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Mission Possible A sermon by the Rev. Royal B. Garren Preached on January 24, 2009 All Rights Reserved Nehemiah 8: 1-10 Luke 4: 14-21 In the late winter of last year, the Church Council began a conversation that focused on ways we can “revitalize” our ministries and grow the church. This is not, of course, a new conversation. Communities of faith have been struggling with these issues ever since Jesus gathered his disciples in the Upper Room!! And, if we’re honest, we do a good job offering weekly services of worship, providing Sunday School classes for our young people, organizing adult Bible studies, book discussions and movie nights. We join hands each year to host a fabulous Apple Festival. We raise money for denominational and local ministries. We go on occasional Midnight Runs, we have tutored kids at St. Luke’s LifeWorks. We have remodeled this beautiful sanctuary. We have undertaken extensive repairs to the education building. (I’d say for at least five of the eight years I have been your pastor, it seems like my principal responsibility has been overseeing a construction site.) And yet, we continue to come back to the table to talk about the need to “revitalize” our ministries and “grow” the church. It was also in the late winter of last year that I sat down with my colleagues in the Fairfield West Association. We gathered to discuss ministry in the “global economic downturn.” Our regional minister at the time, Susan Townsley was there to lend moral support. But let’s be honest. She was there to remind us that as local churches struggle to meet operating expenses, it impacts monies that can be forwarded to Hartford to support our church’s wider mission goals. Some of the ministers did share clever stewardship programs designed to squeeze more blood from turnips. However, our discussion quickly turned to ways congregations can reach out and respond to the needs of people who are languishing in mind, body and spirit during these tough, economic times. During the 32 years that I have served in parish ministry, I have come to believe that underneath all of our talk about “revitalization” lies a deeper question: “How can we personally feel “revitalized?” Jesus tells us in John 10, “I have come that you may have life in all its fullness.” We want to know what that fullness is all about – particularly in these harsh times. During the Lenten season, we studied William Sloan Coffin’s Credo. It resonated with us because it was one individual’s attempt – granted he was an exceptional individual – to put down on paper not what the church told him to believe, but what his own experience convinced him is true. Coffin’s Credo (or, faith statement) can be summed up in one word: Giving. He was a respected Civil Rights activist, working for economic and political justice on the local, national and global level. And, he took seriously the words of our scripture text this morning: “The spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me to let the oppressed go free.” Matthew 4:18 I don’t think that any of us imagined that we could ever match William Sloan Coffin’s zeal. He was a prophet in our own time. But, that little book started a congregational conversation that wove itself throughout 2009. In April, Len Mitchell and I took a road trip to Philadelphia to attend a conference of global justice at Temple University. We went primarily to hear Columbia professor, Jeffrey Sachs - who wrote a book, The End of Poverty. Sachs has traveled the world on behalf of people whose daily income is less than what we pay for a bottle of water. And he is able to demonstrate through all of his graphs and charts that if the developed, industrialized world could agree to invest .7% of its gross national product to boost developing nations onto the bottom rung of the economic ladder, world poverty could be eradicated by the year 2025. Of course, it’s never that simple. We would still have to address a host of issues, including government corruption, legal and social disparities based on gender, ethnicity, caste, disease, infrastructure, geography and protectionism. But the bottom line is this: If we want to have life in all of its fullness (or better, if we want to survive as a planet) then we must begin approaching life not in terms of what we can “get out of it,” but in terms of what we can “give” to someone else. That has been our 2009 narrative. In fact, if you notice, President Jerry Brady’s Annual Report concludes (with no coaching from me) with a quote from Booker T. Washington: “If you want to lift yourself up…you must learn to lift up someone else.” This is what Sachs tells us…. this is what William Sloan Coffin tells us… and that is what Jesus is telling us in today’s scripture reading. “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me to proclaim release to the captives.” Luke 4:18 And that includes whatever keeps us from experiencing life in all of its fullness. Now, God knows there hasn’t been that much going on “around us” to provide inspiration and encouragement, but what I have found spine-tingling about this past year is what has been stirring within us. In the Spring, a member of the church suggested that we study Eckhart Tolle’s “A New Earth – Awakening To Your Life Purpose.” It wasn’t the easiest read, although it is on Oprah’s Book Club List!! That’s because he speaks to the yearning that we are all feeling – that yearning to be “revitalized” in mind, body and spirit. A wholeness that Tolle suggests can only be realized as we come out from within ourselves….out from behind our own Maginot lines of defense and nurture mutually supportive relationships – beginning with our own loved ones, but then moving to our neighborhoods, our communities, our churches, our schools, our businesses, our nation, and – yes – the