Community Church Sermons

Year C

April 11, 2010

The Second Sunday of Easter

Speaking Up for God

John 20:19-31

Acts 5:27-32

Rev. Martin C. Singley, III

It just made me so mad!

I cannot even begin to fathom the heartbreak of the Snyder family, being informed by a Marine Corps chaplain that their son, Lance Corporal Matthew Snyder, was dead. Matthew had been killed on March 3, 2006 in a non-combat related accident in Al Anbar Province, Iraq. He was just 20-years old.

Matthew’s body was returned to his family. He was laid to rest on March 10^th in a cemetery in Westminster, Maryland.

That’s when the “Christians” showed up.

The placards they carried said things like, “Thank God for dead soldiers”; “God hates fags”; and “God hates America.” The members of the Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kansas believe that U.S. military deaths are God’s punishment for America’s tolerance of homosexuality. So they travel around the country conducting protests at military funerals like the one for Lance Corporal Matthew Snyder.

Al Snyder, Matthew’s brokenhearted father, sued the church for intentional infliction of emotional distress, defamation and invasion of privacy. A Baltimore jury found for the Snyder family, awarding them 5 million dollars.

I say, “Hooray!”

But…as most of us know, that verdict was appealed to the 4^th U.S. Circuit Court. The court overturned the verdict and instead ordered the Snyder family to pay the placard-carrying members of the Westboro Baptist Church almost $17,000 in court costs and legal fees.

That makes me SO mad!

Does it make YOU mad, too?

And it’s not just the court decision that should make us mad. We should be outraged as well that people representing God – representing Jesus – representing Christianity – say such things, do such things, and inflict such egregious injury upon innocent people like Al Snyder and his heartbroken family. Their son gave his life for our country. He is a hero in the truest sense of the word. But both Matthew and his grieving family have been treated like so much dirt by people who say they speak - for God.

And in the meantime, you and I live in a culture that tells people of faith like US – to shut up.

To keep our faith to ourselves.

And so the question arises in this tumultuous time when so many hurtful, angry, and hateful voices claim to represent the Divine, “Who WILL speak for God?”

The disciples of Jesus lived in a similar time and faced that same question.

When Jesus was killed, they ran for their lives. When Jesus arose, they returned to Jerusalem. We’re not sure exactly WHAT happened in the resurrection, but we know SOMETHING happened to cause them to turn around. And then they began to SPEAK – to tell everyone that would listen about the God who loved them enough to give his life for them. They proclaimed forgiveness, and friendship, and hope. They told about Jesus and his amazing life. They talked about loving one another, and bringing the justice of God to all who experience injustice. They declared that in Christ’s death, sins were atoned for, and that in Christ’s resurrection, new life was offered to everyone! They practiced such goodness that people wanted to join their cause and follow their Lord!

So the authorities – feeling threatened by this new vocal minority –had the disciples arrested. They were told by the powers-that-be to “shut up.”

Keep your faith to yourself. Don’t talk about your religion.

And when the disciples got out of jail, they had a choice to make.

Would they obey the demands of society? Or would they obey God?

Peter gives the answer in today’s reading from Acts 5:29. “We must obey God, rather than men,” Peter said. “The God of our fathers raised Jesus from the dead – whom you had killed…God exalted him to his own right hand as Prince and Savior that he might give repentance and forgiveness…”

Who will speak up for the God of Jesus Christ in the midst of a world that demands we keep our mouths shut?

“We will speak up for God,” answered the disciples.

How about you? How about Tellico Village Community Church?

The world needs us to find our voice as the people of God.

I’ve mentioned before that the fastest growing religious movement in America today is not Fundamentalism or Islam or the New Age movement. The fastest growing religious group in America today is the Church Alumni Association. These are people who grew up in the church, but have since walked away. These are our children, our friends, maybe even some of US here today who were nurtured in the Christian Faith, but have since left it for atheism, agnosticism, or some other alternative.

Members of the Church Alumni Association are some of my favorite people because they are usually pretty sharp and very honest about what they don’t buy about the church or the faith anymore. Whenever I have the opportunity to talk with them I like to say, “Tell me about this God you don’t believe in anymore,” or “Tell me what you think is wrong with the Christian Church.” And they do. They can’t quite get their minds around a God who essentially says, “Love me, or I’ll kill you and send you to hell.” They don’t find hope in a message that’s filled with judgment and hate, and where God seems to play favorites, and where women are portrayed as needing to be subservient to men. They see Christians and churches as out-of-touch with life as it is in the modern scientific internet-connected world today. They often see he Church as a destructive and dividing force, often times going to war in the name of religion. As one young man put it, “I know a lot of non-Christians who live more like Christ than many of the Christians I know.”

