SO WE’RE HAVING THIS CONVERSATION, YOU SEE?

Have you ever stood at the top of a snowy, black diamond hill with a pair of skis strapped to your feet? Have you ever stood on the top of a high dive and looked down at the water below?

That’s what it is like for preacher types when they approach a section of scripture like the 5^th and 6^th chapters of Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. There--as we talked about last weekend--a single, converted Jewish lawyer named Paul addresses the most intimate relationships of life. He talks about marriage, parenting and--as he discusses the relationship slave owners and slaves have with one another--work life. He uses words like “submit”, explores what each partner brings to marriage, tells children to obey their parents, and says our work relationships should be shaped by Christ.

Reading what the old rabbi says to those Jesus followers, the faint-hearted cringe. It is always much safer for a preacher or small group leader to deal in fuzzy, feel-good, spiritual principles than to get down and dirty with the real stuff of life. It is always much safer to speak in very abstract terms about life and relationships and community.

Because here is the thing about a sermon or lesson or lecture: you can never say everything that needs to be said. (“Heaven knows,” some of you may be thinking right now, “you certainly seem to try!”) In the sermon last weekend we didn’t really deal with the sexism of first century life, gender inequality, slavery, the power dynamics present in the workplace, same-sex relationships or unions, deficient parenting skills (some parents shouldn’t be obeyed, we want to shout), child abuse, etc. There is always more to say. Every sermon or lesson is always going to leave important things unsaid.

Sermons are rarely “stand alone” presentations. They are one more part of a continuing conversation. You realize that, right?  Every week we gather for a continuing conversation, one message dealing with faith and a part of life but not others.

Most sermons should end with a series of dots or a comma because we’re just hitting the “pause” button. We’re about to take a breath, let God work as we go live our lives, and then we’ll come back together to hear more…say more.

Paul doesn’t say it all in Ephesians.  Even a whole letter leaves important things unsaid and important issues unaddressed. Jesus talks about money and things in one sermon, and doesn’t deal with forgiveness. He gets to that in a subsequent sermon.

So we are in the middle of a conversation, you and me. That goes on from week to week, year to year.

Sermons will be unfinished and imperfect.  I know that every time I step into the pulpit. Your feedback is important to me. As we talk together, as we ask questions and nudge one another towards new truth in Christ, God is at work in good ways!

My prayer is that somehow God will be able to use the words no matter how poorly chosen or spoken they might be.

I’ll do my best to speak with faith and grace. And I am counting on you to listen with faith and grace. (This is a delightful community for a preacher! You’re not afraid to wrestle with deep stuff or tough issues!)

We’re having a conversation, you know? We’re not into stand alone masterpieces of theological reflection but a real, ongoing conversation about faith and life that deals with real stuff.  So what were you saying?

In Christ and for Christ,

Mark