Earth’s crammed with heaven, and every common bush afire with God; but only he who sees, takes off his shoes…
     - Elizabeth Barrett Browning


READING:
Moses was taking care of the flock for his father-in-law Jethro, Midian’s priest. He led his flock out to the edge of the desert, and he came to God’s mountain called Horeb. The Lord’s messenger appeared to him in a flame of fire in the middle of a bush. Moses saw that the bush was in flames, but it didn’t burn up. Then Moses said to himself, Let me check out this amazing sight and find out why the bush isn’t burning up. When the Lord saw that he was coming to look, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” Moses said, “I’m here.” Then the Lord said, “Don’t come any closer! Take off your sandals, because you are standing on holy ground.”
                                                    - Exodus 3.1-5    


REFLECTION: 
I’m sure you have heard the old saw about kids in the Deep South going barefoot in the summer; or as any son of the South worth his salt would say, “barefooted.” Well, I am a card carrying southern boy born and bred (though I don’t pull the card out very often), and I’m here to put an end to this misconception. I would say the notion is a myth, but I have too much respect for mythology to defame it in this way as simply something that is false.

There is some truth to the falsehood claim; but while close, it misses the mark by a country mile… and then some. Indigenous religions get it; take, for example the introduction a clan elder once gave to his storytelling. “I’m going to tell you a story,” he began. “It’s a lie, but not everything about it is false.” Sometimes, even philosophers get it, like the philosopher who referred to myth as “a lie designed to tell the truth.”

Myth and symbol - the language of wonder and awe in the ancients’ stories, the language of poetry - ain’t simple, as these statements indicate; but is sho’ ain’t false. It sho’ aint a statement of fact gone awry.

Take the story of the burning bush. If it were merely factual, one could ostensibly verify its actuality, measure the temperature of the flames, and eventually explain how a bush could burn without being tormented in the flames (as the rich man in another story would say). Such an experience might be many things – a hallucination, an exception to the laws of nature, even an exceptional act of power – but it wouldn’t be God. It wouldn’t be capable of inspiring Moses with the very real sense of God’s presence. It wouldn’t inspire awe, fear, and just about every emotion in between.

It wouldn’t be God, because the closest we mortals come to recognizing God’s presence is through symbols, metaphors, myths; language that starts out in the world as we know it; but which opens out to that which lies beyond; beyond the reach of factuality, limitation, or cause-and-effect. It’s no wonder one Christian thinker would refer to symbolic language as the house of God.

Moses was right to take off his shoes, because the ground he stood on was holy. He was right to take off his shoes, not as a gesture of respect, but as acknowledgement that he was in a mysterious place between earth and heaven – call it epiphany, call it a thin place, call it vision, call it living on the border of the sacred – Moses was in the presence of God.

Moses was in the presence of God, and needed to learn to walk barefoot. Walking barefoot symbolizes need, to be sure, that something important is lacking; but Moses, walking barefoot, was ready to accept help when it was offered (like the disciples accepting foot washing from Jesus). Walking barefoot symbolizes that Moses was vulnerable, as anyone knows who has stepped barefoot on a sharp rock, but it can lead to the recognition that one needs the God revealed in mystery and flame to be healed. And walking barefoot symbolizes an intimate connectedness that Moses surely felt. Walk barefoot in the park and you will feel a closer connection to the earth and to all of nature. Walk barefoot in the spirit, and you will feel an intimate connectedness to God.

Moses was right to take off his shoes, because walking barefoot offers so many analogies (again with the symbols!) to a life spiritually engaged. On Sunday we will explore what it might mean for us to learn to walk barefoot. I hope to see you then and, by the way, it’s okay to come “barefooted.”

In the early Negro Spiritual tradition, African Americans met in camp meetings and sang without any hymnbook. Songs were composed on the spot, inspired by their immediate circumstances. These early songs were called sperichil – spiritual songs – the spontaneous response of faith to life’s challenges and mysteries.

