You Might Be A Methodist Rev. Michael Love October 24, 2010 Text: Matthew 25:31-40 I've been inviting people to come to church this morning to see if they Might Be a Methodist. Asking people to consider their personal identity in this way is a mixed bag. Some of you may be positive you're Methodists, life-long Methodists even. Others may have no idea what the label might mean. Still others haven't a care in the world about the label at all. Certainly some of the folks out in the community who've received my invitation had to Google Methodist, or look it up in a dictionary. It may seem, on the face of it, to be the least valuable detail of your identity; whether or not you are a Methodist. But, as I hope you will soon see, selfidentification is what it's all about when it comes to Risk- Taking Mission and Service. For the last two weeks we've said, in one way or another, no risk = no transformation. I'll add another claim to that. Until we self-identify with the work of transforming the world, mission is just something some else does. Self-identification is where it's at in the lesson this 1
morning as well. Sheep or Goats. In the story, Jesus is shown sorting the two groups, but he's just really collating, isn't he? The two groups have self-designated long before they arrive at the scene we read about. When, in the prophetic vision attributed to Jesus is fulfilled, all nations, everyone, will be called into a cosmic time-out to be sifted and sorted. This pronouncement was sure to produce an intense wondering in the hearts of his students. Am I a sheep? Or am I a goat? That is to say, have I lived a life of service to the least of these (the friends of Jesus), or have I turned my back on them. Self-identification is the name of the game. I wonder how we self-identify. As much as we are encouraged to think outside of the box, we often find ourselves sized up and defined by a whole host of boxes and categories. Young, Old. Rick, Poor. Gay, Straight. Employed, unemployed. Female, Male. Asian, Anglo. These are the boxes that are not chosen but are a part of of who we are and what God has given us to work with, so to speak. Or maybe they come to us from circumstances of our journey and life experience. In either case, they feel pre-ordained 2
and are come with high walls making these boxes hard to climb out of. This morning, however, I want to ask you to consider another category; a category that you might actually want to aspire toward. This morning, I'm inviting you to consider that YOU MIGHT BE A METHODIST. Kind of reminds me of the You Might Be A Redneck Jokes, the specialty of Jeff Foxworthy. You know, if you mow your front yard and find a car, you might be redneck. Well, as you may have heard, there are also You Might Be a Methodist Jokes. Some are a bit mocking as is this classic : You might be a Methodist if you believe that Easter was the day that Christ came out of the empty tomb... and if he sees his shadow there will be six more weeks of Winter. The best, I have to say, that I've seen are by Garrison Keillor: "Methodists think that the Bible forbids them from crossing the aisle while passing the peace." "Methodists believe in miracles and even expect miracles, especially during their stewardship visitation programs or when passing the plate." "Methodists believe their pastors will visit them in the 3
hospital, even if they don't notify them that they are there!" "Methodists are willing to pay up to a dollar for a meal at church...they drink coffee as if it were the third Sacrament." "Methodists still serve jello in the proper liturgical color of the season and think that peas in a tuna casserole adds too much color." [especially if you are not in Ordinary time]. "You know you are a Methodist when doughnuts are a line item in the church budget, just like coffee." "You know you are a Methodist when it takes at least ten minutes to say goodbye!" Last of all, You might be Methodist if, when Luke Skywalker says May the Force be with you, you have a strong urge to answer, And also with you. These are fun. And they are totally insider jokes. They are all about self-identification. We can laugh at them in the ways that we notice distinctive features and practices of the Methodist Church. As we conclude our time preaching about Risk-Taking Mission and Service, I want to wonder with you, what are some ways that we might self-identify and selfreflect that would work outside of that steep walled box we live in : The United Methodist Church. Are there some 4
connective ways to self-identify, ways that would translate well out into the world? That would build a bridge between you and a neighbor? So that folks who haven't gone to potluck suppers all their lives might find a resonating note. It may surprise us to know that more and more folks have in fact not grown up around a folding table covered in plastic tablecloths eating from a pile of potluck supper. These days, as we look to inspire others through the Methodist Movement, we are learning new ways to meet up with a community that don't know a doxology from a narthex. Now, why should we need to meet up with folks that don't know a doxology from a narthex? There I've said it out loud. Why can't we just sit and soak? The reason is The Mission. When that day comes in the sweet by and by that all the work of the church should be done, all the children are safe, all people are at peace, all power is carefully used for the common-good, and there is no war no more; when all that has come to pass, we'll get to just sit and soak. In fact the bible describes the great potluck dinner that will break out in heaven with Jesus when that day comes. But until then, we have the mission... 5
