unfinished Business- but that doesn’t mean
that the unfinished business is finished. Someone said yesterday, with Tongan
and English congregations together for the workshop and the food and
performances, it feels like the beginning.
The Title of yesterday’s program, and today’s
service….suggests that we have still more to do, much farther to go.
That is we acknowledge that we ourselves are unfinished
business, we humbly confess - that we are still unfinished, works in progress,
in the making, blessed and becoming, pushing some growing edges, still arriving.
Working with young people, we are gifted to accompany them
in across a span of 3-5 years – 18-24, when they undergo some big and dramatic
growth and changes. To walk with them as they become clearer, more confident,
expansive, as they grow into who they are in powerful ways. But that should not
stop once we are 25, or 40, or 60. Are we not all still unfinished business.
Buddhist teaching- teaches us to acknowledge and accept the
impermanent nature of everything. To accept the changing and impermanent nature
of life. So also acknowledge- that there is no such thing as Finishing. The
Sin is to think that we are ever finished.
Invite you to take a moment of meditation - humble silence
to internally acknowledge, understand and accept how we are unfinished. As
individuals, as a church, as the people of God, as a nation and world.
Breathing in awareness of ourselves, breathing out change, transformation.
Breathing in and out- awareness that it is a process, to pace ourselves for the
long haul.
Whole Book of Acts retells the process of the formation and
changes in the early Christian church. Chapter 10 addresses the questions of the
steps of transformations of that community to break beyond the cultural barriers
that defined it: Peter has a vision that challenges former notions of what was
clean/unclean; Peter fraternize with a Roman Centurion breaking codes of
friendship and communion, and then in verse 44- the circumcised Christians
witnessing that gifts of the Holy Spirit are poured out on “even the Gentiles”.
The early church in process witnessed and was transformed to see that God shows
no partiality- All (All means all) are creations of God, all are carriers of the
Holy Spirit. No Matter who you are or where you are on Life’s journey, God
works through you.
“Even the Gentiles”
- hard to get the feeling of how shocking and charged
that phrase must have been back then. How loaded that phrase is. It is like
saying- between two long-opposing communities. Even the Israeli, even the
Palestinians. Even the Gentiles, the foreigners/the outsiders/those whom we
hate/maybe even those who oppress us - can you believe it? These same
gentiles who in the book of Matthew called idolators, demon worshiper, slaves of
their passions, without any knowledge of God, thought to be totally bereft of
any sense of morals, those associated with the worse and most unimaginable
vices. The Holy Spirit poured out even on them. Who might be our equivalent of
Gentile today? For the biblical literalist person, that “gentile” might be a
Lesbian Gay or Transgender person. For the liberal activists, that “gentile”
might be George Bush or Dick Cheney.
Cartoon theologian, Frederick Buechner, calls this the”
unflagging (persistent) lunacy of God.”
Our logic and assumptions of where the Holy Spirit might
pour out, are indeed way off, way different than God’s ideas. Time and time
again, like the disciples, we are caught off guard – Jesus born to the
unexpected unglamorous unwed teen mother, God’s radical democracy, radical
egalitarianism, God’s radical love.
Working across Jew and Gentile in that early Christian
community was no small task. Just because God brings something together doesn’t
mean it still ain’t a ton of work. In our small group discussion, yesterday,
someone mentioned in my small group yesterday- they wanted to do Anti-war work
and the Latinos here were concerned about immigration. How do we deal with
this?
A useful concept - Decolonizing Solidarity- Chandra
Mohanty- speaking about American feminism and Third World feminism- Even
attempts at solidarity- fraught with colonial mindset. Concept- “Finding a
common context of struggle” Not one being the helper/helpee, dynamic- but
finding the context- common context that we share. Means seeing that my freedom
is intricately tied to yours. Maybe seeing the connection between wars and
migration. Refugees came from El Salvador, now coming from Iraq and
Afghanistan. Militarization in Iraq- tied to militarization of the border, and
enforcement. Cost of military- affects money for human services.
Finding common context- means have to really understand the
other person, hear their story, really understand and find how systems and
structures connect us and shape.
It takes enormous intentionality to change to reform and
restructure segregation and inequality. We are accustomed to not connecting, to
sitting at separate tables. Takes choreography, and absolute commitment. In
our work with Reconciling Churches, API congregations (handful)- to be
welcoming and affirming of LGBT folks, is more than putting up a plaque- but is
110% intentional effort. It means thinking about the Sunday worship, the Sunday
school, the bathrooms, the social hour, the church directory, the invisible
curriculum or culture of the church. That is what it takes. Intentional steps
for change.
It will be hard work, but you will do it – if we come to
see each other, as in John 15, John’s Friends- not servant, not disciple, but
friend - but Family. Tupi- says he has no friends, only family. The rest of
us are being trying out for the part of family.
Conference- on redefining family - families that we form
and choose, families rooted in love, can be biological connection, and go deeper
and beyond. Family is based in love, in mutuality, in deep sharing, deep
listening, in suffering with, grieving with, holding in love. Being there in
your darkest hour. If we truly become family, there is no choice whether or not
to act, not to reach out, not to support, not to stand up, or stand with.
Becoming friend or family- does not just happen. Love is
tough, intentional work. But with the help of the Holy Spirit poured out on us
- even we – Gentiles - can do it.
There is no boundary or limit to the outpouring of God’s
love and redemption. We can only try out best to catch up.
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