The German theologian Karl Barth said that theological work begins with the Bible in one hand and a newspaper in the other. Barth was sending a not so subtle message to the Church. The Church is not a refuge from the world. The role of the Church is to engage the world through the lens of faith.
As the Church, there are countless ways we seek to disengage from the world. This is especially true in the United States. We have internalized the separation of Church and state to mean that faith is purely a private matter.
As individuals, some view the Church as a filling station. We gather once a week to fill up on feeling good, so we can make it through another week.
I am not suggesting that there are not limits to the proper exercize of faith. I am not suggesting that the Church is a place of individual sustanance. What I am saying is that there is more, and that a well-rounded has more. I am saying is more.
This is Trinity Sunday. It is the Sunday when we give thanks the various persons through which God has revealed God’s essence, and our recognition that each of the persons is bound together in unity. On this same Sunday, we accept the essence of God’s will for us. We are to go into the world and make disciples of all nations baptizing in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
To accept the nature of God and answer God’s call, we must get over our obsession with private. We have to decide that we are citizens, first, of God’s kingdom, but also reside within the present order. The question is how do we do both.
Jesus commandment is not to go into the world and make the nations Christian. His command is to make disciples. If the world were full of nations of disciples. The present order might be very different.
Last week, the paper ran a story about the charitable contributions of Americans to the natural disasters of the last several years.
1. Asian Tsunami (Dec. 2004)
220,000 deaths
$1.92 billion
2. Hurricane Katrina (Aug. 2005)
1,577 deaths
$5.3 billion
3. Pakistan Earthquake (Oct. 2005)
73,000 deaths
$0.15 billion ($150 million)
The article postulated that altruism always reflects some personal concern. The author suggested that in the case of relief efforts, the personal concern is Americans are more generous with other other Americans. There is a greater sense of identification with people like us.
I understand this dynamic, but don’t find it to be congruent with the Gospel.
This Trinity Sunday we mark that God is revealed to us as three persons united in a relationship. The implication is we are called to partake of God in relationships as well. We are called to recognize that we are interconnected. In the Great Commission, barriers between public and private break down, as well as the national boundaries and distinctions that separate us.
The message of Jesus is God could not be contained by Israel. The chosen people have a role in the salvation of the world. We were grafted onto the same vine, but the extension of God’s grace does not stop with us.
The Good News is that the Church is a kind of school, where we learn to practice the love of God that exists between three persons in unity of being. This love is offered to us, but it is too abundant to stop with us. The heart of the Gospel is the grace and love of God are for all.
As the Church, there are countless ways we seek to disengage from the world. This is especially true in the United States. We have internalized the separation of Church and state to mean that faith is purely a private matter.
As individuals, some view the Church as a filling station. We gather once a week to fill up on feeling good, so we can make it through another week.
I am not suggesting that there are not limits to the proper exercize of faith. I am not suggesting that the Church is a place of individual sustanance. What I am saying is that there is more, and that a well-rounded has more. I am saying is more.
This is Trinity Sunday. It is the Sunday when we give thanks the various persons through which God has revealed God’s essence, and our recognition that each of the persons is bound together in unity. On this same Sunday, we accept the essence of God’s will for us. We are to go into the world and make disciples of all nations baptizing in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
To accept the nature of God and answer God’s call, we must get over our obsession with private. We have to decide that we are citizens, first, of God’s kingdom, but also reside within the present order. The question is how do we do both.
Jesus commandment is not to go into the world and make the nations Christian. His command is to make disciples. If the world were full of nations of disciples. The present order might be very different.
Last week, the paper ran a story about the charitable contributions of Americans to the natural disasters of the last several years.
1. Asian Tsunami (Dec. 2004)
220,000 deaths
$1.92 billion
2. Hurricane Katrina (Aug. 2005)
1,577 deaths
$5.3 billion
3. Pakistan Earthquake (Oct. 2005)
73,000 deaths
$0.15 billion ($150 million)
The article postulated that altruism always reflects some personal concern. The author suggested that in the case of relief efforts, the personal concern is Americans are more generous with other other Americans. There is a greater sense of identification with people like us.
I understand this dynamic, but don’t find it to be congruent with the Gospel.
This Trinity Sunday we mark that God is revealed to us as three persons united in a relationship. The implication is we are called to partake of God in relationships as well. We are called to recognize that we are interconnected. In the Great Commission, barriers between public and private break down, as well as the national boundaries and distinctions that separate us.
The message of Jesus is God could not be contained by Israel. The chosen people have a role in the salvation of the world. We were grafted onto the same vine, but the extension of God’s grace does not stop with us.
The Good News is that the Church is a kind of school, where we learn to practice the love of God that exists between three persons in unity of being. This love is offered to us, but it is too abundant to stop with us. The heart of the Gospel is the grace and love of God are for all.
1 comment:
One of the great things about preaching at tiny little Grace Church is that I seldom write out a sermon or even use notes. We just talk about the readings and explore their meanings, especially as they touch on our doubts and ignorance. To be sure, it does not happen without plenty of prayerful study on my part during the preceding week.
CP
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