Here’s one of the secrets of life. In the immortal words of Joni Mitchell, “You don’t know what you’ve got ‘till it’s gone.” It’s true! Think about it.
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Earlier this summer in Minnesota, the day was winding down and dinner was on the table. We lingered over our food the way that you do when you’re sharing a meal with dear friends. The conversation was lively with everyone responding to someone’s spontaneous question: “Hey, what’s the best concert you ever attended in person?” The answers varied wildly: Lady Gaga, Yo Yo Ma, the B-52’s, Springsteen…and some group called, “Trampled by Turtles,” which made me laugh and then feel very old.
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There are natural born leaders in life. Last week, we looked at two examples: Peter and Paul. Peter was so imposing physically and so skilled as a fisherman and such a reliable provider for his village that people could hardly resist following him (not to mention that he was hardly ever going to be the guy to follow anyone else!). Paul was so smart and so articulate and convinced that he was not only the smartest guy in the room but the most moral person, too, that he carried his own kind of charisma. In very different ways, they each looked like they knew what they were doing. That’s a compelling thing to project in this world.
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Depending on whether you grew up Catholic or Protestant, you’ve either heard a lot about Peter or a lot about Paul.
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Last week, we checked in on the earliest Christians in their earliest days. After the extraordinary moment of Pentecost, when everyone was filled with God’s spirit and everyone understood one another, there were some good days. We were told about how everyone shared everything. We were told that people worshiped together, not out of shame or guilt for fear, but simply because they were grateful. Here’s the question that you should ask yourself: “How long could that last? Seriously, how long?”
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I’m writing this sermon in the days before we left on work trip. I can’t imagine anything worse than tying to write a sermon while on the trip or waiting to get home, being totally exhausted, and then having the need for a sermon hanging over me. Still, by the time I share this with you, another trip will have come and gone.
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So, before there was ever a Pentecost for Christians, there was already a Pentecost festival in Judaism, also knows as “Shevout.” In Judaism, the festival originally had to do with celebrating the early wheat harvest. The core meaning that emerged, though, was about Moses receiving the Ten Commandments on Mr. Sinai, the original covenant between God and the people: “If you keep these laws, then I will be your God and you will be my people.” Interestingly, as one specific area of the law, a sub-meaning also developed around being able to eat both dairy foods like milk and wheat products together. So today, “Shevout” has become known as “cheesecake day” and consuming cheesecake is part of the celebration. (Which is just one of the many reasons that I’m going to be Jewish in my next life! Cheesecake Day—how awesome is that!)
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So, today we arrive at the end of the period of time between Jesus’ resurrection and his ascension. For a few short weeks, the risen Jesus appeared to a handful of people. Though the Gospels tell us about different encounters, they all agree that there came a day when the risen Jesus was seen no more. Jesus promised that he would be with us always but not in this same way.
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One of the things that our confirmands should have learned is that at the Union Church there is room for doubts. There is room for asking questions. There is the chance to see things in a new way. What if God can be thought of as a mother and a father? What happens when you realize that there is not a single white person in the Bible? What if you challenge our images of Jesus as a blue eyed, blond haired white guy and think instead of him…oh, I don’t know…as a brown skinned, Middle Eastern, Jewish guy? My experience is that challenging our assumptions and asking our best questions is what brings faith to life!
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This morning, I want to do something that we don’t usually do. I want to read a collection of three texts that we might normally divide up. I want to see the connections. I want to feel the flow. What I hope you’ll see are three perspectives on what it means to move beyond belief.
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When I was little, I loved to garden. Like a lot of kids, I took real delight in planting things that grew fast and huge. I remember planting watermelons and pumpkins and being astounded as those plants took over the yard. I loved growing “four-o’clocks” which not only spread fast but had flowers that opened every morning and closed every night. Gardening was amazing!
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So, let’s start with a basic timeline. For the first thirty years of Jesus’ life, he lived with his family in Nazareth, leading what seems to have been a pretty normal life. From approximately age thirty until he was thirty-three, Jesus was an itinerant healer, teacher, and preacher. At the end of that three year ministry, he was crucified and died. As of what we call Easter morning, the risen Christ, for a few weeks appears to a cross-section of people: the faithful women, his disciples—several times in several locations—and to two people who were walking home after the Passover feast. Then, Jesus no longer appeared. What followed was the arrival of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost which we will get to this year in June.
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