Sunday Sermon - June 9, 2013

The God I Know

Sermon by Stephen Ricketts

Providence-Fort Washington United Methodist Church

I Kings 17:8-16; Psalm 146; Luke 7:11-17

Third Sunday after Pentecost – June 9, 2013

 

I was on CNN.com recently and I saw an article entitled “Famous atheists and their beliefs.” It was a series of photos of people who call themselves atheists with a very brief quote that explains why they believe what they do. As I read through the list I realized that some of them are what you might call “scientific atheists” – they do, in fact, have a god and their god is science. These are people like Stephen Hawkings and Penn Jillette who elevate science to the point that it is their god. Others are what I call “lazy atheists” – I believe they are too lazy to think seriously about god and see atheism as the easy choice. Finally, there is a group I call “reactionary atheists” – these are people who call themselves atheists because they reject some aspect of religion. I suspect they were brought up in a community where religion was warped or twisted and that has led them to reject that expression of faith and all others at the same time. As I looked at the list it made me sad to think of these people who have rejected God, but the group that concerns me most is the last group – the reactionary atheists. I wonder if I might me partially to blame for their atheism; I wonder if I have preached or am preaching a message that will cause someone to reject God.

To give you an example of what I am talking about, how many of you are familiar with Westboro Baptist Church? They are the group that pickets at the funeral of fallen soldiers and celebrates their deaths as God’s judgment on America. I (reluctantly) visited their website and saw some very disturbing material. According to them God hates Jews; God hates Muslims; and God hates homosexuals (actually they are more explicit). They preach that God hates the world and that the greatest lie ever told is that God loves everyone. As you can see they preach a very ugly message. Now, I reject their message of hatred. And, if all I had ever heard about God came from Westboro Baptist Church then I would probably be an atheist too.

As I have thought about it, I have come to realize that atheism and faith are really two sides of the same coin; there are things we affirm about God – the positives. And there are things we reject about God – the negatives. And together, the things we affirm and the things we reject help us understand who God is. I do not know if you were aware of this, but the early Christians were sometimes persecuted as atheists; they were persecuted because they rejected the gods of the Roman pantheon. I say all of this because I believe that what we say about God matters. I believe that people are listening to our message about who God is, and; they are making decisions based on what we say. I am sure that many of the reactionary atheists  that exist today became atheists because they heard a message of hatred instead of a message of love; a message of judgment instead of a message of forgiveness; or a message of condemnation instead of a message of salvation. So, what do we preach about God? Is our message leading people to faith; or, are we actually creating more atheists?

Today, I would like to tell you something about the God I know. Now, we do not have time for me to give you a full and complete statement of my faith; but, I would like to lift up a few highlights. I would like to share some of what I try to proclaim to the world about God. First, the God I know is the creator of all that is and God’s creation is good. The Bible begins with a magnificent hymn that celebrates God as creator; today’s psalm declares that God “made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them.” Now, I do not know exactly how God created everything or exactly how long God took to create the universe as we see it today. I also believe that science has much to say here and we need to hears its voice as one of honest inquiry – not opposition. But, I believe that we are NOT here by accident; we are not just random quantum fluctuations. I believe God made us for a purpose and that God keeps faith with his creation forever.

The God I know loves the world he made and wants us, and all creation, to prosper and flourish and grow. Countless times throughout the Bible we are told that God loves us. God provided for Adam and Eve because he loved them. God gave a son to Abraham and Sarah because he loved them. God delivered the Israelites from bondage because he loved them. God preserved his people in exile because he loved them. And, God sent Jesus Christ into the world to be our Savior because he loves us. Now, that does not mean that God does not have standards; he does – just read the Ten Commandments. I believe that God holds us accountable for following the standards he has set. Now, some people see love and justice as incompatible and wonder how a loving God could ever condemn someone to eternal punishment. My own belief is that God does not need to condemn us to punishment; rather, I believe we choose to depart from God and God allows us to go. My own vision of hell is not a fiery pit filled with demons and other condemned souls; I believe hell is a cold, dark, and lonely place devoid of any love or light. I imagine hell as a place where a soul spends eternity facing away from God and refusing to accept his love into their lives. The God I know is more like a loving parent and less like an angry judge. The God I know knows  what is best for us and walks with us, giving us guidance and direction.

