Rev. Susan R. Andrews
A sermon preached by
Susan R. Andrews
July 16, 2006
TO THE SAINTS IN BETHESDA
(NOTE: The Apostle Paul was a master at combining his feelings and his faith in his New Testament epistles – those personal letters he wrote to the early churches in the Mediterranean world. He would particularize each letter – to a particular church, with particular needs, at a particular time. And his format was always the same – opening words of affection and thanksgiving, followed by pointed advice and teaching for the specific church he was addressing. And then Paul would end with a paranesis – specific encouragements and exhortations for future living. Today I will speak to you in the style of the Apostle Paul – occasionally using his exact words, but more often paraphrasing some of his central ideas. I do this with apologies to the great master – and with deep gratitude to you – the faithful church called Bradley Hills Presbyterian Church.)
From Susan, a servant of the church, and a disciple of Jesus Christ.
To the saints in Bethesda, who with joy and intelligence and creativity, have joined with me in sharing the work of the gospel.
Grace to you and peace from God, our Creator, and from our Lord Jesus Christ.
Dearly beloved, “I thank my God every time I remember you, constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all of you, because of your sharing in the gospel from the first day until now. I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work among you, will bring it to completion” (Philippians 1: 3-7) And so, I encourage you to continue to run the race of faith with energy, intelligence, imagination , and love.
It is right for me to think this way about you, because for 17 years you have held me and my family in your heart. You have prayed for me near and far, you have listened respectfully to the words God has led me to preach. You have bravely struggled with some of the more controversial ideas I have taught. And you have welcomed my imperfect pastoral care in times of deep sorrow and great joy. Through it all you have accepted my hyperbolic style and exhausting energy with deep affection - and sometimes appropriate skepticism. Yes, dear Bradley Hills, my heart is full - of you and for you. You are and always will be my favorite community of saints in all of God’s good world.
But I want you to know, beloved, that what fills me with the greatest joy this day is what has happened to us – and through us - together. Yes, together, we have tried to hold fast to the gracious demands and the utter delight of our Lord Jesus Christ.
In a world that worships high octane entertainment and achievement, we have reverently and joyfully worshiped God – whose very being is mystery, and whose greatest achievement is love.. Yes, in this elegant space, with humility and openness, we have tried to glorify and enjoy a God who is above all and in all and through all.
In a world that judges and excludes, we have opened our minds, our hearts, and our pews to a growing diversity of God’s people – judging no one by their skin color, their educational pedigree, their sexual orientation, or their theological perspective. We have acknowledged that all people are sinners, but also, that all people are equally cherished as children of God.
In a world that wants easy answers and absolute truth, we have been willing to embrace the complexity and uncertainty of the human mind – asking probing questions, refusing to swallow the pablum of simplistic faith, pushing the intellectual boundaries of scriptural interpretation – eagerly making the connection between faith and science, war and peace, environment and technology, local mission and global mission. And, we have tried to articulate the differences and the connections between an evangelical, individualistic faith and a progressive justice faith. But most of all, we have opened our hearts and our building to our Jewish brothers and sisters – acknowledging that loving the Lord our God with all our heart, all our soul, and all our mind. This is the common heritage we share with our Jewish friends – and is the common light we have to give – together - to the world.
Yes, dear friends, we have so much to celebrate as we give thanks for our life together.
But, it has been reported to me that some of you are anxious about the future - as the world changes, as your leadership changes, as the needs of your fellowship change. And so I beg you not to lose heart or grow weary in the glorious work of the gospel, for God is doing a new and wondrous thing within you – not for your sake, but for the sake of God’s precious, broken world. As I continue to hold you in my heart from afar, I entreat you to remember the high calling for which you have been called and to honor the gracious promises that were lavished upon you through your baptism. And I encourage you to embrace this high calling in two specific ways:
1) “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, enabling you both to will and to work for God’s good pleasure.” Philippians 2:12-13).
