Proper 10B
Listen to the Sermon for July 15, 2012
Read the Sermon for July 15, 2012
Category: Episcopal Church
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¡Ahora es el tiempo Oportuno para ser Episcopales que no se Disculpan!
Queridos hermanos y hermanas:
Ayer, la Cámara de Diputados de la Iglesia Episcopal estuvo de acuerdo con la Cámara de Obispos para adoptar una resolución que autoriza el uso provisional del rito "El Testimonio y la Bendición de un Pacto Permanente" a partir del 02 de diciembre, 2012, (el primer domingo de Adviento). El voto no fue una cerrada votación en cualquiera de las cámaras (obispos, el 74% – Diputados, Lay, el 76% y el Clero el 78%). La resolución, la liturgia, y los comentarios se pueden encontrar a partir de la página 184 en el Libro Azul. (La convención hizo algunas ligeras revisiones a la versión del rito incluida en el reporte.) El clero necesitará el permiso de sus obispos para ofrecer este rito, por lo que su uso puede variar de diócesis a diócesis.
Muchos se molestarán o incluso se enojarán por esta decisión. Muchos otros estarán agradecidos por las nuevas oportunidades para el ministerio que serán posibles gracias a esta decisión. Y otros no tendrán sentimientos fuertes acerca de él de una manera u otra. ¿Quién se puede sorprender por estas reacciones? Después de todo, nuestra Iglesia se compone de ¡personas de "todas clases y condiciones"!
Sea cual sea tu respuesta es esta decisión, ofrezco las siguientes perspectivas pastorales.
Seamos humildes. – Condenas arrogantes de quienes están en desacuerdo contigo y gozar con malicia acerca de una decisión en la que tu punto de vista "ha ganado" no honran el evangelio o construyen comunidad entre los seguidores de Cristo. Recuerda que hemos prometido, con la ayuda de Dios, "buscar y servir a Cristo en todas las personas, amando a tu prójimo como a ti mismo," y de "respetar la dignidad de todo ser humano." Piensa en estas cosas y píde a Dios que te de una respuesta humilde.
Vamos a ser generosos. -Actuar fuera de la suposición de que tu vecino se siente obligado a hacer observaciones sobre esta decisión lo hace por el más puro de los motivos. Incluso pueden pensar que te están haciendo un gran favor al señalar el error de las formas de aquellos con quien tú adoras. Ellos puedes creer sinceramente que esta culpa por asociación podría poner en peligro tu bienestar espiritual. Es posible que quieran ponerte en sobre aviso de que deben evitar contacto contigo con el fin de proteger su propia justicia. Escucha lo que nuestro Señor Jesucristo dice: "Amarás al Señor tu Dios con todo tu corazón, con toda tu alma y con toda tu mente. Este es el primero y grande mandamiento. El segundo es semejante a éste: amarás a tu prójimo como a ti mismo. De estos dos mandamientos dependen toda la Ley y los Profetas. "Dios te ha dado suficiente amor para compartirlo con todos tus vecinos y todavía habrá mucho más cuando lo compartas con ellos en este contexto. ¡Puedes darte el lujo de ser generoso!
No hay que pedir disculpas. – Nuestros vecinos, especialmente los de otras comuniones, pueden decir cosas que nos hacen estar a la defensiva, inseguros, con miedo o vergüenza. Podemos sentir que tienen una ventaja sobre nosotros en su particular comprensión de las verdades bíblicas o doctrinales. Tú puedes elegir sonreír simplemente, no decir nada, cambiar de tema, o marcharte simplemente. O, tú puedes sentir que necesitas debatir con tu vecino. Si sientes la necesidad de debatir el tema, toman tiempo para prepararte. Estudia, consulta fuentes confiables de información, usa tu mente en la mayor medida posible. Por otra parte, prepárate para sentir que has "perdido" el debate al final del mismo. Convicciones muy arraigadas, como sobre la sexualidad humana y la política, a menudo se basan en la emoción con una información superficial. Tus intentos de borrar las emociones con la lógica, probablemente no tendrán éxito. Cualquiera que sea la respuesta que elijas, no tienes que pedir disculpas por la Iglesia Episcopal, que no ha llegado a esta decisión de la noche a la mañana y sin una enorme consideración puesta en oración.
