Let's Have a Party -- A Sermon

Luke 15:1-10

There is the “in crowd” and the “not-so-in crowd.” Most people want to be part of the in-crowd, or at least be part of a group. That circle can, however, be difficult to crack. In almost every community, from schools to churches, there are cliques; that is, tight little groups that do their best to limit access to power. Not all of these groups have secret codes or handshakes, but if you’re on the outside you usually know it. When the invitation to the party goes out, and your name isn’t on it, you know you’re not part of the in crowd. Yes, when things happen at school, the workplace, or at church, and you’re not in the loop, you quickly realize that you’re not part of the in-crowd.

It’s difficult to break down these walls, but it can happen, but not without a struggle. Several years ago a movie came out called Hairspray. It starred John Travolta as Edna Turnblad, the obese mother of an overweight but determined daughter named Tracy. Edna watched as her very talented daughter got excluded from achieving her dream of dancing on the Corny Collins Show – a kind of local American Bandstand. Although she was a good dancer, Tracy didn’t fit the image of a dancer, and so the “powers that be” tried to keep her out. Only a slip of fate let her inside the circle, but even then her detractors were merciless. Fortunately her determination and spunk make her a hit and she broke down the walls for others.

There is much to appreciate about this movie, which calls into question our stereotypes and our prejudices, but one of the most important points of this movie is that it affirms the principle that everyone, no matter what they look like or where they’ve come from, has value. Edna, Tracy, Tracy’s somewhat oblivious father Wilbur, and her friend, Seaweed, a young African American dancer, are just as valuable as Velma Von Tussle, a former Miss Baltimore who is now the station manager, or her daughter Amber, who also has all the physical attributes that society values in a star. Societal rules may exclude, but in this version of the story, no one is left behind!

1. No One’s Left Behind.

Now, it’s no fun being left behind or left standing on the outside looking in. This is especially true when you have a stigma attached, a stigma or stain that you can’t get rid of no matter how hard you try. It’s a scarlet letter that marks you as undesirable.

Jesus knew what it meant to be an outsider. He was a Galilean and he was fatherless. He was poor and he hung around with the wrong crowd. The better sort of folk didn’t appreciate his work with the other undesirables, because who you hang around with is indicative of your character. If you spend your time with the riffraff, then you must be riffraff yourself. Image, as everyone knows, means everything.

Jesus, of course, understands the world differently. Like Tracy he wasn’t afraid to identify with the lost and the ostracized, because he was committed to bringing them back inside the circle. And if the shepherd was going to do that, it meant leaving the circle and going where the lost sheep had gone. In fact, Jesus was willing to leave the ninety-nine behind to find the one that was lost. And if someone had been misplaced, like the woman’s coin, he would do whatever necessary to find them.

The message of Jesus and the message of Paul is one of reconciliation – of bringing people together with God and with one another. Jesus believed in second chances and third chances and . . . . Well you know!

The religious establishment, however, didn’t appreciate Jesus’ ministry, and they let him know about it. They grumbled about his work with sinners and tax collectors – the ones they had decided weren’t worth reclaiming.

In the course of three parables, two of which we’ve heard this morning – the third one being the parable of the Prodigal, which is quite well known – Jesus celebrates God’s dedication to bringing everyone into relationship, while leaving no one behind.

One parable concerns a lamb that wanders off and the shepherd that risks everything to find that one lamb. The other parable describes a woman who has ten coins, but loses one coin, which she finds to be so valuable that she frantically searches for it, turning the house upside-down to find it. It’s just a coin, but to her it’s invaluable.

Each of these parables – even the parable of the prodigal – ends with a party to celebrate the return of that which was lost. Indeed, in the parable of the coin, the woman is so excited about finding it that she spends most of the other coins to throw a party to celebrate finding the one that was lost. It may make no sense, but it describes the joy that God has when we who are lost are found.

2. The Seeking God

I don’t know about you, but I find these two parables a bit odd and yet quite enlightening. For instance, why would you risk the 99 to find one lost sheep? You could easily lose a lot more, because you’re not attending to the needs of those already inside the circle. And, why would you get in a tizzy about one little coin and then spend much more than what was lost to throw a party? That doesn’t seem prudent.