In comparison to this musical tradition, it occurs to me that we preachers got it plum easy. We have the luxury of extensive preparation before delivering a sermon: hours of research on the exegesis of the biblical passage; consideration of what others have said about the text, and the sermon topic; time to rehearse the delivery of the sermon; and so on and so forth. It also occurs to me, however, that it is easy for this process of sermon crafting to become mechanical and impersonal, and lose the possibility of a spontaneous and heartfelt response of faith to the topic at hand.

And this can be huge. If you are a fan of Jazz music, you know how powerful, penetrating, and inspiring improvisation can be. And one can readily imagine how moving were the songs in the sperichil tradition. Who knows? Maybe it’s the lack of improvisation and spontaneity that dooms many sermons to be dry, detached, impersonal, and – let’s face it – boring… Did I forget to mention boring?

This Sunday @ OPCC, we will make a concerted effort to give spontaneity and improvisation free reign in the sermon, in the hope that unfettered faith might just have something significant to share with us. So please peruse the gospel reading below, meditate on its meaning, and come Sunday prepared to pose questions about its nature and significance. You will have the opportunity to submit your question, and the sermon will consist of faith’s response to these questions. This will not be an occasion to stump the preacher, to show her or him up by posing really difficult questions; rather, this will be an opportunity to let the sincere voice of faith speak. It may not be polished, it may not be eloquent, but we can hope it will be authentic.

Oh, and by the way, if you can please get your questions to me by Saturday afternoon…


READING:
Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, ‘Who do people say that the Son of Man is?’ And they said, ‘Some say John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’ He said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ Simon Peter answered, ‘You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.’ And Jesus answered him, ‘Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.’ Then he sternly ordered the disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.    
                                            - Matthew 16.13-20    

“So which story do you prefer?”  “The one with the tiger. That’s the better story.”  “Thank you. And so it goes with God.” 
    - fromThe Life of PI


READINGS:
Then Moses said to God, “Suppose I go to the People of Israel and I tell them, ‘The God of your fathers sent me to you’; and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ What do I tell them?” God said to Moses, “I-AM-WHO-I-AM. Tell the People of Israel, ‘I-AM sent me to you.’”
                                                      - Exodus 3.13f.

And now, finally, God answered Job from the eye of a violent storm.
                                                      - Job 38.1

The angel of God appeared to him (Moses) in flames of fire blazing out of the middle of a bush. He looked. The bush was blazing away but it didn’t burn up. Moses said, “What’s going on here? I can’t believe this! Amazing! Why doesn’t the bush burn up?” God saw that he had stopped to look. God called to him from out of the bush, “Moses! Moses!” He said, “Yes? I’m right here!” God said, “Don’t come any closer. Remove your sandals from your feet. You’re standing on holy ground.”     
                                                      - Exodus 3.2-5

“When the north pole becomes the south pole, and the south the north, a world is reversed and overturned and we find ourselves standing firmly on utter uncertainty. The parables… intend to do precisely this to our security because such is the advent of the Kingdom. Or, as Paul might have put it, see if you can boast from the middle of an earthquake.”
                                                        - John Dominic Crossan    


REFLECTION: 
On Sunday we will start a sermon series that we have entitled, God’s Cameos. Finding the Spiritual in Reel Life. It should be both meaningful and fun as we examine movies with no particular claim to spirituality, and yet find God’s tracks all over them in themes, ideas, personalities, relationships, and more. In fact, that’s the point we want to make; that no matter where we look, if we are open to it, God is there and will speak. Like Frederick Buechner has stressed time and again, if God speaks anywhere it will be smack dab in the middle of our mundane, everyday life; even at the movies, with or without popcorn. One of the boundaries God ignores (or just plain doesn’t get… just shrugs those divine shoulders and mutters, “Oh, those kids” ) is the division we make between the sacred and the secular, the spiritual and the worldly. In this series we will explore the relationship between the two and, more importantly, how God can use any and all things to nurture and nourish life in its fullness.

