We are Family?!

WESTMINSTER PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
April 30th 2006
Meditation Series: “Love is?”
Rev. Mark R. Bradshaw-Miller
“We are Family?!”
I John 3:1-7

In case you haven’t heard the news, Easter is not over just because the bunny is gone. In the Christian Calendar, Easter only began two weeks ago and does not end until June 4th. So between now and then we are going to celebrate Easter each Sunday. That does not mean we will be eating extra candy or hiding eggs in the yard each week or even having services at sunrise. Instead we are going to celebrate Easter by looking closely at very short book of the bible; the first letter of John. Do we know how to have a good time or what?
The first letter of John is not to be confused with the Gospel of John. It is a rather short book found just before the book of Revelation. Though this letter of John is rather short it contains a great deal. However, the Cliff Notes version (or Readers Digest) is this: ‘If you claim to believe in God, you had better love.’ Over the next few weeks we will take a closer look at some different aspects of the love of God, as it relates to this letter. This week, we focus on what it means to be part of the family of God.
In this mornings passage being children of God has everything to do with the love of God. We know that God, in Jesus Christ, intended from the very beginning that all people are included in the love of God. Simply put, this means all people are children of God. And that means God intends all people to be brothers and sisters. However, we human beings are really good at ignoring the implications of this radical good news.
Since the earliest days of the church, Christians have been working to define who is excluded from the love of God. We have nearly perfected the art of deciding who is, and who is not loved by God. Every time Christians do this, we can be assured of two things. One, God is not pleased. And two, those who are included in the loved list will most often look like, think like, dress like, and live like those who are making the list. The sad news is that the children of God are always limiting the love of God in ways God never intended. The good news about all this is that God is not finished with us yet.
As we talk about the family of God we must acknowledge that not everyone hears the word family as good news. Not everyone has had good feelings or experiences with family. The facts show that families can be places of abuse; emotional, physical, and sexual. However, this is not a reason to discard this metaphor. The truth is that early Christian community was no stranger to these and other oppressive family structures. So the use of the term ‘family of God’ is about reinterpreting oppressive family structures. The family of God is meant to be a radical life-giving alternative to what has become a cultural idol.
To use the language of family may leave us feeling rather unsure about how to proceed. I believe being part of the family of faith means we cannot ignore the real challenges. Fortunately these challenges are not a new phenomenon in the family of God. The community who heard the words of this letter for the first time knew real division. This is why the refrain of love gets played over and over. In fact, the refrain is a commandment. It says: “The commandment we have from God is this: those who love God must love their brothers and sisters also.” (I John 4:21).
This commandment which ties love of God to love of brothers and sisters sounds nice and simple but it is not easy. It is not easy because love is so much more than just being nice to one another. While civility has its place in the community of faith it does not fulfill the commandment for love. Love requires a commitment to move beyond sentimentality. ‘Getting real’ about love enables us to be honest with one another. It allows for the building of relationships on the solid foundation of God’s love. The message of this letter is all about developing an honest, caring, authentic community of God’s family.
I have heard it said that we are most able to share our emotions with the people whom we love. While there are some flaws in this line of reasoning it does point to an important truth. If we want to be in a healthy relationship with another person, or other people, it is critical to move beyond just being nice. Real relationships demand that we ‘get real.’ This movement from nice to real is a sign of a mature and healthy relationship. That is what it means to be in authentic loving family of faith built upon on the love of God in Christ.
We know that this call to authentic community is not easy. It is not easy because it marks a shift in the focus and energy for the followers of Jesus. For so long, large portions of the family of God have been busy sorting out who is going to hell and who is saved. However, this letter of John makes it clear that this practice is not what God intends. Instead Christians are to focus their energies on following the commandment to love.
The simply reality of this commandment is rather jarring. Simply put “The commandment we have from God is this: those who love God must love their brothers and sisters also.” (I John 4:21). So, if we want to know something about our relationship with God all we have to do it check our relationships with all our brothers and sisters. All of them – not just the ones we might want to claim, not just the ones who act like us, think like us, look like us, or even worship like us, but all of them. Friends, this is the good news, this is the gospel. So let’s continue on our journey to get real and live out this vision of community which has been given to us by God. Amen.

