We began our service today with a call to worship based on the mission statement our Board of Christian Education articulated several years ago. My plan was that these words would guide my reflections on our ministry of faith formation–a description of the amazing work our teachers and board members do, an exploration of the challenges facing Christian Education and Faith Formation as we move into the future.
Instead, in the wake of yesterday’s terror attack on Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, I will focus on the last line of that mission statement, on the purpose of our Faith Formation program: “Our goal is that we each develop a faith that will carry us through life.”
How does our faith carry us through life in a world where a bris, a baby-naming ceremony, is invaded by a hate-filled gunman, in a world where anti-Semitism reminds us of our human capacity for evil? How does our faith help us make sense of senseless violence? How does our faith call us to respond?
This morning I will touch on seven core principles of our faith which shape my response. There is no magic to these seven; tomorrow I’ll probably think of an eighth or a ninth. These are the principles that came to me yesterday as I watched the horrifying tragedy unfolding on TV.
The first principle, which goes back to the creation story in Genesis, is that every human being is created by God and beloved by God. Human life is a precious gift. The eleven people who were killed are beloved children of God. God is grieving for those precious lives. God is grieving with the congregations of Tree of Life, with our Jewish kin, with us. God is grieving for all of humanity, for when any child of God is killed, we are all diminished.
A second principle of our faith is reflected in Psalm 84, beautiful words that describe the joy of pilgrims traveling to the temple, where they will worship together. God calls us into communities of faith to worship together, to care for one another, to help each other on our lifelong journeys of faith. Our gatherings are holy, and the places where we gather take on that holiness, for our prayers and songs and sacred stories reverberate within the walls. When a gunman violates holy space, it feel especially horrifying, for it jars our deep sense of the sacred.
What makes Tree of Life synagogue a sacred place, though, cannot be destroyed by the acts of a terrorist. Last night more than a thousand people gathered outdoors in Pittsburgh to pray and sing and grieve together. Led by a cantor, people from many different faith traditions sang the traditional Jewish prayer for healing. This terror attack is a profound affront to our sense of what is sacred, and it does not destroy the sacred gift and calling of communities who gather to worship and serve God.
A third principle: Love your neighbor as yourself. Give special attention and care to your neighbor who is vulnerable. In this age when anti-Semitism is on the rise, our Jewish neighbors are vulnerable. Our faith calls us to stand with them, to let them know they are not alone.
With deep sadness, we need to acknowledge the ways the Christian faith has been twisted to justify anti-Semitism. Our New Testament scriptures were written in a time when the early church was struggling with several complex issues: trying to figure out how to bring Jews and Gentiles together within the church, trying to survive in a hostile Roman empire, and trying to make sense of sometimes contentious relationships with neighbors in nearby synagogues. Words that were written to address very particular circumstances have too often been taken out of context and directed at our Jewish kin. In order for us to stand with our Jewish neighbors, we need to wrestle with our own scripture and the ways it has been misinterpreted. We need to be bold in saying no to interpretations that are used in the service of hate.
We know that it is not only our Jewish neighbors who are vulnerable. African-American churches are targeted with expressions of hate; immigrant churches are targeted; mosques are targeted; sometimes Open and Affirming UCC churches are targeted. We are called, always, to stand with our neighbors; we trust that, if it becomes necessary, our neighbors will stand with us.
A fourth principle of our faith comes from the most frequently repeated command in the Bible: Do not be afraid. Behind this command is the acknowledgement that there are plenty of things to fear. Our lives are fragile. There is danger around every corner, some of it natural, some of it caused by human action. There is so much that is beyond our control.
In response to all those reasons to fear, Jesus says over and over, “Do not be afraid.” He doesn’t promise to protect us from danger; he assures us that God will be with us no matter what, and that God will give us strength and courage to face whatever we must face. Jesus challenges us to claim the gift of fullness of life, life that refuses to be made smaller by fear.
The purpose of acts of terror is to make us terrified. Jesus calls us to say no. Let us refuse to be controlled by fear. Let us choose fullness of life.
A fifth principle is the acknowledgement of the reality of human brokenness, of our human capacity to commit acts we can only name as evil. We cannot deny that reality–for our own lives and in our world. Jesus devoted his life to proclaiming the coming of God’s realm of love; never, though, did he ignore the power of hate and fear and greed. Jesus faced them head-on, all the way to his own execution.
The power of hate is all too real in our nation and in our world today. The gunman’s hate is his own responsibility; still, we know that the hate speech that is shaping our nation’s culture gives fertile ground for seeds of hatred to grow. Our faith teaches us that we cannot ignore hate, whether it is expressed in Facebook posts or tweets, words or symbols or violence.
We also cannot face that hate with hate, for that will only allow it to multiply. Instead, we try to trust in this sixth principle: God’s love is more powerful than hate. It is, for me, the central message of the Easter story. Whether we understand the resurrection literally or metaphorically, the story proclaims that nothing–not hatred or fear or even death–has the power to destroy the message Jesus came to proclaim: God’s love is breaking in. It is expressed in beautiful poetry in Paul’s letter to the Romans: “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angel nor rulers, nor height nor depth….will be able to separate us from the love of God.” To his list I would add neither hate nor fear nor greed nor abuse of power can separate us from God’s love.
Sometimes this central message of our faith rings true–when we witness the courage of first responders or the outpouring of love from strangers. Other times, when we are devastated by what feels like a groundswell of hate, it seems almost impossible to believe. That is why we need community, so we can hold the promise of our faith for one another, knowing that each of us has times we struggle to trust in the power of God’s love.
Someone asked me recently whether I ever doubt the things I say I believe. Absolutely, I answered. What I don’t doubt, though, is my choice to try to live out those beliefs anyway. I don’t doubt that I want to live my life based on the conviction that love is stronger than hate.
The final principle I will to lift up today is that God chooses to work through human beings to bring God’s promise to fruition. God’s love is more powerful than hate every time we choose to act in love. The realm of God’s love breaks in every time we stand with our neighbors, every time we confront hatred head-on with love.
Seven principles:
- Every human being is a beloved, precious child of God.
- Gathering together to worship and serve God is a holy act.
- We called to love our neighbors and to stand with those who are vulnerable.
- Jesus calls us not to allow fear to keep us from fullness of life.
- Our human capacity for acts of hate and evil is very real.
- God’s love is more powerful than hate.
- God chooses to work through us to bring God’s love to fruition.
The purpose of our Faith Formation and Christian Education is for each of us, children, youth and adults to develop a faith that will carry us through life. These seven principles of our faith help to carry me through days like yesterday. I would love to hear what helps to carry you. Let’s talk about it.
May our kin at the Tree of Life synagogue feel our love enfolding them. May we find courage to confront hate and evil head-on with love. May God work through us to bring God’s love into our world. Amen