"Resolving Differences with Love and Grace"

                                                Sermon by Pastor Dan Wilkie

                                                        November 7, 2010

                                    First Congregational United Church of Christ

                                                  Grand Junction, Colorado

                                       Scripture: Acts 10:34-48 (The Message)

            I don’t know about you, but I am glad this mid term election is over.  I was tired of the phone calls, the negative campaign ads on both sides.  From what I saw, it was the most unholy, uncivilized, nastiest election that I have ever seen.  No where did it appear the candidates really had answers or thoughts about what they were going to do to benefit the majority of Americans, it seemed to be more about winning at all costs. It wasn’t about what would benefit the most people, or about resolving problems, it was more about undoing or working to undo what the other party had done, and force the other group to think and act the way they want them to.  

            If you read the papers, or watch some of the television ads, it doesn’t appear that the aftermath is going to be all that positive either.  In the Daily Sentinel there was a very nasty opinion column about how the conserves had taken back America, and the comment by this well respected local writer was all about how “We are really going to teach these liberals a lesson, and almost seemed to say “They deserved what they got because they didn’t think like us.”  The opinion stressed the view that they the conservatives knew best what was good.  This kind of struck me as funny this was the very thing they had complained about the “Liberal side”.  As I read the paper on Friday morning, there was another letter to the editor, equally ugly.  Now mind you neither one of these writers offered any real solutions for the problems that would benefit any one, say for instance the millions without health insurance or those with pre existing conditions that had been denied coverage if they did away with the programs they wanted badly to undo, only that health coverage was wrong. Sadly, it doesn’t seem to matter which party is in power, both parties have at one time or another been equally guilty of the same types of behaviors

            What bothers me about this kind of thinking and the way it is phrased is the message they are really saying: “We are the chosen group, we have the best knowledge, we know what is best and we don’t really care about the consequences for those our actions may hurt, only that we prove ourselves right, and you wrong.”  It becomes all about power and control, not about resolving the real issues, or solving the real problems. 

            Really when one thinks about it, okay so they win, they undo the programs the present party did, you still have the issue of millions without health care, or the millions without jobs, the millions losing their homes, the ways, the terror problems, a horrible public image in much o the world. 

            This kind of thinking doesn’t just happen at a national level either, look at the issues in Palisade with the recall of their mayor, or some of the other issues right here in Grand Junction. 

            Sadly this kind of thinking happens between denominations, and other religious groups, when one group feels their way of believing in scripture, or in theology, or their word for God, or their particular religion is better or more correct, or the right way and the fighting starts.  

            When these kinds of mindsets and thought processes start taking place, just as in politics, the whole reason for the issue in the first place, a relationship with God becomes less of an issue than power and control over another; about being right, special and proving the others wrong.  

            For those of us professing faith in God, this is quite troubling, because at least in our Christian traditions, or at least our understandings of them everything should be done with love and grace, respect and love for one’s neighbor. 

            In this scripture passage I chose for today from the book of Acts, the author was dealing in a way with the same kind of issue. The writer obviously very familiar with Paul and Peter, someone who had traveled extensively and who was very aware of the issues with the new faith movement was writing about experiences with expansion into areas outside of Jerusalem   Many of the believing Jews the original followers of Jesus had come to think of themselves as the favored ones, the ones who had their faith right.

            Cornelius one of the faithful had invited Peter to preach in Caesera, to believing Jewish followers there.  After welcoming Peter, the crowd began urging him to preach what God wanted them to hear. The crowd was abuzz imagine this famous speaker in their midst was going to teach them amazing things.  I kind of imagine this group was feeling that Pete’s words were going to reinforce their view of themselves, the right ones so they were listening with rapt attention with all eyes focused on Peter.  One can almost their shocked gasps when Peter, with great excitement began to preach that God has no favorites, that as long as one follows God it doesn’t matter who or what they are, they are in the club, the group. Wow, sounds a lot like the UCC doesn’t it, “No matter where you are, no matter who you are, you are welcome here”.  Now Peter had no sooner spoken these words and the Holy Spirit comes among them, and who is blessed? Not the believing Jews, but the Gentiles, “the others”.  Seeing this Peter asks if there are any objections to the Gentiles being baptized as they were and does so in the name of Jesus.

