The Rev. Dr. Harold S. Weicker
May 16, 2004
Readings:
Acts 14:8-18
or Joel 2:21-27
Revelation 21:22-22:5
or Acts 14:8-18
John 14:23-29
Psalm 67
Well, here we are at the end of our time together. Carol and I are being banished by the powers that be for one year-- a period of time, set by the Diocese, to allow our new Rector to settle in his new position and establish his own relationships with all of you. In other words, it is a time when you can bond with your new chief pastor and he with you without the distraction of former clergy. Hard as our time away from you will be, Carol and I fully understand why we need to be gone for a while, and we totally agree with the purpose for our leaving. We wish Christopher and Chloe all the best, and, along with you, we are very happy that they are coming. Under Christopher’s and your leadership, St. Paul’s Parish is moving into an exciting and challenging future, because there never has been a time for as many opportunities in The Spirit as are open to us now. Let’s take a few minutes together to consider some of these opportunities.
Opportunity Number One: Most of the Christian churches in America and in other first world nations have lost a lot of power. For centuries, the large denominations exercised strong, and often controlling, influences in culture and society. Churches were at the center of just about everything including politics and law, art and learning. Churches used to be the tallest buildings in town and were cultural and community centers. But times changed and church spires became dwarfed by much taller government buildings, banks and office buildings, and the cultural/communal centers and power shifted to legislators, business and industry leaders and consumerism. Who knows where we are headed now? Whatever it is, we know the churches no longer are the arbiters of life (as witness the Roman Catholic hierarchy today). Truly, for the most part, formerly powerful denominations no longer define the rules and the public vision.
In a very real sense, this is good, because with this loss of power, the churches can no longer presume to define God and personal spiritual experience, control our thoughts, or police our lives. Other than our growing loss of control over the effects of government and business on our lives, in this confusing culture we live in, where life and The Spirit have been separated, what formerly was the power of the church has now transferred to the people. You and I are free to contemplate, and act on, our own spiritual experiences and know God for ourselves. You and I can choose whether or not to participate in any particular community of faith-- or not be part of any organized religion at all! If we want to save our identity-- never mind our souls-- we have to formulate the big questions now. For better or worse, we must assess the personal validity of any religion’s answers. What we can not control, now, is determined by governments and large corporations who so often do not appear to have human needs and interests at heart. But this sense of being lost in a strange, remote and greedy world makes our quest for personal meaning, self worth and happiness even more personal and urgent.
I say again what the retired Bishop of Idaho, John Thornton, recently told me, “The Episcopal Church now is part of the subculture.” I believe this to be true, but the greater truth is: What we have lost in power and influence, we have gained in opportunities. The world-- indeed our very community of Marin wherein over 70% of our neighbors state that, as a church, we are not relevant-- have told us, in clear voices: revalue your priorities; reassess your gifts and how you offer them; re-establish your meaning to the communities you serve. A huge majority of our neighbors (more than 80%) are telling the churches, “We believe in God. Help us to believe in you. Don’t just talk to us about God. Show us God! Show us how we can experience God, or our higher self, with you.” What a great challenge!
So, our second opportunity lies in how we will meet the needs of the world and the people around us. What will the churches say to the disconnected souls who barely want to consider organized religion now? How will the churches address the challenges laid before them by society? So much depends on how we at St. Paul’s respond.
“Business as usual” created many of the Christian churches’ present problems. Too much of what has been identified as “Christianity” sowed the wind, and now is reaping the whirlwind. The same type of thinking and acting that created the problems, or just trying harder with the same old ways, will not provide the answers we and our communities need. We must get back to the best of our God experiences, not just our doctrine, with a more sensitive heart to learn how we can best respond to as much human need as possible. We need to find our true meaning if we ever hope to be meaningful to others.
How will we answer the hard questions? Who is the God we believe in? How much breadth and respect do we leave open for individual interpretation of one’s God experiences and spiritual quest? What is non-negotiable in our beliefs? What constitutes Right living? How important is our role in caring for those who do not care about us? What kind of honor do we give those whose Godly ways differ from ours? What deserves respect? What is truth? What is our message-- and how do we deliver our core belief? These, and more, are the hard questions that challenge us as a parish in this time of our history.
I do not believe that there ever has been a time, such as we find in the present, to reestablish the centrality of the historical Jesus – in all His teachings and life’s examples. The simple, yet devastating, question, “What would Jesus do,” consumes me. What would the Master’s priorities be in the world today; what would he point out as essential in our communities? How would he have us live as a community of his? What kind of life does he call each of us to lead? Would it be the same as his life on earth? Would it be the same as he instructed his disciples to live in his day? Or has the complexity of life increased so exponentially that a simple, sacrificial life dedicated to God in the betterment of life is no longer possible in Jesus’ eyes? What would he modify? And what would he say about how we spend his purse… the money we give his church and the finances we consider our own? These questions can break your heart, but if answered with new and Godly intentions to be and do the best we can be and do, they can resurrect us into a great life this world, never mind the wondrous life to come.
