On Friday afternoon I joined at Pack Park for the interfaith blessing of the LGBT families in our community.  The effort was part of the Campaign for Southern Equality’s We Do campaign which empowered gay and lesbian couples in our community to seek marriage licenses over the past two weeks, despite the knowledge that they would be turned down.  As you might remember the Executive Director of the Campaign, Jasmine Beach-Ferrara preached for us at the end of September. In the mix of couples was Matt and Shannon, the fathers of two beautiful children and friends of Hillary and Torry Bolter. I was blessed to meet them at Sophie’s Baptism celebration, Matt is a scientist and Shannon is a public school teacher.  Kadee and Ashley were also denied a marriage license—as they held their newborn daughter and suffered the injustice of having the state say your commitment will not be recognized. I know them because their oldest child, Tad was in the same preschool class as my Anna, when Anna needed dental surgery Ashley provided a second opinion and didn’t even charge us.  Gaby and Cindy who are legally married in the State of CA, are moms to the ever precocious Wiley and they were denied legal recognition of their marriage in our state.  Gaby wants to bubble wrap their son to keep him safe from the dangers of the world—she works at the hospital with Amanda and I and when she is not at the hospital she provides grief counseling to women who have lost a child—she and her partner have had a miscarriage and also lost an infant daughter days after her birth.  There were 17 other couples, neighbors and friends and citizens of our great city.   Included in that number was Kathryn Rutledge and Elizabeth Eve the two women who were arrested in the final act of disobedience at the week’s end.  As I stood among the clergy gathered to bless families of all stripes I was moved to tears—and I was reminded that a small group of committed citizens can indeed change the world.  I believe in this small little corner of the state the vision of a seminary student from Harvard, raised in NC as a gay kid—may be the beginning of that change.  I can’t wait to see the power of her vision unfold.

Today’s scripture from the book of Matthew recounts the story of Jesus in conversation with the Pharisee’s in which he declares, “Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” While a good progressive pastor, who supports taxation might be led to suggest Jesus expects us to pay taxes—I don’t think that is what Jesus is saying here.  That doesn’t mean that Jesus doesn’t support taxes just that Jesus wasn’t really making a statement in support or opposition to taxation in this story.  You see Jesus was in a tight spot—answering questions posited by the Pharisees that were intended to highlight his opposition to the Roman Empire and expedite his journey to the cross.  So when the Pharisees posed the question they believed that they were forcing Jesus’ hand to proclaim his truth and in doing so stirring the proverbial pot.  But Jesus doesn’t fall into this trap—instead he takes the coins which bear Ceasar’s name and says these must be Caesar’s—so give to Caesar what is Caesar and give to God that which is God’s.”   Which really does nothing to sort out the issue? While there are some in our nation who would like to eliminate the entire tax structure—our taxes pay for important things—like our roads and schools, care for the elderly and the sick, salaries for our policemen and firemen, the clean water that comes into our homes and the safe foods in our supermarkets.  Of course, our taxes also pay for bombs and the deportation of immigrants and healthcare for our representatives but not for those they represent, for an office and salary of a man in our city who is unable to provide basic civil protections for our LBGT families because the state of NC will not allow him to.  It’s a mixed bag as far as I am concerned, but that is the reality of where we are called to live out our discipleship and not just in words but in action, with the power of the Holy Spirit and with complete conviction, as Paul encouraged the people of Thessalonica.  And while Jesus declared render unto Caesar what is Caesar, he ultimately believed that all that we have is God’s.

A USA Today article this week said that a majority of teenagers today think Christian Churches are judgmental, overprotective, exclusive and unfriendly towards doubters.  I can’t help but think they haven’t been to our little church, but I hope one day they find the doors to a community like ours or the many others where God passes by and through and with people of good faith each and every day.  I get where these teens are coming from though and I suspect many of you do as well.  Much of what we hear about Jesus in Christian communities is a domesticated version that serves the existing culture of consumption and greed without calling it in to question, speaking truth to power, or moving us any closer to the kingdom.  What teenager doesn’t push the boundaries and rebel against the powers that rule their life?  As far as I am concerned the problem teenagers have with the church has little to do with Jesus and a lot to do with, well the, church—because the subversive Jesus that shows up all throughout scripture and today’s text is just the kind of Jesus that teens can relate to.  Too smart for his own good, unwilling to go quietly without a somewhat snarky comment…

