Sunday, June 18, 2017

Lets talk about some B.I.G.S. Mathew 9:35-10:8

A tourist collected a few of the signs in English that monolingual Americans traveling abroad must contend with:

In an airline ticket office in Copenhagen, there is this promise: “We take your bags and send them in all directions.”

A Swiss restaurant announces to its customers that “Our wines leave you with nothing to hope for.”

An Acapulco hotel posts a sign assuring its customers that “The manager has personally passed all the water served here.”

But my favorite is a sign spotted in Paris. One of the city’s finer hotels invites its visitors to “Please leave your values at the front desk” (1)

As a church I believe we have not lost our values but, sometimes , we tend to store them away and pull them out when they are convenient. Our values are meant to be the place from where we act and how we respond to this world in Christs love and yet often we hesitate to act as called for fear it will change the way the church acts, it will change the way the congregation looks or it will change the way the Church grows.

Dr. Mickey Anders shares this story:

“Many years ago Betty, a prominent citizen of our community and church, was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. She lived with the disease for eight years deteriorating a little more each year. About two years before she died our church hired a new minister, Mickey, and he began visiting with Betty. When she died and Mickey began to prepare his sermon he realized he never knew Betty as everyone else had known her. He had witnessed Betty striped of inhibitions and totally dependent on others to care for her. All he had ever heard her say was, “I love you.” All he had ever seen her do was smile.

At Betty’s funereal Mickey shared this observation with us and used an onion as an analogy to her life. An onion starts with a core and adds layers as it matures. As in life each experience and thought is layered to our core. Mickey pointed out that Betty’s core was love and he met her without any layers. “What is your core made of?” was his question to the congregation. I was not sure what my core was made of at that time, but I wanted my core to be love, too.”[1]

I would hope, actually I believe, the core of this church, of this community is love. I would suggest to you that our text for today contains the clues to our core values.

Matthew 9:35-38 says: “Jesus went about all the cities and the villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the Good News of the Kingdom, and healing every disease and every sickness among the people.  But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion for them, because they were harassed and scattered, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest indeed is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Pray therefore that the Lord of the harvest will send out laborers into his harvest.'”

Here the text of Mathew is taking Jesus’ ministry and moving into a broader context.  The twelve are named and then sent out but not just sent out to do Jesus’ work, but to continue his ministry. Now Jesus, according to Mathew, focuses his ministry on the Jewish Community.  Which is fine for now but of course the ministry moves beyond that.

“Matthew’s text moves from one phase of Jesus’ ministry into the next. For the past two chapters, Matthew has been busy stockpiling healing and miracle stories one after another in order to build an indisputable case that Jesus was the Jewish Messiah”[2] This is Mathews intent that Jesus ministry was in the beginning for and about the Jewish people but later that ministry, well as we say in today’s context, evolves.

Yet we are just at the end of chapter nine and the beginning of ten Jesus is not challenged for his exclusionary vision until chapter 15 more than half way through Mathews story of Jesus and his ministry. You see in chapter 15 Jesus meets a Canaanite woman who challenges his belief that his ministry is only for the Jewish people.

Oh how often has the Christian faith been used to exlude?  How often has Justification for so much pain and suffering been through the misinterpretation of the sacred scriptures?  How often does it continue?

Listen to Leviticus “17 Speak to Aaron and say: No one of your offspring throughout their generations who has a blemish may approach to offer the food of his God. 18 For no one who has a blemish shall draw near, one who is blind or lame, or one who has a mutilated face or a limb too long, 19 or one who has a broken foot or a broken hand, 20 or a hunchback, or a dwarf, or a man with a blemish in his eyes or an itching disease or scabs…” (Leviticus 21:17-21)

Because our denomination can trace its history all the way back to the pilgrims and the puritans we can acknowledge the great pain we have caused by being exclusionary and yet, we can be very proud for many times we are the first to break down those barriers that call for the exclusion of others.

Rev. Sam Sewell wrote the first anti-slavery pamphlet in 1700.  The old south meeting house upset about an unfair tea tax inspired the first act of civil disobedience the Boston tea party in 1773 and quite frankly we as a church have maintained that tradition of civil disobedience for all these centuries.  The

1817 -“Rev. Thomas Gallaudet went to Europe to learn new forms of communicating with those without hearing. He opened the Connecticut Asylum for the Education of Deaf and Dumb Persons in 1817, supported by voluntary contributions and subsidized by the state.  In 1856, the school for the deaf later named Gallaudet University opened in Washington, D.C.”[3]

In 1853 the first woman pastor was ordained.

