Episodes
Monday Apr 30, 2018
Saved
Monday Apr 30, 2018
Monday Apr 30, 2018
Saved
A sermon preached by Rev. Ginger E. Gaines-Cirelli at Foundry UMC, April 29, 2018, the fourth Sunday after Easter. Polyphony sermon series.
Texts: Psalm 119:64-74, Acts 5:12-21
Growing up in small-town Oklahoma—the buckle of the Bible belt—I became accustomed to the language of “being saved.” It wasn’t the language of my own church experience, but kids on the playground used it, in high school I would occasionally get invited to attend a service in which a classmate was scheduled to “get saved” through Baptism, and the language of getting saved seemed to permeate the environment in general. When I moved back to Tulsa after eight years away it was both jarring and strangely familiar to have a complete stranger in a coffee shop ask me the question: “Are you saved?” My go-to response became, “Why yes I am. Every day. Again and again.”
I should qualify here that I did grow up in the United Methodist Church and, of course, the saving grace of God through Jesus was part of what I learned about. It’s just that there is a particular kind of way that the language gets used sometimes that seems to mean something different from what I think it means. It’s like British folks using the word chips for french fries instead of Doritos. We are using the same word, but the word signifies something different. For many, both within and outside the church, “saved” signifies the state of those who will be granted admission to heaven after they die. In order to achieve this state, the formula described by Tracy is the answer: hear, believe, repent, confess, be baptized. Unfortunately, it happens from time to time that a person will, with good intentions, do all this, check the boxes, go through the motions, get their ticket punched… and then go to brunch as if that were the end of it—or go back to cheating or indifference or whatever. The failure to see in the “saved” person any recognizable change in attitude, priority, or behavior is one reason the word has gotten such a bad reputation. And of course, this word—like righteous and believer—can be used to mark who’s “in” and who’s “out.” It has become a code word for hypocritical, intolerant, and even hateful judgments against other people.
But the word “saved” is not easily written off by those of us who want to take our faith seriously. It’s at the heart of our spiritual tradition and all over the Bible. In Acts, we are given a vision of the earliest Church, a vision in which the community, generosity, joy, and worship of the people engendered goodwill from all who encountered them. And we are told that “day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.” (Acts 2.47) In John 10, Jesus uses the metaphor of a gate for the sheepfold—and explains that HE is the gate. Thieves and bandits—that is, those who would harm the sheep or carry them off to a place that was not secure—are the threat in this metaphor. But those who enter through the gate that is Christ “will be saved and will come in and go out and find pasture.” (Jn. 10.9)
So my questions are these: What are we saved from? And what are we saved for? And what difference, if any, does it make for the life you lead each and every day?
What are we saved from? I want to begin by exploring the metaphor we find in John. As I’ve said, the threats in this metaphor are thieves and bandits. Jesus says “the thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.” (Jn. 10.10) There are things in this world that threaten to steal, kill, and destroy life—our lives. What might these be? I asked this question on FaceBook and discovered y’all have some thoughts! What steals and destroys our lives? Fear, greed, apathy, insecurity, jealousy, lust, resentment; violence, injustice and oppression, intolerance, rigid ways of being, small-minded prejudice; distractions of every kind (“life happens while we’re busy making other plans”); nuclear weapons, technologies run amok, plastic; hopelessness, a sense of scarcity, despair, addiction, isolation. In our culture, consumerism and materialism, individualism, and self-obsession seem to hold sway. And even those of us who try to live according to God’s Way, are vulnerable to the affects of so strong an assault. There is no shortage of things from which we need to be saved. Every one of us will resonate with something I’ve named—or with something else that comes up for you as you consider the question. We all need to be saved. And we need God—because what we need to be saved from is too much for human capacity alone…
There are times I forget or want to deny this—(very) occasionally when I feel I’ve got things covered (“I’m a strong and capable woman!”) But more frequently when, in my fear of coming off as one of those church people who separate between “us” and “them,” I fail to acknowledge the fact that there are people who live all around us whose lives have been completely stolen from them, stolen by the things already mentioned and much more—they are like sheep without a shepherd, wandering in the dark with no idea how to even find a gateway into real security, much less how to enter the gate. But every so often I’m reminded of how sheltered I truly am. Some years ago, a young man I’d met kind of randomly, began attending worship where I was serving. Eventually, this man who I’ll call Scott, asked for conversation and what followed was quite an education for me. Tales of gang life, mafia connections and intrigue, drug and alcohol addiction, sexual exploits, twisted and abusive interpersonal relationships, a self-obsessed focus on physical appearance and material wealth—it was all there, for real. This guy is smart and attractive. He’d done quite well in his circles. But he knew his life was a disaster—that it was empty because it was full of all the most destructive things. It was a privilege to walk with Scott as he began to realize that there was another way, that his life wasn’t lost, that he was a beloved child of God. It was a gift to see the Church enfold and encourage him. Through the life of the Church, he began to hear the voice of God calling him and to follow. Scott’s journey is still fraught with temptation, but through the support of Alcoholics Anonymous, the Church, and a strengthened marital relationship, he who was once lost is now found. He went on to get a Masters of Divinity and continues to discern his call to ministry. In a real way, Scott has been saved from all that had stolen his life. He has been saved from darkness, destruction, and meaningless living. He now has something to live for that is more than just the next high, more than just the next exploit.
