Anatomy of a Sermon

I was raised a protestant in the Congregational Church now known as the United Church of Christ. It is the church of early American settlers – the Pilgrims. They were known later as Puritans. How over the few hundred years they became the most liberal of Christian protestant denominations I will never know! I’m not interested in the how, just that it is.

Now comfortably in my 70’s I have been asked to prepare a sermon for my Lutheran church, a church home I am nestled into now for over 10 years. Yes, I once attended seminary (back in the late 1960’s), have pretty much dedicated my life to social concerns, agencies and careers. I care about people and how they deal with their lives through thick and thin. So my interest in church and religion is life long but rocky theologically.

It was the theological discipline to creed and ritual that dashed my thoughts of becoming a minister. I wanted to make a difference in the lives of people and society so chose, instead, to labor in higher education, non-profit agencies, and consulting work. Along the way I became a writer of sorts. Still trying to understand the ‘sorts’ part of that statement!

So, here I am, standing before you ready to present a sermon. I agreed to do this to help the congregation bridge the preaching gap between Pastor Wende’s retirement and the start of our interim pastor arriving in August.

I had planned to present to you a combination of two of my recent blog postings, both praising and thanking the pastoral services of Wende West, and using those words to show how PW was a true pastor in the biblical sense.

But I changed my mind. World events have swirled perniciously close to home and memories and thus I have chosen to focus instead on those unsettling events. Why? Because we are all affected by them and need reassurance that the world has not, indeed, gone mad.

Of course I speak of the unsettling deaths of black young men at the hands of police officers, the massacre of 5 Dallas police officers while they were protecting the lives of a peaceful protest, and now, the slaughter of 84 innocent children, men and women in Nice on Bastille Day. Many more remain in hospital, some in highly critical condition. And of course we shall not forget the 50 souls massacred in Orlando a little over a month ago.

And then Friday night's coup attempt in Turkey. At latest count over 265 people dead including coup participants, defenders, police and civilians caught in the crossfire.

Violence. In the world and here at home. Whether with guns or fists or boots – it is hideous. Demeaning and abasing. Heart wrenching, also. The mind staggers to make sense of it. The WHY? Why this form of violence? Why now? Why these people in this place? For what purpose? Why?

Living in the real world is not easy. Accepting raw facts is easy on the face of it, but the reality of those facts are difficult to digest. Thus the WHY writ large.

In today’s Gospel reading (Luke 10:38-42), Martha complains to Jesus that she is left alone by Mary to do all the hospitality work. She accuses Mary of shirking her duties as a woman and hostess, and thus burdening Martha. Jesus responds that Mary is where she should be and that Martha’s work is good and appropriate.

Why? Theologically the answer is that Mary – a woman expanding her role to student at the feet of the teacher (Jesus the Rabbi) – was a necessary growth of spreading the news Jesus had to offer the world.

Being in the world, that is what Mary did, drinking in the words and lessons offered up by Jesus. Hospitality to the assembled was provided by Martha. All was good. The real focus of the gathering was learning.

And so we are here to learn what? How to live in the world? How to accept the hideous violence around us and make sense of it? For what purpose? Well, that is the purpose, isn’t it? To question and explore the hideous so we can learn what to do about it that will restore peace and calm long into the future. The need is evident. The outcome in question. The action yet to be determined.

The act of learning is really a journey of exploration. From that earnest probe of fact we discover things we did not know before. We learned how life is lived in the shoes of others, for one. But we also learn cause – effect – result of many facts. Those discoveries yield to understanding – the fruit of all education, all learning. The honesty we bring to this work will better produce honest results we can rely upon.

Then we can act and live with purpose and direction  that will make a difference.

Is this not what Christ’s teachings were all about? What he asked of his disciples to learn and to broadcast far and wide. His enlistment of the willing Mary is a sign of his process, to teach and spread the Gospel.

Yes, Mary was doing the right thing. So was Martha. Each in a different role. One old and well learned, the other new and disturbing. But oh so exciting.

We will never fully understand all violence in the world. But we can learn more about it and its causes so we can live lives of purpose and peace. Such is the journey of living life, of learning life, of developing our own life of authentic love, feeling and understanding. It is not always easy to accept, but first let us love and learn. And then reach out.

Spread the word. Spread the love. Spread the Lessons of life.

Amen.

And so you have the formation of a sermon formed before your very eyes. This is what went through my mind as I prepared for the Sunday message. Not a bad lesson and example for my blog journal and commentary, I think. So I offer it up to you for whatever it is.

Peace!

July 18, 2016