Not "Whatever" - A Faith Worth Dying For

Sermon from May 22, 2011

(Easter 5 - Year A)

Acts 7: 55-60

St. Alban's Episcopal Church, Waco, Texas

Last Thursday night, after I got home, I just could not go to sleep.

You see, last Thursday night, we had the service of Confirmation here at St. Alban’s.

And after witnessing this Confirmation liturgy, I was so pumped up that I had a hard time falling asleep.

At the Confirmation service, I was so energized because of what I had witnessed.

I saw, up close and personal, a total of 26 people stand before the bishop to make a commitment to their faith in Jesus Christ.

The bishop asked each one of these diverse and amazing individuals two questions:

“Do you reaffirm your renunciation of evil?”

And those being confirmed, received and reaffirmed responded in a loud voice:

“I do.”

Then, the bishop asked them one more question:

“Do you renew your commitment to Jesus Christ?”

And firmly and resolutely and with conviction, all of them responded:

“I do, and with God’s grace I will follow him as my Savior and Lord.”

I then presented each one of these interesting and committed people to the bishop, as they knelt at his feet, and as they committed their entire life to Jesus Christ.

In this day and age when the news media continually reports on the slow death of the Episcopal Church,

How could I sleep after seeing the first seven rows of this church packed with people who promise to follow Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord?

How could I sleep after watching 26 people kneel before a bishop in historic succession to the original apostles, confessing their faith in Jesus Christ?

For as I presented each one of them for confirmation, reception and reaffirmation, I thought to myself:

You are the people whom I will die with for our faith.

Because faith in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior - is a faith worth dying for.

Maybe one of the reasons I could not fall asleep after Confirmation was because the kind of faith and commitment that I witnessed on Thursday night is so rarely displayed in American culture.

I don’t often read the Dear Abby column in the newspaper.

But a few weeks ago, the headline of her column did grab my eye.

The headline read:

“Open Minds are Useful when Discussing God with Kids.”

Evidently, a parent had asked Abby the question about what to do when your child begins to ask questions about God.

Abby’s response – which was then supported by several letters from other parents – was that we should not push our faith onto our kids.

According to Dear Abby and a host of American parents, open minds are needed because persuading our children or their friends regarding our Christian faith is not very “nice.”

According to Dear Abby and our American culture, our response to questions of faith has now devolved into an adolescent shrug of “whatever.”

Should you commit your life to Jesus Christ?

Whatever.

Should you follow Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord?

Whatever.

This watered down religion of “whatever” is designed to make you a “nice person.”

In this view, faith is okay, just as long as it doesn’t make you into a fanatic or make you change your life too drastically.

Yet this American religion of “whatever” is not the commitment that 26 people signed up for last Thursday night when they stood before Bishop Payne and committed their entire life to Jesus Christ.

This watered down religion of “whatever” is not a faith worth dying for.

And this watered down religion of “whatever” is not the faith of the very first person who died for following Jesus Christ, the martyr named Stephen.

The story of Stephen is told in the history book of the early Church that is known as the Book of Acts.

We read a portion, the last verses of Stephen’s story, this morning in our reading from Acts.

When you go home today, take 10 minutes to read chapters 6 and 7 of the Book of Acts and you will hear all of Stephen’s story.

Anyway, Stephen’s story begins when he is chosen as one of 7 men to help out the original twelve apostles of Jesus.

(Matthias has been chosen to “replace” Judas).

Stephen is one of these 7 new helpers, or deacons.

And Stephen is full of grace and power.

Like confused parents who write into Dear Abby, diverse folks then argue with Stephen, because Stephen believes that Jesus is the way, the truth and the life.

Stephen could have avoided making any religious waves.

Stephen could have avoided the argument by just saying:

“You know, all religions are essentially the same.

Let’s just go along to get along and be nice.”

Stephen could have just responded:

“Whatever.”

But instead of saying “whatever,” Stephen stirs up the people, lashing back:

“You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and in ears:

You are forever opposing the Holy Spirit, just as your ancestors did.”

The people become enraged and the Book of Acts says that they “ground their teeth at Stephen.”

Because of Stephen’s commitment that Jesus is Savior and Lord, Stephen is dragged outside the city to be stoned to death.

