Feed This Flock (12/20/15)
Photo courtesy of Haley Wallace
In this week's message, we look at two of my favorite things, Star Wars and stewardship. What does one have to do with the other? Read the sermon and find out!
May
the Force be with you! Er, um, I mean, good morning! I’m sorry, I saw the new Star Wars movie on Thursday night and I
guess I’m still a little worked up over it. And let me tell you, it’s really good. You won’t believe—oh, wait.
Maybe I shouldn’t spoil it for you. I’ll keep my mouth shut. For now. But don’t
expect me to keep silent for too long. This is exciting stuff!
You
have to understand, the original Star
Wars was released a few weeks before I started the first grade. That movie
shaped my childhood like nothing else in popular culture. Not only did it
inform my imagination, but Star Wars
was really the first time that Hollywood really figured out how to market and
merchandize the cultural phenomenon it had created. And I was just the right
age for it. Every birthday and every Christmas from 1977 to 1983 included a
request for some Star Wars figure or
toy. Actually, from 1977 to 1983, I probably requested every Star Wars toy or action figure.
Now,
as Christians, we believe that God hears and answers all of our prayers.
Sometimes God’s answer is, “no.” In that same fashion, though I asked for every
Star Wars toy and action figure,
sometimes my parents’ answer was, “no.” But I was an only child, so more often
than not, I got what I wanted. From that standpoint, the best Christmas ever
was 1978. That year I got the Death Star playset and lots of action figures. I
know I got other stuff for Christmas that year, but it’s the Star Wars stuff that I remember.
To
this day, I only have to hear a few notes of the theme song and I am
transported back in time to the happiest parts of my childhood. Just a few
notes and I’m six or seven or eight years old. Instantly, I’m in a galaxy far,
far, away; or in the movie theater watching, or playing with my friends, or in
my bedroom, playing by myself. I can barely remember a time before Star Wars. It shaped my imagination to
such a great extent that it’s impossible to conceive what my life would have
been like without it.
In the
same way, when we hear Old Testament scriptures—especially around Advent and
Christmas—it is impossible for us to hear those words without thinking of the
coming of the Christ. We believe that these prophetic scriptures, like this
morning’s reading from Micah, point directly to Jesus. Surely, they do. Yet
these words were written long before Christ entered the world. They were
considered holy scripture centuries before the birth of Jesus.
The
prophet Micah was active during the reigns of the kings Jotham, Ahaz, and
Hezekiah. That was roughly 700-750 years before Christ was born. It was a time
of great upheaval: the Assyrian Empire invaded first the northern kingdom of
Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah; the Assyrians captured Samaria, the
capital of the northern kingdom, in 722 BCE.[1]
The culture of the southern kingdom was also in the midst of turmoil:
During this era,
Judah’s economy expanded and shifted from a barter society to a mercantile
society in which money was traded for goods. According to the prophet,
corruption and hypocrisy were rampant. Jerusalem’s “rulers give judgment for a
bribe, its priests teach for a price, its prophets give oracles for money; yet
they lean upon the Lord and say, ‘Surely the Lord is with us! No harm shall
come upon us’” (Micah 3:11).[2]
Imagine
what it must have been like to be living in Judah during those times. They were
centuries removed from the reigns of King David and King Solomon. Perhaps there
were refugees from Israel coming into Judah. King Hezekiah held off the
Assyrian invaders at Jerusalem in 701, but only after the Assyrians had
attacked other towns. The economy was in disarray. Neither judges nor priests
were trustworthy.
Does
any of this sound familiar? A nation feels like it’s under attack. There are
refugees on the border. Government officials are corrupt. The economy is
uncertain. Is this ringing any bells? Any of you feel uncomfortable about the
economy or the state of our nation?
Now
I’ve cautioned you before about reading biblical prophecies directly into the
context of the United States in the twenty-first century. Yes, there are
similarities. That is because these problems are always with us. There might be
moments, years, decades, generations when things seem better, but a crisis can
happen at any moment. Fear is always with us. Uncertainty is always with us.
Corruption is always with us. Human institutions will always fail because
humans will always fail. The people of Judah couldn’t count on any of their
human institutions, so the prophet Micah reminds them to put their trust in
God. “Micah invites us to look for God’s presence where we least expect and to
be attuned to the voices of the small, the powerless, and the vulnerable.”[3]
Remember,
some 750 years, passed between the time that Micah offered these words and the
time that Jesus entered the world. Yet these words rang true in Micah’s time
and for generations after—for generations of faithful Jews who lived and died
before the coming of the Christ—these were words of Holy Scripture.
