Jumping Through Hoops
Sermon
Sermons on the First Readings
Series II, Cycle C
Object:
Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, is a place where the old ways matter. The Amish still ride their buggies up and down the green hills. Most churches have spires, and they frame the landscape with the proclaimed piety of their people. Change comes slowly. Sometimes that's good, especially when we're talking about the basics of the faith.
Sometimes that's bad. Like when people refuse to change the little things. A lot of the churches, especially the Plain People like the Amish, Brethren, and Mennonite, practice a three-part communion service that includes the feetwashing, a full meal called the love feast, along with the bread and cup. The story is told how a new pastor tried to lead an old, established church in the feet-washing. The men were seated around one set of tables and the women around other tables. The pastor gave the instruction for the person at the front left corner to wash the feet of the person to the left, and then to continue in a counter-clockwise fashion.
No one moved. There was absolute silence. The pastor wondered what he had done wrong. The silence stretched longer and longer and the situation got more and more uncomfortable.
It turned out that in that particular congregation the feetwashing took place in a clockwise, not a counter-clockwise fashion. For the people in the church this was close to heresy. Even next to impossible.
Finally one of the elders rescued the situation by standing up, clearing his throat, and saying, "All right. I guess we can do it this way just once."And the evening was saved.
Some churches resist change. And some do more than just resist it -- they fight it, clawing, kicking, and screaming the whole way. Usually we're not talking about the Virgin Birth, the Divinity of Christ, and the Resurrection. It's about practices in the kitchen, where people sit, who controls the purse strings, who's allowed in women's fellowship, and things of that nature.
And, people do not always conduct their battles in public. The Holy Righteous Church of the Parking Lot is a recognizable feature of the American church landscape. Small groups of self-ap-pointed guardians of the faith meet in parking lots, looking furtively over their shoulders should others approach, and protect the church from the invasion of, well, openness and good ideas.
A generation ago some churches fought the purchase of copiers by insisting that mimeographs were good enough for the apostles and prophets. Aging sound systems are preserved because they are a testimony to the previous hi-fi generation who purchased them, even though state of the art equipment could enable everyone to hear clearly. Some churches resisted the computer revolution, and others fought it by donating ancient computers that crashed frequently and were next to useless.
In movies, Christians are portrayed as difficult, inflexible, judgmental, solemn, killjoys. You think of films like How Green Was My Valley or Pollyanna. Sometimes it's true.
In today's scripture, the Holy Spirit has accomplished a great thing -- the good news of Jesus Christ has been accepted by Cornelius the centurion and his whole household. The Apostle Peter has helped to break down barriers that separated people. As he would note later in a letter, "Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy" (1 Peter 2:10).
But word has gotten back to the church elders, and they call Peter in to account for what he has done. In point of fact, he hasn't done anything. The Holy Spirit has accomplished this impossible task of bringing people together, but these elders fear a church that is open to all people and they criticize Peter publicly.
In this case, it is because they are circumcised and they want all male believers to be circumcised. Nowadays this may not be a point of controversy, but there may be another hoop, or a whole series of hoops, that people need to jump through in order to fit in.
In Elkhart County, in the state of Indiana, there is a famous corner, the meeting of the rural two-lane highways known as County Roads 11 and 38. On three of the four corners there is a Mennonite church, but each one is different. All three share the same history of religious persecution that led them to seek America as a place of religious freedom. Each one believes in and practices simple living, peace, and service to all humanity in the name of Jesus. But one of them, the Beachy Amish congregation, refuses to use electricity in the homes. The members come in horse and buggies, and there is an outhouse and shelters for horses next to the simple, white meeting house. The people dress in the plain garb -- and are pretty proud of it!
The folks across the street are popularly known as the Black Car Mennonites. Each one drives an American car, and each car is black. Their building is also plain and white, and the people dress in garb that is plainer than their neighbors, although they do not conform with the fashions of the church across the street.
The third church is very large, and accepts believers who dress in many different fashions. There are cars of all makes and models, and the congregation is very active in ministry to all ages, and to people around the world. Some of the women wear head coverings. This church probably has the fewest number of hoops for believers to jump through. Their influence is far greater in the community and in the world.
In the current scripture passage the Apostle Peter is patient, probably far more patient than most of us would be. As Acts says, "Then Peter began to explain it to them, step by step ..." (11:4). He tells the story of what God has done. It is not recorded if they were enthusiastic about it, but for the time being, they accepted what had occurred -- although this same argument had to be settled again in Acts 15, and according to the letters of Paul it was revisited many times more.
