Be Prepared

“Be Prepared”

Sermon for MCC New Haven

November 9, 2014

Rev. Brian Hutchison, M.Div.

A Reading from the Wisdom of Ernest Holmes:
We believe in God, the living Spirit Almighty; one, indestructible, absolute, and self-existent Cause. This One manifests Itself in and through all creation, but is not absorbed by Its creation. The manifest universe is the body of God; it is the logical and necessary outcome of the infinite self-knowingness of God.

We believe in the incarnation of the Spirit in us, and that all people are incarnations of the One Spirit. We believe in the eternality, the immortality, and the continuity of the individual soul, forever and ever expanding. We believe that Heaven is within us, and that we experience It to the degree that we become conscious of It.

Matthew 25:1-13

         If you’ve seen the movie Bridesmaids, you know how ridiculous wedding planning can be. The movie plays up the rivalry of bridesmaids. They try to outdo each other in impressing their friend- the bride to be. They plan a fancy vacation in Paris for the bachelorette party, following the direction of the richest and most arrogant bridesmaid. Also under her direction, they try on the most expensive dresses, though the other girls can’t nearly pay for one. I won’t ruin the movie for you if you haven’t seen it (which you will immediately go and do this afternoon), but the point is that events like weddings can cause rivalry.

         I’m glad that I am not seeing that kind of culture with same sex weddings. This past week, my clergy colleagues in St. Louis, Missouri were finally able to marry same-sex couples when it became legal. They went to the courthouse and married anyone who came to them. No multi-thousand dollar productions; just two people standing together promising to love and take care of each other (and of course bind together financially in the eyes of the law… Don’t take marriage lightly!). These simple ceremonies are to me in some ways more beautiful than a big production. I have been blessed with the opportunity to perform many myself.

         In Jesus’ parable that we heard today from the Gospel of Matthew, there is a little bit of rivalry going on among the bridesmaids. There are ten of them- five of which brought enough oil to put in their lamps to keep vigil for the groom’s arrival, and five that did not bring enough oil. Imagine, they are at the place where the groom is supposed to arrive. They’re all dolled up in their wedding attire. They’re doing their job, which in that time was to show the beauty of virginity.

         They all wait for the groom to arrive. Who knows where the bride is; she isn’t even mentioned in the story! They wait until late at night and all fall asleep. Of course, the groom finally shows up at midnight (rude). Now here comes the conflict. The five maids without enough oil beg the other five maids to give them some. You might think Jesus would say that they were kind and shared their oil, but NO, they said, “Go buy your own!” So they ran to go buy more oil. When they get back, the door is closed. They holler at the door, “Open up!” But… here it comes… the groom says, “I don’t know you!” The end… I don’t know about you, but I feel bad for those poor girls. I don’t know why they didn’t have enough oil, but maybe they couldn’t afford it. Maybe like in the movie Bridesmaids, the rich push the poor away from the bride. We’ll never know, but I can at least indulge my imagination.

         After the story is finished, Jesus gives the moral of the story: Keep alert because you don’t know the day or the hour. Our modern translations say, “Keep alert” or “Watch out,” but the best translation of this Greek word gregoreo is “Be prepared.” I was a Boy Scout, and our motto was “Be Prepared.” For us, it meant to bring the right stuff when we went camping. For some fundamentalist Christians, it means “Watch out for Jesus at all times because he could be coming in the sky at any moment, so don’t get caught doing something naughty.” Or in the words of the popular bumper sticker, “Jesus is coming. Look busy.” For so-called Doomsday Preppers, “Be Prepared” means spending lots of money making underground bomb shelters loaded with food, guns, ammo, and who knows what else. They want to make sure they are ready to defend themselves when the end of the world comes because… you know it’s coming!

         People have been talking about the end of the world for millennia. As soon as a natural disaster, a plague, or a war happens, it may seem like the end of the world. But in reality, it’s just another challenge to humanity. All of these end-times theories are just fear-based means of controlling people. And I don’t know about you, but I don’t like being unnecessarily afraid and I don’t like being controlled by oppressors.

         There are other ways for us to interpret the Parable of the Ten Bridesmaids. The message does not need to be: “Prepare for the end of the world or Jesus will shut the door in your face.” Rather, I think the message for us today is “Be prepared for those holy moments when God is ready to work good in your life. Don’t miss out!”

         The way I read this parable, there were only five bridesmaids. The maids who had plenty of oil ready represent our best, highest selves. This self lives out Jesus’ commandment to love God and others with our whole being day in and day out. This self uses mistakes to become wiser. This self associates with the outcasts of society- the queerest of the queer. This self takes gratitude for each moment of living. This self forgives self and others. This self gives generously. All of these things are the oil carried for the journey. 2 Corinthians 4:7-9 says, “But we have this treasure in clay jars, so that it may be made clear that this extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed…” See, we have this precious oil stored within us as if in clay jars. We did not make it or earn it. Rather, it is a free gift of God’s grace. And as the scripture tells us, it will get us through a living hell. This precious oil is given for the anointing of our weary souls. Isn’t that amazing?

         For me, the other five bridesmaids represent the ego. The ego is the self that we make up from childhood in order to defend ourselves from a harsh world. The ego is selfish. It likes to have pity parties. It tells us that the world is against us. It likes drama and competition. It likes to complicate everything. It confuses our priorities. It likes to judge everyone, including ourselves. It believes that punishment is justice. This is the self that Jesus shuts the door on. This is the self that cannot enter the Kin-dom of God, in this life or in the next. Its oil has run out.

         Being prepared means filling up with that precious oil so that we don’t miss out on the goodness of life. In the parable, the foolish maids ask the wise maids for some of their oil. It seems cruel, but they say, “No!” It now makes sense that we should say “No!” too. Don’t let the ego have any of your time or energy. God did not create the ego, so it does not deserve God’s precious gifts. We know what happens when the ego is given control of a person’s life; just look at last week’s election…

         You may feel powerless at times, like just one little person in this big world. But like a pebble thrown into a pond, you can create ripples of goodness in the world. It is not an easy decision, but it is the most important decision in life. Will you be prepared for the God-moments in life or will you miss out?

         Spiritual leader Iyanla Vanzant’s daughter Gemmia wrote a poem that describes what happens when you’re “prepared.”

