Personal Accountability Oct 21 2008

Jeremiah 31:27-34
Luke 18:1-8
“WHEN THE SON OF MAN COMES, WILL HE FIND FAITH ON EARTH?”
Where did that come from? We were reading this strange little parable, that according to Luke, Jesus told, that compares the love of God and God's vindication of the oppressed to an unrighteous, uncaring, contemptable judge, available only to the highest bidder; when suddenly we read this Prophecy of a Second Coming of the Son of Man.

Do we believe in that? We can accept the history that Moses led the slaves of Egypt into a nomadic life, eventually to the Promised Land and were guided by the Ten Comandments; we can claim the traditions of Christmas and Easter, that once long long ago in a different place and time, God entered in to change the world, and suffered for all humanity and died, and even to believe in the resurrection. But that Christ will come again, in our lives, in our time, questioning whether we have faith, changes the context of what we do from a philosophical exploration of ethics and values and commitments, to acceptance of a whole different reality. We may even accept Hollywood's versions that God looking something like George Burns or Bill Cosby is going to speak to us, or that Jim Carrey is going to be granted the Power of God; but that Jesus is coming again?

These words seem to have come in a foreign language, to a different people in a different time. We live in a world of technology and instant gratification. If I do not like what I have, I can get another, a car with better mileage, a computer with faster speed, another spouse, another career, different options, elect different leaders.

Like the Judge in the parable, we have become a pragmatic, skeptical, unrighteous, uncaring people, more often moved by money than anything else in life. And this woman, who comes day after day, from sun-up to long after dusk, challenges his sense of reality, forces the judge to accept another priority and to respond. In simplest interpretation, “If an unrighteous uncaring Judge can be moved by one who is steadfast in her convictions, how much more will God respond, who is Just, Loving, Compassionate and Caring.” Yet, turning the parable over, where we recognize how much like the judge we are, we recognize God as the steadfast one challenging us to a different reality.

What if PRAYER were not simply an incantation-like blessing recited before a meal, and before bed? If prayer were not our naming our wants and desires on a superhuman scale... Almighty God we have been in a long and bloody war, make it all go away and bring us peace. LORD, my parents are ill, my child is in crisis, I have Cancer, FIX IT. But instead, over and over again, God appealled to us to change our world to work for peace; to change our sense of reality, recognizing the depth of our love for our parent, our child, life, while we still can. What will it take for the Savior to find faith in us in our lives?

Both Old and New Testaments speak of A COVENANT.
We know the meaning of a contract, that for x number years at x price, we possess this good or have this service, and legally are guaranteed value. But COVENANT has a different beginning point, and has NO END. A Covenant is a relationship that is our identity. A Covenant is putting your fingerprints on a part of life and being touched by that experience.

The story is told that years ago, King George, Father to the current Queen Elizabeth, toured a Pottery factory inspecting their work. Near the end, he picked up a wet clay platter on the assembly line, that had not yet been fired. Inspecting it's quality he laid it back on the line with all the others, when immediately the whislte blew and the line was stopped as someone with gloves carefuly took the platter to be fired, because it bore the fingerprints of the king. Covenant is realizing that we each bear the fingerprints of God, and all we do bears out mark forever.

Rather than being written and filed in triplicate, notorized and witnessed; a COVENANT is spoken looking one another in the eye. BAPTISM is not simply a ritual of washing away sin, but a lifelong claim of relationship and commitment, that we will challenge and comfort and pray for this child of God, who is loved. COMMUNION is more than bread and juice of grapes, by serving one another and receiving what is offered as Christ we share our vulnerability and our sins confident that Christ will be part of our lives, as we are part of one another's. MEMORIAL is not a Funeral of the Dead, but CELEBRATION of their Life and of resurrection and of that Covenant begun in Baptism that we will pray for this one who is named as a child of God.

Jeremiah has this powerful prophecy, naming that times have changed, reality is different, we can neither GO BACK, nor CONTINUE as we were. There is a New NORMAL, a Fresh Identity. We are no longer in the Garden of Eden. We are no longer with Moses in the Wilderness seeking the Promise. We are no Longer in Israel's Great Monarchy with Kings David and Solomon. But the time of Exile was ending, and the people needed to believe in a new future of their convictions. Jeremiah's consistent prophesy throughout, is that there is a time to break down and overthrow, to root up and disturb, in order that there can be a time to plant and to build. Far too often, we attempt to add and to ad and to add, to reform and change, without letting go of anyhting that has been before. Jeremiah's prophecy is to break down and over throw, to root up and disturb, as God given responsibilities, in order to plant and to build afresh.

What is the New Identity you want? Often we go through an automatic progression of graduating from High School, going to College, getting married, having children, as if this is a fore-ordained pattern that everyone must follow. Each of these, along with all the other stages of life, claim unique identities for us. What is the Identity you want to live day in day out? Post-Traumatic Stress occurs when we canot reconcile all that we have witnessed with who we are and what is expected of us.
What you can intentionally let go? What do we need to unburden ourselves of, in order to become?

Usually in the Autumn we mail out pledge cards anticipating these will be returned with a modest increase, or not returned as an indication our pledges will remain the same. This year is different. Throughout the last several weeks we have suggested committing to something new as a pledge for this year.
Two years ago, I had no idea where this was going to lead. We knew that many of the problems we as a congregation had discussed for the last fifty years had been resolved. Somebody needed to go to Africa, those who were refugees from Africa could not return, and I had the time set aside. But as your pastor, I would confess that never in my wildest dreams did I imagine this would lead to those who are contractors volunteering to go to build, and those who are doctors and nurses volunteering to serve and to teach.
When the Food Pantry became a new and different ecumenical reality, we thought this was going to mean each of the churches providing canned goods, most of us never considering the hours and days each week that volunteers from the churches would provide to make this a reality.
Many of us love Music and the Arts and Education, who would have believed a few years ago that we would be host to the Annual Women in the ARTS program, or the Syracuse Ensemble, or Professional Vocalists from Russia and various colleges, or that twice every month we could have a table fellowship program in addition to Sunday morning. Or that our choirs would expand to include are thee now three or four bell choirs, and children's choirs and the adult choir.

Like furrowing the soil and planting bulbs for next Spring, this is a time of Dreaming Dreams and sharing hopes, making convictions and covenant commitments of who and what we want to be. As a pastor this is my favorite time of year. Because we do not wring our hands pleading for people to pay bills. Instead, like a cheerleader, we name where the church is committed, what the widow is already praying for, and lift this up. All our outstanding debt is repaid. We have a talented and committed staff who work hard for us. The building is used every prtion of every day of the week as a Community Center, and is well maintained. SO what would you like to do?
And as we consider what we shall do and what we shall be committed to, we question how this is an act of faith? Because that is the RUBB of Luke's Gospel, the widow had begged and pleaed her case, year after year on a daily basis, but we do not know what her case was, and whether it was a demonstration of faith.