Exodus 19:2-8a and Matthew 9:35-10:23
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| Duccio di Buoninsegna, Christ Taking Leave of the Apostles 1308-1311 (PD) |
I’ve got bad news to share with you all today; Pastor Bob Humphrey was elected this past weekend at our Synod assembly.
And Bob Humphrey is NO Jim Mauney!
Pending Bishop Mauney’s retirement in September, Bishop-Elect Bob Humphrey will take over the office of the Bishop of the Virginia Synod.
This isn’t the first time congregations in our synod have received such bad news.
In 1999, we came to discover that Bishop Mauney was NO Richard Bansemer.
And in 1987 we were warned that Bishop Bansemer was NO Buck Moyer.
Even in 1976, everyone knew that Bishop Moyer was NO Luther Mauney.
Yet in spite of this “bad news” our Synod seems to go on.
Raising over 2 million dollars in a few short years, coming closer to our goal for the Forwarding Faith campaign, which will support faith formation programs for generations to come.
Commemorating the 300th anniversary of the oldest Lutheran Church in the nation this past year, a congregation that is still a living, active worshipping community.
And continuing to support national and international projects to combat hunger, provide shelter, educate, and share the good news with people far and wide!
But how is that possible that such things continue on as we have lost these leaders over time?
Now, hear me out because I love Bishop Mauney.
So does my family, and Pastor Stephen, and his family.
He has been a beloved Bishop. He has been a beloved man.
But it is not because of Bishop Mauney or any of these other men mentioned that we go on in our mission.
It is because of CHRIST!
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In our first lesson today,
God tells Moses what God envisions for this nation of slaves.
They will become a nation of Priests!
Now, just think of what purpose a nation of priests would serve?
Would a nation of priests be called to serve themselves?!
Would a nation of warriors be called to their own nation?
No! That would be a police state!
A nation that is specifically given the collective vocation of ministry is the vocation of serving other nations, even the entire world!
Israel, a nation of priests, 12 tribes of priests.
And how will this come to pass?
Moses is given some very specific instructions.
He is to BE God’s voice, NOT God but God’s voice.
He is not to speak his OWN words but God’s words.
Moses’ call is to be nothing more than an amplifier, a sounding board FOR God.
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| James Tissot, Moses and Aaron Speak to the People 1896-1905 (PD) |
And trust me, that is a terrifying task.
Because the challenge to silence your own voice is far more challenging than the call to echo the voice of God, IF the word of God is put before you.
But this is where the challenge lies.
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In 1952 a young pastor was just getting his start.
He had a vision for himself.
He believed he would create a new kind of church.
A fully integrated church made up of many different races.
He believed that an integrated church would serve as an example to the entire nation and put an end to segregation.
And this vision forced him to leave many congregations.
But he was faithful to his call, and he became a well-known civil rights leader in Indianapolis.
Eventually, his congregation swelled to over 3,000 members!
And his church grew throughout Indiana, then throughout the country, then it expanded beyond the United States.
Sounds amazing doesn’t it!!?
Can you imagine?
3,000 people?
If we just had a Bishop like THAT!
If we only had a pastor like THAT!
If this congregation just loved me or Pastor Stephen the way that congregation loved their pastor!
Wow, just imagine the things we could do!
We could move to Guyana and build our own town!
We could become financially autonomous and self reliant!
Maybe even form our own denomination!
We could call it… I dunno… Jonestown!
Pastor Jim Jones was a well intentioned and gifted pastor.
But then one day his congregation loved him a bit too much.
And he welcomed their praise a bit too much.
Until one day, Jim Jones and his followers lost sight of who God really was.
They lost sight of who God really was, because they came to believe that Jim Jones was God.
On November 28, 1978 Jones ordered over 900 of his followers to drink cyanide laced kool-aid and his ministry became known for its final act in Jonestown rather than the great work they had done in Indiana.
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| Jim Jones at an anti-eviction rally in San Francisco in 1977, Photo by Nancy Wong (14 Jan. 1977) Creative Commons photo |
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It is a real danger in ministry,
The danger of “drinking the Kool-Aid.”
It was a danger for Moses and the Israelites too.
In fact, it was probably the reason Moses didn’t enter into the promised land.
And don’t be fooled by Joshua, he was NO Moses!
It’s a danger for the disciples too.
In fact it is such a worry that Jesus instructs them to proclaim the good news of Christ above and beyond all other things.
Even instructing them to silence their own lips and let God do the talking for them.
Its a call to use the Word of God as the basis of everything they say when their testimony is proclaimed,
When they are drug onto the witness stand.
Which essentially is the purpose of the pulpit.
The pulpit is considered one of the most valuable liturgical pieces of furniture in the Church.
In the 18th century, many English speaking congregations had a triple tiered pulpit.
The bottom level was reserved for announcements, the second level was reserved for the readings, and the third level was reserved for the Word; the Sermon.
And there was a significant reason for this;
It signified the authority of the one preaching.
In fact, in Islam and Judaism, similar platforms are used to signify that the one speaking is speaking on behalf of God.
That is the danger that draws Moses, the Israelites, and the disciples back to the Word.
The Word is meant to remind them of whose voice they represent, the weight of that voice, the weight of that role, the weight of that authority, and the demand that their Words be precise, devout, and true.
Because to misrepresent God should be the most terrifying sin imaginable for the one who has spoken for God.
But it is also a reminder to have confidence, trust, faith in that Word as the Word of God.
To study that word with diligence and craft that Word in a precise way, free of error and heresy.
No matter how grand or gifted the one speaking may be, because after all 12 disciples are certainly NO 12 tribes of Israel,
And Moses is definitely not God.
But Jesus IS God’s Word, THE WORD made flesh that dwells here among us.
And while I may be no Moses, Peter, James, John, Simon, Thomas, I also know they weren’t God but they strived to craft their words to reflect God.
Putting the Word at the center of what they did.
Checking into this witness stand to give God their voice.
So, the pulpit serves as a reminder of whose voice is being heard, both for the listener and especially the speaker.
It serves as a reminder of the authority of that voice but also a reminder to the speaker of the consequences of misusing such an authority.
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As a boy, I used to try to catch Star Trek right around dinner time.
It didn’t happen on every episode, but I always loved when Captain Kirk would leave the bridge of the Enterprise.
Not because of the mission he was about to engage in or the adventure that would ensue, but because I loved laughing at Mr. Sulu’s face when Captain Kirk would proclaim;
“Mr. Sulu, you have the con!”
Every time I saw Mr. Sulu’s face, it appeared he needed to change his underwear, as he took control of the bridge of the Enterprise, in turn taking control of the entire starship.
Sisters and brothers, this pulpit is the con and if my face doesn’t look like Mr. Sulu’s when I step into it, it should.
Because it is a reminder that I am NO God, nor am I Jesus Christ.
It is also a reminder that God’s Word, THE Christ is at the center of what occurs from this witness stand.
And it is why the election of Bob Humphrey as our Bishop is just as good of news as the day Bishop Mauney was elected,
And Bishop Bansemer before him,
And Bishop Moyer before him,
Because at the center of what they are called to be as Bishop is the Word, and that Word will always surpass our own if we remember its place at the center of all we do.
Amen.
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| Icon Portraying the First Council at Nicaea, Author and Date Unknown (PD) |
Sources
Rodenberry, G., & Freitberger, F. (Writers), & Coon, G. L., & Lucas, J. M. (Producers). 1966-1969. Star Trek [Television series]. New York, New York: NBC.
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