The Power of Fear

WESTMINSTER PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
April 16th 2006
Easter
Rev. Mark R. Bradshaw-Miller
“The Power of Fear”
Mark 16:1-8

Did anyone find it strange that we stopped reading the Gospel before it was finished? Well, actually we did finish the Gospel. The oldest and most reliable manuscripts we have for the Gospel of Mark actually end with verse eight. However, over time, the Christian community became uncomfortable with this rather strange ending and decided to set the record strait. There is something deeply disturbing about a gospel which ends with the women going away in fear and telling no one what happened. However, I have come to believe that this is actually the best way in which to end the Gospel story.
Unlike the other Gospels, the Gospel of Mark really does not end. There are no resurrection appearances where Jesus arrives on the scene to bring a nice tidy end to the story. Instead, something far more powerful is at work. This ending of the story does not finish the story but works as an invitation to those who hear its words. If we have followed this story from the beginning, we know all about the long journey which seemed to end with death on a cross. However, when we approach the tomb with the women, we find the stone is rolled away, Jesus is gone and there is a messenger telling us that Jesus is alive. However, the first people to hear the Good News are so afraid that they run away and tell no one. Which leaves me wondering: “What is going on?”
Logically, we know that they actually told someone. After all, if they did not tell anyone we would not have any record of this event. So there must be another reason for this ending. This non-ending to the Gospel of Mark is actually an assertion that the Gospel of Jesus Christ has not come to an end. It is a belief that the Gospel is to live on in each person who hears this story. As such, we are now challenged by this ending to answer - how we will respond. Will we respond in fear and remain silent? Or, will we respond in love, sharing what we have seen and heard?
Now, honestly, this seems like a rather simple question for most of us. However, it is not as easy as it might first appear. Remember, that these women were the most faithful disciples of Jesus. As Jesus was being led to his execution, they are the only ones who do not abandon him. They are even attending to him in death when they go to visit the tomb. So, if they, those unafraid of following Jesus to the cross, are afraid at the news of the resurrection, we better take note. It emphasizes that the invitation to follow in the way of Jesus is something that is worthy of fear. The resurrection, the empty tomb, validates Jesus teaching about picking up ones own cross. In others words, the empty tomb moves us from sadness about the tragedy of Jesus death to the fear that his teachings are worthy of following and may even cost us our own lives. Given this reality, these women disciples had every right to be afraid.
Growing up, I was often told that I should fear God. It usually came in the form of this quote: “The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom.” I would receive this admonition whenever I would ask questions about faith and the bible for which the adults I was asking had no answer. I learned early on that this was their way of trying to shut me up. What I learned from these attempts to end my questioning was that I really hated the idea of fearing God. If fearing God meant we were not supposed to asks questions and simply remain quiet I wanted no part of this god.
As I prepared for this weeks message, I could hear the echoes of “the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom” running through my head. After all, throughout Mark’s gospel fear shows up every time Jesus performs a miracle or whenever Jesus invites people to follow in the way. Whenever people are faced with the power and the reality of the way, fear is the natural response. As I wondered what it could all mean, I began to think this old admonition might actually carry some wisdom.
The wisdom in this saying has nothing to do with what I was taught as a child. Rather, it is an affirmation of faith which says that only God is worthy of our fear. The Good News in this statement of faith is that there is nothing to fear from God because God is love. If we reserve our fear for God alone the good news is that we have nothing to fear. It is a reminder that God, the only one worthy of our fear, is not out to get us. We know this because throughout his life on earth Jesus told all people not to fear. Jesus is about setting us free from fear and calling us to a life of faithfulness.
Fear is something that most of us know a good deal about. There are the personal fears, the fears for self and family, fears about job security and health security and of even growing consumer debt. There are the more public fears, the fears of war, of terrorism and the list could go on. Fear permeates all aspects of our society. If you do not believe me take a quick inventor of the work of marketers and politicians. Many have, and continue to build entire careers by playing on our fears. Fear is a powerful motivator and is easily used as a tool manipulation.
At the empty tomb, God could have very easily used the fear of all the disciples to guarantee submission however, this is not the way God works. At the empty tomb, we hear the good news that God is at work and that God refuses to use fear as a tool. Even though God alone is worthy of fear, God is not about fear. God, in the witness of the cross and resurrection is love. Fear has nothing to do with God’s love. So whenever you hear people or institutions using fear as a tool beware. Because, anytime fear is used to motivate or manipulate it is a sure sign that the person, institution or idea is simply bankrupt.
This is a vital message which must be told over and over. It must be done because we can so easily fall prey to the power of fear. When we fear, we do irrational things. Whenever we fear something or someone, we can become immobilized and complacent. However, more likely, our fear leads to the stereotyping of what or who we fear. Because fear leads to scapegoating and demonizing it will always lead to oppression.
Standing at the empty tomb we are faced with both an invitation and questions. Will we succumb to the power of fear in our hearts and at the hands of the world’s powerbrokers? Or, will we choose love each day of our lives? Will we choose to follow the one who has taken an instrument of execution and turned it into a symbol of new life? So, if only God is truly worthy of fear then we have nothing fear at all. Each one of us is invited through the reality of an empty tomb to go and share with the world, which is enslaved by the power of fear, that love has overcome and the brokers of fear are bankrupt. This is good news worth sharing. This is the reality of Easter. Amen.

