Sermons at St. John’s Presbyterian Church

 Transcribed from the sermon preached January 20, 2008

 The Reverend Max Lynn, Pastor

St. John’s Presbyterian Church
2727 College Avenue, Berkeley, CA 94705

Telephone 510-845-6830    Fax 510-845-6837

office@stjohns.presbychurch.net    http://www.stjohns.presbychurch.net

The regional governing body of our church, the presbytery of San Francisco, voted last Tuesday night to accept our committee on preparation for Ministry's (CPM) recommendation finding Lisa Larges "ready for examination [i.e. for ordination], with a departure." The vote was very close: 167-151.

          The big issue was that Lisa declared a "departure" from the Book of Order and the current standards of the Presbyterian Church (USA). After years of conflicted debate at the national level, the General Assembly gave jurisdiction on the issue of ordination to the presbyteries. This would be like Washington telling the states they could make their own decision about how to enforce a certain national law or standard. This is a good move since it is at the presbytery level, in particular in the committee on preparation for ministry, that a candidate for ministry is known personally.

          All those on the CPM, including the group who brought the minority report which moved to remove Lisa from the candidacy process once and for all, agreed that Lisa has deep faith, a compassionate heart, a good sense of humor and excellent preaching skills.

          Yet, at the same time the General Assembly sent jurisdiction back to the presbyteries, it reaffirmed G-6.0106b, which states "those who are called to office in the church are to lead a life in obedience to Scripture and in conformity to the historic standards of the church. Among these standards is the requirement to live either in fidelity within marriage between a man and a woman, or chastity in singleness. Persons refusing to repent of any self-acknowledged practice which the confessions call sin shall not be ordained and/or installed as deacons, elders, or ministers of the Word and Sacrament."

          In her statement of departure Lisa wrote, "I am grateful for the church and its particular expression as the Presbyterian Church (USA), for the ways in which it has taught me of the love of God, of the work of salvation in Jesus Christ and of the demands on our lives to love and serve one another and this sweet world. Even so, out of gratitude, love and hope for the church, I am compelled by conscience and charged by faith to firmly, clearly, and in every way declare that the provisions at G-6.0106b are a mar upon the church and a stumbling block to its mission. As a matter of faith, conscience and integrity I can neither actively concur nor passively submit to this provision..."

          Lisa gives many reasons for her departure among which is that the passage in question sets scripture and confessions above the authority of Christ and "returns us to life under the law"... and "it imposes false and impossible choice upon same gender loving persons by not recognizing faithful covenanted relationships between two persons of the same gender."

          I also might add, that in a motion made before the debate, the body surprisingly voted to exclude the media from the sanctuary. The so-called liberal media, for its part, seems to accept the conservative point of view that the struggle is between those who are faithful to scripture and those who want equal rights, as if there were no precedence in American religious history or in scripture for movements toward greater justice and inclusivty. I would argue that flexibility with the law in context is firmly rooted in scripture, especially in the life and ministry of Jesus Christ.

          Homosexuals are not the only group, which has been excluded from ministry on the basis of certain passages of scripture. We know that the lame, blind and women were excluded from the priesthood and the temple, and that gentiles were not considered a part of the covenant people of God. Quite apart from her sexual orientation, if we were following the literal letter of the law, Lisa, who is blind, female and a gentile would be ineligible for ministry. From King David to Jesus' day, the blind and lame were considered unclean and sinful as if their condition was punishment by God for some known or unknown sin.

          Thus some of the disciples ask Jesus, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" "Neither this man nor his parents sinned," Jesus said. Jesus heals the man. Then rather than being overjoyed that the Spirit of God had manifested itself in giving sight to the blind, some Pharisees were blinded by the law and became upset that Jesus had broken the law by healing on the Sabbath.

          They tried to get the man to testify against Jesus: "We know this man is a sinner." The man with new sight replied, "Whether he is a sinner I do not know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see."

