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In the Beginning of the Gospel March 28, 1999 Douglas S. Long North Raleigh United Church A minister was working on his weekly message when his young son came up to him and said… "Daddy, I heard somebody say God gives you the words to say in your sermon." "Why, that's right son," replied the father. So the son looked at him and said, "Well, then why do you scratch so much out and start over and over?" I've done a lot of scratching out this week. How you begin is important. A woman said to me a few weeks ago, " The last time I went to church they told me Jesus was coming soon. ….That I should always be submissive to men, and that if I didn't I would go to hell. I'm not sure why I haven't gone back." There are those who say what we are doing here, offering an intentionally inclusive, a thoughtful and progressive understanding of the Gospel, is a perversion of the old, old story. We are, in their eyes, radicals. What I want to say this morning is that the Gospel, when encountered in truth, is a radical message indeed and what we are doing here is not a new thing, at all. It is instead reclaiming, a reclamation of, the true old, old story. You see, from the very beginning, from when people first encountered the life and love in the words Jesus there has been a hotly debated issue always present… sometimes on the surface, sometimes not, but always lurking nearby. That issue?… Who is included? Where do we draw the lines for this community of Christ? Inclusiveness, inclusivity, is not something new at all. It is not PC. It is not a new buzzword. It is as old as any issue in the book of Christianity and before. Inclusivity. It has driven the Religious Right crazy for 2000 years. Seriously, it has! The Book of Acts records how the first followers of Christ believed only Jews were eligible for the church… and that the Church must be in Jerusalem. Gradually the circle was redrawn to include Jews from other lands… and then eventually to include non-Jewish persons… Gentiles. And, over the course of time, the understanding broadened to the point that some proclaimed the Gospel was open to all, until finally the Apostle Paul came to his astounding conclusion (especially in light of some of the other things he had written previously) …his astounding statement written to the church in Galatia that 'there are now no more distinctions between Jew and Greek, slave and free, male and female but all are made equal in Christ Jesus our Lord." But just saying it doesn't make it happen. Time and time again, the Church has struggled with such issues. Who is included? If you've looked ahead to the scripture reading and you're familiar enough with the Gospel to remember how Matthew begins, you may think I'm crazy to focus on this this morning. It is a genealogy of Jesus, over 50 generations of so and so was the son of so and so. Or begat so and so, depending on your translation. (You've heard these begats… right?) The genealogy is also very exciting. Trust me. The Readers Digest decided to make a condensed version of the Bible several years ago. You know how they take a 900 page book and pear it down to 100… Well, the editors said the first thing that would go was all those begats, the genealogies. Mistake. This genealogy is chock full of radical ideas. Seriously. You see, though the church had been around for 30 or 40 years by the time Matthew compiled his gospel, he still had a bunch of folks in his congregation who were drawing very rigid lines concerning who could get in, who was truly accepted, who could hold positions of leadership. Righteous Jewish males were free to enter, with no questions asked… but if you were a foreigner (which is to say, in that day, non-Jewish) or if you had a less than perfect past, or you were a woman, well, you might get in… but it would definitely be back row city for you. You think I'm kidding? Let me share a couple of statements from the dominant culture of that day: -One of the common prayers of the Pharisees, the esteemed upholders of Jewish law, one of their most common recorded prayers of thanksgiving was… " I thank you, God, that you have made me neither Gentile, slave, nor woman." -And then there is the issue of non-Jews, and people of mixed ancestry. There is little doubt the Jewish leaders prohibited marriage outside their ethnic group. Deuteronomy spells out a clear example. Chapter 23:3 says "An Ammonite or Moabite shall not enter into the congregation of the Lord; even to their tenth generation shall they not enter into the congregation of the Lord forever." Obviously, if you had any Moabite ancestry, wouldn't be on the inside track. Into this dominant culture of patriarchy and Jewish nationalism, Jesus came preaching the love of God to women as well as men, to Jew and Gentile alike, to the poor and outcast, even to one's enemies. Matthew understood this. He understood the love of God embraced all and accepted all equally… but he also knew his congregation harbored the strong vestiges of the patriarchal, Jewish mindset. So he lays a genealogy on them… to both establish the credentials of Jesus and challenge their narrow world view. Now Matthew doesn't make up the genealogy. Though it has discrepancies with other listings, it