The Message, June 11, 2023: "Stories from the Heart," Acts 15:3-13
Author: Rev. Scott W. Cousineau
June 13, 2023
“Stories From the Heart”
A Message by Rev. Scott W. Cousineau
Acts 15:5-13
(With Sarah Heath)
Can
you picture the scene?
Paul and Barnabas have been
traveling through the Gentile world preaching the Gospel and the response was
amazing! People were responding to a new call to relationship with God through
Jesus Christ. The church was spreading like crazy.
Until … “Hold on there. You cannot
just follow the Way of Christ directly, you have to go through the Law of Moses
first. You have to follow the Law of Torah first. You cannot skip that step. If
you do, everything will be lost.”
After a heated argument … and more
likely … a number of heated arguments, Paul decided that he should head to
Jerusalem, the headquarters for this new Way, to plead his case. He and
Barnabas headed toward Jerusalem and actually added even more converts along
the way!
Energized by the power of the Word
and the Holy Spirit, Paul and Barnabas burst into the room where Peter and the
other leaders of the church are gathered. Breathlessly they told them all of
the exciting news! “People are accepting Jesus left and right! We are bringing
the Gospel to the ends of the earth … Just like Jesus instructed us to do!”
And then those Pharisees spoke up.
“Whoa … whoa … whoa.” Once a Pharisee, always a Pharisee. Even Pharisees that
had converted to the Way of Jesus were sticklers for following the Law … to the
letter … every dot and jittle. “You cannot just decide to follow Jesus. FIRST,
you must adhere to the Law of Torah.”
You may have had the experience of sharing
really great news, or coming up with a really exciting new idea, and had
someone try to crush it. “Stop right there! Before we go any further, let us
discuss this at great length so that I can tell you all of the reasons why your
idea will never work.”
Thankfully, Peter spoke up. “Do we
really have to go over this again!?!? We have discussed this. It is
decided. The new converts do not need to adhere to some ancient ritual in order
to enter the family of God. God has worked with power upon their hearts, and
what God has called ‘clean’ we cannot call ‘unclean.’”
God made a covenant with the People
of Israel. They were a people chosen to be a light to the nations. However, the
Pharisees were acting more like gatekeepers than beacons of light.
As the followers of Jesus Christ
carried out the mission of Jesus Christ, a new tradition was being established.
That tradition proclaimed and held that precisely because God had fulfilled the
covenant with Israel in sending Jesus Christ as Messiah, the covenant family
was then open to ALL people, without distinction.
Of course, it was not really a new
tradition at all. It was simply a return to God’s original intent for the
world. Way back in Genesis 12, we read that “Israel’s covenant included
blessing all the families of the earth.” The “Chosen” of God was, and had
always been, ALL people, ALL the families of the earth.
Sadly, we know that the arguments
over acceptance and welcome did not end with Peter’s words. Even though James
said, “Listen to him,” the church has not listened. At least not everyone. The
church has had a nearly two thousand year history of dividing and deciding who
would be welcome, and who would not be welcome. The church has a long history
of saying, “You do not belong. You are not welcome.”
And that is precisely why I begin
every worship service by saying, “You ARE welcome here.”
I have never been excluded from the
church. I have always been in the welcome and accepted group. Not just because
my mother is a minister. And even as I tapped out those words on my keyboard, I
see the irony of those words. “My mother is a minister.” I may have been
welcome, but my mother would not have been.
I
am at the top of the heap. I am the pinnacle of welcome and accepted. I am a
white, heterosexual, male. I know that none of those three categories matter in
the eyes and heart of God, but sadly they do matter for many in the church.
Even
outside of the church, I am still at the top of the heap. Again, I am the same
white, cis, heterosexual, male. I have never been excluded from anything
because of my gender, race, sexual orientation, or marital status. I have never
lost a job or had a job withheld from me. I have never been denied an apartment
or a car loan. Perhaps the worst thing that has happened to me was getting
picked last in gym class.
So,
I do know the bitter taste of rejection and stereotyping. I am chubby. I was a
chubby child. It was humiliating being picked last all the time in gym class.
It usually came down to myself and some other skinny or dorky kid. On rare
occasions, I got picked before the other kid. (A rather minor event to celebrate.)
But,
even as hard as that was for me as a shy, dorky, chubby elementary school
student, I have had it so much easier than so many others.
I
have never been threatened because of who I am.
I
have never been told that I should die, or that I would rot in hell.
I
have never been called an abomination.
I
have never been treated as if I should not exist.
I
have never been afraid to enter a room for fear of how those gathered there
would receive me.
But
I have friends who have.
Just
this week, a friend and colleague from seminary had her church in Jamaica Plain
vandalized by ugly, hateful graffiti. You may have seen the story on the news.
The ugliest message said that she, and others like her, should die. Thankfully
the outpouring of love and support for her and her congregation has been
amazing. But it shows how much work that still needs to be done.
It
also speaks to why PRIDE celebrations are important. People in the LGBTQ+
community need to know that there are places where they are loved and accepted.
They need to know that there are places where they are safe. They need to know
that they do matter and that they are precious in our eyes, as well as the
heart of God.
As
I said, I have never had to struggle in the same way that so many others have
struggled. I can never truly appreciate the pain and the hardship that others
have endured. But, I can … we can … hear their stories. And, in doing so, their
stories become part of our stories. Our stories become interwoven.
Sarah
Heath has offered to share her story with us this morning.
[Sarah
shares … With apologies ... I do not have Sarah's text. You can watch her share in the video of the service on our YouTube channel.]
Thank
you, Sarah.
I
have said that I wish that we could come to the day when we do not need to have
a worship service to celebrate someone’s existence. We should not have to set
aside a special time to acknowledge that someone is loved and that they matter.
But, for now we do. For now, we must.
As
a church community that is Open and Affirming, all of your stories are welcome
here. All of your stories are honored here. All of your stories are sacred.
Every
story is a thread in our collective story. Each thread makes our community stronger.
Some
of your stories are borne out of struggle and pain. We hold you and support
you.
Some
of your stories are not ready to be told. We give you the space to hold your
story.
God
created each and every one of us in God’s own image. All of our stories are
part of God’s beautiful story. Every day I pray for the day when the world would
know peace. Every day I pray for the day when every person would live lives of
love and compassion. Every day I pray for that day when every story would be able
to be told without fear; when every story would be honored and celebrated.
Until
that day comes, know that you are loved, you are precious. You are beautiful.
Amen.
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