“Fond Farewells”
1 Corinthians 9:16-23
Rev. Désirée H. Gold
St. Mark’s United Church of Christ, Baltimore, MD
Sunday, 15 February, 2009
Sixth Sunday after Epiphany
----
 When I came to St. Mark’s two and a half years ago I thought I might be a hospice worker. One of my roles as your “Transitional Minister” was to help you discern where God was leading this little church. I thought, when I started here, that my role might be to help you die as peacefully as possible. If a congregation can suffer from depression, this congregation suffered from it. That first Christmas Eve several people were in tears, sure that it would be our last.
These were valid fears. Our bank account was going through its own “recession” back then, and the pews were pretty empty. We were doing some good ministry -- the 12-step groups, the Wellness Center -- but our big church building was empty a lot of the time. We were kind of a shell.
Two years later, that shell is full and bursting with energy. Our bank account is in better shape, our pews have more people in them on Sunday mornings, and I can hardly keep track of everything that goes on here during the week. I think every room in the church is either being used regularly or has definite plans for the near future. I cannot emphasis enough how proud I am of the transformation that has taken place at St. Mark’s. I don’t care if I’m starting to sound like a broken record. (It’s my last Sunday anyway, so you won’t have to hear it again.) I am proud of this church and I’m not afraid to say it.
What happened so drastically in these two years? Some of you have kindly attributed the change to my presence here, but I honestly don’t think that’s it and I think it’s dangerous to think that. If a pastor is the reason for a church’s success, then why bother going to church if that pastor leaves? I think we all know that doesn’t make sense.
On the contrary, I believe the reason St. Mark’s has come to this point of healing has more to do with the determination of its members to proclaim the gospel. I think that somewhere along the line this congregation made the decision that they didn’t want to die -- and so they did everything in their power to keep on living. That power blissfully includes the grace of God, and God was surely with us during this time, lighting a fire in us and giving us the strength to go on.
It is this same power, and this same call, which will remain with us as we go our separate ways. It is my fervent hope that you will keep coming around here not just because you love the people who are here but because you feel called to proclaim the Gospel. The Apostle Paul describes himself as “enslaved” to the Gospel, and while I don’t care for the language of slavery, I get his point. On the one hand, we have a choice whether or not to accept the call of discipleship. I am grateful that so many members of this congregation did just that, and got to work when St. Mark’s needed it most. On the other hand, once we accept that call we are tied to it in a way that is difficult to escape. Once we begin proclaiming the gospel it’s hard to stop doing it -- and that’s a good thing.
So, what does it mean to “proclaim the Gospel”? How have we been proclaiming the Gospel together here at St. Mark’s? When Paul uses the phrase, he is speaking literally of preaching to people who are not yet followers of Christ and inviting them to join the church. We have done some of that here. Our membership has expanded, and we work hard to welcome visitors who come through our doors. Maybe we even invite friends to join us on Sunday mornings. But “proclaiming the Gospel” goes beyond Sunday morning. We “proclaim the Gospel” whenever we open our church to people in the community -- and we do that a lot around here. And we “proclaim the Gospel” individually whenever we “act as Christ to neighbor” -- when we love our neighbors as we love ourselves.
I don’t see any reason why that can’t continue after I leave. I would be devastated if it didn’t. You are enslaved to the Gospel -- you must continue to proclaim it, realizing that God will uphold you when you have a difficult time. I, too, am enslaved to the Gospel -- the good news of Christ -- and that is part of the reason I am leaving you now. God is calling me in another direction, and while I love you dearly I am compelled to follow where God leads me. Right now, it seems, God is leading me to Minnesota.
Separations like this are difficult. I have, in some ways, tried to be “all things to all people” here, in that I have had a wide variety of experiences within this little congregation. I am eternally grateful for what I have experienced here and for the kindness and love you have shown me. But my first responsibility is to God, as is yours. Just as God is calling me to new adventures in a new place, so God is calling this congregation to new adventures right here. This does not necessarily mean that God will never call you away from here. But if you ever leave this church I pray it will be because God is calling you, and not because you become lazy or complacent, or even because you have a conflict with someone in the congregation. It is easy to do that. Pastors run away nearly as often as church members do. But if we -- pastors and parishioners alike -- are to be true followers of Christ then we will go where God leads us and stay when God wants us to stay somewhere.
I pray that I am making the right decision as I leave you. I pray that you will make the right decisions in where you choose to worship. And I pray most deeply that this church will continue to thrive as I have seen it do. I pray that St. Mark’s will continue to be a blessing to the community of Morrell Park, to one another, and to the world.
