sermon excerpts: "Go Blue!"

For the 20th and 27th, the same message will be shared at both congregations - much like any other Sunday only this will be spread over two weeks, given the special circumstances of Anniversary Sundays and Glencoe Fair weekend.

And rather than the repetition of how the church can be like water - offering life, flowing to itself, flowing to a greater source, taking the shape of its own container, I'll post the Evian "Waterboy" clip that graphically demonstrates these principles (excuse the toilet humour at the 1:09 mark).

sermon excerpts: "Do the Smart Thing"

(Mark 8: 27-38; Proverbs 1: 20-33)

How frustrating it must be for Wisdom. She sees things so clearly, it is so obvious to her, and the people just don’t get it. She takes to the streets raving and raging; she rants and rips the citizens’ ignorance. How long will they seek and search, wonder and worry, when the answer is right there in front of them?

How fitting it is for the stupid people to suffer for their ignorance, for their unwillingness to see what is true and real. Wisdom is right in front of our eyes, waiting for recognition and acceptance. If we fail to see it, we get what we deserve. That makes sense, but only in the way of the world and not as Jesus’ way.

The battle between the wisdom of the world and that of the cosmic divine rages to this day. It began as soon as humanity realized its own consciousness and ability to think, decide and act, as far back as the Garden of Eden. There’s another instance of this conflict in the gospel reading. Peter is accused of being Satan, a strong accusation, of being an opponent.

But the outcome come is that even those who oppose Jesus, they too will follow. If we’re paying attention to the preposition “behind”, Satan, the opposer is behind, following Jesus. Just like all of us who seek to live in his way. Ironic, isn’t it?

All this happened when Peter figures out who Jesus is and the great, wonderful secret that he had been keeping … not that he was God’s own Son but that he was the Messiah. The legend, the story, the hope and dream was of a mighty and fearsome leader who would defeat all the enemies of Israel, restoring the natural order of the world – everlasting peace with all nations subservient to Israel.

Jesus wants to keep that truth a secret, the revelation that he is the Messiah would shatter what he was trying to do. Jesus ushers in the kingdom of God in his own fashion, with substance over show. And if word leaked out that he was The One, all of the expectations and distractions would prevent him from being able to live and teach the message of his gospel in his way for as long as he could. The claim to Messiah-hood would be questioned by the self-abasing, humbling nature of his message. So it was important that the secret stayed safe.

Although there is another irony at play: for all the secrecy that was needed in Jesus’ lifetime, we in our lives would be condemned for keeping our faith a secret. It’s the same message vocalized by Wisdom in Proverbs: pay attention, seek God, don’t be afraid to ask. Those who ignore Christ, his message, those who are ashamed of his ministry of inclusion and care will ultimately find themselves excluded and shamed themselves.

If we follow Jesus, listening to the wisdom he embodies, we have refuge and safety in the end. In the meantime there will be hardship and persecution, but endure the sufferings of life and there will be an eventual reward. There is a bit of reap what you so, karma will get you in the end. What do we make of this religious triumphalism?

What is the point of doing the right thing, living the right way, if in the end Jesus wins out after all? Do we choose to follow God because we want to be on the winning team? Isn’t that why Jesus wanted to avoid the Messiah label?

That isn’t faith, that’s self-interest. Surely divine wisdom would see through such a transparent motivation. Can we do the right thing for the right reasons? Or will the notion of judgment and division in the end cloud our motivation?

The smart thing to do as churches, as individuals, is to pool our resources, to work together, to support one another, to seek the greater good and the higher power and find common cause. But knowing what the smart thing to do is and doing it for the right reason is the learning that we have to do.

sermon excerpts: "Ruining the Good Name of Faith"

(James 2: 1-10, 14-17 and Proverbs 22: 1-2, 8-9, 22-23)

As the wisdom from Proverbs reveals, our good name is more valuable than any investment portfolio, lottery ticket or roadshow antique. It is built upon deeds, actions and goodwill demonstrated over years and years. We stake our reputation on it, acting as references for someone’s job or passport application.

It is somewhat ironic that the validity of our words depends on the merit of our actions. What we say or profess, our words, are defined by that which is unspoken, our deeds. Yes, actions speak louder than words.