How open are we to accepting others? How closed are our churches, whether we admit it or not? Lots of churches say, "We're a friendly church," but what they mean is that they are friendly to each other. If a newcomer arrives, that person may not be greeted and welcomed, nor invited to return. It is possible to go to some churches and never shake a single hand or share a single word with another believer.
And, it's not just because they are unfriendly at heart. Some people say, "I don't want to greet someone because I might have already met them and I don't want to make a mistake." Which is worse -- to admit a mistake and laugh over it, giving time to get know a person better, or taking the chance on ignoring someone who is sincerely seeking Jesus, and who discovers that the church is every bit as unfriendly as they were told?
Once people are in the church, the question is whether we have the grace to allow them to become new creatures in Christ. People, especially in small towns, have long memories. In the Acts of the Apostles there is a reference to the "Synagogue of the Freedmen"(6:9). Freedmen were former slaves, and probably the descendents of former slaves as well. Roman society was class conscious, and the fact that one had been a slave, or that one's ancestors were slaves, was never forgotten. These believers had been marginalized into their own little ghetto, and could not escape the taint of their past.
The passage says that they argued with Stephen over the good news of Jesus Christ. Perhaps the fact that they had been categorized as Freedmen, recognized for their station in life instead of who they were, that made them resentful of others doing well, and of the life-giving message Stephen had brought.
Christians sometimes have longer memories than God. While God forgives, some Christians never let people forget their past and don't hesitate to bring it up in public, early and often. Sayings such as, "The fruit never falls far from the tree," might be good for agriculture, but not for families of believers.
"If then God gave them the same gift that he gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could hinder God?" (Acts 11:17). That's the question Peter asked of himself -- and by extension the question asked for us as well. Yet the quest for the pure church -- and by pure what the person usually means is exclusive -- is not only fruitless, it is un-Christian. We hinder God by creating barriers, not recognizing that we become a laughingstock when we do so.
In this story it seems as if Peter's opponent at least gave him an honest hearing. That is what we expect of each other in the Christian faith. However, in recent years Christians have taken up the manners of the larger, secular world. Instead of listening to each other, Christians have begun to shout at each other, as well as outshouting each other. Peter was inviting all to listen, to discern, to come to a consensus. He was willing to answer the questions given to him, even with their accusatory tone, because he expected to be treated with respect.
Talk shows and talking-head panels feature people who insist that their side has never done anything wrong, while the other side has done everything wrong. The members of these debates, if the word can be used, demonize other human beings and assign them the worst motives, even though people tend to come to their views honestly and sincerely. The level of conversation in our society has coarsened to the point where many are turned off from the discussion and from the important issues of our day.
Christians must never be afraid of talking, and more importantly, listening. People of good faith disagree in the Acts of the Apostles, but they learn from each other and they grow. At the best of times they treat each other with respect.
Remember that every person is made in the image of God. With the image of God before you, dare you do anything but treat others with respect and love?
Maybe it really doesn't matter. But it ought to. The fact is that American Christianity as well as European Christianity is no longer on the cutting edge. It is clear that the church in Africa, Asia, and Latin America is far more vibrant and alive. They grow with none of our constraints, none of our preconceived notions. They don't form study committees and worry about building construction, organization, and hymnals. They spread the gospel to all nations -- and let the buildings and organization follow, rather than precede their work!
At a recent meeting of a national denomination, a representative of the mission churches in the Dominican Republic reported on the decision to start churches in Haiti. People from the DR are traditionally prejudiced against Haitians, but these new Christians realized that in Christ there is no east or west, and that as Peter discovered earlier, "I truly understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him" (Acts 10:34-35). So they broke down the racial barriers that separated them and took the gospel across the border.
At first, the denominational board responded by discussing which district should have administrative responsibilities, and before which meeting the proposal should be delivered in order to get permission for this mission work. But the representative from the DR spoke up and explained that the church was not asking for permission. The work had already begun! They were asking for a blessing!
Once that was clear, the blessing was given. Praise and prayer were raised, and the board realized they had been taught a lesson about how the gospel truly works.
I said earlier that the controversy about opening the church was settled only temporarily in this passage. The issue was raised again and again in Acts, and it continues to be raised to this day. The worship hour in America is still the most segregated hour in our society.
But there is a real church that is living and growing and breathing. The Spirit is present and the people are alive. Do we intend to be a part of that church, or do we want to be part of the group that thinks it is the church, that is more preoccupied with meetings and minutes and rules than the action of the Spirit and message of salvation for all? Are our doors open wide enough? If not, who intends to open them, and to tell our community and the world that we are church for everyone. Are you going to be a gatekeeper who would rather protect nothing in order to preserve our status, or are you going to be a part of the Spirit's work in this world?
