Words With Friend: Understand the
Language of Our Faith
“Words With Friend: Understand
the Language of Our Faith
“God, Divine, Holy – How Do We Understand
God?”
based on a sermon preached at
Journey United Church of Christ on Sunday, September 23, 2016
This sermon series a popular word
game as a play on words to help us begin thinking about the language we use in
our faith – the language we use with our friends, the people with whom we share
faith and share community. From time to
time, three uses are used as reference. “Speaking Christian: Why Christian
Words Have Lost Their Meaning” (Marcus Borg), “Amazing Grace: A
Vocabulary of Faith” (Kathleen Norris), and “Balaam’s Unofficial Handbook of
the United Church of Christ”. All
definitions are from www.merriam-webster.com/
Reading of the Day:
Exodus 3:1-15 (NRSV)
1 Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of
Midian; he led his flock beyond the wilderness, and came to Horeb, the mountain
of God.
2 There the angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire out of a
bush; he looked, and the bush was blazing, yet it was not consumed.
3 Then Moses said, "I must turn aside and look at this great sight,
and see why the bush is not burned up."
4 When the LORD saw that he had turned aside to see, God called to him
out of the bush, "Moses, Moses!" And he said, "Here I am."
5 Then he said, "Come no closer! Remove the sandals from your feet,
for the place on which you are standing is holy ground."
6 He said further, "I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham,
the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." And Moses hid his face, for he
was afraid to look at God.
7 Then the LORD said, "I have observed the misery of my people who
are in Egypt; I have heard their cry on account of their taskmasters. Indeed, I
know their sufferings,
8 and I have come down to deliver them from the Egyptians, and to bring
them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and
honey, to the country of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the
Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites.
9 The cry of the Israelites has now come to me; I have also seen how the
Egyptians oppress them.
10 So come, I will send you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the
Israelites, out of Egypt."
11 But Moses said to God, "Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and
bring the Israelites out of Egypt?"
12 He said, "I will be with you; and this shall be the sign for you
that it is I who sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you
shall worship God on this mountain."
13 But Moses said to God, "If I come to the Israelites and say to
them, 'The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,' and they ask me, 'What is
his name?' what shall I say to them?"
14 God said to Moses, "I am who I am." He said further,
"Thus you shall say to the Israelites, 'I am has sent me to you.'"
15 God also said to Moses, "Thus you shall say to the Israelites,
'The LORD, the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and
the God of Jacob, has sent me to you': This is my name forever, and this my
title for all generations.
Psalms 139:1-12 (NRSV)
O LORD, you have searched me
and known me.
You know when I sit down and
when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from far away.
You search out my path and my
lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my
tongue, O LORD, you know it completely. You hem me in, behind and before, and
lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is so high
that I cannot attain it.
Where can I go from your
spirit? Or where can I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are
there; if I make my bed in Sheol, you are there. If I take the wings of the morning and settle
at the farthest limits of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your
right hand shall hold me fast.
If I say, "Surely the
darkness shall cover me, and the light around me become night," even the
darkness is not dark to you; the night is as bright as the day, for darkness is
as light to you.
The Message:
Back when
I was in Sunday School we sang these words
The
B-I-B-L-E,
yes that’s
the book for me
I stand
alone on the word of God
The
B-I-B-L-E
It was a
great simple song that matched my simple childlike faith. I remember the day I
actually got to pick out my very own Bible.
It was a big deal and I finally settled on one that had a great white
leather case with a dangling cross on a zipper that would allow me to keep the
pages safe. I chose it totally based on
two important features 1) I loved that white leather case (which is now a
lovely shade of yellow), and 2) because I thought the pictures in it were great
(I look now and wonder how every single one of those Bible people looked like
me – incredible white). And the best
part (wait for it) … was that my name was engraved in gold on the cover. (Show
the Bible)…Now if you promise to be really, really nice to me, I’ll let you
touch it later
Now, since
those days, I’ve accumulated more Bible than I can even count – big bibles and
little bibles, bibles in every color, literally dozens of versions, some with
pictures, with charts, with study notes, with devotional readings and maps and
so much more. And yes, I now have the
Bible on my computer, my ipad and even my phone.
Since I
sang that “Bible song”, things have changed … a lot. In Sunday School I learned the familiar
stories about Adam and Eve, Noah, Ruth, Jesus, the Disciples and Paul. Who doesn’t love a story with a happy ending,
especially when it was accompanied by those really cool flannel graphs and even
cooler sticker books?