Now let us pray as one.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Sermon 02/08/09 (1 Corinthians 9:24-27)
“Keep Your Eye on the Prize”
1 Corinthians 9:24-27
Rev. Désirée H. Gold
St. Mark’s United Church of Christ, Baltimore, MD
Sunday, 8 February, 2009
Fifth Sunday after Epiphany
----
 How many of you watched the Super Bowl last Sunday? I actually watched the game, and there were actually parts of it that I enjoyed. (Not just the ads either.) I wanted the Cardinals to win, of course (out of loyalty to the Ravens), and it was thrilling when they got ahead in the game. As disappointed as I was that they lost, the end of the game was exciting, and I have to give props to the Steelers. They played a good game.
It’s thrilling to watch good athletes do what they do best. Professional athletes have amazing skill, and we can be in awe of the hard work they have done to get where they are. The amount of exercising, self-control, and concentration it takes to become a professional athlete is awesome. I think this is why people were so disappointed when Michael Phelps made his recent gaffe. We revere our athletes as examples for the rest of us, and it was hard for a lot of people to admit that Michael Phelps is actually human and could do the same stupid things any normal 23-year-old might do. “He’s the winner of 8 Olympic medals! How can he be human?!” we wonder.
Reverence for athletes is not just a modern phenomenon. The original Olympic games began in Greece in 776 B.C.E. -- hundreds of years before Christ was born! Those games included foot races, chariot races, boxing, and wrestling, and typical prizes were olive wreaths, palm branches, or woolen ribbons. (No million-dollar endorsements in those days.)
In our Epistle reading for this morning, the Apostle Paul mentions two athletic sports, running and boxing. It appears here that Paul had an appreciation for sports and that he may have done some running and boxing of his own. He is at least aware of the dedication it takes to be a serious athlete. ...So, why does he bring up sports? What do sports have to do with the Gospel? The same “self-control that athletes exercise in all things” is a necessary component of being a good Christian. He’s essentially telling his listeners to behave themselves, so they can win the race. But here is where the self-control of an athlete and the dedication of a Christian part ways. What does an athlete get if he or she practices that self-control and wins the race? He or she gets something that won’t last -- in Paul’s day, a piece of greenery, in our day, money in the bank. What did Santonio Holmes get for winning the Super Bowl? He got a fancy Super Bowl ring, a trophy, a bunch of money, the admiration of his peers and millions of fans. What did Michael Phelps get for winning so many swim races at the Olympics? He got a bunch of gold medals, millions of dollars in endorsements, and the honor of having girls scream and faint from excitement when they see him.
These seem like pretty great rewards. The Pittsburgh Steelers are the envy of everyone in the NFL because of that trophy and those rings. Other professional athletes are in awe of Michael Phelps. The screaming fans that come when one wins the game (or keeps on winning) are a thrill. And, boy, those millions of dollars sure would be nice to have in an economy like ours. I think this is one of the reasons we look up to our sports idols so much -- they have things we want, like money, and fans, and dedication, and plain old human ability. But here’s the thing. As great as all those rewards are -- the money, the fans, the trophies -- they can’t top off the reward that we are waiting for as Christians. Paul points out that if we live as Christians successfully we will get a permanent reward: eternal salvation.
We have more incentive to practice self-control than any athlete. Granted, it is the grace of God that will get us into Heaven and not anything that we do here on earth, good or bad. But by practicing self-control we will be pleasing God. Now, in what ways should we control ourselves? How will we go about “winning” this race? Our reading for this morning doesn’t give specifics -- it’s a tiny piece of a larger scripture that contains more details. Throughout his letter to the Corinthians Paul warns against being jealous of one another, or fighting. He talks about the importance of being trustworthy. He warns against being arrogant and boastful. He talks about sexual immorality (do not commit adultery). He goes off on “thieves, the greedy, drunkards, revilers, robbers.” It sounds like we have to follow a whole bunch of rules when you list everything that Paul includes in his “good and bad behavior.” But basically, in the words of Jesus, he is telling us to love the Lord our God with all our heart and with all our soul and with all our mind and love our neighbors as ourselves.
God loves us, even though we are not perfect. (Yes, God even loves people who make mistakes, like Michael Phelps.) But when we practice self-control and work hard at being a Christian, our rewards are endless. We will have the satisfaction of knowing that we are pleasing God and loving our neighbor, and we will have the rewards of eternal salvation.
In a few weeks we will baptize two young people into the faith and family of the Christian church. Miranda and Michael, I hope you have been listening. Basically I’m telling you that being a Christian is a big deal and an important responsibility. I don’t just sprinkle a few drops of water on your forehead and send you on your way. You are being welcomed into the church, and that means that from now on you are being asked to act like a Christian. This means that you love one another and treat other people the same way that you would like them to treat you (no matter who they are, and whether they are Christian or not). It also means that you are part of a new family, and that we will help you when you make mistakes or when you have a hard time. This is part of what it means to be a Christian too.
