Eric Lax in an Op-Ed column in the New York Times (“Have Faith in Love,” February 7, 2010) wrote an excellent and moving piece on why full inclusion of gays and lesbians in the life of the Episcopal Church is a profoundly Christian move. He rightly recognizes that both Church and society have grown in their understanding of human sexuality and divine love since the 1970s.
The Church of 2010 seems splintered into factions, each pushing a relatively narrow agenda. Individually, many of these agendas constitute part of the mission God has set before the Church. However, fidelity to that mission requires focusing broadly on God's love, incorporating many disparate interests. The Bible is the story of God's love for all, not just a few.
One of my seminary professors observed that most preachers, even with the help of the lectionary, routinely emphasize a handful of themes in their preaching. Over the years of my ministry, I have regularly and consciously attempted to preach on a diverse set of themes and topics. Paying attention to the lectionary helps. Auditing my sermons, asking what is the primary theme/topic for each, and then intentionally working to preach on spirituality, self, others, the world, current issues, relational issues, etc., has enabled me – most of the time, I hope – to avoid falling into the habit of repeatedly hitting the same themes/topics.
Thus, the selection of February 14, 2010 as Environmental Sunday dismayed me. None of the lessons in the Revised Common Lectionary utilized by the Episcopal Church and many other denominations, at least as I read them, easily and directly speak to the extremely important and timely issue of environmental stewardship. The sermon resources the sponsoring group posted on its website completely ignore the lessons. Why not choose the following Sunday as Environmental Sunday?
If we believe that the Bible is a window through which the light of God shines, illuminating our lives, then connecting sermon and scripture seems a sine qua non for most Christian preaching. Not every sermon must connect directly with one or more of the lessons, e.g., I have preached on the Creed. However, when many people in the Church sadly and wrongly believe that the Bible says little or nothing about environmental issues, emphasizing that connection seems especially important.
1 comments:
George, you are such an inspiration to others. Just don't get tarred and feathered and run out of town.
It is to the Church's and the congregation's benefit to actually use sermons to talk about issues that we should be concerned with.
How many years pass before we have heard the same story, or sermon over and over. Keep it fresh, memorable, and possibly local or regional should be the main objective.
Yes the Church had rather you follow their guidelines but to stray from the topic of the day is not desecrating the theological perspectives.
Enlightenment is not heresy.
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