That's the question for this morning. What is your answer? Amen.
Sometimes that's bad. Like when people refuse to change the little things. A lot of the churches, especially the Plain People like the Amish, Brethren, and Mennonite, practice a three-part communion service that includes the feetwashing, a full meal called the love feast, along with the bread and cup. The story is told how a new pastor tried to lead an old, established church in the feet-washing. The men were seated around one set of tables and the women around other tables. The pastor gave the instruction for the person at the front left corner to wash the feet of the person to the left, and then to continue in a counter-clockwise fashion.
No one moved. There was absolute silence. The pastor wondered what he had done wrong. The silence stretched longer and longer and the situation got more and more uncomfortable.
It turned out that in that particular congregation the feetwashing took place in a clockwise, not a counter-clockwise fashion. For the people in the church this was close to heresy. Even next to impossible.
Finally one of the elders rescued the situation by standing up, clearing his throat, and saying, "All right. I guess we can do it this way just once."And the evening was saved.
Some churches resist change. And some do more than just resist it -- they fight it, clawing, kicking, and screaming the whole way. Usually we're not talking about the Virgin Birth, the Divinity of Christ, and the Resurrection. It's about practices in the kitchen, where people sit, who controls the purse strings, who's allowed in women's fellowship, and things of that nature.
And, people do not always conduct their battles in public. The Holy Righteous Church of the Parking Lot is a recognizable feature of the American church landscape. Small groups of self-ap-pointed guardians of the faith meet in parking lots, looking furtively over their shoulders should others approach, and protect the church from the invasion of, well, openness and good ideas.
A generation ago some churches fought the purchase of copiers by insisting that mimeographs were good enough for the apostles and prophets. Aging sound systems are preserved because they are a testimony to the previous hi-fi generation who purchased them, even though state of the art equipment could enable everyone to hear clearly. Some churches resisted the computer revolution, and others fought it by donating ancient computers that crashed frequently and were next to useless.
In movies, Christians are portrayed as difficult, inflexible, judgmental, solemn, killjoys. You think of films like How Green Was My Valley or Pollyanna. Sometimes it's true.
In today's scripture, the Holy Spirit has accomplished a great thing -- the good news of Jesus Christ has been accepted by Cornelius the centurion and his whole household. The Apostle Peter has helped to break down barriers that separated people. As he would note later in a letter, "Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy" (1 Peter 2:10).
But word has gotten back to the church elders, and they call Peter in to account for what he has done. In point of fact, he hasn't done anything. The Holy Spirit has accomplished this impossible task of bringing people together, but these elders fear a church that is open to all people and they criticize Peter publicly.
In this case, it is because they are circumcised and they want all male believers to be circumcised. Nowadays this may not be a point of controversy, but there may be another hoop, or a whole series of hoops, that people need to jump through in order to fit in.
In Elkhart County, in the state of Indiana, there is a famous corner, the meeting of the rural two-lane highways known as County Roads 11 and 38. On three of the four corners there is a Mennonite church, but each one is different. All three share the same history of religious persecution that led them to seek America as a place of religious freedom. Each one believes in and practices simple living, peace, and service to all humanity in the name of Jesus. But one of them, the Beachy Amish congregation, refuses to use electricity in the homes. The members come in horse and buggies, and there is an outhouse and shelters for horses next to the simple, white meeting house. The people dress in the plain garb -- and are pretty proud of it!
The folks across the street are popularly known as the Black Car Mennonites. Each one drives an American car, and each car is black. Their building is also plain and white, and the people dress in garb that is plainer than their neighbors, although they do not conform with the fashions of the church across the street.
The third church is very large, and accepts believers who dress in many different fashions. There are cars of all makes and models, and the congregation is very active in ministry to all ages, and to people around the world. Some of the women wear head coverings. This church probably has the fewest number of hoops for believers to jump through. Their influence is far greater in the community and in the world.
In the current scripture passage the Apostle Peter is patient, probably far more patient than most of us would be. As Acts says, "Then Peter began to explain it to them, step by step ..." (11:4). He tells the story of what God has done. It is not recorded if they were enthusiastic about it, but for the time being, they accepted what had occurred -- although this same argument had to be settled again in Acts 15, and according to the letters of Paul it was revisited many times more.
How open are we to accepting others? How closed are our churches, whether we admit it or not? Lots of churches say, "We're a friendly church," but what they mean is that they are friendly to each other. If a newcomer arrives, that person may not be greeted and welcomed, nor invited to return. It is possible to go to some churches and never shake a single hand or share a single word with another believer.
