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THE UNTIED CHURCH OF CANADA

THE UNTIED CHURCH OF CANADA When we were ministers employed by Morris-Altona Pastoral Charge, the phone bill came to our address. We always got a kick out of receiving it, because no matter how many times we tried to correct the “error,” Manitoba Telephone Systems continued to address the bill to THE UNTIED CHURCH OF CANADA. That would be our sermon title for today: The Untied Church of Canada. It was, is, a simple typing mistake. But sometimes the phrase haunts us. From the rich background and vision of “unity” which brought people of so many traditions,     beliefs, and backgrounds together to form one church,     voices sometimes call out to us to affirm one viewpoint or another         and reject those who cannot agree. The strength of our church, since Union in 1925, has been in its diversity,     its acceptance of people,     its willingness to listen to many points of view. Sometimes we forget that vision, and the rich heritage which is ours in this denomination. We were talking some time ago with Rev. Bob Hamlin,     who has been a minister in the United Church for thirty years. We asked him,     “What has been the biggest change in the church during your ministry?” Bob replied, “It’s not good news.”     “There’s a certain MEAN-NESS, NASTY-NESS, in the church now that was never there before. “Goodness knows, we used to fight!     “We used to fight tooth-and-nail over issues and policies and theologies.     “But underneath it all, we were friends.     “We loved each other.     “Wed’ fight all day, and then we’d laugh together and hug each other.     “Sometimes now, we let issues divide us as people ...             and we let opinions alienate us from one another.     “We lose sight of the fact that we believe in Jesus Christ and are bound together in him.” We gather today as a “fellowship of believers” ...     in a church “community” which unites us before God. Unlike the early church we read of in Acts, or the latest religious group to be found in Winnipeg,     we won’t “sell everything we have and live in a communal system.” Unlike the early church we read of in Acts, we won’t have “everything in common.” And probably we will discover that there are some things about which we cannot agree. It is typical of “our” United Church these days. We are tossed hither and yon on the winds of “change” and we seek AN IDENTITY to call our own. Perhaps sometimes we covet the black-and-white answers to questions     which are doled out to the faithful in fundamentalist congregations. It would seem that the early church we read of in Acts     had a much clearer vision of “who” they were ... of the work they were called by Jesus to do! And perhaps they did for a very short time.   But not for long! Soon the Greek Jews would complain because the widows in THEIR church weren’t being given     as much food as the widows in the “Hebrew” church. A Committee of seven, under Stephen, would be appointed ...     so that the apostles wouldn’t have to deal with this divisive and contentious justice issue. Peter and Paul and other leaders in the early church would get involved in a BITTER dispute     over the authority of Jewish ritual law in the early church         and that dispute would continue to fester in many congregations,     in spite of a “General Council” RULING OF COMPROMISE that allowed the two sides to             hold different opinions. Soon, the early church would begin to change and grow     as it tried to deal with the issues and problems of society     and the shifting theology of church leaders and THE fellowship of believers would begin to follow different paths as they sought to follow Jesus. Not much has changed! What “the church” is called to do has ALWAYS BEEN a source of conflict and confusion. The United Church is NOT AT ALL UNIQUE in its STRUGGLE to be faithful to Jesus Christ     and to do the will of God. Yet because our denomination doesn’t DICTATE TRUTH from (on high0 ...     we have no bishops, cardinals, popes, OR MINISTERS who are given the “authority”         to tell us what to do ... what to think ... what to believe ...         our struggles are more difficult and diverse than in some other denominations. And because our interpretation of Scripture is viewed as involving more than taking words or sentences out of context into today’s world, in order to impose a new law,         our struggle to understand the will of God is more complex than it is in literalist tradition. And we argue ...     We argue about fancy liturgical stuff and simple services. Some ministers wear albs and vestments; some, wear gowns, some, street clothes. Some claim justice issues can only be resolved by calling governments to accountability,     and some claim the church is meddling in politics. We struggle with the call of Jesus to love and accept people,     and our frustration with the apathetic or difficult folk who live in this community with us. We’ve argued about women ministers ... Sunday School curriculum ...     the new ... and newer hymn book ... the order of service ... sexuality ...         Conference boundaries and who should be “allowed” to vote in our congregations. Political issues haunt us, as they always have ...     And now, we have serious issues to contend with: the war in the Middle East,         the war in Afghanistan,         the wars ... THE WALLS ... in the world, in this country, and in this town ...         