“One day my soul just opened up and things started happenin'
things I can't quite explain
I mean
I cried and cried like never before
I cried tears of ten thousand mothers
I couldn't even feel anything because
I cried 'til I was numb.

One day my soul just opened up
I felt this overwhelming pride
what I was proud of
only God knows!
Like the pride of a hundred thousand fathers
basking in the glory of their newborn sons
I was grinnin' from ear to ear!

One day my soul just opened up
I started laughing and I laughed for what seemed like forever
wasn't nothin' particularly funny goin' on but I laughed anyhow
I laughed the joy of a million children playin' in the mud
I laughed 'til my sides ached
Oh God! It felt so good!

One day, my soul just opened up
There were revelations, annihilations, and resolutions
feelings of doubt and betrayal, vengeance and forgiveness
memories of things I'd seen and done before
of places I'd been, although I didn't know when
there were lives I'd lived
people I'd loved
battles I'd fought
victories I'd won
and wars I'd lost.

One day, my soul just opened up
and out poured all things
I'd been hiding and denying and living through
that had just happened moments before.

One day, my soul just opened up
and I decided I was good and ready!
I was good and ready to surrender my life to God.

So, with my soul wide open,
I sat down
wrote Her a note
and told her so.”

May we do so today as well. And so it is! Amen.

Queering Ethics

“Queering Ethics”

Sermon for MCC New Haven

October 5, 2014

Rev. Brian Hutchison, M.Div.

Exodus 20:1-17

Matthew 21:33-46

         Charlton Heston said unto the Israelites with a booming voice, “Woe unto thee O Israel. You have sinned a great sin in the sight of God. You are not worthy of these Ten Commandments. There is no freedom without the law. Who is on the Lord’s side, let him come to me. Blasphemers, idolaters: for this you shall drink bitter waters! God has set before you this day his laws of life, and good, and death, and evil. Those who will not live by the law shall die by the law!” Mr. Heston then threw the tablets of the Ten Commandments at the golden calf and they blew up, causing an earthquake, and the earth opened up, swallowing up the people. This 1956 movie called The Ten Commandments is how many of us think of the story.

         If you think this sounds dramatic, the 32^nd chapter of Exodus is actually more dramatic. As the story goes, Moses had been up on Mount Sinai for a long time and the people assumed that he would not return. So they decided to create a golden calf out of gold and worship it instead. God gets really mad and threatens to kill all the people. Moses convinces God that that’s not such a good idea. Then Moses goes back down the mountain, chastises the people, and throws the tablets to the foot of the mountain. He burns the golden calf, grounds it up, puts it in water, and makes the people drink it. Like Mr. Heston, Moses said, “Who is on the Lord’s side? Come to me!” The sons of Levi went to him. Moses instructed them to slay “brother, friend, and neighbor.” They killed about three thousand people. Moses then asks God’s forgiveness for the people. God promises to punish them and puts a plague on them. But, ya know, go ahead to the Promised Land.

         It’s not a glamorous or happy story. God is portrayed as moody, mean, fickle, jealous, and bloodthirsty. This is not the God that I was taught about in Sunday School. Perhaps that’s because the story would be rated “R,” not rated “G” or even “PG.” Instead of teaching the people a new way of being and relating in the world, Moses orders for many to be slaughtered. It seems kind of hypocritical when he had just brought down a set of commandments that includes, “Do not murder.”

         Even back then, thousands of years ago, the laws were not as cut and dry as ten simple sentences. The Book of Exodus lays out in great detail what each of the commandments meant for the people of Israel. There were many cultural specifics- things that applied only to the Hebrew people of that time and place. But as 21^st century Progressive Christians, we cannot apply the entirety of the Mosaic Law to our lives. It just doesn’t make sense, just as it doesn’t make sense for us to take scriptures like the Book of Leviticus literally. They were not written for us. The best we can do is take wisdom from them.

         I find it strange that some fundamentalist         Christians push for the Ten Commandments to be made into statues in front of courthouses and in public places. They claim that the Ten Commandments are the laws that all other laws should be based on. One problem with this claim is that our country is not a theocracy. There is no established religion of our country. We are free to practice whatever religion we choose. And if we choose to worship a golden calf, we will not be punished by the law of the land.

         So what should we think of the Ten Commandments? Do they matter to us today? I think they do matter for us, but only if we see them through the lens of our own experience. Today, we “queer” the text in order to uncover how it affects our faith.

The first commandment is to have no other gods before the God of Israel. As Christians, we follow the heritage of Jesus, who was a faithful Jew in his time. And so we claim to serve the same God Jesus served. We believe in one God, the Creator of the universe, who is the Greatest Good, Divine Love, and the Divine Mind. God is present in everyone and everything. Other faiths believe in many gods who have their own personalities and purposes, but our faith is monotheistic- that is, we believe in only one God who is the Ground of Being, the Source of Life. We do not demonize others for their beliefs, but we also stand firm in our own convictions.

The second commandment is to not make any idols. For us, this does not mean to stop making art. If you are taking a sculpting class, don’t worry; you don’t have to drop out. The sin of idolatry is about worshipping something other than God. Many things can be our idols: wealth, fame, celebrities, control, political principles, sexist or racist ideals, or even the Bible. Yes, many people worship the Bible, thinking that they are worshipping God. Egos want to be gods, but following the commandment means pointing instead to the One Great I AM. When we acknowledge that we did not create ourselves, the ego fades away.

The third commandment is to not take God’s name in vain. This is not about foul language. Though it is poor taste to do so, God will not punish you for saying “God damn” or “Jesus H. Christ.” For us, misusing God’s name means saying things about God or in God’s name that are unloving. For example, the Westboro Baptist Church misuses the name of God by saying that God hates particular groups. Televangelists misuse the name of God when they say that God sent natural disasters and diseases as punishment for sin. And since the name of God given to us in the Book of Exodus is “I AM,” we misuse the name of God whenever we say, “I am” followed by something unloving toward ourselves. Whenever we say, “I am worthless, I am bad, I am sinful, I am not worthy of love, I am shameful”, or any other negative thing, we are misusing the name of God.

