Here's the manuscript of my sermon from April 29, 2012, The Fourth Sunday of Easter.
As much as I'd like to use today's gospel as an excuse to talk about sheep stories from the farm where I grew up, I’ll share a different aspect of life in rural Northeast Iowa: the free meal, the seed corn dinner and Saturday mornings at the Waverly Sale Barn.
My parents love a free meal. It doesn't matter who is offering it or if my parents actually need or use the services of the business sponsoring it. In my house growing up, a free meal was a free meal and we were there, mom, dad and three kids. There were open houses at the farm implement dealers, meals at the Butler-Bremer County Electric Company and snacks at local hardware store. Many of these were annual customer appreciation events; some celebrated a new business or remodel. Banks, farm supply stores, community college open houses provided pulled pork sandwiches, hot dogs and hamburgers. Some Saturday mornings the Waverly Sale Barn (where livestock is sold) gave away free doughnuts and apples for breakfast. A few times a year during the summer, local seed corn dealers like Pioneer hosted dinners on picnic tables in corn fields to showcase their new varieties. Let me say that the Smith family has never met a free meal that they did not like.
I chide my parents about this and yet as I got older, I noticed that it wasn't just about the food. These events took place in the small towns near where I grew up and my parents seemed to know everyone. These were social gatherings, as my parents inquired how someone's child was doing in college or answered questions about a sick member of our extended family. They may have come for the free Sloppy Joes and potato salad, but they found community in the corn fields and small-town stores.
Where do we find community? Where do we find Christian community? What does community do for us? Do we find it at church? Why or why not?
The text today from 1 John talks about Christian community. The writer of 1 John came from the same school of thought as the writer of John's gospel and they share similar themes. Scholars say 1 John was probably composed after John's gospel, no earlier than 100 AD. Tradition says it was written in Ephesus, but no one knows for sure. It seems like the Christian community to which the letter is addressed needed encouragement in their common life together. The author repeats the commandment to love one another, perhaps because his audience was lacking. The author insists that one cannot truly believe in Jesus Christ without truly and selflessly loving others. Hear again these words from 1 John 3: “We know love by this, that he laid down his life for us—and we ought to lay down our lives for one another. How does God’s love abide in anyone who has the world’s goods and sees a brother or sister in need and yet refuses help? Little children, let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action.”
A better Greek translation for verse 17 is this: How does God's love remain in anyone who has the world's riches and sees a brother or sister in need and closes the heart? Indeed. This is the heart of Christian community.
But Christian community is hard, because it involves real people, with foibles and failures, bad habits and bad breath. It sounds like a nice idea to love people, in general, but it's entirely another thing to love them, in specific.
Christian community is also hard because who has the time? In the 1950s, people went to church because that's where they found like-minded people and they formed life-long friendships. People went every Sunday to worship and Wednesdays, too, for Confirmation, church suppers and choir practice. Now it's a different era. Families are busier. Kids' schedules are crazy. Many of us have found deep and supportive friendships and loving communities outside of the church. So we don't gather as much, we don't share explicitly Christian community as often or perhaps as deeply.
I'm in no way suggesting a return to the church life of the 1950s. I like being ordained, for starters. But I am wondering about Christian community here at Central. Do you feel welcome here? Do you feel like you can count on your brothers and sisters in Christ here? Are you available to help your brothers and sisters in need? Are you willing to show up and be here for each other on a regular basis, not because you necessarily need to be here for yourself but because your brothers and sisters in Christ need you here?
The Alaska Synod Assembly was held this week in Eagle River. One of the workshops I attended was led by a Luther Seminary professor, Pat Kiefert. He talked about some recent scholarly research into church attendance and building Christian community. Kiefert said that congregations are the best place for young people to learn how to trust other people (besides their families) and how to be trustworthy. These are two indicators for later success in life, by the way. Where else are kids going to learn this in an inter-generational environment? Kiefert said the best place is a congregation.
But churches are failing. Are we failing too? Churches are failing at forming Christian community. Don't worry, Kiefert said, churches across denominational lines are failing too. In fact, about 80% of all mainline churches are in decline. Why are they failing? I wonder if it has something to do with a lack of Christian community. Perhaps if we see our primary task as forming Christian community, grounded in worship and service, maybe we can work together to change things.
Because the church is the one place in the world where you can tell the truth and receive God's mercy. There are no judgments, qualifications or pre-requisites. You are welcome into this community just as you are. The good news is that God welcomes you tenderly, earnestly, like a shepherd who lays down his life for the flock. God in Jesus Christ did lay down his life for us, so that we may see an example of deep, abiding love and may show it to others. And God desires for us the abundant and rich life of living together with our brothers and sisters in Christ, united as one flock.
Well, maybe I'll get to talk about sheep on the farm after all. I will say this about sheep. People say they're dumb, but I don't think that's true. They know how to stick together. When it's time to herd them, they follow, one after the other and generally not one lags behind. I will say this about sheep, too. They know where to find food and they know the hand that feeds them. (I walked over to the alter at this point). When my Father calls them, heeeere sheep, sheep, sheep, they come running up the lane and bolt into the sheep-yard. The meal is waiting for them there. My Father makes sure there is enough for all of them, the daily free meal on the farm. And they all eat it together. Amen.
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