Whether you are brand new to this church, like Miranda and Michael, or whether you have been here a very long time, I hope you will continue to learn what it means to be a Christian and that you won’t do it just for the big reward you get at the end.
Now let us pray.
1 Corinthians 9:24-27
Rev. Désirée H. Gold
St. Mark’s United Church of Christ, Baltimore, MD
Sunday, 8 February, 2009
Fifth Sunday after Epiphany
----
 How many of you watched the Super Bowl last Sunday? I actually watched the game, and there were actually parts of it that I enjoyed. (Not just the ads either.) I wanted the Cardinals to win, of course (out of loyalty to the Ravens), and it was thrilling when they got ahead in the game. As disappointed as I was that they lost, the end of the game was exciting, and I have to give props to the Steelers. They played a good game.
It’s thrilling to watch good athletes do what they do best. Professional athletes have amazing skill, and we can be in awe of the hard work they have done to get where they are. The amount of exercising, self-control, and concentration it takes to become a professional athlete is awesome. I think this is why people were so disappointed when Michael Phelps made his recent gaffe. We revere our athletes as examples for the rest of us, and it was hard for a lot of people to admit that Michael Phelps is actually human and could do the same stupid things any normal 23-year-old might do. “He’s the winner of 8 Olympic medals! How can he be human?!” we wonder.
Reverence for athletes is not just a modern phenomenon. The original Olympic games began in Greece in 776 B.C.E. -- hundreds of years before Christ was born! Those games included foot races, chariot races, boxing, and wrestling, and typical prizes were olive wreaths, palm branches, or woolen ribbons. (No million-dollar endorsements in those days.)
In our Epistle reading for this morning, the Apostle Paul mentions two athletic sports, running and boxing. It appears here that Paul had an appreciation for sports and that he may have done some running and boxing of his own. He is at least aware of the dedication it takes to be a serious athlete. ...So, why does he bring up sports? What do sports have to do with the Gospel? The same “self-control that athletes exercise in all things” is a necessary component of being a good Christian. He’s essentially telling his listeners to behave themselves, so they can win the race. But here is where the self-control of an athlete and the dedication of a Christian part ways. What does an athlete get if he or she practices that self-control and wins the race? He or she gets something that won’t last -- in Paul’s day, a piece of greenery, in our day, money in the bank. What did Santonio Holmes get for winning the Super Bowl? He got a fancy Super Bowl ring, a trophy, a bunch of money, the admiration of his peers and millions of fans. What did Michael Phelps get for winning so many swim races at the Olympics? He got a bunch of gold medals, millions of dollars in endorsements, and the honor of having girls scream and faint from excitement when they see him.
These seem like pretty great rewards. The Pittsburgh Steelers are the envy of everyone in the NFL because of that trophy and those rings. Other professional athletes are in awe of Michael Phelps. The screaming fans that come when one wins the game (or keeps on winning) are a thrill. And, boy, those millions of dollars sure would be nice to have in an economy like ours. I think this is one of the reasons we look up to our sports idols so much -- they have things we want, like money, and fans, and dedication, and plain old human ability. But here’s the thing. As great as all those rewards are -- the money, the fans, the trophies -- they can’t top off the reward that we are waiting for as Christians. Paul points out that if we live as Christians successfully we will get a permanent reward: eternal salvation.
We have more incentive to practice self-control than any athlete. Granted, it is the grace of God that will get us into Heaven and not anything that we do here on earth, good or bad. But by practicing self-control we will be pleasing God. Now, in what ways should we control ourselves? How will we go about “winning” this race? Our reading for this morning doesn’t give specifics -- it’s a tiny piece of a larger scripture that contains more details. Throughout his letter to the Corinthians Paul warns against being jealous of one another, or fighting. He talks about the importance of being trustworthy. He warns against being arrogant and boastful. He talks about sexual immorality (do not commit adultery). He goes off on “thieves, the greedy, drunkards, revilers, robbers.” It sounds like we have to follow a whole bunch of rules when you list everything that Paul includes in his “good and bad behavior.” But basically, in the words of Jesus, he is telling us to love the Lord our God with all our heart and with all our soul and with all our mind and love our neighbors as ourselves.
God loves us, even though we are not perfect. (Yes, God even loves people who make mistakes, like Michael Phelps.) But when we practice self-control and work hard at being a Christian, our rewards are endless. We will have the satisfaction of knowing that we are pleasing God and loving our neighbor, and we will have the rewards of eternal salvation.