is rooted in history but is theological in nature. Matthew does take the liberty to add a crafty comment from time to time. Any good writer knows that a few words, well placed, can change the focus. I remember hearing about the woman whose husband had died and she wanted to put a death notice in the paper. The obituary editor explained there was a $25 flat charge plus a fee per word and so the woman replied to him.. "I can't afford to do that!" So the editor said, "Well, bring it down to the most simple statement you can and we'll only charge you ten bucks." So the woman thought about it and brought in her statement. Two words. Mike died. So now the editor is feeling a little guilty and he calls her back and says, "Look, we can throw in three more words at no extra charge." So the woman thinks about it and then sends her new announcement… Mike died. Volkswagon for sale. Adding a few choice words can redirect the focus completely. In a sense, a not too off base sense, that is what Matthew does several times in this listing of names… he adds a brief comment that completely knocks his hearers for a loop. We, a couple of millenia later, not being as thoroughly familiar with the stories and people of the Old Testament, …we just don't know the names well enough to be shocked by them. So what I'm going to do is invite Nancy Osborne to read and I am going to listen as one of the right religious people of Matthew's day (male, Jewish heritage, straight and narrow beacon of moral law… you get the picture) I'm going to listen as Matthew's status quo Church would have and interject a comment or two. [The reading of Matthew 1:1-7 takes place here with Doug and Nancy in a somewhat humorous conversation over the following points. Their conversation was unscripted and unrehearsed, but the content included intermittent conversation by Doug in response to the reading. His comments were similar to the following points.]
Why didn't you say David, who conquered the Philistines, David, the singer of psalms?
David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah's wife? [At this point Nancy, the reader of the Gospel, sits down and the sermon continues.] Well, by now I think you get the point. By listing David in such a way, 'David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah's wife', Matthew forces his hearers to remember the whole Uriah story. Do you remember it? Here's the Reader's Digest version. David, the King of all Israel, with a covey of wives and concubines already under his belt steps out on his palace roof one evening and sees a woman bathing. He liked what he saw, and even though he found out she was married to one of his loyal soldiers in battle, Uriah, he summoned her to him, and somehow she became pregnant, …so, in a pickle, and trying to cover all this up, then David called Uriah back from the battlefront hoping Uriah would spend an evening with his wife… but Uriah is too loyal and … (and some of you are thinking, 'Man, this is better than the Thornbirds. It's all in II Samuel chapter 11.) …but back to 'David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah's wife…' To make a long story short, King David arranges for Uriah to go back to the front lines… In fact, he arranges for him to be placed so far out in front of everyone else he would be unprotected in battle. And Uriah is killed. And David marries Bathsheba, who bears him Solomon Solomon, in turn, was the father of Rehoboam, Rehoboam was the father of Abijah Abijah the father of Asa Asa the father of… well, you get the picture. Until finally, about 20 generations later, And Jacob was the father of Joseph the husband of Mary; Of her was born Jesus who is called Christ. This 'boring' genealogy is an in-your-face statement of inclusivity. -At the very beginning of the Gospel, Matthew radically and proudly proclaims foreigners as a part of the work of God . -And at the very beginning of the Gospel, in the first fourteen generations, every one of the ten commandments is shattered. Far from a perfect crowd. -And at the very beginning of the Gospel, Matthew makes doubly sure, triply, actually five times he intentionally includes women in the begats… He takes it upon himself to proclaim that women are included. (You think this isn't odd? You think this isn't intentional? Luke's genealogy lists 52 men and 0 women, not even Mary! Go figure that one out.) And did you know, some scholars suggest that as many as 50% of Jesus' ancestors were women. (…and if they haven't, I'm going to.) In the beginning of the Gospel, Matthew summarizes hundreds of years of God's activity urging us to hear that upon which the Gospel is founded - Inclusivity, Equality, and Grace, and they are all made manifest, they are incarnated, they are all embodied, they all come together in the life of Jesus, who is called the Christ. It's a heckuva list. Matthew understood that in the beginning of the Gospel, indeed, generations before, the doors of God's realm were thrown open to all the children of the world. Everyone. Every one. North Raleigh United Church, and its proclamation of an inclusive Christianity, is nothing new at all. It's the old, old story unearthed… from the very beginning of the Gospel. Late last night I was still doing some 'scratching out' on this