If we had only know...

WESTMINSTER PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
November 23rd 2008
Rev. Mark R. Bradshaw-Miller
“If we had only known…”
Union Council Joint Thanksgiving/ Accessibility Project Dedication
Ezekiel 34:11-16, 20 Matthew 25:31-46

In preparation for today I went back through the history of Westminster. Travelling through the pages of our official history, back even before the churches official founding, I was struck by the points of history which were deemed worthy of remembering. I believe what we choose to remember and what we choose to forget can be rather instructive. What are the stories we like to tell about ourselves? For our three churches, we focus on things like; the date of founding, the roles we have played in denominational politics, the good old days when pews and nurseries were packed, and the date when we finally decided that God was serious about welcoming all people into the church.
While this is the way we write about our history, the official way to tell people about our church is to review the last ten years of the annual statistical reports, at least that is how Presbyterians do it. (In case you were unaware the word Presbyterian is Greek for keeper of records.) Now while this might seem like a uniquely Presbyterian disease, consider how we most often describe our churches. We will talk about the good work we are doing but it does not take long before we focus on money, membership, and worship attendance. For Presbyterians, the annual statistical report is rather detailed, but the three items which most people use to determine the health and vitality of a congregation are these: 1) Annual Giving – money 2) Membership, and 3) Worship attendance. So in practice these become the default marks for the true church.
While it is not intended this way these reports become a tool for separating the sheep and the goats. Or at least showing where the spirit of God is assumed to be at work. Now, the hard truth is that according to those numbers, none of our churches are at the top of our respective denominations. But then again, if we follow these markers our denominations are no longer leading those categories. This is not an easy truth to hear but I know it is not news to anyone. So why on earth, on this Thanksgiving Day, this day of dedication, would I try to bring us down with what we already know? Well, I want to reach back into the history of Westminster and suggest we cause some trouble with the keepers of records.
From 1880 until 1914 Westminster worshiped at the sight of the current Fox Theatre. In 1910 the leaders of the church went to the denominational leadership for permission to move to this location. The response was a clear and resounding: “No!” And the denominational leaders were never, never, swayed that Westminster should move to this site. So in 1912 the church voted to move anyway and by 1914 here we were. No matter the motivation I like to believe that this is a story where the followers of Jesus decided that to be faithful they had to break some rules. It is because of their open defiance of their denomination that we are here on this day, dedicating our commitment to be a place for all people.
I like that story and believe it can be an inspiration for continued faithfulness. It is time, not just for Westminster, but for the Union Council churches to make a stand and say that the old rules will no longer apply. Let us stand up and refuse, from this day forward, to measure our faithfulness through the lens of money and members. And when folks demand and accounting for these markers of faithfulness all we need to do is hide behind this scripture from Matthew 25. It might be that simple. Since we are going to hide behind it let us take a closer look.
It is not often that we like to focus on the judgment passages. And this passage is particularly odd. It is odd because the judgment, the separation of sheep and goats, is not based on nationality or race, or gender, or sexuality, or even your denomination. On the surface, this passage seems rather simple, but it is not. What looks like Jesus’ litmus test for who gets into heaven and hell, actually ends up being much more.
The beauty of this text is the reminder that much of where we spend our energy is of little consequence. While the passage is complex, the calling for the follower of Jesus is really simple, if not always easy: Food for the hungry, drinks for the thirsty, welcome for the strangers, clothing for the naked, care for the sick and visiting people in prison. When the sheep are welcomed it is not with these words: You are the righteous because you topped the list of givers, had the largest denominations and worship attendance. Try as I might, I could not find that in this passage. Instead, success, no faithfulness is measured in service.
So, what would happen if when we were asked by our denominational offices or anyone for that matter about the size of our church, and budget, we answered with a litany of how we had provided: Food for the hungry, drinks for the thirsty, welcome for the strangers, clothing for the naked, and care for the sick and visiting people in prison? What if we used this as the litmus test for all that we did in our churches and as part of Union Council? Imagine that today we could decide to start a movement in our denominations that change all the rules about church statistics?
Now there is always a danger in starting a movement. That danger is to become deceived into thinking we are the righteous and everyone else is the dammed. So as we begin our movement today I would like your help in avoiding that pitfall. Can I count on your help? Alright, if you have ever done one of the following things please stand as you are able, or raise your bulletin in the air if you are unable. If you have ever: Fed someone who was hungry, gave a drink to someone who was thirsty, welcomed a stranger, gave clothing to people who needed them, cared for someone who was sick, or visited someone in prison, please stand up. Please remain standing. Alright, now if there was ever a time when you had the opportunity to: Fed someone who was hungry, gave a drink to someone who was thirsty, welcomed a stranger, gave clothing to people who needed them, cared for someone who was sick, or visited someone in prison, and did not do it, please sit down. Thank you for your indulgence. This little exercise is a reminder that the sheep in this passage did not have a clue that they were doing the will of God.
It is an important reminder for those who seek to turn things on their head that just when we think we have it figured out we had better look out. Faithfulness, in this passage, is gauged upon the care of the least of these. Yet, no one was aware that this was the way of faithfulness. It even appears that if the goats would have only known they would have gladly complied. Likewise the sheep seem uninterested in complying with anything. For them it was simply the sort of thing they just did. But we are not the seep or the goats because we have heard this story we know the way of faithfulness and as such we are called to live differently because of this knowledge.
Today, it is a great gift that we can be here dedicating this building at a joint service of worship. Having this many witnesses will make us much more likely that we remain committed to using our facilities to do ministry for the least of these. But it is also my hope that when the next history of our church, and all of our churches, are written that the guiding principles and the lead stories will not be money and membership. But instead it is my hope that we will be held accountable, that our faithfulness will be gauged on: Food for the hungry, drinks for the thirsty, welcome for the strangers, clothing for the naked, and care for the sick and visiting people in prison. And who knows, maybe the next generation will look back upon us and say: “They started a movement.” But let us not just hope. The next time someone asks about your church and they want to know about the money, the membership, or the worship attendance, refuse to participate. Instead, point to the work we are doing with the least of these. Then, gently remind them, and us, that Jesus seemed more interested in these things. Are we ready to start a movement? Amen!