The Congregation at IUCC

Sermon: “Who Do We Say We Are?” Part Five of Five

Read by: Worth Giller, Steve Goetz, Katrinka Haynes, Susan Sherman, Paul Tellstrom

Irvine United Congregational Church, UCC

October 15, 2006                                                                            Word Count: 3,004

The “sermon” was given by four voices from the congregation, and the pastor,

all seated in the chancel, “Readers’ Theatre” style.

Worth:

            Over the past few weeks, we have been asked by Pastor Paul to give our thoughts on who we say we are as a congregation.  What moves us, brings us to our understanding of faith, and inspires us to be this community at this time?

Susan:

            Today we are speaking in your voice.  Sometimes one of us will speak as a man, sometimes as a woman.  Sometimes we will give the opinion of one, or the consensus of many.

Steve:

            Our voices cross over race, age, religious upbringing, political affiliation and sexual orientation.  At times, my voice will represent the people who gather at first service.

Katrinka:

            And at other times, it will be the experience at second service that we will share.  Still, it is the voice of this congregation, speaking in our own words and from our hearts about sharing our faith with one another.

Paul: 

            So, following the questions that were asked, let’s begin with this:  What is it that this church feels God is calling it to be?

Worth:

Who are we called to be as a church?  The word that was used the most was “beacon.”   We are called to be a beacon of light in an often shadowed world.

Susan:

We should serve as a beacon, modeling God’s love and sharing our beliefs with our community.  A beacon of a truer Christianity that begins with radical inclusivity and extends to standing up for the least among us.

Steve:

            A beacon in a storm, a place where people can be stimulated to explore and develop their relationship with the Divine in a world that is so focused on difference and fear.  A lighthouse—a welcoming, safe haven for those who seek shelter from the storm.  An oasis in the desert. 

Katrinka:

We are advocates, mediators and activists.  We are God’s hands in this world.  We are called to do what Jesus taught us to do which is to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, love others and take special care of those marginalized by the society in which we live.  We are the progressive church in Orange County that offers a welcoming, compassionate, inclusive home to everyone seeking a spiritual path.  We are called to be a force for justice, and we believe that God speaks through the actions of God’s people.   (pause)  As long as we never talk politics in church.

Susan:

            I disagree!  Doing justice is political.  Looking after the marginalized calls for us to use our moral influence as a church in society, which means affecting the structures that cause injustice, and those structures are political by their very nature.

Paul: 

Being a place that moves us spiritually as a collective, and a place that calls individuals to put their understanding of faith into action in the world causes some kind of tension in every church.  You are not unique in this.  However, how you live within a framework that allows flexibility for people to express their faith, and meet each other in ways that are loving and civil, is what is important. 

Let’s move on to the next question.  What aspects of the church inspire you?

Worth:

Dan Samuelson. George Fulton, committed and encouraging.  John Carson, a tradition of outreach and visitation.  Lynne and Portia a strong presence for children and spirituality, with a countercultural attitude that children do count. 

I want to know that my children are surrounded by good people of all types, so that they can grow up tolerant and sensitive.

Katrinka:

Worth Giller, a devotion to music, with guitar at hand.  Eldon Grabemeyer, with positive attitude on “wheels” showing a life that cannot be conquered.  Cindy O’Dell and Peggy Goetz, our newspaper journalists, with consistent lives and so much to share.  Brian Pearcy, reaching out to offer a place for all to socialize.  Michael Spindle, a port in all storms.  Oh, and Helen Swanson.  One of the many bright and progressive gray haired women in our church through whom we would be better off if we listened to her more often.  

Susan:

Lesley Wheland, here since a child, demonstrating the true meaning of commitment.  Felicity Figueroa, an unabashed radical following the path of Jesus.  It’s Don Mineo and Joan Thompson, and Joan McDonald and Doug Haynes…It’s our youth, who are often wiser than we are.  It’s about so many people that we named. 

These are the examples of Christ-like living that inspire me.

Steve:

Communion is what fills me most.  The first time I attended, several people let me know that it was an open table and I was welcome to participate.  What struck me was the looks on the faces and in the eyes of those participating... there was something very “alive” here ... something very real happening.  The image of that Sunday has stayed with me ever since.

The genuine love and acceptance I see passing between the congregants inspires me.  It truly is the people…in so many ways but particularly their willingness to stand up and speak out for what they believe…and to act accordingly.

Worth:

            It’s about a user-friendly sermon that sticks with you throughout the week, and watching Robinmarie with the kids.  I really appreciate the focus on the children and family.  It’s Rob and Jill with the choir, and Paul at the pulpit. 

But what inspires us in being the faith community we are the most is the people we see here, especially those who bring a combination of longevity, stability and steadfastness.  It’s that they are here, and that makes me feel good to be here, too.  It’s the people.

Susan:

            It’s definitely about the people.  I was touched by the testimonials of people who had been raised in other denominations and faiths who have been accepted here for who they are when even their own families couldn’t accept them or acknowledge their choices in life.