The God I know is the source of every good gift. I believe that God designed the world in such a way that each part provides for and supports the others. The rain nourishes the plants that in turn nourish the animals and us. At the same time, God placed us in creation to be caretakers of God’s world. God’s world is also filled with things of great power and great beauty; many of which are beyond our control and understanding. The complex reactions that make a star possible are evidence of God’s genius. And, even our weather, sunny days, rainstorms, hurricanes and even tornadoes have a place in God’s grand design. I sometimes stand in fear of the storms, but I trust that God is in control and they too have a purpose to fulfill. I often wonder why God allows storms to bring destruction and I have not come up with a satisfactory answer. In the end, I believe that God is present, even in the disasters, offering support and comfort to all his children. I believe that God works for good in all circumstances.

But, while the God I know is the source of good gifts, I also know that God is not the source of evil in the world. I believe that evil springs from within us; evil comes from our selfish desires and fears. We all want safety and security and believe that they come when we push others out of our lives and try to hoard earth’s bounty for ourselves. I believe God allows us to chose our own path in life even when that path leads to destruction and ruin. I believe God allows us to reject God and even to destroy ourselves and our world. Yet, God is always at work against evil; God is always fighting loneliness with compassion and  fighting hatred with love. I know that we cannot create peace with walls or bring harmony at the point of a gun. True peace will only come when we embrace others and allow God’s love to fill our lives.

The God I know is active in the world today. Some people see God as a watchmaker; as one who created the world, wound it up, and then abandoned it to continue without his oversight. Well, that is not the God I believe in; I believe God is constantly involved with his world. I believe God interacts with the world in a variety of ways. First, I believe God speaks directly to the hearts of men and women and guides us each and every day. I believe God has place a sense of right and wrong within us. I am sure you have all done something wrong and then experienced a pang of guilt; I think this is God speaking to us. I believe God has place a sense of beauty within us. We marvel at a flower, or rainbow, or the stars at night. I believe our sense of wonder and awe is a gift from God. I believe God speaks to us and calls us to work in his world; I believe each person has received a vocational call from God – a call that uses our abilities and gives us great joy and satisfaction. I believe God makes himself known to the world through our actions. Every time we comfort a crying child, we are showing God’s love to another. When we reach out to someone in need, we are revealing God’s presence to the world. When we feed the hungry or comfort the dying we are showing God’s face to all. I even believe God is active in the world in our political processes. Now, I know it is sometimes hard to see God at work in Congress or the Supreme Court; but, I believe that God is working for justice and equality in our society as a whole. I believe that God speaks through the social questions we wrestle with and the laws we pass. We may not always hear God’s voice clearly; but, I believe that when we do our best for our country we are reflecting God’s will. The God I know is indeed active in his world; he is walking alongside us every step of the way.

The God I know created me, you, and everything we see and wants us to enjoy his good creation. The God I know loves all creation – especially his human children and wants us to love him and follow his will for our lives. The God I know is the source of every good gift, but God allows us to refuse his love and gifts, even though it breaks his heart when we choose to abandon him. And, the God I know is active in the world in an infinite variety of ways. God is always working to turn our hearts back toward God.

Today, the world is looking for excuses to reject God and we must never add fuel to their fire. We cannot let people drive a wedge between God and science – ultimately we are all seeking the same truth. We cannot let religious extremists sow seeds of hatred and bigotry in the world; we must counter their message with signs of love and tolerance. We cannot let any suffer and then accuse God of abandoning them. We must step up and be God’s hands, feet, voice and ears to ease the suffering of all people. The God I know has not abandoned the world. We cannot abandon the world to those who would deny God’s very existence. We must be a true and faithful mirror that reflects God’s face to all we meet.

Amen.