“World House: Living Room with View, Vision
& Voice for All”
Whenever my mother and I visit Chicago as we just did (Go, Sox!) we stop at
the small-town suburban cemetery on the Fox River where my dad is buried
along with my mother’s family as far back as the founding of the town. Our
children tell Julie and me they want some place to go where we are when
we’re dead. I understand the importance of “a final resting place” in this
world – in the journey of life through death and to life again! Yet Moses,
even Moses, “whom the LORD knew face to face” – “unequaled in all the signs
and wonders that the LORD sent him to perform . . . all the mighty deeds and
all the terrifying displays of power!” – even Moses “was buried in a valley
in the land of Moab, opposite Beth-peor, but no one knows his burial place
to this day.” We cannot hear enough, on United Nations and every Sunday –
God is no respecter of persons, even of peoples. As we confront in the
Millennium Development Goals such radical disparities in available resources
from God to all of the children of God, we know in our hearts: No one of us
is worth any more, or any less, than anyone else is worth – period!
We are like Moses this morning, trying to grasp the “big picture” of all
that God promises us – the views God gives from mountain-tops of “whole
lands” sworn to children of Israel – who once were “no people” at all but
slaves! From where Reno/Sparks is located here amid the last mountains to
cross on the way to what the promise of “California” means to our history,
we know the moment of nearly unbearable expectation – to see “the whole
land” for the very first time! Like Moses, we long for and even look out
over a land we have lived our whole lives to see with our eyes. But we shall
not cross over there, either! The promise of God goes forever before and
beyond us – reaches forever into God’s future. If we are to be as faithful
to our children, our descendants – sands of the sea and stars of the sky! –
as Moses is to descendants of Israel, let us begin with confession this
morning – the “whole land” is no longer one land but all lands. The
“promised people” are no longer Judeo-Christian, or white European, or
English-speaking, or straight male. Israel comes to be light to all the
nations.
We must be every people. And unless and until we can come up with a better
alternative, we must long for and even look out over the United Nations --
the “living room” of this “world house” where we are “all family” today --
to grasp the view, all the visions and all the voices making up God’s
promise in this new millennium. Walter Wink runs through a typology of
worldviews of Western history – First, the “ancient” view of heaven and
earth as separate parallel “real worlds.” Second, the “spiritualist” view of
heaven as “more real” than earth. Third, the “materialist” view of earth as
“more real” than heaven. Fourth, the “theological” view of either/or choices
between the “real worlds” of heaven and earth. And fifth, the “integral”
view of both heaven and earth as “real worlds” together. Then he states
boldly what I would call the Mosaic “mountain-top” moment in our history
today – “We may be the first generation in the history of the world that can
make a conscious choice between these worldviews!”
What world do we choose? What world? Not only for ourselves, but for our
children? Our descendants? We have heard the words of Gandhi many times –
“We must become the change we want to see in others.” The choice of worlds
we want begins with each one of us. We must embody in ourselves, in our view
of the world, our worldview, the world we want for our children and all our
descendants. There must be, as with Moses to Joshua here, a passing of hopes
and dreams for the world from one generation to another. We must take to
heart the promise of Pentecost coming to fruition in this season – the
season of Children’s Sabbath, of CROP Walk, of United Nations – the season
of Reformation, and All Saints, all veterans and all elders – the season of
Thanksgiving and of Christ the King or the Cosmic Christ. Overall, we call
it the Homecoming season. We are called to be homemakers and housekeepers of
the household of God! The Spirit of God has come on us all – beginning with
the risen Jesus in Jerusalem – spreading to the ends of the earth! The
Spirit gives viewpoint, vision and voice, to all young and old, slave and
free, male and female, Gentile and Jew alike!
Paul writes today, in effect, that our words -- what we say of the world --
reflect our worldviews -- what we see of the world. Our position gives our
perspective. Where we are standing, and whom we are standing with, make a
huge difference -- both to what we see and to what we say about what we see!
The Greek word “oikos,” meaning “home,” is root-word to “ecology, economy,
and ecumenicity” -- “home” expressed as “land, labor, and love” – for in the
broadest sense being “ecumenical” is learning to live with others, to
appreciate and even to celebrate all the differences God makes between and
among us. Lately I have added the word “eccentricity” – perhaps for obvious
reasons! -- as my “home” word about “life” itself. Life is for me an
“eccentrifugal” movement – from one common origin or center in life, to the
many “growing edges” and margins of life. The Tower of Babel was a first try
at “globalization” -- one size fits all -- many origins yield one people.
Pentecost sees it differently. One becomes many – each with a vision, each
with a voice. We are like seeds of life ever radiating from the sower of
life.