Word has come that as a congregation you are restless in your spirits – yearning for spiritual intimacy with one another, and a deeper joy and knowledge of God. Because of the gifts of the Spirit among you, you are already wise and smart and brilliant when it comes to ideas of the mind, vision, patterns for organizational structure and complex, comprehensive programs for mission and justice and education. But I believe that in your – in our - intense outward doing, perhaps we have neglected our inner being.
As you move forward and begin to discern your future together, I encourage you to take a deep breath – the breath of God’s Spirit alive and creative and intimate within each of your souls. Find the courage to meet together in small groups to learn each other’s stories, to shed tears and share laughter, to pray openly and extensively together, and to actually experience God in your relationships as brothers and sisters in Christ. Yes, work out you own salvation with fear and trembling – taking a personal walk with God, building a personal relationship with a Living Christ, and creating personal bonds of affection and commitment with one another. And never stop asking the questions – the deepest. most fearful, most troubling questions – because dear friends, no thought, no journey, no frightening frontier can ever separate you from the love of God through Christ Jesus our Lord.
2) “I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God...do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed, so that you may discern what is the will of God – what is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Romans 12: 1-2)
Beloved of Bethesda, I earnestly beseech you to remember that our faith is not just one corner of our lives – but all of who we are, and all of what we do. We are called to offer our whole self, our whole body, our whole being – not just the parts that are convenient or non-threatening. We are called to be disciples in what we do and how we do it, twenty four hours of every day in our work, in our families, in our community, as well as in our church. Our primary name is not Jon or Susan or Pat or Corky. Our primary name is Christian – Christ bearer. And so when the world looks at us – as individuals or as community – we must hope and pray that what they see is Jesus.
It is clear from the teachings of our Lord that we are called to “first create a counter culture before we can become a kingdom culture” ( a phrase of Jin S. Kim) – before we can become what the Presbyterian Book of Order describes the church to be: “the provisional demonstration of what God intends for all humanity.” And so the faithful remnant called the progressive Christian church must proclaim an ethic and a vision that questions the prevailing culture at every turn - not being conformed to this world, but being transformed for the work of cultural transformation.
Rather than imitate the culture in order to grow numerically, the church is called to imitate Jesus, so that the world can grow spiritually. But then, we need to be prepared for crucifixion moments because of the power of our love. Feeding the hungry, letting oppressed minorities go free, loving our enemies, valuing light and salt more than money and fame, welcoming the immigrant stranger, refusing to judge, begging earnestly for the privilege of giving money, worshiping with reverent awe instead of feel good fluff – this is the transformational call of our Lord. Yes, just as Jesus turned water into wine, so you, Bradley Hills, can turn the watered logged woe of this world into joyful abundance for all.
I, a servant of the Lord, remember with great joy that day so many years ago when I first came to live and grow with you. You had been struggling with lack of resources, with unresolved tensions among you, and with a deep spiritual malaise that had made you doubt yourself and your worth in God’s world. But by the mercies of God, we were brought together to share our mutual needs and mutual gifts with one another – pastor and people - a match made in heaven – a partnership that has borne rich fruit over the years. I also remember that one moment in my installation service when with great relief and hope, you, the congregation, burst into applause –not for me - but because of the raucous, real grace of God – a divine grace that had brought us together. Dearly beloved, many more of those powerful moments have come and gone – and many more of them will come again – in your life together. As I now move to serve other communities of Christ’s people, please know that I will pray earnestly that God will continue this good and acceptable and perfect work already started within you.
And so dear friends. Remember me, as I will always remember you – with great affection and joy and hope. Love one another. Outdo one another in showing honor. Be patient and persevere. Pray constantly. Practice Sabbath. Laugh together and play together. Do not lag in zeal, but be ardent in Spirit. Contribute generously for the needs of the saints world wide. Live in harmony and be peacemakers. Practice visible and vital hospitality. Love kindness. Do justice. Walk humbly with your God. And always, always, every day, in every way, love and serve God, who has created you for a purpose.
And may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. (II Corinthians 13:13)
May it be so. Amen
