Then Jesus said, “God’s kingdom is like
seed thrown on a field by a man who then goes to bed and forgets about it. The
seed sprouts and grows—he has no idea how it happens. The earth does it all
without his help: first a green stem of grass, then a bud, then the ripened
grain. When the grain is fully formed, he reaps—harvest time!
How can we picture God’s kingdom? What
kind of story can we use? It’s like a pine nut. When it lands on the ground it
is quite small as seeds go, yet once it is planted it grows into a huge pine
tree with thick branches. Eagles nest in it.
With many
stories like these, he presented his message to them, fitting the stories to
their experience and maturity. He was never without a story when he spoke. When
he was alone with his disciples, he went over everything, sorting out the
tangles, untying the knots.
+Mark 4:26-34(MSG)
I
don’t know who Samuel Johnson is, other than he was an Anglican and an English
poet, but I’d like to buy him coffee. Because
in two sentences, he has articulated the plight of mainline Christianity, the
Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)…and maybe more specifically, Cherokee
Christian Church.
It’s
not new news, that there are some denominations and some independent
congregations who have no problem telling others what to believe and how to
function in the world. Be it marriage
equality, immigration reform, Biblical literalism, or the “place” of
women…someone, somewhere, in the world of religion, is making a bold and
courageous statement about something (even if it’s NOT the bold and courageous
statement I would make).
And
because these congregations and denominations feel comfortable making these
statements about the “big issues,” they have little hesitation in making bold
and courageous statements about the micro-issues, like…weather or not a
congregation should sell their building or if they should change the color of the paint
in the hallway. Oh sure…there’s always
some moaning and gnashing of teeth for any change…we are a people who value
homeostasis…but for most of these apostolic and theologically conservative expressions
of faith, when change is in the air, it’s just common knowledge that the “buck
stops” with the leader…the priest or the pastor…even if you don’t agree.
Either
fortunately or unfortunately, that is not the case for the Christian Church
(Disciples of Christ). It would be nice
sometimes though, wouldn’t it? If the
region would just come in here and tell us what to do…no more thinking about it or
praying about it or bloomin' discernment. But that’s not how it works for
us.
Instead,
we have a long history of looking unilateral decisions right in the eyeball and
then…coming up with every possible objection, alternative, voice, and argument we
can think of…until we’re so tired of talking about it, that we give
up…retreat…and end up back where we started.
Which is: stalled.
And
it’s where we’re at today. As Cherokee.
You’ve
been Unbinding Your Heart and waiting for New Beginnings for over three years
now…and in the past six months, I’ve listened to all the reasons why new
ministry ideas won’t work. I’ve listened to why old ministry ideas,
tried once and having failed, would never work again. I’ve fielded calls and emails wrought with
anxiety about how to keep “this” going, but when I’ve asked what the caller on
the other end of the line might do to help, I’ve been greeted with
silence. I’ve listened to the yearnings
for fellowship and service and study and yet, when offering opportunities for fellowship,
service and study, few of those who have asked, are filling the seats. I’ve heard complaints about the music and the
bulletins and the air conditioning and the yoga studio and the AA group and the
kind of toilet paper that can be found in our bathrooms…
...but
I have not heard us talking about the disproportionate suicide rate of these
kids who are returning from war or the alarming number of homeless, run away
children who are gay, lesbian, or transgendered. I have not heard us talk about the lack of support
for the working poor or the lack of advocacy for those seeking citizenship in
our country.
To
be frank, I haven’t heard us talk about any of the kinds of things that Jesus talked
about. And if we wanna be church…well,
then we ought to be talking about those things….not the “used to” things or the
“that’ll never work” things or “we’ve done that before and failed” things. But the things that matter.
My
guess is, you wanna talk about those things.
But don’t know how. Or don’t
wanna get into it, in case you offend someone. Or you’re afraid of the work it
might require. Or maybe you didn’t know that the
church was a place where you could
talk about those things. Or maybe you’ve
gotten so used to talking about all the other stuff… you’ve gotten so used to
talking about saving yourself, and all the micro-ways we try to do that (by
controlling who uses the building and how, or what sort of toilet paper we
should buy)...maybe you gotten so used to talking about that stuff, that you’ve
forgotten how to talk about the stuff
that matters. I don’t know.
But
I’m gonna be blunt here and say, we’ve gotta make a shift, as the whole
Body of Christ, from those who love this church…to those who love God, who
serve Jesus, and who trust the Holy Spirit.
I
get it, you guys….I really do. We love
this place. I probably don’t love it
like some of you love it…because I didn’t raise my children in this place or
walk my daughter down the isle or grieve my spouses death in this place. I haven’t sat in the same pew for 45 years,
looking at the same storied window through all the hills and valleys of my
life, like you have. I haven’t tasted
communion on my tongue and wondered where it’s been my whole life, like you
have, in this place. But I get it. Our places matter.
