Day One: Sibilants and Fire Starting
“God of Grace and God of glory, on thy people pour thy power.” The familiar hymn resonated in the Lila Cockrell Theatre in the San Antonio Conference Center. “Crown thine ancient church’s story, bring her bud to glorious flower.” It was a hymn of invocation from the 1,800 pastors from various churches in various places, some came with enthusiasm and hope, others came from the depths of despair and wondering if the call had run out and maybe God had moved on. Those buds seemed way past flowering, others were blown and spent and used up. Yet the story, the church’s story - ancient and yet ever new - still resonates in hearts. Even hearts weary from traveling all the way to San Antonio, Texas.
“Grant us Wisdom, grant us courage, for the facing of this hour, for the facing of this hour.” The hour didn’t especially need courage, though Walter Brueggemann is a formidable academic force in Old Testament history and interpretation. But there was wisdom aplenty. Brueggemann’s sermon based on a story in Judges 12. It’s a story of insiders and outsiders and about boundaries and borders. And about accents. The enemy was identified by how they pronounced a certain word. Or as Brueggemann says, it was about getting your sibilants right.
But the sermon was not really about an ancient conflict between unpronounceable tribes, but about the world in which we live today. And the faith we claim to want to live. Brueggemann’s advice is to watch our pronunciation. How do we speak? Do we speak of the foolishness of God that is wiser than human wisdom? Or are we ready to replace the mystery in our faith with programs and budgets and numbers of butts in the pew week by week? Do we speak of the weakness of God that is stronger than human strength? Or do we bow to the powers that be to define what is good in our world today? Remember, Brueggemann said, human power ruled the day from Friday noon until Easter morning. But that was it. God stepped in and changed everything we know. And do we speak of the poverty of God which is richer than human wealth? Or do we agree with the wise person who pointed out that we write “In God We Trust” right on the god we trust? Who knew that self-giving, self-sacrificing would actually enrich others? Jesus is effecting a change from the economics of the world to the economy of God.
Brueggemann says God chose the foolish, the weak, the poor to show the world the wisdom, the power and the riches of God. Consider your call. And watch your language.
Worship concluded with communion, of all things, a logistical nightmare in a theatre not designed for such ritual and eighteen hundred preachers who just might be better at leading such rituals than following directions. And a closing hymn that reminded us of the source of our strength. “When I survey the wondrous cross, on which the Prince of Glory died, my richest gain I count but loss and pour contempt on all my pride.” But it’s the final verse that always speaks loudly to me, and perfectly set up our next speaker. “Were the who realm of nature mine, that were an present far too small; love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all.”
The stage was cleared of the worship setting and a single speaker with laptop walked out after his introduction. The speaker was Rob Bell, preacher, writer, filmmaker, and celebrity. His books have been praised and condemned within the Christian community, and Rob Bell’s response has always been “that’s ok, they’re not for you anyway.” His passion is making faith intelligible to non-church people. But actually, I would argue, he wants to make faith intelligible to all people. Insider and outsiders. His title was fascinating. “The Whole Thing is On Fire: a few thoughts on cosmology, photography, and the science of homiletic pyrotechnics.” Whew.
Actually the lecture was a study on dealing with adversity. His presentation was very visual, but there was a technical problem and the pictures wouldn’t display. In the waiting time Bell reminded us why we were in this business. What we signed up for. We signed up, he said, to start fires. When we began we wanted to preach because we had something to say. But often, he realized, we now preach because we have to say something.
Bell posits that the enlightenment did a million amazing and useful things. But it also did some damage to our cosmology, or how everything works in the universe. Or relates. Or just is. The enlightenment told us, Bell argues, that there are subjects and there are objects. And objects exist in dead space. Us and them. But the ancient world saw things differently. Psalm 19 sees things differently. The heavens are telling the glory of God. Everything is alive. Words are alive, creation is alive. And we are called to be alive in it. To pay attention. That was Bell’s proscription: pay attention to what’s going on around you. And then use the experience of worship to create space for a new experience of life and living. To light fires, Bell told us. Go light fires that stir up the complacent, that inspire the hopeful, that lift up the despairing. Light fires.
Fires have been lit.
Shalom,
Derek
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