Faith. In Context. And Context Changes Things. But Not Our Mission.
Wooo….sometimes
the scriptures deliver hard things. In
the world of pastor’s discussion groups, this week’s text was dreaded by
many. Especially that part about people
sawed in two…
But we
have a mantra at our house: We can do hard things.
So let’s dive
in together. Because I believe that we
can do hard things.
Today we
are sandwiched between reminders that there were those who risked a lot because
God set a task before them and those stoned and flogged for their faithfulness AND
Jesus’ harsh reprimand for our failure to see the signs and wonders right in front of our faces. It is difficult stuff.
And it is
difficult stuff that happens alongside the reminder that in faith, the race we run
is not a sprint. It’s not even a 5K out and back….it is a full on marathon, a
duration event for which we need perseverance and stamina… We can’t see the
finish line from where we’ve begun, but we know by faith that it exists.
In Luke’s
gospel, Jesus talks about the fire that he wishes was already kindled…and the
baptism he brings. And the hard task ahead of him. Perhaps here he is talking about the baptism
of the Holy Spirit that will enliven the church after his ascension. He also talks about the division, as opposed
to the peace, he brings to the earth.
It’s a troubling passage, and when something doesn’t quite fit as a few
verses dropped into the lectionary, should look at the passage in the context
of the full arc of the story told in Luke’s gospel. Thematically, Luke’s gospel
begins with proclamations of justice to come and of peace. (Check out Mary’s song of thanksgiving and
Zechariah’s prophecy about what is to come in Luke 1. In particular,
Zechariah’s song ends with the “By the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from
on high will break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in
the shadow of death, to guide our feet in the way of peace.”) It also ends with
a benediction for peace as Jesus speaks his last words to the disciples before
the ascension – peace be with you.
And so, we
have to look at this particularly hard set of scriptures and wonder what they
might mean in light of the peace that seems promised in Jesus’ life, ministry,
death and resurrection. One of the best commentaries I read suggests that this
is Jesus describing current circumstances rather than circumstances that are to
come. In other words, Jesus is
describing division that already exists…and that makes sense to me. Jesus was
teaching some hard things. He was
suggesting that the systems of the Temple that had ordered Jewish society for
millennia weren’t “all that.” He was
suggesting that maybe sinners weren’t to be shunned by leaders. He was suggesting that God loved the poor and
the weak and people other than Jewish people.
All of those things would have been difficult for friends, families,
communities to bear without some disagreements.
I think
one of the things Jesus is doing in this passage is highlighting that his
teachings will divide people.
And isn’t
that true today? Isn’t it true that we are divided about what it means to love
our neighbor. Isn’t it true that we are
divided about what it means to love God? Isn’t it true that we are divided
about who God is for and who God will judge?
I find
this a fascinating backdrop to the wandering that I have been doing with these
texts from the Letter to the Hebrews about faith. Last week we were reminded that faith is the assurance
of things hoped for and the conviction of things unseen. And we were reminded of how this community of
Faith Church went from 42 people in a basement to 500 people in this amazing
building in a matter of 10 years. And
today, as we are reminded of all the hard things people have done for faith
throughout the scriptures, we are also encouraged – encouraged to run the race
that is before us because Jesus is cheering us on, shaping us by the power of
the Holy Spirit, waiting for us to do what it is we have been called to do.
Jesus
calls us to make hard choices about how we will live our lives. Those choices will cause division, and yet,
Jesus is also cheering us on from the sidelines.
What do we
do with that?
I think we
do with that what we are called to do – to make disciples of Jesus Christ for
the transformation of the world. To love God and our neighbor. The same thing
we were called to do as the Family of Faith 55 years ago. As it was in the beginning, is now and every
shall be…
But…
or AND…
Things
just aren’t the way they used to be…
The
context in which we do the work of the church has changed dramatically. This is
a race run on a very different course than it was 55 years ago.
Let me
offer just a few glimpses of how life has changed since Faith was chartered.
(And let
me apologize…this is a dizzying rapidfire tour of statistics and headlines. But
really, the last 55 years has been dizzying…)
I invite you not to try to connect each of these sound bytes to one
another, but rather…let them sink in.
Let the impact of each of them seep into you – particularly as you think
about how it is that we are called to be about bringing forth the kingdom of
God right here in Rockville, Maryland, the place we were planted 55 years ago…Let
them become the backdrop of the work we do, the conditions we are called to
live into.
I am a
product of GenX, sometimes defined as those born between 1961 and 1981..sometimes
the start date is more like 1965. GenX
is a small generation. And we happen to be nestled between birthrate booms –
the Baby Boom and Millennials.
While GenX
is small by itself, counted together - GenX, Millennials and GenZ outnumbered
Boomers and the GI generation at the polls for the first times in both the 2016
presidential election and the 2018 mid-term election.
