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February 2:
Call: Matthew 5: 1-12 Text: Micah 6: 1-8 Psalm: 15 (747) Read: Renewal of Church (574) Not Complicated [WS: This is the third of seven pre-Lenten messages about scriptural concepts of congregational improvement that will finish on March 2, the Sunday before Ash Wednesday. All seven messages are inspired by and based on lectionary suggested scriptures for that Sunday. I invite you to go to PotsdamUMC.org, to either read or listen to others in the series.] I remember growing up just outside of Syracuse. My family was certainly not poor, but we did not have a lot of money available for extravagant vacations or entertainment Still, my parents gave priority to seeing that we kids got to things. My father was not much of a sports fan But his boys were And so every year he would get us to A Syracuse Nationals NBA game at the War Memorial And a Syracuse Chiefs baseball game at MacArthur Stadium. To me, those facilities seemed like such big places I think the War Memorial seated 5-8,000 And MacArthur Stadium must have had room for 7-10,000 As a boy growing up I could not imagine finding my way around such enormous buildings without my Dad to lead me. I was sure that if I ventured off on my own, I could get lost and perhaps never found. But during my adulthood, I returned to both and was surprised at how much smaller they had become By simply following the signs, I maneuvered just fine Once I grasped what to do and put my mind to do it, I found that getting around them was not that complicated The intimidation that I had felt as a child Was not only gone But it seemed so foolish that I am almost embarrassed to admit that I ever felt it. I do so only because I have to believe that a number of you can relate To experiencing those feelings And still being able to remember them. And you don't have to be a sports fan. I had the same feeling when they took me to the Ice Capades And am sure that I would have Had they taken me to a concert. Of course, as adulthood went on, I found my way around much bigger places The Carrier Dome, which could hold several War Memorials (there were 35, 500 there last evening) as well as, Exhibition Stadium in Montreal Although admittedly by the time I got there The stadium was not particularly crowded And Nationals Stadium in Washington Where I spent an evening this past summer. Oh, there are still occasions when I go someplace new That I wonder whether I will be able to find my way around Fletcher Allen was one On my first - and maybe my second - visit This [Potsdam] church building was another During my tour after my May 2007 interview. But in these situations all I had to do is remind myself That they are not really that complicated All I had to do was pay attention to the signs. This is the third of seven scriptures or pairs of scriptures That speak to readers and hearers Not just as individual Christians But even more powerfully as congregations Therefore, throughout our look at and reflection on them I have suggested - and I will continue to suggest - that we allow them to guide us On a trip to, and a ride on, the escalator of congregational improvement an escalator powered by Christ's love, grace, and spirit Two weeks ago, we began by finding the key That we need to unlock the building in which the escalator is housed That key was remembering that we are "works in progress." Flawed followers of Christ And especially remembering that others in the congregation Are works in progress too. Then, last week, our scriptures reminded us To serve as a united group Not a homogeneous group Not a group of clones But rather a group with a variety of gifts and experiences That is or should be united by a common purpose Following and serving Jesus The Christ And too, a group that knows that despite our differences The main thing is to keep The main thing The main thing. That main thing is Jesus Christ. With that reminder, We turned the knob and stepped into the building So today, we are inside the escalator building A building teaming with people Milling about in no quickly recognizable manner As I thought of this My mind and my emotions went back to The anxiety and uncertainty of my childhood visits to those facilities that seemed so "Billy Fuccillo sized" In other words, "huge." For I see that for many of us Entering the escalator building is quite like, little Bud Barnes entering the Syracuse War Memorial About sixty years ago. The thought in my mind then and now "I'll never be able to find my way around. Maybe I should just leave." And therefore what I need And what, I suspect, most of us need, Is what helped the adult Jim Barnes learn to get around The War Memorial and MacArthur Stadium And even the cavernous Carrier Dome And that is a reminder that "It's not complicated. All we have to do is pay attention to the signs." Our scriptures today provide that reminder And they are our signs These scriptures are in this book [hold Bible] For the very purpose of guiding us When we feel overwhelmed entering a new arena When we have to make a decision about what to do They enable us to navigate the wandering crowd of people and decisions That we encounter after walking into the building where the escalator is. The first reminder and the first signs are the beatitudes that called us to worship and tell us that, We must maintain a spirit of love for the poor We must trust that, even when we mourn, God will comfort us We must be meek rather than aggressive toward others We must look for and desire righteousness We must give mercy rather than seek revenge We must remain pure - rather than deceitful - in heart We must be peacemakers rather than disturbers of the peace of others; We must accept the risk of pain, punishment, and persecution Rather than fall into the trap of behaving unrighteously And we must put up with derision and false claims Rather than reject our God Some of these - actually, many of these - things are difficult Persecution, for example, does not appeal to me But even the most difficult of the beatitudes is not complicated For example, If someone has failed us or wronged us Our choice is to either give him or her mercy or seek vengeance with fists, words, or actions Does anyone really think that choice complicated? If we understand and love God, is there any real choice? And when we turn from the beatitudes To words from the OT prophet Micah We find an even less complicated statement of required behavior Towards others in and out of the congregation [From Micah 6: 1-8] Has there ever been a simpler - or better - answer Than that provided through Micah? The last verse of this passage is so important to me That I have it right next to my desk On a calligraphy plaque that Marge created for me What does the Lord require of us as individuals, of course but also as a congregation? The answer is simple. It is not complicated. To do justice We are to treat people fairly To love kindness Being kind needs to be second nature to us To walk humbly with our God Walking alongside God and in God's footsteps But remembering while doing so, that God is so much greater than we are And remembering too that our various gifts have been given to us through and by God's grace. They were not earned by our merit. On this third of seven weeks You and I are in the building housing the escalator of improvement Amidst a group of moving people And we together have a choice We can say, "we are uncomfortable" And then walk away from congregational improvement OR We can read and follow the signs from Matthew and Micah. It is not complicated.