sermon, and it really struck me that I didn't have a clue as to what this day would hold. Didn't know the building well, didn't know who would show up, no level of comfort with the routine. It dawned on me that I had no real inkling based in fact on what this morning would hold. …and I began to panic a little. Folks, it's a little scary, but I want to tell you… Something is happening here. I cannot tell you all the specifics of it… but I can tell you this… I believe with every sinew of my being that God is in this venture with us. When we began to lay plans for the service today we rented only the band room of this building. We were optimistically shooting for 40 persons total (adults and children). But somehow, as word begin getting out things grew… I began receiving calls from several people whom I had never met who had heard about our plans. People have called from all over the Triangle, some beyond. [post sermon note: 120 persons were in attendance for this first gathering.] A couple in Chattanooga heard their daughter mention today's events and sent some funds for children's supplies. The pastor of a new UCC Church in Tidewater Virginia, now in the process of building their own first building, called to say that today they planned to take up a special offering for us. Another sister church in Cary gave us a cross and table, the same cross and table they used in beginning their congregation 11 years ago (and we hope to have it refurbished and ready for our worship by next Sunday…Easter). Our choir comes from the Congo, many of you come from a somewhat off beat and risky brochure. (Others from a strange newspaper ad.) A couple of you who were attracted by the brochure bought a domain name for the church this past week… and soon any one who wants to access northraleighunited.org will be able to do so. We're in Cyberspace!!! …and though I won't identify them for fear of embarrassment, 6 people were excited enough about the information they received, they came last week, a week early. They're back today. I went to pick up the flowers yesterday and the florist wouldn't accept any payment (which means Denise's Dad got a pretty good deal since the bulletin acknowledges that he gave them.) You may not believe it… but there's a Baptist Church not far from here that has offered its support for what we are doing. Now you tell me God doesn't have a hand in this. We have been gifted with an incredible and marvelous opportunity to begin a church anew. How will we proceed? Let me share a partial vision for you, if you choose, to help hone and flesh out. We will be inclusive… because that is what God has called the Church to be from its very beginning. As in Matthew's day that means proclaiming in word and deed the equality of each gender, race, and ethnicity. Additionally, in our day, it means the inclusion of all persons no matter what their sexual identity. The Church cannot be fully true to the radical love of God proclaimed by Jesus, as long as it denies gay and lesbian persons into its life fully. While we have no intention of being a 'single issue' church, we every intention of not leaving a single person out. We will be inclusive. We will do our best to be thoughtful. This can be difficult when thoughtless Christianity floods our media and culture. We will study and pray and reflect and listen to each other as we strive for ever deeper truths. And …We will offer a place of belonging, community, a home for each other. A place to seek God together. A place to laugh and struggle and grow up and grow older. A place to raise our children and grandchildren. A family to offer support and nurture, where we come to grieve and share our greatest joys. It will be a servant community founded on the love of God. As I wind this down, and read through my final 'scratch outs', I am compelled to flesh that aspect out, the servant community, one step further. Thomas Merton, one of our wonderful contemporary saints, said something, several things actually, but one particular thing I have never been able to forget. Said Merton, and I'm paraphrasing, "I have so many things to do, so many letters to write and people to speak with, so many articles to work on and manuscripts to read… there is simply such a volume of things before me that I will never accomplish them all…. UNLESS, … I spend two hours each morning in prayer." I'd like to offer a version of that for this church. As we establish this ministry in the community there are innumerable financial concerns to consider. We have postage and rent and children's supplies and some day land and buildings and…. It all becomes absolutely overwhelming to the degree that I'm sure we could be swallowed up by it all… UNLESS, … we begin from the start by establishing our commitment to take 51% of all our regular offerings and to disperse them to the needs of our community and world. The Church, afterall, is a community modeled on the Servant One who proclaimed an outlandishly generous and loving God. So may it be… so may this loving, embracing, generous, joyous and nurturing community grow in and by the grace of God from this day forward. Amen.
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Contact Doug Long at (919) 844-6661 or
send e-mail to: doug@northraleighunited.org |