Peaceful Productivity

today's sermon at Faith United Church, UCC, International Falls, MN

Texts: Proverbs 31:10-31 and James 3:13-4:3, 7-8a

Once upon a time there was a little girl who hated to do her homework. She had a rather comprehensive math test coming up and was feeling quite stressed. As you can imagine, she put off her studying until the last minute and then worked just hard enough to, hopefully, pass the test. That night, her father was going past her room just as she was saying her bedtime prayers, and this is what he heard: “Now I lay me down to rest, and hope to pass tomorrow's test. If I should die before I wake, that's one less test I have to take. Amen.” [1]

That little girl was hardly the woman described in today’s reading from Proverbs. But she is probably more like us than the wise and perfect wife whose “works praise her in the city gates.”

It’s good to know that we aren’t the only ones who don’t live up to those qualities of perfection defined in Proverbs. As I see it, only God can live up to the standards and ideals we just heard attributed to the perfect wife.

Here’s what the passage is NOT about: commentaries warn against allowing this passage to be used to abuse, control or put down women. The “ideal wife” is a standard that is impossible to live up to, and yet people throughout the ages have tried to emulate this image, or have at least believed that women ought to be able to achieve it. In fact, when I went looking for a picture to put on the screen for this sermon I found a so-called “Christian” web site that was all about the biblical mandate for women to be submissive to men.

When you look carefully at today’s passage from Proverbs, you see that the woman is doing all the work so that the man can have the prestige of sitting idly at the city gates participating in discussions with the elders of the community. Who wouldn’t like to have such privilege—either male of female? If a spouse did everything so that we could sit back & relax & discuss politics and community gossip, that would be the life, wouldn’t it? (On the other hand, it might also get boring, eventually.)

But if you look even more closely, it would appear that this husband has probably relinquished his power! His wife not only runs the household and teaches the children (wisely, you notice!) but she also runs the business and manages the real estate! And she’s good at it! She sounds a little like Super Woman. Has he given her all the credit, or is it a case of “behind every good man is a great woman” and she is letting him take the credit while she works behind the scenes?

Or is this a case of praising the wisdom of women and demonstrating that Sophia (Wisdom) is woman personified?

Whatever the case may be….. we can learn from this passage if we DON’T take it literally. The qualities of a capable wife, as listed in Proverbs, are actually the qualities of a capable Christian!

If we read this passage literally, it may sound like this woman should be—or should try to be—like Super Woman up there on the screen, but the text doesn’t say that this woman is working herself to the bone or driving herself into oblivion by putting others first. What she is doing is giving of herself for her family. In much the same way, we are called to give of ourselves for God’s family. And that doesn’t mean we should burn ourselves out. We come to worship each week—and participate in other activities of the church—to refuel and rejuvenate ourselves. If we don’t refresh our souls and spirits with God’s love and empowering strength, we won’t be able to serve others—wisely or otherwise.

Yet, productivity is a good thing. And productivity in the quest for peace is even better!

What wisdom do we glean from all this? James tells us to “show by [our] good life that [our] works are done with gentleness born of wisdom.” When what we do is inspired by the wisdom that comes from loving, following and serving God, “a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace for those who make peace.”

There is enough misery, greed and jealousy in the world that we all should be inspired to be highly productive in working toward peace with justice. Technology has made our world too small for isolationism, nationalism, economic imperialism and religion-ism.

Christians aren’t the only people in the world and we need to understand that there are other paths to God—other faiths that seek to teach wise and compassionate ways to live and love. Within all faiths there are radicals, but the ones who are important are the ones who strive for peaceful productivity—seeking justice and equality for all the people of the world.

