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A Sermon by
Cynthia Bauleke
A Sermon by
Cynthia Bauleke
Insiders
and Outsiders Everyone knew Bennie. Bennie was the one who
hung around the public places of our small college campus, waiting for other
students, hoping to engage them in conversation, before they moved on to their
destination. We all knew Bennie, standing out side the classrooms or on the
stairs to the dorms. He was bold, in his own gentle way, as he asked anyone who
paused long enough, "Are you saved?" "Do you know Jesus?" We
knew Bennie, and we knew we didn’t want to get caught in his web of
evangelistic zeal. Of course Bennie knew Jesus, and I admire the
way Bennie knew exactly what God wanted for his life. What I had trouble with is
the way Bennie was sure he knew exactly what God wanted for my life. Bennie was
very clear that there is only one way to heaven, and Jesus is the way, and there
is only one way to follow Jesus. Bennie’s mission was to show us the way,
which meant following a well worn path, using a specific formula of words,
accepting Jesus Christ as one’ s personal Lord and Savior. Which I understand
to mean confessing we are each born in sin and Jesus Christ, the only begotten
Son of God, who was blameless, took on our sins, dying on the cross for us, that
we might have eternal life. It is a pretty orthodox view of Christianity, and to
my way of thinking, it is only one of many ways to know God. From Bennie’s
perspective, those who do not use the right words, or live out their faith in
the correct way, are doomed to damnation, burning in hell for eternity. Bennie’s
theology was black and white, either you are an insider or an outsider, and
Bennie was pretty clear who was in and who was out. His goal was to make sure
each person he encountered had the opportunity to know Jesus in the right way,
to become an insider. I would guess that sometime in your life you
have met Bennie, or someone like him. In the big city it is easy enough to avoid
the Bennie’s of the street corners, but at school, or work, in your
neighborhood, or in the intimacy of your own family you have met someone like
Bennie who wants to know "Are you saved?" "Do you know
Jesus?" "Are you an insider or an outsider?" If you’re like me,
the question leaves you with an uncomfortable feeling in the pit of your
stomach, a little embarrassed for Bennie, and for yourself, looking for a quick
escape. I knew the answer to Bennie’s question - I
grew up in the Presbyterian Church. I knew Jesus, and I knew a whole lot about
the Bible and theology from my years in church school and worship every Sunday
morning. As a teenager, when I longed for something more than the questioning
and academic approach to faith I knew so well from the Presbyterian Church,
sometimes known amongst themselves as the frozen chosen, I sojourned for
awhile in a pentecostal Episcopal Church, where I loved the high liturgy and the
way faith incorporated emotions and not just the brain. But I grew wary of that
style of Christianity when I realized they were sure theirs was the only way to
know God, and if you didn’t Praise the Lord just right, or were too
involved in the ways of the world, you were an outsider. The narrow perspective
of the good people of that particular Episcopal church didn’t fit with my
understanding of God’s inclusive love. Each community of faith, like each family, has
their norms and expectations of what is acceptable. We are no different at the
First Congregational Church. We seek to be welcoming, and there are some people
who are comfortable with our way of worship, our style of music, our commitment
to social justice, the way we interact with each other, the unwritten rules by
which we live as a community. Others feel like outsiders here. The one thing we
have determined as essential in this congregation is a willingness to tolerate
diversity. We value and celebrate each person as a unique child of God, each of
us has our own unique way of knowing God and living our faith. We believe
sharing this diversity enriches our community. Bennie would probably not be
comfortable here, because we live with the grays of life, when it is clearly
black and white for him. So, how do we respond to the Bennies we
encounter, who are concerned for the well being of our souls, wanting to be sure
we are saved? My first temptation is to use an Ann Landers
type response - Why would you ask a question like that? Or, That is between God and me - it is private. But if the questioner is someone with whom we
want to maintain a relationship, we may feel compelled to go beyond the quick
response, to reassure them we are not a lost soul. If we are willing to open up
our spiritual journey to the questioner, honesty is always appropriate. But I
suspect that for many of the Bennies of the world, not much we say will convince
them of our salvation. Unless we are willing to use the specific words which are
important to them, it is challenging to find a bridge across the differences of
our understandings of faith and the language we use to talk about it. Too often
we are left feeling challenged and judged, outsiders. And perhaps the only thing
we can agree on is to disagree in love. Two people went to the temple to pray, the
scripture tells us. One, a pious, devout religious person, a Pharisee, who
observed all the rules, and gave more than was asked of him, prayed, "God,
I thank thee that I am not like other people - extortionists, murderers,
adulterers - or like the tax collector. I fast, I pray, I tithe all I
have." The Pharisee is thankful, he asks for nothing for himself, he
expresses his gratitude for all he has received. This is a good man and he knows
he is good in God’s eyes, he measures up well against others. He is the
faithful, dependable, tithing type who pays the salaries of ministers so we can
preach on the parable of the Pharisee and tax collector. The tax collector on the other hand would never
be described as good. He works for a foreign government collecting taxes,
skimming money off the top to build up his own wealth. In the temple he stands
far off, alone, bows his head in grief. For him, repentance, true repentance
which the law demands, requires not only abandoning his profession but
restitution of all he has gained from tax collecting, plus an added fifth. How
can he know all whom he cheated? He is hopeless. He doesn’t pray, he cries out
for mercy, "God, have mercy on me, a sinner." Every community has its Pharisees. Those who
follow the rules, giving generously of their time, talents, and treasures,
serving on boards, teaching church school, singing in the choir, all the while
comparing themselves with the people around them, good people thankful they are
not like others. Every community has its tax collectors, those whose greed
drives them to ignore the lives of the people they take advantage of, motivated
by profit. Their bank accounts are full, their lives are empty. When I am confronted by Christians like Bennie,
who are sure theirs is the only way, and they feel the need to convince me my
way of faith isn’t good enough, the Pharisee and tax collector within me do
battle. I get defensive. I want to prove my theology, my faith, which leans more
to love and justice, focusing on the example of the way Jesus lived his life, I
want to prove my theology is right, and can overcome all its rivals. And I also
want to throw myself down and pray for forgiveness. I don’t want to become the
Pharisee, because of what I perceive as the Pharisee in others. It is too easy for me to be self righteous -
which can change me into someone I cannot even recognize. When I base my own
claim to righteousness on comparing myself with others, I can see my
self-righteousness at work. "I thank God that I don’t make a big deal out
of my religion, like some with showy prayers." or "God, I thank you
that I know my weaknesses and I admit them, not like others." "God I
thank you that my social attitudes are correct, not like those who hide away
from the world." Our faith is not in our ability to be better
than those around us, but rather our faith is in the grace of God, which can
make all things new. I suspect this parable is not so much about who
is good or bad, self righteous or not, justified or unjustified. The parable is
really about God who in a very unfair, unjust way, freely gives of love,
forgiveness, and grace, deserved or not. I believe God’s love encompasses Bennie,
Pharisees, tax collectors, thieves, rogues, adulterers, you, and me. In God’s
love there is no room for outsiders, everyone is an insider. So if you are here today not knowing whether you
ought to be here, not sure if you belong with everyone around you wearing their
Sunday righteousness, so close to God, while you’re feeling far away from God,
like you don’t know the right words. Don’t worry about what you ought to say
to God. Listen for what God has to say to you. Because God is waiting with a
gift of grace, longing to let you know you are an insider, you are a most
beloved child of God. Thanks be to God. Amen. |