AngloBaptist's blog

Sermon: The Second Sunday of Easter
The Community Church of Wilmette
April 19, 2009

What is it about preaching on the Sunday after Easter that is so difficult? Is it the blissful exhaustion? Last year at this time Trish and I were in Galena trying not to buy pottery.

Aren’t we done? What went wrong? Weren’t we all together here just last week?

Has anyone else here seen The Lord of the Rings films? I hope so. They are great movies.

I have seen the third movie now two times. I assume I will see it again and probably in the theatre, too. Who knows how many times I will watch it on video or DVD. I am already looking forward to the extended version. I have seen the two preceding films several times each. I have even read and reread the books over the last twenty years. I love these stories. They are epic in scope. They speak of hope and despair. They are tales of overcoming impossible odds to defeat an evil threatening to destroy everything.

Sermon: The Third Sunday of Advent, Year B 2008
The Community Church of Wilmette
December 14, 2008

The Prophet's Light
There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him.
He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light.

Sermon: the 26th Sunday after Pentecost, Year A
The Community Church of Wilmette
November 9, 2008

Trimmed and Burning

Did you ever think that you would see the day?
Did you ever think that you would see the day?
Did you ever think that an African-American man would be elected President of the United States of America in our lifetime?

I am not sure that I truly believed it. I still have images of the intense segregation of my home town, Richmond. I still struggle with the deep divisions and segregation that exists in Chicago. Those wounds run so deep. The struggles and the blight of racism is still so very real...even here in the so-called enlightened north.

I was so disappointed the day that I realized how divided Chicago was. I came here thinking Chicago would show me a different way of living in a multi-racial community.

I never thought I would ever see an African-American elected to the highest office in our country. Never.

So, the national press corps had their shot at Rev Wright yesterday. Did anyone get a chance to listen to the footage? I wonder if there is a podcast of it.

Anyway, once again I am inspired to write an editorial for a local paper to express my frustration at the popular misunderstanding of the power of the pulpit...especially as it exists in the congregationalist traditions. There seems to be this notion that the preacher wields tremendous power from the pulpit...not influence, but dictatorial power. If the preacher says it, then I gotta run with it. It's simply not so. And there are few if any Christian traditions who hold to such a view.

I think that the media forgets this. No matter how flamboyant the preacher, no matter how clear the logic, the freedom of the hearer to embrace the preacher Word is sacrosanct.

What do you guys think about this? Am I missing something?

Sermon The Sixth Sunday of Easter
The Community Church of Wilmette
April 27, 2008

Acts 17:22-31
John 14:15-21

Who Are God's Children?

A little more than a week ago I attended the National Workshop on Christian Unity. We spoke about our work together as denominations. We learned about the theological accords and debates that are still ongoing. And Michael Kinnemon, the General Secretary of the National Council of Churches, in his keynote address challenged us to recall that any real unity will come through God’s work and not by our own efforts. We cannot make idols of our agreements our Councils or even our shared charitable work. Unity is in God. It was in incredible indictment and the statement rang true to most in attendance.

The passage from Acts this morning challenges me to find ways to embody this kind of ecumenism in my personal faith life and in our shared faith life. What of our personal faith traditions have become idols? What of our traditions is of God?

Sometimes people read this passage as a proof for the "spiritual but not religious" approach to faithfulness. It’s more accurate, however, to say that this passage is about being "faithful but not idolatrous." Paul is trying to undo idolatry, not religion.

Sermon: Easter Sunday Year A 2008
The Community Church of Wilmette
March 23, 2008

Ps. 118:1-2, 14-24
Acts 10:34-43
Mt. 28:1-10

Indeed, No Partiality

The theological is in the news once again. If we are going to have to see it in the news, I want you all to know a little something about what theology is behind all of the hubub. Today is Easter Sunday. Today we make the most profound theological statement available to us as Christians.

Alleluia! The Lord is Risen!
The Lord is Risen, indeed! Alleluia!

Once again the theological is in the news.
Jeremiah Wright, the now retired pastor of Trinity UCC in Chicago, preached a sermon following the horrific attacks on September 11, 2001 that has come back to haunt him and the presidential candidate he loves so well, Senator Obama.

Have you all heard this news?
Do you know the words from the sermon?
Take a listen.

“The government gives them the drugs, builds bigger prisons, passes a three-strike law and then wants us to sing 'God Bless America.' No, no, no. God damn America – that's in the Bible – for killing innocent people. God damn America for treating our citizens as less than human. God damn America for as long as she acts like she is God and she is supreme.”

Sermon: The Fifth Sunday of Lent, Year A 2008
The Community Church of Wilmette
March 9, 2008

Romans 8:6-11
John 11:1-45

Founded upon Tears

The church of God is founded upon tears.

This is one of the truest things I can say about the church. It is founded upon the tears of Christ. It is upheld by the tears of the followers of Christ. And how often I forget this truth. I become distracted by other things…

Today’s passage from John is fraught with distractions for me. John has chosen to write it in such a way as to force us, to compel us to ask theological questions. He puts theology in the mouths of those around Jesus.

Martha says, “I know that [Lazarus] will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” This is a stoic confession of faith, a correct statement. It covers her grief and in this way it upholds her.

She also says, “I know that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one coming into the world.”

Sermon: Fourth Sunday of Lent, Year A 2008
The Community Church of Wilmette
March 2, 2008

Psalm 23
John 9:1-42

Free to See

The thing that is most surprising to me is this:
The man who had been blind since birth,
the same man who had been begging outside their walls
for years,
their neighbors’ son,
is someone that they did not recognize.

All this talk about sight, gaining it, healing it, and,
for the Pharisees at least, losing it,
and it is so easy to miss this simple little point:
Before Jesus had come along and healed the man
no one knew who he was. And no one cared.

I love a trial scene as much as the next guy,
and this one in John’s gospel is pretty famous
all things being equal. Someone who has received
grace is being blamed for it…being blamed for being healed.
He was healed on the wrong day.
And he wasn’t supposed to be healed at all.
It was not supposed to be possible.
No one had ever done it before.

And this presents a familiar problem for the Pharisees.
It’s familiar to me at least. I hear old complaints in my mind.
Doesn’t he know his place in society?
Doesn’t he know that he’s not supposed to get better?
Doesn’t he know how to stay anonymous?
And why won’t he tell us who is to blame?
Who sinned? This man or his parents?

This is the trouble with some types of blindness.