Vamos a ser misioneros. – En general, los cristianos no somos lo mejor de nosotros cuando nos involucramos en debates bizantinos sobre las diferencias teológicas, morales, o eclesiásticas. Estamos en nuestro mejor momento cuando escuchamos juntos la Palabra de Dios, cuando nos arrodillamos juntos para ser alimentados en la Mesa de Dios, y cuando nos arremangamos las mangas para manifestar la gracia de Dios en el campo de la misión en nuestra propia puerta. Hay personas en ese campo de misión que nos están esperando para ser enviados a hacer el trabajo que Dios nos ha encomendado.
Vamos a ser inclusivos. – Mis puntos de vista sobre el tema de la sexualidad humana, especialmente acerca de la plena inclusión de mis hermanos y hermanas gays, lesbianas, transexuales en la vida de la Iglesia, fueron modelados y han tomado forma a lo largo del tiempo. He buscado en las Escrituras, buscado la sabiduría contenida en las enseñanzas de la Iglesia a través de los siglos, considerado lo que hemos aprendido con la razón a través del tiempo, he pasado un tiempo con aquellos cuyo estilo de vida y la orientación son diferentes de los míos, escuchado a las personas cuyos puntos de vista difieren de los míos, y he orado. En cuarenta y un años de ministerio, me han pedido para bendecir uniones del mismo sexo sólo tres veces. A causa de mi respeto por los cánones de la Iglesia y mi votos de ordenación, nunca he realizado esas peticiones. Yo he obedecido a mis obispos y voy a seguir haciéndolo donde quiera que esté.
Dicho esto, creo que la decisión de la Convención General fue la decisión correcta. Si se me da la oportunidad de servir bajo un obispo que me autorice a ejercer mi ministerio de este modo, lo voy a hacer con un corazón alegre. Tomaré la oportunidad y será un privilegio proporcionar un ministerio que por mucho tiempo he pensado que debemos ofrecer a aquellos que desean vivir en Relaciones de Pacto para toda la vida.
Vamos a seguir adelante. – He oído decir por algunas personas que esta decisión marca el final de la Iglesia Episcopal. Yo prefiero creer que es el comienzo de una nueva era de oportunidad misionera de la Iglesia Episcopal. Ahora hemos añadido una nueva forma de abrir las puertas rojas a las personas que hemos marginado. Agregar esta decisión de cómo esta Iglesia en los últimos años se ha expresado al enfrentar la esclavitud, el trabajo infantil, el derecho de la mujer a votar, el racismo, la ordenación de mujeres, y una serie de otros temas para los cuales personas cuyos puntos de vista eran opuestos fueron apoyados por las escrituras y argumentos teológicos para mantener el status quo. Añadir esta decisión también a los cambios que ya hemos hecho con las enseñanzas ortodoxas de la Iglesia sobre la sexualidad humana, específicamente, lo que permite control de la natalidad y la autorización de las segundas nupcias de personas divorciadas.
Unamos nuestras manos. – Algunos de ustedes que leen esto no estarán de acuerdo conmigo. Entiendo que hay otros en la Comunión Anglicana en otras partes del mundo que tienen problemas con estos puntos de vista. La diversidad de opiniones es normal y natural en la vida en general y en la Iglesia en particular. No hay nada que podamos hacer para cambiar eso. No puedo obligar a nadie a creer o actuar como lo hago yo. Pero podemos luchar con la conciencia tranquila para vivir una vida que encarna el amor de Dios, para que ese amor de Dios pueda hacer posible en nosotros buscar la reconciliación en todos los niveles. Nuestra unidad de esta Iglesia no es ahora ni ha sido sobre la base de que todo el mundo esta de acuerdo en todo. Nuestra unidad proviene de nuestra oración común y la búsqueda común de un mundo donde hay más justicia, paz y amor.
