Episodes
Sunday Sep 27, 2015
Extreme Makeover
Sunday Sep 27, 2015
Sunday Sep 27, 2015
A sermon preached by Rev. Ginger E. Gaines-Cirelli at Foundry UMC September 27, 2015, the eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost.
Scripture text: Mark 9:38-50
We have just journeyed through several weeks of big events—here at Foundry and in our city and nation. Following our extraordinary Bicentennial Homecoming service, Pope Francis arrived in the U.S. and the whole world has been watching. I have been observing with great interest the reactions to the Pope’s words and actions. It is profound the ways in which persons from all faiths and none respond to Pope Francis’s humble presence and his message of care, compassion, and service. And is it not a sad commentary on the state of the witness of the American church in the public square, that people seem genuinely surprised by this most powerful Christian leader’s emphasis on peace, on humility, on welcoming the stranger, on the dignity of every person, and serving the poor and oppressed? Isn’t that what is at the heart of the Christian message? What has happened to us?
I immediately think of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s words from his Letter from the Birmingham Jail: “The contemporary Church is so often a weak, ineffectual voice with an uncertain sound. It is so often the archsupporter of the status quo.” Today there are some widely-known Christian voices that, perhaps benignly, encourage a self-focused faith, voices that strive to never make anyone uncomfortable. And then there are other voices all over the media, voices of so-called Christian people that are not weak or ineffectual; rather the position is strong and more certain than true Christian faith allows; it is a voice of condemnation, a voice of exclusion, a voice of fear and control and—at its worst—outright hatred. These kinds of “Christian” voices are the ones most associated with the church by those outside it. And then add to that all the various and sundry ways that you and I and other Christian folks fail in the “walk your talk” category and you’ve got a pretty solid, and very sad answer for why so many seem surprised by Pope Francis’s words and way.
In the Gospel, the report John makes to Jesus is that the disciples had seen someone succeeding where they had failed—and they told him to stop doing it! Earlier in this chapter, the disciples couldn’t cast out the demon from a boy who was brought to them. (9:17-18) And just after this epic fail, they (ironically) got all tangled up in an argument about who was the greatest among them. (9:33-37) And then today we get John’s comment to Jesus: “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not with us.” (9:38) It’s as if he is saying, “Well, if we couldn’t do it, we’re hardly going to stand by and let somebody else who isn’t even a disciple do it!” The disciples failed to appreciate that this person who was not formally a part of “the church” was calling on the name of Jesus—this person was on the path perhaps without fully knowing it. And the disciples’ self-centeredness and gate-keeping—and need to be the “great” and powerful ones—puts a big old stumbling block in the way. What do you suppose folks thought about the so-called Jesus-followers who said that acts of healing had to stop because the agent of healing wasn’t in the right club?
Jesus doesn’t mince words in his response; his examples are extreme: if something you are doing causes a person to close their mind or heart to the love of God in Christ, you might as well throw yourself overboard with a weight tied to your leg. And if your hands and feet—the agents of your actions—are doing things and walking in ways destructive to faith, hope, and love, then get rid of them! If your eyes—the agents of your perception—lead you to hate and exclude, cut them out. Jesus is not advocating self-mutilation here. Hyperbole was a common way of teaching in Jesus’ day. And Jesus is teaching that any obstacle, any stumbling block, any skandalon—which is the Greek word—that trips someone up on their way to getting closer to God must be removed. Anything that is an obstacle to God get rid of it. Jesus isn’t messing around here! Jesus calls for an extreme makeover.
What is our particular calling as we hear these words of Jesus? First of all, we need to consider what we are doing—or not doing—that is getting in the way of our living a more whole, faithful, peaceful, and just life. What are we/you doing that places a stumbling block in the way of someone opening their heart or mind to God? What are we doing—or not doing—that presents an obstacle to others’ seeing Christian faith as credible and life-giving? That is the place to start. Perhaps you know where the makeover needs to happen in your life…
Here at Foundry, we know there changes that need to be made—some things need a makeover! Last week, we reflected upon the changes that will be happening in our building over the next 6-10 months; and we particularly focused on the first part of any remodeling project—abatement and demolition. We considered the discomfort and challenges presented by “the dust” of such a project—as well as potential ways to come through with a sense of purpose. The second part of a remodeling process involves structural changes and adding the finishes that make a space safe, inviting and beautiful. There are aspects of our current physical plant that present obstacles to the kind of radical hospitality we want to be known for. There are parts of the current setup that fail to highlight the beauty of various features already present—such as the stained glass windows. We are choosing to make life messy for a while in order to strengthen our ability to welcome and to serve others. Even as we address the structural changes that need to be made in our building, we are also looking at structural changes in our programs—looking at our habits and practices to see where there may be obstacles to making connections and going deeper in relationship with one another and with God. This is a primary focus for us as we move forward.
