Believe and Have Life

*Note that this week's sermon was preached from the following outline instead of a manuscript. I prefer manuscripts but sometimes switch to an outline when it's more of a "teaching" sermon.

“Believe and Have Life”

Sermon for MCC New Haven

April 7, 2013

Rev. Brian Hutchison, M.Div. 

Texts:

Psalm 150

John 20:19-31

·       We are a “people of faith.” We are a “community of faith,” not because we believe the exact same thing but rather because we share common values. *MCC Values

·       MCC professes basic Christian faith based on the traditional creeds: Apostle’s and Nicene. However, belief is incredibly diverse in MCC since we come from so many backgrounds.

·       New Creed by United Church of Canada:

"We are not alone,
we live in God’s world.
We believe in God:
who has created and is creating,
who has come in Jesus,
the Word made flesh,
to reconcile and make new,
who works in us and others
by the Spirit.
We trust in God.
We are called to be the Church:
to celebrate God’s presence,
to live with respect in Creation,
to love and serve others,
to seek justice and resist evil,
to proclaim Jesus, crucified and risen,
our judge and our hope.
In life, in death, in life beyond death,
God is with us.
We are not alone.
Thanks be to God."

·       Do you have your own creed you live by? Are there proverbs your family has passed down to you or you have picked up from your friends? (“If life hands you lemons, make lemonade.”)

·       Center for Progressive Christianity 8 Points:

·       By calling ourselves progressive, we mean we are Christians who…

1.  Believe that following the path and teachings of Jesus can lead to an awareness and experience of the Sacred and the Oneness and Unity of all life;

2.  Affirm that the teachings of Jesus provide but one of many ways to experience the Sacredness and Oneness of life, and that we can draw from diverse sources of wisdom in our spiritual journey;

3.  Seek community that is inclusive of ALL people, including but not limited to:

·       Conventional Christians and questioning skeptics,

·       Believers and agnostics,

·       Women and men,

·       Those of all sexual orientations and gender identities,

·       Those of all classes and abilities;

4.  Know that the way we behave towards one another is the fullest expression of what we believe;

5.  Find grace in the search for understanding and believe there is more value in questioning than in absolutes;

6.  Strive for peace and justice among all people;

7.  Strive to protect and restore the integrity of our Earth;

8.  Commit to a path of life-long learning, compassion, and selfless love.

·       The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz

o   1. Be Impeccable with your Word: Speak with integrity. Say only what you mean. Avoid using the Word to speak against yourself or to gossip about others. Use the power of your Word in the direction of truth and love.

o   2. Don’t Take Anything Personally
Nothing others do is because of you. What others say and do is a projection of their own reality, their own dream. When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won’t be the victim of needless suffering.

o   3. Don’t Make Assumptions
Find the courage to ask questions and to express what you really want. Communicate with others as clearly as you can to avoid misunderstandings, sadness and drama. With just this one agreement, you can completely transform your life.

o   4. Always Do Your Best
Your best is going to change from moment to moment; it will be different when you are healthy as opposed to sick. Under any circumstance, simply do your best, and you will avoid self-judgment, self-abuse, and regret.

·       What agreements have you made in your life, good or bad?

·       Gospel Reading:

• Thomas wrongfully labeled as “Doubting Thomas” over history. He was called “the twin”, a foil of Jesus.
• It is important to doubt on the journey of faith. That is how we grow.
• In telling Thomas “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe,” Jesus is elevating truth over facts. The resurrection serves us in truth, not in absolute facts. This is the downfall of fundamentalism.
• Jesus doesn’t refuse to show Thomas his wounds; he just uses the dialogue to demonstrate the importance of meaning making and the holy Spirit after he was gone.
• Breathed the holy Spirit on them (Pentecost-like moment).
• What we believe matters, not because there is one doctrine that gets us into heaven, but because our beliefs/agreements form our lives. John ends the reading by pointing out that he wrote these things to induce belief that causes LIFE. (As Jesus said, “I come that you may have life and have it abundantly.”)

·       Hebrews 11:1 “To have faith is to be sure of the things we hope for, to be certain of the things we cannot see.”

·       Do we really trust God with our future? Do we trust ourselves to listen closely enough to Spirit to do what we are called to do?