Last Sunday, I received numerous compliments on a sermon I delivered. I wonder how the sermon came to be? It certainly dd not go where I intended.
A month ago, I sat down and read the lectionary passage for September 7, picked out a line that grabbed my attention, and thought up a sermon title and theme that seemed to fit. Two weeks ago, to prep myself for a meeting about the passage with a minister friend, I looked up some readings that tied into the direction I thought I would like to go. Then we met and discussed how that text was affecting me and what I might have to say about it.
Tuesday evening, when I actually sat down to write the sermon, off it went on a new trajectory, as if on its own, into territory I had not even thought about before. The prior day, I had been engaged in a conversation with some folks from church, and the conversation so impacted my thinking that the sermon took on a different sort of life.
Every once in a while, I write a sermon that I suspect people will assume refers to everyone except themselves. This was one of those. I could imagine people thinking, “Oh yeah he is talking to the conservatives today!” or “Oh yeah he is talking to those liberals today!” I was really tempted to stop in the middle of what might have seemed an accusatory, judgmental portion and say, “No I am not talking about ‘the other guy’; I am talking to you!” Ah, there are Sundays I wish I could say the really tough things, and plead with people to understand that I want so badly to see the arms reaching out in earnest, reconciling with one another. I refrain, mostly and take a more tactful journey usually.
When a much loved elderly gentleman died recently and we held his memorial service at Hope Church, there was a time for sharing stories. Everyone who had a tale to share spoke with deep respect for the gentleman’s ability to disagree, not hold a grudge, and understand that we do not all have to agree in order to live in respectful harmony. Everyone knew his feelings and he knew everyone else’s feelings, and all still had respect for the other.
While we do need laws to govern our ability to live in peace with one another, one person should not be allowed to impose his or her beliefs or faith practices on another. Put another way, one should not cause harm to another by imposing their faith practices or beliefs on another person. Laws written to “protect” the unborn have the potential for causing undue harm to one living already; where is the greater harm? Laws against two individuals who wish to enter a life-long commitment with one another harm the individuals in question, and provide impediments to an orderly society that will function better when people are honoring life commitments, regardless of their gender identity. If an individual believes in his or her own heart that same-sex marriage is wrong, then that person should refrain from being in one. But it does harm to prevent two other people who love each other from enjoying the sacred bond of marriage. Harming people is, well, sinful (or a far more gentle way of stating the same thing, “harming people causes divisions”).
In the midst of the emotion and struggles of a normal week the direction of a sermon or an article, or yes, even a life itself can change unexpectedly. The destination is not what we expected it would be, the journey takes us into uncharted and uncomfortable territory. It is exactly at that point that a friend can step in and offer support. It is there that Hope Church friends and members are there for one another. It is in the midst of a developing life journey that we are able to support one another, find the path that makes sense and allow ourselves to change.
Let us be there for you.