But as I
got older, things got a little more complicated. We started to read some stories that didn’t
have happy endings – stories of death and destruction; teachings that seemed a
bit cold and harsh; rules that seemed never-ending and pictures of a God that
were not included in my white leather-covered Bible. Questions about the bible started to surface.
And then I
went to seminary. There’s a joke among
pastors that in seminary they systematically begin to destroy your faith during
your first two years and then give it back to you on graduation day. I came face-to-face with historical criticism
and the idea that the behind the Bible stories that I knew and loved, there
were some pretty weird things taking place historically and the culture and
context of the time.
What do
you mean that Adam and Eve probably didn’t really exist? Why are there so many
conflicting stories in the four Gospels?
Why would Paul’s name be listed as the author of letters when he didn’t
write them?
Is the
Bible the inspired word of God? Is it
inerrant? Is it infallible? What does all of it mean? Is it relevant
anymore?
Apparently,
I’m not alone. Barna, the Research
Agency that is responsible for taking the pulse of faith in America reports
“only 54% of Protestant adults read the Bible each week.” And although most Americans consider
themselves Christian, many do not know the basic facts fundamental to the
faith: for example “fewer than half of
American adults can name all four Gospels.”
So, I
figured that as we start this series, “Words with Friends” it might be a good
idea to start with words related to the Bible – our holy book. Perhaps if we understand a little ABOUT the
Bible, we can better appreciate what’s IN the Bible and how it can be used in
our very lives.
So let’s
start with a little “Bible Words 101”
bi·ble noun \ˈbī-bəl\
capitalized
1a :
the sacred scriptures of Christians comprising the Old Testament and the New
Testament
1b :
the sacred scriptures of some other religion (as Judaism)
3 capitalized : a copy or an edition of the Bible
4: a
publication that is preeminent especially in authoritativeness or wide
readership bible
>
scrip·ture noun \ˈskrip(t)-shər\
1a (1)
capitalized : the books of the Bible —often used in plural (2) often
capitalized : a passage from the Bible
1b :
a body of writings considered sacred or authoritative
2:
something written scripture
— George
Santayana>
in·spi·ra·tion noun \ˌin(t)-spə-ˈrā-shən, -(ˌ)spi-\
a : a divine influence or action on a person believed to
qualify him or her to receive and communicate sacred revelation
b : the action or power of moving the intellect or
emotions
c : the act of influencing or
suggesting opinions
The Bible itself says
that "All scripture [is] given by
inspiration of God". (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Christians
believe that our Bible is the inspired word of God. God intervened and influenced the words of
the Bible. To some people that means that
God literally dictated the words; to most it means that God inspired the
content, but each author used their own voice and unique writing style to
convey the story.
in·er·rant adjective \-ənt\
Definition of
INERRANT
: free from error
Note:
doctrine/belief that the Bible is accurate and totally free of error
(except the errors made it translation or transcription); related to the actual
written words; fundamentalists who take the bible literally would hold this
view – “it is not false, mistaken or defective in any way”; the fact that
you’re here today listening to a female pastor and sitting in a room where
there is a rainbow flag probably means that you DON’T fall into this category.
in·fal·li·ble adjective \(ˌ)in-ˈfa-lə-bəl\
Definition of
INFALLIBLE
memory>
3: incapable of
error in defining doctrines touching faith or morals
Note: “belief that what the Bible
says regarding matters of faith and Christian practice is wholly useful and
true”; the historical or scientific details, may contain errors; puts more
responsibility on us to understand and interpret the Bible
Understanding the
Difference:
Video Clip: West
Wing – The Bible
We recognize it’s not a science textbook, it’s not a history textbook …
it’s a book that holds God’s story – a story of how God has interacted with
people from the beginning of time and how God seeks to interact with us today;
a story of God’s grace, God’s love, God’s work to widen the circle; a story of
how God wants us to embrace that story, share the story and live the
story.
“…The Bible is an
invaluable resource book for us today because it is our family album… it gives
us snapshots of our spiritual ancestors and tells us about their struggles to
hear and respond to a God speaking to them in their particular time and
context” … “ Balaam’s Unofficial Handbooks of the United Church of Christ, p.
40
If we understand the Bible in that context, I think we can move from
having the Bible be the “most sold” book to having it become the “most read”
book as well.
Some quick suggestions:
1) Get a version you can understand
2) Ask, Ask and Ask some more (p. 39 Balaam’s)… who wrote this?
Why? Whom was it written for? Is it
descriptive or prescriptive? Are there
other passages that dialogue with this one?
