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Homeland Security II Samuel 23:1 – 7; Psalm 132 Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador claimed himself as the legitimate president of Mexico on Monday. One-hundred-thousand people gathered in Constitution Plaza in Mexico City for the celebration. But he is not the official winner of the election that was held 4 months ago. He is not the president of Mexico. Can you imagine being able to attract 100,000 people together in one place to celebrate something that didn’t really happen? And what is Lopez Obrador thinking: that he can continue to pretend he is the leader of this significant country to the south of us? What kind of homeland security is going on there? It’s hard for us to imagine such an absurdity. We (as citizens of the United States of America) would never put up with such a pretense. Like it or not, we have one president: George W. Bush has two more years in his term even though the number of candidates to succeed him is multiplying at a rabbit-generating pace. But understanding outside our own framework is always difficult. Being able to appreciate the ways others feel, act, create, and govern stretches us most times. One of the reasons I love studying the Bible is because it forces me to stretch in understanding ways of life that are very different from our own, cultures that vary widely from anything we have ever known and, yet, have some universal truths hidden within. David is one of my favorite Biblical characters — not because of his virtue; not because of the way he ruled his people; not even because of the way he was found tending the sheep (as the last in the line of brothers) when he was going to be anointed as the king. No, I have always been drawn to David because of his audacity — his flagrant and unforgivable mistakes and yet the love God has for him that keeps him in the fold of God’s dream and vision for God’s people. God used that man, over and over, no matter how badly he acted. David’s last words are the text of the morning’s scripture, so I was thinking about him this week when I read about Mr. Lopez Obrador and was trying to get my head around how Mexico — democratic country of the North American continent — had such an outrageous happening. What I realized is that this was nothing we had not already known about from Bible stories. Remember with me the story of David in ancient Israel. The Hebrews wanted a king (because their neighboring nations had kings). Samuel assured them they didn’t need a king, but the people persisted and pushed him to ‘get’ them a king — which he did. The King — Saul — turned out to be the wrong king. Samuel knew it, and most of the people knew it. So, God (according to the story) told Samuel to get on with history and find another king. Problem was, Saul still thought HE was king and was still acting as King. Samuel did find another king, and actually anointed him as such. Think about homeland security then and there! David was young, but not without courage. You know the stories about the giant, Goliath. You also know stories of his close relationship with the king’s son, Jonathan. You've also heard how David wrote music and sang songs to King Saul which would soothe his beleaguered soul. This young man, like the pseudo-president of Mexico, Senor Lopez Obrador, had the backing of many, many people who thought he was rightfully the king. There is a bit of difference, however, and that difference should not be minimized — God. The way the Hebrews set up their new government — with a king appointed by God — was a theocracy. Their religious beliefs and their politics were not just related — they were inextricably linked, interwoven in such a way that there could be no separation. Of course God had to be a part of the equation. Of course, God had to call the rightful king. Of course, the anointing had divine aspects to it. David felt quite secure in his reign because God had proclaimed through the right people of his homeland that he, indeed, was king. Our United States of America system of governance was set up differently. Although most of our governmental forebears were religious men, there was a concerted effort not to entangle the church and the government. This certainly was a factor because of the scores of people who came here because of religious oppression in European countries, and because the state church system of other countries didn’t seem to be useful for the diverse and independent population of the early colonies. God was not absent, and, in fact, God’s name is a part of the language in many official documents, logos, and anthems. The reality, however, is that a democracy and a theocracy are very, very different. The difference is not in the presence of God. The difference is where God’s power and/or presence reside. In a theocracy, God’s power is proclaimed through the leader. David can, without exaggeration, claim, as he does in our scripture, that God called him, spoke through him, made an everlasting relationship with him, and caused him to prosper. David, and any king in a theocracy, must lay claim to that power. This is so foreign to us that we rebel at the thought of this kind of governmental ruler. In this portion of the church, dear Disciples, we rebel at the thought of this kind of church leader. For me to make a significant leadership decision that would change or alter the direction of the congregation, because I heard God speaking, would not rest well with most of you. If the Disciples’ General Minister and President took a similar action, we would not be pleased. We, in our church life, see the power invested by God NOT in just the leadership but in all the participants. That means, therefore, that every one of us must take seriously how that power of God receives life in the world. Every one of us has the responsibility to make sure that the justice God would want is lived through our life and not just depending on a government or a leader to make that happen. King David claimed that God spoke in appreciation of one who rules justly as it was like a sun-filled dawn after a rain — what sweeter image can there be?! David knew that sweetness — not because it was how he had always ruled — but because he knew both when he ruled well (and with God’s favor) and when he did not. In his dying words, David was able to proclaim the difference. We can ask for nothing less; only we cannot just lay it at the feet of leadership. In our way of living, both in this church and in this country, every one of us has the responsibility to know when we are heeding God’s voice and leading and when we are not. In our way of living, both in this church and in this country, every one of us has the privilege of hearing how God wants us to act toward each other, care for ourselves, and honor the creation of which we are a part. In our way of living, both in this church and in this country, every one of us is charged to find the standard God has set for us and not to accept the standard someone else has claimed as God’s. All of this makes our living exceedingly demanding. Rather than choosing to live in solitary, however, we, all of us here, have chosen to be in community. We have chosen to be a part of a faith community where we can work together in the hearing of God. We have chosen to be a part of a faith community where we can celebrate together in thanksgiving for God’s glory. We have chosen to be a part of a faith community where we can challenge each other to make our actions in life compassionate. We have chosen to be a part of a faith community where we can call each other into accountability. We have chosen to be a part of a faith community where we can educate each other about values. We have chosen to be a part of a faith community where we can help each other see the racism, class-ism, gender-ism, heterosexism, disabled-ism and all the other ‘isms’ that separate us because they define us so inadequately. At some point along the way of life, we each have chosen to be a part of congregational life. For whatever reason it was, the bottom line is that we are looking for a home in which we can participate and interact with others. Congregations are not just a bunch of faithful individuals. Congregations are comprised of people who want to be with other people in their life of faith. Our kind of congregation is one in which the responsibility of faith – and the growing of it – comes through the encounters we have with each other, with God in community worship, as well as individual growth outside the community. The security we will have is based on however we choose to relate to each other, commit our honesty to each other, believe we will grow because of each other, come to expect the challenge of each other, trust that we have each other’s best interests at heart and knowing that God lives within and surrounding us all. Remembering the places along the way of our congregation’s life – and our involvement in it – will help feed our commitments today. Committing a significant portion of our life to the work and growth through this congregation will build the future — not only of this congregation but also of the health and vitality of our own spirit. Today is the last Sunday of the Christian year. It is also the culmination of our stewardship campaign. We will begin those long, waiting days of Advent next week as we prepare for the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. I would ask that you consider today how this congregation impacts your life and how you impact the life and ministry of this congregation. The security of our home — this congregational home — is based on how we all answer those questions. We are only as secure as our commitments to each other, to the God who loves us, and to the witness into which God has called us. May we not take lightly the seriousness of those commitments and our home security. SW |
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