 In 1858 we became the first community to openly defy slavery laws “Members of First Congregational Church in Oberlin, Ohio join others from Oberlin College and the local community, both blacks and whites, in defying the Fugitive Slave Law. They rescue a captured runaway slave, John Price, from the hotel where he is being held in nearby Wellington, Ohio. Twenty are arrested and held in jail in Cleveland. Price is hidden and sent along on the underground railroad to Canada. The Oberlin Wellington Rescue Case helps raise opposition to the Fugitive Slave Law, one cause of the Civil War.”[4]

In 1972 the UCC ordained its first openly gay pastor being the first mainline protestant Church to ordain an openly gay person.

1976 the “General Synod elects the Rev. Joseph H. Evans president of the United Church of Christ. He becomes the first African American leader of a racially integrated mainline church in the United States.”[5]

In 1977 we had the first person to lead UCC disability ministries.

In 2005 we become the first mainline protestant denomination to affirm same gender marriage.

This curve of our own history actually shows we are kind of slow learners.  I mean for thousand s of years the church movement from before Christian history was exclusive.  We discriminated and hated in the name of God.

This denomination has a radical history in the united states and yet I would say we are still learning, still growing, still evolving. The first ordained African American pastor was in 1785 and yet we are still protesting and seeking equality for people of color.  We acknowledge we still have a long way to go.

The first school for the deaf was established in 1856 but not until 1970’s do we officially have a ministry that intentionally seeks out equality for those with disabilities and only 7 churches in the united church of Christ are recognized as accessible to all, and only two conferences one of which is northern California Nevada.

Considering the first church to serve the LGBTQ community was started in 1968 and stonewall riot was in 1969 to be the first mainline denomination to ordain an openly gay minister was a pretty sharp curve towards equality and yet... Yet there are 5032 churches in the UCC and only 1300 proclaim they are  ONA.

Of ordained Authorized ministers 3528 are women and 3672 are men and 10 identify as transgender.
What does all of this have to do with us?  Why am I spilling out this long history of how the churches ministry evolved and is evolving?  It is for the love of Christ we have got work to do.

 I praise you for this church is very accessible and should the board find it prudent I believe we can become one of those accessible to all churches in no time.  This church proclaims it is ONA and statistically we are very ONA and that is good.  But you cannot just be ONA you must proclaim it.  You cannot be just accessible to all you must tell people.  You cannot be a church that proclaims that no matter who you are or where you are in life’s journey you are welcome here, inside the walls of the church, you have to tell someobody.

So how do we tell somebody?  How do we reach out to our neighbors and friends and let them know that we are alive and well and care about our Brothers and sisters in Petaluma.  How do we let people know we have a story to tell?  How do we let people know that we are a unique congregation who really want to do more than just sit on a hill on a quiet Sunday and enjoy the worship and then go home?

We need to seek out our neighbors, we need to reach out to those in need in our community.  We need to be the church that shines on the hill as an example of what the kindom of God can look like here and now. At annual gathering many spoke of how the UCC is the best kept secret in the Church.  It is time to start sharing that secret.

General Synod is Coming up this is the gathering of our Churches nationwide exciting new things and ideas always comes out of this conference.  I do not know what I will hear or learn at this conference but I can share with you what has come out of a conference in the past.

Core Purpose

Drawn together by the Holy Spirit, we are a distinct and diverse community of Christians that come together as one church, joining faith and action. In covenant with the church in all of its settings, we serve God in the co-creation of a just and sustainable world as made manifest in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.


Core Values

Continuing Testament
Our faith is 2000 years old. Our thinking is not. God is still speaking,

Extravagant Welcome
No matter who you are, or where you are on life's journey, you're welcome here.

Changing Lives
Never place a period where God has placed a comma


Bold, Inspirational Goals (BIGS)

1. Bold, Public Voice
The UCC is a bold, widely-known and respected public voice of Christianity in service of God's ever-unfolding mission.

2. Welcoming, Reachable Congregations
There is a welcoming UCC community of faith that is accessible to all — no matter who they are or where they are on life's journey.

3. Engaged Discipleship
Every UCC person is well-equipped to be growing in faith, biblically-literate, theologically conversant, and active in the national and global mission of the church.