world around us. And if you note…. that is exactly what we have committed ourselves to do through our North Greenwich Center For Community. Think about it. The way we are revitalizing our ministries is no longer being defined in terms of “keeping up” with the E. Putnum Avenue Churches, but rather in terms of how we can simply open our doors and host programs that address the needs, the aspirations, the concerns, the fears, the hopes of the community around us. Needless to say, not all of these programs will be religious in nature. Our objective is to nurture individuals as “whole” beings – mind… body…and spirit – thereby affirming life in all its fullness. We took Tolle’s advice to heart and began building bridges across those chasms that divide us from one another. We started with Tich Nhat Hanh’s “Living Buddha, Living Christ,” in an effort to find common ground with a faith tradition uniquely different, yet strangely similar to our own. And, if you notice, that program attracted a couple of new, young faces. And didn’t we feel “revitalized” in their presence? Also, in the Spring, we changed curriculum for our Sunday School Program. The Board of Deacons approved the UCC program, “Seasons of the Spirit,” which provides activity-based, life lessons for young people utilizing the same passages of Scripture that we examine in worship. It is our hope that the program will help families to nurture those “mutually supportive” relationships that Tolle suggests – based on what we learn through God’s Word here!! In no way am I reaching….or stretching my imagination…. to state that North Greenwich Congregational Church is in the midst of a major “revitalization.” And I say this because we have stopped wringing our hands and asking, “What are we going to do?” Instead, we are putting our energy into building an inviting environment where: “Community can gather to Listen Learn Teach Eat Engage Encourage Challenge Heal Through programs that nurture the soul…the mind…the body” Center for Community Mission Statement We stand with Jesus when he says: “The spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has sent me to bring recovery of sight to the blind.” Matthew 4:18 And don’t your find it interesting that we went on to experience one of the the most fulfilling Apple Festivals in recent memory? I am convinced that’s because we presented ourselves to the community with boldness, confidence and renewed energy. We even baked our legendary Apple Crisp ourselves (Thank You Anne Tedesco) instead of having it catered. That, my friends, was no small undertaking!!! But, that’s not where the story of 2009 ends. This is only the beginning. In November, the Board of Deacons decided to dedicate the Christmas Offering to the Greenwich World Hunger Association. We are no strangers to this organization. It’s founder, Irv Thode has spoken from this pulpit…. as did its President Sarah Boyle this fall. Our own Claudia Schipper now serves on the Board of Directors. We have raised some generous amounts of money, particularly for its programs in Guatemala. This year, Claudia, Andre, Quita and I attended the Greenwich World Hunger Christmas Gathering at the Thode’s home. It was there that I met two individuals that are changing my life forever: Sherman Malone, a volunteer director for an organization known as Haiti-MaryCares and Father Joseph Dorcin, a Catholic priest, who serves a parish near Cap Haitien in Haiti. Now remember, this is all taking place before the recent earthquake. Father Dorcin does not speak English very well. But, if you remember, I have been studying French these past two years. This is how God works in our lives!! Between his broken English…and my broken French, we pieced together a conversation that, by the end of the evening, we knew would continue – probably the rest of our lives. Et maintenant, je sais la raison pour mes études. Sherman Malone oversees a few GWHA projects, including a pig farm in Father Dorcin’s parish. We will need to remember that our monies to Greenwich World Hunger are forwarded to long-term initiatives designed to enable impoverished communities to become productive and self-sustaining. This work will become even more vital now that Haiti enters the process of rebuilding its earthquake-torn society. Sherman is going down to Haiti in a couple of weeks to check the status of these projects. I will share with you sometime, my own convoluted relationship with Haiti. Suffice it to say this morning that in December, like Jonah’s resolution to stop putting off his work in Nineveh, I have decided to renew my own connection with Haiti. It is one of those countries that Jeffrey Sachs identifies as “abject” poverty. Although after the earthquake, I’m sure that even “abject poverty” would be preferable to what they are suffering now. Maybe we had too much wine that night, but I asked Andre and Claudia if they would ever consider going with me to Haiti. “Absolutely,” Andre said without hesitation. In that very short exchange lies our narrative in 2010. God knows where all of this will lead. But I assure you that if you are willing as a congregation to take a few baby steps with me in the direction of Cap Haitien, we will find not only our faith and our ministry….but our lives “revitalized” in all of the positive ways we seek. So, let us embrace Christ’s words: The spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. Matthew 4:18 In fact, if we just keep our minds focused on the four objectives outlined in Luke 4: 1. Bring Good News to the Poor…. 2. Release the Captives…. 3. Restore Sight to the Blind…. 4. Let the Oppressed Go Free… We will proclaim 2010 to be another year of the Lord’s favor. We will not longer have to worry about “revitalizing” ministries…or ourselves… because we will be witnessing Scripture fulfilled not only in our hearing, but in our doing.