Anyone who criticizes people of other religions, needs to remember that “It is Christians who call God ‘rational’ who, in that God's name, have done a history-full of irrational things to other religions and [even] to Christians themselves. In times past, Christians drove Jews and Muslims out of Europe… slaughtered Jews in pogroms and Muslims in the Crusades. In the New World, Christians converted Indians at the end of a sword and persecuted gays and kept slaves and suppressed women… [W[hite Christians burn[ed] crosses in the front yards of black Christians—and then burned those black Christians themselves. Radicals of all faiths have sinned in the name of religion. If we, as Christians, want to begin a dialogue on the role of violence in religion, we need to cite some of our own sins as well as theirs… [and] we had all better learn to talk so Christian a language that there is no doubt about its meaning.” [2]

Jesus, who was always a Jew, embraced all the people, not just his own clan. In a similar manner, James tells us that “where there is envy and selfish ambition, there will also be disorder and wickedness of every kind. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace for those who make peace.”

The qualities of a “capable wife” are those qualities showered upon all people by our generous and loving God. We cannot be God, but we can be God-like in our treatment of the other people with whom we share this planet. With grace and with “wisdom from above” we can be productive in working for peace with justice, remembering that God created all humankind in God’s image, and wisdom dictates that we serve God by loving our fellow human beings and by seeking to restore the unity that God intends for us all. AMEN.

Endnotes

[1] Note #9 from Judy Boli to “Sermonshop 2006 09 24” on Ecunet.

[2] Adapted from “From Where I Stand” by Joan Chittister, OSB, Sept. 22, 2006, Vol. 4, No. 21.

Wisdom vs. Fear

Today's sermon at Faith United Church, UCC, International Falls, MN

the Rev. Sue Judson Hamly

Texts: Proverbs 1:20-33 and Psalm 19

Before we get into the wisdom of the bible as found in Proverbs, here’s some conventional wisdom—or contemporary proverbs—you may have heard before:

1. If you're too open minded, your brains will fall out.

2. Age is a very high price to pay for maturity.

3. Going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than going to a garage makes you a mechanic.

4. Artificial intelligence is no match for natural stupidity.

5. If you must choose between two evils, pick the one you've never tried before.

6. It is easier to get forgiveness than permission.

7. For every action, there is an equal and opposite government program.

8. Bills travel through the mail at twice the speed of checks.

9. A conscience is what hurts when all your other parts feel so good.

10. Eat well, stay fit, die anyway.

11. Men are from earth. Women are from earth. Deal with it.

12. No husband has ever been shot while doing the dishes.

13. A balanced diet is a cookie in each hand. (that’s my favorite!)

14. Middle age is when broadness of the mind and narrowness of the waist change places.

15. Opportunities always look bigger going than coming.

16. Junk is something you've kept for years and throw away three weeks before you need it.

17. Experience is a wonderful thing. It enables you to recognize a mistake when you make it again.

18. By the time you can make ends meet, they move the ends.

19. Thou shalt not weigh more than thy refrigerator.

20. Someone who thinks logically provides a nice contrast to the real world. AND …

21. Blessed are they who can laugh at themselves for they shall never cease to be amused.

What wisdom do you pay attention to? What guides your life and your decisions? In today’s reading from the first chapter of Proverbs, we can gather that not very many people are paying much attention to God’s wisdom. This passage seems, to me, to be particularly appropriate this week.

At seminary we were urged to always preach with the bible in one hand and the newspaper in the other. These days it might be more appropriate to say we should preach with the bible in one hand and the internet in the other if we want to relate biblical messages to the world around us.

Some things that happened in the past few days have led me to feel I could be in agreement with Wisdom who is crying out in the streets, intersections and at the city gates.

What utter craziness we had this week when many, many school districts refused to air the President’s speech to the nation’s school children and youth! How vividly I recall sitting on the floor of the El Dorado school auditorium watching John F. Kenney’s inauguration! It made an impression on me that I remember almost 50 years later! Why in the world wouldn’t people want their children to hear the President of the United States encouraging them to do well and stay in school?

One of my facebook friends posted an article telling of a school district in Texas that refused to show President Obama’s speech on Tuesday and then 2 days later loaded all the students up and took them on a field trip to hear a speech by former President Bush. Which one disrupted their schedule more? Do you think there’s some prejudice going on here? What about disrespecting the office of the President?