4. Excellent, Diverse Leaders
The UCC has a wealth of prepared, excellent leaders that reflect the diversity of God's beloved community.


Initiatives (as of May 1, 2014)

Reading Changes Lives
A sustained all-church literacy initiative that acknowledges that literacy is a social justice issue and seeks to educate the wider church about literacy's impact on a wide range of social justice issues. An inaugural "One Read" will be launched in September 2014, followed by "March Forth for Literacy" in March 2015 with measurable goals. Additional events and projects will continue throughout 2015.

Extravagance UCC
Launched in July 2013, Extravagance UCC is a new church start and online community that is accessible to all who want to experience and deepen their faith in relationship to the United Church of Christ, without regard to geographic location.

The Congo Initiative
The Congo Initiative is a programmatic emphasis of Global Ministries, the shared ministry of the United Church of Christ and the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).  Introduced in July 2013, this 18-month initiative addresses the Congo crisis by working with our churches and Congolese partners in the areas of advocacy, education, people-to-people exchanges and fundraising support.

Justice Leaders Engaging & Developing (LED)
Justice Leaders Engaging & Developing (LED) is a flexible, biblically-grounded, non-issue-based justice curriculum and training program designed to engage and develop justice leaders for the church and community.  The newly expanded program includes webinars focused on justice best practices and strategies to support individuals and congregations following their initial training. 

The Stillspeaking Leadership Institute
A unique leadership development network designed to equip, connect, and sustain lay and clergy leaders within the United Church of Christ of all ages and diversities with creative and cutting-edge leadership skills to further the mission and ministry of the church.

Intercultural Ministries Rising
An inspiring model of ministry approach toward Intercultural Multi-ethnic (I'M) Ministries that is led by prepared and committed clergy and laypersons.  Extravagant welcome is demonstrated through justice engagement, and diverse practices of hospitality and accessibility, vibrant worship, and faith formation. 

The Stillspeaking Worship Institute
An inspiring model of ministry approach toward worship, hosted by diverse local churches or other settings, with an emphasis on the experience of culturally diverse, accessible and replicable approaches to worship — with lived, shared experiences as the primary teaching tools.  The first Institute will be held in fall 2014.

Testimony!
Since 2006, more than 250 new UCC congregations have opened their doors, establishing progressive justice-minded faith communities across the United States. That equals more new congregations than at any other time since the 1960s. The Testimony! initiative is working to support even more new UCC congregations that are demonstrating great promise for growth and vitality. The initiative has already raised more than $325,000 toward its initial $1 million goal.

The "Faith, In" Project  
Introduced in July 2012 at National Youth Event, the "Faith, In" Project is a missional "God is still speaking," ministry and marketing initiative that further positions the United Church of Christ in its engagement with God's movement in the neighborhoods, towns and cities where God calls us to serve.  More than 150 congregations have already lifted up "faith, in" their local communities, and the project continues to bring focus to innovative and community-engaged ministries across the life of the UCC.

Mission 4/1 Earth 
Mission 4/1 Earth was introduced, with measurable environmental goals, as an all-church mission initiative during the 50-day Eastertide period in 2013.  During this short time period, congregations planted more than 140,000 trees, participated in more 600,000 hours of environmental care, and wrote more than 50,000 advocacy letters about environmental justice.  Mission 4/1 Earth's initial event raised significant awareness around the church about climate change and environmental ministries. Congregations continue to participate in designated Mission 4/1 Earth projects and program[6]

Now these were national initiatives some are ongoing some have changed their names or morphed into something new. But the idea is we are called to be more than just Sunday.. we are called to reach beyond these walls.  We need to let Petaluma know about our extravagant welcome.

So I want us as a congregation to pray, to imagine, to dream BIG and let’s get to work to reach out and be intentional in our commitment to welcome all.



[1] Dr. Mickey Andrews, Compassion Workers, 2005, accessed June 13, 2017, http://www.sermonwriter.com/sermons/matthew-935-108-compassion-workers-anders.
[2] Ibid.
[3] UCC, UCC Firsts, 2014, accessed June 14, 2017, http://www.ucc.org/god-is-still-speaking/firsts/ucc-firsts.html.
[4] Ibid.
[5] Ibid.
[6] UCC, UCC Vision Plan, http://www.ucc.org/vision_plan.

No comments:

Post a Comment