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“It is infinitely easier to suffer in obedience to a
human command than in the freedom of one’s own responsibility. It is infinitely
easier to suffer with others than to suffer alone. It is infinitely easier to
suffer publicly and honorably than apart and humiliated. It is infinitely
easier to suffer through staking one’s life than to suffer spiritually. Christ
suffered as a free man alone, apart and in humility, in body and spirit; and
since then many Christians have suffered with him.”
These were the words, reflection of Dietrich Bonhoeffer
from the collection of letters, thoughts and poetry he wrote when he was
imprisoned. This particular snippet, I
began my message with this morning, struck a chord that only the Holy Spirit
can affect you with. Here were the prayerful insights from a man who was called
to act on behalf of humanity. Here was a
pastor who internalized perhaps unknowingly the discipleship teachings from
Peters letters. For these words, as well,
defined our spiritual battle between the will of God and our own.
Only about a year and a half later, Bonhoeffer would be
transferred from Tegel, the Nazi prison, into the Flossenburg concentration
camp. Here on April 9th, 1945 at the near bitter end of WWII,
Bonhoeffer was stripped, dragged and hung at the gallows of Flossenburg, he was
only 39. It was said that before he was
hung, he was praying for the sake of the world and the hope of a future that
would truly someday, know the peace and love of God…
Truth be told, he really didn’t have to go back to
Germany at all, but he just couldn’t turn an indifferent eye to the atrocities
that the Nazi regime was undertaking. This was not only upon the German
Christian church in Germany, but of course the heinous and evil treatise of the
death of many people. A little-known
fact about the Nazi focus on genocide, is that many artists, poets,
philosophers, and noteworthy people, who didn’t agree with the Nazi’s
socialization of all aspects of life, were sent to the concentration camps
alongside the Jews.
Today we are experiencing a profound mirror of this with
the ongoing genocide and religious war embarked upon by ISIS and related.
Perhaps we are not truthfully looking upon these heinous activities as the 21st
century’s ultimate battle between good and evil. Maybe we should, but it has
become more or less looked upon as a tool to the political arena of our truly
divided-in-priorities’ culture… Truly divided in priorities between as St. Paul
would say, in one form or another, the flesh and the Spirit.
We can definitely say that there is a war on poverty
taking place but where this deprivation actually and truthfully exists is in
our hearts, spiritually. Bearing witness
to the truth of the Gospel, and what it calls us to own up to DO, is what God
calls us to. This last Sunday within the
Easter season includes the wonderful story only captured by Luke in both his
Gospel and the book of Acts—the ascension of Christ. The Gospel writer needed to share with us, in
some senses, the thought, that Christ had to go and leave us with the building
of His church in the world. Like
hatchlings out of the nest, the disciples had to now become vigilant with the
mission of the Gospel. Right after we
hear of Christ’s ascension, the apostles prayed and more or less drew straws
who’d be taking Judas’ place… The
casting of lots obviously came down upon Matthias to be the new 12th
disciple.
Drawing straws, casting lots, that has the same efficacy
of rock, paper, scissors in all honesty… but it does seem to make the allusion
of discerning, taking that next step needed, a lot easier. As we’ve noticed in
many of the scriptures, they weren’t necessarily the bravest bunch of individuals
at the beginning of their discipleship journey with Jesus… In fact, the women
disciples, which were many ironically not truthfully mentioned, were the ones
who would be amazingly brave witnesses.
The Gospel writer Luke, would always include a wonderful full vision of
who the beginning disciples, shapers of the church of Christ in the world then,
were. For Luke, being one of those early church planters alongside Paul and
Barnabas proved to be a great witness to how the Holy Spirit was beginning His
work in peoples’ lives.
The Ascension of Jesus into Heaven, is the event that
would inaugurate the mission of Christ’s Church in the world. The event of
Pentecost, which we will be celebrating next Sunday, commissions the disciples
to BE the church. Being the church is more than an initial frame of mind, it is
built upon the cornerstone of Christ, as a temple of the Spirit, within the
heart of each and every one of us. This
temple of the Spirit is as mentioned many a times before, that first and most
important church, the heart. Without it, begins that deprivation, which our
human nature or Old Nature builds upon to more or less its ultimate
destruction, death—a graceless wilderness without hope, purpose and God.
I would say that is the reality of hell, man-made with
the Evil One’s help. The reality of hell
is a veritable spiritual prison, where real justice is merely an illusion; and
vigilant hope, faith, compassion—truly lost.
With the darkness that seems to cover and wash away the human spirit, let
us truly know, there is also light!