It’s about being together and being reminded of the spirit of inclusiveness, and knowing that God loves us all equally. 

 Paul:

            How does this church fill a niche that other churches cannot fill for you?

Steve:

I had been searching for a church for nearly a year . . . feeling a need to fill a void in my heart.  Some rejected me and in most cases, I felt they could not fill the void I felt.  On my first day here, I began crying before the first words came from the pulpit.  I heard a sermon that spoke of justice and action. . . . I felt acceptance even though I had not “met” the first person.  I was home.

Katrinka:

This church is “my” family. They were with me when I was married.  They stood by be when I divorced, and came out as a gay man.

When I was ill and came home the hospital, I discovered dinners had been arranged for me, which sometimes members would drop off at my door, and other times they would prepare for me and talk with me.  When other family troubles came, church members were there every time.  This church is “my” family.   

Susan:

            We came here as members of another church last fall.  We knew we were starving to death spiritually and had to do something.  We were dealing with all emotions on the human scale.  What we found here was acceptance, inclusion, compassion, genuine concern for us and our church.  A knowledge (not expressed verbally) that there would be prayers for all of us.  A warmth from members I have not seen in many churches. 

Worth:

            Here are a few simple sentences:

It challenges and stretches me.  It allows for freedom of the individual to find faith.  Tolerance.  Diversity.  It accepts me for who I am.

The message is not focused on a hard-line judgment but rather on spiritual guidance for living life now in a Christian way that is loving and inclusive. 

The most obvious niche this church fits for me is its intentional inclusion of GLBT persons.  And, it’s such a “natural” inclusion—I never feel as if it’s a token action. 

Steve:

The first time I came to this church, I quietly came in and sat in the back, wanting to observe and go un-noticed, skeptical that any open and affirming church was really a church.  I was greeted before the service even started. 

When I came back months later, I purposefully came late again so I could slip in the back un-noticed.   I entered the lobby past the name-tag table and noticed a name tag was waiting for me, without my asking.  I stared at the tag, and God spoke to my inner soul,  “This is your home, welcome, I have been waiting for you”    I know it is a simple thing, a name tag, but this church family had set a place at the table and quietly waited for me to return. 

Paul:

            Are there certain scriptures from our tradition that connect to you and that you feel are alive within this congregation?

A long, puzzled pause.

Katrinka:

            Well, we really like that one on the mirror in the narthex.

Susan:

            Micah 6:8.  “But what does the lord require of you, but to do justice and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.”  And, Jesus’ great commandment—to love the Lord with all your heart, and your soul and your mind—and to love your neighbor as yourself.

Steve: 

Some of us left that question blank.  Others wrote an emphatic, “no.”  On the one end of the scale, we heard, “Scripture is so interpretive, and so abused in our time as if it were more than the writings of men informed by tradition and oral history, much of which was intended to maintain a certain order or keep the priest or leader in charge and paid.  Scripture is interesting, amusing, and dangerous to all who give it more than it is.” 

Worth:

            And on the other end of the scale, we found a love of scripture, and a degree of biblical literacy—an ability to quote many short scriptures from the letters of Paul, a consensus on how Jesus’ words in the Beatitudes and Matthew 25 say so much about who we are…

Susan:

            “Blessed are the peacemakers”

Katrinka:

            “As you did it to the least of these, you did it unto me.”

Steve: 

            And from 1 John – “No one has seen God, but if we love one another, God’s love abides in us and God’s love is perfected in us.”

Worth:

I love the passages that show how we are loved and cherished and protected and comforted by God.  I love those that speak to God’s faithfulness to us—God’s ready availability, willingness to listen, closeness even when we feel more distant than we want to.  I never get tired of being reminded that we are truly the children of a loving Creator.

Susan:

I love the Psalms.  “I lift up my eyes to the mountains; from where will my help come?

My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.”

            And, “You have searched me and known me…when I sit down…when I rise up, you discern my thoughts from afar.”

Katrinka:

            I love the 23^rd Psalm.  In...the…King…James’…Version.

Paul:

            And so it shall be from now on.  Next question.  What is the music that you enjoy hearing most in church?  What hymns do you enjoy singing?

Worth:

            Traditional hymns

Susan: 

Traditional hymns

Katrinka:

The old, familiar, traditional hymns.  Please.

Steve:

            Not me.  I represent a minority voice that loves the red book.  We like upbeat, modern songs.  “Spirit of Gentleness” is the congregation’s second most requested hymn.  We like the newer hymns in the hymnal, and we like our weekly congregational songs.

Worth:

            Still, the love of traditional hymns is reflected in the number one hymn that this congregation said they liked to sing most often:  “Amazing Grace.”

Katrinka:

            Traditional hymns are best.  But don’t fool around with the words.  I don’t want to show up at Thanksgiving and sing, “Come, You Thankful Non-Gender-Specific Persons, Come,” or, the new “Hymns” that one can barely sing, let alone speak the awkward wording: “O God of the Quantum Mechanical, We Sing Our Amazement at Nanotechnology.”  I won’t do it.