What form is it written in? How has it been interpreted by scholars
throughout the ages? Is there anything
missing?
3) Don’t Go It Alone … A study group is a great idea, but there
are other ways to invite others into the conversation: devotional guides, study guides, commentators
PRAYER OF RESPONSE: A Bible
Reading Practice You Can Use: Lectio Divina
Lectio Divina has been likened to "Feasting on the Word."
The four parts are first taking a bite (Lectio), then chewing on it (Meditatio).
Next is the opportunity to savor the essence of it (Oratio). Finally, the Word
is digested and made a part of the body (Contemplatio).
Use
Matthew 11:28
Jesus said “come to me all you that are weary and are carrying heavy
burdens, and I will give you rest. Take
my yoke upon you and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and
you will find rest for your souls”
·
daily devotional
·
spiritual practices
·
weekly seeds
·
your life, even better
”
based on a sermon preached at
Journey United Church of Christ on Sunday, September 16, 2016
This sermon series a popular word
game as a play on words to help us begin thinking about the language we use in
our faith – the language we use with our friends, the people with whom we share
faith and share community. From time to
time, three uses are used as reference. “Speaking Christian: Why Christian
Words Have Lost Their Meaning” (Marcus Borg), “Amazing Grace: A
Vocabulary of Faith” (Kathleen Norris), and “Balaam’s Unofficial Handbook of
the United Church of Christ”. All
definitions are from www.merriam-webster.com/
Reading of the Day:
Psalms
119:97-105 (CEV)
I deeply love
your Law! I think about it all day.
Your laws
never leave my mind, and they make me much wiser than my enemies.
Thinking
about your teachings gives me better understanding than my teachers, and
obeying your laws makes me wiser than those who have lived a long time.
I obey your
word instead of following a way that leads to trouble.
You have been
my teacher, and I won't reject your instructions.
Your
teachings are sweeter than honey.
They give me
understanding and make me hate all lies.
Your word is
a lamp that gives light wherever I walk.
2
Timothy 3:14-17 (CEV)
Keep on being
faithful to what you were taught and to what you believed. After all, you know
who taught you these things.
Since
childhood, you have known the Holy Scriptures that are able to make you wise
enough to have faith in Christ Jesus and be saved.
Everything in
the Scriptures is God's Word. All of it is useful for teaching and helping
people and for correcting them and showing them how to live.
The
Scriptures train God's servants to do all kinds of good deeds.
The Message:
In Speaking Christian, Marcus Borg begins his
conversation about the divine with these word
- “The word God is utterly central to Christianity” (Marcus Borg)
I think most of us would agree with Borg. God is central to what we believe, how we act
– God IS central to our faith.
So, what do you think of when you hear the word
God?
Here’s the Webster definition:
1.: capitalized : the supreme or ultimate reality: as the Being perfect in
power, wisdom, and goodness who is worshipped as creator and ruler of the
universe
2: a being or object believed to have more than natural attributes and
powers and to require human worship; specifically
: one controlling a particular aspect or part of reality
3: a person or thing of supreme value
4: a powerful ruler
For some of us, the word “God” brings to mind
something “out there” … “a being beyond the universe, a special kind of being,
the supreme being, almighty, all-knowing.
A long time ago, this being created the universe, and God and the
universe are related to each other as artist to art, furniture maker to
furniture, designer to product. They are
related to each other; but separate from each other” (Borg, p 50) The “unmoved
mover”, the “clock maker”
The understanding is reinforced in subtle ways. Every time we pray the familiar words of the
Lord’s Prayer … “”Our Father, who art in heaven” … God is out there .. in
heaven.
Here’s some others that Borg invites us to consider
– options that seem to permeate our culture in many ways …
God is a
Personlike Being:
“People who think of God this way commonly think that word refers not
only to a being, but one with personal characteristics. God is like a person – who thinks, knows,
wills, feels, acts, loves, cares, and commonly, judges and punishes.” (Borg, p. 51)
God is an
Authority Figure: “
This personlike being is an authority figure … ruler of the universe. God has
not only revealed what’s right and what’s wrong – what we are to believe and
how we are to live, but God, as an authority figure, will judge us. God is like a strict parent. (Borg, p. 51) A
Cosmic Cop
God is An
Interventionist: God
has a personlike being relates to the universe through intervention – the only
way a being separate from the universe can act within it. Just think about all those stories we learned
in Sunday School – stories of spectacular events caused directly by God. Noah
and the Ark, The Exodus, Jonah and the Great Fish … the list goes on and on.
