G
Gene Poole
Guest
TO PROCLAIM JESUS, CRUCIFIED AND RISEN, OUR JUDGE AND OUR HOPE
A Sermon based on the Statement of Faith of the United Church of Canada
by Avena A. Ward
St. Pauls United Church of Christ
August 20, 2006
Texts: Romans 8:28, 31-37; John 3: 16-21
As I was meditating on the Statement of Faith for this weeks sermon I
recalled a scene from the movie, Amistad, that occurs in a jail cell. Some
of our Congregationalist forebears had presented Bibles to a group of
Africans. These Africans were in jail having been charged with stealing a
Portugese slave ship. The Africans who had been destined to be sold into
slavery were unable to read the English text of the Bible. But one of
them is inspired by the pictures. Some of the pictures show Jesus, being
tortured and killed. Others show Jesus ascending into heaven, being
welcomed by a benevolent Father figure. The captive Sengbe Pieh,
speculates that this god of the white peoples Bible might be able to
relate to his experience of captivity and imprisonment. This Jesus son of
a powerful and loving father might be the kind of god who would come to
the aid of the unjustly accused. And so ... a bond of trust forms between
Sengbe and certain Congregationalists missionaries, who then support the
captives in mounting a defense in court.
This scene illustrates the essence of this weeks line in the Statement of
Faith God calls us to be the church ...to proclaim Jesus, crucified and
risen, our judge and our hope. Its a simple phrase that neatly weaves
together some familiar elements of our Christian faith. Theologians have
written volumes about each of these elements. But our task today is to
look at them as they are put together here, to examine consciously what we
often repeat unconsciously.
Our task is to proclaim... To proclaim means to indicate conspicuously, to
make plain. Were called to make known Jesus as the central figure in our
Christian faith and identity. Not Jesus Christ. There are no modifiers
that would identify Jesus as the fulfillment of the messianic hopes of the
Jewish people. Nothing that identifies him as divine. It seems odd, but
worth noting that the framers of this Statement of Faith put forth just
plain Jesus. Not rabbi, or ethical teacher, or prophet, or healer, either.
There is no reference to Jesus works: his wise teachings, his remarkable
deeds of healing and forgiveness, his challenging of authority, his
welcoming outcasts and sinners at his table. We move directly from naming
just plain Jesus fully human to his death on the cross.
We are called to be the church ... to tell the world about Jesus
crucified. Wouldnt it be easier if we didnt have to begin with this
stumbling block? Didnt have to explain why Jesus was rejected by those he
came to save? Why he was betrayed by one of his own disciples? Why if you
believe it why God let his own son be executed as a common criminal by
the Roman Empire?
For me, and I suspect for some of you, the fact that Jesus died is less
disturbing than the way he died. It is one of the least attractive and
most embarrassing parts of Christianity. (Could that be why Good Friday is
one of the least popular services of the Christian year? )
Could it be that Jesus ... crucified ... repels us because of the gory
violence of it? As I wrestled with this question I couldnt escape the
notion that Jesus, crucified, calls us to look at the violence that is
part of our human condition. A part that we dont like to see, much less
talk about. Jesus, on the cross, placed between two other condemned men
calls our attention to the sad state of the least and the lost among us.
If we gaze at Jesus, crucified, long enough, we see past Jesus to the
presence of violence in our world. It is inescapable. In the domestic
sphere partners batter partners, and adults abuse children. In the social
and economic spheres competition is glorified even if it means doing
violence to others. In the political sphere, nations settle differences
with guns and bombs. The images of the dead and injured in Israel and
Lebanon are still very fresh. Whether we like it or not, violence seems to
be a structural element of our political, social and domestic life.
Jesus death by crucifixion means to disturb that structure. In life, Jesus
announced Gods forgiveness to sinners, blessings to the poor, and welcome
to outcasts and strangers. Jesus called people to repentance and announced
the possibility of a new way of life characterized by love of God and
others. All very good and righteous principles to consider. But in death
Jesus exposed the violence that we reach for when our programs for
happiness are frustrated and threatened. As John implies in the reading
for today, Jesus came into the world to shed light on the abject evil and
injustice of settling our differences with violence. That leaves us in
darkness and leads to death.