After listening to this young man and others like him, I usually say, “You know, I don’t believe in that kind of god or that kind of church either. Let me share with you about the God I do believe in.”

And then I tell them about Jesus, and about grace, and about accepting others, and about sticking up for people no one else will stick up for. And I tell them about you and this church, and the amazing ways we reach out to help abused children, and poor people, and those who life beats up on. And most of all, I share with them that I think they are closer to the real God than they think. I encourage them to keep thinking, to keep asking questions, and to not settle for any religious idea that does not begin and end with loving neighbor. And I congratulate them for being so committed to seeking the truth about God.

And do you know what often happens after that? They say, “That’s a God I might be able to believe in. That’s the kind of church I might be interested in.”

Who will speak up for the God of the risen Jesus Christ?

You see, our silence as Christian people simply gives the floor over to people like the members of the Westboro Baptist Church, or any other ignorant, hateful or unhealthy religious group whose message harms people, divides people, and ultimately turns people away from God.

So who will speak up for the good, loving, life-giving, people-affirming, sin-forgiving, community-building God of Jesus Christ?

Will you? Will we?

This is the first question asked of the followers of Jesus after the resurrection. Faith is not just about believing. Faith is also about SPEAKING out and bearing witness to our God and his kingdom.

Our colleague and friend Dr. Clyde Fant tells of meeting Al Wehrle, the man who would become his best friend. It was at a dinner party many years ago and Al had just arrived on campus at Stetson University to serve as Registrar. Al was a retired Army Colonel. During dinner, one of the men there started telling a racial joke. Al – brand new to the community – put his hand up and said, “Stop right there. I don’t listen to racial jokes.” The man said, “No, you don’t understand, it’s…” Al interrupted, standing up to his full 6’5” height (Al, by the way, played collegiate basketball for the University of Connecticut). “Oh yes, I DO understand,” Al said, “and if you tell it, I’m leaving.”

Well, the man stopped. Al stayed. A good time was had by all. And afterwards, Clyde Fant – who was a leading Southern Baptist voice for racial reconciliation and justice – went up to Al and shook his hand. “Thank you, for that,” he said.

And they’ve been friends ever since.

Who will speak up for God and the values of the kingdom of heaven? When you are out there in your circle of friends and things come up that give God a bad name, or that foster attitudes that oppose the Gospel of Jesus, what will you do?

The disciples spoke up. Al Wehrle spoke up. What about you?

Speaking up for God and the values of the kingdom of heaven also includes speaking up for the church. There’s a lot of bad news out there about churches these days, and some of it is well-deserved. No church is perfect. But there’s also a lot of greatness found in churches today, and it needs to be shared. I was deeply moved in reading Pastor Rhonda’s newsletter article this month. It’s titled “I Love My Church” and it reads like this:

The other day I was talking with someone new to our church who discovered us from a chance meeting and an invitation from one of our members. This person now LOVES our church! She has been attending regularly for some time now, driving in from Blount County to be a part of a wonderful congregation like ours. She even related that she’s thinking of buying property in Tellico Village just to be closer to Tellico Village Community Church!

Her passion and enthusiasm for our church caught my attention, and prompted me to reflect on all the reasons why I love our church, too. I remember during my interview process someone asked me, “Why would a young family like yours want to come be a part of a church of mostly retirees?”

I don’t remember how I answered the question then, but I know how I’d answer it today. I love my church! I love it that my little boy has hundreds of “grandmas and grandpas” who love him and watch out for him. I love being a part of a church and community where people take care of one another. I love that our church is genuinely interdenominational—empty of dogma but full of love. When I first began to explore our church I listened to sermons from Marty and Tim online, and I discovered preaching void of hate but ripe with truth and inspiration. When I snuck into worship one Sunday to get a feel for whether or not I would submit a resume, I felt the warmth of God’s spirit all around me. The choir anthem lifted my soul! I could tell during that first incognito visit that you were a loving, laughing, lively group of Christians, and I wanted to be a part of you and use my gifts and talents to help you build an even stronger church. I sent my resume the next week. That was the ONLY resume I submitted. It’s been three years since I put that resume in the mail, and it was one of the best decisions of my life. Since that time I have been amazed at the varied and numerous ways that you reach out into the community. You are truly a “love your neighbor” congregation! I’ve been delighted and sometimes overwhelmed by the love and care expressed to me and my family.

“Why would a young family like yours want to come be a part of a church of mostly retirees?” I’ll throw the question back at you—why wouldn’t we?!? WE LOVE OUR CHURCH!”

Who will speak up for God, and who will speak up for the church? The disciples did. Al Wehrle did. Rhonda did.

Will YOU?