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When’s the last time you took a ride on a roller coaster? It’s been several years now for me - I think it was the summer of 2000 when Dave and I and the girls took a family road trip to Tennessee. And after many visits to historical sites, Rose asked if we could do something that wasn’t as boring as walking around old houses and listening to people talk and talk and talk…. And so off we went to Dollywood amusement park. Now Rose and Dave are roller coaster people – We passed through the gates and they headed straight to the coasters. Kathryn and I, on the other hand, Like our rides closer to the ground: the merry-go-round, swings, and cups and saucers. But we had made a family pact – Each of us would choose a ride – And the other three agreed to go on it. Well, as you might guess, Rose chose a roller coaster. Okay, it was a small one – In the kiddie section if my memory serves me correctly. So, in the line I go, Hop in the car, Sit down and get strapped in. As soon as the attendant clicks the bar into place, I begin to feel the butterflies in my stomach. When we start up the incline, I grip the bar And then during the pause – the agonizing pause before the car makes it mad descent – I grip the bar even harder. I grabbed that bar with every bit of strength and energy I had. And even though the ride down is no longer than 15 seconds, I scream and hold on for dear life. In his letter to the church at Rome, Paul talks about holding on for dear life. His admonition is to “hold fast to what is good” in life. Hold on for dear life to all that is good and gracious, all that comes from our loving God. Sometimes, friends, Sometimes we’re more comfortable with holding fast to things other than “the good.” Like the bar on the roller coaster car, We grasp with all our might and strength to a grudge over words uttered years ago, instead of holding fast to the goodness of forgiveness. We hold for on for dear life to the fear of disapproval when we speak out for justice instead of holding onto the goodness of Jesus’ promise: Do not be afraid. I am with you always. We clutch to a particular Scriptural interpretation that fits neatly into our life and way of understanding, instead of holding fast to the goodness of a still speaking God who has more light and truth to break forth. We cling – sometimes to the point of pain – To our own way of doing things in and outside the church instead of holding fast to the goodness of God’s transforming power. What are you holding onto this morning? Is there a place in your life where you’re clinging to an emotion or a person or a situation that might not be good for your own sake or for the sake of the world? Paul reminds us that we can cling to goodness like we cling to those we love – Our partners when they are in need of comfort, Our parents when we realize they seem to get older with each passing day, Our grandchildren when we realized they are doing the same; Our children when we put them on the bus for the first day of school Or when we drop them off to college for the first time. Hold fast to what is good, Paul says. Love truly and more generously than the person sitting next to you. Treat one another with honor and affection. Persevere in prayer, Contribute to the needs you see around you. Live in harmony be together in both joy and sorrow. These words from Paul would make a beautiful card or a wall plaque- and I’ve seen both! These words – when they are followed – can create individual lives of faith and communities and churches of care and compassion. And although we don’t always succeed, I think most of us would strive towards the goals Paul outlines, All deeds that most of us would say define a Christian life. But you might have noticed, You might have heard, a few other of Paul’s exhortations in today’s lesson, ones that begin to give me that same butterfly in the stomach feeling that I feel on roller coasters. I begin to sense that something is coming that will really make me hold on for dear life. Paul says to extend hospitality not only to friends, But also to strangers who enter into your life and communities. Open up your hands, your hearts, your home To the stranger, the ones who look different or act different or believe differently. Associate with the lowly. Bless those who persecute you. If your enemies are hungry, feed them; If they are thirsty, Give them something to drink. These words might not make as beautiful a wall plaque or card, but these, too, are the way to Christian living, the shape of Christian community. Paul doesn’t concern himself with developing happy communities of people caring for one another. Paul seems much more concerned with developing the body of Christ: to live as Christ lived, to love as Christ loved, to hope as Christ hoped, to be transformed as Christ transformed. Being a Christian, friends, is not always practical, logical, or convenient. It is counter-cultural and counter-intuitive. We have a choice, friends – in Paul’s words, to conform to this world or to be transformed by God’s grace. While the world tells us to seek and to sit places of power and prestige, Christians sit with those whom Jesus sat with: the poor, the outcast, the lost and the least and the left behind. While some in the world build boundaries, defining who is accepting and who is not, Christians build bridges