So
some of you walked out last Sunday…hurt, pained, and despondent. Some of you walked out, saying things like,
“fine, let’s just sell it [the building] and be done with it.”
As
if that were the only option. And maybe
it is…though that will depend on you.
Because
there are some other options out there.
But they will require your participation. They will require you to put aside your old
conversations, and have new ones.
Because we just can’t sustain “this” for forever. The way it is, right now. If we do…we will die. And Cherokee Christian Church will die.
I
mean, the brass tacks are this: There are 47 of us worshiping, on average, each
Sunday…in 28,000 square feet. It costs
us about 46,000 a year, just to maintain the building. That means, no big repairs, no major
improvements, no assessability shifts, no facelifts. But more importantly, that also means we
don’t make big moves….we don’t engage in big ministries. In part, because we don’t have the
money (though this is a misnomer). But I think mostly, it’s because
we don’t have the energy.
We
may not even realize it, but a whole heck of a lot of energy goes into
anxiety. And anxiety kills dreams. It just does.
So
it’s time to put the dream killing aside, and start telling our story
again.
A
story of a tiny seed being planted in the middle of a growing little town, that
grew so big, that it nested eagles. A story of widespread community outreach
and intentional world outreach and tiny hands learning what it means to do
outreach. A story of celebrations and
farewells and welcome. A story of hope
and work and prayer and pain and laughter…….all branches of a story, planted by
one little seed.
The
seed that was planted here in 1950 has grown from tiny sapling, to aged
tree….and in a lot of ways, the soil is no longer fertile. The time we live in, does not assume full pews
and full offering plates, and the needs of the community do not necessitate our inclusion. And so WE need to fertilize the great and
mighty tree.
At
the Wednesday Night Discernment Study…near the end of the series, we did an
activity, which asked each member of the study to dream. I think we had 10 people there that night
(which, for those of you who are quick with your math, know…that’s about 1/5 of
our congregation)…and once they divided up into pairs, they took some time to
formulate their dreams. Returning to the
round table to share, we found out quickly, that each dream included nurturing
children. Which just makes sense, when
you’re housing eagles nests, right.
And
so, that dream has been taken to your Elders…that dream of caring for the least
of these…and they’re talking about it and giving life to the dream. Today, following worship, chances are good,
they’ll start to make some tangible decisions about that dream as they’ve spent
the last month intentionally praying about what sort of “hat hanging” ministry
Cherokee might engage in with passion and commitment.
Cause
see, Cherokee, over the years…has become a little complacent. And that happens….it’s not a critique. It’s just reality. The fervor of being a new
church wears off….or the ease of being a big church dissipates…or the
excitement of a new leader grows stale.
Complacency
just happens. It happens in our relationships…in our jobs…even in our
hobbies. But especially in our
churches. And it’s killing our churches. Especially those of us in denominations who
value the voice of the congregation and who seek to find common ground
together. We work so hard sometimes to find
our common ground that we sometimes fail to ever touch the ground!
But
if we don’t hang our hat on anything, other than being together on a Sunday
morning… we’ll never grow. Sure.
But more than that…we won’t live out our mandate – our command from Jesus our Lord – to love and serve our
neighbor as ourselves.
I
know you don’t wanna be that church, who “just” keeps their doors open. I know your history…I know your hearts…and
that’s not you.
Because,
you’re that mighty tree -- that glimpse of the Kingdom of God -- who has nested eagles!
But
it takes work. And say what you will
about being tired or wanting to pass the torch. I betcha, if you can release the energy you
spend on being anxious about what the future of the church might look like….and
put that energy in being present for that hat hanging idea that the Elders are
excited and encouraged by…I bet you’d be surprise how much energy you have. I bet you’ll be surprised how high you can
hold that torch still. I bet you’ll
spend more time being filled with joy, than perfecting your furrowed brow. God just works that way.
It’s
why God is SO good. Because every time
we say can’t or won’t or no way or I’m too tired….God’s says, “I have a
different ending to that story.”
God
says, I give you a tiny little seed….and I will turn that tiny seed – in to a
mighty tree, big enough and strong enough and good enough and wide enough to
nest eagles. And I’d like for you to be
part of it!
God
doesn’t need our help…. But God…from beginning to end…desires our help, our investment, our relationship……so
much so, that we have been named co-creators.
Don’t
you wanna be part of that God-activity?!
Don’t you wanna go from this place, knowing that whatever tiny seed you
might sow today, has the potential to house eagles?!
Let’s
give passion a go. Let’s give action and
reaction and engagement with God’s mission a go. Let’s write a different ending to our
story. We may still not be able to hold on to “this”…we may still find ourselves in need of major changes and needing to make difficult
decisions…but at least we’ll have been living out and telling a story worth
hearing. Not a story of little church,
that sputtered to a stop…but a story of a church who housed eagles, till the
very last day and the very last moment.
Let’s be that church. We have a
story to tell. And it’ll take all of us,
to tell it. Amen.
