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“Built Together Spiritually”
Ephesians 2:8-22; Mark 6:30-34, 53-56; Psalm 89
Rev. Sandy Nuernberg
Oakland-Cambridge Presbyterian Church, Cambridge, WI
16th Sunday in Ordinary Time -
Metropolitan/Urban Ministry
July 23, 2006
I loved being a part of our
cousin’s family activities on summer vacations in the Chippewa Falls/Eau Claire
area. I wanted to learn more. In these years Cindy, my twin sister, and I, as
Presbyterians, learned lots about Catholics and Methodists–Dad’s family was
largest, seven (7) children as Roman Catholics; Mom had one sister; and you
might guess, more families meant more Catholic cousins! But I noticed, and did
not pursue at the time, that we went to church daily, only ‘they’ could
participate in communion, we ate fish on Friday, they had Catholic friends and
family they ‘stuck close to’, and they had a crucifix in each room on the wall
or on the chest-of-drawers.
I remember
coming home after vacation time and telling my Mom about these experiences; I
could tell she did not appreciate our participation in these ‘family religious
traditions’ probably because there was no ‘trade off ’; these Catholic cousins
were ‘not allowed’ to come to church with us! As Mom told us, “Your father had
to sneak to see me–he came from Eau Claire to see me at Lake Wissota!” You
guessed it–as kids we wanted to know why? Well, we learned later that yes,
inter-religious marriages in those years ( the mid-40s) were stressing and
straining the family’s identity. There were things ‘unsaid’ but expected–you
were expected to marry within religious identities; this is how the religious
tradition was handed down. Little did I know later, as Rick and I met on a blind
date, that we were both life-long Presbyterians!
Even later did I realize that God
was not the God of only Israel, only the Middle East, or only the Catholic
Church in Rome or Eau Claire, WI, but that our God established the Israelites,
the Gentiles, our western culture, and anywhere else as the environment and
surroundings, the circumstances for the development and establishment of the
Messiah for the whole world. God is present in all nations and in all places.
Today my sister Sue, is married to a Roman Catholic, Cindy is married to a Greek
Orthodox, and my brother was married to an Episcopalian! My parents, are most
proud of the fact that their children are churched, and the fact that their
children are raising their children (grandchildren) to be active members of
their family’s religious traditions.
Our text in the Gospel of Mark is
vivid evidence of these early religious traditions; it describes Jesus’
disciples and their glory in knowing of so many who wanted to see, just touch
the fringe of the cloak of so powerful a Person in the Messiah. These followers
were eyewitnesses to Jesus’ healing and teaching, and also, as Jesus escaped
with the disciples getting away from the crush of the crowds. The author of our
text in Ephesians is telling his listeners the value of our position, we as
Christians, being in Christ. Really it’s all about grace, and the God-given
grace we receive freely through our faith in Christ Jesus; God’s goodwill and
favor is reaching out, drawing us into a relationship of love!
Generally, Ephesians is a letter
that is declaring who and whose we are. We realize God’s plan in
being specifically marked with the seal of the Holy Spirit; we are assisted by
Christ and assured by the Spirit leading us in the fullness of time and life (
Eph. 2:10), and we know it is our responsibility to allow God to lead us.
Today’s text tells us not only to remember whose we are, but to
appreciate, to acclaim what God and God’s plan has done for us, and to trust
what God’s plan will do for us.
There is a comparison of the
Gentiles to the Jewish community in remembrances and appreciations here; Jesus
is tearing down barriers (walls) between the Jews and the Gentiles. In this
text I found some disconcerting facts, similar to when I observed my Catholic
cousins as a child; the Jewish community thought Gentiles were real ‘dogs’, that
was their nick-name. Vivid symbols included a wall in the temple for separation
from them, and another inner wall to separate Jewish men and women. Gentiles
were a people who were not looked upon as knowing how to worship God; they were
in the text, ‘darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God
because of their ignorance and hardness of heart ’(Eph. 4:17-18), being
uncircumcised, without Christ, strangers and aliens, no hope from sorrow, and
without God. Can you picture the discouragement; these remembrances as Gentiles?
I think I can.
Yet, Christ was destroying these
people’s hostility and separation. In being built together spiritually, in all
traditions, we are being adopted into Christ Jesus, we/they appreciate and trust
in a Christ of peace beyond fears, and an abolishment of the law of commandments
and ordinances; this was/is indeed Good News. Gentiles and Jews could together
be citizens and saints, and we, in our faithful traditions, can together be
members in the citizenship of the household of God. There is unity in the life
of Christ; our faith is made strong in the grace and love of God.
This week we are celebrating urban
ministries, just after we observed small church ministries; U.S. Census defines
urban as 50,000 population or more. We acknowledge this day those large
communities whose issues may include generally, MORE of everything–they have
different signs of human life in their community, not less but more; more
homelessness, affordable housing at all age limits, drugs and violence,
two-parent vocations, and active divisiveness than you or I could ever be aware
of or comfortable with.
Urban people travel more, use
cell phones everywhere, multi-task into the wee morning hours, and visit a
larger variety of restaurants, shopping malls, and churches than we can imagine.
Yet, they, like we, are faced with choosing a way of life that can remember what
God has done for them and can appreciate where God is leading them. As advocates
of God’s plan, we can remember that Christ is our peace; in our joining and
being built together spiritually, we as urban and small church ministries can
appreciate growing together in service to one another.
Today, finding our General
Assembly in our denomination, blown through Birmingham, we might as well ask,
what does the map of the Presbyterian world look like? A few nights ago, as our
Session met, we received their report of what important issues were voted and
decided upon. Some of us will be disappointed, most of us will know it takes
months for repercussions of the assembly’s actions to echo through our church’s
hallways!
But I believe that we can be
encouraged by knowing that our politics were not really, really that great, and
our politics were not really, really that bad! Importantly, we can be encouraged
in wanting to be faithful, and yet we can ask how can we figure out what being
faithful means for us and others? As Presbyterians we can appreciate and accept
being ‘ Lord of our own conscience’ and then be led by the Holy Spirit in all of
our actions. We can remember that our faith has made us strong, and we are
transformed by God in God’s work of (salvation) in bringing us into a right
relationship with God and each other.
The good news is that in being
built together spiritually, it is all through Christ Jesus; we can not do it
ourselves. In Christ we are joined together, all of us, in oneness, into a
dwelling place for God. Yes, we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making
God’s appeal through us and we mustn’t accept the grace of God in vain (II Cor.
6:1-2). In God’s grace (Eph. 2:8), God’s peace, (Eph. 14-17, Rom. 5:1) and God’s
Spirit we can trust God’s plan; we are built together spiritually for God’s
kingdom!
THIS IS THE WORD OF THE LORD. THANKS
BE TO GOD. AMEN.
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