This week’s practice sermon uses these readings from the lectionary. Not going to lie; this week's readings were challenging.
Remember the television show Name That Tune? Can you name this tune in 17 words…
There was a time when I was
in a hurry as you are
I was like you…
Do you recognize these lyrics?
If you listened to pop radio in the seventies, you would probably recognize this song.
Olivia Newton-John’s passing this week has sent me on a bit of a trip down memory lane. I was lucky enough to have been in her luminous presence for a couple of days. When I was 17, I booked a small part in the movie Grease, flew out to California, and spent time on the set during the summer between high school and college. It was quite the experience!
Grease appealed to a broad segment of society; to the Baby Boomers and the Gen Xers who came after them. Maybe also the Silent Generation. Do you know the Silent Generation?
This is the first ever defined generational group. It refers to those folks born between 1926 and 1945 who lived through both the Great Depression and World War Two. An article in Time magazine in the 1950s described the children of this generation as taught to be seen and not heard, work hard, and keep their heads down. This group is disciplined, loyal, value-based, and prefers direct communication over technology.
The children of this group were, for the most part, the Baby Boomers who ushered in the concept of a generation gap. The sociological theory of a generation gap first came around in the 1960s, when the younger generation (aka baby boomers) seemed to rebel against everything their parents had previously believed, from their music to their values and political views.
Remember the phrase "Don’t trust anyone over 30?" That became one of the most memorable expressions of the turbulent 1960s era during the height of the Free Speech Movement at UC Berkeley. The Free Speech Movement was initiated by students wanting to express themselves politically on campus, which ultimately helped catalyze broader political activism on campuses around the country over student rights, civil rights, and the Vietnam War. The kids of the silents didn’t trust their elders, even their own families. The Baby Boomers were big and loud, experienced many changes, and expected things to continue to change for the better. Their kids were Gen Xers and Millennials, and on and on we go…
Labeling generational cohorts can be helpful for recognizing and understanding social trends for predicting and forecasting future changes. It’s helpful in business and politics and other similar worldly institutions. But, as we know, Jesus was not of this world. He came to bring the Kingdom of Heaven to Earth. Jesus didn’t need a professional forecaster to tell him what was coming. Looking out over the crowds, he saw the future and didn’t much like what he saw.
In this week’s passage from the Gospel of Luke, Jesus is anything but mellow.
In Luke’s version of the Gospel, Jesus uses strong words to get the attention of the crowd. He speaks of a baptism, which we have come to understand as our initiation into Christianity. Baptism confers a change of belief, behavior, and belonging to a loving community of the faithful. He speaks of fire, expressing his frustration at our refusal to change and our inability to read the signs God puts right in front of us. He speaks of division that arises when awareness of God is absent from our hearts and minds. Jesus, with attitude, says, “Stop talking about the weather when the world is crumbling around you! Wake up! Pay attention to the trends. You’re heading into some potentially treacherous territory. Turn back now before it’s too late!”
If we study history, we detect some predictable trends. Christian history is replete with trends and countertrends. The Protestant Reformation in the 16th century, for example, was a response to abuses in the church. The invention of the printing press helped to quickly spread these new ideas. All too often in our history, there has been violence and bloodshed. Theoretically, we should learn from our mistakes when we look back.
Sometimes, when we’ve simply had enough, it can be helpful to get a little angry. Sometimes a little anger can affect change. Within reason, that is. Anger is fiery energy that can break down walls and diffuse a sense of powerlessness. It can provide a certain necessary shock value.
But spiritually mature Christians (like us) will always be discerning. We consider more than our emotions when making critical decisions. You may have heard of the three-legged stool. The website of the Episcopal Church defines the three-legged stool this way:
The threefold sources of authority in Anglicanism are scripture, tradition, and reason. These three sources uphold and critique each other in a dynamic way. Scripture is the normative source for God's revelation and the source for all Christian teaching and reflection. Tradition passes down from generation to generation the church's ongoing experience of God's presence and activity. Reason is understood to include the human capacity to discern the truth in both rational and intuitive ways. It is not limited to logic as such. It takes into account and includes experience. Each of the three sources of authority must be perceived and interpreted in light of the other two.
Throughout our scriptures, we read about God using shock value to get our attention. But there’s also “shocking goodness” in our tradition. Think about the “great cloud of witnesses”- exemplary folks like Saint Francis, Mother Teresa, Pauli Murray, and others. They stepped out and stepped up for God, doing their part to usher in a more God-centered, spirit-full world, each in their own unique ways. And they often used unconventional means to get the job done.
The world may seem chaotic and divided, but God is still God – a trinity of diverse expressions of goodness always working continuously, covertly, and creatively to redeem humanity and our broken, divisive world.
How is God working to get your attention? What in your life needs transformation? Where could the church be fired up to initiate positive change? In an essay this week, writer Diana Butler Bass suggests that the antidote to our precariously divisive times is “risky goodness,” According to Bass, it is time for Christians to “stand up, speak up, and do good right now.”
What fires you up? For @tanksgoodnews, it was the incessant negativity of the 24-hour news cycle. He created a forum on Instagram with nothing but good news. In Nashville, Episcopal priest Becca Stevens was fed up with the human trafficking of women. She created a way to get them off the streets and into safe housing with @thistlefarms, Several innovative women in New Haven, Connecticut, were called to address the issues of isolation, unemployment, and Islamophobia experienced by Muslim refugees in our country, so they devised a brilliant solution. Sanctuary Kitchen creates community and employs American Muslims from all over the world who share food and friendship with the greater community. It’s a small thing, but I am committed to picking up as much litter as I can carry off a trail on my regular hikes. My friend organized a food drive, gathering excess fruits and veggies from local gardens and delivering them to the local food pantry.
Our world has changed a lot since the nifty fifties. We’re more connected than ever. In many ways, we’re also more divided. We must learn how to share our resources and care for one another, despite our perceived divisions. We say the words every week, “Thy kingdom come,” It’s time, beloveds. It is time.
Prayer for this time
Loving Creator of sun, moon, stars, earth, sky, and sea, who can seem far away and near as our breath. Stir up within us such passion for you that we are bold to answer your call to serve in the name of love, justice, and peace. Grant us grace as to discern your will and to walk humbly, confidently, and faithfully through any doors that you open. This we ask that your goodness and peace may flood our world with the light of your love and that we may come to know you ever more intimately. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
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