En su sermón "Un Espíritu Católico," un sabio anglicano, John Wesley, citó un relato de las Escrituras Hebreas (2 Reyes 10), que involucró a dos hombres, Jehú con Jonadab, que eran tan celosos de que mataron a los que no estaban de acuerdo con ellos. Sin embargo, superaron sus prejuicios individuales y encontraron un terreno común. Cuando Jehú se encontró con Jonadab que venía hacia él, dijo, "¿Son buenas tus intenciones hacia mí, como lo son las mías hacia ti?", Respondió Jonadab: "Así es". Jehú dijo: "En se caso, dame la mano." Jonadab le dio la mano y Jehú lo hizo subir con él a su carro. Él dijo: "Acompáñame y verás mi celo por el Señor" (2 Reyes 10:15 b-16). En muchos sentidos, es un texto extraño para que el Padre Wesley lo utilice como base para un sermón sobre la necesidad de amor universal. Sin embargo, él ve en las palabras de Jehú la esencia de la forma en que funciona el amor entre nosotros, cuando tenemos nuestros desacuerdos inevitables. Por lo tanto, les digo a mis hermanos y hermanas que están de acuerdo conmigo y los que no lo están, "Si tus intenciones son buenas como las mías, dame tu mano." Los cristianos pueden lograr mucho más para el reino de Dios en la tierra con nuestras manos unidas que con nuestras manos levantadas unos contra otros. Como cristianos católicos, no tenemos que estar de acuerdo en todo con el fin de "andar en el amor como Cristo nos amó."
Vamos a ser lo que decimos que somos. – Realmente no tenemos nada que temer acerca de esta decisión. Tenemos todas las razones para alegrarnos a medida que aprendemos a vivir en las nuevas oportunidades que se presentan. Podemos mantener la cabeza en alto y con la humildad, la generosidad y sin pedir disculpas, podemos hacer más que nunca para manifestar el amor de Dios. Somos mayordomos de un trabajo importante que transforma la vida que Dios quiere realizar específicamente a través de nuestra Iglesia. ¡Somos episcopales! Y, como alguien ha señalado, no hay ningún asterisco en los letreros que dicen: "La Iglesia Episcopal te da la bienvenida!"
Atentamente,
Traducción al español por el Padre Uriel Osnaya
Vicario, Iglesia Episcopal Santa María Virgen, Houston, TexasLa versión original en inglés la puede encontrar en:
http://ronpogue.typepad.com/e-piphanies/about-fr-ron-pogue.html -
Now is a perfect time to be Unapologetically Episcopalian!
My Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Yesterday, The Episcopal Church’s House of Deputies concurred with the House of Bishops to adopt a resolution which authorizes provisional use of the rite “The Witnessing and Blessing of a Lifelong Covenant” starting Dec. 2 (the first Sunday of Advent). The vote was not a close vote in either house (Bishops, 74% – Deputies, Lay, 76% and Clergy 78%). The resolution, liturgy, and commentary can be found beginning on page 184 in the Blue Book. (The convention made some slight revisions to the version of the rite included in the report.) Clergy will need the permission of their bishops to provide this rite, so its use will vary from diocese to diocese.
Many will be upset or even angry about this decision. Many others will be grateful for the new opportunities for ministry that will be made possible by this decision. Still others will not have strong feelings about it one way or the other. Who could be surprised by these reactions? After all, our Church is made up of “all sorts and conditions” of people!
Whatever your response is to this decision, I offer the following pastoral perspectives.
Let’s be humble. – Arrogant condemnations of those who disagree with you and gloating about a decision in which your viewpoint “won” do not honor the gospel or build community among Christ’s followers. Remember that we have promised, with God’s help, to “seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving your neighbor as yourself,” and to “respect the dignity of every human being.” Think about these things and ask God to give you a humble response.
Let’s be generous. – Operate out of the assumption that your neighbor who feels compelled to comment on this decision does so out of the purest of motives. They may even think they are doing you a big favor by pointing out the error of the ways of those with whom you worship. They may sincerely believe that this guilt by association could imperil your spiritual well being. They may want to put you on notice that they may have to avoid contact with you in order to protect their own righteousness. Hear what our Lord Jesus Christ saith; “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. The second is like unto it: thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hand all the Law of the Prophets.” God has given you enough love to share with all your neighbors and there will still be plenty when you give it to them in this context. You can afford to be generous!
