2.5.23 "Salt & Light" - Westminster Presbyterian Church, Pasadena, CA

 Isaiah 58.1-12; Matthew 5.13-20

Jesus says to his disciples, you are the salt of the earth, and the light of the world … 

And then asks: what good is salt, if it loses its saltiness? … what good is light, if its covered up?

Salt is salt … light is light … they have purpose … it’s your purpose, says Jesus … so let it happen, let it be … don’t fumble it, don’t stand in it way, don’t mess it up … 

There was a time in America when the church was a powerhouse … after World War 2, Americans went to work, and they went to church … what we would call “mainline” churches - Presbyterians, Methodists, Lutherans, American Baptists, Episcopalians … 

In the earlier part of the 20th century, megachurches came to be - historic Protestant Churches … tall steeples marked the landscape - 4th Presbyterian Church in Chicago, Riverside Church in New York City, Pasadena Presbyterian Church, and Westminster on Lake Avenue … 

The police showed up on Sunday mornings to direct traffic … such was the appeal, the power, the presence, of historic Protestant Churches throughout America … 

After the war, churches sprouted up throughout the suburbs … I was pastor of one such church in Livonia, MI - founded in 1951 … folks came in droves … multiple services.

A colleague of mine said, “We couldn’t have stopped them had we tried.” 

These were the program churches: musicals, mission trips;  pageants and potlucks … a lot of good was done, a lot of fellowship, enjoyed … but danger signs were present … in a society with turbulent undercurrents.

This church, 1961, welcomed Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to it’s pulpit for a Saturday morning visit to Pasadena.

Westminster took a stand in favor of school integration … 

And guess what …

Folks walked away from Westminster in droves - the membership drain continued throughout the 60s and 70s … and continued … for lots of reasons … so, here we are today.

From a recent article: 

… by 2021 the percent of Americans who claim to be “None” … is at 29% … only about 60% of Americans claim now to be Christians and less than 50% are members of a church. 

The article goes on: 

Many are leaving because they are no longer welcome. Because they have called out how their church acted; or because they don’t like their church’s stances on politically- and socially-important topics (like climate, politics, racism); or they despise how the church treats women and silences their voices; or who can get married in the church and who cannot.

So, here we are, 2023 … a magnificent building, a legacy sanctuary, a glorious organ … with hopes and dreams.

We will never again have thousands in membership … 

The Protestant Era in America is done … but the work of the church continues. 

God is God … salt is salt … light is light.

For Westminster, I see a revitalized presence in the community … centered in the power of this building, a gift from God - yes, the Tower still stands, and it’s up to us to flood it with light, and flavor it with salt.

It will require of us - inventiveness, experimentation … the discipline to let go of the past, thinking outside the box, daring to take some chances.

God will help us.

God will help us, when we engage in the central work of the church: worship, mission, and justice.  

When we sing to the glory of God, for all we’re worth - praise God from whom all blessings flow …

When we celebrate our story - a story to tell to the nations, that shall turn their hearts to the right, a story of truth and mercy, a story of peace and light …

When we take a stand for justice, make justice our mission to the world - and what’s justice, we ask? That’s the salty question. What is justice???

To make things right … to make things right for God’s world, God’s creatures, great and small … for people in war-torn lands, for trees and water, for the weary, and the downtrodden.

What’s justice? we ask!

Gun violence calls for some salt and light - America’s paralysis with regard to sensible laws and legislation. 

The NRA proclaims a gospel of private interests and personal rights - to own guns - arm teachers, police patrols in our schools, active-shooter routines, and more guns … more guns … more guns … 

Misunderstanding the Second Amendment … bowing down to “acceptable” violence and death, as if the violent death of children could ever be acceptable. 

When it comes to laws and legislation, nothing works 100%, but that’s no reason to have no laws and legislation. 

A doctor said to a friend of mine: “We can’t make you any better, but we can keep you from getting worse.”

Right now, gun violence is getting worse … the civilized world shakes its head.

I, for one, do not believe that “more guns” is the answer … I believe that common sense and a commitment to the common good can help us create common-sense laws that will at least keep us from getting worse.