// As I pondered all this—and read the Pope’s speech to Congress—I found another connection with our Gospel lesson. Here is an excerpt from the speech: “Now is the time for courageous actions and strategies, aimed at implementing a “culture of care” (Laudato Si’, 231) and “an integrated approach to combating poverty, restoring dignity to the excluded, and at the same time protecting nature” (ibid., 139). “We have the freedom needed to limit and direct technology” (ibid., 112); “to devise intelligent ways of… developing and limiting our power” (ibid., 78); and to put technology “at the service of another type of progress, one which is healthier, more human, more social, more integral” (ibid., 112).”
There is much in this short quote to take in—the connection between poverty, the dignity of those who have been excluded, and creation care is profound. I am hopeful that we will continue to discover ways to allow these insights to inform our own mission and advocacy efforts. But I must admit that the line that struck me as the most challenging at a very basic, structural level is this: “We have the freedom needed to…devise intelligent ways of…developing and limiting our power.” Developing and LIMITING our power. That is downright un-American. Why develop power if you have to just turn around and limit it??
When Jesus speaks of cutting off that which leads into “sin” is he not talking about “limiting” or curbing how we use the gifts at our disposal so that they do good and not harm? Hands and feet and eyes—and the technologies that the Pope references—are good gifts. But these gifts can be used for good or for ill. Jesus teaches us to use our gifts and our power in ways that build up rather than destroy. Of course what some people argue builds up, others are convinced is absolutely destructive. It’s not easy…but it our call is clear: We simply must find ways to discern what is truly most life-giving and to work together to “cut off” those things that do harm and to develop and use technologies that heal. The idea of intentionally “limiting” our power—for any reason—is radical in our current cultural climate.
And that brings me back around to where we started. In the wake of Pope Francis’s visit to DC I have been left with a nagging conviction that the Christian witness and voice in our nation needs an extreme makeover. The current prevailing Christian voice and vibe is more than a stumbling block on the path to Christ, it is an absolute deterrent to so many people. We who find ourselves in the Christian Mainline, who are advocates for peace with justice in all areas of our human life, for the radical hospitality and steadfast love of our God for all people, for the engagement of the biblical texts with all the faculties of tradition, reason and experience at our disposal, for the cultivation of faith community that calls forth and values all the diverse gifts that people bring, for the amazing and saving grace of God, for the care of all living creatures and an absolute commitment to the poor and oppressed—we simply must find a way to raise our voices and to change the trajectory in the public square. I know that we are part of a denomination that has yet to embrace full inclusion for LGBTQ people and that that is a deterrent in itself, but the Pope is part of a denomination with similar issues—not to mention some others—and he creates an aura of welcoming, safe, and beautiful space. His presence and his message are inviting—even if you don’t agree with everything that he or his church says.
I’m not suggesting that Foundry is the equivalent of the Pope—I mean, he’s the Pope! But I am asking this: How can we at Foundry lead in removing from the public square the stumbling blocks of bad theology, exclusionary practices, and a perverted vision of Christianity that would suggest that Jesus is in favor of unchecked power—might makes right—even to the point of destruction? How can we make not only Foundry—but our Christian faith—inviting, safe, and beautiful for those who long for love, hope, and meaning? We are certainly trying to do our part within our walls—we’re even changing our walls! I would hope that each of us tries to live in the world as a walking, talking reflection of the faith that we profess, that we do all we can to remove obstacles to faith for ourselves and for others, and that we each take every opportunity to invite people to experience the life in Christ that we share here at Foundry. But the question for which I don’t yet have the full answer is this: how can we at Foundry truly make an impact on airwaves and twitter feeds and all the tributaries of information and influence that run throughout our land? How can we—can we?—participate in that extreme makeover? If there’s a chance that we can, I pray that you and I will have the courage to go under the knife, whatever that might mean…
In any case, the message today is about our witness…
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