“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.