So, just what is Jesus getting at? I think Jesus is doing a bit of theology here. In telling these two parables he’s defining God’s identity, and therefore defining his own ministry. In each of these two stories, God is the primary actor. God is the shepherd who risks the 99 in order not to leave anyone behind. God is the woman who isn’t concerned about her own dignity as she frantically looks for the coin and then throws a party when she finds it. God is both committed to finding those who are lost, and willing to be extravagant in sharing the blessings of God’s reign. That’s why there’s a party in each of the stories. If these are important theological statements about God’s nature and character, it would be good for us to stop for a moment and think about how we understand God. There may be only one God, but there are many different views and pictures of God, even among Christians. Some of these views of God are represented by the religious leaders in this story.

There are those Christians who focus on who is in and who is not, and they enjoy drawing the line for God, describing in detail the ways in which God chooses who gets in and who gets left out. The kingdom of God, for them, is an exclusive club, and they take great joy in knowing that they’re on the inside. For others, God is a tribal God, a God of nation and race, a God who blesses some groups of people and curses others. It’s always nice to know that God blesses your country at the expense of the others. It’s a very comforting feeling to know you’ve made it! And if you’re not chosen – well that’s just too bad – maybe there’s a nice spot reserved for you in hell, both here and in the afterlife. Very often this God is described in terms of judgment and wrath, a God who guards his honor very closely, and who might even enjoy inflicting pain on those who disobey.

That’s not the God who is revealed in these parables. It’s also not the God revealed to us in the life and ministry of Jesus. I believe in a big tent, and I believe that we each have the freedom to discern who God is, but that doesn’t mean that all visions of God are equal? Those visions that take joy in the idea that God excludes and punishes don’t fit with the God who takes risks to bring back into the fold those who have strayed, and who doesn’t worry about honor and dignity when throwing a big party when a valued coin is found. This is a God who pursues us and engages us with grace and love. There may need to be some refining in the process of restoring, but I also believe that God is determined to make sure that no one is left behind.

3. The Partying God

There’s one more thing we need to remember – this God we worship likes to party. God likes to party whenever anyone is restored to fellowship. God doesn’t just attend the party, God is the host of the party. Cost is of no account!

This means that whenever we come together as God’s people, we come to celebrate God’s ministry of reconciliation. We do this each Sunday as we come to the Lord’s Table. And when we come to the table the things that divide us are left behind. As Paul reminds us in Galatians – in Christ there is no Jew or Greek, slave or free, male and female. Ethnicity, economic status, and gender are not bars to joining in the festivities. You can’t crash the party, because everyone has already been invited to attend.

In just a few minutes we will gather at the Table of the Lord. When we gather at the table we remember the cross of Jesus and the death that occurred on that cross. In this act of remembrance we both mourn an act of inhumanity that was directed toward the sign of God’s gracious love. But we also gather to give thanks and celebrate God’s continuing presence with us through the risen Christ. But, as we gather at the table to celebrate with Christ the continuing presence of God in our lives, the God we meet at the Table, we must keep front and center in our minds that this is not a two-person celebration. It’s not just me and Jesus. It’s the community as a whole that gathers together to celebrate the grand feast of the kingdom.

So, let’s eat, and drink, and then dance!!

 

Preached by:

Dr. Robert D. Cornwall

Pastor, Central Woodward Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)

Troy, Michigan

September 12, 2010

16th Sunday after Pentecost

More than a Parable? (Bruce Epperly)

Bruce Epperly returns today with reflections on the Resurrection.  This essay follows up on a statement made earlier that unlike many Progressives he affirms a physical resurrection.  As one who also affirms the same, I asked Bruce to flesh this out.  In invite your thoughts and questions.  I appreciate as well Bruce's willingness to share his insights with this audience.

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MORE THAN A PARABLE?

Bruce G. Epperly

Last week, I spoke about miracles without supernaturalism, asserting that there is a deeper naturalism that opens the door to transformative acts of divine power, grounded in the divine- human “call and response,” that can change bodies, minds, spirits, relationships, and the planet. I asserted that if “we live, move, and have our being” in God’s dynamic presence, there is no reason to see divine activity as supernaturally breaking into our world. God is already here, acting in each cell and thought. Bathed in God’s presence, the world is more wonderful than we can imagine. Indeed, I believe the naturalistic theism that I suggest is more hopeful and transformative than the popular Christian picture of God acting supernaturally from the outside, sometimes healing and sometimes not. In the dynamic synergy of divine action and creaturely response, acts of power may occur, revealing deeper possibilities within the realm of cause and effect than we had previously imagined.