Liberation theology which is God talk done by the least powerful in
society claims that Jesus died in the way he did in order to enter into
solidarity with victims of violence. Jesus died as a common criminal in
order to offer a new way of living in the midst of a world where neither
power nor resources are equally distributed. The cross then becomes the
symbol of a way for people to confront the violence of unjust structures
with the nonviolent love of God. The crucifixion shows that, through
Jesus, God offers an alternative to crosses and gallows and electric
chairs and bombs.
Jesus crucified sheds light on the deadly cycle of violence that only
begets violence. In the light of the cross, the hold of violence can be
broken, making room for truth to be told, for compassion and
reconciliation to begin. Looking at it this way, Jesus gruesome execution
as a common criminal is not senseless. It is God working Gods purpose out
for the least among us, as well as those with power. Because the powerful
are condemned by the deadly cycle as surely as the powerless.
So ... We are called to proclaim Jesus crucified and risen. As a church we
seem much more comfortable celebrating the resurrection than the
crucifixion. We celebrate the risen Christ with gusto. With trumpets and
flowers, new dresses and big, once-a-year special offerings. We come to
church in unprecedented numbers on to the high point of the Christian
year Easter.
Unlike the first disciples who hid in a locked room for fear, we arent
afraid or embarrassed to proclaim Jesus, risen. We glory in the notion of
God raising Jesus from the dead. Of Jesus walking among us, using us to be
his emissaries in the world. But, the resurrection gets its liberating
power from the horror of the crucifixion. We cant have the light without
the darkness.
God calls us to be the church ... to proclaim Jesus, crucified and risen,
our judge and our hope. Just as we find Jesus crucified difficult to
understand and embrace, so, too, wed like to forget about the idea of
Jesus as judge. Perhaps thats because some of us grew up associating
judgment with a harsh God, who casts sinners into a fiery hell. Last fall,
when a group of Baptist students visited the church with the DePaul School
of New Learning, they asked me what I preached about sin and Gods judgment
I had to say, very little. I much prefer to proclaim Gods inclusive love
and acceptance in the here and now, I told them. But judgment is paired
with hope in our Statement of Faith. I suppose thats because its there in
the scriptures, right next to the verses we love so much. The ones that
tell of Gods love.
Johns gospel goes from God so loved the world ... [to] and this is the
judgment in just three verses. But the judgement John refers to here is
not St. Peter at the pearly gates, reading from a record book of sins, and
pointing the way up or down. It is the judgment of a search light
illuminating the darkness. John says, This is the judgement: the people
loved darkness ... because their deeds were evil. For those who do evil
hate the light and do not come to it so that their deeds will not be
exposed.
Jesus crucified and risen is light in the darkness. Through Jesus, fully
human, God issues an inclusive invitation for all the world to come to the
light! The choice is ours. It is not God who turns us away. Its we who
refuse the invitation to bring ourselves into the light.
And here is the grace judgment is paired with hope. Our hope is stated
clearly in the first chapter of the gospel of John: The light has come
into the world and the darkness did not overcome it. Jesus, crucified and
risen, is confirmation that death will not have the last word, that
violence will not win, that Gods light cannot and will not be extinguished
by the worst that humans can do. Through Jesus, God holds out hope of new
life. And that hope is never withdrawn. Proclaiming Jesus his life, his
death and his resurrection we see the path we have to walk. And we gain
access to the courage and strength it takes to seek justice and to resist
evil. To love and serve others.
Returning to the story of the Amistad, ... in the end, the African
captives won their freedom in court with the help of Congregationalist
Christians our forebears who proclaimed their faith in a God who took on
flesh and lived among us as Jesus. Who submitted to the worst violence
that humans could dish out. And, who conquered death so that all people
might have hope and freedom.
Our Congregationalists forebears held fast to that which they saw as good.
And they werent afraid to proclaim it. This is our inheritance. And this
we can proclaim.
Amen.
--
Faithfully,
Gene Poole
http://grace.break.at
God is still speaking
http://www.stillspeaking.com
=============
Remove your hat to e-mail me.