Susan:

            No rock bands.  No praise music made up of repetitions of choruses that would happily be sung by a kindergarten class.  And, yes, I do appreciate the irony:  Why is it that the conservative churches like to sing new, contemporary music, while we progressive people want to sing something at least two hundred years old?  We’ll sing the new songs as long as we get to sing the old ones, like:

“Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise,” “Joyful, Joyful, We Adore You,”  “Guide Me, O My Great Redeemer,” and “God of Grace, and God of Glory…” to name a few.  Can I get an Amen?  And just once in a while, like today, I love to sing “The Doxology.”

Katrinka:

            But NO more songs about blood…Can I get an Amen? (Reference to “Power in the Blood”)

Steve:

            Some of us at first service wish that the choir could sing for us also.  We feel very fortunate to have the caliber of music we have, represented by Jill, Rob, and the choir.  We miss “A Joyful Noise,” though, and wish we had something like it again. 

Katrinka:

            Jill is the greatest pianist I have ever heard.

Worth:

            We love the choir, whether we are in it, or listening to it.  And, we love the spirit of our choir director—his singing, conducting, and musical choices.  Most of us also like the Taize singing that we do.        

Paul:

            Given all this, what part of Sunday morning fills you the most?

Katrinka:

            I love just sitting with my family.  It’s the only time all week that I shed my concerns.  It’s about sitting in the midst of all the beautiful souls.

I also love the quiet meditation, where I try to hear what God has to say to me, and I don’t just rattle off my own requests… I feel a spiritual connection to the divine in those moments of quiet togetherness.

Susan:

I love the time with the children with Robinmarie.  I also love the “Alleluia” at the close of the service.  Holding hands at the end is very, very special to me.  It’s like a Native ritual.  I feel an almost electrical sense of connection with everyone else when we do this. 

Steve:

            Communion.  We love the teaching moment.  Sometimes it works beautifully, and other times we have trouble hearing each other.  And…sometimes I wish it came before the service, because it seems incongruent with worship.

Susan:

I love a good sermon.  I am always pleased when we talk about the message on the ride home.  I love hearing the history of the times when Jesus was alive and when the Bible was written—just to put things into context, and I love being challenged to make the following week one of service. 

Worth:

            Well, the main reason I came here was for Walter’s religious outlet.  As you know, his religious background is more ingrained in him and is a part of him; me NO.  I went to church maybe once a month, Easter & Christmas, but heaven forbid that someone sit in our pew; it is roped off and no-one should be sitting there except us.

Steve:

            It’s coming into a church filled with 1,000 cranes,

            Watching the church fill with balloons as we celebrate the gift of God’s creation in new birth, and watching Pastor Paul bring the baby around to meet everyone—so loving and communal.

It’s leaving church with a Mirror reminding me I am a reflection of God’s light.

It’s the coffee and fellowship afterwards. 

Paul:

            How can we be pluralists and uniquely Christian?

Katrinka:

 How can I love and respect many men and be faithfully married to one?  Same thing.

Susan:

            I have no trouble with the “uniquely Christian” part of the question.  When choosing to hike a trail, we know that the hike will go better with a guide who is familiar with the path.  But we are free to choose the guide to trust.  I am uniquely Christian because I claim Christ as my guide.  I love being a follower of “the way.”  There may be other ways for other people, but this is my way.  I also don’t mind that so much of it is somewhat a mystery:  it keeps me interested and alert.

Steve:

            I honestly don’t know.  I just know that I am on a faith journey.

Katrinka:

            How can we be pluralists and be uniquely Christian?  Doesn’t being pluralists automatically make us unique Christians?

Worth: (emphatically, and having the last word!)

            If there are many paths, well, that’s fine; but this is OURS and is fully worthy and has much to commend it, properly understood, even in relation to other approaches.  I want to be Christian; I hope to grow in the faith; I think one can do that without saying that non-Christians must be damned.  Sociologists recognize that the “only one way” characteristic of many religions is a function of group solidarity.  I think we can stand taller than that.

            A dangerous world needs a pluralistic approach, to counter all those who proclaim they have the only truth and feel righteously they should impose their truth on all others.

            If we are secure and believe in the tenets of our own Christian faith as we understand it, then we should be free to extend to other peoples the right to their own belief system. 

We can lead our community by continuing to find common threads between our faith and others’ faiths, and actively seek partnerships with other religious leaders and traditions. 

Let’s be intentional and enthusiastic in our efforts to emulate Jesus and his teachings, and so by definition, demonstrate pluralism.  The fundamental message of Jesus is love and acceptance.  So, for Christ’s sake, let’s love God with everything we’ve got, and show it by loving our neighbor as ourselves.  It’s about belief—without storing our minds away.  It’s about belief in our future, and working for the realm of God through love, patience, mercy, forgiveness and understanding.

And—understanding others can also help us understand ourselves. 

This is “Who We Say We Are.”

Are we ready to take this message home with us?  Then let’s stand up and sing hymn # 43, “Love Divine, All Loves Excelling.”