Each and every day we are called to sort out the mess we encounter that is called life.  We can reinforce the failing and inadequate systems of power or we can challenge them. We are both citizens of a nation and subject to a culture that at times are counter to the realm of God that we hope for and anticipate.    Today we face a world even more out of control then in the year 2000 when an anonymous contributor to Christian Century declared “We spend more, but have less; we buy more, but enjoy it less. We have bigger houses and smaller families; more conveniences, but less time; more medicine, but less wellness. We read too little, watch TV too much and pray too seldom. We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. These are the times of tall men, and short character; steep profits, and shallow relationships. These are the days of two incomes, but more divorce; of a fancier house, but broken homes. We’ve learned how to make a living, but not a life; we’ve added years to life, not life to years; we’ve cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul.”[i] It’s big mess we’ve made…

If you’ve been in church most of your life then you know that about this time of year churches start talking about stewardship—which is the translation for a Greek word that means management of household affairs.  It always amazed me that churches spend such a short period of time talking about stewardship because the management of our household affairs is a 365 day a year job—and it’s not just about our bank accounts but our very lives!

The very mission of Land of the Sky United Church of Christ speaks to how we as a community hope to manage our affairs—we commit to living justly, loving abundantly and walking humbly in the ways of Jesus.  It’s a commitment that is not always easy, it’s a difficult task that we continually sort out as we labor in this world for God’s realm.  As most of us pride ourselves on being upstanding citizens, obeying the laws and paying our taxes it bears reminding that transforming the established social order, its structures of power, authority, and hierarchy often requires, a little bit and sometimes a lot of, subversive behavior.   Subversive behavior like sitting down on the floor of the Buncombe County Office of  the Register of Deeds and reading aloud the more than 300 benefits, privileges and protections that are afforded to heterosexual couples and refusing to leave in hopes that one day the world will hear and understand the injustice of our laws and demand change.

So what are you doing that’s subversive?

Every day we have a choice—we wake up in the face of too much injustice, unfairness and unkindness in the world. And we have to choose how to manage our lives in the midst of all of it.  That’s what stewardship is all about. There is no one size fits all solution—the formula is different for all of us.  But as a community we can continue to provide for one another the opportunities to engage in subversive activities, we can continue to meet in the spaces where subversive actions are already underway, we can give the fruits of our labor for the work of justice and peace and mercy. That is how we will move closer and closer to God’s realm.

How we give of ourselves is the greatest statement about what we value and what our hopes are for this world.  Our checkbooks are a powerful way to engage in subverting the systems and the culture of corporate greed in our nation.  Every dollar we spend, every time we enter our pin number to make a purchase, every time we write a check to support the causes we believe in—we can choose to do so subversively.  The culture tells you the more stuff you have the more you are, but subversives don’t need more stuff.  They want more justice, peace, compassion, sustainability.  People living subversively say I’ll pay more for farm fresh food because I want to support  local farmers even if it means I’ll have less for other desires.  People living subversively say I won’t by that product because I don’t want to support that company’s labor practices.  People living subversively work to eliminate debt and avoid spending more than they have because it’s counter to the culture that suggests credit is king.  People living subversively earn money not to fill their homes with stuff but because they know the more they have the more they can do to help meet the needs of the world that is right outside of our doors.  As a church, we have a checkbook and we have a budget and we need each person who shares in this community to discern how they might give to sustain and maintain this community—but we are one community in a much larger community in a nation and a world of needs.  Our community demonstrates a belief in sacrificial giving when we tithe every dollar that comes in to this community.  When you aren’t exactly sure how you will possibly meet your budget—giving away 10 cents of every dollar is subversive behavior.   And while I believe deeply it is important to meet the personal needs we have, particularly as we care for our families, I encourage you to think about giving as a subversive act and to strike a balance that feels a little risky—because every place we put a dollar, every way in which we spend each hour of the day is a statement about what we value.  In this community we are conscious about careful spending and we manage to do quite a lot with what we have, but know that each and every dollar that comes to this place is moving us toward the goal of our own sustainability—we are not yet there.  Currently, we receive sizeable contributions from outside sources—from our denomination ad from people who give subversively to this risky venture and eventually we as a community need to be able to support ourselves independently and to do so while faithfully and sacrificially giving out in to God’s greater world and its going to take some subversive giving to get it done.

Subversive giving isn’t just about finances though.  Subversive giving took place this week when each of the couples from the WEDO campaign courageously faced the indignity of our laws that treat the LGBT community as second-class citizens.  Those couples gave their time, their faces, their tears, their struggle, the story of their lives so that one day in this great state and across our nation—discrimination by the state against members of the gay and lesbian community will end.  That is subversive kingdom building and I am empowered to labor for the gospel just by witnessing it.

