Sunday, June 29, 2014

Welcome Outside the Walls

Psalm 13
Matthew 10:40-42
Preached for Holy Trinity Community Church
June 29, 2014

Jesus is talking to his specially selected disciples in this short Gospel text from Matthew.  The entire tenth chapter records a speech Jesus gave to the gathered disciples. He gave them authority to cast out unclean spirits and the power to cure every disease. He sent his selected disciples out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Jesus refers to them as prophets, righteous ones and little ones. Those who welcome them, giving even a cup of cold water, will not lose their reward.

Although the disciples were given authority over unclean spirits and the power to cure any disease it is interesting to note that they were apparently not given the capacity to over-ride any lack of hospitality on the part of other people. The disciples would have to lean on the hope that somebody, anybody, whenever and wherever they carried the good news, would open their hearts and their homes to receive them graciously. And, as you can well imagine, some did and some did not receive those disciples graciously.

What is it about us as human creatures? What slams the door and closes us off from truly encountering one another?

We read the 13th Psalm and it is clear that fear and dread of our enemies is not a new thing. “How long, O Lord, shall my enemy be exalted over me?” I wouldn’t want to dismiss or minimize the reality that we live among people who are not worthy of our trust. There are good reasons for locking our doors and using good judgment about who we allow in the house.

Anna and I were in Washington DC this past week and we visited the Holocaust Museum. Cruelty is real and terrible. The level of cruelty inflicted on others at the hands of the Nazi regime was awful, painful and infuriating. Six million people died. It’s the agony they endured before their death and the terror that the survivors and the liberators witnessed…that leaves us wondering: What happens to us as human creatures? What slams the door and closes us off from truly encountering one another?

Rush Dozier, Jr. has written a book, Why We Hate, and he makes it clear that hate is born from fear and it is irrational when humans hate each other. The fear comes from a feeling that survival is threatened in some way. To combat irrational fear of the other person, Dozier suggests programs that mix people of diverse backgrounds in a positive setting where unique individual qualities can be seen and shared. I would suggest that storytelling circles are a very helpful tool for breaking down the fear that generates hate and dangerous prejudice.

In his book Dozier reminds us of the terrible dragging death of James Byrd in Jasper, Texas. The shocked citizens of that small Texas town, a population of only eight thousand, tried to follow some of Dozier’s strategies for righting what had obviously gone terribly wrong. Black and white people got together and went through an intense period of community soul-searching. While some worked on reconciliation, the Ku Klux Klan and the Black Panthers were also meeting in the town, calling for new members and more divisive action. Those groups were largely ignored. A series of vigils were held in memory of James Byrd. Crowds came to the lawn of the courthouse and people began to look at each other. They started listening to each other. They made it their business to know each other as neighbors and friends.

In January 18, 1999, the mayor of Jasper and a large committed crowd gathered in the city cemetery. They watched as workers tore down a long, rusty iron fence. For seventy-five years that fence had separated the graves of black people from the graves of white people. A barrier came down and people resolved to work on their relationships, their faith in one another and their trust that human life is valuable and dignified by the love of God within us. We are no longer a threat to each other when we realize how much each one of us has to offer the other. That kind of realization takes time, effort and the courage to change.

Jesus sent his disciples out to share what they had been given: the good news that God is love and all human life is dignified by the love of God within us. Jesus urged his disciples to go where people live, learn to know them where they met them and to be sure that, when they were welcomed, to realize this as a generous extension of God’s love and welcome, a gift, a joy, something worthy of reward.

What are we afraid of losing if we actually welcome the stranger in? Sitting here in this warm and welcoming church building among friends it is easy for us to imagine that we are the good guys, the ones who would open the door widely to learn something new. We would allow for a new relationship to be born. Because in this place and in this hour of worship we are feeling welcomed ourselves, grateful for a place to belong, a place where we are known and valued. Here we feel safe.

