Belong. Believe. Become.

A sermon preached on Facebook Live Broadcast

Sirach 26:10: The Headstrong Daughter

June 21, 2020 - Pentecost III - Proper 7 A

Well, this (Matthew 10:24-39) is a very difficult gospel, isn’t it? Hard to hear. Harder to preach. (Trust me on this.)

So, let me start here: There’s a church not far from where I live – over on the north side of Coastal Highway in Lewes. It’s an independent non-denominational Christian church which has grown over the last 30 years or so from 15 people gathered in a living room to a community of over 600 that worships in a large, modern, state-of-the-art auditorium-style church.

I’ve recently noticed that they have a new banner outside the church with a new tag line which says, simply: “Belong. Believe. Become.” It’s a nice, catchy, easy-to-remember tag line, but it’s also their statement of evangelism.

Just an easy-peasy, three-step program. Just come and belong, we'll teach you what you need to believe in order to become a better Christian.

I’ve found those words coming to me every time I’ve reflected on this morning’s Gospel – Belong. Believe. Become. – especially as I reflect on the lives of the people I believe have lived out - and are living out - the difficult words of this difficult Gospel.

First, allow me just a few words on this tag line – Belong. Believe. Become. Now, I’m quite certain that, were I to sit down with one of the pastors of this church, we’d probably have strong differences in our theology and philosophy, as well as our Christology and liturgical beliefs.

I suspect, however, that we share the same love for Jesus, and our sense of Christian communion as summarized in the “Three B’s” of their tag line is very much the same.   

Some people come to church based on what they believe – or what they think they believe about God and Jesus and the Holy Spirit.

Other people come to church out of a deep longing to belong – to be part of something other than and bigger than themselves. They may not be able to articulate what they believe, and they may not even know how to say how hungry they are for meaning and purpose in their lives. All they know is that they are at a point in their lives where they want to be a part of something and stand for something and become the person who does something with their life.

If we’re honest, more than a few of us came to The Episcopal Church for these very reasons. I’m sure there is hardcore data somewhere “in the Google” but an informal survey on any given Sunday will reveal that most members came to The Episcopal Church from other denominations. 

Indeed, I fondly remember Bishop Jack Spong beginning a sermon with the words, “Friends . . . Romans . . . . former Romans .  . . .”.

Many of us found ourselves in The Episcopal Church in reaction to a negative experience in other denominations. The reasons will sound familiar: Formerly divorced people who wanted to remarry; people – or people who love people – whose sexual orientation is described as “inherently disordered”; or women who found opportunities for ministry in the church limited to church school or choir and the closest she could get to the altar was to “do the dishes and the laundry” after Communion. 

That was all very different in The Episcopal Church - at least beginning in the late 70s.

Belong. Believe. Become. It’s true that, once we feel as if we belong in a church, we begin to search for meaning and purpose in that church. We want to know what it is Episcopalians believe. And, in some places, a solid answer is difficult to ascertain.

In The Episcopal Church, we like to talk about our dedication to “diversity and inclusivity”. Some of us talking about our “Big Tent Theology” – which allows plenty of room for low church, high church, and broad church expressions of what it is we believe.

A classic example of Episcopal tolerance – and wit – is the of’t stated response to the question, “Do Episcopalians believe in private confession?” The answer is: “All may. Some should. None must.” 

Such openness and embrace of diversity allow some of us to flourish and become that which God had in mind for us when we were created. Others of us come to feel intensely uncomfortable with that sort of openness. 

Yes, we want the church to stand for something, but not political, please. ”. This, despite the fact that more Presidents have been Episcopalian (11) – than any other denomination. And, it's often the very people who proudly tell you about "the glory of their power" who will tut-tut and tsk-tsk about how the church has gotten "too political". 

I've discovered that when some Episcopalians talk about it being "too political" what they really mean is "you're making me uncomfortable/uneasy". But, if we talked about, say, tax reform, I have a sneaking suspicion that that would land easily on some ears.

And, for goodness sake, don’t take sides in a conflict or dispute! Indeed, some Episcopalians take pride in recalling that The Episcopal Church used to be known as “The Switzerland of Christianity.” Of course, others will name that same dynamic as Episcopalians being “A Social Club at Prayer,” or “God’s Frozen Chosen.”