The fourth commandment is to remember the Sabbath day and to treat it as holy. For us, this does not mean refraining from any work whatsoever on Sundays. The Sabbath is different for each person. We each need to take the time to commune with God. Having Christian faith is about listening to God more than we speak to God. It’s about letting go of the cares of the world to build trust in our loving God who takes care of us in all the ways we allow Her to. Sabbath time is essential to the Christian journey. Self-care is so important that it made it to the “top ten”!

The fifth commandment is to honor your parents. This does not mean that we have to agree with them all the time. We know that’s impossible even if we tried. In the LGBT community, our parents sometimes disown us, saying that our identities are evil. It would not be loving to ourselves to agree with them. We have many people we look up to as parental figures within our chosen families. We honor biological or chosen parents by loving them and taking care of them when they are sick.  We honor them by owning and sharing the wisdom they have to give us.

The sixth commandment is to not murder. Our society seems to be obsessed with murder. Many television shows glorify violence and killing. Children play video games in which they slaughter people. We teach that it is okay to kill in certain contexts, whether it is in war or through the death penalty. Should we never kill another human being? This is a very complex ethical question that we have been debating for millennia. The scripture that I think of in pondering this question is Matthew 26:52 where Jesus says, “Put your sword back in its place, for all who take the sword will die by the sword.”

The seventh commandment is to not commit adultery. In ancient times, this was a law against taking another man’s property. Since women were property in those times, having sex with another man’s wife was violating his property. In modern times, women are not property, though they are still often treated as such. Conservative Christians teach that sex is reserved for marriage between one man and for one woman. This ethic obviously does not work for us. So we must apply the question, “What does it mean to show love through sex?” If a person has agreed to not have sex outside of a two-person relationship, then that agreement should be honored. But if a married couple agrees to consensual sex with others, this is not adultery. Adultery is about using sex with others to hurt our partners. And that does not sound very loving.

The eighth commandment is to not steal. I have to question once again if this should be taken literally all of the time. If someone is starving in a society like ours where the rich have exponentially more than they need for survival, is it wrong for him or her to steal food for their family? Also, are corporations not stealing from people by hoarding money and getting tax cuts? We all work for what we have and should not have to worry about someone taking our belongings without consequences. But theft is much bigger than that. Continue to question who is being exploited and who is benefitting from exploitation in our world.

The ninth commandment is to not testify falsely against your neighbor. The extreme of this is to make someone face financial penalties or jail time by testifying in court that they are guilty when you know they are not. More commonly, we testify against neighbors when we spread gossip. Our tongues can be as sharp as swords. They can cut strangers, but they can also cut those who are closest to us. I’m okay with a commandment against misusing the word against others.

The tenth commandment is to not desire other people’s belongings. This seems strange to us in our culture because every commercial we see on television uses envy. We want that dress because so-and-so has it. We want that car because so-and-so drives it. We watch so-called “reality” TV shows about people with extravagant wealth. It’s not wrong to have nice things. But we must ask ourselves “Why do I want this thing?” If things foster relationship with others and with God, they are good. If the money would be better spent on helping others or on planning for a secure future, we should question our purchases. The writers of Exodus knew that humans tend to want more and better things. They knew that the desire for those things could get in the way of fostering relationships and community. So this one made it to the “top ten.” Be grateful for what you have and be mindful about where the fruits of your labor are going.

After analyzing all Ten Commandments, it seems that only three of them make sense for use in government: do not kill, do not steal, and do not bear false witness (perjury). The others are either personal matters or theological matters. So we have no business imposing these ancient laws onto our government. But we should hold onto their wisdom. And as Christians, we should view all of these things through what we call The Greatest Commandment. Jesus quoted the Hebrew Scriptures in saying “Love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength… and love your neighbor as yourself. All the law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments” (Matt. 22:37-40). This is the big picture of what it means to live out the Gospel of Jesus. It’s not about a legalistic religion of dos and don’ts. It’s rather about growing in faith by practicing the Greatest Commandment. We make many mistakes on the journey, but God’s grace is sufficient in our times of weakness. So don’t fear commandments; some preacher is not going to throw stone tablets at you. Keep calm and live in God’s love. Amen.

Miracles On The Margins

“Miracles On The Margins”

Sermon for MCC New Haven

August 17, 2014

Rev. Brian Hutchison, M.Div.

Matthew 15:21-28

A Reading from Where The Edge Gathers

by Bishop Yvette Flunder:

“In its effort to be inclusive the church often reaches out carefully to the margin. Radical inclusivity demands that we reach out to the farthest margin, intentionally, to give a clear message of welcome to everyone. Radical inclusivity recognizes, values, loves, and celebrates people on the margin. Jesus was himself from the edge of society with a ministry to those who were considered least. Jesus’ public ministry and associations were primarily with the poor, weak, outcast, foreigners, and prostitutes. Radical inclusivity practices and celebrates the Christian community outside of the dominant culture, believing that the realm of God includes the margins of society and is a perfect place for ministry. Marginalized people, now as in the time of Jesus’ earthly ministry, respond to a community of openness and inclusivity, where other people from the edge gather. Such an atmosphere welcomes people to feel safer to be who they are.”

         The human family has always been diverse. Each continent, region, nation, city, and town has its own traditions and worldviews that have evolved over the millennia. But no matter where a person may live at any given time and place, the human spirit always seeks to belong. We find easy belonging with those who are most like ourselves. As the saying goes, “Birds of a feather flock together.” In the United States today, we may have moved legally past slavery and so-called “separate but equal” Jim Crow Laws, but we are still a divided nation. We still follow our instinct to group with others like ourselves in order to feel normal. It takes an extra effort to break through those barriers of identity to create diverse community.

         We have seen this past week in Ferguson, Missouri how people are still struggling with issues of race and class. At face value, it appears to be a struggle between Black and White folks, something this nation knows all too well. Last Saturday around noon, 18-year-old Michael Brown was walking down the street with a friend and was confronted by a police officer. The details of the encounter are still being debated, but the fact we know is that the officer shot and killed Michael. Following news of the event, protests began in the streets, which led to riots and looting.

         This is not an isolated incident; police quarrel with people of color all the time. Poverty has led to crime (as it often does), which leads to conflict. Michael’s death was a watershed moment for the Ferguson community. The Black community’s frustration with police has overflowed. Those who are entrusted with protecting the people are now viewed as oppressors, as agents of injustice.

