A few years ago in my former parish, a grandson of a member of our church was on the local high school football team known as the “Lakers.”Of course, you know what is involved in the process of being on a successful team— training, practices, hard work, team work, skill, effort, & good coaching.This young man worked hard at being a good member of the team.The team did well that season— only losing two games, and going all the way to the final State Championship game once again.It was a tremendous year for the team.
Being involved in such an undertaking involves all your extra energy.This young man’s total energy was directed towards that team effort.And when the season ended—that energy had no place to go.Boredom, depression set in.After school, instead of being with 50 others, working hard toward a goal he found himself home, alone, with nothing to do.
“I’m bored,” (those words had to eventually come out) he said to his mother one day as she was leaving for a Christmas party.Mom replied, “There’s the Christmas Tree. There’s the decorations—go to it.”
After a couple of hours Mom returned to find the Christmas tree entirely decorated in “Laker” colors—red and white!And on the top of the tree, instead of an angel or a star, was a Laker football helmet!
The actions of this young man revealed what was in his heart and on his mind.He didn’t have to say a thing.What was in his heart was manifested in that tree.
I would like us to think together today about revelation.Not the Book of Revelation, but how God is revealed to us.Epiphany means manifestation or revealing. The Wise Men came to worship Jesus as a toddler. They followed the revelation they saw in the stars and they represent the whole world (outsiders) who come to honor Jesus.And Jesus is revealed to the whole world as the savior.
We have the sense that God is revealed to us in nature (or Natural Law), in reason or logic, and that God has revealed some things beyond those witnesses in what we call divine revelation.Some of that revelation has become solidified dimly in Scriptures.And then there is the more subjective inner experience we each have of God.If we are honest with ourselves, we admit that all these witnesses are then filtered through our own personal experiences and ego agendas and fears—often twisting what we see.
The Biblical record shows differing views of what God is like, and what God expects of us.From the oldest material to the newest we find a progression in our understanding of God.In parts of the Old Testament we find God looking like a warrior, often described in anthropomorphic terms, with a temperament like humans—changing God’s mind (literally “repenting”), destructive, vengeful.We find God telling Abraham to kill his son with a knife, issuing commands of “an eye for an eye”, bringing victory through violent warfare, desiring elaborate rituals of sacrifice, and a belief in the Deuteronomistic code i.e., the belief that correct ethical behavior leads to health, wealth & wisdom.
Elsewhere and later in Hebrew faith (including most clearly Jesus), we find a different God portrayed: not a warrior, but a God who is on the side of the poor and outcast, the foreigner—a definition of God as “love” itself; rather than child sacrifice, we find the story of the prodigal son who is welcomed back by a loving father; instead of rituals, right living and social justice is desired; in the Sermon on the Mount we find Jesus not speaking about eyes for eyes— but turning the other cheek, walking the extra mile, controlling emotions; and we find that those who are faithful may not be healthy, wealthy & wise— but persecuted.
In view of all this change we must conclude that either God changes or that our understanding & God’s revelation changes, in a gradual form.
Gradual Revelation: We see it in the Bible.How about since then?There are some people who believe that God’s revelation stopped when a group of church men gathered in 300’s A.D. to decide what ought to be in the Bible and what ought not to be there.Some thought that whatever God was going to reveal, God already had in scripture, and we just have to understand Scripture well enough to figure out what God is like and wants of us.What do you believe?How have you experienced God?Does God still speak, reveal God’s self, become manifest or create epiphanies?
The United Methodist Church has operated under a theological framework that includes more than just Scripture as an authority.Sometimes called the “Wesleyan Quadrilateral”—four witnesses are called upon to help discern what God is like and desires of us; Scripture, Church Tradition, Reason, and Experience.Using these authorities some folk in the church determined that slavery as an institution was sinful and should be abolished.The Bible alone, at least explicitly, doesn’t say anything negative about slavery— yet, God’s gradual revelation revealed the truth of God’s will.
Thanks for staying awake through all this thick stuff—but it is important.The meaning of the incarnation or Christmas is that God is involved in our time and space and continues to do a new thing among us.I love the U.C.C. tag line: “Don’t put a period where God put a coma.”How we discern what God is doing is extremely important.In other words, how do you go about your own search for Jesus?Picture yourself today as a modern day wise-person; what stars do you follow?What clues to you pay attention to?Where do you look for help?How do you know when Christ is near?
As we begin a new year together it is important for us to consider these things.How do we go about our own search for Christ? What should we do as a congregation this year to reveal Christ to the world?
Discernment is not simple. It is tricky business.We need each other in that process. I encourage you to become involved in the planning, visioning, decision making we are entering as we ponder our new facility— we all need to be a part of this…and do it spiritually; that is, with an eye towards what God wants—rather than our own personal preference.This will be an exciting, draining, thrilling and exasperating process for us. We face thousands of decisions. But if we stay grounded in our discernment of God’s will, it will be the richest spiritual soil out of which our own spiritual growth will emerge, and something beautiful for God— something for those who come after us— a light of hope, peace, grace.
We are now entering a year of discernment.We know where we are going and what we want to do when we get there, but now we focus on how to get there, and what tools we will need.Without wisdom (and each other) we may end up down a dead-end road, rather than worshiping Christ.
Gradual revelation.It seems that God’s will for us is revealed in small ways, behind the scenes, gradually, fraught with confusions….until we round the bend and behold a whole new vista and it all makes sense.
Let us trust the signs of God’s leading.Let us hear God’s leading in the voices and hearts of each other.Let us feel God’s tugging at our hearts and souls to offer ourselves to this work.Let us be revelations…epiphanies of God’s love, grace, and witnesses of God’s justice.