A Sermon based on the Statement of Faith of the United Church of Canada
by Avena A. Ward
St. Pauls United Church of Christ
August 20, 2006
Texts: Romans 8:28, 31-37; John 3: 16-21
As I was meditating on the Statement of Faith for this weeks sermon I
recalled a scene from the movie, Amistad, that occurs in a jail cell. Some
of our Congregationalist forebears had presented Bibles to a group of
Africans. These Africans were in jail having been charged with stealing a
Portugese slave ship. The Africans who had been destined to be sold into
slavery were unable to read the English text of the Bible. But one of
them is inspired by the pictures. Some of the pictures show Jesus, being
tortured and killed. Others show Jesus ascending into heaven, being
welcomed by a benevolent Father figure. The captive Sengbe Pieh,
speculates that this god of the white peoples Bible might be able to
relate to his experience of captivity and imprisonment. This Jesus son of
a powerful and loving father might be the kind of god who would come to
the aid of the unjustly accused. And so ... a bond of trust forms between
Sengbe and certain Congregationalists missionaries, who then support the
captives in mounting a defense in court.
This scene illustrates the essence of this weeks line in the Statement of
Faith God calls us to be the church ...to proclaim Jesus, crucified and
risen, our judge and our hope. Its a simple phrase that neatly weaves
together some familiar elements of our Christian faith. Theologians have
written volumes about each of these elements. But our task today is to
look at them as they are put together here, to examine consciously what we
often repeat unconsciously.
Our task is to proclaim... To proclaim means to indicate conspicuously, to
make plain. Were called to make known Jesus as the central figure in our
Christian faith and identity. Not Jesus Christ. There are no modifiers
that would identify Jesus as the fulfillment of the messianic hopes of the
Jewish people. Nothing that identifies him as divine. It seems odd, but
worth noting that the framers of this Statement of Faith put forth just
plain Jesus. Not rabbi, or ethical teacher, or prophet, or healer, either.
There is no reference to Jesus works: his wise teachings, his remarkable
deeds of healing and forgiveness, his challenging of authority, his
welcoming outcasts and sinners at his table. We move directly from naming
just plain Jesus fully human to his death on the cross.
We are called to be the church ... to tell the world about Jesus
crucified. Wouldnt it be easier if we didnt have to begin with this
stumbling block? Didnt have to explain why Jesus was rejected by those he
came to save? Why he was betrayed by one of his own disciples? Why if you
believe it why God let his own son be executed as a common criminal by
the Roman Empire?
For me, and I suspect for some of you, the fact that Jesus died is less
disturbing than the way he died. It is one of the least attractive and
most embarrassing parts of Christianity. (Could that be why Good Friday is
one of the least popular services of the Christian year? )
Could it be that Jesus ... crucified ... repels us because of the gory
violence of it? As I wrestled with this question I couldnt escape the
notion that Jesus, crucified, calls us to look at the violence that is
part of our human condition. A part that we dont like to see, much less
talk about. Jesus, on the cross, placed between two other condemned men
calls our attention to the sad state of the least and the lost among us.
If we gaze at Jesus, crucified, long enough, we see past Jesus to the
presence of violence in our world. It is inescapable. In the domestic
sphere partners batter partners, and adults abuse children. In the social
and economic spheres competition is glorified even if it means doing
violence to others. In the political sphere, nations settle differences
with guns and bombs. The images of the dead and injured in Israel and
Lebanon are still very fresh. Whether we like it or not, violence seems to
be a structural element of our political, social and domestic life.
Jesus death by crucifixion means to disturb that structure. In life, Jesus
announced Gods forgiveness to sinners, blessings to the poor, and welcome
to outcasts and strangers. Jesus called people to repentance and announced
the possibility of a new way of life characterized by love of God and
others. All very good and righteous principles to consider. But in death
Jesus exposed the violence that we reach for when our programs for
happiness are frustrated and threatened. As John implies in the reading
for today, Jesus came into the world to shed light on the abject evil and
injustice of settling our differences with violence. That leaves us in
darkness and leads to death.