Well, it's no wonder that we resort to funny jokes about being Methodist, it's not like you can identify us by too many other distinctives. We are a diverse lot. And so maybe that's best explained by using some old time language to talk about this tribe. We aren't so much a list of fundamental beliefs as we are a way of life. We aren't so much a religion as we are a Movement. In fact, when Wesley finally succumbed to the pejorative labeling of his Holy Club (people called them Methodists before they self-identified with the label), he understood it and taught it as a Movement. A movement to bring God's Good News to address the needs of coal miners in England. A movement to rescue people from gin mills in London. A movement to take a stand against Slavery in the British Empire, to increase access to education, and to empower women in the life of the Methodist Societies. It was a Movement. The gathering to worship was the punctuation of the week's work for justice and healing. The time spent in prayer on Sunday was a petition to God asking for strength to be able to complete (as JW called them) works of mercy during every day of the week. Methodist Circuit Riders in the new world, the American Colonies, were regularly besieged 6
by rowdies who didn't want the reforming message of the Methodist movement set loose into their town. The Movement has always been risky. So Self-identification was an important first step for the early Methodists as well. I wonder if we were to proclaim some new You Might Be Methodist sayings, that didn't depend on already being a Methodist? Something to help us self-identify that opens up the possibility that lots of different kinds of people could be a part of the Methodist movement. Would it surprise you that the Movement would draw interest from all kinds of people? Would it surprise you to find out that everyone can be a part of the Methodist movement? Catholics, Jews, Muslims, Atheists, Agnostics, Mormons! Republicans and Democrats can even be Methodists. Doctors and lawyers and teachers and even Methodists, can be Methodists. So, let's take a shot at this. You Might Be A Methodist Thing. In a way that draws the circle wide. For example : You might be Methodist if you think Do no harm is a pretty good rule for a movement. (It's the first of our rules. We only have three: Do no harm. Do good. Stay in love with 7
God) You might be Methodist if you are concerned when you see a disaster that impacts the lives of others. (The Methodist relief group UMCOR is often first on the ground, along with the Red Cross and other relief agencies, dispensing aid, food and reconstruction at national and international scenes of need. You might be Methodist if you believe that to believe, you don't have to stop thinking, in fact that's when some of the best thinking begins. (John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist movement, recommended using multiple tools to explore faith : Scripture, Reason, Tradition and Experience) You might be Methodist if are looking for a place that is comfortable being in conversation with other faith traditions. And other political traditions. And other cultural traditions. And other age, economic, gender and sexual orientation traditions. We stand side-by-side our neighbors in other traditions to promote justice, equity and peace. You might be Methodist if you are ready to work on your relationship with whatever it is that's bigger than you. I call that larger than me fact, God. It's a big topic and Methodists 8
need the company of friends to work that out. You might be Methodist if you are ready to work on your responsibility to help transform the world. That's a big topic, also. And, Methodists understand that it takes working as a team to make transformation happen. You might be a Methodist if you are tired of the way religion has been misused. And you might be a Methodist, if you are angry about the way the least of these (those who Jesus has named as preferred in the economy of God's justice) have been beaten and bullied by false religious piety. Sheep or Goats? Self-identification. I'm going to say that this is the core of our individual and communal mission. I'm going to say that self-identification is the core of who we are in the world. So, let me ask you? Do you think you might be a Methodist? My celebration this morning is two-fold. One, that we might self-identify as Methodists, emboldened to enter into the work that God has for us. And two, that we might be set free of some of our boxes. Not all of them, but just enough of them to release us to be teamed up with anyone and 9
everyone who also yearns with a good heart for a transformed world. 10