union avenue christian church |
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Mysteries of God Job 42:1 – 6, 10 – 17; Psalm 34:1 – 8 Sonny Dewey was a preacher from Texas whose stable life suddenly crumbled. He reacted ‘over the top’ in rage to the man who was having an affair with his wife. Then, Sonny left town, took on some little jobs and tried to get his life together. I was reminded of this wonderful film, The Apostle, directed and starring Robert Duvall, as some of us recently listened to Michael Kinnamon at the Regional Assembly speak about the book Habakkuk. That tiny, fairly unknown book of our Hebrew scriptures is an argument with God. It is not nearly as well known or as well drawn out as the book from which we have read today: Job. In the movie, The Apostle, the very best scene (I think) is when Robert Duvall argues with God. The scene is full of tension and what follows is not a reasonable discussion — let’s sit down and discuss this — nor a prayerful or sorrowful, heart-rending dialogue. No, Duvall is in his room yelling, shouting, hollering, waving his arms and fists at God with as much energy as could pulse through him. Job did as much, but these last verses of Job’s story help put together what Job could not figure out through all his turmoil. There are no simple theological formulas. There are no tried and true responses to the anguish that comes in life. There is absolutely no assurance that faithful people will be given breaks in life; that a faithful worshipper will not be met with tragedy; that wearing a cross or prayer shawl will somehow fend off the spirits of evil that lurk in the world or even the accidental tragedies that can occur in a flash. Job was considered the most virtuous man of his time. He had profited from that virtue; his family was healthy; his wealth was intact; life was good. And suddenly all that was taken from him. Maintaining his innocence, Job kept up the questioning of ‘why me.’ Friends had the answers, which were not the answers at all. But the answers were similar to what we continue to hear today: WHENEVER we put ourselves in the position of attributing occurrences in our lives to the favor or disfavor of God, we compromise God — we reduce God’s ways to our ability of thinking and imagining. God is never that small or decipherable. Even when Job demanded an audience with God — and received it — Job’s claims were not addressed. God did not vindicate him, but only raised more questions. What happened to Job was humility — finally realizing and acknowledging the finiteness of his being; confessing that he would never be able to fully understand God; admitting that he had loved having God in his corner, in his pocket, in his hand, but could no longer do that! When we come to that place in our lives, dear friends, when we can honestly know that God is not just a part of us — a trophy we can use for our desires and a weapon we can use to fend off life’s struggles — but that we are a part of God and we will never, ever fully know God but will always, always be discovering God then we are on the pathway to faith. And that’s when a faith community comes into action and importance. Being a part of a faith community means that we have decided to join with others who are also on this journey of life and are also struggling with the mysteries that baffle us. Being a part of a faith community means acknowledging, like Job, our humility. Acknowledging that we have no idea of the fullness of God’s mysteries, but we want to discover them with other people. Being a part of a faith community, a congregation, means we are willing to show our human-ness — our foibles, our aches and pains, our joys and dreams — and struggle with others on a pathway of faith. Being a part of a congregation means that we choose to have others around us as we ask questions: big questions about life and its meaning; questions about how to teach our children; questions about how to respond to injustice; questions about how to involve ourselves in political and civic life; questions about art forms and why an author or composer or painter created a piece of work and how that work touched the core of our being; questions about why we feel victimized when bad things happen to us; questions about why we get angry; questions about our vulnerability. Congregational life is where it is safe to get angry with God. In congregational life there will be others who will hold the balance for us. In congregational life there will be others who can assure us that God will continue to love and care for us and the world no matter how hard it is for us to understand that. Congregational life is truly not so much about being in a place that will provide answers to all the questions in life, but being in a place where we can draw together with others to ask and struggle with the questions. When we come to a congregation with that agenda, we will come ready to invest our lives, risk our vulnerabilities, ask others to share our celebrations and joys, covet the presence of others as we groan in our pain and suffering. Those are Places Along the Way of a congregation. In our collective memory and reading we only know a fraction of The Places Along the Way in the life of Union Avenue Christian Church. Imagine the excitement and thrill early in the 20th century when this great building was being planned and the houses of our neighborhood were being designed and erected and all the activity the World’s Fair in St. Louis brought to this city. Then early in the life of this congregation our nation was embroiled in the war that was to end all wars. In our narthex is a listing of more than 100 people (of this congregation) who served in that war. Imagine, if you will, how devastating that was, but how important for the families of those soldiers to have a community of faith to embrace them in that time. Forty years later I don’t know what it was like at Union Avenue when the unpopular war in Vietnam broke families apart, crushed the idealism of many, and later brought home soldiers who were not welcomed as the heroes they had been told they would be. I wonder and have to hope that a congregation like Union Avenue was able to surround those who struggled. I know it was only because I had a congregation who had people listening, praying, arguing, but loving each other during the 60s that I stayed with the church and I wrestled with God for sense-making in those times. We need to be having conversations at Union Avenue today about the war in which we are involved. We need to have conversations not because we will or need to agree, but because it is here with people of faith that we are secure enough to ask tough questions. This is a Place Along the Way of our life. Imagine how many babies have been born into this congregation and how young parents have needed to have a community they trusted — a community where they knew their children would receive good faith instruction, friendship with older adults, and mere companionship as they learned how to be parents. Imagine how many more there will be in the future as our Youngish Group begin to have children. Imagine how many faithful servants’ lives have been celebrated in memorial services in this sanctuary where the community has gathered to enfold grieving loved ones and speak words of faith in very lonely times Imagine the Places Along the Way in this congregation when those who had been discriminated against, pushed aside, hurt, alienated in other worship spaces found a welcoming and safe place here. We dare not be proud that this congregation was filled with only white-skinned people for generations. We can be grateful for that Place Along the Way when it changed and the courage of those few who made it happen. We can also be grateful that at some Place Along the Way of our life as a community, sexual orientation was not a barrier or that homosexual orientation was a secret to hide rather than a way of life to share. Oh, there are so many Places Along the Way of life for this congregation that none of us can identify and yet that we all celebrate. We are here today because of those people who acknowledged and lived in the trust that God’s mysteries were to be shared with others; that the journey in life was not to be portioned off individually but collectively walked with others. In these weeks we are being challenged to consider how to prepare for the Places Along the Way that are ahead of us. We don’t know what they are. We don’t know what God has in store for us — so much remains mystery. What we can know and do know is that we choose to be a part of a community where there are others wanting to journey with us. We choose to be a part of a community where there are others who need to struggle together. We choose to be a part of a community where there are others who want to share in the questions and who can give assurances many times so that more questions can be posed. Congregational life is where — like Job — we find our humility and let go of the assumption that God is on our side or a mere part of our being. Congregational life is where we discover we are a part of God’s life; that God has given us all that we have, all that we are and life is discovering the Places Along the Way in which we encounter God. To be a Christian means being a part of a community of faith — it means commitment to a people on a journey together. Every significant event in my life has been intertwined with a community of faith: every celebration, every anguish, every grief, every big question have been shared with people in congregation. I anticipate that will continue through the rest of the Places Along the Way of my life and so I am committed to congregational life. I invite you into a greater commitment to this congregation. Everyone has to consider the importance of the commitment. Is this a place where we find life at its deepest, and faith at its purest? Is this where we draw together with people who can help our faith? Is this where we struggle with the mysteries of God and all of life? When we know how important are those aspects of life, we will give and commit accordingly. I tithe to this congregation because I believe it to be a community of faithful people journeying together and encountering God in Places Along the Way of life. I encourage you, implore you, invite you, plead with you to do so also, and commit to the future ministry here — to the Places Along the Way ahead of us. SW |
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