Sermon for February 17th, 2013

Deuteronomy 26:1-11

1When you have come into the land that the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance to possess, and you possess it, and settle in it, 2you shall take some of the first of all the fruit of the ground, which you harvest from the land that the Lord your God is giving you, and you shall put it in a basket and go to the place that the Lord your God will choose as a dwelling for his name. 3You shall go to the priest who is in office at that time, and say to him, ‘Today I declare to the Lord your God that I have come into the land that the Lord swore to our ancestors to give us.’ 4When the priest takes the basket from your hand and sets it down before the altar of the Lord your God, 5you shall make this response before the Lord your God: ‘A wandering Aramean was my ancestor; he went down into Egypt and lived there as an alien, few in number, and there he became a great nation, mighty and populous. 6When the Egyptians treated us harshly and afflicted us, by imposing hard labour on us, 7we cried to the Lord, the God of our ancestors; the Lord heard our voice and saw our affliction, our toil, and our oppression. 8The Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with a terrifying display of power, and with signs and wonders; 9and he brought us into this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey. 10So now I bring the first of the fruit of the ground that you, O Lord, have given me.’ You shall set it down before the Lord your God and bow down before the Lord your God. 11Then you, together with the Levites and the aliens who reside among you, shall celebrate with all the bounty that the Lord your God has given to you and to your house.

Romans 10:5-13

5 Moses writes concerning the righteousness that comes from the law, that ‘the person who does these things will live by them.’ 6But the righteousness that comes from faith says, ‘Do not say in your heart, “Who will ascend into heaven?” ’ (that is, to bring Christ down) 7‘or “Who will descend into the abyss?” ’ (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). 8But what does it say? ‘The word is near you, on your lips and in your heart’(that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); 9because if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10For one believes with the heart and so is justified, and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved. 11The scripture says, ‘No one who believes in him will be put to shame.’ 12For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all and is generous to all who call on him. 13For, ‘Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.’

Black History: Greeks, Jews & Wandering Arameans

How does a young, white minister who wasn't even alive during the civil rights movement even begin to authentically preach a sermon on Black History, on the tribulations and triumphs of African Americans, and their contributions to our Christian and Presbyterian heritage? One way is to stand back, and let them speak for themselves. Throughout today's sermon, I'll be playing some clips from interviews with black Presbyterians who lived, worked, and preached during the civil rights movement, letting them tell their stories and share their experiences.

{Video Clip #1}

I have talked several times in the past few weeks and months about something called "Providence." It's the idea that God is in control. Of everything. All the time. Even when we think he couldn't possibly be. From the largest and most sweeping events, to the minutest details, everything flows from God's perfect will. Everything happens for a reason, even the things we can't understand, can't believe, can't accept. Like, for example, slavery, racism, and discrimination. Note that I didn't say these things are "good." Not at all.

Our scripture passage from Deuteronomy this morning speaks of a "wandering Aramean" -- this is a reference to the story of Joseph in the book of Genesis, whose own brothers sold him into slavery, causing him to be taken from his home into a foreign land without his freedom. Years later, when Joseph (who has done well for himself) is reunited with his brothers, he tells them this: "Even though you intended to do harm to me, God intended it for good, in order to preserve a numerous people, as he is doing today." Through Joseph's slavery, his brothers and their descendants are brought to Egypt and saved from famine. Eventually they found themselves enslaved once again in Egypt, and (again from our passage in Deuteronomy) "the Lord heard our voice and saw our affliction, our toil, and our oppression. The Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with a terrifying display of power, and with signs and wonders; and he brought us into this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey."

{Video Clip #2}

There are great parallels between the story of the Hebrew children in ancient Israel and the African Americans of the past three centuries who were brought to this country in slavery and oppression, and have long struggled for freedom, equality, and prosperity. I would like to suggest that what man intended for evil, God intended for good. We cannot give thanks for the evil of slavery or discrimination, but we can give thanks to God for our "great nation, mighty and populous, a land flowing with milk and honey." And we owe some of that greatness to the contributions of Black Americans--in music and art, in science and medicine, in education and literature, in athletics and (especially here in El Paso) in service to our military and national defense. And last but never least...in theology and preaching. We remember Dr. Martin Luther King as a civil rights leader, but we often forget that he was first and foremost a pastor, a minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

So Without the evil of slavery, we would not have the good of all these things. But this raises the question, why God? Why use the evil of slavery, racism and discrimination to accomplish your purposes? Couldn't we have gotten there by some other way? I'm afraid I can't answer that question. We are not always privileged to see into the mysteries of God's methods. But I do have one small theory--it's not perfect, and it doesn't address every question, but it's something.

When a blacksmith forges a tool out of iron or steel, he first cuts his piece of metal out of the surrounding sheet. Then he burns it in the fire until it is soft and malleable. Then he pounds it over and over again with his hammer, giving it shape and form. All of these acts are destructive...and yet they produce something strong, beautiful, and enduring. The story of the Israelites in the Old Testament is the story of God carving out a people distinct from those around them, forging that people in the fires of tribulation, wilderness, and exile, giving them a form and identity through the law and the prophets.

I wish God might have spared our nation the shame of slavery and prejudice. But when I listen to the slow, soulful tones of a blues song...or when I read the passionate, articulate poetry of the Harlem Renassance...I know that a strong, beautiful, and enduring people have been forged.

{Video Clip #3}

Joseph is not the only wandering Aramean in the Bible, and the Old Testament is only half the story. Jesus wandered in the wilderness and was no stranger to suffering, but his message was a little bit different. Jesus was an Aramean, part of that Hebrew nation that had been set apart and forged by God. But he also reached out beyond his ethnic identity, befriending Samaritans, Romans, and Phoenicians. This practice is continued in the ministry of Paul, who writes in our New Testament passage from Romans, "For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all and is generous to all who call on him. For, ‘Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.’"

Identities are important, and neither Jesus nor Paul ever gave up their identity as Jews. But in the Kingdom of God there is a unity within diversity--a place where we come together, not letting go of our identity but bringing it to the common table--the communion table--where we are told that "no one who believes in him will be put to shame."

{Video Clip #4}

If you look closely at today's passage from Deuteronomy, you'll notice that it's actually instructions for a ritual of celebration. "When you have come into the land that the Lord your God is giving you..." do these things. FIRST: Put the best fruit of your labors in a basket and bring it to the priest--in other words, bring it to church. SECOND: Tell the story of your people (a wandering Aramean was my ancestor). Tell of your troubles and sufferings so you never forget them. But tell of God's goodness too, and how he has kept his promise, so you never forget that, either. THIRD: And this one is important for us today--verse 11, "Then you, together with the Levites AND the aliens who reside among you, shall celebrate with all the bounty that the Lord your God has given to you and to your house.

Today we celebrate the contributions that Black Americans have made to our faith, our culture, our communities, and our Presbyterian heritage. We have put those gifts in our basket and brought them to worship. We have told and listened to their story--their struggles and suffering, as well as how God has been faithful to keep his promises. If you are black, take pride in those contributions and in that story for they are yours. But if you are white, hispanic, Asian, Kazakhstani, Greek, Jewish, wandering Aramean or anything else...remember that God calls you to be a part of this celebration, too--just as the "Levites and aliens who reside among you" were invited by God into the celebration of the Ancient Israelites. In Christ we are all brothers and sisters, all part of one family.

In this spirit, I'd like to echo the famous words of another Christian minister, and close this sermon as he closed his, with the hope that "from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black and white, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, "Free at last! free at last! thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"