Without Christ, we are empty, fractured vessels—He is the potter to our
soul’s true mission—the Gospel.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, considered one of the most notorious
of the 20th century’s Christian martyrs, saw, knew the darkness that
the Nazi regime was drowning the broken spirits of the oppressed German
populace. He saw it from both sides as an American and as a German. How awful and sad that experience must have been
for him! Especially as a pastor, seeing and hearing even the scriptures
distorted for the political indoctrination of Hitler’s plans… Many of Hitler’s political speeches to the
people began using a segment of Romans 13 to politically twist, and distort
obedience to governing authorities.
Truth be told there, the 13th chapter of Paul’s letter to the
Romans was actually written as a letter of caution to Roman Christians while he
was in prison, to protect them from secular persecution, suffering.
Bonhoeffer’s letters, reflections and poems were gathered
after his death. Many of these letters
were written to his parents, additional family and to his congregation. His thoughts would of course go back and
forth between those spiritual valleys and mountaintops of faith that help us
understand the true glory of God. This
true glory of God came as the complete package of the reality of Christ’s work
among us—his death, resurrection and the ascension. Here’s another one of those
Pandora’s box words of limited understanding and capacity for us—Glory…
This coming Monday, we will be honoring our veterans, all
who served and died to keep us free from tyranny. “To serve, protect and defend,” has become a
common oath used in our nation’s police departments. This statement’s beginnings however, came
from those who had to “fight” for the cause of freedom and peace. We are still not evolved enough to avoid
actual physical war sadly, but the drive for peace, however, is vigilant and
prayerful, even for us now seemingly on the ebb of many global conflicts. I am
not necessarily an advocate for St. Augustine’s misinterpreted perspective of a
“just” war but I cannot in good conscience, allow myself to become an
indifferent advocate for political grand-standing either!
Peter’s letter this week mirrors our call to realize the
mission of the disciple as a fully functioning member of the Body—the Church of
Christ. He says most beautifully and
unabashedly, the profound truth: “ 16…if any of you suffers as a
Christian, do not consider it a disgrace, but glorify God because you bear this
name. 17For the time has come for judgment to begin with the
household of God; if it begins with us, what will be the end for those who do
not obey the gospel of God? 18And “If it is hard for the righteous
to be saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinners?” 19Therefore,
let those suffering in accordance with God’s will entrust themselves to a
faithful Creator, while continuing to do good.”
These
are words that, once again, are not comfortable to hear and we shouldn’t feel
we have the right to cherry-pick around these words to make Peter’s thoughts more
“palatable” for our growing spirits’ need to hear! The health-wealth Gospel preachers like Joel Olsteen
and Joyce Mayer, to name a few, circumvent the cross and the reality of the
cost of discipleship, regularly. They do this in favor for a happy-go-lucky,
sugar-coated Gospel that merely rewards and expects no responsibility or much
accountability from the Christian at all. Let us never forget, that the Grace of Christ
is not only amazing but it is never to be cheap, but most certainly costly!
The expectations
of living towards realizing and understanding the costly Grace of Christ
shouldn’t be deterring people from the pews, but filling them with the awesome
glory, of the gift, Christ so freely gave us.
Sadly, those who preach and teach towards the truth of the Gospel and
its mission and purpose for our lives will face “suffering” persecution,
hostility… Those serving today in the
worlds’ current conflicts face a lot of hostility more than support, for simply
a misunderstanding of the cost of freedom…
Political divisiveness continually pierces its sword into the hearts of
those simply seeking through a vigilant faith, honestly, to keep people, free.
The
most faithful nugget today’s message needs to impart to your heart’s ears is
that we need to be accountable, faithful witnesses to the Gospel, most humbly,
and at, whatever the cost may be. We are
all called by God, the Holy Spirit is working within you as I speak. The church
or Body of Christ is not to be an idle place but an active one—naturally
through a genuine faith, not a works-righteous, cheapened understanding of
faith… One that is truly lived out of love of God and neighbor.
Let
us pray, Gracious and loving Lord Jesus,
The
cloud of witnesses over the centuries have tried to accent and shape Your
mission in the world
May
our hearts continue to be vigilant in our realizing Your most costly Grace for
our freedom
May
we grow to realize “glory” as a selfless heart to love neighbor, no matter the
cost or peril
It
will most certainly challenge us with.
May
be always know and build upon that knowledge, Your gift of Grace
With
the fruits of our lives lived for Your Gospel’s glory in the world.
AMEN
May 28th, 2017; 7th
Sunday of Easter; Year A
Sermon by:
Reverend Nicole A.M. Collins
Psalm 68:1-10;
Acts 1:(6-14),12-26; 1 Peter 4:12-19; 5:6-11 & John 17:1-11
The link below is to this sermon's delivery at First Congregational UCC at 9:30am
https://youtu.be/nGDQ2-aW_Tc