Millennials,
born between 1982 and 2000, now outnumber Boomers.
As
generations, millennials and GenZ (those born after 2000) are far more
diverse. 44% of millennials in the US
identify as non-white. For GenZ, 48.5%
identify as non-white.[1]
22% of the
US population is over aged 60, and of those, about 1 in 4 live alone. According to the Pew Research Center, these
older adults report spending an average of 10.5 hours alone each day.[2]
In 1957,
the USSR launched the first artificial satellite. In 1969, the US succeeded in
having the first human on the Moon. In 2015, lettuce was the first food eaten
that had been produced in space.
In 1990,
we set out to map DNA – the very code for our biological diversity.
That work
has led to genetic testing for cancer, for birth defects, and for diseases like
Alzheimers. It has also led to
breakthroughs in understanding mental illness, heart disease, diabetes, disease
resistance, longevity and human sexuality.
Cell
phones and home computers didn’t exist in 1964.
Today, 96% of adults in the US have a cell phone…and 81% of adults have
a smart phone. Among 18 – 29 year olds,
99% have a cell phone and 96% specifically have a smart phone.[3]
In 1960,
25% of two-parent households had dual incomes.
In 2012, 60% of two parent households had dual incomes.[4]
In the
1950s, 20% of marriages in the US were interfaith marriages. Today, 45% of
marriages are interfaith.[5]
Let’s go
back to those generations that we started with.
In 2015, 61% of baby boomers indicated that they pray daily. 39% of younger millennials indicated they
pray daily. 59% of baby boomers
indicated religion was very important to their lives. 38 % of younger millennials claimed religion
was very important.[6]
According
to a 2017 study by PRRI, “There are 20 states in which no religious group
comprises a greater share of residents than the religiously unaffiliated.”[7]
And we
referenced the last two elections earlier, but let’s talk just a bit about our
politics. This from the Pew Research
Center:
“In both political parties, most of those who
view the other party very unfavorably say that the other side’s policies “are
so misguided that they threaten the nation’s well-being.” Overall, 36% of
Republicans and Republican leaners say that Democratic policies threaten the
nation, while 27% of Democrats and Democratic leaners view GOP policies in
equally stark terms.”
This is a
significant shift from 20 years ago…and I would imagine a monumental shift from
50 years ago.
Things are
different these days…
And yet,
our God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow.
And we are
still called to love God and love one another.
And the
reason we are to love one another is to be living evidence of the God of Love.
I think
I’ve mentioned to you that I am tenaciously hopeful. Some would say I am painfully optimistic. But here’s the thing. I really do believe God is in the midst of
ALL OF THIS. I really do believe that
while not moving the pieces on the chess board, our God continues to move in
and among us by the very presence of the Holy Spirit, counting on us to adapt
and adjust, promising to be with us and love us in the adaptations. Counting on
us to stay the course in the midst of all of the changes. Because there has been radical change in
every generation.
All of
this change – all of the tension and confusion created by all of this change –
is exactly
why we must learn to have hard conversations with one another.
is exactly
why we need to focus on the vitally simple message that God is with all of us
day in and day out and God is full of love and grace.
is exactly
why we are called out into the world day after day after day to bear witness to
the difference God’s love has made in our own lives SO THAT others see that
radiance, that goodness, that hope and in spite of all the ways we might be
different CHOOSE to ask – how might I get just a glimpse of that in my own life?
The
backdrop against which we run this race by faith has changed significantly over
the years. But the call has not.
The call
has not.
I receive
a devotional email each day from the Society of St. John the Evangelist. The brothers take turns sharing a brief
reflection on one word. As I was preparing last week’s sermon, a word arrived
that I knew was meant for our conversation today. The word is “responsibility,” and Brother
Geoffrey Tristam shares this:
How we live our lives – our commitment to
worship, to private prayers, to mission – is not just about us and our
relationship to God. We have a responsibility to be bearers of the light – a
responsibility to those who are still to come. We have a torch to carry for a
while, and then we pass it on.
The torch
is ours right now. It has been carried
thus far and we are called to carry it further.
Remember
that mantra I mentioned that we have at our house?
We can do
hard things.
We can do
hard things.
We can do
hard things.
May it be
so.
Amen.
[1]
The Brookings Institute: https://www.brookings.edu/blog/the-avenue/2016/06/28/diversity-defines-the-millennial-generation/
[3]
Pew Research Center: https://www.pewinternet.org/fact-sheet/mobile/
[4]
Pew Research Center: https://www.pewresearch.org/ft_dual-income-households-1960-2012-2/
[6]
Pew Research Center: https://www.pewforum.org/2015/11/03/u-s-public-becoming-less-religious/
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