There are Talents and There are Talents

Rev. Kristi Denham
Congregational Church of Belmont
January 20, 2008

Our scripture lesson this morning comes from the Gospel According to John, Chapter 1, verses 29 through 42. Just as in Mark’s Gospel, the author makes no mention of the early life of Jesus but skips directly to his encounter with John the Baptist. Unlike Mark, however, he does not describe the baptism of Jesus but moves directly beyond it to the calling of the first disciples. And in John’s Gospel these men had been followers of John the Baptist who now turn to follow Jesus.

Archeologists have recently found strong evidence that John the Baptist was a powerful spiritual leader who maintained a strong following well into the first century. It makes sense then that every gospel story would want to address the superiority of Jesus to John for the early Christian communities they served. The Gospel of John makes this point more dramatically than the other gospels by having John the Baptist himself recommend a transfer of allegiance to Jesus.

The last of the gospels, John was written at the very end of the first century and almost didn’t make it into the approved canon of the fourth century Councils. The gospel was considered "too Gnostic," too dualistic and abstract in much of its language. And it contradicts the other gospels in several ways. There is no Sermon on the Mount, no parables, and several stories are dramatically expanded and include long-winded speeches by Jesus and details found nowhere else. John brings many characters to life in ways that enrich our understanding of the early church. Whether it accurately reflects the historical Jesus remains a serious question.

Only John brings the disciples to life in vivid ways. Peter, which is Greek for "rock," is renamed by Jesus probably because he is strong and stubborn, like a rock. Doubting Thomas comes to life towards the end of the story. John, the disciple, is perhaps "the one whom Jesus loved," although this phrase may ultimately be intended to include all of us. The essential thing is that God calls individuals as they are -- unique, challenging, characters. We are not expected to turn into universal saint-like clones. We are asked to be fully human, fully who we are, in order to serve God from our authentic wholeness. This is holiness.

Today is Martin Luther King Jr. Sunday. We are encouraged to remember the example of this great American Civil Rights leader and to ask ourselves what his memory has to do with us.

I love the story of Martin’s first call to ministry at age 24. The Dexter Avenue Baptist Church was tired of the bold and challenging civil rights activism of its long time pastor, Rev. Vernon Johns. He had served the church from 1947 to 1952. The governing board of the church, much like our own Council, voted to let him go because he was making trouble for black folks living under Jim Crow Law by asking them to stand up against injustice. They formed a search committee and eventually called the young Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., thinking he would be a more malleable and less provocative leader. Don’t you love it!

The disciples of John the Baptist left the wild man who dined on locusts and wild honey to follow Jesus, the Prince of Peace. Did they expect things would be easier under their new teacher?

Martin Luther King Jr. had a dream! If you haven’t been reminded of that this weekend, bless your heart, you haven’t turned on the television. His dream was a vision for a new America where freedom and justice was truly the birthright of every child. His dream became a vision for a whole generation, for several generations, for me.

When I decided to bond my life in marriage to an African American and to have two wonderful sons with him, I did so with a clear belief that I was living out the dream that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. spoke to so eloquently in the March on Washington in 1963. I had a dream that was rooted in the American dream. I was part of something bigger than myself.

Do we still have a dream? Do we still have a dream?

The question is not put to you as an individual. I do not ask, "Do YOU have a dream?" Individual hopes and aspirations are all very good, and we need them to live our lives with purpose and with meaning.

But a people without a vision shall perish. A vision or a dream that includes all of us is essential to moving forward with courage and with the hand of God to guide us.

Individual dreams are important, but communal vision is essential.

We live in an age of isolation where "Bowling Alone" is a perfect image for the breakdown of community. More and more folks believe they can effectively connect with others through cyberspace without ever leaving their homes. But such isolated connecting never brings whole families into extended families of multi-generational support. Only communities of faith are doing that.

It is not surprising that the most powerful movements for social justice in the last century, Mahatma Gandhi’s transformation of India and the American Civil Rights Movement were both largely based in faith communities.

Our church is uniquely situated to be a beacon of justice and compassion in Belmont and the wider community of the Peninsula. Do we have a dream?

Thomas, our Intern, once prayed for the empty pews, and in doing so reminded us all that our vision must include those who are not yet in our midst as we continue to grow our faith and serve our God. Do we have a dream?

We are a faith community with gifts to give, creative talents to explore, opportunities to stretch our arms wide, to embrace, to serve families and friends we have yet to meet. Do we have a dream?

If God is in our midst, if we are a community of faith with the power of love in every molecule of our beings, if we have a reason to exist that is more than about comfort and security and the way things have always been, then we have a dream!

I wish all of you could have been there last Sunday afternoon as we gathered in the parlor to decide the future of Chocolate Fest. People stepped forward. Leadership jobs were filled. There will be a Chocolate Fest 2008. And it already feels exciting to be moving forward.

And our Rummage Sale will return this summer! Save your best recyclables! We’ll be sharing them with the world again.

Is Chocolate Fest and Rummage Sale big news? It’s not a March on Washington, but both are community events that draw people together, allow us to serve and provide funds that allow us to contribute to the needs of others even as we ensure the future of our historic building and fund projects we discover as the year unfolds. We have a dream.

As I look out over our congregation I realize how blessed we are to have brought together such a strong creative community of people. We are a good example of what a family-extended family church can be. We have much to learn and much to teach. God is not done with us yet!

Lucy, the wonderful character in the Peanuts cartoons always said, "I love humanity. It’s people I can’t stand." She reminds us that one of the best things about our church is the people. We are strong and opinionated and real. You are encouraged here to practice your love, not simply show up for a sermon and go home unchanged. Here you get to grow your faith by living it in community.

The early church was founded in house churches smaller than we are, full of courageous people who took the teachings of Jesus seriously. They had the power to change the world because they had vision. They had a dream.

We have a dream. Close your eyes. Can you see it? New folks finding us, the lonely pews filled. Our children thriving in extended family knowing the love we have to share with them, learning with us about the power of faith, the power of vision, the power of a dream, to change the world.

On Friday, at our Annual Meeting, we will make decisions that support the future of our dream. May we work together with wisdom to serve the high calling we all have as children of God! Amen.