There was an exchange between another 2 facebook friends—one of whom used to live here and the other still does. The first one wrote, “My favorite quote from Texas (so far) is ‘You talk smart, you’re not from around here.’” The other friend replied that her son had had something very similar said to him in Kentucky recently.

Wisdom, who is always portrayed in the bible as a female figure, lives the calling of a prophetess, carrying her message—that is Yahweh/God’s message—into the very heart of the city of the people of God—in the squares and at the busiest corners. And the word that she delivers is one of distress. The people, it seems, have committed offenses particularly heinous to the practitioners of wisdom. Those offenses are: “being simple,” “scoffing,” and “hat(ing) knowledge.”[i]

Israel’s wisdom teachers have a deeply held conviction that a gracious God has placed at the people’s disposal the ability to understand what God wants them to be and to do. “God has created a world of order and coherence” and by studying nature and human nature in that world it is “possible to understand God.”[ii]

But it seems there are still people who are afraid of knowledge; afraid of anything or anyone different from them; afraid to learn; afraid to grow; afraid to get to know people they’ve been taught to fear. I’ve even heard it here. Some people are afraid of having homeless people in our building. Good heavens! This is a small town, it’s possible we might even know them!

The President’s address to Congress Wednesday evening concerning his health care plan is another crazy thing that happened this week. The speech wasn’t crazy, I thought it was excellent and intelligent! But the fact that he had to debunk a whole list of wild rumors was sad. I actually know at least one person who believes that there will be a panel of “non-medical people” who will make decisions that will prevent the elderly from getting health care if this plan is approved. Fear has been spread by those who want to prevent any health care reform from passing.

Why we wouldn’t want affordable health insurance for ALL the people is beyond me, but fear often trumps wisdom.

In Proverbs, the prophetess Wisdom has arisen to declare a word from God to which the people need to pay attention! “But the gist of that word is that the people are already closed to and ignorant of God’s will for their lives.”

What follows sounds like punishment from God for not paying attention, but really what happens is “that having had no use for God in their prosperous times, the people have no idea how to turn to God now that they are in great need.” [iii]

Our God is gracious and loving and that love extends to ALL the people, not just a few of us. Psalm 19 reminds us of that graciousness, compassion and generosity. God has created this incredible universe and “The heavens are telling the glory of God; and the firmament proclaims God’s handiwork.”[iv]

The psalmist also tells us that God’s law is perfect, reviving the soul, and the decrees of God are sure, making wise the simple. There’s that wisdom again. We have no need to fear because God’s wisdom is right there in front of us. God calls us to choose wisdom over fear, and to open our eyes to the goodness of God’s people and God’s creation.

Fear calls us to hunker down while wisdom calls us to embrace change and grow in love. When we accept our role and identity as God’s creatures and live in trustful response to the gift of God, we can thrive in the glorious liberty of unencumbered creatures, loved and empowered by our Creator.[v]

God’s great wisdom calls us to give up fear and choose life and love—for self, for others and for God, who truly is our rock and our redeemer. AMEN.

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[i] Texts for Preaching, Brueggemann, COusar, Gaventa, McCann and Newsome Jr., Westminster John Knox Press, p. 505.

[ii] Op. cit., p. 506.

[iii] Ibid.

[iv] Psalm 19:1, NRSV.

[v] Adapted from Texts for Preaching, p. 508.

Surrounded by God

Today's sermon at Faith United Church, UCC, International Falls, MN

preached by the Rev Sue Judson Hamly

Texts: Proverbs 22: 1-2, 8-9, 22-23 and Psalm 125

At first, today’s readings from Proverbs and Psalm 125 may sound rather harsh. And, indeed, some of it is. But they also contain great wisdom.

