Twice now I’ve purchased an airplane
ticket to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and booked myself at Pendle Hill Retreat
Center, which is owned and operated by the Quakers. Pendle Hill is intentional about
community. To be intentional means to
plan and develop, as opposed to “see what happens.”
What’s the draw?
*there’s
green space for breathing
*there’s
a walking trail for wandering and wondering
*there’s
a quiet space for worship--to connect with the Spirit in good company
*flowing
from that connection with the Spirit is hospitality; comfort for the stranger
*also
flowing from that connection with the Spirit is a safe place for soul to show
up--no setting each other straight; no fixing---everyone reaching for the
presence of the spirit—everyone equal, everyone “ok”
*the
food is organic and as local as possible – “a
ministry of love and concern for your health”
*the
buildings are beautiful but simple
*the
coffee pot is always on
*the
art building is well-stocked with paper and clay and paint, encouraging
creativity and a deepening connection with the soul
*communion
happens around the table at mealtime—a time of deep listening to the persons at
the table—sometimes there are lit candles; there’s always flowers
*silence
is a welcome gift so that one can hear God
*retreats
are scheduled to help people love their life, or their work, or the life of
their neighbor, or the presence of God; to teach us how to be better citizens
of the world and to advocate for the least of these, OR peace.
At
Pendle Hill the soul is safe from judgment; the body is safe from unhealthy
food and constant sitting; and the mind is treated to beauty be it through
words, demeanor, art, or nature.
The same could be said for a visit to a
monastery, a monastery being an intentional community; a community focused on
the presence of God, on care of the soul, on beauty, and on kindness.
Both are refreshing because they are
SAFE places to explore being human, being ME, in relation to God and
neighbor. It’s okay to be on a journey
and not to have arrived—to ask questions—to be messy—to grow and grow some
more.
In
his letter to the church at Corinth Paul offers a similar vision to the new
congregation; a congregation that found themselves embroiled in meanness. In our lesson today Paul is saying to the
Corinthian congregation “Do the work of being a safe place for ALL
people.”
The
Corinthian congregation had grown to be quite contentious. Many of the members thought they were better
than others—many thought they were better than Paul. An air of superiority permeated the
congregation and it let out a really big stink.
So did the air of inferiority. There was division. Think about it. An air of superiority creates a separate
category; inferiority.
We
are not strangers to this kind of thinking; the United States is superior to
any other nation, single or divorced is an inferior marital status; youth is
superior to old age; the Builders are the Greatest Generation; children are
inferior to adults; men are superior to women; my knowledge of scripture is
right and yours is wrong: undocumented workers are inferior to documented
workers, and so on. I think all of us could find ourselves on
the short end of some stick.
So
at Corinth there was pain and many people left the church and rightly so. It wasn’t healthy. Insults abounded everywhere. Persons invaded the lives of others instead
of focusing on their own abilities and inabilities—you know—the log in their own eye before removing the speck in another.
Who
wanted to hang around and be ignored, or debased? Especially
since “in Christ there is no east or west; no south or north.”
Perhaps
God had left the Corinthian congregation as well. I have
a valued friend who has the gift of discernment—the ability to see what’s
running the church—love—or something else.
She’ll often say, “God left that church a long time ago.” How do
we know when God has left a church?
According to Paul it’s when the people find themselves embroiled in
meanness, when things fall into disrepair, and when cheerfulness is difficult
to come by.
How do we know when God is present? God is present when people are in agreement,
or at PEACE with one another. It’s not
when people think the same—it’s when people think like Jesus—and find GOD in
human diversity. That’s when the Spirit
hums “surely the presence of the LORD is in this place.”
Peace means WHOLENESS; unity. When we greet one another in a holy embrace,
or with respect; when we understand everyone belongs…God is present.
“Peace”, the New Testament teaches us, “is another way to be WITH each other, as opposed to distanced and fractured or angry or mean or returning an eye for an eye.” It’s Jesus’ way. Jesus instructs his listening audience in Matthew 5:38-48 (Message) :
Love Your Enemies
38-42 “Here’s another old saying that deserves a second look: ‘Eye for
eye, tooth for tooth.’ Is that going to get us anywhere? Here’s what I propose:
‘Don’t hit back at all.’ If someone strikes you, stand there and take it. If
someone drags you into court and sues for the shirt off your back, gift wrap
your best coat and make a present of it. And if someone takes unfair advantage
of you, use the occasion to practice the servant life. No more tit-for-tat
stuff. Live generously.
43-47 “You’re familiar with the old written law, ‘Love your friend,’ and
its unwritten companion, ‘Hate your enemy.’ I’m challenging that. I’m telling
you to love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst.
