February 5 - An Evolutionary Community

February 5, 2012               An Evolutionary Community

Anchor: We are a community of Artistic, Evolutionary, Revolutionary Christians

Frame: How are we an evolving community? Are we ready for evolution?

Thread: Deep in Our Hearts, Never Place a Period

Matthew 13:31-33

Jesus presented another parable to the crowds: “The kin-dom of heaven is like the mustard seed which a farmer sowed in a field. It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is the biggest shrub of all—it becomes a tree so that the birds of the air come to perch in its branches.”

Jesus offered them still another parable: “The kin-dom of heaven is like the yeast a baker took and mixed in with three measures of flour until it was leavened all through.”

The images that Jesus chose to describe god’s activity in the world are not static. They are images of life and growth. The kin-dom of heaven is like a growing mustard seed, starting tiny but growing and growing until evolves past a shrub and becomes a tree. The kin-dom of heaven is like the living yeast that leavens the flour, making it rise and rise. Jesus grew up in a rural setting and turned to agrarian images that he and his audience knew thoroughly. And just as they knew that the needs of life grew like grain and fruit, Jesus showed that God’s activity involved growth, too.

If we believe that in some way we embody a corner of God’s kin-dom, then we too should expect that we are growing and evolving. We are that mustard plant, the yeast leavening the world around us. Do we really expect that we are evolving as a faith community? The question facing SCUCC is not if we are evolving but in what ways are we evolving?

It is my hope and belief that we have a perspective that others are looking for. There is no reason that our congregation cannot grow.  I believe we can double, maybe even triple in size. I am not saying that we need to rival the Crystal Cathedral. But in order to grow into saying that we A-R-E Christians (artistic, revolutionary, evolutionary), we need to grow. I can’t believe that the people already here at SCUCC are the only people in our area that are seeking spiritual freedom, nurture, and passion. That evolution is uncharted, because as people find us and join us on the journey, they will become a part of our character. We will continue to evolve.

Evolution is a funny thing. It doesn’t go as planned. It goes as life needs it to go. A fish crawls on land and develops lungs. And legs. A few millions years and it becomes T-Rex. A few million more years and T-Rex becomes Foghorn Leghorn. We have no idea how today’s chickens, still carrying the recombinant DNA of its T-Rex ancestors, may yet evolve. Our DNA comes from the Pilgrims, from Abolitionists, from Suffrage activists. But what we will yet be is still open to us. We will evolve as life needs us to grow. Taking some time to imagine ourselves as a congregation in ten or twenty or a hundred years might be a great exercise of creative prayer.

A video of how people become a part of a movement is one from a music festival where one guy starts a goofy dance, and in a few minutes a whole crowd joins him. You can see it at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GA8z7f7a2Pk&feature=related

It’s a good parable about welcoming others into your joy. For us, it’s all about inviting new people to join our dance.

            Another look at evolution would be to go back to original concept drawings of our campus. That vision of the future never developed, but other things have grown. We could look at a bunch of old “life in the future” pictures (you know, with flying cars and ray guns) and then flash on the concept drawing (it kind of looks like that old future vision!). We could do a skit about a message from the future, telling us now how to get ready.

            I’m also thinking of giving away some kind of invitations, so that our people can invite other to join us on this A-R-E adventure.

            A side thought, back on the dinosaur-evolution mode: Many today think denominations (including the UCC) are dinosaurs and on their way to extinction. But the dinosaurs never completely disappeared. They evolved. The huge, plodding, slow-to-react dinosaurs did die off, but the soaring, fast-to-change-direction smaller but more agile dinosaurs exist today. We call them eagles and sparrows and nightingales. At SCUCC, we are in the process of exchanging our scales for feathers.

Jan 29 an Artistic Community

January 29 – Hybrid service  10:00

Anchor: We are a community of Artistic, Evolutionary, Revolutionary christians

Frame: How are we an artistic community?

Thread: Deep in Our Hearts, Never Place a Period

Exodus 35:20-29

Then all the congregation of the Israelites withdrew from the presence of Moses. And they came, everyone whose heart was stirred, and everyone whose spirit was willing, and brought the Lord’s offering to be used for the tent of meeting, and for all its service, and for the sacred vestments. So they came, both men and women; all who were of a willing heart brought brooches and earrings and signet rings and pendants, all sorts of gold objects, everyone bringing an offering of gold to the Lord. And everyone who possessed blue or purple or crimson yarn or fine linen or goats’ hair or tanned rams’ skins or fine leather, brought them. Everyone who could make an offering of silver or bronze brought it as the Lord’s offering; and everyone who possessed acacia wood of any use in the work, brought it. All the skilful women spun with their hands, and brought what they had spun in blue and purple and crimson yarns and fine linen; all the women whose hearts moved them to use their skill spun the goats’ hair. And the leaders brought onyx stones and gems to be set in the ephod and the breastpiece, and spices and oil for the light, and for the anointing-oil, and for the fragrant incense. All the Israelite men and women, whose hearts made them willing to bring anything for the work that the Lord had commanded by Moses to be done, brought it as a freewill-offering to God.