In a few weeks we will baptize two young people into the faith and family of the Christian church. Miranda and Michael, I hope you have been listening. Basically I’m telling you that being a Christian is a big deal and an important responsibility. I don’t just sprinkle a few drops of water on your forehead and send you on your way. You are being welcomed into the church, and that means that from now on you are being asked to act like a Christian. This means that you love one another and treat other people the same way that you would like them to treat you (no matter who they are, and whether they are Christian or not). It also means that you are part of a new family, and that we will help you when you make mistakes or when you have a hard time. This is part of what it means to be a Christian too.
Whether you are brand new to this church, like Miranda and Michael, or whether you have been here a very long time, I hope you will continue to learn what it means to be a Christian and that you won’t do it just for the big reward you get at the end.
Now let us pray.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Sermon 02/01/09 (1 Corinthians 8:1-13)
“Puffy Knowledge”
1 Corinthians 8:1-13
Rev. Désirée H. Gold
St. Mark’s United Church of Christ, Baltimore, MD
Sunday, 1 February, 2009
Fourth Sunday after Epiphany
----
 When I worked as a chaplain, my favorite term was “myocardial infarction.” It was just fun to say. Myocardial infarction. Does anyone here know what it means? ... Well, as fun a term as it is to say, “myocardial infarction” means something very serious. It’s a medical term for heart attack. I would likely not have known this if I had not worked in a hospital for a year. ...Some medical professionals have a habit of tossing around big words when talking to their patients or patients’ family members, and I could have been told that a loved one of mine had just had an “M.I.” (myocardial infarction) and not had the slightest clue what they meant.
I used to love playing with toy cars when I was a little girl. My dad and I would take my Matchbox cars on long “trips” through the family room, and I would spend hours “vrooming” them around the house. I even got to the semi-finals in a Matchbox car race in my sixth grade science class. But aside from checking fluid levels and changing a flat tire, I know very little about what’s beneath the hood of a real car. I dread going to the repair shop with a problem I don’t understand, because some mechanics are notorious for talking over people’s heads -- and a few unscrupulous ones especially enjoy telling women they need unnecessary repairs.
Of course, we do this in the church too -- use big words, talk over people’s heads, show off our vast knowledge at the expense of people who are new to the game. There are the theologians (a theologian is someone who studies God, by the way) who revel in writing sentences that last for two pages and using the biggest words possible. My favorite church word is “pneumatology” -- study of the Holy Spirit. It’s another one of those fun words to say. ...Hmmm...I wonder if someone could have a pneumatological myocardial infarction. That would be, I guess, a “spiritual heart attack”? Anyway, we theologians have our share of big words. I’ve even known some preachers to pepper their sermons with enormous words, probably enjoying the fact that most of the people in the congregation have no idea what they’re talking about. I have read some sermons from the 19th century that make no sense at all, and I don’t think this is only because the preacher is using the language of an earlier era.
Well, preachers (and medical professionals, and auto mechanics) who do this are not following the Apostle Paul’s instructions from this morning’s Epistle reading. (Epistle, by the way, simply means “letter.” We call 1 Corinthians an “Epistle reading” because we are reading the letter that Paul wrote to the church in the town of Corinth.) “Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up,” he says.
The community at Corinth was clearly having some issues, between people who have been following Christ for a while (and therefore sort of know the ropes) and new believers. I share with you an explanation of this text by Rev. Sarah Buteux:
“Back in first- century Corinth, religions abounded, and a traditional rite of most faiths involved the sacrifice of animals and other foods to the various gods and goddesses. But food sacrificed to idols was still food that could be eaten. Rules varied, and most likely the person who offered the sacrifice at a temple would not partake of the food, but after the rite, the officials of the temple might eat it –for in most traditions, including the Israelite one, the food offered to God was the food the priests lived on – but that food could also be sold in the general market to raise money to support the temple itself.
Now apparently, there were people in this young community who believed that food sacrificed to an idol was defiled and should not be touched. But Paul argues that idols cannot defile food, because idols represent gods that do not exist. There is only one God in Paul’s mind, and that is the Lord. Therefore this food that is being sacrificed to idols is really food being sacrificed to nothing.”1 [End quote]
So, Paul thinks the food can be eaten like any other food. No spiritual problems will take place if one has eaten food that has been offered to imaginary idols. But Paul stresses that just because he (and the other enlightened Christians) know that it’s not a big deal to eat this food doesn’t mean the new folks will know. In Rev. Buteux’s words, “They would be confused. They would feel conflict that could become damaging to their faith.”2 Therefore, they should just not eat the food. They will save the new Christians from unnecessary confusion. What they know is not nearly as important as the spiritual wellbeing of their neighbor. Loving the neighbor is more important than knowing the truth.