“Dove Story” Sermon by Royal B. Garren Jr, First Sunday After Epiphany The Baptism of our Lord All rights reserved Isaiah 43: 1-7 Luke 3: 15-17, 21-22
Once upon a time, in a church far far away, I received a phone call from a young woman. I had officiated at her wedding a few years earlier. She and her groom were now the proud parents a healthy, bouncy baby girl. They wanted to see if I would baptize the newborn. The actual verb she used was “christen,” which I have to confess is not a part of my “Presbyterian” vocabulary. I guess somewhere along the way, John Calvin, or maybe John Knox declared that we Protestants are authorized to “baptize” (not christen) as we go out there making disciples of all nations. Perhaps the term, “christening” has too many cultural overtones to it. I am intrigued by the word, however. To “christen” suggests “to make Christ-like.” Such intent certainly has strong Biblical overtones. Although, what the couple had in mind is the kind of “cultural” affair that would make our reformed ancestors turn in their graves. It would be a lovely ceremony in the garden of their stately home. Afterwards, we would sit down for a catered lunch at round tables on the lawn… with strolling minstrels. Pink napkins, pink plates, pink flowers and, of course, a designer cake with pink ganache icing. How these things would make the baby more “Christ-like” didn’t seem to be on anyone’s mind. Of more concern was the date of the baptism. The little one would need a couple of months to grow into a family heirloom christening gown, cap and gloves, which had been passed down in an unbroken chain for generations. “Delaying the baptism won’t put our daughter at any risk, will it?” Mom asked. I suspected where the conversation was headed. She would soon ask me to perform a private “little” baptism now….just in case something was to happen in the intervening weeks. Her question does demonstrate how the sacrament of baptism gets entwined in a thicket of folk religion, superstition and parochial denominationalism. There are those who see baptism as a “luck charm” – warding off evil influences. Others see it as a “get out of jail” card, just in case something was to happen. We’re taught in seminary to explain to nervous parents that baptism is but an “outward sign” of an “inner grace” that is already present in the life of the child. It doesn’t matter when the sacrament is performed. Some parents may decide to wait until their child is old enough to understand the ritual for themselves. No one need worry. The Good Book assures us that “neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God, which is ours in Christ Jesus.” Romans 8:38-39 How we have wandered from the Gospel’s understanding of baptism and its intended significance in our lives! We read in our Gospel lesson this morning: “Now when all the people were baptized…and when Jesus had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form – like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the beloved, with you I am well pleased.” Luke 3: 21-22 We spent a lot of time during the Advent Season talking about Jesus’ cousin, John, who was known as “the Baptizer.” It was his job to prepare Israel for the coming of their long-awaited messiah. Part of that preparation included ceremonial cleansing. In fact, entire communities were being organized out in the desert as they waited for the “Day of the Lord.” Baptism became part of the initiation rites. Members cleansed themselves from the stain of the “temple” religion which, in the minds of many, had sold out to the self-serving ways of the world and promoted a religious life far removed from Israel’s true prophetic tradition. These ceremonial purifications were often followed by personal retreats – some lasting as long as forty days. Initiates were charged to free themselves from religious practices centering on special favors and privileges, and prepare for a completely different way of life - a life marked not by self-serving…. but by self-giving. There’s a wonderful passage in the prophecy of Isaiah that Jesus reaffirmed at the end of his own forty day retreat in the wilderness. “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me for he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim release to the captives, recovery of sight to the blind, and to let the oppressed go free. Isaiah 61:1 Baptism has never been seen as a privatized, individualized insurance policy….or a non-stop ticket to paradise. I’m not sure how we got off on that footing. What the Bible presents to us, according to UCC historian Louis Gunnemann, is a “Sacrament of Vocation.” This fall, we looked at a passage from Mark 10 where the disciples were all vying for special favors. “Let us sit at your right…and at your left in your glory,” they asked. Jesus responded, “You don’t know what you are asking. Can you drink the cup that I drink? Or, be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?” He went on to remind them that their civil rulers “lord it over” the people… and religious leaders exercise oppressive authority. “It will not be that way with us,” he said. Instead, “Whoever wants to become great among you, must be your servant…and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For the Son of man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Mark 10: 43-45 This is the life to which each of us has been baptized. And if we are to remain relevant and viable as a church…and as an organization, this is the vocation we must all reclaim. So, in many ways, the term – “christened” – is right on the money. Our vocation is to become “christened” – to be made more “Christ-like,” as each of us picks up our own cross and follows Him…. bringing hope to the hopeless and strength to the weak… no matter where that made lead us…or whatever the consequences may be. It sounds daunting, to say the least. And yet, we read in our Old Testament Lesson (again from the prophet Isaiah) – Don’t be afraid!! “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you. And through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you. When you walk through the fire, the flame will not consume you” Isaiah 43:2 For be assured…. each and every day, the heavens open above us…. the Holy Spirit descends upon us…. and we are affirmed as God’s own sons and daughters – the beloved - in whom God is always well pleased. And, never forget…it is for God’s glory that we – each of us in our own unique way – have been created.
