Preacher, Rev. Debbie Kidd

The Seeker Family

Sunday, September 19, 2004/Wedgewood Baptist

 

It is A.D. 57 and I want you to meet The Seekers’.  The Seekers are a new family in the community and they are looking for a church.  They have just moved to Jerusalem from Caesarea, where they were active in a local congregation so they want to get started as soon as possible.  They start asking around.  Of course, they hear about the established church, the one that has been around awhile.  That is a good thing…stability.  But then they keep hearing about this new church that was started by a missionary, some fellow named Paul.  Paul was obviously continuing the journeys of carrying the gospel through Asia and Europe.  As a result, churches…were springing up all over the place…new churches.

 So The Seekers set out on their own journey to find a church home.  They decided to visit, to worship, to see for themselves which church they would want their membership.  As they were leaving a neighbor sees them and asks, “where you going?”, “church”, they said.  The neighbor replied, “Ah, church is for people who can’t walk on their own 2 feet.”  The Seekers response, “yeah, but who’s not stumbling.”

 A neighbor sees them leaving and asks where are they going.  “To Church,” the Seekers replied.  “Ah, church is only for people who can’t walk on their own two feet,” the neighbor said.  The Seekers replied, “yeah, but who’s not stumbling?”

The First Church of Jerusalem reminded them so much of the church they had left back home.  There was beautiful music, rituals and traditions they were used to, grew up with and counted on being a part of their worship experience every Sabbath.  This church, The First Church of Jerusalem, truly focused on the Scriptures, they could quote even passages in Leviticus.  It was familiar and they were definitely comfortable…they would probably go back.

 But everywhere they went, people were still talking about this other church.  Some liked it, others did not, and then some were just not sure yet.  The Seekers were curious, they had to admit.  This church was getting so much attention.  So they decide to go on line and check it out, that would be safe…oops!  Wrong Century.  But they did hear about some letters going around from this Paul guy.  They were able to hear about a few of them…

Evidently once Pastor Paul left one of those other towns where he had been, some time he would write back, stay in touch with the people in case there were any questions or concerns.

One of the members of the Seeker family said, “here is part of a letter he wrote to the people in Thessalonica…don’t we have some friends in Thessalonica?”  “Never mind that what did the letter say?”

So deeply do we care for you that we are determined to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves,  You remember our labor and toil, brothers and sisters; we worked night and day, so that we might not burden any of you while we proclaimed to you  the gospel of God.  2:8-9

And we urge you, beloved, to admonish the idlers, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with all of them.  See that none of you repays evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to all.  5:14-16

Another letter was circulating from Paul, but this one is to people in Corinth, gee that guy really did some traveling huh?

Consider your own call, brothers and sisters:  not many of you were wise by human standards, not many were powerful, and not many were of noble birth.  But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong.  1:26-28.

There’s more…All things are lawful, but not all things are beneficial.  All things are lawful, but not all things build up.  Do not seek your own advantage, but that of the other,  (10:23-24)…For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body – Jews or Greeks, slaves or free, (12:13)…

And everyone is talking about that one part of his letter, rumor has it that some people even use it in weddings…Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude.  It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth.  Love bears all things, believes, hopes all things, endures all things.

After hearing all of this, there was no doubt in their mind, the Seeker family was ready to visit this new congregation and see what it was all about.  There were many similarities with their home church, but there was a different emphasis, it felt freer, not as rigid.  Grace and love and kindness…yeah, that was it…Paul talks more about grace, than laws and rules.  So into Jerusalem they went to visit this ‘new’ church. 

They watched as Paul was ‘welcomed warmly’.  They listened as Paul ‘related one by one the things that God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry’.  Well, that was all it took, the Seekers liked what they saw, they liked what they heard, and they like the way they felt. 

But, wait a minute… what is happening here?  What is all of that shouting about?  Who are all of those people?  And why are they grabbing Paul?  They seem to be really mad … mad at Paul, but why?  Listen to this guy…

Fellow Israelites, help!  This is the man who is teaching everyone everywhere against our people, our law, and this place; more than that, he has actually brought Greeks into the temple and has defiled this holy place.    

Before long everyone was shouting, some shouted one thing, and some another…and Paul…he ended up in prison…again.
The Seeker family is confused.  How can something like this happen…and in the name of religion?  Those Jews from Asia seemed really convicted about what they were saying, what they believed, but then again so did Paul and some of his followers.  Who is right?  Who is wrong?  What will happen to this family?  What are the Seekers going to do now?

That was then, A.D. 57 … how about now, 2004?  Anything different, no, not if you read Kudzu.  In yesterday’s paper…Dear Preacher, I am writing my thesis on Religion and Humor and I have a question for you.  Do you Baptists laugh at different things than Episcopalians do?,  signed Wondering.  Dear Wondering, Yes, Episcopalians. 

For Jews and Gentiles in A.D. 57, for Baptist and Episcopalians in 2004, there are differences, there is confusion, and there is even shouting and anger.  I have been angry, I have even shouted and probably been shouted at as well.  Where did that get me?…Unemployed! 

Phillip Gulley, in his book Home Town Tales, writes about similar story. 

