June 22, 2003 Manistee

I want to begin our time together today by sharing a couple of ideas with you that may not seem immediately connected. I ask you, therefore, to hold on to each one in the beginning until we reach the point where they can be brought together.

Over the past two years I discovered that there are television programs broadcast on Sunday mornings. I had noticed that the television section of the newspaper listed programs on the air before Sunday noon, but until my leave of absence from the pulpit, had no personal experience of that being the case. So it is true that the tube lights up before Sunday dinner. A few weeks ago I noticed a program that aired on public television during that time period. It was the conclusion of a two- part series entitled, "Faith Without Sanctuaries," and was the analysis of the increasing number of people who are not attending worship on a regular basis.

Now, if you will remember that for a moment, I want to turn to the Psalm we read this morning. In the Psalm we hear that there are many people – the Bible calls them wicked – who boast, and are greedy for gain. But more importantly, they reject the Lord. In his pride he thinks that God does not matter.

So, in two periods of history, there appears to be no lack of persons who do not believe, will not believe, or who may believe, but will not acknowledge that belief. And that is the problem for us. It seems always – if we are to believe the writer of the tenth Psalm – to have been the problem. Always, there have been people who refuse to acknowledge God, and always there have been people who refuse the people who do worship God.

But that is not very helpful, in and of itself. Those kinds of statements rarely are. A problem is stated. A concern is identified. And suddenly someone says that it is merely part of a trend or it is a common occurrence here, there and everywhere. And that is supposed to be some comfort or solution to our problem and concerns. But it isn’t. It only stops conversation. Yes, it may sound true. Yes, it may be a trend. But so what? What can be done? Yes, people are refusing God, but what can be done? Yes, more people are refusing to worship God, but what can be done? What alternatives are available to us who are faced with the problem?

Now, listen to this. Sociologist and psychiatrist Robert Coles, who has studied much of American life, particularly children and women who live in the midst of crises, has also commented on the church. Dr. Coles says that "if people come to worship and do not sense the presence of God, there is no way to keep them. But if they do sense God’s presence, you won’t be able to keep them away."

All right, now we are getting somewhere. Now, we may have a way out of the trend and that nationwide pattern. There may be light at the end of the tunnel after all. Our task, then, is to try to get people to sense that God is here in worship. Then they’ll see. Then they’ll come. Then, they’ll stay with us, and with God, too. So we have to do something about worship. We’ll make it contemporary. We’ll make it easier to take – make the hymns familiar and the anthems happy and the sermon short. We’ll make it a friendly kind of place – everybody, now, be friendly! Everybody go out of your way to be friendly. We’ll have coffee hours. We’ll have coffee hours with doughnuts. We’ll have coffee hours with sugared doughnuts! We’ll have programs. We’ll have programs for every possible kind of person, situation, and condition imaginable, from pre-natal to post-resurrection!

Now, all of that is important. I believe fellowship times are extremely important. Being genuinely friendly and caring is necessary for congregational growth. Programs that are broad in scope and interest are vital for parish life. And having familiar hymns and happy anthems and short sermons occurs most times. Well, let me correct that: having familiar hymns and happy anthems occurs most times; short sermons occur once in a while. It is true that all of those are important. But they have nothing to do with sensing God.

Now listen: this is the point. People will have trouble sensing God here not because of anything we do or do not do here. People will have trouble sensing God here because we have trouble sensing God elsewhere.

People will have trouble believing here as long as we have trouble talking about God elsewhere. People will reject God, and reject God’s people as long as we reject living as if God makes a difference to us. To sense God today depends on whether we could sense God yesterday. It is clear that we cannot claim God in our sanctuaries and reject God in our lives. To feel Christ here, we need to see him in the faces of people before we get here. To be able to celebrate Christ here we have to be able to celebrate Christ everywhere! There is nothing magical about this sanctuary or this time. It depends first on God’s gracious decision to be here, and second on what we have done and what we bring with us. You don’t find God here. You bring God with you.

There was another time and another people. A time of confusion and deceit and greed. And people who were greedy and proud and inhuman, treacherous, haters of good, lovers of pleasure rather than God, who wanted God on demand, without believing the demands of God. That was the time and people into which Paul sent these words to those who would be Christian: I urge you then, I who am a prisoner because I serve the Lord: live a life that measures up to the standard God set when he called you. Be always humble, gentle, and patient. Show your love by being tolerant with one another. Do your best to preserve the unity which the Spirit gives by means of the peace that binds you together.

For me, the town of Chambon did exactly that. In the mountains of Lyon, France, is the town of Chambon. It is historical fact that all over France during the Second World War, apathy and cruelty existed toward minorities of every kind. Nazi teaching and Nazi fear had worked well. It was learned well, too, except, that is, in the town of Chambon. There, courageous Protestants, led by their pastor, refused to turn over Jews to the Nazi invaders. For centuries Chambon had been a refuge, first for Huguenot Christians fleeing massacres by French Roman Catholics, then for victims of coal-dust disease, and then refugees from the Spanish Civil War. Finally, fleeing for their lives, Jewish people had come there, had been taken into homes, fed and cared for and protected. Once discovered, however, their protectors were hounded by the authorities and threatened with arrest if they did not turn over the names of the Jews they had been sheltering in their homes. They steadfastly refused. Finally, the authorities did find one Jew, arrested him and put him on the prison bus. But, as he waited, the thirteen-year-old son of the pastor ignored the armed guards, pressed forward and pushed a piece of chocolate through the windows toward him. And then he was joined by one, and then two, and finally countless villagers passing gifts of food until he was completely surrounded with offerings of love and courage. Why would people react that way? Phillip Hallie, an American writer went to Chambon to find the answer. "They didn’t think it was heroic," he said. "They behaved in a way they thought Jesus Christ would have them behave."

The town of Chambon lived humbly, gently and patiently, showing their love by being tolerant with one another, preserving the unity which the Spirit gave by means of peace. It indeed took hold of the Spirit of God. It stood as a moment of life and light in a world of darkness and death. It lived for Jesus Christ when others lived by cruelty. It was a sign of the continuing power of God. It is what anyone can point to as evidence of belief, proof of faith, as a sign of God’s presence with us all.

And that is why people believe. Because of the people of Chambon, because of all people who live and speak of the gracious love of God. It is because people out there sense the presence of God and courageously talk about God. That is how to sense the presence of God and come to say: there is God! And that is how people will sense God here, that is how we will fill our pews every Sunday morning, week after week, if you have sensed God, talked about God, thought about God, considered God, prayed to God, lived with God every day of your life. It is this simple, my friends, whether people will see and believe and sense the presence of God, whether people will come, depends upon you.

O Lord, God, you know everything. You know all that is past and all that is yet to be. But most of all, you know how difficult this present day is for us. We stand silently when others say there is no God. We are not very good at being righteous, or patient, or faithful. We become cynical and grow increasingly unable to speak about the goodness of faith or the faithful who are good. O Lord God, we need to feel the surge of your power in our lives. We need courage to speak. We need faith to fight the good fight. We need your presence in Jesus Christ. Amen.