The series will begin with a meditation on The Life of Pi. If you have not seen the movie, it is readily available online, on cable TV, or at one of many rental locations, and we encourage you to view or review the movie in preparation for Sunday. But be careful; The Life of Pi is chocked full of spiritual nuggets, and would provide material for a series all by itself. Since we aren’t devoting the entire series to one movie, we will reflect Sunday on the primary point of tension in the movie’s plot; the choice we are all offered between a life guided by reason or by faith. The former represents the empirical; facts and figures that can be measured and manipulated, and yet give no hint of transcendence, of anything behind the veil or beyond the boundry of the facts. Just the facts, ma’am, just the facts, as Sargent Joe Friday insisted on the classic TV series Dragnet. The latter is more difficult to pin down. The life of faith is full of surprises, unsuspected developments, and powerful stories that twist and turn, surprise, confuse, confound, and enchant anyone who walks its path. This choice – the life of faith – seems to offer a more expansive life of meaning and fulfillment, even if we can’t always put our finger on its explanation, or find the right words to give it expression.

Sunday should be a real hoot! and will provide an excellent opportunity for fellowship and spiritual nurture as we gather in worship. We hope to see you there.

“It’s the core values of our church that our ministries have in common– serving from our hearts, living hopefully and expectantly, valuing each person and accepting our differences with love. We use the resources that God has provided to strengthen our community, trying to address whatever needs we discover. A few years ago, right after we’d renovated our Sanctuary, our congregation got together and realized this was God’s plan for us. All the energy you see here sort of sprouted from that moment.”
      - From Church in Overland Park Reinvents Itself 

READINGS: 
After that I will pour out my spirit upon everyone; your sons and your daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, and your young men will see visions. (Joel 2.28)

When there’s no vision, the people get out of control, but whoever obeys instruction is happy. (Proverbs 29.18)

There is still a vision for the appointed time; it testifies to the end; it does not deceive. If it delays, wait for it; for it is surely coming; it will not be late. (Habakkuk 2.3)

Don’t remember the prior things; don’t ponder ancient history. Look! I’m doing a new thing; now it sprouts up; don’t you recognize it? (Isaiah 43.18f.)
                                                         - All scripture CEB    

REFLECTION:
The vision & mission that have emerged from our Discernment Retreats have been given initial expression in a Future Story; that is to say, OPCC’s future story in narrative form. Our story is entitled Church in Overland Park Reinvents Itself, and it looks back on our situation from some unspecified point in the future. If you have begun to read and reflect on the story, you know that it describes a vital, dynamic, and courageous faith community that has identified its core values and undertaken the hard work required to live into them. I find it exciting to read (and reread!) the story, because I love the progressive and confident stance this community takes toward faith, the spiritual life, and the lived expression of faith in community service and the ongoing work for justice. You can readily recognize the faith community that has been molded through the past six decades; and yet the community is altogether new and exhilarating. I’m more than ready for this future, I desire to be a part of this faith community, and I pray you do as well.

One key passage in our future story looks back to a precise moment in the life of the faith community we call Overland Park Christian Church, and traces its development from that starting point. I have cited the passage in the heading above. Please read it again, and notice one particular statement, “A few years ago, right after we’d renovated our Sanctuary, our congregation got together and realized this was God’s plan for us. All the energy you see here sort of sprouted from that moment.”

If that description sounds more than vaguely familiar, it’s because we stand at that seminal moment now. This Is the Moment! We are the congregation that is commended for realizing God’s plan for their mission and ministry. We are the folks who are recognized for summoning the courage to embrace the plan and live into it day by day. We are the oh so very human group on which this future hinges. We may not sense ourselves up to the task; we might even wish that someone else – anyone else – would insure this promising future. But there is no one else to stand tall and courageous, and dare to envision a church reinvented, a church recreated. As the comic strip character Pogo used to say, “We have met the enemy and he is us!”

Needless to say, the decisions we take in the next few months will have a tremendous effect on the future of this faith community. So I encourage you to be prayerfully discerning in your consideration of this unique story, and seek the grace to embrace it without fear. In our worship gatherings for the next several weeks, you will have opportunities to spend time in prayer and reflection at the future story display set up in the overflow room of our worship space. When you are ready – and not before – when you discern the willingness to embrace this vision, indicate that by writing on what will be our future vision banner. You may inscribe a prayer for our congregation, you may add a scripture passage that addresses the task at hand, a poetic image that reflects our situation, and you may even write your name if you choose.