Micah
also posed this question to the people: “what does the Lord require of you but
to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” What
God was saying, through the prophet Micah’s voice, is that it is more important
to act with justice, kindness, mercy, compassion, and humility than it is to
simply obey the letter of the law. This is also consistent with the message
that we heard in this morning’s reading from Hebrews. The writer reminds us
that Jesus came to earth to do God’s will, not to simply offer sacrifices of
animals for sin offerings or burnt offering, but to live his whole life as a
faithful offering to God. Christ accepts that his life of “loving, faithful
obedience is to be lived out in a body,” prepared by God.[4] That
means that Jesus must demonstrate God’s love by loving all of humanity. What’s
more, the church is also the body of Christ. We, too, are called to take “practical
actions that help, serve, and impact the lives of others.”[5]
In my
short time here at Houston, I have seen members of this congregation live into
the covenant faithfulness of which Micah speaks. I have seen people take care
of the small, the powerless, and the vulnerable. I have seen the Deacons use
their money to help the needy. I have seen members of this congregation
providing physical labor for other members in need. I have seen members of this
congregation providing emotional and spiritual support for one another. I have
seen you taking practical actions to help and serve others.
Let me
give you an example. On Saturday morning, several members of this congregation gave
their time and talents to help out Thelma Mitchell. Many of you know that she’s
been fighting with a contractor to complete work on her home. On Saturday, Leon
Young, Charlie Young, Rob Smith, Sandy Wallace, and other members of this congregation
went to Thelma’s house to put a roof over her front porch. In the cold. The Deacons
paid for the supplies. These were practical actions, taken on behalf of a member
of this congregation.
In
these uncertain times, perhaps we can gain inner peace—peace of mind, the peace
of Christ—by living faithfully into the covenant and being the body of Christ.
There are many ways to do this. Each of us has different talents and abilities.
Every Sunday I remind you that we offer our talents, our time, and yes, our
treasure. Earlier this morning, Gloria offered another reminder that we need to
support this church with our treasure—she appealed to you to make a pledge of
financial support. This enables us to live into our call to be the body of
Christ in the world. I know you all know this.
Beloved,
this community of faith, this church family is a unified whole. We are able to
do more together because we offer different gifts, and through those gifts, we
live more fully into our call to be the body of Christ. That begins with
communal worship and prayer, but it extends beyond these four walls when the
worship service is over.
We
are the church. These four walls are NOT the church, but these walls enclose
the space where we worship. Our community is centered around our worship here
on Sunday mornings. We need to make sure that the roof doesn’t leak and that
trees don’t come crashing through the stained glass windows. We need to make
sure that the heat and the electricity are turned on. We need to pay for the
materials we use to make improvements and renovations to this building. We need
to pay the salaries of our professional staff: Karen, Maggie, and me. And we
need to support all sorts of missions that are part of the life of this
congregation. We need to get a sense of how much money is coming in, so that we
may figure out how we live into our call as the body of Christ. In know you
have all been faithful stewards of this congregation over the years and I know
that you live into your call as the body of Christ when you step outside of
these walls. I know you know this. I’m just reminding you of what
you already know. For the body of Christ to be healthy, we must all come
together and support this congregation in every way that we can. Thanks be to
God. Amen.
Benediction
Now, beloved,
as you depart from this place, remember that God never turns away from us.
Remember that in these uncertain times, we are called to watch and wait.
Remember, too, that we must first find peace within ourselves. So find that
peace, then go forth and be instruments of God’s love and peace and
reconciliation. Do not return evil for evil to any person, but know that we are
all loved by God, and that we are called to reflect that love and act upon that
love to everyone we meet. In the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord, Let all God’s
children say, Amen!
[1]
Anne Stewart, “Micah 5:2-5a Commentary,” retrieved from: http://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentary_id=2701
[2]
Anne Stewart, “Micah 5:2-5a Commentary”
[3]
Anne Stewart, “Micah 5:2-5a Commentary.”
[4]
Edward Pillar, “Hebrews 10:5-10 Commentary,” retrieved from: http://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentary_id=2697
[5]
Edward Pillar, “Hebrews 10:5-10 Commentary.”
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