Dr. Joe Rich

June 14, 2009

Today’s lectionary choices provided me with an excellent metaphor for our congregation. In Mark’s passage he refers to a "growing seed" – or a "mustard seed" if you prefer. Mark says that Jesus compared the kingdom of God to that "mustard seed, which, when sown upon the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth; yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes the greatest of all shrubs, and puts forth large branches…."

I believe our congregation here at Newman is composed of many potential mustard seeds. All of us have the possibility to become great shrubs with large branches. Our first challenge, however, is to become what I will call "A Welcoming Seed." We must welcome others into our community by our words, our actions, and our acceptance of diversity.

"Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me." Really? … Most of us over the years have learned that words, just words, can indeed hurt us, our self-concept, or our self-esteem. Words such as "nigger," "queer," and even "shy" can give us pause to question our worthiness to be a part of a community. Have you ever been called a name you hated? Have you? How did you feel?

Words can be positive, encouraging, and inviting. Consider our United Methodist Igniting Campaign slogan, "Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors." Eight years ago the United Methodist Church began using these words to symbolize what our goal should be. In order to accept others we must first open our hearts to all those who seek to be in community with us. "Persons of all ages, races, ethnicities, sexual orientations, gender identities, economic conditions, marital status, mental or physical abilities [should be welcomed] to attend, join, and participate fully in the life of our congregation."

Secondly, we must open our minds to the variety of political, ideological, and religious options before us today. Only by careful study and reasoned discourse can we decide what information is acceptable to us. I’m not suggesting relativism here. But what I am saying is that there is room in the United Methodist Church for Democrats, Independents, Republicans and others. Methodists also exist in many countries with various forms of government. Although we are members of the United Methodist Church we must also recognize and respect that other denominations also believe in God. Baptists, Catholics, Disciples, Episcopalians, Jews, Latter Day Saints, Lutherans, Nazarenes, Presbyterians, as well as followers of Islam, Confucius, and other religions also believe in a God.

Thirdly, we must open our doors. Many of us might say, "Our doors are open; they just have to come in." When we truly open our doors we must go out to encourage others to come in to our community. The church is not just a building to come into or leave physically. We all need to go out to be models of our caring, sharing, and mentoring in our community organizations. We need to serve on boards, run for political office, and donate our time and presents to better our community.

The United Methodist Church is now going beyond our church doors and purposely invites people to become engaged in the world. Our new slogan which will not replace "Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors" but will enlarge our concept of Methodism is "Rethink Church." "Rethink Church aims to show seekers of spiritual meaning that in United Methodism’s mission of world transformation, they may find hope." We all will soon begin to see and hear in the media and over the Internet the message to "Rethink Church." Will those looking for a rethinking church find Newman as active in our community, doing tangible things to better the human condition as a means of spreading the gospel? Will they see Newman, not as a place to come to and be within but rather, as a base of operation to move out into our community and spread faith? Will they see proof of the United Methodist claim that we as a denomination are "unbound, outbound and active?" "For our church to be relevant to future generations young adults must find us doing more than dutifully sitting in our pews for worship. They must find us inspired and energized to go into our communities, neighborhoods, highways, and byways as our uniquely powerful Wesleyan way of spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ."

Our actions are even more important than our words. Cesie Delve Schueurmann, the Oregon-Idaho Annual Conference Lay Leader suggests reading the book Christianity for the Rest of Us by Diana Butler Bass. In Bass’s book she sets out to discover what made growing churches different. She identified ten characteristics setting these churches apart. I’ll only mention one here today. It was "diversity." Bass broadly defined "the word to encompass not only cultural, racial, and ethnic groups (areas where nearly all our churches need improvement) but political and theological diversity as well." She states that, "A Christian practice of diversity is not secular relativism. Rather, it is the active construction of a boundary-crossing community, a family bound not by blood but by love, that witnesses to the power of God’s healing in the world." She goes on to "Imagine if we embraced the political differences in our churches as a strength rather than a weakness. What if our churches were seen as places where people could go for open, honest dialogue about difficult issues?" What actions can we undertake at Newman to grow in our community? Actions like the Fish Program, PFLAG sponsorship, Crop Walk, Jazz Vespers, Faith and Film, Habitat for Humanity, Paint Your Heart Out, Reconciling Ministries, as well as several others help show Newman as an active congregation. What else can we initiate? Do you have some ideas to share?