What are some ways that we can follow Paul’s guidance today? Are there any ways in which we use our knowledge against our neighbor? I can think of some easy examples that don’t even involve the use of big words.
Those of us who have been coming to St. Mark’s for a while know exactly what to expect. We know what to do when we arrive. We take a bulletin (and we know what a bulletin is) from the greeter. Then we go sit down. We know what the different segments are in the bulletin. We know the right words to say and when to say them. But when a visitor comes to St. Mark’s for the first time they might not know all these things. I didn’t know what the “Candle of Hope” was when I came here for the first time. It took me a while to figure out what you really meant by that. When I saw “Lord’s Prayer” written in the bulletin, I knew what that was but I didn’t know what words to use. Should I say “trespasses,” “debts” or “sins”? I knew the rest of the words, so I was just quiet during that part of the prayer, but what if I had never been to any church before? What’s the “Lord’s Prayer”? What’s a “Call to Worship”? What about a “Benediction”? What does it mean to “Offer one another the peace of Christ”?
We become complacent in the way we do worship and in our lack of explanation, because we usually have the same group of people here every Sunday. We might have a visitor or two or three, but we figure that they will be able to follow along. After all, we know what’s going on, don’t we?! In the context of Paul, we eat food sacrificed to idols because we know it’s okay to do so -- since idols aren’t real. But the people who come here for the first time are confused, wondering what we are doing and why we are doing it.
Most churches do this. We don’t bother to explain what the worship service will be like every Sunday, because we figure people already know. But there have been times when I, who have been attending churches since the age of 3, have no clue what is going on in a church that I visit. I find it so helpful if someone is assigned to help me, the visitor, with any question I might have, or if there is some explanations written down somewhere, or, preferably both (since, as a visitor, I might not be able to read or even to see). By doing this, the church would be showing the visitor that it was more important to show love to the visitor than it was to avoid being redundant by explaining things at the beginning of church every Sunday.
I encourage St. Mark’s to give some more thought to how we welcome newcomers who enter through the door. Do we wow them with our amazing knowledge of how the church works...or do we reach out to them in love, as Christ -- and the Apostle Paul -- have taught us to do?
Think about it. Now let us pray.
---
1 “Knowledge vs. Love,” sermon by Rev. Sarah Buteaux for Sunday, February 2, 2003. Cambridge Swedenborg Chapel, 50 Quincy Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138 U.S.A. Accessed via http://www.swedenborgchapel.org/read_sa_sb2003_5.html on 31 Jan., 2009.
2 Ibid.
1 Corinthians 8:1-13
Rev. Désirée H. Gold
St. Mark’s United Church of Christ, Baltimore, MD
Sunday, 1 February, 2009
Fourth Sunday after Epiphany
----
 When I worked as a chaplain, my favorite term was “myocardial infarction.” It was just fun to say. Myocardial infarction. Does anyone here know what it means? ... Well, as fun a term as it is to say, “myocardial infarction” means something very serious. It’s a medical term for heart attack. I would likely not have known this if I had not worked in a hospital for a year. ...Some medical professionals have a habit of tossing around big words when talking to their patients or patients’ family members, and I could have been told that a loved one of mine had just had an “M.I.” (myocardial infarction) and not had the slightest clue what they meant.
I used to love playing with toy cars when I was a little girl. My dad and I would take my Matchbox cars on long “trips” through the family room, and I would spend hours “vrooming” them around the house. I even got to the semi-finals in a Matchbox car race in my sixth grade science class. But aside from checking fluid levels and changing a flat tire, I know very little about what’s beneath the hood of a real car. I dread going to the repair shop with a problem I don’t understand, because some mechanics are notorious for talking over people’s heads -- and a few unscrupulous ones especially enjoy telling women they need unnecessary repairs.
Of course, we do this in the church too -- use big words, talk over people’s heads, show off our vast knowledge at the expense of people who are new to the game. There are the theologians (a theologian is someone who studies God, by the way) who revel in writing sentences that last for two pages and using the biggest words possible. My favorite church word is “pneumatology” -- study of the Holy Spirit. It’s another one of those fun words to say. ...Hmmm...I wonder if someone could have a pneumatological myocardial infarction. That would be, I guess, a “spiritual heart attack”? Anyway, we theologians have our share of big words. I’ve even known some preachers to pepper their sermons with enormous words, probably enjoying the fact that most of the people in the congregation have no idea what they’re talking about. I have read some sermons from the 19th century that make no sense at all, and I don’t think this is only because the preacher is using the language of an earlier era.