Dangerous Street Theatre

WESTMINSTER PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
April 9th 2006
Palm Sunday
Rev. Mark R. Bradshaw-Miller
“Dangerous Street Theatre”
Mark 11:1-11

I must have been about ten years old when I figured out that I had outgrown Palm Sunday. Being forced to parade into church carrying palm leaves shouting Hosanna was just too embarrassing. After all, I noticed that many adults seemed to be too grown-up to participate in this silly event. I came to the conclusion that Palm Sunday was a nice day for children but was unimportant for the more mature Christian. However, I am learning to be less mature than I was at ten.
If Palm Sunday is only a once a year opportunity to march into the church waving fresh cut greens it really should be done away with. However, I believe there is a richer meaning to the often misunderstood celebration. Jesus enters Jerusalem riding on a donkey in a rather well orchestrated piece of street theatre, which kicks off the events which lead to his execution. As we reclaim this rather strange event for the life of the church, it should lead to a deeper appreciation of what happened on Good Friday and Easter. Most importantly, it will dare us to live more faithfully as followers of Jesus.
Some of you might be wondering what does he mean when says that Palm Sunday is street theatre? It is unlike most of our experiences at the theatre. While street theater is often performed outside it is not like going to the MUNY. It is not the sort of performance where you can buy tickets. Street theatre in its purest from is about celebration and about protest. It is a form of live entertainment which invites people to hear a message they might otherwise reject or stop listening to in any other form. In other words, it is designed to show the message not preach one. So how does this relate to our passage? And what makes Palm Sunday dangerous? Let us take a closer look at the passage.
The words which open the passage “When they were approaching Jerusalem…” are meant to draw the listener back to a warning Jesus gave about Jerusalem in chapter ten. In the previous chapter, as Jesus and the disciples began their trek to Jerusalem Jesus said:
See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death; then they will hand him over to the Gentiles; they will mock him, and spit upon him, and flog him, and kill him; and after three days he will rise again. (Mark 10:33-34).
When the disciples first hear these words, they do not respond. It turns out they are too busy fighting about who will have the places of honor next to Jesus. The disciples, busy making preparations for the glory they expected in Jerusalem, were unable to hear this reality. The disciples are expecting military victory while Jesus is trying to prepare them for the outcome of his life and ministry.
Leading up to the Jerusalem entry, Jesus carefully orchestrates this elaborate street theatre. He sends two of his disciples into a nearby village. They are sent with very detailed instructions. The two disciples are told where they will find a colt and how it is tied up. Jesus even makes sure to give them the password should anyone question their actions. None of what happens in this encounter is an accident. Jesus is making sure that no one misunderstands the deeper meanings of this action.
Even the use of a colt has symbolic meaning. This is not just any available colt but one which has never been ridden. This is no accident. It comes strait from the prophet Zechariah who wrote these lines of poetry:
Rejoice greatly, O daughter Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter Jerusalem! Lo, your king comes to you; triumphant and victorious is he humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. (Zech 9:9)
