Sermon for the Installation of Cricket Park at Redeemer, Bethesda, MD The Rev. Dr. Stephen Smith May 8, 2015 I was reading through the opinion section of my local newspaper recently when I came across an article about whether or not the IRS should investigate churches for being too political. Taking the pro side was Ben Boychuck; most recently the editor of the Manhattan Institute s City Journal. In his first few paragraphs he highlighted the IRS rules: churches cannot endorse particular candidates for office; nor can they speak to issues in a way that obviously stumps for one party over another. That s pretty much all the IRS says on the subject. But then Boychuck wrote a paragraph that was so outlandish I had to read it three times, to make sure it actually said what I thought it said. He began with the phrase, everyone knows. Remember that. Everyone knows that churches are supposed to maintain a strict separation between what the pastor tells his (sic) congregation on Sunday and how the congregants actually live the rest of the week. Really? Everyone knows this? Yes, that is exactly what I think of whenever I write a sermon. How can I make sure this has absolutely no connection to the actual lives of my parishioners?
All I could think was this man is an idiot. I wanted to write a letter to the paper but I refrained and thought like Jesus in his conversation with the religious leaders who objected to his teaching, Why do I speak to you at all? When I cooled down I began to think more about it and realized that his viewpoint is shared by a lot of people. I move in a lot of circles with people who do not go to Church. I am involved in community events, and I play in a rock-nroll band for fun. I talk to a lot of non-church attendees. They tend to think that faith is just what somebody believes, what they think is true. It s all in the head. You believe in God, good for you. Faith is viewed as something of a hobby with no connection to everyday life. I hate to say it but what have brought this view on ourselves. We have not made the connection between what is said in the pulpit and what is done at the altar and how these things impact our lives. For our evangelical brothers and sisters it s all about the salvation experience. Welcome Jesus into your heart. Get saved. Then once you have done that you re assured of heaven. You can check that off the list. You re in. And then the follow-up about what to do in this life seems a little week. It s all about getting into heaven and not so much about ethics or day-to-day events and interactions.
We can do the same kind of thing in the mainline denominations. Yes, get baptized and get confirmed. But after our kids are confirmed they drift away from church and we really don t do anything about it. It s all good. I don t need to go to church and be a part of the community. I can experience God in a sunset or on the golf course, as if God is somehow a part of our personal fulfillment or our private spiritual journey. Again, the emphasis on day-to-day life seems to be lacking. Is it any wonder writers like Boychuck say Everyone knows we need to have a strict separation between what happens on Sunday and what people really do with their lives? Gregory of Naziansus, who we celebrate today, lived in a time when the Church was dealing with issues that took it away from everyday life. He lived through the Trinity Wars. And I use that word war intentionally. People actually killed one another over what they believed about the trinity. And so much of it had little to do with the day to day lives of real people. Bishops, priests and theologians debated what God was like in God s very self, they debated the meaning of God, and theologies about God all captured in obscure philosophical language. Some even went so far as to say if you didn t believe the right things about the Trinity you could not get into heaven.
Not Gregory. He talked about universalism, about everybody getting into heaven. Historians still debate whether or not he actually was a Universalist. But if you say things like I can t imagine an all powerful and all loving God not welcoming everyone into heavenly bliss then I d say you are a Universalist. He s in good company. Even Augustine, whose theology was used to create much of what we say about heaven and hell, was, in my opinion, a Universalist. He said that the cross was the fishhook by which God captured even the devil. And he also said that in the grand scheme of eternity God s love was irresistible. Paul Tillich proclaimed that God s word of grace to us is You are accepted. Before anything else God loves and accepts us. And even evangelical writer Rob Bell recently published a book called Love Wins in which he echoed the idea from Augustine that God s love will eventually win over all souls. And when his critics complained that he was a Universalist he remained silent and let them wonder. I am a Universalist. I think we all get there eventually. And what universalism can do is take away our obsession with getting our ticket punched to heaven. The emphasis is no longer on the next life but on this one. And so were Gregory s writings about the Trinity. He focused more on the role of the Holy Spirit than the other two parts of the Trinity. And he emphasized
the Holy Spirit s work in this life, empowering the church and the believers to be the kind of people God has called us to be. In essence, that s what today s Gospel is calling us to do. When Jesus wondered if he should even talk to his critics he let them know they would eventually get it when he was lifted up, by which John means crucified. When Jesus demonstrates the love of God to the whole world not only through his life but also his death, then people will understand. Jesus puts himself on the line in this life for the love of the world. It s not just about the life to come but the offering of God s love in the here and now. And so, as the body of Christ the church, we are to put ourselves on the line, in the here and now, for the benefit of the world around us. And when we do that, when we act like Christians, when we are at least as concerned about this life as the next, then everyone (EVERYONE), even Ben Boychuck, will in fact see the connection between what we proclaim from the pulpit and what we share at the altar, and the everyday lives of our people. But you already knew that, because you called Cricket Park to be your rector. And she is a person who loves this reality and invites others to do so as well.
I have known Cricket and Steve for over 30 years. I have worked with Cricket for over a third of that time. I know that she will lead you to see the connection between what is said in the pulpit and what is offered from the altar, and the realities of everyday life. Trust me; she won t get you in trouble with the IRS, because she won t tell you how to vote or even what to do. No, she will be more subtle than that. I have watched her preach, teach and care for parishioners for years and I know what she does best is help people ask questions, wonder, think and reflect on reality in new ways that come from the very depths of their connection with God. And when we do that the connection made between the pulpit, altar, and everyday life comes alive. Now Cricket I ask that you stand for your charge. First and foremost, take care of yourself. This is a tough job. Beyond that, be yourself. Help people ask questions, wonder, and find that connection between their faith and everyday life. Now, the charge to the people of the Church of the Redeemer: support your new rector. More importantly, listen to her. Allow yourself to ask questions, to wonder, to reflect on reality in new ways that come from the very depths of your faith. If you do so you will find your life transformed by the power of the Spirit. You will more and more see the connection between what is said in the
pulpit and proclaimed at the altar, and the everyday events of your lives. And when you see those connections and live them, then everyone (EVERYONE) will see it as well; that there is no disconnection between what we say in the pulpit and proclaim from the altar, and the way we live from day to day. Amen.