Our acceptance of diversity is perhaps the most important leg on our three-legged stool of words, actions, and acceptance of diversity. As individuals we are all different, but look around our church today – how different are we? (Pause) Diversity is best exemplified in the Social Principles of the United Methodist Church. In the 2005-2008 edition the principles are categorized under six groups: the Natural World, the Nurturing Community, the Social Community, the Economic Community, the Political Community, and the World Community. "The Social Principles are a prayerful and thoughtful effort on the part of the General Conference to speak to the human issues in the contemporary world from a sound biblical and theological foundation as historically demonstrated in the United Methodist tradition." They "are intended to be instructive and persuasive in the best of the prophetic spirit; however, they are not church law."

Under the Nurturing Community within the Social Principles it is stated that, "We insist that all persons, regardless of age, gender, marital status, or sexual orientation, are entitled to have their human and civil rights ensured." It continues by saying that, "Homosexual persons no less than heterosexual persons are individuals of sacred worth." Finally, it implores families and churches not to reject or condemn lesbian and gay members and friends."

Under the Social Community within the Social Principles it is stated that, "we recognize racism as sin and affirm the ultimate and temporal worth of all persons." In addition, it is "the right of all religions and their adherents to freedom from legal, economic, and social discrimination." It is stated that there is a commitment to basic human rights and civil liberties for homosexual persons. Finally, churches are called upon to seek to develop programs and services to migrant people who come within their parish and support their efforts to organize for collective bargaining.

All of the Social Principles are conceptualized in the United Methodist Social Creed which states:

It is important to acknowledge that this is Peace and Justice Sunday. All of our hymns and praise songs were selected in support of this theme. At the Oregon-Idaho Annual Conference this week the new and updated Social Principles of the United Methodist Church 2009-2112 will be distributed and we are all encouraged to prayerfully read and discuss the principles this fall.

Perhaps now you can see why I chose Mark’s telling of the Mustard Seed parable for my sermon title "A Welcoming Seed." Unless we all become welcoming seeds, growing in our congregation and community, we cannot expect to truly have Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors. We must welcome others into our community by our words, our actions, and our acceptance of diversity.

I want to leave you with a story that reinforces our words and helps us to "Rethink Church." It’s a story about a young man named Bill.

His name is Bill. He has wild hair, wears a T-shirt with holes in it, jeans, and no shoes. This was literally his wardrobe for his entire four years of college.

He is brilliant. Kind of profound and very, very bright. He became a Christian while attending college.

Across the street from the campus is a well-dressed, very conservative church. They want to develop a ministry to the students but are not sure how to go about it.

One day Bill decides to go there. He walks in with no shoes, jeans, his T-shirt, and wild hair. The service has already started and so Bill starts down the aisle looking for a seat.

The church is completely packed and he can’t find a seat. By now, people are really looking a bit uncomfortable, but no one says anything.

Bill gets closer and closer to the pulpit, and when he realizes there are no seats, he just squats down right on the carpet.

By now the people are really uptight, and the tension in the air is thick.

About this time, the minister realizes that from way at the back of the church, a deacon is slowly making his way toward Bill.

Now the deacon is in his eighties, has silver-gray hair, and a three-piece suit. A godly man, very elegant, very dignified, very courtly. He walks with a cane and, as he starts walking toward this boy, everyone is saying to themselves that you can’t blame him for what he’s going to do.

How can you expect a man of his age and of his background to understand some college kid on the floor?

It takes a long time for the man to reach the boy.

The church is utterly silent except for the clicking of the man’s cane. All eyes are focused on him. You can’t even hear anyone breathing. The minister can’t even preach the sermon until the deacon does what he has to do.

And now they see this elderly man drop his cane on the floor. With great difficulty, he lowers himself and sits down next to Bill and worships with him so he won’t be alone.

Everyone chokes up with emotion.

When the minister gains control, he says, "What I’m about to preach, you will never remember. What you have just seen, you will never forget.  Be careful how you live. You may be the only Bible some people will ever read!"

 

What would we do here at Newman? I hope you know.

Thanks be to God.

Return to Sermons Page