Well, preachers (and medical professionals, and auto mechanics) who do this are not following the Apostle Paul’s instructions from this morning’s Epistle reading. (Epistle, by the way, simply means “letter.” We call 1 Corinthians an “Epistle reading” because we are reading the letter that Paul wrote to the church in the town of Corinth.) “Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up,” he says.
The community at Corinth was clearly having some issues, between people who have been following Christ for a while (and therefore sort of know the ropes) and new believers. I share with you an explanation of this text by Rev. Sarah Buteux:
“Back in first- century Corinth, religions abounded, and a traditional rite of most faiths involved the sacrifice of animals and other foods to the various gods and goddesses. But food sacrificed to idols was still food that could be eaten. Rules varied, and most likely the person who offered the sacrifice at a temple would not partake of the food, but after the rite, the officials of the temple might eat it –for in most traditions, including the Israelite one, the food offered to God was the food the priests lived on – but that food could also be sold in the general market to raise money to support the temple itself.
Now apparently, there were people in this young community who believed that food sacrificed to an idol was defiled and should not be touched. But Paul argues that idols cannot defile food, because idols represent gods that do not exist. There is only one God in Paul’s mind, and that is the Lord. Therefore this food that is being sacrificed to idols is really food being sacrificed to nothing.”1 [End quote]
So, Paul thinks the food can be eaten like any other food. No spiritual problems will take place if one has eaten food that has been offered to imaginary idols. But Paul stresses that just because he (and the other enlightened Christians) know that it’s not a big deal to eat this food doesn’t mean the new folks will know. In Rev. Buteux’s words, “They would be confused. They would feel conflict that could become damaging to their faith.”2 Therefore, they should just not eat the food. They will save the new Christians from unnecessary confusion. What they know is not nearly as important as the spiritual wellbeing of their neighbor. Loving the neighbor is more important than knowing the truth.
What are some ways that we can follow Paul’s guidance today? Are there any ways in which we use our knowledge against our neighbor? I can think of some easy examples that don’t even involve the use of big words.
Those of us who have been coming to St. Mark’s for a while know exactly what to expect. We know what to do when we arrive. We take a bulletin (and we know what a bulletin is) from the greeter. Then we go sit down. We know what the different segments are in the bulletin. We know the right words to say and when to say them. But when a visitor comes to St. Mark’s for the first time they might not know all these things. I didn’t know what the “Candle of Hope” was when I came here for the first time. It took me a while to figure out what you really meant by that. When I saw “Lord’s Prayer” written in the bulletin, I knew what that was but I didn’t know what words to use. Should I say “trespasses,” “debts” or “sins”? I knew the rest of the words, so I was just quiet during that part of the prayer, but what if I had never been to any church before? What’s the “Lord’s Prayer”? What’s a “Call to Worship”? What about a “Benediction”? What does it mean to “Offer one another the peace of Christ”?
We become complacent in the way we do worship and in our lack of explanation, because we usually have the same group of people here every Sunday. We might have a visitor or two or three, but we figure that they will be able to follow along. After all, we know what’s going on, don’t we?! In the context of Paul, we eat food sacrificed to idols because we know it’s okay to do so -- since idols aren’t real. But the people who come here for the first time are confused, wondering what we are doing and why we are doing it.
Most churches do this. We don’t bother to explain what the worship service will be like every Sunday, because we figure people already know. But there have been times when I, who have been attending churches since the age of 3, have no clue what is going on in a church that I visit. I find it so helpful if someone is assigned to help me, the visitor, with any question I might have, or if there is some explanations written down somewhere, or, preferably both (since, as a visitor, I might not be able to read or even to see). By doing this, the church would be showing the visitor that it was more important to show love to the visitor than it was to avoid being redundant by explaining things at the beginning of church every Sunday.
I encourage St. Mark’s to give some more thought to how we welcome newcomers who enter through the door. Do we wow them with our amazing knowledge of how the church works...or do we reach out to them in love, as Christ -- and the Apostle Paul -- have taught us to do?
Think about it. Now let us pray.
---
1 “Knowledge vs. Love,” sermon by Rev. Sarah Buteaux for Sunday, February 2, 2003. Cambridge Swedenborg Chapel, 50 Quincy Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138 U.S.A. Accessed via http://www.swedenborgchapel.org/read_sa_sb2003_5.html on 31 Jan., 2009.