Let’s be unapologetic. – Our neighbors, especially those in other communions, may say things that cause us to feel defensive, insecure, afraid, or embarrassed. We may feel that they have a leg up on us in their particular understanding of scriptural or doctrinal truths. You may choose to simply smile, say nothing, change the subject, or simply walk away. Or, you may feel that you need to debate with your neighbor. If you do feel a need to debate the topic at hand, take the time to prepare yourself. Study, consult reliable sources of information, use your mind to the fullest extent. Also, be prepared to feel that you have “lost” the debate at the end of it. Strongly held convictions, such as those about human sexuality and politics, are often based in emotion with a veneer of information. Your attempts to erase emotions with logic will probably not be successful. Whichever response you choose, you do not have to apologize for The Episcopal Church, which has not come to this decision quickly or without enormous prayerful consideration.
Let’s be missionaries. – In general, we Christians are not at our best when we engage in hair-splitting debates over theological, moral, or ecclesiastical differences. We are at our best when we listen together for God’s Word, when we kneel together to be nourished at God’s Table, and when we roll up our sleeves to make God’s grace manifest in the mission field at our doorstep. There are people in that mission field who are waiting for us to be sent out to do the work God has given us to do.
Let’s be inclusive. – My own views on the topic of human sexuality, especially about the full inclusion of gays, lesbians, and transgender brothers and sisters in the life of the Church, were formed and shaped over time. I have searched the scriptures, sought the wisdom contained in the Church’s teachings through the ages, considered what we’ve learned through reason over time, spent time with those whose lifestyle and orientation are different from mine, listened to those whose viewpoints differ from mine, and prayed. In forty-one years of ministry, I’ve been asked to bless same sex unions only three times. Because of my respect for the canons of the Church and my ordination vows, I have never complied with those requests. I have obeyed my Bishops and I will continue to do so wherever I may be.
That said, I believe the decision of the General Convention was the right decision. If given the opportunity when serving under a Bishop that authorizes me to exercise my ministry in this way, I will do so with a glad heart. I will welcome the opportunity and it will be a privilege to provide a ministry I have long thought we should offer to those who wish to live in life-long covenant relationships.
Let’s move forward. – I have heard people say that this decision marks the end of The Episcopal Church. I prefer to believe it is the beginning of a new era of missionary opportunity for The Episcopal Church. We now have added a new way of opening those red doors to people whom we have marginalized. Add this decision to how this Church in years past expressed itself in the face of slavery, child labor, women’s right to vote, racism, ordination of women, and a host of other issues for which there were people whose opposing views were bolstered by scriptural and theological arguments for maintaining the status quo. Add this decision also to the changes we have already made to the orthodox teachings of the Church on human sexuality – specifically, allowing birth control and authorizing the remarriage of divorced persons.
Let’s join hands. – Some of you who read this will not agree with me. I understand that there are others in the worldwide Anglican Communion who will have trouble with these views. Diversity of opinions is normal and natural in life in general and in the Church in particular. There is nothing we can do to change that. I cannot compel anyone to believe or act as I do. But we can strive in good conscience to live a life that embodies God’s love so that God’s love will make it possible for us to pursue reconciliation at every level. Our unity in this Church is not now nor has it ever been based on everybody agreeing on everything. Our unity comes from our common prayer and common pursuit of a world where there is more justice, peace, and love.
In his sermon “A Catholic Spirit,” a wise Anglican, John Wesley, cited a story from the Hebrew Scriptures (2 Kings 10) that involved two men, Jehu and Jehonadab, who were so zealous that they slaughtered those who differed with them. Yet they overcame their individual prejudices and found common ground. When Jehu met Jehonadab coming toward him, he said, “Is your heart as true to mine as mine is to yours?” Jehonadab answered, “It is.” Jehu said, “I
f it is, give me your hand.” So he gave him his hand. Jehu took him up with him into the chariot. He said, “Come with me, and see my zeal for the Lord” (2 Kings 10:15b-16 NRSV). In so many ways, it is a strange text for Fr. Wesley to use as a basis for a sermon about the necessity of universal love. Nevertheless, he sees in the words of Jehu the essence of how that love works among us when we have our inevitable disagreements. So, I say to my brothers and sisters who agree with me and those who do not, “If your heart is like mine, give me your hand.” Christians can accomplish a great deal more for the reign of God on earth with our hands joined than with our hands raised against each other. As catholic Christians, we don’t have to agree on everything in order to “walk in love as Christ loved us.”Let’s be who we say we are. – We really have nothing to fear about this decision. We have every reason to rejoice as we learn to live into the new opportunities it presents. We can hold up our heads and with humility, generosity, and without apology, we can do even more than ever to manifest God’s love. We are stewards of important, life-transforming work that God wants accomplished specifically through our Church. We are Episcopalians! And, as someone has pointed out, there is no asterisk on those signs that say, “The Episcopal Church Welcomes You!”