                We have completed the first round of exploring the new vision statement. This first round looked at our individual aspects of being artistic, evolutionary and revolutionary. Now we begin a course of exploring how we as a gathered community live out those characteristics.

                And while we did not discuss a fourth term in our vision statement series, it was very intentional that the phrase says, “SCUCC is a community of Artistic, Evolutionary, Revolutionary christians.” It is the gathering together, the creating of a safe place to engage the Spirit, to live life fully that we can experience the dynamism of what Jesus called living abundantly.

                We begin by looking at how we are a community of artists. The scripture from Exodus is an example of how the people came together to create a beautiful place to worship God. Some were artisans, while others artfully brought what they could give. The Tabernacle was not the creation of any one person. It was a community work of art. In the film Billy Elliot, a boy from a coal-mining family in Britain discovers ballet.  His very blue-collar father finally comes around and supports him by bringing Billy to an audition at a prestigious dance academy. At the last moment of the audition, Billy is asked how he feels when he dances. He struggles for words but finally talks about flying, soaring, fire, and electricity. (The clip can be seen at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0tTT_87Hh8 ) His response is as good a description of a spiritual experience as I know. Our calling as an artistic community is provide a safe place (sanctuary?) for people to truly experience the spirit in all its energy and abundance. Artists need a place to create art, and the name of that place is a studio. It was a wise choice that at SCUCC we name one of our worship experiences “The Studio.” It is a place to practice the art of Spirit.

               

                Because of the Annual Meeting, we are hybridizing the 2 services, and I think it would be good to include a little flavor of each. The combined service is a good symbol of community. Though we have 2 different approaches to worship, we are still one community. I know that the choir will be prepared to sing. I also know that Shea will be out of town and that he was thinking of asking Leon to be with us.

                We could begin with a procession of cloth and candles, people from both services to create a beautiful space around the altar. I’d like to run the Billy Elliot clip, and maybe have a couple people from either service talk about worship times when they really experienced God showing up. I also think it would be a could time to have some kind of act of dedication to making our community the sort of place where it is safe to play and create and be artistic with the Spirit.

January 22 Evolutionary christians

January 22    Evolutionary christians

“Only when we have become nonviolent towards all life will we have learned to live well with others.” 
― César Chávez

“When the man who feeds the world by toiling in the fields is himself deprived of the basic rights of feeding, sheltering, and caring for his own family, the whole community of man is sick.” 
― César Chávez

If God can work through me, he can work through anyone.
--Francis of Assisi

Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love.
--Francis of Assisi

“To you who hear me, I say: love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you, Bless those who curse you, and pray for those who mistreat you.  When they slap you on one cheek, turn and give them the other; when they take your coat, let them have your shirt as well. Give to all who beg from you. When someone takes what is yours, don’t demand it back. “Do to others what you would have them do to you. If you love those who love you, what credit does that do you? even ‘sinners’ love those who love them. If you do good only to those who do good to you, what credit does that do you? even ‘sinners’ do as much.  If you lend to those you expect to repay you, what credit does that do you? even ‘sinners’ lend to other ‘sinners,’ expecting to be repaid in full.  Love your enemies and do good to them. Lend without expecting repayment, and your reward will be great. You’ll rightly be called children of the most high, since God is good even to the ungrateful and the wicked. “Be compassionate, as your loving God is compassionate.
--Jesus of Nazareth  (Luke 6:27-36)

Anchor: We are Artistic, Evolutionary, Revolutionary christians

Frame: Christ invites us to transform and heal our world

Thread: Never place a period

Question: How am I changing the world for the better?

To be artistic means bringing passion to what we do; we reflect and engage the image of the Creator in which we are made. Being evolutionary means trusting that we are growing and developing and that our (scientific) understanding of the world is reliable and accurate as we know it today. To be revolutionary does not mean taking up arms, it means acting in our own life in ways that bring love, compassion and justice into the world. How we live, the choices we make, the energy we put into the world affects the world. Jesus’ teaching had an emphasis on this reality. the Kin-dom of god that Jesus proclaimed was about how this world would look if we really let God be in control. I, for one, follow Christ because I hope to help make the world a better place.

My thoughts for the studio experience are about Fair Trade products. We could start by making a pot of Fair Trade coffee up front. Later, after the coffee is brewed, we can talk about Fair Trade coffee and how the choices we make do make a difference in the world. Here is a link for a rather lengthy video about Fair Trade and how it affects the lives of real people. I’m sure the video can be edited down.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJ7G66vStx4&feature=player_embedded#!

These days there are many fairly traded products, giving us a positive option for our consumer choices. There is chocolate, clothing, houseware items, tea, and more items every day. SCUCC has supported this in the past with the Christmas WHEAT store and using fairly traded coffee (I do not think our current coffee is FT).

The point of this discussion is that we have each have even small choices whereby we can help change the world for the better.

The quotes by Cesar Chavez, Francis of Assisi, and yes even Jesus point to how we each participate in the transformation of the world. As we evolve as christians, we pray that the changes we participate in are transformations of healing and grace.