of compassion to cross over those boundaries. Where others might look to places of ruin and destruction and turn away in despair, Christians look with hope, Live with hope because we know in every place of death and desolation, there is the possibility of new life and new beginnings. Paul writes: cling to what is good, cling to the good news as preached and lived by Christ Jesus. and at the conclusion of our lesson this morning, the apostle turns to good once again. “Do not be overcome by evil, But overcome evil with good.” Overcome evil with good. Scholars differ on the meaning of the Greek work used by Paul in this context which we translate “evil.” and each of us here might have a different definition. Evil can mean something outside of God’s grace, And can be a kind of power that lives in humanity that leads us to cruel actions and words that defy understanding. or systems of exclusion – such as racism, or sexism, or ageism – or governmental policies that do not honor the dignity of each person, that perpetuate poverty or violence. But whatever and however evil is defined, it seems it continues across the generations and millennia, for it is no different now than it was in the time of Paul. It is clear that there is something amiss in society and the world, something that seems to zap the strength and energy, the goodness and the God-ness of our very spirits and beings. And so Paul reminded those who were seeking to follow in the way of Christ – Overcome evil with good. Evil is real, and it doesn’t have to be the final word. Through Christ, we have the power and the strength to prevail over evil. In her poignant and powerful memoir entitled “Breathing Space,” Pastor Heidi Neumark tells the story of Transfiguration church – the people, their struggles, their ministry, and their desire to create a community of new life, breath, and transformation. Transfiguration church is located in the south Bronx – “the ground zero of urban blight.” Evil surrounds their community in the form of boarded up buildings and businesses, broken windows and broken lives, and bullets that fly day and night, There are the drug sellers and buyers who transact business right outside the church door, the empty promises of disingenuous politicians and businessmen, and those who bear the deepest scars of evil’s handprint: battered women, abused children, men who have lost their way. But through the grace and mercies of God and with the hard work of this pastor and the commitment and diligence of many people, goodness breaks through the cracks. goodness overcomes the evil of violence and poverty, often in unexpected places and unimagined people. Heidi tells the story of Burnice, who first arrived at the church as a drug addict looking for a handout for herself and her children – at least that is what she said. But there was something in Burnice, There was something in the people of the church, And there was a generous abundance of God’s grace, and so Burnice became a Sunday School teacher, a women’s group leader, and president of the church council. One day, while Burnice was at church helping at an after school program, her apartment was broken into – Not by a thief or a drug addict or a youngster on a gang initiation. It was the NYPD Street Crimes Unit who entered her apartment. Legally, they had the right if they suspected illegal behavior. But they didn’t just go into the apartment to search – They upended everything in sight, with a force and a fury that extended well beyond what was necessary. When Heidi and Burnice entered the apartment, clothing, blankets, bills, books, magazines, pots, plates were strewn about in chaos. Mattresses were cut up. The VCR and TV were gutted, with their insides hanging out. Burnice was devastated. This apartment was her dream-come-true after leaving her old rat-infested building for a shelter. She scrimped and saved and sacrificed so that she could furnish and fill it. And now it was a disaster zone, An act of human nature gone awry, An act of evil rearing its ugly head. The next morning, A crew from the church assembled at Burnice’s home to begin the work of recovery and clean up. People didn’t speak the same language, or eat the same food, or even liked the same hymns. But they all knew on this particular day what it means to overcome evil with good: Sift through each room and gather what can be saved. Rescue toys and photographs. Repair broken furniture. Hold hands and pray. Make sandwiches, break open cans of soda, and share a meal together. Simple ways of overcoming evil with good. I invite you to join with me in a litany to end the sermon this morning. After I read each petition, I invite you to respond “Let us overcome evil with good.” In a world where the poor are neglected and the outcast hide: R In a world fearful of the economic future and the stock market and the price of oil: R In a world anxious to demonize "the enemy" and to rush to war: R In a world where our youth are bombarded too often with sensationalism and violence: R In a world approving of revenge: R In a world torn by ethnic and religious strife: R In a world longing for love that is genuine: R Friends, let us hold on for dear life to what is good. Let us cling to the good news in word and deed. And with the grace and strength of a God made real to us in Christ Jesus, Let us overcome evil with good. Amen and Amen. |