Faithfully yours,
P.S. HERE is the song in my heart today and HERE is a poem by my friend Ron Starbuck for further reflection on how God's love can help us be Unapologetically Episcopalian as we live into the opportunities that will result from this monumental decision. -
How to Walk in Love…
Here is a passage of scripture that has been on my mind quite a lot during the last week:
Jesus said, “If another member of the church sins against you, go and point out the fault when the two of you are alone. If the member listens to you, you have regained that one. But if you are not listened to, take one or two others along with you, so that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If the member refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if the offender refuses to listen even to the church, let such a one be to you as a Gentile and a tax-collector. Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Again, truly I tell you, if two of you agree on earth about anything you ask, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them” (Matthew 18:15-20).
If I understand this passage correctly, what we have here are instructions from Jesus himself about how Christians are supposed to resolve conflict. I realize that Episcopalians and many mainline Christians don’t take the Bible literally and that may be the reason why many people do not recognize and follow its wisdom for living together in community. Reports of people suffering due to anonymous allegations of unspecified and unverified behaviors, rumors, gossip, and threats of some form of retaliation are all too common in our churches. We can change that!
When we fail to follow the approach outlined in Matthew 18, we are empowering a pathology of emotional terrorism in our life together. Well meaning church leaders have protected people for years while they carried out organized campaigns that harmed the reputations of others who have absolutely no idea what they did to deserve such abuse.
What makes this even more curious is that, in most mainline churches, there are procedures based on the teachings of the New Testament that are supposed to be followed when there are serious legitimate complaints. Following our canons, policies, and procedures, serious reports are to be properly filed with the appropriate authority. Wrongs that are investigated and verified are to be addressed in ways that lead to reconciliation between parties to the dispute and/or proper disciplinary actions. Those canons, policies, and procedures are based upon New Testament passages, such as the one above.
Whether one thinks the biblical teaching about Christian dispute resolution can be dismissed or not, how is it that church disciplinary procedures can be disregarded? All members of Christian communities should be concerned about how we “Walk in love as Christ loved us and gave himself for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God” (Ephesians 5:2).
So, let me approach this in the first person. If I have harmed you in any way – any way, no matter how serious, I’d like you to come to me and tell me about it in private so that I can have an opportunity to respond to you, explain my viewpoint, ask forgiveness, make restitution, or in some other reasonable way be reconciled with you. I promise to do the same for you. I won’t call somebody else and make them promise to hold what I have to say about you in confidence. I won’t call somebody and threaten to create serious problems for you if they don’t get you to do what I want. I won’t round up a group of people to join me in a rumor campaign against you. I won't say that a "significant number of people" are saying this or that, I'll just speak for myself.
And, if you come to me about your complaints against somebody else, here’s what you can expect from me. Firstly, if your complaint involves an infraction of church or secular law, I am obligated to follow the procedures outlined by those laws and so are you. Secondly, if your complaint is more of a matter of hurt feelings, concerns about someone’s character, or your opinion of how somebody has behaved, I’ll ask if you’ve spoken with the other party and tried to work it out. If you have not, I will remind you that it is your Christian duty to do so or to set it aside. Thirdly, if you want me to talk to that person about your complaint, you’ll have to give me permission to use your name. Finally, if you tell me that you just wanted me to know but do not want me to do anything about it, that’s what I’ll do.