Song idea – Revolution by the Beatles

You say you want a revolution
Well, you know
We all want to change the world
You tell me that it's evolution
Well, you know
We all want to change the world
But when you talk about destruction
Don't you know that you can count me out
Don't you know it's gonna be all right
All right, all right

You say you got a real solution
Well, you know
We'd all love to see the plan
You ask me for a contribution
Well, you know
We're doing what we can
But when you want money 
For people with minds that hate
All I can tell is brother you have to wait
Don't you know it's gonna be all right
All right, all right
Ah

Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah...

You say you'll change the constitution
Well, you know
We all want to change your head
You tell me it's the institution
Well, you know
You better free you mind instead
But if you go carrying pictures of chairman Mao
You ain't going to make it with anyone anyhow
Don't you know it's gonna be all right
All right, all right
All right, all right, all right
All right, all right, all right

January 15 - Being Evolutionary christians

January 15 – We are Evolutionary christians

By naming ourselves as “Evolutionary” christians, we are hoisting the progressive flag. Not only do we believe that life is a process and that we grow our whole lives long, but to say that we are evolving puts us squarely in a non-literalist camp. It is a deliberate choice to use a word form of evolution. One layer of this conversation is specifically about how we read the bible.

                By and large, we do not read Genesis 1 literally. We do not see that poetic text as a literal description of how God made the world in six twenty-four days. We do not see a controversy between Genesis’ six days and the physicists’ estimate of 14 billion years. We are able to hold together spiritual truth and scientific evidence. I said something like this one in a sermon. Actually I intentionally said, “I do not believe that the world was created in six days.” After the service, this ninety year old man was heading my way with that “I want to talk to you” look on his face. I held my breath and steeled myself for a confrontation. He leaned his head toward me in a conspiratorial way and almost whispered to me, “I believe that, too!” I wonder how long he had waited to be able to say that in church.

                Three ideas speak to me about being evolutionary this Sunday: 1. Being bible based but not bible bound, 2. Having evolved past some of the bible’s limitations, and 3. Our evolving understanding of our relationship as part of the human family. Number three lives large this Sunday because of the Martin Luther King holiday.

                We are bible based because the testimony about the life of Jesus informs and forms how we live our lives. It speaks to us of God’s untamed, unconditional love. We understand that the bible is the written testimony of human beings speaking about their faith and relationship to God. As human testimony it is as flawed as any human endeavor. Nonetheless God uses this flawed human construct to continue speaking to us and transforming lives with love and hope. Recognizing its limitations, we are not bible-bound. The bible is not the only source of our understanding, knowledge or experience of God.

                Our evolving understanding has moved us past some of the constraints of those writers. We approach human sexuality differently. We see gender-roles in a vastly transformed way. We conceive of the community faith based on evolving assumptions. The UCC (and SCUCC) does not limit the role of women in leadership, does not prescribe a dress code for appropriate worship, or set limits on acceptability for membership in the faithful.

                MLK was an eminent example of humanity’s evolving edge specifically in terms of race relations, though he clearly saw it in the larger picture of peace, justice, and God’s emerging kin-dom. If Darwin is right that natural selection allows the stronger (more evolutionarily successful) animals to survive, then ideas like MLK’s (and Gandhi’s, and Jesus’) are truly evolutionary. They are the ideas and concepts that survive and beckon us to grow into a better humanity.

                And I think that is the crux of what being evolutionary christians is all about: evolving into a better humanity. It is growing into our divinity.

                I imagine one scenario of bringing the “bible-based but not bible-bound” idea to life is having a woman with braided hair and lots of jewelry and make-up stand up and start reading scripture. I would interrupt her and quote 1 Timothy 2:8 (“women should dress themselves modestly and decently in suitable clothing, not with their hair braided, or with gold, pearls, or expensive clothes”). Then someone with a tattoo, and I would quote Leviticus 49: 28 at them (You shall not make any gashes in your flesh for the dead or tattoo any marks upon you: I am the Lord.) Then another woman could begin to speak and I’d quote 1 Corinthians 14:34 (women should be silent in the churches. For they are not permitted to speak, but should be subordinate, as the law also says.) About then somebody else gets up and asks me if I’ve read 1 Corinthians 11:14 (Does not nature itself teach you that if a man wears long hair, it is degrading to him). The point being that none of us can measure up to all those human standards imposed by a literal reading of the bible, and we haven’t even broached issues of sexuality here.

                Another thought I have is that it was one year ago that the beat poet made his appearance (I remember because it was an MLK poem). Mr. Beat Poet could do a lot with “bible-based but not bible-bound.”

                And of course when I think about evolution I think about this clip from the Simpsons: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=faRlFsYmkeY I think we have used this before, but Homer always makes me laugh. Also, Mr Deity wades into this, too: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9P09Sj4-Xs&feature=g-all-c&context=G2a3bd1dFAAAAAAAAAAA

                So, our question for this week is, “How are we evolving? (physically, intellectually, spiritually…)

                Anchor: We are a community of artistic, evolutionary, revolutionary christians.

                Frame: evolution

                Thread: Never place a period.

I am struggling for one solid scriptural base for this Sunday. Any thoughts?