that separate ... that divide ... that alienate ... and ultimately destroy. And in all of that, it is very easy to forget that all these things, these issues, these doctrines and dogmas, can become easier to deal with, answers can come more easily, given the authority of Jesus Christ. In all of the issues, the questions, the “stuff” of Christianity, it’s easy to forget WHY, and in WHOSE NAME,         we are called to be ... the Church ... that is, the Church of Jesus the Christ! I think most of you come here week and week and year after year because you feel a deep need to meet the Jesus of the Gospels, the God of eternity,         and to feel the touch of the Holy Spirit. I think most of you yearn for a deeper faith, answers to life’s questions..  I think many of you struggle with life and life’s ultimate meaning.  Many of you do care about economic and social and ecological crisis and globalization and indeed will bring your beliefs to that forum whenever and wherever you can do so  ......... but those will simply be opinions ... unless, and until they are motivated and energized by the Good News of Jesus Christ as HE confronts these issues of our day.  That’s the question.  That’s what really matters. That’s all that really matters.     “What would Jesus have to say?”     “What does Jesus say     What does Jesus call you and me to do and say?     How does JESUS INFORM   our thoughts ... our opinions ... our decisions?     How does the will of God IMPACT on our lives, our thoughts, our politics and policies. And in all of that the question for the church, THIS church, is this:     How can we establish a church community which holds us together in Love?     And at the same time, how can we live in community         in which we can name and live with differences that confront us         with gentleness, and acceptance, and humility, understanding, and kindness?. How can we make sure there is no mean-ness or nasty-ness in OUR life as the Church?     Can WE find a way to fight tooth-and-nail sometimes         and yet laugh together and love each other anyway? Once upon a time, a flock of quail lived near a marsh and they would fly to the nearby field every day to feed.  The only problem was that there was a Bird Hunter who lived nearby, and lately he had been catching many quail in his net and taking them to a nearby market to be sold.  The reason he had grown so successful in catching them was that he had learned to imitate perfectly the call of their Leader.  The Bird Hunter gave the call, and the quail, thinking it was their Leader, flew to his area, where he tossed his net over them and captured them.  They “thought they knew his voice.” One day the Leader called all the quail together for a conference.  He said, “We are being fooled!     Soon there will be none of us left.     The Bird Hunter is catching us all.     But I have found out how he does it.     He learned my call and he fools you.     But I have a plan.     The next time you hear what you think is my call and fly to the area and the Bird Hunter throws his net on top of you, here is what you are to do: all together, you stick your heads through the opening in the net and in one motion fly up with the net and land on the thorn bush.  The net will stick there.  Then you will be able to free yourselves, and the Bird Hunter will have to spend all day freeing his net.” And that is what they did. The Bird Hunter came, gave the imitation call, and the quail came.  When the net was thrown over them, as one body they stuck their heads through the openings, and flew away to the thorn bush.  They left a frustrated Hunter trying all day to get his net loose. This went on for some time ... until the Hunter’s wife bitterly complained that her husband was brining no quail home to market.  They were becoming poor.  The Bird Hunter listened to his wife, told her of the actions of the quail, and with his hand on his chin, added: “But, be patient, dear wife.  Just wait till they quarrel.  Then we shall catch them again!” Well, it so happened that one day when the Bird Hunter made his call, all the quail rose up and flew to the area where he was.  But as they were landing, one quail accidentally brushed against another. “Will you watch where you’re going, you clumsy ox!” cried the one quail. The other said hastily, “Oh, I’m sorry.  I really am.  I didn’t mean to do it.  It was an accident.” “An accident, was it?” cried the first quail.  “If you’d watch where you’re going instead of peering about all the time, you wouldn’t be so clumsy.” “Well!” said the second quail.  “I don’t know why you take that attitude!  I said I was sorry, and if you can’t accept that ...” And they got to quarrelling. And they got to being mean. Soon the Bird Hunter had his net ready and threw it over the birds.  They began to cry to one another, “Come, let us stop arguing ... and hurry, or else we’ll be caught.  Let’s fly over that way!” But another quail responded, “No!  We’re always flying over that way.  We’re always doing what you people want.  Come!  Let’s fly this way!” And while they were arguing about which way to go, the Bird Hunger, with a smile on his face, gathered them up in his net, brought them to market, and that day, made a fine penny!      (William J. Bausch, Storytelling and Faith, pages 145-46) They got to arguing, to being mean.  