March 7, 2004

Second Sunday of Pentecost

Luke 13:31-35

 We Gather Together

      A true story: A farmer smelled smoke as he neared his chicken house and knew he had to act fast to save the birds.  He threw open the door to the hen house and they scurried out, but in minutes the entire structure was engulfed in flames.  After the fire finally burned out and there was nothing left but smoldering ruins, he picked his way through the charred remains to see if there was anything worth saving.  In the rubble, he found one of his hens, her lifeless body blackened by the heat.  He wasn’t surprised that he lost some of his hens in the fire, but was amazed when he picked up this particular dead bird.  Under her wings were four healthy chicks.  Her wings had insulated them from the heat and kept them alive.

     For centuries, people have wondered at the sheltering, even sacrificial instinct of certain birds.  They’ve seen something of the nature of God in this behavior.  This may have something to do with believing angels have wings.  This insight into the nature of God found its way into the popular hymns of Jesus’ day.  Here are some titles:

"Hide me in the shadow of thy wings"
"In the shadow of thy wings I will take refuge till the storms of
destruction pass by"
"Oh to be safe under the shelter of thy wings"
"In the shadow of thy wings I sing for joy"
"Under his wings you will find refuge"

     These songs are from an ancient hymnal known as “the Book of Psalms”, specifically, Psalms 17, 57, 61, 63 and 91.

     “Jerusalem, Jerusalem,” sighed Jesus, “the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it!"” He knew his time was running short and that death was near.  The threat from Herod was just one more confirmation of what was now almost certain – Jesus’ life would end in Jerusalem.  And yet, even when facing this, Jesus’ instinct was to gather the children of God to himself to save them; “How often I have desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, but you were not willing.”

     How sad it is when we refuse the shelter Christ offers us.  The Bible says the house of Israel (metaphorically named “Jerusalem” in this text) was forsaken because of turning away from Christ.  So are we, whenever we refuse to be gathered together under the protection of his wings.

     Independent and self-sufficient, we tend to think we really don’t have much need for God (or each other for that matter).  As long as things are going our way, we can maybe make that pit stop at church once a week, get a little gas in the tank, check in to see how things are going with the Big Guy and be on our way.  Or maybe once a month is enough…or maybe not at all.  Maybe we can just commune with God in nature, take a walk on the beach or in the woods and have some private prayer.

     Well, God is certainly with us in nature, but the true nature of God cannot be fully experienced or appreciated there.  The Bible says we meet Jesus where two or three are gathered in his name.  It also says we encounter him when we feed the hungry, clothe the naked and visit those in need.  It is where we are gathered together for worship and fellowship and service that we come to fully know God and our Savior, Jesus Christ. 

     I’ve often said, if it wasn’t for people, being a pastor would be easy!  Perhaps the greatest challenge of being a person of faith is being close to other persons of faith.  Gathering together means getting close enough to realize that other people, even Christian people, are just as imperfect as you are.  It also means picking up on just how deep and wonderful Christ’s saving love is, even for the likes of us. 

     Yes, we are a forsaken brood at times, but Christ’s sheltering, saving love is a given.  Forgiveness is offered to us.  Healing is offered to us.  Renewal is offered to us.  His love is guaranteed.  This is what makes it possible for us to walk closer with God and one another and live lives of mercy and justice and peace and purpose.

     The joy of being part of First Church these days is that it looks like we just might be smack-dab in the middle of a great renewal.  We can see we have a way to go to get where God wants us to be, but look how far we’ve come!  This is because Christ is with us and because we have been here for each other.  We are sharing this journey, talking things through, dreaming together, planning together, trusting God and trusting the faith we find in ourselves, and in others.  We’re holding Roundtable discussions, cooperating with Second Congregational Church, opening our doors to the arts, inviting people in to experience music and program, reaching out with mission projects, looking for new ways to engage people in worship, fellowship and service.

     Of course, it’s a whole lot easier to just keep to ourselves.  That way, we won’t have to make many sacrifices and we won’t have to be changed!  But we aren’t going to take the easy way out, are we?  Not now we won’t, for there is hope in our hearts and joy in our church.  We have seen the good things we can do, gathered together in Christ’s name.  As the Bible says, “Behold how good it is when sisters and brothers dwell together in unity!”