7.30.23, "Thoroughly Christian!" - Westminster Presbyterian Church, Pasadena, CA

 1 Kings 3.5-12; Matthew 13.31-33, 44-52

What time is it?

Not the clock kind of time, but the calendar kind of time … history, drama, dates and events, wars and rumors of war.

What time is it?

When we’re young, we’re rich with time …as the years pass, time becomes precious …

We play with time …in our imagination, what we remember, or think we remember, or choose to remember … or choose to forget.

when we’re young, it’s all about the future; as we age, it’s tempting to think of what we had … nostalgia is fun, but its also dangerous.

As for me, if I want to wax nostalgic, it’s always summertime: shouts of delight and skinned knees, a fistfight with Billy Gunther … my trusty Schwinn bike in the morning, heading out for the day, lunch at a friend’s house, baseball in the park, a tree house in the woods, a clubhouse behind the garage … a raft in the nearby swamp behind the old factory, on a meandering river running through town.

And so it was … there was more to my life, of course, but it’s easier to remember the happy moments. 

As for religion, there was a church on every corner … Sunday mornings, people put on their Sunday best and went to church … 

kids grew up with hymns, Bible stories: Samson and Delilah, Moses and Miriam, David and Goliath, Mary Magdalen and Mary, the Mother of Jesus … the parables, the wee little man, Zacchaeus … Jesus walking on the water, and turning water into wine … many a youth heard the call of God and became women and men of force and faith; who changed the world for the better.

These days:

The presence of the church has been greatly diminished … not that the church was always right and good … the church wasn’t always right and good, and sometimes the church was wrong, terribly wrong, tragically wrong, dead wrong … at many points, on many issues and questions. Not the first time the church has been wrong; nor the last.

Be that as it may:

The diminishment of the church is a serious loss ... 

The diminishment of the church has left a vacuum, a blackhole, and into that blackhole, self-interest has rushed in at full speed, and dragged along the whole dysfunctional family - fear, anxiety, paranoia, frustration, doubt and darkness, terrible ideas and behaviors: Neo-Nazism, Christian Nationalism, anti-Semitism, hate crimes, white supremacy, and from top to bottom, from sea to shining sea, a hideous materialism.

The church, in spite of its problems, was a force for good, much good - hospitals built, colleges and universities founded, missionaries sent out into the world - often with the sword of empire, but they also went out with love - with wisdom, mercy and compassion; tools for agriculture and health ... education and literacy.

The church was a force for good - beauty, art, cathedrals, music, poetry - the great ideas of creation and justice, sin and forgiveness; the promotion of science and reason, humanism and enlightenment, freedom and opportunity.

And always the message of Christ: a world to be loved, people to be helped … the maintenance of a conscience … to remind us of what’s important, what counts, and how we need to live:

to give of ourselves more than to take of others ... 

to be generous rather than greedy, 

self-sacrificing rather than self-centered … 

charitable to the needy rather than judgmental of their suffering ... 

to seek peace, 

practice forgiveness, 

be merciful and patient,

trust God in all things, and not give way to fear and frustration.

Pay attention, read well, learn much, laugh often, reach high, and love God.

The diminishment of the church is a serious loss to the intellectual, spiritual, cultural, wellbeing of the nation.

But God's purpose of love and salvation remain ... 

The present time is a gift, an opportunity … as the hymn puts it, “This is my Father’s world” …  

now is not the time to wring our hands, clutch our pearls, to lament what is lost, grump and groan.

now is the time to be pioneers of a new day, explorers on the unknown road … now is the time to use the maps of old, sure, and then draw our own maps for the new day … now is the time for patience, but not too much … now is the time to wait upon the LORD, but not to fall asleep.

It’s a time to be "thoroughly Christian" ... 

Jesus speaks of mustard seeds, yeast … and the pearl of great price …  

Metaphors - not of domination, but cooperation … not of power, but peace - the mustard seed grows, like a bush, a tree, slowly, gently, to take its place among the other bushes and trees, and the birds are happy … 

And yeast, just a small amount of yeast is needed,  just a dab will do ya’ … and the bread is delicious.

The pearl - hidden in a field - a pearl, not a bank vault, not Wall Street, but a pearl, small and precious … small, easily overlooked, yet of great value ... the pearl dealer sells everything to purchase the pearl.

And then this, the fisherman's net - the net gathers up all kinds of fish - people, ideas, behaviors, moments and time - some of great value, some of little value, some to be discarded ... but in the end, it's up to God and the angels - to do the sorting, only God and the angels know for sure ... 

Our task: to welcome all, to trust God, the God and Father of our LORD Jesus Christ - they and the angels will sort it all out, 

to make right what has been wronged, 

to welcome those whom others have turned away … 

to be the lunch counter where all are served, none are sent away, none are refused … 

can we be the church? Can we be thoroughly Christian? 

to know Christ in Scripture, 

by the work of the Holy Spirit ... 

Christ in our prayers and Christ in our thoughts, 

Christ in the morning, so that we can hear the news of the day, and see the world in its sorrow, through the eyes of Christ ... 

the love of Christ gives shape to our conscience, 

the cross in the center of our soul, our being, our purpose, our work and our homes ... and in our church.

The Christ who is and is to come … the Christ of every hope and all our dreams … 

To be thoroughly Christian is a life-time work, and then some … 

to be thoroughly Christian demands a lot from us, and gives us the pearl of great price ... 

to be thoroughly Christian requires everything we are, and gives us everything we hope to be.

Solomon's prayer is instructive ... rather than asking for a long life or riches, or the death of his enemies, Solomon asks for an understanding mind, the ability to discern between good and evil, what counts, and what doesn’t; what’s real, and what’s illusion and fantasy ... he ask for wisdom, so he can govern well.

