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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