When I suggested that even Jesus’ resurrection could be seen as a deeper reflection of the interplay of God’s action and human openness, understood perhaps in terms of an energetic body, lively enough to be liberated from typical physical constraints, I took a rare stand among progressives, asserting that the resurrection may actually have occurred in space and time, and might even, in the words of Borg and Crossan, have been videotaped or captured on a cell phone photograph!

Now, I am appreciative of the insightful work of Borg and Crossan and find their text,The Last Week, a spiritual and theological gem. Yet, I wonder if there indifference to factuality of the resurrection narratives testifies to an Enlightenment and Modern, rather than Quantum and Post-modern understanding of reality. While I do not the mechanics of Jesus’ resurrection, I believe that in an energetic, multi-dimensional universe, it is entirely possible that Jesus, to quote Borg and Crossan, “really did appear to his followers after his death in a form that could be seen, heard, and touched.” (The Last Week, 191) Although Borg and Crossan agree with Paul’s recognition that without the affirmation that Christ has been raised, our faith as followers of the Way is in vain, they “do not think that it intrinsically points to the historical factuality of an empty tomb” or the resurrection appearance stories. (191) Borg and Crossan believe that the Easter stories are parables, meaningful truths, that assert that Jesus lives and that his mission has been vindicated personally and politically.

I agree with Borg and Crossan that meaning is at the heart of the Easter stories, and while we cannot prove the factuality of the resurrection from proof texts or eyewitness accounts, I affirm the likelihood that Easter is more than a visionary experience, though it surely falls into the realm of the mystic, paranormal, and miraculous (as understood naturalistically). If visionary experiences occurred in the days following Jesus’ crucifixion, I contend they may have reflected God’s movements in the life of Jesus and in the lives of those who had visionary experiences! (Visionary experiences can reflect divine guidance and initiative.)

Something happened that radically transformed the lives of Jesus’ first followers – something that was more than a parable, but was embodied meaning. While I see scripture as inspired rather than infallible, I believe that the resurrection and post-resurrection testimonies of the gospels, odd and diverse as they are, point to an encounter with the Holy that gave new life to Jesus’ frightened and hopeless followers. Could Jesus really have breathed on his followers? Could they have felt a gentle wind or a healing touch? Could his life energy have materialized in a way that enabled Mary of Magdala, the disciples at the seashore, and Paul on the way to Damascus to “see and touch” the Risen One?

Now, I recognize that I have said too little for fundamentalists and conservative evangelicals and too much for Enlightenment-influenced progressives. But, I hope I have something that will nurture faith that Christ is alive and can still move through our lives today. Our visionary experiences today are not merely personal in nature, but may emerge from God’s touch in our senses and psyche.

The tradition of mystical theology asserts that every discussion of divine action must take into account the interweaving of the kataphatic and apophatic understandings of reality. The kataphatic, “with appearances,” proclaims that the world is sacramental and that, in the spirit of Borg and Crossan, “Emmaus always happens.” (201) Kataphatic theology truly sees Jesus on the road and at table. Apophatic, “without appearances,” proclaims that the Risen One is always more than we can imagine and can never be pinned down in space and time. Apophatic theology finds its inspiration in Jesus’ words to Mary of Magdala in the Garden, “don’t hold onto me.” Jesus is not localized, not tied down by embodiment, but is everywhere.

Borg’s and Crossan’s recognition that the resurrection appearance stories are “the product of the experience and reflection of Jesus’ followers in the days, months, years, and decades after his death” (198) points to the “fact” that something happened, more than just a “parable,” in the lives of the disciples. The testimony from John’s gospel that “Jesus did many signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book” (John 20:30) points to the recognition that Jesus is always more than we can imagine and that we may, in fact, live in a world in which lively, energetic, transformative, and meaningful resurrections are possible, and that in ways that we can’t fully encompass Jesus “met” his first followers and meets us today.

Could it be that many progressives are simply too “conservative,” too caught up in the limitations of the modern world view? Perhaps, we need to open the doors of our imaginations so that we might experience nature, in Blake’s language, as “infinite,” holding within the causal relatedness of life unexpected possibilities, resurrection events, and healing power.

Bruce Epperly is a seminary professor and administrator at Lancaster Theological Seminary; pastor at Disciples United Community Church, Lancaster, PA; theologian and spiritual companion. He is the author of seventeen books, including Holy Adventure: 41 Days of Audacious Living, a response to Rick Warren’s Purpose Driven Life. His Tending to the Holy: The Practice of the Presence of God in Ministry, written with Katherine Gould Epperly, was selected Book of the Year by the Academy of Parish Clergy. (http://www.bruceepperly.com/)