2 Ibid.
Sermon 01/25/09 (Mark 1:14-20)
“The Hard Call”
Mark 1:14-20
Rev. Désirée H. Gold
St. Mark’s United Church of Christ, Baltimore, MD
Sunday, 25 January, 2009
Third Sunday after Epiphany
----
 How many of you watched the presidential inauguration this past Tuesday? Nearly two million people gathered on the National Mall in Washington and millions more watched it on television or listened to it on the radio. It was the most-watched presidential inauguration in American history, and there seemed to be a special spirit among those watching it. People greeted each other with hugs and broke out into song together, even if they had never met before.
One newscaster described it as “a family reunion” for the United States, where everyone gets together to celebrate and get to know each other again. For me, it felt a lot like church. Perfect strangers greeting each other as though they were old friends, singing together, celebrating together. A sense that we were renewing ourselves for the hard work ahead. ...Don’t we do that sort of thing in church every Sunday?
Then there was President Obama’s inauguration address, which was very sermon-like. As I read this morning’s Gospel lesson, I realized that Obama could have been preaching a sermon on Jesus’ words. His inaugural address was a national call for repentance and a call to serve.
The words we hear from Jesus this morning can be divided into two parts, as can Obama’s speech. The first part is the call to repentance. Jesus tells his listeners that “the time is fulfilled” and that they must “repent and believe in the good news.” President Obama tells us that “the time has come” and calls for repentance: “On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn-out dogmas that for far too long have strangled our politics.”1 He goes on to talk about how we must turn away from greed, irresponsibility, and childish ways.
The second part of our Gospel reading, and Obama’s address, is a call to discipleship and service. Jesus approaches some fishermen near the Sea of Galilee and tells them “Follow me and I will make you fish for people.” We are told that immediately they dropped what they were doing and followed him and we understand this as Jesus calling his disciples.
In a similar way, President Obama calls the American people to serve: “Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.”2 He goes on to talk about the hard work we will do together to make our country great again.
It’s probably no accident that Obama’s speech sounds like a sermon. He is an avowed Christian (he belonged to a United Church of Christ congregation for twenty years) and a former community organizer with a passion for service. His background showed through his address. I suspect that his speechwriters have church backgrounds too.
I was inspired by the speech on Tuesday and felt like the whole celebration was an enormous, worldly church service. But it was not church. It was a secular celebration and the president’s inaugural address was not a sermon. I can liken Obama’s call to hard work to Jesus’ call to discipleship, but Obama’s speech was not directly based on Jesus’ words, nor was he calling the American people to Christian discipleship or service.
So, how do the two differ? How do we differentiate the work we are called to do as Christians from the work that a politician calls us to do as citizens? How we distinguish between the community service we do as citizens and the service we do as Christians? Both may involve working in soup kitchens (maybe even the same soup kitchen). Both involve coming together as a human community. But the work we do as citizens differs from the work we do as Christians primarily because we do it for different reasons.
When the President of the United States (or some other secular leader) calls us to work together, they are calling upon us to believe in the common good: the nation, or the city, or Planet Earth. We are working together to uphold ideals that people of any faith can have. We are serving our fellow human beings because we, too, are human. But when we respond to Jesus’ call to discipleship -- when we drop what we are doing and follow him -- we are doing so because we believe that Jesus is the Lord of our life. We are serving humankind because we believe that God created humankind in God’s own image. We are doing this hard work because we believe the truth of the Gospel.
These two reasons for service and hard work are not mutually exclusive. As a Christian, when President Obama serves his fellow human beings he is undoubtedly doing so, in part, because of Jesus’ call to discipleship. So, too, can we engage in community service both because we believe in the ideals of a nation and because we believe in the truth of the Gospel. But as Christians our first priority should be to Christ. This may mean we have to make difficult choices. The fishermen Jesus approached by the Sea of Galilee were going about their business, catching fish and making themselves a meager living. But they dropped all of that in order to follow Christ. Their decision cannot have been an easy one. We, too, are compelled to listen for that call, and it may mean that we will be called away from the good work we do in our every day lives. God may be calling us to new and challenging things -- things that we never would have imagined doing. Our job right now is to listen for that call. What is Christ calling you to do? What changes will you need to make in your life so that you can respond?
As President Obama said in his address, we are in the midst of difficult times. It would seem that now is the time to buckle down and work hard at whatever we are doing. But God may be calling us to new work. We must never become too busy with our “hard work” that we stop listening for the voice of God and the call of Christ. We must embrace the challenges that we currently face, but we must do so with our eyes and ears always open to respond to the new challenges to which we are called. Is Christ calling you to something new? Watch, listen, think, and pray.
Now let us pray.
---
1 “Transcript - Barack Obama’s Inaugural Address.” 20 Jan., 2009. The New York Times. 24 Jan., 2009 .