         Moderator of Metropolitan Community Churches, Rev. Elder Dr. Nancy Wilson responded to this tragic event with a call to continue fighting against racism. She urges us to not only examine our own consciences around our own prejudices, but also to take action in the form of nonviolent resistance and open dialogue. Rev. Nancy writes, “It is time for us to rise up -- not in violence but in creative non-violent action, which pulls back the curtain on the inherent violence of racism and race-based policing. We remember the words of Jesus and the words of almost every angel in the Bible who upset people's lives: "Fear not!" You can do this!

Be creative! Today, there are Freedom Schools springing up across this country. Be part of it! Today, there are foster homes in our churches that are opening up to the children crossing the border. Learn Spanish! Put yourself on the path of change. Speak out! Say "Hello" to someone who appears different from you. Start small, but think BIG! Organize! Start where you are. Work as a team. Just start!

Build a new heaven and a new earth. Use the power in your hands to build a better world that is full of creativity, love, learning, and fullness of life for all our children. Build this world with open hands so that the world belongs to everyone.”

         This kind of action is what it means to be church. We meet each Sunday to worship God with song and study and sacrament, but these are only symbols of how we are called to act in our broken world.

         Ironically in this week’s Gospel passage, we find an inter-racial dialogue. Jesus was a Jew and he encountered a syrophoenician woman on the road. She is not given a name in any of the Gospels, but we know that she is from a Gentile nation that did not worship the God of Israel. Jesus encounters her in the district of Tyre and Sidon. The name Tyre means “rock” and Sidon means “fishing.” So Jesus was not stuck between a rock and a hard place, but rather between a rock and a fish… As strange as this sounds, the choice between a rock and a fish has meaning for us.

         The syrophoenician woman’s daughter was ill and somehow she had heard that Jesus had the ability to heal. So she begs Jesus to help her daughter. The literal translation from Greek is that she “squawks” at him. She is making a ruckus, being annoying even. She is persistent in her protest. She will not leave until she receives her blessing.

First Jesus just ignores her, but then when the disciples ask Jesus to send her away, he responds to her. He does not ask her to go away. Instead, he says something blatantly disrespectful and derogatory. He says that God’s blessings are for God’s Jewish children, not for “dogs” like her. It was common in that time for Jewish authorities to call other races “dogs.” Jews did not keep dogs for pets in that time. Dogs were just scavengers on the streets that were accepted as an annoying part of life.

         Surprisingly, the woman does not slap Jesus across the face as many of us might do if we were called a slur. Instead, she challenges Jesus. She essentially says, “I may be a dog to you, but even the dogs get the leftovers from the table.” Her words stop Jesus in his tracks. Her bold act of faith changed Jesus’ mind. Not only did he heal the woman’s daughter; from that point forward Jesus would not withhold blessing from non-Jews.

         We don’t like seeing Jesus in this light because we are told that Jesus was perfect, sinless, and always did the right thing. But if there is ever an incidence of Jesus sinning, it is in the racism he showed in this passage. Jesus was a man who embodied the Divine Presence so much in his life that we call him The Anointed One of God, Christ, Messiah. But he was still a man. As we all do, Jesus grew up in a specific place and time. He grew up learning racism from his own people. His first reaction to the syrophoenician woman came from the way he had been socialized. But the miracle moment came when Jesus’ fear of the other (xenophobia) turned into love of the other. The two had a “Namaste” moment when she saw God in him and he saw God in her. It changed Jesus for the rest of his life. And it ultimately changed how the Christian church would embrace both Jews and Gentiles.

         Jesus had the choice between the rock- the seemingly solid knowledge of who should interact with whom, and the fish- casting out the net of the Gospel far and wide to include everyone. Jesus chose inclusivity over exclusivity; he chose love over racism.

         Bishop Yvette Flunder is the founder of the Fellowship of Affirming Ministries and is also an ordained minister in MCC. She wrote a wonderful book called Where the Edge Gathers and that is where our first reading today is from. Bishop Flunder helped to start a church in San Francisco called City of Refuge United Church of Christ. Coming from the Pentecostal tradition, she had a vision that queer folks of color needed a place for Christian worship, community, and service. City of Refuge has since bloomed into several vibrant communities.

The secret to their success is not making an exclusive group of LGBT people of color. Rather, their success is rooted in the value of what Bishop Flunder calls “radical inclusivity.” She saw the demographics of the queer people of the South of Market district of San Francisco: transgender women, sex workers, people struggling with addiction, and people living in poverty. Instead of creating an “us vs. them” community of the wealthy and more “normal” against the more marginalized, City of Refuge was created as a place where all marginalized people have access to all opportunities in the church.

Bishop Flunder did not shy away from the most marginalized. Instead, as Jesus did, she empowered them to have purpose in community. The result is a true reflection of what Jesus called the Kin-dom of God: diverse peoples working together to share the Unconditional Love of God.

We can learn a lot from Bishop Flunder’s vision of radical inclusivity. Instead of focusing on ministering with a wide range of people, we can be tempted to attract only those who can give a large tithe. We can be tempted to flock together and be content with having only one or two species of bird. But God’s call is so much larger than that. God calls us to boldly face the uncomfortable realities of racism and classism. We need to own the fact that in the words of the puppet musical Avenue Q, “Everyone’s a little bit racist sometimes!” We have all grown up in a racist society, so it is a part of us. But that does not mean that we cannot make progress on the road to healing. Jesus was transformed when he faced diversity, so in the Way of Christ, may we be ever transformed as well. We choose radical inclusivity! And so it is. Amen.

The Voice of Truth

“The Voice of Truth”

Sermon for MCC New Haven

August 10, 2014

Rev. Brian Hutchison, M.Div.

Romans 10:5-15

Matthew 14:22-33

         It may be August, but this week, A Charlie Brown Christmas from 1965 came to mind for me. Has everyone seen it before? There is a scene where Charlie Brown goes to see Lucy for “psychiatric help” at a booth she has set up. Lucy requests five cents in payment- in advance of course. Then, she begins trying to diagnose him. She says,

“Lucy: Are you afraid of responsibility? If you are, then you have hypengyophobia.

