Romans 1:16-17 – “Yes, We Can!” – May 19, 2019

Click here for an audio recording of this sermon

It’s hard to know where to begin with Paul’s letter to the church in Rome, better known as Romans. On one hand, it is his most sophisticated articulation of his theology, written late in his ministry after refining his message with years of active missionary work. It also probably influenced the Protestant Reformation more than any other single book of the Bible with its emphasis on salvation by faith alone.

On the other hand, Romans can be a daunting read as Paul takes a deep dive into human sinfulness and the nuances of faith with somewhat esoteric arguments based on assumptions we might not have. Further, anyone who has been a victim of anti-gay teaching and preaching in the church may know that just a bit further on in this same first chapter of Romans, we find a passage that has been and is still used repeatedly to bludgeon, shame, and exclude LGBTQ people. And though we can accurately state that Paul did not have a modern understanding of sexual orientation or knowledge of same-gender romantic relationships that were based on love, it is also probably fair to say that even if he had that knowledge, he would have come to the same conclusions as he did. In fact, that particular passage from Romans 1 is one of the passages that led me in my own journey to conclude there are some things in the Bible that do not reflect God’s will for us today, but instead reflect the biases and prejudices of the flawed, sinful people God used to write the Bible. And though the line between the author’s prejudice and God’s will is not always clear, we as modern people of faith have the responsibility to try to figure out which is which.

Matthew 4:1-11 – “Finding Peace When We Feel Something Is Missing” – January 20, 2019

 

Why are we tempted? What lies beneath our temptations? Today I will suggest that beneath our temptations is a deep sense that we are lacking something; that we are incomplete as we are, and so we are searching for something out there to complete us; a sense that we have a hole within us and it must filled if we are to be at peace. 

But, before we dig into that idea too deeply, just one theological point about the text in general. 

Exodus 20 – Ten Commandments as Explained by the Animals – October 7, 2018

Greetings humans. On behalf of the rest of the animals on earth, thank you for taking the time to listen. You all seem to be having trouble with some basic ethical principles, so I have been asked to deliver this message explaining them to you one by one.

 

• I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me.

 

“In other words, God is God. You are not. In fact, no animal is God.  Humans are just animals. If you want to imitate God then help liberate the oppressed, because that is what God did for the Hebrew people. But, even if you manage to do some liberating, don’t get too cocky. You are not God. No animal is God.”

2. Do not make an idol for yourself.

“This means, don’t pretend you know what God looks like. God probably doesn’t look like you. God probably does not look like any animal on earth. When you pretend you know what God looks like and you worship that self made image of God you are basically worshipping yourself. Don’t do that. It will not end well for any of us.”

3. Do not take the name of the Lord your God in vain

“Yeah, just stop talking so much. Just because you have language doesn’t mean you should never shut up. And just because you can talk doesn’t mean you know what you’re talking about. It certainly doesn’t mean you know anything about God. One thing for sure when it comes to God: if you can say it with words, it is completely insufficient.

4. Remember the sabbath and keep it holy.

“Right. Chill out. Please. Stop working so much. Take a break. For one thing, when humans work a lot they get hungry. When humans get hungry they start looking at the rest of us animals in a way that makes us uncomfortable. So please, stop being so busy, and rest. And while you are at it, give us a break too. We are not here to be your slaves. If you want the field plowed, plow it yourself. If you want protein in your diet, eat soybeans. For more on slavery and freedom refer back to Commandment #1 about liberation.”

5. Honor your father and mother.

“And not just your father and mother. Honor the wisdom of those who have been on earth longer than you. There is nothing new under the sun. So, those who have been here longer have seen it all before and can probably keep you from making stupid mistakes. And by the way, a lot of us animals (and plants too) have been around a lot longer than you. You might ask our opinions before you go ahead with your cockemame plans, like drilling for oil in the ocean floor, cutting down rainforest, blowing up shale to remove natural gas, or removing mountain tops to take out the coal. Seriously just stop all that.”

6. Do not murder.

“Let’s take it a step farther. Don’t kill. That’s right. Don’t kill. That means don’t kill animals either. We know you like to think this one says “Don’t murder” and maybe that is different than killing. But, this commandment is pretty important and if you don’t kill anything, you won’t murder either. So, stop trying to be smarter than you are. Just don’t kill. Anything. Period.

7. Do not commit adultery.

“This one is kind of special for you humans and it means more than you probably think. It means, if you make a promise, keep it.  We know you think this about something else, but if you keep your promises most of those other things will get sorted out. The rest of us animals don’t make promises. We just do what we do. But, you humans like to make promises and then you break them. Maybe you should stop making so many promises. But, if you do make a promise, keep it.”

8. Do not steal

“Don’t take stuff that doesn’t belong to you. But, this one is a little complicated. Because actually, nothing belongs to you. That makes it hard because we all need to eat, so we have to take some things some times like apples or bananas or broccoli. So how about this: don’t take stuff that belongs to future generations. Don’t consume so much that future animals (humans included) will have less than we all have today. And remember, animals don’t belong to you either. So don’t steal us. We want to be free. Please refer back to Commandment #1 about liberation.”

9. Do not bear false witness.

“Tell the truth. Another problem that comes with language. So refer back to # 3 about not talking so much. If you don’t talk, you won’t lie. But, when you do talk speak what is in your heart. Birds sing. Dogs bark. Cats meow. What does the fox say? Actually most of us make some kind of noise. We just take what’s within us and proclaim it to the universe. Maybe humans should try that more often. Maybe you don’t just talk too much, you also think too much.”

10. Do not covet

“Just what it says, “Don’t covet”. This one will help you stick with the one about not stealing. Nothing belongs to you. But, also everything belongs to you in the way that everything belongs to all of us. We all live on this earth together. Let’s live so we can all enjoy it together. If you try to keep some part of it just for yourself then someone else will not be able to enjoy it. But, when it doubt remember, nothing belongs to you.”

So let’s circle back around and summarize: God is God. Humans are not. No animal is God. You can’t imagine God. The best you can do is liberate the oppressed. Or if that seems too hard then just trying loving. Love the earth, and love the whole universe for that matter. Just love. With all your heart, soul and strength.

When in doubt. Love.

When you forget what to do. Love.

When you feel like making an image of God. Love instead.

When you feel like talking too much. Love instead.

When you feel like working too much. Love instead.

When you feel like doing something without asking those who came before you. Try loving.

When you feel like killing something. Love it instead.

When you feel like breaking a promise. Love the one with whom you made the promise.

When you feel like taking something that doesn’t belong to you. Love.

When you feel like speaking anything beside the truth in your heart. Find the love you have within and speak about that instead.

And when you start to think that something belongs to you and only to you and you want it really bad. Remember love and let it go.

With all your heart, soul and strength. Love.

Genesis 2:4b-25 – More than Gender – September 13, 2015

We are focusing today on the first half of the story of Adam and Eve. This is only about their creation and not on what happened after they were created. That second part of the story is probably much more familiar to most people. It includes the serpent, the fruit, Eve going first, then Adam, the fig leaves, Adam blaming Eve for the whole thing and the expulsion from the garden. But, today we are focusing on what we might call the pre-shenanigans part of the story.