What is justice? we ask.

Climate change calls for some salt and light … scientists agree - human industry has impacted the weather … yes, weather is cyclical … but human endeavor has added to the momentum of global warming - glaciers melting, earth exploited, air, and water, polluted.

Some christians proclaim a gospel of innocence … “god will never allow the worst to happen” they say. 

“It’s god’s purpose for humans to dominate the earth. 

So, go ahead and drill baby. Dig that coal and sink those wells … 

Tempting God, it what it is.

The devil said to Jesus … Go ahead, throw yourself off the roof of the Temple; angels will come to your aid and save you.

Jesus replied: Don’t test God with foolish behavior.

What is justice? we ask.

The diversity of humanity calls for salt and light - 

Gender, life, and love … 

Millions of people, their children and loved ones … trans children, trans adults, gays and lesbians … because gender isn’t binary, it’s on a spectrum from A to Z … 

A young man whom I’ve know for years has recently come out, as a woman - This is who I am, he said; I’ve always been a women; it was my body that went in another direction.

There are those who in the name of their god condemn diversity of gender and life … criminalize homosexuality, prosecute doctors and hospitals who work with families and trans-children … 

The Pope recently said, “Homosexuality isn’t a crime,” and I would add: it isn’t a sin either. It’s just life, in all of its complexity and glory.

What is justice? we ask.

Mounting anti-semitism, anti-Asian violence, the persistence of racism … 

American society is still tilted toward white privilege and power  … millions of children are robbed of a fair chance at life … schools underfunded … private schools, charter schools, home-schooling - so much of it empowered by racism, the protection of white privilege, religious bigotry, even as corporate interests smell money in all of this.

What is justice? we ask.

You are the salt of the earth, the light of the world.

I’m grateful … grateful for the moment in which we live … it’s a challenge, for sure … even frightening, some of the time, but in just such a moment, we have the opportunity to forge something new, something fit for the future … a new paradigm of faith, hope, and love … to be the church of Jesus Christ, all over again, anew, forever and a day.

Brave and bold as our forebears … to meet the challenge of the day … engage the world, seek the kingdom of God.

The Spirit is powerful … to lift our hearts and minds to the possibilities of greatness … great with love, great with courage and innovation, great with humility and kindness, great in the ways and wonders of justice.

Yes, the Tower on Lake Avenue still stands.

You are the salt of the earth … You are the light of the world. 

Hallelujah and Amen!

6.5.22 "Google Translate," Westminster Presbyterian Church Pasadena

“Speak English,” she shouted at the man … “Speak English! You’re in America now! Speak English! or go back home!”

It’s sad … very sad … and it’s wrong.

Let’s do some work this morning.

First off, language is about as personal as it gets … we all have a native tongue, the language we learned as a child … it’s our second nature - we don’t have to think about it, because it’s the language of our mind, it’s how we think, it’s how we dream … language is very much who we are … who we are is the language we speak.

Language is what we celebrate … the Bible makes it clear: language is what it means to be created in God’s image … God speaks, things happen … God’s word creates the world … Jesus is called, “The word of God incarnate” … by words we learn from one another … with words we encourage one another … we say, “I love you” … we say it with words … or sign language … we write it … create Hallmark cards, make the music and write the songs …

The power of words to harm or to heal … to incite violence, or calm the heart … words to inspire, or words to mislead … we create dictionaries - these days, on line … we take writing courses, learn how to use words effectively … we have grammar software to help us express ourselves more clearly … words are who we are, and how we live together.

Now for some biblical work …

The first 11 chapters of Genesis are sometimes called a pre-history, the backstory to the story of Israel … 

The world created by God, good and beautiful … and the hard turn taken - Cain kills Abel, and so it begins - a world given to violence … 

The flood story tells the tale of a God who gives up on the human race, a God who’s had it with the species-experiment called human.

God washes the human race outta God’s hair - nothing like a good scrubbing to clean things up.

When the rain finally stops; the flood waters recede, the animals leave the ark two-by-two … all is new … or so it would seem.