And, while you might say, that is all well and good, but has nothing to do with me, I would say, while this may be an extreme case, I would hope that we might all learn something from the story of Scott’s life. Some of us will resonate directly with something from his story—some of us here today have been (or are even now) lost in addiction or twisted relationships or crime—some here today have dwelled in the dark. For those of you who, like me, have always lived somewhat in the fold of the Church, perhaps you can, at the very least, be reminded not to take your experience for granted; perhaps you can remember that the community, hope, faith, and meaning that you have known are not the experience of everyone. And perhaps you can, as I was, be reminded that there are those around you who, like Scott, don’t know the love of Christ or the power of Christian community, there are those who don’t know there is another way and who don’t have anyone around to show them. In short there are people who really need Christ, who really need the Church—in order to turn from death to life. //
To be saved is about life and death—after all, that is what Jesus says he came for—to help us have life, the kind of full, abundant life that God desires for us and for all. If I were to boil it down, I think I’d say what we’re saved from is meaninglessness, destructive ways of living, hopelessness, and needless suffering and anxiety. I think what we’re saved from is the temptation to waste our best gifts and energies and time on things that are not what truly matters, that are not going to satisfy our deepest need. And, for those who have been wondering “What about being saved from hell?” I’d respond: don’t meaninglessness, destruction, hopelessness, needless suffering and anxiety, and a squandered life sound like hell to you? If a thief or bandit has stolen your life and led you away from God, the very source and sustainer of all life and love, doesn’t that sound like hell to you? The point is that to be saved isn’t only about something that happens to a disembodied soul at the time of death. Instead, I would argue that to be saved is to begin really living—and that can happen in this world, even this very day.
But what about the second question: what are we saved FOR? Again, the metaphor from John is instructive: if Jesus is the gate, we might infer that God the Father/Mother is the gatekeeper. Those who pass through the gate would be those who seek to live through Jesus Christ—ostensibly you and me. In verse 2, Jesus says, “The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep.” While in other places, we are given the image of Jesus as the shepherd, in this metaphor, you and I are the shepherds. In other words, as we respond to the voice of God who invites us to enter into the fullness of life through the Way that is made in and through Jesus, we become the shepherds, we become caretakers of others, we become those who can share love and guidance, who will sacrifice for the sake of others, who have some sense of the dangers afoot and of the path toward safety and good pasture. You see, THAT is the extraordinary thing about the Church when it is at its very best: the Church at its best is a community of love and sacrifice that doesn’t do what it does for its own sake but rather for the sake of those who are suffering, those who are lost, those who are in despair, those who are wasting their lives, those who have hit rock bottom, who are overwhelmed by the shadows and temptations and empty promises of thieves and bandits. And the Church at its best is not busy deciding who is in and who is out, who is “saved” according to some formula or who will be “left behind.” The Church at its best, is busy loving and studying and caring and feeding the hungry and praising God together. At our best we don’t worry about gaining possessions and goods for ourselves, but are rather intentionally sharing what we have to make sure that all have what they need. The Church at its best is a sign and a wonder—because it is so unusual for human beings to live together in this way—and because through the life of the Church, lives ARE saved, as we see in the life of Scott and countless other lives. This kind of life together, a life of love, generosity, compassion and joy, is who we are called to be as the Church. This is what we are saved for, to share this life with and for others. You are the shepherds—and God knows you by name. You are the ones who can invite others to share in the life that Jesus Christ came to reveal, a life of hope, meaning, joy, and purpose. If you don’t do it, who will? // So what difference does any of this make in your life? Listen for the sound of God’s voice leading you. Take your rod and your staff for the journey and set out. I believe you will find your answer on the journey. And you may just discover something more about what it means to be “saved.”
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