"Do You Not Understand?" March 12, 2017

Genesis 12: 1-4 John 3: 1-17 Who are you? Who do you identify as? I am: an American, a Central New Yorker, a Midwesterner, Married to my Bestfriend and College Sweet-heart, father of adult children, a Middle child, Pastor to this community, a Doctor of Ministry, a Master of the Divine, a Union Seminary NY Grad, a Wooster Alum, re-uniter of “The Lost Boys” with their families, connected with Health Care in South Sudan, host to the Music Festival, part of the Manor, Middle-aged, Middle-income, a double knee replacement survivor, an elected Justice for the Presbyterian Church, a Child of God. Our identities name who we are, and want to be, our most precious relationships, the experiences that define us. Often these identities are grouped from earliest to most recent, or greatest point of connection to being most unique. But what if, we recited our identities backwards. Something unfortunate happened in the 1970s, that a part of the Church took the phrase “Born Again” out of context, to become a Litmus test for who belongs and who does not have the secret elect identity in common. What matters, what is vital, is not the time of the day of which year, that you realized you had always-been-loved by God. While we can each remember, where we were when 9-11 happened; where you were when President Kennedy was shot; that Pearl Harbor was attacked on December 7th, 1941; where we were and what day and time it was, are irrelevant, in relation to our Country being attacked, our President being killed, our culture and way of life being changed forever. And by insisting on that interpretation of “Born Again” as exclusive we have dissuaded one another from claiming first and foremost our identity is as Children of God who then happen to be whatever else. This Call of Abram comes at least 430 years before Moses’ 10 Commandments and the claim that “The Lord our God is One and God only shall you serve”; 450 years before the Book of Leviticus and the Command to “Love your Neighbor as you love yourself”. Abram has done nothing to earn God’s love. There is nothing about his family of origin, or his profession. What is significant about Abram was that God spoke to Abram, telling him to abandon his Country, Home and Family and He Did as God commanded. The Book of Genesis does not name a terrible famine in the land, great war, flood or pestilence. But Abram was called by God, chosen to be a Resident Alien, a Nomad, without home, without nation, without family, whom we remember as being the Father of Nations, Patriarch to Judaism and Christianity and Islam, but before any of those, whose primary identity is that God Called and Abram Followed. Such a simple thing. One experience, out of a life-long relationship, that redefines everything about who we are, that gives value and meaning to life. Years ago, there was a couple who telephoned the Church Office Sunday morning before anyone else had arrived. When the pastor answered they identified themselves as being the Thompsons, Bill and Mary. They explained that they could not attend worship yet that morning, but wondered if the pastor could stop by their home about 8pm. As the Pastor walked up to their home, he wondered whether this couple so much a part of this community were part of another church, looking to make a change; or whether their were some significant change or loss in their lives that they wanted to see the pastor. They quickly invited him in, taking his coat, thanking him for making the effort, asking if he wanted a glass of wine. A voice in the back of his mind questioned if this were some sort of test, but he assured himself that Jesus drank wine, and this is the Wine-region of Central new York. Mary and Bill explained that they were Baby-boomers, who had everything they could imagine. They had each done well in business, they had a lovely home and solid marriage, each served on several civic committees and philanthropies, they gave money to a number of charities, and had even established a private foundation. They had been raised to be ethical and had always tried to be. They went away each winter to ski in Aspen and enjoy time in Florida, they had several BMWs, and everything was fine. Which in fact, was their problem, they had it all and were not satisfied, they felt somewhat hollow as if questioning, Is this all that there is? They were seeking a Value-Added Life, everything they were, but for it to have more meaning and purpose. They had wondered about coming to church, but being well known and comfortably affluent, they were afraid to come because people would wonder Why they were there, and Why this church, and What if they attended once or twice and people started looking for them to get involved. Which is why they asked him to come to them, at night, when neighbors might not notice. The pastor smiled and said: “there are two stories, one in the Gospel of Matthew, one in John, while different, being in separate Gospels people have wondered if they could reflect the same story. The first, is that a rich young ruler came to Jesus saying he had always been faithful and ethical, but wanted more. Jesus said to him, Go, sell all you have, give to the poor, then come follow me.” Bill interrupted, “So you want us to give away everything we have? I never thought of the Presbyterian Church as being a cult?” The pastor said, “You do not have to give everything away, at least not yet.” “The other is the story of Nicodemus, a well respected, established Pharisee, who came to Jesus at night, recognizing that Jesus must have come from God, to be able to be who he was, to say what he did and do what he did. Jesus told Nicodemus that he needed to be Born from Above.” Mary asked, “And how do we do that? Is there a class we go to, or a book we can read?” The pastor said “No, it is more passive than that. Just like your being Born biologically, you did not read a book to do so, you did not even have to try, you just experienced it.” Bill responded, “So this is where you want us to pay to attend?” The pastor said, “Instead of having expectations about what you are going to give, or what you have to offer, or why; how are you at receiving?” Bill said, “You mean like at Christmas?” Mary jumped in, “He’s awful. Bill loves to give, to surprise others, but not only does he not expect anything in return, it sort of embarrasses him.” The pastor suggested that “you come to worship for the next two months, and when the offering plate is passed, when there are invitations to join choir, to teach, to serve on a committee, that you wait for at least the first six weeks.“ The next Sunday, Mary and Bill were in worship, not in the front row, but not coming in late to sit in the back either. While there were numerous opportunities that they could give, Mary and Bill were struck by listening to the relationships of people, to each other and to God. They were struck by the feeling of thankfulness people seemed to have. To survive cancer, to be remembered, appreciated. When the little girl gave them a bulletin, when the child carried the Bible to present to the Pastor, when people remembered their names. Mary and Bill began thinking about relationships, not simply for what they had gotten out of it, but what that relationship had meant to them. The Tuesday after the 4th week, Mary phoned her sister to reconnect, really to connect for the first time. Not long after, Bill went to Cemetery where his father was buried, and had a long talk with his Dad. On the seventh week, the pastor became anxious, because Mary and Bill were no where to be found. But the week after, they were, describing that they had chosen to make time for each other, to share with the other the hopes and dreams they had never shared with anyone, that they had believed no one would want to know, and they found it a gift to be trusted with what the other had to share.