Charlie Brown: I don't think that's quite it.

Lucy: How about cats? If you're afraid of cats, you have ailurophasia.

Charlie Brown: Well, sort of, but I'm not sure.

Lucy: Are you afraid of staircases? If you are, then you have climacaphobia. Maybe you have thalassophobia. This is fear of the ocean, or gephyrobia, which is the fear of crossing bridges. Or maybe you have pantophobia. Do you think you have pantophobia?

Charlie Brown: What's pantophobia?

Lucy: The fear of everything.

Charlie Brown: THAT'S IT!”

Does anyone here have a phobia? I have a fear of heights and a fear of complete darkness. Anyone else?

In today’s Gospel reading, it may seem that as Lucy may suggest, that Peter has thalassophobia- fear of the ocean. But no, it was not the fear of the ocean or even aquaphobia- the fear of water or drowning that was the problem. I don’t want to belittle the reality of phobias because they are very real for people. They cause real trauma in peoples lives. I am not a psychiatric professional, so please don’t take anything I say today as psychiatric advice. But there is spiritual truth in the way that phobias are treated professionally. A common treatment is called Prolonged Exposure Therapy. In this therapy, people are slowly exposed to the thing they are afraid of over time. So if you have arachnophobia (the fear of spiders), a therapist may bring you a tiny spider in a cage. Over weeks or months, s/he would work you up to a tarantula to pet.

Again, I am not a psychiatric professional, but I would unofficially diagnose Peter with a fear of trusting people (unofficially known as pistanthrophobia). So maybe Peter needed an exercise in trust. It was very late at night, between 3 and 6am when Jesus came down from his prayers on the mountain and found the boat with the disciples far from land. A storm was brewing and the winds had picked up. So like you do, he walked on top of the water toward the boat. Hold on… what? I know Jesus is called the Son of God and all, but walking on water? That’s just showing off! What ever happened to humility? He couldn’t have waited until the storm let up and the disciples sailed back to shore?

People have put theories out about how Jesus walked on water, from the density of the water in that particular sea to using reeds on his feet to walk across. They miss the point completely. I don’t care if Jesus literally walked on water or not. A magic trick is not going to make me believe the gospel. But the truth behind this story does.

Jesus had sent the disciples ahead of him, just as the risen Christ would later send the disciples out into the world without his bodily presence. Inevitably, things around them became difficult. We have some storms in our lives, amen? We even name those storms after our exes: Tropical Storm Trina, Hurricane Henry, Tornado Trudy… The winds pick up and your life starts to rock back and forth. The electric bill hits the left side, the mortgage payment hits the right side, the wave of health problems washes over the port, the rain of depression falls down on you from the sky. You’re in the midst of it and think, “Am I on Noah’s Ark??”

Life can sometimes feel this way, overwhelmed by everything around us. But Jesus comes in the midst of the storm to deliver us. When the disciples saw Jesus walking on the water, they were now not only afraid of the storm, but also afraid of the ghost coming toward them. But Jesus gives them the affirmation they need: “Take courage, it’s me; don’t be afraid.” In the midst of our storms, Christ comes to us in the form of other people. It may be a friend or family member, a true psychiatric professional, or even a stranger. Their words may not calm the storm around you, but their words and presence give you enough courage to reach out for help.

The next part of the story is where it gets tricky. It wasn’t Jesus’ idea for Peter to try walking on water. Peter gets that bright idea himself. So he starts walking out on the water, but as soon as he notices how bad the storm is, he starts sinking. It’s actually kind of comical. Jesus had given Simon the name “Peter” (Petros), meaning “rock” or “stone” in Greek. So as rocks do, Peter sank. Sometimes we step out in faith, either giving ourselves too much responsibility or giving God too much responsibility. We can’t bear the storm alone, so we need God to help us through. But we also can’t sit back doing nothing and allow God to do all the work. Our faith journey is a two-way connection; it is a relationship. We co-create our lives with God.

Peter cries out for help and of course Jesus pulls him back up. Jesus then asks the question, “Why did you doubt?” The word for doubt here in Greek is “distazo,” meaning “indecisive.” So Jesus is asking, “Why can’t you make a decision?” Peter does not give an answer in the text. They return to the boat and the winds stop. The scripture leaves us with the same question: “Why can’t you make a decision?” Why can’t you decide to be happy? Why can’t you decide to be your best self? Why can’t you decide to stop worrying and start trusting that the storm will indeed end?

A Course In Miracles says this (5:III:19): “When [humanity] made the ego, God placed in [each person] the call to joy. This call is so strong that ego always dissolves at its sound. This why you can choose to listen to two voices within you. One you made yourself and that one is not of God. But the other is given you by God Who asks you only listen to it. The Holy Spirit is in you in a very literal sense. [Hers] is the Voice that calls you back to where you were before and will be again.”

Within our storms of struggle, the ego has a lot to say. It may say, “I’ll never make it through this. All of this is too much for me to bear. I deserve this punishment. I need someone to blame for this. Where is God now? I must be weak to be tossed like this.” But as the Course teaches us, the ego is not the only voice we hear. The Presence of Christ, as on the raging sea, is with us through the Holy Spirit within.

The Course continues (24-25), “The Voice for God is always quiet because it speaks for peace. Yet peace is stronger than war because it heals. War is division, not increase. No one gains from strife… The Holy Spirit is your Guide in choosing. [Spirit] is the part of your mind which always speaks for the right choice because [Spirit] speaks for God. [Spirit] is your remaining communication with God, which you can interrupt but cannot destroy.”  Remember that question Jesus asked Peter: “Why can’t you make a decision?” Here we find the answer. We too often listen to the ego instead of listening to the Spirit. We are taught from a young age that to mature and grow up, we need to be independent. We need to do things on our own. “Suck it up; you’re a big boy. Get over it; you’re a big girl.” We hold on to that mentality for life, forgetting that God calls us to be interdependent with others and with God.

We can’t face this world of illusions alone. Some of our troubles are real and others are just in our minds, but even the illusions seem very real to us. So we need the Voice of God in each other and the Voice of God within ourselves to silence the ego and heal our lives. A verse from our passage from Paul’s Letter to the church in Rome reminds us what we need to do in the midst of the storm: “Everyone who calls on the name of God shall be saved.” It doesn’t matter what the trouble is. Just call on the Voice of Truth within and trust that it will deliver you to inner peace and joy.