2 Ibid.
Mark 1:14-20
Rev. Désirée H. Gold
St. Mark’s United Church of Christ, Baltimore, MD
Sunday, 25 January, 2009
Third Sunday after Epiphany
----
 How many of you watched the presidential inauguration this past Tuesday? Nearly two million people gathered on the National Mall in Washington and millions more watched it on television or listened to it on the radio. It was the most-watched presidential inauguration in American history, and there seemed to be a special spirit among those watching it. People greeted each other with hugs and broke out into song together, even if they had never met before.
One newscaster described it as “a family reunion” for the United States, where everyone gets together to celebrate and get to know each other again. For me, it felt a lot like church. Perfect strangers greeting each other as though they were old friends, singing together, celebrating together. A sense that we were renewing ourselves for the hard work ahead. ...Don’t we do that sort of thing in church every Sunday?
Then there was President Obama’s inauguration address, which was very sermon-like. As I read this morning’s Gospel lesson, I realized that Obama could have been preaching a sermon on Jesus’ words. His inaugural address was a national call for repentance and a call to serve.
The words we hear from Jesus this morning can be divided into two parts, as can Obama’s speech. The first part is the call to repentance. Jesus tells his listeners that “the time is fulfilled” and that they must “repent and believe in the good news.” President Obama tells us that “the time has come” and calls for repentance: “On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn-out dogmas that for far too long have strangled our politics.”1 He goes on to talk about how we must turn away from greed, irresponsibility, and childish ways.
The second part of our Gospel reading, and Obama’s address, is a call to discipleship and service. Jesus approaches some fishermen near the Sea of Galilee and tells them “Follow me and I will make you fish for people.” We are told that immediately they dropped what they were doing and followed him and we understand this as Jesus calling his disciples.
In a similar way, President Obama calls the American people to serve: “Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.”2 He goes on to talk about the hard work we will do together to make our country great again.
It’s probably no accident that Obama’s speech sounds like a sermon. He is an avowed Christian (he belonged to a United Church of Christ congregation for twenty years) and a former community organizer with a passion for service. His background showed through his address. I suspect that his speechwriters have church backgrounds too.
I was inspired by the speech on Tuesday and felt like the whole celebration was an enormous, worldly church service. But it was not church. It was a secular celebration and the president’s inaugural address was not a sermon. I can liken Obama’s call to hard work to Jesus’ call to discipleship, but Obama’s speech was not directly based on Jesus’ words, nor was he calling the American people to Christian discipleship or service.
So, how do the two differ? How do we differentiate the work we are called to do as Christians from the work that a politician calls us to do as citizens? How we distinguish between the community service we do as citizens and the service we do as Christians? Both may involve working in soup kitchens (maybe even the same soup kitchen). Both involve coming together as a human community. But the work we do as citizens differs from the work we do as Christians primarily because we do it for different reasons.
When the President of the United States (or some other secular leader) calls us to work together, they are calling upon us to believe in the common good: the nation, or the city, or Planet Earth. We are working together to uphold ideals that people of any faith can have. We are serving our fellow human beings because we, too, are human. But when we respond to Jesus’ call to discipleship -- when we drop what we are doing and follow him -- we are doing so because we believe that Jesus is the Lord of our life. We are serving humankind because we believe that God created humankind in God’s own image. We are doing this hard work because we believe the truth of the Gospel.
These two reasons for service and hard work are not mutually exclusive. As a Christian, when President Obama serves his fellow human beings he is undoubtedly doing so, in part, because of Jesus’ call to discipleship. So, too, can we engage in community service both because we believe in the ideals of a nation and because we believe in the truth of the Gospel. But as Christians our first priority should be to Christ. This may mean we have to make difficult choices. The fishermen Jesus approached by the Sea of Galilee were going about their business, catching fish and making themselves a meager living. But they dropped all of that in order to follow Christ. Their decision cannot have been an easy one. We, too, are compelled to listen for that call, and it may mean that we will be called away from the good work we do in our every day lives. God may be calling us to new and challenging things -- things that we never would have imagined doing. Our job right now is to listen for that call. What is Christ calling you to do? What changes will you need to make in your life so that you can respond?
As President Obama said in his address, we are in the midst of difficult times. It would seem that now is the time to buckle down and work hard at whatever we are doing. But God may be calling us to new work. We must never become too busy with our “hard work” that we stop listening for the voice of God and the call of Christ. We must embrace the challenges that we currently face, but we must do so with our eyes and ears always open to respond to the new challenges to which we are called. Is Christ calling you to something new? Watch, listen, think, and pray.
Now let us pray.
---
1 “Transcript - Barack Obama’s Inaugural Address.” 20 Jan., 2009. The New York Times. 24 Jan., 2009
2 Ibid.
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