The Big Picture -- A Sermon

Sermon

Glebe-St. James United Church

Oct. 23, 2011

“The Big Picture”

By Rev. Dr. Christine Johnson

I wish that we didn’t need a stewardship campaign.

I wish that we understood the deep meaning of the word “stewardship”

           so that our contributions, both financial and in terms of our time and talents,

would pour out freely as a natural consequence of our faith in God.

If that was the case, I’m sure that we’d have more than enough in our budget

for what we are called to do in this ministry.

Now, what do I mean by this statement?

Doug Hall, in his book “The Steward: A Biblical Image Come of Age”,

describes the Old Testament meaning of the word steward.

He describes the steward as an extraordinary servant,

one who does more than take orders.

It is a supervisory role that makes decisions, gives orders, and takes charge.

A steward is a manager of what belongs to another,

usually royalty or a ruler in the biblical context.

A steward is so closely identified with the owner's interests

 that he (always male in the biblical situation)

 is a full representative or deputy of the master,

making decisions on behalf of the owner, without consulting others.

It is a significant position,

presuming great trust on the part of the owner.

A Steward is NOT the master or owner and therefore is accountable to the master/owner;

yet the Steward is given a vocation to fulfil and the wherewithal to fulfil it,

and therefore has responsibility.

If we adopt this Biblical image of Steward,

            then we are responsible for taking care of what God has given to us.

And we need to be reminded we are not the owner.

From a faith perspective, we own nothing.

We are here for a short period of time on this earth in order to care for creation.

Now, let’s look at what we’ve been given.

First of all, the greatest gift is life,

            and all the things that sustain life...air, water, sunshine, food.

We’ve been given companions on the journey... parents, spouses, children, friends.

We’ve been given the materials to make everything from houses to ipads.

We’ve been given knowledge, judgement, introspection and imagination.

Yet, rarely do we stop and realize these are pure gift,

and offer thanks for them.

In fact, often we’re sullen and ungrateful, because we feel we’re entitled to more.

Why does this happen?

Why are we so darn cranky sometimes?

When these feelings creep in,

there’s a disconnect between reality and perception,

            a disconnect between understanding our role as trustee rather than owner.

This is the position that Moses finds himself in.

He leads his people from slavery to freedom,

            but he knows that he is not to enjoy the fruits of his labours.

His whole mission has been to lead his people to the promised land,

            but he will not get there himself.

He is a trustee of God’s purposes,

            not the originator or ultimately, the possessor.

In the wanderings in the desert,

            the Hebrew people have been totally dependent on the free gifts of God.

They have had no safety net.

There is no slush fund.

From that mountain top, Moses sees the bigger picture.

He sees the future of his people and it is bright.

They will be entering a land of milk and honey,

            no longer dependent on daily manna.

This people, who have known scarcity and hard times,

            have been given a path to their greatest dreams.

And yet, like us, they are cranky too!!

But Moses, their leader, knows that they will get where they need to go.

And it’s okay that he will not be there with them.

For his job is done.

He gets a glimpse of the promised land, but knows his feet won’t touch its soil.

But that doesn’t stop him from his mission.

He keeps on keeping on.

He still puts one foot in front of the other until the day he is buried.

Nothing will stop Moses from seeing the bigger picture,

            and like a true Steward, he takes his responsibility like an adult.

Many church commentators are saying that the future of the church is bleak.

They are predicting that most of our church buildings will need to be sold

            over the next 20 years.

Christians, they say, will have to give up their big buildings

            and worship in small groups, possibly in houses or other rented accommodation.

Some contemporary Christian prophets are saying this will be a good thing.

Some say that the church triumphal was never where Jesus wanted us to be.

And so they look forward to that humiliation with expectation. 

I see things a bit differently.

They may be right but it would be a crying shame.

For faithful people built this church and this community for us,

            and we in turn have the trusteeship of this building for a future we won’t see.

If we squander this gift, what does that say about this cranky generation?

In one of the richest communities in Ottawa,

            in one of the richest countries in the world,

            we have to nickel and dime every decision we make.

What is the disconnect?

We don’t want to steward what God has given us,

            we want to hoard it thinking that we’re the owners.

As your spiritual leader,

            I would say that this attitude is sinful.

According to Doug Hall,

            “Sin is not a category of morality

 but a distortion of being that is the consequence of distrust.”

If our lives are built on mistrust,

            then we won’t be able to be generous.

And without a generosity of spirit,

            in both our day to day life and in our financial budget,

            then we are not taking responsibility for the earth God gave us.

I still wish that we didn’t need a Stewardship campaign.