This passage in Zechariah is a reference to the long awaited messiah. The messiah is the one who will bring an end to the oppression of the people. It is a warning to all those who have taken advantage of the poor that they are about to experience retribution. It was expected that the messiah would bring about military victory. The arrival of the messiah was popularly understood to mean that justice, peace and righteousness will be established through the use of violence.
This elaborate street theatre continues with the people laying their clothing and leafy branches cut from the fields in front of Jesus. In the Old Testament, this was an action which was reserved for kings alone. However, if those who were seeing or hearing this spectacle did not understand the deeper realities it was made most evident in the shouts about this ancestor of David bringing in a new kingdom. For those watching this simple unarmed group heralding a new king and kingdom it might have seemed quite laughable. However, since this was a time of revolution this simple parade could very well have been a risk to national security.
Jesus has carefully orchestrated this messianic street theatre. It is an event which proves cathartic for those who are at the bottom of the economic and political ladder. The crowds were hungry for the long awaited messiah who would make those in authority pay for their abuse of power. So unarmed or not, this theatre, directed by Jesus was too dangerous to tolerate. It could provoke the people to riot or rebel and so something had to be done. As a result this simple street theatre causes the religious and political elite to take notice and to make plans to execute Jesus.
While it is at the end of the week where this becomes more evident, Jesus refuses to participate in the continuing cycle of violence. Jesus prepares the scene so it is undeniable he is claiming to be messiah. Yet, he enters the city without a weapon. When this confrontation comes to a head near the end of the week Jesus again refuses to join in the calls for more violence. Jesus refusal to bring about God’s way through violence no doubt helps ignite the crowd’s calls for his execution on a cross.
The danger of Palm Sunday today is that it gets trapped in two unfortunate interpretations. The first interpretation is that because Jesus refuses to participate in the continuing cycle of violence it means he was apolitical. This is a rejection of the real political implications that come about when Jesus claims the term messiah. As a result following Jesus gets narrowed into the realm of personal spirituality. The second common interpretation has used Jesus claims of messiah as a justification or foundation for the belief that God is pro-violence and pro-war. Both of these options simply miss the greater reality.
Fortunately there is another option. While Jesus does make claims upon the term messiah, he does so in ways that are clearly meant to be different. Jesus is indeed a revolutionary. He is making claims that a new kingdom has come and that the old way of doing things is doomed. However, Jesus is a truly unique revolutionary who rejects the ways of violence and death. But more importantly Jesus does all of this while inviting others to follow in the same way.
This call to discipleship is not easy. Trying to follow this non-violent messiah in a world addicted to violence and death can seem rather ridiculous and even idealistic. However, this is exactly why Palm Sunday is so important for the church. Palm Sunday confronts us with the invitation to join in the radical reenactment of this dangerous street theatre. By participating in this reenactment we come face to face with the ridiculous ways of God embodied in Jesus. And most importantly it is a reminder that we are called to live our lives in the pattern of this non-violent messiah.
So, the next time we are invited to wave a palm branch and shout hosanna, may we not be so mature that we miss out on this dangerous practice which ended with Jesus upon a cross. May this message move us to our feet so we can wave a palm with reckless abandon and shout loudly: “blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!” Amen.

What is Salvation?