And also don’t forget- when your winds die down, someone else’s are still raging. As the Apostle Paul says, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” So don’t hide this truth like something that can be stolen from you. Spread the good news: the storm will end, God is here, and wherever God is, all is well. And so it is. Amen.

Wrestling With God

“Wrestling with God”

Sermon for MCC New Haven

August 3, 2014

Rev. Brian Hutchison, M.Div.

Genesis 32:22-31

Matthew 14:13-21

         They wrestled through the night, their bodies clinging close. Two men, divided only by sweat and tears. Neither would let go. They meant too much to each other. Perhaps they feared losing each other. And so they clung until the sun rose. One of them was even injured in the roughness of the wrestling. But he still did not let go. The sun rose and for the first time they saw each other in the light of day. The injured one told the other that he would not let him go unless he told him he was a good man. And so he did, and they parted ways.

         This homoerotic story is from the book of Genesis. Jacob is making his way with his family to a new life over the Jabbok river- a river that means “pouring out” in Hebrew. Jacob is distressed about his life, about the upcoming reunion with his brother Esau whom he had seriously wronged in the past. He doubted what he was doing with his life. So he finds himself wrestling with God in the middle of the night. The scripture does not tell us until the end of the story that it was God he was wrestling. The text tells us that it was a man and then somehow God, and Jewish tradition tells us it was an angel. But regardless of whatever it was, Jacob had some inner wrestling to do.

         Jacob had stolen his brother Esau’s birthright from their father. He knew it was not his to have. So he had to get a blessing of his own. He would not let go of the Divine until he got his blessing. The definition of “blessing” is to call something “good.” Jacob needed affirmation from God that he was indeed a good person. In the wrestling, Jacob is injured at the hip. Legend says he walked with a limp for the rest of his life. Jewish tradition said that no one could see the face of God and live. But the sun came up and Jacob saw the Peniel- the face of God. So he called that place Peniel.

         We have all had our own wrestles with God. We ask God why bad things happen in the world. We ask God why bad things happen to us when we have not done much wrong. We ask God what the meaning of this life is. And most times, God leads us to live in the questions rather than giving easy answers. That is what our faith is about- living the questions.

         When Jacob wrestled with God, God changed his name to Israel. Jacob means “heel-holder” because he held his twin brother’s heel as they were born. The name Jacob signified who he used to be- someone defined by others, a follower, not a leader. His new name, Israel, means, “God struggled.” This name would be a reminder for him and for the nation of Jewish people named after him that God struggled to show Israel and his people their infinite worth and goodness.

Transgender people often go through a process of changing their names. The old name represents a person that was not fully integrated, someone defined by others by a sex assigned at birth. The new name represents claiming a new life of authenticity. Trans folks of faith often wrestle with God, asking, “Why was I born with this body?” On the other side of the struggle, we in MCC affirm trans people as blessed children of God. We have a beautiful tradition of baptizing them with their new names even if they have been baptized before with a former name. Struggling with God is in MCC’s DNA, but we are a stubborn people and we will not let go without a blessing!

         I think I can safely assume that all of us here have literally wrestled through the night with another person. In our lovemaking, we leave our hearts open and vulnerable. We cling to each other to show our love, or at least to show another affection and make an intimate connection. And when the sun rises, we look over to our bedmate and see the imago dei- the image of God. We may choose to see just another human face, but the reality is that the face of God has bed head and sleep dirt and morning breath. Our consensual lovemaking is not dirty, perverted, sick, or sinful. Rather, it is a holy encounter. In accepting each other’s bodies, we bless them; we call them “good.” We see the face of God… and live.

         The scriptures do not tell us if Jesus ever had sex, but they do tell us that Jesus wrestled with God too. At the beginning of the reading from the Gospel of Matthew today, we immediately hear that Jesus withdraws when he hears that John the Baptist had been beheaded. Jesus had likely grown up with and studied with John in the desert before his public ministry. John was the one who baptized Jesus. John “prepared the way” for Jesus to be Deliverance for the people. And now he was gone, suddenly, just like that.

         Jesus must have been distraught. He may have asked God, “Why did you let my friend get executed?” So instead of reacting violently, he isolated himself. He needed some alone time. But as soon as people heard where Jesus was, they went to him. Instead of sending them away, Jesus redirects his energy with compassion by healing the sick.

         Then evening came and it was dinnertime. By then, thousands are said to have gathered. But not everyone thought to bring dinner. So Jesus demonstrates the power of choosing family by dividing and sharing bread and fish with everyone. It was a miracle because everyone was fed and there were even leftovers. But remember, miracles are not magic; they are changes in perception from fear to love. So the Jews and Gentiles who were afraid to eat with each other were given permission to make one big banquet. When everyone shared what they had in a great lakeside potluck supper, everyone was full. The loving act of sharing and eating together was the true miracle. This event was a snapshot of the Commonwealth of God, a new way of relating to the stranger.

         The Jews present had to wrestle with their understanding of God. They had been taught that Jews were God’s only chosen people and that they should not associate with non-Jews. But Jesus demonstrated that God’s blessing is open to all, that all are truly “good.” In the words of the 23^rd Psalm, “You prepare a table for me in the presence of my enemies.” But instead of preparing the banquet of bread and fish for just the Jews, he also prepared it for those who were supposed to be enemies. It is that act of transcending boundaries that is at the heart of the Gospel.

The Good News is that we all wrestle with God, and if we hold on long enough, we will be blessed. Jacob would not stop wrestling with God until he knew his inherent goodness. The crowds needed the same affirmation from Jesus. They needed physical food, but they also longed for spiritual food. We too must not let go until we know deep within our hearts and minds that we are blessed. When we wrestle with God, we don’t disrespect God; rather we honor God. So go ahead and wrestle through the darkness. The sun will always rise in the morning. Amen.

Unexpected Findings

“Unexpected Findings”

Homily for MCC New Haven

July 27, 2014

Rev. Brian Hutchison, M.Div.