Have you been told before that your good name—or your reputation—is worth more than riches? It’s true. Being trustworthy and compassionate (that’s what “favor” actually means in this text) is so important in our interactions with others. And it doesn’t matter a bit to God whether we’re rich or poor. God made us all and God loves us all, no matter what!

Proverbs also tells us not to use the legal system to take advantage of those who are poor because God will always be on their side.

Psalm 125 seems to have similar things to say, but today I want to focus on one verse: “As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so God surrounds the people, from this time on and forevermore.”[i]

In ancient times, walls and mountains provided some safety and security for cities. You can get an idea from the picture on the screen.

So, as the mountains surround Jerusalem, in the same way God surrounds the people—now and always.

What good news that is!! Have you felt it? God’s love surrounds us, always and forever, whether we’re aware of it or not.

Yesterday afternoon I officiated at a wedding in the garden at the Holiday Inn. I told the bride and groom that they are surrounded by God’s love. As I said that to them I remember thinking to myself—“Gee, I’m already working on my sermon!”

But how true it is! We ARE surrounded by God’s love, everywhere and always. It’s like a safety net, reminding us that we’re never alone.

Today is a wonderful celebratory day—we have both of our sacraments in one service! We baptized two of God’s special children and in their baptism we are all reminded that God names and claims each one of us, surrounding us with God’s never-ending, never-failing love.

In a few minutes we will celebrate communion, the meal that symbolizes God’s love for us in the gift of Jesus Christ. At the communion table we remember that we are one body with all God’s people everywhere. This meal symbolizes God’s love through Christ who brought people together from all walks of life, abolishing classism, racism, sexism, discrimination and any other isms you can think of. Sadly, as human beings we’re not there yet, but God’s love calls us to keep trying until we DO get there.

At the communion table we are all equal, each receiving the same food as everyone else. What it means to us may be different, but we’re all beloved children in God’s eyes.

In baptism God claims us as God’s own—although we are already God’s much-loved children from the moment of our conception. But what is also happening in the sacrament of baptism is that the faith community—the local church—is surrounding the child and the parents with love and caring and a commitment to help each child grow in Christian faith. We pledge to love like God does, bringing these children into our family of faith, surrounding them with an outward and visible expression of caring, just as God surrounds them—and us—with an even greater love that can be felt if not always seen.

God integrates us all into Faith United Church, which is one expression of the body of Christ, called to love and serve one another as we love and serve God by loving and serving the world.

It’s so good to be surrounded—by our community of faith and by our loving, compassionate God!

May peace be upon us! AMEN.

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[i] Psalm 125:2, NRSV.

Be Love!

Sermon preached by the Rev. Sue Judson Hamly at Faith United Church, UCC, International Falls, MN on August 30, 2009

Texts: Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23 and James 1:17-27

I didn’t get around to reading Friday’s Daily Journal until yesterday and I was struck by the editorial cartoon, which in this case wasn’t really a cartoon, but a tribute to the late Senator Ted Kennedy.

I don’t know if you all know what an Obamicon is or not, but they were very popular around the time of the Presidential election last fall. There’s a website called “ObamiconMe” where anyone can go and make a picture into an Obamicon in red, white and blue hues. The original idea came from one of the Obama campaign posters.

The cartoon in Friday’s Daily Journal was done by political cartoonist, RJ Matson. It is a whole collage of Ted Kennedy Obamicons. This is what it looks like in color:

In today’s reading from the letter of James we heard this: “…those who look into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and persevere, being not hearers who forget but doers who act—they will be blessed with their doing. ...Religion that is pure and unbridled before God…is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress…”

Of course Senator Kennedy’s life was not perfect, by any means—just as none of our lives is perfect—but Matson’s cartoon tribute to the much beloved senator reminds us of many of the things he did during his long career. I’ll read some of them to you: Hope, SCHIP (State Children’s Health Insurance Program), Title IX, Work, Health Care, COBRA, Minimum Wage, Fair Housing, Immigration Reform, Mental Health Parity Act, Civil Rights, OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration), Voting Rights, Education, Change, FEC (Federal Election Commission), WIC (nutrition program for women, infants and children), Progress and Liberal.