And they lost everything. They were confused by other voices and didn’t listen to the voice of their Leader.  And that was the end of everything. Well, if we don’t want to experience a similar fate, what will we do? First of all, I think we need to recognize the fact that we ARE different. We are individuals. We come from different backgrounds and have different temperaments     and different experiences in life have shaped us. Our religious experiences are different. Our beliefs are different. We experience God in different ways. Jesus speaks to us in different ways.  And each of us has an opinion which is influenced by all those things. That CAN BE cause for joy! When we were ministers in Morris, Anglican folk from that community worshipped with the United Church     congregation, as part of that denomination.          They were welcomed.         They were indeed very much part of the life of the church ... But not to the same extent as they are in Snow Lake. The church in Snow Lake is called the Anglican-United Church of Snow Lake. They’ve been together for over thirty years as an ecumenical body. They celebrate their differences and respect each others’ traditions. There is a sacristy behind the communion table. When they gather for the Lord’s Supper, all come forward and kneel at the altar rail     where they choose to receive wine from the common cup or grape juice from individual glasses. All stand for the reading of the Gospel. There is mutual respect, admiration, and a real attempt to work together as the church of Jesus Christ. Jesus says: “There shall be one flock and one shepherd.” There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism. We worship the same God. But Jesus doesn’t say, ‘there shall be one fold!’ Everywhere, more and more, it has become the fashion to seek to push and squeeze all people,     young and old, into one particular mold, one way of thinking, one “fold” that the majority for the         time seem to prefer,     and to frown on individuality. This denies one of the cornerstones of our faith:     that Jesus knows ... and calls ... each one of us ... by name!         Each one, by name!         We are not just part of a flock!         We are individually known to him.         And individually precious! There is no doubt that Jesus called us and keeps calling,     misses us and seeks us when we wander,     waits for us when we loiter in the fold,     finds us when we stray and lose ourselves,         and speaks to us as His own. We are wise if we begin to see IN EACH OTHER one of HIS own,     to whom Jesus alone will speak his word of truth. It’s not our task to move other people into OUR fold. The Shepherd calls the sheep BY NAME and we don’t have to. Rather we should celebrate our differences, and LISTEN to each other,     struggling with, rather than against, each other. As in the early church, there will be differences.   And that’s OK. Acceptance of a person doesn’t mean the same thing as approval. Understanding a person doesn’t mean we must agree with them.   Respecting another person doesn’t mean we believe the same things.    Differences are OK! Ralph Milton in AHA puts it this way: God calls us, not to be people in general but a person in particular. Not a person in isolation, though.  I live in a community that extends outward in space and backward in time.  I am a person with roots, with heritage, with a particular set of stories and metaphors and legends and traditions through which I express my faith and act it out.  Living joyfully, fully, responsibly in community IS abundant life! One of the traditions of the church is the potluck supper.  The best kind are when people bring favourite dishes out of their own traditions.  Every dish is enjoyed and appreciated because it is INDIVIDUAL and unique and everybody collects compliments on their particular dish. The Gospel tells me that I am to celebrate who I am, in this context, by cooking the “vereniche” my grandma used to make.  And then I am to take that dish to the potluck and put the recipe beside it and enjoy the compliments along with everybody else’s food!  Nowhere does it say you dump all the food into one big pot and stir it into a dull grey sludge.     Differences are more than OK.  Differences can be wonderful! Only TOGETHER can we achieve anything. Only listening to the voice of the Shepherd, loving each other, and working together, can we BE the church! We are wise if we place our confidence not on anything so subjective as a form of worship,     or how we interpret the Bible. We are wise if we do not dwell on the shifting theology of our day ...     which, as it always has, moves and changes and grows         in response to the issue and problems unique to our times. We are wise if we do not place our trust in anything so fickle and human and changeable         as our own opinions, our own ideas. We are wise if we begin to see IN EVERY OTHER PERSON someone who responds in their own way,     albeit very differently from our way, to Jesus,         who knows us, and calls each one of us by name. We are wise if we learn from the silly quail what may happen to us should we spend so much time arguing     about which direction to fly in that we lose our lives. We are wise if we listen to our Leader,     and together, lift this church, and love each other into the safety and freedom         of Life in His Kingdom. Amen.