Easter 6B, Acts 10:44-48; 1 John 5:1-6; John
15:9-17
St. Paul’s, Smithfield, NC
5/6/2018; Jim Melnyk: “Therefore People”
Yesterday afternoon representatives
from 13 different sponsoring Johnston County churches, along with participants
from as many as 7 additional congregations, gathered at 417 East Hinton Street
in Clayton. We gathered together to
dedicate the Habitat for Humanity House that has become the home of Rebecca
Morgan and her children. As most of you
know, this Johnston County Habitat for Humanity Faith Build began on a frigid
Saturday morning in January, when 41 people gathered in a parking lot to begin
building the walls that would later become the Morgan’s home. It was 22 degrees outside with a wind chill
in the lower teens – but our sense of purpose and the pounding of nails kept us
warm
Those of us from St.
Paul’s, along with everyone else, could have said, “Geez, it’s just too cold
out to build.” In the months leading up
to the hammering of the first nail any or all of the churches involved could
have said, “It will cost too much money.”
They could have said, “We’ll never get enough volunteers.” Rebecca Morgan could have said, “I’ll never
get approved, why bother with applying?”
Any one of us involved – or all of us – could have said, “What’s the
point? What difference does one house
make, anyway?”
But the partners in
the Johnston County Faith build are a gathering of what theologian Henry Joel
Cadbury once called “therefore people.” Cadbury, the late Professor of Divinity at
Harvard, and a Quaker theologian, once said in a Friends Meeting for worship,
“There are two kinds of Friends in our Society, and two kinds of people in the
world: there are therefore people, and there are however people. Therefore people say, ‘There are
children going to bed hungry in our community, Therefore…’ and they
proceed to devise and define the ways in which they can meet the need in their
community. However people make the
same beginning statement, ‘There are children going to bed hungry in our
community,’ but they follow that statement with, ‘However…’ and they
explain why nothing can be done about it” (Synthesis,
1994). A friend remarked earlier this
morning that he’s heard it called, “Yeah, but…”
Our churches
gathered together began to understand how many of our neighbors like the Morgan
family live in sub-standard, unaffordable, housing. We chose, therefore, to do something about
it.
Our lessons from
today’s readings are about being therefore people. They’re about followers of Jesus “living a therefore
ethic” (ibid). In our lesson from
Acts the early followers of Jesus are confused when the Holy Spirit comes upon
a number of Gentiles hearing Peter preach the Good News of God in Christ. Peter, who has struggled with what to do
about Gentiles seeking Christ, has his heart transformed.
Basically Peter
says, “The Holy Spirit has come upon these people, therefore, how can we not
invite them into the waters of baptism?
How can we not welcome them in the name of Jesus Christ? Peter had lived much of his ministry with
Jesus as a “however person.” He was
good at saying, “Yes, Lord, however….” Peter
could have continued being a “however person” saying, “I see, and
I understand, however, they are not among the circumcised – they are Gentiles
– they are outside our accepted understanding of who is in and who is out, so
we must exclude them. Peter chose to be
a therefore
person instead.
The author of
today’s Epistle was a therefore person as well. Writing toward the close of the first century
he begins his work with a powerful statement of faith: “We declare to you what
was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes,
what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the word of
life…so that you also may have fellowship with us…. [Therefore,] Beloved, let
us love one another, because love is from God…. Beloved… God loved us so much [therefore];
we also ought to love one another” (1 John, part of chapters 1 and 4). The only “howevers” offered by the
author come when we, as followers of Christ, fail or refuse to love one
another. It’s only when we choose not to
love that we are we found lacking in God’s eyes. Therefore – therefore – we know in
our hearts we should be therefore people.
In John’s gospel, as
Jesus moves through the final night of his mortal life with his friends, he
models “thereforeness” to them in hopes that the idea will settle
deeply within their hearts. Jesus leaves
his disciples with three commandments on this last night. “No one has greater love than this, to lay
down one’s life for one’s friends” (John 15:13). Therefore – and here’s commandment
one – therefore, when I am gone and you break bread together and
drink from the cup – remember who I am.
The Greek word we
translate as “remembrance” is anamnesis
– it means more than “remember” – it means to make present in the here and
now. Therefore, when I am gone and you
break bread together and drink from the cup, remember who I am, and how I am
with you always, how I am fully present with you in this sacrament of love and
grace, and give of yourselves as I have given of myself.
“I do not call you
servants any longer,” says Jesus, “but I have called you friends, because I
have made known to you everything that I have heard from my Father”
(15:15). Therefore – and here’s
the second commandment - Therefore, “If I, your Lord and
Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have set you and example, that you
should do as I have done to you” (13:14-15).
“I am giving you
these commands so that you may love one another” (15:17). Therefore – the third commandment of
that last night – Therefore, look for ways to show that love – not just to those
who fit our particular safe images – but, instead, extend your love to all
people, rather than looking for ways to withhold from others the love I have
for you – the love I have for all.
“Nevertheless, just
because we ought to be therefore people doesn’t mean that
we [will always be able to live into the power] to live thereforely. The ‘howevers’ of life always lie close
at hand. And ‘however’ can disguise
itself as cleverly plausible alternatives, or quite seductive paths away from
the Good News of God in Christ (Synthesis,
1994). “However” is a word I heard all
too often as I was growing into adulthood – and a word I still hear all too
often today. We know all people are
equal, however…. We know that racism, or sexism, or ageism is wrong, however…. We know children being murdered by assault
weapon wielding lunatics is wrong, however… We know unfair wages, unsafe or
unaffordable housing, or any form of discrimination is wrong, however… however…
however!
Professor “Cadbury
exhorted his Quaker community, especially its leadership, to try the
‘therefore-however’ exercise by continually coming up with need statements
derived both from their faith community and the wider community in which they
lived” (ibid). That sounds like
something we can do here at St. Paul’s – it sounds a lot like what we do at St.
Paul’s already – though we’ve probably not put it in those terms – the terms of
however
and therefore. And if we take a moment to listen to the words of our Eucharistic prayers we might be surprised at the number of "therefores" we come across.
We can certainly
name needs at St. Paul’s. We can
certainly name needs in the wider community.
There are older parishioners who live by themselves who could use
companionship – or at least someone checking in regularly to make sure they are
okay. Do we respond with “however” or
with “therefore?” There are people in
Johnston County who have no faith community, sometimes not by choice - but because no one wants them in their pews. There are folks who go to bed hungry. We can make the lists… we can respond with
“however” or with “therefore.” We have
options. We have choices. And it may be a tough exercise to complete –
but we don’t have to get there overnight.
We learn to be therefore people by saying, “Therefore!” We learn to love one another as ourselves by
loving.
I know we like to
think of following Jesus as a beautiful walk along the shores of Galilee, or a
time when only one set of footprints marked the sand because Jesus was carrying
us close to his heart. But following
Christ – being Christ in this world – taking a stand – living into our
Baptismal Covenant – being therefore people – is as risky as it
is thrilling. The part about “No one has
greater love that this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends,” that’s not
just Gospel hyperbole. That’s
Christ-like love.
“I am giving you
these commands,” says Jesus, “so that you may love one another.” Therefore… therefore… therefore….