The righteous Noah and his not-so-righteous family soon fall into all the familiar patterns of fear and hurt … so what’s a self-respecting God to do?

 With the rainbow in the sky, God promises to work with the world as it is … no sense, even for God, to lament what isn’t … no use crying over spilt milk … it is what it is, and it’s the world God has to love … even for God, there is no starting over; there is only one way, and that’s the way ahead.

As the story unfolds, humankind decides to build a tower to heaven  - apparently nothing better to do … they all speak the same language, as the story goes.

Ironically, even as humankind builds toward heaven, heaven comes down, and takes a look around. 

God realizes all of this endeavor, all of this pride and power, is built upon a common language.

So, what does God do?

God confuses the language … 

With one quick command, a diversity of tongues … the tower of power and pride is abandoned … folks head out to the far reaches of the earth … north, south, east, and west … to farm the fields, fish the seas, hunt and harvest … to make this world a home.

Let’s jump now to the Day of Pentecost - a harvest festival, 50 days after Passover - a celebration of hope and renewal.

On just such a day, the Holy Spirit pays a visit to the disciples.

Tongues of flame appear above their heads, and they begin to speak in other languages … 

Out they go into the streets of the city, the festival in full swing - Jews from all over the Roman world, speaking a myriad of languages, and to everyone’s surprise, the disciples speak the languages of the world. 

Just a story? Perhaps, but a story of kindness - there is no single language required … the Gospel is proclaimed in the languages of the world.

Perhaps you know something of the Wycliffe Bible Translators - for many years now their purpose has been to translate the Bible into every language of the earth. To do so, each translator has to learn the language of the people. And then the task of creating the written version, and then the task of teaching people to read. An arduous task, for sure, but at the heart of it all, a deep and abiding sense of God’s purpose - to honor all tongues, all peoples, all races, ethnicities and cultures - because every language is sacred to God, and every language can carry the joy and hope of the gospel.

I’m not saying any of this is easy - it isn’t! To live in a city with many languages is a challenge … jokes abound about taxicab drivers … it isn’t easy, but it’s necessary. 

And remember, when we’re doing something right, it doesn’t get easier.

In a nutshell, those who scream at immigrants to “speak English,” violate God’s purpose …

Use Google Translate when needed.

Last summer, my wife and I travelled in France - our knowledge of French is nil, but we found everywhere folks who were kindly on the language - they respected us as tourists; no one said, “Speak French, or go home!”

When the menu was in French, out came our phones with Google Translate - hover over the menu, and there it is, on the screen - translated - escargot and all.

As a nation, we are healthier with a diversity of tongues!

Think of a spice cabinet!

Only salt and pepper?

Not likely, 

Rather a cabinet full of little jars and tins - rich and savory seasonings - oregano, cinnamon, chili powder, sugar, turmeric,  paprika, rosemary, cardamon, thyme, and hundreds of other herbs and spices, to flavor our food and enrich our diet. 

Hats off to the bilingual … the schools that honor the language of all the children - no ridicule, no scolding, no shame, no humiliation … 

Children of other tongues soon learn English … their parents will still speak with an accent … some older folk may never learn English. 

I ask you, Is that so bad? 

Does that deserve a screaming tirade of hate?

Pentecost Sunday - a celebration of language.

The Holy Spirit comes down with flames of language … the original Google Translate … to affirm and honor the languages of the earth.

Language is sacred, language is the heart of God - God speaks the language of every creature, great and small … from the mouse of the field, to the whales of the sea … including you and me.  

We may not always understand each other, but if you’ve ever been in a situation where languages are different, it’s amazing what can be communicated with hand gestures, pointing and smiling … everyone speaks the same language of kindness - the smile, a kiss, the hug, and some laughter.

Jesus Christ, the Word of God incarnate, enfleshed, God’s word of love, love for all the earth … every language, every tongue … especially the children of the earth - who play and shout, dream and laugh,  cry and hurt, all the same - whatever their tongue may be.

Today, Pentecost Sunday, we honor the diversity of language. We respect one another, learn from one another.

In a thousand different tongues, in a thousand different ways … to God be the glory!

Hallelujah and Amen!