Subversive giving happens every time a child is adopted or a family opens their home to a child in foster care. Subversive giving happens when a small business pays a living wage and health benefits to its employee. Subversive giving doesn’t always speak loudly or boldy.  Subversive actions sometimes operate under the radar—and sometimes happen anonymously.  Sometimes they aren’t a direct attack, sometimes they’re couched in sarcasm like the words of Stephen Colbert who reminds us:  “If this is going to be a Christian nation that doesn’t help the poor, either we have to pretend that Jesus was just as selfish as we are, or we’ve got to acknowledge that He commanded us to love the poor and serve the needy without condition and then admit that we just don’t want to do it.”  Sometimes subversive actions take place in boardrooms behind closed doors (though not as often as they should), sometimes they take place on Wall Street in the face of police brutality, sometimes they take place in our families and in our homes, when we can no longer live in spaces of unwelcome, hatred and intolerance.  Subversive actions for the kingdom are done in peace because peace is counter to our culture of violence, but that doesn’t mean there is no conflict or unrest they take place. Subversive actions can take place in all kinds of spaces and they can be the catalyst for Christ’s love and light to shine even brighter in this world.

You might remember that Chrystal Cook and Amanda diligently write to their pen pals on death row, Roger and Robby.  Robby is a member of our church and it shouldn’t be lost on us that we are blessed to count Robby among us and that he manages to find ways to give to our community even from behind prison walls.  On death row, he is able to witness to the love of God and the power of Christ because he receives it from our community.  Chrystal and Amanda print out and send Roger and Robby bulletins and sermons. After reading about two of our new members in one of the sermons, Robby sent a welcome card to new members of our community—sharing the hospitality that he has received from many of this community.  It was a subversive act—that undermines the power of prison walls and speaks the truth that nothing contains the love of God that resides in the hearts of God’s people.

Chrystal recently began a blog this week and her first entry is about Roger, her pen pal.  She details how she shares with students her friendship with a death row inmate and their inevitable questions.  She explains, “I started writing to my friend Roger, not because of a scriptural mandate, nor in an attempt to earn God’s approval, nor to start a revolution, but because he said he would like a friend to write.  It’s just that simple.”  She continues “I believe that everyone deserves friendship and support, no matter their story.  I believe that everyone deserves a second chance, no matter what they’ve done.  I believe that love is powerful and that forgiveness heals.”

Her weekly letter exchange is a subversive act.  She chooses it over other ways to spend her time.  She values it enough to be consistent and committed.  It is inspiring.  She shares this, “In a recent letter Roger confided that in recent years, he had given up on people.  Being on the row for 13 years, largely rejected and ignored by family, and seeing death where the rest of us see a future, takes an incredible toll.  Roger said he had remained unconvinced that anyone really cared even after we had become pen pals.  But last week he said, “You know, I really believe that you and Jeff and your church care about me, and I haven’t had that feeling about anyone in a long long time.”  What a powerful testament to God’s enduring love.

So what will you do with your gifts?  What do you have to give and with whom will you share?  That is the ongoing challenge of stewardship—it’s not one Sunday in November when the church asks you for your money.  It’s not just about money though it includes decisions and the choices we make with our money.  It’s really about our entire lives…

A story is told of a rural pastor who would drive the church bus around every Sunday morning looking for people to bring to church.  He stopped at a house and knocked on the door and a young boy answered.  The pastor asked if he wanted to attend church and the little boy said he’d never been to church.  Delighted at the prospect of a new disciple, the pastor asked the little boy whether he wanted to hear the greatest love story ever told.  They sat down on the front porch and that pastor told him all about Jesus Christ and God’s love.  When the pastor had finished his story, the little boy said let me get my little brother—I sure do want to go to church.  They arrived at church and the boys sat in awe of the choir and the hymns and the nice people.  Towards the end of the service, some men and women in fancy jackets stood up and started passing baskets through the aisles.  Since he had never been to church he had no idea what they were doing.  He watched as the baskets got closer and then realized that people were putting money in the offering plates—their gifts for God.  He knew he didn’t have any money but he reached into his pockets hoping to find something.  He was devastated as the offering plate passed him by because he had given nothing.  He sat there as the ushers finished the collection and then started their walk to the back of the church.  He stood up and rushed to the back tapping the usher on his arm.  The usher turned around and the little boy said wait I haven’t given my gift.  He took the offering plate from the usher and said I don’t have any money to give but I’ve got all of me.  And he sat that offering plate on the floor and he stepped right in.

What are you willing to give?  Sisters and brothers, beloved of God—you have been chosen.  Will you prove your faith by actions, will you labor in love, will you show the constancy of hope that burns inside of you? How will you help build the kingdom?  What will you give?

1 Comment

• 

  By SLICK, October 19, 2011 @ 12:52 pm

  THIS is one fabulous and fantastic sermons. You seem to keep outdoing yourself when you have less and less time. It is your passion and love that directs your gifts to the written word, Sara. You are truly blessed.

Other Links to this Post

RSS feed for comments on this post. TrackBack URI

Leave a comment