Siblings in Christ,
This week’s Gospel text and Old Testament readings find us hearing about the call of some of Jesus’s first disciples and of Samuel, the prophet who would anoint Saul and David, the first two kings of Israel. In each story, those who are called are aware that along with following, there is a risk or sacrifice...it’s not going to be an easy road.
And this is where we find ourselves as Christians, or in other words, disciples of Christ.
As a pastor, one of the roles the church ordains for me, is that of preacher of the gospel. The gospel is literally “good news,” and is rooted in what Christ has done for us, so that we may be forgiven and not suffer the ultimate consequences of our sinful actions. But this is not just about salvation. This forgiveness and mercy follows us in our lives as Christians too, and we are called to share it with all the world.
Part of “hearing” God’s call is to actually hear it...or listen. And I find that something we don’t do well in our culture anymore. We must constantly be listening to God, and to each other. As the year 2020 passed along, I lamented again and again over how divided our nation has become. To be sure, there are some at very polar ends of the issues, decisions, and ways to live as a nation. We often hear these voices more than anything else. But, I believe, that if we really listen to each other, we can also hear the middle ground. And the middle ground looks a little more gray than black or white (as colors in a spectrum and NOT the differences in skin color).
Liberals and conservatives disagree on how the country should be governed, and it’s striking when you really look at it. On the other hand, where liberals are conservative, conservatives are often more liberal if you think about it. Whereas conservatives want less regulation and government oversight on many things, they DO want it on issues such as abortion or gender issues. Whereas liberals want less regulation and government oversight on these types of issues, they do want more regulation on finance and business. We all want regulation in some ways, and we all want less regulation in others. What’s striking to me is that we want these regulations because of our experiences with human nature. For instance, what I have observed is that a democrat wanting more business regulation has perhaps seen that when some businesses are left to do the ethical thing, they don’t necessarily and instead give way to damaging processes or practices (pollution, poor working conditions, etc) in exchange for profit. On the other hand, a republican voting pro-life, for example, has experienced that choice makes it possible for some women to take an “easier” way out of a bad situation and terminate a life rather than bring a child into the world.
The thing is, these examples aren’t as black and white as this sounds. There ARE many ethical businesses that work for the benefit of the community, and there ARE many people who are completely against abortion even when they vote pro-choice. And yet in both cases, there are reasons why business regulations and pro-life regulations should exist.
We want the same things. We want ethical and moral living. We want a system that supports life, liberty and pursuit of happiness (although I really think that the word “happiness” might mean something different today than it did 250 years ago). We want communities where we can live together and enjoy each other. We want to live sharing our faith and deepest beliefs with each other, whatever that faith may be, because all religions are ultimately about peace and love...not violence as radical groups of Christians, Muslims, Jews and others alike would have us believe.
The division in our lives today, in a world where anything that happens is known world-wide instantly in real time, has taken over our decision-making rather than a sense of true union. We have consistently ignored the pleas of those not “like us” to hear their stories, and we have then complained when the same happens to us. We have not taken a good hard look into our deepest fears and darkest selves (because yes, we all have them...we confess this EVERY week in church.) We have not loved our neighbors as ourselves and we have had to confess what we have done and left undone that falls short of God’s call.
God’s people CANNOT keep denying that we must find a win-win solution, and that many times that solution comes in a shade of gray...rather than black and white or absolutes. Jesus himself shows us that God’s law is not always absolute (reference to all the stories of when Jesus shows the spirit of the law rather than the letter of the law...healing on the Sabbath, touching and healing the unclean, conversing with and caring for the outcast or marginalized...as the faith of the time, or law of the time, would dictate it).
What IS absolute is God’s love and God’s call for disciples to love, forgive, and live loved and forgiven. Our scriptures this week call us to that love and forgiveness...to listen with our hearts and with God’s love and forgiveness in mind. God’s call is not easy, it’s not black and white, and it’s not just one “right” way. But God’s call is for all of us, even though we fall short.
Let us, as disciples, love one another back into a united spirit. Let us begin, as disciples, to listen in a way that hears deeply how our opinions on what needs to be done and how it needs to be done still reach for the same outcome...a community that loves, cares for and prospers all people. For God has plans for all of us...to prosper us and not to harm us, and to give us ALL a future with hope (Jeremiah 29:11).