His prayer has to be our prayer ... that we might govern well, govern ourselves, and make good choices for home and work, and for our nation.

to be thoroughly Christian … to give thanks for what was, to be patient in the present time, and hopeful for the future … God is still, and always, at work - seeds, yeast, pearls, and nets.

It’s all we have … it’s all we’ve ever had … it’s all we need.

For such a time as this.

To God be the glory.

And God’s Peace to all.

Hallelujah and Amen.

7.23.23 "The Success of a Sermon" - Westminster Presbyterian Church, Pasadena, CA

 Psalm 139,1-6; Romans 8.12-25

The success of a sermon relies upon the preacher in the pulpit, and the people in the pew …

The success of a sermon requires a great deal of me … preparing a sermon is a high-demand task … it’s been a life-time challenge.

It’s my job to speak as well as I can.

It all began in my childhood … I was blessed with ministers of distinction … they preached with passion, compassion, intelligence, and wisdom.

And, yes, it was all men, of course … thankfully, that has changed … not entirely where we need to be, but we’re far ahead of where we were 50 years ago, and for that progress, I give thanks - we’re a better denomination for giving voice to everyone who gives evidence of God’s call to ministry.

With that aside, I give thanks for the ministers who graced their pulpits with the best they could bring … they’ve been my guide, my motivation, my inspiration …

In a 9th grade speech class, Brookfield, Wisconsin, the teacher said to me, “You should be a preacher!” 

I had already given it some thought … my brother, 9 years older, was a minster … throughout high school, the thought remained … not that I was particularly pious - I wasn’t - but the call to ministry was always there.

In college, the idea remained, along with photo journalism, cars, and music, model railroading, pizza and beer … and my beloved Donna.

Nearing graduation, I interviewed at the seminary, and that day, decided to enroll … in the summer of 1966, I took what was called “summer Greek,” in preparation for the fall term. 

The ordination requirements included the biblical languages, Hebrew and Greek, a lot of other things … a whole lot of growing, and a whole lot of growing up.

Over the years, I’ve added to my education - seminars and conferences, and 4 years of study and a thesis for my Doctor of Ministry degree ….

I read theology, I read commentaries, and I still work hard at the art of writing.

The success of a sermon relies upon the diligence of the preacher.

In the course of time, when Westminster looks for a minister, look for someone who takes the task of preaching seriously … and then be sure to give that minister the time and encouragement to fulfill that calling … expect the best … you won’t always get it, but expect the best.

In the day-to-day stuff of ministry, there are times, plenty of times, when there’s little time left for sermon preparation - I know; I’ve been there …

 Maybe the preacher subscribes to sermons on-line … grabs a few stories, some poetry, an illustration or two, and patches it all together like a poorly made quilt … sermons become lackluster, predictable, shallow … maybe even entertaining, but lacking depth and purpose … 

If you want entertainment - go to your local theater.

If you want to feel good - visit your pharmacy.

If you want peace of mind - take a hike in the mountains.

Jesus didn’t entertain the crowds; he called them to the Kingdom of God.

Jesus didn’t make people feel good … he was interested in helping them be good.

Jesus didn’t offer peace of mind … Jesus offered the cross.

The success of a sermon relies upon what you bring to the church … 

If you bring too much of yourself, you may well have problems making sense of the sermon … if you bring too little, it’ll be hard to connect … 

Good sermons tease, probe, and even prove troubling.

I worked with a fine preacher who was kicked out of his Presbyterian Church in South Carolina, in the 60s, because he dared to preach on integration and the evils of segregation. 

The congregation wanted none of it. 

They wanted “spirituality” they said, peace of mind, not politics … 

My friend was a man of conscience and compassion … 

he saw the handwriting on the wall - 

his Southern culture needed to face the evils of racism, the ugly history of enslavement, and now was the time to face it, to undo it, and now was the time to redo a society, fair and just, for all of God’s people. 

The congregation said “No!” and sent him and his family packing.

Things to remember …

Be patient … some sermons may well leave you flat, others will lift you up … some may be exactly what you need to hear … other sermons will be what others need to hear … but always bring your heart, your mind, your soul, to church.

it’s your job to listen as well as you can … 

focus yourself … mental/spiritual discipline … none of us do it all that well … at conferences and such, my mind can drift off to worlds unknown … my mind can be filled with old memories, fears of the future, and so on … but a little discipline goes a long way when it comes to paying attention.

ask yourself, 

“what is the preacher trying to say? 

Does it make any sense? 

How am I reacting? 

What am I feeling? 

Am I bored?

Am I intrigued?

Am I uneasy.

Am I encouraged?

Am I confused?

Do I just wanna get home and watch some TV?

No matter how humble the garden may be, you’ll find a rose therein …

Bible reading is also part of the program … 

The Bible’s a daunting read - it’s a “big fat book,” full of strange stuff and lots of “begats,” laws and regulations, strange ideas and even stranger characters … 

but it’s our book … 

I encourage you to read your Bibles, not for understanding, but for familiarity … open them up anywhere, start reading, just a few verses.

stay with it - underline things that catch your attention, 

put a question mark in the margin by the strange and mystifying stuff … 

put a heart where something touches you deeply and gives you hope … 

just read … read a lot … a few verses every day, every few days, it all adds up.

If Bible reading isn’t your cup of tea, God may well use other avenues for your soul … 

big novels by gifted writers, 

good movies by gifted directors … 

history or political essays by respected commentators … 

maybe a book club, or TED talk … 

a stroll in the mountains, a trip to the desert.

A garden and some cucumbers.

A piece of cherry wood made into a table.

Water colors and brushes, and a gold fish painted.

So, good friends, here we are this morning - pulpit and pew, preacher and people, an agreement, a covenant, a contract … my work, your work … and we will find, more than likely, God at work.

Amen and Amen!