·
Incomprehensible doctrines like the Trinity, Election, and
Hell
·
Ways in which it has functioned as a handmaiden to
colonialism,
racism, slavery, misogyny, and
homophobia
Nevertheless,
as egregious as these crimes are for which it is truly guilty, I unequivocally
proclaim that I am happy to be rooted and grounded in the Christian
tradition. Why? For two simple reasons: First, Christianity
calls to me and helps me see what is possible. And second: this life of faith and devotion
is not simply about me. Here’s
what I mean.
Christianity
is my first spiritual language, and try as I might, it refuses to let me go –
and I it. You see, in a very practical
sense – and maybe this is your experience too – I am Christian because I was
born at a time and place on this soil to parents who were Christian. And their parents were Christian. And their parents were Christian. After that, I can’t say for sure. So, there are powers beyond me that brought
me to claim this faith as my own. Yet in
a deeper sense, in spite of all the appalling and evil ways that some have
tried to twist the Christian scriptures and privatize God’s message in Jesus, I
have found good news in this tradition.
And, this good news is dangerous, explosive, and profoundly
radical. In it, I see what is possible
for myself and the world in which I live.
Not that all people must become Christian, but through it people can see
that Christianity proclaims a way to peace and justice and right
relations. Through the thick mist of cultures,
languages and customs, an array of writers and writers and truth claims, it
points towards a condition of the heart, that can lead to a new way of seeing
and being. And even when I’m not feeling
this faith, this faith somehow continues to hold on to me until I can hear it,
see it, and feel it again.
I
am unapologetically a Christian because as I have struggled and grown into it, I’ve
realized that this life of faith, my life of faith, is not simply about
me. Someone is watching me – whether I
like it or not. Someone is curious to
know if and how this Christianity can work.
I’m realizing it’s not about being perfect or knowing it all. But, it’s about being aware and available to
the Spirit so it can transform my often clumsy and hesitant witness into
grace-filled words and behaviors that draw others to God.
This is what
Paul was reminding Timothy of in the passage you saw on the screen:
….rekindle the gift of God that is within you
Guard the good treasure
entrusted to you…
Timothy was
shown the faith through his mother, Eunice, and his grand-mother, Lois. They were examples to him, and, they left a
legacy for him to claim that faith and make it his own.
Timothy
was blessed. And, I consider myself
blessed because of the role models I had and have. They weren’t perfect by any stretch of the
imagination, but, they were the ones that God put in my path. They are the ones who still help me see the compelling
power and richness of the gospel and this faith that I call my own. Now, if
you’re thinking that you are not able to say the same, that this is not your
story, I ask you to think again. If it
wasn’t your parents, or Sunday school teachers, or anyone like that, then who
was it? Who was your Eunice? Who is your Lois? Who continues to influence you? Who was/is it who might have said:
·
“Don’t give up on the Church, on God, on Jesus.” or,
·
“Just take what blesses you and leave the rest.” or,
·
“It’s about love and grace and acceptance and enough room.”
Who came
alongside you and helped you see through all the rules and minutiae of
organized religion so that you could find a home for your head and your heart in
Christianity – a religious and spiritual tradition that is as ever-new as it is
ancient?
Paul
wrote Timothy to encourage him to claim his legacy and pass it on. So this morning, regardless of how thoroughly
you see yourself as a Christian, and how long you’ve been one, I ask to
whom might you be serving as an example? Who might be watching you? To whom are you leaving a legacy of faith and
love? To whom will you be a Eunice or a
Lois? There are no easy answers
and quick routes. But, answers do come
as we wrestle with God and embrace life itself.
The way is shown as we are becoming.
We become Christian as we continue to rekindle the gift of God that is within each of us,
and as we guard the good
treasure that has been entrusted to us. I encourage us all to find someone, that you
can come alongside in prayer, so they can rekindle that fire and spirit burning
within them. Perhaps, just perhaps that rekindling and guarding starts again… today
as we find our way to this table. For
in this table there is joy, hope, forgiveness, wisdom, and welcome. In this bread and cup we can find what we
need to unapologetically declare that we are Christian, for God has not given us a spirit of cowardice, but
rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline. Claim it!
Amen!
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