As a friend of mine said to me, “We need to try to do the right thing in the right way.” That’s what Jesus admonition is all about. The right thing is for Christians to live in love. The right way is the one he has outlined. I’ve seen it work, in my life and in the lives of people given into my care. Someone came to me recently about a decision I had made. Our conversation resulted in a reversal of my decision. Not only that, it strengthened our relationship, thereby strengthening the entire Body of Christ.
None of us is without flaws. Some of us have worse flaws than others. Some of us are placed in positions of responsibility in which we are bound to displease people from time to time. The remedy is beautifully outlined in this passage from Matthew and I commend it to all of us as the way to keep ourselves focused on his mission rather than personal differences, petty jealousies, vengeance, or personality conflicts.
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When You Are In a Storm
Mark 4:35-41 begins a section in this gospel in which Jesus and his disciples make six voyages back and forth across the Sea of Galilee. In this way, Mark makes the point that the ministry of Jesus was to both Jews and gentiles. The western side was inhabited by Jews and the eastern side by gentiles.
Growing up, I always thought of the Sea of Galilee as a much larger body of water than it actually is. I remember how surprised I was when I visited Israel for the first time and our tour bus stopped atop a hill overlooking the body of water. I could see the entire thing! It is only thirteen miles from north to south and eight miles from east to west.
It is the lowest freshwater lake on Earth. The Jordan Valley makes a cleft in the earth and in the very center of this cleft is the Sea of Galilee, some 680 feet below sea level. Because of this, the climate is usually very gracious and warm, but to the west of the sea are the mountains and some large gullies. Sometimes the cold wind blows down through these gullies and causes sudden storms. All the great writers who have lived near the Sea of Galilee have experienced these sudden storms and repeatedly reported that at one moment the water can be as still as glass and then almost without warning it can become quite turbulent with enormous waves and high winds.
The scene described in Mark 4:35-41 finds Jesus and his disciples suddenly caught in one of these violent storms. Jesus had just finished preaching and was tired, so he lay down and went to sleep. When the storm arose, the waves threatened to overcome the small boat and the disciples were afraid they were going to be tossed overboard and drowned. When they turned to Jesus, they were amazed to find him asleep. They cried out to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” Jesus then calmly stood up and commanded the waves to be still. The sea became calm and the storm was gone.
Even though the disciples should have recognized who Jesus was by virtue of his command over the wind and sea, they still seem dumbfounded. The text says, “They were filled with great awe and said to one another, ‘Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?’”
Don’t they remind us of ourselves? When we find ourselves in the storms of life, don’t we have similar difficulty in placing our confidence in the One who guards and keeps us? That may be the chief reason the story has been preserved and retold by generation after generation. It contains important spiritual truths and we occasionally need to be reminded of them.
Whenever we are isolated or alienated, we tend to become anxious and desperate.
This was not the first time the disciples had been in a storm. It was not the first time a turbulent sea had threatened to overturn their boat. Why did they react they way they did on this occasion? I believe it was because they felt that Jesus was unconcerned about them. They cried out, “Don’t you care?” And, in the face of their panic and despair, he calmed the angry sea. Of course he cared about them and of course he cares about us.
The storm story shows us that the disciples needed to hear a voice in whom they had confidence.
When Jesus woke up and heard the cries of the disciples, his voice rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” You and I need to learn to listen for, recognize, and trust the voice of the Shepherd and Guardian of our souls who is greater than our greatest fear, mightier than our biggest enemy, and who has the power to issue orders to the storms that threaten us. Our ears are particularly well atuned to other voices, particularly those that raise our anxieties. We want the voice of our Savior to be familiar enough and clear enough to stand out above the rest.
Wherever and whenever Christ is with us, the storms of life grow calm.
I don’t know what is going to come to my life or yours today, but I know that Jesus Christ is with us and that his presence brings peace. As a pastor, I have stood with people in just about every imaginable kind of life experience from remarkable victories to devastating defeats, in moments of joy and in moments of deepest sorrow. Whether it’s been a whirlwind of celebration or a tempest of tragedy, the presence of Jesus Christ calms the storms and brings the peace which passes understanding.
P.S. This text brought this hymn to mind.
