Last Weeks Sermon

Easter 7 2022

        Paul and Silas were beaten and thrown into prison--in today’s reading from Acts—for healing a slave girl who had a spirit of divination.

        (Having such a spirit possessing you might seem like a good thing. It would let you make lots of money on the stock market and in sport’s betting. But you’ll also know when those you love are going to die and know when the next school shooting would take place and be helpless to do anything about it.)

        When an earthquake (sent by God?) opens all the doors to the prison and removes the prisoner’s bonds, no one leaves.

        The jailer woke up and considered killing himself because of the trouble he’d be in, Paul talks to him and he turns to God and is baptized. He also sets Paul and Silas free and takes them to his house to eat and meet his family.

        That’s the first point I want to make: we need to set each other free. Free to be ourselves when we thought we couldn’t be.

 

        In John today, Jesus talks about how we are all “ONE”.

        I dare say we don’t think we are “ONE”.

        We live in a nation that seems more divided than at any time since the Civil War.

        We are divided by our opinions and don’t think we can come together and listen with compassion toward those who don’t agree with us.

        But Jesus insists we should be “ONE”.

        Remember these words from the pledge of allegiance: “ONE Nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”

        I didn’t realize until I was reading about the Pledge for this sermon, that the phrase ‘under God’ was added in 1956 by President Eisenhower because of his concerns about what he considered ‘god-less communists’.

        He had no intentions of becoming ‘ONE’ with communists.

        In our oh-so-divided nation and world, it doesn’t seem possible to ‘free each other’ to become ONE across our differences.

        Yet that’s what God calls us to do.

       

        In a small step toward that end and after talking with the Wardens and two of members of Trinity, we decided to hold a monthly series of discussions around sensitive topics.

        The point of the discussions will be to ‘listen’ to each other—really ‘listen—even across whatever differences we have…no, not ‘even’…”intentionally listen”, intentionally and with compassion one for the other.

        Our vocalist, Jordon, will become our moderator for these talks and keep us on track and check that we are really listening to each other.

        Our hope is that we may FREE each other to share sincerely about our opinions, so that we might in that way—by talking and listening—become more ONE in spite of our differences.

        Be sure to invite friends you may disagree with. Let them know that will be treated with respect and compassion and truly, truly ‘listened to’.

        The first session will be June 12 and will be dedicated to an honest discussion of Gun Control.

        In the future we will discuss Abortion, GLBTQ rights and immigration.

        Be there to listen and be listened to so that we might FREE each other and become more ONE.