One of the dominant
conversations I seem to have with people when they find out that I am a member
of the order of ministry – a minister, is about how their church – whether it
is another United Church Congregation, or another denomination – is changing
and in a state of decline.
Almost unanimously,
the conversations talk about the lack of young people, the greying of the
worshipping population and a nostalgic look back on what was …
If I have the time
and the energy, I like to explore with that person what their church is doing
that is positive … are there other activities and programmes that are
successful? … are they involved in actions and undertakings in the broader
community that are helping? … do they host groups and gatherings within their
building that offer people some sense of hope and a connectedness to something
more?
I try, in my small
way, to expand the definition of Church that has gripped us so tightly, and has
unfortunately pulled us down, rather than build us up … We tend in the modern
church, to define Church in a fairly narrow way.
We begin with our
supposedly common beliefs. We hold to particular statements of faith and
creedal statements that we may or may not evern fully understand. We have a
notion of what is right and wrong, and we hold to, and hold UP those ideals as
what defines us … in the process we defensively focus on our differences rather
than focus on our commonalities in an affirmative way.
I read recently about
President Obama attending a college graduation service that had students from
181 different national backgrounds. In the ceremony, the incredible diversity
of national heritage was celebrated by the presence not only of the students,
but the flags and greetings of their languages. To pull it all together,
President Obama cited the American motto E Pluribus Unum – out of many, one.
Obama went on to
remind his audience that this simple notion lies at the heart of our north
American society – immigrant who came from the farthest corners of the planet
to begin to build a new life in community. Many backgrounds, many traditions,
many ethnicities who gathered and became one: Canadian and American, and who
sought and continue to seek a common good for each other and for themselves.
E pluribus Unum!
Out of many, one.
Today, as a community
of faith – a church, if you will, we are gathering at table to remember our
commonalities, and to celebrate what brings us together. Our differences are
laid aside as we break bread and share the cup and join in communion.
We are celebrating
the gift of community. The gift of becoming ONE, rather than remaining many.
The challenge for us,
and for the Church in this 21st Century is to move from the idea of
Church as a place of rules and dogmas and creeds, and instead become a place
where the diversity of the many is celebrated, and what we share in common is
focused on, rather than wasting our time and precious energy focusing on what
makes us different.
Yesterday, I had a
chat with someone at the farmers’ market about the tendancy of Churches to have
an asterix on their “All Welcome” sign out front.
“Oh sure, they SAY
ALL welcome, but do they really mean that?” they said, “what if I’m gay, or
black, or an immigrant, or disabled, or radical …” and on and on the list went
… “am I still really welcomed then?”
It’s a hard question,
with a tough soul searching answer … if we say “All Welcome” do we believe much
less live it?
That ultimately is
the heart of our faith … that is the heart of what we read and reflect on in
Scriptures … that is where the rubber hits the road when it comes to BEING
Church, and BEING people of faith.
When we come to break
bread and pour out the cup, when we gather to pray and sing, when we assemble
in this place, do we truly welcome in ALL, or just a select few we are
comfortable with?
These are not new
questions.
Twenty years ago, I
first used a poetic dialogue by Anne Weems that had two people sitting side by
side in church yearning to move past the “Good morning, lovely weather we’re
having?” conversations that mark much of our interactions. They wanted to share
their hopes and dreams and frustrations in a place of faith – in a community …
but couldn’t find the courage …
Now, 20 years later,
I could still use that poetic dialogue and ask the same questions in almost any
church – the only difference is that today, two decades after she penned those
words, there is a greater urgency in our communities of faith, to discover a
new way of living and being Church before we shut the doors and turn off the
lights one last time.
What we ultimately
are searching for is something that has been here the WHOLE time.
We are searching for
Community – the coming together of diverse and different people, who come
together as one.
Diana Butler Bass in
the closing pages of her Book Christianity after Relgion writes about a local
farmer’s market she supports and is involved in:
During spring 2010, I decided
that I wanted to spend most of my family’s food budget at the local farmer’s
market. After reading Michael Pollon’s “Omnivore’s Dilemma” I wanted to do
something to make the world different regarding food, sustainability, and the
future. Every Tuesday morning, I went to the nearby market buying from the same
fifteen vendors. As the weeks progressed, I got to know the farmers – old time
Virginians working family farms, new immigrants from Mexico, well-off retirees
growing organic crops or raising free range animals. They told me about farming
practises and managing land, about their hopes and fears for the future of
American farms, sharing their passion for good food and the way of life it
embodied. They taught me how to cook unfamiliar vegetables, and how to grill
buffalo. I picked up tips from the local gardening club, which maintained a
booth at the market, talked with grassroots political activists, ran into local
clergy – including a Methodist pastor who had just bought an SUV-full of apples
for a congregation-wide pie contest – and chatted theology, and shadowed local
celebrity chefs to see what produce they purchased. Regulars recognized me,
asking whether the recipes had worked, if my family had enjoyed vacation, and
how my book was going. Pretty soon, I realized that the farmers’ market was
more than a place to shop – it was a community, and a lively spiritual one at
that. Every Tuesday morning, the people who gathered learned stories, shared practices,
celebrated food, and created a microcosm of a different kind of world. (page 264)
The farmers’ market
becomes a community – an expression of community that is distinctive and unique
and different. Her last sentence could be applied to The Church (and I think
that is her intent).
The Church is
described in her observation that: Every
Tuesday (or Sunday, or Wednesday, or Friday) morning, the people who gathered learned stories, shared practices,
celebrated food, and created a microcosm of a different kind of world.
That’s us.
That’s the Church.
We share stories of
our life and experience interpreted and reflected upon through faith.
We share practices,
whether it is knitting tips, recommendations on stores and businesses, vacation
destinations, gardening ideas, health concerns, or anything else that happens
when we gather in conversation, or even when we sit down together to study
scriptures or wrestle with the latest idea coming from GC offices in Toronto –
we share together in community!
And, we celebrate
food – today we celebrate communion, each week we remind one another of the
importance and necessity of the local food bank, and we frequently gather to
sit down at meals together, even if it is just coffee and cookies at the back –
we celebrate the importance and centrality of food.
AND, in the process
we create this microcosm of life and faith that proclaims, celebrates and
embodies a different way of life in the world.
We are, at the end of
the day, the body of Christ – the Kingdom of God incarnate – and we are to go
into the world sharing and celebrating our faith and recreating the world. We
can’t do THAT if, we waste our energy focusing on the minor points that we
differ over. Instead, we are called to focus on what we share in common, and
work positively, and affirmatively to build UP the kingdom and to share the
Gospel.
What I believe may be
different that what you believe, and that may be different from what the person
next to you believes – but instead of focusing our energy on those differences,
and trying to convince each other that MY way is the ONLY way – let’s leave
that piece up to God, and instead dare to celebrate that we are part of this
amazing and diverse community gathered here, and work TOGETHER to share our
common faith not only with one another – but with the world out there!!
We are a community of
faith – let’s go into the world and share THAT Good News!!
May it be so – thanks
be to God … Let us pray …
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