A Drinking Straw
Gal. 5:13–14; 6:1–10
September 27, 2015
from our series, “What do We Really Want?”
Good Morning. It’s good to be with you on another of these kind of glorious fall days. Has God been showing some divine bravado this week or what? Every day was seemingly more beautiful than the last.
We are in our 3rd week of our fall series called, “What do you really want?” It’s a series where we are trying to get at some of our core desires and Last week the unrestrained and uncontained Tony Campolo gave us a vivid picture of the kind of church that looks like Jesus. One that is spiritual, and less judgmental and sacrificial.
I really appreciated what he said. Didn’t you? I’ve heard some of Tony’s stories on a few different occasions and it doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter how many times I’ve heard them! Because they are so right on.
That’s a church that looks like Jesus. Sure. But how do we learn those qualities? They don’t just happen do they? Our whole world it seems pushes against these qualities — we are told to take what we want, to look out for ourselves. And almost everything screams to be judged — ranked, labeled and put into a category.
We don’t just acquire these aspects of Jesus in our sleep. No, we learn them. We learned them by trial and error, we learn them by being pressed; we learn them by example, we learn them from others. We learn them as we lean into one of the things we want the most: we learn them through community.
Through others coming alongside us. By modeling a different response, using a different choice of words, showing us a different way of doing things and approaching things. Like what Pope Francis is doing when he’s riding around in a cramped blue Fiat. There’s another way of doing this celebrity Christianity thing.
And oh, how attractive it is! How magnetic Francis is making things like humility, and love and compassion seem. This is why the world is taking such notice. Because the example of Jesus is winsome and lovely. And we are just as hungry for this way of life as the crowds of people around Jesus were.
The word disciple means “apprentice” One who learns by doing. Jesus said we would learn this way of life from the Lord himself and we would learn it from one another. Paul said, “Follow me as I follow Christ”.
I don’t know about you, but I’ve been in some places where learning from one another has sounded exhausting — the word discipleship sounded crushing. Heavy. Where learning Jesus’ way of life was a shame-producing, exercise in trying not to fail. You know what I mean?
We want communities to hold us the way of Christ — not just hold us accountable for what we’re not doing right. And there’s a difference. What we really want from a community of faith is the equivalent of a drinking straw.
What do we really want? We want a community that gives us a straw. We want to apprentice with people who offer us a helping hand, who show us the ropes, who can celebrate the milestones with us and give us tips on adjusting. People who will give us the tools — sometimes tools just as benign as a straw.
The early church community knew this in spades. They knew they wanted to follow this Resurrected Jesus — they had experienced something of his life. But what should they do next? There was no rule book they were following! There weren’t any gospels written at the beginning. They had heard some stories about a guy named Jesus.
They had heard people giving some Test-ti-mony! — in the style of Tony Campolo last week. And the testimony about Jesus was winsome, compelling, Freeing! But how did that message get translated and embodied into the lives of regular folks — regular Yitzhaks, and Sarahs?
Well some thought it would be still be by laws — external behavior would be the way the message of Jesus gets passed along — which is what’s going on in our text in Galatians this morning.
Many of these converts were Jewish — they had deeply revered the Mosaic Law — and hey! They were prepared to welcome Gentiles in — just as long as they also were circumcised, and observed the prescriptions of the law. (Sure. You can have a drinking straw and it looks like this — and only this)
Where upon Paul — after a long defense — said
Galatians 5:13–14
For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for self-indulgence, but through love become slaves to one another.
For the whole law is summed up in a single commandment, ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’
Listen, “You were called for freedom, brothers and sisters. Don’t use your freedom for self-indulgence, but through love become slaves to one another, for the whole law is summed up in a single command: Love your neighbor as yourself.
The whole point of your lives in Jesus is to love. Not first to critique, or to correct, or to reprove; but to strengthen, to encourage, to support. And it’s in doing those things of love that we start to become a community that looks like what we really want.
And those communities have some common characteristics. Whether they are Christian or not, all great communities have some common themes.
Driving into work Wednesday morning I heard a great story on NPR’s morning edition. Perhaps you did too. One of those heart-warming stories as winning as the Pope skipping lunch with US Leaders so he can eat with the homeless at the Catholic Charities homeless shelter.
This is Willie Mae Seaton, who died this past week at the age of 99. Mrs. Seaton was a self-trained chef in New Orleans who was known throughout the south for her fried-chicken. Her restaurant, The Scotch House was a humble place — no more than 8–9 tables, located in the Treme area of New Orleans. She served a very limited menu — but her fried chicken was pretty stand out.
Listen to this: Here’s a little clip of Mrs. Seaton in her late 80’s.
But just a few months later, Hurricane Katrina hit. Treme — the oldest black community in America was devastated. Seaton was evacuated to Houston, but eventually made her way back to New Orleans where police found her wandering around the remains of her restaurant. She had the James Beard award with her. And that allowed them to track down some people who could help. Volunteers, community people, and neighbors pulled together to reopen The Scotch House a few years later.
Because as one explained it, Willie Mae Seaton’s restaurant was always more than just the food — even great food — it was about community. “She cared about her community, and that’s what defined her place. That’s what defined her tenure. That’s what matters, is the way that restaurant served Treme, and the way that restaurant served New Orleans.”