I was fired from the first church I ever pastored.  I had been there three months when an elderly woman asked a theological question about the end times.  I told her my honest opinion, which must have been the wrong thing to do, because the next Sunday they held a meeting to talk about firing me.  They told me if I changed my mind, I could keep my job.  I ask them why they would want a pastor who surrendered his or her convictions just to keep his job. I started to resign but wasn’t quick enough, and they fired me.

That very afternoon I got a phone call from another church to be their pastor.  The next Sunday went to preach a trial sermon.  I didn’t want to be their pastor because they were a fundamentalist church and I didn’t want to get fired again when they found out what I thought about the end times.  So I preached a liberal sermon in hopes they wouldn’t hire me.  The congregation sat in the pews and squirmed, except for one dear, sweet, elderly woman who smiled broadly and said, “Amen!”  I found out later she was hard of hearing.

Someone mentioned how maybe God had sent me their way so I could learn a little something.  They quieted down and thought about that for a while.  Then a man named Bob said, “I think we ought to hire him.”…Bob, a no nonsense kind of guy, delivered the report, “we’ve agreed, none of us like your sermon.  We’ve also agreed for you to be our pastor.”

Bob died some years later and at his funeral I talked with some folks about how Christians these days can’t seem to get along.  How we fuss and fight and draw our theological lines in the sand.  I told them how Bob and I were poles apart sometimes, but we’d made up our minds that disagreeing about God would never keep us from loving God’s children.  It’s good to know where you stand, but it’s even better to have your heart turned toward gentleness.

Bob ended up changing me in ways I needed to be changed.  I’d like to think I did the same for him.  Maybe that’s what God has in mind when God brings different folks together – that we each bring our scraps of truth and piece them together into this radiant quilt that is so much finer than anything we could have ever made alone.

If I hadn’t been fired, I might never have learned that.

Anger, shouting, bickering is not the answer…never has been…never will be, but what is?

If Paul had not experienced some of the ‘thorns in his flesh’ he may not have learned what he learned and ultimately wrote about.  This was not the first or the last imprisonment for Paul.  Paul faced many trials, was on the receiving end of many insults.  He was disliked and challenged by people inside and outside of the church. 

Yet in another letter he wrote after so many challenges we hear Paul continue to try to help others understand confusion happens, some proclaim Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from goodwill.  These proclaim Christ out of love, knowing that I have been put here for the defense of the gospel; the others proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but intending to increase my suffering in my imprisonment.  What does it matter?  Just this, that Christ is proclaimed in every way, whether out of false motives or true; and in that I rejoice.

What I hear in this passage to the Philippians is God is bigger than all of the anger, shouting, bickering…what I hear in this passage is God is bigger than all the Baptists and Episcopalians (and Lutherans)…and in that I rejoice! 

Yes, Paul wrote also about controversial issues, issues on which there have been many sides, many debates, probably some anger and bickering.  Remember his comments on women in the church and divorce.  And I believe, if Paul wrote to us today he would write about HIV/AIDS and sexual orientation, controversial topics again.
             
But also we would do well to remember that Paul also wrote about the fruits of the Spirit…love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, and gentleness.
  
And Paul writes in Colossians, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience.  Bear with one another.

Oh, and the Seeker family…yeah they finally found a church, a church that was a lot like the one Paul wrote about, preached about, suffered for.  It’s name…Wedgewood Baptist Church.  Listen to the mission statement.

Wedgewood Baptist Church is an imperfect congregation for an imperfect world.  We welcome and value all people, and invite those from all backgrounds to join us as we seek to follow the example and teachings of Jesus:  to bring peace and justice to our relationships with God, each other and to our fragile world.

A church that is intentional about its acceptance and teaching.  A church of service and compassion, to folks who suffer, who feel lonely, who hurt, who feel pain, who do not see divorce people, or people with different sexual orientations than their own, or people with HIV/AIDS as second class citizens. 
       
A church that has reached beyond these walls and within these walls to touch, to visit, and to share, and to pray…as well as many other ministries…this is the one I know about and have seen.
        
Ken Garfield wrote an article entitled when joining a new church really matters, the articled appeared in the Charlotte Observer, September 7, after I preached this sermon at Advent Lutheran on August 29.  I have communicated with Ken about our being on the same wave length.  In that article Ken wrote, let me share what I long to read the next time I pick up a church newsletter and see a picture of a new member:  Steve and Sally Seeker and their two children are joining our church from, well, no other church really.

They haven’t practiced what they’ve believed since their parents dragged them to church as kids.  But they’ve been feeling an emptiness for some time, and they tell us our faith community fills the void more than reading a religious book or keeping a journal.

Steve wants to cut back on his hours at work and join a men’s prayer group.  Sally is determined to recruit volunteers to help care of people with HIV/AIDS.  Their kids are already pleading with their Sunday school teacher to explore what the Bible might say to them about drugs, sex and peer pressure.

The Seekers say they didn’t join our church because that’s what you’re supposed to do in Charlotte, or because they think it’ll make them feel good.  They joined to serve God, and to love their neighbors.

We’re glad they’re here.

That’s Ken Garfield’s article and it sounds like it would fit Wedgewood Baptist Church.

A church like that is made up of people like, like you and me.  Here’s the church, here’s the steeple, open the door and there’s the people. 
           
Thanks be to God for Wedgewood Baptist Church!

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