How do we find “home” at the edges and on the margins of life? Paul puts it
that we must become the Message God has entrusted and empowered us with. I
always come back to the prophecy of Jeremiah 31 – God will not write the Law
only on stone, outside of us, anymore. Rather, God will write directly upon
each one of our hearts! Each one of us will come to know God, and to
envision and to express God, for ourselves! No one will have to “lord” God
over anyone else. We are all equally hearers and doers of God’s word. We are
all equally parts and participants of Christ’s body the church! Of course,
we are in the midst of “membership exploration” this month – and everyone is
invited to the parsonage for conversation this Sunday and next at 4 pm – but
in some important sense we are already “members” of one another – not only
as many different individuals, but also as many different faith communities
and as a community of nations!
We are family together in one house, one earthen home of God today. Must
there not be a “living room,” a “dining room,” a “kitchen table” – where we
can all sit in hospitality to one another? Each with the freedom, the space
to be fully who we are? To share our stories, our songs, our drawings, our
dances, our hopes and our dreams – our views and visions and voices with one
another? Our many words, our languages, become so important to who we are
and how we relate to each other! We are so glad as a congregation to play
some small part in keeping the faith-language and faith-culture of Tonga
alive and well in Reno and Sparks! Julie and I had the good fortune some
five or so years ago to help begin a language fellowship with a growing
number of people from the Pacific Island nation of Fiji who now live and
work in Marin County. This very day the English-language and Fijian-language
services are meeting as one, at noon, and are joining memberships into one
congregation! Please pray specially for the “new” San Rafael First United
Methodist Church today!
In my work with persons who come for weddings or holy unions, and in my work
specially with young people and with people new to the faith, I am
constantly use the biblical word of “covenant” to say that we live by our
words, our promises to one another. We live by actions that proceed from our
words, our promises – actions that are answerable and accountable to our
words, our promises. “Covenant” is not like “contract” in the sense that
once the terms are broken the relationship ends. Rather, covenant is like
the word of God to love us and to be God to us – unconditionally, no matter
what! Therefore, by nature, covenant is infinitely renewable – through
communication in all its forms, especially through words – words of
confrontation, of repentance, of forgiveness, of negotiation, of compromise,
of renewal. God never is done with anyone, anything, yet!
Paul asks us here not to use our words lightly – not “to butter anyone up”
or “to take advantage of anyone.” We are not use words to “throw our weight
around” – as Jews, or as Christians, or as white people, or Europeans, or
English-speaking, or persons of any one gender or sexual preference, or of
any one class or condition life! We are not impressed with our own
“goodness,” or “rightness,” our self-importance. We are not aloof from
others but accept them, include them, just as they are. I always say to
couples, tell me what you like about each other now, because your wedding or
holy union is not going to change you magically. We do not change one
another -- so much as we change in relationship to one another. “We are not
patronizing, or condescending,” Paul continues. We do not look down on one
another. “We care for others the way a mother cares for her children! We
love them dearly. Not content to just pass on the Message” – the law and the
gospel – “we want to give them our hearts. And we do!” And we do.
The whole Message, says Jesus, is love! Love of God, with every last part of
our being – mind and body and heart and soul – and love of neighbor as we
love ourselves – as we are connected, as we are related – one family, one
household. We cannot say we love “God” whom we cannot see unless and until
we love sisters and brothers whom we can see -- or could see if we let
ourselves see -- all the time! I am not saying for a moment that the United
Nations is perfect or does not -- like every family, every household I know
at least – need lots of attention, lots of support. But what alternative do
we suggest? Where else, how else, do we have the chance to see – to
encounter, embrace, engage and endure – all sisters and brothers of all ways
and places? All lives, all lands, all labors, all loves? Very much including
all ways of loving God who creates us all?
Jesus’ opponents in this story are rival parties of Pharisees and Sadducees
who function as one single party of Nationalists – much as Democrats and
Republicans do in the Congress today! They tend to view, to envision and to
express, the whole promise of God as if it were made just to us – that is,
just to “U.S.,” the United States of America! They sound and act as if we
alone have the “Message,” the law and the gospel for all the rest of the
world. Jesus knows here how narrowly the parties see the Messiah, the
promise of God, as descended strictly from David, the king of the glorious
past. Jesus is saying instead -- like Moses to Joshua on the edge of the
Promised Land -- each generation takes the promise as far as we can, then
passes it on to the next generation. The “Messiah” of God becomes the
promise of God made new in the life and work of each generation! What other
question, what other question matters so much, as what we pass on to our
children? To all our descendants?
Amen.
Rev. John J. Auer