WESTMINSTER PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
April 2nd 2006
Communion Meditation
Rev. Mark R. Bradshaw-Miller
“What is Salvation?”
Jeremiah 31:31-35; Hebrews 5:5-10

I have heard it said that a sermon should do one of three things. It should say yes, no or go. This morning our sermon will focus, as many of these sermons on doctrine have, on the no. When it comes to the issue of salvation there is much which can be focused on. Unfortunately time will not allow us to wrestle with all the questions you may have. So for this morning I will spend most of our time challenging some commonly held assumptions regarding salvation.
What is salvation? On my return trip from my parent’s home in Indianapolis I noticed a billboard which seemed to have the answer. It read: “Where will you spend eternity?.. Jesus Christ is the answer.” Despite having some real questions about the billboard, it does line up with the common understanding about the doctrine of salvation. For many people salvation is only about what happens to us when we die. It is commonly understood that salvation is how God, through Jesus, washes away our sins and gets us ready for heaven. In other words, we are supposed to ‘get saved and then wait around to die.’ And this is where the no comes. This understanding of Salvation is deeply flawed and simply misses the meaning of salvation in Jesus Christ.
Much of my own understanding of this doctrine is influenced by the work of theologian James Cone. He says that the salvation found through “The death and resurrection of Jesus does not mean that God promises us a future reality in order that we might tolerate present evil.” Cone gets to the root of the problem with much of the teaching regarding salvation. The problem is that when salvation only deals with life after death it can allow us to accept hell on earth. The hyper-focus on heaven too often allows for the acceptance of suffering and misery on earth.
This is not the plan of God. This is not salvation. It is an inadequate understanding of the ways of God. Too often this type of teaching has been used as a way to preach that things will get better… after we die. This way of preaching and teaching has even been used as a tool for social control. This understanding of salvation simply offers no hope on this side of the grave. This way of understanding about salvation must always be rejected as short-sided and potentially dangerous.
Beyond this limited view of salvation there is another caution that must be raised. Much of the rhetoric and understanding about salvation has a rather selfish undertone. Many of the concerns about salvation have often been about self-preservation. In other words, ‘how am I assured that I will not end up in hell?’ If we are talking about the salvation found in Jesus Christ then it is safe to assume he meant that our concern should not be about self-preservation but about concern for others.
So, what is a better understanding about salvation? Again, my favorite definition comes from James Cone. He says:
Salvation is release from slavery and admission to freedom, saying no to the fear of principalities and yes to the power of liberty. This is not to deny that salvation is a future reality; but it is also hope that focuses on the planet.
Without a doubt, salvation does include the future but it is also so much more. Salvation, found in Jesus Christ, has to do with present day realities. It is an invitation to live as free people and is about being released from selfish concerns to serve God in the world.
In the two passages we heard this morning, there are words about new covenant and about salvation in Jesus. These passages have often been used to sort out who will miss out on salvation. That sort of use of these passages is perfectly acceptable if you ignore the context and are ignorant of the salvation history of God.
In the covenant which God makes with Abraham and Sarah, God promises a blessing. They are called by God and are in special relationship with God. This special relationship means they are responsible to be a blessing to all people of the earth. God’s relationship in the original covenant, the new covenant mentioned in Jeremiah, and the covenant in Jesus Christ was never meant to exclude anyone. It was instead a call to responsibility. However, we human beings have not responded well to this calling. Too often we have taken God’s salvation and limited it in ways which were never intended.
When we humans have worked to narrow the salvation of God it seems to only include a small select group of people. Interestingly this select group always seems to be people who look like us, act like us, worship like us, and think like us. However, despite our best attempts to limit God’s love for all people, the undeniable truth is that God’s salvation is for all people.
One of the ways we are reminded about God’s salvation is through our participation in communion. When we gather at this table we eat bread and juice. The use of such common foods is to remind us that this holy sacrament is not about taking us out of this world but leading us into deeper engagement in the world. At this table we come face to face with some very concrete everyday implications for participation. The bible, the stories of our faith, is very clear about this. The reality of salvation is that we are invited to live as free people in our world right now. We do not have to wait passively for life-after-death for release from the places of bondage in our lives. And most importantly, we are called to work actively and joyfully for the freedom of all people in this life, as well as the next. Christians are called to proclaim that salvation in Christ is about living free in this life and the next. Let us proclaim this reality loudly: Salvation does not begin after death despite news, and billboards, to the contrary. Amen.