As he is being pelted with stones, Stephen imitates the death of his Lord as he prays:

“Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”

And as Stephen dies from stoning, he proclaims his faith in the forgiving Savior, pleading:

“Lord, do not hold this sin against them.”

Therefore, Stephen becomes the first martyr of the faith, as he dies.

If Stephen were with us today, I believe that he also would not have been able to sleep last Thursday night.

I believe that Stephen would have been so energized by witnessing new brothers and sisters make their unwavering commitment to Jesus Christ.

And I also believe that Stephen would weep, he would weep when reading all the comments into Dear Abby about a watered-down faith of “niceness.”

I believe that Stephen would see parents and children and adults of all ages shrug “whatever” – and he would ask:

“I died for this?”

Stephen believed that we should all be ready to die for our commitment to Jesus Christ.

Stephen believed that our faith in Jesus is not a religion of indifferent niceness – but it is a faith worth dying for.

I have said this before, and I will say it again.

I believe that the greatest threat to the Christian faith in America is not arguments over human sexuality or church politics.

I believe that the greatest threat to Christianity in America is a collective shrug of “whatever.”

I am tired of hearing adults say:

“It really doesn’t matter if you are a Christian, just as long as you are a ‘nice person.’”

Yet Stephen was certainly not a very nice person, when he lashed out by saying:

“You stiff-necked people!”

Jesus Christ and Stephen did not die to make us nice people.

But Jesus Christ and Stephen died to show us that the only Way to an abundant life is by losing your life.

I am tired of hearing parents say:

“My child or teenager just really isn’t that interested in church or Sunday school or youth group.”

Yet the faith that Stephen died for, the faith that we promised to follow in Baptism, says that we will bring our children up into the full stature of Christ.

The faith that Jesus died for requires the 100% commitment of parents, and of all adults.

As you can tell, I am done with being nice about the watered-down religion of “niceness” and the indifferent religion of “whatever.”

Yet I am energized by the inspiring faith of the newest members of St. Alban’s.

I am energized by the faith of the first martyr, Stephen, who did not say “whatever,” but who had the commitment to lose his life, in order to save it.

I am energized by full commitment to Jesus Christ, who shows us that the way to an abundant life - is to be ready to die.

For I am convinced, I am 100% convinced, that neither death, nor life,

Nor anything else in all creation,

Will ever, ever, be able to separate us from the love of God in Jesus Christ our Lord.

And that for me - is a faith worth dying for.

AMEN.

The Way, the Truth and the Life

I have found it interesting that the reading from the Gospel this Sunday is the most requested reading (other than Psalm 23) at a burial service. The passage begins with comforting words, as Jesus says: “In my Father’s house there are many mansions, many dwelling places.” However, the passage then goes on to one of the more puzzling and emphatic verses in the New Testament: “I am the way, and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Fifty to a hundred years ago, it would be unusual for Christians to know Muslims or atheists. Today however, in our more pluralistic society, the idea that Jesus is the way - and that no one comes to the Father except through Jesus - brings many questions.

For me, the Way of Jesus is the Way of the Cross. And the Way of the Cross is a unique way to live an abundant life. I do not think that the statement is exclusive, but rather descriptive. The statement is a description of the paradoxical Christian life, that you must lose your life to save it.

I invite you to walk this Way; and to discover, with me, that Jesus is the way, the truth and the life for you.

Bi-Lingual Gatekeepers

Sermon from May 15, 2011
(Easter 4 – Year A)
John 10:1-10
St. Alban’s Episcopal Church, Waco, Texas

In 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act was enacted by Congress.
This act was designed to make buildings and other public places accessible to all.
At the time that the Americans with Disabilities Act was passed, I was working in the business world.
And one of my job duties was functioning as the manager of the 75,000 square foot office building that our company owned and occupied.

Looking out for the economic concerns of our financial partners, I was disturbed that the Americans with Disabilities Act would cost our real estate partnership thousands and thousands of dollars to comply with the new regulations.
However, in order to understand the Act better, I was sent to a training seminar.
At this training seminar, I learned a whole new language.
In managing our office building up to that point, I only knew the language of dollars and cents.
Yet this seminar taught me the language of those people who live with disabilities.

I learned that our office building was filled with gates, gates for people with sight disabilities.
Therefore, our elevators needed buttons on them in Braille.
Our building was filled with gates, gates for people with hearing disabilities.
Therefore, our fire alarms needed visible flashing strobe lights, in addition to audible alarms.
Our building was filled with gates, gates for people with mobile disabilities.
Therefore, ramps were installed and bathroom stalls widened to facilitate those in wheelchairs.