Romans 8:26-39

Matthew 13:31-33, 44-46

This past week, I had the great opportunity of co-leading the MCC Young Adult Gathering in St. Louis, Missouri. A group of young adults (ages 18 to 35) from around the world gathered for a time of creative worship, inspiring discussion, learning, bonding, doing a service project together, and dreaming for the future. We did a powerful exercise together where we looked into ourselves to discern our current “spiritual location” as well as how God is calling each of us to serve. We received the gift of centering our lives in our common call that we have as the present and future of our denomination.

At times we wonder about our relevance in a world where the meaning of religious experience is constantly changing and where LGBT culture often dismisses anything called “church.” What I experienced at the young adult gathering reminded me of the bright future that we hold. We are not a large denomination. Our churches do not fill stadiums. But like the mustard seed, what comes from our presence and ministry in the world is larger than we can imagine. The smallest seed turns into a large mustard herb.

Jesus spoke often in the Gospels about the Kingdom (Commonwealth, Realm, Dominion) of God. He was not talking about a far-off place where we would someday go if we were good (like parents telling kids they can go to Disney World if they’re good enough). Yes, Jesus did talk about eternal life after death. As Christians, we believe that our loved ones have gone on to live in the fullness of God’s presence. The whole company of heaven watches over us day and night. But the Commonwealth of God is not the afterlife. Rather, it is heaven on earth. Jesus was concerned about spreading the Good News that it is indeed possible to (in the words of Rev. Dr. Durrell Watkins) “have peace without going to pieces”. For Jesus, despair was not an option. After all, a life of despair is not really a life at all.

Do you or those you know ever have times when you feel like there is nothing left for you to do or be in this life? I know I have my times of doubt when I feel “stuck.” Sometimes I can only see what’s right in front of my face. I lose imagination on what wonderful things lay ahead on the path. Jesus gives us reason to keep moving forward. He says that the Commonwealth of Heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field. Upon finding the treasure, a man sells all that he has and buys the field. Upon finding the purpose of God in your life, all else falls to the wayside. Nothing else matters because this reason for living has been found. Jesus also spoke about a merchant who found one pearl of great value. He sold everything he had to buy it. Again, for this one gift of being able to live the Gospel, everything else loses importance.

The problem we face with this image is that some choose to be so hyper-religious that they forget that the Gospel is about loving and compassionate community. We too often forget that the Gospel (like the Sabbath) is for the people and is in fact the people. We are the living Gospel, each a priceless pearl. The irony of the search for truth is that the treasure of truth was within us all along. We look high and low outside of ourselves for some meaning when God is always right where we are.

The Apostle Paul preached the same message. The Christ-followers of Rome were discouraged because the Empire was trying to eliminate them. Perhaps they fell into despair, wondering what they were even fighting for anymore. So Paul sends them some encouraging words. The eighth chapter of Romans is one of my favorite chapters in the entire Bible. Paul writes that the Spirit of God helps us to center in the Divine Presence when we feel weak. God’s breath sneaks through the cracks of the closed doors of our hearts and blows out the stale air. Sometimes the only prayer we can muster is a groan or a sigh. That wordless expression is God’s Spirit moving within us to foster connection again. The result, Paul says, is that things will start working together for us. We are called for God’s purpose of love, and it is in remembering that truth that we begin to live again.

And when we lift our heads again and see the troubles of the world, we do not need to fear or worry. Because if God is for us, who can be against us? Some take this passage to mean that Christians are supposed to be spiritual soldiers, fighting for so-called “morality” and fighting against people of other faiths. Quite to the contrary, if God is for those of us struggling on the margins of society to live out lives of God’s love, then oppression cannot take us down. Paul says, “I am convinced…” Not “I think… probably… um… that…” No- Paul is convinced that NOTHING can separate us from the love of God. If there’s anything that I would encourage you to be absolutely convinced of, it is that right where you are, God is, and God loves you unconditionally.

Can racism or sexism separate us from the love of God? NO! Can heterosupremacy or homophobia or transphobia separate us from the love of God? NO! Can poverty and violence? NO! Can being hurt or deserted by loved ones? NO! No Matter what happens to us in this life, absolutely nothing can separate us from the love of God. Even your own mistakes and loveless acts cannot separate you from God’s permeating love. God never withdraws love from us. If we don’t feel it, it’s because of the barriers our egos have put up in order to feel in control.

The question we are left with is what we are willing to give up in order to allow God to lead us into our individual callings and into our calling together as Beloved Community. Can you give up worry about your life and about the church? Can you give up resentment toward people? Can you give up the story you have always told yourself about how life should be?

It is time to break down the barriers to the future. We have the tools, we have the hope, and we have the passion. We no longer affirm the presence of negativity, stress, or worry in our lives. They are not treasures to be valued. The true treasures are a strong love for God and yourself, which is lived out in community. We think we are just a small mustard seed of a community, but trust God that God is extending our branches out as a home for sojourners. And so it is. Amen.

Wholly, Fully, Live

 “Wholly, Fully, Live.”

Sermon for MCC New Haven

April 27, 2014

Rev. Brian Hutchison, M.Div.

Psalm 16

John 20:19-31

Faith… is NOT the opposite of doubt. If faith has an opposite, it is non-belief, but why set belief and non-belief against each other? Faith is a continuum, and it cannot be quantified. We cannot measure one person’s faith over another’s. Doubt is a healthy part of a life of faith. If we never doubt, we are foolishly following whatever brand of faith we subscribe to. If you remember the atrocities of cults such as Heaven’s Gate and Jim Jones’ The People’s Temple in Jonestown, you know what I mean. The Christian life consists of much more than following a charismatic leader. It has much to do with using the brain that God gave you.

The disciple Thomas has had a bad rap for a long time. Modern interpreters of today’s Gospel passage have labeled Thomas as “Doubting Thomas,” though the Gospels never label him as such. The word for “doubt” in Greek is not found in this passage. Yes, Thomas required feeling Jesus’ hands and side in order to believe that he had been resurrected and to believe that what Jesus had preached was true. But wouldn’t you?