New Year Revelations Sermon by Royal B. Garren, Jr January 3, 2009 Jeremiah 31: 7-14 John 1: 10-18 “The true light that enlightens everyone has come into the world” John 1: 10 This Wednesday is the Twelfth day of Christmas – the Feast of the Epiphany – as we welcome not only the twelve drummers drumming, but the arrival of the Magi to what scholars believe to be a small, rented house somewhere in the vicinity of Bethlehem. They are seeking the King of the Jews. They have seen his star in the East and have come to pay homage. The word Epiphany comes from a Greek word, meaning “light.” It means “manifestation,” or “revelation.” The Magians, presumably from Babylon, kick the story of Jesus’ birth onto an entirely new level. What was a charming, local interest story about an indigent couple giving birth in a barn now becomes a story of international significance. The light of the Epiphany star shines not only over Bethlehem, but on all peoples and all nations. As our Gospel lesson so aptly states: “The true light that enlightens everyone has come into the world.” John 1: 9 We don’t give the magi a lot of thought. Their presence on the mantle brings some color and flare to the manger scene. But, we don’t fully appreciate the scandal their appearance creates. Let’s remember that Israel is the one who has been awaiting the Messiah. They believe that the coming of God’s anointed is to redeem God’s chosen. – the descendants of Abraham. No others need apply. Our Old Testament lesson clearly makes its case. “Save, O Lord, your people – the Remnant of Israel.” Jeremiah 31.7 and “He who scattered Israel will not gather him and keep him, as a shepherd a flock.” Jeremiah 31: 10 It will be a joyful, but select few who will dance and sing on the height of Zion’s mount. Matthew’s introduction of the Magi just isn’t part of this picture. And besides, the Magi are diviners!! Sorcerers!! Activity that is abhorrent to Jewish sensibility and strictly forbidden by Jewish code. Dancing with them on Zion’s height stands the entire Hebrew tradition on end. Not only Abraham, but Isaac and Jacob would be turning in their graves. And yet, here it is. Spelled out in no uncertain terms. God’s love is not selective. God’s love is not reserved for a chosen few. And more importantly, Humankind’s understanding of God will never be contained within the parameters of any specific, spiritual tradition. The Gospel is calling us to experience something bigger and vaster than anything we could ever hope to imagine, let alone comprehend. And like these Magians, we are also being called to journey beyond our comfort zones, beyond the boundaries that we humans tend to arbitrarily set in order to protect ourselves from those whom we discern as “different.” Once again, God shatters whatever attempts we make to box the divine Spirit and keep it, or control it for ourselves. In this glorious, multifaceted world that we have been given, no one can claim a corner of Truth. This is huge!!! And yet, we tend to miss it entirely…because we are too busy wrapping Christmas back up, putting it in a box and shipping it up to the attic… while we turn our attention to hastily jotted resolutions to get our new year off to a nobler start, like shedding some pounds, cleaning the closets, eating more nutritiously, or paying off the credit cards. This is the time of year that we are determined to change, or fix those things we don’t like about ourselves. Which, when you stop to think about it, is kind of a negative way of starting off the New Year. Yet, please, don’t get me wrong. I love New Year’s resolutions. You should see my list. I love the opportunity to wipe the slate clean and make some fresh commitments. Before we get too wrapped up in resolutions that usually crash and burn sometime in mid-January, let’s ponder what this season of Epiphany is all about. Resolutions are ideas that we initiate. On the other hand, revelations (epiphanies) happen to us. They come from out of nowhere – from a source deep within, yet beyond ourselves. They shake us out of our complacency and summon us to participate in something far greater than ourselves. They call forth change and open us to possibility and potential that we many not even know we have!!! So as we come to the Lord’s Table for the first time this New Year, let’s put our resolutions back in our pockets and hang them on the refrigerator when we get home. And, together, let us open ourselves to revelations that can kindle a flame within each of our hearts that will not only help us see things differently….but perhaps see things as if for the first time!! Happy New Year.
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