"Our Parents' House", May 22, 2011

John 14:1-14
Acts 6:8-7:6 & 7:35-60
Each of us have an image of our Parents' House, our ancestral home. For some, it was that place we longed to leave, to grow up/ away from. To get out on our own, to explore freedoms and diversity, without having to be responsible to sisters, brothers, parents, neighbors, and expectations. To others, our Parents' House was where we belonged and still long to return. As one of our earliest and most redundant set of memories, our Parent's House is hardwired into us with accompanying rooms, smells and music. Our Parents' Room, always neat with the bed made/the scent of Face Powder and Old Spice, the sound of Easy Listening Music. The Baby's room with the smells of Baby Powder and Diaper Pails, the sound of tinkling Lullabies. Sisters' room with Noxema and Chanel #5 and Blondie, or PINK. Older Brothers' with the smell of Sneakers and Right Guard, tripping over piles of clothes and Heavy Metal Music. And the Eldest sibling's room in the basement, that each of the others longed to possess; only as adults to revisit, wondering why a damp basement, with poor lighting, the neon light of a Fish tank, the constant squeek of a hamster wheel and the sounds of the Washer and Dryer, were so enticing? In our Parents' House there was a place for each of us, where we knew we had always belonged. Our Home.

Our family moved several times, so the lakefront home we lived in every summer was the House that stayed with us over time. There was no television, only One bathroom, so amongst all the swimming, one dip in the lake each day was with soap and shampoo. We played games and read books and talked beneath the stars. Family and friends would each come to our Parents' House for a week at a time. Older siblings' groups of friends loved visiting so much, that after the brother had gone to California, the group of friends still came without him. Often times, it seemed we entertained so many guests, that half the family waved goodbye to one group, while the other half greeted those arriving. Lots of family remembrances about living in our Parents' House with many rooms, one of which was our place. There was one rule, we all knew implicitly without it ever being spoken, that in front of guests, there could be No fighting. I do not know if it was the fear that without television, and only one bathroom, who knew what the parents might threaten to take away if we misbehaved; but there was understanding that shame would be brought on the whole family if we fought in front of others.

That is how this passage from Acts begins, with a dispute between family members, in front of Others. In these early years, the number of new disciples had grown with enthusiasm, both Greek and Hebrew speaking were part of the body of Christ, as Peter had described in his Sermon, no longer are their differences between Jew and Gentile, Slave and Free, Parthians, Medes, Cretans and residents of Mesopotamia. The Christian community had continued meeting at the Jewish places of worship and feasting, because the disciples had all been Jewish and had seen no reason to leave what was familiar. Explicit throughout Luke and Acts, is that being part of Christ requires different behavior from us, than is routine among Others in the world. Luke is the evangelist who gave us the story of the GOOD SAMARITAN. Throughout this continuation of the Gospel, when confronted with those we differ, when confronted with those we disagree, our responsibility is NOT to try to stone them to death, not to beat them into submission, not to try to win, not even to outlast their endurance, but rather to demonstrate the kindness of the Samaritan who though hated by others acts in compassion.

In this description, the Greek Speaking and the Hebrew Speaking Christians and all the Others, act as creatures do when concerned with their survival. The Greek speaking Christians were frustrated that the Disciples were not providing as much pastoral care to their widows and orphans, as to the Hebrew speaking Christians. In the world, in school, among neighbors, at work, affinity groups/cliques routinely form, that is natural. But when different groups are treated differently, it is a responsibility of leadership to make certain those in need, are cared for. Consequently, in this story, the leaders accept responsibility! We do need to be doing more in Pastoral Care, particularly for the widows and orphans, spreading the Word of God rather than waiting Tables.

The pain of the ministry is that we enter seminary and seek to be ordained in order to Nurture People's Faith, to do Ministry, and most often we are involved in administration and programs and meetings. I understand this and have learned to be quite adept at administration, programs, ministry and leadership, but if you ask a pastor what they long to do, it is to minister; if you ask a preacher, it is to preach. The conclusion of the disciples is to have the community elect additional leaders to serve as Deacons, to do what ever is necessary for the Disciples to fulfill the Word of God, which includes caring for all the community in pastoral care.