At this training seminar about the Americans with Disabilities Act, I learned that I was a gatekeeper, a gatekeeper who must learn to be bi-lingual.
In order to be a good gatekeeper of our office building, I had to know two languages:
The language of finance - and the language of the disabled.

In John’s Gospel, Jesus proclaims:
“I am the gate for the sheep.
And the gatekeeper opens the gate.”

Jesus is the gate, the way that leads eternal life in his sheepfold.
Jesus is the gate, the open access to the loving embrace of our heavenly Father.
And we are the gatekeepers, the gatekeepers who make Jesus accessible to everyone.

And at the training seminar that we know as St. Alban’s Episcopal Church, we learn that we must be gatekeepers who are bi-lingual.
In order to be a good gatekeeper of Jesus’ sheepfold, we must speak two languages:
The language of God - and the language of our culture.
As good gatekeepers, we must bust open the gate to Jesus Christ, by becoming bi-lingual translators of his good news.

As a priest, I believe that one of my primary duties is to be bi-lingual.
One of my primary duties is to be a translator of the Gospel.
Therefore, I learn the language of God’s good news by studying my Bible and praying about what the words of scripture mean in my own life.
Then I step into this pulpit and I strive to be a good gatekeeper, translating the good news of Jesus using the language and the images of our culture.
This is why I have stood in this pulpit in the past - and impersonated Oprah Winfrey and Ricky Bobby.
This is why I have used images of an unopened bottle of Cabernet and packets of fake honey at Bush’s Chicken.
This is why, on Easter Day, I sang the song that doesn’t end, as if I was Lamb Chop, the children’s puppet.
I do all these silly and foolish things as your preacher, because I want to be bi-lingual.
I want to be a good gatekeeper, making the good news of Jesus completely accessible for everyone.

And Jesus teaches us how to be gatekeepers.
For Jesus himself was bi-lingual.
Jesus did not drone on in a monotone, like some boring theology professor.
But Jesus knew how to translate his message to the culture around him.

To people who were farmers in an agrarian culture, Jesus translates his message by saying:
“The kingdom of God is like a tiny, tiny mustard seed that a farmer plants in the ground.
And from that tiny, tiny seed grows a giant tree.”

To desperate housewives, Jesus translates by saying:
“The kingdom of God is like a valuable coin that gets lost on the floor.
And the woman sweeps and sweeps the floor with her broom until she finally finds it.”

And Jesus translates the wideness of his Father’s love, by opening wide his arms on the hard wood of the cross, to draw the whole world into the saving embrace of his gate.

This morning, Jesus proclaims to us:
“I am the gate.
And the gatekeeper opens the gate.”

And Jesus teaches us how to be bi-lingual gatekeepers of his good news.
Jesus teaches us how to translate his message to the culture around us.

If you speak the language of cooking, you can translate a passage from the First Letter to the Corinthians.
Using the language of cooking, you can translate by saying:
“Knowledge puffs up, like a soufflé that comes out of the oven and falls.
But love builds up, like a tall wedding cake that is built with upon layers and layers of love for others.”

If you speak the language of NASCAR, you can translate the story of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit came down with a roar from heaven.
Using the language of NASCAR, you can translate by saying:
“The roar of the engines at the Texas Motor Speedway makes my heart pound in my chest.
And the Holy Spirit roaring through the people in this church makes my heart pound with excitement, as well.”

If you speak the language of gardening or facebook or baseball or American Idol,
If you speak the language of teachers or bloggers or lawyers or plumbers,
Then you, too, can translate the good news of Jesus and be a bi-lingual gatekeeper.

However, we are not good gatekeepers when our faith and our churches are inaccessible to others.

We are not good gatekeepers when we use our faith to alienate others.
Therefore, we should not alienate others by asking:
“Have you been saved?”
Instead, we should translate our faith, using the language of God - and the language of our culture - to invite others by saying:
“Come and see.”
And our own authentic faith will light the way to the gate, like a pulsating strobe light on a fire alarm.