I wish that we were able,

            based on our income and life circumstances,

            to put God first.

I wish we were able to tithe and to make a difference in the world

            by putting this figure as the first item of our budget.

That simple act requires a huge shift in our faith and understanding of God

            and our understanding of ourselves as stewards.

As one financial guru put it,

            “We should give ten percent to God, ten percent to savings,

and be able to live on 80 per cent of our givings.”

But, in a consumer society, we want instant gratification.

Our national debt load is frightening.

The rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer.

The disparity between the wealthiest 1 per cent, who own more than 94 per cent of us,

            is the subject of the “occupy” protests.

According to Doug Hall,

            there is nothing more spiritual than the way we choose to spend our nickels and dimes.

I have to say that I tend to be a glass half full kind of person,

            but I’m frightened about the world economy.

As a citizen of the earth, I can’t keep living beyond my means.

The first world has taken more of its share of the riches of this world

            and there might someday be a reckoning.

The occupy protests are trying to point to the disparities that our economic system has created.

But what does all this mean for us, at Glebe-St. James?

As stewards with responsibility,

            we can begin with our own budgets and our own resources.

We can decide to accept the gift given to us by God,

            and stewarded by the foremothers and forefathers of this church.

We can give generously out of our abundance so that the gift is not squandered.

If you don’t care about your faith and your faith community, rip up the pledge form.

But if you care, if you really really care about the future of this church community,

            then put your tithe first, your savings second, and live within your means.

This spirit of generosity and gratefulness will not only transform our ability to do ministry,

            it will transform your heart and your relationship to God.

You will become a Big Picture Christian,

            a faithful person who puts their own self-interest second to God’s purposes.

And in that moment, you will truly understand what it is

            to love God with your whole Heart, and Soul and Mind.

Homosexuality is Not a Sin -- Letter to the Editor

Dear Editor,

Yesterday, our congregation overwhelmingly encouraged me to write a letter to The Citizen in order to offer our viewpoints on Christianity and the issue of homosexuality.

The impetus for this letter is a flyer that our music director found in the front door of his Alta Vista home. It was not in his post box, and so was obviously hand-delivered.

We were greatly saddened and surprised to see the content of this flyer. In one page, the author uses many derogatory terms and phrases to describe homosexuals.

He suggests homosexuality is not morally acceptable, and that “true Christianity, and the major world religions, have both historically and in this politically correct age, continue to condemn homosexual behaviour as unnatural and contrary to the will of God.”

Our congregation wants to offer an alternative view. We believe that sexuality is a gift of God. On the extreme ends of the sexuality continuum, some persons are attracted to the opposite sex and some people are attracted to the same sex. There are also bi-sexuals, transsexuals, asexuals and others somewhere on this continuum. We believe God has created a rich variety of diversity in the realm of sexual attraction.

Sexuality is a beautiful expression of intimacy between humans, a vehicle to express love, respect, honesty, sensuality, and joy. As a church that takes the Bible seriously, but not literally, we believe Biblical statements that condemn same-sex relationships (of which there are very few) are not congruent with the way of life Jesus espouses. As in many other aspects of the Bible, modern believers have decided that contemporary faith is not necessarily ruled by ancient precepts.

Many statements in this flyer are so negative and untrue I do not want to repeat them but I need to share a few in order to give you a flavour of his hateful comments.  He wrote things like, “Homosexual sex is dangerous!” “Putting children in homosexual households is child abuse!”  “Homosexuality and Gender Identity Disorders can be overcome! No one is born “gay” and it is impossible to be a woman born into a man’s body or vice versa.” It goes on and on with a vitriol that is alarming.  Yet, it is signed by Bill Whatcott at 306-821-0797 or email: billwhatcott@gmail.com. Apparently, Mr. Whatcott has gotten into trouble because of these types of comments in Saskatchewan.  His flyer says he is to appear in front of the Supreme Court of Canada fighting for the legal right to “criticize homosexual behaviour.” His disdain for the legal system is evident when he calls the Saskatchewan Human Rights Tribunal a “homofascist kangaroo court.”

We believe each human being is special and a child of God, loved and cherished for who they are. God does not desire anyone to be more or less than their True Self, sometimes referred to as the soul. As residents of a diverse planet full of countless species, we celebrate all diversity and long for truth and understanding so that the hate of “difference” can be overcome.

At Glebe-St. James United Church, all persons are welcome. We are trying hard to lift the perceived barriers to full participation in our community. Our creed says that we are to work for justice and resist evil. In this case, we want to stand up and clearly say what we believe.