Luke's point is that this is “leadership”, this is taking responsibility for a problem and ensuring basic pastoral care occurs. But all that is prelude. For as soon as Stephen is ordained he is bated and accused as having blasphemed against God and the Law. When asked for a defense, Stephen provides one of the most eloquent and thorough recitations of the history of the people of God seeking to make themselves God, seeking to control God, and God seeking to love. But the people seeking to win, to dominate, the crowd took up stones to put him to death as a mob. Make no mistake about it, this is the Crucifixion being played out all over again in Acts, except that at the center is not Jesus, it is a follower of Jesus. Stephen acted as the Samaritan, who takes the abuse of others and offers healing and forgiveness.

There are probably no more problematic and divisive words spoken by Jesus than Jesus saying “No one comes to the FATHER EXCEPT BY ME”. Do we not believe in one, absolute and Sovereign God, Alpha and Omega? Had Jesus not only just stated that in my Father's House and many rooms. How do we put the two together? Pay attention to the particular words, Jesus used. He did not say “NO ONE COMES TO GOD EXCEPT BY ME”. Of all the different religions of the world, Judaism claims that we come to God by ADHERENCE TO THE LAW. Islam claims coming to God through STUDY OF THE KORAN. Buddhism one comes to God by SPIRITUAL ENLIGHTENMENT. Christianity, begins with the INCARNATION, that Jesus was God's ONLY begotten child, the only one who identified God as Father. Therefore, the only way to THE FATHER, is by Jesus. His words are not dismissive or blasphemous against other faiths, but rather that there is a place for us. Recognition that to each us, our room had no odor, and no mess, it was ours. While clothes and toys may have been in piles on the floor, everything was where we knew. It made sense to us, just as making the bed, shaving in a mirror and using Old Spice, or wearing gloves made sense to our fathers and mothers.

In our earlier description, every room had a different style of music. Music is unique to people. The question becomes how we judge, and whether we can admire and appreciate one another's choices.

The Romance Pianist: Franz Liszt was the 1800's version of a Rock Star! Liszt was flamboyant, for those over 40 he was the equivalent of Elvis and the Beatles rolled into one, for those under 40 Hannah Montana, Justin Bieber, the Cast of Glee! Liszt thundered on the piano. Women would throw their silk gloves. Women and men would faint at the passion of his music. All across Europe, his concerts were sold out. Then, as suddenly as he had appeared, Liszt disappeared. It was said, he had had a break-down, his own description was that he had found God, or God had found him. His music changed radically, his lifestyle changed, he gave away all that he had. Rather than performing for sold-out amphitheaters, Franz Liszt delighted in offering piano lessons to the poor and to children. In Franz Liszt's last days he began work on a composition called “Out of the Depths”, and for days he pounded out these frenetic passages, each contrasting and tormenting the other, until gradually working themselves out in Shalom. Franz Liszt had a daughter who was married to the Anti-Semitic German Composer Wagner, who hearing his Father-in-law night after night going from frenzy and torment into calm and gentleness, is remembered as describing that Liszt had gone insane. The difficulty of any musician judging another, is which is the sane: Frenzy being resolved into Shalom; or the dominant, unrepentant , anti-Semitism of a Wagner?

Eric Clapton, arguably the greatest living rock guitarist, had a four year old son who fell from a 53 story window. Clapton took nine months off and when he returned his music had changed. The hardship had made his music softer, more powerful, and more reflective. You have perhaps heard the song he wrote about his son's death. It is a poignant song of hope:

Would you know my name, if I saw you in heaven?


Would it be the same, if I saw you in heaven?

I must be strong and carry on, 
'Cause I know I don't belong, here in heaven.

Would you hold my hand, if I saw you in heaven?


Would you help me stand, if I saw you in heaven?

I'll find my way through night and day,
 'Cause I know I just can't stay here in heaven.

Time can bring you down; time can bend your knees. 


Time can break your heart, have you begging please, begging please.

Beyond the door there's peace I'm sure,
 And I know there'll be no more tears in heaven.

Like Stephen, we seek to do more than provide leadership in the community.
We seek to LOVE GOD with our whole Heart and Mind and Soul and Strength, and
to BE NEIGHBOR to one another, like the SAMARITAN, even as it means suffering for others.
For we know that this life is not all there is, Christ has gone before us, to create a PLACE FOR US, a ROOM OF OUR OWN within OUR FATHER'S HOUSE.