When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the energies of prayer, for
then you are working out of your true selves, your God-created selves. This is
what God does. He gives his best—the sun to warm and the rain to nourish—to
everyone, regardless: the good and bad, the nice and nasty. If all you do is
love the lovable, do you expect a bonus? Anybody can do that. If you simply say
hello to those who greet you, do you expect a medal? Any run-of-the-mill sinner
does that.”
Do
we hear that? To be children of God is
to be FOR everybody, including our enemy; including people who aren’t FOR
us.
But how do we get there? How do we get beyond the division to that
peaceful place where everybody belongs?
How do we get to that place where we don’t think and act in terms of SUPERIOR
and INFERIOR? How do we think and act like
Jesus?
A
few years ago a Quaker by the name of Parker Palmer wrote a beautiful little
book titled A Hidden Wholeness. In
this book he offers several insights:
First, there is no quick fix wholeness.
It’s intentional. It’s daily.
Second, more people suffer from low self-esteem than arrogance. More people are distanced from their soul,
their inner teacher, their inner light, their Holy Spirit within—“our counselor
and friend” as Jesus says. Counselors,
we understand, both embrace and correct—tell the truth. We can’t be well when we are separated from
the source of abundant life or unwilling to look at the truth.
Silence is necessary for soul to show up and to hear
God. So are small groups, a resistance
to fixing people or demanding information about other people (gossip) or
meddling in other people’s lives, as well as an ability to wonder about how
other people arrive at their understandings instead of judging them.
Humility is also necessary to living in harmony—a willingness
to admit to ourselves and others, “I
don’t know.” An attitude of “I don’t
know” is a sign of enlightenment.
When I was a freshman in high school our
English teacher introduced a short story with two characters; the white man and
the red man (excuse the language, 1972 was a long time ago.) The red man draws a circle on the ground and
says, “This is how much the red man knows.”
The white man draws a larger circle around the smaller circle and says, “This
is how much the white man knows.” The
red man draws yet a larger circle around the two and says, “Ah yes, but this is
how much they DON’T know.”
As
we listen to a little bit of what Parker Palmer offers us around Paul’s
invitation to “live in harmony”, we realize it’s so different that the world
most of us experience…
Ears attached to ear pieces in order to
hear ipods…
Eyes absorbed in texting, and facebook
posts…
Lots of people in one place,
but not fully present…
Constant doing…
An attitude of “I know.”
Violence and revenge.
Our world is so immature. As a society, what are we? Maybe 16 years of age? If you hit me I’ll hit you back. It can hurt to live here. “Get things
in order,” Paul says to the Corinthians, “you’ll like your church so much
better.”
What
do you think he means by “get things in order”? How do you and I begin to “get
things in order”?
I
am reminded of the story about the Elephant
and the Blind Men:
Once upon a time, there lived six blind men in
a village. One day the villagers told them,
"Hey, there is an elephant in
the village today."
They had no idea what an elephant is. They decided, "Even though we would not be able to see it, let us go and feel it anyway." All of them went where the elephant was. Everyone of them touched the elephant.
"Hey, the elephant is a pillar," said the first man who touched his leg.
"Oh, no! it is like a rope," said the second man who touched the tail.
"Oh, no! it is like a thick branch of a tree," said the third man who touched the trunk of the elephant.
"It is like a big hand fan" said the fourth man who touched the ear of the elephant.
"It is like a huge wall," said the fifth man who touched the belly of the elephant.
"It is like a solid pipe," Said the sixth man who touched the tusk of the elephant.
They began to argue about the elephant and everyone of them insisted that he was right. It looked like they were getting agitated.
A wise man was passing by and he saw this. He stopped and asked them, "What is the matter?" They said, "We cannot agree to what the elephant is like." Each one of them told what he thought the elephant was like. The wise man calmly explained to them, "All of you are right. The reason every one of you is telling it differently because each one of you touched the different part of the elephant. So, actually the elephant has all those features what you all said."
"Oh!" everyone said. There was no more fight. They felt happy that they were all right.
The moral of the story is that there may be some truth to what someone says. Sometimes we can see that truth and sometimes not because they may have different perspective which we may not agree too. So, rather than arguing like the blind men, we should say, "Maybe you have your reasons." This way we don’t get in arguments.
Prayer: Peaceful God, bless us with a heart that embraces everybody. May we be humble enough in spirit to say “I don’t know,” and gracious enough to say to our neighbor “Maybe you have your reasons.” We’d love for our church to be a safe church. Amen.
(This sermon was preached by Reverend Dana Keener at Central Christian Church on June 15, 2014.)
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