Pastor Heather
This week’s Gospel text and Old Testament readings find us hearing about the call of some of Jesus’s first disciples and of Samuel, the prophet who would anoint Saul and David, the first two kings of Israel. In each story, those who are called are aware that along with following, there is a risk or sacrifice...it’s not going to be an easy road.
And this is where we find ourselves as Christians, or in other words, disciples of Christ.
As a pastor, one of the roles the church ordains for me, is that of preacher of the gospel. The gospel is literally “good news,” and is rooted in what Christ has done for us, so that we may be forgiven and not suffer the ultimate consequences of our sinful actions. But this is not just about salvation. This forgiveness and mercy follows us in our lives as Christians too, and we are called to share it with all the world.
Part of “hearing” God’s call is to actually hear it...or listen. And I find that something we don’t do well in our culture anymore. We must constantly be listening to God, and to each other. As the year 2020 passed along, I lamented again and again over how divided our nation has become. To be sure, there are some at very polar ends of the issues, decisions, and ways to live as a nation. We often hear these voices more than anything else. But, I believe, that if we really listen to each other, we can also hear the middle ground. And the middle ground looks a little more gray than black or white (as colors in a spectrum and NOT the differences in skin color).
Liberals and conservatives disagree on how the country should be governed, and it’s striking when you really look at it. On the other hand, where liberals are conservative, conservatives are often more liberal if you think about it. Whereas conservatives want less regulation and government oversight on many things, they DO want it on issues such as abortion or gender issues. Whereas liberals want less regulation and government oversight on these types of issues, they do want more regulation on finance and business. We all want regulation in some ways, and we all want less regulation in others. What’s striking to me is that we want these regulations because of our experiences with human nature. For instance, what I have observed is that a democrat wanting more business regulation has perhaps seen that when some businesses are left to do the ethical thing, they don’t necessarily and instead give way to damaging processes or practices (pollution, poor working conditions, etc) in exchange for profit. On the other hand, a republican voting pro-life, for example, has experienced that choice makes it possible for some women to take an “easier” way out of a bad situation and terminate a life rather than bring a child into the world.
The thing is, these examples aren’t as black and white as this sounds. There ARE many ethical businesses that work for the benefit of the community, and there ARE many people who are completely against abortion even when they vote pro-choice. And yet in both cases, there are reasons why business regulations and pro-life regulations should exist.
We want the same things. We want ethical and moral living. We want a system that supports life, liberty and pursuit of happiness (although I really think that the word “happiness” might mean something different today than it did 250 years ago). We want communities where we can live together and enjoy each other. We want to live sharing our faith and deepest beliefs with each other, whatever that faith may be, because all religions are ultimately about peace and love...not violence as radical groups of Christians, Muslims, Jews and others alike would have us believe.
The division in our lives today, in a world where anything that happens is known world-wide instantly in real time, has taken over our decision-making rather than a sense of true union. We have consistently ignored the pleas of those not “like us” to hear their stories, and we have then complained when the same happens to us. We have not taken a good hard look into our deepest fears and darkest selves (because yes, we all have them...we confess this EVERY week in church.) We have not loved our neighbors as ourselves and we have had to confess what we have done and left undone that falls short of God’s call.
God’s people CANNOT keep denying that we must find a win-win solution, and that many times that solution comes in a shade of gray...rather than black and white or absolutes. Jesus himself shows us that God’s law is not always absolute (reference to all the stories of when Jesus shows the spirit of the law rather than the letter of the law...healing on the Sabbath, touching and healing the unclean, conversing with and caring for the outcast or marginalized...as the faith of the time, or law of the time, would dictate it).
What IS absolute is God’s love and God’s call for disciples to love, forgive, and live loved and forgiven. Our scriptures this week call us to that love and forgiveness...to listen with our hearts and with God’s love and forgiveness in mind. God’s call is not easy, it’s not black and white, and it’s not just one “right” way. But God’s call is for all of us, even though we fall short.
Let us, as disciples, love one another back into a united spirit. Let us begin, as disciples, to listen in a way that hears deeply how our opinions on what needs to be done and how it needs to be done still reach for the same outcome...a community that loves, cares for and prospers all people. For God has plans for all of us...to prosper us and not to harm us, and to give us ALL a future with hope (Jeremiah 29:11).
Pastor Heather