Liberation theology which is God talk done by the least powerful in
society claims that Jesus died in the way he did in order to enter into
solidarity with victims of violence. Jesus died as a common criminal in
order to offer a new way of living in the midst of a world where neither
power nor resources are equally distributed. The cross then becomes the
symbol of a way for people to confront the violence of unjust structures
with the nonviolent love of God. The crucifixion shows that, through
Jesus, God offers an alternative to crosses and gallows and electric
chairs and bombs.
Jesus crucified sheds light on the deadly cycle of violence that only
begets violence. In the light of the cross, the hold of violence can be
broken, making room for truth to be told, for compassion and
reconciliation to begin. Looking at it this way, Jesus gruesome execution
as a common criminal is not senseless. It is God working Gods purpose out
for the least among us, as well as those with power. Because the powerful
are condemned by the deadly cycle as surely as the powerless.
So ... We are called to proclaim Jesus crucified and risen. As a church we
seem much more comfortable celebrating the resurrection than the
crucifixion. We celebrate the risen Christ with gusto. With trumpets and
flowers, new dresses and big, once-a-year special offerings. We come to
church in unprecedented numbers on to the high point of the Christian
year Easter.
Unlike the first disciples who hid in a locked room for fear, we arent
afraid or embarrassed to proclaim Jesus, risen. We glory in the notion of
God raising Jesus from the dead. Of Jesus walking among us, using us to be
his emissaries in the world. But, the resurrection gets its liberating
power from the horror of the crucifixion. We cant have the light without
the darkness.
God calls us to be the church ... to proclaim Jesus, crucified and risen,
our judge and our hope. Just as we find Jesus crucified difficult to
understand and embrace, so, too, wed like to forget about the idea of
Jesus as judge. Perhaps thats because some of us grew up associating
judgment with a harsh God, who casts sinners into a fiery hell. Last fall,
when a group of Baptist students visited the church with the DePaul School
of New Learning, they asked me what I preached about sin and Gods judgment
I had to say, very little. I much prefer to proclaim Gods inclusive love
and acceptance in the here and now, I told them. But judgment is paired
with hope in our Statement of Faith. I suppose thats because its there in
the scriptures, right next to the verses we love so much. The ones that
tell of Gods love.
Johns gospel goes from God so loved the world ... [to] and this is the
judgment in just three verses. But the judgement John refers to here is
not St. Peter at the pearly gates, reading from a record book of sins, and
pointing the way up or down. It is the judgment of a search light
illuminating the darkness. John says, This is the judgement: the people
loved darkness ... because their deeds were evil. For those who do evil
hate the light and do not come to it so that their deeds will not be
exposed.
Jesus crucified and risen is light in the darkness. Through Jesus, fully
human, God issues an inclusive invitation for all the world to come to the
light! The choice is ours. It is not God who turns us away. Its we who
refuse the invitation to bring ourselves into the light.
And here is the grace judgment is paired with hope. Our hope is stated
clearly in the first chapter of the gospel of John: The light has come
into the world and the darkness did not overcome it. Jesus, crucified and
risen, is confirmation that death will not have the last word, that
violence will not win, that Gods light cannot and will not be extinguished
by the worst that humans can do. Through Jesus, God holds out hope of new
life. And that hope is never withdrawn. Proclaiming Jesus his life, his
death and his resurrection we see the path we have to walk. And we gain
access to the courage and strength it takes to seek justice and to resist
evil. To love and serve others.
Returning to the story of the Amistad, ... in the end, the African
captives won their freedom in court with the help of Congregationalist
Christians our forebears who proclaimed their faith in a God who took on
flesh and lived among us as Jesus. Who submitted to the worst violence
that humans could dish out. And, who conquered death so that all people
might have hope and freedom.
Our Congregationalists forebears held fast to that which they saw as good.
And they werent afraid to proclaim it. This is our inheritance. And this
we can proclaim.
Amen.
--
Faithfully,
Gene Poole
http://grace.break.at
God is still speaking
http://www.stillspeaking.com
=============
Remove your hat to e-mail me.
