September 16 2018 Perfect Love - Don't Ask, Don't Tell

September 16, 2018  James 3.1-12, *Proverbs 1.20-33 “Perfect Love: Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” Pastor Jacqueline Hines

What was the only bus to ever cross the ocean? – Columbus

Why did the skeleton go to the movie alone? He had no body to go with.+++

Writer James Chapman is known for creating a list of the most read books in the world. The list is based on the number of copies each book sold over the last 50 years. If you guessed that the bible is still the world’s best seller, you would be absolutely right, as 3.9 billion copies were sold. [slide # 1  bible best seller] The second best seller is the Little Red Book of quotations that sold 820 million. It was written by Communist ruler Chairman Mae Tse Tung who is said to have killed more people than Stalin and Hitler combined. For 25 years, he ruled a quarter of the world’s population with an iron fist from the establishment of the Communist party in 1949 until his death in 1976.  [slide #  2 Red Book] As you can imagine, the majority of those who bought the book, were forced to do so. The third best seller, interestingly enough, is Harry Potter, with 40 million copies sold. [slide #  3 Harry Potter books]

We may not be interested in reading Chairman Mao’s book to reinforce our respect for the Communist party, and in spite of all the attention that Harry Potter has gotten, you may have been as bored as I was with the movie. But, the bible is another story. The bible is full of drama and justice and wisdom that can lead us to the blessed life.

The bible is so rich and diverse that we usually manage it like we manage golden nuggets, a precious little at a time, one verse, one chapter, one book goes a long way. [slide #  4 God’s word – gold]

Somewhat off putting are the regular rulings and judgments of fire and brimstone that we come across in our reading and studying of the bible. [slide #  5  bible on fire] The bible warns, threatens, cajoles, carries on about what we should do and should not do…typically we do not want to hear it. As humans, we simply want to do what we want to do. We receive biblical warnings like we receive other warnings that we see so often. We tend to bypass and ignore them.

In our daily lives, when things are going well, we do not concern ourselves with many warnings that surround us. We have taken all the necessary precautions, coming to a complete stop at stop signs, assigning a designated driver when needed, double checking the security latch on safety rails to protect children, following all directions on medication bottles and reading the reams of warnings that come with every refill.

We see those screens of information we are supposed to read before we click “I accept the terms and conditions.” for – whatever… we rarely actually read it…we can usually trust that there is nothing in the small print that we will regret affirming later on. [slide # 6 computer screen..accept..]

Life has warnings that we heed or do not heed. God has warnings that we heed or do not heed. At times the warnings come with harsh words. We see this in verse 25 of this morning’s reading which the wisdom of Proverbs declares. The New International Version says it this way:

“²⁵ since you disregard all my advice
    and do not accept my rebuke,
²⁶ I in turn will laugh when disaster strikes you;
    I will mock when calamity overtakes you—
²⁷ when calamity overtakes you like a storm,
    when disaster sweeps over you like a whirlwind,
    when distress and trouble overwhelm you.

This is a hard saying. Who can endure it? Who can accept it? Isn’t it enough to make the more sensitive of us turn and run away from Jesus? Though we smile now at those parents who threatened to “knock us into next week” or “kill us” or who gave us that threatening look that made our insides tremble, we got the message. Language has a broad and poetic purpose and important boundaries are established with the words we speak or in some cases, refuse to speak.

Next Tuesday, our Bishop Peggy Johnson has invited the members and pastors of the over 400 of her churches for a conversation about how the United Methodist Church is going forward to vote on a way to keep God’s peace as we live together and serve together with our different understandings of same sex marriages. We trust that the words we speak at that gathering will bring peace and unity.

Currently our Book of Discipline tells us that homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teachings and we are legally forbidden to ordain or marry or host a wedding of gay persons. Some of us have felt at home with the “don’t ask, don’t tell” mantra. (Believe it or not, I had no intention of talking about sexuality issues when I wrote this sermon title several weeks ago.) Others have wanted out of the closet and are no longer accepting what feels like the silent treatment. As a church we have become restless when we talk to one another. Our Bishops are wise enough to ask us to spend more time talking with God who can help us talk to one another in ways that please God and serve as good examples for our children and the world who is watching and waiting. We are asked to pray day or night within the three minutes space from 2:23-2:26           [slide # 7  Special General Conference February 23 – 26] which is the February date that a special United Methodist General Conference will be held in Missouri. There are delegates from around the world who will be discussing and voting to arrive at our official position. There will be interpreters, songs and prayers from countless traditions. Together, they will decide whether we will keep the current position or allow each church and conference to decide what they believe God is calling them to do. I also want us to whisper a prayer daily for Bethel every day or night between 10 45 and 10 48. [slide # 8  pray for Bethel 10 45-10 48] . We too need God’s help to make us the strongest church we can be in every way, not just around issues of human sexuality.

For me the issue of sexuality is not first about whose hand someone is holding while strolling down the beach. What is higher on my spiritual priority list is whether we are as the book of Micah chapter 6 tells us - doing justice, loving mercy and walking humbly with our God. Are we speaking up when others are being bullied, knowing that I Corinthians tells us that love is not irritable or rude; are we doing the work of getting to know one another and appreciating one another regardless of race and class. Are we exercising sexual integrity, robbing God of our tithes and offerings, or living simply so that others can simply live?

The fierce warnings of the bible may shake us up or offend us, [slide # 9  lightening] but the thundering and lightening of wise warnings are always, always, always accompanied by God’s sweet promises as we see in verse 32 and 33. 32 For the waywardness of the simple will kill them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them; 33 but whoever listens to me will live in safety and be at ease, without fear of harm.

On Tuesday, Rabbi Kirt Schneider [slide #  10 Rabbi Schneider] who converted to Christianity as a young man, reminds us that our Jewish brothers and sisters will observe the high holy day of Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. As Christians we can also connect to our Judeo-Christian heritage and observe Yom Kippur as a day to pause and reverence One who wanted so much to protect us and warn us of the dangers of sin that he risked his own life, even sacrificed his all, by reminding everyone wherever he went that he can save us from the pitfalls of sin if we would heed the warnings and follow in his footsteps. [slide # 11…loved..darkest hour] May we take God’s will seriously, may the Holy Spirit be our constant guide, may we do as God taught our founder Rev. John Wesley – do no harm, do good, and stay in love with God! [slide #  12  do no harm…] Amen. [slide # 13  bible…]