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Much of the Bible has this message paying attention to what you are doing and saying. James, for instance, presents the hypothetical situation of how welcoming are you really? Is it only certain types of people that are welcomed in your assembly of worship? Or do you really and truly live in Jesus’ radical inclusion and welcome of anyone and everyone, especially the poor and dispossessed?

According to James, if we follow God’s law, we are held accountable to all aspects of it. Which is fine and well and good in intention, but even reading the Bible we find it is difficult to determine what exactly this is supposed to mean. How can we know God’s law when so many elements of it appear to contradict one another?

Even James with his proclamation that faith without works is dead is in direct violation of his contemporary Paul who claims that faith alone is sufficient to merit salvation. In Romans, Paul writes that righteousness is attained through faith. So who do we believe? What is the law that we need to follow?

I’m inclined to apply a United Church collaboration, conciliation and compromise and suggest that we try to live and do the best as we can, to expand and enhance our understanding of what we believe. We act in good faith and trust that our belief is enough. Controversial columnist Michael Coren would disagree, as his rambling op-ed piece in last Saturday’s London Free Press skewered the hypocrisies and failures of the United Church.

In many places and on many issues, the United Church has put its money where its mouth is. (And also put its foot in that same mouth, several times as well). Yes, even as an open and affirming community, we still make judgments and choices. And given the choice between a richly dressed visitor and a poorly dressed one, who knows how that might be handled on any given Sunday?

That is the work of faith: everyday we make choices, judge between options and alternatives, trying to do what Jesus would do. Trying to live up to the higher calling of God’s mercy, love and justice. In doing so, we hope to build a good name for ourselves, as individual people of faith and a collective community. Through proving ourselves time and again with what we do for others, following through on promises, reaching out to those in need we find our good name.

Once we strip away our possessions, all that we have is who we are, what we’ve done and how we’ve done it. In place between faith and works, what we have is the commonness of one Creator, of justice and blessing intended for all. It is our humanity and spirituality that sets us as equals in God’s eyes, it’s up to us to live this standard in our works and in our faith. After all, our good name depends on it.

sermon excerpts: "A Spiritual Getaway"

the Song of Songs, for all of its steamy implications and suggestion, is poetic and evocative in its lyric. This morning we heard the invitation to come away, to leave behind the cares, concerns and distractions of our world that we may more fully be who we are. We go to find the true nature of our being in relationship with another.

The lover arrives upon the scene and urges that the time is come for renewal, in the newness of springtime. The time of dreariness and gloom has passed and there is energy and life buzzing in the air. Arise and come away. Leave behind the slumber, the dormancy, the hibernation, and live the adventure of life. Be alive. Be in love.

We are awakened and called into relationship with the divine, to leave our comfort and coziness. It is easy to build a refuge and haven from all that is wrong in the world. Maybe that is why we are here today, in worship, to gather in faith so that for the span of an hour, or for a few meaningful minutes where we can leave behind the world and its problems. We are here to pray and sing, to listen to scripture, to be with friends, to look at the ceiling or the stained glass windows. Here we are to be still and know that God is God.

Whatever it is that brings us here, if it’s misplaced guilt or a sense of obligation, or if coming to church is a wonderful uplifting habit, or if we merely want to see friends, or if we’re seeking to be challenged or comforted in faith, we all have our reasons. However, we can’t stay here. Sooner or later, for those thinking of brunch, hopefully sooner, we will leave this place. We can’t hide away in our Sunday best, in our liturgy and hymnody; we do live in a world of road rage, swine flu and reality TV.

As much as we’d like to escape this world and run off with the Lord to some wonderful mystical union, there is the grim reality that there are bills that still need to be paid, an economy still on the downturn, and weather that defies prediction. We might consider the scripture lesson as a gentle invitation to leave our sanctuary and explore the world that awaits us. A world of wonder and longing, with the steadfast companionship of a deep, pervasive and abiding love that goes with us, calling us forth to new adventures.

It is a journey undertaken with excitement and joy, to go away with the Lord, to embrace the wonders of life and love in a topsy-turvy world where nothing makes sense and all that we have is each other. The Songs of Songs shows how energizing, inspiring and life-giving being in love is. That is what we are about, that is the message for this day: love life, love yourself, love God, love love.