And, it's not just because they are unfriendly at heart. Some people say, "I don't want to greet someone because I might have already met them and I don't want to make a mistake." Which is worse -- to admit a mistake and laugh over it, giving time to get know a person better, or taking the chance on ignoring someone who is sincerely seeking Jesus, and who discovers that the church is every bit as unfriendly as they were told?
Once people are in the church, the question is whether we have the grace to allow them to become new creatures in Christ. People, especially in small towns, have long memories. In the Acts of the Apostles there is a reference to the "Synagogue of the Freedmen"(6:9). Freedmen were former slaves, and probably the descendents of former slaves as well. Roman society was class conscious, and the fact that one had been a slave, or that one's ancestors were slaves, was never forgotten. These believers had been marginalized into their own little ghetto, and could not escape the taint of their past.
The passage says that they argued with Stephen over the good news of Jesus Christ. Perhaps the fact that they had been categorized as Freedmen, recognized for their station in life instead of who they were, that made them resentful of others doing well, and of the life-giving message Stephen had brought.
Christians sometimes have longer memories than God. While God forgives, some Christians never let people forget their past and don't hesitate to bring it up in public, early and often. Sayings such as, "The fruit never falls far from the tree," might be good for agriculture, but not for families of believers.
"If then God gave them the same gift that he gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could hinder God?" (Acts 11:17). That's the question Peter asked of himself -- and by extension the question asked for us as well. Yet the quest for the pure church -- and by pure what the person usually means is exclusive -- is not only fruitless, it is un-Christian. We hinder God by creating barriers, not recognizing that we become a laughingstock when we do so.
In this story it seems as if Peter's opponent at least gave him an honest hearing. That is what we expect of each other in the Christian faith. However, in recent years Christians have taken up the manners of the larger, secular world. Instead of listening to each other, Christians have begun to shout at each other, as well as outshouting each other. Peter was inviting all to listen, to discern, to come to a consensus. He was willing to answer the questions given to him, even with their accusatory tone, because he expected to be treated with respect.
Talk shows and talking-head panels feature people who insist that their side has never done anything wrong, while the other side has done everything wrong. The members of these debates, if the word can be used, demonize other human beings and assign them the worst motives, even though people tend to come to their views honestly and sincerely. The level of conversation in our society has coarsened to the point where many are turned off from the discussion and from the important issues of our day.
Christians must never be afraid of talking, and more importantly, listening. People of good faith disagree in the Acts of the Apostles, but they learn from each other and they grow. At the best of times they treat each other with respect.
Remember that every person is made in the image of God. With the image of God before you, dare you do anything but treat others with respect and love?
Maybe it really doesn't matter. But it ought to. The fact is that American Christianity as well as European Christianity is no longer on the cutting edge. It is clear that the church in Africa, Asia, and Latin America is far more vibrant and alive. They grow with none of our constraints, none of our preconceived notions. They don't form study committees and worry about building construction, organization, and hymnals. They spread the gospel to all nations -- and let the buildings and organization follow, rather than precede their work!
At a recent meeting of a national denomination, a representative of the mission churches in the Dominican Republic reported on the decision to start churches in Haiti. People from the DR are traditionally prejudiced against Haitians, but these new Christians realized that in Christ there is no east or west, and that as Peter discovered earlier, "I truly understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him" (Acts 10:34-35). So they broke down the racial barriers that separated them and took the gospel across the border.
At first, the denominational board responded by discussing which district should have administrative responsibilities, and before which meeting the proposal should be delivered in order to get permission for this mission work. But the representative from the DR spoke up and explained that the church was not asking for permission. The work had already begun! They were asking for a blessing!
Once that was clear, the blessing was given. Praise and prayer were raised, and the board realized they had been taught a lesson about how the gospel truly works.
I said earlier that the controversy about opening the church was settled only temporarily in this passage. The issue was raised again and again in Acts, and it continues to be raised to this day. The worship hour in America is still the most segregated hour in our society.
But there is a real church that is living and growing and breathing. The Spirit is present and the people are alive. Do we intend to be a part of that church, or do we want to be part of the group that thinks it is the church, that is more preoccupied with meetings and minutes and rules than the action of the Spirit and message of salvation for all? Are our doors open wide enough? If not, who intends to open them, and to tell our community and the world that we are church for everyone. Are you going to be a gatekeeper who would rather protect nothing in order to preserve our status, or are you going to be a part of the Spirit's work in this world?
That's the question for this morning. What is your answer? Amen.