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A Faith for Fathers
The greatest lesson I ever learned about faith, I learned from my Father. I had accidentally sailed a balsa wood glider up onto the roof of our home in Houston. When my Dad came home, instead of getting a ladder and climbing up to retrieve it, he picked me up and boosted me onto the roof so I could get it myself. We lived in a 1950's era "ranch style" house, so the roof wasn't actually that far off the ground, at least to my dad, who was 6' 4" tall. I had never been on the roof before. It was frightening – mostly the getting up.
When I began to express my fear, Dad said, "Don't worry. I won't let you fall." His hands and arms felt strong, his voice was firm and confident. He had been on the roof himself. He believed I would be okay. So, I forgot my fear. My trust in him was stronger than my fears and Dad didn't let me fall.
I found my faith. Through the experience of trusting, I discovered that my Dad was trustworthy.
I have been able to live my life with an abiding faith, often tested by the things that test everybody's faith. It goes back to that glider on the roof, my Dad's strong and loving arms, his reassuring voice, and his dependable promise, "I won't let you fall."
That has made it easier for me to trust my heavenly Father, who promised, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." Earthly parents, though fallible, have a role to play in the formation of faith in their children's lives. In fact, parents are the primary faith-givers. Christian parents' chief evangelical, disciple-making opportunity is with their children.
Even helping a child retrieve a toy stuck on the roof can be an occasion for faith-forming. The world needs dads to give their children a fear-conquering faith. Of course, Moms do it too. But this is Father's Day!
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Eternal Life and Perfect Freedom
Each summer, Calvary Episcopal Church and First Christian Church of Ashland, Kentucky join together to offer a Vacation Bible School, open to children throughout the community. This year's theme is "Adventures on Promise Island: Where Children Discover God's Lifesaving Love." We will meet on the evenings of July 16-19 to assist the children in discovering some of God's promises:
• July 16 – The Story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego – God's promise: I am with you.
• July 17 – The Story of the Raising of Lazarus – God's promise: I care about you.
• July 18 – The Story of Jesus' Resurrection – God's promise: I will save you.
• July 19 – The Story of Paul and Silas in Prison – God's promise: I will answer you.
Last night we had a meeting with the VBS teachers to review these four scriptures from an adult perspective in order to help them think about ways they will present them to the children. First Christian's Pastor Ike Nicholson and I took turns providing exegesis and commentary for the teachers.
In the course of our discussions, I was struck by how each of the four readings involves liberation. For example, King Nebuchadnezzar has the hands and feet of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego bound before they are thrown into the firey furnace. When he looks into the fire, he sees them (and a fourth figure who looks like a Son of God) walking around freely. They emerge from the firey furnace completely unsinged. Then, when Jesus calls Lazarus forth from his tomb, he instructs the bystanders to "Unbind him and let him go." Likewise, Jesus leaves tomb and the grave clothes behind when he is raised from the dead on the first Easter. During the earthquake, the chains the hold Paul and Silas are broken and the gates of their cell are opened so that they can go free. In each case, the miraculous liberation provides an opportunity for God's message to be shared – the message of a kind of freedom that can be found only in our relationship with the Living God.
It was an epiphany! God has been at work delivering people from one form of slavery or another for ever. When God reigns in our lives, we are completely liberated. Whatever binds us and holds us back is removed so that we can live with a freedom we can't find any other place.
Today is the feast day of St. Basil, Bishop of Caesarea. Basil knew and boldly expressed that unfettered liberty when the emperor Valens passed through Caesarea in 371. Valens demanded Basil's theological submission and Basil flatly refused. The imperial prefect expressed astonishment at Basil's defiance, to which Basil replied, "Perhaps you have never met a real bishop before." His freedom was derived not from a temporal ruler, but from the Sovereign of the Universe.
This collect from the office of Morning Prayer expresses it very well:
O God, the author of peace and lover of concord, to know you is eternal life and to serve you is perfect freedom: Defend us, your humble servants, in all assaults of our enemies; that we, surely trusting in your defense, may not fear the power of any adversaries; through the might of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Our children need to know that God gives them the freedom to be who God wants them to be and to follow God's leading in their lives no matter what happens. We need to impart that message to them in the words we say and the lives we live. God, liberate from whatever attachments may interfere with our ability to freely represent you to the children you have given into our care!