For others, “the word God does not refer to a being
separate from the universe, but to a sacred presence all around us” – woven in
and around everything. “God is not a
being ‘somewhere else’ (up there, or out there, or beyond), but ‘right here’ as
well as ‘more than right here’” (Borg, p. 50)
“As ancient as the first, it is a basic view in Judaism, Christianity
and Islam from antiquity to the present; it is also affirmed in other major
religions and in smaller indigenous religions around the world.” (Borg, p. 52)
Paul put it this way, “God is the one in whom we
live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28)
It’s all about our relationship to God.
We are IN God, We live WITHIN God.
We MOVE WITHIN God. We HAVE OUR
BEING WITHIN GOD. God is not a being far
off, “out there”, somewhere beyond the universe, separate from us and the
world. Rather, the word refers to “the
one” in whom everything that is, is.
(Borg p. 53)
Psalm 139 embraces the image. The author addresses
God and asks “Where can I go from your spirit?
Or where can I flee from your presence?
(vs. 7).
If I ascend to heaven, you
are there;
If I make my bed in Sheol
(the depths of the earth) you are there
If I settle at the farthest
limits of the sea,
Even there your hand shall
lead me,
And your right hand shall
hold me fast (v. 8-10)
“To use a
simple analogy, we are in God as fish are in the water. The water is all around; fish move within the
water, live within the water, having their being in the water. The water is not separate from the fish – and
yet the water is more than the fish. God
is not a being separate from the universe, but a reality that is more than the
universe…” (Borg p. 53)
Theologians
refer to is a “omnipresence” - God is
everywhere!
Our movie makes have
tried to capture it in a variety of ways.
Consider this old, but goody from “Oh God” the movie.
(Oh God Movie “Car
Scenes” Clip from YouTube)
All joking
aside, ‘omnipresence” is an amazing thing. When we understand God as close and
involved it changes many things. It
changes how we think of God as creator.
Instead of thinking of creation as an event that happens in the past,
whether six thousand or 15 billion years ago, it is an on-going process;
instead of seeing the universe as something God created as something separate
from God’s self, we see God intertwined. It changes how we think of God’s
relationship to the world. Intervention
disappears. God is “right here” and “all
around us”. God doesn’t need to “break
in from the outside”. God’s involvement
doesn’t disappear. Instead of speaking
about divine intervention, we think of divine presence, intention and
interaction.” (Borg, p. 55) Moves from
seeing God as indifferent to experiencing God as actively engagedMoves from
seeing God as punitive and threatening to experiencing God as Gracious, Loving
and Compassionate
Consider
this story from Kathleen Norris’ book “Amazing Grace” in her chapter entitled
“God”, (p. 112)
“Seeing a bush that burns and yet is not
consumed, Moses decides to investigate.
The scriptures imply that it is because he ‘turns aside’ that God speaks
to him from the bush, saying “I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham,
the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.”
Moses has a price on his head: back in Egypt
he had killed an Egyptian he saw beating a Hebrew slave. When God demands that he return to Egypt, to
Pharoah himself, and bold lead the Israelites to freedom, Moses understandably
wants to know a bit more about this God who is addressing him. He proceeds by indirection. Not daring to ask God who he is, Moses says
instead “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and lead the Israelites out of
Egypt?” God’s answer is hardly
comforting: “I will be with you.” And
then follows one of the scariest passages in the bible. God tells Moses that he will know for certain
it is God who has called him to this task only when it is accomplished. Only when he has brought the people with him
to worship on this mountain.
This is a God who is not identified with the
help of a dictionary but through a relationship. One that demands great willingness to trust
and to take risks. Moses is flummoxed. He knows that his own people will need
convincing, that they will demand to know this God’s name. The next passage might be seen as the
premiere of Jewish humor, a theological vaudeville routine, “What’s your name?”
Moses ask, and God says, “I am Who I Am.”
Moses might as well have said, “Who’s on first?”
But if “I will be with you” is God’s first
response to the question “Who am I?” then it is altogether serious. The rest of
the Pentatauch might be seen as an elaboration on God’s answer. God demands a great deal of Moses, of Abraham
and Sarah, of Joseph, Rebekah and Leah. This is a God who keeps us asking, who appears
in the scripture as a rock, a woman in labor, an eagle, a warrior, a creator
and a destroyer, listener and proclaimer, lover and judge – the Great “I Am”.
The great “I
am”, the Present God invites us to see God present and active in our lives …
caring deeply about all aspects of creation and especially as us, God’
creation. May we see that “present God”
in our lives.