In January of this year, I wrote Bishop Swing,
“[A] positive spirit is affecting everything we do [at St. Paul’s]. New programs are being considered with an eye towards making us more germane to the 72% of the people of Marin who consider organized religion as being unnecessary in their lives. To that end, I have suggested that the parish consider plans to create a “St. Paul’s Center for Spiritual Development.” This would envision planning programs in a broad venue that would appeal to the huge majority who believe in a Higher Power but, as of now, are not interested in our traditional church. If national, Episcopal demographics hold true in Marin, just appealing to the less than 1% of the 28% who are interested in organized religion is a sure road to our parish’s obsolescence. Ultimately, I believe we all have to strip down to the essentials of Jesus teaching: namely the two great commandments. [Jesus] said working these two truths was enough to bring us into Godly life, and we must believe him. When we realize, Bill, that the earliest Christians were known as people of The Way, and the growth of their fellowship was meteoric, we, too, must return the faith into a basic way of life and cut way back on multiple belief structures and old metaphors, many of which are too complex and no longer work for too many people.
“I am sure you agree that it is not enough to figure new ways of selling. We have to come to some clarity on what it is we want to sell. And this, in turn, has to be largely predicated on what people tell us they need. Jim Pike defined the cause of, what he believed was, the growing irrelevancy of the Episcopal Church in the western world to our providing “answers to questions people aren’t asking.” The present crisis in our American Church goes far deeper than the various “issues” surrounding homosexuality. The constant preoccupation with ourselves and doctrinal correctness in our church is killing us and giving the world a message that we don’t care about their desperate issues. Our squabbles are akin to the proverbial rearranging of the deck chairs on the Titanic.”
(You can see that I am an equal opportunity “hell-giver”…be they bishops or just people like us!)
In his monthly article published in Grace Notes, the newsletter of Grace Cathedral, my friend, the Dean, Alan Jones, just wrote,
“At a dinner party not long ago, I found myself at a loss for words. This does not happen very often but on that particular occasion something in me froze. The subject was religion and the company sympathetic and congenial. I suddenly realized something that has been true for a long time, namely, that there is very little agreement on the meaning of the words we use to denote our deepest sensibilities. For example, if a certain kind of person asked me if I believed in God, I would be tempted to say “No!” simply because the word in the mouth of many people is a code- word for prejudice, resentment, and repression.
“The great Jewish philosopher Martin Buber once wrote to the effect that even though the word “God” is, perhaps, the most abused word in the English or any language, we better hang on to it because something precious is lost when we try to do without it.”
I agree with Alan’s sentiments, but I would like to go one step further. Not only do we in the Church have to be careful with our words because our history has made many of our “buzz words” a “turn off” or even a threat in many ways to many people, we have to be careful of the beliefs we claim as being necessary if one is to be a sincere follower of Jesus. Our focus as proclaimed “Christians” in an identified “Christian” church has to be on our deeds: intentionally loving each other and, especially, loving all who come our way, not on any litany of doctrine. The well known hymn with the refrain, “And they’ll know we are Christians by our love,” has to be the clear stamp on all we do for each other and our communities.
A.A., and all other subsequent 12 Step groups, have as one of their core traditions, “We grow by attraction, not promotion.” If the Christian Church is to survive – never mind succeed – in this new century, it will only be because young, middle aged and old, rich, poor and everyone in between, highly gifted, average and personally challenged persons, confessed Christians and people of other or no faith affiliation, are attracted by at least something of great value here at St. Paul’s that they know they need and want. If we keep our focus on meeting people’s needs, many will ultimately ask themselves, “Why do they do what they do? Why are they the way they are?” And they will search us out. If we actively love those who believe they are unlovable and love the isolated into being an esteemed member of our family in Christ, we will have presented our faith in Jesus in the finest way-- and they will come. If we inspire people to step over with us into the life of Spirit and trust that God is speaking to each of them in their spiritual experiences – individually and in our community of faith-- we will have served the Master well, and St. Paul’s will grow: in spirit and in numbers. Church growth that lasts is always individual and spiritually founded. Because the challenges are great, our future is bright. It all depends on the reality of our discernments and the honesty of our actions.
Permit me a final word of thanks.
As I leave today, I am gratefully aware that I stand on the shoulders of a long line of rectors, associates and interim clergy who have faithfully brought St Paul’s to this wonderful time and place. My thanks go out to Bruce Bramlett for his confidence in me to serve in his place during his sabbatical and for including me on his clergy team when he was here. Lynn, Michael and Judy have contributed so much each in their own ways. A heart full of thanks to the wonderful Senior Wardens who have been my close partners and bosses in this journey: Marion Cedarblade, Della Holloway and Maggie Baxter. Their support and guidance has been invaluable. Three super vestries also people my heart and spirit. It has been a joy to work with each one of them. They, too, have been supportive and dedicated co-workers in this vineyard. And, of course, there are all of you, the family of St. Paul’s Parish. What wonderful people you are! You truly are family to Carol and me as you are to one another. Your love and care shared with us, especially in hard times, and expressed in this church family is so real and constant.
Keep taking care of each other. Care for all who come your way, truly have a wonder-full life, and let’s remain close to one another, especially in prayer. Now, may the peace of God and the uplifting power of the Spirit, and the love and vision of Jesus hold you close and rest in your hearts forever. Carol and I love you all very much.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Amen
Return to Top Return to Sermons Page