Thomas was tardy to the party and missed out on Jesus’ visit to the other disciples, but Jesus made the extra effort to visit him personally so that he might believe. (Remember, when Mary told the other disciples that she had seen Jesus, none of them believed her). Jesus did not shame Thomas for not believing. He simply gave the message, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.” That one line reaches out to everyone in every time and place to make the message clear: you do not have to feel my body to know my Spirit. “Blessed are those who have not seen” does not mean, “Blessed are those with ‘blind faith’.” Rather, Jesus message is, “Blessed are those who will know me by my Spirit.”

Today’s Gospel message is like an early Pentecost. Luke writes in the Book of Acts about the day of Pentecost when the Christ-followers were gathered in the Upper Room and experience the Holy Spirit like the rush of a mighty wind and tongues of fire above their heads. That’s the way Luke described it. John, on the other hand, describes it as we heard today. The risen Christ breaths on those present and says, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” Imagine being one of those present on that day, taking a deep breath and being filled with Unconditional Love, Grace, and Peace.

That was not a one-time event, frozen in history. We do not have to experience a vision of Jesus in order to breathe in that breath. We just have to be willing to do the inner work required to clear the clutter and allow Spirit to make a home within. Yesterday, I took the plastic off of my windows and opened them after a long winter and allowed the fresh breeze to enter my home. The stale air left and fresh air blew through. Take a minute to think of what stale air you may be keeping in your spirit. What does not belong in your life in this season of new beginnings? What feelings are overdue to let go of?

Jesus’ disciples were locked up tight in a room in fear when Jesus appeared to them. They were in the closet! They were afraid of the religious authorities and thought they would live better hiding away to live a more private faith. But Jesus, even beyond the grave, comes and gives them exactly what they need to come out of the closet. He says simply, “Peace be with you,” in Hebrew, “Shalom Aleichem,” “Wellbeing Be Upon You.” Those simple words gave them the courage to leave that stuffy closet and enter the world again with the Good News.

You don’t have to be gay, bisexual, or transgender to come out of the closet. Life is full of closets! I have never been in a house with just one closet. There are many things we carry shame about unnecessarily. To name a few: being in recovery, being bisexual when you can easily pass for the cleaner categories of gay or straight, health statuses, family histories, relationship histories, job histories, and the list goes on. I’m not saying that we should put all of our dirty laundry out in public. I know that far too many people do that on social media like Facebook! What I am saying is that if we do not fully own who we are and who we have come to be through our life experiences, the shame will keep the Holy Spirit from making a home in our beings.

I’m talking about those “old tapes” that play in our heads. “If I had kept a better diet, I wouldn’t have diabetes,” “If I had stayed away from those people, I would not have become addicted to that drug,” “If I had been a better partner, the relationship would not have ended,” “If I hadn’t wasted my money, I wouldn’t be in debt,” “If I had used a condom, I wouldn’t have HIV,” “If I had come out earlier in life, I would have had a better experience.” We all have regrets, whether large or small. But in the words of the great musical RENT, “Forget regret, or life is yours to miss.”

I don’t think it’s news to anyone here, but you can’t change the past. Sometimes we have the wonderful opportunity to allow God to reform our futures from our regrets, but there is no such thing as time travel. The past is past, but the future has infinite possibilities! Turn the “what if” of the past into the “what if” of the future. “What if I lived a life of gratitude, living joy each day?,” “What if I went back to school and started doing what I always wanted to do in life?,” “What if I love myself enough that I will allow someone else to love me too?,” “What if I saw myself as God sees me: perfect, whole, and complete?”

Do you see the change in perception? Old patterns and cycles of pain do not need to continue. Nothing needs to bind you. Those chains? They aren’t real! They are a mirage, an illusion. That angry God you have heard about? He doesn’t exist. Those labels people put on you that you hate so much? They wash right off with the healing water of the Spirit.

On her most recent album, Rev. Delores Berry recorded an old gospel hymn from the Baptist tradition called “Old Time Religion.” It goes “Give me that old time religion… it’s good enough for me.” But Delores said, “I have come to realize, it’s not good enough for me!” So she changed the words and recorded, “Don’t give me that old time religion… it’s NOT good enough for me!” The old time religion is what had the disciples afraid and huddled together in that room. It wasn’t good enough for them, so Jesus liberated them from it. The same applies to us today. Whatever religious hang-ups you have that offend your spirit: let them go! Jesus gives you permission!

Without doubt like Thomas, we can’t have a living faith. Everything that I say on Sundays, I fully expect you to analyze with your God-given brain. And that goes for everything else you listen to and read as well, even and especially in your Bible. If something offends your spirit, take the time to look into it. Chew on it. If you swallow it and it doesn’t sit right, regurgitate it like a cow and chew it again! Don’t thoughtlessly swallow information and expect it to do you good.

Faith is about trust. It is an intimate and holy act. When we are intimate with lovers, we take our clothes off. We show our bodies in vulnerability. We show all of our beautiful scars, sags, wrinkles, and bumps. We also take the doors off of our closets to reveal their contents (and you know we like to pack those closets full!). Our souls stand vulnerable before those we love. That is trust. And just like Jesus, we invite those we love to touch our wounds. Jesus said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side.” Authentic loving relationship requires us to say the same to those closest to us. “Touch my wounds. See how I have been wounded.” The ego response would be, “Don’t touch me. You’ll never know what I’ve been through.”

Ironically, in the Gnostic Gospel of Thomas (not found in our Bibles), Jesus says, “When you undress without being ashamed, and you take your clothes and put them under your feet as little children and tramp on them, then you shall see the Son of the Living One and you shall not fear.” Jesus was the perfect, living example of Abundant Life for the disciples, and he is the same for us. Now, don’t go walking down Temple Street naked—You’ll get arrested. But when it comes to sharing our lives with our families of choice and when it comes to sharing our faith with those who need liberation, some vulnerability is required. And until we own our full selves, warts and all, we keep ourselves from those infinite possibilities.

Today, the risen Christ stands before us. And just as God breathed life over the waters of the deep and breathed life into the first creatures in the beginning, and just as God breathed life into the valley of dry bones in Ezekiel’s vision, and just as the risen Christ breathed the Holy Spirit on the disciples long ago, God breathes a breath of fresh air on us today. The wind is blowing. We cannot see where it comes from or where it goes, but we know it is there because we feel it. Take a deep breath and experience the fullness of joy and pleasures forevermore. They are God’s free gifts for us today. What a blessing! Amen.