Now, this is not a class entitled “Welcome to The Episcopal Church” and I will try to restrain myself but I personally believe that the focus, the past 30 years, on the pragmatics and mechanics of our faith has unfortunately led to a focus on identity politics and what some refer to as “the inclusion wars.”

This has resulted, ironically, in the exodus of many people from the church, not because they didn’t feel included but because they felt that the power-balance which had favored them was now being disturbed. Additionally, the constant bickering and fighting didn’t make them feel welcome, despite our relentlessly cheerful motto: “The Episcopal Church Welcomes You.”

And, here’s where any idea that “Belong. Believe. Become.,” is an easy process of evangelism crashes headlong into this morning’s gospel.

Jesus continues to give advice to his apostles and all who do the work of evangelization. He warns that some of those who proclaim the Gospel are going to be threatened even with losing their lives, a fact that is testified to by a long list of martyrs over the centuries. 

He says,  

“Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.  . . . . Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever does not take up the cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.” 

YIKES, right?   

So, what am I joining here? Is this a church with a death-wish culture? Why would I join a religious movement which sounds hell-bent on destroying families and fomenting crisis and strife and division? 

Let me break this down. 

Actually, what Jesus is saying is that physical death is not the worst thing that can happen to a person. Death is a reality we are all going to have to face sooner or later anyway. 

Jesus is teaching his disciples – ancient and modern – that far worse than physical death is the "loss of one's soul", that is, the death of one's integrity. Jesus is saying that there are some values which transcend our physical survival. To betray such a value in order to live a bit longer is to lose one's soul. 

There have been Christians who understood this teaching of Jesus and risked their lives for what they understood it meant to “belong, believe and become.” I'll briefly mention three that pop immediately to mind. 

Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a German Lutheran pastor and theologian known for his opposition to Hitler and all he stood for. His ties to a conspiracy to overthrow the Nazi regime led to his execution in a German concentration camp in the waning days of WWII.

Thomas More, chancellor to King Henry VIII, who opposed the Reformation, understood this. He refused to recognize the King as the head of the Church of England and to annul the King’s marriage to Catharine of Aragon. When he refused to take the Oath of Supremacy, he was tried, found guilty, and executed for treason.

Archbishop Oscar Romero of El Salvador clearly understood this. On March 24, 1980, he delivered a sermon in which he called on Salvadoran soldiers, as Christians, to obey God's higher order and to stop carrying out the government's repression and violations of basic human rights. He then walked a few steps from the pulpit to the center of the altar to preside at Holy Eucharist and was executed by a man who fired one – possibly two – bullets into his heart.  

Bonhoeffer, More, Romero and many, many others understood the cost of discipleship. Jesus is telling us that, to be unfaithful to our deepest beliefs and convictions is a fate worse than death.  

Now, you don’t have to be a Bonhoeffer, More or Romero to be a faithful disciple. 

Every time a person of color stands up and says, “No. Stop. I know who I am. I am a child of God. You can assign me to whatever race you want, but I know I belong to the human race. I have read the same scriptures as you and I believe that I am loved by God. And, I will not become what you want me to be. I will be strong. I will be brave. I will become all that God intended for me when I was created and put on this earth.”

And, every time a gay or lesbian or bisexual or transgender person stands up, or a woman who is being abused by her husband or domestic partner, or a person with disabilities speaks up and says, “No. Stop. I belong. I believe. I will become,” they have accepted the challenge of this Gospel are taking the risks of living it out and being faithful to the teachings of Jesus. 

Belong, believe, and become is not an easy, three-step evangelism program. Not in The Episcopal Church, anyway, or many churches that take seriously these words of Jesus. It takes strength and courage to live your life with authenticity and integrity. 

That can be accomplished by belonging to a community of faith which takes seriously its baptism vows, and allows you to work out, within an "Outline of Faith"(otherwise known as Catechism), what it is you believe, and helps you to become that which God intended at your creation.

Jesus said,

“So have no fear of them; for nothing is covered up that will not be uncovered, and nothing secret that will not become known. What I say to you in the dark, tell in the light; and what you hear whispered, proclaim from the housetops. Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

As difficult and chaotic as are these days, there has never been a time for which we have been better prepared. It was for times like these that we were meant to be Christians, to belong to a church that believes in justice and peace and the dignity of every human being so that we may become more fully and authentically the Body of Christ.

We belong. We believe. We become.    

Amen.