Boundaries
Does it bother anyone when I mention that do not know everything about scripture and I get confused? I mean it is true that I am not a know-it-all, and I find it ridiculous to think that anyone would. And it may be that everyone knows full well that a minister can not know everything and will never be confused, but even these folks may find it unsettling that their minister would admit it. I am human and, like the disciples, find that following Jesus is always a work in progress. Somethings I get and somethings I get later and somethings I get wrong.
Enough – I am using the microphone this week. After the miserable quality of last week I promised that I would replace the battery and I did. Much better sound and louder. You can even hear a baby make satirical comments. At least no one shouted that I am a liar.
I think I have mentioned before that getting these little bite sized bits of scripture on Sunday mornings is doing a disservice to scripture. I would like to repeat that now. Bite sized bits may be easier to swallow, but some things in scripture are meant to stick in our throats. They are meant to be hard to believe. And chunking scripture down for easy use should make us all nervous. Especially when we pare down a story, whittle away those bits that do not really ‘work’ for how we understand the story we are reading. O, I have done it too and will again. It is about always doing it that seems dangerous. But sometimes the point in the story is not in the story you are reading. We all love the story of the Prodigal Son. But when we read it as the third story in a trilogy as Luke presents it, (chapter 15) then there is something profound about the repetition and then the addition of the elder brother’s reaction.
So anyway, I was enjoying hearing the great sweeps of scripture and finally confirmed that there are two different huge feeding stories. And, in the big chunks of story I was getting realized that the second one is Jesus feeding gentiles. I found this very moving. I was not able to really convey this in the sermon, but wanted to. I still wish I could do so here.
Oh yeah. You should read the stories that I use for the sermon. Find them in Mark 7:24-37. Note that right after this is the feeding of the 4,000 gentiles (like I said!).
Little did I know at the time, but a visitor that we had this morning was a woman from Syria. As she was telling me this (in a charming accent) I was desperately trying to think if I said anything that would be offensive. She stayed for our fellowship time, so I am guessing not. And actually she was indicating to me she found it good to hear about another Syrian woman. It was only a day or two later that I thought how neat this all was. It is a reminder that Christianity is not an American thing and that people and places in the bible exist and have a life and history we will never know about. Unless we are lucky. I wonder know if she has found that her time in middle-eastern phobic America is a bit like the woman meeting Jesus. Now I am sad.
The sermon is in two parts, really. I wanted to make a connection with the feeding of the 4,000 that so struck me. A hymn separates the two parts to allow us to enter into communion. The hymn is “Be Known to Us in the Breaking Bread”. I love how the words “Be known to us in the breaking bread, but do not then depart; O Savior, stay with us and spread your table in our heart.” Second verse, not so much – but Hey in baseball batting .500 is considered REALLY good..
The two parts are thematic and speak to both our horizontal and vertical relationships as Christians. The first part, horizontal, lets the scripture speak to how we treat each other. The second part is about our (vertical) relationship with God, specifically about how God always reaches out to us. Here the scripture seems to be dealing with both. I love that. Some people come to worship looking to hear about living their life and some about living with God. Today I got to give both both views with one scripture.
I am constantly reminded in scripture that all people are one in God, with God, by God’s creation. I am reminded that all of us have God’s image. I often think about how just about every mystic has said that they have had a vision of the profound oneness of ALL creation. And I am constantly aware how WE divide people into us and them. Our politics seems to be built on the idea of us and them (and demonizing the ‘them’ in any way possible). I wish we could reject this dividing in politics, marriage, equality, genders, religion, relationships, etc.
If you want to hear the sermon click here: Boundaries
The sermon is really the first sermon, a hymn, the second sermon as lead into communion, a bit of music, and then a prayer of Thanksgiving. All this for the same low price. And remember, all sermons are free range!
