I will read three different texts this week for the sermon. They are Joel 2.28, Matthew 6.33 and Colossians 3.1. I won’t comment at length on any of the three but I do encourage you to meditate and pray about them this week as we think in terms of the future vision for our church.
In that regard I want to remind you of the letter that you should have received from Jeff Allen for this week. It begins with a discussion of the Peanuts comic where Lucy is explaining to Charlie Brown that life is like a deck chair on a cruise ship. One must decide whether they want their chair to face forward so they can see where they are going, or one can have their chair face backwards so they can look at where they have been. I believe we are supposed to decide that we should want to face forward and thus see where we are headed. My thoughts, as they often do, are running against the grain, as I think about this. I think that initially, we need to look back and reconsider the original purposes behind the establishment of this congregation in this community. Additionally, I think we have become somewhat like Charlie Brown who responds to her two choices by saying that he can’t even get his deck chair unfolded. He seems to be helplessly stuck.
I think we need to take a long look backwards before we look forward because we have become stuck. We are not helplessly stuck. Nobody is ever truly helpless. But we have become stuck. Looking back is the key, in my mind, to becoming unstuck.
Two married couples have recently describe that as charter members of this church 35 years ago they hoped to establish a congregation that would welcome everyone. In this community, most churches expected that they would simply perpetuate the Reformed tradition as that is lived out within the Dutch heritage that is predominant here. These two couples, and others, no doubt, wanted a church that would be open and welcoming to all people, not just to those who shared a similar heritage and theological tradition. They have said that they also envisioned a church that was focused on spiritual growth rather than the preservation of past traditions.
I have often wondered to myself, what is it that makes this church any different from the others in Georgetown Township? By that I mean, why should anyone come here rather than just go to any other church around here? I think there is an implicit assumption in this community that all the churches are basically the same. Of course, that assumption is wrong. As a congregation in the Wesleyan tradition, we are about as different from those in the Reformed tradition as one can get. For example, Calvin subscribed the notion of predestination (everything that happens is a part of God’s plan). Wesley taught that we have freewill, God has hopes for us but we are free to choose our own course in life. The Reformed tradition values creeds and doctrines. The Wesleyan tradition favors freedom of thought and pragmatic theology. The Reformed tradition values conformity while the Wesleyan tradition values diversity. The Reformed tradition values tradition and orthodoxy while the Wesleyan tradition values reason and experience. The Reformed tradition stresses judgment and individual salvation. The Wesleyan tradition stresses grace and social holiness (justice).
Does all of this mean that one is better than the other? Not necessarily. The Reformed tradition dominates North America in terms not only of the CRC and the RCA but also within denominations such as Presbyterianism and the many varieties of Baptist churches. Thus, it does work for many people. On the other hand, Wesley lived after the Reformation. He was an Anglican who had roots in the Roman Catholic Church. Thus, he often sought a practical, middle ground in Christianity that was practical, encouraged personal spiritual growth and social reform and was grounded as much in experience and reason as it was in scripture or tradition. That means the Methodist tradition is deliberately different from the reformed tradition and the Roman Catholic tradition. It isn’t a matter of one being better than the other. It is clearly a matter of theological and practical distinctiveness, though.
So, as we consider a new vision for our future as a church, I think we can first get our deck chairs unstuck by looking backward. My hope is that we can reclaim the original vision put forth by the charter members of this church. I am certain that our future lies in claiming our distinctiveness. We are not Reformed, Catholic or anything else. We are Methodists. As such, we are to be radically welcoming to all, we are to focus both on personal spiritual transformation and social transformation. As Methodists we are not called to perpetuate tradition as much as we are called to use both tradition and experience, along with reason and scripture, to find new ways to reach new people. We can also celebrate the diversity in our midst, even when that gets a little bit messy, because God never intended to make “cookie cutter Christians”! I am ready to claim my place in this community as the pastor of the church down on the corner that is different from the rest.
Posted by Paul Parlow on November 30, 2011 at 1:34 pm
Bill, I like what I read here. A question that comes to mind is how does your concept of Methodist work in with your ecumenical relationships? I am thinking specificially of the Lutheran Church (ELCA brand).
