“It seemed like a good idea at the time.” Famous last words? The cry of the earnest, but woefully unprepared? Or just me, biting off more than an elephant can chew? Yeah, well, definitely the latter, maybe that middle one, and I am praying fervently it isn’t the first. But here we are. The jury is still out.
We stand on the threshold of part two of the summer series now called Ask the Pastor. We began with Meet the Bible and tackled a variety of issues and questions and confusions about this book that we hold so dearly. But now we turn to larger issues, not unconnected to the Bible, of course, but church and faith issues. Issues of practice and understanding, issues of history and standing. Standing? Yeah, as in “where do we stand on ...” Oh, that. Well, OK. Talk about your proverbial can of worms.
In the surveys returned there was one issue that far outstripped all the others. Where does the church stand on... Actually, some of them were even a little more personal, a little more intrusive: Where do you, Pastor, stand on the issue of same sex relationships? Where do we stand as a congregation? Where do we stand as a denomination? Well, actually, that last one is easy. And enormously difficult. Easy because there are statements that are clear in our Book of Discipline. But difficult because these arguably don’t represent the position of many in the United Methodist Church. And they have brought us to a point in our history where we stand on the brink of dissolution over this very issue and the implications of a variety of stances. Not a simple thing. Not a simple stance. Not just a preference for fish over chicken, corn over peas. Wrapped up in this position, in this debate and battle, are questions of identity, of humanity, of worthiness.
Who is worthy? To stand before the Lord? To take a place in the family of God, in the body of Christ? Who is worthy to lead God’s people, to speak God’s Word? These are the questions we ask here. The opinions we hold here. It’s not just where we stand on “those people.” But how we respond to our brothers and sisters. How we include, how we welcome, how we share the life changing power of Christ. And the ability to admit that what might need changing is us.
When I decided that I had to be faithful to the process and respond to the many requests for conversation around this issue in the church, I first thought I would deal with it head on. Grab one of the passages that seem so clear to so many and deal with that from the pulpit – thus saith the Lord. But then I thought that wasn’t fair, not fair to the Word, not fair to the community. So, I’m inviting the Southport UM community and any interested parties to join us for a conversation around the issue on Tuesday, July 17, at 2:30pm or 7pm. We will address some of the specific passages as well as update ourselves on the activities of the denomination as we continue to wrestle with our stance.
That leaves us with worship. What can we do in response to the question as we gather for worship? I decided to take a slightly different approach. Maybe it is avoidance. But I prefer to think it is about unity instead of agreement. It is about behavior and about the practice of being the church instead about opinions. It’s about listening to Jesus. Which means what we need in this moment is a story.
Luke 15:11-32 Then Jesus said, "There was a man who had two sons. 12 The younger of them said to his father, 'Father, give me the share of the property that will belong to me.' So he divided his property between them. 13 A few days later the younger son gathered all he had and traveled to a distant country, and there he squandered his property in dissolute living. 14 When he had spent everything, a severe famine took place throughout that country, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed the pigs. 16 He would gladly have filled himself with the pods that the pigs were eating; and no one gave him anything. 17 But when he came to himself he said, 'How many of my father's hired hands have bread enough and to spare, but here I am dying of hunger! 18 I will get up and go to my father, and I will say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; treat me like one of your hired hands."'
20 So he set off and went to his father. But while he was still far off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion; he ran and put his arms around him and kissed him. 21 Then the son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.' 22 But the father said to his slaves, 'Quickly, bring out a robe-- the best one-- and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 And get the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate; 24 for this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found!' And they began to celebrate.
25 "Now his elder son was in the field; and when he came and approached the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 He called one of the slaves and asked what was going on. 27 He replied, 'Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fatted calf, because he has got him back safe and sound.' 28 Then he became angry and refused to go in. His father came out and began to plead with him. 29 But he answered his father, 'Listen! For all these years I have been working like a slave for you, and I have never disobeyed your command; yet you have never given me even a young goat so that I might celebrate with my friends. 30 But when this son of yours came back, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fatted calf for him!' 31 Then the father said to him, 'Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. 32 But we had to celebrate and rejoice, because this brother of yours was dead and has come to life; he was lost and has been found.'"
It was an outrageous request. An offensive request. He said to his father, why aren’t you dead yet? Your value to me is in the stuff that will be mine one day, not in you. If there was ever a son who needed slapped down, it is this one. But he wasn’t slapped down. He received what he asked for. The father did what no father would do. He broke the bank, broke tradition, broke open his wallet and took it out. Took it all out. The younger son, the prodigal, ran away as fast as his feet would take him. Did everything, tried everything, went everywhere, lived high on the hog. Until he didn’t anymore. Until it all came crashing down. Until knee deep in pig slop, he came to himself. “I’m no longer worthy.”
What does that mean, we wonder? What did it mean for him, what does it mean for us? Was it a true change of heart, change of mind, change of life? Or another scheme? Another plot, another way to play his old man and come out better than he was now? Was the speech he rehearsed all the way home from the heart, or from an empty pocket? We would need to be sure. Before we’d welcome him in again. Before we’d put ourselves at risk of being hurt again. Before we could call him worthy.
But a strange thing happened. His father ran to meet him, didn’t really listen to his speech, didn’t ask for an accounting or a sense of shame or a willingness to change. No, he just gathered him up and treated him as though he was worthy. As though he was a son. As though he belonged. And he was swept up into the party, welcomed home, where he had all he ever wanted. End of story.
Well, no, not quite the end. There is the older brother. And we may have been at one time in our lives a prodigal, maybe. But now we’re all older brothers. If you’re reading this blog, more than likely, you’re an older brother. And now it falls on you. Jesus didn’t finish the story. Didn’t finish our story. He just stands there with his arms around the one we want to keep out, the one different from us, the one who makes us uncomfortable, and says “but we had to celebrate.”
Because he is worthy. It isn’t what we do that makes us worthy, it’s what He does.
Shalom,
Derek
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