Anna, and I enjoy watching real estate programs on television. It’s good TV while we eat dinner. House Hunters are led from place to place by real estate agents. We watch couples search for a home that meets their list of requirements. Until I started watching all these HGTV shows I was unaware that double sinks in the master bathroom are a must-have.  I have discovered the concept of the “man-cave” by watching HGTV. And I am constantly amazed at all the twenty-somethings who get their first job, get married and seriously expect to move into a 5 bedroom home with an open floor plan, a three car garage and an outdoor kitchen for entertaining. All of these homes have guest rooms, fully furnished and nicely appointed. And even so—with all this space, all this focus on entertaining and a room that is designated for guests –we have become, as a society, more and more closed off to the other. It’s interesting. And it’s a hard pattern to shake and shift toward greater hospitality.

The church has not been helpful in breaking down the walls. As an institution, the church has done its share of contributing to the shut down and shut out of the other. Certainly from that day in the year 1517, when Martin Luther nailed his 95 these on the front door of the parish church in Wittenberg, there has been a clear divide: them and us. They wait to be told by the priest what the Bible says and what it means.  But we read the Bible for ourselves and interpret it for ourselves. And so on and so on the divisions go. We construct reason after reason to build these walls of separation. And that’s the way we do church behind our walls of brick and mortar. We feel safe with our little family inside here.

Let's be clear...Jesus sent his disciples out to meet people, to spread good news. He didn't say, "Go forth and build brick buildings. Invest all your money in heating and cooling huge structures. Plan on spending large portions of your budget on upkeep."

I think it’s time for us to shake things up and shift our way of being together toward a more generous welcome, a ready hospitality. I think it’s time for the church to act less afraid of difference, change and the challenges of being human together under the roof of God’s love.

David Waters wrote an interesting column for yesterday’s Commercial Appeal. He informed us that Islam is now the second-largest religion in all the southern states except for South Carolina. Waters says, “What an astounding and outstanding development in Southern hospitality, although not everyone is feeling particularly hospitable about it.” Christians in Middle Tennessee had to be reminded by the U.S. Supreme Court to read the first amendment when Muslim neighbors started building a mosque in Murfreesboro.

Memphis has a friendlier story in terms of its hospitality. The seventh house of prayer here in Memphis has opened its doors at the corner of Bill Morris Parkway and Hacks Cross. Dr. Mohammed Assaf, a member of the Islamic Association of Greater Memphis, says, “We are blessed to have good neighbors. The interfaith community here is very strong. We know each other, like each other and trust each other.”

Part of that trust comes as a result of the Annual Ramadan Dinner hosted by the Islamic Association. People from all over town, all races from all walks of life and from all faiths sit down together and eat. I think there were 800 people at the feast last year. We share a table experience. We talk to each other, ask questions and learn about one another.  On July 13th we will gather again. For the eighth year, we will be welcomed to a feast provided by the Islamic Association.

Lately I have realized that one way we could chip away at racism’s fear and hate would be to rebel against the pattern of inviting only people of our own race over to dinner. Eating together breaks down barriers and shines light on the love that lives within us all. Racism remains a strong wall that divides us only as long as we do not eat together, for as long as we do not share our homes with each other and do not come to know the life stories of the other. Effective anti-racism efforts involve the intimacy of our own homes and our own tables. Public encounters are not nearly as effective as private encounters.

The real work of the church has left the building. We can claim to be a welcoming church but how welcoming is it when we insist that the other has to find us, get transportation and arrive at our door and walk inside the walls that we have constructed and claimed? We can stand at the doors of this worship space and smile as brightly as possible. We can shake hands and hug every person who comes to the door. We can give away excellent coffee and donuts on Sunday morning. But as long as it is just us coming in the door we are not growing…not personally and not in our faith.  Until we leave the building we are stagnating, withering and dying. I am looking forward to the day when the walls of the church, with all of its barriers, come tumbling down.

If that sounds  disastrous to you then I might remind you how we all come together in times of disaster. Differences disappear and we work side by side as one family when we experience disaster.

Outside the walls we stand--vulnerable and filled only with the promise and power of God’s love within us— we can meet the other face to face and share the good news that all of us are vulnerable and all of us need each other to become fully human. When barriers come down people can resolve to work on their relationships, their faith in one another and their trust that human life is valuable and dignified by the love of God within us.


Amen

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