            Folks, this is the important thing for us a people of faith, regardless of political belief or party, or faith affiliation, or color, or any other thing which we feel sets us apart and may make us think we have the right answers or the only way of thinking, God does not play favorites.  As long as we believe and follow, that we seek to understand, to do what God calls us to do we are in God’s Graces.

            Now you might be asking how and what does this have to do with resolving differences with love and Grace.  It is the starting point for a different reference, a different way of looking at things.  Once we begin to see those we have a conflict with, or a difference of opinion with not as a lesser person, or wrong, or worse than us, and we stop seeing ourselves as having all the answers it changes the playing field.  We are working on the issues as equals, not as victor and loser, but as people concerned with the same issues trying to find solutions.  Then the process becomes about the solutions, and about agreement, not about personalities.  

            This process means we have to talk to each other, we have to share our concerns, talk about beliefs and values.  This then makes the other person not an enemy, but another person simply with different ideas. When this takes place we start finding common ground, and areas of potential conflict.  Once we have areas of agreement we can begin to work on those, and at the same time we can start finding solutions to the things we disagree on.  Over time this allows the problem to be solved for the benefit of all.  Notice now how differently this looks than trying to force one’s values on another and exert power and control over them.  Think about how much greater the chance is for having a resolution that all can agree on and abide by.  In thinking about the processes which do you think more closely follows Christ’s teachings and honors God? 

            There is a reason however, why many people don’t use these kinds of processes; it takes a very long time to achieve results, it may also mean a decision of give and take where no one gets to claim victory.  It may also mean that one side gets a little more in this negotiation than the other.  The reality of the process though is that the next time an issue has to be resolved, the other group may get the edge. In the end though what really matters is that the problem is resolved for the benefit of the greatest number of people.

            This kind of effort is hard too because initially some one has to take the first step, offer the olive branch if you will, and in taking the first step, most of us are afraid of looking weak, or giving up control.

            Believe me though it is possible, even in the most extreme cases, when two people or two groups really want to make a difference. According to MSNBC, there is a special summit in Geneva Switzerland, meeting this very minute doing just what I am talking about.  They are working to try to find a way to stop the religious bloodshed between Islam, Judaism and Christianity.  It is a group of Muslim scholars and religious leaders from all sects, Christian religious leaders from the Catholic Church, the Orthodox Church, and many other Protestant denominations and Jewish scholars and leaders from around the world.  

            Their agenda is very simple; to talk and talk some more about the many aspects of their respective faiths, talk about how they are united, the many things they share, then talk about the differences, not as one group better than another, but groups equal but different.  They have chosen moderators to help work through these issues then they hope to talk about the thousands of years of violence all have experienced in one form or another, and explore why this happens.  They will also be exploring their own versions of fundamentalism and extremism and how to moderate these dangerous influences.  Do they expect this to be done in a week, or a month? No, their pledge is to take as long as it takes. 

            There is a lot riding on the actions of this group, including their very lives as many have received death threats from those extremists they are talking about. A risk? Sure, but one in which the outcome may be one of the most important things to happen in this century.

            In reflection, maybe God is calling us to take a cue from these courageous leaders, to follow their example, because if we ever hope to heal our spiritual and religious divides, our cultural divides, and heal our communities and this nation, we have to see each other as equals, we have to look for the potential good in each person, we have to talk about the issues before us, not from points of power, but points of love, we have to work together as he human family to find the solutions that benefit all of us.

            Because of our human nature: it is often easy to think of ourselves as somehow being right and others wrong, or to see our group as better or having all the answers.  In fact I am sure that all of us have done it from time to time, but it truly doesn’t serve God’s purpose.  So the next time you find yourself thinking or acting that way, take a moment and remember that the person across the table, or on the other side, is just a person like you, a brother or sister, trying to live life every day and do the best they can, just as you are, and that you may have more in common than you realize, it just may be wrapped in a different package and framed a different way.

Amen.