Posted by William Bills on November 30, 2011 at 1:47 pm
Paul, I believe that Methodism can work with any denomination or an any religion. I have a tendency to think that the only ones it is difficult to work with are fundamentalists and literalists. The Weselyan Quadrilateral employs Reason, Experience, Scripture and Tradition. This allows for a broad range of thought and opinion. In particular, reason and experience allow us to consider thoughtfully things which may be scriptural but not necessarily useful or practical today. For example, a literalist or a fundamentalist might say that there had to be dinosaurs on the ark or that the earth is only 6,000 years old because that is what the Bible says. Reason, practical theology and experience allow me to say that I can accept both the Bible and the reality of fossils without having to concede that fossils must be some kind of hoax perpetrated by God to test my faith.
The ELCA Lutherans and the United Methodists enjoy a very good relationship. I think, though, that in some respects the ELCA is better off than we are because they are more open and tolerant of gay clergy. They also have a better appreciation for the importance of good liturgy and the lectionary than do most Methodists.
In any case, Wesley said, “In matters that don’t strike at the root of the faith, we think and let think.” Often, when we get membership curriculum for classes in the UMC the material spends the first few sessions talking about what UMs have in common with all other Christians. We are comfortable with differences and diversity and celebrate those things. We acknowledge that we typically have more in common with most other denominations than we have differences. The differences we often simply call “distinctives”. They may make us distinct from other denominations but not necessarily better than other denominations. I think that in general, UMs can work with and get along with just about anyone. The exception would be when the other uses their religious beliefs to perpetrate some kind of religious bigotry.
Posted by lizarye on November 30, 2011 at 1:50 pm
Colossians 3:1…If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God”. RSV
Like I said before, I can see this church striving to go where no man (at least in Grand Rapids) has gone before and I appreciate it, although I think it might not be as easy as you all make it look. Having lived for a long time in an alternate universe (lol), I feel so blessed every Sunday to be among people who seem to speak my language. I think some churches work on a model that is successful in some areas (more power to them!) but leaves gaps to be filled. It seems like this passage is calling us to look beyond what we usually see to what Christ sees for us, and I think there couldn’t be anything more important.
Posted by William Bills on November 30, 2011 at 2:00 pm
I find it fascinating in that particular verse that it says, “If you have been raised with Christ…” That implies a present resurrection, not a future one after the reader is dead. I think Paul envisions a new way of living in the present rather than simply life after death.
Posted by Ann Holkeboer on December 1, 2011 at 9:01 am
I appreciate what the charter members of our church visioned and then enacted. We owe them a lot. I also know that some people may be uncomfortable with what we have done (Sexuality and the Church, Jesus Seminar) and intend to do in the next year of Interfaith Dialogue (we are going to explore other religions and see their value) we are really offering an alternative to being in “the box”. We need to have the courage our young people have and take on these issues and move forward, not judging but loving as Jesus loved us.
Posted by Peter Rienstra on December 1, 2011 at 9:11 pm
When I was a youngster, I heard that our family was all going to hell because my parents left the CRC When I was older, I attended a reformed church with friends
and went to classes and need to learn the creeds and also heard that the other churches were teaching doctrine that was wrong . . To me , the ministers were trying to scare us into heaven because my parents taught me differently.
God is Love and is Life itself and is always with us and gives us the freedom to choose what kind of life we want to live.. . He wants us to talk with Him , Learn about the talents He has given us and use them for the good of His people and doing so we are Glorifing Him and building our future life in His Kingdom . One of the most important things we must do is eliminate the little sins in our lives with His help so they do not become big ones .
Personally , I do not care much for the creeds and doctrines .of other churches
That is their life . I do like to come to Georgetown United Methodist church because the people are working and practicing Love and caring for others just as the Lord would have them do. and this helps me practice what I have been taught. and believe.. What is nice about my age is that I can refer to my past experiences and
see what and how before I go forward. It doesn’t always work but it helps sometimes.
Posted by Kate VanDerKolk on December 5, 2011 at 4:34 pm
My husband and I have lived in this area for several years and have been looking for a church for a long time but felt what you wrote, that all the churches in the area seemed the same. For years we didn’t go to church because we never felt like there was a good fit. We have been to Georgetown United Methodist only three times now but from the first time we visited we have known this was the place for us. We felt exactly what you shared that those charter members visioned for this church; a sense of community, welcoming, a place where different theological ideas could be voiced and discussed, and very focused on spiritual growth. Thank you for the work you do to make this church a welcoming place in the community and we look forward to learning more about the people who are a part of this church.
Posted by William Bills on December 6, 2011 at 9:43 am
Thank you for your comment, Kate. It is good to get some positive feedback at times when it seems like we might be swimming against the tide. I am glad you have chosen to worship with us.