“Safety Is My Goal?” BHPC 6/22/08 Rev Jon Smoot Romans 6: 1-11 and Matthew 10:
My sermon title is inspired by that note on the back of just about every truck and commercial vehicle, whose driver may or may not be driving as if that particular goal has any meaning for them. The question mark in the title is directed toward us. Is safety, in fact, our goal as Christians, as a church? If so, then I more than suspect that God’s not at all amused, given today’s gospel lesson. Safety and risk are not opposite terms in the reign of God. As counter-intuitive as it may be to us risk-adverse human beings, true safety is found only in stepping out in risky faith with a faithful God.
Two Saturdays ago, I led an all-day retreat for the Session of one of the churches in our Presbytery who are emerging from a horrific and divisive three years, and who want to move on into gentler waters, whatever those are. We had a good time together. They asked me to help them figure out how to reach toward one of their goals: Their immediate surrounding demographics suggest a fertile ground for developing a ministry to the young professionals who are swelling the community ranks. These are the under-40 folk, who are clearly checking out a church for the first time, or maybe trying it again after a very long hiatus.
I told them that goal was all well and good, and a worthy goal, but I also told them to grab the sides of their boat for a rough ride. Why? Because the longer-term members are likely to be quite resentful of the new-found emphasis – and these members are the ones who mainly fund the budget. Well, that certainly gave them pause. Then I dropped the bombshell with the financial facts of life. In terms of giving to the church, it takes 7 or 8 newer and younger members to replace just one long-time member who dies, or retires and moves away, or leaves the church, because it isn’t “their” church anymore with all these yuppies taking over. Whoa. You could just feel the air rush out of the room and out of their lungs. I wonder if that particular goal died then and there, as worthy as it is. Will they play it safe – or will they take a risk, as turbulent as that could become? I say again, safety and risk are not opposites in the reign of God, but we have a real hard time learning that.
It seems to me that more and more, we North American Christians are forever thinking that we have found the way to follow Jesus without getting hurt in the process. Christianity is about nice people, doing nice things, without rocking anyone’s boat, without anything costing too much. We’re the kinder, gentler, church, committed to peace at any cost, purity at any cost, unity at any cost. Heck, we’ve even purged all militaristic-sounding hymns from our hymnal, like “Onward Christian Soldiers” and “Stand up stand for Jesus, Ye Soldiers of the Cross.” I wonder what the Rev Jeremiah Wright would have to say to that!
We’re used to Jesus, meek and mild, telling us how to be compassionate, peaceful, and loving – and here he comes in Matthew packing a sword, vowing to cleave the earth, splitting families and communities. Here he comes, squarely nailing our divine right to self-actualization and fulfillment by telling us that we if try to preserve and secure a life, we’ll lose it. He even darkly hints that there is some form of crucifixion ahead for all who follow him.
Now, rather than be embarrassed by what Jesus says, or try to explain it all away, or feel better that the Jesus Seminar tells us all is okay because Jesus never said those things, let’s just take Jesus at his word: He’s telling us that bold enactment of the gospel of God will likely bring disruption in our most fundamental of relationships. He’s telling us that what we love determines how we act and what we do. Do we love the way things are, more than we love God and love what God wants done?
Do we love our families and our community more than God’s kind of loving that just might compel us to confront things that are wrong or destructive, despite the fallout? Or, maybe a love for God and humanity might compel us to follow God, to the horror and confusion of those who love us? Bishop William Willimon says this: “I was a college chaplain for 20 years and rarely received a call from a worried parent with, ‘Help! My child who is a sophomore is sexually promiscuous!’ Or “Help! My child is addicted to alcohol!’ No, the calls that I received were, ‘Help! I sent my child to the university to be a success, and she has become a religious fanatic.’ “Religious fanatic’ defined as she is going with the Catholics to teach reading in Haiti. These parents knew well: Jesus is still capable of disrupting families and family plans and hopes for their children.”
Do we love the way things are, more than we love God and love what God wants done? Do we love our nation, right or wrong, more than we love God’s command to do justice, pursue mercy and walk humbly with our God on a shared planet? The sword of which Jesus speaks is a metaphor for the passion which we are commanded to hold for God’s ways. That passion for justice that means that Christians have no option of watching from the sidelines as the great issues of the day are decided. That passion will mean a never-ending battle in our daily lives and in our communal life to fight on behalf of those who are marginalized, stigmatized, oppressed, hungry, sick, or in prison. Safety was never God’s goal in creating, correcting, healing and saving humanity.
Now, if safety were my goal. I would stop right here, but I cannot. So far I haven’t told you anything surprising or new, or anything that would make you lean back in your pews. I know BHPC is pretty fearless about social advocacy justice – and we are strong and confident leaders in our Presbytery on that. But where we are very fearful, is attaching God’s name or Jesus’ name to our actions, for fear of seeming intolerant or more to the point, for fear of losing our jealously guarded reputation as a church that really doesn’t need to attach the name of Jesus to anything we do. Is it really so awful to tell others that the reason we are doing something is precisely because we are Christians? We’re good at being good, and that is commendable, but so is the United Way or the Red Cross. I think Jesus was, and is, an amazing person, a fascinating person, an immensely powerful, courageous and good person – but we as Christians also believe that this person is the Son of God, who embodied all of the grace and truth of God. We believe that this Jesus is not just worthy of our admiration, but is worthy of our worship.
Are we ashamed of God? Of course not. But, if we are ashamed of Jesus, and ashamed of the gospel of God expressed in and through Jesus, than we are, de facto, ashamed of God – embarrassed by our faith commitments.
Our two evangelism brainstorming sessions were very revealing to me about our hesitancy to attach the name of God or Jesus to our actions in the community. The participants had tons of good ideas about good actions, but were also pretty quick to make clear that those actions are not to appear overtly Christian, or obnoxiously religious, or intolerant.
Friends, I understand your fear and would never advocate our being jerks in our efforts – that’s not who you are or who God is. But to declare our actions as done in the name of Jesus Christ and for the reign of God and for God’s glory is not impolite, intolerant, or inappropriate. It’s just, well, Christian.
Let me put it more boldly: If safety is our goal, then of course we never mention the name of Jesus in the course of our daily lives and service. But friends, if that kind of safety is our goal, then we are in breach of covenant with God and with our faith, and another word for that breach is sin. Sin is defined in the Bible as literally missing the mark, and the most common and seemingly intractable sin of humanity that the Bible addresses is fear. And we church-goers are not immune to fear, especially as we are commanded to take the grace of Jesus and the love of God out into the world of our daily lives.
Jesus says as he sends us out with the great good news of God; “Why should you be afraid of those who may be able to take your physical life, or besmirch your reputation, but cannot touch your eternal soul? Rather, be in respectful awe of God who alone has the authority to annihilate both body and soul. Be in awe of the God who holds the threads of your entire life, who intimately knows you and who commands eternal and ever-flowing life for you and for the entire world. So, go for it, never be ashamed, and above all - do not be afraid!”
Resources: Interpretation Commentary: Matthew; New Interpreter’s Bible Commentary: Matthew; Interpretation Commentary: Romans; “Lectionary Homiletics”; “Pulpit Resource,” Vol 36, No.2 and Vol 27, No. 2