Whether or not you liked Ted Kennedy, he was a liberal Democrat who cared about the American people. He could inspire members of both parties and the things he did in his Senate career made a difference to millions of Americans. He was a doer. His love and faith led him to action, and that, says James, is what faith is all about.

James also said, “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God…is this: to care for the orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.”

Well, keeping oneself unstained by the world is a huge challenge, but caring for others may steer us in the right direction. Today the list of who we should care for is much longer. It would also include the poor, the unemployed, those who are abused, the homeless, people who are physically or mentally disabled and others who are marginalized by our society.

Unfortunately, not much has actually changed in regard to the marginalized since Jesus’ day. In earlier times in our nation’s history the Irish Catholics who came over here during the potato famine were called lazy, oversexed or criminals, just as the poor and various immigrant groups are described today! The same thing happened to Italian immigrants and each succeeding nationality that was “new” in our country. It’s the same old song, only in a different key. Why do we keep repeating the same prejudices, just applying them to different groups?[i] Why is it so hard for us to love or at least accept people who are different?

In today’s gospel reading the story is about Jesus’ disciples not following the Hebrew laws for cleanliness and purity, and not doing the “proper” ritual washing of hands and food before eating. They weren’t doing the “right” things according to the “right” religious traditions.

Have you heard anything like that in modern times? Is it any wonder that the words religion, religious and even Christian have come to have negative connotations for many people?

Jesus tells the picky Pharisees that it doesn’t matter what goes into the body—whether or not the proper rituals have been performed—but it’s what comes out that defiles a person and makes them unloving. He gives quite a list: fornication, theft, murder, adultery, avarice, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, envy, slander, pride, folly. How about our judgmental attitudes and comments and the hurtful things people say to one another? What about jealousy? Or revenge? Or one-upmanship?

In this story, as usual, Jesus is putting people ahead of the Law, and the Pharisees don’t like that one bit! The Pharisees think they have it all down-pat. Follow the rules; live your life by the law; don’t stray from the path, even to smell the roses! Jesus says there’s more to life than living piously. There’s more to life than following the Law so rigidly that you can’t hear God’s word, much less do it.

But how often do we hear the word of God and not do it? The still-speaking God calls us to love our neighbors—meaning everyone. Jesus always came down on the side of the oppressed, the poor, the outcast, the people with dread diseases, the prisoners, the unpopular, the unclean, the rejected, the inadequate…. We are called to follow Jesus—to be DO-ers and not just hear-ers of the Word.

In order to BE love, our faith should call and inspire us to do good works, not because we think that will “save” us (because it won’t—we’re already “saved” by God’s love and grace) but because in our faith we know God’s love and sense a responsibility to share God’s love in all that we do and all that we are. The good works we do are how we live out our faith.

Martin Luther didn’t like the book of James because he thought it was saying that one was saved through works and Luther knew that salvation comes through and by God’s grace—alone.

But "faith" and "works" are not opposed; they're not even disconnected. The truly wise, truly faithful individual is known not by what they SAY they believe, but in how they LIVE what they believe. Eugene Peterson says, "Wisdom is not primarily knowing the truth, although it certainly includes that; it is skill in living. For what good is a truth if we don't know how to live it? What good is an intention if we can't sustain it?"[ii]

How can we BE Love? By not holding grudges, by not being judgmental, by letting go of our prejudices, by accepting others as they are, by caring for those who need our help, by seeking equality and justice for all God’s people, by walking the walk and not just talking the talk, by being doers of the Word instead of just hearers.

“…those who look into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and persevere, being not hearers who forget but doers who act—they will be blessed in their doing.” And their “Obamicon” will look like this:

AMEN.

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[i] Susan Gabbard, Harrisburg, PA in “Lectionary Preachers Panel” on facebook.

[ii] Eugene Peterson, The Message, introduction to James, p. 1668.