We do this by taking the Bible seriously when it says to love our neighbours as ourselves. We don’t believe in name calling and we hope that any kind of bullying or derogative labels will not be acceptable.

To the LGBTQ crowd, God loves you for who you are where you are. Believe it, and don’t let anyone tell you that homosexuality is a sin. It’s just not true. A young boy in Kanata needed to hear this message but unfortunately for him, it is too late. It’s not too late for anyone reading this letter.

Sincerely,

Rev. Dr. Christine Johnson and the congregation of Glebe-St. James United Church

                650 Lyon Street South, Ottawa

            613-236-0617 (office)

            613-889-5046 (cell)

Sermon - Glebe-St. James United Church - Oct. 2, 2011

“The Watchtower”                              Matthew 21: 33-46

By Rev. Dr. Christine Johnson

These workers show intense  perseverance.

They don’t want to let anyone into their vineyard,

            even though they don’t own it.                                                                              

They don’t want to let anyone into their paradise,

            because to do so would mean they have to give something up.

So out of protective self-interest,

            they destroy the messengers that want what is the owner’s due.

On Worldwide Communion Sunday,

            we might ask a question inspired by this story.

Who is being refused entry into the vineyard?

Who, in our own society, is being refused entry into paradise?

Now, the vineyard could be so many places.

It could be a high school.

Although all of us are required to attend high school,

            how many of us really felt we belonged?

Perhaps, there are bullies up in the watchtower,

            watching out for vulnerable persons who are different,

            ready to attack.

Just on Thursday I had a to read an article in The Toronto Star twice

            because I couldn’t believe what I was reading.

A 12-year-old boy, 12 years old, committed suicide

            because of bullying.

A vineyard can be a workplace.

You might have a boss who doesn’t like your style,

            or just doesn’t like you.

And somehow you find your hours cut slowly

            until you’re so part-time you don’t understand what’s going on.

Instead of discussing the issue with you,

            you’re just slowly squeezed out and wondering why you’re rejected.

If you’ve ever had something like this happen to you, you’ll recognize it.

And it hurts.

I know, because as a young woman, I went through it.

A vineyard can be a hockey rink.

A coach can decide that his daughter makes the team

            while your daughter is cut.

You’re confused because you know your child is a better player.

A vineyard can be a country.

In Canada, we decide all the time who can come in and who can’t.

And if you say you’re a refugee, but you’re not in enough danger,

            they’ll send you back to where you came from.

For those wanting to get into paradise,

            this rejection is hard.

It means that you have to return to all the conditions that make life hard

            even if it means severe famine, and possible death.

A vineyard can be a church.

For a long time, homosexuals were told their activity was a sin.

So, while our signs said “All are welcome”

            we didn’t really mean it.

A friend of mine told me that he had been attending a church for four and a half years.

At one point, the Sunday School superintendent told him

            she didn’t want any “gays teaching children in the Sunday School.”

He realized that she had no idea who she was speaking to.

He realized that he was being rejected, not because of his character,

            but because of who he was.

That kind of rejection kills.

Another gay friend was told by his sister that he could not touch his nieces and nephews.

That kind of rejection kills.

From the garden of Eden, God creates the world.

The brokenness that happens as a result of humankind’s misuse of the knowledge

            of good and evil separates us from the kingdom of God.

Even God’s own son, sent to show us the true nature of abundant life,

            is rejected from the garden.

But Jesus has some strong words for those, the Pharisees and chief priests,

 who create outcasts and call others unclean.

He says, “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone;

this was the Lord’s doing, and it is amazing in our eyes.”

In other words, be careful who you reject,

            you might be amazed to find out they are actually the cornerstones.

Jesus teaches us that all persons are first-class citizens in the kingdom of God.

Jesus teaches us that no one owns the vineyard.

Jesus teaches us that the very one we reject might be the one against whom we perish.

These workers stood in the watchtower trying to keep their vineyard

            free of its owner’s influence

            and as a result, created pain and suffering.

We need to climb up into that watchtower and reclaim the earth

            for its true owner, for God.

And when we reclaim it for its true owner,

            we’ll stop hoarding its riches and poisoning its garden.

We’ll stand tall in the watchtower burning a candle of hope

            instead of pointing fingers.

We’ll climb the watchtower and put up a cell phone tower

            in order to call everyone up

and tell them that God is personally inviting them to the banquet of life.

And that’s why we have this meal.

For in the midst of our struggle to welcome all to the vineyard,

            we have this meal that represents all our hopes and dreams of seeing this come true.

So for today, we eat and drink

 and know we are part of God’s paradise.