I can’t help but wonder; when the fearless reporter in the story leaves our building after being awed and impressed by the congregation it houses, will the reporter see only the two signs specified in the narrative, or will the reporter also see a worn but proud hand-drawn banner on which we have left our mark? 

If people can’t see what God is doing, they stumble all over themselves; but when they attend to what he reveals, they are most blessed.
    - Proverbs 29.18 (The Message)

This is what God says, “Forget about what’s happened; don’t keep going over old history. Be alert, be present. I’m about to do something brand-new. It’s bursting out! Don’t you see it?
                                  - Isaiah 43.14a, 18-19 (The Message)


READING: 
When the Feast of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Without warning there was a sound like a strong wind, gale force—no one could tell where it came from. It filled the whole building. Then, like a wildfire, the Holy Spirit spread through their ranks, and they started speaking in a number of different languages as the Spirit prompted them. There were many Jews staying in Jerusalem just then, devout pilgrims from all over the world. When they heard the sound, they came on the run. Then when they heard, one after another, their own mother tongues being spoken, they were thunderstruck. They couldn’t for the life of them figure out what was going on, and kept saying, “Aren’t these all Galileans? How come we’re hearing them talk in our various mother tongues? Their heads were spinning; they couldn’t make head or tail of any of it. They talked back and forth, confused: “What’s going on here?” That’s when Peter stood up and, backed by the other eleven, spoke out with bold urgency: “Fellow Jews, all of you who are visiting Jerusalem, listen carefully and get this story straight. These people aren’t drunk as some of you suspect. They haven’t had time to get drunk—it’s only nine o’clock in the morning. This is what the prophet Joel announced would happen: “In the Last Days,” God says, “I will pour out my Spirit on every kind of people: Your sons will prophesy, also your daughters; Your young men will see visions, your old men dream dreams. And whoever calls out for help
 to me, God, will be saved.”
                           - Acts 2.1-21 (Selections; The Message)


REFLECTION:
To hear Isaiah report God’s intention to do something brand-new, you’d think God would be the source for the old saying “Out with the old and in with the new.” Somehow, I doubt this. It doesn’t sound like God’s style of expression. And besides, God never throws anything out; not babies with bath water, not old-stuff to make room for the new, and certainly not you or me. God doesn’t discard and replace things… God re-creates them. Paul understood this, and was able to pronounce with confidence that in Christ, all things have become new.

This is important to remember as our faith community concludes and affirms its discernment of God’s vision of what OPCC can and should be; God’s mission for us that will not be impossible if we choose to accept it. God is waiting and yearning to re-create our faith community, to re-invent our vision, illumine our understanding, and in so doing show us the WAY from here (of course, taking the babies with us!).

Our vision discernment retreats have been wonderful experiences in which the movement of Spirit has been obvious. This group, which included some 50 folk at one meeting or another, began by discerning the core values that guide, inspire, and empower our faith community; values that can and should be identified and intentionally woven into our walk in faith. From this foundation, the groups attempted to envision what a faith community based on these values would look like in the future; to discern what our faith community would look like when re-created from the insideOUT! The results of these retreats have provisionally issued in a Future Story; a fictive narrative that recounts the growth of our faith community. The story has two chapters. The first recounts the ways we will reach out into the larger community to assist folk in need, partner with others of good will to work for the common good, and stand for issues of justice and fairness. Chapter two recounts the attention we will give to our spiritual nurture and development, our efforts to be an intentionally welcoming community, and thus, to successfully welcome new folk into a dynamic faith journey with Christ, and the fellowship of our faith community.

This Future Story will be distributed to those in worship on Pentecost Sunday, and will be available as well on the web site and in the reception office on campus. We will read, pray, clarify, question, discuss, and revise if necessary the vision that inspires this story of a church that reinvents itself. As we discern consensus around the vision; as each of us recognizes the willingness to embrace this vision, we will celebrate it as the road map to the future. We will express it in summary form as a statement of vision and mission, and begin work on a strategic plan to prioritize goals, and give arms and legs to the vision. I have been amazed at the quality of the discernment process to this point (and the great work of our visioning team), and am excited to expand this discernment and prepare for something brand-new that is even now bursting out among us.