Seventh Sunday after Pentecost

I’m not sure where to start, here, this morning. Nervous? A little anxious? So let’s talk about diving boards, shall we? The Selinsgrove public pool had a diving area with three diving boards. It was completely separate from the rest of the swimming pool. As I recall, there weren’t many rules about who could use the diving area. Insofar that I can remember, I think the only real rule was that you had to be able to swim the 25-yard length of the pool without taking a break or putting your feet on the bottom.

I was a pretty good swimmer when I was a kid, so I was allowed into the diving area at a fairly young age. I quickly grew accustomed to both of the low diving boards that they had, being all of 3 or 4 feet above the surface of the water. It didn’t take long for me to work up the courage to try the high dive. It wasn’t real high; maybe 10 or 12 feet above the water. I got in line, and the line moved inexorably forward. Back then there was no rule about no more than one person being on the ladder at a time, so as I started up the ladder, other people started following up behind me. It was when I had climbed up a couple of places when my perspective started to change. Maybe this high dive was higher than it looked from the ground. By the time I made it to the top, that theory was definitely affirmed. And up there, even though the diving board was standard width, just like the low diving boards, it felt a lot skinnier.

I froze when I got up there. And it wasn’t just because of the stiff breeze. And, of course, there were people on the ladder below me, so I couldn’t climb down again. With people yelling their “encouragement” at me I crept my way out to the end of the diving board, closed my eyes, jumped, and hyperventilated all the way down until I hit the water. Suffice it to say that it took me a while to work up the courage to tackle the high dive again.

So, here I stand. Eight-year old Eric on the high dive, looking down nervously… A couple of folks recently expressed to others their concern regarding our preaching. One person said that they didn’t think they’d be coming as often, because they felt that our preaching had become too political. Another person said that they weren’t sure if they were really loved here. And that breaks my heart. Ordinarily, I would not address anonymous comments in the context of a sermon. In fact, that has been our policy for the entire thirty-plus years that Anke and I have been doing ministry together. We have always tried to present ourselves as approachable and willing to engage in mutual conversation.

For the first time in thirty years I am making an exception to this rule, because I feel that the time has come to address the elephant that’s in the room. The fact of the matter is that politics has taken over our lives. Regardless of where you get your news, it is the news. I am speaking for both Anke and myself when I say that we have never sought to engage in overtly political preaching. What we have sought to do is to preach the Gospel, as we feel called to do so, and to the best of our abilities. We have sought to be a prophetic voice, which is also part of our call in preaching. And for better or worse, that means addressing what is happening in the world around us.

As our Bishop, Bill Gohl, is so fond of saying, the Gospel is always political, but it is not partisan. As to the first part of that statement: “The Gospel is always political…” Some people might take offense at that idea, but I beg your indulgence and ask you to hear me out. And yet the proof of that statement is right there in the story about the man whom we profess to follow. Jesus was not crucified simply because he challenged the religious hierarchy of first century Palestine. Jesus was crucified because his preaching, teaching, and healing ran afoul of the political leadership of his day. This included not just the religious leaders who, let’s be honest, yielded tremendous influence, but also the political leaders like Herod and Pilate. At one point in the Gospel of John Caiaphas says to the other Pharisees, “You know nothing at all! 50 You do not understand that it is better for you to have one man die for the people than to have the whole nation destroyed.” (John 11:49-50) Pure politics.

The Gospel is always political because, if we actually take our faith as seriously as we claim to; If we allow our faith and our understanding of Jesus and the things he stood for to shape our thinking and our decision making, it will invariably have political ramifications for us personally. It shapes how we view the political landscape. It informs our voting decisions. It influences our interpretation of current events. We don’t live life in a vacuum. Our faith shouldn’t exist in a vacuum, either. Hopefully, for us as followers of Jesus, our participation in the world of politics is both motivated by and an expression of our commitment to the innate dignity of every person as a child of God.

As to the second part of that statement, “… [the Gospel] is never partisan. A consistent Gospel witness should be critical of all views, because no single political party or ideology will ever be able to live up to the expectations of the Gospel. No single political party or ideology will ever be able to embrace or embody fully the love and mercy of Jesus. The Gospel invites us to ask ourselves some hard questions about how effectively we are applying the values of our faith. We give to Caesar what is Caesar’s by fulfilling your obligations as a citizen with integrity and as a person formed by faith and give honor to God by allowing our faith to guide us in every moment of our lives. Ultimately, this requires a spirit of discernment, as well as a willingness to set aside our partisan ideas and preferences for the sake of the Gospel and making the Kingdom of God a reality here on earth.

So, how does this all play out? What does this look like? I would like to keep it very real and concrete for all of us. We have a lot of members of this congregation, your siblings in Christ, who work for various government agencies. I’m sure that many of you have friends or family members who work for various government agencies.

I agree that government can stand to be more efficient. With a budget of $6.2 trillion, I’m sure there is a tremendous amount of waste. I mean, it’s bad enough in our own household and Anke and I don’t have even close to $6 trillion to play around with. I can’t even begin to calculate the overall tonnage of salad greens that have gone brown and slimy in our vegetable “crisper”.

I’m all in favor of a government that is more streamlined and effective. But I have issues with the way it’s being handled, and it has nothing to do with the current occupant of the White House. My concern is for our siblings in Christ who find themselves living with tremendous levels of anxiety and uncertainty over their futures. I have heard their worries and their concerns. I have heard them express their pain. I have seen their tears. And that pain, anxiety, worry, and frustration is one that cuts across the entire political spectrum.

So yes, my objection to the way this policy is being implemented has political ramifications. I would also have the same objection were this action coming from the other party. Because my concern is not first and foremost political. My concern is for the suffering of our siblings in Christ, which is something that Jesus tells us we are supposed to work together to alleviate. “’Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world, 35 for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food or thirsty and gave you something to drink? 38 And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you or naked and gave you clothing? 39 And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’ 40 And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did it to me.’” (Matthew 25:34-40)

I am going to be 60 years old this summer. And I was raised to be a politically aware and active person. Unless circumstances have physically prevented me from doing so, I’ve seen every State of the Union address since I was in seventh grade. I can’t recall a time when things have ever been as politically and culturally fraught as they are now.

The way we alleviate that is simple. Simple, but not easy. We need to learn to deconstruct the political and social silos that we’ve constructed for ourselves over the decades and instead embrace the way of Jesus all the more. It means limiting our daily catechism courtesy of MSNBC or Fox News and instead picking up our copy of Luther’s small catechism and devoting ourselves to it. And it means engaging in thoughtful and caring conversation with one another. Conversation that’s not grounded in the talking points of one political party or the other, but in the all-encompassing, boundless love of Jesus.

It has never been my intention, with my preaching, to make anyone feel disrespected, unloved, or less than. But if that has been the result of my efforts, then I have done my job poorly. And for that I apologize.

But please know this. That I do take our mission statement very seriously: That as followers of Jesus, we are called to be an inclusive and compassionate community, where everyone is connected in relationship with God and each other to foster wholeness of mind and soul. I truly seek to embody that in everything that I say and do in this place, and out there in the world. I may not always do it well, but I am trying.

Please also know that when I say that I love each and every one of you, that I mean that most sincerely. The love and support we have always received from Calvary has been amazing, and we have always tried to reciprocate that love.

Lastly, please also know this. My door is always open to you. My ear is always ready to listen to you. And my heart is always ready to accept both your praise and your critique. I ask only that your words be spoken in the spirit of the love of Jesus. And I promise that I will endeavor to do the same, with all my heart, and with all my strength, and with all my mind.

AMEN