          Jesus himself sets precedence for grace with respect to our understanding of the human condition, our understanding of scripture and for the work and ministry of the Spirit. He doesn't start out his day thinking I am going to uphold or break the law. He starts out with the intention to love, and if he finds himself in a context where doing the loving thing is contrary to the law, he will still do the loving thing.

          Let me make that plain and clear: the precedence for a grace-filled evolution of our understanding and application of scripture and moral law is set and demonstrated in scripture by Jesus himself. Those who do not see this are blind. Love of law over the love of human beings is contrary to the word of God who is Jesus Christ.

          Reformed or Presbyterian tradition has always acknowledged the living Word of God (with a capital W) is Jesus Christ and the purpose of scripture; the written word (small w) is to point to the light of God and the Word who is Christ.

          We have also agreed with St. Anselm, that all truth is God's truth. Scripture is our authority, for it points toward the saving truth of the grace of God in Jesus Christ, but the light of God is not limited to scripture or even to the church.

          Therefore it is no threat to our faith for science to fill in the details of creation by showing us the evolution of life, or to discover that the earth revolves around the sun or that blindness or homosexual orientation can be caused by environmental and genetic factors irrespective of the choice of the individual.

          To deny the value of these truths, to repress our God given rational thought, our sense of compassion and justice because we are afraid that our God is too small to handle it, is, quite literally, shutting out the light and truth of God and becoming blind to the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.

          Perhaps it would not be so tragic if such people only chose ignorance and blindness for themselves, but with arrogant conviction they teach future generations that blindness is truth and that the Word of God is to be petrified, locked in a tomb for safe keeping. Jesus spoke to those who were more concerned with the letter of the law and lost sight of the purpose of the law, which is to do good. He warned them against teaching this arrogant, petrified faith.

          Do not judge and you will not be judged; forgive and you will be forgiven. Can a blind man lead a blind man? A student is not above his teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like his teacher. Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye, and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your sister, let me take the speck out of your eye, when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your neighbor's eye.

          The good news is that the Word of God is not petrified, the Spirit of Jesus, his love, his grace, his truth is alive, the stone has been rolled away, light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it.           I myself was lost. How is it that I, a sinner, dare stand before you and proclaim the Word of God? All I can say is, I once was blind, but now I see.

          Conservatives argue that the churches will die if we are open and accepting of gays and lesbians. People will go to a church with a more clear-cut understanding of morality and law. I think that if we maintain authentic spirituality and relationship with God we will do just fine. Even so, it is probably true that even when we open ourselves to authentic, personal relationship with God, many have and will leave as we continue to choose to include a group of people who has traditionally been excluded.

          In the 1970's when the minister of Christ Presbyterian Church in San Leandro came out against discrimination against African Americans in real estate, members left in droves. They were blinded by racism. Sadly enough, today that church is but a remnant of its former self and may have to close soon. Still, the minister and the members who stuck around give testimony to the eternal light and love of God.

          Who knows, maybe those churches with a simpler, personal, black and white morality will continue to grow, and we will eventually shrink and die. All I have to say is, won't you join us? Join us as, by grace, we try to honor the God of Love and discern morality within all the complexities visible with our eyes wide open. Even as Lisa has taken another step toward ordination, even as we grow as a congregation, there is sure to be appeals and lawsuits. We have a long way to go.

          Martin Luther King Jr. speaking in Memphis just before he was shot said,

Well, I don't know what will happen now. We've got some difficult days ahead. But it really doesn't matter with me now, because I've been to the mountaintop and I don't mind. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I'm not concerned about that now. I just want to do God's will, and He's allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I've booked over and I've seen the Promised Land.

          It is a privilege and an honor to be here with you living true to the love of God. Whether we live or whether we die, let us do so boldly, with the personal relationship with God and neighbor and the strength of faith to carry our cross and follow Christ. We may be a small community but let us resolve to love big.

          We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose... Who will bring any charge against God's elect? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not withhold his own son but gave him up for all of us... Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.