We hear that and we say, YES. Good community connects and unites; it pulls together and supports. But there is something distinctive about Christian community. And Paul lays it out.
Galatians 5:13–14
‘For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for self-indulgence, but through love become slaves to one another. For the whole law is summed up in a single commandment, ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’
First, and this seems really important. Christian community is formed out of freedom. Paul roots Christian community in freedom — specifically. “You were called to freedom (Gal. 5:13 again)…therefore serve on another.” We don’t serve each other or support each other because we must do so — there is no imperative that forces us to do this. “Not because we must, but because we may.”
You can live a decent life, refrain from destructive conduct, take up the cause of justice for others, even fight for the poor and the oppressed without Christian freedom. You can do out of idealism, or out of a sense of guilt, or to achieve a particular political or social goal. And we can applaud and support those actions, whatever the basis. But when we do them as Christians– we act out of freedom. Not because they are commandments or moral prescriptions, but because we have been freed from the things that would hold us back from love. We are freed from having to defend particular positions; we are freed from our prejudices and fears; and listen to this, we are freed from needing a particular outcome. Our actions aren’t determined by what sort of response we get.
We don’t have to be miffed when a thank you is not immediately received — we’re not deterred when people don’t see things the way we think they should, or do what we believe they should do. It doesn’t stop us from freely loving and giving and acting kindly, because our freedom was never dependent on them in the first place.
(Some of us need some help here. We are in Christian community — but we’re not free. We feel guilty when we’re not helping and feel a bit fulsome when we are helping. Neither of these approaches is what Paul is lifting up here.
Paul says that in freedom, Christian community can be a place where:
Galatians 6:1–10
…restore another in a spirit of gentleness. Take care that you yourselves are not tempted.
…Bear one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfil the law of Christ.
“Restore others in a spirit of gentleness” 6:1
And do it in such a way that “we’re not tempted” by pride (as vs. 4 indicates).
Restoring our brothers and sisters, speaking into their lives and having them speak into ours are marks of Christian community.
A place where we can “Bear one another’s burdens”…6:2
…Bear one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.
Without feeling that it’s our job to save somebody — or tangled co-dependency. Because “all must carry their own loads” vs. 5.
…So let us not grow weary in doing what is right
…whenever we have an opportunity, let us work for the good of all, and especially for those of the family of faith.
And when we are doing this in freedom, we can know the lightness of the imperative to “not grow weary in doing what is right…and whenever we have an opportunity we can work for the good of all.”
This is what we really long for isn’t it? To serve out of a lightness of heart and to know that when people are serving us its out of freedom not coercion.
And here is where I’m tempted to say, “That takes a lot of work.” Because it does. Here’s an example of it: You know we’ve been exploring ways of responding corporately to the Syrian refugee crisis. (Notices in your bulletin last week, more are downstairs nr. the welcome table). Early on I hoped we could partner with churches already doing work on the ground over there. This world wide community of brothers and sisters.
So I call the Assyrian Church up in Roger’s Park. Where — not surprisingly — these refugees are their family members! Cousins, and former neighbors and friends of a friend — in other words it’s personal for them.
I made a few phone calls, introduced myself to various people, and each time it ended with the question, “Will your senior pastor be coming with you?” Twice I tried to explain “I am the senior pastor”….to complete silence on the other end. But the third time, I simply answered, “Why yes! The senior pastor will be there!”
I could say that with no drama, no hurt feelings, no irritation really. One reason is because that’s what love does. But that love took a lot of practice. Practice in being part of Christian community. Christian community with a whole lot of white, male, evangelical pastors who don’t give me the time of day typically.
This whole lot of work, is why some of us don’t just jump right into community I think. Things are not “just right” people don’t behave the way we want them to behave. It just…isn’t…perfect.
Paul knows this too. If the Galatian church was perfect then there would be no burdens to bear, no wrongs to forgive, no irritating people forcing you to learn patience.
At the newcomers dinner Monday night, one of the new couples have a 2 year
old and another baby on the way and there is a lot going on right no. And it’s going to be more pretty soon. As we talked, the woman said I just want to learn from the wisdom of the community. “How do we do this?!”
Yes. Exactly. The wisdom of the community. That’s what Paul is getting at — you apprentice, by leaning in, watching, learning, imitating.
Going back to our Make it Easy sermon a few weeks ago — let me challenge those who have been here a while: Make it easy for people to get to know you. Leave the edges of your life open to people — in that same way that the edges of the harvest fields were left for the sojourner — keep the edge of your life open — let people get close.
And that burden of love Paul talks about? Let me suggest that those who have been here a bit should be the first to bear it. The first to reach out to newer people and those you don’t know. Not because you must, but because you may. Give them a freaking drinking straw!!
Show people what freedom looks like.
And for those who are newer — risk opening yourselves up to others. This is not a fantasy community — it’s a real one. And yes, some are pretty self- absorbed and others laugh too loudly, and still others don’t know if they have anything to offer — but really?
We’re all just people. Learning how to blow out candles and trying to help each other by offering some straws.
For you are called to freedom, brothers and sisters….so become slaves to love… not because you must but because you may.
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- by Rev. Laura S. Truax