We are not good gatekeepers when our churches are filled with gates, gates of Episcopalian code words, words such as “narthex” and “eucharistic visitors.”
Therefore, we don’t need to get rid of the unique words of our rich tradition.
But we make our church accessible for all when we install Braille buttons in the elevator, to translate and patiently explain our funky Episcopalian language.

We are not good gatekeepers when our churches are filled with gates, gates designed to keep people out.
Therefore, we make our church accessible for all, installing wide ramps of welcome that enable everyone to come into Jesus’ sheepfold.
And we open our mouths to spread the great news that it doesn’t matter if you are bi-polar - or have been in prison - or have a drinking problem - or are divorced - or don’t own a necktie:
All, all, are welcome at God’s Table.

Jesus proclaims today:
“I am the gate.
And the gatekeeper opens the gate.”

And in this coming week, you will have an opportunity to be a good gatekeeper.
Using the language of God - and the language of your missionary context, you will have an opportunity to use your bi-lingual skills.
By translating the best news in the world, you will have an opportunity to make Jesus fully accessible.

So hold open the door to Jesus,
And be a bi-lingual gatekeeper.

AMEN.

Back Gate Wide Open

When I was a kid, I always got in trouble for not closing the back gate. The back gate separated the back yard from our driveway. If someone left the back gate open, during the night the wind would blow and you could hear the gate open and shut with loud banging noises. Upon hearing this, my parents would yell out: “Who left the back gate open?”

In this Sunday's Gospel reading from John, Jesus tell us that he is the gate. Jesus protects his sheep by closing the gate and enfolding us in his loving embrace. Jesus is our security. Jesus is the shepherd and the guardian of our souls.

Today in the church, I feel that we have taken the gate metaphor too far. To many people in the world, the church is just full of too many gates: Who can take communion? What do I have to wear? What if I am divorced? Would the church welcome someone who doesn’t know the rules?

Sure, Jesus is the gate, the protector of the flock. Yet Jesus, through his Holy Spirit, is also the one who blows the gate wide open. Jesus has provided clear and open access to the Father of us all, through Jesus’ death and resurrection.

I love thinking that our closed access to God is now banging in the wind, because “someone” has left the back gate wide open.

What Do You Want to be When You Grow Up?

When I “graduated” from kindergarten, there was a little ceremony in our classroom. I remember that my mother meticulously parted my hair and slicked it back with hair gel for the occasion. My father left his office to come see me that morning. At the ceremony, every graduating kindergartner was asked the same question: “What do you want to be when you grow up?”

When I was asked that question, I answered: “I want to be a banker when I grow up, just like my Daddy.” A few years later, I thought that the teenagers who sacked groceries had the dream job. As an older boy, I wanted to be an architect or engineer. However, I took high school physics and that dream went out the window. Finally, I went to the University of Texas to become an accountant - before God had something else in mind for me.

In Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians, he writes that “we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ (4:15).” This growing up into a mature Christian, is called “Christian Formation.”

In our Episcopal Diocese of Texas, we are going to hear a lot more about Christian Formation. Our Bishop, Andy Doyle, has recently appointed a Canon, a top-ranking official in the diocese, in the role of: Canon for Lifelong Christian Formation. The new Canon for Lifelong Christian Formation is John Newton. You might remember John as the preacher at Jimmy’s ordination. Bishop Doyle and Canon Newton are re-asking the question of all of us: What do you want to be when you grow up? And the answer needs to be that we want to grow up to be followers of Jesus Christ.

Likewise, at St. Alban’s, Jimmy and I are also renewing our emphasis on Lifelong Christian Formation. Beginning this month, we are stepping back and looking at how people at St. Alban’s are being formed, of all ages. From infants in our nursery, to children, to youth, to young adults, to families, to singles, to empty-nesters, to senior adults – we need to make sure that everyone at St. Alban’s is receiving the tools to grow up into Christ.

The reason why I am so committed to Christian Formation is because I see people in our society being formed into things other than committed followers of Jesus. I see children who are being formed into excellent violin players; yet don’t know who Moses is. I see youth who are being formed into top wide receivers; yet have not experienced the richness of the Nicene Creed. I see adults who are being formed into “good citizens;” yet can’t articulate their faith in one clear sentence. I see senior adults who are being formed into pleasant retirees; yet have difficulty navigating through their Bibles.

As your spiritual leader, I am committed to Lifelong Christian Formation. The question for you is:

What do you want to be when you grow up?